He didn't want to get up the next morning – he wanted to spend the entire day in bed with her. After the emotional turmoil of yesterday, he wanted nothing more today than to kiss her, to hold her close, to be reassured and comforted by her solid warmth in his arms. She seemed to feel the same way, because she clung to him tightly, cuddling close and burying her face against his chest. He was so grateful that she reflected the way he was feeling, because he didn't think he'd be able to stand it if she made light of what happened, if she hadn't matched his own intense longing to stay close. He didn't want to start the day, didn't want to face the scrutiny of the others yet. How would they react to seeing them together? So far, this had been something that belonged to just the two of them, but now they would have to share it with the outside world, and he worried that it would change things. So they stayed wrapped up in each other for as long as they could, until the alarm on his phone mercilessly reminded them of reality. She pushed the button on the phone, sighed regretfully, pushed back the blanket and moved to get out of bed. He immediately pulled her back, however, and she laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled the blanket over them again.

"We have to get up, Sergio."

"No, we don't."

"It's almost time for breakfast."

"Who cares about breakfast? All I want is you."

"We still have classes afterwards."

"I'm the teacher. Maybe I'll decide we won't have class today."

She smiled at him. "Then what will we do all day?"

"This", he whispered, then started pressing soft kisses to her neck.

She hummed in contentment, and for a moment he could feel her melt against him and he thought she might relent. But the next instant she shook herself and laughingly pushed against his head.

"Stop it! What will everyone think if you cancel classes?"

"I don't care", he murmured against her skin. "There are more important things in life than what other people think. Like… this spot, right here…" He kissed her right behind her ear. "This spot is extremely important to me right now. I never noticed how soft you are there. Now I wonder if there are any other spots I've missed." He ducked down and she laughed in delight as he started kissing her all over. "I think this calls for a very, very thorough investigation."

"Mmm", she said, stretching luxuriously, "that does sound nice…"

"Then stay in bed with me."

"But I want to shower", she argued.

He shook his head. "Showers, breakfast, classes… why are you concerned with such trivialities?"

"Because I like to be clean, and fed, and informed about the massive heist we're planning."

She quickly tried to slip out of bed, but he caught her around her waist and pulled her back again.

"You won't escape so easily."

She was putting up a very half-hearted struggle, her eyes full of laughter. "I can't be the only adult in this room, Sergio! Pull yourself together!"

He tightened his arms around her and looked down at her. "What if I just refuse to let you go?"

She surrendered and smiled up at him. "Well, then I suppose I have no choice but to stay in bed with you all day."

"Now we're talking", he rumbled, leaning down to kiss her. Then he sighed. "I suppose we really should get up, though."

"Yes", she nodded. "I'm afraid we should."

He let her go, but followed her with his eyes as she rolled out of bed and started dressing.

"Alright, I'm going to take a shower", she said. "Will you check to see if the hallway is clear?"

"Oh", he said. "We don't have to do that anymore. They know about us."

She looked up, startled. "You told them?"

"Yes, yesterday, when we were talking about why you hadn't come back. I was trying to show them that I had a good reason to trust you."

"Oh", she said. "How did they react?"

He grimaced. "Well, as you know, Tokyo immediately suggested that maybe you were only sleeping with me for information, so not great. They'll get used to it in time, though."

"Well, I have to say I'm glad it's out now. I was getting rather tired of hiding all the time."

"Yes", he agreed. "Me too."

She suddenly smiled at him. "So… now that we don't have to keep things secret anymore… do you want to shower with me?"

He was up and dressing in a flash, and she laughed.

"I thought you didn't want to get out of bed?"

"Looks like it was just a question of finding the right motivation."

Raquel, naked and wet in his arms? He'd get out of bed for that anytime.

Oslo had been waiting in front of the bathroom for a solid twenty minutes now. When he'd knocked on the door, he had been momentarily surprised when two voices answered the knock at the same time, but then he remembered what the Professor had told them yesterday and he smiled – apparently they'd made up. Twenty minutes later, however, he wasn't smiling anymore. It was almost time for breakfast and he wanted to shower, too, but there was still a sound of running water coming from the bathroom. Nairobi passed him on her way downstairs and noticed his scowl.

"What's the matter, Oslo?"

"Bathroom's occupied."

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Twenty minutes."

"Who's in there?"

Oslo shifted uncomfortably. "The Professor."

Nairobi frowned. "He doesn't usually take this long to get ready in the mornings."

"Don't think he's alone."

Comprehension dawned on Nairobi's face. "Oh!" Then she grinned. "Have you tried knocking again?"

He shook his head.

"You're much too polite, Oslo", she said, then she started banging on the door with the flat of her hand. "Hey, you two! Get out!"

They heard Lisbon laugh, then say: "Go away!"

"Look", Nairobi shouted through the door. "I'm very happy for the two of you, but you can't go hogging the bathroom! Other people need it too!"

"Alright, give us a minute", came Lisbon's answer from inside.

Nairobi grinned broadly. "No sex in shared spaces! That's not polite. You both have a bedroom, so use it!"

Oslo felt rather embarrassed, but Nairobi's tactic seemed to work: the water was finally turned off and there were sounds of movement from inside. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Lisbon and the Professor came out, both damp and flushed, Lisbon smiling broadly and winking at them in passing, while the Professor avoided eye contact, red in the face.

"We're sorry", he apologized in passing.

"No, you're not", Nairobi laughed.

He looked up and suddenly a grin appeared on his face. "Okay, maybe we're not. But it won't happen again."

They disappeared down the hall, and Nairobi patted Oslo on the shoulder.

"There you go."

"Thanks", he muttered, looking in the direction the couple had gone in. The Professor had always seemed like such a dignified person. He shook his head. This only confirmed what he already knew – love could make a fool out of any man.

Rio was sitting at the breakfast table, spreading butter and jam on his toast, when the Professor and Lisbon came in together and sat down opposite him, smiling and talking softly. Right, he reminded himself. That was a thing now. He couldn't help but notice how close they sat together, how they looked at each other, how she casually put her hand on his arm, and he suddenly felt hopeful. Would this mean that relationships were allowed now? He shot a surreptitious look at Tokyo on the other side of the table, wondering if she'd agree to talk to the Professor about the two of them. After all, it had been the Professor who had made the rule about not having personal relationships between the members of the team, and he really had no right to judge anyone on that anymore.

Oslo came in, making the group complete, and Nairobi shot a significant look around the table before clearing her throat. Rio knew what was coming – they had discussed this last night.

"Lisbon?"

Lisbon looked up, clearly only now becoming aware that there were other people at the table.

Nairobi continued. "These idiots would like to say something to you."

She nodded at Rio, who had volunteered to do this – he didn't mind apologizing if he'd been wrong, and he'd been wrong about Lisbon. He shot her an apologetic look.

"We're sorry we thought you were a traitor."

"Yes", Denver said. "We really are."

"We want you to know that we trust you", Moscow supplied.

They all murmured their agreement, except for Tokyo, of course, who crossed her arms with a sullen expression.

Lisbon hesitated, then said: "Look, I understand. Your natural instinct is to distrust me. I get that. But I'm not a cop anymore, and I never will be again. I've accepted that, and it would be nice if you could, too."

They all nodded, and she nodded too.

"Well, then, let's forget this happened."

Rio was glad she was taking it so well. He didn't like the thought that they'd hurt her. Everyone returned to their breakfast, and Rio's eyes were drawn to Tokyo again. He would love to sit next to her, stop pretending, stop hiding. She was such an awesome woman – a real powerhouse, so passionate, and a knock-out too – he was so proud that she was his, and he couldn't wait to tell everyone. Yes, he decided. They should talk to the Professor as soon as possible.

Tokyo hurried up the stairs to the classroom. She was late – class should have started five minutes ago and the Professor was very strict about that. She expected a stern look from him when she walked in, but he was otherwise occupied: Lisbon was leaning against his desk and he was standing close to her, talking softly, smiling. Tokyo went to her usual seat and sat down. The others were talking among themselves, not paying the couple at the front of the room any attention, but Tokyo couldn't help but glance at them. They looked disgustingly happy. Not that she cared, of course – she just hoped that Rio wasn't getting any ideas now. Half the fun of her relationship with Rio was that it wasn't allowed – the thrill of keeping a secret, the constant risk of discovery. But now that the Professor was openly dating Lisbon, he might be okay with other relationships within the team. How boring.

She couldn't understand how the Professor could sleep with a cop – even an ex-cop. Cops were pigs, garbage, robots who chose to surrender their humanity in order to mindlessly obey a faceless authority. They shot and killed people – good people. Tokyo felt the old anger and hurt inside her well up again, and she didn't try to stop it. It was good to stay angry. The others might have accepted Lisbon, but she would never trust her, never forget for a moment where she came from. Cop. Traitor. Tokyo didn't feel guilty about voicing her distrust of Lisbon when she hadn't returned yesterday. It was better to be careful. A woman who turned on her former companions could easily turn again. The Professor might think that they had something special, but the Professor was naïve and easily flustered by women – in fact, Tokyo herself had had a lot of fun flustering him on several occasions. But it wasn't so much fun now that their lives and their freedom depended on his good judgment.

At the front of the room, the Professor straightened up, cleared his throat, and announced that class would begin. Lisbon walked between the desks to take her usual seat at the back of the room, shooting Tokyo a dirty look as she passed. Tokyo returned it with interest. No matter how much the others tried to convince her, no matter what the Professor said – she would never, ever like this woman.

They had lunch outside under the shadow of the big tree. The food was good, and Moscow felt pleasantly relaxed as he listened to the conversation of the others. He didn't take this for granted, the good food, the companionship, the relatively easy life they'd been living over the past few months. He noticed and appreciated it, and he was mindful to be grateful for it while it lasted. It would all be over soon. He looked over at his son, sitting a few places to his left, and he hoped for the thousandth time that he hadn't made a mistake dragging him into this. He wasn't worried for himself – his life had never been that important, and now that his son was grown and didn't need him anymore, it was even less so – but he worried for Ricardo. When the Professor had contacted him to be a member of the team, he had insisted that his son be a part of the operation, too. He wanted a better life for the boy, a better life than he could give him.

Moscow shot a look at the Professor, who was talking to Lisbon, their heads close together. He hadn't really been surprised when the Professor had announced yesterday that they were in a relationship – he'd suspected something for a while now. Those two had been drawn to each other right from the beginning, and Moscow understood why. They were a good match. He had been surprised that the Professor would break his own rules, though – he'd thought they would wait until after the heist to get together. Moscow couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as he watched the two of them so absorbed in each other. The Professor had struck him as a man with a singular ability to focus, and that was what had made Moscow trust him with his life – and, more importantly, his son's life – on this crazy, dangerous mission. Yet he seemed to have lost a lot of that focus now. Moscow could understand that. He had once been in love like that. But he couldn't help but worry how it would affect the operation.

He watched as the couple got up and left to go on a walk, hand in hand, radiating happiness, and he smiled in spite of his apprehension. It might not be ideal for the mission, but on a human level, he was glad they had found each other. He didn't think that the Professor had known much love in his life, and Lisbon had clearly been through some hard times. They deserved this. Moscow let his thoughts drift back for a moment to the love of his own life, how beautiful it had been during those first few years, the good times, before things had turned so ugly. Letting her go had been the biggest mistake of his life, and he would carry that guilt and regret with him until the end. He should have tried harder to help her, he shouldn't have given up on her so easily. Looking back now, he knew what he hadn't known at the time: that a love like that was worth fighting for. He watched the Professor and Lisbon disappear among the trees, and he hoped that they realized that.

Helsinki was hungry. Granted, he was usually hungry, but it was twenty minutes past dinnertime and the food hadn't materialized yet, and his stomach was complaining loudly. The Professor and Lisbon had disappeared into the kitchen more than an hour ago, and he couldn't imagine what was taking them so long. Helsinki decided to get up and see if he could hurry things along a bit.

When he pushed open the door to the kitchen, the question of why the food hadn't appeared yet immediately answered itself. Lisbon was sitting on the kitchen table and the Professor was standing in front of her, and they were so busy kissing they didn't even hear him come in. Helsinki crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"You call this cooking?"

The Professor looked up in alarm and immediately took several steps back, blushing. Lisbon, on the other hand, hopped off the table with a smile.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long, Helsinki."

"People are hungry", he pointed out.

"I know, I promise it's almost ready."

"You can't kiss in the kitchen."

She grinned at him. "No, I don't agree with that, it worked perfectly well."

He grinned back at her. "Do I need to keep standing here to make sure you'll actually cook stuff now?"

She laughed. "Or you could help us, to make up for lost time."

"So now I have to work because you act like teenagers?" he pretended to grumble, but he started taking out plates to set the table anyway.

"Come on Helsinki", Lisbon smiled. "Haven't you ever been so in love you forgot to eat?"

So they were actually in love, then. He'd wondered. Not that he felt like it was any of his business who did what with whom and why, but hey, good for them. He grabbed a stack of plates and walked out of the kitchen again. He supposed he should be grateful that he hadn't walked in on them doing worse things on that kitchen table.

All throughout the day, Berlin had been watching his brother with Raquel, and he had to say he was satisfied. She was good for him. His little brother. Such a serious child, an earnest teenager, a sober adult – and now he was smiling, laughing even, with a levity of spirit that Berlin had never observed in him before. He'd always liked the thought of this relationship, and now that he had seen them together, he liked it even more. His brother was a changed man.

After dinner, it so happened that it was his and Sergio's turn to do the dishes, according to the rotating roster that Sergio had drawn up. So they ended up in the kitchen together, and Berlin washed while his brother dried with a soft smile on his face. He left him to his daydreams for a while, but then he couldn't resist saying:

"You look very happy."

Sergio looked up at him, a warm expression in his eyes. "I am. Andrés, she's… she's so amazing."

"I'm glad you were able to reconcile after your little disagreement yesterday."

His brother's expression immediately turned more sober. "So am I. I was so afraid she wouldn't forgive me." He was quiet for a moment, then said: "How do you think the others are taking this?"

"Not bad, on the whole", Berlin said.

Nairobi came in with more dishes, then went to the fridge to take out another bottle of wine.

Sergio shook his head. "I was rather taken aback by their reactions yesterday. I thought by now they would trust her."

"They didn't really distrust her, they were just egged on by Tokyo. She's the only one who really has a problem with Lisbon."

"I have to admit that it worries me. We can't have this kind of discord within the team. For a while, it looked like it was getting better, but yesterday's events really made things worse again. I don't know how to solve this. I care about them both and I can't stand to have them at odds."

"I'm not sure there's anything you can do", Berlin said.

"I know I shouldn't take sides, but…"

Nairobi slammed the fridge door. "Oh, yes you do."

Sergio turned to her. "I do?"

"Yes! You take Lisbon's side in this!"

"But I'm the leader of the team, shouldn't I be impartial in a disagreement between its members?"

Nairobi rolled her eyes. "Sure, if you want to terminally piss off your girlfriend. You stay out of this, Profe."

"Alright", Sergio sighed, turning back to the dishes. "Then we'll just have to see how things develop. But this bothers me so much."

"I don't care if it bothers you", Nairobi said from the doorway. "You keep your mouth shut and try not to fuck up again. You won't find another woman like Lisbon anytime soon."

"I'm well aware of that", Sergio said, his tone serious.

"Good", Nairobi nodded, then left.

Sergio glanced at Berlin. "Do you think she's right?"

"Yes, I do", Berlin said appreciatively, "Stand by your woman. You have to be aware of something very important, little brother: a woman like Raquel should be treated right."

"How… how do I treat her right?"

"Ah", Berlin grinned. "Now you're asking the right questions. Let me share some of the wisdom I've acquired after four marriages."

"Not to mention four divorces", Sergio muttered.

Berlin waved a hand. "Sure, sure, it never worked out in the end, but we had some good times along the way and I know how to keep a woman happy."

"Alright", Sergio said. "I'm quite painfully clueless, so I'll take any advice I can get."

"Rule number one: don't flirt with other women."

Sergio snorted. "Couldn't if I wanted to. What else?"

"Women like strong men. Don't be afraid to take the lead."

"Well…", he swallowed. "I can try… Anything else?"

"Compliment her. Show her that you see her, that you appreciate her."

His brother nodded thoughtfully. "That's actually good advice."

"Of course it is. And I think it's especially important for you to remember."

"Why me?"

"You know you get distracted, Sergio. After the first flush of being in love fades, make sure she doesn't start thinking that you're taking her for granted. That's when they leave you. I've been there, I know."

His brother turned to him with an anxious look. "How do I keep her from thinking that I'm taking her for granted?"

"Show her you care, do something romantic every once in a while."

"Like what?"

"Buy her flowers. Tell her you love her. Have you ever even taken her out on an actual date?"

"No", Sergio said, flustered. "Do you think I should have?"

"It certainly can't hurt."

He shook his head in dismay. "It never even occurred to me that that might be something she would want."

"See, what you need to remember", Berlin grinned, "is that women like to be wooed."

"That doesn't sound like something I'd be good at", Sergio said, a little alarmed.

"It's not that hard."

"So what should I do?"

"Tell her you want to take her out, for starters. Make reservations at a nice restaurant. Something romantic, mind you. Tell her she looks beautiful."

"Alright… I suppose I could do that. You really think she'd like that?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Well, then, thank you. I'll follow your advice."

Raquel entered the kitchen, and Berlin noticed how his brother's eyes lit up at the sight of her.

"Are you almost done?" she asked. "It's such a nice evening, I hoped we could go outside and enjoy it for a bit."

"Go", Berlin nodded. "I'll finish up here."

When he was alone in the kitchen, he dried the remaining plates with a vague feeling of relief. He'd worried about what would happen to his brother after he was gone – Sergio didn't have any friends, and they had no family left. Berlin had watched over his little brother all his life, and he hadn't liked the thought of leaving him entirely alone in the world. But he had a feeling that Sergio had found something real at last, and he felt comforted by the thought that there would be someone to take care of him when he himself couldn't be that person anymore. Sergio was… special, and he sensed that Raquel understood that. Good. He was glad.

Berlin smiled to himself, satisfied. His many ex-wives had invariably left him with the bitter reproach that he didn't care about anything but himself. They were wrong. He cared about Sergio.

It was late. Everyone else had gone to bed, but Denver wanted one more cigarette before going up to his room. He stepped out onto the terrace, but was stopped by the sound of voices – the Professor and Lisbon, sitting in the same sun lounger, sharing a blanket against the slight chill in the air. Denver hesitated for a moment, then decided not to disturb them. He assumed they would like their privacy, so he went to smoke on the steps in front of the front door instead. There was a weird feeling in his stomach as he thought about the couple on the terrace. He wasn't great at identifying weird feelings, but he gave this one some thought. He wasn't usually interested in other people's relationships, but the Professor and Lisbon's looked nice. All the girls he'd dated – and there had been a lot – had been shallow and vain, and dating them had been a turbulent and unsatisfying business, but he'd never questioned it. Now he wondered what it would be like to be with a good woman, a really good woman.

Looking back over the day, he remembered the Professor and Lisbon talking together, walking together, laughing quietly at some private joke. There seemed to be an understanding between them, a companionship, a mutual respect that was foreign to Denver. He didn't know many good relationships – his mother had left him and his father, his friends broke up and got back together at the speed of light, and he himself had certainly never had a relationship he would call 'good' – but he recognized one when he saw it. He suddenly realized what the feeling in his stomach was: it was longing. They had looked so cozy, so intimate, close together under the stars. He wanted that too. He wondered if he would ever find it. He knew he wasn't exactly a catch: he was a knucklehead, a brawler, a petty criminal. But for a good woman, he would get his act together. For a good woman, Denver knew, he would do anything.

Nairobi was lying on her bed, reading a magazine, when she heard the door of the room next to hers open and the sound of two people talking quietly. She smiled. She was glad that those two idiots had been able to work things out. They were clearly right for each other, but at a certain point Nairobi wouldn't be around anymore to save their asses, so the sooner they figured things out, the better. She had to admit that she'd been particularly pleased to see them together today. After all, it was thanks to her that they'd gotten together in the first place, so she felt rather invested in this relationship, and it seemed to be going well.

She suddenly didn't feel like being alone anymore, so she got up and went down the hall to knock on Tokyo's door.

"Can I come in?" she asked as Tokyo opened the door. "Or are you expecting company?"

"Not tonight", Tokyo said, and let her in.

They turned on the radio and let themselves fall on the bed.

"So no Rio tonight?"

"No", Tokyo said shortly.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Tokyo sighed. "He's gotten this stupid idea in his head that the Professor will be okay with us sleeping together now that he's dating Lisbon."

"He probably will be. You should talk to him."

"Don't you start, too", Tokyo snapped.

"I thought you wanted to be with Rio?"

"Look", Tokyo said, "he's a cute kid, but I don't want anything serious right now. Talking to the Professor would make it so… official."

Nairobi nodded, reminding herself that it had only been a few months since Tokyo's boyfriend had been killed. It took time to get over that sort of thing.

Tokyo sighed. "I wish they could just have kept things quiet, him and that stupid cop."

Nairobi turned on her side to face Tokyo. "Why do you hate her so much?"

"Why don't you hate her?"

"She's a good person."

"There's no such thing as a good cop", Tokyo scoffed.

"She's not a cop anymore, though."

"Once a cop, always a cop."

"I don't agree with that. I think people deserve second chances."

"Do cops ever give people second chances?" Tokyo said heatedly.

"It's important that we function well as a team, all together."

"She won't be entering the Mint with us, she's not really a part of our team."

"She'll be in the control room though, you'll need to take orders from her if necessary."

"I'll take my orders from Berlin. I don't care who he gets his orders from."

"I think you should at least give her a chance."

"Forget it, Nairobi. I don't owe her anything."

"True", Nairobi said. "You don't owe her anything. But you owe the Professor a great deal."

Tokyo raised her eyebrows. "Do I?"

"You know you do."

"What I know is that I'm about to risk my life to execute his plan for him while he'll be safe in the control room."

"But if it works, you walk away with millions of euros."

"It's still a big risk."

"A risk you wouldn't even be able to take if the Professor hadn't kept you from getting arrested! You know he's the only reason you're not in jail!"

Tokyo gave her a sullen look. "So?"

"So this is hard on him, you and Lisbon fighting. If you can't like her for herself, then at least accept her for his sake. You owe him that much."

"You really think I owe him that?"

"For your freedom? For your future? Yes", Nairobi said firmly. "I think you do. I think we all do."

Tokyo was quiet for a while. Then she gave a short nod.

"Fine. I'll try. For the Professor."

"Good", Nairobi said, wisely dropping the matter. "Now turn up the music and hand me that bottle of wine."

Sergio fell back into the pillows, out of breath, and opened his arms so she could cuddle up to him. He loved holding her afterwards, loved how she stroked his chest, loved the way she tilted up her face to kiss him.

"I love making love to you", he murmured.

"Lucky for me", she smiled.

He sighed happily. "What a great ending to a great day."

"Yes", she said, "it was rather lovely, wasn't it?"

"I'm so glad we don't have to keep this a secret anymore."

"Me too. I hadn't fully realized how annoying it was to hide until we didn't have to do it anymore."

He'd thoroughly enjoyed everything about this day – showering with her, going down to breakfast together, standing close to her as they talked before class, the casual touches that they didn't need to hide anymore, going out walking together, kissing her in the kitchen, and especially sitting out under the stars with her on the terrace, close together under the same blanket. These were all small things, but they were new to him and he felt quite delighted. So this was what it was like to have a girlfriend. He could get used to this. Then he remembered the conversation he'd had with his brother.

"Raquel", he said, and she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to…" Women like strong men. He started over. "I want to take you out."

Her eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? Where?"

"To dinner. A woman like you deserves a proper first date."

She smiled up at him in delight. "You're asking me out on a date?"

"If you want to…"

"Yes, I would love that." She kissed him. "That's so thoughtful of you."

Sergio silently thanked his brother. "Not at all."

Her eyes suddenly started to shine. "Can we go dancing?"

"Dancing?" he said, alarmed. Berlin had said nothing about dancing.

"It's been ages since I've been dancing and I love it so much."

He felt torn. He wanted to make her happy, but this? "Can we… can we maybe wait a few dates before I have to make an absolute fool of myself?"

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Sure."

They were quiet for a while, and soon she fell asleep. He carefully kissed her hair and reflected that he'd been needlessly worried that morning. The fact that the others now knew about them didn't change a thing. In fact, it made him feel even stronger how she and him were now a team within the team, an alliance, a partnership. Even in the midst of the others, in the classroom or at the dinner table, she only had to look at him to reaffirm that connection, to re-establish something of the intimate little world they inhabited when they were alone. Though he also couldn't wait to take her out and really be alone with her again. On a date. Their first, real date. Where should he take her? He wanted it to be somewhere special, to show her that he cared. Make sure she doesn't start thinking that you're taking her for granted. That's when they leave you. He hoped he would never, ever take her for granted, he thought as she cuddled closer to him in her sleep. She deserved better than that. He hoped he could give her better.