Chapter 13

Bear decided he'd been ignored long enough. Poking his nose between Elise and John while they kissed, brought an instant end to their shared moment. Licking John in the ear Bear got his desired result. John immediately raised his head and laughed, followed immediately followed by a groan. Laughter may be the best medicine but it was NOT best for gunshot wounds to the stomach.

Elise sat up and immediately began checking the bandage for new bleeding, but found none. "Bear! You bad boy! You'll get your time with John when we get to the beach house!" She laughed at the dog's antics. He was not deterred in the least by Elise's reprimand and only stopped at a command from John. Kissing him quickly one last time, she slid back over into the driver's seat and put the car in gear. Checking the mirrors she pulled back out onto the road. They only had about ten miles to go and she was anxious to get to her house. Bear continued to nuzzle John's neck and he reached up a scratched him behind the ears before relaxing back into the seat.

Using the GPS, Elise found the hidden driveway to the beach bungalow. Driving slowly down the curved drive she thought about how different she felt now, driving back with Bear and John versus when she'd left. Just her and Bear on a mission to find John. Shaking her head she couldn't believe it had only been, what, a little over 48 hours? It seemed like an eternity ago...

Pulling up to the garage, Elise deactivated the security system and opened the garage door. Driving in, she remembered that the bike was still in town. Dismayed, she looked over at John. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be napping again. He was still very weak.

"John, John...wake up. We're here." She called softly to him. Bear knew exactly where they were and started whining to get out. The combination of Bear's impatience and Elise's gentle touch roused John once again. Looking around he was surprised to see they were already in the garage at the beach house.

Getting John out of the car proved to be a undertaking in itself. Mainly because he thought he could and should do it by himself resulting in him almost falling to the garage floor, taking Elise with him. Elise stepped back and put her hands on her hips and waited. She'd be damned if she offered her help again only to have it rebuffed. Men were so hard headed and John more so than most!

Sitting back down in the car seat, John took a moment to take stock of just what he could and couldn't do. And it seemed that getting out of the car and standing up was apparently something he could not do without help. Looking sheepishly as Elise, he gave her his most endearing smile and held out his hand to her.

Trying to keep a stern look on her face while John was hitting her with his engaging smile was next to impossible. Biting the inside of her cheek she just barely kept the smile off her face. Raising one eyebrow, she looked at his out stretched hand and then back at his face, waiting.

Finally, John heaved an exaggerated sigh and mumbled "Please".

Elise cocked her head to one side but kept her distance, her arms folded. "Please what?"

Sighing one more time John said, "Please help me get out of the damn car." And he gave her a crooked smile.

Before answering him, Elise opened the back door and let Bear out. Standing in front of John, Elise took his hand and braced herself. John used the door frame and Elise to slowly regain his feet. Once again as the blood drained down from his head, he got dizzy but this time Elise had him. Slowly but surely she was able to get him into the house and sitting on the couch overlooking the deck. A fine sheen of sweat coated his face. Damn, he was weaker than he'd admitted. A simple walk from the garage to the house had exhausted him. Seeing the fatigue show up in the shadows of his eyes, Elise went to work on getting him settled with as little effort as possible on his part.

Raiding the freezer and the pantry she was able to throw together some food quickly while John napped again on the couch. Bringing the food to where John was stretched out on the couch, she set it down on the coffee table and curled up on the other end of the couch. Watching John sleep had a calming effect on her. He was here, he was safe and they were together in their own little corner of the world. After all they had gone through the bond between them was stronger than ever.

Relaxing against the couch, Elise reflected on all that John had told her on the side of the road. It was worse than she'd imagined. Her hatred of Stanton was tempered by the fact the woman had kept him alive during all of that. Part of the man he was today was a result of the training and mentoring the woman had done. And yet, Stanton had tried to subjugate that part of Reese that made him different from her...his conscience and his heart...but she'd lost in the end. The darkness and deep pain John always carried around seemed lighter now. He wasn't completely healed but he was on his way.

In the meantime, Bear had sniffed his way all over the house and found everything to his satisfaction. No smells from any strangers for him to alert on. He jumped up on the couch and curled up between the two of them, his head on Elise's knee. Scratching him absently behind the ears, she slowly drifted off herself, completely relaxed for the first time since she had awakened in her bed to find John gone.

John came abruptly awake as Bear began licking his face. Pushing him away he squinted at the light coming in through the large windows facing the beach. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he remembered where he was. Glancing down the other end of the couch he saw Elise curled up and still asleep. Bear whined once more though and she slowly came awake. Shaking her head she looked around until she saw John. A slow smile appeared on her face to match the one on his.

"Well hello there. How are you feeling?" she asked as she stretched her cramped muscles. Standing up she let Bear out the door to the deck and left it cracked for him to return.

"I'm good. Better now that I'm here with you again." he answered and then a frown appeared. "God Elise, it was killing me to be away from you, knowing you might think the worst, that you might be in pain over my desertion."

"Why did you go with her John?" She asked and then shook her head when his look turned to one of chagrin. "No, no, I know you weren't leaving me for her. I know you love me and not that…that psychopath of a woman… plus, I know you know I'd hunt you down if you ever even considered leaving me for someone else." He snorted at that and they both smiled, knowing it was the truth. "But what I don't get is why you didn't tell me you were going. What hold did she have over you that you just picked up and went?"

John cleared his throat, wanting to make sure that Elise really did believe that he loved her and would never leave her for someone else. "She saw us together at some point, back in the city, and told me that Snow was after me and wouldn't hesitate to take you out too if he realized you meant anything to me. I thought it was the only way to keep you safe. She and I were supposed to get Mark's attention and then find a way to take him out."

"Wait…. This entire thing was about….KEEPING….ME….SAFE?! JOHNATHAN REESE! I FEEL LIKE SHOOTING YOU MYSELF RIGHT NOW!"

Elise was obviously very furious and he shifted uncomfortably. Leave it to her to miss the entire point; that he was trying to do whatever he could to keep her safe because he didn't think he could live without her. He sighed and then tried to get that scowl off of her face with a little bit of humor.

"Do you think you could at least give me a head start?" He asked with false meekness.

"Hmph!" Was her reply as she crossed her arms in front of her and continued to give him a surly look.

"Have I mentioned this morning how much I love you and your sweet temperedness?" He gave her a half smile.

"Yeah right. Sweet tempered?" One of her eyebrows rose and she couldn't hold back the laughter any more. "Alright, I'll forgive you as long as you promise to stop trying to protect me! We are partners John, we look out for each other." John just narrowed his eyes and gave a very small inclination of the head to indicate he'd heard her. Not that he promised, Elise didn't miss that fact. But knowing how much of an alpha male he was and how deep that protective instinct ran, she figured that that was the most she'd get out of him on the subject.

Sighing, Elise settled down on the edge of the couch next to John. Checking his pulse and feeling for a fever, she did a quick check of the bandage. Everything looked good and John seemed to be without pain as his fingers gently caressed her arms and shoulders as she was checking out his injury.

"I sure could use a shower. Think I could manage that?" He asked with a smile. "With a little help of course." And his smile turned into a smirk.

Cocking her head to one side Elise favored him with one of her 'special' smiles that promised much. "I think we might arrange that."

Frowning for a moment she realized he'd never be able to make it up the stairs to the bedroom and bath there. Well, there was a full bath down here and they hadn't...um...initiated that particular room yet.

Jumping off the couch she ran up the stairs calling over her shoulder that she'd be right back. Once upstairs she went straight to the master bath and rounded up towels, body wash and shampoo and hurried back down. Taking them to the downstairs bathroom, she turned on the shower to warm up the water. It wasn't quite as big as the one upstairs but it would definitely hold two people. Spying one of those plastic bath stools in the small closet next to the shower, she put it in the shower for John to sit on. He was still too weak to stand for any length of time and if he fell in the shower she knew she'd never be able to get him back up by herself.

Returning to the living room she was pleased to see that he had already gotten his feet on the floor and was trying to sit on the edge of the couch. Reaching down to him she helped him stand up. As the world spun around him, John held onto Elise. Enjoying the full body hug, they both savored the moment.

Slowly they walked to the bathroom next to the guest room. The steam from the shower was fogging up the mirror already. Letting him lean against the counter, Elise began unbuttoning the flannel shirt. Running her hand up his chest and around his neck, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him.

"Mmmmmm...I love a man in flannel. You should wear it more often." She said as she nuzzled his neck. John buried his hands in her hair and tilted her face up to his and gently kissed her eyes, her nose, her mouth; slowly his hands dropped down her torso and he began to pull the t-shirt she had borrowed from Meg off of her. Feasting his eyes on the body he cherished above all others, a growl escaped him as he pulled her roughly toward himself.

Placing her hand against his chest, Elise then removed the white T-shirt he had on underneath the flannel while trying to hold them both upright. She tried to rein in them both. The passion was threatening to consume them but John had been seriously wounded. As much as she wanted him now, she knew she was going to have to be the one with the level head.

"Wait. I need to check your bandage and see what, if anything, I have that will make it waterproof."

A different kind of growl escaped John, this one of frustration. "Elise! Come back here..."

Scampering out of his reach, Elise ran back into the living room and brought back the bag full of medical supplies. Just as she'd thought, Meg had put some waterproof tape and bandages in her 'to go bag'. She quickly checked the bandage and then covered it with the waterproof gauze and tape. Standing back she checked her handy work and was quite pleased with herself.

Her eyes involuntarily dropped lower and she could see that John was still very much 'interested' in picking up where they had left off. Grinning from ear to ear she slowly stepped closer and reached for the button of the jeans she'd helped put on him a couple of hours ago. Sliding them down his hips, John's manhood sprang free and stood up in all its glory. Slowly licking her lips, Elise raised her eyes to John's. Never taking her eyes off of his, she slowly unbuttoned her own jeans and stepped out of them. Now all she had on was her bra and panties.

"I do believe you are overdressed my love. Let me help you with that." John said in a husky voice, still leaning against the counter for support, he was conserving his strength for what he knew was to come. "Turn around and back up to me." He said quietly.

Doing as he asked, Elise felt John's hands on her neck and shoulders. He ran them down her back until he came to the clasp of her bra and swiftly undid the hooks. Reaching back up, he slipped the straps off her shoulders and let her bra fall down her arms to the floor. His questing hands then reached around and gently grasped each of her breasts, cupping them and causing her to gasp. Pulling her gently back against his chest, he began to fondle each breast with reverence. Taking his thumb and forefinger he carefully rolled each nipple until they both stood at attention. Elise dropped her head back and rested it lightly on John's chest, slowly leaning to one side and exposing her neck. Continuing to worship her breasts with his large hands, John leaned down and began nibbling on her ear, making his way down to her earlobe which he then sucked into his mouth.

Elise moaned as the sensations that John brought so easily to the surface began to take over her body. Her breath was coming in short gasps and her knees were beginning to feel weak. She felt the evidence of John's own excitement pushing against her from behind. Turning in his arms she pressed against him, ever mindful of the bandage and pulled his head down for a deep kiss. Finally pulling apart they were both breathless.

Elise could feel John's knees beginning to shake and she knew she had to get him off his feet. Pulling away from him she took his hand and led him to the shower door. Opening it he was able to see the stool under the heated torrent of water. Stepping in behind her, he sank gratefully down on the stool.

Shutting the door behind her, Elise stepped in front of John and stood between his knees. He never thought he would be jealous of water, but his eyes burned with intensity as he watched the water caress every part of her body that he wished to. Her nipples were erect and demanded his attention again. Being at the perfect height, John slowly took one nipple into his mouth while his hands returned to fondling the other breast. Placing her hands on his shoulders, Elise's head dropped back with a moan as she gave in completely to the sensations.

Releasing one nipple he transferred his attention to the other and his hands began to roam freely around her body. Up her back and down, around her hips, her behind. Grasping each cheek with his hands he pulled her even closer to him. His erection was straining to be buried within her. Leaving one hand holding her behind firmly, he used his other hand to reach down to plunder her sex. Finding her clit was easy as it was swollen and puffy with desire and begging for his attention. Rubbing it with his thumb, he slowly inserted one and then two fingers deep into her channel. Rocking back and forth on his fingers, Elise could feel her orgasm building. Looking down at John through slitted eyes, she met his direct, passion filled gaze as he suckled her breast. She moaned his name as the tension built inside her. Holding her breath as her orgasm rolled through her she gasped and writhed as his fingers continued to mercilessly stroke her. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck and shoulders as her own legs were barely able to hold her up.

Once her breathing returned to normal levels, Elise pulled back and looked down at John. "That was not supposed to happen..."

Giving her a salacious smile, all he said was "I'm not sorry...are you?"

"No, but I ...we ...need to give you a bath and get you into some clean clothes. So behave and let me take care of you!"

Reaching over to grab the shampoo, Elise stepped behind John so he couldn't grab her again. Her whole body was tingly from their 'encounter'. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. She loved washing his hair; it was so thick and soft. And that sexy V at the bottom of his hair line drove her crazy. Unhooking the shower head, she used the hand held portion to rinse his hair, again, staying behind him and out of reach.

The body wash was going to be an entirely different matter. Carefully pouring some on her hands she applied it without a washrag, letting her hands slide all over his body. Leaning over his shoulders to get to his neck and chest, she giggled as his penis bobbed in reaction to having her breasts pressed close against him when he could do nothing about it. Reaching around, she washed each arm, feeling the muscles bunch and relax as he flexed them. The smoothness of his chest was pure heaven...except when she came across a scar from a bullet or a knife. Refusing to think about that, she continued on, finally having to step back in front of him. Pouring some body wash in her hands she knelt down in front of him and began to wash his feet and the long shanks of his legs, working her way up slowly. Glancing up she met John's eyes; they were dilated and deep blue and full of desire. The scorching intensity of that look almost burned her.

Holding his gaze she slowly washed around the bandage, working her way down to his waist. Finding his happy trail with her fingers she gently and gradually worked her way down to the important part. Grasping him lightly she was rewarded with a gasp from John. Never taking her eyes off of his, she slowly moved her hand up and down. From tight to tighter and then back again, her thumb caressing the slit and then down below the plump head. Her other hand moved to work its way under his balls as he sat on the edge of the plastic stool. Holding them firmly she rolled one and then the other as she continued the up and down motions with her other hand. John's mouth opened slightly and he began to breathe in short gasps. Leaning forward she let her breasts rest on her forearms as she continued to give John her undivided attention. He reached down and began to massage her breasts, still teasing her nipples. She watched his eyes get darker and darker. She could feel his orgasm approaching in the increasing tension of his thighs. He was getting harder and harder in her hand. His balls suddenly hardened and he gasped her name, as his release erupted. Closing his eyes he carefully dropped his head until it rested atop hers. Gradually slowing the motion of her hands to draw his orgasm out for him, she then reached for the hand held shower head and carefully rinsed him off.

Standing back up Elise smiled. John looked completely done in. He could hardly hold his head up. She felt good about bring him pleasure after he had done the same for her. They were so in tune with each other and each knew what the other liked.

Reaching for the shampoo Elise began to shampoo her own hair. Turning her back to John she washed and then rinsed her hair. When her hair was wet, it hung down below her waist. Twisting it into a pony tail she proceeded to bathe herself. Using the body wash and her own hands she made quick work of getting herself clean. Rinsing off, she turned back around and found John staring at her with a smile on his face. "I enjoyed the show Ms. Tate."

Laughing Elise gave him a quick kiss and reached around to turn off the water. John took that opportunity to pull her close and deliver a much deeper kiss.

"Ok, enough for now." She said, reluctantly pulling back. "We need to get you out and dried off so I can check that bandage."

Wrapping a towel around herself she used another one to start drying John. Getting him to stand up again was a little easier. Wrapping the towel around his hips, she helped him out of the shower and into the guest bedroom. Helping him get his feet up on the bed and lying down proved to be a little more difficult. He kept messing with her towel and grabbing parts of her anatomy. Giggling she slapped his hands away and went to get the medical kit out of the bathroom.

Pulling the waterproof bandage gently off, Elise was glad to see the wound looked good. The stitches were dry and there did not appear to be any new bleeding. Bandaging him back up she looked up to say something to him and found he was sound asleep. Pulling the wet towel off of him she covered him up with the blanket and let him sleep.

Back in the living room she surprised Bear snacking on the food she'd made for herself and John. She'd left it on the coffee table and Bear had helped himself. She couldn't blame him; he was just as hungry as they were. But she'd worry about that later, the uneaten meal would suffice. They would BOTH be going into town for that dog food this time. Cleaning up his mess she scratched him behind the ears to let him know it was ok.

Going back into the bathroom she combed out her hair and put it back in a ponytail. Walking back to the bed, she took off the towel and climbed into bed next to John. Sliding over till she was under his arm, she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped one leg around one of his long ones. His arm hugged her tight, even in his sleep and pulled her closer. It took only a moment for her to fall into a deep and contented sleep next to him.

Bear came and sniffed around the room then lay down by the bedroom door, always on guard over his master and the master's mate.

Even safe in John's arms, the nightmare still came. Slowly shaking her head from side to side, tears formed behind her closed lids and leaked down her cheek. Whimpering quietly at first, the nightmare was becoming more real.

She was holding John in her arms, one hand over the gunshot wound while the other held him as close as she could. Suddenly a shot rang out and another bullet hole appeared on his back and blood began gushing from it. Using the hand she was holding him with she tried to stop the flow of blood. Another shot rang out, another bullet hole appeared and more blood began pouring out. She moved her hand from one bullet wound to another trying to stop the blood. Shots continued to out again and again. There were more bullet holes than she could cover and blood was pouring out of John. Every time she heard a shot she jerked hard against John. After the fourth hard twitch from her dream she pulled hard enough to cause John to feel real pain and wake up.

"Umph!" John said with a groan. "That hurt." Before he became fully awake Elise whimpered loudly and was grabbing and pulling on John. Her head was shaking back and forth and her face was wet with tears...but her eyes were closed. John quickly realized she was having a nightmare. Holding her tight, he held her head to his neck and shoulder and quietly talked to her. Kissing her head and running his fingers through her hair, he did his best to comfort her. She was in the throes of a black nightmare and resisted his attempts to wake her. The tighter he held her the louder she whimpered and the more she fought him.

Bear became distressed hearing Elise's whimper. Sitting up by the door he quietly whined. Getting no response, he padded quietly over to Elise's side of the bed and nuzzled John's hand as he stroked her hair. "It's ok Bear, I've got her. We won't let her go." John said quietly.

Slowly Elise began to calm down. The whimpering gradually stopped. The more John ran his hands over her, the calmer she became. Carefully removing the rubber band holding her pony tail, John slowly began to run his fingers through her hair. Just as he thought, the familiar touch calmed her quickly. Her breathing became less ragged and her movements less frantic. Gently kissing her on the head, holding her tight with one arm he began talking quietly to her again to try and rouse her. As her hand relaxed across his chest he knew he'd succeeded in beating the nightmare. A deep sign and a snuggle under his chin showed him the nightmare was over.

Closing his eyes he held her tightly, willing away any other nightmares. Eventually he dropped back off to sleep and Bear returned to his place by the door.

As the sun slowly rose over the horizon, Elise began to stir. The sound of a strong heartbeat under her head caused her to smile. Stretching out her hand across the smooth expanse of John's chest, she slowly moved her hand down, carefully checking the bandage by touch. It felt dry, and the tape was still holding. Carefully sitting up she looked down at John. Leaning close she was looking for any signs of pain or fever. She saw neither. He looked ...wonderful...relaxed and peaceful.

Peaceful….that was not a word she would have thought to ever use to describe John Reese. But he was; he had exorcised the demons (or female demon) from his past and was at peace with himself. She was grateful for it but it came at such a terrible price. Leaning back on one elbow she gave into the urge to brush his hair away from his face. Her hand cupped his cheek and gently caressed it. The stubble from the last couple of days was quite in evidence. Maybe she'd shave him later...

The longer she watched him the more she wanted him to open his eyes. She'd missed his crystal blue eyes looking at her. The shadow that had always been there should be gone with the banishment of his demons. She wanted to see those amazing eyes and watch them turn dark blue with desire. Giving into the urge, she leaned over him and kissed him.

A gentle, chaste kiss at first, pulling back she looked at him for a reaction but all she saw was a slight twitch of his lips. Leaning down she kissed him with a little more pressure and ardor, sucking on his bottom lip and then his top lip. Feeling his arm tighten around her she smiled into the kiss. Pulling back once more she was rewarded with two beautiful eyes looking at her with love.

"Good morning Ms. Tate. I must say, I can't imagine a better way to be woken up than by kisses from you." He said in a voice still husky from sleep.

"Good morning to you Mr. Reese. Glad you like it 'cause I plan on doing it as often as possible." Elise whispered as she leaned over again and captured his mouth with hers. Since she was the initiator John let her lead. She explored his mouth with her tongue and then sucked his into her mouth. That caused an immediate reaction in him. He most definitely was interested in seeing where this would lead. Getting up on her knees, Elise broke the kiss and sat back on her heels. Her breasts were within his reach, beckoning him to pay attention to them. Leaning up over John she carefully positioned one nipple over his mouth a slowly pushed toward him. He welcomed it in his mouth and reached up with his hands to capture the fullness of her breast, gently kneading it. That caused a moan to escape from Elise. Bringing her nipple to a perfect erect state, he moved to the other one and began to suckle. Using his thumb and forefinger he rolled the first around and kept it excited and hard. John always seemed to know just how much pressure to use with his mouth and in such a way that left her weak in the knees.

Taking a deep breath, trying to control the sensations running from her nipples to her groin, Elise pulled away from John. Immediately missing the pull of his mouth on her, leaned down and kissed him, all the while pressing her aroused nipples against his chest. Breaking the kiss she locked eyes with John. Slowly moving one leg over him so she was astride him she set back on his thighs with his penis in front of her. Already erect and begging for attention, she wrapped her hands around his shaft. Never breaking eye contact with him, she slowly lowered her head and took him in her mouth. HE broke the eye contact when he gasped and closed his eyes with the feel of her mouth on him.

Slowly pulling her mouth off of him she called gently "John, John...look at me John"...holding him with both hands she applied a gentle pressure from top to bottom and back again. Once again she lowered her mouth and used her lips to apply gentle suction. His eyes immediately flew open and found hers. Trapping his eyes with her own, she slowly took him further into her mouth, loving the velvety soft feel of him against her tongue, so soft yet so hard. He was too large for her to take him all the way in so she used her hands to complete the motion and increase the sensation.

John's breathing became more ragged, his eyes grew darker blue. Sensing he was near, she slowly withdrew him from her mouth and leaned up over him with her arms on both sides of him while she still straddled him. Giving him a smile full of promise, she moved her way up until her entrance was right above his fully erect penis. Carefully lowering herself onto him, she gasped as he filled her...a perfect match.

Leaning further forward, her breasts brushed his chest, causing him to groan. Reaching down he caressed her and once again aroused her nipples to hard little peaks. Sliding his hand around and gripping her around her hips he buried himself even deeper in her...finding the one place he wanted in all the world to be…..with Elise, surrounded by Elise, IN Elise.

Being careful to keep any pressure off of his bandage, Elise kept her eyes on John's and moved up toward his mouth. Capturing his mouth she poured her heart into the kiss. All the fear, the feeling of loss, the pain of seeing him wounded, the relief of finding him alive came through that kiss. The emotional trauma they had both experienced was finally being wiped out by the feeling of pure joy they felt in being together.

Sitting back up, Elise gave him a smile... Slowly she began to rock up forward and back down, up forward and back down. Each upward motion allowed him to slip almost completely out but at the last moment, she rocked back and down and buried him within her again. Over and over, never taking her eyes off of him, Elise rode him.

Catching the rhythm, John's hand reached out and fondled her breast. Each up and forward motion filled his hands with their weight while the back and down motion moved his fingers to her hyper sensitive nipples. Breathing became more ragged for both of them as she slowly increased the speed of her ride. Impatience got the better of John as his hands slid down to her hips and urged her to pick up her pace. Again, at the end of the down and back motion he pushed her so she buried him within herself.

As they both approached their peak, they became one. There was no other world but theirs, no sensations but theirs, no love but theirs. As her orgasm took over, Elise held him tight inside her body. Feeling the walls of her vagina tighten around him John felt his own moment fast approaching. One last thrust by John, deep within her and they both soared. Wave after wave of sensation surrounded them, flowed through them as their inner heat ebbed and flowed through their bodies. It left their bodies throbbing and almost boneless. Elise could no longer hold herself above John. She collapsed on his chest and buried her face in his neck.

Slowly their breathing returned to normal. John played with the hair trailing down her back and tucked it behind her ear. That one intimate gesture released all the feelings she had been holding in check. Suddenly John realized he was feeling tears on his neck. Holding her head close to him he wrapped his other arm tightly around her. No words were needed. He knew that she was finally giving into all the pent up anger, fear and worry she had held in check since he'd been taken. As her crying got stronger he held tighter, saying nothing, because there was nothing he could say.

Burying his hand in her hair he breathed her in, seeming to be pulling the pain from her, pulling the fear from her...leaving her stronger. Then gently pulling her head back he began kissing her. The saltiness of her tears tore at his heart knowing he was to blame for them. That was a pain he never wanted to cause her and he vowed to never let it happen again.

Calm and content once more, Elise carefully moved off of John and curled up next to him, with her head on his shoulder. Reaching down she pulled the sheet up over both of them. His arm pulled her close and they both fell into a light sleep, completely satiated.

A few hours later John felt a cold nose on his arm he had around Elise. Opening his eyes he saw Bear looking at him expectantly. At that moment Bear applied his cold nose to Elise's bare back, causing her to gasp and sit upright. "Oh my God! What was that?" she yelled, half awake.

"Just our four legged alarm clock" said John. Looking around Elise saw Bear sitting on his haunches looking at her.

"Oh dear, I'll bet he's hungry! I know I am. Do you feel like eating?" She asked, looking down at John. Damn he looked fine in the morning! Bed hair suited him...or should she call it 'just fucked hair'? Smiling to herself, she didn't wait for his answer and climbed out of bed. Walking naked to the bathroom she looked over her shoulder and said "I'll be right back".

Groaning at his almost immediate reaction to seeing Elise like that, John stretched back on the bed and waited until he was more 'relaxed' before he tried to get out of the bed. Slowly bringing his legs around, he put his feet on the floor and waited until the room quit swimming around him. Calling Bear over to him, he scratched him behind the ears and was rewarded with a wagging tail.

Elise came out of the bathroom fully clothed and brought him some clean clothes as she had last night after the shower. John didn't have any flannel shirts but he did have plenty of white t-shirts along with a dark blue sweatshirt and sweat pants. The softer the clothes the better for him right now.

Helping him get dressed was an adventure because John was still feeling 'randy'. Laughing at his attempts to get her back in bed, she finally convinced him to come outside and sit on the deck while she got them something to eat.

The late morning sun was warm but the breeze was still cool coming off the beach. John was relaxing in one of the lounge chairs, soaking up the sun. Bear took off running to the beach and seemed to be enjoying playing in the waves, jumping over them then trying to out race them when they crashed on the beach. Lunch for them was cold sandwiches but they filled the empty spot.

Elise pushed John forward in the lounge chair and wiggled down behind him. Pulling him carefully back against her, she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head atop his.

Grabbing her arms with his hands he hugged her tight. Tucking his chin he kissed each of her hands. "I love being with you in your home Elise. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Closing her eyes and sighing deeply, Elise realized with a smile that yes, this was her house, but HER HOME was wherever John Reese was and always would be.

Not to worry dear readers, there will be more...sooner than this last chapter, promise. However, as my co-author has written much more of the next story, we've decided to publish it under her name. So, for the next installment of ZigZag, please visit her website (author:Savhcaro)