He was beginning to hate this room, Jake thought as his boot heels shuffled on the creaking planks of wood. His ankles strained awkwardly to compensate for the unforgiving tautness of the vine, which Sully had used to lace up his boots. As he inched closer to the bed, the very sight of her made him grateful for the fact that he'd left Lucy with Cloud Dancing. There was a deathly stillness to her body, which caused his heart to wrench itself up into his throat. Jake swallowed hard unconsciously cuffing his neck in his hand. Dr. Mike's assurances rang boldly through out his mind boosting his body to sit down on the edge of the bed.

The delicate brown tint of her skin had paled dramatically, since he'd left. Running his finger gingerly along her once plump rosy lips, he felt the hard creases of healing. The long purple bruises that wound about her slender neck had begun to fade into painful yellowish hues. Her hair lay in ruffled ribbons, splayed about her, black as a raven under the midnight sky. Jake smiled longingly at this, recalling their wedding night.

How he'd taken his time gently unpinning each glossy tress, enjoying the satin texture. She had been beautifully shy, trying to hide her blushing complexion as she turned her back to him. Running his fingers through her sable hair, it cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. He'd plunged his hands into that inky blackness parting it over her shoulders, revealing the tiny satin cushioned buttons, which ran in a line from her neck along her spine down to the small of her back. Fingers trembling against the deliciously arduous task, he was halfway down her lovely bare back, before he'd lost what little was left of his control. Grabbing the two open ends of the dress in his hands Jake shredded the fabric in two, freeing her exquisite form.

Teresa gasped sucking in her breath as his palms pressed warmly around the cinch of her bare waist, his lips brushing along the back of her neck. Jake's heart was beating wildly in his chest, as he'd held her to him, reaching with his maddening hands around her sides, finding the soft slope of her stomach. His fingers took their time exploring the silken suppleness of her skin as it stretched over her ribcage. Then sliding back down the curved slopes of her sides, he'd exhaled in complete euphoria at the way her hips bowed like the lines of an hourglass. It was then that her head fell back on his chest, bringing with it the intoxicating scent of roses. Jake huffed with pleasure as her hand flew up sliding behind his neck. Teresa's fingers plunged up into the thick tufts of his auburn mane, gently taking hold as he continued his exploration of her body. He could have died in that moment Jake thought closing his eyes.

"Jake?" her voice nipped at his ears frail as a dried leaf on the wind.

He fell effortlessly from that memory at her weak beckoning. Jake leaned forward over her on the bed. Burying his upper arms under her shoulders, he pressed his lips to the top of her forehead. Jake smiled feeling the gentle flutter of her thick lashes against his cheek. Pulling back slightly so as not to crush her, he sighed with relief as she watched him with her deep dark amber eyes. The corners of her mouth tinged themselves up into a frail smile. Then all at once, that smile faded and her entire countenance formed with that of worry. But Jake shook his head freeing one hand to gently stroke the side of her face. "She's down stairs, safe. Not a scratch on her."

Teresa's body relaxed back into the yielding cradle of her bed. Her fingers reached gingerly up to the side of his head lightly taking notice of the spindling black corded sutures hidden under his autumn tufts. He caught her hand kissing the palm with a smile, "Dr. Mike just stitched me up before I came in."

Their fingers mingled taking pleasure in the feeling and warmth of caressing one another. Finally growing tired, she held his palm flat against her belly, once again fighting her malaise in order to smile. Jake tried to push his worries behind him as he imagined the tiny spark of life thriving inside his wonderful wife. Jake Slicker's mind raced with wonder at the thought, 'his children were safe.' His beautiful wife was in his arms and once again, he wondered if he could die from happiness.

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*Don't forget to come back for the epilogue! You know you want to know! ;)