Chapter 10.
The next months the couple was seen together everywhere and it became clear to everyone around them that this was not just fooling around, but something more serious.
This was a good thing for them both as they seemed to soften up a bit more and be easier to be with, in the sense that that was possible.
It was an early morning at the crime lab, almost three months since Julia and Rick's first meeting. Julia had just been talking to Horatio about something regarding Kyle and was on her way out when she decided to stop by the break room for a coffee.
As she walked closer she heard Natalia say, "He did not."
"He did," Calleigh concluded.
"That is way off," said Natalia rolling her eyes.
"In all fairness it was not that off as I did have in office relations just not with the one he thought," said Calleigh with a little smile.
"But does Rick really have the power to do that?" she said.
"Power to do what?" they heard Julia from the door which made them both startle.
"Power to suspend Calleigh if she was in an in office relationship," said Natalia looking at Julia.
"He can, but depends on the matter really. I however think that the most logical thing to do was for one of the parties to move shift," she said getting a coop.
Calleigh nodded slowly and said, "I don't really wanna move shifts, I mean it's not like I bring personal to work other than that one time, but if I have to, I have to."
"No you shouldn't have to and Rick should see that," said Natalia frustrated.
"He sees what he wants to see," said Calleigh calmly.
"That may perhaps be so, but it's also his job," Julia interrupted.
"Maybe you could talk him out of it?" Natalia suggested looking at Julia with hopeful eyes.
"Me, what on earth would get you to think I would do that?" asked Julia, looking at her with shocked eyes.
Natalia thought for a second before saying, "Because after you meet Rick, you know what it meant to be love. You wanna be with him day and night if I am correct. Shouldn't Calleigh be allowed to do the same? She might have slipped up, but it will not happen again if you get Rick to drop the suspension. Please Julia if nothing else do it for love."
Julia sighed as she knew she was right, yet she was having some doubt as she answered, "Fine I will talk to him, but I will not promise anything."
"I understand, thank you Julia," said Calleigh and gently shook her hand before the older blonde was leaving them, possibly to find Rick.
Only a moment later the blonde walked into the building where Rick's office was and after being cleared she took the elevator up to his floor.
"Hi Julia," the receptionist greeted her as she saw her come in.
"Hi Mindy, is he in?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
"In a meeting at the moment, should be over in twenty minutes or so, but you are welcome to wait in his office," Mindy offered.
"Thank you, then I will do that," Julia said with a smile as walked down the hallway until she came to a door that said Rick R. Stetler.
She opened it slowly and entered her man's private room. It consisted of a desk with a good chair, a sofa, a table and a couple of bookshelves. She walked over to one of the two bookshelves to see if she could find something to read while she waited for him.
Even though they had been going steady for a little over two weeks now it was still the first time she was actually in his office as they usually meet elsewhere or by the reception.
Her eyes browsed over books about law and how to find and interrogate a suspect. There was a book about guns, some lexicas and some novels of different sorts.
Julia picked one called, 'The lost island." She sat down in the couch with a sigh and slowly managed to turn the first page.
Rick came out of the meeting smiling happily. It had been a regular meeting with the rest of the staff about vacation days, the budget and some other boring stuff.
The reason as to why he was smiling was that he this year would have more vacation days which meant he would get to take Julia some place nice. If she wanted to go with that was.
He really hoped so as he was crazy about her and he wanted to take her away and spoil her, after all she deserved it he concluded.
He slowly opened the door to his office and gasped a little bit by the sight of Julia there. She however didn't noticed that her boyfriend came in as she was to occupied with his book.
"Sweetheart," he spoke as he tilted his head and smiled at her.
She startled a little before looking up at him saying, "I didn't hear you come in."
"I can be quite sneaky," he said.
"I can imagine, so how was the meeting?" she asked as she slowly closed the book and put it aside.
"It was good, I will get more vacation days this year," he said as he sat down next to her.
"Really you will, that's wonderful handsome," she said happily.
"It really is, so I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere," he said.
"That sounds like a very good idea actually," she said.
"You really think so?" he asked to be sure.
"I really do, I think we both could use some time away," she said leaning onto him.
"I agree, so what brings you by, I thought you had a couple of viewings today," he said.
"I do, but the first is not until another hour so I went by the crime lab to discuss a matter regarding Kyle with Horatio. Then I hear you are suspending Calleigh due to an in office relationship," she said with a sigh.
"Yes, when she can not keep matters at home she needs to learn from her mistake," Rick said.
"But handsome, what if you are wrong?" asked Julia.
"What do you mean wrong, I know what I saw," said Rick.
"I have of course no idea what you saw, but to me it seems that Calleigh is in relations with someone else than who you saw her with. And even if that is the case, if she promised not to do it again or affect her work in any other way couldn't you let her off with a warning?" asked Julia.
"Why do you even care?" he asked a bit surprised she was arguing the case in the first place.
"I just feel that if two people, any two people are in love they should be allowed to be together when they want to, if you keep them apart her work may suffer more," Julia said.
"If it do upset you that much I promise I will think it over," he said.
"Thank you, speaking of couples in love, where are we meeting later, your place, mine or the restaurant?" she asked nuzzling deeply into his neck.
"Your, your bed is more comfy," he said, resting his head on top of hers.
"You really think so?" she asked.
"I do, I can come by and cook for you," he suggested.
"Sounds wonderful, but I will help," she said.
"If you insist;" he said as he didn't really mind cooking together.
"I do, but there is one thing I have been wondering about," she said.
"What might that be sweetheart?" he asked curiously.
"We done everything together as a couple including sleeping together, yet we haven't you know, why?" she asked.
"Because I don't think you are quite ready yet and I don't think it would be wise to do it until you are," he said.
"But what about your needs?" she asked, knowing he was right, but also that he must have some of his own.
"As long as we are together I have all I need and you need to go so you can get ready in time," he said.
"You know me to well, seven and don't be late, I really don't want to leave you," she said, sighing sadly.
"I won't be late as I don't like having a lady wait and I don't want you to leave now either as I hate when we are not together," he said and kissed the top of her head.
"A lady don't you mean your lad and I feel the same way," she said slowly getting up.
"Of course as you without a doubt my lady," he said getting up as well.
She reached in for a kiss slowly breaking free saying, "One more thing, what does the R on your office door stand for?"
"Rex," he answered looking down.
"Rick Rex Stetler, really?" she said.
"Really, apparently it was a big deal to my parents that we all had names associated with something great," he said rolling his eyes a little.
"What are the others then?" she asked a bit curious.
"Henry James and Alexandra Regina," he answered.
"Who is the oldest?" she asked.
"Henry is, then Alexa and then me," he said.
"You're the youngest, really as I would assumed with a name like Rex you would be oldest," she said a little amused.
"No, dunno why I ended up with that, to be honest I don't like it all that much," he said.
"I think it is very fitting, I also think you should have a picture of at least your nieces in your office as they seem important to you and it would lighten the place up a little," she said.
"Do you have a picture of Kyle in yours?" he asked wondering what her office was like as he had not been in hers either.
"I do and some others, I will show you when I have better time, but now I really have to go as I am starting to get late, not that I mine when you are the cause," she said and gave him another kiss before she left him wishing she didn't have to do just that.
It was first a moment after she was gone he realized she had taken the book with her, but he didn't really mind so he figured if it was that important to her she could keep it for as long as she liked, after all he did have more than enough.
In fact Rick didn't mind that she borrowed any of his things and that he didn't at get them back as he knew that for her that was a way for her to have him close all the time, which he actually liked. He loved everything about his sweet Julia, everything she did and every little habit and he knew that went both ways.
She didn't mind that he lay clothes here and there at her place, even though she was a neat nick. She occasionally cleaned up a little at his place and hers and washed some of his close along with hers and the other way around, but then again as did he when he saw some of her clothes in his hamper when he was doing his laundry.
In a way he found it weird in a way considering they hadn't gone out for that long, but in another way it felt right. Everything about her felt right. In fact he hadn't felt that way about any other woman he went out with.
And knowing himself he knew that the feelings he had was more than just a crush, in fact he knew he was madly in love with this woman and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to wake up with her every morning and go to sleep with her every night.
He wanted to comfort her when she was sad and make her smile as often as possible. Because if it was something he truly loved about her it was her smile and her laughter.
It was then he came to think about what she had said about Calleigh and love and frame a picture of his nieces and have it there. Maybe it was the fact that she was right or maybe it was because he always valued her opinion, but that day Rick Stetler decided not to suspend Calleigh. Not only that but after work he went to get a picture of his nieces and his beautiful Julia framed to have in his office.
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