Hi, everyone. I know, I know. Update took forever and I'm sorry for it. I've been in Sri Lanka on business for the last week or so and, as you can probably imagine, writing time has been extremely minimal.

The majority of people wanted this chapter to maintain the drama of the previous chapters, so I did my best to acquiesce.

By the way, to those of you who asked…no, Sakura isn't pregnant.

Sakura Haru, thanks for asking about the story. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have completely neglected to post this chapter at all.

I hope the chapter's up to par. Please feel free to comment and give me tips on how to make it better. Thanks, guys.

Cheers,
Ebony
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Chapter 4: Crash

Sakura had never quite decided where she stood when it came to surprises. There was a part of her that appreciated the unexpected events that constitute a surprise…and yet there was the other, more pragmatic side of her that branded such things as unwelcome aberrations in structure. Sakura's life was full of small surprises. Little things like opening the fridge to find the week-old rice that should have been eaten or thrown out days ago; waking up early in the morning and getting ready for work, only to find that it was a Saturday. Small matters like that. Those who didn't know her couldn't possibly realize that beneath the entropy that seemed to define her life, there was a definite organization that she guarded carefully. With all the surprises she encountered in her work, Sakura made it principle to keep her personal life as un-surprising as possible.

Which is perhaps the reason why she couldn't really choose how to respond when she was grabbed from behind as she began her ascent up the stairs.

She whirled around, her heart suddenly leaping into her throat as she turned. "Oh my God…!" Sakura saw who it was and calmed down instantly, working hard to breathe deeply and slow her racing heartbeat. Syaoran grinned impishly at her and kissed her nose.

Hi, honey," he said softly. "You're looking pretty gorgeous there in nothing but your underwear…" His arms were draped loosely around her waist, pulling her close to him. Sakura placed a hand on his chest to steady herself. She felt the heat of a blush spreading across her face. Her knees were quivering like jelly and Sakura was sure that if she didn't have Syaoran's arms supporting her, she would fall down.

"Wow…hi. What're you doing home so early?" Sakura asked in pleasant confusion, deciding to ignore the quip about her state of dress. Syaoran's hair was wet, his bangs hanging long over his eyes. His dark brown eyes were full of mischief as he smiled that irresistible smile at her. His skin was slightly damp, cool to the touch, and smooth. A few stray drops of water lingered in his hair and on his neck and shoulders. Sakura relished the image, loving the feel of his hands on her body and the heat that his proximity brought to her neck and cheeks.

One of Syaoran's hands left Sakura's waist. He held her chin gently between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up ever so slightly, and looked into her bright green eyes. Syaoran contemplated their position for a brief moment; felt her body so close to his; felt the heat surging from his fingertips to his toes. Without hesitation, Syaoran captured her lips, drawing Sakura into his arms. Electricity crackled between them as their lips met. Sakura responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back with equal intensity, her heart thudding in her ears. His mouth was sweet, his lips tasting distinctly of sugar, and Sakura was reminded just how much she loved this man. Chills and sudden warmth raced from her neck to the base of her spine, a pleasurable burning sensation that lingered wherever Syaoran touched her. Sakura clutched him tighter, her fingers tangling in his mussed up hair. In that moment, she could scarcely believe that she had gone without this contact for as long as she had.

Syaoran was surprised by Sakura's quick response to his advances, and smiled against her lips. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her slowly, their lips meeting and parting briefly, then coming together again. Syaoran's heart soared. Only moments ago he had desired nothing more than to have his wife in his arms…and now he had it.

God must be smiling on me today, he thought as he gradually broke the kiss. Sakura's eyes remained closed, her lashes dark against the fair complexion of her skin. Her lips were still slightly parted, pink and slightly swollen from Syaoran's kisses.

"Hey," Syaoran murmured softly, hands resting on Sakura's bare shoulders. Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him, twisting a bit of his hair around her index finger.

"Hey to you, too," she replied in an equally quiet tone. She ran a hand down the side of his face and Syaoran leaned into her hand, turning his face and kissing her palm. He covered her hand with his, lacing his fingers with hers, and planted light kisses on her wrist and down her forearm to the crook of her elbow. Syaoran could feel Sakura trembling and looked at her with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked tenderly, pulling her into his arms. She pressed her face into his chest, inhaling the wonderful scent of his cologne, and put her arms around his waist as he held her. Sakura sighed contentedly.

"It's been a while," Sakura said quietly as she traced circles with her fingertips on Syaoran's back. He hugged her a little tighter and began to stroke her damp hair.

"Yeah…it's been too long." He pulled away from her, and Sakura looked up at him quizzically.

"Syaoran…" He placed a hand on the back of her neck and sighed.

"I hate your work sometimes," he grumbled, a lopsided smile on his lips. "Someone should have warned me that I was marrying such a busy woman." Sakura rolled her eyes and pulled Syaoran to her so that their lips were a few inches apart.

"I did, you silly man. Don't you remember?" Her breath ticked his chin and neck and Syaoran was about to kiss her again...

When Sakura's pager started beeping.

Sakura pulled away from Syaoran eyes seeking her purse. She found it a couple feet away where it must have landed after she dropped her things when Syaoran surprised her.

"Sakura…please don't…" Syaoran's eyes begged her plaintively, imploring her not to answer the page. He held her tighter. Sakura squirmed, trying to extract herself from his arms.

"You know I can't just ignore it, Syaoran," she said, begging him to understand. "I'm on call…what if it's an emergency…Syaoran…!" He had begun to kiss her neck, his arms clasping her close to him and restricting her movement. Syaoran ran his lips down her throat, sucking in just the right places where he knew it made Sakura writhe.

She moaned softly, twisting in his grip both in pleasure and in a half-hearted attempt to free herself from him. Syaoran was a master of charm and Sakura felt herself falling quickly under the spell that she knew she could not allow herself to succumb to at that moment. It was too risky. If she gave into her desires now, there would be no turning back. She knew this. No matter how much she wished she could ignore it, the pager was still beeping and it would continue to do so until she acknowledged receipt of the page. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sakura mustered her willpower and steeled herself, then pushed herself away from Syaoran and out of his arms.

They both stumbled backwards. Sakura fell onto the loveseat behind her. Syaoran steadied himself on the arm of the couch, eyes wide with shock.

"Sakura…" She stood up and shook her head, walking over to her purse. Reaching in, she found her pager and pressed a button. The beeping stopped and she put the pager back in her purse. Then she turned and faced Syaoran. Her face was grave, melancholy. Syaoran could see the beginnings of dusty purple bruises that were blooming on her neck and collarbones. Sakura ran a hand over her neck self-consciously, then bent to pick up her scattered clothes.

"I'm sorry, Syaoran. I really…really am. There's an emergency case at the hospital and I have to go…" She looked up and her eyes met his. The look on his face broke her heart. With a sigh, Sakura deposited her clothes at the foot of the stairs and walked over to Syaoran. She put her arms around him and kissed his forehead.

"It's my job, Syaoran. Whether I want to or not, I have to go to the hospital when I'm called. I've dedicated my life to this, Syaoran. It's not just a profession. It's not just work." She looked him in the eye. "There are people at the hospital who are counting on me. You know that. You understood that when we got married. This is what we're going to have to deal with. Its part of the life I've chosen. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden…?" She frowned slightly, then smiled and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, breaking the kiss before it could go any further than that. "I'm going to go upstairs and change. Then I have to go the hospital. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Okay?"

Syaoran nodded petulantly and sighed.

"You'd better get going," Syaoran said. "You should take a shower before you leave. You feel clammy. Want me to call the hospital and tell them you're on your way?" Sakura's face lit up and she nodded.

"Oh, could you please, Syaoran? A shower is just what I need right now…thank you so much, love!" She grabbed her clothes and her purse and ran up the stairs. "I'll be down in two minutes!" she as she dashed down the hallway towards the bathroom. "Just tell Meiling I'll be there in 15 minutes, okay?" Her voice dwindled. Syaoran heard the click of the bathroom door and the turn of the lock. The water started running.

With a scowl, Syaoran picked up the phone and punched in the number of Sakura's secretary. "Sakura asked why I'm acting this way," he thought to himself as the phone began to ring. "Why am I acting this way?" There was a click and someone picked up the phone.

"Hello, you've reached the office of Dr. Li Sakura. This is Meiling speaking. How may I help you?" Syaoran cleared his throat.

"Hi, Meiling. This is Syaoran, Dr. Li's husband. I was just calling to let you know that she'll be at the hospital in 15 minutes and that she received the page you sent."

"Oh, hello Mr. Li. That's good. We're having something of a crisis here. A subway car derailed close to the hospital and they're bringing all the wounded here. It's a mess in here! Please tell Dr. Li to hurry and get here as fast as she can!"

"Sure."

"Oh, and…Mr. Li…" Meiling's voice carried a note of flirtatious intention as she spoke. "You should relax a bit. Don't sound to tense."

"Thanks for the advice, Meiling. I'll try to keep that in mind." Syaoran rolled his eyes tiredly. He was irritated, exhausted, and in no mood to deal with his wife's saucy secretary.

"Don't mention it, Mr. Li," Meiling gushed. "You must get so bored when Dr. Li isn't home…if you're ever feeling lonely, you know where to find me. Bye bye, Syaoran…I mean Mr. Li." She giggled and hung up the phone. The line went dead and Syaoran slammed the phone back onto the cradle with an angry growl.

"I've had enough of this," he muttered. He climbed the stairs and stalked into the bedroom he shared with Sakura. Closing the door behind him, he shed the towel he was wearing around his waist and walked into the closet, quickly choosing a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt and jacket to wear. He pulled these on over an undershirt and a pair of boxers. After fishing around in his sock drawer for a few moments, he found a thick black pair of socks and put these on his feet. Finally, he located his boots, wallet, keys, and umbrella.

Syaoran passed by the bathroom on his way down the stairs. The water was still running and he could hear Sakura humming in the shower. His frown deepened and he walked down the stairs, sitting on the bottom step long enough to shove his feet into his boots and tie up the laces. Syaoran stuck his wallet and keys in his pocket, buttoned up his jacket, and walked out the front door, closing it firmly behind him.

I'm sick of this. I'm sick of waiting, of being pushed aside. I'm sick of coming second to the rest of the world.

He opened the umbrella and started walking towards his car. The rain was pouring down in sheets and Syaoran could hardly see a foot in front of his face. He stopped in front of his car and looked up at the house. A window on the second floor was lit up. Through the blinds he could see Sakura's silhouette as she rushed back and forth in their bedroom. Syaoran sighed (he seemed to be sighing quite a lot these days) and got into the car.

I love you, Sakura. And I know you love me. But who do you love more…me…or your work?

Syaoran started the car and pulled out of the driveway. The headlights illuminated the wet road, showing him the way through what was going to prove to be a long and lonely night.

AN: Eh, I really think this chapter could have been better. I did my best with the time I had. Please tell me what you all think. Thanks.