Note: This is the final chapter of this fic. I've loved writing it so much, and it pains me to end it, but it's over 100k words and Raquel's reunion seemed like a good place to stop. I want to thank you all so much for reading, and an especial thank you to everyone who's left a review!

Don't worry, this is not the end of me writing Serquel. I'm simply going to start a new fic, which will be a continuation of this one, about their life together as a family. I'll probably post the first chapter in a week or so

This chapter, being the final one, is much longer than most previous chapters (about 10k words), so you may want to read it when you have some extra time, or read it in parts.

Thank you again for reading! Reviews are still, and always, extremely appreciated!

Sergio looked up at the red letters on the board in horror. Flight 3184: Delayed 1h07. The flight must have been delayed on the runway, he figured, because Raquel hadn't mentioned any delay in her last message from the airport. One hour and seven minutes. He couldn't believe that he would have to wait another hour for her. You've survived two months apart, he tried telling himself, you can survive another 67 minutes. But it felt to him like those extra 67 minutes were exactly 67 minutes more than he could bear. For weeks, he'd been holding on to 'Friday at 3.44pm' like a lifeline, counting down the days, the hours, the minutes, unable to sleep last night because he kept calculating the seconds, and now he had to add a full fucking hour worth of seconds to that and he just couldn't stand it.

He knew he should sit down somewhere, maybe have something to eat or drink, but he couldn't stay still. He paced through the airport, checking the board at regular intervals to make sure there were no further delays. After what was the longest hour of his life, the red letters finally turned green and his heart lifted. Flight 3184: Arrived. He knew it would still take a while for the plane to taxi to the gate, for them to get off, claim their luggage and go through customs, but he went to the arrival door anyway to wait for them. As time passed, his heart started beating faster and his skin started tingling with the thought that she would soon be in his arms again. He couldn't wait any longer – he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't… He waited.

People started coming through the doors, his heart skipping a beat every time the doors opened. Then finally, gloriously, there she was. His breath caught in his throat as she appeared, laden with bags, Paula and Marivi close behind her. She looked tired but full of anticipation. Her eyes swept the waiting crowd, and the moment she spotted him, she dropped everything she was holding and ran to him. His arms were open wide and she collided with him so hard she almost knocked him over, but he couldn't care – she was here, it was over, he was holding her. Perfection. They held each other so tight it hurt, but neither was prepared to let go.

"I've missed you", she kept whispering over and over against his chest. "I've missed you so much."

He didn't say anything. He couldn't speak. He buried his face in her hair and tried hard not to cry. The shape of her was so familiar, her arms around him, the top of her head at exactly the right height to kiss. His entire world had been off balance for months, and now everything felt miraculously right again.

After several long moments, they broke apart with extreme reluctance so Sergio could greet the others. Marivi gave him a radiant smile and took his face between her hands, kissing him on both cheeks. He felt a little embarrassed, but pleased all the same.

"She's having a good day", Raquel whispered to him. "She says she remembers you."

Paula gave him a shy wave, and he waved back, equally shy.

"Hello Paula", he said.

"Hello Sergio."

"Are you ready to see your new house?"

She smiled. "Yes."

Sergio signaled a porter, who loaded their luggage onto a cart, then they headed in the direction of the exit, Marivi taking Paula by the hand so Sergio and Raquel could walk together, his arm around her shoulders, her arm around his waist, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle. He felt like he was walking on air, so overwhelmed with happiness that he felt a little dizzy. Several times they almost bumped into people or walls because they were looking at each other rather than their surroundings, and they couldn't stop smiling.

"I can't believe you're here", he murmured to her. "I can't believe you're really here."

She tightened her arm around his waist in response and leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment. Behind them, Marivi looked at them and smiled in satisfaction.

Once out of the building, Raquel wanted to hail a taxi, but Sergio shook his head and led them to the parking lot.

"I bought a car", he said. "We need a family vehicle now."

"You still have your bike, though?" she asked him, thinking of all the happy memories she had of that bike.

"Of course", he said, and the look he gave her told her he was thinking of the same memories.

The porter loaded their bags into the car, and Paula and Marivi got into the back seat. He tipped the porter, then moved to go to the driver's side, but she caught his wrist and pulled him back.

"Not without a kiss", she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He closed his arms around her and softly pressed his lips against hers. Immediately, it felt like fireworks were going off inside his head. The sound of the world, which had been muted for the past two months, suddenly came roaring back, and the darkness that had been his constant companion shriveled up and disappeared, leaving him feeling lighter than he ever had in his life. She was here, she was back, and this time, she would stay.

Their kiss deepened, one of his hands in her hair and one on her back, pulling her closer to him. Her fingers caressed the back of his neck, and he felt her touch all through his body, lighting fires that had been burning low. He kissed her more passionately, and she responded with enthusiasm, leaning into him, pressing her body against his in a way that made his heart beat frantically. Then one of the back doors opened and Paula stuck her head out.

"What are you doing?" she called out. "Let's go!"

They broke apart regretfully but smiling, and her eyes held a clear promise of what he could expect later. He took a few deep breaths to clear his head before getting behind the wheel.

…

Her daughter and mother both fell asleep almost instantly on the way home, but Raquel felt wide awake as she kept her eyes firmly on his face and her hand on his knee as he drove. She didn't want to stop looking at him, didn't want to stop touching him, even for a moment. She needed proof that he was real, that she wasn't dreaming him. They talked softly so as not to wake the sleepers in the back, and there were long silent stretches where they didn't say anything, but just basked in each other's presence. Time, which had been dragging its feet for months, now miraculously sped up again, and they were both surprised at how quickly the long drive home was over.

Paula and Marivi woke up as the car stopped, and they all went into the house together. Sergio took care of the bags as Raquel showed her mother and daughter around. Marivi kept smiling and nodding her head in approval, and Paula exclaimed in delight at the sight of her pink room, at the cat, and again when they went out onto the porch and she saw how close the ocean was.

"Can we go swimming?" she asked, her eyes shining.

"Not now, sweetheart", Raquel smiled. "It's getting dark. But we can go swimming first thing tomorrow morning."

While they unpacked, Sergio got them dinner from the closest street food stall, and they ate together. The atmosphere was a little awkward, but Raquel felt sure that that wouldn't last long. After dinner, there was a sudden loud bang outside, and Paula ran out onto the porch to see what was going on. Only seconds later, she was back, shouting excitedly:

"Fireworks! There are fireworks outside!"

They all went out to stand on the beach and watch the magnificent display, which seemed to be coming from a boat some way out at sea. The colors shot across the sky, forming beautiful bouquets of green and blue and gold, and they went on for a long time. Marivi and Paula looked up in delight, while Sergio wrapped his arm around Raquel's waist and watched the sparks reflected in her eyes.

"Welcome home", he whispered in her ear, and she looked at him in surprise.

"You arranged this?" she asked him, and he winked.

"Oh, darling", she said softly, putting her hand against his cheek and kissing him tenderly.

After the fireworks were over, the eyelids of the travelers began to droop with tiredness. Marivi excused herself and withdrew to her room, and Raquel put Paula to bed. Sergio waited for her in their bedroom, a little nervously. Would they still be in tune with each other after two months of separation? Would it be awkward? All of his concerns vanished immediately, though, when she walked in and he could see with one look how tired she was.

He opened his arms to her, and she hugged him tight, leaning heavily against him.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked her, and she struggled to make sense of the time difference and the long hours on the road.

"It took us 32 hours to get from our house to here", she said.

"Did you sleep at all on the plane?"

"No", she said, smiling up at him. "I was too excited to sleep."

"Then you've been up for almost two days straight", he said. "You should sleep, now."

She kissed his neck. "But I don't want to sleep yet. We've waited so long…"

"And we can wait a few more hours", he said softly. When she started to unbutton his shirt anyway, he gently pulled her hand away and kissed it. "My love, you're exhausted."

She sighed, then nodded sadly. "Yes, you're right."

"It will be so much better tomorrow, when you're rested." He hesitated. "I suppose we can't sleep naked anymore now there are other people in the house."

She shook her head. "But please only put on pants. I want to be as close to you as possible when we sleep."

She swayed as he released her, so he caught hold of her again and undressed her carefully, then helped her put on her pajamas. He pulled back the sheet and led her to the bed, then covered her tenderly before putting on his own pajama bottoms. By the time he got into bed with her, she was already asleep. He didn't mind, however. He wanted nothing else at the moment except to have her near. For a long time, he watched her as she slept, drinking in the sight of her, finally sleeping next to him again. His eyes wandered over the familiar lines of her face, relaxed in sleep, so beautiful and serene. He wanted to kiss her, but he wouldn't wake her for the world. When she finally turned onto her other side, he carefully curled his body around hers and draped his arm around her waist. She made a small sound of contentment and cuddled closer to his warmth. He couldn't stop smiling as he buried his face in her hair, feeling like he never wanted to sleep again in his life, unwilling to miss another second with her.

…

He woke up at dawn, after only a few hours of sleep, his entire body singing with joy because she was still next to him, because he could hold her, and hold her, and hold her to his heart's content. As she showed no signs of waking soon, he got up after a while and showered and brushed his teeth. Then he got into bed again and waited patiently, watching the rays of the sun play on her face. Finally, she stirred, then opened sleepy eyes and smiled.

"Sergio?"

"Yes", he smiled back. "I'm here. How are you feeling?"

She stretched. "So much better. God, I haven't slept this well in months."

He moved closer to kiss her, but she put her hand against his chest and kept him at a distance.

"I didn't shower last night."

"I don't care", he murmured, trying to get close to her again, but she scooted away from him.

"But I do. I feel so gross from the journey. Let me just quickly shower and brush my teeth and then I'm all yours."

He looked at her longingly as she got out of bed. "Please hurry."

After the longest fifteen minutes in the history of time, she came out of the bathroom again, wearing new pajamas, feeling fresh and clean and ready to make love to him for at least an hour or two. She slipped back between the sheets and into his waiting arms, pressing her body against his as he leaned down to kiss her.

The moment his lips touched hers, the last of her drowsiness disappeared as her body started to wake up properly. His kisses were slow and sensual, and she sank into them happily, running her fingers through his hair, over the back of his neck and his shoulders. It was such a luxury to be able to touch him as much as she wanted, after not being able to for months. She couldn't get enough of him, of his mouth on hers, of his skin under her hands, of his body pressed to hers. He dipped down to kiss her neck, and she sighed with pleasure as she tilted her head and felt a first soft tingle between her legs. After several blissful moments, he came up to press his lips to hers again, and he started caressing her ever so tenderly, stroking her hair, the side of her face, her neck and shoulders. Her skin felt so alive to his touch, his fingers leaving her tingling as they ran slowly down her arm.

"I've dreamt about this so often", he whispered in her ear as he moved his hand to her collarbone and began to trace it downward over her top tantalizingly slowly. "I've wanted nothing more than to have you in my bed again, to kiss you and touch you and now I can."

His hand reached the bottom of her top and slid underneath, caressing her stomach as he kissed her again. Her nipples hardened in anticipation as he moved up slowly, cupping a breast and then grazing his thumb over her nipple. She made a small sound of pleasure as the tingle between her legs deepened and intensified.

The next moment, the door swung open and Paula burst into the room.

"Mom, can we go swimming now?"

They broke apart hastily, Sergio withdrawing his hand and moving as far away from her as possible without falling out of bed. Paula, however, had already clapped a hand over her eyes.

"Ewww", she said. "You're kissing! That's gross."

Raquel sat up, shaking softly with laughter at the sight of Sergio, who looked about ready to burst into flames.

"First of all, Paula", she said. "Kissing isn't gross. It's what people do when they love each other."

The girl lowered her hands, but seemed unconvinced.

"And secondly", Raquel continued. "If you don't want to see us kissing, you should learn to be polite and knock before you come into our bedroom. Will you do that next time?"

Paula nodded, then said: "But can we go swimming now?"

Raquel threw Sergio a longing look, then turned back to her daughter. "How about you go play with Amber for a bit and we can go swimming after breakfast?"

"No", the girl shook her head. "You promised yesterday, you said 'first thing in the morning'."

Raquel sighed. "Alright. Go put on your bathing suit and I'll put on mine."

Paula ran off, and Raquel got out of bed to close the door behind her. Then she turned to Sergio, who was still a burning shade of red.

"I'm sorry", she said. "I should have known we might get interrupted."

He gave her an anxious look. "Do you think we traumatized her?"

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. It could have been a lot worse."

He shuddered at the thought. "We need a lock for that door. I'll take care of it today."

"Good", she said, then gave him another longing look. "I desperately wish we could continue, but Paula will be back in five minutes."

He nodded. "Go swim with your daughter. We've got plenty of time tonight."

She went into the bathroom to change into her bathing suit, but she left the door open, and he gazed at her hungrily as she undressed. He got out of bed and went up to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her, running his hands down her back and over her buttocks.

She smiled up at him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry", he whispered, nuzzling her neck. "I couldn't resist. I couldn't see you naked and not touch you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, pressing her body against his. As she felt him hard against her hip, she looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"The bathroom door has a lock", she pointed out, but he frowned.

"Paula will be back in five minutes."

She kissed his neck. "I don't think I need more than five minutes."

He hesitated as she ran her hand down his stomach to stroke him through his pajama bottoms, but then he decisively pushed her hand away.

"No", he said softly. "I want more than five minutes. I want to do it right."

He kissed her again, his hands firm on her back, then he whispered in her ear: "I want to kiss you all over and touch you all over and then I want to make love to you properly and very thoroughly. Let's wait until tonight."

"Alright", she sighed regretfully, and the next moment he was proven right as Paula knocked insistently on the bedroom door.

"Mom!" her voice sounded through the door. "Are you ready?"

He gave her one last kiss that took her breath away, then left her to put on her bathing suit, simmering quietly with frustration.

…

They all breakfasted together, and as Sergio and Raquel kept shooting each other long, lingering looks, Paula was chatting away happily about the fish she'd seen in the ocean.

"I think they were all kinds of colors", she said, "but I couldn't see them properly because of the water."

"I'm going into town later", Sergio said. "I can bring you some swimming goggles and a snorkel, so you can really see them."

"Yes, please!" Paula exclaimed, and Raquel gave him an approving smile.

"What are you going to do after breakfast, darling?" Marivi asked Paula.

"Can I watch some TV?" the girl asked.

Sergio shook his head. "I don't have a TV."

Paula's eyes went wide. "You don't have a TV? But… I'll be bored!"

"I… I suppose we could get a TV", Sergio said, looking at Raquel, but she shook her head.

"Paula", she said firmly, "How can you be bored when you live by the beach and have a cat?"

The girl perked up. "Do you think she wants to play with me?"

"I'm sure she does", Raquel smiled. "And later you can explore the beach and look for sea shells."

They finished breakfast, and Sergio and Raquel washed up together.

"We can get a TV if you like", Sergio said, but Raquel shook her head again.

"I like not having a TV. If you have one, you watch it way too much, and often you're watching things you don't even want to watch. Though it might be a good idea to get Paula a tablet or something so she can watch cartoons on Netflix, but we'll be able to control how much time she spends with it."

He left to go into town to get a lock for their bedroom door, and Raquel spent the morning looking for sea shells on the beach with Paula. They found lots of beautiful shells, and laid them out on the porch to dry. Then her daughter started building a castle out of sand under the watchful eye of her grandmother, and Raquel went inside to prepare lunch. Towards noon, Sergio came back and asked if she could come out to the car with him.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"I got some things for Paula, but I want your approval before I give them to her."

She nodded and followed him out, glad that he was considerate enough to run this kind of thing by her. When he opened the trunk of the car, however, her eyes went wide. There were dozens of games in there, toys of all shapes and sizes, snorkeling gear, and on top of it all, a brand-new iPad.

She turned to him in consternation. "What did you do? Rob a toy store?"

He ran an embarrassed hand through his hair. "I don't want Paula to get bored. I want her to like living here."

She laughed. "You're going to spoil her rotten, aren't you?"

He grinned. "Maybe a little?"

She kissed him, but then shook her head. "You can't give her all of this stuff at once, it's way too much. Let's give her the snorkeling gear and a few of the games, but store the rest away for birthdays and Christmas and such."

It took several trips to get everything inside and stored away, then Raquel returned to the kitchen to finish lunch, and Sergio followed her there.

"Where are Paula and your mother?"

"Outside", she said, and he closed the kitchen door and came to stand close behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

"I'm so happy you're back", he whispered between kisses.

"Me too", she sighed, reaching back a hand to stroke his hair. "But you need to stop that, you're going to get me all turned on."

"But I like turning you on", he murmured, his hands caressing her hips.

As he kept kissing her neck, she sighed and melted back against him. His hand disappeared under her top to stroke her stomach.

"I like it when you go all soft when I kiss you", he whispered, his fingers moving up to play with her nipple through the fabric of her bra. "I like it when your nipples get hard." His other hand moved down over her pants, to press for a moment between her legs. She gasped. "And I love it when you get wet for me."

She turned around in his arms to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him. A moment later, though, Paula's voice sounded from outside.

"Mom! Come and look at my castle!"

She groaned and gave him a frustrated look. "I'm already starting to miss the time when we could just make love whenever and wherever we wanted."

"Me too", he whispered, kissing her neck again.

"Mom!"

She sighed and grabbed him by the shirt. "I am going to fuck you so hard tonight."

He grinned. "I'll make sure the lock is in place, then."

She pressed one last kiss to his lips, then went outside.

…

In the afternoon, Raquel and Paula went into the ocean again to test their new snorkeling gear, while Sergio screwed the lock onto the bedroom door, then went into his study to do some work. He was so absorbed in his papers, that several hours passed without him being aware of it, and he looked up, startled, when Paula was suddenly standing in front of his desk.

"Sergio? Can I ask you a question?"

"Uhm… yes, of course, but… where is your mother?" he asked her, afraid of doing or saying something wrong without Raquel to watch over him.

"Outside, talking to grandma."

"Okay…" he swallowed nervously. "What do you want to ask?"

"What kinds of games does Amber like?"

He smiled. "Oh. Well… she likes to have her ears scratched, or her belly rubbed."

"But how do I play with her?"

"Her favorite game is just to chase a piece of string around."

Her eyes lit up. "Do you have a piece of string?"

"Of course." He got up, and she followed him into the living room, where he kept Amber's favorite piece of string twined up in a drawer.

He showed Paula how to drag it across the floor in a way that got Amber's attention, and soon the girl was running around the living room, dragging the string and pursued by a frantic Amber. When Raquel came in to see what the noise was about, she found Sergio and Paula both laughing hard at Amber's antics, and she smiled to herself. Getting that cat had been one of the best ideas she'd ever had.

Over dinner that night, Paula and Sergio had a lively conversation about Amber's likes and dislikes, and Raquel felt like she couldn't possibly be any happier. To be here, to be home, with him and her family… Then she noticed that her mother was getting quieter and quieter, and finally she got up and excused herself from the table to go to her room. After the plates had been cleared away, Raquel went to her mother's room and asked if everything was okay.

Marivi smiled. "I'm just a little tired, mi hija. It's probably the jetlag. I'm going to bed now and I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow." She winked. "You go and enjoy your evening."

Raquel smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek before rejoining Sergio and Paula, who were discussing which of the new games they'd be playing that evening.

The three of them played a game together, and Raquel noticed with a smile that Sergio was letting Paula win. Her own mind wasn't really on the game. She kept noticing how nice his hands were every time he moved a piece, and she couldn't help but imagine those hands on her back, in her hair, on her hips… Every few minutes, she glanced at her watch, waiting for Paula's bedtime to arrive. As the game drew to a close, she noticed that Sergio was shooting glances her way, too, and she was sure he was as relieved as she was when she finally said:

"Alright Paula, time for bed."

"One more game?" Paula wheedled, but Raquel was not inclined to let her stay up late tonight.

"No", she said firmly. "You still need to rest from our trip. Go put on your pajamas."

The girl went off to her room without any further protest, and Raquel promptly dropped herself onto Sergio's lap to kiss him. He rumbled his approval and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're in for the night of your life", she whispered against his lips, and he smiled in delight. "Only a few more minutes now."

He frowned. "Shouldn't we wait a bit until she's asleep?"

She groaned. "Oh, for the love of god, I'm going to combust. But alright, I suppose we should. Half an hour, tops."

"I can't wait", he whispered, and the look he gave her caused a tremor deep inside her. She kissed him again, then went off to put Paula to bed.

When she came back, he was sitting on the couch, and she joined him there to wait until Paula fell asleep. They tried talking for a while, but it was no good, and soon she was sitting on his lap again, kissing him fiercely. They kept their hands to themselves and their clothes on, in case Paula got out of bed again for some reason, but they just couldn't keep from kissing, for minutes on end until they were both breathless and tense with anticipation. After half an hour, Raquel couldn't take it anymore. She was trembling with desire for him, the fire between her legs flaming higher with every kiss he gave her, and she was aching to take him inside her.

"I want you, I want you so badly", she whispered, and he sighed deeply.

"God, I want you too. Go check to see if Paula's asleep yet?"

She did so, tiptoeing to the door and opening it gently, then closing it again.

"Yes, she's asleep!"

He got up eagerly, and she grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the bedroom. She locked the door behind them, then turned to him. He raised his hands at the look in her eyes and grinned broadly.

"Now, Raquel, calm down. Don't hurt me."

In response, she pushed him down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. He closed his arms around her and pulled her body down on his, kissing her hard. Her hands flew to undo the buttons of his shirt, and they broke apart for only a moment so she could take off her top. His hands were all over her as they kissed fiercely, then she sat up to undo his pants with trembling fingers.

"Are you wet enough?" he asked her in a low voice.

"After a full half hour of kissing? You bet", she said, helping him out of his pants, then leaning down to kiss him again.

He was just about to unhook her bra when a loud crash sounded outside of their room and they froze.

"What was that?" he said.

She hesitated. "Probably just Amber knocking something over."

They listened, and there were more noises outside their door. Raquel cursed softly but heatedly, then put on her top again and opened the door to stick her head out. Marivi was standing in the middle of the living room in her night clothes, staring at the lamp she'd knocked over. Raquel went out and closed the bedroom door behind her.

"Mother? What are you doing?"

"Raquel?" her mother said. "Where are we? When are we going home?"

Raquel frowned in concern and went up to take her mother by the arm. "We are home. We moved in with Sergio, remember?"

"Who?"

"Sergio, my boyfriend", she explained patiently, but her heart felt heavy. These episodes never lasted very long, but they were getting more and more frequent, and she knew things would only get worse from here. "Why don't you go back to your room and try to sleep."

"I… I don't know where my room is."

"I'll show you, come along."

She led her mother to her room and helped her into bed. When she wanted to leave, however, Marivi clutched at her hand and wouldn't let go.

"Don't leave me alone", she whispered, and she looked so confused and scared that Raquel's heart went out to her.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her mother's hand. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Why don't you try to sleep?"

Sergio waited for her in their room, but when she wasn't back after twenty minutes, he got up, dressed himself again, and went to look for her. The door to Marivi's bedroom was open, and he peered in carefully, seeing her sit with her mother, talking to her in a reassuring tone of voice. When she heard him behind her, she got up and came to him with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry this is taking so long, my love. I can't calm her down. She doesn't know where she is and she's scared."

He considered her for a moment, then said: "You should stay with her tonight."

She gave him a pained look. "No, I want to sleep with you."

He smiled sadly. "And I want to sleep with you, but you can't leave her alone."

"What if I stay with her until she's asleep?"

"She might wake up again in the middle of the night and panic."

She sighed. "You're right."

He hugged her, and she clung to him. "I'm so sorry", she whispered in his ear. "So, so sorry. You didn't ask for any of this."

"It's alright", he soothed her. "Really. It's only for one night, tomorrow the nurse will be here. I suppose I should have asked her to come today, but I wanted to give your mother a day to settle in without any new people to unsettle her."

"You're so sweet. I will make this up to you, I swear."

He smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "There's no need for that, my love. I'm just glad you're here, that's all I want."

She reluctantly let go of him, and they shared one last regretful look.

"Goodnight", she whispered, then got into bed with her mother.

"Goodnight", he said, closing the door behind him and going back to their room alone.

As he lay in bed, he took a few deep breaths as a deep sense of acceptance settled over him. Living with her family was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated, but he didn't care. He would take on any amount of family members, any interruptions, any difficulties to have her here with him. With that thought, he turned onto his side and fell asleep.

…

He woke up the next morning as she slipped into bed with him and cuddled close.

"How did you sleep?" he asked her blurrily, and she shook her head.

"Not great. She had a bad night, it's a good thing I stayed with her."

"The nurse will be here around noon. That should take some of the burden off of you."

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course", he said softly. "We're in this together now. You're not alone."

"I wish I could wake you up properly", she said wistfully. "But Paula is already up and I promised her we'd go swimming again."

"That's alright. I don't mind", he said, surprised at himself to realize that it was perfectly true. He would have preferred to spend the entire morning in bed with her, of course, but she was here and that was all that mattered.

"But I do", she complained, nuzzling his ear. "I can't believe I've been here almost 48 hours and we still haven't made love once. When I imagined these first nights back together when I was in Spain, they looked very different in my mind, believe me."

He smiled down at her. "We still have so many nights left, though. Hundreds. Thousands."

She smiled back at him. "You know, when everything has calmed down a bit and Paula and my mother have settled in properly, I'm going to get a babysitter one night and check us in to a hotel, and then I'm going to fuck you for twelve hours straight. How does that sound?"

He grinned. "Amazing. But right now I'd be the happiest man on earth if we could just have one hour to ourselves."

"Tonight", she said softly. "We just have to survive today."

He groaned. "I'll try, but it won't be easy."

They heard Paula walk past their door, and Raquel heaved herself out of bed.

"I'd better put on my bathing suit."

He looked at her longingly as she changed, and when she went out and closed the bedroom door behind himself, he fell back into the pillows with a deep sigh, and tried to think of something else, anything else, than her naked body.

…

Marivi was much better by breakfast time, and when the nurse arrived after lunch, she was able to meet her lucidly. To Raquel's relief, the two women hit it off straight away, and they were soon talking companionably on the porch, keeping an eye on Paula, who was building another sand castle and decorating it with sea shells. Raquel went into the house to see what Sergio was up to. She found him in the spare bedroom, where he had set up a little gym with a boxing bag so he could exercise. He'd clearly been working hard, because he was out of breath and glistening with sweat when she came in. She bit her lip and closed the door behind herself, then went up to him to kiss him.

"It's not fair that you look so hot when I have to keep my hands off of you."

He wrinkled his nose and kept her at a distance. "What are you talking about, I'm all sweaty."

"Yes", she smiled. "Hot. Why are you working out?"

"Just trying to burn off some of my… frustration."

She nodded. "I get that." She winked at him. "I could use a good work-out myself."

She tried to get closer to him, but he held her off again. "Please don't. I want you so badly I can't stand it."

"I know", she sighed. "It's gotten to the point where I don't know anymore what I want to do first – I want to do everything. I want to go down on you, and I want you to go down on me, and I want to fuck you in every possible position at once."

Despite himself, he leaned closer to her to murmur: "You have to let me go down on you tonight. Promise me. I desperately want to taste you."

She smiled, delighted. "You don't have to ask me twice. But you need to fuck me first. I need you inside of me."

He came even closer, but he didn't touch her. She suddenly felt the presence of the Professor as he whispered in her ear: "Don't worry, I'll fuck you first. The moment I have you on that bed, I'm going to take you, hard and deep, the way you like it, until you are thoroughly satisfied. And then I'm going to go down on you… I can't wait to get my tongue all over you, to make you moan, to make you shake, and then to make you come harder than you've ever come before."

She was getting dizzy with the very presence of him, with having him so near and not touching him, with imagining the things he was saying to her. She swallowed hard, and tried to keep her breathing even, tried to ignore the insistent tingling between her legs.

She cleared her throat. "Well, I have to say, all those weeks of phone sex have certainly paid off in terms of dirty talk."

He didn't smile, just gave her such a warm look it made her shiver. Then he put his hand under her chin, tipped up her face, and gave her a kiss that made her knees weak. She was dazed and breathless as he pulled back, took her gently by the shoulders, turned her around and steered her out the door.

…

That night over dinner, she felt for the first time like they were a real family. Sergio had told a silly joke, and Paula and Marivi were both laughing, and Raquel looked at them all and felt like her heart would burst. Suddenly his eyes turned to her, and they shared a look, and she knew that he felt it too. After dinner, she saw her mother corner Sergio in the kitchen and take his face between her hands. Staying back at the door, she heard her say to him:

"Sergio, I've never seen Raquel this happy. Thank you."

He mumbled something in reply, red in the face, but she could see that he was very pleased.

Later, Sergio and Marivi read a book while Raquel played a game with Paula. All in all, it was a wonderful evening, but after a while Raquel couldn't wait for it to be over. Her mother seemed to notice, because she went to bed at the same time as Paula, saying that she was tired. The nurse had a bed next to Marivi's, and she assured Raquel that she didn't need to worry about anything. Finally, everyone was in bed, Raquel and Sergio were in their bedroom, and the door was locked behind them. They stared at each other for a long moment, tense, half waiting for another interruption. Then he held out his arms to her and she went to him gratefully, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. Now that the wait was finally over, she noticed that her hunger had changed to a profound, aching yearning that went deeper than anything she'd ever experienced before.

They couldn't stop kissing as they undressed each other, completely absorbed in one another's presence. She unbuttoned his shirt with eager fingers and he shrugged out of it, then pulled her top over her head.

"You're so beautiful", he whispered against her lips as he unhooked her bra and took it off. "Sometimes I can't believe how beautiful you are. Sometimes I can't believe you're mine."

He bent down and flicked his tongue over a nipple, making her gasp, then moan and twine her fingers into his hair as he took it into his mouth and sucked, sending pleasure shooting through her and starting up a delicious tingle between her legs. When he moved up again and kissed her neck, she felt her knees go weak and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she melted against him, his hands caressing her bare back. He took a deep breath, breathing in the unique scent of her skin, which he'd missed so terribly.

"I've waited so long for this", he murmured, not taking his lips from her skin. "I want to take my time with you. I feel so lucky that I get to touch you, and hold you. You're so unbelievably soft."

She reached down to stroke him through his pants, and he groaned.

"Do you want me?" she whispered in his ear.

"Desperately", he whispered back.

She bit his earlobe and made him shiver, then started to unbutton his pants. "God, I want you too. I love how hard you are for me." She pushed down his pants and underwear, then pressed her lips against his and wrapped her hand around him. He moaned against her mouth, then bit her lip, and the tingling between her legs intensified to an insistent, deep pulsing sensation. She suddenly couldn't wait anymore and started undoing her own pants, but he pulled her hands away.

"Let me, please", he rumbled. "I love undressing you. It's like unwrapping the best possible present."

He kneeled down in front of her and pulled at the string that was keeping up her loose trousers. When it came undone, he slowly pulled them down and helped her step out of them.

"I want to taste you", he whispered, pressing a kiss to the curls between her legs, but she tugged on his hair to make him look up.

"Later", she said, her voice breaking with longing. "I can't wait anymore, Sergio, I want you now, now, now."

He stood up and swept her into his arms, kissing her fiercely, one hand gripping her hair, the other moving down her body to dip between her legs, slipping one finger inside of her for a moment, checking to see if she was ready. She gasped and clung to him.

"God, you're so wet", he breathed.

"Of course I am! What did you think?"

"I love it", he said, bending his head to nip at the skin of her neck with his teeth. She groaned and dug her nails into his shoulders.

"Now, Sergio, now, I mean it, if I have to wait another second I won't guarantee your safety."

He chuckled and pressed another kiss to her lips. "I'm all yours. But can I make a request?"

"Anything that will get you inside me."

"We can go hard later, but please let me hold you first."

She gave him a soft look, her impatience overwhelmed by a sudden longing to hold him, too. She placed a hand against his cheek.

"Of course, darling."

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him on her knees. She pressed her body close to his as he kissed her deeply and tightly wrapped his arms around her. She was trembling as she reached down. Finally, she thought. Finally, finally. She guided him in, then moaned softly as she sank down on him ever so slowly, drawing out the pleasure of feeling him fill her up. She took him in completely, reveling in the feeling of having him inside her again after so long, after all the frustration, after two months of longing, longing, longing for this exact moment. They leaned their foreheads together and didn't move for a long time, just holding each other, everything feeling utterly and perfectly right. Then they started rocking together, and she gasped, the sensation of it indescribable, exquisite, heavenly. She twined her fingers in his hair as he kissed her neck, and she wished that they could stay like this forever.

"Raquel", he murmured, "you feel so good. This has to be the best feeling in the world."

"I think I can make it even better", she whispered, then leaned back and placed her hands on his knees.

He gasped as she tightened around him. "Oh god!"

He picked up the pace, bucking his hips to take her deeper, then bent his head to take a nipple into his mouth. She moaned softly at the added sensation, and he sucked harder, making her gasp loudly. When he moved to her other nipple, she felt the tension inside her begin to build, and she wanted nothing more than to feel his fingers there.

"Sergio", she said, breathing hard. "I want to come."

He smiled and pulled her up, and she detected the Professor again as he whispered in her ear: "Not yet. I'm not done with you. I promised you I'd fuck you hard and that's what you'll get. Get on your knees."

She bit her lip in delight. "Oh, hell yes."

She obeyed him immediately, getting off him and moving further up the bed, positioning herself on her hands and knees. Then he set himself up behind her. He drew out the moment, running slow hands along her hips and buttocks and thighs, until she was trembling with longing and anticipation.

"Hurry up and take me already", she complained.

He tutted. "Always so impatient." He moved a hand around her hip and slipped his fingers between her legs to stroke her, just lightly, just for a moment. She shuddered and hung her head.

"In a moment", he said, his voice low and warm, "I'm going to push inside you and take you, hard. I'm going to fuck you, and fuck you, until you are entirely satisfied, and then I'm going to make you come. Do you want that?"

"God yes", she groaned.

"Good. But you're going to have to do something for me first."

"What?"

"Ask for it."

She bit her lip. This was so hot. "Please", she whispered.

His hands were still caressing her hips, driving her crazy. "I think you can do better than that."

"Sergio, please, I want you."

"What do you want, exactly?"

"I want you to fuck me."

"How?"

"Hard", she whispered. "Really hard."

He rumbled his approval, then guided himself to her. She groaned with impatience as he waited another long moment, letting the tension build. She couldn't possibly want him more. Then suddenly he was inside her, pushing in hard, taking her fully with the first thrust. She bit her lip not to cry out as he felt so good inside her.

"Like this?" he asked softly, and she struggled to speak.

"Yes."

"I thought so", he said smoothly, then began taking her in earnest.

She knew she should be quieter, but she couldn't help but moan as he tightly gripped her hips and pressed in again and again, hard and deep. She tilted her hips and gasped as he was suddenly pressing hard against her G-spot. The tension inside her started building, fast, increasing with every thrust to an almost unbearable pitch.

"Sergio", she gasped, "I want…"

"I know what you want", he murmured, his voice strained with keeping such a tight rein on himself.

He moved one hand around her hip and between her legs. To her utter frustration, however, he didn't touch her where she wanted it, but placed a finger on either side, providing just enough tantalizing stimulation to bring her to the edge, but not enough to tip her over. She wanted to scream.

"Sergio!"

"Ask nicely", he rumbled.

"I'm going to kill you!"

He sounded amused. "No you're not."

"Oh, for the love of god! Please! I can't take it anymore, just… please!"

He moved his fingers, and she cried out the moment he touched her, such a stab of pleasure shooting through her that it tipped her over the edge immediately. She gripped the sheets and trembled and shook as the orgasm that had been building and building finally washed over her, glorious and intense and rocking her to her core, wave after wave of pleasure rolling over her as he kept taking her hard. She couldn't do anything but moan and moan.

Finally, the feeling subsided, and she pulled his hand away, gasping. He stopped and withdrew, and she collapsed onto the bed, completely out of breath, her entire body humming with the fierce, ecstatic joy of it.

He bent down and brushed her hair aside to tenderly kiss the back of her neck and her shoulders.

"Oh", she whispered. "That was amazing. You were amazing. It felt so good. Oh. I needed that."

He sat down next to her and stroked her back as she recovered. After she'd caught her breath, she turned onto her side to look at him.

"Did you work on your stamina while I was away? Because that was impressive."

He grinned broadly. "If I promise to take you thoroughly, I take you thoroughly."

She sat up to kiss him. "You sure did. That will keep me going for another two days if need be. Now", she said, putting a hand on his chest and slowly pushing him down into the pillows. "I think you deserve something in return."

His eyes went dark with longing as he understood what she was about to do.

"God", he whispered as she kissed his chest. "I've imagined this so often. Your mouth, your lips, your tongue."

He groaned as she moved down to kiss his stomach. Then she stopped and looked up.

"Do you want me to continue?"

"Yes", he whispered.

"Do you want me to take my tongue and lick you all over? To take you in my mouth and suck?"

"Yes", he whispered again, his voice strained.

"Then you're going to have to do something for me first."

He grinned as he got where she was going. "Ask nicely?"

"No", she said as she looked him straight in the eyes. "Beg."

His grin widened. "I suppose I deserve that. But I have no problem with that at all."

He sat up and pulled her closer so he could kiss her.

"Please, Raquel", he murmured between kisses. "Please do all the things you just said. You're so good at it. You're an absolute goddess and when you put your mouth over me, you make me float. So I'm begging you, please, please don't make me wait any longer."

She gave him a satisfied look and pushed him back into the pillows. "That's what I like to hear."

She settled herself between his legs, gave him one last look that made him shiver, then slowly closed her mouth over him and moved down, tasting herself on him. He stared at her.

"God", he whispered, his voice cracking. "That may be the hottest thing you've ever done."

She pulled back and ran her tongue up his length from the bottom to the tip, over, and over, and over again until he was squirming. Then she took just the tip of him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around it, running it along the little ridge and flicking it over his frenulum. He gripped the sheets and groaned.

"Ahhh that feels so good. Don't stop. I don't know what you're doing, but don't stop!"

She kept it up for a while, then moved down to take him in as deep as she could, blessing her lucky stars that she didn't have much of a gag reflex. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, enjoying the feel of her warm, wet mouth all around him. The next moment, he inhaled sharply as she cupped his balls with one hand and started massaging them gently, moving up and down on him at the same time. She pulled back for a moment and, with her other hand, she made a ring of her thumb and forefinger and closed it tightly around him, then closed her mouth around him again right behind her fingers. Slowly, very slowly, she moved down, creating a delicious contrast between the tightness of her fingers and the softness of her mouth.

"Oh god", he moaned softly. "I can't believe how good that feels. Oh. Raquel! Oh."

She increased the pace, and he could only keep it up for a few more strokes before his entire body started to shake. He gripped the sheets even tighter, every muscle tense, then he came with a groan and several long, deep shudders. Finally he relaxed back onto the bed, panting, pressing his hands to his face as he groaned, then staring up at the ceiling with an expression of pure bliss, while she delicately spat into a tissue.

"Raquel", he whispered in awe. "That was phenomenal. Really, just… unbelievable."

She smiled. "Was it as good as you hoped it would be?"

"You know", he said earnestly, "I spent nearly every night imagining making love to you again, and I thought that I was building it up in my head to something that it wasn't, something that it could never be. I thought the real thing could never live up to my feverish fantasies, and now you're here and I don't know how it's possible, but it was even better. God, you're so good."

He turned onto his side and pushed himself up on an elbow to look at her. "But now you have to let me go down on you."

"You don't have to feel obligated", she said gently. "We can do that tomorrow if you…"

He held up a hand to stop her. "No, you misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I want to go down on you. I'm saying that I need to go down on you. That I've been dreaming for months about burying my face between your thighs and licking you, tasting you, making you come for me."

She grinned in delight. "Well, in that case… who am I to stop you? But let me just clean up a bit first."

She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom and he could hear the sound of running water. When she came back, he lost no time in pulling her back onto the bed and pushing her down among the pillows. She sighed happily and settled herself comfortably on her back as he traced kisses down her chest and stomach.

"I'm going to enjoy this so much", he murmured. "You have no idea."

He spread her legs with his hands so he could lie between them.

She tensed in anticipation as he kissed the insides of her thighs, tickling her with his beard, teasing her with just the tip of his tongue without fully engaging until she squirmed for contact. Then she gasped as he suddenly pressed his mouth to her. He rumbled in satisfaction as he let his tongue explore her thoroughly, running it up and down in broad strokes, then moving up to settle in the one spot. Her breathing quickened as he circled and licked, left to right and then up and down. She was still sensitive from her first orgasm, and his tongue felt amazing against her, exactly the way she'd imagined it for so many lonely nights. He gave her plenty of time to get ready again, then picked up the pace, and she arched her back and tilted her hips for an even better angle, moaning softly.

He focused exclusively on the one spot now, bringing her closer, closer, closer. The tension inside her built until it was the only thing she could think about, his tongue against her the only real thing in the world, urging her on, bringing her right up to the edge until she tensed and then… He suddenly veered off course, and she gave a cry of disappointment as she lost her grip on the feeling and it receded again.

"Why?" she demanded, frustrated to the extreme.

He stopped for a moment and kissed her thigh. "It'll be worth it. Trust me."

She grumbled darkly and let her head fall back on the pillow. "It better be."

He spent several minutes on other parts, before moving back to where she wanted him. The tension was back immediately, rising faster and more urgently than before. She gripped the sheets and arched her back again, moaning, trembling, tensing, almost there… almost… Right as she was about to tip over, though, he stopped again, and she cried out in frustration.

"Sergio!"

He smiled and kissed her thighs as he waited. The feeling lingered for a while before receding this time, humming through her and making her squirm.

"You finish what you start next time!"

"One more time", he murmured.

She sat up and grabbed his hair. "No. I did not sign up for this teasing! If you do that to me again I swear there will be consequences."

He grinned. "What kind of consequences?"

She cast around for a suitable punishment. "No sex tomorrow!"

His grin widened. "As if."

She laughed. "Okay, let me try this a different way. If you let me come this time, extra sex tomorrow."

"Now you're talking", he murmured, then pressed his mouth to her again so she fell back into the pillows, helpless. She knew this was the one, and she was more than ready for it as his tongue moved back up to where she wanted it.

Suddenly, he entered her with two fingers, adding another sensation, and the combination of his fingers and tongue was so exquisite she could cry. When he pressed upwards, she threw her head back and moaned, lost to the world, her hands gripping the sheets so tightly her knuckled whitened, her back arching off the bed, her eyes closed tight.

All the tension that he had built up so carefully seemed to return at once, making her gasp for breath. When she tensed for the third time and he didn't stop, she surrendered herself completely to the feeling of it as the orgasm crashed through her, fiery and perfect and all-consuming. She sobbed his name as he just kept her coming and coming, easing off just a bit to draw out the sensation for moment after divine moment, then easing off further until his touch was featherlight as he guided her, trembling, through the aftershocks.

Finally he withdrew completely and she relaxed back onto the bed, her breath coming in gasps, her eyes dazed and her chest flushed. She turned onto her side and curled in on herself for a moment, laughing giddily.

"Holy fuck, that was incredible."

He moved up, smiling. "If you had let me edge you a third time, it would have been even better."

"I don't think that's possible."

He gave her a longing look. "Can we try it out tomorrow?"

She laughed. "You're keen."

"Yes", he murmured. "I've missed this, I've missed this so much."

"God", she breathed. "Me too."

She gently pushed him onto his back and he opened his arms so her head could finally find its familiar place again in the hollow of his shoulder. They lay like that for a long time without speaking, just smiling, softly caressing each other and basking in the afterglow and each other's presence. Finally he pressed a kiss to her hair, then said softly:

"I can't even say how happy I am that you're back. Please never leave me again."

"I won't", she promised him. "From now on, wherever you go, I go. I don't care where it is or what you do, but we will never be apart again."

He hugged her tight. "I… I'm not that great with words, Raquel, so I don't think I can ever tell you how much you mean to me. How important you are to me. What you've done for me, teaching me how to live, teaching me how to love, I can't express how you've changed me. How you've saved me. It's as if… for most of my life, the entire world was grey, and now I'm finally seeing it in color. I don't know how to thank you for that."

"My love", she said simply. "You've saved me too." She looked up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too", he whispered.