A/N: So, this chapter's kind of (really) short, but it's cute. Plus the next one's super long so I guess they sort of balance out!
"Do you want me to stay?" John asked as he returned to the couch balancing two glasses of milk and yet another cinnamon bun. Laura waited until he was seated next to her before snuggling up next to him, covering his legs with the blanket as they settled back into their standard tv-viewing position.
"It would be great if you did," she told him, grabbing his wrist and pulling it towards her to take a large bite out of the sticky sweet pastry. She then took his free hand in hers once more as the end credits scrolled across the screen and the DVD reverted back to its main menu.
"So is that a yes?" he asked with an arched brow through his last mouth-full of pastry. Laura looked up at him seriously.
"If you want it to be," she said with a shrug, and his gaze intensified at her words.
"I don't want to leave you here alone," he said, his fingers warm around hers as he stroked his thumb along the back of her hand.
"Then don't," she said with a smile, and his lips curved upwards in response.
"Great. So next DVD then?" he asked as he sucked the sugar from his fingers, gesturing with his chin to the large stack on the coffee table.
"You read my mind," she told him, leaning forward to sift through the combination of both of their Doctor Who DVD collections that took up almost all of the available table space.
"Sometimes I wish I had two hearts," John mused a few hours later as he climbed into her bed, and Laura smiled despite the circumstances. Her sister's body may just have been found, but her boyfriend—who loved her, by the way—was wearing one of her oversized t-shirts and voicing his desire to become a Time Lord. She giggled and rolled over to look up at him.
"You'd make a great Doctor, doctor," she said, unable to manage a straight face as she spoke the words. John grinned as he settled in next to her. She turned to face him, instinctively reaching out to touch his face. He continued to smile at her as she stroked his cheek, his skin irresistibly soft beneath her fingers.
"I wish Irene was still here," Laura blurted suddenly, and John's eyes softened as he reached out and took her other hand in his beneath the sheets. "I'd hardly even seen her for the last thirteen years; when I left when I was eighteen, I completely broke my ties to that house and to her, leaving everything behind and starting over. It was difficult, but having Irene there with me, still in my life, would only have made things harder. She'd stopped being the supportive and loving older sister she'd once been soon after our parents died, and having her around me only seemed to bring me more pain and heartbreak." John listened intently as she spoke, his hand warm, strong, and supportive around hers. "But even after everything I've been through, after everything she didn't do, I still wish she was still at least here on earth, living the lifestyle she'd sacrificed my wellbeing to maintain."
"We all want more time," John agreed, and although she knew he meant well, Laura felt as if he was oversimplifying her situation—but then again, he didn't even know anything about the events she was alluding to. Laura allowed the urge to talk to John about Irene, to finally get everything out in the open, begin to take hold of her. She'd revealed the tip of the iceberg to Sherlock, but the frozen mass beneath the surface still yearned to be exposed. Looking at the man in her favorite XXL uni t-shirt, his eyes soft and inviting, she knew this was the time to finally expose herself.
A/N: So, after reading this chapter, I bet you guys would never guess what my favorite TV show is :)
Next chapter: Laura finally exposes herself (in case that wasn't clear)