Something So Strong

Summary: Following her one night stand with Jack Christey, Rachel begins to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. But will she actually allow herself to feel this time around?
A/N: Just a short AU fic set a bit after the season three episode 'Heads or Tales'. :)

(Rated T, mainly for some swearing).

Rachel Goldstein was always so confident when it came to men and sex, but not so when it came to making a commitment to them. Her inability to commit, she felt, had mostly come from her doomed relationship with John 'Knocker' Harrison only a couple of years earlier. He was a cop, just like Jack Christey…

Jack Christey, she thought, sitting back in her chair.

There was something about him that was so charming. Yet so bloody annoying at the same time.

Rachel assumed that Jack would be the type of man who would only want a one night stand, or a fling. But as far as she could tell, especially judging by all the phone calls, her assumption about him was completely wrong. Jack seemed to want more; he wanted a relationship with her. An actual relationship. And Rachel did what she had done so many times before, freaked out. She was good at that. Almost too good, in fact.

"What are you doing here so early, Rachel?"

She turned her head, and saw Frank looking at her, "Oh… I don't really know to be honest," she answered truthfully.

"You look like you've got just a bit too much on your mind," he observed, walking over to his desk.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. How could he possibly know that? He's not even that good a detective!

Frank smiled, noticing the way she was looking at him, "What are you hiding from me?"

"What?" she exclaimed, open mouthed, "Nothing! What?"

He merely chuckled at her response. "You're seeing someone, aren't you?" he guessed, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat, "You always get like this when there's another bloke in your life."

Like this?

LIKE THIS?!

"Another bloke?"

"Yeah. Another bloke other than me."

Rachel rolled her eyes, making damn sure he saw it too, "Now you're just being ridiculous, Frank."

"I start a three week tour of Fairfield tomorrow."

Rachel heard Jack's voice in her head. She wondered if he would be having it off with one of the female officers who worked there, despite knowing that he probably wanted something with her. She then chastised herself for thinking the way she was, "Oh fucking hell, Rachel. Now you're the one who's being ridiculous!"

But, what was it about Jack Christey that made him so alluring?

Was it his personality, his looks, his kindness underneath the tough-talking, arrogant attitude? Or was it something more superficial, like the fact that he was good in bed?

For the first time, Rachel decided to stop procrastinating, and do something about the way she felt. She picked up the phone, held it against her ear for a few moments, listening to the dial tone, and then slammed it back down into the receiver. "Oh just go and see him for God's sake!" she told herself firmly.

She got into her car, and drove to his house in the harbourside suburb of Point Piper. From the outside, Rachel could see that one of the lights was on, meaning there was a good chance that he was home. It was then that she started to get nervous. She took a deep breath in, and held it for a couple of seconds, before letting it out. In her head, Rachel began to hear a little voice:

Don't do it Rachel, stay away from him. He's a cop. Stay away.

Foolishly, she listened to that voice.

She started her car and drove away, regretting the decision to do so in an instant.

Another week went by. And Rachel still didn't know what to do about the way she was feeling. The more she thought about Jack, the more annoyed with herself she would get. Why was a simple one night stand making her feel this way? Rachel had had one night stands in the past; not that many, but still enough of them to know that she never cared this much after the 'interaction'. She usually didn't see much of the guy afterwards, either, although Kevin Holloway was somewhat of an exception to that. Jack, on the other hand, she hadn't seen at all since, but she just couldn't get him off her mind.

Work. Work. Think about work.

A man's body had been washed ashore on Chinaman's Beach. It was the same location of the bodiless head she and Jack investigated -

Fuck!

"Early again, hey Goldstein?" came Frank's cheeky voice.

"Actually, you're late, Holloway," she retorted, "This body washed ashore on… in Mosman, isn't going to investigate itself, you know."

"Ha!"

Jack Christey strode down the footpath, towards the entrance of the Sydney Water Police station. Like Rachel, he had been thinking about their one night stand a lot. It was too good to forget. He didn't even make it to the building when he saw her, stopping in his tracks. Her shoulder length brown hair was blowing in the wind, and her long legs looked even better in a skirt than he had remembered.

Rachel turned her head, as if she could sense that he was there.

They studied each other, thoroughly.

"Hiya, Rachel," Jack smiled at her, walking just that little bit closer, "Long time, no see."

She returned the smile, nodding, "Yeah."

He took her arm and gently pulled her off the footpath. They stood on the grass, centimetres from each other, Rachel could feel his warm breath on her face. "I've been thinking about you, pretty much non-stop," he told her in a whisper.

I know the feeling.

"I guess the phone calls may have made it a bit obvious."

Rachel smiled again, "I'm sorry I hadn't returned any of them… I've been flat out at work. And I just…"

He shook his head, "Oh no, don't worry about it. I understand," he was so gentle in the way he spoke to her.

"How's Fairfield?"

"Not as good as the Water Police," Jack answered, brushing some hair from her face, "For a number of reasons."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he flashed her a mischievous grin, "Well, one reason mainly. You know, there's this detective at the Water Police, who is just so bloody attractive… it's impossible to forget!"

She raised her eyebrows, saying playfully, "Oh yeah? Anyone I know?"

"Frank Holloway."

Rachel chuckled, "Well, he has a certain charm about him, I guess!"

"But, given that I don't think my chances with Frank are all that good," Jack began, as the smile left his face briefly, "I was wondering what you were doing tonight, instead. I thought maybe I could take you out to dinner."

Rachel stared at him.

Just do it. Just say yes.

The little voice in her head was now saying.

"Sure, you can take me out to dinner."