At this point in the story, I am branching off into either a slightly M rated fic, or remaining clean and wholesome. There will be two chapters posted, after which I will decide which route I want to take. Anyways, please enjoy this slightly smutty chapter.

Laurie placed his hands forcefully around Jo's waist, pulling her hard against him so that she was pressed tightly between him and the wall. Leaning in close, his heavy breath danced across Jo's cheek.

"Jo, oh Jo. There is so, so much, that you don't understand."

Jo was trembling. She couldn't help it. Here he was in front of her, pressed tight against her chest, his firm, pounding heart beating through his shirt.

"Jo?"

Jo looked at him in the dark, wide dark eyes searching his face. It was tense and stern, but it was still Laurie. The sweet little boy had come back to her, at least for this moment.

Until that 'sweet little boy' pressed her against the wall. Bending in close, Laurie whispered in Jo's ear, gently, sweetly.

"Do you remember Jo? Our first, real and true conversation. Hiding behind the giant curtains at the party, me stuffed into a suit, you with a stained kid glove. And all through the night, we giggled and pointed and laughed and laughed, just you and me, in a room of her own. A world of our own. With nothing bad to hurt us, touch us, alone in that little room. Anything that happened there will be our little jokes and smiles forever."

Grasping her even tighter, he murmured, even lower than before, "And I would be lying, Jo, if I were to say I never thought of that darkened corner in a not so innocent light, the years I was gone. The years I spent away from you."

At that moment, Jo knew he was telling the truth. Because although Laurie was quite smooth when he wanted to be, there was no lying about the distinct throbbing pressed against her dress. Looking down in surprise, she glanced up to see Laurie staring at her, with an intensity she hadn't seen in a long time. One of anger, or lust, she could never tell. Until he placed his mouth on hers.

Laurie firmly tugged off her coat, hands dancing across her upper body in practiced, teasing motions. He paused for a second when he came across the cutout in her dress, stroking her back and grinning to himself as she moaned slightly into his mouth.

Years of memories came flooding back as the two grasped each other, holding tightly, touching and stroking every uncovered bit of skin. It was as if they trying to blend into a single person, merge into the one being, one love, that they had been so long ago.

Jo's body was on fire. Her lips were bruised, her hair was wild. Yet she could not remember being this happy in a long, long time...

TBC