WHAT'S IN A NAME
McCall watched as Tom Griffin backed his car out of her driveway, knowing that she had ruined yet another promising relationship. She closed the door gently, resting the full weight of her body against it, suddenly too tired to move. 'How could have I been so stupid', she cursed herself. She slowly made her way to the kitchen to clean up the stack of dirty dishes, hoping that by cleaning, she could clear her mind. She stood at the sink, hands immersed in the sudsy water, and thought back to the beginning of the evening…
Tom was the first decent guy she met in over a year. It had been almost that long since the rape and for the first time in a very long while she was starting to feel more like herself. This had only been their 3rd date and she had promised him a home cooked meal and a relaxing evening. Dinner was fantastic, and after a few glasses of wine they had found their way to the couch and into each other's arms. The physical closeness of his body was a comfort and she silently thanked God that it didn't bring back the painful memories of Marianos. She began to relax, and could feel the flush in her cheeks, as his passion became more evident. That was when it happened, the unthinkable. As Tom allowed his mouth to explore her neck, she called out in response, only it wasn't Tom's name she murmured it was Hunter's. "Rick" had escaped her lips and before she realized what she had done, she could feel Tom's shoulders tense, as he pulled away.
"Who?" he asked breathlessly.
"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I…"
"Isn't Rick your partner's name?"
"Yes, but…"
"I thought you said there was nothing going on between the two of you"
"There isn't. I just…Look, I don't know why I said it - I'm sorry"
"I think I should go," he stated brusquely. He picked up his jacket and stormed out of the house.
McCall shook her head, hoping to erase her memory of the stupidity that sounded in her voice as she had tried to explain herself. Initially, she was bothered by what she said, but as the pots were dried and the dishwasher filled, she was now starting to worry about why she had said what she said. Why Rick's name? True the past year had brought them closer together. And then there were those nights at the hotel with Fabro, but… 'Stop it,' McCall warned herself. She was tired and didn't want to think about anything anymore, now was not the time to delve into a detailed analysis of her feelings for her partner. She shut off the lights in the kitchen and den and climbed into bed. It was already 2am, but she didn't have to be at work until 7 that night. She had plenty of time to get a decent amount of sleep and pack up some of her leftovers for the stakeout. McCall looked at the clock again, 2:10am. It would be a long while before a restless sleep would overtake her.
Hunter weaved effortlessly between fellow officers, pimps, and prostitutes as he made is way to is desk. With a quick motion, he snatched up his messages and threw himself in is chair, leaning back just enough to rest his long legs on the corner of his desk. It was 6:00pm and he knew it would be a matter of time before McCall arrived with the same agenda: paperwork. He had hoped to get there an hour earlier to get a head start on the mounting paperwork that was overtaking his desk. He figured an hour or two would provide enough time to make a decent dent in the pile before the stakeout - but he had overslept. Hunter hated stakeouts, but he hated paperwork even more. He shifted his gaze from the large pile on his desk, to the shorter, neat pile on McCall's desk. He wondered for a brief moment if she would notice and decided she wouldn't as long as he shifted the right amount of cases. He lifted a hand full of folders and placed them neatly on top of her pile.
Begrudgingly, he opened a case file only to stop midway through the first sentence when he heard someone call out a hello to McCall. She was dressed simply in jeans and tee-shirt and was carrying a large brown bag. It never ceased to amaze him how every detective in the station stopped what they were doing whenever she entered a room. Hunter scanned the room as he watched his fellow officers nod hello, and then turn to their partners to utter an undoubtedly tasteless comment.
"What are you doing here so early?" Hunter asked.
"Nice to see you, too," she shot back sarcastically. "I'm here to start on some paperwork; I imagine you're here for the same reason?'
"Give the woman a badge, she's a detective!"
"Ha, Ha." McCall looked briefly at the messages, then, without a word, picked up the pile of case files Hunter had placed on her desk only moments earlier, and threw them in his lap.
"Hey," Hunter feigned injustice, "What's the idea?"
"Nice try, big guy. You may not know what's on your desk, but I know what's on mine and those files weren't there yesterday"
"Do you blame me for trying?" he uttered sheepishly.
"Hunter, I can read you like a book"
"You wish. What's in the bag?"
"Dinner. I had some leftovers so I made a couple of sandwiches and put together some snacks for tonight. I figured it would be better for my digestive tract if we lay off the chili dogs for awhile." McCall sat down and opened a case file.
"Those wouldn't happen to be the leftovers from your special dinner with Tom, would they?"
McCall hadn't expected Tom's name to be brought up so early in the evening. She knew Hunter would rag on her at some point, but not so soon.
"Come on, McCall, spill it."
"Tom and I are kind of over" she stated plainly as she started to type.
"Over? I thought you liked this wimp"
"Look, Hunter, I really don't want to talk about this right now, okay. So please, do me a favor and drop it."
Something in the tone of her voice alerted Hunter that this was a conversation best saved for later when the two were alone.
"Fine. We'll talk later." He decided to quickly change the subject, "Hey, I bet I can finish more reports than you in the next hour."
McCall couldn't help but smile, "What, are you like 2? " Hunter frowned. "Fine, what's the bet?"
"I f I finish more than you do, you have to take ½ my pile. If you finish more than me, I'll take ½ your pile." Hunter grinned, rather pleased with himself that he had come up with such an ingenious plan.
"No Deal," McCall answered.
"Why not?"
McCall quickly ticked off the reasons, "First of all, it's not fair. ½ of your pile equals about 15 cases versus ½ of my pile at about 8 cases. Second, you use smaller words. And third, I've read your reports – a junkie hopped up on crack after a 3 day binge could write a more cohesive sentence than you."
"Real nice, McCall. Thanks for the vote of confidence"
"You're welcome. Now get busy, we only have about an hour until we have to get out of here."
Hunter and McCall locked eyes and smiled at one another. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be as bad as he thought. McCall broke her gaze first, and began to type. Hunter shook his head and started in on the massive pile in front of him.
"This is amazing" Hunter exalted as he finished up the last bite of one of McCall's massive sandwiches.
"Thanks. I thought you might like something a little healthier. I roasted the chicken breast with some thyme, garlic, and rosemary – just a touch of olive oil." The bread was fresh, too. If you're still hungry, I have some fruit in the bag."
"Jeez, McCall - remind me to plan these lousy stakeouts around your dating calendar. We'll eat a hell-of-a-lot better."
"If you planned these things around my dating calendar, we'd hardly ever have them." McCall laid her head back on the headrest and stifled a yawn. "What time is it?"
"1:05am. I don't think Cranston will show – this is a waste of time."
"He has to surface at some point. Apparently his girlfriend is his ticket out of the city – As much as I hate this, I think she's our only shot at catching this guy. Anyway, you love this kind of thing and you know it!"
"Yeah, well…." Hunter looked over at McCall as she finished the last of her soda. "Hey you look pretty tired, did you get any sleep"
"Some." McCall lied. She barely had 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. She thought about Hunter and their relationship the entire night. When she did sleep, she dreamt that it was Hunter she was kissing and not Tom.
"That's right, I forgot about Tom." Hunter lingered on his name, executing a sing-song quality as he said it
"Not that it's any of your business, but Tom didn't stay over. He left shortly after dinner." McCall didn't want to talk about this, but she knew Hunter was gearing up for the big question.
"So what happened? You were about to say when we were at the station but you got sidetracked"
"You are something else!" McCall laughed, "I believe I told you I didn't want to talk about it."
"Let's not get into semantics, McCall. You wanted to talk earlier but there were too many people around. I know how you think; why you never remember that, I'll never know."
"If you knew what I was thinking, you'd drop this"
"McCall, come on!"
"What do you want me to say, Hunter? It didn't work out, okay." McCall's voice became strained and Hunter watched his partner's face turn a light shade of red. "I manage to screw up any relationship I have anyway, why should this be any different? This was the first nice guy I met in a while and I was finally ready to…" McCall bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, "ready to try a shot at being intimate with someone again.
"Maybe it was too soon," Hunter offered apologetically.
"It's been a year, Hunter. How much time could I possibly need?"
"Well, sex is something…."
"Whoa – who said anything about sex" McCall queried, rather embarrassed.
"I thought that's what you were referring too?"
"Hunter, I may be desperate, but I'm not that desperate. I don't know how quickly things move in your world, but this was only our third date – we were just fooling around"
"Oh, sorry," Hunter was confused and unsure how to proceed. "He didn't try to force you to do anything, did he?"
"No. Of course not"
"Then what could you have done that was so wrong, I don't understand?"
"I…" McCall faltered as Hunter met her gaze. She wasn't sure she wanted to go down this road, "I sort of called him by another name." McCall turned to look through the windshield, hoping for some sort of diversion. It wasn't until she heard Hunter snicker that she turned to look at him again, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing…I just…what the hell did he do?"
"What do you think he did? He left. What would you have done?"
"Probably the same thing," Hunter tried, but he couldn't control his laughter, "McCall, this is so not you – I just can't imagine"
"Look, now you know what happened so let's forget this conversation, I don't want to talk about this anymore" McCall, amazed that Hunter had never asked her whose name she had called, wanted to end the conversation before it got that far, but it was too late.
"So, McCall, what name did you say?"
"What?"
"Who did you refer to him as?"
McCall ran over a 100 names in her head and knew that the instant she mumbled one, Hunter would know she was lying. There was only one way out of this and though she didn't want to go that route, she didn't see any other way, "Steve. I called him Steve"
Hunter reacted the way she knew he would, with compassion and understanding. "Oh," he managed softly, "I'm sorry to push this McCall, I was only kidding around"
"I know, Hunter. Forget about it, it's not important"
"Listen, why don't you rest your eyes for a bit? I'll wake you if I get tired."
McCall nodded and closed her eyes. For a brief moment, she thought about telling him the truth – that it was his name she uttered and not Steve's. The look on his face when she had mentioned Steve's name touched her deeply and she chastised herself for bringing Steve's name into this horrid mess. She turned to sneak a look at her partner as he alternated between the binoculars and reading the paper. 'So handsome', she thought to herself, 'So caring'. She wondered if she would ever allow herself to consider the feelings she had for him, feelings that had become stronger and more intense than she had ever imagined. McCall let out a soft sigh before succumbing to a gentle slumber, Hunter's face fresh in her mind.
"McCall, wake up! Hey, McCall?"
Hunter gently nudged her side with his elbow as he pulled out onto the freeway. He hadn't had the heart to wake her up, even when she peculiarly mentioned his name once or twice in her sleep. With the stakeout over, and his stomach rumbling with hunger, he was hoping she would awaken and be as hungry as he was. Her deep sleep concerned him. Hunter repeatedly looked over at her as she slept, her chest gently rising and falling with each breath. The attraction he felt for her was so strong it scared him. He would usually steal an appreciative glance or two when she was too busy to pay attention. The last two years of their partnership had been an odd experience for him. He was closer to her than he had ever been with anyone else in his life, and that closeness provided him with as much discomfort as comfort. There were times at the station when he found it hard to concentrate with her sitting across from him; it was the little things like her perfume or her laughter that would start him wondering whether or not they would have had a chance as a couple if he hadn't asked her to be his partner 3 short years ago. His fondness for her continued to grow, and he often caught himself - during those unguarded moments he experienced prior to falling asleep - thinking of what it would be like to be with her in a romantic way.
"McCall…Earth to McCall"
"Wha…where are we?" McCall's confused stare was amusing. She covered her mouth as she yawned and stretched her legs.
"We're on the freeway and if you're as hungry as I am right now, we're on our way to breakfast."
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I didn't have the heart; you were sound asleep."
"I'm sorry, Hunter. I don't know what the hell happened."
"You were tired. Besides, consider us even – you brought one hell of a picnic for us last night."
"Well, I still owe you."
"So you'll help me with my paperwork?" Hunter questioned hopefully.
"I'll buy you breakfast," McCall grinned.
"Fine. Actually, there's one other thing - you could answer one question for me."
"Yeah?"
"This morning, when you were sleeping, you mentioned my name a few times…"
"I what?" McCall stammered.
"You mentioned my name – I was just wondering if I was any good?"
Hunter flashed her a wicked grin and wiggled his eyebrows. If she wasn't so horrified, she probably would have laughed. McCall's face flushed a deep crimson, unsure what to say.
"Give me a break, Hunter; I must have been dreaming about the case. If you want that breakfast, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself." McCall couldn't help but smile as he wiggled his eyebrows one more time in defiance.
The pair ate breakfast in near silence; they were tired and hungry; aside from a random comment here or there, it was all they could do to keep their eyes open. McCall glanced up from her plate occasionally, to find Hunter engrossed in his vegetarian omelet. She was thankful he hadn't decided to revisit their brief conversation this morning. She was horrified that she had called out his name in her sleep and confused by what she had dreamt. It was a replay of the night with Tom, only it was Hunter she had dinner with, and they had done a lot more than just kiss on the couch. She shivered as she sipped her tea. It had felt so real, and it was so good. In her dream, she had felt a sense of comfort after they had made love. It was a calm she hadn't felt since she had been with Steve. Her feelings for Hunter were stronger now, and it was no longer easy to push them aside.
"Do I have something on my face?" Hunter queried.
"What?"
"You're staring at me – I just wanted to know if I have something on my face?
"No, you're fine. And I wasn't staring," McCall answered defensively, "I guess I was just zoning out. I'm tired – that's all."
"Let's get out of here, then. When we get to the station, you just go ahead and jump in your car and go home. I'll check us out."
"Thanks, big guy"
"Oh yeah," Hunter reminded her as he rose from the table, "Make sure you give the waitress 20 - she was friendly and cute.
Hunter watched McCall drive away and entered the station. After signing them out and updating the captain on last nights events, he planned to avoid his desk and head straight home – only there seemed to be someone at McCall's desk, waiting for her. The gentlemen had his back toward him, but Hunter had a pretty good idea who he'd find.
"Can I help you?"
"Hopefully," Tom Griffin replied. "I was looking for Dee Dee."
"Oh. Well she's on her way home. We had a stakeout last night so I imagine she's off to get some sleep"
"I see. Well, just let her know I stopped by"
Hunter struggled with what to do next. He didn't care for this guy, but it appeared that McCall did. If he could help in any way, he felt he owed it to her to try.
"Look," Hunter stumbled, "I understand you two had a bit of a falling out last night. Whatever happened, it couldn't have been that bad. McCall's a special person – she's worth a second try."
"Excuse me? What, does she discuss everything with you?" Tom was embarrassed and angered that she had shared the nights' events with someone else.
"Hey, take it easy. I'm not trying to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. She didn't tell me exactly what happened last night, she just said that things didn't work out."
"Oh, that's all she said? No details?"
"Hey, look pal – I'm not looking for an argument. I was just trying to help"
"I bet you are." Tom shot back sarcastically
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hunter was in no mood for this much aggravation on so little sleep and he could see that the two of them were already attracting an audience.
"Sgt. Hunter, you can spare the innocent act. I know for a fact that she told you what happened last night. She gave me the B.S. lecture on the relationship you two share on our first date. I should have known from the beginning when we spent the majority of the night talking about you that there was something going on."
"You're way out of line," Hunter angrily whispered as he stepped forward, jamming his finger in Tom's face, "We're friends – partners – that's it!"
"Well if that's how you feel, you may want to check with her. It was your name she called out last night."
Hunter stared at him in silence. He opened his mouth to speak, but there were no words.
"So she did tell you what happened, just not every detail, huh?" Tom sneered as he picked up his briefcase, "Good Luck Sergeant. Do me a favor, okay, don't bother telling her I came by."
Hunter watched as Tom stormed out of the station. He sat at his desk, shuffling through messages without reading a single one. 'My name', he thought to himself. 'It was my name she called out." He started to think about her reluctance to talk about the date with Tom, her calling his name in her sleep, and her stares over breakfast. It was starting to make sense and he struggled with his varying emotions. He was thrilled at the possibility that she was harboring the same feelings he found himself struggling with day to day – but there was also the fear of having to confront those feelings. What would happen to their friendship? Their working relationship? Hunter vaulted out of his chair and made a bee-line to his car. He had to go to her; he had to sort this out before he lost his nerve.
Hunter had been sitting at the end of McCall's driveway for over an hour. He ran off a dozen different ways to approach the conversation he had intended to have with her; yet as he sat in front of her house, he struggled to find the right words. His anger at Tom and the realization that McCall may have feelings for him gave him the fire that he needed to rush to see her - or so he thought. The reality of her presence, now, somehow changed that. He felt nervous and awkward, emotions he wasn't used to feeling - especially around her. He had always felt at ease around women when it came to intimate matters, but McCall was different. He loved her; more importantly, he respected her and their current relationship. However the conversation turned out, he didn't want to lose their friendship. Hunter heaved a sigh rife with anxiety and stepped out of his car. He could feel his heart beat wildly as he walked up her driveway and stopped at her front door. He lifted his fist to knock when she surprised him by opening the door before he had the chance.
"Jesus, Hunter. You scared me! " McCall startled as she opened her door to find her 6'6" partner in her doorway.
"Sorry. Believe it or not, I was actually going to knock this time," Hunter smiled sheepishly as he slipped past McCall into her living room. He turned to face her in time to see her turn to shut the door behind him. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. He had to fight the urge to stare at her body.
"You were going to knock? Well now, that would have been a first. Usually you just barge right in," McCall smiled.
"Well, hello to you, too."
"Sorry - you just scared me, that's all. I didn't hear your...where is your car?"
"At the end of the driveway."
"Why didn't you just pull it in?"
Hunter faltered, he didn't want to admit that he had actually been sitting in front of her house for the past hour, "I thought you might have been taking a nap; I didn't want to wake you."
McCall looked at him quizzically, "If you were worried about waking me, then why are you here?
'Good Point', Hunter thought to himself. "Well, I was hungry...And I thought we could talk about the Cranston case over lunch," He didn't know which was worse - the fact that his lie was weak, or that she would see right through it.
"Hunter, it's 10AM; we ate a little over 3 hours ago. How could you be hungry? You practically inhaled your breakfast." McCall stared as she watched her partner make his way to her kitchen, open up the fridge, and help himself to a container of apple juice.
"I'm a growing boy, McCall. I need my nourishment." Hunter took a swig of juice and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. McCall reacted with a look of disgust.
"Ah, Excuse me!" McCall jammed an empty glass into his other hand. "You see, it's common practice to use a glass when drinking a beverage - especially when you're helping yourself to someone else's juice."
"Hmm. Speaking of which, what's with the apple juice? You know I like orange juice; it's better for you."
"I happen to like apple juice and last time I checked, this was my fridge. Besides, I bought orange juice last week and you managed to polish it off the last time you were here."
"Like I said, I'm..."
"A growing boy, right - I get it" McCall couldn't help but smile as she watched her partner casually lean against the counter, make eye contact with her and motioning to the glass in his hand, fill it to the rim with the juice.
"Better?" Hunter asked.
"Much." McCall shook her head and laughed. "So, what do you want to discuss about Cranston?"
"Oh, well..ah..."
McCall watched Hunter struggle to find a sensible answer long enough, "Okay look, you obviously didn't come here to discuss Cranston. You've been fidgety ever since you walked into the house. What's going on? Is there something else you want to talk about?"
Hunter knew this moment would come the minute he walked through her door. McCall knew him too well, which made lying to her nearly impossible.
"How do you feel about Tom?" Hunter asked quietly, looking down at his glass.
"You came here to talk about Tom? I though we covered this topic this morning. It's done. Over. There's really no need to revisit this." McCall opened the fridge to put away the container, silently praying that her comments would end the conversation, but she knew deep down, that it was only just beginning.
"After you left the station, when I went in to check us out, I noticed Tom sitting at your desk."
"Oh."
"Yeah, well, I knew you felt bad about what had happened between you two and I was under the impression that you may have wanted this thing to work so I, sort of, attempted to clear things up."
"You what?" The tone of McCall's voice startled herself as much as it did Hunter. "What on earth did you say to him?"
Hunter stared at her and determined that it was best to leave the argument and as much detail as possible out of his rehash of the morning's events.
"I didn't really say anything, McCall. All I said was that you felt bad about last night, and that no matter what you could have done, you were worth a second chance."
"So, basically you intimated that I had discussed the evening's events with you. Let me guess, he didn't really appreciate that." McCall was furious, but wasn't sure why. Was it because Hunter had inserted himself into a personal situation? Or was it because she was afraid of what he would find out?
"No. He didn't seem to appreciate my help. Look, I explained to him that you didn't relay any details."
"That's not the point, Hunter. This didn't involve you."
"I'm your friend, McCall. Friends discuss what goes on in their personal lives. If he can't understand that, then he's not worth your time. I was trying to help. I'm sorry I even opened my mouth." Hunter could feel the heat in his face.
"You should be. We are friends, Hunter, but you have to understand something: Our relationships with other people suffer because of that friendship. Men I date don't understand our relationship - and I'm sure the women you date don't understand it either."
Hunter had no idea how the conversation had deteriorated as much as it had. All he knew was that he wanted to get out of there, and fast. He didn't want to say something they would both regret later. Trouble was, he couldn't help himself.
"So what are you saying, you don't want to be friends?" Hunter questioned angrily. "I didn't realize our friendship was such a hindrance."
"That's not what I'm saying," McCall replied, instantly regretting what she had said. Their friendship was probably more important to her than any other relationship she had or would ever have. "Hunter, you and I are operating on very little sleep and I don't want to turn this into something bigger than it is." She reached out to touch his hand, but he recoiled immediately.
"I'm going to go; you know, to try to get some of that sleep I supposedly need." Hunter rushed past McCall as she looked on helplessly. As Hunter opened the door he turned to McCall, determined to divulge one last piece of information before he left, "For the record, it was your buddy Tom that decided to provide the details of last night's debacle. Apparently it was my name you mentioned, not Steve's. My guess is that's why he was so burned when I tried to stick up for you. If you had just told me the truth, we could have avoided all of this."
Hunter slammed the door behind him, leaving McCall stunned and alone in her kitchen. By the time she had opened her mouth to respond, he had already gone. It was for the best really, because she was not prepared to express verbally the feelings she had struggled with over the past 24 hrs. She loved Hunter, there was no denying it anymore. She didn't see how she could pretend that all she felt was a friendship; she was in love with him. "Dammit", she cursed aloud, as one single tear slid down her cheek. "What the hell am I going to do now?"
McCall looked at her watch. It was 6:30pm and Hunter still wasn't at his desk. She knew why he was late and she felt horrible about what had happened that morning.
"McCall, where's your partner?" Lt. Finn bellowed from the other side of the squad room. He stopped to get a cup of coffee before approaching McCall at her desk.
"I think he had some errands to run, Lt."
"In any case, I just wanted to let you know that they brought Cranston in this morning"
Before McCall could answer, Hunter responded from behind her, "What? Why the hell didn't anyone let us know." McCall jumped at the sound of his voice.
"I'm letting you know now," Finn answered. "Give me a break, Hunter. I just found out myself. Turns out he was brought in on an unrelated charge. They cross-referenced his prints and his warrant showed."
"Looks like there's no need for a stakeout." McCall directed her comments at both the Lt. and her partner, "We could have come in earlier, now we're stuck working the night shift."
Finn nodded, "Listen, why don't you guys take the night off. The two of you have already put in a 40hour week and it's only Wednesday. Go home, relax. I'll see you two tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, Finn." Hunter and McCall responded in unison.
Finn walked away has Hunter sat at his desk. Neither partner looked at the other. It was McCall that finally broke the silence,
"Hey, I'm sorry I got upset with you this morning. Your friendship means a lot to me - I would never want us not to be friends because other people don't understand what we share." She waited for him to meet her gaze, but he never looked up. "So what, you're not going to talk to me?" Silence.
"I'm sorry, too." Hunter mumbled under is breath. He hadn't looked up because he was too embarrassed to look her in the eye. How could he have ever thought she could feel anything other than friendship toward him. "I acted like an idiot. I should have minded my own business. It won't happen again."
"You were looking out for me. It was a nice gesture." McCall stared at him until he met her gaze. There was a sadness in his eyes that enveloped her. "I worked on some of your reports," she offered hopefully, "You're almost caught up."
"You helped me with paperwork?"
"I told you I was sorry - consider it a gesture."
"A massage would have been a lot more enjoyable," Hunter smiled.
"I know this great guy at a spa down the street; I'll set up an appointment for you."
"Hey, wait a minute, that's not what I meant." Hunter waggled his finger at her as he stood.
McCall laughed and leaned back in her chair, "I have some pasta at the house. All I need to do is make a quick sauce and dinner is served. Have dinner with me tonight."
Hunter stared at his partner. He wanted more than anything to close out the day with her by his side, but he felt funny about returning to the scene of their earlier argument. "Why don't we just go out to dinner; my treat?"
"I would much rather have a home cooked meal. Come on... Besides, 'your treat' translates to greasy chili dogs and I cannot tolerate another heart attack in a bun."
The two of them reveled in each other's laughter. Little did the other know, both partners fought the urge to embrace. If it wasn't for the room full of fellow officers, they may have actually given in to temptation.
McCall stared at her empty fridge in horror. A jug of apple juice and a container here and there of food long past the expiration date. It looked like her home cooked meal was going to be a bust.
"What's the matter - Miss Take-Out, Order-In, Frozen, & Canned doesn't have anything to eat?" Hunter boomed behind McCall as she jumped nearly 3 feet in the air.
"Jesus, Hunter. That's the second time today you scared the hell out of me. That's a great way to get yourself shot."
"You keep your gun in the fridge?" Hunter brushed past McCall as he opened the fridge door wider to accommodate his frame. "You're absolutely pitiful! I noticed the bare fridge when I grabbed the juice this morning. There was no way in hell you were making us dinner."
"Get out of here," McCall laughed as she pushed her partner away, closing the fridge door behind her. "So...What did you bring for dinner?"
"Chowder." Hunter presented the brown paper bag as though it were a gift of great importance.
"And?"
"And plenty of mustard packets for you. That's a disgusting habit, by the way; who in their right mind puts mustard on chowder? Hunter grimaced.
"Do we have to go through this every time?" McCall grabbed the container of chowder out of his hand, giving him a playful pinch on the arm. Much to her surprise, Hunter pinched back. "Ow! Jeez, Hunter, you're so rough."
"You like it rough, McCall. Admit it!" Hunter opened his container and shoveled a spoonful of chowder in his mouth.
McCall stared at him and felt a twinge of desire. They had often kidded each other and more often than not, those jokes were tinged with sexual innuendo. She was surprised that one of his typical comments would have such an effect.
"So...Come clean, McCall"
"Come clean about what?" McCall swallowed hard.
"That fabulous dinner for Tom - you didn't make it, did you?"
McCall smiled, "I made it - I just had a little help"
"Yeah, from the restaurant down the street! Need I remind you of the state of your fridge?"
"Okay, Okay. But I didn't hear you complain while you were eating my leftovers."
Hunter responded with a smile, "I never look a gift horse in the mouth, McCall. It's one of my many virtues"
"I wouldn't consider that a virtue," McCall shot back. Hunter smiled at her from across the table and she couldn't help but feel that same twinge again. "Ugh! Would you look at yourself your such a mess." McCall grabbed a cloth from the sink and knelt in front of her partner, "You spilled chowder down the front of your shirt"
McCall's face was inches from Hunter's, and he reveled in her clean, perfumed scent. He felt light-headed and fought every urge he had to lean forward and kiss her neck. McCall felt Hunter's chest tighten as she rubbed the spot on his shirt and her face flushed immediately when she met his gaze.
"You..." she faltered, "You have some on your chin, too." McCall reached up with her hand and wiped the chowder from his chin. She allowed her hand to linger on his face, her heart thundering in her chest as she watched Hunter slowly close his eyes and lean into her touch. She had never seen him look so vulnerable and though she wanted nothing more than to press herself into him, she reacted in the opposite. Suddenly unsure, McCall bolted upright.
Hunter opened his eyes to find her standing and staring at him intently, her mouth slightly open; looking as though she was finding it hard to catch her breath. His stomach rolled as he stood and moved forward. It was now or never, he told himself. Hunter lowered his head to hers and kissed her - hesitantly at first, until he felt her respond with such an intensity he took it as a challenge to rival her enthusiasm. The two paused briefly, pulling away only to catch their breath. He tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Rare was the occasion when Hunter found himself at a loss for words; but the sight of his partner standing before him, beautiful, chest heaving, with a lustful look in her eyes, left him with nothing to say. All he had now were his actions, and he intended to use them. He pulled her to him again, planting ravenous kisses on her neck and mouth. McCall responded in the like, pulling at his shirt and giving into a hunger she had long ago convinced herself didn't exist. His bare chest trembled under her touch and she sighed as he placed his hands beneath her shirt. The wall had been shattered, leaving no room for denial or doubt. It was as real as it ever would be, and the emotions were as raw and as passionate as either had ever hoped for or experienced.
"Rick, I..." McCall whispered.
"I know, Dee Dee. I know."
DISCLAIMER: I DO NO OWN THESE CHARACTERS – THIS IS SIMPLY A WRITING EXERCISE.