sbpd_papabear | Milli-Verse: Vacation Part 2

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Milli-Verse: Vacation Part 2

Waking up wrapped in Karen's arms is perhaps the best thing Henry could possibly imagine - nuzzling into her sleep-matted hair and inhaling the sweet scent of day-old shampoo and her right there against him. For a long moment, he's afraid to move - afraid to break the moment and move on to a new one. It should scare him that he's so comfortable already, that he's throwing around words like 'love' so haphazardly... but that's what he's become with her. He doesn't just want her, he flat out needs her in his life now - and if that's not love, damn it... nothing is. Soon, though, it will be over - they'll have to go home and Lord knows if he'll ever get to be this close again.

Gently, he presses a kiss against the back of her neck and another to her bare shoulder, squeezing tight around her waist.

And then he feels her shift back against him and murmur something that may be his name and reflexively whispers; "Good morning, beautiful."

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"Cut that out," she warns, arching an eyebrow. "Or I'm going to be forced to tickle you." If he's happy to linger, so is she.

Always happy to be close.

"Yeah, well - as much as I'd enjoy you touching me, if we don't get out of bed pretty soon we might not make it in time to pick up our lunch."

Back home time was still standing but here, it was just going on eleven if the clock on the bedside table was to be believed. And he didn't even care he'd overslept his natural wake up call by almost five hours.

"I made some plans."

His plans led to things like falling into bed, or being whisked away for a beautiful weekend. His plans are pretty excellent.

"Do I get to ask? Should I just take it at face value that they're going to be good?"

"I'd prefer the latter." He kisses her again and forces himself to roll onto his back and stretch out with a low sigh - relaxing a few moments longer at least.

"Thought we should get out and spend a little time outdoors is all."

"Mmm, I guess I can get behind that idea." She can't resist tucking against his side, though, and petting his chest, appreciating his skin.

"Here?" Back home, running around outside could be slightly problematic but she'd do it, now, she thinks. She's done worrying.

He can't help but groan when she touches him, pushing back the urge to call the whole thing off and spend the day in bed wrapped in those perfect arms.

"Yeah, out by the lake," he smiles tenderly; "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure even if they're here the boys don't go outside much."

At least chances are in their favor - and he's sure they can find a semi-private spot to relax away from prying eyes. He understands why it's this way - why for now, it has to be.

"I'm not worried." It's said with more bravado than she actually feels, though logically she knows that they're going to find out sooner or later. But it's a bridge to cross when they come to it. There are better things to focus on.

"Picnic lunch by the lake. I'm really appreciating your romantic streak. Who knew such warm ideas lurked in that brilliant mind of yours?"

He'll tell Shawn when the time is right... when things are little more settled about how they're going to make it work. More than anything, he doesn't want her to have to feel like what they're doing is wrong.

Henry finds her hand and lets their fingers twine before bringing it up to his lips. "I've had a lot of time to think about it... I'm just glad I found someone amazing to share them with."

"Picnic lunches and much more." She smiles, charmed, again, delighted even, by everything he does.

"I'll let you shower first, in consideration of your kindnesses."

Also in consideration of the comfort of the bed. She's sleeping so well here that going home is going to be hard in a way she hadn't figured on at all.

"You could join me..." he squeezes her hand tighter and kisses her knuckles again, enjoying the proximity despite the shower's call.

He wouldn't mind the company one bit, though it might make getting out and actually leaving the room a little more difficult.

"I could," despite her protests about how strange showers for two can be, the idea is compelling. She just needs to be close to him.

"Can we be good? Keep ourselves confined to actual ahowering activities?"

She's not entirely sure. Touching him has become something she craves almost as much as breathing. And lots of warm, wet, slick Henry skin... Yeah, she's not sure at all.

"I don't know about you, but I can be excellent..." He nips playfully at her fingers and then adds; "but I can't promise it'll be very clean."

Who needs certainty when he's got her?

She can't help giggling again. "Well, no one would know but me."

Rolling close, she kisses his nose, just because she can, and gives him a little shove. "Okay, let's go or we won't. We'll lie here all day and talk about getting up."

Maybe that's just her.

Grunting against the easy shove, he returns the kiss with a playful smooch on the cheek.

"Tell you what, why don't I take a quick rinse while you rest up and then while you're getting ready I can go make sure the bar didn't screw up our order?"

"I think that's a kind way of saying that I take longer in the shower," which is entirely true, to be fair. "But I can go with it."

She takes a moment just to look at him, adoring him. Her planning, thoughtful, gentle lover.

"I'll be here."

Resigning himself to only one more kiss, Henry forces himself up on his feet with a low groan - stretching fully before looking back at her with a sheepish grin, hell... she's seen it. She knows his body's not exactly what it was twenty years ago..

"It's a kind way of saying I want you to resting in bed for as long as you can like the amazing Goddess that you are."

He smiles a little more broadly and takes one more stretch before padding toward the bathroom.

"Goddess," she scoffs, but she knows it's worthwhile to enjoy being in the 'he thinks I'm a goddess' stage while it lasts.

She props herself up on an elbow to watch him, not relaxing until well after the door closes and she hears the sound of the shower. The last time she was on a romantic picnic was in college. Remembering that, there's a couple of long moments where she has a quiet worry about how to handle all of this courting.

Then she remembers who she's with, who it is that's taking such care of her. And that's how she handles it; she works with what she knows of him. What she loves of him, too.

She slips from the bed, getting her clothes together, but pauses when she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "Not bad, Kare," she tells her reflection. "Not bad at all."

He's not even sure what he's doing in the big picture, which both frightens and exhilarates him. It hasn't clicked for him so hard since... well, since Madeline and he married her. Of course, that didn't go so well - but he's feeling optimistic. He's a different man than he was thirty years ago, hell - it's a different world than it was then.

Leaning his head against cool tile of the enclosed shower, he lets the warm water pour over him for a long moment - washing away the petty insecurities with the soft foamy soap bubbles before returning to the room with a damp towel wrapped around his waist.

"Just as perfect as when I left you."

"Except for a need for a shower and a visit with some toothpaste," she cups his cheek gently, brushing a kiss to his damp shoulder. "In case I forget later, when I end up back in your arms and talking falls by the wayside, thank you. For everything."

"Hey..." he tucks his hand under her chin and lifts her mouth up to his for a proper, half-minty kiss. "Thank you, for trusting me."

It means a lot to him that she trusts him enough to believe him when he says that everything's going to work out.

"And, uh... since I get a bit flustered in the moment I want you to know - I mean it. I love you, Karen. And we're gonna be all right."

"I know," she nods, looking into his eyes and seeing the weight of his words, the depth of his feelings, right there looking back at her.

"We'll find our way. Because a very smart man, who I love, once reminded me that I have a right to be happy, and then showed me how much he wanted to help me be happy, and I'm going to hang onto that when the going gets rough."

She strokes his cheek and brushes another little kiss against his warm mouth, then heads toward her own shower. She blows him another kiss before she closes the door, just because she can.

An irrepressible smile claims his face and he looks down with pink creeping up behind his ears until he feels the gentle brush of her fingers on his cheek, catching his attention. He can't help it - it's not that she said that she loves him, though that warms him and makes his gut do things it hasn't done in thirty years, it's that she's finally starting to believe that she deserves this.

He lets her go quietly, sheepishly grinning until she closes the door - and honestly a while after as he fumbles his way into another comfortable green palm leaf print shirt and a pair of jeans. Part of him still wants to crawl back into that bed and try to reclaim that lost moment of absolute certainty as they laid together - holding each other like if they let go the other might leave.

Reluctantly, he grabs his wallet and heads downstairs to pick up their basket and catch a beer at the table closest to the stairs - waiting for her to make her appearance.

She doesn't dawdle, but she doesn't hurry, either, taking a little care with her hair, and a little bit of makeup.

She likes looking good for him. She'll own that.

When she swishes down the stairs in a blue sundress, she sees him right away, and she can't hold back her smile, waiting for him to see her.

Ever watchful, for anything really and here there's a hell of a lot to watch - most of it making very little sense to his very strong real-world sensibilities, he catches her legs first. Feet tucked into comfortable but cute sandals, legs bare to the hem of a soft blue dress that looks comfortable and sexy in that way he doesn't get how some women can pull off while others just look awkward.

He follows the dress up to her sweet face as she reaches the middle of the stairs, offering a wide and welcoming grin as he finishes the rest of his beer.

"Yup, I was right -" he says without hesitation, standing up to meet her.

"You are most of the time," she's immediately by his side, because his grin is like a Karen Magnet.

"What, in particular, are you right about this time?"

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