Mort and Alex continued seeing each other over the next couple of months.  Both were happy, but Mort had a little something extra to be thankful for: Shooter was gone.  Mort's mind had been empty of that awful southern voice ever since that moment looking for a towel in his closet.

During this time, the couple had grown extremely close.  Mort had come into Alex's classroom on a couple of occasions to read to her students (age appropriate tales, of course) and Alex helped him with the last of the work on his house.  They had spent several nights together, but hadn't consummated the relationship – neither was ready to.

Despite how happy she was, Alex couldn't shake her fears of the possibility of things not working out.  Rare as it is in today's society, Alex had only made love to one man, her husband.  The want and desire to sleep with Mort was present in full, but it felt like such a huge leap to her.  Karen insisted that it wasn't, but she had her share of relationships before settling down with Steven.  Alex had been with Tristan since college and even then, it took a year of dating him before she finally felt ready to sleep with him.

Mort had a few sexual relationships before Amy, but once he married her, he realized just how "sacred" sharing yourself with someone truly is.  After catching Amy and Ted together in that motel, that point was driven home even further.  He was having the same inner struggle that Alex was.  His arousal when he was with her at night was highly evident, and it's not as though they had been purely innocent with one another, but every time that they came close…Mort remembered the anguish that he felt on that rainy day.

What happens if things don't work out?

What happens if they do?

What if we sleep together and that ends things?

Why would it end things?  You love her and she obviously loves you.

There must be something wrong with my…performances.

There is nothing wrong with that part of you.

So why did Amy go somewhere else for that particular…

Alex isn't Amy.  She never was, she never will be.  She's scared, you're scared…you're two responsible adults, do something about it.

Rather adamant about this, aren't you?

It's been a long time for both of you.

What if she doesn't want to do "that" outside of marriage?

Has she said that?

Well…no, but…

What has she said, hm?

She waited a year to do "that" after she met Tristan.  She said that when the time was right, she felt it.   She knew.

And how do you feel at the moment?  Are your fears still outweighing everything else?

You know as well as I do.

Yes, but you're the one who needs to admit things – not me.

I suppose that, when both of us are ready, we'll know.

Was that so hard?

Not as tough as I thought it would be.

O.K., then, I'm glad that's settled.  Now, get some sleep.  Julia's birthday party tomorrow isn't going to be a time for relaxation – you're going to be meeting quite a few people.

Oh God…Tristan's parents…

They have no reason not to like you.  Relax.  Sleep.