No, dear readers, I did not abandon you. Life simply had me in a stranglehold and wouldn't let me go, and then NaNoWriMo came along and stole what little brain I had left. Here's a nice long chapter to make up for it. Thank you for your patience, and as always, I don't own House. Nor do I own the Toby Keith song "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This". For that matter, I don't own NCIS, either.

# # #

House took a deep breath as he stood on Marge's porch, his nerves jangling. The ride over had given his mind even more opportunity to second guess this entire idea.

This was ridiculous. House blew out the breath he was holding and tapped on the door with his cane.

The door slowly opened, revealing Caroline, who was tucking a short piece of hair behind her ear. House studied her a little more closely.

"You cut your hair." He noted.

Caroline smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear again. "I didn't cut it. One of the girls down at the salon cut it."

"It's not bad." House nodded. "Different."

"Guess I needed a change." Caroline stepped aside. "Why don't you come on in?"

House stepped inside and followed Caroline to the living room, taking a seat at the end of the couch. Kieran spotted him almost immediately, climbing up to sit next to him.

"Say your goodnights, baby." Caroline told him. "It's bedtime for you."

Kieran looked as if he might protest, but instead climbed into House's lap and wrapped his tiny arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Night."

House was startled, but placed his hand on Kieran's back in response. "Night, short man."

Caroline held out her hand, and Kieran scrambled down from the couch to take it, the two of them disappearing down the hallway. House could hear Caroline guiding the little boy through what he assumed were their normal nighttime rituals.

She was so affectionate and loving with her son. House could only assume that she had been the same way with Kevin. Obviously that had yielded very different results.

Caroline soon returned, fixing House with a little smile. "Sorry about that. I tried to get him to bed before you showed up, but he really wanted to see you."

"It's fine. He's a good kid." House shifted on the couch.

Caroline let out a soft laugh. "You've never seen him in the middle of a fit. He's not so good then."

House allowed a small smile at that. "I'm sure you can take him in a fight."

"Most of the time." Caroline's smile started to fade. "Kevin'd always insist on whooping him. I just couldn't do that to him."

A little chill went through House at the thought, and he couldn't come up with a good response.

Caroline shook her head and sighed. "I don't know why I can't seem to stop talkin' about Kevin. I'm sure you don't want to hear about him."

"It's okay." House assured her. "Really."

"It's sweet of you to say so." Caroline responded with a little sigh. "You want some popcorn?"

"Sure." House nodded.

"You go on and pick a movie." Caroline told him. "I'll be back."

The smells and sounds of popcorn soon filled the small house as House went through the DVDs in search of a movie. There were a wide variety of children's movies along with chick flicks, none of which particularly appealed to House.

"Did you find somethin'?" Caroline asked him as she returned with a large bowl of popcorn.

"No." House frowned, his eyes still searching through the media storage shelf. "You seem to have an overabundance of chick flicks."

Caroline laughed. "They all belong to my mom. I would have brought my own, but…" Her laugh faded. "…well, you know."

"Yeah, I know." House thumped his cane on the floor.

Caroline had already returned to the couch, setting down the bowl of popcorn and picking up the remote. House sat down beside her, the bowl separating them.

"You want to pick somethin'?" Caroline asked him.

"Sure." House reached for the remote, his fingers brushing against Caroline's as he took it from her. A little jolt went through him at the touch, but he forced himself to push it aside, concentrating on the on-screen guide.

He found a rerun of "NCIS" and changed the channel, turning to Caroline. "This okay with you?"

"Oh, yes." Caroline's eyes lit up. "I could watch this all day."

House couldn't resist teasing her. "It's DiBozo, isn't it?"

Caroline tilted her head thoughtfully before answering. "He's okay, but I like Gibbs better."

House was baffled. "You know he's old enough to be your dad, right?"

"Don't matter to me." Caroline laughed. "What's the matter? You jealous?"

"Nope." House smirked, reaching for a handful of popcorn. "But I've got your number now. You've got a thing for old men."

Caroline's hand found his in the bowl. "You ain't old, Greg. Bet you're not even as old as Mark Harmon."

"Who?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, retracting her hand. "You know, the guy that plays Gibbs."

"Oh, right. Him." House tossed a few kernels of popcorn in his mouth, munching thoughtfully. "He's aged a hell of a lot better."

Caroline threw him a skeptical look. "You know those TV folks. They all wear a whole bunch of makeup and stuff. He probably looks a lot like you under all that." She shifted so that she faced him. "And that ain't a bad thing, before you start gettin' down on yourself again."

"I wasn't going to." House muttered, coughing slightly on a piece of popcorn.

"Oh!" Caroline exclaimed. "You need somethin' to drink?"

"I'm fine." House choked out. "I'll get it."

"There's some Coke in the fridge." Caroline told him.

House pushed himself off the couch and started toward the kitchen. "You want one?"

Caroline's eyes dropped to her lap. "You don't have to."

"That's not what I asked." House replied quietly. "I asked if you wanted one."

Caroline looked puzzled for a moment before nodding. "Yes, please. I'd like one."

House shook his head and limped toward the kitchen, completely baffled by Caroline's response. Was it possible that no one had ever asked her what she wanted? He supposed it could be. After all, there were many times when he had felt the same way, surrounded by people doing what they thought was best for him, without bothering to ask for his input.

He took two cans out of the refrigerator and soon returned to the living room, where Gibbs was smacking DiNozzo on the back of the head, evoking a giggle from Caroline.

"I can't tell you how often I've wanted to do that to my team." House told her as he dropped himself back on the couch, handing Caroline a Coke.

"Your team?" Caroline looked interested.

"When I worked for…never mind, forget it." House shook his head. "It's all in the past now."

"Don't mean nobody wants to hear it." Caroline replied. "Now you've got me curious."

House shifted, not sure if he wanted to talk about his time at Princeton-Plainsboro. Caroline already had an image of him. He was sure that talking about his old job would change that image of him.

He didn't know why it was suddenly so important to keep that part of his life to himself. It made no sense.

Finally he let out a little huff. Caroline might as well know what she was dealing with. "When I worked in Jersey, I had a team. Three or four people at any given time."

He explained a little bit about his work, aware that Caroline's eyes were growing wider and wider. Soon she simply shook her head. "So you gave all that up to come down here?"

"I wasn't planning on ending up here." House admitted. "I didn't know where I was going when I left Princeton."

Caroline reached across and touched his forearm, her eyes meeting his. "Well, I'm real glad you ended up here."

House's heart was pounding as he covered Caroline's hand with his own. "Yeah, me too."

They stayed like that for a long moment, House brushing his thumb along Caroline's hand. He felt conflicted all of a sudden, for no good reason. Caroline's hand felt so warm under his, her skin so soft. It stirred up those same feelings he'd had the night he slept next to her, her body soft and warm against him.

He knew it wasn't right, sitting here with her as though they were a couple. She was married, and as soon as the son of a bitch was sprung, she would probably run right back to him, and House would be left with nothing, as usual.

"Somethin' wrong?" Caroline asked him gently.

House let out a short huff. "If Kevin gets out, how do I know you're not going to run right back to him?"

"What are you talkin' about?" Caroline gave him a baffled look.

"You're still married to him." House explained, aware that his words sounded sillier by the minute. "He's the father of your son. You really think you can just get rid of him so easily?"

Caroline's look turned from baffled to incredulous. "I ain't goin' back to him. Not even if he turned up on this porch tonight. He's mean, he's hateful, he's…" The tears started welling up in her eyes. "…he's hurt us too much. I might be able to forgive him someday, but I ain't takin' him back."

House suddenly felt like an absolute fool, cursing himself for bringing this woman to tears. He huffed and curved his fingers around her hand, holding it tighter. "That was…stupid of me. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you got every right." Caroline told him firmly, her voice still a little choked with tears. "And I don't expect nothin' from this. I just…" Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "I like you a lot, Greg. I don't care where you came from, or why you're here. It don't matter to me."

House took a deep breath. "Don't go off about what a good man I am."

Caroline laughed softly. "Even if it's true?"

House rolled his eyes. "You really should reserve judgment until you get to know me better. Once you do…you'll change your mind."

"I doubt that, Greg." Caroline smiled. "I really do."

House merely shook his head and pointed at the TV. "Your man's back on."

Caroline let out a little laugh and pulled away from House. "You want to watch this, or do you want to find something else?"

"I'm fine with this." House answered.

On impulse, he moved the popcorn bowl to his lap and scooted closer to Caroline, letting his arm stretch out along the back of the couch. Caroline turned and gave him a little smile. "You tryin' to tell me somethin'?"

"Me?" House tried to affect an innocent tone, even though he knew he wasn't fooling Caroline. "Not at all."

Caroline tucked her feet under her and shifted closer to House, her head fitting perfectly into his shoulder. He took a deep breath and put his arm around her, placing a light kiss on top of her head.

She sighed softly and settled into him, reaching across for the popcorn bowl and taking a handful.

"I see how you are." House growled teasingly. "All you really wanted was the popcorn."

Caroline giggled, looking up at House with a smile. "You want some?"

"Yes." He answered in mock exasperation.

Caroline reached up toward House's mouth, the popcorn still in her hand. "Open up, hon."

House did as he was told, letting Caroline drop a few kernels in his mouth. He munched them thoughtfully while Caroline rested her head back against his shoulder.

He marveled at how comfortable and easy it felt, having this woman curled against him. House couldn't recall the last time he felt so content.

They fell into a comfortable silence, only chatting occasionally during commercials. Eventually the NCIS marathon came to an end, and House could see that Caroline was fighting sleep.

"I should get out of here." House told her, gently moving so that Caroline had time to shift to a sitting position. "You need to rest."

"I suppose." Caroline answered, slowly rising from the couch and stretching with a wince. "I'll walk you out."

House grabbed his cane and headed for the door, Caroline not far behind. He turned around just before he opened the screen door, and Caroline met him with a smile.

"I'm glad you came by." She told him, her fingers threaded together in front of her. "It was nice."

"Same." House answered quietly, studying her carefully while he debated with himself.

Finally he pushed his lingering doubts aside, reaching out to place one hand along her jaw as he bent down, touching his lips lightly to hers.

Caroline let out a soft gasp, her hands reaching up to his face, small and soft against his rough beard, her lips pressing firmly against his.

House could feel his heart pounding hard as he let the kiss deepen, his tongue sliding in, searching, exploring, his hand sliding to the back of her neck.

Finally he broke it off, staring down at her, barely believing what had transpired. "I should go."

Caroline nodded. "I know." She pushed up on her tiptoes and gave House another small kiss. "We should do this again."

"Okay." House nodded in response, impulsively bending down for one more kiss.

Caroline laughed softly and gently shoved him away. "Go on, get out of here."

House couldn't stop the smile he knew was spreading across his face as he turned and limped down the steps to his bike. As he fired up the bike and started down the road, he allowed the good feelings to flow through him, carrying him all the way back to Rob's. The feelings probably wouldn't last for long. House figured he might as well enjoy the moment while he had it.

# # #

Rob and Celia left the theater after the movie, still laughing and talking as they did so. The comedy had done a good deal to dissipate the edginess Rob had initially felt when he was on his way to pick up Celia, and now he was much more relaxed as they strolled down the street to the bar.

"That was fun." Celia told him, slipping her arm into Rob's. "It's been ages since I've been to a movie."

Rob chuckled a little. "I know they've got theaters in Memphis."

"No time." Celia explained. "I work a lot of hours."

Rob nodded. "You oughta cut back a little, have some fun."

Celia laughed in response. "You're one to talk. When was the last time you got out to a movie?"

Rob immediately sobered. "That's different."

"It don't matter." Celia quickly smoothed over the brief awkward moment. "You're gettin' out now, and that's all that really matters, right?"

"Right." Rob smiled a little as he held the door for Celia. Loud music poured out when they entered the darkened space.

"Oh, they've got a band tonight!" Celia's face lit in excitement as they found a table and seated themselves. "Looks like they've got a little dance floor, too."

Rob tapped his prosthesis. "This thing kinda keeps me off the dance floor."

Celia tilted her head and regarded him thoughtfully. "I'll bet you'll be good for a couple slow dances."

Rob thought his heart would leap right out of his chest. He avoided her gaze, grabbing a menu and staring at it. "Maybe." He mumbled.

He felt a hand touch his across the table. "Only if you want to. No one's gonna force you."

Something warmed in Rob at the touch, and he squeezed Celia's hand. "I'll think about it."

"Good enough." Celia smiled warmly, and Rob felt something flutter in his chest.

"What'll y'all have?" The waitress was suddenly at their table, a wide smile on her face.

They placed their orders and made casual conversation while they waited for their food. After their food was delivered and they ate, Rob spied an open pool table. "I'll play you." He offered.

"Oh, I'm a terrible pool player." Celia demurred.

"That's alright." Rob told her. "I'll coach ya."

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

Celia smiled a little. "I'll play one game for one dance."

Rob debated himself for a moment before nodding. "That's fair."

They rose and made their way to the pool table, each of them selecting a cue. Rob slid a dollar bill into the slot and the balls dropped. He took them into his hands and expertly racked them up before removing the rack, nodding to Celia. "You want to break?"

Celia's brow wrinkled slightly. "I suppose."

Celia bent over the pool table, obviously concentrating hard on her shot. Rob watched from the end, leaning on his pool cue. "I know we got all night, girlie, but I'd like to start this game sometime." He teased.

Celia pressed her lips together and made her shot, sending the cue ball forward, breaking the balls and scattering them across the table without sinking any. She let out a little sigh. "Well, that sure wasn't what I wanted."

"No problem." Rob made his way around the table, studying it carefully. "Looks like a clean break. You just didn't sink nothin'."

"So you get to choose, right?" Celia asked.

"Yep." Rob nodded. "I'll go with solids."

"Good choice." Celia smiled.

Rob smiled a little in return, setting up his shot. He aimed carefully and shot, sinking a ball into the corner pocket.

"Well done." Celia told him, sipping at her beer. "Looks like it might be a while before I get a shot."

"Shouldn't be too long." Rob answered. "I really ain't that good. Greg's way better at this than I am."

"Really?"

"Yep." Rob laughed a little. "You remember when he cleaned Kevin's clock?"

"I sure do." Celia nodded. "Just before he kicked Kevin's sorry ass."

"Well, it was more of a mutual ass kickin'." Rob told her. "They were both lookin' pretty bad after that fight."

Rob scratched his last shot, rising and gesturing toward Celia. "You're up."

Celia scanned the table, obviously debating over her shot. Finally she seemed to make a decision, leaning over the table to line it up.

Rob tilted his head at her. "You ain't gonna make it from that angle."

Celia's eyes flicked up at him. "Is that right?"

Rob quickly made his way around the table, looking over Celia's shoulder from behind to see the shot from her angle. Once he had the angle figured out, he leaned over Celia, gently adjusting her.

She let out a little laugh, turning her head toward him. "You tryin' to coach me or feel me up?"

Rob felt his face flush, but tried to keep his cool. "Maybe a little of both?"

Celia smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "At least you're honest."

Rob was startled, but recovered quickly. "Let's get this shot figured out, huh?"

He gave her a quick explanation of the angles involved, guiding her into position for the shot. "Alright, it's all yours."

Celia carefully aimed her cue and shot, sending the ball shooting into the pocket. Rob lightly patted her between her shoulder blades. "There you go, girl. Easy as that."

"So says you." Celia laughed.

"Try it yourself." Rob told her with a smile. "You'll see."

Celia lined up another shot, carefully aiming and shooting, sending another ball into the pocket. Rob let out a little chuckle. "I thought you said you stunk at pool."

Celia laughed in response. "Maybe I just needed the right teacher."

Rob could feel himself warming again, and he thumped his pool cue on the floor. "Glad I could help."

They teased and joked their way through the rest of the game, Rob stopping to coach Celia through a couple more of her shots, managing to sneak in a kiss or two as he did so. She didn't need the coaching nearly as much as she had led him to believe, but he still enjoyed any excuse to get close to her. Celia didn't seem to mind it either, for some odd reason.

Rob sunk the eight ball to end the game, standing and stretching with a grin. "That's game."

"Sure is." Celia turned to place her pool cue in the rack. "And I think someone owes me a dance."

Rob frowned a little as he replaced his own cue. "Guess you're right."

"Don't worry, we'll wait for a slow one." Celia assured him, heading back toward the table.

They didn't have to wait long. The band started playing a Toby Keith song, and Celia rose from the table to hold her hand out to Rob. "That's your cue."

Rob's heart started thumping in his chest as he took Celia's hand and led her out to the small dance floor. The singer started just as Celia draped her arms around his neck.

I've got a funny feeling…the moment your lips touched mine…something shot right through me…my heart skipped a beat in time…

The song couldn't have been more appropriate. If Rob hadn't been so nervous, he would have laughed. As it was, it was all he could do to keep from shaking as they swayed back and forth on the dance floor.

He pulled her in a little closer, spreading his fingers out over her back, willing himself to calm down. Celia took his face in her hands and pressed up on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss.

"You're almost as good a dancer as you are a pool player." She whispered.

"I hold my own, I guess."

"You do better than that." Celia smiled warmly.

The song ended, but Rob didn't let go. Instead he leaned down, giving Celia a soft kiss, pulling back and taking a deep breath. "You want to come back to my place?"

Celia tilted her head at him, clearly interested and a little surprised. "You sure?"

Rob let out a short laugh. "No, not really. But if I don't ask you now, I might lose my nerve."

"Well now, we wouldn't want that."

Rob let out a sigh of relief. "You mind if we bail out now?"

"Not at all."

Rob took Celia's hand and didn't let go all the way back to the truck. While they had made out a little in the truck a couple of times, this time was different. Rob couldn't believe he was even thinking about this.

He took a deep breath as they climbed into the truck. "It ain't too late to change your mind."

"I ain't changin' my mind." Celia told him with a smile. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to get rid of me."

Rob leaned over and gave her a firm kiss. "I sure as hell don't wanna get rid of you."

He started the truck and threw it into gear for the short ride home. As soon as he pulled into his driveway, his doubts began to creep up. He wasn't ready for this. If he had been thinking with his brain, he never would have asked Celia to come back here. And she was a damn fool for coming along with him. He would never be the kind of man she wanted, he was sure of that. What the hell was Celia going to do with someone as messed up as he was?

"You alright?" Celia touched his arm, snapping Rob out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, fine." Rob nodded.

Celia looked skeptical, but didn't say anything. Instead she followed Rob into the house, where they were greeted by Baxter and Elsa. He scratched them both behind the ears before moving on into the house, hearing Celia greet each of them warmly, talking softly to them.

"They're real sweet pups, Rob." Celia told him.

"They're alright." Rob agreed. "Pretty good company most of the time."

Celia rose from the floor where she had been petting the dogs and wrapped her arms around Rob. "Seems the dogs aren't the only ones who need a little love and attention."

"Sheeit." Rob snorted, feeling himself turning red in the darkened kitchen as he returned the move, drawing Celia in close. "I can't say I need it. Sure as hell won't turn it down, though."

"Good." Celia pushed herself up to kiss him, and Rob immediately deepened it, tentatively pushing his tongue forward, pleasantly surprised when she let him in, letting it tangle up with hers.

Rob could feel himself reacting, and he let his hands drift down, cupping her rear and squeezing lightly. She giggled a little and pressed harder into him, almost pushing him into the kitchen table.

"Easy, girl." Rob pulled away with a chuckle, his hands still resting on her rear. "Got a perfectly good bedroom that ain't seen a lot of use if you want to do that."

"Well, what are you waitin' for?" Celia answered saucily, pushing away from him and offering her hand.

Rob wasn't waiting for a damn thing. He took Celia's hand and allowed her to lead him through the living room and down the hallway. "Which one's yours?"

He pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. "Right down at the end. Can't miss it."

They entered the bedroom, and Rob reached over to turn on the small bedroom lamp. He spotted an unfamiliar box, picking it up before he realized what it was.

It was a 12-pack of condoms with a Post-It note attached. "Have fun and play safe—G."

Rob couldn't help but laugh, scolding himself for his own lack of forethought. It had been such a long dry spell that it hadn't even occurred to him to stock up on anything. At least Greg had been looking out for him.

"Something funny?" Celia tilted her head at him.

"Nah, nothin'." Rob eased himself to sit on the bed. "Come here."

Celia moved toward him, and Rob started to work the buttons on her top, shaking a little as he did so. He let it slip off her shoulders and on to the floor, sitting back a little to admire her

He set to work on her jeans, a little more sure of himself now, unbuttoning and unzipping them fairly easily, pushing them down so that they pooled around her ankles. She quickly slipped off her shoes and stepped out of her jeans, a slightly shy smile lighting her face.

Rob leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her stomach. "Goddamn, Celia, you're beautiful."

Celia stroked the top of his head, not saying a word, simply letting him touch and kiss her all over, as far as he could reach.

"Hey." Her voice pulled his attention away, and he looked up at her. "What's the chances of getting a good look at you?"

"Aw, c'mon. You've seen it." Rob tried to affect a light tone. "It ain't nothin' to look at."

"I meant the rest of you." Celia coaxed him.

Rob's stomach clenched at the thought. His lower body was in worse shape than his upper body, if that were possible. He didn't feel right letting a doctor see it, never mind Celia.

He shook his head. "I don't think so, girl."

"Alright, then." Celia smiled, looking slightly disappointed. "You want me to go on and turn off this light?"

"Not yet." Rob quickly answered. "I ain't done lookin' at you yet."

He rose from the bed and looked down at her, leaning in for a long, slow kiss while he fumbled at the back of her bra, getting it undone and feeling under it for the soft flesh beneath, brushing his thumbs across her nipples.

She gasped softly, pressing her body closer to his, causing his own body to react. Her hands started to undo the buttons of his shirt, slowly opening it and running her hands over his chest and stomach.

He tensed at her touch, feeling a definite difference between the scarred and unscarred parts of him, surprised that she didn't recoil in horror. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders, joining the growing pile of clothing at their feet, and started working his belt buckle.

Now he was getting nervous. His breathing got shorter the closer she got to getting his jeans undone, knowing what she would find underneath. Even more scarring, a missing leg. Hell, he wasn't even sure the equipment still worked. He had never been able to bring himself to find out.

"It's okay." Celia spoke softly. "I ain't gonna scream and run off."

"Sure, you say that now." Rob answered, still trying to keep it light. "Just you wait til you see what's under these jeans."

Her hands moved swiftly, taking his jeans and boxers in one move and pushing them to the floor. Rob was so stunned he barely knew how to react.

"Well, now, this ain't exactly fair, girl." He chuckled nervously. "How'd you manage to keep your panties on?"

"Just lucky, I guess." Celia answered with a laugh.

"Not for long." Rob quickly slid her underwear off, leaving her naked before him while he sat on the bed, ducking his head to kick off his shoe and undo his prosthesis, leaving the whole pile on the floor.

"I'm kinda done standing." He explained, his heart thudding in his chest. "I don't do so well on one leg."

"Fine with me." Celia reached over to the box on the table, noticing the Post-It. "Who's G.?"

"Greg." Rob was more than a little embarrassed. "Guess he was lookin' out for me."

"Good man, that Greg." Celia opened the box and ripped off a condom. "You still want the light off?"

"Nah." Rob answered. "Guess there's no point now."

Celia stepped between Rob's legs, gently pushing him down on the bed, and he scooted back a little before she climbed on top of him, pressing her whole body against him while kissing him hard, her tongue sliding into his mouth and tangling up with his.

For a moment, Rob forgot his scars and his missing leg and the nightmare that played itself out every night when he closed his eyes. Right now, he was blanketed by Celia's warmth and softness, and nothing else mattered.

He rolled them over so that Celia was on her back, running his hand down her body, finding her already warm and wet between her legs. His fingers played with the hard nub of flesh there, occasionally dipping inside while he stroked her with his thumb.

She moaned a little, rolling to her side to caress him all over, soon wrapping her hand around his own hardened flesh, stroking him. Rob let out a sharp gasp at the touch. He hadn't expected to feel much of anything there. Apparently everything was working just fine.

Eventually it got to be too much, and he started to push her hand away. Her eyes flew open with a baffled look. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, girl." Rob told her with a laugh. "Gettin' a little too much of a good thing. I'm gonna blow if you keep that up."

She giggled girlishly and opened the packet in her hand, pulling out the condom and rolling it over him, preparing to straddle him.

"Uh-uh." Rob told her firmly, pushing her over to her back. He braced his foot against the floor and slowly entered Celia, her only answer a soft gasp as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

It didn't take long to get a good rhythm going, and suddenly it was as if no time had elapsed at all. Rob felt strong and whole, rocking into Celia, the squeaking of the bedsprings and Celia's little sighs and moans the only sounds in the room.

Soon Rob could feel himself peaking, unloading into Celia with a rough sigh, burying his face into her neck and riding it out, finally coming to rest against her, completely spent.

He felt Celia's hand caressing the back of his head, her lips pressing into his cheek. "You're shakin'."

"I know." Rob's voice sounded rough to his own ears, a lump suddenly forming in his throat.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." His throat was far too tight now. How could he begin to explain what emotions were running through him right now? The years spent in hiding, convinced that he would spend the rest of his life alone, unnoticed, uncared for? The time he wasted convincing himself that it didn't matter, that his dogs were good enough company?

All of that was swept away, and Rob had never felt so exposed, figuratively speaking. He wasn't sure what had come in to replace that, but it both scared and thrilled him.

In the end he simply curled up to Celia, shifting slightly so that he could see her face, stroking it lightly. "I could get real used to this."

"That makes two of us."

Those simple words were more than Rob could have ever hoped to hear, and he kissed her hard. When he pulled away, he studied her face. "I can take you back to your mom's if you want."

"No, I think I'm fine right here." Celia answered. "If that's what you want, that is."

There was no question in Rob's mind. "Hell yeah. I ain't ready to let you go."

With that they rearranged themselves, curling together under a sheet against the warm night. Rob knew the nightmares would probably still come the minute he closed his eyes. But he also knew he wouldn't wake up alone. Celia would be right there beside him. As long as he had her, Rob figured everything would be alright, at least for tonight. He considered that good enough.

# # #

You know what happens next. Read and review.