Chapter 8: Homecoming

The clock had struck midnight right as his private jet landed at the airport. While his decision to come home a day early from his week-long venture in California had seemed like a great idea at the time, his exhaustion had finally caught up to him and he was greatly regretting his decision. He all but stumbled off the plane and to his waiting vehicle. Grumbling to himself, he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head in attempt to wake himself up enough to drive back to the penthouse.

His reason to come home early was based solely around his wife. It had been the first time he had flown anywhere since her car accident and he had been hesitant to leave her. He had insisted time and time again that he could send someone else, Mark perhaps, or maybe Chuck, but she had insisted that he go and after promising him that she wasn't really going to do much this week, he finally caved.

"Make sure you're safe." He told her as he packed. "Keep your eyes peeled."

She rolled her eyes as she watched him from where she sat cross-legged on the bed, "Trust me Jimmy, I don't plan on doing much. Work, home, then more work at home. I have a full case load." He opened his mouth but she cut him off. "Plus I'll have Goddard to keep me company."

His metal canine barked an affirmative from the corner of the room and Jimmy sighed and zipped up his suitcase. "I know," He leaned over the bed to capture her lips with his and kissed her deeply.

Cindy reached up and grabbed his tie, pulling him down onto the bed with her. "I'll be fine," she assured him as he pinned her to the bed. "I promise."

But he still called her every night.

He hadn't slept well at all. It was amazing how used he got to her sleeping beside him after only a year of marriage. The bed had felt to vast, the sheets to cold, and the pillow to hard. After four nights of no sleep, he decided to fly back to New York early, a decision based around the need for his wife's company just as much as his need for a decent night of sleep.

The clock read 1:47 as he walked into his apartment. Sighing, he put his bags by the door and flipped on the hallway light before walking to the bedroom. When he got to the doorway, Goddard greeted him by nudging his leg. "Hey boy," he whispered, wary of waking Cindy. "Everything go okay?" His dog's soft whine reassured him and he turned his sight towards the bed. And chuckled.

Cindy was snuggled up on his side of the bed, wearing one of his dress shirts, and clutching his pillow tightly. By the way her hair was mussed around her and the still slightly warm cup of tea on her (well, technically, his) bedstand, she hadn't been asleep for very long. He wasn't surprised, she never seemed to sleep well until he was in bed beside her and after being gone for a week, well, it was safe to say that she missed him as much as he missed her.

Still chuckling to himself, he went to change into his pajama bottoms before crawling beneath the covers on her side of the bed. He wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, and immediately she turned and curled up to him. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Jimmy?"

He smiled. "Hey honey."

"What-?" She yawned. "What are you doing here?"

He wrapped the blankets around them a little tighter. "I decided to come home a little early."

"Oh." She gave a sigh of contentment and wrapped one of her legs around his. "Good."

He gave another chuckle and kissed her head. "Goodnight. I love you." Her steady breathing was his only indication that she was asleep, but her tight grip on him gave him her response. He yawned himself, his body already adjusting to the familiar surroundings and his wife curled up close to his side.

For the first time in a week, both of them woke up well rested.

A/N: Sorry that its so short! Battling some writers block! But we're getting into some good stuff soon:) Keep up the reviews my lovelys!