"What the…" David had no idea what had just happened. One minute he was standing in front of hundreds of journalists and the next he was more or less being thrown into a car by Victoria who was now almost sitting on his lap because she had jumped into the car as quickly as possible. She was breathing exhaustedly with a heated face and took off her stiletto heels.
"Nolan?!" All of a sudden David grew even more surprised when after the first seconds of shock he realized who sat behind the wheel . Although he hid his face behind a pair of sunglasses and covered his head with a Giant's cap, David had no doubt that it was him.
"Welcome back to your life in freedom." Nolan saluted with a boyish grin on his face trying not to lose his focus on the crowded streets.
"I don't understand… how?" David stammered confused by why Victoria had known that Nolan would arrive with his car the minute they needed it.
"I'm sorry I had to lie to you all this time." Nolan apologized and had to hit the breaks or he would have run over a red light and hit a crossing taxi.
"So you two worked together after all?" David was shocked at how naïve he had been but not mad for keeping their complicity from him.
"I'm sorry we had to keep you in the dark." Victoria finally managed to get off his lap taking the seat next to him. "It was for the best. But we'll explain the details later, okay?" She cupped David's face with her hands amazed that she could easily do something she had been dreaming about for the last few months.
"Yes, yes, sure." David agreed because he knew that he wasn't able to take in all of the complex information a detailed explanation would include. He wrapped an arm around Victoria's shoulder keeping her close to his side. He was grateful that all of a sudden he could hold the woman he had been dreaming about all that time in prison in his arms again. "Where are we going?"
"To the hospital." Victoria said not wanting to disappoint him. She guessed he would have rather imagined to go to a hotel than a hospital.
"Oh, yes, of course." David caught himself once more not considering the needs of his newborn daughter and felt a pang of guilt when he looked into Victoria's concerned face.
"I assumed you wanted to see her too." Victoria blushed and looked down to her lap hating herself for being inconsiderate towards David's bond with Amanda because all she could think about was Charlotte finally meeting her real father. Those weeks of having to pretend that she was Conrad's daughter had become unbearable to her – especially because Conrad couldn't have acted more coldly towards her on the rare occasion that he had visited Victoria and her in the hospital.
"I do want to see her, Vee. More than anything." Lovingly David raised Victoria's chin to make her look into his eyes showing to her the love he held for her and their daughter. "I wouldn't want to wait another second to meet Charlotte. It's just so much at once, that's all."
"I know. The past few months have been…" Victoria's voice broke when the horror of all that had happened since her separation from David invaded her mind once more. On top of that, the problems she still had to face made it hard for her to breathe. Doctors telling her what kind of permanent medical issues her daughter could suffer from for the rest of her life, explaining to her six-year-old son why his father went behind bars and the insecurity of what the future would bring for them.
"Vee." Watching the color fade from her face and her eyes going blank, David gently pulled her into his arms. "Thank you." He felt her head resting on his shoulder and kissed her hair. "I cannot believe that I am actually sitting in this car with you by my side about to see Amanda again and meet our daughter. I tried pinching myself to see if it was only a dream but it's not – you made it become reality." Suddenly Nolan obviously took a very sharp turn causing Victoria and David to slide to the other side of the car on the backseat.
"Seems like no pinching is necessary when you're on this car ride." Victoria chuckled and looked up into David's eyes because she was reminded of how forgiving and good-hearted he was by the words he chose. In moments like these she wondered if maybe she wasn't the right person for him, if maybe he should rather be with someone as positive as he was and not with someone who was already as damaged as her.
"Woohoo." Triumphantly Nolan threw his hands in the air when he parked the car right in front of the hospital's main entrance after having made his way through the Manhattan traffic in record time. With a bright smile on his face and the adrenaline still running through his veins, he turned around.
"And I always assumed you couldn't drive." David admitted. "Thank you Nolan."
"Always at your service." The young man turned around and smiled at the image of Victoria and David looking as if they could never be separated again. He also wondered how the events and the outcome of the trial would shape his own life in the future. He was sure that some things and more importantly new relationships would never be the way they were before. His thoughts were interrupted by the cars that were now pulling up in the driveway behind him and journalists that had obviously followed them began running towards their car. "It's now or never. Go!" Nolan screamed so that Victoria immediately inched closer to the door and jumped out of the car. Barefoot she ran towards the entrance of the hospital with David following closely behind her.
"Come on." Victoria pulled David into the elevator with her yelling at the doors to close more quickly because she could already hear the sound of running feet in the entrance hall.
"I can only repeat: This is crazy." David leant back against the elevator's wall closing his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. When he glanced to the side breathing irregularly due to the adrenaline rushing through his body, he saw how Victoria supported herself holding onto the railing in the elevator.
"I can't tell which experience is worse – being hunted by the police or those penetrant journalists." The brunette turned her head to face David and laughed despite her physical exhaustion. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about Nolan. It was safer this way."
"Is this…?" David asked with his heart beating even faster at the thought of being so close to Amanda when the elevator stopped on the 5th floor.
"Yes, it's the right floor." In contrast to David, Victoria suddenly felt a wave of calmness overcome her body when the elevator's doors opened to the familiar "ping". What could possibly go wrong from now on? David would be reconnected with Amanda and meet their daughter. The hardest part was already over, she told herself. She had feared that day of trial for what felt like forever and now it was over – with the result they had hoped for. Luckily she had been able to convince the hospital to let her stay at her private room near to Charlotte longer than it was usual for parents of a preemie. Therefore she now led David to a door at the end of the sterile corridor and carefully knocked before she slowly opened it. The chaos from downstairs was completely forgotten and instead they were greeted by a surprising silence.
"Mom!" Daniel jumped up from his mother's bed where he had been playing with his Gameboy and wanted to greet his mother whom had left him alone with Amanda at the hospital for the whole day. However he stopped on his way when both him and Amanda realized who had just entered the room together with his mother.
"Dad!" Amanda echoed Daniel's previous excitement at the sight of her father. She had been nervous all day even beginning to chew at her nails when she had constantly been thinking about Victoria's promise to bring home her Dad in the evening. There had been moments when she had highly doubted her, not being able to believe that anything positive would ever happen in her life again – but Victoria had stayed true to her word. Her father had stepped through that door and now rushed towards her beaming with joy.
"Amanda." David stretched out his arms to lift his daughter up and spin her around like he had used to do when they hadn't seen each other for some time. Only that this time, they had been separated for several months and not just a few days.
"You're here." She whispered into his ear throwing her arms around his neck and closing her eyes to suppress the tears.
"I am. And I'll never leave again." David closed his eyes desperately holding his daughter close. He inhaled the familiar scent of her head – one of the things he had so greatly missed. "I love you, Amanda. Infinity times infinity." He kissed her head not remembering when he had last felt so happy and relieved to have his little girl back.
"I love you too, Dad." Amanda echoed his words noticing that no matter how close she had gotten with Victoria, no one could ever replace her real father.
"You have to tell me, how are you?" David put his daughter back on her own feet but leant down to cup her face with his hands taking in every detail of it.
"I'm fine, Dad." The blonde girl answered almost giggling because her father was so concerned.
"Good." He pulled her into a hug once more. "You cannot imagine how proud I am of you."
While father and daughter were enjoying their happy reunion, six-year-old Daniel had sought comfort in his mother's presence as well.
"Can we go now, Mom?" He whispered impatiently pulling at Victoria's hand whose sole focus lay on Amanda and David and the relief that filled her body - not feeling guilty for keeping them apart anymore. "Mom?" The boy tried getting his mother's attention.
"What, Daniel?" His voice took the brunette by surprise because she had been too captivated by the scene in front of her. "Sorry, what did you say?"
"Can we leave now?" He repeated the question staring at her with his big eyes. "Amanda's Dad is back, so we can go home now to see Dad."
The excitement that obviously filled his body at the thought of living their life as a family like they had done before, almost broke Victoria's heart. It was her son's only wish to go back to normal again, to familiar living conditions that naturally included his father. How could she justify that he would never be able to live with his father again?
"Danny, listen…" Victoria started stammering kneeling down in front of him. She didn't want to make false promises to him and break his heart all the more in the end.
"Hey, Daniel, Amanda and I don't want you to leave already." David had noticed the uncomfortable position Victoria had been put in and decided to address Daniel and distract him until they would find the right time to tell him about their future.
Irritated the boy turned around and looked into David's friendly face. It was not that he didn't like him – he had always been nice to him and cared for him – it was simply the fact that he couldn't grasp the relationship that existed between him and his mother and that made him constantly feel strange when he was in his presence. He understood that it was not right for them to be together because his mother was married to his dad and they already were a family.
"Isn't that right Amanda?" David asked and raised an eyebrow at his daughter knowing that she probably understood that they needed to calm the younger child.
"Yeah, sure." Amanda tried to sound convincing standing by her father's side. In that moment, she noticed that she was not ready to share him yet again but would rather love to spend some time alone with him.
"See, Danny? Let us stay for a bit." Victoria took her son's hand and sent him a smile. "David also wants to meet Charlotte, you know?"
The boy pulled his hand away from his mother's touch and narrowed his eyebrows remembering the fight he had had with Amanda when she had said that Charlotte was her sister too and his mother hadn't denied it. "Because she is Amanda's sister." Daniel stated and his mother reacted with a confirming nod.
"And because this means that he is Charlotte's father." Locking eyes with her son Victoria first found confusion in them that soon turned into understanding. And with the understanding came the pain that caused tears now falling down his cheeks just like when they had previously discussed the topic on the phone. "This is nothing to cry about." Never having felt more insecure in a situation with Daniel, Victoria took him into her arms comforting him. "Daniel, listen, this doesn't change how much I love you and how much your father and your grandparents love you. You don't have to be afraid." The six-year-old sobbed finding consolation in his mother's arms.
"But Dad." He raised his head scared to look in Victoria's face. "He will be mad."
"Your father, Daniel…" Victoria began once more having a difficult time to see her son so tormented. "Your father knows this. And he is mad. But I am mad at him, too because he did something horrible and I do not want to be with him anymore."
"What did he do?" Daniel began to grow angry starting to scream at his mother.
"I will explain it to you but not now." Victoria had no clue that she could tell her son. That his father was responsible for the deaths of over 200 people?
"But I want to know now!" Daniel begged shaking his mother's arm. Helplessly Victoria looked up searching for David's support. However, he was at a loss of words too unable to provide an answer.
"He lied." Unexpectedly Amanda raised her voice receiving an irritated look from the others. "Your father lied." She continued confidently and swallowed. "He said that my dad gave money to people who are murderers but that's not true. It was your dad who did that. So he has to go to prison for that now."
"No, Amanda!" Daniel turned around to shout at her and was about to open his mouth again when Victoria interfered gently taking her son by his shoulders.
"Amanda is right." She tried to sound calm but inside she was a complete emotional mess. On the one hand, she needed Daniel to know the truth about his father but on the other hand she didn't want to take his father from him; she didn't want to hurt her son. "That is the horrible thing your dad did. David was in prison this whole time because your father lied about him. So now Dad has to go to prison and I am sorry but we will not go home to be with him, Danny." Lovingly Victoria caressed her son's dark hair while he needed a moment to process what she had explained.
"But I want to see him!" The boy didn't want to accept the truth and broke free from his mother's grip. Without anyone expecting that move, he easily opened the door and ran away.
"Daniel!" Victoria yelled after him completely in shock when she already felt David's hands helping her to get up from the floor.
"Let me…" He suggested to go after Daniel, but Victoria cut him off.
"No." She shrugged his hands off reaching for the door to look after her son. When she stepped into the corridor turning her head both sides she saw that some nurses had already gathered to see where all the screaming and running came from. This was still a hospital after all. The embarrassment she experienced because of all the attention they were getting quickly vanished when she detected her son at one end of the corridor.
"Thank God, Daniel." She breathed out in relief when she saw him running into the arms of their maid Maria who had brought the children to the hospital and had taken a break in the cafeteria downstairs. She hugged the crying child and threw Victoria an irritated look when Daniel begged her to take him to see his father.
"Thank you, Maria." Victoria said breathing heavily and wanted to take the six-year-old into her care. However, he angrily pushed her away and instead clung to the other woman's side.
"Daniel, come on." Again she tried putting a hand on his shoulder but he wriggled away.
"No." He said now almost hysterically turning his head to stare at his mother. "I hate you." His words cut deep in Victoria's soul making her feel like she was about to choke. Suddenly feeling dizzy she grabbed her forehead and steadied herself at the wall to keep her body from falling over.
"Maria, could you…" She stammered not being able to look at her little boy. "Could you take him to our suite?"
"Of course, Mrs Grayson." The young woman nodded feeling extremely uncomfortable in the intimate family situation.
"And get him something to eat. Whatever he wants." Victoria added soberly.
"Sure." Maria nodded once again and took Daniel by the hand to lead him outside.
As she watched them walk away Victoria felt the knot in her stomach tightening. Usually Daniel always turned around to wave at her, or smile at her but this time he didn't even say goodbye.
"He didn't mean that. He's a child, Vee." David put a hand on her shoulder and began rubbing her back being afraid that Victoria might break down any minute.
"Hm." The brunette simply gave him a sad smile taking his hand in hers. She desperately wished that David was right – that Daniel's words had simply been a childish reaction to what they had explained to him and the understanding that his life would be changed for good. Still, Daniel had never said something mean to her, he had never hurt her that way, whenever he had a problem it was always his mother whom he went to for comfort, never his father, never even his grandparents he adored so much. Ever since he had been born Victoria had shared the closest bond with her son and in that moment she feared that maybe by getting justice for David and reuniting him with his daughter, she had managed to lose another son. And that thought alone let her heart break into a million tiny pieces.
"Let's go meet Charlotte now." Victoria swallowed her pain like she had learnt to do so well and when she noticed the concerned look on his face she gave David another kiss to assure him that she was fine.
David felt like his heart would burst out of his chest any second when he watched how Victoria carefully wrapped their daughter into a blanket and took her out of the incubator to put her into her father's arms for the first time.
"Say hello to you your Dad, Charlotte." With trembling hands and the brightest smile on her face Victoria slowly placed the infant in David's arms. To finally see her daughter connect with her real father made her forget about the situation with Daniel for a moment and instead filled her body with a warmth she hadn't experienced in a long time.
"Hello, Charlotte." David whispered completely in awe of the tiny girl lying in his arms. Insecure about how she could hold her without hurting her he looked at Victoria for help.
"It's okay. Just hold her like that and keep her warm." Victoria smiled not being able to take her eyes off the picture of father and daughter in front of her.
"I love you." David smiled back at her so that Victoria stepped closer to him to kiss him.
"I love you, too." She whispered into his ear while the realization hit her that from now on she was not alone in this anymore. With David by her side she had someone she could share her worries with, someone who would be there when their daughter had to get a medical treatment, someone who cared about her as much as she did. The pressure that fell off her body made Victoria sob and her chest that had seemed to tighten with every second since the birth of her daughter relaxed so that she noticed her body immediately slumping.
"She's so beautiful." David could almost feel the tension leaving Victoria's body and caressed the baby's cheek. "Thank you, Vee. Thank you for bringing her into this life."
"She's a fighter." Victoria said and took the seat next to David leaning her head on his shoulder – both admiring the miracle that was her daughter.
"Look, Dad!" Amanda had begun to feel a little out of place in the situation and was sure that if she had left neither her father nor Victoria would have noticed. She was not mad at them for that because she understood how important it was for her father to meet Charlotte too. Then she had seen how her sister had slowly opened her eyes and seemed to look at her parents so that she had decided to remind them of her presence as well. "She's looking at you!"
"She is". David whispered fascinated by the infant lying in his arms. "I haven't felt like this since I held you for the first time, Amanda." He turned his head and proudly looked at his older daughter. He remembered the trouble they had went through with her mother, his struggle with his role as a single dad, finally finding a job, falling in love with Victoria, ending up in prison and now sitting there with the three most important persons in his life – David couldn't grasp how lucky he was. "And now you're this bright, beautiful girl already and I'm sure you'll be the best big sister Charlotte could hope for."
"Thank you, Dad." His words meant the world to her and Amanda felt encouraged and also stepped closer to her father. "And I know for a fact that you are the best dad Charlotte could hope for." Her giggles made Victoria and David laugh and all of a sudden the family they had imagined to be only seemed a stone throw away.
That night Victoria certainly felt like the most horrible mother any child could ever hope for. As soon as they had left the hospital to spend the night at the hotel suite she had already booked, she felt guilty for leaving Charlotte all alone in the hospital. Everyone at the clinic seemed relieved that she had finally decided to leave for the night because she had more than overstayed her welcome there. Doctors and nurses assured her that they would take the best care of her daughter and that when she returned the next morning everything would be perfectly fine. Rationally Victoria knew that they were right but still her heart was aching when she left her baby girl behind - even when she was sitting in a cab holding David's hand and knowing that she had achieved the goal she had spent sleepless nights over during the last few months.
While David and Amanda had joined Nolan in the living room of their suite to talk and have some late night pizza together, Victoria had excused herself checking in on Daniel. Quietly she entered his room to see if he was sleeping like she expected. However, when she stepped into the room she heard muffled sobs coming from the bed and as she inched closer she saw that her son's body was shaking.
"Daniel, hey." She whispered soothingly and sat on the side of his bed. She had never seen him in such distress. With his hands he was gripping the teddy bear his grandmother had given him for his first birthday and his face was hidden behind the pillow. "Baby, I'm here." Gently she touched his shoulder which caused the boy to abruptly turn around and stare at his mother with puffy eyes in the dark.
"Mom?" He sniffed not recognizing her features in the dark.
"It's me. I wanted to say goodnight to you." She did her best to stay calm and not break out into tears herself.
"I thought you had left me alone, too." Daniel explained clutching his teddy bear close to his chest.
"What? No, I would never do that. Don't you think that." Carefully she reached her arms out for her son not sure if he was still mad at her. The second she opened her arms, Daniel inched closer to her cuddling up against her chest. "I love you, Danny. I would never leave you alone." Glad that his previous angry outburst had obviously just been an over-emotional reaction to what they had told him, Victoria rocked the 6-year-old in her arms and kissed his head.
"I love you, too. And I missed you." Daniel sniffed. "I'm sorry for what I said."
Taken aback by his unexpected apology, Victoria hugged him even tighter. "No, it's okay. It was a really long day for all of us." Sensing how he seemed to calm down, she then suggested: "Do you want to try and sleep now? You must be just as exhausted as I am."
"Can you stay with me, Mom?" Daniel asked shyly.
"Of course, I'm always here if you need me." Not caring if she was still wearing her dress from the day at court, Victoria lay down next to her son keeping an arm wrapped around his body. "Goodnight, Danny." She whispered and kissed his head again.
"Goodnight, Mom." He answered her feeling protected in his mother's care and soon drifting off to sleep.
It was way past midnight when David had brought his daughter to bed desperately looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed instead of the mattress he had been forced to lie on in prison. When he didn't find Victoria in the master bedroom of the suite however, he decided that he also couldn't go to bed without her. Fortunately, he didn't have to search for long when he found her curled up beside Daniel already deep asleep. It was a difficult decision to let her sleep there in her clothes or wake her up and ask her to join him in the bedroom. After some contemplation he decided for the latter option and gently awoke the brunette who seemed confused about where she had fallen asleep.
"David?" She asked sleepily and sat up.
"I wanted to ask you if you would come with me to bed tonight?" He whispered almost nervously since it had been several months since they had last spent a night together.
"Of course. I just had to make sure Daniel was fine." The brunette slowly got up and quietly left the room together with David.
The closing of their bedroom door marked the beginning of their first moment of real privacy of the whole day. They both realized that, but neither of them knew what to say or do. An awkward silence filled the room as they just stood there looking at each other. Finally, Victoria let herself fall onto the bed trying to ease the strange tension between them.
"I'm so done for today." She breathed out and lay flat on her back staring up at the white ceiling. The soft material beneath her body gave her a first wave of relaxation while the images from that day's events flashed through her mind like a movie.
"You look so beautiful." Was all David could say mesmerized by looking at Victoria who lay there with rosy, sleepy cheeks and her long hair tousled on the bed. He took a few steps further looking at her with appreciation while she sat up again.
"David." She had to swallow when she noticed the desire that suddenly began to cloud his eyes. She wasn't sure if she was prepared for this moment.
David then decided to simply lie down next to Victoria reveling in the feeling of that comfortable bed. "I can't believe I'm going to sleep in an actual bed tonight – that is about the whole size of my cell."
Glad that he changed the subject Victoria let herself fall back into his arms placing her head on his chest.
"I cannot imagine what you must have been going through. And all because of me." With a sincere expression she looked at him recognizing once again how his face had significantly hardened over the last few months.
"It was not your fault, Vee. Don't ever think that." He replied seriously. "I have no idea how we will deal with this, how the kids will adjust or how I will cope with the experiences I've had. But I don't want to think about that tonight. I was with both of my daughters today, I could reconnect with Nolan, and I'm lying in this amazing bed with the woman I love right now – I don't want to ruin that. It will probably happen anyway sooner or later. So let's just enjoy tonight, okay? "
"It's only us tonight." Victoria promised and closed her eyes relaxing in the familiar position in David's embrace. It reminded her of how they had often laid exactly like that in David's beach house trying to escape reality for at least a few hours. His chest was rising and falling beneath her head which had a soothing effect on her.
After a while of lying entangled with each other's body enjoying the familiar feeling of intimacy between them, Victoria started to feel uncomfortable in her admittedly tight dress. It was pinching her especially where the scar she had from the C-section that hadn't completely healed yet sat. She hated to interrupt their moment but what had started as a pinch was beginning to grow into light pain.
"Do you mind if I go change?" She whispered raising her head from his chest.
"Hm?" David was being pulled out of his trance in which he had begun letting his hand run up and down Victoria's back simply enjoying being so close to her.
"I want to go change." She repeated smiling at David's drowsy looking face.
"Oh, sure." David said releasing her from the embrace. The brunette gave him a soft kiss and placed her finger on his lips.
"Stay where you are, Mr Clarke." She smiled warmly as she left the bed, grabbed her clothes and cosmetics bag from her suitcase and wanted to go to the bathroom.
"Wait, where are you going?" David asked sitting up on his elbows.
"To the bathroom." Sort of already expecting his question because she usually changed in the bedroom and afterwards went to the bathroom for her nightly routine, Victoria exhaled nervously.
"I thought you wanted to change."
"I do, David, but not in here." She looked at him suddenly annoyed by his questions. She was tired of justifying herself and having to do just that in front of David was the least she had expected. Why couldn't he simply accept her decision?
"It feels like we're back right at the beginning." He sighed and Victoria noticed the disappointment in his eyes. She felt bad for suddenly growing angry at him when maybe he only feared that she didn't trust him anymore or that their separation had changed things between them.
"David." She started explaining. "Don't be mad. I do not trust you any less than before. It's just…" She hesitated before she voiced her anxieties. "I've changed, I mean… I'm not like before… I had Charlotte… I haven't had time to exercise or anything."
Her words caused David to let out a laugh. "That is not an appropriate reaction, I hope you know that!" Victoria hissed angrily.
"Show me." David requested not taking his eyes off her. "Show me what you're so afraid of."
"No." Annoyed by his behavior the brunette crossed her arms in front of her chest. "No, I won't." It was her decision to not undress in his presence and he would have to accept that.
"Vee." David began calmly and got up from the bed to face her. "Remember that time you refused to take off your shirt because of that rash you had all over your body from the allergic reaction to that new conditioner you had been trying out?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and nodded. "I do remember. It looked horrible."
"Do you also remember how after an hour of convincing you, you finally let me see your skin and apply that lotion your doctor had prescribed for you?"
"I do." She repeated suspecting where he was heading with that anecdote.
"And when I remember correctly you even admitted in the end that you made a scene about it and that it was a good decision to let me help you? Plus, nothing about your body could ever make me love you any less."
"Fine, you won." She rolled her eyes trying to hide that she was actually fluttered by his compliments and how much she had missed someone who appreciated her. "But don't blame me for not warning you."
"Come on, don't be ridiculous You are perfect." Once more David was surprised how in one moment Victoria was the strongest, most determined woman he knew and the next she seemed like an insecure girl. Cautiously he then took the clothes and the bag from Victoria's hands and placed them on the nightstand before he reached behind her for the zipper of her dress.
"May I?" He asked feeling how both of their hearts began racing and Victoria's cheeks turning pink – a reaction she rarely allowed to happen.
She nodded silently holding up her hair while the metallic zipper was slowly running down her back and David's hands left a tingling feeling on her bare skin. Quickly she pushed her insecurities aside and removed her arms from the upper part of the dress so that it fell down to her hip revealing her black bra. Trying not be too distracted by the sight in front of him David offered Victoria a hand so that she could step out of the skirt of the dress. She let it pool at her feet and kicked it to the side before she locked eyes with David who was still holding her hand admiring the beauty of her body. He barely noticed the bandage on the lower part of her abdomen not understanding how someone as gorgeous as Victoria could ever feel uncomfortable with her body.
"I told you, it's horrible." The brunette uttered pulling her hand away from David's and hiding the bandage with her hands. His attentive gaze made her feel even more nervous.
"What?" David rolled his eyes at her. "Do you honestly think that this part of your body that brought our daughter safely into this world could make me love you any less, could make me want you any less?" He took her hands in this anymore squeezing them reassuringly. "Besides, Vee, you look beautiful and hot and sexy, so now put on your PJs before you catch a cold." He smiled brightly at her and Victoria knew that he meant every word of what he said.
"I need to take care of this first." She explained more calmly and went over to her bag to get that oil her doctor had given her to help the scar heal. Since she knew David would protest again if she left now, she sat on the bed and started removing the bandage from her skin.
"Let me do it?" David rushed over to her offering his help. She hated to give in to him, but Victoria had to admit to herself that it was the best feeling to have someone care for her so she allowed him to take off the bandage revealing the scar beneath it. Every time she saw that scar, Victoria was reminded of the pain it had caused her especially on the days following the birth of her daughter. She also knew that she should have rested more to improve the healing process but the circumstances and her restlessness hadn't allowed that. So now she still had to deal with occasional pain and a not completely recovered wound.
David placed some oil on his fingertips putting them down on Victoria's body so that she flinched and grabbed his shoulder.
"Am I hurting you? Are my hands too cold?" He asked her worriedly noticing how his hand began to tremble at the skin contact.
"No, everything's fine." Victoria assured him with a smile beginning to relax under his touch so that David started carefully massaging her skin with the oil.
She sighed closing her eyes as she began to enjoy his treatment and leant back on the bed. "Thank you, David." She whispered being grateful for his support. It had been too long since she had last been able to let herself fall completely into someone else's hands.
Encouraged by the effect he had on her David moved down the bed a little lowering his head to place soft kisses on her belly which Victoria answered with a timid moan. Slowly he let his lips travel upwards reaching her soft cleavage to shower her with kisses.
"Shouldn't I be the one seducing you?" Victoria breathed enjoying the feeling of David's lips on her skin. "With everything you had to go through?" Her dark eyes now too began to fill with desire and almost absentmindedly she began to unbutton his shirt.
"I don't necessarily see seducing you as a burden, Vee." David grinned while Victoria eagerly tried to rid him of his shirt. "I missed you so much." He looked her directly in the eyes noticing how the intimate connection that had existed between them ever since the first moment they had met ignited once more. Without further thinking he then tossed his shirt to the side leaning down to capture Victoria's lips in a heated kiss. She immediately gripped his neck pulling him closer to her so that he had to be careful not to hurt her. She loved the feeling of his bare skin on hers , it now sent shivers through her whole body. She let her hands glide over his strong shoulders tracing the lines of his collarbones. Suddenly however she broke their kiss and had to let out a fit of giggles.
"What?" David asked irritated not intending to stop roaming her body.
"It's just…" Victoria had to inhale to catch her breath from both the arousal in her body as well as the giggles she had tried to hold back. "The stubble of your beard. It's sometimes tickling me. I'm sorry." Apologetically, she caressed his cheeks staring into his puzzled face.
"It'll come off first thing in the morning." David explained before he rolled over on the bed and now pulled Victoria on top of him. Her long hair was tangling on his bare chest and he could feel her heartbeat directly against his. Seductively Victoria turned her swollen lips into a smile and opened the clasps of her bra with a quick move before she discarded it to the side reducing the material that still separated their bodies. Seeing the effect that decision had on David, she didn't hesitate long and also pulled her panties down her legs before she sat on top of him again.
"Enjoying the view?" She teased him - almost forgotten were her previous worries about how he might react to her body. He always gave her the feeling that she was precious, cherishing her with every look from his eyes and every touch from his hands – it gave her a sense of confidence and security when she was with him.
To her words David could simply nod, wanting to pull her down for another kiss, but she held him back.
"It's your turn now." She raised an eyebrow pointing at his belt and trousers. Again David nodded and started opening his belt as soon as Victoria had gotten off him.
She noticed how he hesitated pulling down his trousers before uttering: "We don't have to do this tonight… I mean there's no rush or anything… I don't want you to feel uncomfortable…" He stammered those last words making Victoria smile at his nervousness.
"Now you're getting nervous, I see." She teased him reaching for his pants and pulling them down his legs. "There's no going back at this point." She whispered into his ear enjoying the feeling of power she had over him. She let her fingers trails down his bare chest playing with the hem of his boxers aware that she was driving him crazy.
"Vee." David swallowed. "It's been so long. You know, I…"
"Shhh." She placed a finger on his lips shushing him. "Whatever happens is okay, don't worry about me. We just want to enjoy tonight, remember?" Nodding silently David exhaled the sexual tension that had been building up between them and finally got rid of his boxers too.
"Vee, I'm sorry…" David almost felt embarrassed for reacting so strongly to her, but Victoria simply met his lips in a kiss and whispered into his ear.
"Come here." She lay next to him grabbing him by his shoulders and pulling him on top of her. It was as close as they could get – there was nothing between them anymore and both of them felt that there would never be anything better than the feeling they experienced when they were together. It was as if they were whole again – the troubles from the previous months pushed somewhere to the back of their minds. Everything they had to go through to be together had been worth it – and right in that moment it became clearer than ever before to both of them.
"Love me, David." Victoria whispered and David didn't need to hear that twice before he lowered himself down on her capturing her lips in a kiss he never wanted to end.
Afterwards Victoria found herself lying in David's embrace with her head on his chest again while he was gently rubbing her back. Although she was curled up under a blanket, she noticed how she started to freeze and inched even closer to David.
"Are you getting cold?" He asked noticing how the brunette shivered a little. He couldn't help himself but had to lean down and give her another kiss which she gladly deepened only parting from his lips when she needed some air.
"Not anymore." She flashed her dimples at him feeling the desire in her stir up again. She had almost forgotten that she could feel that way and how attracted she was to him. "I missed you, too." She repeated his previous words nuzzling her head in the crook of his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when Charlotte was born." Remembering how he had always sworn to her that he would never leave her alone and that he would always support her during the pregnancy, David began to feel guilty once more. He couldn't even imagine what Victoria must have gone through physically and mentally and there had been no one she had been able to share that burden with.
"First of all, like I already told you, it is not your fault that you weren't there. And second of all, there wasn't much you could have done anyway. It all happened so fast." Her thoughts suddenly drifting off to the dreadful events that had probably caused the premature birth of her daughter and the ordeal that had followed, Victoria's face turned serious. "I'm always thinking about her. Always." Her thoughts now clouded and the bad conscience she had about leaving Charlotte alone at the hospital kicked back in. "I really thought I had lost her. I don't know how I could have gone on living." She placed her head on David's chest listening to his heartbeat and staring against the opposite wall with sad eyes. The fear of losing her child was still a reality to her and sometimes it had the power to overwhelm her so that she only functioned to do everything possible for Charlotte.
"Me too." David assured her caressing her head which she pressed to his chest and grabbed his hand for support. "Remember, Vee, when you told me that you were pregnant and we said that this is our miracle child?" At his soft voice Victoria turned his head to look at him and nodded. "Well, I guess she really is our miracle. And together we will protect her and love her and make sure that nothing bad will ever happen to her, okay?"
Touched by his promise Victoria felt her eyes getting wet and quickly nodded once more.
"Good. And now I think we both need some rest." He leaned over to the nightstand and switched off the lamp before he pressed another kiss onto Victoria's lips. "Good night, Vee. I love you."
"I love you, too." She replied placing her head on the pillow next to David but making sure she was still close enough for him to embrace her. The previous thoughts about her daughter almost caused a panic attack for her. She felt how she was getting sweaty and the world around her started to turn and she remembered that she hadn't taken her medication that night. However, she also didn't want David to know that she was taking pills to deal with the situation so she forced herself to stay calm and focus on the fact that she was lying in his arms and everything had turned out exactly like they had planned. After some minutes she noticed that David had already drifted off to sleep while she still lay wide awake the possibility of finding restful sleep most unlikely. Therefore she saw no other way than to cautiously slip out of David's embrace and sneak into the bathroom to take her prescribed medication that had managed to knock her out every evening so far. She knew that she had to address that problem, that she couldn't go on taking those pills for much longer because she feared that she might become some kind of addict. Right now however a night full of sleep was what she definitely needed after that long eventful day and she didn't even want to imagine what still lay ahead of them. So she simply swallowed her pills and crawled into bed next to David again who had obviously not noticed her absence. Soon Victoria too found herself drifting off to sleep with the image of David holding Charlotte in the hospital on her mind.
I am so sorry that it took me so long to update the story! I really wanted to spend more time writing this and finally wrapping up the story, but life got into my way and I couldn't go through with my plan. I would like to thank everyone leaving their motivating comments and personal messages - that means a lot to me and shows me that you still care about this story. So: THANK YOU! I hope you like the new chapter - again, it was a tough one to write and I didn't spend as much time on editing it as I'd liked to. Please tell me what you think and I'll do my best to update as soon as possible. This story still has my heart and I want to give it the ending it deserves.
Also, I would love to hear your thougths on something I've been working on when I needed a break from writing ViVid: I started writing a couple of stories ( sometimes one shots, sometimes longer chapters) about Victoria's early life. They are basically scenes that came to my mind when I thought of her life as a child and I have several written about her life in New York when she came back from Paris. I think the show never really gave us much insight into that part of her life and I sort of have so much inspiration to write about this that I just needed to get it down. So, I'm thinking about maybe starting a new story about Victoria's early life with stories that are not necessarily connected or in chronological order because I like write down whatever comes to my mind first. If anyone has an opinion about that or even inspiration for me, plese tell me. I'd love to share this project with you. :)