A/N: OK – first it was PCGirl and now it's Terri's fault. LOL! Twist my arm. I'll elaborate – if that's truly what you want. ;) fyi - I'm always happy to take "requests". As long as it makes sense to the story its A-OK w/me. :)

I have to tell you – this here is me pretty much at my raciest – still PG-13 - but perhaps the young-in's should cover their eyes!! :O If y'all still need more details, please consult your own imaginations. ;) LOL!

Just think of this chapter as an extra birthday treat or a little token of my appreciation. I was planning the end of the chapter (the balcony scene) for today anyway – so all I did was add the bit at the beginning. Hope it meets w/your approval. ;) Until 30 my dearests! (wow 30??? That was fast!)

Enjoy! xox-G

Chapter Twenty-nine

If you asked her Alison honestly couldn't tell you where she actually was. She'd lost all perception of time or place.

There was only him.

Nothing else but the feel of his hands on her skin, the warmth of his breath mingling with hers, the heat of his kisses nearly burning her alive.

All the while, her eyes remained closed. She was too overwhelmed and too far gone to even think about keeping them open.

She had started this by teasing him and Rafe had ended it by teasing her back. But now, for both of them, there wasn't anything to laugh about.

Rafe couldn't get over how soft she felt. She was like velvet under his fingers and each time his hand passed over her all he wanted was to feel more.

Alison clung onto him for dear life, want and need holding her hostage. She wanted to say something, but had lost the ability to speak it seemed. Underneath him her body went lax - every bit of her energy was dedicated to ensuring this torture lasted forever.

Rafe fought to keep his focus. The way she moved beneath him was driving him insane.

Slowly, sweetly, he kissed every inch of her skin, savoring the taste of it, inhaling the scent of whatever it was she was wearing today. She always kept him guessing. Sometimes it was something sweet, sometimes something floral and slightly exotic. Today it was a bit of both and though he had her right there with him part of him was still starving for more.

Alison moved in time with his kisses, her body arching towards his as she felt his lips traveling across her skin, tempting and teasing her until she was sure she'd die from sheer pleasure.

Twenty years, she thought. That's how long it had been since the first time they were together like this. It seemed so long ago and yet it was almost like it was just yesterday.

There was a time when she believed she would only know what this was like for a few weeks. It took forever for her to believe he wasn't leaving her anytime soon. Now, the longer they were together, the greedier she got. He'd better deal with it, she thought with a smile. She didn't plan on letting him go for a long, long time.

Seeing her grin, Rafe wondered what she was thinking, but only just for a moment. Soon all thoughts were erased from both their minds. Alison's head spun and she gasped as she felt him moving within her, gently plummeting her into oblivion.

Her hands linked with his, gripping tightly. Alison's voice caught in her throat as she cried his name. His mouth moved back to meld with hers, stealing her breath.

Pushing her hair off her face gently, Rafe smiled as he watched her come back to him. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and began to focus.

"Hey Angel." He whispered, touching his mouth to hers once again.

"Rafe…" Alison breathed, her lips curving into a smile. "Wow." She added.

He had exactly the same thought as he grinned wider. "Wow." He agreed.

"Mmmmm." She murmured, her pulse finally returning to normal as she moved to stretch, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Wore you out - huh?" He said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, you did." Alison smiled as she felt his hand move to rest on her stomach. "Plus, I'm always really sleepy at the beginning – you know that." She placed her own hand over his.

He ran his hand back and forth over her belly as he leaned down to place a kiss on the top of her head. "That's true. And then next you'll get queasy."

Alison laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "Rafe. That's such a sweet way to say that in a week or two I'll be puking my guts out."

"I'm sorry." He whispered laughing back at her.

"You should be. It's all your fault." She said as she turned to face him and snuggled closer. "Plus, it's not quite the image I'd like you to have of me."

She needn't worry. Right now, all he could see was how she looked at this moment. Her eyes dancing with laughter, her hair glinting like spun gold in the fading sunlight, she was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen - in heaven or on earth.

She lay in his arms, completely content for a few moments. She didn't think she could want for anything more than this but their child didn't seem to agree. Suddenly she was incredibly hungry.

"Are we going downstairs for dinner?" Alison wondered.

"Do you want to?" Rafe asked as he ran a hand up and down her spine.

"Honestly?" She admitted, not at all ashamed of herself. "I really don't want to have to get dressed. Can't we order something instead?"

Rafe began to grin. If she wanted to stay undressed he had no problem with that. It was more than a good enough reason for him. "Absolutely. They do have 24 hour room service, you know."

She pulled his face to hers and kissed him gently as she sighed. "I knew there was a reason I loved this place."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night air floated into the room, the scent of it announcing it was nearly summer. Dinner had come and gone and now Alison slept soundly, completely at peace. Hours later she woke slowly, carefully easing from their bed and moving towards a set of french doors. She pulled on a robe and stepped out onto the balcony.

When she heard him stir she urged Rafe to join her. "Come out here and look." Alison said with a smile as she leaned at the railing. A soft breeze made her silk robe billow. The moonlight made her hair seem to glow.

She heard him softly come up behind her and sighed. "Look at all those stars. I haven't done this in a while, just stared up at the sky at night. It's so beautiful isn't it Rafe?

"You're so beautiful, I can't see anything else." He replied as he placed a kiss on her temple.

She heart skipped a beat at the sound of his compliment but was still caught up in her thoughts. She tilted her face heavenward as she spoke. "I used to do this all the time. Whenever you were gone, whenever we were separated, I'd go outside and gaze up at the stars and I'd talk to you. I swear it made me feel like you were right there next to me."

Alison turned to face him and spoke softly. "I haven't had to do that so long. I never want to have to ever again." She said with a little shiver. "It's nice to just look up and not have to wonder where you are, because you're right here beside me – just like you're supposed to be."

He leaned down to place his lips on hers. She kissed him back, all the love in her heart pouring into the kiss as she pressed herself closer to him.

Alison leaned back in his arms and ran a finger over his cheek. He caught her hand in his and kissed it gently. She looked down and smiled as he did. "You've made me so happy Rafe. I have everything in the world I ever wanted. And just when I think you couldn't possibly give me anything more – you do something else to amaze me. I am so, so lucky to have you." She said as she gazed into his eyes.

Her words were sweet but he knew the truth. "I'm the lucky one, Alison. Without you, I'd never have had this chance. I'd never have had known what it's like to be a father, to have a family and a home or a life for that matter. I'd be nothing if it weren't for you."

She shook her head at him. "No. Stop. Don't say that. You could never be nothing - Rafe. There's too much that's special about you for that to ever be true."

Rafe was amazed. She did this constantly. Her words humbled him and made his heart burst with love. He was reminded once again that he was the luckiest man alive.

"Alison…" He sighed as he pulled her closer. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said as he kissed her breathless.

Rafe grinned as he pulled away. "I know you just said that I've given you everything, but I actually do have something else for you."

"Rafe…" She gave him a look. "I have you. I have Kate, Grant and Becky and a new little one on the way." Alison's face softened as she ran a hand over her stomach. She looked up at him in wonder. "What else could you possibly give me?"

Rafe knew exactly the thing to show her how much he loved her, how much she meant to him. He looked at her nervously. "I was going to wait until Sunday – but I just can't so…close your eyes." He ordered as he pulled a box from the pocket of the terrycloth robe he was wearing.

Always agreeable when gifts were involved, Alison's eyes fluttered closed as she felt him take her hand in his. Rafe placed a small box squarely in her palm.

"OK. Open them." He said, anxious to see her reaction to what he had bought her.

"Oooo! Jewelry!" Alison guessed, her eyes sparkling. She opened the box, expecting to see a simple pair of earrings or something similar and almost staggered backwards. She placed a hand over her heart. "Rafe…" She breathed. It took her a second to find her voice. "Oh my God. It's stunning."

It was just the reaction he was looking for. "Do you understand what it's supposed to be?" He asked as his face broke out into a huge grin.

She wasn't sure what he meant. All she could see was the delicate ring, as dazzling as the stars but far more colorful. Nestled in the velvet lining was a platinum band set with four sparkling gems lined up in a row. There was one peridot and one emerald flanked by two amethysts. They were fairly large, brilliantly cut and gleamed brightly even in the moonlight.

She didn't care what it meant – she couldn't take her eyes off it. "No. It's just gorgeous." She said honestly.

He took the box from her hand and moved to place the ring on her finger, explaining as he did. "Katie was born in February – she's the first one. Then, the lighter green – that's peridot…" He said proudly, he'd learned a lot as he researched birthstones "…is for Grant, since he's next. The emerald is for Becky..." He continued as he watched happy tears start to fall from her eyes.

"…and the other amethyst is for the new baby, since "she" should be born in February too." Alison stared into his eyes and gave him a smile, understanding now. "Rafe…" She whispered her voice choked with tears. "I can't believe you."

That smile. It was his goal in life to make sure that she always wore that smile. He took her hand and kissed it again. "I have to tell you - you did not make this easy. It was all ready and then you told me you were pregnant. I didn't think he'd be able to add the new stone in time, but he did."

"What if the baby's born early?" She said with a smile.

"Then we'll replace it and make a ring for Katrina." He replied, thinking quickly.

Rafe pressed his lips to her hand once more as he continued, "He called it a mother's ring. Since you're the best one in the entire world I thought it was a perfect gift for you." He leaned down to kiss her quickly as he said, "Happy Mother's Day."

"Rafe..." She said again softly, completely overwhelmed as she held her hand out to admire her ring.

"Do you like it?" He asked with a laugh even though the answer was obvious.

Did she like it? Was he crazy? Alison brought her arms to twine around his neck and melted against him. "I love it. I love you." She sighed as she moved to capture his lips with hers.

"I love you." She whispered again between kisses just to make sure he understood.