Chapter Three - Return

Daniel stared in wide-eyed amazement. 'Oh my God! She's here… she's human'. He was used to losing loved ones: his parents, Sha're. But, to have one return to him was unique. The emotions battled across his face for control of his expression, eventually delight was victorious and his shocked expression was broken by a huge smile erupting on his face. New tears, these ones from joy, stung the edges of his eyes.

Moving immediately to the bed, he covered her quickly with a blanket, averting his eyes from her nakedness as he did. He wouldn't sit there with her nude, it wasn't right. So he protected her innocence. But now with her bareness masked, he felt free to look.

She was more beautiful than he remembered. His memories of her hadn't done her justice. She looked so peaceful, wearing an expression of total tranquillity.

Although he really didn't want to wake her and bring her out of this perfect peace she was in, he needed to prove to himself that she really was here and this wasn't some cruel dream. Gently he reached to her and placed his hand as softly as he could on her cheek. He felt her warmth, her skin, her humanness. He sighed and smiled immensely, she really was here and human. He had never felt such relief and bliss before.

But his touch woke her. She stirred and looked up at him, her eyes growing wide. "Daniel?"

"Yeah." he sighed in relief. "You remember me."

She nodded carefully. "I remember you."

She sat up quickly. The blanket he had covered her with fell away from to reveal her naked form back to him. He earnestly kept his eyes locked on her face. Refusing to let his them travel south. She looked shocked, confused and more than a little scared.

"Are you okay?"

She appeared lost for words as she looked down at herself and began examining her new form. Flexing her hands and arms under her close inspection. "I am…?"

"…human." he finished for her.

She sighed. "It is alien to me."

"How?" he asked. "You said it wasn't possible."

Her focus turned to him with new wonder in her eyes. "I…" she paused, her mouth open to speak. She frowned.

"You don't remember?" he asked, returning her gaze.

She slowly shock her head, her furrowed brow remaining. "There is only you."

"You're doing better than I did." He smiled and as he did the movement caught her attention and her gaze switched instantly to his mouth. She hesitantly raised her hand, letting her fingers lightly trace the contours of his lips. They parted slightly at her touch and he had a fast, short intake of breath. He realised that as well as the smoothness and warmth of her skin, he could still feel the sparks he had when she was ascended. The amalgamation of them both was as incredible feeling. A tingling warmth that seeped into him, stimulating and heating as it absorbed into his being.

She slid her finger, just as tenderly along his jaw, across his cheek bone, the bridge of his nose, following the arch of his thick eyebrow. Each tiny area she felt she viewed with fresh wonder, a look of awe on her face. Fascinated by his responses and the vibrations.

"I have never experienced 'touch' before." she explained.

He closed his eyes at the sensations and as he did she draw her finger tips across his eyelid, so softly it was a whisper.

"It is different…being human…" she said, as she continued her explorations. Her fingers moved into his dark blonde hair. "The sensations of interaction…even the emotions. I feel a little scared but that is a feeling I have experienced before. There are other emotions, ones I have not experienced. I do not understand them."

"Can you describe it?" he asked, meeting her eyes.

She was silent for a brief moment, while she thought about it. "It is a mixed feeling, I feel warm and safe and yet open and exposed." she rose up on her knees as she spoke, her confident fingers feeling through his scalp. Before he could stop himself, his eyes travelled quickly over her body. He gulped down the lump that rose in his throat and forced his attention back to her face. She really was incredibly beautiful; he could feel himself growing aroused. It was impossible not to, with her touch sending quivers through his body, her nakedness so close he could feel the heat radiating off of her and the way she was looking at him, a mixture of longing and need. He knew the look, it was the same one as she was seeing on his face. She was looking at him with the eyes of lust. He was suddenly very aware that it was only his towel that was hiding his own nakedness. A quick downwards glance confirmed his suspicion that he was tenting, barely hidden behind the towelling material.

She shifted closer towards him, but as she did he backed away. Sliding off the bed, he fished a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt out of his draw.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking hurt by his reaction, as he pulled the pants over his hips, letting the towel then drop to the floor.

"No," he was quick to answer, shaking his head. "no, it's just that I think I know what you want and you're not ready for it yet."

She frowned at him, tilting her head, looking just like a confused puppy. He found it completely endearing. "I do not understand these feelings or your reluctance in helping me understand them."

He pulled his t-shirt over his head and rejoined her on his bed. "I think what you're feeling is what we call feelings of intimacy, when two people get as close as we have, an emotional bond develops and builds up and you crave closeness…Does that sound like what you are feeling?" Daniel tried to explain the best he could. He could feel the heat of a blush rise in his cheeks, but there wasn't much blood available for his face at that moment.

"I am unsure." she answered honestly, still looking confused.

He thought about how he could word it as simply as possible. "Do you…Do you want me to touch you?" he asked feeling more than a little awkward with his choice of words but unable to think of another way, a better way, to put it.

She swallowed hard and nodded.

"I cant do that. You know I cant do that, don't you?"

She looked at him inquisitively.

"It would be taking advantage of you." he continued. "You do not understand these feelings, so you can't be sure this is what you really want."

She nodded, showing her comprehension of his words "I know I want to be close to you, it is true that I don't know why or how humans do this, but I trust you. I know you and know that you would not do anything to hurt me or go against my will." she smiled.

"That's true, I wouldn't." he agreed. "But …"

"Is it not pleasurable for humans then?" she asked, still not fully understanding.

"Oh it is…" he coughed with embarrassment, "…Very pleasurable, but…" he was trying so hard to protect her virtue and she was making it very difficult for him. He had a strange sense of déjá-vu.

"Then I do not understand. What is your reluctance? You distinctly want this as much as I do. Your heart is beating more rapidly, your skin has had a rise in temperature and you seem to be swelling here." she gently placed her hand on his groin. He jumped at the contact. Clearly dressing hadn't been as effective at hiding his arousal as he had hoped. She quickly removed her hand when she saw the stunned look on his face. "I apologise."

Daniel, shocked, took a deep breath and thought quickly, clearly his reaction had made her uncomfortable and he didn't want that. But he didn't know how to get through to her. He wanted her, but he didn't want to want her. He didn't know whether it was right to want her that way, at least not yet, but the need for her was making his heart skip beats and sending intense trembles up his spine. Trying to explain this to her, however, was like trying to explain the colours to a person born without sight. He had spent his most of his life learning to communicate with people in many different ways but he realised that no words where going to work here. The only way to make her realise how exactly he felt, was to show her physically.

He slowly leaned forward and kissed her, gently. Running his finger through her long locks, stroking his palm against her check. The kiss remained slow, but so deep. He felt her heart flutter and he pulled her tighter to him.

When he broke the kiss she gasped for breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"That felt very… intense." she breathed "…but I still desire more."

He swallowed deeply. "I do too, but…"

She leaned towards him.

"…it would…"

Turning her head slightly to the side, their lips millimetres apart.

"…be…"

He tasted her breath, like hot ice on his tongue.

"…wrong." he said finally, giving in. His eyes closed. He expected to feel her lips met his, but the touch didn't come. When he opened his eyes again she had pulled away but only by a fraction. She was still eye to eye with him.

"I trust you." she said before closing the gap. Their kiss was firmer than the first. She threaded her fingers back through his hair, holding him close to her. Part of him knew he should be pulling away. She was new to this, innocent to this life. He didn't wish to hurt her feelings as he had done when he refused earlier but he knew he should. He just couldn't bring himself to pull away from her. His hands mirrored hers and twisted her locks throw his fingers, before trailing down her back. Feeling her soft, warm skin against his palms reminding him of her nakedness. He felt his heart rate pick up as she brushed up against his chest and he felt the hardness of her nipples through his t-shirt. He wanted, no needed to feel her against his skin and broke the kiss to pull his t-shirt off. He discarded it and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned in to re-establish the kiss but she moved away from him slightly. He opened his eyes to find hers focused on his chest, the look of awe back on her face.

His jaw dropped and his breathing hitched as her fingers found his chest and painfully slowly began tracing lines on his body as she had with his face. He laid back, giving her all the access to him she craved. She followed the line of his collar bone to his round shoulder and then back finding the definition of his pectoral muscle. Over one, then the other brown nipple, that pebbled instantly. Her touch seemed to ignite his every cell, her fingers leaving a tingling path in their wake. She trace down over each of his abs, setting his stomach muscles into spasm, to the V of his hip bone. Here she paused. He guessed his earlier reaction, when she had touched his groin had halted her. She looked up into his eyes and he saw her nervousness, her bottom lip pinched between her teeth.

"It's okay." he whispered to her, taking both her hand in his and pulling them back to his upper chest, placing them on his heart. "Let's go slow."

He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead before sitting up. "Come with me." He instructed, as he scooted off the bed. As she didn't have any clothes of her own Daniel handed her one of his own shirts from his wardrobe. Problem was there were no pants he owned that would fit her slight frame, everything they tried just slide off her hips. Luckily his shirt came down to her mid-thighs, unfortunately, however, knowing that she was bare beneath it was not helping him with his self-control.

He was scheduled to go off world in the morning so tonight he decided it was necessary to forgo sleep and show her around. He started in the bathroom, showing her how everything worked. She took it all in relatively silent asking a few question. That ended once he moved onto the kitchen. Here there were too many gadgets for her to puzzle over and she asked question after question on how everything worked and to what purpose. He noticed that as he was explaining all theses things she was grazing her hands over every surface near her, leaning how each felt; smooth? Rough? Cold? Everything was new to her and she viewed each thing he showed her or explained with fresh appreciation.

The last thing he showed her was the telephone. He deliberately left this for last so it would be fresh in her mind. He then called it using his mobile and let her answer it. He promised to call her from the base if he was able to.

He quizzed her on everything he had explained once he finished. She repeated his instructions back to him word perfect.

The night wasn't long enough and before he knew it, he had to get ready to leave. He showered, changed and made them both breakfast, each under her intent gaze, which in the case of his shower had been a little uncomfortable.

"Will you be okay?" he asked her.

She smiled and gazed around the many wonders his living room had to offer. "I shall be fine. I will miss you until you return, but I shall be fine."

"You sure you remember how everything works?"

"Do you wish to test me again?"

He nodded, reassured and grabbed his keys, but he hesitated before leaving, turning back to face her. "I love you." he told her shyly.

Her smile widened and she stepping up to him, pushing herself to his chest. Her hand stroked his check, her eyes tinkering with joy. "I love you also."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her tighter to him and pressed a kiss on the side of her throat. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"I know. I do also, however what you do is far too essential. You are stalling the inevitable."

"Not subtle enough?"

She giggled. "No." Lightly she pushed away from his embrace. "Go, but stay safe."

A.N ~

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