Carol didn't venture out from the bedroom that night, instead Tony ordered delivery and they ate together on the bed. It was in moments like these that Carol realised just how much she relied on Tony, and how much pleasure she gained from being in his company. She didn't doubt that it was similar for him. He seemed to come alive when they were alone together, it was as if his walls came down and he was free. Both put the others feelings ahead of the anything else. Even now lying in the cocoon of his arms in his bed Carol knew that he held her a little bit closer and that he was sleeping a little bit lighter than what he normally would. She on the other hand, couldn't get to sleep at all…She sighed into the darkness; sleep was obviously not going to capture her tonight. She pushed back the covers and shuffled quietly down the stares to the lounge. She did not want to disturb Tony any further. Sitting there in the dark her mind would not stop racing, coming up with lists of things that she thought she'd never get to do if this turned out to be cancer. The biggest of course being children. They had discussed it before, though jokingly at the time, both feared that their lives were too hectic, too dangerous to bring another life into the mix. However both longed for that missing piece. Carol was unsure as to how long she had been sitting in the dark when Tony walked up behind her.
"Hey" Carol looked up and saw Tony standing there.
"Hey, sorry I didn't mean to wake you"
Tony sat next to her on the couch "What's going on?"
"Nothing, I'm ok… you should go back to bed no point in both of us losing sleep"
Tony wrapped his arm around Carol bringing her closer into his body. "You know there's nothing wrong with being scared of this Carol"
"I know Tony and I am scared of this, scared of the thought that this might be real. There's just so much I want…" Tony cut her off.
"Shhh… don't think like that, we don't know what this is yet. For all we know it's something simple and harmless". They sat there together, huddled on the couch letting time tick by. After a while Tony stood and reached his hand out towards Carol.
"Come on, we're going back to bed"
Once again in the comfort of his arms Carol remembered what it was like the first time she lay in this bed. Their first time together was not planned. It was frenzied and passionate but it encompassed every feeling that they had for each other. It has started as a typical night for them. Carol had brought over a case that she wanted Tony's input on. After working on it for hours Carol headed for the door. Before leaving she impulsively leant forward placing a kiss on Tony's mouth. He was shocked and didn't say anything. As she turned to leave he had grasped her arm pulling her back to face him and he kissed her. He let go and he kissed her. And later as they lay together in this bed their passion sated he looked at her, and in his eyes she saw a love that she had never seen before.