Title: Learning As We Go, Part 4
Author: Caera1996
Rating: This part NC-17
W/C: This part 5,196
Disclaimer: Definitely not mine.
Summary: Sequel to The Basics of Primary Ed. AU. It is possible to read this story without reading TBoPE first, but it will make much more sense if you do.
This part: Lazy mornings, vacation plans, a movie, and news about the kidnapper all make for a full Saturday.

Notes for this part:

1) The medical information about ALS and the TNF-a molecule, as well as the information about the drug is all real, if somewhat outdated. I got it from "Dartmouth Medicine" online journal, Fall 2007. doesn't allow regular urls, so if you are interested in reading the article send me an IM and I will send you a proper link.

2) This part contains some very, very slight spoilers for the movie Inception.

3) I've gotten a lot of requests for specific things to happen, and I've tried to address them in this part. That said, this chapter does contain a lot of set up. Hope it's not too boring.

After waking up the second time that day, they did eventually get up. Biological imperatives demanded it. But also, and more persuading, Leonard demanded it.

"You smell, Jim. We both smell. We need to take showers, and we need to eat and rehydrate. And…" he paused, stretching his arms above his head as Jim ogled him from where he still lay, half covered by the blanket. He eyed the bed as he pulled on a pair of boxers. "I want to change the sheets." Jim sighed dramatically and pushed himself up, idly scratching his belly. He didn't particularly care about the sheets, seeing as how they were just going to mess up the next set anyway. But, whatever. Not about to concede so easily, even though the rest of it sounded pretty good, Jim let himself flop back down, gripping a pillow that Bones was trying to wrest away from him.

"Rehydrate Bones? Really?" Jim said with a roll of his eyes. "Just grab a couple of water bottles from the fridge. I'm not all that hungry yet…for food." He leered playfully at Leonard who simply rolled his eyes and abandoned trying to get the pillow out of Jim's grasp for yanking the blankets off of the bed.

"Hey!" Jim protested, grabbing for them and failing entirely.

"That could work," Leonard said, with a shrug, ignoring Jim's antics. "Then I wouldn't have to waste time making French toast and bacon." Jim held out for a moment before caving, as Leonard knew he would. French toast was recently one of Jim's most favorite foods…at least it was the way Leonard made it. Jim's own version of buttered toast sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar didn't even come close to the sweet, rich McCoy recipe that included eggs, milk, vanilla, a splash of orange juice, and a bit of nutmeg with the cinnamon. It was more like a dessert than a breakfast, especially the way Jim liked it, doused in maple syrup and sprinkled with powdered sugar, and as such it wasn't eaten very often in the McCoy household. But once in a while never hurt anyone.

"Right…shower, laundry, rehydration and your awesomely fantastic French toast. What's the occasion for the special breakfastly deliciousness Bones?" Jim asked. Leonard shrugged, watching Jim fondly and not a small amount of lust and admiration as he did a full body stretch, completely at ease in his own skin in front of him.

"No special reason. I just like cooking for you, and you like it, so…" Jim smiled, feeling a little thrill at the simple, but expressive, gesture. God, I love him, Jim thought.

"Let's shower together," Jim said, standing. "So I can give you a preemptive thank you for breakfast." He wrapped his arms around Leonard from behind, kissing his neck. He tipped his head to the side automatically, giving Jim more access. A small smile played on his lips. They'd only done that once before…months ago now. He'd not particularly enjoyed himself all that much then…not because of Jim, though. His own self-consciousness and insecurity were too much for him to overcome and though he wanted to be there, the stress of the situation was enough to detract any pleasure he could have gotten from it. But now…now he felt like a different person from the man he used to be. Now, things that he'd pretty much had to force himself to do, like share a shower, weren't a cause for trepidation, and were actually fun. That was a totally new concept for Leonard – that sex wasn't something that was done because it was expected, or something that he should be wary of…that it was fun, and loving, and a physical and emotional connection that he hadn't experienced before. And he knew that he owed this new understanding to Jim. He wouldn't have ever discovered this part of life if it wasn't for him. Leonard was sure of that. It kind of boggled his mind that he could go this long without knowing this part of life…and that it would've continued had it not been for Jim. Leonard smiled at his suggestive smirk and leaned in to kiss him. He felt Jim's body twitch in renewed interest as he pressed against him. He pulled away after a moment.

"Let me just start a wash with the bed stuff, and I'll join you," Bones promised.

"Awesome!" Jim exclaimed. "Don't take too long…I'll be waiting."

Making quick work of stripping the bed and the pillows, he threw a new set of linens on the mattress to be dealt with later. Moving through the kitchen to the small washer and dryer tuck in the back corner of the pantry, he quickly checked the time…a little after noon. No wonder he was hungry. They would deal with that later.

In the shower, Jim and Leonard took their time, enjoying the feel of the hot water loosening stiff muscles. Lazily, they soaped each other, running slick hands over sensitive parts, following with soft kisses across wet, heated skin. Leonard used a cloth to clean Jim of the lube left between his cheeks from earlier, and then gently ran his fingers over the sensitive skin there. Jim gasped and bucked slightly, and Leonard wrapped an arm around his midsection, not wanting him to lose his footing on the tile. Jim turned his head, to look at Leonard over his shoulder.

"My turn. Okay?" Leonard hesitated, then nodded slightly, and Jim turned completely, glancing down before wrapping his arms around Leonard, pressing their bodies together in a tight hug. "Need to make sure you're nice and clean for later," he whispered in Leonard's ear, gently biting at his earlobe. He smiled at the resulting shiver that coursed through Bones' body. Taking the washcloth from Bones, he rinsed it out and then resoaped it. Jim was happy to try this as long as Bones was, but he wanted to stay in front of him because he was unsure how this was going to be received. Reaching around Bones' slim waist, he started by rubbing the cloth over his lower back, paying close attention and looking for any reactions that indicated what he was doing wasn't welcome.

Gently drawing the cloth lower, over the flesh of Bones' ass, he paused when he felt Bones arch his back slightly, pushing his pelvis against Jim…effectively moving away from what Jim was doing. Bones didn't say anything, but rested his forehead on Jim's shoulder, one hand squeezing Jim's bicep. They stood together like that – Jim waiting for some indication of what Bones was thinking.

"I'm fine, Jim," he said after a moment. "If I need you to stop, I'll tell you." Jim smiled.

"Okay, Bones," he said. Jim pressed a kiss to Bones' neck, sucking and tonguing him. He continued to clean Bones, carefully pressing the washcloth between his cheeks, waiting for the muscles to relax when Bones tensed reflexively. Eventually, he did relax and Jim continued, murmuring tender encouragement. After a minute or so, Jim let the washcloth fall to the shower floor, and used his fingers to swipe over Bones' opening. He gasped and bucked forward at that, and a quick glance at his face confirmed what the fully erect cock pressing against his hip was telling him…Bones wasn't uncomfortable, wasn't scared, wasn't trying to suppress nerves. He was enjoying himself. That was awesome.

Eventually Jim backed away from Leonard, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before using his hands to guide Bones into turning around.

"You may want to brace yourself against the wall," Jim said, and then he was on his knees behind Bones, holding his hips tightly while gently spreading his cheeks.

"Jim, wha- oh!…" Leonard couldn't stop himself from bucking at the first touch of Jim's tongue against him. "God, Jim..." Balling his hands into fists, he leaned his head against his arms. Breathing harshly, he did his best to still his movements, grateful for Jim's firm grip. Squeezing his eyes closed, it didn't take long before he was reaching down, desperate for a firm grip on his cock. Stroking himself, he grunted in time to the swipes of the teasing tongue and it wasn't long before he came with a shout, his hips jerking against Jim's grip.

Jim stood up and hugged Bones from behind, providing support waiting for him to come down and be firm on his feet once again. He listened to the gasped breaths as he ran his hands soothingly over Bones' torso. Eventually, he turned and kissed Jim deeply.

"I thought you said later," Leonard said. "What was that all about?" Jim smiled and shrugged, kissing him again and running his hands through Bones' wet hair.

"It was later," he replied. "Think of it as…positive reinforcement." It took a second, but Jim saw the moment of comprehension, and his smile became a wider grin as Bones chuckled. He reached down and wrapped his hand around Jim's erection, squeezing firmly. Jim gasped and bit his lip, closing his eyes as his cocked throbbed.

"I don't think I can get on my knees on the tile without doing some damage, so think of this as a rain check," he said. He stroked Jim quickly, catching the resulting moans in a deep kiss. Bones claimed Jim's mouth firmly, stroking his tongue. He felt Jim clutch his shoulders, digging his fingers in as he held on, trying to deal with the friction that was driving him to the edge swiftly. "Come for me, darlin'," Bones whispered, when Jim pulled away to breathe, panting harshly. He stiffened, actually rising up on his toes as he thrust into Bones' grip…once, twice…and then he was coming with a shout and allowing his head to fall back and thump gently on the tiles behind him. Leonard kept his eyes on Jim's face, drinking in the expression of complete abandon and ecstasy. That he was the one to do this to him…to bring him this pleasure, to see him like this…it was overwhelming and gratifying and just…amazing.

After Jim came back to himself, they quickly finished up, taking turns washing each other's hair and rinsing off before stepping out of the shower and drying themselves. They idly talked about plans for later in the day…maybe a movie, maybe dropping by a bookstore and losing themselves in the aisles for a while…as they finished dressing and remaking the bed.

Moving into the kitchen, Jim fetched the eggs, milk, orange juice and bacon from the fridge while Bones gathered the other ingredients and materials.

"This is like, the best breakfast ever, Bones," Jim said enthusiastically. He was carefully following the directions Leonard gave him, not wanting to mess the treat up.

"You're a pretty intelligent guy, Jim," Bones said, watching as he beat the wet ingredients in a bowl. "And this is a really simple recipe. You could learn how to make it if you wanted to." Jim didn't answer right away, and seemed to keep his full attention on what he was doing, reaching for the cinnamon and nutmeg Bones had put out for him in a little bowl.

"Nah," he said eventually, tipping the spices into the mixture. "I kinda like that you cook for me. It's…it's not something anyone else ever really did for us…for me and Sam...when mom was always busy." Leonard let that sink in for a second, and he felt an echo of the melancholy he heard in Jim's voice at the memory of the simple things he really didn't get to experience growing up – things Bones took for granted.

"Well, give the bowl to me, then. Let's get this done...I'm starved." Leonard poured the egg mixture over the triangle cut pieces of bread he'd arranged in the loaf pan and stuck it in the oven. Turning his attention to the bacon, Jim grabbed plates and silverware, feeling very domestic and very content.

"So…" Leonard said, sitting down to a plate of something he considered just one step below cake for breakfast. "I have some news." He described the studies he'd been doing on ALS in his research, and how he'd written and submitted a paper on the effectiveness of using thalidomide to block the pro-inflammatory molecule TNF-a in patients with ALS. It wasn't nearly a cure, but it looked like it slowed the process of redistributing the mitochondria in motor neurons that were cultured in the lab. So…not a cure, but maybe a treatment. Definitely a step in the right direction, and a pretty big one at that.

"Isn't thalidomide that morning sickness drug that was banned because it caused birth defects in babies back in the 60s?" pausing between bites to ask with interest.

"Yes, but it's been approved to treat some cancers, and we're also testing another one, lenalidomide – that's related to it, but doesn't have as many side effects. But anyway," Leonard continued, getting back on track. "The news is that I've been invited to present my paper at a neurology conference down in Orlando, Florida in a couple of weeks."

"That's fantastic, Bones!" Jim said enthusiastically. "Congratulations!" Leonard smiled.

"Thanks. So…I was thinking I would turn this trip into a little vacation, maybe take Joanna to Disney World. I think she's old enough to enjoy it now. And I know it's short notice, but I want you to come with us." Jim stared at him for a moment, then broke out in a huge grin.

"Bones, seriously? I would love to come with you guys! Can we stay on Disney property? We have to get to all four parks…this is going to be so much fun! I've never been to Disney World before!" Leonard chuckled at Jim's exuberance. It was going to be fun.

After their breakfast that was actually late enough to be lunch, Leonard insisted that they get out…do something.

"Why?" Jim asked. "We could just go back to bed…take a nap. Or…not. I do have a rain check to cash in." Leonard smiled and shook his head.

"Because when my daughter and your very nice, but somewhat nosey, family asks us what we did this weekend, I want to have something that I can tell them," he replied.

"Fine," Jim agreed – awfully quickly, Leonard thought. "Let's go see a movie." Jim used Bones' laptop to look up times and theaters and settled on something that looked good to him. He wouldn't tell Leonard, though, saying that it was a surprise. Shrugging, he let Jim have his secret and they headed out.

Disney was the topic of conversation on the drive, with Jim enthusiastically eking out as many details about the parks as he could, when he found out that Bones had been.

"Jim – I was 12. I haven't been to Disney World in years. Besides, as a boy I wasn't interested in the castle as much as the rides," Leonard said, reminding him once again that he had no idea if it were possible to go inside the Magic Kingdom castle. "You do realize, by the way, that there's going to be a lot of stuff Joanna can't go on yet. You'll have to do the rollercoasters by yourself."

"No way, Bones!" Jim exclaimed. "Whatever we can't do is just a reason to visit again, when the munchkin is taller. Besides, it's no fun to do those things by yourself." Bones conceded the point with a shrug, thrilled at the thought of the years to come…that Jim seemed so sure they would future summer vacations together. He loved that.

"We'll have to do some online research," Jim said seriously. "Joanna would love it if we could get in the castle." Leonard huffed a laugh at that, and made a decision that he was relatively sure he would end up regretting later, but also knowing it was the completely right thing to do.

"Okay, you're in charge," he said. Jim looked over at him as he was fiddling with the radio, looking for a station that played something they both liked.

"In charge of what?" Jim asked.

"Planning the Disney part of the trip, and the travel. Fly us in the day before my talk. Pick a good hotel, because the first day you and Jo will have to hang out at there while I give my presentation…but then after that…it's all Disney. Handle the parks, plot our destinations…whatever you want that you think Joanna will like…you said there were four parks, right? Plan for one park per day, and fly us home the day after the last park. That's a full week and should give us plenty of time to see and do everything we want to, whether or not we spend the whole day at a single park. Maybe get tickets that allow us to go to as many parks as we want in the time that we're there. Okay?" When he didn't get a response from Jim, he looked over at him…and smiled at the look on his face.

"Really?" Jim asked, obviously thrilled. "This is going to be so amazing…I've never been on an actual, honest-to-god vacation before!" His enthusiasm was infectious, and Leonard felt himself responding to it, a smile spreading across his face. "I cannot wait to tell Jo."

"And Jim…this is something I want to do for us. You understand me?" Jim bit his lip, and looked over at him, hesitating. He wasn't sure exactly how comfortable he was with that.

"Bones, I can pay for my own flight and park ticket, and we can split the hotel…" Jim trailed off as Bones shook his head.

"No…this is the first vacation I'm taking too…and what good is all the work I'm doing, all the time I put in away from Jo at the hospital, if I can't enjoy what I can do because of it with the people I love. Just…let me. Please?" And how could he put up a fight when Bones put it like that. Very simply, he couldn't.

At the theater, Leonard stopped Jim from buying tickets when he heard what movie he was asking for. Excusing them from the ticket window, Leonard pulled Jim to the side.

"Machete, Jim? Seriously? What possible reason could you have for wanting to see something like that? You like to watch people getting hacked up?"

"It's the action, Bones! Besides, it has some good names in it…Cheech Marin, Stephen Seagal, Don Johnson…"

"Not really doing much to convince me, Jim."

"Umm…Robert De Niro…" Leonard sighed. "Fine, Bones. What do you want to see? Eat, Pray, Love?" Leonard made a face at that, and scanned the movies and times on the screen above the heads of the ticket salesmen.

"How about Inception? That looked interesting." Happy with the compromise, Jim bought the tickets and led them to the concession stand. Apparently, it was impossible to watch a movie without popcorn. As they stood in line, Jim noticed a couple of women checking Bones out. Jim couldn't exactly blame them…Bones did look totally hot in jeans…but it rankled him nonetheless. Bones, bless his single-minded heart, was completely oblivious, grumbling about the amount of sodium in movie theater popcorn and how it was possible to still be hungry after having just eaten. Moving closer to him, Jim made eye contact with the women and slipped his hand into Bone's back pocket, smirking as their eyes widened and they whispered to each other. Leonard glanced at Jim, and then followed his eyeline to where he was looking. He rolled his eyes, but smiled, feeling strangely smug that he could engender possessive feelings in Jim – particularly since Leonard still had the occasional doubt about what Jim saw in him that made him want to stay around.

"They weren't looking at me Jim…you're the good-looking one," he said. Jim just gave him a look.

"You completely underestimate yourself, Bones," he said seriously, moving forward in the line. "But you just go on being oblivious to it…I like that you don't see anyone else." Leonard leaned over, close enough to gently brush his ear with his lips.

"No one else worth seeing, darlin'," he whispered. Finally it was their turn, and Leonard moved forward to order the popcorn Jim wanted without waiting for a response. Making their way into the mostly empty theater – apparently the movie had been out for several weeks by now – they chose seats in the back, well away from the few other patrons.

At the end of the movie, they agreed it seemed okay, but neither one had paid quite enough attention to what was happening on the screen to completely get what happened.

"So, did everyone end up waking up at the end?" Leonard asked, tossing their garbage in the trash on the way out. He definitely hadn't paid enough attention to follow the story line.

"No idea," Jim replied. "But this was one of the best times I've ever had at the movies." Leonard smirked and flushed faintly, a little embarrassed that they'd basically acted like a couple of stupid teenagers on a date. Stepping back out into the parking lot, Jim pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and realized he had a voicemail.

"Nyota and Spock are going to a little coffee place not far from here, and then they're going to the open air market…she called to ask if we wanted to join them for a while," Jim reported, checking his watch. "Her message said they'd be there at four, and it's four-fifteen now. What do you think, you up for it?"

"Sure," Leonard replied, shrugging. It was a beautiful day…it would be a shame to not take advantage of it at least a little. Besides, he could get some of the grocery shopping done here. "Where is it?" Jim pointed him in the right direction and called her back, letting her know they were on their way.

"They just got there a couple of minutes ago…they'll wait for us." Leonard nodded and followed Jim's quietly spoken directions. In a couple of minutes they were in the right area. "Park anywhere you can…it's crowded here today," Jim observed. After a couple of minutes, Leonard found a spot at a meter. He fished around in the center consol for change, and Jim fed it enough quarters for a couple of hours, and then they headed down the road to the coffee shop. Making their way inside, Jim scanned the crowded, popular Café Bean.

"Nyota, hi!" Jim said, spotting them at a table for four. Nyota waved back and Jim weaved his way through the tables. He bent to kiss her cheek. "Been a while, huh?" he teased. "Hey, Spock, how are you?"

"Quite well, thank you. And yourselves?" he asked. Leonard settled himself in the chair across from Spock and Jim took the other.

"Fine, thanks," Leonard replied. "Thanks for giving us a call…I've not been to an open air market here yet. I've missed them since moving here."

"No problem," Nyota replied. "It's just a couple blocks away…I figured we'd walk there afterwards. And they are the best places to get some really delicious produce." She started to hand a menu to Leonard. "Spock and I ordered a snack…did you want anything?" Jim opened his mouth, but Leonard cut him off. There is no way Jim could possibly need anything else to eat before dinner…a much later dinner.

"We just had popcorn at the movie theater," Leonard answered. "We're stuffed." Jim rolled his eyes at Leonard, but only asked for two cups of coffee when the waitress came around.

"So, what did you see?" Nyota asked. "Spock and I were thinking of going to the movies later on."

"Inception – the one about stealing information from people while their dreaming," Leonard replied. Spock glanced up and nodded slightly.

"Several people have recommended that movie as having an interesting plotline that relies heavily on ambiguity and allegory to create a layered, interwoven story. Was it enjoyable?" he asked. Jim glanced at Leonard and smirked slightly.

"We actually don't really know," he replied dryly. Leonard flushed and choked slightly on a sip of coffee. He glared at Jim as Nyota chuckled. Spock quirked an eyebrow.

"Indeed. Then if Nyota and I make the decision to patronize the cinema this evening, we will endeavor to pay slightly more attention and offer our review," he said. Nyota rolled her eyes, shaking her head slightly, and Jim hid a smile behind his coffee cup.

"Speak for yourself, dear," she said lightly, throwing a wink at him.

Later that evening, Jim sat sideways on the couch, Leonards' laptop resting on a lapdesk balanced on his thighs, his feet propped in Leonard's lap. Leonard watched him as he surfed the internet, reading reviews on Disney hotels, checking out available ticket packages, and researching flights. He was taking this very seriously…Leonard found it incredibly adorable. Gently squeezing the sock-clad feet in his lap, he refocused his attention on the local news station, thinking about what they could do tomorrow if the weather was as cooperative as it was today. He was feeling lazy and content and more than a little drowsy…and he wouldn't change a thing right now. At a commercial, he turned back to Jim, curious about what he was learning.

"Find anything that looks good?" he asked. Jim glanced up and nodded enthusiastically.

"They've got these tickets called Park Hoppers…they let you go to as many different parks as you want as many times you want during your stay," he replied.

"That sounds like a good way to go. We can be flexible and do what we want without having to try to stick to a schedule; repeat a park if we want," Leonard said. Jim nodded.

"Yeah, and one of the hotels has a monorail station inside it…it goes right through the lobby of one of the main buildings!" At Bones' questioning look, he explained what he'd learned about the monorail system…about how they connected to Epcot and the main bus, monorail, and ferry hub called the Transportation Ticket Center. "That means we'd never have to take the car once we were there. Between the Disney busses and the monorail system, we could get anywhere."

"That sounds like a major selling-" He cut himself off as his attention was caught by something a reporter was saying on the news station. "Jim," he said, gently tugging his foot to get his attention. "Listen."

"…brought this story to you first when it broke a month ago. The man accused of trying to abduct a child from McKinley Elementary during the last day of school has been charged with an additional three counts of sexual misconduct with a child, and police are crediting a brave young man who was willing to come forward and tell his story with giving other victims the courage to do the same. The names of abuse victims are typically withheld, but as the young man is nearly eighteen, and the statute of limitations has passed for his particular case, he and his parents have given permission for him to be on camera. Mark Taylor has the story."

The scene cut away to an interview set up, and they watched as a reporter talked with a young man. His features were still softened by childhood and he had a mop of curly hair, making him appear younger than he was. He had a surprisingly thick accent, as well. They listened as he told his story of attending piano lessons as a seven year old, how the instructor started by having him sit in his lap on the piano bench because he couldn't reach the pedals…and how something that had started off as a seemingly innocent interaction escalated to more disturbing acts with each lesson, and how it had kept happening until he moved. He'd been too afraid to tell anyone, believing the abuser when he said he'd hurt his parents if he ever told.

Feeling sick as he listened to how this boy's innocence was taken from him in such a way, Jim's eyes flicked to Leonard, noting the pressure on his foot where he gripped him had increased. He was staring at the screen with an unreadable expression on his face, and the guilt Jim had felt when it happened came flooding back. Thank god for this kid, Jim thought. The more they have against this scumbag, the better.

"Bones," he said quietly, when the story came to an end. Jim gently pulled his foot free of Leonard's grasp, and leaned forward to place the computer on the floor. He changed his position, turning so he could press up against Leonard's side, and was completely relieved when Leonard's arm went around him automatically, holding him tightly as Jim wrapped an arm around his midsection. "They're going to have enough on him to put him away for the rest of his life," he offered, hoping that if Leonard knew that, it would help.

"I thought predators stuck to a specific type," Leonard said. "He's switched from boys to girls…or at least he did for Joanna. Why?" Jim sighed slightly and shrugged.

"There are two main types of child predators," he said. "Preferential predators are very specific when it comes to the type of child and will go to great lengths to find the one that fits what they're looking for. Opportunistic predators are more concerned with how they get their-" he cut himself off before saying "victims". He didn't want to associate Joanna with that term. "…with how they find what their looking for," he said instead. Leonard nodded distractedly.

"That's what Detective Carmichael said. That they were experts at finding the kind of child who looked like they would be easy to take." Jim remained quiet, listening to the television. He knew what was bothering Bones…that someone had recognized Joanna as an "easy target," and the concern that if it happened once, it could happen again. Jim licked his lips nervously, going over what he was about to suggest.

"Maybe…maybe we could look into putting Joanna in some type of class, Tae Kwon Do, or something like that, to help her gain some confidence…give her some extra skills to help her deal with…things," he said. Jim practically held his breath, waiting to see how Bones would take this suggestion. He was silent for a moment, and then urged Jim up. Jim sat, searching Bones' eyes for some indication of what he was thinking. Seeing the concern in his face, Bones leaned forward and kissed Jim firmly.

"That," he said. "Is a great idea, Jim. Thank you." He was rewarded with a bright smile as Jim's body relaxed, releasing the tension in his frame.

"I'll look around and see what I can find that would be good for her," he said.

"Thank you," Leonard said again. "This is just one of the many, many reasons I love you." Jim smiled and leaned forward to kiss Leonard, controlling it this time, pressing Leonard back into the couch cushions.

"Why don't you take me to bed and show me," he said. "I believe I have a rain check to collect."