Disclaimer: I don't own Bones and even though I wish I were making money doing this...I'm not.
Mlbrunell: My mom and stepdad taught me...'if you're going to do something do it right' so sorry but I take the time I need to do it right or at least as right as I can. =( I'm sorry that it takes so long. Bwuahahaha read on to find out about apples and oranges.
Angelbach: Hey it's not like I wouldn't bring him home =D Oh Jeez lol sorry to say it but Roger was just a passing annoyance maybe I can bring him in another time somewhere down the line.
Luckywynner86: o.O Yep, I brought him home =P
Nertooold54: ROFL but I have to get the stories written and I'm working on them but they aren't moving fast enough to suit me. Yeah, little dog is going to let it go because he knows big dog will eat him alive =D. Yep, that's all Tanya needs is a little make up lovin'
|Jenheir1: Yeah it was Martinez own fault lol silly man. Roger needed to feel like a big studmuffin, too bad he tried it against a real one LOL. You should wait another day to do some ugly sobbing. There is this chapter and then another one tomorrow. I posted a little sneak at a scene for Second Comes Marriage on my blog ;-P
Thank you for your reviews and support through this!
Chapter 71 – Starlight Starbright – SMUT FREE
Legates let a slow smile cross his face. With quick motions, he pulled his clothes off and tossed them on the floor. Crooking his finger again, he grinned as she crawled up on the bed. As she crawled towards him all he could think was bow chicka wow wow. She had picked up the predatory sex crawl somewhere and he liked it. She crawled over his body and hovered with her mouth just inches from his. Leaning forward, he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. She purred in happiness as he deepened the kiss. When she broke the kiss, he smiled against her lips.
"Yeah, I missed you alright," he whispered.
He proceeded to show her how much he missed her and she returned the emotion. When they had both dove head first over the cliff moaning, they lay entwined on the bed. She ran her hand down his back as they panted from their exertion. When he finally stopped panting, Legates dropped a kiss on her neck.
"Gimmie half an hour and we'll go for round two," he rumbled. Michelle giggled quietly, still running her hand down his back.
"We have time. Slow down," she admonished lightly.
"Nuh uh, you know how addictive you are? Thirty days of withdrawal was my own personal hell," he mumbled, snuffling against her neck.
"I missed you too, honey," Michelle said, dropping a kiss on his temple then the top of his head. Michelle grunted when he wiggled to get comfortable on her, burrowing his face between her breasts.
"Am I squishing you?" He asked in a low husky voice.
"Uh, well, I do have to pee and you're wiggling around on my bladder," she said.
"Oh, sorry," he said, rolling off her.
"I'll be right back then you can cuddle to your heart's content," she said, smiling.
He watched her walk to the bathroom and pursed his lips. She returned a moment later and crawled back into the bed, still naked. His mouth turned up at the corners. Laying on her side, she scooted her back towards his chest.
"You're still naked," he pointed out.
"Observant aren't we?" She asked sarcastically with a grin that indicated she was teasing. He chuckled and dragged her up against his body.
"So, I've always kind of wondered but never asked," he started then paused as if debating whether to ask her or not.
"Yeah?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.
"What's with the peeing after sex? You always do it. Like it's a routine or something," he said, his eyes darting around as if he was embarrassed to ask. Michelle giggled and shook her head.
"I won't get into the biology of it but women can get urinary tract infections from sex. So I go to the bathroom to flush out the plumbing so to speak," she said, shrugging, "my body has become accustomed to having to pee after sex so when I have sex I have to go."
"Seriously?" He asked, jerking his eyes over to her.
"Yeah, didn't what's her face do that?" Michelle asked, glancing at him with a confused look on her face.
"Miranda? No, she always took a shower and I assumed it was because she didn't like the smell of sex on her," Legates said, shrugging.
"Don't say that old bat's name when you're naked in bed with me," Michelle said, scowling at him in a threatening manner.
"Yeah, okay, got it," he told her, kissing her nose. Michelle snuggled deeper into his arms and bit her lip. She didn't want to ask but she had too.
"Is it always going to suck this bad?" She asked in a quiet voice. Legates drew a breath in and exhaled, making the hair on her shoulder move.
"Honestly, I don't know. I've never been in a serious long term relationship. At least not one that survived a TDY or mission longer than a week," he mumbled, unsure how to make her feel better about this. Michelle grunted and wiggled around trying to get closer to him.
"Baby, you can't get any closer to me than you already are," he said, smiling indulgently at her.
"I can try," she said, grinning.
Legates groaned when his phone rang from his duffel on the dresser. Michelle wiggled out of his arms and bounced from the bed. He watched with eyes that had shifted one shade lighter as her breasts swayed with her movement. Digging through his bag, she pulled out his phone and carried it back to him. After climbing into the bed, she returned to her previous position and laid her head on his arm. Legates looked at the missed call and groaned again. Hitting dial, he put the phone to his ear and waited as it rang.
"Hey, Pumpkin," Techie answered the phone.
"What do you want?" Legates asked, knowing darn well what it was that Techie wanted.
"You coming to celebrate tonight?" Techie asked, his voice suddenly choked. Then Legates heard a noise followed by Techie doing something to muffle the phone.
"Come on, Andrea. On the phone here. You can play with my gun later," came through the line anyway.
Legates let out a bark of laughter that made Michelle jump. Legates wrapped a hank of her hair around his finger and gently twirled it. Reaching back, she swatted his hand and gently unwrapped her hair from his finger.
"Baby, you mind if I go out for a beer with the guys. Tradition,' he told her. Michelle looked up at him and smiled.
"That's fine," she said softly.
"Yeah, I'll be there, sugar," Legates answered.
"Bring her with. I'm probably not even going to be able to go to the bathroom without Andrea being attached to my hip this weekend. So, Michelle will have someone to talk to," Techie said, Legates heard the sound of Andrea's hand hitting Techie's skin.
"Ouch," Techie grumbled.
"You deserved it," Michelle mumbled, having heard the smack through the phone.
"Maybe having them together isn't such a good idea," Techie grumbled.
Michelle snickered and rolled back over to watch the clouds roll by outside the sliding glass door.
"Okay, see you later," Techie said then hung up the phone.
Legates sighed, hung up the phone and tossed it on the table next to the bed. Wrapping his arm around her, Legates hoped the week would crawl by at a snail's pace. If at all possible when they were together it would stop indefinitely. By Wednesday, Legates was bored out of his mind. The night they went with the guys for drinks had been fun. Michelle and Andrea sat between Techie and Legates conniving about Lord only knew what.
The laughter emanating from them didn't bode well for the two men. Legates had stayed away from the base after that first night. Almost as if he was hoping that staying away would keep them from being deployed again. Something in his gut was telling him something big was coming and he didn't like it. Techie had called to see if he'd wanted to go to the gym while Michelle was in class and Legates declined.
"Yeah, I know man. I feel it too. Something big coming," Techie mumbled before he hung up.
So on Wednesday, Legates found himself cruising the internet on the desktop that Tanya had bought. He was glancing through the bookmarks smirking. Chick site after chick site was listed when one caught his eye. The American Meteor Society was tucked in between the Red Book and Cosmo sites. Interesting, he thought as he clicked the bookmark.
His eyes widened as he saw it was an actual astrological website. He spent about an hour cruising the website when an idea started forming. If he got to work today he'd be able to do what he wanted on Friday. Pulling out his phone, he set it on the desk then hit google looking for a restaurant. When he was finished, he picked up the phone and began to place orders. Sitting back with a sigh, he began to plan everything else he would need.
Legates spent the next two days making sure that he had thought of everything. Michelle kept shooting him strange looks as his mind drifted in and out of their conversations. As Michelle left for her class Friday morning, she wondered what the hell he was up too. Legates woke up and blinked blearily then looked around. As expected Michelle was gone for her classes already and he had work to do.
Rolling from the bed, he got dressed and headed out the door, swinging his keys on his fingers and whistling. After loading up the necessary tools, he drove to the bank, and purchased a few rolls of quarters. Getting back into his truck, he drove on base to the carwash there and got out. He stood in the back of his truck with his Fast Jacket Oakleys firmly in place and a light sheen of sweat covered his body as he scrubbed the dirt from the back of his truck.
Several women had spent the last hour vacuuming their cars while watching him work. He grumbled at the dirt up under the toolbox and scowled as he tried to figure out the best way to get it out. Looking down at his clothes, he shrugged and jumped over the side of the truck. Walking to the machine, he fed five dollars worth of quarters into the machine and pulled the hose up into the back of his truck. Bending over, he sprayed most of the mud, grime and dirt from under the toolbox. Laying the hose down, he picked up the scrub brush and soap.
Squirting soap under the toolbox he started scrubbing. He couldn't believe the funk that had gotten up under there. It wasn't like he even hauled anything in the back of the truck. After rinsing the soap from under the toolbox, he jumped out, dropped the tailgate then climbed back in. Using the large broom, he pushed the dirty water from the back of his truck. Pouring more soap on the floor, he used the broom to scrub the back out then rinsed, washing the dirt and dirty water out the back.
Climbing down, he began the long laborious task of washing the outside of the huge truck. The soft spring breeze dried the truck almost as fast as it was washed. Grunting, he pulled out the wax and started to wax the truck. By this point there was a large group of women stopping to stare at him. Techie pulled up driving Perkins' car, getting out he laughed at Legates' watchers.
"Hey, schnookums, you coming to the gym?" Techie called out, wearing a large grin. The girls groaned and turned away. Legates snorted and looked skyward as if pleading for help.
"No, I have to finish this," he grunted, glaring at Techie.
"And why may I ask are you giving your truck the overhaul?" Techie asked, raising his eyebrows in question.
"Because there is a meteor shower tonight and I'm taking Michelle out to Great Falls Park to watch it," Legates said, wiping the wax off the truck leaving a lovely shine.
"Ohhh, I didn't know about that. It sounds like fun. I should have made plans to take Andrea," Techie said thoughtfully.
"Find us if you can," Legates said, shooting his friend a smirk.
"Is that a challenge?" Techie asked, crossing his arms and wearing a grin.
"No," Legates said, sighing.
"I get it. I won't tell the guys," Techie said, laughing.
Grunting, Techie picked up the Windex and moved to stand on the runner. Spraying the windshield, he began to wipe the cleaner off the windshield. After cleaning the windshield, he moved on to the side and back windows.
"Impressive, you even cleaned the back out," Techie said impressed.
"Uh yeah, planned on laying in the back," Legates said, giving his friend the 'well duh' look.
"Yeah, guess that was a good idea," Techie mused.
Legates finished waxing and took a buffing cloth to the truck. When the truck was finished, Techie and Legates stood back looking at it.
"Pretty," Techie said.
"Yeah, that's a good word to describe my big manly truck," Legates snorted, rolling his eyes. Techie laughed and shook his head.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Legates asked, squinting at Techie.
"Meh, Perkins has a date and he's paying me to run his car through the car wash and clean it out," Techie said. Legates narrowed his eyes and shot Techie a smirk.
"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Legates asked with a knowing look.
"Damned right I am," Techie said, laughing.
Legates shook his head as he watched Techie walk into the store, buy an odor bomb then return to Perkins car. Driving into the wash space next to the one Legates' truck was in, Techie opened the door.
"Gimmie a hand, pumpkin," Techie called out.
Legates sighed, moved his truck to a parking spot and walked back to Perkins' car. After cleaning the car out, Techie set off the odor bomb and closed the doors. He began to whistle as he sprayed the outside of the car. Legates had a hard time helping since he was laughing so hard.
"I'll even wax it so it has enough time not to kill me on the ride back to the dorms," Techie said, snickering.
The two men washed the car with Techie only hosing Legates once. Legates stood there dripping wet and glowering while Techie laughed so hard his face turned red.
"Well, at least I won't have to take a shower. I wonder if Michelle likes my skin smooth and shiny," Legates said, reading the car wax container.
Techie kept laughing and bent over putting his hands on his knees as he laughed. Shaking his head, Techie stood upright and smirked at Legates.
"You ain't right, you know that right?" Techie said, starting to wax his side of the car. He wore a grin as he worked.
"You going to propose?" Techie asked, looking over at his friend.
"Whoaa, wait, where'd that come from? Did she say something to Andrea?" Legates asked in a semi-panicked tone. Techie snorted as he moved his hand in circles removing the wax.
"No, I was just wondering. You love her right?" Techie said.
"Yeah," Legates said, squinting at his friend.
"Have you even told her that?" Techie asked, moving down to the next part of the car.
"No," Legates said slowly. Techie sighed and thumped his head on the side of the car.
"Why not?" Techie asked the side of the car.
"I don't know," Legates said, shrugging. He knew why but he wasn't about to say.
"It's because of Miranda isn't it?" Techie said with a knowing look.
"Nope," Legates said, continuing to nonchalantly wax his side of the car.
"Okay, whatever that hosebag did or said threw you for a loop. Just remember, Miranda, she didn't love you. Michelle, she does," Techie said.
"She hasn't said that," Legates argued.
"Neither have you but I knew that you did," Techie said with an enigmatic smile.
"I hate you," Legates grumbled.
"Sure you do, Sweetcheeks," Techie said, laughing, "just don't compare apples to oranges okay. Miranda, like it or not, she was an apple. A rotten apple to be exact. Michelle, she's an orange."
"And what in the world makes you think she loves me? How do you know it's not that she needs me?" Legates asked, looking his friend straight in the eye.
"I'm not going to deny that Michelle does have a little more upkeep than normal women. One of which you volunteered for so you can't hold that against her. But given that she's heard you yell her name out in fear in your sleep and still hasn't bailed or even asked you about it..." Techie said, trailing off while raising an eyebrow at his friend across the car.
"Say what?" Legates asked, jerking his head around to stare at Techie.
"You think your nightmares are only just before you wake up? Sometimes they go on for five minutes before you wake up. And no she wouldn't wake you up because she's scared you'll hit her with your thrashing. It can be scary, you're a big guy," Techie said, continuing to wax.
"She never said anything," Legate muttered.
"And she wouldn't, would she? She'd wait for you tell her," Techie said. Legates snorted and started rubbing the wax he'd put on.
"She knows you have your secrets and she respects that. If she didn't love you she'd run for the hills. Some of the shit that comes out of your mouth when you have nightmares isn't pretty," Techie said seriously.
"I didn't know I was actually saying that stuff," Legates sighed.
"Doesn't matter to her," Techie told him.
Legates let out a sigh and silently returned to his waxing, mulling over the information he'd been given. They finished the car and Techie opened the doors while he cleaned the windows, letting the odor bomb air out just a little.
"Just think about it, Man. Don't wait until it's too late to tell her," Techie said as Legates walked away.
Pausing, Legates looked at Techie and gave him a nod. Looking at his watch, he cursed under his breath. If he didn't get his ass in gear he'd be late. Getting in his truck, Legates drove to Target. Going into the store, he walked to the camping section and picked up an air mattress, a pump and two lanterns. Pushing the cart he'd picked up, he walked to the linen section and began picking through the blankets.
His eyes lit up when he spotted the pink, white and gray camouflage microfleece blanket. Grabbing a king sized one, he threw it in the cart with a smirk. As he was leaving that general area, he saw a picnic basket display on an endcap. Grabbing one, he put it in the cart then headed to check out.
After getting into his truck he drove to the restaurant where he'd put in an order and picked the food up. Pulling out his phone as he sat in the parking lot, he did a few quick bits of research and with a grin, started his truck and pulled out of the parking lot. A few hours later, he arrived back at the apartment. After riding the elevator up, he walked into the apartment that had become home. He found the living room empty, moving to the bedroom he peeked in. Michelle sat at her desk surrounded by her books.
"You have anything important going on tonight?" He asked, walking into the room. She looked up at him with a smile and shook her head no.
"The study group is at Roger's place this week and I told Rachel that I had plans," she said with a shrug.
He started pulling his clothes off and throwing them in the hamper. She wiggled her eyebrows and her tongue sneaked out of her mouth to wet her lips. He chuckled and clucked his tongue at her.
"Not what I was talking about," he said, grinning at her.
"Too bad," she said with a fake mournful sigh. He walked up behind her and dropped a kiss behind her ear.
"We're going out. Dress semi warm," he told her then disappeared into the bathroom.
Michelle heard the shower start and scrunched her knew that he usually took his showers in the morning. Shrugging she stood up, walked to her dresser and began digging for semi warm clothing. When she'd found some, she got dressed. Legates came out a few minutes later and started digging through his own set of drawers. Michelle's eyes involuntarily traveled over the exposed skin above the towel that was wrapped around his hips.
"The towel will not magically fall off if you stare at it long enough," Legates murmured as he turned with his clothes in his hands. Michelle let a smile cross her face as she watched him walk towards the bed.
"I could only hope," she murmured.
He chuckled and started getting dressed, giving her flashes of naked skin. She walked across the bed on her knees and ran her fingernails up his ribs as he was pulling on his shirt. Smiling, he pulled her up against him and dropped a kiss on her lips. His hands slid down her back and cupped her butt, pulling her even closer.
"Hmm, why did we put clothes on if we're staying in tonight?" She asked breathlessly when he pulled back from the kiss.
"Who said we're staying in tonight? As I remember I said we were going out," he pointed out with a wide grin on his face.
"That kiss is indicating we're not going anywhere anytime soon," she said, smiling.
"Come on then, Woman," he said, lightly smacking her ass.
He walked to the head of the bed and grabbed all their pillows. She scrunched her face in question when he tucked two of them under one of her arms then tucked the other two under his arm. She shrugged, got off the bed, gathered up her purse and followed him out of the apartment. He laced his fingers through hers as they walked down the hallway.
"So where are we going?" She asked, looking up at him.
He grinned but didn't answer her. They rode the elevator down to the ground floor and left the apartment building, still holding hands. He helped her up into the truck then got in on the driver's side. He pulled into the early evening traffic and headed out onto the interstate. Michelle watched the signs go by and wondered where in the world they were going.
Her eyes narrowed as they pulled up to the gates of the George Washington Park. The gates were closed and a state ranger approached as they pulled up closer. The ranger walked up to the window and smirked at Legates. Legates rolled down the window and smiled at the guy standing there.
"Jefferson," he said genially.
"Legates," he said, smirking.
Jefferson walked back to the gates and slid them open. He held up his hand as Legates rolled forward to the gate. Stopping the truck, Legates looked down at Jefferson.
"You have to leave through this gate. There's no gate at your destination, just please keep quiet and make sure you leave by sunrise," Jefferson said.
"Okay," Legates said, nodding.
Michelle stared at Legates in surprise. Jefferson waved them through the gates. Legates pulled through and drove along the road to the entrance to the Great Falls Park.
"Jefferson? As in Jefferson, Jefferson the guy who takes care of your Mustang while you're TDY?"" Michelle questioned curiously.
"His brother. I bribed him and it's not a big deal since I'm in the military. It gives us certain privileges that the military doesn't like you to know about," Legates said, smirking.
Michelle shook her head and watched as he drove through the park. He looked as if he knew where he was going. He pulled into a large grassy area that was surrounded by trees. Michelle looked around and almost shuddered at the darkness. Reaching over, Legates grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
"Trust me," he said quietly. She nodded and opened the truck door, relaxing a little as the interior light came on.
"Stay put," he said, opening his door and jumping out of the truck.
She nodded and sat where she was. She felt the truck shift and heard a noise as he dropped the tailgate. Was he planning on trying to have sex in the back of his truck, she wondered. She blinked in surprise as a dim glow came from the back of the truck, it slowly got brighter. Legates adjusted the lights on the lanterns so they were just bright enough to ward off the complete darkness but not so bright that they would miss what he brought her here to see.
Opening the toolbox he began pulling out items and setting them to the side. Michelle jumped when she heard an air pump start. Her eyes widened and she smirked, still thinking he wanted to have sex in the back of his truck. Legates finished inflating the bed, and pushed it into place. He set the picnic basket at the head of the air mattress, put the lanterns on top of the toolbox and looked around the bed of the truck.
Bed, check. Blanket, check. Food, check. Lights, check. Pillows, whoops, he thought. Jumping down from the tailgate, he opened the passenger's side back door and pulled the pillows out. Stepping on the runner, he tossed them at the head of the air mattress. Stepping down, he closed the truck door and offered Michelle his hand. She leered at him and jumped down. He shook his head and chuckled.
"And to think at one point you were worried that we'd only be good in bed together," he chuckled. She pouted slightly and shrugged.
"You've shown me otherwise," she pointed out, "so now I can just enjoy it."
He chuckled again as he led her around the truck to the back. Lifting her by the waist, he set her on the tailgate then jumped up himself.
"So why exactly are we sitting in the middle of the field at night in the back of your truck?" Michelle asked, shooting him a sideways look.
He smiled and stood up in the back of the truck. Reaching down, he offered her his hand. She took his hand and stood up. He swept one hand towards the bed and guided her with the other one. She giggled and shook her head at him. Walking to the bed in the middle of the back of the truck, she perched on the edge then burst into laughter at the weird noise it made. Legates shook his head and chuckled at her laughter. Kneeling down, he pulled her shoes off.
"My feet are going to get cold," she said, looking at him.
"Nahh," he told her with a hint of mystery.
Pulling off his sneakers, he crawled across the bed towards the head. Michelle giggled when she almost bounced off the airbed. She saw his watch glow as he checked the time.
"Yeah, we have time for dinner before it starts," he muttered.
"Before what starts?" She asked, looking at him curiously.
"It's a surprise," he said, grinning at her.
He gestured for her to sit on the edge of the bed which was next to the wheel hub. She perched on the edge of the bed, worried that she'd flip the bed. Legates sat directly on the hub on the other side and crossed his legs. Letting them rest on his side of the air mattress he balanced her weight with his legs. Opening the basket he'd set on the bed, he dug around for a moment then ahhaa'd.
He pulled out two red, clear, plastic plates. They weren't disposable but they weren't breakable either. After setting one down in front of her, he dug around in the basket.
"Do you want a Cordon Bleu Panini or a Portabello Mushroom one?" He asked, looking up from the basket which was dimly lit by his watch which for some odd reason was still glowing.
"Cordon Bleu," she said quickly.
He chuckled and placed a tinfoil wrapped sandwich on her plate that he'd already had in his hand. Reaching in again, he brought out a container of fries and put some on her plate. He paused for a second then dug around again and pulled out a Pepsi and handed it to her. She looked at him then down at the plate in amazement.
"You're taking me on a night time picnic?" She asked him, still a little confused by this date.
"Sort of," he said, fixing his own plate, "if you don't eat you don't get dessert," he told her with a teasing smile.
Michelle let a smile cross her features that hinted at something more than a little sexy.
"You're being bad," he teasingly admonished her. She shot him a grin and shrugged.
"What can I say you bring out the ornery in me," she said, unwrapping her sandwich. Picking it up, she took a bite and a moan drifted from her as she chewed and swallowed the bite.
"How do you find this stuff? I mean really," she said, taking another bite.
"Well, see there's this thing called the internet," he started to say but stopped when she threw a French fry at him.
He snickered then took a bite of his own sandwich which was very tasty even though it didn't have meat on it. They proceeded to eat their dinner and were almost finished when Michelle asked another question.
"So you bring me out into the woods at night for a surprise. This isn't one of those weird therapy things is it?" She asked him with a quirked eyebrow.
Legates froze the last bite of his sandwich halfway to his mouth. Putting his sandwich down, he looked at her with an intent face.
"Look at me," he demanded, pointing to his own face. She looked up at him and almost jerked back at the seriousness on his face.
"I'd have thought you'd know me better than that," he said seriously. She looked around and shrugged.
"You're not giving me much to work with here," she said, gesturing around the back of the truck.
"Michelle, I would never intentionally put you in a place where you'd feel frightened. Even if some quack told me it was for the best," he told her, picking up his last bite.
Michelle was slowly chewing the last bite of her sandwich. She played with her fries for a little bit and Legates watched her with an almost worried look. He was worried that he'd offended her or scared her. Sighing, she set the plate to the side and looked up at him.
"I shouldn't have said that about the therapy. I know you'd never do anything like that and honestly I have no idea what made me think it," she said, looking down at her fingers as she used her thumb to rub her cuticles.
Reaching over, he picked up her plate then his. After sticking them in the basket, he moved the basket from the bed. He arranged the pillows then grabbed the blanket. Laying down on the bed, he pulled her down against his chest. He pulled the blanket over them and arranged his calves so her feet were tucked between them.
"Baby, don't worry about it okay. It's not really a big deal. I just want you to know that I'd never do anything like that to you," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"I'm sorry," Michelle said quietly.
"No worries," Legates said, looking up at the sky.
He saw a star shoot across the sky and nudged Michelle. She looked up to where he was pointing but didn't see anything. Squinting, she continued to look then the sky lit up as a falling star streaked across the sky. She watched in silent awe as the sky began to fill with streaks of light from the meteor shower. It was well past midnight when the meteor shower had slowed down to one every five or ten minutes. Michelle was chilly and starting to get tired.
"Alright, Sweetheart, let's get you home. It's late and cold," he murmured near her ear.
"We never ate dessert," she mumbled. he chuckled as he sat them up.
"We can eat it tomorrow for breakfast," he told her, kissing her temple.
Standing up, he reached out and helped her stand. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his keys.
"Go start the truck and get warm," he told her.
He watched her climb down from the truck and almost burst into laughter when he spotted her shoes. She had climbed from the back of the truck in her socks. He moved around the back of the truck, repacking everything and set the pillows on top of the tool box after the lanterns had been put away. He looked around when he was finished and rubbed the back of his head.
He had deflated the mattress and stored it in the toolbox but he couldn't find the blanket. It took a moment for it to register that she had taken it with her when she got in the truck. Laughing, he picked up the picnic basket, her shoes and the pillows then jumped out of the back of the truck. Hooking his shoulder under the tailgate, he pushed it up then banged it to make sure it had latched.
Walking to the passenger's side he waited for Michelle to open the back door. When she didn't he looked over and saw she was leaning against the window asleep. Laughing, he set the picnic basket down and opened the back door. Pushing everything into the back, he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side.
After climbing in, he put the truck in gear then looked over at Michelle. He chuckled quietly at the sight of her with her feet tucked under her and the blanket snuggled up to her face. He drove them out of the park and through the DC night to the apartment. He wanted to say their apartment but technically it was her and Tanya's apartment. But for all intensive purposes it was theirs, or was it?
He still had most of his gear and the majority of his uniforms at the room he shared with Techie. Was he afraid of something? Why was there quite a few of his uniforms and most of his civvies there but a majority of his stuff was still at the dorm room. He chewed on his thumbnail as he drove back to the apartment and contemplated this thought line.
He loved her, yes. He didn't want to live without her, yes. He wanted to keep her forever, yes. So why was he not fully committed? There must be a grain of truth to what Techie had said earlier today or yesterday rather. As he turning into the parking garage, she sighed and turned to face him with her back to the door. Pulling into his parking spot, he turned off the truck and got out. Opening the back door, he pulled out the picnic basket and her shoes. After closing the door, he opened the passenger's side door and stood for a minute watching her sleep.
Now he just had to figure out when to tell her. Sighing, he pulled her feet out from under her and gently put her shoes on. He wasn't surprised that she didn't stir, she usually was a heavy sleeper.
Taking the blanket from her, he threw it over his shoulder, hooked the basket on his arm, clutched his keys in his right hand then scooped Michelle up. Closing the door with his foot, he hit the lock mechanism on the fob and headed towards the front door.
When he reached the door, he fumbled with the keys in his hand and prayed he wouldn't drop them. Finding the right key, he jammed it in the lock and opened the door. With a sigh, he opened the door, pulled the key out, swung the door wide open and walked through. Luckily everything from here on out should be cake he thought. He made it up the elevator and to the door. As he was fumbling around with his keys, the door was snatched open. Tanya rolled her eyes and waved him through the door.
Legates carried Michelle to the bedroom, placed her on the bed and stripped her down to her panties. Walking to the dresser, he pulled out one of the longer shirts she slept in and carried it back to the bed. Pulling it on her, he tucked her into bed then went about putting the pies in the picnic basket away. Tanya giggled at him and he shot her a questioning look.
"I know you military types wear camouflage and whatnot but I honestly didn't think pink was your color," she snickered out as she pointed to the blanket hanging from his shoulder.
"Eh, I wanted to look pretty," Legates said, closing the refrigerator door and leaving the kitchen.
Tanya shook her head and smiled, she was happy for Michelle truly happy for her. Legates walked down the hallway and silently entered the bedroom. Stripping down, he crawled into bed, curled up around Michelle and drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Tomorrow? You think I'm giving anything away about tomorrow? Oh wait there is one thing I'll tell you...tomorrow is the last chapter