'So, he's moved in,' Joyce gave Harry a questioning glance as she picked up her coffee and toast. 'How did that happen?'

'I'm not entirely sure. He said he wanted to be a full-time father and we should try living together and the next thing I know he arrives with a car full of his stuff and he's occupying my spare room. He has a mobile phone now so at least his calls aren't coming to my number.'

Harry found a spare table in the crowded canteen and went to get a cloth to soak up the spilt tea and coffee on the table. 'It's very busy in here this morning there must be a training course on or something?'

'Why didn't you tell him to take his belongings back to his place,' Hargreaves asked with idle curiosity, 'did you want him to move in?'

'No, I didn't,' Harry forked her fingers through her fringe. 'I don't know why I didn't. Dempsey's an unstoppable force when he wants to do something and over the years I suppose, I've gone along with it, a bit.' The, 'a bit,' sounded rather pathetic when she vocalised it. 'I suppose it's his absolute certainty that he's right that wins the day. Anyway, so far, he's been very careful not to upset me and last night he made this fantastic pasta sauce, I was quite impressed. Do I sound as pathetic as I feel?'

'Yes,' Joyce responded automatically. 'You seem to have become an absolute doormat. I mean I'm sorry Harry but you feel sorry for him so you have sex, conceive a baby and now he's moved in. What next, matching jumpers?'

Harry looked horrified at that thought. 'I don't think that will be his next move, I think his next move will be along the lines of a man has needs.'

'Oh, I see you've managed to hold back on the sex, well done. I'm sure he'll be convinced he's right about that as well,' Joyce add sarcastically.

'Shut up, Joyce.' Harry was annoyed at her lack of fortitude and didn't need her friend rubbing it in. 'I suppose I'm going to have to stand firm,' she mused out loud.

'Good luck with that,' Joyce drank the rest of her coffee. 'Well, you never know you might rub along together reasonably well and then you can be a couple of old marrieds just like me and Mike.'

Harry felt rather disturbed at that suggestion. 'No offence Joyce, but I haven't been a newly married yet; give me a chance.'

-oOo—

'It's nice you know, having someone to come home to,' Dempsey put the shopping away seeming to know instinctively where things should go in her kitchen. 'I've lived on my own for so long I guess I got used to it.'

'I see. Are you saying you prefer having company,' she picked up the pasta sauce he'd bought, 'you do know that this is full of sugar. I prefer to make my own sauce,' she put it in the cupboard.

'You're right but that's for back up when we're both too tired to get round to it.' A smile tugged at his mouth as he thought he'd adeptly fielded the criticism.

'I find it quite strange having you as a permanent resident. I'm not even entirely sure how it happened?' She sat down at the breakfast bar. 'What's happening with your apartment, have you given up the lease.'

'Fry's using it, he's moved out of his mother's home so it's his first taste of freedom and he is now currently paying my mortgage which is nice for me.' He opened the fridge and stored the chicken, milk and eggs.

'Well the bedroom will probably see less traffic,' Harry replied sarcastically as she popped the kettle on to make herself an herbal tea.

'I've given all that up cos I got you,' he turned to face her. 'I ain't a fan of celibacy though but whatever it takes,' his warm eyes teased her.

'You haven't got me,' she responded batting him off as she had a million times. 'I'm only pregnant because I felt sorry for you; it was a moment of weakness.'

'Do you regret it? I mean do you wish it hadn't happened, that you weren't having a baby,' his dark eyes monitored her expression and he could see he'd got her with that question.

'I don't know how to answer that question,' she responded honestly. 'I suppose now I'm having the baby I wouldn't want anything to happen to it.'

'What about it being my baby? Would you prefer it was some anonymous sperm donor?' He came towards her and could see he had her rattled.

Harry crossed her arms across her chest defensively and frowned. 'I'd rather know who the baby's father is,' she answered awkwardly.

Dempsey ran his hands down from her shoulders to her elbows and then he uncrossed her arms and pulled her into his embrace. 'So, you're glad it's my baby,' he nuzzled her temple.

'Now that's twisting my words, what I actually said was that I didn't want my baby's father to be anonymous.' She looked up at him, 'is this the bit where you say a man has needs,' she asked in a matter of fact tone.

'Nope, I ain't that stupid,' he kissed her forehead and let her go. 'And anyway, it's a mutual thing making love and as I remember you were playing your part with enthusiasm when we made the baby.'

She turned away and poured her tea, 'I like to think that if I do something I do it well,' a smile touched her lips. 'Anyway, as you said it was emotional and you rarely show emotion James so perhaps that was the charm.'

'So, what you're saying is that you want me to be some kind of sap who talks about feelings all the time, well that ain't gonna happen cos it ain't in my DNA.' He gave her an interrogative glance, 'you don't overshare either come to think of it.'

'It looks like a desperate situation maybe Fry will get more action than you,' she blew gently on the tea to cool it down.

'No need to be nasty,' he responded with dry humour as he poured out the coffee. 'This conversation is turning me on cos at least we're talking about sex even if we aren't doing it.'

'You're obviously easily aroused,' she remarked with cool disdain as she wandered into the lounge with her tea and sat down. She was very aware of him as he followed and sat down beside her.

'I've been here a month now, how's that going for you?' He turned sideways so he was looking at her, 'I'm comfortable with you, it seems right.'

'Simone said that, she thought we were comfortable with each other,' she looked thoughtful. 'It hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be,' she admitted as she sipped her tea. 'I suppose, I've got used to you over the years sitting side by side in a car or across a desk. We're like two old slippers,' she remarked with amusement as she knew that wasn't the image he was going for.

'Okay, I'm gonna ask you a question and I don't want you to make fun or be sarcastic,' his dark gaze ran over her appreciating her blonde, blue eyed beauty. 'We're married and we got the baby, and we're living together.'

'All true,' she looked at him expectantly because she thought she knew what the question was going to be.

'How do you feel about me? Am I just a friend you had a moment of weakness with when the stars were aligned or could you see yourself as my girl, my wife.'

'Is this about sex, Dempsey?' Her response was like a bucket of cold water being thrown onto the conversation.

'I was talking about feelings, yours for me,' he growled. 'I'm not just trying to get my leg-over I'm talking about a relationship.'

'Well in that case I would ask you the same question, how do you feel about me?' Her blue eyes met his and the challenge was there in her expression. She wasn't about to give up anything if he wasn't.

'I'm not dating anyone else,' he protested. 'I'm here ain't I, what do you think?' He knew she wanted him to get all mushy and he felt very uncomfortable.

'That's not an answer, James.' Harry relaxed back sipping her tea as she knew he wouldn't answer the question adequately because it would kill him to say he needed her.

'Well, actually to answer the question,' he paused and took a deep breath as this was killing him, 'I think… well I pretty much know, have known for a while, that I'm in love with you.'

Harry's relaxed pose became frozen and her eyes widened in shock; she had a mental picture of her hair standing on end. 'You're in love with me,' she frowned and tried to quickly regroup, 'are you sure?'

To the vastly uncomfortable male part of the duo D.I. Winfield sounded liked she was on a case, verifying the facts. 'Yeah, I'm sure,' he was annoyed she'd ask him that cos she didn't look like she believed him and that had been hard to say.

'Goodness,' she responded in a distracted manner. 'I have to admit I'm in shock,' she got up and went back into the kitchen wishing she could have a glass of wine or a shot of vodka.

'That's it, you just walk off,' Dempsey followed her and looked impressively moody which always did something to Harry's hormones. 'How about you, what do you feel?' He had to admit that sounded bad tempered but her reaction had pissed him off.

'I… I'm not sure what I feel,' she responded awkwardly. 'I hadn't thought you felt that way about me and… is this about sex Dempsey?'

'Screw it,' he growled and went and poured himself a large whisky and went to his room and slammed the door.

'Oh dear,' Harry grimaced. That hadn't gone well. She replayed the earlier scene where he'd made his declaration and she smiled wrapping her arms around her body and hugging herself. James would hate the fact he'd exposed his feelings and she felt rather pleased about it. The blonde decided to cook a nice meal as a peace offering. A warm feeling wrapped itself round her heart and she hummed a little tune. It became obvious to her that she was rather flattered by his declaration. What she didn't know was how to respond because she hadn't been expecting him to say that, never in a million years.

When the meal was ready she knocked on his door, 'I've made dinner,' she popped her head round the door. He was laid on the bed with his hands behind his head. She went in and sat down next to him and held his gaze. 'I'm sorry, I was shocked by what you said,' she offered her gaze soft on his. 'I shouldn't have reduced it to sex that was very wrong of me.'

'How do you feel Harry, that was the question?' His dark eyes searched hers and he could see she wasn't any more comfortable discussing her emotions than he was.

'I have feelings for you James, I'm just not sure yet. Do you think you could give me time to get used to…

'Get used to what, me having feelings like that for you? What is it, you want some kind of proof it wasn't' just a line?' That made him as mad as hell. 'You think I said that to get you into bed?' He laughed without humour. 'Honey, I don't find it that hard to get laid,' he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up in one swift movement. 'When you're ready to talk to me you know where I am,' he left the bedroom.

'Oh dear,' she said under her breath as she followed him out and joined him at the dining table. She ladled out the food and got herself a glass of water and offered him a glass of wine. They ate in silence at first and then gradually started to chat about their day until they were comfortable again.

'You continually surprise me,' she said softly. 'I think I have you all worked out and then you jump out of the box.'

He shrugged nonchalantly going for casual while trying to work out where they were. 'I told you, you need me to spin your wheels, sweetheart. Breathe some life back into the statue, you know like the story of Galatea.'

'I know the story,' she sipped her water and her blue eyes met his and then she laughed softly, 'perhaps you will.'

'Will what?' He looked puzzled.

'Breathe some life into me, well I think you already have,' she patted her stomach. She got up and walked around the table and sat on his knee and linked her arms around his neck.

'What's this,' his arms held her to him. This was nice but he was still the one out on a limb. The, 'I'm in love with you,' was still booming around Camberwell Gardens ricocheting off the walls. 'You've got to say it back,' he growled, as he traced her jawline with his fingertip creating a sensual almost hypnotic connection between them.

'I'm not ready yet,' she kissed him softly totally caught up in the moment and was surprised when he gently pushed her off his knee.

'I think I need to prove a point,' he growled as he got up. 'It ain't just sex, Harry, it's more than that and if you don't feel it I'm not getting in deeper.' He turned the T.V. onto a football game and spent the next hour criticising the sport.

Harry sighed and wondered why things were never easy with Dempsey, he played hard ball if he didn't get his own way. It was typical of the way he blew through her life. He'd decided he loved her so now she had to agree to love him back, it was annoying but that was the way he rolled... as he would put it.

-oOo-