Juliet groaned as she woke. Her head was pounding and she winced at the crisp, bright light streaming in from her bedroom window.

Looking around, she wondered briefly about how she had gotten home. She had been on a blind date -well, she had planned to be- her date had never showed. She had already had a couple beers and a martini to settle her nerves and put the long day behind her. She decided to stay at the bar, determined to enjoy herself even if she didn't have a date for the evening.

Thinking hard, she vaguely remembered striking up a conversation with a handsome man at the bar. Richard... something... she couldn't recall. They had shared a few more drinks, a couple hours of conversation, and... as snippets of the night buzzed through her mind, she was pretty sure, a cab ride home.

"I must have gone home first," she thought to herself as she gingerly slid out of bed, testing her balance as her head screamed from the change in position. "I must have been REALLY drunk," she added, not recalling feeling this hungover since a few parties her freshman year of college. Something about knowing they were breaking the law had led most of the students in her class to "party hearty" so to speak and had almost always resulted in the mother of all hangovers the next morning.

After taking a few deep breaths to clear her head, Juliet began to make her way to her kitchen, the need for coffee and an aspirin getting the better of her.

.

He smiled as he heard the soft rustlings of the bed covers as she began to awaken. Everything had been planned perfectly. She would be surprised, but appreciative. Reaching for a nearby pill bottle and a coffee mug, he turned to the freshly filled coffee pot andbegan to prepare a cup of the rich smelling nectar for the love of his life. He knew it would always be these tiny moments between them that he would remember most fondly. Smiling, he turned to face her, a thrill running through him as he registered the quick intake of breath as she took in her surprise.

.

"I definately am not having that much to drink ever again," Juliet thought as she entered her kitchen. Her mind struggled to race as she tried to remember the events of the night before. Apparently the man she had shared the cab with hadn't gone home. A surprised gasp passed through her lips as she took in the sight of him, standing at her kitchen counter. He slowly sipped coffee from one of her mugs, a second cup waiting nearby him on the counter.

"Um, good morning," she began to speak slowly as the shock wore off. "I wasn't expecting annyone else to be here..." her voice trailed off as she took a few steps across the kitchen moving to stand in front of the coffee pot.

"It was a pretty crazy night," the man smiled as he replied. He appeared relaxed and kept his distance as she worked out her memories. "We shared a cab. You were pretty wobbly when we got here, so I helped you into your place. Must've taken too long cuz the cabbie just up and left. I was going to call for another one but you offered the use of your couch for the night."

Juliet nodded slowly as flickers of the night before played like a film story inside her head. She remembered rummaging for spare blankets and pillows before stumbling her way to bed to sleep it off. "It was after last call, a cab would have taken forever to get here and would have charged twice the usual rate just because they could." She spoke as the flickers got clearer in her mind, forming into the memories locked away in her still substance addled brain.

"Yeah," he smiled once again, "thanks again I really appreciate it, especially since you don't even know me."

"Thanks for the coffee," Juliet replied "I just cant seem to wake up this morning." She took several more sips and began to bustle around the kitchen, gathering a bowl and a box of cereal from a nearby cabinet. "Would you like anything for breakfast?" She asked Richard.

He shook his head, joining her at the kitchen table with his coffee and bringing hers from the counter. "No thanks, I'm all set," he replied, "not really a morning eater. I have to be up a while to work up an appetite." He smiled, watching as she drank the coffee heartily while nibbling at bites of cereal in between.

"I hope I'm not making you late to work."

Juliet shook her head. "No, I have the weekend off. I was thinking of going to visit my brother in San Francisco..." her voice trailed off as she remembered she had taken a cab home the night before.

"Crap," she muttered hastily draining the rest of the coffee in one large gulp. "I'll have to get a cab back to the bar. I left my car there last night." She shook her head as a wave of residual drowsiness swept over her.

"I can get one for us," Richard volunteered. "That way I'll have a ride home after you pick up your car. Then you will be able to head straight out to San Francisco."

Thinking about the length of the drive, Juliet realized it made sense to avoid having to make a detour out of her way. "Okay," she nodded and rose from her chair. "I'll just go get cleaned up and ready. Make yourself comfortable, I shouldn't be more than a half hour.

Richard smiled to let her know that would be fine. As the lithe, blonde detective made her way towards the master bedroom, he quickly drew the curtains and made sure that the windows and doors were locked. He then turned and strode purposefully back towards Juliet's room, his ears listening as she turned on the shower.

.

Dressed in a silky, knee-length nightie, she looked sleek and sexy as she gathered towels and laid her clothes for the day on the bathroom counter. He smiled as she turned to walk back into the bedroom for a forgotten item and gave a squeak of surprise as she nearly walked into him.

Slowly, he moved to stand in front of her, looking deep into her eyes. His hand reached out and gently brushed a tendril of hair away from her eyes.

"I wanted to let you know I really liked our time out together last night," he stage whispered. "I was wondering if...may I?" His fingers trailed down her cheek and brushed across her lips as he spoke; then ghosted across her jaw, settling along the back of her neck, weaving slightly into her rumpled hair.

Lips partially parted, Juliet barely had time to process bis words before the feel of his fingertips along her face sent a bolt of hot, passionate energy through the very core of her. Her brain seemed to instantaneously become wrapped in clouds. Her gaze locked with his before her eyes fluttered, her face drew nearer to his and she felt the tentative brush of soft lips upon hers.

She couldn't explain it really, didn't really care to at the moment either. The way her body responded automatically to his, the way her hands roamed around him with a hint of familiarity. Her heart pounded in her chest as their kiss deepened and his fingers gripped her neck more firmly. His lips trailed down to her neck and shoulders as her hands scrambled for a place to touch, sliding along his abdomen and insistently moving his shirt up higher and higher. They stood there for several minutes, grasping, nipping, caressing each other's bodies. A loud groan escaped Richard's lips as they paused to provide their bodies withmuch needed oxygen. Tucking a finger under her chin, he tipped her face upward, his gaze meeting hers as he asked, "Are you sure?"

Richard smiled as Juliet's answer was to inch their bodies back towards the bed, pulling away slightly only to move herself to the center. Her lips swollen, eyes dark and round with desire, she spoke, "C'mere". The words slurring together a bit more than she had intended. Any further thougts she had on her appearance were quickly drowned out as she gave herself up to the blissful sensations of Richard's skilled touch. Juliet's eyes fluttered closed and as her mind got lost in the experience, she couldn't tell if the voice she heard sighing and cooing in response to his touches was in her head or out loud. Not a care in the world disturbed the young detective as she floated away, hardly registering the change in pace, intensity and tone of her lover's embrace.