"I am so glad that we were able to get tickets to hear Sarah Connolly," Roxanna breathed out as Henrik led them into his home. The concert had gone on a little later than she had thought it would, and she knew that she would be dragging in the morning, but hearing that woman perform was well worth all the yawns that she knew would come during the first hour of her work day. "When I told you about it, I thought that it would be to late to get any sort of ticket, let alone as good of ones as you got."

"I have an in with the house manager, and used it, since you sounded so eager to hear her. I must admit, she does have a lovely voice live."

"I know! It's so much fuller than when you hear her on a recording. Oh, to be able to listen to her like that all the time!"

Henrik chuckled a little as he closed the door and locked it. She had already dropped off a small overnight bag, and she found herself looking forward being able to slip out of her dress and into the silk negligee and robe that she had packed. Instead, Henrik placed his hand on the small of her back and led her into the living room, a warm silence falling between them as they went. It wasn't until she was seated on the sofa that he spoke once more. "Would you like anything to drink? I know that more wine might not be optimal, since we both have an early start tomorrow."

"I think that I'm fine, Henrik." He nodded and sat down next to her. Roxanna leaned against his chest, welcoming his arm around her as she slipped her shoes off and then pulled her legs up onto the sofa as she made herself more comfortable. "We need to do this more often."

"Would that we had the time to do this more often. I'm starting to see why we tend to woo people in the hospital, since that seems to double the time we spend together. But I think that we can try to go out on a few more lunch dates, when we have concurrent shifts. I know this great spot up on the roof of the building, when the weather gets warmer."

"I might have to take you up on that, Henrik," she murmured as she let out a small yawn. "I am so tired, but I don't want to lose this happy moment. She, she sang one of the songs that David loved so much, and I found it so hard to focus on how much I was enjoying the concert. Having you next to me, though, holding my hand, helped to stave off the worst of the demons."

"I wondered if that was what was bothering you," he murmured before dropping a tender kiss to the top of her head. "I sometimes forget that music can have sad memories attached to it as well as pleasant ones."

She nodded and brought her hand up to his chest, running it up and down as she gathered her thoughts. "Though I think that I adore her take on that song, so I have a new memory to help take the edge off the pain of things."

"That's a good way to look at things," Henrik murmured as he tapped out a soft rhythm on her arm. "I know, we should probably get ready for bed, but I just want to hold you in my arms for a while longer."

"We could do that in bed, you know. Unless you want me to stay in the guest room?"

Roxanna pursed her lips together as she awaited his answer, still feeling somewhat anxious about his answer, even though she was confident in his love for her. "If I have the immense pleasure of you spending the night, then I want you in my bed."

She let out a nervous laugh as she nodded before standing up from the sofa and looking down at him. "Well, then, shall we head up that way?" Henrik nodded, and she took hold of his hand as he stood as well, threading their fingers together as they went over to the stairs and made their way to his bedroom. Once they were near the bed, she paused and looked up into his eyes. "I have a pretty nightgown to wear, is that ridiculous?"

"Not at all, I actually wouldn't expect any less of you." Roxanna blushed a little as she rested her cheek on her shoulder. "Go, I'll be right here when you get back." Nodding, she grabbed her bag off the bed and tried to calmly walk over to the door to the master bathroom.

Shutting the door, Roxanna took a deep breath as she sat on the toilet and pulled out her makeup kit from the bag, setting it on the countertop before grabbing her shower kit and setting that on the edge of the bath. The last thing she did before getting undressed was take out her negligee and robe, hanging them on the free hook next to Henrik's own dressing gown. Smiling, Roxanna ran her fingers up and down the plush material before hurriedly unzipping her dress and tugging it off her body, hanging it on the third hook before unhooking her bra, tossing it in her bag before slipping her underwear off her hips and putting them in the hamper.

It didn't take long for her to shower, and then she was gazing in the mirror and removing the last of her makeup before moisturizing her face and giving herself a less than confident smile. She knew that Henrik loved her for her, but that still didn't mean that she was free from comparing herself to other women. "You're being a numpty, Rox," she muttered as she crossed over to the door and slipped the negligee over her head, letting it fall to her ankles as she shrugged into the robe. "He loves you, and that's all that matters."

Straightening her shoulders, Roxanna drew in a small breath before opening the door and stepping back into the bedroom and looking around for Henrik. He was standing near the closet, clearly choosing his outfit for the next day, clad only in a pair of dark blue pyjama pants. Smiling, she made her way to his side and slipped her arms around his waist as she pressed her cheek to his back. "I'm wearing purple tomorrow," she murmured, her smile growing when she noticed his hand immediately close around a hanger that contained a light purple shirt that had a dark purple tie already hanging with it.

"You should leave your shower kit here, Roxanna. I mean, you're spending enough time here, it makes sense that you should have that available, rather than carrying it back and forth." Her heart thrilled a little at those words, since it was the first indication he'd given that he was welcoming her into his space. "Darling?"

"Okay. I'm sorry, you just surprised me, that's all. This is a welcome change to our relationship," she finally said as he turned in her arms, closing his arms low around her hips as he smiled down at her. "This is what I've been waiting for, Henrik. These small steps." She curved one arm around his neck as she lifted herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him gently.

He pressed a few more kisses to her lips as he guided her over to the bed and pushed the robe from her shoulders, catching it before it hit the floor. "And the small steps will lead to something larger in the future." He started to fold up her robe as he went around to his side of the bed, and she smiled as she flipped the overhead light off before pulling the covers back and staring at her partner. "Roxanna?"

"I want something different tonight, Henrik. Do you mind sleeping together naked? I don't want to do anything other than sleep, because I am quite tired, but I want to take another, small, step with you tonight." She felt a little ridiculous, having gone to all the effort to look pretty for him in a new negligee, but she really wanted to do this, all of a sudden. It wasn't until he was hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his pyjama pants that she let out the breath she had been holding. Nodding a little, she brushed the thin straps off her shoulders and let the silky material pool at her feet, standing tall, her chin slightly tilted upwards as she allowed him to gaze at her.

"You are beautiful," he said lowly, and she nodded, still feeling a little self-conscious. She was fifty two, and things had shifted on her body, thanks to aging and the toll it took on a person. Still, as she looked into his face, all she could see on his features was love and affection, with a small amount of lust lurking in the corners. A radiant smile spread across her face, and then she was raking her eyes up and down his body, blushing a little when she noticed that he was starting to get hard. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Henrik, it's a natural reaction for the one you love." She crawled into the bed, resting on her side so that she could still watch him. He joined her a few moments later, and Roxanna tangled their legs together as he closed his arms around her torso. They fit together so well, and she sighed a little as she rested her forehead against his. "You know, being held like this, well, it keeps the night at bay. You keep the night at bay. And I love you for that."

"I love you, too," he said quietly before pressing his lips against hers in a sweet kiss. "Now go to sleep, you look exhausted. We can talk more while we're getting ready tomorrow." She nodded and yawned, letting her head come to rest on the very edge of her pillow, never taking her eyes off him until she had fallen asleep.