Still... the journey continues...
Chapter 7, by Melissa		Accueil   Home

Villa - Sophia's bedroom - Morning.

Sophia is asleep in CC's arms. There is a contented look on her face as she begins to dream.

CC is dancing Sophia around the garden. The remains of their candlelight dinner from the night before are still on the table. CC's eyes twinkle as he tells her he loves her and she says she loves him and wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. She hears CC say he loves her again, but this time when she breaks away from his embrace the face she sees is that of the Count, Carlo Armonti. Sophia tries to pull away, but Carlo will not release her. She continues to struggle to get away from him as he affirms, "You belong to me, Contessa!" Sophia finally breaks away from Carlo, screaming, "No!" She runs toward the figure of another man dressed in a tux. His face is in the shadows and she is unable to see who the man is at first. Believing it is CC, Sophia rushes towards him. Before Sophia can see the man's face, he grabs her hard by the forearms and pulls her to him. Terrified, Sophia tells her herself that if she will look at the man's face, she will see CC once again and be safe in his arms, but when she looks up, she sees Ken. With a desperate look in his eye, Ken, almost pleading with Sophia says, "I didn't want to kill you!" Suddenly, a gunshot rings out from behind Sophia and she whirls around to find CC standing there, his tuxedo shirt covered with blood. She runs to him, placing her hand over his wound. Her evening gown is covered with blood as CC's lifeless body collapses against her. As he sinks to the ground, his last words are, "I love you, Sophia...I always loved you." CC's eyes close for the last time as Sophia sobs over his lifeless body crying, "No! CC don't leave me!"

Sophia wakes up with a start, her pillows is wet with tears and she is hyperventilating. She looks at the space on the bed next to her and realizes it is empty. For a moment, Sophia wonders if her nightmare wasn't just a dream and she really has lost CC forever. Just then, she hears the sound of water running. Sophia wipes the tears from her face. She gets up from the bed. Subconsciously afraid of what she may find, she walks down the hall slowly towards the sound of the water which is coming from the master suite. She enters the bedroom and sees CC's robe draped over the end of the bed. Sophia picks up the robe and brings it to her face, breathing in the scent of CC's cologne. She puts the robe down and smiles, heading for the bathroom door. Sophia opens the bathroom door slowly to find the oversized sunken jacuzzi tub filled with hot water and bubbles. The steam is rising from the tub. She leans against the door frame and smiles at him seductively as he is about to drop his towel and step into the tub.

" I woke up and you were gone."

CC readjusts his towel and smiles wryly. "Good morning darling...you were sleeping so soundly when I woke up, I didn't want to wake you. So, I thought I would take a bath and soak my shoulder." Sophia nods in acknowledgment, but makes no move to leave.

" You can stay if you want, but close the door...you're letting all the steam out." CC informs her nonchalantly.

" Oh, I am sorry. I would never want to do that." She walks into the bathroom and closes the door, locking it behind her. "Maybe I can make it up to you." CC is standing next to the tub. Sophia walks up next to him and runs her hands up his chest, resting her hands on the back of his neck, kissing him lightly at first. As she senses that CC is losing any resolve he may have had to resist temptation, her kisses become more insistent. CC forgets the towel around his waist and lets it drop to the floor, wrapping both arms around Sophia and enveloping her completely.

Finally CC pulls away from her kiss breathlessly. "Sophia,... She continues kissing him on the chest. "We have to stop now if...I thought you wanted to..."

Sophia looks him directly in the eye. " I want you CC...I want US. I told you that a long time ago. We let too many other things get in our way and this time we almost lost each other forever. I can't take the chance of letting that ever happen again. Can you?"

" Sophia, you know I love you, and I want you, and I need you! You are the best part of my life, nothing is right without you. That's why I need to know that you're not just doing this now because you are frightened, or grateful."

" CC, I know I told you last night that I wanted to take things slow, but when I was lying in your arms last night, I couldn't sleep for the longest time. I keep wondering why I'm always so afraid to give myself to you completely."

CC looks at her, trying to search her face for some sign of what she might say.

" What we share is so full and the history we have is so overwhelming sometimes CC. It's so overwhelming that I've tried to get away from it in the past." CC feels her body against him and holds her close, kissing her forehead as she continues talking. "I thought if I let you and the children alone, you might be better off...because of everything that has happened...Channing...Eden... But last night I finally realized that those bad things happen when we turn away from each other, when we are not together. So, I'm coming to you now because I want to give myself to you and to us completely, if you still want me."

" If I still want you, if I still...you are the only thing I have ever really wanted! I love you baby and I promise I will never turn away from you again! CC takes her in his arms again, kissing her passionately. Needing her more and more, he runs his hands down her shoulders, bringing her night gown down in his hands so that it drops to the floor.

The scene dissolves to CC and Sophia now in the tub covered with bubbles, kissing intensely. Sophia finally breaks away from a kiss first and smiles, her eyes filled with love and happiness.

" Sophia, don't stop." CC pleads.

" I'm not stopping CC. I just need to ask you an important question."

" Anything..."

" CC Capwell, will you marry me?"

" I thought you'd never ask." The water in the tub rushes around them as CC pulls Sophia on top of him and the pair gives in to their feelings, satisfying each other completely, like never before.