A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! It's been 14 days over a year since I last updated. Which is 14 days over the longest time I said it would take before I updated again. I didn't know how long it would take but I assumed it would take less then a year for me to get back into writing. I was wrong. But I'm back now, so hooray! I just started to re watch the first season and I remembered how adorable Zack was and I'm obsessed again. I also realized I just really wasn't feeling the episode I was trying to write in. So I just skipped it. But I really do think I'll be updating more now. I just graduated and I'm not going to school next year so I have all the free time in the world for writing and I'm excited to see what this new chapter of my life brings me. Because I know you guys have been waiting for so long, here's a nice little fluffy chapter to make up for it. Hope you like it.
-A FEW WEEKS LATER-
I woke up to the feeling of something moving under my head.
"Catherine, wake up" Zack's voice sounded softly in the corner of my mind but my brain didn't want to listen to it. "Catherine" His voice repeated and I felt his shoulder moving more.
I moved my eyes to open even though they really didn't want to.
"What" My voice was groggy and I moved my head to look up at him, still resting it on his shoulder.
"It's late. I should really get going. We still have a lot of work to do on the Richmond case tomorrow morning." I knew he was right but I didn't even want to get up from where I was on the couch (if I'm being honest mostly in his lap), let alone get up get in the car drive him home then come home myself. We really needed to rethink this whole late night movies at my place thing if he's not going to be able to drive himself home and he can't stay here.
Or could he? I mean, we wouldn't do anything. I wasn't ready for anything more then what we've been doing and it was way too late and I was much to tired to think to even think of doing anything other then sleeping. But we had been dating for almost two months, now and I don't think that's too much of a step to ask if he would want to spend the night.
"Hello?" Zack spoke up.
"Sorry, I was thinking." I responded, looking back up at him, "What would you think about staying the night."
I could tell I shocked him with my suggestion because he just looked at me stunned for a moment.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, I mean" I started to get up and he grabbed my waist pulling me closer to him.
"No, I definitely want to."
I laughed. "Ok, then let's go to sleep."
We moved off of the couch and to my bedroom. Once inside I grabbed a tank top and a pair of fluffy pants from my dressed and walked into my bathroom to change. When I came back in Zack was standing in his graphic t-shirt and boxer shorts awkwardly. The moonlight from my window illuminated his face in my dark apartment. I took a second to just look at him. I was so lucky. 3 months ago I was a broke college student living at home, a loner. Now, I'm still a broke college student. But I have one of the best jobs I could ever ask for with amazing co-workers, which would be enough. But to top it all off I have the most amazing guy I could ever dream of in front of me, in my bedroom, about to go to sleep with me. I could burst with contentedness. I mean happiness too. But I've been happy before, never this happy, but happy. But I've always struggled with being content in my life. There's always been one little thing I thought I could fix in my life. But right now there was nothing. Everything was perfect. I was perfectly content and that made me happier then anything.
"What?" Zack asked. He finally noticed I had just been standing starring at him for a minute.
"Nothing." I paused. "I'm just happy." He smiled and I walked forward and kissed him. I meant to just give him a peck but I got a little carried away. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I grabbed his head pulling it closer to mine and running my fingers through his hair. He was perfect, this was perfect. The kiss settled and we separated, his arms still around my waist and my arms around his neck and our torsos leaning away from each other. Just like we had done the first time we saw each other after Christmas. When he wanted to comfort me.
"You're perfect you know that" Zack spoke as we both smiled and starred into the others eyes.
"I was just about to say the same thing about you Mr. Addy." We both smiled at each other again and I moved out from his grasp grabbing his hand with mine and leading him to the bed. "But maybe we're both delirious from sleep deprivation."
We got under the covers and I turned my back to Zack and wrapped his arm over me so we were comfortably spooning. I felt his body against mine, warm and comforting, and our hands intertwined in front of me. I fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning I woke up and turned around to face the man in my bed. I've never slept with a man in my bed before, it was a weird thought. But I was okay with it. When I turned around Zack was already awake and looking down at me.
"Good morning" I said coyly looking up at him from my pillow.
"Good morning" He spoke sweetly and reached over moving a hair from the side of my face. "You're cute when you sleep you know."
"Well you're cute when you're awake." I said leaning forward and giving him a quick peck. "Probably when you sleep too but I wouldn't know because I was sleeping" I laughed and began to get up from the bed.
Zack moved to the edge of the bed behind me. Right as I got my footing on the floor I felt his arms reach around my waist and pull me back. I fell down onto his lap and leaned back against him. I turned my head to look at him and he kissed me. It was short and sweet but he was still strong and passionate. I leaned back from the kiss and looked at him.
"I could get used to this whole morning thing" My face couldn't stop from forming a half smile while I talked. I got up from the bed and headed to my closet.
"I'd like it if you did." He spoke behind me.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" I laughed and turned my head back to look at him while my body still faced the closet shuffling through clothes on hangers.
"It means that this was nice. I enjoyed waking up beside you. I enjoy being with you. So if you getting used to it, means I could wake up next to you more. Then I would like it if you did get used to it." His tone was simple and straightforward, but I heard the kindness and sincerity in it.
It took some time to get Zack but once I did, nothing he does is weird. Nothing he says is odd, or out of place. People say he's strange, or robotic. But he isn't, not really. He can be smooth or he can be rigid, but he was always Zack. My Zack. He is funny, and charming, and caring, and the smartest person I've ever met, and yet somehow also always confused. I wouldn't have him any other way. To me he really was perfect.
"I'd like that too" I gave him a peck on the cheek as he walked past me to the living room. He had gotten dressed while I was staring at my closet.
I grabbed a dark red tank top blouse and through it on with a pair of jeans. I brushed my hair, put on a small amount of makeup and joined Zack in the kitchen.
He was eating a bowl of cheerios. I grabbed the box of Honey Bunches of Oats and cut up some strawberries for my bowl. I sat across the table top and looked at Zack as we ate. We ate in silence, looking up at each other periodically and smiling, just content in the others presence.
After eating we got in my car and drove to the Jeffersonian. Zack slept, and I listened to a podcast. They were talking about alternative veterinary medicine. Every once in a while Zack would interject correcting their mistakes or saying what they were suggesting was just ridiculous.
We walked into the lab together.
"I don't know why you listen to that. It has no educational bearing." Zack chastised about the podcast as we stepped through the doors. I could see Hodgins on the platform in front of us.
"I like it."
"But why, there topics are drab and their science is spotty at best, at times just completely inaccurate."
"It's not what they're saying that I care about, the hosts are entertaining and the talking keeps my brain active and starts my day off on a nice note."
Hodgins walked to the edge of the platform. "Hey there Zackio" He nodded over to me "Catherine" before looking back to Zack. "Long night?" He questions Zack's absence from his car ride this morning.
"After the movie ended Catherine and I decided it was too late for her to drive me home so I stayed over." Zack said mater of factly. I blushed, our relationship was no secret but talking about him spending the night so openly in a work setting felt uncomfortable.
"Where's Angela?" I asked Hodgins, changing the subject.
"Not here. She left for her annual desert get away yesterday. Why anyone would want to go to the desert is beyond me." Hodgins trailed off as he turned around ranting about the desert.