Chapter 92

April 10th 1871 – On a Train to Colorado Springs

"Happy birthday to you!" Everyone finished singing, as Mary looked at the pile of gifts before her.

"How'd you get these on the train?" she asked, looking at her mother with surprise.

"I have my ways, darling," she grinned. "I know there's no cake, but we'll have something special at Grace's when we get home."

"That's alright," she said with a smile. "Thank you everybody!" Everybody cheered as Mary opened up her first gift. It was from her mother, and it was a brand new dress for Elise.

"Oh, the one from the shop! Thank you! I love it!"

"I got you one just like it. I thought you'd like a new Sunday dress." Mary's eyes opened wider, as she saw the larger dress inside. Her fingers played along the white lace that was sewn along the sleeves and the neck.

"That's pretty, Mary," Gabby said with a smile. Mary nodded.

"Open this one next," Timothy urged. "It's from me and Gabby." Mary smiled, looking at Timothy for a moment and then at Gabby.

"Th…thanks," she stammered, as she ripped open the paper that was wrapped around her gift. She bit down on her bottom lip, as she revealed a carved oak box. When she opened it up, her eyes fixated upon a beautiful silver necklace with a locket dangling from it. "It's…I…don't know what to say."

"My mother bought me a locket like this, and she said that if I wore it always, I'd always remember her. I put her picture in mine, so I thought…you could put pictures of the people you love in it, and you'll always remember them…even if you aren't with them." Mary found herself fighting off tears, and she looked at Gabby and then at Timothy. Then she felt a stab of guilt in her heart for having resented Gabby's presence lately.

"Thank you. I love it!" Timothy picked up the locket.

"Let's put this on you." She nodded, and she lifted up her light brown hair, letting him put the chain around her neck. Rebecca watched Timothy with her daughter, and her heart warmed. She smiled happily, watching her daughter grin from ear to ear.

"Open this one next," Michaela encouraged, handing Mary a heavier package. The little girl's eyes twinkled, as she opened up her gift. She nearly gasped, as she saw a gorgeous picture frame with a picture of her and Johnny. It had been taken not long after Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Mary had arrived in town. The two children had insisted on having their picture taken together, and Mary couldn't believe she'd forgotten about it.

"Thought ya might like to have that. That way ya can remember what it was like when ya first came to Colorado Springs," Sully offered. Mary looked at Johnny, who was gazing at the picture, fond memories flooding back to him as well.

"Thank you, Aunt Michaela." She gave her a hug and then she hugged Sully. "Thanks Sully." She kissed his cheek and turned back to look at her gift. She smiled, remembering that day, and when she looked at Johnny, he was holding something behind his back.

"I got somethin' for ya too," he admitted, smiling a little. Mary's stomach twisted into knots.

Mary gasped, as she saw what Johnny held in his hands. It was a carved likeness of a dove.

"Johnny," she whispered. "It's beautiful!"

"I didn't have no money to get ya anything, and Pa taught me how to carve it. When I asked ya about your birthday the other day, I was just tryin' to throw ya off, so ya wouldn't suspect nothin'." Mary blushed profusely, and Rebecca and Michaela exchanged knowing glances.

"It's so pretty," she cooed, tracing her fingers along the smooth wood. "Thank you, Johnny." She threw her arms around him without thinking and kissed his cheek.

"You're welcome," he said, blushing. Mary passed around her favorite gift, and she blushed each time her eyes met Johnny's.

"Ya did good work, son," Sully said, patting his son on the back. Johnny beamed with pride, and as the gifts were passed around, Mary couldn't help but feel better than she had in a long time. Everyone had been so thoughtful to give her such wonderful presents, and they meant so much to her. She suddenly felt silly for the way she had been acting about Gabby and Johnny, and she decided once and for all that after having seen how much time and work he'd put into that carved dove, he truly did care about her. There was no reason to be jealous of his friendship with Gabby, because he was still her very best friend. That would never change, and she was beginning to be sure of it.

April 10th 1871 – Colorado Springs

Carrie was all smiles for the first time in a long time, as she walked across town from the mercantile to Grace's café. Her eyes were focused on that beautiful ring on her finger, and she couldn't get over how light her heart felt every time she looked at it and thought of the future. She and Daniel were going to be very happy, and she couldn't wait to be his wife. Marrying him had been practically all she had thought about since his proposal.

When she stepped into the café, her gaze moved from her sparkling ring to a sight that made her heart stop for a moment and her breath catch in her throat. Tears began to spring forth before she even realized what had startled her so.

She stared at one of the many tables, seeing Daniel sitting there and bouncing little Olivia on his knee. Carried tried to swallow, but her throat had gone completely dry, and when she saw the smile on his face and that twinkle in his eyes, her heart began to break. She suddenly wondered if he even remembered what would be missing from their life together.

She began to turn, but a voice halted her, and she cursed under her breath.

"Carrie! Can I get ya somethin'?" Grace asked, carrying a pot of coffee. Carrie glanced at the woman who held a welcoming smile upon her face, and she nodded bleakly.

"Some cider would be nice, thanks." Grace nodded.

"I think there's a certain deputy over there who'd like the company," Grace grinned. Carrie forced a smile and started over to the table, feeling increasingly uncomfortable by the moment. When Daniel looked up and smiled, she almost wanted to turn and run and hide, but she was finished with all of that. She had to face him with all of her worries in tow.

"Just the woman I was lookin' for," he said with a chuckle. Carrie eyed him. "Alright, I wasn't lookin' just this second, 'cause I've got another little beauty right here, but I was gonna come lookin' real soon." Olivia grinned, as Daniel continued to bounce her. Carrie smiled a little and sat down across from him. "You wanna hold her?" She tensed up.

"No. That's alright," she said breathlessly. "I can't stay. I have work to do at the mercantile, and…"

"But ya just got here," Daniel said, obviously confused. Carrie nodded.

"Yeah. I just…I just remembered I have somethin' to put on the shelf, and I…you'll tell Grace to cancel my order, won't you?" Carrie stood and quickly left the café without another glance at him. Daniel glanced down at Olivia, who was looking up at him expectantly, wanting more bounces. But, he stood and carried her over to Robert E. who was helping Grace by dicing onions.

"I need to go after Carrie. Somethin' is wrong with her, and…"

"That's fine," Robert E. said quietly, wiping off his hands and reaching out for his daughter. "Thanks for watchin' her." Daniel nodded.

"She's a sweet baby. You're a lucky man." Robert E. nodded in agreement, and Daniel started off toward the mercantile. Just as he came out of the alley by the clinic, he saw her close the doors to the shop, and he took off across town to join her. He only hoped she wouldn't push him away again.

Inside, Carrie sat on the steps that led to the upstairs, and she felt the tears burning her cheeks. She mentally scolded herself for breaking down and losing her resolve, but she couldn't help it. Seeing the way he was with Grace's baby and the twinkle in his eyes had made her realize that she couldn't give him a perfect family. She couldn't give him the children he wanted, and she knew that even if he denied wanting a big family or a bunch of children, he would love to be a father someday.

"Carrie?" He knocked on the door, causing her to flinch. More tears poured forth, and Carrie suppressed a shiver. "Carrie? Open up!"

"Please, go away," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her.

"Carrie? Everything ok? Please, Carrie. Come do the door." The mercantile was beginning to feel cramped and small, and it was closing in on her by the moment. She knew that if she let him in, she could talk to him and tell him what was wrong. But it was never that easy for her. She couldn't just tell him how she was feeling, because that was her way of exposing her soul, and it made her feel naked and vulnerable. She couldn't stand that. But she knew that she needed to do it some time if they were ever going to be true partners in every sense of the word.

"Just go away, alright!" she asked, her voice louder now and more defiant.

"I ain't goin' away until ya tell me what's got ya so upset. Just let me in, Carrie. We can talk about this." Realizing that Daniel's standing on the porch and yelling through the closed doors was probably causing a scene outside, she quickly threw herself from the stairs and toward the door. She opened it up, letting him in and shutting the door firmly behind them. He turned to her, looking at her tear-stained face. Her eyes were downcast, and her hands were fumbling nervously with the lock. "Carrie…"

"I can't do this, Daniel," she said quietly, looking down at the ring on her finger. "I can't marry you." Daniel took a step toward her, reaching out for her. But, she pulled away. "Don't. Please, don't do this."

"Carrie, I don't understand. Why…why are ya sayin' this?"

"I've been so selfish," she breathed, turning away from him and moving to sit on the stair steps again. He watched her from across the room before slowly closing the gap. He saw that she was nervously turning the ring around and around on her finger as if she didn't want to give it up but felt compelled to.

"Selfish? How?"

"I let myself think I could be happy for one moment, and I did that with you. All this time, Daniel, you've been so good to me, and I finally started to accept it…"

"That's not selfishness, Carrie. That's just you realizin' how much I love you."

"You shouldn't."

"Ya don't mean that."

"Yes I do!" she exclaimed. "If it wasn't for my past…I could…I might still be able to…" The words escaped her, and she choked down her tears. "Please. Don't make me do this."

"No. I ain't lettin' ya off this easy. You better have a damned good reason for this, Carrie, and I mean it. I love you, and I know ya love me. Ya wouldn't be cryin' like this if ya didn't." Carrie looked away.

"Ya deserve so much more, Daniel. Ya deserve somebody who can make up her mind. Ya deserve somebody who can give ya a full life."

"What're you talkin' about? If you're talkin' about Nevada, I thought we settled that. I thought we were stayin' here. But if ya still wanna go, I'm willin' if you are. It don't matter where we're at, Carrie. I just want ya to be my wife. The rest can work itself out."

"No it can't! Don't ya understand? Some things can't work out, 'cause it ain't possible."

"Whatever it is, Carrie. We'll get through it," Daniel offered, reaching out for her. She pulled away.

"It won't. Daniel, why would you want to marry a woman who can't give you the family you want?" Realization swept over him, and his heart began to ache.

"Carrie, if that's what this is about…we don't have to have…"

"Yes…you do. You want children. I know ya do. I saw the way ya were with Grace's baby. I know you, Daniel. You're the kind of man that wants a family, and I can't give you that." Lowering himself onto a step, he looked up at her, reaching for her hand.

"That doesn't matter right now." She shook her head.

"Maybe not now, but it will," she whispered, the tears in her eyes continuing without restraint. Daniel shook his head.

"There's adoption, Carrie. It won't matter if the baby ain't…"

"No!" she exclaimed, catching him off guard. She was trembling now. "I grew up my whole life not knowin' who my ma really was. I always told myself that if I ever had a child, they'd know exactly who their ma and pa was. But Daniel, if I took another woman's baby…"

"You'd love it as your own."

"But I couldn't bear the questions. I couldn't look into that child's eyes and tell them that I ain't the woman that gave birth to 'em. It was hard enough learnin' twenty some years later."

"You don't want kids?"

"It's not like that," she whispered. "I do. I want a family. But when Jake…he…when he got me pregnant…I wasn't ready. I was so young…just a kid myself. That baby died. Then I got pregnant again, but I lost that baby. I realized that…maybe I'm not supposed to be a ma. Now I know I can't be one. Maybe that's God's way of makin' sure I don't make the mistakes my own parents did."

"Ya don't believe that, do ya?"

"I don't know what I believe. Until I figure it out…it's not fair to you to keep on dreamin' about the future with me, when I don't know what kind of future I can give us." She slowly slipped the ring off of her finger.

"Don't do this, Carrie. It don't matter if we never have kids. What matters is that I love you, and I want ya in my life. I want to go to sleep with ya every night and wake up to ya every morning." He caressed her cheek. "I wanna walk arm and arm to church with ya every Sunday and go on picnics at night. I wanna hold ya…and make ya realize how much I love ya, even if I have to tell ya a hundred times a day for the rest of my life." Carrie couldn't stop her tears, and when Daniel leaned in to press his lips against hers, she gave in. The comfort of his kiss was like the touch of a healer, but she knew this couldn't happen. She couldn't do this knowing that she could never give him a baby, and she wasn't even sure she could adopt a child knowing that she would have to keep a secret—at least for a little while—from that child as her father had from her.

"This isn't right," she whispered, pushing back against his chest. "We can't, Daniel."

"Yes we can," he assured her. "I can't give up on you. All your life, you've been let down, and I ain't doin' that to you. I'm gonna marry you, 'cause I know it's what we both want. I'm gonna make us a family, 'cause a family don't just have to be a ma and pa and children. Two people can make a family, and if that's all our family ever is, that's good enough for me."

"I need time, Daniel. I need time to figure out…"

"The day I proposed to ya…I never saw ya so happy. What changed?"

"I don't know. Just…seeing you with Olivia…"

"I can't deny that I'd love to be a pa someday, Carrie, but I know better than to give up the best thing that's ever happened to me just 'cause of that. Things change, Carrie, but me lovin' you ain't going to." Carrie looked back down at the ring in her hand. "I don't want it back, Carrie, so either ya put it back on or…or put it away. Either way, I bought that ring 'cause I love you. Ain't no way I'd ever take that back." She looked down at the ring again, and she brought it up between them.

"I wanna marry you, Daniel. I do. I never felt like this toward anybody before, and I know you love me. I just…I want ya to be sure that you can have a life with me."

"I'm already sure," he said softly, kissing her hand. She nodded.

"Do this for me. Take a few days and really think about it. I'll wear your ring, Daniel, but if ya change your mind…"

"I won't."

"Daniel!" she exclaimed with exasperation. "I want ya to think hard, alright? Think about whether or not you can see yourself spendin' your life with just me. No kids. No grandkids. Unless I can talk myself into adoptin'. I can't make any promises, but I'll try." She shook her head. "But just in case, I want ya to be sure. Please, think about it. Think hard. For me." Daniel sighed and slowly leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"For us," he assured her, slipping the ring back on her finger. She pulled her arms around his neck, gratefully clinging to him, until she composed herself and pulled away. With a sigh, they both stood and walked to the door. Carrie watched him leave, and she barely had two moments to herself before Tommy walked in through the back door.

"Carrie?" She quickly wiped the remnants of her tears from her eyes and turned to him.

"Yes, Pa?"

"Just got back from the depot," he said quietly, placing the mail on the counter. "Got a telegram from Mr. McHenry."

"McHenry?"

"Runs a drive from Pueblo." Carrie frowned.

"Oh…" She frowned. "When do you leave?"

"I didn't agree to it yet, but Carrie, he's offerin' me a lot of money and four head of cattle for my troubles." Carrie nodded.

"Well, that's good then," she said with a nod. "You wanna go, don't you?"

"I didn't think I'd wanna go so bad, but Carrie, if ya don't want me to go, I'll stay. I understand that ya might want me stayin' a little longer while my leg heals, but by the time I got down to Pueblo, I'd be pretty well healed."

"If that's what you want," she said rigidly, moving to dust the shelves in the back. Tommy sighed.

"Carrie, I won't go if ya say the words." Carrie turned toward her father, and she shook her head.

"If it's what you want, Pa, I won't stop ya. I just wish you'd make up your mind. I guess that's what makes us so much alike. Sometimes I think neither one of us knows what we want." Tommy smiled a little.

"It ain't like I'm leavin' to run away from everything that's happened. It's good money, Carrie, and I could come back here and share the money with you and Danny. Let ya get started…"

"We're not takin' money from you. Any money we take is gonna be at our own earnin'." Tommy eyed her.

"Think of it as a weddin' present." Carrie sighed sadly and sat down on the stool behind the counter.

"Maybe you shouldn't go. Your leg is still healin'." She mentally scolded herself, knowing that she was as indecisive as her father.

"It feels just fine. I just asked Doc Cassidy, and he said it'd be fine."

"Doc Cassidy doesn't know you. He doesn't know how hard you work and how much strain ya put on your body. I do. I've seen it myself."

"I'll take it easy, Carrie. I promise." Carrie raised an eyebrow.

"You're a grown man. I can't make those decisions for ya." Tommy sighed heavily. "If you wanna go, go tell the man you'll go." Tommy knew she didn't want him to go, but this was an opportunity to make more money for his family, and he swore to himself that this was the best thing to do. Carrie needed him, yes, but she also needed a father she could be proud of. Not a father who limps around all day having people feeling sorry for him. No. He was going to take this job and prove that he was still capable of taking care of himself and his family.

"I'll leave in four days."

April 10th 1871 – On a Train to Colorado Springs

Night fell again, but as each day and night passed, the passengers of the train grew even more uncomfortable in the sleeper car, which seemed to be closing in around them. Michaela's eyes were drooping, as she lay in her bunk, staring up at the ceiling and hoping for morning to come quickly. It felt as if knives were digging into her back and twisting there, and the pressure in her lower back was a bit uncomfortable, though she knew that the further her pregnancy progressed, the more uncomfortable she would get.

She had tried reading some of her mother's journal, but a headache had developed, causing her to put it away and turn the lamp down so she could rest. But so far, all she had managed to do was flicker in and out of consciousness, but the discomfort in her back always kept her awake.

Meanwhile, Sully, who was also having trouble sleeping, was pacing the corridor of the dark sleeper car. Not a sound could be heard except for that of the train, but it seemed almost silent, considering his ears had grown accustomed to the frequent screeching on the track and the clatter from down below.

As his bare feet slid along the floor, he sighed heavily, wishing morning would come quickly. With each morning that dawned, he knew they were that much closer to home.

"Sully?" Sully turned quickly, seeing Mary standing outside of the compartment she was sharing with her mother and Gabby.

"Mary? What're you doin' up?"

"I wanted to ask you a question," she said quietly. Sully motioned for her to come closer so she wouldn't wake anybody up, and he knelt down in front of her.

"What is it, Mary?"

"The locket," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Gabby said to put pictures of the people you love in it." She blushed, shifting nervously and looking down at her feet.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"Could you…well, I know you gave me a picture of Johnny, but do you think you could find me one I could put in my locket?" Sully grinned, looking down a little.

"I think I can do that. Soon as we get back to Colorado Springs, we'll find ya a picture, alright?" Mary's eyes lit up in the darkness, and she grinned.

"Yes! Thank you, Uncle Sully," she said with a giggle, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. Sully held her for a moment, smiling at what she'd just called him.

"You're welcome. Go on back to sleep 'fore your ma wakes up and wonders where ya went." Mary nodded and hurried off to bed, and Sully shook his head, standing up and heading back to his compartment with a smile on his face. Mary and Johnny were sweet on one another, and it was obvious. Sully only wondered if childhood sweethearts could last. He and Michaela had certainly withstood the test of ten years, despite the fact that they hadn't been able to truly be together until fate stepped in and reunited them.

He hadn't heard a peep from Michaela's compartment, and he was beginning to wonder if everything was alright. Of course he didn't want to disturb her if she was sleeping, but he couldn't help but feel that twinge in his heart, when he thought of how uncomfortable sleeping on the train must be.

Slowly, he inched open her compartment door, and the scent of her perfume came wafting out, hitting him and causing his heart to race and his body to begin to respond. He swallowed hard and peered in, seeing her lying on the bunk, looking up toward the ceiling. He could barely see her face in the darkness, but when he saw her move to sit up, he froze.

"Sully?" she asked, almost surprised.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. I wasn't sleeping," she admitted. "You can come in." He was about to say that he didn't think that was a good idea, but he'd barely had a moment alone with her all day. So, he came in and shut the door. When he sat down beside her, she didn't dare to reach up to turn the lamplight up, but she relaxed, when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.

"We ought to be in St. Louis tomorrow," Sully said quietly. "We can get out and stretch our legs. Maybe take a walk?" Michaela smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

"We'll be home in just a few days." He yawned, stretching, as she stretched with him. His hand moved down to her slightly extended tummy, and she placed her hand over his. "Feelin' any kickin' yet?"

"Not yet. It's a bit too soon," she whispered. "Perhaps in a few weeks." Sully nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"I miss you."

"So do I," she admitted. "I didn't think this would be so difficult." She sighed, hearing his heart thumping peacefully in his chest, but as her thumb traced lazy circles on the palm of his hand, she felt his pulse quicken, and she felt guilty.

"When we're married," he said quietly, "it'll be different." Michaela worried for a moment.

"Different?"

"It'll be even better, I think," he announced. The day I put that ring on your finger, I'll know that we're forever connected in every way that counts. I'll know that nothin' can ever take ya away from me again."

"Nothing has ever taken me away from you," she assured him. "I've always been with you even when we weren't together." Sully smiled, gently caressing her shoulders, and he breathed in the scent of her hair. It surrounded him, filling him completely with those needs and desires, and when Michaela's hand lounged lazily on his knee, he closed his eyes and swallowed hard, knowing she didn't realize what her mere presence and her simple touch was doing to him.

She lay back, her head resting in his lap, as she looked up at him, and he stared down at her. She smiled, as his fingers softly caressed her perfect, soft lips, and she kissed the pads of his fingers, as his other hand ran through her long, cascading hair, causing her scalp to tingle from his familiar touches.

"Sully?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about our baby," she said with a mild yawn. Sully grinned.

"You're the ma," he said quietly. "I think ya know more about the baby than I do right now." Michaela took his hand and slowly ran her thumb across his knuckles, back and forth, back and forth.

"Tell me what you think the baby will be like." Sully thought for a moment, continuing to run his fingers through her hair.

"I think…our baby'll have hair just like you: soft and beautiful. I think she'll have your eyes."

"And your keen perception of nature," Michaela added.

"If she don't, we can change that." Michaela giggled at his words. "I bet she'll have your smile too. One day, she'll grow into a beautiful woman that looks just like her ma, and she'll meet somebody that I'll have to chase off with a stick 'til he proves worthy enough to court my little girl." Michaela giggled again, and she closed her eyes. "And then someday, she'll get married and have a family of her own, and I just hope she stays around Colorado Springs so we can see what our little girl makes of her life." Michaela sighed at the lovely thought.

"And if he's a boy?" she yawned.

"He's not," he said matter-of-factly.

"How are you so certain, Mr. Sully?"

"I had a vision," he teased. Michaela playfully smacked his knee.

"You did not."

"Sure I did. Yep. I saw five our six little girls crawlin' around our feet." Michaela tried to stifle her laugh but to no avail.

"Let's just think about getting this one here before we think about more!" Sully grinned and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"If the baby is a boy," Sully said thoughtfully, "I think he'll be a lot like Johnny."

"Johnny's a lot like you," Michaela reminded him in return. Sully smiled.

"I don't know how. He grew up the first ten years of his life without me, so maybe it's in the blood." Michaela smiled a little. "I just wanna be a good pa. I'm scared that I won't be able to make it work…"

"Sully," she soothed, sitting up and facing him in the darkness. "You're a wonderful father, and I don't want you to think anything less. Johnny loves you more than anything in this world, and from the way you've talked about your girls, you were wonderful with them too. Abagail was lucky to have you as the father of her children; as her husband." Sully sighed heavily, and Michaela reached out to stroke his cheek. "I'm lucky to have you too."

"I'm the lucky one," he said with a smile, leaning in to kiss her forehead. She wrapping her arms around his neck, as they sat with their foreheads together, soaking up the feeling of being alone together for once.

As the train hit a bump on the tracks, Sully fell backward in the cot, bringing Michaela atop him, and they both stifled their laughter for a moment, before his hands began to roam across her back, making her skin warm beneath her gown. She sighed, unable to resist kissing him. Her lips brushed over his, and he kissed back enthusiastically, holding her close and taking little time to deepen the kiss.

Michaela moaned, as Sully pulled her closer, and she gasped, as he broke the kiss, and his mouth immediately traveled down her neck, and she closed her eyes as he suckled at her shoulder. She bit her lip, feeling her restraint melting away.

"Sully," she whispered, her words causing his flesh to prickle, as their mouths met again. Her tongue plunged into his mouth, tasting his kisses. Her hands roamed under his un-tucked shirt, feeling his muscled abdomen and chest reacting at her warm touch.

Michaela couldn't control her actions, and on the outside, she was blushing furiously in the darkness, but that warmth only spurred her onward, and she felt as if she'd lost control. For one moment, it frightened her, but she quickly let herself drown in his kisses.

As her hands began to work at his buttons, Sully's hands began to move her gown up her body, wanting to feeling her skin against his. He couldn't stop himself from grazing his hand alongside her breast, which caused yet another stifled moan to escape from the depths of Michaela's being.

"Michaela," he moaned, as her body pressed against his, and his desire began to increase, causing him great discomfort, as his pulse quickened, and his body begged for release. Moments later, Michaela finished with his buttons, and she exposed his chest, bending low to press a kiss over his heart. He longed to taste her soft skin, but when her warm, wet lips caressed his nipple, he gasped, but the shock also knocked some sense back into his head. "M-Michaela." His hands were now firmly gripping her waist, not wanting to let her go, and when her lips found his again, he almost lost his train of thought again.

When his fingers gently dug into her hips, and she heard him say her name again, she suddenly realized what was happening, and she pulled back, her cheeks so red that she was thankful for the darkness in the compartment.

"Oh! Sully! Sully, I'm so sorry." She covered her face, mortified, and she moved away from him. Sully struggled to sit up and catch his breath, and though his body wanted more of her, they had to stick to their promise to one another.

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault…" He quickly started to do up the buttons of his shirt.

"I should have realized sooner. I'm…I'm so sorry."

"Michaela," he said sheepishly, "you don't gotta apologize."

"Yes I do. I…" A moment later, he leaned over and silenced her with a kiss. When he pulled back, he was just a breath away from her, and he could see her eyes sparkling with tears. He kissed her eyelids, and she sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to be able to stop myself so much sooner. But lately, I haven't been feeling…well, I just…it seems that everything I feel is so much more intense lately." Sully nodded.

"That's alright," he assured her. "I don't mind."

"But you should! Sully, I feel as if I can't even kiss you, because I can't control myself. I don't know what's the matter."

"Nothin' is the matter," he said gently. "We'll be more careful." Michaela nodded, and she scooted a little further away from him just to be safe. "I ought to be goin' back to bed. I'll let ya sleep."

"I couldn't sleep before," she said with a disconcerted sigh. Sully reached out to comfortingly touch her knee, but he thought better of it, and he stood. As he moved to the door, Michaela called out to him unexpectedly. "Wait, Sully. Don't go." Slowly, Sully sat back down, and without a word, he took Michaela into his arms and held her close, as she rested her head against his chest, and they both fell asleep in a loving embrace.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has given me feedback for this story so far! Please keep it coming, because it's very helpful!