HOME

He wakes.  Keeping his eyes shut, he lets his senses stretch out around him.  He's laying on something-not the ground.  A mattress?  There's a low mechanical hum and the air swirls across his skin, moving along his legs, his chest, his arms.  It feels good.  He inhales the scents around him.  No dirt, no gun powder, no sweat.  He smells soap, clean sheets...a woman.  He must still be dreaming.  He can hear her breathing beside him now and slowly reaches out his hand, wanting to keep the dream going for as long as possible.

His fingertips brush against cool satin, moving lower until he feels the silky softness of her skin.  She sighs but doesn't wake.  His hand runs up her bared thigh, over the curve of her hip.  When he reaches her waist, his fingers curl and grip, pulling her against his side.  His heart threatens to pound right out of his chest.  Is this real?  Fearing the answer is no, he squeezes his eyes tighter, and wraps himself around her feminine softness, letting her warmth seep into him.  She smells so good, like she always does, and his whole body aches for her.  She turns in his arms and whispers a kiss across his mouth, nuzzling her face against his throat.  It feels perfect.

Knowing he can't put it off any longer, feeling the trappings of this beautiful recurring dream slipping away, he forces his eyes open, preparing himself for the sight of his brothers, the sound of enemy gunfire, the smell of sweat and dirt...but he's still lying in his bed with his woman in his arms.  He just stares at her and she smiles, looking up at him, running her fingers through his hair.

Then, she says the one thing he needs to hear most.  Her confirmation.  "You're really here. We're really here.", she whispers softly and as he looks into her beautiful eyes, filled with love and longing, he knows that it's true.  Here, with her in his arms, one word echoes though his mind...HOME.

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She wakes as his breathing becomes more shallow and knows he will wake up soon.  She waits to see what will happen and then feels his hand brush against her moving lower to her leg and then back up again.  Moving so slowly and gently that she wonders if she's imagining it.  She releases the breath she's been holding in anticipation of this first morning and trembles beneath his light touch.  Thank God.  It still feels the same.  He still feels the same.  She feels his fingers wrap around her waist and pull her to him.  After a moment, he completely surrounds her body with his.  His love and his undeniable strength a part of her again, sheltering her and keeping her safe.

As the heat from his hard chest sears through her nightgown and sizzles along her spine, her body begins to hum with yearning.  She turns in his arms and sees his eyes are still closed.  She kisses him softly and puts her nose to his neck to fill herself with his scent once again, feeding her soul as her body yields to his.  She can feel his eyes on her and looks up, seeking more contact.  She can see his longing, his love, his wariness and imagines hers must look the same.  She smiles, reaching up and touching his hair.  She can't bear not touching him.

With a lump in her throat, she manages to choke out her plea, "You're really here.  We're really here."  Hoping to make them true by voicing them out loud.  His eyes seem to flash for a moment with what...relief?...and then his mouth descends to hers.  His lips strong, confident, insistent.  The same as before and she knows it's finally true...he's HOME.