Becoming Our Own, Part 10 - in TBoPE 'verse
Title: Becoming Our Own, Part 10
Author: Caera1996
Rating for this Part: NC-17
W/C: 5,587
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Timeline Notes: A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG ‘verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go.
This Part: Leonard and Jim finally get news about the house, and Joanna prepares for her interview.
“How about this top and this skirt?” Jo asked, pulling the items out of her closet and holding them up to her father.
He paused in putting folded t-shirts and pajamas away in her dresser to glance up at the items.
“Those look nice together, Jo.”
Joanna sighed, and tossed them onto her bed, taking a seat on the edge. “That’s what you’ve said about the others, too.”
Hearing the frustration in her tone, Leonard stopped what he was doing and went over to her, sitting down cross-legged on the floor in front of her.
“Darlin’, all of the outfits you picked look nice, and they’re all good choices. Any one of them would be fine because the teachers are going to be interested in what you have to say more than what you’re wearin’,” Leonard said. He reached to take her hands. “And you’re going to do great because all you have to do is be yourself, okay?”
“I just…I think this school is so neat, and I really want to go, and what if…” she flushed and trailed off, and Leonard knew what she was thinking. What if she messed up her chance.
“Hey,” he tugged gently, and she left the bed to go to him, climbing into his lap and cuddling in his arms against his chest. He just held her for a moment, tenderly stroking her soft curls. He remembered when she was younger how they would cuddle like this often…for any reason. Now that she was all of eleven - almost twelve - there weren’t many times she tolerated being “treated like a baby”. Leonard didn’t think of it that way, though. She didn’t have to be young for him to hold her like this. He’d do this as often as she’d let him, no matter her age. She would always be his baby.
“Jo, remember what I told you about the age of the students at the school?” Leonard asked quietly.
“Yes,” she said, her voice slightly muffled against him. “That if I get in, I’ll be the youngest by at least two years.”
“Yes,” Leonard replied. “And there’s a possibility that the people who decide which kids are accepted will think that you’re simply too young. And that wouldn’t be your fault at all, right? You can’t help how old you are.”
“Right.”
“So…” he continued, absently gathering her hair and letting it fall back in place to frame her pretty face. “There’s no reason for you to worry about anything. All you have to do is be yourself, and they’ll see how good and smart you are. And if you don’t get in…” he shrugged and she tipped her head up to look him in his eyes. “It’ll be because of your age - something you can’t help at all. Okay?”
“But what if I can’t talk?” she asked, fiddling with a button on his shirt. “What if I just…can’t get the words to come out?”
“If that happens, just take a deep breath, count to five, let it out slowly, and try again. All you have to do is your best.”
Joanna nodded. “Okay.”
Leonard smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Joanna wound her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. They sat there for another minute, then Jo stretched and moved to get up. Leonard set her lightly on her feet and watched as she made a final decision on the clothes she was going to wear tomorrow. Leonard pushed himself up and glanced at his watch, surprised to see how late it was.
“Can you put the rest of your clothes away for me, Jo? And clean up your room a bit. I want to get dinner started.”
“Sure,” she said. “Thanks, Daddy. I feel better.”
He paused in her doorway. “Good. The most important thing to me and Jim is that you’re happy. And if this school is part of that, great. If not, no big deal. We’ll find something that works perfectly for you. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said.
“Good. Dinner is in about an hour.”
“Pizza?”
“Fish.”
“Oh, okay,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.
Leonard smiled and left her to finish the simple chores in her room, and headed out to the kitchen. Jim had a late strategy meeting about that kid he’d taken such an interest in, and he expected him home any time. He hoped that everything was going to work out for him…he knew how much it meant to Jim to see that the boy have a chance in his life.
He pulled the ingredients out of the fridge and set to preparing the fish, vegetables and rice for dinner. There was a lot going on right now in their family, and he was completely preoccupied with thoughts of Jim, his daughter, Sam and Aurelan, and everything they were dealing with right now, and of course them and the possibility of the house.
Estelle had finally gotten back to them with a quick text that just said, “Still working on it. Looking good.”
That hadn’t given them a lot of information, but it had buoyed their spirits. And though Leonard and Jim were constantly cautioning each other against getting their hopes too high and pinning them on this particular house, they’d both given in to the excitement and possibility. Just the other day they saw a couch on tv they both liked, and had talked about where in the new house it would look best. He smiled at the memory, and looked forward to when they could actually furnish a house together, and have it be theirs in every way.
Leonard placed the fish fillets on a baking sheet and drizzled them with a little olive oil. He was working on cutting up the vegetables, his thoughts wandering, when the sound of phone ringing startled him.
“Ah, fuck!”
He cut himself. He hadn’t cut himself in forever. Blood welled up from the cut, and he couldn’t tell how bad it was. Cupping his other hand under the injured one to catch the blood, he hurried to the other counter and dropped the knife in the sink. Turning on the water, he winced as he rinsed the injured finger.
“Hey, I’m home!” Jim called.
“In the kitchen…can you bring me the first aid kit?”
“What?” Jim hurried into the kitchen and dropped his bag and coat on a chair. He came over to Leonard, looking over his shoulder to see what was up. “What happened?”
“Cut myself chopping vegetables,” Leonard said. “I don’t think it’s serious.”
He pulled his finger out of the stream of water and looked at the cut - a thin, fairly deep slit in the skin that was still bleeding freely. Jim paled and took a step away from the sink.
“Bones, that looks like a big cut and that’s a lot of blood…maybe we should wrap it up and take you to the hospital.”
“Nah, it’s not bleeding as much as it looks like, and it’s not that deep.” He flexed his fingers, making it bleed more, but assuring him that nothing else was injured. “I’m fine. If you bring me…” he trailed off when he looked over his shoulder at Jim. “Oh, no….you’re not going to pass out on me are you? Go sit down before you fall down.”
“No, no…I’m not going to pass out,” Jim said. He left out the part about feeling queasy. “I’ll go get the first aid kit. Be right back.”
Hurrying out of the kitchen, he called a quick hello to Joanna as he retrieved the first aid kit from the hall closet. Coming back in to the kitchen, he found Leonard still standing at the sink using a paper towel to put pressure on the cut.
“Okay, Bones, come here,” Jim said. He removed his things from the kitchen table and took a seat, pulling out another chair for Leonard.
“You sure you’re okay to fix me up?” Leonard asked, coming over to take a seat. “I can get Jo…”
Jim smiled, shaking his head. “You’re such an ass. Let me see.”
Leonard held out his hand and Jim spent a few minutes using the supplies in the kit to gently clean it, apply an antibacterial cream and bandage it.
“Why is it bleeding so much?” he murmured, securing a second bandage over the first one.
“There are a lot of capillaries in fingers,” Leonard said. “But it’ll be fine. The pressure from the bandage will stop it.”
“Okay, there you go,” Jim said. He held Bones’ hand, examining the results of his work. “Good thing I came home when I did.”
Leonard smiled. “My hero.”
Jim chuckled and leaned close to him for a kiss.
“So…are you going to finish making dinner, too?” Leonard asked.
“Sure. Just come tell me what to do.”
They stood, and first thing Leonard had Jim do was remove the cutting board and everything on it because though he’d been quick, some blood had dripped onto what he’d been working on.
“Well, at least most of the vegetables were already in the pan,” Jim said. He pulled out another cutting board and knife and finished with the zucchini. “What do you want me to do with this?”
Leonard directed and Jim put the vegetables in the oven, then set the timer.
“Perfect. We’ll put the fish in for the last few minutes. It won’t take long; fish cooks pretty quickly.”
“I can’t believe you cut yourself,” Jim said. He pulled sodas from the fridge and opened one before handing it to Leonard. “I think that’s the first time you did that since I’ve known you.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t paying attention. Oh…the phone. There was a phone call that startled me. He picked up the house phone and looked at the caller id, and his stomach fluttered with excitement. “It was Estelle. She left a message.”
“Play it,” Jim said, taking a seat next to him. “Put it on speaker.”
Leonard dialed in to the voice mailbox and hit speaker. ”Leonard, Jim, it’s Estelle. I have news. Call me.”
Leonard rolled his eyes. “Why don’t people ever leave their news in a message?” he grumbled as he punched in her number. Jim smiled, waiting with baited breath for her to answer. Like Leonard, he’d been trying not to get his hopes up. But, to be completely honest with himself, he was already pretty invested in this house. It was everything he wanted, and to have that with Bones and Jo…well, it would be amazing.
“This is Estelle, can I help you?”
“Hello Estelle, this is Leonard and Jim. You said you have news?”
“Oh, yes I do.” She paused, and they held their breath. “You got it.”
Stunned, Leonard and Jim were speechless as they looked at each other.
”Hello?”
“Uh…yeah, sorry. We’re still here…just a little…we got it?” Jim asked, hardly daring to believe it.
”Yes.”
“But…but not for what we offered, right?” Leonard asked.
”Oh, yes. For what you offered.”
Still simply stunned, Jim and Leonard stared at each other over the phone. They got the house. Their house. It was their house!
”You know, gentlemen, this is not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”
“YES! Estelle, you are amazing!” Jim shouted. They jumped to their feet and hugged each other tightly. Grinning like idiots, Leonard grabbed Jim’s shirt and pulled him close for a kiss.
“That is just…It’s more than we ever thought you’d be able to pull off,” Leonard said, picking up the phone. “We’re so happy - you have no idea.”
”Well, that’s more like it,” Estelle said, a note of happy satisfaction in her voice. ”They don’t call me the best for nothing.”
“No, they certainly don’t,” Jim said. “Thank you for all your hard work.”
”Putting good people like you in your choice of home warms my heart. Call my office sometime tomorrow to make an appointment to get the official paperwork started. Have a good night, gentlemen.”
“We will, thanks again, Estelle. Talk to you soon,” Leonard said.
He disconnected the call, and they just stared at each other for a moment, then broke down in happy laughter. Jim reached for Bones again, and they hugged.
“I can’t believe we got it!” Jim said. “I mean, I’d hoped…but I just….I never really thought…” Jim sat back down, looking a little shell-shocked.
“I know,” Leonard said. He took a second to put the fish in the oven to cook while the veggies finished. Turning, he leaned against the counter to look at Jim. He wondered if he still felt as sure about this as he had when it was all just a hypothetical. He resolved to talk about it with him tonight, before anything was official. “So, let’s keep this to ourselves. I don’t want to put any more pressure on Jo than she’s already feeling about tomorrow.”
“Okay, yeah. Good thinking. How is she doing? I didn’t even get a chance to give that a second thought since I walked into a disaster.”
Leonard had to roll his eyes at that and threw Jim a teasing smile. “Seriously, Jim? A cut on my finger is a disaster? So ridiculous.”
Jim grinned and shrugged, turning to pull out plates, cups, and utensils.
“Anyway,” Leonard continued. “I think she’s doing okay. We talked about it earlier, and I reminded her about the age thing. That seemed to help. She’s a little nervous - mostly about whether or not she’ll be able to work through the reticence.”
Jim nodded and finished setting the table. “What did you say about that?”
“Just that all she had to do was her best, and if the words wouldn’t come to take a deep breath and try it again.” He paused, fork in hand as he fluffed the rice. “I didn’t want to make a big deal of it…but…I don’t know. Do you think I should’ve said something else?”
Jim came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Leonard’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. Leonard smiled and recovered the pot to keep it warm.
“No,” Jim said quietly, right near his ear. “I think you handled it perfectly.”
Leonard put the fork down and turned in Jim’s arms, so they were face to face. He cupped Jim’s cheek and brushed their lips together, smiling between kisses, so incredibly happy.
“You guys are always kissing,” Jo said as she came into the kitchen. “It’s kinda gross. Hi Oide. Is dinner ready yet? I’m starved.”
Laughing softly, Jim rested his head on Leonard’s shoulder for a second, and Leonard hugged him.
“We’ll pick this up later,” he whispered.
“Tease.”
Jim separated from him and joined Joanna at the table, giving her a hug and settling in to hear about her day. Leonard took the plates Jim handed him and scooped some rice onto them, then checked the fish. He returned the plates to Jim and pulled the pan of fish and veggies out of the oven to bring to the table. He served Jo and Jim, and then himself, and then sat back and just watched his two favorite people in the world, thinking about the first dinner they would have around the table in their own home. Jim looked up and caught Leonard watching him, and they both smiled, the shared secret sparkling in their eyes.
A few hours later, dinner was done, kitchen cleaned up, and Jo was in bed. Leonard and Jim were in the privacy of their room, catching up with each other. Their days were always so busy, so hurried with the responsibilities of their jobs and Jo, who was developing quite the schedule of her own, these quiet times were becoming more and more treasured.
Sitting on the bed, the first aid kit open between them, Jim told him about the meeting he’d had about Ryan and what he’d been working on to help that boy and his sister. As they talked, he carefully tended to Leonard’s hand again, removing the bandage that had gotten wet while showering, cleaning the cut and dabbing on some more antibiotic ointment.
“It’s not bleeding anymore,” Jim murmured as he carefully placed another bandage over the injury.
“Yeah, it’ll heal up in a couple of days. Thanks.”
“No problem.” He snapped the kit closed and got up to put it on the bureau. “It’s nice to be on the other side of the medical kit.”
Leonard smirked. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
“So…when do you--” Jim paused at a knock on the door.
“Daddy? Oide?” Jo’s voice came through the closed door. “Can I come in?”
Leonard hurried to the door and opened it for her. “Hey Baby. I thought you were asleep,” he said, giving her a hug.
“I can’t sleep. My brain is just going and going about tomorrow.”
“Aw, Jo you’re going to be great, sweetie,” Jim said. He reached for her and she went to him, leaning against his side. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Well, I guess I’m not really worried about it,” Jo said.
“No?” Jim asked. She shook her head. “Excited, then?”
“Yeah…excited,” she said, keeping her eyes down and sounding less than convincing. She was nervous. It was obvious. And completely understandable. Leonard met Jim’s eyes and he gave a slight shrug. Jo sought them out for comfort. Turning her away to go back to bed just wasn’t something either of them had it in them to do.
“Well, let’s see if we can help calm that brain of yours down a little,” Leonard said. “C’mon, come lay down with us.”
For a second it looked like Jo was going to object on the principle that she wasn’t a baby anymore, but this was what she was her for, and gave in quickly. She followed them over to the bed and climbed up. Jim lay down on his side, Jo settled down next to him, propped up slightly on some pillows, then Leonard lay down as well. She’d come in with a book she was reading, and she held it to her chest.
“Are you going to read to us, Baby?” Leonard asked. “What book are you working on now?”
“Tuck Everlasting,” she replied, opening it and flipping to where she’d left off. “It’s one of my favorites.”
Jim smiled at that, and Leonard’s heart tugged at seeing so much of the man he loved in his little girl. Cuddled between them, Jo read the story out loud. Laying on their sides, listening to her sweet voice, Leonard brought his feet in contact with Jim’s and felt as content as he ever had.
It didn’t take long for Jo to wear herself out. It wasn’t much later than she was used to going to bed, but the act of reading to them before bedtime primed her for sleep. As she finished the second chapter, Leonard could see that she was blinking quickly and trying to stifle yawns.
“Time for bed?” Leonard asked quietly, as she closed the book and let it rest on her chest.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Oide fell asleep,” she added. Leonard nodded and held a finger to his lips. Quietly, they got off the bed and headed out of the bedroom to Jo’s. Leonard followed her into her room, waiting as she replaced her book on the bookshelf and climbed into bed.
“When I said my prayers tonight, I asked God to help me tomorrow,” Jo said. “Oide did to. Will you?”
Although he was a lot more comfortable with the idea of Jo having that kind of faith in her life than he was initially, he wasn’t exactly an active participant in it, and she knew it. Jim shared this particular thing with her, not him. He hesitated before answering, using the time to cover her and give her a kiss.
“You know I don’t believe the same thing you and Jim do, Baby, but yes, I’ll say a prayer for you. Just in case there’s someone listening.”
Jo smiled. “Thanks, Daddy. Now?”
So, kneeling by Jo’s bed, he bent his head and spoke his prayer as honestly as he could.
“God, if you’re there, please be with Jo tomorrow. I may not have faith in my life, but Jo does, and she prayed for You to help her. As her father, I’m asking for You to help her be confidant and calm and just the best she can.” He paused, feeling awkward. “Uh…Amen.”
He raised his head to see Jo watching him, a small smile on her face. “How was that?” he asked.
Her smile widened. “That was good, Daddy. Thank you. See you in the morning. Love you.”
“Love you, Baby.” He gave her one more hug, then stood and turned out the light in her room. He pulled her door mostly closed, and headed back to his own room, where Jim was awake and waiting for him, lounging on the bed and idly flipping through television channels.
“Hey…I thought you were down for the count,” Leonard said.
“Nah, just a power nap. Now I’ve got my second wind. You think she’ll sleep?” Jim asked.
Leonard nodded. “Yeah. She was relaxed and tired.” He went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, then took a moment to put a few items of newly-washed and folded clothing away. Glancing at Jim, he filled him in on what he and Jo had talked about. “She asked me to pray for God to help her tomorrow.”
Jim’s eyebrows rose. In all the years they’d been together, he and Jo had shared a faith that Leonard did not. Jim found it incredibly moving that Bones allowed him to have this with his daughter, given that he didn’t share in that belief. Jim thought that Bones had softened a little to it over the years, making concessions like going to church on Christmas and Easter, and letting Jo be part of a youth group at the church Jim’s family was a part of. But Jim was the one to do bedtime prayers with Jo. Bones had never done that.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I made it clear that while I didn’t believe in it, I’d do it for her. Just in case.”
“You’re a good dad,” Jim said.
“So are you.”
Jim smiled at that. He loved it every time Bones said something like that to him. It just meant a lot, especially since he still sometimes struggled with feeling confident in that role since he’d missed having a good example of that in his own childhood.
Leonard dropped his and Jim’s clothes in the hamper and then joined Jim, climbing into bed with him. Laying on their sides, face to face, Jim took Leonard’s hands and laced their fingers together, mindful of the injury. Leonard looked into Jim’s eyes, loving the happiness he saw in that incredible blue, and smiled. They kissed softly and Jim sighed happily. “I’ve wanted to do that since Jo came in to read us a bedtime story.”
“Mmm…me too, Darlin’.”
“Bones…” Jim whispered, eyes sparkling. “We got the house!”
Leonard grinned. “Yes we did. We need to talk about it, though. Run through the numbers one more time, and I just want to mmphh….”
Jim kissed him, cutting him off. When he pulled back, he had to smile at the bemused expression on Bones’ face. He reached up to gently run his fingers through his hair.
“I know we do,” Jim said. “This is a huge financial and family commitment for both of us, and something I’ve never done before. But Bones…I’m not scared of it. I want to do this with you. And yeah, we need to be careful, make sure we have all our ducks in a row, and go over everything again. I know that. But all that stuff can wait. Tonight, let’s celebrate.”
Leonard felt himself relax, relieved that they were on the same page, and Jim wasn’t completely swept away in the excitement of it all.
“That sounds good to me, Darlin’,” he said. He kissed Jim’s knuckles, eyes smiling as he looked up at him through his lashes. “What kind of celebratin’ did you have in mind?”
Jim chuckled and moved closer to him, slipping a leg between Bones’. Leonard wrapped an arm around Jim, holding him tenderly as they kissed, losing their breath to passion. Leonard threaded his fingers through Jim’s hair, stroking and gently pulling. Jim reacted to that soothing touch, closing his eyes and tipping his head back, lips parted as he caught his breath. Leonard kissed down his neck, chuckling as Jim squirmed and gasped, sensitive and ticklish there. His hands rubbed and massaged Leonard’s strong shoulders as they rocked their bodies against each other, teasing each other with gentle friction.
“Oh, Bones…” Jim groaned, nearly overwhelmed with sensation. “Feels so good.”
Leonard kissed his way back up to Jim’s mouth, holding him tightly. “Love you so much, Jim.” Leonard felt a shiver go through him, and knew he was reacting to the words as much as the physical feeling. He pressed his thigh between Jim’s legs, giving him something to thrust himself against, and Leonard gasped as the delicious friction and heat intensified, making their breaths come fast and hard.
“Love you Bones,” Jim said breathlessly. “More than anything. Love you…”
Leonard slipped his hands up Jim’s shirt, pushing it up until Jim took the hint and pulled it over his head, then helped Bones remove his as well, dropping them over the side of the bed. Not satisfied with just that, Jim slid his hands under the waistband of Leonard’s pants, reaching to squeeze his ass and pull him in even closer.
Jim jerked in surprise when Bones closed a hand over his hard cock, breath stuttering in his chest. Eyes squeezed closed, Jim pressed his face to Bones’ bare shoulder, and for a few seconds all he could do was thrust helplessly into Leonard’s grip, panting and shivering. When he felt he was in a little more control, he raised his head, and Leonard caught his lips in a heated kiss, then dropped gentle kisses wherever he could reach, whispering, “Love you…love you…”
Pulling away for a moment, Jim reached for the lube and managed to get some in his hands. He reached around Bones and pressed his fingers between his cheeks, teasing the sensitive skin there, feeling his hole twitch as he rubbed and gently pressed. Bones groaned as Jim eased a finger into him, making him shake as he stroked him inside.
“S-stop,” Jim panted. He resisted the urge to thrust when Bones stopped stroking and just held him loosely. “You’re gonna make me come, and I want to be in you.”
“Yes, Jim, god, please…want you in me…”
Jim let his fingers slip from Leonard’s body, and they got rid of the rest of their clothes, letting them lay skin to skin, and they lost themselves in sensation, sharing their love and celebrating their life together late into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a pretty gray day, chilly and wet. It wasn’t raining now, though it was so muggy it might as well have been. Traffic was pretty heavy, and the drive to the University School had taken a little longer than they’d anticipated.
Jo was nervous. Her stomach was rumbling uncomfortably and she’d barely been able to eat anything this morning. She’d been trying to read, but she couldn’t concentrate, and it didn’t seem to be helping her stomach anyway.
Dad and Oide were talking quietly in the front seat about something having to do with the house, and though that conversation would have normally been interesting to her, she was too wrapped up in thoughts of what this interview was going to be like.
Dad had said not to think of it as an interview. She was just going to meet with Mr. DeSalle and talk about why she’d like to go there. And she got it…her dad didn’t want her to be nervous and shy. And though he said that if she didn’t get in it would only be because of how young she was, Jo knew better.
She knew her grades and scores were good, so that probably wouldn’t be a problem. If she didn’t get in, it might be a little bit because of her age, but it would probably mostly be because she wasn’t able to act old enough, and that was something different.
“…Jo,” Oide said, and catching her name, she blinked and came back to herself.
“Sorry, Oide…what did you say?”
Jim turned to look at her and gave her a smile. “Daydreaming, sweetie? Where’d you go?”
Jo nodded, returning his smile, trying to hide her nerves. “I was in the Tuck family’s forest,” she said, holding up her book.
“We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
“Okay. Are we late?”
“Nope, we’ll be a little early. We left in plenty of time so we wouldn’t have to rush,” Leonard answered. He wanted to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t want to make her nervous by bringing it up.
Jo looked out the window, swallowing as her heart beat quicker in her chest. Remembering the tricks Oide had taught her, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself a little. She ran her father’s words through her mind, telling herself that it wasn’t a big deal.
But it was. She knew it was. And she just really hoped she could show Mr. DeSalle that she could do well there.
A few minutes later they pulled into the guest parking lot of the Progressive Education University School. Jo found it funny that the school’s initials were P.E.U.
“I wonder if this school smells bad,” Jo said absently.
“What?” Jim asked, puzzled at the non-sequitor.
Leonard chuckled, having thought that same thing. “Very funny, Jo.” He looked over at Jim. “The initials of the school,” he explained.
“Ah.” Jim smiled, amused at the both of them. “You two have the same sense of humor.”
They parked and Leonard and Jim exited the car. Jo stayed in the back seat, her heart pounding as she swallowed a couple of times, trying to get some moisture in her suddenly-dry mouth. Meeting Jim’s eyes over the car, Leonard opened the door for her and crouched down so he could see her. Jim came around to their side of the car and leaned against the side panel, giving Leonard’s shoulder a supportive squeeze.
“C’mon Joanna,” he said gently. “All you have to do is be yourself, my smart, friendly, sweetheart. Whatever happens will happen because it’s supposed to, and Oide and I are proud of you no matter what. You ready?”
She took another breath and nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
Together, the three of them headed into the school building. A group of kids were walking by in the hallway, and Jo was struck by how much older they looked than her. The boys looked more like Oide, and less like the kids she was in school with, and the situation she could be putting herself into seemed to really hit home. No wonder Mr. DeSalle wanted to meet her. She was just a kid, and these students were practically adults.
In the school’s office, Leonard let the secretary know who they were, and then took a seat with Jim and Jo in the generic office chairs. Leonard was struck by a sense of déjà vu, remembering that day, years ago now, when he sat in a chair just like this one, waiting to speak with Nyota Uhura about switching Jo’s class because he didn’t think a man should be a kindergarten teacher.
That one thing - a decision about who would be his daughter’s teacher - changed both of their lives.
Jim had always said luck wasn’t what put Jo in his classroom. If it was by design, he was infinitely grateful for it.
“Drs. McCoy and Kirk, hello. And this must be Joanna.” They all stood as Mr. DeSalle came out to meet them. He shook Leonard’s and Jim’s hands, then looked at Joanna, who stood between them. “Hello Joanna. I’m Mr. DeSalle. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” Joanna said, shaking his hand. She blushed, but continued, doing her best to maintain eye contact with the administrator. “I’ve read a lot about your school. I think it’s a very good idea.”
“Oh, really?” he asked, eyebrows raising in surprise. “Well, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. If you’ll follow me…Drs. McCoy and Kirk, you’re welcome to come. If you remember, there’s a little waiting area outside me office.”
Letting Jo take the lead, Leonard and Jim walked behind them, listening as Joanna talked about what she’d learned on the school’s website. They exchanged glances and smiled. Living with her every day, they sometimes lost sight of how impressive she was for an eleven year old.
DeSalle ushered Joanna into his office, and she glanced back at them before he closed the door. Jim flashed her a thumb’s up, and Leonard gave her an encouraging smile. They watched through the glass door as she took a seat, her back to them, and DeSalle sat behind his desk, facing her.
Leonard glanced over at Jim when he took his hand, and Jim gave him a small smile. All they could do now was wait.
.
Author: Caera1996
Rating for this Part: NC-17
W/C: 5,587
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Timeline Notes: A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG ‘verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go.
This Part: Leonard and Jim finally get news about the house, and Joanna prepares for her interview.
“How about this top and this skirt?” Jo asked, pulling the items out of her closet and holding them up to her father.
He paused in putting folded t-shirts and pajamas away in her dresser to glance up at the items.
“Those look nice together, Jo.”
Joanna sighed, and tossed them onto her bed, taking a seat on the edge. “That’s what you’ve said about the others, too.”
Hearing the frustration in her tone, Leonard stopped what he was doing and went over to her, sitting down cross-legged on the floor in front of her.
“Darlin’, all of the outfits you picked look nice, and they’re all good choices. Any one of them would be fine because the teachers are going to be interested in what you have to say more than what you’re wearin’,” Leonard said. He reached to take her hands. “And you’re going to do great because all you have to do is be yourself, okay?”
“I just…I think this school is so neat, and I really want to go, and what if…” she flushed and trailed off, and Leonard knew what she was thinking. What if she messed up her chance.
“Hey,” he tugged gently, and she left the bed to go to him, climbing into his lap and cuddling in his arms against his chest. He just held her for a moment, tenderly stroking her soft curls. He remembered when she was younger how they would cuddle like this often…for any reason. Now that she was all of eleven - almost twelve - there weren’t many times she tolerated being “treated like a baby”. Leonard didn’t think of it that way, though. She didn’t have to be young for him to hold her like this. He’d do this as often as she’d let him, no matter her age. She would always be his baby.
“Jo, remember what I told you about the age of the students at the school?” Leonard asked quietly.
“Yes,” she said, her voice slightly muffled against him. “That if I get in, I’ll be the youngest by at least two years.”
“Yes,” Leonard replied. “And there’s a possibility that the people who decide which kids are accepted will think that you’re simply too young. And that wouldn’t be your fault at all, right? You can’t help how old you are.”
“Right.”
“So…” he continued, absently gathering her hair and letting it fall back in place to frame her pretty face. “There’s no reason for you to worry about anything. All you have to do is be yourself, and they’ll see how good and smart you are. And if you don’t get in…” he shrugged and she tipped her head up to look him in his eyes. “It’ll be because of your age - something you can’t help at all. Okay?”
“But what if I can’t talk?” she asked, fiddling with a button on his shirt. “What if I just…can’t get the words to come out?”
“If that happens, just take a deep breath, count to five, let it out slowly, and try again. All you have to do is your best.”
Joanna nodded. “Okay.”
Leonard smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Joanna wound her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. They sat there for another minute, then Jo stretched and moved to get up. Leonard set her lightly on her feet and watched as she made a final decision on the clothes she was going to wear tomorrow. Leonard pushed himself up and glanced at his watch, surprised to see how late it was.
“Can you put the rest of your clothes away for me, Jo? And clean up your room a bit. I want to get dinner started.”
“Sure,” she said. “Thanks, Daddy. I feel better.”
He paused in her doorway. “Good. The most important thing to me and Jim is that you’re happy. And if this school is part of that, great. If not, no big deal. We’ll find something that works perfectly for you. Got it?”
“Got it,” she said.
“Good. Dinner is in about an hour.”
“Pizza?”
“Fish.”
“Oh, okay,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.
Leonard smiled and left her to finish the simple chores in her room, and headed out to the kitchen. Jim had a late strategy meeting about that kid he’d taken such an interest in, and he expected him home any time. He hoped that everything was going to work out for him…he knew how much it meant to Jim to see that the boy have a chance in his life.
He pulled the ingredients out of the fridge and set to preparing the fish, vegetables and rice for dinner. There was a lot going on right now in their family, and he was completely preoccupied with thoughts of Jim, his daughter, Sam and Aurelan, and everything they were dealing with right now, and of course them and the possibility of the house.
Estelle had finally gotten back to them with a quick text that just said, “Still working on it. Looking good.”
That hadn’t given them a lot of information, but it had buoyed their spirits. And though Leonard and Jim were constantly cautioning each other against getting their hopes too high and pinning them on this particular house, they’d both given in to the excitement and possibility. Just the other day they saw a couch on tv they both liked, and had talked about where in the new house it would look best. He smiled at the memory, and looked forward to when they could actually furnish a house together, and have it be theirs in every way.
Leonard placed the fish fillets on a baking sheet and drizzled them with a little olive oil. He was working on cutting up the vegetables, his thoughts wandering, when the sound of phone ringing startled him.
“Ah, fuck!”
He cut himself. He hadn’t cut himself in forever. Blood welled up from the cut, and he couldn’t tell how bad it was. Cupping his other hand under the injured one to catch the blood, he hurried to the other counter and dropped the knife in the sink. Turning on the water, he winced as he rinsed the injured finger.
“Hey, I’m home!” Jim called.
“In the kitchen…can you bring me the first aid kit?”
“What?” Jim hurried into the kitchen and dropped his bag and coat on a chair. He came over to Leonard, looking over his shoulder to see what was up. “What happened?”
“Cut myself chopping vegetables,” Leonard said. “I don’t think it’s serious.”
He pulled his finger out of the stream of water and looked at the cut - a thin, fairly deep slit in the skin that was still bleeding freely. Jim paled and took a step away from the sink.
“Bones, that looks like a big cut and that’s a lot of blood…maybe we should wrap it up and take you to the hospital.”
“Nah, it’s not bleeding as much as it looks like, and it’s not that deep.” He flexed his fingers, making it bleed more, but assuring him that nothing else was injured. “I’m fine. If you bring me…” he trailed off when he looked over his shoulder at Jim. “Oh, no….you’re not going to pass out on me are you? Go sit down before you fall down.”
“No, no…I’m not going to pass out,” Jim said. He left out the part about feeling queasy. “I’ll go get the first aid kit. Be right back.”
Hurrying out of the kitchen, he called a quick hello to Joanna as he retrieved the first aid kit from the hall closet. Coming back in to the kitchen, he found Leonard still standing at the sink using a paper towel to put pressure on the cut.
“Okay, Bones, come here,” Jim said. He removed his things from the kitchen table and took a seat, pulling out another chair for Leonard.
“You sure you’re okay to fix me up?” Leonard asked, coming over to take a seat. “I can get Jo…”
Jim smiled, shaking his head. “You’re such an ass. Let me see.”
Leonard held out his hand and Jim spent a few minutes using the supplies in the kit to gently clean it, apply an antibacterial cream and bandage it.
“Why is it bleeding so much?” he murmured, securing a second bandage over the first one.
“There are a lot of capillaries in fingers,” Leonard said. “But it’ll be fine. The pressure from the bandage will stop it.”
“Okay, there you go,” Jim said. He held Bones’ hand, examining the results of his work. “Good thing I came home when I did.”
Leonard smiled. “My hero.”
Jim chuckled and leaned close to him for a kiss.
“So…are you going to finish making dinner, too?” Leonard asked.
“Sure. Just come tell me what to do.”
They stood, and first thing Leonard had Jim do was remove the cutting board and everything on it because though he’d been quick, some blood had dripped onto what he’d been working on.
“Well, at least most of the vegetables were already in the pan,” Jim said. He pulled out another cutting board and knife and finished with the zucchini. “What do you want me to do with this?”
Leonard directed and Jim put the vegetables in the oven, then set the timer.
“Perfect. We’ll put the fish in for the last few minutes. It won’t take long; fish cooks pretty quickly.”
“I can’t believe you cut yourself,” Jim said. He pulled sodas from the fridge and opened one before handing it to Leonard. “I think that’s the first time you did that since I’ve known you.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t paying attention. Oh…the phone. There was a phone call that startled me. He picked up the house phone and looked at the caller id, and his stomach fluttered with excitement. “It was Estelle. She left a message.”
“Play it,” Jim said, taking a seat next to him. “Put it on speaker.”
Leonard dialed in to the voice mailbox and hit speaker. ”Leonard, Jim, it’s Estelle. I have news. Call me.”
Leonard rolled his eyes. “Why don’t people ever leave their news in a message?” he grumbled as he punched in her number. Jim smiled, waiting with baited breath for her to answer. Like Leonard, he’d been trying not to get his hopes up. But, to be completely honest with himself, he was already pretty invested in this house. It was everything he wanted, and to have that with Bones and Jo…well, it would be amazing.
“This is Estelle, can I help you?”
“Hello Estelle, this is Leonard and Jim. You said you have news?”
“Oh, yes I do.” She paused, and they held their breath. “You got it.”
Stunned, Leonard and Jim were speechless as they looked at each other.
”Hello?”
“Uh…yeah, sorry. We’re still here…just a little…we got it?” Jim asked, hardly daring to believe it.
”Yes.”
“But…but not for what we offered, right?” Leonard asked.
”Oh, yes. For what you offered.”
Still simply stunned, Jim and Leonard stared at each other over the phone. They got the house. Their house. It was their house!
”You know, gentlemen, this is not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”
“YES! Estelle, you are amazing!” Jim shouted. They jumped to their feet and hugged each other tightly. Grinning like idiots, Leonard grabbed Jim’s shirt and pulled him close for a kiss.
“That is just…It’s more than we ever thought you’d be able to pull off,” Leonard said, picking up the phone. “We’re so happy - you have no idea.”
”Well, that’s more like it,” Estelle said, a note of happy satisfaction in her voice. ”They don’t call me the best for nothing.”
“No, they certainly don’t,” Jim said. “Thank you for all your hard work.”
”Putting good people like you in your choice of home warms my heart. Call my office sometime tomorrow to make an appointment to get the official paperwork started. Have a good night, gentlemen.”
“We will, thanks again, Estelle. Talk to you soon,” Leonard said.
He disconnected the call, and they just stared at each other for a moment, then broke down in happy laughter. Jim reached for Bones again, and they hugged.
“I can’t believe we got it!” Jim said. “I mean, I’d hoped…but I just….I never really thought…” Jim sat back down, looking a little shell-shocked.
“I know,” Leonard said. He took a second to put the fish in the oven to cook while the veggies finished. Turning, he leaned against the counter to look at Jim. He wondered if he still felt as sure about this as he had when it was all just a hypothetical. He resolved to talk about it with him tonight, before anything was official. “So, let’s keep this to ourselves. I don’t want to put any more pressure on Jo than she’s already feeling about tomorrow.”
“Okay, yeah. Good thinking. How is she doing? I didn’t even get a chance to give that a second thought since I walked into a disaster.”
Leonard had to roll his eyes at that and threw Jim a teasing smile. “Seriously, Jim? A cut on my finger is a disaster? So ridiculous.”
Jim grinned and shrugged, turning to pull out plates, cups, and utensils.
“Anyway,” Leonard continued. “I think she’s doing okay. We talked about it earlier, and I reminded her about the age thing. That seemed to help. She’s a little nervous - mostly about whether or not she’ll be able to work through the reticence.”
Jim nodded and finished setting the table. “What did you say about that?”
“Just that all she had to do was her best, and if the words wouldn’t come to take a deep breath and try it again.” He paused, fork in hand as he fluffed the rice. “I didn’t want to make a big deal of it…but…I don’t know. Do you think I should’ve said something else?”
Jim came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Leonard’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. Leonard smiled and recovered the pot to keep it warm.
“No,” Jim said quietly, right near his ear. “I think you handled it perfectly.”
Leonard put the fork down and turned in Jim’s arms, so they were face to face. He cupped Jim’s cheek and brushed their lips together, smiling between kisses, so incredibly happy.
“You guys are always kissing,” Jo said as she came into the kitchen. “It’s kinda gross. Hi Oide. Is dinner ready yet? I’m starved.”
Laughing softly, Jim rested his head on Leonard’s shoulder for a second, and Leonard hugged him.
“We’ll pick this up later,” he whispered.
“Tease.”
Jim separated from him and joined Joanna at the table, giving her a hug and settling in to hear about her day. Leonard took the plates Jim handed him and scooped some rice onto them, then checked the fish. He returned the plates to Jim and pulled the pan of fish and veggies out of the oven to bring to the table. He served Jo and Jim, and then himself, and then sat back and just watched his two favorite people in the world, thinking about the first dinner they would have around the table in their own home. Jim looked up and caught Leonard watching him, and they both smiled, the shared secret sparkling in their eyes.
A few hours later, dinner was done, kitchen cleaned up, and Jo was in bed. Leonard and Jim were in the privacy of their room, catching up with each other. Their days were always so busy, so hurried with the responsibilities of their jobs and Jo, who was developing quite the schedule of her own, these quiet times were becoming more and more treasured.
Sitting on the bed, the first aid kit open between them, Jim told him about the meeting he’d had about Ryan and what he’d been working on to help that boy and his sister. As they talked, he carefully tended to Leonard’s hand again, removing the bandage that had gotten wet while showering, cleaning the cut and dabbing on some more antibiotic ointment.
“It’s not bleeding anymore,” Jim murmured as he carefully placed another bandage over the injury.
“Yeah, it’ll heal up in a couple of days. Thanks.”
“No problem.” He snapped the kit closed and got up to put it on the bureau. “It’s nice to be on the other side of the medical kit.”
Leonard smirked. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
“So…when do you--” Jim paused at a knock on the door.
“Daddy? Oide?” Jo’s voice came through the closed door. “Can I come in?”
Leonard hurried to the door and opened it for her. “Hey Baby. I thought you were asleep,” he said, giving her a hug.
“I can’t sleep. My brain is just going and going about tomorrow.”
“Aw, Jo you’re going to be great, sweetie,” Jim said. He reached for her and she went to him, leaning against his side. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“Well, I guess I’m not really worried about it,” Jo said.
“No?” Jim asked. She shook her head. “Excited, then?”
“Yeah…excited,” she said, keeping her eyes down and sounding less than convincing. She was nervous. It was obvious. And completely understandable. Leonard met Jim’s eyes and he gave a slight shrug. Jo sought them out for comfort. Turning her away to go back to bed just wasn’t something either of them had it in them to do.
“Well, let’s see if we can help calm that brain of yours down a little,” Leonard said. “C’mon, come lay down with us.”
For a second it looked like Jo was going to object on the principle that she wasn’t a baby anymore, but this was what she was her for, and gave in quickly. She followed them over to the bed and climbed up. Jim lay down on his side, Jo settled down next to him, propped up slightly on some pillows, then Leonard lay down as well. She’d come in with a book she was reading, and she held it to her chest.
“Are you going to read to us, Baby?” Leonard asked. “What book are you working on now?”
“Tuck Everlasting,” she replied, opening it and flipping to where she’d left off. “It’s one of my favorites.”
Jim smiled at that, and Leonard’s heart tugged at seeing so much of the man he loved in his little girl. Cuddled between them, Jo read the story out loud. Laying on their sides, listening to her sweet voice, Leonard brought his feet in contact with Jim’s and felt as content as he ever had.
It didn’t take long for Jo to wear herself out. It wasn’t much later than she was used to going to bed, but the act of reading to them before bedtime primed her for sleep. As she finished the second chapter, Leonard could see that she was blinking quickly and trying to stifle yawns.
“Time for bed?” Leonard asked quietly, as she closed the book and let it rest on her chest.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Oide fell asleep,” she added. Leonard nodded and held a finger to his lips. Quietly, they got off the bed and headed out of the bedroom to Jo’s. Leonard followed her into her room, waiting as she replaced her book on the bookshelf and climbed into bed.
“When I said my prayers tonight, I asked God to help me tomorrow,” Jo said. “Oide did to. Will you?”
Although he was a lot more comfortable with the idea of Jo having that kind of faith in her life than he was initially, he wasn’t exactly an active participant in it, and she knew it. Jim shared this particular thing with her, not him. He hesitated before answering, using the time to cover her and give her a kiss.
“You know I don’t believe the same thing you and Jim do, Baby, but yes, I’ll say a prayer for you. Just in case there’s someone listening.”
Jo smiled. “Thanks, Daddy. Now?”
So, kneeling by Jo’s bed, he bent his head and spoke his prayer as honestly as he could.
“God, if you’re there, please be with Jo tomorrow. I may not have faith in my life, but Jo does, and she prayed for You to help her. As her father, I’m asking for You to help her be confidant and calm and just the best she can.” He paused, feeling awkward. “Uh…Amen.”
He raised his head to see Jo watching him, a small smile on her face. “How was that?” he asked.
Her smile widened. “That was good, Daddy. Thank you. See you in the morning. Love you.”
“Love you, Baby.” He gave her one more hug, then stood and turned out the light in her room. He pulled her door mostly closed, and headed back to his own room, where Jim was awake and waiting for him, lounging on the bed and idly flipping through television channels.
“Hey…I thought you were down for the count,” Leonard said.
“Nah, just a power nap. Now I’ve got my second wind. You think she’ll sleep?” Jim asked.
Leonard nodded. “Yeah. She was relaxed and tired.” He went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, then took a moment to put a few items of newly-washed and folded clothing away. Glancing at Jim, he filled him in on what he and Jo had talked about. “She asked me to pray for God to help her tomorrow.”
Jim’s eyebrows rose. In all the years they’d been together, he and Jo had shared a faith that Leonard did not. Jim found it incredibly moving that Bones allowed him to have this with his daughter, given that he didn’t share in that belief. Jim thought that Bones had softened a little to it over the years, making concessions like going to church on Christmas and Easter, and letting Jo be part of a youth group at the church Jim’s family was a part of. But Jim was the one to do bedtime prayers with Jo. Bones had never done that.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I made it clear that while I didn’t believe in it, I’d do it for her. Just in case.”
“You’re a good dad,” Jim said.
“So are you.”
Jim smiled at that. He loved it every time Bones said something like that to him. It just meant a lot, especially since he still sometimes struggled with feeling confident in that role since he’d missed having a good example of that in his own childhood.
Leonard dropped his and Jim’s clothes in the hamper and then joined Jim, climbing into bed with him. Laying on their sides, face to face, Jim took Leonard’s hands and laced their fingers together, mindful of the injury. Leonard looked into Jim’s eyes, loving the happiness he saw in that incredible blue, and smiled. They kissed softly and Jim sighed happily. “I’ve wanted to do that since Jo came in to read us a bedtime story.”
“Mmm…me too, Darlin’.”
“Bones…” Jim whispered, eyes sparkling. “We got the house!”
Leonard grinned. “Yes we did. We need to talk about it, though. Run through the numbers one more time, and I just want to mmphh….”
Jim kissed him, cutting him off. When he pulled back, he had to smile at the bemused expression on Bones’ face. He reached up to gently run his fingers through his hair.
“I know we do,” Jim said. “This is a huge financial and family commitment for both of us, and something I’ve never done before. But Bones…I’m not scared of it. I want to do this with you. And yeah, we need to be careful, make sure we have all our ducks in a row, and go over everything again. I know that. But all that stuff can wait. Tonight, let’s celebrate.”
Leonard felt himself relax, relieved that they were on the same page, and Jim wasn’t completely swept away in the excitement of it all.
“That sounds good to me, Darlin’,” he said. He kissed Jim’s knuckles, eyes smiling as he looked up at him through his lashes. “What kind of celebratin’ did you have in mind?”
Jim chuckled and moved closer to him, slipping a leg between Bones’. Leonard wrapped an arm around Jim, holding him tenderly as they kissed, losing their breath to passion. Leonard threaded his fingers through Jim’s hair, stroking and gently pulling. Jim reacted to that soothing touch, closing his eyes and tipping his head back, lips parted as he caught his breath. Leonard kissed down his neck, chuckling as Jim squirmed and gasped, sensitive and ticklish there. His hands rubbed and massaged Leonard’s strong shoulders as they rocked their bodies against each other, teasing each other with gentle friction.
“Oh, Bones…” Jim groaned, nearly overwhelmed with sensation. “Feels so good.”
Leonard kissed his way back up to Jim’s mouth, holding him tightly. “Love you so much, Jim.” Leonard felt a shiver go through him, and knew he was reacting to the words as much as the physical feeling. He pressed his thigh between Jim’s legs, giving him something to thrust himself against, and Leonard gasped as the delicious friction and heat intensified, making their breaths come fast and hard.
“Love you Bones,” Jim said breathlessly. “More than anything. Love you…”
Leonard slipped his hands up Jim’s shirt, pushing it up until Jim took the hint and pulled it over his head, then helped Bones remove his as well, dropping them over the side of the bed. Not satisfied with just that, Jim slid his hands under the waistband of Leonard’s pants, reaching to squeeze his ass and pull him in even closer.
Jim jerked in surprise when Bones closed a hand over his hard cock, breath stuttering in his chest. Eyes squeezed closed, Jim pressed his face to Bones’ bare shoulder, and for a few seconds all he could do was thrust helplessly into Leonard’s grip, panting and shivering. When he felt he was in a little more control, he raised his head, and Leonard caught his lips in a heated kiss, then dropped gentle kisses wherever he could reach, whispering, “Love you…love you…”
Pulling away for a moment, Jim reached for the lube and managed to get some in his hands. He reached around Bones and pressed his fingers between his cheeks, teasing the sensitive skin there, feeling his hole twitch as he rubbed and gently pressed. Bones groaned as Jim eased a finger into him, making him shake as he stroked him inside.
“S-stop,” Jim panted. He resisted the urge to thrust when Bones stopped stroking and just held him loosely. “You’re gonna make me come, and I want to be in you.”
“Yes, Jim, god, please…want you in me…”
Jim let his fingers slip from Leonard’s body, and they got rid of the rest of their clothes, letting them lay skin to skin, and they lost themselves in sensation, sharing their love and celebrating their life together late into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a pretty gray day, chilly and wet. It wasn’t raining now, though it was so muggy it might as well have been. Traffic was pretty heavy, and the drive to the University School had taken a little longer than they’d anticipated.
Jo was nervous. Her stomach was rumbling uncomfortably and she’d barely been able to eat anything this morning. She’d been trying to read, but she couldn’t concentrate, and it didn’t seem to be helping her stomach anyway.
Dad and Oide were talking quietly in the front seat about something having to do with the house, and though that conversation would have normally been interesting to her, she was too wrapped up in thoughts of what this interview was going to be like.
Dad had said not to think of it as an interview. She was just going to meet with Mr. DeSalle and talk about why she’d like to go there. And she got it…her dad didn’t want her to be nervous and shy. And though he said that if she didn’t get in it would only be because of how young she was, Jo knew better.
She knew her grades and scores were good, so that probably wouldn’t be a problem. If she didn’t get in, it might be a little bit because of her age, but it would probably mostly be because she wasn’t able to act old enough, and that was something different.
“…Jo,” Oide said, and catching her name, she blinked and came back to herself.
“Sorry, Oide…what did you say?”
Jim turned to look at her and gave her a smile. “Daydreaming, sweetie? Where’d you go?”
Jo nodded, returning his smile, trying to hide her nerves. “I was in the Tuck family’s forest,” she said, holding up her book.
“We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
“Okay. Are we late?”
“Nope, we’ll be a little early. We left in plenty of time so we wouldn’t have to rush,” Leonard answered. He wanted to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t want to make her nervous by bringing it up.
Jo looked out the window, swallowing as her heart beat quicker in her chest. Remembering the tricks Oide had taught her, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself a little. She ran her father’s words through her mind, telling herself that it wasn’t a big deal.
But it was. She knew it was. And she just really hoped she could show Mr. DeSalle that she could do well there.
A few minutes later they pulled into the guest parking lot of the Progressive Education University School. Jo found it funny that the school’s initials were P.E.U.
“I wonder if this school smells bad,” Jo said absently.
“What?” Jim asked, puzzled at the non-sequitor.
Leonard chuckled, having thought that same thing. “Very funny, Jo.” He looked over at Jim. “The initials of the school,” he explained.
“Ah.” Jim smiled, amused at the both of them. “You two have the same sense of humor.”
They parked and Leonard and Jim exited the car. Jo stayed in the back seat, her heart pounding as she swallowed a couple of times, trying to get some moisture in her suddenly-dry mouth. Meeting Jim’s eyes over the car, Leonard opened the door for her and crouched down so he could see her. Jim came around to their side of the car and leaned against the side panel, giving Leonard’s shoulder a supportive squeeze.
“C’mon Joanna,” he said gently. “All you have to do is be yourself, my smart, friendly, sweetheart. Whatever happens will happen because it’s supposed to, and Oide and I are proud of you no matter what. You ready?”
She took another breath and nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
Together, the three of them headed into the school building. A group of kids were walking by in the hallway, and Jo was struck by how much older they looked than her. The boys looked more like Oide, and less like the kids she was in school with, and the situation she could be putting herself into seemed to really hit home. No wonder Mr. DeSalle wanted to meet her. She was just a kid, and these students were practically adults.
In the school’s office, Leonard let the secretary know who they were, and then took a seat with Jim and Jo in the generic office chairs. Leonard was struck by a sense of déjà vu, remembering that day, years ago now, when he sat in a chair just like this one, waiting to speak with Nyota Uhura about switching Jo’s class because he didn’t think a man should be a kindergarten teacher.
That one thing - a decision about who would be his daughter’s teacher - changed both of their lives.
Jim had always said luck wasn’t what put Jo in his classroom. If it was by design, he was infinitely grateful for it.
“Drs. McCoy and Kirk, hello. And this must be Joanna.” They all stood as Mr. DeSalle came out to meet them. He shook Leonard’s and Jim’s hands, then looked at Joanna, who stood between them. “Hello Joanna. I’m Mr. DeSalle. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” Joanna said, shaking his hand. She blushed, but continued, doing her best to maintain eye contact with the administrator. “I’ve read a lot about your school. I think it’s a very good idea.”
“Oh, really?” he asked, eyebrows raising in surprise. “Well, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. If you’ll follow me…Drs. McCoy and Kirk, you’re welcome to come. If you remember, there’s a little waiting area outside me office.”
Letting Jo take the lead, Leonard and Jim walked behind them, listening as Joanna talked about what she’d learned on the school’s website. They exchanged glances and smiled. Living with her every day, they sometimes lost sight of how impressive she was for an eleven year old.
DeSalle ushered Joanna into his office, and she glanced back at them before he closed the door. Jim flashed her a thumb’s up, and Leonard gave her an encouraging smile. They watched through the glass door as she took a seat, her back to them, and DeSalle sat behind his desk, facing her.
Leonard glanced over at Jim when he took his hand, and Jim gave him a small smile. All they could do now was wait.
.