Author's Note: There's a slight warning for this chapter as it involves sexual scenes. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen
Birds of a Feather

Several days later witnessed Tommy slowly and steadily recuperating much to Martha's delight. Seeing Tommy in such a state as the one he had been, she questioned whether or not he was going to fully heal. He was a strong man but what had happened to him had affected him to his very core and had forced him to sit back and gather his strength. He was stubborn in the sense that he was mentally prepared to move about but his body wouldn't allow him to continue at his previous pace. He had to be careful as any sudden movements caused a lot of strain upon his wound. Martha watched as he struggled with not being able to do what he wanted when he wanted, and had to rely on her and his family to help with simple things like dressing and moving around. He was mostly confined to his bedroom, and even though he did enjoy isolating himself often, having the isolation decided for him, however, was a struggle. He hated having to rely on the four walls and whatever else was brought into the room to occupy his thoughts during the day and during the nights where sleep evaded him.

Martha had spent time organising the books on offer for him, knowing that he was fussy when it came to things like that. Tommy needed constant reassurance that his days of being stuck in the same room would come to an end sooner than he could imagine. Tommy, however, couldn't wish for that day to come sooner.

So when the days turned into a full week, Tommy took it into his own hands and slipped out of bed before Martha could wake and refuse him from making too much movement. He glanced back at her sleeping form, her hand resting upon the warmth of which his body had just laid, and watched as she continued sleeping. He moved his arm slowly, mostly to loosen the muscle up slightly. The tightness in his chest made him wince but it was not audible enough for it to wake Martha. He gently warmed up his chest, aware that too much too soon would cause serious injury. Once he felt the tight pull of his chest, he stopped and moved slowly over towards the window.

The street outside was dark, and he was able to see the men leave the houses for a long day at work at the ship yard. They joined together and moved down the street until the darkness swallowed them up. Tommy sighed and took a seat on the wooden chair. His eyes fell on Martha, and he felt a rush of love overwhelm him. The bruising had begun to heal across her face from the crack to her nose that Michael had given her, and she was able to sleep more soundly. It felt almost surreal for Tommy to see Martha every morning when he woke, watch as she read a book oblivious to his attention upon her, or when he watched her sleep. It was surreal for him to feel her close to him, and feel the coldness or warmth of her skin in the middle of the night, to feel her fingers trace circles upon his arm, or feel her smile spread across his skin. It was as if no time had passed them by and they had always been together.

Martha, subconsciously, was aware of the missing body next to her. She opened her eyes slowly, and saw that the side that Tommy slept on was empty. She sat up delirious with sleep and as panic rose with her, she looked around the room where her eyes fell upon Tommy sat uncomfortable in the wooden chair by the window. He was topless, and the bandage upon his chest was clean from blood. His eyes were on her and she felt the intensity coming from him. She looked away as the butterflies fluttered in her stomach and goosebumps scattered across her skin.

The passion within his eyes was overpowering. And she listened to the creak of the chair as he stood up and moved across the room towards her. She tried to control her breathing as he came into view, and dipped his head in front of her and found her mouth where he gently brushed his lips against hers. The moment was peaceful and loving, and the world felt as though it had stopped for the both of them to enjoy this moment together. Tommy slid onto the bed next to Martha, and brought his hands up to her face where he caressed her face.

Martha deepened the kiss and moved closer to him. Her fingers trailed through his hair untamed due to sleep, and she felt the passion and love for him burn within her. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, to be with him, to be loved by him. He moved with her and trailed his fingers through her hair as he pushed her back onto the bed gently so that he was on top of her.

Martha broke away from the kiss, worried. "Tommy… your wound…"

"It's okay," Tommy whispered, placing a single kiss upon her lips. "I'm okay."

That was all Martha needed and the twosome resumed their kiss. Tommy allowed his hand to meet her thigh and he caressed the softness of the skin. He heard Martha gasp into the kiss as his fingers traced the length of her thigh where they stopped at her centre. Tommy smirked into the kiss, knowing that she was not expecting the waves of pleasure to overwhelm her, and kept his hand moving as she writhed beneath him. Her movements against him seemed to awaken his member and he groaned huskily into the darkness.

The early morning sun was beginning to lighten the street outside, but was ignored by the two inhabitants of the small room as they explored each other's body.

Tommy pulled away from the kiss, and rested on his knees as he hooked his fingers into her undergarments and tugged them down her legs where he threw them across the room. A giggle escaped Martha as she watched him discard her intimate garments without a care. Tommy smirked at Martha's reaction, and parted her knees.

"Stay," Tommy huskily whispered as he moved from the bed.

Martha's eyes danced across his body as she watched him remove his bottoms. "Yes Thomas," she whispered jokily to which he growled in response.

He slid back onto the bed and positioned himself between her parted legs. His lips found hers once more and slowly slid into her warmth. Martha closed her eyes as he moved inside her slowly, and allowed herself to feel every inch of him. She moaned deeply as his lips moved to her neck and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Tommy listened to her soft moans as they vibrated the air around him and filled his senses. Goosebumps scattered across his body.

They moved together as waves of pleasure threatened to overwhelm them completely. The need to be close to each other was intense, and Tommy felt himself beginning to lose himself. For so long, he found comfort in other women. It was never a loving affair, or something he wanted to invest his emotions in. He had done that with Martha and circumstances had caused her to be away from him. Making love to Martha was completely different to what he used to do with women who fulfilled his need to be close to another person. He'd changed as a person in the four years since he was last with Martha – and he hoped that his whole perception of love and showing Martha love in an intimate manner was not different.

Martha seemed to notice the shift in Tommy's movements. She stared intently into his eyes, their bodies still. "Stay here with me, Tommy," she whispered as she stroked his face. "Where did you go?"

Tommy clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes for a moment before his gaze met hers once more. "Some place."

"Good or bad?" she asked, her voice husky with lust.

"Bad…" Tommy said honestly. "A place I never want to visit again."

Martha nodded slowly. She caressed his cheek gently, her eyes skimming over the curves of his face, and she inhaled. "I want to make love to you, Tommy."

The room was now engulfed in light, and as the early morning sun poured into his small room, Tommy was able to see the love in Martha's eyes. There was something else that he was able to pick up, and he felt his heart swell with pride. Confidence. He offered a small nod, and moved to position himself on his back. Martha moved, and with Tommy's hands guiding her, she straddled him. She kept her hands in his mostly to support herself, and moved against him as her eyes remained on Tommy's face. His eyes fluttered shut, and his mouth was agape.

She pulled Tommy's hands and laid them upon her thighs that were positioned next to him, and with her free hands, she slipped her nightdress from her body. Coldness seemed to wrap itself around her body like a thick cloak, and Tommy seemed to notice the slight chill scatter across her body in goosebumps. His hands moved up her thighs where they rested upon her waist. He needed to hold her close. He sat upwards slowly allowing Martha to become accustomed with the fullness of his movement, and she laid her head on his shoulder and moaned. Tommy ran his hands up and down the length of her back, grazing his nails against her delicate skin and feeling her shiver at his touch.

She lifted her head, and their eyes met. They moved together slowly at first, and the pleasure began to increase as well as the need to be close to each other. They held each other, kissed the skin accessible to them, moaned in please, felt their skin burn and cheeks flush as they rode through the bliss and ecstasy.

Panting, they remained clinging to each other as beads of sweat ran down their faces. Tommy traced kisses upon Martha's collarbone, sweeping up her neck and along her jaw until he found her mouth.

They lay in silence, with limbs intertwined. Martha lay with her head over his uninjured shoulder with her fingertips grazing his chest. She placed her hand over his heart, feeling the thudding against her palm and closed her eyes. This was where she was supposed to be, where she should always have been.