"You put your feet on the desk all the time."

"That's because they're my feet. Little, dainty feet. Not gigantic boots the size of my head. Now off."

With a long-suffering sigh, Jor lifted his crossed legs, swung around in his chair, and firmly planted his boots on his own desk. "Better, mom?"

A week remained in the Military Enforcement training program, and the tension and anxiety in the air was nearly palpable. Throughout the entire division, trainees and mentors alike could be found secluded in odd corners, poring over volumes of I.F. legal briefs and regulation handbooks. The program culminated in a two-day exam that had them all scrambling to learn as much as they could before judgement day, and Jor and Lei were no different. Case files were scattered over both of their desks, and Jor was idly flipping through one such file when Lei threw a paperclip at his head.

"Cut it out, Leilei."

"Oh, put it down, Jorjor." She sighted, aimed, and launched another paperclip, this time hitting him on the cheek. He made to grab for her, but overbalanced in his precariously tilted chair, and had to hold onto the edge of the desk instead to steady himself. Lei just laughed at him. "C'mon. You're not really studying anyway, and you know your shit. After all, I'm your mentor."

Jor grinned and pretended surprise. "You are? I thought they'd given me an alcohol monitor by mistake."

"Hardee har har. Want to skip out early? They've got happy hour over at Scotch's. We could hit the buffet."

He shook his head and settled back into his chair again. "Nah, Leilei. Sorry. I'm going out with Heather tonight, so I'd best not be wasted, neh?"

"You knocked boots yet?"

Trust you to think of that.

"No," he said shortly, and frowned at her to discourage further pestering. It was a... sensitive subject, with him, and she knew it.

To be perfectly honest, Jor was, for the first time, hesitant to progress further than kisses. For three weeks he'd remained as chaste as humanly possible-- at least, as humanly possible for himself. Not to say that he didn't want to-- certainly he did, and certainly he had to hold himself in check every night he left Heather at her door-- but he wasn't sure if she'd want to. It hadn't taken Jor long to realize that Heather was absolutely nothing like Wick, and while the discovery was a little surprising and mostly reassuring, he still had no idea how to handle it.

On top of that, there was still Wick. His wife. It was just all so different, and Jor had to relearn how to be gentle, how to be polite, and how to act more like a gentleman and less like himself. So long accustomed to Wick and Wick only, Jor was sadly at a loss to explain to himself why he found Heather so tempting, and he was sadly at a loss to justify to himself what he knew he wanted to do.

"You need to stop dwelling and just get on with it. Heather is disgustingly smooshy for you, and you sit here daydreaming like a fifteen-year-old green with a crush. Just do it, for Chrissake. I'm tired of you comin' over at night and moping."

That was also true, that Jor often found himself at Lei's door after leaving Heather at her own. He'd start for home, fight the urge to turn back halfway along the way, and then beeline straight for Lei. Every time she'd allow him in, let him act all confused, tell him that his marriage was over and that he had to move on, and then give him a hug before shoving him out the door.

Truth be told, Lei was just as confused as Jor, and unable to decipher what the real source of his hesitation might be, resorted instead to taunts and prods and orders for him to march on over there and get into Heather's bed.

"I dunno, Leilei. I dunno if she wants to."

"Jorrypoo, you're big, you're cute, and you have muscles. Of course she wants to." Lei made eyes at him and affected a flirty smile. "Granted, I can't speak from experience, but if I liked boys I'd jump you too."

Jor had to smile. "Gee, Leilei. Thanks."

"Now get goin', mister. I bet your girrrrrrrrlfriend is waiting for you to show up, rip off her clothes, and jump her like an angry limpet."

"Someday I'm going to muzzle you, Lei." He pushed up from his chair and turned around. "I look okay?"

"Ugly as hell, but you've got the body. Now git."

"Gitting. Later, cupcake."

He wasn't even late. Heather had woken him early enough for a little morning cuddle, and even after a shower, a leisurely breakfast together, and a prolonged goodbye, he was still on time.

None of that mattered. None of that mattered, because Lei was sitting behind her desk with the biggest, widest, most knowing grin on her face. Jor knew that look, and braced himself.

Shit.

"So I said to myself this morning, I said, 'Self? You know what'd be nice? Going out to breakfast with our best mate Jorry.' So where'd I go? Your room. And you know what I found? Nothing. Which led me to thinking." Lei squinted her eyes at him, and under scrutiny of her gaze, Jor did a very uncharacteristic thing and fidgeted. "So then I thought to myself, 'Self? I wonder where our best mate Jorry could be. If he's not home bright and early in the morning, maybe that means he didn't come home at all."

Jor concentrated and managed to unlock himself from where he stood in the doorway, because all too suddenly he realized he'd been standing there for the duration of Lei's speech and looked entirely too nervous. He tried for innocence, sitting down at his desk and leaning back in his chair as if nothing were the matter, but there was a definite effort to his teasing tone. "Leilei, I didn't know you did real detective work."

"Where were you, hmmmmmmmmmm?"

"I got up early," he lied as smoothly as he could, but she was up out of her chair and towering over him, hands on hips, before he could continue. Jor swallowed his next lie and smiled beguilingly up at her. "But I missed you this morning, precious."

Lei grinned. "Did you? I missed you too, Jorjor!" She kicked his legs off his desk and sat squarely down in his lap. Taken off guard, Jor kept the smile plastered on and did his best not to squirm. "Since I wasn't here for breakfast, Leilei, love, do you want to go out to lunch together? I'll treat." Distraction was his most promising evasive maneuver, and when she beamed and nodded, Jor thought he'd won. "Okay! But Jorjor...?"

"Yes, Leilei?"

"You got laid."

Jor's eyes widened, and Lei instantly pounced on his reaction. "You did! I knew it!" She crowed triumphantly, clinging to him and kicking her feet. Jor sputtered and tried to deny it. "No I didn't, Lei, I told you, I just got up early an--"

"Got laid!" She squealed again. "I was right! Was it fun? Don't you feel better? How was it! Oh, good job! I told you she wouldn't say no! Do you have any hickeys? Let me see." Jor batted her hands away as she started poking and prodding him, laughing despite himself. "Cut it out, nosy. I don't kiss and tell."

Lei looked skeptical, and Jor fluttered his eyelashes at her until she bit him on the hand and he dumped her on the floor. She affected a serious look, and her voice was less teasing this time. "Jor? Can I ask you a question?"

Expecting something serious or meaningful, Jor nodded. "Of course."

She wiggled her nose at him. "Was she a screamer?"

"LEI!" There was an eruption of squealing and kicking, and in Jor's case, a lot of pinching, and it wasn't until five minutes later that they were both bunkered behind their separate desks, breathing hard and eyeing one another vindictively. "Don't make me hurt you, Leilei."

"I just wanted to knoooooooow." She threw a case file at him, and papers flew everywhere. "Tell your Leilei."

"Why should I?"

"Cause you luvvvvvvvv me."

"Nope. I just tolerate you because I've never had a lesbian friend before. It's very exciting."

"OH! Fine! I could just ask Heather, you know." Lei dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone, and when Jor made a threatening lunge toward her, she started dialing and grinned. "Hello? I'd like the Requisitions Division offices."

"Don't you dare, Lei, don't you dare!" Jor whispered furiously, and Lei stuck her hand over the mic and smiled mockingly. "Then tell me, or I wil-- yes?" She started talking again. "Yes, I'd like to speak to Heather Pennington, please."

Jor tore on his curls and started looking for his gun. "Lei, I swear, if you ask her, I'm going to throw you out of an airlock, so help me..."

"Then tell me, Jorjor. She's about to pick up."

"FINE!" He snatched the phone from her and hung up just as a voice answered, and Lei screeched and kicked him as he pounced and started pinching her. "I liked it! She was perfect! She even kisses good! And I'm going to see her again, and sleep with her again, because I like her!"

Lei stopped her squeals and looked at him. "You do?"

"Yeah."

"An awful lot?"

"Yeah, an awful lot."

"For reals?"

Jor sighed and let her go. "For reals. She's different, Leilei, and I like it. She's not anything like Wick. Is that weird? I can't figure it out." He sat back on the floor and shook his head. "I really like her."

Lei crawled over and sat next to him. "It's not weird. It's good. 'Sides, you need someone like her to take care of you. I can't even get you to brush your hair in the morning."

"Think so?" Jor smiled tiredly at her, and Lei gave him a hug. "Know so. You look much happier, anyway. When you walked in, you had the strut."

"Did not."

She stood up and held out a hand, and he let her help him to his feet. "Did so. Hey! I'm hungry. Want to play hooky? We could "study" in the mess. I want pancakes. Don't pancakes sound good?"

Jor gave her an affectionate punch. "Okay. But promise you won't talk about this?"

"Double pinky swear. Hurry up. You need to eat so you have energy in bed."

"No I'm not."

"Yeah, you are. You've been in here four hours already, and this is only the second time you've said anything to me."

"Maybe I'm tired."

"Hmm, maybe. You do have smudgees under your eyes. You sleep okay last night, Jorjor?"

"Why does it matter?"

Ever persistent, Lei asked again. "Jorjor? You okay?" All she got was a shrug as he turned his back to her and pretended to read the case file on his desk, and she sighed and sat back in her chair to watch him thoughtfully.

Lei had known Jor for more than half a year now, ever since he'd arrived on the station. They'd gone from partners to pals to best mates, and they were inseparable. She thought that after all this time she'd be able to understand him, and on some level she could, but he'd changed in the last few months and she just couldn't figure out why.

At first she attributed the absentmindedness to Heather. Having seen enough of Jor moping around, she'd been ecstatic to find him with a new girlfriend, and Lei wasn't jealous (much) of the time it took away from her. Her Jorjor strutted around like a peacock, and she indulged his newfound relationship because she liked to see him happy. If a steady supply of tail was what it took, well, then she could encourage him to get close to Heather, and the better for everyone.

Recently, though... he was more than absentminded. After he'd showed up at the bar that night, he'd been quiet. Withdrawn. Close to bitter, even, with a look in his eyes that Lei recognized, because she knew it meant trouble. She'd seen that look in other people's eyes before, and it bothered her to see Jor so leashed and angry, but her attempts to decipher its cause were unfruitful.

He didn't tell her what was wrong, and she only made the mistake of asking once. When he'd shouted and cursed and thrown her bodily from the room, she didn't ask again. He'd apologized the next day, and she'd forgiven him, because that's how it was, but since then Lei had walked on eggshells around Jor, desperate for an answer. Silence didn't get her anything, and so she braved a question.

"I haven't seen Heather for awhile. You two still seeing each other?"

"Yeah." She waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent, and Lei didn't press the issue. Hmm. So maybe it had something to do with Heather. Lei tried to figure out what, but the girl didn't have it in her to be mean or vindictive or anything else that Lei could think of that might aggravate Jor, and so that train of thought was a lost cause too.

"It's almost lunchtime, Jorjor. You want to go out to lunch? My treat."

"I'm not hungry."

Now she knew there was really something wrong. Jor... not hungry? Extremely concerned, Lei pushed up from her desk and moved over to his. When he noticed her standing over him he swiveled his chair away again, and she poked at his back and sighed more loudly. "Damnit, Jor, just tell your Leilei what's wrong. You know I can't fix it if you don't tell me."

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're lying."

"So what."

"Tell me."

"No."

"I'll beat it out of you. I can do that, you know."

"Go away, Lei."

"Nope."

"Fuck off, Lei."

"Later tonight."

"Leave me alone, Lei."

"No way. Not until you tell me what's wrong. You don't even have to explain. Just give me a yes or no answer. Can you do that?"

Jor didn't respond.

"Is it Heather? Are you two not getting along? Are you too sober? Want to get a drink? If you're hungry, I'll buy you lunch, remember? Want lunch? We can go to the range if you want. There's a new pistol prototype, want to try it? Jorjor? Tell your Leilei?"

"Leave me the goddamn fuck alone, Lei!" Taken aback, Lei moved away, and Jor stood up so fast that his chair fell over. Fury like she hadn't seen in him before was written plainly on his face, and for the first time she was afraid of him. "...Jorry?"

He pushed the desk away from him with a rough shove, and papers fell to the floor at her feet. Lei backed away, retreating to her own desk, and watched him with wide eyes as he kicked his garbage can over and tugged angrily at his curls. "Fuck, Lei, why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?! I don't want to fucking talk about, I fucking hate you, I hate fucking everyone, just go away."

And with that, Jor stormed from the room.

Awestruck, Lei could only stand there, silent, her mouth half open, listening to his boots clomp down the hallway and fade away as he left the offices. Completely shocked, she finally slumped down into her chair, and when coherent thought returned she tried to figure it all out.

Well, that... that was... he's not serious. He just must be angry over something. Heather? Work? I should know. I'm his partner. I should know what's wrong. I'll... I'll let him cool down, then I'll go see him. There's got to be something I can do. Yes, that's just what I'll do.

She busied herself with straightening the aftermath of Jor's tantrum, and then left the room.

Jor stopped abruptly, halfway through the doorway. Lei was busily shoving papers into her briefcase and loading files onto her desk, and he watched her for a moment before finding his voice. Already the suspicion was sinking in, but he had to ask. "...pack my bags? What are you talking about?"

"We're going to Eart--."

Lei was interrupted by what would have been a fearsome display of anger, if it had come from anyone else but her Jor. She was long past accustomed to his rages, and being quite capable of reciprocating his violence, she was nothing afraid as he glowered furiously at her.

And Jor was furious. He'd been too desperate to be prudent, before, and had told Lei everything. He'd bared himself to her, and he thought that she'd understood. He hoped she was lying. She had to be lying. He'd been extremely clear in his intentions, yet... yet here she was, talking nonsense of Earth. His eyes narrowed.

"We are not transferring to Earth, Lei."

With studied nonchalance, she smiled at him, an infuriating smile that made his hands ball into fists. "'Course we are, cupcake. I got us a transfer to Louisiana. I already have all of the paperwork, and I don't care what you say. You're going with me."

"I am not."

"Are so."

"Am not, Lei, and that's the end of it. You know I said I'd never go back." He gave a final shake of his shoulders and turned to go, but Lei's hand on his arm stopped him. Slowly, deliberately, Jor turned to face her again, and she gave him a skeptical look. "At one time or another, you've also claimed you'd never love again," she pointed out, "never drink again, and never--"

"I get your point."

She was suddenly serious. "Then let's go. You know you want to see Wick."

And there it was, his unspoken desire. She knew him too well, knew the torturous temptation of her words, and Jor fell silent. Lei nimbly took the opportunity and exploited it shamelessly.

"She's in Baton Rouge. Apparently she doesn't do anything but work. No love interest. No friends. It's like, oh, I don't know... she misses you."

He tried to wave the flag of self-hatred a little higher. "Why should she miss me? I almost killed her."

"I've heard the spiel already, Jordan Windhaven. She misses you, and you miss her. What could it hurt? Worst case scenario, you don't get along, and you're back to how it is now. Isn't it worth a try, though?"

"...no."

"Well," Lei huffed, "then I'll go. She's cute. Maybe she likes girls now."

She wagged her eyebrows at Jor in an outrageous leer, and he did his best to continue being angry, to be furious with her for meddling, but he smiled faintly despite himself. Then to hide the smile he swatted at her, and she let him give her a light smack before growing serious again.

"You're not happy without her, Jor. I know. I think you should see her."

"I just don't want her to turn me away, Lei. I'm afraid that she hates me. I couldn't stand it if she hated me." He slumped against the wall and gave her a look full of fear. "I... I just couldn't stand it."

"Avoiding her isn't going to change how she feels. Better to find out for certain than pansyfoot around, always wondering about it."

Jor was bitter. "Better for who?"

"Better for you." Lei hugged Jor tightly and smiled. "We'll plan it all out during the two months it takes for us to get to Earth. They even gave us a month of leave when we arrive. That's plenty of time. I know people there, and we can work together. Just try, Jor, please? For me? For your Leilei who just wants to see you happy?"

"...you actually had us transferred."

"Yup! Our shuttle leaves in... two hours. That's not much time to pack! All the arrangements are made, so we've just got to get this office cleaned out, and get whatever belongings you want to take, then--"

"And you want me to go. With you. To Earth. To Louisiana."

"Yup! To Baton Rouge, where your beautiful little wife is no doubt waiting right now for her big, handsome idiot of a husband to come home to her."

Jor sighed and tried one last time. "Lei... what if she doesn't want me?"