Jerry and Jensen's Apartment

[Daisy O'Connor]

"There will be other dinners," Daisy said quietly, a little hopefully, as she slid her arms into the coat and Jerry settled it over her shoulders. She thought she'd rather like to stay with him always, knowing that he would be there when she came home after a long day or cook him breakfast in the morning. The last thought almost caused her to start; they'd only met a little over 24 hours ago, had only just agreed to a courtship and she was letting her mind run wild with wild romantic ideas.

But it didn't stop the warm curl in her stomach as he asked to walk her home tomorrow, or the way she knew it lit her eyes to think of him coming by McGinty's just as he had today. It would give her something to look forward to all day, just as it had today. "I would very much like it if you would," She said to him, turning and catching his hand between her own and slowly lifting it to her mouth so that she could press a soft, chaste kiss to the back of his hand.

As much as she might like to linger, she knew it was best if she didn't. Reluctantly she released his hand and took a step towards the door, her eyes cast back over in the direction of the table...still piled high with the remains of their dinner and dirty dishes. "Oh goodness! The dishes!"

[Jerry Flynn]

Jerry followed Daisy's eyes as they traveled the room and suddenly looked stricken, and he took in the sight of their dirtied dishes, forgotten on the table. "Hm," he mused aloud, pursing his lips as he considered the spread. Now, etiquette said that since Daisy, as his guest, had cooked and served dinner, it was quite appropriate for him to escort her to her apartment and handle the dishes himself. And under other circumstances, he wouldn't have a problem leaving the dishes where they were for a while--maybe even a day or two if he could find something to distract him otherwise. (And that was certainly possible: he'd been able to put off cleaning up the dishes that Jensen had stashed under the sofa for almost a week now!)

But he would take any opportunity he could find to spend a few more minutes in his present company, etiquette be damned.

"Oh, my," he said at last, the smallest of smirks tugging up the corners of his mouth. "If you're not in a rush to return home, it might be best if we tackled those together. Otherwise you may come back to find them exactly there, untouched. Save for whatever dishes Jensen licks clean when he returns, that is. Shall I take your coat again, Miss Daisy?"

[Daisy O'Connor]

Daisy felt a smile tugging at her lips as Jerry spoke, the light in his eyes enough to belie his real intent and Daisy couldn't say she minded in the least. She was quickly learning there were fewer places she would rather be than in Jerry's presence, and if that could be extended, even for just a few more minutes, she wasn't going to argue. "Well now," Daisy began, turning to look at him so he could see the sparkle in her eye. "We can't have that now can we?"

She smiled fully as Jerry once again took her coat and she slipped out of it easily, moving over to begin to clear the dishes and pile them by the sink before settling in behind it, reaching for the soap. They were practiced and easy movements for her, Daisy found a certain rhythm in them, a normalcy that grounded her even in her most unsteady moments. And here, in this kitchen, with this man completing the task of clearing the table as she scrubbed their dishes clean, Daisy realized there was an ease that couldn't have been created by time. It just was.

She found herself lapsing into old habits, humming an Irish tune her mother had liked to sing in the kitchen as they worked, Daisy piling the clean dished on the counter beside the sink after they were thoroughly rinsed. She glanced over at Jerry, studying his profile and if she closed her eyes it wasn't difficult to imagine this scene taking place nearly every night, in a home of their own. So much for not getting ahead of herself.

[Jerry Flynn]

As Daisy settled in at the sink, clearly at home with the washrag and detergent and warm water, Jerry dutifully shuttled dishes from table to counter, scraping their plates into the garbage can and stacking them to one side of the sink. Looking at the serving dishes still holding the meager leftovers of their meal, Jerry sized them up. "Do you have an icebox? I could plate up these leftovers for you, maybe you could warm them up for breakfast tomorrow."

Moving to her other side, he took up a dry dish rag and picked up the first cleaned plate, polishing it to spotless dryness and tucking it away in the cabinet before moving on to the next. Content to listen to Daisy's cheerful humming, he worked in silence, enjoying the homey feel of their motions, easily finding the natural rhythm in their task. "I wonder how many dishes the world has washed," he mused quietly, hardly realizing he had spoken aloud. "One thing everyone has in common is washing dishes. Not much variation to the chore, is there? Dirty dishes, a sink, clean water and soap, drying cloth... Comes out with clean dishes every time."

[Daisy O'Connor]

"Why don't you save them for your brother," Daisy offered, casting her eyes over at the same dishes Jerry was looking at and smiling a little. "My guess is he will put them to fine use. I have some leftover biscuits and a bit of fruit for tomorrow." She appreciated Jerry's offer though and shot him a brilliant smile so that he would know and then returned to the task at hand, rising the plate in her hand.

They worked steadily together, Daisy washing and Jerry carefully drying and putting away each dish, as though they had been doing it for a lifetime. The thought caused a small smile to scatter across her features as she paused in her humming when Jerry began to speak. "A little bit like life that way," Daisy mused, turning to look at Jerry, her eyes searching his. "Things can get a bit dirty and messy for awhile but then someone or something comes along that's like warm water and soap and washes it clean, gives you a new perspective."

After a moment Daisy resumed humming, occasionally drifting in and out of actually singing words as she rubbed a rag over the dishes and handed the last one to Jerry before carefully wiping down the counter. She moved to the table when she was done, cleaning every available surface until the tiny kitchen was neat and tidy, the effect making Daisy smile.

[Jerry Flynn]

"Are you sure?" Jerry asked Daisy, before plating up the leftovers and stowing them away in the oven for Jensen. "That's very kind of you, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

They worked steadily, Jerry listening to Daisy's humming and gentle singing, Daisy taking in his inane musings and proposing an analogy of her own. "An excellent comparison," he said, nodding contentedly, the corners of his mouth turned up the slightest of smiles. "And I do believe that makes you the detergent to my dishes."

All too soon the dishes were cleaned, dried and housed, the counters and the table spotless again--rather, spotless period, gleaming far brighter than they had since the day the boys had moved in day. Reluctantly, Jerry was forced to concede that they had reached the end of their evening. Surveying the polished kitchen, impressed at how deftly Daisy had transformed it from an area of random book storage to a place where meals were prepared, eaten and cleaned up, Jerry leaned in and stole one quick kiss. "Thank you, miss Daisy," he whispered before fetching her coat again.

Holding it up so that she could slide her arms into it, the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly. "By the way, I do believe you told me a bold-faced lie tonight." He flashed her a smile, a true, honest-to-God grin, as she turned. "You said you weren't much of a musician, that the other girls at the pub had the talents when it came to entertaining. I think you sing sweet as a bird, Daisy."

[Daisy O'Connor]

Daisy felt her cheeks heating as Jerry flirted with her, calling her the detergent on his life and the sentiment both warmed her and sent her heart racing in her chest. "I...uh..." She fumbled for a response and finally settled on shooting him a shy smile as he surveyed her work. There was something about a clean kitchen that had always given Daisy a sense of accomplishment and with what little their tiny apartments had to offer, she hoped she had made it feel a bit more like home for Jerry and Jensen.

"Thank you..." Daisy murmured, lifting her hand to touch his cheek softly as he kissed her, looking with regret at her coat as he held it out for her. Slipping her arms inside of it she blushed more intensely at his compliment shaking her head as she recalled Shannon's clear vibrant voice and Bridgette's skill with the violin. "You are kind, Jerry but I'm simply a soul who likes a bit of music in my life. I don't have a gift like the others."

The coat settled over her shoulders and she turned to look at him, studying his features as close as he was standing to her and finding she loved the feel of having him so near. "I've had a wonderful night, Jerry. Thank you so much for asking me to spend it with you."

[Jerry Flynn]

"Daisy." Her name issued huskily from Jerry's lips as he took her arm firmly, his eyes soft and serious as he scoured her face. "You do have a gift. You have so many gifts... Please, don't let me hear you saying something like that again. You just might be the... the most wonderful,... talented,... gifted girl I've ever known."

Loosening his hold, he slid his hand back and forth over her arm gently, his other hand rising to brush a tendril of hair away from her face. "Thank you, miss Daisy, for acquiescing to my request. The pleasure was all mine, I assure you." Sliding his hand down her arm, he met her hand and entwined their fingers, placing a light kiss on the back of her hand. "May I escort you to your door? I would sleep much better tonight knowing that you made it to your bed safely tonight."

In a rush, Jerry's cheeks flushed and he quickly diverted his eyes to the nearest bookshelf, spying the stack of books he'd loaned Daisy and collecting them for her. "Your door," he corrected himself softly. "I'll sleep better knowing you made it to your door safely."

[Daisy O'Connor]

"Jerry..." Daisy was going to protest when Jerry started speaking, insist that wasn't exactly what she had meant, but the passion in his voice and eyes stilled her as he pleaded with her to never say such things again. Daisy felt something rise up in her chest as she looked into his eyes, saw something in them that she couldn't quite identify that made her feel warm and special.

"I would like it very much if you would walk me to my door," Daisy said softly as he kissed the back of her hand and her cheeks burned red once again at the unintended implication behind his words. "I'll have to make sure to send you back with the pie I mentioned to Jensen," She said, by way of changing the subject because thinking of Jerry and beds seemed to be leading her down a path best left unexplored at the moment.

With a smile as Jerry came to stand beside her, Daisy slipped her arm into his before turning towards the door. She was reluctant to end the night but knew that they had already pushed the confines of what was appropriate. She wanted to ask when she might see him again, but didn't want to seem to forward so instead she drifted a little closer and let her fingers curl softly around his bicep with a soft sigh. "A lovely end to a wonderful night."

[Jerry Flynn]

((Wow. One month to the day. A new level of slacker for me. ))

The hallway, as usual in the end of the year and even more pronounced at dusk, was freezing, heated only by a piddly radiator at the end furthest from the stairs. Though they were walking only a short distance, down one flight of stairs and down a hall, Jerry drew Daisy close against him, tucking her into the shelter of his arm as they moved to Daisy's apartment.

"I do hope your stove is in good working order, Miss Daisy," Jerry commented as they walked. "I think it may get below freezing tonight after the rain stops. I hate to think of you catching ill for a chilly bedroom."

He led the way down the narrow stairs, taking her against him again when they reached her floor, and wished that the Kings Highway apartment building was much, much larger, that they'd have much further to go before reaching the end of their night. But Daisy's apartment door drew near, and Jerry forced a smile despite regretting their need to part ways for the night.

"Thank you very much, Miss Daisy, for a wonderful evening," he said, turning to face her in the lamp light of the poorly lit hallway. "May I... may I see you again? May I... walk you home tomorrow evening, after your shift ends?"

[Daisy O'Connor]

She liked the way he tucked her against his body as they walked, using his large frame to provide some warmth in the chilly hallway of their shared building. It was a tiny gesture, but Daisy appreciated it a great deal and she went willingly into the shelter of his arm, enjoying being close to him for the few remaining moments they had left.

"My stove has been doing a fine job all winter," Daisy assured him, thinking of the tiny stove that she used to keep her apartment warm when the city had it's most biting cold moments. "But I appreciate your concern..." She lifted her hand and brushed it against his arm as she shot him a warm smile. It sent butterflies soaring in her stomach to think that he thought to ask, that he cared so much to think of her welfare after they sadly parted ways for the evening.

She maneuvered down the stairs after him, her eyes on his broad back and a smile played across her lips as she again considered her rather amazing luck. That they found one another on a seemingly random evening in one of the biggest cities Daisy had ever known to exist. There was something to fate after all...there had to be.

"It was a pleasure Jerry," Daisy said softly, tilting her head and looking up into his handsome face and finding herself wishing she could get lost in his eyes. He asked to walk her home the next day and her heart soared, the promise of seeing him again so soon causing her cheeks to warm. "I...I would like that very much." She glanced up to see that they had arrived at her door and she looked at it a little sadly before turning her attention back to Jerry.

"I should probably go in...it's getting late," Her voice held a note of regret as she considered him for a moment before standing on tiptoe and brushing a kiss against his cheek. "Thank you Jerry, for walking me home, for the books and for sharing my dinner. Thank you for...everything."

[Jerry Flynn]

Jerry regarded Daisy for a moment in the lamplight of the hallway, the tingle of her lips still present against his cheek, and before he could talk himself out of it, before another tenant could come along and interrupt their parting, he dropped his head to capture her mouth with his, stealing one last kiss before the end of their evening. The end of their date. His hands slipped inside her coat to settle on her hips, gently curling over the curve in the most intimate gesture he dared allow himself, already feeling bold and just a little bit sub rosa being this public with their affections.

"I assure you, Miss Daisy," he murmured softly, breaking away to watch her with half-lidded eyes, "that the pleasure was all mine. Tomorrow couldn't come quickly enough to suit me, but I think I may sleep a little better now." Reluctantly, he pulled away, fiercely regretting their requirement to end the evening as his hands slid from Daisy's waist to settle, empty and longing, in his pockets. "Good night, Miss Daisy. Sweet dreams until I see you again."

He turned to go then, but pivoted back sharply, remembering. "Oh, but... er, I think my brother may kill me before tomorrow if I were to return home without any pie for him." He glanced quickly to Daisy's apartment door before flicking back to her. All things considered... "Perhaps I should wait here for you?"

[Daisy O'Connor]

The way his hands settled on her hips, the slight possessiveness in the gesture as he drew her subtly closer as his mouth lowered to capture hers again had her heart soaring. And she was floating again, on the feelings that his kiss provided her, dancing on the clouds of the emotions that his mere presence lifted her up on. When he drew away to murmur his thanks Daisy had to catch her breath, knowing her face was flushing pink and not caring a bit. Being with Jerry was becoming a rather enlivening experience all around.

"Right...right the pie," Daisy said, his words bringing her back to the moment in the cold hallway and she remembered Jerry's brother and her promises of the pastry to him when they had met earlier that evening. "No, no of course not, please come in, it'll just take me a moment." Daisy turned and unlocked the door, motioning Jerry inside of her tidy apartment. She quickly took care of a lamp, casting a soft warm, cherry glow over the little well-worn and loved furnishings that Daisy made every effort to keep neat and clean.

She hurried into the kitchen and found the pie, still looking as golden brown and mouthwatering as when she'd pulled it out of the oven earlier that day. She took some care to set it in a basket and toss a cloth over top of it for transport before walking back over to Jerry and handing him the basket. "Please tell Jensen that I hope he enjoys it."

[Jerry Flynn]

Jerry slowly followed Daisy inside her apartment, feeling a little awkward and improper just by his mere presence. Keeping the door generously cracked--apparently to thwart the rumors sure to be whispered among those invisible specters that packed the hallway, watching his and Daisy's every move and waiting for their chance to report a scandal to other invisible specters--he stood just inside, casually surveying the living quarters of her apartment as she bustled about in the kitchen, bundling and packing the pie.

"A lovely arrangement," he said, clearing his throat, unsure of what else could be said. A few heavy pieces of furniture decorated the room, steeped in history and well-cared for, with a few of the lighter feminine touches here and there in the presence of lace doilies and curtains and little flower bouquets. He could spy the bedroom door from here--but no way would he even think about that. He felt perhaps his cheeks were coloring just at the thought of Daisy's bedroom, at thinking of nothing more scandalous than the location where Daisy retired for the night to sleep.

Daisy returned to his side then, handing him a bundled basket. "If I know my brother as well as I believe I do, I can assure you already that he most certainly will. He may very well eat the pie tin." Tucking the basket under his arm, he paused, nibbling his lower lip yet again. "All right, I believe this time it's really good night, Miss Daisy." Swooping to deliver a swift kiss to her cheek, heart hammering much to loudly at the idea of anything more intimate when squirreled away behind her apartment door, he pecked the corner of her mouth lightly. "Sleep well, and I'll be there to escort you home at the close of your shift tomorrow. Afternoon or evening?"

[Daisy O'Connor]

"Thank you," She replied to Jerry's comment about her apartment, his gaze darting around the room and she felt herself glow a little at his words. Daisy didn't have much in this world but she made do the best she could, the furniture had all belonged ot her parents and she cared for it as lovingly as her mother ever had.

She laughed as Jerry described his brother's most likely reaction, letting her fingers brush ever so lightly against his hand. Oh how she didn't want this night to end. "Well tell him he's welcome to the pie plate should he be so inclined, I have plenty." She smiled at the thought and decided she would make it a point to try and get a chance to talk to Jerry's brother, she thought she might rather like him.

"Yes...yes I suppose it is," Daisy said with some measure of sadness as the reality that their night was really over began to sink in. "Evening...well night actually," Daisy said, tilting her head a little as she looked up at him. "Like last night - " Had it really only been last night that they had met? It felt ages ago in so many ways, in wonderful blissful ways. "It will be nice to have someone to escort me home, I will look forward to it." Standing on tiptoe she kissed his cheek gently and then smiled and shook her head a little stepping back so she could look him in the eye.

"Good night Jerry, I will carry the thought of you..." Her cheeks colored a little as she spoke boldly but she continued to hold his gaze, feeling as though she were standing on top of the world.