... ... ... THE AGREEMENT ... ... ...

"Leave me... Just leave, god dammit, Antonio!" a headache ceasing but not qualms.

"In health and in sickness..." he attempted to remind his suffering precious wife of the vows which had bound them a month ago, but was cut off.

"I'm aware! But compromising included too," she gathered her strengths and wit to explain it once again, while wiggling and shaking in weakness on the floor in front of the toilet. "You can sit BEHIND the door and, if you will, listen me vomiting. But I don't want you to watch or attend me by holding my hair. I'm not disabled and I'm not dying. Though, you make it worse with your concern. When all I need is you to bring me water when I ask. And then leave me..."

"Okay," he exhaled, still not ready to comply straight away. "But are you sure it's food poisoning?"

"Of course, I am, Antonio. I DO know the difference... Well, I don't know the difference... But I don't want to know the difference..."

He stared ridiculously puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

"Rabbits' activity to cause overpopulation..."

Dumbfound even more he became, then inappropriately but kindly got to, hallelujah, laugh out at her bright mentality no matter what, "If so, I would take the blame and responsibility, no joke. Yet, I meant a stomach flu..." He placed his hands back to her thighs to stroke gently, when he really wanted to grab her in arms and kiss all her illness away. But not an option at the moment.

"Forgive my bitchy tone, but I stick to my own diagnose and nothing else, as I do know myself, what to do and what I need, even not dragging in my 911 operator history. So, now, my second to none beloved husband, go the fuck out of the bathroom, please."

With a smirk but reluctantly he obeyed, merely not to burden her physical misery further with more annoyance of him. A bit of receding for good, fine... and out of respect too. But not through her reasoning.

That was the first sort of conflict since the one which provoked their prime kiss. And as a spoke in the wheel of their idyll he considered the same her still-independent-woman mood. But she's one married woman already! Now he's officially entitled to take charge of her in whatever unpleasant situation. But, for Heaven's sake, in the eyes of love there are no such things. Damn pathetic, nonetheless, true.

So, some time after another release she found him exactly where she told him to be.

"We have chairs, a couch..."

"You better?" hiding his phone with a search for wiser answers to help, he swiftly raised from the floor to meet her.

"Go to bed, Antonio. It's late. I'll join you, just get myself some water," she ignored the question as not positive whether the torment's over.

"You seemed to say that's my job to keep you hydrated. And we should take a day-off for tomorrow."

"I did. But no, we shouldn't. And go to sleep," weary, short and clear while about to head for the kitchen.

"And where's compromising in that?" he inquired earnestly with as much of politeness.

"Okay, I'm collapsing on the bed, you serve."

He would eagerly carry her in his arms those few meters, but, damn it, had to restrain an impulse and watched her pace to the place of destination to wait for him there. A minute later he laid down beside, pressed against her back, embracing her - the contact, the tightest possible in the circumstances, to soothe his soul.

"I'm not neglecting you," she suddenly spoke while let their fingers, with those ones ringed, entwine. "I can't express how much... uh, that's not even fucking gratitude... it's complete gratification to feel your caring, candid and factual, and it overwhelms my heart... Yet, my mind can't accept such bearing in full... most particularly for the save of my dignity... You're probably not familiar - and that's good - with everything a woman should do to maintain her physical attractiveness... To find herself alluring looking in the mirror, as well as under her man's gaze... So, let me preserve some private space to stay beautiful for you."

"You ARE beautiful to me, natural inside and out. It can't be otherwise."

"Antonio..."

"But I get it... Still, never during the months together it was a problem before - with those basic hygienic procedures. Right?"

"Want it as blatant as usual?"

"Yes, of course."

"Dirty it will be, but not nearly arousing. To make my point... We don't shit in front of each other, do we?"

"That wouldn't be a bother either."

"Shut up!"

As he held her cuddled while himself laughing into her neck, all those 'nastiness' and trifles indeed seemed silly. Or she simply got too washed out. But there's something else they would need to talk about. Urgent. Though, not tonight. Since soon she had to run to the bathroom again.


In less than 24 hours she recovered to demand his thoroughgoing attention, for her intimate spots never lived so long without his immodest caress. Almost two days of abstaining, 'cause of work, then her distress, then work again. Yep, unadvisedly stubborn to discard 'an excuse' for both to rest properly and to salute her improving in health with mutual orgasm, instead she deported him to the office with no delay, while let herself only be barely two hours late.

Therefore, by the end of the shift she came to obviously debate with herself what she was hungry for more - decent food or her husband. Predictably, the latter, who in passing supplied her with wholesome snacks, won. And so, he sensed her determined attitude before they entered the apartment. Resisting his woman was rather an unforgivable sin, thus, no guardedness of a gentleman, as he also missed her entirely with every part of him. How the hell could they have survived two first month of open innocent flirting?

Now laying still joined - naked, hot, hearts racing - she remembered a worrying and delicate subject to broach. Prolonging is disregard and a crime.

"Antonio..." she called, slipping to the side from the top of him, but her face remained at the level of his chest, as her eyes the same down. "There's an issue... we should have cleared with eaсh other... in far advance of hastily and secretly getting married..."

"Okay," all ears and back to reality, he anticipated seriousness and hesitation of hers.

He tried to pull the girl closer to encourage her with whatever was on her mind, but, an elbow propped up the bed, she stuck in her pose and words.

"I don't want to know the difference," at last she softly restarted with her yesterday confusing phrase, however, not enough audacity to spill it out, as she placed light kisses upon his skin. To reassure them both... and to muffle her own anxiety and poorness of her confession... But come what may... "I don't want kids..." at that she dared to look straight at him, gaining back her power and habit to be free spoken and undisguised around him. "Call me selfish. But I can count all the reasons sane for me, like this complicated and crazy world, our job, my body. I can't expect you be alike in opinion though... Yet, I hope that Eva and Diego did fulfill your need of procreation. And you won't ask me of that one day..."

Done. The silence fell, and she couldn't read what was behind it, merely eyeing him, flung herself on his mercy, and waited.

"I see..." that was hard to contemplate... being distracted by her nude hotness along him, her bare breast fully exposed, her messy red hair, roses in her cheeks as aftermath of the pleasure. "Honestly... I didn't muse on such future... as long as the present does have everything I couldn't even dream about. So, you can qualify me as selfish too, since I confidently and shamelessly don't want to share you with anyone..." he beheld a gleam of relief in her and went on. "And I also concur with your considerations. That was... damn, still IS challenging to grow children in this world, and my job doesn't make it easier at all. So, with all the gratitude for a chance to be a father, twice, but I don't think I'm excited to relive this experience... Yet, I squarely believe we'd have beautiful kids, and you would be a great mother, as you get on so naturally well with Diego and Eva, and..."

"Okay, stop here," she smiled appeased, and delighted, and embarrassed a bit. "It's impossible not to love them. They represent the best in you, biologically and morally, with your manful decent upbringing of them. And they're grown up enough. While I'm scared of little ones. And you remember I was afraid to meet Diego, as didn't know how to behave with a boy. Don't laugh!"

"Scared of infants and boys?... Ow!" he exclaimed amused, as she bit the skin of his torso.

"I can go lower with my teeth if you keep on mocking me..." a dangerous threat or a tempting promise, who knew?

"Hey, I mean, you have nothing to worry about," he, though, finally put her higher to possessively cup her butt, her right leg and arm to spread over him. "My love for you certainly can make me want to have with you a living continuation of us... Although, in truth, I'm too old for that..."

"Bullshit!" it was excessively loud in intimacy of the night to surprise them both. A discontent reproach mixed with giggling, then back to quit tone, "And a man is never too old to get a woman pregnant..."

"Okay. But my love for you will never do anything against your will or comfort."

"Let it be so..." she snuggled up to him and stilled in repose.

But not her ruminations. So, shortly she realized there were more and deeper issues. This time, with her head glued to his shoulder, she spoke looking into the void... of the room and one appeared occult inside of her.

"You know that life is unpredictable... Even ordinary people being unaware of what can happen next... And your job... it allows more of such fatal moments..." a longer heavy pause nipped, but he didn't hazard to break it to convince her it's rather nonsense. "If... if one day I'm left without you... I could pretend I fantasized you and our joyful life together... While those who knew you, THEY did, but not me... And your family as if not mine... Because acting a little insane is better than unbearable pain..." Another leaden dwell before the culmination followed. "But if we deliver a new beautiful person to this world... but then I'd be deprived of you... that baby would bring as much love in me as much pain, every second reminding me of what was taken away... Then I already wouldn't be able to hide in my faked alternative reality, but had to face it... When I don't want to go through that ever again..."

Meanwhile, her tears, falling unstoppable, dampened his flesh and the sheets. He, in turn, had no words but a desire, like yesterday and always, to squeeze her and kiss all anguish away. However, once he reached, she fended him off from doing that, as she didn't finish.

"Let's agree about the ending..." she appealed, blatantly and almost desperately now staring into his eyes. "You're not dying without me or away from me. Doesn't matter, tomorrow or in twenty years, but only in the arms of each other..." she felt so silly, crying and shaking, but she needed that to be unclothed and pronounced.

"Yes, I wouldn't wish otherwise," infected with her emotions, he was close to reflect her on-surface reaction, so, he just scooped her in tightest embrace to prevent them both from shattering.

"I repeat. Don't you fucking dare die without me!" she intended to put it more playfully, but the claim showed up pretty stern, sank into his strong body and mind.

"Copied, Mrs. Dawson."

Whatever it takes, but he'd carry the terms out.