Sunday

The next morning, David awoke alone. At first he wasn't sure of anything including the day. He stretched which was his usual morning ritual. Then he noticed Maddie standing by her desk looking sadly out one of the windows.

"Maddie," he said sleepily.

She looked over and smiled. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," he yawned. "It was okay. What's up?"

He stood and joined her at the window following her glance. Large snow plows were on the street below slowly clearing a path through the feet of snow. "It will all be gone in a few days," she said as if she were far away.

David took hold of one of her arms as if to comfort her. "It doesn't have to end, Maddie." She looked at him and she knew he didn't mean the snow. When she smiled, he said, "What about breakfast?"

"You got yesterday…"

"No," he insisted, "Let me."

He returned fifteen minutes later to find Maddie sitting at her desk watching the morning news. She looked sad again until she saw him. She laughed when she saw the tray he carried filled with pastries, fruit and what looked like a slice of cheesecake.

"Where did you find cheesecake," she asked looking over the food.

"Vending machine down the hall."

They sat and enjoyed the breakfast as if they were eating at the Ritz. Both Maddie and David couldn't have enjoyed it more if they had. They talked and laughed and both felt as if they were moving toward something bigger. Something that would last past the weekend.

After breakfast, David cleared their dishes as Maddie considered what to do with the Sunday. Then she thought about their pending cases and how the fiasco they had made of their most recent case had put their others on the back burner.

When David returned, Maddie was digging through files she had pulled from her desk drawer. "What are you doing," he asked.

"Going through some things."

David took a seat on the corner of her desk and sorted through some of the paperwork. "The Rodriquez case, huh? I thought we closed that one."

"We never found her stolen jewelry."

"Didn't she say that painting we found meant more than the necklace?"

"It's principle, David. We should have finished the case."

David set the file down knowing Maddie too well. She would never let anything be officially closed until they'd finished the job. "Are these all our current cases?"

"Plus a few others."

David sorted through the files and then said, "It really would make you feel better if we wrapped up these cases. Wouldn't it?"

Maddie looked over at him and said, "Yes, it would."

"Then let's do it."

"Now?"

"Can you think of anything else to do? We've raided the entire office of entertainment. You won't let me teach you how to play poker. Only other thing to do is work."

And that's just what they did for the remainder of the morning. Soon they had spread out every case on the floor of Maddie's office sorting through the details; perhaps something they had overlooked. By the time lunch came around, they had put two cases into a whole new light and come up with a strategy on getting Mrs. Rodriquez her lost jewelry back.

"First thing Monday I'll hit Tiffany's," David said.

Maddie looked David over from his sweats to his five o'clock shadow he hadn't bothered to shave that morning and said, "I think you'd have better luck at the pawn shops."

David chuckled as he ran a hand across his stubble and said, "Okay, so Tuesday I'll hit Tiffany's."

Maddie grinned at him and continued, "And what about Mr. Douglas? I think this is somewhat open and shut."

"Nothing is ever open and shut with us."

"His brother is embezzling money. It's plain as anything I've ever seen. We just have to show him the evidence."

"And when do you want to make that appointment?"

"Tuesday." She made a note in her appointment book that laid next to her. "Afternoon. Late."

David gave a cock-eyed grin and said, "So, with all of these appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday, what exactly do you plan on doing on Monday?" Maddie looked up from her appointment book and gave him a smile. His grin broadened and he said, "Why, Miss Hayes, are you eluding to something?"

"I'm trying," she said as she grinned back. "What do you want to do about Mrs. Anderson," she asked not taking her eyes off of him.

"Who," he asked his mind elsewhere.

"Our client Mrs. Anderson."

"Remind me," he said also not taking his eyes from her.

"Husband left her. Bert found him in Bermuda with his secretary."

"All she wanted were pictures, right?"

"Right."

"I'll pick up the pictures, you make the appointment."

"Tuesday."

"Is that the last case?"

"Yep," she answered closing her appointment book. When she looked back at David, he was just watching her. "So, what now?"

"I could teach you how to play poker," he said with a grin.

And so, he did. They used the rest of the day to every bit of their advantage. First, David taught her how to play poker over re-heated Chinese food. He endured her constant questions about bluffing, the succession of hands and exactly when to fold. After the lesson, he almost immediately regretted doing so when she beat him at four hands and won twenty bucks. "Beginners luck," he groaned handing over the money.

They moved onto play a few more hands of various card games including hearts, gin and go fish. They did this until they grew tired of it…and when Maddie had won all David's money. In the end, Maddie had refused to take it saying, "You'd better take me someplace nice." He hadn't questioned it when she had given him a warm smile.

As David put the cards away, Maddie stole another look out the window as the plows were making another sweep of the street below. David saw her far-away look and said, "What now?" Maddie had been playing with a piece of paper; folding and refolding into what David thought looked like a bird.

He walked over to her and took the paper object and said, "What's this?"

She chuckled and said, "Oh, it's a crane."

He looked at the bird and the intricate folds. "Where's you learn to do that?"

"Took this elective class in high school hoping to meet some interesting people. All it did was teach me origami. I used to do this when I was nervous. It calmed me. I guess it still does."

"Show me," he said quietly handing the crane back to her.

Twenty minutes later they were back on Maddie's office floor with paper all around either wadded into balls, lying flat in a pile or folded into what looked like misshaped creatures. David sat paying careful attention to his folding as Maddie walked him through each step.

"No, like this. See?"

"Maybe this isn't a guy thing," he said looking at his piece of paper which was in sad condition looking like it had been balled up repeatedly and then smoothed out again.

"Maybe the crane wasn't the thing to try first. I could show you the giraffe. That's not hard."

David chuckled as he looked at the paper in front of him. "If my buddies saw me doing this…" He laughed.

"What?"

He didn't look up at her as he continued, "They'd say I've got it bad."

Maddie tried to hide a smile. "And what would you say?"

He met her gaze looking into the bluest eyes he ever remembered seeing. "I'd say they were right."

Without warning, Maddie leaned across the space between them and kissed him on the lips. David brought a hand up to the back of her head threading his fingers through her silky hair drawing her closer to him as the kiss lingered. When they pulled away, David said, "What was that for?"

"I don't want this to end, David."

"What?"

"You know what I mean. You feel it too."

He nodded and said, "Yeah, I do. What do you want to do about it?"

She sighed and said, "Can we try again?"

"What does that mean, Maddie?"

"It means, I want to try this again. I want to know what it's like to go shopping in a grocery store with you, to go out for cheeseburgers on a Tuesday night after work, go bowling with you or even take our clothes to the cleaners. I want everything I was too afraid to want before. I've wanted it for too long to admit, but I was too afraid to admit I was wrong. But I'm not afraid anymore." David watched her with hope in his eyes as she said, "I was wrong. I love you and I want to try again."

David watched her a moment letting one corner of his mouth curl upward in that characteristic Addison grin and he said, "Well, when you put it that way." He gave her a smile she recognized. He saw her eyes mist over and he pulled her into a hug which they held for several minutes. He whispered into her ear the one thing she needed to hear more than 'I love you.' "I missed you."

That was her undoing and she let herself cry against his shoulder. She had no idea how long she cried when she raised her head from his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said wiping away her tears. "I feel like a wreck."

He smiled lovingly at her and smoothed back her hair from her face. "It's okay." As she pulled herself together, he looked at his watch. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Oh, I couldn't eat. I just want to go to bed."

"You sure? I could raid the vending machines again," he teased.

She smiled and said, "Tempting, but no thanks. Let me freshen up and I'll be back."

While Maddie was gone, David took the time to shave and clean himself up. When he returned to her office, Maddie was seated on her couch flipping through the TV channels. He just stood taking in this woman whom he loved beyond words. This woman who had just proclaimed her love for him. A woman he knew he wanted in his life and not just while things were good. He wanted everything with her - good and bad.

Maddie turned sensing he was in the room and smiled at him. And then there was that smile. It left him helpless. He'd do anything she asked with that smile. Did she know how powerful it was?

She made room for him on the couch and he took a seat. Without a word, he took one of her hands into his and kissed the back of her hand without taking his eyes off of hers. Maddie smiled bigger than before and leaned against him as they snuggled up on the couch for the third night in a row. David only hoped there would be more nights like this except at her house…snuggled up on her couch in front of a fire and sharing a bottle of wine. They had had few quiet, relaxing moments in that month together. Everything had been so secretive that everything they did was strained. Now, it would be different. He kissed her forehead as she snuggled against him.

"Comfortable?"

"Uh huh," she said with a smile.

"Cold?"

"No."

"Need anything?"

"Just one thing."

"What's that?"

"You."

David wrapped his arms tightly around her and couldn't wait until they were able to leave. Able to have a fresh start and return to the land of the living. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I love you, Maddie."

With a smile, she whispered, "I love you too, David." Shortly thereafter, both fell into a restful sleep. And for the first time in months, neither was plagued by their past.