Title: Little pieces of you
Pairing: Jo / Alex
Rating: T
Basis: Grey's Anatomy Season 14, Episode 2

I finally caved in and wrote a Jolex story. I should be writing patent applications, but instead I'm writing fanfiction. This episode needed a serious follow up to Jo and Alex's reconciliation kiss.

There was no movement in the apartment, except from two entwined bodies across the bed sheets. Moans and screams gradually subsided, and in the end only their rapid breathing filled the air around. The room was dimly lit as the only source of light came from the moonlight that shone through the nearby window.
He hovered above her, not moving from the warm cradle between her legs. It had been so long since that complete elation of being wrapped in her that he wanted to cherish every moment his skin was in contact with hers.

"I've missed this." She whispered in between labored breathing.

Deep down a small part of her, the part that was not clouded by the ghosts of the past, knew it was only a matter of time before they were back together. She just had to find a way to dissociate the image of a wildly violent Alex from her own kind, gentle, and occasionally cranky, Alex. As time passed by the pieces fell into place, people said the right words, and soon the need for him was overwhelming. When he finally expressed genuine concern that she might fear him, those words had been the much needed catalyst. Controlling herself was no longer an option. That lack of control, completely intentional, had led them to a couch. Then to the one she bought for him, this time only to talk, and promptly to their bed once words were no longer enough.

"Hmhmm" The sound was mumbled and rumbled deep in his throat, while his lips traveled softly across the warm skin of her shoulder.
"Was it better than Glasses?" He snickered and in doing so she felt the muscles of his stomach contract with barely contained laughter against her own abdomen. He would not let it go anytime soon.

The slight afterglow began to burn into a deep blush on her cheeks. And yet, though embarrassed as she was, the reaction did not seem as if he was angry at her, rather it felt like he was amused by it. Maybe a little too much.

"Oh, Alex..." She groaned in annoyance while hiding her face in his neck, somewhat ashamed. "It didn't mean anything! Are you going to laugh about it for the rest of our lives?"

"Maybe…." He offered slowly.

From the hiding spot she could not see his face, but instead could feel his lips turn into a grin as they dropped small kisses on her own neck. At his persistent mockery, she gathered her courage to finally ask the question that had been in her mind for a while.

"Alright, funny man," Her light brown eyes looked straight into his. "how many women did you slept with while we were apart?"

"None." He said proudly, smug lopsided smile and all.

She had been prepared for anything, except that, after all they had been apart for months, and knew perfectly well that, before her, he used sex as a diversion from his own emotional distress.
"What?" The surprise evident in the high pitch of her voice. Even though she could not blame him, she secretly hoped he had not fallen into old, careless, behavior.

"I didn't want anyone else but you, Jo. Somehow, even thinking about it didn't seem right." The sincerity in his voice made her heart race. He was so close, their bodies nearly melted into each other, that she was sure he could feel her heartbeat through his own skin. After seeing so many little pieces of him, like the rough, angry, annoyed, passionate, and kind, without fail, she was always taken by surprise at his pure love for her. Again, it screamed loudly of her lack of confidence that someone could care for her deeply, even after so many years of experiencing the deepest, most passionate love she ever had.

"For a while I doubted you would forgive me, and even then I still didn't want anyone else. Then," He paused, recalling the memory. "There was a moment when all hope came back."

"What was it?" She whispered as if afraid to break the serene atmosphere that had enveloped them.

"That night you knocked on my door and hugged me." His lips moved softly against hers while whispering the words.

"How come that was the moment?"

"I may be messed up, piling up mistakes after mistakes, but there is one thing I know how to do right. I know how to read you very well. Your eyes and your embrace that night told me everything I needed to know. And I had needed it for a long time."

He remembered that night vividly. He had been laying on a borrowed bed once again with that disturbing loneliness, and wondered how his life had been about to be over, and only by a stroke of luck was he saved.

He had been ready to plead guilty if it meant she would not be forced to publicly share that carefully kept secret. The complete terror in her eyes as she relayed to him, with barely held tears, how she had been abused and fled fearing for her life, was enough for him to completely change his mind and put himself into the hands of whatever deserved justice. In that moment, the doorbell had rang through his thoughts and insistent knocking begged for his attention at the door. Whomever he had been expecting on the other side, it certainly had not been her emotionally exhausted self.

She looked small, completely engulfed in the oversized coat, with so much desolation and heartbreak etched into her face that all he wanted to do was hold her and whisper that everything was going to be alright. However, he was still very much aware of how irrationally he had behaved with her, again, and any sudden movements might be enough for her to flee. Instead, he slowly crossed the small distance between them, as one would do in the presence of a scared or wounded animal, and stopped right in front of her, expecting her next move.

She kept looking at him, her light-brown eyes were open wide and on the brink of fresh tears. She had cried recently, that much had been evident. And then, she did something he had been longing for. She made the move forward and her arms embraced him tightly. It took a few seconds for his body to adjust to what was no longer a regular occurrence between them. Feeling the warmth of her body against him washed away the tension in his, and at their own volition, his arms surrounded her smaller frame, holding just as tightly. Out of habit, he hid his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Oh how he had missed her scent, courtesy of that flowery lotion she kept in the bathroom they used to share. He had also missed the softness of her as well. Seconds ticked away, but in his mind time had not been relevant anymore. Her embrace had been tight in the beginning, but had gradually tighten. Her hands pulled him impossibly closed as if to physically erase the emotional distance that still resided between them. And just as sudden as it had started, she pulled away leaving a gap of freezing weather in between. He had immediately missed her touch. Once more her eyes had locked with his, her mouth moved but no words came out. Somehow they were not necessary, for in her eyes he had seen everything he needed.

The memory vanished but there she was, beneath him, skin against skin.

"In your eyes I saw relief, gratitude and above all, in your embrace I felt love."

His voice was low and deep, the kind of timbre that usually soothed her in the worst times, and melted her heart in the best. All the while, his brown eyes, so filled with emotion, never left hers. He was not often good at translating feelings into words, in fact that inability had been a hindrance through his whole life, but right now, in the dawn of their reconciliation, it was imperative to speak up and mend the mess created.

Now, it was incredibly gratifying to know he had not lost hope on her, but all the words she wanted to say seemed stuck in the knot that had formed in her throat. Any single attempt to talk was sure to unlock an embarrassing stream of tears. She had cried for months on end, until she was sure it would be physically impossible to shed any more tears. Yet again, it only took a stream of love laced words from him to evaporate the last remnants of that heartache she carried around for months. Those tears were of joy, and at last, she finally felt that their relationship, albeit still fragile, would begin to heal.

Instead of talking, she allowed herself to delicately caress his face, and brought her lips onto his hoping actions were enough to convey her feelings. The kiss was delicate, softly even, and vastly different from the hungry, insatiable kisses shared not long ago. When their lips parted it was obvious he was not yet ready to be silent. That smug smile, both endearing and often exasperating to her, was dancing in his lips while mirth shone in his eyes.

"And you were even wearing my coat that night!"

"It's a very nice coat… kept me warm." She said, apparently nonchalant. While avoiding his eyes, she delicately caressed the skin of his chest with the tip of her fingers. She was not yet ready to admit that in the worse moments she clung to the things he had left behind. For many sleepless nights they had comforted her in his absence.

When she turned her eyes towards him the smug grin was gone, only a small appreciative smile curved his lips. Beyond the intimacy, she had greatly missed his smile. He kissed her again, this time the gentle touch was gone, he demanded passion. And passion he received. She pushed him back onto the mattress and allowed her body to cover his, while her hands roamed over his skin and their lips never parted. She did not need to put into words again how deeply she had missed him, how hurt she had been, or how glad she was that they were together again. That had all been said that night, all that remained was to let their bodies express everything else.

If you reached this far, thank you for reading! Please review and let me know what you think.