When they arrived at the greenhouse, John stood in front of his daughter, both parties looking like they wanted to say something, but neither did. Both nervous and unaccustomed to grand (well, grand emotional) speeches, neither seemed to know quite what to say so John settled for pulling Maris into a tight hug and pressing a kiss to her forehead. It felt like some sort of goodbye even though she would be walking toward, then standing with him as she waited for Rory to come down the aisle for her. They shared a look that said they'd talk later, but it felt like something had sort of shifted in that moment.

As Maris watched her father walk ahead and take his place under the chuppah everything suddenly felt very real. The music sounded louder. Like some sort of very ominous countdown and she suddenly felt very dizzy. And vaguely sick.

She grabbed onto the wall, looking pale enough for Eli to notice and grab her flowers, sitting them on a nearby table so she didn't drop them. Then he grabbed hold of Maris so she could keep herself upright.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, trying to get her to meet his eyes. "You're not gonna faint on me?"

Maris nodded, letting out an uncharacteristically high pitched mhm that didn't seem very convincing.

"She seemed fine, right?" Eli looked confused. "Rory, when you saw her."

"Of course she did." He frowned. "Maris, she's not going to back out if that's what you're worried about."

"I know that," she said a bit too harshly.

"Do you... wanna back out?"

"No, I'm just... its very nerve wracking okay?!"

"I wouldn't know. Hey, how are you ending up married before me, huh?" He knocked their shoulders together, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm delightful so..." She softened as she looked up at her best friend. "But don't get married too fast. I can't take too much change at once."

"Nothing's changed, Mari. I'm used to Rory. It's like she never left."

Maris smiled softly. "I know."

"And like I said, all she was worried about was you. Sure you're both feeling the same thing right now."

"That might actually make it worse," she mumbled.

The string quartet started with their song which meant it was Eli's cue to start down the aisle.

Cursed with a bit of stage fright (and what was a wedding if not something of a theatrical production) he took a big breath before handing Maris her flowers, giving her hands a squeeze. "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Go."

He seemed to move in slow motion. Maris tried to waste time making sure her flowers looked alright even though like Rory's they were perfect. She smoothed invisible wrinkles out of her dress. She tried not to think of what could have happened to her hair and make up in the five minutes since she'd seen it, but she was still left waiting, mind blank or at least not loud enough to be heard over the almost painful hammering of her heart as Eli took his last few steps and got himself settled under the chuppah with her father.

The first few steps were hard. Her legs felt like jelly. Her whole body numb with a sort of white hot mix of fear and excitement but she was moving, one foot in front of the other, wondering, vaguely just where she should look. Focusing on her dad and best friend seemed dangerous if she wanted to keep her make up in tact. She didn't really want to look out at the audience either. The small guest list meant they'd only invited people they wanted to see and she could feel them watching her, but looking at them would have been too much.

Maris was happy yes, in a way she couldn't quite describe but part of her was just holding it together. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she finally reached Eli, her friend giving her a reassuring smile before they turned to watch everyone else make their way up the aisle too.

Rory was nervous, but nothing to do with what she was actually doing. It was more the attention, all eyes on them, being so open and vulnerable in front of their friends and family. Rory could stand in front of her classes and give lectures all day, interact, no problem. Eyes on her didn’t matter because it wasn’t about her. Even though their wedding was small and filled with people they loved and who loved them, it was going to feel different. It was supposed to.

She was uncharacteristically quiet in the minutes leading up to going inside. Both Sarah and Evelyn did their best to distract her, but all Rory could think about was Maris. She wanted to know how she was feeling, beyond how she was going to look like or how it would feel to see her. She felt a bit adrift, for lack of a better term, without her fiancee. But she supposed fiancee wasn’t going to be the right term anymore. A thought that made her smile.

“There she is, you good?” Sarah bumped her with her elbow, catching the smile. Rory just nodded, swallowing hard at the tightness in her throat. “It’s gonna be great, Ror.”

Rory nodded, shaking one hand out and then the other, shifting her bouquet between her hands. “My hands are going numb.” She said with a little shake in her voice, her nerves swelling tenfold as it just got closer and closer to time.

“Are you cold?” Evelyn asked her, rubbing her shoulder. Rory just shook her head, putting her free hand on her stomach and focusing on her breathing. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind about what she was about to do, but the nerves hit, and they hit hard. The felt on the brink of a panic attack or something, and she didn’t know exactly why the hell that was. With some distance from it later, she’d be able to look back and laugh at herself for the dramatic moment.

It was probably one of the few times in her life that their lives would change so sharply. Usually change was gradual, over lots of time, begun somewhere before you even realized it. Much of that was true for now, yes, but rare was it to have a symbolic ceremony to leap off into a new phase of life.

“You sure you’re okay?” Sarah checked with her as they stepped inside, and Rory nodded, feeling a little dizzy but not like she was going to pass out actually. She knew in her bones she would feel better, in some way, as soon as she saw Maris. Sarah squeezed her hand and then started down the aisle, with Rory and Evelyn just around the corner, out of sight.

For the longest time, Rory waffled on whether or not she wanted her mother to walk her down the aisle. It felt antiquated to have a parent do that, but Rory was suddenly very glad she’d asked her mother to walk with her. Evelyn took her hand and squeezed it, as the chords of her song with Maris filled up the little area they were in.

“It’s time, sweetheart.” Evelyn said gently. Rory nodded, but felt like she was shaking. Evelyn eased her forward, giving her elbow so they could link arms together.

Rory felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest, but somehow she managed to get one foot in front of the other. It helped, being in the shoes Maris had given her. Her mouth felt dry and suddenly they were around the corner. All eyes turned to her.

She didn’t care.

It was as though sunlight had flooded her directly, warming away all the numb, scary feelings she’d been having. She sort of inhaled sharply, a shaky sound as it was — her gaze was locked in on Maris, immediately.

She looked beautiful, but she knew that she would. It was different to see her. Her heart felt like it really was going to burst out of her chest now, and her eyes were already brimming with tears just seeing her. Maris was perfect. Maris was going to be her wife. Anything else didn’t matter.

Somewhere she registered that there were people she loved there in the audience. Paul and his husband, Ethan and his wife. Her sister, her niece and nephew, brother in law. A couple cousins she actually adored, her grandmother. Later she’d take more notice of them, but she didn’t spare a single glance away. She was too busy making her way to Maris, fairly certain this was what it felt like to become a being of pure, unbridled love.

Like Rory, Maris sort of figured that seeing her fiancee (of about five more minutes) would help calm her down. Being apart for the night had been hard. She'd imagined this moment and what she'd look like coming toward her a thousand times, some of them before she'd even asked her to be her wife but with each passing moment her anticipation got worse.

And it was nothing compared to actually seeing her. Maris had been barely breathing before but when Rory came into view it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

She clutched her flowers like they were some sort of anchor, the only solid thing keeping her upright as her body was wracked with a strange mix of happiness and nerves over everything she was about to say because she suddenly didn't remember a word of what she had planned.

Why was the ceremony some sort of slow march toward each other? Maris supposed it was symbolic in a way, especially in their case. It had been a long, winding, complicated road where nothing had come easily but part of her just wanted to run down the aisle and meet her halfway.

But she waited, patiently, even more lost for words when she finally saw Rory up close. She nodded a little at Evelyn, but didn't really see her.

Maris' eyes were fixed on Rory. She leaned in, her hand automatically resting on the other woman's bare shoulder as she whispered, "You look so beautiful."

Promptly remembering that touching (and even talking) was probably a no no before the ceremony was done, she quickly took her hand away, standing a little straighter as she turned to look at her dad.

John was smiling too.

"Please be seated, everyone. We're gathered here today for the wedding of my daughter, Maris." He nodded toward her, then turned to Rory. "And soon to be, daughter, Aurora. They're so happy you could be here to share this day with them. It's fitting, that they are standing here under this chuppah, a symbol of the home they will build and undoubtedly fill with the love I think we've already been privileged enough to see. A home that will help them weather any storm like the ones they've already weathered and will continue to weather as they continue their journey together."

Maris and her dad hadn't really gone over what he was going to say. She assumed he'd just rattle off the usual script about being gathered here today and then let them jump into her vows. She hadn't really expected this. An acknowledgement that Rory would be his daughter now, an explanation of what the chuppah meant (even though the symbolism was a huge reason why she wanted one apart from the fact that she found them aesthetically pleasing). She felt a pinprick of pressure behind her eyelids, her smile widening with each word but she never looked away from Rory, discovering something new with each second: something she hadn't noticed on her dress before, the flowers in her hair. She wanted to reach out and touch her, and after a moment she got her chance.

"Maris and Rory have written their own vows so let's take a moment to hear them."

Maris' stomach tightened and she made a little sound as she cleared her throat. "Right," she said softly. She quickly handed Eli her flowers and took Rory's hands in hers in an effort to center herself.

"It's raining," she whispered just loud enough for Rory to hear. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, knowing it was something only they'd understand anyway. And as silly as it sounded it gave her the courage to get started.

Rain was their good omen.

Rory felt indescribable as she made her way down the aisle. She felt like she might as well have been floating her way there. The registered the song, the ambiance, the way rain pelted against the windows. But that was all background. The way Maris looked in her dress, how beautiful she was … but the look on her face is what struck her the most. This was the woman who was going to be her wife.

She had that same urge to break away from her mom and sprint down the aisle to wrap herself around the other woman. And god, she wanted to kiss her so desperately. She hadn’t really put in the thought process about how hard it was going to be to see her and not immediately kiss her.

Traditions were bullshit.

If she had been paying more attention to the goings-on around them, Rory would have caught a look between Evelyn and John. So quick and imperceptible to anyone else. Just two parents who loved their children and acknowledged the huge moment that this was.

But Rory’s focus was on Maris.

When they arrived, Evelyn squeezed Rory’s hand and kissed the side of her head before letting her go to take her seat right up front. Rory felt shaky but not in the way she had before. It was slightly labored breath because her heart was beating so fast, and she wasn’t sure she had properly breathed since she saw Maris.

Feeling her hand on her bare skin felt like a different kind of warm. Her fingers touched against Maris’ waist as she nodded, feeling emotion tighten her throat. “You look gorgeous.” Rory had always known that her fiancee would pick an incredible dress, but seeing her in it was something else entirely.

But Rory turned her attention to John, well kind of. She was listening, but she wasn’t really able to tear her eyes away from Maris. There was one moment however, the one where John acknowledged Rory as his daughter. That hit her like a freight train, her eyes welling with fresh tears as she smiled at him, a quiet noise caught in her throat. At one point in time, Rory had been a bit intimidated by him. But then she grew to like him, and even love him as Maris’ father. She hadn’t really thought about it enough to realize that her fondness from him really had taken on this beautiful familial feel to it. She’d have to thank him for that, later.

His words were beautiful, they set the tone for where they were going, under the beautiful chuppah that yes they were going to be taking home in some way shape or form.

Sarah took her bouquet from her before she even really realized that they were shifting to the next part. Her heart was pounding, her throat tight, feeling like maybe she’d puke (but not really).

She took Maris’ hands and gave her a squeeze. Maris knew exactly what to say. Rory beamed a smile at the other woman as she nodded. “It is.” Of course the universe would be kind enough to them to make it rain. Of course.

Rory inhaled sharply… this was it. She had so many notes and lines actually written down… but she ultimately decided her heart was bursting with everything she was feeling. She didn’t need them. With all that planning, all those revisions and revisions of her vows … she just wanted to pour out her heart instead.

“Maris. The moment I met you, I didn’t know how exactly or what path we’d take, but I knew that you were going to be someone important to me. From that first tour of our first campus together, I had a crush on you that still hasn’t gone away. I just thank god that you like women.” She laughed softly, feeling a little more confident as the words came out.

“We don’t talk about the dark years, but I only mention them now because finding you again was like the sunrise, and because these are vows and these are promises, I promise to hold onto you and the light that you are to me forever.” Rory’s voice was shaking a little now, her emotion laid bare before everyone. “Promises are a big one, and I think you know how much I promise all the usual things. Promising to love you for the rest of my life, for an eternity, for an infinite amount of hours, minutes, seconds is not hard. That’s a given. There’s no world where I don’t love you with everything I have. You are my home. I’ve never been the kind of woman to believe that someone could complete another person, but with you, I have found someone who completes my life. You are your own person, and I love you for every bit of you. And god, I love how you love me.” That sentence felt breathless, raw with her emotion. “You have always loved me so completely, I don’t know that I thought that was possible before you. I never have to be anything but exactly myself when I’m with you. For all my nerdy, exuberant ways.”

Rory paused to take a breath, her hands squeezing Maris’ hands again, clutching onto her as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I promise to laugh with you every day. I promise to get into ridiculous debates and long conversations over good and bad tv, and literature, and films. I promise to cook with you in our kitchen and make sure we dance throughout our days. I promise you that every night I will kiss you before we sleep, and every morning I will wake up smiling because you are beside me, my wife.” Saying it now made her laugh through her tears, because of course it did.

“I love you. I will love you for the rest of time. You are my best friend, my home, and in another few minutes, finally, my wife. Now I’ll stop before I go on so long it postpones that last part even more.”

Tears freely fell down her cheeks at this point, but she didn’t care. The only thing she wanted to do was kiss Maris, but that’d come, soon enough. She was more concerned with listening with her whole heart to Maris’ words.

Maris was fully prepared to go first, but a little slow going getting started. She had an idea of what she wanted to stay, a small index card packed full of her cramped, slightly sloppy cursive she wasn't even sure she was going to use since she had gone over her vows enough times and felt like reading off something seemed somehow...disingenuous.

Not that she would have been able to tear her eyes away from Rory anyway.

Or loosened her grip on her hands.

She was nervous about this next part. Of getting out everything she wanted to say to Rory in exactly the right way. Of the fact that people were watching and listening when it was hard for her to be this vulnerable even around the woman she was (currently) marrying but Rory jumped in first and she loved her all the more for that.

She wasn't sure she'd ever listened to anything more closely. Struck still and silent by all of it as her heart became a constant dull thud in her ears. She didn't cry, but there was an almost unbearable pressure behind Maris' eyelids that told her that the dam was about to break at any minute.

"Rory...." Her throat was tight, but there was so much packed into the way she said that one word so softly. It sounded like it was meant only for her. And it was. All of it was, but once she got started she raised her voice a little, letting it carry as confident and clear as it did across the hall all those years ago.

"Keats says..." Her lips twitched, knowing the author meant a lot to them in more ways than one. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It's loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness." She took a deep breath. "I believe that. I believe that because I love you more and more every day. I don't think... I know, really. I know I've never loved anyone before you. I will never love anyone after. I would never do this, stand here with anyone else because I tried. There was a point where I tried to forget all about you and I couldn't because Keats was right. Something as beautiful as you. As what we had and have could never pass into nothingness, even when someone as stubborn as I am tries to make it happen."

Her throat felt tighter, but she squeezed Rory's hands, continuing. "He also says, right after that beauty will still keep a bower quiet for us, and a sleep full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. And that's what I want for us, especially you. So I guess that's what I'm promising. To build our home together and to keep you..." She bit her lip, her voice cracking a little. "And whoever else comes along as safe and as happy as I possibly can. To build our own little sanctuary together and to always be by your side like I was always meant to be."

She looked at Rory for a long moment, but eventually let her gaze flicker over to her father so he could know she was done, instantly feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest now that she'd gotten it all out. She couldn't help noticing his voice was a little softer than it had been moments before.

"Repeat after me."

So she did. "I Maris, take you Rory. To be my wife. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. In good times and in bad." Her voice caught in her throat and that was when the tears came. "For..." She sniffled a little, not loudly enough for the audience to hear but she knew Rory saw it. And she didn't care. "For all the days of my life." Maris had added a little something to their vows. The last line was tiny bit of Jewish flair even though she was pretty sure her Hebrew was as shaky as ever. The sentiment was too beautiful to leave out.

"Ani l’dodi v’dodi li."

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

Once it was all out, Rory felt the weight of pressure lift off of her shoulders. She had been so worried about what to say, what the right things were, crossing out and re-writing words over and over again until she got them just so. It was pretty fitting that she left them all by the wayside to just talk from her heart.

Rory wasn’t worried for a second about what Maris would say. She was so focused on the other woman, she could barely register anything but the way their hands felt clasped together, how her heartbeat was so steady in her chest and how she imagined they might be in sync there, too.

They always were.

Her lips pressed hard together when Maris began to speak, and Rory didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled a shaky one a few seconds later. She knew that it wasn’t easy for Maris to be vulnerable, especially in front of other people. Her hands squeezed Maris’ when she thought about that.

The soft way her love said her name almost did her in, but she blinked against tears and smiled. That smile only widened to a preposterous size when Maris began with Keats. Because of course she did.

Every word, every sentiment struck deeply into Rory’s heart. Every piece of Maris’ vows were perfect. Rory knew she was going to cry all the more, and she did, but her beaming smile gave way to how she felt. There were actually no words in any language to describe how happy she was, or how much she loved this woman with every single fiber of her being. And now she’d get to call her wife. Finally.

I love you. Rory mouthed to Maris when she finished, her hands giving hers another squeeze as if it weren’t enough to convey the depth of those feelings.

The rest of the vows were beautiful, and Rory smiled softly at the sniffle Maris gave. And those Hebrew words. Those made her heart jump in her chest, before it was her turn to repeat after John.

“I Rory, take you, Maris. To be my wife. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. In good times and bad. For all the days of my life.” Rory was a little nervous to repeat the Hebrew, but John, bless him, slowed down the pronunciation for her. “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li.”

“The rings?”

Rory practically bounced at the moment this would be, a wide smile on her face as Sarah once again was right on cue (bless a theater major) and handed off the ring to Rory. She glanced down at the words now etched inside the band, her gaze raising back to Maris with a sly grin. Something that was just theirs to see.

She took Maris’ left hand, surprised that her own weren’t shaking anymore. “Maris Forrester. Take this ring as a symbol of my love. It is yours with all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will be.”

She blushed, feeling strangely shy as Rory mouthed out that she loved her, but she didn't have a chance to do the same.

Maris blinked, a jolt of panic shooting through her because despite all the trouble of sending them away and no matter how excited she was to get them back, she was so focused on Rory and their vows she'd forgotten that they were going to re-enter the picture eventually. She shot a look to Eli, but he immediately pulled Rory's out of his jacket pocket. The two shared a look that would have lasted longer if Maris wasn't so mortified that her eyes were wet.

She nodded her thanks and then her attention was entirely back to Rory.

Maris' hands were shaking, but only because she hadn't forgotten the frustration of forgetting just which finger Rory's ringer was supposed to go on when she proposed.

“Rory Berlanti. Take this ring as a symbol of my love. It is yours with all that I have, all that I am, and all that I will be.” Maris brought the ring to her lips, pressing a soft but meaningful kiss to it before slowly sliding it on to the correct finger, her smile a tiny bit victorious as she looked up at her dad expectantly.

Maris and Rory pledged their love and loyalty to each other, and have declared the same by the joining and the giving of rings, by the power vested in me, and as witnessed by friends and obviously family, I now pronounce you married. Feel free to kiss your bride."

Normally Maris wouldn't need to be told twice. There was nothing she wanted more during the ceremony or the long night that had preceded it but her heart skipped a beat as she looked over at Rory for a second knowing this was a big moment. Her breath was already gone before she leaned in and let her wife take it.

Rory had been a mess of emotions, of adrenaline, of nerves and everything in between. But through every single step of their ceremony, she never once wavered on how strongly she felt that this was exactly where she was supposed to be. This was exactly what she wanted, who she wanted - and would want for the rest of her life. She was so sure, so unwavering, it almost surprised her even if that was all she had been able to think of for weeks.

How it felt was different.

She put Maris' ring home on her finger, exhaling sharply as she studied the way it looked for an extra moment. But then all of her attention was on Maris. She took in her words, the same ones she'd just said, but how different they felt. A small sound caught at the back of her throat when Maris kissed the ring, and god did she want to kiss her already. She smiled softly, her eyes welled with fresh tears as she felt her ring finally go back on her finger.

She felt the winding up to the end, and Rory rocked forward a little, squeezing Maris' hands as she bounced on her heels with excitement. Rory was beaming the biggest smile as she reached for Maris.

Rory didn't need to be told twice. She didn't even hear the swell of music from their musicians or the applause and cheers from their loved ones as she kissed her wife, deeply. She kissed her and clung to her, only breaking away with a grin after a few seconds. "I love you." She murmured, kissing her again, quicker this time so they didn't get too carried away in front of everyone.

For once in her life, Maris exercised some restraint when kissing Rory. Even though she'd never wanted to kiss her more. She grinned into the kiss, reluctantly pulling away because as much as this moment felt theirs and theirs alone, she could still feel them being watched by everyone else and she'd never quite forgotten that her father was standing right next to them.

But it was impossible not to stay impossibly close after all of that.

Maris took Rory's hand, turning to her dad and everyone else gathered behind them.

"We're going to need a minute."

Were they supposed to head back down the aisle now or...take pictures or... she couldn't remember.

Or bring herself to care. She took Rory's hand and lead her down the short hallway into one of the rooms they'd gotten ready in, kissing her harder than she had in front of everyone else once the door was closed.

She reached up, wiping a few lingering tears off Rory's cheek, her eyes swelling up with a few of her own.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly, her voice soft as she took a step back. "I just...wanted to look at you. Without everyone else..."

So she did, in almost awe of just how beautiful she was. Of everything that had just happened. Of everything they'd said and the fact that Rory was her wife and she was hers. Her head was spinning with all of it. And that was when Maris started to cry in earnest, a moment only Rory was allowed to see.

If there was any moment in her life that she could be described as pure, unadulterated joy, it would be this one. Rory felt like she was going to burst with it, as everything sort of hit her all at once. Thank god for Maris and her thinking on her feet to steal Rory away. She could almost feel the relief hit her as she gripped Maris' hand and followed her. Truth be told, she'd follow her anywhere.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if their photographer snapped the moment of their escape, and figured they'd find out later on. But it wasn't even in her mind long enough to take hold. All Rory could think about was getting to be alone with Maris.

She didn't hesitate, almost crashing into her wife upon their kiss. Her wife. She felt like she was positively vibrating with adrenaline and happiness as she kissed Maris, breathlessly. Her arms clung to the other woman, keeping her close even as they broke apart for air.

"Perfect plan." Was all she managed to say, her words catching in her throat a little with her emotion. She brushed her fingertips over Maris' cheeks, just as she began to cry. It made Rory start all over again, as her hands cupped Maris' face and she kissed her cheeks, and her forehead. "I love you," She felt like saying anything else paled in comparison. Even those three words didn't feel as sufficient as they always did.

Her arms wrapped around Maris, pulling her in close as she tasted Maris' tears on her lips, and kissed her again, quicker, but no less passionate. "You're my wife."

Crying in front of anyone, even her wife, had Maris feeling like she wanted to crawl under the floorboards, but when she saw it brought about a fresh wave of emotion in Rory too, she softened. Her heart twisted at the sight even though she knew they were happy tears. The tenderness the other woman showed her only made her cry more as she wondered how she had gotten so lucky.

Because Rory was hers. And she belonged to her so completely.

Holding it in for most of the ceremony (most of the day really) meant Maris wasn't about to pull herself together as quickly as she normally would have. But she let the tears come as they kissed over and over again, Maris more certain than she'd ever been that she wouldn't be able to stop.

Even though they could hardly stay in here forever. They weren't even supposed to be here in the first place.

But when had they, especially Maris, ever done what they were told?

She let out a slightly bitter laugh at her own ridiculousness as she took in a few shaky breaths to help herself stop crying as they finally parted. Hearing Rory call her wife for the first time since it was finally official was almost enough to make her start all over again, but she reveled in the tingling sensation it gave her instead, one so intense it nearly numbed her body in the best possible way.

"And you're mine," she whispered back, pulling Rory in again to press a lingering kiss to the top of the other woman's head.

She sighed, finally having seemed to have pulled herself together after sneaking a sideways glance at a nearby mirror to confirm that her make up was surprisingly in tact.

Maris swiped at her eyes before returning to her usual confident, borderline bossy tone.

"Alright, seriously. I really do want to see you." She took both of Rory's hands, then a step back, shaking her head as she took in the sight of her once more. It didn't exactly help her mission to stop being so emotional, but it was easier the second time around.

"God, you're beautiful. I like these..." she reached up and poked the flowers sticking out of Rory's hair playfully. "I mean they're borderline hippie but they're really working for me," she teased.

This was decidedly the good kind of crying. The kind of overwhelming, overflowing feeling that she just couldn't hold in. And if her wife couldn't either, that just felt right on track.

Her wife. God, that wasn't going to get old. Everything they had been through, the heartache and pain, the uncertainty and worry were worth it for all the good that came because of it. And now they were here. As crazy as it might sound, Rory didn't think she would have changed anything. Even those dark years, even the time that broke her heart. It made her feel all the more ready, all the more certain that she would love Maris with her whole heart for the rest of her life.

Rory let out a soft laugh as she kissed Maris' cheek, seeing her cry again. She hugged her tighter, kissing wherever her lips would reach. "I am." She affirmed, feeling that same warm feeling run through her.

"Yes ma'am." Rory chuckled, stepping back but holding fast to Maris' hands as she took in her wife as well. The dress was perfect. The way it fit to her body, the rich, dark color of it.

Rory laughed, rolling her eyes at the hippie comment. "I knew you were going to say that." She continued to gaze at Maris, shaking her head a little, in total awe of her. "You look so gorgeous. The dress is perfect, your ... everything is perfect." She raised one of her hands, still tangled with Maris' and ran her thumb over the V of Maris' dress. "This is... going to be a challenge." She teased with a wink, leaning in and kissing her again. "The ceremony was perfect, too. I almost lost it ... several times."

Maris smirked. "We've been married of all of five minutes and I'm already predictable."

Married. She was still dizzy with excitement. It was impossible to wrap her head around just how happy she was and the fact that they finally were.

But the feel of Rory's fingers gliding down her chest grounded her somewhat. Goosebumps prickled up on her skin almost immediately, every hair on her body on end and every cell in her body was very awake as a soft sound escaped her lips but she knew she had to pull herself together in that aspect too.

They had a long day ahead of them and they couldn't afford to get carried away. They were on borrowed time in the room she had pulled Rory into as it was, but the look in Maris' eyes was clear.

She wanted to be touched. She wanted to touch Rory too. In fact, she was pretty sure she never wanted her more, but knew better than to start something they would have to rush through.

She wanted their first time together as wives to be... well, special. Even though she often scoffed at the idea at people who tried to make sure other first times were unattainably perfect.

At the very least she wanted to savor it so she sighed, resting their foreheads together as she rested her hand on top of the one Rory had placed on her chest. "It was. I liked your vows."

She brought their joined hands to her lips, the first kiss firm but the next few increasingly tender as she felt her eyes start to brim with tears again.

She let out a little huff, willing herself to stop with the waterworks once and for all, but focusing on Rory's hand and the fact that the ring she'd given her was back where it belonged was enough to warrant a fresh wave of emotion.

"How am I supposed to go out there and look at anything but you, huh?" she teased, her voice soft.

"I think I just know you that well." Rory countered softly, almost feeling as though she were going to blush, but it was the most obvious thing. She knew Maris better than anyone, and Maris knew her better than anyone, too.

Rory knew that it would take hours, likely weeks, even months to let it fully sink in that Maris was her wife. They were married. They were taking each others' names and everything that went along with that. Rory had been so ready to get into their wedding and into their marriage, but she didn't actually think that it would feel ... different. But it did. It felt better, like she'd somehow evolved in the last ten minutes.

Still, she was so unprepared for what that soft sound from Maris would do to her, and she bit her lower lip to stifle her own noise in reply. They spent a whole night apart, and surely they deserved a reward for making it? Well, the exchange of rings and new titles really were the reward.

"Yeah? I'm glad, I was surprised I just winged it in the end." She laughed softly, brushing her lips against the bridge of Maris' nose. "I loved yours. And you were so worried about them. They were so beautiful. Plus, you gave me Keats." She beamed, sighing softly as her thumb brushed against Maris' chin and then her lips.

Seeing Maris so affected, her emotion mirroring Rory's made her feel even more soft than usual. She loved her, god, she loved her so much.

"I was just wondering the same thing... but y'know, I think our people will forgive us if we're completely enamored with each other all day." She kissed her softly, quicker than the times before it. "Besides, I still need to dance with my wife."

"Only because I only managed to finish them like right before the rehearsal dinner," she confessed, both of them knowing she was hardly one to put things off. But her near constant fear she wouldn't be able to come up with something worthy enough for Rory and everything they'd been through had been the cause of her procrastination. She'd been even more worried about saying them in front of other people, but she'd done alright. She'd given them the emotion they (and Rory the attention she) deserved.

At least she'd managed to get behind closed doors before breaking down. Crying was still probably her least favorite thing in the world, no matter what the circumstances but she felt... less mortified than usual this time around. She could count the amount of times even Rory had seen her less than perfectly composed on one hand but... maybe something really had happened in the last few minutes.

Rory was her wife, after all. And weren't you supposed to let your wife in completely?

Maris hadn't really been kidding. As much as she appreciated their loved ones and the fact that they were spending their day with them, she didn't want to bother with anyone but Rory right now.

Dancing was a small consolation, however so she sighed and stole one last, lingering kiss. Or at least their last kiss away from prying eyes for a while.

"Alright," she said, automatically raking a hand through her hair before thinking better of messing it up and taking it away midswipe.

"Come on, let's go let them throw flowers at us."

Had the rehearsal dinner really only been last night? It felt like ages ago now, a whole different version of herself that didn't even know the kind of happiness that was waiting for her just a day later. Rory had finished a version of her vows a couple weeks before, but they were never finished. Even now, she wondered if there were pieces she'd left out, things she'd discover later that she wished she'd said. But she really wasn't going to look on today with a single regret. Everything truly was perfect, and that was all wrapped up in finally getting to call Maris her wife.

It was because of the rarity of her wife's tears that made them feel very special. Rory didn't take the depth of their moment for granted, nor would she take any second of today for granted, either. She wanted to savor every emotion, every moment, every bit of this high.

Rory had all but forgotten people were waiting on them. "Oh, right." She laughed, taking Maris' hand after she'd dropped it from her hair and pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand. "Come with me, my wife." She just couldn't help herself, nor the wide grin that came with the title.

As reluctant as Rory was to be around other people, they had a whole party they'd planned. She'd gladly stay another hour just kissing her wife. They walked back out, and Rory held fast to her hand, turning to her just before they'd have to face everyone. "You ready for this?" But as she said it, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Maris' cheek, glad for the kind of lipstick their makeup woman had given her that wasn't going to leave stains all over her wife's face.

And just like that, there were cheers from their loved ones, a blur of tears and smiles, petals tossed around them. All the while, Rory held Maris' hand tightly, not letting her go for anything.

As much as Maris liked to tease Rory when she was acting like a hippie, she had to admit there was something almost magical about having petals swirl all around them. It seemed like something out of a fairytale as silly as Maris thought they were, even though she insisted they weren't real and not what she wanted. Maris liked the feeling of being smack dab in the middle of one.

Photographs were taken. They were Maris' least favorite part of the day thus far. She didn't like being told what to do or how to hold Rory. She especially didn't like kissing her on cue like some trained monkey (no matter how much she wanted to) with their wedding party standing around but they made their way to the reception when it was over and done with, Maris grinning as the dj announced them as The Forrester-Berlantis.

Rory liked different under the dim lighting. The moment somehow seemed even more romantic than their time in the church. More intimate too, because it was easier to believe they were the only people in the room with no one else on the dance floor, even if Maris could feel them watching as she and Rory made their way to the center of it for their first dance.

She slid her arms around her waist, letting their foreheads press together for a moment as they began to sway. "So once the song's over we make a run for the door and hotwire a car to take us to the hotel. What do you say?" she teased.

The celebration really was about them. That became so much easier to face when Rory was hand in hand with her wife. Rory didn't like the attention when it was focused on her, but when it was for them, it felt right. She felt proud, not just of them, but of Maris. She felt so overwhelmed to be standing beside her, and knew that their friends and family were giving them the biggest outpouring of love they'd probably ever experience.

Photos were really no reward until later, and while it wasn't Rory's favorite part either, she did have to admit that she loved that they'd be able to see their whole blended family in photos later on.

"That's the first time I've heard it said like that." Rory leaned over and whispered against Maris' ear after they were announced, their names together. She'd seen it on paper, even said it aloud on her own, but now it was official. Now they had their marriage and names together for the rest of their lives. It made her giddy as they were greeted by their little crowd.

This giddy wave of elation would carry on throughout the night, but she settled into her wife's arms with a wide smile. "Oh I really love this plan." She winked, sliding her arms around her as the music swelled around them. She swayed with it, feeling if she were to close her eyes, it would be just like they were in their living room, dancing because the mood struck them. "They wouldn't even miss us. I bet we could just snatch a bottle of champagne and a tier of the cake on our way out."

"I'm ready when you are," Maris teased. But as much as she wanted her wife all to herself plans had been made and this moment really couldn't have been much better. The reception was only lit by faint candlelight. The rain had never quite stopped, tapering off into a faint drizzle which meant the windows sparkled when the light hit them just right.

Maris knew that their loved ones adored and supported them. They were a part of this moment and glad to be, but she had a feeling they all sensed just how in it she and Rory were. They'd been a little less involved, eager to make conversation than they had been for the better part of the morning.

Things really couldn't have been more perfect.

It was hard to focus on anything but Rory's face, the way her wife was looking at and holding her but as the dance wore on Maris actually found herself listening to the lyrics and realizing just how true they were.

She and Rory had been through a lot. A pretty extended period where they weren't by each other's sides and weathered even more when they'd found their way back.

Maris waved often waved off Rory's appreciation that she'd stuck around during the whole Jess debacle. But she had been patient. She dealt with everything even though it tore her up inside more than she'd ever told her and defended her when things (somewhat rightly) blew up in their faces.

Rory had done the same for her.

They were better together. And would never need to be apart from this moment on.

She kissed her, slow and deep like she had once they were behind closed doors, staying as close as she possibly could once they parted, their foreheads pressed together ever so slightly.

"I love you," she breathed. "I never stopped and I'm never going to." Her lips twitched. "So you better get used to a lot of dances," she murmured before giving her a little twirl.

"We can outrun them all. Especially thanks to the shoes." Rory winked, a smirk on her lips as she took in the moment. Honestly, it really did feel like a dream. A dream she wasn't ready to wake up from, ever. The fact alone that it rained when it wasn't supposed to, that they could finally hold one another as wives.

She was so overwhelmed with the day, the emotion that swirled inside of her and wanted to overwhelm her in waves. But Rory was so grateful. She was grateful for their loved ones, for the whole of their wedding coming together. More than anything however, she was grateful to have this woman in her arms. She was so glad that her whole life was wrapped up in Maris and everything they were planning together.

They had earned this. Every heartache and tear they'd shed, every uncomfortable moment or stolen kiss. In the end, they were exactly where they were supposed to be. And god, did she love this place they'd wound up.

The kiss had kind of surprised her, considering how many eyes were on them, but she didn't hesitate. Her heart thudded in her chest a little faster, her fingers grasping her wife as she kissed her breathlessly.

Rory didn't have the chance to fully respond before she was twirling out and then coming home back into Maris' embrace. "Oh you've got moves, babe. I'm a hundred percent in for a lifetime of dances with you." She brushed her fingers through her wife's hair, and kissed her again, softer this time. "I love you so much." She breathed against her lips as their song ended, the applause around the room bringing her back a little bit to the fact that there were other people around at all.

"You can outrun people in those shoes. I'm going to need a second to kick mine off," Maris joked, nodding to her heels. She had a feeling her feet were going to be throbbing by the end of the night, but nothing could bring her down at the moment.

The applause startled her, but she managed a slightly sheepish smile, remembering she owed her dad a dance too when the dj announced it was time. Her throat tightened a little, a few butterflies fluttering around her stomach because she'd never really danced with her dad before but John's smile set her at ease and eventually they had a whispered conversation.

"I don't want you to go," John said. It was something Maris had pieced together, but he had never really said it in such certain terms. "But I'm more than okay with who you're going with so I've sort of made my peace with that."

Maris bit her lip. "You can visit us anytime you want, dad."

"I know. But not for a while. You two need to settle in. Get started."

The pair danced in silence for a while before Maris felt the need to break it. "Song's not bad. Never had you pegged for a Stevie fan."

"Your mom and I used to play it when she was pregnant with you and when you were fussy."

It felt like a bit of a punch to the stomach. She had never even really thought about what music her mom listened to. The fact that she apparently liked this song about being thrilled over the birth of a daughter didn't seem possible. It honestly felt like some sort of cruel joke.

"Daddy," she started slowly because she knew once she said what she said next there was no taking it back. "One of these days we're going to have to talk about mo-." Mom. She couldn't finish the word. Because she felt like she'd never really had one. "My mother," she said finally using a word that seemed more clinical, an accurate compromise.

John looked confused, wondering, probably understandably why she was bringing her up now so Maris continued. "Rory and I want to have a baby and there are things I need to know before that happens," she whispered, inwardly bracing herself for his reaction.

She'd never brought up children before, either. And neither had he. John was hardly the sort of parent who pestered his daughter about making him a grandpa.

"Seriously?" he said a bit breathlessly.

"Well, not now," she grumbled.

Her father did look shocked and there was a flash of pure excitement on his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came, his features hardening like he'd remembered something. "We'll talk about it, Mari. Just... not today, okay?"

There was something about her dad's reaction that caused a little knot to form in the pit of her stomach. It was coupled with a slightly ominous feeling but she nodded. "No, of course not."

John managed a slightly weak smile. "Hey, do you mind if I go dance with Rory, too?"

Maris smiled, shaking her head. "No, I think she'd like that."

"Oh no babe, you just hop on my back, I'll be our getaway speed racer." Rory grinned, and pressed another quick kiss to her lips.

While she was in no rush to let go of her wife, she graciously stepped aside when John came to collect Maris for their dance. She smiled, squeezing her father-in-law's arm as she passed by to go stand by her family. She'd decided she'd dance with her mother at some point, but that they didn't need a special dance. Besides, Rory really loved having a moment to just watch Maris with her father.

Rory had never dreamed of what it would be like to have those traditional things like having her father walk her down the aisle or a dance together. It wasn't some devastating moment for her, or a real let-down not to have those things, because she didn't really know the alternative.

But watching Maris with her father made her feel a certain kind of way. Her chest felt like it was expanding as she watched them. She always treasured the moments she was let in on with the Forrester duo in particular, and felt it all the more so now that she got to call herself with that same last name. She wondered if all freshly married people felt such a way, that their whole inner circle of those she called family just got a little bigger.

She hadn't really taken her eyes off of the pair even as John broke away, her brow furrowed just a little as if something was wrong. But then he asked her to dance.

Emotion swelled in her chest, and tears pricked her eyes as she just nodded, a big grin stretching across her face as she took his hand to begin to dance. Rory couldn't help herself, she looked over at Maris, afraid she was going to burst into tears from the gesture alone.

Maris grinned, nodding to coax Rory to get out on the dance floor with her dad. She staked out a spot to watch them interact, laughing as Eli swooped in and gave her a drink.

"You're nailing this whole man of honor thing, you know that, right?"

"I know," he said smugly, sipping his beer.

The pair didn't really talk much after that. If the early days of John's relationship with Faye were any indication, Maris was slightly possessive of her father. She didn't feel that same sort of jealousy with Rory. She wanted to share her father (and the rest of her admittedly small family) with her and was pleased they seemed to get a little closer (and more comfortable with each other) with every visit.

Watching them together made her feel like they really were family now, like the ceremony they had just put themselves through really was a stepping stone to something bigger.

"I never really expected this, you know. I've heard men say they spent so much time waiting for their daughter's wedding or how they always knew they'd have to step aside and let them get married but..." He laughed, shaking his head. "Not Maris."

They both knew how independent and stubborn she could be. Not to mention how opposed she had been to the very idea of marriage only a few years earlier.

"She's always been so good at taking care of herself I've never had to worry about her." He smiled. "And now I really don't because she has you."

There was this slight swell of nerves that hit Rory as she began dancing with John, part of her worrying over not really knowing how to dance with a father figure type at all. There had been a time when she had been nervous just being around John at all, never knowing what to say, wanting to impress him. She really had calmed down over the time she'd known him, and in the weeks leading up to the wedding all the more. And then there was everything he'd said today that she felt so warmly in her heart.

It was the first time in a while she hadn't been gazing at Maris, but she didn't worry about her wife at present. She knew that her people would swoop in her her momentary absence.

"When she and I started dating, neither did I." Rory said with a little chuckle, but decided not to mention her hope had all but died in those dark years. Nobody needed to dwell on that.

But she knew that Maris didn't often think about marriage or weddings, but it felt so natural, so right. "She almost bowled me right over when she asked me. I'm so happy she changed her mind." Rory stole a glance to Maris then, smiling at her across the dimly lit room.

The rest of what John had to say had that now familiar prick of tears at the back of her eyes again. She felt short of breath, just with how heavily that hit her in the chest. "You know I will. Take care of her, I mean." She could hear the emotion in her own voice so she cleared her throat, but it really didn't do much.

"I wanted to thank you, for what you said during the ceremony. Well, really for treating me like one of your own." God, she didn't want to blubber while dancing with John, but she felt her tears well anyway. "That means more to me than I could ever express."

"You're family now," he said as if that explained everything. He paused as if to say something else, his conversation with Maris (and the revelation that she and Rory wanted to start a family of their own) still fresh in his mind, but the song ended and he somewhat sheepishly took a step back.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek just as Maris came up to them.

"Stealing my lines and my girl?" she teased.

"You picked a good one."

"I know."

John went off to find Faye and Maris turned to face Rory, shaking her head as she reached up to wipe away a few of her wife's tears. "I leave you alone for five minutes," she teased, but there was a smile on her face. Her eyes narrowed playfully. "You guys didn't talk about me, did you?"

She'd just said it, but the way that John welcomed her both in action and with those words meant the absolute world to Rory. She simply nodded however, afraid that if she spoke anymore, her voice would crack all the more and she'd just start to blubber. Ridiculous.

"Thank you." She finally said, giving his arms a squeeze as if that was a thank you by itself as well. Today was already an emotional high, and the way it felt to be fully accepted by Maris' family was the cherry on top of the most delicious sundae.

Rory was grinning as Maris returned to her, her hand blindly reaching out to clasp Maris' hand. The compliments had her blushing, but she was busy looking at Maris again.

"Oh yeah, I know all of your secrets now. Even the ones you haven't told me yet." Rory wiggled her eyebrows and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her wife's lips. "I think we're supposed to eat some dinner now. But really it's just an excuse to get to the cake."

No matter how good fresh fries were, Maris had some trouble finishing the snack Eli had fetched for her. She thought she might have more appetite once the ceremony was over and her nerves had faded away, but she was still buzzing with so much excitement there just didn't seem to be room for anything else.

She ate anyway, if only because she really liked the restaurant she and Rory picked and wasn't about to let a chance to have it go to waste.

Especially since they were leaving the states tomorrow.

She finished the old fashioned she'd been given but didn't bother asking for another. She wanted to stay as sharp as possible on such an important day.

She held Rory's hand under the table for most of it. smirking at her as she speared the last bite of chicken on her plate. "Remember, you promised to be nice on the cake front."

The fries that Eli had delivered had been a godsend for Rory, as well. Not that she had been particularly hungry and even now felt like food was going to be picked at. Sarah had been lovely with her care of packing granola bars and such, but there was nothing that really compared to hot fries, especially when it kind of felt like she'd been sharing with Maris in a way.

Rory actually didn't realize how hungry she'd been until they sat down with food in front of them, and the delicious menu they'd tasted before was on full display. Sitting at their table gave them a view of everyone around them, and again it gave Rory a glowy feeling that their families and friends were all mingling and laughing, and generally having a great time.

With their fingers twined together, Rory leaned back in her chair and finished the dregs of her second Pimms cup of the night. Maris' comment earned an aghast gasp. "I'm always nice." She said with her chin tilting upwards, a haughty tone to her voice.

But Rory was grinning the whole time, and she leaned over and kissed her wife, letting it linger longer with their guests distracted by food. "I'm always nice when it comes to you, anyway."

"No, you're always nice," Maris corrected. "And I'm the bitchy one."

But she was going to make good on her promise to Rory to behave on the cake front.

It may have been a pain to get it, but the topper looked nice, even better than she imagined on the cake it was meant for.

She wiped her palms on the skirt of her dress before grabbing hold of the knife with Rory (a silly tradition, really, sentiment aside, surely it was easier for one person to cut a cake than two, the piece definitely would have come out straighter) and cutting their slice.

She was nice, sweet even when she fed Rory her bite but the kiss was a little more than she intended with an audience. She hadn't quite forgotten how much they'd kissed at the bakery when they tasted it the first time around. She was happy then, but that giddy feeling was even worse now.

Because it was real.

With everyone seemingly distracted again by the dj announcing a group dance everyone knew, Maris nodded toward the balcony they'd been promised.

A slight drizzle was still coming down, the air damp and chilly. Maris' dress, with it's deep v and low back probably wasn't ideal for current conditions. Rory's off the shoulder probably wasn't either, but she had no doubts they'd keep each other warm.

She rested their foreheads together for a moment, fingertips brushing her wife's cheek. "I suddenly think we invited too many people," she teased. Maris kissed her wife's nose, an almost chaste gesture, especially when you considered what she whispered in her ear next.

"God, all I wanna do is get you out of here and into bed."

"Oh have we really locked in our roles now?" Rory teased with a grin, bumping her shoulder against Maris'.

In all the excitement of the day, Rory really had forgotten just how good the cake they'd picked was. After cutting the cake to the flash of their photographer and applause of their loved ones, Rory was all giggles as she thought for a second about faking-out that she'd smash the cake. Ultimately, she behaved, opting for a sugary kiss instead.

Maris wasn't the only one whose mind was running right back to that same time, how their cake seemed to be an aphrodisiac the day they'd first tasted it. The kiss they shared now made her almost moan against her wife's lips, but she'd managed to bite it back enough that it was just a little squeak of sound.

Rory felt a palpable relief hit her as they stole away, a grin on her face as she wrapped her arms around her wife. "You're right. What the hell were we thinking?" She chuckled, nuzzling her nose softly against Maris' neck. It did nothing against the goosebumps that raced across her skin, the way it felt to hear those words that sent a jolt straight through her.

"Just how much longer do we need to stay, hm?" She kissed Maris' neck in one spot, and then another. Her lips traveled softly up along her jaw line, breathing her in. "I'm more than ready to get my wife naked."

"Keep doing that and I'll pull the fire alarm," Maris murmured, hand slowly sliding up to lightly cup the back of Rory's neck because she was worried about messing up her hair.

At least before they got behind closed doors.

She wondered, very briefly, if their stolen moments were hurting more than they were helping, that maybe it would be better to just power through the wedding. The quicker they got everything else done, the quicker they could get to their hotel, but she knew she couldn't do that. It didn't seem fair to rush through their wedding. Just like it didn't seem fair to deny herself this.

Eventually they managed to situate themselves on a bench. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world with its hard wooden back and thin cushion underneath them but the balcony gave them a perfect view of the gardens, every flower sparkling with a raindrop or two.

Maris didn't realize it, but the photographer managed to snag a picture of them sitting together and looking out at it. It was only their backs, their faces were turned toward the view but it was a gorgeous shot and one she would be sure to frame in a month's time.

But even the flowers couldn't steal her attention for long. Maybe she sensed when the photographer had gone, but Maris was kissing Rory again a moment later, pressed against her in a way she really hadn't been yet.

The bench may not have been the green couch but they did have a thing for narrow seats.

"Mine," she gasped between kisses, because air didn't really seem like a priority. She tilted Rory's chin up with her thumb. "God, I know we always say it but you are, Rory..."

"I might just have to risk that." Rory chuckled against Maris' neck, humming a soft sound into her skin. Everything she did seemed to radiate the joy inside of her.

But it was growing increasingly difficult not to have her wife all to herself.

That being said, Rory did love every single moment of their wedding. They'd planned it so well, and everything else that they hadn't planned just fit really well. She should have known that the omen of rain was a good one for them, and it had been exactly that.

Sitting on the bench with Maris, she kept their hands clasped together, sitting close to her. The night with the leftovers from rain felt magical, extra twinkly for a show for just them. She marveled at it for all of a few seconds, enough for a moment to be captured without them knowing it. But it was only a moment really, because kissing her wife was so much more important.

She kissed her without reservation, and really no rush or attempt to keep it from getting too heated.

"I am." She replied, her own voice breathless, a shiver that had nothing to do with the night air racing up her spine. Gazing into her wife's eyes, she felt that all-too-ready swell of emotion. "I'm yours. I'm your wife." She let out a little burst of laughter at saying it again, overflowing with it. "You're really stuck with me now, babe." She draped one arm over her shoulders, dragging her fingers up the back of her wife's neck and into her hair. "And you're mine. Always."

"Good," she said softly, resting their foreheads together for a moment. Maris looked like she wanted to say more, but was startled when her father appeared on the balcony to tell them a few more things needed to be done.

For all her insistence that she wanted a hora (although part of her thought the dj wouldn't follow through) at her wedding, Maris pretty much immediately regretted her decision the moment her chair was hoisted up in the air, visions of her hurtling face first into the floor running through her mind, but after a few tense moments, Maris found herself enjoying it like some sort of very shoddy amusement park ride. She was still giggly once they were back on solid ground again, snickering ever so slightly when the dj announced it was time for the bouquet toss.

Since they had plans for their flowers, Maris had made sure to ask the florist for a small bouquet to literally throw away and nodded for Rory to do the honors since she wasn't sure how they'd both do it at the same time.

Their moment might have been fleeting, but it would be one of the brightest moments in Rory's memory of the day. Stealing even just moments alone with her wife was something that she took as precious on the day, all things considered. The idea that no one would be looking from them was foolish, but she loved every second they had alone on this balcony together.

In the hustle of everything else throughout the day, Rory had forgotten about the hora. Still, she was a mess of laughter and some anxiety that she'd go careening into the crowd as soon as they were up in the air. Rory was breathless from laughing and the whole thrill of it once she stood back on the floor, reaching out for Maris as soon as she was within reach.

Rory held fast to her hand as she took the bouquet in her other, glancing back to the small crowd who were waiting to catch it. "Anywhere I should aim? Or do we just let it turn into an all-out brawl?" She whispered to Maris with a little laugh, before just deciding fuck it and launching it over her shoulder, turning around to see who'd catch it.

It was a pretty small crowd of single women and as Maris waited for Rory to throw her flowers, she realized she'd never have to be down there in the fray again. Not that she ever really wanted to be. She literally had to be dragged into the crowd to try and catch the bouquet at the last wedding she'd been to, but... it was a nice feeling. She knew getting married was hardly an achievement but she did sort of feel like she (and Rory) had entered some sort of club they weren't necessarily in before.

"Oh good," Maris said, smiling and giving Ramona a bit of applause when she hoisted the flowers into the air.

"Joke's on you guys. I'm already married to Bradley Cooper." Ramona teased and Maris couldn't resist giving her aunt a hug. Now that the wedding was winding down, she was beginning to realize just how long it'd be before she saw any of these people, save Rory again.

She scanned the room for Jenna (who had skipped the bouquet carnage all together), surprised to see her and Eli deep in what looked to be civil conversation at an empty table in the far corner.

She shrugged it off, thanking whoever was in charge of small miracles before turning to Rory.

"Is it time to go soon?" she whispered.

Rory couldn't have been more delighted with who had gotten the bouquet in the end. She laughed, clapping with Maris and the rest of the crowd as the woman brandished her winnings. Rory used to hate this part of weddings, it felt weirdly competitive and besides, she hadn't been one of those desperate to marry types that she always figured were in those crowds. But today felt very different, and not just because she was the one throwing it. She might not have been trying to race just anyone to the altar (or chuppah), but she'd found her person, and they'd made their way there together.

"She can do better than Bradley Cooper." Rory said quietly to Maris, laughing as she, too, took a moment to look around the room. It had been slightly different for Rory to make such a decision to move overseas. She'd already taken that big step when she left California, knowing that her family and the people she loved were a plane ride away. Now it'd just be a longer plane ride, and maybe a little more difficult with time zones. Even still, she looked at her family, the way they loved not only her, but her wife as well. She looked to Sarah, her best friend since forever, to Paul and his husband - her sanity in those first several months in Maine. Then of course her boss Ethan, one of those dear people in her life she'd considered a mentor and confidante. The smattering of other friends and family she wouldn't see for a while. It filled her with a little touch of melancholy, but the overall feeling she had was one of gratitude. So many people loved her, loved her wife, and wished them well. She'd see them all again soon. And her grandmother, even sooner.

"I'd say so." She nodded, squeezing her hand and leaning in to kiss her wife. Rory meant for it to be a soft, even quick one, but she couldn't help but the way it lingered naturally, a soft hum of sound coming from her just moments before she pulled back. "In fact, we better get out of here soon indeed." She smiled, giving her lips a peck.

Rory paused then, her brow furrowing a little bit. "Do we ... announce that we're leaving?"

"I have no idea," Maris said, not quite sure of the etiquette or how she was going to begin to say goodbye to everyone.

She sort of already had when she left her home to stay in Maine. She'd even gotten used to the idea that it wasn't quite as much of a temporary stay as she would have liked, but she'd been somewhat comforted by the fact that her family and friends weren't too far away.

The option to visit them had always been there and it still was. But there was no denying they would be a hell of a lot further.

Maris took a breath to sort of steel herself, then gave Rory another kiss to sort of pluck up a bit more courage. "Give me a minute? We'll say our one on one goodbyes then announce we're leaving at the end?"

The idea of saying goodbyes on a day like this to people she loved so dearly felt a little bittersweet - no matter how ready she was to finally be truly alone with her wife. "Sounds like a plan." She nodded, giving her one more quick kiss before taking off.

It took her a few minutes to wrangle everyone she wanted to talk to. Dealing with her mother crying, her sister hugging her too tight and promising to facetime a lot after her honeymoon. She'd said goodnight to the kids earlier in the night before they were taken back to the hotel, and found Sarah who was currently flirting with a guest Rory wasn't related to. Each person who meant something to her got a proper goodbye, and she made sure to do a quick round of saying goodbye to Maris' people as well. Namely, she paused to thank John again for everything, and give him a hug.

As soon as she was satisfied she wasn't going to offend anyone by not saying a personal goodbye to them (classic Rory), she found Maris again and slipped her arm around her waist. "Let's get out of here." She murmured against her ear, her tone slightly more desperate than she realized she was.

Maris was ready to go, if only because she was pretty sure part of her would never be ready to say goodbye to everyone she needed to and that if she stayed much longer, the waterworks would start again. Promises to call and text were made. Hugs were exchanged, but it was an almost relief to be close to Rory again.

The driver honked as they drove away from the venue, the black vintage car they'd rented just as chic as they'd imagined.

There was no real relief now that they were in the car. She kissed Rory, a sort of congratulatory gesture because they'd gotten married (and through the reception) but she knew she couldn't give in the way she wanted to with some stranger in the driver's seat. Luckily the hotel was only a few blocks away.

Either way, they'd probably never sat closer together. The rain still hadn't let up, so she watched raindrops race each other down the car window as the hotel finally came into view.

Somewhere in all of their planning, it had seemed like such a brilliant idea to do everything at once. The wedding, the move -- specifically the honeymoon that would end with them moving into their new home. But these were huge life moments and it took a minute to actually wrap her head around them all. But Rory knew beyond any shadow of a doubt, that with Maris by her side, their life together was going to be incredible. It was a simple fact.

It felt surreal, almost like a dream as they drove away from the party and their loved ones, but Rory was so happy, the kind of happy she couldn't describe.

Rory's fingers slid through Maris', squeezing her hand as she kissed her deeply, albeit too quickly. Her thumb brushed against Maris' inner wrist, making soft patterns there as she watched the rain come down outside. It was a quiet moment, the happiness practically radiating off of her as she sat with everything that had happened today.

When they arrived at their hotel, she was practically vibrating with it all. She grinned at her wife and kissed her one more time in the car before ducking out with her. There were a few steps in the rain, oh well, but once they got inside, she was all smiles. "We made it." She declared quietly, meaning plenty more than just beyond the rain. "Now excuse me, I need to get my wife upstairs."

When they exited the car, Maris was annoyed with the rain, worried about what it would do to her hair and dress for the first time that day. Luckily the driver had pulled them right up to the front door and logic kicked in to tell her that once they got to their room they probably wouldn't stay pristine for much longer anyway.

If anything, she felt a little silly, ridiculously overdressed and made up as she stood at the front desk and waited for them to pull up their reservation.

But announcing that the Forrester-Berlanti's had arrived was a bit of a thrill, one that only added to the anticipation buzzing under her skin as they made their way down the hall to their room.

Once the door shut behind them, reality began to sink in. Seeing Rory standing there in her dress, suddenly felt very real, like the reception hadn't been some very vivid daydream.

They were married. Rory was her wife now. And she was hers. Maris suddenly felt almost nervous about the weight of the moment. She knew what was supposed to happen next. She knew she desperately wanted it to happen but this... this was big and Maris didn't just... dive in the way she normally did when she wanted Rory.

"Come here," she said softly as she reached for her, her heart pounding hard enough to make the words feel thick in her throat.

Rory hoped that she would always have this exact same feeling when she heard their names together. It thrilled her to the core, a kind of warm shiver through her whole body as they waited to get their room key. Rory smiled softly at Maris, leaning her shoulder against hers. She wanted her alone, she'd wanted it since they'd left each other the night before.

She felt uncharacteristically quiet as they made their way through the hotel, in this kind of blur of happiness that only escalated with every step they took together.

Her own swell of nerves bloomed in the pit of her stomach, that just made her feel utterly silly. Rory hadn't been nervous since their first night together, and really didn't know how to describe this feeling. Her desire for her wife thrummed in her veins with every second that passed, her heart beating faster, her skin felt alive with electricity. She didn't necessarily feel like there was pressure on her, either. They certainly knew what to do with each other.

It was perhaps more the weight of the day, how much had happened, and how much had change through the course of 24 hours. Now she gazed at her wife, entirely overwhelmed with how much she desperately loved her.

"Whatever you want, wife." Rory smiled softly at Maris, closing the space between them and sliding her arm around her wife's waist. She held her for a moment, just that - holding her in her arms, feeling her warmth against her. She leaned in and kissed Maris then, slow and deep, her lips parting as a soft sound escaped them. She'd probably overuse wife over the next days, weeks, months, but now, words pretty much failed her.

Maris felt a little jolt as their bodies, then their lips brushed. She felt silly. They'd kissed plenty throughout the course of the day. They'd managed to sneak more than a few alone, but now they really were. There was no nagging fear they'd be found or interrupted. No other sounds save the soft sound of their mouths meeting and the little sound Rory made that sent a pulse right between Maris' legs.

She wanted her. God, she had never wanted her more and she had always been insatiable when it came to Rory, but she couldn't bring herself to rush. This was the sort of moment that needed to be savored because things would never be quite the same again.

She cupped Rory's cheek as the kiss deepened her tongue slowly pushing past her lips as they slowly found themselves sitting on the bed, seeming to have moved there on autopilot. Maris didn't even pin her like she normally would have, a scramble to have control and dominance. This, kissing her over and over again was a rush all on its own. It felt like she was kissing her for the first time, discovering and reveling in how good it felt even though it didn't really feel all that different from that night at her apartment or even the night before.

It was the slightest of shifts. Once the thrill of the day wore off she'd probably manage to write it off as excitement or endorphins, but something about it just felt better. Eventually the kiss broke, Maris needed to breathe. Lips kiss swollen, she looked slightly dazed, searching her wife's eyes to sort out if she felt it too.

Rory hadn't put too much thought into how this would feel, mostly because she didn't want to add any extra pressure to this moment with her wife. But it did feel different. It felt like this moment that they had to honor and revel in, even as her heart pounded and desire flooded itself to the surface. She kissed her wife deeply, a kind of relief overwhelming her that they were finally alone, finally together, finally married.

There were times when they desperately needed each other, that it was a rush to get undressed and touch each other the way they were craving. This felt more like, oddly enough, some of their earlier days, when they were still exploring each other, finding the pace that worked for them, the kind of pleasure they could give and take with one another.

Another sound almost akin to a purr sounded as her own tongue met Maris', her grip on the other woman's waist tightening. She sat with her, kissing until she felt breathless, a kind of pounding in her chest as she let her forehead rest against Maris' for just a moment. Her fingers traveled down the side of her face, trailing down her neck and over her shoulder. After a moment she drew back just enough that her gaze could focus on her wife's face. And she felt even more breathless. "You are so beautiful." Her voice was low, a thick desire in every syllable.

She smiled then, leaning in and kissing her, albeit a little briefer than before. "I'm going to need an assist out of this dress." She said softly, almost blushing like it wasn't something they'd done thousands of times before.

Maris was nothing if not happy with how she looked on her wedding day. For all her worries that dyeing her dress black would ruin it or that it just wouldn't turn out right, the final product was even better than she imagined. Her hair and makeup were perfect, better than anything she’d ever been able to do on her own. She felt beautiful. But something about hearing Rory say it, especially now that there really wasn’t anyone else around, hit her hard.

Battling her own wave of almost shyness, she smiled, though it turned from soft to cheeky once Rory asked for help.

She remembered their playful little updates during the dress shopping process, the way they’d tease each other about how their current favorite had buttons or zippers so they’d know how to undress each other when this came.

She remembered Rory saying something about her dress having a zipper, but she wanted to be sure.

She dropped a soft, but lingering kiss on one of Rory’s bare shoulders, headbutting her playfully before whispering in her ear, “Tell me what to do.”

In the beginning, Rory had some big ideas of looking perfect on their wedding day, and what that perfect meant. She had agonized over the wedding dress, worried she wouldn't be able to narrow it down or make a decision -- until she'd found her dress. She knew the second she put it on. As their plans fell into place, she cared less and less about how perfect anything would be, because she knew their day would be perfect. If only because they would end the day married.

And here they were. Maris was perfect. Her dress was beautiful, her makeup, hair, all of it. The words she'd spoken seemed burrowed into her heart, where they would stay for the rest of her life.

She felt silly for being shy in front of her wife, but it did feel different. Different-good. Different in a way that was electrified, even more so when Maris spoke those words, her skin still buzzing from where she'd kissed her shoulder. She knew logistically Maris would figure it out, but there was something special to the way she asked to be guided.

They'd been just about every level of intimate there possibly was in the world ... and yet this felt more intimate than anything before. Her eyes danced with anticipation as she smiled, brushing her lips against her nose. "There's a button at the top, and then a zipper... I think you'll like what I have on underneath." She pinched Maris' side playfully as she said it, before she reached up into her own hair and plucked the flowers from it. "You've probably been waiting to see me out of these flowers all day, huh?"

“I like the flowers,” she assured her, her tone full of conviction, but her voice soft. Maris may have made jokes, mocking girls in ridiculously over the top, in her opinion, childish flower crowns and swear she’d never be caught dead in one, but the rules were different for Rory. She was the exception to so many, above everyone else. Maris would have been charmed by her wearing exactly the sort of flower crown she hated, but she really did like this more subtle approach.

She reached up and plucked out the last flower stem Rory had missed, sitting it on the bedside table before starting to undress her.

She found the button easily enough, but found that her fingers were shaking as she slid it open. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she wondered why. She wasn’t scared or nervous. Excitement definitely factored into the equation but the moment mostly felt heavy. Like they were about to do something they hadn’t before.

Even though she knew Rory’s body even better than she knew her own. The zipper came down smoothly and she let Rory help her make sure her dress did the same.

Maris was eager to see what was waiting for her underneath, she had her own pretty things on for Rory under her own, but she didn’t let herself look just yet. Her eyes were on Rory’s face as she reached up and let Rory’s hair down.

Watching it fall felt a bit like opening a present meant only for her and maybe that was why the moment felt so big.

There was something sacred to this and the way they were about to give themselves to each other.

Even though Maris hadn’t been with anyone since a few months before her big move to Maine, her sadness over her grandfather’s passing having completely leveled her normally high sex drive, she’d never be with anyone else again.

And neither would Rory.

Rory laughed softly at the comment about the flowers, knowing that Maris wasn't one to give her a compliment like that if she didn't mean it. Truthfully their florist really had tried to push her towards a crown once she'd showed her a picture of the dress, but ultimately Rory said absolutely not. Even if a little flora had made its way in.

She felt acutely aware of every place Maris touched, where her hands were as she plucked the button open, how her breath felt on her neck and how she felt a little chilly when her dress was undone - mostly due to the flushed nature of her skin.

Rory could so vividly remember the firs time they'd done this. Their clothes came off in a blind fury, a desperation only slightly colored with nerves and trepidation. Their want overshadowed everything else, and that really hadn't changed. Rory wanted her more than she ever had, and really she had no idea how that was even possible, but here they were.

She'd picked out lingerie that was simple and comfortable, but now standing in just that, she blushed all the more. Rory certainly wasn't used to being bashful in front of her wife.

"It's a lot of white." She teased, sliding her hands down Maris' sides and pinching the fabric. "Do I get to undress you?"

Maris’ breath caught in her throat as her eyes finally traveled downward, her teeth automatically sinking into her lower lip as she took in the sight before her.

She was wearing something very similar under her dress, her panties just as sheer. In fact, the delicate design on the front was nowhere to be found on the back, making them completely see through when Maris turned around. When she undressed they would be mirror images of each other. Well, maybe more like a yin yang since Maris’ lingerie was as dark as her dress. It seemed fitting to look like two pieces of a whole, something that brought peace and balance because they certainly belonged together but as much as she wanted Rory to see her and to be looked at the way she was looking at her, she almost automatically shook her head. “Not yet,” she said softly. “I need a minute to look at you.”

Her eyes traveled down her body once more, a lingering look that ended with a very hungry kiss that meant a bit of Maris’ shock was beginning to wear off. This was the woman Rory was used to and while she could be surprisingly tender at surprising times, she usually wasn’t.

Want throbbed through her with every beat of her heart, her hands slowly sliding down her wife’s body until they came to rest on her ass, gripping it almost possessively as her tongue slipped past her lips again. She used her hold to pull her closer, her body pressed against hers, hands slowly slipping under the lace to knead her ass with her fingers, a little more heat radiating off her than there had been moments before.

She didn’t undress her.

Her eyes were dark as she broke the kiss, but she took a moment to let her lips brush Rory’s flushed cheeks. "Beautiful," she whispered, wanting to reassure her wife but also unsure of anything else to say when she was sort of at a loss for words as to just how good Rory looked in the moment.

Her hands slid back upwards, taking Rory’s hand and guiding it down her mostly bare back to the two tiny buttons she would have to undo before she could get to her zipper.

Rory found herself completely transfixed on Maris, and the way she reacted when she finally looked at what she had on under her dress. She remembered picking it out, feeling that it was right and hugged her breasts and her hips just right, but that it was nothing even all that special, that it wouldn't be something Maris hadn't seen before.

But it certainly felt different now. She blushed, grinning as she bowed her head a little at Maris' hesitation. If Rory didn't like being the center of attention, that didn't actually translate the same when she was the center of her wife's attention. Actually, she could be happy with a lifetime of their attention revolving around each other. And later on a couple little-thems.

The kiss didn't catch Rory off guard, she was ready for it. She kissed her breathlessly, a soft whimper caught at the back of her throat as she felt her body heat rising by the second. Rory kissed her with abandon, softly dragging her tongue over Maris' lips in the moment before they parted in earnest. She was breathless, the look on her face could only be described as wanton with desire, eyes dark and lips swollen but aching for more. Just like the rest of her.

Rory couldn't think of anything to say, so she just kissed her again, but quicker this time, softer even. She kept her wife close, a smile growing across her face as Maris guided her to her dress fastens. "We're really gonna have fun when we wear these around the house." She giggled softly as she undid the first button, then the second. Rory's head bowed to kiss Maris' neck, then traveled slow, deliberate kisses over her shoulder as she dragged down the zipper. She inhaled deeply as her hands slipped inside of Maris' dress, guiding it off of her body and letting it pool around her on the floor.

Taking a half step back, it was Rory's turn to revel in the sight of her wife. "Wow," She whispered, barely audible as she took her in, want pulsing in her veins as she felt like her throat was suddenly dry but her mouth was in contrast, watering at the same time. "You look gorgeous."

Maris took a moment to soak in the compliment, nearly shivering in pleasure at the faint warmth that washed over her when she felt her gaze, but similarly lost for words, she knew there was only one way to express how she felt now. Her heart pounded just a little bit harder as they hit the bed again, her body buzzing with anticipation over what she knew would happen next.

She hadn't really noticed before, but the maids presumably told the room was a honeymoon suite for the night, sprinkled the bed with rose petals. Their scent wafted out into the room as Maris gently pressed Rory back on the bed, inadvertently crushing the flowers beneath them. It was a bit much, not a gesture Maris would have specifically asked for but not entirely unpleasant, even though the familiar scent of Rory's perfume was her favorite smell of all.

And really all she could focus on as she kissed her way down her wife's body. She didn't rush. It seemed more important than ever to make sure every inch of her was sufficiently worshiped, claimed and kiss, but there was an urgency to her kisses. She couldn't get enough, but she was pretty sure she never needed her more. After kissing the tops of her breasts, she unhooked her bra to reach what it had been hiding, letting out a barely audible gasp once her wife was laid half bare before her.

She thought about unhooking her own bra, fair was fair after all, but thought better of it once her fingers reached the clasp. "Tonight we undress each other," she murmured, slowly ducking her head to turn her attention back to her wife's breasts, tongue slowly tracing every bump and ridge of her nipple before guiding it into her mouth. Her hand smoothed its way down her stomach, fingers dipping into her panties to stroke the soft skin she found here. For now, they were inches away from her pussy and Maris moaned, the sound vibrating against Rory's skin as she guided a bit more of her breast into her mouth.

They could have really let this be a flurry of clothes and bodies crashing together, but Rory really loved that they were taking their sweet time with one another. Every moment felt like it stretched out longer, which only had her body buzzing with want all the more so.

The rose petals felt soft and cool against her skin, so much so that Rory let out a soft laugh when she noticed them. She would have said something about it, but she didn't dare speak, not when her wife was looking at her like this.

Rory usually wasn't this sensitive, either. Her whole body trembled beneath her wife, every place she kissed feeling like fire, little sparks racing through her veins. "Mar," She murmured softly, her fingers sliding up the back of her neck and into her hair. She tried to focus on her breathing, but it just shuddered more with every exhale, every kiss from her wife's lips making her ache for her all the more. She felt a mixture of relief and anticipation as her bra fell away from her body.

"I was hoping you'd feel that way." She murmured softly, though her voice pitched with a sharp whine as soon as she felt her tongue on her nipple. "Fuck," She gasped, her back arching off the bed, pushing her chest into her. She somehow focused enough to use her own hands to pluck away the fastens of Maris' bra and peel it from her body. "God," Her voice was barely above a whisper not for want of being quiet, but more a reverence that enveloped her.

Usually, Rory would grow impatient, wanting to touch and taste Maris and give as much as she got until one of them won out, but tonight she felt a peace with everything they did. She knew that they'd have hours that spanned in front of them, a proper exactly that - worship of one another. She could feel the electricity between them that seemed stronger than ever, and it made her want to give her wife everything she wanted, especially because she knew she wanted her just as much. Her hands slid against Maris' skin, humming a soft whine as her hips lifted towards her hand, her impatience rearing its head as her palms squeezed Maris' breasts, running her thumbs over her nipples.

Maris body bucked at that first bit of contact, betraying just how much she wanted to be touched. Even if she was nothing if not focused on pleasing her wife. She arched into Rory's touch, a little hum of approval slipping out of her mouth and buzzing against Rory's skin.

Her breast left her mouth with a soft pop, but she didn't leave the other one hanging. She gave it the same amount of attention she'd given the first, only this time she let her hand slowly slide upward, letting out a soft gasp at the warmth and wetness that greeted her fingertips.

Her mouth and fingers still working in tandem, she looked up at her wife in a silent sort of awe. It had been a big day. A long one, preceded by an even longer night spent apart but she wasn't sure Rory had ever been so wet before.

She was determined not to rush and she wasn't going to, but her excitement over this new development caused her to pull her panties down with a little more urgency than she had her bra. She purred contentedly as she started to stroke her in earnest, her body buzzing like she was being pleased because there was no better thrill than making her girl feel good.

Her wife, now.

It was something her brain had to remind her now and again and when the realization hit for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, an even stronger wave of emotion hit. It was coupled with an even strong urge to please her, to show her just how right she'd been to choose her and that she was never going to let the fire between them burn out.

She quickly slid down Rory's body, forgoing the feeling of her hands on her breasts for the time being, letting the taste of her slowly drip onto her tongue like honey (and moaned against her the second it did). She kissed and lapped at her pussy slowly, determined to make every inch of her feel good, her short hair tickling her wife's thighs as it moved between them.

If she were of any mind to really think objectively, Rory could probably try to pinpoint times she'd felt as sensitive, or as attuned to exactly what Maris was doing, what she might want as much as she was now. But really, who had the time for that, and she would undoubtedly come up short because this felt like they were passing through some veil into another realm altogether. Maybe that was the symbolism they'd missed in going veil-less. Rory felt like nothing else in the world existed but she and her wife, and their bodies finding exactly the kind of connection they were truly best at.

She moaned freely, her voice rough and breathless already as a noticeable shiver coursed through her. Her nipples ached hard against her wife's mouth, but everything felt secondary to the jolt of electricity that had her arching off the bed at first contact of her wife's fingers to her pussy. "Fuck," Her voice was a pathetic whine, but she couldn't even care. She was more than ready for her wife.

Rory lifted her hips to help Maris rid her of her panties, and laying bare before her had never felt so entirely perfect before. A night was too long to go without having her love to reach for. She squeezed her wife's breasts as the thought hit her, gently running her fingertips over her nipples with a pleased smile at the way they hardened to her touch.

The noise that left her when Maris moved down was some mixture of frustration to have to stop touching her, and yet the moan that mixed into her voice was all anticipation of what she knew was to come. Her stomach fluttered with excitement, her thighs parting easily to welcome her lover. "Oh fuck, Maris..." She gasped the words, biting at the heel of her own hand not to keep herself quiet, but in some attempt to quell the quake that went through her the second her wife's tongue touched her. She moaned, her fingers gripping a handful of her own hair as she watched her wife through half-lidded eyes. Pleasure shot through her, taking over the entirety of her brain as she began to rock her hips gently against her wife's mouth.

Maris sometimes saw herself above a certain kind of softness. She'd roll her eyes at people she deemed saps, trying her hardest not to exhibit the same kind of behavior for fear it made her weak or somehow pathetic but there was a certain kind of tenderness that she couldn't or didn't even try to hide around the woman beneath her.

She rolled her eyes at the term making love, but she used it. She used it more and more often with Rory and felt a little less... dorky for it each and every time.

She knew they were making love right now and she didn't feel a drop of shame. No weakness, either. She could tell Rory felt good, different and maybe even better than ever before. Because she felt it too.

She didn't have time to think about how or why it had shifted. The logical, cynical, portion of her brain didn't even to bother to worry about what that shift meant or if it would last.

She was focused on, but entirely swept away by Rory, lost in her, the fact that she was hers and no matter what happened next, no one could take that and this moment away.

Her eyes slowly travelled upward once she found a rhythm, watching, then memorizing her wife's reaction as her tongue slid up to stroke her clit. It was a slow, calculated motion, one that made the softest of sounds as her fingers, gentle but steady, slipped inside her. She gasped a little as Rory clamped around her, the sound buzzing against the most sensitive part of her before her mouth brushed it again in earnest. Then, with her eyes locked on hers, she took her clit in her mouth and slowly started to suck.

Part of what made their relationship so special was what was only shared between the two of them. Parts of themselves that were reserved solely for each other. She knew the softer, vulnerable, even emotional parts of Maris were treasured parts that Rory savored as much as she did every other part of her wife. They'd seen each other at their strongest, their weakest, flare ups in anger and crumbled into emotion. And they were still here. A battle to be together had been won and this was their reward. A lifetime together. Rory might have to look into searching for immortality because no amount of time spent with Maris would ever be enough.

Rory felt her breath catch in her chest from something that was only half to do with the pleasure coursing through her. It was just one of the moments that struck her -- she was making love with her wife. She'd have many of those moments, she knew it already.

Maris knew her better than anyone, and that translated seamlessly into how well she knew her body. Rory's hips lifted off of the mattress, a sharp whine of a sound coming from her as Maris' tongue stroked her clit. Her eyes narrowed, but she refused to let them close for longer than a blink. She didn't want to miss a second of it.

Particularly when this woman of hers fixed her gaze on her. It felt like another connection altogether, staring at her as her whole body was taken over with the pleasure Maris gave her. She let out a breathy moan as she rocked her hips just a little more into Maris as her finger slid inside of her. She could feel how sensitive she was, how unbelievably wet, how responsive she was to absolutely everything Maris gave her.

"Fuck, I love you." She spoke softly, but her words were more of a gasping moan than a deep declaration. It might have been silly to say when it was so obvious, but other words just weren't coming anyway. Her thighs trembled as Maris sucked, her fingers curling into the sheets, crushing petals in her palm as her other hand moved up to grip her own breast, massaging it as she kept her gaze locked on Maris. "Right there baby." She cooed, her teeth catching her lower lip as she rocked harder into her wife.

The world seemed to move in slow motion. Her heart was pounding hard enough to steal her breath and become a dull thud in her ears, but the sounds her wife made overshadowed it.

None hit harder than I love you. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched but she didn't stop. Her fingers worked slower, but harder, pushing deep inside Rory to coax out the kinds of sounds she loved most. Her hands gripped her thighs firmly to pull her that much closer against her mouth, easing some of the pressure on her lover's clit in favor of quick, soft audible licks that showed no signs of stopping until she trembled even harder.

Every flick of her wife's tongue sent Rory deeper into this blissful plane of existence, her whole body giving in with such abandon, she couldn't remember even the concept of time at all. The only things she was aware of were her wife and herself, and what kept them connected. God, she was the luckiest woman in the world.

Rory felt the way Maris changed after she said those words, a sharp whimper sounding from her as she bucked into the way Maris touched her. Her breathing grew more ragged, her eyes harder to keep open, her moans growing louder and more urgent. "Oh my god," She grit her teeth, her thighs widening as she began to shake from the force of her impending orgasm. The only word on her lips was Maris' name, gasping and crying out as she finally couldn't hold herself back anymore and she came with a kind of force she wasn't sure she ever had before. She really hoped these walls were enforced with the volume her cries reached.

Maris could tell something was happening to Rory. Okay, something always happened to Rory. She didn't have it in her to leave her wife unsatisfied and they'd always had a certain kind of chemistry she'd never had with anyone else. But that was just it.

She knew her.

She knew her tells. Maris knew when Rory was feeling good and now she was feeling great.

"That's it, baby," she murmured breathlessly, lifting her mouth off her clit for a moment to let her fingers do most of the work, eyes wide as she watched the moment for herself. "Ah, that's darling, let yourself go. Come for me. Come on," she coaxed, rubbing her pussy almost gently with her palm as she started flicking her tongue against her clit once more, moaning as the taste of her trickled down her chin. She kissed and licked up every drop that she hadn't managed to catch, her lips making a slow, slightly meandering climb back up Rory's body, lingering at the spots she knew would keep her shivering.

"I love you," she whispered, slowly easing her fingers out of her as she reached her neck, nuzzling it softly. Seeing her like this only made her want to go again, harder and faster next time because if she reacted like that when they were taking it slow...

But another, calmer voice in the back of Maris' mind told her to breathe and savor this moment because she wasn't sure they'd have another one quite like it.

She pressed a few soft kisses to Rory's jaw, gently combing her hair out of her face with her fingertips as she waited for her to drift back down to reality.

As ever, or maybe even more so, it was the words that Maris coaxed her with that made her feel all the more intensely enraptured by her pleasure. Every flick of Maris' tongue sent another shockwave of pleasure through her, every brush of her fingers or her palm made her whimper and moan.

Rory couldn't stop shaking as she only just began to come down from her orgasm, and all the while she just craved Maris close to her. She was breathless and panting through it, her skin flushed and beaded with sweat as she watched her lover, her wife. "I love you," She repeated, her voice almost far away thanks to the slightly hoarse quality of it now. As soon as Maris was close enough, Rory wrapped her arms tightly around her and kissed her cheek, and then her lips when she was close enough to.

"You're mine." She murmured a moment later, bumping her nose against Maris' with a wide grin. As soon as Rory's breath somewhat returned to normal, she kissed her wife, slow and deep, moaning softly as she tasted herself on her wife's tongue. It was enough to send heat through her, but Rory had plans. She was buzzing from her orgasm, barely coming down from it at all as she shifted herself against Maris and nudged her so it was her turn to slide on top of her wife, kissing down her throat as she settled herself above her.

Maris was content. Pleasing Rory pleased her Every moan and soft sigh was a little thrill. Watching her fall apart, especially with a new kind of intensity was enough to make her pussy ache, but she could wait her turn. She craved closeness as much as anything else, especially today. Watching Rory come down took on an almost reverent quality, which is why she laughed, ever so slightly surprised because being pulled out of her trance caught her off guard. It was swallowed up by her wife's kisses, a soft purr escaping her lips as their tongues met and she let herself be pressed back against the bed.

"Go slow," she cautioned. "Fuck, that looked like it felt good. You..." She let out a little huff as her lover's lips brushed exactly the right spot. "You deserve to relax."

Maris knew Rory's orgasm had been intense. The sort that left your whole body ringing for a few moments, blissfully still before you even realized what was going on. She wanted her to savor it and every moment of their wedding night.

But she would have been lying if another part of her wasn't turned on by how much she wanted her, the look in Rory's eyes making the pulse between Maris' legs just as intense as the one thudding in her chest.

"I'm so wet," she confessed, turning her head to whisper it like a secret in her lover's ear. "Fuck, I don't think I've ever been this wet before," she murmured, closing her teeth around the lobe before starting to suck.

Rory felt the kind of buzz radiating from her that just wouldn't quit. She wasn't even sure that she was capable of coming down from it in the next five, ten, twenty minutes from now. In fact, she kind of hoped she wouldn't. She wanted to make love to her wife while she was still feeling the aftershocks of her own orgasm. She wanted to please her wife, and give as good as she'd gotten. It was always a point of pride for Rory to please Maris until the both of them were utterly spent, but tonight that felt all the more charged. And she was certainly up to the task.

"I will," She assured her wife, an easy smile on her face as she spoke. "It felt incredible. I want you to feel it too." She hummed her words right back, her tongue then darting out to flick against her wife's warm skin.

Rory could feel the shiver in her muscles as she moved over her wife, her hands gliding over her skin, feeling her breath beneath her palms, or the twitch of muscles reacting to her touch. She explored with a kind of wonder, as if she hadn't already learned every inch of her wife's body hundreds of times over.

She'd relax, but not for a while yet.

"I've been aching to taste you for too long now." Rory purred right back into Maris' ear, humming a soft moan as she moved her hands lower, following the dip of her her waist and then letting her fingertips trace over the thin fabric of her panties. Rory's palm lay flat as she let it glide between Maris' thighs, moaning as she felt her warmth through the last piece of cloth separating them. It didn't take her long however, mere seconds to let her hand slip into her panties and drag her fingertips over her folds. "Oh fuck, you weren't lying." She smirked, gazing down at her wife with a wolfish smile.

Rory kissed her deeply, unhurried and yet urgent as she dragged her fingers over her wife's pussy, moaning as she brushed her thumb against her clit and rolled it in slow circles. When she broke away from the kiss, it was only in favor of moving down her wife's body, peppering open-mouthed kisses all the way down over her neck, her breasts, her stomach.

Maris' advice for Rory to slow down and relax was pretty rich considering her body was already in overdrive. She wanted more: to see how far she could push her wife and how much she could please her. She wanted to be pleased. She wanted so many things she didn't know where to begin, but part of her knew they would do everything, even things that hadn't crossed her mind yet.

Someone might have told her that it was normal, hardly surprising because that was what honeymoons were for, but she knew better.

Rory & Maris always wanted each other and never stopped until they were fully satisfied, but it was never quite enough. Which is why on rare occasions they fell into a sort of haze, completely hedonistic for hours on end, pushed well past the point where they should have been spent and sleeping.

Sometimes it lasted for whole weekends. Her wife had barely touched her, but Maris already knew they were in the middle of it now and this one would last longer than any that came before.

It was like the wedding had been some kind of magical incantation that unlocked feelings and wants she didn't know she had, an intensity that her body was nothing if not ready for.

She whimpered as she was finally touched, not a drop of shyness at how soft she was already being. She was certain she had never been so wet before, even around Rory and even though she sometimes felt shy when her arousal betrayed her and showed just how eager she was right off the bat, she rocked her hips with an almost showiness, wearing a smirk that almost said, look what you've done.

She cried out sharply at that first bit of contact on her clit, her teeth sinking down into her lower lip until it tapered of into a low purr, her hand slowly sliding up Rory's body her lips made their way down hers, her nipples aching just as much as the rest of her as her wife's lips brushed them.

Her pulse quickened as Rory went lower, a fresh wave of arousal coating her wife's fingers as her mouth brushed a particularly sensitive sot that always made her shiver. Like Rory moments before, Maris was having trouble keeping eyes open, but she wasn't about to miss a second of what this looked or felt like. She shifted in the pillows ever so slightly, getting herself comfortable so she could gaze down at the woman between her legs. It was a look that was half adoration, half want.

Rory felt it all as she took in Maris' reactions, every bit of impatience that might come from her wife was soothed (or made worse) with a kiss against her warm skin. As if she was wordlessly telling her to be patient, just a little longer.

But patience had really never been either of their strong suit, and had a tendency between the two of them to give in whenever and wherever they wanted. It didn't matter if they were trying to go slow, eventually their desire for one another would take over, like it had a life of its own.

This was their wedding night, and it stood to good reason that this would feel different, more weighted with just how important that was - and in it, how desperate they were to please each other. It was always going to be like this, but Rory felt nearly bowled over just the same.

A flash of a grin graced her features as Maris rocked into her hand, a soft sound drowning against Maris' stomach as she let her teeth graze the skin there.

"So sensitive." She almost teased, but her eyes were burning with desire, so intense she could feel how she must look. Rory's hand pulled away from her wife's pussy, but only in favor of tugging her panties down her thighs, a little impatient herself with the swiftness of the move.

Rory's gaze rose to meet Maris', and the intensity of her wife's stare nearly took her breath away. She liked it when Maris watched her, even more so now. She wasted no real time as her mouth dragged kisses down over her hip bone, pressing one to the mound above her sex, and then one to her inner thigh. She felt heady with her own desire, her mouth watering as she slid her fingers against Maris' pussy, parting her folds and delving just one finger inside of her at the same moment her tongue softly lapped against her clit. She moaned loudly at the taste of her wife, the sound of some vowels of a curse drowning into her wife's pussy. She began to slowly roll her tongue over her clit, while equally slowly pumping her fingers, now joined by a second, inside of her. She reveled in the way her wife dripped against her lips and fingers, which only made her want her all the more - if that was even remotely possible.

Maris' breath hitched, a full body shudder coursing through her as Rory finally slipped inside her. She opened her mouth to ask for more, craving the feeling of being filled but her wife added another finger before she got another sound out, her eyes fluttering shut for only a moment before she willed herself to open them again.

She was sensitive, uncharacteristically ready to beg, submit and do whatever else she needed to get more of her wife's lips, teeth, hands and tongue. She knew she didn't have to. She never needed to and definitely wouldn't on tonight of all nights, but the fact that she was willing too well, that was proof that she'd married precisely the right person at exactly the right time. Even the Maris Rory knew before had been too stubborn to show just how much she needed her.

Now that need was next to impossible to hide and there was something freeing about that, especially for a woman who had spent most of her life with certain walls firmly in place.

She sighed softly as she fell into Rory's rhythm, hips rocking and hand sliding down to stroke her wife's hair as her tongue stroked her clit. She reveled in that soft, wet sound, the only one that could be heard over her increasingly labored breathing because she couldn't think of anything too say in a moment so intense. Especially when the way she looked at her continued to say everything.

Her body automatically bucked as Rory's fingers and tongue found exactly the right rhythm in exactly the right spots.

"Good," she said breathlessly, sounding a million miles away even though she'd never felt more in the moment. "You always...feel so....so fucking good," she gasped, the moan she tried to bite back escaping her lips as a very needy whimper that caused her hips to speed up, seeking out more.

A lifetime was the kind of time that stretched out before them, assuring Rory that she could take her time both figuratively and literally. It was easier said than done as that primal urge to please her wife kicked in, making her want to lick and thrust faster, harder. But Rory paced herself as best as she could, for now. Every sound that Maris made, every reaction she garnered from her wife's body just made her want more.

For weeks leading up to their wedding, both she and Maris had "joked" about wondering if it would feel different be together after they were married. Rory in part worried that it would feel very different, but then wondered what if it didn't? Of course Rory had been so in her head -- it felt different in the best kind of way. Every flick of her tongue seemed to be something both new and familiar, every thrust of her fingers felt like a tiny revelation.

Rory moaned as Maris spoke to her, the vibration of it around Maris' clit as she began to suck on it. She thrust her fingers inside of her, curling her fingers just so and thrusting with more intent, a little faster, the wet sounds filling the room with their moans. She drew back with a gasp, filling her lungs as she kept thrusting. "I think you taste even better as my wife." She flashed a cheeky grin, dark eyes devouring the sight of her wife as Maris bucked at her hand, her thrusts becoming harder, more insistent. "That's my girl," She purred, just moments before lowering her head and sucking her clit again in earnest, moaning again to make sure the sound vibrated against her again.

Maris cried out when Rory started to suck, her body starting to shake as the most sensitive part of her got exactly the sort of attention it was craving. Her fingers slid through her wife's hair, blunt nails eventually grazing Rory's scalp in an effort to keep her exactly where she was.

She whimpered as Rory took her mouth away, even though she knew the other woman needed to come up for air. What she said next only made her want her more, but Rory was back where she belonged before she could even manage to open her mouth to ask for as much.

The sound she made when her wife got back to work was more of a sob. It was part joy, part pleasure, part relief as Maris' breathing quickened so much she could see her chest rising and falling with each rock of their bodies.

"Yes," she cried, the word spilling from her lips over and over again, each subsequent one a little shakier than the last until her body couldn't seem to take anymore. She came hard, gripping Rory like she was almost afraid of her orgasm's intensity. On some level, she was. She had never felt anything like it before.

She finally let her eyes close as she fell back into the pillows, a shaky hand automatically flying up to tangle in her own hair. "Oh fuck, Rory..." she gasped, giggling a little as she tried to get air back into her lungs.

Rory felt like a woman entirely possessed with the pleasure she was giving her wife, ready to give more, and more, until Maris couldn't stand it any longer. This was her first time making love to her wife, and she was damned sure going to make it good. Every noise that Maris made only drove that desire home in Rory's mind. She needed to earn more.

Her lips turned into a smile, but it really didn't register as she was far too occupied with lapping her tongue over her wife's clit, alternating sucking and flicking against it as she felt her wife rocking into her all the more. Every yes that hit her ears just made Rory thrust her fingers harder, the muscles in her arm aching a little, but not that she really noticed. She was too focused, too enthralled.

Feeling Maris' walls clenching around her fingers, she groaned again, sucking harder at her clit to draw out every last shudder of pleasure through her wife's orgasm. She didn't quit in the slightest, just eventually began to slow her fingers and her tongue as she moaned yet again, the taste of her wife flooding over her tongue.

"Oh my god," She drew back with a gasp, marveling at her wife, a big, dumb grin on her face as she brushed her fingertips gently over Maris' pussy, rubbing her palm against her as she pressed a kiss to her stomach, and then up between her breasts, finally lowering herself half-over her wife. She wasn't sure she had the energy to hold herself up enough to not crush Maris, so her thigh ended up in between Maris' thighs, her stomach against her hip.

Rory gazed at her wife for a long moment, her fingers sliding through her wife's hair, gently letting her short nails scrape against her scalp in a much gentler way than the way Maris had just done to her that drove her goddamn crazy. "You're my wife." She murmured softly, almost to herself, wonder etched into her voice. If it was at all possible, Rory loved her even more in this moment than she ever had before.

"No taking it back now," she teased breathlessly. Maris had made plenty of jokes about "consummating" their marriage in the weeks leading up to their wedding. She told Rory she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop and that much was true. She wanted to go again, and again and again after that, but with an orgasm as intense as the one she'd just had...she needed a minute. She needed more than a minute to get air back into her lungs and remember how her limbs worked.

The world seemed blissfully still and like they were the only two people in it. Something did feel different now that they'd made love to each other. Like they'd completed another ritual that brought them that much closer. On some level Maris did feel like she'd given something to Rory that she hadn't before and that her wife had done the same.

She brought their foreheads together, gently stroking her cheek as her breathing slowly started to level out.

It was like she couldn't get close enough. On some level, Maris always felt that way. Being with Rory, like this was always an exercise in making her feel good, whole, as one as two people could be and now she sort of did and not just physically.

Something had changed, there was a sort of peace, the knowledge that she was Rory's and Rory's was hers would always be with her, innate, like a talisman under her clothes, warm and comforting against her skin.

But what could she say? There was so much so say on today of all days, even after the vows were (somewhat mercifully) over.

I love you while very much meant and felt, really didn't even begin to cover it.

"You really do look beautiful," she said softly, her thumb slipping downward to gently trace her wife's jaw. She wanted to commit this version of Rory, the one from their wedding day when everyone else had gone home to memory, but something in her expression changed as she realized how many more she was bound to see. They were going to spend their lives together. She would see each subtle change, each new stage as they got older. One day (a day she was hoping would come a bit sooner than she'd let on) she'd watch her belly (and their baby) grow.

"God, you're everything, aren't you?" she whispered, in awe of her wife and everything that and that she meant.

Rory had always meant the world to Maris. Now she was her entire world, co-architect of the one they were going to build together.

"I wouldn't even dream of it." Rory grinned, unable to think of anything but the sincere response. As blissfully lazy as she felt, Rory wasn't nearly ready for sleep. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep much at all tonight, the day just replaying in her head. And her wife, within reach.

Her breathing was returning to normal as well, and with it came a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. Rory was in this state she was pretty sure she'd never been in before. She couldn't even describe how good this felt, how happy she was. She felt like she was bursting with it. Did everyone feel this way on their wedding night? Sucks for them if not. But Rory really wasn't concerned with anyone outside if this room.

Rory nuzzled herself a little closer to Maris, her lips brushing softly against Maris' nose. How long they lay there, just breathing each other in, she had no idea. It could have been five minutes or an hour. Rory didn't think time even really mattered anymore, anyway.

"That's just the sweat." She laughed softly, blushing a little bit at her wife's compliments. Rory knew that Maris wasn't just saying those things, either. The depth of what they felt for each other was palpable right now, maybe more so now than ever.

It wasn't lost on Rory either, that this night they'd lay beside each other, and every day they'd do the same for the rest of their lives. As gray hairs and wrinkles made themselves known over the years. Maybe it was natural that they both were thinking the same things on their wedding night. Their whole life together stretched out in front of them.

"I was just thinking that about you." She smiled softly, sliding her arms tighter around Maris and holding her against her own body. She kissed her softly, a rarity being at a loss for words. "You're mine." Rory flashed a cheeky grin, before raising her left hand to look at her own ring. "This feels different. I dunno how it just feels ... really good."

Maris followed Rory's gaze, tilting her head to study her wife's ring. "Good to see that back," she murmured, glad to have her own back on her finger now that they'd been engraved. Giving each other their grandmother's rings had been a sweet, clever fix and maybe in time she'd miss that one too, but there was just something about their engagement rings that felt more special. There was a reason why she couldn't part with them for a new wedding set.

They'd been bought with so much promise and seen them through so much already. They were even more precious now, and not just because of the secret words they'd had etched inside the band.

Maris wasn't religious. She wasn't even spiritual. She didn't believe in any sort of blessing or vibes but their rings, like so many other things that day, felt changed.

Sacred.

She brought Rory's hand slowly back down, bringing it to her lips. "Does feel different," she murmured, glad she wasn't the only one trying to muddle through what it all meant. She should have known they were on the same page, really.

She'd never felt closer to Rory.

"I can make it feel even better again," Maris said cheekily, gently laying Rory's hand back down on the bed and stealing the kind of long, slow lingering kiss that told her wife exactly what she had in mind.

Rory was glad that they'd chosen such meaningful replacement rings to wear while theirs had gone off to have the extra-special engraving put into their bands, but having it back on her finger really did feel different, and really good. This was the ring that Maris had chosen for her. She could so vividly remember the moment that she first saw it. How perfect it was, how exquisite, and how her it felt when Maris slid it onto her finger for the first time.

Every day, their rings would just remind her of this day, of these precious moments spent with her wife. They'd be a reminder that she was married her best friend, and the person she loved most in the world.

Rory smiled softly into her lips, but melted into it as a soft sigh came from deep in her chest.

"Oh can you?" Rory replied just as cheekily as she dramatically stretched out, her arms sliding along the bed on either side of Maris, shifting her body so her hips squared off against Maris'. She felt like a cat with the kind of languid stretch she gave, and how it allowed her to slide her body on top of her wife's. "I think I'd really like that." She smiled, kissing her again, slowly parting her lips to glide her tongue over her wife's.

Maris let out a purr of pleasure as her wife's tongue brushed hers. The feeling of skin on skin was just as pleasant of a sensation, one she suddenly found herself craving more of as she slid her hands down Rory's back to rest on Rory's ass.

She gripped it with her usual level of want and possessiveness, but Rory had never felt more hers.

Soon Maris was gripping it harder, her kisses hungry as she spread her legs underneath her, a silent indication as to how she wanted to be pleased.

And for them to please each other.

The mood had shifted again and while there was still a certain level of awe, a newness lingering in the air, Maris mostly wanted to do what they did best, to push and how far they could push each other.

She relaxed a bit more into the pillows, eagerly shifting so she could insistently pull Rory between her legs, each kiss becoming a plea for her to hurry up because she already knew how good it was going to feel.

If they could get away with it, Rory would love to never wear clothes again with her wife. It felt too good to only rely on each others' body heat to keep warm, and the easy access for hands and mouths to roam were unmatched.

But for now, Rory was just going to savor every single second of lavished attention on her wife.

Her own soft hum of arousal drowned against Maris' as the other woman gripped her ass. She sighed, shifting herself until her body came to rest directly atop her wife. She felt immediately hot all over, a kind of thrill for this position running through her. She kissed Maris deeply, parting only for quick breaths before her tongue found its partner in Maris'.

Rory gripped Maris' thigh, perhaps a little more insistent than she meant to, and broke away just enough from their kissing to take in her wife, the love and awe that this woman was hers still felt surreal. But it was the insistent, impatient way Maris was to her that made her actually move.

Her fingers dug into Maris' thigh as she spread her own, sitting up a little bit and bracing herself while sliding her hands up to squeeze Maris' breasts. She flashed a cheeky grin, concentrating on where their bodies would connect as she lowered herself to begin to grind her pussy against her wife's.

When Rory gripped her breasts, Maris let out a low groan that turned into a high pitched whine as the bodies rocked together. Her own grip on her wife tightened, her fingers digging into Rory's ass to keep her in place as a shiver coursed through her.

There had been a time where this position would have come with a hastily whispered, I can't. A slightly embarrassed reminder that it took forever for Maris to come through friction, if she even managed at all.

But Rory's patience and persistence had taught Maris that the problem hadn't been her and that as usual, the woman above her was the exception to so many rules, able to reach and please her in ways nobody else could.

Even if release still eluded her, Maris probably would have opted for exactly this on a day like today. Even when she struggled, it still felt good, which was probably the most frustrating part of all. She wanted Rory close, as close as humanly possible. She wanted to feel every inch of her wife and know she was feeling the exact same thing at exactly the same time.

She wanted every bit of this day, the happiness and newfound intensity she felt to last as long as humanly possible.

Her eyes were slightly wide because just like moments before, even those sort of beginning, fumbling moments of starting to build a rhythm felt impossibly good, right away. Goosebumps prickled and tightened along her body as she pushed against her in kind, pussy pulsing against hers like a shared heartbeat.

The tiniest bit sheepish of how breathy and frequent her moans and sighs already were, Maris started to nip and bite at Rory's lips, playful and rough the way her hips were starting to crash against hers with a hissed, "Fuck me," vibrating between them.

Whenever someone, even a friend made some off-hand comment like "scissoring isn't a thing", Rory would get this smug look on her face. It took effort and listening to your partner, but getting it right was ... fucking incredible. It hadn't even been a particular favorite of hers however, at least not until Maris. The way their bodies connected to each other was on a whole different level, so much so that Rory would joke her wife could probably make her come with a look alone.

Rory thrived off of her wife's sounds and movements, each one driving this primal urge home inside of her that made her want to give more. She sighed in a way that turned into a guttural sound, her hips jerking forward as a particularly purposeful roll of her hips sent a shiver up her spine.

She listened to Maris, picking up on her queues, ready to move, ready to give her everything, anything she wanted. Rory's fingers curled under Maris' knee, bringing her thigh up just enough to use her for leverage and angle herself slightly differently.

"Oh fuck," She growled, leaning over her wife and kissing her hard, her tongue immediately seeking out hers as her hips rocked faster, more deliberately. She whined against her wife's mouth as her pussy throbbed, her clit pulsing with pleasure in a slightly overly sensitive way. She kissed Maris again, harder and quicker this time - as her hips rocked a little harder. "I get to fuck you for the rest of my life, baby." She grinned, a cocky tone to her voice as she sat up a little straighter, leaning back as her breasts bounced with the faster rhythm. The sounds of their bodies crashing together filled the room as she moaned her wife's name, fingers digging hard into Maris' thigh as she let the primal nature of fucking her wife take hold.

"I get to fuck you for the rest of my life, baby."

In the moment, that was exactly what Maris wanted.

It was a sweet, albeit coarse sentiment. The idea that nobody else would ever have her or Rory made her feel as lucky as it did turned on. Hardly a prude when it came to sex and the type of person who prided herself on being adventurous in the bedroom, there were things she'd done with Rory she hadn't even attempted with anyone else.

She'd never quite let anyone take her the way she did, Rory. Control was the last thing on her mind as watched her wife move above her. The sight of her tits bouncing as she worked against her made her moan almost as much as the friction they were building. She watched with a similarly cocky expression, the idea it was something she was only able to see, that this version of her wife was hers and only hers just made everything that much more intense.

She gripped her tits with both hands, giving them a rough twist as she started pushing up against her more insistently. Her cries were high pitched, breathy, tampering off into whimpers as her body began to shake.

Soon she could barely finish Rory's name as each little buck started to taper off into a scream, her body craving more and more and more until she felt a rush of warmth between her legs, letting out a little sob of pleasure as she felt herself coming against her wife's pussy, knowing they were as close and in sync as they could possibly be. Hands shaking and slightly clumsy, she roughly pulled Rory that much tighter against her, half groaning an explanation in her ear as she pressed against her that much harder. "Fuck, it's like I'm coming inside you..."

It was something that Rory knew, of course she did, but hearing Maris say those words, affirming the kind of life they were in for together made a shiver race up her spine. Rory would gladly fuck her wife every single day for the rest of their lives. God, they were lucky women.

Their wedding had been truly everything Rory could have wanted, but even if it had all gone awry, even if it had been sweltering heat and utter chaos throughout the day, Rory wouldn't have cared so long as they still got to say their I-Do's at the end of it. But it had been perfect, and each moment drove home that they were about to embark on their life as married women together. And now they just got to cement that sentiment again, and again, and again.

Her whole body felt as though she were a woman possessed, her hips moving faster, rocking back and forth with the occasional swivel of her hips to circle and grind her pussy against her wife's. She moaned louder, throwing her head back a little as she thrust her hips with purpose, the thrum of their bodies beating together.

Rory felt slightly different, that maybe she'd have time to unpack later. She felt the need to be just as dominant with her wife as Maris was with her. A kind of possessive nature came with every roll of her hips, every sigh and moan seemed to say over and over again: mine. And all too happy being possessed by Maris, too.

She moaned as Maris' hands gripped her breasts, but as she gazed down at her wife, she could see the affect she was having. And so that made her go for her all the more. She clapped a hand on Maris' ass, digging her fingers into the flesh as she leaned over her and rocked her hips harder. "Fuck, that's my girl," She purred, her pussy throbbing as her own breath became increasingly hard, sweat glistening on her skin as she felt her own orgasm building to a breaking point.

The words Maris said alone could have made Rory come, she knew that immediately. A moan dripped from her lips as she gripped Maris' hips in both of her hands, her fingers trembling as they dug into her skin, her orgasm hitting her all at once, her cries and Maris' name echoing off the hotel room walls. She came hard, Maris' sentiment ringing in her ears as she whined and whimpered, all but collapsing on top of her wife as tremors shook her body in little bursts. "Fuck you just had to say that and make me feel it too, huh?" Rory giggled breathlessly, pressing her lips in breathless kisses against Maris' chest.

"Sharing is caring," Maris muttered breathlessly, a fresh wave of goosebumps prickling up on her skin as Rory kissed her. She let out a little laugh, slightly incredulous that sex could feel this good when it had always been amazing.

It took longer for her to come down the second time around. She was tired. Two intense orgasms had taken a lot out of her, after the workout she and Rory had put in, her limbs were heavy.

But pleasantly so.

They lay there quiet, panting, not needing much in the way of words when closeness, touch and kisses seemed to suffice. Once they caught their breath, Maris realized that the rain was still going strong outside. She had temporarily forgotten there was a world outside their window.

Today was just a normal day, maybe even a bad one for some people.

For her, it was everything.

She kissed Rory tenderly, doing her best to smooth down her wife's hair with her fingertips. Her voice was soft, a little hoarse after everything that had just transpired.

"I..." Her thumb slowly slid downward to trace Rory's lower lip as she ducked her head, blushing. "Fuck, I love you and I want to say something more than that and I'm not sure how I just..." She rested their foreheads together, rubbing noses with her playfully. "Feels big, right? And so good."

Rory giggled, breathless as she peppered soft, lazy kisses against Maris' skin. She could taste the salt on her skin, the warmth of it against her lips sending a shiver down her spine.

They were amazing at this part, and they had been since that very first night they'd run in from out of the rain after a trivia session. Which still had taken Rory some time to wonder over or even realize it had been a date. Incredible sex to end the night was a dead giveaway. The memory felt strong, as she let it meander through her mind, taking shape of just how long they had made each mad with desire.

She pressed her cheek against Maris' collar bone, trying to puzzle out just how long they could stay like this. Forever, she gathered. But they had a hell of a lot of plans.

Lifting her head, she beamed a smile at her wife (her wife!), she gazed at her wife and pushed herself up enough that she could kiss her neck, and then her lips.

"It feels really big. And so fucking good." Rory affirmed with a gentle smile, taking in the bashful look from her wife, just how much she desperately loved this whole feeling. She kissed Maris again, deepening it just a moment later. "You're amazing." She murmured, smiling against her love's lips. "And I understand you completely." She nodded, brushing her nose against Maris', and sliding her hands around her body to squeeze them together even more closely. "I don't know how I got so lucky to call you my wife."

Maris didn't just wonder how they were lucky enough to find each other in the first place. She marveled at the fact that they'd found each other again and overcome so much to end up right here. It was a miracle they'd managed to forgive each other after the pain of their break up. Maris was pretty sure she'd never forget how it felt to be without Rory. Which was probably why she loved her as much and as fiercely as they did.

Exhausted as they were and with light rain as a soundtrack, Maris and Rory eventually drifted off to sleep. Their bodies used to waking up at 4 am to have each other again, they did. Though it being their honeymoon, they had each other a few more times than they normally would have with Maris coming so hard she swore she saw stars.

Part of her wondered when this post wedding high would fade. She knew they were happy, yes and that there would be a certain amount of giddiness for months yet as they settled in to married life and the fact that they were each other's wives.

But she chalked this current wave of intensity to post wedding adrenaline, something that would fade, if only a little with the dawning of a new day. Their first full one as a married couple.

She woke up in the early morning hours, sighing a little at the prospect of leaving Rory, as close, warm and naked as she was to go to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long moment once she was done.

She was somebody's wife now.

She didn't look any different, but things certainly felt that way as she padded back into the bedroom.

Rory had rolled onto her back while she was gone, her long hair spilling onto Maris' pillow as well as her own. Clearly in a deep, peaceful sleep, her breathing was slow. The sight was enough for Maris' chest to tighten as she carefully slipped back in bed. She didn't want to wake Rory, but her wife seemed to sense when she was back, instinctively shifting closer. When she did, her legs spread ever so slightly, treating Maris to a view that had her mouth watering.

She bit her lip before running a featherlight finger down her wife's chest and stomach. Rory's body responded, treating her to the tiniest jolt under her fingertips. A little hitch of breath had her wanting more so her mind was made up a moment later. Her mouth replaced her lips, a little purr buzzing against Rory's skin at they made their descent. She tasted like salt. She smelled like sweat and sex. Like Maris and well, them.

She slowly lifted one of Rory's thighs, her kisses increasingly noisy the closer they got to her pussy.

Blissful was the word that came to mind when Rory finally fell asleep in her wife's arms. Shew as more tangled with her than the sheets on the bed, their breathing falling in sync with each other. Her whole body spoke volumes when words failed her (and this, from Rory who they both knew loved to talk). She was more in love with Maris than she had been - which was hard to imagine, considering how madly in love with Maris she was and had been for years.

Rory slept hard, but the dreams that filled her mind were really good ones. Ones that were full of Maris, full of pieces of their wedding, full of things she couldn't quite grasp, but would make her smile fondly just the same.

She slept deeply, unaware of her wife's absence in those moments she was gone from their bed. She slept with an arm draped over her forehead and the other reached out in her sleep at the spot Maris had been. She might not have known when she was gone, but her body instinctively moved into Maris and her warmth as soon as she returned.

Whatever she'd been dreaming of, it was lost as consciousness slowly began to take hold of her. Still in slumber, her body gave an instinctive little jolt when Maris' finger dragged over her skin. Somewhere in her dreams she was becoming vaguely aware. Her heart was beating faster, her cheeks growing flushed, the muscles in her stomach trembling beneath her wife's lips.

"Mmm," She moaned, her voice rough with sleep as her hips lifted just a little, still sluggish and heavy. She was dreaming, and dreaming of Maris, yet when her eyes eventually fluttered open, it was her wife beteween her thighs that she was treated to. A sleepy smile curved her lips, but she couldn't quite get to the point of recognizing daylight. At least not right away. Particularly with her wife's noisy kisses and nearness arousing her more and more by the second. Her heart was beating harder by the time she fully opened her eyes to see her wife between her thighs. She moaned again, an airy sound, kind of a sigh as she reached forward and brushed her short nails over Maris' hair. "You've made me wet." She murmured softly, her pussy pulsing with want as she offered a cheeky grin.

"Morning, wife," she murmured wearing a cheeky grin of her own. Rory had made her mouth water. Her own pussy was aching with want as she, now sure the other was awake and vey responsive, let her lips brush her pussy.

Rory may have been awake, but she knew the process of waking up, especially after a long, exhausting night was a slow process. She wanted to slowly ease her wife into it and make her feel good for as long as possible. She knew better than anyone there was a kind of unique, hazy pleasure that washed over you when drowsiness and pleasure started to collide.

She loved the way Rory sounded like this, half sleeping, half waking. Her voice thick, then breathy, her filter mostly gone because when you were half asleep or being fucked you really couldn't think too hard. The combination only made things worse but there was a sort of freedom in that.

And she never wanted her love to worry about a thing.

She purred as she started to lap at Rory in earnest, leaning into her touch as she gazed up at her. The look on her face was pure adoration, but there was a hint of awe there too.

She was hers. More hers than she had ever been and she was pretty sure she'd never stop celebrating it.

Rory let out a heavy sigh that was more laugh and moan mingled together. "G'morning." She managed to get out, her words sort of slurred together in her grogginess. Rory had no real thoughts in her mind, nothing beyond the pleasure that was slowly beginning to coax her awake. Her body was so wildly responsive even before she felt fully awake. But Maris always had a way about her, and Rory certainly wasn't fighting it.

There was this delicious feeling that flooded over Rory, still in that thick space between sleep and wake when pleasure introduced to the mix made her feel like she was almost still in a dream-state. Rory had plenty of vivid dreams about her wife, but this was the reality that set her body ablaze.

"Oh fuck," She sighed, a sharp little whine at the back of her throat as her hips instinctively lifted towards Maris' mouth. There was little to no effort from Rory to think about what she was doing, or how she was reacting. Maris always had a way of taking her far out of her own head, but this was even beyond that.

The feel of Maris's tongue lapping at her pussy sent another shockwave through her, a whine caught at the back of her throat as her legs naturally fell open and her hips rocked almost lazily into her wife's mouth. Her eyes opened fully, and her breath nearly immediately caught in her chest just seeing the way her wife was looking at her. She reached her hand over to Maris, brushing her fingertips through her hair in just some attempt to touch her wife as words failed her.

Every pass of Maris' tongue sent a shock of pleasure through her, her chest rising and falling with more labored breath, her body reacting with tremors as the slow build within her continued. "fuck, you're really going all in on this perfect wife thing, huh?" She expelled her words with a sigh, laughing softly as another moan left her lips.

Maris started this. She had most of the control in the situation. She was the one pleasing her lover and had most of her wits about her, but the look on her face said she was almost as helpless as Rory was. She wasn't sure about being the perfect wife, but there was something in the way she gazed up at hers that said she would have done anything Rory wanted.

Especially to please her.

Wanting to keep a slow, steady pace that didn't startle her sleepy wife and that would hopefully send her right back into blissful drowsiness again, Maris didn't use her hands. Her licks were light, soft, but increasingly insistent and the only sound that could be heard in the room apart from Rory's. It was so early it was still a bit dark, meaning they still had hours before their twelve o' clock check out time and even more before their flight.

Maris moaned as her tongue worked against Rory's pussy like she was somehow surprised at how good she tasted, like she wasn't already sure she could spend hours between her thighs and that this wasn't one of her favorite things in the entire world.

She lifted Rory's thigh over her shoulder a bit, eyes just a little bit darker as they made sure to catch her wife's as she rapidly flicked her tongue against her clit. She even loved the wet, soft sound of her tongue against her lover, letting the moan that followed buzz against the most sensitive part of her.

She could attest and sing it from the rooftops, that there was actually no better way in the world to wake up than to have your wife between your legs. Rory would have to have her turn for that, later. Right now, all she could think about was how good Maris felt, every lick of her tongue earning a shiver or a moan from her. She felt compete and utter love in a way she wasn't sure she could describe. But luckily, she didn't really need her words.

The pace that Maris set had Rory shaking all the more, and in her still-sleepy state, she was in no real rush to pick up the pace, either. She savored every single pass of her lover's tongue, her breathing becoming increasingly ragged, her head swimming with pleasure.

A jolt shot through her as Maris moaned against her, a soft sigh that tapered off into a moan echoing her wife's. "Fuck, baby." She cursed quietly, not for lack of want for volume, but because she was so awestruck by the way her wife made love to her now.

Rory moaned as her hips shifted to lift her ass slightly off the bed, her thigh taught as she shifted with Maris to the new position. "Oh fuckmerightthere," She gasped, her words running all together as she felt a new flood of wet heat come from her, buzz from Maris' mouth sending goosebumps all over her skin. Her fingers dragged through her wife's hair again, catching her gaze as she flashed a breathless smile. The sounds of her wife's mouth on her pussy coupled with the feeling of it sending her closer and closer to a kind of nirvana.

Maris leaned into Rory's touch. She knew some of it was softness, a desire to be close but it also felt like praise for a job well done. She purred in acknowledgement of it, her own body flushing as she felt Rory's goosebumps prickle up under her fingertips.

Knowing it was her moan that caused them (and that fresh wave of wetness spilling into her mouth nothing if not welcome) she let herself do it again, her mouth gently closing around her lover's clit when she was done.

She sucked lightly, slowly like she wanted to make sure a single nerve ending wasn't left behind and Rory could enjoy the feeling for as long as she could, finally letting her fingers join the fray to just as lightly (but insistently) start to stroke the rest of her pussy. She groaned as she finally slipped inside her, marveling at how fast and Rory clamped down on her fingers.

But there still wasn't any rush, her thrusts and licks stayed steady but not rough, though the former were increasingly deep.

Morning seemed to stretch out infinitely before them, as all ideas of getting up or getting on planes completely lost from her mind. She hummed a low whine, her body shivering to the touch of her wife's mouth. Their marriage was certainly off to the races already.

Rory had to actively stop herself from clamping her thighs around her wife's head when she moaned against her clit. She was so overly sensitive already, her whole body entirely at the mercy of her wife's mouth. "Oh god, I love you." She gasped, finding it hard to find any other words whatsoever.

Her heel pressed into Maris' back as she began to rock into her mouth, her chest heaving with heavier breaths as pleasure climbed inside of her. She gasped as Maris' fingers joined, her pussy tight around her fingers as she felt her walls throb around her wife's fingers. "Oh god, Mari--" Her words tapered off into a loud moan, her hips rocking a little more insistently, wanting more, of the maddening pleasure her wife delivered her.

Rory & Maris had come up with plenty of nicknames for each other over the years. Darling, babe, honey or dearest, some were used more than others, but the whenever Rory called Maris Mari a name her only her family and Eli seemed to use, her heart clenched in her chest. It meant she had finally joined that special, sacred inner circle too.

She'd never said as much.

Her wife probably had no idea how something so small meant to her, but it caused a shift as Maris' mouth and fingers continued their work. She licked and sucked with renewed fervor, her fingers pushing that much further inside her, seeking out that little ridge that would really make her buck and moan.

For a long time, Rory really had felt that particular nickname for her then-girlfriend had been a bit of a name she wasn't really allowed to touch. Not because Maris didn't love her or anything, but because it was something her very closest used. The first time she'd said it, it had just slipped out, but it still felt like something she only used at very few and far between moments. Not because she knew it was special to her wife, but because it just was one of those things that felt rare. As it was at present, the name spilled from her lips because all she could do was marvel in awe at the way her wife loved her.

A sharp cry sounded from Rory as Maris' very intensity changed. "Oh fuck." She gasped, her eyes flaring wide before settling into a half-lidded gaze on her wife. She had something cheeky to say, but it died on her lips in favor of a loud moan as soon as Maris' fingers hit that particular spot inside of her. Her wife garnered the exact reaction she was after, a shudder racing up her spine as her hips bucked and she cried out. "Right there, fuck don't stop." She gasped, clutching the sheets as she rocked into Maris' hand and mouth.

Stopping was the last thing on Maris' mind. Her fingers never really strayed from the spot that was giving Rory so much pleasure, lingering and rubbing hard every time a thrust sent her fingers deep inside her.

She never stopped licking and teasing her clit either, but the increased roughness of her thrusts was occasionally causing her mouth to slip, and her breath to come in warm, soft pants against her. She was moaning too, caught up in how good it felt to please and be inside her.

She didn't even coax her to come like she usually did. It was unnecessary. She could feel how close Rory was and there was something undeniably sexy about watching her get there unprompted.

Maris did however, somewhat roughly pull Rory's legs apart a few inches further to really reach and slightly noisily start lapping at her clit again.

Rory knew that her wife didn't need encouragement or even coaxing to please her. There was no amount of plea or direction that she could give Maris that her wife wasn't already giving her tenfold. It was insane really, that someone else could know her body so well, so intimately that she would anticipate what she wanted - or even needed - before she knew it herself.

Every lick or thrust from Maris had her body trembling more and more, almost uncontrollably as she moaned, her gasps becoming more ragged, her voice hoarse like she'd lost her voice sometime between last night and now.

That rough move from her wife earned a yelp of sound, a sort of guttural laugh coming from deep in her chest that when that heady, dizzy feeling followed right after it, she completely allowed herself to succumb to it. Her orgasm hit all at once, the kind of intensity that stole her breath and had her crying out her wife's name as stars exploded behind her eyelids. Her voice echoed her wife's name again and again, like there were no other words she knew at all. "God, I love my wife." She finally expelled from her lungs with a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Maris as the tremors still racked her body. "Good morning."

Maris didn't raise her head until she was sure she didn't waste a drop of her lover's arousal. She didn't even really move, comfortably settling between Rory's legs as she leaned up for a slow, lingering kiss that took her wife's ragged breathing into account.

"Morning," she murmured, lips still glistening with her wife's arousal even after they'd shared the taste of it. She slowly eased her fingers out of Rory. They were still slick as she traced light, lazy patterns along her thigh and gently prodded her lower lip with her tongue, letting out a low purr as Rory's lips parted to let her stroke hers.

It was soft, slow hedonistic bliss that she didn't want to end anytime soon.

Rory had to bask in the bliss that her wife had given her, there was really no other choice of the matter. She hummed a low sound, her body wracked with tremors every so often. She greedily grabbed for Maris as soon as she was close enough, her arms wrapping around her wife as her thighs hugged her hips. She kissed her breathlessly, her lungs burning for reprieve even if the rest of her didn't want it. Not when the taste of herself on her wife's lips made her just want to return the favor.

"I think you've put me in this heavenly state already, I don't even know if I'm dreaming." She giggled, nuzzling her nose against her wife's cheek, her muscles twitching beneath her wife's fingertips. Her own fingers dragged lazy designs against Maris' back, trailing down her spine and down to the dip of the small of her back, until she deftly rolled her palms over her wife's ass and gave a squeeze.

She could get so used to a life like this, the way life could be full of so much pleasure and love that went hand in hand. "Oh my god." Rory said suddenly, though her voice was still rough with sleep and laced with the pleasure-desire that only came from her wife's love. "We're married."

"Mmm, you probably are," she murmured, her soft purr dropping into a lower one as Rory gripped her ass. "You're not exactly awake, darling," she teased.

Maris nipped at her lover's lower lip, a twist on the usual pinch to check and see if person was awake, but she softened a bit at what the other woman said next.

Rory was her wife. The kiss that followed was even softer than all the ones that came before it, her hand slowly sliding up to cup, then trace her cheek. "We are," she whispered back, resting their foreheads together, her lips twitching into a smile. "And I for one am feeling pretty good about it."

"No way." Rory giggled softly, her nose brushing against Maris' as she pressed a soft, lazy kiss on her wife's lips. "Awake is so much better."

Rory's arms grew firmer with their grip around her wife's frame, pulling her a little closer to her if that was at all possible. She kissed her deeply, a soft sound caught at the back of her throat as that warm feeling settled over her.

"You really are. Like, pretty perfect, five stars." She grinned, tipping her head back so she could kiss her again. It started with a soft one, but as her lips parted, she let her tongue trace her wife's lips. That lingering taste of herself stirring something anew inside of her. She squeezed her thighs on her wife's hips, dragging her fingers back to the small of her back, her short nails raking gently over her skin.

"I think it's my turn to earn my title, hm?" Her grin flashed against Maris' lips before it was her turn to nip at her lips.