Lemony goodness inside. You've been warned 3

I lay still in the bed at the hotel. I could hear the others shuffling around the room, getting ready for another day at the con and I just wasn't in the mood for it. I knew when this trip had been planned, it would turn out bad. What do you know, I was right.

"Shouldn't we wake her," Minako asked. "I know you guys got in late, but she'll miss the convention."

I mentally sighed. I wish they would just leave already and let me be alone.

"No, let her sleep," Rei said. "She's been having trouble sleeping lately. We'll join you guys in a few hours."

"Now you're not going," Minako whined. "That's not fun either."

"Why are you complaining," Haruka teased. "All you're gonna do is go off by yourself and let fan boys oogle you in your short skirt."

After a short while, the commotion died down as Michiru, Haruka, and Minako left the room. Rei, like she had said, stayed behind.

Rei knew me well enough to know I wasn't asleep. Sure enough, I heard her walk over to the chairs and table on my side of the bed and said, "They're gone. You can stop pretending now."

I opened my eyes and looked up at my better half, who had her legs propped up in the opposite chair, her arms crossed over stomach. She was eyeing me with a blank look. Or maybe I just didn't know how to read her expression. I looked at her a moment longer before letting my gaze fall to the floor.

"Do you want to talk about it," she asked softly.

I looked back up at Rei. "Does your head still hurt," I asked, dodging the question. "I can go get you something if it does."

She smirked at me. "Smooth."

I half smiled and shrugged beneath the blankets. My own head began to ache from laying for too long so I sat up and stretched. My back popped in a few places and I moved my legs out from under the blankets and placed them into the floor, leaning forward so my arms rested on my knees. I felt so detached from everything. I realized I felt much like I did when Usagi had told me she didn't want me fighting anymore. I sighed and let my head drop to gaze at the floor.

I felt the bed move beside me and Rei brushed her fingers back through my hair. "You have that same sad look in your eyes again. You have that look far too much these days."

I sighed and looked out the window across from me. It was late morning but the sky was overcast. "Its going to storm," I said softly.

Rei chuckled. "You and Mako-chan, I swear. The two of you both just seem to know." Rei looked out the window. "Although I think you would have to be blind to not notice the storm clouds rolling in." Rei turned back to me. "Are you ok?"

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Slowly I shook my head and brought my hand back down. "But I'll be fine."

"I have no doubt of that," Rei said. "But I know you still try to figure things out on your own." Rei closed what little distance there was between us, cupped my face in her hands and turned me so that I could look at her. "You are not alone, Caden. Not with me. Not with the others." Rei leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and I leaned into it.

"I know it's hard," she continued, her voice soft. "But I don't want you to ever feel you can't come to me with any problem or worry you ever have." She slid her arms around my head and pulled me to her, cradeling my face to her chest. "We love you, Caden. I love you. You are never alone in anything you face."

Rei's words echoed in my mind. I felt myself grow heavy and sunk into her embrace. My arms wrapped loosely around her hips, far too heavy, to me, to actually hold her. Rei didn't seem to mind though.

I sighed and brought my head up from her chest and rested my chin on her shoulder. I found I couldn't breathe being nestled in her breasts that way. Which was too bad, when I really thought about it and chuckled.

"What's so funny," Rei asked.

I chuckled again, "Just thought how I couldn't breathe because of being held to your chest. Which was too bad for me." I pulled back and gave Rei an innocent, toothy grin.

Rei blinked at me then laughed before leaning over and kissing my forehead. "You're silly."

I locked eyes with Rei and smiled. My silly comeback died on my lips when Rei leaned forward and claimed them with her own. I sighed and melted into my girlfriend, my hands clenching her hips gently. Not breaking the kiss, I brought my hands up to Rei's face and pulled her closer. I could feel Rei's tongue asking for entrance and I happily obliged her, gently nipping at it. I felt rather than heard Rei growl and her hands came up and grasped the front of my t-shirt. She leaned back and pulled over her, our mouths never breaking contact.

As I leaned over her, Rei moved her hands from my shirt to my hips. I had planned to lay along side her, but Rei guided me until I was straddling her hips. This wasn't a position I would normally be in; but when Rei rolled her hips into mine, I found I didn't mind so much.

My hands moved from Rei's face and into her hair. I pulled it gently and as Rei moaned into my mouth, I deepened the kiss. Rei's hands still on my hips, she began a slow rhythm with her own, guiding mine to follow. I growled and broke the kiss, dropping my face beside Rei's ear to moan. I felt her shudder beneath me, her fingers clinching my hips lightly. I chuckled deeply before I nibbled Rei's earlobe.

Rei's face turned to capture my lips with her own once again, her hands moving up from my hips to under my shirt, stroking my stomach with her fingertips lightly. I shuddered and sighed, bringing my face away from Rei's.

Rei moved to sit up and I followed along with her, still in her lap. Her hands slid over my ribs and caressed my skin as she moved my arm up, pulling my shirt over my head. She smiled and I blushed as her hands slid over my back, my shirt still in her hands, and leaned up to kiss my collarbone. I sighed and settled down on her lap, my arms coming to rest on her shoulders. I leaned my forehead against Rei's and we smiled as I felt her toss my shirt to the floor.

Rei's smile turned into a smirk quickly, however, as she rolled and pinned me beneath her. I blinked in surprise before my eyes fluttered closed and I growled in the back of my throat, Rei having moved down slightly to take my left nipple into her warm and wet mouth. My hands clenched at the sheets as her hand came up to massage my right breast while her teeth teased my left one. Without realizing what I was doing, my hips rolled up into Rei, who chuckled darkly, her free hand moving to cup me through my boxers.

I felt myself shudder and growled. "Fucking. Tease."

Rei chuckled again and looked up at me. "I don't hear, or feel, any complaints, love," she said smugly. I raised my head to glare at her as she teased me through my boxers again. I moaned, my head dropping back to the bed. Rei laughed as her hands moved to the waist band of my boxer shorts and slowly pulled them down, kissing along my stomach and hip as she did so.

Rei moved into the floor on her knees as she slid my boxers from me. I peeked on eye open to see her smirk between my legs as she threw my underwear randomly over her shoulder. I laughed and then moaned as I felt Rei's tongue slowly tease around the little nub of nerves between my legs. My head dropped back to the bed and my back arched slightly as Rei slowly teased me.

I realized then, just how long it had been. For both us. My mood the last few months was anything but cheerful, though I had my moments. But, being in the mood for sex, even with a sexy fire nymph, did nothing to start a fire (pardon the pun). Not to say I no longer felt attracted to the woman, far from it. But nearly dying and having your life turned upside down had put me in a substantial funk that I couldn't shake. I hadn't realized, until now, just how pent up my lover was. Let alone me.

I felt a slow pumping action as Rei's fingers entered and slid out of me and all rational thought left me. Instead I focused on the rising tension in my body as Rei's mouth and fingers brought me steadily higher. I could feel myself tensing. I felt Rei smirk and she moved my left leg over her shoulder and my right she held to the side, allowing her greater access with her mouth and fingers.

Her lapping quickened, as her fingers pushed deeper inside. I moaned her name loudly and clenched the sheets in my hands, arching off the bed again. My foot slid across Rei's back as she brought even closer to the edge...And kept me there. I could feel myself teetering and I cried out for Rei to release me from the oh so sweet agony.

Within seconds of begging, Rei pushed me over the precipice and released me from her sweet torment. Pleasure flooded my body and I arched off the bed, nearly sitting up, calling my lover's name again and again. Rei continued her ministrations as I rode wave after wave of pleasure, slowing her fingers and mouth as I began to relax back into the bed. She finally stopped and crawled over top of me, kissed my nose before moving to lay beside me. She laid her head at my shoulder, her right hand laying on my stomach, my senstive skin causing me to sigh as her warm hand touched my hot skin. We laid like that for several long moments, my breathing slowly returning to normal.

My eyes closed, I brought my right arm up around Rei's shoulders. She pulled herself closer to me, nuzzling my shoulder. She leaned up and kissed my ear, giggling softly as a shudder ran down my spine. "Feel better," she asked quietly.

I chuckled and slowly opened my eyes. My world suddenly felt less complicated. Nothing really mattered to me other than the beautiful woman in my arms. I turned to face Rei and she smiled warmly up at me. My eyes wandered over her face, taking in every detail. I'm sure I had done this before but I couldn't remember a time I had studied her face like this. It was almost like I was seeing her for the very first time. I saw her blush and she hid her face at my shoulder.

"Your staring is embarrassing me," she said into my shoulder. I smirked and nosed her head, trying to nudge her face up. She peeked out at me, giggled and began to pull away.

With hungry eyes, I watched her move away and crawl up the bed, giggling even more. I rolled over and slowly followed her up the bed. As she moved, her soft giggling turned into a purr as she began to slide out of her boy shorts and slipping her camisole off over head. She threw the shirt at me and it flew over my head. My hand landed on her shorts and I flung my arm to the left, and they went flying into the floor.

Rei backed up to the headboard, her legs drawn up and her eyes smoldering. As I neared her, she brought her arms up and rested them over my shoulders, her nails scratching my skin. I moved between her legs and reached up, our mouths crashing into one another in a fierce kiss.

Rei pulled me closer and I kneeled between her legs as they wrapped around me. I brought my hands to her breasts and cupped both mounds, massaging them firmly. I heard Rei growl into my mouth, her nails digging into my shoulders and pulling me closer.

I broke the kiss and leaned my head against Rei's our eyes locking as I dragged my nails down her skin. I felt her shudder and sigh as my hands reached lower. I raked my nails over the inside of thighs and smirked when she leaned forward to snap her teeth at me.

"Now who's being a tease," she moaned at me. I smirked and leaned closer to her, bringing my right hand over her hip to steady my balance and I slid the middle finger of my left hand over her slit. Rei's head leaned back against the head back and moaned, her arms pulling me closer.

I leaned into my petite lover and kissed along her jawline as I dipped my finger inside of her, rolling my fingertip upward. Her reaction was instant; her hips raised from the bed, causing my finger to dip into her more deeply. I began a slow rhythm of sliding my finger in and out, every so often bringing my finger up to flick her clit. She would jerk against me and I moaned into her ear, which would cause her to shudder again.

It seemed to not take much to get Rei going and I could feel her body beginning to tense beneath me. She leaned forward and bit at my shoulder and neck, which caused me to slide my fingers faster into her. Her hips rocked against my hand, her clit rubbing against the inside of my wrist.

I nuzzled and kissed Rei's ear, whispering sultry little nothings into her ear. I felt her body tensing more and I heard the hitch in her breathing. She was so close. I could feel it and it drove me mad.

I moved and positioned myself over her left leg. She opened her eyes and looked at as I took hold of her left hand and guided her fingers inside of me. I leaned forward and moaned into her ear and she growled, turned her face to kiss me. I brought my right hand up to grip the headboard to steady myself as we rode each other's fingers.

With my body already so sensitive, I came first. I shuddered and cried Rei's name out, my head resting against her shoulder. My left hand shuddered but kept it's pace and seconds later, Rei cried out as well, her right arm pulling me closer, her legs shaking uncontrollably.

We sat like that, our heads against the other's shoulder, our fingers still inside one another. Finding the strength I didn't think I could muster, I slowly pulled away and fell beside Rei before sliding my arms around her and pulling her over me. We slid down into the bed. We worked the blankets out from beneath us and laid there, content in the other's embrace.

Nothing mattered. Had I really been so stupid and blind to realize that no matter what happened in life, I would still have this woman to love and support me? And not just her, but the others as well. Had I really been so selfish to only realize this now? Life changes. The world continues to turn. But so long as I had the others and, more importantly Rei in my life, I could survive anything and still be happy.

I hugged Rei tightly to me, kissing the top of her head softly before resting my cheek there, my eyes closing. I was at peace in her warm embrace.

I was home.

"Marry me."