Disclaimer: If only

Author's note: okay here comes the fluff, I'm feeling very mellow so thought I'd go with something sweet that would make me all warm inside (so unlike me).

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She woke in Ray's arms and knew that's how she wanted to awaken every morning. Wrapped in strong, loving arms that held her close. She tried to slip out from under him without waking him and failed miserably.

"Hmmm, stay" He whimpered his grasp around her tightening.

"I need a shower" She chuckled and moved his arm again.

"Sounds good," He grinned at her one eye opening to regard her mischievously.

"Well we've gotta get out of bed at some point" she chuckled back winking down at him and dashing off towards the bathroom screaming girlishly as he made a grab for her then chased her.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy or alive.

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After they were showered and suffered the naked wet run back to the bedroom (neither having remembered to bring towels) they decided that food was a good idea.

Ray's refrigerator was even more pathetic than usual containing only a jar of questionable mustard and two cans of soda.

She felt awkward in the silence of the corner booth they had occupied in a diner down the block.

She longed to ask him what he was thinking, if he was nervous about going to see Luka tomorrow and most importantly if he was still going to leave Chicago, to leave her.

When they had left the apartment she had seen the stacks of boxes and they had been a stark reminder that he was about to leave when she had walked in this morning she found herself knocked back down to earth with the same disheartening insecurities she always had.

Okay so he had told her he loved her and she believed him, but he hadn't said he was staying now.

"You okay?" he asked concern creasing his brow.

She smiled then, Ray knew her, could see her unease without effort and it made her feel important to him.

"Yeah, just thinking" She sighed leaning back into her chair meeting his clear green eyes, it didn't seem right to reel out spools of questions when they had only just resolved so many problems.

"Brett offered me my place back in the band…" He looked at her gauging her reaction, she didn't want to hold him back but was sure he must see the disappointment in her eyes. She didn't want him to go, she couldn't bear losing him now after finally letting him now how much she loved him.

"Oh" What else could she say he knew how she felt about him, knew how difficult it had been for her to finally say the words.

"I was going to call you and tell you, I didn't think…" Hesitation, maybe even fear tingeing his voice.

"I didn't think that you could ever feel the same way about me that I feel about you" He spoke quietly now as if saying the words out loud would tempt fate. He looked at her square in the eye and she realised she was holding her breath.

"I know it's early but would you think about coming home" Of all the things she had expected him to say that was one she wasn't expecting. He'd called it home, not the apartment or my apartment but home and she couldn't think of anything better than going home.

"I'd love to" She smiled ecstatically.

She was going home.