A/N: Thank you, thank you, heartfelt thank you's to all of you. Enjoy


"Alright, seriously. I can't take it anymore." Tess perched on Catherine's desk and made herself comfortable. "You walked in here with an aura of… light around you." She gestured to her head, mimicking a halo.

"I did not!"

"Oh yes you did. You're radiating so brightly, I feel like I need sunglasses just to look at you. Cat, you're smiling at your screensaver." Tess looked her partner drolly, pointing to her computer screen. It was the office logo, scrolling inoffensively across the screen. It wasn't funny in any way. "Spill it. You. Evan. Everything."

Catherine shook her head and tried to hide her teeth. But her lips kept parting and eventually she just gave up.

"Oh my God. You're in love with the coroner. Must have been one hell of a weekend."

Catherine shook her head, holding up her hands to stave off any further assumptions.

"Evan and I are just friends."

"The guy." Tess eyed her critically. "The one you were bummed out about."

Catherine shrugged her shoulders dramatically.

"You hoochie. I thought he wasn't interested? We agreed he was a douche."

"We didn't agree on anything. And it turns out it was… a misunderstanding."

"When do I get to meet him?"

Catherine shook her head, sobering. "Not for a while-" Tess started to interrupt but Catherine continued. "Things are complicated. I just want to figure it out first."

"Cat, you're glowing. How much more figuring out can there be?"

"Please. Just give me some time."

Tess held up her hands in the universal sign of surrender. "Fine. But I want deets."

"Well, that I can give you." Catherine wiggled her brows and then blushed, covering her face in her hands and then peeking out, embarrassed.

"No waaay. You guys-"

"No, no, nooo. We didn't… we haven't… well… not yet."

"Just kissing and you look like you're about to burst into song?" Tess raised a brow and Catherine blushed again. "He's that good? I have to meet this guy."

"Ladies, enough with the chit chat. Meeting, my office."

"Always Captain grumpy pants." Tess rolled her eyes at the chief. At Catherine she said, "We're not done here."


"If you're not careful, you'll fall through the floor."

Vincent stopped pacing and glanced over at JT, puzzled. His friend was grading papers and peered at him through smudged spectacles.

"The spring in your step... You're one bounce away from creating a crater."

"Creating a crater?" Vincent shook his head. "Where do you get this stuff from?"

JT just shrugged. "I like living here. Wouldn't want to explain to the police how a crater exists but there's no evidence of a meteor shower. Sorry officer, my roommate's in love and was so excited after his first date, he literally stomped a love hole on what used to be the floor of our home."

"You're crazy." Vincent chuckled, but sat down at the table, resuming his research.

"Just calling it like I see it." JT skipped a beat and Vincent knew it was coming. "So… how did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"Dude, come on. One of us has to live vicariously through the others love life. And guess what, a super soldier in hiding gets more action than I do."

"I thought you met someone? Didn't you go for coffee?"

JT shrugged. "I don't know if it's going to work out. I haven't done this in a while." Vincent thought he looked a little forlorn. "We make quite a pair don't we?"

"Yep."

He walked over to where Vincent was working. "Quit stalling. How did it go?"

"It was…" Vincent sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Great. She's amazing."

JT noticed Vincent had trouble containing his smile.

"I suppose I should get used to spending my evenings alone."

"It's not like we're… I mean… I don't want to move too fast. She might not feel…It's complicated." Vincent shrugged.

JT knew the whole relationship thing was going to be an adjustment. He decided to lighten the mood. "But overall, you're feeling alive?"

"Like Batman."

"Nah. Batman sucks as a super-hero. I suggest we use Superman when mocking going forward."

"I don't fly."

"Minor detail."

The friends shared a loud laugh.

"Making any headway with your research?"

Vincent shook his head. "Nothing new. This is the third time I look at the same results."

JT picked up one of the test results. "Maybe you should have an awkward but possibly fruitful consult with Cat's man-friend."

Vincent scowled. "He's not her man-friend."

"Whatever. You need help."

"Where's my overly cautious friend JT and what have you done with him?"

"Believe me; I'd like nothing better than to pretend the last couple days never happened. But it did. The man-friend knows your secret and he's a doctor. I reckon trying to get some answers isn't going to do much more harm than what's already been done."

Vincent was quiet and JT dropped it, going back to grading his papers.

"He has feelings for her."

"So?"

"He's a normal guy. He can offer her… stuff."

"Dude, she wants you to be her man-friend."

Vincent brooded. "I'll make contact. See what the english lord has to say."

"You're jealous." He rolled his eyes. "This should be interesting. I see awkward in my future."

Vincent balled a piece of paper and threw it playfully in JT's direction.


Catherine and Tess walked into the precinct after spending their afternoon going door-to-door on a robbery. Catherine was hot, sticky, had a pounding headache and was not in the mood for the mountain of paper-work that lay ahead.

"I have a feeling that couple in 205 knows something."

Catherine nodded. "Let's get a warrant to search the apartment, see if we get lucky."

"I'm on it. You look like you're about to combust. I have some aspirin."

"Thanks. I'll be right over." Tess headed to her desk and Catherine up the stairs to the coffee station to get something cold. Leaning against the cool pillar, she took a minute. What a long day. She wondered what Vincent was doing. It wasn't like she could pick up the phone and call him. She sighed again.

"Trouble in paradise? Already?"

Catherine pushed her hair from her face and chose to ignore the remark. She poured herself a cup of cold water and sipped, staring at Evan over the brim of her paper cup, trying to gauge his mood. He looked… playful.

"What brings you by?"

"Your boyfriend actually."

Catherine pushed down her irritation, grabbed Evan's arm and pulled him down a quiet corridor.

"Slow down Darling, people might talk. You dragging me off into a deserted corridor and all."

"Evan." Catherine was exasperated.

"Just so you know, I won't give up." He leaned in close. "I know you felt something. You kissed me back."

"I was drunk." Catherine took a step back, putting some distance between them. "There are millions of women out there. All of them would be happy to be with you."

His smile was charming. "You think I'm desirable then? A catch?"

"Back off, Romeo." It was hard to be annoyed when he dialed up the charisma. "I've seen all the blondes who have accompanied you to get-togethers."

"Give me a chance, Cat."

"You're incorrigible." She was amused despite herself. "Now, if there's nothing else, I have paper-work calling my name." She made to pass him. Evan caught her arm.

"I was serious, earlier." His tone dropped. "Vincent paid me a visit at my offices, wanted to set up a consult."

Catherine was surprised.

"You didn't know?"

"We didn't really talk about it…" Well, they didn't do much talking for a while there. Evan didn't have to know that.

He raised a brow. "Did I say something funny? You're grinning."

She ignored him. "When are you meeting?"

"Tomorrow night. I should have the last of the results."

Catherine nodded. "Alright. I'll see you at the warehouse."

Evan raised a brow. "Going to hold his hand?"

She took the high road and walked away, teeth gritted, head pounding.

His chuckle followed her.