After dinner, Julie took a glass of wine to Harry and sat down with him. "Ok, I know we don't drink much but just one glass should be ok. It's been kind of a crazy time." After she handed him his glass, she sat down on the floor next to him. They had spread out on a blanket, they had eaten on the floor just like in Paris. She went between his legs and leaned back against him.

Harry took the glass of wine from her and then wrapped his free arm around her waist when she leaned back against him. He took a drink and then kissed her temple. "Yeah, it has been. But this, right here, makes me forget about it. You and I alone together is exactly how it should be."

"Oh, yeah. You think so, huh?" Julie asked taking a drink of her wine. "I don't drive you crazy at all, huh?"

"Oh, all the time." Harry said laughing into his glass as he took a drink. "But, it's something I would never change." He set the wine glass on the table and took Julie's putting hers on the table as well. "As much as I love sitting here with you, I can't wait any longer."

Julie groaned. "Always on your mind."

"Not that." Harry laughed at her and pulled her up after he stood. "Ok, well yes, that. But not that right now. I have something for you. I was going to wait to give it to you, but I can't anymore."

"Harry, you didn't have to get me anything. Geez." Julie said walking with him to the room. She watched him go to the desk and pull out a legal sized envelope and brought it back to her.

"Oh, stop. I wanted to, so just let me." He handed her the envelope. He hoped she liked it. He watched her face to see her reaction as she opened it.

Julie took a breath and then opened the envelope. He really didn't have to get her anything. And what would he be giving her in an envelope like this she wondered. She pulled out the papers and read through them, turning through a few pages. She sniffled and looked through them again. "Harry." She said looking up at him.

"Yes, baby. It's yours. Well, you adopted it. I tried to get you the baby hippo, but I couldn't, so that's your baby elephant. When you're ready, you fill out the paperwork, and we send it in. You get to name her and you sponsor her care. As she grows, they send you pictures and updates on her. And we can even go visit her. She lives in a natural habitat where they are treated like elephants in the wild; they are just taken care of as they have special needs." He filled her in as she just kept looking through the papers.

"Seriously?" She glanced up at him. "Harry, I mean...." She said to him. She didn't know what to say. It was amazing. "You know I was just kidding, right?" She asked him sliding the papers back into the envelope.

"Yes, I did." He took her hand and kissed it. "But, I also saw how happy it made you to be there and to see those animals in their habitat. And that made me happy. You know, you've never asked me for anything. And maybe this was a joke. But I wanted to make it happen. I want to make you happy."

"It's...just..." she fought back her tears and bit her lip. She didn't want to cry, but he overwhelmed her. "It's just, so, thoughtful, and amazing, and I'm totally surprised. And I don't know how you do it."

He put his hand on the side of her neck running his thumb over her jawline. "I just saw what made you happy, and did what I could to continue that." He kissed her forehead and kept his lips there for a minute closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much." She whispered closing her eyes as well. He was standing so close to her. She could smell him. She loved that. She could recognize him. It wasn't his cologne or his shampoo, or his laundry detergent. It was him. It was familiar and comfortable. It was safe and secure. She pulled back and looked up at him. "Thank you so, so, much."

"Don't thank me. I really wanted to do it." He looked into her eyes. "Can I just hold you? Can we just lay with each other, be with each other, talk to each other?"

"Wasn't everyone going out? Weren't you planning on going with?" She asked him.

"I already text Niall and said we weren't coming." He said looking alternately back and forth between her eyes and then to her lips.

"What if I wanted to go?" Julie laughed a bit, but her heart started beating faster the way he was studying her face.

"I know better. I knew you would be fine not going." He grinned stepping back from her. "Hold on a minute. I will be right back."

"Ok, fine, I'm ok not going, but you could have asked." She watched him walk away. "Where are you going?"

"I will be right back." He walked into the other room. It only took him a minute, and then he walked back in and saw her looking at the papers on the desk. She tucked some hair behind her ear and touched them gently. A smile forming on her face. He knew she probably wouldn't appreciate it, but he did it anyway. He put his camera up to his eye and started taking pictures of her. He snapped a few and then stepped closer to her.

Julie smiled as she read through the paperwork. She still couldn't believe he had basically gotten her a baby elephant. Incredible. She seriously did not think that he would actually go out and get her one. She looked back at him when she heard soft clicks. "Harry, what are you doing? Don't do that." She hid her face in her hands.

"No, don't hide. I like to photograph beautiful things. What's more beautiful than you?" He asked. Laughing and still taking pictures as he walked around her. He loved her peeking around her hands.

"Harry, no pictures." She reached towards the camera when he came close.

"Come on. Just a few more. For me. And my personal collection. For when I'm away from you." He pulled her hands from her face. "C'mon. Play along."

She shook her head but sort of smiled. "Ugh. Fine." She forced a silly smile and looked up to the ceiling.

"Not exactly like that." Harry laughed at her faces. He liked seeing her through his lens. He was surprised he'd never thought of it before. "Come on, babe. Pose for me."

"Harry." She shook her head again, but after a little bit more encouragement, she started to play along. Half serious, half sassy. She stuck her tongue out. Then looked up into the lens at him. She wrinkled her nose and then tilted her head and smiled at him. She grabbed the end of her hair and ran it through her fingers and bit her bottom lip. It was a thing she did when she was thinking.

Harry smiled when she started to play along. She had the most gorgeous blue eyes. They were such a contrast to her dark hair. He really liked seeing them through the lens. He couldn't wait to get some of them printed out. She seemed to get a bit more comfortable with him taking the pictures. He noticed her in her thinking pose. He smiled wider when he realized he knew that about her. End of the hair between the thumb and pointer finger, biting her bottom lip. He snapped some pictures of that. He loved that. "What are you thinking so hard about?" He asked her.

"Nothing really. Sort of wondering how my black and white mind got such a colorful, creative boyfriend." She posed a few more times for him as he clicked away while she could tell he was thinking. This time she tried some model poses she saw a lot in magazines. Pouty faces, lifting her hair off her neck with her arm, and a few others.

After a few more pictures of her posing for him he set the camera aside. "Well, I don't see it that way. You're creative. You just choose to hide it instead. You choose to be careful and follow the straight line. You're afraid to take chances because not having a plan scares you. Everyone expected you to be reasonable and safe. Do what was right to them. But more and more, you're learning that people will support you no matter what you choose. You talked about it in Tahoe. That I gave you back the sun, the moon, and the stars, and a reason to reach for them again. You can't fool me anymore, beautiful." He stepped closer to her again. "Stop trying to."

"I'm not, not really." She looked up at him. "Admit it, we seem like we are complete opposites. Most likely to everyone."

"Maybe so. At first. Because you don't let anyone know you, not like you have me." He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I think, you think, I'm much deeper than I am." She said searching his eyes.

"No, I don't. But it's not only you being deep. It's you being guarded. And you aren't. Not with me. You don't even realize how much you let me in. That means the most to me. You're comfortable letting me see you, as you. I love you, and I will continue to support you, no matter what choices you make." He looked over the features of her face. Studying every one. He remembered them, but they changed slightly the more she relaxed, the more she trusted him. The more she healed.

"I know." She smiled when he looked at her a bit shocked she said that. "I do. You've been everything I never thought I would experience. I trust you, more than I trust myself. So, thank you. Because I know, and I never thought I would know anything."

He pulled her hand and lay down on the bed, watching her lay down beside him. They were on their sides facing each other. "I could just lay here looking at you all night. Watching you breathe, sleep, speak. Whatever."

"Oh, you could, huh?" She ran her fingers gently down his arm. "Sounds kind of boring."

"No, not at all." They were close. He could feel her breath. The heat of her body. "The rest of it is great. The fun and the sex. But that's not what I miss the most when I'm away. I miss this. I miss you with me. I miss watching you and knowing you're there. That's how I know that this is a different kind of love. Not only can I not keep my hands off you, I can't keep my mind off you. Everything comes back to you. I always think about you first, in every decision that I make. Even if it doesn't directly affect us." He meant it. This is what he wanted more than anything. Just knowing she was near him, and safe.

"Wow." She ran her hand under his shirt and laid it on his bare hip. "You're so deep tonight. More so than normal. This is where I want to be. Whenever I can be, Harry. I'm looking forward to you spending some time in LA. We will both still be working, but it will seem a bit normal for a while maybe."

"Ah, a real relationship. What will we do with that?" He kind of laughed. "What will you do with not being able to get rid of me for a while?"

"Not sure. But it will be nice to see." She looked at his lips. She put her lips close to his looked in his eyes and whispered. "Kiss me. Make love to me." She pulled his hips closer to her with the fingertips under his shirt.

"Always, baby." He whispered just before he caught her lips. He was ok with holding her, staring at her, all night. But he would make love to her. Slowly, gently, passionately. He kissed her slowly. Hand first on her cheek and then down her neck to her chest. He ran his hand under her shirt to touch her skin. Smooth and perfect to him. He ran his hand slowly up inching her shirt up towards her head. He broke the kiss just long enough to take off her shirt. He looked into her eyes when she started to do the same to him.

She kept looking into his eyes. The eyes that had always looked at her as if she was the only thing he ever saw. The eyes which had always shown kindness and love. For as long as she could remember. From the first time, she looked into them. The eyes that she watched fall deeper in love with her every time they were together. She ran her hand slowly up his body raising his shirt and taking it off over his head. Her hand grazed down his shoulder, and she used her fingertips to slowly trace over the swallow tattoos on his chest, down to his butterfly on his stomach. She kissed his chest and then looked back up at his eyes.

Her fingertips on his body gave him goosebumps. They'd had sex, and made love, but never like this. Taking their time completely. Watching each other. Really seeing each other. He slid her bra strap down her shoulder and unclasped it behind her throwing it gently aside. His eyes wandered lazily over her breasts. She let him. He could feel her watching him, but she never tried to cover herself. He kissed them each gently and then looked back at her eyes. He let his hand wander down her chest and over her breasts slowly and gently. He watched her eyes and how her pupils dilated; he felt her nipple harden when his thumb ran over it gently. He loved her body reacting to his touch, no matter how gentle.

His touch drove her insane. Her body was so sensitive when he was so close. It craved his touch. But this was different. This was intense. She knew every time they were together, she was letting him become more intimate. That she was more comfortable with the deep feelings and the studying of her body. She felt closer to him every day. Every time they got through something tough and intense together. She knew she could always count on him. She ran her hand down his hip and over the waistband of his pants. She unbuttoned his jeans and slowly unzipped them, then running her hand up over his stomach, and her thumb over his lips before she took his lips and kissed him again. Slowly and deeply. There was no tongue fight, more like a slow dance to their own music. It was something she had never experienced. But she liked it. A lot.

The kiss. Hot, yet smooth. Deep, yet controlled. It was magic. As much as he enjoyed letting out the aggression and the hot sex they had the other night, this was just as good, if not better. The feeling he felt in the kiss ran over his whole body and seemed to settle in his heart. He slowly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them apart lowering the zipper. He felt her groan into the kiss and arch her back towards him. He felt himself growing in his boxers. His pants were undone but still on. He could feel his length pressing against them. But he wasn't rushing this. Not a chance.

His touch. His kiss. His hands. His body. Everything of his. But his hands, she loved his hands. His fingers knew exactly what to do to make her crazy. She slowly lowered his jeans as he lifted his hip off the bed for her. He finished taking off his clothes so she didn't have to get up. She kissed him and sucked his bottom lip. She felt his hands go to her jeans and slide them down her hips. Before she knew it, she was as completely naked as was he. She searched his body. Studying the curves and tattoos he had. He had always done that to her, but this was the first she'd gazed the length of him. It was an amazing thing. She realized she had noticed new things on him. They seemed to jump out at her. Her senses seemed to be heightened during this extremely intimate moment.

Harry watched her studying his body. He stayed calm and relaxed and at first just watched her eyes move over his body; but after a while, he let his eyes begin to wander her body as well. She let herself open. She let him look at her. He had always wanted to study her body and had some. But not as much as he was now. His hands started to follow where his eyes were going. He ran his hand slowly over her body. Pretty much every inch. From her shoulders, down her chest, over her stomach and down her thighs. He wanted to take in every detail. The freckles on her face were adorable, but he'd never noticed the small freckles she had on her arm close to her wrist that made a triangle. The small and faint beauty mark she had on her left hip. The small scar on the outside of her left knee. He loved it. She never even asked him to stop.

As his hands starting slowly feeling her body, she let him. She felt his eyes studying everything, and she knew how detailed he was. He would find every flaw and every imperfection. And it didn't bother her. The way he looked at her. The way he looked at her body. The look in his eyes was nothing but love. Nothing but admiration. She felt comfortable even though this was the most exposed she had ever been physically. He was physically impressive. She had always known that; but running her hands slowly over his body, she felt every muscle, every detail. It was incredible. She now knew why he liked doing it so much.

He smiled at how this was going. How comfortable she seemed. Every time she surprised him. He took his time and then he rolled her onto her back and laid over her. Slowly searching her eyes again. He felt her hands running down his arms and then felt her kiss his bicep. This was a new feeling for him too. This was something they were experiencing for the first time together. He kneed gently between her legs and moved slowly to her. Ready to enter her but not just yet. He could feel the heat of her core. He was ready as she was, but he wanted this to last. He ran his hand up her thigh and over her hip. Leaning down and kissing her slowly one more time first. He broke the kiss but kept his lips right above hers and entered her slowly. Moving at a slow pace and looking directly into her eyes.

She lifted her hips for him when he entered her and looked back into his eyes. The feeling was deep. It was incredible and deep. She felt for the first time ever that she could feel his love washing over her. His commitment to her. The way he felt about her. It was a completely satisfying realization. One she was convinced would have scared her. But it didn't. It felt freeing to know someone could feel that way about her. She ran her hands slowly up his sides and gently over his shoulders. The way he moved, the way he looked at her, the way he felt were all completely overwhelming.

He swore he could see her acceptance. He swore he could see her completely accept his love. He knew she loved him. He wasn't always convinced she saw his love for her. He had sometimes still sensed that she wondered how he could love her. But right now, he could see it in her eyes, in her face. She accepted it. She felt it. She knew it. He smiled into her eyes. "I love you. God, I love you." He kept moving slowly with her. The way she moved with him seemed so natural.

"I love you, too." She whispered. She had never felt so attached. So connected. So in sync with someone. There was no rush. There was nothing other than them enjoying the feeling of being connected. The goal was to make each other feel the love, not the lust. Not the release. They stayed connected for a long time. It was slow and steady and completely intense in a whole new way. She felt herself starting to come to a high. She squeezed her legs around his hips a little tighter because she couldn't seem to help it. Oh, the feeling. She was overwhelmed in a whole new way.

Harry loved this feeling. They were together for a long time before he felt her start to clench around him. He moved a bit faster and a bit harder but not much. He was coming to his high too, and they would release together. It was much more intense than he'd expected. They kept eye contact as they reached their high. He moved slowly first through her orgasm; feeling her core clenching around him gave him a high he didn't expect. When he felt her start to relax, he moved a bit more pronounced into her as he released inside her. Wow. What a feeling. He stopped moving after they had both come down and laid down to her side. Looking back into her eyes, he saw a tear hit her cheek as he felt one hit his. "Yeah, that's exactly how I feel." He chuckled.

She smiled into his eyes. "Yeah, tears, but amazing, completely satisfied, completely in love tears."

"Exactly." He kissed her head and pulled the sheet up around them. "And now, I will hold you, the rest of the night. Just like this."

"I couldn't ask for anything better." She cuddled up close to him. As close as she could. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby. Very much." He kissed her head and felt her relax and fall asleep slowly. He lay and watched her for what seemed like hours. He meant it. He could have done this all night. He eventually fell asleep holding her tightly.

*if you are enjoying the story please vote/comment would love to be able to respond.

*the story is complete fan fiction