A/N: Take equal parts 'Marry You' (Bruno Mars) & 'Waking Up in Vegas' (Katy Perry), mix well, and viola, this story. And no, don't worry, no one is getting married all drive thru, Brittney Spears style (although that would be kind of fun...). This story has little to do with lyrics and lots to do with the catchy, crack like beats of both songs. Happy Valentine's Day friends, enjoy! And remember, comments are better than chocolate…well not really, but they do come close. xoxo
Brenda for the most part these days, considered herself pretty calm. Quick witted, yes. Sometimes too emotionally invested in cases, absolutely. But overall, she'd learned to keep her feelings in check when it came to people she wanted to drop kick. The last three months in a relationship with one Sharon Raydor had mellowed her considerably. Apparently, the secret to a happy Deputy Chief was a stable, pressure free personal life. And surprisingly, the brunette provided all that and more. However, standing in Will's office Wednesday afternoon, she couldn't help but notice her trigger finger twitch, just slightly. He was seriously asking her to lead this ridiculous and rather obnoxious investigation in Las Vegas the day before Valentine's Day. If Fritz hadn't left for DC two months ago, this could have all been worked out within the hour. Thus far, Brenda's flirtations and southern drawl hadn't done much to charm the new liaison. So now she and the boys were being shipped off to sin city.
"I know this isn't ideal Brenda, but your team is the best we've got…" Will didn't even bother looking up, still too engrossed in the paperwork in front of him. Actually, he was feigning interest to avoid the blonde's impending temper tantrum. Although, she did seem a little different these days and she'd actually taken the news of this field trip better than he'd anticipated. He'd prepared himself for a screaming match but instead she'd seemed, dare he think it, almost calm about the situation. Irritated, absolutely, but she hadn't even raised her voice. He'd have to do some snooping, this new and improved Deputy Chief seemed too good to be true.
"Chief Pope…Will, do you really think it's necessary for all of us to go caravannin' to Las Vegas? I mean, couldn't we just contact the LVPD? Get them to wrangle in our suspect? I'm sure they'd be willin' to help us over the FBI." Brenda cocked out her hip and rested her hand, rubbing away the tension building in her head with the other. Was it really necessary for her and the guys to survey the suspect's evening activities? First, this Greg Fairbanks had ruined her cuddle session with that beautiful brunette early this morning. Now Pope was dangerously close to feeling the effects of the lack of Sharon time she'd so desperately needed. She knew, of course, this trip was necessary to close their case. But it didn't stop her from attempting to weasel her way out of it.
Greg Fairbanks had (most likely, innocent until proven guilty after all) murdered his mother and father this morning, a small causality in his quest to become a major player in some poorly executed drug trafficking ring. Honestly, if you couldn't even handle hiding cocaine in your parent's home…how were you going to make it as a drug king pin? Upon his parent's discovery of the white bricks in their tool shed, they'd confronted their middle-aged son (yes, he still lived at home), who'd proceeded to stab them with a kitchen knife. Greg was not only a pathetic excuse for a human being, but also completely unoriginal. And unfortunately, due to some ball dropping on the part of the arresting officers, his original statement was inadmissible in court. Additionally, this had become a complete cluster fuck when the FBI had gotten involved. They'd actually suggested offering Greg a deal to secure the names of some higher-ups because they'd yet to have any luck cracking this new cartel. In an effort to keep this case in the LAPD's custody, the team had casually released Mr. Fairbanks back into the world (and fixed his car with a lovely GPS tracker). Their assumptions had been correct about his next move and he was currently high tailing it to Nevada to meet with upper management. Brenda had assumed this would be rather cut and dry once he'd fled. They could work together with the Las Vegas Police Department, arresting him as he crossed state lines with a rather obscene amount of cocaine. But now the FBI was closing in, trying to regain control of their investigation by forming a 'joint' FBI/LVPD task force surrounding drug trafficking across their borders. While she was sure Las Vegas PD would prefer to work hand in hand with their brothers in blue, those obnoxious Feds had a way of inserting themselves into a case and throwing around the weight of federal prosecution if there wasn't complete cooperation. The silver lining, Sánchez just happened to know a few Gang Division members of the Vegas PD and they'd been able to (off the record) secure him the number of some local, low-level dealers with connections to Fairbanks and his higher-ups. Now they just needed to set up a sting operation, catching Greg in a compromising position. Once he found out about the possibility of time in a federal prison, Brenda had no doubt he'd opt to confess to killing his parents. State prison was a much less scary place and the blonde was more than confident that she could close this case within the next 24 hours.
"We both know at this point, we're running out of options to keep this case in LAPD's hands. You won't be driving. The department is more than willing to fly every member of your team. Look, I understand your hesitation, with it being February 13th, but it isn't like you and Fritz are still together and I don't really think…"
Brenda refused to get worked up, she certainly didn't want Pope figuring out she'd already made plans for the following evening. It was one thing telling her team that she and Sharon had become an item; she had no interest in dealing with the shit storm that Will would most definitely create once he realized she was off the market, again. He'd been casually dropping hints for the last six months that maybe they should consider dating and it'd taken all her willpower not to throttle him. After the year from hell, between the lawsuit and Fritz's departure, the blonde finally felt happy – both personally and professionally. And now, Will, the FBI, and life in general was taking a huge dump on her upcoming holiday plans. Clipping out of Will's office, she took a deep breath before speed dialing her girlfriend.
Sharon heard her phone making that annoying train sound, Brenda was calling. According to the blonde, she wasn't very good at answering for non-official LAPD business during office hours. In at attempt to have her calls picked up, the Chief had changed the older woman's incoming ringtone to the most irritating noise on the planet. Rolling her eyes at Brenda's general ridiculousness, she hit the green button.
"What's up," mumbled the older woman, as she continued typing her biannual audit of Robbery/Homicide.
"Well hello to you too, Sharon. How's you're day goin' Brenda? Oh it's just fine, Will's had me runnin' all over hell's half-acre, but otherwise things are just dandy…" The Chief hated when she wasn't the center of the brunette's attention, especially at work. She needed Sharon to care right now…not type reports while half listening to the shit show that had become this day.
"Jesus Bren, calm down. Is everything okay?" Sharon had stopped typing and tipped her chair back. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the cool leather and rubbed away the tension forming in her temple. She knew that tone, it meant something was off with the Chief's case. Brenda did enjoy a good pout now and then, but she wasn't one to completely lose it unless things were legitimately going to hell.
"No, it's not. Will's makin' the whole team fly out to Vegas this afternoon and now I'm gonna miss our date," whined the blonde. Entering her office, she closed the blinds before slumping in her chair. She wasn't ready to disappoint the guys and all their potential plans, not yet anyway. First, she needed a little quality time with a ding-dong and Sharon's silky voice.
"Hmm. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not unless you can magically get the FBI off our backs and get a confession outta Mr. Fairbanks in the next, oh, ten hours or so." She ripped off the confections silver wrapper and took a bite, stifling a moan as her eyes fluttered back.
"So I'm guessing you couldn't get the new liason to bend the rules?"
"I think I'm losin' my southern charm, baby. He didn't even look twice when I batted my eyelashes in his direction," pouted the younger woman. She tossed the foil in the trash before digging into her top drawer for a Reese's cup. Sugar would be the only thing keeping her going, it wasn't like she had much else to look forward to.
"Go to Vegas, Brenda Leigh. Go catch the bad guy. I'll still be here when you get back, we can just celebrate on Friday." Sharon attempted to hide the disappointment in her voice. Of course she of all people understood that cases popped up and things happened, especially in Major Crimes. "And honey, you're definitely not losing any charm. Still works on me every time," husked the brunette.
"Well, that's good to hear. I guess I better go tell the guys. We're leavin' within the next hour or two and we'll be back in LA by Friday afternoon at the latest. I guess I'll see you then, baby," Brenda murmured. This was just an incredibly disappointing day overall, but the worst part was cancelling on Sharon. Hopefully the brunette hadn't put too much effort into planning the following evening. Maybe she'd even have a chance to make it up to the older woman, once they got back.
Ending the call, Sharon slumped deeper into the chair. This was supposed to be there first Valentine's together and now, thanks to the LAPD (although really, the FBI), she'd be alone tomorrow. Perhaps everything could wait until Friday. Maybe she could call the restaurant, change reservations, flower order, etc? Honestly though, those things were the least of her concerns. All she really wanted, after all these years alone, was to wake up in Brenda's arms. Candlelit dinners, roses, cards, and chocolate were all well and good, but it was the person you spent Valentine's Day with that made it a truly special occasion. It took about a minute for the brunette to realize she needed to book a flight to Vegas, stat. If she knew that blonde at all, this case would be closed by the evening and Brenda would be attempting to get back home come tomorrow morning. Scouring the internet, she eventually located a (relatively) reasonable flight for later that evening.
Brenda and the boys were crowded around the hotel bar, clanking glasses in celebration.
"All hail the Chief," proclaimed Provenza, raising his glass in salute.
Fairbanks had made their job incredibly easy. Not too bright, he'd led them straight to Blush (a rather upscale nightclub in the Wynn) where he'd deposited his car and the cocaine. Using the guest elevators, which allowed Sánchez to casually follow him, he'd rode up to one of the VIP Suites. Fearing possible litigation, the Wynn staff had been more than cooperative and it'd taken mere minutes to secure a key card and bust into the penthouse. Two hours later, Brenda had her confession and the FBI begrudgingly had those higher-ups in the cartel. Now all that was left was extradition paperwork and tying up a few other loose ends and they would be free to go, come tomorrow afternoon. Brenda couldn't believe her luck, it looked like she would make it home for Valentine's Day after all. Setting down her rather large glass of Merlot on the bar, she rummaged through her oversized black bag for that pesky cell phone. She might as well shoot the older woman a text, just to let her know things were looking up.
To: Shar 3
Sitting at the hotel bar with the boys, thinking about you. Hopefully the rest of your day was okay. We caught the guy, I might even make it home tomorrow afternoon. Wynn is lovely, they put us up for free. Wish you were here though.
Deep into her second glass of wine, she swore a woman across the room looked exactly like her Captain. Well they were in the desert, technically. Perhaps she was just seeing things? What did they call it, when you were thirsty and hot and you saw things that weren't really there? Sharon would know, of course. Apparently the lack of a substantial meal and large quantity of alcohol were starting to catch up to her. But as the figure got closer, the blonde realized she wasn't actually dreaming. She let out a squeal as she threw her glass on the bar and practically sprinting over to the brunette.
The Chief threw herself into Sharon's arms. The brunette had just enough time to brace herself before the attack and thankfully, she was able to keep them both upright.
"I can't believe you're here," Brenda cried, looking up into the older woman's eyes before burying her head back into brown hair.
"Well, tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I didn't really want to spend the morning alone…I hope this is okay, me showing up like this." Sharon suddenly felt very nervous. Of course, she wanted to spend the day with the blonde, but she certainly didn't want to come off as codependent or controlling. It wasn't like she didn't trust her, or she wouldn't survive a night apart. Coming here had just seemed, at the time, like the perfect Valentine's Day gesture. But now she was unsure.
"It's more than okay, baby, it might be the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me," Brenda whispered, planting a hot, open-mouthed kiss on her girlfriends neck. Considering she was practically buried in brown hair, the guys wouldn't see that little display of affection. She also had no desire to ever leave Sharon's arms, but eventually they pulled apart and headed back over to the team.
The boys all looked up, rather confused, as the two women rounded the corner and sat down. Sharon rested her hand on the Chief's thigh and used the other to signal for the bartender.
"Uhhhh, hey Captain…what brings you here?" Gabriel was rather uncomfortable. Everyone knew the current status of their relationship, but it was still odd to see them so chummy. In all honesty, he much preferred their heated arguments. At least you knew what they were thinking.
"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood Sargeant..."
"Can it, Gabriel. It's nice to see you, Captain. Glad you could make it," Andy added. While he'd initially been incredibly jealous of the brunette, it was nice to see the Chief happy.
"Round of tequila shots, on me. And I don't want any excuses, no one's driving home tonight," announced Sánchez as he waved for the bartender.
Far too many shots later, Flynn and Provenza volunteered to help wrangle Julio back up to the room he was sharing with Gabriel. Tao had excused himself earlier that evening, apparently he and the wife had planned a Skype date. Buzz had ventured off at some point, most likely to gamble. Once the last of her boys exited the bar, Brenda grabbed for the brunette's arm, spinning her slightly on the stool, and brushed their lips together. Their kiss was sweet, slow, passionate, conveying how happy Brenda was that they were here, together.
"Well, I guess I better get to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, Brenda Leigh…" smirked the brunette, playfully, as she began to get up.
"Wait, what? I was hopin' you were stayin' with me," the Chief whined.
"Of course I'm staying with you, honey. Did you really think I'd get my own room?" Sharon pressed their lips together for a quick kiss then grabbed for her carry on she'd left on the floor. "So, what room are we in any way?"
Brenda couldn't help but smile as she woke up, once again wrapped in Sharon's arms. Over the past three months, they'd spent most nights together. It had been an almost seamless transition and she'd gotten used to their mornings. The thought of spending the night here, without the brunette, had sounded so lonely. Thankfully, Sharon was either mildly psychic or had some sort of weird spidey sense - she always seemed to know what Brenda needed. Now it was the Chief's turn to show how invested she was in this relationship. Of course the brunette had gone and made a grand gesture (and probably packed even more surprises in that ridiculously expensive looking carry on wheely bag) and the younger woman found herself incredibly unprepared. Racking her brain for options, she felt the brunette stir. As she flipped over to face the Captain, Sharon opened her eyes.
"Happy Valentine's Day, baby," squealed the blonde, planting light kisses on the brunette's lips. The idea of unappealing morning breath wasn't something on Brenda Leigh's radar, she was too concerned with kissing the Captain as much as possible once she woke up. Sharon had found it initially awkward, but ultimately endearing once she'd gotten over her self-conciousness.
"Happy Valentine's Day to you," Sharon husked, still sleepy. Rolling on her side, she stretched her arms over her head. Almost immediately, the blonde began peppering the side of her neck with kisses.
"Wait a second, Brenda Leigh…we've got plenty of time for that. Can we just talk?"
"Ugh, but Shar, you're naked! How am I suppose to concentrate when you look so sexy and…" Brenda was practically drooling, it was no secret she enjoyed some steamy morning sex. And she'd hoped, with it being Valentine's Day, she had pretty good odds of getting lucky first thing.
"Hey, my eyes are up here," deadpanned the brunette as grabbed a pillow and placed it behind her head, leaning against the headboard. Once comfortable, she motioned for Brenda to sit up as well.
"What's this about, you're startin' to make me nervous…"
"I need to get this out and I don't want you to say anything until I'm done"
"But what if I…" Sharon closed the distance between them, crashing their lips together in a hot, needy kiss. Pulling away, just slightly, she smirked at the blonde. "Silence, please. For me," she husked in that low, smoky octave she knew drove Brenda insane.
"Fine," Brenda pouted, keeping her gaze focused solely on the brunette.
"These last few months have been, well, amazing. And I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me, how much this means to me. It's been quite some time since I've felt so much for another person and it's scary and incredible and I'm nervous but excited to see what comes next. I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, I love you. I've actually loved you since that first night, but I've been nervous to tell you. Things are already moving so fast and I didn't want to scare you off and…" Now it was Brenda's turn to shut the brunette up. Lunging for the older woman, she wrapped her arms around the Captain and brought their lips together for a passionate kiss. She was surprised to find that Sharon didn't object, or pull away, but instead gently nibbled her bottom lip. Freeing her hands from the blonde's embrace, Sharon placed them on Brenda's ass, drawling nonsense patterns, never breaking their kiss. Eventually, breathing became necessary and they pulled away, just slightly, foreheads pressed together. Brenda felt tears pricking as she looked into those green eyes, suddenly she felt overwhelmed. Sharon had come here. She'd left work, her investigations, that general 'I must go first' attitude to be there for the blonde.
"I love you too, Sharon Raydor. And I always will," Brenda managed to choke out, before the tears began to freely flow.
"Hey, no tears. You haven't even seen what I brought you yet." The blonde's face immediately perked up. Sharon stifled a laugh, sometimes her girlfriend seemed more like a small child, especially when presents were involved. Extracting herself from Brenda's limbs, she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a medium size, pink gift bag.
"Now, this is mostly for you. But also a little bit for me," smirked the older woman, handing over the gift.
Brenda threw the offending tissue paper beside her and grabbed for the contents. Inside, she found two white coffee mugs filled with mini Reese's cups. Ding dong's littered the remainder of the bag's space. Coffee, chocolate, and cake…Sharon obviously knew the fastest way to her heart. After unwrapping a candy and popping it in her mouth, she reached for Sharon's glasses on the bedside table and inspected further. The first mug was traditional, circle shaped, with a heart for a handle. The second was larger, still with a heart handle, but half-moon shaped so it could fit into the first. Once paired together, Brenda was able to make out the inscription on each. 'We go together like' with a picture of a smiling milk carton across the first and 'like milk and cookies' with a grinning cookie across the next. Together, they were absolutely perfect. But of course, Brenda was most certainly the cookie.
"I know you said you needed your own coffee mug when you spend the night. I thought about something more traditional to fill with candy, but this sort of screamed you," smiled the brunette. "Obviously we won't be taking them to the office, but I thought they were rather cute and they'd be perfect for the weekend."
Brenda put the cups down on the side table, as not to break them, and shifted to perch herself on Sharon's lap.
"I love you, baby, more than chocolate and ding dongs and pancakes and…"
"I think I get the point. Besides, we could be here all day if you went on listing all your favorite treats," Sharon smirked.
"And here I though the day was just beginning," husked the blonde, lightly brushing their lips together.