Nothing. Sam had heard nothing from Jason for over a week. They had their first date, which went well up until she invited him back to her place, then realised that he would regret whatever he did in the morning. Then, the next morning she had been off like a shot, leaving a note telling him to help himself to whatever was in the kitchen. She had felt lousy and a little cheap.

But, a slightly surprised Sam received an owl over her cauldron at work asking if she wanted to go for a coffee. So she did. They talked - more soberly than the last time - about their lives. It was nice. They were very quickly becoming good friends. Sam felt she could connect with Jason on a level that she couldn't with many other people.

So when she heard nothing for over a week, she was slightly suspicious that maybe he didn't even like her as a friend. But was she maybe reading a little bit too much into it? She hadn't had a proper male friend for a long time, and wasn't sure how these things went. She enjoyed spending time with Jason, but didn't want to seem desperate to be with him all of the time. Especially when he clearly wasn't interested in being anything more than just friends.

So it was a shock to Sam to suddenly get a letter [again, while at work] asking her to go round to his apartment to 'talk'. She was slightly worried, as the letter had seemed a lot less emotive than the last one she had received. It was very sharp, blunt and to the point, making ehr a little wary about going at all. However, she wanted to see that he was alright, and decided to brave it.

So after work she pulled on her coat and made her way to the address he had scrawled on the parchment, stopping only to buy a bottle of red wine. She didn't normally drink wine, but this seemed like one of those nights where they would both need it. She arrived at the block of appartments, made her way up to the second floor and found the door that had the number she wanted. Her heart was thudding in her chest as she knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

Jason had been having a rough few days. Ever since Miranda’s death, he’d had this nagging suspicion as if it were somehow his fault. He had just had a conversation with her, a very negative one at that, and had thought he’d just see her later, renew their professional relationship without the outside, personal one. And then he’d found out… Work had been dull, life had been empty, and he’d filled his time with sleep and watching Aidan.

He’d dived right into his own little depression over it that he’d forsaken the outside world. If it hadn’t been for his son, he might not have even eaten or kept clean. He’d had a few owls, asking him how he was doing, that he had let pile up. She had been his mentor, a pain in the ass, and a friend. What they had been over the past few months had been… a spur of the moment decision, and obviously one that didn’t work out for either of them.

Still… he tried to think of the bright side. And he wasn’t coming up with much of anything. So after feeding Aidan lunch and laying him down for a nap, Jason had set to writing a letter. And for whatever reason, he found he only wanted to talk with Samia. Even though she hadn’t exactly been the most interested in him, he had found her company stimulating. And she didn’t have to respond, obviously. They were destined to be those ‘good friends’ where only one party held the attraction for the other, keeping it to themselves.

It was best that way now anyway. What with his current feeling that he was bad luck, he didn’t want to send that her way as well. It had been a very brief letter, asking if she had time to come to his place, he needed wanted to ‘talk’ with her. An address later, and he’d attached it to an owl.

Then he’d spent the next bit of quiet time getting the apartment ready. Or at least not such a mess. When one was grieving, they didn’t tend to keep up with laundry off the floor or dishes out of the sink. Once all was straightened up, he hopped in the shower. Leaving the stubble on his face, he’d had time to pull on a pair of jeans and a dark gray shirt before Aidan had woken up. A good twenty minutes later and the little guy was content in the living room, bringing his dad various items to show off. The nearly nineteen month old kept Jason in line, even when his grief threatened to drown him.

“What do you have there?” He forced himself to participate, leaning his elbows on his knees as Aidan grunted, trying to pick up a rather formidable book and bring it over. Finally, Jason pushed himself reluctantly off the couch, helping his son before the little guy hurt himself. Sitting down on the floor, back against the couch, he opened it up to look at all the different photos. One of his favorite books… one his mum had found and kept for herself. It was quite a tome of different magical beasts, complete with moving photos and golden tipped pages.

He was startled by a knock on the door; after glancing at his watch, he finally pushed himself off the ground, patting Aidan on the head. Fixing his shirt (slightly wrinkled from the lack of caring, and from his less than active lifestyle today), Jason finally neared the door, “One moment!” Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair, finally reaching out and tugging the door open. When he saw who it was, his eyes widened and he felt a small flutter of excitement rush into him. A weak smile came to his lips and without thinking he swung the door open a little more, reaching out, and hugging her.

He held her a bit longer than was necessary, finally letting her go. “Come in… thank you for coming. Ah…” Closing the door behind her, he suddenly felt bashful. “Do you want some tea? Coffee? Veela’s kiss?” All ready she was bringing a little color to his cheeks. Aidan had glanced up from his book, eyeing the visitor, before going back to his picture book, turning another page. “Be careful with that, Aidan.” A grunt was his response. Motioning to her jacket, he smiled. “Here, I can take that, Sam.”

Sam heard a little commotion come from behind the door, before it swung on its hinges and Jason was stood smiling at her. Sam immediately mirrored his smile, but it quickly turned into confusion as Jason came forward and wrapped his arms around her. Her brows pinched together. Something was wrong. He looked fine - maybe a little tired, but everything seemed ok superficially.

But something was definitely wrong. Sam wrapped her free arm around him and rubbed the palm of her hand against his back. She was, once again, enjoying the closeness that was technically forbidden. It wasn't hers to enjoy. Suddenly he pulled away.

“Come in… thank you for coming. Ah…”

Thank you for coming? It sounded like he was a business man welcoming a potential customer to a meeting. Sam looked down at the floor, trying to stop herself from heaving a sigh at the formality of it all. His offer of a drink as he closed the door behind her caused her to look up again. She held up the brown paper bag that homed the bottle of red and smiled weakly. "I know you don't normally drink wine...and, neither do I," she gave a little chuckle, "But I thought maybe...maybe we could drink some and then moan about how disgusting it is." She couldn't help the grin that started to form across her face. He seemed to bring out her childish side, but it was nice. It was a side of her she'd forgotten existed.

“Be careful with that, Aidan."

Sam's eyes followed Jason's until they stopped at the most adorable little boy sitting playing on the floor with various objects that were holding his interest for that moment in time. Her head cocked to the side slightly as she watched him, trying to be careful not to let 'awww' come out of her mouth. Her heart quite seriously melted when she saw little kids. She was a true mother, and loved almost all children. Especially when they were at this age and starting to walk, talk and generally be mischievous.

“Here, I can take that, Sam.”

"Oh." she smiled, undoing the belt and unfastening the buttons. "Thanks." she shrugged the jacket off and let Jason take it from her, straightening out her blouse. She certainly looked a little different to the last two times he'd seen her. She looked dressy the first time, casual the second and now she looked business-like.

She let her eyes wander around the apartment. It was nice, spacious with a few photos dotted around. They stopped once again on the little boy. Sam smiled as she made her way over to him, crouching down next to him. "Hey Aidan. I like that picture." She pointed gently at a picture of a unicorn.

“I know you don’t normally drink wine…and, neither do I… But I thought maybe…maybe we could drink some and then moan about how disgusting it is.”

The hug had been great. And now she brought wine? He rubbed the back of his head and glanced to offered brown bag, nodding. “With the right meal, wine is good.” Stepping towards her, he motioned to the dining room table, for her to set it down. The place was big enough for him and Aidan, a little spacious in the living room and his bedroom. Beyond that, though… everything was very quaint. It was affordable in his current living situation.

“Or right company.” With her here, he suddenly felt as if the last week or so had been a joke. Or a figment of his imagination. Or something very far off and untouchable. Whatever it was, he felt more himself. Maybe he would make them a nice dinner. Something that went with wine… Now he was thinking about that, considering what he had in the kitchen and what he could make off the top of his head.

“Oh.”

His eyes involuntarily went to where her hands did. And he watched for a few moments as she undid her coat. He blinked and stepped forward, taking it from her. Admiring her outfit, he gave her a half smirk. “You look very nice.” He never looked half as smart when he got ready for work. Hanging the coat up near the door, Jason felt his stomach grumble, angry at his negligence as of late. Rubbing it gently, he turned back as she started over for Aidan. Smiling softly, he moved over and leaned on the back of the sofa, watching her.

“Hey Aidan. I like that picture.”

Aidan looked up at the woman, assessing her for a few moments before smiling and nodding, turning the page. Now he was in the ‘Vampire’ section, and his eyes widened as he grinned. Jason didn’t know how many times he’d sat next to his son, helping him flip the pages and read it out loud to the boy. The things that kept his interest… “Vampiwe.” Aidan pointed to the photo before looking up to make sure the woman was following. “I like-” He was getting a little excited, and he took a breath to steady himself, grinning wide. “I like aminals.”

Jason chuckled, reframing from correcting the little guy; it was too cute. He’d figure it out eventually, or have a permanent cuteness that he could blame years of therapy on his dad for. Or his mum… Jason wouldn’t mind that blame being placed elsewhere. “This is Sam, Aidan. Say hello.” The little boy pried his eyes from the page, well on his way to memorizing the words his dad spoke when they read through it again and again, a little huff of irritation following him before he looked at the woman. “I’m Aidan!” And with that, he glanced back at his dad to see if that was all he had to do.

Nodding and then tilting his head to the side towards Sam, he winked at his son. After a confused moment, Aidan finally pushed himself up and moved over, holding out the little dragon figurine he had held tightly in his pudgy little hand.

Making sure all was well, Jason stood up. “What do you want to eat, Sam? Bolognaise? Roast? A toastie?” Aidan’s ears perked up at that and he spun around. “Cheese!” He was starting to warm up to Sam all ready.

“Or right company.”

The corners of her lips tugged upwards and threatened to burst into a full-beam grin. He had a certain way of complimenting her that made her want to melt into his arms right there and then. But she had to stop herself from letting her mind wander too far into the realms of the inappropriate. Because, the way things were, that was inappropriate. Friends didn't do that with each other. Did they?

“You look very nice.”

She looked down at her clothes and grimaced slightly. "Ugh...I came straight from work. Sorry." If she'd been home she would have changed. But the reason she didn't go home was because she didn't want to waste possible time that could be spent with Jason. She was forsaking her personal hygiene for him!

The little boy seemed responsive which was a good sign. She always worried that kids were going to look at her as though she was dumb or asking the most ridiculous of questions, but he seemed to enjoy talking about 'aminals'. Sam tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't help it. It sounded so innocent coming from the little boy. The genuine interest from kids and the honesty which came with it was what astounded her about life in general. A woman could ask a man if some trousers made her bum look big, and he'd say 'No'. If she was to ask a child, the child would reply 'No. You're bum makes your bum look big.' there wasn't enough honesty in the world, in Sam's opinion.

“I’m Aidan!”

Sam grinned and held her hand out, taking his tiny hand in her own. "I'm Sam. Pleased to meet you." she shook his little hand gently before glancing up at Jason. Jason's eyes were on his son, and in that one moment Samia could see just how much Aidan meant to him. She recognised that look as a look that crossed her own face every time she saw Lewis.

Suddenly, Aidan stood up and held out a little figure of a dragon out to her. "Is that for me? Thank you." She took the dragon from his hand before pursing her lips to one side. "You know, I think you should look after him for me. He just told me you're his best friend, and he wants to play games with you." She held the figure back out to Aidan who grinned as he took the figure from her immediately.

When Aidan shouted out 'cheese', Sam laughed and stood up. "I think the wise one has spoken." She winked at Aidan, squeezing his shoulder gently. "Cheese toasties it is."

“Ugh…I came straight from work. Sorry.”

Laughing, Jason sighed and shook his head. “I wasn’t being sarcastic, Sam. Give yourself a little break. How was work then?” The thought of work took the smile off his face a bit. They were getting a lot of support at work, and everyone was worrying about safety. It always happened that way. There were psychiatrists to talk to about how you felt, the fourth floor was harder than ever to get on, and security was everywhere. He’d been able to score a few days off in a row to try and deal with it.

How could he explain their relationship, though? Not without harming the memory of her, that’s how. So he kept it shut, using his long commitment to St. Mungo’s to help shuffle some days around. The place that had previously made him excited to go to housed painful memories for now. He just needed time to sort through it all.

 “I’m Sam. Pleased to meet you.”

Jason felt the corner of his lip slide up slightly, finding the situation cute. Unless Aidan was being a pain, he let the little boy do what he wanted. Perhaps his easy going parenting had led to a well mannered toddler. Or perhaps he would regret it as the boy got older… Either way, neither parent put a lot of restraint on him, and so far they had been rewarded with an easy going son. He thought he recalled Fiona claiming it was the books he’d slept on as an infant. Jason thought it was his amazing genes…

He enjoyed watching the little interaction between Sam and Aidan. Normally his son was very protective over his favorite toys, being a [currently] only child. Biting his lower lip, Jason chuckled softly at Sam’s retort. Very well played… and won her massive points in Aidan’s book. Not that he kept score or anything; if you were nice to him, looked at his book, and read him some pages, he’d be your best friend. And he was still fairly outgoing.

“I think the wise one has spoken… Cheese toasties it is.”

Aidan’s eyes nearly twinkled as his grin widened, jumping up and down slightly in excitement. Jason rolled his eyes but nodded. “Sure thing, would you like some bacon or ham in yours, Sam?” Into the kitchen he went, still able to hear them easily, getting things together to make it a quick process. Aidan liked bacon, but it was best not to give him too much. Maybe some fruit with dinner as well… Pulling the cheese from the fridge, Jason set to slicing it.

In the living room, the little boy had sat down on his knees next to Sam, pulling his book towards her with a few grunts. Then he flipped it back to a random page, pointing to the photo and up at Sam for confirmation. She could read, right? “Twoll…?” He waited for her to read him the page, staring up expectedly at her, the dragon once again against his side as he leaned to his left with his free hand, another grunt escaping him as he settled off his knees and onto his rump.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic, Sam. Give yourself a little break. How was work then?”

She blushed slightly. "I knew that." she mumbled looking down at the floor. How was work? "Work was...demanding, as always." she grinned. She loved her job but there were sometimes that she wished it was just herself alone doing the work, as opposed to having to sit and make small talk with her colleagues. Most of which were over the age of sixty and with either less or more hair than average. Sometimes she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

“Sure thing, would you like some bacon or ham in yours, Sam?”

"Bacon sounds good." she smiled as Jason made his way into the kitchen to start the preparation, and she sat back down with Aidan, flicking through the colourful pages. It was nice, the fact that Aidan had only just been introduced to Sam and he was already comfortable spending time with her. She had horror visions of him screaming and kicking to be away from her. Lewis had seemed to get along with Jason, too. Which was strange, considering he was a healer, and children and healers tended not to go well together. however, the fact that Jason had produced a flyring quidditch player from his pocket and given him pumpkin juice had been a surefire way to the little boy's heart.

“Twoll…?”

"That's right, troll. You're so clever!" She grinned at the little boy as he beamed back. Kids loved to hear that they were doing well. Her eyes flicked to the kitchen and Jason pottering around with the cheese. She frowned slightly before turning back to Aidan. "Why don't you read through the book, and pick out your favourite page so we can show your daddy what a big boy you are?" He grinned at the challenge and got to work at once, hunched over the pages and his little tongue sticking out in concentration. Sam pushed herself up to her feet and made her way to the kitchen.

"Need any help?" she asked softly, motioning to the bench as she leant against the doorframe, unsure of whether to just close the gap a little more between them or give him his space. She decided space was good. If he wanted to close the gap, that was up to him. What she really wanted to ask was 'What's wrong' but she needed to ease into that question with a little dignity.

“Work was…demanding, as always.”

Even though he had been thinking about his work and all that had been going on, he was able to nod in agreement. Or understanding. Or just to show he was listening. Because he was. He licked his lips and tried to smile back. “I’m sure you make a better alchemist than me. I couldn’t sit still enough. When I have to brew a potion at work… it’s as if time stops when I’m waiting for the right color to turn.” Or it happens too suddenly, when he does something wrong. 

“Bacon sounds good.”

Nodding to that, in agreement, he made his way into the kitchen. After pulling out the necessary ingredients, he started the bacon on the stove. Then it was to slicing the cheese. It all gave him something to do, something that would keep his hands busy. If he didn’t, he might completely wall up in the kitchen, alone. He grimaced as he stared down at the knife, pausing for a moment. It was so surreal. How could she be dead?

He heard the conversation from the living room and blinked back to what he was doing, moving to the butter. About to start on it, he heard her voice behind him. Smiling softly, he glanced back over his shoulder, setting the butter down. It could wait until the bacon was done sizzling anyway.

“Need any help?”

He felt like moving over to her and wrapping his arms around her. Surprised at that, he shook his head slightly, laughing softly. Leaning against the countertop, crossing his legs at the ankles, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe not with the toasties.” They were fairly easy to do, after all. His smile fell a little and he bit his lower lip. “Are you thirsty?” He pushed off the counter, moving to a cupboard and pulling out a couple nice glasses with a little kid safety cup and lid.

He busied himself with pouring apple juice into the kid cup, snapping the top on it, before he glanced to her. “I’m sorry about just… owling you out of the blue.” Smiling softly, he set the glass aside and motioned to their cups as if to ask her what she wanted (apple juice?). “I had meant to invite you over for dinner either way, though.” The kitchen wasn’t that large, so he moved a little closer to where she was, leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe, his arms crossing lightly over his chest as he put his feet out a little in his lean.

She was beautiful, and he didn’t feel like he should be bothering her with his problems. Why had he sent her an owl anyway? Why not… well. Eddie still wasn’t really talking to him. Taking in a slow breath, he felt his smile slid off a little, glancing towards the bacon. His mum would just worry over him. And Fiona… he wasn’t about to message her. And though he didn’t want to bother her with his problems… at the same time, Jason wanted someone he felt he could… talk with. It was lonely in his head.

Jason stayed where he was, leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. It was a very defensive position and Sam didn't know what to make of it.

“Maybe not with the toasties.”

She nodded slightly still trying to figure out what had suddenly changed in his life to make him so much more distant than the other times she had been with him. Even in the hospital, with him being the healer he had been warm and friendly - though she had been the complete opposite. She could be forgiven for that though, right? Her son had been ill, afterall.

“Are you thirsty?”

She looked up again and smiled. "Yes, actually. Juice works well for me." She was trying to act as normal around him as possible. But what was normal? Her personality had taken so many dramatic twists and turns with this man that she hardly even knew what her personality was herself! Her brows pinched together slightly as she waited in the almost silence of the kitchen.

“I’m sorry about just… owling you out of the blue.”

He made his way over to the door after he finished filling up Aidan's cup. Sam looked up her eyes slightly wider than normal. "No! Don't apologise, please." Jason leant against the door frame and once again folded his arms across his chest. But he was closer now, and he seemed less like he was barricading himself from her. She reached out and put her hand gently on his upper arm. "I wanted to see you." She assured him. "I just....ugh!" she rolled her eyes. She didn't want to seem desperate? Yes, that was pretty much it. "I didn't think you wanted to see me. So..." she shrugged. What else was there to say? She had sent him an owl the day after their coffee-date, and had no reply. What was she supposed to think?

“Yes, actually. Juice works well for me.”

Smiling at that, he poured each of them a glass; he liked apple juice. Taking a sip of his, he picked up her glass and offered it to her, finally setting his back down. It tasted good, allowed him to wet his mouth, and gave him a moment to consider without needing to respond. “Nice and juicy.” Aidan could wait for his with his meal. He was content out in the living room anyway, or Jason would be hearing it. He stayed fairly content anyway.

“No! Don’t apologise, please.”

He bit his lower lip. She didn’t even know what he wanted to talk about yet. She might take that back after he started opening up. If he opened it up. Thinking about it only made his stomach twist.

“I wanted to see you.”

He looked at her hand, smiling softly, before looking back up at her face. He moved his hand that was crossed there up to rest gently over hers. She did? He felt an odd pounding in his chest, tightening around his heart before it let go. Then she said ugh and it kind of startled him, his eyes widening momentarily before he smirked a little. What, she just… didn’t really want to see him? Biting his lower lip, he tilted his head against the doorframe, watching her face. It was cute.

“I didn’t think you wanted to see me. So…”

Making a face, he squeezed her hand. “I don’t know where you got that.” He glanced down to how she was, and he stepped over her legs, straddling them a little as he leaned against the opposite doorframe than her. He took her hand off his arm, holding it between them, watching her for a moment before he leaned forward a little towards her. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.” He lifted her hand, gently kissing her knuckles, before hanging their hands back between them.

Leaning back against the doorframe, he sighed. “I just didn’t think it was fair to you.” He felt a stab in his chest again as he squeezed her hand gently. “I just…” He made a face and leaned his head against the frame, looking up at the top of it. “I feel like an idiot.” A soft laugh escaped him and he grit his teeth. “Another healer at St. Mungo’s just… died a few days ago.” He closed his eyes a moment. Then he glanced to the bacon.

Undoing himself from her, he moved over to the skillet, flipping them over. That was the upside and downside to bacon; it didn’t take long to cook. Leaning a hand against the countertop next to the oven, he frowned hard down at it. “She was my mentor when I started. And…” He felt an odd tightening in his stomach at the memories. “We had… a short relationship. So I just… I feel like it was my fault.” He grit his teeth and made a face.

Jason's hand moved from the confines of his arm and covered her own hand, squeezing gently. For a moment she was sure she could feel his pulse hammering against his skin as though his blood was desperate to escape his veins. Then it vanished - it was probably just a figment of her overactive imagination. She smiled and tried to stifle a sigh as much as she could. It felt good to have his warm hand against her skin again. It felt like he was some sort of drug that she needed her next fix of. Almost like she was addicted to every facet of him - both personality and physically.

“I don’t know where you got that.”

He shifted slightly so that he was facing her. And bearing in mind they were standing in a door frame, that left very little space between them. He took the hand that had been resting on his arm and held it in his for a moment, watching her face. She felt like she was under scrutiny and wasn't sure where to let her eyes wander. She settled with letting them rest on his own face. The shadows under his eyes were new - they hadn't been there before. His face looked almost blank, save for a few new worry lines that seemed to have made themselves noticable.

“I haven’t been able to get you out of my head.”

He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently. She could have melted right there and then. She could have been mistaken for the butter ready to be spread on the bread being used for their toasties. This, was heaven. He dropped their hands once again to hang between them. All she could do in return that was remotely interesting was squeeze his hand, though that particularl reciprocation of his action seemed less than worthy of merit. He leaned back against the door frame, and Sam had the sudden urge to kiss him. Just wrap her arms around him and kiss away all of his problems. He said something about feeling like an idiot, and Sam's eyebrows knitted together.

Then he pulled away, and she found herself almost moving after him, stopping herself at the last minute. He was only going to turn the bacon. Surely she could stay sane for a couple of moments without him next to her.

“Another healer at St. Mungo’s just… died a few days ago.”

A sharp intake of breath. No wonder he hadn't responded to her owl. He had been grieving for a colleague and perhaps a friend. Sam bit her lip as she stayed quiet, allowing him to have his say before she tried to impart some wisdom, though what could be said in circumstances such as this? 'I'm sorry for your loss' sounded so dull and lifeless.

“We had… a short relationship. So I just… I feel like it was my fault.”

How could it have been his fault just because they had a relationship? Sam's shoulders slumped slightly at seeing him look so defeated. he had been so strong every time she had seen him, and it pained her to see him like this. It looked like all the life had been drained out of him. But it was a compliment that it was she who he wanted to speak to after all of his troubles. And she was certainly going to try her best to help him. That's what friends do.

She swallowed slightly before pushing hersef away from the frame of the door and making her way across the small kitchen. Her heels clicked against the tiles, though she willed them to stop. It didn't take many steps for her to reach Jason who was now facing away from her, his arms against the counter and leaning into it slightly.

She paused slightly before wrapping her arms around his waist from behind her left hand rested on his abdomen and her right hand found his opposite shoulder. She kissed the nape of his neck [since she was able to reach it in those ridiculously high heels she was wearing] and turned her head so that her cheek rested against his back.

Jason wasn’t sure how to take just her nonverbal cues after telling her he was thinking about her way too much. Because… if he was the only one… Or she didn’t have one desire for him… Then he was doing it all wrong. Then she squeezed his hand, but he couldn’t be sure if she was just doing that because he had. Maybe he’d misinterpreted. Or… Well he hadn’t really had anyone to bounce of their date night to. His son couldn’t comment very much on it.

But… surely her kissing him hadn’t been platonic. Or maybe that was just the alcohol. Maybe all she really wanted out of him was friendship. That had also been something worrying him; was he asking too much too soon by owling her over here? He was so confused as of late. And it wasn’t getting any clearer to him.

So with his back to her, leaning mostly on the counter as he watched the bacon sizzle, he wondered briefly if he should have just shouldered this alone. It seemed cruel, now, to force her to be there if she didn’t want to. Maybe he was being a creeper, not able to read the hints. He let out a soft sigh as he pushed the bacon to the side as if to will it to sizzle faster. He felt so much older than he had; Jason didn’t like that feeling.

He heard her heels but didn’t think much of it; she might have finished her apple juice in that time, needing a refill. But then he felt her arms around him. Looking down in surprise, he felt some hope seep back in. His stomach did a little flip flop and he could feel the butterflies flapping away. His breathing became momentarily shallow before he willed himself to slow his breathing down. He turned his head just slightly towards her, feeling her lips on his neck. A heavy breath left his mouth, slightly pent up, a small shiver running down his back.

Jason closed his eyes as he felt her weight on his back. After a moment, he set the fork down, turning in her arm slowly. And after looking at her for a moment, staring down at her and watching her eyes, he finally leaned down and pressed against her lips. His hand moved to her cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb while he parted her lips, going deeper. His free arm was wrapped around her, pulling her against him. He became suddenly aware of the fire as he leaned back against the stove.

Letting out a gasp at the sudden warmth against his back, he pushed them away. Taking a moment to not bite her, forehead resting against hers as he took in a steady breath, he moved his hands down, bending slightly and picking her up with either hand under her thighs. And in a slow half circle, he perched her up on the counter, hands on her lower back, pulling her close to him, his lips once again seeking hers. Maybe she hadn’t meant for her simple kiss to turn into that; if it wasn’t, she could push him away. He wouldn’t fight her, he wasn’t like that. But he really, really, liked this.

As her arms hugged him closer she heard the shallow breathing and then the heavy breath which escaped his mouth. Maybe this was something to help blow away the cobwebs? By Rowena, she knew she needed this right now. The feeling of being unexplicably close to someone else - someone who she was liking more and more as time went by. He didn't even have to be there; the more she thought about him when she was alone, the more she was sure that being just friends had to be wrong.

She heard the clatter of the fork and her eyes opened a little. She felt some tension against her arms, so she loosened her grip. Sam didn't want to leave go, but if that whas what he wanted...but he didn't. He turned around to face her. She gave a gentle smile. Even when he was upset and grieving he was still the Jason that she liked so much. He watched her eyes for a moment before leaning closer and pressing his lips up against hers. A jolt of electricity went through her body as his hand came up to her cheek. Her hands moved up to his shoulders and kneaded the muscle as he deepened the kiss. The least she could do was try and help relieve him of some of the pent-up tension.

Suddenly he gasped and moved them both away from the counter. Her eyes opened lazily and looked behind him - ah yes, hot stove. Not the best thing to lean against. As he caught his breath he leant his forehead against hers and she let out an almost inaudible sigh. His hands moved down, and before she knew it she had been lifted slightly off the ground. He turned around and put her up against the counter for support, pulling her close and once again finding her lips. Her hands moved up to his neck and her fingers played gently with the hair at the nape of his neck.

This was her idea of heaven. But was this classed as taking advantage? Surely it was; here was a man grieving for an old partner and colleague, and she was most certainly taking advantage of the fact that he was so cut up about it. This was wrong on so many levels, but the couple of right levels more than made up for it. She could feel guilty about it...later.

The frying pan spat some oil out angrily, and Sam pulled away from the kiss, forcing herself to look over towards the stove. "The bacon's burning." she said, her voice breathy and broken as she tried to comprehend the fact that the had - once again - kissed.

It felt so good to hold someone who he wasn’t constantly arguing with. Or who he had dealt with whenever she chose to be around. Sam was, for now, right there. She was beautiful, funny, easy to talk with and get along with, and right now, had the most kissable lips he had ever tasted. And he wanted to keep feeling them. He didn’t want her to leave any time soon; it made him feel comfortable with her near.

Maybe she was just being a really good friend… or needed some interaction so bad that she accepted it from him. It wasn’t the smartest decision she could have made, considering his track record, but… now that they were here, he didn’t want to inform her of his misdeeds right then. He didn’t want her to see the ugly parts of his past. Of his personality as well, he supposed. Because wasn’t the saying ‘once a cheat, always a cheat’? He didn’t want that to be true.

Her fingers were teasing his neck, and he took in a sharp intake of air before pressing more needingly against her, what with her teasing fingers playing with sensitive hair. When she pulled away from him, he pressed against her cheek, moving his lips down to her neck.

“The bacon’s burning.”

“Mmk.” At first that was his only response, his voice muffled against her skin as he kissed and gently sucked against the area under her ear. Then he realized what she had said, and his hands slowly released their grip on her lower back. Pulling away reluctantly, he glanced to the bacon, staring at it blankly. Then he realized what was happening (the bacon was burning!), and he let out a surprised grunt, stepping forward and quickly turning it off. Picking up the fork with one hand, the pan with the other, he put each bacon strip out onto the waiting plate.

Why was he cooking something that was going to take very little time? Now how was he going to settle himself back where he had been moments before? A lot warmer there… A small smirk came to his lips before he shook his head, setting the now empty skillet back on the oven. Moving to Sam, he smiled shyly at her before squeezing her thigh with one hand, reaching for the butter with the other. “That means dinner will be done soon… and Aidan will be in here for bacon if he can smell it.” Leaning forward a little more hesitantly, he kissed the corner of her lips lightly.

Then it was getting the sandwiches ready. He dropped some butter on the skillet, followed by one slice of bread, some cheese, three strips of bacon, and the other slice of bread. He worked on that while sending some fruit, by way of wand, to wash itself and cut itself up. Now that it was nearly time, he thought he should be a little quicker. A few minutes later and the toasties were all done, melted cheese and golden brown bread smelling delicious as he put each on a plate, a bit of fruit to go with it.

Out to the dining table he went, setting it down. Samia had been gracious enough to bring along the drinks, and he set to cutting up Aidan’s while the little boy munched happily on a piece of bacon he’d pilfered from his dad. Once it was ready, Jason picked him up and set him in his booster seat, finally turning his attention to Sam. Holding out the chair for her, he smiling gently. “Dinner is served. Not Signature worthy, perhaps, but Marren household approved.” As was obvious per the toddler happily partaking in his plate.

She laughed gently at Jason seeming so unresponsive about his burning bacon, instead letting his lips wander down to her neck. Maybe...maybe they could just forget about the bacon. Skip dinner altogether and go straight to- wait, there was a small hungry child in the living room. It took him a while to actually register what she had said, all the while she was watching him with an amused expression dancing on her face. She pushed gently against his back as he went to go and salvage the meat from the pan.

“That means dinner will be done soon… and Aidan will be in here for bacon if he can smell it.”

His smile was a shy one, and Sam raised an eyebrow slightly. Shy? He was still shy around her? Well they'd have to starighten that one out tonight, most definitely. He squeezed her thigh gently and she had the urge to grab his hand and keep it there. Her fingers flexed slightly but she managed to control the urge. Then he came back in and kissed the corner of her lips lightly. She smiled against his lips - it tickled.

As he moved away again, Sam heaved a deep sigh and crossed one leg over the other. Bearing in mind she was sitting on the counter, it was quite comfortable. She watched him as he started to prepare the toasties, and sent some fruit for washing and chopping. Good old fruit, part of a healthy, staple diet. Sam watched as a green apple made its way to the sink and washed itself, then divided itself into chunks in the air and fell into a bowl.

Sam offered to carry the drinks out to the table. She watched with amusement as Aidan munched on some bacon and held his little hand out for his drink. She made sure the lid was on properly before handing it to him and grinning as he thanked her with a mouthful of bacon. He had good manners for such a young kid. Jason turned to her and held out a chair and smiling.

“Dinner is served. Not Signature worthy, perhaps, but Marren household approved.”

"That sounds perfect to me." she said quietly as she moved into the gap between the chair and the table, though not before brushing past Jason and flashing him an enticing smile. She sat in the chair and started to plough her way through the delicious meal.

After dinner was finished she leaned back in her chair and smiled. "That was delicious." she stated. Aidan was already starting to fall asleep at the table. He gave a big yawn and hung his head forward. Sam cocked her head to one side as she watched him. He reminded her a lot of Lewis, though he was a little younger. She stood up and moved over to his chair, gently letting her fingers stroke his hair as she crouched down next to him. "You look sleepy." she said gently. Aidan opened one eye and then closed it again. "Come on," she said as she stood up, putting her hands under each of his arms and lifting him up. he was a lot lighter than Lewis, so that made it easier.

Aidan came to her easily. There was no protesting. He wrapped his little hands around her neck and let his head loll against her shoulder. Her left hand supported his bottom and her right hand stroked his back soothingly as she rocked him gently from side to side. She looked at Jason and gave an embarassed smile - she hadn't asked if it was ok for her to pick him up. Some parents were funny about that sort of thing.