I need you

Jac stowed away the last of the contents from the suitcase and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her own bed, after what seemed like an age. It was 6 weeks since she had found herself on Elliott's doorstep, 5000 miles away from Holby. And she hadn't exactly been honest with Elliott about throwing a dart at the departure board; direct flights to Karachi from Bristol were a rarity to say the least. But it had been the right decision.

She thought back to the day she had visited the Aga Khan University hospital, which only curiosity and a lunch date with Elliott in her mind. Little had she realised it was to become a place that would help her regain control of her life; gain control of her pain. Her relative anonymity had helped. To the staff there, she was just an old friend of Elliott's, not Jac Naylor, world renowned heart surgeon; world renowned did not creep much further afield than central Europe it appeared! But that had helped. The daily visits, the physio, the mindfulness had all helped her to gain control of the pain that had been holding her back all this time. Until finally she was ready. Ready to return to Holby, to Darwin. To Fletch? That was a question that she hadn't managed to answer yet, despite Elliott's gentle but persistent encouragement.

Jack stood up, looking at her watch. It was almost 12.30, but gaining those four hours meant it felt much later. She yawned, and picked up her phone. There was one message, from Jonny. She clicked it open.

Emma really wants to see you, but you are probably knackered, so I won't bring her back until Friday. And yes, you really owe me one hell of a favour. But I hope you are feeling better now.

Another two days. Much as Jac had fiercely missed her daughter, she was grateful for some time to adjust to being home. Plus, she would need to go in and see Serena, arrange for her return to work. Or would it be Hansen's replacement that she had to see? Tate? Jac know of her vaguely through reputation, a cardiac specialist like herself, but didn't think that they had ever met. She had a good reputation though, so no doubt Darwin had been in safe hands while she had been away.

Jac yawned again, and looked down at the bed, seriously contemplating a nap, when the doorbell rang.

"Great," she murmured, glancing at her reflection in the mirror briefly before heading downstairs.

The distorted silhouette through the glass looked vaguely familiar. To her surprise, Jac found her hand trembling slightly as she reached for the door handle.

"Fletch," she said simply.

******

'What the hell am I doing here?' thought Fletch to himself a few minutes earlier, as he had nosed the car into a space outside Jac's house.

"Facing up to yourself finally!" Raf's voice answered his thoughts again.

"Yeah, but what if she calls me a numpty and tells me to get lost?" he asked aloud.

"Kiss her before she can speak?" suggested Raf.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Fletch replied. "I am not only talking to myself now, I'm bloody arguing with myself as well," he acknowledged, as he picked up his phone and opened the car door. Fletch took a deep breath. "Now or never, now or never," he muttered as he got out of the car. He closed the door gently (no point giving her too much warning, he thought) and clicked the remote key fob. "Jac, I need you, I want you," he mantra'd softly under his breath over and over as he approached the door.

He rang the doorbell and waited.

And waited.

Oh god, there was someone coming down the stairs.

Another breath. "Just tell her, just tell her," he whispered as the door handle began to move.

The door opened.

"Fletch."

Those cool, cat like eyes were looking straight at him.

******

Jac could barely breathe as his arms wrapped around her and his lips crashed into hers. She felt her arms lift up, her hands cradle the back of his head as the kiss deepened. Her legs were trembling as she pulled him backwards through the doorway, and against the wall of the hallway. She felt the roughness of his stubble against her mouth as she caressed his lower lip. Electricity shot through her body; it felt like every nerve was on fire. With a strength she didn't realise she possessed, she pulled away from him.

"What the hell.." Jac began, but she was unable to finish the sentence as Fletch pulled her towards him and connected their lips again. She moaned and pressed against him as her body took delight in betraying her innermost feelings towards him. Her hands cradled his head again, while he held her closely around the waist with one arm, his other handled tangled into her hair.

Finally he released her lips, although his arm continued to hold her close.

"I missed you," he breathed, his lips grazing against her ear. "I needed you. I want you."

Jac allowed a small smile to reach her mouth. She cupped his cheeks with her hands, bringing his gaze to meet hers. "About bloody time Fletcher!" she answered, softly, as she gently pulled him inside the house and closed the door.

The end?  The beginning...