A/N: Yeah, I know. Took me long enough. Hopefully, this was worth the wait. ;-)

*ADULT CONTENT!* Look away, kiddies!

Disclaimer: I am not looking to get sued. I make no claim to anything.

love [luv]

(plural loves)

n

1. very strong affection: an intense feeling of tender affection and compassion

2. passionate attraction and desire:a passionate feeling of romantic desire and sexual attraction

Resistance base, one month later...

Neither of them expected it to happen the way it finally did. There was no fanfare, no extreme circumstance, no emotions running high. It happened subtly, naturally, like they'd been doing it for years together.

Their team had come back from a long, exhausting assignment. Blair didn't have the energy or motivation to properly care for Kim, so she dropped the dog off at the kennels for the keepers to see to. She leaned heavily on Marcus as they made their way to their chamber. He was just as tired - not physically, which seemed impossible - but tired nonetheless. They stowed their gear, grabbed a change of clothes, and shuffled down to the communal showers where they proceeded to scrub away the day's grime under the tepid water. Marcus finished first and returned to their quarters, dressed in shorts and an old T-shirt. He sprawled on his side of the bed and dozed for a few minutes, waking when Blair returned and dropped the privacy cloth across the chamber's entrance. Tonight she was wearing a tank-top and sweatpants.

"I feel almost human again," she groaned as she gave her wet hair a final drying off with a threadbare towel and tossed the damp cloth into the hamper. Marcus watched as she wandered over to the age-speckled mirror propped against the wall - a lucky find by one of the other salvage teams which Blair bartered a pair of good boots for. She picked up a brush from the small table beside the mirror and proceeded to brush the tangles out of her damp hair. Marcus's gaze was riveted. For some reason, he always found the sight of a woman brushing her hair kind of sensual. Blair's long brown tresses soon flowed in natural waves past her shoulders. Marcus recalled the first time he saw her remove her pilot's helmet to let her hair spill out in all its glory. It was her one true vanity, and he was grateful that she indulged herself in it.

Marcus rose from the bed and moved to stand behind her. He put his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. He looked at their shared reflection in the mirror and saw Blair smile as she leaned into his solid frame and rested her hands on his encircling arms. "I hate being so tired," she murmured, "Why is it I'm about ready to drop and you're still going strong?"

Marcus kissed her temple. "One of the pluses of being a cyborg, I guess."

"Lucky bastard."

He snorted in amusement, then nuzzled the side of her neck. He smelled the homemade soap she'd used, and beneath that, her own warm scent. "You smell good," he muttered against her skin. He kissed her neck, tugged the strap of her tank-top down to kiss her exposed shoulder.

Blair shivered at the feel of his lips. She turned her head to meet those lips with her own. The kiss was slow and sensual, tongues curling against each other. Blair's exhaustion was soon forgotten as the heat began to rise in her. She didn't even notice when the brush fell from her grip and clattered to the floor. She turned in Marcus's embrace to wrap her arms around his neck. When their kiss finally ended, she whispered, "Let's go to bed." It was obvious from her tone that sleep was now the last thing on her mind.

Marcus grinned and abruptly hefted her off the floor. Blair uttered a faint yelp of surprise as her legs automatically went around his waist. "I can walk the five feet to the bed on my own, y'know," she laughed.

"You complaining?" His hands were gripping her ass, softly squeezing both shapely mounds.

Blair's smile was dazzling. "Hell no."

He carried her to the bed and gently lowered her to the mattress before climbing in with her. He loomed over her, supported by his hands on either side of her head. She reached out with both hands to take hold of his head and pulled him down into another kiss. It started slow, then escalated into breathlessness.

"Still tired?" Marcus panted.

Blair shook her head.

"Me neither." He crushed his mouth to hers.

It wasn't long before they both shed their tops and Marcus's rough hands covered her breasts. Blair moaned and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close so she could grind against him. That was when she felt the hard bulge prodding her inner thigh. This was nothing new during their more heated moments, but usually the condition faded in a few seconds. This time, an elated Blair realized, it showed no signs of abating. It was all she could do not to react. She worried that bringing it to Marcus's attention might make him self-conscious and ruin the moment.

Marcus trailed kisses down her throat, past her collarbone, he nuzzled the space between her breasts, then moved to take her left nipple into his mouth. Blair moaned and raked her nails down his back, leaving red trails in their wake. As Marcus tugged on her nipple with his teeth, he pulled down her sweats and panties until she was able to kick them off the rest of the way. He cupped her mound, its heat almost searing his palm. She was so wet he slid two fingers into her with ease. He pumped them in and out while his thumb rubbed her clit in tight circles.

Blair cried out and arched beneath him. Her fingers tugged desperately at the waistband of his shorts. "Off. Now."

Her demand startled Marcus. He'd never taken off his pants before. What was the point? But he didn't hesitate to obey this time. He kept his eyes on her, however. Some peripheral instinct kept him from consciously thinking about the throbbing flesh between his legs. He flung off his shorts and quickly lay his body over Blair's, skin against skin, with nothing in between.

"I love you," Marcus whispered hoarsely.

"I love you, too," Blair responded. Then she raised her hips and guided him into her.

Marcus gasped at the feel of her warm sheath engulfing him. His astonished gaze wandered down the length of their bodies to where they were joined, then rose to meet Blair's compassionate eyes. He felt tears of fear and hope well up and he managed to force the next words from his constricted throat, "Tell me if I hurt you."

Blair smiled and kissed him tenderly. "You won't hurt me."

Tentative, he started with a gentle rocking of the hips. When Blair showed no discomfort, even bucked impatiently under him, he deepened his thrusts. His fears and doubts soon melted away under the onslaught of sensations. Blair was moaning with every downstroke, rising to meet him each time. She lifted her legs until her heels dug into the small of his back, allowing him to penetrate even deeper. Marcus buried his face in the side of her neck and groaned. His hips snapped forward and a cry was wrenched from Blair's throat. Alarmed by the sound, Marcus raised his head and looked at her. "Did I hurt you?"

Blair's response was to grab his ass with both hands and forced him closer. "Don't fucking stop!"

Marcus laughed in relief. "Whatever you say."

Milo hummed to himself as he walked down the tunnel leading to Marcus and Blair's chamber. They hadn't shown up at the mess for dinner and Tabs convinced her husband to take them a tray. "They need a good meal as much as they do a rest," she'd reasoned.

As he approached the chamber entrance Milo noticed the privacy cloth was down. He opened his mouth to call out a greeting - a standard tactic in lieu of knocking - when a sudden noise gave him pause. It sounded like a moan, a loud one. A second later he heard another, this time in a woman's voice. Milo's eyes widened and his mouth snapped shut. Something told him now was not the time to ply them with his wife's cooking. That decided, he turned and headed back the way he came, a huge grin working its way across his face.

"About damn time."

Blair felt like her bones had turned to jelly as she collapsed on top of Marcus. If she was exhausted before this sexual marathon, she was a breath away from comatose now. She smiled at the steady pounding of Marcus's powerful heart just beneath her ear. Hardly sounded worked up at all. She shouldn't have been surprised. Cyborgs apparently had incredible stamina.

"Gonna need another shower," she mumbled.

Marcus chuckled. "Later. Go to sleep now, baby. You need it."

"You sound smug."

"Maybe a little," he smirked, "Not like I haven't earned it."

Blair laughed weakly. Marcus lifted her right hand to his lips, kissed the remaining fingertips and then her palm. "Know what else I feel?"

"What?"

"Relieved. Content." He rested her damaged hand on his chest, beside her head. "Human." He stared up at the rocky ceiling of their chamber. "I feel like a man again."

"You are a man." Blair placed a light kiss on his chest. "If a non-stop marathon of amazing sex doesn't prove it, I don't know what could."

Marcus somehow managed to drag a blanket over them without disturbing Blair. He stroked her long hair in a slow rhythm that lulled her further. "Love you..." she murmured before drifting off.

He smiled, then closed his eyes and let himself relax until he also fell asleep.