AN: Since the last chapter was creepy, I decided to give everyone some fluffy McKirk.
"Shit, shit, shit," Jim muttered as she looked around Leonard's bedroom, looking adorably frazzled. "Have you seen my clothes and my phone?"
"I tossed your clothes in the laundry with mine. Your phone is on the charger over there. Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Leonard heard her moving around when he was in the kitchen and figured he'd stop her from trying to run out of the house.
"Work. I was supposed to be there hours ago," she huffed. "You could've woken me up, you know."
"Nope. You have the day off, doctor's orders. Spock took care of it before we left last night… this morning, whatever. Scotty and Mitchell have the department handled for the next few shifts while you and Spock get some well-earned and much needed rest," Leonard told her.
"Bones…"
"Don't. You've been going a million miles an hour for weeks, you need a break, darlin'. The last time I got you a break didn't end so well…"
"Wasn't all bad. I did end up here with you," Jim smiled.
"True. But still, you're more than overdue for some actual sleep," he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Get back into bed."
"But…"
"Don't make me sedate you," the southerner warned.
"You would too," she huffed. "I can't say no, can I?"
"That's generally what doctor's orders mean, Jimmy. I order you to relax," Leonard smiled.
"So, I'm on bed rest?" Jim asked.
"Something like that."
"Does it come with food?"
"As a matter of fact, it does. I'm making breakfast now," he told her.
"You're making me breakfast in bed?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.
"That's what I said," Leonard smiled. "Bed."
"But…"
"Bed."
"Fine," Jim sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "Tyrant."
"And proud of it, darlin'," he chuckled before pressing a kiss against her temple and went back down the stairs to finish breakfast.
"Why do we need Christmas lights?" Leonard asked as he handed them to Jim.
"Ambiance," she said in a cute French accent. "Adds to the epicness of the blanket fort."
"Is epicness a real word?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't know, don't care," Jim smiled. "Don't be a grump. You wanted me to take the day off and relax, this is me relaxing. Besides, you never built a blanket fort and that is just a travesty. How is it that you had a childhood without never building a fort anyway?"
"It's warm in Georgia most of the time," Leonard pointed out. "I had a treehouse."
"Ooo, little Lenny wasn't afraid of heights. Oh, you're gonna have to show me pictures before I believe that one. What was little you like?" she asked as she stung the lights inside the fort.
"I don't know. I was just me, I guess. I did my homework and my chores, then I went outside to play with my cousins. We didn't build forts but we did build rafts."
"Really?"
"Yea. This one time, when I was seven we built a raft and sailed down the Chattahoochee River. My cousin, David, named after my dad, almost drowned when the raft broke apart. We sat on the shore with his sister and laughed for hours. We got to the house covered in mud with a frog. Mama and Aunt Marie just shook their heads at us. Ended up getting floor mopping duty for months. David and Donna got to keep the frog though."
"Awww, I bet there are pictures of a little muddy Bones," Jim giggled.
"Mama has plenty, I'm sure. Is this thing done yet?"
"Yep. The fort is complete. You gotta name it."
"Oh, I gotta name it, huh?" he asked.
"First rule of the fort; it has to have a name."
"Hmm, I say we name it Fort… Joanna," Leonard said the first thing he could think of.
"I think that is a perfect fort name," she smiled. "Get in there."
"What are you gonna do?"
"Follow you as soon as I grab that stack of stuff over there."
Leonard chuckled before he crawled into the blanket fort in his living room. There was a part of him that couldn't believe he let her talk him into this and another part that was just happy she was doing something that made her smile. Jim used the thicker blankets for the roof and the walls, so there wasn't much light from outside and the Christmas light did give off a rather soothing glow. Add the fact that almost all the pillows in the house were in this thing and Fort Joanna was downright relaxing.
"So, we have our X-Files marathon to finish or we could read," Jim said as she crawled in with his laptop and some books. "My vote would be for George Orwell's 1984 or William Golding's Lord of the Flies but that's just me."
"Lord of the Flies," Leonard said. It was one of those books that he read in English class in high school. The more religious members of his community brought up some issue with the book every few years but they never really got anywhere with it. When he was a little older, he started to understand the Freudian aspects of the story and why they had a problem. It was just too realistic for some people.
"Figured you would pick the one with the boys stranded on an island," she chuckled.
"Yep," he chuckled and took the book out of her hands. Jim sat the other stuff down and snuggled against his shoulder. "So, I'm reading?"
"I like your voice. Besides, I'm supposed to be resting, remember?"
"Yes. Yes, you are," Leonard smiled, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "So, chapter one: The Sound of the Shell."
"They're so cute," Leonard heard someone whisper. He must've fallen asleep sometime after Jim did. Leonard shifted a little, Jim snuggling closer to him as he did.
"I know," his daughter whispered back. "Are you really gonna take their picture?"
"Yep. It's the only way my sister will believe me when I tell her that Leonard actually let Jim build a fort," the first voice, which he realized was Gaila, said.
"If you wake her up, I will hurt you," Leonard whispered.
"Yea, yea," Gaila said quietly. "She inducted you into the fort club, huh?"
"Something like that. Welcome to Fort Joanna," he smiled.
"Ooo, they named it after me," his daughter smiled. "Is there room in there for one more?"
"Of course there is. Watch the computer," Leonard muttered, eternally grateful that Jim was wearing a pair of his pajama pants and a tank top instead of the lack of clothing she had going on earlier. Joanna crawled in on his free side and rested her head on his chest next to Jim's. "Hey, Jojo."
"Hi, daddy. This place is comfy," Joanna smiled. "You guys did a good job."
"Miss Jim built it, I'm just in here," he chuckled. "You coming in here too, Gaila?"
"No. I'm gonna leave before you guys give me a toothache with all the sweetness," the redhead smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya," Leonard said. He'd thank her for watching Jo but she never actually lets him get the words out before she rolls her eyes at him and looks at him like he's crazy, so he'll just save his breath.
"What are you doing in here?" Jo asked.
"Reading and sleeping and watching Netflix," he told her.
"Anything good?" his daughter asked.
"A few things. Nothing I would let you read or watch for a few years," Leonard said.
"Figured as much," Jo muttered.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is over there," Jim mumbled against his chest.
"Really?" he asked.
"I was into Narnia before those dumb movies came out," Jim said with a yawn. "I know that the books were written for kids, which I was when I read it the first few times, but I still like them, so there. Hey, Jo."
"Hi, Miss Jim," Joanna smiled, grabbed the book in question and held it out to him. "So, daddy…"
"Not you too," Leonard chuckled.
"You're good at reading books," Jo giggled.
"She's right," Jim nodded.
"I'm not gonna win this one, am I?" he asked. Jim and Jo shook their heads in unison. "Alright. Get comfy."
"Where'd this scar come from?" Jim asked, her thumb brushing over his left eyebrow.
"Got thrown off a horse when I was sixteen. I had a concussion and bruised ribs," he smiled.
"Was it a big horse?" Joanna asked.
"He was a nice sized horse, I guess. David spooked him and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital," Leonard shrugged.
"I can't believe you had a treehouse and you used to ride horses," Jim smiled.
"I have a treehouse. It's still there, even though I haven't been in it in a long time. And I can still ride a horse. My mama has one, beautiful Friesian mare named Betsy," he told her.
"Are you gonna show me the horse?" Jim asked.
"Well, the only way to do that is to get you to my mama's house. Are you going to Georgia with us?" Leonard looked at her.
"Well, I was invited," she pointed out.
He smiled, "Yes, ma'am, you were."
"Are you sure you want me to stay the night?" Jim asked while Joanna was getting ready for bed.
"Depends. Are you gonna find an excuse to go to the station if you leave?" Leonard countered. Jim didn't say anything, her blue eyes looking everywhere but at him. "That's what I thought. You built this fort, so we're gonna sleep in it."
"You're gonna spend the night in a fort. Who are you and where is the real Leonard McCoy?" she chuckled.
"Hardy har har. I happen to find that thing to be very comfortable, darlin'. Since I have two jobs now, I need all my rest," he smirked.
"Oh, please. You have very limited sheriff's department powers and you don't get paid. Hell, technically, the case is over as soon as we get everything filed and to Arin Shaw, the county attorney. You won't have to do anything but show up in court," Jim smiled. She looked at him for a long moment. "I never did thank you for helping with that whole mess."
"I don't expect you to. This is my town too and they killed someone where my daughter and your nephew go to school. If helping you got them dead and in custody faster than not helping, it was my pleasure."
"You have to stop being adorable."
"Says who?"