Complicated

Chapter Sixty Four: Yours

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

Jason Mraz – I'm Yours

The spare room was huge, Grace had never noticed how large it actually was until it was devoid of all of their belongings. She had spread plastic sheeting across the laminate flooring so none of the paint drops from the decorating binge would stain it. Previously the room had contained a mixture of what she had deemed as crap. Boxes from her old apartment she had never gotten around to unpacking thus didn't need, old forensics journals she would never flick back through. The only thing that hadn't been chucked was Don's ice hockey equipment for when he played in the yearly charity game against the FDNY.

Due to her condition Don hadn't allowed Grace to move anything that was heavier than a cereal box. He weighted and tested each item before handing it over to her, watching with expert eyes as she deposited it into bin bags which he in turn disposed of. Realistically his view of her fragility should have annoyed her but instead she found herself treasuring his protectiveness. It made up for the time they had spent fighting or ignoring each other since his attack.

It had been over a fortnight since the night they had smoothed things over back at his parents house and they had slipped back into a comfortable but yet cautious relationship much like when the two of them had first started dating. Don wasn't ready to move back yet and Grace fully supported him in that decision. She didn't want to exert too much pressure upon him, especially when he was just starting to climb out of that grave that Maplin had dug for him. Having him back in her life and on speaking terms was enough for her right now.

Over the past few weeks he had started to smile a lot more, she thought. There was genuine affection in his touch when he reached out and took her hand or when his fingers splayed across her lower back. They had been on a few dates away from his parents and the crime lab to places they had frequented once upon a time in their relationship. The café where they had bought the canollis after their wedding, the ice rink by the Rockefeller Center where they had spent the evening watching the skaters drift by, trying to spot the stars pinpricked in the sky.

These were the places where they had made their own good memories and there seemed to be something magical about the way that effected Don. Sometimes when he laughed, it was like watching him come to life again. He would never be the same and neither would she but they were changing together now, moving forward into a future that they were destined for. Grace had come accustomed to their nights ending with tender, sweet kisses. Each one became a little more intimate with every date they had.

Grace knew he wasn't teasing her on purpose, far from it in fact. Don was relearning her with every touch, kiss and caress that he blessed her body with. The only problem was that her pregnancy hormones were running beyond wild. Every time his bare skin brushed hers her pale skin would prickle with anticipation flashing up sense memories from their past endeavours. She knew that his skin would taste salty underneath her tongue as she licked and sucked him to attention. His flesh would be hot and unyielding as they melded together joining as one, his deep husky moan low in his throat as she took him deeper.

Cold showers had become almost customary after each date, Don was always careful never to let his guard down no matter how intense their making out seemed to become. He was the only one who had restraint but it was Grace that had the patience when he pulled away from her yet again. She understood even though he couldn't formulate the words to explain and instead curled up contently in his lap while they watched the T.V or a DVD.

Don had taken over fixing up the nursery this weekend in place of Adam. Beth had caught a rare weekend free from her travelling with the Behavioural Analysis Unit and apparently the young lab tech had something special planned. Grace thought she had an inkling from the web history she'd looked up after he had laptop unattended for a few moments to hit the bathroom. He'd been looking up Tiffany's from what she'd been able to see and Grace knew what those little blue boxes usually contained. She had barely been able to contain her excitement at the matter upon his return, the instant he'd looked at her gleeful expression he had known what she had had done and taken her to task for it. His telling off hadn't lasted long and they had instead spent the rest of the evening picking out just the right ring for Beth.