Epilogue - 672
I am not hallucinating. I am awake and this is real, Hunnigan repeated her daily usual method of poking at the wound in her side to confirm it didn't work anymore because the wound had healed. But the raised scar tissue she felt under her fingertips served the same purpose, as long it was there and she could feel it, she knew it had all happened and that this was real.
She stared at Helena's back, slowly reaching to softly touch the pale, smooth skin before snuggling closer to the sleeping woman next to her and pressed her cheek against the spot between Helena's shoulder blades, wrapping her arm around her.
672 hours. It seemed like such a short time to have discovered a million new ways to love somebody.
The younger woman let out a surprised mewl when Hunnigan's palm pressed against her abdomen.
"Your hands are cold," she complained sleepily.
"Poor blood circulation, if I started smoking again, my hands and feet would probably die," Hunnigan jested, mumbling her words against Helena's skin.
"Well, then you'd better stay the hell away from my smokes. Don't think I haven't noticed you sneak a few now and then," Helena taunted, turned around slowly and ran her fingers through Hunnigan's hair, leaving her hand to rest on the back of her neck.
"Or you could quit too," Hunnigan commented, raking her fingernails along Helena's back and to her hip, leaning to nuzzle into the hollow of the younger woman's throat.
"Maybe I will once I turn thirty. Of forty. Or another round number in the distant future," Helena mused with a smile, lazily caressing Hunnigan's shoulder.
"Guess what?" Hunnigan then asked, rolling them over so that Helena was lying on her back, moving to straddle the younger woman and leaning over her.
"I suck at this game," Helena grumbled.
"You're not even trying!"
"You've shown your boobs to Slayer?"
"Well, duh, who hasn't?" Hunnigan quirked an eyebrow.
"I haven't!"
"My side doesn't hurt anymore," Hunnigan said, returning them back to the original subject she'd been talking about. She leaned to plant kisses on Helena's neck and across her collarbones before sitting up straight, tracing her fingers across Helena's chest, along the valley between her breasts and finally stopping to caress the younger woman's abdomen.
"Is that so?" Helena smirked at the implication.
During the past four weeks they'd done practically everything else there was to do –spent hours lying in bed, caressing and kissing each other, slowly and meticulously exploring each other's bodies, learning about the secret sensitive spots, but they hadn't made love. Helena had said she wanted to wait until Hunnigan was fully recovered, and while she appreciated the gesture and Helena's patience, Hunnigan had to admit she herself was growing impatient. She was happy just being there with Helena, but at the same time, knowing there could be more and being unable to actually do more left her frustrated beyond words.
Hunnigan reached to gently grip Helena's wrists and moved the younger woman's hands up along her thighs and to her hips, guiding them higher. She paused at the scar, directing Helena to go ahead and feel it.
"See?" she smiled at having no reaction to pain when the spot was touched. Helena sat up, wrapping her arms around Hunnigan and leaning to kiss her lips softly.
"I'll be convinced once you've had your check-up today," she murmured into the kiss.
"You want me to ask the doc to write me a note that says I can safely have sex?" Hunnigan chuckled.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Helena commented, pretending to seriously consider it. Hunnigan rolled her eyes at the younger woman and tightened her grip on her.
"That's a ridiculous idea. I have a better one."
"I'm anxious to hear it..." Helena whispered, nuzzled into Hunnigan's shoulder and kissed it softly.
"How about tonight... after my check-up with the doc... and after my session with the shrink... and after you've made me those chicken parmesan burgers you boasted about weeks ago..." Hunnigan began and tucked a lock of hair behind Helena's ear, pausing to kiss along Helena's shoulder and neck in between sentences.
"Goodness, I'd totally forgotten about that, I'm sorry."
"...we could... have a different kind of dessert," she finished presenting her idea in a whisper and gently bit on Helena's earlobe.
"I'll bring the whipped cream, you bring the honey... Hunny-Bunny," Helena grinned devilishly.
"Don't you start!" Hunnigan groaned and Helena laughed, firmly holding onto the other woman and pulling her back to lie down with her, demanding five... fifteen... forty-five more minutes of cuddles and kisses.
Hunnigan opened a window and sat on the sill. The early November weather was still on the warmer side, but the light breeze slipping over her naked skin was still cool enough to make her shiver a little. Helena lied on her side on the bed, facing Hunnigan, resting her head in the cup of her palm, staring at Hunnigan intently with a lazy, satisfied smile curling her lips.
"Give it," Hunnigan ordered, wiggling her fingers a little.
"Y'know," Helena began before pausing to take a drag of the cigarette and reaching over the edge of the bed to hand it to Hunnigan, "I swear you seemed a lot less demanding before we slept together," she teased.
"Don't people always?" Hunnigan quipped with a smirk and tilted her head back, exhaling a thin line of smoke.
"Touché," Helena chuckled and rolled over to lie on her belly, resting her cheek against her forearms that were folded ontop of each other.
"I don't think I've ever actually seen you smoke before. It's kinda sexy when you do it," she then commented, grinning a little.
"Remember that the next time you complain about my cold hands or about me stealing a smoke or two from you."
"How about we compromise, you can have all the cigarettes you want as long as I get to watch you smoke them."
"Do you have a fetish I should know about?" Hunnigan quirked an eyebrow, put the cigarette out and shut the window.
"I didn't before, but I might be developing one," Helena said, moving over to make room for Hunnigan and settling down to rest her head on the other woman's chest when they were both under the covers again.
"I have a question I need you to answer for me," she then said.
"Yes?" Hunnigan inquired.
"Do you trust me?" the younger woman asked seriously, leaning her head back a little to be able to look into Hunnigan's eyes. She offered Helena a gentle smile.
"With my life."
Helena returned the smile, nodded a little and nuzzled into Hunnigan's neck, holding onto her tightly and lazily caressing her side. She didn't remember ever feeling as safe and loved as she did in that moment.
"I love you, Ingrid," she whispered, using the other woman's first name for the first time ever.
Hunnigan chuckled at that softly and said, "I love you too, Harper."
End