A/N – Just a couple of things before you start:
Received a few private messages in the past couple of weeks from people who don't regularly review, simply letting me know they've enjoyed what I've written so far and also encouraging me to keep going. I thank them for taking the time to message me, and rest assured I'll keep writing and uploading.
Which leads me to my second point, letting you all know that I have finished writing this story. Still need to go back and make various edits and clean up the flow, but the story is complete. All in all, this story will run to 110 chapters (10 prologues, 99 chapters and an epilogue). Even better news (depending on your point of view) is that I've already written the first few prologues for my next story as well. Details will follow later on.
So, without further ado...
*clears throat*
Warning. Sex ahead. And by sex, I mean, well, you should know what I mean. You may not want to read this at the office. Read it at home. That's a subtle suggestion, phil. :-)
She had taken everything Mordin had suggested she take for what she wanted. Mostly a mixture of herbal supplements and one or two tablets. She knew she'd be left feeling sick afterwards anyway, so that didn't really bother her. She already had experience of taking off her mask and didn't die. If she'd considered doing this without having already done that, she'd be feeling far more nervous. But, still, this was a big step. The last step in their relationship. She was mostly excited about it. Okay, that's a lie. Totally excited. Barely able to contain her excitement, knowing she would soon be sharing herself with him. The man she had fallen for pretty much since laying eyes on him the first time on the Citadel. She'd thought about it ever since he had walked through that door on Freedom's Progress. Okay, that's a lie. I thought about him like that on the old Normandy as well. But she was still nervous about it. Taking her mask off was one thing. She hadn't taken off her suit since returning to the Fleet after her Pilgrimage. It was going to feel… strange.
She guessed that Shepard had also been to see Mordin, possibly even Doctor Chakwas about the pair of them being together. What was about to happen had been coming for a long time. She knew he'd been patient with her. Though he wouldn't hear anything about that. She's worth the wait. He'd told her that time and again.
She thought about the timing of what she had planned. She figured that she hadn't seen Shepard in a happier mood since they had reunited on Haestrom. What they had found on Aite had been shocking to everyone who had witnessed it, but he'd explained to her everything he had been told about Grissom Academy. The entire ship had been in buoyant mood ever since. Most of that was to do with him. He had a renewed spring in his step. A near constant grin on his face as he conversed with his team. He was laughing, more than usual. He said it was why he had served. Protect the innocent. The less fortunate. And save those who needed saving. Her own feelings had indeed strengthened once again. She knew the Illusive Man was furious about David being handed over to Grissom Academy. Shepard simply didn't care. She knew the two men had spoken. From what Shepard had told her, and Miranda had confirmed, it was a one way conversation, Shepard doing most of the talking before he hung up on him. According to Miranda, who had received a rather blunt message afterwards, that gesture alone went down like a lead balloon.
Her mind wandered to all the time she had spent with him. Their first meeting on the Citadel all those years ago. He'd been intrigued by her then. She had fallen for him almost immediately, though she didn't quite realise it at the time. Then only minutes after meeting her, he'd defended her honour, knocking out one turian and threatening to take on over half a dozen more. Mostly she just wondered who he was. She was amazed that he quite happily worked on a ship full of what humans called aliens. Then there were the missions he had undertaken. The people he had protected and saved. The successes. And the failures. And the losses. Even after all this time, they still hurt.
Through it all, for most of the time, he was just the Commander. Only in front of her did that facade slip occasionally. Only she saw behind the armour and the mask, so to speak. He didn't have many faults, but she had seen all of them. And she loved him even more for it. Only with her had he shared his deepest, darkest secrets. His fears. His regrets. She had wanted to share her feelings, her growing respect, love and desire for him time and again. But she could never find the courage, never realising that he loved her in return. Not until it was too late.
And then he was gone…
Scarcely able to believe it still, after two years of grief. Of hurt. Of an unending sense of loss, he returned. She still had to pinch herself every so often, just in case this was some sort of dream. But he was there with her as she was with him. He was up in their cabin right now, waiting for her. With little idea of what she had planned.
She knew he still had his struggles at times. How could he not, considering his current circumstances. But even now, Shepard was still working on the side of good. He had recruited a rag-tag group for his mission, yet they were all utterly devoted to him and the cause already. They all saw the good in him. And he saw the good in them in return. Yes, he had his moments when his emotions got the better of him. No-one was infallible. But he did his best to keep everything in check and be the leader. The Commander they all knew. She believed whole-heartedly that they would follow him to the end. And beyond…
As for her, it was all quite simple. It boiled down to three simple words.
She loved him.
She turned to her two colleagues. "I'm going to bed, guys."
They replied with their usual friendly goodbyes before returning to their good natured bickering, Tali chuckling to herself as she walked out of the engineering bay, thinking those two just needed to face facts and admit how they really felt about each other. She boarded the elevator, pushing the button for their cabin. It ascended slowly. She thought she should be wringing her hands nervously at what was about to happen. Instead, she felt a sense of calm envelop her. She wanted this. Badly. She knew Shepard wanted this. They had both waited long enough. If anything, she knew she had waited far too long. But she wanted to be absolutely sure. Not about his love for her. That was never in doubt. And she knew he would do absolutely everything to make sure she was safe and healthy. He loved her far too much to put her at any risk.
The elevator finally finished its ascent, the doors opening, Tali stepping forward into the decontamination room. The door in front and elevator doors behind locked, the cycle starting up. Once completed, she stepped forward into their cabin. She turned and locked the door behind her, before turning again and leaning back against the door.
"Shepard?" she called out quietly.
She saw him appear from where he must have been sat on one of the couches. He looked at her and simply grinned as she walked forward towards him, as he walked up the two steps towards her. They stopped barely a pace apart. He moved a hand to the side of her mask, expertly removing it within seconds. He was used to doing that now. His grin broadened at the appearance of her face from behind the mask, before he then helped remove her hood and top of her suit that covered her hair. He placed her mask and other bits and pieces on the desk beside him before returning his attention back to her.
Then she leapt on him.
Like usual, he'd showered well with the anti-bacterial soap he had found on Illium, buying up a near trolley-load of the stuff. Tali had laughed for a moment as to why he'd done so, a brief look into his eyes and a few words as to why and she quietened down. She understood then, a few words being uttered in reply about what she had planned that almost made him blush. He'd brushed his teeth until they almost glistened like pearls. He'd used two different types of mouthwash, just to be sure. As far as he was concerned, he was completely germ free. Though he knew it was always going to be a risk, he'd do everything possible to lessen it. So he did the same thing every night, just in case. Tonight could be the night, after all. The only thing he knew is that he would not make the decision. He would wait until she was comfortable with the idea.
He would wait for her.
She was the first quarian he'd ever met. He found her… intriguing to begin with. While he couldn't see her face, she certainly had other… qualities he could appreciate. What sort of red-blooded, young man could miss how she was built, despite the suit she had to wear. And she certainly didn't lack for self-confidence in that first meeting. He chuckled, remembering her retort on introductions. Then he shocked her by asking for help. He had little idea of the prejudices against quarians. Not until they ran into those turians. Knocking one of them out felt good. He knew he had shocked her once again.
Then she offered to join him on his mission. He was delighted to hear that. He wanted to learn more about the quarians. And about her. They talked a lot. She loved to talk about her people. About the Fleet. And about her life in general. He knew he listened to her talk for hours at a time. He didn't mind. He found her voice intoxicating. He knew he was probably falling in love with her.
On missions, she performed marvellously for someone with little real combat training. She'd been trained the absolute basics before leaving on her Pilgrimage, but she threw herself into battle with real bravado and gusto. He grew to respect her abilities on the battle-field. Her technical prowess was second to none, whether it was working on the Mako or back in engineering on the Normandy. His trust in her by the end was absolute. He knew that trust in him was returned ten-fold.
But then there was their developing personal relationship, what turned out to be an unrequited love affair when he thought about it, while on the Normandy. It had started when she found him alone in the mess one night, reading the obituary of Admiral Kahoku. He thought he had been alone but she had approached him, obviously concerned at what he said. At first, he rebuffed her advances. He felt terribly guilty about it in his quarters afterwards, knowing she was there simply because she cared.
That was a strange feeling, knowing that there was someone close who cared for him so much. And after that night, she was always… there for him. Whenever he struggled. Or simply felt down. Or worse. And he had a hell of a lot thrown at him, in addition to the mission to hunt down Saren. His past reared its ugly head. Yet she did not judge. She accepted that just made him the man he was today. She did not judge him for executing Haliat. She listened as he dealt with the guilt of it all.
There were numerous other instances when she was there in support, as someone to talk to. To bear his heart and soul to. Or to simply give him a hug. He loved hugging her. That alone always made him feel better. And through it all he tried to write off his own feelings as simply being friends. Or close friends. Or however he wanted to call it. But he knew that he was deeply and utterly in love with her. He wanted to tell her. But he couldn't. He was scared. He'd never felt something so intense for someone else. But he also thought it was wrong. So he didn't say anything. He regretted it.
And then he died with that regret.
He woke up to find everything had changed. He thought he'd lost her. And then he found her. He couldn't believe his luck. He didn't exactly believe in a God, but in that moment, when he recognised that suit colour, thinking it could only be her, he was a believer.
And then he told her. He said those three words that he had wanted to say time and time again while back on the Normandy.
I love you.
And then she said that she loved him in return. He could have died again then and there, and died a happy man.
He heard the doors open and close. Then he heard the door lock.
"Shepard?" he heard Tali call out quietly.
He rose from the couch, placing the book he was reading on the table, walking slowly around it and to the bottom of the stairs. She walked slowly towards him. He tried reading her body language. There was something slightly different about how she walked, about how her hips swayed, an overall sense of confidence. He walked up the steps, standing barely a pace away. Without even being asked, he moved a hand to the side of her mask, finding the clasp he now knew so well, revealing her face.
Hidden by her hood and the top of her suit was her hair. Gazing down, her forehead had what appeared to be faint tattoo but what she had stated was what humans would consider a birth mark. Further down, two glowing silvery orbs looked back at him. Within the orbs he could make out the faint irises. They were certainly different to human eyes, but he thought they were beautiful. She blinked as he just stared at her. Moving his eyes down, she had the cutest little button nose, similar to a human but smaller. Further down was her mouth. Her lips were certainly faint but were still had definition, a different colour to the rest of her face. Her lips had formed into a grin as he searched her face. Within her mouth were two rows of healthy, strong teeth. Nearly every race appeared to have those, it seemed. Her tongue was dark purple. Almost human, probably thinner in girth. Though when they kissed, he couldn't tell the difference. On her chin was another slight birth mark. Those simply accentuated her features, as far as he was concerned. He figured her colour would be considered faint though clearly still purple. Certainly not human coloured skin. Certainly it would be considered alien. He thought quarian skin may have been darker at one time, three hundred years in environmental suits causing the colour to fade away.
And he simply didn't give a shit what anyone thought. He thought her face was a work of art.
He then helped remove her purple hood and top of her suit. He was still amazed she had hair, figuring only humans had any sort of hair on their bodies. He wouldn't have been bothered if she did or not. Her ears were certainly not human. They were a lot smaller and he would have called them elf-like, if anything, very small and clearly pointed at the top. He simply stared at her for a moment.
Then she leapt on him, throwing her arms around his neck, her mouth searching for his. He felt her tongue already in his mouth within seconds, opening his eyes wide in surprise for a brief moment before he returned the gesture, breathing out of his nose as he refused to break it. He knew something was different as there was an intensity to this first kiss that he had never experienced with her. Sure, they made out a lot but he made sure it never got out of hand. Eventually he broke the kiss, leaning back slightly with a slight grin on his face. She simply gazed back at him, her eyes glowing in the faint light.
He wanted to ask. But that would have been stupid. Or even corny. So he raised an eyebrow, a gesture she knew well. A broad grin appeared. A single nod in reply. He knew a broad grin of his own appeared.
"Tali, have you actually seen your face yet?" A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. She looked down and shook her head. He put a finger under her chin, lifting her face towards him. "How about now, then?" She looked unsure for a second. "Tali, you're beautiful. What are you worried about?"
Another slight blush. "I don't know. I guess I'm just being silly."
"But you believe me?"
"Of course I do," she replied quietly.
He grabbed her hand and walked to the bathroom door, turning back towards her before they entered. '"Close your eyes." Her two shining eyes disappeared, grabbing her by the shoulders and carefully walking her forward, turning her to face the mirror. He wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned in close to her, resting his head on her right shoulder. He could feel her cheek on his. "Okay, Tali," he whispered, "Open your eyes."
Her two glowing eyes appeared in the mirror. She smiled immediately. "Hello, gorgeous," he said quietly. She giggled at the name he now had for her, whenever she was without her mask, though he used it whenever he wanted. It was something so simple, but he knew it meant the world to her. She'd said as much to him. Without another word, he watched as she grabbed at her right wrist, looking to remove one of her gloves with her left hand. She had it off within moments, then did the same with the glove on her left hand. Shepard noticed she had two large fingers, at least that's what he'd call them, about the size of two human fingers bound together. She also had a large thumb, about twice the size or so of a human thumb. From what he could see, she didn't appear to have fingernails. She raised a hand to her face, poking her cheek and giggling at the sensation, running her hand through her hair. "That tickles!" she said with another giggle. She stroked her face for a few seconds before she turned around and raised a hand, now slightly shaking, towards his own face.
She ran a hand down his cheek to start off with, Shepard feeling a sense of relief that he'd taken up shaving twice a day ever since that talk with Mordin. "Wow," she whispered, as she then ran a hand over the top of his short hair, giggling again. Obviously these were all new sensations. He wondered when, if ever, she had ever felt anything without a glove on her hand. He just watched, captivated by her face, the giggles, slight squeals of delight, as she gently stroked his face, taking in all the new senses she would no doubt be enjoying.
Then she pulled him slight forward, kissing him gently on the lips. But there was no missing the hidden meaning behind it. She leaned back ever so slightly, looking into his eyes. He simply gazed back.
"Bedroom," she said.
He grabbed her hand and led her past the fish-tank still glowing in the low light, coming to a stop just before the bed, turning back towards her. He was slightly embarrassed as he felt he was unsure of how to proceed. Part of him just wanted to take control of the situation. Normally he would have. But this was different. This was… Tali. She seemed to recognise his hesitation.
"Would you like to help me out of my suit?"
"God yes!"
She laughed lightly as she started instructing him on how to help her out. First were all the belts and straps holding her suit in place. She giggled at him as he helped her, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth, a face of steadfast concentration otherwise. Straps around her body were soon removed, as was the other belt around her waist that held her small pack and weapon holster. Then it came to disassembling the suit itself. Again she merely instructed him as he got to work, focusing on her arms first, as she explained how there were compartments on her forearms, upper arms and then her shoulders. Once her arms were free, she then told him about how the suit conformed to her body. She mentioned there were clasps on her back that effectively held it in place. He pulled her in, almost for a hug, as he blindly searched for the clasps that would release her, leaning down and kissing her at the same time. Soon enough he had the trio of clasps unfastened as she took it off, her upper half now completely naked.
He drank the sight in, gazing up and down her body. She was smaller than he was, and perhaps slightly smaller than the average human female. Her arms were thin though there was certainly muscular definition. Unsurprising given her life. Her body was lithe, two small, perky breasts and a flat stomach. She even had a belly button. He thought her body was perfect. He noticed she was shy, unsurprising considering the circumstances, moving her arms to cover herself for a moment. He simply pulled her forward and held her close, gently running his hands up and down her back, leaving her in fits of laughter as she found it very ticklish. She also mentioned how warm he was despite the fact he was still completely dressed.
Then it was time for her other half. First she kicked off her boots. He bent down and removed the part covering her feet. She then mentioned the bottom part was effectively what humans would call leggings, split into compartments but far easier just to take off like a pair of trousers. He simply grabbed the suit around the waist and gently pulled them down, glancing at her as he ducked down, noticing it was as he expected, as she placed a hand on his shoulder, then stepped out of them. He threw them somewhere behind him as he stood back up and had to take a step back, his eyes running up from her toes all the way to her face. He noticed her face turn a brighter shade for a moment.
"But you're still dressed, Shepard."
He undressed in what he figured would have been world record time, almost falling on the floor in his haste of trying to remove his shoes. Shirt and trousers also ended up somewhere behind him, socks flung somewhere onto the couch along with his underwear. Tali just laughed before she stopped as her eyes gazed upon his own now naked body. Her eyes definitely came to a stop at his groin, a slight smile appearing on her face. He blushed slightly as his own excitement was now clear to see.
He stepped forward and cupped her cheek, leaning down and kissing her gently again. He felt her hands begin to explore his body for the first time, running up and down his arms before running up and over his shoulders and then down his back. She stopped every so often at a certain scar. Despite the armour, he was still covered in them again. It was the life. She ran her arms up his sides, causing him to jump slightly. No-one knew he was ticklish until now. She giggled again. Then he just held her close to his body, each of them enjoying the sensation of the others body.
"You're so warm, Shepard."
He leaned back slightly, lifting her chin with his finger. "Call me John."
She looked confused for a moment before a large smile appeared. "John," she said quietly, "I like it."
"I'd like that to be our thing. To everyone else out there, I'm Shepard or the Commander. When we're in here together away from the rest of the world, simply enjoying each other's company, I don't want to be either of those people. To you, Tali, I just want to be John."
She reached up and gently stroked his cheek, standing on tiptoes to gently kiss him before leaning back, another sweet smile. "John," she repeated softly.
He leaned down to kiss her again, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tightly towards him. He slowly turned her towards the bed, slowly walking back, refusing to break the kiss until her calves hit the bed. Then the broke it as she sat down on the bed and scooted backwards, dragging him onto the bed above her as he crawled above her until her head lay on one of the pillows. Her eyes twinkled in the low light, another slight smile. She raised one of her own eyebrows. A knowing grin must have appeared on his face.
"What do you have planned, John?" she asked coyly.
He didn't reply, instead leaning down to kiss her again before he slowly moved down her body. Light kisses on her neck, leaving her in fits of giggles one moment, slight moans the next. Kisses all over her body, up and down her arms. He spent a lot of times in… admiration of her breasts, her nipples hardening immediately as he played with them. He listened out for her gasps and moans, judging by the sounds she made and the movements of her body when she was truly enjoying what he was doing for her. He continued moving down her body, barely leaving a millimetre of her faint skin untouched. The only sounds were her continuous gasps, moans and heavier breathing. There was the occasional mention of his name. He couldn't help but grin slightly as he continued to move down.
He could feel the heat radiate from her sex, glistening slightly in the low light. She was obviously excited. She'd probably been excited as soon as they had seen other naked. He had obviously been. Though he was usually excited whenever they made out. How could he not be?
But he was going to tease her. He left her untouched, instead kissing around and down both of her thighs before moving back up to her lower body again. Simply breathing on her sex appeared to create tingles of excitement, her body shaking slightly in anticipation as he continued to tease her. Eventually he looked up towards her face to see her looking back at him.
"Stop teasing… Please…" she begged quietly.
He just grinned slightly.
Then he touched her with his tongue. Tasted her for the first time.
The moan she made just from that first touch was incredibly loud. In his mind, he had to give himself a fist bump just for that alone. He figured if she liked that, it was only going to get better for her. She immediately started to writhe as he used only his tongue on her to start with. He noticed the bedcover move slightly, looking up with his eyes to see she'd grabbed two fistfuls of it. She moaned his name – his first name - time and again. Being honest, he wanted to enter her right now. He was utterly turned on himself. But he wanted to make her orgasm with his mouth first. He was a gentleman after all. And foreplay was awesome, as far as he was concerned. And she tasted… well, he loved it.
Soon her heavy breathing turned quicker. Her body started to writhe slightly more vigorously. He wrapped his hands around her thighs as he urged her on with his tongue. Certain words that he didn't understand were uttered. She repeated his name again and again. He continued with his tongue even faster, urging on her climax again and again. She told him she was close. Just to keep doing whatever the hell he was doing. He thought he'd try something else. He inserted a finger, looking for that one particular spot he figured, since a human female had one, and quarian anatomy appeared to be about the same, she may also have that spot.
She did. Ten-fold.
And he thought what happened next was glorious.
He was left feeling like a God at the results.
She collapsed back onto the bed, sucking in deep breaths as he had to resist standing up and raising his arms in the air in triumph. Instead he made do with gently kissing her again up her still shaking body as she recovered herself. Eventually his face hovered above hers as he searched her face, her eyes closed as she continued to breathe in deeply. Her eyes opened, and a smile of complete satisfaction crossed her face. To his surprise, she then reached behind his head and pulled him in for a kiss that left him even more excited, if such a thing were possible. She released him eventually as he lay down beside her, looking up at the vastness of space out the window. They lay in silence as he simply listened to her breathe.
Eventually he felt her shuffle, turning his head to see her laying on her side, staring at him. She started to stroke up and down his chest gently with his left hand, before a sly grin appeared on her face and she moved her hand down and simply grabbed his erection. He felt a shudder go through his entire body as she did so. It had been a while since… well, anyone else had touched him in such a way.
"So, John, what are we going to do now?" she asked. There was no missing the… seductive tone to her voice as she gently played with him.
He turned and grinned slightly. "I have a few ideas."
"And they would be?"
He cleared his throat. "I think it's better if you just take control. Er… If you keep doing that, too, I'm going to go off like a rocket." She laughed, understanding what he meant. He was still worried. Mostly about hurting her. That was the last thing he wanted, though he knew it would always be possible. She just leaned forward and kissed his cheek before moving herself around. He had to admit his own surprise as she positioned herself over him, before leaning down and kissing him, noticing the look in his eyes.
"Surprised?" she said quietly. He nodded. "I… researched. I believe some men like this position."
"Fuck yes!" he said not above a whisper. Already in the back of his mind were four words.
Maintain control of yourself.
She giggled again before she leaned back, grabbing hold of him again as she positioned herself. Then she simply held his gaze as he felt himself slowly enter her as she lowered herself down on him. He was surprised that he didn't appear to hurt her at all, a brief look of confusion obviously crossing his face. "A quarian female doesn't have that problem. I… researched that too," she stated to the unasked but assumed question.
Eventually he felt her groin touch his as she let out a loud moan, a groan escaping his own mouth as his eyes almost rolled back into his head. So he simply closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He wasn't a porn star, expected to perform for hours on end. This wasn't the movies, where men appeared to last for hours on end. He was a real man, who hadn't been with a woman in… a while. He gave himself five minutes if he was worth a damn, considering how long he had waited, and considering how good she already felt. He wasn't embarrassed or ashamed of the fact. She was worth the wait. Actually, she HAD been worth the wait. And she was a beautiful woman who was currently impaled on him and he had to keep himself calm. Then she wiggled her body, his eyes shooting open as she looked back at him with a face of absolute pleasure.
He moved his hands to her glorious hips as she slowly started to ride him, throwing her head back every so often as she moaned with even more pleasure. He caressed her entire body with his hands, ensuring he wasn't too rough, being as gentle as possible. Of course, he spent some time focusing on her breasts. He thought they were perfect. Other than that, he simply moved his hands back to her hips and watched her move up and down on him, occasionally matching her movements with his own thrusts, but simply doing everything possible not to finish too early. He didn't think he'd disappoint her if he did. But it had been three years for him as well, even if he hadn't been around for two of them. So he wanted it to last. Although there was always round two. And three. And however many they could do before she had to get back in her suit. So he hoped. If not, there was always next time. He knew there would be a next time.
He grabbed one of her hands to pull her forward. She placed her elbows to either side of his head as he ran a hand through her hair, dragging her lips towards his. Neither of them wanted to break the kiss as he moved both his hands to her firm ass. Now he took control as he started to thrust faster. He felt and heard her moan into his mouth, before she finally broke the kiss, simply staring into his eyes. Even he could read the numerous emotions flying through them. All of them good. Passion. Desire. But, the most important as far as he was concerned, love. He figured his own matched hers.
"Tali…" he whispered.
She appeared to know what he meant as she started to meet each of his thrusts again. He didn't last much longer as soon as she did that, moving a hand from her ass again as he grabbed the back of her head again, their lips crashing together for a moment before he finally let go a groan of his own satisfaction. All his pent up sexual frustration was gone in an instant as he finished. Then he simply lay still. He knew he probably had an incredibly smug grin on his face as Tali collapsed on top of him. He opened an eye to see her own eyes closed but a large grin of her own. He gently stroked her back, feeling her shudder from time to time, as he felt himself calm down though she didn't move, only the sounds of their breathing, almost in unison. He didn't want her to move either. He could have stayed like this forever, though he knew that wasn't possible. Still, he'd enjoy it while he can.
Eventually she raised herself up onto her elbows again, looking at him with a simple, loving smile. "I love you, John," she said quietly before she lowered her lips to his again for a moment, "And that was awesome. Absolutely worth the wait. Why didn't we do all that sooner?"
He had to chuckle. "Well, we have all the time in the world to make up for lost time," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I'll hold you to that one."
"You think I'm going to complain if you want to do this as often as possible?!"
She laughed again. He loved her laugh. He ran a hand through her hair again. She was expecting a kiss, instead, he touched her forehead to his. "I love you, Tali," he said quietly. He saw the large grin form again. He loved her smile. Then he kissed her. He loved kissing her.
She moved from on top of him, laying on her side next to him as he turned onto his own side, wrapping both arms around her and holding her close. As usual, he was big spoon, she was little spoon. He heard her sigh with contentment. Perhaps even pleasure. She was definitely happy. Pleased. Thrilled with everything that had happened. He certainly racked his mind, trying to think of when he'd ever been more content. Happy. Fulfilled. Nothing came to mind. He knew that he was now utterly devoted to her. As she was now to him. He was aware what it all meant to her. She had explained it all before.
Eventually he felt her gently stroke his arm as he could feel himself starting to drift off. "John…" He couldn't help but grin. "You're grinning, aren't you?" she asked with a slight chuckle. He nodded his head. She could probably feel the movement. "I'd better get back into my suit. I don't think I should stay out of it too long this first time. Just in case."
He didn't want to sigh, but one escaped. Then he felt guilty. But she didn't say anything. He figured she understood. She turned around to face him, a slight grin on her face as she leaned him to kiss him. "I'll adapt," she said simply, "Then hopefully I can stay out of it for longer each time." He grinned in reply.
Then she sighed herself as she turned around again. He watched her for a moment before he got up himself. He figured since he got her out of her suit, he'd at least help her back into it, bending over and grabbing parts of her suit that he may have thrown away in his haste to see her naked. She noticed him helping out, throwing another sweet smile his way as she started to dress herself. He helped in certain places and, soon enough, she was mostly back in her suit. The last thing to go on was her mask. He heard her sigh again.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close. She wrapped her arms around him in reply. He kissed her, throwing everything he felt about her into the gesture. She obviously didn't miss it, her hands running through his hair and down his back, holding him even closer, if such a thing seemed possible. Finally they had to break to catch their breath.
He picked up her mask, looking at it for a moment. She reached up and stroked his cheek. He just turned and smiled at her. He made sure it wasn't a sad one. This is how it was. He had always accepted it. But, after what they had just shared, he knew it was difficult for them both. In the future, it would probably even be more difficult each time she had to get back into it. He stroked her cheek one last time as she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying his touch one final time.
"I love you," he said quietly. She opened her eyes and smiled. He made sure to burn that vision into his memory.
He placed the mask back on.
Then he hugged her again. They held each other for a few minutes before she suggested they go back to bed. He agreed, grabbing a new set of underwear and shirt before he joined her in bed. Like before, he was big spoon, she was little spoon. Like usual. He wrapped her arms around her, holding her close to him. Like usual. He heard her yawn a few times before he evening heard the sound of gentle snoring. He closed his eyes, enjoying the simple sound and feel of her breathing in his arms as he drifted off to sleep.
