Pairing: Kate/Megan

Synopsis: When the whole town was going viral, she thought it was finally the time to warn her girlfriend about some very important things…

**Special thanks to eyepatchesandpipes for the betaread :) **

Girlfriend, be careful

by desperatemayie

The tragic news broke in only two hours ago. Dani Alvarez. Gone. Her epileptic body collapsed into the shattered, confused arms of her boyfriend who was totally powerless in front of the huge amount of saliva and blood that smothered her to death. And sadly, her death was just a premise. The theory that a bastard put drugs in her drink had been quickly pushed away as dozens of bodies, including some children under 8, made their way to the morgue.

She'd been informed of the situation around eleven by a phone call from her superior. As she entered the building, at 11 :38, she could see from the small TV of the security cabin that it was already all over the news. Even if she only slept for about 3 hours, the passion of her hate for the journalists still managed to surprise her.

" It's overwhelming! How can so many people know already that an epidemic is happening?'' Ethan exclaimed in his legendary geek innocence, looking at the CBS network on Peter's iPhone.

" Don't say it's an epidemic, Ethan, we don't know for sure yet.'' The woman whispered firmly as she passed them, placing a strand of her ear with one hand and fixing her Donna Karen brown leather jacket with the other.

She took a quick look around her, observing what she had missed as she walked to her office, closing the door. She set her suitcase on her desk, leaning her head back on her black chair. Actually, Ethan was right. All the signs of an epidemic were happening right there in front of her. The medical cause would probably take weeks to confirm, but the panic was already palpable. The 3rd floor looked like the set of a new Mark Wahlberg movie phones ringing endlessly, local cops coming in, FBI agents making their way through forcefully, grieving family members of the victims asking anyone with a speck for information. And there were her colleagues. Running all around the rooms for getting the job done. She had to admit they were formidable and so dedicated. She genuinely cared for each of them. She considered every single one of them her dear friends. She felt incredibly happy and privileged to work with such a strong team every day. Even if they were having their feuds from time to time, she knew they were all good people with undeniable qualities. Even Ethan's weird humorous comments became something she was looked forward to. They were all unique and precious. Especially her, the woman who wasn't aware that someone was staring at her, too preoccupied with reading what looked like a victim file.

Even if she had been called back to work quite late, she took time to change and not stay in her fabulous leopard print dress. She was now wearing a beautiful charcoal skirt suit, letting her hair fall down her delicate shoulders. That facade always fascinated her. She was impressed by how that woman could be so dedicated to her work and at the same time always looking like she was working for a fashion magazine. She had to admit they had a lot in common. She recognized those elements in herself but, unlike her, she constantly remained professional. She could get a grip on her feelings. Not her. Her chose to hide her feelings, preferring not showing her fragility and her vulnerability. When a glimpse of vulnerability was taking her over, she masked it with a derogatory comment or a free insult. But she knew deep down, she was just as fragile and soft as her. She wasn't heartless and cruel like some wanted to pretend. She indeed had a heart. A thoughtful one. And like the majority of the residents of Philadelphia, that heart was under threat of no longer beating. And Kate Murphy couldn't let that happen without doing a very important thing first.

" Hi, you asked for me?''

" Close the door and sit down.'' The blonde ordered kind of coldly, causing the redhead to frown before obeying.

" You sound like I did something wrong but for once, I really can't say what I did wrong. I was just getting updated with the victims.''

" No, everything is fine.'' She kept talking to her employee absently. "I was just wondering something…have you seen the movie Contagion?''

" Mmmm, okay…'' Megan chuckled mid nervously and mid-amused. " Yes. Actually, it was the last time Lacey let me pick the movie.''

" Well, in less than 30 minutes, it's going to be just like Contagion in here. Everyone will freak out, the journalists won't leave us breathing room, we'll have to get our blood tested and wear masks and radiation suits!'' The chief medical examiner chuckled slightly, looking into Megan's eyes blankly.

Megan waited for her boss to continue. " That's all? You wanted me to stop my work only to tell me something I already know?''

" It's going to be crazy in there, Megan. I know you'll do an amazing job of finding what caused it but I want you to be careful, okay. I don't want you to do something that could put you in a dangerous position, okay…''

" Don't worry, my lawyers won't sue you if I happen to die while working.'' Megan whispered bitterly, knowing deep down it had a whole different meaning. And it made her stomach shake a little.

" I'm serious Megan, be careful. Please. Don't push yourself too hard. You need to think about your own health first.''

" Oh okay, I get it. It's a little boss speech you'll say to all your employees, isn't it? Can you do me a favour Kate, and save us a lot of precious time by telling this dramatic crap to all of us at the same time?''

Kate didn't respond. She rose from her chair and walked around her desk. Megan stared at her, swallowing gently.

"C-Can I go now? I appreciate it Kate but really, the boss doesn't have anything to worry about.'' Kate remained silent. The redhead was slowly letting her guard down and she knew she would blow everything if she tried to really patronise her. "Listen, I know lately we've became more… friendly… but really, you should know I am not the type to get emotional when I'm faced with a crisis, and you know what I thought you were…"

"Shh…'' Kate whispered, slowly placing a finger on Megan's lips before leaning forward, pulling her finger away and stroking her right cheek delicately. Kate took a moment for listening to Megan's respiration becoming heavier. She slid her hand up through her silk hair and exhaled deeply. She had managed to break through Megan's instable sensibility. The redhead closed her eyes and parted her lips, letting her boss kiss her softly. Passionately. For a few too short seconds. She knew Megan wouldn't be that mad about this little peck, that she actually deeply wished for it, but she couldn't allow herself to foolishly play with fire. "I just wanted to give you a kiss before it might get contagious…'' she whispered as she reluctantly broke the kiss.

Indeed, Kate Murphy pulled away just in time. Ethan popped his head through the door, too stressed from the adrenaline for knocking. "Budd and Sam want to see both of you in the lab room now.'' He spilled, his eyes wandering to a still shocked, speechless Megan.

"Okay Ethan, we'll be there in a minute." The eagle eyed man nodded simply at the answer and closed the door.

Swallowing painfully once again, Megan rose from her chair, standing in front of her boss. She recreated every detail that Kate just did to her before kissing her lips gently, more deeply than their first one. She concluded the kiss with a small bite, her eyes glowing with the legendary devious smirk of hers.

"Me too...''

THE END