Title: All’s well…

By: tayryn

Rating: starts off rawther tame… but doesn’t stay that way. *G*

Disclaimer: Another World and its characters are not mine… sadly. The poems used are also not mine… they belong to e.e. Cummings.

Summary: They’re together again… all’s well that ends well.

Notes: Just a little something that popped into my head… that had to be written. I miss these two so much…

~CR~ ~RC~ ~CR~

“Do you remember where we live?”

“I remember…” Carl turned away thoughtfully at Rachel’s question. “...a studio…” his attention snapped back to her, his eyes filled with a sudden knowing. “You’re an artist!”

Rachel watched his eyes drop to her hands, which she’d been clutching to her chest.

“You… you sculpt… and you paint…” his eyes widened. “And you’re good,” he grinned, his eyes flashing with delight as he met her gaze. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Rachel smiled, nodding, her eyes bright. “Yes. You’re my best fan.”

“May I touch you?” He ventured in a quiet, hesitant voice.

“Yes…” Rachel nodded as she exhaled breathlessly.

Blue and brown eyes locked; swirling with emotion as an ever-growing tension filled them both. It had been far too long since Rachel had felt this sweet anxious ache with him… one she had never thought to feel again. For Carl, it was both familiar and new… the realization of a year’s worth of hopeful memories and dreams.

Slowly, as one, they lowered their eyes to where Rachel held out her hands, palms up.

Carl reached out, and gently slid his fingers along hers until their palms were resting together. He paused for only a moment, luxuriating in the softness of her skin before continuing his exploration, moving his hands with purpose up her arms.

Rachel drew in a shaky breath as his thumbs brushed the sides of her breasts and lifted her eyes to meet his as his hands finally came to rest on her shoulders. Her heart began to beat furiously as Carl stepped closer, his eyes darting down to her lips and back again. Their breathing quickened as the distance between them grew smaller.

The kiss, when it finally happened was a gentle one… a mere pressing together of their lips that slowly… slowly… deepened into something more with each rapid beat of their hearts.

As they gave themselves over to the kiss, their arms wound about each other. Carl slipped a hand into her hair, the other finding purchase on her waist as he drew her further into his embrace. Rachel slid one hand along Carl’s side, under his arm and up his back to clutch briefly at his shoulder before delving her fingers into his thick, silver ponytail; her other hand fisting in his shirt.

Feelings and emotions enveloped them and swept them away as they kissed; tongues tentatively meeting… tasting… exploring and rediscovering. Soft sighs turned into low moans as the kiss changed and suddenly became a passionate exchange; neither one seeming to be able to get enough of the other. As quickly as it had grown hungry, the kiss changed again, returning to the soft, gentle exchange it started as then slowly tapered off into a series of light, breathy touches of lips.

“I remember the taste of you…” Carl whispered against his wife’s lips as they rested their foreheads together. “The feel of you in my arms…” the hand on her waist glided down along her hip then back again as he flexed his fingers in her long brown hair. “For the first time since waking from the surgery… I feel such a sense of peace… of contentment.”

Rachel smiled and combed her fingers through his ponytail. “I feel alive. For the first time in so many months… I feel alive,” she pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “You’re alive…”

“I’m alive,” Carl repeated moving his lips over her cheek to her temple. “I’m alive and you’re not just a dream.”

Her arms tightened around him as she pressed her body closer, wanting nothing more in that moment than to become a part of him so that she would never be separated from him again. She buried her face in his chest, nuzzling into that place between his neck and shoulder, and placed a kiss to his warm skin.

“Rachel…” Carl murmured and closed his eyes as he laid his cheek against the top of her head. “…my Rachel…”

They held each other in silence, swaying gently to the sound of the surf as it crashed onto the beach just beyond the house. How long they stayed that way, neither could say, and neither one cared. Both were content to simply hold the other.

After some time, Rachel lifted her head from Carl’s shoulder and met his gaze. She smiled lovingly at him as she lifted a hand to his cheek, her fingers feathering through the unfamiliar beard before tracing over his lips.

Carl pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers before he reached up to clasp her hand in his. Without looking, he took hold of her other hand and, walking backwards, he led her quietly out of the living room, down the short hallway and into their bedroom, not stopping until they were standing at the foot of the large bed that dominated the room.

“Rachel…” Carl whispered her name as he framed her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers, brushing his lips lightly over hers. “I…”

“I know…” Rachel murmured, moving her lips against his. “Me too.”

They continued to kiss… soft, gentle touches of their lips as they began to slowly remove each other’s clothes. With every piece of clothing that fell to the floor, their hearts began to beat faster… their breaths coming in soft pants. It was only when Carl was down to his boxers and Rachel her slip that they paused, their hands resting on each other’s hips and looked into each other’s eyes.

Carl reached up to cup her cheek. “I want so much to make love with you,” he told her in a raspy, arousal filled voice. “All these months… with nothing but the image of you in my mind… I’ve dreamt of making love to you. However, it’s…” he stroked his thumb over her lips.

“…too soon,” she finished for him.

Carl nodded. “I want to remember more… I want to remember how to touch you, what brings you pleasure.” The hand on her hip stroked lightly up along her side. “I want to love you as you should be loved.”

“My darling, even without your memory completely restored, I have no doubts whatsoever that you would have no problems in that department,” Rachel smiled knowingly at him. “From our first time together, you have always been a very generous lover.”

A large smile split his face, even as a slight blush touched his cheeks. “Be that as it may, would you allow me to simply hold you?”

“Oh yes,” she turned her face into the hand still cupping her cheek, and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I would love that.”

“As would I,” Carl murmured.

They shared a sweet kiss and then Rachel stepped out of his arms. She walked around the bed, turned down the blankets, crawled in then held out her hand to him. Smiling, Carl quickly joined her, turning onto his side to face her.

With a soft smile, Rachel rolled towards him, shifting so that her head rested on the pillow beside Carl’s. Their legs loosely tangled together, and they slowly began an exploration with their hands; neither one able to resist touching the other.

Carl trailed his fingers over the contours of her face, relearning every laugh line, every wrinkle… loving each one, and committing them to memory. “I do not know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands,” he spoke the words in a soft voice as he traced a gentle circle around her eyes, “the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses.”

“Nobody,” Rachel’s voice hitched in her throat as she finished the stanza with him, “not even the rain, has such small hands.”

“Your favourite poem,” he said with surprise in his voice, and she nodded. “I courted you with it.”

She smiled, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Yes.”

Carl returned her smile and Rachel reached up to trace his lips, once more combing her fingers through his beard. “How long have you had this?”

“I woke up from the coma with it,” he answered. “Once I cleaned it up, I rather fancied it. Do you not like it?”

“It’s different,” Rachel answered, still fingering the soft hairs on his chin and jaw. “But I like it. It looks good on you. It will just take some getting used to.”

“You’re sure?”

“Mmhmm…”

“Then I shall leave it.”

“Good…” Rachel replied and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. Settling her head back on the pillow, she resumed her exploration of him. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, brushed her fingers through the silvery hairs on his still muscular chest then over and up his arm. She could not touch him enough… and found her hands, once more, cradling his beloved face; tracing the features she thought she’d never see again.

Carl’s hands were not idle either. He brushed Rachel’s hair back from her face then trailed his fingers around the curve of her ear, along the smooth column of her neck to her shoulder and down her side to rest on her hip. He caressed her through the silky material, slipping his hand lower to stroke her thigh.

Rachel moaned when Carl grasped her thigh and drew the long limb up higher over his, and pressed his own leg firmer between hers. She unconsciously rocked against him, pressing her centre against his hair-roughened thigh, and moaned again at the pleasure that coursed through her.

“…Rachel…” Carl groaned her name when he realized that she was not wearing anything beneath her slip. He shifted closer and captured her mouth in a loving kiss. His arm slipped beneath her and he drew her further into his embrace. A low moan sounded deep in his throat at the feel of her breasts pillowed against his chest. Unable to resist, he trailed the hand on her hip up along her side and slipped it between them to cup a soft mound, moaning as her nipple hardened to pierce his palm.

“Carl…” she gasped out of the kiss.

“You feel so good,” he told her, kneading the tender flesh in his hand and covered her mouth once again, kissing her deeply.

Rachel could feel his arousal hard against her lower belly… could feel herself growing wetter with every touch they shared, and knew he could feel it too. Neither one made move to take things further however; both content to simply enjoy the intimacy of the moment… reveling in every arousing touch, every loving kiss and relearning what the other liked.

Eventually, their kisses tapered off and the caresses eased until they were lying contentedly in each other’s arms, gazing into each other’s eyes as they allowed the soft breeze blowing in through the windows to calm the arousal still humming through their bodies.

They were both extremely tired but neither one wanted to sleep…

In hushed voices, they began to talk.

Carl told her more about his time in the clinic, sharing the scattered bits of memories as they came to him during his tale. Rachel regaled him about all that had gone on in Bay City while he was gone, good and bad… and then, she began to tell him about his children.

“Rachel… will the grubs remember me do you think?” Carl asked, uncertainty lacing his voice.

“Oh yes,” she nodded with a smile at Carl’s unknowing use of his pet name for their twins. “I have made sure of that.”

“Good. That’s good,” he said then laid his hand on her belly. “I’ve missed so much of them. So many firsts that I will never get back. I…” his voice trailed off and his eyes grew wide. He flexed his fingers against her. “Cory’s first word was dada… as was Elizabeth’s,” Carl whispered, looking to her for confirmation.

Rachel nodded.

“I was there…”

“You were there,” Rachel repeated, tears gathering in her eyes. “They’d just started to talk when you…”

“…died.” Carl finished for her in a whispered voice.

She nodded, blinking furiously at the tears that welled even more.

He leaned closer and kissed away the tears from her lashes.

“You were so excited that night, and so proud,” Rachel told him then giggled softly. “You wanted to place a full page announcement in Brava.”

“But you talked me out of it,” he said thoughtfully as he nuzzled her temple.

“Only just.”

Carl chuckled. “I believe I settled for calling just about everyone we know.”

Rachel nodded then grasped his face between her hands and drew his head back so that she could meet his eyes. “See, I told you. Everything will come back to you now that we’re together again.”

“Yes… yes, it will. My heart already knows you,” he replied as he reached up to grasp her hand and held it against his chest. “And I can already feel so much of myself returning. The flashes are becoming full images… the fragments are filling in, and all because of you. My wife…” Carl brought her hand to his lips, brushing kisses over her knuckles. “…my Rachel.”

“Tell me,” Carl began after several moments. “How long were you planning to stay here?”

“I hadn’t given it much thought,” Rachel answered. “When I came here, I hadn’t planned on staying.”

“What made you decide to stay?”

“I could feel you,” she whispered with a soft smile. “I could feel you here,” she laid her hand on his chest over his heart. “On some level I’ve always known that you were still alive, because I never felt you leave me. And being here, in this house, the feeling that you were close was overwhelming. And despite that, despite knowing and feeling you, I felt it was time to follow the advice I’d given Matthew about letting go and moving on. So, I decided to stay… to try and put the memories to rest,” she cupped his cheek. “To try and let you go so that I could move on with my life.”

“And to find love once again.”

Rachel shook her head. “No…” she shook her head again. “No. I’ve been very lucky to have found and shared two great loves in my life. First Mac… and then you,” she smiled wistfully. “After losing you, I knew that I would never love again… never marry again, and I was okay with that.” Rachel leaned in and pressed her lips to his, speaking softly. “But you’re here and you’re alive. My heart is full, and my soul is whole once again.”

“Finding you here has healed my soul,” Carl murmured against her mouth.

Rachel tilted her head back and met his eyes, a smile playing on her lips. “So, I gather that you would like to go home?”

Carl nodded. “Yes. I’d like to see our children, hold them in my arms, and I am hoping that being in the place where we shared our lives will help me remember more of my past and of our life together.” He stroked his hand along her arm. “I want to be whole… be myself again.”

“And you will, my darling. You will,” Rachel told him then grinned. “So, tomorrow… we’ll go home.”

“Then I suppose we should get some sleep.”

“I…”

“I am here, Rachel,” Carl soothed her, seeing the fear that flashed in her eyes. “I am here. I’m alive, and I am never going to leave you again,” he gathered her into his arms.

“I know,” she murmured as she burrowed deep into his embrace, and tucked her head under his chin. “I just…”

“I know, love, I understand,” he stroked her hair, her back. “I promise you, this is not a dream, and I will be here when you wake up. You will still be in my arms.”

Rachel released a shuddering breath then pressed a kiss to his chest. “I love you, my darling.”

“I love you, too.”

“Forever…” they spoke the word softly together.

Their breathing slowed, eventually evened out… and the two fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

~CR~ ~RC~ ~CR~

Rachel stood in the doorway with a soft smile on her face, her eyes on her husband. Her heart swelled with love as she watched him lean over and brush his lips against their daughter’s forehead.

“Sleep well, my little love,” she heard him whisper then watched as he did the same with Cory.

It was only when he was standing between both beds, looking back and forth between his children, did Rachel move into the room. She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Thought I would find you here,” she said in a quiet voice.

Carl covered her hands with his. “They’re beautiful, Rachel,” he told her, his voice filled with wonder. “I still cannot believe that we created these two little creatures.”

“I think the same thing every day,” she smiled and rubbed her cheek against him. “They truly are our little miracles.”

“Indeed they are,” Carl agreed as he turned in her arms. He feathered his lips over hers then with shared smiles, arm in arm, they left the nursery.

~CR~ ~RC~ ~CR~

“Is there anything more peaceful than a sleeping child?” Carl wondered aloud as he and Rachel strolled, hand in hand, into the living room.

“Yes,” Rachel began as they stopped, his hands settling on her waist. “Two sleeping children.”

Carl chuckled as he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her cheek. His hands slid around her and he laced his fingers at her lower back.

Rachel copied his movements, her arms wrapping around him as well, hands together.

“All’s well…” he said softly.

“Yes, I know…” she replied in an equally soft voice. “All’s well that ends well.”

Carl nodded slowly as he closed the distance between them and they shared a soft, gentle kiss.

They held each other’s eyes for several moments before Rachel stepped out of his arms and walked further into the room. He watched her as she looked down at the picture in her hands, a Polaroid of the newlyweds, before she placed it with the other pictures on the table behind the couch.

The day before, she had made comment about wanting to redecorate the house, starting with the living room.

“You’ve been saying that since you were pregnant with the twins,” Carl told her.

“I know,” Rachel beamed at him, and he returned her grin as he realized he’d filled in yet another memory. “But this time, I really mean it.”

Framed photos had been scattered around the room for years as Rachel was fond of keeping the memories close at hand. Many of the pictures would change from time to time, but there were a certain photos that never left the room.

After deciding that she truly wanted to change things in the house, Rachel had had several boxes of old photos brought up from storage in the basement. Several of the framed mementos had been scattered about, joining the pictures already there so that Rachel could decide which ones to keep out after the remodeling and which ones to return to storage.

Carl continued to watch, his eyes filled with tenderness as his wife wandered about the pictures, running her hands over the frames affectionately. He smiled softly when she paused for an extra heartbeat beside the photo of Mac before continuing on.

Reaching the pictures that littered the piano, Rachel stopped and looked over at her husband, and her eyes suddenly filled with tears as she felt her heart skip a beat.

He was home.

He was truly home.

It did not matter that his memory had not fully returned. He remembered her, and the love they shared, and that was what mattered most to her.

She suddenly felt the need to be in his arms and with a rush; she hurried over to him and moved into his embrace.

Their arms wrapped around each other and they held tightly to one another.

Rachel’s hand clasped the back of his head as he whispered, “I love you,” against her cheek with a soft kiss then held her tighter as he nuzzled her temple. She grasped his face in her hands and drew back to give him a watery smile before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Their eyes met again and held.

The love they felt for each other swam in their eyes, filling their hearts to near bursting.

With shared smiles, Carl stepped out of her arms, holding fast to both of her hands with one of his as he reached out to turn the lights off with the other. When the room was in darkness, he turned back to her, and slipped his arm about her waist.

Arm in arm, they slowly began to ascend the stairs.

~CR~ ~RC~ ~CR~

“Rachel.”

Rachel rolled over in her sleep and cuddled up against the warm body of her husband, sighing contentedly at the reassuring sound of his heart beating steadily beneath her ear.

“Rachel, darling… wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered open then grew wide at the sight of a familiar figure standing at the foot of her bed.

“M… Mac?”

She sat up slowly.

“Mac… is it really you?”

“Yes, my darling, it’s really me.”

Rachel shook her head. “I must be dreaming. This can’t be real.”

“Maybe you are dreaming,” Mac told her with a grin. “But that doesn’t make this any less real.”

“How… why are you here?” Rachel asked as she climbed out of the bed, being careful not to wake Carl.

“I came to see you… to talk with you,” Mac answered as he reached out to take hold of her hand.

At his touch, Rachel inhaled sharply then gripped his hand tighter as she moved to embrace him. “Oh, Mac… I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, sweetheart,” Mac replied as he returned her hug. After several moments, he extracted himself from her arms and smiled at her as he retained hold of her hand. “You look happy.”

“I am happy,” she told him, her gaze softening as it fell on her husband still asleep in their bed. “Carl’s come back to me.”

“Yes, he has,” Mac said.

Rachel turned back to him. “Oh, Mac, I…”

Mac held up his hand to stop her. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I know how very much you love him, and that is as it should be. You were meant to be with him.” He grinned at the surprised look on her face. “Why so surprised?”

“I…” Rachel shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders.

“I know this may be a little difficult to believe,” Mac began. “I have to admit, even I had a hard time with it when I first found out, but Carl Hutchins is your soul mate, Rachel,” he gave her hand a squeeze. “I was, for lack of better description, merely a stop on your journey, darling, not your destination,” Mac told her. “Carl is the man you were meant to spend the rest of your life with.”

“But you and I… Mac, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if it weren’t for you and what we shared. It was your love that changed me… that allowed me to grow.”

Mac squeezed her hand and nodded. “I just helped you become the woman you were meant to be… the woman that was always inside you.”

Rachel smiled. “You and mom were the only ones who believed that of me.”

“You just needed a chance,” Mac told her. “And I was the lucky man chosen to give you that chance.” He smiled affectionately at her. “It wasn’t always easy, I know, but we did it… you did it. And then you gave that same chance to Carl. Gave him the chance to become the man he was meant to be.”

Rachel’s gaze returned to her sleeping husband. “He wanted so much to earn his son’s respect… to be worthy of Ryan’s love. And he did.”

“Thanks to you,” Mac said. “And then, you fell in love with him.”

“Yes,” she whispered with a gentle smile. “Somehow, he worked his way into my life and into my heart.” Tears began to form on her lashes. “This last year without him has been agony. My heart and soul were empty. The ache I felt…” she turned back to meet Mac’s eyes. “Oh, Mac… it was even more unbearable than when I lost you,” she admitted in a quiet voice.

“I know, sweetheart.”

“So many times, I just wanted to curl up and die… to be with him again.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No,” Rachel shook her head. “The twins needed me. If it weren’t for them…” she let go of Mac’s hand to wipe the tears from her eyes and brush her hair back. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “But he’s come back to me.”

“Yes he has.”

“It was an answer to my prayers… even with his memory not quite right.”

“He will remember, Rachel,” Mac told her. “After all, he has you to help him.”

“Yes he does,” she nodded as a large smile suddenly graced her features when she felt a warm presence at her side and a large hand take hold of hers. She knew, without looking that it was Carl, but could not help herself from glancing up at him, and felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes fell on him.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as his own eyes smiled at her before lifting his gaze to his predecessor. “Mac,” Carl stretched out his hand to the older man.

“Carl,” Mac took his hand, shaking it firmly.

Rachel watched the exchange with interest, knowing that in that silent moment, forgiveness was both sought and given.

“Take care of her,” Mac told Carl. “She’s a special lady.”

“You have my word,” Carl said solemnly.

Another silent conversation passed between the two men before Mac glanced somewhere over his shoulder. “Well, it’s time for me to be going,” he told them as he returned his attention to them.

“Already?” Rachel asked.

Mac nodded. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and that you’re happy.”

“I am deliriously happy,” Rachel replied, glancing back and smiling at Carl who gave her hand a loving squeeze. She looked back to Mac. “And you? Are you happy where you are?”

Mac nodded. “Yes, I am.” He smiled at her. “I am very happy.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Rachel smiled then stepped away from Carl to hug Mac. “It’s been so good to see you,” she told him in a quiet voice. “I really have missed you.”

Mac tightened his arms around her. “It’s been good to see you too, sweetheart,” Mac whispered in her ear. “Take care of yourself, Rachel.”

“You too,” Rachel whispered back.

The two shared a quick, loving kiss then released each other.

Rachel stepped back to Carl and slipped an arm around his waist, her other hand coming to rest against his chest. She glanced up at him and he gave her a tender smile as covered her hand with his; patting it affectionately.

“Have a good life together,” Mac told them as he began to back away.

They watched as he slipped into the shadows of their bedroom, and as he faded from view, they saw a second figure reach out to take Mac’s hand in the darkness.

“Maria…” Rachel whispered, recognizing the other woman that had captured Mackenzie Cory’s heart years before. The woman, who Rachel realized in that moment, was Mac’s soul mate as surely as Carl was hers.

“Paulina’s mother Maria?” Carl asked, his eyes on where the other couple had been only moments before. “Do you really think so?”

Rachel nodded then laid her head on her husband’s chest and slipped her other arm around him in a loose embrace.

“Well, that was certainly interesting,” Carl remarked after several moments of silence.

“Yes it was,” she replied as she rubbed her cheek against him then pressed a kiss to his chest.

“Was it real or a dream?”

“I thought I was dreaming,” Rachel lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes, “but…”

“How can we both be having the same dream?”

Rachel nodded, and as she gazed into Carl’s eyes, her own slowly grew wider. She reached up to cup his bearded cheek. “Darling?”

Carl smiled and turned his face into her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Yes.”

“Oh god… you… how much?”

“Everything, my love,” Carl answered, surprise tingeing his voice. “I remember everything.”

“Oh, Carl…” Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck as she rose up on her toes and kissed him passionately. A low moan sounded deep in her throat when his hands grasped her waist and pulled her closer; their kiss deepening.

An overwhelming wave of arousal washed over her, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to make love with him. It’d been too long since she’d shared that exquisite pleasure with him… known the passion and heat of his touch. Too long since she’d felt him moving inside her.

“…darling…” Rachel murmured against his lips.

“It’s been too long,” Carl breathed her thoughts into their kiss as his fingers caught the straps of her nightgown and began to ease them off her shoulders. “Too long since I’ve touched you… since I’ve made love to you…” his mouth moved from hers to whisper along her throat to her shoulder. “I ache to be inside you, my love… to feel you around me, to be one with you.”

“Carl…” she moaned, his words fanning the flames of her desire. Her hands slipped between them, fingers working the buttons on his pyjama top.

Slowly, and methodically, between heated kisses and ardent words of love, they removed each other’s nightclothes. When there was no longer any barrier between them, Carl broke off the kiss and took a step back.

Rachel felt her body grow warmer, felt herself grow more aroused as his heated gaze traveled down and up her body. “My Rachel…” she heard him utter in a thick voice, his eyes growing darker with desire as he continued to gaze at her. He lifted a hand to cup her breast, his thumb circling over her already taut nipple. “You are even more beautiful than I remember.”

She smiled at him then reached out to comb her fingers through the silver hair on his chest, as she let her eyes wander down his body. Her husband was tall and lanky, yet surprisingly fit and muscular, and a feast for her eyes. She inhaled sharply at the sight of his arousal, standing hard and proud against his lower belly.

“Rachel…” Carl groaned when her hand fell from his chest to wrap around his length and lightly stroke him. He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her to him, trapping her hand around him between their bodies as he kissed her hungrily.

The desire, which was already burning hotly between them, suddenly blazed into an inferno. Hands wandered… stroking every inch of heated flesh they could reach… neither one able to touch the other enough. Lips and tongues met, again and again, in between ragged breaths of much needed air, both unwilling to give up their oral connection.

All too soon, it was not enough for either of them.

Their bodies ached with the need to be joined… to be one physically.

Their hearts and souls cried out with the same, if not stronger, need to be fully joined in that one moment of true bliss.

Carl swept Rachel into his arms and carried her the final few steps to their bed. He knelt on the edge of the mattress then laid her down on the soft sheets. Rachel held Carl’s eyes as she inched back to rest against the pillows.

In a low voice, as he crawled up after her, Carl began to speak. “I like my body when it is with your body. It is so quite a new thing. Muscles better and nerves more.”

Low moans sounded in the quiet of their bedroom when Carl’s body finally covered hers, their mouths locking, once again, in a passionate kiss.

“I like your body,” Carl whispered against her lips. “I like what it does.”

Rachel gasped when he began to kiss his way down her throat to her breasts and took a berried nipple into the moist heat of his mouth. “I like its hows,” he muttered as he swirled his tongue around the stiff point then slipped down to nibble at the underside of her breast.

His hands slipped beneath her, his fingers dancing over her spine. “I like to feel the spine of your body and its bones,” he continued his recitation, smiling when she trembled beneath him, “and the trembling –firm-smooth ness and which I will,” Carl swooped back up to catch her lips in a series of hungry kisses, “again and again and again kiss.”

Rachel moaned his name when he shifted and began to kiss his way down her body.

“I like kissing this and that of you,” Carl spoke the words against the smooth skin between her breasts then lower, nuzzling into the softness of her belly. “I like…” his hand slipped between her thighs, “slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz of your electric fur…”

Rachel began to pant as his fingers stroked through her damp curls.

“And what-is-it comes over parting flesh…”

“Mmm… Carl…” she cried out softly when his fingers gently pulled her open and his lips closed around her swollen flesh. Her body arched with pleasure as he laved her with his tongue, swirling and licking at the sensitive bundle of nerves, murmuring the next stanza of the poem into her flesh.

Carl gave her sex a deep, lingering kiss then lifted his head, a smile gracing his mouth at the flush covering her body. “And possibly I like the thrill,” his voice was husky as he moved back up so that his body covered hers, his hips settling in the cradle of her thighs, “of under me you quite so new.”

“…Carl…” Rachel moaned as with that final line of the poem, his eyes locked with hers, he slowly joined his body to hers. She could feel him stretching and filling her, inch by inch, and it stole her breath away. “Oh, my darling…” her eyes filled with tears once he was seated fully within her.

Carl lowered himself onto his elbows and cradled her face in his hands. His words were quiet when he gave voice to the feelings in his heart, “I feel as if I’ve come home…”

“You have…” Rachel told him as she reached up to grasp his ponytail. She gently tugged the elastic away, allowing his thick mane of silver hair to fall in a shimmering curtain around their faces. “You have come home, and I have missed you so much.”

“I love you,” he brushed his lips over hers.

“And I love you,” she replied as she hooked a leg over his hip and threaded her fingers into his hair. “Now… make love to me.”

Carl smiled at her. “With pleasure…” he murmured against her lips and began a slow, gentle rocking of his hips against hers.

“Mmm…” Rachel hummed at the feel of him moving inside her.

“You feel so good,” he told her as he withdrew then slowly sank back into her welcoming heat.

“So do you,” she gasped, her fingers clenching in his hair.

In spite of their long separation, their bodies quickly fell into a familiar rhythm… moving together in the age-old dance of lovers. They made love slowly… deliberately… building their pleasure with every touch, every caress… with every heartbeat.

The sounds and scents of their passion filled the room as they continued to drive each other closer and closer to that one moment in time where their souls would join and become one.

“…Carl…” Rachel hummed, her body vibrating with pleasure. She pulled her hands from his hair and trailed them down his back.

“Rachel,” he groaned as she raked her nails over his back then clutched at his rear.

“Darling, please…” she lifted her head to nip at his shoulder, breathing her words hotly against his skin. “I need more…” Rachel begged as she continued to meet his every thrust.

“Yes…” Carl panted, his forehead dropping to rest against hers. His hand glided down her side, caressing her damp skin, to clasp the thigh of the leg hooked over his hip and pull it higher. He moaned as he continued to move inside her, pushing deeper with every thrust. “Oh yes…”

The slow and steady pace they’d set was no longer enough for either of them. Their bodies were crying out for release… their hearts and souls crying out for completion.

With a quick brush of his lips over hers, Carl rose up on his arms over her and began to drive into her… hard and fast.

Rachel gasped, her eyes closing, and wrapped her other leg around him, locking her ankles against his backside, causing him to moan as she used her legs to pull him deeper inside her with every thrust.

“Rachel…” Carl groaned and closed his eyes.

He was close.

He was so close.

Carl could feel the beginnings of his orgasm creeping up on him, and wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep inside his wife and give himself over to the overwhelming pleasure he knew he would find in her oh so willing body. Carl fought against that urge, however, knowing that seeing to Rachel’s pleasure before his own would only intensify his release.

She was close.

She was so close.

Carl knew by the feel of her body… the way she writhed under him, her inner walls clenching around his driving member; knew by the sounds she uttered… every gasp, whimper and cry of his name, that it wouldn’t take much more to push Rachel over the edge and careening into her own orgasm.

“Carl… Carl, please…” Rachel arched beneath him, her hands clutching at his shoulders, her legs tightening around him as she confirmed with words what her body was already telling him. “…so close… darling, please…”

“Yes…” Carl nodded and began to move with singular purpose inside her… grinding his pelvis against hers with every thrust, rubbing against her clit, over and over. “Rachel…”

“Oh yes…” Rachel groaned, her lips curling into a sensuous smile as her pleasure grew, coursing through her body with every drive of his hips. “…Carl…”

Rachel’s hands dropped from Carl’s shoulders to stroke his chest. Her fingers combed through the soft hair, one hand following the silvery trail lower to caress his belly. She lightly scratched at the soft skin, moaning her approval when he thrust harder in response.

As his control began to wane, Carl opened his eyes and looked down at his wife. He groaned at the sight of her.

Head thrown back… her thick, dark auburn hair fanned out over their pillows.

Eyes closed… lips parted slightly to pull in much needed breath.

“Rachel… Rachel…” he beseeched her. “Open your eyes…”

Her eyes opened and she met his gaze.

“Yes… that’s it…” Carl shifted down onto his elbows, never breaking their visual connection. “Show me all of you, my love.”

“…Carl…” Rachel gasped at the emotion she could see in his dark eyes. His desire… his need… his love… all of it laid bare before her… for her. “…oh, Carl…”

It was the honest reflection of those same emotions in Rachel’ eyes… her desire… her need… her love… that was Carl’s undoing. Unable to hold back any longer, and with a hoarse cry of her name, he came; his orgasm consuming him. As he collapsed into her embrace, he was gratified to hear her screaming his name over the blood pounding in his ears.

The intensity of Carl’s release overwhelmed Rachel, triggered hers and she came with him; crying out his name. She wrapped her arms around him, her legs tightening about his hips as she shuddered ceaselessly beneath him. Her orgasm moved through her in waves, the pleasure rippling through her again and again as he continued to rock into her.

“Carl… oh, Carl…” his name was a soft mantra on her lips as she nuzzled his temple, humming contentedly as he nestled deeper into her arms, dropping soft, whispered kisses to her shoulder. She sighed happily and eased her legs from around his hips, sliding them down to rest loosely over his. After several moments, Carl raised his head and met her gaze. She smiled at the satisfied look on his face, knowing she wore the same look on hers. She reached up to trace her fingers over his lips, tracing his smile. “I have missed you so much.”

“And I, you, my darling,” Carl replied, kissing her fingertips. “I should…” he began after a few moments as he reached back and gently patted her one thigh.

“No…” Rachel shook her head and tightened her embrace.

“I’m too heavy, love.”

Rachel shook her head. “No you’re not. Please, Carl… I… I’m not ready for you to leave me yet,” she finished with a whisper, clenching her inner walls around his softening member for emphasis. “I like feeling you all around me,” her hand found his cheek again. “I’ve missed it.”

Carl’s eyes softened and he nodded, lowering his lips to hers. “Anything you want,” he replied, kissing her again before laying his head on her shoulder. “Anything you want.”

“You,” Rachel murmured, rubbing her hands down and up his back. “Just you. All I have wanted, dreamed and prayed for this last year is you.”

“Just me?” Carl shifted slightly, angling his head back so that he could see her better.

“Mmhmm,” Rachel nodded. “You. Alive… here with me, and in my life. And here you are… I can feel you; you’re in my arms…” she turned her head on the pillow and met his gaze. She smiled. “Our babies will grow up with their father, and I will grow old with the man I love.”

Carl reached up to cup her cheek. “I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am that you were at our house in the Keys. If you hadn’t been there, I can’t even begin to imagine what would have become of me.”

“We were meant to be,” Rachel said simply.

“Yes, we were,” Carl agreed.

For several moments, they lay together, quietly reveling in the intimacy of the moment… in being together fully and completely in a way they hadn’t been in for so long.

“Lady, I will touch you with my mind,” Carl’s whispered words broke the comfortable silence. “Touch you and touch and touch until you give me suddenly a smile,shyly obscene.”

A soft smile played on Rachel’s lips.

“Lady I will touch you with my mind,” Carl shifted so that he was once again over her, resting on his elbows. He cradled her face in his hands, his fingers threading in her hair. “Touch you, that is all, lightly and you utterly will become with infinite care,” he lowered his lips to hers, “the poem which I do not write.”

They shared a gentle, loving kiss.

As they kissed, Rachel eased her legs from around him and Carl slowly withdrew from the warmth of her body; their kiss smothering Rachel’s soft whimper. The kiss slowly tapered off and Carl met her gaze; his eyes tender and knowing.

“Would that I could… I would make love to you until the sun came up.”

“I know.”

He brushed his lips against hers again softly before shifting off of her. He rolled onto his back beside her and gathered her into his arms.

Rachel snuggled into him, sighing contentedly when he managed to snag the blankets and draw them up over their now cool bodies. She dropped a quick kiss to his chest before lifting her head to look at him. A playful smile danced over her lips. “Get some sleep, darling… I plan on waking you up several more times before the sun comes up.”

Carl chuckled and reached up to grasp her face and draw her down to him, kissing her through her giggles. “I love you so…”

“And I love you,” Rachel replied, her eyes dancing with mirth and kissed him again. Slowly, their amusement faded away… their kiss deepened, and Rachel found herself stretched out over her husband. She pulled her mouth from his and gave him a heated look. “Then again… who needs to sleep?”

Carl grinned.

~fin

Back to Miscellaneous fandoms...