Nora was on cloud nine as she walked back to her dorm. Kissing Leonard had been even better than she imagined. Just the fact that he was attracted to her made her smile beyond her control. She couldn't get the grin off of her face.

When she walked through the door, Amber was getting ready to go out. She was putting on the last few touches of makeup when she saw Nora in the mirror.

"Hey, girl," Amber said. "You coming out tonight?"

"Not tonight. I'm tired."

"Tired?" She stopped her primping and turned to look at Nora. Her eyes grew wide. "Is that a hickey?"

Nora's hand flew to cover the mark, and she realized then that she couldn't deny it. If she covered it, she obviously knew it was there.

"Who did that," Amber asked. "You've been holding out on me."

"No, I haven't."

"You've obviously been seeing someone."

"I haven't."

Amber smiled. "Really? One-nighter?"

"What? No way!"

"Well, it didn't just magically appear."

"Look, it was just, kind of, a make out session. Okay?"

"Who?"

"I'm not telling."

"Oh, come on."

"Sorry. I'm gonna shower."

Leonard was waiting on the sofa when Jim got home.

"Hey, Bones."

"Hey."

"Did Nora find you? She was looking for you earlier."

"Yeah, I talked to her."

"Great. You coming out tonight?"

"No, not tonight."

"You disappoint me, Bones."

Leonard didn't respond. He was trying to find a way to bring up Nora. The only thing that drew him from his thoughts was Jim's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I do want to talk to you about my sister," Jim said before sitting.

"What about her?"

"She'd kill me if she knew I was doing this, but I'm pretty sure she has a crush on you. I know you two have been hanging out a lot lately. I just don't want you stringing her along."

"I would never-"

"I know. Not intentionally, but I thought maybe you wouldn't realize how she felt, and... I just don't want my baby sister hurt." Jim looked down and smiled. "Do you know what her name means?"

"No."

"Woman of honor. My mom chose it, and they used to have these talks. I'd listen in sometimes when mom was trying to comfort her after..." Jim's voice trailed off. "Anyway, she would tell her what it meant to be a lady, and how to carry herself, and stuff like that. I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure Nora's still a virgin."

"Really? That's odd for a girl her age these days."

"Exactly. Now, I'm not saying she's naive, but she doesn't have much experience with guys, mostly because I've always been there to chase them away. You're my friend, so I can't chase you away, so just watch how you are with her. I don't need her falling in love with a grumpy old man."

Jim smiled and slapped Leonard on the shoulder before standing. Leonard wanted to tell him, but Jim's words kept running through his head. 'Woman of honor.'

Jim left about half an hour later. He'd be gone until the early morning hours. Before it got too late, Leonard called a restaurant and made a reservation for the next night.

With Amber gone, Nora lay in bed thinking. She remembered one of the many talks she had with her mother growing up.

"Remember, Nora," her mother would say, "you're a woman of honor. You deserve a man of honor."

"How will I know," Nora asked.

"You'll know. He'll be kind, and generous, and he'll protect you. He'll be a friend, and the longer you're with him, the more you'll grow to love him."

"Is that how you feel about dad?"

Her mother didn't answer. She just smiled, but Nora knew. She wasn't talking about her dad. She was talking about Jim's dad. He had been her mother's man of honor.

The few times Nora had dated a guy long enough for her mother's words to come to her, Nora always knew for sure that he wasn't the one, but Leonard was different. He fit the words perfectly. Even though she had seen him in the grumpiest of moods, he was always kind, especially to her. He was generous with his time and with himself, helping her study. He protected her, and she hadn't even known it at first, by sitting with her at the cafe while she was waiting for her roommate to get rid of her hookup. He had become her friend, and she loved him more and more every day. The only question was, how serious was Leonard about Nora?

Leonard sent Nora a message on her PADD with the reservation information. He asked her to meet him at the bottom of the steps of the library, and they would take a cab to the restaurant.

Leonard decided on a gray suit, but no tie. The top couple of buttons of his crisp, white shirt were left open. He was there waiting when she walked across the grounds. His breath caught when he saw her coming toward him. She wore a light, flowing blue dress that swayed with the slight breeze. Her hair was up with a few loose tendrils around her face. He took her hand and stared at her.

"You're beautiful," he said. His voice was just barely above a whisper.

"Thank you." Nora couldn't hide the flush of pink across her skin.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said with a smile.

The host at the restaurant led them to a small, somewhat private, half-booth. Leonard kept his hand at the small of Nora's back as he guided her along. He let her slide in before joining her. The host placed their menus in their hands, then walked back to his place at the front. Leonard opened his menu, but Nora distracted him. He looked down and watched as Nora's finger gently traced over chest along the edge of his shirt.

"This is very sexy," she said.

Leonard grinned. "And here I was worried that you'd be upset I wasn't wearing a tie."

"I like it."

Leonard gave her a soft kiss. When she pulled back her eyes were still closed, and she gently pulled her bottom lips between her teeth. She opened her eyes to Leonard's smiling face.

"Did you talk to Jim?" She watched as the smile on Leonard's face disappeared. "What's wrong," she asked.

"I did talk to Jim... sort of."

"Sort of?"

"When he got home yesterday, he asked if I'd talked to you because you were looking for me. I told him I had and he told me... he said he thought you might have a crush on me."

"Jim knows me too well."

"Yeah, well, he said he wanted me to be careful with how I acted toward you, because he didn't want me stringing you along."

"Well, you aren't. Are you?"

"No, I'm not." Leonard took her hand and held it against the seat. "But he also said he didn't want his baby sister falling in love with a grumpy old man."

"He said that to you?"

"Yeah, but I know Jim. He was just goofing around. He doesn't think I have any feelings for you other than friendship, and he's looking out for you, but..."

"But you do have feelings for me."

"I do, but... Even though I think he was goofing around by calling me an old man, I don't think he would like me being with you with our age difference."

"I told you I don't care about that."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it. It's a big gap."

"Then we need to make a decision here and now," she said. "Do we finish dinner as friends, or more than friends?"

Leonard stared into her eyes. The age difference wasn't the only thing weighing on his mind. He didn't think he should tell her what Jim had said about her name, and the talks with her mother, but even with that information, he wanted to pursue a relationship with her. He squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it.

"More than friends," he said.

Nora smiled. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

Leonard gave her a soft, lingering kiss. She pulled back with a sigh.

"We should look over the menu before the waiter gets here," she said.

"He can wait," Leonard said with a grin. He captured her lips again.