Good Morning Sunshine

Richie & Libby

by Atonia and Layne

Richie came alive slowly his right arm was still asleep and a fluttering of his eyes revealed why. He blinked a few times…who? Oh shit it was Libby curled against him, using his arm as a pillow. She was still sleeping. As the fog of his brain cleared, he realized they were both fully dressed and the night in the Tavern came back to him in a series of snapshots.

He didn’t remember coming up the stairs with her but here she was in his bed and other parts of his body were coming awake now. He felt her breath on his neck and he rubbed his left hand down his thigh and then placed it on her hip. She stirred slightly and he hugged her closer to him, it felt good to hold somebody he buried his face in her hair.

Libby was having a wonderful dream. Someone--she didn't see a face, but she could just guess who it was--was lying beside her on soft, warm grass in the sun. As she stirred and felt his body hardening, she felt his hand on her hip, pressing her closer. God, it felt good to be held! Nuzzling closer, she found his lips and kissed him, opening her mouth and allowing him to explore deeper.

Richie kissed her deeply, savoring her mouth, and his left hand found her breast. Kneading gently, he pressed himself against her, drawing his knee up between her legs.

The lips and hands, exploring her mouth and body felt wonderful. When she felt him between her legs, Libby relaxed, allowing him access to her. The hand on her breast slid beneath her top and cupped it. His body was on top of hers then, pressing her back into that sweet, soft grass.

She pushed her hands inside his shirt, anxious to explore him as well, and moaned softly. Then, she opened her eyes.

Richie had just kissed her again and drew back a bit. Nose to nose, he saw her eyes come open and the shocked look registered and he stopped cold, “Libby?” he whispered breathlessly his body still pressing against her.

"Richie?" she whispered back, feeling unable to move. The eyes she was looking into were blue-green, not the brown ones she'd expected to see. She had to get up!

But did she? Did she really? Libby wondered to herself. He still felt good. His hand on her breast, her hands against the skin inside his shirt... There was no Dan any more. No March. Richie didn't have anyone either. Why shouldn't they-?

Then she remembered last night. The way they'd talked as friends. She didn't want to ruin that, and if they went on, it would be ruined. Slowly, reluctantly, she removed her hands.

Richie read her eyes and dropped his head against her shoulder; oh fuck he thought. Raising himself on his arms he looked at her, “It ain’t gonna happen is it?’ he said softly. His eyes softened, “Why did you have to wake up?”

"I-I don't know." Libby laughed a little awkwardly. "Why did I?"

Raising one hand, she pushed her fingers through his hair. "It's not because I don't want to, Richie. Really. I do want to. I just- I like being friends with you and if we do this- We ruin that."

“You’re killing me here Libby. We can still be friends, you help me, I help you. That’s what friends do. Come on I need some help here.”

"Friends with benefits, you mean?" she asked him. "That's what they called it in college. Is that what you wanna be?"

She looked away from his eyes for a minute. "I don't know if I can do that, Richie. I'm afraid- I'm afraid I'd fall in love with you, and then it'd hurt too bad to see you with someone else."

“I like the idea of friendly benefits Libby, but you don’t want to fall in love with me…I would end up hurting you…that’s what I do best. I’ve got a proven track record there.” He moved off of her. Propping his head up on his now alive right hand he traced his fingers across her bare stomach.

Libby drew her breath in sharply at the feel of those fingers on her skin. Tried to think and focus, in spite of the desire she was feeling just to let things happen. Joking the way they had last night. Maybe that was the best way to handle this.

"How do you know you'd like the benefits, Richie?" She was trying to be teasing. "For all you know, I'm lousy in bed! Maybe you just spent the best night any guy will ever spend with me! Sleeping! And putting your arm to sleep!" She ran her hand up and down his right arm.

"I don't know-" She was serious again. "Maybe this would be the ideal relationship if we could do it. Just friends. Just friends who help each other out when they need it. Sleep together when they need to. I really need a friend right now, Richie."

“With benefits?” he trailed his fingers a little higher. He could do it but he wasn’t sure about her. “No strings attached Libby, but I’ll be here for ya. I’ll be your friend and hey, I could use one too ya know. Somebody to talk to when you feel like talking and somebody to-ah-sleep with when you feel like-um-sleeping,” he smiled. “I’m not sure you could handle that.”

Suddenly, Libby felt a little more lighthearted. She'd never been able to talk this way with anyone before. Definitely not Dan and not even March. Did relationships always have to be trouble? With Richie, at least she'd know where she stood going in. They'd be friends and, suddenly, friendship seemed a lot more important than anything else.

Her mind made up, with a little help from her body, Libby smiled up at Richie as she slid her hands back inside his shirt. "I think I can handle it, Richie." The words were almost a whisper as her hands moved over him.

"You want to tell me a little more about those, um-benefits- we were talking about?"

“I don’t feel like talking,” His mouth closed over hers and he fumbled with her jeans, his shirt came off and soon their clothes were in a pile next to the bed. The sun was now full on streaming through his window, but neither of them noticed.

A long while later, Libby stretched and turned over toward Richie, giving him a long kiss. "I think I know now why there's so much gossip about you, Roberts. By the ladies, anyway! Whew!"

Her eyes twinkled at him. "You don't do things halfway, do you?"

He grinned, “I take it you’re not disappointed, neither am I, “ he gave her a playful pat on her bottom. “You know what, I’m hungry. I don’t think I ate any dinner last night. I drank it if I remember correctly.” He ran a finger over her lips, “wanna go down for breakfast?”

Now that she was actually lying still, Libby's stomach was telling her the same thing. "Yeah, I drank dinner last night too. First time I've ever done that. Don't think I like the feeling."

She returned his grin. "Breakfast sounds good. Just let me grab a quick shower." Wrapping a sheet around herself, she got up and headed for the bathroom. Saw Richie looking amused at the sheet.

"Well-" Libby told him, almost defensively. "I don't usually walk around naked in front of my 'friends', Roberts. This could take some getting used to."

Richie sat up on the side of the bed and looked at his watch. He was already an hour late to the office. He stood up and lit a cigarette and opened his curtains. ‘Friends with benefits’ he smiled, liking the benefit part. He found his clothes and dressed, thinking he’d come up later and clean up and go to work. Libby had been quite a surprise. He’d almost felt guilty when he found her in his bed but not now. She was fun and he was going to enjoy being her friend.

After showering and getting her long, curly hair half-dry, Libby came out of the bathroom and dressed. She was a little surprised by how quickly she could be comfortable around Richie, but it was a nice feeling. In college, she'd always thought that "friends with benefits" thing was a crock, but maybe she'd been missing out on something.

Richie had dressed already. He was smoking a cigarette and had the news on low in the background. Seemed he was perfectly comfortable around her too. As she was tying the sneakers she'd had on last night, she thought of something.

"Richie." She looked over to where he was standing at the open window. "At least half the Glen eats breakfast here. What's gonna happen when we go downstairs together? I mean- I don't care what people say about me, but you're a solicitor. And you're running for office. I don't want gossip to be a problem for you."

“Gossip follows me like a shadow Libby. If I did half the things I’m accused of, I’d never get a full night’s sleep. I don’t want you to be a target. Why don’t I go down and get a table, give it a beat and you come down and join me. The people in the restaurant won’t know where you came from and the ones in the hallway can wonder.”

"Sounds like a plan." She stood up. "So- Am I supposed to kiss you goodbye or just shake hands?"

Richie grinned and crossed over to her, took her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. “We’ll shake hands later,” he gave her bottom an affection pat, “see ya at breakfast, sunshine.” He left pulling the door quietly behind him.

As she waited to go down and join him, Libby thought to herself how much she enjoyed that easy affection, that joking and laughing together. As well as the kissing and and all the other 'benefits'. "Sunshine" he'd called her. That was nice.

When she entered the dining room, she picked him out easily in the crowd and smiled at him. She saw heads turn when she sat down across from him and ignored them. During breakfast, they laughed and talked as easily as they had last night, without the benefit of alcohol.

As they walked out the door, Libby told him, "Well, that didn't go too badly."

Richie had noticed the heads turning too, but he wasn’t going to give them anything to talk about this morning. He turned to Libby at the door, “it was great, all of it…I’ll see you around kid,” he walked toward the stairs and smiled at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah, it WAS great." She smiled back at him. "And I definitely hope you see me around."

Richie took the stairs two at a time and rushed back to his room and undressed, his mind already on the day ahead when he entered his shower. It was when he was dressing for work that he thought about her again and hoped he hadn’t made a mistake. He liked her and definitely liked the benefits of friendship. He needed a friend. Maybe it would work. It was too soon to know.

Libby headed for work at the Glen Times office, her mind on writing up the notes she'd taken at the hospital in Coff's last night. She'd taken some time, after leaving Abby and Colin alone, to check out the condition of the others from the Glen. She needed to get that ready and then do some research on a column she was writing.

On her way, she saw Mr. Jessup outside his shop, staring at her. Grinning to herself, she waved to him. "Good morning, Mr. Jessup! Beautiful day, isn't it?" That ought to give the old busybody something else to chew on, she thought.

It was as she was opening the door of the office that she thought about Richie. What was she going to tell Cal and Colleen about being late this morning? 'I was helping a friend through a bad time,' was the first thought that ran through her head. True enough. After all, she didn't have to mention what kind of help she'd given!

Libby thought she was on the right track with Richie Roberts. She needed a friend, and those benefits with him were--whew!