All The Way

Elvichar

Warnings: NC-17 (for bad language and stuff!)
Fandom: The Whole Nine Yards
Archive: Well yeah!
Summary: After Jimmy and Oz part company they still have some unfinished business.

“So how ya doing?”

The voice on the phone was very familiar. For a second Oz felt his throat tighten. Then, “Jimmy?” He tried to put in as much good natured bon hommie as he could muster.

What could the not-really-dead onetime hitman possibly want. Oz tried to stop himself panicking.

*******************
The last thing he’d said to Jimmy, on the boat, was “You love her don’t you?”

Jimmy had replied, “Her?” with a quirky twist of the eyebrow.

For a while afterward Oz had wondered exactly what that was supposed to mean. He kept trying to tell himself, “Jill - he’s in love with Jill.” But he knew that wasn’t what Jimmy meant. Not really.

The suspicion was confirmed a month or two later. Jill had visited, just passing by on the way to a hit.

“So - how is he?” Oz had asked, feigning polite indifference.

“He? Who he?” Jill had asked, gulping down the scotch and soda Oz had poured.

“Well...you know..Jimmy,” The last bit was whispered - no one was supposed to know he was alive after all.

Jill laughed. “ God, I haven’t seen him for weeks. He set me up with this job though,” she tapped her nose, “Don’t tell.”

“But I thought you and he...”

“Us?” Jill laughed again, a short sharp snort, “No I don’t think so. Jimmy? We talking about the same Jimmy?”

“But... he loves you. He told me.”

Jill stared at Oz as if trying to decide something. She sat back with her drink - whatever it was she was going to say she didn’t say it.

Instead she said, “So - where’s Cynthia - thought you two would still be in the honeymoon period by now.”

Oz blushed. “She...ah...she..” What was he supposed to say. They had honeymooned - in Arruba, which after Sophie Oz had vowed never to visit again. But Cynthia insisted. Said it would be cathartic. It was. For a while everything seemed fine. Great even. Then about three days in Cynthia started to look at him funny. They were arguing by day four.

On day six she left - leaving the words “I knew this would happen - Jimmy the fucking tulip strikes again,” hanging enigmatically behind her.

“Cynthia had to go and visit a sick aunt,” Oz said finally. Firmly.

“Yeah - with all that money she should be able to get good treatment,” Jill answered.

Oz looked questioningly at his ex-receptionist.

“You know,” Jill continued, winking, “Jimmy’s little wedding present.”

“What wedding present?” Oz was confused now.

Jill wondered whether he was kidding around. “Ah. Very funny,” She said after a while, “’What wedding present?’ good one.”

“No. I mean it. Jimmy disappeared before we got married. There was no wedding present.”

Jill breathed in. It was the sort of gasp some of his patients made when they were just going under, Oz thought.

“Oh I’m sorry honey,” Jill had risen to her feet. She walked over to where Oz was sitting and hugged him. Oz just sat there - unsure of what was going on. But he did know Jill knew he was lying about Cynthia.

“Sorry?” Oz pretended he had no idea what she was talking about for precisely three seconds, then, “Jill - what happened? I loved her. I...think I loved her...why did she have to leave?”

“Listen Oz - it wasn’t love. You were all screwed up after Sophie - it could happen to anyone. Don’t worry.”

“Aren’t you supposed to comfort me - say “she’ll be back - she loves you Oz?’”

“Honey,” Jill looked at him seriously, “She’s not coming back.”

*****************

Sinister.

The word kept coming back to him every time he thought about Jill’s words.

He didn’t want Cynthia dead. Well a part of him did, but not a good part. Yeah, she’d hurt him, but he was sure he must have deserved it in some way.

Look what happened between him and Sophie. It couldn’t have been just her. He must have provoked her for her to have wanted him dead so much.

Maybe he was just a bad person. Maybe he’d just have to try harder next time.

And Cynthia was so beautiful. Far too beautiful and sweet and fragile for a klutz like him.

Far too beautiful to die.

*****************

“Jimmy. You musn’t do it. It wasn’t Cynthia’s fault. I’m sure it must have been me. Don’t do it. Please.” The words were coming out more and more strangulated as Oz tried to plead with his estranged wife’s late husband.

“Oz - do what? What you talking about buddy. I just wanted to shoot the breeze. Catch up.”

“So you won’t kill her?” Oz was surprised.

“She deserves it. But no. I won’t kill her. Not if you don’t want me to.”

“I don’t.”

“You’re a sweet guy Oz. And that’s why I’m never going to tell you how much Cynthia has done. Hey - maybe she just wasn’t right for you. You haven’t met the right person yet. Or maybe you have and you just never figured it out.”

“Right,” Oz was still very suspicious.

“Will you meet me. I mean I’d come around your place - but there are eyes everywhere,” Jimmy laughed. Oz joined in the laugh half-heartedly.

“Meet you. Yeah. Somewhere with a lot of people though.”

“You like Mexican food?”

***********************

Mexico.

Oz couldn’t believe he’d been suckered into coming all the way down here. <I’m going to die> he thought to himself.

He was nursing his third tequila sunrise when Jimmy entered the bar.

“You hungry?” He smiled at Oz. For some reason the smile made Oz slightly giddy. <Must be the tequila> he thought.

“Yeah - I haven’t ordered yet. Is the food good here?”

“Oh yeah. I highly recommend the burritos. No mayonnaise,” Jimmy winked and suddenly Oz really felt like running away.

“So - you adjusting to your new life?” Oz said, trying to stop the butterflies in his stomach from flying up and choking him.

“I’m not here to talk about that. How are you holding up?” Jimmy put his hand on Oz’s arm, “I’ve missed you,” the big tough hitman looked embarrassed somehow, and quickly added, “You make me laugh.”

“Yeah. I missed you too,” Oz said quietly.

“You know she wasn’t right for you. It’s probably better it ended so soon.”

“Yeah I know,” And Oz realised he wasn’t pretending. Jimmy was right. It had all been a stupid mistake. “Guess I was just lonely after being with Sophie for so long. Cynthia was a ray of light in my dark prison cell,” Oz laughed nervously.

“You know prison isn’t all bad. There are definite pros to the cons.”

Oz guffawed despite himself. Then he started to sob.

“Oh no, Oz.” Jimmy looked uncomfortable for a few seconds, then he moved his chair closer to the weeping dentist and put his arms on his shoulders. “Ok. Ok, let it out.” He pulled Oz in for a hug. <just consoling a friend> he assured himself <I’m tough, I can hold out>.

“I’m..I’m...sorry,” Oz said between sobs. It was nice here,on Jimmy’s shoulder. Made him feel that someone actually cared if he lived or died. The thought froze him. What if Cynthia had hired Jimmy to kill him. Would she do that? Would he do that? What if Jill had sent him.

Oz pulled away and sat up.

“What? Something spooked you?” Jimmy looked worried.

“Are you here to kill me?”

Jimmy looked genuinely shocked. And hurt. Oz could swear he almost saw tears in his eyes - but they could have been his own, clouding his vision.

“I would never, never do that to you,” Jimmy blinked. Oh my god they were tears.

“Then...wh...why? Why are we here. What do you want from me.”

Jimmy laughed then. A bitter, short snort. “Yeah - should have know it was just me. “

“Just you what? What are you talking about?”

“Just love. That’s all. Nothing important,” Jimmy got up to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m an idiot. Okay,” Jimmy shouted before stomping out.

*********************

<Love?> Oz wondered whether Jimmy had being lying when he said he didn’t love Cynthia anymore. But that was just stupid. Jill had also seemed pretty adamant he wasn’t in love with her. He must have met a local senorita - maybe she wasn’t responding and Jimmy needed a friend to talk it over with. <Yeah - like I know anything about women> He thought ruefully.

He got up to see where Jimmy had disappeared to.

As he was leaving a hand grabbed his arm and swung him around.

“Ok. I’m not going to say any more after this. I just want you to know that if I’ve been an idiot about this you’ve been a fucking moron,”

<Hey that’s not fair> Oz thought, he opened his moth to object, although he wasn’t sure what he was objecting to.

“No - don’t say any more,” Oz went to speak again, “no!” Jimmy warned.

They stood there for several seconds. Facing each other. Jimmy’s hand was still solidly, on Oz’s arm. Then his other arm was gripped.

Jimmy smiled with his disarming lopsided grin. The one that kept making Oz’s stomach jump. He was definitely hungry. Very hungry.

“We need to go indoors,” Jimmy said.

“wh..”

“No,” Jimmy said, leading Oz across the street. And into a hotel. And up the stairs. And into a room.

And suddenly, onto the bed.

<Oh my god> thought Oz. But he didn’t make much effort to extricate himself.

JImmy’s disarming, charming mouth was hovering around Oz’s neck. His perfect, lovely teeth were gently biting. Getting lower.

Oz felt his shirt being undone. Felt the rough-smooth palm of Jimmy’s hand slipping inside, stroking.

Oz really wanted to move, but he’d forgotten how. Well - most of him had forgotten. One particular part of his anatomy had obviously remembered very well. And it had been so long. One night with the woman of his dreams almost four months ago did not make up for five years of absolutely no sex. No love. Nothing.

Oh this was what he needed.

Jimmy had reached Oz’s pants. The baggy low crotch chinos that were, Oz had long ago learned, perfect for hiding the embarrassing, telltale signs of lust.

Once they were open there was no disguising these signs. One particular sign, pointing due north.

Jimmy looked up and smiled. Before looking back down and dealing with the matter at hand. And mouth.

<Oh god this is what I needed> both of them thought in unison.

*****************

“And we’re just going to take this slow?” Oz said afterwards. He’d rushed in once before, not so long ago. He was not going to make the same mistake again.

“Slow. Yeah. Real slow.” Jimmy grinned.

Jimmy’s mind flashed back to that time on the boat. The “her?”

He shook his head. For a smart guy Oz could be really dumb.


End