A/N: Me? Update late? Never! Please enjoy a lovely cup of tea on me.

Neither Alex nor Emma had a particularly restful night, one tossed and turned on what on any other occasion would have been a perfectly comfortable couch while the other lay on her back staring at the dark ceiling and picking at her pyjamas.

Alex Knightley eventually fell into a fitful sleep at least, mumbling against a pillow that unhelpfully smelled of her hair. That is how the youngest Woodhouse found him as she tiptoed back to the living room, a blanket tightly wrapped around tilted her head slightly to get a better look at his sleeping form when he took an all too heavy breath, startling her slightly. When she was certain he had not woken she settled into an armchair to watch him breathing.

This reminded her all too much of all their movie nights spent together. They hadn't had one in a while. Perhaps that was her fault. She had after all neglected him somewhat these past few months. To be fair, he had done his fair share of neglecting too. She could hear the gentle rustle of fabric as his chest moved up and down and it was thankfully lulling her to sleep.

He replayed his stupid behaviour towards Emma over and over in his dreams. He had always been the sound and sensible one, but now he wasn't so sure. She had opened up to him in a perfectly mature manner and he had only treated her as a child. How had he failed to notice she had grown capable of being independent and responsible? There was very little frivolous behaviour to speak of now. She was a woman, not a child. He should be able to see that.

Dream Alex was once again treating Emma like a silly school girl but he couldn't stand it any longer. Dream Alex was yelling, not at her but at himself.

As it turns out it wasn't just dream Alex yelling it was real Alex as well. He sat up breathing heavily feeling damp and itchy. Being unsure of his surrounds he looked around, his gaze trapped by the sight of Emma staring back at him. Eyes wide, mouth ajar, she was in quite the state of shock.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Emma's mouth tightened into an unconvincing smile, "are you alright, Alex?"

Alex merely nodded in response before letting his head fall heavily into the back of the couch. Emma slowly stumbled out of her armchair and sat beside him gently. She softly nudged his shoulder. "Do you need to-"

"No," He stopped her short, noticing her flinch. "Emma, I'm fine."

She nodded slowly. There was a thick silence between them for quite some time. The only movement was Emma picking and pulling at the seam of her pyjamas, trying desperately to keep her hands from shaking. After what had been so long Emma thought Alex might have drifted off to sleep, he half whispered, "I'm sorry."

Emma frowned, turning to him, "for?"

"Everything. Everything since last weekend," he squeezed his eyes shut a moment and faced her properly. What he saw tore at his chest. Emma's eyebrows were furrowed, and she shook her head which was drooping forwards slightly.

"No, I shouldn't have… you don't… we're just…" she bit her cheek desperately. "I should've known that you…" She let out a shaky breath as Alex held her shoulders.

"Emma," he waited for her to look up at him before he continued. When she did he noticed the tear tracks across her face. He wiped them away with his thumb before tucking her hair behind her ear. "I was the one apologizing."

"Yes, but-"

"Emma," he said exasperatedly.

It was in this moment she realized he had not withdrawn his hands from her. One was drawing soothing circles on back whilst the other cradled cupped her cheek. It was a rather odd thing for Mr Knightley to do and yet it was familiar also. Tilting her head further into his palm her eyes flickered between his eyes and his mouth then down to his far more muscular than she remembered, chest. "Alex, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

He chuckled, "my sleeping attire never seemed to bother you before."

"It doesn't bother me, I was just... oh shut up," she replied, shoving him.

He tapped under her chin to make her face him and spoke softly, "It was not that I didn't return your affections Emma, rather I thought perhaps you were trying to feel something that you didn't. I wanted to tell you that I loved you too."

"Was that past tense?" she replied, uncertain.

"Present tense, Emma. Always present tense."

She wrinkled her nose at him, "Mr Knightley, who would have thought you were a sappy old romantic?"

Eyebrows raised, he brought his fingers down to tickle her sides fiercely, "you take that back."

Emma was caught in a fit of giggles trying with all her might to get away from his devil hands. Her arms and legs flailed about until he finally subsided and she managed to wheeze out, "never!" This was obviously the wrong thing to say as Alex began his torture once more. "Ok, ok, ok," Emma held her hands out in front of her making him stop. "You promised to never do that again," she huffed.

"Did I?" he asked drawing closer once more, she nodded purposefully. "Are you sure?" he replied holding her steadily by her waist.

"Positive."

"I might have to break that promise then," he whispered against her lips.

"I don't think that's necessary," she whispered back lips moving against his as she spoke.

There was barely a hint of hesitation before he kissed her fully one hand sinking into her long curls as she wrapped her own around his waist. Alex pulled on her bottom lip gently before pulling back to look at her properly. Emma's cheeks were flushed and she had that little grin on her face she always had when she got what she wanted. "It is most definitely necessary." And with a twinkle in his eyes he once again attacked Emma's ticklish ribs.