After their last meeting Leonard started coming earlier everyday, spending his early mornings talking to Jim. After a while it wasn't so hard for Jim to get Leonard to answer his questions and Leonard in turn found it easy to ask ones of his own. "Bones" was the name that started showing up on Leonard's cup and it seemed the nickname had suck. At first Leonard wasn't too thrilled with it but he had gotten used to it and had even began to like it a bit.

"Bones!" he heard Jim call to him after he walked through the door on a brisk early December morning. Leonard was glad that he started coming early so that there weren't many people to witness Jim's embarrassing antics. Luckily there wasn't anybody in the shop this morning at all.

Jim was atop a large step ladder and was placing a festive garland on the top of the shelves that were hung on the back wall behind the counter that usually displayed sophisticated looking coffee and tea paraphernalia. Now the shelves housed holiday themed mugs, coffees and teas and one shelf even had a small Christmas tree decorated with colourful ornaments and white, twinkling fairy lights. Jim was fiddling with the garland, trying to get it to stay on the shelf.

"Just give me a minute and I'll get your coffee, okay?" Jim said, holding onto the top of the ladder with one hand and shoving the garland back with the other. Uhura was nowhere in sight. Leonard was eager for the much wanted daily morning caffeine rush but he wasn't about to complain. After all, Jim's backside definitely was not his bad one.

Leonard shook the unwelcoming thoughts from his head. Jim wasn't the guy and this wasn't the time nor place. Besides, he hardly had time for those things anyway. The squeak of the stepladder as Jim trudged down it lifted Leonard from his thoughts. Jim's wide grin invaded his vision as he stepped up to the register.

"And what can I get for you, sir?" Jim asked him in mock employee politeness.

"Very funny," Leonard retorted as he handed him a five. Jim laughed but Leonard kept his straight face. Jim knew full well it was just a show. He kept smiling as he grabbed Leonard's two cups, writing on one, filling the other and slipping the first snuggly over the second. It seemed that Jim poured the coffee quicker now that he knew Leonard wasn't going anywhere fast in the morning. And if he was being honest with himself, Leonard enjoyed drinking his coffee sitting in the comfortable armchair much more than sneaking sips through the traffic and not getting to drink most of it until he got to work. At which point most days it was frigid as it reached his lips. Although he never let on, he was sure that Jim somehow knew this as well.

"Do you ever get anything different?" Jim asked that morning as he sunk into the armchair across from him.

"Nope," Leonard replied predictably. He rolled his thumb over the edge of the cup, warming his fingers from the cold outside that had also penetrated his car overnight (which he didn't bother warming up before leaving that morning). His thumb brushed over the 'B' on the side.

"Why do you still do this?" He asked the barista.

"Huh?" Jim looked at his thumb rubbing the cup. "Oh that." He shrugged. "Habit I suppose."

For the first time since he came in, Leonard noticed the Christmas music flowing from the speakers above his head. His lips pressed into a straight line. It wasn't that he hated Christmas, in fact Leonard used to be known to have one of the most festive households in the entire county. But that was the past, with his wife and his daughter, Johanna. Now the cheerful music stung his ears with reminders of the past. Jim noticed, of course, it was unnerving how he would read Leonard like a book when no one else could. All the same Jim's brow furrowed at his observation.

"Not a fan of the holidays?" He asked looking straight into Leonard's eyes as if he were trying to figure out some big secret that Leonard was hiding. The agent huffed a bit before responding.

"Just not really one for celebrating," he said. Alone, he thought to himself. It was almost as if Jim heard his silent thought.

"Yeah I suppose there's no point of celebrating when there's no one around." Anyone else would have apologized for outwardly assuming something so personal but Jim knew, and he knew Leonard wouldn't object.

"I'm sure you'll be celebrating," the agent remarked taking a long sip from his coffee.

"Not really," Jim shrugged. He'd never talked to Leonard about his family. All he knew was that Chris who owned the café was Jim's dad… sort of. Really, that should have told Leonard enough but Jim always seemed to be the sort of guy who had a great childhood and a house full of loving family to come home to for holidays and special occasions.

"We are having a little party here though, for you know the staff and some friends," Jim remembered. "Hey you should totally come!" Jim's face lit up like the miniature Christmas tree behind the coffee counter as he suggested it, nearly jumping out of his chair as he leaned forward towards Leonard. The other man just rolled his eyes.

"No thanks," Leonard told him, leaning farther back into his own chair.

"Oh come on Bones, it'll be fun!" Jim all but whined.

"Why would I come to your work party?" Leonard said, crossing his arms as well as he could holding a coffee cup. A trait mastered by most law enforcement officers.

"Because! We're friends. And you won't be the only one, Nyota's bringing her boyfriend and Pavel's bringing someone too." Jim was practically pleading now. Leonard raised his eyebrow and gritted his teeth.

"I'll think about it," he finally said. He really planned on not coming but he wouldn't say it now. He knew that it would just end up with Jim coming up with a hundred and one different reasons why he should come. The pleading justification wouldn't end until Leonard was out the door.

"Okay. I can't remember what time it is though. How about I text you with the details?" Jim suggested.

"Yeah. Sure kid." Leonard's reply was devoid of investment but that didn't stop Jim's excitement.

"What's your number?" Jim had pulled out a phone that looked like it could be used as a building block in an old school building. It was large and red but had a slide out keyboard. Leonard raised his eyebrow, too distracted by the ancient style phone to remember he had been asked a question.

"Bones?"

"Oh right." Leonard gave Jim his number. Something else he wasn't used to. Usually the people who needed him had his number, and if they didn't it usually wasn't hard for them to acquire it. It was a wonder he remembered his number at all.

Soon after that and a bit of conversation about how the decorations around the shop came to be, Christine showed up outside Leonard's car. Leonard said goodbye and Jim told him he'd text him with the details after his shift.

It wasn't the first time Leonard felt warmth in his chest walking out the door of the café. Even if he didn't plan on going to Jim's party. Once he was safely out of the sightline of the blonde-headed barista, Leonard let a smile creep onto his lips. After sliding into the driver's seat of his Passat he put his coffee into the cup holder and started the car.

"Well aren't you just chipper this morning," Christine remarked from the passenger's seat. Leonard reverted to his normal self and only grunted in reply as he pulled out of the street-side parking spot. Christine 'hmm'ed at him with a smirk.

"Say what you want McCoy but it's true. Maybe I should join you for a cup in the morning, since that coffee seems to be good enough to improve even your mood this early," she teased before turning to stare out the window at the shops that passed. Leonard didn't even respond this time but turned his thoughts to the day ahead and tried to get rid of memories of Jim on the ladder that morning…

Soon enough Leonard and Christine were conversing about work as they always did until they got to HQ, memories of that morning safely tucked away in the corner of his mind furthest away from the part he used to work with. It was a long case-free day, leaving Leonard to an entire day of desk-sitting and paperwork. To be honest he didn't mind one of these days once in a while. They were good for catch up and it was nice to not have to run around chasing leads that ultimately went nowhere leaving you feeling exhausted and nearly worthless. It had been a while and frankly, it was relaxing.

Leonard didn't get the text from Jim until after his lunch break was over.

Unknown Number:

Hey Bones it's Jim. Just wanted to let you know that the time for the party is 6:00 on the 23rd. Talk to you later.

Leonard held his Blackberry cradled in his hand just looking at the text for a few moments. Once he actually came back to his senses the first thing he did was add Jim's number to his contacts. It wasn't until after that he realized he didn't even know Jim's last name. Jim knew his. One of the first things Jim asked once Leonard had actually began talking to him was to see his cool secret agent ID ("I'm not a secret agent, I'm a special agent," Leonard huffed. "Whatever, just let me see it okay") which Leonard had begrudgingly showed to him. It really wasn't a secret after all.

Once he was finished he returned to the text to reply. He was going to say, Thanks Jim but I'm really not a party person. What he typed instead was, It's at the café right? I'll meet you there at 6:30. He didn't get off work until 5:00 and with the 23rd being a Monday who knew if he would be able to get back to the café within an hour, especially with all the people running around to do last minute shopping. Best to give himself some time.

He hadn't fully realized what he'd done until after he sent the text. He was going to a party with Jim. And there would be people he would have to meet. There was a reason that Leonard didn't have a lot of friends or go to a lot of parties. He's been to a few when he was married but those were mostly Jocelyn's friends, he only had a few buddies from work. He never thought he'd be hitting the social scene any time soon.

God didn't this kid have any other friends?

Jim's reply was instantaneous.

Jim:

So are you coming then? Great! See you tomorrow Bones!

Leonard took a deep breathe before asking himself just what he had gotten himself into.