Fic: Always

[stillxmyxheart]

Title: Always
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Rating: R (sex)
Genre: Fluff, Romance, Family, Smut
Word Count: 11,860
Characters/Pairings: David, Juliet, Madison, Hannah, Eli, Chris, Ben, Madison, Karen, Stuart, Miriam, Adam, Val, Ezra, brief appearances by John, Elizabeth, and Harry (Hannah/Eli, David/Juliet, Ben/Madison, Karen/Stuart,

Adam/Miriam, Ezra/Val, John/Elizabeth)

A/N: I feel like this fic has been a long time coming XD


David looks up at the sound of footsteps and smiles when Juliet and Madison start down the stairs.

"You both look beautiful," he murmurs, sliding an arm around Madison's shoulders and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Madison smiles back at him, squeezing him with an arm around his waist, and then steps away when Juliet moves towards him. They kiss and Juliet raises her eyebrows when they pull apart.

"Wait until you see your daughter."

David gives a slightly breathless laugh and Juliet grins as she looks up the stairs. "Han? Sweetie? Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Hannah calls back.

Juliet and Madison move into the kitchen and there are quick footsteps as Hannah's friend Kelsey, who is doing the photography for the wedding, comes downstairs, exchanging a smile with David as she passes him.

David lowers his head and takes a few deep, steadying breaths, aware of Kelsey quietly snapping a couple of pictures of him.

A moment later he hears soft footsteps and a quiet rustle of fabric and takes another breath before raising his head. Hannah's at the top of the stairs, smiling gently, and David's breath catches, tears immediately welling in his eyes. He can't speak as she starts towards him, admiring the lace of her dress and the pink sash around her waist, thinking to himself that letting her design her own wedding dress was the right decision.

"Baby," he finally breathes when she reaches the bottom of the stairs. "You look gorgeous."

She giggles softly, her eyes shining a little. "Thanks, Daddy."

"Let me see your hair."

She grins as she turns and he smiles when he sees the thin pink and yellow ribbons woven through the braid that circles the back of her head, the rest of her hair falling in soft curls down her bare back. He's a little surprised that her dress reveals so much skin, but it's still tasteful and he can't help feeling happy that she has so much confidence now.

"Gorgeous," he murmurs again. "I am sad that I couldn't braid it for your wedding, but I know there's no way I would have gotten it right."

Hannah raises her eyebrows as she turns to face him. "The days of you braiding my hair are far from over."

David laughs and nods, resting his hands on her arms as he kisses her forehead.

"Ready?" he asks softly when he pulls back.

"Are you?" she counters, the corner of her mouth rising.

"Yes," he answers sincerely, and her smile widens.

They move into the kitchen where Juliet hands Hannah her flowers, a bouquet of white lilies and pink roses, and then picks up the two smaller bouquets of pink and yellow roses to pass one to Madison.

"Everybody ready?" she asks, smiling as she looks at David and Hannah.

They nod, smiling back as they link their arms together, and Juliet turns to pull open the back door, signaling the start of the music.

Hannah knows she'll never forget the look on Eli's face the first time he sees her, something like pure awe before his lips curve into a wide smile, blue eyes shining with sudden tears.

"Beautiful," he whispers when Hannah is in front of him, just loud enough for her to hear, and she smiles, mouthing, "I love you."

From then on, everything is a bit of blur until Harry pronounces them husband and wife, and the applause is uproarious as they kiss, Eli's arms sliding around Hannah's waist as hers circle his neck.

They make their way down the aisle and into the house, closing themselves up in David's office to steal a quick, quiet moment together.

"God, you look gorgeous," Eli murmurs, his eyes traveling down Hannah's dress.

"And you look so handsome," she replies, smiling as she lifts her hand to his tie.

The light streaming through the windows catches her rings, making them glitter brilliantly, and her smile widens as she looks at them before meeting his eyes.

"We're married now," she whispers. "You're my husband."

Eli grins, pulling her close with his hands on her hips. "And you're my wife."

"Always?"

"Pretty sure that was the promise," he murmurs, lifting his hand to gently run his fingers along one curled section of her hair. "I don't plan on breaking it."

"Me neither." She pushes on her toes to kiss him, her lips curving when his hand slides under her hair to gently squeeze the back of her neck.

"Let me see you," he murmurs when the kiss breaks. "Turn around."

She obliges, smiling again when she feels his fingers on her hair, carefully touching the braids and letting the ribbons slide through his fingers before taking her hair in his hands. His fingertips brush against her back as his hands move down and her eyes drift closed, her mind taking her back three years, the two of them in the kitchen on her birthday and his hands on her hair after fastening her hummingbird necklace. It had been the first time they'd shared that kind of intimacy and the feel of his fingers on her back now makes her take a shallow breath just as it did back then.

His hands continue down to the bow at the small of her back and she feels him run the ends of the sash through his fingers, just skimming the curve of her backside.

A beat later she feels the tips of his fingers tracing the thinner pink ribbon woven up the sides of the back of her dress and she smiles when he pushes her hair to the side and touches a kiss to her shoulder; that's definitely not part of the memory.

With a sigh she turns to kiss his lips, feeling both of his hands on her back now, fingertips lightly caressing her skin, and she presses against him, gripping his tie in her fingers and almost wishing they could go home right now.

The kiss lingers a moment longer and then she pulls away with another quiet sigh. "Okay, guess we have to get back out there before someone comes looking for us, and I don't want our first sex as a married couple to be a quickie in Dad's office." Eli snorts and she grins. "Plus I wanted to do pictures before we ate."

"Before?" Eli repeats, sounding disappointed.

Hannah arches an eyebrow. "I'm not doing it after and risking you having food on your shirt in our wedding pictures."

Eli snorts again and nods as he takes Hannah's hand, and they leave the room together.

After spending time taking pictures both in and out of the house, during which time Hannah and Eli get to greet the rest of their family that came - Karen and her boyfriend Stuart, Adam and Miriam, and Ezra and Val - Hannah and Eli finally get to load up plates of the food laid out by Isabelle and her fellow caterers. They head outside to join Ben, Madison, and Chris at one of the tables set up on the lawn, smiling and greeting more of their guests before settling into their chairs.

"Forget getting married, this is the moment Eli's been waiting for all day," Ben murmurs as he watches Eli attack his plate of food.

"Shut up," Eli retorts after swallowing a bite of potato. "I was too anxious to eat breakfast and now I'm starving."

When the meal dies down, the leader of the small band steps up to the microphone, smiling as he looks over at Hannah and Eli and announces it's time for their first dance.

Eli stands and reaches for Hannah's hand. There isn't a proper dance floor, just a cleared section of lawn, and Eli leads her to the middle as the band begins to play 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'.

Hannah hums happily as Eli pulls her to him with an arm around her waist and takes her hand in his. Her head rests against his and they begin to dance.

"If you want the truth," he murmurs, his mouth close to her ear, "this is the moment I've been waiting for all day. Getting to dance together for the first time as husband and wife."

Hannah smiles, her hand tightening on Eli's shoulder. "It is nice."

They're quiet for a few moments and then Hannah speaks again. "You remember the first time we danced to this song?"

"Like I could forget," Eli replies, a smile in his voice.

"I never told you this, but that was when I realized I loved you."

"Yeah?" Eli murmurs, pulling back so he can meet Hannah's eyes. She nods and the corner of his mouth rises. "For me, it was a little sooner than that."

Hannah's lips curve and her hand slides to the back of Eli's neck as he dips his head to kiss her.

The song ends to applause a few minutes later and Hannah and Eli smile as they pull apart, hands joined between them as they turn to face their guests.

David raises his eyebrows as he steps forward. "If you don't mind, Eli, I'd like to dance with my daughter now."

"Not at all," Eli murmurs, giving Hannah's fingers a squeeze before he lets her go and walks back over to the table.

'Blackbird' begins to play, not from the band but from a track on a CD, and Hannah laughs softly as David reaches for her hand and pulls her close.

"Still can't believe you're married now," he murmurs.

"Me neither," she replies, giggling quietly.

David smiles. "I'm so proud of you, baby. And I don't mean for getting married, but for everything that led you to this. For going through what you've been through and coming out so much stronger on the other side." His eyes slowly brighten as he looks at her and then he smiles again, wider. "You've truly become a remarkable woman, and I don't think I've ever been prouder of you."

Hannah smiles back, her eyes shining with sudden tears. "Thank you, Daddy."

David bends forward to kiss her forehead and Hannah leans into him, resting her head on his chest as she slides her arm around his middle.

When the song ends, David and Hannah leave to make room for Eli and Miriam, and Hannah smiles as she watches them dance.

Finally the floor opens to all couples and Eli pulls Hannah out for several more dances. She ends up dancing with David, John, Harry, and Ben, and after sharing a giggly dance with Madison, Hannah retreats to her seat to rest for a few minutes.

Another slow song is playing and everyone's coupled up. John and Elizabeth seem to be in one of their 'on again' phases and Hannah grins when John dips Elizabeth, both of them laughing when he pulls her back up.

Hannah's gaze drifts to Eli and she bites her lip as she watches him dance with one of Harry's young granddaughters, his grip firm on the little girl's hands as she stands on his feet. She can't stop herself from imagining Eli teaching their own little girl to dance one day and she allows herself a moment with this thought before she looks away.

David and Juliet are swaying together, seemingly off in their own little world, and Hannah's smile widens as her gaze shifts from them to Ben and Madison just as Ben touches a soft kiss to the side of Madison's head.

Hannah can see the contentment in Madison's smile and it makes her stomach flip a little. She's not sure if she's seen Madison happier in any of her previous relationships and she finds herself hoping that maybe Ben is the one for her. Not necessarily someone to settle down with, but someone who can give her the love she needs, while also letting her maintain her freedom and independence. Ben likes his own freedom and independence, and Hannah's pretty sure that he and Madison are perfect for each other. She just hopes that Madison won't screw it up this time.

After a few more seconds of watching them, her gaze shifts from the people dancing to Chris, who's sitting a few seats down from her. His gaze is on Ben and Madison as well, his expression almost wistful, and while Hannah knows he's over Madison, she's sure that the wedding atmosphere and all of the couples around him aren't helping with his loneliness.

"Hey, Christopher," she says softly, smiling when he looks over at her.

"Hey, Hannie," he replies, giving her a small smile in return.

"You know," she murmurs, raising her eyebrows, "I think I owe you a dance."

He laughs quietly and nods. "Or two."

Still smiling, she stands and steps over to him, holding out her hand. "Come on then."

Chris grins and takes her hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet, and they move to join the crowd on the lawn.

"You look gorgeous, Hannie," Chris says, his smile softer as he looks at her.

"Thanks, Christopher. You look pretty dapper yourself; I love the yellow on you."

He pulls his hand from her waist to tug at his tie and grins when she giggles, his hand falling to her waist again.

"Sorry if I seem all mopey," he says. "I'm really trying not to be, this isn't a day to be all gloomy and depressing, but I just keep - thinking, you know. Wishing. I know it's been over a year since she left me, and I've been getting better at forgetting about her, but I guess on a day like today..."

"I know. I went to Juliet's brother's wedding a couple of months after Seth and I broke up, and even though at that point the idea of marrying Seth was probably the furthest thing from my mind, being single at a wedding isn't really fun and I sort of found myself wishing he was there." She arches an eyebrow. "That's probably why I spent a good portion of the reception making out with Juliet's cousin."

"Why, Hannie," Chris says, his eyebrows shooting up. "I'm surprised at you."

"Shut up," she giggles. "He was cute and nice and sweet and didn't act all skeevy and try to pressure me into doing anything else, which, given that we were at a hotel, was very commendable. I mean, it came up, but I said no, and that was it. What can I say; he was a good guy to kiss for a few hours. Plus he was a cop, and apparently I have a thing for men in authority."

"I'm just not even going to say anything," Chris says, pressing his lips together as he shakes his head.

Hannah giggles again and Chris grins as he touches a kiss to the side of her head.

When the dance is over, Chris bends to kiss her cheek and then goes off to steal Madison from Ben. Hannah stands alone for a moment and then smiles when she sees her mother approach Eli for a dance. Just as he agrees, Stuart steps up to Hannah, smiling as he holds out his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Hannah smiles and nods. "Sure."

They move out to the clearing and Hannah looks up at him, still smiling. "I'm glad you could make it."

Stuart shrugs. "I wanted to come. I've gotten to know you a little bit over the last year, both from meeting you and things your mom's told me, and as far as pseudo-stepdaughters go, you're pretty great."

Hannah laughs as he grins. "Well, I guess the same can be said for pseudo-stepfathers."

Karen and Stuart have been together for a year now, and Hannah likes him a lot. He's a good guy, divorced with three kids of his own, and from almost the moment she met him, Hannah was comfortable with him, unlike that one disastrous meeting with one of her mother's other boyfriends.

While Hannah doesn't see another marriage in the cards for her mother, she can tell that Karen is happy with Stuart, and hopes that maybe she finally found her Eli.

When the song ends, Stuart thanks her with a brief kiss on the cheek and then turns to head towards Karen, who's just stepped away from Eli. Hannah smiles as she watches them, pleased at the way Stuart's hand rises to Karen's back as they walk over to their table.

Hannah's attention is pulled by Eli walking towards her and her smile widens.

"Hey, babe," he murmurs. "Tired of dancing yet?"

"Yes and no. I'm tired in general, but the dancing is fun. Are you asking if I want to do more?"

"No, I thought maybe we'd sit down and I could hold you in my lap and act all possessive to anybody who comes looking for another dance so you could rest for a little bit."

Hannah giggles and Eli grins as he slides his arm around her waist and leads her back to their table.

The cake cutting is a short while later, and Chris jokes loudly, "Is there a paramedic on standby?"

"You better hope so," Eli retorts, miming throwing the knife at him.

As the reception wears on, the party becomes a little wilder, everyone a little tipsy off the alcohol, even Hannah.

At one point, she's leaning against Ben after dancing with him, her back against his chest, and his fingertips are idly caressing one bare shoulder, his lips brushing against the other as he looks at Eli. Eli's on one side of Hannah, his hand resting on her stomach as he talks animatedly with Ben, while Madison is on her other side, the girls' fingers linked loosely together as they talk.

David frowns as he stares at the four of them and turns to Juliet. "What's up with that?"

"With what?" she replies, looking at him over the edge of her wine glass.

"Ben and Hannah. I mean, look at him. And she's not doing anything to stop him, and Eli's standing right there."

"If it doesn't bother Eli, then I suggest you don't let it bother you," Juliet says, raising her eyebrows.

There's still a slight furrow in David's brow and Juliet looks away to hide her smile as she takes another sip of wine.

Eventually Hannah and Eli are ready to leave and they go around to talk to a few select people before they go, starting with David and Juliet.

"Okay, sweetheart," David says, smiling as he kisses Hannah's cheek. "We'll see you tomorrow afternoon to take you guys to the airport, and I promise we'll have your gifts to you when you get back."

"Thanks, Daddy," she replies, pulling him into a hug before moving to talk to Juliet.

"Thanks for everything, David," Eli says, smiling as he shakes David's hand.

"Absolutely my pleasure. I know I've said this to you a bunch of times, but I'm still so happy that you came into her life. The difference between who she was when you two met and who she is now is just... night and day, and that's partly because of you, and I mean that in the best way possible. You're everything to her, and she's everything to me, and I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm really happy you're my son-in-law now, and that I love you."

Eli smiles broadly, touched. "I love you too, David, and I'm really happy you're my father-in-law. I have two great dads now, I feel pretty lucky for that."

David laughs and nods as he pulls Eli into a hug.

Hannah and Eli go to find his parents next and Miriam smiles as she hugs Hannah tightly. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart. I'm not sure if I've said that yet."

"Thank you," Hannah says, laughing quietly as she pulls back. "I'm happy to be in it."

Adam hugs Hannah next and she squeals when he lifts her off the ground, laughing in surprise as she clings to his neck.

"I'm sorry for my exuberance," he says as he sets her down again. "I'm just really happy to have a daughter now, and even happier that she's a doctor."

Hannah laughs. "I'm not really a doctor -"

"Close enough," Adam says, waving his hand, making Hannah laugh again.

"Have a good time in Italy," Miriam says, her arm around Eli's waist as they step up to Adam and Hannah.

"Oh, I'm sure they will," Adam says, waggling his eyebrows and then grunting when Miriam smacks his stomach.

"Call us when you get there, and then when you get home. We'd love for you guys to come up to see us when you get back, Ezra and Val are actually staying in the US for a couple more weeks, they're going to Connecticut with us tomorrow, so it'd be great if we could all spend some time together again before they head back to Paris."

"Yeah, that'd definitely be great," Hannah says, nodding. "I think we could swing a weekend."

"Okay, then we'll talk to you soon," Miriam replies, stepping forward to kiss and hug Hannah and Eli one last time.

They find Ezra and Val next, hugging them both tightly and thanking them for coming all the way from Paris. Hannah thanks them again for the earrings they gave her for Christmas, smiling and nodding when Val says they go perfectly with her dress, and they all hug once more, Hannah and Eli promising to come up to see Ezra and Val while they're in Connecticut.

Karen and Stuart are next, and Hannah hugs Karen tightly.

"Thank you so much for coming, Mom," Hannah murmurs. "Ten years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed of inviting you to my wedding, and now I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm happy to be here," Karen says, smiling when they pull apart. "I think I'll always be a little sad about the circumstances that led to it, but I am really glad you and I have a real relationship now. Maybe not quite a perfect mother/daughter one, but a relationship nonetheless."

Hannah nods with a smile and then moves to Stuart as Eli shifts to hug Karen.

After promising they'll come to New York for a visit soon, Hannah and Eli are finally able to leave, dashing out the front door in a flurry of cheers and bubbles.

There's only one thought in their minds when they get home and they hurry up the stairs once the front door is closed and locked behind them.

Hannah giggles when Eli pulls her to him, her arms circling his neck as he kisses her hungrily, his arms tight around her.

"Let me get my dress off," she whispers during a brief lull.

"No, wait," Eli replies, his lips curving. "I want to do something that I have literally been fantasizing about all day."

"Oh, really?" Hannah asks with a quirk of an eyebrow.

Eli grins and nods, kissing her again as he guides her towards the bed. She drops to sit, tipping her head up to look at him, and he pauses for just a moment to stare down at her, suddenly awed by how beautiful she is. She looks just as perfect as she did walking down the aisle a few hours ago and he smiles as he lifts his hand to her cheek, gently sweeping his thumb over her skin. She smiles back and he bends to kiss her before sinking to his knees in front of her.

Comprehension dawns and her smile widens as she leans back, propping on her hands as he pulls her shoes off and carefully starts to ease her skirt up, pressing kisses to her legs as he moves higher and higher.

Eventually her dress is bunched around her hips and he smiles when he sees her panties, white lace and barely there. His hands slide up to her hips as he touches feather light kisses to the insides of her thighs and he hooks his fingers over the sides of her panties, leaning back as he tugs them from her hips.

The tiny scrap of lace gets tossed over his shoulder and he leans forward again, hands splayed over her thighs as he pushes her legs apart. She's so wet, maybe has been for hours, just as he fought an extremely inopportune erection all afternoon as thoughts of tonight and this very moment kept running through his head. He's not fighting it now though and he feels a sharp throb low in his stomach as he leans even closer to her, the smell of her arousal making his pants even more uncomfortable.

It can wait, though. The fantasy of going down on her in her wedding dress has been pervasive all day, ever since he saw her in it, and it's all he wants to do right now.

Her fingers thread in his hair and he finally touches his mouth to her, opening wide and making her gasp as his tongue moves hard against her.

Hannah stares down at him, fingers tight in his hair as she watches the movements of his head, feeling the expert motion of his tongue and mouth as he licks and sucks at her. Though she doesn't really have much to compare it to, she's certain that nobody could ever do this to her better than Eli. Certainly not Seth, who gave her such a complex about it that she wouldn't let Madison do it when they had sex, and not even Ben, though he definitely holds that second place position. Only Eli knows all the little things that make her squirm and whimper and swear, make her writhe on the bed and tug hard on his hair as he makes love to her with his mouth.

The fact that they're married now only seems to make it better and her mouth falls open when he grips her thigh tightly with his left hand, hard enough that she can feel his wedding ring pressing into her skin. Her own rings glitter in the dim lighting, contrasting with his dark hair, and finally she falls back on the bed, gripping the sheets in her fingers as her hips rise against his mouth.

Dimly she worries about damaging her dress, but then she's coming hard, her heel digging into Eli's back as she arches off the bed, her cries filling the room.

Eli's hands find hers, weaving their fingers together, and she holds on tight, her orgasm still pulsing through her.

Slowly her body calms and she sags back against the bed, eyes closed as she continues to hold Eli's fingers. She takes a deep breath and opens her eyes when she feels him shift. He's smiling as he leans over her and she lets go of his hands to pull him to her for a kiss.

"Okay," he murmurs when it breaks, "now we need to get you out of this dress."

She grins and nods, and he straightens to pull her to her feet. He kisses her lips and then turns her around, his hands dropping to first untie the sash around her waist. He tosses it carefully on his dresser and brings his hand up to brush her hair aside, leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of her neck as his fingers pluck apart the ribbon holding the top of her dress together.

"It's like unwrapping my favorite present," he murmurs, lips brushing against her skin and making her grin again, biting down on her bottom lip as his fingertips skim over her bare back.

The dress falls loose around her, though it doesn't yet come off, and his hands slide under her dress, his arms circling her waist as he kisses between her shoulder blades, his tongue on her skin making her moan.

Finally he pulls his arms from around her, his hands dropping to tug on the short zipper at the small of her back and it falls from her body, landing on the floor in a puddle of lace. She steps carefully out of it, backing up a step before turning to face Eli again. He takes her face in his hands to kiss her lips, and then one hand slowly starts a path down her neck to her chest, pausing on her breast.

Eli breaks the kiss, frowning as he looks down, and then bursts out laughing.

"What is this?" he asks, running his thumb over the white strip curving around the outside of her breast.

"Shut up," she says, giggling. "It's double stick tape; I didn't want to take any chances with my dress."

"You are the cutest," he murmurs, lips curving as he leans forward to kiss her.

After carefully peeling the tape from her skin and dropping it to the floor, her hands rise to his tie, the corner of her mouth rising as she tugs it loose.

"Now it's my turn to fulfill a fantasy," she murmurs, sliding it from around his neck and wrapping it around her hand.

Eli grins as she sinks onto the bed and hurries to undress as she scoots back against the pillows, watching as she teases herself with his tie, letting the end of it drift over her skin.

Once he's naked he climbs onto the bed, settling between her thighs as he bends his head to kiss her. He eases the tie from her fingers and her hands rise over her head, allowing him to weave the tie around her wrists before tying them to one of the slats in the headboard. He tugs on it to make sure it's secure and then looks down at her, his eyebrows raised.

"That okay?"

She nods, smiling up at him, and he smiles back as he shifts to lie beside her, his hand rising to her cheek as he kisses her. Slowly his kisses move to her neck, along with his hand, and she sighs at the sensation.

It took a lot of time and patience for her to be comfortable with this, but the night they finally fulfilled this fantasy of hers for the first time, using his spare handcuffs, still stands out in her mind as one of the best moments of their relationship. Since then they've used his handcuffs more than once, and his ties or her scarves on other occasions, and now she loves nothing more than to let him tie her hands to the bed and do what he wants to her, let him make her beg him to make her come. She loves being at his mercy, because she trusts him completely and knows he would never hurt her.

His hand drifts to her breast and she moans as he kneads the soft swell, squeezing gently before sharply pinching her nipple. She squeaks and then giggles breathlessly, seeing his grin as he lowers his mouth to her other breast.

A delicious sense of frustration wells within her, wanting to thread her fingers in his hair and guide his head, and she moans as he continues his ministrations on her breasts, his hand on one and his mouth on the other.

After a few more moments of this, his hand slides down her body, pushing her thighs apart so he can rub her, his fingers sliding over her clit and between her folds, spreading her arousal over her skin.

"Fuck," she gasps, her eyes closing and her head tipping back as he spreads her open and slides two fingers inside, fucking her with his fingers as his mouth licks and sucks at her breast.

Her hands strain against the silk of his tie and she whimpers his name, thrusting her hips in time with his fingers.

"What do you want, babe?" he whispers, his breath hot on her skin as he flicks his tongue over her nipple.

"I want to come," she breathes.

"Say it," he murmurs, twisting his fingers inside of her and tugging at her nipple with his teeth, making her gasp sharply.

"Oh god," she moans, and then whimpers when his fingers suddenly stop moving.

"Say it, Hannah," he growls, and she almost comes from that alone.

"Pl - please, Eli, oh god."

His hand moves up to press his fingers to her clit and he rubs in quick, small circles, breathing, "Mine," over and over against her neck until she comes with a sharp, loud cry, trapping his hand between her legs.

It's a few moments before her body relaxes, her legs falling open and letting Eli slide his hand up to her stomach as he kisses her.

"You want your hands?" he asks softly.

"No," she mumbles, kissing him again. "I want you."

Smiling, he lifts himself over her, settling on his knees between her legs. His hands slide underneath her to lift her hips and he slowly pushes inside of her, loving the way she sucks air in through her teeth before her mouth falls open.

He leans forward when he's in all the way, kissing her as he starts to move. She kisses him back hungrily, still wanting to slide her fingers into his hair, but at the same time loving how she feels just a little bit helpless.

The movement of his hips is quick and almost rough, slamming into her as he drags his tongue over her neck up to her ear. He nips at her earlobe and she whimpers softly, her hands shifting to grip the slat of the headboard in her fingers.

It's then that she realizes just how hard he's fucking her because the headboard is bouncing against the wall, and it hurts her fingers, but she doesn't want to let go, needs something to hold on to since she can't hold on to him.

"Babe -"

"Eli -"

His teeth suddenly sink into the curve of her shoulder and she cries out in surprise, her orgasm hitting her right at the same time. He comes a second later, spilling into her with a loud groan against her shoulder, and they keep moving a few beats longer, locked together with her legs tight around his waist.

Eventually Eli pushes up, raising his hand to brush her hair back. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she replies softly, "it just surprised me. You've never bitten me that hard."

"Guess I got a little carried away," he says sheepishly, his gaze dropping to the bright red bite mark on her shoulder.

"My little vampire," she says with a giggle, and he grins as he dips his head to touch a light kiss to the mark.

"Untie me now," she says, twisting her hands a little. "My arms are starting to hurt."

"Oh, sorry, babe." Eli pushes up to untie her wrists, tossing his tie to the floor as she lowers her arms. He looks at her hands when he settles beside her again and frowns when he sees her knuckles are also bright red and even a little bloody in a couple of small spots. He twists to turn his lamp on and then takes one of her hands in his, staring at her knuckles.

"Babe? Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"

A quiet laugh slips from her. "No, that's from the wall. I had my hands around the slat in the headboard and, well, you were going pretty hard."

"I'm sorry," he murmurs, lifting her hands to his lips so he can kiss her knuckles.

"It's okay," she says, smiling at his concern. "Totally worth it."

He grins and leans down to kiss her before turning onto his back, pulling her to him with his arm around her shoulders.

"So now you're probably going to have bruised knuckles and a nice little mark on your shoulder for a while," he murmurs, the fingers of one hand lightly stroking her shoulder while his other hand rubs along her arm where it lies over his stomach. "So much for sex getting boring after marriage."

His lips curve as she giggles and he turns his head to kiss the top of hers, letting his mouth rest against her hair, wanting to just be close to her.

"I have lingerie I bought just for tonight," she murmurs after a minute, "but now I don't know if I have the energy to put it on."

"It can wait. The night is relatively young, and so are we. Plus we'll have time tomorrow."

"True. Though you know most of tomorrow will be me fretting over making sure everything is packed and that we have our passports and money and stuff."

"Followed by me calming you down."

"This is why we work."

"Mmhmm," Eli murmurs, smiling. "I love you, wife."

Hannah giggles and tips her head up to look at him. "I love you too, husband."

They wake up the next morning just before ten and Eli pulls Hannah down as she starts to get out of bed.

"IHOP for breakfast?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Eli, I have to check everything -"

"Babe, our flight isn't until three," he says with a quiet laugh. "It's not quite ten now, it'll be what, an hour to eat total, including getting there and back, and then you'll have plenty of time to check everything and make sure we're all put together. Plus you need to eat, so come on."

"Okay, okay," she murmurs, her mouth twisting as she looks at him.

They hurry to get dressed, Hannah in one of her favorite comfy sundresses and a pair of sandals while Eli pulls on khaki shorts and a t-shirt, toeing on his flip-flops before they leave for IHOP.

They're gone about an hour, as Eli predicted, and when they return to the townhouse, Hannah starts going through their things, making sure they've got everything they need.

"Wait a minute," she says as she stares inside her suitcase. "What're these?"

Eli comes to stand next to her and frowns when he sees several flat wrapped packages at the bottom of her suitcase under her clothes.

"I don't know. But look, there's a note."

Hannah slips it out and holds it so Eli can see it too.

Han - don't open these! They're for Eli; a little present for each night of your honeymoon ;) We hope you both enjoy them, and have fun! xo Jules and Maddie

Hannah gives a short laugh as she shakes her head, and Eli grins broadly.

"I like opening presents," he says, peering with considerably more interest at the wrapped packages.

"Yeah, I know you do. And this is your favorite kind."

"Mmhmm," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Hannah presents are the best kind."

She rests her hands on top of his, smiling when he kisses her neck, and then gently pulls away to continue going through her things.

"Okay," she says several minutes later, and Eli braces himself for a verbal checklist, perched on the edge of the bed as Hannah starts ticking her list off on her fingers. "Every day clothes, date clothes, pajamas, bathing suits, socks, underwear, shoes, shampoo and all of that stuff. I've got my camera in my carry on, and you're bringing your laptop. You got cash from the ATM the other day, right?"

Eli nods, trying to hide his smile, and Hannah continues.

"I've got my new purse with my wallet inside. Passport, ID, my credit and debit cards, whatever cash I have on me. You've got your passport, right?"

Eli pulls it from his pocket, wiggling it between his fingers.

"And your wallet? ID, cards, everything?"

"Yep."

"Okay." Hannah stands still a moment, her face a mask of concentration. "Is that everything?"

"I'm pretty sure it is. You remembered to pack your birth control too, right?"

Hannah starts to nod, and then dives into her carry on to double check before giving a decisive nod. "Yes, it's in there."

"Then I think we're all set. I've got the flight and hotel information in my laptop bag - yes, I double checked. You can check for yourself if you want."

Hannah bites her lip and the corner of Eli's mouth rises.

"Check it, babe."

She moves to kneel beside his suitcase where his laptop bag is propped against it and unzips one of the compartments, finding the sheets of paper right where he said they were.

"Sorry," she says a little sheepishly as she straightens. "I just feel better if I can see it for myself."

"I know. It's okay. We're going to be fine. We have all of the important stuff, and anything small we can just get there."

Hannah nods and Eli smiles as he stands, moving towards her to kiss her.

"Come on; let's take this stuff downstairs so we're ready when David and Jules get here."

It's early the next morning that they're finally in Venice, walking to their hotel.

"It's way too early to check in," Hannah says, her eyebrows knitted in mild concern.

"Yeah, but this is a nice hotel, I'm sure they'll have a safe place for us to put our stuff."

When they reach the hotel they head inside to the front desk. Sure enough, the person there tells them their room isn't ready yet, but offers to let them stow their luggage.

After arming them with information on several places they can check out while they wait, the desk clerk smiles and waves them off, promising it'll only be a few more hours.

Eli checks his watch as they step back outside. "It's half past ten now. Do you want to get breakfast somewhere? Or walk around for a bit until lunch?"

"Let's walk around for a bit. I need to stretch after the flight."

Eli nods and reaches for her hand as they start down the street, heading into the Piazza San Marco. They don't make it very far when Eli notices a coffee shop and pulls her to a stop.

"Oooh, um, let's go in there first, actually."

Hannah giggles. "You and your coffee."

"Hey, at least it's not Starbucks."

"True," Hannah admits as she allows him to lead her over to the café.

Eli orders his coffee, sticking to an American blend to start, while Hannah orders hot tea for her and an apple turnover for them to share.

They settle at one of the small tables outside to sip and eat, and after a minute, Hannah sighs happily.

"This is so great. I'm so glad we're here."

"I am too."

"Is this where you wanted to go?"

Eli laughs softly. "I told you, babe, anywhere you wanted to go on our honeymoon was fine with me. I've been to so many places; I honestly didn't have any specific place in mind for us to go. I just wanted to let you decide, and Venice is a great choice. I've never been here either, so it's a really nice first for both of us. Though after Christmas, I half expected you to change your mind and want to go back to Paris."

Hannah grins. "The thought did cross my mind, but we'd already decided on Venice, and I really wanted to go somewhere new. And I've wanted to come to Venice for so long, especially for my honeymoon. It just seemed like such a romantic place."

"Definitely already seems like it," Eli says, reaching for her hand and lifting it to his lips, making her smile again. His gaze drops to her knuckles and he sweeps his thumb lightly over them. "Do they hurt?"

"A little," she says with a shrug. "But it's not that bad. I mean, I've had worse."

"And your little love bite," Eli says, a wide grin spreading over his face as he looks at the bruise on her shoulder.

Hannah snorts. "Yeah, little. Dad didn't say anything, but Jules definitely noticed it. She gave me one of those looks."

"You could cover it up, if it bothers you."

"Eli, practically the only way to cover it up is to wear a turtleneck, which I am not doing in the middle of June. And besides," she adds, lowering her voice as she leans closer to him, "you know I love sex bruises. It's like your little mark on me, and people can see this one; it makes me feel sexy."

"Then you're welcome," Eli replies with a grin, his gaze flicking to her mouth as she leans in for a kiss.

A few minutes later they leave the café, starting off across the piazza hand in hand.

"I think we're definitely going to have to come back to that little café a few times before we leave," Hannah says. "I want to try the other teas, and maybe buy some to take home."

"Yeah, same with the coffee. They had some that looked interesting. I think Maddie would like some of them too, you know how addicted she is to coffee."

Hannah hums in agreement and gives a short laugh. "I think half the stuff we buy is going to be for other people."

"That's okay; we'll get plenty of stuff for ourselves too."

"Might have to buy another suitcase for it all."

Eli laughs and nods. "Maybe."

They spend a few more hours walking around, checking out shops and buying a few things, stopping for lunch at around one.

Even though check in at the hotel isn't until four, they go back at three just to check, and the desk clerk tells them that their room is in fact ready.

"Two adults, staying five nights -"

"No," Eli interrupts, frowning. "It was only supposed to be two nights."

"I have a note that the reservation was modified by a Karen Maddox?"

Eli glances at Hannah, who stares back, confused, and then looks at the clerk again.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine."

They get the key to their room and retrieve their luggage from the storage room, and take the elevator to the second floor.

Hannah gasps when they step inside. "Eli, this is huge, we didn't reserve a suite."

Eli raises his eyebrows as he stares around. "I have a feeling this is our wedding present from your mother."

Hannah moves towards the bed, sitting down and pulling the international calling card they bought at the airport from her purse. She glances at the clock on the bedside table and does the time zone conversion in her head before she picks up the phone, punching in the calling card number followed by her mother's work number.

Karen picks up after a few rings, giving her usual work greeting, and then Hannah says, "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Han! Did you guys make it okay?"

"Yeah, we're here. Did you, um, change our reservation?"

"Yeah," Karen replies, and Hannah can hear the smile in her voice. "And I upgraded your room."

"Yeah, we see that."

"Is it okay?"

"Yeah, everything's great, we just weren't expecting this."

"Well, when you told me you were only staying in Venice for a couple of days, I just couldn't stand the idea of you guys having so little time to do things. It's your honeymoon; you should enjoy your trip and your time together. Consider it my wedding present to you guys."

"Thanks, Mom, but what about our flight back -"

"Taken care of. And tell Eli that your dad made sure he got the extra days off too. Everything's taken care of, I promise. Did one of you bring your laptop?"

"Yeah, Eli brought his."

"Okay, I'll email you the new information for your flight so you'll have it. I can fax it too, if you want, just let me know."

"Okay."

"Relax, Hannah. You're still only paying for everything you were paying for before; all you really have to worry about is a few more days of incidental stuff."

"Yeah," Hannah says, laughing softly. "I'm just sort of taking it in."

"Just relax," Karen says again. "Enjoy your trip. Now you have more time to see more things, and you won't be trying to cram a lot of stuff in when you should just enjoy being together."

"Yeah," Hannah repeats, a small smile curving her lips at the thought. "Thanks, Mom, really. This is incredible, and the room is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it, and I hope you guys have a good time."

"We will. I'll call you when we get home."

"Okay, then I'll talk to you then. Bye, Han."

"Bye, Mom."

Hannah hangs up and looks over at Eli. "Yeah, she extended our reservation and upgraded the room. She's going to email me the new information for our flight home and she said that Dad already made sure you got the extra days off, so you don't have to worry about work."

Eli laughs. "Man, David kept that secret well."

"Right?" Hannah replies, laughing too. "Guess I should call him now, and then you can call your parents."

Eli nods and moves to bring their suitcases over to the dresser as Hannah picks up the phone again to call her dad.

When she hangs up with him, she moves off the bed to put her things away while Eli settles in her seat to call his parents.

Once he hangs up, Hannah announces she's going to take a shower.

"I feel so gross," she says, crinkling her nose.

Eli grins and nods. "Okay, babe."

While she's in the shower, he takes his laptop out to check his email, seeing Karen's email with their new flight information, addressed to both him and Hannah. He writes it down on the sheet of paper with the original information and then starts browsing around for ideas of what to do with so much more extra time.

By the time Hannah emerges from the bathroom, he's jotted down a fair-sized list on the back of the paper with the hotel information and is contemplating it when she asks what he's doing.

"I just made a list of some stuff we could maybe do now that we have more time here."

Hannah settles on the bed next to him, still wrapped in her towel as she takes the list from him, and Eli leans towards her, touching a kiss to her shoulder as she skims the list.

"Yeah, we could probably do a lot of this," she says finally. "Though we did only bring enough clothes for a couple of days."

"Han, we brought enough clothes for more than a couple of days, miss 'make sure you have extra of everything just in case'."

"Shut up," Hannah giggles.

"I'm just saying. Although I don't think it could hurt to spend a day here in our room... no clothes required."

Hannah giggles again and turns her head to press her lips to his. The kiss quickly intensifies and then Eli reluctantly pulls away.

"Normally I wouldn't care, but I feel too grungy to have sex right now, especially since you're so clean." He touches a quick kiss to her lips. "Give me ten minutes to shower."

She grins and nods, kissing him again before he slides off the bed and heads into the bathroom.

When he returns, she's naked on the bed, propped on one elbow as she taps at the tablet in her hands, the duvet and top sheet shoved near the foot of the bed.

"This free iPad thing is pretty cool," she murmurs.

Eli hums his agreement, though his mind isn't really on the iPad as he stares at Hannah's body. There's something so sexy about the way she's just nonchalantly lying naked on the bed, and he knows it's not necessarily because she was waiting for him to finish his shower so they could have sex, but that she's comfortable enough with herself to do it in the first place.

Confidence is sexy and she has it now in spades, and it just makes him love her more.

She looks up at him as he starts towards the bed and the corner of her mouth rises in a smirk as her eyes roam his body.

"Looks like somebody's more than ready."

"I was already halfway there when I got in the shower," he counters, raising his eyebrows as he comes to a stop at the foot of the bed.

Her smirk widens into a grin and she twists to set the iPad on the bedside table before rising to her knees and crawling towards him. Her hands grip his sides as she kisses him and his hands rise to cradle her face, loving the feel of her breasts on his chest as she presses against him.

A moment passes and then her kisses move to his neck, dragging her tongue over his skin and making him moan. She grins and continues down, marking a slow path along his torso until she's lying on her stomach in front of him. Her hand wraps around his length, her grip warm and firm, and she looks up at him as she strokes him, holding his gaze until she shifts to take him in her mouth.

"Fuck," he groans, closing his eyes and running his hands through his hair before looking down at her again.

Her movements are slow, taking him as far in her mouth as she can before pulling back and dragging her tongue the length of his shaft, swirling it around the tip, licking at him like he's a damn ice cream cone and making him groan again. She looks up at him, her lips curved in a slight grin as she kisses the head of his cock, and then she takes it in her mouth again.

He remembers the first time she did this, practically pouncing on him the second he stepped into his apartment one day not very long after they started having sex. She'd shoved him down on the couch, kissing him hungrily as her fingers worked the fastenings of his pants, and then dropped to her knees in front of him and took him in her mouth. It was the first time he'd ever seen her so dominant and in control, and he swore afterward that it was the best blowjob he'd ever received up until that point.

Looking down at her now, he brings one hand to thread his fingers in her still wet hair, careful not to snag it, and then grips it gently, just tight enough to make her moan but not enough to hurt her.

The vibration of her throat pulses through him and he gasps, gritting his teeth.

"Hannah," he hisses. "Babe - fuck."

He comes with a strained shout, thrusting into her mouth as his fingers tighten in her hair. One of her hands grips his hip as the other holds him in her mouth, and he can feel her swallowing, forcing another strangled curse from him.

Finally his body calms and he looks down as she pulls back, letting him slip from her mouth. She licks her lips, raising one finger to swipe at her chin, and she lifts her gaze to him as she sticks her finger in her mouth, getting one last taste of him.

It's too much and he bends suddenly, pulling her to her knees as he presses his lips to hers, kissing her roughly with one hand at the back of her head. A beat later he pushes her onto her back, dropping to his knees and tugging her towards the edge of the bed, pushing her legs apart and leaning forward to run his tongue over her, tasting just how turned on she is.

Normally she gets herself off while she blows him, but he figures she was anticipating this and resisted touching herself, knowing that the reciprocation would be so much better.

It won't take much to make her come, since she was already halfway there; he just needs to taste her, needs to make her feel as good as she made him feel. Her hands tug at his hair, her thighs brushing against his ears as she pulls her legs up, and she comes when he sucks hard on her clit, two fingers curled inside her.

Several minutes later they're lying side by side in bed, both still a little hazy from their orgasms.

"God," Hannah mutters, "I'm worn out, and we didn't even have sex."

"Well, to be fair, it has sort of been a long day," Eli replies. "But I think this has been a damn good beginning to our honeymoon."

Hannah hums her agreement, turning towards him and sliding her arm around his middle. "Nap until dinner?"

Eli picks up his phone from the bedside table to pull up the alarm. "It's 4:30 now, you wanna get up at six?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

He sets the alarm and places his phone back on the table, curling his arm around Hannah's shoulders, and it's only a few minutes before they're both sound asleep.

An hour and a half later the alarm wakes them up and they stand to get dressed for dinner, Hannah in a pretty flower print dress with black heels, and Eli in jeans and a royal blue polo shirt.

They wander for a little bit, peering at restaurants and studying menus on display before finally settling on a place for dinner.

Hannah orders pasta with seafood while Eli orders steak and she giggles when the waiter disappears with their order.

"Only you would come to a city surrounded by water and delicious seafood, and order steak."

"Shut up, I've been craving red meat, and thanks to your mother, I now have plenty of time to try plenty of food." He raises his eyebrows. "At least I didn't order pizza."

"This is very true," Hannah agrees, the corner of her mouth rising as she reaches for her wine.

After dinner, instead of heading back to the hotel, Eli leads Hannah away from the piazza towards one of the more out of the way canals.

"Where are we going?" Hannah asks curiously.

"One of the ideas I had earlier," he replies, grinning over at her. "It wasn't on the list because I wanted to surprise you."

His idea turns out to be a gondola ride and Hannah's whole face lights up, making him grin even wider.

The ride is almost an hour, just the two of them and the gondolier, and they sit close together, Eli's arm around Hannah and her head on his shoulder, as they listen to the gondolier talk about the buildings they pass by.

When it's over, they thank the gondolier, who wishes them a good night, and climb carefully out of the gondola.

"That was perfect," Hannah murmurs as she reaches for Eli's hand. "Thank you."

Eli just smiles and turns his head to kiss her, squeezing her fingers as they start back to the hotel.

Once they're in their room, Eli closes and locks the door behind them and then slides his arms around Hannah's waist from behind as he whispers, "Can I open one of my presents now?"

She giggles and nods, and they walk over to her suitcase to stare at the wrapped packages still inside.

"Some of them look lumpy," Eli observes.

"Probably because they have bras with padding to make me look like I have boobs."

"Excuse you, but I happen to think you have amazing boobs."

She grins and elbows him. "Pick one already so I can put it on, and then you can take it off again in fifteen minutes."

"God, it's like playing a slot machine or something."

Hannah arches one eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure they're all going to be winners."

"This is extremely true. Okay." He reaches forward and picks up the second one. "Let's go with a lumpy one."

Flipping it over, he tears at the paper and pulls it off, revealing what looks like a bra and panty set, deep red trimmed in black lace.

"Oh, yes, I - yes."

Hannah grins and takes them from him, spinning on her heel and letting her skirt flutter around her thighs as she heads into the bathroom.

Eli strips down to his boxers and settles on the bed to wait for her to come out, which she does a couple of minutes later.

"Yeah," Eli murmurs, staring at her body as she starts towards him. "This is a good present."

The bra is red with black lace on the sides, with just enough padding to give her breasts a little push, and the panties are tiny, just a small red V to cover her with thin lacy bands that cross her hips.

"Turn around," he says quietly. She obeys, confirming his suspicions that the panties are really a thong, and he swallows hard as she turns to face him again.

"You like?" she asks, arching an eyebrow as she continues towards the bed.

"I love."

Her lips curve and she climbs onto the bed, crawling to him on her hands and knees until she's straddling his lap.

"God you're perfect," he breathes, his gaze traveling over her body.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that."

"Good, because I never intend to stop."

She smiles again as she dips her head to kiss him and he brings his hands up to thread his fingers in her hair. His hands drift down her body as they kiss, caressing her neck and chest, ghosting over her arms and brushing over her stomach as they move around to her back.

His fingers find the clasp of her bra and he unhooks it, pulling it from her body and tossing it to the floor as he leans forward to kiss the space between her breasts, lightly running his tongue over her skin.

"Perfect," he breathes, hot on her skin as his mouth moves to cover one nipple. Her head falls back as he sucks at the tender bud, her fingers sliding into his hair as her eyes drift closed, savoring the jolts of pleasure brought by every flick of his tongue and tug of his teeth.

Several moments are spent on her breasts, moving from one to the other, as if he needs to prove to her all over again just how much he really does love them, and then he pulls his head back, smiling when she looks at him and dips her head for a kiss. Her hips move against him and he grips them, his fingers slipping under the sides of her panties, absently pulling the thin lace bands away and letting them snap back against her skin before his hands slide around to grip her ass.

Another few moments pass and then she shifts, her hand dropping between them. She tugs at his boxers, working them down just enough so she can pull him free, stroking him as she moves against him. A beat later she pulls her panties to the side and takes him in hand again, slowly guiding him inside of her.

Her arms circle his neck and his hands return to her backside as she begins to move, feeling the slow, easy roll of her hips as she slides along his length, her breasts brushing against his chest every so often. He kisses her chest, her neck, her jaw, finally reaching her lips and sliding his tongue against hers.

They stay in this position for a while and then he sits up a little straighter, the action making him slip deeper into her. He smiles at her soft gasp and kisses her again, murmuring, "Lie down," against her mouth.

She obliges, shifting off of his lap and stretching out with her head on her pillows. He takes a moment to kick off his boxers and then tugs her panties off completely, tossing them to the floor before settling between her legs. She pulls her knees up and he braces on his hands, bending to kiss her as he slides inside of her again, her gasp hot on his mouth when he's in all the way, as deep as he can go.

He resumes the pace she set before, slow and languid, not wanting or needing to rush anything, just wanting to be close to her in every way possible. His lips press against hers once more as he shifts slightly, lifting one of her legs to hook it over his shoulder, and he jerks his hips just to hear her gasp again. It's one of those little favorite things of his, making her breath catch and her eyelashes flutter, knowing he's hitting right where she wants and needs it.

"Eli," she whispers, her fingers combing through his hair as she kisses him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Han," he whispers back, and his eyes flick suddenly to his left hand, up near her shoulder on the bed, attention caught by the glint of his wedding ring. It's still so surreal to think that they're actually married now, that she's his wife and that she'll be with him for the rest of his life, and he swallows hard against the sudden emotion rising within him.

"I love you so much," he murmurs, kissing her as his hips speed up just slightly.

When she comes it's quiet, but no less intense, her head tipping back against the pillows as she tightens around him, and he follows soon after, his head falling into the curve of her neck.

They lie still for a long moment, wrapped in each other as they wait to come down, and then he rolls to the side, still panting a little as he stares up at the ornate ceiling. She moves close to him, resting her hand on his chest, and he smiles as he looks at her.

"Are you okay?" she asks, her eyebrows knitting together, and he knows she can see the tears in his eyes. Crying is not something he does often, and it's not some bullshit macho thing, it's just that few things have had enough of an impact on him to move him to tears. There have only been four times since he's known her that he's cried: the day she told him everything about the kidnapping, the day he froze and his CI was killed, the day he apologized for accusing her of cheating on him, and just a couple of days ago when he saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. Now he supposes he can add a fifth, the night he was overcome with just how much he loves her.

"Yeah," he replies, still smiling as he pulls her to him, holding her tightly as he touches a kiss to her lips and another to her forehead. "I'm pretty much perfect."

The next few days are spent doing the usual touristy things, including a trip to Murano where Hannah delights over the glassblowers and buys a set of glasses for the townhouse, while Eli buys her a small glass rose pendant which he surprises her with over dinner.

Every night he gets to unwrap a new 'present', and as Hannah puts on each new lingerie set - three of which are just regular bra and panty sets, including the red one from the first night, and the other two negligees with matching panties - she reminds herself to thank Juliet and Madison when they get home. The blue set with white lace is Eli's favorite, unsurprisingly, while the pink one is Hannah's, though they both really like the emerald green babydoll too, but above all, Hannah loves how sexy and beautiful she feels in each one, and loves Juliet and Madison for picking things they knew she would like.

They don't limit their sexual activities to the evening though, or even just to their bedroom. One morning they order room service for breakfast and eat on their balcony, and before long, Eli's hand is between her legs and he's getting her off with his fingers. She set him up for it, though, wearing a long t-shirt with nothing underneath, teasing him with little glimpses until he couldn't take it anymore.

The most thrilling, not just of their honeymoon but of their relationship to date, was a quick tryst on a deserted street during a sudden rain shower, Hannah's hand pressed hard against her mouth as Eli fucked her against the door of an empty building. Before Eli she never would have dreamed of being so daring, but since she's known him, he's changed her, and only for the better.

The last day is designated as their lazy day; they don't spend the entirety of it in their room, but they don't venture far from the hotel when they do go out.

They're on the balcony after lunch, just sitting and enjoying the view, when Eli looks over at Hannah.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she replies, smiling as she looks over at him.

"I'm not trying to open old wounds or anything like that, but for the longest time I've wondered -" He shifts in his seat, his expression thoughtful. "That night I found you in the basement, you recognized me, and then thought you were hallucinating. I've always wondered, why did you see me and think you were hallucinating?"

Hannah laughs softly. "I guess the short answer is that I guess I just didn't think anybody was going to come at that point."

"But why would you think you were seeing me? I mean, we'd only met once for a few minutes, we barely even knew each other."

She shrugs. "I thought about you while I was down there. You're not exactly unforgettable or unremarkable, Eli. I needed something to think about to keep me from going crazy, and then I thought about you. I wanted to see you again, and that sort of helped me keep going, helped me... hold on, I guess. It gave me something to look forward to. I can't say the daydream of you appearing in the basement to rescue me hadn't already crossed my mind before that night, and when I saw you, I just thought it was happening again." A smile curves her lips as she looks at him. "And then I put my hand on your face and you were real."

Eli grins. "So between that and the list you made when you were 15, I'm literally the man of your dreams."

Hannah giggles and reaches over to shove him. "Shut up."

"Never," he says, grabbing her hand before she can pull it away and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiles again. "I really never thought I'd find someone like you. You know, someone who gets me like you do, who loves me as much as you do."

"Yeah, well, you know me; I'm not like most guys."

"Yeah, I know," Hannah says softly, leaning towards him. "That's why I married you."

Eli grins and closes the gap between them to press his lips to hers, his fingers threading in her hair.

"My Superman," Hannah whispers against his mouth.

"Always," he whispers back, his lips curving as he kisses her again.