Chapter 7

She stood there, wearing a white silk robe, looking more beautiful than he could ever have imagined. She stood there. Slowly he walked towards her, sure that he would wake up, that it would all have been a dream. They stood so close together, as his hand rose slowly, almost involuntarily sliding over one cheek. She was warm, and he could feel a tear sliding down her face. This was real, this wasn't another dream. She could stand.

"How?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know. I just woke up and I could feel my legs. The energy field must have worked, somehow."

"You can walk?"

She nodded, half-crying with relief

"I can walk, John." His chest tightened, his heart beating so quickly. One hand still rested on her cheek, as she raised her hand, mirroring him. It was only then that he realised that he was crying as well. Slowly, ready for her to pull away, he clumsily slid his hand around to the back of her head, moving his hand through her soft curls, and then almost closed his eyes as she did the same, lightly, delicately.

"Elizabeth.." His voice trailed off as she pulled his head down to hers, until their lips met. If he had any doubts about this being real, they vanished in that moment.

He didn't know how long they had stood there when she finally pulled away from him.

"What?" He said, scared he had pushed her too far. She smiled reassuringly.

"Well, I don't know about you John, but I'm really cold." Now that he thought about it, so was he.

"Yeah, little chilly I guess. How about we go inside?" She grinned back.

"My room's closer. Race you?"

"You up to that?"

In response, she moved closer to him, and placed one hand on his chest, moving in closer. He could feel his heart start to beat faster, and from the look on her face, so could she.

"Try me." She suddenly pushed hard, leaving him sprawling on the ground as she vanished round a corner. As shocked as he was, he couldn't help laughing as he got to his feet and chased after her.

He finally caught her at the entrance to her quarters, swinging her into his arms and spinning round to land on her bed, Elizabeth lying on top of him, face to face. She smiled smugly.

"I win."

"What? You cheated and I still caught you."

"Yeah" A kiss "But I was inside my quarters by then." Another kiss. He didn't feel like arguing. As they continued to kiss, he ran his hand down her back, and down her legs. She stiffened slightly.

"What's wrong." She shook her head.

"Absolutely nothing" and she leaned in, kissing him passionately, her hand sliding up the inside of his shirt. She gasped slightly as he mirrored her action, sliding the gown open. Soon, most of their clothes were on the floor, but she somehow still wore the silk gown, which spread out over them both as she rocked on top of him. He held on for as long as possible, waiting until her eyes closed and her back arched, then followed her into oblivion.

He woke suddenly, jerking upright slightly until he realised that Elizabeth was lying next to him, one leg draped across him, the gown still partially covering them both. He lay there, staring at her, until she began to stir.

"Morning." She smiled back.

"Hey John. God, I was so sure I would wake up and it would all have been a dream."

He just couldn't help himself.

"You often dream of me?" She blushed slightly, dropping her gaze away from his eyes.

"Sometimes. We should probably get up, I have to see Carson, and we both have work to do." She started to stand, then stopped as John grabbed her arm.

"Ok, I know we need to work, but I'm not going to let this be a one-time deal. I, I never even realised how much you meant to me until recently. I'm not letting you go." She sat next to him on the bed, one hand in his, the other coming up to stroke his face.

"I don't want this to be a one-off. But I can't stay here with you forever, tempting as that sounds. Now c'mon, don't you want to see Carson's face?" she said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Oh my god!" Carson exclaimed as Elizabeth walked into the infirmary with John.

"Yep, that was my reaction too." Remarked John dryly.

"When did this happen?" He said as he led her to a seat.

"Late last night."

"Last night? Why the bloody hell didn't you call me then?" he snapped, exasperated

"Sorry Carson, I got a little…. distracted." Behind Carson, John started to cough. Carson looked around, then back, with an amused expression replacing his irritation.

"Well, it's about time. Well, let's have a look at you."

As Elizabeth lay down on the bed, John leaned in.

"I think he may suspect something."

Wow that was a hard chapter to write, many thanks to alyssa for reading it through first. Next chapter coming up soon!