Title: Learning As We Go, Part 10
Author: Caera1996
Rating: This part PG
W/C: This part 4,720
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: Jim and Joanna get ready for the new school year; Leonard and Jim make their announcement to Sam and Aurelan, and talk about what this change means to Jo.

Note: This part is a little shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it up before I go away for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Also, there's a lot of set up in this part, a lot of conversation. I hope it's not too boring!

Jim sat silently and still, not wanting to do anything that might distract Joanna. She was working her way through a three-page story, her lips moving slightly as she read silently. Jim's eyes flicked to his wristwatch that he'd laid on the table for easy viewing. She was being timed, but he didn't announce that fact to her, knowing that children sometimes get too distracted with racing the clock, lessening the accuracy of the evaluation. He smiled slightly at the expression of intense concentration on her face. She looked a lot like Bones…the same furrow between her brows that her father got when he was very focused on something. A few moments later, she looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm done!" she announced, closing the booklet and looking up at Jim expectantly. He nodded and made a quick note on the form in front of him before looking up at her.

"Very good, Jo. Let's talk about what you read for a couple of minutes, okay?" Joanna nodded and he continued with the assessment, making taking a few notes as they talked. They had been working for almost an hour, the first thirty minutes spent on math and this second half spent on reading ability, comprehension and writing. Now, as they neared the end of the formal assessment, Jim engaged her in a conversation about the characters in the story, the story line, asked her to extrapolate possible conclusions and give support for her answers with details from what she read, without looking back at the story.

Leonard's idea for Jim to do this official assessment of Joanna had been a good one. He didn't think she would have been able to work as well with another teacher at the school, especially the way this assessment was structured. It required a back-and-forth with the student in question, evaluating not only their ability to perform mathematical equations, read, and answer questions, but the ability to communicate ideas and verbally manipulate information. If they'd put Jo with another teacher, she'd probably do fine at the written parts, but that would give them only a partial picture. So that's what they were doing today. With school starting again in just over a week, Jim wanted to get Jo's results to her first grade teacher before the year started, and make sure they had a chance to talk.

The school's guidance counselor, Elizabeth Dehner, had expressed concern about Jim being the one to work with her, worried that he may inadvertently give her an advantage. But there was a reason Jim had asked Nyota about it first, before informing Dehner; because while she was good at her job, she was also very by-the-book. Jim was all for throwing the book out the window when the situation called for it, and Nyota was savvy enough to recognize when the situation called for it. Not really happy with being overruled by Nyota, Dehner had insisted that she observe the assessment process, to satisfy her concern, and to also go over Jim's results. Nyota also knew how to choose her battles, and while it rankled Jim to know that he and Joanna were being observed from and listened to from the other side of the one-way window, and that his results were going to be evaluated for "inconsistencies," he figured as far as compromises went, this wasn't a bad one. He knew that she could go over his report with a fine-toothed comb, and there wouldn't be anything questionable, so she may as well have at it.

"Okay, Joanna-banana…and we're done!" he said, closing his book and smiling at her.

"That was pretty fun!" she said, pushing he chair back and standing up.

"Yeah?" he said, reaching out to gently push strands of hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear. "What was your favorite part?"

"Um…I liked the last story. And I liked figuring out the numbers. Did I get a good grade?" Jim looked at her as he gathered the materials they'd used, slightly surprised. Neither he nor Leonard had given her any real information about the assessment, and had certainly not told her that she was being formally evaluated, something that they recommended to all parents. There was no reason to give children information like that, and run the risk of triggering test anxiety. They just said it was an activity to see what she liked and what she didn't, and all she had to do was her best…simple as that.

"Well, it wasn't really a test with grades, Jo. I just wanted to see what you liked best about math and reading," Jim replied. "Okay?"

"Okay," she said shrugging, completely unperturbed. "Are we going home soon?"

"Pretty soon. About 10 minutes…do you want to draw on the board until we go?"

"Sure!" she replied, pushing away from the table to head to the chalk board. Jim smiled to himself as quickly expanded on some of his short-hand notes, not wanting to forget what he'd been trying to convey while they were talking. He needed some time to go over everything, assign values to the quality of her work and the way she processed ideas, but his initial opinion was really no different from what he already knew. Joanna was an extremely intelligent little girl with a highly-developed number sense and an advanced ability to reason in an abstract manner. Now they just had it down on paper. It would be good to be able to hand that to her new teacher, in the event that Jo had a hard time adjusting to the new classroom, so that her inability to express herself wasn't mistaken for an academic issue. And, it was something they could use later, if a switch in schools or educational plans became necessary.

Jim was very pleased with the teacher Joanna was going to have for this year. While both first grade teachers were experienced, well-liked and effective, Jim felt Christine Chapel was especially well-suited to work with Joanna. She had an undeniable talent for nurturing the individual abilities of the students in her class. She also had a daughter a few years older than Joanna with a moderate case of Asperger's Syndrome, and while Joanna did not have that challenge, Christine was uniquely qualified in dealing with children who have a hard time connecting with others. She had already met Joanna and Bones at the open house, and while that initial meeting had gone pretty much par for the course as far as Joanna was concerned, Bones came away impressed and relieved.

Just as Jim was finishing up, the door to his classroom opened.

"Hello Mr. Kirk," Elizabeth Dehner said as she entered his classroom. Checking a sigh, he turned to her, noting that Joanna kept her attention firmly on the pictures she was drawing on his board. "Hi Joanna. How are you?" she said, voice friendly.

"I'm good, thank you," she replied politely, though she didn't stop what she was doing or turn away from the board to face her.

"Hi Liz," Jim said with a smile that grew wider as her eyes flicked to Joanna and her lips tightened. He knew it was juvenile, purposely pushing her buttons like this, but it was just too easy, and it was harmless.

"I'd like to see your notes, please," she said. Jim managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes in annoyance, barely, as Joanna looked over her shoulder at them.

"I need a day or so to flesh them out," he replied, keeping his tone even and light. "But I'll have them for you on Monday." He stood, forcing her to take a small step back. "Jo and I are just about to head out, but it was good to see you." He held her gaze as she very obviously weighed whether or not to argue with him over this. Jim Kirk was a constant pain in her neck. Apparently, he thought that having an extra academic degree made him more qualified than her 19 years of experience. Unfortunately, their principal was under the same misapprehension, and Elizabeth just knew the day Uhura was appointed by the board that she would receive no support from the administration. So far, that had turned out to be true, and she had no doubt that would hold for this situation with the girl…the child of Kirk's current boyfriend, if what she's been hearing is correct. The situation was so obviously inflammatory…she could hardly believe Uhura was allowing it.

"Fine. Monday morning, please," she said finally. Jim smiled tightly, unable to completely quell the irritation he felt, sure that she could see it in his eyes and not particularly worried about it. Politics and diplomacy weren't his strong points.

"Of course," he said. "First thing." Elizabeth nodded and shifted her attention to Joanna.

"Goodbye Joanna. Have a good weekend," she said, lightening her voice quite a bit. Jim watched as Jo glanced at her over her shoulder, and knew that Dehner could make her voice sound as friendly as Minnie Mouse, and it wouldn't matter now. She didn't seem to understand that just because you weren't addressing a child directly didn't mean the child wasn't listening.

"Thank you," she said quietly, turning back to the board.

"Jo, why don't you erase the board for me, and go ahead and put the chalk back in the container, so we can get going, okay?" Jim said, giving Dehner a big clue.

"See you Monday, Mr. Kirk," she said, obviously getting it, and with that, she headed out of the classroom. Joanna didn't turn around until she heard the door to his classroom close.

"I don't like her," Joanna said, coming back over to the table. "She's not very nice."

"Nah," Jim said, picking her up and holding her at his eyelevel. "She's very nice to kids." He chuckled at the look she gave him...so like her father. "Really," he insisted, shifting her slightly in his arms to take some of the pressure off of his shoulder. "Sometimes she could be a little nicer to adults…but Ms. Dehner is very nice to kids."

"Do I have to see her on Monday?" Joanna asked, reaching out to pull Jim's glasses off him. He let her, having forgotten he was even wearing them. He crossed his eyes, making her giggle.

"Nope, you don't have to come back here until school starts," he replied. "Do you remember when that is?" Joanna nodded.

"Not this Monday after this weekend, but the next one," she said. Jim nodded.

"That's right! Are you excited?" he asked. Joanna unfolded his glasses and put them back on, settling them crookedly on his nose. She shrugged and bit her lip.

"I wish I could be in your class. I'm going to miss Samantha," she said. Jim smiled at her, knowing what the real problem was, and that Samantha was just a convenient excuse.

"Well," he said, gently setting her back on her feet, ignoring an uncomfortable twinge and click in his shoulder. "You can come see her every morning and every afternoon, and you can take her home on weekends and days off…okay?"

"I guess so," Joanna said. She looked up at Jim. "Are you taking me home now?" He ruffled her hair and grabbed his bag.

"We have one stop to make first…your dad asked me to pick up some things from the supermarket." He held his hand out to her that she took unhesitatingly and he led her out of the room, flipping the lights off. "You're going to help me find all the right things, right?"

"Right!"

"Awesome."

"Leonard," Sam said, as he followed him into the kitchen. "Can I do anything to help you?" He looked around at what Leonard had on the counters and on the stove, and set his beer down on the breakfast table. Leonard looked over his shoulder at him with a smile as he finished rinsing a couple of dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

"Nah, I think I'm pretty well set…just want to get the worst of it cleared away. The girls doin' okay?" Leonard asked, grabbing another pot and letting it fill with water and soap to soak for a bit. Sam nodded, leaning on the counter near the fridge.

"Yeah. Cathy read them a couple of books, and she said Joanna was almost asleep before she was even finished. I wish Janie went to bed that easily."

Leonard smirked. "Trust me…that is not usually the case…but running around with Janie and Kim seems to do the trick for her. You want anything? Another beer?" Sam shook his head and eyeing Leonard speculatively. There was a reason he and Jim had invited them to dinner tonight – and made it clear that this was an adults' dinner only…they had news to share. Consequently, the girls were having a sleepover at his house with their sitter Cathy.

Their news wasn't necessarily news that was a huge surprise, but it did touch off some concerns. And now, Sam was wondering how much he should say. He had no doubt about his right to say it…he was the older brother, and he'd always looked out for Jim the best he could, but there was the matter of what was acceptable…and what was pushing it.

Jim was moving in with Leonard and Joanna.

Aurelan reacted instantly, happy for them, asking Jim if he needed help packing – and basically being the sensitive, accepting, caring woman Sam fell in love with. He was happy for them, too…happy that Jim seemed to have found someone who was a good match for him, but he was also a…concerned. He kept it to himself, resolving to wait for a better time than around the dinner table to voice his reservations, smiling and asking when they were planning to do this. Despite his best effort, though, he was fairly certain he didn't do a very good job of hiding what he was feeling. And now, Sam thought, might be the best time for he and Leonard to talk.

Earlier, Jim had hooked up his digital camera to the tv, and now he and Aurelan were looking at the pictures from their Disney trip. He could hear Jim explaining them as they scrolled through the shots and Aurelan's light, happy exclamations at what she was seeing. They were occupied, and he and Leonard could talk privately.

"Leonard," he said, crossing his arms over himself. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Leonard sighed slightly, the sound of the running water in the sink covering for him. He'd wondered when this was going to happen…he'd seen the look on Sam's face when Jim announced he was moving in. And while he may not be a psychologist, he was very familiar with the desire to protect, and he recognized what he saw in the older brother's expression. Turning off the water, he turned to Sam, drying his hands on a dishtowel.

"Sure," he said. He nodded toward the back door. "Want to go outside?" Sam inclined his head and Leonard led them out. Summer here was very different from summer in Florida, and after the heat and constant humidity, it felt especially nice out now. Leonard settled himself in one of the lawn chairs left out earlier and Sam lounged on the bench. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, each wondering if the other was going to start the conversation. Leonard stretched out his legs and laced his fingers behind his head.

"Somethin' on your mind, Sam?" Leonard asked. If they were going to talk about what Sam didn't say earlier, they may as well get to it.

"I think you already know what I want to say," Sam said mildly. Leonard shrugged, keeping his eyes on the sky.

"I saw the way you reacted at the table, Sam. And I do know a bit about wanting to keep someone safe." Sam sighed, relieved that Leonard seemed to at least understand where he was coming from.

"I just…I want to make sure you understand how much this means to him – how much you mean to him. Because, Leonard, I know you're always going to put your daughter first…and it should be that way…it has to be that way. But I've watched Jim deal with being different since he was old enough to have an inkling of what it meant. I don't know what your history is, and it's not my business, but this life you're choosing with Jim, it's not easy. And Joanna's probably going to be at the receiving end of some ugliness somewhere down the line because of the two of you. And I want to make sure that you understand that even if that happens, and even though you have to put Joanna first, if you and Jim are going to do this, you have to find a way to put him first too. Because that's what he's going to do for you and your daughter…and my brother deserves nothing less. I don't want him to get hurt, Leonard."

Leonard listened quietly, letting Sam say his piece. He was actually quite impressed with Sam, and how vehemently he was standing up for his brother. Leonard was an only child, and never had the benefit of a sibling looking out for him, or having the opportunity to look out for someone else. He didn't think he'd really been missing much, but now, he wasn't so sure. Now, after seeing through an adult's eyes what he was missing, he almost wished Joanna would have the same opportunity. She did have Janie and Kim, though, and "cousins" was going to have to do.

"I love him, Sam," Leonard said. "I've never loved anyone…not even Jo's mama…the way I love him. And I'm gonna be honest with you here…I have no idea what it means to love someone the way I love Jim. Everything about it, about having him in my life, is a surprise. And most of the time those surprises are great. But yeah, sometimes the surprises come in the form of a challenge – I expect that. But at the end of the day, it doesn't change how I feel about him. You're right…you don't know my history. You have no idea how much it means to me to have Jim in my life, when for years I truly believed I would always only have Joanna. He…Sam, he saved me. I will never do anything to hurt him. Because I love him." Leonard stopped, feeling uncomfortably flushed – he really wasn't very good at this kinda thing with other people. With Jim was one thing…but talking about feelings with anyone else made him uncomfortable. But he wanted Sam to understand, and he looked over at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Sam was quiet for a moment, letting Leonard's words sink in. That was actually exactly what he was looking for.

"Well, okay then," Sam said. Leonard sighed and relaxed slightly, glad for the acceptance. The last thing he wanted was to cause strife between the brothers.

"Okay."

Jim and Aurelan wandered into the kitchen, wondering what Sam and Leonard were up to. It was late, and they were both tired. Also, the prospect of not having kids in the house made Jim look forward to getting Bones alone. They could actually sleep in tomorrow morning. Or whatever. The smile Jim had been wearing slowly slid off his face as he caught sight of Bones and Sam.

"Uh, Aurelan…" Jim said, looking out the window over the sink. She walked over to him, peering out into the darkness. She could just make out the outline of the two men by a lamppost on the path. "What do you think they're talking about?" She threw a glance at Jim.

"C'mon…you really have no idea?" she said, gently bumping his side with her body. Jim grimaced and rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the fact that his brother cared about and wanted to look out for him…but he wasn't a child anymore. Aurelan smiled at the expression on his face. "You could be 76, Jim, and you'd still be his little brother." Jim sighed, conceding the point. He looked around the kitchen. Bones had done most of the clean up…there were just some leftovers that needed to be put away. Jim glanced out the window again, wondering if he should go out there.

"Jim," Aurelan said, correctly reading the possibility of intent in his expression. "Help me put this food away. Where does Leonard keep his Tupperware?" Rolling his eyes at his sister in law, he moved to the cabinet that held the items she wanted and pulled a couple down.

"How come you're allowed to be all nosy and get in my business, but I can't go stick myself in business that actually concerns me?" Jim asked. Aurelan looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

"Because, Jim-dear, you're not a girl. It's one of the privileges," she said. Jim rolled his eyes and snorted. "You guys have anything for dessert?"

"Um…" Jim pulled open the freezer. "Ice cream?"

"Perfect."

Sam and Leonard found Aurelan and Jim a few minutes later, Aurelan curled up on the couch, Jim on the floor, with bowls of ice cream, watching a rerun of The Office.

"Hey babe," Sam said, leaning down to kiss Aurelan. He settled himself next to her, and she leaned into his side tucking her feet under her. Leonard took the other end, of the couch, and Jim pressed against his legs, resting his head on his knee. Leonard absently drew his fingers through Jim's hair, and they finished watching the show.

"So what were you and Sam talking about?" Jim asked as they were getting ready for bed a while later. Leonard paused, floss in hand, and looked over at Jim as he tossed his chocolate ice-cream stained shirt in the hamper.

"What do you think we were talking about, Jim?" Leonard responded. "He was just being a big brother…looking out for you. Reminding me how lucky I am…not that I don't already know that," he said with a smile that Jim returned. He went back to flossing, finishing quickly and heading out of the bathroom. Jim followed him out, turning off lights as he went. Leonard pulled the blankets back on the bed and lay down. Jim joined him, sighing happily as he relaxed on the mattress.

"But what did you say to him?" Jim asked when they were lying together comfortably. Leonard wrapped his arm around Jim and drew him close.

"That I love you," he said. Jim smiled and kissed him softly.

"Mmm…I love you too." Jim said. Leonard lips quirked upward, eyes traveling over Jim's face.

"And I told him that you saved me." Jim pulled back slightly and looked at Leonard, eyes a little puzzled.

"Saved you?" he repeated, the question obvious. Leonard nodded and Jim chuckled quietly.

"What's funny?" Leonard asked, gently tracing Jim's lips.

"I told him the same thing about you…a while ago…that you saved me." Leonard smiled and kissed him, hand cupping his face. "That must be why we're such a good match," Jim said when Leonard pulled away to breathe. "We saved each other." Leonard made a sound of assent and shifted slightly, adjusting the way he was resting against Jim's side so as to not put extra pressure on his shoulder.

"So…we've told Sam and Aurelan. We've negotiated an exit on your lease…which is still too much, in my opinion…we still need to tell Jo," Leonard said. "Just wondering when you want to get to that. Cause I have a feeling she'll notice when we start movimg your things in here." Jim sighed and shifted, turning so he was lying on his side, knees slightly drawn up. Leonard mirrored his position, so they were facing each other, barely a twelve inches between them. Jim kept his eyes down, and Leonard waited patiently, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on Jim's hands, clasped between them.

Jim felt himself flush as he avoided looking up at Bones. It was true, he had been putting off telling Jo...and so far Bones had let it go. First it was "let's make sure I can even break the lease." Then it was "I want to do her assessment before telling her." His last stall tactic was, "I want to tell my brother first." Leonard had agreed to all of them, seeing the logic, even as he saw the stall tactic. But as of tonight, the last condition was met, and he was going to start moving his things in Monday, with the idea that they'd do it slowly over the course of the last week of summer, so that by Friday he'd be completely out of his own place. After a couple of minutes, Leonard squeezed his hands and leaned in to kiss him, hating that Jim was concerned about something that should be nothing but good, and concerned that he was either reluctant to talk about it, or worse, unable to put whatever it was into words.

"What are you worried about, Jim?" Leonard asked softly, trying to project calm acceptance, wanting Jim to know he could tell him anything…that he could be for Jim what Jim was for him. "I'm so thrilled that you're moving in…and I think you are too…"

Jim looked up at that, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, Bones…I am. I really am so happy about it and I can't wait. I love you so much." He paused and glanced away again. "I guess I…I mean, she likes me well enough now, because I'm not always here. But what if she ends up resenting me taking a place in your life?" he asked, his voice sounding a lot smaller to than usual. "What if…what if she doesn't want me as anything other than a friend to have around on weekends? And…and what do you want me to be to her? What am I supposed to be to her?"

Leonard furrowed his brows together, listening to Jim question his place in Jo's life, in their family, hearing that note of self-doubt that was rare enough that it still managed to surprise Leonard. Knowing how he grew up, though, gave him not necessarily an understanding of where Jim was coming from, but an appreciation for it. Leonard stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about the best way to handle this. He knew what a big step this was for Jim, and he didn't want to make light of his concerns – not that they were small concerns anyway. He just kinda thought Jim was much more concerned than the situation called for.

"Okay…first of all…you've been so much more to us than someone who just hangs around on the weekends, Jim. You have dinner with us, you've brought Jo home from school at least as many times I have. You sleep here more nights than not during the week. And, most importantly, when you're not around, Jo wants to know where 'Uncle Jim' is. You are always here, and Jo wants that. I want that. And I think you've been in our lives long enough that she is not going to resent you having a place in my life. I don't think she's thinking that way anymore. I think she thinks you are her's as much as you are mine." Leonard paused and looked at him with such compassion and love, it left Jim breathless. And, god, did he like the sound of being described like that.

Belonging, in the most powerful way.

"And you be to Joanna exactly what you already are. You don't have to change anything. Love her, put her in her place if she deserves it, be someone else she has to turn to and learn from and…and grow up with. Be exactly who you are. And…if something comes up, if Jo has a hard time with something, we'll handle it together."

Jim felt something relax inside him, hearing how certain Bones was of all of this; of him, of Jo, of their relationship to each other. Bones made it sound so simple…and it was, really.

He was right.