Disclaimer: I do not own them, just borrowing them or previous events for a while to have some fun. Also any characters from another show that you recognise belong to CBS.

Thanks to Lily Moonlight for the read through of the last chapter as well as the next few, helping me to keep things real.

Chapter 10 – Can't Sleep

After she vanished into the room to take the call she had emerged again relatively quickly, although she was quiet and didn't immediately engage in conversation. She merely consulted him on watching a film and curled herself into a comfortable position on the couch, while he opted for one of the chairs, the one facing the door, his gun resting on the table and within reach. As the film finished she excused herself and went to bed. He sat going over the case in his mind for a while until the vibration of his phone drew his attention.

A thirty second call with the outside team checking in assured him all was well for the moment. He sat for a while longer this time the rerun of the game drawing his attention for a bit before he began to fall asleep and then he too retired confident that the team had his back and would alert him if anything happened.

He didn't know what woke him, the house was quiet, no creaking floorboards or other sounds were obvious so he eased himself from the bed he reached for his gun and phone, then edged towards the door; sleep now the furthest thing from his mind. Opening the door a crack he peered out, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up; everything seemed to be in place so he opened the door wider and stepped out. A light in the kitchen drew his attention and moving towards it, his gun now aimed in front of him he was startled when the door opened and she stepped through. He exhaled heavily and scrubbed his hand over his face.

"Karla?" He practically gasped, causing her to jump.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, I just woke up and needed a drink, I didn't realise I'd made so much noise." She returned, her eyes falling on the gun still in his hand.

"No harm ... I thought I heard something." He noticed her glance and rapidly dropped his hand and moved to lay his weapon on the table, flicking the lamp on as he passed, then he turned to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah ... Just having a little trouble sleeping, I thought some tea would help." She looked pensive as his eyes roved over her, taking in the leggings and tight fitting t-shirt she was wearing which showed off her figure. Her hair was messed, the image making her seem younger than she probably was, different too to the image she had maintained during the day of a well groomed business woman. He didn't miss the bandage on her arm either, he was relieved though that the bullet had done nothing more than grazed her and hadn't impaired her use of her arm much, although she seemed to be favouring it a little now. "Can I get you some?" Her soft voice broke though his thoughts and he turned his attention back to her.

"No, I'm fine," he answered, rubbing his hand over his face. "How are you doing? Does your arm hurt?"

"It aches a bit but your doctor friend warned me that would happen, should feel better by the morning." She answered crossing the room and taking a seat on the couch. When he didn't move she turned and looked over her shoulder. "I'm really sorry for disturbing you. It's okay if you want to go back to sleep."

He followed her example and took a seat in one of the arm chairs. "Doesn't feel right if you're awake and I'd kinda be in trouble if you're awake and something happened if I'm sleeping." He offered shrugging his shoulders. "Anything you want to talk about?" He asked, having a good idea what was keeping her awake.

She looked up and shook her head, "No, I'm fine, you really don't have to stay up. You told me yourself that our backs are covered with your crew outside and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself for a little while. I promise I won't accuse you of sleeping on the job, even though technically you would be."

The way she smiled at him caught his attention, she wasn't Jess, not that he expected her to be. It had been over a year since that horrific day and he'd learnt the hard way that life moved on. He'd sworn off casual affairs after a few weeks, the booze had taken longer, but he'd been completely sober since that day when Mac tracked him to Terrence Davis' apartment in Brooklyn. The next few weeks had been hell, Christmas had loomed large showing him what he was missing with Jess, throwing up memories of the year before, of what might have been, but Danny and Lindsay had rallied him. Getting him to babysit their daughter, Stella had badgered and consoled him; even Adam had turned up one night with games and a console for an impromptu boys night that had lasted until the wee small hours.

"Detective?" The voice almost sounded too far away, and he shook himself, realising he was reminiscing, which wasn't a good move when he was supposed to be protecting her.

"Sorry, you said something?"

"No, it looked like you were deep in thought ... usually that means you're thinking about a woman, was she someone special?"

"... You a mind reader or something?" he asked, unable to resist the wisecrack or the smirk which accompanied it, intrigued by how she seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Better, I'm pretty good at reading people ... You use the wisecracks to cover up the pain you're still feeling, hoping people will think you're back to normal, you smile, but it hardly ever reaches your eyes, the only time it did was with that little girl this morning. ... Whoever she was hurt you badly and you're afraid of getting burnt again, you haven't dated in a while, content to flirt with your co-workers because they're safe, they won't judge you because they care about you. ... You probably tried to get someone else to baby sit me and the higher ups refused, why I don't know; but you resented it at first, now it's a puzzle for you to fix. You don't know me or what I'm involved in, but I intrigue you, I have done since you first saw me in Mirage. .... Want me to go on?"

"I think that's plenty to digest right there." He sighed; she didn't know how close to the truth she was. He sat for a few minutes his mind drifting back to their final phone conversation, before the fatal shots. Finally he drew the courage to say something, but his concentration was fixed on a spot on the floor in front of him, where he couldn't see the pity that would reflect in her eyes. He took a deep breath to prepare himself. "She was a cop, we were partners ... on and off the clock, she was working a case ... there was a gunfight. .... She died in surgery." His voice was strained, he seemed to croak the words out between the need to force himself to breathe. He didn't know what made him speak, it was the first time he had spoken so freely to anyone, but somehow he felt it needed to be said. Now the words were out there hanging between them, a moment of silence passed as he continued to stare at the floor, the next moment his own voice echoed in his head. "After, ... I just wanted to get the guys, we cornered them in a warehouse," Slowly raising his head he looked at Karla, "I tracked one of them, I saw the bandage on his shoulder where she had shot him, then I saw the gun, I knew he was the one responsible ... he wasn't a threat anymore, he was bleeding from a stomach wound but I just wanted justice, an eye for an eye, ... I crossed the line." He held her gaze as silence hung between them.

"You didn't have to tell me, but I'm honoured that you'd choose to share it with me. ... Nothing I can say will change things and from the little I know you I'd say you don't want sympathy especially from someone you don't know and who didn't know her." He was a little surprised at her words; most people would have offered the traditional I'm sorry and other platitudes.

"Her name was Jess ..." He offered before trailing off, his eyes dropping to stare at the floor again, he could feel her eyes on him for a moment then he heard her move, she surprised him again when she knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers.

"We all do things we regret after, but something about this says that this is eating you up as much as losing Jess, I can't imagine what you went through or the pain you still have. I've never had to face such a decision and I couldn't swear that I would keep the oath if one of the scumbags we deal with hurts a friend of mine, ... I'm not going to turn you in, my guess is that it was ruled a good shoot and the official report says he got his wounds in the course of a gunfight. You got lucky, but don't let it destroy the rest of your career, you seem like a really good guy don't let one moment of weakness bring you down. ... I'm happy to listen if you want to talk more. .... It doesn't even have to be tonight, it's the least I can offer for you saving my life, and I promise you whatever you say will stay between us." Her hands felt warm around his, as he now stared at them, his view of the floor blocked by her. Slowly he lifted his head and found her looking at him, he couldn't read her expression, but it wasn't the usual looks that everyone gave him when they knew about Jess. Something about her was drawing him in, his mind had been full of thoughts and feelings in the last 24 hours that he hadn't had in a long time. She was waiting for him to answer her, but words had deserted him. He felt her fingers graze across his wrist and felt a tingle rush up his arm.

She was an enigma, certain now that she had nothing to do with the guy's death the night before meant there were no barriers, except his own, which he suddenly felt needed breaking down.

"Don? Are you alright?" He must have been quiet for too long, her quiet words and the touch of her hand against his arm stirred him. She looked concerned, he also realised that she hadn't called him detective, she had used his name.

"Fine," he croaked, his voice showing the emotions running through him, no other words would come, and he drew his hand from hers and trailed his fingers through her hair as he leant forward.

Whatever he had been about to do he was jerked back to reality when his phone rang.

He pulled back. "I'm sorry." He whispered before pushing himself from the chair. Not sure whether he was sorry for trying to kiss her or that he hadn't been able to finish what he started, he didn't even know what he had been intending. Snatching his phone from the table where he had left it next to his gun, he answered it. "Flack"

"It's Mitchell, Just checking in, we saw the lights go on, is everything okay?" The voice asked.

"Yeah ... Yeah, we're good, just can't sleep. Everything quiet out there?" Flack answered slowly, the emotion within him turning his voice husky.

"Dead as a dodo."

"Okay call me if it changes." Flack instructed cancelling the call not waiting for an answer. For a moment he stood with the phone in his hand staring at the screen. He heard movement behind him and the kitchen door creak. When he turned around Karla had gone, he scrubbed his hand over his face and followed her. He opened the door; she was standing at the sink rinsing the mug she'd used for her tea. Leaving the cup to drain she turned to leave and found him blocking her way.

He didn't move, but remained leaning against the doorframe forcing her to pause in front of him.

"Karla? ... I'm-" He began, but she stopped him.

"It doesn't matter ... I should try and get some sleep." She offered impassively before dodging around him and heading to her room. He felt his stomach clench, afraid that he'd upset her, her gentle compassion from moments before had gone, replaced with a form of indifference, all because of a stupid impulsive act, one that he had no idea why he'd done it.

.....

Despite the complete exhaustion which seemed to consume her she slept little for the rest of the night, between the dreams forcing her to relive the attempts on her life and the growing feelings she had for the detective trying to protect her she was unable to relax. By the time dawn broke she had tossed and turned so much she had practically lost all sense of reality.

The thought that he had been about to kiss her had hit her hard, she didn't normally fall for anyone this fast, hell it had taken nearly a month of working together for Derek to get anywhere as close and that had been more out of necessity. She tried to rationalise it, that she was on an emotional rollercoaster after being shot at and nearly run down. She needed to distance herself, which, with the two of them being in such close proximity she wasn't sure she could do. She rolled over and reached for her phone off the bedside table and checked the time. It was early, still time for her to get at least a couple of hours sleep, if she could relax enough.

.....

Stella entered Mac's office the following morning, hoping they could make progress with the case.

"Hey Mac, any news from Flack this morning?" She asked brightly standing in front of the folder covered desk. Mac shook his head.

"Mitchell reported all was quiet when he handed over to O'Reilly's team about an hour ago. Only incident was a call to the house around 2.30 when all the lights went on. Turns out Karla couldn't sleep." Stella frowned when Mac mentioned an incident, but her features relaxed when he finished his explanation.

"Hardly surprising with what happened to her the last couple of days." She offered, wondering how she would feel in the same situation. It had taken weeks after one attack by Frankie before she could close her eyes and not see his face in front of her each time. Three attacks were bound to cause problems.

"When you've checked in on the lab results I want you to head over and interview her while Flack heads back here. She might feel more comfortable with a woman around for a while and right now you're the only one who can be called on."

"Sometimes it doesn't pay to be a woman in NYPD. Can't they find one of the normal crew for babysitting duty?" She half whined, the thought of staying for hours with Karla while the rest of the team worked the case annoyed her.

"Not this time and if what you say is right about Flack's feelings, I don't want to take any chances, he would trust you to look after her while he does his job." Mac had a point, the change she had seen in the young detective the previous day told her there was some chemistry between the two and if Flack's heart was being stirred she didn't know what effect it would have if anything happened to Karla. It had been a long haul for him after Angell died, he was acting more like his old self lately and she wasn't certain she wanted to risk anything pulling him from the better path.

"Alright, but this is gonna cost ya Mac, dinner at Lazlo's when we wrap this up."

"We'll discuss that later, right now we've got a known target and someone out to kill her, let's find out who it is and take them down." She noted that Mac had that no nonsense look about him, which meant he was totally focussed on the case.

"You got it, I'll rally the troops."

.....

Karla emerged from her room dressed in a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt, the temperature was already climbing even though it was early. She had forced herself to stay in bed until after 6 am before taking a cool shower and getting dressed, hoping it would help to settle her nerves about what the day would bring. She was doubtful it had succeeded when she entered the kitchen to find Flack already up and dressed, wearing black pants and a pale blue untucked shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. The hang of the back of his shirt indicated that his gun was tucked in his waistband, hardly a surprising move since he was there to protect her, but she wished she could have her own weapon too. Things had shifted between them since the early hours and the way his casual appearance made her stomach flutter, she wasn't sure it would get any better. She could forgive Penelope Garcia one thing, he was good looking. Moving properly into the kitchen she sat at the table, not trusting her legs to hold her up, as she observed him preparing coffee and breakfast.

"Hi," She offered weakly when he failed to acknowledge her presence, causing him to turn around.

"Hey, did you manage to get any sleep last night?"

She shook her head, her hair flying around her which she promptly flattened and pushed behind her ears. "Not much … every time I closed my eyes I saw those damned puppets." She wouldn't tell him that she also dreamt about him saving her life from the Silver SUV. "The weather isn't helping, that room is really hot and not being able to open the windows was tough. …. Not that I want rain, but a small reprieve from the heat wave would be good."

Flack nodded and offered her a glass of orange juice which she accepted. "You do this?" She asked waving the glass of freshly squeezed juice in front of herself.

"Something to do, I prefer it fresh to all that carton stuff, tastes better." He replied, his voice sounding clipped and disinterested.

"It's good, can I keep you around a bit longer? You're quite domesticated for a cop." She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice trying to get a rise out of him, but he didn't respond. "Alright, I don't know why I'm suddenly getting the silent treatment, just let me know when you're prepared to talk to me again, in the mean time I'll let you get your breakfast and leave you in peace." She snapped, it was being kind of childish, but if he could barely speak to her then she didn't want to speak to him. She pushed herself up from the table and went into the lounge, a moment later he followed her.

"Karla," his softer tone stopped her and she turned around, finding herself merely inches away from him, for a big guy he could move quietly and quickly. "I'm sorry, .... You're here for your own safety .... this morning, I don't know what I was thinking, I shouldn't have taken advantage."

She took a step back, putting a little distance between them, giving herself room to think, while keeping eye contact. "I think we're both guilty in that respect. After what happened yesterday with Pearson I wanted some company and I didn't know who else to call. I don't want my family involved and my friends are in DC, I took advantage of your kindness. I pulled strings to get your number." She paused but when Flack didn't seem inclined to say anything she continued. ".... This morning was pretty intense, you talked to a complete stranger about a lot of personal stuff and I've had a couple of harrowing days, so why don't we declare a clean slate? You go back to your investigation and I'll get out of town, save you the babysitting duty." She waited for a moment, still he said nothing. She noted the gesture of him rubbing his chin that she had seen before. When he still didn't speak she pushed her hands through her hair. "I'm going to go pack, if you could arrange a ride to the airport I'll get out of your way."

She turned towards her room, but had barely gone two steps when he finally spoke, "Karla wait. ... so you pulled strings to get my number?" She could sense some amusement in his voice and turned around.

"What can I say? I needed you to know I wasn't responsible for that guy's death." She shrugged. "Now that I'm out of a job and off your suspect list I guess I can get out of the city."

"You forgotten your on someone else's list? Don't you want to know what that's about and get the guys who've been trying to kill you?" He would use that to try and hook her, but she wasn't going fall for that.

"Of course I do, but tell me you have one solid lead to follow and I'll stay."

"I wish I could, but we got nothing, the SUV used fake plates and the bullets only link back to a locked FBI file." He admitted, a serious look on his face and tension showing in his jaw.

"Then I'll head back to Washington and be out of your way." She offered confidently. "I'll need to clear out my desk and find a new job. I guess the sooner I do that the better."

"What if they try again?"

"Then it won't be your problem." She noted the black look which crossed his face.

"You dare to think it's that easy?" He yelled, "what if they succeed next time?"

"It's a-" She stopped herself yelling back and took a deep breath before saying something she would regret, "I know the risks, .... I know this has to be hard for you, a lot of stuff was stirred up last night, I'm grateful you were there to protect me, but this shouldn't be your responsibility, the chances are if I go home then whatever is happening here will go away."

"You really believe that?" His voice was still terse, but at least he didn't yell this time.

"Does that matter?"

"Give me 24 hours, I don't get any leads by tomorrow we'll pull the detail and you go home."

She looked at him for a moment, a number of emotions appeared to cloud his eyes. This had to be hard for him, his girlfriend having been gunned down and he was powerless to do anything, maybe that explained why he was being so attentive to her and protecting her. Would it do any harm to wait another 24 hours?

"Alright. I'll stay, 24 hours I don't want to be responsible for you or the city having to waste any more time and money."

I'm fighting internet issues at the moment so I hope this uploaded alright. I'd still love to hear your views.