BETA: None. WILL have spelling and grammar mistakes. (Please don't complain as I've just warned you.)

Sex: M/M

Swearing: None

Setting: This chapter takes place between episodes 4 & 5.

A/N: Okay so this stories taking a bit of a side turning, my original plan for the plot just wasn't working and seemed to be making me miserable and making writing it depressing and difficult, so I'm going another way. Hopefully this will not only satisfy you guys but mean I might actually be able to finish the damn thing before season four starts. I'll still try post every weekend.

"Joe?"

Chandler's head snapped up at the sound of his name on a familiar tongue. He found Kent leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets gazing down at his feet. The DI swallowed hard and flinched when the man's name came out a little breathless. "Kent?" He quickly shifted his gaze past the young man to look out the door, nervously.

"They've all gone." Kent murmured, not looking up.

Joe shifted in his seat, unsure why his junior officer was standing there.

"I - I'm sorry about Narroy." Kent murmured. "I mean….I assume you're not still….are you?" the younger man's gaze shot up to stare questioningly at Joe.

The senior detective's heart leapt into his throat at the question in Kent's brown eyes. "No." he said a little too quickly. Shifting once again, he straightened his back and looked at his desk top. "We weren't…." Joe trailed off.

"Oh."

There was a lengthy awkward silence, Joe moving uncomfortably in his chair, fidgeting with the contents of his desk tidy. Arranging and rearranging.

"I…..I slept with Tom." Kent suddenly announced, and Joe's hands stilled over his a stapler.

Joe cleared his throat and tugged at his tie, avoiding the other man's eyes.

"I didn't mean to...well I did but I was upset. I thought you and Narroy…."

"Kent, it really isn't…."

"It was a mistake." the younger man murmured. "I know that now. I wish I hadn't done it. I…." he swallowed hard, taking a breath.

Joe's eyes were locked on his ex, hardly daring to breath.

"I made a mistake." Kent said a little more calmly. There was a moment's silence, Kent never lifting his eyes from his shoes.

Joe coughed again. "You said." he finally managed to squeeze out past the pounding lump in his throat that he thought might actually be his heart.

Kent stepped away from the doorframe, stepping into the office and closing the door behind him, before leaning back onto it. His gaze settling on Joe firmly. "I mean breaking up."

Joe's breathing actually stopped, for a moment. His eyes locked on the dark haired man opposite him. "With….him?"

Kent gave him a small smile, rolling his eyes a little. "With you." he paused to let it sink in. "I was upset and hurt and angry. I couldn't believe you could have thought me capable of….any of that."

"Em…" Joe breathed.

"I know." the younger man held up his hand to silence Joe. "I wasn't exactly Mr. Truthful at the time. I should have told you what happened."

Joe lowered his gaze hating himself afresh for everything; he still couldn't believe he'd accused his boyfriend, the man he'd fallen in love with, of being a mole. He'll never forgive himself for that.

"I guess I wasn't thinking, not really. - And….I didn't think we'd still be…apart."

Joe's head snapped up. "You wanted a transfer?" Joe reminded Kent with a confused frowned.

Emerson shrugged. "I was angry, remember. - I didn't bring it up again, despite how hard it was working here with you, how hard it was seeing you every day, I just couldn't bring myself to go. - I guess I was kind of waiting for us to…." he shrugged. "…work it out….but I guess it never quite happened. - Then I kind of just…." he shrugged again. "…stopped hoping."

Joe's nodded, understanding just how Kent felt.

"When we slept together…" the younger man blushed. "….after the Skip's baby was born, it kinda felt like…it was over, you know."

"Yes." Joe sighed, painfully.

"So I tried to move on, and I guess I did a little. - But it never felt right." Emerson looked up from his shoes and fixed Joe with a warm pleading stare, wanting him to agree. "No one ever felt right…"

Joe was nodding sadly, his gaze fixed to the desk top and his hands, spread flat against its surface.

Emerson took a breath before continuing. "Whenever I heard about you and some girl, it hurt, but I ignored it. I figured if you'd moved on, then I should move on. And then Tom came back and I….we made contact." he sighed warily. "I figured if he wanted me back then…" he shrugged. "….and you're moving on. - But I just couldn't quite let go, of you I mean. I tried, really did, but it just never happened." there was another long awkward silence.

"Then Narroy arrived and well….she's so like you, you both have so much in common and I could imagine you being happy with her, that she'd get you, and I hated her for it. And I could see how attracted you were to her, that's when I slept with Tom. I knew I'd messed up instantly, and then she left and….." he waved his arms a little. "I figured….I….I hoped that maybe….."

Joe was staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. His mind reeling at what the man was saying. If he'd just said something earlier, if he's tried harder to get him back they would have been together months ago, but he'd just let it lie. Joe's mind replied their last night together, after wetting the baby's head, he wondered if he'd stayed around the next morning, if he's still been there when Emerson had woken up, would everything have been alright, would they have been together? Would that not have been a goodbye, but a welcome home? His head spun with the possibility and his heart thundered painfully in his chest.

He was pushing out of his chair before he even realised it, strolling calmly and determinedly across the room. Emerson was staring at his shoes again and Joe stopped in front of him, his own black leather sneaking into Kent's line of sight. A moment later Emerson's head lifted and he was staring at him, his brown eyes filled with sadness, nervousness and hope. Joe's heart skipped and his breath caught in his chest.

Joe moved before he could even think about it, following desire and instinct and months of built-up emotional frustration. His mouth crashing down on Emerson, pulling him in for a hungry, desperate kiss. Cupping the younger man's face between his slightly trembling hands as he angled it to deepen the kiss.

Emerson kissed back enthusiastically, his fingers combing through Joe's perfect hair, tugging gently. He pressed his body against Joe's wanting to reconnect with the muscle that was invisible under the smart expensive suit.

It felt so good after so many months apart, right, and perfect. Both men thought so, though neither would say it, not now. Now was about mouths and hands and body heat. Kent moaned into the kiss as his hips snapped forward onto Joe's firm thigh. Joe's left hand sliding from Emerson's cheek, down his neck and body to gripped at his buttock, caressing it gently as he ground against him. Their tongue's dancing together, battling for dominance that Joe would ultimately win.

Then he was pulling back, panting for breath, his forehead resting on the younger man's. Emerson's fingers still combing lightly though his hair, his eyes closed as he tried to capture his breath. Joe finally found enough oxygen to speak.

"We shou…."

Kent pulled back quickly, fixing Joe with a panicked and pleading stare, causing Joe's chest to ache. He pressed a reassuring kiss to Emerson's lips. "Slow, we need to go slow." Joe whispered against the warm slightly chapped mouth. "I don't want to make the same mistakes."

Emerson swallowed and nodded. They'd rushed into things last time, it had started off with sex, and that had always been the bedrock of their relationship. And maybe that's why it hadn't worked out, when Emerson was injured and sex wasn't a possibility, it put a strain on their relationship.

"Agreed." Emerson breathed back. "Slow."

Joe pulled away a little, looking down at the junior officer, his hands still on the man's hips. His head was spinning and his heart racing, but he felt the best he'd felt in ages.

"It's probably a good idea if we're a little more subtle too." Emerson smiled softly, his fingers playing lighting on Joe's neck.

"Why?" he frowned.

Emerson met his blue eyes. "I think the Skip kinda figured it out."

Joe's face paled and his hands snapped back in panic. "He….what?"

Kent grabbed his hands quickly, his thumb rubbing over their backs. "It's fine. He knows we're not together anymore."

Joe's face didn't change, the colour refusing to return. "But he's been….he's been trying to set me up with…." he shook his head in confusion.

Emerson chuckled a light and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, he's either been trying to get you back on the horse, or trying to get us back together. - He did seem to like telling me about that girl."

Joe frowned. "What girl?"

"The SOCO."

"Oh." Joe dropped his gaze to his feet.

Emerson took a step closer, closing the personal space between them. "How did it go with her by the way?" he smirked.

Joe fixed in with a serious stare. "Terribly. She was….her flat." he shuddered, physically, and Emerson couldn't stop the smirk becoming a grin.

"Messy was it?"

"You remember you're flat back when we….?"

Kent nodded.

"Worse."

Emerson bit his lip to stop the grin. "Sorry." he paused a moment before asking what he wanted to know. "Was that the only reason you…it didn't work?"

Joe saw where he was going with the question and sighed, taking a few steps back to rest his backside on the edge of the desk, taking Emerson with him, his hands resting comfortably on the junior officer's waist. "No. I only went out with her for Miles sake, to stop him from badgering me."

"Oh." Emerson smiled shyly. "And…..Narroy?"

Joe looked down at his lap. "I don't know. She was….I got along with her, but she was a little too….forward. A little too much like me. - I could almost imagine how utterly boring my life would be with her."

"As opposed to?" Kent smirked again.

Joe looked up with a warm grin. "As opposed to being alone." he said coolly.

Emerson narrowed his eyes. "So you want to be alone?"

Joe didn't answer the question, choosing instead to pulled Kent down into another kiss. It was slow and warm and everything Joe wanted. After a few minutes Emerson pulled back, breathless once more.

"I thought you said slow?"

Joe nodded. "That was slow." his whispered huskily.

"Hmm. - But not exactly baby steps."

Joe sighed, allowing Kent to widen the gap between them without letting go completely, scared that if he did, he would lose him again. "So what now?"

Emerson shrugged. "You finished working?"

Joe looked over his shoulder at the paper work. "No."

"Can it wait?"

Joe was still staring at the paper, before looking back at Kent, taking a moment to decide. Remembering what Miles had said about there always being something to stop him living his life. "Yes." he smiled.

"Good. So how about dinner?" Emerson asked. "You need to eat and I'm starving."

Joe nodded. "Sounds good." he pushed Kent back a few steps, letting him go and stepping around the desk for his jacket. Grabbing his coat off the rake he moved back to Kent, who was waiting by the closed door. He stopped him when he moved to open the office door. "Em? Are you sure you want….?"

Emerson nodded, reaching up and pulling Joe down into a brief kiss, before pulling the door open and rushing to grab his own coat.

They left the incident room together, causally and with an expectable space between them.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. This one felt easy to write and I think I've finally got my groove back. – At least until Morgan turns up.