Staying Behind

Summary: As Davis and Beaumont have issues respectively and Casey has a fight with her landlord, the partners come together for what turns out to be a sleepless night. Casey/Jason.

Disclaimer: All characters are from the television show, "The Unusuals", and do not belong to me. They appear in this story solely for writing and entertainment purposes and no profit whatsoever is being made from this story

Rating: PG-13 for a majority of the time, but possibly MA in some select chapters.

Note: Story in first-person narrative with Casey.

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It had been two days since I had slept with Davis, and without a call from him so far, I was embarrassingly panicked. I didn't like that either; I didn't like the fact that a part of me was freaking out over the other night, and waiting for his call. I mean, I guess I might feel differently if my panic was something I could keep to myself, but I couldn't help but show it. Beaumont was obviously the first to notice it, but then De La Hoya and Banks knew; quickly enough, Walsh realized it as well. Believe it or not, after years in the NYPD and getting down and dirty with the boys, I was still just another girl.

When Davis finally did call me, I had just left my apartment building, which my landlord had kicked me out of for the night after I called him a criminal. I wasn't in the best of moods, but I still was happy to get his call. We talked for almost an hour, and he explained that a difficult case was the reason why he hadn't called yet. I asked him if he wanted to grab a bite and give himself a break, but he told me that he just wanted to get everything over and done with. This turndown was disappointing for two reasons then; it was because it was a turndown in general, and because it meant I would have to find some other place to spend the night.

I could have just stayed in a hotel or with my parents, but I was too stingy and too ashamed to do either. So, instead, I decided to turn to my partner. I figured that with all Walsh had, he had to have some sort of cot or pull out couch that I could crash on. So, after I got off the phone with Davis, I called Jason to see where he was. "What can I help you with, Casey?" He asked in a somewhat humorous tone.

"I need a place to crash for the night. My landlord kicked me out and I can't really sort it out until I get some sleep." I explained somberly. "I know you're with Beaumont, so it's sort of a horrible question, but I don't have anyone else to ask and I'm avoiding my parents and a hotel like the plague."

"Call your boyfriend?" He asked, sort of like I expected him to at some point; not really this point, but whatever.

"He's stuck in the office." A beat. "And just to make it clear, he called me first." I said knowing Walsh would probably still tease me about it.

"Right." A beat. "Well, Allison is working on her own place tonight and I think I've got a blow up mattress and a sleeping bag in my closet somewhere if you can't find any other place. Just give me some time to find it."

"Ok. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Probably more than he realized.

"Yeah, I know. I know." He said with a bit of a laugh before hanging up.

I continued walking, hitting a pizza place on the next corner and stopping for a slice. Of course, I picked up two slices to go for him as well. After all, he was letting me stay at his place for the night and he could smell pizza breath from a mile away. A couple blocks more and a few minutes later, I was standing at the front door of Stage Restaurant. After a quick call for him to let me in, I came in and dropped the small pizza box on the counter for him. "Pizza and garlic knots. I already had mine." I looked back to him, locking the door once more as I took a seat on one of the stools. He smiled and came over to lightly grab my arm. "Can't sleep on the counter again, Casey. Come on." I got up and he grabbed the pizza box with his other arm before leading me into the back.

The back was actually set up kind of nicely; you know, I mean with all his things. The blow up mattress and sleeping bag weren't set up badly either though. "The bathroom, my room." Walsh said with a vague pointed finger for each. "Nice. I assume this is mine." I said a little teasingly with a point to the blow up mattress. "Yup, that's it, Casey." He said with another smile before settling on his bed with the pizza box.

I sat down on the blow up mattress for a minute, just watching him eat.

"So…no TV." I said simply.

"There's one in the front." He replied in between bites of his pizza.

"Are those records?" I asked as I saw a stand with records and player against the back wall.

"Do they look like records?" He teased.

I got up from my bed, taking off my coat, my badge, and my gun and setting them on the desk and chair in the corner before going over to the records. I eyed the various records Jason had and was a little surprised by how they differed from what I thought they might be. See, I expected rock and maybe a little country out of Walsh, but instead, Etta James, B.B. King, and Ray Charles.

"Fan of Blues music, I didn't know that. I always figured you for more of rock type." I admitted as I almost sat on his bed to get a closer look.

"I like a little of bit everything really. Blues on record is one of my favorite things though. I guess it was just how I was raised; my mom always had one of those records on when I was growing up." He said as he finished up. "You can sit on the end if you want and keep looking; you could even put one on if you want."

"Alright." I said as I sat on his bed and continued looking through the records.