TITLE: Changes
AUTHOR: trista groulx (the dustytiger)
DISCLAIMER: kim, jimmy, bobby, carlos, lieu et al don't belong to me, they belong to NBC, their creator and the actors and actresses who portray them
RATING: R for sexual situations (tho not in this part)
CONTENT: kim/jimmy, kim/bobby r
SUMMARY: still in the morning after, and kim and jimmy have chat, that gets out of control
AUTHORS NOTES: so this part does have conflict, i hope i didn't over do it, tell me what you think, more stuff on the motive of the fight on the end notes.... thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far, i really hope you're liking a little break from the faith bosco goodness... hehe

She got to work determined to tell Jimmy, and anyone else who asked that she had gone out with Bobby looking the way she did to get back at Jimmy for the morning before. She was also going to somehow make herself tell Jimmy that she would not go on any more dates with her. She was distracted with other thoughts, and instinctively went upstairs to change, without even looking to see if anyone else was near. She had just finished getting changed when she heard footsteps nearby. She looked over, and saw Alex.

The two women smiled at each other, despite them both putting on a manly act they loved having another female around to girl talk with. Kim could tell that Alex was looking for some juicy gossip, but wasn't ready to tell even her yet.

"So how was your date?" she asked.

"It wasn't really a date," Kim replied. "He just wanted to help me get out of a possible date with Jimmy. I guess he decided that he'd take the whole nine yards."

Alex chuckled. "That's very much like him, but I'm pretty sure I saw something between the two of you."

Kim shrugged. "I don't think so, Bobby's my best friend. We have a great friendship, I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin that. We both know what my track record is like."

"One bad choice, and you never let yourself let it go?"

"Jimmy has been more the one mistake."

"One big mistake."

"I love Bobby as friend, it's hard to explain. Besides if I was to fall in love with him I'd first need to fall out of love with a certain someone else."

"Sounds complicated. "

"I'm used to it, that's just the way my life is. Thanks for listening Alex."

"Any time." She turned to leave.

"Wait, Alex!" She said, making her turn back toward her. "If the guys ask you about Bobby, just tell them that it was to fuck with Jimmy."

"Won't they ask you?"

"They don't have the balls."

"What's the secret to getting a bunch of raunchy firefighters to fear you?"

"Firstly childbirth makes a guy step on eggshells around you that's life. Secondly, I am the only person around here, male or female that can actually bring Jimmy down a peg."

She nodded, understand. "Well that would do it, wouldn't it? Later then."

"Yeah, later."

Kim had already finished dressing, but stayed up there a moment longer, not really wanting to face anyone just yet. Her silly grin might give away that there was something more to the story then she was telling. She knew Alex had noticed, but was nice enough not to really call her on it. The guys probably won't notice, but she didn't feel like chancing it. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and knew that it was Jimmy. Today she would be ready for me. She walked closer to the stairs.

"We need to talk," he stated.

"I'm listening," she replied.

"What the fuck is with you and Bobby Kimmy?"

"He asked me first, I couldn't cancel on him because I forgot. He's my best friend Jimmy, he really needed me to be there for him."

"But you made plans with me!"

"I'm sorry, but I had plans before. Besides you didn't give me much of chance to say that I really didn't want to make plans with you."

"Come on Kim, I don't force you do anything you don't want to do, don't act like this." He took her hand. "It's been so long Kimmy."

She freed her hand. "Jimmy, we're not together anymore, we need to stop going down the same self-destructive path!"

"I can do it right this time Kimmy, I promise."

"No more Jimmy! I can't make myself believe that somehow it's going to work out like I want it to. Only for you to hurt me again!" Their voices were beginning to get louder, and she knew there was going to be a different kind of scene that morning.

"What are you trying to say Kim?"

"I just want you in my life as my son's father."

He took her hands. "No, Kimmy, I can change, for you. For Joey!"

"No! I'm not doing it again Jimmy, it's not fair to me, or to Joey!" She went down the stairs in hopes of stopping the fight.

"What? Joey doesn't even know about us!"

"He thought you were still there last night, he may not know what we're doing, but he knows that there is something going on, and I refuse to let him figure it out."

"We're his parents, we're supposed to talk, and stuff."

"We can talk on the phone, or here."

"That's not the same and you know it!"

A crowd was beginning to form, around them, but she was not going to let that stop her. "That's the way it's going to be Jimmy. We are divorced it's about time we fucking act like it!"

"You know you don't like things that way!"

"Don't fucking start Jimmy!"

"I thought you said it could all be worked out right here Kimmy, so let's work it our, here now!"

"Fuck off Jimmy!"

"Oh, but Kimmy it's so much more fun to fuck you!"

She slapped him. "Don't go there!"

"Go where Kimmy? I'm sure they all know who's bed you keep crawling back to! They all heard you loud and clear yesterday morning too!"

Everyone else in the room was strangely quiet, looking for a quick exit. He took her brushed her cheek, in hopes of calming her.

"Don't fucking touch me!" she warned.

"But everyone knows how much you like it! Why are you hiding it?" he asked.

She pushed his hands violently from her. "Don't fucking touch me Jimmy!" She shrieked. "Get this through your thick skull, cause I'm not going to say it again. You are going to be in my life because we work together, and you are my son's father only! I don't care if you don't like that way, that's the way it is going to be period. If you don't get, and you try touching me like yesterday, or coming to my home when Joey is not supposed to go with you, then I will make sure that you never see your son again!"

"You're full of it!"

"I fucking dare you to call my bluff Jimmy!"

"It'll last a few weeks, and you know it as well as I do Kimmy. As soon as you see something you can't handle you'll be back, you always come back! That's what I love about you."

She glared at him. "You'll see Jimmy! And I'm serious, you even try anything, I promise that I will never let you see him again!"

"You don't fucking scare me Kimmy." He tried again to take her hand, to regain control of the situation. She pulled her hand away from him, hitting him in the jaw as she did.

"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" he demanded.

"It was an accident!"

"Like hell it was! And you're trying to tell me to keep my hands off you?!"

He began walking toward her, as she tried to back away from him. He ended up backing her into a wall. He angrily raised his, hands, and made fists. Everyone looked in shocked silence, knowing it was too late to interfere. He moved his hands forward, unclenching his fists. She squeezed her eyes shut she had never seen him like that before. She heard a loud booming, slapping sound, but didn't feel anything. She opened her eyes, and his arms were outstretched on either side of her. She also noticed her mother in the door way out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't fuck with me Kimmy!!" he snarled walking away.

Then he saw his son's face, not the smiling face that usually greeted Jimmy when Joey visited the firehouse. The look was of pure horror at seeing his father almost hit, and scream at his mother that way. Kim had lost the ability to stand up and was slumped against the wall, sitting on the floor, trembling. Joey ran right past his father to his mother, and hugged her.

"Mommy?" he asked, trying not to cry.

"I'm fine, Baby," she tried to sound sure of herself. "Daddy and I were just playing a game."

"I'm not a baby that was not a game!" He stated, trying to be tough.

She hugged him. "Okay, it wasn't a game, just.." she couldn't even think of what to tell him.

Why did he have to see that? Why did her mother bring him by that morning. She started to cry, not knowing what else to do, now that reality has just sunk in.

"Mommy?" Joey asked, concerned.

"Want to go look at the fire trucks?" Jimmy asked. Joey didn't even look in his direction, Jimmy knew he had fucked up big time.

"Hey Joey," Bobby said, bending down to his level, Joey looked at him through his tears. "How about I take you over to sit in a real police car, while your mommy, daddy, and grandma talk over here?"

Joey looked at Kim for approval she simply nodded. "Okay," Joey whispered

Bobby took the boy's hand and they silently walked out of the firehouse, followed by most of the men in there, mumbling excuses about cleaning trucks and bus. The only people left in the room, were Jimmy, Kim, Catherine and Lieu. Catherine was slowly making her way to her daughter, who was slowly standing, but using the wall to keep her balance.

"What the hell?" asked Lieu.

"Sorry, Boss," Jimmy said stupidly.

"Shut up for a minute. I was fine with having the two of you work here even when you were married. I was worried after your divorce, because somehow you always managed to keep it mostly at home. I can forgive yesterday, because we've all done stupid things upstairs. But this, today, was just too far. I don't know how this all started, and I don't really give a rat's ass. All I know is that I cannot have anything like that happen again. I'll have to talk with Doc about what we need to do about this. For today, Jimmy, I want you to go home, and I'm recommending you not come back until you've had some anger management courses."

Jimmy was stunned. "But, I- she- What about her?"

"Kim slapped you, once, and anyone would have slapped you in the mouth for what you had said. Then she was trying get away from you and she accidentally hit you in the jaw. You, Jimmy, were the one who took that as something more, and had you not decided at the last moment that you really did not want to hurt anyone, you would have at the very least, put Kim into the hospital for a few days."

"Fine!" Jimmy yelled. He took off his FDNY jacket and threw it as he left, slamming the door behind him.

Lieu looked sympathetically at Kim. "Why did you think that here was a good place to bring all this up?"

"It was stupid, I wasn't thinking. I just needed him to know that I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. I didn't expect it to end up like that."

"I'll talk to Doc, do you want the day off?"

"No, it's all right, I'll be fine. You know we're short, I can't."

"I'll ride with Bobby if I have to."

"No, really, I need to work. At least if I'm here Jimmy will have time to cool off before we need to talk."

"Has he ever done anything like that before?" Catherine asked breaking her silence.

"No, never. Nothing like that," Kim replied.

"Are you telling the truth."

"Yes, mother, I am. And before either of you say it, if I go to talk to Jimmy I'll bring Bobby along just in case. Now if you'll excuse me I would like to talk to my son."

She left leaving the two of them alone. They looked at each other, shrugged, and both went to get a cup of coffee at the same time. The crew started slowly shuffling back into the building. Bobby came back only a few minutes later. Meanwhile at the police station next door Kim was talking to the sergeant about filing a restraining order against Jimmy, while Faith, and Bosco showed Joey around the station. When she finished with the paper work, she found Joey, and went back to try to start her day. When the two of them walked in everyone looked up for a moment, the continued with their own business.

"Joey, why did you want to come to work today?" Kim asked, sitting him down, next to his grandmother.

"I just wanted to make sure that everyone was okay, after my dream. I didn't want to go to school today, and Grandma told me that I had to ask you if it was okay if I didn't go," he explained.

"You don't have to go to school, but you'll have to stay with Grandma all day okay?"

"Okay, thank you!" He hugged her.

"Mom, we'll talk when I pick him tonight, I really need to get work."

She hugged her mother, and then went to see if Bobby had cleaned up the bus for the day. She wasn't surprised when she found him shutting the doors, with a satisfied look in his eyes. They looked at each other, she wanted so much to kiss him and hold him, but she couldn't do anything like that.

"I filed a restraining order," she stated, getting into the bus/

"I didn't ask," he reasoned.

"You would have. Thank you for getting Joey out of there, he loved the station tour."

"What are friends for?"

She half smiled. "How the hell did things get like that?"

"I'm wondering that myself." He pulled away from the building.

She leaned her head back, and sighed. "How the hell do I explain this to Joey?"

"Just tell him that you and Jimmy were arguing about something, and you both got too upset and did, and said stuff that you didn't mean. That you both still love him, and he'll still be able to see his daddy, but he may have to wait until he's feeling better."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "What would I do without you?"

"How about we not find out any time soon?"

"Do you think maybe you could tell me why I'm still in love with him?"

"Because no one has made you fall out of love with him, yet."

"Sounds like you've just made yourself a challenge."

"Only if you want that to be my goal."

"I certainly can't continue the way things were, so you can certainly try."

Just then they got a call, she answered it while he flipped on the sirens, screeching toward what may be another disaster.

tbc

end notes: don't know if i over did on the fight, but i think it works, the only way i had jimmy react that strongly is because i think he would flip his lid if anyone ever tried to take or hurt his kid esp because of the time frame of this, the next one will be another short one just so 'ya know! -trista