I walk hand in hand with Basil to our bedroom, squeezing his hand tightly. He smiles warmly, and I smile back, but I can't help but notice with sharp recognition how bloodshot and dry his eyes appear, or how his hair sticks up messily. His cheeks are still sticky from briny tears and his lips are chapped. I probably don't look any better.

We walk into the bedroom silently and I shut and lock the door behind us. My body freezes and my eyes train on the door, with my hand still on the knob. Now that we're alone,.. I don't know what is going to happen. I hear Basil put my stuff away and listen to his movements. Gentle movements accompanied by his rythmic breathing. Sounds I've missed, "Zipporah," I jolt, taken by surprise by the sudden uttering of my name. Not just that he said it, but the way he let it roll off his tongue and past his lips, "Zipporah?"

"Ja, Basil?"

"Are you still upset with me? You've been too quiet." I shake my head and turn around.

"Nein, nein. Nothing is wrong. I'm not upset. I'm just unsure of what to do now." I walk towards him and he pulls me into him, tightly. His fingers run through my hair and I feel his breath against my skin as he breathes  in and out, having nuzzled into my neck and shoulder. I lean my head against his, closing my eyes.

"Zipporah, what exactly are we supposed to do?" He leaves a kiss on my neck and then lifts his head to press his forehead against mine. I gaze into his eyes and peck a kiss on his lips.

"Well... we make up."

"We apologized and forgave each other..."

"No, I meant as for lost time. What we missed." I explain with a small chuckle. I am still awed by how innocent my wonderful husband is. I was his first, well, everything. So I'm the 'expert' it seems on some aspects- like making up.

Basil smiles coyly, and we lean in for a soft kiss, "Ich liebe Sie, Edelweiss."

"Ich liebe Sie, Edelweiss." We kiss again, deeper. I melt into him only to have sore, achy pain shoot up my legs and spine. I buckle forward and Basil gets the hint, helping me to sit down on the bed and removing my shoes for me. I recline, purposefully choosing the left side, Basil's normal side, so that I can lie down on my left side and face him. Basil rolls onto the bed and stops when he can't come any closer because of my protruding belly. He smiles and places his hands over my abdomen, craning to reach my head and plant fervent kisses over and around. I try to catch his lips and giggle, garnering a grin.

"You won't ever comprehend how much I missed your voice and those sweet giggles." Basil croons.

I giggle and reach out to stroke his face, tenderly tracing his features, "I missed everything, Basil... but I especially yearned for your voice and the loving looks your eyes carry." We resume kissing with varied heat and intensities, and carry on as if time stopped.

Feeling a little more daring, I sit up and curl over Basil, not fully but enough to catch his attention and pull him out of his bliss. I kiss him and he kisses back, but I can tell there's something on his mind now. I pull away, "Zipporah..."

"What is it?" I lower myself gently and rest my chin on my overlapped hands on his chest.

"You went to the doctors for the checkup, right?" I nod with an accompanying hum, "What did they say?"

I sigh, "Lanzo and I are both healthy and fine. But he's dropping, so I've completely effaced and am dilating. They told me I'd dilated two centimeters. So I'm in early labor."

"Have you been having contractions?"

"Yes, but they're not too bad yet. They're not close together and don't last all that long. It just means that Lanzo is going to be here soon."

He inhales, "I was worried that... I was worried I'd hurt you so bad that you wouldn't want to come back so we could do it together." I smile and slither upwards to kiss him.

"I wouldn't have done that. I couldn't have Lanzo without you. I love you both more than you understand. I wanted to make up and enjoy the last days of being just us before we meet him. If I hadn't come back, I would be guilty for the rest of my life." I reassure, kissing him again before I push back up into a sitting position, feeling my back and pelvis tighten as pressure increases in those areas.

"Is it a contraction?" Basil asks semi-calmly, quickly sitting up and placing his hands on my lower back to gently massage it. I breathe as smoothly as possible as the contraction passes.

"Ja. Don't worry. It's fine. Dankeschön, Basil." He hugs me from behind.

"Bitte, Edelweiss."

Getting closer! Any predictions as to what's going to happen next now that they're made up and happy again?

~Uilosris