For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

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

Comments

[theodorelasso]

Ted just takes a moment to sit and breathe, to let Joan comfort him and hold him. After a moment he wraps his arms around her too, holding onto her like he's a kid with a teddy bear.

After a minute or two he finally sits up, still holding onto her, sitting close. He hasn't cried, but his eyes are a little bit glassy.

"Uhh.. So there's a thing on Saturday," he says, which might seem like a subject change, but is definitely not. "A benefit gala Rebecca hosts. I'm invited, with a plus one." He nods to indicate her. "I haven't mentioned it, cause, you know, so much happening, I wasn't sure if I was gonna end up going." He takes a breath. "Rupert is probably going to be there."

[formersurgeon]

They cling to each other for that moment, and Joan closes her eyes, breathing with him. When he sits up she keeps her arms loosely around him. She tilts her head as he tells her about the gala, then raises her eyebrows when he says Rupert would be there.

"You want to confront him?" she guesses.

[theodorelasso]

Ted shrugs, but not in a way that implies 'why not' or 'I guess', but rather that he actually doesn't know.

"I don't want him to scare me out of going," he answers. "And I want to be there for Rebecca." He pauses thoughtfully. "And I guess... I do kind of want to look him in the eyes."

He doesn't want to let him know that he knows. But he wants to see his reactions. And maybe... just maybe there's a little bit of spite in him too.

[formersurgeon]

"We should definitely go," she says. They can't hide away forever, even if the person responsible for Ted's attempted murder is still at large. "I'm sure Rebecca will appreciate it. As for Rupert...very few people are able to lie, or even just hide the truth, without exhibiting some common tells. If we talk to him, and he did do this...I might be able to see it."

[theodorelasso]

Ted huffs with amusement. "Well, I'm glad I have very little reason to lie to you," he says with a smile. Honestly, most of the time he would lie to her, he wouldn't even mind if she saw through it, as long as she assumed he was lying for a good reason. Generally for protecting privacy or feelings. Ted is very honest the vast majority of the time.

"Anyway, I'm not sure if he'd even try to hide it that hard. Speaking from prior experience," he adds grimly.

[formersurgeon]

"One of the downsides to dating a detective, I'm afraid," she says with a shrug. Joan trusts Ted, and would absolutely assume he had a good reason for lying. It didn't mean she would never call him out on it, but she'd at least not suspect he was hiding something she really should know.

"However you want to handle this, it's up to you," she says. "I'll follow your lead."

[theodorelasso]

It's not really much of a downside. Her being insightful is a good thing, it means she's more easily aware of his needs and wants, even when he himself might not be.

Ted nods a bit. He... doesn't really have a plan. He's not even sure how he'll feel in the situation.

"You know, last year, it was Rebecca's first time hosting on her own," he says, wanting to provide some context for Joan. "Rupert RSVPed no, but then showed up in the middle of her speech and joined the speech. He also practically admitted to me that he got the entertainment, Robbie Williams, to cancel just a few hours beforehand. And then..." Ted lets out a soft, almost bitter chuckle. "Rebecca's fundraising goal was 800'000. So he pulled out a check for a million. Just to upstage her. You know, I'd never seen someone manage to make donating a million to charity be a purely selfish move..."

Ted has already indicates before today that he doesn't much care for Rupert, but it takes quite a bit for him to actually sit here and elaborate on the reasons. It's extremely rare for Ted to talk badly of anyone.

[formersurgeon]

This is a man who wouldn't even speak ill of the man who kidnapped, tortured, and almost murdered him, so Joan took his words extremely seriously.

"Do you think he might try something similar this year? Or would he up the stakes?"

[theodorelasso]

"I don't know," Ted answers. "Could be he wanted to go all in because it was the first one, and he'll tone it down this year." He pauses thoughtfully. "Or he might find some way to take things out on me instead."

Last year Ted was an afterthought. If Rupert really did do this, then surely its failure will bother him. Or maybe he hopes he can scare Ted away without having to actually kill him.

[formersurgeon]

The thought of that is painful, and Joan gently pulls Ted to her again, holding him close. It would make sense for Rupert to target Ted, she thought. He was close to Rebecca, he was beloved by Richmond the way Rupert once was, and he had humiliated Rupert before.

"We can get ahead of this," she says softly. Then softer still, "I won't let him hurt you."

[theodorelasso]

Ted smiles, touched by her protectiveness. And reassured by it, too. Joan is a formidable lady, and he absolutely believes she would do whatever she needs to do to protect him.

"See, there's one of the upsides to dating a detective," he answers softly, only partly joking, then leans over to give her a grateful kiss.

[formersurgeon]

She smiles at that, and kisses him back, gently, cupping his cheek.

"Do you want to work more on this?" she asks when their lips part. "Or would you like to go back to bed and start fresh tomorrow?"

She's still weary, and would bet he is, too. A rest might make it easier to make plans. But she would also understand if he doesn't want to rest until they have a more certain solution.

[theodorelasso]

He shakes his head a bit. "It can wait till tomorrow."

He feels better for having talked about it, as usual. Not carrying the burden and the worry alone, knowing they're going to do something about it. It still weighs on him, of course, but no longer as oppressive.

"Besides. I'm not gonna let it ruin our nice day of relaxation," he adds with a smile. "I'm so lucky to have you."

[formersurgeon]

She's so glad he told her. She can only imagine how hard it must have been for him to keep that terrible secret. She's glad he trusts her, and glad he doesn't have to carry this on his own anymore. There's much to do, but they can wait.

"I'm so lucky to have you," she echoes, then leans in to kiss him again.

[theodorelasso]

Ted kisses her back, soft and slow, just enjoying the closeness. Reveling in her presence. He loves her so much, and she makes him feel so safe and happy.

He leans back after a bit, arms around her, looking at her appreciatively. "You know, when I called you a lifesaver on our first date, I didn't think it would end up being literal."

[formersurgeon]

She smiles at that, fondly and a little sad that it had to be literal.

"There are a lot of things I didn't expect on that first date," she says.

[theodorelasso]

"I didn't even realise it was a date until halfway through," he points out with a warm chuckle. He's glad she was forward enough with her flirting to make it obvious.

"Seriously though," he continues, turning a bit more sober, and very sincere. "I know you blamed yourself, back when you thought it was because of you. And I just... wanted to say that I can't imagine going through any of this without you. Your support and your comfort has meant so much to me these past two weeks, and... Well, I just want you to know how grateful I am."

[formersurgeon]

"I'm glad I could help," she says softly. "And I'm grateful that you never lost your faith in me. Or in us."

Even when Joan herself lost faith. She hopes he knows how much his faith means to her. And how vital their relationship is to her.

[theodorelasso]

Ted has an inkling. Even just from seeing how heartbroken she was at the idea of saying goodbye to him forever.

"Well.. You might have noticed I'm particularly stubborn when it comes to faith," he answers with a playful smile. "And you make it easy."

[formersurgeon]

"I might have picked up on that, yeah," she responds just as playfully. She smiles at him, her expression fond and sincere.

"Still. Thank you."

[theodorelasso]

"You're welcome," he answers, feeling all fuzzy inside from the way she's looking at him. It feels so good to be loved by her.

He leans in and kisses her again, soft and loving.

[formersurgeon]

It feels amazing to be loved by him, too. He believes in her, and it's made her believe more in herself, too. It's an amazing talent and he's absolutely in the right profession to use it to better people's lives.

She hums into the kiss, kissing him back, soft and gentle and slow, touching his cheek.

[theodorelasso]

After that it turns into a relaxed make-out session. Which then slowly becomes not so relaxed, and gets moved to the bedroom, where it becomes a bit more than a make-out session. They've only really been apart for a week, but it's been a tough week, and Ted is determined to make Joan feel good, and that they both have fun. And Joan seems to have similar priorities. The benefit of getting up so late means he's not actually that tired by the time they finish the first round...