Things were just coming back into focus as they lay together recovering from their incredibly intense lovemaking.  His breathing was mostly getting back to normal and he was enjoying caressing her glistening body with his lazily drifting  hand.  He was quite taken with her lovely curves, valleys and rounded bits.<br/><br/>They had been talking quietly when suddenly Irene sat up with a horrified expression on her face and then she’d run across the room to the dresser.  He’d sat up too . . . on the verge of a panic considering that he’d just asked her to marry him for real.  Her scream as she frantically pulled open one of the drawers and examined a small bottle had his heart racing.<br/><br/>“OH GOD Irene . . . what’s wrong.  Jesus woman . . . my heart’s nearly burst.”<br/><br/>He listened as they both seemed to working equally hard at calming themselves.  It was taking him longer than he liked to sort through what she was telling him.  He slowly only had his thoughts together enough to respond to the part that made sense to him.<br/><br/>“You’re sure we’re married honey?  We don’t need a justice of the peace or a preacher?  Hmm.  I’d always thought that that was part of the deal . . . which is why I asked Hardy for an open-ended one.  Maybe that explains his peculiar expression.  We had better read it Irene . . . to be sure.”<br/><br/>He moved over to the edge of the bed and patted the bed next to him as an invitation to sit beside him as she came back toward him.<br/><br/>“I’m not sure I understand Darlin’ . . . you need to spell it out for me . . . what’s got you upset?’<br/><br/>He put his hand on hers as she turned to face him.  Irene was a pale shade of white that he had not seen her like before.  He grinned as she said she’d marry him . . . but the rest of it didn’t quite connect.  His brain felt dullish . . . like it was foggy.  Then he looked down at her clenched hand and saw the little vial . . . obviously empty and dry.  He looked up into her worried face and it all connected for him.<br/><br/>“Oh baby it’s the potion isn’t it.  So you’ve been without it this whole time haven’t you.  Sorry . . . my brain is just now catching up.   Oh honey . . . do you think you might be . . . you know . . . pregnant?  Darlin’ I have to say that this has been from the first eyes I laid on you on whirl wind couple of wonderful days.”<br/><br/>He chuckled. Next Sam grinned and lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm and the tips of each her fingers and her thumb . . . and then the pulse point on the inside of her wrist.<br/><br/>“Irene . . . I know this is going to be a bit long-winded, but bear with me Darlin’. You know that I was shot . . . that I was almost killed . . . them scars is the visible proof of it.  I have a couple inside too . . . but you might have guessed that.  Having been through that and a bunch more . . . falling in love with you is certainly the second-best thing that’s ever happened to me.  Having you in love with me would be the first.”   He had gotten a bit choked up at that point.  His voice was not nearly as steady as you’d expect of a fierce bounty hunter and his eyes had gotten moist too.  “So Darlin’ if you’re going to be a mother and me a pa’ from all this love we’ve found . . . well then I think I can handle it . . . so stop fretting.  We’ll be fine . . . more than fine.”<br/><br/>He leaned over and kissed her and gently stroked her cheek when their kiss broke.<br/><br/>“Okay so here’s how I see it . . . more than ever we best read that license . . . I don’t want any of our children out of wedlock.  Then can you get more of that potion?”  He winked at her as he looked over her lovely naked body.”Irene . . . baby . . . I’m just plain ignorant about birthing babies . . . how will you know if you are or not?  Will taking more of that potion hurt the baby if you are?  What do you want honey . . . to do about this?  I’ll go with you on this . . . I’m fine with whatever you want and decide . . . I just hope that we will still make love is all.”<br/><br/>He scooted back to where he’d been lying and faced her with his arms open and a warm smile.<br/><br/>“Come here Darlin’” He chuckled and his mouth broadened into a wicked grin.  “Come to papa . . . let me hold you and love you.”<br/><br/>