A couple of days later, Dex has just left for the city and Joey is finally out of the hospital. Walking in a slightly hunched over way, she makes her way gingerly over to the couch. Wincing as she sits down, she tries to ignore Graves look of concern.
"Maybe you should have stayed in hospital a few more days."
"No way, I was going nuts, besides, the doctor warned me that walking might be a little uncomfortable for a bit, especially after I've been stuck in bed for days." Graves continues to hover over her uncertainly. "Graves, would you stop that," she says in annoyance.
"I'm just glad Georgie's due back today," she mutters.
"Did someone say my name?" Watson says cheerfully as she strolls in the door.
Graves smirks at Watson's cheerful demeanour, "Wow, someone got some while she was away."
Watson glares at Graves for a moment, before taking one look at her sister and ordering her to bed.
"Fuck off Georgie," Joey says automatically.
"You look like shit Joey." Curling up on the couch, clutching the pillow against her, Joey glares at her sister as if daring her to say more. "God, I don't know who is worse, you or Harley."
"What has Harley done?" Joey asks with some concern.
Watson drops her bags near the couch, staring at the new carpet as if she can imagine her sister's blood there. Shaking her head to dispel the image, she sits on the coffee table in front of her sister. "She kicked up a fuss when she realised she wasn't coming back with me."
"Oh, is that all."
"Is that all! Joey, I couldn't get her out of the car and then she got that same stubborn look you always get when you refuse to do what you're told."
Joey grins at her, "That's my girl."
"I swear, that girl is more like you every day." Watson sighs, "Joey, will you promise me that you will take it easy." Joey nods. Watson turns to Graves, "And what about you?"
"I'm fine, the stitches are out and the headaches are gone."
"Well, that's one less person to worry about."
"What about you Georgie, other than Harley being stubborn, how did your time away go?" Joey asks.
"After I was thoroughly scolded by everyone in that family for keeping them away, I was pampered and fussed over so much I nearly turned around and thumped them just out of annoyance." Joey chuckles. "You little rat, you could have warned me that you had told them to make sure I relaxed."
"You needed the rest Georgie, especially now."
"Ah, what do you mean, especially now?" Graves asks, knowing that she was missing something important.
Watson glares at her sister who looks back at her with a guilty look. "Only that with me out of action still and Rosey on the war path trying to get Charlie back, Georgie's going to need to be on her guard." Not entirely convinced, Graves lets it drop when there's a knock at the door. Opening it, she finds a rather nervous looking Charlie and an excited Ruby standing there.
"Hey Penny," Ruby says cheerily, "Is Joey home yet?"
"In here," Joey calls out.
"Great, now I'm stuck with Penny," Graves mutters as she lets Ruby and Charlie in.
Joey struggles to sit up without wincing. "Wow Joey, you look like the walking dead," Ruby blurts out.
"Ruby!" Charlie scolds her.
"It's ok, I kind of feel like the walking dead."
"Hey, I just thought of something," Ruby says, "Dex's name is Walker, so if Penny had taken his name, she'd be Graves-Walker; get it, grave walker."
"Thank you very much Ruby for pointing out the reason I didn't take his name."
"You wouldn't have had to have kept Graves, you could have just been Walker."
"Yeah, but it would have been hard to explain why I was called Graves and there was no way I was going to be called Penny by the other cops."
Ruby shrugs, finding Graves aversion to her own name amusing. "Oh, these are for you," Ruby says, handing Joey a box of chocolates.
"Thanks." Chuckling at Ruby's hopeful expression, she opens the box and hands it back to Ruby.
"Don't mind if I do," Ruby happily accepts the chocolates.
"Be sure to share Ruby," Charlie says, once again amazed at how well her daughter and Joey got along, the first time that Ruby had really seemed to have taken to someone that she'd been with.
"Charlie, why don't you sit next to your girlfriend." Graves smirks at Joey and Charlie's twin glares at her cheeky tone.
With all eyes on her, Charlie feels a little self-conscious as she sits next to Joey. "Hey guys, lay off her," Joey says in warning, her hand finding Charlie's.
"Awwww, isn't that cute," Graves teases.
"As soon as I'm able, you're a dead woman Penelope." Graves scowls at the use of her name.
"God, why the hell did I come home," Watson mutters.
"Georgina, is it always like this?" Charlie asks in amusement.
"No, it's usually worse," she glares between the two other women. "And Charlie, you might as well start calling me Georgie."
"I thought you hated it."
"Thanks to my brat of a sister," Joey sits there looking innocent, "I've been copping it from Graves and now Dex, so it's kind of grown on me." Getting a signal from her sister, Watson gives her a slight nod. "Ok, Graves, you and I are taking Ruby out for tea and a movie"
"We are?"
"Yes Graves, we are."
"Why?" Watson stands there with her hands on her hips, glaring at her. "Oh right, to give the love birds some time alone."
"Graves, if you want to be alive for your wedding anniversary, you will quit while you're alive," Watson warns her.
"So Georgie," Ruby says, testing out the name, "Can we see that new horror flick tonight, because mum hates those type of movies and won't let me go."
"It's not R rated is it?"
"No mum, it's not."
"Then if they don't mind taking you, then I don't see why not."
"Well I mind," Graves says.
"Too bad, because you're not staying here," Watson informs her.
Still muttering her protests 20 minutes later when they get ready to leave, Graves turns to Joey. "I guess we'll leave you with your girlfriend."
"Graves, just shut it would you," Watson says, dragging her out.
Joey chuckles, "Graves really hates horror movies."
"Really?"
Joey nods. "Now," she faces Charlie on the couch, "Why are you so nervous Charlie?"
"Now that you're out of hospital and we're both free, there's nothing really stopping us and I guess that makes me a little nervous."
"I thought you were comfortable with all this."
"I am." Charlie sighs, "It's just that I've never felt so comfortable with anyone as quickly as I have with you."
"Charlie, we weren't very nice to each other when we first met, nor were we comfortable with each other."
"I meant that whenever I've gotten into a relationship, I've always had these doubts at the back of my mind about them but I don't have those with you because I know that I really want to be with you. And you make me crazy Joey, in a good way," she hurriedly adds.
"And that makes you feel nervous?"
"I've never felt this way before Joey and I think for the first time, I'm actually scared of being hurt if this doesn't work out."
Joey takes Charlie's hands in hers. "You've allowed me to finally move on and I want this to work, but we both know how unpredictable relationships can be." She pauses for a moment, "I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with, that I'm not open about things and that I can be a total bitch at times," Joey raises her hand and gently caresses Charlie's cheek, "But I promise you that I will do whatever I can to avoid hurting you." Joey's mouth quirks, "You may have to bear with me a little when I have my moments though."
Charlie grins, "I have a feeling being with you will always be interesting." Charlie cups her hands behind Joey's head and gently drags her closer, their lips meeting softly at first, before their desire takes over. Their mouths working hungrily against each other, Joey's hands work frantically at Charlie's buttons. Charlie moans into Joey's mouth when the cool air touches her skin, Joey's hands burning a path across her belly. She feels Joey smile against her lips moments before her hands find their way under her bra. "Oh god," she arches her back, pressing her breasts harder against Joey's hands.
On her back now, her legs either side of Joey, their lips never far from each other as Joey lies over her, Charlie groans as her nipples rub against the material of Joey's top. Tugging Joey's top from her jeans, she runs her hands along the bare skin, enjoying the way Joey's body reacted to her touch. Desperate to feel more, Joey raises herself up on her knees and yanks her top off, the sudden movement making her cry out in pain. "Fuck!" she collapses against Charlie.
A few minutes later, Joey lies curled on her side, her head on Charlie's lap. "I'm so sick of this," Joey moans in complete frustration and pain.
Charlie chuckles, her hand caressing Joey's face. "Glad I'm not the only one frustrated."
"Believe me, I'm more than frustrated."
"Joey, are you ok," Charlie asks in concern when Joey grimaces again. Joey shakes her head. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
Two hours later, a slightly embarrassed Charlie is helping Joey undress. Thinking it was wrong to be lusting over an injured half naked woman, Charlie's unable to avert her eyes, finding them drawn to Joey's body. "Charlie?" Joey shivers at the way Charlie was watching her. "Charlie?"
"Huh?"
Joey grins, "Are you going to help me out of the rest of these clothes or stand there looking like you want to eat me?"
"Huh?" Her minds still not grasping anything but the vision in front of her. Hating the bandage that the doctor had just recently wrapped around Joey's middle, Charlie still finds her body alluring.
Placing her hands on Charlie's hips, Joey waits until Charlie makes eye contact. "I need a little help with my bra, care to help?"
Making sure to keep her eyes on Joey's, Charlie reaches around and unclasps her bra before stepping away and averting her eyes. Joey chuckles, "It's not as if you haven't seen me naked before Charlie."
"I know, I just don't trust myself and I really don't want to have to take you to the hospital again." Joey reaches for the oversized t-shirt she wore to bed. Keeping her back to Charlie, she asks for Charlie's help again. Taking the shirt from Joey, she helps her into it before pressing her body against Joey's, her hands on her hips. "God I want you so much," she whispers in her ear, struggling to keep her hands where they were.
Leaning back against Charlie, Joey closes her eyes as Charlie's warm breath caresses her neck. "Please Charlie, don't say that right now," she pleads, wanting nothing more than to have Charlie make love to her.
Kissing the back of Joey's shoulder, Charlie rests her chin there, sighing in frustration. "Let's get you into bed." Joey chuckles again, "You know what I mean Joey."
"Yeah. Charlie, can you stay with me in here for a while?"
"Of course I will."
Climbing on the bed behind Joey, Charlie spoons her body around her. "You know, I have never been so embarrassed as tonight when the doctor asked what you had been doing to pull your stitches."
Joey chuckles at Charlie's embarrassment. "It was only a couple of stitches and you're just lucky I remembered about keeping quiet about us."
"I still don't know if he really believed the reason you gave him."
"That I tripped over the cat?"
"You don't have a cat," Charlie points out.
"He doesn't know that. Would you have preferred that I told him that I pulled my stitches while I was trying to have sex with my girlfriend?"
"Even if we weren't keeping our relationship secret, I still wouldn't want that known. You could have just said you were undressing and you got your shirt caught in your hair when you were pulling it off."
"No way."
"Why not," Charlie smirks against her shoulder, "It's the truth."
"But so was the having sex part," Joey points out, still feeling stupid for pulling her stitches by doing something as simple as taking her top off, or if she admits to herself, yanked it off in desperation. "Now I'm pissed because they have to stay in even longer."
Charlie chuckles, feeling the sexual frustration ease a little as she relaxes against her. "Joey, tomorrow night, I'm taking you out for dinner."
"I thought you wanted to keep our relationship quiet."
"I do, but everyone knows that we're more than just work colleagues now, so there's nothing strange about me taking a friend out to a nice meal after she has been stuck in hospital for days."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I want to be with you away from our families."
Joey snorts, "So you prefer everyone else instead."
"At least everyone else doesn't know about us and doesn't tease us."
Joey reaches for Charlie's hand on her hip and brings it to rest just under her breasts, "I'd love to go on a date with you."
Charlie smiles, "Good." Settling more comfortably behind her, Charlie sighs in contentment as she feels her eyes getting heavy. Joey falls asleep in Charlie's arms, the guilt she once felt being so close to someone other than Riley all but gone as her heart finally moves on.
Arriving home after the movie, Graves sniggers when she sees the closed door to Joey's room and no sign of either woman. "Georgie, you can't just walk in on them, they might be," she spares a glance at Ruby.
"Having sex you mean?" Ruby says with a grin.
"Guys, I doubt Joey is up to much of anything. I'm just checking that she's ok." Still, Watson hesitates a moment before knocking on Joey's door. When she receives no reply, she opens the door. Peering in, she sees her sister under the covers, with Charlie curled up on top of the covers behind her; still fully clothed. Amazed at how relaxed her sister looked in Charlie's arms, Watson leaves them in peace and closes the door.
"Well?"
Watson shrugs, "It looks like Charlie may have helped Joey to bed and fell asleep."
"Really?"
"Graves, Charlie's still in her clothes so get your mind out of the gutter." Watson turns to Ruby, "I think it's best if you stay here for the night, I don't really want to disturb Joey at the moment by trying to wake up your mum."
"That's ok."
"Well I don't know about you two, but I'm not ready for bed."
Watson smirks at Graves, knowing she was still jumpy after the movie.
"Joey's been teaching me poker so maybe we could have a game," suggests Ruby.
"No way!" "You have got to be kidding." Graves and Watson blurt out at the same time.
"What?" Ruby asks in confusion.
"Do not let my sister teach you to play any game Ruby, especially poker."
"She doesn't really cheat, does she?"
"Damn right she does. Anyway, I've got to get up for early for work, so I'm off to bed."
"Night Georgie and thanks for the movie."
"My pleasure."
"So Graves, is that a no to poker?"
Giving in, Graves prepares to be humiliated by a 15 year old.