Eye of the Beholder

Author's Notes: We're getting to the end so only another chapter or two and then it'll be time to start the next story. There may be a slight delay in getting the next story started since I at least want to finish my other stories first. At any rate, a big thank you to my reviewers: Cougar, Aymiah, Anon, Toast and blue_lioness.

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He comes barreling into his apartment like a Pamplonian bull, heedless of the marks his luggage leaves on the walls or the noise he's making. As soon as he reaches a suitable spot, his bags are unceremoniously dumped onto the floor and he spins on his heel. He pats his pocket to make sure the precious bundle is still there and then bolts out the door at speeds no normal man can do.

It's been too long since he's heard her voice and it seems to be something shy of forever since he's seen her or held her in his arms. He continues his headlong flight, barely even aware of the other people he's dashing past, but somehow managing to miss. About half way to his destination, he realizes he really should have paid attention to the weather forecast.

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“Sweetie, if you look at that phone one more time, I swear I'm going to dump it in a puddle,” he warns in a fake sugary voice and she quickly stuffs the small item safely back in her purse.

“I can't help it,” she grumbles as the downpour drums against the over sized umbrella keeping them somewhat dry. “He hasn't called.”

“I know,” he patiently replies, having endured her less than chipper mood all evening. “Why don't we think about all of the good things that have happened since he went to Australia?”

“Like what?” she huffs as they cross the street towards her apartment. “The fact that I haven't gone completely insane? Instead I'm just turning into the queen bitch of the universe. Even Mr. Steele is avoiding me at work. He's been gone for two months, Doug, and he hasn't called for almost two days. He's never gone more than a day without calling me.”

“Ok, well, let's not think about that, shall we?” he responds cheerfully, though it's a bit forced. “How about the fact that you got to spend the weekend with Serena to celebrate her birthday and you didn't get hit in the face with anything?”

“It's a pretty sad state of affairs when I have to mark an occasion by the fact that I didn't get hurt,” she retorts.

“You finally got your cast off,” he points out.

“About damn well time too,” she snarls, unconsciously opening and closing her right hand. “I was about ready to chew my own arm off with how badly it itched under that damn thing.”

“James took you to court and you won,” he continues slyly and a self satisfied smirk stretches her lips.

“Oh, that was a sight to behold,” she purrs, a grin spreading across her face at the memory. “The look on his face when he realized his powers weren't working was priceless. Too bad I couldn't bring a camera in there so I could get a picture of it to show Hank. And when the judge ruled in our favor and awarded me the full amount that I was counter suing the little creep for, I thought he was going to have an aneurysm.”

After a good chuckle, they continue to walk along silence, shoulder to shoulder, glad that the pouring rain has driven most everyone inside so the sidewalks are fairly clear. She lets out a depressed sigh and stares at the ground in front of her, trusting him to get her home.

“Come on, sweetie, don't be like that,” he says as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. “I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason why he hasn't called.”

“Like what?” she grumbles.

“Like maybe his battery died,” he starts.

“It doesn't take nearly two days to recharge a cell phone batter,” she growls.

“Maybe he's somewhere that doesn't have cell towers,” he continues. “After all, the Outback is supposed to be huge and I doubt they've put towers on Ayers Rock. Yet.”

“He's got one of those top of the line cell phones that gets reception anywhere on the planet,” she states with a huff. “The only way he wouldn't get reception is if he's on the moon or at the bottom of the ocean. Oh God, what if something horrible has happened to him? I'm only his girlfriend, they notify next of kin for things like that and I haven't even met his parents yet so they wouldn't know how to get hold of me.”

“Amanda, I'm sure he's fine,” he tries to assure her.

“What if they did something to him?” she demands, her imagination starting to run wild and it's making her panicky. “What if he found out something he wasn't supposed to and they decided to shut him up permanently?”

“I don't think they would be doing nasty things to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.,” he points out. “There would be lots of bad political juju if the Australians did anything to him.”

“What if he's found someone else?” she softly asks several seconds later.

He gives her shoulders a reassuring squeeze as he tries to come up with something that will draw her out of her funk. Then something blue catches his attention and he stops walking, forcing her to halt with him.

“Or maybe, he's been on a plane trying to get back to his lady and couldn't make the call,” he tells her.

It takes her depressed brain several moments to realize they've stopped walking and a few more to comprehend what he's just said. She looks at him and sees him grinning from ear to ear. He turns his head to gaze at something in front of them and with a frown creasing her brow, she looks too.

“Oh my God,” she gasps as her eyes go wide and her mouth drops open.

She stands there like a deer caught in the headlights and he gently pushes her forward, forcing her to move. That's all she needs to snap her out of it. The next thing he knows he's standing all alone on the sidewalk and he couldn't be happier.

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By the time he turns onto her street, he's soaked to the skin and he wonders if he should just go home instead of presenting himself in such a bedraggled state, but the need to see her is too strong. He trudges on through the quickly growing puddles with his mane plastered to his head and rain water trickling down his collar. The heavy coat he wears does little to deter the driving rain and he resists the urge to shake like a giant blue dog.

As he nears her apartment building, he wonders if he should just return home, get dried off and then return to her when he doesn't look like a drowned cat. He stops in front of the building and stares at it while the need to see her wages war with the desire not to look like he swam all the way back from Australia. He finally choses to return home when his sensitive hearing picks up a voice that is sweeter than an entire choir of angels singing.

He turns towards that delightful sound and sees her walking towards him with Doug by her side and he mentally kicks himself for forgetting it's Sunday. He doesn't wish to intrude on their weekly ritual, but his feet don't seem to want to respond to his commands. He can't tear his eyes away from her and even if Magneto and his Brotherhood suddenly appeared next to him, he wouldn't notice.

He can see the two of them are talking, but her head is down and she seems only interested in staring at the sidewalk. He silently begs her to look up, to see him, but instead it's Doug who spots him first. Doug smiles and then looks down to say something to her while Hank stands there, transfixed by just seeing her again even if it is just the top of her head.

Hank barely notices that they've stopped walking or Doug looking back at him, but he watches intently as she looks first at her friend and then her face turns towards him. There's a heart stopping moment while she just stares at him and he silently curses the weather for making him appear before her in such a messy state. A second later she's running towards him and he couldn't care less what the weather is doing.

She leaps into his waiting arms and he lifts her off of the ground while her arms wrap around his neck. Before he can even greet her, her lips are on his and at that moment the rest of the world simply drops away. He's so lost in the feeling of holding and kissing her again, he doesn't even notice when the rain stops pelting him, even though he can still hear it. When they finally come up for air, he finally notices that he's not getting any wetter and he sees Doug standing right next to them holding his over sized umbrella over the three of them.

“You came back,” she whispers as she presses her face against his neck, barely even noticing that it's sopping wet. “You're home...You came back to me.”

“I could do little else,” he softly tells her, holding her as tightly as he dares. “You hold my heart so that I must return to you and I would have it no other way, my love.”

She holds him even tighter and he kisses her wet hair, barely noticing that it's almost as wet as he is.

“You know, you two should get inside before you catch your death colds,” Doug suggests after he's been standing there for some time, a smile firmly planted on his face. “As much as I love seeing the two of you together again, I'm starting to freeze my little tush off.”

“Oh dear, I'm afraid I've intruded on your Sunday evening, I should go,” Hank replies remorsefully, though his arms don't seem to want to let go of their fine catch.

“I'll take a rain check,” Doug responds and gives a little giggle at his joke.

“But...,” Hank tries to protest.

“No 'buts',” Doug interrupts as he reaches out and starts to gently guide the two lovers towards the door. “You're what she needs right now; not me, not some movie and not even one of her delightful sundaes. Now get inside and go get a proper welcome home. Though I do recommend getting dried off first. Drying the bedding out is such a pain.”

“Doug, I...,” Hank attempts to start again.

“Not another word,” Doug states, holding up a hand in a 'stop' motion. “She's been cranky and miserable since you left and I fully expect you to put a smile back on her face so big that no one will doubt what she's been up to.”

Hank can feel his cheeks heating up and with another little giggle, Doug leaves the two of them standing in front of the door to her apartment building. He's half tempted to go after the man and thank him, but the warm body pressed against him is enough to distract him. With a quiet chuckle, he realizes he's still holding her with her feet a couple of inches off of the ground.

“Come, love, it's time to walk,” he softly tells her as he loosens his hold, but she just tightens hers. “Amanda, please let go.”

“No,” she nearly sobs. “If I do, I'll just wake up and find out that this has all been a dream again. I can't take that any more.”

He doesn't ask for clarification since he's been having similar dreams himself and he can understand the frustration. Without another word, he shifts his hold on her so that he's holding her with only one arm and then manages to get the other arm under her knees. Once he has her in the bridal hold, he heads for the door and gives the doorman a grateful smile when the older gentleman opens the door for them.

Once they're inside, he turns most of his attention to the woman in his arms, only sparing enough brain power to get them up to her apartment. He's glad that the button for her floor in the elevator is very easy for him to find or he might have to stop whispering his words of love to her to locate the thing. He's not entirely sure how they get past her locked front door, but he's pretty sure it involved some fumbling of the keys before they could get that portal open.

As soon as the door is closed and locked, he sets her back on her feet and presses her against that sizable slab of metal. His lips are on hers and their fingers are fumbling to remove their outer vestments. Her coat at least manages to get hung up on one of the pegs next to the door, but his ends up on the floor in a sodden mess and he couldn't care less about it.

He can feel her pulling his shirt loose from his pants while he tries to unbutton her blouse and silently he curses the manufacturer for making the buttons so small. His lips nibble their way across her jaw to her ear and neck and he can hear her whimpering as her hands start grappling with his belt. The last couple buttons finally give way to his fingers just as his pants and boxers are pushed off of his hips and he can feel any hope of taking it slowly slipping away.

“Hank,” she moans as his hands start to explore her warm skin and her hands sink into his wet mane.

With a bit of difficulty, he manages to kick his shoes and pants off while his lips start to explore all of that lovely skin before him. She writhes around, but he has a very firm hold on her as he slowly sinks down to his knees. His hands slide up her back to find the clasp to her bra and soon those luscious globes of flesh are free for him to caress and kiss.

“Oh God, Hank,” she whines as grabs hands full of his shirt, not really caring that she's getting fur in the process.

He slowly peels her wet jeans down her legs while his mouth, teeth and tongue drive her insane with need and he's only doing marginally better than she is. He gently nips and nibbles her belly just above her panties as he works on removing her shoes and pants and all she can do is cling to him and whimper and moan while her whole body starts to tingle. Being this close to her, smelling her, feeling her, tasting her, hearing her, is quickly turning his brain to mush and he gladly gives up his ability to think clearly to just enjoy her filling his senses.

He finally gets one of her legs free of a shoe and a pant leg when Beast strikes after being dormant for the past two months, catching Hank completely by surprise. Her panties are torn from her body just before she's lifted up into his arms, pushed against the door and his very hard length is slammed up into her incredibly wet heat. All she can do is hold onto him as best she can while he starts to pound into her like the wild animal he's become.

It's easy enough to encircle his neck with her arms, but one of her legs still has a shoe and a pair of wet jeans hanging off of the foot making it hard to keep the leg up. Just as it starts to slip, he grabs it and holds it in place, never slowing his frantic movements while he does. She leans her head against his, whimpering and moaning with pleasure as he continues to fill her completely.

She doesn't care that he's squishing her against the cold, hard door or the fact that his grip on her legs will probably leave marks or that he's dripping wet. All she cares about is that he's come back to her and that he still wants her. She lets the feelings sweep her away as she freely gives herself to him and does her best to give him what he needs.

The intensity of this coupling is more powerful than ever before, but what little part of her brain is still working rationally just puts it down to them being apart for so long. She grip tightens as she feels the familiar ball of fire building up in her belly and her cries hit a fevered pitch. A moment later she's nearly screaming her release and only his roar drowns her out as he finds his own completion.

After standing there for a few moments, he staggers back a few steps and then nearly falls to his knees, never relinquishing his hold on her. She wraps her arms around his head, knowing what's going to happen next and not caring one bit that his fur is still sopping wet and soaking into her blouse and bra. A second later he takes a deep breath and his entire body shudders as Hank gets back control of his body.

“Amanda,” he moans in anguish.

“You know what one of the great things about having you as a lover is?” she softly asks as she presses her face into his wet mane.

“What?” he groans, silently berating himself for letting Beast get control again.

“I get two lovers for the price of one,” she tells him and he pulls back enough to scowl at her, but she doesn't shy away from him. “I love the way you make love to me. You always make sure that I'm completely satisfied before you finish and you're always so gentle. But there's something about the way Beast takes me that satisfies some deep dark desires that I never even knew I had until he came along. Don't beat yourself up over not being able to control him all of the time. Underneath all of that fur, you're still just a man and nobody's perfect.”

He continues to stare at her, but she returns his gaze measure for measure and after several seconds he drops his head onto her shoulder with a sigh.

“How did I get so lucky to have you come into my life?” he quietly questions and she softly kisses his neck.

“I think I'm the lucky one,” she whispers as she tries to suppress a shiver.

“Come, we should get dried off,” he says as he lifts her off of his lap and sets her on her feet. “It is good to see you again.”

“Give me a minute and you can see all of me,” she teases with a suggestive leer as she starts to strip her wet clothes off.

He chuckles as he reaches for his now flaccid member and his heart nearly stops dead in his chest.

“Oh my stars and garters, no,” he gasps.

Cubs, Beast states smugly.

“What's the matter?” she inquires as she struggles to get her remaining shoe off.

“Amanda, I love you,” he states forcefully as he leaps to his feet.

“I love you, too,” she replies, startled as he takes her face in his hands.

“I want you to know I will be the best husband and father that I can possibly be,” he claims firmly and then kisses her soundly.

“Oookay,” she stammers when he lets her up for air. “What brought this on?”

“You'll want for nothing, I promise you,” he tells her as he quickly goes over to his coat and picks up off of the floor. “You can stay home and be a house wife and a stay at home mom or you can continue to work if you like. You can even start your own firm if you want. I know you worked hard for what you've got, so I don't want you to feel pressured to do one thing or the other. We can hire a nanny and a maid if need be.”

“Hank, what's going on?” she asks, getting a bit freaked out by his behavior.

“My apartment is bigger, so you should probably move in with me,” he continues as if he didn't hear her. “I'll convert my work room into a nursery or better yet, we'll buy a house out in the country and I can have my work room and the baby can have his or her own room.”

“HANK!” she yells, on the verge of flipping out. “What the Hell is going on? What baby?”

“Well, granted you don't smell like you're ovulating right now, but since it's been two months since the last time I was around you when you ovulated, you should be going into your cycle soon or maybe it's just past,” he explains quickly as he rummages through the pockets of his coat. “While I can't guarantee that you will get pregnant, there's probably a good chance of it still. Not to be boastful, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if my sperm were stronger and faster than your average semen.”

“Why do you think I'm going to get pregnant?” she questions as she grabs his coat and forces him to look at her.

“Haven't you been listening to me?” he nearly demands.

“I've been listening, but you haven't been making a whole lot of sense,” she answers. “Now please answer my question. Why do you think I'm going to get pregnant?”

“We've just had unprotected intercourse!” he almost yells, mentally berating himself once again for letting the Beast get control.

“I thought I told you that I went and saw my OB/GYN shortly after you left,” she says in confusion.

“Yes, I believe you mentioned something about that,” he mumbles, clearly embarrassed.

“Are you blushing?” she asks, trying hard not to snicker. “You're a doctor for Heaven's sake.”

“Yes, well, it's one thing if a woman you don't know goes in to the gynecologist, but when it's the woman you love having another man poking around down there is rather upsetting,” he mutters while she pulls his coat out of his hands and then hangs it up.

“First of all, my doctor is a woman,” she states as she takes his hands in hers. “Secondly, I went to see her for more than just my PAP smear.”

Before he can ask her for clarification, she takes on of his hands and places it on her backside. He immediately can feel a strange little anomaly there and he turns her slightly to see it better. The small square patch is almost the same color as her skin and is only a few inches across.

“I know that's not a nicotine patch,” he says carefully, looking back up at her face.

“It's a birth control patch,” she tells him with a smile. “I changed it this morning, so...”

“It's very unlikely that you're going to get pregnant,” he finishes with a sighs with relief.

NO! Beast shrieks angrily. WANT CUBS!

“Beast isn't too happy though,” he chuckles.

“Beast is just going to have to learn to deal with it,” she retorts. “I don't want to rush into a marriage because we were careless and I'd rather plan any kids that I might have, if it's all the same to you.”

“You won't get any arguments from me,” he purrs as he pulls her into his arms and then kisses her lovingly.

“What are you planning, Ambassador?” she questions, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I am planning on getting dried off,” he answers just before kissing the tip of her nose. “And when when I'm no longer a threat to the bedding, I'm going to make love to you so thoroughly, you won't be able to walk straight tomorrow.”

“My hair dryer is under the sink,” she tells him breathlessly.

He gives her another mind searing kiss and then leans her against the wall before heading off to the bathroom. She stands there for at least a minute catching her breath and it's not until she hears her dryer going that she looks up at the ceiling.

“Thank you, God,” she says in all sincerity before going off to pick up the wet clothes off of the floor.