The sun was just coming up when Hutch dropped his partner off and headed toward home. It had been another unproductive night. They hadn't even seen Tina Reynolds or any of her companions, and their leads for the drug dealer were turning into dead ends.
They discussed how to approach Claudio Alfonzo and his connection to Tina Reynolds. To say they were frustrated was an extreme understatement.
On impulse, he turned toward Libby's place instead of home. He figured her alarm would just being going off. He was too tired to jog with her but they could have breakfast together. He shifted more upright to help himself stay awake, and felt his anticipation increase at the thought of seeing her.
Their relationship was still new, and their current work schedules weren't meshing well to coordinate much time together. They were both moving slow and developing a friendship, something he hadn't done with a woman in awhile.
He reflected on some of the past women in his life and how different Libby was in comparison. Most of the women he'd had relationships with needed rescuing, and he was more than willing to step in as their heroic white knight. He didn't view it as a power trip but more a genuine desire to help, and somewhere along the way he'd fall in love. With him love and passion went hand in hand, and once the passion lit the fire, sex soon followed. It seemed to be the natural progression for a man and a woman.
Libby was very much her own person, she didn't appear to need rescuing. She was well educated, intelligent and seemed to know what she wanted in her life. Their viewpoints seemed to align on every basic subject they had discussed to this point. Hutch began to envision a long-term connection with this woman, although he was still hesitant to think actual marriage.
He no longer held the old-fashioned view of the 'little woman' barefoot and pregnant but did still think having children would be nice. With Libby, her work was a very important part of who she was. He wondered how she would feel about stopping her career to have children.
Since it was still early, he softly knocked on her apartment door, listened to her footsteps approach, and heard a questioning, "Yes?" He stood back so she could see him through her peephole in the door.
"Good morning, this is your friendly morning wake-up call."
"Ken? Is that you?" She opened the door and greeted him with a big smile.
"Good morning. Thought I'd see if we could have breakfast together before you left for work." He stood there looking at her, knowing that he had a goofy grin on his face.
She must have just showered because she was wearing a long peach robe and her hair was still wet. Libby pulled her robe together more and tightened the belt around her waist. "I'd love to have breakfast with you." She paused and looked at him closer, "Are you just getting off work?"
"Yes, it's been a long night." He noticed how she pulled her robe closed, and hesitated stepping closer for a hug. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Oh Ken, you must be ready to crash. And you came so see me versus going home to bed?"
"Well, you know what they say, 'Man does not live by sleep alone'". The goofy grin was back, but he didn't care.
She laughed and closed the space between them. Giving him a quick hug, she guided him to the kitchen table, "You're crazy. Sit down and I'll make us some eggs and toast. Tell me about the latest bad guy you're after."
He watched her move gracefully around the kitchen, but all he could think about was her body under the robe. Suddenly he felt her rubbing his shoulders. When had she moved behind him? She leaned around and gave him a light kiss on his cheek, "Hey sleepyhead, wake up. The eggs are almost ready. Would you like some orange marmalade for your toast?"
Wake up? He looked up at her and knew that stupid grin was on his face again.
"Do you want to splash some water on your face or anything before we eat?"
"Ya that might help a little."
"Ok, well while you do that, I'm going to throw on some clothes so I'm more presentable."
"Truthfully, you look pretty good in that robe." She was still rubbing his shoulders and he stood pulling her into a hug, "You're giving my imagination something to think about".
"Judging by the smile that's been on your face all morning, I doubt if your imagination needs any help."
He started to protest but she stopped him with a kiss. He didn't want her to think he came by this early with the intent of catching her undressed. That was just a nice coincidence. "Libby, should I have called first before stopping this morning?"
"No Ken, it's fine. I'm glad to see you. You have an open invitation to stop by anytime." She laughed again. He loved listening to her laugh. "Now go wash your face and let me get dressed real quick".