485.

Minus 315.

"Not enough left." I sighed, wishing I could add a few zero's to the end of my pay check.

"Not enough what?" Zoe, my roommate, flopped down on the bed next to where I was running the numbers.

"Money. Time. Sanity." I cradled my head in my hands. "Pick one."

She laughed. "You just need a sugar daddy."

Typical. At 5'10, all curves and blonde hair, Zoe would think that tricking an older, rich man into paying for her every need was easy. Besides the fact that she had all the confidence to match her talk, she was crazy enough to actually try out all of the hair brained schemes that I had been victim of listening to for the past two years.

"Yeah." I snorted. "Right after I flash Professor Norris and rob a bank."

"You're no fun."

"Okay Zo." I nodded. "You're right, I'll just go out and hang around on the corner and wait for Mr. Money. If I disappear, make sure you write "It was for the pursuit of cash" on my tombstone."

"God, Em, people do it all the time!"

"What? Die by the hands of a prostitute murdering psycho? Oh, yes, I know."

She threw a pillow at me. "No! Date older men."

"Okay, still a risk I'm not willing to take." I stood up, hoping to end the conversation by running to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Unfortunately, she followed.

"Why not? Emma Perry," She leaned against the door frame as I stood over the sink. "All you've done for the past two years in hide your face in books and try to work off your student loans before you've even gotten them."

"'Ell, I mi a ell oo i ow." She pried the toothbrush out of my mouth. "Well, I might as well do it now." Mercifully, she walked away at that. "Anyway," I started a small rant. My declared major was genetics, with a minor is psychology, and I hope one day to work in the counseling centers in hospitals. I could psycho-analyze with the best of them. But by the time I was finished and looked out into the room, she was asleep. Unsurprising, because she had a knack at passing out within seconds of my little tirades.

I mulled over her words as I turned off the light and tried to fall asleep as well.

Work the next day was brutal. The local bakery where I held a precarious position as a waitress was packed, with early morning coffee seekers tiredly ordering lots of espresso, which was a pain to make, and we couldn't keep the doughnuts on the shelves.

"Can I get-"

"Let me guess." I grinned up at Harry, one of the local police officers who frequented the store on his early morning shifts. "Black coffee and a chocolate muffin."

He put a hand to his heart. "I'm touched. You remembered."

"After a year and a half, I better." We'd had a sort of banter going on since he'd first walked in, on my first day. I'd gotten his order wrong multiple times, but he was always good natured about it. Over the past month I felt an new sort of flutter when I saw him.

"Thank you, Emma." He smiled as I readied his order.

At 27, he was the youngest cop on the force, and routinely came around for a breakfast run for the other members of his force. They seemed to need a copious amount of bagels, muffins, and other pastries at least twice a week. And he was the talk of the town for quite a while. Apparently his father had died young, leaving his wife and young son with quite the inheritance. But Harry didn't take over his father's business, like everyone expected. He used his trust fund to put himself through college and now worked as a cop, albeit a loaded one. He had been intimidating at first; all dark curls and piercing green eyes, but his sense of humor and manners were what won me over. You could say that I was smitten. He was an older, seemingly unattainable man and I was a broke 21 year old college student that never had a chance.

Which is why, when he placed his badge, coffee and bag on the counter to rifle through his wallet, I made the single biggest decision in my life. I reached out and swiped his badge, tucking it in the front pocket of my apron.

Now, I want to make one thing clear. I wouldn't consider myself a bad person. I did community service and cleaned up parks and baby sat. I didn't cheat on tests or copy homework. I never let a door close on someone behind me and I always said bless you when someone sneezed.

But I was desperate. And sometimes, that's enough.

Harry looked up, and in that split second of heart pounding agony, I swore that he had seen me. But all he did was smile and hand me the exact amount of money before waving and making his way out the door.

All day the badge burned a hole in my pocket. I couldn't think of it without getting a little light headed. What on earth was I going to do with it? Hold it for ransom? I dismissed that thought quickly, but it kept coming back. Maybe Zoe was right. A little persuading and I might be able to pay for this semesters courses and eat.

With that thought in mind, the day went a little faster.

When Harry walked back through the door that night, I was not ready. I didn't think he would have noticed it was gone until late that night, and then be back the next morning looking for it.

"Hey Emma." He walked up to the counter, eyebrows furrowed. "I lost my badge this morning, and I was wondering if you could help me out? Maybe I dropped it here and someone saw it or something."

"Oh-h," I stuttered. I had only imagined him storming up to the counter, demanding the badge back while I batted my eyelashes and held it just out of arms reach. I didn't plan on him being nice, and I certainly hadn't rehearsed what I was going to say. "I-I have it." I stuttered it out. So much for being coy.

"Great." He sighed in relief. "Can I have it then?"

"No." Sure, that was the word that came out strong.

"Excuse me?" He looked confused. I didn't blame him.

"If it means that much to you, you shouldn't just have left it around." I pulled at the strings of my apron. It was time for my shift to end, and Mary, the owner was shooting me looks for loitering behind the counter. I pulled the badge out, in full view of Harry and slipped it in my back pocket.

Harry laughed, crossing his arms and resting a hip on the counter. "So you're gonna teach me a lesson by holding it hostage?"

"Not just hostage. For ransom." I turned to walk around the counter and towards the entrance, thankful that he couldn't see my burning face. What was I doing? "You can have it back-"

"Now." He sidled up next to me, grabbing my elbow and walking me towards the doors.

"Hey wait-"

"Ms. Perry, I'm afraid I'll have to take you in for questioning." His words stuck fear into my heart before I looked up and saw the laughter he was suppressing. We walked through the glass doors and out into the dark parking lot.

"And what for?" We were stopped next to his squad car.

"Robbing me of my badge." He opened the back door, sweeping one hand wide as if I was Cinderella and he was escorting me to my pumpkin. I didn't see a choice from here. I sighed and slid in and he closed the door after me. I waited until he had gotten in and started the car before speaking up.

"Technically, I borrowed it."

"I'm sure that will hold up in court."

I fell silent then. This was leaps and bounds away from the direction I had seen it going. He would probably take me home, or to the station and I'd get a slap on the wrist and give his badge back. And he… he would hate me.

I really had done a poor job of thinking this though. The friendship we'd built over the past few months was going to be shattered because of a moments worth of insanity.

The environment didn't help either. The back of a police car is not the most ideal place to consider your life choices, namely because if you are there, you've probably fucked up a little too much for redemption. It might have been better if there wasn't two inches of bullet proof glass between us.

I looked back up to see Harry studying me in the rearview mirror. I must have looked pretty desolate because his eyes crinkled in the corners in what I assumed to be a smile, and he cleared his throat. "So, what's new with you Emma?"

I choked on a slightly hysterical laugh. "Oh, you know. Arson, gambling, petty thievery."

"The usual."

"As always. And you?"

"You know, taking down arsons, gamblers, and petty thieves."

I didn't have a chance to respond because we pulled up to the station. The station was this huge red brick building that took up the top three floors of the borough building, and it had never looked so ominous.

Harry turned the car off, exiting and opening my door. "Was it really necessary that I rode in the back?"

"Are you a cop?" I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the obvious question. "Only police can sit in the front. You're lucky I didn't use the handcuffs." That set my heart racing again, but for reasons I didn't want to think about at that particular second. "Come on." He led the way up to the marble steps at the front entrance.

The circular desk in the foyer was empty, and we rode the elevator up to the 5th floor in silence. I was slightly afraid of what would come out of my mouth should I open it, but Harry still seemed amused.

When the doors opened, we got a few curious looks, but Harry confidently led the way back to a hallway of doors.

"Styles!" A loud voice called across the room, and a tall man strode over. "I thought you were going home for the night."

"I'm giving a little tour to Emma here." He smiled easily, and I tried to do the same. "Emma, this is Detective Johnson."

"Hello." I squeaked.

"Nice to meet you." He extended a hand, and then crushed all of my fingers in a bone smashing hand shake. "Well, I'm leaving. See you bright an early tomorrow." He winked over his shoulder and Harry turned a light shade of pink.

"What-" But he interrupted me.

"I think I'll handle the questions." He resumed his path to the doors at the back of the room. He pushed on the one farthest down the hall, revealing a dark green walled room with a single light bulb that cast a harsh glare on the metal table and chairs that occupied it.

It was obviously an interrogation room. "What, no one way mirror?" I asked.

"Nope. Just you and me."

I leaned on the edge of the table, crossing my arms to hide the fact that my fingers were trembling. I wasn't scared, but whatever emotion that was causing this adrenaline rush was making me dizzy. "So what now?"

"Well, that's what I was hoping you'd tell me." He took a step forward, looking at me like he was trying to read my thoughts. "Was there a particular reason for holding my badge for ransom?"

I looked around the room, avoiding his eyes. "Well, I um, I kind of… I don't know." My voice sounded small. The idea of ransom seemed childish now. He had moved close enough that I could see that he had a few freckles along his jaw.

"Really?" Another step and I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes.

"Mhm." I didn't trust my voice at all now. If either of us leaned towards to other, we'd be kissing.

"Because I think-" That's when it happened.

I'm still not sure who leaned that last inch. It might have been me, in yet another moment of bold madness. Or it was him, done with the tension that had plagued us for the past month. Either way we were suddenly kissing, my hands sliding around his neck into his hair and his running down my sides to my thighs where he picked me up, setting me down on the table without breaking our kiss. One hand cradled the back of my head while the other reached around to the small of my back. I had forgotten about the badge until I felt his fingers in my back pocket, and pulled away, opening my eyes to see him triumphantly holding it on one hand.

"Did you just kiss me to get your badge back?" I asked horrified. Embarrassment and shock stunned me for a moment before I tried to hop off the table.

"Oh no." He put an arm on either side of me, preventing me escape. "I kissed you because for the last three months that's all I've been able to think about doing. The badge was a bonus."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or kiss him again when the door flew open, revealing a group of officers who immediacy began clapping and shouting when they saw us.

"Finally!" A short blonde cop in the front said. "What'd I tell you Harry?"

Harry was now a shade of scarlet that I had never seen on a human before, but I was almost positive the blush I had could rival it.

"Finally?" I asked.

A man with salt and pepper hair smiled. "We've been trying to get Harry here to ask you out for months. How many doughnuts do you think we can eat?"

That did it. I started laughing. Harry waved them away, and then closed the door again, waiting until I had caught my breath before talking.

"Well they could have been more subtle."

"I can't judge." I wiped at my eyes. "I had to steal a police badge to get you to notice me."

"So you admit you stole it?"

"Never." I grinned.

"I guess I'll have to be the bad cop and get that information out of you somehow." He picked me up again, settling his lips on my neck.

"Hm, I think you're being quite the good cop right now." I said, a little breathlessly.

"Guess we'll have to change that then."