25
1531 Words
"Elizabeth?" Sawyer opened the door to the house, unsure of what to expect.
"She's upstairs."
He didn't need Klara to tell him that - he knew exactly where she was - but he smiled, and raised his hand in thanks before he went up to see Elizabeth.
She looked up from the book she was reading in bed when he got to the stop of the stairs, and smiled despite the fact he looked a little concerned.
"I didn't mean to be gone for so long."
"It's fine. I'm not exactly incapacitated. I would have asked you to stay if I couldn't cope."
"I know, but…" he sighed, and sat down next to her on the other side of the bed.
"I did miss you, though…"
He was reminded of what Jonas had said to him about the way she might respond to him smelling like Saga when Elizabeth moved closer to him and bit her lip teasingly.
"... I was holding the baby."
The way he had interrupted her so suddenly made it sound like an excuse, and Elizabeth moved back.
"Oh?"
"I think they might actually take her home, soon."
"Well then…" she smiled, as though she wasn't entirely sure how to react. "I hope they'll be happy."
"Me too..." he looked over at the bedside table, then back to Elizabeth. "You went down to get coffee."
"I don't need to keep a clear head to know what's going on with my body- I think it's obvious enough. I didn't think it would be an issue if I got myself a drink of coffee; are you telling me it is?" she raised her eyebrow at him.
"Of course not. I'm not trying to police your body, and I'm sorry that I came on a little strong. I'm just surprised that you were comfortable going down there, because of Klara... you were a little self-conscious before I left."
"She's going to have to get used to being around us while I'm like this."
"It's not just her..."
"No," Elizabeth sighed. "I know that. And I don't want to hide myself away in here, but it would be nice to be sure I'm in control of myself. I don't want to embarrass myself."
"I think it would do you both good to start getting to know people... we've been back here for almost a week."
"I guess so," she set the book she was holding down, and he leaned across and kissed her on the forehead.
"How are you feeling, by the way?"
"It's not like I'm ill or something - I'm fine."
"I know, but I mean..." he paused, and lowered his voice. "Do you need anything?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"I don't think so," she said, and he could see that she was blushing. "I'm fine right now."
"How does it feel this time... compared to before?"
She blushed more fiercely and looked away from him.
"I don't know... it's just... different."
"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine... I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"No," she said, after a moment. "It's not that. I feel... I guess I feel different about it. Last time it was almost unbearable for me to be touched - It felt intense every single time. There was no way to get it under control."
"And that's not how it is now?"
She shook her head, and rubbed the top of her arm awkwardly.
"I think it's a little too soon to tell. But it was an unbearable hellish nightmare before, and I think it's less frustrating this time, so..."
Sawyer pulled her closer to him and held her as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry... I know you were hoping to avoid going through this again. I shouldn't have messed with your body like this."
"No," she said, shaking her head again. "I didn't want to go through this again when I was trying to convince myself I could just be human, but I'm okay with it now. This is just a part of who I am, and I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I tried to stop it happening; thank you for not giving up on me while I was in denial about this."
"There is really no need to thank me for sticking with you while you were struggling, Elizabeth. You stood by me while I was in a bad place."
She moved her head from his shoulder to look at him, and smiled sadly.
"I guess we don't really have a choice, do we? We're stuck with each other..."
"Elizabeth, I love you."
"I know. We love each other, and we support each other, because of what we have."
She closed her eyes and nestled into his shoulder, but he pushed her gently away.
"That's not true. I love you for a thousand different reasons, and none of them are because we have to feel this way, because we don't...Selene doesn't love Valo even though they have a bond. I really don't think she would appreciate me talking about it to you like this, but the bond that they have is never going to involve romantic love the way ours does; they have a connection, but it's... it's just not the same. Some of the feelings I have for you are tied up with the bond, but mostly... I love you because you're yourself. You're a strong, capable and passionate woman, and I fell in love with you when we first met, and it wasn't because of the bond." Elizabeth sighed and shook her head, and he tilted her chin up to face him. "Kiss me."
She hesitated, but kissed him, and he pulled her back into his arms.
"Are you ready to try this again?" Elizabeth asked, her voice betraying her excitement.
Sawyer nodded, and then kissed her neck and collarbone. He could feel her heart beat faster again, and he pulled back, thinking that he was being too insistent.
It seemed like everything was different this time, and he needed to be sure she knew what she was getting herself into. Slowly, he kissed her lips, gently at first, but then more passionately, moving down her neck and towards her breasts.
She sighed and pressed herself against him as he kissed her.
She was only wearing a loose t-shirt, but she pulled it off and tossed it aside when he moved on top of her.
"You're sure you want to do this? You could just go out for a while instead if you're feeling frustrated."
"I'm sure," she pulled him closer to kiss him.
He could feel her hips moving beneath him, and he pulled away from her, leaving her confused and breathless until he opened his jeans and pulled himself free of them.
She moaned in anticipation, as he moved into position over her. She raised her hips as he moved against her, and he swore as she guided him inside of her. He met her gaze and thrust forward, and he could feel her shudder. He paused, trying to collect himself and let her adjust to him, until she pushed her hips towards him again, and he started to move.
He kissed her, catching her lips as she cried out against him, and she held him tighter.
'Tell me what you want…'
"I want you," she gasped against his lips.
He smiled, and tangled his fingers through her hair.
"I'm yours," he felt her nails dig into his shoulders as she came, and she made a small noise of protest when he pulled back from her.
"I need..."
"...I'm not done with you yet."
He grabbed her hips and took control, loving how she moaned under his touch.
The pressure built slowly and she wrapped her legs around him, desperate for him to finish.
He kept his movements slow and hard until she begged him to go faster. He continued the pace until she was shaking against him and crying out with every deep thrust and he let himself go, panting as he held her tightly and felt himself release inside of her.
"You're mine," she whispered, and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.
They lay together for a few more minutes, until he started to feel himself soften. He pulled out of her and held her for a few minutes longer, before getting out of bed to clean himself up.
"I don't think there's any doubt that I'm in Heat anymore."
"I don't think there ever was," Sawyer laughed, but his expression sobered a little as he watched her. "I'm glad you're finding it easier this time, at least, but..."
"...we need to be safe."
"Yes. Because I need to know you feel the same when you're not being driven crazy by hormones every time we get close."
Elizabeth sighed and locked eyes with Sawyer.
"I guess the fact I may have been close to coming into Heat without knowing it explains why I thought telling you was a good idea, but... I really have been thinking about talking to you for a while now."
- Writer
