Title: Busted
Fandom: Women's Murder Club
Pairing: Lindsay/Cindy
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5,109
Spoilers/Warnings: No spoilers. I moment or two of minor angst, but mostly buckets of fluff. Femslash – don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I don't own them…etc, etc, etc
Summary: Lindsay has to be careful at work regarding her relationship. What happens when she goes out with the guys for Officer Cho's birthday?
Author's Notes: A/N 1: This is for my amazing girl, ~Miss Widget~. Happy Early Anniversary, Baby. See you soon!
A/N 2: Thank you so much to ~libmix~ for holding my hand through this and being an amazing beta. She invested a lot of time and effort in me on this one. I'll owe her forever. Thanks, Ninja. : )
*****
It wasn't that Lindsay Boxer was ashamed of her relationship with the spunky red-headed reporter. Quite the opposite, in fact. Someone had finally worked their way through all of the obstacles and managed to nestle herself quite comfortably into the Inspector's heart. She thought she had it safely locked away, but Cindy… Cindy didn't pay much mind to boundaries. She had literally waltzed right in, dancing down the hallways of the labyrinth of emotions Lindsay had hidden behind, and surprised everyone when the little spitfire had proven to be a perfect fit for the stoic brunette.
Lindsay had finally found happiness – true happiness – and she wished for nothing more than to be able to proclaim it to the world. But unfortunately for her, the majority of the world would not be so well receiving of her joyous news as her not-a-club friends had been. Politics were the downfall of many, and given the nature of her career and the heavy political fog under which she operated, the Inspector decided it wise to keep the details of her personal life close to home.
Not that the Inspector was one to divulge detailed bits of her personal life to just anyone. But it would be nice if she didn't have to speak in code when her girlfriend was on the phone, or refrain from keeping any photographs on her desk. And it was particularly difficult not to slip up when Cindy was standing two feet away from her in the bullpen during an impromptu club meeting.
Cindy repeatedly assured Lindsay that she understood the reasoning behind such precautions. She knew the brunette wasn't "hiding" her. That she wasn't embarrassed by her, ashamed of her, or anything of the sort. The people they wanted to know, knew. The ones that mattered to them. The ones that were family. Anyone else was incidental, as far as the reporter was concerned. But even while Cindy was able to explain her understanding so well, there was always that twinge in the back of Lindsay's mind that made her wonder how long it would take before the redhead grew tired of the charades.
Given that Lindsay, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be single at the moment, she was often extended invitations to go out with several of the other guys for drinks after a rough case, or even just to blow off some steam now and then. Most of the time she politely declined, knowing what – or rather who – was waiting for her at home, but she would take them up on the offers now and then so as not to come across as a total ice queen. It was usually just a night of beer and pizza, spent in a smoky pool hall where she would prove to the other officers that she could hold her own with the men in more ways than just on the job.
Tonight though, was Officer Cho's birthday, and it appeared the guys would be going all out for this special occasion. They had been planning it all week, and had decided they would all be picked up by the van, head to the restaurant for dinner, and then a night of bar-hopping would ensue. Lindsay flinched inwardly when the guys had started naming off the bars they wanted to visit, and was already making up excuses as to why she wouldn't be able to go. Cindy was completely open minded to such things, and constantly urged her to just go and have a good time with whatever they ended up doing, but something about it still made her worry that her girlfriend was only saying that because she thought it's what the Inspector wanted to hear.
*****
Lindsay was leaning against her desk, coffee in one hand and a file in the other, going over the finishing touches of a rather open and shut case with Jacobi and Jill when a flash of red at the entrance to the bullpen caught her eye. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips when she saw her reporter bouncing along merrily, and quickly raised the cup to her mouth to hide it before everyone else saw it, too.
"Hey, Lindz! Got the last of those statements for me? I really wanna wrap this article up tonight."
"Tonight? But…I was thinking maybe I could pick up some take out on my way home, and…" Lindsay's thought trailed off as a faint blush crept up her cheeks.
Jill smirked, which earned her a slap on the arm from the file folder Lindsay was holding. Once the brunette's focus was back on Cindy, Jill couldn't resist poking her tongue out, causing Jacobi to chuckle at the childish antics.
"I thought you were going out for Cho's birthday tonight. Did they cancel the plans?" Cindy furrowed her brow quizzically.
"No… No, they're still going. I just… Well, you know. We just finished this case… And… And, I should probably write my report… And…"
Lindsay ceased her babbling when she looked up to see all three of them looking back at her with their eyebrows raised.
"…What?"
Just then, Officer Cho's partner strode up to group, obviously looking for Lindsay. "Hey, Boxer. You're still on for Sammy's par-tay tonight, right?! Man, is it gonna be a night he's never gonna forget!"
Lindsay opened her mouth to deliver one of the numerous excuses she'd concocted, but before she could say anything, someone beat her to the punch.
"She sure is! She was just telling us about everything you guys have planned for tonight. Officer Cho won't know what hit him!" Cindy was careful to avoid the laser vision she could currently feel boring a hole in the side of her head.
The officer's eyes grew wide for a moment. "Wait a minute… You didn't tell ol' Sam-o what we have planned, did you?"
Lindsay rolled her eyes dramatically. "No, Ronnie. I know what 'surprise' means. I didn't pass my Inspector's exam by making pretty pictures with my answer bubbles."
Sheepishly, Ronnie nodded and shuffled off with a departing "See ya tonight, then."
"Harsh, Lindz," Jill stated flatly, which resulted in her very own dose of laser vision.
"Why did you do that, Cindy? I was gonna tell him I had to work on my report."
"Which would be exactly why I did it," the reporter replied, not missing a beat. "You need to go. Have a good time. Be glad they include you as one of the guys. The camaraderie is healthy, and look at it this way…at least you don't have to worry about them treating you differently because you are a woman."
Lindsay opened her mouth to say something, but when nothing came out she closed it again. Why did her girlfriend have to be so sensible all of the time? She was doomed.
"Besides," Cindy added with a cheeky grin. "Warren here already told me he'd look after you."
The brunette's head snapped in his direction to find him wide eyed with his hands thrown up in surrender.
"I…did?" he stammered.
"Well… Maybe not already. But I know you will. Cuz ya love me soooo much," she said, sugar dripping from her voice as she patted her girlfriend's partner on the shoulder.
Jacobi sighed, knowing he was already defeated. "I guess it's a good thing this old man is the designated driver for the van tonight. Sheesh, Lindsay. It's no wonder she's got you wrapped around her little finger."
Lindsay only blushed, and Jill chuckled as she turned and walked toward the elevators. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do tonight," she said with a wave over her shoulder.
The three of them rolled their eyes. As if that was any kind of limitation.
"I've gotta get going. I wanna get this puppy whipped out before dinner time. Martha and I have a date with a popcorn bowl and the Buffy marathon that starts this evening."
Jacobi looked confused, but decided it was better not to ask, and Lindsay rolled her eyes with a scoff.
"I'll never understand how you can sit through that b-rated crap."
Cindy gasped. "Hello? Hotness? Slaying? …Willow?!" Her hands were flailing about with excitement.
"Whatever you say…" Lindsay tried not to cave at the lip the redhead had just jutted out with excessive exaggeration. "Hey, I've gotta pick up the final copy of Claire's findings for my report. I'll walk you to the elevator?"
The reporter's pouting quickly morphed into a blinding grin as she turned to walk out of the bullpen next to her Inspector.
Once completely out of earshot, Lindsay turned and looked seriously at Cindy.
"Are you sure about tonight? I mean…they're not planning on going to just regular bars. You know we're gonna end up at the strip joints." Lindsay's brow was furrowed with genuine concern.
The redhead was touched that her girlfriend was so concerned, but again, she reassured her. "Look. You're not planning on going home with any of those girls, are you?"
Lindsay's eyes grew wide. "What?! No! Of course not!"
Cindy smiled gently at her. "Then why would I be worried? The human body is a beautiful thing, Lindsay. Why would I be mad at you for admiring the view? I trust you. I know it's nothing more than looking. Like I said before. Go. Have a good time with the guys. I'm the lucky one because I know that I am the one you are coming home to."
Lindsay glanced around and whispered, "I could so kiss you right now…"
The reporter chuckled at that. "I don't think that would do a whole lot for you trying to keep the guys and everyone else from knowing about your personal life. Besides. There'll be plenty of time for that when you get home…" Cindy let her voice trail off while she waggled her eyebrows. Lindsay's jaw dropped.
With that, the redhead turned on her heel with what the brunette was sure was way too much wiggle to be a coincidence, and sauntered out of the Hall, leaving Lindsay standing in front of elevator doors that had dinged at her more than once already.
*****
Martha was used to the low droning of cars meandering up and down her street, but when her sensitive ears picked up a muted shuffling noise coming from the front porch, she was instantly on high alert. She padded cautiously to the front door, standing stock-still with eyes wide and ears turned forward.
The fur at the scruff of the border collie's neck stood on end, and she emitted a low growl when she once again heard the soft scraping sounds coming from the other side of the front door. Turning immediately, Martha trotted back to the couch and let out an urgent whine just inches from Cindy's sleeping face. Getting no response, she nuzzled her cold nose into the redhead's neck and then instinctively dodged when the mangled yelp elicited gave way to a flailing arm that came dangerously close to colliding with her furry head.
A startled Cindy wiped at her neck with frustration while her other hand attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes. She was prepared to scold Martha for her random act of impishness, but upon seeing the urgency in the brown eyes looking back at her, the words stalled in her throat. She watched with a slight frown as the dog whined again and headed back to the entrance hall, looking over her shoulder at her person along the way. Rising slowly to her feet, she tentatively followed her sentry, wondering what had the border collie so agitated.
Martha sat in front of the door, looked at Cindy pleadingly, and then stared back at it with her ears perked and quivering. Stepping timidly to the peep hole, the reporter surveyed the front porch. Seeing nothing, she rested her forehead against the cold, hard wood for a moment, exhaling a shaky breath and letting her eyes close.
"Not funny, little missy," she mumbled quietly, her voice still thick with sleep. "If you needed to go out, why didn't you just bring me your leash like you always – "
A tightening in Cindy's throat cut off the rest of her sentence. She had opened her eyes and turned toward the border collie, only to find her still staring at the door with her hackles once again raised. Swallowing roughly, she once again pressed her eye to the peep hole.
This time she glanced down during one of her sweeps and could just barely make out the top of a brunette head. Feeling both relief and concern flood through her body simultaneously, she dropped a hand to Martha's head and ruffled her gently behind the ears. The border collie looked up at her person quizzically, but the familiar gesture seemed to ebb the tension in her taut muscles.
"It's just Lindsay, silly," Cindy said in a calming voice, but the corners of her mouth were pulling down in a slight frown. "We'd better find out why she's sitting on the front steps," she uttered, her words laced with worry.
Flipping on the porch light, the reporter unbolted the door and pulled it open slowly. Noticing that Lindsay's posture stiffened at the movements, Cindy's frown deepened. She motioned for Martha to stay in the house and carefully slipped across the threshold, pulling the heavy door closed behind her.
Though it never gets truly cold in San Francisco, the night air had a sharpness to it, causing Cindy to pull her fluffy pink robe tighter around her pajama clad body, thankful that she had fallen asleep with her matching fuzzy pink bunny slippers on. Digging her toes in so as not to accidentally walk out of them, she shuffled across the wooden planks toward the steps where Lindsay was sitting with her elbows on her knees and her chin resting rigidly in her hands.
The curiosity about her Inspector's current state of being was nearly eating the inquisitive reporter alive, but her other instincts told her that a myriad of questions might not be the best approach at the moment. Sitting down beside the brunette, she turned her tiny body toward her lover and leaned back against the railing, waiting to be acknowledged.
Lindsay finally blinked herself out of her reverie, straightened up as she left her elbows resting on her legs but dropped her hands between her knees, and turned to look at her girlfriend. The smell of alcohol was strong and Cindy could see that the pupils of her dark eyes were dilated, but the Inspector's expression was that of stone cold sobriety.
The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Well…?" she prompted. "Did you guys have a good time?"
Cindy noticed a flash of something in Lindsay's eyes, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Not saying anything just yet, she finally gave the other a woman a pointed look when she was still waiting for an answer.
Lindsay's hands clutched at her knees. "Umm…yes," she mumbled quietly, looking away again.
The reporter's brow furrowed at brunette's behavior. "Lindsay… What's wrong?"
Her resolve finally crumbling, she suddenly turned and clasped one of Cindy's smaller hands in both of her own. "I am SO sorry," she blurted out. Her words were slurred and heavy, but it still seemed she was attempting to keep up the appearance of being sober.
The redhead tensed under Lindsay's grasp, but she didn't withdraw her hand. Feeling a bit of anguish at the pained look on her girlfriend's face, she decided that putting this off would only make it worse. Whatever it was.
"Baby, what happened? What are you sorry for?" Fear wrapped its constricting fingers around her chest and squeezed as she prepared herself for the worst, making it hard for her to breathe while her heart pounded.
Lindsay took a deep breath and then it all came tumbling out in a jumbled up mess.
"I was talking to Jacobi and then the next thing I knew there were boobies but I swear I didn't do it the guys did and they know and they wanted me to know that they knew and…and…there were boobies." The brunette let go of her lover's hand with one of hers and raked it through her dark hair as she finished her so called explanation nearly in tears.
Cindy blinked a couple of times and then couldn't help the tiny snicker that escaped her lips. "…What?"
Lindsay let out a frustrated grunt and flailed her arms about. "Didn't you listen to a word I just said?!" She pushed off the step and walked over to the corner of the porch with her hands shoved in the back pockets of her jeans.
The redhead blinked again and then climbed to her feet. Mentally scolding herself for her flustered reaction, she walked up behind her Inspector and reached up to gently place a hand on her shoulder. Feeling it shake slightly through the thick leather of her jacket, Cindy slowly urged her girlfriend to turn around and face her.
Reaching up with her other hand, she linked them under Lindsay's hair behind her neck and took a step closer to her. "I heard every word you said," she whispered quietly. "I just had a hard time following it. Take a deep breath and start from the beginning. I'm right here." She let her thumbs stroke the nape of the brunette's neck soothingly and waited.
Lindsay looked down for a few minutes and then brought her eyes back up to meet Cindy's. Finding only love and concern there, she finally opened her mouth to speak once more. Her words were still decidedly slurred, but she was much calmer this time as she tried for the second time to relay what had happened.
"We were at the last bar of the night. The Garden of Eden, over by Telegraph Hill. All of us were pretty drunk," she admitted sheepishly. Then, as an afterthought, she quickly added with a slight tinge of panic in her voice, "Except for Jacobi cuz he was the driver!"
Cindy chuckled softly and nodded, indicating for her to continue.
"We were sitting right by the stage cuz it was Cho's birthday. The guys had been tipping and getting lap dances all night, and they were also paying the girls to pay extra attention to Sammy. I tipped them to dance for him, too…" She trailed off and looked guiltily at Cindy.
The redhead smiled up at her. "I'm glad you did. I bet he was having the time of his life."
Lindsay nodded with a silly grin, but her face quickly straightened as she once again fell silent.
Cindy sensed they were nearing the part of the story that had her girlfriend so upset. Stroking with her thumb again, she looked seriously into Lindsay's eyes once more. "I'm not going anywhere, Lindz. You can tell me what happened."
The normally composed Inspector fidgeted a little while dropping her gaze. He hands absentmindedly moved from her pockets to playing nervously with the ends of the belt on Cindy's robe.
"Well," she mumbled, "I was talking to Jacobi about something. He was sitting next to me, and I had my head turned toward him." The brunette was shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She paused for a minute, still fiddling with the fuzzy pink belt, and then it was as if she had a sudden rush of adrenaline. "And then the next thing I knew, I felt someone crawl in my lap and I turned around and there were boobies!" she blurted out again, dropping the belt and flailing her arms about as a blush crept up her cheeks.
Cindy tried to hide her amusement at the horror-stricken look Lindsay had plastered all over her face.
"Oh, really now…" she said playfully, a smirk slowly tugging at her lips.
"She… she…" Lindsay floundered. "She rubbed her boobies in my face and wiggled in my lap, and all I could do was stare at her!" With that, she buried her face in her hands and groaned pitifully.
Cindy cleared her throat, but the brunette wouldn't look up at her. Finally, she asked, "Well, was she hot at least?"
Lindsay's head snapped up. "What?! How can you joke about this?! I just had another woman's boobies in my face!"
The redhead began to chuckle rather heartily at the fact that her drunken girlfriend was using 'boobies' as her anatomical word of choice. Something about the normally rough and tough cop blushing and using the verbiage of a teenage boy had her tickled. She couldn't help herself.
"It's not funny!" Lindsay scolded.
Cindy dropped her arms from the brunette's neck and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. It's not funny," she said, feigning seriousness. "So tell me…what prompted 'booby woman' to crawl into your lap?"
The Inspector's eyes widened and she leaned toward Cindy, apparently about to disclose information of the highest confidentiality.
"The guys paid her to," she said in a low, scandalous tone. The reporter tried to ignore the way her skin was tingling where her lover's warm breath had just washed over her cheek and neck. Lindsay pulled back and nodded, her eyes still wide as if this was the most unbelievable information one might ever hear.
"The nerve!" Cindy gasped with exaggerated disgust as one of her hands flattened over her chest in a gesture of disbelief.
Lindsay was still nodding. "I know, right? And…" Her voice dropped again, and she leaned in to whisper once more. "I think they know about us."
The redhead stifled a chuckle and continued to play along. "No…you think?" The hand previously on her chest went to her mouth to accentuate her shocked expression.
"Yeah, I think so," the brunette affirmed. "When I asked them why they did that, they said they had to get me all ready before they sent me home to my girlfriend!"
Cindy couldn't contain her amusement any longer. Lindsay's antics were too much for her and she burst out into a fit of giggles.
"Honey, this is serious!" Lindsay gripped her girlfriend's shoulders and looked at her with a panicked expression. "People at work know about my relationship with you. What am I going to do now?" She dropped her hands from the reporter's shoulders and let herself slowly slide down the corner post of the porch until she was crumpled in a heap with her face resting in her hands on top of her knees.
Cindy's heart melted and she dropped to her knees in front of the woman she loved. "Sweetheart, don't you see what this means?" She gently stroked her fingers through Lindsay's long, thick hair.
"My career is over?" came the muffled response.
"Baby, this was their way of letting you know that they know, and that they're okay with it. Imagine how hard it's been for them always trying to watch what they say for fear of scaring you off. They're your friends. They want you around. And they want you to feel comfortable being yourself when you are around."
Lindsay peeked over the top of her fingers at the woman kneeling in front of her. "Do you really think so?" she whispered quietly.
"Of course I do." The redhead continued to stroke through the soft, dark hair. "It's not like this is the sort of thing they could just come right out and ask you about, Lindz. They didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable any more than you wanted to make them feel uncomfortable."
Lindsay sat quietly for a few minutes, seeming to ponder what her girlfriend had just said. Suddenly she bolted upright, startling Cindy enough to make her fall backward on her rear end.
"So, they thought the best way to let me know was to put boobies in my face?! Were they trying to get me in trouble with my girlfriend?!"
The reporter brought her palm to her forehead in playful frustration. "You're not in trouble, Baby. Why do you keep thinking that?"
"Because… I… Well… Cuz she was in my lap and her boobies were in my face!" Lindsay was stammering and Cindy was finding it more and more adorable. She added in a bit higher pitch, "And she wasn't you!"
"Well," Cindy started while shifting her legs out from under her, "did you get her phone number?"
"What?! No!!" The Inspector was about to continue when the redhead cut her off again.
"Did you go to the back room, the bathroom, or the parking lot with her?" The reporter's voice was quivering with impending laughter.
"No! Oh my god, no! Why would you even ask me that? You know I would never!" Lindsay's voice was thick with indignation.
Cindy grinned and cupped the brunette's cheek in her hand. "Then why would you be in trouble?"
Lindsay instinctively turned into the warm hand, her lips brushing the soft skin when she spoke. "Because some other naked woman was in my lap…? You're really not upset with me?"
"Of course I'm not upset, Baby. I told you before. I know that things like that don't mean anything. You were just looking. I can't fault you – or her, for that matter – if she had the good taste to crawl into your lap and flirt with you. It's not like I'd be able to help myself if I were in her shoes." The redhead smiled softly as a blush once again painted her lover's cheeks. "I trust you, Lindsay Boxer. I know you would never cheat on me." She let her thumb stroke softly over her Inspector's cheek before it drifted down and brushed over her lips. "And, more importantly, I love you."
With that, Cindy leaned in and pressed her lips to Lindsay's forehead, her cheek, and then sunk into a soft, meaningful kiss. The brunette's lanky arms wound around her girlfriend's waist and pulled her closer.
When the kiss ended, the Inspector pulled back enough to look into Cindy's eyes, and in that moment, she knew just exactly how lucky she really was.
They sat there quietly for a moment, huddled in the corner of the front porch, before Cindy playfully nudged Lindsay in the ribs with her elbow.
"So," she said with a smirk on her face. "You never did answer me. Was she hot?"
The brunette's jaw fell open and she felt her face heat yet again.
"Well… she… uh…" Lindsay spluttered. Cindy raised an eyebrow, but did not relent with the pointed look she was imparting. "Erm…yeah. She was pretty hot," the brunette finally muttered.
The reporter's other eyebrow raised. "Oooo… Busted! Well, she apparently had some rather memorable 'boobies'…" she trailed off with a snicker.
Lindsay smacked her playfully on the arm before letting one of her slender fingers follow along the edge of the collar of Cindy's fuzzy, pink robe. The redhead shuddered, but this time it had nothing to do with the crisp night air.
The brunette's finger dipped under the thick fabric and trailed along the hem of the camisole pajama top her lover was wearing. "They were nothing compared to my favorite set of boobies…" She began softly stroking the smooth skin she'd found.
Suddenly, Cindy jumped up, pulling Lindsay to her feet in one fluid motion. "Come on, Baby," she said seductively. "I'll show you a lap dance…"
With that, they disappeared into the house and up to the bedroom. Martha settled into her favorite spot at the top of the stairs where she could see both the front door, and the door to the bedroom. Her persons were home, safe, and they sounded pretty happy. All was right in her world again.