Redefining Redemption (Joan H Watson and GJLestrade)

Joan felt like she was going to collapse, thankful for the hold of Greg. She felt his body against hers and she felt her limbs become reborn. "Don't apologize." She swallowed thickly, "We go....I..um....not sure." She looked up at him, "Where do you want to go Detective Inspector?" She teased lightly but her smile faltered, "I..I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I don't want to overstep my boundaries but I want you to know how much I.....feel for you. How much I...respect you. How much I want you. " She paused, "B-but, the timing.....is...both perfect and horrible. Do you think we can make it through?"

A sense of calm stole over Greg as he stood there with her in his arms. It was as if he had both desired and dredded the contact, afraid it would change things, afraid it would spark something he couldn't control. Yet there was none of that, no rollercoaster of emotion, just an acceptance.

He smiled down at her. "I agree about the timing, but would there ever be a right time? Is this just the logical next step? I have no idea. I meant what I said though, life is too short and it's not a rehersal. You and me, it fits, somehow, we just...know each other. Do we give this a try? See where we go? And if it doesn't work, well, chalk it up to experience and stay friends. Other people manage it. You are not making me feel uncomfortable, nor are you overstepping boundaries, as long as you're fine with this, then so am I. Are we good for each other? I think so, and if the answer to that question is yes, then where's the problem?"

Joan felt comfortable in Greg's arms. He was caring, he was strong, he was comfortable. "I'm not sure if there is ever a right time, but this feels as good as any to start something." She paused, reveling in his words. They fit. They understood each other. She knew this. "I think as long as we give it a try, there's no regrets that we didn't try." She looked up at him with her blue-gray eyes, "I don't think I could ever stop being your friend."She told him honestly, "Yes. We are good for each other." She smiled reassuringly, her arms tightening around him before they slipped up to around his neck.

"I think that....we're good for each other, more than good for each other." She whispered this into his ear, her breath a little labored by the closeness of him.

It was easy to just turn his head and press his lips to hers in a soft experimental kiss. It was chaste, gentle, warm. The kiss sent a pleasant tingle through him, anticipation thrilling through his mind and body. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer against him. Greg slipped one hand up to frame her face, thumb stroking her cheek. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

Joan was surprised as Greg turned his face, his lips meeting hers in a soft, chaste kiss. Warmth and anticipation ran through her. Her hands tightened around Greg's neck and she pressed her body closer to his. They just fit. She smiled in return as they pulled away. She didn't say anything for a moment, she opened her mouth to say something but then closed it shut, instead pressing her lips to his again.

Greg couldn't help himself, he laughed. It felt so good, after so long, just this closeness. When she kissed him again that set the seal. He knew she really did want him then, and this wasn't a dream. He opened his mouth to her this time, allowing her to explore, if she wanted to. He waited to see if she would take the invitation.

Joan felt the warmth pool in her core at the closeness of Greg. The warmth, the life he now emanated from her made him shiver. She took the invitation, her lips moving softly against Greg's before she let her tongue peak out, tracing the outline of his bottom lip. He tasted like alcohol and pasta sauce, a spicy and bitter combination. She murmured softly against his lips as she deepened the kiss a little hastily, after all, she hadn't kissed someone in over two years thanks to Sherlock. It felt so good. It felt so right with Greg.

[ I think this is a perfect song for Greg and Joan right now XD [Only admins are allowed to see this link] ]

(perfect song for them, great vid)

Greg let her in, deepening the kiss and meeting her tongue with his own, holding her close and steady as he did. He was desperate not to go too fast. It had been the best part of a year since, for him, possibly longer for her. Self-consciously he pulled back a little.
"Look, I...um...I could do with that shower...I came straight from work and never got the chance to change." He smiled and ran a finger along her jawline. "You fancy joining me? Or am I being too forward?"

[sorry. was in class!]

Joan murmured against Greg's mouth as she felt his tongue tangle up with hers. Oh god, she could feel her heart palpitate so quickly, pounding hard in her chest as the warmth pooled. "S-shower?" She raised an eyebrow at him but ultimately nodded. Yes. Shower with Greg. That wouldn't be weird right? "Yeah, I'd like that, if you don't mind my shower. It's sorta....small." She murmured, grabbing his hand a little awkwardly and pulling him into the bathroom. The walls were painted a light yellow and it included a small sink with a medicine chest and a 1980's shower. The shower curtain was of chemical equations upon Sherlock's quirky request.

She had put the towels out by the shower. Joan looked over at Greg not sure of what to do now.

Greg followed, allowed her to tow him into the small bathroom. She turned to him, seeming to hesitate as though not sure what to do now. He reached out and slid a finger down her neck, down to the jumper she wore. "Take that off first?" he suggested, giving it a small tug, then reaching to lift the hem of it up, skimming a warm hand over her waist. He slid his jacket off and toed off his shoes, hoping he had at least put on a decent pair of boxers that morning. He hadn't exactly expected to end up in this situation when he'd dressed for work that morning. He experienced his own moment of hesitation, hoping he wouldn't disappoint her. He leaned in and stole another kiss, then stood back and very deliberately unfastened his shirt buttons, watching her reaction.

The flat was silent, like it always had been since five weeks ago. The aura of sadness hung over Joan and Greg, following them wherever they went. She hoped to dispel some of that sadness by the shower they were about to take. The tension in the room could be heard in the way Joan's breath now fell out labored and short. She swallowed thickly to moisten her dry throat and God, they weren't even naked yet and she could feel her heart pounding steadily.

Take it off. Her jumper. shit, she was in a jumper and under this she wore her favorite yellow bra-- thank God-- yet, she was not wearing the best underwear. At least, she was wearing a good bra. The Army Doctor shivered as Greg's warm hand slid around her waist. Goosebumps formed on her skin. Joan watched, almost wide-eyed, as Greg slid off his jacket and toed off his shoes. Joan took off her socks and pulled off her jumper, letting the items of clothing fall to the floor. She stood there in her lacy yellow bra and her trousers. She hugged her waist self-consciously for a moment as she returned the kiss. Joan watched Greg deliberately unbutton his shirt; smiling a little coyly she unfastened the clasp of her bra and let it fall to the floor. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She couldn't believe she was actually in her bathroom, ready to take a shower with Greg. Detective Inspector Lestrade, the man who understood.

Greg fumbled the button he had been unfastening as her bra came off, aware that his mouth had dried at the sight of her. He licked his lips and hurriedly finished with his shirt, shrugging it off his shoulders. For a moment everything went a little surreal; he was in the bathroom getting naked with Joan Watson, about to get much, much closer.

She was as lovely underneath the deceptive jumpers as he'd thought she would be, but his gaze was riveted on the scar at her shoulder. "Can I see?" he asked, feeling like a shy teenager. "I don't want to...well, do anything you don't like. Just want to touch you..."

Joan smiled shyly as Greg fumbled with the button. She never really found herself incredibly attracted. Her best friend Lucy in high school had always been the more popular and captivating of the two. She swallowed thickly once again to moisten her dry throat. Her eyes trailed over Greg's torso, not really indicative of a early middle-aged man, and she appreciated the thin trail of hair disappearing beyond the hem of his trousers.

Joan Watson, besides her sometimes numb right leg, had a myriad of scars, more so on her torso and one running down her shoulder. "Y-yeah, it's fine." She laughed nervously, moving a little closer to Greg. His ending statement made warmth rush through her again and she cleared her throat once she was standing in front of him. "this scar is from five years ago. Sharpnel spewed everywhere."

At her permission, Greg allowed his fingers to roam, gently touching the ridges of scar tissue and tracing the lines and welts left behind. He ached to think she had suffered through their acquisition, but he well knew wounds to the flesh and blood and bone healed easier than the damage wrought on the psyche by the trauma itself. They made him feel...oddly proud of her, of what she was because of them.

"They don't repel me, you know." He did his best to reassure her. "I mean...look at you, strong, capable, beautiful...You might not feel it, but you are," he added, seeing doubt in her eyes. Those beautiful eyes. He shivered at the look in them.

Joan shivered, both from the chill of the air in the bathroom and the warmth running through her at the moment, she felt her body shudder. "They don't?" Joan was anxious anytime someone saw her scars, noticed them, felt them. They didn't hurt. They were just there. "Greg...."She said softly, eyes looking down at her petite body despite a bulge in her stomach she didn't like because of the overeating with the loss of Sherlock, "I....thanks." She stopped herself from being self-deprecating. "Sometimes I feel strong. I want to be capable. Sometimes I feel pretty." She shrugged, eyes showing doubt. She looked up at him, smiling, "You know, you are more handsome than you think you are." She whispered, letting her hand rest on his neck, her thumb rubbing against his skin. Slowly, she pulled back and pushed her trousers down until she kicked them onto the floor. She returned close to Greg a moment later, "I want you." She whispered against his ear, kissing behind it lightly. She wanted him, just him, all of him. Not anyone else. She meant more than the physical as well. She needed to know he was around, that he was real, that he wasn't leaving.

"I want you." Her words shot through him, escalating his desire. He could feel himself getting hard. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his belt buckle, eyes imploring her to finish the job of undressing him. He wanted her to see, to feel. "I want you too," he said, voice gone deep and gravelly, rough with pure want. "You can have all of me, everything you want, anything I can give..."

Joan swallowed thickly once more as Greg placed her hand on his belt buckle. She unbuckled the belt, unzipped his pants and pushed them down to his ankles until he stepped out of them. Her eyes flickered to look down at his length trapped by his boxers until she pushed those down as well.

His voice was deep and gravelly. She swallowed thickly once more. Her heart was pounding. All of him, everything. She smiled, pushing her underwear down as well and leaning a bit towards the shower to turn the water on to hot. She looked back at him with a grin.

Greg's breath hitched as Joan divested him of the remainder of his clothing. Her hands were sure and warm and felt amazing on his skin. "God, you're gorgeous when you smile, you know that?" The small room was filling nicely with steam as the water heated the air and he closed the gap between them and tugged her into his arms again, pulling her flush with his body, his skin against hers. He bent and kissed her again, tongue teasing her lips and begging for entry. Her hands on his back felt good, and he allowed his to roam, one hand cupping her breast and massaging gently. He moved away enough to bend and kiss her nipple, nipping and suckling and swirling his tongue around it. She felt so alive, so very good in his arms, a perfect fit even. He backed her toward the shower, intent on getting them both under it.

(On that note I shall make this all for tonight. It's late and I am knackered. Catch you tomorrow)

[Goodnight then! ]

Joan reveled in the subtle intake of breath that Greg took. Her chest was moving up and down with each short breath she took. She felt the warmth take over her, the steam from the shower adding to the atmosphere of the room. Usually she would feel incredibly insecure with her being naked and Greg naked, but right now, she felt invigorated. She never felt more alive than in this moment, she practically felt like crying for joy.

As Greg pulled them both into the shower, she giggled-- an actual giggle rather than nervous laughter-- and realized that in this moment that she couldn't be happier. She welcomed the kiss, ever so lightly raising herself on her tiptoes to reach him as their lips met, her hands pressed against the divet in the small of his back. Greg's flesh was warm, littered with goosebumps where the meeting of the air and hot water created them, is shoulders strong and his arms comforting. When his hand trailed to cup her breast, her eyes lidded closed and her mouth opened to let out a small involuntary moan. Her hips automatically arched into Greg's body as his tongue met with her hard nipple. The ex-Army Doctor lifted her head back to arch her neck in a moan as the detective backed her against the tiled shower wall, the water plastering her short hair.

They were a perfect fit. Joan felt her whole body shiver at this fact. "Greg..."She leaned forward to kiss behind his ear, her tongue trailing against the shell of his ear, her lips eventually trailing down to suckle and nip at his neck.

He couldn't help the soft moan as her mouth closed on the sensitive skin beneath his ear, the playful nips to his neck teasing him further until it was almost too much. He pulled back, breathing hard, chuckling in happiness, then grabbed the soap and started lathering, grining widely as she giggled. He found he wanted to hear her giggle more, to revel in her laughter, her joy. He licked a stripe up her neck, then grimaced at the soapy taste. "Damn it, I should have washed you off first!" He laughed,

Greg paused, wondering. His gaze caught hers, the brown eyes latched onto the blue. Joan was finding joy in this, in what they were doing. No matter the reasons, whether it was a long-held desire finally given voice or simply mutual comfort, it didn't matter. They were together, they had each other. Part of their lives had died, an intrinsic part that had left them both feeling wrecked and abandoned.

So far as Greg was concerned, if they could find solace with their partnership then it was worth the subsequent fall-out and inevitable difficulties they would have to overcome. They were like any other couple, albeit that they knew and understood each other and were already friends. Being friends was still different to living together and putting up with their individual foibles and excentricities. He wasn't actually sure he had ever been friends with his ex-wife. Didn't matter now, he put it out of his mind.

He washed them both off, battening down the desire long enough to get clean. "Think this would be better in the bedroom? Or would you rather stay wet?" He asked with a grin.

The raining of water, along with Joan's giggle and the occasional soft moan, echoed in the cramped bathroom. Joan's skin was littered with goosebumps, her skin flaring up with the pesky indicators that she was chilled, yet the warmth and longing rumbled on in her stomach whenever Greg would touch her. She delighted in his moan and the goosebumps were there once again when he took the soap and helped lather her up. She grabbed the soap as well, washing her torso and reaching behind her back and shoulders.

She giggled once more as she felt Greg's tongue run up her neck and she shivered, laughing a moment later, "Ah, sorry." She cupped her hands to collect some water and splashed it on her neck and washing her skin.

Joan felt some of the awkwardness dispel, as much as it could in a shower where anything could happen and she didn't really know what to expect. Her eyes met Greg's and she smiled. They were together. They fit. They were healing.

She knew they could weather the storm, handle anything that came there way, even if it were obstacles with each other. She helped Greg finish washing them both off, making sure she was clean, before she looked back up at the Detective. "Hmm..."She pursed her lips in thought, hands settling on Greg's hips for a moment until she let them trail down, fingernails scraping softly against his skin and just missing his length by a few inches. "Bedroom, but that doesn't mean I won't be wet." She whispered, leaning up to kiss at his collarbone.

"Oh, God...yes," Greg groaned as her nails scraped agaist his skin. "You will be, luv," he growled, whole body shuddering in anticipation. It was all he could do to clamber out of the shower without his legs giving way and grab a towel to dry them off. His mouth met hers in a searing kiss and he crushed her to him, almost desperate, letting the towel fall away. He wanted to explore her body, to smell and touch and taste every inch of her, to watch her reactions and listen to the sounds she made. He wanted to drown in the sensations, to lose himself in her. As if in answer, he felt her lips on him again, teasing and tasting in her turn. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Joan's eyes fluttered shut when Greg's breath began to be labored and she felt his body shudder in anticipation. She let the hot water become lukewarm against her skin and she turned the water off a moment later. She swallowed thickly, the steam and Greg's deep voice making her light-headed. Oh God. He's so...

When Joan followed Greg out of the shower, grabbing a towel and hurriedly drying herself off as well as him, she felt her knees go week with anticipation. Immediately, she pressed her body against the Detective's, her skin still slick with water and her skin flushed a tender pink from the steam. The ex-army doctor's lips met his greedily, tugging, pulling, nipping at his bottom lip and capturing his lips in deeper kiss. She exhaled sharply through her nose, murmuring against his lips in desperation. She wanted him. She felt the familiar tug in the depths of her abdomen. She wanted to explore him as well, find the pressure points, those secret places that drove uninhibited noises and groans out of the man. She wanted to drown in him as well.

She giggled, almost flayed when Greg picked her up, and she felt a trail of self-consciousness overtake her. Here she was naked in a man's arms and she felt awkward. But it was Greg, he didn't care, at least she hoped so. It was only a short walk to her bedroom, bigger than the bathroom at least, and painted a light green. Her bed was medium-sized bed with an iron frame with intricate swirls with two posts with brass circles adorning them. Her room could only be described as quaint and oh so very her.

The consulting assistant waited until Greg set her down on the floor to shut the door behind them and lock it, "Don't want Mrs. Hudson to find her way in here." She breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to regain her normal pattern of breathing. She swallowed thickly when she took the time to look Greg over. He was handsome. Not too muscular but not pudgy in any way. She could feel the familiar tug of want course through her once more. She rest her hands on the man's hips once more, giving him a teasing look when her hands began to trail down against his length, "I always wanted you." She whispered, "Just never did anything about it cause you were married." She paused, "Is it bad that I'm glad you're divorce? Now, I don't have to feel guilty for wanting you."

Greg chuckled at the admission. "Well, I never did anything because of that either. She might have cheated, but I didn't. Rather proud of myself about that. Probably more than I've got any right to be...and, well, I'll take it that you're glad I'm out of an unhappy marriage and that now you've got me to yourself. Hang on, something I forgot. Just stay right there..."

He went back into the bathroom and returned a moment later, their clothes in his arms. He dumped them on the chair, rummaged in his trouser pockets and found his wallet, then smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry, but there's something we might need..." He found the little packet and placed it on the night stand. "Don't want to give you the impression I'm ready for anything. It's just...I like to be ready for anything?" he chuckled, then blushed, feeling awkward.

"Glad we were, mean are, still such moral people." Joan smiled at Greg before she nodded in agreement, "Sorry, it was was unhappy but I'm glad you're out of it." She rubbed the back of her neck as he forgot something and Joan figured and hoped it was what she was thinking.

She breathed a sigh of relief when he returned with their clothes and a condom. She shook her head, "Don't think bad of you at all, really, I keep practically everything imaginable in my purse, so...."She trailed off with a slightly awkward smile as he placed it on the nightstand.

"Where were we?" She teased him, moving closer until she pulled them closer together and their bodies were pressed tightly once again.