Note: This section is rated NC 17 A for ADULT content

It had been almost a month since they were safely returned to Washington
D.C. The X-files were reopened. However, while both of them would deny and
refuse to admit it, things were not the same for either of them.

After the initial weeks of being partnered together on the X-Files, they
had sworn to put away their high school memories.  Both of them hurt,
stunned by the belief that the other had forgotten,  Mulder & Scully
put everything into the job.  Mulder often took off on his own, in a
seemingly careless manner which always concerned Scully.  He never
intentionally meant to hurt her, but he did. Muder had to prove he still
could be independent and capable on his own.  For her part, Scully promised
to never again let him in to her heart, or see her pain.  Even in the direst
circumstances she kept a brave front, always insisting she was fine.  It
drove him crazy.   It was something of a testament then, to the both of
them, that despite all this their partnership and in turn, friendship
flourished.  Events which surely would have sundered the strongest love
only served to strengthen the bond between them.  

But in one night, am almost-moment, walls were brought down.  And then, as
it had so many times before, fortune intervened.  This time the culprit was
no government trained assassin, no mutant or psychpath.
Fate's intervention came in the simple form of a virulent africanized honey
bee.  Returning from the events in Antarctica, both Mulder & Scully returned
to old habits .  Deny everything. Believe the Lie.
Pretend it never happened. 
And it was tearing them apart. 

Their current assignment, in the middle of the desert, had taken its toll
on them physically & emotionally. 
After Antarctica, Scully thought she could never be warm enough again.
Arizona had proved her wrong. 
And Mulder's head injury was exascerbated by his own physical demands in
the field.  He had something to prove, even if he wouldn't admit to himself
what it was.  But now the case was wrapped up.  In a rather non-Xfile
fashion, the killer was an extremely average human being with no unnatural
or supernatural gifts. 
Unless you counted his taste for homicide.  But with Fadale locked away and
local law enforcement breathing a sigh of relief, they allowed themselves
to relax.  Facing a long hot night in what passed for goverment approved 
lodgings before their flight back to D.C. the next morning.

"So, Scully, what'll it be?"
She shot Mulder a tired exasperated look.  "Unless you've found a restaurant
with facilities inside a meat locker, I believe it'll be bed".  
Mulder tried his best bright eyed schoolboy look to no avail.
"It's so hot Mulder, why don't you call me when the sun goes down?"
"Scully, could  I see your neck for just a moment?"  
Getting the joke, she smiled weakly.  "It's ok, Mulder, I haven't ordered
pizza in weeks."
Seeing that his usual chiding was getting him nowhere fast, Mulder relented.
"Alright," he agreed.  "I didn't sleep too good last night anyway, maybe
I'll take a nap.  It's pretty damn hot out here right now."
"Maybe if you ask, they'll transfer you to a room with just a sofa and you
can get some rest."
Mulder twisted his mouth in a wry expression.  "Oh Scully, now *that* was
funny. I'm glad to see the heat hasn't affected your sense of humor.....you
still don't have one!"
Nodding her head, stifling a slight chuckle, Scully opened her door turning
round before she closed it-- "see you later, Mulder!"
After her door had closed, Mulder smiled, wiping his brow.  At least she
sounded a bit more like her old self. The joking between them had always
been a source of great comfort in times of fear, anger, even sickness.
In many ways it was a thermometer of their relationship.  Thermometer.  He
realized how hot and sticky he felt in his "beaureau approved" suit.
Unlocking the door to his room, he stepped into the cool interior, breathing
a loud sigh of relief.  He stripped and made for the bathroom, amused by
the idea that his partner had driven him to yet another cold shower.  Once
that was finished, he flopped onto his bed, luxuriating in the wet sensation
of cold.  Grabbing the remote by his bed, he began flipping channels,
pausing on what appeared to be a 24 hour adult channel. Oh well, he thought
to himself, he could always take another cold shower.

As soon as she entered the room, Dana stripped off her suit and sat in front
of the A/C unit.  The frosty air sent icy shivers of delight across her
flesh.  She remained that way for several minutes, when she heard the
sound of water running in the room next door.  Mulder was taking a shower.  
Still feeling hot, tired from the heat, she collapsed onto the bed, reveling
in the smooth, cool feel of the comforter.  Relaxed at last, she began to
drift off.  Until a noise from Mulder's room awakened her. 
Confused and disoriented for a moment, she remembered where she was.  Then
unsettled by the sound of moaning next door, she  automatically grabbed her
sig, and leaned against the shared portal, listening.
It took about 2 seconds for her to realise Mulder wasn't in mortal danger.
Unless you count a cranky partner poised to shoot him a second time.  She
shook her head, laying her gun down on top of the TV.
She opted instead,  to take a bath.  As the water ran, she poured a capful
of fragrant bath crystals in and brushed her hair.  Before she stepped in,
she turned off the tap and listened. She groaned.  There it was, same
channel.  Dana let out an exasperated sigh.  Not really wanting to disturb
her disturbed partner, but unwilling to share his entertainment, she decided
to fight back a little.
She strode into her room and flicked on the television.  She didn't care
what was on as long as it wasn't *that*. She found a suitably bland film
and turned up the volume.  Maybe he'd hear her tv and realise it was a
two way street. She grinned to herself.  She set her suitcase on the table
in her room, edging over her laptop.  It nearly fell to the floor.  She
pushed it in slightly, confident it was secure.   Dana went through her
suitcase, pulling out her silk bathrobe. Nothing like a few creature
comforts to make her feel at home.  She reached in for her portable CD
player. 
She rarely had the opportunity to use it, time with Mulder was usually
spent going over casework. 
The idea of soothing music and a relaxing bubble  bath was incredibly
decadent.  Dana liked it immensely. 
Carefully setting the player on the top of the toilet tank, she gingerly
stepped in.  The water was perfect. Not too hot, but not too cold.  She
sank up to her neck in bubbles, mindful of the cord, and felt relaxed for
the first time in a week.   Mmmmmm, she breathed sighing contentedly. 
As the first strains of her custom made cd began, it occured to her that
she really needed to get a small gift for Frohike.  Leave it to him to act
on an off handed comment, and come up with the best birthday present she'd
received in years. OK, one year, if you count the keychain. But by his own
admission, she had another three to go before she needed to worry about
Mulder's next gift.  Using new cd writing technology, Frohike had
tailor-made a cd for her, with some of her favorite quiet songs off of a
variety of albums & tapes. 
Mulder liked to tease her about Frohike's amorous obsession, but she saw it
as a very thoughtful gesture. 
And she really loved the combination of   musical scores, ballads and i=
nstrumentals.  All hand picked with her in mind .  Before the third track
had begun, Scully was sound asleep.

Mulder remained engrossed in the particulars of the movie on his tv when
sounds from Scully's room jarred him out of his reverie.  Shit, he breathed.
If he could hear Scullys movie.....?.... if he could hear hers, it meant
she could hear his......he felt his ears flush.  Stepping off the bed, he
turned the volume down. 
Realizing he was already dry, he slipped into a pair of boxers, then pulled
on a pair of jeans.  He wished he'd brought shorts, but they hadn't seemed
appropriate G-man wear.  He smiled. Not very *macho*.  Turning the tv off,
he listened again next door.  Either the movie had ended, or Scully had
changed the channel. 
Intriuged by an idea, he turned his tv back on, slowly switching channels
untill he found the one which mirrored the sounds coming from Scully's room.
It was the beginning of a slasher movie called Shocker. 
He laughed out loud.  If  Scully was actually watching this, she was either
keeping her secrets really well, or she was really really bored. Taken with
the perverse pleasure of watching what Scully was watching at the exact same
moment, he sat on his bed.  In typical guy fashion, he found himself caught
up the plot of the B-film, amused by it's theatrical take on serial killers.
Funniest of all was that the actor playing the villan really looked alot
like Skinner.  He made a mental note to present the AD with a copy of it
come Christmas.
He started to lean back onto his bed when a sudden crash next door brought
him to his feet.  
"Scully?" he hollered at the adjoining door, "You ok in there?"
Hearing no reply, he opened his door, but found hers locked. "Scully?" he
shouted again, a hint of panic evident in his voice.   Erring on the side
of caution, he went out his front door and knocked on hers.
"Room service" he called, rapping on the door & knowing it would fool no one
if in fact there was an intruder.  Pulse racing, he tried the doorknob.   And
felt his heart sink as it slowly turned in his hands. Scully would never
leave a hotel door unlocked. His gun ready, he burst through the door
striking the proper stance, prepared to level the gun at an unseen invader. 
"FBI!"  Mulder scanned the empty room.  Sweat beading on his brow, he saw
the bathroom door was closed.  He listened intently and heard nothing.  With
a lump in his throat, he gently pushed it open with the barrel of his sig.
He stepped in,  nearly dropping  the gun on the floor when he saw her.
Although he should have been greatly relieved to see his partner was
alive & well, the lump in his throat only tightened.  Scully was relined 
in a bathtub filled with bubbles, (rather strategically placed, he noted,)
fast asleep.  She had headphones on and he thought he could make out the
faint sounds of music.  He wondered idly what Scully listened to in the
bath. She stirred.
"Shit," he mouthed, backing out the door, but not as quickly as he should
have. He couldn't avoid taking a lingering look at the woman who had been
his companion, partner and friend for the last 5 years.  The woman who had
been the girl he wanted so many years ago.
The girl who had forgotten him, who hadn't wanted him in return.   
He wished there was a way to see the tatoo she had gotten in Philiadelphia.
She had been naked in Antarctica, but circumstances precluded any looking.
At that time, the absence of her clothes was a liability that nearly cost
them their lives.  They were lucky that a rescue party arrived before they
had both frozen. 
Luck -the word took on new meaning for Mulder as he gazed appreciatively 
at Scully's shapely legs.  
And suddenly, his luck deserted him, as shivering with gooseflesh, his
partner fluttered her eyes open.  
Her eyes wide with shock, she just gaped at him for a moment.  His eyes wide
with shame, he began to stutter an apology, forgetting she still had
headphones on.
"MULDER!!" She bolted upright for a second, then seeing his gaze drop, she
sank back into the bath. 
She whipped the headphones off.  "Jesus Christ, Mulder, what the hell are
you doing?"  
"Get out of here!!" She commanded.
Mulder retreated faster than she'd thought possible.  Stunned and shaken
from the unexpected start, she lay there fuming.  Ralizing she was shivering
and that the water had cooled, she stepped out of the tub, slamming against
the door to insure it was shut.  She turned the lock, and breathing heavily,
leaned against the door for support.  She suddenly felt sick and dizzy....
and...and...something else.  She saw the look in his eyes when she caught his
gaze, and it was definitely not a brotherly one.
Since the near kiss in his building she had felt that he'd regretted his
actions, and had immersed himself back into the xfiles, and as far away
from that night as possible.  But that look.  It reminded her of a starry
night years ago, and a beach.  And a boy who didn't seem to mind being
called Fox, but had quickly forgotten her. Immersed in thought, she
dried herself off, almost stepping out of the bathroom stark naked.   She
paused & donned her silk robe, checking herself in the mirror.  Instinctively
she pulled it up and around her, trying to further conceal herself. 
She started to open the door then hesitated.  She smoothed the silky fabric
down and straightened the sash. 
If  Mulder had come for an eyeful, maybe she wouldn't completely disappoint
him.  Doubtless he had been *encouraged* by his movie selection.  Her eyes
darkened at this prospect, & Dana decided to give him an earful as well.

"I just don't understand," she continued.
Fox began to get a little defensive.  While guilty in some respects, his
original intentions were good.
"Look, I heard a crash, and you weren't responding.  How was I supposed to
know you had zoned out in the tub?"
Scully continued to eye him with a skeptical glare.  
She had to make some concessions to the man she had trusted with her life
for more than 5 years now, but he was not entirely innocent either.  His
guilty way of avoiding eye contact acknowledged as much.
"OK, I can see that my laptop did get knocked over, Mulder, but that's
hardly call for a raid."
"Well Scully when you didn't answer me and your door was unlocked, I
got nervous."
This gave her pause.  While she wouldn't readily admit to it, had the
circumstances been reversed, she would have acted similarly.
"I can accept that," she conceded. "But what was that in the bathroom-with
the eyes, and the...thing?"
Scully gestured somewhat wildly.
Mulder looked confused.  "The thing?"
Frustrated with all this, Scully blurted out.  "Mulder you were ogling 
me, admit it!"
Mulder fixed his gaze at a point on the wall above her and started to speak.
"Mulder, I'm over here," she complained. "You had no trouble looking at me
a minute ago."
He met her angry stare, his hazel eyes flickering green with emphasis.
Simply by making eye contact with Mulder-his expression heavy and uncertain,
sent a jolt of electricity through Dana.  She softened a little, and paused,
allowing him time to continue.

He took a deep breath. (This is it, he thought to himself.  Ultimate
dishonor. Might as well come clean)
"Scully....Dana" he corrected himself.  The gorgeous twin stars that
were a window to Scully's soul blinked with the use of her first name.
"I'm sorry...and I'm not sorry.  When I bolted in here I was afraid
something bad had happened."  
"Now that it *has*," he grimaced, "I might as well explain myself."
She nodded him to continue, her expression masking any emotion.
"Remember in the hallway before....when you told me you were leaving?"
She nodded.
"Scu...Dana, it wasn't just your leaving that upset me.  I meant everything 
I said about how you'd saved me and kept me honest, how you complete me.  I
still feel that way."
She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment.
"But Dana I've felt that way for years...." he paused. "long before we were
partnered on the X-Files."
She shot her eyes open, stunned at what she was hearing.
"Mulder?" she began.
"No let me finish now before I chicken out..again.  I know you don't
remember it or don't want to admit it, and I've dealt with that.  But
you...I....I never forgot what we were in Chilmark. Never."
Scully's face was a mixture of anger, and frustration and something more.
But her tone was gentle.
"You're bringing that up now, Fox?" (it slipped out) "After all this time and
all I've had to do to put it behind me..."  She paused for a breath.  There
was an icy edge to her tone now, and Dana Scully was back.
The softened expression was gone, replaced by the cool unreadable exterior
Fox had grown to hate.
When he saw that face, it meant he was being shut out.
"I'm surprised you admit to it now, after all this time, Mulder.  It was
just High School-only a few months of high school at that.  I've gotten over
it Mulder, I'm not 16 any more.  But since you seem to want to bring it
up, no I didn't forget it either.  How could I?"   She shot Mulder a bitter
glance. "And how could you?"
His bewildered expression only served to further her anger.
"You were leaving for England Mulder, why did you have to do it?  If I meant
so little to you why ruin it for me and make me think you felt something
more...she let out a strangled sob, only to forget me?"
Mulder got mad.  "Scully to my way of thinking, you've got it backwards."
(This isn't happening , she told herself, not now, not after all this)
"Not to my way of thinking, Mulder.  Since you never wrote, I got your
Oxford address from your mom. Mulder, you never answered a single one of my
letters.  I actually thought my world was coming to an end when I realized
we were leaving Chilmark." She rocked her head into her hands for a moment,
then continued.  "And when I discovered you were with the Bureau-I even
thought for a second-when we were partnered..."  she threw her hands up in
disgust.  "Mulder, you didn't even recognize me."

Something was nagging at him from the back of his mind, and Mulder didn't
like it.  But Scully had triggered his defensive nature, and he was damned if
he would let it slide. 
"Scully, *I* didn't write??  What are you talking about?  I sent you a dozen
letters the first month alone. You're the one who never replied, and when I
returned for graduation, you were gone...."
He shook his head, memory reeling from the pain of that long ago moment.
"And you think *I* forgot? How could I not know everything about you while
you were at Quantico?  Head of your class, hot shot doctor on the up & coming
list, that whole mess with Jack?  No, I knew.  Gave me some surprising
insight to your "ice queen" title.  Do you really think it was coincidence
that I had a copy of your senior thesis on my desk the day we met?
*Again*?,"  he blurted, correcting himself.

Scully sat there, absorbing the weight of his words.  It just wasn't
possible.

Mulder regarded her out of the corner of his eye.  This was more painful 
than he had imagined.  She seemed genuinely shocked by his words and he was
stunned by her version of events. She was slumped onto the bed, head down in
an uncertain sorrow he was unaccustomed to.  It made him uncomfortable to
see his partner like this.  

She looked up, tears streaming from both eyes and he realized how wrong he'd
been.
How could he possibly have tricked himself into believing Dana didn't care,
that she'd forgotten.
Unconcerned with the details, he sought his solace in the Truth.  A truth
which Scully was desperately trying to conceal.  Mulder drew his partner
into his arms, breathing soft words of comfort.
"I didn't know-I didn't realize.  I'm not sure what happened, Dana, but I
did try to write you-I never forgot. I couldn't-didn't want to.  Forgive me
for thinking you had?"
Dana clung to him, his honeyed words a feast for her ears.  She pulled
tighter to his chest, comforted by the closeness which hid her face from
view.  She turned her head a little.
"Fox," she murmured. He shivered with delight in the way his name rolled off
those lips.
"I believe you.  After 5 years of trust, I can't ignore my instincts."  She
sighed.  "It's just that after so much time I guess it was easier to believe
the lie.  For both of us."
"That night in the hallway,  I thought leaving the Beaureau was my only
option.  I couldn't bear the thought of being forced to go to Utah-of losing
you again.  So I tried to take control....and wound up losing it.  When you
said *everything,* you looked so hurt-I couldn't bear to think I was causing
you pain and when I kissed your forehead , it was like everything I'd been
trying to deny came through...and then..."   she trailed off, wiping tears
from her eyes.
"And then that goddman bee!" he added, a trace of humor in his tone, his
eyes brightening.
Dana let out a cry that became a laugh. "Yes," she said, looking away as
she pursed her lips.
She backed away as Mulder reached gently toward the collar of her robe,
pulling it away from her neck. 
Her beautifully smooth porcelain neck.  He brushed her skin lightly and it
sent shivers of pleasure through her body.  "No bees here."
She met his eyes, her gaze frozen.  She reached up to his hand and pulled
it in front of her, inspecting the tips of his fingers. "No marshmallow,
either."
His moment of confusion giving way to wide-eyed awareness, he gulped for 
air as she drew a finger lazily to her mouth, taking it gently between her
lips.
The gulp gave way to a guttural groan.  Scully was doing things to his
fingers he had only imagined.  Things his mind had relinquished to a distant
memory.  Things that were suddenly making his breath heavy and his head swim.
His knees buckled a little. Smiling, Dana relinquished posession of the
affected digit slowly.
"And I thought I had a good memory," he slurred.  "Dana, if this is all too
sudden, too soon, we can...."
"Mulder-Fox...don't you think that we have both waited long enough for
this?" 
"Sorry" he whispered sheepishly, "years of denial, holding back....bad
habit."
Dana started to remove her robe, but Fox stopped her.  "Let me help you," he
murmured his voice thick with longing.  Dana shivered a little again as he
gently undid the sash of her robe and parted the sides away from her now
exposed body to slide off her bare shoulders.  He breathed heavily, taking
her in.
My, god, Dana, you're so beautiful!
He walked round her, his gaze never leaving her.  When he caught sight of
the spot where a small circular tattoo adorned her back, he kneeled boldly
behind her.  His hands on her hips, Fox gently brought his lips against the
design. Dana raised up on her toes for a second as Fox's mouth made contact
with her skin.  
She gasped.  "Mul-drrrr."
Still fully clothed, he stood up and brought her roughly against him.  The
contact of his hands on her skin left a trail of sensitized flesh.  Dana grew
hungry, longing to reciprocate.
She slipped her hand underneath his shirt, urging him to remove it.  As he
complied, she trailed her fingertips across the muscular expanse of his
chest.  She gently rolled a thumb along his nipple, hardening it instantly.
Fox leaned his hips against her naked body, letting her know the full impact
she was having on him.
She slid her hand tentatively into the waist of his jeans.  He groaned
loudly, and pushed himself into her.
Giddy with desire, she fumbled with the button of his jeans.
He waited patiently for a moment, & as the button was released, shoved the
confining garment down over his hips, and stepped out of it.
Dana smiled approvingly, and boldly ran her hands over the curve of his
backside.
(How many times in as many years had she longed to do this very thing)
Shyly, she ran her hands carefully along the side of his hips.
Fox took her chin in his hand, bringing her face to his, and kissed her
ugently.
The need for modesty abated, Dana reached her hand into his shorts and
firmly took a gentle hold of him.
Fox gasped, his body reeling with sensation, his mind reeling at the vision
of this woman in his arms.
Every fantasy come true....and then some.
He quickly stripped off the shorts and dropped back onto the bed, pulling
her down on top of him.
She brought herself up to straddle him, and he could feel the moist heat
between her legs.  It made his arousal all the more insistent.
"Now this seems familiar," he crooned huskily.  (Was she blushing?)
She bit softly at her lower lip, smiling while her eyes burned brightly.
"I can't believe you remember that!"
"What's the point of an eidetic memory if you can't do anything with it?"
Dana giggled softly as he grabbed her and pulled her mouth to his.
She nibbled at his lower lip and then sealed his mouth with her own.,
exploring once more with her tongue.
Fox began to plant kisses along her face, making his way towards her ear.
He tongued along the outside gently then sucked a little on the lobe, biting
softly but not too hard.
His breath heavy in her ear, Dana moaned out loud when his nipping grew
fiercer.  "Scuuuly"
"Dana"
Her mind exploding with fireworks from every caress, she continued to moan.
"Oh, Mulderrr, oh God"
"Dana"
He brought his thigh beween her legs and she squeezed against it eagerly.
"Mulder, yes."
The sight of her, arching into him was more than he could take.
He brought his weight to one side and rolled her onto her back.
Supporting his weight on one side, he gently slipped his hand between her
legs, stroking softly at the outside, then gently parting her lips to press
his fingers deep within her. She cried out softly.
He played his fingers in and out of the drenched folds until he found the
sensitive head of her labia.
Scully was breathing hard now, moving and squirming under his touch.  He
gently kissed her neck and moved his head down to the supple expanse of her
breast.  He suckled at the already hardened nipples, rolling his tongue along
them then blowing gently, while stroking firmly against her vulva.
He could feel her body tensing in anticipation under his touch.
She moaned again and urged him "Please Mulder--Fox, I want you now."
No further urging was necessary.   He brought himself against her passage,
then gently thrust into her a little, pulling out again and thrusting back
into her a little more untill finally he was at the hilt. 
He gasped for air as the heat of her body enfolded the entire length of him.
He slowly began to rock in and out of her while the walls of her body
gripped at him.
"Oh, Dana, oh Sculllly, oh yes, god"
She urged him deeper, and met each thrust with her hips, her hands pulling
at him closer, deeper, all the while her mouth searching hungrily, tasting
heat and sweat and skin wherever her lips touched.
He brushed a stray hair from the side of her face, and kissed her deeply.
As she lay beneath him, meeting each thrust with an urgency of her own,
Scully concentrated, trying to commit the moment to memory.  The heat of
their bodies together, the gentle weight of him upon her, the slippery
momentume as he slid easily in and out, threatening to bring her to climax
before him.
She wrapped her legs around him, squeezing tightly and groaned softly.  
"Oh Fox..."
He sensed her impending zenith, and quickened his pace in response.
His breathing shallowed and he started to pant a little more with each
thrust.
"oh god  Oh Scully...Oh god...yes...yes.."
She murmured words of encouragement and matched his cries with gasps of her
own.
As his movements became more erratic, Mulder lifted her legs a little, 
deepening his thrusts.
"C'mon Scully, oh god , just a littl bit more oh god, you're so beautiful"
Her eyes clenched shut, Dana writhed beneath him as a surge of pleasure
tensed up within her and blossomed into a million tiny explosions throughout
her body.  She quivered beneath Fox just as he arched his head back and his
body spasmed.   Fox gulped for air, and grabbing hold of her arms pulled her
to him as he rolled onto his side.  He continued panting like that for a
moment, sweat dripping from his brow.
Dana exhaled sharply as her body went through tiny aftershocks.  She
stretched her legs out, twitching and squeezing him gently.
He looked over at her tenderly.  She placed a hand on his cheek, ran her 
index finger across the contours of his face.  His dark brooding eyes 
clouded with love and wonder.
She blushed a little, smiling, and laid her head against his chest, feeling
the pounding of his heart.
She listened as his breathing slowly regulated itself, each steady breath
becoming less labored and more hypnotic.  She felt her muscles relax, her
eyelids grow heavy.  Tightening her arms about Fox, she whispered, "I love
you, Fox...." before nodding off to sleep, dreams answered, safe at last.

He marvelled at the sight of Dana in his arms-warm and real.  He shut his
eyes, replaying the scene in over in his mind, relishing every detail, her
eyes wild, body tensing and writhing with pleasure.   She whispered her
love to him and he felt his heart fairly breaking, overwhelmed by the ease
with which she had given herself so completely. Fox sighed with a contentment
he'd never imagined possible, and stroking her hair gently, whispered his
love in return, and laid a kiss upon her head before joining her in sleep.

The truth would wait till tomorrow.  Today at last, was theirs.