Matters Of The Heart

by Sammy

A case Chris and Rita get involved with nearly is going to ruin Rita's life

Matters Of The Heart

WRITTEN BY SAMMY

The air was hot and damp when Chris exited the car he had parked at the beach down in Miami. The sun was setting on the horizon. He slammed the door shut, looking at the cars parking down the street. The beach wasn't crowded though it was very hot that night. He walked down the small path. He took his shoes off and approached the shore. The water began to cool his feet for a moment. He closed his eyes and inhaled the breeze of the ocean. It was only a couple of minutes until life would be parfait! Friday night, the whole weekend was ahead of him.

"Hey stranger!" a voice yelled behind him. Chris didn't seem to realize that the person was talking to him. The person approached and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey stranger, here to have fun?"

Chris opened his eyes and turned. He didn't hesitate long and grabbed the person opposite him by the wrist, pulling her close. He kissed her passionately.

"Definitely, definitely." he replied after he'd broken the embrace. "Any ideas?"

"Yup, stranger, I have LOTS of ideas!!!"

Rita stood at the window starring out at the darkness. It was already nearly midnight and it hadn't even cooled down. A soft hot breeze was blowing. Rita's hair flew in the wind. She folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the frame. She was still sweating though she was only wearing a tank top and shorts. Mumbling sounds coming from the bed suddenly had her attention.

"Oh, a low breeze, how refreshing."

"I know."

She walked over to the bed and laid down crosswise. The hot breeze tickled her soles. She giggled softly when two arms reached for her. She didn't pull back, but let them pull her up the bed.

"You never should have accepted this room with a damaged air conditioning, stranger!" she muttered huskily.

"If we'd stayed in Palm Beach, we wouldn't have had this problem, Sammy."

Chris rolled over in bed, pinning Rita down. She gazed at him, his blue eyes burning deep into her soul. God, how she loved him! Why did it take her so long to realize what she had in Chris, her partner, her best friend...

Chris lowered his head to kiss her. His lips brushed gently against hers. He could be so gentle, but at the same time fulfilling all her wishes. Rita was totally lost in him. She never thought that something like the tenderness and understanding he gave her could ever exist.

Chris pulled back and smiled at her, tenderly tracing her lips with his index finger, "God, you look so beautiful."

"Why, thank you." she replied. She snatched his index finger and sucked it. It was her time to spoil Chris this weekend. She pressed herself against him and was able to push him off of her. They rolled over.

Rita, on top of him now, sat up on his abdomen. She placed her warm, damp hands on his chest, feeling his fast heartbeat. She gently massaged his chest, slowly wandering up to his shoulders.

Chris let her do wherever she wanted. He didn't object. The warm breeze blew in his face. He closed his eyes. For an instant he'd forgotten where he was. This wasn't the small motel room with the broken air conditioning in Miami Beach, it felt like heaven for him.

Rita's magic hands sent the electricity through his entire body. The fact that the room was already more than heated by the hot climate didn't stop them from heating it up even more. Rita rested her hands on the mattress to the left and right of his face. She bent down and kissed him hungrily.

Chris felt Rita's tongue deep in his mouth. It send a cold shiver down his spine. He felt Rita's sole sliding down the length side of his leg. Her toes tickled him in the back of his knee. Chris pulled back for a moment. He glanced at Rita before he trailed butterfly kisses down her neck.

"Christopher!" she groaned breathlessly. "Don't stop, don't stop!"

"What makes you think I'm ever gonna stop?" he whispered.

"Shut up!"

Rita pulled him close, but kept enough distance so that Chris was able to pull her top off. One hand clawed in his hair, her other hand made its way downwards to his boxers. She tried to push them down frantically but didn't succeed. Suddenly Chris grabbed her by her wrist and they rolled over.

Now on top, Chris guided them. He undressed completely before he reached for Rita's shorts and pushed them down. His hands slid up her naked body as she groaned deeply in response. His sensual massage drove her almost crazy.

Chris had his head turned away to kiss Rita's shoulders, when suddenly two hands grabbed his face and pulled it up vigorously. He gazed into a pair of glimmering green eyes before Rita pulled his face close and kissed him hungrily.

"I am ready for you." she said breathlessly between the kisses.

Chris nodded frantically while he slowly lowered his body onto hers, not wanting to lay his whole weight on her. He groaned heavily when they were joined as one. Rita arched her body, letting him feel every little move she made. Her hands reached for his upper arms as she began to stroke them.

"Chris! Chris!" she called hoarsely.

Chris lowered his body even more. His tongue made its way from Rita's shoulder over her neck to her cheek, to her lips. He traced them teasingly, able to withstand her attraction for a couple of seconds. Then his tongue wildly wandered right into Rita's mouth, exploring the deep sensual zones.

A moment later the room went quiet. Chris rolled off of Rita. He placed his arms behind his head and grinned mischievously after Rita had laid her head down on his bare chest.

"So, this it's what it's all about?" he teased.

"What?" Rita asked in response, kissing him on his chest.

"Sex, I mean. This is all our relationship is about?"

Rita gently poked him in his ribs. Chris played hurt for a moment, but then lowered his head and kissed Rita tenderly.

"I know it's more than just sex, you know." he uttered matter-of-factly, a slight grin on his face. "It's all about moving in together, getting married, children...."

"Wa... wait a second, Chris. Moving in together? Marriage? Kids? When did we talk about that?"

Rita rolled over and crossed her arms, laying them down on Chris' chest. Then she rested her chin in her hands and glanced up at him.

"We didn't, but I thought since I spend more time at your place than I spend at mine..."

"You wanna move in with me, uh huh." she nodded to emphasize her sentence. "You're serious about that, aren't you?"

"Sammy, I can't picture the rest of my life with any other person than you. I don't want any other woman. It's just natural that two people who love each other like we do should move in together, get married and have kids."

"Slow down there, partner. I think we can talk about the move in part of this conversation, but marriage and children, I think that can wait."

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Because it's a huge step and I don't know if I am ready to deal with the consequences right now."

"But you'll think about it?"

Rita smiled and tenderly kissed Chris on the lips, "I will, just give me some time."

Loud noises coming from the room next door woke Chris and Rita from their sleep. A "BANG" right behind the wall made Rita sit up in bed like lightning. Chris rolled over, fumbling for the light on the night stand. He turned it on.

"Gosh, 3 o'clock in the morning. What the hell is this?" he murmured, as they heard another deep "BANG" against the wall.

Chris grabbed his boxers from the ground, quickly putting them on.

"I'll see what's going on next door."

He placed a quick kiss on Rita's forehead before he moved to the door. He opened it and stepped outside. The corridor was deserted. He pounded at the door next to theirs. Suddenly it swung open and a man ran outside, pushing Chris aside. He stumbled backwards, losing balance. Chris grabbed the doorknob just in time not to fall on the floor. When he looked up the man had disappeared. Shaking his head, he turned to the room and peered inside.

"Hello?" he asked, but didn't get a response. "Someone there?"

He was about to enter when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, whirling around. He stared into Rita's face.

"Hell, Sam, never do that again!" he exclaimed.

"What happened?" she inquired.

"Someone ran me over. I have this bad feeling that something's very wrong in there."

Chris' hand reached for the light. By the time he had it turned on, they saw what was going on. On the ground a young man was lying, bleeding badly. In the bed, a young woman seemed to sleep peacefully. They rushed over to the young man, turning him over. He had a bleeding wound on his forehead. Chris checked his pulse, nothing. No breathing, no heartbeat. He was dead.

Meanwhile, Rita had moved to the young woman. Peacefully, she lay in the bed, but her head was twisted in a very unnatural way. Rita realized fast that her neck was broken.

"She's dead." she stated, looking over to Chris.

"Yeah, he's dead as well." he sighed. "Oh god, such cases seem to follow us even to our vacation!" he muttered. "I am going to call it in."

He left to retrieve his cell phone from next door. He was on his way back when he heard Rita screaming for him, "CHRIS!"

He rushed into the room and found her kneeling on the floor, something lying in front of her knees. He fell to his knees right by her side. A little baby was lying in front of her.

"It's not breathing, but it has a heartbeat. We need an ambulance, NOW!"

Rita immediately started with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while Chris called for the police.

"It has stopped!" Rita suddenly yelled. "Don't die, don't die!"

She began to massage the baby's heart. She didn't dare stop until the paramedics had arrived, though she knew that the baby had died in her arms.

Chris lead her outside the room when the ME came to pack them up. He wrapped her arms around her and held her close. For Rita, this should have lasted for eternity, but two officers soon came to talk to them.

"Sgt. St. James, Miami PD." one of the detectives introduced himself. "And you are?"

"Sgt. Chris Lorenzo, Palm Beach PD." Chris replied. "My badge is in my room. I can get..."

Sgt. St. James raised his hand, "That's not necessary at the moment." Then he turned to Rita. "And you are?"

"Sgt. Rita Lance, Palm Beach PD."

"I take it, you were the ones who called it in?"

Chris nodded, "We have the room next door. We heard noises in the room and..."

"And then the cop instinct took over, I know." Sgt. St. James chuckled at the sight of those two young cops.

"Can you..." he stopped as he saw Rita running down the corridor towards her room, holding her mouth.

"Excuse me for a minute."

Chris headed after Rita. The moment he entered the room, he heard the door to the bathroom slamming shut. He moved to open the door slowly. Inside, he found Rita hanging over the sink. He approached and silently wrapped one arm around her body, his other hand gently brushing her hair out of her face.

A moment later, Rita turned the cold water on and washed her face. When she looked up into the mirror, Chris' heart sank. Rita's eyes were filled with tears, her skin was pale and damp. Chris turned her around and held her tight in his arms as the tears finally began to flow.

"The baby died in my arms, Chris." Rita sobbed into his chest. "I should have done something."

"You did everything you could, Sammy."

"If I had gone to the bathroom only a minute earlier, if I had seen the baby floating in the tub..."

"Shhh."

Chris gently rocked her in her arms as there was a knock on the door. He let go of Rita. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and walked back to the living room as well. She saw St. James entering the room.

"Sgts., I still need your statement for the record." he explained.

Chris nodded silently, closing the door behind Sgt. St. James. Then he went over to Rita and placed his arm around her shoulders. He lead her to the bed and gently pushed her down. Rita absently rubbed her upper arm while Chris sat down next to her. Sgt. St. James looked around in the room. The first thing that caught his eyes were two badges lying on the table in the room.

"Can you tell me why you went next door?" he inquired.

"We heard some noises from next door. It sounded like a fight was going on there. I only wanted to see if I could help in any way, when this guy ran me over." Chris replied.

"Can you tell me what he looked like?"

Chris shook his head, "He was gone even before I realized he ran me over. I noticed the door was open, so I peered inside, but couldn't see anything. Rita joined me a moment later. We went inside and found the two bodies. We checked on them and then I left to call the police. When I came back, Rita..." Chris stopped and looked at Rita.

"It's okay, Chris. While he was gone, the open door to the bathroom caught my eye. The light was on, so I went inside. I... I found... found the baby in the... tub."

Rita squeezed Chris' hand. This was too hard for her to tell, though she always pretended to be strong. Chris went on further, "Rita tried to revive the baby, but she didn't succeed. The baby died before the paramedics arrived."

Sgt. St. James nodded, "Okay, that's all I needed to know. There aren't any further questions at the moment, but if there are more, I'll call you."

"Please, can you keep us updated on how the case is going?" Rita asked as Sgt. St. James made his way to the door.

"Sure, I'll let you know. Good night."

He closed the door behind him. For a while, Chris and Rita sat silent on the bed, staring at the closed door.

"I wanna go home, Chris, please!" Rita begged.

Chris gently caressed her cheek, "Okay, we'll leave first thing in the morning."

Early the next morning, Chris and Rita entered Miami PD. They hadn't slept much the night before after what had happened in the room next door. Rita, especially, was having a hard time coming to grips with this incident. Sgt. St. James was waiting for them at his desk.

"Sgts., I am glad you could make it here. I want to show you some photos."

With that, he handed Chris a file. He opened it and looked at the pictures inside.

"Who's this?" he asked, passing the file on to Rita.

"Christian Ackerman. He tried to sexually assault Mrs. Allen and then he tried to kill her and her husband about 2 years ago." Sgt. St. James explained.

"And why are you telling us this?"

"He was released about a week ago. We don't know exactly, but we think he could be our guy. Sgt. Lorenzo, can you identify him?"

"I am not quite sure, I mean it happened so fast. I couldn't see his face clearly."

Sgt. St. James frowned, "We need a witness. This guy killed a whole family."

"You don't need to remind us." Rita replied harshly.

"I am sorry, Sgt. Lance. Oh, I guess you want to have this back. Caleb had it in a tight grip. I assume it's yours since it has the initials RLL."

Sgt. St. James grabbed a silver bracelet from his desk and handed it to Rita. She took it and stared at it. She hadn't realized she had lost it until now.

"Thank you." she choked on her words.

"Well, I have your statements already, I know where to find you if there are any more questions, so you can either go back to Palm Beach or you can still stay here. You can decide freely."

"We've decided to go back to Palm Beach." Chris replied. "Please call us if there are any news."

"I will."

Chris was worried when he arrived at Rita's apartment the next day and didn't find her car parked in front. He knew it wasn't very clever to allow her to drive alone, but since they'd taken two cars to go to Miami, there wasn't any other way.

Chris went inside the building and opened the door to Rita's apartment with his key. He dropped his bag on the floor and closed the door behind him. The first thing he saw was Rita's bag sitting next to the fish tank. She must have come home already.

"Rita?" Chris called out loud, but didn't get a response. "Hey Alfred, where is she?" Chris smiled, tapping his finger at the glass of the tank. Suddenly something shattering on the floor caught his attention.

"Rita?" he called again, but didn't get an answer.

Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen and pushed the door open. There he found his partner, kneeling on the floor. She tried to clean up the mess the glass she'd dropped had created.

"I dropped my glass." she whispered.

Chris kneeled down next to her, "I can see that. Come on, let go of it."

He pulled her chin up and saw tears welling in her eyes. Silently, he pulled her into a hug and held her close, rocking her softly when the tears began to flow.

Suddenly, without a warning, she energically pulled back for a second and then kissed him hungrily. For a moment, Chris didn't know what was happening to him. He fell backwards and landed on the floor of the kitchen.

"Sam! Sa..." he uttered, but was cut of by Rita, who covered his mouth with hers.

"Don't talk, please! I need you!" she begged, pulling his shirt out of his trousers. She quickly unbuckled his trousers, pushing them down. Suddenly, Chris' hands reached for her wrists, forcing her to stop.

"You think this is gonna help you?" he asked, seriously.

Rita stared at him, suddenly aware what she was about to do. She ran her fingers through her hair and got up. She turned her back to Chris as he got up as well, pushing his shirt back in his trousers.

"I am sorry, Chris." she apologized.

"Hey, you don't need to." He wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulder. "It's Saturday afternoon and we can still make the best out of it. I just don't think that that was the best at the moment. Hmm?"

"Just hold me, Chris, that's all I need at the moment."

Chris lay in bed when he turned over and noticed that the spot next to him was empty. He slowly opened his eyes and found Rita missing. He grabbed his boxers from the ground, moving downstairs to the living room. There he found Rita sitting on the couch, her arms wrapped around her knees. She looked up at Chris when he sat down on the couch next to her.

"What are you doing here, Sammy? It's right in the middle of the night."

"I couldn't sleep." she replied. She leaned over and rested her head on Chris' shoulder. Immediately, his arm was around her shoulders to hold her.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

Rita shook her head, "No, you looked so peacefully, I wouldn't want to wake you. Besides, it was just a nightmare, nothing else. It will go away, Chris."

"A nightmare, huh? You're afraid to close your eyes, afraid it might come back."

He grabbed her wrists and forced her to turn around, staring right at him.

"Rita, you have to deal with that. You can't do one thing about what happened in Miami. It happened, and now, it's finished. You have to deal with that!"

"Don't you think I know that? Chris, this... this is too hard this time. It was a baby, Chris! A little baby! He had only lived for 4 months. What kind of person can do something like that? I don't understand it. And I don't know if I can deal with that."

"You CAN deal with that, I know you. You have to believe that you did everything you could."

"I guess, I don't know whether what I did was enough. I should have tried harder. I just know I should have done more."

"And what would have changed? Rita, Caleb's injuries were too bad, he had no chance to survive. If he hadn't died in the motel room, he would have died in hospital."

"How can you be sure about that? HOW?" she yelled at him, jumping up from the couch. She turned her back to Chris, rubbing her shoulder.

"Don't do this to yourself, Rita, don't do this!" Chris said soothingly after he'd placed his arms around her waist. "Don't do this to yourself."

"I can't stop thinking about it, Sam, I just can't stop thinking."

"You'll see, give yourself a little time to rest and everything will be okay. C'mon, you didn't sleep well last night and as I can see you didn't get much sleep tonight either. You could use some."

Rita nodded silently, before Chris guided her upstairs to the bedroom.

They had decided to sleep late the next day since it was Sunday, but the nightmare was still haunting Rita, she couldn't sleep well. The sun was about to rise when she left her apartment for a jog.

About 1 and a half hours later, when she came back, she found Chris worried sick in the living room.

"Rita, where the hell have you been?" he yelled at her.

"Out for a jog. I brought us something for breakfast." she replied annoyed and placed the bag on the table.

"I was worried about you. Why didn't you leave me a note?"

"Jesus Christ, do I need to tell you everywhere I go? I don't need a baby sitter, thank you very much."

"Sammy, after what happened..."

"Don't!" she cut in immediately. "Don't say that! You always tell me I should come to grips with it, but how can I when you always start talking about it?!"

"Okay, I am sorry. It's only that you mean so much to me. Seeing you like this makes my heart ache."

Rita smilingly caressed his cheek, "That's why I love you. You never stop caring about me."

"NEVAH!"

It was Monday morning 8:30 when Chris entered the squad room. He knew he would find Rita there already, since she'd left the apartment a couple of minutes ahead of him. She was standing next to the coffee pot, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Hello there sunshine." he smiled, approaching her.

"Hello handsome." she replied, grinning.

Chris looked around for a moment. Since the squad room was less crowded and when he felt nobody was taking any notice of them, he leaned in to kiss Rita.

"Hey, not here." she objected, pulling back slightly embarrassed.

"Why?" Chris asked. "The whole world should know that I love Rita Lee Lance with everything I have."

"You know what we promised Cap. We would keep our relationship low-key. So, no kissing in the squad room, Mr. Lorenzo." she smiled, tapping his nose.

Chris groaned silently. He watched Rita return to her desk before he poured himself a cup of coffee as well. He was on his way to his desk, when Cap. Lipschitz stepped out of his office.

"Lance, Lorenzo, in my office!"

Chris rolled his eyes and turned in his tracks. With his coffee cup still in his hands, he entered Cap. Lipschitz's office. He sat down in one of the chairs the moment Rita entered the office as well. She closed the door and sat down next to Chris.

"I have a Sgt. St. James on the line." Cap. Lipschitz began. "I believe there's something you need to tell me?"

"Can we talk to him first, Cap?" Chris asked.

Harry nodded and turned the loudspeaker on.

"Sgt. St. James, Lance and Lorenzo are in my office. You can talk to them."

"Sgts., I just wanted to keep you updated on the case." Sgt. St. James said. "We caught Christian Ackerman late last night. He confessed immediately. This case is solved. I thought I better tell you."

"Thank you, Sgt. St. James." Chris uttered. "We appreciate you calling us."

Cap. Lipschitz disconnected the line. He tapped is fingers on his desk and glared over his glasses.

"So, what do you need to tell me? What the hell did you two do in Miami?!?"

"Cap, we promised to keep our relationship low-key. That's why we decided to spend the weekend in Miami. Nobody knows us there."

"A romantic weekend I guess, but what's the connection to Miami PD?"

"There was a homicide in the motel room next door." Rita explained.

"You two, you two..." Harry shook his head. "The homicides seem to follow you everywhere. Okay, there's some work waiting for you outside. Go, go!"

Chris and Rita got up to leave the office. They walked to their desks.

"These are the parts of my job that make me almost furious." Rita declared, leaning back in her chair. She glanced at Chris who sat down at his desk opposite hers.

"What do you mean? They just told you they got the guy, so what? You should be happy about that."

"Oh, didn't you listen to what Sgt. St. James told us? This guy already tried to kill the Allens two years ago. If people had done their jobs better, he wouldn't have gotten out of jail after two years already, he wouldn't have killed a whole family, a 4 month old baby."

"So what do you suggest they should have done? Kept him his whole life long?"

"It's this damn system! How often do we arrest someone, knowing that it's the person we're looking for and they walk? What are we good for anyway?"

Chris stared at Rita. Were those words really coming out of her mouth? Ever since Caleb died in her arms, she wasn't the same person any longer.

"Hey, how often have we arrested people who are charged with murder and behind bars now? Ever thought about that?"

Rita sprung up from her chair, shaking her head, "You don't understand what I am talking about. You NEVER understand what I am talking about."

"Hey, that's not true, you know that!" Chris objected.

"I am sorry, Chris, I... I..."

Chris got up and walked around the desks, hugging his partner, "I know you're having a hard time, Rita, but I am only trying to help you. Let me help you."

Rita nodded silently.

Chris was on his way home when he drove down West Palm Drive. A sign at one of the new apartment blocks caught his eye. "For rent" was written in big red letters. He stopped his car and got out, starring up at the building as a woman walked up to him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, brushing a strand of windblown hair out of her face.

"Ah, uh, I just saw that sign." Chris stammered.

"The apartment at the top is for rent. I can show it to you if you want."

"Yeah, why not. By the way, I am Chris Lorenzo."

"Hillary Maxwell. Just follow me inside, Mr. Lorenzo."

Chris followed Mrs. Maxwell inside the building the elevator brought them up to floor 4. They exited and stood in a small corridor. The ceiling was made of glass, so you were able to see the sky. One door lead to apartment 4a. Mrs. Maxwell opened the door.

Bright sunlight fell onto their faces immediately. Half of the ceiling of the living room they'd entered was made of glass. A wide stairway lead upstairs at the end of the room.

"This is the living room." Mrs. Maxwell began. "When you walk around the corner either right or left of the front door, you'll be on your way straight to the kitchen. There's a small terrace, I can show you."

Chris silently followed her to the kitchen. The kitchen was huge, a counter standing right in the middle. She opened a sliding glass door and walked outside on a small terrace. An iron stairway lead upstairs.

"The stairs are leading to the upper terrace which is connected to the bedroom." Mrs. Maxwell explained, pointing upstairs.

"Can I see what's upstairs?"

"Sure. We can go up right here."

They walked up the stairway to the upper terrace. The terrace was really huge, over-looking the beach as well as the other buildings down the street. In the middle of it, there was a railing. Chris approached and looked down. What he saw was the hallway leading to the elevator. When he looked up, he saw that Mrs. Maxwell had opened the door to the bedroom. He followed her inside. One length of the room - the part leading to the terrace - was fully made of glass. On the ceiling, there were two huge windows, allowing them to see the bright blue sky.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Mrs. Maxwell asked.

"Definitely. I've never seen anything quite like this." Chris replied.

"And I think you never will. Will you please follow me? So, I can show you the rest on this level."

They left the bedroom and suddenly were standing on the upper level of the living room. From where Chris was standing, he had a perfect view at the ocean through the sloping glass walls of the living room, and he could overview the whole living room. When he turned to his left, he found two more doors.

"Bathroom and nursery." Mrs. Maxwell uttered, noticing Chris' look. "Or guest room or what do I know." she added immediately.

"This is really a great place. I've always dreamed of something like this."

"I think you'll believe that you are still dreaming when I tell you how much it is."

"Oh, please, don't tell me." Chris cut in. "I already know I can't afford it. This is too perfect for a cop's salary."

"Well, I think I am going to tell you anyways and afterwards, you can tell me what you think about the price, Mr. Lorenzo. You'll be surprised."

Rita was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Chris entered Rita's apartment. He couldn't quite define what he was smelling, but it somehow smelled like chicken.

"Sammy, is this chicken I am smelling?" he yelled, placing his keys next to the fish tank.

Rita appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, two glasses of wine in her hands.

"Hi. I expected you back earlier." she greeted him, with a tender kiss on the lips.

"I had some business to do." he replied, still kissing her. He took one glass out of her and lead her back to the kitchen. "So, is it chicken?"

"Yes, Italian chicken. We still have some time until it's ready."

"How much time?" Chris teased. He placed his glass on the counter, then took Rita's glass out of her hands and placed it on the counter as well. He smiled as he pulled her close, beginning to nuzzle her neck.

"Not now." she replied, turning out of his embrace.

Chris raised his eyebrows, "Why?"

"I am not in the mood."

"Not in the mood? First time ever." he chuckled, kissing her neck.

"There's always a first time for everything. Please, Chris, let it go."

"I don't understand you. First you're like a wild cat who can't get enough, I had to stop you and now you don't want to any longer? What has changed?" Chris asked annoyed.

"Everything has changed." she replied. She opened the oven and pulled the chicken out.

"Rita, you need some help. I am serious about that."

"I don't need any help, I am perfectly capable of handling everything myself." she objected.

"I don't think so. I've sat by and watched you having nightmares night after night, you didn't get any sleep at all for a week. You think that's all right?"

"Please! I don't wanna talk about it. Enough. I am strong and I can handle this."

Chris grabbed her by her wrists as she wanted to turn her back to him, "No, you'll listen to me. You need help, dammitl! I don't wanna see you like this. What hurts you, hurts me as well."

"I am fine, Sam, and now, please, PLEASE, knock it off!"

"I am not going to knock it off!"

"Fine, fine, FINE! You're upset because I don't want to sleep with you? You really think this is going to make it any better at all?"

"It's not that, you know that! Hell, if you don't want to sleep with me, that's fine, I can understand that, but I know you're hurting, and that's something I just can't accept."

"End of discussion. You've said your peace."

"Discussion not ended." Chris objected.

"Sheesh, what do I need to do for you to finally stop?" she yelled at him.

"Promise me you'll get some help." he answered her question.

"I don't NEED any help!! If you're too stubborn to accept that, than you have a problem, Mr. Lorenzo."

"I don't have a problem, YOU have a problem!"

They were getting louder and louder every minute.

"I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM! MAYBE, THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE IS YOU!"

Rita turned on her heels and hurried out of the kitchen. A moment later, Chris heard the front door slamming.

"Perfect! Freakin' perfect!" he muttered.

Chris walked down to the beach later that evening. He saw Rita sitting in the sand, staring off at the water. First he didn't know what he should do, but then he decided to go over to her. He sat down in the sand behind her and wrapped his arms around her body.

"I am sorry, Rita, really sorry. I didn't want us to argue that way. The last thing I want is to see you hurt even more. I'm sorry."

"I know, I am sorry as well. I shouldn't have said that you are my problem. It was mean and I didn't mean it." Rita replied, placing her hands on top of his.

"Okay, discussion finally ended." he grinned, kissing her on the cheek. "Rita, after you left I was thinking."

"Whoo, you were thinking? About what?"

"I thought maybe... maybe it would be a good opportunity to move in together right now. You really shouldn't be alone."

Rita turned her head and gazed at him, "We should move in together right now?"

"Yeah. Look, I've found the perfect place for us. A condo at the beach, close to downtown. And, we can afford it."

"Since when are you looking for a place for us, Christopher? I thought I told you I need some time to think about that." Rita objected.

"I wasn't really looking for it. See, I saw this sign on my way home and thought I should check it out. Hmm?"

He gave her his puppy look. Rita smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "It's okay."

"That's good, because this place is absolutely fabulous. It has the biggest living room you've ever seen. Upstairs, there's a terrace leading outside from the bedroom. The ceiling is partly made of glass. Believe me, you can see the sun setting from there. And it even has a nursery."

"A nursery? What do we need a nursery for?"

"I just assumed, you know, I mean, I found... ugh..." Chris began to grin sheepishly.

"You found what?" Rita inquired.

"Uhm, in the bathroom when I was looking for something... a pregnancy test..."

Rita blushed, "Chris, it's an old one, I mean... why? And what are you doing searching my bathroom?"

"Hey, the tooth paste was empty." he replied innocently. "So, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Pregnant."

"NO!" she exclaimed energetically. "What gives you the idea I might be pregnant? Besides why are we talking about this anyway?"

"Oh, come on, Sammy. You want to have kids, don't you?"

"How long have we been together now? 5 months? And you are already talking about children?"

"Well, you know, I am not getting any younger. Neither are you. Your biological clock is ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock." he chuckled, giggling slightly.

"Ugh, yeah, children... I think that's something we need to discuss... a lot. I don't know if I am ready for that. I mean after..."

Rita stopped and turned her gaze away. Chris frowned. He tightened the embrace, whispering in her ear, "Rita, you can't run away from this forever. Caleb died in your arms, you have to deal with that. You mustn't let this reign your future life."

"Thank you very much for your psychoanalysis, Chris."

Rita stood up and walked away, leaving Chris behind. He followed her and caught up with her a couple of yards down the beach.

"Talk to me, Sam!" he begged, holding her back.

"About what? About the fact that I am having nightmares every time I close my eyes? About the fact that this system sucks?"

"No, about the fact that you are afraid to have kids because a baby died in your arms. This baby was killed, Rita, killed!"

"Do you think I don't know that? He died in my arms, I could have saved him, but I didn't! I DIDN'T! No kid in the entire world deserves to have a mother like me, a woman who let a baby die in her arms!"

"It wasn't your fault."

"No, certainly not, Christopher." she replied sarcastically. "I could have saved him, I know that!"

Rita began to run down the beach. Chris remained where he was. He knew it wouldn't be good if he went after her right now. She needed some time alone, some time to come to grips with all that had happened lately.

The days passed and it was back to normal life for Chris and Rita - at least it seemed for everybody else as nothing ever had happened. Rita was still very irritable, the tiniest comment could cause her to explode.

The nightmares were still coming and going, night by night. It was only a matter of time until this all was too much for Rita to handle.

She needed professional help, she knew that, but Sgt. Rita Lee Lance was too stubborn to accept any help. She'd been at the psychologist once, and the only thing that really had helped her was her work.

Two homicide cases still on their desks, working hours had increased. This would keep Rita away from her thoughts for at least a little time, but the time finally had come when she was about to explode.

"You let him go?!" Rita yelled at Donovan. "God, George, he killed his wife, we all know it!"

"I am sorry, Rita, there's nothing I can do. We don't have enough evidence to nail him."

"This system sucks!"

The door to Donovan's office banged in its angles after Rita had left. Outside the squad room, she met Chris.

"How did it go with Donovan?" he asked. "Is this case finally wrapped up? It took us long enough to nail him."

"He's out." Rita replied, pushing the palm tree doors open.

"He's what? Why?" Chris inquired.

"Not enough evidence. I told you already, the system sucks!" Rita plopped down in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her. "This guy killed his wife and there's nothing we can do about it. There happens to be a murder every 15 minutes in this state and what can we do about it? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Chris stopped next to her chair and knelt down.

"Sam, you're not yourself. I think you could use some days off of work, to get a clear mind."

"Thank you, Christopher, but I think I can handle everything just fine on my own."

"No, you can not. I know you, Rita. You may pretend to be strong, but here," he tapped on her chest, "here it's going to eat you up. Go and ask Cap for some time off."

Rita remained silent for a couple of minutes, thinking about what Chris had told her.

"I guess you're right, I should talk to Cap."

A moment later, the door to Cap. Lipschitz office burst open and Rita stormed inside.

"What the hell...?" Harry exclaimed, but stopped immediately when Rita smashed her gun and badge on his desk.

"Lance, what's this?" he asked disbelieving, rising from his chair.

"I quit. I can't do this anymore. Sorry, Cap."

She turned on her heels and hurried out of the office. Harry quickly moved to the door, calling for her, "Rita! Sgt. Lance, IN MY OFFICE! NOW!"

She didn't listen, but grabbed her purse from her desk and was about to run out of the squad room.Chris grabbed her arm and swung her around as she stormed by him. She broke free from his grip and kept on going. Chris stared after her. He shook his head and looked over to Harry who gestured for him to come in his office. He stood up and walked over.

"What is it, Cap?" he asked.

Harry indicated the gun and badge on his desk. Chris stared at him wide eyed as Harry just nodded silently.

"You better talk your partner out of this or she soon won't be your partner anymore."

Chris immediately rushed out of the office and outside to the parking lot. He saw Rita getting in her car and turning on the engine. Not wanting her to get away with this that easy, he blocked her the way.

"What do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him, after she'd opened her window.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing, partner?" he replied.

"I am not your partner any longer."

"That's the fact I am talking about." He opened the door and dragged her out of the car. "What do you think you're doing? I need you, partner. You can't just turn your badge in!"

"I can't do this anymore, Chris." she replied, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

"May I ask you why?"

"I don't see the colors anymore. It's like I've fallen in this deep whole and can't get out. I am feeling so hopeless."

"Then fight to get out, fight against feeling hopeless. You're a cop, hell, you're my partner. You're not talking only about your life here, you're talking about mine as well. Don't go wasting it. Please, Sam, I love you. Don't do this to me."

"I am sorry, Chris, this is the only thing I can do."

Rita turned and got in the car. She slammed the door shut and turned the engine on.

"Sam, don't do this!" Chris yelled, seeing the car disappearing in the distance.

Cap sat down next to Chris at his lunch table. He glanced at the young man before him and saw trouble in his eyes. Rita was no where to be found. After several minutes of silence, Cap asked Chris if he was all right.

Chris shook his head yes, "Yeah, I'm fine, Cap. Nothing to worry about."

"C'mon Chris. Do you really think I'll believe you? Rita just stormed out of the department, smashing her badge and gun on my desk. What's going on between you and Rita? You can talk to me. I'm more than your Captain, I'm your friend."

"I know, Cap. It's just that I've been worried about Rita lately already. And now this happened." Chris replied.

"I've noticed something's been bothering her. Tell me about it. Ever since you guys came back from Miami, she hasn't been the same."

"No, she hasn't." Chris said quietly.

"Chris, spill it! It'll do you some good to talk about it anyway."

Chris looked at his Captain and then began, "Remember how those 2 people were murdered next door to us?"

Cap nodded, "Yeah."

"Well, their 4 month old son, Caleb, was also murdered. When I ran back to our room to grab my cell phone, Rita found the baby floating in the bath tub."

"Oh God! No wonder she's been acting the way she has."

"That's not the worst of it, Cap. Rita, tried to revive Caleb, but he died in her arms. She can't stop blaming herself. She thinks she should have done more."

"But, she did everything she possibly could, Chris." Cap argued.

"I know that, and you know that, but she won't let herself believe it. I'm scared that this is gonna ruin her, Cap. I don't know what to do."

Cap. Lipschitz was stunned. He had no idea that all of this had happened. He also didn't know why they hadn't come to him sooner. He certainly would have understood.

"Chris, just be there for her. Let her take it out on you, scream at you, cry in your arms. It's the only thing you can do. You have to let her work this out on her own. She's strong, I know she can."

"Cap, Rita is not as strong as you might think. I know it's going to eat her up."

"Give her some time, son."

When he returned, Chris found the door to Rita's apartment locked. He opened it with his key and went inside. There was silence, not the slightest sound - except those the fish tank were producing.

"Rita?" he called out loud, but didn't get a response.

He walked upstairs to the bedroom. The first thing that caught his eyes were the open drawers. They all were half empty, most of her clothes missing.

Chris smacked his hand on the night stand, "Shit!"

Chris had fallen asleep on the couch when the ringing phone woke him up. He grabbed the phone and answered it immediately.

"Rita?"

"Yeah." a voice on the other side replied.

"Hey, where are you? Is everything all right? I am worried sick about you."

"Everything's all right, Chris, you don't need to worry. I just need some time for me alone. There are a lot of things I need to think about... about my life, about us..."

"Sammy, tell me where you are, please! I'll come and everything will be all right. Let me help you." he pleaded.

"No, Chris, not this time. That's something I have to do alone. I just wanted to tell you that I am all right and that you don't need to worry, okay? Bye."

The line was disconnected.

"Any news about Rita?" Cap. Lipschitz asked after Chris had walked in the office late a couple of days later.

Chris shook his head, "No, nothing. I paged her, I called her cell phone, no response."

"Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"Yeah, I think I know where she is, but I need to give her some time. At the moment it looks like she doesn't want me anymore... the way she said she needed to think about us..." Chris stopped.

"How can you be so calm about that?" Harry asked.

"Calm? Oh, I am certainly not calm about that, Cap. It's driving me nuts every single minute of the day. She's running away from herself, from me. I know she needs my help, but... God, I love her more than anybody else, I always did. Thinking that the incident in Miami is going to ruin my whole life... I lost my partner, my best friend, the woman I love more than my life, Cap."

"Why don't you go and tell her instead of me?" Cap suggested, ushering Chris out of the squad room.

"She won't listen to me." Chris objected.

"She will, believe me, she will!"

Chris sat at his desk, annoyingly tapping the pen on the desk. He stared at the empty place opposite his, Rita's place. He looked up when the operator approached his desk and handed him letter.

"A boy delivered this a couple of minutes ago, Sgt."

"Thanks."

Chris took the letter out of the operator's hands and ripped it open. He found a note inside. He knew the handwriting very well, it was Rita's.

Chris,

I am sorry I have to do it this way, but right at the moment I don't think I can talk to you in person, it would be too hard. There are a lot of decisions to be made, decisions I can only make alone. Therefore I don't think I can come back to Palm Beach. If you love me, you'll respect my wishes. One day I think I'll be strong enough to deal with all that has happened lately, but right at the moment it's too much for me. I know I'll never be able to do my job again, I am tired, Chris. What concerns our relationship, I don't know if it was such a good idea we let it go that far. We've always been best friends and we will always be, no matter what happens.

You'll always have a special place in my heart,
Rita

Chris placed the note down and sighed deeply. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the letter. She couldn't be serious about that. Everything should be over in less than a second?

Chris sprung up from his chair and grabbed his jacket, rushing through the palm tree doors. He knew where he could find Rita. He'd stood by and watched long enough, but now he had to do something. And he knew exactly what he had to do.

Rita walked down the shoreline of Sanibel beach. Alone, she was alone again, feeling helpless. There was no person in the entire world that could help her now. She had to heal herself, but how? The wound in her heart, the wound that Caleb had created, how could she ever heal that?

She knew exactly that there was more to this than just the fact that he died in her arms - or moving in with Chris, marrying and having children... There was more than she could tell Chris. She had to make a painful decision, a decision she thought only she had the right to make.

She walked up to the small park and sat down on a bench. The park was deserted, it was almost dreadful. For a while she sat there and watched the palm trees playing in the wind. The cries of a baby broke her out of her daze.

She turned around and saw a young mother with a twin carriage walking up the path. She stopped next to the bench and lifted a crying baby on her arm. Then she sat down next to Rita.

"Are you hungry, honey, hm?" she cooed at the baby while she reached for the bottle in the carriage, trying to calm the squirming baby on her arm. She didn't succeed.

"Let me help you." Rita offered. She got up and grabbed the baby bottle, handing it to the young woman.

"Thank you. It's almost impossible to go anywhere with these two rascals."

Rita looked into the carriage and found the second twin smiling up at her. She tickled the baby.

"Two boys or two girls?"

"A boy and a girl, Jonathan and Tessa."

Suddenly, the infant in the carriage began to scream loudly.

"Oh please!" the young woman pleaded. "Ma'am, could you please lift her up?"

Rita hesitated for a moment, but then she took the little girl on her arm.

"She needs to be feed. There must be a second bottle somewhere in the carriage."

Rita searched for it and finally found it. She sat back down on the bench and began to feed the baby on her arm.

"Oh, I am Rita." Rita said after a while of silence.

"I am Shawn. Nice to meet you. And thanks for the help."

"You're welcome." Rita glanced down at the child in her arms. "She's adorable."

"Certainly not at 3 in the morning." Shawn chuckled. "Do you have any kids?"

Rita shook her head, "No, but..." she paused for a moment, "...my boyfriend wants to have kids soon."

"Kids can be great. I first didn't know what I should do when I was pregnant with them, but now I wouldn't know what to do without them - even when they don't allow me to get any sleep at night."

Rita looked over at the boy in Shawn's arms. They both looked so adorable. Suddenly, everything Rita had believed in after what had happened in Miami began to merge into a huge chain around her heart that exploded with a loud sigh.

She now realized that she'd hurt Chris more than she ever wanted and that the decision she wanted to make alone here in Sanibel was a step she couldn't make alone. She needed Chris.

Back at the hotel, she began to pack her stuff and was about to head back to Palm Beach when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and found the hotel boy waiting for her. He silently handed her a note and nodded before he left. Rita closed the door. She sat down on her bed, unfolding the paper in her hands. She began to read...

Rita, I hope this finds the way in your heart.

I love you
Please say you love me, too
These three words, they could change our lives forever
And I promise you that we will always be together
Till the end of time

For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'cause you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

Sammy, please don't leave me, don't do this to me. Without you I am nothing. With my heart and soul, I love you. Come back to me. I need you!

Rita stared at the note in her hand. She folded it and placed it on the bed. She slowly made her way to the door and opened it. Her jaw hit the floor. Chris was standing in front of her, a single red rose in his hands. He had his puppy look on his face. Without saying anything, he knelt down in front of her.

"Sammy, I am begging on my knees. Come back to me, PLEASE! You're my world, you're everything to me. We can go through this together, just give me a chance. I think I deserve a second chance after all we've been through. Please?"

Rita silently took the rose out of his hands. She twisted the rose stalk in her hands and glanced at Chris.

"Sammy, please?" he begged.

"How did you know where I was?" she asked, pulling him up.

"C'mon, I am your best friend, I know where to find you. Besides, how often did you tell me about this place here in Sanibel?"

Rita sighed, "We need to talk, Chris."

She closed the door behind her. Then she reached for Chris' hand and together they left the motel, walking down to the beach. Their walk was quiet until they sat down in the sand.

"I know I haven't been fair to you the last couple of days." Rita began reluctantly. "It wasn't your fault what happened and I wasn't really acting like myself. There was more to this than I told you. I thought I could decide this alone, but it wouldn't be right."

She peered at Chris, who sat next to her in the sand. What she had to tell him would surprise him the same way it had surprised her.

"You know, I thought about this relationship and baby stuff while you were gone." He stopped for a moment. "All I ever wanted was to be with you, Rita. Being married or not, with or without kids, I don't care about that anymore. All that matters to me is you. While you were gone, I felt that something was missing, part of me, my other half. I wouldn't want to be missing that the rest of my life."

Rita raised her eyebrows, "Don't tell me you're trying to make a step back now."

"Huh?" Chris frowned, rubbing his temple. "Did I miss something here?"

She smiled at him, "No... yes.... no."

"So what? You've been hiding here for a week and all I get is a no... yes... no?"

"While I was here I had some time to think, to really learn what I want. I am a cop, a good cop. The baby died in my arms, it happened, I have to deal with that. I mustn't give those perps the chance to ruin my life. I hurt you and that was the last thing I ever wanted to do because I love you. I am sorry, Chris."

"Partners?" Chris asked hesitatingly, reaching his hand out to her.

"Partners. In all parts of life." she replied, taking his hand into hers.

"You'll come back to Palm Beach with me now?"

"There's one condition." she grinned mischievously.

"What?"

"This apartment you told me about the other day, you think you can take me there to show it to me?"

Chris frowned, "Why? I thought you said we wouldn't need a bigger apartment for the two us."

"Right, my apartment is big enough for the two of us, but not for the... three of us." Rita took a deep breath, "I am pregnant, Chris. That's why all of what has happened hurt so much. It went straight to my heart. I thought I could decide alone what to do, but you had the right to know about your baby... our baby."

Chris stared at her silently, his mouth wide open. Suddenly a big smile broke out on his face. He hugged Rita close.

"Rita, that's wonderful. We'll have a baby!!!" he exclaimed.

Rita leaned back and gazed into his eyes, "You're okay with that?"

"Absolutely, absolutely! Sammy, we're going to be parents, can you see that?"

"Honestly, Chris... no... but I think we can work on that."

"Geez, a baby. God, I love you so much, Rita."

"I love you, too, Christopher."

"What the hell are you doing there?" Chris exclaimed when he saw Rita walking through the front door of their new apartment, carrying one of the huge boxes.

"What does it look like, Christopher? I am taking my stuff up." she replied as Chris took the box out of her hands.

"You're not to carry that, my lady."

"May I ask why?"

"Because," he gently tapped the tip of her nose, "you're pregnant."

"Geez, Chris, I am 13 weeks pregnant, I can still carry that!"

"Maybe, but I don't want to happen anything to our bambino." he argued. "And I guess that's your intention as well."

"But you know what this means then?"

Chris frowned, "What?"

"There are several huge boxes still downstairs that are waiting to be brought upstairs by you, my friend." she teased. She kissed him on the cheek and walked upstairs.

"Wow, this place is incredible!" Frannie stated after she'd entered the new apartment. "Heschy would really like this."

"We know it's great, that's why we moved in." Chris replied, placing an arm around Rita's shoulders.

"Oh, may I look around a little?"

"Sure, go on."

"Upstairs, I think I start upstairs."

With that, Frannie headed for the stairs and disappeared upstairs. Chris and Rita watched her leave. Then Chris turned his partner around and placed his arms around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly.

"You think we can really ask her?" he asked unsure.

"If we want to keep this a secret from Harry, we have to, Sam. There's no other way."

Chris sighed as they both heard a loud shriek from upstairs, "My, a nursery!"

"Well, now she already knows half of the news." Rita chuckled, kissing Chris.

A moment later, Frannie hustled down the stairs, an expression of shock and surprise on her face.

"There's a nursery upstairs, you know that?" she stammered.

Chris smiled, "Frannie, please sit down for a minute. Rita and I need to ask you for a favor."

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!?!" she exclaimed, even before Chris could usher her to the couch.

"Yes." Rita nodded, laughing.

"Rita, darling, that's wonderful!" Frannie hugged Rita close, "Oh, oh, I can't wait to tell Harry. My, I am so happy for the two of you."

"Thank you, Fran, but there's one thing we need to ask you."

"You can ask me anything you want, Christopher darling, you know that. Good old Frannie will always be there to help you."

They all sat down. Chris took Rita's hand before he began to explain Frannie what they had in mind.

"Fran, you know that there's a special rule at the force that says 'no married partners'?"

Frannie's mouth dropped open, "You are married?"

"No, not right now." Rita responded.

Chris went on further, "Well, Rita and I know that as soon as we tell Harry that we want to get married, he has to split us up as partners. Now we need a favor. We don't want to tell him until the actual day of our wedding. This will give us some more time to stay as partners. You need to help us keep this a secret. You think you can do that?"

"Sure can I do that for you. I will keep my mouth shut. Not a word about this will come out my lips, I promise. Ah, this is so exciting. You know, if you need any help, call me, I'll be there."

"Thank you, Frannie, we appreciate it."

Harry nervously stood in front of the mirror, doing his tie.

"Heschy, we need to hurry!" Frannie said at least for the 50th time that day.

"It would be much easier if you could tell me where we're going, Fran. Besides, why am I wearing this tuxedo?"

"Harry Lipschitz, you'll know soon. I told you it's got to be a surprise, so stop asking me about that right now."

"Fran, I have a loaded weapon downstairs, you'll tell me now or..."

"I promised, sorry."

'Of all the times, why does she have to keep her mouth shut right now?' Harry wondered.

Harry stopped the car at the beach where Frannie had directed him. He exited and found Chris and Rita already waiting for them. He stared at them confused. Chris was wearing a black tuxedo like him while Rita was wearing a beautiful white dress with short sleeves and a short skirt.

"Lorenzo, Lance, what is this?" he asked, already suspecting what would come next.

"Harry, welcome to our wedding." Chris laughed.

"WEDDING?" he exclaimed. "Frannie, why didn't you tell me?"

"We asked her not to say anything, Cap." Rita stated.

"So how long have you two be planing this with MY WIFE?"

"For a couple of weeks." Chris smiled. "We know we certainly shocked you with this now, but we didn't know what else to do. We promised you we'd keep our relationship low..."

"Lorenzo, I don't want to hear any apologies right now." Harry cut him off. "We're here the celebrate a wedding, your wedding as I just was told. What are we waiting for?"

Chris and Rita glowed all over their faces, "Thank you, Harry."

"We're not done with this at work, but here, I am only Harry Lipschitz, so who cares?"

"I wonder if he sees what's coming next." Chris whispered into Rita's ear as they made their way down to the beach where the priest was waiting.

"You mean the baby? I think we should tell him later."

"That's a good idea. Besides, I don't know if you could hide it any longer. You already start to show, my lady."

Rita smiled and gently kissed him on the cheek, "We're going to tell him later."

After the wedding, during which Frannie had shed lots of tears, they all walked back to their cars and headed to Chez Pierre where Chris had reserved a table for them. Chris and Rita were the first to arrive, so it gave them a few minutes to talk about how they were going to break the other news to Harry.

"We just can't tell him, Harry, we're expecting a baby, not after what we already did to him." Rita argued.

"I know, sunshine, I know, but what else can we do?"

"I can think of something. We need godparents for our baby, and honestly I couldn't think of a better couple than Harry and Frannie."

"Rita, they are Jewish! Remember what happened last Christmas?" Chris began to imitate Harry, "Frannie, we're Jewish, we're NOT celebrating Christmas. We have Hanukkah. I don't want a damn Christmas tree standing in MY house."

Rita giggled at Chris' perfect imitation, "I think he'll do that. That's the kind of guy he is. Once we've asked, he can't say no, not to such an important job."

"What kind of job?" Harry asked as he approached the table with Frannie.

"Uh, we, uh..." Chris stammered as they sat down at the table. The waitress immediately brought the champagne. For a moment, Rita glanced at Chris.

"Harry, you know you're like the parents Chris and I never had." she began. "We thought that when the time comes, that you'll be there to be... our baby's godparents."

Harry's jaw dropped open.

"Godparents?!" Frannie shrieked. That was new to her as well. "Heschy, they asked us to be the godparents!"

"I heard that, honey. Sheesh, newly married and already talking about children." Harry replied. He turned and stared at Chris and Rita.

"Ugh, Heschy." Frannie cut in, poking his arm.

"Frannie Lipschitz, please let me finish this. Chris, Rita, it's an honor for us to be your child's godparents when the time comes for you to have children."

"Uhm, Hesch..." Frannie started again.

"Fran! I am just in the midst of my toast." He raised his glass of champagne. "To Chris and Rita, may you live happily ever after."

They all raised their glasses, Chris and Rita having a big grin on their faces. Rita took a small sip of her glass and then placed it down. This didn't go unrecognized by Harry. His eyes widened. This was Frannie's chance to finish what she'd started to tell him.

"Harry Lipschitz, I guess your senses are growing older." she uttered matter-of-factly. "Why do you think those two didn't make such a big deal out of their wedding? Why do you think they moved into a bigger apartment? Heschy, they are expectant parents!"

"My best damn homicide team will be parents?!"

Chris and Rita nodded, seeing Harry totally confused.

"Oh, this was too much news for one day." He reached for his glass of champagne and drank the glass empty. "Waiter, more champagne, please!"

"Sammy, she's so beautiful." Chris smiled as he held his newborn daughter in his arms for the first time. He sat down on Rita's bed and held his daughter close to him.

"Yeah, this beautiful face of hers makes me even forget my 34 hours of labor."

Rita gently stroked the baby's little head. She was practically glowing.

"Chelsea Rose, hello there, young lady." she cooed at the baby.

Chelsea blinked and yawned before she settled back down peacefully in Chris' arms.

"Sammy, did you ever think we could create something beautiful like this back then?" Chris asked, handing the baby back to her mother.

"If you're talking about what happened at our trip to Miami, my answer is no. I completely lost my faith in everything. I think if I hadn't expected Chelsea, who knows what had happened to me, to us. She's my little savior."

Chris took Rita's hand into his right and Chelsea's tiny hand in his left hand.

"Well, my two beautiful women, I love you, forever and all time."

Chris first kissed Chelsea tenderly on her forehead, then he leaned over to kiss his wife passionately.

"And we both love you, Mr. Lorenzo, more than we can say."

The End

---

Standard Disclaimer: The characters of Chris Lorenzo, Rita Lance, Harry and Frannie Lipschitz don't belong to me, but to Stephen J. Cannell and USA Network. However, all other characters used in this story that never appeared in an episode of Silk Stalkings before, especially Chelsea Rose Lorenzo do belong to me. I Love You and Because You Loved Me were taken from Celine Dion's album Falling Into You. No infringement intended

Thanks go out to Karen for editing this stuff and to my evil twin for all the help I got. Comments are always appreciated.

---

Back To My Main Page