TITLE: Chapter 12: L'Art D'Embrasser

UNIVERSE: AU; Tom Barkley is still alive; Pre-series timeline

RATING: PG13

CHARACTERS: Heath, Jarrod Barkley

SUMMARY: When a little brother needs some advice concerning women, who best to turn to but his most debonair oldest brother?

Jarrod Barkley leaned back in his padded desk chair and rubbed his burning, tired eyes. It was late and he'd been working at his large desk in his room since dinner, making notes, comparing statements and depositions with hard evidence from the law enforcements officers on the case. He'd prepared. He was ready.

I've been sitting here way too long, he groaned to himself, his back and shoulder muscles complaining bitterly at the hours spent here over the course of the evening. Wearily, the young lawyer glanced at the clock on his mantel and sighed. Nearly eleven thirty; long past time to call it a night. Breakfast at seven was going to be a challenge.

He laid down his pen, quickly casting a final glance over the notes on the page, pleased overall with the direction his opening arguments were taking, based upon the evidence he planned to present. Confident and feeling sure, he relaxed and hauled himself to his feet, capping his pen and screwing tight the lid on his pot of ink.

When the soft knock came at his door, he grew alarmed. Who in the world … at this hour?! Worried that there might be sickness or trouble, Jarrod quickly padded across his bedroom carpet in his stocking feet to the door, opening it a crack.

He couldn't have been more surprised to see his fifteen-year-old brother, Heath, clad in nothing but his nightshirt, outside his door.

"Heath! What in the world - ?"

"Jarrod, can I come in please?"

The boy looked uneasy, his eyes troubled, with dark circles below them as though he'd been unable to sleep.

Jarrod's first impulse was to demand if the boy knew what time it was, but he could see there was something wrong. Instead, he opened the door fully and ushered his younger brother in, glancing up and down the dark, quiet hallway.

"What is it, Brother Heath? Are you all right?"

Uncomfortably, Heath, shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I'm… I'm fine. I just…"

Surprised, Jarrod watched the boy's fair cheeks begin to glow bright pink. So… something fairly substantial was on his mind… so substantial that it looked like the youngster might just give up and bolt if Jarrod didn't take things in hand.

"Here… have a seat, little brother, and tell Pappy all about it," suggested the older man, keeping the mood light but firmly taking hold of his kid brother's arm and guiding him toward the chair by his bed.

Heath perched on the edge of the armchair, clearly uncomfortable. He scratched an ear, and sighed. "I… maybe I should just … just…" awkwardly, trying to rise.

Jarrod calmly reached over and firmly gripped his brother's forearm. "Look… something's clearly bothering you, you're here and from the look of you, you're not going to be falling asleep anytime soon. Why don't you just spit it out?" he asked gently.

Sighing, Heath tried to relax and lean back in his chair. "It … it's hard to talk about." He swallowed, eyes fixed on the pattern of the carpet. "I need some advice."

Jarrod nodded, encouragingly. It's gonna be a long night at this rate, he thought with a smile.

Heath finally sighed, squared his shoulders, fierce blush and all, and picked up his head, gazing directly into Jarrod's eyes. "I wanna know how to proper kiss a girl."

Startled, Jarrod's own blue eyes mirrored his little brother's. "How to..."

Heath nodded. "I done it before, but…" If it was at all possible, his face bloomed an even deeper shade of painful red. "Well, we smacked noses and by the time the bleedin' stopped, she'd kinda lost interest," he admitted glumly.

Jarrod struggled to keep from bursting out laughing. "Hers? Or yours?" At his brother's confused expression, he clarified. "The blood."

"Oh. Mine," admitted Heath. He sighed and leaned back, now that the worst was over and he'd admitted his need. "Father said that if I had questions about … well, about… stuff like this, an' I didn't feel comfortable goin' to him, I should come to you."

Suddenly, Jarrod remembered a very firm conversation from a few weeks back, in which Tom Barkley had, in no uncertain terms, made clear exactly what was and wasn't appropriate information to share with his younger brother.

"He's fifteen, Jarrod," his father had warned, "Remember that. He doesn't need to know all the … well, the mechanics of things just yet. Answer his questions, but don't offer more information than he's asking for…not just yet, anyway."

Jarrod remembered chuckling to himself, figuring that Heath was a lot more savvy than Father had realized, but now he understood exactly where Tom had been coming from. Savvy the boy might be. What he wasn't was experienced. Once again, Jarrod shook his head in admiration at his father; not much gets past you, eh, Old Man?

"So, what exactly is it you need to know, little brother?" asked Jarrod, seriously, inviting his younger brother up on the bed to stretch out with him.

Eyes opened wide in surprise, Heath took him up on his offer and stretched out luxuriously on Jarrod's huge bed, eyes closing in bliss at the comfort and space. "Well, mostly," he yawned, nearly cracking his jaw, "how to kiss 'er without breakin' our noses, hers 'specially. And… well, an' how to do it… like I know what I'm doin'," he finished softly.

Jarrod nodded, understanding. He doesn't want to come across as green as grass in front of this young lady. Hmm… is she inexperienced, too, then? Or someone more savvy than he is? That potential alarmed Jarrod just a bit, but he decided to proceed slowly here, rather than scare the boy off from sharing with him altogether. "So … your experience kissing a girl has been kind of limited, then?" he asked, matter-of-fact.

"Well, I've kissed girls on the cheek, never on the lips, 'ceptin' that one time," his brother admitted, embarrassed.

"The young lady in question…" Jarrod mused, carefully. "Anyone I know?"

Heath raised an eyebrow, a cold expression on his face. Jarrod shrugged. "Fair enough. I was simply trying to assess the… er… experience of the young lady in question,"

"Well, I ain't plannin' on bussin' a saloon girl, Jarrod!" Heath hissed at him, angrily.

"No offense intended, Brother Heath," soothed Jarrod, with a smile. "So, then… A young lady of gentler birth, apparently."

Heath narrowed his eyes, trying to see if his older brother was funnin' with him. When he didn't pick up on any teasing, he tried to settle himself a bit. "She's… she's a nice girl. And I just…" Hesitating, Heath rolled on his side facing his brother. "Look, I've seen fellers dancing with and kissin' the gals in Strawberry in the saloons – "

"What in the world were you doing in saloons, at your age?!" asked Jarrod, startled.

Heath sighed impatiently. "I worked the mines, was a growler, off an' on, for the miners from the time was about 7 until I started ridin'… well, like I said, off and on until I was nearly 14," he finished abruptly.

"You surely have had a storied past, younger brother," Jarrod sighed, scratching his ear. "Alright, so, go on. You saw the men in the saloons, and what?"

Heath frowned picking at the stitching in Jarrod's quilt until the older brother reached over and lightly smacked the boy's hand.

"Unless you plan to replace that, pick apart your own quilt," Jarrod grinned. "Out with it. And what?"

Heath flopped on his back. "Well, I certainly ain't gonna be mashin' my face into her bosoms or puttin' my hands up her skirts, that for darned sure!" he snapped, beet red once again, an arm over his eyes.

Jarrod winced. Oh, good Lord… "Wise, that, little brother. All right, I think we're getting closer to the issue, now. You want to know what is considered acceptable in terms of getting a kiss from an otherwise respectable young lady. Correct?"

Arm still over his eyes, Heath nodded abruptly.

"All right, then." Jarrod stretched his legs out, crossing his legs at the ankles and clasped his hands behind his head. "Let's start with this: do you think she's ever been kissed before, ever?"

Jarrod felt the sigh go right down to his little brother's toes. "… pro'bly."

Pretty, then, mused Jarrod, with a gentle smile. And someone other boys are after, too… so, there's competition there…hmmm….

"Well, first off… how far along have you two got?"

Startled, Heath lifted his arm and looked at his brother, unsure.

Jarrod lifted his hand, forefinger raised. "Any flirting going on, her to you or vice versa?"

Heath's cheeks glowed again. "I guess so… I mean… I ain't sure…" Helplessly, Heath looked at his older brother.

Jarrod took pity on him and smiled reassuringly. Finger number two arose. "Well, alright then, have you gone for a walk alone together?"

Heath nodded.

"Good. Held hands yet?"

Heath pondered that one, eyes narrowed in thought. "Kinda," he said finally.

Jarrod looked bemused. "How do you 'kinda' hold hands?" he asked, wonderingly.

"Well, we were walkin' and she kinda tripped and I caught her hand, and… and well, she let me and di'nt let go," he said quietly.

Jarrod almost groaned. Oh, Heath, my boy… you've got yourself a live one there… But he kept his facial expression non-committal. "That so," he observed. "Well, then she's not afraid of you touching her, that's good. Some girls are so inexperienced it makes them nervous for a boy to even touch their hand."

Heath frowned. "… no, I don't think she's nervous about it."

Jarrod closed his eyes, growing a little uncomfortable. I'm beginning to wonder which of you is the one getting trapped into a kiss here…

"What are some other ways a boy flirts with a girl? I mean, I know when a girl's flirtin' with me, but…"

Jarrod smiled at him, then, with a tender grin. "To be honest, Heath, sometimes you just being you is like flirting with a girl."

Startled, his little brother looked at him. "Whaddya mean?"

"You're a very kind, gentle fellow, little brother. You care about people and it shows when you're talking to them," shrugged Jarrod, with a smile. "That's the basis of what flirting is anyway: making a girl feel like they matter, like they're special to you for that moment in time. Remembering things she's told you in passing and making sure she knows you listened to her… really smiling at her… sharing things with her, from an ice cream to a sarsaparilla…being a gentleman and holding the door open for her… feeling protective of her when you're together, and especially when you're not… making her feel like she's the only girl in a room full of 'em. That's all flirting is, Heath. Caring about someone and letting them know it."

Heath studied on that for a bit, and Jarrod allowed him time for the thought to simmer a bit.

"So… how did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking?"

Warily, Heath glanced at him. "We… um…"

"Heath, for heaven's sake, you can hardly be worried I'd be trying to steal your girl, can you?" grinned Jarrod, figuring they reached a safe point for a tease.

His brother rolled his eyes, with all the eloquence of a fifteen-year-old boy.

"Well, then, unless you believe the young lady is an inappropriate girl and Father and Mother would be upset," said Jarrod seriously, "what in the world is the problem with telling me who it is?"

"Because… if I kiss her and she belts me one, or sics her father on me, I'd as soon not have the whole family know," Heath muttered.

Jarrod sighed. "You mean having Nick know… and teasing you about it."

Glumly, Heath nodded.

Jarrod smiled gently. "I understand… but Nick's had his own adventures in this arena, little brother. It's a rite of passage."

Heath exhaled softly. Then he looked at Jarrod. "What about you? Who was your first kiss?" he asked, shyly.

Jarrod smiled at him and closed his eyes in memory. "Ahh…. Anne Reynolds," he sighed, smiling broadly. "I was just turning 15, if my memory serves me, and Anne was in the same grade at school. We shared a desk for about half a year. She had long, beautiful, shiny black curls and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen, like that emerald necklace Mother has. Her skin was white as bone china. She… was… gorgeous. We used to sneak holding hands under the desk. We got caught and that was when Mrs. Hastings separated us," he chuckled. "Didn't stop us, though. I used to walk her home…she lived in town, so I'd escort her home, and one afternoon outside her gate, we just were looking deeply at each other, and I kissed her." He glanced sideways at his brother. "I should have asked her first… a gentleman would. But we'd been holding hands and what-all… somehow I was pretty sure she wouldn't mind."

"What happened?"

"Her grandfather passed away and her father relocated the family to Denver to run the family business for his mother," sighed Jarrod. "I was miserable. Even asked Mother and Father-"

"For permission to marry her."

Startled, Jarrod looked at his brother. "How in Hades did you know that?!"

"Nick told me."

Jarrod rolled his eyes. "Oh, good grief," he muttered.

Heath smiled. "He also said that a month later you was sparkin' another girl."

Jarrod made a face. "Well, young love often is capricious," he declared.

"Ca… what?"

"Capricious… given to sudden and unexpected changes," Jarrod informed him, hastily changing the subject. "So anyway, back to you. Do you think you've been flirting with her?"

Heath was thoughtful, then slowly nodded.

"Do you think you love her?" asked Jarrod gently.

Heath, smiling ruefully, shrugged. "Lord, Jarrod, I dunno. I just know that when I'm near her my insides feel like mush, my brain don't work like usual and everything is… I dunno, brighter… more colorful…"

Sympathetically, Jarrod reached over and squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Sounds like you think she's at least pretty special."

"Yeah…" breathed the boy, his face serious… but a little dreamy, too.

"How has she given you reason to think she might feel the same way?" asked Jarrod, with a smile.

And for the first time that evening, Heath relaxed and smiled as well. "She looks right at me and smiles, a smile that reaches all the way to her eyes. She reaches out every once in a while, and just touches my arm, or when we're walkin', she'll let her arm lean up against mine. And… well, and she said she likes me."

Eyebrows up, Jarrod stared. And you haven't kissed her yet?! "Well, sounds like you're ready to ask for a kiss."

Heath gulped. "Ask?"

Jarrod nodded firmly. "Ask. Don't steal one. Make sure you're treat her like a lady by being a gentleman yourself," he said seriously. "Asking her first makes her know you want to treat her right. That says a lot about how much you care. Anyone can steal a kiss and just move on to the next girl. Asking first tells her you care more than that. Understand?"

Heath swallowed again and nodded. "I reckon." He scratched an ear. "I just… I mean, do I just haul off an' say 'okay if I kiss ya?' " he blurted out, anxiously.

Jarrod laughed. "Well, that's one way, and the most direct, I suppose, but there's a couple of other ways you could do it. One that used to work well for me was to say something like…"

The older young man grew very serious and turned on his side, gazing directly into Heath's blue eyes with his own matching orbs, until his little brother's eyes widened. "You're so beautiful right now…" Jarrod spoke softly, slowly, tenderly, never breaking eye contact. "it'd be a terrible shame to let that pretty smile go without a kiss. May I?"

Heath's eyes were held in thrall by Jarrod's, until his older brother grinned, releasing them, and the boy blushed deeply once again, shaking himself slightly… Boy howdy!… "… I'd never remember all that…." he groaned.

Jarrod chuckled. "Practice it. Or you could always go with the tried and true, 'I really like you… may I kiss you?'" he shrugged with a grin. "Sometimes the easiest, most straightforward method is best."

Heath sighed. "What if she says no?" he asked softly.

"Then you respect her wishes and don't."

"Ever?!"

Jarrod grinned. "Not until she tells you that you may." Jarrod thought of something else, the image of their own parents looming in his mind, and he grew serious. "Another thing, little brother… I'd be very careful. Do you know if this girl's parents are the real protective type?"

"Protective?"

"I mean, if he found out about it would her father come after you with either a horsewhip, or a shotgun and a parson?" asked Jarrod dryly.

"Oh." Heath sighed. "I honestly don't know. I been wonderin' that some myself." He glanced ruefully at his older brother. "I mean, I reckon I know that I ain't exactly the best catch in the Valley."

Jarrod sympathized, but he understood that Heath wasn't a fool; he knew what the status of his birth meant in a lot of the families of Stockton. He grimly nodded. "You're a fine young man, Heath. It's not your fault that there are some fools here about," Jarrod told him, firmly. "You remember that. It's their problem."

Heath raised an eyebrow, as if to say it may be their problem, but it often ends up to be a problem for me as well!

Jarrod conceded the unspoken point and nodded briskly. "Well, then, that's all the more reason to ask her first, beyond the fact that it's just the right thing to do."

"So… how?!" demanded Heath, in exasperation.

Ah, yes… the mechanics… sorry, Father, but I've got a brother in need, here…

"All right," nodded Jarrod seriously, sitting up. "First off, if you're both ready, first thing you do is check where her hands are."

"Her hands?"

"Yep… if you've holding hands, that's good. If not, and say she has her hands in front of her then turn her (or yourself) so that you're face to face and gently take her hands in yours. You could clasp them in front of you, between you, or hold them out slightly at the sides," Jarrod said, demonstrating as he spoke.

Heath had sat up too, and was mirroring Jarrod's example, nodding. "Okay."

"Make sure you don't pucker up your lips."

Startled, Heath stared at him. "Huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Jarrod demonstrated that, too.

Blushing, Heath nodded in understanding. "Oh. Why not?"

"Because you want your lips soft for her, not hard and tense...besides the fact that it makes you look foolish."

"… uh, okay…"

"Whatever you do, keep your eyes open. That's how you'll keep from breaking your silly nose. Come slowly closer and tilt your head slightly, making note of the angle her head is at," instructed Jarrod, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Understand what I mean?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Then, lean your whole upper body toward her, slow and smooth, not like a rooster pecking at corn," grinned his older brother, making Heath giggle a little nervously. "Smooth, Brother Heath, that's what you're shooting for. One long, smooth movement. Like you want to close the space between you."

Jarrod noticed Heath growing a little pale and licking his lips.

"When you're between… oh, maybe 2 or 3 inches away from her, that's when you can slowly start closing your eyes. Shows you're relaxed."

"Relaxed… sure," grumbled Heath, rolling his eyes.

Jarrod grinned. "Fake it 'til you make it, brother. Anyway, keep 'em closed for the time you're kissing her. Otherwise it's a little… oh, I don't know, a bit creepy… like you're watching her for a reaction."

"How… how long should I…"

Jarred smiled. "This first time? Just a few seconds… no more than a count of three of four, for sure. And…" Jarrod hesitated, wondering whether or not to mention the boy's tongue, and recalled his father's admonition: Don't tell him more than he's asking for! He decided to not even approach that yet. Next lesson, if there needs to be one, he thought in amusement; to be honest, Jarrod had a feeling that once he got his jitters out of the way, Brother Heath would do just fine on his own.

"And what?"

"And keep your lips soft and welcoming… if she's not too stiff, you could gently pull her close to you, but just play that by ear. This is your first kiss… don't rush it."

Jarrod studied his brother, seeing the frown of concentration and his big brother heart melted a bit… poor kid. "Hang in there, Heath. You'll be surprised. If you just relax, and take it slowly, nature should really help you figure out what your next step should be. Pay attention to her. See what her actions are telling you. Does she look scared, or stiff? Then back off but smile at her so she knows you're confident and enjoyed her kiss, too."

Jarrod patiently waited, watching all of this information secure itself in his little brother's mind. He saw Heath relax considerably and grinned as the boy shyly smiled at his older brother. "Thanks… Pappy. This helped a lot."

"And you're not going to tell me the name of this Venus who's caught your eye?"

"Nope," responded Heath, getting up from the bed, and heading for the door, tossing over his shoulder, "after all, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell!"

Jarrod laughed softly as the door clicked quietly closed.

~-oo0oo-~