Dinner was perfect, well almost anyway. James got tired at the end and began to fuss. Much to Martin's relief, no one seemed to notice. Thankfully the restaurant where they were dining was family friendly as opposed to some of the more posh establishments he'd frequented while living in London. It occurred to him then that he hadn't missed those places since his move to Cornwall; well, not much anyway. He and Louisa finished their meal quickly, bundled the baby up and left as soon as they could. Walking back to the hotel, James fell asleep on Martin's shoulder.

"Well, that'll make bedtime easier," Louisa said as she noticed.

Martin settled the boy in his hotel provided cot gently. "I hope is nappy is still dry."

Louisa stood next to him, her hand on his back. "Probably not but I imagine he'll sleep through anyway. He was quite knackered."

"Mmmm, yes." His mind quickly processed the likelihood of James contracting a rash if they left him to sleep overnight in a wet nappy. Then he considered the consequences of waking James for a change. Instantly he deduced that it was better to leave James sleeping. Besides, Louisa was waiting for him and as far as he could tell, she was still content with her day which meant they might pass a very pleasant night.

Louisa was already in the bed, sitting up and waiting. She watched him as he moved around, preparing for bed. He was feeling awkward about sleeping in his pants and undershirt and found himself wishing for his pajamas. As if reading his mind, Louisa spoke up. "Can't say I'm sorry you won't be wearing your blue button ups."

Martin paused in unbuttoning his dress shirt. "You don't like my pajamas?"

"They're alright on a cold night, I suppose. But you are far too buttoned up in them, Martin…like a straight jacket."

He was puzzled. He'd never thought much about sleepwear when he was on his own but when they married, he'd thought it the appropriate thing to wear to bed. His father had always worn pajamas… Of course, his father wasn't really a model one might wish to copy. Truth was, Martin had no clue as to how a husband was supposed to behave. Turning to Louisa, he told her his thoughts. "So what should I…erm…wear to bed?" he asked.

Louisa's expression changed to a thoughtful but playful one. "Well, you could always wear nothing," she suggested.

"Louisa!" he scoffed. But as he looked at her twinkling eyes he thought perhaps her idea was worthy of consideration. Feeling bashful and a little remorseful, he said softly, "I um… might get cold… might need you to warm me." His eyes cut from the foot of the bed to her and back to the bed as he hoped she understood he was trying to tease as well.

"Martin Ellingham, are you teasing me?" she said with a lilt.

"Erm… yes," he replied hopefully. "I um…I thought after what you said…I thought…" he looked across at her mirth filled face and sighed. "You are very beautiful; you know that, don't you?" He thought he could live contently forever as long as he could just look at her.

She settled back, the mirth replaced by something more serious. "Martin Ellingham, get over here," she commanded in a low voice.

Although a bit new at this still, Martin could recognize her tone. Scrambling out of his shirt and loosening his trousers as he moved, he scurried to her as quickly as he could, tripping just as he got to her and nearly falling on her. As it was, he hit the bed, jostling her as he did. Fearful he had hurt her, he looked up. But she was smiling at him. "Mmmmm, I like a man who does my bidding," she purred.

As often as Louisa had seen the lost little boy in Martin, tonight she was seeing the keen, irrepressible one. Martin could get quite romantic, as she discovered their first night together, and she loved it when he did. But sometimes his excitement was more like an exultant boy, eager for some big event, his eyes wide with anticipation and enthusiasm. That was her Martin tonight. It wasn't that he was any less amorous, just…in a different way.

He was playful and teasing, which she was sure no one in Portwenn thought him capable of being. She didn't know how she thought their first time together after such a dark spell would be, but she hadn't expected this. Martin was like a kid on school holiday, leaving all his cares behind and relishing his freedom. And she relished it with him; oh how she relished it … and him.

Sometime later, he sat on his side of the bed and watched her sleep. She looked so comfortable, so relaxed, so…content. Beyond that, she looked beautiful; but of course, to his eyes she always did, always would. A soft sigh escaped him as he watched her. How had they come to this place? Why did she love him? He knew he loved her, for countless reasons. He also knew he didn't deserve her but for some reason he couldn't fathom, she wanted to be with him. His eyes traced the contours of her face and he felt himself falling in love with her all over again…deeper, more powerfully.

Change was hard for Martin Ellingham. But as he watched his wife sleep sweetly next to him, he knew he would do it; he would succeed. He had to because life without her would be no life at all. Carefully he slipped beneath the covers and moved closer to her, putting his arm around her middle, gently holding her. Her hand settled on his arm and she wiggled to move closer to him, releasing a satisfied sigh as she did. For the first time in his life the weights that had held him down since he was a small boy lifted and he knew that finally he had a home.

And so it ends...or begins? I have a sequel in the works (yes I know, I never sent them on thier honeymoon) and hopefully the beginnng of it will be ready to start posting soon. Let me know what you think about this one and heck, let me know what you'd like to see inthe next one. No guarantees, since I've already roughed out quite a lot. Still, good ideas might convince me to tweak it more.

Oh, and the show still isn't mine. What a bummer. Neither is the character fo Doc Martin. If he were, I wouldn't let you play with him, so be glad of that. But since none of it is mine, I'm just palying with it. No infringements intended.