Chapter 4A

Sunday, 29 June 03
0915 EDT
Merriweather Residence
Indian Head, MD

Jules hadn't been able to sit still yesterday after AJ left, she'd cleaned the house, rearranged the computer system in her office, emptied her closet, decided what to give to charity and then put the remainder of the clothes back on the shelves and hanging on the rod in a completely different order than it had been before.

When that only lasted a little while, she'd resorted to swimming. Then weight training. When she'd finally fallen into bed she was exhausted, but her mind hadn't turned off. She'd been awake for hours until she'd finally drifted into an uneasy sleep in the early morning hours. It would be quite some time before the nightmares of this mission were fully out of her system, but then there would be something new for her to dream about.

She'd gotten up this morning and gone for a long run before coming back here to shower and dress. She was just sitting down with her first cup of coffee of the morning when the doorbell rang.

Wondering who could be at her house so early on a Sunday morning, Jules walked into the living room and answered the door, thinking it might be Crash.

"AJ!"

"I brought breakfast." AJ confessed sheepishly. He'd been driving to the local café in McLean and found himself heading instead to Jules' house. So he stopped on his way and picked up some coffee and bakery items to bring with him.

"Come in." Jules stepped away from the door, admitting him, and then following as he headed for her kitchen.

When she reached the kitchen she saw AJ at the counter setting out what looked like cinnamon buns. She picked up her coffee mug and saw her portfolio journal sitting next to it on the table.

So, he'd read it, she thought, her stomach dropping as if she were in a roller coaster.

"AJ?" When he turned to face her she held up the portfolio. She watched as he ducked his head and wondered what it meant. Was it good or bad?

"I read last night until after midnight." AJ crossed his arms over his chest and watched Jules absorb his words. "I read your kill book first." AJ shook his head, "After reading what you've had to do, I wouldn't have read your journal." AJ admitted.

"You said first. Did you read the journal, too?" Jules asked, her heart in her throat.

AJ nodded, saying, "I saw the Trident, you said you'd earned it. If you could earn that, go through that training, I could read both of your books. That's the only reason I read your journal. I don't think I would be here, after reading your kill book, otherwise."

"But you read the journal."

"Yes, I read the journal. Parts of it I read twice. Your last entry I read so many times I think I could quote it to you."

Jules lowered her head, she'd written some very personal things in that entry. Things she never thought AJ would read. "And?" She dared to ask.

"And, despite my initial reaction, I thought about it, for a long time. I thought about what you've done, what you've seen. Then I read the journal again, front to back."

When AJ mentioned that he had an initial reaction, Jules got a terrible feeling in her gut. "Why did you read it through again?"

"I wanted to see if over the years your reactions to things changed any." AJ admitted, but when he noted her questioning gaze he qualified his statement. "I wanted to see if you'd become jaded in anyway. I knew in my gut you hadn't, after seeing you on Thursday, but I searched for it anyway. Although after reading your last entry, I should have known."

"I'm anything but jaded AJ. A little used to doing my job and dealing with the backlash, but not jaded. Especially with this last mission." Jules admitted.

"I know."

Jules hated herself for it, but she asked anyway, her stomach in knots, "What was your first reaction, AJ?" She watched as he seemed to stare at her, through her, as if coming to a decision.

He stepped forward, coming slowly to her across the kitchen as if giving her the chance to refuse what ever he was going to do or say. When he stopped in front of her, he searched her eyes, Jules thought he was looking for something he was so intent. Without warning he reached out, and pulled her to him, gently but firmly.

Jules heaved a deep, painful sigh and went willingly into his embrace snuggling against his chest. She was unbearably relieved that he seemed to still want to touch her, that she didn't disgust him. She felt his lips against her temple as he reached to pull the hair wands from her loosely secured bun. As it tumbled down her back she heard him whisper into her ear, "I thought I told you to always wear your hair down when we're together."

JC looked up into AJ's tender countenance and asked, "Are we together, AJ?"

"We are most definitely together." AJ leaned down and brushed his lips over her mouth gently saying, "Just you and I. No one else." He felt her gasp and smile against his mouth; he took advantage of that little gasp and slipped his tongue past her lips to taste her. It had been so long.

Jules thrilled to AJ's words and then melted against him as he caressed her mouth with his nimble tongue. She felt his hands moving on her body, caressing her back above the waist band of her jeans and under her periwinkle blouse. She felt emboldened by his caresses and let her hands wander under his shirt and for the first time, she felt the hard muscles of his stomach and the heavy dusting of hair that peppered his skin. She spread her fingers apart and ran her hands up to his chest, enjoying the feel of her palms tickling.

AJ groaned as he felt her tug his chest hair and wrapped her hair around his fist, tugging her head back as he slanted his mouth across her lips, kissing her more deeply than before.

Jules whimpered deep in her throat, she feared that AJ would never touch her again but here she was, wrapped in his arms kissing him as fiercely as he was kissing her.

When AJ heard her whimper, he released her lips and looked into her newly opened eyes. He saw no sign of distress, only desire and something more lurking behind the sparkle. Without releasing his hold, AJ backed her against the edge of the counter and sat her atop the flat surface.

As soon as she sat, Jules wrapped her legs around AJ's waist and pulled him to her, holding him fast. He came willingly and tugged gently on her hair until her mouth met his once again.

The kiss that started out soft and gentle quickly turned hot, moist and fervent. They couldn't seem to taste enough of each other. AJ brought his hands down to her waist and as he stroked the sides of her stomach, waist to chest, he took her shirt with him, revealing her skin, taut over muscles.

Jules broke the kiss first and looked at AJ, and nodded in answer to the question she read in his eyes. Slowly she felt him lift her shirt up and over her head. When her gaze returned to his face, his eyes were drawn to the revealed skin before him.

She was exquisite, AJ thought as he took in the sight of her bare torso and silky lace covered breasts. For such a tiny thing she was well endowed, AJ noted appreciatively as he gazed at her, unable to move.

Jules reached out and cupped his cheek, brining his attention back to her eyes. "Touch me, AJ." She whispered and brought one of his hands to her stomach, allowing him to decide where he wanted to caress her.

AJ drew circles on Jules fevered skin as he gazed into her eyes. Without breaking her gaze, AJ leaned in toward her. When he was close enough, he lowered his gaze to the flesh before him. Peaking up at her one last time, giving her a chance to stop him, AJ lowered his head, her hand snaking behind his neck, as he pressed his lips to the swell of her breasts. He felt her pressing him toward her so he ran his tongue from the top of her cleavage as far as he could before the silky rose material hampered his path.

When Jules felt his warm tongue bathing her skin she gasped and then moaned again as he pressed an open mouth kiss to one of her swells. "AJ." She husked his name on a breathy whisper.

He lifted his head and nibbled on her ear, "Tell me," while his hands caressed all of her exposed skin, feeling her tremble.

"Please."

AJ took in her heated gaze, her moist and swollen lips and the desire that shown plainly in her face. Without thought, he leaned in and took her mouth, sweeping inside and once again declaring her as belonging to him. When she kissed him back, searing him with her desire, he lifted her into his arms as she wrapped her legs more securely around his waist.

"Where?" He rasped against her throat.

Jules was barely coherent enough to guide him to her bedroom where he knelt on the bed and placed her gently on the coverlet before following her down. He reclaimed her mouth, making love to her with his lips and tongue as his hands wandered over her.

As AJ claimed her mouth, Jules slipped her hands under his shirt and pulled it before breaking the kiss to get rid of the barrier. She gazed appreciatively at the expanse of muscles and hair covered skin before her, she ran her hands through the hair, grazing his nipples lightly with the tips of her fingers. When he gasped and tightened his hold on her Jules leaned up and darted her tongue across one of the sensitive nubs.

AJ muffled a loud gasp and tugged her head away from his chest, kissing her deeply. He felt her hands caressing his back and chest until the hand on his back trailed up to the back of his head and he heard her loud moan. Breaking the kiss he gave her a questioning gaze.

Jules pulled him back to her, kissing his mouth and whispered, "I love the feel of your bristly hair at the back of your head AJ."

"You do?" He asked, bewildered.

"Umm hmm, it's so sexy," she purred before claiming his lips once again.

They teased each other's mouths for several minutes, AJ nibbling on Jules full lower lip as she caressed his chest and abdomen.

Jules felt AJ's lips travel down her neck and over her collarbone, laving the skin between the two bones before trailing to her cleavage.

The scent of her skin was exquisite, AJ thought; he loved the taste of it. He placed open mouthed kisses across her chest and the swell of her breasts while his hands caressed her stomach. He ground himself against her, trying to ease the pressure of his swelling arousal.

Jules loved the feel of his velvet skin under her hands and his crisp chest hair scratching against her stomach. She trailed her hands up his back, and massaged his shoulders as he feasted on her breasts. AJ was teasing her nipple through the barrier of silk when Jules couldn't take his teasing any longer. She took his hands from her stomach and placed them on the front closure of her bra.

AJ took the hint and flicked open the silky barrier, revealing her round orbs to his gaze. "Beautiful, so beautiful," he husked before taking a turgid peak into his mouth and laving it gently.

Jules whimpered as she felt the heat of his mouth covering her. She felt herself floating at the sensations AJ was creating within her, eliciting gasping moans from her throat. Jules tossed her head back and forth on the pillow when AJ nibbled on one nipple and teased the other with his fingers. She felt frustrated at the feel of the denim under her hands; she wanted to touch skin rather than the course fabric, so she reached for his zipper.

AJ grasped her hand and held it to his chest as he gazed at her passion glazed eyes. "Darlin', are you sure this is what you want?" He didn't want to stop, she felt so good under him, but she'd been through so much in the space of the last week. He didn't want to take advantage in any way.

"Yes," she whispered and pulled him back to her.

He kissed her lips hard before pulling back once again, looking in her eyes.

Jules didn't know what he was looking for, but the expression in his eyes was so tender she couldn't keep herself from whispering to him, "I've got one more secret to tell you, AJ."

"What's that, Darlin'?" AJ asked, nothing she could tell him would scare him away. Not any more.

Jules placed both of her hands on his cheeks and confessed, "You've made me fall in love with you AJ."

Her whispered declaration left him speechless, his lips parted to speak with no breath left in his body to return her words. AJ ducked his head and swallowed hard before looking back to her anxious face. He knew that he needed to say something to her, needed to tell her how he felt, but he couldn't seem to make his voice work, he was so overwhelmed with emotion.

AJ leaned in and claimed her mouth with his, trying to communicate to her how he felt through his kiss. He made love to her mouth, sweetly, gently. AJ released the kiss, brushing his lips across hers. He looked her in the eyes, tracing her lips with a fingertip.

"I knew last night, after I read your journal that I'd fallen in love with you." AJ confessed. "You didn't hide from me what you do; you never planned to, did you?" He remembered his increased security clearance.

Jules stroked her hands over AJ's pecs, "No, AJ. I called the General after we went to the Regatta. I knew I was going to fall for you and I wanted you to know about me, I wanted to be able to tell you."

AJ leaned down to kiss her sweet mouth, thinking that he was very lucky she trusted him. Perhaps she would then understand some of the things he'd done as an active SeAL. "Damn!" AJ swore and buried his face in her neck.

"Um, AJ?" Jules wrapped her arms around AJ's back and caressed his skin.

Grumbling under his breath AJ smiled a small self-depreciating grin and said, "I was in such a hurry to get here once I decided I was coming that I left Ginger outside without any water or food and I didn't unlock her dog door so she can get back inside." He heard Jules stifling her giggles and glared at her.

"I'm sorry, AJ." Jules eyes were watering she was trying so hard to stifle her laughter. Clearing her throat she said, "Maybe you should, um, go take care of her." Jules didn't want him to leave, but she understood.

Reluctantly AJ agreed with her, "Jules, come with me."

Confusion knotting her brows, Jules asked, "What?"

"Come home with me; spend the day with Ginger and I." AJ cajoled. He leaned in and nuzzled her ear, saying, "Maybe pick this up again?" while caressing her thigh.

Jules shivered and without stopping to think about it, without allowing her slight case of tummy butterflies to have a say, she agreed. "I'll have to follow in my own car though, AJ, with my gear."

AJ captured her lower lip and nibbled on it, saying, "Why don't you get dressed and gather your gear together while I write down the directions just in case you get separated from me." He sat up, bringing Jules with him, reluctant to release her.

Jules dressed after AJ was able to finally extricate himself from her arms after several heated kisses. When he asked for a pad, she gestured to her night table and watched him don his reading glasses before scribbling down directions. Before she knew it, "Those glasses are so sexy, AJ," came flying out of her mouth.

His head snapped up and he peered at her over said glasses before going back to his writing. When he was finished he looked up and saw Jules grabbing her extra cell phone battery out of her closet; on the floor of the closet was a duffel bag, giving AJ an idea. He walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her and gestured to the bag saying, "Why don't you fill that for a few days."

"My duffel?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at AJ.

He whispered into her ear, "Stay the week with me while you're at Quantico."

Jules felt his hot breath caress her ear before he began nibbling gently at the lobe. "You mean..."

"Mmm. Yes, stay with me. We can have dinner at Callisto's and meet in between Quantico and JAG for lunch. Say you'll stay with me, Jules." He cajoled, nuzzling at her neck.

Her affirmation was nearly lost in her breathy sigh.

Just as AJ would have release her, he whispered one last time, "Don't pack too much in the way of Civvies, you won't need them."

Sunday, 29 June 03
1130 EDT
Chegwidden Residence
McLean, VA

AJ pulled into his long driveway and parked the car in the garage, there would be plenty of room for Jules little Mini to fit also. As he got down from the truck, Ginger came barreling around the side of the house barking happily, tongue lolling. He ruffled her fur and scratched her ruff.

Ginger's ears perked at the sound of a new car coasting down her Master's driveway. AJ looked up and saw Jules grinning at him and the dog. He gestured her to pull into the garage and when she'd parked, Ginger was sitting near her door barking happily recognizing her and wanting her to get out of the car.

Jules could barely open the door to get out of the car; Ginger was too excited too excited to see her.

AJ took her keys while Ginger was getting a good loving and grabbed her duffel, "Is this all you want to take inside, Darlin'?" AJ asked.

Jules nodded and said, "I'll leave the gear bag here and lock the car so the rifle will be secure. Ginger, I'm excited to see you too, Baby, but I can't get out of the car with you nearly in my lap."

AJ snapped his fingers and Ginger was instantly at his side.

"Thanks. I was afraid I was going to have to move her bodily." Jules didn't like that idea.

AJ wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her inside the house, into the kitchen. He could tell she was a little nervous, but he intended to put her at ease. "Are you hungry, Darlin'? We never did eat this morning."

Jules thought about it for a second and realized, "I am hungry. I was too nervous to eat this morning." Jules grimaced.

He pulled her to him and kissed her temple, guiding her to his bedroom. "Hang your uniforms and anything else you want in the closet, Darlin'." AJ set her duffle on his bed and Ginger hopped up to help. He wrapped his arms around her waist saying, "Feel free to use the empty drawers in the dresser and the empty shelf in the bathroom." AJ urged. Glad that after his last serious relationship he hadn't let his things sprawl all over again.

Jules felt the brush of his lips on her temple as he left to fix them something to eat. Ginger stayed put on the bed, watching Jules hang her things in the closet and arrange her toiletries in the bathroom. When her duffle was stowed away, she placed a call to the General to let him know her whereabouts and then walked into the living room with Ginger on her heels.

AJ was just walking from the kitchen into the dining room where he'd set the table simply, but with elegance. Smiling she asked, "AJ, where can I plug this in?" Jules indicated her ever present cell phone.

"On the table in the hall, next to mine; there's a small surge strip there with extra outlets for the extra battery charger also." AJ took her hand and led her into the hallway, after their cell phones were plugged in and the volume on Jules' phone turned up, he gave her a tour of the house.

Ginger followed her around the whole time.

"AJ, not that I mind, but does she do this all the time?" Jules asked, referring to Ginger right beside her.

"She does it with women only it seems. When Mac was here taking care of her when I was out of town over night, she said Ginger followed her into every room. It's funny to watch her as she shadow's Francesca's every move when she's visiting." AJ chuckled, remembering Francesca howling about having to share her bathroom with the dog since she wouldn't even leave her in peace for that length of time.

"Francesca?" Jules asked, thinking it was the last girlfriend that AJ must have recently had.

"My daughter." AJ sighed, "Ginger didn't take to Meredith too well and she wasn't very fond of Ginger either. They tolerated each other." He should pay more attention to his dog's tastes in women. Must be a feminine thing, he mused.

"And Meredith would be the recently departed girlfriend." Jules stated confidently and watched AJ's brows drew together.

"How did you..." AJ hated the idea that someone may have been talking out of turn.

"If you named one daughter Francesca, you wouldn't name another Meredith and I'm sure a daughter wouldn't share a personal bathroom with you. You still have an empty shelf in your bathroom and women's razors under your sink." Jules grinned impudently.

AJ's near glare turned to disbelief as he returned to the kitchen saying, "That's what I get for falling in love with a sniper that has SeAL training and survival skills. They notice everything."

Jules laughed and followed him into the kitchen, watching him get glasses from the cabinet. "Exactly."

AJ checked the lasagna and the garlic bread in the oven before moving to the counter to toss the salad and add the vinaigrette. "I'll come home from work and you'll know exactly who I've been around all day, you'll be able to smell it on me."