((Well, you made it, this is the chapter where Sophie and Howl FINALLY do things that married people do. I hate writing love scenes but as I said, this fic is for my friend so she'll just have to deal with what I got. YOU HEAR ME BRIDGET! Ha, ha…just kidding. Love ya, Buddy! ))

In Which Sophie Allows

"You're going back out there!"

Sophie glared at the wizard standing fully dressed with the exception of shoes and ready to head out the door supposedly after he said his goodbyes.

"Now, now, Sophie, I'm a big boy, I can handle a little more war." Howl held up his hands as Sophie flung the covers away, climbing out of the bed so that she would at least have a little height to add to her cause.

Howl recoiled back a step as Sophie stood directly in front of him with her hands on her hips and looking utterly furious with him, her hair tousled and a few red lines were still on her cheek from how she slept the previous night. It was hard not to laugh at how silly she looked but with the mood she was in now…it was suddenly made easy not to laugh at her.

"First you come home wounded, then you don't tell me about it, and now you're saying you're going back out there! Howl, are you trying to make me have a heart-attack? If I were still an old woman, I would have had one by now and then where would you be?"

"Without a housekeeper?" he asked.

Sophie's mouth dropped open, "W-Well then, maybe I should die!"

"No!" Howl said quickly, his eyes wide; Sophie was rendered silent, staring at her husband in shock at his sudden cry. "Don't die…not on purpose."

She folded her arms but still eyed him warily, "I was only saying—"

"Don't say it." He suggested, "If you died, I would die."

Reaching over, Howl took her hand and she dropped her other arm as he brought her over to him, "I told you before, Sophie…you've made a contract with me the day you broke Calcifer's…my heart is in your hands and if your heart stops, mine stops with it. We'll both be dead as a doornail."

He gripped her hand, Sophie was once again falling prey to Howl's undeniable charm, she was melting, nothing but a puddle at his feet now. She was flushed, anger not longer a part of it since Howl always managed to butter her up when things got too heated between them. Sure there were times when he would push the envelope too far but as long as she remembered the last time she left the castle, she would cool down enough to force Howl into an apology and they would be done with it.

"You're just trying to butter me up…" she murmured, averting her eyes.

"I would do no such thing." He said, turning her face back to him and regaining her eyes.

"Oh you wouldn't…" she eyed him skeptically.

Howl smiled, glancing up at the door and then back down at Sophie, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her forehead. Markl wouldn't be up for a while now…not after staying up so late the previous night. If he was going to go back out to the battlefield, he wanted to know if there would be someone at home waiting for him to return with another hope outside of the war coming to an end.

Pulling Sophie against him, Howl laid her head beneath his, resting his cheek upon her hair and managing to take in a deep breath, inhaling the scent that only Sophie could smell of with a little trace of himself in her as well. Pointing at the little lantern bolted to his wall, the flame grew weaker and extinguished; two more to go if Sophie didn't catch him…

"What are you doing?" Sophie sensed it…something was going on…

"Nothing." He chimed, "Just putting out the lamps…they won't be necessary."

"Necessary for what?" she asked warily.

"I can't surprise you, can I?" he sighed, lifting his head off of hers and tilting it to the side, catching Sophie's gaze. "Are you still angry that I have to go back out there?"

"That goes without asking." She murmured but her frustration had long since died away.

Howl chuckled, leaning down and once again kissing her forehead, "Can you forgive me?" he whispered, touching his lips to her temple and then her cheek.

Sophie felt a chill run down her spine. "W-Well…that all depends…on whether or not you go."

Howl didn't stop, he brushed his cheek over hers and tipped his head even more, kissing her neck just below her jaw for the first time, the collar of her plain dress had always prevented that before but now he managed to take advantage of the much more lenient nightgown.

"H-Howl—"

Sophie closed her eyes, swallowing as she felt his mouth press against her neglected neck. She had always been kissed on her face…why was he kissing her neck? Why were her insides being twisted into knots from nerves at this situation? Howl was her husband after all; she could trust him, right? The wizard's hands smoothed out the wrinkles in the nightgown as he smoothed them over her back; each caress was making Sophie shiver from the unfamiliar touch she was suddenly receiving.

"I-I can't embrace you…" she said as he lifted his kiss from her flesh, "Y-Your wounded…I can't hold you."

"I can fix that." He smiled, "Here…" Taking her hands, Howl looped them around his neck, resting his own on her waist and drawing her near to him, "Better?"

She didn't answer, rather she bowed her head; pressing it into his collarbone.

"I'm scared…"

"What?" he sounded puzzled.

"I'm scared." She repeated, "Of this…of you leaving…Howl, I'm just…terrified."

Chuckling, Howl patted her head a little, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You shouldn't be." He said gently, "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too."

She lifted her head, "You're nervous?"

He arched an eyebrow, "Of course I am; do you not believe me?"

"I-I just thought you were used to this." Sophie said; shocked to hear that the womanizing Wizard Howl was saying that he was nervous…then again…he was a coward.

"Feel." He said, taking one of her hand and pressing it onto his chest. "Do you feel that?"

Sophie remembered this sensation…feeling Howl's heart beating in the palm of her hand…the faint beats were worrying her and she had to put it back into him if she wanted him to live…but now the organ was beating quite well, in fact it was pounding about as hard as hers was.

"I'm not "used to this" Sophie." He said, his expression appearing a little more serious.

She gripped his shirt where he had her hand pressed to his chest.

"Does that make you feel better?"

She nodded slowly.

"Alright then, moving along!" he said cheerily, tilting her face up.

"Whoa—"

Sophie was cut off, her mouth capped off by Howl's, his kiss moving her and making her eyes drift shut once again, her racing heart beat near his and she could have sworn she heard them beating together beyond the sounds of Howl's hands running over fabrics and the creaks of their feet on the floor.

Howl parted his lips and peered down at her, taking a step backward and she followed him like a timid little girl being led by an older brother, only Howl wasn't her brother…Howl was her husband and this was not a time of pure innocence, especially not when she saw where he was guiding her. She hesitated, holding her position after two little steps and looked at the floor stubbornly but shakily. Howl tugged gently on her hands and she obeyed his call, letting him lead her over and they sat down on the edge of Howl's mattress.

Lowering her head a little, Sophie rested it upon Howl's shoulder as he stroked her cheek and pushed his hand back, combing his fingers into her hair until they reached the restricting braid. He kissed her forehead and reached behind her, pulling the band off and slipping his fingers between the braids and loosening them out until Sophie's hair was loose and he spread out the wavy strands.

As he stroked her hair, Sophie reached up, gripping Howl's arm with a trembling fist.

"It's just another first…" he said gently.

"I know…we're experiencing a lot of them together…aren't we?" she asked wearily, letting him tilt her head back, his lips brushing over her jaw and then her neck. The brushes of warmth couldn't calm her, nor could they unknot her insides as she worried about what the future held. Maybe she could jab her finger into his side on "accident" and make him stop…but that would hurt him and she didn't want to hurt him…

He said he was nervous but he seems pretty confident…

A slight pressure on her shoulder pushed her back until she was lying back on the mattress, the twisted covers uncomfortable beneath her back and making her writhe restrictedly since Howl was partially on top of her now, her own hands were starting to run up his arms and brace against his chest, pushing against him when his teeth would accidentally graze her neck.

"Sorry, sorry…" he smiled, leaving her neck alone, "Did it hurt?"

"No…I was just startled." She said, covering her neck.

The wizard extended an arm and the remaining lamps extinguished, Sophie and Howl cast in darkness. Sophie's eyes darted everywhere, she couldn't see Howl, and her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness and all she could see was a white blotch in her vision from the fading light.

She groped for Howl, wanting to make sure that he was still with her in the darkness and she found him, his hand taking hers and lacing his fingers with hers, assuring her that she wasn't alone in the darkness. She could see the vague silhouette of Howl now, the splotch gone from her eyes and she could feel Howl close to her body, an arm beneath her and pulling her up, arching her back.

Slipping her arm around him, she clung to him and he chuckled softly, stroking her trembling frame.

"It's alright, little mouse…"

She sighed, there was something tingling in the back of her mind, strange warmth that was spreading over her, washing away the chill of nerves and bathing her in a calming sensation that stayed her hands and she relaxed her grip on the wizard. Was he casting a spell on her to help calm her down or was this some kind of controlling spell that made her unable to move on her own and she was being manipulated by Howl?

Sophie flexed her fingers and turned her hand over to make sure she still had control of her body and then she was gripping Howl again, she felt his hand on her stomach, on her flesh! She gasped, instinctively trying to move out from under him; tension flooding back into her but Howl hushed her, smoothing his fingertips over her belly and eventually his palm rested gently over it.

"You're okay." He whispered soothingly, "You're fine…"

"I-I am not fine." She protested weakly.

"Sophie…" he sighed, Sophie stiffening when she thought she heard a hint of frustration. "You told me that one of the rules to marriage…is trust. I'm asking you to trust me."

Sophie closed her eyes, she trusted him, even though he tested it quite a bit before…

Swallowing her nerves and opening her eyes again, Sophie felt for Howl's face and found his cheek, guiding his face to her and lifting her head from the mattress, she found his lips, holding the back of his head to keep him from pulling away if he really was frustrated with her.

I love you; Howl…this is all I can do for you so…I'll do it.

Howl was taken aback by Sophie's kiss; she hadn't been the first one to kiss him for some time now…it was nice…to be kissed by Sophie again. The first time was so long ago it seemed…

Hugging Sophie tightly, Howl kissed her deeply, earning a muffled sound of surprise from his desire to deepen it so quickly but she didn't push him away, her body relaxed again under him and he knew that she had given him the permission he had been seeking.

Trailing a hand down her waist, he slipped his hand beneath her bunched up nightgown, smoothing his hand over the warm flesh again, tracing the curve of her body and reaching up, cupping her shoulder, the smooth feel of her skin feeling wonderful to his touch. He wanted to see it…

Lifting himself off of her, he sat her up again, Sophie looking at him a little perplexed until he took fistfuls of her nightgown in his hands and she lowered her head, her face flushing but she timidly wriggled her arms out of her sleeves and folded them over her chest as he pulled the garment over her head. She kept her gaze off to the side, hunching her shoulders. It would only be fair that he was half naked as well and removed his shirt, not feeling much her equal due to the bandages around his torso but it was enough for him to catch Sophie peering over at him before she turned her face away again.

"I was wondering if you ever wore those bloomers." He laughed, pointing at the pant-like undergarments covering her from the waist to her calves, the bottoms laces and tipped with blue ribbons. "I suppose I was right in buying them for you after all."

A small smile curved her lips.

"Ah, at last a smile." He mused, sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Leaning close again he brushed his lips over her ear, "You're beautiful…"

Sophie closed her eyes, lowering her head, her arms slowly released and lowered themselves, Howl reaching across but touching her arm, "Come here…"

He scooted further onto the bed and laid back, tugging her back with him so that she lay on top of him, her entire body stiffening as she felt flesh on flesh. Howl's hands on her back and her eyes going to the wound hiding beneath the bandage.

"Its fine, the wound hasn't opened." He assured her, running his hands up her back and over her shoulder blades, pulling her so that she was flat against him, able to wrap his arms around her and hold her stationary.

"This feels awkward…" she murmured.

"You'll get used to it."

"Will I?"

"Yes."

Howl suddenly stiffened and titled his head back, averting his eyes, releasing Sophie and she pushed herself up, looking down at him puzzled.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's…nothing." He said, sounding a bit uncomfortable.

"Is it your wound?" she looked at it but he quickly turned her face so that she was looking in his eyes.

"Don't look. It's embarrassing…"

The couple lay there in an awkward silence as it sank in and Sophie realized what was going on...she was grateful that Howl stopped her from looking. Her cheeks were on fire now and sat up, drawing up her knees for the comforting feel of cloth. She had made Howl…excited. Her, Sophie, a plain girl...HOW WAS THAT POSSIBLE!

Sophie pondered on this While Howl too sat up, pressing his hands into the mattress to keep himself propped up as he looked at Sophie's bare back. She was so cute…

Climbing off the bed, Howl unfastened his pants. He couldn't handle the discomfort and the pants were causing more then they were worth. Sophie would just have to forgive him if it was too soon for her taste but he hated being uncomfortable and erections were a bother…

"If you don't want to be shocked again, I suggest you don't look." He mused, Sophie glancing over her shoulder, keeping her eyes North when she had realized he stood up and when he moved she turned her face away so fast her neck screamed with the threat of snapping.

The mattress sank under Howl's weight as he climbed back on, Sophie watched the covers tense under her and she shifted, allowing Howl to pull them out from under her and cover himself, wriggling until he was laying down with his head resting on the pillow.

He offered a hand.

"Join me?"

Sophie sighed out another wave of nerves, taking the hand and crawling onto the mattress before sitting sown and pulling the other half of the covers up over her legs and to her chest. She stayed sitting up for a moment, holding the blankets secure over herself be fore she gave the foot of the bed a determined look and laid down, wriggling beneath the covers and earning a puzzled look from Howl until she pulled something out from under their blankets…her bloomers.

"Gaining confidence are we?" he asked, amused as she rested them aside and tugged the covers to her shoulders, turning on her side so that she faced him.

"I had determination as an old woman, I can have a little backbone now." She said, her forced determination making her face look funny and Howl laughed. Sophie stifled herself until she too laughed and they continued to laugh even when Howl scooted closer to her and eventually rolled on top of her, pressing her into the mattress. She held him carefully on either side of his torso and looked up at him, her laugh ebbing away as the wizard stared down at her thoughtfully.

"Well, we made it." He said, sighing a little.

"I'm sorry I took so long…" she murmured but managed to hold onto her courage, still smiling up at him.

"No need to apologize. You're my wife aren't you?"

"Yes but before that I was your old mother." She said, earning a silly look on Howl's face as he wrinkled his nose.

"This is it…" he said finally, "You ready?"

Howl shifted so that he was on his knees as Sophie pushed herself up a little, her back pressing into the pillows, her legs finding the unfamiliar presence of Howl in between them.

"I trust you."

Bending down, Howl kissed her lips, their eyes closed and Sophie holding her breath for both his kiss and what was to come. She tried to focus on the taste of Howl in her mouth, his tongue gentle on hers and consuming her concentration until she felt it…

Something invaded her in a quick thrust, she uttered a cry into Howl's mouth, making him part his lips from hers but not withdraw as he braced himself over her, his arms on either side of her, his head bending down as he moved again.

"O-Ow—"

Sophie bit off her words, not that she wanted to be rude but…it hurt!

She could hear Howl's breathing growing harsh as he started to move into a rhythm she couldn't understand mentally but her body seemed to naturally know as she felt herself being rocked with him, her hands gripping the bedspread for an anchor at first and then clinging to Howl's shoulders. With each thrust she felt herself tense up and her own breathing was starting to become ragged, one of Howl's hands taking hers when her nails started to bite into his shoulder and he kissed her palm, touching it to his cheek as they rocked.

Neither of them knew how many times they cried out, nor how long it happened or when the climax was met, all they knew was that Howl was coming on strong one moment and then slowing and finally releasing. Sophie thought she heard herself squeak like a mouse as he moved one last time, the erection inside of her suddenly warm and she felt something else inside of her that she didn't want to know what it was. All they knew was that Howl separated himself from her shortly afterwards, slumping down on top of Sophie in a mass of deep breathes.

He kissed her collarbone and then her neck gently before they touched their lips together briefly, unable to hold it since both of them needed their mouths to breathe at that time. Pants shaking their bodies and weariness riding through their limbs.

It didn't take as long as Howl thought it would…they have procrastinated for so long that he thought it would last for hours, but what Howl didn't realize was that the human body could only take so much. It would take multiple times to fill up the timeline in his mind.

Sophie on the other hand was relieved that it didn't last for long, but after he had stopped was when she felt the best, lying there with her eyes closed and seeing the falling stars dancing around her and Howl. She wrapped her arms around him, craning her neck and placing a kiss on his shoulder before letting her head drop again.

"Were you…disappointed?" she asked finally when they managed to regulate their breathing and Howl had taken his place beside her again, her body fitted against his.

"No. Should I be?" he asked, lifting his head with the same childish questioning in his voice.

"No…I was just curious…"

"Sophie…you'll never be a disappointment to me. Ever..."

((Sorry if the whole love scene was a disappointment. I'm terrible at writing them so I try and keep them short to lessen my embarrassment…))