"You don't need to be nervous, darlin'," Leonard said as he drove the rental car towards his childhood home.
"Easy for you to say," Jim muttered.
"How? You didn't see the look Chris gave me when he figured it out. His hand hovered over his gun and I could swear he was plotting my demise," he chuckled.
"He was just messing with you," she smiled.
"I know that now. It didn't feel like that at the time," Leonard said. "My mama is not nearly as bad as Chris."
"I'm not scared of your mom, Bones. I'm just… We don't do the whole 'meet the parent's' thing in Riverside. There aren't enough people and we all know each other. Everyone in the same age range went to school together and that means your folks went to school together too. You don't go out with someone if your family doesn't like 'em. If Chris or Sam had even a little problem with you, we wouldn't've even been friends. So, pardon me for being a little nervous. I mean… What if she doesn't like me?" Jim asked with a sigh.
"She already likes you, Miss Jim," Joanna said from the back seat. Jim glanced back at Jo. "I talk about you all the time."
"I don't know if that actually helps, sweetie," Jim mumbled.
"Just be yourself," Jo said. "Nana likes people who are honest and real. You already got that down."
"I'd listen to her if I were you, she's the smart one," he chuckled.
"She gets it from you," Jim smiled. She took a deep breath.
"Just be the person I know and love and you'll be fine," Leonard told her.
"Just be me," Jim sighed. "I can do that."
"Yes, you can," he kissed the hand he was holding.
After a relatively quiet week and a half, where no one died and Jim went to see her step-dad, they were in Georgia. His original plan was to wait until after Christmas but his mother brought their tickets for the Thursday before Christmas and they'll return to Iowa on Monday, right before the holiday travel rush starts. It was actually a good thing considering that the sheriff's department all earned a vacation of some kind.
"We're here," Leonard told his girls. He watched Jim out of the corner of his eye as he pulled his car into his mother's driveway. Her eyes went wide and she glanced at him.
"This place is huge," Jim muttered.
"It's okay," he shrugged.
"Your house is bigger than all three Kirk houses put together," she chuckled.
"It's the McCoy house and it's not that big," Leonard smiled. Jim gave him a look. "About the size of Winona and George's houses… maybe."
"Not that much of a difference, Bonesy," Jim smiled.
"If you say so, darlin'," he chuckled and gave her a quick kiss. "Come on, ladies." Leonard hopped out of the car and looked around before getting Jim and Jo's doors.
"You're practically giddy. Who are you?" Jim asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm just happy," Leonard smiled. He was a bit more excited than he thought he'd be. Maybe it was because his mama's been asking about Jim since he first mentioned her or maybe it was the fact that Jim was going to get a chance to see where he came from.
"Joanna Banana!" his mother called from the porch.
"Nana!" Jo called and ran ahead of Jim and Leonard.
"Look at you. Did you get taller?" his mama asked his daughter as she pulled the girl into her arms.
"I don't know," Jo shrugged with a smile. "We'll have to check."
"Yes, we will," his mother smiled. "Leonard Horatio McCoy, you better get yourself over here."
"Hey, mama," Leonard smiled as he walked over and was pulled into a hug. "There's someone I want you to meet." He let his mother to wrap an arm around Jim. "Mama, this is Jamison Kirk. Jim, this is my mother, Eleanor McCoy."
"Everyone calls me Miss Ellie, Jamison," his mother smiled.
"Everyone calls me Jim, Miss Ellie," Jim smiled back.
"Well, why don't you and Jo come on in and help me while Leonard and his cousin get the bags?" his mama said.
"David's here?" Leonard asked.
"He is. I'll send him out to you. He can tell you what's going on," his mother told him before she pulled Jim and Jo into the house.
Leonard went back to the car to get their stuff when he spotted his cousin heading his way. David smiled, "Look who's back in town."
"What are you doing here?" Leonard asked as he pulled David into a hug.
Though they were cousins, Leonard and David were raised almost as brothers. Always tight, their relationship took on a whole other meaning when Donna, David's older sister, died in a car accident when they were all teenagers. Leonard watched his cousin and best friend turn into a wreak. If it wasn't for his father, Leonard was sure the younger David wouldn't be alive right now.
"I finally started school. I know it's late but… you know," David said.
"It's dad and Donna would've wanted. And it's never too late," Leonard smiled. "Where?"
"Georgia Tech, believe it or not."
"Well, you were always smart enough for it. When you start?"
"Classes begin on January eleventh," his cousin said. "Aunt El said I could stay with her. My folks still aren't talking to me but that's not necessarily a bad thing."
"What's it been, three years?" Leonard asked.
"Three years, two months, a week and four days sober," David smiled. "It's feels so good. I'm still attending meetings and your mom makes me go to church too but overall, it's good."
"I'm glad. I was worried," Leonard admitted.
"I know," the slightly younger man said. "I also know why you had to step away. I mean, she was as much your big sister as she was mine and you lost her too. After she was gone… I would've pulled you down. But enough with all this mushy stuff. Tell me about the future Misses McCoy two-point-oh."
"I wouldn't go that far," Leonard laughed as he handed David Jo's bag.
"Oh, please. It took you over a year to bring Jocelyn home. You've known this girl since August and she's already here? Put a ring on it and call it a day," his cousin chuckled.
"One thing at a time," Leonard chuckled. "You're worse than Jo."
"Hey, that kid is brilliant and a good judge of character. She takes after her dad. If she gave you her blessing, you should at least think about it."
"Alright, David, that's enough," Leonard said to his cousin.
"But it's just getting good, Bonesy," Jim smiled. David started telling her all kinds of embarrassing stories as soon as the two of them met.
"That's because he's exaggerating, darlin'," the doctor smiled.
"I am not. There are pictures," David smiled.
"Don't even think about it," Leonard pointed at the two of them. "Mama, help me out."
"Why on Earth would I wanna do that, Lenny? I love watching you get a flustered," his mother chuckled. "Besides, you live in a town where most people have known Jim all her life, it's only fair for her to get some stories about you."
"I don't have to like it," he grumbled with a smile.
"He's not as grumpy as he likes people to think he is," David stage whispered to Jim.
"Oh, I know," Jim stage whispered back. "He's so cute and sweet when he thinks nobody is paying attention."
"That's it. I'm separating you two," Leonard told them.
"You're gonna take my new friend away, Lenny?" his cousin asked with his hands over his heart.
Leonard laughed, "You'll get over it."
"Will I?" Jim asked with a pout.
"Don't look at me like that, darlin'," Leonard said. "I'm not being mean. It's... it's fine." Jim looked at David, then the two of them burst into laughter.
"He's so easy," David laughed.
"I know," Jim chuckled.
"Oh, you two," Leonard threw one of the pillows from the couch at them. "Ya'll are horrible."
"We are not. We're just bonding at your expense," Jim laughed.
David gave her a high-five, "Nice. I like her."
"So do I," Leonard smiled. "So do I."
"You brought him to my mother's house, are you high?" Leonard asked his ex-wife. It started out innocent enough, his mother invited Jocelyn to come to dinner to see Joanna, who agreed. But, like most things that involved his ex-wife, it went sideways as soon as she showed up. Lyn sprung Clay on them at the last minute.
"It wasn't my idea," she muttered. "And your… girlfriend is here."
"Mama invited Jim out here and Jo likes her," he pointed out.
"They don't know Clay," Jocelyn pointed out.
"Mama does and Jo's a lot more observant than you realize," Leonard told her. He took a deep breath. "Look, I don't like this but I'll be civil with him as long as he's civil with me."
"Okay," Lyn nodded before the two of them walked back into the living room. Clay was sitting on the loveseat by himself while Jim, Jo and David were all on the couch giving him a hybrid of the Kirk and McCoy stare downs. It was equal parts comical and impressive.
"So… Umm. Jamison, right?" Clay asked. Jim just gave him a nod. "What do you do?"
"She gets rid of scumbags," Joanna answered. It took every ounce of control for Leonard not to laugh at Jo's Mini-Jim impersonation.
"I work for the Sheriff's Department," Jim said coolly.
"So, you're like a deputy?" Clay asked, ignoring Jo. Bad move.
"No, I'm the Sheriff," Jim told him.
"You're kidding," Jocelyn's boyfriend said.
"She's not," Jo said. "Youngest in the county and second youngest in the country. She's awesome."
"She is," Leonard smiled proudly.
"Seems like a downgrade there, Leonard," Clay said.
"I'm the top law enforcement official in my county. I'm responsible for the safety of twenty-two thousand people over five hundred and seventy-one square miles and I'm two weeks shy of my twenty-seventh birthday. I'm nobody's downgrade, sure as hell not Leonard's because I'm not a cheater," Jim said. "Only a slight offense intended, Jocelyn."
"Only a slight offense taken, Jim," Jocelyn smiled. Leonard looked at his ex-wife, then his girlfriend, then his ex-wife again before he looked at his mother, who just stepped into the room with a big smile.
"If I were you," his mother said to Clay, "I'd stop talking. You're lucky I even let you in the door. That girl was facing down murderers a few weeks ago, attempt to insult my son again and I'll let her kick your ass. Now, come on, ya'll, dinner's ready."
"You okay with this?" Jim whispered as everyone else headed to the dining room.
"I'll be fine. He's an ass," Leonard whispered back.
"No kidding," she chuckled.
"What I wanna know is, what's with you and Jocelyn?" he asked.
"We met at the church," Jim shrugged. He gave her a look. "I don't necessarily like her, because she cheated on you, but I can't actually hate her. She's Jo's mother and, if it wasn't for her, you never would've moved to Riverside."
"You're a bigger person than me, child," his mother said as she joined them. "I would beat the crap outta her."
"Now, Miss Ellie," Jim smiled, "I thought about it. Wouldn't help anyone and I don't like hurting people unless I have to. Besides, I kinda feel bad for her."
"You feel bad for that hussy that cheated on my boy?" his mother asked.
Jim shook her head, "No. I feel bad for the woman who took her husband and daughter for granted and didn't realize just how much until she didn't have them anymore. Me and Bones aren't married but I know what she's missing out on. He's too good for her."
His mother smiled, "Well, child, you got that right."
"I have something for you," his mother said when he stepped into the kitchen the day he and his girls were due to go home.
"For me?" Leonard asked.
"Well, sorta," she smiled and sat the jewelry box on the table.
"What's this?" he asked as he opened it. "Grandma's ring. Mama, I can't take this."
"You can and you will. I want you to have it for when you ask that girl to marry you."
"Don't you mean 'if' I ask her?"
"No, I meant what I said," his mother told him. "When you ask her to marry you, I want her to have my mother's ring."
"Mama, we've only been together for a little over a month," he said.
"You've know each other longer than that. Me and your papa got married after we knew each other for two months. We had forty good years and you. Besides, sometimes you just know," his mother smiled. "Watching the two of you together… You don't see what I see just yet but one day soon, you're gonna wake up and look at that woman and realized that you don't wanna live without her. When you ask her to marry you, she'll say yes."
"How do you know that?"
"Because she already looks at you like she can't imagine a world without you in it. She's just waiting for you to catch up. Trust your mama on this one, Lenny. This time next year, that girl's gonna be your wife and, unlike the last one, she already has my blessing."