AN: Thank you again for all of your reviews, personal messages and story adds. I appreciate every one

3

Fiona walked into Michael's old room and looked around for her elusive cell phone. Her heart was racing at the prospect of having Michael home again. Moving towards the bed she threw back the covers and looked under the pillows, before finally finding what she was looking for.

She picked it up and turned on the call history, surprised to see seven missed calls, all from Michael. She felt like a teenager, her heart fluttering at the idea of seeing him again and didn't even think twice as her finger hit the return call button.

"Michael," she breathed his name as she sat down onto the bed, leaning back against the pillows as his voice washed over her.

"Fi, where have you been? I've been calling for hours."

"I'm sorry, I was with your mom and forgot I'd left my phone in the bedroom," she smiled. "How did it go? Did you get the result you wanted?"

"In a way…I'll tell you when I get there okay? How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she sighed. "I haven't gotten a lot of sleep since you've been gone…"

"Why? Are you okay?" his voice rose a notch with worry and she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm fine," she told him softly. "I just find it hard to sleep without you."

"Me too." Even though he was talking via a phone she could see his face in her mind and that brought her some sense of comfort.

"How long till you get here?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"Another half hour, maybe forty minutes," he sighed. "Jesse's driving us from the airport."

Fiona couldn't help the soft chuckle that left her lips. "Or an hour! He drives like your mother!" In the background she could hear Jesse's voice shouting hello and for the first time in just under a week, she couldn't wait to go home to the loft.

She heard his muffled voice as he said something to Jesse and was suddenly dismayed by the unexpected sting of tears in her eyes. Swallowing hard, she tried to force the lump that had formed in her throat, away, but all she managed to do was highlight the fact that she was crying.

"Fi," his voice was soft as he spoke her name, but it only succeeded in making her cry harder. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she wiped her eyes and tried to stop the flow of tears from spilling over her cheeks. "Damn hormones…"

"I'll be there soon," his voice lowered to a whisper and she could almost see him willing Jesse to drive faster. "Okay?"

"Okay," she sniffed. "I miss you."

"Me too, Fi," he told her. "Me too."

His voice soothed her senses and as she lay there listening to him talking, she didn't even realise that her eyes were closing.

000

"Where's Fi?" Michael asked urgently when he rushed into his mother's house just under an hour later.

"Relax sweetheart," Madeline told him as she got up to greet him. "After you called Sam, he went in to check on her and she was sound asleep."

"I'm going to see her," he moved to walk past her but she reached out to stop him when Jesse and Sam came through the door in deep conversation.

Lowering her voice, Madeline pulled him slightly to the side. "Does Jesse know about Fiona?"

"No," he told her, keeping his voice low. "We'll tell him when we have to, but there's only us and my old handler that know."

"Didn't you tell us that was dangerous, Michael?" she asked him shakily as she took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket.

"He needed to know why I had to come back in such a hurry," he told her. "And he needed to know that if I choose to work for them again, it'll be on my terms."

"I thought getting your old job back was what you wanted Michael," Madeline told him, catching his eyes with her concerned gaze.

"My priorities have changed," he told her as his lips turned up into a wide smile. "Can I go now…I need to see—"

"Michael…" Fiona's voice broke when she saw him, her hormones rampaging throughout her body. She was rooted to the spot and gazing at him like he was something from her dreams.

His face lit up at the sight of her. Moving towards her, he forgot about everyone else in the room as he swept her into a tight embrace, lifting her from the floor before replacing her just as quickly.

"Hi," he grinned, gazing down at her adoringly as she lifted her head and captured his lips in a long lingering kiss. He wound his arms around her; one hand burying itself in her hair while the other roamed her shoulders. Fiona moulded her body against his as they kissed, but when the need to breathe caused a frustrating distraction; she broke away from him with a gasp. Both of them stared at the other with a mixture of relief and total joy. Michael leaned his forehead against hers and fought to steady his pounding heartbeat. He had missed her so much.

They gravitated together again; needing each others touch as much as they needed to breathe. Fiona lost herself in him, his kisses intoxicating. Every other thought melted from her mind to leave nothing but him, mind, body and soul.

They broke apart breathlessly, gazing into each other's eyes with total adoration, unaware of the small audience that were watching them at the other side of the room.

It was Sam's dramatic clearing of his throat that finally pulled them apart, both of them turning, holding onto each other as they turned to face the others in the room.

Fiona's face was flushed and her eyes were sparkling when she pulled away from Michael to hold onto his hand. Her gaze drifted towards the others, one of them causing her to gasp.

"Jesse," she smiled as she let go of Michael's hand to moved towards her friend, pulling him into a brief hug before stepping away to stand beside Michael again.

"You look good Fi," he told her with a warm smile.

"Uh, thanks," she returned his smile even though she felt anything but good. Her stomach was rolling and she was having problems keeping upright.

Michael watched Jesse carefully. He wasn't sure how he felt about the man who had kissed his girlfriend, even though it was only for a job. But still, he stood closer to Fiona in a way that that told the other man that she was definitely off limits.

Everyone seemed to start talking all at once and Fiona's mind couldn't seem to clear from the foggy haze still muffling her brain. She felt herself begin to sway slightly and reached out to hold onto Michael's arm.

"Are you okay?" he whispered worriedly as he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.

His voice soothed her senses and she turned her eyes to his, offering him a tired smile as she leaned into him. "I'm fine."

He held her close to his side and glanced towards his mother for some reassurance that Fiona's tiredness was normal. Madeline caught his worried eyes and ushered Jesse and Sam into the old garage.

"Would you boys take this conversation somewhere else," she asked them as she pulled a new cigarette from her pack. "I need to discuss something with Michael and Fiona."

"Sure thing Maddie," Jesse nodded, casting a fleeting look over at the couple that stood in the middle of the room with their arms wrapped around each other.

Sam followed his gaze and swiftly distracted Jesse with the promise of a cold beer. Both men turned and walked out of the room, caught up in laughter as they went.

Madeline moved closer to her son and reached out to place a hand on Fiona's pale face. "Are you okay, honey?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine," Fiona sighed, leaning closer to Michael. "I'm just feeling a little queasy."

"Have you had your vitamins?" Michael asked her quickly, turning her so that he could look into her eyes. When she nodded, he thought again, moving one of his hands to rest on her shoulders. "Do you need crackers? Ginger ale?"

"I'm fine, Michael," she told him with an endearing smile. "All I want to do is go home and sleep," she told him softly. "In our bed, with you in it."

"I think I can arrange that," he told her with a beaming smile. "I just need to talk to Jes—"

"Michael," Madeline cut him off when she saw the disappointment in Fiona's eyes. "Why don't you take your girlfriend home and I'll send Jesse by later with Fiona's stuff."

"Thank you Madeline," Fiona smiled as she broke away from Michael to pull her into a warm embrace. "Thank you for everything."

"You are so welcome, sweetheart," Madeline beamed as she held her tight against her. "You know I am here for you whenever you need me, okay."

"I do," she smiled as she pulled back to hold onto the older woman's hands. "I need to go shopping for some bigger clothes soon, want to come with me?"

"I would love to sweetheart," Madeline was ecstatic when she leant forward to plant a kiss onto Fiona's cheek before casting a serious look at Michael. "Now, you take care of my daughter in law, you hear."

"Sure ma," Michael told her with a smile, pulling Fiona out of his mother's grasp so that they could escape out of the house. "We'll call you later."

000

Later that evening, Fiona placed their fruit bowls into the sink and grimaced when the smell of the Yogurt spoon that Michael had used, hit her senses. Ever since she became pregnant there were many things that caused her to gag. Coffee, iced tea, and more recently, Yogurt.

She was so deep in thought, she didn't hear the bathroom door open or a towel clad Michael emerge to come and stand behind her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked huskily as he stepped closer to warp his arms around her waist before resting his hands on her rounded stomach.

Fiona leaned back into his body, breathing in the scent that was uniquely his. She cupped his hands with her own briefly then trailed her fingers behind her to come into contact with his bare sides. Opening her hands, she glided her palms down further to feel the towel over his damp skin. His closeness sent her desire into overdrive and she felt herself drowning in his closeness. Her whole body was sinking into submission as she turned around in his arms to face him.

"I was thinking about your mother and how she must have embarrassed you today," she told him with a smile as she slid her hands up over his chest to entwine her fingers behind his neck.

"Ah, well she's my mother, it's kind of expected," he grinned, his voice starting to catch in his throat as he dipped closer to her lips, placing a soft kiss onto her mouth.

He moved his hands up to her hair and traced his fingers through the long strands. He held it gently between his fingers as he brought his eyes back to hers. "I missed you," he whispered

Fiona's eyes pooled with tears as she leant forward to meet his lips, pulling him closer to her body so she could deepen their kiss. Michael opened his mouth to her, meeting her tongue with his as he sank deeper and deeper into her. When she started to pull away he couldn't help but whimper with her loss. He opened his eyes to question her withdrawal but stopped when he felt her lips kiss his neck, sending a passionate fire coursing throughout his body.

She couldn't seem to get enough of him, her lips needing his skin as she began to kiss a blazing trail of passion along his jaw before grazing the side of his throat. Words burst into her heart, words she needed to tell him. When she turned her head upwards to look into his heavenly face, she couldn't stop them tumbling from her mouth, "I missed you."

Her words opened his heart, the floodgate widening to allow all the love he needed to share with her break free as he focused on her eyes. He struggled to find the right words, but nothing would come out, so instead he pulled her closer to him, holding her in his protective embrace as he rained kisses into her hair.

"I didn't want to leave you," he whispered, encouraged by her fingers raking over his back in an almost erotic gesture. She moved against him, pushing her body into his as she lowered her head to kiss his bare chest.

Michael's eyes closed as she continued to place open-mouthed kisses all over his sensitive flesh, her ministrations causing his whole body to shake with passionate acceptance.

She continued to kiss him, leaving no part of his skin untouched by her love as her fingers trailed down towards the towel keeping his dignity intact.

"I," he gasped when she found his ear, pulling his ear lobe into her mouth. The sensations she was causing inside him almost took him through a thousand levels of arousal as passion poured through his entire body.

"Fi," he gasped when her hands found the very essence of him, pushing the towel away so she could wrap her possessive hands around his flesh. His breath caught in his throat as she continued to move in a loving rhythm, taking him to places that had remained unvisited for what had seemed so long.

His whole body was on fire, and the need to touch her became almost overwhelming as his fingers flexed over the material that kept a barrier between their bodies. She needed to feel his hands on her skin so she moved blindly to grab the edges of her sundress to pull it off over her head. A sinful smile danced over her lips as she unclasped her bra, her eyes never leaving his while she discarded the offending material, throwing it to one side before she came to him. They were skin on skin when she touched him, clamping her mouth to his in a kiss so powerful his knees almost buckled beneath him.

His own passion amazed him. He'd never wanted to make love with a woman as much as he did Fiona; his entire body was tingling with anticipation, needing release from the painful build up of sexual tension that had been unreleased for the last few days.

Without leaving her lips, he scooped her effortlessly into his arms as he carried her towards their bed. Kneeling down onto the mattress, he laid her down, his mouth still joined to hers, both unwilling to release the other from this powerful show of intense desire.

Slowly, he pulled his lips from hers, smiling at her soft whimper as she tried desperately to pull him back to her again.

"Shh," he whispered, leaning closer to her lips again, his fingers brushing her flushed face before he started the slow worship of carnal kisses down over her body.

Fiona's head sank back into the pillows as she surrendered to his touch, letting him take over her whole body, submerged in pure pleasure.

His lips trailed over her skin, meeting her flesh with his tongue, causing her to cry out in incoherent ramblings, urging him on.

With skilful fingers, he removed the last of the cloth barrier between them until she was completely naked beside him.

His eyes met hers briefly, both of them seeing everything in each other's gaze as she moved against him. The friction caused his whole body to explode within, bursting his passion into liquid fire as he found her mouth again, pouring every ounce of love into their kiss.

Gasps and moans urged them closer as he moved above her body as she willed him on to fulfil this heavenly torture, bringing them both over the realms of pure passion as he sank into her again and again.

They flew to heaven once again, toppling over the edge to come floating back down together, clinging to each other with an out pouring of pure love that left them both breathless and in no doubt of their need for each other. When his breathing had returned to something resembling near normal, he pulled out of her and moved onto his side, taking her with him as he spooned them together. His lips gravitated to her bare shoulder, kissing her with tiny kisses that said so much more than any words ever could.

Reaching around them to hold her close to him, he felt her relax against his body as she sighed contentedly. She encased his hands with her own and stroked his fingers until they both drifted off into an exhausted slumber.

000

The first thing Michael became aware of a few hours later was how incredibly warm he felt. For a few seconds he thought he'd woken up from a wonderful dream in which the warmth still embraced him. He opened his eyes slowly and remembered where he was. Shifting slightly, he looked down towards the woman who was still asleep beside him. They were both on their sides and he had both of his arms wrapped possessively around her stomach while his legs spooned against hers.

A feeling of contentment washed over him and he suddenly couldn't remember anything that had felt so wonderful in his life before. Breathing deeply, her scent invaded his senses, causing him to pull her tighter to his body, his need to feel her closeness overwhelming every other conscious thought. Time had seemed to stop, enclosing them into a world of their own where nothing else existed but them. He knew that nothing would compare to the feeling of having her in his arms, safe and warm where nothing or no one could hurt her.

Fiona started to stir beside him, a contented sigh rasping from her lips as her fingers threaded through his on her stomach. She mumbled something as she started to wake and pushed herself further back into his body. As she opened her eyes, thoughts of the previous night started to seep back into her consciousness and her hand stilled on his.

"Hi," he whispered as he placed a soft kiss onto her shoulder.

Fiona turned in his arms to face him. Blinking the tiredness from her eyes she offered him a blissful smile. "Hey."

Michael broke into a warm smile. Lifting a hand, he traced the outline of her face and leaned forward to press a light kiss on her forehead. "Feeling better?"

"I feel wonderful," she smiled.

"Really?" he grinned, his eyes gazing over her features as his fingers continued to stroke her skin.

"Oh yeah, that's the best night's sleep I've had in a week." She could see the love in his eyes now as he watched her with such adoration, and all she could think of was how she was so content to lie there alongside him.

He was just about to lean forward to press a soft kiss onto her lips when there was a loud banging on the door.

"Mike," Jesse's voice called from the other side before he knocked again.

"Crap," Michael groaned into Fiona's shoulder as they both froze, hoping their unwelcome intruder would turn around and go away. But when he banged on the door again, they both knew he wasn't going to leave.

Untangling themselves from each other, Fiona swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up slowly. Reaching up, she combed her fingers through her wayward hair, trying to flatten the strands that refused to lay flat.

"I'll get the door," she told him softly as she reached for her robe that was draped over Michael's green chair. "You go and get dressed."

"Are you sure," he asked softly, rubbing her back when she wavered slightly.

"MIKE!" the door banged again and Fiona couldn't help but giggle to herself when Jesse sounded more and more frustrated.

"Well you was only wearing a towel last night. Unless you want to wear that," she grinned at him as she slipped the robe around her body and pulled it closed with the belt.

With a heavy sigh he scrambled out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom, unabashed by his nakedness. When he was out of sight, Fiona moved towards the door and pulled it open.

"Morning Jesse," she told him with a smile.

Jesse stared at her in shock and his mouth opened and closed as he took in her dishevelled appearance.

"Are you coming in, or are you just going to stand there all morning?" she asked with a smile as she stepped back to allow him to enter.

When he came gingerly into the loft, he forced his gaze away from her legs and tried desperately not to notice the way her robe clung to her body. Instead his eyes scanned the room and gravitated towards the unmade bed and the discarded clothes beside it. Fiona followed his eyes and felt herself flush with embarrassment. Moving towards them she bent to retrieve her rumbled sundress and underwear, and was more than relieved to see Michael's swift entrance. Even though Jesse was there in the room, Fiona couldn't register anything except the form of the man she loved. She had never felt this way before in all of her life. Taking a breath, she shook herself out of her reverie and moved towards him.

He met her eyes with a smouldering gaze as she slid her fingers over his bare arm when she moved past him. "I'm going for a shower," she told him with a knowing smile.

"Okay," he told her, his eyes following her retreating form before he turned to greet their visitor with a bright grin. "Morning Jesse."

"I brought Fi's stuff," Jesse stammered, thrusting the bag at Michael as if it had burned him. "Your mom was kinda insistant that I come over with it now."

"Thanks," Michael took it gratefully and placed it onto the unmade bed. Without looking at the other man in the room he unzipped it to pull out the bottle containing Fiona's vitamins and walked into the kitchen to place them on the windowsill. He didn't even realise what he had done until he turned around and met Jesse's wide eyed gaze.

tbc