After they were done eating, Mary Ann put the dishes out into the hallway, thinking of how she and Ginger wouldn't have to wash them. Then she went into the bathroom to freshen up and change into Eva Grubb's nightgown. She really did wish she had something slinkier to put on. Sad as she was about her mother, she still wanted to look pretty and, well, sexy for Gilligan.

When she went back out into the bedroom, Gilligan had changed into Mr. Brady's spare pajamas. He'd also dimmed the lights and put on mood music. She was surprised for a moment, but then she remembered that he had seen a lot of movies. He probably knew a little of how to create a romantic setting. And then she realized that, unless they'd borrowed the community radio, there would've been no way to do this on the island. Even dimming the lights wasn't a possibility.

"It's wonderful to have electricity again, isn't it?" she said, glancing at the clock radio.

He nodded, but he seemed to be staring at her.

"I know, this nightgown is awful, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "You're still the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Oh, Gilligan." She came over and sat next to him on the edge of the bed. She kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kissed her on the mouth, a gentle, tentative kiss.

She felt so lucky to have a husband like him, warm and sensitive. Yes, he was shy and naive, more than she was, but she was more comfortable with that, especially with all the mixed emotions she was going through that day, than she would've been with a more confident, assertive man.

"Let's lie down and snuggle," she said.

"OK."

They folded back the covers, not that they really needed them in that warm climate. She thought about how their room was heated and cooled by electricity. On the island, sometimes the wind would blow through the gaps in the bamboo of the huts. She'd gotten used to it, and it was better shelter than the canoe of course, but it was only now that she had four walls around her, not to mention a floor that wasn't made of dirt, that she truly realized how un-luxuriously they'd lived. And this wasn't even a fancy hotel. She pictured having a nice, modest house with Gilligan, and how that would feel like wealth after what she'd grown accustomed to.

They lay down as they had on the canoe, with him to her left. She supposed that meant they really were a couple now, each having a side of the bed, even if they hadn't shared an actual bed till that day.

"How do you feel?" Gilligan asked.

She sighed. "I don't know. A mix of things. This is all a lot to adjust to."

"Yeah." He kissed her cheek.

"Gilligan, can you hold me?"

"What if I get excited?"

"That's OK. I'll at least play with you with my hands." She didn't know if she was ready to have him inside her again, but she liked giving him pleasure.

"Wow, you're the best wife a guy ever had!"

She smiled. "Oh, I don't know about that."

"Well, I think you are." He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled up against him.

"You're the best husband any girl could ever have," she murmured.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

And then they kissed, a long, slow kiss. After awhile, they both became more relaxed and yet more excited. They progressed to necking. It was definitely more comfortable than it had been in the canoe, and she couldn't help thinking about how other things would be more comfortable, too.

"Gilligan, I think I would like to do what we did last night."
"Really? I don't want to rush you."

"Well, let's build up to it, but, yes, let's do it tonight."

"What about your mother?"

"I'm still sad about her, but she would want me to be happy."

"I want to make you happy, Mary Ann."

"Oh, Gilligan." She kissed him again. "What about your mother?"

"What about her?"

"Well, she doesn't think of us as married."

"Well, I told you I do think of us as married. And I'm an adult now. For eight years, my parents didn't know if I was dead or alive, and I had to make decisions and live my life the way that made sense to me. Of course, I always listened to my friends' advice, especially the Skipper's. But I never really went along with anything I didn't want to do. Like, I could've told Mrs. Howell she was crazy and I didn't want to marry you. But deep down, I did. I just thought you'd say no if I even asked you on a date, not that we could really date on the island."

She stroked his chest. "Oh, Gilligan, couldn't you see how much I cared for you?"

"Well, sometimes I wondered, but mostly I thought you were being nice and sweet. I didn't know you could think of me as a boyfriend, or a husband."

"Well, I could. I do." She kissed him again. "I thought you were the one who wasn't interested in romance."

"Oh, I was interested. But my condition scared me. I didn't know it was normal."

"Oh, Gilligan." She kissed him some more. Then she sat up and pulled off the long nightgown.

"Oh, Mary Ann!"

She lay down again and started unbuttoning his pajama top. It felt good to press their chests together, feel bare skin against bare skin, as they kissed and necked.

He soon got hard of course, well, harder, but he was patient. It seemed like any touch made him happy, even if he was getting frustrated. She showed him how she wanted to be kissed and touched, and she kissed and touched him. She did ask him for instructions, but he said, "It's all great!"

Eventually they were down to just their underpants. She took hers off and gave him more instructions, which he happily followed. When she felt ready, she had him take off his underwear and climb on top of her. She helped position him and he entered her carefully.

"Oh, Mary Ann, it's even better than last time!"

It was. She was more relaxed and definitely more comfortable. Gilligan still seemed to not quite know what he was doing, which was understandable, but at least he seemed less surprised than before.

But he gave only a few strokes and thrusts before he was done. "Wow!" he exclaimed.

She wished he could last longer. Would it always be like this or would he get better the longer they were together as a couple? She was too inexperienced herself to know how to increase his stamina. In fact, she felt lucky he'd lasted long enough to get inside her. And she realized that he didn't know that it could be any different. He still seemed to barely know what sex was.

She didn't love him any less. She held him close as he lay on her afterwards. The important thing was that they were together. And he had pleased her earlier. And this was still their honeymoon after all.