Downpour

„Oh, I'm starving", Almanzo picked his hat up from the ground. It has just fallen off as he'd embraced Laura longingly after two terrible long months without his wife. How he had missed holding her close to him.

"I've got some stone soup on the stove" Laura joked as they walked towards their house both having their arms around each other.

"What on earth is stone soup?"

"That's a long story" Laura answered smilingly.

Almanzo laughed as soon as he had closed the door behind them, "I forgot to unhitch the team!" With all his joy to have Beth finally back in his arms he'd completely forgotten the horses!

"I'll be right in!" he cried back to her through the pouring rain as he was already on the steps again.

Just as he was about to loosen the rope that kept Barnum, Almanzo felt Laura's hands on his waist and turned confused to look at his wife. The teardrops, falling incessantly from her eyelashes to her cheeks, from the tip of her nose to her lips, made her look even more beautiful.

"Beth, what are you doing out here? You'll catch a-" before he was able to finish the sentence, Laura took his face in her hands and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. At first startled, Almanzo encircled her waist to draw her close to him, her body fitting perfectly against his. The downpour surrounded them like a shield as they forgot the whole world around them.

She just hasn't been able to wait until he was back inside. Laura had missed him too much during these two months. Never would she have imagined that it could be possible to love someone so much that it felt as if somebody would have taken the air from her while Almanzo was gone. She'd felt so lonely in their big bed without him being there to hold her in his arms. How often had she held Manly's pillow with his scent still on it close to her, so she would be able to fall asleep. Laura wouldn't ever let him stay away that long again.

"I missed you so", she admitted again between placing kisses on his lips.

Almanzo pulled her even closer to him as he engulfed her with his kiss, deeply touched by her confession.

As he heard the clap of thunder, Almanzo suddenly realized that they were still out in that downpour and he didn't want Beth to become sick.

"Beth," he said breathlessly while still kissing her tenderly, "you gotta go inside...You'll catch...a cold. Please...Beth"

"Alright", she smiled at him, trying to control her breathing. And after placing one more kiss on his lips, Laura returned into the house, while Almanzo started to unhitch the team again with a grin on his face.

Still flustered by the closeness they had just shared, Almanzo's fingers didn't want to listen to him and he needed twice as much time to loosen the horses before finally being able to bring them in the barn.

As he walked into the living room, Almanzo expected Laura to be there, but all he saw was the fire blazing in the fireplace.

"Beth?" He cried through the house, while the water from his clothes started to form a wet spot on the floor.

"Didn't you say you were hungry?" Laura asked smilingly while standing by the doorstep that led from the dinner-room to the kitchen.

Almanzo shook his head at her carelessness. "Beth, you need to get out of these wet clothes!" he said concerned while crossing the rooms to take her by the hand and lead his wife to the fireplace.

Laura just kept smiling at him. Oh how she had missed his concern! "You look so sweet when you're wet, Manly" she stated wrapping her arms around his neck and feeling his wet blond hairs.

"Beth, I'm serious now!"

"So am I", Laura replied as she wiped a raindrop from his eyebrow.

"Laura, you drive me crazy" Almanzo looked scolding at his wife, thinking at the baby she carried under her heart.

"I sure hope so" she smirked before kissing his neck, "And besides; you're pretty wet too" she grinned at the puddle forming under them.

"Beth, do you have to do that when I'm concerned?" he tried to be as stern as possible in this situation.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"Driving me crazy!"

"Do you wish someone else would drive you crazy?" Laura feigned to be offended.

Almanzo shook his head, no longer able to hide a crooked smile. That did it to him. He wrapped his arms around her body to press her against his chest as he covered her lips with his.

Suddenly a laugh bubbled out of Laura's mouth. Almanzo looked confused at her as she tried to stifle it, which barely succeeded.

"I'm sorry Manly", she explained between chuckles, "I just...I just remembered something" she started laughing again, removing her arms from his neck.

"What?" Almanzo looked puzzled at his wife. What could possible come to her mind while they were kissing?

"I just...I just remembered...telling Mary" Laura was now barley able to speak "that Jason and I were having...the same germs..."

Almanzo now knitted his brows. "Jason?"

Slowly Laura calmed, "Yeah, I caught a cold because I helped him with his experiment as it-"

"Jason?" Almanzo interrupted her alarmed.

"Yes" Laura didn't notice the change in his voice and wrapped her arms once again around his neck, "Now, where were we?" she asked teasingly.

"Jason?" he asked once again, "That Jason, with whom you were together?"

"Manly", Laura answered smilingly, thinking her husband was only joking, "we were just kids."

"And you shared your germs!" Almanzo stated jealously.

"You're not jealous, are you Manly?" she looked lovingly into the blue eyes of her husband. They were now married for over a year and still he was jealous over some school crush of hers. "We didn't do anything", she laughed.

"Just sharing your germs?"

"Really Manly, you're-" she stopped startled as he lifted her up in his arms, "What are you doing?" she asked confused.

"I'm getting your germs" Almanzo answered matter-of-factly as he carried her up to their bedroom, leaving a trade of water drops behind them...