JJ slid in behind the steering wheel and grinned at Alex, who held the cage with the kittens on her lap while making soothing noises.

"Are you trying to purr?" JJ asked. Alex looked back at her as if she had been caught doing something naughty.

"Of course not!"

JJ raised her eyebrows. One of the kittens meowed quietly.

"Don't worry sweetie, mommy's here," Alex cooed and narrowed her eyes in a glare towards JJ. "Okay, maybe I am trying to purr. But if I am, it's just to make them feel comfortable."

"Alright," JJ said. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I'm so embarrassing," Alex sighed and leaned her forehead against the roof of the cats' cage. "But I can't help it. I've repressed this side of me for years. I had almost convinced myself I don't do cute. But damn it JJ, even I can't resist a kitten."

Or your blue eyes.

She gave JJ a worried look, afraid that she had said that last sentence out loud. She could hardly admit to the younger woman that she was attracted to her, not after her brave speech of being content with her life as a single lady. Also, as far as she knew, JJ was straight as an arrow. She probably wouldn't feel too uncomfortable if she found out that Alex thought she was attractive, but it would still make things different between them and Alex didn't want that added complication.

"Obviously the kittens couldn't resist you, either," JJ replied.

And neither can I. Why did I force you into all that dating when I could have asked you out myself? Am I stupid, or just scared that you'll think I take advantage of you?

Hopefully the latter.

"Thanks for driving, by the way. I would probably not be able to stay on the road if I'm going to check on them while driving."

"It's okay."

They both fell silent, carefully glancing at each other from the side.

"Hey, if you're not in a hurry…" Alex began, trying to sound casual but at least to herself she sounded incredibly nervous. "… why don't you stay and eat? We can pick up a pizza. I know a place where they make delicious pizza. They put so much cheese on it… unless you don't like a lot of cheese on your pizza. Then we can go somewhere else." She noticed that she was blabbering like a school girl, forced herself to shut up, and felt her face heat with a blush.

"Sounds delicious," JJ replied, and couldn't help grinning again. "Are you nervous, Alex?"

"No. Why would I be? I'm not. Maybe a little."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I am, too?" JJ asked in a low voice.

"Why?"

"Because…" she sighed. "Okay, here we go. Because I can't stop myself from thinking of it as a date."

Alex swallowed nervously.

"A… a date?" she echoed, feeling just as dumb as she probably sounded. She cleared her throat and tried to bring some order to her thoughts. "I think you've got dating on your brain," she said and let out a laughter that sounded so fake she winced.

"Maybe I do. Frankly, I'm jealous of those women who didn't understand what a gem they had the chance of going out with," she said before she could stop herself.

Oh God.

"Um…" Alex had no idea what to say.

"I made you uncomfortable, sorry," JJ said. "I don't know why I said that out loud."

"I'm confused." Yeah, that's an understatement. For God's sake Alex, grow up. "Does that mean you want this to be a date?" she wondered.

"Yes," JJ replied after checking her options and finding the truth to be the wisest. "I do. I guess somewhere deep within I've wanted that ever since you told me that you… that you had divorced James."

"Really?"

"You make it sound like it's hard to believe anyone can be interested in you."

"My record isn't exactly in my favour," Alex sighed. One of the kittens meowed loudly and scratched at the cage's wall. "Easy baby."

"Neither is mine," JJ said. "I walked away from the last man I dated because I was afraid of commitment. The last woman I dated…"

"Wait." Alex held up a hand in a stopping gesture and shook her head. "You dated women? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was a long time ago and I thought it was just an experimental thing, a… phase, if you like. May I continue?"

"Uh-huh. Go ahead," Alex said, but at this point she was so puzzled she could barely understand what they were discussing. JJ wants to date me? JJ?! Dating me?!

"The last woman I dated walked out on me for the same reason I walked out on Will. She wanted a commitment I wasn't ready to give. But I want that now. I want to come home to someone I can feel safe with. But I want that to be someone who's not constantly interrogating me about what I'm thinking, or telling me what I should and shouldn't do."

She fell silent, certain she had said too much. But Alex watched her with a new openness in her dark eyes.

"It's a date, then?"

JJ smiled and looked into these beautiful eyes for as long as she dared looking away from the road.

"It's a date."

Alex was right, the pizza was delicious, with so much cheese it could have been a meal in itself. They had eaten a lot of food together during the cases and it wasn't embarrassing to eat in front of each other, not even getting grease all over themselves. They drank some beer and watched the kittens explore their new home.

"You really weren't kidding," JJ said as she pulled up her feet underneath her in the comfy couch. "You certainly went out and bought a lot of cat furniture."

Alex shrugged, smiling.

"I don't spend a lot of money, so… I can afford it."

"It wasn't really about the money," JJ said and giggled a little. "You're going to become quite the cat lady, aren't you?"

"I noticed that you dropped the 'crazy' part this time," Alex replied.

"Nothing crazy about you, Alex."

"Oh, I don't know…" Alex said and moved a little bit closer, so that their thighs touched. JJ's body heat soothed her in a way she hadn't experienced in years. "I feel this whole year has been rather crazy."

JJ reached out a hand and stroke the hair out of the older woman's face with a tender gesture.

"I think I'm going to kiss you now," she breathed.

"And I think I want you to," Alex replied. JJ smiled and pulled her closer until their lips met. The kiss was gentle, brief, but promising. Very promising.

"I think the kids are watching," Alex mumbled against JJ's lips.

"I hardly think it's going to scar them for life," JJ replied.

Then Cinders jumped onto the table and knocked over one of the beer bottles, spraying beer and foam all over the table and interrupting the moment. Brown eyes looked into blue. And then both women began to laugh as they got up from the couch and started to clean up the mess.

"At least there is no broken glass," JJ said.

"Still time for that," Alex replied.

"But no broken hearts," JJ said. Alex shook her head and briefly squeezed JJ's hand.

"No. No more broken hearts."

A/N

Okay. That was cheesy. Got it? Got it? Cheesy? Okay, that was dumb. XD

Hope you guys liked it! I for one definitely liked to FINALLY get them together, cheesy as it got. :P