She didn't hear the window slide open, or the soft pad of sneakers on the rug. But the dog did. He walked right up to where Murdock stood still and whimpered a little. A faint smile crossed Murdock's face as he whispered a quiet "shhh..." at the German Shepherd and reached out to pet his head. Nice puppy. And a good judge of character.

She was asleep. For a long moment, he watched her. Bright blue eyes closed, dark hair lying across her face, body tucked underneath the white chenille blanket. An involuntary smile crossed his lips. She was beautiful. A perfect, beautiful angel.

All things considered, it seemed more appropriate for him to come to her than the other way around. She'd never given any indication that she was uncomfortable walking into the psych ward and asking to see him. Even less so, probably, than most people. After all, the very first thing she'd said to him when she found out was, "What are you doing here?" He'd never really given her an answer to that. At least, not the answer she'd been hoping for. Not an answer she could understand.

He perched on the edge of her bed, depressing the mattress as he reached out and brushed her hair gently back from her face. In his other hand was a rose from the bushes outside the window. As he watched her, a quiet smile on his lips, he slowly reached toward her with the flower, brushing the side of her face. She moaned softly as she turned her head, and caught the scent. "Mmm..."

"Evening, pretty lady," he whispered.

She smiled at the sound of his voice before she opened her eyes. They shined so blue in the moonlight it was almost inhuman. "Evening?" she smiled. She glanced quickly at the clock. "It's almost morning!"

He shrugged a little, and offered her the flower. With a smile, she took it from his hand and brought it up to inhale the scent. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're very welcome."

His hand drifted up and into her hair, stroking it gently as he watched her. She giggled a little nervously at his careful gaze. "What?" he smiled back.

"Did I forget to take my makeup off or something?" she asked, reaching up a hand to brush her eyes. "You're looking at me like you -"

His lips against hers cut her off. Slow and gentle, the way he had been longing to kiss her all day long. And the day before. And the day before that. He found that he had very little difficulty keeping track of the days anymore. He counted them in the hours and minutes since he'd last seen her. As he closed his mouth slowly, he let the kiss linger for a long moment.

"I just want to look at you," he breathed against her lips. Slowly, he opened his eyes and met hers. "You're more beautiful every time I see you. And I keep thinking... one of these days... I'm just going to be... blinded..." So hard to breathe. So hard to think about anything when she was so close. "... by your beauty."

She laughed quietly, pulling back a little. "Oh, stop," she whispered, her cheeks flushing.

He smiled, finding the ground again, and the remnants of his thoughts, just in time. "It's true," he justified, firmly and with a nod.

"You always say that," she sighed, her shoulders rising and falling as she reached up to touch the side of his face.

"And it's always true."

She traced his jaw with her fingertips, and her smile faded as she studied him. "Murdock, what are you doing here?" she whispered. "You're going to get caughtsneaking out of that hospital." She was trying to suppress a grin. She didn't quite manage it.

"Oh, it wouldn't be the first time," he shrugged, rising to his feet and offering her a hand. "I'm sure it won't be the last."

After a moment of hesitation, she placed her fingers against his, and he held her hand as she stood up. "Isn't that... bad?" she asked, genuinely concerned for his sake.

"Well, it's not ideal," he grinned back as he led her to the bedroom door, out into the living room. "But worse things have happened."

"Aren't you at least the slightest bit concerned that -"

He turned back suddenly and touched his finger to her lips, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You worry too much. You know that?"

Of course she knew that. But this, of all things, seemed something that warranted her worry. Nevertheless, he was not concerned and she might as well enjoy this moment rather than worry through it. It had been almost two weeks since she'd seen him. It felt like years.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly as he began to lead her again.

"Heh. I gotta show you this. You just gotta see it. It's so cool..."

"What is?"

She realized they were headed for the front door and stopped, her hand slipping from his as he kept moving. "Wait - do I need to get dressed?"

He glanced at her and the white nightgown that hung almost to her ankles. What kind of a question was that? "No," he answered, genuinely confused.

"It wouldn't take me long," she answered, taking a step back toward the bedroom. "I could just..."

She saw him move towards her again, but was still completely unprepared as he stopped next to her, one arm behind her back, and bent down to sweep her up into his arms in one swift movement. She shrieked in surprise as she gripped his shoulders instinctively. "I...! Wait! Where are we going?" She was laughing so hard as they stumbled to the front door that she could barely make the words form.

"Uh oh." He paused suddenly.

A flicker of panic. Had she done something wrong? Taken her protest too far? She stopped laughing instantly. "What? What's wrong?"

"I forgot," he admitted, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. "I can't open the door with my hands full."

She relaxed suddenly, with a laugh, and reached back to turn the door handle. Outside on the porch, he set her on the white wooden railing, her back up against the support beam. She used him for balance as she tried to situate herself, breathing in the cool, spring air. "Look," he directed before she'd completely settled. Her eyes followed in the direction he was pointing, and came to rest on the full harvest moon, huge and gold and hanging low in the sky. Her breath caught.

"Isn't that great?" he asked quietly, lowering his hand again to hold her so she didn't fall. "I saw that out my window an' I just thought I had to come over here an' make sure you saw it too."

She finished settling on the railing and turned to look at him skeptically. "How did you get over here, anyway?"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout that," he waved, brushing off the question the way he did so often when she asked the whys and hows he didn't want to answer. Or couldn't answer, whatever the case may be.

"Murdock..." she pressed, not quite sure yet that she needn't be worried.

"Aww, come on, Kelly, why you gotta do me like that?" he rushed, giving her the most forlorn look he could muster on such short notice. "I mean, if you don't wanna see me no more all you gotta do is say so..."

She studied him for a moment. Then, with a smile, she took his face in both hands and pulled him into a soft, slow kiss. By the time he finally pulled away, lingering as long as he possibly could before his lungs screamed for air, something in the atmosphere between them had changed. Suddenly, his hand was on her thigh... and it felt like it belonged there. Her fingers were trailing down the center of his T-shirt, and they belonged there, too. He felt his breathing deepen a little as he searched her eyes.

"All jokes aside," he started quietly, bringing his other hand from her back to the side of her face. "I really have missed you."

"I've missed you, too," she whispered.

He leaned in a little and nuzzled her, not kissing but just feeling her soft cheek against his, breathing in the scent of her shampoo as he traced along the rim of her ear with the tip of his nose. Everything inside of him relaxed all at once as he let his thoughts drift away into nothingness, and he wondered if he had ever felt anything so beautiful and safe and calming in his life.

"Can I... tell you a secret?" he breathed, just barely forming words out of the shallow gasps for air.

"Hmm?" He could hear it in her voice, too. That slowly building excitement, warm and tingling way down deep inside. He could feel it in the way she shivered as his soft touch moved down from her shoulder, along her arm, past her wrist, and over each individual finger on the hand that was toying with the edge of his jacket. Something incredible. Something beautiful. Something he'd not felt in a long time.

"I think... I'm falling in love with you..."

Her breathing hitched, audibly, and he pulled away slowly to stare into her eyes, searching her. "Is...?" he started, uncertainly. He licked his lips, trying to bring back moisture to his suddenly dry mouth. "Is that... okay?"

His heart was fluttering in his chest, hands almost shaking as he held her fingers against his stomach, where they'd stopped on his jacket. She was staring back at him with those piercing blue eyes. Very slightly, very slowly, she was nodding. His eyes slid closed as he felt her lips brush his again. But this time, he just hung there, not kissing, only barely touching her as if she were a china doll that might break if he breathed too hard. It wouldn't be hard to control his breathing. He could hardly breathe at all.

"Say it," he breathed, barely a whisper against her lips.

He felt her smile rather than saw it. "You're crazy..." she whispered back.

He grinned back, truly content with that answer. It wasn't her words. It was the way she'd said them. Like she believed him, even though so many things and so many people had told her for so very long that she shouldn't. He didn't know who'd hurt her. He'd never asked. But he knew that everything he saw every time he looked at her was beautiful, and wonderful, and worth more than anything in the world.

"Crazy in love with you," he clarified, tracing her lips with his, kissing all the way around her mouth. "I think about you all the time, Kelly. Every minute of every day and I count the seconds since the last time I..." He was out of breath again. "... I felt your lips against mine. Since I saw your face and stared into your eyes and thought about how simply... wonderfully..." He pulled back to meet her gaze, and raised both hands to hold her face gently. "... perfect you are."

She smiled tightly, shaking her head a little. "You don't mean that," she protested.

"If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't say it," he said firmly. "I don't lie to people I love. Not ever."

She stared at him, searching and finally... accepting. She closed her eyes, and tipped her head a bit, rubbing her cheek against his palm. "I love you, too," she whispered, the fingers at his jacket tightening and pulling him closer as she leaned in and kissed him, hard. His eyes widened suddenly at the intensity, but slowly slid closed as the kiss backed off just a little into a soft, slow probe.

He knew what was happening when he felt her hands move up from the bottom of the jacket to where it hung at his chest. He knew when he felt her shift and turn towards him, dropping her legs back down to the wooden porch. His hands slid behind her to help her with her balance, but they didn't remain there. The embrace was only brief, because he had to put his arms back as she guided his brown leather jacket off of his shoulders and dragged it down his arms.

He wasn't sure if she was pushing or he was pulling, but the door opened as he backed into it, and she kicked it shut at the same moment that his jacket hit the floor. His hat followed, and he nearly tripped over his shoes as he tried to kick them off while still walking. He stumbled a few times in the process, and almost fell head over heels. Thank God the laces were loose...

They moved through the entire house on one continuous kiss, until he finally fell back on the bed and took her shoulders, rolling with her and pulling her across him. When he came to a stop, she was lying beneath him. He searched her eyes carefully for any hint of hesitation, any indication of uncertainty. But he found none. Still, he had to hear it from her mouth.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

A nervous smile crossed her face as she nodded. "My stomach is all fluttery."

He grinned back. "It's supposed to be."

She nodded again, and squirmed just slightly as his eyes ran over her, trailing along with his fingers as he touched the neckline of her nightgown. His smile remained in place. She was nervous. Maybe that was part of the reason why he felt just like a teenager again.

He moved down, all the way down to the foot of the bed, and took her foot in his lap. It wasn't a massage, it was just... a touch. A caress. He worked over every inch of her feet, her ankles, her shins, touching her everywhere as if to claim her as his own. She watched him, mesmerized by just how erotic that simple touch was.

As he reached her knees, he leaned over her, reaching up under the gown. His hands didn't roam. They went straight up the outside of her thighs, over her hips, to the waistband of her panties. Then, still watching her eyes, he slowly began to drag them down. She lifted her hips off the mattress without thought, letting him withdraw, inch by inch, until she was naked beneath the gown.

Leaving her legs, the gown still covering to her knees, he moved up over her again, breathing in her scent deeply as he moved all the way to her neck. Soft, wet kisses dotted her collarbone. She whimpered involuntarily. He was smiling as he pulled back to look down at her. "You like that?" he guessed.

She nodded. And he did it again. Her eyes rolled back in her head. "You uh..." she stammered. "I mean I should... tell you..." He pulled back to look at her, watching carefully as she chewed the edge of her bottom lip. "I've never..." Her eyes lowered and she shifted a little. "I mean... not really..."

His eyes widened a little as he suddenly realized what she was not saying, and he stopped himself from going through all the list of reasons why that should be his cue to walk away. Instead, he just stared at her, stunned. How was that even possible? She really was beautiful, and she was successful, and intelligent, and had a greatpersonality... "For real?" he asked, still not entirely sure he could believe it.

She held her lip between her teeth as she nodded. "Honest to God truth," she whispered back.

He studied her for a long moment, and finally reached a hand to touch the side of her face. "But you're sure?" he asked again. "Absolutely sure? 'Cause we don't have to do this if you -"

She giggled quietly, cutting him off with a finger against his lips, and nodded as she looked back up at him. "I'm sure," she answered softly. "Just... nervous."

He had to laugh at that. "Well, now I am too so I guess that makes two of us."

She smiled genuinely as she reached up and draped her arms over his neck, pulling him down into a long, reassuring kiss. His thoughts scattered again, like a bucket full of marbles dropped on a tile floor, the way they always did when she kissed him like that. "I love you," she breathed against his lips.

Very slowly, his hand trailed down her side along the soft cotton fabric, feeling every curve of her body along the way. "I love you, too," he answered.

He dropped his face down to her neck, kissing along her soft skin. As his hand moved down, hers moved up along his side and under his shirt, caressing each one of his ribs on the way up to his shoulders. He pulled away as the shirt stretched, and writhed his way out of it, dropping it on the floor beside the bed as he leaned down again to cover her lips with his. Her nails scraped lightly down his back, from his shoulders all the way to the waist of his jeans, leaving white-hot trails in their wake. His nerves stood on edge everywhere she touched him.

A low, involuntary moan escaped him as he pressed his hips against hers. Through his jeans, through her nightgown, she could feel him hardening. She stared into his eyes as her breath caught, and he grinned down at her. "S'okay," he whispered. "Yeah?"

A relaxed smile crossed her face and she nodded. As he shifted to his side, sliding one arm under her pillow, he moved one hand from her hip, around to her stomach, then up slowly until his palm covered her breast, through the fabric. He let it rest there for a long moment, eyes sliding closed as her fingers roamed over his body. As she explored, he relaxed. Back onto the pillows beside her and the soft chenille blanket. At the pace she was moving, this could take hours. And he was going to love every single solitary minute of it...

He could feel her kisses on his chest, warm and wet as she worked her way down, all the way to his abs... then lower... It took every ounce of control he could find not to squirm as she ran her tongue along the waistband of his jeans, fingers caressing along his belt but not unlatching it. He opened his eyes and stared at her in the light coming through the window, and a smirk crossed his face. "Ya know... for someone who ain't ever done this before... you sure do know how to tease."

She smiled as she straddled his waist, taking her hands away from the belt and leaving it clasped. Even constricted by the jeans, his hips still wanted to thrust up against her. He kept them still, and just watched her as her eyes and hands roamed, drinking in all the details that were laid open to her eyes: every scar, every mark, and every ridge of every muscle in his shoulders and across his chest. "What do you want?" she asked softly. Very slowly, she drew her eyes up to his. "Anything."

"Anything?" he challenged, brows raised.

She swallowed nervously, but nodded, and he brought his hands on top of hers against his chest. "I just want to look at you," he whispered. Very slowly, his fingers roamed up past her wrists, over her forearms. "Naked and beautiful and bathed in the moonlight." He smiled as he watched the look that came over her eyes - hesitant, but trusting. "I want that image... to be the first thing in my mind when I wake up... and the last thing I see before I fall asleep."

She swallowed again, and bit her lip, shifting a little uncomfortably. He sat up slowly, and she moved back a little to straddle his thighs instead of his waist. One of his hands moved down her side to where the bottom of the nightgown was bunched at her knees. He touched it, lingering there for a long moment, but his eyes remained locked on hers. "Please," he whispered, using the index finger of his other hand to trace her lips.

He could feel her breath, warm and wet and labored as he kissed her lightly, barely brushing her lips with his. Holding the bottom of the gown, she raised it up slowly, and he waited until the very last moment before he pulled away, and lay back down on the mattress. She dropped the gown on the floor beside the bed and immediately, instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. But he reached out, touching her forearms lightly. "No," he pleaded, watching her eyes carefully. "No, please..."

Very slowly, she lowered her arms to her sides, opening herself up to his gaze. His breath caught as his eyes swept over her, drinking in every single detail. "My God," he breathed. "You really are the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world..."

A genuine, heartfelt smile crept over her face as she realized that he was being totally and completely sincere. "I'm almost... afraid to touch you," he admitted, holding his hand an inch from her skin as he moved from the slight swell of her breast all the way down to the crease of her thigh. "Afraid I'll somehow... break you..."

She smiled down him. He could almost see her confidence building. "I don't break quite that easy," she assured him, placing her hand over his and pressing it against her chest.

Her heartbeat raced against his palm as he closed his eyes and smiled. "Ah... that feels so good."

"What does?" she asked, curious.

His hands slid up to her shoulders rather quickly, and she gasped as he pulled her down on top of him. It wasn't fast enough to make her lose her balance awkwardly. But it was faster than he'd been moving, and it almost caught her off guard. She gasped in surprise as she fell onto his chest and realized once she was there that he'd managed to entwine their fingers together. Now he held her hands away from them both so that her full weight was on him. "You feel that?" he mumbled.

"Feel what?"

"Shh... listen," he whispered, watching her.

She listened. They both listened. The breeze in the leaves outside, the chirping of crickets, the soft snoring from the dog in the corner... And between the panted breaths of excited lovers, the sound of two racing heartbeats, pounding against each other's chest in rapid fire. His hands left hers, and his fingers trailed down her spine slowly, pausing at every vertebra as he slowly and gently turned with her, guiding her onto her back.

For a long moment, he just stared at her. The way her hair fanned out all around her head, the glistening of her eyes in the moonlight. He felt every protective instinct inside of him rear up as he trailed his fingers down the side of her innocent face and he knew in that moment that he'd give his life for her without a second thought. "I love you, Kelly..."

She smiled, and nodded slowly, letting her hands rest on either side of her head, spread out for him and completely, naturally, comfortable. He kissed her once more, lightly, as he lowered his hand to pull open the buckle of his belt. It was only seconds later that he was struggling to kick off the jeans. There was no easy, elegant way to get them off and his patience was beginning to feel the strain of being so close, yet so far away. She laughed quietly as his efforts nearly landed him on the floor, but remained still as he finished undressing, kicked the remaining clothes off the end of the bed, and moved over top of her.

He smiled down at her as he braced, locking their fingers together again as she felt the tip of his shaft brush her inner thigh. "Okay, your turn," he whispered, grinning as he watched her eyes. He tipped his head down to kiss her throat a few times before moving up to murmur against her lips, "What do you want from me?"

He watched the blush creep into her cheeks. It made him laugh, quietly, and he squeezed her hands for reassurance as her jaw worked a few times, almost forming words but not quite. She wanted to say something. She didn't have the words. "Come on," he prodded with a smile. "Just say it like it comes into your brain." He leaned down and pressed his cheek against hers. Her face was hot to the touch. "Whisper it to me," he sighed against her ear. "You know I'll give you anything..."

Another few seconds of silence, then he heard her breathe, hesitantly, "I just..." He gave her time, a few panted gasps. "Just..."

"Tell me..." She took in a deep breath, her chest rising and falling, and he pulled away to look down at her. His smile grew a little. "You're chewin' on your lip again," he pointed out. "I love it when you do that."

"Just make love to me," she finally gasped. He felt the tension in her arms increase as the words left her lips. "Please... I need you..." Her eyes rolled back as she arched up against him, all of her muscles reacting. "I need you..."

Her legs parted wide as she dug her heels into the mattress, using the leverage to push her hips up against him. He moved one hand to her waist, holding her still as he positioned the tip of his shaft at her wet, hot opening. He could feel her juices running down, all the way to the mattress. And as he slowly pressed inside of her, he heard a low and lustful moan escape her that matched his own.

She was so tight, he had to go slow. Painstakingly slow, inch by inch, with perfect control. Too fast and he'd hurt her. Too slow and he would drag this beautiful, agonizing, intense moment beyond the limits of his endurance. He dropped his head forward, against her shoulder, and took in a long, slow breath as he paused. "You okay?" she gasped.

He lifted his head and met her eyes, offering her a slight nod. "Nnnhnn," he slurred. "It just... ah God, that feels so good..."

She smiled, and he remained still as she brought her legs up, around his waist, locking her ankles together and holding him. He pressed even deeper, and held for a moment before he slowly pulled back. Slow, steady, even thrusts. He found the pattern she set, pressing her hips up against his, and watched her eyes as he felt her hands come up to hold his shoulders. "I love you," she breathed.

He swallowed hard, nodding, panting, pulling his body back under control. Just one little push, and he could come at any moment. One kiss, one whisper, one touch that sent just the right erotic thought into his mind. But he held it off, focusing on her - her pace, her moans, the desperate and pleading look in her eyes.

"You're so..." he gasped. He couldn't talk. If he talked, he couldn't hold on. But as he felt her writhe underneath him, he realized he didn't need to hold on for much longer. "Aah... so..."

Her gasps became punctuated with little pleas that sounded almost like his name. Finally, she thrust up hard against him, pulling him in as deep as she could take him as she squealed. Her vaginal fist clamped down around him so hard, he couldn't have held back if his life depended on it. His eyes rolled back as his hips bucked against hers, thrusting wildly but still trying to be careful not to hurt her as he let out her name in a low, needful moan.

As his body tired, his rapid gasps for air turned to slower, deeper breaths. He dropped his head forward again, onto her shoulder. His entire body relaxed, but she didn't let him go. Her legs stayed wrapped around him, holding him inside of her until her own strength gave out.

For a few long minutes, he didn't move. He just lay still, regaining his composure, catching his breath. Then finally, he raised his eyes to her half-lidded, deep blues. "Satisfied?" he whispered.

She smiled broadly. "That was... amazing..."

He reached up, weakly, trying to keep himself braced so that he didn't crush her, and brushed the side of her face lightly. "You're amazing," he corrected.

Her eyes slid closed as she turned her head, drifting in and out of awareness as he slowly moved to her side, stretching an arm across her and pulling her close to his chest. "Stay with me," she pleaded weakly. "Stay a while... Please..."

He smiled faintly, eyes closed. "I'll stay," he promised. "You just rest."

She turned to face him, tucking her head under his chin as he pulled the blanket up around them both. Before either of them thought to say another word, they were both sound asleep.