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The gleam of headlights shining through the window was his signal to turn off the television set.

With a weary and relieved sigh, Detective Steve Sloan put down the remote and hastily pulled the blankets up. Unlike the bedside lamp, the glow from the television was undetectable from the driveway. So, on the nights spent waiting for Jesse to come home, he used television to while away the hours instead of reading.

It was silly, Steve knew, but the big man simply couldn't sleep when his lover worked the late shift. Jesse Travis was a full-grown man, after all, entrusted with the lives and wellbeing of his patients at Community General Hospital. The young man probably made more life and death decisions in one day than most people had to make in decades, if not their entire lifetime. But Steve also knew Jesse well and that, while he had a good head on his shoulders for medical matters, the doctor could be a bit naïve when it came to his own personal safety.

So, being the older overprotective lover that he was, Steve couldn't help but worry when Jesse had to travel the streets of Los Angeles alone in the wee hours of the morning.

One time - and only one time - Steve had suggested to Jesse that he come pick the other man up when he had to work so late. Snuggled in his bed months later, the memory of Jesse's reaction was still enough to make the policeman wince. Staying up until his lover got in provoked a similar backlash, Jesse showing his own protective streak by admonishing the older man about denying himself rest when he had to work the next day, especially since Steve's chosen profession was such a potentially dangerous one.

Unfortunately for Steve, he'd soon learned that sleep was beyond him when Jesse wasn't there. The two men shared their own Malibu beach home and even the familiar sound of the waves wasn't enough to lull the big man into slumber when his lover was absent. So, he continued to wait up for Jesse's return, but had adopted the practice of pretending to go to bed to keep the peace.

Steve smiled in the soft darkness of the bedroom when he heard the door open and then Jesse's deep sigh of relief upon finally being home. He'd had enough long days himself to appreciate the feeling of leaving all the crap of the daily grind behind him. A short silence followed, which the detective knew meant that Jesse was toeing his shoes off without bothering to untie them first, just like a kid. A soft creak heralded the fact that the doctor had made it to the stairs and Steve hunkered down deeper into the covers, making his body relax in a reasonable facsimile of sleep.

It was all the big man could do not to turn over when he heard the soft footfalls that weren't quite swallowed by the plush carpet of the bedroom. Not wanting ruin Jesse's attempt not to disturb his non-existent slumber, however, Steve stayed where he was. He almost lost his determination, however, when he heard the hushed rustle of cloth that meant that his lover was getting undressed. Watching Jesse disrobe was not an event that he liked missing, even for noble reasons like not letting the younger man know that he worried about him.

A dip in the mattress indicated that Jesse was climbing into bed and was excuse enough for Steve to pretend to wake up. Not watching Jesse strip was one thing, but he'd be damned if he missed his good night kiss.

"Hmmmmm….. welcome home, babe," Steve said, a languid stretch completing the picture of a man just waking up. When Jesse didn't respond, the big detective opened his eyes, a bit worried at the younger man's silence.

To his surprise, Jesse was laying on his side, head propped up on one arm, grinning fondly down at him. The doctor chuckled when he saw his lover's eyes open, then bent for a quick kiss. "How long you gonna keep this up, Steve?"

Steve looked at his mate in genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"This whole charade about going to bed," Jesse snuggled closer, taking up his half of the bed and then some. "I know you wait up for me, don't even try to deny it."

Busted.

The older man sighed. "How did you know."

Jesse laughed, glad that for once his observation skills were better than Steve's. "My pillow," he said smugly. When the detective still looked confused, he explained. "When you really go to sleep when I'm not in bed, you always cuddle and curl up with it." Jesse patted the cushion in question, which was as fluffed as when the bed had been made that morning. "But this hasn't been disturbed."

"Oh," the policemen was chagrined to be caught in his charade, even if it did mean that Jesse's detective skills were improving. "Hadn't thought about that." Seeing that the younger man's smile hadn't wavered, he asked tentatively, "You don't mind? You were kind of adamant about it before."

"Nah," Jesse said, wiggling until he got into the position that he wanted, pillowed on top of Steve's bigger body. "I finally realized that you being overprotective had almost nothing to do with me and everything to do with you." The doctor yawned, his face nestled against his lover's neck. "It's your way of saying that you love me."

"You got that straight, babe," Steve said, curling his arms around the tired young man.

"What do you do while you're waiting up, anyway, watch television?" Jesse asked, trying hard not to succumb to sleep. Unfortunately, he was too tired to initiate anything more amorous than conversation.

"Yeah, some new science fiction show."

Jesse's head lifted, his blue eyes slits as he gave his lover a considering look. "I think I know the one you mean. Is that the one with the Hercules guy on it… and the buff dude in the metal shirt and the braids?"

Steve chuckled, pleased to see Jesse's jealous side. "No, it's the one with the cute blonde engineer," he corrected the other man, kissing his nose. Jesse was a little sensitive about his height and sometimes thought that Steve was longing for a taller, more muscular lover.

"Oh," the doctor said, mollified. "That's okay then."

Steve gently pressed on the back of Jesse's head, encouraging the smaller man to nestle close again. When Jess complied, he took up a rhythmic stroking that started with Jesse's hair and ended at the curve of the younger man's buttocks. He could feel the fatigue in the doctor's body and hear it in his voice too. Sleep was what was needed now, for both of them.

Wrapped around his lover's body as he followed him into slumber, glad that he had the real thing in his arms instead of the poor pillow substitute.

~the end~