The only sound in the car was Kelsey's breathing. Jack could tell she was trying to control herself, her tears, her body. She had her arms crossed under her breasts, hands cupping the opposite elbows, as she shuddered from time to time, like chills. He clicked the heater on, even though it wasn't that cold.

As soon as they were in the house, Kelsey said, "I want to take a bath, okay? I want to take a bath."

Jack looked at her in concern.

Kelsey saw this, and shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm just cold, and I feel kind of yucky, you know? I just want a hot bath. I'll leave the door open," she finally said, when Jack continued to look upset.

He nodded, and they went to the bedroom together. Kelsey began to take off her costume while Jack went into the bathroom and ran the water into the huge tub. While it filled, he took off his own costume, adding bubble bath and lighting some candles, turning on the bathroom heater to warm the air for her.

Kelsey came in, wrapped in Jack's bathrobe. She was holding it closed at the throat and waist, and smiled her thanks when she saw the preparations he'd made. She noticed that he, too, was undressed, down to his briefs, and asked, "Will you get in with me?"

"You want me to?" he asked, looking at her closely.

She nodded, taking off her robe. "Of course, I wouldn't have asked, otherwise." She put her hand on his chest, a hand that was still cold, he noticed. "Please, Jack," she added.

He nodded, grasping her hand and kissing it. "Sure, sweetheart."

She carefully stepped in, holding his hand for balance, and sat down, letting the bubbles close around her. She leaned back, closing her eyes.

Jack got in, sitting opposite her, stretching out his legs next to hers. He, too, leaned back, closing his eyes, relaxing into the warmth.

Even though the house was not new, the bathroom was state of the art, and the bathtub was huge, jetted, with the taps conveniently located on the side, so a person could lie back on either side and not run into it.

Jack had just settled down when he felt motion in the water, and he opened his eyes to see Kelsey sitting up, looking at him.

"What are you doing way over there?" she asked. Before he could answer, she sloshed over, turning around so she could lie between his legs, her back resting comfortably on his chest. She pulled his arms around her body and patted them, murmuring, "That's better."

They just stayed that way for a while, letting the jets swirl the water all around them in the candlelit bathroom. Kelsey sighed deeply from time to time.

"Jack?"

"Mm?"

"Is that how I looked?" Her voice was soft.

He was silent, and she gave him a gentle shake.

"No," he finally said.

More silence.

Kelsey gave him another shake.

"What? You want details?" He sounded disbelieving. "Like how you looked different?"

He could feel her head moving against his jaw as she nodded.

Jack took a deep breath, making Kelsey move in the water.

"Okay. Okay. I've never seen you wear that much make up, like ever. That girl looked like a caricature of you. So all that raccoon-eye stuff? The streaky tears and all that? You'd never look like that." He stopped to consider. "You weren't that bruised up or whatever, your body didn't look like th--" Jack broke off. "I can't, Kels, I can't, please, don't make me."

"Jack, this helps me," Kelsey replied. "I need this. Please?"

Another deep breath. "You weren't that marked up, ever, not even the first day. Your clothes were not ripped up. Your hair didn't look like that."

He moved his chest under her back, pushing her body up.

She sat up and turned around to look at him. "What?"

"Her legs were short and stocky, she had cankles, and she was about one tenth as beautiful as you are," he concluded, looking up at her and blinking his long, bleached lashes. He lifted a hand and smoothed her wet hair back.

Kelsey's chin started to quiver, and she let out a braying sob, a huge sound in the quiet, echo-y bathroom. She blinked rapidly, causing tears to spill down her cheeks. Her hand went to her mouth, as if she couldn't believe the noise had come from her.

Jack sat up, alarmed. What had he said? "What? What happened? What did I say? I'm so sorry--"

Kelsey just shook her head. "I'm getting out," she said. She put action to words, grasping the side of the tub and standing up. She stepped out of the tub, onto the mat, grabbed one of the fluffy towels off the rack and wrapped it around herself as she left.

Jack turned off the jets, pulled the plug and got out himself. He blew out the candles, grabbing the other towel as he left. He quickly dried off as he walked into their bedroom, considering what to do. Again, his lack of experience left him at a loss.

Did she want to be alone? She'd been with him, after all, and left.

But if she was sad, surely she should be with someone?

Even if that someone was the one who'd made her sad in the first place?

Dang it.

Kelsey was already in bed, facing the other way. He could see her shape under the comforter, and something about the vulnerable sweep of her waist as it curved into her hip, her round bottom, was at once so fragile and beautiful that it almost made Jack cry.

There was no way he could walk away from her.

He quickly pulled on clean boxer briefs and crawled into bed, pulling the comforter over himself. He turned to face her, but kept his hands to himself. He could tell from her tense posture that she was awake, but made no move to touch her. He would stay, and she would know that she was close if she needed him.

In the near darkness, a hand reached back, searching.

Jack reached out and grasped it firmly.

Kelsey pulled Jack toward her without turning over, until they were again back to front, like they had been in the tub, though this time they were on their sides. Kelsey pulled his arm over her, and Jack spread his fingers over her midriff, tucking himself into her body as closely as he could.

Kelsey sighed and reached to stroke Jack's cheek and chin, where it rested next to hers, just touching her neck and shoulder. Her fingers made a scratchy sound as they touched his rough skin.

"You need to shave," Kelsey murmured, and Jack could feel that she was smiling. "I hardly ever see you like this."

He shrugged. "I thought Aladdin would look good with a bit of scruff so I left it today," he replied. "He was a street rat, you know? He might not have daily access to toiletries."

Kelsey laughed softly, music to Jack's ears.

"I can go shave it right now if it bothers you," he continued.

Kelsey laughed again, shaking her head gently. "Nah, I might want you to go down on me later," she said. "I come really, really hard when the guy's a little stubbly."

"What?"

"What?" Kelsey sounded amused.

"Nothing, it's just, uh, it's hard to believe you're the same girl as the one I was with in the tub a few minutes ago," Jack replied with a chuckle. He rubbed his chin on her shoulder for emphasis.

"Yeah," Kelsey responded, getting serious. "This whole thing is not going to go away for a while, you know? Dr. Shapiro said that this is normal. I'm going to feel normal and fine for a bit, like I've dealt with it, then something will come up and I'll have a relapse or whatever." She hugged Jack closer.

"When we were in the tub, I kept picturing that girl at the party, and I needed to know if that was what I looked like, if that was how the world saw me, if that was how you saw me, Jack." She squeezed his hand. "So when I heard you say I was beautiful, or she had cankles or whatever it was you said, I was just so fucking relieved, do you understand? Not only did I not look like that, but you thought I looked the opposite? It was like everything in my body loosened or something, and that sound came out of me, a sound that I didn't even know I was holding inside of myself."

She patted his hand. "I'm sorry I worried you. I saw your face, your beautiful eyes, when I was getting out. Your knee-jerk response is always to blame yourself, and I shouldn't do that to you, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I'm just glad you're not more upset."

They lay in silence for a while, not moving.

"Jack? What are you thinking?" Her voice was soft.

He laughed. "How stubbly I am," he admitted. "And what you said earlier."

"What a coincidence," Kelsey said, turning over. "Me too!"

"Yes!" Jack spoke to the dark room. "Jack's getting lucky tonight!"

"And so's Kelsey," said the laughing girl next to him. "On your back, soldier."

"My back?" he repeated. This was new.

Kelsey leaned down and kissed him, putting one leg on either side of him, her soft skin touching him everywhere. He put his hands on her hips, loving their smoothness under his palms.

She scooted up, moving past him slowly, giving him a chance to kiss her breasts, her tummy, her navel, abdomen. She finally placed one delicious knee on either side of his head, tucking her calves under his biceps as he wrapped his arms around her thighs. She grasped the headboard and looked down at him.

"Do you even know how absolutely amazing you look from this perspective?" Jack asked, looking up at her.

"Did you just say 'perspective'?" Kelsey gasped, laughing.

In response he squeezed her thighs and leaned up, pressing his face between her legs, opening his mouth to taste the warm, tangy salt of her, making her stop laughing abruptly.

"I knew that would shut you up," he murmured, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She just shook her head.

Jack licked into her again, noticing that she was already very wet with her excitement.

Above him, Kelsey let out a sigh that was almost a moan.

"God, Jack, maybe you should just, never shave again," she whispered, rolling her hips slightly to meet his mouth.

Then she just stopped talking, and the only sounds in the room were the noises she made, gasps and moans as she moved and held her breath.

Jack could see her squeezing her breasts from time to time, or resting her forehead against the headboard, eyes closed, as her thighs tensed. He flicked his tongue at her center, feeling how engorged it was, knowing how sensitive it must be from how she jumped every time he touched it.

"Okay, okay," she finally gasped, releasing the headboard and moving away from his mouth. "I can't any more, your turn."

He released her legs and put his hands on her waist, lifting her onto him in one motion. He groaned as she slid on to him, his fingers digging into her flesh. "Oh my god, Kelsey, you feel so incredible," he said.

He lay under her, watching her undulate on top of him, mesmerized by her. They clasped hands, moving together, their voices merging into one harmonious sound as they climaxed together. Kelsey bent over Jack, her hair tickling his chest, as she came one last time.

Jack squeezed her fingers painfully as he pulsed into her, and she could feel the heat deep inside her body.

Then, exhausted, she lay down on top of him, and he rolled them both.

They fell asleep that way, still wet from their exertions, without saying another word.