Mike was not happy. He and Kate had been fighting, things were not going well for them. He really needed to talk to Vicki but knew it was not really appropriate, or at least he didn't think it was. Besides, they had a huge case they were working on. A serial killer was on the loose. And of course, it had freaky shit in it..of course Mike though running his hands through his hair. Well, Mike thought it did, he wasn't sure yet. He had just stepped out of the shower, nothing but a towel on. Water streamed down from his chest, dripping onto the towel. He hated fighting with Kate but lately, she had become unhappy. It all boiled down to Vicki. She still thought Mike was in love with Vicki, partially true. Yes, he loved Vicki, but was not in love with her. He didn't know how he could drive that point home to her. Vicki was his best friend, a confidant, someone he trusted. He trusted Kate too but she was his wife, his lover. He didn't want to talk to her about bad things at work, even though she worked there too, she could handle it. Kate couldn't understand that Vicki was kind of like..well, one of the guys. They could bullshit around her, tell her anything and she could take it. She could ride out the ocean of manness that was the force like no other woman. Kate, even with her power, was still more womanly, more sensitive. Mike wanted Kate to be his ocean of calm, somewhere he went to when he wanted to get away from the crazy underworld that had become his life.
Kate walked into the bathroom as Mike stood there thinking. He saw her reflection in the mirror, it showed sadness. She turned to leave, but he stopped her. He desired her, wanted to be close to her right now, but wasn't sure that's what she wanted or needed.
"Kate..we need to talk." Mike said, still in nothing but his towel. Kate turned slowly. She didn't want to see him like that, all wet and naked. She didn't think she could control her urges but she was angry with Mike. She had this nagging thought that everytime they were together, it was Vicki he thought of when that was simply not true. They had two beautiful children together, Sara and M.J. How could she be so insecure?
"About what?" she sighed. Mike went to her and took her in his arms. She was stiff at first, then finally slipped her arms around him and relaxed into him. Mike could sense she wanted him too. Sex wasn't always the answer but sometimes it was a damn fine stress reliever. It had been over a month for them, far too long. They had to get things resolved.
"Kate," he said, stroking her back, just his touch was electric,"I don't know what else to do, how else to show you that it's only you, you are all I want.." He lifted her chin with one finger, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Then, why can't you talk to me? Why is it always her.." she said Her like it was a foul word.
"Because, YOU are my wife, my calm in the storm, she's like...one of the guys.." Mike said, trying to soothe her.
"Hmm..she looks a lot better than most guys I know.." Kate said looking down again. She shouldn't look down, she was looking right down the towel, it was gaping somewhat as Mike was started to bulge with her nearness. She closed her eyes, put her forehead on his chest and sighed.
Mike took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. She slowly relaxed into him, letting him open her mouth with his tongue.
For the first time in a month..they made love, it was like it had been a lifetime..
"NO, Coreen, I do not want THAT in my office.." Vicki said pointing at a very gaudy looking vase.
"Techincally," a very pregnant Coreen said, waddling over to the vase, full of some strange looking flowers, "it's in MY office, and anyway, Lois made it for me at her pottery class." Coreen pouted.
Vicki threw her hands up and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, fine..whatever, but I swear, " she said pointing her finger at Coreen then the vase, "the first time someone makes a comment.. it's gone." Vicki raised an eyebrow for effect.
"Great!" Coreen waddled back to her desk, sitting down behind it and sighing.
"Coreen," Vicki said sitting on the edge of Coreen's desk,"Why don't you take off? You only have a week left, you need to get ready for him..her??" Vicki prodded.
"Not telling.." Coreen smiled. She had kept the sex a secret. She wanted everyone to be surprised, including Clark. She knew, but she wasn't telling.
"You know I don't do surprises." Vicki warned her.
"Yes, I know but so sad, too bad," She sounded like the kids. Vicki clicke her tongue and headed back to the office. She had some research to do on the killings that the Toronto PD had hired her to help look into. There was serial killer, or that's what she and Mike's team suspected, that had been killing prostitutes over the last month. He was raping them brutally, slicing their throat, leaving little pattern-like cuts on the face and taking their fingers, just their fingers. There was no semen left at the scene which either meant they had used a condom or that they were using an object versus their body. Either way, it was sick.
Henry strolled in as Vicki was looking up the patterns found on the bodies.
"Well, look who decided to come to work." She shot a sideways glance at him. He had just returned from another convention the day before, she knew he was tired.
She remembered the convention in Dallas she had accompanied him on a few months back. London was only a month old and now, she was already eight months, crawling everywhere, trying to walk, saying a few words and looking more like Henry's mother everyday. Still lots of blonde hair and those piercing blue eyes though. She was very much like Ward and Henry. Abbie was still like her mother..stubborn and strong-willed. Although Vicki had not completely ruled out more children, she had taken better more reliable (for herself anyway) precautions. She was not good at remembering things, like shots and pills so after she made sure their little horseback adventure had not planted any new Fitzroy's, she had gotten an IUD. Henry was okay with it, it wasn't permanent. She told him Coreen could pop out the next few.
"Sorry sweetheart, little tired." He said kissing her, lingering almost a little too long. Vicki had been asleep when he got home and he didn't wake her, she had not wanted to awaken him this morning. Four days..long for them.
"What do we have?" Henry finally broke the kiss before neither one could stop what they were doing.
"Huh? ...OH..yeah. Think it's a serial killer, simple, well not simple but maybe not freaky. Not sure with these markings here though," she pointed to the cuts on the victim's face, lines almost like Indian war paint lines.
"Vicki, don't rule that out just yet," Henry said studying them.
"Why?"
"This is vaguely familiar.."
"How vague?" she asked.
"As in, I've seen these patterns on victims..are they prostitutes?" Vicki nodded yes.
"Mike's not gonna be happy is he?" Vicki asked.
"Not happy about what?" Mike had arrived...