Abbie opened her front door to what appeared to be an empty house. Her footsteps met only with silence as she turned into the kitchen and placed her bags down.

It wasn't until she stepped closer to the living room that she saw the fire. And saw him. Sitting on the couch in much the same position that she had met him with earlier that morning.

"Crane…" She said softly. "Everything ok?"

He spoke without turning around to look at her, which was unlike him.

"Yes, Agent Mills." He said rather coldly. "I dare say I am splendid."

She walked over to the couch, looking down at him as he stared at the fire, still avoiding her eyes.

"Crane, what the hell? What is going on with you?"

"With me?" He chuckled slightly, finally raising his eyes to look at her. "What do you think is going on with me, Leftenant. You are leaving!", he screamed, a bit louder than planned, as he rose from the couch.

"Leaving me to live your dreams while I just sit here and do what? Fight this war without you?" He paused, closing his eyes.

"How can you just leave, Abbie?" He whispered. "Leave what we've started. Leave me…"

She listened to his words and became furious.

"So why didn't you tell me as much earlier Crane! You sat in front of me without any hesitation and acted as if my leaving was an opportunity I couldn't refuse."

She paused, waiting on an answer which he did not give.

"God dammit, I needed you to tell me I was making a mistake, Crane."

He watched as she put her head in her hands.

"I came to your office earlier. To stop you." He said, as he turned back towards the fire. "But it looked like you had already given your answer to Reynolds… So I left."

"Wait a minute… what are you talking about?" She said as she walked to stand close in front of him. "You saw me talking with Danny?"

He nodded his head and chuckled softly. "Well, it didn't look like the two of you felt like talking so much as doing other things of which I am sure you will have plenty of time for in Oregon…", he said offensively, feeling the slap, before he registered what just happened.

When he turned back to look into her eyes, he saw the tears, pooling hot and falling from her face.

"God damn you, Crane." She said, walking away from him and steadily toward her bedroom, slamming the door shut.

…..

He had poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat on the couch, reliving the last few moments and cringing at his crude assumption and inexcusable words towards the Leftenant.

And after several knocks on her door being unanswered, he was now resigned to not only lose her, but to send her away with anger and contempt in her heart.

He had taken a few sips when he saw her appear near the couch.

"I shouldn't have slapped you. I'm sorry." She said softly.

"It is I who should be apologizing, Leftenant. I never meant to disrespect you in such a way." He said as he rose from the couch, his eyes soft into hers. "Truth be told, I found myself to be innately jealous and filled with emotions which a decent man should not harbor. And it may sound stupid and trite, but my first thought was that you had picked him, not the job. Over me."

She laughed, causing a confused look on his face. "I didn't pick him over you, Crane." She said as she stepped closer. "And I didn't pick the job. I turned it down."

"You what?" He said sharply, the confused look still riddled over his face. "But I thought…"

"I heard what you said this morning. And truth be told, I was angry that didn't try to stop me. But then I realized that it was me who should be angry with myself. For not facing my fears and my admissions with courage… and instead running away."

"I don't understand, Leftenant…"

"I'm tired of being scared of these feelings I have for you." She said softly.

"And I'm not sure I can run from them anymore…" She whispered, looking up at him with soft brown eyes.

He stepped closer to her in the light of the dwindling fire. His hand brushing across her face, caressing her cheek. He waited for her to turn away. To tell him that this fire between them, shouldn't be fanned. Shouldn't be tended.

But she didn't.

And as his lips softly brushed against hers, he was sure of what heaven must feel like. Because he was experiencing it… here on Earth.

Her lips were soft, much like he remembered from before. But in this moment, he took his time. Gently caressing them with his own as if they were fine china, too delicate to handle roughly. His other hand rose to cradle her face between his long fingers, as he gently held her against him.

He felt himself smiling as he pulled away, looking at her face, making sure this was still okay. And her smile back told him everything he needed.

"I do not want to go thru this world without you by my side, Abigail Mills." He whispered.

"Nor do I, Crane." She said softly back as he bent down again, taking her lips once more within his. He felt her step into him, her body pressing up against his willingly. Their kisses getting more urgent with each passing second.

He opened his mouth wider, firm upon hers, and felt her do the same as their tongues met once again. He wrapped his hands around her waist, closing any remaining space that had been left between them as he felt her hands wrap around him as well. Her fingers finding his hair, and running her hands through it, sending a sensation throughout his body which made him shudder.

She must have felt him respond to her touch because the next thing Crane knew she had raised herself on her tip toes, pressing her body into him more and kissing him deeper and more passionately than before.

He felt his body falling backwards and reached a hand back to catch himself on the couch as she fell with him. He watched intently as she lowered herself down onto him, straddling Crane with her two legs and holding him captive as she leaned in to kiss him again. This time, without ease. Without tenderness.

She was all over him. And he, in tune to every movement and shift of her body, was begging for more. Disregarding all decencies and proprieties of his time as his tongue plunged into her mouth and his hands gripped around her backside, pulling her closer and deeper onto him. He felt her start to move her hips against him and moaned, in pleasure and shame.

For he was unable to control himself much longer without allowing her to feel just what he wanted and desired from her at this very moment.

His hands gripped her harder as she picked up the pace of her hips. Rocking steady back and forth against him as he let go of his sensibility and gave in to his lusts. And he knew she felt him when she moaned against his lips loudly and broke apart from their kiss suddenly, whispering against him.

"Touch me, Crane." She moaned as her lips devoured his once again, her hands removing his from behind her and placing them onto her waist.

Crane knew they should stop. Knew they shouldn't take things this far but he couldn't. Not when she tasted and felt like the most toxic delicacy imaginable.

When his hands moved up her waist and brushed the sides of breasts, he felt her shudder. Causing him to groan against her, his hands gliding over her breasts and brushing over her hard nipples thru her shirt.

"Oh God…", she muttered against him as she pulled away from his lips, their foreheads touching as they both lay panting on the couch.

"We need to stop." He said, slightly above a whisper as she let out a moan.

"Yes…" She said seductively, as her hips remained grinding slowly onto him.

"Sweet Jesus, Abbie." He groaned as he kissed her feverishly. "If you do not stop right now, I don't think myself capable of being the voice of reason."

She laughed at his way with words, even as they lay hungry and desperate for one another on her living room couch.

"I'm sorry, Crane…" she said as she pulled away from his face, looking upon him. "I didn't mean to take things this far before you were ready."

She began to get from off of him, only to have him pull her back down.

"Is that what you think? That I am not ready for this? For us?" He said as he looked at her quizzically.

"Abbie, there is nothing I want more in this life than to make love to you." He said, as her eyes grew wild at his confession.

"But you deserve more than this. More than us on a couch jumping into this next step without proper reflection. Without proper romance."

"Crane…" She said, as he cut her off and kissed her lips.

"I want to woo you, Abigail. Court you. I want to make you feel every ounce of the adoration and respect I have for you so you will know it is genuine. And real."

She smiled softly and looked down, startled by the truth in his eyes.

"And if I am so lucky as to have you, all of you, I do not want to hold back. I want to give you every drop of me. And demand it back from you." He said, pausing as she looked up into his eyes.

"That is my wish, Leftenant."

She laughed softly, closing her eyes and resting her head on his.

"Jesus, Crane." She said softly. "You have to stop talking like that."

"Why?" He asked earnestly.

"Because it literally makes me want to disregard everything you just said and pull you back to my bedroom right now."

He smiled and kissed her again.

"Perhaps you should rise from off of me then… Because that is exactly what will happen if we stay in this position for much longer."

She smiled and got off of him as he rose to greet her at her feet.

"Are you hungry, Leftenant?" He asked, a sly smile on his face.

"Famished, actually." She said, thinking of the lack of food she had ingested throughout her busy day. "You thinking take-out?"

He nodded and went to get his cell phone to place the order in the kitchen.

She called out to him when he was almost out of view.

"Oh and Crane…." She said as she approached him, whispering in his ear gently.

"There is nothing I want more than to make love to you too."

She said, brushing by him as he closed his eyes and savored her words.

To be continued...