Title: Back to You- chapter 7
Disclaimer: Guess how many of the Third Watch characters I own. None.
A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to all of you that have been so
encouraging. You really make this a blast!=)
After a fun night at Jimmy's with too much pizza and a Star War's marathon, Joey had passed out from exhaustion. Kim carried him to bed and tucked him in. It was nice to have a night all together without thinking of the last month. Joey wasn't worried about his mom, Kim wasn't worried about Joey, but Jimmy was still worried about Kim. He really didn't want her to be all by herself.
Kim sat by Jimmy and looked at the look on his face and could tell he was starting to worry again. "Jimmy, come on. We had a good time tonight. Don't start."
"I didn't say anything," Jimmy weakly tried to defend himself.
"I can tell by the look you have on your face that you're going to say something." Kim scooted closer to him and took his hand. "Jimmy, I'll be o.k. I just need sometime to get back on my feet."
Jimmy looked into her eyes and sighed, "Pushing Joey and me away isn't the way to do it."
Kim released his hand, "I'm not pushing you away. I do appreciate all the concern, but you carrying me isn't the answer either. I have to be able to do this on my own."
"No, you're wrong. You don't have to do this alone."
Kim shifted uncomfortably, "I gotta go," she began to stand.
Jimmy took her hand and stopped her from moving, "Kim, please. Stop running away from me. You don't have to do this alone. I won't let you."
Kim looked down at him, trying to keep herself from crying, "Jimmy don't."
Jimmy stood and took her tense body into his arms. "Don't go."
Kim weakly tried to move away, but his grip was unyielding. "Jimmy please, let me go." Tears were starting to blur her vision.
Jimmy completely ignored her request and slowly walked her backwards into his bedroom, not loosening his hold on her. Kim knew where he was taking her and her mother's words came floating back into her head. Was he really going to take advantage of her like her mom had predicted? Would she let him? She felt the backs of her legs hit the bed. Kim met his intense gaze. Her arms rested lightly around his waist, in the grip he had her in that was the only place where they could go. Her fingers clenched his shirt and the tears in her eyes were threatening to spill. Jimmy gently shushed her and rested his forehead against hers.
Not looking up, Kim's hands moved slowly under the back of his shirt as she stepped a little closer. Jimmy kissed her forehead and unzipped her sweatshirt, laying it on the chair next to his bed. He slowly kneeled down in front of her and began to untie her shoes. Her hands moved to rest on his shoulders, one moving to run through his hair. Jimmy looked up and smiled, moving to stand again. He moved away from her slightly and pulled back the covers on the bed. He looked back at her and knew what she was thinking by the slight fear and look of acceptance. He walked to his closet and pulled out an old shirt and sweatpants. He walked back and handed them to her. Kim looked at him, confusion clearly on her face.
"These will have to do until we go and get your things from your apartment," he said softly.
Kim just continued to look at him with a very lost look on her face. "But I thought." she drifted off. Jimmy smiled and stroked her cheek, "I know what you thought, and I would never do that to you. Look Kim, you can be mad at me, you can yell at me, you can fight with me. I don't care. I'm not letting you go back to your apartment alone, scared, and trying to do everything by yourself. I know you want to be in perfect shape for Joey, but he worries more about you when he can't be with you than when you're around him. It's part of being a family, Kimmy. You have to let people care about you when you're not at your best. I want you to stay with me for a while. Just until you really feel safe again." Jimmy looked at her warily, waiting for her to blow up. He couldn't see her face because she was looking down and figured if he could, it wouldn't be pretty.
Kim looked up with tears running down her face, "Why are you so insistent about this?"
Jimmy smiled, "Kim I care about you. That has never changed."
Kim wiped away her tears and smiled, "Never?"
Jimmy smiled, "No, never."
Kim sat down on the bed, "What if it takes a really long time for me to feel safe again?"
"I don't care. Kim, let me take care of you. Like you always take care of me."
"Nobody's taken care of me in a long time."
Jimmy knelt down in front of her, "Let me."
Kim looked into his eyes and finally really saw his concern for her. "I don't want you to do this because you think you owe me something."
Jimmy chuckled softly, "Kim, I owe you a lot more than I could ever try and repay you for. I care about you. That's why I want you to stay."
Kim gently smiled and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him to her and hugging him. Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "Do you always have to be so stubborn?" she asked.
Jimmy laughed, "That's why you love me."
Kim laughed and shoved him back, "You wish."
Jimmy waited while she went to the bathroom and changed. When she reemerged, he smiled to himself. There was some weird sense of satisfaction that he got seeing her in his clothes. She crawled into bed and looked at him expectantly. "Well, are you coming or not."
"I'm gonna sleep on the couch," he smiled.
Kim frowned, "No way. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch while I take over your bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
Jimmy laughed, "It's ok. We'll do some rearranging in the morning. Just get some sleep." Kim sat up and hugged him to her, "Thank you for doing this. I've never been good at asking for help." She pulled back and gently kissed him on the lips.
Jimmy's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You better watch it or I'll take you up on that offer to share the bed."
Kim smiled and snuggled back under the covers, "Like you don't want to."
Jimmy laughed, "Tease." He made his way to the door and turned around. "You know where I am if you need me. Help yourself to anything."
Kim smiled, "Thanks, Jimmy."
"Sleep tight, Kim."
Jimmy finally got settled on the couch, but couldn't fall asleep. She'd kissed him. It had been a long time since the two of them had done that. He thought back to when he first led her in the bedroom. She would have let him make love to her. And he was no saint, the thought had crossed his mind more than once. But it would have turned out like all the other times. Her waking up and regretting what had happened and one or the other leaving before things got too real. That was definitely not the way he wanted her. It never was. One thing was for sure though, he still wanted her. It seemed like she got more sexy everyday. let him stay. 'Where the hell are these thoughts coming from?!' Jimmy's last thought was before falling asleep.
After a fun night at Jimmy's with too much pizza and a Star War's marathon, Joey had passed out from exhaustion. Kim carried him to bed and tucked him in. It was nice to have a night all together without thinking of the last month. Joey wasn't worried about his mom, Kim wasn't worried about Joey, but Jimmy was still worried about Kim. He really didn't want her to be all by herself.
Kim sat by Jimmy and looked at the look on his face and could tell he was starting to worry again. "Jimmy, come on. We had a good time tonight. Don't start."
"I didn't say anything," Jimmy weakly tried to defend himself.
"I can tell by the look you have on your face that you're going to say something." Kim scooted closer to him and took his hand. "Jimmy, I'll be o.k. I just need sometime to get back on my feet."
Jimmy looked into her eyes and sighed, "Pushing Joey and me away isn't the way to do it."
Kim released his hand, "I'm not pushing you away. I do appreciate all the concern, but you carrying me isn't the answer either. I have to be able to do this on my own."
"No, you're wrong. You don't have to do this alone."
Kim shifted uncomfortably, "I gotta go," she began to stand.
Jimmy took her hand and stopped her from moving, "Kim, please. Stop running away from me. You don't have to do this alone. I won't let you."
Kim looked down at him, trying to keep herself from crying, "Jimmy don't."
Jimmy stood and took her tense body into his arms. "Don't go."
Kim weakly tried to move away, but his grip was unyielding. "Jimmy please, let me go." Tears were starting to blur her vision.
Jimmy completely ignored her request and slowly walked her backwards into his bedroom, not loosening his hold on her. Kim knew where he was taking her and her mother's words came floating back into her head. Was he really going to take advantage of her like her mom had predicted? Would she let him? She felt the backs of her legs hit the bed. Kim met his intense gaze. Her arms rested lightly around his waist, in the grip he had her in that was the only place where they could go. Her fingers clenched his shirt and the tears in her eyes were threatening to spill. Jimmy gently shushed her and rested his forehead against hers.
Not looking up, Kim's hands moved slowly under the back of his shirt as she stepped a little closer. Jimmy kissed her forehead and unzipped her sweatshirt, laying it on the chair next to his bed. He slowly kneeled down in front of her and began to untie her shoes. Her hands moved to rest on his shoulders, one moving to run through his hair. Jimmy looked up and smiled, moving to stand again. He moved away from her slightly and pulled back the covers on the bed. He looked back at her and knew what she was thinking by the slight fear and look of acceptance. He walked to his closet and pulled out an old shirt and sweatpants. He walked back and handed them to her. Kim looked at him, confusion clearly on her face.
"These will have to do until we go and get your things from your apartment," he said softly.
Kim just continued to look at him with a very lost look on her face. "But I thought." she drifted off. Jimmy smiled and stroked her cheek, "I know what you thought, and I would never do that to you. Look Kim, you can be mad at me, you can yell at me, you can fight with me. I don't care. I'm not letting you go back to your apartment alone, scared, and trying to do everything by yourself. I know you want to be in perfect shape for Joey, but he worries more about you when he can't be with you than when you're around him. It's part of being a family, Kimmy. You have to let people care about you when you're not at your best. I want you to stay with me for a while. Just until you really feel safe again." Jimmy looked at her warily, waiting for her to blow up. He couldn't see her face because she was looking down and figured if he could, it wouldn't be pretty.
Kim looked up with tears running down her face, "Why are you so insistent about this?"
Jimmy smiled, "Kim I care about you. That has never changed."
Kim wiped away her tears and smiled, "Never?"
Jimmy smiled, "No, never."
Kim sat down on the bed, "What if it takes a really long time for me to feel safe again?"
"I don't care. Kim, let me take care of you. Like you always take care of me."
"Nobody's taken care of me in a long time."
Jimmy knelt down in front of her, "Let me."
Kim looked into his eyes and finally really saw his concern for her. "I don't want you to do this because you think you owe me something."
Jimmy chuckled softly, "Kim, I owe you a lot more than I could ever try and repay you for. I care about you. That's why I want you to stay."
Kim gently smiled and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him to her and hugging him. Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "Do you always have to be so stubborn?" she asked.
Jimmy laughed, "That's why you love me."
Kim laughed and shoved him back, "You wish."
Jimmy waited while she went to the bathroom and changed. When she reemerged, he smiled to himself. There was some weird sense of satisfaction that he got seeing her in his clothes. She crawled into bed and looked at him expectantly. "Well, are you coming or not."
"I'm gonna sleep on the couch," he smiled.
Kim frowned, "No way. I'm not letting you sleep on the couch while I take over your bed. I'll sleep on the couch."
Jimmy laughed, "It's ok. We'll do some rearranging in the morning. Just get some sleep." Kim sat up and hugged him to her, "Thank you for doing this. I've never been good at asking for help." She pulled back and gently kissed him on the lips.
Jimmy's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You better watch it or I'll take you up on that offer to share the bed."
Kim smiled and snuggled back under the covers, "Like you don't want to."
Jimmy laughed, "Tease." He made his way to the door and turned around. "You know where I am if you need me. Help yourself to anything."
Kim smiled, "Thanks, Jimmy."
"Sleep tight, Kim."
Jimmy finally got settled on the couch, but couldn't fall asleep. She'd kissed him. It had been a long time since the two of them had done that. He thought back to when he first led her in the bedroom. She would have let him make love to her. And he was no saint, the thought had crossed his mind more than once. But it would have turned out like all the other times. Her waking up and regretting what had happened and one or the other leaving before things got too real. That was definitely not the way he wanted her. It never was. One thing was for sure though, he still wanted her. It seemed like she got more sexy everyday. let him stay. 'Where the hell are these thoughts coming from?!' Jimmy's last thought was before falling asleep.