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]

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...