I haven't written in a looooooong time but Last Tango in Halifax and in particular the characters of Caroline Elliott and Kate McKenzie have inspired me to try to imagine what happened after Ep6, S2 ended. The characters unfortunately don't belong to me but to the immensely talented Sally Wainwright - I hope she won't mind me borrowing them and I'll try to return them pretty much as I found them. This may be a one-off or it may continue, depends what happens in my head...

Caroline stirred and then slowly started to wake. Before she even opened her eyes she registered that she was insanely comfortable and very rested. She stretched her limbs and at the same time as feeling a delicious lassitude and a certain pull in some of her muscles her hand touched another 'somebody' in the bed with her. She smiled as she opened her eyes, instantly remembering why she wasn't in her very comfortable hotel bed alone...

"Caroline, I think we're being watched", Kate whispered as her girlfriend nuzzled her neck with her body pressed tightly against hers as they swayed very slowly on the dance floor.

"I couldn't give a stuff", Caroline murmured as she sought Kate's lips with her own again.

Just exactly how long they were on the dance floor, Caroline couldn't have said but at some point she realised the music had stopped and she reluctantly removed her lips from Kate's.

"Will you stay the night?, she asked tentatively as she gazed into Kate's soft, brown eyes.

Kate smiled, "If we can continue with Prince quotes...'when tomorrow comes I want you here by my side'.."

Caroline smiled as she remembered how last night had continued and then ended in Kate's arms in bed. She snuggled into Kate's back and gently pressed her lips to the nape of her neck while her right arm protectively encircled her pregnant girlfriend's belly. Kate murmured her sleepy approval and pressed her buttocks more firmly back against Caroline.

"Good morning Ms McKenzie"' Caroline whispered.

"Mmmnnnmmm", was Kate's sleepy reply.

"Very eloquent", quipped Caroline wryly.

Kate rolled over onto her back slowly, stretched languorously, yawned and said, "Nice to see you can maintain an inappropriate level of formality even after we've made love half the night, Dr Elliott."

Caroline's smile widened, one hand gently caressed Kate's belly and the other brushed her hair back from her face as she gazed into her girlfriend's eyes and said, "You are so beautiful", then her gaze shifted to Kate's swollen belly and said quietly, "And so is she."

Kate felt like the breath had been taken from her with the force of Caroline's words and she gaped at the blonde woman beside her before blurting out, "How...what..."

"I was at the scan remember. I saw her... your daughter. She's beautiful. Like her mum."

"Oh Caroline...", Kate blurted out with tears in her eyes. "I was so touched that you even came and I never even told you."

Caroline cupped Kate's face and tenderly rubbed her thumb across her cheek. "I couldn't not come when I heard. Mind you, I don't think Beverley was too impressed when I walked out. I could still hear her telling me about meetings that couldn't be rearranged as I ran down the corridor", she said trying to lighten the mood and make Kate feel better. "That's me drinking cold tea until Easter now, you know how she hates her plans to be ruined."

Kate smiled, albeit a bit wanly, and said, "Yep, never piss off the woman who makes your tea, Dr Elliott, that's a valuable life lesson."

"Oh I think I've learned a few of them over the past year or so", replied Caroline dryly, "The main one being don't hide from who you are."

There was a short silence and then Kate said, "Ok, let's start this again." She took Caroline's face in her hands and gently pulled her in for a tender kiss. "Good morning."

They kissed again and what started out as a sweet and soft good morning kiss developed into a languorous sensory exploration as the two women explored and reconnected. For a while there was nothing but soft lips, tongues, warmth, wetness and hot breath.

They eventually drew apart, both a little breathless. Kate gasped slightly, "Wow. Caroline, you are one hell of a kisser."

"You inspire me, darling."

"Darling? I like that." Kate smiled at her lover.

"Good", Caroline responded seeming a little distracted, continuing to gaze into Kate's eyes. She stroked the dark woman's face with her fingertips then continued by tracing her lips gently, feeling each tiny nuance, all the while looking at her intensely with the serious face that was normally to be found in a work situation. Kate tried to determine what Caroline was thinking, tried to read her expression in her intense blue eyed gaze but could only catch the odd flicker of indecision. She was just about to ask Caroline whether there was anything wrong when...

"I love you."

It was Kate's turn to gaze wordlessly at her girlfriend as she lost her breath for the second time since she'd woken up. All of a sudden her mouth felt dry and she blinked as tears threatened to overwhelm her eyes.

Caroline misinterpreted her silence and tried to fill the gap. "It's ok, I don't expect you to...I just needed you to know...I want to be different this time...now I've got another chance with you...I don't expect anything..."

Kate found her voice in the midst of her girlfriend's babble and said a little too sternly, "Caroline, stop."

Caroline looked at her, her blue eyes slightly fearful.

"I love you too."

"You do?", Caroline said, looking more astounded than Kate had ever seen her before.

Kate smiled at the normally unflappable headmistress. "I do."

She drew Caroline to her and they kissed again, both trying to convey the strength of their feelings to the other in the passionate,tender kisses they gave and received.

Caroline felt the passion rising in her girlfriend and she slid her hands over Kate's back and buttocks, then her hips and thighs without breaking the passionate kisses they were exchanging. Her hands were gliding over Kate's silky skin and she felt the younger woman's breathing hitch in her throat.

Kate broke away from the kissing for a moment to gasp, "God Caroline, you're driving me crazy here! She looked a little embarrassed as she continued, "I...you've always turned me on...you know that don't you...but I think my hormones are about to set me alight!"

Caroline smiled wickedly as she said, "Well, you're in luck then cos I used to be a girl guide and we were trained to respond to a person in need." She bent her head kissing the very corner of Kate's mouth (which, in the depths of Kate's hormone raging mind reminded her of their very first kiss on the dance floor the previous night) and then trailed her lips down to her jaw, then her throat, her shoulder and across to her breast.

Kate groaned and gasped, "Caroline, please!"

Caroline raised her lips millimetres from Kate's breast, muttering, "Impeccable manners darling but there's really no need." Caroline's breath whispered over Kate's now moist nipple, making it pucker even more than it already was.

The only response from Kate was a cross between a groan and a growl and smiling, Caroline returned to her most pleasant task...

Some time later, Kate lay sated with slight shudders rippling through her body. "Come back up here", she said breathily. Caroline crawled back up the bed and into Kate's welcoming arms. Kate bent her head to capture Caroline's lips in a tender kiss before saying wryly, "I can't believe you learned that in the Girl Guides.

Caroline, deadpan, replied, "Yep, got the badge and everything. Course, my mother absolutely refused to sew it on my uniform for me."

There was a slight pause before Kate exploded with laughter and Caroline, unable to maintain her serious expression a second longer, joined in.