Forget

I wake up with her arm around me, resting on my hips. The length of her body is pressed up against me, spooning me from behind. Suddenly she pulls me into her warmth, enveloping me entirely.

As her grip loosens again I carefully turn to face her.

She's still asleep as I settle my head back on the pillow, now staring at her peaceful face.

Last night she'd been so upset when she'd gotten back from work. She didn't tell me what was wrong. She said she couldn't. Not yet.

That hurt.

But I guess it could never hurt as much as the hurt she was feeling at that moment. The pain in her dark, hazel eyes was so clear last night. Even in the darkness of our bedroom I could still see something upset her.

I tried to get her to talk to me, but she kept silent the entire time. That is, until she got in bed, laying herself down next to me, staring at the ceiling.

I noticed the single tear running down her cheek as she turned her head to me and whispered, "Make me forget. Please, make me forget."

I reached out for her and pulled her close to my body, her head resting on my shoulder. I merely held her as she let her all her tears find their way out, sobs wrecking through her body. The closer I pulled her into me, the harder her cries became.

Suddenly, she looked up and while the tears were still flowing like little rivers across her face she leant forward, claiming my lips.

I could taste the saltiness on her lips as she kissed me desperately. "Please," she murmured into the kiss. "Please make me forget."

I have to know what has got her so upset, but I know that has to wait. She needs me now. To forget about it. Whatever it may be.

So I kiss her back. Hard, demanding. I pull her on top of me, one hand at the back of her neck, keeping her lips locked with mine, the other finding its way underneath her shirt, tracing circles across her soft skin.

Just as fiercely as she had begun kissing me, she suddenly stopped. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked into my eyes. She moved to one side, freeing one hand to reach up to cup my cheek.

I closed my eyes as I leaned into her touch. She was completely silent, and if it hadn't been for the feel of her weight resting against me and of her hand caressing my cheek, I would have thought she wasn't even here.

As her thumb started to trace my lips I placed a kiss on it and opened my eyes again. We lock eyes and the look in her hazel ones told me she was afraid.

Both my hands reached up and I held her face. As she tried to avoid my eyes I spoke up, breaking to silence. "Look at me."

She closed her eyes, liquid drops still falling. "Sara, look at me," I said again, though with a little more force. A few seconds later she did as I asked and her hazel eyes found my sapphire ones.

"I love you."

There, I'd said it. Though we'd been together for almost half a year, neither of us had uttered those three words. The three words that stated what we both actually had already realized during our first date, but had been afraid to say all this time we'd spent together.

As she looked at me I didn't know whether she'd heard my words, so I pulled her down, claiming her lips to emphasize my words.

Each time I caressed her lips with mine I repeated one of the words -their sound vibrating through us both.

At first she didn't respond to my kisses nor to my words. I started to panic a bit. What if she didn't feel the same way?

I was about to pull back, but suddenly she leaned in, pressing her lips hard onto mine, starting the kissing all over again. I felt her tongue tracing my lips and searching a way to deepen our kiss. I could feel her smile into the kiss as I granted her access, welcoming her velvet tongue with my own.

As she ended the kiss, she was still crying, though by the smile on her face I could tell these tears were different tears.

These were tears of happiness.

"I love you, too," she whispered, her lips only a breath away.

My arms reach around her and I pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, my lips attaching herself onto the soft skin at the base of her neck. As I kissed a path across her neck towards her ear I heard her whisper 'I love you, too' over and over again.

After sharing a few more languid, though forceful kisses -both of us trying to convey how much we meant the words- we lay down in each other's safe embrace, sleep consuming us not long after.

And only till a few minutes ago, we'd both slept peacefully.

I reach out to place a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear and notice by the way the corner of her mouth curls upward that she's in the process of waking up.

Only a few seconds later her eyes open and she leans in to place a soft kiss on my lips.

"Morning," she says as she nestles her head on my shoulder while her hand starts to play with the hem of my tank top.

"Morning," I reply before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

We just lay in silence, enjoying small caresses of one another's wandering hands. After a while Sara speaks up.

"Last night I almost lost you," she says as her hand finds its way underneath my tank top completely and starts to caress the hot skin of my stomach.

"Lost me?" I ask, not understanding why she'd think I would go away.

Sara looks up and locks eyes with me before speaking up. "Last night, while processing a scene, someone shot at me."

Though we both know our job can be dangerous from time to time, her words scare the hell out of me.

"What?" I almost yell at her as I try to sit up and against the headboard.

Sara crawls up as well and settles down next to me. It is not until I feel her strong arms pulling me close to her that I realize my entire body is trembling.

"The guy came back to clean up his mess and found me there. Before I could call for help he'd already drawn his gun. He?" she starts, but trails off and takes a deep breath.

From where I'm poised against her I kiss her throat, trying to give her the strength to continue.

"He fired the gun and the bullet hit me."

"Hit you?" I say panic-stricken as I sit up and let my hands examine her body. "Where?"

She stops my prodding hands and says, "Right?here." She places my hand on her stomach.

It is now, in the light of the early morning sun that is creeping through the blinds that I see the bruise that covers a large area just above her navel.

"Oh," I gasp as I lean down to let my lips touch the battered skin. I rest my head on her stomach and let my fingertips trace the black and blue pattern.

"Even though it hurt, I knew I was alright," Sara continues as she strokes my hair. "I was wearing a bulletproof vest. Though, while I lay there on the ground I got so scared. I kept on thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't worn that vest. It made me realize how soon things can be over and done with. How soon life can end. How it would have been over before I would have had the chance to tell you I love you."

I look up, my chin resting on my hand that lay on your stomach. "Normally we don't wear vests. Why were you-" I start, but she interrupts me. "Brass ordered me. I almost?I almost didn't. I thought it wasn't necessary."

"I'm glad you listened to him," I reply, silently thanking Brass for his perseverance.

"Well, we had an argument about it. I was being my stubborn self," she sighs as she again rakes her hand through my strawberry blonde hair. "And I wasn't going to give in?Until he?" Again she trails off.

I crawl back up and give her a deep kiss, needing the comfort of the close contact.

"Until he told me what you asked him," Sara finally says as she looks straight into my eyes.

I immediately know what she is talking about and bend down, avoiding her eyes. "He told you?" I ask, still not looking at her.

She cups my chin and forces me to meet her eyes. "Yes," she answers. "So after he told me that, and he added he'd kill me himself if I didn't, I took the vest, because," she stops and kisses me, hard. "I didn't want to miss out on the chance to say yes to that question of yours," she finishes, her breath still labored from the kiss.

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?" I inquire. I can feel a blush settling on my cheeks. Now I feel a bit silly for asking Brass about?

But she interrupts my thoughts by saying, "And I think it's very sweet and thoughtful of you to ask him. He indeed is like a father to me."

Only then it really dawns upon me that her answer was yes.

"So you don't think it's too soon to-"

"No. There's no time like the present." She smirks as she rolls me over and on top of her.

As our hands start to roam across each other's bodies she claims my lips after telling me once again that her answer is yes.

"I love you," she tells me as she starts to take off my tank top.

"I love you, too," I reply, then attack her lips again after she throws the piece of clothing on the floor.

The End