Tensions were high at the Yorktown, as everyone walked on eggshells, waiting for the moment when Leonard would take his butcher knife and lodge it in Chris's back. Not surprisingly however, the day after Leonard found out about Mel and Chris, it was Leonard's usual fill-in that showed up for work. It continued like this for three days, until Leonard showed up for work Wednesday night. The tension between both Leonard and Chris was so apparent, that Phil ended up calling them into his office one at a time.

"I don't know what's going on, "Phil said, as Chris sat before him. "But whatever it is, keep it out of the kitchen. I didn't hire you both just to have you dishing out your personal problems."

So for the rest of the week, Leonard stayed in his corner and Chris stayed in his, avoiding all talk. Jim, Hikaru and Nyota were the ones who did all the dirty work, making sure things got out on time and that no one ended up bleeding on the floor.

On Saturday night, Valentine's Day, Nyota waited for Chris as he locked the back door.

"Doing anything special with Mel?" she asked, leaning up against her car.

Chris shrugged, "Probably not," he unlocked his own car. "She hasn't left the couch since Len came by to get Jo."

Nyota nodded and picked up the bag from the roof of her car, "I made this for you two," she said, handing him the bag. "It's German chocolate, which I know is your favorite and Melanie cannot say no to chocolate."

"Thanks Ny,' he gave her a thankful smile. "Really."

She nodded, "Hopefully she'll be up to celebrating this Hallmark holiday," she pulled open her door. "Even if it ends up with you two eating cake and falling asleep."

They said their goodbyes, as they climbed into their cars. Chris waited for Nyota to pull out of the parking lot, before following after her. They headed down to the main light at the end of the street, before Nyota turned right, beeping her horn at him. Chris did the same and turned left, heading back to Melanie's house.

….

As soon as Chris left around noon for work, Melanie quickly got up off the couch and took a shower. She knew how disgusting she looked, because she could feel it. Her hair was greasy and her skin felt disgusting. She had been sitting in the same clothes since the day Leonard found out, and they desperately needed to be thrown in the washer.

The shower left her feeling slightly better, though she couldn't get rid of the sadness that filled her heart. It had been a week since last saw Jo, having no contact with her as Leonard took her to god only knows where. From what Jim told her, they'd moved into a tiny apartment across town, which was closer to her school. She also knew that Leonard was hardly speaking to anyone at work, except for Jim because Jim had threatened to call his lawyer as well.

"Just give him some time to calm down, Mel," Jim told her over breakfast the other day. "He's gotta get used to the fact that this a serious relationship and that he has no control over you anymore."

On top of her family issues, Melanie had forgotten that it was Valentine's Day. Luckily, Gaila had texted her that morning, sending her a picture of a dozen roses that Scotty had sent to her. She then realized how awful she'd been to Chris during the week, being difficult and ignoring him. He had been her rock during the whole ordeal, staying by her as she went crazy. She needed to snap out of it and show Chris how much she appreciated him and everything he'd done for her.

Running into her bedroom, Melanie ripped all the sheets and comforter off the bed and carried them down to the washroom. Putting new sheets and pillowcases down, Melanie retrieved the newer comforter from the closet and laid it across the bed. Once it was neat and satisfied her, Melanie cleaned up the bedroom and went downstairs to clean. By five-thirty, everything was spotless, showing no evidence that a twenty-seven year old woman had been wasting away for a week. Fuck Leonard, she thought. If he wanted to be a bastard and run away, then so be it. No more, would Melanie let him affect her relationship with the man she loved.

She knew the restaurant was closing an hour early today, giving her enough time to order take out and change into something sexier than flannel. At ten, Nyota texted to let her know that Chris was on his way home. Quickly setting the table up, Melanie kept her ears open for the sound of his car pulling into the driveway. She lit a few candles and grabbed a bottle of wine down from the cabinet, as soon as she heard a car door slam shut.

"Mel?" Chris called out, as he closed the front door. "I'm home."

Slowly, Melanie slipped out of the kitchen and stood in the hall. "Hi," she said softly, as he turned to look at her.

Dressed in a short black sheer robe, Chris could see the lacy undergarments underneath. "What's all this?" he asked, as she made her way over to him.

"I've been a really bad girlfriend," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry."

His arms went around her waist, "It's okay," he said, as she shook her head.

"No it's not," she sighed. "I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate what you've done for me, because I do."

Chris kissed her, "I know," he said softly.

Melanie smiled, "Happy Valentines Day."

He reached up to push a strand of hair away from her eyes, "Happy Valentines Day, Mel."

"Come," she stepped back, taking his hand into hers. "I ordered take out for us, considering that you've been cooking all day for other couples."

He snickered, "And, I have cake," he said, holding up the bag. "Nyota said you wouldn't turn down chocolate," he saw the sparkle in her eye. "And, she guessed right."

Melanie looked at him, " I don't know what I want first," she said, tapping her fingers together. "Chinese food, chocolate cake or you," she grinned playfully, licking her lips.

"How about, " he reached out for her again. "We eat, then play around for a while?" he asked, kissing her between the two options.

"What about cake?" she asked, as he kissed her again.

He chuckled, "We'll have cake. Don't worry."

…..

Jim knocked on the door for the third time, both annoyed and exhausted. He could hear voices behind the door, one trying to quiet the other as Jim knocked.

"Dammit Bones!" JIm shouted. "Open the door before I kick it down!"

A few seconds later, the door swung open and Leonard stood before him. "What do you want?" he asked, as Joanna raced around the tiny livingroom.

"Jim!" she shrieked, a smile lighting up her face as she ran towards the door.

Running past her father, Joanna latched herself to Jim's leg and looked up at him. "Are you here to be my Valentine?" she asked.

He chuckled, "Yes," he nodded, earing a scowl from Leonard. "I'm here to be your Valentine."

Joanna giggled and grabbed the end of his coat, "Move Daddy! Jim is my Valentine!"

Jim looked at him and shrugged, "You heard the little lady," he said, as Leonard rolled his eyes.

Moving aside, Leonard watched as Joanna pulled Jim into the apartment and closed the door behind them. "Why are you here, Jim?" he asked, as the younger man set a bag down on the old coffee table.

"I came here, "Jim started as he pulled his coat off, "Because I missed little Jo-bean and I wanted to see how you were doing."

"You saw me earlier at work," Leonard pointed out. "We're fine."

Jim rolled his eyes, "I saw you at work, yes. But I also had to make sure neither you or Chris did anything stupid that would land you in a pine box or jail."

"What's in here, Jim?" Joanna asked, peering into the bag. "CUPPYCAKES!"

"Shh, Joanna the neighbors," Leonard hissed, as she reached into the bag. "And it's a little late for sweets."

Jim pouted, "One cupcake wont kill her," he said.

Leonard glared at him, "I'm her father. I said no."

"But I'm her Valentine," Jim grinned. "My heart would break if she couldn't eat a sweet treat."

Joanna pouted, "Please Daddy! Pleaseeeeeee?" she wiggled around. "One cuppycake!"

Leonard huffed, "Fine," he rolled his eyes. "One cupcake and then it's off to bed! You have school tomorrow morning."

As Jim set a cupcake onto a napkin, Leonard went into the kitchen to get a glass of water for her. He came back in as Jim was sitting next to Jo on the couch, holding a napkin in his hand.

"Good lord, Jo," he chuckled, wiping the chocolate frosting off her face. "You are a messy Valentine."

She giggled, "Yum, yum, yum," she chanted, kicking her sock-clad feet about. "Did Miss Nyota make these cuppycakes?" she asked.

Jim nodded, "But I helped her with the frosting and sprinkles, "he said, taking the cupcake wrapper from her. "I am the icing king of baked goods."

Leonard came into the living room and handed Jo the cup of water, "You claim to be the king of everything, " he said, as Joanna took a small sip.

"That's because I am," Jim pointed out. "You on the other hand, are the king of grumps."

Joanna giggled and Jim turned to her, "And you," he lightly tickled her. "Are the princess of everything nice."

Leonard shook his head, "And now the princess needs to go to bed," he said, as she groaned. "Come on, missy. School tomorrow."

Sitting up, Joanna quickly wrapped her arms around Jim's neck and hugged him. "Thank you for being my Valentine," she said.

"Thank you for being mine, Jo-bean," he hugged her tightly. "Have fun at school tomorrow."

Joanna kissed his cheek, "I will," she said, before hopping off the sofa.

She ran to Leonard and took his hand, pulling him towards the tiny hallway that led to the bedrooms. "I'll be right back," Leonard said, pointing at him. "Don't go anywhere. We need to talk."

Jim nodded and watched as he scooped Joanna up into his arms, disappearing down the hall.

….

"You know, cake tastes SO much better after sex," Melanie announced, as she sat on the counter top in the kitchen. "I think it's the chocolate."

Chris chuckled as she shoved the fork back into her mouth, licking it clean of any chocolate left behind. "I think you're imagining things," he said. "But then again, you had a little too much wine."

Melanie shrugged, "Did I now?" she asked, grinning playfully. "And here I thought you fucked my brains out."

"Maybe I did," he frowned. "Do you remember what day it is? Or your birthday?" he asked.

"Ha, ha," she shook her head. "I remember everything, Chris. Which is surprising because for a moment I forgot my damn name."

Chris put the cake back into the box, "You have a filthy mouth," he said, bringing the cake to the refrigerator.

Melanie snorted, "That's not what you said before," she smiled; as he walked back over to her "I distinctly remember you saying how you liked my dirty mouth when it was wrapp-" he quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

Then with the other hand, Chris took the fork away from her and tossed it into the sink. "You need to be punished," he said, as he moved the plate away from her.

"Hmmm?" she licked the palm of his hand, her eyes sparking with playfulness and pleasure.

Chris then pulled her off the counter and set her down on the floor, "How ever shall you punish me?" she asked, nearly purring into his ear. "I've been very bad."

She yelped when his hand came down against her ass, leaving her cheek stinging. "Ow," she snorted, as he nipped at her jaw.

"Is that sufficient punishment?" his voice husky against her ear. "Or do you want something harsher?"

Melanie's hips pressed against his, "I don't care what you do, just fucking do me," she moaned, as his hands squeezed her ass. "NOW."

Chris hoisted her up into his arms and carried her towards the den, "Yes Ma'am."