diff --git a/lib/mongo.rb b/lib/mongo.rb
index fed0f856ba..7c57e7fa10 100644
--- a/lib/mongo.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo.rb
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ module Constants
 require 'mongo/util/pool_manager'
 require 'mongo/util/sharding_pool_manager'
 require 'mongo/util/server_version'
+require 'mongo/util/socket_util'
 require 'mongo/util/ssl_socket'
 require 'mongo/util/tcp_socket'
 require 'mongo/util/unix_socket'
diff --git a/lib/mongo/cursor.rb b/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
index 847c435488..f09f3b220d 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/cursor.rb
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ def initialize(collection, opts={})
       @options    = 0
 
       # Use this socket for the query
-      @socket            = opts[:socket]
-      @socket_provided   = !!@socket
+      @socket = opts[:socket]
+      @pool   = nil
 
       @closed       = false
       @query_run    = false
@@ -324,7 +324,16 @@ def close
         message.put_int(1)
         message.put_long(@cursor_id)
         log(:debug, "Cursor#close #{@cursor_id}")
-        @connection.send_message(Mongo::Constants::OP_KILL_CURSORS, message, :socket => @socket)
+        begin
+          socket = @pool.checkout
+          @connection.send_message(
+            Mongo::Constants::OP_KILL_CURSORS,
+            message,
+            :socket => socket
+          )
+        ensure
+          socket.checkin
+        end
       end
       @cursor_id = 0
       @closed    = true
@@ -461,22 +470,23 @@ def send_initial_query
       instrument(:find, instrument_payload) do
         begin
           message = construct_query_message
-          @socket ||= checkout_socket_from_connection
+          socket = @socket || checkout_socket_from_connection
           results, @n_received, @cursor_id = @connection.receive_message(
-            Mongo::Constants::OP_QUERY, message, nil, @socket, @command,
+            Mongo::Constants::OP_QUERY, message, nil, socket, @command,
             nil, @options & OP_QUERY_EXHAUST != 0)
         rescue ConnectionFailure => ex
+          socket.close if socket
           @connection.refresh
           if tries < 3 && !@socket && (!@command || Mongo::Support::secondary_ok?(@selector))
             tries += 1
             retry
           else
-            raise
+            raise ex
           end
         rescue OperationFailure, OperationTimeout => ex
           raise ex
         ensure
-          @socket.pool.checkin(@socket) if @socket && @socket.pool && !@socket_provided
+          socket.checkin unless @socket || socket.nil?
         end
         @returned += @n_received
         @cache += results
@@ -506,13 +516,13 @@ def send_get_more
       message.put_long(@cursor_id)
       log(:debug, "cursor.refresh() for cursor #{@cursor_id}") if @logger
 
-      @socket.pool.checkout if @socket.pool
+      socket = checkout_socket_from_connection
 
       begin
         results, @n_received, @cursor_id = @connection.receive_message(
-          Mongo::Constants::OP_GET_MORE, message, nil, @socket, @command, nil)
+          Mongo::Constants::OP_GET_MORE, message, nil, socket, @command, nil)
       ensure
-        @socket.pool.checkin(@socket) if @socket.pool
+        socket.checkin
       end
 
       @returned += @n_received
@@ -523,14 +533,16 @@ def send_get_more
     def checkout_socket_from_connection
       begin
         if @command && !Mongo::Support::secondary_ok?(@selector)
-          @connection.checkout_reader(:primary)
+          socket = @connection.checkout_reader(:primary)
         else
-          @connection.checkout_reader(@read, @tag_sets, @acceptable_latency)
+          socket = @connection.checkout_reader(@read, @tag_sets, @acceptable_latency)
         end
       rescue SystemStackError, NoMemoryError, SystemCallError => ex
         @connection.close
         raise ex
       end
+      @pool = socket.pool
+      socket
     end
 
     def checkin_socket(sock)
diff --git a/lib/mongo/db.rb b/lib/mongo/db.rb
index fc6e04f47a..41f5fc9d57 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/db.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/db.rb
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ def authenticate(username, password, save_auth=true)
         socket = @connection.checkout_reader(:primary_preferred)
         issue_authentication(username, password, save_auth, :socket => socket)
       ensure
-        socket.pool.checkin(socket) if socket
+        socket.checkin if socket
       end
 
       @connection.authenticate_pools
diff --git a/lib/mongo/mongo_client.rb b/lib/mongo/mongo_client.rb
index d6941547aa..cbaa7331af 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/mongo_client.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/mongo_client.rb
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ def checkout_writer
     # Note: this is overridden in MongoReplicaSetClient.
     def checkin(socket)
       if @primary_pool && socket && socket.pool
-        socket.pool.checkin(socket)
+        socket.checkin
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/mongo/mongo_replica_set_client.rb b/lib/mongo/mongo_replica_set_client.rb
index 7ac2fbaa12..ba36f12bf6 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/mongo_replica_set_client.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/mongo_replica_set_client.rb
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ def checkout_writer
     # Checkin a socket used for reading.
     def checkin(socket)
       if socket && socket.pool
-        socket.pool.checkin(socket)
+        socket.checkin
       end
       sync_refresh
     end
diff --git a/lib/mongo/networking.rb b/lib/mongo/networking.rb
index 9a3ba354d3..ef1eaead3b 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/networking.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/networking.rb
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def send_message(operation, message, opts={})
         raise ex
       ensure
         if sock
-          sock.pool.checkin(sock)
+          sock.checkin
         end
       end
     end
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ def receive_message(operation, message, log_message=nil, socket=nil, command=fal
         send_message_on_socket(packed_message, socket)
         result = receive(socket, request_id, exhaust)
       rescue ConnectionFailure => ex
+        socket.close
         checkin(socket)
         raise ex
       rescue SystemStackError, NoMemoryError, SystemCallError => ex
diff --git a/lib/mongo/util/socket_util.rb b/lib/mongo/util/socket_util.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..90a27459a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/mongo/util/socket_util.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+module SocketUtil
+
+  attr_accessor :pool, :pid
+
+  def checkout
+    @pool.checkout if @pool
+  end
+
+  def checkin
+    @pool.checkin(self) if @pool
+  end
+
+  def close
+    @socket.close unless closed?
+  end
+
+  def closed?
+    @socket.closed?
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/mongo/util/ssl_socket.rb b/lib/mongo/util/ssl_socket.rb
index f068b4088c..a640b50b83 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/util/ssl_socket.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/util/ssl_socket.rb
@@ -8,19 +8,18 @@ module Mongo
   # a TCP connection over SSL and then provides an basic interface
   # mirroring Ruby's TCPSocket, vis., TCPSocket#send and TCPSocket#read.
   class SSLSocket
-
-    attr_accessor :pool, :pid
+    include SocketUtil
 
     def initialize(host, port, op_timeout=nil, connect_timeout=nil)
       @op_timeout = op_timeout
       @connect_timeout = connect_timeout
       @pid = Process.pid
 
-      @socket = ::TCPSocket.new(host, port)
-      @socket.setsockopt(Socket::IPPROTO_TCP, Socket::TCP_NODELAY, 1)
+      @tcp_socket = ::TCPSocket.new(host, port)
+      @tcp_socket.setsockopt(Socket::IPPROTO_TCP, Socket::TCP_NODELAY, 1)
 
-      @ssl = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket.new(@socket)
-      @ssl.sync_close = true
+      @socket = OpenSSL::SSL::SSLSocket.new(@tcp_socket)
+      @socket.sync_close = true
 
       connect
     end
@@ -28,33 +27,25 @@ def initialize(host, port, op_timeout=nil, connect_timeout=nil)
     def connect
       if @connect_timeout
         Timeout::timeout(@connect_timeout, ConnectionTimeoutError) do
-          @ssl.connect
+          @socket.connect
         end
       else
-        @ssl.connect
+        @socket.connect
       end
     end
 
     def send(data)
-      @ssl.syswrite(data)
+      @socket.syswrite(data)
     end
 
     def read(length, buffer)
       if @op_timeout
         Timeout::timeout(@op_timeout, OperationTimeout) do
-          @ssl.sysread(length, buffer)
+          @socket.sysread(length, buffer)
         end
       else
-        @ssl.sysread(length, buffer)
+        @socket.sysread(length, buffer)
       end 
     end
-
-    def close
-      @ssl.close
-    end
-
-    def closed?
-      @ssl.closed?
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/mongo/util/tcp_socket.rb b/lib/mongo/util/tcp_socket.rb
index 8d8d9a9021..8c1498c2fe 100644
--- a/lib/mongo/util/tcp_socket.rb
+++ b/lib/mongo/util/tcp_socket.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ module Mongo
   # sans Timeout::timeout
   #
   class TCPSocket
-    attr_accessor :pool, :pid
+    include SocketUtil
 
     def initialize(host, port, op_timeout=nil, connect_timeout=nil)
       @op_timeout = op_timeout
@@ -58,13 +58,5 @@ def read(maxlen, buffer)
         raise ConnectionFailure, ex
       end
     end
-
-    def close
-      @socket.close
-    end
-
-    def closed?
-      @socket.closed?
-    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/functional/cursor_test.rb b/test/functional/cursor_test.rb
index 3a9643e8cb..c84a9bc1c9 100644
--- a/test/functional/cursor_test.rb
+++ b/test/functional/cursor_test.rb
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ def setup
     @@coll_full_name = "#{MONGO_TEST_DB}.test"
   end
 
-  def test_alive_and_cursor_socket_affinity
+  def test_alive
     batch = []
     5000.times do |n|
       batch << {:a => n}
@@ -24,16 +24,10 @@ def test_alive_and_cursor_socket_affinity
 
     @@coll.insert(batch)
     cursor = @@coll.find
-    assert !cursor.instance_variable_get(:@socket)
     assert !cursor.alive?
     cursor.next
-    socket = cursor.instance_variable_get(:@socket)
-    assert socket
     assert cursor.alive?
-    200.times { cursor.next }
-    assert_equal socket, cursor.instance_variable_get(:@socket)
     cursor.close
-    assert_equal socket, cursor.instance_variable_get(:@socket)
     assert !cursor.alive?
     @@coll.remove
   end
diff --git a/test/test_helper.rb b/test/test_helper.rb
index fdb673b32d..84898245ab 100755
--- a/test/test_helper.rb
+++ b/test/test_helper.rb
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ def new_mock_socket(host='localhost', port=27017)
     socket.stubs(:setsockopt).with(Socket::IPPROTO_TCP, Socket::TCP_NODELAY, 1)
     socket.stubs(:close)
     socket.stubs(:closed?)
+    socket.stubs(:checkin)
+    socket.stubs(:pool)
     socket
   end
 
diff --git a/test/unit/collection_test.rb b/test/unit/collection_test.rb
index 9965e14f53..82d62dbdde 100644
--- a/test/unit/collection_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/collection_test.rb
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class CollectionTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       @client = MongoClient.new('localhost', 27017, :logger => @logger, :connect => false)
       @db   = @client['testing']
       @coll = @db.collection('books')
-      @client.expects(:checkout_reader).returns(mock(:pool))
+      @client.expects(:checkout_reader).returns(new_mock_socket)
       @client.expects(:receive_message).with do |op, msg, log, sock|
         op == 2004
       end.returns([[], 0, 0])