Author's Note: After I took this story down off the wall, I received a bunch of PM's requesting for me to put it back up. After thinking about it, I decided that it does belong here, and I'm just going to say it straight out… if it's not your cup of tea, please don't bother to read it. While some may not enjoy it, others do, and it's not fair to deprive those who want to read it of that opportunity. Grazie. A special shout out goes to 2NYwlove for not only suggesting the idea but also for kicking my butt into writing it.

Only The Beginning

Chapter 1

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" a child's voice called from behind her. She turned. A boy about the age of 10 was following her.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You dropped your wallet at the drink stand," he said, handing it over to her.

"Thank you. It was kind of you to return it."

The boy blushed. He looked down at the ground for a minute, then looked back up at her. "My Dad's a cop. He'd kick my butt if I didn't return it," he admitted sheepishly.

"Sounds like he's raising a good child," she said as opened her wallet. Her credit cards and license were there. As she opened the bills section, she heard a male voice.

"Diego!"

The child turned toward the voice.

'Must be Dad,' she thought as she extracted a bill.

"Over here, Dad!" he called.

A few seconds later, Diego's father appeared. She sucked in her breath. He was what she called Latino Gorgeous. Dark hair, eyes, and skin. She felt an itch where she hadn't felt an itch in quite a while.

"She dropped her wallet, and I returned it to her," he explained when his father reached him.

"He did," she confirmed. "Would it be all right if I reward him for being honest?"

"That's not necessary," Diego's father said. "I taught him to do the right thing without expecting a reward."

She nodded. "He said you were a police officer."

"Detective," he corrected as he stepped forward, offering his hand. "Antonio Dawson."

"Buffy Rodriguez," she said as she shook his hand. Strong grip. Sexy as hell voice. He was what her besties would call the whole package. And he was married. 'Just my luck,' she thought. 'All of the nice and good looking ones are married.'

Antonio took her in. Tall, definitely Hispanic, but not sure if she was Puerto Rican, Mexican, or South American. But the name Buffy just did not jive with her last name.

"Is your name really Buffy or is it a nickname?" he asked curiously.

"It's a nickname. My brother couldn't say my real name when he was little, so he christened me Buffy. And no, I am not going to tell you what my real name is."

"No?" he asked curiously.

"No. You're the detective. You can figure it out," she challenged.

"Dad?" Diego asked. Antonio turned his attention back to his son.

"What is it, Diego?"

"We want to go see the polar bears. Can we?"

"Of course." He turned his attention back to Buffy so he could excuse himself politely. He started to say something, then realized he was talking to the air and she had slipped away.

'Damn,' he thought. 'Pretty and silent.'

He sighed. She had thrown down the challenge, and he was certainly going to take her up on it.