For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

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[formersurgeon]

She turns her hand over to hold his. She appreciates his concern, and wants to reassure him. She knows he must be afraid for her. She's also grateful that his response is to be supportive and comforting rather than wanting to not talk about it. She's learned not to tell these sorts of things to her mother, for instance. And she can talk about it with Sherlock, but he's typically not very comforting.

"I'm okay," she says softly, squeezing his hand back in a silent thank you.

[theodorelasso]

Ted just holds her gaze for a few moments. "Well, I'm glad you're okay," he answers quietly, and gives her a small smile, even if it's a worried one.

"...I'm also kind of glad you didn't tell me until today, I don't know that I'd want that news through text, and I'm not sure me worrying about you would've been helpful to either of our jobs," he admits with a half-hearted chuckle. It does intensify his desire to make this a safe and comforting space for her, though.

[formersurgeon]

She gives him a small smile back. "Yeah, I was thinking that, too. I didn't want to worry you. And I really enjoyed texting with you about positive things." She squeezes his hand again. "I promise, if anything bad ever happens, I'll let you know right away. Or Sherlock will let you know. Otherwise you don't have to worry. Or at least not too much."

She imagines Ted is going to worry about her anyway, because he cares about her.

[theodorelasso]

"I appreciate that," he answers. Because yes, while he doesn't want to worry unduly, he also doesn't want to be kept in the dark just to spare his feelings, in case there is something that he should actually know. If Joan gets hurt, he'd want to know immediately. He'd want to be there for her. Beard and Nathan can always cover for him in cases of emergencies, after all.

And he's glad he managed to give her some light spots in the midst of all that. Hopefully she knows how to manage when it's helpful and when it's a distraction. Ted isn't someone who needs a text back right away. (Though he might have to keep track of his own feelings regarding that, in case it does make him worry if she doesn't text back.)

He looks down at his plate, and then over at Joan again. "You wanna move this party to the couch so we can actually sit next to each other?" he suggests with a soft smile. Suddenly it feels like the other side of the table is far too far away from him.

[formersurgeon]

Joan has always been independent, the healer instead of the healed, ever the doctor who is bad at being a patient. But the thought of having Ted by her side if something terrible happened is actually appealing. His caring, like his positivity, is refreshingly non-saccharine. She feels safe and comfortable in his presence, and can imagine that safety and comfort being a good thing in a time of crisis.

She smiles at his suggestion. "Yes, please!" She stands and picks up her plate and her wine glass.

[theodorelasso]

His smile widens at her enthusiasm, doing the same and moving to the couch. Even just sitting shoulder to shoulder is better, giving a comforting closeness without taking up their hands.

"Is Sherlock doing alright?" he asks after they're settled. Ted doesn't really know how the man would react to those kind of things. And Joan cares about him, so Ted cares about him by proxy.

[formersurgeon]

It's nice, being in physical contact with him while they're eating. She's missed his touch terribly, so its nice to take advantage of every opportunity they have.

"He's fine," she says, grateful that Ted cares about Sherlock. "These things don't usually bother him, unless someone he cares about gets hurt." She cuts another piece of food. "He's very protective of me. When the suspect started shooting, Sherlock immediately grabbed me and got me around a corner and out of the line of fire."

She put the bite in her mouth.

[theodorelasso]

Ted smiles, touched by Sherlock's actions. That's actually very reassuring, to know she has someone looking out for her, making sure she's safe. And from what she says, Sherlock is very good at his job, and cares about her a lot, so obviously he'd take that seriously.

"Remind me to thank him," he says softly. It's still wild to him that this sort of thing can be discussed so casually, but this piece of information does a lot to soothe his worry.

[formersurgeon]

"Not sure how he'll take it," she says with amusement, "but you can give it a shot."

She takes a sip of wine.

"You should come hang out at 221B," she says, putting her glass down. "Sherlock will have to get used to you eventually. And you can get to know him. Hopefully the him behind the misanthropic facade."

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods in agreement. "I'd like that," he says once he's swallowed his food. Ted is definitely not new to being persistent and patient to get behind someone's facade. And he's got the inside scoop from Joan, so to speak, which makes being patient a whole lot easier.

He takes a sip too, and considers with an amused smile. "Is this the detective version of taking me to see your parents?" he asks jokingly.

[formersurgeon]

It's interesting how Joan and Ted are again so similar, having the same ends but different ways of getting there. Joan got through to Sherlock with her dry wit and taking absolutely no crap. And Ted would do it with patience and kindness. Neither of them would give up on him.

Joan chuckles at the idea. "I think that would be if I took you to New York and introduced you to Captain Gregson. With Sherlock...it's more like taking you to meet a sibling."

[theodorelasso]

"Oh right, yeah, of course," Ted answers mock seriously, then chuckles.

"Well you've already met my coach sibling, and likes you, so. You know he called you a nice lady?" he says, and then gives Joan an impressed look that implies how big of a deal that is.

[formersurgeon]

The impressed look is adorable. If Joan didn't know Ted at all, she would have thought it was a joke. If she knew him a little, she would have thought he was over-impressed. Now that she knows him well, she knows he's absolutely sincere, and absolutely right.

"I'm glad I have the Coach Beard seal of approval," she says with a smile.

"How was the game?" she asks, spearing another bite onto her fork.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, great. We played well and it paid off," Ted answers proudly. He really enjoyed going back and seeing all of Joan's texts afterwards.

He pauses to take another bite. "Tell you what though, they've got some wacky signs over there. Look like someone fell asleep on the keyboard. It's mighty impressive they can read that."

[formersurgeon]

"Ah, Wales," she says with a smile, spearing the last piece of her meal. "You know, they have one of the longest place names in the world. Even they don't call it by its full name, though."

She chews and swallows.

"I would really love to go to a game sometime."

[theodorelasso]

Ted loves getting fun facts from Joan. A real benefit from having a well-informed girlfriend. Between her and Beard, he's got a constant stream of interesting trivia, and he loves it.

"Oh yeah!" Ted agrees immediately, excited by that. "You can sit in the owners box with Rebecca and Keeley!"

[formersurgeon]

Joan loves sharing interesting facts with him. She loves how curious he is, how much he loves learning new things.

"That would be so much fun," she says, setting her plate down and picking up her wineglass. "I imagine Keeley in particular goes all out cheering the team on."

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, I bet," Ted agrees, then pauses. "I have no idea though, obviously I've never been up there during a match. Though Higgins told me Rebecca's gotten real into it lately," he says with a warm chuckle. He hasn't seen it during a match, but it's been delightful watching her open up.

[formersurgeon]

"I imagine it would be hard to coach from there," she says, amused. "Rebecca does seem a little formal. I'm glad she's been enjoying the games more."

Ted's affection for the woman is clear, but Joan doesn't let it worry her. She trusts that Ted would tell her if there was something romantic going on.

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, I think I mentioned she got the team in her divorce, so obviously she had some complicated feelings about all of it," Ted says with a nod. "But then eventually she became invested in it, you know, on her own terms."

Ted doesn't plan on divulging what those complicated feelings actually led to, because that's water under the bridge, but the actual emotional investment isn't really a secret.

[formersurgeon]

"I'm glad." They'd talked about it a little, and Joan had known the basics before she walked into the office to question the woman. "Divorce is rarely easy, but that one was nastier than most."

She leans her head against his shoulder, a bit of affection, knowing that divorce is likely still a difficult subject for him.

[theodorelasso]

Ted hums in agreement, popping the last bit of food in his mouth, then leaning forward (carefully so he doesn't topple Joan) to put the plate down and pick up the wine glass. Now they're done eating he puts an arm around her shoulder so they can cuddle up more effectively.

It's not an easy subject, for sure. "Suppose I'm lucky that Michelle and I are still on good terms," he says softly. Overall he feels a lot better these days, especially with Joan, but it doesn't necessarily eliminate that small bit of sadness he's still working on.

[formersurgeon]

She snuggles against him. "It's definitely a good thing. Especially for Henry." She's seen the fallout from bitter divorces, and it's always the kids who have it the worst, watching their parents hate each other. Ted clearly still loves his ex-wife, and she at least cares about him. And they both clearly adore their son.

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods at that. He could've dealt with it if Michelle hated him. It would've hurt, but he'd be okay eventually. But the effect it would have on Henry, and on Ted and Henry's relationship, that would've been devastating.

"Oh, hey, speaking of," he adds with a smile, shifting a bit to pull his phone out of his pocket. He opens the text conversation with Michelle and shows it to Joan, where the last message is from after the game last night, with a drawing of a cyborg dinosaur, and a compliment from Henry passed on by Michelle.

[formersurgeon]

"Oh wow!" Joan says, looking at the picture. "That's adorable. He's got a great imagination."

It's clear that Henry loves his dad very much, and Joan can only imagine how wonderful that is for Ted.

"Does he watch all your games?"