Home, Sweet Home by Janna
Home, Sweet Home
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kagome played in the kitchen cleaning up her mess from having the girls over for the night. They had really made a mess, but she was not adverse to cleaning it up. She loved to clean, especially at night. It seemed to make them go by faster.
When are you going to be home? Hmmm. I miss him so much already. It has only been eight days....
Finishing the dishes, she closed the washer and put it on the heavy cycle. Quickly turning at the sound of scratching she saw his dog at the sliding glass door. Walking over to the door, she slid it open and Ville waltzed up to her to rub against her smooth legs.
"Oh, you miss him, too, huh? Well, we will just have to sleep together tonight. I am sure he will not mind, baby." Clucking her tongue, she made her way up the stairs to the bedroom, noting that the dog followed her. Opting to leave the door unlocked, she hoped the dog would alert her to any intruders.
After a long shower, Kagome went back downstairs and turned on the T.V. Seeing Ville curled up on his recliner, she giggled. Thinking about how he would react to the dog being inside, his or not, she made sure to put him out in the morning. She watched a few shows, then chose to record her weekly shows, put some water in a bowl, and went upstairs to go to bed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kagome awoke to the sound of a low, strident growl beside her. Fear quickly crept into her body when she heard a crash and quiet voices. Knowing that someone was downstairs, she reached under his pillow for the weapon he always left for her alone, she felt the cool metal and grabbed it.
Looking at the hefty .357 Nighthawk, she swallowed the saliva collecting in her mouth and slowly crept out of the bed, holding onto Ville's choke chain. He did not stop growling, and kept moving in front of her, halting her progress down the hall. Flashlights skimmed around the room, lighting up on the pictures and mirrors placed in the living room.
She let Ville go after a few moments struggling with him, only to recoil in shock when he went bounding down the stairs straight into on man coming up them.
"Shit! Dude, man, fuck....There's a dog. You gotta help me, bro! My arm! Ahh! Get the fuck off, dammit! Whew." The small gangly man succeeded in detaching the dog from his forearm, and turned with a gun, as the larger than normal Doberman backed up the steps to his master's girlfriend. Ears straight up, teeth bared, and face towards the ground, the dog looked fearsome.
"Yo, bitch. Call the fuckin' dog off, and no one will get hurt, you hear me? Hey! I said 'You hear me?'" The man waved a club around in one hand and kept the other positioned in front of him, like he was trying to ward the dog away from attacking him.
Kagome felt the weight of the gun in her hand, then decided to show the man that she had her own ground to protect. She brought the gun to eye-level and pointed it at the man below her, her hand never wavering in the slightest.
"Leave. Do not come back. Do not look back. Or Ville will attack and I will shoot. Do you understand? Realize that once you do, I will call the police." She said the words just as she was taught by him, and was shocked at the effect they had on the guy.
Trembling, he made his way backwards, and signaled to the other guy rummaging in the living room. Quickly, both made their way back to the sliding glass door, slipped through it, closed it, and you could hear the feet pounding on the deck, then the sound slipped away as they hit the sand of the beach.
"Oh my God." The gun slipped from her hand as she fell to her knees. Her whole body shook as the reality of the situation went through her mind. Methodically, she picked the gun back up, walked down the stairs, and headed for the phone. Dialing the first number, he answered.
"Taisho speaking."
"It happened." Her voice was shaking and breathy.
There was a few moments of silence, she heard a curse softly spoken, then she could hear the sound of cloth and a few thumps. Realizing the door was still unlocked, she rushed over to it and proceeded to lock all three locks.
"They are on their way. Do you have the gun I left? Did you do as I told you?"
"Yes. They left quickly. If it had not been for Ville beside me......" She let the sentence trail off, realizing how lucky she was that the dog had wanted in.
"He is inside? Fine. Do that always."
"I am so sorry. I know you do not like for him to be inside, but the winds were picking up bad, and I still haven't gotten him a door for the house outside...."
"Kagome. It is fine. Do as you will." She could hear the minute lilt in his voice that belied his coolness.
"Okay. Wait-----I hear cars outside. I am going to check the door..............It's them. When will you be home? Please. I---uh--I am so scared now." She let the fear creep into her voice, and the stinging started in her nose, signaling the tears were soon to come.
"I will be home when I come. I must go now. Take the batteries out of the phone. Tracers. Be well."
Click.
Kagome held the phone to her ear for a full minute, until she realized what he had said. Be well. A warmth flooded through her entire being. Even though it was not the typical I Love You, that was all she needed to know that he cared.
"Kagome! It is Colonel Gieger! Are you alright? Do you need medical assistance? I am opening the door now. Please, do not shoot!" The man's voice sounded through the thick oak door, as the door itself began to open up. He had given the Colonel a key, should anything of this sort happen.
"Colonel Gieger?"
The man's heart clenched to hear such a broken sound from the lively young girl.
"Yes, ma'am. It is me....Oomph!" He was thrown back against the door as she threw herself against him in an attempt to seek security. He was like a grandfather to her, especially after hers had passed away. He awkwardly closed his arms around her, hoping to help her feel better, yet as he tightened his hold, the shaking of her shoulders told him how the incident had frightened her to the point of tears.
Ville came up to him quietly, the claws on his paws not even clicking on the marble flooring. Colonel Gieger slightly edged up at the sight of the hundred pound Doberman. The dog was unusually large for his breed. A birth defect, he was told. Though, it still did not stop the jitters he felt when he saw the animal. It could rip a man apart in a few seconds. He had seen it once before.
Brought back to reality by the girl in his embrace, he turned her slightly noticing that she was sagging and about to fall from fatigue and adrenaline rush, he picked her up like a father would a little girl, and carried her to the big couch in the living room. Settling her upon it softly, he let her sit back up, and watched as she pulled her knees up to her chin.
"Is there anything I can do, ma'am? Is there anything you need?" He sat on the cherry wood coffee table and put his hands on his knees. Kagome looked like a lost child sitting as she was, and it hurt him to see that she was so frightened.
"No. I think I am going to be okay, sir."
"Ma'am, it is just Bill. Please, call me Bill."
"O-okay. Then call me Kagome....ma'am makes me sound old and stuffy." She smiled slightly, being able to joke made the situation easier to handle, and a little joke was what she needed right now.
"Well, then Kagome. You are going to go to bed, and I will be down here. I am going to take perimeter, call in a squad, and then I will retire to the couch you now reside on. Does this please you, or do you want fries with that order ma'am?" Colonel Gieger tried to lighten to mood, and succeeded when he saw that beautiful smile blossom on her face.
"Do as you will. Please inform me if he comes in the states." She unfolded herself, grabbed the gun from beside the in-table, and walked towards the stairs. Clicking her tongue, Ville came running from the kitchen, droplets of water splashing on the floor from his drink moments ago.
Following her up the stairs, Ville stopped just short of the door, and sat. Satisfied she was going back to bed, the dog turned around and laid lengthways in front of the door. Her sentinel.
Colonel Gieger was astounded at how the dog protected the young female. Yet, they could not be more lucky to have had him inside. Or she.....He did not want to think about it.
Quickly pulling out his BlueBerry©, Colonel Gieger called in the squad on duty.
"This is Delta 4. What can we do Colonel?"
"What is your 20?"
"Where do you need us?"
"Dana Point, California."
"Taisho?"
"No. Girlfriend. He is out."
"Be there in one hour, sir."
"I will be waiting." Colonel Gieger flipped his phone shut, and walked towards the sliding glass door, before pulling the curtain back and unlocking the locks. Stepping out into the cool night air, he heard the waves crash on the beach. Looking to his left, he saw the foot prints left by the intruders over the rail of the decking.
Immediately, he walked over to the evidence and leaned down to look closer at it.
The prints were very small. Hardly any bigger than Kagome's. They were kids! Colonel Gieger quickly realized that those kids were in deep shit. They did not know who they had just pissed off.
Shaking his head at the folly of younger kids, he walked back into the house, slid the glass door closed, and walked to the kitchen. Quickly finding the liquor, he filled himself a scotch glass with single malt, and headed for the couch.
Time to wait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knock knock
"Ma'am....it is almost twelve. Would you like some breakfast? I have pancakes, eggs, bacon, and grits downstairs....would you like me to bring some up?" A soft feminine voice drifted through the cracks of the doorframe and Kagome immediately fell at ease from the bout of alarm that drifted through her.
"No...no, no. I will be down in a minute. I apologize for sleeping so late." Scrambling out the sheets and blankets, she fished around for the robe he had bought her in Italy before donning it and zooming out the door and down the stairs. The smell of food called to her senses like nothing else for the moment.
"Miss Higurashi, we will be staying for the next couple days since the accident. Delta 3 will replace us tomorrow. Go about your daily schedule, knowing that we will be wherever you are, even if not visible." A light, slightly scruffy voice came from behind her.
Turning, she saw Kouga Johnston, commander of Delta 4. Once an ardent admirer of hers, he now understood she was strictly off limits. However, that did not stop him from treating her as family still.
"Thank you, Kouga. I am still a little shaken from last night. If Ville...I do not want to think about it." She gripped a cup of coffee given to her upon entrance a little tighter.
"Don't worry about it, girl. We have got this whole place sectioned off, watched, and guarded just for you. Understand?" He tried to make her smile with his gruff, but soft attitude. Being gifted with her smile just then, he turned and called another male over.
Kagome, slightly nervous with all of these people in his house, meandered back upstairs after grabbing a plate of food and a tray for her drink to go on also. Eating in the large California king sized bed, she smile when Ville walked up to her side, and sniffed the food on the bed.
Grabbing a sausage and a bacon, she hand fed them to the large Doberman, marveling at how her just picked them out of her hand: no snapping, biting, or nipping. He was such a teddy bear. With less hair. She giggled.
After taking another shower to dispel the nights sweat and grime, she quickly donned shorts and a tank top to keep the heat factor down, since she rarely used the air conditioner. Walking downstairs with her tray, she met up with the female from earlier, who seemed to be on pretty intimate terms with Kouga.
"Ahem. I am going down to the store. Um...okay?" she giggled when they jumped apart from a pretty heavy lip-locking session.
"Yeah. Umm. Kagome I will follow you. What are you taking?" Kouga tried to act nonchalant, but the blush across his highly tanned face gave him away freely.
"Um...I am going to take the truck. Do you want to ride with me. Tinted windows?" She did not feel like being alone just yet. Having a familiar person would help her calm down and focus on the rest of the day. Besides, candle-making was fun for everyone.
"Sure. Which one are you taking?"
"The F-250. That is all I drive." Kagome walked into the kitchen for her purse and keys, then returned to the living room to see Kouga waiting, fully geared up in black cargo pants, a black shirt, his holster, badge, and thigh strap.
"Well, Bond. Let's go." Kagome walked to the front door, and opened it, momentarily blinded by the sunlight, put her sun glasses on, and proceeded to the garage. She noticed the men in back uniforms in her garden, on the wall, and on the roof.
Making her way to her truck, she heard Kouga whistle when he saw the machine and only rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys. Her boyfriend had reacted the same way when he had seen her vehicle. Claimed that only real guys should have a car like that. Not in so may words though.
Climbing into the cab, she waited for Kouga to follow, and started the V-10, and pulled out into the drive and left for the store.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last few days, she had been driven nuts by the bodyguards. The refused to sleep inside the house, only lounged on the deck for naps before shift change. Kept asking her if there was anything she needed, wanted, or if she okay.
Thankfully, they were leaving today, and she could proceed with her candle-making. The last of the gear was placed inside the helicopter outside on the beach, and Kouga made his way back to the house. Kagome met him halfway on the deck.
"Anything else happens, don't hesitate to call. Got it?"
"Yessir. Now get going. I want some peace and quiet. And do not let Colonel Gieger find out about that relationship of yours you have. He would have a kitten. You know it...." Kagome laughed out loud when he blushed to the roots of his hair.
"We gotta go now. I will talk to you some other time, Kagome. Bye, girl."
She watched him as he ran for the helicopter, the blades already rotating, so he ducked as he got to their wingspan. Climbing into the cockpit with the pilot, he put his head piece on and waved at her one last time before the copter lifted off.
"YES!Thank you, Lord."
Running back into the house away from the heat of the sun in midday, she left the door open so Ville would have free reign of the deck and house. Contented to just watch the T.V. she had missed, she made her way to the living room couch to catch up on her missed programs.
Later on in the night, she stretched quietly, and Ville came in with a chew-toy in his mouth.
Mew.
Kagome shrieked when Ville put his toy in her lap and it started move. Calming down quickly when she saw the little triangular ears and big eyes, she cooed over the still wet kitten.
"Oh, Ville. How wonderful. What are we going to name you, precious one? Let's go get you cleaned up and fed. Oh, I know...how about Chance? Yes...that a great name. It is only by chance that you came to me."
Getting up with the soaked kitten in her arms, not caring about ruining her silken shirt or skirt that he bought her, Kagome took the kitten upstairs and set to getting it dry with a towel from the heated rack in the master bathroom.
Soon enough, the kitten was dry and purring happily while eating a can of tuna in the corner of the kitchen with Ville curled around her. Kagome watched, delighted that the animals got along fabulously. Thinking, she began to feel the coolness of her clothing and looked down. Frowning at her attire, she went back upstairs and changed into one of his old college jerseys.
Red and white, with his name on the back and the number one on both sides, she felt connected to him wearing it.
Humming her way down the steps, she noticed Chance trying to make her way up them. She got stuck on a particularly hard step that curved around the wall, Ville came behind her and thumped her bottom with his nose, sending the kitten up the steps.
Kagome walked down to Chance and scooped her up in her arms, and bounced down the steps with Ville following. Entering the kitchen once again, she grabbed the bags from the shopping trip and began setting about making candles.
After the seventh candle of her fourth set, she looked at the clock, and squealed when it read two in the morning. So caught up in her musings of how late it was, she was startled when the phone rang. At this time, it could only be him.
"Hello?"
"Kagome."
"Where are you?"
"I will be home soon."
"Oh. Okay. I see. What are you doing?"
"Traveling."
"Where to?"
"Nowhere important."
"Oh."
There were a few moments of silence, and she heard a sigh over his end of the phone. Picking up on his moods, she smiled.
"I am fine. They only left today."
"Good. What are you doing?"
"I am making more candles. My friends asked for some. You do not mind, do you?"
"No. Do as you will."
"Thank you."
"What are you wearing?"
Startled at his abrupt question, she was quiet for a minute, then she spoke.
"One of your old jerseys. I had to change. It was there and comfortable."
"The red and white one? With my actual name?"
"Yes. That's it."
Kagome noticed Ville get up and ran towards the door in the back.
"Good......That mean----click."
Kagome shrieked when two arms wrapped around her waist and a voice floated into her ear.
"There will be less to take off."
She spun around and wrapped her arms about his neck, pulled him to her level, and kissed him all over his face. His eyes, lips, nose, cheeks, and stood on her tip-toes and kissed his forehead.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru! I missed you so much. You're here! Really here." Kagome kissed him soundly on the lips only to pull back and look at his whole picture.
He was dressed in black cargo pants, standard issue, a tight fitting black short sleeved shirt, his holster was still on, both thigh straps, his badge hung from a chain on his neck, and black boots let her know he had come straight home from wherever he was.
Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome and felt a pull at seeing his name splashed across her breasts. Her legs seemed to go on forever down to her dainty little green painted toenails. The anklet about her ankle called to some part in him and reminded him of her frailty. She was no soldier, as he was. She was his to protect, and he had not been there.
"Kagome...." He let the sentence fade out and touched her face to kiss her sweetly.
Straightening up, he pulled off his holster and thigh straps, bent his knees to thread his arms around her butt, lifted her against him and put them hip to hip. Automatically, she wrapped her legs around him and shoved her hands into his hair and hugged him tightly. He turned towards the living room and headed for the couch.
Positioning her with one arm around her back, he stopped mid stride, and pulled her head from his shoulder and kissed her hard. His lips pushed against hers, and he let his tongue trace her bottom, before she opened her mouth. Taking what she offered he quickly took advantage and plundered her mouth.
Kagome moaned as he kneaded her cheek in his hand feeling that she wore no underwear. Sesshoumaru continued his trek across the room, to his recliner. Turning and sitting down, Kagome moved her legs to straddle him. Running her hands down his shirt, she felt the muscles from his constant workouts contract under her touch. The hand in her hair pulled her head back so that he could kiss the column of her neck and lave it with his tongue.
She groaned out loud when he touched a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear, and pushed her hips against his and rotated them along his arousal. Feeling it swell with anticipation, she sighed in bliss when he latched onto her throat with a groan of his own and sucked hard enough to leave a mark.
The hand in her hair left and trailed down her back, only to cup her other cheek and knead the both at the same time. Her hands resumed their trail down his chest and pulled his shirt from his pants to run her hands underneath it. The hot skin almost burned on contact but made the warmth inside her burn with love. He had been faithful the whole time. She could always tell when he came home he had never strayed.
"Unnn....Sesshoumaru. Please. Kiss me." Kagome felt both hands leave her backside to travel to her shoulders and back into her hair. The mouth on her neck made a trail back to her lips, and kissed her again. He started out slow, soft passes of his tongue along the roof of her mouth, along her tongue, and then he began to get rougher. He sucked her tongue into his mouth and caught it with his teeth and pulled away till he slipped from between his incisors.
Moaning at his roughness, Kagome pressed against the bulge in his cargo pants, the roughness a contrast to her soft skin that was not protected by underwear. One of the hands on her shoulder made their ways down her back again as lifted his shirt with his other. It continued its trek as he began kissing her again.
Suddenly, Kagome jerked her hips as his deft fingers found purchase among the soft curls between her legs. The natural lubrication showed him that she was more than ready for him, however, he knew that she needed more due to his size and this being only the third time. How hard it was not to just throw her down and fuck her senseless. But he had more control than that.
Sesshoumaru slowly slipped his index finger in and felt her clench her muscles on him as she buried her face in his shoulder and bit him hard. His arousal pulsed again at the pain. It made him even harder than before. Working her tight passage, he tried to coat his fingers and prepare her for the act.
Pulling his finger from her, he leaned the recliner back and pushed her forward and trailed his fingers back down to her folds. Pushing the same index finger back in, he watched as he worked his hand in and out of her body. He left hand was splayed across her back to keep her from falling. The feel of her thigh muscles clenching his hips caused a shudder to flow through his body. Inserting another finger, he felt the tightness and knew that no matter how hard he tried, it was still going to be painful.
Kagome leaned towards him and pushed her hips against his hand. Slipping the knife from the holster on his hip, she cut straight down the middle of his shirt, surprising him, and planted the knife in the wall behind him, and pulled the shirt wide open. Directly attacking his nipples, she pulled her hips back up only to meet his thrust dead on. Moaning into his chest, his cock tightened at the vibrations as they traveled his frame. Pulling his fingers from her, Sesshoumaru leaned forward and divested himself of his shirt, and pulled his jersey off of her, and was caught at the sight of her breasts unbound.
Since he had found out about the unusual piercing, he had taken every chance to manipulate them to his favor. Attacking her left breast, he played with the barbell that went through her nipple, while his other hand tweaked the right breast's piercing. Kagome arched into his mouth, pushing more breast into his face and hand, loving the sensations that only he evoked in her.
Treating the other breast to the same pleasure, he grabbed the barbell in between his teeth and twisted slightly, then nipped it just enough to make her yip in surprise. He lifted his head to hers and she sucked in her breath at the look that crossed his face. Pure, unadulterated sex. That was all she saw. She knew this time was going to be good. He was going to take her like a man. No more worries over hurt muscles or anything.
Sesshoumaru let his left hand move towards his belt and pulled the strap loose, then unbuckled it, and pushed his hips into hers and he pulled it out of the loops that held it on. She cried out at the sensations, the jerk into her most sensitive parts a white streak across her mind's eye.
He pushed up and held her back with both hands as he began kissing her neck again.
"Unbutton my pants."
The command made her even more receptive to his kisses. It was not until a moment that she fully comprehended his words. Quickly moving her hands to his waistband, she slid a soft touch in at his groin, and a sharp bite of his teeth was her reward. Deftly she unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them for him. When she began to push them down his hips, he stopped her.
"Do you accept this? So soon?" The worry in his voice made her stop and look at him.
"It has been almost four weeks. I am fine. I even took my yoga back uppp!"
That was all he needed, grinding harshly into her again, she resumed her task of pushing his pants down enough to where she could get to him.
As soon as the were down to his knees, he kicked his boots off, and pulled each leg out using the foot to hold it down. Clad only in his badge, she loved the picture he made. Silver hair spilling across his chest, bangs slightly mussed, and eyes drooping slightly from passion. Wrapping his arms around her waist again, he pulled her up until her hips rested on his abs.
Flexing his abs, he heard her moan deep in her throat, and he did it again. This time he added his hands. He kneaded her lower back and pelvis with his hands as he stimulated her with his contractions. Watching the emotions play across her face, he knew she liked it.
Kagome was lost in a sea of sensations. The muscles contracting under her touched her all at the same time, and the hand on her back was pushing her erogenous zones, while the hand on her lower stomach was busy tracing patterns with his nails. Pushing down with her hips, she tried to stifle the noise as the spring in her stomach tightened. However, Sesshoumaru was having none of that.
He leaned up and grabbed her bottom lip with his teeth and then kissed her with three weeks of pent up sexual frustration. Growling low in his throat, he pushed into her harder than before and flexed again while pushing her down with both hands.
"Ohh....Sesshoumaru! Oh, yes!" Kagome rubbed herself into his stomach while he kept flexing his muscles, sending small, minute shockwaves in the aftermath of her first orgasm of the night. Slumping forward, she laid her head to rest on his shoulder again, and lightly bit it as another wave washed over her.
Sesshoumaru pushed her hips down until his penis was situated right at her folds. He could feel the heat of her and her wetness on the insides of her thighs.
"Are you ready?" He put his hands on her hips and drew small circles on the bone of her pelvis where is was pronounced under her skin. Each pass of his thumb caused her to shiver with desire.
"Yes. I-I can do this. Gods." Kagome moaned as another wave of pleasure racked through her stomach. Sesshoumaru had stopped playing and moved his hands to her vagina and began to stoke her fire once more.
"I will not be gentle, Kagome. I cannot hold back this time. Forgive me."
Sesshoumaru surged into her with one strong push of his hips. Feeling himself hit her cervix, he knew this position was not going to work without more pain. However, she surprised him again. Lifting up a little, she slammed all the way back down onto him, connecting their hips, and forcing him deeper as he slightly moved her cervix to the side to accommodate him, making the fit even tighter.
Taking the initiative, Sesshoumaru lifted her hips and brought her slamming back down on him as he pushed up and grinded into her with as much force and he could. As he began a pace of brutal, hard thrusts, Kagome let him move her hips as he pleased, but soon caught onto the rhythm he had set.
"Oh, yes...please, harder...Gods. Remember that spot, Sesshou!"
Urged on by her breathless words, Sesshoumaru wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her back to hook his hand on her opposite shoulder to anchor his thrusts and strength. Angling his hips to hit her preferred spot again, he was rewarded with a sharp contraction of her muscles on his enveloped flesh. The heat of her passage seared his skin, only adding fuel to his fire.
Her nails raked paths down his back, leaving red welts in their wake. The pain added more urgency to his thrusts, forcing himself to go harder and faster than she should have been able to take.
Suddenly the position was not enough for him. He pulled her off of him, picked her up, and walked towards the back of the couch, putting her hands on the back, and spreading her legs, he took up a stance behind her and drove inside of her with no warning. The intensity of his drive picked her feet off of the floor and had the couch shaking under his force.
The deeper penetration afforded allowed him more places to rob her of her senses, which he did quickly. Her hot passage also became tighter the further her legs parted, so he took her thighs and lifted them clear of the floor. Spreading her legs slowly, so that she could find purchase to stay in the same position, Kagome felt Sesshoumaru repeatedly ram into her sweet spot. The overwhelming sensations sent her into another numbing orgasm.
The clenching around his hardness served to push him further by grinding his hips into her and dropping one leg to play with her clitoris. Hearing the scream rip from her throat at she came, Sesshoumaru knew he was not done with her. She could take anything he gave her now, and he intended on giving it all.
Letting her climb down from her high, he pulled her up, and lifted her bridal style into his muscled arms. Making his way to the master bedroom, he noticed Ville following him.
"No."
The dog whined, but turned and made his way into the kitchen to lay back down on the pallet Kagome had made him and Chance.
Sesshoumaru began his trek back upstairs, and towards the bedroom. Tossing Kagome on the bed, he crawled up her body, kissing every part of skin her could as fast as possible, waiting for her to come back to him. Her eyelids slowly opened as her breathing tried to steady itself.
"Wow. Where did that come from?"
"You seem to be well enough. Shall we continue?"
"Hmmm...How about a shower?"
"By all means."