Jassandra One Shots

Raking Leaves

Cassandra sat on the back steps of her boyfriend's little rental house, nursing a hot cocoa and watching him raking leaves in his small backyard. It had only one tree, but it was a big one and it produced a number of leaves.

The big pile he was producing made her think of long ago fall days when she'd look out her window and see the kids in the neighborhood playing in the piles. She'd only been let go join in a few times and that was when she'd been very young, well before her studies had completely taken over her life.

Stone looked up from his chore and grinned at her, thinking about how fetching she looked in her red plaid skirt and scarf. Cassandra always made him think of Autumn no matter what season it was. She just looked perfect right where she was, on his steps, in his house, in his life.

But his tender musings were cut short when suddenly a red headed blur raced past him launching herself into the pile of leaves he'd so carefully arranged.

"What the hell? Cassie? Whatcha doin'?"

"Jumping in the leaves!" came the voice of his girlfriend though he couldn't actually see her.

"Okay, maybe the question should have been why?"

"Why not?"

Okay, maybe she had him there. Given her childhood, he wondered if that was something she'd ever been allowed to do.

"Now I'm gonna have to do this all over."

"Oh, I'll help you. Come on though, don't you wanna jump in the pile too? You know you want to." A leaf covered head poked up, looking at him with big eyes.

He studied her for a moment before putting down his rake. Next thing she knew, she was being propelled backward once more by him pouncing right on her.

She laughed, delighted.

"Okay, you're right, this is my kinda fun right here," Jacob said from above her just before their lips met.

The kiss was warm and deep and Cassandra wanted to sink into it. But she had an impish streak and as one of Jacob's hands slipped down from her waist, probably intending to sneak down to the hemline of her skirt, she tossed a handful of leaves from behind her on his head.

"Hey!"

She giggled, rolling out of his embrace. He threw a handful of leaves back at her and soon they were racing around the backyard like children, having a leaf war.

Finally he caught her at the back steps, both slightly out of breath. He grabbed her around the waist and she giggled.

"Oh no, what are you going to do with me?" she asked, pouting for effect.

"I should put ya in leaf jail. Or make you clean up this mess."

She nodded. "Well, it is my fault."

"But I think," Jacob leaned down and captured her lips with his. When they parted on a sigh, he said "we leave the cleanup for tomorrow and we go inside and um warm up."

She chuckled, a twinkle in her eye. "It is chilly out here."

"Then the bed sounds like the best place for us."

"Race ya!" Cassandra yelled, running into the house.

Stone just laughed and ran after her.

The End