Title: Welcome To Paradise
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Carl Hickman/Louis Daniel
Fandom: Crossing Lines
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 499
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Carl Hickman or Louis Daniel, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Louis opened his eyes, blinking slightly as memories of the night before came back to him. He and Carl had finally made love, after all the years of longing. They belonged to each other now, physically as well as emotionally.

He couldn't regret what had happened between them. It had too good, too intense. It had been the culmination of years of longing.

No, he had no regrets. Last night had opened a door into paradise for him, and he felt that he had been welcomed into that paradise with open arms. He only had to embrace what he had found, and let himself feel that he deserved to be here.

He only had to reach out and take what he had been given.

He would do that, Louis told himself firmly. He wasn't going to hold back. He wasn't going to try to pretend to himself that this wasn't what he had always wanted, or that it would be better for him to hold back and not let himself be happy.

He had done that for far too long with Rebecca, and he had lived a life of unhappiness. Etienne had always brightened his days, but now his son was gone.

Carl would be the one to brighten his days from now on; just being here with Carl, waking in his arms and feeling safe and protected, made him happy in a way that he had never been. It felt good to let go of his rigid control, to let someone else have the reins.

Carl would never turn away from him, never let him down. Oh, their relationship might not always be easy. They might have arguments, or even fights. There might be points when they despaired of things ever working, when they felt frustrated and angry.

But Carl would always be here for him. He always had been, even when he'd been in the throes of his drug addiction. Carl had never stopped loving him.

And he had never stopped loving Carl. That much was obvious. They had never stopped wanting each other; that desire had only grown stronger over the years, until finally, they had been given a second chance to reach for their paradise.

Now that they had found it, they would never let it go.

He had always dreamed of being welcomed into this paradise, of being able to share his life with Carl. He'd made so many mistakes, and now he was being given the chance to correct them. This time around, he was going to do it right.

There would be no more mistakes. He knew where he belonged, and who his heart belonged to. This time, he was right where he should be.

Louis smiled at the thought of the years that stretched ahead of him, all of them spent with the man he loved. This second chance was something he'd never expected, and he intended to make the rest of their lives together a paradise for both of them.

***