Hey, really sorry for the massive wait, long story short, me and White have been busy, but just a heads up for fans of On Your Mind, a chapter may be coming your way soon-ish, no promises, but I'm trying xD

Chapter 4: The long night.

- Cara's POV –

She couldn't keep the smirk from her face as she filled in the report. The one type of paperwork she could actually stand was the closing report: it meant she'd done a good job. Unfortunately, it wasn't all her own hard work that had caught Drefan. She didn't want to contemplate how long it might have taken to find him without Amnell's help. She glanced up from her desk to see the brunette sat across the room from her, filling out a report much like her own. She couldn't fire this one. Quite honestly, the woman was an asset to the department and, as much as it pained her to admit it, she couldn't justify firing her. Of course, that would mean little and less to her girlfriend: Dahlia would be less than pleased, especially after she met Amnell, though hopefully that wouldn't happen for a long time.

"Can you sign this?" She almost jumped at the sound of the other woman's voice and looked up to find Kahlan holding out her report. They had to sign off on each other's as well as their own, since they were partners and everything.

"Sure." She took the offered paper and glanced through it, making sure all the facts were there and matched up to hers. They did. The entire thing was documented in great detail without a hint of exaggeration or personal bias. She had to hold back a sigh: the damn woman was even good at paperwork. After scrawling her name at the bottom, she spun hers around, turning it to the woman.

"Sign mine while you're over here." She held up a pen and Amnell nodded, leaning forward to read through the report and sign her name where required. Unfortunately (or not, depending on your outlook), Amnell had not fastened the top few buttons of her shirt, allowing it hang open tantalisingly. She made little effort to avert her eyes: it wasn't in her nature to shy away from things and Amnell really wasn't unattractive. Her eyes got lost through the opening in the shirt and remained there until Kahlan straightened.

"There. Want me to take them down to records?" Apparently oblivious to her wandering eyes, the brunette gave a cheerful smile but Cara shook her head.

"No, they need to go to Rahl for approval before they can go down to Warren. I'll take them up and make sure he signs them today or they'll be waiting for weeks." She rolled her eyes at the memory of the last time she'd left something with the chief's secretary. It was a solid month before she got any form of feedback. With a small nod to the brunette she stood, taking both reports and heading off to the office at the top of the building. Rahl's lair.

"Well done, Detective, another criminal safely behind bars and more funding for our station." Rahl clasped his hands together patronisingly, leaving her with the strong urge to grab him by the hair and bounce his head off the desk. Barely resisting that urge, she answered his usual smirk with a roll of her eyes.

"Here's our reports. They're the same, I checked." She dropped the documents onto the table and folded her arms across her chest, waiting.

"As always, I will trust your judgement, my dear Cara." He picked up a pen as his smirk grew but she didn't respond, simply waiting for him to finish signing the papers before taking them away again

"Do wait a moment; there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you." He held up a hand as she turned to leave and she paused, sighing as she turned back to face him.

"The mayor is throwing a party to celebrate the capture of a dangerous serial killer; it's in tribute to those responsible for his capture. You, Raina and our dear Miss Amnell are to receive commendation, so, naturally, you will have to attend. It is to be held Saturday night, eight pm onwards at the People's Palace. Do try to dress nicely." He gave her a condescending look and, once again, she resisted the urge to slam his head into the desk. Instead she simply turned on her heel, leaving without a word.

Dahlia was ecstatic. The second Cara had mentioned the party; she started spouting about dresses and a great many other things Cara did not care about. She joined in long enough to point out that she did not wear dresses then left the woman to her planning. The night in question was three days away and Cara got the feeling Dahlia would only get more annoying as time went on. Raina had also been relatively pleased: the forensic specialist didn't often get much acknowledgement so it was a bigger deal for her than it was for Cara or Amnell... Well, maybe just for her: Kahlan had seemed pretty proud too.

If there was one thing about Dahlia she would never find fault with, it was her taste. The woman certainly did know how to make Cara look good. A small smirk curved the corner of her mouth as she pulled on the suit jacket and admired her reflection in the mirror; she was dressed in full black, black trousers, black shirt (left open to an almost dangerous point) and black suit jacket, all tailored perfectly to fit. A glance at the clock told her it was time to go and she headed for the door, ruffling Leo's head on her way past. Dahlia had to work late so she'd be getting a taxi there but Cara had to arrive on time to talk to people or… something, Rahl had explained but she hadn't been listening.

A small shudder ran through her as she entered the party. There were people everywhere, all dressed up holding ridiculous champagne flutes and talking about inconsequential bullshit. It was going to be a long night.

"Cara!" A voice caught her attention and she spun to see Raina dragging Berdine through the crowd toward her.

"Raina, Berdine." She gave a nod to each of them and while Raina grinned, Berdine gave her usual calm smile.

"Dahlia chose your outfit?" The taller woman ran a critical eye over her and Cara shrugged.

"Who else?" She smirked and the pair laughed.

"Have you seen Kahlan yet?" Raina had a mischievous glint in her eye that Cara didn't like as she shook her head.

"Just got here, why?" She frowned suspiciously and the dark haired woman feigned innocence: the look did not sit well on her devilish face.

"No reason. Just… keep an eye out for her. Berdine and I need a drink." With that she dragged Berdine away again, leaving Cara to watch them leave with a small scowl. What was that woman up to?

It wasn't long before she found out. Amnell entered through a doorway to her right and instantly Cara felt her eyes widen. She knew the woman was hot but... her thoughts trailed off as the brunette seemed to spot her and began walking over, Cara only just managing to school her expression before Kahlan drew close enough to speak.

"You made it." She smiled brightly and Cara took a second to compose herself before answering.

"It was either attend or find a new job, so..." She shrugged casually but her eyes were wandering without her permission. The woman was wearing a full-length white dress that was fitted to show off the woman's almost sinful curves. As her eyes (slowly) moved upwards, Cara was met by a square-cut neckline that displayed just the right amount of cleavage to make her want to remove the dress to get to the rest. Again, she had to force her eyes to continue upwards, back up to Amnell's face where she was met with a small smirk and a slightly arched brow.

"Something wrong?" The brunette had clearly caught her staring. She raised a hand to push her hair back over her shoulder, causing Cara to notice that, for the first time in her memory, Kahlan was wearing her hair down. Was it always so long? Dark waves tumbled from the woman's shoulders, reaching all the way down to below her ribs. Refusing to let herself get trapped in the chest area again, Cara yanked her attention back to Kahlan's face.

"You look... nice." She waved a hand to indicate the woman's dress before sticking them both into her front pockets, turning to survey the crowd with a passive expression while she waited for the inevitable smirk on the brunette's face to fade.

"Thanks. So do you." Her voice made Cara turn back to look at her and she found the woman giving her a small smile. Of course, it was just her luck that at that exact moment, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Hey, Cara." Dahlia purred and Cara spun to face her with a small smile.

"You made it." She leant forward to wrap an arm around the shorter woman's waist pull her into a quick kiss but the back of her neck burned as she felt Kahlan watching them.

"Only just. An emergency came in just as I was leaving, car crash or something, but I still had time to change. What do you think?" She stepped back and Cara took her time surveying Dahlia's dress, as little of it as there was. The woman wore a knee-length, skin-tight and blood red dress with a dangerously low neckline. Dahlia gave her a look that let her know a response was expected, so she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman's waist, leaning down to pull her into another, much longer, kiss. When she was unsure of what to say, kissing her seemed to work out best. When they broke apart, Dahlia smirked at her.

"I guess you like it then." Her smirk grew slightly and she pressed herself closer for a second, pulling Cara into a very brief kiss before pulling away and turning to Kahlan.

"Now we should stop ignoring your friend." She seemed to take a second to absorb Kahlan's appearance and suddenly Cara found a possessive arm around her waist, under her jacket. With a small smirk she rested a hand on Dahlia's hip.

"Dahlia, this is Detective Amnell, my partner at the station. Kahlan, this is my girlfriend, Dahlia." The second she named Kahlan as her partner she felt Dahlia's nails dig into her side. Even through her shirt, the shorter woman's thoughts on the matter were leaving crescent shaped dents in her waist.

With great difficulty, Cara managed to keep a straight face throughout Kahlan and Dahlia's exchange of pleasantries, only wincing when the conversation turned to her.

"I'm sorry you got stuck with Cara." Dahlia gave a small chuckle and Kahlan laughed.

"She's a bit stubborn but I think I'm winning her over." The brunette turned her smile to Cara for a moment before looking back to Dahlia's slightly narrowed eyes. It wasn't a very noticeable change, but Cara had come to know that look of quiet fury quite well during their relationship. She should: she'd had it directed at her often enough.

Cara was pretty sure her side started bleeding as Dahlia's nails became close friends with her kidneys. That was probably another bad sign.

Thankfully, Rahl chose that moment to appear, his, hot-as-ever, girlfriend Nicci in tow, and told them it was time to get up onto the stage to snap some pictures, giving Cara a much needed chance to escape Dahlia's wrath, for now.

- Kahlan's POV –

Cara's reaction to her appearance had been something of a confidence boost. Obviously, it wasn't because it was the blonde who had reacted in such a way, but it was good to know she could still catch someone's eye if she wanted to. She had to admit, she'd been a little self conscious when she first arrived: the last time she'd worn this dress had been when Richard proposed. She smiled slightly at the memory of how nervous he'd been: his hands were shaking so much he'd dropped the ring on the floor and then knocked his head on the table trying to pick it up. The reminiscing quickly turned sad as her hand found the empty space where the ring used to be. There was no point in wearing it now. With a shake of her head she pushed the memories away and focused on walking. She, Raina and Cara had to stand and smile to the people gathered while Rahl gave a little speech. If only Richard could see her now, catching serial killers and saving lives, in D'Hara of all places. Who'd have thought she'd change so much?

She felt an arm brush hers as the blonde beside her shifted uncomfortably, clearly unused to being the focus of attention. She glanced to the side and saw a frown on the woman's face that caused her to have to dip her head to hide a smile before turning to look at Raina on her left. The shorter woman held a cheerful smile that was completely genuine. Obviously she was very pleased that her department was finally getting the recognition it deserved when it came to investigation. Too often people overlooked the forensics department when it came time to hand out the awards. Of course, Raina's eyes were completely fixed on the tall Berdine stood in the front row, a proud expression clear on her face as she smiled back. Those two were really great together. Another pang of sadness hit her as she felt the memories of Richard inundating again but she turned them away. She'd resisted thinking of him as much as she could since she'd come to D'Hara. A fresh start was a fresh start: thinking of the past would do no good.

When Rahl's speech finally wrapped up, the photographer stepped forward. Kahlan stood and smiled as she had photographs taken of her alone (she didn't bring a plus one), some with Raina's hand on her shoulder, some with Cara's arm around her waist (she couldn't help but notice the Detective's girlfriend glaring at her from the minute the photographer suggested it) and one of the three of them stood together. Afterwards they all wandered off in separate directions, Raina seemed to vanish into thin air, though Kahlan was sure she saw the black-haired woman dragging Berdine through a door at the back of the hall a few seconds later, and Mason was dragged off toward the main entrance by a rather upset-looking Dahlia. Clearly the two would be plenty occupied for some time.

So, left on her own, Kahlan decided to explore, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and wandering off, away from the crowds. The gardens were beautiful. With everyone inside, all that could be heard was distant music. With a small smile she set herself a slow pace around the path. Clearly the owner of this home was proud of their garden: she was pretty sure it must take an army of gardeners to keep it so tidy. Rose bushes cropped up between shaped hedges, small trees and various other flowers that she had no names for but found beautiful all the same. A large pond lay in the centre of it all, shaded partially by cherry trees that were just starting to show their blossoms. For the first time since she'd set foot in D'Hara, she felt calm and content.

A sharp cry shattered the enchantment and her head whipped around, looking for its source. Another followed it and she started to run, heels slowing her down but only a little as she moved quickly to the source of the sound.

"Foolish woman, Stay here until you're presentable then rejoin me at the party." Rahl's voice reached her and she stopped, hearing footsteps coming her way and automatically ducking behind a nearby hedge shaped to look like a bear. He strode past her, oblivious to her presence, wiping his hands on a white handkerchief and whistling casually to himself, never even looking toward her hiding place in his eagerness to return to the party.

Once he was safely out of earshot, Kahlan moved, hurrying quickly around the corner to find a woman curled upon to floor, her knees brought as close to her chest as the tight black dress she wore would allow.

"Hello?" She spoke gently, her hand held forward as if she were trying to approach a frightened animal. The woman's head whipped around, wispy strands of platinum blonde hair waving freely where it had come loose from its side plait. She didn't speak, she didn't have to, Kahlan could see the look in the woman's ice blue eyes and it told her the truth. With a stab of sadness she moved forwards and dropped to sit on the floor beside her.

"My name is Kahlan. You're Nicci, right?" She tilted her head questioningly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, despite the overwhelming urge to go and hang Rahl from a tree, and not by his neck. The blonde nodded and Kahlan gave a slight smile, trying to encourage her to speak.

"Are you going to be alright? That looks…" She frowned at the bright red mark across Nicci's cheekbone. A laugh startled her: it took her a moment to figure out it had come from the blonde.

"Bruises are the least of my problems with him around." She gave a slightly disturbing giggle that quickly transformed into a sob, followed by another, and another until she put her head in her hands and Kahlan pulled her forward into her arms, unable to do anything but try and comfort her as she wept.

It took some time, but slowly, the tears subsided and Nicci pulled herself away.

"I'm sorry. I should go." Nicci made to get up but Kahlan shook her head, placing a hand on her shoulder to push her back down.

"No. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on." She gave a stern look and the blonde seemed to consider running for a moment before sighing.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" She almost looked pleading for a second but Kahlan shook her head resolutely. With another sigh, Nicci dropped back down, trying, and failing, to get a little more comfortable on the hard ground.

"Why do you stay with him?" Kahlan's eyes narrowed as she slipped into interrogation a little. She had a habit of being able to get people to tell her the truth. Around Aydindril it had earned her the nickname 'Confessor'; like the priests who sat in confession booths; suspects always seemed unable to lie to her.

"Would you believe me if I said I had no choice?" Nicci looked away from her but Kahlan moved slightly to recapture her eyes.

"There is always a choice." Though her voice was soft, she felt her expression harden as Nicci shook her head.

"Not this time. I have to stay with him until I'm told otherwise." Her voice practically turned to stone at the last admission. Kahlan blinked in confusion.

"Why? Who's making you stay with him?" She leant forwards, hands resting on her knees in place of a table. There was a pause. Nicci seemed to be warring inside her own head and she groaned quietly before shutting her eyes and turning her head downwards

"Jagang."

For a long while they both stayed silent, Nicci seeming to be lost in thought and Kahlan in shock.
"You work for Jagang?" It was all she could do not to shout. Thanks to Cara, she knew of the Order and what they did, and now Rahl was tied to them in some way?! Anger bubbled up inside her at the thought.
"Not quite by choice, but yes. I report to him, through Rahl. Whenever one of the Order makes a mistake or we're close to being caught, Rahl cleans up the mess for him, makes sure his detectives are thrown off of the trail." She gave an apologetic look and Kahlan pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as the information swam around in her head. This was a lot of information to get while sat on the floor of a garden. Where the hell was Cara?

- Cara's POV –

She felt oddly calm as she watched Dahlia pace back and forth. She had been all but dragged into the private rooms and she'd immediately sat down on the sofa in the corner, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees in preparation for the long rant that was inevitably on its way.

"So that's the detective you've been mad about for weeks." Dahlia's calm tone didn't fool her: she could see the jealousy dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, that's Kahlan. And no, I haven't been mad about her, I've been mad at her." She rolled her eyes and leant back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest.

"Then why not fire her? Or does she have some talents that you're not mentioning?" Either the glasses of champagne she'd witness Dahlia go through were really starting to take effect, or the woman was naturally this unreasonable, Cara couldn't be sure. All she wanted right now was to go home and sleep, preferably alone, but Dahlia was far from finished.

"She's done nothing wrong. She's hardworking, co-operative, able to emotionally detach from a crime scene, intelligent... She's a good detective." She shrugged but as she spoke she could feel Dahlia's glare sharpen.

"Sounds perfect." The words were all but spat at her and Cara sighed. She'd had enough. Slowly, she stood and walked over to the shorter woman, her expression hard and unfazed.

"Listen. There are only so many times I can put up with being accused of sleeping around. Yes, Amnell is attractive, and yes, she is going to keep her job. The precinct needs her. Now, you're going to have to get over it and trust that I'm not fucking her on a desk. Because, last I checked, you are the only one in the room who's cheated before." The last part slipped out without her consent and suddenly she'd been slapped across the face.

"Fuck you!" Dahlia took several steps back but Cara felt her anger building.

"No, fuck you. I'm sick of your shit Dahlia. We've been together for what? Two years? And you still don't trust me not to grab every passing woman and drag her into my bed. This jealousy thing is getting really old." She shook her head and folded her arms again, her stare firm as she faced the other blonde.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so fucking cut-off then! I can never tell what you're thinking, you just shrug everything off and act like it doesn't matter. It matters. This, moving in together-"

"Don't even start on moving in together." Cara cut her off, her annoyance at Dahlia's decision to move in had been bubbling below the surface for a while but her anger finally caused it to boil over.

"I never agreed to us living together, you decided that on your own." She glared accusingly and Dahlia took another step back.

"Are you saying you don't want us to live together?" Cara said nothing. Hurt flickered across the shorter woman's face for the briefest of seconds before it was replaced with a cold glare.

"Right then. I'll get my stuff tomorrow." With that she left and Cara turned away, letting her go.

What a shitty night.

-Berdine and Raina-

"Do you think we should go find Kahlan and Cara?" Berdine frowned thoughtfully at the wall of the bathroom Raina had dragged her into.
"Nah, I'm sure they're having fun." The dark haired woman finished pulling her shirt back on with a smirk.
"Unless you think we could ask them to join us?" Her smirk grew and Berdine couldn't help but laugh, reaching forward to pull her into her lap.
"You know, I think they can handle themselves for a while longer."

Couldn't resist adding in Berdine and Raina, call it an unedited deleted scene or something :3