Following Cragen's orders and the deal she had made with John, they headed to her apartment right after clocking out. Unlocking her door and stepping into her semi dark apartment, Maria was greeted by her only cat and apartment watch pet. A few months back, Maria had gifted her nutty white cat she had found a few years ago to a little girl down the hall. Considering her other cat was temperamental, she kept the crazy black feline.
Hearing John close the door and set her alarm, she closed her eyes and leaned against him once his arms wrapped around her waist. "Relax, Maria. Just relax," He whispered into her ear, his breath against her neck. "You need to relax for me, baby." He moved one arm from around her waist and placed it flat against her back. "What would you like first?"
Tipping her head back and looking at him, seeing how much he cared behind his glasses. "You pick instead." He tipped his head towards where her bedroom was located and allowed her to gradually leave his arms. "Be in soon?"
"I will be," He replied softly. "Go lay down and I'll be in shortly."
Kicking her shoes off and laying flat on her bed, Maria stared at the ceiling and contemplated about her plan for tomorrow. Will it go well? Will they get a chance to arrest Dean or Phil or what ever his name is? Feeling her tension rising the more she thought about it, Maria sat up and gripped the edge of the bed. Inhaling deep breaths to steady her nerves again, a hand on her shoulder made her jump. "Jesus..."
"Easy, baby. It's just me," His fingers traced up and down her back as he leaned over and kissed behind her ear. "Easy now." His hands moved to her shoulders and rubbed them firmly, hearing her groan at the feeling of him kneading her tension. Motioning her to turn away from him just a little to get more access to her back and shoulders, he leaned forward and whispered calming words into her ear.
Closing her eyes and concentrating on his hands and voice, Maria allowed her tears to finally fall for the first time in days. Streaming down her face and falling onto her shirt, John's arms wrapped protectively around her and held her close to his body. Being gently rocked side to side, Maria turned her neck to look at John, her lips inches from his. Closing the distance between them, John gave her what she really wanted and more. Laying her down on her back and kissing away her tears, John coaxed her to calm down and relax while his fingers ran through her hair. Feeling his hand travel down her chest to her stomach, Maria couldn't help but wiggle a little and smile when his fingers grazed over a ticklish spot. "There's that smile I love to see," He whispered before dipping his head, brushing his tongue over her neck scar.
Sighing in content, Maria's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him back down for a deep, lingering kiss until the need for air was great. "John?" Her lips connected with his jaw and moved down to his throat.
"Yes?" His arms were shaking with anticipation of what she wanted and the effort of staying above her at the same time wasn't helping. Laying the lower part of his body down on her, he leaned into her gentle touch, longing to just get themselves out of their clothing.
Her fingers slowly toyed with the buttons of his shirt and a seductive smile formed on her face. Caressing what her fingers could reach beyond his shirt, John couldn't take much of it anymore and kissed her with endless passion.
Releasing all tension and fear from the past three days, both made love long before the sun had set.
Waking with a start and fumbling to see the clock, John squinted his eyes and saw it said 1:46 in the morning. Reaching for the arm that was draped over his bare waist, he rolled slightly on his back and saw Maria was still out cold beside him, her even breaths telling him so. Feeling his stomach grumbling in hunger, John carefully sat up, tucked the comforter under her to keep her warm and shrugged on his robe. Opening the door to her fridge, his eyes scanned the shelves of her partially empty fridge. Gotta remember to go shopping later this week, he thought, grabbing for the container from the coffee shop they had stopped at earlier. Opening it to see it was leftovers of his brisket sandwich, he popped it into the microwave and reheated it for a few minutes.
Sitting at her dining table, John's mind traveled back to their love making and wondered where her taste for something rougher then what they usual did came from. Maria had never been one for rough sex, but something had ticked in her mind and the slightly visible bite mark on his thigh proved it. Not that it hurt, but he had never seen her that straight forward about wanting it rougher. Something else is bothering her. I know it, but she won't-
"John? You out here?" She peeked around the corner to see him sitting there and a serious expression on his face. Tightening her robe around herself and slowly walking out of the bedroom, her voice softly slightly and asked, "Something wrong?"
Forcing a small smile, John shook his head while she sat down at the table beside him. "No, just wondering back and trying to think of...," Pausing and sitting back in his chair, his expression softened and came forward with it. "I'm just going to come straight about this - I know you and I know what makes you hot and heavy." Maria's face went slightly pink and bit down on her bottom lip. "But, what I didn't know was the ticking time bomb in your head and it must have gone off when you bit me and wanted it rough."
"I'm sorry about that," Maria apologized and leaned forward. "First off, I hope I didn't hurt you when I did and second... you're right." John's hands took a hold of her's and showing he had his full attention on her. "It's not just this case that has had me all bent out of shape... it was all the cases this month. Every single one have been gritty and awful and I've been keeping it bottled up. I wanted it rougher then we have ever done it before, John. I wanted to feel something more then just the normal pleasure and I didn't tell you."
"It's all right... I was just a little concerned when your teeth made contact with my thigh and you bit down. It didn't hurt," He added quickly when her eyes showed concern, "It just shocked me, that's all." He brought her hand to his face and lightly kissed her knuckles. "If you want it different on rough days, let me know. I never did anything rough with you because I didn't want you have flashbacks."
"I'm getting better with that, John. I trust you and you know that." Maria caressed his face gently and smiled when he leaned against her hand. "I always have and I trust you with every little issue that comes to me, be it a case or something personal." Her thumb gently rubbed his bottom lip and tilted her head slightly to one side. "I'm glad that I have you around all the time."
"I am, too," John whispered back, taking her hand and stood back up. Placing his plate into the sink and walking in the direction of the bedroom, John removed her robe and laid her back down on the bed. "Let's get some sleep for now, okay? We have a big day tomorrow."
The office clock read a steady 5:12 in the evening and Maria's nerves were shot once again. From the time they went back to bed to when her alarm went off, she had tossed and turned the majority of the night. Not even being held close to John didn't help. And here she was - checking her two Glocks she always carried, made sure they were well oiled and cleaned before slipping them back into her holsters. Considering the days were getting shorter and darker faster, the plan to sit on Dean Kurn/Phil Dunker was going underway at the stroke of six.
Sitting at her desk and her palms flat on her desk, Maria closed her eyes and inhaled slow breaths to steady herself. You can do this. You've done shit before and this isn't any different. Everyone will be wearing Kevlar vests just in case and everything is going to be just fine.
"Frank! My office."
Dammit! Cragen had once again called her to his office. This was becoming a normal habit between the two of them and it was getting on her nerves. Seeing John giving her a concerned glance, she stood and walked back into his office. "What's up, boss?"
"Are you sure everything is all set for this evening?"
She nodded firmly. "I do. I have plans for Kevlar vests and for us to be in contact at all times."
"In the unmarked car, who's going to be driving?"
"John offered to be at the wheel and they are going to be parked in the shadows of a large maple tree across the street from the suspect's house. The home owner next door is willing to allow me to hide on his property - I talked to him a week ago - and Stabler and Benson will be watching from the other next door house and the house in the back."
"Good," Don sat down in his chair, motioning for her to do the same. "Kevlar vests for a precaution?"
"Yes, I'm not taking any chances in case something goes wrong. They all checked over their weapons to make sure they are ready and well cleaned in case we have to use them. I'm not taking any fucking chance of this guy getting away from me the second time, Cap."
"I know. I was there when he was released-"
"And I took my attitude on the punching bag in the basement instead of on the wall." She stood up, her hands braced on his desk and her green eyes glaring at him. "I get it - who asked you to tail me?"
Don Cragen leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers. He had seen her temper before and knew how to dance around it. "IAB... They are questioning this case because we lost our main suspect and, since you are the primary, going back after him."
"They are worried if I'm violating his rights?!" Her voice rose enough to alarm the four other detectives, who were still at their desks. "What fucking rights does that man have?" She was practically yelling, her temper fully loaded.
"I didn't want IAB involved because I trust your ability, but they demanded to check this case over!" He stood up and stared her down until she sat back down. He waited a few moments until she relaxed to continue. This time, his calmed his voice and sat down on top of his desk. "I didn't want to, Maria, but I couldn't stop them. They handed all their information about their snooping on my lap and I couldn't stop them."
"So, what am I suppose to do?"
"Keep going on this case and don't let this information stop you."
"Fine," She sighed heavily and stood up, ready to leave his office. "Is that it?"
"Yes, and don't tell them," He nodded in the direction outside of his office. "They have no need to know this before heading out. Got it?"
"Got it."
To be continued-
