That Sunday, Laura and Steve met Eddie and Max at the Winslow house for family dinner. When Laura and Max found a moment alone while doing the dishes, Max couldn't help but ask. "So how's the counseling going?"
Laura took a deep breath and sighed. "Good. He's getting better. He's not quite back to himself, yet, but he's getting better."
"Are you having sex again, yet?" she asked.
"No," Laura frowned. "He's trying, but he's just not ready."
"That amazes me," she said. "Steve Urkel, even at sixteen, wanted nothing more than to be your make-out buddy, but you're practically begging him to hump your brains out, and he won't do it."
"Do we have to talk about this?" Laura whined. "It's hard enough going this long without sex. I don't need to talk about it all the time."
"You're really having a hard time?"
"I'm ready to pull my hair out, Max!" Laura admitted.
"Hey, whatever floats your boat," she laughed. "I won't kink-shame."
Laura giggled, but stopped quickly to pout. "I'm serious! I haven't had an orgasm in so long. I'm starting to forget what it feels like."
"You don't need Steve to have an orgasm," Max reminded her.
"I'm not gonna cheat on him, Max. He needs me now more than ever, and I love him."
"You don't have to cheat on him either, but it's weird that your mind went right there," she laughed. She set the sponge she was holding down as she handed the last clean dish to Laura to dry. "Laura, just touch yourself."
Laura cringed as she started to dry the dish. "Max…"
"C'mon. You've never done it?"
"No," Laura said.
"Never, never?"
"Never," Laura said seriously. "Whenever I considered it, I always chickened out."
"Girl, I would not have been able to keep my virginity as long as you if it hadn't been for my electric toothbrush."
"Um. You didn't keep your virginity as long as me, even with your toothbrush!" she whispered harshly, still drying that same plate. Her grip on it tightened.
"I know, but if I hadn't had it… Shoot! I would've been 15 instead of 17," she laughed.
Laura rolled her eyes. "How is this helping me?"
Max chuckled. "I'm being very helpful. Touch yourself. You'll feel better, and he'll be more relaxed because you are."
Laura squirmed uncomfortably, rubbing the towel against that same plate harder. "Max, I can't. I don't… know how?"
"Well, you know what Steve does to make you feel good. Just do that."
Laura smirked. "Girl, believe me, if I could eat my own coochie, you'd never see me out of the apartment again."
"Pshhh… I wouldn't blame you!"
"Seriously, Max, I don't even know where to start. What do…. What do you do?"
"Oh, you're not ready for my routine."
"Oh, my God, what do you do?" Laura laughed.
"Doesn't matter. You need to find some alone time, get somewhere cozy, maybe the tub, and rub your clit. That's all you need to do."
Laura continued to rub that plate with the dish towel she was holding. She had to admit, that didn't sound too intimidating. She had often rubbed herself while she and Steve were in the middle of it. Picturing doing just that without him didn't seem too scary.
As she contemplated her options, Steve walked into the kitchen. "Honeybunch?" he called.
Laura jumped and snapped the plate she was drying, which had long ago dried, in half in her bare hands. Max and Steve stared at her, wide-eyed. Laura felt her face flush and set the two halves of the plate she was holding into the trash behind her. She brushed her hands together to make sure she got the smallest shards off of her skin.
"I'll get the broom," Steve announced, heading back to the sun room where they kept the washer, dryer, and most of their cleaning supplies.
Max looked at Laura for the moment Steve was out of the room and puckered her lips. "Girl, you need to touch yourself before you hurt yourself."
Laura nodded anxiously.
———————————————————————
That night, when Laura was certain Steve was asleep, she slipped out of bed. She went into the bathroom and shut the door before she turned on the light. She grabbed the supplies she needed out of the drawer she'd stashed them in earlier. She climbed into the bathtub, not daring to fill it with water. She lay back and closed her eyes for a moment, just trying to relax. She pictured Steve, her Steve, climbing into the tub with her, kissing her, touching her, whispering sweet things to her. She could practically hear his voice. She knew that she had to start soon, or she'd get lost in the tears. She slipped her nightie up and over her head, exposing her breasts. She grabbed them firmly, imagining it was him, massaging them passionately. She grabbed some lotion and began to rub it onto her soft, silky skin. When she was feeling braver, she began to focus on her nipples. She pinched them and teased them, but all she really wanted was for him to suck on them like he always did. Still, they were getting hard. She was uncomfortable, but she could tell she was managing to turn herself on.
She imagined Steve kissing his way down her body, like he had so many times over the last four years, and she allowed her hand trail down to her panties. She began to stroke her clit gently. Hitting just the right spot, she moaned mindlessly, "Oh, Steve…" She smiled to herself as she realized how well he had her trained. She began to rub more enthusiastically, biting her bottom lip to keep quiet. She imagined his full lips around her clit, sucking, sucking, sucking. "Mmmm…"
She slipped off her thong and tossed it aside, closing her eyes again. She moved her hand down to her bare clit and continued playing. She had always been too nervous to try this growing up, but since giving her virginity to Steve, they had been in certain positions where she touched herself while they made love. More often than not, however, Steve would take over for her once he saw she needed a little extra stimulation. She tried hard to ignore the fact that that relief wasn't coming this time. "Steeeve…" she whined.
In the other room, Steve woke to the sound of his name. He sat up and looked at Laura's side of the bed. She wasn't there. He saw the glow around the edges of the bathroom door. But why would she be calling to him in there? He stood and walked to the door. He knocked gently, but she didn't hear him.
"Steeeeeve," she called again. She reached her free hand up to her nipple and played with it the way Steve always did, but she knew that wouldn't be enough. She needed something inside of her. She'd never felt so empty. "Steeeve…"
Hearing his name again, he grew concerned. He opened the door, completely unprepared for what he saw. He stepped inside, moving closer to the tub, his heart pounding in his ears. His knees began to tremble. He watched intently as his beautiful wife rubbed her breathtaking body in all the right ways. He was captivated by her face. He'd never seen her look more stunning, nor more tense. He walked to the very edge of the tub and sat. Had she still not noticed he was there?
"Oh, Steve, touch me," she begged, her eyes tightly shut.
Maybe she had? Steve reached down and gripped her free breast, just like they'd practiced.
Her eyes shot open, and she screamed loudly. "AHHHHHHHHH!"
Steve released her breast and stood. He threw himself back against the counter, trying to give her some space. What had he done? What had he done that was so, so wrong?
Laura covered her body with her arms but stopped screaming. "Oh, my God," she said, standing. She reached for her nightie and slipped it over her head. "Oh, my God. Steve, I'm so sorry. You were never meant to see that," she explained quickly. "I've just never done that before, and I didn't know it was going to be loud enough to wake you, but I guess I should've because I know I'm loud in bed. I'm so, so sorry, but, baby, I've been so horny lately. We've never had a dry spell this long, and I didn't want to pressure you, so Max suggested I take care of it myself. I shouldn't have. As long as you're waiting for relief, I should be, too. I'm so sorry."
Steve was still shocked into silence. He watched her step out of the tub and look away from him in embarrassment. The look of profound shame on her face struck him deeply. "Why are you apologizing to me, sweetheart?" he asked. "I should be apologizing to you."
"You should? Why?"
"For walking in on you when you were clearly… having a private moment."
She shook her head and stepped closer to him. "No, it wasn't private. My body…" she began. She shook her head again and placed her hands on his strong arms. "I want to share my body with you whenever you want me to, Steve. I'm just sorry you saw me in such a… compromising position."
He shook his head and placed his hands on her hips. He pulled her against him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, my love. You weren't getting what you needed from me. I understand that. I'm just glad you didn't go to someone else."
"I would never do that," she promised.
"I want to take care of you, Laura Lee," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You used to say that to me all the time."
"No," he said, "I want to take care of you. Now."
Laura's eyes widened, and she inhaled deeply. "Really? Are you sure?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes," he said.
She grabbed his hand and sprinted back toward their bed. She jumped into it and pulled him with her. He climbed on top and began to touch her breasts as they kissed. She moaned loudly into his mouth, "Mmmmmmmm…"
He broke the kiss and looked down at her. "Teach me," he whispered.
She nodded and took her nightie off. She was completely naked for him again. "I'm already so wet, Steve," she whispered, pulling his boxers down and exposing his member. "I want to teach you how to eat me later, and I want to show you how good it feels when I go down on you, but right now, I just need to get you inside of me. It's been too long. I need it so badly."
He nodded, hovering over her. "I want to. I'm ready. Show me how."
She smiled brightly, tears of relief escaping her. "We need a condom."
He pulled away and sat up. "What?" he asked. "Why? You said you were on the pill."
"I was," she agreed, "but I stopped taking it when you had the accident because I thought we were going to start trying when you woke up."
"Well, Laura," he whined, "why didn't you tell me? I didn't buy any!"
She shook her head and reached into her nightstand. "It's ok, honey. I did," she said as she pulled one out.
"Oh," he said softly. He hovered over her again as she opened the package. She slipped it out and reached down to his member. He shuddered as she rolled it onto him. "OH, GOD!" he groaned.
When it was on, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. "I want you," she said as she broke their kiss.
"I want you, too," he whispered.
"This is going to feel so good, Steve. I promise."
"What do I do?" he asked.
She reached between them and grabbed him again. She lined up his head with her entrance. "Just push," she whispered.
He pushed forward. "Oh, GOD!" he yelled again when he felt her walls open up for his head.
She gasped as she felt him stretch her open. It had been far too long. "Oh, STEVE!" she called. He kept pushing in further and further, but she didn't dare ask him to slow down. "Ohhhhhh…" she moaned.
He couldn't believe how tight she was. He had never felt anything this incredible, in his retained memory. He thought it was fun touching her? He couldn't believe how good it felt to be pleasured. "Unngggghhhhh…" he groaned. What was that noise? He didn't even know that noise could come out of him.
When she felt his pelvis against her, she relaxed slightly, knowing he was all the way inside her, and it was a good thing, too, because she could feel him hitting her cervix slightly. She needed a little more stimulation to open her up more, or this was going to be uncomfortable. She was breathing heavily when he rested her forehead against hers.
His eyes were tightly closed. "Oh, God, Laura, this feels so good. Oh, God. Laura, I love you."
She smiled at him, though he couldn't see it. "I love you, too."
"Oh, Laura, my love, what do I do now? Tell me what to do now!" he begged.
"In and out, Steve," she instructed.
Suddenly, he began to jackhammer into her. He pulled out to the tip and slammed in to his hips again and again at the speed of a rabbit.
"OH, GOD, NO!" she yelled. "STOP!"
He stopped mid-thrust and froze, not knowing what he'd done wrong or what he had to do to fix it. He prayed he hadn't blown his chance.
She relaxed slightly when he froze. "Oh, God," she whined, panting heavily. She reached down to her clit and stroked it gently, hoping to feel a little relief where he had hammered into her deepest depths. "Oh, honey," she exhaled. She returned her arms around his neck. "Oh, honey, not like that. Never like that unless I'm begging for more."
"I-I-I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I d-didn't know."
"I know," she smiled softly. "I know. It's ok. I'll teach you," she promised. She pushed on his chest gently so he'd get off of her. "Lie back, baby," she instructed. She straddled him as he lay down. She gripped his member and stroked it gently, up and down. "I'm going to show you how, ok?"
He nodded as he watched her intently.
"Just relax," she said, sliding down on his member.
"OOOOOOOOO…" he whined, thrusting his hips up.
"Just relax," she reminded him more firmly. She lowered herself onto his full length and took a few slow, gentle breaths. She leaned forward over him and lined her clit up with his pelvis. "Don't move, baby. When I lean forward like this, you're touching my clit, and I can just…" she trailed off as she began to grind against him, slowly and firmly. "Nnnnnn…" she moaned, biting her lip hard. "Oh, baby, yes…" she purred. "You feel so good inside me. I missed this so much." She began to grind faster.
Steve watched intently as she rode him. This wasn't what he had expected. It felt good, but it didn't feel like it did when he was thrusting into her. He needed her to move up and down. He didn't understand. He moved his hands to her hips and lifted her up slightly, setting her down again to signal her.
"Hold on, Steve," she begged. "Not yet, baby… Please. I'll ride you like you want me to soon. Just hold on," she promised.
It was beginning to click for him. She needed this first. He had to be patient. She had certainly been patient enough with him over the past couple of months. He bit his lip to resist the urge to take her hard and fast like he wanted to. He grabbed the comforter hard and squeezed it in his tight fists.
"Oh, Steve," she moaned, moving faster. "Oh, Steve. Steve. Steve." She opened her eyes and stared at him the way he always stared at her when he came. She knew her eyes would shut tightly when she got there, but for now, when she was working her way up to that, she wanted to look at him. She had been waiting so long for this Steve to be ready for this. She didn't want to miss a second of the second time she took his virginity. She couldn't help but smile at the look on his face. He was captivated by her but clearly going crazy. She wanted to ride him hard just like she knew he wanted, but she was so close. "I wanna come on you, Steve. Can I please come on you?" she whispered in his ear.
"Yes," he croaked back. "Yes, please."
"I'm so close, Steve. I'm so close. Do you want me to come?"
"Yes, please," he whined. "Yes, please."
"Say it," she ordered. "Tell me you want me to come on you."
"Come on me, Laura," he begged. "Please, babycakes. I love you. Please, baby, come on me."
She grinded against him faster. "I'm almost there, Steve. Please don't stop. Tell me what you want, baby."
"Come on me, Laura Lee. OH, GOD. Come on me!"
"I want to," she begged, closing her eyes tightly. "Don't stop, Steve. I want to come."
"Come on me, Laura!" he ordered. "Come on me! Come on me, Laura Lee Winslow!"
Suddenly, Laura went over the edge. She buried her face in his neck as she shook and shuddered against him. "Ohhhhh, Steve…" she purred.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she vibrated all around him like the most delicious sex toy. She hugged him and squeezed him in all the right places, and he couldn't believe how amazing she felt. Suddenly and unexpectedly, he came into the condom. "OH, LAURA!" he yelled, squeezing her tighter.
When she came off of cloud nine, she panted heavily, but sat up straight. It was his turn. She was going to ride him just the way he liked. She slid up but had trouble coming back down. She looked down at him and saw he was getting flaccid. She looked into his eyes and saw that goofy, grateful look he always had in the afterglow. She smiled and pulled off of him. She took off the condom and climbed out of bed. She tossed it into the trashcan in the bathroom. She slipped back into bed and into his arms. She kissed him softly. "Well? What did you think?" she whispered.
"Laura?" he said softly.
"Yes?"
"Laura Lee, I'm back," he whispered.
"What?" she asked.
He sat up and looked down at her. It felt like waking up, like the last couple of months had all been a dream, but it was all so vivid, he knew that it wasn't. "It's me, Laura. It's all of me. My memories are back."
"Steve," she said cautiously, "if that's a joke, it's not funny."
"It's not a joke," he promised, climbing on top of her. "It's not a joke, baby," he whispered, beginning to pepper her face in kisses. "It's not a joke. I'm home. It's not a joke. I love you so much. I'm home," he whispered between kisses.
Laura began to cry. She hesitantly reached her hands up to his face. "Really?" she asked. She began to stroke his face, making sure he was really there, that this wasn't all a dream. "You promise?" she sniffled.
"Yes," he insisted, beginning to cry, too. "Yes, I promise. I'm so sorry I left you, baby," he cried.
Laura began to sob, pulling him closer. "Oh, thank God!" she sobbed. "I missed you so much!"
"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I left you. I'm so, so sorry."
She kissed him passionately, both of them still crying. She pushed him away and sat up. "Prove it to me," she insisted, wiping her tears as he sat up to join her. "Tell me something the other you couldn't have known."
Steve thought for a moment. "Did you ever tell him about the time Carl walked in on us?"
Laura laughed and covered her mouth. "Oh, God, why did you bring that up of all things?!"
"Because I knew you wouldn't have told me about it if I didn't remember it," he laughed.
"Because it was one of the most embarrassing moments of our lives!" she laughed.
"Yes," he smiled, "and what was I yelling when he came in?"
"You don't have to say it, Steve…" she warned, covering her face as she blushed.
"OH, LAURA! I'm almost there! I'm almost there! I'm almost–" he yelled.
Laura laughed harder and hit him with her pillow. Then she jumped into his arms. "Oh, God, it's really you, isn't it?"
"Yes, babycakes, it's me. I'm home. I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," she said firmly.
He pulled away from her to look her in the eyes. "It wasn't yours either," he said firmly. Laura looked away from him, but he tipped her chin back up to look him in the eye. "I know you blame yourself, Sweetums, but it wasn't your fault."
"If I had just agreed to start trying, you wouldn't've stopped for flowers. You wouldn't've gotten hurt," she argued, tears pouring from her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault. You weren't ready, my love. You couldn't have known what was gonna happen, and you don't know that I wouldn't've stopped for flowers to celebrate because we were trying. It wasn't your fault."
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.
"It wasn't your fault," he repeated, pulling her back into his arms. "It wasn't your fault. I'm back now. It's all back now. I'm ok. It wasn't your fault." As her tears began to slow, he began to kiss her neck. Soon, he pushed her down onto the bed and climbed on top of her. He kissed her lips passionately, again and again, taking occasional breaks to look her in the eye, making sure she was ok and making sure she wanted this. He lined himself up with her entrance, ready to make love to her just the way she liked, the way she deserved after being so patient for him for so long.
"Wait," she said.
"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"You need to put on a condom," she reminded him.
He shook his head at her and scowled. "No," he said flatly.
"What?"
"No. We've never used a condom, except for that last time when I was completely out of my mind, and we're not going to start now," he said firmly, rubbing his tip against her entrance.
"But, Steve," she reminded him urgently, "I haven't taken the pill in two months."
"So? I thought you said you were ready?" he asked.
"Well, I am, but we can't just jump into this. You need to see a doctor."
"Laura, I'm back. Don't worry. We'll go see the counselor tomorrow, just like we planned, and I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Brandt next week."
"But, Steve–"
"I'll put it on if you ask me to," he agreed, "but please don't ask me to, baby. I wanna have a baby. Let's make a baby."
Laura couldn't resist that face, not his real face. She wanted to give him what he wanted, and she really did want to have a baby with him. She wasn't just giving in to his insistence. She was giving in to her own desire. She was worried that this wouldn't last. She was worried that something could still go wrong, but in the moment, she didn't care. "I wanna have a baby, too," she said. "Make love to me, Steve," she whispered urgently. "Put a baby in me."
He pushed forward without hesitance and slipped deep inside her. He began to pump in and out, slowly and steadily. He growled softly under his breath as he thought about their bare skin touching again and her body preparing itself for his cum. He had never had completely unprotected sex with Laura Lee Winslow before. Obviously, it didn't feel any different physically just because she wasn't on the pill, but it certainly felt different to him emotionally. He had never tried to make a baby with her before. He couldn't believe it was finally happening. "Mmmmmm…"
She stared intently at his face as he made love to her. He moved so differently than he had moved with amnesia. He really did remember. He remembered her, what she liked, how to read her. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. He looked so grown-up, so manly. She didn't have to teach this Steve anything. He knew her body better than she did. He was going to take good care of her. "Oh, Steve."
He moved faster only as she could take it. He reached between them and began to play with her clit as he humped her. "Oh, Laura," he moaned. "Oh, Laura, let's make a baby."
"Yes," she purred. "Oh, God, yes! I missed you so much. Let's make a baby."
He smiled brightly and moved faster. He moved lower and began to suck on her nipple. "Mmmmm…"
"Ohhhhhh…" she moaned, still trying her best to look down at him and watch him prove his love for her. It wasn't long before she was teetering over the edge. "Steve, baby, I'm gonna come. Please make me come again," she begged.
"Mmmmmm…" he moaned, releasing her breast. He kissed her passionately. "I'm gonna go, too, sweetheart. I can't wait any longer. I can't wait any longer to make a baby. Are you gonna make me a baby?" he asked.
"Yes," she whimpered.
"Say it."
"I'm gonna make you a baby, Steve. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard."
"Take my cum, Laura," he whispered. "Take my cum, and make me a baby," he groaned as he began to shutter, shooting his load deep inside of her.
Her eyes widened as she felt his cum at the very back of her womanhood, but then they closed tightly as she went over the edge. "OH, STEVE!" she called, coming on him for the second time that night, but in a much deeper, more full-bodied experience. This was her lover. This was her husband. This was the father of her future child. She held him close as he sent her to ecstasy. She was panting heavily as she released him. Still, he didn't move. He rested against her, inside of her, staring deeply into her eyes.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too," she whispered back.
"We might have just made a baby," he smiled.
"Maybe," she agreed, "but maybe not. Don't get your hopes up yet, Steve. It takes time."
"I don't care how long it takes," he smiled, crying again. "We're trying!" he said, kissing her again and again. "Oh, baby, we're trying!"
She smiled and began to cry again, too. "I'm just so glad you're back," she whispered.
"I'm back," he sniffled, "and we're trying, and our lives are going to be perfect."
"I don't need perfect," she said quickly. "I just need you. Don't leave me again."
"I won't," he promised. "I won't."
"We need to get into your doctor as soon as possible."
"Ok," he agreed, finally pulling out of her. "Can you call tomorrow while I'm at work?" He glanced at the clock. He had to be up in two hours. "Today, while I'm at work," he corrected.
"You are not going to work today," Laura corrected. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."
He kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, sweet pea, but I have to. They already gave me over a month off. Paid."
"You were unconscious for most of it!" she argued.
"I know, Sweetums, but it was still extraordinarily nice of them and made a huge difference for us. Family Medical Leave wouldn't have been enough to get by without us dipping into our savings."
"You are not going to work today," she said more urgently, sitting up quickly.
He pushed her back down. "Don't sit up, Mama," he purred, placing a hand on her stomach. "Don't sit up yet."
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "You can't do this to me, Steve. Please. I need to spend some time with you, in case…"
"In case what?" he asked, legitimately unsure.
"In case you go away again," she whispered.
"I won't," he promised.
"You could!" she argued. "We don't know what happened, and we don't know it's a permanent fix."
"Laura, sweetheart, relax. I'm back," he promised.
"We don't know that," she whined, wiping her tears.
He kissed her again. "Ok," he whispered. "Ok. I'll take one day off. We'll go see Dr. Brandt, and we'll go to the counselor. The rest of the day, we'll spend together, just you and me. One day. Then you'll see that everything is back to normal," he promised. He rolled her away from him so he could spoon her. He took his glasses off and cuddled close to her, holding her tightly. He knew he hadn't held her like this since the accident. He kissed her neck again and again as she continued to sob softly. He held her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear until she had finally fallen asleep.