A/N: I'm just going off to hide under a rock for a while, now. Many thanks to Shellz Kiwi who graciously read my drafts and convinced me to post this chapter.
Cora perched herself back atop the bed and sat staring at the washroom door. She could hear the shower pelting softly against the tile and a bit of steam from inside the room was seeping out the bottom of the door. She picked up a book she had left on the bedside table and began to flip through it. It was no use, though; her mind and gaze were inexplicably drawn back to the door every few minutes. Why on earth was he taking so very long? A shower would certainly take less time than a bath would. It was no matter. It was not as though she had anything to say, really. She just wanted to—well, she just wanted to see him again.
For the first time in quite a while, Cora felt herself anticipating Robert's return back to the room. Looking down at dress, Cora realized her clothes had gotten quite rumpled from their train ride and then her nap. Not wanting to look like an utter mess when Robert did finish, she hopped up from the bed and rushed over to fumble through her trunks. She thought about calling for O'Brien but by the time she came up and helped her change it would take far too long. So, with reckless abandon, Cora pulled a black dinner dress from the trunk, wrestled off her traveling clothes and pulled the fresh dress over her head, not caring if it looked a bit less neat than when O'Brien helped. She stuffed her traveling ensemble back in the trunk and pushed it behind the large armoire before sneaking a glance at herself in the vanity on the far side of the room. Not bad after a day of travel, not bad at all.
Just then Cora heard the shower water stop running. In an attempt to make it appear as though he was the very last thing on her mind, Cora turned and ran back to her place atop the bed, flipping her book open to a random page and feigning great interest in its contents.
Robert, meanwhile, had showered and was standing in front of the washroom sink with his straight razor, trying to shave though the steam of the shower had fogged up the mirror considerably. Tossing it on the sink in resignation he gave up and turned to fetch his clothes—when he realized he had forgotten to take anything other than his muddied clothes from earlier in with him. Rolling his eyes in slight annoyance, as Cora would no doubt make some snide remark as soon as he left the washroom, Robert wrapped a towel around his waist and took a deep breath to fortify himself before opening the door with slight trepidation.
Cora was still 'reading' when she heard the door click open. She did try to keep her gaze fixed on the unintelligible lines of text on the page but her body seemed to betray her as her head immediately shot up only to meet her husband's sheepish expression as he exited the washroom with only a towel. Several seconds passed before Cora realized that her mouth was hanging slightly agape as she stared. Snapping her mouth shut, she felt a blush creeping up the back of her neck once more as Robert quickly shuffled across the room toward his trunk mumbling something about forgetting his clothes.
"Do you want me to ring for Barrow?" Cora finally stammered, placing the book beside her as she turned slightly to follow his movement to the other side of the room.
"No thank you." Robert replied quietly, rummaging through the trunk before pulling out several garments and finally looking up at her.
Cora was still staring rather oddly and Robert cocked his head slightly in question but when she made no movement or attempt to speak he turned his attention back to the trunk for another moment and then clicked it shut, heading back toward the washroom and shutting the door behind him once more.
Cora felt absolutely ridiculous. Here she was sitting on some enormous bed in one of her most expensive gowns and he had barely looked at her. He couldn't even stand to change in front of her. What an utter fool she was making of herself. Sighing in exasperation she looked toward the washroom door and wondered how long he would be in there this time. Perhaps when he finished they could talk or just go down to the dining room for dinner. Or perhaps something else. She didn't know; she didn't really know what she wanted anymore. All she did seem to know, finally, and with clarity, was that she wanted Robert back. She wanted him to look at her like he always did. She wanted him to read her lines from his books that he thought she might like. She wanted him to take her arm and walk around the gardens with her. She wanted him to hold her and kiss her and make her forget how miserably sad she had been lately.
She wanted her husband.
But, she suddenly wondered with nervous realization, what if he didn't want her anymore? She had spent the last month pushing him away over and over again. She had shouted at him, ignored him and chastised him when he did not deserve to be. Even today, she had embarrassed him for arranging the hotel room and presuming that she would want to spend time with him. As the weight of reality came crashing down upon her, Cora felt tears welling up in her eyes and a dull ache in her chest.
What was she doing? What had she done?
Once more Cora heard the familiar click of the washroom door and so she wiped her eyes and took a breath, willing herself to calm down. She watched as Robert exited the small room and, without looking her way, took a seat on the settee on the other side of the room. He unceremoniously picked up the newspaper he had been reading earlier and flipped through the pages until he found the correct one.
The room was absolutely silent except for the slight crinkle of the pages in his hands. Cora sat up in bed staring at the back of his head for a long moment, wondering what do to. She could feel her heart beating quickly in her chest as she carefully stood from the bed, smoothed out the cover, and walked over to where her husband was seated. She stood in front of him silently for several seconds before he realized her presence and lowered the paper from in front of his face. He said nothing, though, and just looked at her questioningly.
"I thought we might go down for dinner soon," she inquired quietly, looking down at him but not quite meeting his gaze.
Robert smiled faintly and put his paper down more fully. "Thank you but I am rather tired and not at all hungry. I think I will just stay up here. Please do go without me, if you wish." He paused and then picked up his paper once more.
"Oh. Well, alright then. I'll just—well I'll just…" Cora turned with a deep frown when the washroom door caught her eye. "I'm going to take a shower."
Even though Robert had been reading intently, he looked up in surprise. "You are?"
"Yes, I am," Cora nodded. Without another word she walked straight to the washroom, clicked the door closed behind her and reached down to lock it before leaning back against the wall and letting out a long sigh. Now what? She did not actually want to take a shower, but she couldn't very well sit out there in silence for the rest of the night, nor did she want to sit alone in the hotel dining room for dinner. Wandering over to the shower curiously, she eyed the various knobs and frowned. Exasperated, she made her way to the sink and sat on the edge of it. After a moment she took another long deep breath. The room was still thick with the steam from Robert's shower and the room smelled faintly of his cologne. It smelled the way his pillow always did. Not strong, just a faint trace that always served as a reminder of his place beside her at night. Lately she had to hold his vacant pillow tightly to her chest at night to even get a faint trace of the familiar scent. Looking up at the door once more, she knew exactly what she did want to do.
Emboldened by a mixture of desperation, curiosity and a tinge of hope, Cora stood and walked back to the door, unlocking it and clicking it back open. Robert still had his back to the door and looked engrossed in his paper. She thought about turning around and forgetting the whole thing, but looking at him once more she resolved to at least try.
"—Robert?" Cora called in a voice barely above a whisper, only her head peeking out from behind the washroom door.
Robert folded his paper down and turned immediately, noting the strange expression on his wife's face. "Is everything alright?"
Cora nodded and bit her lip. "I was wondering if you could help me."
Robert frowned in confusion. "Help you?" He prompted.
Cora nodded once more but was silent for a moment before stepping out of the washroom more fully. "I can't get the shower started. Can you help me?" She smiled softly and raised her eyebrows slightly in hope.
Though Robert was surprised by both her admission of needing help and her softer expression, he tried his best not to show it. He returned her nod and quickly put his paper down and followed her into the washroom.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know which knob to use," Cora explained quietly as Robert followed behind her, reaching the shower in the corner.
He smiled in understanding. "I may have stood here wondering for a few minutes, myself," he replied conspiratorially.
He was standing so close that now Cora could smell his cologne on him rather than just the faint trace she had smelled earlier. Without realizing, she had situated herself right in front of the shower and was simply staring at her husband who seemed to be waiting for something. She smiled and he smiled back, but still stood there waiting for something.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, finally.
Robert chucked and shook his head. "No, it's just—" he motioned behind her. She was blocking the shower knobs. He smiled once more and put his hand on her waist, gently, pushing her out of the way as he reached around her to turn on the correct knob. The water began spraying. His hand was still on her waist as he leaned out of the shower and stood back up.
"Thank you," Cora whispered, breaking his gaze and letting her eyes trail down his chest. He wasn't wearing his dinner jacket, only a fresh white shirt, and she could see the outline of the muscles in his arms and shoulders move as he stood back up.
Robert let his eyes find Cora's once more. "You just need to wait for the water to warm up—" He smiled one more and finally removed his hand from her hip. Just as he was about to turn and leave her to it, though, Cora reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait—" she called out far louder than she had intended. Robert couldn't hide his surprise this time and she nearly giggled at his bewildered expression. She was able to hold in her laughter when she realized that he probably thought she was about to yell at him again. Robert studied her face as she held tightly to his sleeve, but rather than explain, she took a step closer and released her grasp, instead letting her hands rest against his chest for a moment before taking one final step to close the gap between them.
"Please. Please don't go," Cora finally murmured, her hands reaching up to meet around the back of his neck before finally leaning up to press her lips against his. Robert's body jerked back in shock but Cora pressed herself against him more deliberately and deepened the kiss, moaning softly into his mouth. Robert found his bearings almost immediately and very soon had Cora pressed up against the wall beside the shower, kissing her with more fervor than he realized as she let her hands trail down and start working on his shirt buttons.
Very quickly they were in similar states of undress. As Robert's lips trailed down her neck toward her chest his hands finally undid the knot of her corset and it fell to the floor with a satisfying thump. They both looked up for a brief moment and giggled before Cora wrapped her arms around him once more, nearly gasping as she felt his tongue against hers and his hands sliding down her now bare abdomen.
Everything seemed hazy, all of a sudden, for Robert. It was a bit like a dream but far, far more exciting. He couldn't seem to form a coherent thought and when he felt Cora reaching for the closure to his trousers he was unable to suppress a loud groan. Cora only smirked and finished undoing the button, letting her hand graze over the part of his body that had reacted rather strongly to their activities. That was all it took for Robert to lose all sense of control, and he pressed Cora more securely against the wall as she let out a soft gasp of surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him.
Feeling her pressed against him, Robert knew he could not hold off much longer, so reaching his arms around her bottom he lifted her up against him and began to turn around with the bedroom in mind.
"No," Cora murmured against his mouth, finally breaking away for a moment. Leaning her head back slightly, she unwrapped her legs from around his waist and grinned mischievously before taking his hand and stepping back slightly, closer to the still running shower. "You did say you'd help me," she added, delighting in his adorably shocked expression.
Robert only nodded dumbly as he watched Cora step backward into the shower, her eyes widening slightly and her head leaning back as the warm water hit her bare body. "Oh, God," she groaned, reaching behind her to brace herself against the shower wall. Robert stared for another second until Cora lifted her head back up and grinned wickedly, beckoning him forward. Discarding his last undergarment, Robert happily complied and let out a similar groan as the hot water hit his body and Cora's hands were all over him once more. He thought his legs were going to give out as he felt her reach down and let her fingers graze over him once more before cupping him more deliberately.
"Good Lord, Cora—" she silenced him with another kiss before eventually releasing him and bringing her hands back up to his chest. Sensing his own rather precarious footing and not wanting to topple them both over with the slippery tiles, Robert placed his hands on Cora's shoulders and pulled her down toward the floor of the shower with him, not stopping until they were both kneeling against the tiled bottom with the hot water still rushing over them. Now it was Robert's turn to grin wickedly as he took Cora back into his arms and trailed kisses down her neck, following a path made by his fingers, then down to her breasts, which elicited another pained moan from her. Finally, he reached her abdomen and was about to go lower when he felt her grasp for his shoulders to steady herself.
"Robert, I can't hold on—please," she groaned again as he pulled her against him in understanding and leaned back to a sitting position against the floor. Reaching over for Cora's hand, Robert pulled her to him and their eyes met once more before she straddled him, both crying out as he pushed into her.
If it was a dream, Robert never wanted it to end. His frenzied senses were on overload as everything around him melted into abstract pleasure. He felt Cora moving above him and heard his own muffled cries mixed with hers as the water continued to pelt against them and he thrust into her. After only a few minutes Robert's eyes finally focused as Cora arched her back and cried out with pleasure before collapsing her wet body against his chest as he followed her climax a moment later.
They held each other in that position for untold minutes until Robert finally maneuvered Cora off of his lap and he reached up to turn off the water, which had begun running rather cold. Cora only sighed contentedly and leaned against the wall, grinning up at him. "You're very good with showers," she finally murmured, still smiling up at him.
Robert only grinned sheepishly and offered her his hand as he stood. Robert helped her step out of the shower and wordlessly wrapped her in one of the large white towels hanging on the wall. Very gently, he took the other towel and patted her hair dry before wrapping it around himself. Cora let out a giggle and a surprised shriek as he then lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the washroom, setting her down on the bed. They both collapsed against the pillows before turning on their sides to face one another—wild grins still painting both their faces.
Cora reached up with one of her hands and stroked against Robert's cheek as he gazed at her, amazed at how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. He thought his heart might burst when she wrapped her arms around him and murmured something against his neck. It took him a moment before he realized what she had said: I'm sorry.
Robert only shook his head and held her tightly in his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He didn't need to say anything because she already knew. She knew that he was so, so sorry for everything that had happened—even when it was not all his fault. She knew that he loved her and she knew that they were going to be just fine—more than fine, though, they were going to be happy. Eventually, they would be happy again. Even if it didn't last and they were sad tomorrow, in this moment they could be happy, if just for a little while.
They stayed wrapped up in each other's arms until the chill of the room finally got to them and they both sat up. Robert stood first, wandering back over to their trunks where he found his pajamas and dressing gown before rummaging through Cora's trunk for a moment, pulling out her nightdress and dressing gown as well.
"What time is it?" Cora asked once they both sat back down, dressed in their nightwear.
Robert checked the small clock on his bedside table. "Nearly eight," he replied, turning back to meet her gaze. "Are you hungry?"
Cora nodded and grinned slightly as her stomach let out a small rumble.
"I'll call down to the desk and have them send something up." Robert couldn't suppress his own happy grin and he pressed another kiss to her cheek before standing to go make the call.
Cora laughed when only a few minutes later there was a knock at the door. There were certainly perks to being the Earl and Countess who stayed in the nicest room. Within minutes, they were sitting on a throw blanket atop the bed eating from plates made up from the small buffet brought up by two hotel employees. Their conversation flowed easily as they ate and sipped their wine. They talked about their plans for the coming day and about plans for when they returned home. It was easy and as though no time had passed. Though their love had never truly disappeared, in their grief they had forgotten how to like one another and talk to one another. But finally, the fog seemed to lift as they giggled over shared jokes and leaned over their plates every few minutes to press their lips against each other's.
When their dinner was finished and the plates cleared away, Cora sat up expectantly, and watched as Robert walked back toward their bed. She thought she had a pretty good idea of what he might like to spend the rest of the night doing and so she was fairly surprised when he only sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand with a smile.
"What would you like to do now?" Cora asked with a coquettish raise of her eyebrows.
Robert smirked at her expression but released her hand and slipped under the blankets beside her before answering. "I would like to go to sleep—" he paused and wrapped his arm around her, guiding her down against his chest, "—holding you just like this," he added, wrapping his other arm snugly around her. She couldn't see his face, but Cora smiled against his chest as she settled against him. Even after all these years he did still surprise her on occasion. Robert reached over to click off the lamp and very quickly they were both asleep, wrapped up in one another as if no time had passed at all.
A/N: Well there you have it. Also, because I am ridiculously bad at containing my story length, my "one-shot turned two-shot" will now be a three-shot. There will be a final chapter/epilogue posted shortly.
Thank you for all the reviews and I'd love to know what you think :)