A/N: In my updating, I felt like it would be nice to mention something my best friend wrote for me once. There is a story on Archive, under Meowser's user called Write On Me. It's series of little chapters she writes for me of Ked and a while back she mentioned a blouse button pop Katie had perfected in a chapter and I thought it would be nice to mention it here since it's about a year or so in the future from where this chapter is now, but she had to start it somewhere, right? All credit to my dear friend, Meowser, for that plot point, because she was the one who she wrote in their timeline. I'm just adding to it now.

I hope you all enjoy xx Mariah

Life went on. Another month passed and it was nearly Memorial Weekend, which Ned had gotten leave for. He'd passed all of his exams and drills with flying colors, so his Sargent gave him a few days leave as a reward.

"What are you doing right now?" Ned asked in a low voice.

The sound made Katie close her eyes and sigh wistfully. She placed down her paint-covered roller and shifted her cell phone to her other ear.

"Painting the room," she answered softly.

She recently got the courage to take down Charlie's room and turn into an office for her. She was just waiting on the furniture be delivered.

"Ahh," he said. "How's that going?"

"He should be in here," she answered. She could feel her eyes begin to sting with inevitable tears, which happened every time Charlie was mentioned. Her throat began to constrict with emotion, causing her to cough before uttering her reply. "Just a few more days right?" She asked. "I'm gonna need your help to put the office furniture together."

"Yes," he replied. "How's the family?"

"Good. We all miss you," she replied and picked the roller pack up, starting to paint the wall again. "There's a barbecue at my parent's on Sunday. Everyone is gonna be there."

Since he left a seven weeks ago, Katie set herself on a mission to finish moving them into their new house to keep her mind off the stalker fiasco.

No one would be able to recognize the house after its transformation. Aside from a few more coats of paint, the house was done. Their home had a manicured lawn with a white picket fence. The inside was clean, contemporary and furnished. Katie was beyond proud of what she accomplished on her own. She refused to send Ned any pictures— even though he begged— because she wanted to surprise him when he arrived home for Memorial Day weekend.

However, as the projects became fewer, that overwhelming sadness had begun to creep in again. As she sat there on the phone with her husband in the nearly painted "office", she cc couldn't help the emotion that built up in her chest and the painful need to have him by her side at this very moment, holding her hand.

This was to be their son's room, but there was no need for a nursery anymore.

"Katie? Are you still there?" Ned's voice began to echo, making it hard for her to hear him.

"Hang on. I can't hear you..." She replied, moving to the other side of the wall, panting the few mishaps here and there. "Say that again?"

"Ok… I said I was excited for the barbeque, but you didn't respond…" Still echoing.

"Sorry, babe, hang on a second." She pulled the phone away from her ear to examine and noticed not all her reception bars were lit up. "Ned, your voice is echoing." She set down the roller in the paint tin. "I'm gonna see if I can get better recep…"

She turned and the rest of her words were replaced by a surprised screech when standing in front of her, with a cell phone pressed to his ear, wearing his uniform was her very real husband.

Ned let out a laughing cry at her reaction, as the tears in his glistening eyes began to spill over. She was stunned and couldn't seem to do anything, but stare at her gorgeous, very tanned, and incredibly muscular blonde husband who was standing in front of her. It's not until her cell phone slipped out of her hand and crashed to the floor that she was snapped out of her trance and leaped into her husband's arms.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Ned!" She sobbed, wrapping her legs around his waist as she cried hysterically into his chest.

"Shh, Katie. It's ok." But he's not fooling her, as his voice cracked and she could feel his tears splash down onto her back. "I'm here."

"How?" She asked. "You weren't supposed to get in until Friday! It's Wednesday..."

"I won a poker game." He shrugged, kissing her cheeks.

"Wait, what?" She pulled back to look up at his eyes, holding his tear-streaked face in her palms. "You actually won?"

"Don't worry about it." He chuckled softly, touching her face. She was here. He was here. This was real. "We have plenty of time for that later. Right now I just need to do something…"

He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her close, crashing his lips into hers, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, causing her to whimper against his lips. He slanted his mouth to capture more of hers and pushed his tongue through the already opened seam of her lips. She began sucking on it as soon as it entered her mouth and could taste the lingering cinnamon on it from his mints. He groaned, and then pulled away.

"Oh, god, I've wanted to do that since the night I left." He pulled her back in for another kiss, this one is more languid, and Katie can taste their mingling tears on his lips. "I've missed you."

His fingers drifted down her back, his hands finding purchase on the malleable swells of her ass.

"Ned..." She gasped as she pulled away from him, causing him to look at her with confused concern.

"What?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Katie looked down at herself and cringed. She'd been doing so much work around the house and knew she hadn't washed her hair in two days. She hadn't done maintenance on herself that often since he'd left. No one was looking at her with her husband gone, especially not down there.

Her legs, when was the last time she fucking shaved her legs? Or her armpits? Hell, she wasn't even sure she put on deodorant today. Her arms moved up to cover what they could as she felt her skin heat with embarrassment, her eyes were cast to the floor.

"Oh no!" He said sternly. "This is not going to happen. I have thought about this moment every night for the past forty-nine days, and not in one of those fantasies were you shy." He closed the newly made distance between them, and grabbed her chin with his fingers, tilting it up so her eyes can meet his. "You are so beautiful," he cupped her cheek and then his mouth was on hers again. His hands grasped onto her hips as he moved her backward until she was stopped by the edge of the table in the half painted room. Ned fell to his knees in front of her, pulling at her button and zipper on her jeans.

"Ned!" She hissed at him. "Move the paint..."

"Fine," he groaned and moved the paint container, roller and roller-tin to the floor. "Hush," he said gruffly. "I need to remember how you taste." He pulled at her jeans and was able to get them down to her ankles and she kicked them off, his fingers pushed her panties to the side. He lifted his fingers up to her glistening dark curls and spread the lips apart, and before she could think about how not clean she was, the flat of his tongue was pressing against her, and lapped up until the tip drug against her center, causing her to shudder. He groaned in satisfaction against her. "I needed that," he growled before his tongue lapped at her again and again, until he began lavishing her needy bundle of nerves with all his attention, sucking the nub of flesh into his mouth. "Oh god, you taste good. So good baby."

"Ahhh! Ned..." She cried out as her hands thrust into his— little longer than the last time she saw him— blonde hair. "Ned..." She stuttered out as he gently nibbled on her. "Oh, Ned!"

He began to hum, causing her to scream and grind against him until her orgasm hit her and caused her knees to buckle. "Woah," he said and grasped onto her hips to steady her. "I've got you." He got back on his feet and lifted her up into his arms. He brought her to their room and laid her on their bed, nearly crying at how soft it was. "I've got you, babe."

This was so much better than his bed at the barracks in Georgia. He couldn't wait to sleep in it for the next five days.

She was still recovering from her orgasm as he began to undress, his eyes fastened on her. She watched as he took off his shoes, then pulled off his socks. Her tongue jutted out of her mouth to wet her lips as she stared longingly at her husband as he unbuttoned his white shirt, it had been so long since she'd watching him undress for her.

He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor behind him, then slowly peeling the white tank from his toned body revealing his obvious tan lines. She leaned forward and drug her nails down his broad bare chest, causing him to groan. He made quick work of his belt, pants button and zipper. The dark green material fell to the ground, followed by his boxers.

He stepped out of both and kicked them away, suddenly more naked than she was. He slid his arm around him and grabbed her shirt and pulled it off her torso before yanking down her black panties and throwing them both on the floor, both of them bared to each other except for the metal dog tags that dangled around his neck.

He crawled toward her, pushing her back as he loomed over her.

"I love you," he said as his eyes smoldered as they stared into hers, and she could see the seriousness in them. He took her right leg and hooked it over his shoulder, he leaned over and kissed her once gently. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She answered back just moments before he thrust into her.

Both of them groan with the satisfaction of being one again. She molded around Ned as he began moving in and out of her at an achingly slow pace. Once they have acclimated to each other again, his thrusts began to pick up in speed and intensity.

"Oh, Katie! You feel so perfect." He moaned. "You have no idea how much I've missed this… I've missed just being able to see you or hear your voice."

She couldn't express into words the feeling of him as he moved into her, causing her whole body to tremble with terrible need, so instead, she whimpered and moaned and cried with each thrust.

She began to flutter as he pushed against the perfect spot with each pass, and he brought his thumb up to press against her, causing her second mind boggling orgasm in a little over an hour to wash over her.

"Ned," she whispered as the perfect bliss that she felt in this situation overwhelmed her, and tears sprang to her eyes. "Two months is too long. I missed you too much. I don't know if I can let you go again."

Ned was home, here in front of her safe, and buried inside her, after seven weeks and all of it just took her breath away.

She sat up, causing him to stop his movements, which have become jerkier as he got closer to his own release. She pushed him off her, flat onto his back. He took a step back, confused. She quickly slid off the table and was now on her knees.

She wrapped her hand around the base of his erection— slick from being inside of her— causing him to suck air in through his teeth. She pumped him twice and then wrapped her lips around him, slowly taking him completely into her mouth. She could taste herself on him, but it didn't bother her, because she had missed this. She had missed the sounds of his groans in person as he got closer, and the way he tried to fight the urge, but always gave in just a little, just enough, to make her hot for him all over again.

"Oh, Katie..." He hissed, grasping her hair. "Babe, I'm… I'm going to come."

She ignored his warning and continued to suck and pump him in time. He let out a series of whimpering grunts and then spilled himself into her mouth. She proceeded to swallow all of it, because she has missed his taste too.

She pulled her mouth off of him and looked up, watching as he caught his breath and looked down at her with a goofy grin on his face. A moment later he scooped her up as if she weighed nothing at all. He held her the way he did when he carried her into their old house after getting married. He kissed the top of her head.

"You lost weight," he whispered.

"I fit in my old clothes again," she muttered. "All of them."

He smiled and kissed her once more. He was so proud of her and how she'd regained her figure. Not that she needed to, he'd love her no matter what her size was.

"The house looks amazing, Katie. You did such an incredible job. I… I just can't believe this is the same place we bought all that time ago." He explained and she beamed proudly at his words. "I thought I had the wrong house when I first arrived."

"It was the only thing that kept me together all that time you were away," she sighed.

He nodded in understanding. She curled up at his side and rested her head on his chest, draping her arm over his stomach.

"Well I'm here now," he whispered into her hair. "It may only be until Tuesday morning, but I'm here."

"Welcome home, Ned." She said softly. "For now at least."

She could feel him hold her tighter and they both— wrapped around each other— fell blissfully asleep.

Neither of them knew he was there, but he was. He was watching from the hallway, and waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"He isn't supposed to be here!" Mason cursed quietly and turned to leave. "He'll play for that. They both will." He paused and hit himself in the head. "I know I need to wait. Don't remind me."

Ned stirred slightly and Mason froze, hoping he doesn't see him. He looked out the bedroom door, where he thought he'd heard a noise. Seeing nothing, he let sleep pull at hm, pressing a kiss to Katie's head before closing his eyes.

"Idiot. She'll realize you've never loved her." Mason laughed. "And then she'll be mine."

The next morning began with him watching her and working her through another two orgasms.

She missed him.

Then she showered, shaving her entire body in the process and washing herself of all the housework grime before walking over to her closet with nothing but a towel.

"I missed little things like this," he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and whispering in her ear. "Like seeing you in a towel."

"Get dressed," she laughed.

"I thought you could multitask," he joked and squeezed her ass.

"I can, but I need to get ready. I'm already late for work," she sighed. "And my mom has been super swamped since it started to warm up. Delia is off today and I know my dad took today off to be with Emma, but I'm just worried she's gonna be so mad at me." She huffed and looked at her closet full of clothes, with no inspiration to wear any of it. "I don't know what to wear."

He kissed her neck and she laughed as she leaned into his embrace. "How about I pick out your outfit?" He asked, looking over the different colors and fabrics of all of the clothes in her closet.

"You?" She laughed, thinking of a time when he thought orange matched with, well, anything.

"I have come long past my orange faze!" He exclaimed, knowing that was exactly what she was thinking about. "I promise."

She sighed, turning to look at him and roll her eyes. "Fine. You can pick my outfit out." She sat on the bed and closed her eyes, giving him the element of surprise.

He took a step forward and looked at all of her clothes. She had a nice variety of colors, but he'd felt like it had been too long since he'd seen her in yellow.

"Clear skies today, right?" He asked.

"Yes, clear and sunny." She smiled, glancing down at her wedding ring as she waited for him to pick an outfit. "What are you thinking?"

He found a sleeveless yellow blouse that he clearly remembered from one of her many lunch dates at the precinct before life got crazy. She'd come in all cheery, a blissful time when they were engaged. She'd sat on his lap and kissed his cheek, showing him a brown paper bag with pasta that she'd picked up from Lento's.

"Wanna share lunch with me?" She'd grinned.

It was then that his gaze dropped to the buttons on her blouse, the very ones he was touching now. The button had strained against her ample cleavage and he chuckled, knowing how she'd perfected that button pop with the push of her shoulders, which had brought out a delicious giggle from Katie that he'd eaten up with a kiss to her neck.

She'd looked so beautiful in it that day. She'd paired it with a skirt then, and he'd liked it, but not as much as he liked it when his wife wore jeans.

"You should wear this," he brought the blouse out. "And a dark pair of jeans."

"I could pair a cute pair of heels with this," she said to herself, taking the shirts from him with a smile. "This was a good idea. Maybe you do know what I like a lot more than I thought you did." She set the shirt on the bed and grabbed her phone, dialing her mother's number.

Ned smiled, kissing her neck as she spoke softly to her mother, informing her of Ned's surprise arrival and that she'd be there, just a little later than she'd planned. She'd snuck past without too much of a scolding with the promise of getting coffee from Village Java.

One of Ned's favorite things to do was to be at home with Katie. Because it gave him a sense of comfort when they were relaxed, together. Because he loved when she'd be near him, holding onto him in someway. That way he could smell her shampoo, press kisses against her skin and shower her with love. Because, in a simple way, it made him feel whole. He'd missed that most when he was at training.