Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E.

Morning Dreams

Part Three

Head, neck, hair ears, drop and tympan of the ears,

Eyes, eye fringes, iris of the eye, eyebrows, and the waking or sleeping of the lids,

Mouth, tongue, lips, teeth, roof of the mouth, jaws and the jaw-hinges,

Nose, nostrils of the nose, and the partition,

Cheeks, temples, forehead, chin, throat, back of the neck, neck-slue…

Raising her eyelids a little, she noticed that the morning sun was already up illuminating the room in a magical glow. Two weeks she thought to herself. Two weeks since she had first woken up beside him, wrapped in his amorous embrace. Lazily, she stretched out her legs enjoying the feel of the sheets against her bare skin. A light giggle escaped her mouth as she thought about the gown her mother had given her, still packed away and yet unworn. Each morning she would remind herself to take it out so that she might remember to put it on that night. Yet somehow they always ended up unclothed before she remembered the garment. Not that she minded - nor did Sully. In fact, Sully often impeded the process of her getting dressed in the morning, wishing to prolong the caresses and touches as long as possible. Secretly she loved his playfulness and enjoyed how he felt comfortable walking around uncovered.

Never before had she thought of the male form like she did now. The beauty of his bare body as he moved throughout the room, turning down the lamps before joining her in bed, excited her beyond words. Each part perfectly formed and belonging to her. Turning her head, she opened her eyes fully looking down upon his face and smiling to herself. He lay on his stomach, his left arm draped across her midsection. Their faces only inches apart.

"Are you asleep?" she whispered bringing her hand up to rest against his cheek. She knew he wasn't. The way his lips were already curling at the edges, the way one eyelid moved slightly as if he was peaking out and the movement of his chest that was a little too fast for someone still slumbering. Ever since their first morning together, this had been his routine – to pretend to be asleep. He had confided this to her just yesterday even though she had her suspicions each morning that he was really awake. Of course, he had been right. She did feel bolder when she thought he was asleep. The question was would she continue to be as bold knowing he was only pretending? She already felt herself growing nervous and was scared to even move her hand from its current position.

A thought crept into her mind as she watched him. Years ago when she was in medical school, Miriam and her used to test each other on the names of the muscles by pointing to them and naming each one. Maybe if she systematically went though the muscles touching each and every one, she could pretend to be bold even if it was slightly forced.

To start off, she reached up and planted a light kiss on his lips to which he eagerly responded though his eyes remained closed. Tracing around his lips with only her fingertips, she whispered, "Orbicularis Oris." Sully wrinkled his nose up at her causing her to giggle, as she leaned up to kiss one eyelid and then the other. Soon her finger had outlined his eyes as well and she spoke softly against his ear, "Orbicularis Oculi." Taking a deep breath, she caressed his cheek with the palm of her hand, relishing the rough feel of his cheek where he hadn't yet shaved. Again and again she rubbed her palm against him, giggling at the tickling sensation she felt. "Zygomaticus and Levator labii," she whispered.

Sully was curious now and though he had vowed to carry on his sleep charade, he spoke before he thought better of it. "What are ya sayin'?"

"I'm naming all the muscles in your body."

"Will there be a test later on?" he teased.

Michaela let out a light laugh. "Maybe," she whispered leaning in to place another kiss to his lips and then one to his chin. Her eyes drifted down his form and she felt herself tremble at the sight of his bare back, strong and solid beside her in the bed. Looking back at his face, she noticed he was feigning sleep once again.

The crook of his neck received her attention next. Brushing his hair back, she couldn't resist running a trail of kisses down the sensitive skin. Often he would ply kisses to her neck, loving the way she arched her back to give him free reign. She wondered if right now she was eliciting the same feelings in him that he elicited in her. A deep guttural sound formed in his throat and she knew at that moment that he was absolutely enjoying it. "Sternocleidomastoid, she whispered letting her hand linger where her lips had been moments before.

Strong shoulders, manly beard, scapula, hind shoulders and the ample side round of the chest,

Upper-arm, armpit, elbow socket, lower-arm, arm sinews, armbones,

Wrists and wrist joints, hand, palm, knuckles, thumb, forefinger, finger joints, finger nails...

Slowly she ran her fingers along his shoulder and down his arm, tracing each muscle and naming them to herself. "Deltoids," she whispered as her fingers grazed along his shoulder. "Triceps," she breathed laying her palm flat against his upper arm. Slowly she began to move her hand in a circular motion, rolling his skin over the muscle and smiling to herself. Lifting her palm upward so just her wrist rested against him she ran it smoothly back up the same path letting it rest against his shoulder blade. Leaning over, she placed a light kiss to the curve of his shoulder, allowing her lips to linger there a moment. A low moan escaped his mouth making her lips curl into a smile.

Slowly her mouth opened, her parched lips pulling apart from each other. She wet them with her tongue, the mere hint of his essence tantalizing her taste buds. Often in the past days, Sully had told her how sweet her skin tasted and Michaela had always shaken her head and giggled. The doctor in her refused to believe that it could be anything but salty. Now her curiosity got the best of her and she placed her open mouth against his muscled shoulder, letting her tongue run over his skin. The saltiness overcame her tongue and she giggled to herself.

"What?" Sully whispered intrigued by her boldness and laughter all at the same time.

"Nothing," she replied with a light shake of her head. Boosting herself up slightly, she moved her hand so that it rested at the base of his neck. "Trapezius," she whispered once again as her fingertips moved lightly down the sides of his spine tracing each vertebra. The sensation tickled and he squirmed a little as laughter escaped his throat. Lower and lower her fingertips traveled stopping at the edge of the sheet that lay across him.

"Lower," he breathed out and she obliged, letting her fingertips slip beneath the sheet.

"Gluteus maximus," she whispered pressing her knuckles against him in a firm massage. Sully tried to lay still and not respond. His fingers gripped the pillow under his head as he willed his body to remain motionless. She increased the pressure, moving ever lower. His mouth opened, his lips forming a perfect circle as he fought to maintain control of himself, knowing that he was slowly losing the battle. As if she sensed it, the motions stopped and she moved her hand quickly up his back laying it flat against his left side.

"Latissimus dorsi," she said her voice louder than before and full of amusement. The sound of it made Sully smile. Her eyes moved from his face down to her hand and she noticed a series of small scratches on his side in sets of three. Lightly, she ran her pointer finger over one wondering how it had happened. As the tip of her finger reached the end of the scratch and her fingernail lay flush against it, she suddenly knew and her cheeks grew red. "Sorry," she whispered feeling slightly embarrassed for her unfettered enthusiasm.

Sully let out another laugh, his eyes still closed. He knew what she was referring to with her whispered apology. "Did you have a good time last night?" he asked teasingly as his breath moved her hair.

Michaela felt her cheeks grow even warmer. "I…" she stuttered but Sully was already turning over onto his back and taking her hand in his. His eyes opened slowly, alighting on her face. The love there overwhelmed her once again as he brought her fingertips to his lips kissing each one.

"I'll take that as a yes," he returned seductively. Setting her hand down upon his chest, he put his hands underneath his head and laid back, closing his eyes once again.

Broad breast-front, curling hair of the breast, breast-bone, breast side,

Ribs, belly, backbone, joints of the backbone

"Are you going back to sleep?" she asked remembering their first morning together when he had asked her the same question.

"Nope," he sighed. "Tryin' to concentrate on my biology lesson."

Michaela giggled as she began to run her fingers over his broad chest. The nervousness from earlier returned but she didn't stop her movements while she tried to find her voice once more. With her hand lying flat against his chest, she began to massage his brawny muscles, amazed at how touching him had aroused her own ardor. "Pectorals," she whispered as she stilled her hand over his heart, feeling the rhythm that it was beating out. The heart, the most powerful muscle, she thought to herself. Right now it was pumping his blood, pushing it through his arteries at top speed, giving life as it beat out a rhythm of love. She let out a deep breath, letting that feeling of love wash over her anew.

Now with just her fingertips she traced the same path across his chest, this time lightly grazing his nipples as she educed goose bumps on his flesh. Sully sighed contentedly making her own excitement even more palpable. She leaned over his body, laying her head down on the middle of his chest, her nose pressed up against him as she breathed in deeply. Here she found the sweetness he so often spoke of and she could not resist slipping her tongue out to taste him. He sucked in sharply as her tongue caressed him, causing his stomach to momentarily lose contact with her but quickly he rectified the situation. This was the smell and taste of love, now burned deeply in her memory. It called to mind their shared bath the night before and made her think of bodies entangled in the moonlight.

Moving away from him she moved back to her previous position emboldened by the bouquet that still overwhelmed her senses. Her hand was roving again, moving lower and lower as it came to rest above his belly button. "Rectus abdominius," she said as her fingers traced the edge of each muscle that came together in perfect form. Her fingertips came to rest right below his belly button where a line of hair began trailing down underneath the sheet. "Pubococcygeus," she whispered even softer than any of the rest of her murmurings causing Sully to look down at her curiously.

He was acutely aware of where her hand rested and he wondered what she had just said that had brought the blush to her cheeks. Sitting up, he startled her and she quickly withdrew her hand, turning to look at him. "My turn," he said leaning down to kiss her lips before moving to the end of the bed and pulling the sheet from her lower legs.

Hips, hip-sockets, hip-strength, inward and outward round, man-balls, man-root,

Strong sets of thighs, well carrying the trunk above,

Leg-fibres, knee, knee-pan, upper- leg, under-leg,

Ankles, instep, foot-ball, toes, toe-joints, the heel;

Michaela swallowed hard and moved up to lie against the pillow. Her heart was beating quickly as his form was now bare to her and she could see the effect of her earlier explorations. "Do you know about the muscles of the leg?" she asked saucily, trying hard not to look anywhere but his eyes.

"Might need a little help," he replied giving her a wink.

Michaela giggled and closed her eyes as she felt his hands close around her left foot, his thumbs already deeply massaging her instep and heel. "Flexor digitorum brevis," she whispered picking one of the many muscles of the foot. His fingers felt magical and she relished the way his strong hands massaged her flesh. When he stopped, she actually looked down at him in disappointment, only to see him raising her foot to his lips as he kissed each toe before taking them into his mouth. "Interossei dorsales and interossei plantares," she managed to utter between gasps of delight.

Sully watched her face as he took his time with each of her toes, moving to the other foot as he finished. Her eyes were closed, her head pushed back into the pillow as it was whenever she was enjoying his touch. She was biting on her bottom lip and he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. Now he placed light kisses to the sole of her foot as she giggled at the way his stubble tickled her instep.

Moving his hands up past her ankle, he continued his massage, pulling her gently towards him. Tenderly, he ran his hands up to her knee and back down again watching the goose bumps as they appeared on her lower leg. The sheet was now pushed up her thigh and he smiled as he thought of what was to come. Her beauty overwhelmed him at that moment and he let out a staggering breath as he continued to drink in the sight of her. Again his fingers began to massage her muscles as she relaxed against him. "Gastrocnemius," she breathed out, her lips curling into a smile.

Sully was amazed at what had occurred in the two short weeks they had been together as man and wife. Michaela had been so shy, so afraid to be alone with him when they had first started courting. Their wedding night had been marvelous but he had not anticipated that her hunger would match his own as the days progressed. For two weeks, they had known little else then this hotel room and he had savored every minute of it. He switched positions, turning his attention to her other leg, massaging it with the same sensual motions feeling his own body's need for her grow.

His patience was growing short now and before long he was pushing the sheet up further as he parted her legs to sit between them. Each of Michaela's thighs now rested atop Sully's as he sat on his knees. Again his fingers traced their outline, before beginning the same deep massage the rest of her leg had enjoyed. "Quadriceps," she whispered while his hands were still working right above her knee. She tingled with anticipation as he moved higher. The massage turned to light caresses as he ran his hands under the sheet. "Sartorious," she uttered her voice cracking as she said it. Her hands gripped at the sheet unaware that she was pulling it ever higher.

This is the female form

A divine nimbus exhales from it from head and foot,

It attracts with fierce undeniable attraction,

I am drawn by its breath as if I were no more than a helpless vapor, all falls aside but myself and it

Sully stopped abruptly admiring the look of pleasure on her face, as he waited for her to open her eyes. It only took a moment before two shades of green opened to him and he saw the same need he felt reflected there. Leaning down, he placed a series of light kisses in the valley between her breasts as she pressed him close to her chest. He couldn't resist slipping his tongue out to taste her skin and she trembled in response. "I love your skin," he whispered looking up at her.

"Sully," she breathed, her voice filled with desire and longing.

"Hmm," he muttered as he continued to kiss her chest.

"Please," she whispered, her voice now strained as it rolled off her lips dripping with a sweetness he found intoxicating.

The teasing was over as he quickly pushed the sheet aside giving him complete access to her stunning body. In one swift motion he moved overtop of her, quickly bringing the two of them together. "Pubococcygeus," she moaned in delight as Sully recognized the term from earlier. His hands were holding onto the bed, hers onto his back and so he assumed that the muscles she was referring to were now between them locked in the rhythm of love that their bodies so easily embraced.

Hungrily their lips found one another, their tongues meeting with a burning passion that had yet to be quenched. Michaela wrapped her legs around him, tightening her muscles as she did so, making him gasp in delight. The passion that this woman stirred in him left him breathless. Pulling back from the kiss, panting hard against her ear, he felt her teeth nip at his shoulder as her fingernails again dug into the flesh of his back. Awash in their new found joy, they continued their dance of love.

Hair, bosom, hips, bend of legs, negligent falling hands all diffused, mine too diffused,

Ebb stung by the flow and flow stung by the ebb, love-flesh swelling and deliciously aching,

Limitless limpid jets of love hot and enormous, quivering jelly of love, white-blow and delirious juice,

Bridegroom night of love working surely and softly into the prostrate dawn,

Undulating into the willing and yielding day,

Lost in the cleave of the clasping and sweet-flesh'd day

She clung to him tightly now, his beautiful body drenched with sweat from his exertions of love. Their eyes were locked as she felt herself climbing to the height where only Sully had taken her. There was an urgency in him as he felt her trembling in his arms, panting against his ear as he suckled at her own earlobe. Then they were crashing, falling together as they held tightly to each other letting ripples of pleasure wash over them. Neither moved for a moment, her legs still firmly wrapped around him as their breathing returned to normal.

Sully made to roll onto his side but she held him tightly. "Not yet," she whispered and he quickly claimed her lips with his own, loving the way she needed him so. Eventually she let go, her hands coming to rest on the sheet beside her and her legs on either side of him. Sully slid down between her legs, resting his head on her stomach. Her left hand she entwined in his hair, as both basked in the joy of their union.

"This is it," she sighed when her heartbeat had finally slowed.

"What?" Sully asked glancing up at her.

"Our last morning alone," she returned a touch of sadness in her voice. She surprised herself with her own emotion and she quickly spoke to cover it. "I mean I miss the children so it will be nice to get home…" Her voice trailed off uncertain how to continue the sentence.

"But?" Sully asked intrigued by her confession.

"I like our mornings together," she whispered looking down at him as he rested his chin on her stomach.

"Me too," he said raising his eyebrows at her. "We're still gonna wake up together at home, ya know."

"I know but things will be different. The children will have to get ready for school. I'll have to get ready for work…."

Sully smiled at her, his eyes full of love for this woman who lay before him. "I'll just have to wake us up early," he said.

Michaela giggled. "In that case I may have to start going to bed earlier."

"Going to bed earlier or going to sleep earlier?" he teased. Michaela blushed furiously at his insinuation, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth but remaining quiet. Sully moved so that he lay beside her, pulling her into his embrace.

"I wanna wake up every morning just like this," he said closing his eyes as he rested his head against hers.

"I never dreamed that it could be like this Sully," she whispered, snuggling up against him.

"Long enough have you dream'd contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes." Michaela looked up at him, surprised by the poetry he recited to her. "What?" he asked a little smirk on his face. "You know muscles, I know Walt Whitman."

"Go on," she breathed contentedly, never breaking his gaze.

"You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life. Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout and laughingly dash with your hair."

"No longer timid," she repeated lovingly stroking his chest.

"No longer livin' in dreams," he returned, "but in the reality of you and me." Their lips met again, locked in an embrace that set them free while at the same time binding them together for eternity.

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The italicized parts of the story are from the poem "I Sing the Body Electric" by Walt Whitman. The last bit of poetry that Sully recites is from "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman. Both works are available on the web if you are interested in reading them in their entirety or in the book Leaves of Grass. Thanks for reading – I hope you enjoyed it!