Hey guys so here it is a little later than i would have wanted but i was determined none the less to get this posted today like i promised. I hope you all like this chapter and reading this story so far.

Chapter 4: The Defense

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked crossing her arms.

"I…I just wanted to talk." He said trying to disarm her.

"I don't have time." She said walking past him and grabbing the forms she needed off of her desk.

"Okay well why don't you meet me for dinner tonight." Justin suggested calmly feeling the tension in the air between them.

"I can't, I already have a date." Kate said looking at him with a look he couldn't quite put his tongue on but it was something in between hurt and stoic.

"Oh." Justin said shifting his feet. "Well then maybe tomorrow."

"Can't, I have a meeting with Judge Nicastro about a mediation I have to do."

"Ok, then I can pick you up from your meeting." Justin said innocently.

"Ben's coming with me so he's driving us back." Kate fired back.

"You can't avoid me forever Kate." Justin said evenly.

"No, but I can try." She said neutrally and brushed past him.

Justin sighed and called after her. "Kate wait up."

"I have clients waiting." She said walking at a faster pace than usual.

"Hey, you were the one that walked out, not me so stop acting like a child and treating me like the one who hurt you." Justin said his voice raising an octave loud enough for Ben to hear and come walking out of his office.

"Is there a problem here Katie?" Ben asked walking up next to Kate who was a few meters past his doors and looking to Justin who was standing outside her doors.

"No, we're done here." Kate said coolly and began walking away but Ben grabbed her hand and turned to look at her.

"Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Ben whispered truly concerned. She swallowed and nodded. Ben let go of her hand and watched her walk back into the conference room.

Justin just shook his head and scoffed. "She walks out on me and I get treated like the criminal."

"I think you being here just kind of rattled her a little."

"I feel sorry for the poor guy she's seeing tonight." Justin said shaking his head.

"What do you mean sorry?" Ben asked more than a little offended. "You married her. Any man would be lucky to have Kate."

"You can stop playing protective big brother Grogan." Justin said with a little laugh.

"I'm not; I'm being myself, aka the man she's going to dinner with tonight."

"Right." Justin said starting to laugh "because Kate would ever go on a date with a money hungry ambulance chaser."

"People change D.A Patrick, just ask your ex-wife." Ben said turning his back on Justin and walking back into his office.

Justin shook his head in disbelief and walked through the glass doors leading to the open awaiting elevator that he was going to disembark the building on. Leo had been listening to the entire conversation that had just transpired and strutted into Ben's office. Leo stood there waiting for Ben to acknowledge him.

"Yes Leonardo?" Ben asked looking up from the paperwork he was filling out.

"So you finally took my advice?" Leo said cockily.

"No, Kate kissed me and asked me to dinner."

"You're taking her to Stratton's right?" Leo asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course." Ben said.

"Make sure to take her to Edith and Nancy's Ice Cream Shoppe after, it's her favorite place to go."
Leo said in a hushed tone.

"Thanks Leo."

"I was never here and never told you that." Leo said floating out of his office looking stealth.

"Right, I heard a knock on my door and when I opened it an owl was there staring back at me." Ben said with a smirk.

"Hey, owls are very wise and helpful creatures." Leo said now sitting back at his desk.

"Make a reservation for me for seven. Thanks Leo, you're the man." Ben said with a teasing smile.

Leo looked up from his desk annoyed at the number of times he had this conversation previously. "Again, I don't work for you. I work for Kate Reed. I only do things she tells me to do because I'm her assistant, not yours. I am her Willow not your Oz, Xander."

"Did you really just go Buffy the Vampire Slayer on me?" Ben asked in disbelief

"Maybe." Leo said looking at his computer screen with the hint of a smile on his lips.

"Totally get what you're saying, totally respect that. Seven sharp buddy, thanks." Ben said with a smile. Leo shook his head and sighed annoyed. "Oh and btw, Buffy never really had a lasting relationship with somebody because first Angel and her hooked up and well that just really didn't end well and then there was that other dude Scott, then she was with Parker, let's not forget Riley who left, then there was spike another vampire, so she doesn't exactly have a good track record when it comes to boyfriends. "

Leo stared at Ben astonished at the fact that he actually watched the show. "You forgot about Xander."

"No Xander just always liked Buffy." Ben corrected and went back to doing his paperwork.

Not ten minutes later Kate came walking by Leo's desk with a smile on her face and sat on the corner of his desk. He looked up and saw her innocently batting her eyelashes and smiling sweetly. Leo shook his head with a sigh and looked over to Ben's office to make sure he was occupied before whispering to her, "Stratton's."

"Thank you Leo." She said sweetly hopping up off his desk and walking to her's.

"How was it?" Leo asked curiously.

"How was what?" Kate asked coyly her heart skipping a beat. Leo shot her a, don't give me that BS, look with his head tilted. "I have no idea what you're talking about Leo." She said through a smile.

"You know, I just remembered that I had this video footage in my desk that has something to do with an elevator escapade that I know Lauren would be very interested to see." Leo said reaching into his desk and pulling out a CD. Kate's smile vanished and she walked back over to his desk.

"Fine, what do you want?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, I'd love to hear you admit that you like Ben as more than a friend."

"Fine." She said quickly glaring at him annoyed at just how well he knew her and how to get to her.

"And I don't have to drive you around for a week."

"Fine." She said a little bit slower.

"And-"

"Pushing it Leo."

"Okay fine, those are my terms if you want Lauren's eyes to never set foot on this footage."

"Fine. I'll agree on those terms."

"You can start with the first one." Leo said trying not to laugh at this glorious scene before him. It was probably every assistant's dream, well at least just his.

Kate took a deep breath trying to be able to let herself say the words. "I…like Ben as more than a…friend."

"And perfect." He said pressing a button.

"Wait, you recorded that!"

"Well it would have been a shame to let those words just go to waste after one time. So now I get to say I told you so."

Kate rolled her eyes and walked into her office and sat down in her padded chair. Her mind reeled about the conversation with Justin and how Ben had come in concerned about the turmoil going on within. She looked at the clock and let out an annoyed groan. It was only ten thirty. She still had another eight and a half hours before her date with Ben and six and a half hours before she could finally leave to go shopping for a new outfit especially for Ben's viewing. She looked over into Ben's office and caught his eye. He smiled looking like he was the happiest man on the earth and she returned his warm smile with one of her own. Who knows, maybe she and Ben really would work out after all.

Another chapter under belt and another chapter closer to their date night which i'll be writing when i go to bed in twenty minutes and typing tomorrow. I hope you all review it really does help and i have to admit it does feel really awesome. Thanks so far for everyone who has subscribed to my stories and me as an author. I appreciate it more than you can imagine. I hope you guys reading in the US enjoyed your fourth of July, i did. Have a great night guys. Thanks for your continued reading and support.

Oh btw if you see a review on your story that sounds like me but says guest it's because i can't login in on my 3rd generation iTouch. And usually i review and read in the wee hours of the morning and late hours at night.