crushcrushcrush

For the first time in all her life, Miranda Bailey was glad that the sink was full. She knew the next person would have put into the dishwasher; but she needed them to keep her hands and mind occupied. So after she cleaned up the kitchen, she began handwashing them. It was that way because without force, Tuck had made breakfast and while it was delicious, she was counting the seconds until he asked them for something.

But that was neither here nor there, she had another thing to worry about.

Miranda could still feel the unwanted, benign advance. "I must've misread the situation." Damn right he did, but had she led the resident on? Miranda shook her head at her own thoughts. Somehow, she'd gone from "Don't bother sucking up, I already hate you" to a thirty-something thinking that she and he had some kind of romantic connection. The feeling that traveled up her spine made her shake. Perhaps she really needed to stop wearing that light fragrance that Ben always joked pulled him in when they'd first started dating. "That's my signature scent," she'd laughed.Miranda smiled even now thinking about his response. "You're basically begging me to kiss you." "Then do it." Maybe it did lead to kisses from men who found her alluring. Or maybe…

The front door opened and she wondered which of her guys was waltzing in. She hoped that it was one of the tall, lanky teens and not her husband. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet. It'd been a couple of days and she still hadn't processed the fact that another man had kissed her. "What?!" She screeched softly to herself, laughing as she pulled another dish from the sink, scratching at the food with her gloved nails. Footsteps on the hardwood were getting closer. Miranda held her breath, releasing it immediately as the familiar slinking of a teenage boy hit her ear.

"Hey, Ma," Tuck said coming into the bright room.

"Hey, baby," she said setting a few spoons into the dishrack to dry. "How was…" She went through his schedule in her head.

"Hockey," they said together.

"I got it. I remember," she smiled as he kissed her cheek.

He washed his hands. "Practice was alright, but I am sore as—" Miranda turned to him and raised a brow, waiting for him to finish the rest of his simile. "As… you would be if you'd done a… a… colectomy?" His back was to her as he grabbed milk from the fridge.

"Mmm… good save." Her son smirked and she couldn't believe after 17 years that it still made her heart flutter. "So, what's for dinner?" She asked before he could.

"You're asking me? I made breakfast!" He yelped, getting a box of Frosted Flakes. "Can't Dad make it? Or Joey? You? Pru?!"

"But you did such a good job with breakfast."

The two of them laughed as he climbed on a stool, pushing a spoon into the bowl. "Wait, is Pru here?"

Miranda shook her head. "No, she's with Yemi tonight, I think." She was really only guessing, but it was Wednesday and the girl usually went with her aunt then because her grandparents had prior engagements. "You're here first, what say you?"

"Uhh… I don't know," he said with milk dripping from his bottom lip.

She sighed. "We'll figure something out."

"Okay." Miranda went back to the washing the dishes, forgetting that her son was still in the room and hadn't dipped out to be on his phone, laptop or game. What did he want?

But the question was lost as Joey poked his head in, "Hey, Mama B," he said sullenly. He slapped hands with Tuck before giving her a hug.

"Are you alright?" She asked the first-year college student. He was attending summer classes at a nearby college until classes for his university started and her nerves were a mess thinking about him being away on a college campus, alone, in just a few months.

"Just tired. This professor is kicking my—"

"Your…?"

Joey opened his mouth to speak and rubbed his face. That look she knew well. Ben. "Butt. She's kicking my butt. I need to sleep and shower and study."

Tuck laughed. "You could sleep and study in the shower."

"That's terrible advice," Miranda said with a smile of her own. "Go shower, it'll relax you. Take a little nap, then you study."

The 19-year-old thought it over. "Yes, ma'am." He waved goodbye and then it was just back to her and Tuck. Miranda sprayed soap into the pan and turned on the water and let the dish overflow with bubbles, her mind loud. It had been over a decade since another man had kissed her. That was a streak she'd enjoyed. Ben Warren was the only man to make her body melt. Actually, it was the look of passion before the kiss, but they often happened so quickly, she would just get mesmerized in the moment, lose track of time, lose her breath… But that hadn't happened here. Damn him. Damn residents! She grunted.

"Ma?"

Clearing her throat, she said: "Yes?"

"Can I… gotoapartytonight?"

There it was. "On a school night?"

"School will be over in like… two weeks. I'm basically a senior already."

Miranda sighed. He was right. And she didn't have the energy to go back and forth. "Have fun."

"Really?" She nodded quickly. "Yes!" He said putting the bowl to his lips, moving toward her, dropping it into the sink with slick smile. He got three bottles of water from the open case sitting on the floor. "Can I take your car?" He asked, putting one near her.

She pointed at him and water droplets flew. "Go on now before I change my mind," she grinned as he ran from the room.

One minute later, she realized that she was almost out of dishes. And still hadn't found a way to break to her husband that another man had put his lips where only he was allowed to. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, she thought trying to calm herself down. She hadn't reciprocated the action, hadn't kissed Jordan Wright back or even wanted to. It was wet and cold and awkward as hell. But would Ben think that? Or would he overreact like she would if the situations were reversed? Joey stopped in to say that he was headed to the library, skipping his nap. "I'll text."

"Be safe, sweetie," she said. Time ticked and she rotated the last cup in her hand, lathering it with soap for a third time before rinsing it slowly. She'd ease into it, slowly, letting the news sink in so he wouldn't go off the hinges. Her husband was the sweetest man in the world, but he lost all modicum of that "sweetness" when he felt his family or himself threatened. And as much as it turned her on, she prepared to keep him kind, not wanting to hurt him with this nonsense.

"Uh-oh."

Miranda turned to see Ben leaning in the threshold. And her heart leapt. He was so handsome. "Uh-oh what?"

"You're doing the dishes by hand. You hate doing 'em by hand."

Placing the glass into the rack, she smiled over her shoulder. "Who said that?"

In a nanosecond, he was behind her and her body was on high alert. "You. We didn't have a dishwasher growing up, I was the dishwasher, so I'll use it as much as I want."

She giggled, throwing her head back. "I may have said something to that effect."

Ben kissed the side of her head. "How was your day?"

"Dr. Wright kissed me!" She blurted out. Shit. So much for easy.

"What? When?" He asked stepping to the side, shutting off the water and leaning against the counter.

Miranda pulled off the gloves, running her dry hand along her thighs. "The other day," she sighed. "We were headed to the parking lot and we were, uh, talking about the call from NASA and dreams or… something… and…"

"Wait… back up, back up, back up!" The six-footer crossed his arms and peered down at her. She tried to read his face, but her husband-o-meter stalled. "You let another man kiss you?"

"See, no, no… he thought I sent him a signal which I certainly did not and then he… kissed me."

Her husband held up his hand. "The kid? That I met with the coffee, the light-skin?" She nodded. "He knows you're married!"

"I know, hon."

"Did you remind him of that?"

"I… I was too caught off guard, honestly." Miranda had been frozen in that time as Jordan had backed away, sheepishly and apologetically.

Ben rolled his eyes. "When did this happen again?"

"Monday." He unfolded his arms and walked toward the island in the middle of their kitchen and sat on the stool their son had been sitting on. She didn't like him being so far away. Why wasn't he hugging her and telling her it was okay? "Ben?"

"He kissed you on Monday? While you talked about NASA?"

Her brain spun trying to make sure she was giving him the correct information. Her friend, Autumn Davenport, had called her up and, unknowingly, shaken up her world. Space was the dream. Her dream. As a kid, it went: space, magic, then medicine. As a surgeon, the things she could do with a scalpel and time and not knowing the full extent of what a body was capable of was the closest she'd been able to get to the other two. And she was damn proud of that. "Yeah," she answered.

"Today's Wednesday." Now she was confused. "He kissed you on Monday, the day you found out about NASA and today's Wednesday." Ben was no longer asking questions; he was confirming what she'd told him out loud.

"Yes. That's… that's what happened, so…" Miranda exhaled. "Please don't be mad. At him or at me."

"I'm not mad at him," he replied quickly.

"Oh. Good."

"I'm not even mad that he kissed you."

She tilted her head a little. "You're not?" He shook his head. Thank God! She walked over to him, moving between his legs, watching his brown eyes close as she reached for his hands, putting them on her waist. "But you are mad?"

His head bobbed slowly. "Oh, I'm pissed," he growled.

"About what? He's a stupid kid who did a stupid thing and he knew it was wrong because he immediately apologized—"

"I don't care about that. I mean…" He gripped her hips. "I do, but you told me yesterday that Autumn called you. Tuesday."

"Yeah, so…?" She asked using her nail to make a light circle on the back of his head.

"He knew on Monday." Now it was all making sense and she felt foolish. "I'm more upset that he knew about NASA before I did. You told him before you told me." The softness in his voice made her feel two inches tall. Why hadn't she? Hadn't they promised to tell each other all about the big stuff? They'd been doing so well until… this. She took a deep breath. The day had been going so well and the kiss had almost ruined it. By the time she saw her husband, she was tense, tired and tingly which was always a wacky combo. "Why didn't you tell me when you got the call, babe? That part I can't wrap my mind around."

There was no excuse. Excited, the news had slipped out of her to the resident and then Shepherd and Grey's groundbreaking surgery had swept her away. "I'm… sorry. I'm really sorry," she said pushing her forehead against his, their universal sign for apologizing. "It wasn't intentional."

"Say more," he responded, pulling her closer.

"You're the first person I thought about telling, but he caught the tail end of my conversation and…" Miranda shook her head. She didn't want to mention her resident anymore. "I always want to tell you my good news first."

"Really?"

She bit her bottom lip, patient. "Yes. You are my best friend, Ben Warren."

He shivered and she grinned; he so loved to be loved by her. "You're my best friend, too. But you gotta tell me when the good stuff happens, okay?" Miranda knew he was right. So damn right. "Call me, shoot me a text, hell… even an email will do." They smiled at one another before laughing. "I just want you to feel comfortable—"

"Ma, I'm leaving!" Tuck called out from the front of the house, unknowingly interrupting their moment.

"Okay!" She responded as Ben kissed her chest, waking up her nipples.

"Is Dad here?" The teen asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Miranda said biting her lip as Ben flicked a bud through her shirt.

"Think he'll let me take his car?" The boy chuckled.

Her husband shook his head and she laughed. "No, he won't," Ben replied loudly.

"Oh, hey, Dad!" Tuck waved a hand in the room.

Ben chuckled. "Bye, son."

"Be safe, baby," Miranda said. Tuck said he would be as Ben nudged his head up her chest.

He murmured something and his voice rattled her and skin, causing goosebumps. "Where's he going?"

"A party," she answered, needing to kiss her husband so badly.

"On a school night?" He inquired nibbling on her chin gently.

"School's over in two weeks," she said using the teen's argument.

"Good point."

When they were face-to-face again, their lips just centimeters from one another, she went in for a kiss, ready for wherever the night was gonna take them. Ben backed up. "What? What are you doing? You don't what to kiss me anymore?" Miranda asked with a pout. In her mind, all of this could go away with a kiss.

"I do, it's just that… I know when and where he kissed you. At the hospital, the day before you told me about NASA." She hoped he didn't hold this over her head for any longer than necessary. "And I know why he kissed you."

"Huh?"

"I mean, look at you, woman." He inhaled and she rolled her eyes to their ceiling, trying to suppress her blushing. "But I don't know how."

The knots in her stomach metamorphosized into butterflies. "Benjamin Warren…"

"I mean, just show me what he did, so I can get a, uh, better understanding of the whole thing."

Miranda licked her lips, sucking in her bottom one at the last second before it plopped out from between her teeth. She watched his jaw shift, knowing that the act always enticed him. "Fine. Do you want to be me or Dr. Wright?"

"I'll be you."

"This is ridiculous, by the way."

"Mmhmm, ridiculous. Just show me what the little twerp did."

She stood up and he did the same, dropping to his knees, smiling. "Now what are you doing?"

"I'm you." More confusion passed over her face. "He's at least six-five, babe and you're… lovably pint-sized."

Miranda hit his arm and giggled. "Stop playing now. Get up." He shook his head. "Fine. We were out of the hospital, walking to the parking lot and talking. That's… yeah, that's what was happening."

"Now, what's my motivation as you?"

She thought for a moment. What were the green flags that Jordan had thought he'd seen? "We'd had a really good day, bonded over science-fiction."

Ben cleared his throat. "Oh, Dr. Wright," he started in an overly high-pitched voice, "you're just the best resident I've ever had in these last four years."

"Last four?" She scoffed. "Try since forever."

"'Present company excluded,' right?"

"Yeah. Right. Aside from my sexy, strong and very understanding husband."

Ben looked up at her and nodded. "That felt forced, but thank you, baby." They grinned at each other, seconds from bursting, but Miranda brushed it from her lips. "Alright, so where were we?" He moaned. "Wait, I need to stand up. We should have put carpet in here."

"Carpet in the kitchen? This isn't the 70s, hon," she said. "Um, how about… I be me and you be him."

"Got it. And what's my motivation as that little homewrecker?" He asked tapping his chin. She picked up the water that Tuck had given her and left the room. "Okay, okay," Ben said hugging her from behind, his fingers squeezing her stomach. "Give me one more chance."

Miranda smiled over her shoulder. "Fine."

"See how amazing you are? You kissed another man and I'm begging you for forgiveness."

Now he was pissing her off. Why was he being so lax about it? "And I didn't kiss him, he kissed me," she corrected as the moved up the stairs into their bedroom. She sat the water on the nightstand on her side of the bed.

"Same thing."

"No, it's not actually," she told him turning in his arms.

"Show me how then," Ben said, his face straight.

Finally! "So, I was saying something akin to what you were saying." "Only bright spot around here lately has been you."

"I knew it." He slapped her butt, molding it through the fabric. "No one can resist a compliment from you, Chief."

Miranda flashed a smile. "And then… his lips were on mine."

"So was it like this?" He asked pecking her lips quickly. Miranda blushed. She wished it had been like that. "Or like this?" Pressing his mouth to hers, she waited for more, but he pulled away. "Hmm?"

"Uh…" She said a little lightheaded, her body impatient as he stared down into her eyes—the look before the…

"Or did he…?" Ben whispered something in her mouth before attacking her bottom lip, sending her into a fit of ecstasy. He ramped it up by slipping his tongue past hers, letting her get a full taste of him—the only man she'd ever truly been in love with. The only one she wanted touching and kissing onand romancing her.

She held him tightly to keep her balance, curling her toes onto the rug beneath her. She knew that she was unraveling, wet beyond belief and that the easiest touch would undo her. "Oh," Miranda moaned and it pinched her belly. "Wasn't like that," she said softly, her voice barely a sigh. They separated, her eyes fluttering. He nodded and kissed her again, backing them up to the bed. "You're sure you're not mad?" He sat down and caressed her hips, unspeaking. "Ben?"

"Yes, my love?" She opened her eyes a little bit more. It was dark in the room, but she knew they were looking at each other. "Do you want me to be mad?"

Miranda almost felt silly when she said, "A little jealousy on your part would be nice."

"So, you want me to say that I hate the idea of another man around you or even looking at you?"

"Yes." She gave him a wicked smile.

He sat down and licked his lips before pulling her in for another kiss, making light work of her blouse. "That when I see that punk, I will be making him most comfortable?"

Spinning so that he could work on her bra, she exhaled an "exactly" as he kissed down her spine.

"That I want to rip his arm off and beat him with it?"

She turned and he inhaled one of her nipples while staring up at her. The heat between her legs was rendering her incapable of thinking about anything other than climbing on top of her husband. "What else?" Miranda asked.

Ignoring her, he moved to the other breast, his eyes never leaving hers. Her breathing quickened and she was sure he'd do her in just by the sucking alone. "Get on the bed," he said simply. Before she could ask "how," he was telling her: "Doesn't matter". Her husband's face was stoic while taking off both of his shirts in one motion. He tossed them to the clothesbasket in the corner as he headed into the bathroom without another word. And a part of her was actually afraid. The other pieces of her were very, very excited. She unbuttoned and dropped her pants, starting to get onto the bed. "Oh, yeah, just like that."

"Huh?" She asked over her shoulder. Only one knee was up on the bed and her other foot was barely grazing the floor. "What do you—"

"Don't move. Stay like that," he said running a hand down her back. Miranda didn't know how long she'd be able to stay in this position, but for now, she wasn't going to move an inch. "Spread 'em a little more for me."

With his help, her legs moved and the feel of his tongue made her entire body shake. "Ben," she whimpered.

"Yes, baby?" He asked, calmly. The only response she could come up with was grabbing the sheets. She moaned loudly, her back caving in. "Mmmhm, gimme more," he said quickly, pushing more of his face into her. His facial hair tickled her skin. Rocking her hips slowly, she dropped face first onto the bed, her ass in the air. "That's what I'm talking about." Finally doing exactly as she was told, he thanked her, licking and lapping methodically, adding a finger that she recognized as his middle one.

Her screams rang out across the room while her husband devoured her. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"You taste so good. I bet he wanted some. I know he did."

"Stop," she whined.

"He wanted to…" His tongue was gone now and her body opened, trembling, as he entered her, somehow allowing her to get on the bed. "Fuck, Miranda!" She tried to sit up, but a heavy hand on the lower part of her back kept her right where she needed to be. They moved together, creating electricity that soared through her. She pushed herself onto him and he had to hold her hips to corral her wild movements. "Shit! One more time, baby."

Tightening around him, she did it again and he fell over, his hand sliding around her neck, tilting her chin. The new angle made her heart stop. It felt too good. Ben slowed down and she was able to breath normally.

"Better?"

"Shhhh," she said reaching back to shove him. He caught her arm, laughing, restraining her momentarily. Miranda tried to catch her breath, screaming: "Damn you!"

"Mmhmm! This is mine, right?"

Her heart staggered. "Yes, baby…"

"Say it. Say it right now, Miranda!" Her husband demanded, pushing further into her.

"Mmm… Yesss, Ben! Ben!" She pleaded, biting her lower lip—hard. "Right… there."

He let her arm go and slapped her butt. "Like this, my love?"

"Yes, baby." Her heart was going so fast, her stomach was rumbling, she was about to evaporate into a million pieces and it was all his fault. All his… "It's yours, baby," she said looking back, only catching a glimpse of his naked body, chiseled and all hers. "I'm… all yours."

"Know that," Ben told her, his strokes speeding up. "God, baby, you feel so good."

Even in the midst of making love, he made her blush. "I do?"

"Yeah, you do. Now take this dick."

"Oh! Oh," she whined as her body quaked and she released, pushing her face into the now messed up sheets, half-suffocating herself. With every breath, she inhaled fabric. "Oh, my God! Oh God! Ahhh!"

He pulled out of her tapping her ass with his dick. "God damn it," he said. Seconds later, he was spilling all over her ass, smearing it into her skin. "Damn, Miranda. Fuck."

Miranda shuddered, spent and chilly and satisfied. But she couldn't stop moving her hips, desperate for another round. "Can I move now?" Miranda asked with a smirk that he couldn't see.

"If you must," he answered, laughing and knowing she wasn't going anywhere as he fingered her to another orgasm, carefully.

As husband and wife dove beneath the covers, Miranda cuddled up to Ben's naked chest, her right hand distractedly massaging his long piece, rubbing their mixed juices onto it like lotion. He jerked every so often and each time made her smile. He was literally turned to putty when she touched him. "Yes, baby."

Her hand worked diligently, ready to feel him erupt in her palm. "You alright?" She asked, dropping a hand between her legs moaning a little as she touched her clit accidently searching for her

A few minutes of slow rubbing had his body twitching. "I'm... coming. Shit." Ben cursed, breathing deeply. She loved that sound, loved making him powerless. "Miranda."

"Yeah?" For a full five minutes, neither of them spoke. Hating the silence, she asked: "Are we okay?"

"Always," he told her, slinking down, pushing their bodies together. "But…"

"But?"

"It irks me that you waited a whole day to tell me about your call." She opened her mouth to combat his irritation. "Because I know space is where you want to be."

She shook her head fiercely. "No, no, this is where I want to be. Here with you and the kids… and the career I've been building since I was ten years old."

He held up a hand. "Right. I just meant that I know it's important to you."

"It is. But I don't want to be like Grey splitting my life, splitting our time together, not seeing the kids grow." Miranda sat up and covered her breasts with the comforter. "I didn't not tell you because it's NASA or because I was keeping that from you, I didn't tell you because of that kiss, hon." She licked her lips and grabbed her bottle of water, gulping, so parched. "I didn't want you to be mad at me like I would be if… someone kissed you." He made a loud noise. "Because I would be livid," she told him, furrowing her brows.

"I know you would be." They laughed together while her mind danced with her reactions if another decided to kiss her husband. "Like you were about Ingrid."

She blew air from her mouth. "I can't believe you. You invited that woman to Thanksgiving dinner! And you didn't tell her you were married."

"I thought my ring did all the speaking for me. Plus, she needed a place to be with people."

"Yeah, it's called group therapy," Miranda said, playfully slapping her dense husband's leg.

"Well, I know you're not talking."

"What?" She asked lifting her arms to rake her hair back, the cover falling. Ben grinned and pulled it back up, tucking it so it didn't fall, but not before he kneaded a nipple slowly. "Thank you."

He readjusted, sitting next to her. "How quickly you've forgotten about… Eli LLoyd." He groaned, shaking his head.

Miranda's jaw dropped. "That was a lifetime ago!" She screeched. He grabbed her bottle of water and drank some. "And I'll have you know that I was actually dating that man—for months!"

"Which was one day too long. I hated that guy."

"Well, you were off playing Hide and Seek."

"Funny. Very funny."

She pursed her lips, nodding. "And let's not forget about the most egregious one of all."

He turned to her, putting his legs across her thighs, locking her in place. "What? Who?"

"Nurse. Liz," she said loving how his face turned to stone and she broke out into a smile. "Yeah, checkmate."

"I never even kissed that woman and I surely did not date her!"

Miranda hummed softly. "You admitted to outright flirting with her while we were dating, Benjamin Warren."

He reached for her hands. "You gotta be kidding me."

"You touched her arm. And who knows what else." She shook her head for dramatic effect. Now, she didn't care about the whole thing, but back then, she'd seen red and was ready to throw them all away. Thank God for the persistence of her husband because he wouldn't let her, making promises that he was still upholding.

"That was… that was over a decade ago, Miranda! I haven't looked at another woman since," he laughed.

"Still…"

"Fine, I'm trotting out Sam from California and Dave from Oncology."

"Wow!" He stroked her bare skin in several different places, his touch light. Miranda sighed. "Should we call Jeanette and Teresa to the stand?"

He gasped, his smile widening. "Low blows," he said. "But I do have an Ace in the hole that I'm not yet pulling out."

"That sounds dirty," she retorted already knowing which name he was thinking of. Her ex-husband was one she could not shake. They had a beautiful son and she wouldn't change his existence for anything. "You can say it."

"No, because I love you too much."

Miranda reached over and touched his chin, stroking his salt-and-pepper beard that was still a little moist. "I love you too much, too," she surrendered.

They shared a soft kiss. "I just can't believe you let that man-child break our streak!" He said getting out of bed and taking the covers with him, leaving her naked, laughing and eager to pay him back.

Scooting out of their bed, she reminded him: "I didn't let him to anything. I was stunned. Shocked. I was… in tears almost," she giggled and Ben joined in as he got the reference.

"Aha! But not mad about it! Because secretly you liked that a younger man found you attractive."

"Finds," she said putting on her robe.

"Huh?"

"You used the past tense."

He turned to her with his face turned up. "Miranda, what?!"

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "But I was upset because I kinda felt like I'd betrayed you."

Now in his own robe, Ben walked over to her, hugging and kissing all over her face. "No, you didn't. I actually find it a little funny."

"So, what was all that about tearing off limbs?"

"I thought we were doing a thing?" Remembering, she agreed with nod, glad that telling him about Dr. Wright had been smooth sailing. "But tomorrow's my day off and Yemi's dropping off Pru because she has a final, so Baby Girl and I will just pop in for a little visit to see the Chief," he said walking toward the door.

Scurrying after him, she warned: "You will not!"

"And if we happen to bump into Jar Jar Binks, then I'll be cordial and remind him that you're a married woman with a family. Simple as that."

Miranda groaned as they headed into the kitchen looking for an after-sex snack. He washed his hands before pulling out their favorite ice cream hidden deep in the freezer away from the eyes of eternally ravished teenaged boys, popping it into the microwave for a couple of seconds. Miranda washed her hands and grabbed some spoons and a couple of bottles of water. "You don't have to make a statement. It's… embarrassing enough without you peacocking all over the place."

"Fine, fine, but I just need him and anyone else with wandering eyes or lips to know that…" He stood up and moved between her legs stealthily, helping her off the stool. Their embrace lifted her to her toes and she exhaled on his shoulder. "You are mine," he told her, his voice gruff with possessiveness in her ear. "You have always been mine. You will always be mine. You, Miranda Bailey-Warren, belong to me."

"I do," she confirmed with a slight twitch of her lips. "And the same goes for you, Benjamin Warren."

"And we know this." He started to move and she continued to hold him.

"Wait… don't let go."

"Hell no," he said fiercely and it sealed what she already knew. There was no one else in the world, in any galaxy, for her. She didn't have to go to space to figure that out.

Sitting back down at the island, she said: "And for what it's worth,I would love for you and Pru to come and visit me tomorrow."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I miss seeing you at the hospital, babe."

"Then, we'll be there," he said putting a spoonful of the whiskey-laced dessert up to her mouth. "But just for the record…"

"Hmm?" She asked eating the ice cream.

"Since you got distracted and all and never answered, what kind of—"

Miranda grabbed her annoying husband's shirt, planting a fiery kiss on him, letting the frozen treat melt between their lips. She touched the back of his head, deepening it. His hand went to her waist, ripping at her belt. Smiling, she scratched his hair, giving a light moan as she pulled away first. "I believe it was something like that."

Ben blinked rapidly, his gaze darting from her eyes to her lips. "Shit," Ben said. "He tried to get you pregnant." She opened her bottle of water. "Now I gotta pull a Karev."

Her bottom lip quivered as she said: "That's not funny."

"You're right. It's not," he said. They both looked at each other at the same time and cracked up, falling into one another with the ice cream dripping on the countertop.