((Contains material of an adult nature.))

As October crept toward its inevitable end and the official start of winter with November, the weather was following its familiar course, turning cold and blustery as the days passed. Perfect weather for snuggling indoors, or playing the fool outside, but today, Jaz had actually had a few errands to run, leaving Jack to amuse himself. She wasn't even certain if he would still be at her house when she got back, understanding that boredom was probably quite likely to drive him back to Willow Manor. But they had to eat, and thus, a grocery run had to be done. She drew her battered Love Bug up in front of Ivy Lodge, climbing out and spending a couple of minutes securing the groceries so they wouldn't take flight the moment she straightened up. With her coat flapping around her knees and her hair whipped about her face, she jogged up over the low porch and inserted her key in the lock, letting herself into the warmth that resided inside.

Jack was one of those people who knew how to keep himself busy, especially if he had his guitar handy and was trying to learn a new song. Ivy Lodge - with Jasmine's eclectic and large collection of music - was a music lover and musician's dream, and Jack was able to immerse himself in catching up on the last thirty-eight years with little difficulty. So much so that he'd forgotten to eat and had hardly noticed Jasmine's absence until a few hours had passed. Still, he had managed to almost master two new songs during that time and was anxious to show her what he'd learned.

Windswept and a little chilled around the knees, Jaz fought the door closed and shook her hair back out of her face, looking around as she made her way across the great room toward the open kitchen. Her face lit up with a by-now familiar smile as she laid eyes on him on the couch, one of the many guitars in the house across his lap. "Gods, it's getting windy out there," she offered by way of a hello, setting her armful of bags down on the counter before she moved over to kiss Jack's temple affectionately. "Next time, you get to come along and fight my car into letting me get into it."

Until the moment she walked in the door and greeted him, her voice drawing him back to the world of the here and now, he hadn't realized how much time had passed since she'd left. His fingers fell still on the guitar strings as he lifted his gaze to her, looking a little sheepish. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He glanced toward the kitchen, realizing she'd gone grocery shopping and sort of remembering her mentioning that to him before she'd left, though he'd been lost in the music even then. "Do you need help?"

She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling at his unnecessary apology. "No, I'm good," she promised him, leaning down to claim a proper kiss before she headed back toward the kitchen. "I survived my outing. What have you been doing while I've been out' Making love to my guitars?"

Jack flushed a little with embarrassment, not so much at the fact that he so obviously lusted after her guitar collection as her calling him out on it and putting it in such a way as to make it seem sexual. "Um, not exactly. I was teaching myself a new song or two." He set the guitar very carefully aside and moved to his feet to follow her into the kitchen to help put groceries away. It was the least he could do, after all.

Jaz shrugged out of her coat easily, laying it over the back of one of the chairs as she rounded the counter to begin pulling the various groceries out of the bags, which had stood up to the weather remarkably well. "Which songs?" she asked curiously, glad he was taking such a close interest in the music that lined the wall. She had an idea or two for certain songs that she knew would sound better as duets, but as yet had not screwed up the courage to suggest he might like to join her act at some point.

There had been no rhyme or reason to his catching up on the last thirty-eight years. Instead of moving through the years chronologically, he'd been hopping around, picking whatever looked interesting and going from there. Today, he had focused mostly on what was these days categorized as classic rock of the early eighties - a time when disco was dying and MTV was popular. "Um, some band called Journey," he remarked as he helped her unload the grocery bags.

"Interesting choice. Which songs in particular?" She twisted, her hands full of milk and eggs, and still somehow managed to get close enough to kiss him as they talked and worked alongside each other. The honeymoon period was far from waning in this particular relationship; she took every opportunity she could to touch and kiss, to reinforce the growing affection she felt for Jack through physical contact with him. "Will you play them for me?"

"Well..." he started as he pulled open the fridge for her, pausing a moment to return her kiss, as if it was just part of their normal routine. He was settling into life in Rhy'Din and as part of a couple better than even he could have ever expected, and he was enjoying the growing affection that had developed between them. "The quiet ones, mostly. Most of their songs need a full band to sound right, I think." He flushed a little at her request, still struggling to overcome his shyness not only with her, but with the idea of performing in front of an audience, no matter how small that audience might be.

"Most, yes," she agreed, setting her armful into its proper place in the fridge before moving out of the way for the door to close. "But you'd be surprised how beautiful some of those fuller sounding songs can be simplified down to a single guitar. Or two." She shrugged one shoulder, her head tilting as she noticed his blush, reaching over to draw her fingers gently against his cheek. "I could play with you, if you'd rather."

He waited until she had the eggs and milk in the proper place before letting the fridge door close behind her, arching a brow at her suggestion as she touched her fingers to his cheek. "A duet?" he asked, a small smile forming on his face and lighting his eyes. "You'd play a duet with me?" he continued, sounding a little surprised for some reason.

Her smile turned a little wry, aware that here was an opportunity to get her hope in without worrying him too much. "I've been meaning to ask you," she admitted, shy herself of chancing her arm. "If you'd like to join my sets. I mean, I wouldn't ask or expect you to perform three hours with me, not yet. But ....there are a few songs that I love and I can't do justice to. Not on my own. And I think they'd be beautiful, if you played and sang with me."

She grinned, letting her fingers trail to his, tangling affectionately to draw him toward the couch and the guitar he had left there when she'd come in. "I don't know," she told him. "I think you're supposed to come up with a few silly names for me, you know. Or was that an objection?" A fleeting grin crossed her face as she backed out of the kitchen with him in hand. "I could start calling you hugga-bugga-bear."

"So long as you don't call me that in public, babycakes," he teased back, mirroring her grin as she tangled her fingers with his and led him back toward the couch. He felt a few butterflies fluttering nervously in his stomach, though it wasn't the first time he'd played or sang for her. It was the first time he'd ever played a song he was only just learning and didn't feel he had mastered yet. "I'm only just learning it," he warned her, though in all truth, he'd been working on it for a few hours.

She smiled, not passing any comment on whether or not he was just learning it at all. She had confidence in him, knowing that there were always going to be a few bum notes, even when he was confident and performing. She hadn't had a full set go by without a mistake or two in the last three years, but mortifying though it was, she hadn't let it get her down. Lowering herself to sit on the couch, Jaz made herself comfortable, ignoring the itch to fetch another guitar so she could join in. "I'm just learning, all the time," she told him gently.

"Do you know any Journey?" he asked as he settled himself on the couch and took the guitar back up, laying it across his lap and letting his fingers find their place on the fretboard and strings. He didn't really mind if she joined him. In fact, he would have almost preferred her playing with him to just watching.

"I know a few," she conceded, watching the reverence with which he handled the instrument with obvious appreciation. The reluctance in him, however, was just as obvious, and she felt her smile grow just a little, gentling as she met his gaze. "Would you prefer me to play along with you?"

"Would you like to?" he countered, not wanting her to think he was too eager or too frightened. If he really and truly wanted this, he was going to have to get over his fears, one way or another, and he knew the best way to do that was to face them head-on. How many times had Tommy told him just that' Fear was a good thing; it kept you from being reckless, but too much fear and you'd forget how to live.

"I'd love to play along with you," she assured him warmly. "What I'm asking is if you want me to play with you right now. Either way, you're playing, sweetie."

He didn't really have to think that over very long, so long as she knew the song. "Do you know Faithfully?" he asked, uncertainly as he nervously strummed a few notes, as if to warm up, though he'd been playing for hours already.

Sensing his answer, Jaz rose to her feet, moving across the small distance toward where her guitars rested on their stands. She picked up her Washburn, her favorite of the collection, returning to the couch to quickly tune it as she looked over at him. "I'm not overly familiar with it," she admitted, stilling the strings under her palm, "but I know enough to be able to follow through."

He frowned a little, wondering if this was a bad idea. He wasn't all that familiar with the song either, but there was only one way to master it and that was to play it. The song was originally written for a piano accompaniment, but he had managed to sort it out on the guitar, turning the song into an acoustic version. "Let's give it a try then."

Jaz caught his frown and smiled once again. "Trust me," she suggested gently. "Play through the intro once before you get started, and I'll be right there with you." He hadn't watched her learning a new song, after all - Jack didn't yet know just how well suited Jasmin was to her chosen profession. "After you."

"Okay," he replied, turning his full attention to the guitar in his arms, fingers plucking the strings and moving over the fretboard as he gave the song a rough into that had originally been played by a piano. He repeated the same notes again, completely focused on the song before he found his voice, singing soft and low. His voice was nothing like Steve Perry's, but somehow he managed to make the song his own. "Highway run into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round. You're on my mind. Restless hearts sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love along the wire..."

She watched his fingers on the fretboard exclusively as he played through that first run, picking up the basic chords easily, and as he slid into the song itself, her fingers picked up the rhythm beneath the plucked notes, providing a fuller sound for him to sing over. She couldn't deny that he had a beautiful voice, one that would improve as his confidence did, listening to the melody with a half-smile as the lyrics made themselves known.

Jack's voice strengthened, growing more confident as he continued to play. "They say that the road ain't no place to start a family, right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. Oh, girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours. Faithfully." It wasn't perfect. He flubbed a few notes, but they were hardly noticed. He'd listened to the song over and over until he thought he had the words memorized, choosing this one not only because he thought it was a lovely song but because it seemed to hold some special meaning for him - for them. Even under her gaze, he was growing in confidence as he played, something very special to watch in itself. She played the rhythm without much thought, altering her chords to match the pattern of notes he played beneath the lyric line of his voice with the ease of years of practice. And very slowly, she started to hum just beneath his melody, a harmony line creating itself with haunting accuracy as she watched him, entranced.

His fingers stumbled over a particularly difficult series of notes, but recovered quickly enough, his brows furrowing in concentration. Her voice seemed to naturally harmonize with his and that brought a smile to his eyes, even as he finished the song off, lifting his voice with the final notes before letting the song die out.

One of her mother's favorites, yes, but there was another reason this particular song was so fondly remembered by the young woman listening to Jack play and sing. It was the origin of her name, the first song her father had heard her mother sing, a part of their love story. As she listened, Jaz heard the second harmonic line in her mind's ear - her mother's voice, gently mingling with Jack's, to make her smile sweetly nostalgic as the chords gently soothed her soul.

The song seemed to have taken on a double meaning for him ever since he'd met her. He didn't know it had been a favorite of her mother's or that she might have been named for the lyrics. He had no knowledge of the romance that had led to her parents' marriage and their daughter's eventual birth. He only knew that the song seemed to take on a new meaning for him, no longer simply about a pleasant summer day which ended in a loved one's arms, but once again, the song seemed to be about her. He sang as he played, his voice seeming to carry the warmth of a summer breeze in the sound of it. "See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen through cookin' and the plates for two; Feel the arms that reach out to hold me in the evening when the day is through; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' through the jasmine in my mind; Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin' though the jasmine in my mind." Finally, she managed to raise her voice to meet his in that last chorus, following her mother's harmony line from years past. This time, with the confidence that came from knowing the harmony inside and out, her voice mingled with his, complimenting the masculine melody line with the lilting cadence of her unmistakeably feminine harmony. As the last notes died away, her smile was bright and open, delighted with the unexpected pleasure of hearing him sing something so close to her heart. "That was beautiful."

The song was not one he was only just learning, but was one he knew well. A song he had learned back home in California a few years earlier after he'd first heard it played on the radio. It wasn't a song like the others. It wasn't a song of rebellion or war or drugs or sex or freedom. It was very simply a song that evoked the warm joy of summer and that feeling of returning home from a long day to the arms of the one you loved. It was a feeling he had always yearned for, but had only recently experienced for himself. He lifted his head to watch her as she joined him in singing, his fingers moving over the strings from memory alone.

The sound of her voice in harmony with his, the smile on her face, the compliment so warmly given made his heart soar with joy and another feeling that could only be described as love. "You are beautiful," he heard himself say, returning her compliment with one of his own that held a deeper meaning.

Her smile turned shy once more - not shy of him, nor of the gentle feeling that she was beginning to recognize deep in her heart. Shy of saying aloud something that, in the past, had always led to heartbreak and hurt. Three words that just wouldn't pass her lips, not yet. But there was more than one way to say it, and she just happened to have all she needed to do that right there, at her fingertips. Her guitar sang in a gentle cadence, obviously returning the favor with a song he wouldn't recognize unless he had explored her music collection very thoroughly indeed. But the chords and words came easily to her lips, expressing something she couldn't yet say without a little help. "I was standing all alone against the world outside; you were searching for a place to hide; lost and lonely, now you've given me the will to survive; when we're hungry, love will keep us alive ..."

He had explored her music collection enough to know that song. It seemed they shared at least some of the same favorites as far as bands were concerned, and though he was not very familiar with any music that had been created past the year 1975, he recognized the song from his perusal of her collection. He didn't know the song very well, but followed her lead, strumming along with her and taking up the second verse. "Don't you worry, sometimes you've just gotta let it ride; The world is changing, right before your eyes; Now I've found you, there's no more emptiness inside; When we're hungry, love will keep us alive ..."

"I would die for you; climb the highest mountain; baby, there's nothing I wouldn't do ..." The words came so easily to her even as he joined his voice to hers, surprising her with his knowledge of a song that hadn't been released for almost twenty years after he had left Earth. It was a beautiful love song, and one she had always enjoyed, but never had it meant so much as it did from her lips in that moment. And with Jack holding the rhythm of the chords, she let herself flow into the intricate solo, not even needing to look to be certain that her fingers were moving in exactly the right pattern over the strings. "Now I've found you, there's no more emptiness inside; when we're hungry, love will keep us alive ....Love will keep us alive ..."

His vague knowledge of the song faded after another verse, and his voice faded away, watching as she carried the song and finished it off, his heart once again swelling with feeling for this beautiful girl who'd come into his life. He wondered if she felt it, too - the connection between them that he could not deny, not only of music, but of a shared and growing adoration and desire. Now that I've found you....Love will keep us alive... He felt tears rising unexpectedly, as his heart swelled with a flood of emotions. Without music to aid him, he could not find his voice, but only looked at her, struggling with the rising tide of emotions.

Her heart was just as full, though her eyes remained dry. The look she gave him was as intimate as he could ever have wished for, filled as much with tenderness and that emotion she dared not name - not yet - as it was with the longing that he might share that feeling, however soon it might be. Hell, Lena had fallen in love in just two days; two weeks was practically a snail's pace in comparison. But as the last note from the strings beneath her fingers faded into silence, and still there was nothing from him but that tearful glance, she felt the painful edge of uncertainty nudge at her. Was she risking too much too soon?

"Jasmin..." he whispered, finding his voice at last, but only able to whisper her name, like a prayer or a plea, his voice tearful, though he was not sad. "I..." he trailed off for a moment, that shyness and fear almost getting the best of him. "I think....I think I love you..." he admitted finally, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he was afraid to say it or afraid that she might not share his feelings.

Spurred on as much by his need as by her own, her hands abandoned his shirt, wriggling between them to fight with the fastening of his jeans, reluctantly forced to inch back a little way just to have the space to be able to bare just enough to have him. Finesse and the art of taking their time hadn't yet made itself known in this relationship - they each seemed to approach love making as though it might be their last chance, as though they had just minutes to enjoy one another before it was snatched away from them again.

It was some frantic need that made him rush, as though if he didn't, the moment might pass too quickly and would never return. It was amazing enough to him that she wanted him, and each time they made love, it only amazed him all the more. Try as he might, he couldn't get her skirt up with her on his lap or her panties off, and after a moment of frustration, he was slipping out from beneath her and flipping her onto her back, where he finished the job of loosening his jeans and dispensing with her panties.

She laughed with breathless delight at his impatience, at how confident he was to manhandle her when there were times when he was almost too shy to speak. As enjoyable as the fight to deal with jeans and underwear had been, this was infinitely better, her body welcoming his as she scrambled to regain her place in his lap, for once assuming that dominant place. Well, dominant in appearances ....not even Jack could mistake that he was the one with the power as she shuddered in that first moment of perfect intimacy, handing over every part of herself to him to do with as he chose, so long as he took her with him.

By the time they were both undressed enough to enjoy each other, he was visibly shaking, his need for her was so great. He groaned as she found her way back onto his lap and took him inside her, and once again, he thought he would die, but this time of pleasure. She seemed perfectly made for him, fitting him like a glove, warm and snug and amazingly blissful. If there was such a thing as heaven, this was it. His hands found her hips as his lips met her again, his kisses deep and hungry, taking what he wanted as much as giving it.

She moved with him, under his guidance, giving as much as she took, longing for each moment to last and impatient for the release that was their reward for braving such closeness in the first place. He loves me. That was enough to send her crashing through the tentative wall that held her back, that unexpected, wonderful confession of a feeling that should have scared her. He loves me. "I love you, Jack," she gasped to him as pleasure and frantic desire combined to send her trembling to the bliss he'd promised, barely even noticing that she'd said those three terrifying little words at all.

"Oh, God..." he muttered, as his passion broke and crashed in unison with hers in another sort of harmony, cresting like a wave that washed over him in a violent storm of pleasure. "Jasmin..." he gasped, shuddering and clinging to her as they trembled together, those three terrifying words tugging at his heart and bringing tears to his eyes. "I love you, Jasmin," he whispered back. "Oh, God, I love you." He buried his face in her hair and held her close, overcome with emotion.

Caught up with him, she held on tight, her own face pressed into the crook of his neck as he held her close, feeling a hitch in her breath, a skip in her heartbeat, as he told her again and again how he felt about her. For all the men she had dated, none had ever said it, and certainly she had never felt this way about any of them. But had she really said it' Had she really forgotten her fear in that moment when truth came only too willingly to lips and told him her heart' She couldn't quite believe her own bravery, her lips caressing over the beating pulse in his throat as she trembled with him, part of her longing for this closeness, this oneness, never to end.

It was as if they were one, and yet they were two separate beings, bodies linked in that moment, hearts beating together in harmony and love. He knew without a doubt that she was the one he had been dreaming of, the one he had waited his whole life for. There was no question in his mind that they belonged together, and he wished this moment could go on forever. His breathing slowly evened out and became regular, his pulse slowly, and he lifted his head from her shoulder, so moved by her words and by the intensity of feeling, there were tears on his face.

In tune with him, she raised her own head, hazel eyes meeting blue with the same watery sheen. How had he managed to heal all the hurts in her heart so easily' She couldn't have said. All she knew was that she loved Jack, and despite all her fears of being left, she hadn't hesitated to tell him in the moment she was certain of that feeling. Her fingers shook as she gently wiped his face dry, her lips soft as she kissed him tenderly once more. "I love you," she said again, reveling in how easily the words came, how soothing it was to say them. "I don't know how, but ....you fixed me."

He mirrored her movement with a gentle caress of fingers against her face to wipe her tears. She was too lovely for words, and a song came to his mind once again, not for the first or last time. The goddess on the mountaintop, burning like a silver flame... She was that goddess, and he worshiped at her altar. "Jasmin, I love you," he told her again, almost more to himself than to her, amazed at the feeling that filled his heart and his soul, brimming over with adoration. "I didn't know you were broken," he whispered back, tenderly kissing her lips. No more was he the shy, timid boy who didn't know what to do with a woman. She had made him a man.

"I'm not anymore." Even as she said it, she could feel mirth bubbling up from inside her, released in a low giggle that grew in strength as she kissed him again and again, amazed and awed by him. "I was so scared of falling in love again," she admitted as she calmed. "Every time it's happened, within weeks I've been alone and I didn't know what I was doing wrong. But you love me." She said it with wondering affection, her eyes flickering over his face with adoring devotion. "I think I'm going to have to buy Lena a speedboat, or something."

He took all of this in quietly, understanding her at last. They were not so very different. He had been lonely for years, with only Tommy for a friend. Whatever family he'd once had had been left behind long ago. They were both alone and searching, not knowing until now that they'd been searching for each other. I was standing all alone against the world outside...."I'm never going to leave you, Jasmin. Never," he promised gravely, honestly, resolutely.

"Really?" he asked, her suggestion taking him completely by surprise. It wasn't that he didn't like Ivy Lodge or even Maple Grove, but the thought of living near Tommy and Lena was a tempting one. "But what about Dru?" he asked, remembering Lena's sister, who was currently living with Tommy and Lena at Willow Manor. He couldn't help but like the kid, and she'd obviously taken a shine to him, as well.

"Well, presumably we'd build something with more than one bedroom," Jaz pointed out with a faint smile. She liked Dru - the little princess was very open to having siblings and cousins, especially now she had braved meeting with Jon and Des, and was proving to be an interesting ally when it came to teasing Tommy. "She could take her pick - stay at Willow Manor, or move in with her sister, or with us. She's probably welcome to move into the big house, too. She has a lot of options."

"Think she'd like to babysit?" he asked, a small and rarely-seen smirk making itself known on his face. He knew they were in no hurry, and Dru wasn't going to stay a teenager forever, but some part of him couldn't help teasing Jasmin about the prospect of one day having kids, though Jack thought it more likely that Tommy and Lena would have kids first.

"Oh, baby, I know you're shy, but do you really need a babysitter when I leave you alone?" He should have seen that one coming, her own smirk rising to match his as hazel eyes twinkled impishly in response to his humor. "I suppose it depends how much you pay a princess to babysit a grown man she has the world's hugest crush on."

It took Jack a moment to realize she was only teasing, but the smirk disappeared quickly when she mentioned the crush. It wasn't the first time she'd pointed it out to him that Dru might be developing a huge crush on her cousin's boyfriend, and though Jack was fond of Dru, he didn't want to lead her on or break her heart. He wasn't accustomed to anyone having a crush on him, much less falling in love with him, and he found it perplexing. "Do you think I should talk to her about it?"

"Gods, don't you dare," Jaz warned him with a low chuckle. "Seriously, that would completely mortify her. She knows you're spoken for, and she'll know soon enough that I love you. She's a teenager, Jack - crushes are part of the territory. She'll grow out of it, especially when she starts socializing with boys her own age." She shifted, gently tweaking the end of his nose. "Trust me," she told him in a soft voice. "If it starts turning into more than a crush, I'll talk to her. It'd be better from me than from you, and if it happens, by then we'll be better friends."

He was still frowning, worried he'd hurt Dru's feelings or that her crush on him would somehow ruin their relationship. He'd never had a sister and had told Lena as much, but he had not yet had that conversation with Dru. As fond as he was of her, she made him a little nervous. "I like her, I do. She's a great kid, but..." He paused. "She's more like a kid sister, you know?"

"I know," she assured him, surprised that he seemed to be worrying that she might think he would reciprocate Dru's immature attachment. "Jack, just trust me on this, okay' You and Tommy, you're the first men she isn't related to who have shown an interest in her outside the fact that she's a princess. And the fact that you're gorgeous inside and out is what?s drawn her to you. But she's old enough to understand that a crush is just a crush, and not to want to jeopardize her friendship with you by fooling herself into believing it's anything more. So don't worry so much."

"I'm not. I just don't want to hurt her feelings, that's all." He really wasn't worried that Jaz might doubt his feelings for her. He was more worried about hurting Dru and creating animosity between her and her cousin. It had been a long time since he'd been part of a family, and even then, he and his brothers had never been all that close, but he didn't really want to talk about that now. "Want to get a pizza?" he asked, changing the subject all together.

"When she meets the right boy nearer her own age, she'll forget all about crushing on you," Jasmin promised him affectionately, remembering crushes of her own from her adolescence that had ended in the same way. As the subject changed, she laughed softly, inching as close as she could to kiss him fondly. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "Although at least one of us will have to get dressed to get it at the door."

"Should we flip a coin?" he asked with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. They both knew they couldn't stay naked forever or they'd never get anything done - except maybe start that family a little ahead of schedule. He kissed the top of her nose before sliding out from under her to move to his feet and gather his discarded clothes from the floor.

"Why, do you keep one inserted somewhere for just such an occasion?" she countered, returning his twinkle with her own as he kissed her nose. Rolling to her side as he rose to gather his clothing, she sighed contentedly, enjoying the view, far more comfortable in her own skin than he was. She made no move to dress herself, preferring to watch the dance of muscles beneath his skin with covetous, loving eyes. "You know, I still haven't covered you in syrup and licked it off yet," she commented mildly. "I really should make a point of doing that soon."

He was bending over to pick up his jeans when she mentioned syrup and his face turned a shade of scarlet, the thought of her licking him doing something to a certain part of his anatomy that made it obvious how he felt about the idea. He turned his back toward her so that she wouldn't notice, but it was probably too late. "Sounds messy," he mumbled as he tugged his shorts up his legs.

"But fun," she laughed, finally moving to rise herself. Her quick gaze found her dress and panties easily enough, but the whereabouts of her bra remained unknown for the time being. She was just going to have to hope it wasn't somewhere a delivery boy would get a good look at it when their food arrived. One hand smoothed up along the groove of his spine as she leaned into him, pressing a kiss behind his ear. "I love you."

"I keep waiting to wake up and find out this is all just a dream," he said, wrapping his arms around her to pull her against him just because he wanted to feel her close. Of course, they weren't getting any pizza ordered this way, but it could wait a while longer. He still hadn't told her much about himself or his childhood, but that could wait, too. He wasn't even sure if he wanted her to know.

"It isn't a dream." She rose onto her toes, nuzzling a tender kiss to the very tip of his nose, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead against his own. "Or if it is, I don't want you to wake up. I don't want to be without you. I'd give up everything to keep you right here, in my arms."

"You don't have to give up anything, baby. I'm not going anywhere," he promised as he settled his arms around her, his forehead coming to rest against hers. "I love you, and I'm never gonna stop loving you." It was a big promise to be making, but one he was sure of.

She smiled, breathing him in as they embraced one another in that quiet moment, enjoying the silence they had found they could share so easily just as much as she enjoyed their conversations, their debates, their more physical encounters. It was hard to find someone you could be silent with, and yet here he was, holding her as tightly as she held him. Hazel eyes opened to look up at him as her lips quirked into a fondly teasing smirk. "Beginning to regret putting the dress back on, I have to admit."

He held her there silently for a few minutes, just savoring the still of the moment and the nearness of her, breathing her in, just as she was doing the same to him. It felt good to hold her there, and he realized in that moment that she was what had always been missing from his life. Or part of it anyway. What he'd been missing was not just to love and be loved, but a sense of belonging. But she was right. He had that now - with Tommy and Lena and Dru and not least of all, Jasmin. He was part of a family now and part of something even bigger than that. He was one half of a whole, only complete when he was with her. Maybe someday they would have a family of their own, but for now, he was content to be with her and her alone. He smiled at the thought of that and at the her teasing, tilting his head to brush his nose against hers. "We could eat pizza in bed," he teased back.

"Still have to order it," she grinned, answering his affectionate gesture with an echo of her own. "Anything but mushrooms, please. Unless you fancy jabbing me with epinephrin after I eat it." Yes, she was allergic to mushrooms - well, to pretty much any kind of fungus, whether it was edible or not. These were the things they were going to learn about one another as the weeks and months went by, little things that came together to bind them more closely to one another than they had been with anyone else before.

"No mushrooms, got it," he said, flashing a smile, knowing one of them was going to have to make the first move or they were never going to get around to ordering that pizza. And since they were swapping odd facts about themselves, he thought he'd let her know one of his own. "Bees," he said. "I'm allergic to bees."

"Got it," she answered him in kind, pleased that he so easily gave up information that was an echo of her own offering. "Guess I should show you where the pen is before bee season starts up again then, huh?" Bouncing up, she kissed him quickly, disentangling herself with a grin. "Okay, I'm ordering, you decide where you want to be ravished after we've eaten."

Telling her about his only known allergy wasn't that big a deal really. It was something she was going to have to find out sooner or later, since it could be a matter of life or death someday. He smiled into her kiss, laughing a little at her remark. "Isn't part of the ravishing taking the other person by surprise?" The gleam had returned to his blue eyes, the briefly sad mood gone. He plucked his jeans up off the floor and tugged them up his legs.

"Hey, you only get to choose the location," she chuckled, stepping away to locate the phone. Screw her underwear - chances were she wasn't going to need it for very long anyway, and the dress was long enough to preserve her modesty for the time being. Just. "I didn't say how I'm going to ravish you, did I?"

He didn't want to think about her question too hard or he'd be distracted all through dinner and unable to eat. As it was, he was imagining several possibilities, and those possibilities were having a certain unmistakable effect on his body, once again. "I, uh..." He stammered, at a sudden loss for words as he watched her, holding his t-shirt in his hands.

She blew him a kiss as she picked up the phone, flashing him a wink and a grin just for good measure before turning her back to locate the pizza takeout menu among the pile of such menus on the kitchen counter. A moment later, she tapped in the number on the phone and raise it to her ear, absentmindedly pulling her hair up off her neck as she waited for the call to connect, revealing that second tattoo once again.

If he was bolder and more daring, he might have tried to distract her while she was on the phone, but that wasn't his way. He wasn't as sure of himself as Tommy, though he could certainly be playful when he wanted to be. He was a soft-hearted, hopeless romantic, as different from Tommy as night and day. He pulled his t-shirt on over his head before watching her make the phone call. He noticed the tattoo on the back of her neck, not for the first time, and wondered about it, but wasn't sure if this was the right time or place.

It was a matter of moments before she was hanging up the phone, their pizza ordered along with a pint of ice-cream she had certain rather impish plans for. Setting the phone back in its cradle, she turned back to face him, letting her hair drop back down again. "Should be here in a half hour or so," she told him. "Think we can stay dressed that long?"

"I know I can, but I'm not so sure about you," he said with a smirk, proving that he was capable of teasing her when he wanted to. But what were they going to do for half an hour without getting undressed again? He shuffled a bit uncomfortably, wondering where he should go from here.