Several weeks later…

"Stop it," Ruth said quietly. She was lying in bed wrapped in Harry's arms and he was holding her so gently and softly it was actually making her nervous.

"Stop what?" he asked as she moved to face him.

"Stop treating me like I might break at any moment. I'm not going to break and I'm not going to fall apart."

"I can't help it," Harry said honestly as a hand drifted through her hair. "I don't know…" he tailed off not knowing quite how to say what he wanted to. He was encouraged by Ruth's hand resting lightly on his bare chest directly over his heart. "I don't know how to behave around you anymore. I don't want to scare you or hurt you. I would be devastated if I made you feel anything like how you felt that day and I know you're going through something I can't begin to understand."

"Do you still want me?" Ruth asked bluntly.

"Of course I do," he said almost instantly. "I just… I don't want you to feel like I'm raping you." He had stopped looking at her but she waited until he faced her again.

"Oh, Harry, you won't make me feel like that. I want you," she said simply as a hand crept up to his face. "I just want you to hold me and touch me the way you did before any of these horrible things happened to me."

"Are you sure?" he asked. She nodded and there was such a naked truth held in her eyes that he knew she needed this. She needed him to be there for her. "Promise me that you'll tell me to stop if you need to," he said.

"I won't need you too," she said. "But of course I will," she added at the look on his face. She made the first move and reached upwards to kiss him. He was so reserved that she was becoming quickly infuriated. She leant away from him with a raised eyebrow and he rolled his eyes knowing what she wanted. He kissed her again, pushing her gently onto her back. His hand slipped under his shirt which Ruth always wore to sleep in and settled on her waist.

Ruth reached for him and pulled him closer to her, resulting in a more intense kiss. This felt good, the detached part of her brain thought. It felt right. She felt one of her shirt buttons come undone and she stiffened for a second. She relaxed almost immediately but Harry had caught it. His face was clouded with worry which didn't lessen when she moved to kiss him.

"Please don't stop," she begged quietly. Against his better judgement he listened to her and undid another shirt button while his lips were on hers. Slowly he slid his hand under the fabric and touched her breast lightly. She gasped but he was pleased to hear that noise from her because that meant she was enjoying herself. He kept caressing her skin softly with both his hands as she kissed him eagerly. This was exactly what she wanted from him and she loved him so much for trying to give it to her. She knew this was difficult for him. Quickly his mouth replaced his fingertips and she sighed with contentment as his tongue danced against her flesh. Her hand slid down his body and reached between his legs. She could feel his hardness and ran her fingertips slowly over him as her eyes bored into his.

"I need you," she whispered. He nodded once and held her hips tightly as he entered her, so slowly. Being so careful with her. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him further inside her, making a tiny satisfied sound as he filled her completely. He was removing the touch of her rapist from her body and her mind and it felt good. There was nothing big or showy about the way they made love. It was the quiet and gentle rediscovery of each others bodies. It wasn't a heady passion, it was a total trust between two people who loved each other more than life itself. She didn't climax, he was treating her too carefully and moving too slowly for that. But that wasn't the point of this. That wasn't why she needed him to make love to her. He was reminding her of what it was to be touched intimately by someone who loved her, rather than someone who wanted to hurt and humiliate her.

Ruth ended up lying in the remnants of Harry's shirt, her head nestled close to him. "Thank you," she whispered sincerely. She had needed him to touch her like that. "I know that wasn't easy for you."

"Did I hurt you?" he asked still concerned over her.

"Harry, you know you didn't," she said quietly and kissed his collarbone. "I love you." She slipped his shirt back on over her nakedness and promptly fell asleep with her head resting on his chest. He watched her sleeping face with unaccountable sadness. He still couldn't believe someone had done that to her. When he thought of someone forcing her, having sex with her against her will… He couldn't think about it because it made him want to punch something which wasn't ideal when Ruth was lying in his arms. Thinking over that he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He fought hard to stop from making any noise because he didn't want to wake her. The tears were still damp on his cheeks when hours later he drifted off to sleep.

Very nervous about this last chapter. What do you think?