So there's gonna be smut in this chapter. It's not going to be nearly as detailed/graphic/whatever word you want to use as my usual smut, but heads up for anyone not into that. You can still read a good chunk of this chapter though, I don't spring it on you, and you can decide when to exit.

I am not changing this rating to M for the same reason Serendipity wasn't M – people go to M rated fics for smut heavy content. I am having two smut/smutty scenes in a lengthy fic, and over 90% of the fic is PG-13 or below, so in situations like that I stick to T with warnings.

Paige was in a good, good mood.

Sylvester and Florence had finally gotten home the previous night, two days late, and Walter had insisted she pick them up from the airport. She realized as soon as the three of them had gotten back that it had been a ruse to get her out of the garage. She walked into a mini, only partially impromptu engagement celebration dinner. Allie had cooked, and as delicious as her food was, that wasn't even the best part. Everyone was there – even Patty. Their whole family, together in one place, celebrating everything being more okay than any of them ever would have dared to dream about nine months ago.

Then they'd gone home, Paige had given Ralph a movie with lots of loud noises to watch, and her and Walter had had their thorough ways with each other until the skies were starting to lighten up again. She'd only had about four hours of sleep, but she hadn't felt this good in months.

"Mom? Can I have bus money?"

Paige looked up from the magazine she was reading – wedding themed, because of course – and smiled at her son. "Why?"

"For the bus."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Your odds of me financing whatever your plans are for today will continue to go down if the smart mouth stays."

"I'm going to the movies with some friends."

"Which friends? That's not – " She added quickly, realizing how it sounded. "I'm not helicoptering, I don't care which friends, I'm just curious."

"Owen, Sable, Brianna, and Trent."

Paige handed Ralph a twenty – dollar bill. "Probably best to just get a day pass since I'm sure you guys will go out to eat afterward. Owen ask Trent out yet?"

"Not yet."

"Maybe today, then."

"Maybe not. Not in front of everyone."

"What movie are you going to see?"

"Serenity. Brianna and Owen have both been yakking about it. I heard it was pretty bad, though."

"Brianna is the one I took home a while back, right?"

"Yeah."

"She seems like a sweetheart," Paige said. "Shame her parents seem to be so terrible."

"Yeah, from what she says they're a real suck fest." Ralph put the money into his pocket. "I appreciate it, Mom."

"Text me when you're on your way home, please."

"I will." Ralph hugged her. "I love you."

"Love you, too, baby."

Ralph had been gone nearly an hour when Paige realized he had lied to her.

Florence perched on her coffee table, crossing her ankles. "Ah, the glorious sound of the dryer," she joked at a buzzing noise from the back of the lab. "Filthy clothes are clean."

"I wouldn't call them filthy," Sylvester said with a laugh. "We had enough clothing that we really just had to re-use pants."

"Yeah, but you know I don't like wearing dirty clothes and I know you don't."

"You're right. But I'm trying to get better about stuff like that. And it's not like we were wearing the stuff we'd worn in Florida. We weren't sweating in the snowstorm."

"True true. My clothes from the camp in Florida were too muddy to re-wear anyway. Oh. That reminds me, I'll have to mail that Girl Scout outfit back to them."

"I really don't think that's necessary," Sylvester said. "They said it was old stuff that hadn't been picked up from the lost and found bin."

"Okay, but when am I ever going to wear any of that stuff?"

"Then donate it."

"You know," she said, "at first I was thinking it's a good thing I'm not dating Toby because he would probably have a thing for camp counselor outfits, but now I'm wondering if that's not universal among the Scorpion men."

"Walter doesn't have a – I don't have a thing for camp counselors," Sylvester said indignantly. "I'm just saying, they were probably glad to be rid of the extra clothing." He dropped to his knees and grinned at her. "I'm not saying you looked bad wearing that. I think you always look cute, though, so I'm a bit biased. I also tend to go for older women, so I mean, the counselor aesthetic isn't my top thing."

"Oh please do not make me feel like a cougar."

"That's the new Shania Twain song," he said.

She cocked her head. "Huh?"

"You know, Man! I Feel Like A…no? Okay."

"You're the cute one," Florence said, a crooked smile on her face.

He looked at her with a combination of surprise and flattery. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." She reached up and touched his face. He leaned in slightly, and she closed the gap between their mouths, kissing him tenderly and sliding her hand back around into his hair. She felt his hands on her legs, resting there gently, then one slid up to her side, holding her near him even though there was nowhere for her to go in this position, sitting on the low table with him in front of her. It was weirdly intimate.

Florence liked that. A lot.

She deepened the kiss, grabbing his shirt and tugging him closer to her. He waddled forward on his knees, wrapping both arms around her waist. Florence whimpered at the contact; she was craving more of it and she slid a hand down and underneath his shirt. Sylvester's lips hummed against hers.

Then he slid a hand upward, trailing his fingers over one of her breasts, and even though there were multiple layers of clothing between his hand and her skin, Florence felt his touch throughout her body. God. Her libido was what some would probably call painfully low, in hibernation was the way her one traitor friend Lester had referred to it when she'd told him about ten times she wasn't interested in hooking up, but even things that hibernated were awake some of the time.

And if she was committed to the hibernation metaphor, those animals were usually ravenous when they woke up.

She broke their kiss, her lips searching for the spot on his neck that had made him shudder before, and when she found it she moved her tongue in the same way her thumb was currently working his nipple. Sylvester tensed, and she heard a quiet moan near her ear. She smiled internally.

But then his hand was doing the same thing it had done to get her all worked up previously, and she squeezed her eyes shut and sucked hard at the skin on his neck to stay quiet herself. Sylvester let out a loud breath, gently pushing her back into an upright position and backing slightly away.

Her eyes came open in surprise. "Wh – " She searched his face. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. God no," he said. "We're just…we're getting close to that stopping point."

"What if we didn't stop?"

She'd been thinking those words, but it surprised her when she said them out loud. Sylvester looked startled too, opening his mouth and then closing it again, as if his brain refused to send down the words he wanted. "I mean…" Florence blurted, stopping because she realized she didn't know what she wanted to say either.

"Do you want to – "

His question wasn't accompanied by a look of discomfort. He didn't look opposed. Screw it. "Yeah," she said, her voice quiet. "I do."

"I do, too."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "You make me feel things, Lori," he said. "The idea of acting on them is…less scary than not acting on them is frustrating."

She nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Are you completely sure, though?"

"Absolutely. About more than just this."

He tipped his head to the side. "What's the more?"

She shrugged, giving him a smile. "Something changed at that convention, Sly. It was like walking from a muggy Orlando afternoon into air conditioning."

"Our relationship is a muggy Orlando afternoon to you?" He asked, pretending to be offended.

"You know what I mean," she said with an affectionate chuckle. "Clarity. Like this is one hundred percent where we're supposed to be." She cocked an eyebrow. "Now should I take off my bra, or do you do it? I'm not clear on protocol when it comes to foreplay."

That made Sylvester laugh out loud. "And you're looking to me for advice?"

Florence laughed, slipping her arms out of her sleeves and reaching behind her to unhook her bra. Sylvester began to slide a hand up from her hip, and she reached out and placed her hand over it. "Um…"

"What?"

"Are you comfortable with…can you use your mouth?"

Dear Lord and she thought it was otherworldly what he could do with his hands. Florence leaned back, bracing herself with her hands, clenching her teeth in an effort to not make any noise. Eventually, though, that was impossible, and the sound that forced its way out made her realize just how close she was to coming apart just from this. How embarrassing that would be. Especially for their first time. God, no.

So she stopped him. "Take off your pants."

"Only if you do, too."

It was a ridiculous joke, but she laughed anyway as she lifted her hips and turned her leggings inside out with her feet as she used them to pull the garments off.

"Oh no," Sylvester said. "We don't have – "

"Yes we do!" She said, just realizing. "Chana gave me one. With the chaptstick, remember?"

"Oh!" His eyes widened.

Florence felt behind her for her bag, tugging it up and searching through it hurriedly. Locating the condom, she handed it to Sylvester. "I'm assuming you'd rather do this part yourself."

She adjusted her position on the table, lifting up one leg and resting the heel against the edge. He should have room like this, she thought. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Florence?"

"Yeah?"

"How…do you want to do this?"

"Come here," she said, urging him close to her. She didn't have lube, and based on her peripheral vision she feared she might need it. But maybe not. "Go really, really slow," she said.

Sylvester nodded, positioning carefully and then moving forward at a pace that was almost laughably slow if she wasn't grateful for it. Their eyes were locked in on each other; she could see the concern in his eyes, watching her for any sign of discomfort. "I'm okay," she said. "Just keep like this."

"Okay." He kissed her.

Florence pressed her hand against the back of his neck, her forehead against his, both of them making an effort to measure their breathing. Even with the slow pace, her body was so lit up from everything else they'd been doing that she strongly suspected she wouldn't need much more than this. "Sly."

"Hmm?"

"Faster…just a little bit." She angled her head down to kiss him. She took one of his hands, moving it back up to her breast. She swore it was barely a minute later that she gasped and trembled around him.

The change was almost immediate. "Stop! Stop."

He did, immediately. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "That made me a little…sensitive down there."

"You need to stop?"

She nodded.

Okay. Sylvester shuffled backwards. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded. "Oh yeah." She smiled. "Come here, let me…"

"Let you what? Oh," he said when she reached for him. "You don't have to – "

"All my friends lost their virginities to partners who didn't care if they got theirs," Florence said. "I refuse to be that person. Now kiss me while I do it or it's just weird."

Sylvester laughed, and when he put his mouth back on hers, she could still feel the smile against her lips.

Couple chapters left. You guys recognize the content from A Conflict of Parallels? And anyone know why Paige knew Ralph was lying about something? (I'm kinda enjoying the knowledge that a few people are reading this having not read ACOP, because I know the readers who have already read that one are losing their minds over something that the others are completely unaware of!)