The next morning LJ woke up with Jessica in his arms. Looking over at the clock it was only nine o'clock. Still pretty early considering the late night they'd had. He needed to call his dad so he wouldn't worry but he didn't want to wake her. She was sleeping so peacefully. Last night had been incredible. He'd dreamt it would be hard to go slow with her since it was her first time, but amazingly it wasn't. Everything was new to her and he'd enjoyed being the one to teach her.

Carefully he rolled her over and slid out of the bed. Slipping his clothes on, he quietly left the room taking his cell with him. Making his way to the lobby, he took a seat in a corner chair and dialed home. His dad picked up on the second ring. "LJ?"

"Yea dad, it's me."

"LJ where are you? You didn't come home last night. Are you ok?"

"Yea dad I'm ok. I'm sorry I made you worry." LJ paused before he continued. "I stayed with Jess last night."

Lincoln didn't saying anything at first and LJ waited. Then finally he heard his dad say. "Well I'm glad you're alright. Are you coming home soon?"

"I don't know. Jess is still asleep and I don't just want to leave her. I just didn't want you to worry. Look I don't want to be away long in case she wakes up."

"Ok. Take care son."

"I will dad."

After hanging up the phone, LJ headed towards the vending machines. He was starving and he was sure Jess would be hungry too. The machines didn't have much to offer but he found some muffins and a Danish, which would have to do. Heading back to her room he opened the door to find Jessica's awake and dressed. The look on her face when she saw him was relief, which he didn't understand. Coming to sit beside her, he gave her a smile, "I brought breakfast." Laying the muffins and Danish between them. "Not much I know but the vending machines didn't offer much choice."

Before he knew what hit him, Jessica had her arms wrapped around him with no sign of letting go. "Jess?" he asked. Then he heard a sob. Bring his arms around her, "Are you ok? What's wrong? It's just breakfast. I thought you'd be hungry."

This got a little laugh out of her. "I am."

"Well that's good. Tell me what's wrong. Why are you crying?"

Pulling back, she reached for a muffin and began eating. LJ followed. He was just getting ready to ask her again when she said. "It's silly really. It's just…well when I woke up and you weren't here I thought…"

"You thought I'd left you? After last night? Jess how could you think that?"

She let out something between a laugh and a grunt. "Because that's what I was told all my life. That once you sleep with a guy, he…he…"

"Jess I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to call my dad so he wouldn't worry and I thought I'd let you sleep that's all."

Jessica let out a sigh and gave him a small smile. After a few minutes she said, "Thanks for breakfast."

Lacing his hand with hers, "Your welcome."

~

Sara was being pulled out of her restful sleep by gentle and exploring hands. She'd turned onto her side in the night and was facing away from him. When she'd first felt the hands in question they were on her back, slowly moving up and down from shoulder to hip. They were branching out however, and one now moved to her stomach. Trying to lay perfectly still, she savored the feeling of those hands making small and then larger circles on her belly.

She must have made some movement however small because she felt him move closer to her and whisper in her ear from behind, "Good morning."

She thought about not answering and pretending she was still asleep but decided against it. Pushing back against him, "Good morning yourself."

His hands had stopped their movement momentarily but were now skimming her hips in their circular rotation. "Sleep well?"

"Hmmm. You?"

"Hmmm. I realized how not up to drinking I am anymore. Those few glasses of champagne did me in it seems."

The circles were now big enough where they were skimming the bottom of her breasts and skimming over her panties, skirting the junction between her legs. "Hmmm," was her only response.

Michael smiled to himself. He knew what he was doing and he was seeing how long it was going to take before she did something about it. Touching her the way he was, he was skirting all the good stuff but it didn't matter. He could feel her body react every time he got close to her breasts or neared her center. Moving his hand slightly, he detoured out of his circular path and ran his hand down one leg to just above her knee and back up the other. Then he picked up his circle again. He kept this pattern, but after the fifth pass he felt her legs open slightly encouraging him. Not quite fast enough, his hand skimmed her sensitive flesh through her panties and he heard a small moan escape her.

She let him make the pass one more time, but when he failed to linger over the part of her that yearned for his touch she grabbed a hold of his hand stilling it just above her hip. She was trying to push his hand downward, but he held it in place. "Please." He heard her whisper.

"Tell me what you want Sara."

"Touch me." Came out on barely a whisper.

Smiling, he obeyed gladly.

~

Michael and Sara moved about the kitchen pulling out the leftover food from last night. It was midday and they were both starving. Their morning's activities hadn't finished in the bedroom. They'd carried over into their shower and then back into the bedroom again. By the time they'd actually gotten dressed it was almost noon.

The oven beeped letting them know it was ready to warm up their pizza. Sara popped the pizza in and took a seat. Michael brought over their drinks and sat down opposite. Reaching out, he took her hand in his and massaged her palm. "Any idea what you want to do today? It's our last day off together until next weekend."

Sara rubbed her thumb against his hand and smiled. "Would you mind if we went over to Lincoln's? I'd like to talk to LJ."

"Sure." He paused. "You want to ask about Jessica." When she nodded he said, "I noticed she wasn't herself last night although she put on a good show. Everything alright?"

Sara bit her lower lip. "I hope so. Her family wants to meet LJ."

"That's good. Right?" he questioned.

"Yes and no." Sara sighed and pulled her hand back. "According to Jessica, if he doesn't meet with their approval…they're going to pull her out of the university next year and make her go somewhere closer to home."

The timer beeped and Michael got up to get the warmed pizza out of the oven. Setting it on the table in front of them, he put a couple of slices on each of their plates and they ate. Nothing more was said about Jessica or LJ.

After they finished eating and cleaned up, they slipped on their coats and headed out.

~

When Lincoln opened the door the smile on his face was telling. He was glad to see them. Quickly wrapping each his brother and Sara in a hug he ushered them inside out of the cold. They all sat down in the living room and Lincoln moved to lower the volume on the TV.

Noticing the dark circles under Lincoln's eyes Michael asked, "You ok?"

Lincoln looked a little distracted, "Yea. Yea. I'm fine." When Michael gave him a skeptical look, "I'm fine man. Just didn't get much sleep last night is all."

"And why is that?" Michael asked.

Lincoln was clearly uncomfortable but Michael didn't care. Before he could press it however, Lincoln stood and said, "You two want something to drink?" and left the room.

Sara and Michael looked at each other questioningly and then Michael got up and followed Lincoln into the kitchen. He found his brother staring blankly into the refrigerator. Arms across his chest Michael asked, "What's going on Linc? Why aren't you sleeping?" When his brother still didn't answer, "Linc?"

Shutting the refrigerator door Lincoln leaned against it and pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes. "Really it's nothing Mike. LJ just didn't come home last night. I was worried. That's all."

Panic began to shoot through Michael, "LJ didn't come home? Do you know where he is? Have you heard from him?"

Lincoln brought his hands back down to his side and turned away from his brother, busying himself with some mail on the counter. "Yea. He called me this morning. Spent the night with Jessica."

Michael was a little perplexed. Why would Lincoln be upset by this? LJ was almost nineteen and so was Jessica. They were both adults. Then Michael took another look a his brother, that might have been part of his brother's worry earlier today, but something was still bothering him he could tell. "What else?"

"What do you mean what else Mike. There's nothing else."

"Linc you're my brother. I know you better than that. LJ sleeping over with his girlfriend might have you a little concerned but the dark circles around your eyes have been there since Christmas. Are you going to tell me LJ is the cause of those too? Beacause I don't believe it. Tell me what's going on with you."

"Mikey…" When he saw his brother's face he stopped. What was he going to tell him? He couldn't tell him the truth. Last month he'd went on a date. It'd been the first since he'd lost Veronica. And ever since, she'd been haunting him. Everywhere he looked, he saw her.

He was saved from answering his brother when he heard the front door. Both men returned to the living room to see LJ and Jessica removing their coats.

Greetings were exchanged and LJ put his arm around his girlfriend, holding her close. She blushed slightly but LJ didn't notice. They'd just spent the last few hours talking about what had happened with her parents and he knew she was still a little shaken and upset. From the look on his dad and uncle's face, something wasn't quite right here either. "Everything ok dad?" When his dad didn't answer, "Uncle Mike?"

Lincoln spoke up as he moved into the living room and took a seat. "Everything's fine LJ."

Looking doubtfully at his father, LJ and Jessica moved to take a seat and Michael settled in beside Sara putting his arm around her shoulders. "Everything ok?" Sara whispered to Michael.

"Yea." He whispered back. "LJ didn't come home last night."

Sara's eyes widened as she looked first at Michael and then at LJ and Jessica. So that's what was different. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it when they'd entered the room, but now it all made sense.

The young couple was sitting close. LJ holding Jessica's hand said, "Well I guess it's good every one's here." LJ looked first at Jess and then at his family. "Jess's family wants to meet me. We talked about it and I'm going to go home with her for Spring Break in March."

Sara and Jessica's eyes met but neither said a word.