Title: Moving On

Author: Raven Shadowrose

Rating: M

Pairing: ?/?

Summary: Dixie has been left broken hearted by Cyd's departure from the Holby team, what will happen when Cyd is replaced by Hannah Darbyshire and Dixie takes a liking to her? Will she find the happiness that she has been searching for, or will she end up with even more of a broken heart?

Disclaimer: I do not know or own any of the characters from Casualty, any original characters and the story are my property and I do not give permission for anyone to use this story.

A/N: This story will contain some femslash, if you do not wish to read then, by all means, back away slowly the way you came, other than that, enjoy the story and reviews are appreciated.

Thank you to chan. nelson4444, BeethovenRIP and olivia. c. king1 for reviewing, I know it has been a while coming, but this chapter is special :)

Chapter Twenty.

Dixie was sat on Hannah's sofa with Hannah's head in her lap, she was stroking Hannah's hair and running her fingers through it. She was trying to keep Hannah calm as she wanted to talk to her seriously about their relationship and what she was ready for. She wanted Hannah to enjoy herself and to feel loved at all times. Dixie thought that Hannah's hair was beautiful, it was so soft and she really loved playing with it. They'd had something to eat earlier on and now they were just relaxing, they had got changed into their pyjamas some time ago and had spent most of the evening cuddling. 'Hannah, do you think you're ready to talk now?'

'I think so, we need to have this conversation.'

'Good, if you don't want to answer something then tell me.'

'Okay, I will.' Dixie helped Hannah to sit up, she wanted to have eye contact with Hannah while she was talking to her.

'I'll start, we're partners now and I would like to have a physical relationship with you. It is obvious that we care for each other and I would like that to lead to us making love one day. How do you feel about that?'

'I care for you too, an awful lot, it is why I agreed to make our relationship more serious, I wouldn't do that with just anyone. I do want us to have a physical relationship.'

'I am glad to hear that. I will wait until you're ready, I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything until you are ready for it.'

'Thank you, that makes me feel special.'

'You are special to me Hannah.' Dixie took Hannah's hand in her own, she was happy that Hannah wanted a physical relationship too, it felt more like they were on the same page.

Hannah was relieved that the conversation was going well, she had thought it would be quite embarrassing, but it wasn't that bad. Hannah looked at Dixie and at their joined hands, she liked holding hands with her. 'Hannah, I need to ask about your experience. If it makes it easier for you, I have my suspicions that you've not had many partners.'

'You would be right. I can count the number of partners I've had on one hand and still have fingers left over.'

'Okay, I understand. How many of them were women?'

'Just the one, she was special though, I don't sleep with anyone unless I'm in a relationship with them, there hasn't been anyone else.'

'You've only ever been physical with one woman?'

'Yes, I dated her at university, we were together for about six months.'

'Why the long gap between relationships?'

'I wanted to focus on becoming a paramedic, I went out on dates with people once I'd achieved my dream, but none of them worked out, until you came along anyway.'

'Am I right in thinking you view making love as part of a serious relationship?'

'Yes, I think it is too special to fall into bed with someone and never see them again.' Hannah blushed, she had hoped that she would avoid blushing during this talk. 'Thank you for telling me, I know this is hard for you. You refer to yourself as bisexual, is that what you think you are?'

'I think so, I can look at someone like Johnny Depp, for example, and think he's attractive, but, lately that doesn't mean anything, not since you've been around.' Hannah saw Dixie smile.

'Hannah, I have had quite a bit more experience than you and I'd like to teach you what it means to be with someone. Touching someone isn't always about seduction, it can be about love and showing someone that you care for them.'

'I know.'

'I would like to open that world up to you Hannah, to show you what I mean. Will you give me permission to touch you?' Hannah stared at Dixie, she felt the blush creeping up her skin. 'I'm not going to seduce you, I just want to show you how much I love you.'

'Okay.'

'Are you certain?'

'Yes.'

'I will stop if you ask me to, if you're uncomfortable with anything I do then tell me.'

'I will.' Hannah felt her heart beat quicker, she was nervous, she knew that Dixie wouldn't hurt her but it didn't stop the nerves from making her feel a bit jittery.

Dixie piled the cushions off Hannah's sofa onto the floor, she turned down the lights a little bit and held her hand out to Hannah. 'Come on beautiful.'

'I don't understand, why are all the cushions down there?'

'I think the sofa might be a bit too intimate and scary for you, down here you have enough room to move if you want to.' Dixie smiled as Hannah took her hand and moved onto the floor. 'Lie down.' Dixie lay down next to Hannah once she had settled herself in the cushions and pulled her close. 'Are you okay?'

'I am, I like cuddling up to you.'

'Good.' Dixie tilted Hannah's chin up and kissed her, she hoped that by doing things that Hannah was familiar with then she would relax and be more open to being touched and caressed later on. 'Hannah, lie down on your side.' Dixie helped Hannah lie down in the cushions and stroked her hair. 'Don't worry beautiful, I won't hurt you.'

'I know you won't, I trust you.' Dixie smiled, it meant a lot that Hannah trusted her. Dixie stroked Hannah's hair a couple of times to relax her.

'Hannah?'

'Yes Dixie.'

'I'm going to start now, remember, if you want me to stop then let me know.'

'Okay, I will.'

'Close your eyes.' Dixie waited until Hannah closed her eyes and then she let her fingers trace the outline of Hannah's face and lips. 'You are so beautiful Hannah.' Dixie gently stroked her fingers down Hannah's neck and arm, she moved them over Hannah's waist and traced little circles over her hip. Dixie followed the trail that she had just made back up Hannah's arm and to her neck. Dixie smiled when she heard Hannah sigh quietly, she hoped that it meant she was enjoying the touching.

Hannah felt Dixie's hand moving back down her arm and to her waist, she had got used to her fingers making those little trails over her arm and hip, in fact she quite liked it. Hannah relaxed into the cushions, she wasn't so nervous now and was beginning to see what Dixie meant about touch being comforting and loving. Hannah was still pondering that thought when she felt Dixie's hand move under her shirt, the sudden touch of Dixie's hand on her bare flesh surprised her and she jumped. Dixie's hand moved and settled back on top of Hannah's shirt. 'Sorry beautiful.'

'It's okay, I just wasn't expecting it.' Hannah took Dixie's hand in hers and placed it back on her bare stomach where it had been originally. 'You have warm hands Dixie, I like it.'

'Good, I'm glad that you do.' Hannah snuggled back against Dixie and closed her eyes, she liked the sensation of Dixie's hand against her bare flesh.

Dixie just looked at Hannah, she still had her eyes closed and looked relaxed. 'Hannah, are you falling asleep on me?'

'A little bit.' Dixie heard the sleepiness in Hannah's voice.

'We should go to bed, you can't stay here, it will be far too uncomfortable to sleep down here.'

'Okay, at least we're ready for bed and don't have to worry about that.'

'True, you go up, I'll put everything away and join you in a few minutes.'

'All right.' Dixie kissed Hannah and then let her go upstairs, she was very pleased with the way that the evening had gone. She was afraid that she had pushed Hannah too far by touching her under her shirt, but she was very happy that Hannah had put her hand back again after she'd moved it. The only thing that Dixie wanted was for Hannah to touch her back, but she didn't know how to ask her. Hannah was nervous and she had come a long way this evening. She feared that asking Hannah for what she wanted would scare her away and Dixie didn't want that.

Hannah was sat up in bed and waiting for Dixie to come upstairs. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her the way that Dixie had this evening. She'd enjoyed it and in the end it had relaxed her almost to the point that she'd nearly fallen asleep. Feeling Dixie's hand against her bare skin had been a bit of a surprise, but Hannah loved how warm it had felt against her stomach. The thought that she would like to touch Dixie popped into Hannah's head, but, she didn't know how to bring up the subject with her. Maybe she could just ask Dixie if she could touch her and see how she answered. Hannah wondered what Dixie had been thinking and feeling earlier, she'd been unable to focus on anything beyond the sensation of Dixie's fingers caressing her skin, it had felt wonderful and there was a part of her that wanted to give that feeling to Dixie.

Dixie went up the stairs quietly in case Hannah was asleep, it pleased her to think that her touch had made Hannah relax enough to feel sleepy. As nervous as Hannah had been at the start she had soon settled down and got used to being touched. Hannah's skin was as soft as her hair and warm to the touch, it made Dixie want to see more of it. Dixie pushed open the door to Hannah's room and saw her sat up in bed. 'Hey beautiful, weren't you sleepy?'

'A little bit, I've been thinking.'

'What about?' Dixie got into the bed next to Hannah and noticed the look on her face. 'Hannah, talk to me.'

'I was thinking about when you touched me earlier.'

'Have I done something wrong, was it too much too soon?'

'No Dixie, you haven't done anything wrong.' Dixie was relieved that Hannah wasn't scared off by what they had done earlier.

'What is it?'

'I'd like to touch you Dixie.'

'You don't have to, you've come so far this evening already.'

'But, I want to.'

'Okay, I'll put myself in your hands.' Dixie settled her head on the pillow behind her, she was secretly pleased that Hannah wanted to touch her.

Hannah pushed the quilt right back, she wanted enough room to work, she wasn't sure where to start. 'Just start at the top beautiful.'

'Right, I suppose that's logical.'

'Take your time, there's no hurry.' Hannah moved Dixie's hair back from her face and stroked her finger down the side of Dixie's cheek and to her neck. Hannah followed the line of Dixie's shoulder and all the way down her arm to her fingers. She followed the path she had taken back up again and made little circles with her finger at the top of Dixie's arm. 'That feels nice, keep going.' Hannah smiled, she was happy that Dixie liked what she was doing. Hannah moved her fingers over Dixie's collarbone and down her other arm and then interlocked her fingers with Dixie's. 'Thank you beautiful.' Hannah felt Dixie's lips press against the back of her hand. 'That felt lovely.'

'Did it?'

'Yes, you're very good at that.' Hannah smiled again, her nerves had evaporated, Dixie had enjoyed what she had done.

Dixie looked at Hannah, she was so proud of her for overcoming her nerves and finding the courage to touch and let herself be touched. 'Come on beautiful, I think it is time for bed.'

'Okay, I'll just turn out the light.' Dixie watched Hannah set the alarm for the morning and then turn out the light. She felt Hannah get back in the bed and cuddle up to her. 'Goodnight Dixie, I love you.'

'Goodnight beautiful, I love you too.' Dixie moved her hand from Hannah's arm and slipped it under her top, resting it at the base of her spine. 'Are you okay with my hand being there?'

'Yes, it feels nice, I like your warm hands.'

'Good.' Dixie felt Hannah's hand move from the bed, settle on her stomach and move under her top to rest on her bare skin. 'Hannah, what are you doing?'

'Following my instinct.' Dixie smiled, she felt closer than ever to Hannah now.

'Thank you for trusting me.'

'You're welcome, I like doing this too, it feels nice.'

'I'm glad.' Dixie used her free hand to stroke Hannah's hair. 'Sleep well beautiful.'

'You too Dixie.' Dixie kissed Hannah on the head, she was so happy that Hannah was growing in confidence. She really liked this new side of Hannah that was emerging, it gave her a lot of hope that one day soon Hannah would be open to a full physical relationship.