written by Sammy
This year's big Halloween party at the police headquarters should be taking place in two days. Chris and Rita had just solved another of their high society crimes - silk stalkings as they used to call them. They were at Chris' loft talking about what costumes they would wear. They already decided to portray a famous couple.
"Okay, famous couple. How about Lance and Lorenzo, huh?" Chris asked while he grabbed another slice of the pizza that was on the kitchen table.
"You can't be serious, Sam, can you?" Rita laughed.
"Come on, Sam, we ARE a famous couple. Sgt.s Lance and Lorenzo, homicide division, Palm Beach PD."
"You don't wanna go, that's it, right?"
"It's just... it's just I don't like such partys. You know that."
"Oh, Christopher Lorenzo doesn't like partys? That's something new to me." she teased.
"I mean I don't like those partys. Work, you know? Cap is there, Frannie, all those old officers..."
"Chris, it won't be that bad going to the party. Come on, let's decide which famous couple we are going to portray."
"I only know one famous couple. Us, Sam."
"Sam!" Rita said and put her slice of pizza into his mouth. "Be serious. How about a former American president and his wife?"
"Are you kidding? Nah! How about Bonnie and Clyde?"
"Bonnie and Clyde? Sam, we're cops. We can't do that, nah."
"Hmmm..." Chris rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, that's it! I have a great idea, Sammy. Yeah, that's it, oh, I got it!"
"Tell me."
"Casablanca."
"Huh? Casablanca? Oh, Sam."
"Rick Blaine for me and Ilsa Laszlo for you. Oh, I am good!"
"I already knew you like that movie but you're obsessed, you know that?"
"Wait, wait, you said we should go as a famous couple, I told you one. Find a better one."
"What about... French King Lewis XIV and his wife Marie-Antoinette."
"Uh... that would be a lot to dress. And she was married to King Lewis XVI, not XIV. I still like the idea of Casablanca. I also have a coat that looks like Bogart's one. Decided. We go as Bogart and Bergman."
"Decided? Did I miss a point here? When did we decide? I haven't said I would go dressed as Ingrid Bergman."
"I will go as Humphrey Bogart, that's it. I decided. If you still want us to portray a famous couple, you have to go as Ingrid Bergman."
"Christopher, this is blackmailing, you know that? I can arrest you for that."
"Please..." Chris reached his arms out, "... arrest me."
"Seriously, you really wanna go as Bogart?"
"Oh, I just like that guy. And indeed, it's much better than going dressed as... President Lincoln for example. Plus we are like Bogart and Bergman in some ways."
"We are?"
"I mean we both are young, I am as charming as Bogart was..." he smiled, "... and you are as beautiful as Ingrid Bergman was."
"In this point you are right, but why do you want to portray us a loving couple? I mean we are not more than best friends, right? And Casablanca is one of the most romantic movies ever, that's what you said. What will people think if we come dressed as Bogart and Bergman?"
"May I remind you, you said we should portray a married couple."
"No, I said we should portray a FAMOUS couple, that's a difference, Chris."
"Come on, Sammy. We are the 1995 version of Bogart and Bergman."
"There I have to disagree, my friend."
"Truth, Rita. Why don't you wanna go as Ingrid Bergman?"
"I told you."
"I said truth."
"It's... it's... Sam, I think I can't do this. You know, this romantic movie and then... I just can't do it. It's just not us. Or do you ever think about... you know."
"Never."
"Never?"
"Uh... maybe, sometimes, I mean when I am a bit sleepy in the morning or... what about you?"
"I am glad we're just, uhm, friends. Good friends."
"You're not answering."
"Maybe sometimes late at night when I can't sleep. But we're only good friends, right?"
"Yeah, only good friends."
Two days later Chris had talked Rita into going dressed as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman though Rita still thought it wouldn't be a good idea. The party started at 7:30 pm so Chris wanted to pick Rita up shortly after 7. Some minutes after 7 he knocked at Rita's door.
"Chris, it's open!" she shouted from upstairs.
Chris entered the apartment. He was wearing a Bogart coat and a hat. Under the coat he was wearing a white suit he rented for that day. Rita came down the stairway. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. Two brown curls of her hair fell down on her shoulders while she wore the rest of her hair put up to a French Twist.
"Oh, Sam, WOW!" Chris exclaimed. "You're looking... gorgeous, no, more than that. I can't even think of a word for that!"
"Well, you aren't looking that bad as well, Sam."
Rita grabbed her purse and her jacket from the kitchen counter. Then she walked over to where Chris was waiting.
"Babe, this certainly will be a great night at the party."
"Babe?" Rita asked.
"Bogart's words. Let's go."
When they arrived at the party it was shortly before 7:30 pm. Already at the parking lot they met Cap. Lipshitz and his wife. Cap. Lipshitz was dressed as Napoleon whereas Frannie preferred to portray a woman of the 20th century - Marilyn Monroe.
"Yo, who do we have there? Napoleon and Marilyn Monroe!" Chris grinned while he and Rita walked over to them.
"It's Halloween, Lorenzo. This means for some hours I can be who I want. And you? You look like a mafioso."
"Mafioso? Cap, that's Bogart style, Casablanca!"
"Bogart and Bergman, Heschy, look, that's so sweet." Frannie said.
"Casablanca? The most romantic movie ever?" Cap. Lipshitz replied and shook his head.
"Look, Sam, he knows what a good movie is."
The party was great. There was a music band playing. Most of the time Chris and Rita were standing next to the table with the refreshments, talking to each other. Frannie came over to them after the song ended.
"What do I have to see? Two young people standing all alone here next to the refreshments? Come on, come on, it's dancing time."
She pushed Chris and Rita forward to where everybody was dancing.
"No, Frannie, thanks."
"Rita, it's a party. This means having fun for Chris and you." she grinned and left them alone.
"May I ask for this dance?" Chris suddenly asked.
"Sam, you know I can't dance."
"You can't dance? What do I have to say then? Come on."
Rita finally agreed. The music began again and it was a slow song they were playing. Chris wrapped one arm around Rita's hips and held her close. At first she wanted to pull back, but then she didn't. She felt so good to be in Chris' arms. She looked deep into his eyes. For a moment it was like they were one. They both realized it. And then their fantasy started...
"Sam, play the music again." a man said and nodded towards the man at the piano.
He put his hat down and laid his coat on the piano. Then he turned around. It was Chris, but not really. In this fantasy he was Rick Blaine. He slowly moved towards the woman who was standing in the middel of the room. Her fascinating green eyes sparkled in the moonlight that fell into the room through the windows. It wasn't Rita that was standing there, it was Ilsa Laszlo.
"May I ask for this dance?"
The woman nodded and they began to dance. They seemed to have forgotten everything that was around them. They were alone in the huge lounge - alone with Sam at the piano.
"Do you know you have the most fascinating eyes I ever saw?" the man said.
"Rick, this isn't right what we're doing here. It isn't right."
"It is right. Deep inside your heart you know it. We both have waited such a long time."
"You know I love you."
"I know. I love you, too."
"I... uhm... I think I am also in love with you. It just happened. I couldn't do anything against though I know this isn't right."
"It IS right. Everything we want is right. I don't care about others. I only care about you and me - together. You are the only thing that matters to..." he moved closer to her, "... you are everything I want. I know you want it, too."
"Kiss me, Rick. Kiss me."
They moved closer and kissed.
Chris and Rita were still dancing though the music had ended. They both knew they had had the same thoughts the moment before. They only stared at each other and let their eyes speak. There was so much tension between them.
"We're outta here." Chris whispered into Rita's ear.
"Yeah, let's go." she replied.
Cap. Lipshitz and his wife watched them from where they were standing. They saw them rushing out of the hall.
"Why do I have this bad feeling in my stomach?" Cap. Lipshitz asked and sipped his drink.
"Hesch, maybe your feeling is right here. Casablanca, a slow dance, the look they gave each other... I would say we have two lovebirds here."
"I hope we don't."
"Harry Lipshitz, these two are perfect for each other!"
Chris and Rita went straight to Chris' loft. Chris couldn't take his hands off Rita. They hadn't even entered his loft but they already were lost in their feelings. Rita leaned against the door to Chris' loft while they were kissing passionately. One arm wrapped around her, Chris tried to put his key into the lock, but he wasn't very successful at first. Finally he had opened the door and they stumbled inside, still kissing each other. Chris gave the door a kick with his feet that closed with a loud 'bong'.
"Upstairs..." he said and threw his coat through the loft.
"Here... now..." Rita replied breathlessly and took her jacket off.
She ran her hands down Chris' chest and let them wander under Chris shirt. Chris took his shirt off while they were still stumbling through the dark apartment. Then he wrapped his arms around Rita again and opened the zipper on the back of her dress. Her dress dropped on the floor. Rita reached down to undress Chris' pants as she felt something hard in her back.
"Heavy bag." Chris said while they made their way around the heavy bag towards the couch.
Rita felt Chris touching her where she only would allow him to touch her. Chris felt the same. Finally they reached the couch. Chris kind of threw Rita on it.
"Sam..." Rita whispered as she felt the tension inside her.
"Sam..." Chris replied as he felt the same tension inside him.
"This can't be wrong, can it?"
"No, Sam..." Chris kissed Rita on her neck, "...this is right..." he kissed her on her shoulder, "...this is our destiny..." he kissed her back on the lips, "... you wanna stop?"
Rita ran her hands down Chris' back and kissed him passionately.
"No, I don't wanna stop..." she kissed him again, "... not in a million years, Chris."
"Good, I th...."
"Ssshhh! Make love to me, Chris, right here and right now."
The next morning Rita awoke early. Her head was resting on Chris' chest. She heard his heartbeat and his breathing. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into his sleeping face. She remembered last night and kissed Chris on the cheek. Then she got up.
"Sam..." Chris whispered sleepy and tried to get hold of her arm, but she was too fast for him.
"Morning, Chris."
"Morning, sunshine."
"Uhm, I think I'll go and make us some coffee, okay?" she said while she got dressed.
"Sam..."
"Later, okay?"
Rita went to the kitchen and took two cups out of the cupboard. She sighed and placed them on the kitchen counter. She looked over to Chris who was still lying on the couch.
'Hell, what have we done?" she asked herself while she filled the coffee pot with water.
She jerked as she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped the pot that made a loud 'plonk' in the sink.
"Jesus, Sam!"
"Sorry, I didn't want to scare you. Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything is all right."
"Uh, about last night..."
"Yeah, last night. Was this real, Chris, or was it just our imagination?"
Without saying anything Chris moved closer and kissed her tender on the lips. Rita let the kiss linger for awhile before she broke the embrace.
"Does this feel like just an imagination?"
"No. Christopher, you know, this is something that shouldn't have happen. We both know."
"Try to think with your heart, Sammy. Does it tell you the same?"
"Uhm... no. It tells me that I love you, Mr. Lorenzo. More than anything else in the whole world."
"Rita Lee Lance, I love you. With my heart and soul, forever and all time."
They kiss again as the sun began to rise over the blocks around, flashing warm and bright light through the windows.
The end