Title: Learning As We Go, Part 36
Author: Caera1996
Disclaimer: Not mine
Rating: PG-13
W/C: 5,425
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: Leonard's sick, and Jim has to pick up the role of parent. Then the McCoys have their first Christmas with the Kirks.
Jim rolled over in the bed, his sleep disturbed by something he couldn't identify yet. Vaguely he became aware that he was in the bed alone, and the space beside him was cold and empty. Coming more awake, the sound that had woken him initially registered with him this time…it was the sound of someone being sick to his stomach.
"Bones?" Jim said worriedly, pushing himself up and peering through the darkness towards the bathroom. The light wasn't on – Jim couldn't see anything – but he could hear. And Bones was obviously in distress.
Sliding out of the bed, he yanked a t-shirt over his head to help ward off the chill, and tripped into his boxers as he headed to the bathroom. He turned on the light, making himself squint, and barely noticed the cold of the tile against his feet.
Bones was there, naked, crouched over the toilet bowl, as his stomach violently rejected what looked like everything he'd eaten over the course of the day.
"Bones…oh, no," he said, falling to his knees beside him. He touched him gently, one hand to his head, curving around his forehead to provide support, the other around his shoulders. Bones was clammy and hot to the touch, and he was shivering.
"I'm….ugh…okay," he rasped, trying to breathe around the urge to retch into the bowl.
"Okay…does this seem okay to you?" Jim asked, not really expecting an answer.
Bones spat into the toilet again, and Jim flushed it, getting rid of the fouled water and the smell that was probably not helping Bones' gag reflex. It certainly wasn't helping his, that was for damn sure.
"Oh…shit," he gasped, closing the lid and resting his head on his arm as he sagged on his knees. "Told you I wasn't feeling well," he mumbled.
"Well, yeah…but this is about as far from "justaheadache,Jim,andmystomachfeelsalittleoff" as you can get." Jim moved away from him to dampen a washcloth with cool water. He handed it to him and hovered uncertainly. "What can I do Bones? How can I help you? Let me get you something to wear." Jim left him momentarily, and hurried to the bureau. He pulled out a long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants, not wanting him to be cold.
Tenderly, Jim helped Leonard dress, and waited while he brushed his teeth and rinsed out his mouth, and then guided him back to bed. Leonard lay down with a shaky sigh, and Jim pulled the blanket up around him. He knelt by the edge of the bed, gently running a hand over Bones' head, massaging him with strong fingers.
"Do you want anything? Ginger ale maybe?" Jim whispered.
Bones swallowed, and shook his head. Nothing sounded good right now.
"I'm okay, Jim. It's just a bug…prob'ly a twenty-four hour thing. But you shouldn't sleep here…don't want you getting it too," Leonard said. "Ugh…my head is killing me. That feels nice."
Leonard burrowed deeper into the pillow and blanket, his eyes closing as Jim kept up his ministrations. Bones' breathing evened out as he relaxed, though Jim didn't think he'd fallen asleep yet.
"Be right back," Jim whispered after a couple more moments.
Leonard opened his eyes, and squinted up at Jim blearily. "You should go sleep in the extra bedroom or the couch," he said, his voice scratchy and hoarse. "I don't want you gettin' sick, too."
Yeah,that's gonna happen. "Oh, don't worry about me. I never get sick. My immune system's been built up by exposing myself to germy children. I'll be right back," Jim said again. He hurried to the kitchen, got a cup of water, an empty cup, a can of ginger ale, and couple of Tylenol, in case Bones changed his mind, and some crackers in a bowl. In the family room, he snagged the throw blanket off the couch, and then padded back down the hall to their bedroom, taking a moment to peek in on Jo, who was sleeping soundly.
Back in the bedroom, the light was still on in the bathroom, and Jim left it like that. Quietly, he arranged everything on the bedside table, and then dragged the chair over to the side of the bed. Leaning down, he brushed his lips over Bones' forehead. He felt hot – Jim was sure he had a fever – but he seemed to be asleep and Jim didn't want to wake him.
With a sigh, he settled into the chair beside the bed and pulled the throw blanket over himself. He propped his feet up on the bed and did his best to get comfortable. He didn't think he would be sleeping tonight. Bones had sounded and looked so miserable…Jim had never seen him like that before. He washed his hands seventy-five times a day, he made Joanna take a bath nearly every night (he'd never taken a bath every night as a kid), and he was never sick. He just…didn't like knowing there was nothing he could do to make Bones feel better. He didn't like feeling helpless.
He yawned and glanced at the clock…a little after three in the morning. He reached over and turned the alarm off. There was no way Bones could go in to work today, no reason to wake him up. And Jim knew it probably wasn't necessary, but he didn't want to leave Bones alone and tonight…oh, crap, he thought. Tonight was supposed to be the Pot-Luck Holiday Dinner and Show at McKinley. A yearly event that took place on the last day of school before the winter break, it was an opportunity for parents and kids who wanted to attend to share a meal and enjoy a student talent show. Joanna wasn't participating in the show, they hadn't been able to talk her into it, but she'd been looking forward to Leonard attending with her. Jim was planning on being there of course, but he knew Janice, who ran the program for the last three years, was counting on him to help work the event.
Jim sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face. Well there's no way in hell Bones is going to be able to go tonight. I'll have to get some one else to help Janice. Jim was okay with that…going to the event with Joanna in place of Bones…he just didn't know if she would be okay with it. He yawned and slumped down in the chair a little further, deciding that he'd just handle it later…no use worrying about it now, hours from when Jo even woke up.
"Ohh…ugh…too hot," Leonard croaked, pushing the blankets off of him. Jim took his feet down and leaned forward, helping him fold the comforter down and out of the way.
"It's okay, Bones…I got it," Jim said. "It's okay. You're really hot though…think you can take some Tylenol?"
Leonard squinted at him, looking confused as to why he was there, but then shook his head and swallowed against a dry throat.
"Pretty sure I'll throw it up," he rasped. "What are you doing?"
"I…didn't want to leave you alone," Jim said quietly, and then admitted, "I was worried."
Leonard reached out and let his hand rest on Jim's knee. "I'm okay. It's just a bug. Prob'ly be fine tomorrow." He swallowed and winced. "Stupid throat is really sore."
"Want to try a sip of water? Or some ginger ale?" Jim asked.
"I'll try the water," Leonard said, pushing himself up enough to accept the cup Jim offered and take a small sip. The cool water felt good, but he resisted the urge to take more than just a sip because he was pretty sure he would throw it up, and he really didn't want to do that again.
Leonard lay back down, pulling the sheet up around him again. "Thanks, Jim."
"Of course. When it's late enough, I'll call in for you. Who should I call? Is the number in your phone?"
Leonard almost told him not to worry about it…that he'd call himself…but he stopped, realizing that Jim needed to help.
"Yeah, it is. If you could call around nine, that'll be fine. And then call the hospital…I was supposed to see a patient today."
Leonard gave Jim the names of the people he needed to talk to, and let go of the need to do it himself, to make sure that all of his bases were covered himself. He'd been so used to being the only one to deal with whatever came up, it was hard to let someone else take over. But he'd done it for Jim, and it made Jim feel better to do it for him.
"You should try to sleep."
"What about you? You gonna sit there all night?"
Jim shrugged and scooted forward in the chair, reaching to run his fingers through Bones' hair again, the gentle touch soothing and meant to urge Bones to relax and close his eyes.
"I'm fine," Jim said. "You just sleep. I'll take care of everything in the morning."
" 'Kay," Leonard murmured. Jim smiled slightly as his eyes closed again his breathing evened out as he fell back asleep. Jim leaned back in the chair and pulled the blanket back over himself. Keeping his eyes on Bones, Jim made plans for the morning…call a sub, call in for Bones, get Jo to school, talk to Janice about the dinner tonight…all to do in the morning…
"Uncle Jim? Uncle Jim?" Jim started slightly, waking suddenly to the quiet voice whispering in his ear. "Is something wrong with Daddy? Am I going to school today?"
"Jo," Jim said, straightening up in the chair. He winced as his back cracked. "Your dad's not feeling great, but he's okay. Let's be real quiet to not wake him up, ok?"
"Ok," Jo whispered back. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, then refocused on the little girl standing at his elbow. "Jo…what are you wearing?"
She looked down at herself. "Daddy didn't put clothes out for me this morning. Did you know that Jake knocked over the Christmas tree again? Do I have school today?"
"The tree…yeah, you have school today," he said, standing…and then glanced at the clock. "Oh, shit!"
"You said a bad word!" Joanna whispered so loudly she may as well have been talking in a normal voice.
"Sorry…go on into the kitchen, Jo. I'll be there in just a second."
They were late. Jim fell asleep, and now they were late. Not too late, but late enough. Hurrying to the dresser, he pulled out some clothes for himself and dressed quickly. Looking back over at the bed, he noticed that Leonard was awake, and watching him quietly.
"Hey," Jim said, coming back over to him and leaning down to kiss his forehead. "How do you feel?"
"Eh. Better than last night," he replied. And Jim smiled in relief. He did sound better. "I took the Tylenol a second ago."
Jim's eyes widened slightly. "Were you awake when Joanna came in?"
Leonard nodded, smiling faintly.
"Well, don't worry about anything. Just rest and concentrate on not throwing up again," Jim said. "I got it."
"I know," Leonard replied. "You did say a bad word, though."
"Always so observant," Jim said dryly. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm just gonna lay here. I feel like if I move I might make myself sick again."
"Okay…I'm going to go get Jo dressed, do breakfast, fix the tree…again, damn cat…call in for you, and get Jo to school, do a couple of things, and then I'll be back."
"Thanks for taking care of everything," Leonard said. "But you don't have to take the day off to stay home with me."
"I know, Bones. But I want to. I love you," he said. "And I wish you felt better."
"Already do, Darlin'. Especially when Jo called you out for cursing."
Jim chuckled and shrugged. "Well, I'm glad I could help a little."
"Are you excited?" Jim asked, looking down at Jo as he held her hand and guided them through the parking lot to the gym that had been transformed with tables and chairs for the evening.
With typical six year old honesty, Joanna replied, "I wish Daddy could come."
Jim nodded, understanding the dejected tone of voice. "I know, sweetie. I wish he could come too, but he needs to rest. We don't want him to be sick for Christmas, do we?"
Jim had spent the day doting on Bones, making sure he was comfortable, making him chicken broth when he felt like he could keep something down, watching him sleep or watching whatever inane program was on in the middle of the workday with him. And though Jim knew he was probably driving Bones a little nuts with his insistence on being there, he let him, and made Jim feel better in the process.
"No," she said. "And I'm still glad you're coming with me."
"I'm glad, too, Jo," he said. And he really meant it, because he would be able to sit with her, and enjoy the evening without having to be one of the staff working during the event. Janice Rand had been extremely understanding, and with a little quick work at getting someone else to take his place, he was free to attend with Jo as simply a spectator of the event. It was a new role for him, and though he knew Jo was disappointed Leonard couldn't come tonight, Jim was just selfish enough to admit that he wasn't sorry Bones had given him the excuse to not have to work. He loved that he was going to have a chance to do something like this with Jo as the parent in attendance. It was awesome.
"Where should we sit?" Jo asked, pressing close to him and holding his hand tightly, as always a little wary in a crowd.
"Well, let's go put the pasta salad down, and then we'll choose a place to sit." Jim led them to the table that held all of the dishes that were donated for the evening. Jim had made the one thing he knew he could make really well…his mother's recipe…that afternoon, with Jo's help. They'd had silly fun in the kitchen, laughing at each other as they washed, peeled, and Jim cut the vegetables that were part of the salad. Aside from the fact that poor Bones felt like crap, it'd been a good day.
And now, they were settling into a table with a few other kids Jo knew from her class and their parents, getting ready to watch the show. Jim smiled and nodded to the kids and parents from his own class who saw him and said hello, but he didn't engage with them, his attention focused on Joanna for the evening.
They had a good time that evening, going up to the table where the dishes were laid out and trying several different things. And when the entertainment started, Jim got a kick out of watching Jo enjoy the different acts. Elementary aged kids participated with their class, and the middle school aged kids were welcome to do individual or small group acts. When it was Jo's class' turn to go up, Jim Jo watch most of her classmates head to the stage and stand in their pre-arranged spot for the song they'd been practicing.
"You can still go up, if you want, to sing with them," Jim said quietly, leaning close to her.
Jo bit her lip, and appeared to be thinking about it…Jim had hope…but then she shook her head.
"No, I just want to sit and watch. Is that okay?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Sure, Jo," Jim replied, putting his arm around her and drawing her chair closer to his as she leaned into his side. He kissed the top of her head and gave her a squeeze and together they watched the classes and the other acts. Janice was the MC of the evening, and she did a good job keeping everything moving along, and the kids who performed all had fun. It was a successful evening all around, and at the end of it, they collected the almost-completely empty dish, and hand-in-hand headed out.
"Uncle Jim, I have to go to the bathroom," Jo said.
"Okay, sweetie," Jim said. They paused outside the kids' bathrooms in the hall. "I'll wait for you right here, okay?"
"Okay!"
Standing in the hall, Jim chatted with a few people who stopped to say hello to him, and as he did he noticed Mrs. Caswell and Mrs. Keefe standing to the side. Tracy Caswell hadn't been over to play with Joanna, and Joanna hadn't been invited to play at Tracy's since, Jo's birthday, and Jim was aware that Mrs. Keefe continued to make small waves of discontent through the parent organization, but with Elizabeth Dehner gone, and the fact that Jim knew he'd only be around for another few months, her antics didn't bother him nearly as much.
It took Jim finally finding everything he didn't know he wanted in Bones and Joanna to finally get to the point where he just didn't care what other people thought. He accepted that he couldn't make everyone happy, and there were going to be people who remained stubbornly, and stupidly, against his relationship, but what he had was worth too much to him. So people like Dehner, and Keefe, and Caswell…he could happily ignore them and get on with his life with Bones and Jo.
The only person he wasn't over was Hannah McCoy. But she was family. That was different.
Meeting their eyes across the hall, he smiled genially and nodded hello. They turned away from him, and he could only roll his eyes at the ridiculousness, but then Joanna came out of the restroom and slipped her hand inside of his, and together they headed out of the school to go home.
Back at home, Jim checked in on Bones, happy to see him sleeping comfortably. He collected some of the things off the bedside table…an empty ginger ale can, a half-empty sleeve of crackers, a mug with cold left-over tea…and went back to the kitchen to do some clean up, gently closing the bedroom door behind himself.
Jim helped Jo take a quick bath and get ready for bed, and then Jo spent a few minutes playing with Jack quietly in her bedroom, before settling in with a couple of books to read to Jim. He listened to her, and realized they were going to have to update her book collection to reflect her current reading level. Maybe tomorrow they could go through her books to see if there was anything else she wanted to donate to the childcare center.
When she was finished, she and Jim said bedtime prayers, and he pulled the blankets up around her.
"Can I say good night to daddy?"
"I think he's sleeping, and we really shouldn't wake him up. Is it okay if you just see him tomorrow morning?"
"Okay," she agreed.
"Such a big girl…thank you for being so good. You warm enough?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied, reaching to give him a hug.
"I had fun with you today," Jim said.
"Me too Uncle Jim."
"Love you Sweetie. Sleep well."
"Love you too."
He left her with a nightlight and Jack, leaving her door open a crack so that Jack could leave when he wanted…though hopefully not to knock the tree over with another attempt at climbing it.
Going through the apartment one more time, he turned off lights, checked the lock on the doors, then went back to their bedroom with a cup of ice water in case Bones was thirsty. Opening the door quietly, he smiled when he saw Bones sitting up in bed, flipping through tv channels.
"Hey," Jim said, taking in how he looked. "How're you feeling?"
"Much better," Leonard replied. "Did you and Jo have a good time?"
"Yeah, it was a good night. Cute program, good food. Our pasta salad rocked, there was hardly any left." Jim came over to him, and put the cup of water down on the bedside table. He sat next to him, and ran his fingers through his hair. "You took a shower."
"Yeah, had to. I felt so much better once I did."
"You look much better," Jim confirmed. "And you're not as hot as you were before."
"Yeah, I think I'll be fine by tomorrow. You took good care of me. Thank you for handling everything today."
Jim smiled, and cupped Bones' jaw. "No reason to thank me at all. I was happy to do it…everything. I'm just gonna grab a shower. Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm good."
"Okay. Be right back."
"Jim…not that I want to kick you out of bed, but…"
"I'll be fine Bones. I haven't been sick in forever, and you're better."
Jim hurried through a shower, dried off quickly and dressed, and finished up in the bathroom. He turned off the light and hurried over to the bed. Bones rolled his eyes at him as Jim literally jumped over him onto the bed, bouncing on the mattress.
"What is wrong with you?" Bones asked, as he struggled to steady.
"Nothing!" Jim replied, moving up to the head of the bed and getting under the blankets. "I'm just happy your better."
Jim settled down next to him, and after huffing for a minute about Jim not acting his age, Bones put an arm around Jim's shoulders, and held him to his side. Jim sighed happily, and resting his hand and Bones' chest. They lay together, just enjoying the closeness. After a little while, they turned the television off and lay down, Bones pressed snuggly against Jim's back, his arm around him. Comfortable and warm, and happy to be together, it wasn't long before they fell asleep.
"I cannot believe how cold it is," Leonard said. He hurried to help Joanna out of her car seat, and Jim just smiled to himself, shaking his head. It was a little cold, but it wasn't freezing. This was still California after all.
"Okay," Jim said. "We all set?"
"Yup!" Jo replied. "Are we going to sit with Janie and Kim?"
"Yes, they said they'd save us seats. Hold our hands, Jo."
Together, the three of them walked through the very crowded parking lot, towards the main sanctuary of the church. It was Christmas Eve, and the eight o'clock service was, as always, bursting with people. Entering the beautifully decorated church, Jo looked around with wide eyes.
"Jim, how are we going to find them?" Leonard asked, looking around the huge space.
"Well, Sam said they'd be in the third section of pews, on the left. So, let's walk down that way…"
Jim led them through the church, eyes sweeping the area, until he saw his family, waving their arms to get their attention.
"There they are," Jim said with a smile, waving back. "Let's go around this way…"
Reaching their seats, the girls greeted Joanna happily, and settled her between the two of them.
"I'm so glad you could come, Jim!" Aurelan exclaimed, hugging him. "And I'm happy you decided to join us, Leonard," she continued, reaching to hug Leonard too.
Leonard wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so he just gave her a hug back and said something about being grateful for the invitation. He hadn't been all that keen about going to services on Christmas Eve, and Jim hadn't pushed him about it.
When Jim had first brought up going to church tonight, Leonard had encouraged Jim to go ahead with Sam and Aurelan, but didn't have any interest in going, or in having Joanna go. But though Jim was disappointed, he didn't push it. He also didn't plan on going without Leonard and Jo.
"Christmas is about being with your family," Jim said, almost exactly echoing their conversation about Thanksgiving a little more than a month ago. "And I want to be with you and Jo."
Leonard had lived with that answer for about two days before he realized that he really had no business denying Jim this request. He'd gone across the country to spend Thanksgiving with the McCoy family. Leonard could put aside his lack of interest in the religion and go to church so Jim could be with his family. It mattered to him, and so it should matter to Leonard. And it meant more to Jim than he'd let on.
"Thank you," Jim had said, kissing him soundly. "So much. I would've not gone to stay and have Christmas with you and Jo, and I know you don't believe in it, and aren't interested in it, but it's important to me, and to my family."
"I'm sorry I didn't realize that right away, Jim," Leonard said, holding him close. "I shouldn't have put you in that position. It shouldn't have even been a question."
So, now, here they were…for the first time in decades Leonard was going through the motions of a Christmas Eve service, and his daughter was attending her first church service ever. He smirked to himself, imagining the look on his mother's face when he told her that Jim had been able to do what she hadn't for the majority of his life.
Before the service began, the church's choral group led the attendees in some favorite Christmas carols, and though Joanna didn't know all the words to carols like "O Holy Night" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", Jim showed her how to find them in the booklets put out especially for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services, and she was able to read along, singing happily with Janie and Kimmie. Same, Aurelan and Jim sang, too. He winked at Leonard as he sang too, and Leonard smiled, and mumbled along, really not knowing the words at all, but he was there, so he may as well make an effort. Jim saw, smiled, and took his hand, holding him tightly.
The service began a little while later, and Leonard settled in to wait it out. As the pastor talked, however, it became clear that this service wasn't going to be what he'd expected. It wasn't full of rebukes on behavior, reminders that nothing they (as mere humans) did would ever be good enough, or that they were going to be left out if they didn't take what some carpenter said over 2,000 years ago as unequivocal truth.
No…it wasn't any of that.
Instead, the pastor talked about sacrifice for the good of others, doing something because it was right, even though it was the harder path, about looking beyond yourself and acting on behalf of those who couldn't act for themselves. It was religious, too, for sure. The pastor brought it back around to the birth of Jesus Christ and what that meant for the world, and the lessons that everyone could learn from the stories about that one life, whether you believed in His divinity or not. And Leonard…Leonard found that he didn't mind listening to that message as much as he thought he would.
"I look out over all of you tonight, and I know that, easily, two-thirds of you are here because it's Christmas," the pastor said towards the end of his sermon. "But there's nothing wrong with that. Because if you were going to choose just one night out of the year to come and be reminded of what we have because of what someone else did, then this is the night to do it. And I hope that the message of tonight lives in your heart for the next year, and that you act on it. Let's bow our heads in prayer…"
The church service ended a short while later, with the pastor wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and leading the congregation in "The First Noel" as they filed out. The McCoys and Kirks stood off to the side of the doors of the church, gathering to talk and plan.
"You guys coming over for a while still?" Sam asked.
"That's the plan. We'll meet you there," Jim said.
"Terrific. I have snacks and hot cocoa, and we can all watch Emmit Otter and the Jug-Band Christmas," Aurelan said.
"What's that?" Jo asked.
"It's a movie we watch every year!" Janie said. "It's about an otter named Emmit who has a jug band!"
Jim laughed at Joanna's confused expression, Janie's explanation not really explaining anything at all.
"It'll make more sense when you actually see the movie, sweetheart," Aurelan said.
"Okay, let's get going…see you in a few."
Back in the car, Joanna asked for her Christmas cd, and Jim obliged, singing along with her and laughing at Leonard's long-suffering sigh.
When they arrived at the Kirks', Aurelan was already in the process of making cocoa, and Leonard gave Joanna her warm Christmas pajamas to change into so she didn't have to be careful of the pretty deep-red dress she'd warn to church all night.
The three girls settled on the floor in a mass of pillows and blankets with their snacks and cups of hot chocolate and Joanna watched the movie about Emmit Otter for the first time ever. The adults arranged themselves on the couches in the family room, relaxing and enjoying the girls' amusement at the antics of the muppet movie characters.
They didn't stay late past the end of the movie, needing to get home and get Joanna to bed so that Santa could make his delivery. She was drowsy enough that Leonard carried her out, pausing to thank Aurelan and Sam for everything. Aurelan gave him a kiss on his cheek, Sam grasped his shoulder warmly. Jim said his goodbyes, hugging Aurelan, and then getting caught up in a huge hug from his brother.
"I'm so glad you came tonight, Jim. I wasn't sure you were going to," he said. "I want to make sure we stay close, you know?"
"Yeah," Jim said. He did know. That was the one thing their mother always told them…to be good to each other…to watch out for each other…and to stay close. Jim had been aware that he wasn't seeing his own family as much, as wrapped up with Leonard and Jo as he was, but he knew it was important to keep living what their mom had always insisted on. "We will, Sam. I promise."
Joanna roused from her drowsy state for the drive home, and Jim and Leonard talked to her about the evening.
"Did you like the church service?" Jim asked.
"I liked the singing. All the talking was a little bit boring," she said.
"Did you learn anything from all the talking?" Leonard asked, curious about what had registered with his little girl.
"Umm…I think it was about helping other people, if you can. And being nice to people even if they're not always nice to you," she said. "Is that right?"
"I…think that's a pretty good take away," Jim said, turning to smile at her. "What do you think Bones?"
"Sounds about right to me," he agreed.
Once home, they fixed the tree (again, damn cat), and put Joanna right to bed. It was already a little past midnight, and they were relatively certain that no one would be sleeping in very late…not with the excitement of Santa's imminent visit. Fortunately, Joanna was unaccustomed to being up so late, and she was tired, so it was relatively easy to get her to go back to bed.
Once she was settled, Leonard and Jim retired to their room, and Jim caught Leonard in his arms, holding him tightly as they kissed. It was a slow, deep kiss, full of love and passion and promise. They pressed against each other, and managed to walk themselves to the bed without really pulling apart.
"Mmm…this is the best Christmas ever. Want to open your present now?" he asked suggestively. Leonard chuckled and started undoing the buttons on Jim's shirt, taking the invitation.
"You know, I didn't really get you anything, Darlin'," Leonard said apologetically. Jim pulled back and looked Leonard in the eye, a small smile on his face.
"Yes you did," he said sincerely. "I have you and Jo. And we have each other."
"All I ever wanted," Leonard said. "Is what we have now."
Jim smiled, his eyes bright. "Like I said…best Christmas ever."