It was three weeks after his release from the hospital before the doctor would okay a trip to L.A. In the meantime, more small flashes of memory had worked their way back. Jim had a vivid dream about Ellie as a small child, triggering a flood of memories of that time. Catherine had sat with him as he sobbed through them, sharing every detail that he could remember, hoping for more. He had also remembered Catherine, at least some of their history. There were still gaps. He couldn't remember being shot and the aftermath, but he remembered Lindsey's birthday party when she turned twelve. The name Bell meant nothing to him, but he remembered all three cases involving Lady Heather. His shrink said that his memories were coming back as he could handle them...the mind protecting itself after everything that Jim had been through the last few years. Little by little the bad stuff was working its way in between the good memories.

The night after the doctor okayed his trip, Catherine stayed at Jim's. The doctor had okayed other activities as well. Catherine was amused by Jim's sudden shyness. His flirting and teasing had grown more and more blatant after his release from the hospital, but suddenly he was self conscious.

They had dinner and then Catherine had kissed him over the dishes. He knew what was coming, why she was there. Fear was threatening to overcome him, however. What if he couldn't... He wondered what the lingering effects of his last trip to the hospital would be. And he was still amazed that this beautiful woman wanted him. Now they were on his couch, some old movie on tv and Catherine looking at him like he was dessert. He had his arm around her and things felt good, except that butterflies were having an argument in his gut and his blood was racing through his veins. His heart was pounding in his ears and the temperature in his house had suddenly shot up to a thousand degrees. She was looking at him again...that look, the one that said she was about to devour him. Come on, Brass...be a man... he thought to himself. Then he dove in.

His kiss was firm and hot, very hot and Catherine was into it immediately. Her hunger was threatening to consume her. She wanted what he had to offer and had waited patiently for all those weeks. But her patience had run out that afternoon in the doctor's office. She'd thought of nothing else all afternoon and evening, just the memory of his down covered chest and her hands on it, his kisses and nibbles as he explored her, the feel of his skin next to hers, and the unbelievable high that followed.

Her skin felt so smooth beneath his fingers; her scent filled him sending tingles through his nerves. Her small gasps and moans thrilled him and the sight of her, looking at him like that, was joy. And then there was her taste...oh how he loved her taste, her lips, her mouth, the little place near her ear, her neck... As he nibbled and savored, he kept thinking how gorgeous she was, how even her imperfections blended together to create beauty, how astonishing it was that she was here with him, and how she had been there for him through the last few weeks. A myriad of emotions ran through him from delight and wonder to love and thankfullness. "Oh god..." he moaned as he made his way around her body, a tremor running through him as all of the emotions assaulted him at once.

"Jim?"Catherine asked, concerned with the emotion in his voice and the tremor that she felt run through him. "You okay?"

He paused, looking into her eyes. "You amaze me..." he whispered in a husky, awe filled voice. "God Catherine, what you do to a man..."

"Is it a good thing? ...what I do to you, I mean?"

"Oh Baby, yes...jeez, I'm on fire. And when I look at you...and I see fire in you too..." he buried his face in her neck. "It must be a dream... I'm not this lucky...never in a million years could I have it this good."

"Jim," she whispered, "it's not a dream. And I am on fire and I need you to put it out. I'm flattered that you think I'm so amazing, but you are too. What you do to me when we're together... I've waited patiently for weeks but tonight, Jim...tonight I get what I want. And what I want is you."

Their love amking was tender, sweet and fevered, as well. For Catherine, it was a reward for her patience. For Jim, it was in some ways like his first time. His body remembered the sensations and what to do about them but mentally and emotionally, it was all new and mind blowing. He held her tightly in the afterglow, trembling with happiness. His body was exhausted but his mind was alert and active, recording everything that had just happened. This was one memory he was determined to keep. "I love you," he whispered to her, afraid to break the magic spell by speaking loudly.

Her fingers were playing lazily in his chest hair as her head rested over the soothing rhythm of his heart. "Mmmmmm, me too," she answered. "Jim," she said thoughtfully, "why don't you move in with me?"

Jim froze. "Move in?"

"Yeah...then we can be like this every night...or actually I guess it would be days for us since we work at night. But, we could be together like this..."

Jim wanted to say yes. He wanted so much to tell her he would move in tomorrow. But he didn't. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked. "I mean, Lindsey might not understand...and I'm still not all there yet."

"What's there for her to understand? And you are all there, believe me..."

He could feel her grin as she said the last part. But he was more worried about the first. "How you gonna talk to her about boys when you've got a short, balding guy whose only half here sleeping in your bed? No...when you tell her how to behave with her hormone driven, sex crazed male classmates, you don't need a sex crazed old guy drooling over you at the same time. No...it's not right for you or for her to have me around like that."

"Jim, I didn't realize that you are so old fashioned."

"It's not old fashioned. It's sensible."

"Okay," she said, disappointment in her tone. "But we're having lots of sleep overs..."

Jim chuckled. "Okay, I'll be sure to get some new jammies..."

"Oh...don't bother. You wouldn't be wearing them very long anyway."

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