As the garden outside became darker and darker, Michaela and Sully's conversation grew deeper. T

hey spoke of their dreams and wishes for the future, yet neither made any demands from the other.

Every now and then they would lean close and kiss or offer a gentle caress.

"I like this…" Sully stated after kissing her softly "to look at you the way I want, admire your beauty…" She blushed, and he smiled.

"I like to know I make you blush like that…"

Somewhat later Michaela was resting in her bed trying to fall asleep, and the events of the day caught up with her.

Sully was just next door. The very thought of it made her heart beat with anticipation.

His words from earlier echoed in her mind mirroring her own emotions.

The fact that they were now free to fully explore their feelings unsettled her a little.

It was not that long ago that she lost Charles, and she still missed him even if he had never stirred her the way Sully did.

Charles had given her a comfortable life, and he had respected her as much as he could, but not quite enough. He had loved her, she knew he had,

but he had never wanted to compromise. She had been very sad that he could not see room for children in their marriage – at least not if he were to be involved.

In that way he had been extremely old fashioned seeing himself as the provider for the family, and sometimes she had felt that he only considered her job a hobby.

Nevertheless she had been content – until Sully had reappeared in her life.

Sully… the mere thought of him made her heart beat faster.

She was not sure exactly what it was about him, but with him she felt safe, loved and respected at the same time.

It was as if she and Charles had been on different levels not communicating all that well all the time, but she and Sully were on the same level,

and sometimes they did not need many words to communicate. They just knew about the other.

That was what she found so overwhelming, because she had never experienced anything like it with any other person.

Sully made her feel alive, he aroused her senses in every meaning of the word, and it was difficult to repress those feelings.

She turned in bed scolding herself for letting her thoughts wander like that.

It was not fair to compare Sully to Charles, and relishing the way Sully made her feel was not a good idea either,

because thinking of him made her body tingle with sensations from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head.

She took a deep breath. They had agreed to take things slowly, and he had given her an almost chaste kiss goodnight before they parted in the hallway.

It was not because she wanted to throw herself at him – she just had to adjust to the new situation and the fact that it was okay to feel like that.

"Stop, stop, Michaela Quinn…" she got up and opened the window letting in a light breeze.

Leaning out she had a perfect view of the garden – and the big willow tree.

She needed some fresh air.

The moonlight illuminated the entire garden leaving it in a mesmerizing shimmering light.

Michaela walked up to the tree. The leaves had a silver glow about them, and she ran her fingers over them walking around the tree.

When she returned to her starting point she dived under the long branches.

The space between the trunk of the tree and its branches was darker than the garden and offered a soothing coolness.

Resting her head against the trunk she tried to clear her mind. This was where she and Sully had spent so much time together that summer,

but would it be enough to build a relationship on? They had both changed so much, and still they had not.

She still saw him –that young boy with the sheepish smile who loved poetry – the boy he used to be.

Only now he was wiser and more mature just like herself.

She shivered lightly as a breeze made the long branches move and let in a stream of fresh air in the musky earthy shadows.

When she turned he was there, and she shot back in surprise like a startled deer.

"Hey…" his voice was soft, and he reached for her hand.

"I… I saw you from my window. I couldn't sleep" he tried to explain knowing that it was really irrelevant why he had been out of bed.

Yet it seemed right to offer an explanation.

She looked at him with big inquisitive eyes painfully aware that they were there in their secret hiding place.

"Oh.. I see…" her voice trailed off, and she felt the support of the trunk against her back.

Their eyes locked, and she felt the goosebumps spreading across her body.

Sully ran his eyes over her.

Seeing her here in their hiding place brought him back in time, and in the mature woman before him he saw the younger Michaela he had fallen in love with.

She looked like a fairy, her pale skin stood as a sharp contrast against the dark trunk underneath the branches.

Her smile was innocent and yet inviting.

For a moment he searched her expression. "An exception?" his inquiry was met by her shaky breath and a little smile.

They both knew they did not need exceptions anymore.

The softness of his lips against hers awoke all of her senses, and she clung to the trunk behind her trying to control the rush of desire running through her veins.

He felt her quiver, and gently brushed away some stray hair from her temple.

"You're so beautiful… this brings on so many memories" the air between them was intense, and she lowered her gaze.

Her breasts were heaving up and down like a teenager experiencing her first kiss, and that was how she felt.

Subconsciously, she moistened her lips in the shadows of the tree, as he cupped her face with his hands, gently stroking her soft skin with his thumbs

and turning her to face him again. This time no words were exchanged between them.

They simply melted together in a warm embrace followed by a long sensual kiss.

His hands on her hips, the earthy scent from the moist ground and the primal sounds coming from them both,

expressing an ancient need for their spirits to be together, to be close, made her forget about time and place.

Their tongues danced an ancient dance of a love almost forgotten.

She heard her own whimpers as she pulled him close, and wondered where they came from until she realized their origin.

Out of breath their lips parted, and he scooped her up into his arms before emerging through the branches of the willow tree.

Snuggeling into his warm embrace and resting her head on his strong chest, she felt his lips on her temple, and his soft voice as he walked toward the house:

"It's time to go to bed."