====== Redheads and Poutine ====== Previous: [[logs:agents_in_love:orchestrated_set_up|Orchestrated Set Up]] [[profiles:jamesaubrey|Aubrey]] tucked the food back into her hand where she held it out. “You’re welcome, Joss. May I call you Joss” He wasn’t expecting a no for an answer. Once his hands were free, he opened the door for her. [[profiles:jocelynneill|Jocelyn]] tilted her head. "You can call me whatever you like." She replied gently, tucking the food on the center console.. Of course, it only displayed her backside, though it wasn't intentional. She straightened, tugging at the ends of her fiery hair for a moment before getting in, then buckled up while she waited for him to get in. "Thank you." She said again, thanking him for opening the door for her. Who said chivalry was dead? “Anything?” That was an interesting thought. He’d have to figure if there was anything else he would want to call her. “Joss will do for now.” He admired the shapely rear she put on display when she reached into the car to put the food in, then, and only when she straightened up, did he move around to the other side. She started the car once he got in. Had she really just told him he could call her anything? "Well…within reason…nothing ridiculous….please…" She amended, glancing over at him briefly before putting the car in gear and pulling out onto the road. That made him laugh. “So no ‘Princess Trixibelle McMahon the third’, or anything like that?” The thought brought a cheeky grin across his lips for a moment. Joss smiled as she kept her eyes on the road, one arm bending at the elbow and settling on the center console, the food having been safely placed on the floor in the rear after she got in. "Didn't every woman dream of being called princess as a little girl?" She replied with a chuckle. "But Trixibelle McMahon the third?" She was laughing as she watched the road. “Yeah, it was the first ridiculous name that sprang to mind. I’m sure there are a hundred and one things to analyze there, but you’re not going to.” He paused for a moment, looking down at her arm on the centre console, then reached out to put his hand on hers. “But I’ll remember princess as a good thing.” A brief glance to his hand over hers, then to him while they were stopped at a red light. "I'd assume you had a dog as a child. Maybe two. Maybe you combined their names. And maybe there was a third one you liked best. McMahon…maybe you have Irish blood somewhere back and your brain plucked it from your family tree." She said softly. "I could analyze all of that but beyond a precursory impression I just spoke to you, I won't. I'm also rambling again." She said, turning her eyes back to the road as the light turned green. “Yes, you are.” He enjoyed hearing her talk. “You’re welcome to. Or I could enjoy wrestling. Or I have an imaginative mind. Many possibilities. If only you knew.” He could ramble just as much, but not right now. "It's a flaw I'm working on. The rambling. I can stay all neat and orderly at work but after that it just…" She trailed off. Shook her head slightly as she made a right-hand turn. "I'd like to know though…" She added softly. “You’re… Gonna say I have daddy issues. You’d be right. He ran away when I was 13, leaving me and my mother alone. That was only after he was arrested for a ponzi scheme. That’s why I joined the FBI. Then, later, I helped bring him down again.” He pondered what else to add to that. “I took chemistry at AP level, I play guitar, and I sang in an acapella group. There’s more, but I think I’ll hold on to that for now.” "Nothing you've said leads me to believe you have daddy issues, but I'm sorry you went through that. Mine was along those same lines, but I was six, so perhaps I lucked out, I hardly remember him at all." She replied. "My younger sister died in a car crash my freshman year of college. She was seventeen. My junior year of high school my best friend…died…um…it led to me pursuing psych as my major. I draw and do yoga…." She offered. "I'm… Sorry you had to go through that. It's never easy to lose someone. Friend, family. It always hurts when you're close. But they're always there watching over us." He gave her hand a squeeze where he was holding it. "And now you have a new friend. Or… Whatever we are." "It's not, but…it–thank you." She said quietly, squeezing his hand in return. A new friend. Or whatever we are. Can't be a me without you. She finally voiced the obvious question. "What do you want us to be?" Us. It sounded…so nice. Aubrey bobbed his head a little from side to side as he considered the options. "Well. There's husband and wife, but that's probably getting ahead of ourselves. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Partners. Master and pet. Sir and pet. Daddy and daughter." //Blech// Why did he even bring that one up? Too much research. "Or just Jimmy and Joss until we figure it out." "Ew. I'm not calling you Daddy." She grimaced. "I like…all of the others. Even the first. Someday." She said softly as she pulled up to the hotel. It wasn't the Waldorf Astoria but it was a nicer one. Suddenly something hit her. She'd brought him. Here. At his suggestion. Was it a suggestion or a gentle command? She looked over at him, looking slightly like a deer caught in headlights for a moment. He wanted to spend the night. With her. "Good, because unless you're my //actual// daughter, or the mother of my children, that sits awkwardly." He looked outside at her hotel. "Nice." He nodded in appreciation. She'd brought him to where she was staying without question. Command. Suggestion. Request. Did it really matter which it was? He turned back to see that look in her eyes. He lifted her hand to hold it between their eyeline. "At any point you could have said no. But you didn't. Are you going to get cold feet now?" Joss didn't speak for several moments. "Ah…no. I'm not getting cold feet at all. There's…a part of me that is saying none of this makes any sense. But then there's a part of me that's saying it doesn't have to make sense, not when I feel…so comfortable. With you." She replied quietly, her thumb slowly moving over the back of his hand. "What about you? You seem awfully certain about yourself." She was tugging the ends of her hair with her free fingers. She was nervous. Nervous because she wasn't going to say no. She didn't want to say no. Not to him. Ever. Aubrey smiled a wry smile, lowering his head slightly to look upwards with his eyes. "You're the psychologist. That's the part saying it doesn't make sense. Your heart says it does. Logic. Emotion. They always fight, but they're both a part of us." His eyes drifted to her thing on the back of his hand. "Confident, yes. I saw this world, I saw what the Booths had. I love how they look at each other. And they're having a kid together. So, there I was. Apparently they saw something in us." Us. Again. Joss thought a moment. [[profiles:seeleybooth|Seeley]] and [[profiles:danielabooth|Ella]] looked at each other in ways she'd only seen once before them. An older couple walking hand in hand through the park. He looked at her like she held his entire world in her form and Ella looked at her husband much the same. "I was an intern when I first met Ella, still pursuing my Master's. I watched her run for that house…" She shuddered. "I finished my internship and returned to Concordia U. Finished my MA. Went for my doctorate. Got that. I was told my first day back in DC that not only was my to-be mentor gone, but I was thrown to the wolves. Grief counseling. Then I was dispatched on site when Seeley rescued her from the compound. When she had her first casualty. I've watched them go from a whirlwind romance to a strong, unshakeable marriage. They've always been sure of each other and while the psychologist in me says it's simply not possible, my own eyes tell me it is…" She was rambling…but it turned out there was a point as her eyes met his. "And my heart wants that. I want someone to look at me like that." She looked at him. "Oh…kinda…the way you're…looking at me…oh…" Her voice had dropped low, her fingers twirling and tugging in the ends of her fiery red hair. Aubrey lifted his head to look at her properly, that childish grin, those smouldering eyes. Almost like a mini-Booth. He looked up to the man like a big brother. "Then you must be aware of the name Booth coined for her that day. I'm sure, knowing them, that means something else now. " Screamer. Seeley had coined the name, now he's trying to stop it being spread around. But everyone knows the more you try and squash a concept, the more it spreads. "I think you're as much an integral part of their relationship as they are, from what you're saying. Which means you're at least as good as Sweets. It means he trusts you with the wellbeing of his wife, even if he doesn't show it outwardly." She's sounding like Brennan. At least she's going this way, instead of that way. Open up, not close down. "You want someone to look at me… Like I'm looking at you? I think you have that." A smirk, a chuckle. Quietly confident. Where Seeley was cocky, even showed it off on his belt, Jimmy was more subtle. Even though they'd been set up by the Booths, that was nothing without chemistry. A spark. A little je ne sais quoi. Something they had. "We've been sitting outside in the car for a while now. How about you show me to your room?" "I thought it was a little insensitive at the time, but I understand that she's helped him see that there is still humanity, even among…yeah." She admitted. "I never really thought of it that way. I guess he could have had another called in to counsel her. But it was always me." She looked at him then and offered a shy smile. "I guess I do, don't I?" She asked, then turned pink again, fingers tugging a little harder at her hair. "Oh right, right. Sorry." She said as she pulled back, reluctantly letting go as she took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. He reached into the back for the food, then popped the handle on the door, slipping out of the car. He'd enjoyed holding her hand. It seemed to distract her, both times. In the club. In the car. Even his gaze. "He had problems with women. Rebecca. Cam. Hannah. Brennan. Then Ella. She turned him around after a lifetime of pain, showed him how it could be. I don't even know if there was anyone before Parker's mother." Now they were expecting another. How would that sit with him? Only time would tell. He put out his hand for Joss to take. "Lead on." She shut the door and came around the other side, catching his fingers in her own and tossing the keys to the valet once they went into the lobby. She led him to the elevator and stepped in, pressing the button for the fifth floor, then looked sideways at James, smiling softly. He followed, taking another moment to lean back and look at her behind. Back. Ass. Whatever. "This place isn't cheap. FBI paying for it? Or paying for it yourself? Or a combination of the two?" "A combination. I paid the difference." She lifted an eyebrow. "You must like the view." She remarked, then turned her head to meet his gaze as she squeezed his hand. "Oh, I appreciate a good view, definitely. DC at night is beautiful." Deflection. At least to start with. "You're welcome to walk ahead of me so I can appreciate the view more." He winked at her and squeezed back. "It is indeed, I find I miss it when I am away." She replied. "I'm looking at houses out in the suburbs, with what I pay in rent I can easily afford a mortgage on a home." She said, then blushed at his last sentence. She briefly entertained the thought of pushing him against the elevator wall and kissing him as they neared the third floor, but she held back. She didn't want him to think she was forward. "Given the rent around here, sometimes it's //cheaper// to pay for a mortgage, so I can believe that without a doubt." He'd been looking at houses, since he'd just been promoted to Supervising Special Agent under Booth's tutelage. He noticed her cheeks flush as the elevator rose. He wondered what was going through her mind as her body shifted subconsciously. He wouldn't say what was going through his mind. But she'd find out later. "Yeah. I'm paying 2300 on my apartment over at Sedgwick Gardens. I can get good enough rates that I could save three hundred a month and have an entire house." She said softly. Scholarships and grants had funded her education, so thankfully she wasn't like a lot of PhD grads who were saddled with crippling student loan debt. "Jesus, I thought just north of a thousand was bad enough. What are you, made of money?" He grinned. He was on a Special Agent's pay, he'd only just got that promotion. She was a specialist, in demand, could easily command more than him. The doors to the elevator opened up and he gestured with his elbow, expecting her to take the lead. Joss looked at him for a moment. "I…made a couple of smart investments. They paid off, I cashed out and put most of it in a high-interest savings account. I don't struggle paycheck to paycheck, I live within my means, and comfortably, but I'm not exactly made of money." She replied softly. She looked as the doors opened and then stepped out, still holding his hand. He followed half a step behind, led by her hand in his. "Alright for some. My father abused people who invested with him. Makes me a little uncomfortable around people with money." He shrugged. "Guess that's something I need to work on." "My investments were in a couple startups that wound up doing well. My money is all earned, and honestly, James, and I don't have much of it. Just enough to live comfortably. I won't apologize for not struggling, I did enough of that growing up." She said softly. "I'm not rich." She unlocked her hotel door with the card key and held it open for him with a gentle smile. Aubrey walked inside, pulling Joss behind him as he moved deeper into the room. He placed the food down on a bare surface, then turned, using his grip on her hand to place her between him and a wall, then his hand on that wall, pinning her. Not using his body against her, just the positioning. "If I felt uncomfortable around you, would I do this? Would I be here with you now?" The redhead let out a gasp as he pulled her in, then…pinned? Trapped? No, pinned. Definitely. She stared at him, breathless, shaking her head slightly. No, he wouldn't be here if he weren't comfortable. "I…just wanted you to know. I wouldn't…ever…abuse…" She gasped out, her free hand settling on his side, though the gentle kneading gave away her delighted nervousness. Had she not been touching him, she wold have been tugging her hair. He slowly moved forwards. Closer. His face closing in on hers, that smile on his lips, the slight tilt to one side as the tip of his nose brushed against hers, then passed it. His lips met hers and he kissed her. Pressing her backwards against the wall with his body. His legs spread and knees bent slightly to reach down without being awkward. Forceful, aggressive, but not violent, nor vicious. Strong, manly. As if placing his claim. Her eyes stayed on his as he closed the distance. Oh. Ohohoh….she tilted slightly. Lips met and she drew in a sharp breath through her nose. Her fingers tightened gently against him and then after a few moments, her eyes closed in blissful reverie. A kiss. Their first. Possibly of many. Hopefully. Definitely. He felt her fingers grip. His hand. His waist. His lips on hers. His tongue over her lips. Then, away. An inch. Staring into her eyes. A quiet voice. "You said you wanted someone who looked at you the way I looked at you. How about someone who kisses you the way I kiss you?" Jocelyn Neill was breathless when he pulled away, her lips just having begun to part to his tongue on them. It was that flustered look that stared back at James Aubrey. A man she had seen often but never allowed herself to take notice of. Now that she had? Oh goodness. "Yes, please…" She whispered. "That is…if that person liked kissing me like that….and wanted to do it again…" Blue-green eyes met his and she offered him a timid smile. Jimmy pressed his lips to hers again, harder, more passionate, stronger. An answer to her question that wasn't a question. His tongue slipped between her lips once more, and he took his time to savour her, the way her body reacted to him taking advantage of her. Her hand tugged, gripped, kneaded as he kissed her again, bringing him to press against her slightly. A shiver moved through her as their tongues met and for a moment she refused to yield, as though finding out just how serious he was about finding in each other the thing they admired in the Booths. With a whimper, she yielded. //Can't be a me without You…// He didn't yield. He kept pressing against her. Pushing. Finding a limit. Where she would… //There we go.// More. He could feel her body relax. He continued until he needed to breathe, pulling away and sucking in a lungful of air, but not moving from where he was pressed against her. "Does that answer your statement?" He gasped out. Joss melted. Melted. He took control from her once she handed it over, and he managed to awaken things in her she'd thought would never come to the surface again. She held his hand firm between their chests, and when he parted she was staring at him. Does that answer your statement? "Yes….Sir….yes…." She replied softly. Sir. He'd heard Ella call Seeley that a couple of times, outside the context of a senior ranking agent. He hadn't registered entirely what it meant until now, when it sent a shiver up his spine. It was like a switch had been flicked inside his mind. "Good girl." He pulled his hand off the wall and stood upright, allowing her freedom to move once more. He didn't let go of her hand. Next: [[logs:agents_in_love:show_me_yours_i_ll_show_you_mine|Show me Yours, I'll Show you Mine]]