The Beauty is in the Walking By: afg – www.ofnoconsequence.com Rating: PG-13 Category: Sam/Pete angst Spoilers: 'Twas the night before 'New Order' part one Disclaimer – Not mine and no money is being made Feedback: Great! afg@ofnoconsequence.com ~oOo~ "But the beauty is in the walking, we are betrayed by destinations" - Gwynn Thomas ~oOo~ The muscles in her shoulders were bunched in little knots. He kneaded the pale flesh, the heels of his hands releasing the tension; he heard her let go a long sigh. He loved her back. It was long and curved like some carefully crafted musical instrument. It had blemishes and scars but seemed all the more beautiful for that. "Feel good?" He asked, shifting a little so as not to put too much of his weight on her legs. "Mmmm, feels great." "Yes, you certainly do." He dipped his head and ran his tongue along a thin snaking scar just underneath her shoulder blades. He felt her squirm beneath him. He sat up again and ran his hands down the length of her back. His fingers spread as they journeyed over the hills and valleys of her ribcage. His hands met at the small of her back before coming to rest on her bottom. He bent once more and kissed the nape of her neck. "Turn over." His voice was quite but commanding. He sat up so she could comply. He saw her looking up at him, her eyes looked huge in the low light. "You're beautiful." He smiled to see her skin flush at the compliment. He found it strange that she was so comfortable lying here naked with him, yet she blushed every time said anything nice about her, even if it was a comment about her omelettes. He ran the tips of his fingers over her collarbones then down between the valley of her breasts, until his hands spanned her waist. She was lithe and fey, she made him feel oafish, clumsy, a Caliban to her Ariel. "I love you." He almost gasped as he said the words. They had surprised him. He watched her face for her reaction and saw tears well up in her eyes. "Oops, I was hoping to work that into the conversation a little better." She smiled at him, but it wasn't one of her sunburst smiles that he loved to coax out of her. They had been few and far between of late and he wondered if he'd made this declaration tonight out of desperation. She'd been so far away from him lately. He wanted her back the way she'd been when they'd first met. Weren't they meant to be getting closer as time went by? "Have I made a complete ass of myself?" He tried to make the question sound light-hearted but he couldn't help the desperate hope seeping in. God he was so pathetic when it came to this woman. He'd never felt like this about anyone. He wanted her so much yet even when she was here, lying with him, he never really felt he had her. Instead of answering him she ran her hands up his forearms. The hairs stood to attention like an honour guard as she passed. "Come here." She whispered Pete covered her with his body and let her kiss him. Her fingers cool at the nape of his neck. He could do nothing else but respond, even though he knew this was a tactic to distract him. He was hopelessly in love with her, but he wasn't a fool. There was a brief but pleasurable struggle for dominance then she relaxed and let him take over. He liked to feel he was in control of at least some part of their relationship and he suspected that she knew it. He kissed her until they were breathless. He could taste the Shiraz they'd drunk at dinner. Her mouth was soft and warm; her tongue slid against his own in welcome. He felt her hands smooth over his spine. He left her lips to kiss her throat and her neck arched to let him roam more freely. He heard her hiss with pleasure as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. The world slipped away as he loved her. Time was measured by soft sighs and softer skin. Rigid flesh met pliant heat and he was lost to the rhythm. Strong arms and thighs held him as he strained and shuddered above her. Gentle fingers stroked through his sweaty hair as he rested his head on her breast. "Sam, what's wrong?" He felt empty and unaccountably alone. "Nothing's wrong." "You're not here." "Pete, I don't know what you want." She sounded defensive. He rolled off her and onto his back with a sigh. "We just made love, Sam but you weren't here, not really." She turned to her side and put her hand on his chest. "Oh, I was definitely here." She tried to joke. He turned his head to look at her. "Don't!" he sat up, suddenly angry. "Don't, lie to me. I get enough evasion from you about your life without you doing it in bed. Can we just have one place where you get to tell me the truth?" He felt a complete bastard when he saw the look of defeat on her face. "Okay, Pete. You want the truth? I wasn't going to tell you. I figured you'd be better of not knowing." "What?" Pete felt panic clutch his chest. "I'm going away on a mission." Pete nodded he knew she went on some dangerous missions. God knows he'd seen enough of the damage on her body in the brief time they'd been together. He looked in her eyes and suddenly understood. "You're really not expecting to come back, are you?" His chest heaved with the sudden need for oxygen. "Christ, Sam…what the hell do they have you doing now? Haven't you done enough?" Sam sat up and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know I can't tell you." Pete put his arms around her and laid them both back down. "It must be pretty damn important." "It is to me." He knew then that it must involve a member of her team. Her loyalty new no fucking bounds when it came to her team Real resentment oozed through his body. He wondered what he'd have to do to get her to feel that way about him. "Don't go." Christ, he sounded needy. "Please, Pete, don't make it harder than it already is." "I can't help it, Sam. What am I supposed to do?" "I don't know. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do and I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you." He cupped her face in his large hands and held her watery gaze. "I'll tell you what you'll do. You'll fucking come back, okay?" He watched as she closed her eyes and she kissed him gently on his mouth. She rested her cheek against his; he felt her breath tickle his ear. "Okay." He wrapped his arms around her and held on. It was the only thing he could do. The end.