**Part Twenty-Six**

Word Count: 1,394
This is for the LJ community 50_baby_fics Prompt #46-Loving

He stopped a ways out, got out and looked the transport over. The only device he found on it was theirs. He waved the contraption over every inch of it just to be safe in the event they hid something he wouldn't spot with his eyes. He doubted it, because they probably weren't counting on River getting away with him.

"Why have we stopped?"

He took his seat behind the wheel. "Because, woman, I haven't had a chance to look at you for myself to know you're in one piece and it's a ways yet back to the ship."

"It cannot wait?"

"No, it cannot wait."

She turned to look at him then, giving him that look. The one that was nearly always his undoing. More than one person had laid claim to the emotion of love pertaining to what he felt for her. He'd never denied it aloud, but he'd been fairly quick to dismiss such a thing as being based on fact. People saw what they wanted to see. Married people were, in theory anyway, supposed to be in love.

He took hold of her waist, causing her to shriek and then laugh so she knew he wasn't trying to hurt her.

"So, now, here we are, let me get a good look at you."

"It could wait until we get back to the ship."

"Could. But everyone's going to want to hear about your ordeal, 'cluding myself." He worked the hem of her dress up. "Christ, no underwear?"

"They would not let me change so I did without."

"I had a dream about you this morning."

"You did?" There was a smile not just on her face but in her eyes, too. Little minx already knew what he was thinking, but was going to make him say it anyway.

"Yes, one that made me feel like a dirty, bad man," he slid a finger inside of her just like he'd done in the dream. "Allow me to demonstrate," he murmured as her eyes clouded over as they always did when he touched her, loved her.

His other hand worked the fastenings of his pants while her body moved against his finger, now joined by a second one.

"I love watching you do that," he murmured, already harder than hell. She had a way of taking his fingers inside of her that made it look both erotic and graceful, two things he'd never put together until making love with her. "But I've got more important parts to slide inside of you."

"You do?" She braced herself on his shoulders and did exactly as he'd hoped.

"Yes," he hissed as she sheathed herself over him. She didn't waste no time either. Quick, hard, deep she took him in with the same urgency he seemed to feel. Hard to believe a mere nine months ago she had a hard time taking him in. "I'll make this up to you later, bao bay, but right now I need you like I haven't needed anything before."

His mouth found hers and he kissed her deeply, pulling away when he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"I thought I'd lost you. You understand that? You understand how that made me feel?"

She stilled slightly, as if not sure he wanted to continue or not.

"No, no, bao bay, keep going. I need to be inside of you right now. That's my point. I need this, connecting with you, to know you're here, you're real." She bowed her back against his hands so he could lift the dress higher, exposing her breasts to him which he readily took advantage of. He groaned softly at the taste of her, spilling freely into his mouth. He hadn't even really sucked.

"It's been so long. They're full," she whispered, sounding apologetic.

"Am I complaining? Just wasn't expecting is all. I reckon fair's fair, you taste me. If it's good enough for little Mal who am I to thumb my nose at such an offering."

She cried out when he latched on this time, cupping her ass with his free hand so he could thrust harder inside of her. He felt her clench around him as he switched from one breast to the other.

"Could do that for hours and it wouldn't be enough right now."

"I'm sorry, bao bay," he murmured, drawing away. He grazed the swell of a breast with his cheek, mindful of the fact it'd been a while since he'd shaved. His other hand slid along her hip, between her legs to the sensitive spot he knew she was waiting for him to touch. He held off, refrained, needing to finish saying what was on his mind.

"River," he murmured overlapping her "Mal."

"You first," he whispered.

"No, no, go ahead."

"Ain't never told you this, anyone for that matter. And I don't reckon I knew exactly this was where my mind and heart had gone until this. Though everyone else seemed to know. And I ain't the type to say it at every turn neither, but Christ I love you."

Silence.

Well, that wasn't what he'd expected.

"Dong-ma?"

"I know," she whispered, looking at him, and he saw tears in her eyes. Was that good? Was your girl supposed to cry when you said such a thing? "Yes, it's good. And, yes, those who've been waiting for an eternity for you to figure it out cry when it finally occurs to you that is how you feel."

He had no idea what to say to that. Had that been what the looks had been for? Like he knew anything about feelings and using his heart to control anything about his life.

She cradled his head in her hands and kissed him, dipping her tongue into his mouth so unlike him thrusting inside of her elsewhere it was her doing so with their mouths. She grazed his jaw with kisses then his neck and ear.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

"I definitely owe you a long tumble later," he murmured. "Your turn, you were going to say something."

She drew back a little. "I should tell you that my body is at the optimum point for fertilization to occur."

"Come again?"

"Egg has been released."

He was sure there was something there that was supposed to make sense to him. It just wasn't computing. That probably had something to do with being buried deep inside a woman he'd just come to realize meant an awful lot to him.

"There is a good chance I will get pregnant should we continue."

"Oh," he said simply. "You can tell that?"

"Yes, body's temperature rises and other variables."

"Huh." He thought on that a minute. "You're telling me this because you don't want to get pregnant?"

"I don't know if you want me to get pregnant."

"bao bay, we've been rather active the past few months. If I was worried about that I wouldn't have been burying myself in you every chance I got once I knew you were all right."

"Is that a yes?"

He shook his head with a low chuckle. Figuring he didn't need to answer her this time with words. His mouth found hers and he didn't move it again until they'd both reached their climax. He drew away, lowering his mouth to the underside of her breast, nipping the sensitive skin there.

"I suppose it's a little late now to ask if they hurt you?"

She laughed then, rolling her hips against him getting the last few thrusts out of him she could get. "No, they didn't do anything to me."

"We can wait until we get back to Serenity, more than likely the whole crew will want to hear. You can tell them, and then we can head back to our bunk and work on this…What'd you call it again?"

"Optimum point for fertilization."

"I think trying for a baby sounds a little better. Little less scientific. Already have one that was done from science."

She scrunched her nose and scooted off of him, not straying far from his side though. "Is the man sated enough to return home now?"

"For the time being."

She lifted her head, letting him see her smile. "Then we'd best head there."

"I reckon so, bao bay, I reckon so. Hopefully, Wash has those engines revved and ready to go."

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com