Later that night.

"So, what did you think?"

"Honestly?" Chun-Li said as she set the empty jug into the dishwasher. "The last show you showed me was funnier."

"Oh, come on." "It was!"

"Bet you won't think that after we finish the series." "Bet you I will."

"So does that mean you're not picking the show next time?" "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I didn't say that." "I saw you rolling your eyes last time!"

"Even you have to admit it was corny." "It was romantic."

"You have a very weird idea of romance." "You're telling me?"

Owen was momentarily given pause. Their little back and forth had been entirely good-natured, but something about what she'd just said made him feel…well, he wasn't quite sure. Sentimental, maybe?

Every time they went somewhere as a couple, they always had to deal with that same question. "How did you meet?". And every time, the two of them weren't quite sure how to answer. It was a fun story to tell, sure, but the stares of disbelief they'd get afterwards said it all. Thinking back on it, Owen himself often couldn't believe things turned out the way they did, but God was he thankful for it.

"Something on your mind?" Owen heard his wife ask.

"Maybe," he replied with a silly smile.

"Hmm…" Chun-Li murmured, turning to face him and leaning back against the countertop. "Anything to do with me?"

The sultry tone in her voice was impossible to miss and just as impossible to ignore. But as effective as it was, Owen was more than capable of keeping a cool head at times like this…mostly. "Maaaybe," he repeated.

To this, she simply smiled at him - the sort of smile that told him she was planning something devious. Then, without saying a word, she stood up and sauntered over to him. "Come here," she whispered as she put her arms around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

Though he hadn't really intended this, Owen was more than happy to oblige her - he loved it when she took initiative like this. Hugging her close, he eagerly kissed her back, savoring…well, her. After all these years, it was becoming difficult to choose just one thing to focus on. Right now, he was glad simply to have her here with him, especially after they'd spent so long apart.

So long…

It wasn't long until Chun-Li was back up against the countertop, softly moaning against his lips while he hiked up her skirt. In order to keep it from falling back down, she raised one of her legs and hooked it around his waist; Owen just managed to register her slipper falling off her foot in the process. Other than that, he all but forgot where he was or how he even got to this point. All that mattered now was her - his sweet, beautiful wife.

"Shouldn't we check if Li-Fen's gone to bed first?" she asked only half seriously, finally causing him to reconsider what they were doing. Just for a moment, though.

"Nah."

Chun-Li let out a sudden yelp as Owen lifted her off the counter, which quickly turned into shared laughter while he carried her away bridal style. After nudging the door closed with his foot, he brought her over to their bed and carefully set her down before getting on top of her and eagerly resuming their kiss.

Even though this was their first time having sex in almost a month, the two of them didn't rush in getting each-other's clothes off. In fact, Owen was more than satisfied simply undoing the buttons on Chun-Li's short-sleeved dress shirt and hiking up her skirt, gently kissing almost every inch of skin he was able to expose. She'd gained a bit of weight over the past few years - most of which went straight to her legs, something he knew better than to point out to her - but she was still in excellent shape. But given who he was talking about, he expected nothing less.

"God, I missed you…" Chun-Li moaned out while he kissed back up towards her neck.

"So I see," he teasingly replied. He kept at it as he waited for her to reply, only to be met with silence. Looking up, he found her looking down at him, her eyes and smile gleaming. "Are you…"

Before he could finish, she put her hands on either side of his face and pulled him in for another kiss. Given the circumstances, he really shouldn't have been as surprised as he was, but there was just something about this one that just…blew him away. It was so gentle, yet oh so passionate at the same time.

"I'm great," she whispered to him, breaking their kiss. "You?"

Such a casual question shouldn't have left him as tongue-tied as it did…well, alright, it didn't. It was everything else. She seemed so tranquil - so genuinely happy to see him and to be with him. It was a small thing, one he saw from her each and every day, but it caused his heart to soar every single time.

"Same," he finally managed to say. "It's good to have you back, love."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," she then said, words that carried a noticeable tinge of regret.

"Chun…" "Shh…" Without warning, she put a finger to his lips, instantly silencing him. "Just let me make it up to you, okay?"

She must've known what Owen was going to say; the same thing he'd been telling her again and again since they first started dating. At this point, it was clear he'd never change the way she felt on the matter and to be honest, a part of him was glad. Though he tried to be patient, he wouldn't have stuck around if he thought she didn't see him as a priority.

But she did. She'd proven that time and time again. No matter how long she was kept away, he knew that she'd always come back to him.

Taking her hand, he moved her finger away from his lips. "You don't have to do anything of the sort," he assured her, even though by then his curiosity had gotten the best of him. "But what did you have in mind?"

A sly smirk found its way onto Chun-Li's face. "Get comfy," she vaguely instructed while motioning towards their pillows. Confused but very much intrigued, Owen got off of her and prepared to do as she said, bringing his legs onto the bed and scooting closer to the pillows. All the while, his wife followed closely after him, keeping her eyes trained squarely on him.

"So, you're not going to - HEY!"

Placing her hands on his shoulders, Chun-Li pushed him onto his back and firmly kissed him on the lips. It was so intense that Owen's surprise barely registered, letting him almost immediately slip into it. But when he instinctively tried to touch her, his wife again surprised him by intercepting his hands and pinning them down over his head, breaking their kiss in the process. Everything happened so quickly that Owen could only stare up at Chun-Li as she loomed over him, a devious, hungry look in her eyes.

"Well? Comfy enough for you?"

Owen was admittedly too flustered to give her a clear answer. It wasn't often that she took control like this, but it was certainly a welcome treat. But eventually, he was able to slip out a rather quiet "aye,"; the giggle that came from her in response only added to his sense of excitement.

"Good." Chun-Li leaned in closer then, bringing her lips closer to his ear. "Because you're under arrest."

Owen's eyes widened in surprise, but not necessarily in terror. "Excuse me?"

"Hmm?" she hummed as she met his eyes again. "Not going to come quietly?"

They stayed like that for what felt like hours as Chun-Li waited for Owen's response. As if to clear up any confusion, her eyes briefly looked over to the nightstand next to them, giving him a not-so subtle hint as to what she had in mind for him, not that it was necessary. By now, he knew exactly what she was planning on doing - something that they'd only dabbled in before tonight.

But weeks of longing had taken their course. He was ready for anything and somehow, Chun-Li recognized that without him saying a word.

Moving his hands closer together so she could hold them down with only one of hers, she extended her free hand in order to open the top-most drawer and took out a pair of handcuffs. "That's it," she whispered to him as she slipped them onto his left wrist, wrapped their chains around their bedpost and finally ensnared his other wrist, leaving him bound. "I've been a very, very busy woman…and a very patient one. And now, I finally have you all to myself… and you're not going anywhere until I've had my fill of you. Got it?"

Her voice was soft and enticing in spite of her authoritative words, each one lulling Owen further and further into submission. There was no denying that she had him wrapped around her finger and right now, that was exactly where he wanted to be.

"Whatever you say, officer."

"Aw, see?" Chun-Li said as she ran her hands up and down his chest, all while he remained unable to touch her in return. "Now you're getting it."

With that, she leaned down to give him another gentle kiss on the lips. This one didn't last anywhere near as long, as her lips soon trailed down to his earlobe, then to the crook of his neck when he turned his head to the side to give her easier access to the former. When she'd given ample attention to it, she moved down to the edge of his shirt and started to slowly roll it up, kissing a trail up from his abdomen up to his chest as his body was revealed to her. The handcuffs he was wearing kept her from taking it off completely, so instead she simply left it around his neck before resuming trailing her lips along his bare skin.

As pleasurable as this all was, it was also nothing short of maddening. He so desperately wanted to touch her - to stroke her back and run his fingers through her hair, giving her as much as he was receiving. But he was entirely at her mercy and would continue to be until she saw it fit to free him. And given how she was taking her sweet time going over every inch of him, that wouldn't be for a while yet.

But then she just stopped. Opening his eyes, he found Chun-Li lying with her arms folded across his chest, on which she was now resting her chin. And most strikingly, she was smiling - almost like she was teasing him.

"Well?" Owen said after she'd remained motionless for sometime, but this only made her laugh.

"So impatient," she said, tracing a circle on his chest with her finger. Even something as simple as this forced him to hold back a groan. "Very impatient, it looks like."

Half an agonizing minute went by and still she did nothing; it was almost like she was enjoying watching him squirm. "What, do you want me to beg now?"

"That sounds nice." Despite saying this, she seemed to slip into thought immediately afterwards. "But…nah. That'd be too tempting."

"So you're saying you're not going to let me go?" "If I did, what would you do?"

It was Owen's turn to fall quiet now, finding himself taken aback by her question. That was, until he realized what she must've wanted the answer to be - why she was doing all this to begin with. "Would you like to find out?" he asked, smirking as he did.

"Ah ah ah, don't think you can get off that easy." With this, she started trailing her finger down to his crotch, coming tantalizingly close to reaching it before stopping just above his jeans. "But to answer your question, yes, I would. Eventually…"

Chun-Li held his gaze as she kissed back down towards his pants, which she began to unbuckle shortly after. It wasn't long until she was pulling them down his legs, but only enough to finally get his cock out, which is where her attention subsequently turned. Again, Owen held back a moan as his wife started gently stroking him, continuing to look right at him and enjoying his increasingly desperate reactions.

"Oh, the things you must want to do to me…" As if to add insult to injury, she gently kissed up along his shaft, leaving him to clench his fists and teeth in a vain attempt to hide his growing frustration. But of course, she saw right through him. "Too bad."

The next few minutes seemed like a blur to him. He was only partially aware that Chun-Li was giving him a blowjob - the best one he'd ever gotten. The thing was, there was really nothing Owen could do other than lay back and let her do as she pleased with him, which both elevated the experience and drove him completely out of his mind.

The handcuffs had been her idea from the get-go, except initially, she was more interested in "seeing what it was like being on the receiving end". He was naturally more than a little skeptical about the whole idea, but Chun-Li could be very convincing when she wanted to be. And as he quickly realized, the appeal lay not in depriving her of control, but the fact that she chose to relinquish it willingly.

Trust. Yes, that's what it was. After so many years together, how could he not trust her?

"Chun-Li…"

She stopped suddenly, meeting his eyes. "Yeah?" she asked, momentarily dropping the playfully seductive tone she'd been using so far. Her concern, while subtle, was obvious. But at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care about his immersion being broken.

"Would you get these bloody things off?"

His request was polite, but his impatience remained obvious. It's not that he didn't enjoy this set-up, but right now, he desired only to touch her - to show her just how much he'd missed her. And that desire had become a desperate one, exactly like she must've wanted.

But from the looks of things, Chun-Li wasn't done denying him just yet.

"Hmm, I dunno if I should…" she teasingly said, slipping back into character.
"You know you want to."

This seemed to get her attention, or more rather, ignite her curiosity. "Oh, yeah? And why is that?" As she spoke, Chun-Li crawled up so that she was looking over him, ever so slightly brushing her crotch against his along the way. Rather than giving her an answer, he simply stared back at her, banking on the sense of mystery exciting her even more.

"So that's how you want to play this, huh? Fine." Swiping the key from their nightstand, Chun-Li took a moment to wave it in front of him. "Tell me and they come off."

"You wouldn't be that cruel," he said, calling her bluff.

"You sure about that?"

What followed was an agonizing few moments where she kept on dangling the key in front of him, tempting him with his freedom. But even so, Owen remained silent. The way he saw it, this only ended when one of them broke - either she'd keep him deprived long enough that he spilled it or her curiosity would eventually get the better of her.

The amused sigh that eventually broke the silence proved Owen's hunch right. "Oh, fine," Chun-Li conceded before starting to unlock his handcuffs. "But you better not disa-"

Almost the moment one of the cuffs was undone, Owen shot up and cut her off with a kiss, sliding the chain out from behind the bedpost in order to take her in his newly freed arms. In a second flat, she was on her back, her initial surprise completely gone as her limbs wrapped around him and pulled him in even closer, completely giving in to her lust.

What happened next could only be described as pure bliss. After practically tearing off Chun-Li's underwear, Owen simply let his instincts take over, kissing her senseless while their bed rocked beneath them. All that denial, all that waiting - the craving he'd felt throughout. All of it came pouring out at once and it was incredible. It was beautiful.

"I…I…" Whatever he meant to say was lost in the moment as he stared deep into her eyes. Then again, what was there to say that she couldn't already see for herself? Did he really need to tell her how beautiful she was? How much he looked up to her? How much better his life was with her in it?

"I know," she whispered to him. "I know. I can't stand…being apart…anymore!"

Chun-Li's gaze was now so powerful that Owen was almost frozen in place, unable to look away or really to perceive anything else around him. Her words were so earnest, so desperate; so much so that her eyes were now glistening with tears.

But she was happy. He knew she was happy. Happy that they were finally together again and that they would always be together. Always.

"Yes…" she moaned out as he restablished his earlier pace. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!"

That was what finally set Owen over the edge. With one final thrust, he hugged his wife close and did all he could to muffle his groans as he finished inside her. The pleasure he felt was so overwhelming that his body almost went limp, but little by little, he came down from his high, breathing deeply while his wife gently caressed his back and placed soft kisses along his shoulder and neck. It was the most intimate moment of his life, but he doubted that was the reason for the tightness he now felt in his chest.

"You alright?"

"Aye, just…gimme a minute." Owen then tried to steady his breathing, though his efforts brought very little relief, something that Chun-Li must've noticed.

"Want me to get you your medicine?"

"It's fine, I-" "I'm gonna get you your medicine," she interrupted him, playfully patting him on the back as she did. Owen finally raised his head to find her smiling at him - that sweet little smile that she knew he couldn't say no to.

Smiling back and rolling his eyes, he got off her and silently settled himself into a sitting position against their pillows, keeping his breathing steady while Chun-Li fetched his inhaler from their nightstand. After giving it a good shake, she brought it up to his lips. "There we go," she said. "Now open wide."

Owen obediently did as she said, letting her put the mouthpiece between his lips and breathing in as she sprayed the medicine inside. Thankfully, it wasn't long until he felt the discomfort subside, allowing him to breathe out in relief.

"Better?" Chun-Li asked after a few seconds.

"Much better. Thanks."

After this, the two of them just sat there for a while, staring at each-other in pleasant silence. There was no reason he couldn't have done all that himself, but there was also no reason to keep her from helping. Living alone, looking after his health naturally fell entirely to him and while he became accustomed to it, it did get a little overwhelming at times. Having someone to look out for him, someone he knew would always catch him if he ever fell - it was something he didn't even realize he missed before they got together.

Throughout that silence, the thing that occupied Owen's thoughts the most was what Chun-Li had said to him just before he…before he…

"Oh, shit."

"What? What's wrong?" said a clearly worried Chun-Li.

"Nothing. Should be nothing," he replied, trying his best to keep himself calm. "But just to be sure, you're still on…?"

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," she quickly clarified, no doubt having realized what he was talking about. "I…figured tonight would end like this."

This was about what he'd expected, but even so, Owen came close to breathing a sigh of relief. "Good. That's good," he said as he rested his head back on the pillows. The two of them had agreed early into their marriage that they wouldn't have children, or at least, they'd made no plans to. Neither of them wanted to impede either of Chun-Li's careers as one was winding down and the other was taking off, and even without that, they already had their hands plenty full with Li-Fen.

What Owen hadn't predicted was how quickly the years seemed to go by - how quickly she grew up into a confident, independent young lady. It was a bittersweet feeling.

As these thoughts swirled through his mind, Chun-Li quietly joined him by his side, lying down and resting her head on his shoulder. "I've been thinking about changing that."

"Changing what?" Owen said in confusion, just before the realization hit him like a freight train. "Oh…"

"Yeah," Chun-Li quietly said. "But like I said, I'm not sure yet. What do you think?"

This wasn't a question that Owen had been expecting to ponder today. "I mean…" he started to say before stopping himself. He knew she wasn't trying to extract an answer out of him, given her own unsurety, but he wanted to give her one. There were just too many factors at play for him to do that.

"Do you plan to go back?"

"Hmm?" Chun-li uttered, indicating she was similarly lost in thought.

"After this sabbatical of yours is over," Owen clarified for her. "Do you want to go back to policing?"

Yet again, it took her a while to answer. "We'll see," said Chun-Li. "To be honest, I see this whole 'sabbatical' thing as more of an experiment."

"An experiment in what?"

"Normalcy, I guess." As she spoke, she shifted herself so that she was propping herself up on her elbow, letting her look directly at him. "Back in the day, I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself - didn't really have much to plan around or towards. But that's all changed…so I think it's about time I changed to reflect that."

As she spoke, Chun-Li gently cupped Owen's cheek and started slowly running her thumb back and forth along his stubble. Since they got married, she'd made a conscious effort to limit her responsibilities at work in order to spend more time with him and Li-Fen, but it didn't always work out. He understood that - he accepted that, but from the looks of things, she couldn't.

"But you're not sure yet, are you?"

Chun-Li softly sighed to herself. "Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"And sometimes, they don't have to," he pointed out. "I don't expect you to sit back when you know something is wrong, because I know that's not who you are. That's not the woman I married."

A period of silence followed where he couldn't help but wonder if he'd offended her somehow. Chun-Li raised her brow, causing him to ever so slightly avert his gaze. Then, the moment he looked back, she was smiling brighter than ever. "Why, Owen," she said as she leaned in closer to him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me."

"Well, I didn't mean it like…"

She cut him off with a laugh, followed by a quick kiss on the forehead. "Just kidding, just kidding. It's really sweet of you to say," she assured him. "But…I meant what I said, Owen."

There it was again. He didn't know why, but even after all these years, he was always surprised by just how vulnerable she was willing to be around him. Chun-Li was an honest person at her core, but she was also proud and more than a little stubborn, so moments like this…well, there was no two ways about them.

The emotions that simple statement stirred in him were almost overwhelming. There was a reason he took that initial leap of faith with her. There was a reason he was willing to wait on her when she went away. There was a reason he asked her to marry him in spite of the dangers that decision could've brought.

She valued him. She wanted to be better for him. And he couldn't imagine life without her.

"So did I, Chun-Li," he finally admitted. "But I'm not going to say no to more of you."

"Good." Suddenly, Chun-Li crawled on top of him and straddled his hips. "Because I still want more of you."

Just like that, his desire came roaring back, only tempered when he felt something wet and sticky between her legs. It was only then that he remembered he still hadn't given her a straight answer, not that it seemed to make much of a difference to her.

"Should I be more careful?" he playfully asked her. After taking a moment to think about it, Chun-Li leaned in and gave him her answer.

"For now."

…