The Date

"You have a date with Jessica Russo?' Ben repeats. "I thought we were going to be single together for a while."

John runs a hand through his regulation-short hair. "It's just a date. And she practically asked me when she wrote her phone number in my book."

"Women have given you their number before, Buddy."

"Badge bunnies and a stalker. I wanted no part of that. But Jessica's funny and smart, and she understands my passion for being a cop. She gets me, Ben. And I like her. I like her a lot."

"And you don't think you're dating above your pay grade? She was an FBI agent, and now she's obviously an author besides being a consultant."

John shrugs. "I could be, but at least since she's technically a civilian, I don't have to worry about running up against the rules, even the unofficial ones. Anyway, who knows? It might not work out, but it's worth a shot."

"Where are you taking her?"

"I thought I'd keep it casual. And with paying you rent now, that's easier to afford. A movie and dinner at the Beef Barn."

"You'll find out fast enough if she's vegan."

"I already asked. She said she loves hot meat."

Ben's eyebrows rise. "And she was still talking about food?"

John grins. "I like her answer either way."

Rejecting the premiere of a newly feminized Captain Marvel, Jessica chooses a screening of "On the Basis of Sex." "I'd rather watch the story of a real kickass woman than a fictional one," she explains, as she and John get in line for tickets. "No superhero could match the challenges she's had to fight."

"You'll get no argument from me," John agrees. "I watch my T.O. on the street every day, and she never fails to amaze me, but none of that would be possible without women like RBG paving the way. And you're quite a barrier breaker yourself. You've defused situations that other feds let blow up in their faces, and saved a lot of lives. If I'm lucky, you may have taught me to save a few myself."

Jessica brushes his hand. "You taught me a few things too, Officer Nolan - about there being a lot more to people than what shows up in their files. I realized that while I've been beating down the doors of the federal law enforcement men's club, there's a lot about ordinary life that I haven't given myself time to experience, and that experience could have been valuable, both professionally and personally."

John's face lights as lines marking four decades of laughter fan from the corners of his eyes. "It's never too late. I'm a walking poster boy for that."

"Yes, you are. I think you might even be starting to win Wade, Sergeant Grey, over."

"If I am, it's a surprise to me. I think he genuinely enjoys administering my daily correction."

"He corrects you because he's beginning to have some hope for you. He said as much when I had dinner with him and his wife."

John's mouth gapes. "He did?"

"And it probably didn't hurt that you saved his life. Don't get too excited. His wife had to bring that part up."

"I suppose that's better than nothing."

"If you knew Mrs. Grey, you'd know it is a lot better, especially since she is aware that her daughter is interested in your son, something Wade isn't too crazy about either."

"Henry is usually over 2,000 miles from here. I can't see how that could be a threat."

"Apparently they clicked when he came to visit you and have kept up their friendship on social media."

John scrubs his hand over his face. "Anything else I should be worried about from the Grey family?"

Jessica's eyes tease above a crinkled nose. "I think that's about it."

"It's enough on top of the ageism. Maybe I need an RBG of my own."

Jessica squeezes his hand. "I think you're your own RBG, John. That's what Grey is really afraid of. Just be who you are."

"That's what Bishop told me."

"Bishop's a good T.O."

"So," John asks, as he and Jessica stroll out of the theater, "after the double buttered popcorn I'm guessing grabbing a late snack is out."

"Well deduced, Officer Nolan."

"How about a walk? The beach below the guest house where I live is beautiful. There's not much of a crowd, especially at this hour, and even with L.A. air, enough moon and starlight shine through to light a path."

"John, that's almost poetic. Sure, it sounds nice."

The breeze is cool off the water, and Nolan wraps his jacket around Jessica's shoulders. "Very gallant, John."

"More like selfish. I don't want you getting cold and deciding you want to go home early."

"I could have decided I wanted to spend some time inside your little adjunct to the big house."

"So now I'm stupid instead of selfish?"

"Or just sweet. It is beautiful here. So you earn your room by acting as Ben's groundskeeper and handyman?"

"I also pay some rent - as much as I can afford. But still, from what I've seen of the L.A. housing market, I'm incredibly lucky."

"Or just talented. I haven't known that many guys who are good with their hands."

"Am I still being stupid or is that meant to be a double entendre?"

"It's whatever you want it to be John."

John draws the salt-tinged air into his lungs before leaning in for a kiss. At six-foot-two he'd become accustomed to bending his knees to reach Lucy's lips. Jessica is even more diminutive, even if she seems taller by the sheer power she projects. Somehow, they manage to fit.

For moments, the sounds of the waves fade as they are lost in each other until interrupted by a scream coming from down the beach. John takes off at a run with Jessica not far behind him, despite the difference in the length of their strides. A woman is struggling on the sand, surrounded by two men, with a third one holding her down."

"Let her go, man," John commands, wishing for the benefit of his gear. His off-duty weapon is in a holster at his ankle. But reaching for it would make him vulnerable to attack, and as far as he knows, civilian Jessica isn't armed.

"Chill man," one of the captors advises. "She's a whore. She just changed her mind."

"Any woman has a right to change her mind, prostitute or not," Nolan insists. "Look, I'm a cop. Soliciting prostitution is only a misdemeanor. You can walk away from it. Forcing a woman to have sex is a felony, and there's no putting that behind you. For the rest of your life, it will keep you from getting credit, a job, a life. Is this worth it? Just let her go."

The man holding the woman down smirks. "What, are you going to arrest all of us? I just see you and the little bitch there."

Jessica springs forward and kicks him in the face, giving Nolan a chance to reach for his gun. John inclines his head toward her. "I think I have all the backup I need."

After handing off the last of his collars, John turns to Jessica. "Not the night you anticipated."

She shrugs. "No, but it's the second time you and I made a good team."

"Then would you mind trying again, without the arrests, I mean?"

"I'd like that."

John settles beneath the sheets of a bed that still feels too empty and props his head on his arm. He liked Lucy, and he still misses her, but Jessica is something - or someone - else. Bishop told him he is a man fully formed. While in many ways, Lucy is just now exploring her place in the world, Jessica has a firm hold on hers.

He still has months to prove he's worthy of being a cop, although Jessica apparently believes he is. He doesn't need any faith but his own. He still has a lot to learn from Bishop and the other more experienced cops, but he knows in his gut that he deserves his place on the force. Still, it feels incredible to know that someone with the experience and the know how to make the call, has confidence in him as a cop, as well - and that the woman is also attracted to him as a man.

He closes his eyes and lets visions of Jessica float in his mind until, at least for this night, they banish his demons.