Amy was moody when Laurie went home that evening and he found that the Professor had visited in his absence.
"What did he want?" Laurie asked, successfully keeping the bite out of his voice.
"He's worried about Jo. He thinks something's wrong with her. Did you know she's unwell dear?" Amy came by his shoulder and gave him a long searching look. Laurie had to know, and she was going to be cross with him if he lied or if he did and hadn't told her. He was doomed.
"I asked her about it this afternoon, but you know how our girl is." Amy's fine eyebrows rose and Laurie recognized the look. Swiftly he retreated to the chair in the corner of the room. "Maybe she'll talk to you?" he suggested, hoping she'd forget her anger and remember her need to be helpful.
Instead Amy walked over to the door, pausing only to throw over her shoulder, "You know she only ever talks properly to you." And Amy had left before he could defend himself.
…
"Jo, I know you told me once you didn't mind, but as a sister, again I have to ask you, do you?" Amy desperately wished she had the courage to ask her sister when Jo entered the room, obviously surprised by her sister's unusual visit.
"Amy! I didn't expect you to come by," and she watched as Jo looked around, knowing she was searching for Laurie.
"He's not here. Jo, I've come for a reason." Amy sat down and folded her hands, pleased with her own bluntness. Maybe the pain would leave quicker this way.
"Oh," Jo shifted about on the spot before deciding to sit by Amy, her restless eyes darting back and forth as though she expected someone else to appear unexpectedly. But whether it was Jo's husband or Laurie Amy could not discern in the silence.
Amy couldn't help feeling sorry that she had not kept the old ways with Jo, but with the business of Plumfield and the budding family at Dovecote she supposed it was inevitable that her sisters would drift (ever so slightly) apart.
"I – I need to know," Amy paused to swallow. "Oh how am I supposed to ask her?" Amy wondered, feeling her usual courage in the face of adversity flee, for at her sister's open and trusting gaze was hardly the face of an enemy. She was going to look like such a little fool if she'd been mistaken, but Amy had been so sure when she left earlier. With another deep breath, she spoke quickly, "Jo, are you and Laurie in love?"
…
Jo stood in the garden, feeling herself quite alone in the world. Amy hadn't contacted her in a whole week since that horrible night and Jo shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to block the memory that haunted her effortlessly since it came into existence.
She couldn't answer that question of Amy's and that seemed to settle the matter in her youngest sister's mind. She remembered Amy leaning back, blinking quickly with a quivering frown sneaking onto her pale face. It was an expression Jo never wished to see again, and if her sister upheld her parting words, it was very likely Jo wouldn't.
The heavy tears that Jo had held back brimmed dangerously close to dripping but she fiercely blinked them away. She had no right to be upset after the pain she was obviously causing to more than herself. Fritz hadn't even spoken to her! He would simply climb into their bed and lie as close to the edge as possible while Jo forced herself to sleep.
The repulsive tears did finally fall and Jo brushed them away as soon as they landed. "What have I done to my family?" she questioned, sitting down on the grass. Jo had initiated the one thing she prayed never to happen – her family was falling apart. She was breaking it and there was nothing she could do about it.
A quite sound alerted her to the presence of a visitor and she quickly turned around. It was Laurie. "Oh Lord!" she cried to herself and stood up, hastily brushing the grass from her skirt. "Laurie!" Jo said, stopping her natural urge to embrace him in greeting.
"Jo." he merely spoke her name, a weight appearing in the monosyllable that was previously withheld. She watched his posture and slow walk to her, thinking that he didn't look like an angry man. In fact he looked quite the opposite.
His hand grasped her arm as soon as he was close enough, and Jo guessed he meant to hug her but decided otherwise for he simply patted the limb. "How did this happen?" She didn't look up when he asked the inevitable question but there was a long sigh that escaped.
"Oh Teddy, I'm so sorry." Her apology was rushed, inelegant but so passionate that it sparked her to continue, "I didn't mean – I would never upon my life, want for this to happen! I just, I couldn't stop thinking of y- no, that doesn't sound right, I was dreaming – no, it was a wrong thought of mine that went mad into a fancy. Oh Laurie, I'm just so very sorry." Jo turned about, too unhappy with herself to look at him and so she missed his puzzled look throughout her poor explanation.
"Well I'm not."
He spun Jo back around and she caught is meaningful gaze, gasping at the unbidden emotion she found there. It sparked a feeling she'd come to know, deep inside her gut, that only he could seem to ignite, and despite her guilt she felt her heart leap.
"Do you fancy me, Jo?" he asked, eyes hooded and voice low. She stepped forward and he breathed in sharply. She used to leave but this time she was ready.
Laurie didn't even wait for an answer, finding it in her look instead. He lowered his head and kissed her soundly; appreciating the delicate moan Jo gave at his action. His hands lifted to her face, holding it gently as he moved as close as physically possible. Jo instinctively wound her arms about him, wanting more despite her wrongs.
The kiss quickly turned fierce as both felt the heat from each other increase with proximity and feelings long held within gained release. Jo clutched the back of his jacket as his lips trailed down the side of her face to her neck, struggling to breathe properly even as she felt Laurie's smile on her skin.
It was more breathtaking than any dream she had conjured up and she gently held him back for a moment. "Are you sure?" was her simple but necessary question and it only took a face-splitting smile from her tall partner to settle the matter. Jo finally smiled the first proper smile she'd given in a month and it made the moment all the more sweeter for them both.
Jo was going to be very happy.
…
A/N: the next chapter will un/fortunately be a little more graphic to really make it worthy of M. I still don't really get the ratings here, but I think most of it's probably T so far. So yay, sex! Only because LW is really lacking raunch. I mean, it's not like babies popped out of boxes. So where's the action?