***
Here we are at last, suddenly the pieces fit
All at once, I make sense of this crazy world
***

Stumbling up the stairs, clothes desposited in a fevered trail of passion. Thirteen years of separation, longing and regrets, and it had all come down to this moment. Suddenly there were no more barriers, no reason for this not to be happening. No excuses. No fears.

In a single moment of clarity, all reasons to wait had been swept away. Suddenly it seemed pointless to be wasting even a second on a pretense of innocence. The fleetingness of life had never been driven home as hard or as fast as it had been that day.

Hours of tension, fear and uncertainty, on top of thirteen years of repression, had been churned up into a volatile, high pressure mix. The confirmation of a non-lethal disease had been the final catalyst needed to blow the plug away. An overwhelming wave of emotion, throwing two people together, finally completing the puzzle begun so many years earlier.

***
Loved you for so long, now your hand is holdin' mine
It's like we're standing still in time
***

Mitch gazed at Terri from under desire hooded eyes, watching with delight as she tugged his hand, pulling him inside. Once inside the door, Mitch took advantage of their intertwined fingers, and pulled the frenzied woman towards him, crushing her lips to his in a desperate kiss. Tongues duelling wildly, hands fumbling uselessly at zips and buttons.

Pulling away slightly, Terri resumed her insistent tugging, this time urging him towards the stairs. Mitch shivered in anticipation, as he thought of what awaited them in the private sanctuary of Terri's bedroom. Bending his head, he leaned to trail a series of kisses along Terri's collar bone, then watched in fascination as her skin jumped up into goose bumps in the wake of his touch.

Mitch's mind flew back thirteen years to the last time he had been in this position. Young lovers, caught up in the combined net of hormones and emotions. Things had changed in the intervening years. Bodies had aged, emotional scars that had not been present the last time now criss-crossed them both, and minds and beliefs had swerved onto different courses.

Yet the passion was still there. The love had not been tarnished or diminished by the passing years. The introduction of other people into the mix had served only to demonstrate that this really was it. This was the real deal. This was forever.

***
This is our moment, this is our night
A new beginning of the rest of our lives
***

Fresh from the steam-filled shower, the last of the day's grime and stress finally rinsed away. Mitch lowered Terri down onto the bed gently, savouring the moment. Knowing how lucky he was to be getting a second 'first time' with the woman he had loved for so long. Knowing there would never be another first time ever again. Taking solace in the thought that she would be his forever.

Still enchanted by the involuntary reaction of Terri's skin to his last trail of kisses downstairs, Mitch tried for a repeat performance. Not disappointed, he took a few moments to delight in leaving a trail of goose bumps over a large portion of her flushed skin, at the same time attempting to memorise every freckle, every curve, every dip.

Rational thought gradually became more of an effort, and Mitch turned his energy from memorising Terri's body to other more gratifying pursuits. He would have the rest of his life to memorise the body beneath him now. And she his. The rest of their lives. In the last few moments before rational thought left him entirely, Mitch's mind flew at warp speed over the hopes and dreams he had held for himself and Terri, right from the day he had met her. The day he had met the young nurse with the dark hair and the captivating blue eyes.

His mind shot over the thought of making love to Terri in their own house, then suddenly Terri was heavily pregnant. A moment later and he and his beloved here chasing two young boys around the back yard of their home. The dreams sped up faster and faster, ending in a whirling blur, as Mitch's coherent mind deserted him, and he was left with nothing more than the ability to enjoy the sensory feast Terri was providing.

Terri. He and Terri. It had taken thirteen years. The road had been long and hard. But they were travelling that road together now. They had received their second chance, and this time they had grabbed it with both hands. No more wasting time. No more wondering about what might be. This was it. Forever.

***
With every heartbeat, with every kiss
Let's always remember that love is a gift
***