Out of Seattle

by ALJ

When a new hot-shot boss shows up from Seattle, Nash and company must deal with the upheaval...and some do it differently than others. A case file, comedy/drama, romance all in one! Please R&R!

|Chapter | |One | | |

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"Bottom line, I don't want to make major changes to a formula that works." Captain Stephanie Keller's hair caught the sun as she walked back and forth on the aft deck of the Eureka. She was smartly dressed in a navy blue pants suit, navy blue high heals, and a gold necklace with a small pearl pendant. A pair of antique gold sunglasses concealed her stormy hazel eyes. It was a look that said authority and sophistication."

"So, then why are you here?" A note of hostility could be heard in Joe's voice.

"Well, Inspector Dominguez, technically, this unit has no commanding officer. When Lieutenant Shimamurah left, Inspector Bridges filled those shoes, or at least was supposed to fill them until a replacement could be found. When I transferred from Seattle to San Francisco, they asked me to take over as official commanding officer of the S.I.U."

"Why not just turn over full administrative control to Nash? I don't understand why they just didn't do that."

"Well, Joe, that I can't answer. All I know is that the department could have been in some major legal hot water if they didn't do something pretty fast."

Nash shifted in his chair to try and break up the current rate of digression.

"Okay, hold on a minute, uh, you said you didn't want to make major changes. What type of changes were you thinking of?"

"I'm glad you asked Nash." Stephanie smiled a thank you to her new senior investigator for temporarily stopping the barrage of questions coming from Joe. "I would like to try and streamline the paperwork process for one. Since I'm here, that is one thing that I can do to especially lighten your load. All reports and any other type of paperwork that needs signatures can come my way instead of yours."

"That sounds good. What else?" Evan was starting to get interested in what Captain Keller had to say. All he could think of was more time to spend with Cassidy instead of filling out forms.

"Well, Evan, as I was looking through a couple of the S.I.U.'s old case files, I noticed that generally you work with the same person each time. Nash with Joe, Harvey and Evan. Michelle just seems to tag along with whomever and whenever. She doesn't really have a partner." Michelle was nodding her head to this one. Many times, she had been sent out to cover things all by herself, and when dealing with the type of criminals the S.I.U deals with every day, that's not always a smart plan. "I want to shake that up a bit. Maybe Michelle and Joe, Nash and Evan, me and Harvey…"

"Wait, wait, wait." Joe was not at all pleased to hear this latest idea. "You mean, you're going out with us? I thought you were just our new administrator."

"I'm not just your paper pusher, Joe. I am a Captain you know. Badge and gun and the whole nine yards. I'm not just going to sit behind a desk all day. Besides, I'm not the S.I.U.'s administrator. That's that Bettina guy's job down at the Halls of Justice."

"Oh, so you met our little Ricky. Isn't he special?"

Stephanie let out a little chuckle. "Well, Harvey, how that man got any department position above dog catcher, I'll never know. He has to be about the most…how should I say it…common sense challenged person I have ever met. He gave me one of his cards and said his phone number was on it and that I could use it at any time of the day or night. I took one look at him and said, "thanks DOPI," and walked away. I don't think he likes me now. How did he get his job in the first place."

"Uh, his mother is married to the chief." Harvey was warming up to Inspector Keller already. He could tell that she was a no-nonsense kind of woman, who would be very helpful to the S.I.U in the long run.

"Well, that explains a lot. I didn't think he could get that type of job on his own merit. Now I know they strike everywhere and not just Seattle. There's always one in every department." She could feel that she had made a few points with the Bettina story. As long as she could stay away from changes that she wanted to make, she would be fine. It would take some time, especially with Joe, but she felt well suited for the Special Investigations Unit of the San Francisco Police Department.

|Chapter | |Two | | |

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"Uh, Inspector Bridges, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure." Nash closed the case file he was looking over and walked to the new commanders desk. "What can I do for you."

"I was wondering if you would join me for lunch in a bit to go over several of the unsolved cases the team is working on? It's on me." She flashed Nash one of her best half smiles.

He hesitated a moment. "Yeah, I'd be glad to. I was starting to get a bit hungry." Nash didn't know whether to run like the wind or smile and nod, but he had committed himself now. "Shall you drive or I?"

"I'll drive. I need to get used to this city a little more. How does half an hour sound?"

"Whenever you're ready. I just have a couple cases to file, and I'll get out all the open cases we've got going right now so we can go over them." He smiled, turned quickly, and walked back to his desk. He didn't know what it was about this woman that made him act so awkwardly. She was younger than he, by at least 10 years, but she was also the first female boss he had ever had to deal with, since Lisa anyway. A beautiful strong woman; that could spell trouble.



~~**~~

"This is a sharp looking little car you have here." Nash's eyes grew wide as he saw Inspector Keller's Oldsmobile Intrigue for the first time. "Is it new?"

"Yeah, brand new. I saw it on the lot and just couldn't resist." Stephanie grinned as she turned off her alarm and unlocked the doors. "It's the first new car I've ever had. I've always wanted a black car with chrome wheels. Go ahead. Get in!" She got in and fastened her safety belt. Nash did the same. He noticed the seats were exceptionally comfortable and made of fine grain leather. It was loaded too, with air, cruise, tilt, CD system. It also had a tinted sunroof and four-speed automatic overdrive transmission. Power and sophistication. Much like Stephanie Keller he thought to himself. "I saw you drive up in that beautiful Barracuda. '70?"

"Uh, '71. Nash was smiling now. This woman knew cars. She might just be all right after all. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I've always been a car gal. Until I bought this, my baby was a '72 Monte Carlo. After a few years on the line, it starts getting hard to find quarter panels without rust all over them. I've replaced almost every piece of that car at one time or another. Bullet holes really do a number on fenders."

"Believe me, I know about that. Bullet holes in the fenders…the doors…an ax through the hood." Nash was beginning to relax just a touch. "And you think it's hard finding parts for a '72 Monte Carlo, try a '71 'Cuda."

"Yeah, but at least you can find panels in Arizona and New Mexico and it doesn't cost you a fortune to get them here. Seattle has the worst climate for finding original parts without rust. The wet climate just destroys everything. I've still got the car in storage up there. I might just fix it up when I retire, if there's anything left."

"That sounds like a plan." Nash was starting to wonder if they were just going to talk about their cars or if they were actually going to have lunch. "So, where are we headed?"

"Well, I was just going to ask you that. I don't really know the hot spots around town yet. I was hoping you could point out a few."

"Uh, let's see. There's the Cyprus Club. Joe and I go there quite a bit. There's the Shark club; kind of a trendy little hangout. You name it. This town has it. What are you in the mood for?"

"Oh, no, I'm just driving. You pick the place. Anything sounds good to me. I eat everything but peas and raw fish." She looked over at Nash and laughed. San Francisco was filled with Sushi restaurants.

"Well, there went half of my suggestions." Nash smiled as he looked over towards her. This might work out after all.

|Chapter | |Three | | |

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"Now that was a fabulous lunch. Great food and we got some work accomplished. You can't beat that."

"I agree. We've still got a couple cases to go over, but we can do those when we get back. Now, if the waiter comes over this way, I can get the check and we can be on our way." Nash motioned for the waiter.

"Oh, no you don't Inspector Bridges. This is on…"

"No, it's…"

"Yes, it's on me. Listen, I didn't even think you would agree to come. I thought it would take a good bit of time before you would have anything to do with me, to even speak to me. I was in homicide back in Seattle for 8 years, worked myself up to number two. Then what happens when the number 1 guy is ready to retire? They bring in somebody from Connecticut. He totally bungled things within nine months, so I left. I didn't want my name and reputation associated with him. I guess, I expected the same sort of animosity from you."

"Oh no, it takes too much energy to hold a grudge. Besides, I don't have to do all the paperwork now. Plus, I'm not the one you have to win over. Joe is going to be the tough sell."

"Yeah, I noticed that. What is his story anyway?" Stephanie was trying to get some piece of information that would help her with Joe. Something they had in common or something he loved to talk about. Anything.

"Well, he's a top notch investigator, he loves to work off duty cases for a little extra cash flow and he has a twenty-two year old son and a one and a half year old daughter." At this Stephanie smiled. She knew that she had the piece that she needed to break down the wall. "Doing your Joe homework, eh?" He smiled as the waiter brought the check to the table.

"Very clever, Inspector." Keller knew that she was going to have to watch this guy. "Just looking for a little tidbit to break down his defenses. And I think I just found it."

As she paid the check, Nash made a quick call to the Mayor's office. A few weeks ago he received an invitation to the Mayor's Charity Crime Prevention Ball; a black tie affair that he originally had no intention of attending. Now though, his plans had changed.

As he hung up the phone and turned around, she startled him. "Ready to go?" He knew he was going to have to watch out for her.

"Whenever you are."

The ride back to headquarters was awkwardly quiet, except for a few brief remarks about Cassidy and about the acceleration of Keller's new Intrigue on the San Francisco hills. As she pulled up to the fence by the SIU, Keller saw a new sign hanging on the pier. It read, "SIU: Commander Keller." Next to it was a welcome sign from Evan and Harvey. Stephanie started to laugh.

Nash wondered aloud, "What's so funny?"

"That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done." She wiped away tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Then why are you laughing?" Nash had a blank look on his face. He wasn't sure if he would be able to figure this one out without some help.

"It's the sweetest thing anybody has ever done, but it's also the most kiss- ass thing anybody has ever done." She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. When she looked at the signs again, she giggled. "Oh, and look, no welcome from Joe." She smiled and turned to Nash, "but I wouldn't expect any less."

As he got out of the car, he remembered his phone call and realized he'd forgotten to ask Commander Keller if she was attending tonight's Mayor's Charity Ball. He knew that, as the new head of the SIU, she had gotten an invitation. The question was, did she have plans already, or was she even interested in going. This was going to take extreme tact on his part.

"So, are you going to Mayor Brown's big charity ball tonight?"

"No, are you kidding? I wouldn't know anyone there."

"I can think of one person." Nash had put on his best reasoning face.

"You're going, huh?" Stephanie was beginning to wonder if Bettina's warning had not just been for nothing. Maybe this Nash Bridges character was a womanizing jerk.

"Yeah, I decided to throw on the old tux and hob knob for a night." Nash threw on one of his killer, toothy grins. "And I'd sure like some company. I can introduce you to some of the people you'll need to know."

"Well, I'd have to do more unpacking; unless you want me going to the Mayor's black tie affair in jeans and Reeboks."

Nash chuckled. "I was thinking about purple tie myself. Maybe one of those polyester ruffled 70's shirts with a bright purple cummerbund and purple polka dotted tie. We can hope they play some good disco music…."

Stephanie started to laugh. "Well, don't do purple tie around me, because the only thing I've got to wear that I know what box it's in, is blue satin."

"Oh, shoot! And I was so looking forward to it. So who's driving?"

"Why don't you drive. I threw away my invitation, so I don't even know where we're going. Pick me up at around…seven?"

"That sounds good." As they walked onto the Eureka Nash stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, I don't even know where you live."

Stephanie just kept walking. "You're a detective.  Detect!"

|Chapter | |Four | | |

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"Wow, you look beautiful."

"You don't look so bad yourself. I like this look much better than polyester ruffles and purple polka dots."

Keller was wearing a blue satin evening gown; strapless, with a full skirt and matching half jacket. Her long blonde hair was done in a French twist, and she was adorned by a pearl necklace and pair of matching pearl earrings.

Nash arrived in a black tuxedo; his white shirt had one single black button at the collar. The loose fitting jacket hems fell in layers over his hands in his pockets. The lapels were black satin and his silver cuff links matched his silver watch.

"Let me get my purse, and we can go."

As they headed down the pathway to the street, Nash realized that the top was down on the 'Cuda.

"Hold on a minute and I'll put the top up so..."

"Don't do it on my account. Leave it down."

"You sure? Cassidy always complains about her hair getting blown..."

"Don't worry about my hair. I've got this annoying stuff so glued down a tornado couldn't blow it away."

"Okay, suit yourself."

As they drove, the conversation wandered from the recent departmental budget crunch, to the best way to kick in a door. She thought it was facing the door and kick with your right foot where as he thought it was in sort of a backwards kicking motion. As they were debating the pro's and con's of both methods, they arrived at the Palace of Fine Arts. Keller started to chuckle as Nash opened her door.

"I love it. Hundreds of pretentious people arriving in limos and the two of us, the only ones doing any actual crime fighting, come in a '71 Barracuda. Am I the only one who can see the irony in that?"

"Oh, they all think they are fighting crime, too. They're fighting it with dollars, which usually has the adverse effect. You can't always fix things the more money you throw at 'um. It usually works the other way."

The conversation continued inside the Ball. Nash introduced the "New head of San Francisco's Special Investigations Unit" to everyone from the Mayor to San Fran's social elite. Everybody was fascinated by this attractive and educated transfer from Seattle. Mayor Brown even told that he won Keller in a poker game with Seattle Mayor Norm Rice. She joked that she felt as if she had never moved. She still lived in a foggy and rainy city, surrounded by water.

As the dancing started, Stephanie and Nash stood on the sidelines, both with a glass of champagne. Nash pointed out more people, including the city manager, who he had once made apologize to Nick and Lynette. He told the whole sordid tale of the cab, the sock to the mouth, and the arrest.

"So why did Mr. Hornstein owe you a favor?" Stephanie was getting confused.

"Well, I found something that belonged..."

"You two shouldn't just be standing here!" Nash was interrupted by Mrs. DeVries, a woman from Russian Hill who was famous for wearing Prada and Gucci to garden in.

"You two make a marvelous couple." As Nash and Stephanie started to protest, Mrs. DeVries took the glasses from their hands. "You two are all dressed up. Now get out there and dance."

"Oh, no, we couldn't..."

"Oh, nonsense. Get out there. Don't be shy."

They walked out onto the parquet floor like six and seven year old brother and sister, having to impress the grandparents. They didn't want to, but they knew they had to. As Nash raised his lead hand, Stephanie moved to place her hand on his shoulder. It was one of those awkward moments that made her blush and him take a step back.

"Did you know that just about everybody in this entire room is staring at us?" Nash couldn't help but keep the smile from his face.

"Well, we're two of the city's top police officers and we can't even get a dance right. I'd be laughing at us if I were them." Her eyes scanned to the right and left. "Come on, lets try this again."

"Okay, I'll put my hand up, you take it, and then put your arm on my shoulder." Nash was walking through the motions like the first day of ballroom dancing lessons.

As the next song started, everything went off without a hitch. But when Nash put his free hand around her back, Keller sucked air through her clenched teeth in pain.

"Are you alright?" Nash immediately moved his hand away and took a step back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My back just gets a little hypersensitive when I'm tense, that's all. It's an old battle wound. Quick, lets try it again."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Now get that hand back up in the air before I change my mind."

As the orchestra stuck up something by Schumann, Nash and Stephanie finally got it right. As the song progressed, Keller even managed to relax enough to rest her head on Nash's shoulder. It was a move that neither of them expected and neither one knew would feel so right.

Nash broke the silence in a low tone. "It's been a long day hasn't it, commander Keller."

Stephanie snickered. "The longest of my life. But the ending isn't so..."

"Excuse me, Inspector." Their peace was shattered by a desk clerk. "There is a call for you at the front desk. A Mr. Joe Dominguez."

"I'm going to kill him," Nash said under his breath. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, Sir, just that it was urgent."

"Okay." He looked at Stephanie. "I'll be right back." He turned to the clerk. "Lead the way."

She watched him as he walked away and wished that their dance hadn't been so rudely interrupted. She was actually relaxing and enjoying herself, something she hadn't expected at all.

"Inspector Keller." A young handsome man tapped Stephanie on the shoulder. It was the Mayors young press secretary. She had been introduced to him earlier, but his name did not come to her. "My name is Sean...Sean Barker. We met earlier." He stretched out his hand and Stephanie shook it.

"Of course, Sean, how do you do. You'll have to forgive me. I've met so many people tonight, I can't remember my own name. You're the Mayors press agent right?

"One of them. He does quite a lot of P.R. So, would you care to..."

Their conversation was interrupted by Nash's return. His face had turned very serious and Stephanie could read that something was definitely wrong.

"There's been another murder out by the airport. Joe's out there now. He's waiting for us."

"Lets go."

As they got into the 'Cuda outside, Stephanie sarcastically chuckled, "Well, this is turning out to be one enchanted evening."

|Chapter | |Five | | |

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Over their afternoon lunch, Bridges and Keller spent most of their time on one case. Seven convenience store clerks had been murdered in the last four months. The cases all mirrored each other in the fact that the killer called the television stations in the Bay area at around nine o'clock at night to report his crime. Profilers believed the killer was a white male in his early thirties with a full time job. The only part of the profile that Nash believed was the full time job. He certainly did have a full time job--killing convenience store clerks.

As they arrived on the scene, Joe's blue Mercedes could be seen surrounded by a slew of action news vans. A uniformed cop lifted the police tape allowing Nash to pull up along side of the building. The two inspectors met up with Joe, Harvey and Evan inside, where they were immediately ridiculed for their attire. The clerks body was behind the counter, face up, with it's left arm tucked behind its back. The last charge to be wrung up was a five-dollar gas purchase. All things pointed to the serial killer.

As they stood behind the counter, Nash noticed Stephanie's face. She had gone completely pale and the look on her face was one of complete horror and disbelief. Nash was more than a little concerned.

"Are you okay, Keller?" Nash leaned over, placed his hand on Stephanie's shoulder and whispered in her ear so the rest of the team couldn't hear.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Keller was stuttering a bit and blinking, trying to snap herself out of it. "Have all of them been placed like that?" She pointed at the clerk's arm tucked behind his back.

"Yeah they have. Why?"

Stephanie did not answer him. She moved to the other side of the body and looked at the close range gunshot wound to the chest. "Have next of kin been called yet?"

Harvey spoke up. "We were waiting to do that until you and Nash got here."

"Okay. Make sure when they are notified that they don't come here and have to deal with that." Stephanie pointed out the window to the television trucks. "I want this entire place photographed and dusted."

Evan covered the mouthpiece on his cell phone. "I'm talking to the lab guys now. They're saying the earliest they can get here is tomorrow."

"Good, that'll work." She moved over to the cash register area and looked at the display. The green numbers read five dollars. "Can we know whether or not he had to give change?"

Harvey pulled the tape out of the machine. "It looks like he had to give five dollars in change."

"Well, lets get that top ten-dollar bill in an evidence bag and get it tested shall we? We might just get lucky."

"Got it." Harvey already had the top bill in a sealed evidence bag.

Stephanie turned to where Nash and Joe were studying the clerks wound, trying to determine angle of entry.

"Joe, I want you in charge of the dusting of this place. Make sure every square inch is done. Everything. The cold cases, the buttons on the fountain drink machine, everything."

"Why me?" Joe looked to Nash for help. "Can't Evan do it?"

"No, Evan can't do it Joe." Stephanie was not about to let Nash get a word in edgewise. "He will be busy doing other things like talking to the store owner. You on the other hand, will be here, supervising the dusting of the convenience store." Joe started to protest again, but Keller quickly put down his feeble attempts. "Are you ready to go Nash? I don't think there is much more that we can do here."

"Ready when you are."

"Let's go out the back door and around."

The ride back to Stephanie's home in Larkspur was silent. Keller stared out to the right, her arm resting on top of the door. Except for the occasional sideways glance, Nash kept his eyes on the road in front of him. When he pulled into her driveway and turned the car off, Stephanie finally looked towards him.

"Will you come in for a drink? We need to talk." She got out and headed to her front door.

Nash followed her up the sidewalk. "If this is about Joe, I can talk…"

"No, this has nothing to do with Joe." At that she unlocked the door and they went inside.

Nash shook his head. When it came to this woman, he was still completely in the dark.

|Chapter | |Six | | |

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Go in and have a seat. Take your jacket off. I'm going to run up and get out of this clown suit." With that Keller ran up the stairs, a blur of shiny blue satin.

As Nash wandered into what seemed to be the living room, he noticed that not everything was unpacked yet. In the corner were boxes labeled "photos" and "music." In an entertainment center he found a television and VCR, a gold and glass Baldwin clock, and three of the five shelves filled with family photos. One photo in a ceramic flower frame he believed to be her parents wedding photo, blue from years on display. The one that caught Nash's eye the most was one of a man with a bottle of beer in one hand and an enormous salmon in the other. As he moved closer to read what was written on the sign behind the man, Stephanie spoke from the doorway.

"That was my uncle Don." Keller moved into the room and stood beside Nash. "He was killed in a plane crash coming back from that fishing trip." She picked up the photo to take a closer look.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, so were we." She placed the photo back on the shelf. "He was engaged to be married. Two classes away from a history degree." Stephanie smiled a sad smile. "He always wanted to be a history teacher. And do you know what the worst part is? It happened on the third of July. The whole Independence Day holiday is ruined for our family."

"That would be awful." Nash looked at Stephanie and then back to her uncle's picture.

"At least it looks like he enjoyed himself."

"Yeah. His goal was a forty pounder. This one was fifty-two and was also the biggest one caught of all the guys on the trip. He called just before he left for the plane and said that he had had the time of his life." Stephanie walked towards the doorway. "Who knew what he said would turn out to be the truth?" With that she headed out into the kitchen.

Nash continued to explore the room. Stephanie decorated in a western theme, the oak hardwood floors complimented by the oak entertainment center, oak trimmed couch and love seat, oak icebox end tables, double weave saddle blankets of all colors, and three magnificent western paintings on one wall. Through an archway he noticed three more paintings and meandered towards them. He was in what he thought must be the rec. room now. There was another oak entertainment center with another TV and VCR, stereo system, CD and tape collection, and two sets of encyclopedias. Nash noted a CD collection that included everything from the Eagles to Chicago, Sarah McLachlan to Gordon Lightfoot, George Strait to Beethoven. A plush white couch was joined along one wall by a piano, and then another piano set at a ninety-degree angle to it on the other wall. Hanging over the couch and one of the pianos were the three paintings. As Nash looked closer at one of them, Stephanie walked in with a glass of wine for each of them.

"Those were my Mom's hobby. It sort of rubbed off on me."

"The detail is amazing. Are they Remingtons?"

Keller laughed at the thought. She moved over to another small wall where four framed copper prints were hung. She pointed them out to Nash.

"These are Remington. See the unnatural way the animals look; legs sticking straight out in front and to the back. Now look at these again." They both moved back over to the other wall and took a closer look. "These are Charlie Russell's. He lived and worked in Montana, and painted there. Remington painted back east and rode out west on a train."

"My ex-wife Kelly is the art expert, but they look remarkably real to me."

"Yes, aren't they. Oh, here you go." Keller handed Nash a glass of wine. "Uh, listen, we've gotta talk so lets go back in the other room and sit down."

Nash was a little hesitant. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Well, no matter how much I don't want to, we need to talk about this case."

Nash looked and sounded relieved. The case he could handle. "What about this case?"

"It's a little complicated." Keller sat down on the other end of the couch facing Nash. Her personality blended in perfectly with this house. Rugged yet refined.

"I'll say it's complicated. Eight clerks have been killed now, and we have…"

"No, that's not what I mean." Stephanie took a deep breath. "I've worked this case before." She could see that she had lost him and knew she had to tell the whole story.

"This killer was active in Seattle for over a year, doing the same crime with the same MO. He killed nine clerks and tried to kill a police officer when we got too close. She was blind sided in an abandoned warehouse and thrown in the trunk of a car and taken about two miles away to another warehouse by the piers." Stephanie took another deep breath and looked down at the glass in her hand. "Before the police could find her, she was tied to the pier, an orange bull's-eye was spray painted on her back and she was shot three times." She looked at Nash. "He shot her three times like he was taking target practice. She spent more than a month in the hospital. It almost ended her career and her life."

"Do you know her very well? It sounds like you do."

"You could say that." She closed her eyes and then opened them again, looking straight into Nash's blue eyes. "It was me."

|Chapter | |Seven | | |

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~7~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

As she completed her story, Nash wondered how she had ever gone on after that horrifying experience. He certainly didn't want her to go through the same sort of pain again, physically or psychologically.

"So that is why this case is complicated for me." Stephanie could not believe she had told this virtual stranger such a personal detail. But somehow, she felt she could trust him, and that he would support her if ever the time arose that she should need his help.

"So there was never a positive I.D.? There's still no name for this guy?" Nash was finding it hard to believe that an animal who had killed this many people, had eluded two police departments and had never even been identified.

"No, nothing positive. And the MO is nothing recognizable from past cases." Keller let out a sigh and closed her eyes. It was still very painful to talk about this maniac.

Nash could see the look of anguish on her face. "We're going to find this guy, don't you worry. And if you hear from him, I want you to call me immediately. You understand?"

"Yes boss." Stephanie glared at him, managing a sarcastic smile. "You'll be the *first* to know if I hear from him."

"Sorry, but members of this team watch each others back. We're a family, and we don't want to loose any members of the family. So, if he contacts you, you let everybody know. We are gonna nail this guy." Nash reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Stephanie's shoulder.

She turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. "You bet your ass we will!" Keller stood and moved over to the window. By now it was well after one in the morning and her neighborhood was asleep. Only moonlit trees could be seen. Gazing out into the darkness, she repeated her promise. "You bet we will."



~~**~~

The next three days proceeded without any breaks in the case. Keller spent most of the time on the phone, trying to requisition all of the files from Seattle PD on the serial killer. Thousands of pages poured over the fax machine and the SIU compared notes, finding that all of the cases were identical.

"Why would this guy just drop out of site for years? I don't understand that." Harvey was looking at the dates of the crimes, trying to find a common link.

"Hey, maybe he was locked up? Some…unrelated beef?" Evan was looking at scene photos from Seattle.

"No, I don't think so. He's too consistent…"

"I have a delivery here for a Commander Keller." An FTD man interrupted Nash's train of thought. "Could you tell me where I might find him?"

"*She* is right over there." Nash pointed Stephanie out.

"Oh, uh, thank you." Embarrassed, he walked over to her desk and with the paperwork signed was gone.

"Nash, what were you saying about consistent?"

"Oh, right Harv, um, he's to consistent in his MO. And too careful. I don't think he'd risk getting sent down the river for some petty little thing.

"Inspector Bridges! Come over here please." Keller was standing over the flowers on her desk.

"What is it?" Nash was looking at her face as she handed him the note card to read.



I'm glad you brought the Russell's.

I always liked looking at them.

Glad to see you back at work too.

Ps. You looked fabulous in the blue dress.

"How does he know I'm in San Francisco? I haven't done any interviews…anything like that." Keller pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel a migraine building behind her eyes. "How does he know where I live?" She walked to the interrogation area, leaning her arms on the railing. She looked over at the Balcutha, moored next to the Eureka. She shook her head in disbelief.

"Nick is in San Diego for two weeks, so you can take his room at my place. You can't drive your car either. I'll have the FBI guys come over and check it out...see if it's been tampered with."

Stephanie let out a deep sigh. The stress of her first week on the job was really starting to show. She looked up at Nash and let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You better have cable."



~~**~~

Nash drove Stephanie to her place so she could pack a couple of bags. When they arrived at his apartment, she was captivated by the view of the city at night.

"How do you afford this place on a cops salary?" Keller walked into the kitchen and looked from left to right at the skyline. "The view is amazing."

"Oh, uh, it was condemned." Nash stated matter-of-factly.

Stephanie looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, great. You bring me to a doomed penthouse and I don't even have a car to get away."

"Oh, don't worry. It's been retrofitted. It was an earthquake-damaged property. They've been all through the place and it's perfectly safe." Nash walked up the three stairs to Nick's room. "Here's where you'll be. Go ahead and get settled in and I'll see if we've got anything for dinner."

"Okay. I'll throw this stuff down and come out and help."

When she reappeared from the bedroom, she had changed out of her black skirt and jacket into blue jeans and a three-tone blue striped shirt. She moved beside Nash who was looking into the refrigerator woefully. She noted a head of lettuce, a couple eggs, and several mysterious packages of leftovers, wrapped in foil.

"What's in those?" Stephanie pointed to the foil wrapped puzzles.

"Well, I know that one of them is a pork chop. And one has a couple of German sausages in it. You're guess is as good as mine about the rest." Nash closed the refrigerator door.

"How does ordering pizza sound?"

"Hold on now, hold on." Stephanie opened the door again and looked at the assortment of condiments in the door. "Do you have any rice?"

Nash looked at her. "Like Minute Rice?" He started to open cupboards and came up with a box. "Here. What are you gonna do with that?"

"You just watch. Ya got an onion?" Nash brought her an onion out of the basket on the counter. "Now go see if there is anything on TV. I'll call you when it's done."

She grabbed the eggs out of the fridge and set about making fried rice. She warmed up the sausages and cleaned and cut the lettuce for a quick salad. Keller fixed a couple of plates, grabbed a couple of beers, and took the dinner out into the living room. Nash was too engrossed in a basketball game to even notice her walk in. When she walked in front of the television, he finally snapped out of his sports-induced trance. Nash was amazed at what she handed him.

"Wow! You got this from a couple eggs and some mystery meat?"

"Yup. Ya just gotta know what you're looking for." Stephanie sat down on the couch next to him. "So, what's the score?"

"Heat 69...Nicks 61."

"All right!"

When the dishes were done, it was well past eleven o'clock and Nash and Stephanie both turned in for the night. Keller sat up in bed trying to read the latest Patricia Cornwell novel, but couldn't concentrate on Kay Scarpetta's latest adventures. She kept flashing back to that night at the pier in Seattle. Her back was tightening up just thinking about it. She got up and threw her bathrobe on, wondering if there was anything good on TV. As she walked by, Stephanie made a quick check that Nash's doors were slid shut. She could here him breathing in his sleep and smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she had heard somebody else sleep.

"At least he doesn't snore."

Keller took the remote off the top of the TV and made herself as comfortable as she could on the couch. She flipped through channels, finally finding an old episode of Due South. She mused that Joe hadn't yet delved into her personnel file to figure out that she was originally from Canada. Growing up, she'd always wanted to join the RCMP, but when her family moved to Seattle, that dream had flown right out the window. She chuckled to herself. She couldn't imagine having the title of constable. Keller turned her attentions back to the show.

"What are you watching?" Nash leaned over the back of the couch suddenly, making Stephanie's heart leap up into her throat.

"God! You scarred the hell out of me." Stephanie took a deep breath to try and still her rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry. I just heard you get up and wondered if you needed anything. I'll go away though…"

"No, no, no. Come and sit down. You just startled me that's all."

Nash sat on the other end of the couch with his feet up on the coffee table. They both just stared at the television, not saying a word. Finally, Stephanie broke the silence, but kept watching the TV.

"Due South."

"Wha?" Nash looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"The show. Its called Due South." Stephanie was still focused on the show. She grinned as Benton Fraser jumped out yet another window, his Stetson staying perfectly in place as always. The thing must be super glued to his head, she thought silently to herself.

"Why does that sound familiar? Due South…"

"Because it used to be on CBS, Friday nights. But the brains at CBS never promoted it and they never realized what a great show they had on their hands, so they cancelled it…twice!" Stephanie laughed as the Constable went off into one of his famous Inuit stories.

"CBS. I've heard things about them not promoting shows." With that, Nash was quiet, trying to figure out what the plot was about. After a few moments, he piped up. "I can't imagine wearing those red uniforms."

Stephanie smiled. "Oh, I can. It would be an honor to wear RCMP red serge."

"Nah, not me." Nash cocked his head to the side. "Canadians drive me crazy anyway. There too polite."

With that, Keller snapped her head around and glared at Nash. "I'll make sure I'm always rude to you then."

Nash looked at her, rather confused, but let it pass. He returned his attention to the show.

He was having difficulty figuring out why a Mountie was in Chicago and why he didn't seem to have a gun. Nash let out a sigh and stood up.

"Well, let me know how it ends in the morning."

Stephanie looked up at him. "Oh, I can tell you how it ends right now. The Chicago Detective shoots him in the back."

"Shoots who in the back?"

"Fraser."

"What? Why?" With that, Nash plopped back down on the couch.

"Just watch the show. You'll find out." Stephanie's tone was slightly snippy. She was still grumbling silently about Nash's Canadian dig. She had lived in the States since she was ten years old, but she was still purely Canadian at heart.

As the show came to an end, Fraser lay on the ground with a bullet in his back. Nash looked over to Keller with a slightly cranky look on his face.

"That's how they're gonna leave it? Is he alive or what?"

Stephanie chuckled. "Don't you just hate it when they do that. That's how they ended the season. You didn't know whether he was going to live or die. I can't stand it when shows do that."

"But he is okay, right?" Nash asked the question again, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Yeah, yeah. He's fine. Canadians heal well."

With that, she turned off the television and they both went back to their respective rooms. Stephanie smiled softly as she watched Nash's bedroom doors slide shut once more. She couldn't imagine working with better people and was grateful for it.  She slipped into her room and got under the covers.  Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, vowing to get some sleep.  Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

|Chapter | |Eight | | |

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~8~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Nash woke to the smell of cinnamon rolls wafting through the apartment. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 6:15 a.m.

"I'm getting too old for this." Nash threw off the covers but didn't move. After a few minutes, he rubbed his eyes and slowly got himself out of bed. He didn't even want to know what Martha Stewart was up to in his kitchen, so he grabbed his bathrobe and headed for the shower.

As the steaming water ran over his body, Nash began to wake from his sleep deprived haze. Shutting the water off, he wrapped a towel around his waist and used another one to dry his hair. After running some mousse through it, shaving, and brushing his teeth, he went back into his room to get dressed. After much debate, he decided on a white T-shirt, faded blue jeans, black vest, and navy blue jacket. He finished the whole ensemble with his shoulder holster and lace up black boots. Grabbing his badge off the dresser and taking a deep breath, he ventured out into the living room.

Stephanie was sitting on one of the stools with her legs crossed, reading the Examiner. She heard him coming up behind her, but fought the urge to turn around. Nash stopped dead in his tracks and smiled as wide as a Cheshire cat. She was decked out in black pants and heels with a bright red, Mandarin-collared jacket on top. Nash proceeded towards the coffee maker, still smiling broadly.

"Where's your Stetson, Constable?" Nash turned around and refilled Keller's cup, a teasing grin on his lips.

"Eh?" Stephanie flashed her own pearly whites at him.

"Nothing, nothing." He put the pot back to keep warm. "So what's the plan today, boss?"

She closed the paper up and dished Nash one of the cinnamon rolls she'd made. He didn't need to know that she had fretted for half an hour over whether to make them with vanilla icing or caramel nut topping. She also didn't want him to become suspicious of where the ingredients had come from. Her lightning quick trip to the grocery store would remain between her, the 'Cuda, and the early morning light.

"Well, first off we've got to go to all the press agencies who have been covering this and try and persuade them to go to full back out. He knows I'm on this case somehow, so I'd like to get copies of all the newscasts from the night of the Mayors ball, on. Anything related to the serial killer story. We're always one step behind the media on this, and I want to get back out in front."

Nash hadn't caught the last half of what she said. The light dancing through Stephanie's sun bleached brown hair captivated him. The dark depths of her hazel eyes were glinting gold.

"Inspector Bridges!" Keller suddenly found herself drowning in Nash's gaze. "Are you paying the least little bit of attention to anything I'm saying?"

"Huh…oh…sorry." Nash was stuttering hopelessly. "You said something that reminded me of something else, that's all."

"Well good, because I was about ready to start singing the National Anthem or something to get your attention."

There was an odd few seconds of silence before they both suddenly got off of their stools, bumping smack into each other. As they straightened out, Keller felt Nash's blue-green eyes cutting straight through her. Her heart was pounding so hard, she thought it would explode. She tried to speak, but to no avail. Keller was speechless for the first time in her life. Well, besides that time in fourth grade when she'd knocked Jake Dial out cold. She'd been pretty speechless in the principles' office too. She tried the voice again, and it worked this time, but came out as a flustered whisper.

"Can I take your plate?"   "Oh, that was intelligent," she thought to herself. "Why don't you ask if you can rinse out his cup too!"

"Um, yeah, sure." Nash's response sounded distant and disappointed. He walked over to his jacket and put it on.  "Um, yeah, sure," he mentally berated himself. "Great comeback." He shook his head and wondered how dumb she thought he was now. As he tried to come up with something intelligent to say, Keller beat him to the punch.

"Come on Inspector. We've got lots of work to do." Stephanie grabbed her purse off the counter and headed for the stairs. She glanced back just long enough to catch Nash looking for the keys to the 'Cuda.

"Oh, shit! What did I do with them," she said under her breath.

Stephanie scanned the room until her eyes landed on the coffee table. There they sat, partially concealed by a magazine. She tried to cover her earlier absconding of the keys.

"What are you looking for?" She walked back down the stairs and stood next to Nash's desk.

"I can't find my damn keys." Nash was lifting files and tossing books about. "They should be right here."

Keller didn't want to give herself away, so she first 'looked' in the kitchen, then headed for the living room. Using her best surprised tone, she announced an end to the great key search.

"Here they are! You left them on the coffee table." Stephanie handed Nash the keys. She had always been a great poker player.

"Thanks." Nash took the keys and slipped on his shades. "Let's go."



~~**~~

"Good morning boy's and girls." Nash slipped his glasses into his jacket pocket and sat at his desk. Keller followed, taking a seat at her respective desk.

Evan, Harvey, and Michelle all bade them a cheerful good morning. The three investigators were well on their way to liking and respecting their new boss. They had warmed to her quite quickly. Joe was another story entirely.

"Good morning, Nash. Inspector Keller. I hope you both slept well," he huffed and sat down at his desk. To him, it was unmistakable. They had slept together. The way they had come on board giggling and smiling at each other. And Nash's eyes gave him away. Whenever he didn't get enough sleep 'for a good reason', they took on a totally different hue. All the telltale signs were there.

Stephanie stopped initialing expense accounts and dropped her pen. She stood up, sauntered over to Joe's desk, and sat down on the edge. With a devilish grin, she whispered in his ear.

"I think I can speak for Nash too when I say that there wasn't a lot of sleep had last night."

With that she stood and walked to the coffeepot, thinking that two can play his little games. Oh, if she only had eyes in the back of her head to see his reaction! Stifling a giggle, she moved the rolling chalkboard so everybody could see it and began writing down their assignments.

"Okay, everybody. The first thing we are going to find out is how this guy knows I'm involved in this investigation. Somehow, he's got inside information, so we're going to run down all the media reports on this case."

"Evan and Joe. Go to all the TV stations in the bay area and get their crime scene footage. We're especially interested in the footage of the last killing. Nash and Michelle. You're going to go to radio stations and get duplicates of all of their coverage…and don't forget talk radio. Harvey and I are going to go to the newspapers and see what we can find there."

"Oh, this is going to make the media happy with us!"

"Yeah, Harvey, I know. But it's something we've gotta do. All right, everybody, saddle up. And make copies of everything and bring them back here. We need our own copies for the files. Good luck everybody."



~~**~~

"Hey Evan, I'll meet you out at my car." Without waiting for a reply, he marched straight over to Nash's desk. "I can't believe you did it."

"Did…what?" Nash looked at Joe in confusion.

"You know what!" Joe looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on their conversation - one sided as it may be. "Don't even try to hide it, Nashman. Don't even think that after 20 years I can't read your eyes."

"Wha? You're Z-think meter has gone wonky if you're thinkin' what I think you're thinkin'."

"Oh, don't try to deny it. I know you slept with her. You've got that happy, tired look in your eyes."

Nash dropped some files to his desk and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his vest. "I slept with her? And what would this theory be based upon?"

"Your eyes and you two giggling and…and Keller saying that neither of your got much sleep last night."

"She's messing with your head, Joe.  I don't know anything about my eyes, but the reason neither of us got much sleep last night was because of the TV…not sex." Nash picked the files back up and leaned to Joe, grinning. "I'm not saying that would have been a bad thing though…"

|Chapter | |Nine | | |

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~9~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

After two days of pouring over video tapes and broadcast transcripts, the team had gotten no closer to the serial killer and tensions were very near the breaking point.

"Good news Commander." Evan hung up the phone. "That was the FBI, and they said your car checks out fine and it's ready for you to pick up." He looked back down at the message paper. "Oh, and uh Nash, they also said that a Special Agent Bennett is available?"

"Great. While we're over there getting your car, I can talk with Bennett." Nash grabbed the keys from his top desk drawer and gathered the serial killer files.

"Uh, would anybody like to fill me in on who this Special Agent Bennett is?"

"Special Agent Wesley Bennett is a criminal profiler with the FBI. I've asked him to take a look at the crime scene photos. Hopefully, he can help us fill in the blanks about this bastard. He's profiled some of the world's most famous serial killers and he's pretty good at it. He's helped us before on several occasions."

Stephanie uncrossed her legs and stood up, getting her purse. She looked to Nash, who was now standing beside her and added sarcastically, "Boy, I bet he has really fun dreams."



~~**~~

"What in the hell did you do to my car?" Stephanie was filled with a combination of horror and anger at the site of her vehicle. It was covered with finger printing dust. The seats, doors, hood and trunk were all resting on sawhorses, covered in more of the offending white residue. The car was still on a hoist, the tires lying under it like a grave marker, signaling the car's final resting-place. The man examining the transmission looked mortified when he spied Keller.

"You're here," the FBI technician exclaimed, "You're early! Don't worry though Ma'am. It all comes off with some good hot soapy water. We just haven't had a chance-"

Stephanie cut him off. "Don't bother. Just put it back together and clean off my _leather_ seats so I don't get that crap all over me and I'll have my regular guys do it."

"Yes Ma'am. Right away Ma'am."

"Will you stop with the 'Ma'am' stuff…"

"Damn, what did they do?" Stephanie wheeled around to find Nash in the shop doorway with a shocked look on his face. She walked towards him, turning back when the first tire was ratcheted back in place.

"They made a damn mess is what they did." Keller looked back at her unrecognizable car one more time and then started out into the hot August sun. When they reached where the 'Cuda was parked, Stephanie decided to find out how the meeting with S.A. Bennett went.

"So, what did Bennett say?"

"Well, not a whole lot we didn't already know, except for the fact that he thinks the arm behind the back is some sort of sign. He's going to study that further and get back to us."

Nash rubbed an imaginary spot off the Barracuda's fender. "Oh, he also said that the guy was either at the mayor's ball or at the scene that night."

"True, because I was never shown on any of the news coverage for either event." She let out a contemplating sigh. "This guy is really starting to tick me off."

"Yeah, tell me about it. He's always one…"

"Miss Keller?"

Stephanie and Nash both turned to find the man in charge of her car heading towards them. He had a very pleased look on his face that made Keller very curious.

"Is it ready?"

The mans smile broadened. "It sure is. We worked real fast and got it done inside and out. All of us felt awful bad about you seeing your car like that, especially that nice a car. Danny's just finishing up the tires, putting some Armor All on them, and then he'll drive it out."

"Great! Thank you." Stephanie smiled and shook his hand. "I've missed my car."

Nash felt a little stab to his heart. He realized that driving Keller everywhere had turned out to be quite enjoyable. Enjoyable enough, he didn't want it to end. Nash quickly put that thought out of his head as Stephanie's car made it's way out of the shop and parked in front of the 'Cuda. The sun reflected off its black gloss finish and it's site alone placed a radiant smile on Keller's face. She made her way around the car, giving it the once over, and mumbled something that Nash couldn't quite make out. He knew that she felt the same way about her car as he did about his. A little particular was an understatement.

"Well, I guess, I'll meet you back at the SIU." Nash turned to get into his car.

"Wait Nash. I think I'm going to roll the widows down and take a drive. Head for Point Bonita or some place like that. Let the wind blow through my hair. I'll be back to SIU around…well, in a couple hours."

As Stephanie got in and started opening windows and her sunroof, Nash's mind was in overdrive. He wanted to go along for the ride. As she started her car, he decided it was make-or-break time.

"Can I come with you?" It was a little louder and more forced than he had meant, but now that it was out it was going to have to do.

"Sure. If you think that old car of yours can keep up." She smiled a brilliant smile that threw him completely off track; even making him cast aside the dig about his car. Though he wanted to be in the same car for the ride, Nash thought better of pushing his luck.

"I think I'll be able to limp along." A playful grin crossed his handsome features as he got in and started his engine.

Fastening her seat belt, Stephanie shifted her eyes to look in the rear view mirror. She noticed the way the late afternoon sun glinted off Nash's hair as he had his head turned to the side. She mentally berated herself for thinking those kinds of thoughts. *After all, he's an officer under your command Keller! It's not ethical! * She also remembered two nights ago when he'd come back from grocery shopping in jeans, a sweatshirt and a black leather jacket. She could still picture just how those jeans fit his… *STOP IT KELLER!!*

As she put the car in drive, she stole one more glance in the rear-view mirror.

"But he's so damn cute!"



~~**~~

The drive in the late afternoon sunshine did much to alleviate some of Keller's tension. Nash pulled up along side just as Stephanie was getting out of the car. She noted an impish little grin on Nash's face and returned it in kind.

"You know, you went through a speed zone back there," Nash teased.

"What are you going to do," Stephanie purred. "Give me a ticket, Inspector Bridges?"

Nash looked around. "I don't see a traffic cop anywhere." A playful grin came over his features.

"Keller just giggled. "Oh, I can't wait to type that one up and put it in your file." She moved her hands up and pretended to type in the air. "Inspector Bridges willingly allowed someone to break the speed laws of the state of California…"

Both Stephanie and Nash broke into hysterical laughter. But the joviality came to an abrupt halt as they listened to the suspicious fire call emanating in stereo from both their police radios. Stephanie froze as the dispatcher rolled units to the 9000 block of Pleasant View Road in Larkspur.

"Holy shit…" was all Nash could come up with.

Stephanie bolted into her car with Nash doing the same. Every speed limit between there and Larkspur was broken; grill and bubble lights illuminating the dusk settling over San Francisco. As they careened onto Pleasant View, Keller's worst fears were realized as she saw the flames dancing from the roof of her home. Three news crews were already on the scene and all of Keller's neighbors, none of whom she'd met, were out watching the show.

She jumped out of her car and flashed her shield at every flat foot who tried to stop her. She ran to a man in a white shirt with bars on his shoulders.

"Are you the fire chief?" Keller was out of breath and very near the breakdown point.

"Yeah, who are you?" He turned back around to talk to one of the many firemen on the scene. Stephanie grabbed his arm and turned him back towards her.

"Listen." Stephanie's voice dripped venom. "My name is Inspector Stephanie Keller, Captain and commanding officer of the Special Investigations Unit of the San Francisco Police Department, and this is my goddamn house going up in flames." She pointed an accusing finger in his face. "And if you don't tell me what the fuck is going on right now, I will have your ass. Does that tell you who I am?"

Stephanie felt a calming hand on her arm and realized for the first time that Nash was standing next to her. He extended a hand to the clearly taken aback chief.

"Inspector Nash Bridges, SIU." He turned to look at what was left of Stephanie's house, then back to the man. "Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Chief Keith Lake." He turned his attention to Keller. "And I'm sorry Ma'am about being a little tight lipped, but this place is crawling with press."

"No, it's I who should apologize." She shook her head, clearly ashamed. "Snapping at you like that was totally uncalled for and I hope you'll accept my sincere apologies."

"It's already forgotten." Lake flashed a reassuring smile. "I deal with this a lot. It's never an easy thing to loose a home, and especially not this way."

Nash's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What way?"

"Arson. Poorly camouflaged arson at that. Whoever did this didn't even try to hide it. Gasoline and a match. Not even creative. It'll take a few days to get the lab results back, but everything points to a typical accelerant- induced fire."

Stephanie and Nash both let these facts sink in while watching the mop-up crew put out hot spots. The house was a total loss with only the north and a portion of the east wall still standing. Keller stared in stony silence at the figures trudging through the damp, charred wreckage.

Nash was the first to sober. "Is there anything else at all you can tell us now?"

"Actually, there is. If you'd like to follow me over to the driveway area, you can take a look for yourself. None of the guys have ever seen anything like it before."

"Lead the way." Nash took Stephanie's elbow and guided her in front of him.

At the first site of the hideous symbol, Keller's knees almost gave out. Nash had to grab her around the waist to keep her from falling down. Painted on the driveway in blaze orange was a giant bulls-eye. She turned her horrified face to Nash and buried it against his chest for protection.

"I've gotta get out of here!"

"I've gotcha. You're okay." With his free hand, Nash gave Chief Lake one of his cards.

"Let me know anything as soon as you get it. It's very important."

"Will do."



~~**~~

Keller fought to compose herself while Nash called for Michelle and Evan to come over from the SIU to pick up her car. As she stood leaning against the front fender in a daze, she heard a voice that sent a chill to her very core. It was saying something about channel 4, but all she could register was the sound.

"Ma'am. Is there anything you can tell us about the shape on the driveway? Ma'am? Ma'am…?"

She tried to speak but nothing came out. She couldn't place the voice, but she knew she recognized it. Finally, the man gave up and Keller stared at his retreating figure, coherent thought impossible.

Nash came around to her side of the car, closing his cell phone and returning it to his jacket pocket. The look on his face was clearly one of concern as he watched the emotions play across Keller's face. He played with his keys to resist the urge to gather her up and protect her from all the flashing lights and the cameras. Instead, he guided her up by the elbow and directed her towards the 'Cuda with a gentle hand on the small of her back. He opened the door for her and closed it once she was settled in the passenger seat.

When they arrived back at his apartment, Nash helped her upstairs. Upon returning from getting her car parked in the garage and the keys back from Michelle, he found Stephanie staring out the window. He moved a few feet behind her and spoke in a gentle voice.

"I'm really sorry about…"

"I'm going to go to bed." Keller's voice was filled with barely controlled emotions. "Goodnight."

With that, she walked up the three stairs to her room, entered, and closed the door. Nash opened the patio and stepped out into the warm August air. Relaxing in the glider, sleep claimed him quickly.

|Chapter | |Ten | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~10~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Nash could hear her screaming for help, but couldn't find her. He slipped around the stack of crates, gun drawn, but was welcomed by an open expanse of warehouse. There was no sign of Keller or the serial killer. He crept along the left wall, carefully approaching a doorway. The available light in the old storage space made it hard to see any obstructions in his path. His head shot up as he heard her scream once again.

"NO!"…

Nash awoke in a cold sweat. He had fallen asleep in the glider on the terrace. He looked at his watch. 1:37 am. He proceeded back into the apartment but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a shriek from Stephanie's room. In the five seconds it took for Nash to reach Keller's door, several different scenarios passed through his mind. Could someone have gotten into the apartment? After all, it wouldn't be the first time somebody had just waltzed right in. Tamara VanZant had done it. Ninja body builders had done it. Many attempted assassin's. Hell even Rick Bettina had gotten in.

Nash drew his gun and turned the doorknob slowly. Once it was free he opened it with his foot and turned on the light. Stephanie was tossing and turning in bed, mumbling. She was obviously having a very real nightmare. Holstering his gun, Nash sat on the edge of her bed.

"Keller."

She still tossed and turned, not hearing him. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

"Stephanie."

Still nothing, but now she was starting to scream again. 'No,' over and over again. It was almost too much for Nash to bear. He gently shook her shoulders, until finally she shot upright.

"NO!" Almost instantly, tears streamed down her face and Nash gathered her in his arms.

"It was him, Nash. It was him." Tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. "He burned down my house. He was there. He was there." With sobs wracking her body, Nash held her tightly, quietly reassuring her.

"I know, Stephanie, I know. But he can't get you here. You're safe now. He didn't get you and I promise he never will. Sssh. I promise." He rubbed his hand up and down her back and kissed the top of her head. After a while the tears stopped and she looked deep into Nash's eyes.

"Thank you, Nash. Thank you…for everything."

"Oh, there's no need to thank-"

Before he could deflect her gratitude, she wrapped her fingers in his hair and kissed him. Just a slow, exploring kiss. When she pulled away and looked at Nash's shocked face, she instantly started to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Nash. I shouldn't-"

"Sssh." Nash silenced her with a kiss of his own. As the kiss intensified, Stephanie tried to get his jacket off, but couldn't manage to get his arms out of the sleeves. Nash drew back and yanked it off, throwing it across the room. As he started on the shoulder holster, Keller grabbed his hands and pushed him onto his back.

"Here, let me get that for you."

"Yes, ma'am."

She slowly removed the holster, drawing out each and every movement. When the leather dropped to the floor, she started on his vest, smiling wickedly.

"I didn't know you were ticklish."

"Ah, yes, quite a bit. But I don't suppose that was in the personnel file was it?"

"No, I don't remember it anywhere." Keller pulled off the vest and looked at the shirt Nash still wore. "But all these little buttons are going to be fun." As she started at the collar, Nash grabbed her hands and sat up.

"No, they're not." With that, he ripped the shirt off, sending buttons in every direction. He threw it behind him and pushed Stephanie onto her back. "Let's see if anybody else is ticklish."

He kissed every inch of her neck and received calm little purrs of pleasure, but nothing to indicate that she was ticklish. He unfastened the top button of the silk pajamas and explored her throat and shoulders thoroughly. Still, he found nothing ticklish, but he noted Stephanie was holding onto the sheets beneath her for dear life. This warranted further exploring.

Stephanie was slowly being driven crazy. Every kiss was like an electrical shock. Every nip and lick was exquisite torture. She marveled that two different women had let this man get away. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up this cool and calm facade.

Nash moved past the middle two buttons on her shirt and opened the bottom one. Light as a feather, he traced his index fingers from her sides to her belly button. The sharp intake of air, coupled with a gasp was just the reaction Nash had been looking for.

"Gottcha," he said with a devilish grin.

"Not for long."

Before Nash could protest, she hooked her right leg with his and flipped them both completely over. She pulled his arms up over his head and grinned.

"But 'ya have to be quick!"

"I guess so. Where did you learn that one?"

"The academy. Now shut up and kiss me or you're under arrest."

"Oh, baby."



~~**~~

Stephanie dozed, spooned in the safe haven of Nash's arms, while he traced small circles on her smooth, tanned arm. He reflected on the last few hours, not wanting to forget a single moment. He kissed her shoulder and carefully got up, trying not to disturb her. Slipping on his pants and shirt with no buttons, he went out into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

While it perked, he looked out the window at his beautiful hometown. It was a town he had sworn to serve and protect, and one he had started to look down upon. Lately, he'd only seem the worst things about San Francisco because he looked at it with blinders on. This morning though, everything was cast in a new light. This day would be good.

After pouring two cups of coffee, including one with enough cream and sugar to kill a racehorse, Nash found Stephanie in her bathrobe, sitting under the covers. Her knees were pulled up to her chin and it looked as if she'd been crying.

"Good morning, Steph. Are you okay?" He sat next to her on the bed and handed her the cup of coffee.

"Thanks." She took a sip and continued staring at the wall in front of her. After a few moments, she finally spoke. "I'm sorry Nash, about last night. I don't know what came over me."

"What?" Nash had been feeling many things about last night, but sorry wasn't one of them.

"I'm sorry about putting you in that position. You came in here to comfort me like a gentleman, and what do I do? I practically jump you. What were you supposed to do?"

Keller set the coffee cup down on the nightstand and threw off the covers. She went to the closet and got out her suitcases and began taking clothes off of hangers. Nash just stared at her, bewildered.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm packing. What does it look like?" She started emptying drawers out and folding socks into her bags.

"Yeah, I got that part. Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm leaving before I ruin our relationship totally. Now, if you would please excuse me, I'd like to get dressed."

"Uh, I was there last night too, sister. Don't I get a say in this?"

"No. I'm afraid there isn't much to say."

"The hell there isn't! I'm so sorry if you feel ashamed of what *we* did last night, but I don't. Lying there with you in my arms felt right. And you know what? This morning I realized something. All of this was inevitable. The deck was stacked that first night you stayed here. I couldn't keep my eyes off you all night long."

"Nash, just stop! Don't make this any harder than it already is. You're just doing the noble thing by protecting the damsel in distress, and I do appreciate that, but I'm your boss, for God's sake."

"So what?"

"So what?  Think of the repercussion of we became involved.  What would the entire SIU team think of both of us.  We both would loose their respect.  And for another thing, I've decided that I'm going to go home after this case is finished."

Nash was silent for a minute, letting this new detail sink in. "You're going to go back to Seattle? Why?"

"No, I'm not going back to Seattle." She closed the lid on her suitcase. "I'm going home…to Calgary."

"Calgary? What in the hell are you going to do there? You can't be a cop."

"I could be provincial police, but that's beside the point-"

"Uh, could you give me an idea, some clue as to what the point is exactly?"

"Why do you care so much? It has nothing to do with you."

"It doesn't, huh?"

"No."

"Well excuse me for hoping there might be a future of some kind for us."

Stephanie looked up from checking the nightstand for any of her belongings. She had nothing to say. She closed the drawer and moved over to the dresser.

"Never mind. I'll see ya at the SIU."

Nash left Stephanie's room and went into his own. After taking a lightening quick shower and putting on some clean clothes, he left as fast as he could. At the sound of the elevator door slamming closed, Keller sat down on the bed and started to cry.



~~**~~

"Good morning Nashman. Where's Keller?" Joe was his usual perky and nosey self.

"I have no idea." Nash sat down at his desk and started working with his computer.

"What do you mean you have no idea?"

"Just what I said. I have no idea. What am I, her baby sitter now?"

"Sorry." Joe quietly watched his best friend and partner from across the isle. He noticed several things that made him think something was wrong, besides the obvious attitude problem. His hair was still wet and just slicked back. He hadn't shaved either. But the big clincher was the wardrobe. Jeans, tennis shoes, sweatshirt and leather jacket. That outfit could only mean three things. He was in a hurry to leave his apartment, something major was going down, or both. Joe decided to run the reverse. He dialed Keller's cell phone. After about ten rings, he hung up.

"Nash, do you know if Keller has her cell phone wherever she is?"

"I'm sure she does. Why?"

"Well, she's not-"

"I have a delivery for Inspector Bridges." A delivery man in his early 30's stood in front of all of them.

"Right here."

"Okay, sign right here…and the tip is taken care of. Enjoy."

"Thanks."

Nash looked at the flowers for a minute and the inspector in him kicked into gear. "Evan, go catch the delivery guy if you can."

"On it with a vengeance."

As Evan ran past, Joe, Harvey and Michelle all came to stand around Nash's desk. He slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and used tweezers to open the note card envelope.

"What are you thinkin', boss?"

"I'm thinking lots of things, Harv, but none of them are good." He pulled the note out and automatically went pale.



Nash,

My condolences.

"Harv, get everything you need together to trace a cell phone."

"You got it." Harvey ran back to his desk.

Evan came running back, out of breath. "There's no sign of him. He's gone."

"Son of a bitch." Nash put the note and envelope in an evidence bag. "Michelle, get on the horn to the unis outside my apartment. See when the Captain left, and ask which direction she was headed.

"All right, I'm on it." Michelle went back to her desk and got on her portable radio.

"What's up with the flowers, Nash? Joe was poking through the arrangement.

"This guy knows a lot about Keller. These are wild roses. They're the provincial flower of Alberta."

"What does Alberta have to do with anything? She love hockey or something?" Joe chuckled, but quickly stopped at the look on Nash's face.

"As a matter of fact she does, but that's not the point. The point is, I think he has my apartment bugged or something, because this morning she was talking about going home once this case was solved."

"So, what does Alberta have to do with Seattle?" Evan picked up the evidence bag to get a closer look.

"Nothing Evan. She came here from Seattle, but she was born in Calgary." Nash sat down and Harvey came up behind him from his desk.

"Nash, can I borrow Evan for a minute?"

"Sure, go ahead. Joe and I will be on the back of the boat."

"Gottcha." Harvey drug Evan towards his desk.

"Come on Joe."

"Right behind ya."

Joe let Nash lead the way to the back deck and once there, let him take his time. He knew there was more to the story than he was being told. Nash rested his arms over the railing and let out a deep breath.

"Last night, I woke up to a scream. I'm not sure if it was a dream I was having or if it was Stephanie, but I heard a scream. I'd fallen asleep on the balcony, so I headed inside and heard her scream again. I busted into her room with my gun drawn. I thought for sure he…he had come after her. It turns out if was just a terrible nightmare. When she finally woke, she was crying. I held her in my arms…telling her it was all right…that she was going to be alright. I promised to protect her.

Uh, anyway, she stopped crying and just kissed me. Before I knew it I'd kissed her back and we were lying in each others arms." Nash closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "It wasn't meaningless either. It was loving and moving and…I don't know. It reached the soul. It's something that's been missing in my life for a long time.  

Well, I woke up first and just laid there for awhile. I realized…I realized that I loved her. I loved her personality and how she's so strong…how she's so up front with what she's thinking, yet there are so many things left to discover. She always gives you little clues. Anyway, I got up and made a pot of coffee and when I came back, she was awake with her bathrobe on under the covers…and she'd been crying. She said that she was ashamed of what she'd done and was sorry for the position she'd put me in. Can you believe that? The world is finally good again, I'm half way to being head over heals, and she's ashamed of what we did. I swear I didn't hear another word after that. I just watched her pack her bags. She even told me not to make it harder than it already was. That's when she told me she was going to go home to Calgary. Right after that I left. I took a shower, changed clothes, and got the hell out of there. I drove around for an hour before I came here."

Joe put a reassuring hand on Nash's back. "We'll find her."

"Maybe. But it'll be too late. The only mistake this guy has ever made was not making sure she was dead. He's going to make up for it this time…I just know he will." Nash straightened up and looked out across the bay. "I promised I would protect her and I've…"

"What?"

"It was another one of her clues that I didn't pay attention to. A week ago or so, we were sitting, talking one night and she said that right after she got out of the hospital, she could hear the guy's voice. She was having these nightmares and she could hear his voice. She said she hadn't had one for more than a month, and then she has one last night." Nash eyes became alive. "Joe, the guy was there."

"Are you sure it wasn't just the situation?"

"No. She even said he was there…twice." Nash bowed his head. "I just didn't listen."

"Nashman, you're not a mind reader. Let's try and think who talked to her last night. Now who did you talk to as soon as you both pulled up at the fire?"

"Let's see. She shoved past several unis, but just yelled at them."

"Okay, who else?"

"Then we talked with the Fire Marshall."

"It wouldn't be him."

"No, I agree. After that we saw the bulls-eye on the driveway and went back to the car. Some re…porter from Channel 4…Son of a bitch!" Nash started running back to the bullpen. "It's the reporter, Joe. Harv, get Channel 4's personnel director on the phone five minutes ago!"

"You got it boss."

|Chapter | |Eleven | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~11~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"Why are you doing this?" Keller felt the searing pain as the sentence tumbled out of her swollen mouth. Besides a bruised and bloodied face, that included a deep gash that trickled blood into her left eye, Stephanie knew her ankle was severely sprained and one or more of her ribs were cracked or broken. Her body ached all over, but she knew the worst was yet to come. She'd dealt with this pyscho before.

"You know, I've asked myself that same question, but I don't have an answer. I've just been fascinated by you since the first day we met."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed, contempt clear. "Oh, you mean the time you tied me up and shot me in the back? Please excuse me if I didn't shake your hand."

He slapped her viciously across the face, splitting her bottom lip. "Don't get smart with me bitch, or I'll make it extremely painful." He walked over to a table in the middle of the room.

"Talk, talk, talk." Stephanie saw the look of rage in his eyes, but kept on. "Do you do anything else? So far, you've tied me to a chair and beat the shit out of me. Tough man. Now what?"

As he walked back, Keller could see the roll of duct tape in his hand. He knelt down in front of her. "Oh, I do more than talk." He ripped a strip of the gray tape off the roll.

"Let's see if I can do things as well as your little lover boy last night."

Before she could retort, he plastered the tape across her mouth. He untied her feet and dragged her by the hair to a bed in the corner, throwing her down on the mattress. Every survival instinct in Keller's body was screaming, but there was nothing she could do. Here was the Captain of the Special Investigations Unit of the San Francisco Police Department, a highly decorated officer, at the complete mercy of a deranged serial killer.

Despite Keller's struggles, her attacker tied her to the bed one limb at a time until she was completely immobile. As she watched in horror, her attacker took off his shirt and unzipped his pants. She closed her eyes and tried to think about other things as he sat next to her on the bed and began to unbutton her shirt slowly. He stopped as his cell phone rang.



~~**~~

"You got the trace on Harv?" Nash was pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

"Ya boss. If we don't get him on the first call…we'll get him on the next one. Go ahead Mr. Ebel." Harvey put the headphones on so he could listen in to the station director's conversation.

Nash continued to pace, running his hands through his hair nervously. "We've gotta get him on the first call. There isn't time to have to do it twice."

With each passing ring, the tension in the newsroom mounted. Finally, there was an answer.

"Burke here."

"Hey Kevin, its Walt. What are you working on for me today?"

"More on the serial killer story. I'm doing an expose of sorts."

"Really…what do you have?"

"Just working on some interviews with witnesses and people involved in the investigation."

"Ah, that's great. When…"

"Listen sir, I've gotta get back to an interview now. It's somebody who really didn't want to do this…so she's a little anxious to get it over with. I'll let you know what I've got tomorrow. Bye."

Except for the dial tone ringing in their ears, the newsroom was silent. Harvey finally broke the quiet.

"We've got him."



~~**~~

Stephanie's instincts told her the call was a set up. She counted the seconds necessary to get a successful trace and would have screamed out in happiness had she been able to. But reality set in once again when he ended the call abruptly and headed back towards her. She knew it would take Nash a while to get to her...and only a few minutes for this animal to have his way with her.

"Now...where was I?" He kneeled on the bed beside her and started to kiss her neck and shoulder while undoing the remaining buttons on her shirt. "So...do you like this? Or did Nash do it another way?"

He laughed at the look in Stephanie's eyes--a mix of fear and contempt. "What...you thought I missed the show? I've known about your living arrangements for more than a week now. Full audio on the place. And the reception was especially clear last night."

Stephanie pulled at her restraints to no avail. She felt like she was being violated twice at the same time. Not only was this beast going to rape her...but he was basing it on a beautiful, loving encounter between her and a man she was growing to love more and more each day. The feeling of rage within her was almost too much.



~~**~~

"Joe...check the intersections." Nash was racing down Broadway, heading for the Presidio.

"All clear." Joe was holding on for dear life, managing to quickly glance over at the speedometer. He blinked, not believing his eyes. "Uh, Nashman...you going a little fast?"

"Yeah...so? Intersection?" He was concentrating so hard his jaw was clenched.

"Good...go."

Taylor and Hyde streets whizzed by. A moment later, Laguna and Fillmore were a thing of the past as well. Only as the outskirts of the Presidio came into view did he slow down and turn his flashing light and siren off.

"We've gotta move through these buildings quickly but silently, Joe. I'm going to stick to this middle strip. Keep your eyes peeled to the right for a news van."

"Got it."

As Nash cruised through the rows of buildings, he could see the image of a van reflected in a window up ahead. He pulled over to the side, and killed the motor.

"Two buildings up on the right. I can see the reflection."

"Are we going to call for backup?"

"No way in hell. We don't have time. Let's go." They started jogging towards the building, guns drawn.



~~**~~

His hands and mouth were all over her.

As he continued his demented foreplay, Keller stared at the ceiling, praying Nash would arrive soon. But doubts began to creep into her head. "What if the call hadn't been made by the team? What if he wasn't really coming?" Her thoughts were interrupted as he started to unzip her skirt.

"Now comes act two."

Stephanie shivered at his tone. Her life, at this moment, was a living hell.

His rough hands began to push up her skirt as he lowered himself onto her. Stephanie felt helpless...like a trapped animal. She balled her hands into fists, continually pulling at the ropes around her wrists.

"Let's see if you enjoy this as much today as you did last..."

A noise from the hall grabbed his attention. He jumped up, zipped his pants, and grabbed a knife and gun off of the table. After putting the gun in the waistband of his pants, he cut Keller's restraints and pulled her violently to her feet, the cold steel blade of the knife against her throat.



~~**~~

"Dammit," Nash hissed as the stair creaked beneath him. "Now we've gotta move."

Joe nodded his head yes. "I'm right behind you," he whispered.

Nash nodded once. "On the count of three. One."

"Two."

"Three."

He kicked in the door, only to be confronted by Stephanie, sparsely clad, with a knife to her throat. Her eyes were wild with fear, and her body was trembling. His own throat tightened at the site of her, blood running down her face, deep bruises forming everywhere.



~~**~~

"So...you must be Nash. I'm really glad we're finally meeting. I've heard so much about you...and of you." The killer moved closer to the door, using Keller as a shield.

"Stephanie, are you alright? Are you okay?" Nash's sights were set on the killer, but Keller's life was in too much danger to make a move.

She just nodded, coherent speech not possible. Fear had taken over her body, controlling her breathing.

"Oh, isn't that sweet? One lover is comforting the other. It almost makes me want to cry. Oh, wait...that's what she was doing this morning...after you left her bed." He dragged her through the doorway, laughing maniacally at the expression on Nash's face. "But she won't be crying anymore. She'll be in my bed." He bit at the back of her neck, attempting to prove his dominance.

Nash could see a change in Keller's eyes...they were more alive...not glazed as they had been. He took heart in the knowledge that Stephanie was seemingly back with them.

As the killer started down the stairs, Keller shoved back against him, her survival and cop instincts taking over. But in her weakened state, she couldn't shake the grip he had on her arms and found herself toppling over backwards with him.

As they somersaulted downward, Keller's head smashed against one of the stairs, instantly knocking her unconscious, the knife blade slashing her shoulder. As the killer scrambled to his feet and attempted to pull out his gun, Nash shot him three times in the chest, knocking him over backwards, dead.

Nash flew down the stairs, checking for Stephanie's pulse. It was there, but faint.

"Joe, call 911!"

|Chapter | |Twelve | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~12~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Nash and Joe sat silently in the waiting room of St. Vibiana, anxious for word on Stephanie's condition. It had been a little over three hours since she'd been placed in the care of Dr. Martone in the ER, and the nurses had not been able to tell them anything.

As the minutes turned into hours, Nash sank deeper into despair, guilt over his actions starting to take their toll. Never before had his personal feelings caused him to so willingly disregard his duty. And this time, his actions almost cost someone their life...a life that he know knew he loved and had promised to protect.

He stood up and walked over to the window. At some point, rain had started to fall over San Francisco, the drops reflecting the city lights as they trailed down the window. As he stood leaning against its frame, memories of the past 24 hours played like a movie in his mind. Holding Keller in his arms, leaving that morning, hearing the voice of Burke over the phone, finding her at the Presidio, following the speeding ambulance to the hospital, watching the stretcher go through the emergency room doors. Why didn't he make her listen to him that morning?  Why didn't he make her stay?  His thoughts consumed him so much that he didn't hear the doctor come up behind him.

"Inspectors?"

Nash turned quickly to see Dr. Martone walking towards them. He and Joe both moved towards her, eager to hear any news...good or bad.

"How is she doctor?"

"Well...she's stable for the time being. She's still unconscious, but stable. Captain Keller has sustained severe physical trauma, the most serious the head injury which is causing the loss of consciousness. The CT Scan shows a subdural hematoma on the temporal lobe of the brain."

"What does that mean in the long term?"

"Well, we'll have to watch for any hearing problems that may develop. And of course, as with any head injury, there will be the usual bouts of dizziness, headaches and disorientation."

"Uh, doctor, what about her physical state? She looked pretty banged up when we finally got to her." Joe was not only concerned about Keller's health, but also wanted to help Nash get through this. He knew that the situation was weighing on him heavily.

"Well, along with the head trauma she has multiple lacerations and contusions, the worst of which is the knife wound on her shoulder. She also has a couple of bruised ribs, and a twisted ankle."

Nash stood staring at the floor, dreading his next question, but needing to know the answer. "Doctor, was she... uh, I mean did he..." He looked at her, the tortured look in his eyes reaching the doctor's heart.

"No Inspector...she wasn't."

Nash let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Keller being sexually assaulted or killed had been his two greatest fears through this entire ordeal.

"Can we see her?" Joe was resting a reassuring hand on Nash's shoulder. It was not very often that he had to take the roll of the strong partner. But in this case, Nash needed him for moral support more than ever before.

"Yes, in just a few minutes. Captain Keller is being moved to the Intermediate Care Unit, where she will be monitored. I'll send a nurse to tell you when you can go in."

"Thank you, Doctor."



~~**~~

After about ten minutes, a nurse directed Nash and Joe to Stephanie's room in the ICU. Nash's heart sank with his first glimpse of her. Her head wound had been bandaged in layers of gauze and tape, which was to be expected. But it was her eyes that grabbed at his heart, both blackened and swelled. The rest of her face was in no better condition, with her cracked lips and bruised cheeks. What wasn't red or a violent shade of purple was ghostly pale.

Nash just stood there, silently blaming himself for her condition. The nurse's voice finally broke through his trance.

"She's on muscle relaxers and quite a lot of pain medication, so she shouldn't be waking up for quite some time. If I were the two of you, I would go home and try and get a little rest...come back in the morning. She'll need somebody here when she wakes up. I've got your cell phone numbers in case anything changes."

Joe patted Nash on the back. "I think that's a good idea Nashman. We'll come back. It's not going to help her any if we can't keep our eyes open."

Nash brushed his hand against hers, feeling how cold her fingers were. He turned and nodded to Joe, then left the room. As the door clicked shut behind them, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

|Chapter | |Thirteen | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~13~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

The streets were nearly empty, but Nash was driving at a snails pace. Concentrating on street signs was nearly impossible. He couldn't seem to shake the image of Stephanie lying in that hospital bed, bruised and broken. Domestic disputes and burglary reports on the police radio were the only things keeping him functioning. But an abandoned car report piqued his interest



"All units...a tow truck driver is requesting a patrol officer

to check into an abandoned car at the St. Francis on Powel.

Car is a late-modeled black Oldsmobile with Washington

license plate A62178A. Any unit in the area..."

"Joe, tell them we'll take it. That has to be Stephanie's car."

As Joe called it in, Nash leaned on the accelerator. Not two minutes later they were entering the St. Francis' parking garage. On the second level they saw the tow trucks flashing light, and stopped.

As they got out and walked towards Keller's car, they both noticed that the trunk was unlatched. When they opened it, they found Stephanie's purse and cell phone, untouched. The car doors were locked, but Nash could see the automatic trunk release on the dash.

Joe tried the doors. "She must have popped the trunk and gotten out before he got her. I don't see any signs of him trying to get into the car."

Nash walked back around to the trunk. "I think you're right. He probably just surprised her. It's pitch black in here now, and it's probably not much better in broad daylight."

Joe looked over to the tow truck driver, sitting in his cab filling out paperwork. "What are we going to do? We know it's her car. Why have it impounded?"

"I don't see much point in it...but we don't have any keys...unless..."

Nash opened the zipper on Keller's purse and found another small pocket inside. There he found an extra key with the Oldsmobile symbol on it. He pulled out the car key and tried it in the driver's door. When it unlocked, he flipped the Cuda keys to Joe. Seeing the look in his eyes, Joe didn't question.

"I'll meet you at the SIU." He got in and started the engine. He was immediately aware of the fragrance she always wore...Chanel No.5. His thoughts turned to the night before, remembering the sweet smell of her hair and body.

As he pulled out of the parking structure, the cars stereo system started. The music was soft, but the words penetrated his consciousness.



Spend all your time waiting

For that second chance

For the break that will make it okay

There's always some reason

To feel not good enough

He quickly hit the radio button and preset number one.



What do I have to do, to make you love me

What do I have to do, to make you care

What do I say if it's all over

And sorry seems to be the hardest word

He punched the second button.



But you can't take your memory

No you can't take that part of you from me

You can take my heart

Tear it apart

The third button was pushed with a little more force.



What the head makes cloudy

The heart makes very clear

You know the days were so much brighter

Nash stopped for a red light and let out a deep breath as he tried preset four.



Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

He stared at the radio for a moment, not believing what was happening. This couldn't continue. He tried the final button and his worst fear was realized.



Can't you see

You're everything I hoped for

You're everything I need

You are so beautiful to me

Nash hit the power button and rested his forehead on the steering wheel, the circumstances of the past 24 hours collapsing around him. Unanswered questions swirled in his mind. Would Keller ever want to see him again after the way he left her vulnerable? Would she truly recover from her injuries? Or would she completely break his heart and move away from San Francisco as she had planned?

As the light turned green and then red again, Joe knew something was wrong. He pulled up along side Keller's car.

"Nash, are you alright?"

Nash picked up his head, the torment in his eyes contradicting his response. "I'm fine...just a little tired."

Joe looked up the block and noticed a small coffee shop with a neon OPEN sign blazing in the window. "Let's go and grab a cup of coffee. You look like you could use it."

Nash walked into the coffee shop and headed straight for a booth by the window while Joe ordered two cups of coffee from the waitress behind the counter. He stared out into the darkness of the night, watching the rain slowly begin to fall again. The moonless night reflected how dark and burdened his thoughts were.

Joe sat down in the seat across from him. "Nash. Come on, man, talk to me. What is it?" Joe gently tried to bring him back to reality. "In all my life I've never seen you like this...except maybe when Lisa served you with divorce papers...but that was a long time ago."

Nash took a deep breath and folded his arms, staring intently at the table in front of him. "I don't know where to start, Joe. It's just that I can't get Stephanie out of my head. I care so much about her...hell...I think I'm falling in love with her. But did you see her back at that hospital? I did that Joe. I left her alone this morning. I'm the one who ran out of there like a coward. And because of that...because of my childish behavior...that bastard did those things to her."

"Nashman...you aren't the one who grabbed her. You aren't the one who battered her. You aren't the one who attempted to rape and kill her. You saved her life. You have to stop beating yourself up over this."

"Joe, I should have been there though. When I left her like that, I provided the opportunity for it all to happen. I promised to protect her...and now she's fighting for her life."

"Nash, it sounded to me like she wanted you to leave...like she wanted some space. I think there's more to this than meets the eye. There was a reason she wanted to be alone, and we just don't know it yet."

"I don't know, Joe. I don't..." Nash's cell phone rang in his pocket. He looked alarmingly at Joe, before reaching into his pocket and pulling it out. He answered it cautiously.

"Nash."

"Nash, its Michelle." He visibly relaxed in the seat, thankful that it wasn't the hospital with bad news about Keller.

"Were you able to get a hold of Stephanie's parents?" Joe sat back in his seat now after hearing it was Michelle on the phone.

"Yes. They're going to catch the first flight out of Oak Harbor...wherever that is. But while I was talking to Mrs. Keller, I found out something that none of us knew before."

Nash paused for a moment, then responded. "What did she tell you?"

"It appears that Stephanie didn't just get transferred to San Francisco because of her stellar police skills. She couldn't take the media pressure anymore." There was a pause on Michelle's end of the line. "Nash...before Stephanie moved from Seattle...Kevin Burke killed her fiancé...a young man by the name of Ryan Mackenzie. The media turned it into a circus."

Nash closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That explains quite a lot." He let out a deep breath and concluded the call with Michelle. When he'd put the phone back in his pocket, he looked at Joe, who was still in the dark about the call.

"Michelle contacted her parents?"



Nash nodded his head. "They're coming as soon as they can. But that's not all she said." He looked back out the window, watching the rain beat on the pavement. "Things are finally starting to make sense, Joe."

|Chapter | |Fourteen | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~14~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

It had been a long, sleepless night for both Nash and Joe.  Not only worried about Stephanie's health but Nash's as well, Joe was unable to get any rest and had instead driven to Nash's apartment, only to find that he had never made it home.  Racing to the hospital, he found no sign of Nash, but was updated on Keller's condition. She was stable but still unconscious due to the medications she had been given.  On his way out, a young nurse named Ann from the night watch desk stopped him and told him that about an hour before, Nash had called, asking about Stephanie's condition.  She said she wasn't sure, but she thought she heard creaking in the background.  Thanking Ann, he quickly got into his car and drove to the SIU.  

Joe found Nash at his desk, doing paperwork. Sitting in the chair beside it, he rested his elbow on a stack of folders and sighed.  

"You know, you don't need to do these now."

"I know, but I might as well.  I want this case over and done with."

"You should be getting some sleep."

"Thank you, Doctor Dominguez.  So should you."

"I'm not the one who's drowning their problems in arrest forms and probable cause warrants," Joe said in exasperation.

"Well, would you rather have me go back to my old ways...because I thought about it.  They really didn`t work out too well for me though, did they," Nash snapped back.  

They were both silent for a minute.  Nash threw down his pen and covered his face with his hands.  Taking a deep breath, he apologized to Joe.  

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that.  It's just that I need something constructive to do, or I'm going to lose it."  He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, looking at the SFPD logo in the middle of his computer screen.   For the hundredth time that hour, he wondered why he continued to do a job that had created so much trouble and heartache in his life.  

Joe contemplated what Nash had said in the silence of the Eureka.  His eyes strayed to Keller's desk, with it's perpetually full in-box now overflowing.  Everything else was as she had left it, the day before.  Looking back at Nash, who was still staring at his monitor, Joe picked up a file and started to flip through it.  

"So, where are you at on these?  Are the reports done, or do they still need some work?"

At a loss for words for a moment, Nash finally stuttered, "Uh...I've written the report out, but you might want to look over it before I type it up...see if I missed anything major."

They worked on the final copy of the serial killer report the rest of the morning, just finishing it as the first SIU crew members started to arrive.  Deciding that it was time to head over to the hospital, Nash stood up to put his jacket on.  His eyes landed, as Joe's had earlier in the morning, on Keller's desk.  At some point, a single red rose had been placed among the piles of paperwork.  Quickly digging through his desk drawers to find his keys, he controlled the wave of emotion that still threatened to overcome him.

"I'm gonna go grab us a cup of coffee for the road.  I think we could both use it."

Nash looked up at his best friend and smiled weakly.  "Thanks, man.  I`ll meet you at the car."

|Chapter | |Fifteen | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~15~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

   

It was four long hours after they arrived that Stephanie finally woke up from her drug-induced rest.  Fearing that Keller was still too weak, Nash and Joe had not been allowed in to see her.  In that time, Nash finally shared with Joe what Michelle had told him on the phone the night before.  

Out of the corner of his eye, Nash could see Keller's parents coming down the hospital corridor. He stood up as they entered the waiting area, but when he extended his hand and started to introduce himself, Mrs. Keller just glared at him and walked past into Keller's room. Her father followed obediently, only giving Nash a quick, apologetic smile. As the door shut, Nash sat back down heavily and shook his head. Joe sat next to him and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. They stayed that way for a moment while Nash collected his thoughts.

"This isn't my fault, Joe. Just keep telling me that. Maybe I'll believe it." Nash finally looked up and stared at the watercolor in front of him. God, how he hated hospitals, especially waiting rooms.

"Well, Nash, this isn't your fault. I mean, you said it yourself, you're not her baby-sitter. And she wasn't exactly open with you about all this. You didn't know what had happened to her in the past.  You guys are just going to have to talk this all out at some point."

Nash nodded his head solemnly "If she'll talk to me..." His train of thought was interrupted by raised voices from inside Keller's room. Nash started to stand up, but Joe held onto his arm.

"Let them sort it out. The last thing you want to do is get in the middle of some sort of family dispute."

Nash relaxed a bit, but still kept his eye on the door. "You're right." Then he chuckled, "I suppose it's a good sign that she can scream her head off."

Just then, Stephanie's door opened and her parents walked out. Mrs. Keller glared at Nash and then walked down the hall. Mr. Keller went over to where Nash and Joe stood.

He spoke quietly "We've only ever wanted the best for her." He took the keys to their rental car out of his pocket and studied them. "Keep an eye on her."

Nash just nodded as Mr. Keller walked away. He looked over to Stephanie's room and took a deep breath. "I've gotta go in there, but I don't want things to end up like that."

Joe stuffed his hands in his pockets "I don't know what to tell ya. Just listen to her, man."

Nash patted Joe on the back and walked to her door. He could see through the window that she was still awake. Although her eyes were closed, she was drumming her fingers on the side rails of her hospital bed. From the rate her fingers were moving, he guessed she was still extremely agitated. He looked at Joe for reassurance, and when Joe nodded yes, he clicked the door open. Instantly her eyes were on him.

"Whoever called them is fired!"

Inside the room, he could hear the metallic tapping of her fingernails on the aluminum bed rails. He cleared his throat, but still the words came out like a croak.

"Actually, it was my idea. I...I thought they should know what had happened."

"If I'm alive, they don't get called, it's as simple as that."

Nash looked puzzled. "Is that really fair to them?"

"At this stage of the game, I don't really care. I've put up with too much crap over the years about being a cop. I just don't want to deal with it anymore." Stephanie's tone was flat and authoritarian, and Nash seemed to gauge her mood, but when she cracked a twisted little grin, he relaxed considerably. "God, I hope I don't look as bad as you. Damn, you look like you went ten rounds with a steamroller."

Nash smiled softly and moved a few feet inside the room. "Uh, I haven't had much sleep lately."

"Ah, I suppose you've been keeping vigil out in the waiting room."

"More or less. I've also been doing a lot of thinking, too." He paused for a moment, then looked straight into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She fiddled with her blankets nervously. "About Ryan?"

"Of course about Ryan. Why..."

"I didn't think it would ever become relevant. Who knew things would wind up the way they did."

"Not relevant? Instead of telling me what the hell was going on, you tell me you're leaving...and because of it, you almost wind up dead."

"I don't know. I guess I ..."

The door to her room opened and Dr. Martone entered carrying various charts and folders.

"We could hear you all the way down at the nurse's station." She talked as she looked over Stephanie's chart. "You know, your blood pressure is high enough without having screaming matches with people."

Keller smiled sheepishly. "You should hear our house at Thanksgiving."

Dr. Martone smiled as she closed the chart. "Well, keep it to a dull roar until everything's healed. You're liable to pop stitches yelling like that."

"They started it." Her reply came out like a two-year old caught fighting over toys. The doctor just raised her eyebrows as she sat on a stool at the foot of Keller's bed. She picked up one of her many folders and rifled through it until she found the papers she wanted.

"These are discharge papers." Stephanie tried to sit up but had trouble because her back still hurt from all the bruising. Dr. Martone held up her hand to stop her. "There are a few conditions you have to meet before you can get out of here."

"Okay, lay them on me."

"First, you cannot go back to work for quite a while."

Stephanie scoffed at that. "Big deal. I was thinking of not going back at all."

Nash just stared at her. What was she talking about? "Uh, What's up with that?"

She looked at Nash. "I might not be a cop anymore." She looked back to the doctor. "What next."

Nash was stunned but he remained silent as he listened to the next condition. "You have to stay at a place where someone can be with you for the first couple of days. I want you off your ankle as much as possible. Plus you are going to be experiencing some bouts of dizziness as a result of your concussion. The less you are up and around, the better."

Dr. Martone looked at Nash and then back at Stephanie. "I heard through the grapevine that you had been staying at Inspector Bridge's place, temporarily. I think it would be wise if you continued that living arrangement."

Both Nash and Stephanie mumbled, but the doctor continued onto condition number three. "Now, about that ankle. It's going to be hard for you to stay off it, but you MUST do it. And I want you back in here in five days so I can check up on how you are progressing. You might need some physical therapy."

Stephanie nodded her head timidly. She idly wondered if her car had ever been recovered from the hotel parking garage, and where it was now.

"I'm going to call in a prescription for Hydrocodone for you. Inspector Bridges can run in and get it on the way home." Nash nodded dutifully.

"Uh, there's a Walgreens nearby, on the corner of Sacramento and Laguna. That would work."

"Good. By the time she gets discharged, it will be ready. Now I've got to get this paperwork in motion, so I'll be back in a while with some final instructions."

"Okay, thanks." Nash nodded.

As the door closed, Nash moved to the side of Keller's bed. But before he could start in, Stephanie began to ramble... "Uh, if you're...if you're not okay with this, I can...I can just stay here." Stephanie tried to sit up again and succeeded with Nash's help.

"Well, actually, I was going to say the same thing, although I was going to suggest setting you up with Michelle or something. But I would really like for you to stay at my place for as long as you need."

"Thanks. That means..."

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Joe poked his head in the door.

"Hey guys, how's it going in here?"

"Hi, Joe. Come on in."

"Hey Captain. How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, actually. I just found out that I am being discharged."

"Already? All right!!" Joe opened the door to leave. "I'm going to head down to the SIU and tell everybody the good news. Keep getting better and I'll see you guys later. Bye Bye."

"Bye, Joe." Stephanie smiled and saluted. She was going to miss him when she moved out of San Francisco.  She had actually learned to like the miserable little cuss!

|Chapter | |Sixteen | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~16~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

Nash trudged down the stairs into his apartment. It was his first full day back as unofficial boss, and it had been a nightmare. Paperwork piled practically to the ceiling, and a case that was giving the entire team fits. Dozens of leads that went nowhere and questions that couldn't seem to be answered. And on top of it all, Nash had worried about Stephanie staying at his apartment alone. She'd only been out of the hospital for five days and had suffered from a couple bouts of dizziness, but she insisted that she could handle everything and would keep the portable phone with her at all times.

As he entered the living room, he found her asleep on the couch, Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" coming softly from the CD system. Nash stood for a moment just watching her. Keller's color was back to normal and most of the bruises had disappeared. All that remained as evidence of the brutal attack was a butterfly bandage over her left eye. As he continued to watch her sleep, he thought about all that she'd been through in the past month. Starting a new job in a strange city. Coming to the realization that you're tracking a serial killer that almost claimed your life. Having that same killer burn down your home, destroying everything inside. Wind up living with one of your co-workers, and eventually sleeping with him. (Nash had to smile at this point - he'd been guilty of the same offense.) But the killer just didn't stop at making her life miserable. He kidnaps you and tries to rape you, sending you to the hospital. Nash let out a deep breath. At least the whole ordeal was over. He'd been able to shoot the SOB dead and knew that he wasn't ever again going to kill or threaten anybody.

He took the copy of Patricia Cornwell's Southern Cross out of her hands, and tucked a blanket up around her shoulders. He gently kissed her on the forehead, and headed up to his bedroom to take a shower, eager to wash the days trials away.

As soon as Stephanie heard Nash's sliding doors close she opened her eyes all the way. She hadn't really been sleeping at all, just watching Nash through her eyelashes. Every tender moment like the one that had just passed - where she could steal a glance at Nash's softer side - made her rethink her plans to leave San Francisco. But she just wasn't sure how welcome she was in his life after what she'd done just a week ago. Outwardly, she could see no repercussions from her hasty decision to leave. But she knew that inside, Nash had to have been deeply hurt by her actions. She resolved that they were going to have to talk the whole situation through.



~~**~~

"Well, good evening." Nash opened the sliding doors of his room to find Stephanie sitting up, drinking from a bottle of water. She'd changed into a set of Adidas's break away warm ups and matching sweatshirt, her cross trainers sitting next to the coffee table. He was dressed casually, in a red zippered sweatshirt and old, worn blue jeans. He ran his hands through his wet hair as he sat next to her on the couch.

"Hello dear, how was work today?" Stephanie knew she sounded detached, but she couldn't seem to help it. She was trying to be neutral and not let her feelings toward Nash distract her.  

"Hmmm, well let's see, how did it go? You left me a huge stack of paperwork." Stephanie couldn't help the huge smile that broke across her face. That was one of the things that she hated most about police work. It was a paper pushing bureaucrats dream, but a nightmare for anybody who wanted to actually get anything done.

"Oh, but that's not the really best part. We're investigating a guy who likes to kill off his wives for insurance money. The latest one he pitched out the window of their penthouse apartment."

"Sounds like a real charmer." Keller rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, he is. Guilty as sin, but slick as a greased pig."

"What's his name? I want to make sure I don't meet up with him in a tall building."

Nash chuckled and cleared his throat. "His name is David Brownfield, and hopefully we'll have him put away before you get the pleasure." Nash looked at her outfit again and the shoes still off her feet but ready to go. "So, how was your day dear?"

Stephanie sighed. "Oh, you know, the usual. Sleep, read, sleep again, stare out the window, go crazy...the whole drill.  I think I've read that book about eight times in the last three days," she said, pointing at the Cornwell novel Nash had set on the coffee table.  "That's kinda why I was wondering if we could get out of here. Go for a walk down by the pier. I'm in desperate need of some fresh air."

"Sure. I've just gotta get some shoes on. You sure you're up to it? Your ankle is alright?"

Nash's concern warmed Keller to her soul, but she couldn't let it show. "Uh, yeah. The ankle is feeling much better today. It's not stiff at all." And if it does give out, you could always carry me, she thought to herself.  "And I didn't have any dizziness - I took my medication and ate a good- sized lunch, so I'm feeling pretty good. The only thing that would make me feel better is some fresh air."

"Well, then we'll have to see what we can do about that." He smiled and stood up. "I'll be right back."

Keller put her shoes on as Nash went to get his. She had to hide the lustful grin that came to her lips when he returned in his black leather jacket. That was a look she could stand to see more of.

"Ready to go?" Nash grabbed his keys off of his desk, but Keller gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Can we take my car?" As Nash started in on the medication warnings, she cut him off.

"You can drive. It's just that I miss it." She looked down at the keys in her hand sheepishly. "Silly I guess, but it's the most stable and dependable thing in my life right now."

Nash took the keys, her words stabbing him in the heart. "Sure." He didn't know what else to say.



~~**~~

"This is what I'm going to miss most if I leave San Francisco." Stephanie inhaled the sea air deeply. "The lights on the bridge, the air, this city - it's just so romantic."

"Well, there's always the other option." Nash stopped to look at the Bay Bridge aglow.

"Which is?" Stephanie tucked her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. He started walking again.

"You could stay."

"I could, but where would I live, and what would I do? I don't know anything else but being a cop. My house is still a burned pile of rubble. I really have nothing to keep me here."

"Well, officially, you're still the head of the SIU. You're still a captain with the SFPD. That's something."

"Yeah, but I don't know how effective I could be now. I'd probably get myself or somebody around me killed if I were to panic in a tense situation. I don't think I'm combat material anymore." She sat down on a bench at the end of the pier.

"Well, if you think about it, you're a captain. You really don't have to be

on the line. It's mostly an administrative position - and you're the best

pencil pushing, paper work filer we've ever had. And I don't think anybody is

going to fault you for wanting to work back into it slowly. Join us on cases

when you're comfortable with it. Interrogate suspects. All of it can be done

from an office."

Stephanie thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, but I don't know how long I'd

be able to stand a desk job." She started to chuckle. "I wouldn't be able to

shoot anybody."

Nash busted out laughing. "Well...there's always Joe."

They both laughed uproariously until Keller's cell phone rang in her pocket.

"This is Stephanie Keller."

Nash stood and walked to the edge of the pier. The water was as smooth as

glass and reflected the moonlight like a prism. He thought he was doing a

good job of making Keller stay in San Francisco. But he knew that he still

had to do more. Somehow, he had to make her stay. He realized, that he

*needed* her to stay. He stole a quick glance Stephanie's way. She was

beautiful, intelligent, funny, warm, caring, strong and vulnerable. Nash was

completely under her spell.

"Okay Becky, thanks for the information. I'll let you know tomorrow what I

decide. Have a good night. You too! Bye." Keller folded her phone up and put

it back into her pocket.

"So, anybody I know?" Nash sat back down next to her on the bench.

"Nope. It was my real estate agent up in Seattle. She said the people who are

leasing my house want to buy it. Four hundred and ninety thousand dollars."

"Wow! Is it gold plated?"

Stephanie smiled. "No, it's just a nice place in a nice neighborhood, close

to a lot of high-end jobs. The couple holding the lease are both stock

brokers, so they've got the money."

"Almost five hundred grand for your Seattle place, plus the insurance money

from your Larkspur place...you could get one hell of a pad in town here."

"Yeah, I could." She stood and questioningly motioned back toward the car.

Nash stood and started walking with her. "I'll have to sleep on it. You're

probably just happy that it would finally get me out of your apartment."

"You're welcome to stay there as long as you need to." He turned to look back

at the bench and mumbled "forever" under his breath.

"What?" Stephanie stopped to look at him.

Nash stopped to look at her. "What?"

"You mumbled something. What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. You better go back and have Doctor Martone look at

your head again." He started to snicker.

"Oh, that's very funny, Mr. Bridges. Ha, ha!" She put both hands on her hips.

"Now what did you say?"

"Nothing." He paused for a moment. "We'll talk about it in the

morning...after you've made a decision." Nash deactivated Keller's alarm and

unlocked the doors.

The ride back to his apartment was passed mostly in small talk about

the new SIU case and the move from the Eureka to the floating cannery.

Stephanie couldn't picture the inside, although Nash provided plenty of

details. She tried to keep from laughing when he explained about the second

story floor being a heavy wired grate that could be seen through. She made a

mental note to always wear pantsuits while on board.

As the elevator crept upward, Keller thanked God that she'd found such

good friends and co-workers in San Francisco. The SIU as a whole had welcomed

her with open arms, and she was very thankful of that. Handling the

situations over the past few weeks would have been very difficult without

their strength and support. Whatever her final decision was, she wanted them

all to know how blessed she felt. She wanted to thank Nash most of all, but

she just didn't know how.

Nash went into the kitchen and opened a bottle of water, pouring a

glass for each of them. He walked out onto the balcony, lost in thought. The

person he cared so deeply for was just a few feet away, but they seemed miles

apart. He closed his eyes, remembering back six long nights, to when

Stephanie had been in his arms. He wondered what had gone so terribly

wrong...and could it be repaired?

"Nash?"

He whirled around, startled out of his daze, sending water in every

direction, and the glass crashing to the ground. Most of the water landed on

Keller, soaking her sweatshirt and dripping down her face.  Nash gently wiped

the drops away from her smooth cheek. Stephanie involuntarily leaned into his

hand, appreciating the gentleness of the touch. Keller closed her eyes as

Nash placed a soft kiss on her lips.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself drowning in the intensity of his

gaze. His eyes were dark and filled with passion. She leaned in for a longer,

more urgent kiss, lacing her fingers in his hair. His hands roamed freely up

and down her back, pulling her to him.

The kiss ended and a new one began, even more sensual than before. Keller's

hands were busy kneading Nash's butt through his jeans, while he worked under

her sweatshirt, trying to unhook her bra.

The kiss ended, leaving them both gasping for air. Nash scooped her up into

his arms, and carried her to his bedroom.

He laid her down gently on the bed, mindful of her recent injuries. Stephanie

watched as he took off his sweatshirt and straddled her lithe body, nuzzling

her neck. He helped her to sit up and removed her sweatshirt, leaving her

upper body clothed only in her unhooked bra. As he slipped the straps off her

arms, he kissed the knife wound on her shoulder, still red and painful

looking. He slowly lowered her back to the bed and worked his mouth ever

downward. He circled her navel with his tongue, sending a warm wave of

pleasure through her body. He started to pull away her warm-ups as she worked

at the zipper of his jeans.

After the remainder of their clothes fell to the floor, Nash carefully

lowered himself onto her, supporting most of his weight on his forearms. As

they made love, Stephanie's hands roamed at will up and down Nash's back,

leaving a mark or two with her fingernails as Nash drove her ever closer to the edge. They both cried out in pleasure as they reached the peak together.

Exhausted, they drifted off in each other's arms, the magic of the moment

engrained in their memories forever.

|Chapter | |Seventeen | | |

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~17~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*

As Nash buttoned his cuff the next morning, he opened the door of his bedroom

to find Stephanie on the phone. She was dressed to go to work, in a navy blue

pants suit. Her hair was French braided, with a few thin wisps framing her

face. As he walked by on his way to the coffeepot, he kissed her cheek.  The smile he got in return was as bright as the morning sun, streaming through the windows.

While refilling Keller's cup and pouring one for himself, he caught bits and

pieces of the conversation.

"You can tell the Squires...uh huh...I'm sure they will be." She chuckled

softly at something. "Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I think I have found a

reason to stay in San Francisco."

Nash turned around and locked eyes with Stephanie, love flowing between them.

As she started talking again, Nash turned back around and looked at the

beautiful skyline. A warm smile graced his features.

"That's right."   Keller stood up and placed her free arm around Nash's waist.

"Well, I'm sure they'll enjoy it even more now that it's theirs."   Nash

turned in Stephanie's embrace and held onto her tightly.

"You can just send me the paperwork...uh huh...you have my fax number.  Great...that'll make it so much easier for me. I won't even have to leave town...okay...well you take care of yourself too...okay...bye bye."

Nash placed a soft kiss on her lips. Stephanie smiled and rested her head

against Nash's chest. They stood that way for several minutes, not speaking,

but just being near each other. Nash finally broke the silence.

"Stephanie Keller, I'd like to be the one to keep you in San Francisco. I

love you."

Stephanie looked into his eyes, the tears beginning to stream down her face.

"I love you too, Nash Bridges. And you don't know how long I've wanted to say

that."

They held onto each other tighter, never wanting the moment to end.