LEAN ON ME
Chapter XIII – Indecent Exposure
Robert watched her disappear into the building. As the door closed on her retreating form, a heavy sigh he'd been holding in, escaped from his mouth. Staring ahead at nothing in particular, he felt incredibly alone. He remained still, trying to shake himself out of his reverie only to become mesmerized watching the rain weave paths down the windscreen.
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Elizabeth reached her door and rummaged around her bag for her keys. Finding them she opened the door.
"Mother, I'm back." She called out slinging her coat down on the back of the couch. She got no answer, which she thought was odd.
Elizabeth padded over to the spare room and tapped lightly on the door. She heard movement within, so called out again.
"Mother?"
"Elizabeth!" she heard her mother exclaim sounding panicky.
That did it. Elizabeth opened the door. "What's the matter?" she called out as she entered the room.
"Darling, don't come .........................." Isabelle started.
"Oh my God!" Elizabeth's hand went to her mouth, as she turned and fled the room as quickly as her feet would carry her.
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Robert eventually snapped out of his rain dance trance, and reached his hand to turn the key. He gunned the engine, checked the rear-view mirror and was about to pull away, when –
Elizabeth opened the passenger side door, climbed in and demanded,
"Drive!"
Robert peeled the car away from the kerb and did as he was instructed.
Once safely on the road he glanced over at her. She was staring dead ahead wearing an unreadable expression.
"Where we driving to Lizzie?" he softly asked, trying not to get his hopes up too much.
She turned to face him as if seeing him for the first time that evening. Then she burst out laughing hysterically.
Robert watched her completely bewildered, pulled the car over and turned off the engine.
"Care to share what's so amusing?" he asked.
Elizabeth continued to laugh, so Robert just sat still and watched until she got a grip.
After a while, she looked over at him a little sheepishly and he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.
"I just caught my mother in bed, in the act, I might add, with David Green!" she blurted out.
"David Green?" Robert asked none the wiser.
She looked at him like he was stupid.
"Green, as in a relation of Marks?" Robert ventured a guess.
"As in his father!" she gushed.
"No way!" Robert began to grin from ear to ear. "In the act as well you say?"
"I think I'm going to be traumatised for life." She laughed, and this time he joined her.
"So what'd you wanna do now? Do you want me to take you back or what?" he asked.
Elizabeth thought about it for a while.
"I can't possibly go back there tonight, I haven't got the first clue what to say to her." She said shaking her head bemusedly.
Robert looked her over and made a decision, started the car and headed off. They drove on in silence, but it was not uncomfortable.
Elizabeth looked at Robert puzzled when they parked up outside a shopping mall.
"You need a change of clothes right?" he said to her unasked question.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful. However, in my haste to escape, I left my bag, therefore my purse."
"Don't worry about it, I got you covered." He said, and then smiled. "So you wanna go shopping?"
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A little over an hour later the Jaguar pulled up in front of Robert's house and they both climbed out of the car.
Once inside Robert got a hold off Gretel and began making a fuss of her. He looked over at Elizabeth.
"Go get that bath you wanted, I'm gonna take Gretel out for a walk. Take your time and I'll order dinner. Chinese okay?"
Elizabeth nodded gratefully and headed tiredly off up the stairs towards the guestroom. Once inside she set down the bag containing a nice clean, new change of clothes on the bed.
Could this day get any stranger?
She went into the bathroom and ran her bath. Smiling, she picked up some bubble bath and remembered an unfinished conversation from this morning. She would have to ask Robert about his niece. Soon after she was up to her neck, lost in a world of bubbles and warm water that caressed and eased her troubles away.
She floated like that for, well she didn't know, but the water had begun to turn cool. Elizabeth climbed out feeling somewhat refreshed and wrapped a towel round herself. Drying off she walked out into the bedroom. Lying on the bed next to her shopping bag was a gift-wrapped box complete with a bow. She stared at it in bewilderment for a time, and then picked it up. Opening it up carefully, Elizabeth let out a chuckle and grinned widely as she saw what it was:
She lifted out the hairdryer.
He must have stole away when I tried on the blouse.
The gesture was small but it tugged at her heart.
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Robert watched her walk down the stairs, an image of absolute beauty. A Goddess who, was wearing his robe, if he was not mistaken. She was smiling at him, a full and beaming smile. He grinned back like a love struck teenager and held out a hand to her.
"You Robert Romano will never cease to amaze me." She said as they met at the bottom of the stairs and accepted his hand.
"You liked your gift then?" he smirked.
In answer she kissed him lightly on the cheek. He inhaled and breathed in her freshly bathed fragrance. Lovely. He could so easily loose himself in her.
"I hope you don't mind, but after a bath like that it didn't seem right to get dressed." She explained, picking self-consciously at the bathrobe.
"Looks better on you." He replied in a low appreciative tone.
They locked eyes. Neither dared to breathe.
The moment was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.
"That'll be our dinner." Robert said and turned towards the door. "Go on in the lounge, I'll fetch it through - I've opened some wine, help yourself."
Elizabeth walked through to the lounge, located the wine and poured out two glasses. She briefly wondered where to sit, before seating herself down on the couch.
A couple of minutes later Robert appeared bearing plates and a huge bag of Chinese food that smelled delicious.
"I didn't know what you liked so I ordered a bit of everything!" he explained.
"Robert there's got to be a whole banquet in there!" she spluttered. He just shrugged his shoulders and began dishing up. When he'd finished he looked at Elizabeth. She'd sat on the couch, and his eyes flitted to the armchair then back to her. She noticed and patted the couch beside her. He smiled and sat down next to her and handed her a pair of chopsticks.
"Tuck in..." and they both delved in.
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"I see your appetite for food matches your appetite for bacardi." Robert said as he observed Elizabeth's empty plate.
She snickered.
"Actually I have a confession to make Robert."
"Really – what would that be then?" he asked as he filled her glass and put the empty bottle on the table.
"Every time I went to the bar I was drinking Coke." She grinned triumphantly.
"Yeah? Well every time I went to the bar you were drinking trebles!" he guffawed.
"Really? Well every time I went to the bar and ordered coke you were drinking doubles!"
"Really? – No wonder I felt so bad! – You're mean, you know that?" He said trying to sound hurt, and pulling a pouty face.
"Hee-Hee" was all she managed.
Robert smiled and looked at her intensely causing her to blush, before leaning back into the couch and closing his eyes. He locked his hands behind his head and pushed his legs out.
She looked down at him tenderly.
"Comfortable?"
He broadened the smile and nodded his head.
"Thank you Robert for tonight."
"Thank you Lizzie for last night."
She laughed. "We make a right pair don't we?"
Robert didn't answer. He remained lying back into the couch; eyes closed wearing his content smile.
Elizabeth stared at him hard. She watched his chest rise and fall, looked at his lips, down to his jaw then back to his lips. He looked content sitting there, happy to be with her. He looked strong, his face relaxed; all the lines of uncertainty from the last few weeks had disappeared. 'Rocket' was back she thought, but now she understood him a little better and that thought made her smile.
He had been through so much, had his whole life ripped away before his very eyes, had to stand by helplessly watching, as he lost all that was dear to him. He had suffered a terrible loss and had re-built himself. What courage beat within that strong chest to be able to do that? She felt honoured to know him, the man, the private man that only she was allowed to see.
She had asked him to let her help, to trust her and he had done so blindly. He had entrusted her with his demons, let her see his pain. Faith is a powerful emotion, one that you do not give out casually. He had faith in her, had made the leap simply because she had asked. She felt complete, happy to be sat there she realised, and it hit her then just how much she liked him, how much he liked her. Mark, her mother, County all seemed so far away. All she knew was that she was here with him, an amazing man who would do anything for her. She wanted to know more about him, felt herself being pulled towards him; she wanted to learn all there was to learn about him. She was sure of that. She was also finally certain of what she wanted and reached out a hand to his cheek.
"Robert?" she spoke softly.
He opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly. "Yeah?"
"You're amazing!"
"Glad you've finally see the light." he quipped.
"Robert I'm being serious."
He saw the sincerity in her eyes and reached up to Elizabeth's hand that cupped his cheek, and interlaced his fingers with hers.
"No I'm not; but you – you are perfection." He said his voice low, "Totally exquisite. Greens a fool to let you go."
They locked eyes and in that moment verbal communication became null and void. They both smiled as their eyes conveyed all that needed saying. He pulled her to him as their mouths met in an intense kiss. Passion, love, lust all combined into an electrical explosion that took a hold of both of them and ignited into a frenzy of tongues and exploration.
Their hands began to travel each other's bodies, every curve, and every fold. Robert moved his attentions to her neck, and began to nibble at her trailing kisses from her ear down to her collarbone. She felt her head explode and let out a moan of utter pleasure.
"Oh God Robert." She gasped.
"Lizzie." he moaned back.
He moved his mouth back to hers and kissed her passionately on the mouth. Elizabeth reciprocated giving into emotions that took charge of her entire body, crushing him to her.
She opened her eyes and pulled her mouth away.
He opened his and gazed into her pools of blue, loosing himself in her.
"I want you." She rasped.
He heard the words and wanted her so much at that moment. Slipping a hand in between the robe, he was rewarded with the feel of her naked flesh beneath. He caressed her breasts before sliding his hand behind her back tracing circles over her back. She arched her back in encouragement and feeling emboldened, he withdrew his hand to release the tie of the robe, and flicked away the material from her body. He looked down and drunk in the sight of her naked body, committing it to his memory for fear that this was a dream.
He lowered his mouth to her breasts kissing teasingly between them and her stomach, till she could stand it no more and grabbed his head. She brought it up to face her, her eyes boring into his.
"Robert." She whispered.
"Humm" was all he could manage.
"Do you think we could take this somewhere more comfortable?
He felt drunk, on a natural high. The reality of what she had said struck him and he stared at her for a while too happy to say anything.
Then suddenly he eased himself from her and stood, pulling her with him, unwilling to let her go for even a second.
"Lizzie, do you know what you mean to me?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
"I think I'm beginning to understand." She murmured.
"This is not a one night stand to me. I want you with me not just tonight, but for the rest of my life."
His eyes bored into hers, as his words warmed her heart. She grasped his face and willed him to look deep into her soul.
"Robert, this is all new to me, but make no mistake, this is what I want too."
"I love you Elizabeth." Then he led her towards the stairs, towards their future.
THE END
Well that's it, my first fanfic - hope you liked it? If you did and enough of you bug me I have an idea for a sequel or epilogue. R&R!!
Chapter XIII – Indecent Exposure
Robert watched her disappear into the building. As the door closed on her retreating form, a heavy sigh he'd been holding in, escaped from his mouth. Staring ahead at nothing in particular, he felt incredibly alone. He remained still, trying to shake himself out of his reverie only to become mesmerized watching the rain weave paths down the windscreen.
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Elizabeth reached her door and rummaged around her bag for her keys. Finding them she opened the door.
"Mother, I'm back." She called out slinging her coat down on the back of the couch. She got no answer, which she thought was odd.
Elizabeth padded over to the spare room and tapped lightly on the door. She heard movement within, so called out again.
"Mother?"
"Elizabeth!" she heard her mother exclaim sounding panicky.
That did it. Elizabeth opened the door. "What's the matter?" she called out as she entered the room.
"Darling, don't come .........................." Isabelle started.
"Oh my God!" Elizabeth's hand went to her mouth, as she turned and fled the room as quickly as her feet would carry her.
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Robert eventually snapped out of his rain dance trance, and reached his hand to turn the key. He gunned the engine, checked the rear-view mirror and was about to pull away, when –
Elizabeth opened the passenger side door, climbed in and demanded,
"Drive!"
Robert peeled the car away from the kerb and did as he was instructed.
Once safely on the road he glanced over at her. She was staring dead ahead wearing an unreadable expression.
"Where we driving to Lizzie?" he softly asked, trying not to get his hopes up too much.
She turned to face him as if seeing him for the first time that evening. Then she burst out laughing hysterically.
Robert watched her completely bewildered, pulled the car over and turned off the engine.
"Care to share what's so amusing?" he asked.
Elizabeth continued to laugh, so Robert just sat still and watched until she got a grip.
After a while, she looked over at him a little sheepishly and he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.
"I just caught my mother in bed, in the act, I might add, with David Green!" she blurted out.
"David Green?" Robert asked none the wiser.
She looked at him like he was stupid.
"Green, as in a relation of Marks?" Robert ventured a guess.
"As in his father!" she gushed.
"No way!" Robert began to grin from ear to ear. "In the act as well you say?"
"I think I'm going to be traumatised for life." She laughed, and this time he joined her.
"So what'd you wanna do now? Do you want me to take you back or what?" he asked.
Elizabeth thought about it for a while.
"I can't possibly go back there tonight, I haven't got the first clue what to say to her." She said shaking her head bemusedly.
Robert looked her over and made a decision, started the car and headed off. They drove on in silence, but it was not uncomfortable.
Elizabeth looked at Robert puzzled when they parked up outside a shopping mall.
"You need a change of clothes right?" he said to her unasked question.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful. However, in my haste to escape, I left my bag, therefore my purse."
"Don't worry about it, I got you covered." He said, and then smiled. "So you wanna go shopping?"
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A little over an hour later the Jaguar pulled up in front of Robert's house and they both climbed out of the car.
Once inside Robert got a hold off Gretel and began making a fuss of her. He looked over at Elizabeth.
"Go get that bath you wanted, I'm gonna take Gretel out for a walk. Take your time and I'll order dinner. Chinese okay?"
Elizabeth nodded gratefully and headed tiredly off up the stairs towards the guestroom. Once inside she set down the bag containing a nice clean, new change of clothes on the bed.
Could this day get any stranger?
She went into the bathroom and ran her bath. Smiling, she picked up some bubble bath and remembered an unfinished conversation from this morning. She would have to ask Robert about his niece. Soon after she was up to her neck, lost in a world of bubbles and warm water that caressed and eased her troubles away.
She floated like that for, well she didn't know, but the water had begun to turn cool. Elizabeth climbed out feeling somewhat refreshed and wrapped a towel round herself. Drying off she walked out into the bedroom. Lying on the bed next to her shopping bag was a gift-wrapped box complete with a bow. She stared at it in bewilderment for a time, and then picked it up. Opening it up carefully, Elizabeth let out a chuckle and grinned widely as she saw what it was:
She lifted out the hairdryer.
He must have stole away when I tried on the blouse.
The gesture was small but it tugged at her heart.
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Robert watched her walk down the stairs, an image of absolute beauty. A Goddess who, was wearing his robe, if he was not mistaken. She was smiling at him, a full and beaming smile. He grinned back like a love struck teenager and held out a hand to her.
"You Robert Romano will never cease to amaze me." She said as they met at the bottom of the stairs and accepted his hand.
"You liked your gift then?" he smirked.
In answer she kissed him lightly on the cheek. He inhaled and breathed in her freshly bathed fragrance. Lovely. He could so easily loose himself in her.
"I hope you don't mind, but after a bath like that it didn't seem right to get dressed." She explained, picking self-consciously at the bathrobe.
"Looks better on you." He replied in a low appreciative tone.
They locked eyes. Neither dared to breathe.
The moment was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.
"That'll be our dinner." Robert said and turned towards the door. "Go on in the lounge, I'll fetch it through - I've opened some wine, help yourself."
Elizabeth walked through to the lounge, located the wine and poured out two glasses. She briefly wondered where to sit, before seating herself down on the couch.
A couple of minutes later Robert appeared bearing plates and a huge bag of Chinese food that smelled delicious.
"I didn't know what you liked so I ordered a bit of everything!" he explained.
"Robert there's got to be a whole banquet in there!" she spluttered. He just shrugged his shoulders and began dishing up. When he'd finished he looked at Elizabeth. She'd sat on the couch, and his eyes flitted to the armchair then back to her. She noticed and patted the couch beside her. He smiled and sat down next to her and handed her a pair of chopsticks.
"Tuck in..." and they both delved in.
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"I see your appetite for food matches your appetite for bacardi." Robert said as he observed Elizabeth's empty plate.
She snickered.
"Actually I have a confession to make Robert."
"Really – what would that be then?" he asked as he filled her glass and put the empty bottle on the table.
"Every time I went to the bar I was drinking Coke." She grinned triumphantly.
"Yeah? Well every time I went to the bar you were drinking trebles!" he guffawed.
"Really? Well every time I went to the bar and ordered coke you were drinking doubles!"
"Really? – No wonder I felt so bad! – You're mean, you know that?" He said trying to sound hurt, and pulling a pouty face.
"Hee-Hee" was all she managed.
Robert smiled and looked at her intensely causing her to blush, before leaning back into the couch and closing his eyes. He locked his hands behind his head and pushed his legs out.
She looked down at him tenderly.
"Comfortable?"
He broadened the smile and nodded his head.
"Thank you Robert for tonight."
"Thank you Lizzie for last night."
She laughed. "We make a right pair don't we?"
Robert didn't answer. He remained lying back into the couch; eyes closed wearing his content smile.
Elizabeth stared at him hard. She watched his chest rise and fall, looked at his lips, down to his jaw then back to his lips. He looked content sitting there, happy to be with her. He looked strong, his face relaxed; all the lines of uncertainty from the last few weeks had disappeared. 'Rocket' was back she thought, but now she understood him a little better and that thought made her smile.
He had been through so much, had his whole life ripped away before his very eyes, had to stand by helplessly watching, as he lost all that was dear to him. He had suffered a terrible loss and had re-built himself. What courage beat within that strong chest to be able to do that? She felt honoured to know him, the man, the private man that only she was allowed to see.
She had asked him to let her help, to trust her and he had done so blindly. He had entrusted her with his demons, let her see his pain. Faith is a powerful emotion, one that you do not give out casually. He had faith in her, had made the leap simply because she had asked. She felt complete, happy to be sat there she realised, and it hit her then just how much she liked him, how much he liked her. Mark, her mother, County all seemed so far away. All she knew was that she was here with him, an amazing man who would do anything for her. She wanted to know more about him, felt herself being pulled towards him; she wanted to learn all there was to learn about him. She was sure of that. She was also finally certain of what she wanted and reached out a hand to his cheek.
"Robert?" she spoke softly.
He opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly. "Yeah?"
"You're amazing!"
"Glad you've finally see the light." he quipped.
"Robert I'm being serious."
He saw the sincerity in her eyes and reached up to Elizabeth's hand that cupped his cheek, and interlaced his fingers with hers.
"No I'm not; but you – you are perfection." He said his voice low, "Totally exquisite. Greens a fool to let you go."
They locked eyes and in that moment verbal communication became null and void. They both smiled as their eyes conveyed all that needed saying. He pulled her to him as their mouths met in an intense kiss. Passion, love, lust all combined into an electrical explosion that took a hold of both of them and ignited into a frenzy of tongues and exploration.
Their hands began to travel each other's bodies, every curve, and every fold. Robert moved his attentions to her neck, and began to nibble at her trailing kisses from her ear down to her collarbone. She felt her head explode and let out a moan of utter pleasure.
"Oh God Robert." She gasped.
"Lizzie." he moaned back.
He moved his mouth back to hers and kissed her passionately on the mouth. Elizabeth reciprocated giving into emotions that took charge of her entire body, crushing him to her.
She opened her eyes and pulled her mouth away.
He opened his and gazed into her pools of blue, loosing himself in her.
"I want you." She rasped.
He heard the words and wanted her so much at that moment. Slipping a hand in between the robe, he was rewarded with the feel of her naked flesh beneath. He caressed her breasts before sliding his hand behind her back tracing circles over her back. She arched her back in encouragement and feeling emboldened, he withdrew his hand to release the tie of the robe, and flicked away the material from her body. He looked down and drunk in the sight of her naked body, committing it to his memory for fear that this was a dream.
He lowered his mouth to her breasts kissing teasingly between them and her stomach, till she could stand it no more and grabbed his head. She brought it up to face her, her eyes boring into his.
"Robert." She whispered.
"Humm" was all he could manage.
"Do you think we could take this somewhere more comfortable?
He felt drunk, on a natural high. The reality of what she had said struck him and he stared at her for a while too happy to say anything.
Then suddenly he eased himself from her and stood, pulling her with him, unwilling to let her go for even a second.
"Lizzie, do you know what you mean to me?" he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
"I think I'm beginning to understand." She murmured.
"This is not a one night stand to me. I want you with me not just tonight, but for the rest of my life."
His eyes bored into hers, as his words warmed her heart. She grasped his face and willed him to look deep into her soul.
"Robert, this is all new to me, but make no mistake, this is what I want too."
"I love you Elizabeth." Then he led her towards the stairs, towards their future.
THE END
Well that's it, my first fanfic - hope you liked it? If you did and enough of you bug me I have an idea for a sequel or epilogue. R&R!!