Lucy and Frederick lingered over breakfast the next morning, both wanting to stay within their bubble of contentment and put off the moment of Lucy's decision as long as possible.

"Today is yours," Frederick declared. "What do you want to do today?"

"Would you be up to visiting a tourist attraction? We'd have a bit of privacy, though, once we're there."

"I'm intrigued. Go on."

"That big Ferris wheel? The London Eye, I think?"

Frederick grinned. "Great idea."

After breakfast, he made a call and arranged for tickets for precisely ten past two.

"They did that just for you?" Lucy asked.

"They do that for everyone," he assured her.

The line for the Eye seemed huge when they arrived, and Frederick was asked for a steady stream of photos and autographs. Thankfully, the line moved more quickly than she was expecting and before she knew it, they were in their private passenger capsule on one of the biggest Ferris wheels in the world. Most of the other pods held a couple dozen people, but Frederick had bought all the tickets to theirs so they could have it to themselves.

Lucy had thought the view from Frederick's flat had been impressive, but it paled in comparison to this. She could see the river Thames winding away into the distance, and Frederick pointed out famous cathedrals and bridges, and a building that looked like a shiny pickle. Lucy didn't need any help recognizing the Palace of Westminster, or Big Ben. The tour took about a half-hour, but felt much quicker. Time always passed quickly when she was alone with Frederick.

* * * * *

Back at Frederick's flat, Lucy apologized, and went to her room for a catnap, as she had yet to adjust to London time. Frederick told her to take all the time she needed. When she woke, she saw that a note had been slipped under her door.

"Don't come out yet!!" it read.

Lucy took her time doing her hair and makeup before dinner. After dithering for twenty minutes, trying on both dresses several times, she finally decided on the deep red dress Frederick had given her, as well as her diamond pendant. She wanted him to know that she appreciated his gifts. She still didn't know what she would tell him, but she would look her best when she did.

A few minutes after she was dressed, she heard a small knock and opened her door.

"Would you care to join me for dinner?" Frederick asked. He looked so good in his charcoal gray suit that she could hardly believe he was real. His blue shirt and tie made his eyes look impossibly green, and his hair was somehow both tidy and wavy.

She took his arm.

"You look stunning tonight, as always, my darling," he said. She murmured her thanks as he led her down the short hallway.

The kitchen table was set for two. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling in a star-burst pattern, meeting at the small chandelier over the table. The room was filled with the dancing light of a hundred white candles, and the twinkling city below was the perfect backdrop. Lucy's throat grew tight. It was like the hotel room all over again. Either a beautiful beginning, or an unforgettable end.

"I thought we could dine in tonight," Frederick said, looking like the cat who caught the canary as he watched Lucy's reaction.

"You are full of surprises," she said, as they walked to the table.

"A whole lifetime's worth," he whispered in her ear as he pulled out her chair for her. She shivered as he let his chin graze the top of her shoulder.

Frederick himself served. "I ordered in," he said apologetically.

But Frederick obviously ordered from better restaurants that Lucy did because the food was wonderful.

"I have something for you," Frederick said as he took away their soup bowls.

"Oh?" Lucy asked. With Frederick, 'something' could be anything from a wild daisy blossom to a red carpet premiere. It was one of her greatest and least favorite things about him.

He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out an envelope. Lucy's name was typed on the front.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Inside, Lucy found a letter of recommendation praising her "invaluable skills" and "ability to put others at ease," ending with the statement that she was a "highly valuable addition to any action movie set." It was signed by the the director, the set manager, and even Stanley, her fellow medic from the PPZ set.

"This was so kind of them," said Lucy, pleased that they thought so highly of her.

"Do you see what this means?" asked Frederick. "With that letter, and your skill set, you can get work on almost any movie set you choose. You could come with me, at least some of the time, and still have your independence."

Lucy hadn't thought of that.

"I see. That's certainly something to think about," she said. Frederick had knocked one of her concerns off her list, but there were many more, and some weren't so easy to deal with.

Frederick was disappointed with her reaction. He was polite, as always, but stiff as he went to get their entree.

"I have something for you, too," Lucy said, dashing to the guest bedroom and returning with a small package wrapped in tissue paper. It was now or never.

"For me?" Frederick asked. She handed him the gift and he looked pleased. She tried to remember if she'd given him any little gifts last summer, and didn't think she had.

Frederick tore open the thin paper and pulled out a pair of hand-knit socks with sci-fi characters knitted  all the way around.

"You remembered!" He laughed his deep, rolling laugh that Lucy so adored.

"A deal is a deal. I don't make promises lightly."

"So I gather," he said wryly. Ouch. Frederick turned the socks over in his hands. "Lucy, these are wonderful. Thank you. They must have taken hours," he said.

"I was happy to. Like I told you, there's only so much to do up North in the evenings." Especially when you're heartsick and spending way too much time alone.

They managed to sustain the illusion of contentment until half-way through the entree. All at once, Lucy found that she couldn't eat another bite. She had only a couple of hours until she had to leave for the airport if she wanted to catch her plane back home tonight.

Frederick noticed that she had stopped eating and put down his own fork. The airy classical music in the background mocked the heaviness of the moment.

"Say it," he urged softly.

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Do you want me to say it?"

"No. I don't...I don't know what I want!" She ran to the window and stood with her back to Frederick, taking great shaking breaths.

She felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me, please, exactly what you're afraid of."

Far below her, cars zipped past in the night, small lights moving in a vast sea of light and darkness. She wanted desperately to be in one of those cars, on her way anywhere but here. She was being torn in two. Frederick stood waiting behind her.

"I'm afraid that we'll break up and it will be front fucking page news," she said.

Frederick took a breath. Another.

He turned her to face him. "I want to say that will never happen, but I can't see the future. I do know that the last two days have been phenomenal, and last summer was... Lucy, I've never been so happy. And I don't think you have, either."

"But that article. One stupid newspaper article and I was devastated. There's bound to be more."

"The first is always the worst. It will get easier. And what other people say will never change who you truly are."

Lucy wasn't convinced. She hung her head to avoid Frederick's gaze.

"It's so hard. And it always will be. Always," she lamented.

Frederick dropped to one knee in front of her; his injured knee, she noticed, the one that had brought them together with his pain. He grabbed her hands and squeezed, almost painfully. He tilted his head until it was right under hers.

"Lucy," he said, his voice thick, his eyes searching her face. "Am I not worth it?"

And then, in a blinding flash of understanding, everything was clear to her. She knew that she had been so, so foolish to push away happiness for so long. He was worth it. He was worth everything.

"Of course you are," she said, her tears spilling down her face. "You are worth it, Frederick. Any trouble is worth it if I get to be with you."

"And you've decided...?"

"I'll go. I mean, stay. I mean, I'll go where you go. With you."

Frederick jumped up and wrapped his arms tightly around Lucy. His breath hitched, and in the split second before he kissed her, she saw that his eyes were shiny with tears.

"My Lucy. Oh, my Lucy," he said against her mouth. He pulled back. "Tell me again. I want to make sure I've got it right."

"I choose you, Frederick. I want to be with you, no matter what. I love you."

He laughed, and the sound was an expression of pure joy. "I love you, too."

* * * * *

There was no more need for talking. Lucy let her body made the decisions. She should have listened to her body in the first place. It knew what was best for her better than she did. Frederick was kissing her as furiously as she was kissing him. His hands were everywhere now, her breasts, her bottom, her neck. He undid her zipper.

"Window," Lucy admonished.

"Couch?"

"Bedroom?"

"Bedroom."

They stumbled away from the window, unwilling to let go of each other even long enough to walk across the room. Giggling with mischievous delight, they left trail of clothing that began in the kitchen, just out of sight of the windows, and they were both down to not much at all by the time they toppled onto Frederick's enormous bed.

Lucy wriggled out of her panties while Frederick kicked off his pants. He climbed on top of her and Lucy's entire body sang with delight to be skin-to-skin with Frederick again, intoxicated by his distinctive masculine smell. He was taking far too long about getting down to business, she was thinking, when he muttered, "Damn," and jumped off of her to rummage through the drawer of his bedside table.

Lucy's body was screaming with impatience. Not even the sight of Frederick's naked, moving body could distract her from her pounding desire. She'd been waiting days for this. No, make that months.

"First thing tomorrow, we need to talk about getting me on the pill. I can not take any more of these interruptions." She took the interruption in question from his hands and put it on him.

"Now? Please?" she pleaded.

"Now," he growled. At that moment, Lucy couldn't remember a word that had ever made her happier.

She was quivering from the moment he entered her. It didn't matter where she was in the world, as long as she was with Frederick; sharing dinner, sharing a movie, sharing a bed. That was home she realized.

He moved hard, fast, but not fast enough for her. She urged him on, begged him for more.

"I'm not hurting you?" he asked, nipping her earlobe.

"No. I want more." Nothing could hurt her now. Not when she felt this good. She would take all of him, everything he had to give.

And it was more than enough. Her entire body started shaking as pure pleasure crashed through every single nerve ending. She cried out her delight and their movements became even more frenzied as her peak overcame her. Frederick strained within her, so deep she thought they might be joined there forever, and gave a moan so low that Lucy felt her ribs vibrate.

This was how it was supposed to be, she thought. Everything else in her entire life was just a tax to pay on the way to moments like this.

Their movements slowed, but Frederick didn't stop, not completely. Their breathing quieted and their hearts slowed as echoes of pleasure continued to sound through Lucy's body.

"That was..." he trailed off.

"Mind-blowing, but way too quick?" she suggested.

"Yes." He kissed her forehead, then rolled onto his side, his face flushed.

"We should do it again."

"We should. We have all the time in the world. A lifetime."

Lucy thought that a lifetime might, possibly, be enough.

* * * * *

Lucy woke the next morning with a smile on her face. She felt wonderful. She felt relaxed and warm and at peace. And, she realized, she felt Frederick's hand between her thighs.

"About time you woke up," he grumbled. "I've been at this for a quarter hour."

The state of her body told her he really had.

She was ready for him. Completely.

* * * * * The End * * * * *