Tender Loving Care (Law & Order: UK)
Title: Tender Loving Care
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Alesha/James
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None (Set during S5)
Summary: Alesha is feeling unwell so James looks after her.
Disclaimer: ITV owns Law & Order: UK.
Author Notes: This fic is for mischief89. Happy Christmas!
~~~~~~
James stuck his head around the bedroom door and saw that Alesha was in the same position that he’d left her: curled into a ball on her side of the bed with her arms wrapped over her stomach and her eyes tightly closed. He shouldered the door open and crossed to the bed.
Alesha opened her eyes and frowned up at him. “What?” she asked, her tone far grumpier than was usual.
“I’ve brought you a hot water bottle,” he said, holding it out as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Oh. Thank you.” She unwrapped her arms, took the teddy bear covered bottle from him, placed it against her stomach, then wrapped her arms back around herself.
He reached out and brushed some damp strands of hair off her forehead with a gentle touch. She opened her eyes again and looked up at him; he could see unshed tears on her lashes.
“I also brought you some water and some painkillers,” he said, pulling the packet out of his pocket and holding it out, then picking up the glass he’d set down on the floor.
“Thanks.” She pushed herself upright, then accepted the glass and the pills he’d taken from the packet, swallowing two down before she put the glass on the bedside table.
He reached out and embraced her, rubbing a hand up and down her back until he felt some of the tension ease from her muscles, then he kissed her forehead.
“Why don’t you see if you can get some sleep?” he asked. “And I’ll look in on you again in a bit.”
“Okay.” She let him lower her back down to the bed, then tuck the bedding around her with the hot water bottle pressed to her stomach again.
He was almost at the door before she spoke. “James?”
“Yes love?”
“Thanks for putting up with my grouchiness.”
He gave a little chuckle. “Any time.” He closed the door behind him, then made his way to the kitchen, where he planned to make himself some coffee while he decided what to get Alesha for lunch. He felt bad for her, that there was so little he could do to help when her monthly cramps struck: the most he could practically offer was plenty of TLC.
* * * * * *
A couple of hours later he pushed open the bedroom door again, this time with a tray in his hands. As he went in he noted that Alesha was no longer clutching the hot water bottle to her stomach, and that her eyes were no longer screwed shut. He hoped that meant the worst of the cramps were over now.
“James?” She opened her eyes and blinked up at him.
“Hello love. Brought you some lunch.”
“What is it?” Alesha asked, sounding quite interested, which he took as a further good sign.
“A ham and mushroom omelette, and some dessert,” he told her, setting the tray over her lap after she had pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“Double chocolate mousse?” she asked, looking at the dish.
He grinned. “Yep.”
“God I love you!” she exclaimed fervently, making James chuckle.
“I love you too,” he said. ”Do you want tea or coffee with that?”
“Some of my mum’s dill tea, please.”
He nodded, then went back out to the kitchen to fetch it, and a mug of coffee for himself.
“Here you go.” He set the mug down on the bedside table. “Feeling better?” he asked, though he thought she must be, given the way she was tucking into the omelette.
“Yeah a bit, thanks.”
“I’m sorry I can’t do more to help,” he observed as he sat by her feet.
“Mum says the best cure for this is pregnancy,” Alesha observed.
James choked on his mouthful of coffee, nearly spraying it across the room, and she started to laugh at his shocked expression. He set aside his mug, then pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. “Alesha,” he said reproachfully.
“Sorry love,” she said, but he could see she was fighting back a smile. “Mum said she suffered really bad cramps every month but they weren’t as bad after she’d had me, and apparently Gran was the same.”
“As cure’s go, pregnancy is a fairly drastic one,” he observed carefully.
She chuckled. “Yeah, it is. I don’t think I’m quite ready for it yet.” She finished her omelette, then picked up the dish of mousse and the spoon. “Here.” She held out a spoonful to him, so he leaned forward and accepted it.
“Is that by way of apology for making me choke on my coffee?” he asked.
She nodded, her own mouth full of mousse.
“Hmm.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and she raised her own in query. “Seems to me a spoonful of mousse isn’t much of an apology for nearly choking me,” he said.
“What more do you want?” asked Alesha, continuing to eat the dessert as if afraid he’d ask for rest of it.
He watched her, a thoughtful expression on his face, as she finished up the last of the mousse then set the dish down with a satisfied sigh. “I think - “ he said slowly, taking the tray from her and putting it on the floor, “that a cuddle is the least you can offer me.” He crawled up the bed towards her and she giggled, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he stopped above her.
“Very well Mr Steel.”
He lowered himself down onto the bed beside her and she turned onto her side, then snuggled up against him so he wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled the side of her neck, then kissed along her jawline until he reached her mouth.
He kept the kiss slow and languid, even as he slid a hand up under her pyjama top to lightly caress her breasts. Alesha groaned against his mouth, then pushed him over onto his back, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her. She smirked, then straddled his thigh and he chuckled as she began to rub herself against his leg. He began to rub her stomach, knowing that her breasts were ultra-sensitive at the moment, so if he teased them too much it would cause her pain not pleasure. She rode his thigh until a shudder of release wracked her body, then she slumped down and he wrapped his arms around her again.
“You must be feeling better,” he murmured, remembering how she’d snarled at him this morning when he’d tried to cuddle her while her cramps were at their worst.
“Thanks to you,” she answered. She kissed him quick and hard on the mouth, then shifted herself sideways. “Your turn now, mister.”
He chuckled as she unfastened his jeans and eased his length free, the chuckle turning into a groan of pleasure as she ducked her head and dragged her tongue along his heated skin. He closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the pleasure of the sensations Alesha was causing until he lost control.
“You know, I was going to suggest I go and get the groceries,” James said once he’d recovered.
She laughed. “That can wait a bit longer, don’t you think?” she suggested.
“It’ll have to,” he said. “Now you’ve turned my limbs to water.”
She smirked, then rearranged his clothing so that he was respectable again. “I’ll come with you,” she said.
He tilted his head to look up at her. “Really?”
“Yeah. The exercise and fresh air will do me good.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Thanks for being so understanding this morning.”
“Any time, love, you know that.” He smirked at her. “But if you’re going to come shopping with me, you’d better get dressed, you know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course!”
He laughed, then pushed himself upright. “I’ll go and make a list then.”
“I’ll be with you shortly.”
He nodded, then put their empty mugs on the tray and picked it up to take back to the kitchen. He was pleased that Alesha felt well enough to be up and about: he hated to see her suffering as it always made him feel helpless.
Author: Persiflage_1
Characters/Pairings: Alesha/James
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: None (Set during S5)
Summary: Alesha is feeling unwell so James looks after her.
Disclaimer: ITV owns Law & Order: UK.
Author Notes: This fic is for mischief89. Happy Christmas!
~~~~~~
James stuck his head around the bedroom door and saw that Alesha was in the same position that he’d left her: curled into a ball on her side of the bed with her arms wrapped over her stomach and her eyes tightly closed. He shouldered the door open and crossed to the bed.
Alesha opened her eyes and frowned up at him. “What?” she asked, her tone far grumpier than was usual.
“I’ve brought you a hot water bottle,” he said, holding it out as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Oh. Thank you.” She unwrapped her arms, took the teddy bear covered bottle from him, placed it against her stomach, then wrapped her arms back around herself.
He reached out and brushed some damp strands of hair off her forehead with a gentle touch. She opened her eyes again and looked up at him; he could see unshed tears on her lashes.
“I also brought you some water and some painkillers,” he said, pulling the packet out of his pocket and holding it out, then picking up the glass he’d set down on the floor.
“Thanks.” She pushed herself upright, then accepted the glass and the pills he’d taken from the packet, swallowing two down before she put the glass on the bedside table.
He reached out and embraced her, rubbing a hand up and down her back until he felt some of the tension ease from her muscles, then he kissed her forehead.
“Why don’t you see if you can get some sleep?” he asked. “And I’ll look in on you again in a bit.”
“Okay.” She let him lower her back down to the bed, then tuck the bedding around her with the hot water bottle pressed to her stomach again.
He was almost at the door before she spoke. “James?”
“Yes love?”
“Thanks for putting up with my grouchiness.”
He gave a little chuckle. “Any time.” He closed the door behind him, then made his way to the kitchen, where he planned to make himself some coffee while he decided what to get Alesha for lunch. He felt bad for her, that there was so little he could do to help when her monthly cramps struck: the most he could practically offer was plenty of TLC.
* * * * * *
A couple of hours later he pushed open the bedroom door again, this time with a tray in his hands. As he went in he noted that Alesha was no longer clutching the hot water bottle to her stomach, and that her eyes were no longer screwed shut. He hoped that meant the worst of the cramps were over now.
“James?” She opened her eyes and blinked up at him.
“Hello love. Brought you some lunch.”
“What is it?” Alesha asked, sounding quite interested, which he took as a further good sign.
“A ham and mushroom omelette, and some dessert,” he told her, setting the tray over her lap after she had pushed herself up into a sitting position.
“Double chocolate mousse?” she asked, looking at the dish.
He grinned. “Yep.”
“God I love you!” she exclaimed fervently, making James chuckle.
“I love you too,” he said. ”Do you want tea or coffee with that?”
“Some of my mum’s dill tea, please.”
He nodded, then went back out to the kitchen to fetch it, and a mug of coffee for himself.
“Here you go.” He set the mug down on the bedside table. “Feeling better?” he asked, though he thought she must be, given the way she was tucking into the omelette.
“Yeah a bit, thanks.”
“I’m sorry I can’t do more to help,” he observed as he sat by her feet.
“Mum says the best cure for this is pregnancy,” Alesha observed.
James choked on his mouthful of coffee, nearly spraying it across the room, and she started to laugh at his shocked expression. He set aside his mug, then pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. “Alesha,” he said reproachfully.
“Sorry love,” she said, but he could see she was fighting back a smile. “Mum said she suffered really bad cramps every month but they weren’t as bad after she’d had me, and apparently Gran was the same.”
“As cure’s go, pregnancy is a fairly drastic one,” he observed carefully.
She chuckled. “Yeah, it is. I don’t think I’m quite ready for it yet.” She finished her omelette, then picked up the dish of mousse and the spoon. “Here.” She held out a spoonful to him, so he leaned forward and accepted it.
“Is that by way of apology for making me choke on my coffee?” he asked.
She nodded, her own mouth full of mousse.
“Hmm.” He quirked an eyebrow at her and she raised her own in query. “Seems to me a spoonful of mousse isn’t much of an apology for nearly choking me,” he said.
“What more do you want?” asked Alesha, continuing to eat the dessert as if afraid he’d ask for rest of it.
He watched her, a thoughtful expression on his face, as she finished up the last of the mousse then set the dish down with a satisfied sigh. “I think - “ he said slowly, taking the tray from her and putting it on the floor, “that a cuddle is the least you can offer me.” He crawled up the bed towards her and she giggled, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he stopped above her.
“Very well Mr Steel.”
He lowered himself down onto the bed beside her and she turned onto her side, then snuggled up against him so he wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled the side of her neck, then kissed along her jawline until he reached her mouth.
He kept the kiss slow and languid, even as he slid a hand up under her pyjama top to lightly caress her breasts. Alesha groaned against his mouth, then pushed him over onto his back, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her. She smirked, then straddled his thigh and he chuckled as she began to rub herself against his leg. He began to rub her stomach, knowing that her breasts were ultra-sensitive at the moment, so if he teased them too much it would cause her pain not pleasure. She rode his thigh until a shudder of release wracked her body, then she slumped down and he wrapped his arms around her again.
“You must be feeling better,” he murmured, remembering how she’d snarled at him this morning when he’d tried to cuddle her while her cramps were at their worst.
“Thanks to you,” she answered. She kissed him quick and hard on the mouth, then shifted herself sideways. “Your turn now, mister.”
He chuckled as she unfastened his jeans and eased his length free, the chuckle turning into a groan of pleasure as she ducked her head and dragged her tongue along his heated skin. He closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the pleasure of the sensations Alesha was causing until he lost control.
“You know, I was going to suggest I go and get the groceries,” James said once he’d recovered.
She laughed. “That can wait a bit longer, don’t you think?” she suggested.
“It’ll have to,” he said. “Now you’ve turned my limbs to water.”
She smirked, then rearranged his clothing so that he was respectable again. “I’ll come with you,” she said.
He tilted his head to look up at her. “Really?”
“Yeah. The exercise and fresh air will do me good.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Thanks for being so understanding this morning.”
“Any time, love, you know that.” He smirked at her. “But if you’re going to come shopping with me, you’d better get dressed, you know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course!”
He laughed, then pushed himself upright. “I’ll go and make a list then.”
“I’ll be with you shortly.”
He nodded, then put their empty mugs on the tray and picked it up to take back to the kitchen. He was pleased that Alesha felt well enough to be up and about: he hated to see her suffering as it always made him feel helpless.