Disclaimer: I'd like to thank Hart Hanson and Fox for letting me play on their playground for the last 70days =D. And all for free, aren't they awesome?
Yenyen76: Glad you're still loving it and I promise I'm working on my sequels as fast as I can. Everything seems to have slowed down to a trickle since my son is home from school and we moved. But soon.
Angelbach: Heh, kudos to all military, let's face it their job sucks. Yeah, I had way too much fun having Booth beat the crap out of him in 12 DoC. ROFL I don't know there is quite a bit of difference between people from the north and people from the south ;-P. I love pig latin too, especially when there's just one person in the house who can't speak it and they get really irritated /snicker. Yeeeahhhh, our biscuits aren't cookies and that would be just gross lol cookies and sausage gravy...yargghh... don't hold your breath for the sequel you might die. I'll get it done just not in enough time to save you from suffocating =D. I am doing two after all...and my husband is trying to talk me into more parallel stories XD but we'll see. /whisper He just wants more Michelle and Legates.
Dreadswench: I already did that in 12 DoC LOL okay so it was more of a punch in the face.
Luckywynner86: And it will continue to grow in the sequel ;-)
Nertooold54: It was tempting to just go in and blow things up but I figured the Army wouldn't just do that. Biscuits and gravy are one of those things that will never be as good as mama's lol
Jenheir1: Gotta learn to cook at some point, right? Someone had to help Andrea move, right? Lol Nobody loves Stires ;-P. Uhhh nope not yet /snicker. Ha that whole shrimp in the dishwasher came from a discussion with Your1Backup the dongle part was with Natesmama. We're a little weird on twitter /snicker
ArielBrennan:Hey best way to get to a man is through his stomach right? If they're laughing because you charbroiled cookies, you gotta make them feel stupid at some point.
Becksbones: Yeah, only three more chapters left =( makes me sad too but then I get to work on the sequels =P Ahh but does he get home and tell her that he loves her? o.O Maybe, maybe not...we'll see. I already beat Stires to a pulp in 12 DoC so I guess I decided to cut him a little slack. Err yeah please keep in mind that the Snakebite series was my first and I had NO beta. The grammar is really bad and at some point I need to fix it.
Thank you for your reviews! I love them so and am going to miss them when the story is over =(
Chapter 70 – Weird Guy in the Bed
Legates spent the next four hours hopping from plane to plane. He received strange looks from other passengers as this antsy behavior and disheveled appearance. He was past and beyond tired. He just wanted to get home, wrap himself around Michelle and go to sleep. To hell with everything and everyone else. Arriving at Dulles, he let out a sigh and moved through the crowds which seemed to part for him as if fate had a hand in it.
One of the security guards that had stopped him when they had left, eyed him with still suspicious eyes. Ignoring the guard, Legates left the airport. The breezy cool air of the Washington afternoon hit his skin as he stepped out the doors. It was warm for the season but not as warm as Brazil had been. He stepped up to the edge of the sidewalk, put his hand up and let out a piercing whistle.
Taking the cab to the campus, Legates climbed out, paid the driver and grabbed his bag. Walking across the plaza, he paused and pulled out his phone. He knew he was tired when he had to check her schedule. Flicking through her schedule on his phone, he smiled and walked towards Ross Hall. As he leaned against the wall that stood next to the steps, near the bottom, he ran his hand over his beard.
He wondered if he should have shaved it off before coming to see her. He shrugged and scratched at the beard. He'd never intentionally grown one, they itched to high heaven. He hadn't stopped to eat, sleep, call anyone or any of the other things the others were doing. He stood there holding his hat, hoping he hadn't made a mistake.
Michelle groaned as she reviewed the list of online notes the professor had posted. She wandered down the hall and out of the building. She walked with the flow of students, not really paying attention to where she was going. Legates stood there with a smirk on his face, watching Michelle walk and review notes at the same time. Pursing his lips he let out a warbling whistle. Michelle's head shot up and her eyes frantically scanned the crowd.
The minute she saw him, Michelle found her feet moving. Anyone who didn't get out of her way got shoved out of the way. She launched herself at Legates and wrapped her legs around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tight against his chest.
"Josh," she sniffled.
"I told you I'd be back," he whispered.
"Thirty seven days," she cried, "no word, no nothing."
People stood in a circle watching the pair. Legates nudged her face back with his and claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss. This brought cheers and claps from the people surrounding them. Her smell surrounded him and he mentally sighed. He was home, right where he wanted to be. Feeling her pull back and break the kiss, he opened his eyes. A slow smile spread across his face as she repeatedly pecked his lips.
"Gone," kiss, "to," kiss, "long," kiss.
He chuckled at the words that came between kisses. She pulled back and fingered his beard.
"This has to go though," she said, tugging at it lightly.
"Yeah, we flew in yesterday, spent all day debriefing and I left from there. I caught a commercial flight home and came straight here," he said, using a hand to rub the beard on his face. She fingered it and shook her head.
"Still has to go, Baby," she said, smiling sweetly at him.
He chuckled and leaned in to kiss her again. She returned his kiss, they broke when air became necessary.
"Umm, Michelle. I...what happened...um...Josh?" Tanya asked, walking up behind them and seeing Michelle kissing some guy. Legates looked up and smirked. Tanya shook her head in amusement.
"I should have known it could only be your tall ass. Nice beard," she teased him. He grunted at her and dropped his head on Michelle's shoulder.
"Aww, Baby, are you tired," Michelle said, running her hand over his head.
"Just want to go home and sleep," he mumbled. The sleep deprivation was finally catching up with him.
"Come on tired, hairy, stinky, tall man," Michelle said, smiling. She unwrapped her legs and let them hang until he set her on her feet.
"Did you just call me tall man?" Legates grunted as he waited for her to indicate where she had parked at.
"Come on," Michelle said, leading him toward G Street.
A few minutes later, Michelle unlocked the truck with the fob. Legates jumped slightly when the truck beeped. Michelle watched him from the corner of her eye as she waited for traffic to pass. She finally climbed into the truck and put the key into the ignition and started the truck. He snorted as he looked at how she had everything adjusted.
"It takes certain things to make you realize how much taller you are than everyone," he mumbled.
"Huh?" She asked a little confused by his thought process.
"When I was in high school other kids teased me about being so tall. I knew I was taller than everyone else but it didn't seem like I was that much taller. Until I started running into the top of doors," he muttered.
"Okay," she said, still not following.
"And I just had another moment when I saw the adjustments you've made so you can drive. I know you're above average in height for a woman and seeing the difference in the seats from when I sit there..." he trailed off into silence.
"Baby, just lean back and relax. We'll be home in a few minutes," she said, soothingly as she drove.
They were just over half way back to her apartment when she heard his soft snore. At a red light, she glanced over at him and frowned. His face was more tan than a month ago, there were lines around his mouth and eyes. He just looked tired. She pulled into one of their visitor's parking spots and turned the truck off. Leaning over, she ran her hand down his arm and he jumped and had her hand in an iron grip before she could blink.
"We're home," she said quietly. He exhaled and nodded.
"Sweetheart, can you please let go of my hand. You're hurting it," Michelle whispered. Legates released her hand and yanked his back.
"Oh God, Michelle, I'm sorry," Legates said in a horrified tone.
"It's okay, Josh. I startled you. Come on, let's get you inside," she said, opening the door. She saw his bag behind the driver's seat and reached in to get it.
"I can get my bag," he mumbled.
"You can barely stay awake," Michelle said, grinning at him.
"Tru dat," he said. Her mouth fell open and she burst into laughter.
"That was wrong just wrong. Come on," she said, giggling and ushering him to the elevator.
They got in and rode up to her floor. He followed her down the hall and leaned against the wall while she dug through her keys to open the door. She opened it and gently pushed him through.
"You know where it is," she said, gesturing towards her bedroom.
He grunted and stripped as he walked towards her room. She followed behind him, picking up his clothes as he went. She was dropping his clothes in the hamper when she heard the shower start. She walked in and pulled out his shaving gel and razor that were in her drawer. She sat on the counter waiting for him to get out of the shower. He stepped out and froze at the sight of her sitting on the counter.
"Nothing I haven't seen before," she smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"I just wasn't expecting you to be in here," he murmured as he wrapped a towel around his waist.
She waved him towards herself. He stepped over to her, she spread her legs and pulled him between them. Reaching over, she grabbed the can of shaving gel. She squirted some into her hand and rubbed her hands together. When the gel turned white she smoothed it on his face in a circular motion. She could tell that he had trimmed some of his beard hair in the shower. She pursed her lips as she wondered what pair of scissors he had used.
"You're seriously going to shave me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Mhmm," she said, rinsing her hands off.
"Do you know what you're doing?" He asked, his eyes flicking to her hand holding a razor with a shiny new blade.
She smiled and gently tilted his head. She dragged the blade down the side of his face leaving a mostly clean area of skin. While one hand rinsed the blade her other hand smoothed gel from the surrounding area over the spot. Running the razor down the section again, she nodded at the clean skin. Rinsing and repeating, she shaved the month old beard off his face. She used a washcloth to wipe the remaining shaving cream from his face. He smoothed his hand across his face and smiled at her.
"Just when I think I have you figured out," he murmured. She smiled impishly and waved him out of the bathroom.
"Go to bed," she said.
He ambled out of the bathroom and dropped the towel next to the bed. She used the bathroom and walked into the bedroom. He was sprawled naked across the bed. She knew he was tired when he didn't even bother with pajamas. She smiled and picked up the towel and tossed it into the hamper with his clothes.
She couldn't resist, it had been a long month. She stripped down completely naked, turned on the light, and crawled into the bed. Legates smelled Michelle's sweet smell as it wrapped around his senses. He moaned in his sleep and prayed this time when he opened his eyes he wouldn't be in that stank jungle.
His eyelids fluttered and he opened his eyes. As his eyes adjusted to the light from the lamp next to the bed, he could see that he was in the room they'd been sharing. He could also feel a warm naked body pressed up against him.
"Mmmmm," he murmured, burying his nose in her neck.
"Mmmm is right," Michelle sighed.
"Missed you," he whispered.
"Prove it," she murmured. He chuckled and kissed her neck.
"Feed me first," he told her. On cue his stomach rumbled in hunger. She giggled, rolled over and kissed him.
"Alright, alright," Michelle said, rolling over twice and off the bed.
He watched with glowing eyes as she scrambled to the dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. She walked out of the bedroom mumbling to herself as she went. He rolled out of bed stretched then sighed as his back cracked. Walking to the dresser, he opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of shorts then he pulled open the drawer under it and paused. He had half the dresser, she had made enough space for him to have half of the dresser.
He looked around and saw his presence everywhere. Smiling slightly, he pulled on his clothes and followed her out into the kitchen. Tanya was sitting at the island sipping her tea and watching Michelle as she dug through the refrigerator.
"Remind me to go shopping again," Michelle called from inside the refrigerator.
"Yes, dear," Tanya said. Legates sat down next to Tanya making her yelp in surprise.
"Dammit, Josh, don't use your sneaky sniper moves on me," Tanya fussed.
Legates chuckled and leaned on the counter to watch as Michelle started pulling things from the refrigerator. His eyebrow rose as she pulled out a cookbook.
"Domestic," he commented.
"Can't eat take out forever. Might as well learn to cook," Michelle muttered, shrugging.
"Ha you should have seen some of the messes this past month," Tanya snorted.
"As bad as the charbroiled cookies?" Legates asked with a twinkle in his eye as he pulled up a stool and sat down.
"Worse because now it looks edible but doesn't always taste edible," Tanya said, sipping her tea.
"Shut up, Tanya. You can't cook either," Michelle said, glowering.
"I've got the basics down except for baking," Michelle sighed. Legates snickered and shook his head.
"I would hook up with the only woman that can't bake," he said teasingly. His eyes widened when two pairs of the stink eye were turned on him.
"It was a joke," he muttered, looking down at the counter.
"She can bake at least one thing. I've eaten it enough to know," Tanya grumbled.
Michelle was moving around the kitchen gathering items and putting them on the island. She went into the refrigerator for something and came back carrying celery and a Coke. Sliding the Coke across the island to Legates, she went back to pulling out items. Legates turned to look at Tanya in question. He saw Tanya freeze mid word and when he turned to see what Michelle had done, he saw her chopping vegetables on a cutting board.
His mouth fell open and his eyes shot to her face. She was watching her hand with her teeth tugging at her lip.
"Michelle Renee," he blurted in surprise. She jerked her gaze up innocently.
"What?" She asked, as she slowed down her cutting.
Tanya smirked and took another sip of her tea. She really wanted to see how Michelle explained this one.
"You called mama," he said in a horrified tone. An ornery look crossed Michelle's face.
"Well, you know my family. I mean can you see any of them other than Booth cooking? And Booth only seems to know Italian. Although, he did say Dr. Brennan makes really good mac and cheese. Either way, I called to see if your Mom might be able to help me out," Michelle grinned.
"Please, God, tell me no pictures," he muttered. Michelle giggled and shook her head.
"No pictures," she assured him, "but I did learn an interesting fact," she said, pointing the knife at him.
"And what would that be?" He asked, having a bad feeling about what she may have learned.
"You can cook," she said, emphasizing the word you by waving the knife in his direction.
"Ha, ahh, yeah, I can," he admitted, blushing. Michelle shook her head and went back to cutting.
"How in the world did you know that she called your mom? Oh and technically she didn't call her. She did the face to face thing on the iPad," Tanya said, chuckling.
"Eh, first off you guys didn't have that knife block and it's exactly like mama's. Second off, that particular style of cutting is the same one mama taught me," he smirked.
"Your mom is awesome," Tanya said, smirking at Legates.
"Yeah, I know that. She is my mother after all," Legates said sarcastically. Tanya giggled and shook her head.
"You are in so much trouble, tall man," Tanya warned.
Legates shot Michelle a questioning look to which she just smirked in return. Tanya chuckled then looked over at Legates.
"Robbie back yet?" Tanya asked, trying to be casual but failed, making Legates laugh. Michelle narrowed her eyes, Tanya had been stewing for the better part of two weeks about his leaving.
"I have no idea. I got off a plane in California, went in for debriefing, left from there, got on another plane that flew here to Washington and caught a cab to the University. He wasn't in the debrief but then Maggs wasn't either," Legates said, shrugging. Tanya's face fell just a little bit and Legates felt bad for her. Sha had no idea that he'd been with Legates and his unit.
"As head of the mission they probably had two or three debriefings. He is however in California so go call him and ask when his ass is coming back," Legates suggested with a grin.
"After dinner," Tanya said, lifting her nose.
Michelle continued to chop and snickered at Tanya's attitude. She had missed Martinez, as much as Michelle had missed Legates, even though she was ticked at him. Michelle diced onions then put them and the celery in a pan with some butter. Walking away, she gathered spices and measured them into a small silicone bowl. After stirring the contents of the pan, she walked to the cabinet and pulled down a container of bread crumbs.
She measure them out and set it to the side then put them back. Legates face took on a slight worried look when Michelle opened a drawer and pulled out something that looked like a rounded spatula but was much thicker. She set it down with a thunk on the cutting board.
"Do you know what she's doing?" Legates whispered from the corner of his mouth while trying to keep a straight face.
"Lord only knows. But I hope it's good. It smells good so far so that's a good thing. It's when you don't smell something or can't identify the smell that you run into trouble," Tanya said, sipping her Pepsi.
Legates put his arms on the counter and leaned forward on them. Michelle came back from the refrigerator carrying a package of the biggest pork chops he'd ever seen.
"I will give her that. Since she's started cooking she has found some of the coolest food stores on the planet. Butcher's shops in Washington DC, Asian grocery stores just really cool stuff," Tanya said, reaching over and snagging a carrot. Michelle's hand flashed out smacking Tanya's hand causing the other girl to yank her hand back.
"Owww," Tanya whined.
"Don't eat my carrots," Michelle said, pulling the pork chops out of the package.
They watched as she put them on the cutting board and pounded them to a thinner consistency but still thicker than most chops. After putting the stuffing in them, she rolled them and tied them with twine.
"Bless her, she's making stuffed pork chops. Baby, if you pull this one off, I'll kiss your feet," Legates rumbled, watching her work with practiced movements.
"It's not my feet I want you to kiss," Michelle said, smiling at him.
Legates was so involved in watching her smile that he didn't register her words until Tanya burst into laughter. His eyes traveled to hers and he shot her a wink. Her smile widened into a leer, making him chuckle. The pair watched Michelle work in the kitchen as she finished making the pork chops and put them in the pan to cook. They watched as she began to boil potatoes and chop various things.
"I'm not sure whether I should be afraid or not," Legates muttered. Tanya snorted and shook her head yes. Michelle shot Tanya a glare.
"Not of her food because Lord knows she could burn it black and it would taste better than the shit I've been eating for the last month," Legates muttered.
"Then what would you be afraid of?" Tanya asked, looking sideways at Legates.
"Getting fat," Legates sighed.
Michelle paused in her chopping and burst into laughter. They continued to watch Michelle bustle around the kitchen as Legates caught up with what had been going on while he'd been gone. Michelle looked up as the doorbell rang.
"Shit, I forgot," she grumbled.
"What did you forget?" Legates asked, worried about her agitation.
"Study group tonight," Michelle said with a sigh. Legates shrugged and got up.
"Just puts things a little later," he said, grinning.
Walking down the hall, he opened the door. The young man on the other side came face to chest with Legates. His eyes traveled up to Legates' face and his mouth fell open. Then his face clouded in anger.
"Who the hell are you?" The kid barked at Legates like a little dog thinking he was a big one.
"I'm Josh, who the hell are you?" Legates asked with a slight smirk at the classic Simpsons reference.
"Roger and what are you doing at my girlfriend's apartment?" The kid spouted, stepping forward aggressively. Legates stood his ground and smirked down at the young man.
"Are you here for Michelle's study group?" Legates asked, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Yes, I would be here to study with my girlfriend and some friends," Roger said defiantly. Legates stepped back to let the kid in and then closed the door behind the young man.
"Michelle, your boyfriend is here," Legates called out, his voice full of suppressed laughter.
"I hope so, otherwise there was some weird guy in my bed earlier," Michelle called back.
"Well then I guess there was some weird guy in your bed because this guy says he's your boyfriend," Legates said, indicating Roger as they entered the kitchen.
"Roger," Michelle strangled out, "how many times have I told you that you are not my boyfriend?"
Legates scowled at her statement. Turning on Roger, Legates pinned him down with an icy stare. Roger swallowed reflexively and looked over at Michelle.
"We went out," he stuttered.
"No, we met at the bar with the rest of the study group to celebrate our test grades," Michelle snapped. Legates cracked his knuckles as he stared at the young man.
"But," Roger said, his face starting to wilt.
"Roger, I've nicely reminded you that you are not my boyfriend but now I'd like to introduce you to my real boyfriend. Josh, this is Roger. Roger, this is my boyfriend Josh. He's been out of the country for the last month," Michelle introduced them. Legates gave Roger an evil smile and Roger knew he'd made a big mistake.
"Uh, sorry man, I didn't realize," Roger stuttered, stepping hastily back from Legates. He should have listened the other times when Michelle had told him she wasn't interested.
"Now you know," Legates said abruptly.
Tanya wore a wide smile at the interaction. She's been waiting on someone to bust Roger down and Legates had just done it. The apartment door swung open and Legates heard a bunch of voices in the hallway.
"Hey, tall man," Rachel said from the kitchen doorway.
"Hey, Rachel," Legates said.
"Should we reschedule?" Rachel asked Michelle with a knowing smirk.
"No, studying comes first," Legates said, moving past the people in the kitchen back towards the bedroom.
"Oh girl, how can you let that disappear for a month?" Rachel said, fanning herself.
"It's his job," Michelle shrugged as she poked the potatoes in the boiling water.
Over the next few minutes several more people arrived. Legates came out of the bedroom and headed into the kitchen.
"Go ahead, I'll finish here," he said, shooing her. Michelle scowled, she had wanted to cook for him not the other way around.
"Go on," he said, gently pushing her out of the kitchen.
"This I have to see," Tanya said, settling back down on a stool.
"No, you have to go call Martinez. Give it up and go call him," Legates said, gesturing for her to leave.
Sighing, Tanya stood up and left the kitchen. Legates finished dinner, made Michelle a plate and carried it out to her. She smiled and pecked him on the lips then turned back to their studying. Legates made himself a plate and pulled up a seat on the floor in the living room. He idly listened to them discussing something he had no clue about. When he finished his plate, he looked over to see her plate empty.
Getting up, he picked up her plate and carried both their plates into the kitchen. Rinsing them, he put them in the dishwasher. Looking around, he grunted, made Tanya a plate, put the food away and put the pots in the washer. Picking the plate up, he carried it to Tanya's room and knocked.
"Come in," she called. Legates opened the door, walked over to the bed and placed the plate on it.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
He nodded and left her to her conversation with who Legates assumed was Martinez. Walking to the bedroom, he changed into his pajama pants then scanned her bookshelves. She had said something about another writer she liked and he figured he'd check it out. Spotting one of the books, he picked it up and flipped to the first page. Seeing the list of books, he went back to the bookcase and found the first book.
Walking over, he turned off the overhead then turned on the lamp next to the bed. Settling in, he began to read. Not what he really wanted to do but it would suffice for now. Two hours had passed before Michelle excused herself to use the bathroom. Padding down the hall, she entered their bedroom and found him sprawled on the bed, clutching a book to his chest and snoring lightly.
Smiling, she took the book from him and marked the page. After brushing a kiss across his lips, she went to the bathroom. When she entered the living room, Rachel smirked at her.
"That was quick," Rachel said, giggling. Michelle shook her head as she sat back down.
"He's sleeping. I don't think he got much sleep in the past few weeks. He's tired, really tired," Michelle said, turning her attention back to studying.
Another two hours later, Michelle was ready to start ripping Roger's head off. He was being intentionally dense and for what purpose she had no idea. Finally putting a stop to it, she ushered the people out of her apartment. Closing the door with a sigh, she leaned against it as she locked it. She briefly wondered if she should be worried about Roger but then shrugged.
She went back into the apartment and locked everything up for the night. Going back to her bedroom, she found Legates still sleeping. Grabbing her pajamas she headed to the bathroom to change. After washing her face, brushing her teeth and changing, she returned to the bedroom.
Lifting the covers, she crawled into the bed and snuggled into the covers. She pushed back and brushed up against Legates. She found her arms immediately grabbed causing her to yank away. Legates released her arms when his eyes shot open and he realized who he had.
"Sorry, Baby," he said, his voice husky with sleep, "I'm a little jumpy after some missions."
"It's okay," Michelle said, settling back into the bed.
He reached over and dragged her up against him. Sighing, she settled into sleep. For the first time in a month, they both slept deeply and dreamlessly. Michelle blinked when the sunlight pouring in from the sliding glass door hit her face. Silently groaning, she crawled out from under Legates' arm. He grunted then rolled over onto his stomach. Grabbing her pillow, he shoved it under his head, snuffled then started to snore again.
Shaking her head, Michelle headed to the bathroom. Legates blinked blearily and looked around the room. He was out of bed like a shot and down the hallway as fast as he could walk. He skidded to a stop in the kitchen doorway. Michelle looked up from the oven where she was pulling a cookie sheet of biscuits from the oven.
"You okay, Baby?" She asked, concern wrinkling her brow. He took a deep breath and exhaled with a nod. He had no idea what made him think something had happened to her.
"Yeah, yeah," he said, turning he walked back to the bedroom and into the bathroom.
When he returned to the kitchen, he sat down on a stool and blinked when Michelle placed a cup of coffee in front of him.
"Don't you have classes this morning?" He asked, sipping his coffee and eyeing her.
"Baby, what day do you think it is?" Michelle asked, looking at him curiously.
"Uh, Friday," he said.
"No, it's Saturday so no I don't have classes," she told him softly.
"I kind of hate this," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head in frustration.
"Hate what, Honey?" She asked, looking at him as she split biscuits and laid them on the plate. He let out a sigh and put his elbows on the counter then rubbed both his hands down his face.
"Arggh, when I used to come back from missions it was just me. For the first few days, I'd hole up until I acclimated again but I can't do that now," he mumbled.
"Josh, if that's what you need then that's fine. I understand," she said, putting the plate of biscuits and gravy down in front of him. His mouth watered as he looked up at her in surprise.
"Please tell me this isn't that crap in a can," he mumbled, picking up his fork. Michelle snorted.
"I did not spend two weeks learning to bake biscuits to put crap from a can on them," she told him loftily with a smile.
They both jumped when front door flew open.
"Honey, I'm home," Martinez bellowed, "Oh my God, I smell food. Real food."
He walked to the bedroom and opened the door. Peeking in, he saw Tanya sprawled on the bed. He snuck in and placed his bags down on the floor.
"I should warn him," Michelle said, taking a bite of her biscuit.
"About wha-"
"YOU JERK!" Tanya screeched. Michelle pointed towards Tanya's room.
"That," Michelle said.
"What?" Martinez said in a loud confused voice.
"Get out! You...you...asshole," Tanya bellowed, pointing towards her bedroom door.
Martinez grabbed his bag and hauled ass out of the bedroom. Tanya's normally pale complexion was a magenta hue. Martinez walked into the kitchen and shot Michelle a pleading look.
"What did I do?" He asked in a confused whisper. Michelle felt bad for the poor guy, he honestly seemed to not have a clue
"Josh, when you found out that you were leaving what was the first thing you did?" Michelle asked, even though she knew exactly what it was that he did.
"Called you to let you know I was leaving," Legates replied, shoveling a bite of food into his mouth.
Looking up, Michelle saw that Martinez was still confused as to what their conversation had to do with him. With a sigh, she bit into her biscuit and tried to find a way to help him figure it out.
"We're straightforward creatures, Baby," Legates told her, "Martinez, you didn't call and tell Tanya you were leaving, dick." Michelle nodded and looked over at Martinez.
"Fuck," he swore in a low tone.
"Yeeahhhh, we tend to get a little wigged out when our men disappear and don't tell us. She asked me if I'd seen you because she couldn't get a hold of you," Michelle said, after chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth. Martinez smacked his palm to his forehead, spun on his heel and headed back to Tanya's door.
"I thought she called him last night," Legates said. Michelle shrugged and went back to eating.
"So, anyway, if you need time to acclimate again to the civilized world, take it," Michelle said quietly, "I'm not going to get upset as long as it's not like two weeks." Legates set his fork down and reached across the island to cup her cheek in his hand.
"Baby, I don't want to be away from you any longer than I have to be. I just didn't realize how jumpy and defensive I was," he said softly. Michelle looked up at him and bit her lip.
"If you can deal with my idiosyncrasies than I can do the same for yours. I just thought that was how you preferred to deal with it," Michelle said with small shrug.
"C'mere," he said, tugging on her hand. She walked around the island to where he was sitting.
He turned to face her and pulled her between his knees. Hooking his finger under her chin, he tilted her head up until her eyes met his.
"First of all, I don't deal with your idiosyncrasies, I accept them. They are part of you and I don't want to change you. Now if you want to change something about you then I'll accept that as well. Second of all, since I've met you, my preferences about a lot of things have changed and it's not a bad thing," he said softly. She nodded without breaking eye contact.
"Okay," she said quietly.
"Now gimmie a kiss," he said, smirking. She leaned forward and paused before her lips made contact with his.
"Why," she whispered with a smirk of her own.
"Because I said so," he replied with a grin. She closed the distance and placed her lips on his. He was deepening the kiss when Tanya stormed in.
"You didn't call, jackass," she snapped over her shoulder as she stalked to the coffee maker.
"But-" Martinez said.
Michelle and Legates broke their kiss and turned to look at the pair. Legates pushed Michelle back a little and stood up from the stool. Taking her hand, he laced his fingers with hers and led her away. Neither of them felt like dealing with Martinez and Tanya's drama.
Michelle followed Legates down the hall to the bedroom. Walking over to the bed, he sat down and pulled her into a straddling position on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His tongue swept her bottom lip and her lips parted. She felt his tongue stroke hers and she let out a rumbling moan of appreciation. Legates tilted his head and took her mouth in an almost ravishing kiss. He broke the kiss and smiled up at her.
"Honey, what do you have in your hand that's falling down my back?" He whispered against her lips.
Pulling her left hand down, she held it between their bodies. He looked down and she slowly opened her hand. In her hand lay a crumbled and squashed biscuit. Legates leaned his head back and started laughing. Michelle smiled at the truly happy sound that thundered from his chest cavity. She shook her head and giggled.
"Guess we shouldn't tell Sadie what we did with her biscuits, huh?" Michelle asked still giggling. Legates shook his head no as he continued to laugh.
"You know I adore that you wanted to spoil me," he whispered huskily. She smiled and looked up at him almost shyly.
"Just want to make sure you don't go anywhere," she said.
"No worries there. I'm not going anywhere. Well, at least for another week. After that Lord only knows where the Army will send me," he said, kissing her again.
Michelle's face became worried at his statement. He threaded his fingers through her hair gently.
"Take a deep breath. We'll deal with it when it comes," he promised. She nodded then looked down at the squashed biscuit in her hand.
"Guess I should throw this away," she said, chuckling.
"Yeah, you do that and I'll change the sheets," he said, gently pushing her off his lap.
Michelle shook her head and laughed as she left the room headed for the kitchen. When she returned to the bedroom, Legates was laying on his back in the middle of the bed. Looking at her, he shot her a look that nearly set her panties on fire. Crooking his finger at her, he gestured her towards himself. Smiling, she pulled her tank top off as she approached the bed. He let out a low groan as her breasts became visible.
Michelle paused, dropped her shorts, then started her walk to the bed again. Legates' eyes roved over her skin and one side of his mouth slowly tilted up in a sexy smile. Michelle watched his eyes go two shades lighter and a seductive grin crossed her features. Cocking her hip then placing her hand on it, she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Now there's something wrong with this picture," she said huskily. Legates let his eyes travel across her skin up and down her body.
"Looks good to me," he said, his voice gravelly with desire. Michelle rolled her eyes and pursed her lips at him.
"Not the picture you see, the picture I see," she told him with a grin.
"So there's something wrong with me?" He asked, looking down at himself.
"Yes, you're wearing too many clothes," she said, smirking.
A/N: Tomorrow it's pretty obvious where we start off. LOL. So let's see what else there is... being observant, flushing out the plumbing, old bats, celebration, guns, something coming, cruising, scrubbing, vacuuming, Great Falls Park, odor bomb, smooth and shiny, apples, oranges, flashes of skin, Jefferson, Cordon Bleu Panini, night time surprise, late and cold, cake, camouflage, and looking pretty.
A/N2 I know you don't want to hear it but we're really close to the end =(. But remember you can always follow my blog, I post previews and updates on chapters that I finish. You can also keep up with me on twitter although that can be a strange experience LOL