Author's Note: Takes place during season 4's College Kids. The reasoning behind this chapter is the welcome that CJ gives Josh when she sees that they've returned. There was something about the smiles that CJ and Josh gave each other, her concern about him sleeping and his response that made me think there could be something else going on. As always, reviews are welcomed and encouraged!

"Rock the …"

"Hey," Josh said poking his head into her office.

"Hey," CJ said, looking up from her desk.

"I meant to ask before, what was with the big welcome back?" he asked leaning against the doorframe and shoving his hands in is pockets.

"What do you mean?"

"The big smile," Josh said. "The speaking Spanish."

"Man of La Mancha qualifies as speaking Spanish?" CJ asked quizzically.

"All foreign language is sexy," Josh sighed before the word sexy as if he was searching for the term to describe it. "You seemed unusually happy to see me."

"I missed you," CJ replied casually.

"You didn't even realize I was gone until we called," Josh pointed out emphatically.

CJ paused for a moment before replying, "No, but once I realized you were gone I missed you." She gave him a large grin.

"I'll have to make myself more memorable on the plane so someone realizes I'm gone."

"I'll get you a little bell for your watch. You can jingle around all day."

"Okay," Josh said standing up straight and getting ready to leave.

"Hey, did you get Carol your memo on Title IX?"

"Yeah," Josh said evading the question.

"You want to give me the highlights?"

"I feel my work will be more appreciated if you read it."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. What are you doing tonight?"

"We've got the Rock the Vote thing. I have to do a meet and greet beforehand. You're going right?"

"Yeah, I'm introducing a band," CJ replied. "But what I meant was what are you doing later?"

"You mean after the thing ends at one in the morning?" Josh clarified.

"It's not going to go that late."

"Last call is at two."

"You're staying in Massachusetts for last call?"

"No," Josh shrugged. "Why?"

"I don't know. I was thinking you might want to grab a drink or something."

"You realize we're doing this thing at a bar right?" Josh mocked her as he leaned against the wall again.

"Yeah," she replied giving him a pointed look.

Josh raised his eyebrows at her. "So?" he asked.

"You're gonna make me say it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Josh said licking his lower lip quickly.

"I was thinking you could come over tonight, after the thing, if you wanted," she said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, it hasn't been that long since--"

"It's been a while," CJ interrupted him knowing he was asking about Simon.

"Okay," Josh said. "You're really sure?"

"I'm really sure."

"Okay," he said. It had been a really long time since they'd been together in that way. He was dating Amy and CJ was interested in Simon. Josh and Amy had broken up, but the death of Simon was still fresh for CJ and so he hadn't asked about their arrangement, even though there were a few times over the last few weeks when he wanted to.

"The thought of you wandering around the wilderness of Indiana got me thinking is all," CJ added.

"Thinking about what a virile, woodsman I am?" Josh inhaled deeply and puffed out his chest.

"That's exactly it," CJ said dryly.

"I thought so," he replied. "So I'll see you at the thing later then."

"Probably before then, but yes."

"Okay," Josh said shoving off the wall and leaving. The shooting and losing Simon, the possibility of Simon, had happened weeks ago. CJ watched Josh leave and she knew that she was ready for something real again.

* * *

CJ, Toby and Sam had been at the Rock the Vote event for about an hour before Josh appeared. Apparently his meet and greet took longer than expected. He walked into the bar and scanned the crowd for the group. He was still searching when a tall woman sidled up to him and said, "We're over here."

The woman walked in front of him a little and was holding two beer bottles. It took Josh a moment to realize it was CJ. She was out of her work clothes and had on low, hip-hugging jeans and a Rock the Vote t-shirt.

"CJ?" Josh said.

She turned and said, "Yeah?"

"Nothing," Josh shrugged. "I just didn't recognize you there for a minute. You're…the t-shirt looks good."

CJ stopped walking and took a moment to look down at her shirt. "Thanks."

"You're talking to me?" he asked.

"When was I not talking to you?"

"You were pissed about the memo I wrote."

"Not that pissed," CJ replied. "I'm gonna change your mind about that anyway."

"Are you," Josh said as more of a statement than fact.

CJ didn't respond, she just gave him a coy smile.

"Is everyone here?" Josh asked.

"Yeah," she replied loudly to be heard over the music. "Well everyone but you and Donna. Where is Donna?"

"She came in before me," Josh said scanning the area where CJ was leading him. He hoped she had gotten inside okay.

"I see her," CJ said. "I was probably at the bar. How was the meet and greet?"

"Long and tedious," Josh said.

"Sounds like you schmoozed well."

"Yeah," Josh replied. "Hey did Toby talk to you about anything tonight?"

"No, he mentioned he wanted to talk about college tuition. Do you have any idea what that's about?"

"I do."

"And?"

"And I'll wait for Toby to tell you about it."

"Should I be worried?"

"No, I'm not. I'm excited about it."

They got closer to the table. "Okay," CJ replied.

"Hey," Josh said leaning closer to her so his lips were by her ear. "I really meant it before when I said you look good in the t-shirt."

CJ felt a shiver up her spine and gave him a half-smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

An hour later CJ was fully briefed on the college tax credit plan that Toby and Josh had concocted. She had a bit of time to think about it and although she thought it was a good idea in theory she thought that Leo might have some problems with it. She was making her way off stage and back to the table to discuss it with the guys when she saw them out of the corner of her eye; Josh and Amy in the middle of the floor talking. She wondered what had happened and how it might affect their plans for later.

CJ made her way back to the table where Sam and Toby were still talking. "Did you guys see that?" CJ asked pointed down to Josh and Amy. She quickly noticed that the expression on Josh's face looked annoyed where it was interested a few moments ago.

"Josh looks annoyed," Sam supplied helpfully.

Toby surveyed the scene and watched Josh walk away from Amy quickly. "You think it has anything to do with Stackhouse?"

"Is Amy working for him?" CJ asked.

"Consulting, I think," Sam replied.

It didn't take long for them to find out because Josh returned to the table and informed them that Stackhouse was planning to enter the debate. They all took a moment to decide that pushing ahead on the tax credit was the right thing to do and Josh went off to get some intelligence on what was going on with Stackhouse and the debate.

It was a good half hour before the group started to break up. Toby and Sam left to firm up some words on the new initiative, Donna had gone home and that left CJ and Josh alone. CJ was still sitting at the table finishing off her beer when Josh came back.

"Where'd everybody go?" he asked as he took a seat.

"Sam and Toby drove together. They're writing remarks on the economy on the way back and Donna went home. She was still beat from your cross-country extravaganza."

Josh nodded as he took a seat across from CJ. He reached out and grabbed her beer, taking a sip. "So," he said.

"So."

"You saw me talking to Amy?" he asked.

"I did," she replied.

"I guess that means tonight is off."

"Not necessarily," CJ replied.

"You're not using your veto?"

"Are you still in love with her?" CJ asked pointedly. Maybe it was the beer, but she felt embolden.

"No," Josh replied after considering it for a moment.

"Then you're just attracted to her?"

Josh looked a little uncomfortable and he took another long pull on CJ's beer. "Yeah, maybe."

"You are," she said knowingly. "Look, if you're uncomfortable with coming home with me tonight then that's okay. But, if it's because you think I'm uncomfortable because I saw you talking to Amy, I'm not."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"What's this about?"

"What's what about?"

"You've used the veto for less than this, but tonight you're…I don't know. Are you sure everything is okay?"

"It's just sex Josh," she replied.

He gave her a hard look. CJ reconsidered his question for a moment. She knew, deep down, that she was okay, but how to articulate everything she was feeling to Josh, that was the hard part.

"I haven't been okay. The weeks after Simon was killed…you all know I wasn't doing so well."

"You were doing okay," Josh said.

"I wasn't. You know I wasn't and I know I wasn't. But I am now. I'm finally ready to move forward. Simon was a great man and who knows what might have happened if he was still here? But, I'm tired of living in the past and the 'what-ifs' that I've been holding onto lately. I'm ready for something real."

"You and me? We're real?" Josh asked.

"We're close enough to real," CJ shrugged. "I feel good when we're together. I mean, you're not gonna be thinking about Amy tonight are you?"

"No," Josh shook his head as he finished off CJ's beer. "Amy and I are…every time I think that maybe we could be something great, she shows her true colors and allegiances and they're rarely with me."

"It doesn't mean she doesn't love you," CJ offered.

"No, it doesn't. It just means she doesn't have my back. You can't be with someone you don't really trust."

"I'd drink to that, but you took the rest of my beer," CJ said with a grin.

"I did, didn't I?"

"So, you ready to go?"

"Definitely," Josh said standing. "Your place or mine?"

* * *

By the time Josh pulled up in front of CJ's building he was feeling nervous and excited. Although she insisted that she was ready to dive back into their sexual relationship, a part of him felt a little apprehensive. He didn't want CJ to jump back into anything she wasn't ready for. On the other hand, CJ was a woman who was very much in charge of her life and feelings.

Josh shut his car door and walked over to where CJ was waiting for him. "You're sure about this, right?"

"Yes," she reaffirmed. "Are you sure?"

"Have you ever known me to turn down a night together?"

"No. It doesn't mean you can't though."

Josh took a quick look around him and placed his hand on CJ's waist. He leaned in close to her and said, "I have no intention of changing the plan."

CJ feel a thrill go through her. It had been a good long while since she'd felt so turned on. She could feel Josh's breath on her cheek and she quickly took his hand and pulled him up the steps to the door of her apartment.

It didn't take long before they were upstairs slamming the door to CJ's apartment. Almost immediately Josh was pulling off his tie and kicking off his shoes. CJ tossed her coat her on the floor and motioned to pull her t-shirt over her head before Josh reached out his hands and stopped her.

"Leave it on," he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

CJ dropped her hands from the shirt. "You like it that much?" she asked.

"I will never look at a Rock the Vote t-shirt the same again," he assured her before he pulled her into him and kissed her roughly on the mouth.

CJ responded by opening her lips and letting her tongue tangle with his. It had been a long time since they were together and tonight they were going to make up for lost time. All the pent up sexual frustrations that they both had were about to be unleashed. There would be no slow, gentle lovemaking. Tonight was about need.

Josh ran his hands down CJ's body and gave her backside a slow squeeze. He then ran his hands forward toward her hips and lingered in the spot that he knew would illicit a reaction. He didn't have to wait long before CJ pulled her lips away from his to suck in the air and moan.

"Mi amour," she exhaled as she ran her fingers down his t-shirt. Josh could feel her nails through the fabric and he wasn't certain what was a bigger turn on; her use of her nickname for him or her touch.

"Claudia Jean," he replied as he buried his lips into the soft flesh of her neck. It was the wee hours of the morning and his five o'clock shadow tickled CJ.

She giggled and threw her head back. "Your beard is ticklish," she said.

"You like that?" Josh asked purposefully rubbing his chin back and forth on her neck.

CJ wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her hands on his butt and gave it a squeeze. "I love it," she said as she looked him directly in the eyes. "Come on."

She dragged him by the hand down the hallway to her bedroom. Before she knew what was happening Josh was pushing her back on the bed and yanking off her jeans. She laughed that loud, happy laugh that Josh had come to know so well. When he had her jeans thrown on the floor CJ reached forward and grabbed at the tails of his shirt. He fell gently on top of her and she tossed the shirt off his shoulders and freed him from his undershirt.

Josh hovered above her for a moment, leaning on his hands. He did a quick scan of her body, still clad in the Rock the Vote t-shirt and now only her panties. He certainly liked what he saw, but CJ was eager to move things forward. She reached up and grabbed his cheeks in one hand and pulled his lips towards her and kissed him deeply. He felt her legs wrap around his waist and she flipped them over so that she was straddling his hips. She smiled at him before leaning in. If Josh had to come up with a coherent memory after that point, it was impossible to recall. CJ had almost literally blown his mind that night.

Later he tossed his arm over her hip and nestled his lips next to her ear. "That thing you did before with the bending?" he asked. "You've been holding out on me."

"You liked that?" CJ chuckled. "I thought you might." She rolled over to face him. "There's a story to go along with it you know."

"Do I want to hear it?" he asked wearily.

"You do," CJ said. "You see in high school there was a guy's gymnastics team. I played basketball because I was tall, but I was also unusually flexible."

"I see where this is going."

"So, one day they passed this thing called Title IX and lo and behold girls could try out for the gymnastic team at my high school. It turned out I was pretty good too. So, if you'd like to praise my exceptional skills in the sack, you should really be thanking Title IX for helping you to enjoy a wonderful evening. Is there anything you'd like to rethink about your memo now?"

Josh just looked at her and grinned. His dimpled popped out and CJ knew she was probably in for it. "You know you might have had a good little story going there except for the whole premise of your school having a male gymnastics team."

"I went to a progressive school," CJ continued her tale.

"Oh yes, I forgot. I heard about that progressive Ohio high school with the male gymnastics team."

"If I'd said cheerleading would that have made it more believable?"

"An all-male cheer team that didn't let girls cheer? Not likely. It was a valiant attempt though."

"I thought so."

"You didn't change my mind about my memo."

"That's too bad," CJ sighed contentedly.

"Why?"

"I was just thinking, I only usually do the bendy thing, as you called it, when I feel someone is open-minded enough to handle it. Your stance on Title IX makes me think you can't handle it again."

"I can handle it. My thoughts on Title IX have no bearing on what I can handle in bed."

"I'm not so sure."

"What's it gonna take?"

"Lunch tomorrow wherein I get a good amount of time to change your mind," CJ replied.

Josh looked at her knowing that she'd definitely withhold on him if he didn't agree to the meeting. "Fine," Josh said. "But, I'm not making any promises."

"Deal," CJ said rolling over on top of him. "Now, maybe I should refresh your memory about that little move."

Josh wrapped his arms around her. "That sounds like a good idea."

"See, I can be very accommodating," she grinned.

TBC