Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Reaching Out Ch.  03


Summary: Dana hid herself away.  James found her.


Keywords: inc,fic



   James went to Dana's room and knocked lightly.  She called him in and he
sat on her bed while she fixed her hair, sitting at her little desk.  She
watched him in the mirror, her little smile clear as he sat.  James
couldn't help but smile as well.  He knew that his little vacation was
coming to its end, and that he may have to stay in his current home for a
while.  But the thought that he would most likely be living around here
soon, with Dana, was euphoric.  He was constantly thinking about having her
to himself around the house, the two of them able to be together without
hiding, without trying to remain inconspicuous; the two of them living
together as the couple he so desperately wanted them to be.  It was enough
to set his stomach to fluttering with anticipation.  He wondered if Dana
felt the same way.

   "Will you wait to get a loan and everything until you get an okay from
your office about working from home?" Dana asked, finishing her hair and
turning to him.

   "Yeah.  I wouldn't want to get a huge home loan and then not be able to
use it to get a home.  I want to have everything lined up and ready to go,
though.  So, I'll see what all I can find today, and when you get back from
work we can go through it and see what we like." James explained as she sat
next to him to pull on her shoes.

   "Okay.  I would like that.  How are we going to talk to mom and dad
about me moving in with you?  Do you have any ideas on how to go about
that, yet?" She asked.  She looked calm, but her voice was a bit tight. 
She was still rather worried about this.  James knew she was, and honestly,
he was as well.  He thought they would have to be careful about how they
went about it.

   "I've been trying to think about it, but I don't think I have anything
solid yet.  I'm getting the feeling it's going to be a simple,
straightforward thing.  We are just going to sit down and talk to mom and
dad and tell them that we're thinking of having you move in with me to see
how it helps.  Just put it out there plain like that, but, you know,
carefully.  I don't know.  I guess I'll keep thinking about it.  If you get
any ideas, please let me know.  I am shooting in the dark on this." He
said, chuckling a bit as he finished.  Dana leaned against him and wrapped
her arm around his waist, giving him a brief squeeze.

   "Of course I will.  But for now, I need to get to work.  I have a lot of
pieces to get done.  I'll see you soon enough.  I love you, James." She
said.  She said the last softly, but there was a clear emphasis all the
same.  James smiled and gave her a light kiss.

   "I love you too, Dana." He answered, his words clear and deliberate,
answering her emphasis with his own.  His eyes held her steadily, his smile
unfaltering.  He could declare his love with no hesitation and with
complete conviction.  He was in love with her.  It was as simple as that,
and he wanted her to know.  She smiled wide and looked like she was close
to tears.  James pulled her close and held her tight.  He whispered in her
ear that he loved her again and felt her tears wet the side of his neck.

   "Thank you James.  I love you so much.  I thought I was going to be all
alone forever.  Now I know I will have someone to share my life with." She
said, her voice a little rough.  James could feel her breathing start to
even out again as she regained control of herself.  She relaxed her tight
grip and leaned back from him, wiping her eyes.  Her smile was still
present , and James was glad to see it.

   "We'll talk when you get back." He said as she stood up.

   --

   James called a couple real estate offices in town and went to pick up a
few listing catalogs, then sat down at home to go through them to see what
he could find on the internet in the area.  His head was a spinning mess of
square footage numbers and room listings by the time Dana walked in.  James
had a new idea forming in his mind, an idea that he figured was inevitable
considering what he was planning to do with Dana.  He was letting it rest
in the back of his mind for the time being, though.  He had more immediate
things to work on.  He smiled as Dana walked over, and happily set his
computer and the booklet he had been checking aside.

   "Hello, James." She said softly as she sat down next to him.

   "Hello, Dana." He answered, kissing her lightly.

   "Anything good so far?" she asked, glancing down to the booklets.

   "Some good ones, yeah.  My head is numb though.  I've been going through
this all day.  I could use a break." He said as he stretched his arms up,
wincing at the small crackle along his spine.

   "Would you like to bring this stuff up to my room?  Go over it there
after your break?  I need to get changed and would like to relax a bit as
well." Dana said, smiling a bit.  James couldn't pick up much in her voice,
she was getting to where it was rather smooth and clear when she wasn't
scared, unlike when he had first started trying to analyze everything the
way she did.  He could, however, see the look in her eye and the knowing
little smile.  She was leaning forward a bit, and looked a little anxious.
James thought he had an idea of what kind of relaxation she might have in
mind.  He thought that kind of relaxation might be just what the doctor
ordered.

   "That sounds like a wonderful idea." James said, smiling wider.

   He gathered the few booklets and the laptop and followed Dana up the
stairs.  With her door closed, James set the computer and booklets on her
desk and sat on her bed.  He was finding himself feeling more and more at
home here, in her room, on her bed.

   Dana stood facing her closet, her back to James.  She unbuttoned her
shirt and slid it off.  She undid the clasp of her bra and let it fall as
well.  She looked over her shoulder a bit, a small smile on her face, and
looked in his general direction as she undid her pants.  She let them fall.
James waited until her panties joined her pants before pulling his shirt up
and off.  He had not wanted to miss any part of her little show.  Dana
turned to face him, her face hidden a bit by her hair, her cheeks a little
red.  James could see some tension in her face, could see that she was
standing a bit more rigid than she usually did.  He stood up and let his
own pants fall, stepping out of them towards her.  She relaxed a bit as his
clothes came off.  When he stood naked before her, she looked calm again.
She looked up to him, her eyes soft and happy, her smile easy and natural.
James let his hands rest on her hips, pulling her a bit closer.  The head
of his dick pressed lightly on her stomach.  Dana slid her arms around
James' waist and held him, just watching his face.

   "If we move into a house together, how will it work?  How will we act?"
She whispered, her smile fading a bit.  He could see that she was a little
afraid as she said it.  She was a little tense, her hands a bit stiff on
his back.  He could feel her pulse and breathing were a bit faster than
normal.

   "We'll act like ourselves.  Like we do in here.  Like we feel, that's
all." He said quietly, enjoying the sight and feel of her face and body
relaxing and shifting from caution and worry to calm and happiness.  It was
a transition that he liked to see.  He leaned forward and kissed her,
deciding that actions were probably more eloquent than any words he could
speak at the moment.  He relished the feeling of her lips and tongue, the
taste of her mouth, the increase of her pulse while the rest of her body
remained calm and relaxed.  Dana pressed tightly to him, trapping his hard
dick between them.  She was moaning softly deep in the back of her throat,
her emotions overtaking her mind.  James was feeling about the same.  When
he finally pulled back a little, Dana walked to the bed, leading James by
the hand.  She lay down and watched him, watched his face as his eyes
played about her body.  She saw lust in his eyes, and excited tension in
his body in abundance, but she also saw a large amount of soft caring and
love in his face.  She found that the mix was delightful.  To know that he
was so clearly attracted to her, that she made his body react so strongly,
and to know that beyond that simple desire was a deep and full love was a
powerful knowledge that made her blood rush in her body.  She smiled wide
as she studied him, unable to help herself.  Her own body was churning with
lust as well.  James may not have thought much of his body, but Dana
certainly did.  She had the same thought again that had popped up so many
times in the last few days: that James was perfect for her.  He was
everything she wanted.  She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.
Everything else was secondary to that fact.

   James stretched out next to her, his hand on her hip, and kissed her
gently again.  He wasn't quite sure how far she wanted to go, but however
far it was, he was going to go with her.  He would go anywhere with her. 
He felt as she did, that this was the person he wanted to be with for the
rest of his life.  He couldn't believe that he had finally found his match,
and he couldn't believe that it had been Dana all along.  He had gone
through a handful of relationships, some good, a few bad, and some just
plain.  No one he had been with before had made his heart stir the way Dana
did.  No one had made his mind come to a screeching halt to take her in and
appreciate her the way Dana did.  No one had made him feel like his life
had a clear and definable purpose as Dana did.  It was as if she had woken
him up from a long, shallow nap.  Like he had been slightly dozing, just on
the edge of sleep for years, just wandering through life because it was
there.  Now Dana had stepped into his life, and suddenly he was awake. 
Everything was clear.  He knew what he was going to work towards in life.
What his goal was.  His purpose.  It was to make Dana happy, to provide for
her in every way he could, to give her the love that she deserved and that
he felt so deeply for her.

   James kissed her gently, letting his lips linger, his hands running up
and down her back slowly.  Dana was tracing her small circles on his chest
with her fingertips again.  She was a little scared of what she wanted to
do, but was she was excited far more than she was scared.  She put her leg
over his, drawing him closer to her.  She could feel the base of his shaft
pressing against her slit, the way it had when she was laying on top of
him. She felt his pulse, fast and strong, in the rhythmic pulsing of his
dick.  His breathing was getting a little raspy, as was hers.  Dana paused
a moment, looking at where she was, who she was here with, and made her
decision.  She rolled over to her back, pulling James over onto her, and
put her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes steadily.  James was a
little surprised by this, but was not complaining about holding himself
above this wonderful woman on his elbows.  When Dana spoke, her voice was
very quiet but very sure.  There was no hesitation, no waver, just a hushed
and simple statement.

   "Love me."

   James was still a moment, unsure of what she meant.  Dana rolled her
hips a little when he did not respond after a moment, and James figured it
out.

   "Are you sure?  This is what you want?" James asked.  His voice was
unsteady.  He was excited and nervous, not quite daring to believe that
Dana was asking him to make love to her.  Dana nodded and smiled.  She
looked completely relaxed now, her fear gone.  James kissed her, holding
her tight.  Just as he broke the kiss, they heard it.  The front door
opening.

   They both went wide eyed and bounced up.  Dana did a far better job of
getting dressed silently than James did.  Where her movements were fluid
and graceful in her haste, his were jerky and spastic.  Dana was into her
bra, shirt, and pants in a matter of a few seconds with only the rustle of
the clothes.  James clumped about trying to get his foot through the leg of
his pants, clumsy and frantic.  He finally finished getting dressed,
feeling like he had taken forever.  It felt like minutes, but had only been
seconds.  They heard footsteps on the stairs, slow and heavy.  Their
father. Dana and James sat back on the bed, trying like hell to get their
breathing under control and to appear calm and normal.

   There was a slight knock on the door, and James called for dad to come
in.

   "Hey.  I thought I heard something moving around up here.  I was going
to grab pizza for dinner tonight so your mom doesn't have to cook.  Did
either of you guys want anything special on it?" He asked.

   James noticed that Dana was right.  Dad did not come in.  He leaned in
the doorway, on the frame, but his feet did not cross the doorway.  Even if
he wasn't specifically trying to stay out of the room and was just standing
there by chance, it still seemed that he was less than inclined to enter
Dana's room.  James wondered if that would mean anything once he and Dana
were living in their own home, where the entire home would be her
sanctuary. He put the thought aside and said anything on the pizza would be
fine for him.  He felt Dana take his hand just before she answered.  He
looked to her and saw she was looking dad in the eye, and she was speaking
clearly and without her usual hesitations.  It was the first time she had
done so since she was a small child.  James was glad to see it.  Glad to
see her face without a fall of her dark hair hiding part or all of it, glad
to hear her voice speaking with confidence, even if it simply spoke about
pizza.

   "Whatever you and mom like is fine with me.  I'm not picky, dad." Dana
said.  Her hand was a bit tight on James', and he could see the lines of
tension in her neck, but he did not see the mass of fear that would usually
color a simple interaction like this with their father.  She was not
looking away or fidgeting; she was not stuttering or whispering.  It was
amazing for her.  James felt like doing cartwheels and somersaults when he
saw Dana like this.

   Dad saw it as well.  He stood a moment, eyebrows raised, silent, and
simply looking at Dana.  The surprise was clear and understandable.  After
a moment he nodded, smiled, and found his tongue again.

   "Okay, thanks.  I guess I'll leave you two too it, then.  See you around
dinner." He said, sounding a little off, but not in a bad way.  When the
door closed, Dana let out a shuddery breath and wrapped her arms around
James, clinging tight to him, her face pressed into his chest.  James held
her a moment, letting her calm down a bit, before asking her how she was.

   "I'll be okay, I guess.  I don't know what came over me.  I was feeling,
I don't know, I was feeling something.  I think it was from what we were
doing before he came in.  Some of the relaxation and excitement was still
there, I think.  I don't know.  But I just felt okay talking to him.  As
soon as he left though, I realized what happened.  Now I feel shaky." She
said.  Her voice was indeed shaky, and James could feel the trembling that
shook her body.  He let his hands make their small, slow circles on her
back, soothing her as best he could.

   "I was worried he would know we were, you know, fooling around." James
said carefully.  He didn't want to scare Dana, but he was now considering
just how risky their behavior in the house over the past few days had been.


   "Are you sorry we were?  Do you regret doing that?" She asked quietly.
Her face was still held tightly to him, but he had felt her whole body
stiffen as he had spoken.  He was quick to reassure her.

   "God no!  No Dana, I just think we might be taking more risks than we
should.  I don't regret any of the things we've done, though.  I don't
regret being with you, and I am not sorry about it.  Alright?" He said,
holding her tight.

   Dana relaxed a bit and nodded.  She looked up to him and smiled a
little.

   "Okay.  I don't regret it either.  I love it when we can touch each
other.  Besides giving mom or dad a hug, you are the only other person I
have ever touched." She said softly before kissing him lightly and leaning
against his chest again.  James thought she meant sexually at first, but
quickly realized that she probably meant that mom, dad, and James himself
were the only people she had touched at all, in any way.  He thought about
that for a moment, considering that she preferred to sit on his lap when
they were together, or at least lean on his shoulder or chest.  That she
wanted at least to hold his hand when they were together outside the room,
or have his arm around her when they were alone in her room.  He could
certainly understand why she would be hungry for physical contact if she
had never had it beyond simple affections from the family.  James held her
a little tighter and moved his head down to nuzzle her neck, getting a
small giggle and a happy little sigh out her.  They stayed that way for a
while, just enjoying the quiet and each other's company.

   --

   They sat down to a pizza dinner, and everyone seemed rather relaxed. 
Dad had left work early (much to Dana and James' surprise) because there
was simply nothing to do in the office for the last couple of hours.  Mom
had spent the afternoon catching up on what little paperwork the shop
needed, as it was a slow day.  Dana and James, after their little scare,
had spent a few hours going through catalogs and websites, just kind of
looking around, not really scanning very deeply.  Everyone was now in a
good mood, and felt at ease.  They sat and joked around the table, enjoying
the simple dinner.

   Dana held James' hand as she ate, and was looking around the table
instead of at her plate like she usually did.  James paid close attention
to her, but took care to keep from being obvious about it.  He noted when
her grip on his hand tightened and when it loosened, watched for her smile
and for the muscles in her jaw to tighten.  He thought that overall she was
not relaxed, but not very scared either.  It was a huge leap for her.  He
wondered what it was from exactly.  The talking without judgment?  The
relationship they were building?  Their now almost constant physical
contact when in the same room together?  He wasn't sure about how much of
each it was, precisely, but figured it was a combination of all of them,
and likely other factors he was unaware of.

   Dad asked Dana how things were going down at the shop.  James watched
her carefully without showing it.  Dana tensed for a moment, her hand
squeezing tight, the muscle in her jaw visibly clenching, her back going
stiff.  It was clear, but brief, only lasting a second.  She relaxed again;
all but her grip on James' hand, which stayed rather firm.

   "It's going well.  I like working on the bigger stuff, the wall pieces
and bags.  I have more leeway to try new things with them.  But the smaller
stuff is fun as well.  Bracelets and watchbands are like puzzles.  I have
to figure out what will fit and still look good.  The new scabbard things
for the knife guy are new designs for me to work on, from the drawings he
sent, so I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with them." She spoke
evenly and calmly.  Her eyes held dad's for a moment, then would bounce
around her plate a moment before rising to his again.  Her cheeks went a
deep red, but her voice did not falter or hush.  She sounded like anyone
else would in a conversation.  James could see her breathing was a little
faster than normal, and knew she was quite nervous.  He was deeply proud of
her for her effort and her courage.  He knew that talking at dinner was a
simple matter for most people, done without even thinking about it, but
Dana was not most people.  For her, this was quite an accomplishment. 
Their parents knew it too.  Dad was smiling wide and mom looked incredibly
proud, her own smile shaking a little around the corners of her mouth.

   "That sounds nice.  I'm glad you get to work with something new, it can
get a little dull just doing the same things over and over again." Dad
said, his voice light and casual.  James could plainly see that his father
was feeling anything but light and casual right now, and knew that Dana
would see it as well.  Dad was tense and rigid, his face set in its bright
smile.  The smile was sincere, but static; he couldn't stop it if he tried.
His back was as ramrod straight as Dana's tended to get when she was
scared, a trait of excitement that they shared that James had to smile
about himself.

   "I don't know, I like working on all the things I usually work on.  I am
always putting a new image on them, so it's not really the same thing. 
Now, I will just have more options for what I have to put all the designs
on is all.  I like that." She answered.  It was a normal dialogue, a simple
conversation, something that last week their parents would have said was
impossible.  James thought his fingers might break under Dana's iron grip,
but he would not say or do anything about it.  He did not want her to think
that she should let go of her reassurance for any reason.  Not while she
was building this fragile courage.  James never would have guessed that she
could clamp her hand down with such force, but in thinking about what she
did all day, he was really not all that surprised.  Hammering designs into
leather all day had to build up your hands up, even if you took your time
and went lightly where you could.  He thought of all the time she must have
spent swinging a mallet at a metal stamp, pulling a swivel knife across the
surface of tough leather, cutting thick hunks of hide into the shapes she
needed, and the times when she did some of the stitching for the smaller
sections before it went to mom for final construction.  It was really not
surprising, then, that she had hands that could crush his fingers and grate
the bones in his palm.  He wouldn't let on that she was hurting his hand
though.  Not for anything.  He would rather she smash his hand to bits if
it made her feel better than to tell her it hurt and risk taking a source
of confidence from her.

   "What's your favorite item to work with?" Dad asked, his voice still
light and chatty.  James was grateful that dad was keeping the momentum
going.  This was the kind of interaction that James had been talking to mom
about.  The kind of simple conversation that Dana so desperately needed.

   "Anything big is fun.  I like it when I get to do a backpack, or a wall
hanger.  Those have a lot of surface area and I can do a lot with them. 
But I think my favorite so far would be jackets.  I've been able to do two
jackets.  Both of them special orders by customers to be designed.  Those
were really fun.  Challenging and simple at the same time.  I really liked
working on them." Dana's whole face was bright red, and she was beginning
to look more at her plate than her father, but she was smiling.  James gave
her a little squeeze with his crushed hand as best he could.  She squeezed
back and loosened a bit, to James' great relief.

   "Well, I can get a few patterns for jackets and start making them
regularly.  I always thought they were a bit complex for me, but I have
some experience with them now, and I would be willing to try to do them
regularly, if you would like." Mom said, her voice quiet and a little
uneven.  It was very unlike her normal tone of voice.  Dana looked up and
smiled wide.  She could see and hear that her mother was getting a little
emotional, and Dana wanted to reassure her a little.  She was very aware of
the reversal of roles, and wondered just how much of this change was
permanent, and how much would disappear when she lost her nerve, as she was
quickly doing.

   "That would be great.  If you're okay with trying to put them together,
I would love to tool them." Dana said.  She kept her eyes on mom until she
finished, then looked down to her plate and went back to eating.  James
filled the tense silence that tried to form with a question for mom.

   "With the complexity being an issue, would it help if Dana went over the
pattern and how it all fits together with you?  I mean, with her precision
detail kind of focus, would it help for the two of you to go at it together
until you get the hang of how it all fits together?" He asked, looking from
mom to Dana.  He didn't want to presume upon Dana, but he didn't think that
she would mind in this matter.

   "Well, if you were okay with that, I would love to have your eye for
detail to help me see how it all fits a bit better, Dana." Mom said
carefully.  She was clearly a little tense about it, but the set of her
shoulders and the tightness of her words spoke more of hope and excitement
than anxiety.  Dana looked up to mom, then James, her hand tightening on
James' again.  She was smiling though, and she nodded.

   "I would be happy to.  Knowing the pattern and how all the pieces fit
would make it a lot easier to know what I could put on it design-wise, as
well.  Just let me know when you want to start on it, and I'll take a
look." Dana said, still smiling.  She was looking more at her plate now,
and her grip on James' hand was vise-like again, but James could see
genuine interest in her.  It was clear despite the tightness in her jaw and
the rigid set of her spine.

   --

   After dinner, James and Dana gathered the plates and set to washing
them. It only took a couple minutes, as there were no pots or pans to worry
about.  Mom had gone to the store to pick up a few things and dad had gone
up to the office to grind away at paperwork, leaving them the kitchen to
themselves.

   "I didn't mean to spring the idea with the jacket on you like that, but
you looked like you were starting to get a little nervous, so I thought
that maybe changing the direction of the topic would help to change how you
were feeling.  I don't know why I thought it might work; it was something
that just kind of popped into my head and out of my mouth in the moment."
James said as he handed the first plate to Dana for her to dry.

   "It's alright.  I was still losing my nerve, but I think it helped to
keep me from losing it completely.  I think it was kind of like a
distracting sort of thing.  It made me change gears.  I think that helped.
I will have to talk to Mom while we work on the jackets, but I think I can
do that easier now." Dana said, speaking slowly, weighing her words.  James
could see that she was thinking over how the conversation had gone in her
head and her emotions during it.  He thought that she was right, that she
was far better equipped for interacting with their mother as in depth as
such a project would require than she was before he had started to work
with her, before they had found each other the way they had.

   "I think you can do that now as well.  You're doing much better in
conversations.  You've been talking more the last couple days than I've
seen you talk the last couple years, you know?" James said with a chuckle.

   "Having someone safe to talk to has been a whole new world for me." She
said after a moment of thought, her voice quiet and a little sad.  She put
the last plate away and turned to James, a small smile on her face.  He
could see that the smile was both happy and sad.  "I wish I had talked to
you earlier.  I feel like I have lost years to being alone when I could
have had someone.  But I'm happy I have someone now." She said, her voice
not quite even.  Her body was relaxed and calm, her breathing even, but she
looked like she was close to crying.

   "Well, let's go talk.  We still have a lot of catching up to do." James
said, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze.  She returned the squeeze
and nodded before leading him out of the kitchen, still holding his hand.

   They settled on her bed, as they usually did.  Dana didn't straddle
James, knowing that mom would be back from the store soon, and may pop her
head in.  With the scare that dad had given them earlier, they were both
willing to wait to until after their parents went to bed to do anything
serious or easily misconstrued.

   "How do think this will work long term, if your request is granted and
you can get a home here?" Dana asked, her cheek resting against James' arm,
her hands toying with his.  She sounded more scared than curious, making
James wonder what she was thinking about that had gotten her worried.

   "What do you mean?  How it will work with us, or with work, or the
house?" He asked, pulling his hand from her grasp to put it around her.  He
wanted to reassure her, to let her know that whatever her worry was, he
intended to put it to rest.

   "Us.  Mom and dad.  Will we just say that I am living with you forever
so that I feel better?  How will it work?" She asked, her arms going around
his waist.  She was getting tense, her muscles growing jumpy, her hold on
him tight.  James had to admit that they couldn't exactly say it like that.


   "Well, I figure we can tell them that you are moving in with me so that
we can work on your shyness as we have been, and just go from there.  As
time goes by, we can just say that living together works out for both of
us, and that we really don't have a reason for either of us to move out. 
That neither of us has met anyone, that we don't see any reason for us to
each own a house when we're comfortable living together in one place, stuff
like that.  I think that eventually it will just be, I don't know, accepted
as normal, I guess.  At least, that's the way I've been thinking about it."
James said, frowning.  He didn't know if this was a good plan or not, how
plausible it was or if it stood any chance of working.  He thought that it
could work, if they were careful.

   Dana relaxed a little after thinking about it for a couple minutes,
though she didn't relax her grip on him.  James was fine with that though.
She was quiet for a while before talking again.

   "I think that could actually work alright, but we would have do it just
right." She said, nearly echoing James' thoughts.  She didn't sound
terribly confident, but she did sound like she was she wanted to try.  That
was the important part for James.  That she was willing to try.  He didn't
want her to do anything she didn't want to do.  He would feel terrible if
he made her do something against her will.

   "Do you still want to try?  Do you still want to see if we can?" He
asked quietly, trying to keep his voice even, but not quite succeeding. 
Dana straightened up and looked him in the eye, her face set and
determined. Her hold on him grew even tighter, emphasizing her answer.

   "Yes.  I don't care how small the chance is for us to do this, I want to
try.  Please tell me you want to try as well, James." She said, her gaze
the hard and piercing focus that now drew him to her where just a few days
before it had made him nervous.  She looked terrified that he may be having
second thoughts, her breathing shallow and fast, her pulse a lighting
flutter under his hands on her back.

   "More than anything.  Don't worry about that, Dana.  I just wanted to
make sure you weren't doing anything you didn't want to, that's all.  I
still want to try to have a life with you; I don't want to try to have any
other kind of life." James said, pulling her to him so he could kiss her.
He wanted to let her know that everything would be alright.  He hadn't
meant to scare her, and he felt bad for doing so.

   "Me too.  I can't imagine not trying.  All I want is a life with you. 
We just have to figure out how to make that work." She said, letting a
shaky sigh out when she could speak again.  They heard the front door and
released each other, going to the door to see if mom needed help with the
bags from the store.

   --

   After a while, James thought about checking his emails.  He hadn't
checked in a few days, and figured he had a few from work about stuff to do
when his vacation was over.  He pulled up his mailbox while Dana pulled out
her sketchpad.  There were indeed a bundle of emails from work; nine in
all. James started to go through them, marking them for his folder of
things to do, until he got to the fifth one.  The fifth one had a bunch of
links for the company website in it that talked about additional duties and
places that he would have to start checking into every week.  Confused,
James marked the email as 'to do' and went to the next.  It was another one
like the fifth one, with a lot of stuff that he would have to start doing
every week on a couple of pages on the company website.  Frowning, James
filed this one as well and opened the next email.  This one explained the
last two that had gotten him so confused.

   In the seventh email, James found six pages of instructions on how to go
about making the change to working from home, what was expected of him, and
who he could contact in any given event.  It also contained a few contact
lists for info about making the change itself, if he had any questions that
weren't covered by the emails he had received.  A quick glance confirmed
that the remaining emails were follow-ups that contained more information
on what he needed to do, and how to go about doing it.

   James had been expecting a phone call about this, not an email.  He was
also expecting to be contacted in another week or so.  He checked the
dates, and saw that he had been sitting on the news since yesterday without
even knowing it.  He stared at the screen for a moment, calling himself
every form of idiot that he could think of for not thinking to check his
email while he waited to find out about this.  He should have known to
check.  Even if he had been told to expect a phone call in a week, he
should have been checking his email anyways, just in case his phone missed
the call or the news came early.  He was an idiot of the highest caliber,
in his opinion at the moment.

   "James, are you alright?  You look like you have to poop." Dana said,
pausing in her work with her pencil.  She was frowning, worried.  James'
face was tight and red, the vein in his neck was pulsing, his lips were
tightly pursed and turning whitish from the pressure.  His hands were
gripping the edges of the laptop very tightly.

   He jumped a little when she spoke, and turned to look at her, his face
relaxing a little.  He still looked pretty keyed up, but he was breathing
again, at least.  That was good.  She was still worried, as he still looked
like something was very wrong, but he was starting to smile.  James spun
the computer around to show her the screen, his hands holding it a little
unsteadily.  Dana saw a wall of text, and as she started to read it, James
blurted out what it amounted to.

   "It went through!  They granted it, I'm going to be working from home,
from our home!  It went through Dana.  I'm an idiot and I didn't check my
email and it went through." He said in a rush, struggling to keep his voice
low, not wanting to shout.  It wasn't easy, but he managed it.  It felt so
good to say 'our home' to Dana that he could barely stand it.

   Dana's eyes lit up and she smiled wide, her face looking the way James
felt, a bright and cheery grin of pure happiness.  She dropped the notepad
on the bed and launched herself over to him, cinching her arms around his
neck and bowling him over onto his back.  James managed to set the laptop
aside just before she made impact, and held her tight while she kissed him
fiercely.  She pulled back and looked him in the eye a moment, her smile
still beaming.

   "Our home." She said quietly.

   "Our home." He agreed with a small nod.

   --

   James read through the email quickly, wanting to know when he would
could start packing and when his last day in the office was.  He was happy
to discover that he only needed to show up for two days after his vacation,
and after that he was effectively a free man.  He was basically on his own
schedule, checking in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the afternoon
with his supervisor, and once a month with his manager.  All of those were
to be done as videoconferences, so he didn't have to worry about going into
the office building at all.  The only exception was in the event of certain
meetings or special occasions, which would be rare for him.

   James closed the computer and gave Dana a quick kiss before the two of
them left the room to tell their parents the news.  They got themselves
calmed down a bit then went and spread the word.  Mom was sitting in the
office with dad, looking over some stuff on their computer, when James and
Dana came in smiling.  As soon as James told them what they were smiling
about, mom and dad were smiling as well.

   "You're kidding!  Congratulations!  So when does the work from home
thing start, do you know yet?  How does it work?  What did they say?" Mom
was close to babbling.  She was as excited as the kids, happy that James
would be able to keep working with Dana and would be closer to home again.

   James explained what the email said, grinning like an idiot the whole
time.  While mom and James talked about all the details, Dana simply stood
by James, holding his hand.

   "You must be thrilled as well dear, now that James will be close by to
keep talking with you." Mom said to Dana after getting all the schedule
info from James.

   "Yes.  You don't know how happy I am to hear about this, mom." Dana said
softly, giving James' hand a squeeze.  James could hear how strained Dana's
voice was, and knew she was doing her best to keep from crying.  He
couldn't blame her.  Mom looked like she was close to tears as well.  Even
dad was grinning ear to ear, like James was.

   "I think this is a real chance for you to make a positive change in your
life, Dana.  Whatever you need to make it happen, to make it easier, just
let us know.  We'll make sure that you can make the best of it to spend as
much time as you need working with your brother, okay?" Dad said, his voice
surprisingly soft and gentle.  He wasn't normally gruff or anything, but he
wasn't normally this tender when he spoke.  Dana and James could both see
and hear the sincere, deep concern and caring in his statement, and it was
very touching to them.  Dad wasn't one for sentimental or emotional
displays, and this felt like both.

   "Thank you dad.  I'm sure James and I will be spending a lot of time
together.  I'm glad to have you guys supporting us with it." Dana said, her
voice catching a little on James' name.  She wasn't sure when they were
going to spring the news about moving in with James on them, but she wasn't
worried about that right now.  Right now she was simply concerned with
making it through this conversation, which was hard enough with all the
emotions stampeding through her.  She released James' hand and stepped over
to give her dad a hug, the tears she had fought to hold back finally
winning out.

   "Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to dedicate to Dana.  She's my
top priority." James said, having a hard time keeping his eyes off of her.
He didn't know he could feel so deeply for a person, not until now. 
Knowing that their plan now had the chance to happen, that they had a shot
at being together, only seemed to magnify what he was feeling for her.  He
felt like if he was pricked with a needle he would simply burst from the
pressure of the emotions welling in him.

   --

   James closed the door behind them as they walked into Dana's room.  It
was just after nine, mom and dad had just said their goodnights, and the
house was dark once again.  Dana reached past James and quietly locked the
door, taking James' hand as hers left the knob.  She led him to the bed and
turned off the lamp, leaving them in the dim light from the nearly finished
sunset.  They undressed without speaking, not needing to talk to know what
the other was feeling.  Dana slid under the covers and James followed her.

   As soon as he was in the bed, Dana was against him, her arms around him,
her legs straddling his waist.  She held him tight and kissed him hard,
soft moans vibrating deep in her throat.  James let one of his hands rub
circles on her back, the other cupping the cheek of her ass.  Dana broke
the kiss and nuzzled against his neck, nipping lightly here and there,
tugging lightly at the lobe of his ear.

   "Our home." She whispered to him, her voice nearly silent.

   "Our home." James agreed, tightening his hands on her for emphasis.

   "James?" Her voice was still that near silent husk.

   "Yes?" He answered, his voice rough as his breathing was growing uneven.


   "Love me." She said, her voice stronger, clearer.  James could feel her
body tensing as she said his name and he answered, her breathing getting
faster and her pulse starting to gallop.  When she gave her demand her arms
clenched on him, her legs clamped around his; her whole body tightened on
his.

   "Yes." He said flatly, his body responding just as much as his word. 
Dana moaned a little again as his hand gave her ass another squeeze and his
dick throbbed against her mound.  James rolled them over gently but firmly,
taking control.  She relaxed and moved with him, the tension and thrumming
in her muscles turning to a liquid grace in the space of a heartbeat.  She
kissed him again as he adjusted himself above her, their lips parting with
a gasp when the head of his dick nestled against her slit.  He could feel
some of the tension return; not much, but it was there, a nervous jumping
of the body that spelled out her concern as clearly as any words could.

   "Are you sure Dana?" He whispered in her ear, his voice low.

   "Yes James.  Love me.  Keep me.  Make me safe." She said, her face
buried where his neck and shoulder met the way she liked it.  He could feel
her tension even as she kissed and bit at the skin there, even as she
pulled him tighter with her arms and legs, even as she rocked her hip to
bring them closer together.

   "I love you Dana." He said quietly in her ear as he pushed his way in.
She clenched against him with her hands, her arms, her legs, and her slit
as she took a sharp breath and held it.  James stayed still a moment,
wanting to give her a chance to adjust, to stretch.

   "I love you James." She said after a second, her voice strained and
rough.  She didn't sound like she was in much pain, but she certainly
didn't sound calm, and James was worried that she was scared.

   "Are you okay?" He asked, being careful not to move.

   In reply, Dana started to slowly rock her hips, back and forth, her
breathing starting to tremble as she fought to keep from moaning too
loudly. Her fingers dug into the skin on James' back and neck, her short
nails biting hard.  Her heels ground into the backs of his thighs, looking
for traction.  James shuddered a bit and started to move with her, having
all the answer he needed.  His mouth found hers, and they kissed
passionately, stopping only long enough to breathe as James set a slow pace
to their love making.

   He wanted this to last, for this to go on as long as it could.  He did
not want this to end.  James took long, slow thrusts as deeply into Dana as
he could, turning his hips up at the end of each thrust, grinding deep. 
Dana rolled her hips up as he did, giving him the best angle she could to
do the same.  They moved as one, relishing the sensations that they were
getting from each other, and the sensations that they were giving each
other.  James wanted to give Dana something special, to make her feel
wonderful, to make her feel desired and fulfilled.  Dana wanted to make
James feel complete, to feel like he could have everything of her.

   Dana had been afraid of this moment, had been afraid of the pain, of the
stretching that James would cause, afraid of the sensations that this would
bring.  But now that the moment was here, now that she knew how much pain
it actually was, and what the sensations felt like, she felt foolish for
being afraid.  This was nothing to fear.  This was something to celebrate.
To know that she could share this with James was the most powerful feeling
she had ever known, far more powerful than her fears.  The pain had been
sharp, but small compared to the feelings that followed it.  Now she felt
the nearly overwhelming force of her love for James, and the freight train
of desire that had been building in her was crashing through her in a bond
with James that she knew could never be severed.  The physical sensations
were potent, wild, and wonderful, but they were nothing compared to what
this was doing with her emotions, with her love.  Had she known this was
what would happen, she would have never hesitated.  The night that James
had first offered to use his mouth, she would have pulled him up and
demanded this.

   James had been through a few relationships, and sex was nothing new to
him.  But this was not just sex.  This was something different.  This was
love.  It was something new for him, and it was something he knew he could
not go without.  Not after this.  He may have thought he had been in love
once or twice before, but he had clearly been wrong.  This was love, and
this was what happened when you were intimate with the one you loved.  He
could never look at Dana the same after this, there was no going back, no
walking away, and he was glad.  He wouldn't want to change this.  This was
what was right for him.

   Dana felt James start to speed up with his thrusts a little, his hips
moving with a little more urgency, his dick growing even harder in her.  It
was a wonderful sensation down there, one among many.  They were both
breathing in ragged, heavy gasps.  The graceful and fluid movements that
she had shown earlier were gone.  They both moved in deliberate, strong
motions; no grace, just power.  Dana matched James as he went, her hips
moving with more force, meeting his with more impact each time he buried
himself in her.  James' hands had clamped down behind her, on back of her
shoulders, holding her to him as he held himself up on his elbows and
forearms, pulling her towards him as he thrust forward.  Dana felt his dick
start to throb in a steadily increasing rhythm inside her when he whispered
in her ear.

   "I'm going to cum Dana." His voice was rough, jagged, like he had just
gone for a long run up a steep hill.  Dana clamped her heels tighter on his
legs, clamped her hands tighter on his back, his neck.

   "So am I James.  Make me cum." She said, her voice as ragged as his.

   "I need to pull out." He said, his voice sounding worried.

   "Don't you dare." She said forcefully, pulling him to her, feeling
herself speeding to the brink of her orgasm as he throbbed harder in her.
James didn't argue, he simply increased the strength of his thrusts, making
Dana gasp with each stroke.  She could feel his dick bucking wildly inside
her.  Between that and his increased hammering, she couldn't take any more.
She felt her body start to spasm as everything inside her felt like it was
a wildly uncoiling spring.  When her walls started to clench and release,
clench and release, she felt James' whole body tense harshly as his thrusts
went wild, and then she felt it.  The hot release inside her, filling her,
making the feeling of an uncoiling spring go berserk.  She gasped in a
hitching, uneven breath as James hammered into her and stayed there, his
dick jumping as it filled her with heat.  He gave a few short, hard,
grinding thrusts as he finished, each causing a crashing wave of fresh
pleasure to smash against her.

   They were still a while, just panting as they caught their breath. 
James stayed where he was, the two of them simply enjoying the feeling of
him resting in her while they kissed and calmed down.  Dana rolled her hips
from time to time, sending thrills of pleasure through them in the
afterglow of their love.  James didn't know what the future may hold for
them, but he knew that he wanted to face it with her, like this, together.
They kissed at each other's necks slowly as they lay there, both feeling
James' dick slowly deflating.  When it finally slipped free of Dana, James
eased over next to her on the bed and pulled her into his arms where he
could keep kissing at her.

   "This is where I'm supposed to be.  This is where I am safe.  This is
where I want to stay." Dana said firmly, kissing James lightly between
sentences.

   "Then stay.  This is where I want to be.  This is where I want you to
be." James replied, smiling in the dark.  He kissed her, his hands rubbing
slow circles on her back, feeling her body the most relaxed he had felt it
yet.  He was exhausted, he was pretty sure he would be sore when he woke
up, and this was the happiest he had ever been.

   --

   James woke up to the dim light of the lamp.  He saw Dana leaning against
the wall, her sketch pad on her knees, drawing.  When her eyes darted up to
him and saw his were open, she smiled.

   "Sorry.  I woke up and I wanted to draw you.  You were smiling a little
in your sleep.  You looked beautiful." She said.  James chuckled, enjoying
his view of her.  She was still naked, sitting with her feet and knees
together, her back against the wall, her hair a little ruffled but hand
brushed, with an innocent look on her face like a little girl caught trying
to sneak a cookie out of the jar.

   "You look pretty beautiful yourself.  How do you feel?" He asked,
sitting up a little.  The clock said five forty, and the sunlight was just
starting to come in through the window.  He had been right; his hips,
thighs, and forearms were tight and sore, but he couldn't be happier. 
Well, he could, but they really didn't have time right then, and he didn't
know if Dana would be up for it.

   "A little sore, but I feel great.  You made me feel great.  You make me
feel great.  I can hardly believe I was scared of that." She said, setting
the sketch pad aside.  She stretched out next to him slowly, moving a
little stiff, but the smile never left her face.  She kissed him, taking
her time with it.  James held her, letting his hands tell him about her
body.  She was still relaxed, like she was when he held her afterward, but
she was definitely stiff.  There was no fear or anxiety or nervousness to
it though.

   She broke the kiss and let her fingers trail along his chin and neck,
looking at his face with no trace of worry.  Whatever tension she had felt
about being with him before was gone now.  They had solved that.  Now she
seemed to be completely at ease with James.

   "That was something special James.  I can't live without you now.  You
know that, right?" She said, her smile fading a little.  He felt some of
her tension returning, but he was quick to banish it before it could take
hold.

   "It was special for me as well.  I can't live without you either.  You
don't have to worry about that though.  We'll be together.  No matter what,
we'll find a way.  It'll work, because we'll make it work." He said, taking
her hand in his and kissing her fingertips.  Dana sighed and her smile
returned, her fear evaporating under James' confidence.  She leaned forward
and kissed him again before getting out of the bed.  She didn't want to,
but their parents would be up soon.  Time to start the day.

   --

   James was sitting at the table when mom came down, cup of coffee in his
hand.  Dana was sitting with him.  She didn't like coffee, but had a mug of
warm tea.  James poured mom some coffee while she sat down and asked what
the plan for the day was.

   "I think James was going to be house hunting today.  I'm going to help."
Dana answered, looking at her tea.  She was smiling a little, knowing that
the house they picked was going to be theirs, not just James'.

   "Well that's good, your father can help with that if he ever drags
himself out of bed." Mom said with a sunny smile.

   "I heard that." Dad said from the hall upstairs.  He came clumping down
a moment later, taking the cup of coffee that James held out for him.  "Did
you know what you had in mind, or are you starting from scratch?" Dad
asked, blinking owlishly as he tried to wake up.  James chuckled at the
thought of dad trying to sort through listings and properties while still
half asleep.

   "Give it a little while, dad.  Let that coffee work before we get into
it.  I know you guys have both been working a long week, and you look like
you aren't really awake yet." James said with a smile.  Dad smiled a little
in return and nodded, lifting the cup a little and taking a sip.  James
watched him a moment, trying to see him the way Dana would.  He saw a man
in his forties, not fat but with a bit of a stomach pushing his shirt out.
His eyes were still a bit puffy from sleep, a bit bloodshot as well.  He
moved slow and deliberate, clearly not wanting to be clumsy and taking care
to avoid any spills with the coffee by keeping his movements steady and
unhurried.  His breathing was still very slow, his posture was very
slumped, very un-alert.  James knew that Dad spent twenty minutes or so in
bed after he woke up, not getting up or out of bed, but just lying there,
working up the steam to get moving.  He would drift in and out of sleep as
he slowly started his engine for the day.  Dad was about as far from a
morning person as it got.  He didn't climb out of bed; it was more accurate
to say he oozed out of bed.

   "Yeah, sorry we've had a long week for your vacation, we hadn't planned
on it, and it just kind of worked out that way, honey." Mom said, sipping
on her coffee.

   "Don't worry about it, that's just the way things work out sometimes. 
Besides, we've been able to enjoy the evenings together, and Dana and I
have been able to spend the afternoons and later evening s together, so I
would say it's worked out." James answered, thinking that he was actually
pretty fortunate that his parents had been working all week.  It had given
him and Dana more time alone together in the afternoons to discover each
other than they would have had otherwise.

   James looked over is mom real quick, the way he had with his dad.  He
saw a woman who was a couple years older than his dad, wide awake and
alert. Her eyes were the same slate grey that Dana had, and just as sharp.
She was less laid back than dad, leaning forward in her seat.  She was
already looking a little fidgety, a little anxious.  Her half-finished
coffee was already filling her with excess energy.  She didn't need coffee
in the mornings, but enjoyed a cup all the same.  James was sure if he put
a hand to her neck, he would feel a rushing pulse.

   "We all have today and tomorrow off, so we'll be able to spend plenty of
time together.  We could make the house hunting a family thing." Dana said
softly, her hand finding James' under the table.  She looked from her tea
to James' face for a moment, smiling a little and blushing.  Her voice was
steady but quiet, though she was making good progress in contributing to
the conversation.  Mom, dad and James all noticed it and were happy.  For
her to involve herself in the discussion voluntarily was great to hear. 
James was happy to hear it, and was pretty sure he knew what part of the
reason was.  He just hoped that this was a sign of her growing bolder in
general, and not just with the family.  He thought it was, but he couldn't
be sure.  Not without seeing her give it a shot out in the world.

   He knew that Dana was far more comfortable with just him, he had seen
that last night and this morning.  He knew that she was doing much better
with their parents, as was evidenced by her involvement in conversation
last night and today, but he still needed to know how she would do in
general.  He supposed that it was something he would see in time, when the
chance presented itself.  He assumed he would find out when Dana and mom
went back in to the leather shop on Monday, provided Dana was confronted
with a customer that wanted to know more about the design work.

   "Well that sounds like a fun idea, what do you think James?  I know too
many cooks can spoil the broth, but I have to admit I'm curious as to what
kind of place you are looking for." Mom was saying.  James snapped out of
his little train of thought and looked over to her, nodding.

   "No, that sounds good.  I can use all the help I can get.  I want to
make sure I get something close so that Dana doesn't have too far to go
between here, work, and my new place." James said, stammering a little over
his words.  He found that he had almost said 'we can use all the help we
can get' instead, and had to change mental gears to keep himself on track
with what he wanted to say.  He made a mental note to be more cautious
about how he phrased things during the house hunt.  He really did want
something close by, so that Dana wouldn't have a long commute to and from
work every day, but he wasn't really worried about her driving between the
new place and here much since the end goal was having her move in with him.
But he couldn't exactly say that outright just yet, and would have to be
careful about it for now.  He was starting to realize that this was going
to be more complex than his simple plan had first appeared.  He felt the
gentle and reassuring squeeze of Dana's hand on his just under the table,
and looked over to her.  She was smiling at him, just a hint of a blush in
her cheeks.  He smiled and gave just the barest tip of a nod to her.  He
was acutely aware of the fact that the tables had turned, and she was the
one now providing the moral support.  Looking at her, seeing her smile and
her subtle assurance that she was with him no matter the obstacles ahead,
he felt like anything was possible.  Like he could rise to any challenge
with confidence.  He had the love of a wonderful woman to support him, and
knowing that made a world of difference.  It made every obstacle look a bit
smaller, a bit less daunting, and lot more worth the effort to overcome.

   "I figure if I'm close by, then it'll make it easier on everyone, and
I'll be able to visit more, help around the house here more if you guys
need a hand with anything.  It'll be good to be close to the family again.
I don't think I realized how much I missed you guys while I was away until
I came back for a while, you know?" James said, squeezing Dana's hand in
return to let her know what he realized he had missed in his family most of
all.  She turned a little redder, but James didn't think that mom and dad
were catching on to much, if any, of the unspoken communication between
them.  James didn't see any reaction or recognition in them as they talked;
they seemed to be completely oblivious to the by-play between their kids.

   Dana was easy enough for James to read, for the most part.  He was sure
that soon he would be much better at reading her, as he fully intended to
continue to focus on observing everything about her, the way she observed
people.  He wanted to see the world the way she did, to understand the way
she saw people so that he could understand her better.  He wanted his world
to be Dana, and knowing how she saw everything would be a key part of that.


   Dana could read James like a book, and knew what he was doing the entire
conversation.  She had seen how he stuttered and thought that he had
probably almost talked about the house as theirs instead of his (something
she herself was consciously and carefully monitoring her own speech for),
as well as catching his glances at her and seeing how closely he was
watching their parents.  She saw that he was still pretty obvious in how he
went about watching them, but she didn't think that mom or dad saw it. 
They seemed to be fairly blind to a lot of it.  She was forever amazed at
how little they saw when talking to people.  She wondered how they talked
to each other; to other people in general at all, seeing as little as they
did.  Dana was always amazed that mom could haggle as well as she did with
her limited observations.  Mom seemed to pick up on a fair bit when she was
negotiating, but as soon as a deal was struck it was as if she put a pair
of blinders back on.  Dana never understood it, but it was simply another
item in a long list of things she did not understand about people.

   Dana watched how James watched the three of them, making mental notes of
what to talk to him about later.  She wanted to see what he was seeing. 
She was starting to grow more and more interested in James' evolving sense
of perception, now that he was starting to actually watch people.  She
thought it was really sweet that he was taking the time to try to see
things the way she did.  He hadn't told her he was trying to, but it was
clear to see that he was trying very hard to see more, and she was touched
that he would put so much effort into something like that.  It was a little
thing, perhaps even unconscious, though she doubted that, given the effort
he was putting into it, but she was happy to see it all the same.  She
wanted to know more about what he was seeing, and what was driving it.  She
knew she would soon have plenty of time to talk to him about it, and she
was thrilled by the idea.

   The thought that she had been scared to talk to him just a few days ago
now seemed distant and almost alien to her.  Now she couldn't imagine not
talking with him.  She wanted to share everything with James, all of her
hopes and fears, all of her dreams and ideas.  Mostly she just wanted to
talk to him, to know that she could talk to him.  The idea that she had
someone that she could speak to freely was like being able to breathe after
being trapped underwater until she thought she would drown.

   She thought that she could talk with people a bit more now, that James'
efforts to draw her out a bit had helped with that.  That his gentle and
judgment free gesture had given her a bit of confidence and courage in the
last few days that she would not have had otherwise.  Certainly finding
love had played a large role, and what they had done last night had
shattered a lot of barriers for her.  How could she be so afraid if she
could do that with someone?  If she could find love, and if she had the
courage to pull her lover to her, then she could certainly find the courage
to try to carry a conversation.

   --

   After coffee, and once Dad had woken up a bit more, they took James'
laptop into the office and pulled up chairs.  There wasn't room on the desk
for Dana to put up her little netbook as well, but they figured between the
desktop, James' computer, and Dad's mountain of real estate booklets and
binders of properties and listing, they could certainly find what they were
looking for.

   After some initial talk about general ideas, how many bedrooms, how many
floors, big yard or small, stuff like that, they started to pull up
listings.  James held Dana's hand the whole time, and watched her as
closely yet as subtly as he could.  She squeezed his hand, one for yes, two
for no, and three for I don't know or it's up to you.  It was their way of
having them both in the conversation for the house hunt without mom and dad
knowing that it was both of them deciding instead of just James.  They
chatted and joked around as they looked, having fun as they went about it.
They were taking the search seriously, but they were having fun while they
did it.  Dana surprised them all by staying in the conversation for the
most part without being forced or prompted.  She was still rather nervous,
and she still didn't like to look anyone in the eye except James, but she
wasn't the silent outsider that she usually was.  It felt good for all of
them to simply sit around and have a fun morning laughing and joking
together as a family.  It felt normal, it felt simple.

   Around noon, mom got up and asked what everyone wanted from the sub
shop, offering to go pick up a light lunch.  They gave her the list and she
took off.  The three of them kept looking for a moment before dad turned to
James and Dana.

   "I was wondering something, if it's okay to ask.  Your mom said you guys
talk about stuff, but that James agreed not to say what it is that you talk
about.  I was just wondering what kind of stuff it is, and why the secrecy?
I mean, if it's alright to ask.  If you don't want to tell me, that's
perfectly fine, I'll understand.  I'm not trying to pry, I'm just curious."
Dad said, looking from James to Dana and back again.  James and Dana could
both see the concern and curiosity on him clearly.  It wasn't hidden or
easy to miss at all.  James was thinking about how to answer without
sounding rude or dismissive when Dana spoke up.

   "It's okay dad.  We just talk about stuff like work, stuff that I'm
afraid of, and how to deal with it.  James doesn't talk about what we talk
about because it's, I don't know, private, I guess.  He's like my safe
zone. Like my bedroom is.  He's a safe person to talk to, that won't tell
anyone what I say, so I can say anything to him.  It makes it easier to
talk to him that way.  That's all." She said.  She was quiet, and her voice
was a bit hesitant, but she didn't falter much as she spoke.  She looked
her father in the eye for the most part as she explained it, only glancing
down to his chest a couple times.  Her grip on James' hand was tight but
not crushing.

   "Okay.  I was just curious was all.  I guess because James said he
couldn't talk about it more than anything.  You know how that is, if
someone tells you they can't tell you about something, you just want to
know about it more." Dad said, turning back to the computer.  He was trying
to look casual, but it was clear he was not.  He was just as surprised as
James that Dana had fielded the question.

   They went back to the house hunt, looking again at the houses they had
found in the area south of mom and dad's house.  They had four places that
they were really looking at currently, all of them rather nice.  Three of
them were three bedroom, one of them was two bedroom.  James was focusing
on the three bedroom homes, stating that he was thinking of having an
office and a spare bedroom for guests.  In reality he was thinking of
having an office for him and a drawing room for Dana.  He couldn't figure
out how to convey that to Dana, but she seemed to be on board with the
three bedroom idea all the same, so he was okay there.

   Mom came back with a bag full of sandwiches and they all sat back to
eat, letting the houses wait.  James was happy to have the break, as he was
quickly getting swamped with the whole house hunting thing.  He hadn't
exactly liked it when he was looking for a place to rent when he first
moved out.  He still didn't understand how dad found the whole real estate
thing so fascinating.  Dana seemed to be enjoying it, though, and mom
appeared to be having almost as much fun as dad.  James supposed it was
just something he was never going to understand.

   After their break, they fell back into it with a renewed vigor.  James
had expected them to be a little sluggish about it, feeling a little
roly-poly after their meal and taking it slow.  It would seem that he was
mistaken, though.  Everyone was focused and raring to go, and James was
surprised to find that he himself was getting into it a bit more as well.
The more they looked, the more James and Dana 'discussed' options through
their hand squeezes and innocently framed comments about the places they
looked at, the more it seemed to sink in that they were looking for their
home.  That they were looking for the house where he and Dana would make
their life together.  The more that feeling set in, the more James' head
swam with the knowledge that this was going to work, that they were going
to be able to do it, that they were going to be able to have their chance
to be together.

   When they saw the little house on the corner, Dana squeezed his hand
tightly, almost crushing it.  James immediately squeezed back, agreeing in
an instant.  It looked perfect.  The page that dad had brought up in the
listing website showed the front of the house, obviously, but it also had a
few pictures of the interior right under it.  It showed a home that was, to
them, perfect.

   It was a simple, humble little place, not too far from mom and dad's
house, not too far from mom's shop.  The front yard wrapped around the
corner with a huge sycamore in the middle of it, throwing shade across the
garage and driveway.  It was painted a pale shade of blue with trim so
faintly green it appeared almost white.  It was well kept, with neatly
trimmed hedges under the windows and a small gravel path along the side
leading to the gate that let into the back yard.  The living room was
spacious, the kitchen as well.  It had three bedrooms, the master bedroom
having its own bathroom.  One of the bedrooms had a large bay window that
looked out onto the back yard, which James pegged instantly for Dana's
drawing room.

   "Are there more pictures for that one dad?" Dana asked, leaning forward.
Dad glanced at her a moment before clicking onto the gallery tab.  They
looked through it, commenting on what they liked.

   "Oh look at those counters, is that real marble?" Mom said as they
looked through the kitchen and bathroom pictures, getting a little excited.


   "I'm pretty sure it is.  I remember this one, I think." Dad said, double
checking the information tab.

   "How about the back yard?  Any pictures of that?" James asked, hoping
that there would be a nice view for Dana.  The pictures that dad brought up
of the yard were great.  Whoever was selling the house had obviously put a
lot of time into the place.  The lawn was green and lush, with a small
brick path winding through it to the little bird bath that stood in the
middle.  Around the bath was a neat ring of gravel, bound by small bricks
that matched the path nicely.  In the corners were brick flower gardens,
about a foot and a half high, full of a riot of different blooms.  On one
side was a small shed, in the shape of a miniature barn, painted fire
engine red with white trim, completing the look.

   "That looks pretty.  I like that." Dana said softly, squeezing James'
hand again.  James squeezed back, almost certain that this was the place
they were going to buy.

   "I do too.  Is it in, uh, my price range?" James asked, catching
himself. He had almost said 'is it in our price range' in his excitement.
He could have played it off, sure, but he chided himself for his continued
carelessness all the same.

   "Yeah, looks like it.  I'm sure you could even get it a little lower as
well, with a little haggling.  The place is in great shape, I remember now,
I've shown that one.  It's only about six years old." Dad said, looking
through the listing information again.  After a quick glance to Dana while
mom and dad were staring at the screen and a couple more hand squeezes,
James said that he'd take it.

   "Just like that?  You don't want to go look at it first?" Dad asked, a
little surprised.

   "Don't have to.  I like what I see." James said, saying what Dana
couldn't.  He agreed with her, it was exactly what they were looking for,
and it was exactly what they wanted.

   "Okay, I'll make the calls tomorrow if you want.  I can get it all set
up on this end while you talk to the bank and get the loan all set up.  Are
you sure your credit is good enough that you'll qualify for a loan like
this?" Dad asked.

   "I should, I don't have anything against me on my credit.  I pay all my
bills on time or early, I always have.  My car's paid off; I knocked that
down well ahead of schedule, paying way over the monthly minimum payment. I
have a great credit score." James said with a shrug, aware of the fact
people typically have the loan lined up before getting the house part
settled.

   "Well, talk to the bank, find out about the loan, and I'll call about
the house.  It may take a couple days to find out about the loan.  Once you
have that in hand, we can move forward on the house." Dad said, bookmarking
the page.

   "No time like the present.  I'll head out and get the loan started now,
and I guess I'll be back by dinner." James said, standing up.

   "I'll go with you, if you don't mind." Dana said, standing as well.  She
was looking at James' hands, smiling, her cheeks a bit red.

   "I don't mind at all, some company would be nice.  I guess we'll be back
in a bit." James said with a smile.  Mom and dad looked surprised, but they
just said okay and went with it.  They were happy to see her willing to go
out and about without being forced, without being coerced into doing so. 
James could see that she was nervous, but she was also clearly excited.  He
couldn't blame her, he was excited as well.  He was also happy that he
would have the chance to talk to her about everything on their way to the
bank and back.

   They gathered what they needed and hopped into his car, hitting the
road.

   "James, the house is beautiful." Dana said as soon as they shut the
doors.

   "Isn't it?  It looks perfect for us.  I was thinking that the bedroom
with the big bay widow would be great for a drawing room for you.  You
could look out onto the yard, see the birds flying around; what do you
think?" He asked, starting the car and pulling out into the street.

   "Really?  That would be wonderful.  James, is this actually happening?
Are we actually going to do this, for real?" She said, her voice getting
quiet and hesitant as she asked the questions.  He glanced over at her,
seeing her anxiety.

   "Only if you want to.  If you want to, then yes.  Yes, we are." He
answered, his voice calm, steady, confident.  He felt her hand on his leg
and took it in his, her grip tight.

   "Yes.  I want to.  You know I do.  It just feels, I don't know." She
said, shaking her head a little.  He could still hear a bit of tension in
her voice; something that wasn't quite fear.

   "It feels like a dream.  Like it isn't quite real." He said softly.  It
was a feeling he had been having most of the morning.

   "Yes!" She said brightly, before getting quiet again.  "I think.  I
don't know.  It is like that, but it also is not like that.  I can't quite
explain it.  I can't quite believe that we actually get the chance to be
free." She said, her voice still hushed and sounding a little lost, a
little almost-afraid.

   "I know.  But I have to believe it, because it's the chance we have. 
Whatever opportunity we have, I'm going for it.  I'm not losing the chance
to have you, Dana." James said, sounding determined.  Dana watched him
while he spoke, watched the set of his jaw and how his brow furrowed just
slightly.  She saw that he meant it, and meant it entirely.  He wasn't
about to let anything stop him now that they were going for it.

   "You already have me, James." She whispered, leaning over to lay her
head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and smiling.  Seeing and hearing his
conviction to keep her made her feel safer than she had ever felt before,
like nothing could ever get to her with him around.  Like she had no reason
to fear anything if she was with James.  It was a wonderful, breathtaking,
door opening feeling for her.  She thought the whole world looked a bit
brighter now, knowing that she finally stood a chance in it.

   --

   They walked into the bank and found it mostly empty.  James was glad to
see it, as he really didn't want to make an appointment with the loan
officer and have to wait a couple days or anything like that.  They walked
up to the front desk, Dana holding his hand tightly.  James was curious to
see how this would work out.  He had expected Dana to wait in the car, not
to want to join him in the bank, but she had said that she wanted to come
in with him, so here she was.  She was clearly scared, but she was smiling
all the same.  The man at the desk directed them to a smaller desk in the
back of the large lobby where an older woman was seated at her computer,
going through files.  They walked over to introduce themselves, James
simply hoping that everything would go smoothly.

   "Hi, I'm Marjorie, how can I help you folks today?" The woman at the
desk asked brightly, standing and offering her hand.

   "Hello, I'm James, this is"

   "I'm Dana." She said, taking Marjorie's hand and surprising James.  Dana
didn't look Marjorie in the face, but he thought that she was showing
incredible courage all the same.

   "Well, what can I do for you?" Marjorie asked as they sat.  James took a
deep breath and started laying out the plan.

   --

   James and Dana sat in the car and closed the doors, silent a moment,
just looking at each other.  She reached over and took his hand, pulling it
over into her lap.  He could feel her whole body trembling, and was glad
that he had a bench seat in his car.  He scooted over a bit and pulled her
the rest of the way, meeting her in the middle to wrap his arms around her.
Dana quickly put her arms around him, clinging to him like a life raft, her
breathing shaking as much as her body.  James could feel her racing pulse
as he rubbed her back.

   "James.  Oh my god, James, I talked so much." She whispered, her lips
tickling his neck.

   "I know, Dana, I'm so proud of you.  How did you do that?  You were
talking to her like it was nothing." He said, the awe in his voice readily
apparent.

   "I, I don't know.  You were with me, and you held my hand, and it wasn't
as scary as it always has been." She whispered, her voice getting a jagged
edge to it.  At first James thought she was starting to cry, but quickly
realized that she was close to laughing.

   "Dana, are you all right?" He asked softly, pulling back enough to look
at her.  She was smiling ear to ear, her face a deep red, her eyes bright
and dancing.

   "I, I, yes.  I think so.  I don't know.  I will be when we move in, I
know that." She said, fighting to keep from laughing, her hands gripping
his shirt tightly, pulling him in to kiss her.  He went gladly, kissing her
happily, the copy of the loan paperwork crinkling a little in his hand.

   "We'll both feel better when we move in.  We're gonna make it happen,
Dana, we're getting a home together." James whispered in her ear, smiling
widely, when she finally let him breathe.  Her whole body shuddered when he
said it, and her arms went around him again.  She gave a short, jangling
little laugh that was almost a gasp.  James could feel moisture on his neck
and figured that now she was crying.  He could understand that.  He almost
felt like crying himself.

   They got themselves under control a bit and drove home, Dana sitting in
the middle of the seat so that she could lean up against him.  Neither of
them could stop smiling, and Dana giggled a little from time to time as
they talked.

   "So I was thinking, after I get things settled with work, I'll be moving
my stuff as soon as the house is cleared and I have the keys.  We can have
you help me move, take a couple days off work.  When we get close to being
done with that, the last day or so of the move, we could sit down with mom
and dad.  Tell them that while we were moving, we talked about it, and
figured that you moving in with me could be good for you.  That it might
help, be a stepping stone towards independence, all that stuff.  How does
that sound?  I know it's fast, but I really don't want to wait to have you
with me." James said, enjoying the feeling of her leaning against him.  Her
hand was on his stomach, her head laid on his shoulder, her warmth filling
him with delight.

   "That sounds pretty good.  I think that would work out just right.  I
don't want to wait either.  I can't wait.  I wouldn't be able to bear it.
When we were talking about it earlier, it sounded like the idea was to wait
a couple weeks before I moved in.  I did not like that part of the idea.  I
couldn't wait that long.  Especially not now.  I know I couldn't." She
said, her hand toying idly with his shirt.

   "I don't think I could either.  I would go nuts.  So we do it this way
then?  Talk to them at the end of moving my stuff?  Jump right in to moving
yours?" James asked, one hand dropping from the wheel to take hers.

   "Yes.  I don't have much; it won't take long to move me in.  Then what
do we do?" She asked, squeezing his hand.  James chuckled a little at that,
as he knew that this question would probably come up many more times in
their future.  He didn't mind though, he was more than happy to answer it
for her, in as many situations as it came up.

   "We live our lives.  Our life.  It won't always be easy, but it never is
for anyone, really.  We deal with what comes along like everyone else. 
That's all." He said, giving her hand a squeeze back.  He could feel her
giggling, even though she kept her voice low enough that he didn't hear it.
He could feel her relaxing more, her body soft against his side.  He hoped
it was something that he could feel often, and figured it would be.

   --

   They walked into the house, both still grinning.  Mom saw them and
started smiling herself, figuring the news was good.  She had expected him
to get a loan, but she had been worried about Dana going with him. 
Apparently, things had gone smoothly, much to her relief.

   "Good news?" Mom asked, walking over.

   "Good news.  I got the loan, no problem.  Mom, you would have been so
proud of Dana.  She went in with me, and she talked with the loan officer
like it was perfectly natural." James said, looking over at Dana, his face
beaming with pride.

   "I just, I don't know mom.  I just talked.  It was scary, but I did it.
I asked questions, and I answered questions, and I just, just talked." Dana
said quietly, looking mom's hands, smiling wide, her cheeks still red.

   "Oh honey, that's wonderful!  I'm so proud of you!  See, it's not so
hard, is it?  It can be scary, but it's not impossible.  Come here." Mom
said, grinning madly, holding her arms out.  Dana gave her a big hug, her
smile still splitting her face.

   "Your father called about the house, it's all being set up now.  I guess
he's off to get things going down at the office.  Whatever paperwork needs
signed for it, I still don't know how all of it works.  But if you have the
loan ready, it shouldn't take too long to get you moving in.  Oh, both of
my babies in town again, no more waiting and waiting for visits; this is
going to be wonderful.  And you two will get to keep working together too;
it's just all so great." Mom said, giddy with excitement.  Her whole body
was tense and rigid, her hands jumpy and moving quickly.  James could see
her excitement just as clearly as he could hear it.  He knew that if he was
to put his hand on her shoulder or neck, he would be able to feel it as
well.

   "Yeah, it should work out pretty well.  Dana can visit after work or on
the weekends, or I can come over here, however it works out best." James
said, his voice a little uneven.  He hoped mom didn't notice it, and could
tell that Dana picked up on his tension as he spoke in the way she glanced
over at him.  He was worried that the grey area between lie and truth in
his deceptive words would leak through enough for mom to catch on that
something was amiss, but she seemed to be completely oblivious.  It seemed
that she wasn't as good a lie detector as he had always thought when he was
younger.  At least, not now that he was watching people in their entirety
more.

   "I would like to go and talk, if it's all right." Dana said, looking to
James again.  She didn't hesitate to make eye contact with him, didn't
sound scared or nervous at all, she seemed completely in control and
confident.  It was marvelous to James' eye.

   "Sure, I'd like that." James said softly with a small nod.  Mom said
okay, though James could see that she still had a few more questions.  He
would see about that later, though.  For now, he was focused on Dana.  They
excused themselves as went up the stairs, both of them moving up the steps
without producing any creaks.  James found that he was doing so without
thinking now.

   As soon as he shut the door behind them, James felt Dana's hands on his
shoulders.  He turned around and she was kissing him, her mouth hungry on
his, her hands quick to slip around his back, holding him tight.  His own
hands went around her waist, his body drawing in all the sensations of
hers, his senses taking in everything she offered.  His hands went to her
back, rubbing in circles the way she liked.  Dana reached over and turned
the lock on the door, then began tugging at him, pulling him towards her
bed, and James went.  She sat down, her hands trailing down his chest as
she sat, ending on his hips.  She looked up at him, a small smile on her
face, her bottom lip caught in her teeth lightly.  He thought she looked a
little apprehensive, like she was nervous about something she wanted to
say, perhaps embarrassed or nervous.  He thought she wanted to do something
specific, but was having trouble figuring out how to ask.

   "What is it?" James asked, smiling a little.  He liked being able to see
so much more of a person, the way she did.  He felt like he was finally
seeing all of her.

   "I want to.  Taste you again." She said, hesitating to actually say it.
She was blushing madly, and her eyes dropped from his, focusing instead on
his chest.  James felt his dick start to get hard at the idea, and not just
because of what she wanted.  It was the way she blushed and looked away,
the way she caught her words and couldn't bring herself to say something as
simple as I want to suck your dick again or even just I want to suck you
again.  She looked so cute and innocent, so shy and reserved.  It drove him
wild.

   "Of course, any way you want.  No judgment." He said softly.  Dana
giggled a little and smiled wider, her hands reaching for his belt.  James
didn't know if this was a good idea, being the middle of the afternoon.  He
was still acutely aware of their previous scare, but the risk did add to
the excitement.  And besides, if she wanted to he was hard pressed to say
no.

   Dana undid his belt and his pants, her eyes locked on his crotch.  When
she was ready to pull his pants open she paused, her head cocked to the
side slightly.  It only took James a second to figure out what she was
doing.  She was listening.  He turned his head so that his ear was facing
the door and tried to listen as well, wanting to know where mom was.  It
sounded like she might be moving around downstairs, but he wasn't sure.

   James' attention snapped back to Dana in a hurry when he felt her pull
his pants down enough to let his dick out of his boxers.  She was looking
up at him, shy and red cheeked, as her hands slid slowly up and down on his
stomach over his shirt.

   "Mom is in the kitchen.  I have wanted to do this since we walked out of
the bank." She said slowly, her voice almost a whisper, her hands slipping
under his shirt and rubbing across his skin.

   "Take off your pants, Dana.  I'd like to taste you as well." James said,
stepping out of his shoes.  He wanted to make sure that it wasn't just him
getting something, that she had the chance to feel good as well.  Dana
smiled and sat back, unbuttoning her jeans while she scooted back on the
bed.  James got onto the bed with her, positioning himself in front of her
and helping to pull her jeans and panties down to her ankles so that she
could open her legs.  They laid on their sides and looked at each other a
moment before James leaned forward and kissed the top of her slit softly,
letting his lips linger while his hand cupped her ass and pulled her to him
gently.  Dana sighed softly, happily, as her hand wrapped around his shaft
and she kissed his head.  She started licking him, going at it slowly and
serenely.

   James matched her pace, taking his time and enjoying her.  She had her
legs bent, the lifted one resting easy and upright where it wouldn't get
tired, so he wasn't rushed.  He ran his tongue the length of her slit,
letting it dip into her a little, before working his way back with a wiggle
in his tongue.  He could feel the vibrations in her mouth when she moaned
at his ministrations, and it gave him no end of pleasure.

   Dana took him into her mouth, a little at first, but soon gathering
steam and getting more and more of him.  She was still a little
inexperienced with it, but there really wasn't a bad way to suck a dick
short of biting, in James' opinion.  The way she moved her mouth on his
cock and worked her tongue on him felt wonderful.  He was having a hard
time concentrating on keeping his end up with all the pleasure she was
pouring into him.

   He kept at it the best he could though, picking up the pace and
intensity a bit.  He dug in a little more, working a little deeper, getting
a bit more aggressive.  He was rewarded with more moans around his dick and
her hand tightening on his shaft.  James started working a couple fingers
into her as he went, moving them slowly in time with his mouth, getting
them deeper a little at a time.  Soon he was easing his fingers in and out,
sawing at her in long, smooth strokes.  He could feel her breathing heavily
as he did, and he loved it.  He started focusing on her body more, on how
every part of her reacted to what he was doing to just the one place.

   She was tensed and relaxed at once, keyed up and moving around with a
laid back ease.  Her muscles were tight and rigid along her stomach and
sides, but her legs were completely relaxed.  Her breathing was heavy and
fast, almost ragged, but her body moved with a sensual grace that was
intoxicating to be next to, hypnotic to hold in his hands.  He could feel
her pulse in his hands and in his mouth.  He felt incredibly alive, and to
him she felt incredibly alive.  It was simply amazing, something he had
never experienced with a woman before.  Something he never would have
guessed was possible.  It brought a whole new level to intimacy for him
that threatened to overwhelm him.

   Dana was moaning almost constantly, her hips swaying in time with his
hand and tongue and lips.  She sucked harder and harder at him, almost
painfully so.  She was getting so turned on that she was having a hard time
controlling herself.  She moved further and further onto his dick, until
his head was pushing on the back of her throat.  She gagged a little a few
times but she kept going, the desire to have more of him in her mouth an
almost tangible thing, and certainly an insatiable one.  Her hips shifted
steadily from swaying and rocking to thrusting and bucking.  Her body
became more and more tense.  James could feel her getting ready to cum
clearly and he pushed her towards it eagerly, his mouth devouring her
greedily.

   Dana fought to keep her moans and sighs quiet, but it was a challenge.
She wanted more than anything to cry out, to shout his name, to yell for
more, to demand more at the top of her lungs.  James gave her more, even
without her shouting for it.  She was quickly thrashing her hips against
his face, her hand reaching down to scramble for a good hold his head,
clutching at the back of his neck, pressing him tightly to her.  James
reveled in the gush that washed his mouth and face as she came, lapping up
all that he could.

   As she mellowed again, her hips no longer raging against him, James
slipped his fingers from her, eased back on his mouth, settling for soft
kisses on her lips and clit.  Dana released his head and pushed gently on
his hip, rolling him onto his back.  Leaning over him, she began sucking
his dick in earnest again, picking up where she had left off when her
orgasm had taken her.  With all of her attention focused on him, it didn't
take long for James to reach his own orgasm.  He gave her a quiet warning
that he was about to cum, but that only made her speed up and suck harder.
When his dick started jumping in her mouth, Dana eased back to just suck on
his head and stroked him with her hand, milking him until he came.

   She kept on milking him until she had every last drop out of him,
swallowing everything she could get her mouth on.  She kept sucking after
he had finished, taking almost all of his dick into her mouth again,
searching for anything she might have missed.  She sucked gently and slowly
on his cock until it started to soften before finally releasing it.

   They lay on the bed head to toe for a moment, catching their breath. 
After a minute or two, Dana sat up and turned around so that she was lying
next to him where she could kiss him.  James wrapped his arms around her,
kissing her slowly and passionately, one hand rubbing circles on her back,
the other cupping her ass; simply enjoying the feeling of her pulse slowly
winding down and her muscles relaxing under his hands.

   "I love you, James." She whispered in his ear when she finally took her
mouth from his.

   "I love you too, Dana." He answered, squeezing her tightly.  After a
moment more of simply holing each other, they got up to get dressed again.
They hadn't done much to listen for what Mom was doing, and didn't want to
get caught after the fact, no matter how good it felt to simply lay
together and hold each other.

   --

   James stepped out of the bathroom from taking a shower, and Dana went
right in after him.  They decided that he should probably go first, since
his face was kind of covered.  Dana could pull her pants up and mask most
of the evidence of what they had been up to, but James really couldn't. 
Simply washing his face wouldn't do much either, as he had worked up quite
a sweat during their little playtime as well.  So they figured they would
just jump in the shower one after the other and play it off as wanting to
get theirs in before dinner so that mom and dad weren't rushed before bed.

   After James got done, he went downstairs to talk with mom again, see
what else she had wanted to ask about the trip to the bank.  He knew that
she was probably brimming with questions about Dana and how it had gone. 
He couldn't blame her.  He had been pretty floored himself by her boldness.


   James walked downstairs to see dad was home and talking with mom on the
couch.  He walked over and sat with them, ready to see what news dad had.

   "So I hear that Dana was quite the social butterfly at the bank?" Dad
asked as James sat.

   "Yeah, pretty much.  She talked with the loan officer pretty easily,
fairly naturally.  The lady looked at her a little funny a couple times
when Dana stared at her chest instead of making eye contact, but overall it
was amazing for Dana.  I was blown away.  You wouldn't have believed it,
dad.  She was asking questions and getting into the conversation all on her
own, it was, it was great." James said, smiling.  He couldn't help but feel
a deep swelling of pride thinking about it, thinking about her taking
charge of herself.

   "She just, just talked?  Huh.  So I guess you've been helping her quite
a bit then with your little speaking sessions.  James, I can't begin to
tell you how happy I am to know that it's helping, I really can't.  I know
she looks up to you an awful lot, but I hadn't dreamed that you would be
able to have such a powerful impact on her simply by talking." Dad said,
smiling a little.

   "I didn't think I'd be able to help this much either, but she's made it
real easy to work with her.  Once we started talking, really talking, it
all just kind of happened.  It was, I don't know, it just felt right.  It
just felt like it was something we should have done a long time ago." James
said, his voice getting a little quiet.  He was speaking more about Dana
and him getting together than simply talking, but he knew that mom and dad
didn't know that.  They didn't know that James and Dana's relationship was
a big part of her gaining so much confidence; they only knew that James and
Dana 'talking' was helping.

   "Whatever it is about you two sitting down together, keep doing it.  I
want to see her able to live a normal, happy life.  Not one stuck in that
room up there, closed away from the world, with no one to interact with."
Dad said, sounding a little sad, a little hopeful.  James could see the
hope written all over him.

   "I do too, dad.  It's what I'm working towards.  It's what we're working
towards.  I think she'll be able to get there, eventually.  It won't be
easy, and it won't be quick, but I think it'll happen." James said.

   --

   They sat down to dinner, all excited and tired by the recent events and
news.  They were all a bit down though, knowing that James was leaving the
next morning.  James could see in how everyone sat, spoke, and carried
themselves.  He wasn't going away forever, and would be back in town soon
enough, but he was still leaving for a little while.  They ate and chatted,
talking quietly.  Dana spoke up more, joining in the conversation more
frequently.  Dad and mom noticed it, and were clearly excited to see it. 
They didn't put a spotlight on her though, just acted like it was normal,
for which James was thankful.  Dana seemed happy about it as well.

   After they ate, Dana and James cleaned up, taking care of the dishes
like they had been.  They washed and dried in silence, simply watching each
other's body language and faces.  After the dishes were done, they headed
up to her room to talk.  They had some planning yet to do.  James watched
Dana walk as they headed up the stairs, enjoying her body in motion.  He
wanted to see the grace of her movements that allowed her to move so
silently, so efficiently up the stairs.  It was difficult, as his eye was
drawn to simply watching her ass sway in front of him, the snug fit of her
jeans showing off the swell of her hips and her round, perfectly grabbable
cheeks.  The flex and flow of her thighs as she took the steps was
hypnotic. James had to shake his head a little when they got to the top of
the stairs, forcing himself to get back on track.  It wouldn't help to be
stuck on her body while trying to figure out what they needed to do in the
coming weeks.

   Dana shut the door behind them as James sat on her bed.  She walked over
to him, smiling a little, and put her hands on his shoulders, just looking
down at him a moment.  Unable to help it, James smiled back up at her, his
hands on the hips he had just been staring at on their way up.

   "We probably should not have done what we did today." She said, her
smile widening.

   "Yeah, we took a bit of a risk with that.  I should have known better."
James chuckled, knowing that it was much more than just 'a risk' that they
were talking about.

   "It isn't just you who gets the blame for things, James.  I wanted to do
it, too.  It's my fault more than yours.  I just, I wanted to make you feel
good.  I couldn't help it." She said, shrugging a little.

   "I know.  I wanted to please you as well.  Soon, we won't have to worry
about taking risks as much.  It'll be great.  For now, for tonight, we have
to be more careful though.  We could have lost everything today.  I've been
thinking about that off and on since I got in the shower.  I don't know, I
just couldn't help myself when we got going." He said, shaking his head a
little and losing his smile at the thought of their life together ending
before it had the chance to start.

   "We will not lose anything.  Please, don't say stuff like that.  Things
like that scare me." Dana said softly, her hands gripping James' shoulders
tightly.  James looked up and saw the fear on her face, the tightness in
the muscles of her neck, the tension in her shoulders.  He slipped his arms
around her waist and pulled her to him, the side of his face pressed to her
stomach, holding her tight.

   "Don't be afraid, Dana.  I'm not about to let anything pull us apart,
okay?  I won't let it happen.  I'm just saying we have to be careful is
all. I won't let us lose our chance, not for anything." James said quickly,
his hand reaching up to rub her back.  Dana's hand held his head tight to
her stomach, her other hand sliding down to his back, her fingers
scratching lightly there.

   "Okay.  I just don't like to hear about that kind of thing." She said.
James could hear the tension in her voice fading, and could feel her body
relaxing against his.  It felt good, though he felt bad that he had scared
her at all.

   "All right, I'll keep that in mind." James said as she stepped over to
sit next to him on the bed, her hand never leaving his back.  James didn't
mind, he liked having her hands on him.  It was relaxing and reassuring,
knowing that she was holding on to him in one fashion or another.  "Now, I
was thinking about the coming weeks.  I'll be back in my place for the time
being, getting everything packed up a little at a time, mostly.  I was
wondering if you wanted to talk to mom about helping me move, or if you
wanted me to call her." He said, his hand on her hip.

   "I can ask her.  I can see about taking a day or two off, and if you
move on a weekend then it will give me four days to help.  That should be
plenty of time, shouldn't it?" She said with a little shrug.  James didn't
know if she realized just how much she was progressing, how far such a
simple offer was from where she had been when he had first gotten here for
his vacation.  To offer to talk to mom instead of having James do it, just
like it was nothing, made James very happy to see.

   "If you want to, that would be great.  I'll start the move the Friday
after I know about the house.  That way, I can get over here with a load,
pick you up after work, and we can go from there.  If we end up needing the
extra two days, we have them.  I don't know how long it'll actually take to
move all my stuff if I have it all packed up and ready to go when we
actually start moving.  But we'll have the extra two days to get you moved
as well, so that'll work." James said, nodding.

   "That should work fine.  When we get you almost finished moving, we can
talk to mom and dad, and start on moving me.  Then, we start.  Oh James,
I'm so excited!  It feels like a fairytale." Dana said, wrapping her arms
around him when her excitement got to be too much to contain.  She was
grinning wide and he could feel her pulse racing when she squeezed him.

   "I know.  We're so close." He whispered, kissing her temple, holding her
tight.  "We have our plan, we have everything in motion, all we have to do
now is go for it." He said, rocking her gently.

   --

   James went into her room after their parents went to bed, closing the
door silently behind him.  Dana was waiting for him on her bed, sitting in
her translucent shirt and a pair of panties, her drawing pad on her lap and
a pencil in hand.  When he came in, she smiled and set the pad and pencil
on the desk, watching him.  James walked over, shedding his shirt and
sweatpants as he did, and sat next to her.  Dana straddled him, taking her
seat on his lap, and kissed him, her arms around his neck holding him
tight, her mouth moving slowly and happily on his.  James put an arm around
her waist and one around her hips, holding on to her ass, pulling her hips
to him.

   They kissed slowly and gently, simply happy to have the moment to do so.
They let the kiss stretch out, all the concerns and worries of the future
and the world fading quietly away while they just enjoyed each other. 
James felt every inch of Dana, his hands moving across her back lazily and
gently, taking in the flow of her body.  Dana held tight to James, one hand
on his back, fingers scratching lightly, the other in his hair, holding his
head to hers.

   Dana pulled away just enough to catch her breath, her lips still close
to his when she spoke.

   "When are you leaving tomorrow?" She sounded sad, and James couldn't
blame her.  He was pretty sad about having to leave himself.

   "Around ten.  I'll be starting to pack as soon as I get back to my
place. I'm gonna miss you, you know that?  I'm gonna miss you a lot." He
said quietly, his eyes still closed.

   "I know.  I'll miss you too.  I don't know how well I will do in the
shop while you're packing up and waiting to hear about the house.  I'll
call you though.  I'll talk to you every night, just like we do now.  I
want to hear you every night." She said, nodding a little, her forehead
touching his.  James could hear a slight hitch in her voice, could feel the
hitch in his hands on her back.  She was fighting to remain calm, but he
could feel that she was close to tears.  He opened his eyes as the first
one slipped down her cheek and fell between them.

   "Don't cry Dana.  I won't be gone long, and I'll be on the phone every
night, just as long as you want to talk.  Okay?  Pretty soon, we'll be
talking every night in our bed before we go to sleep." James said, reaching
up to wipe away her tears.

   "I know.  But I don't like to be alone.  After having you here, after
having you, alone is going to be so much worse." She said, her voice a
little uneven.

   "Yeah, I know.  I know." James whispered, feeling about the same.

   "James?" She asked, smiling a little as her voice evened out.

   "Yeah?" He answered, glad to see her smiling again, glad to hear and
feel her relaxing without effort again.

   "Love me." She whispered, leaning forward to nuzzle his neck as she did.
James smiled as he ran his hands down to slide under her shirt, lifting it
up.  She raised her arms for him, letting the shirt be pulled from her and
tossed aside.  His arms went around her waist, holding her close, while
hers went around his neck.  He kissed her before leaning back quickly,
pulling her with him.  She gasped when he did, caught by surprise, but
started giggling after that, swatting at his chest playfully.

   She kissed him briefly before they scooted up to lay completely in the
bed, pulling the blanket over them.  Dana straddled him to reach over and
turn off the lamp, and James grabbed her hips, keeping her from climbing
off of him again.  She ran her hands across his shoulders, leaning down to
kiss him, letting him pull her panties down.  She shifted long enough for
him to get them off of her, then climbed onto him again.  His boxers were
easier to get rid of, and she was quickly sitting with the base of his
shaft pressing against her slit.

   She rolled her hips, sliding up and down his shaft, moaning softly as
she did, her heart racing as his hands slid up her sides and around to her
back.  James could feel her hair brushing his chest as she lowered her
head, her breathing getting faster, her pace picking up speed.  She slid
forward further, until his head was resting just under her clit, and paused
there, her face right over his.

   "Now." She whispered, her voice tight and rough.  James shifted his hips
so that his dick slid from her clit to her entrance and pulled her down by
her shoulders, rocking himself up into her at the same time.  Dana stifled
a cry of pleasure, her hands gripping the sheets tightly.  She started
easing herself up and down, riding him slowly, taking her time and
relishing the joy of having him deep within her.  James shifted his hands
down to wrap is arms around her waist, sitting up a little to take her
nipple into his mouth, toying with it with his tongue, biting lightly to
keep it where he could get at it.  Dana gave a shuddering moan when he did,
one hand releasing the sheets to grab the back of his head, holding him
tight to her.

   "Yes James.  Please, more, please." She whispered, her voice tight and
strained.  He could feel her pulse racing in his hands, her muscles
tightening and relaxing in waves down her body as she rode him, her hips
rocking forward with each thrust to get as much of him in as she could. 
James struggled to keep from moaning, knowing that if he got started, it
would be difficult for him to keep quiet.  As it was, his breathing was
heavy and ragged, and sounded very loud in his own ears.

   He could feel her body tensing more, getting more rigid and strained
with each thrust, with her quickly speeding up their pace.  She started
slamming down on him harder, her hand tightening in his hair as she started
letting out small, whimpering little cries in the middle of her long, low,
quiet moans.  James knew she was close, as was he.  It was impossible for
him not to be with her holding onto him the way she was, moaning and crying
softly just above his head, hammering at his hips for all she was worth,
her body hot and soft against him so tightly.

   James felt her whole body start jerking, her stomach and back tensing
relaxing harshly, as she clamped on his cock rhythmically.  She cried out
softly, her voice light and serene in a strange contrast to her strained
and rigid body.  Her hand moved from his head to his back, her fingers,
strong from working leather, digging into the flesh there almost painfully.
If she wanted to, he was sure she could actually hurt him doing that.

   She slowed again, but not much.  Her muscles lost the frantic tensing
and hard rigidity, but she was still far from relaxed, and she was still
riding him like a woman possessed.  James couldn't take it any longer,
couldn't hold out any more.  She was too much for him like this, overriding
his chances of keeping himself going.

   "I'm close." He whispered, his voice a hoarse husk.

   "Yes, cum for me James." She whispered back, her voice uneven, her pace
picking up again.  James knew he would, but he didn't want to be in her
when he did.  He knew that they had already gambled once, and didn't want
to change their chances any further.

   "Not inside, Dana." He whispered, moving his hands down to her ass,
lifting her.  She slid off of him, but reluctantly, with a playful little
groan.  She climbed off of him and moved straight to his cock, taking it in
hand and stroking him while her mouth closed over his head, her tongue
swiping around it in fast circles.  James laid back and groaned while he
let it all out.  Dana got everything out of him that she could, sucking and
swallowing greedily, stroking him lightly, while her other hand rubbed
gently and lovingly across his chest, her fingers making their small
circles.

   When he was done, Dana crawled up to lay with him, her face nuzzled into
the side of his neck, kissing lightly while her hand toyed with his hair,
her leg laid across his.  James held her, his hands rubbing her back
slowly. He felt like the king of the world, the luckiest man on Earth.  He
had the woman he loved laying on him, holding onto him while he held her,
both of them tired and exhilarated.

   "I love you.  I want you.  I want you to keep me." Dana said softly, her
lips brushing his neck as she did.

   "I love you too.  You have me.  I'll keep you forever." James answered
quietly, squeezing her tightly.  He meant every word.

   --

   James woke up to the feeling of Dana moving against him.  She was
sliding up onto his chest, her face above his, her hair hanging down around
their heads, leaving them in a little space that was just them looking at
each other, with nothing else in the world.

   "Hello James." She whispered with a little smile.

   "Hello Dana." He whispered back, grinning.  She gave him a little peck
on the lips and sat up, straddling him with her hands on his chest.  With
her hair gone, he could see that he sun was starting to brighten the
horizon.  He would need to get into the living room soon, much as he would
rather stay where he was.

   "I have to go to work soon.  I won't be here when you leave." She said,
her smile fading a little.

   "I know.  I'll call you tonight though.  You know I will." He said,
rubbing her thigh lightly.  He knew it wasn't much of a consolation, but he
couldn't change the way things were for now.

   "I know.  You need to get in the shower though.  We smell like.  Um."
She said hesitantly, her cheeks turning red.

   "We smell like sex?" James asked with a little smile, his eyebrows
raised.

   "Yes." She said with a little giggle as she leaned down again.  "I like
it.  I like when you smell like this.  I want to make you smell like this a
lot." She whispered in his ear, her voice unsteady.  James was surprised by
this; both by the lascivious statement itself and her boldness in being
able to make it.

   "Really?  Wow, I, Dana, I didn't expect something like that.  Moving day
can't come soon enough.  You can make me smell however you want." He said
with a chuckle, sliding his hands up her thighs.  One stopped on her ass,
the other went up to her back, holding her tight for a moment.

   "Get your shower, so I can get mine please.  I don't think mom and dad
need to smell us like this." She whispered, her face still next to his.

   "Yeah, that's true.  You want me to make you some tea while you get
cleaned up?" He asked while she climbed off of him.

   "Yes please." She said, her fingers trailing down his back as he stood
up from the bed.

   --

   James was sitting at the table with his coffee when mom came down.  Dana
was right behind her.  James got up to fix mom a cup a coffee as she sat,
and handed the tea he had made to Dana when she walked over.

   "So, what do you have planned for today?  Just going to relax before you
take off?" Mom asked, sipping at her mug.

   "More or less, I think.  I was going to ask dad about the house, maybe
call the office, but I don't think I had anything else planned.  I was
going to head out about ten." James said.

   "Okay.  Well it's been wonderful having you back at the house again, I
can tell you that.  This little visit has really been something special
with everything that's happened, you know?  All the wonderful progress
you've made with Dana, the news about working from home, it's all been
great." Mom said, smiling happily.

   "I know, I would never have thought that things could change so much
from one little vacation.  I know I learned a lot in the last nine or ten
days.  I thought I knew about Dana before, but I certainly learned a lot in
the last week about her." James said, chuckling a little and looking over
at her with a small smile.  He thought about how little he had realized was
going on with his little sister before this trip home.  He had just
absently thought 'she's shy; painfully so, and she doesn't really have
friends, but she'll grow out of it.' Now, however, he knew that he had
grossly underestimated the extent of the problem, and knew that if he
hadn't talked to her, hadn't reached out to her the way he had, as a
perfectly safe person who would never judge her, that she most likely have
remained the way she was.  That she would have never developed the
fledgling confidence that was now blossoming in her, that she would never
have found a real reason to try to interact with the outside world more. 
The thought of that was heartbreaking.  The idea that she was so close to
being locked away from the world, alone and imprisoned in her fear and
uncertainty for the rest of her life.  James couldn't bear to think of that
anymore, not now that he understood her more and realized how close to a
reality it was.

   "I think I've learned a lot about me as well.  More than I thought I
could know." Dana said, reaching over to take James' hand, a small smile on
her lips as well.  She was looking down at the table, and the smile was a
little sad, but James thought that she was pretty happy with the things she
had learned.

   "I'm so happy you two were able to figure all this out so well.  Why
couldn't the doctors we took you to do what James did, I wonder?  Was it
really so hard to simply talk to you, Dana?" Mom asked softly, genuinely
confused as to why James could help and trained professionals couldn't.

   "It's, it's different mom.  James isn't a doctor.  He isn't asking me a
bunch of questions and pressuring me to answer.  He didn't really ask many
questions at all.  Really, he asked if I had questions and let me talk. 
When I talked, he made sure I could talk safely.  It isn't the same." Dana
said, shaking her head and frowning, trying to figure out how to describe
the disparity in the two approaches accurately.

   "You would think one of the therapists would have thought to do it that
way." Mom said, shaking her head as dad walked down the stairs.

   "One of them did, but he was a stranger.  How could I talk to a stranger
safely?  He said I could say anything, but I didn't know him.  I couldn't
say anything I wanted to someone I don't know.  It's just different with
James, that's all.  James is safe and he keeps me safe." Dana said, looking
at James while she spoke.  Mom thought Dana was looking at him like she
usually did, looking up to her big brother the way a little sister does,
with a good dose of gratitude thrown in now.  She didn't realize that Dana
was looking with eyes of a lover, completely devoted to James and
absolutely enamored of him.

   "I guess that's what a big brother is for.  I'm just glad that you're
finally getting past your shyness after all this time, honey." Mom said
with a chuckle as dad poured his coffee.

   "We're both really happy about that, sweetie.  It's great to talk to
you, to really be able to talk to you.  I was afraid you would keep
yourself cut off from everyone forever." Dad said as he sat down, echoing
James' thoughts.

   "I still feel, I don't know, afraid and awkward and everything.  I just
know that I can live with it now.  James showed me that.  He's shown me a
lot of things." Dana said, giving James a knowing little grin.  James
thought that her boldness was growing quite a bit more than he ever could
have hoped for, and he loved it.

   "I'm glad.  I hope he can keep it up once he's settled nearby." Dad said
with a smile.

   "About that, I wanted to ask about the house." James said, sipping from
his coffee.

   --

   Everyone was gone from the house but James.  He sat on the couch and
thought.  He had a plan in mind and wanted to go through with it.  He had
his stuff from the vacation packed up, he just wasn't really looking
forward to leaving.  He knew that as soon as he walked out the door, then
he wouldn't see Dana for a while, and that feeling was terrible.  He walked
upstairs, dragging his feet, not caring if he made noise now.  He walked
into her room, pulled a blank sheet of paper from her desk, and sat down to
write her a note.  He couldn't leave without giving a goodbye that was just
for her.  He wouldn't feel right if he didn't.  He thought a moment before
picking up one of the pens in the little cup by her lamp and started
writing in his blocky but clear cursive.

   'Dana,

   I know you miss me.  I know that because I miss you.  I tried to keep
from thinking about you after you and Mom left for work, because I thought
it would help.  It didn't.  I couldn't even do it.  No matter how hard I
try, you're always right there in the middle of my mind, unavoidable and
impossible to ignore.  I gave up trying pretty quick.  I think I'd rather
think about you and know I'll be with you soon than try to not think about
you anyways.  If I don't hear from you this evening, I'll give you a call.

   Love, James'

   With his note written, he folded it once and stuck it in the crack of
the closet door where she would have to notice it when she changed out of
her work clothes.  He walked back downstairs and loaded his car, getting
ready to leave.

   He wasn't headed straight back to his house, though.  He was making a
stop on the way.  He had looked up the place he wanted to stop at after
everyone left, and was on his way there.  It only took him about thirty
minutes to find it.

   James parked at Breller Brothers Jewelry and went in, feeling a little
nervous.  He was greeted at the counter by a young lady with thick glasses
and a wide smile.

   "Hi, can I help you find something?" She asked, sounding chipper.

   "Um, yeah.  I'm looking a ring.  I have a specific kind in mind, and I'm
hoping you have one or can make it." James said, smiling a little.

   --

   When the big day arrived, James had everything packed up.  He had been
ready to move for a couple weeks, living out of boxes and just waiting for
the go-ahead on the house.  This morning, he had the keys in hand and was
ready to start moving.  He had been talking to Dana every night before
going to sleep, the two of them spending a few hours on the phone while
lying in bed.  Now, they started the process to end that.  Mom had already
told Dana that whenever he started moving, she could take however long she
wanted off from work to help out.  James grabbed his phone called the
moving truck place he had talked to a few days ago and told them he would
be in shortly to get one of the big trucks.

   Forty minutes later he was filling the back of it with stuff, moving as
fast as he could, wanting to get on the road and get to Dana.  After a
couple hours of rushed packing, he had the truck full and ready to go.  He
pulled his phone out again and called Dana.

   "Hi." Dana said, her voice happy and bouncy, the way it always was when
she answered his calls.  "It's barely even noon.  You couldn't wait to
talk?" She asked, chuckling a little.

   "No, I couldn't.  Not when I'm holding the keys to our home." James said
softly.  Dana was quiet a moment before replying to that.

   "You got it?  You're moving?  It's really happening?" She said, sounding
both excited and like she didn't quite believe it.

   "It's really happening.  I'm bringing the first load now, and I'll be
picking you up when I get there.  I love you, Dana." James said, smiling
wide.

   "Oh my god, I love you too.  I, I'll be ready.  I'll head to the house
shortly." She said, speaking in a low whisper.  She sounded like she was
about to cry with joy.

   --

   James pulled into the driveway, smiling.  Dana was standing by the door,
her hands held in front her, bouncing on the balls of her feet in her
excitement.  She trotted over to jump into the passenger seat and grabbed
him by the back of the neck, pulling him over to kiss her.  She pulled
roughly but kissed tenderly, moaning softly when he brushed her cheek with
his hand.  They just sat in the idling truck for a while kissing like they
were trying to make up for lost time.  When Dana finally sat back, she was
blushing and tears were starting to spill down her cheeks.

   "It's really happening." She whispered.

   "Yes it is.  We have a home.  Soon, we'll be moving your stuff into it
as well." James answered, nodding.  She beamed at him, her smile wide and
rapturous.

   "Let's get to work then.  I'm done waiting." She said, her voice
hitching a little.  James nodded and put the truck in gear, heading to
their new home.

   It was a thirty minute drive across town to get to the new house.  The
drive from the new place to mom's shop would only be about twenty minutes
for Dana, about the same as it was from mom and dad's place.  On the way
over, Dana sat right next to James, holding onto his arm.  She used the
crappy lap belt in the middle of the seat even though it didn't tighten
very well and the seat was a little uncomfortable there.  None of that
mattered to her, she simply had to keep a hold of him, had to stay as close
to him as she could after the time they had spent apart.

   They pulled up to the house and parked in the driveway.  They just sat
in the truck for a moment, looking at the place.  James felt Dana shaking a
little and realized she was crying before he turned to her.  She was
smiling wide as the tears rolled down her cheeks, her breathing broken by
little hitches and gasps.  She looked over at James, her eyes bright in the
tears, her face a glowing mask of unrestrained happiness.

   "James, we are home." She whispered, her voice rough.

   "Yes we are.  We're home." He answered, wiping her tears away and
smiling back.

   They got out and opened the house up, walking through the rooms they had
both studied countless times in pictures.  They walked through the house
holding hands, not speaking, just looking at each room in turn.  It was
better than the pictures had looked, more spacious and open.  When they got
to the room that would be Dana's drawing room, they walked up to the window
and looked out.  The backyard was large and neat, with two small birds
frolicking in the birdbath.  James and Dana just watched them for a moment,
silent and happy, as the birds hopped about and splashed around.  When one
of the birds flew off into the gray sky, they continued their little tour.

   The last room they checked out was the bedroom they would be sharing. 
They walked through it slowly, stopping in the middle.  Dana looked around,
figuring the bed would sit right in the middle of the room, the headboard
up against the wall with no window.  The closet was large with two doors
that slid sideways, and there was a large bathroom with two side by side
sinks.  It was perfect.

   "What do you think?  Will this work as your new sanctuary?" James asked,
his voice low.

   "Yes.  Our sanctuary." She corrected, squeezing his hand.  James
chuckled a little and nodded.

   "Ours.  Let's get to it then, so that we can start living in it." He
said, kissing her cheek lightly.

   They got the truck unloaded rather quickly with both of them working at
it, moving the boxes easily enough.  They were all marked, and went
straight to the rooms they belonged in.  When the truck was empty, they
jumped in and hit the road to get the next load.

   "Dana, I wanted to talk to you about something.  I didn't want to do it
over the phone, because it just felt like something we should talk about
face to face." James said once they were rolling.

   "What is it?" She asked, leaning on his shoulder again, her eyes closed.


   "Well, it's about before, when we were in your room.  When we were, you
know, making love." He said, feeling a little awkward talking about it.  He
didn't know why it made him feel odd, considering the things they had
discussed and the things they had done, he just knew that he felt a bit
embarrassed discussing it, about addressing it as frankly as he was about
to.

   "What about it?  Is something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him. 
James could feel her tense up, could feel her apprehension even though he
was focusing mostly on the road.

   "No, not really.  I was just thinking about the first time.  If we're
going to be doing it that way, with me, you know, finishing like that, then
we're going to have to take precautions.  It'd be pretty hard to explain to
mom and dad how you got pregnant, if it happened.  Know what I mean?" James
said quickly, wanting to reassure her.  Dana relaxed and giggled a little,
laying her head back on James' shoulder.

   "Yes, I know.  I already thought of that.  I already took precautions."
She said, her voice sounding a little proud.

   "You did?  What do you mean?" James asked, surprised.

   "Well, after the second time, I knew that I liked the way we did it the
first time better.  So on the way home from work I stopped at the pharmacy
and got birth control pills.  I've been on them since then.  Problem
solved." She said, squeezing his arm.

   "You did?  That's great, I was thinking of getting condoms, but if
you're doing that, then I guess we don't need them." James said, smiling.

   "No condoms, I want to feel you, not some piece of plastic.  I want to
feel us together." She said, her voice quiet and sounding a little shy.

   "You don't even know what condoms feel like, though." James chuckled,
glancing down at her.

   "I don't need to.  I know that they'll be something between you and me.
I know I don't want that.  I want to feel you, just you." She said simply,
her hand moving to rest on his stomach, her fingers scratching lightly on
his shirt.

   "Yeah, I can live with that.  I'm not a real big fan of condoms, I just
sort of got used to them.  I always had to use them with the other girls I
was with, so it was get used to them or don't have sex.  Guess which one I
chose." James said, nodding and smiling.  Dana giggled when he said that
and patted his stomach lightly.

   "You don't have to worry about that anymore.  What about, what about
later, though?" She asked, her voice getting a little more serious.  He
could feel her tensing again, and could hear the apprehension in her voice.
He thought he might understand what she was asking, but he needed to be
sure about it.

   "What do you mean?" He asked, his smile fading a little.

   "I mean later.  What about further down the road?  Do you think that
there might be a way that one day, you and I could think about, maybe,
getting pregnant?" Dana asked, her voice hesitant and soft, sounding very
shy and nervous.  Her hand on his stomach was still, her body was rigid
against him, and James realized she was terrified in asking the question.
To her, she was risking a lot in bringing it up, in asking him about it as
a real possibility.

   "Dana, that's, that's something we would have to think about real hard,
and not just because it would be hard to explain.  That's a huge step. 
Would you really want to have a kid with me?" James said, stuttering a
little.  He was feeling like they were venturing into dangerous territory,
as if they hadn't already.  He could feel her start to relax a little, but
not much.

   "Of course I would, James.  There isn't anyone else I would want to have
a family with.  You are my family.  You're my only family.  You're the only
family I want.  I only want you.  If I ever have a child, I don't want one
with anyone but you.  But I can't do that unless you want to as well." Dana
said softly, slipping her hand from his stomach to circle his waist,
holding onto him tightly.  Her other arm tightened its grip on his arm and
she leaned up to kissed his neck softly, a gentle little peck that lingered
a moment and was gone.  She rested her head on his shoulder again while she
waited for his answer.

   "If, if, we figure that out, then yes, of course I would want to raise a
family with you.  But that's something that we would have to figure out
very carefully.  That would take a lot of planning, a lot of caution.  We
can think about that once we've gotten ourselves set up and started our
lives." James said slowly, nodding.  The thought of raising a kid or two
with Dana, starting a family with her, living a complete life like that; it
all made James' head spin with joy, fear, desire, tension, and wonder.

   "Okay.  Thank you James.  I'll think on it." She said happily, holding
him tight.

   --

   They got the next load and filled the truck, talking about where
everything would go and what they thought would be the easiest way to go
about it.  When the truck was full, James took a look around his place to
see what they had left.  It looked like one more trip would do it, and they
might be finished by sundown.  Pretty quick, all told.  He was happy he had
decided to spring for the bigger sized truck instead of one of the smaller
ones he had been looking at.  With it, it would probably only take a single
trip to move Dana's stuff to the house.

   "Do you want to call mom on the way over to the house?  Ask her about
moving in?  I think we'll be done by tonight with my stuff, and be ready
for yours in the morning.  Then I can drop the truck off and have you drive
me over to get my car." James said as they started back to the new house.

   "Yes, I can do that." Dana said, pulling her phone from her pocket.  She
just looked at it a moment as James drove, not dialing or anything.

   "James?" She asked, her voice small and scared.

   "What's wrong?" He asked, getting worried.

   "I'm, I'm scared.  What if she, I don't know, what if she thinks it's a
bad idea?  What if, if she gets mad?  James, I don't know if I can do
this." She said, her voice uneven.  She was still sitting in the middle
seat, right up next to James, so he put his arm around her, pulling her
over to lean on him, and put his hand on her hip where she liked it once
she was there.  The truck was an automatic, so he didn't have to worry
about shifting, which he was very thankful for at that moment.

   "You can do this, Dana.  I'm right here with you, I've got my arm around
you, you can hold onto me like you usually do when you talk to her, you
aren't doing this alone.  You can put the phone on speaker if you want to,
and we can both talk to her if that will make you feel better." James said
in a soothing tone of voice, squeezing her gently, his hand rubbing on her
hip lightly.  He thought it would be good for Dana to do this, a big step
for her.  That not only would it be a big part of them starting their lives
together, but that making this call would be a big stepping stone for her
personally.  That it would give her a chance to really assert her
independence and prove to herself that she could make big changes in her
life.

   "Okay.  Okay, I can do this.  I'm scared James, but I can do this,
right?" She said, her voice shaking a little, looking up at him.  He could
feel her trembling against him a little, could feel the tension thrumming
through her like an electric charge.

   "Of course you can.  I'm right here with you.  You can do this.  I know
you can." He said confidently, giving her a reassuring smile.

   "Okay.  I'll try." She said, nearly whispering.  Dana hesitated a moment
longer before calling mom.  She didn't put the phone on speaker, which
James was happy to see.  He wanted her to do this on her own as much as she
could.

   "Hi mom.  No, we're on the road.  We were talking about the move while
we were loading the truck, and we sort of had an idea." Dana said, her
voice surprisingly even and light.  Her body was anything but.  She was
tense and stiff against James, her free hand clamped onto his thigh.

   "No, actually, it was an idea about the move.  We were thinking that
maybe, um, it might be good for me to try living with James for a while, in
one of the extra bedrooms he has now.  That it might be more like living on
my own with a roommate, and that it could be a good way for me to get a
feeling for living on my own a little." Dana said after a pause to listen
to their mom.  She was wincing quite a bit while she spoke and her hand
tightened almost painfully on James' thigh, terribly afraid of how mom
would react.  She listened for a moment before her hand loosened a little,
much to James' relief, and her face eased.

   "Yeah, that's what we were thinking, more or less.  Less like living
with you guys, and more like living on my own.  With James, it would be
closer to splitting a rented house with a roommate, you know?  Except the
rent is actually James paying off the house, I guess.  Yes.  Well, I
suppose tomorrow, since he has a moving truck now for his stuff and we
should be done with his stuff tonight.  I mean, it won't take long to get
my stuff together.  I know.  I know.  I love you too, mom.  Yes, we'll talk
more about it tonight.  Okay, bye mom." Dana hung up the phone and dropped
it in her lap, turning quickly to bury her face in James' arm, her hand
going to his chest.  She let out a jagged, nervous laugh that sounded
slightly hectic to James.

   "James, she thought it was a good idea!  She doesn't like that it's so
sudden, and she wants to talk to me about it tonight, but she thinks it
would be good for me.  She likes the idea of me and you staying together
because we'll be able to talk more.  James, this is going to work.  Oh my
god, I actually talked to her about it, I actually did it." She said in a
rush, her voice muffled by James' arm.  James smiled and squeezed her
tight, very proud of her for going through with it.

   "See, I knew you could.  That wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked quietly,
his heart racing at the news that they would be moving her in the morning.

   "Are you kidding?  That was terrible!  I'm so glad I did it though.  She
said it was a good idea!  I'm moving tomorrow, James!" She almost shouted,
looking up at him with a wide grin.

   "Yeah, yeah you are.  We'll have your stuff home by the evening, and
we'll spend our first night together." James said softly, still smiling.

   "Home." Dana whispered, reaching up to run her thumb along the line of
his jaw.

   "Home." James said, nodding.

   --

   The truck rolled up to the curb at their parent's house.  Dana and James
got out, both stretching their backs.  They had moved the couch and bed
with the last load, and were exhausted.  Dana waited for James to walk
around the front of truck and took his hand while they walked to the house.
They walked in to the smell of lasagna and the sound of mom and dad talking
in the direction of the kitchen.

   "Hey mom, we're here." James called as they walked over.

   "Just in time.  So, you guys had an idea huh?  I have to say, it's a
doozy." Dad said, sitting at the table.  He had a small smile on his face
and looked pretty relaxed, his body not tensed or stiff at all.  James
thought that perhaps mom and dad might actually be on board with the idea
pretty well, and that they wouldn't really need any extra convincing.

   He had thought that he and Dana would have to do some talking to get dad
to see their point, to get him to go along with the idea, but it appeared
that he wasn't gearing up for any kind of argument about it.  James let
hope flutter to life in his chest, his mind already turning to how quickly
they could get Dana moved over to the house.

   "Yeah, I guess so.  We were just thinking that with Dana living with me,
it could help in a couple of ways.  It would give her a chance to try
living in a place that wasn't with parents, a little more independent, and
that it would give us plenty of time to talk.  Keep working together the
way we have been.  We've made good progress so far, and we'd like to see if
we can, you know, keep the ball rolling." James said as he and Dana sat
down at the table.  Dad thought about a moment, nodding a little.

   "I suppose I can see that.  It's pretty sudden, though.  I mean, that's
a big step to take all at once, and to decide in one afternoon." Dad said,
looking at Dana.

   "I know daddy, but James has the truck now, so we thought we should use
it while he does, make everything easier while we could.  I don't have much
to move, but we can do it all in one trip with the truck instead of two or
three trips with a car." Dana said, squeezing James' hand under the table.
She looked at her father for the most part while talking to him, but she
still looked like she would rather be silent.

   "We wouldn't be a couple towns over either, like I was before.  She
would only be moving across town, so it isn't very far.  I think just the
change itself would be good for Dana.  We both do.  It's sudden, yeah, but
I really don't see much reason to wait on it either." James said with a
shrug.  Dad considered it, nodding a little.  While he did, mom declared
dinner finished, calling out from the kitchen.  Dana went to help her in
the kitchen, and dad took the moment to speak to James without her in the
room.

   "You really think this will help her?  That this will make a difference
worth the effort of moving her and having her live with you?" Dad asked in
a low voice, leaning forward and watching James closely.  His body was a
little tenser than it was before, James could see, a little more focused.
Dad's jaw was tight, his shoulders set, and his face was a little wary.

   "Yeah, I do.  I think something like this is exactly what Dana needs. 
If it helps her, then it's certainly worth the effort.  I don't mind having
her live with me, that's not an issue at all.  I'm fine with her staying
with me for as long as she wants, as long as it helps her with her fears."
James said earnestly, speaking low as well.  Dad smiled and sat back, his
body easing.  He looked like he was proud, like he was happy to hear James'
reasons for the decision.

   "Okay.  You're doing a good thing, you know that?  Most people would
just say to send her to another doctor, or say to let her work through it
on her own.  Me and your mom were in the doctor camp for a long time. 
Having you find out that you could get through too her, it's been a
blessing.  To know that you're willing to share your home with her and make
such big changes in your life to help her out, it really makes me proud of
you James.  Your mom is very proud as well.  I'll be here tomorrow to help
Dana finish pack up and help you guys load the truck, and we'll get her
moved on over to your place so you can get the truck turned in." Dad said,
finishing as mom and Dana came in with plates and dinner in hand.

   They ate and talked, mostly about the move and how it would work.  Mom
asked about a housewarming party, but James declined, knowing that Dana
wouldn't feel very comfortable with such fanfare even if it was just the
family.  They decided on James staying at the new house for the night to
set up the bed while Dana stayed at mom and dad's to get an early start on
packing.  James and Dana weren't wild about spending another night apart,
but it made sense.

   When dinner was done James and Dana gathered the dishes and took them to
the sink, washing and drying as they had during James' vacation.  It was a
wonderful return to something they had discovered together, smiling and
glancing at each other as they worked, standing close enough together that
their arms kept constant contact with each other.  When the dishes were
done, James took a quick look to make sure that the kitchen and dining room
were empty, and saw that they were.  He gave Dana a quick kiss and
whispered a quick 'I love you' in her ear, getting a smile and a giggle out
of her.

   "I want to do the dishes together in our home.  I like this." She said,
speaking softly, her hand resting lightly on his arm.

   "I'd like that.  I'd like that an awful lot.  I've got to get going
though, we have a busy day tomorrow, and I want to get an early jump on
it." James said, his hand rubbing her side gently.  Dana nodded and gave
him a light peck on his lips before they left the kitchen.

   --

   James sat in the bedroom, sweat pouring from his body.  The bed was
finished, in place, and the sheets and blanket on it.  He was exhausted and
sore.  It was close to midnight, but he was happy he had decided to go
ahead and make the bed as well as put it together.  One less thing to do
tomorrow after the move.  Looking at it, he decided that he really didn't
want to sleep in it alone.  No, he would wait until tomorrow to sleep in
the bed.  He would wait for Dana.  He grabbed the spare blanket from one of
the boxes and a pillow and walked out to the living room.  With a heavy
sigh, he flopped down on the couch.  It was a little more comfortable than
mom and dad's couch, but not much.

   He set the alarm on his phone and set it on the floor next to the couch,
settling down to call it a day.  He was just about to slip off to sleep
when he heard the phone ring.  The alarm tone was the same as his ring
tone, so at first he thought he had simply set the alarm wrong.  With an
irritated frown, he picked it up to reset the alarm.  When he saw the
picture of Dana, smiling shyly as she looked off to the side of the camera,
her hair covering most of her face, he smiled as well and answered.

   "Hello Dana." James said quietly, chuckling a little.

   "Hello James." She answered, speaking in a low voice.

   "I got the bed set up, and I got the sheets and stuff on it.  I'm
pooped. I'm sleeping on the couch tonight though.  It didn't feel right to
sleep in the bed without you here." He said, feeling a little foolish about
it, feeling like she might laugh at him for being silly.  When she
answered, she surprised him, but he figured he should have realized how she
would feel about it.

   "Aw, that is so sweet.  I hope your couch is better than the one here,
though.  I hate to think of you trying to move my junk with you all twisted
up like a pretzel." She said, sounding like she just saw a puppy playing
with a kitten when telling him it was sweet.

   "This one is a fair bit better than mom's, I'll be fine.  You don't have
to worry about that.  We'll have you moved tomorrow no matter how I feel. I
don't care if I couldn't walk, I'd still be crawling out to the truck with
a box roped to my back, I can promise you that." James said, knowing he
would be sore for the first couple hours after waking up.  It wouldn't be
anything terrible, he had certainly worked through worse, but it wouldn't
be pleasant.

   "Okay, I would prefer you didn't do anything like that, but I am glad to
hear it." She giggled.

   "Once we get your stuff loaded, follow me over with your car so I can
take the truck back.  I'll need a ride back to my old place to get my car,
then we can come home." James said, stretching out a little on the couch.
His eyes were starting to feel heavy, and he knew he wouldn't be able to
stay up much longer after the already long day.

   "Of course." She said, with the sounds of her moving around clear
through the phone.  "I just wanted to call to say goodnight.  I'm laying
down now; I'm pretty tired as well." She continued.

   "I'm glad you did.  Goodnight Dana, I love you." James said, smiling.

   "I love you too."

   --

   It only took about four hours to load all of Dana's belongings.  It took
the longest to disassemble her bed and load it.  James had caught himself
at the last second before saying that they didn't need it, realizing that
they would have to take it to keep their parents from wondering where she
would be sleeping in the new house.  He had come very close to slipping and
tipping their hand, and he made a mental note to himself to be more careful
about how they went about things in the future.  They had been careful so
far, and he thought that they had covered all the bases that they could,
but something as simple as the bed had almost risked it all.

   With dad helping, it went a lot easier than if it had been just James
and Dana.  Dana and mom had gotten most of her clothes and artwork packed
the night before.  James, Dana, and dad got everything else packed in the
morning before turning to the furniture.  It was just bed, dresser, desk,
and nightstand, but it was still a lot of work.  Dad and James focused on
the furniture once everything was boxed while Dana started moving the boxes
out to the truck.  It gave dad and James time to talk while they worked.

   "So how has it been working out?  The whole work from home thing?" Dad
asked while they took the drawers out of the dresser and lifted it, making
their way out the door carefully.

   "Actually, it's working out really well.  I'm usually ahead of schedule;
I get all my stuff done well before my deadlines, which my supervisor loves
about me.  Now though, I'm way ahead of schedule.  Since I don't have to
deal with the two slackers on my floor trying to stop by my desk a few
times a day to get me to help them meet their own deadlines, I'm just
blowing through the stuff I have to get done." James said, smiling as he
back down the hallway towards the stairs.

   "Watch out, you're right at the first step.  That's good, I'm glad it's
working for you.  I was worried that once you had some more freedom you
would slack off a bit, get a little behind.  I know I probably would.  I'd
end up spending most of the day in my underwear on the couch, and try to
sprint through everything in the evenings.  I don't think it would be a
good idea for me to work from home, no matter how appealing it may be to
me." Dad said with a chuckle as they walked down the stairs, taking it one
slow step at a time with the heavy dresser.

   "Dad, you have no idea how tempting it is to do exactly that.  The first
two days, I just wandered through the house, not doing anything.  I was a
slug.  I cleaned and packed, but I didn't do much else, and I didn't
exactly work my ass off.  Once I realized that I was getting behind though,
I jumped all over the stuff I had to do.  I started forcing myself to wake
up at the same time I always did for work.  I wake up, I shower, I shave, I
get ready like I have to go into the office.  I mean, I don't dress in
slacks and a button shirt, and I certainly don't wear a tie, but I get
ready and I get dressed.  Then I get some coffee and I get straight to
work. I break at noon, then I would work on packing for a couple hours. 
After that, I would put in a few more hours working on accounts, then back
to packing.  I've gotten into a bit of a routine with it, and it's easy to
stay on task now.  I have a lot less distractions than I did in the office,
so now that I'm not slacking off it's easy to keep up with it.  I got a
hold of the cable company that I used at the old place, and should have
internet access at the new house by the day after tomorrow, so I'll have a
day off.  I let the office know, and they said it was fine, but I gotta say
it's gonna feel a little weird after getting my routine down." James said
as they walked up the ramp into the back of the truck, Dana standing by the
bumper and watching to make sure they didn't trip over anything.

   "Well that's great, I'm glad to hear you've picked up your mother's work
ethic instead of mine.  If you'd have gotten mine, you'd be screwed right
about now." Dad chuckled as they set the dresser down and stretched their
backs.

   "Are you two all right?  You look tired." Dana said, leaning over the
ramp.  Her face was concerned, and was looking at James, but dad answered.

   "We're fine sweetie, your old man just isn't used to doing actual work.
I've been stuck at a desk and walking around houses to show them for a long
time.  It's been a while since I bent my back to actual labor is all.  How
are you holding up, James?" Dad said, his spine crackling a little as he
finished stretching.

   "I'm good, yesterday is just catching up to me is all.  We'll get the
rest of the big stuff loaded and take five.  That should be all I need
before we unload it all at the house.  After we get the truck turned in, we
can take our time getting everything set up.  We aren't on any kind of
schedule once the truck is done with." James said, his hands on his hips as
he smiled at Dana.

   "Okay.  Just don't hurt yourselves.  I would feel terrible if either of
you did that while trying to help me, so don't do it." She said, relaxing a
little, her frown easing.

   "We'll be fine." Dad said, smiling as he walked down the ramp.

   --

   When the truck was loaded, Dana gave dad a hug and a smile, looking like
she might be trying not to cry.  She had known that she was moving in with
James for a while now, but the full realization that she was moving out of
mom and dad's house was finally sinking in, and it had her a little shaken.


   "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now, daddy.  I'll call you and mom
when we get back from turning the truck in.  Thank you for helping us
today, I really appreciate it.  And thank you for understanding about the
move, and for supporting me with it.  It really means a lot to me." She
said quietly, holding tightly to her dad.

   "You're very welcome, honey.  You know your mom and me just want to help
you however we can, and that we'll always be right there at your back.  If
this helps you, then we understand and we're totally okay with it.  I'm
gonna miss having you around the house, but we'll be sure to visit and call
often.  Let us know how things are going once you and James get settled,
okay?" Dad said, stepping back from her, rubbing her arms, looking a little
reluctant to let her go entirely.  James could see the tightness in dad's
neck, the twitches in his arms and hands, the way he leaned forward a
little while talking; could hear the slight roughness and tiny, almost
imperceptible hitches in his words, and figured that dad was close to tears
as well.

   James wondered briefly if dad had ever really expected Dana to move out,
thinking about it while seeing dad like this.  Dad had to have thought
about it at some point, knowing the way Dana was.  Did he think that Dana
would simply remain at home, hiding in her room for the rest of her life?
Or did he really think that she would one day begin to overcome her fears
and insecurities on her own, and eventually move out of her own accord? 
James didn't know, and didn't think he could ever really make anything like
an accurate guess in one direction or the other.  He thought he might ask
dad about it sometime, once things had started getting into a regular
routine and settled down.

   "I will.  Tell mom that I love her and that I'll talk to her soon, if
you see her before I call tonight.  I love you daddy." Dana said, her eyes
steady on dad's.

   "I'll tell her.  I love you too, sweetie." Dad said, smiling.  James
gave his dad a brief hug and said goodbye before climbing into the truck.
Dana got into her car to follow him and they were off.

   They got to the house and started unloading.  Dana and James were
excited, moving fast and working hard.  When all the boxes were in, they
moved the furniture.  It was a little slower going with Dana helping
instead of dad, but it went quickly enough with no stairs to contend with.
Once they had everything inside, they took a break.  James plopped down on
the couch with a heavy sigh, Dana sitting next to him with a bit more grace
and less flopping.  James put his arms around her and held her tight,
closing his eyes and burying his face in her hair at her neck.  Dana gave a
happy little sigh as he did, her hand on his chest.

   "It feels good to be home." James whispered, his hands rubbing gently on
her back.

   "Yes.  It feels very good.  This is right, this is where I belong.  This
is where we belong." She said, her hand sliding up to his neck.  James
pulled away from her enough to look into her eyes.

   "Exactly where we belong.  Dana, I have something for you.  I picked it
up while I was waiting for the house to go through.  Wait here a minute."
He said, smiling.  Dana nodded, wondering what he would have gotten her.

   "You didn't have to get me anything James, I have everything I need now.
You know that." She said as he walked into the hall.  He returned from the
bedroom a moment later, his smile wider, and stood before her, holding his
hand out to her.  She reached out and took it, looking a little confused,
and stood up.  She could see that he was very nervous despite his smile,
that he was tense all over, that his neck and shoulders were tight as a
drum.  Dana got a little nervous as well, wondering what had gotten him so
worked up so quickly.  James just looked at her a moment, mulling over how
to go about what he wanted to do before he spoke.

   "Dana, you know I love you.  I love you more than anything.  We have our
home now, we're starting our life together, and we're going to be with each
other forever.  I know that it can't be official for anyone else, that no
one else can even know, but we know, and I want it to be official for us."
He said, his voice wavering a little.  James got down on one knee before
her and pulled a ring from his pocket, holding it out to her.  It was a
white gold band with a small, round ruby set in it, surrounded by small
swirls of cunningly twirled yellow gold.

   When James knelt down, holding her hand, Dana gasped as she realized
what he was doing.  Her eyes went a little wide and the hand that wasn't
holding his went to her mouth, covering her shocked smile.  As he spoke, a
few tears of absolute joy slipped down her cheeks.

   "Dana, will you be my wife?" James asked quietly, watching her face
closely, his hand holding hers tightly.  Dana nodded immediately, squeezing
his hand back fiercely.

   "Yes, yes James, of course I will." She said when she could speak again,
her voice rough with emotion, her words broken by a small laugh of
happiness.  James took her right hand and slid the ring on her finger.  She
looked a little confused, but James explained.

   "I figured it was best to put it on your right, that way it didn't look
like a wedding band to others.  I thought a ruby would be more fitting than
a diamond for us as well, since blood is thicker than water and all that."
He said quietly as he stood up.  Dana wrapped her arms around him kissed
him, holding on to him tight and kissing hard.  James held her and let his
tension and anxiety over asking her just float away.  He had been afraid of
the moment since he first had the idea, and it had only grown when he had
bought the ring.  Now that the moment had come, all of his fear was gone,
replaced with bliss.

   When Dana pulled away from him, she kept her face close to his, smiling
and resting her forehead against his.

   "It is official, you know.  To all the people that matter, it is.  I'm
yours, James.  I always will be." She said, pecking at his lips between
sentences.  James smiled wide at that.

   "And I'm yours, for the rest of time." He said, his hands rubbing in
slow circles on her back.

   "James?" Dana said quietly, her hands grabbing onto his shirt lightly,
pulling him a little closer to her.

   "Yeah?"

   "Love me." She whispered, tugging at him.  James kissed her, his hands
pulling her as close to him as they could.  She moaned softly as one of his
hands slid lower down her back, pulling her hips to his.  He stepped back
from her and took her hand, and the two of them walked to the bedroom,
looking at nothing but each other.

   Dana stepped into the bedroom and turned around, watching James close
the door.  She was excited, her heart racing.  She had James in their own
bedroom, with no fear of anyone walking in on them, with no fear of being
interrupted or judged.  They were free to do as they wished, however they
wanted to.  They were free.

   James stepped up to her and put his hands on her hips, kissing her as
she tugged at his shirt.  They undressed each other, taking their time,
enjoying it.  Their lips only parted to let their shirts be pulled over
their heads.  When they were done, Dana pulled on James' hips, leading him
to the bed behind her.  She sat down, looking up at him with a smile, the
corner of her lip caught in her teeth.

   "You're beautiful.  You're perfect, Dana." James whispered, leaning down
to kiss her.  Her hands slid up his sides slowly, making their way to his
back.  James cupper her cheek gently, his fingers sliding into the hair at
her temple, his thumb rubbing lightly just under her eye.  Her fingers
tensed and she dragged her nails down his back lightly, not enough to hurt
but enough to make his muscles tighten back there.  James smiled and
straightened up, climbing onto the bed while Dana slid back onto the bed
completely, laying on her back for him.  She held her arms up, welcoming
him into her embrace as he kissed her again, wrapping his own arms around
her.  Her legs wrapped around his, holding him tight to her.  She could
feel him against her mound, stiff and ready, and it made her smile.

   "Love me James.  Make me yours." She whispered in his ear, rolling her
hips against him.  James moaned softly at that, kissing her neck and
nibbling at her ear.  He lifted his hips enough to line himself up and
stopped, his head just starting to part her.

   "Stay with me, please." He whispered in her ear, kissing her neck again.


   "I will.  I always will." She promised, her arms tightening around him.
James pushed in slowly, taking the time to savor every last bit the feeling
of entering her.  Dana moaned as he did, no longer concerned about keeping
her voice down or worried about anyone hearing them.  They started a slow
pace together, Dana matching James' movements with her own, her moans
coming in steady waves.  She pushed them into a faster pace, urging James
on with her hips and her legs, pulling him to her with her heels in his
thighs, using her body to demand that he hammer into her harder.  James
obliged happily, giving her everything she wanted.  His mouth moved from
her neck to her mouth, needing to kiss her, needing to taste her.  Dana
wrapped an arm around the back of his neck, locking his head to hers, her
other hand still on his back, her nails digging into his flesh hard.  Their
breathing grew more and more ragged, their kissing breaking up as they
started panting.  The pace had turned almost manic, James pistoning into
her hard and fast, Dana meeting him in each thrust with a small whimper of
pleasure and purpose.  She could feel his cock getting harder, and he could
feel her muscles starting to spasm.  James started to give small moans and
grunts, his body unable to continue giving and receiving the intense
pleasure for much longer.  Dana's whimper turned to long moans and sighs as
her own thrusts became harsher, more erratic.  She started calling James'
name over and over, her voice rough and uneven, as her climax overtook her.
As soon her slit started clamping down on his dick, James couldn't hold out
any longer.  He gave a short, gasping grunt and thrust hard into her one
more time, his dick jumping and bucking as he came.  Dana almost shouted
when he did, her legs and arms clamping down on him as she felt the warmth
fill her.

   They lay together as James finished, both of them gasping, Dana kissing
at his neck and biting at his ear.  She worked her way to his mouth and
kissed him hard, her mouth hungry and passionate, her hips still rolling
slowly against him.  James didn't think it was possible to feel better than
he did in that moment.  When she released his mouth and let her head drop
back down to the pillow, she was smiling wide.  James smiled back, still
feeling a little out of breath.

   "That's what I want.  I want that every day please." Dana said softly,
her hands rubbing along his sides gently, a sharp contrast to the digging
nails and death-grip like clamping that had been holding on to him moments
ago.

   "I'll give you whatever you want, whenever you want it." James said with
a little chuckle, pecking at her lips.  He slid off of her, lying next to
her and pulling her into his arms.

   Dana lay against James, her fingers making their slow circles on his
chest.  She paused to look at the ring now on her finger, studying it
carefully.  She used her thumb to nudge it a little, rolling it side to
side on her finger.  After a moment, she looked up at James.

   "What about you?  Are we going to get a ring for you?" She asked, her
fingers going back to their circles.

   "I was thinking about it.  Maybe a simple band, something plain.  I
didn't know if you wanted to look with me or not, so I decided to wait.  I
didn't know how you would react to your ring, much less one for me." He
said.

   "You actually thought I wouldn't be happy about it?" She asked, frowning
a little.

   "Well, it's a big thing, you know?  I didn't know if you might freak out
or something if I asked you to marry me.  I was pretty scared about it,
Dana.  I didn't want to frighten you with something so big, so soon after
the move, but I really couldn't wait either.  I don't know, I was excited
and nervous and everything all at once." He said, trying to explain the
conflict of emotions that had rolled around in him since he had started
thinking about it all.

   "I'm not afraid when I have you.  You know that.  You don't frighten me.
You take my fears away, James.  Giving me this; the ring and everything it
means, it doesn't scare me.  It makes me free.  It makes me know that I
have you, and if I have you, then I'm free.  That isn't scary, that is
wonderful." She said softly, reaching up to touch his cheek gently, her
fingers light as a feather on his skin.  James smiled at that, happy to
hear it.

   "Good.  Then we'll go find me a ring together.  We can go out tomorrow,
if you like.  I would love to have a match for yours." He said, rubbing her
back slowly.  Dana smiled, nodding.

   "I'd like that." She said, climbing up to straddle him, leaning down to
kiss him softly.  The kiss lingered, growing from a small peck to a longer,
more intimate kiss.  His hands rested lightly on her waist, loving the
feeling of having her on him and in his hands.  She sat up a little and
smiled at him, her hands on his chest.

   "No judgment, right?" She asked, her smile fading a little.

   "No judgment.  Not now, not ever.  I'll never judge you Dana.  I love
you, you're safe with me." James said.  He was worried that she might be
scared about something, judging by the way she had tensed up a little on
him.  Her hands had gone still, her legs holding tight to him on his waist,
her breathing a little rough and sharp.  Her neck was tight and her
shoulders stiff.

   "James, I, I don't," She whispered, her hands starting to shake a little
on his chest.  He could see that she was close to tears, but he couldn't
figure out why.  He pulled her back down and wrapped his arms around her,
holding her tight.  He felt the first tears on his neck as he rubbed her
back.

   "What is it Dana?  Whatever is wrong, we can take care of it together, I
promise." He whispered in her ear, running a hand through her hair.  She
was quiet for a moment, just crying silently while he held her and waited.

   "James, I'm scared.  We're all alone now.  We're all alone and I'm
scared and I don't understand.  I thought that I wanted exactly this, but
it scares me.  I don't know what to do, I don't know what I'm supposed to
do." She finally said, one hand slipping to the side of his neck, pulling
him closer to her.

   "You only have to do what you feel.  That's all.  We aren't alone, we're
together, just like you said.  I have you, and you have me.  It may feel
different than when we were at mom and dad's place, but you'll get used to
it in time.  All we have to do here is be ourselves, how we feel.  That's
all.  I just want you to be you.  That's all.  All I want is you." He said,
his voice quiet and soothing as he ran his hands along her back and through
her hair.  He thought that moments like this were bound to pop up here and
there, that they would be unavoidable.  He would just have to be there for
her, to give her the reassurance she needed to get through them.  It was
something he fully intended to do for her, to make sure that she was okay
with everything going on.  d "Is it that easy?  It can't be.  There has to
be more to it than that." She said in a rough whisper, her lips tickling
his neck.  She could feel how relaxed he was; his slow pulse and his slow
hands doing a lot to calm her down.  Her fear was deep and gripped her
tightly, but it was having a hard time standing up to the influence James
had on her.  Especially now, the way they were.  With him holding her,
soothing her, his hands moving in a hypnotic and relaxing pace on her body,
it was hard for the fear to remain the way it was.

   "It is that easy.  You'll see.  Trust me.  I'll be here with you the
whole time.  You can hold my hand, put your arms around me, kiss me, talk
to me; anything you want to make you feel better whenever you want it or
need it." He said, smiling a little.  She turned to look at him, her gaze
sharp and focused, her eyes searching his.  She saw only truth and
sincerity in his face, and love.  Plenty of love.  Dana gave him a little
smile, feeling a bit better about everything.

   "Okay.  I'm going to want to hold onto you a lot.  You know that,
right?" She said, her finger s rubbing lightly on his neck as she spoke.

   "I know, and I want you to.  I want you to hold me whenever you can."
James said, squeezing her tight.  Dana giggled a little and kissed him,
happy all over again.  James thought about her previous lack of physical
contact again, about how it must have been going so long without anyone
touching her.  He still couldn't imagine what it must have been like, not
really.  He knew that dad wasn't one much for hugs normally, and that mom
tried to give Dana her space, tried to be nonintrusive.  Dana was starved
for physical contact, and had only started getting it regularly since they
had begun their more intimate relationship.  He would see that she had all
the contact, all the touching, all the holding, all the hugging, all the
kissing, all the everything she needed or wanted.  He would make up for the
deprivation as best he could.

   Dana just held him, her face in the crook of his neck, kissing lightly
there, her hand still rubbing lightly on the other side of his neck.  James
kept his hands moving on her, letting her know that he was there for her
and always would be with just his hands.

   Dana slid off of him and curled up next to him, pulling his arms around
her.  James held her, his chest against her back, his hands on her stomach.
He buried his face in her hair, enveloping himself in the smell of her, his
legs tangling up in hers, as he felt every inch of her and the way her body
responded to his.  She gave a soft, slow sigh as her hands ran down his
forearms to rest on top of his hands.  A happy, contented sigh that
mirrored the relaxation he felt throughout her body.  He felt like he did
back when they had first spooned like this, showing her what it felt like
to lay with someone.  He looked forward to many, many nights spent sleeping
like this.

   "James?" She asked softly, smiling a little.

   "Yeah?"

   "We're free now." She said, squeezing his hands and pressing against him
a little tighter.

   "Yeah." He answered, smiling as well.

   *****
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