Beth's Ocean Voyage

Slowly Beth lowered her self to the side of Brian, laying down beside him, breath ragged and gasping. Lying beside each other and their breaths returning to normal, hands moving over each others sweaty skin lightly.

Brian raised himself up on his elbow looking down at Beth, "you are so beautiful, Beth."

Turning her head slightly away from him, "thank you, Brian."

"You know you don't have to say that just because of, well because of what we just did."

"I know that, I said it because it's true. You are beautiful Beth. You are smart, beautiful, sexy, witty, and shy at times. I love all that about you."

"Brian, this is so far from what I thought I would be on this trip. I never thought I would find someone who so completely sees me for me, and not so hard, all work no play woman, that everyone else sees in me. I work hard, I have to for the job that I do, I feel like I have to prove myself every day and with every thing that I do. Being a soft lawyer is not something that will get you far in your field."

"I understand Beth, and I am so happy that you have let me see your soft side. I saw your rough and hard side every day in that court room. To me you are the best in your field, you worked hard trying to put me in prison, and if it hadn't been for that snake Beeman coming forth and having some kind of conscience for killing Malina, I know I would be sitting in prison right now. You are an excellent lawyer, Beth."

Rolling over away from him, Beth thought about how much she could come to love this man. She wondered if he was bitter towards her for prosecuting him in the manner she had. How could he forgive her for the hell she had put him through? He almost became a prison statistic for a innocent man sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit thanks to her.

Brian was confused as to why she had pulled away from him. Rolling towards her he wrapped her in his arms.

"Beth what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Brian, I'm fine."

"Your not fine Beth, just moments ago you were smiling and feeling happy. Now you have that lawyer look about you. I want to know what's wrong. Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't say anything wrong Brian."

"Are you sure you all of a sudden seem sad and withdrawn."

Rolling to face him, "I'm just worried."

"About what."

"I'm afraid that you will not be able to forgive me for prosecuting you, and you were innocent, I could have sent you to prison for the rest of your life. How could you forgive something like that, even after what we have done here tonight, I just don't see how you could."

Rolling her over to face him, "First, there is nothing to forgive. You were doing your job, and you did it to the best of your ability, which is all anyone could ask. With all the evidence against me at the time, you had no other choice. I am just thankful that it turned out as well as it did, and that we are here now the way we are."

"But where do we go from here Brian, can we move past everything we have been through this past year. I'm not sure that we can, even if we should end up in some sort of relationship."

"Do you want a relationship, Beth?"

"At this point Brian, I'm not sure what I want."

Beth sits up, gathers the sheet around her and walks to the balcony door, opens it and walks outside.

Brian follows her clad in a towel. He wraps his arms around her, resting his head upon her shoulders.

Looking out at the ocean, as Brian came outside to stand behind her and placed his arms around her, Beth had felt an urge to tell him that she loved him. But she did not, did she love him she didn't know, she knew she had a strong attraction to him, but she couldn't call it love, at least not yet.

"Looks like were in for some weather, we might be stuck in the room for a while." Smiling he turned her around to face him, scooping her face up in his hand, and bringing his lips down upon her, taking her lips in a passionate kiss, their bodies locked in passionate embrace holding onto each other not wanting to let go.

Holding on for dear life she felt like if she should let go of him he would disappear. They stood there for a long while, locked in each others arms, staring out into the wide dark night. Both wondering what lay in wait for them in the morning, and did they want to know. For now both content for the way they were here and now, in these few precious hours, laying together, making passionate love to each others bodies.

Could there be more in store for them than they thought?

Would it last beyond the boundaries of this ship? Time would tell.