Sully and Michaela agreed that they needed to talk but another time would see them thinking more clearly. For now the trapped emotions flowed out of them and they finally decided that a good night’s sleep was in order.


"Better go home and get some rest Michaela. Looks like you had a pretty rough night?" Sully noticed.


"I did Sully. But that's all over now and I feel like I could sleep for days." Michaela answered.


Sully had reached for Michaela's cape when she turned to him and said "Sully?"


"Humm?" he mumbled, placing the cape over her shoulders and resting his hands on her shoulders as he slowly turned her to face him.


"Thank you," Michaela softly replied as she stared into those magnetic blue eyes.


"Thank you, for what?" he asked.


Michaela hesitated before she could answer. Sully's blue eyes had always been a weakness with her and now they seemed to be looking right into the heart of her soul. "Thank you for being so patient, for being so understanding and thank you for ...well...for just being...you!"


"No need to thank me. That's what lovin' someone is all about. Bein' there when they need you. But I ain't that patient Michaela. After all I came barging in here. I just couldn't stay away from you," he replied.


"Well then," she said as she slid her arms around his waist, "I'm glad you're impatient. That's another thing we have in common Mr. Sully!" and they sealed it with a kiss before departing the clinic for the night.


"Now Ma, it's all settled," Colleen barked. "This picnic lunch is for you and Sully, alone. Brian and I will be spending the day with Matthew and Ingrid and that's that!"


There were times that Michaela could see so much of herself in Colleen and she knew from past experiences that this was one time she had better not disagree. Besides, a picnic in the woods sounded nice and it would after all, give her and Sully some time alone to talk. The children had obviously planned this all out and had prepared a basket full of goodies for her and Sully. She did not want to disappoint them and the thought of finally getting the chance to make amends with Sully was even more tempting.


As she watched her three wonderful children prepare the wagon, her mind wandered back to something Sully had said to her just after she had confronted him about his feelings for Catherine. Sully had accused her of not having enough time for him and that she was nervous about being alone with him and kissing him. Maybe this time in the woods together would be a very good time for her to show him that she could overcome those fears and make time to be with the man she dearly loved. Fears that she had of opening her heart up, completely to another. It was those very fears that had caused all her pain.


Not Sully. Not Catherine. But her own deep down fears. The same type of fears she had overcome when she became a woman doctor and had bravely ventured out to the unknown west. Yes, she had overcome many fears before but these ones seemed different. These ones ran deep and seemed to cut into the very heart and soul of who she was and how she had been brought up.


It was time. Time to learn how to shed her inhibitions. Time to become the woman she really wanted to be. The woman that Sully deserved.


The day seemed perfect. With only a few clouds in the sky, rain was not anticipated.


They both seemed rather silent as Sully drove the wagon along the dusty road. He had not told her where they were headed but had been totally overjoyed upon receiving the invitation to picnic, alone with her.


That much had been pre-planned by the children but their destination was left up to Sully and he seemed to know exactly where he was taking them.


Michaela was feeling a little shy and nervous but was keeping up a brave front. But when Sully reached over to put his arm around her, she nearly jumped out of her skin.


A little voice inside prompted her to 'relax Michaela and enjoy the day. Enjoy his company. After all you do love him. Just remember what is at stake here, your future with this man. Become the woman you really want to be and throw caution to the wind,' and with that she settled her head back upon his shoulder. Sully smiled down at her and seemed content before turning his eyes back to the road ahead.


By the time they had reached their destination, the day had become very hot and humid.


A few more clouds had drifted along to join the others but not enough to protect them from the sun's heat.


Sully had parked the wagon beside a little stream and had carefully laid out the blanket before Michaela unpacked the children's surprise picnic lunch.


It was as she had expected, wonderful. They had thought of everything, even an apple pie from Grace. Michaela wondered just how many were in on their 'picnic' plans but at this point, didn't really care.


They had sat across from one another in almost dead silence during lunch. The occasional banter about the children, school, Matthew and Ingrid and how hot the day was getting, seemed to be all they could find the courage to talk about. And Michaela had decided that if they were ever going to get things started it was now her turn to do something.


Feeling that the heat was getting to be a little more than she could bear, she decided to cool off in the stream. She suddenly felt brave and when Sully saw her slowly undo the laces of her boots, he wasn't quite sure what she was up to.


She then turned her back to him, ever still the lady she was and struggled to remove her stockings. Taking care that she did not show him anything she did not want him to see. After all this was her first attempt at trying to relax and be more open and less intimidated by Sully and she was feeling rather proud of herself for getting this far.


As she got up, she lifted her skirt, just a little as not to get it wet when she finally dipped her feet into the cool, clear water. By this time Sully was in complete awe but he too feeling the afternoon heat was more than willing to join her. As she looked back to see Sully removing his boots, she yelled, "Last one in is a rotten egg!"


The challenge was on but she had already entered the water before Sully even had a chance to get near her. This didn't bother him in the least.


He was just glad to see that she was finally relaxing with him and was amazed at how freely she waved her skirt up over her knees showing off her delicate, white legs.


Here was the prim and proper lady doctor from Boston now romping freely in the water, acting like a little school girl. Why if he didn't know any better he would think that she was 'teasing' him.


Taunting him with newfound freedom. She was so very beautiful at this moment. He found it hard to control his feelings for her and wanted with every fiber in his body to show her how very much he loved her and how very much he appreciated the effort she was putting into showing him that she could be alone with him and not be afraid. She was an exciting, beautiful woman but she was still a lady and he made a promise to himself that he would be ever so careful as not to shatter the respect they held deeply for one another. But it was hard. After all he was a man and she was a woman. The one and only woman that he knew, he would love, forever!


"Come on Sully! What's keeping you?" Michaela said as she tilted her head to one side, her copper hair flowing down to cover the other side.


Sully was instantly beside her. Splashing her and laughing along with her as they dodged the rocks on the streams bed. Michaela had not noticed the huge bolder she was dangerously backing into.


Sully had but it was already too late to warn her as she suddenly lost her balance and flipped over the rock, landing bottom first in the stream. The look on her face was priceless. There she sat, soaking wet. He couldn't contain his laughter. Something he would soon pay for when he reached down to give her a hand up.


He was not expecting this petite woman to have the strength she did but she pulled him down with her and there the two of them sat. Once again laughter filled the air. This was one of those moments that words would only spoil.


"You gettin' cold?" Sully asked after they had managed to pull themselves together and wander back up to the stream bank.


"A little," she replied.


"I think there's a second blanket in the wagon. Why don't you get outta those wet clothes while I go get it." Sully said as he headed for the wagon.


Michaela started to shiver but not from the cold. How could she undress here, now, alone with Sully? What was he thinking? What had she been thinking when she instigated the romp in the stream? How was this 'new woman' going to handle this situation? And the little voice in her head came back. 'Relax Michaela. There's no one around. No one will see. It's only Sully. You can trust him. Nothing is going to happen that you don't want to happen. You won't let it and neither will he. You'll be just fine.'


And with that she grabbed the blanket they had used for their picnic, wrapped it around herself and headed for a nearby group of trees. When she finally emerged, Sully was sitting by a fire he had made with the second blanket wrapped around him. He pointed to a group of rocks on which he had placed his clothes to dry and said "Lay your wet clothes out there. The sun'll dry 'em in no time."


She did as he asked and when she turned around he was beckoning her to beside him in front of the fire.


Michaela knew that now was probably the best time to have that long awaited talk they needed. Besides it would take her mind off the fact that she sat half naked next to Sully. Yes talk, they must.


"Sully?" she said, her voice breaking the silence.


"Hmmm..?" he answered as he kept staring into the flames.


"What would you have done if someone had fallen in love with me and threatened our relationship?" she asked quietly.


"What do you mean?" he asked.


"I mean, if the shoe were on the other foot. If Catherine had been a man who had fallen for me. What would you have done?" Michaela's curiosity was piqued.


Sully was taken back. He had never thought about it that way. He had felt jealousy before. Back in Boston when a fellow doctor had proposed marriage to Michaela. He knew the pain and the hurt he had felt and knew that Michaela was trying to get him to understand why she had acted the way she did when Catherine had announced her love for Sully. It was all coming clear now.


"I guess I would have acted the same way I did in Boston. Jealous. But this time would have been different knowing that we exchanged our vows of love. I am beginning to understand how you felt now Michaela. I do understand the hurt and I'm sorry I had to be a part of it." Sully finally replied still not taking his eyes off the fire.


"Is that what it was Michaela? Jealousy?"


"Yes,and the fact that I feel...did feel very insecure," she said.


"Insecure? Why?" he asked.


"You and Catherine had a lot in common. You both lived with the Cheyenne, you spoke their language, you understood their ways. I felt that maybe you had more in common with her than with me." she answered.


Sully looked up from the flames and into her eyes, "That gives us somethin' in common but that ain't enough to make you fall in love with someone."


"I know that but, Sully?" she asked


"Yeah?"


"Do you ever think that I'm...well...stuffy?" she asked.


"Stuffy?"


"That I can't let go. That I'm too prim and proper and have my morals set too high? That I can't 'let go' and have fun?" Michaela asked as she stared back at him.


"Maybe at times. But you were brought up in the city. You were told how to act and what to say. But it don't mean that that's who you are or who you've become. Just look at yourself Michaela. You're a respected lady doctor who had to fight her way into man's world. That took a lot of courage. And you decidin' to come way out here all by yourself, well there ain't many ladies could do that. You're a special person Michaela Quinn. That's one of the things I love most about you. You got guts! You ain't afraid to stand up for what you believe in."


Tears of happiness were falling from her eyes as she replied, "And I love you for the very same reason Sully. You also stand up for your beliefs. You are always there when you're needed and aren't afraid to take risks to help others. That's what you did with Catherine. You stood up for her and helped her and I love you for it."


Sully slowly inched his way closer to her. Michaela quickly spoke "What would they think of me in Boston right now if they could see me sitting here, alone, with you?"


Sully looked into her eyes as her took her hands in his, "They'd say I'm a lucky man to have a beautiful, intelligent lady all to myself."


Michaela stiffened. She wasn't prepared for Sully's closeness and when he gently and slowly slid his arm over her shoulder to draw her into his embrace, she tried to remain calm. She didn't want to show any more fear. She could and would handle this closeness to Sully. She would try to overcome the shyness she had always felt. And why not? She was actually beginning to enjoy it. the warmth and comfort he gave her gave her strength.


But Sully remained the gentleman that he was. He went no further and at that she relaxed her head against his shoulder, feeling secure in his hold.


"It's gonna take time Michaela," he whispered into her ear.


"Time?" she answered as if awakened from a dream.


"We still don't know everything about each other. There's so much I want to know about you and things I haven't told you about myself either," he said.


"You are right, and it seems that we are learning more and more about each other every day." she answered him as she looked up into his eyes. "I love you Sully"


And with that, he took her head in his hands and kissed her ever so gently.


"I love you too Michaela and I don't want you to ever doubt that again."


Silence once again took over as each sat pondering over what the other had said.


Sully had made her feel so at ease. The time alone with him had been easier than she thought and she vowed to try to make more time for him in her life. She couldn't promise that she would never react this way again if put in a similar situation but she did know that she had learned more about Sully and herself these past few days and, that if a next time did occur she would think before making any hasty decisions. After many peaceful hours had passed, Sully bent down to kiss her on the forehead and said, "Think it's about time we headed back home. We don't want anyone gettin' worried."


Michaela smiled back at him. She didn't want this day to end. She felt as if they had finally committed themselves to one another but didn't know how to put her feelings into words.


Dark was settling in as the wagon pulled up in front of the homestead. They could see smoke arising from the chimney and three heads appeared in the window, suddenly pulling back to leave them their last few moments of privacy.


Michaela had kept her head against his shoulder all the way back. She was a little reluctant to remove it just yet and Sully seemed to sense her mood.


He too was not in any hurry to pull away. It felt good again. It felt right. He knew that they would always have their differences but hoped their love was strong enough as it had been this time to safely see them through it.


Michaela felt an inner strength she had never known was there. She felt she had the courage to do anything at this moment. Gone was the pain she had endured the previous days. She had even managed to overcome many of her fears and for that she had to thank Sully.


As she looked up at the strong face of this person, she saw a man. A strong willed man. Someone who had made it through many rough times and yet was still gentle and loving. Where they would go from here, no one knew. She knew that getting this much from this man was a great accomplishment as it was but for him to make any kind of commitment to her and the children, well that would be another matter.


She wasn't even sure if she was ready to commit herself totally to him either. She only knew that if it was going to be with anyone, it would be with Sully.


Sully finally made the first move to get down from the wagon. He came around to lift her and gently sent her on the ground. "You know in this moonlight you look more beautiful than I thought possible," and with that he gave her their final but magical kiss of the day.


No matter what the future held in store for these two, they would take each day, one at a time. But for today, right now, this moment in time their love was Pure, Simple and True.