Fic: Betrayal, Part 2
"Betrayal" is continued here.
Making a decision, Jim half stood and continued towards the corner of the building that was now in sight. He tried to stay calm, but panic was building inside of him until he was running, no longer capable of making sure he was quiet, breaths whooshing in and out of him with the force of his fear.
Afraid to look behind him because he was certain he was being pursued, Jim burst around the corner. His initial plan of jumping the fence gone with the hope that the police and Bones would be there, he ran across the lawn in the front of the building and could see Bones’ car pulling in to the lot, and right behind him two police cars. So relieved to see that, and sure he was safe, Jim slowed and turned towards Bones as he was getting out of his car, raising an arm in greeting, the smile on his face fell away as he realized the frantic expression on his face as he threw his car door open, stepped out and pulled his sidearm in one smooth motion.
“JIM - DOWN!”
As if in slow motion, Jim’s eyes widened as he realized there must be a danger behind him, and he let himself fall to ground, arms instinctively covering his head as the cracking report of a gun going off echoed in his ears.
Staying down, eyes squeezed closed, Jim listened as commands to “DROP THE WEAPON!” and “GET DOWN!” were shouted, hard voices overlapping each other with instructions. Stunned, terrified, Jim stayed where he was as boots pounded around him, in pursuit of the man Bones had taken a shot at.
“Jim! Jim! Are you - I’m a retired cop damnit!” That last was directed to the uniforms who had their weapons drawn and were pointing them at him. Jim raised his head and saw Bones lowering his gun to the ground and raising his hands. “Check my left jacket pocket,” he said, wanting the police to identify him as quickly as possible. “And get Captain Pike on the radio.”
Hands grasped Jim around his shoulders and, still full of adrenaline and still disoriented by everything that happened, he fought, trying to pull away from them.
“Hey - hey….Calm down. You hurt?”
“N-no,” Jim said, but he realized he was shaking uncontrollably, legs like jelly. “Bones…”
“What?” the policeman asked. “We need you to…”
Finally cleared by the police on scene due in part to a call to the Chief who was still a good friend even years after leaving the force, Leonard hurried to Jim.
“Jim…thank God.” Leonard drew him into a hug, feeling how his body shook. “It’s okay…you’re okay.” He pushed him away, holding his shoulders at arms length as he took stock of his condition. He was pale and sweaty and dirty, and “Oh...you’re bleeding. C’mon.”
With an arm around his shoulders, Leonard directed Jim towards the gathered police vehicles.
“I am?” Jim asked. He looked down at himself and saw a that there was blood on his clothes, dripping from several scratches on his arms. He hadn’t noticed…they didn’t even hurt. “It’s nothing…just from the bushes. I - you shot someone.”
Leonard grimaced. “No, I don’t think so.”
Suddenly fearful, Jim turned to look around behind him. “Was…was he going to…”
Leonard closed his eyes. If he hadn’t gotten there when he did, a split second before the police, if Jim hadn’t immediately responded to his command to get down, if the guy who’d been sent to take care of Jim had been a little faster…
“He took off, Jim. Over the fence. Police are looking for him,” Leonard said.
“I can’t stay here,” Jim said, the full force of everything that had happened crashing down on him. He’d witnessed a crime. Somehow, someone found out and sent some thug to eliminate him as a witness… broke into his home, chased him, would have killed him, if not for Bones’ quick action, and a lot of luck. It was overwhelming.
“Jim? Jim...slow down…take some slow breaths. Your hyperventilating.”
But he couldn’t, and he was getting dizzy and his legs felt weak and heavy, which was terrifying because he was gripped by an urgent need to run. He tried to pull away from the grip Leonard had on him, but he knew exactly what was happening, and just held Jim tighter, drawing him back into an embrace.
“Shh, Jim. You’re okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to stay here,” Leonard murmured over and over again, waiting for the shaking to subside and for him to get past the panic delayed by shock. Gradually, his desperate breaths evened out and he calmed enough to feel embarrassed over his reaction. “It’s okay,” Leonard said again, watching as his previously pale complexion flushed with self-consciousness. “You’ve been through a hell of a lot - everything you’re feel ing is normal.”
They’d been standing off to the side, behind one of the police vehicles, and now one of the cops came over to them.
“We need you both to come down to the department and give a statement. We’ve got a hell of a situation here,” he said.
“Yeah, of course. I-I don’t know how much I can tell you,” Jim said, wiping sweat off his forehead. He looked towards his apartment building…the place that had once been his sanctuary…and shuddered. People from his building were gathered together, drawn out by the commotion. For the first time in a long time he felt…lost. He turned away from the building, dreading being alone through what was sure to be a long, stressful process. “Bones…will you be--”
“Oh, I’ll be coming with you. I just discharged a weapon in public. We’ll probably be there all night. Not to mention what’s still going on at the hotel.”
Jim’s eyes widened, practically having forgotten about the very thing that appeared to have touched off everything that had happened since he left the hotel…what? An hour ago? Two? It felt much longer than that. Bones - the head of the security force of the hotel - had left in the middle of a serious crisis…it was very possible he wouldn’t have a job tomorrow.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Hours later, with the dawn slowly turning the darkness into a hazy purple sky, Leonard and Jim were put into a police car and driven back to Leonard’s apartment.
Utterly exhausted, both in need of a shower, and still - in Jim’s case - hardly able to wrap his head around everything that had happened, they were quiet and slumped together in the backseat of the cruiser. Or, Jim was slumped against Leonard. Leonard - not exactly a novice when it came to these kind of nights and the emotional toll they took - was more awake and alert. He had one arm protectively around Jim’s shoulders as he stared out the side window, not really seeing the scenery pass by, but going over and over how someone knew that Jim had seen something he shouldn’t.
And though he was loathe to even think it, he could come to only one conclusion: someone on his team was part of what had happened in that reserved suite. And that made him responsible. Jim had been terrorized and almost killed because he hadn’t seen that something was up. He physically flinched from the thought, it disturbed him that much. The guilt he felt for allowing this kind of mayhem to enter the younger man’s life was…
He shook his head, trying to leave that behind, for now. There was plenty of time for beating himself up over everything later. For now, he needed to put his brain and his considerable experience to work, and figure out who it was, and how to catch him. And how to keep Jim safe in the meantime.
They pulled up to his building, and Leonard roused Jim from his light slumber. They thanked the officer as they exited the car, stepping into early-morning humidity. The officer waited and watched until Leonard let them into his building with a key, the heavy glass door closing and latching behind them, and he stayed until, with a final wave, Leonard and Jim stepped onto the elevator.
Leonard eyed Jim as they began their slow ascent. He was rumpled, dried blood stains from the scratches on his arms visible on his shirt, and he stood with a slight hunch to his shoulders, as if warding off a chill. It wasn’t chilly - this was Florida, after all - but he had no doubt that that Jim was feeling chilled from the inside.
They exited the elevator at Leonard’s floor, and though he was certain that his place remained safe, Jim slowed in the hallway, wrapping his arms around himself.
“What if someone’s in there?” he asked with a voice hoarse from lack of sleep when Leonard turned to look at him. Wanting to reassure him, Leonard pulled his cell out of his pocket and showed Jim the app tied to his home monitoring system. Once the door opened it was impossible to reset the system without the phone’s app, and since they were six stories up and there were no trees right outside his balcony, there was no other way in.
Reassured, and feeling slightly foolish for being so nervous, Jim followed Leonard into his apartment. He’d been there a few times before, and it was just as he always remembered it. Neat as a pin, but not sterile. Somehow, the space managed to convey “lived in” and “neat freak” all at the same time. It was perfectly “Bones”. In the dim apartment, the only light coming from a hall lamp that he knew Bones always left on when he wasn’t home, and the meager early-morning sunlight edging in around the drawn blinds, Jim took a deep breath and felt some of the knots inside of him relax a little. This was Bones’ apartment, but it was starting to feel like home to him, too.
“Let me get you a towel and some clothes so you can shower,” he said as he moved through the apartment, turning on lights as he went. “My stuff will be a little big on you, but…”
“Bones…”
Surprised at how small Jim sounded, Leonard turned to look at him, and saw that he was startlingly pale.
“Hey,” Leonard said, moving to him and pullng him into a hug. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Not trusting himself to speak, Jim just held on and pressed his watering eyes to Leonard’s shoulder and shook his head. He didn’t feel like everything was going to be okay. He’d witnessed a murder, he couldn’t go back to his apartment yet - it was considered part of a crime scene, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to go back at all. He couldn’t go back to work at a job he loved because it wasn’t safe yet, and he’d come seconds to actually being killed. It was a lot to absorb in a very short amount of time.
They stood there, and Leonard cupped the back of his head with a gentle squeeze, the gesture intimate and familiar. After a few moments, Jim took a deep breath as the storm of emotion passed.
“Everything will be okay. We’ll figure it out. But first…” Leonard paused and took an exaggerated sniff. “Let’s start with a shower.”
Jim smiled and pulled away, giving Leonard a gentle shove. “Not like you’re coming up roses either, Bones.”
Happy to see a little color come back to Jim’s face, Leonard gave him a small smile and shrugged, conceding the point, and went to get something for him to change in to and a towel.
While Jim showered, Leonard stood in front of the open refrigerator. He wasn’t really hungry, though he supposed they should eat. What he really wanted was a drink, but he felt that was a little out of line at barely 6:30 in the morning, even though he’d been up all night. Instead, he pulled out a carafe of orange juice, and a bowl of grapes, and the fixings for bagels and cereal, from the fridge and cupboard, figuring they could each have a bit of something. If Jim wanted eggs, he could do that, too. He didn’t really know what Jim would want for breakfast. That hadn’t had a morning together yet.
Pouring himself some orange juice, Leonard contemplated the state of their relationship. Although no one (including himself) would have really guessed that he and Jim would be a good match, they just seemed to be…drawn…together.
It was such an odd concept. Nobody was “drawn” to Leonard. His gruff attitude, coupled with a pretty unforgiving outlook on people and the stupid things they did and said, and a propensity for speaking the truth without dressing it up didn’t win him many friends, ever. When Jim was hired, Leonard was immediately annoyed by the ebullience he seemed to approach every day and every situation with, no matter what was going on. On the other hand, he was impressed with the way the kid could handle almost any situation - guest- or facility-related - without making anyone feel put-out or not heard. He really was the perfect kind of person to lead the staff.
One night, Jim had asked to join Leonard for a working dinner to go over the logistics for a big conference, and ever since then he’d felt that they were moving towards something bigger than co-workers. And they had. Steadily. To this point, where Leonard had asked him to dinner outside of the hotel a couple of times, and Jim had done the same, to things other than dinner on the rare days off that coincided. They’d been guests in other’s homes, too. Leonard grew warm just thinking about the last time there were at Jim’s, on his couch, just kissing. At one point he’d dozed off while they watched a movie and woke to the feel of Jim’s fingers tenderly running through his hair.
But they were taking it slow, and that’s as far as they’d gotten. It was a little frustrating. It was also really, really good. No pressure, no hurry. Just a slow awakening to each other and the feelings they had. It was a little out of Leonard’s realm of experience; until now sex was just a physical release, and though he didn’t live like a monk, he’d had only a handful of partners over the years. With Jim, though, he could see it being so much more. It was definitely something to look forward to.
Jim joined him a few minutes later, hair still damp and smelling of soap. Leonard’s clothes on him were too big, and his hair was sticking up in all directions. Leonard had never seen anyone look so easily appealing. Jim eyed the food Leonard had laid out and his stomach gave a growl. Leonard chuckled as Jim shrugged.
“I’ve been up for hours - I’m starved,” he said.
“Well, help yourself. I’ll be right out.”
Later, after they’d both showered and eaten while watching the early morning news coverage of everything that had happened last night - thank God, minus their pictures or names, so far - Leonard stood and and reached a hand down to Jim. Leaving their dishes to be dealt with later, Leonard led Jim into his bedroom.
“We need to sleep,” Leonard said. “You’re welcome to sleep here, and I’ll sleep on the couch, if you want. Or…”
Despite the lingering sense of unease Jim was feeling, he couldn’t help but smile. Bones looked so earnest right now, and Jim responded to how protective he’d been, and was still being. It was a really nice feeling.
”Let’s sleep here together,” Jim said. “Um…if you don’t mind.” He paused, looking away for a moment. “I’m not sure I could sleep alone right now anyway.”
“Of course I don’t mind, and I understand,” he said, wrapping him in a hug. He loved holding Jim like this, and the feel of Jim’s strong arms around him, holding on, their bodies fit together….it was perfect.
After making sure the front door was closed and locked, and that the alarm system was set, Jim asked that the bedroom door also be closed and locked. He knew that a simple door with a handle lock wouldn’t be much of a barrier, but it made him feel a little better. Without having to be asked, Leonard left the curtains slightly open, so the room wasn’t as dark as it could have been, and when Jim opened his eyes, it was easy to see.
Settled down in the bed together, Jim took the initiative and reached for Bones. He wanted to be held, and Leonard didn’t need any other encouragment. They turned so that they were on their sides with Jim in front, wrapped in Bones’ arms. Although nearly the same height, Leonard was wider through the shoulders and the rest of his body, and they just…fit together.
The room was cool, the bed comfortable, and though Jim was exhausted, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. The look on Bones’ face when he yelled at Jim to get down, the moments of terror and noise and confusion when he didn’t realize what was going on yet…teetering on the edge of sleep, Jim gasped and jerked.
“Shh,” Leonard said behind him. He gently stroked up and down Jim’s left arm. “You’re okay.”
“Was almost dreaming,” Jim murmured. His hands tightened on the arm around him as he took a deep breath. “You saved me. If you weren’t there…”
“But I was…don’t drive yourself crazy thinking ‘what if’,” Leonard said gently.
Jim stayed quiet for a moment, trying to let go of what could have happened, and focus on what did - and why. Because Bones cared that much for him.
“How could this happen?” Jim asked quietly, his voice cracking.
“I don’t know, but l’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Leonard promised. He pressed a gentle kiss to Jim’s neck.
And even though Jim knew that Bones couldn’t really make a promise like that - no one could - he felt comforted, and was finally able to sleep.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
They slept through the morning into the early afternoon. The room warmed a little as the sun beat down on that side of the building, and Leonard shifted, pulling the comforter off of them, letting their bodies cool comfortably just under the sheet as the ac-cooled air was swirled around them by the fan in the middle of the ceiling.
Jim came slightly awake, inhaling deeply and registering Leonard’s scent all around him. Feeling so comfortable and content, he was just sliding back to sleep when someone pounded on the front door.
Jerking up with a gasp, Jim’s eyes flew open as his heart slammed in his chest. Behind him, Leonard was already sliding out of bed, a gun in his hand from seemingly nowhere.
“Bones, where…?” The police had confiscated his weapon last night.
“Wasn’t the only one I own. Stay here, Jim,” he said. He glanced at the younger man still half-laying in his bed, seeing the fear in his eyes, then unlocked the bedroom door. “Everything will be okay. Stay here,” he said again.
Pounding on the door again, and some of the initial tension Leonard felt left him. Whoever was out there wasn’t trying to get in, and they weren’t being sneaky or careful. Still wasn’t going to take a chance, though. Holding the gun pointed down, he sidled up to the door.
“Who’s there?” he yelled.
“Oh, thank God. For fuck’s sake Leonard. Is Jim with you?”
Rolling his eyes, Leonard lowered the weapon and put the safety back on as he unlocked the door. A beautiful black woman hurried through and threw her arms around Leonard’s neck. He held her gently for a moment, until she pulled away and started to ask for Jim.
“Nyota…”
“Oh, Jim! Thank God you’re okay,” she said, crossing to where he stood by the bedroom door and hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling away. Her dark eyes searched his, then his face and arms, first taking in all the scratches, and then widening slightly as she realized that they were in pajamas and were both sporting bedheads.
“Yeah…we were sleeping. The police had us up all night,” Leonard said, explaining without offering any real information. He saw her focus on the gun in his hand, and he opened a top drawer in the credenza by the front door and slid it in there.
“I called…”
“My phone must be on vibrate,” Leonard said. He went back to the bedroom where his phone was charging and unplugged it, then turned the ringer back on.
“When I got wind of what happened at Jim’s apartment, and then I couldn’t get hold of you….” She stopped, taking a couple of breaths as her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” Jim said. “I lost my phone somewhere.”
“Okay…I’m just glad you’re both okay. What the hell happened?”
Read Part 3 here.
Back to Part 1
Making a decision, Jim half stood and continued towards the corner of the building that was now in sight. He tried to stay calm, but panic was building inside of him until he was running, no longer capable of making sure he was quiet, breaths whooshing in and out of him with the force of his fear.
Afraid to look behind him because he was certain he was being pursued, Jim burst around the corner. His initial plan of jumping the fence gone with the hope that the police and Bones would be there, he ran across the lawn in the front of the building and could see Bones’ car pulling in to the lot, and right behind him two police cars. So relieved to see that, and sure he was safe, Jim slowed and turned towards Bones as he was getting out of his car, raising an arm in greeting, the smile on his face fell away as he realized the frantic expression on his face as he threw his car door open, stepped out and pulled his sidearm in one smooth motion.
“JIM - DOWN!”
As if in slow motion, Jim’s eyes widened as he realized there must be a danger behind him, and he let himself fall to ground, arms instinctively covering his head as the cracking report of a gun going off echoed in his ears.
Staying down, eyes squeezed closed, Jim listened as commands to “DROP THE WEAPON!” and “GET DOWN!” were shouted, hard voices overlapping each other with instructions. Stunned, terrified, Jim stayed where he was as boots pounded around him, in pursuit of the man Bones had taken a shot at.
“Jim! Jim! Are you - I’m a retired cop damnit!” That last was directed to the uniforms who had their weapons drawn and were pointing them at him. Jim raised his head and saw Bones lowering his gun to the ground and raising his hands. “Check my left jacket pocket,” he said, wanting the police to identify him as quickly as possible. “And get Captain Pike on the radio.”
Hands grasped Jim around his shoulders and, still full of adrenaline and still disoriented by everything that happened, he fought, trying to pull away from them.
“Hey - hey….Calm down. You hurt?”
“N-no,” Jim said, but he realized he was shaking uncontrollably, legs like jelly. “Bones…”
“What?” the policeman asked. “We need you to…”
Finally cleared by the police on scene due in part to a call to the Chief who was still a good friend even years after leaving the force, Leonard hurried to Jim.
“Jim…thank God.” Leonard drew him into a hug, feeling how his body shook. “It’s okay…you’re okay.” He pushed him away, holding his shoulders at arms length as he took stock of his condition. He was pale and sweaty and dirty, and “Oh...you’re bleeding. C’mon.”
With an arm around his shoulders, Leonard directed Jim towards the gathered police vehicles.
“I am?” Jim asked. He looked down at himself and saw a that there was blood on his clothes, dripping from several scratches on his arms. He hadn’t noticed…they didn’t even hurt. “It’s nothing…just from the bushes. I - you shot someone.”
Leonard grimaced. “No, I don’t think so.”
Suddenly fearful, Jim turned to look around behind him. “Was…was he going to…”
Leonard closed his eyes. If he hadn’t gotten there when he did, a split second before the police, if Jim hadn’t immediately responded to his command to get down, if the guy who’d been sent to take care of Jim had been a little faster…
“He took off, Jim. Over the fence. Police are looking for him,” Leonard said.
“I can’t stay here,” Jim said, the full force of everything that had happened crashing down on him. He’d witnessed a crime. Somehow, someone found out and sent some thug to eliminate him as a witness… broke into his home, chased him, would have killed him, if not for Bones’ quick action, and a lot of luck. It was overwhelming.
“Jim? Jim...slow down…take some slow breaths. Your hyperventilating.”
But he couldn’t, and he was getting dizzy and his legs felt weak and heavy, which was terrifying because he was gripped by an urgent need to run. He tried to pull away from the grip Leonard had on him, but he knew exactly what was happening, and just held Jim tighter, drawing him back into an embrace.
“Shh, Jim. You’re okay. It’s okay. You don’t have to stay here,” Leonard murmured over and over again, waiting for the shaking to subside and for him to get past the panic delayed by shock. Gradually, his desperate breaths evened out and he calmed enough to feel embarrassed over his reaction. “It’s okay,” Leonard said again, watching as his previously pale complexion flushed with self-consciousness. “You’ve been through a hell of a lot - everything you’re feel ing is normal.”
They’d been standing off to the side, behind one of the police vehicles, and now one of the cops came over to them.
“We need you both to come down to the department and give a statement. We’ve got a hell of a situation here,” he said.
“Yeah, of course. I-I don’t know how much I can tell you,” Jim said, wiping sweat off his forehead. He looked towards his apartment building…the place that had once been his sanctuary…and shuddered. People from his building were gathered together, drawn out by the commotion. For the first time in a long time he felt…lost. He turned away from the building, dreading being alone through what was sure to be a long, stressful process. “Bones…will you be--”
“Oh, I’ll be coming with you. I just discharged a weapon in public. We’ll probably be there all night. Not to mention what’s still going on at the hotel.”
Jim’s eyes widened, practically having forgotten about the very thing that appeared to have touched off everything that had happened since he left the hotel…what? An hour ago? Two? It felt much longer than that. Bones - the head of the security force of the hotel - had left in the middle of a serious crisis…it was very possible he wouldn’t have a job tomorrow.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Hours later, with the dawn slowly turning the darkness into a hazy purple sky, Leonard and Jim were put into a police car and driven back to Leonard’s apartment.
Utterly exhausted, both in need of a shower, and still - in Jim’s case - hardly able to wrap his head around everything that had happened, they were quiet and slumped together in the backseat of the cruiser. Or, Jim was slumped against Leonard. Leonard - not exactly a novice when it came to these kind of nights and the emotional toll they took - was more awake and alert. He had one arm protectively around Jim’s shoulders as he stared out the side window, not really seeing the scenery pass by, but going over and over how someone knew that Jim had seen something he shouldn’t.
And though he was loathe to even think it, he could come to only one conclusion: someone on his team was part of what had happened in that reserved suite. And that made him responsible. Jim had been terrorized and almost killed because he hadn’t seen that something was up. He physically flinched from the thought, it disturbed him that much. The guilt he felt for allowing this kind of mayhem to enter the younger man’s life was…
He shook his head, trying to leave that behind, for now. There was plenty of time for beating himself up over everything later. For now, he needed to put his brain and his considerable experience to work, and figure out who it was, and how to catch him. And how to keep Jim safe in the meantime.
They pulled up to his building, and Leonard roused Jim from his light slumber. They thanked the officer as they exited the car, stepping into early-morning humidity. The officer waited and watched until Leonard let them into his building with a key, the heavy glass door closing and latching behind them, and he stayed until, with a final wave, Leonard and Jim stepped onto the elevator.
Leonard eyed Jim as they began their slow ascent. He was rumpled, dried blood stains from the scratches on his arms visible on his shirt, and he stood with a slight hunch to his shoulders, as if warding off a chill. It wasn’t chilly - this was Florida, after all - but he had no doubt that that Jim was feeling chilled from the inside.
They exited the elevator at Leonard’s floor, and though he was certain that his place remained safe, Jim slowed in the hallway, wrapping his arms around himself.
“What if someone’s in there?” he asked with a voice hoarse from lack of sleep when Leonard turned to look at him. Wanting to reassure him, Leonard pulled his cell out of his pocket and showed Jim the app tied to his home monitoring system. Once the door opened it was impossible to reset the system without the phone’s app, and since they were six stories up and there were no trees right outside his balcony, there was no other way in.
Reassured, and feeling slightly foolish for being so nervous, Jim followed Leonard into his apartment. He’d been there a few times before, and it was just as he always remembered it. Neat as a pin, but not sterile. Somehow, the space managed to convey “lived in” and “neat freak” all at the same time. It was perfectly “Bones”. In the dim apartment, the only light coming from a hall lamp that he knew Bones always left on when he wasn’t home, and the meager early-morning sunlight edging in around the drawn blinds, Jim took a deep breath and felt some of the knots inside of him relax a little. This was Bones’ apartment, but it was starting to feel like home to him, too.
“Let me get you a towel and some clothes so you can shower,” he said as he moved through the apartment, turning on lights as he went. “My stuff will be a little big on you, but…”
“Bones…”
Surprised at how small Jim sounded, Leonard turned to look at him, and saw that he was startlingly pale.
“Hey,” Leonard said, moving to him and pullng him into a hug. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Not trusting himself to speak, Jim just held on and pressed his watering eyes to Leonard’s shoulder and shook his head. He didn’t feel like everything was going to be okay. He’d witnessed a murder, he couldn’t go back to his apartment yet - it was considered part of a crime scene, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to go back at all. He couldn’t go back to work at a job he loved because it wasn’t safe yet, and he’d come seconds to actually being killed. It was a lot to absorb in a very short amount of time.
They stood there, and Leonard cupped the back of his head with a gentle squeeze, the gesture intimate and familiar. After a few moments, Jim took a deep breath as the storm of emotion passed.
“Everything will be okay. We’ll figure it out. But first…” Leonard paused and took an exaggerated sniff. “Let’s start with a shower.”
Jim smiled and pulled away, giving Leonard a gentle shove. “Not like you’re coming up roses either, Bones.”
Happy to see a little color come back to Jim’s face, Leonard gave him a small smile and shrugged, conceding the point, and went to get something for him to change in to and a towel.
While Jim showered, Leonard stood in front of the open refrigerator. He wasn’t really hungry, though he supposed they should eat. What he really wanted was a drink, but he felt that was a little out of line at barely 6:30 in the morning, even though he’d been up all night. Instead, he pulled out a carafe of orange juice, and a bowl of grapes, and the fixings for bagels and cereal, from the fridge and cupboard, figuring they could each have a bit of something. If Jim wanted eggs, he could do that, too. He didn’t really know what Jim would want for breakfast. That hadn’t had a morning together yet.
Pouring himself some orange juice, Leonard contemplated the state of their relationship. Although no one (including himself) would have really guessed that he and Jim would be a good match, they just seemed to be…drawn…together.
It was such an odd concept. Nobody was “drawn” to Leonard. His gruff attitude, coupled with a pretty unforgiving outlook on people and the stupid things they did and said, and a propensity for speaking the truth without dressing it up didn’t win him many friends, ever. When Jim was hired, Leonard was immediately annoyed by the ebullience he seemed to approach every day and every situation with, no matter what was going on. On the other hand, he was impressed with the way the kid could handle almost any situation - guest- or facility-related - without making anyone feel put-out or not heard. He really was the perfect kind of person to lead the staff.
One night, Jim had asked to join Leonard for a working dinner to go over the logistics for a big conference, and ever since then he’d felt that they were moving towards something bigger than co-workers. And they had. Steadily. To this point, where Leonard had asked him to dinner outside of the hotel a couple of times, and Jim had done the same, to things other than dinner on the rare days off that coincided. They’d been guests in other’s homes, too. Leonard grew warm just thinking about the last time there were at Jim’s, on his couch, just kissing. At one point he’d dozed off while they watched a movie and woke to the feel of Jim’s fingers tenderly running through his hair.
But they were taking it slow, and that’s as far as they’d gotten. It was a little frustrating. It was also really, really good. No pressure, no hurry. Just a slow awakening to each other and the feelings they had. It was a little out of Leonard’s realm of experience; until now sex was just a physical release, and though he didn’t live like a monk, he’d had only a handful of partners over the years. With Jim, though, he could see it being so much more. It was definitely something to look forward to.
Jim joined him a few minutes later, hair still damp and smelling of soap. Leonard’s clothes on him were too big, and his hair was sticking up in all directions. Leonard had never seen anyone look so easily appealing. Jim eyed the food Leonard had laid out and his stomach gave a growl. Leonard chuckled as Jim shrugged.
“I’ve been up for hours - I’m starved,” he said.
“Well, help yourself. I’ll be right out.”
Later, after they’d both showered and eaten while watching the early morning news coverage of everything that had happened last night - thank God, minus their pictures or names, so far - Leonard stood and and reached a hand down to Jim. Leaving their dishes to be dealt with later, Leonard led Jim into his bedroom.
“We need to sleep,” Leonard said. “You’re welcome to sleep here, and I’ll sleep on the couch, if you want. Or…”
Despite the lingering sense of unease Jim was feeling, he couldn’t help but smile. Bones looked so earnest right now, and Jim responded to how protective he’d been, and was still being. It was a really nice feeling.
”Let’s sleep here together,” Jim said. “Um…if you don’t mind.” He paused, looking away for a moment. “I’m not sure I could sleep alone right now anyway.”
“Of course I don’t mind, and I understand,” he said, wrapping him in a hug. He loved holding Jim like this, and the feel of Jim’s strong arms around him, holding on, their bodies fit together….it was perfect.
After making sure the front door was closed and locked, and that the alarm system was set, Jim asked that the bedroom door also be closed and locked. He knew that a simple door with a handle lock wouldn’t be much of a barrier, but it made him feel a little better. Without having to be asked, Leonard left the curtains slightly open, so the room wasn’t as dark as it could have been, and when Jim opened his eyes, it was easy to see.
Settled down in the bed together, Jim took the initiative and reached for Bones. He wanted to be held, and Leonard didn’t need any other encouragment. They turned so that they were on their sides with Jim in front, wrapped in Bones’ arms. Although nearly the same height, Leonard was wider through the shoulders and the rest of his body, and they just…fit together.
The room was cool, the bed comfortable, and though Jim was exhausted, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep. The look on Bones’ face when he yelled at Jim to get down, the moments of terror and noise and confusion when he didn’t realize what was going on yet…teetering on the edge of sleep, Jim gasped and jerked.
“Shh,” Leonard said behind him. He gently stroked up and down Jim’s left arm. “You’re okay.”
“Was almost dreaming,” Jim murmured. His hands tightened on the arm around him as he took a deep breath. “You saved me. If you weren’t there…”
“But I was…don’t drive yourself crazy thinking ‘what if’,” Leonard said gently.
Jim stayed quiet for a moment, trying to let go of what could have happened, and focus on what did - and why. Because Bones cared that much for him.
“How could this happen?” Jim asked quietly, his voice cracking.
“I don’t know, but l’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Leonard promised. He pressed a gentle kiss to Jim’s neck.
And even though Jim knew that Bones couldn’t really make a promise like that - no one could - he felt comforted, and was finally able to sleep.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
They slept through the morning into the early afternoon. The room warmed a little as the sun beat down on that side of the building, and Leonard shifted, pulling the comforter off of them, letting their bodies cool comfortably just under the sheet as the ac-cooled air was swirled around them by the fan in the middle of the ceiling.
Jim came slightly awake, inhaling deeply and registering Leonard’s scent all around him. Feeling so comfortable and content, he was just sliding back to sleep when someone pounded on the front door.
Jerking up with a gasp, Jim’s eyes flew open as his heart slammed in his chest. Behind him, Leonard was already sliding out of bed, a gun in his hand from seemingly nowhere.
“Bones, where…?” The police had confiscated his weapon last night.
“Wasn’t the only one I own. Stay here, Jim,” he said. He glanced at the younger man still half-laying in his bed, seeing the fear in his eyes, then unlocked the bedroom door. “Everything will be okay. Stay here,” he said again.
Pounding on the door again, and some of the initial tension Leonard felt left him. Whoever was out there wasn’t trying to get in, and they weren’t being sneaky or careful. Still wasn’t going to take a chance, though. Holding the gun pointed down, he sidled up to the door.
“Who’s there?” he yelled.
“Oh, thank God. For fuck’s sake Leonard. Is Jim with you?”
Rolling his eyes, Leonard lowered the weapon and put the safety back on as he unlocked the door. A beautiful black woman hurried through and threw her arms around Leonard’s neck. He held her gently for a moment, until she pulled away and started to ask for Jim.
“Nyota…”
“Oh, Jim! Thank God you’re okay,” she said, crossing to where he stood by the bedroom door and hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?” she asked, pulling away. Her dark eyes searched his, then his face and arms, first taking in all the scratches, and then widening slightly as she realized that they were in pajamas and were both sporting bedheads.
“Yeah…we were sleeping. The police had us up all night,” Leonard said, explaining without offering any real information. He saw her focus on the gun in his hand, and he opened a top drawer in the credenza by the front door and slid it in there.
“I called…”
“My phone must be on vibrate,” Leonard said. He went back to the bedroom where his phone was charging and unplugged it, then turned the ringer back on.
“When I got wind of what happened at Jim’s apartment, and then I couldn’t get hold of you….” She stopped, taking a couple of breaths as her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” Jim said. “I lost my phone somewhere.”
“Okay…I’m just glad you’re both okay. What the hell happened?”
Read Part 3 here.
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