I had some great feed back last chapter but i must say the quantity of reviewers was way down.

Fanfiction seemed to be having lots of issues so maybe that was it...

i had a hard time getting the last chapter posted, which is why you may have noticed some funny numbering of the chapter...

Thanks for reading, please review!!!

Chapter 21

Pulling up in front of The Market Darling, Charlie parks the car and grabs Paige's hand as she reaches for the door handle.

"Paige wait," Charlie waits until she turns to him, her face still red from her earlier crying, mascara streaks snaking down from her eyes and then smeared across her cheeks. "I'll get the door. I will always get the door. I had a momentary lapse of sanity."

"Charlie maybe you should just take me home. I'm a mess, and I have a raging headache. The last thing I want to do right now is be seen in public."

"If that's really what you want then of course I will. But you don't have to see anybody. My mom will be in the store, and dad will be golfing. I will just run in and tell my mom we're going upstairs to the house. You can wash your face, put a cool wash cloth on it whatever you need. I will get you something to take for your headache, and then when you feel better we can look at some clothes. Come on Paige, it isn't like you to blow off part of your 'to do' list."

Paige shifts her gaze from Charlie to his hand that is still cradling hers. She places her other hand on top of his cupping his in between. She nods so slightly that if Charlie hadn't been intently focused on her he would have missed it entirely.

"You wait here. I can run in and tell mom we are here and get the key to the front door, you don't even have to see her."

"Thank you Charlie."

"Don't thank me Paige, this is all my fault anyway." Charlie watches as she removes her top hand from around his, her other hand still tucked inside his. He picks it up and places a gentle kiss on the back of it. "The least I can do is try and make up for it. I'll be right back."

Charlie didn't let go of her hand until he had opened his door and was mostly out of the car and his arm wouldn't reach any further. Paige watched him run into the store front and kept her eyes on the door until he came back out. He smiled and waved the house keys at her as he walked up to the car and opened her door. His smile got even bigger as he took her hand to help her out. He watched as she swung her long legs out first, as she placed her five inch Jimmy Choo orange stilettos carefully on the sidewalk and reached for Charlie's other hand. Placing one foot slightly in front of the other she allowed Charlie to pull her from the car.

Paige watched as Charlie, keeping her hands firmly in his took a step back and moved his gaze slowly up her body. Starting with the shoes, then up her legs, appreciating the line of her ankle the impossibly high heels created, then on to her amazing calves, the tiny scar on her knee that he didn't want to think about right then. He loved the generous glimpse of thigh her short dress showed him, and the way the white dress itself hugged her hips. His eyes moved up to her waist and the orange belt she had used instead of the red one that had come with the dress when he picked it out the day before. A little further and his eyes were on her chest, the low square neckline framing perfectly what it kept hidden behind it. He could just see one of the thick straps, peeking from inside her orange swing coat, that passed over her prominent clavicle. His eyes were still on her neckline when he finally spoke.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, you look absolutely stunning."

Paige laughed and pulling one of her hands from his, she uses it to nudge his chin, moving his bowed head up so he could look her in the eye. With her five inch shoes on they were exactly the same height. "That's great Charlie, next time you use that line on a girl, you might want to look her in the eye."

Charlie stares deeply into her eyes, "Doesn't matter, still stunning."

Paige laughs harder, "And you say I'm a nut, come on let's go."

Charlie kept hold of her hand and led her up the stairs to the entrance to his parents' house; an old Victorian on Union Street, the four story building was typical of the area with a store front on the ground floor and then the levels above for residential use. He led her into a guest bedroom that had an attached bathroom. He helped her get her coat off and then had her sit on the bed. Paige tried to ignore the intimacy of him kneeling on the floor beside her and undoing the buckles from the thin straps on her shoes and the feel of his soft hands on her feet as he removes them completely. Leaving her there he walks into the bathroom and gets her a cool wash cloth.

"Why don't you lie back for a minute, I will get you something for your headache. Do you have a preference? I am not sure what they have."

Taking the wash cloth Paige scoots back so she can lie down. "Tylenol can be taken on an empty stomach, aspirin or motrin would be fine too, but if it's one of those will you get me something to eat, a couple crackers or something?"

Charlie brushes some hair off her cheek and nods, waiting until she lies back and covers her face with the cloth before going off in search of some pain relievers.

He returns a few minutes later with a glass of water, a box of wheat thins and a bottle of motrin. He helps her sit up and stuffs a pillow behind her back so she can lean back comfortably. He waits why she eats a few of the crackers and then tosses two of the motrin down and chases them with a long drink of the water. "Just rest a bit more okay, there are more wash cloths in the bathroom and some soaps and stuff. I'll stay with you if you want but if you'd rather be alone I can go downstairs with my mom. We can set aside some things we think you will like."

Paige watches him for a minute, a million sensations ripping through her body, she isn't sure what some of them are, she's confused by where some of them end and others begin. There is the pounding in her head, there's pain in her heart, a hole in her stomach and fluttering further down. She sees the concern in his eyes. "Charlie I'll be okay, thank you for all of this, it really was above and beyond. I just need a few minutes okay, some quiet for the jack hammer in my head to lose steam, and then I'll go wash my face. I'll come down in a bit."

"Take your time okay, no rushing. We still have an hour before we need to leave, and if we have to we can always be a bit late."

"Don't be silly, did you forget who you're with? I'm not going to let your little pregnancy scare or a few mascara streaks come between me and a brunch at the Ritz."

Charlie smiles, "That's my girl, just come down when you're ready." He helps her remove the pillow from her back and once she is comfortably lying back he leans over and kisses her on the forehead. Again waiting until the wash cloth is back over her eyes he backs out of the room, not taking his eyes off of her until he is out of the doorway.

Going down to the store Charlie tells his mom what an ass he was. Not wanting to infringe on Paige's privacy he doesn't tell her everything he did or even the reason behind his behavior, but being a mom, especially one who has spent years observing her son's relationship with Paige Lamb, she sees how badly he feels.

"Charlie, this isn't the first time you've screwed up, and unfortunately it probably won't be the last. It will be okay, Paige knows how much you care, and she isn't going to hold whatever you said against you. Why don't you look around and see what you think will look good on her, her size card is back in the box. I'll go up and see how she is doing." Evelyn Darling leans up and kisses her only son on his cheek, and then heads up the stairs to see if she can be of help to the only girl her son has ever loved.

Thirty minutes later Charlie hears both his mom and Paige laughing as they come down into the store. Hanging up a pair of denim capris he had found on the dressing room he had set aside for her he rushes to her. His mom winks at him and goes to help a customer.

"See, I told you, absolutely stunning."

Paige rolls her eyes, "At least you remembered to look me in the eye when you said it this time. Your mom was great Charlie, thank you for sending her up. I feel more like myself again. She said you were picking some things out, did you find anything?"

"Yes but don't feel obligated to try anything on you don't like. She told me to look for stuff that would look good on you, and well, I don't think she has anything in here that wouldn't look great."

Charlie takes her coat that had been draped over her arm and tosses it into a chair. Putting a hand on the small of her back he guides her to the dressing room.

"My goodness Charlie, you've been busy, half the store must be in here. And there is an awful lot of orange."

"I noticed it does amazing things to your eyes, and it happens to be my favorite color."

"And to think I chose it this morning so I would match the car." Paige smiles a mischievous smile.

"You can stick to that story if you want but I know better. You should wear orange all the time, its like fireworks go off in your eyes as the blue and green compete for dominance."

"Okay, now I know you're a nut, but at least you managed to deliver that line actually looking into my eyes. Come on let's see what you found."

"Paige wait... I think you should stay one more night. Don't go back yet. Get one more good night's sleep, and then you can get up early and leave in the morning."

"Charlie, I have to go."

"Why? Why do you HAVE to go today? I read your report, you are still supposed to be on the cruise. I know you had to call in Kate to take care of Don, but she is willing and able to stay until you got home from the cruise AND while you brought Veronica up here. You would have never made it back before Wednesday." Charlie turns Paige around so she is facing the full length mirror in the dressing room, keeping his hands on her shoulders he begins to massage the knots he knew he would find there. "Look at your eyes Paige, they are beautiful sure, but look how tired they are, and this tightness in your shoulders, and your back," one of his hands moves up to her neck, his thumb rubbing gently circles at the base of her hairline, " And your neck, do you really think any of this will be helped with an eight hour car drive?"

Paige pulls away and laughs, "You're pretty good at this Charlie. I would be convinced that you actually had my best interests at heart except for one little thing. I saw the lemons… and the strawberries. Two bags of Lemons, and a whole flat of berries. You just want me to make you some lemonade, and you know I won't be able to if we leave directly from brunch."

"I'll always have your best interests at heart, fresh squeezed lemonade is just a side benefit. I thought I could help."

Paige smiled and glances at him as she goes through the clothes he had chosen for her to look at, separating them into two piles. "Do you even know how to juice a lemon?"

"No, but until yesterday I didn't know how to separate an egg either, I want to learn, and I want you to be the one to teach me. If I help we can get it done quickly and then we can go to the gym and work out some of the kinks in your back and shoulders. I think you need a good hour on the mat getting your ass kicked."

Paige drops the last article of clothing into a pile and turns to Charlie, her eyebrows raised in reply to the challenge. "Really? And who exactly is going to kick my ass? Chester?"

"Sadly Chester took his wife to the flower show at the San Mateo fair grounds this weekend. You will have to settle for me."

"Then I am pretty sure it won't be my ass that gets kicked. I'll think about it okay, no promises. Let's pay for these and then get going."

Charlie drops his eyes to the two piles on the bench in front of him, both decent size piles but one easily twice as big as the other. "Okay, I will settle for that, just make sure you actually think about it. Which one of these are we getting?"

"Both, the little one will fit in the 'ghini, and the big one your mom can ship to me in Neptune. It will give me a chance to get a head of my 'to do' list, and it isn't likely I will find anything nicer anywhere down south."

**************************

"Logan we have to stop." Veronica pushes him off of her and he rolls over, lying beside her on Paige's bed. Both of them practically gasping for air.

"That was the best 'little kiss' I've ever had."

"I think it stopped being a little kiss when your hand went up my shirt."

"It's a good thing I'm leaving soon, because it is getting harder and harder to keep my hands to myself."

"What time is it? How long 'til we leave?"

Logan checks his Black Nixon Chrono surfing watch his mom bought him just weeks before she leapt from the Coronado Bridge, the only thing he has from her that wasn't destroyed in the fire when his house burned down. "It's ten now, Derek said we were leaving at ten thirty."

Veronica rolls over to her side, placing her hand on Logan's chest she runs it down to the bottom of his shirt and then back up again, this time her hand underneath the cotton barrier of the one nice shirt he packed for the trip. "Hmmmm, thirty minutes, whatever could we find to do for thirty whole minutes?"

"Fuck Veronica, what are you trying to do to me?" Logan pulls her hand out, and sits up. "Don't get me wrong, I love where you were going with that, but if I kiss you again, I won't be able to stop. I don't want to screw this up Veronica. And besides I want to talk to Derek before we leave."

"Let me get this straight, you are passing up making out on the bed with me to go talk to the white haired old guy down stairs? I mean, I realize for being over sixty years old the guy looks great, he even has all his hair, but…"

"Ronnie… I'm glad you find me so irresistible, but do I need to remind you of the definition of slow again?"

Veronica rolls her eyes, "You just remember that next time you want to get frisky and I want to eat. What do you want to talk to Derek about?"

"Paige told me to talk to him if I had any concerns about your safety while you are here. I just want to go over his plan."

OH CRAP! Veronica grabs hold of Logan's shirt and uses it to pull him over, so he is practically lying on top of her. "Kiss me Logan, you don't have to stop."

"You're willing to trade sex to avoid me having this conversation with Derek? I feel cheap. But okay-" Logan runs his hand down Veronica's side, past her hips and slows when he hits the short skirt covering her thigh. He slips his thumb underneath, sliding it up the rest of his fingers follow. He keeps his eyes on hers as his hand makes its way further up her skirt. Her eyes grow huge as his hand comes in contact with her thin silky panties. "Veronica I love you." Logan sighs as he pulls his hand out and sits up. "You want to tell me why you don't want me to talk to Derek?"

"You big tease! I thought you said if you kissed me you wouldn't be able to stop."

"That is why I kept my lips to myself. Since you obviously don't want to say anything, I'm going down to talk to Derek. Do you want to come?"

Veronica shakes her head, "Logan promise me that when you talk to him, that you will remember you like him, he is someone you have come to respect. And remember what I said, I choose YOU Logan, no one else, just you."

Logan looks at her questioningly but seeing she has no more to add on the subject he grabs his duffel bag and goes to find Derek. He finds him and Penny in the kitchen.

"Good Morning Penny, Derek can I talk to you again before we leave?"

"Sure, do we need to go somewhere private?" Derek motions to Penny, "We can go in the library if you want."

"No, it's isn't personal I just wanted a couple minutes of your time." Logan sits on a barstool and Derek turns to face him, Penny goes about putting the tea service she had been washing away. "I was really concerned when Veronica told me she was coming here, you've been great, and I know I don't have to worry about her when she is here or at work. But what still concerns me is the rest of the time. She's a lot like Paige, she isn't going to be content sitting around while other people solve her problems, and she isn't one to be cooped up in a house for long, especially in a new city with so many things to see. Her safety means everything to me. I know you have taken it very seriously while I've been here I just want to know what the plan is for when I'm gone."

"I promise she will be well taken care of Logan. I am taking her safety extremely seriously too. She won't be alone Logan, not even in the house, although I am sure you noticed it is more secure than most, I won't be taking any chances. Veronica will always be under the watchful eye of a SWAT officer. I know how hard it is for her to trust strangers, which is why, when Charlie volunteered for the assignment I asked him to start right away. I thought it would be good for you and Veronica to get to know him while you were still together."

"Charlie? Hell no!"

"Logan, Charlie is extremely good at what he does. Not only he did he graduate at the top of his class at the academy, he has scored higher than any officer ever on our SWAT training course. He does side work for Miles' security firm, I know he looks young, but trust me there is no one I would trust more. If it were Paige, he would be the one I wanted."

"That is great for Paige, but not for Veronica. There is no way I want him with her all the time. That is just asking for trouble."

"I realize Veronica is a very pretty girl, Logan, but in case you haven't noticed Charlie's interests happen to lie elsewhere."

Logan started to answer but Veronica and Mac walked in, turning his attention away from Derek and to Veronica Logan shouts, "You knew about this, and you're okay with it?"

"I suspected, and Paige confirmed it this morning. That was what I was talking to her about. Logan it isn't a big deal, you like Charlie, and he LOVES Paige."

"So did Payton, but that didn't stop him from going after what was easily available."

*****************************

Keith stood in the back of the small children's section of Novel Ideas, the independent new and used book store in Neptune. He was leaning up against a shelf of books smiling as he watched Kate read one of her older books to the group of children who were seated on the floor around her. When she had mentioned the reading as a way to appease her publisher for the stalled tour she was on, he hoped she had meant it as an invitation. When he walked in and saw her already animated face light up even more he was glad he was able to rearrange his morning in order to make it work.

Now that Jerry Sacks had been cleared to work in the field he sent him with Deputy D'Amato to follow up on some other tips in the Nish Sweeney investigation. He also pushed back an appointment he had already rescheduled twice with the County Prosecutor he had over his own recent indictment for evidence tampering all in the hope that maybe, after she was done reading and signing books, Kate would have time to grab a quick bite or a cup of coffee before she had to rush back to Don.

He waited patiently while she read another book, and then laughed when the kids begged for one more. He loved how patient she was during the question and answer session. He listened with rapt attention as she talked about how when the children she used to take care of were little, the little boy loved peanut butter on pancake sandwiches, but the little girl was too young to have peanuts. She told how the little girl begged and begged to try some but her parents wouldn't let her because there was a history of peanut allergies in the family. Her parents said she could have peanuts when she could spell it. Paige was two when she proudly announced at dinner one night that not only could she spell peanut but she could also spell butter, and sandwiches. Her parent's said she had to wait until she was four. Feeling guilty for eating it in front of her but not guilty enough to stop her eight year old brother came up with the most disgusting thing he could think of to call it to deter her from wanting to eat it so badly, and that was how Cow Tongue and Monkey Brain Sandwiches got their name.

He chuckled when he thought back to Don tickling his daughter until she agreed to try the combination and then practically stuffing it down her throat when she balked. He laughed just thinking how he hadn't bought a bottle of maple syrup since then.

He stood by and watched as she moved to a table and signed countless books for countless children. She took the time to talk to each one and made sure she spelled everyone's name correctly. She chatted with the parents and answered their questions.

An hour after the event was supposed to end the last customer left the table and Keith walked up.

Kate had been aware of him the whole time, she had hinted she would be here today and hoped he would pick up on it. She did her best to hurry things along but she wouldn't cheat the kids out of her time.

"Sheriff Mars, I hope you aren't here because of some sort of injustice."

"Actually I am. I realized I have relied too heavily on take out and TV dinners. My daughter never really had the opportunity to learn to cook. She did learn how to make snickerdoodles in seventh grade Home Ec. before she dropped out to take a photography class that had an opening when a student moved away. And she can make a mean box of mac and cheese." Keith set the copy of Kate's cookbook he had been holding down on the table in front of her. "I thought maybe a signed copy of your book might inspire her. She is already a big fan of cow tongue and monkey brain sandwiches, although I will admit, we didn't know that is what they were called."

"I'm not letting you buy that. I have a few copies in my suitcase I would happily give you. And anything Veronica wants to learn, I will show her myself."

Keith smiles at the picture in his head of his beautiful daughter in the kitchen next to the beautiful Kate making him dinner. "Did it work?"

"I'm sorry? Did what work?"

"Don's plan to deter Paige from wanting the peanut butter so badly."

"Sadly no, Paige was way too smart for that trick. But the name stuck, there is a whole generation of kids in San Francisco who eat their pancakes with peanut butter and refer to them that way."

"Kate I know you probably need to get back to Don, but do you have time for coffee, or maybe an early lunch, one that you didn't have to make yourself?"

"I would love to, let me just call and see if I can get one of Don's friends to drop by and check on him."

Keith listened while she made the quick call and arranged for Don's friend Lefty to stop by and check on Don. He thought for a split second he might have made a mistake when he heard her tell Lefty that there was plenty of spaghetti for lunch, he knew that no matter where he took Kate for lunch they wouldn't have anything near as delicious as the homemade pasta she had made the day before. But then he decided he would be fine eating cardboard if it meant an hour alone with Kate.

He waited until she was done on the phone and then led her to the door. "So what sounds good to you? Unfortunately, we have nothing in town that comes close to the things you prepare. Our one good restaurant is Luigi's and their spaghetti has nothing on yours."

"Would it be totally wrong of me to ask for pizza? I think Don must have had it every night since he got here until he got shot. I've been craving some and he bit my head off when I suggested it yesterday."

"Pizza it is. Cho's Pizza is the only one in town and it's actually pretty good, just don't order the duck."

"Duck on a pizza? No promises, that sounds intriguing." Kate allows Keith to open the passenger door of his Sheriff's car and climbs in. She waits until he is in the car with her and then turns to face him. "I'm really glad you were able to make it, I was hoping you would at least stop by."

Keith smiled and leaned across the center console, wrapping his right arm around her neck he pulls her to meet him. He kept the kiss short and sweet, just right for a uniformed officer in a county issued vehicle in a public place in the middle of the day.

"I'm glad I made it too, but if you order the duck, will you give me another one of those before you eat it?"

Kate laughed a deep hearty laugh, "You sound just like Paige. When she was little she would make everybody she knew give her a kiss before they could eat ketchup. She still does it… just not with everybody. I think I will skip the duck, I don't know that I want that kind of restriction."

Keith started the car and they chatted about the book signing until they got to the restaurant. When they pulled up Keith grabbed his radio and was pleased to see that Kate stayed in the car until he walked around to open the door for her.

"I love that you let me do that for you. Not many women will these days."

"Not many men even attempt it anymore. There are a few. It is something I drilled into Don and all his friends, fortunately his parents backed me up with that one."

They went inside and placed their order, choosing to share a basic pepperoni with extra sauce and olives pizza, and they both got plates for the salad bar. Keith was thrilled when they sat down in a booth Kate scooted all the way over so he could slide in next to her.

The pizza was just being delivered to their table when the radio came to life and Deputy Sacks announced he and his partner were taking a code seven. Keith laughed as Kate's eyes got big and the disappointment was clearly evident on her face.

"Do you have to go?"

"All that cop talk at home and you don't know what a code seven is?"

"Penny allowed Derek to have his pager at the table but not his radio. Dinner time was family time and family time is sacred."

"Code seven means they went to lunch. Deputy's Sacks and D'Amato may not be the best but I think they can handle this one on their own."

"How come you didn't go 'code seven' when you went to lunch?"

"Because I went code ten-twelve before I got to the book store. Just plain old 'out of service, and unavailable' until further notice."

Kate smiled at this but then turned serious, "Deputy Sacks was the one who killed the guy who shot Don? He's back on full duty?"

"He's been back for a while, but yes he was just cleared for full duty, today was his first day."

"I don't know how you guys get used to it, the death. Between Derek and all he sees, and Penny, she doesn't lose a lot of patients, but sometimes…"

"Kate let's talk about something else…"

"You're right, that is why I made the 'no murder or mayhem talk' at the table rule. Let's talk about something else."

"How about we talk about tonight. I was thinking-"

"Paige comes home tonight."

"I know, Veronica told me she was leaving this afternoon. I was thinking that with Paige there you wouldn't have to wait for Don to fall asleep to sneak out. Maybe I could take you out on a real date."

"Keith I can't, not tonight. I won't be able to sneak out at all. Paige is vulnerable right now, in all honesty she is a bit of an emotional wreck. She is going to need me tonight more than Don even."

"I see." Keith swallows and pushes his plate away. "Kate, I'm worried I'm getting some mixed signals here. After last night-"

"What about last night, I thought I explained… that you understood."

"You did, there are just little things, like when I offered to help make the popcorn, I was hoping you would say yes, even if you didn't actually need help I could have just been with you in the kitchen."

"If I would have let you help me, Don would have insisted on pausing the movie. I was trying to speed things along not delay them further. I thought as soon as it was over he would go to bed, the last thing I wanted to do was stop the movie. What else, you said little THINGS, plural, so what else bothered you."

"I just started to question my appraisal of your feelings. I thought you liked me but then I wasn't so sure, or I thought maybe you changed your mind. When I got there you sent me in to talk to Don, I wasn't there to see Don, he wasn't the one who invited me to dinner. I would have rather helped you in the kitchen. Then when Don didn't go to bed I was afraid you had asked him to stay up, by the time he walked me to the door and made the 'thanks for dropping by, we'll have to do it again sometime' comment, I was thoroughly confused."

"Keith I explained this last night, I didn't plan for him to do anything other than eat and go to bed. He totally surprised me too. I sent you in to see him when you got there because I knew he would feel left out if I didn't. He wouldn't have been happy until he got the latest scoop on whatever case you are working right now and I didn't want it to be a part of the dinner conversation, and I didn't want any excuses for him to be up longer than necessary."

"But you didn't tell him about us? You haven't told either of them, Paige or Don. Are you hiding it?"

"Have you told Veronica?"

"That's a little different. I'm Veronica's dad."

"So you think that makes my relationship with Paige less important?"

"Kate-"

"Those kids are my whole life. They are my family. Maybe I didn't give birth to them, but I have spent more time with Paige then both her parent's combined. I'm not saying they were bad parents, they weren't. But she is every bit as much mine as she is theirs and they would be the first to admit that."

"Kate, that isn't what I meant. Anyone can see what Paige means to you. How much you love her. I haven't said anything to Veronica because I know how upset she gets when I start seeing someone. I want her to meet you and have the chance to get to know you before she hates the idea of you."

"And I haven't said anything to Don because I didn't want him to mention it to Paige because I didn't want her to say anything to Veronica because I didn't know if you had told her. I'm not playing games here."

"I'm really screwing this up aren't I?"

"Yes."

"Kate, I'm sorry. It's been a long time since I have met anyone that I have found remotely interesting, let alone someone like you who I find incredibly fascinating on so many levels. I know we just met, but I know you aren't going to be here for too long and I want to spend as much time as possible getting to know you before you leave."

"I find you incredibly fascinating too. And we can figure something out."

*******************************

"Sir, we will just leave the car out front, it's good for business." The parking valet hops into the driver's side of the orange Lamborghini and waits while Charlie opens the door and helps Paige from the car. He pulls the car up a few feet parking it prominently in front of the Ritz Carlton Hotel and hands the keys to Charlie. "Enjoy your stay." The words were meant for Charlie but the valet's eyes never made it off Paige.

Charlie chuckles and takes her hand possessively, "I told you abso-posi-lutely stunning. He thinks we are here for more than just brunch… Gotta love Don's car, it's as easy to park as the SWAT truck. We are a little early, let's go in and I will buy you a cup of that tea you love so much."

"No way Charlie, if Logan wants to spend forty five dollars buying me a cup of tea he can, you've done enough…" Paige sighs as both her and Charlie's phones go off at the same time.

FR: Dad

Running late, reservations
moved to 1130
See you then

Sat, June 24, 10:42AM

"Well there's only one reason why my mom is ever late. Come on, why don't you let ME buy you a cup of tea."

"We have forty five minutes Paige, why don't we walk a bit, aren't some of your favorite shoe stores just a couple of blocks that way?" Charlie points south, down Stockton Street. "I bet if you tried really hard you could make a couple pairs fit in the car with all your new clothes."

"Charlie, seriously? There has to be like a million things you would rather do than go shoe shopping with me."

I'm standing in front of the classiest hotel in San Francisco, with the most beautiful woman I've ever met, yes there are a few things I would rather do… but since none of those are possible, shoe shopping ranks pretty high. "I don't know about a whole million but… let's see… hmmmmm… we could, no that won't work… or there is always… no that's too far…I went to the dentist yesterday… nothing really comes to mind, is there something you would rather do than shoe shop?"

*********************************************

"Logan I can't believe you said that." Veronica and Logan were back up in Paige's room. "How could you be so insensitive?"

"Damn it Veronica how could you think it would be okay with me for you to spend every waking moment with some guy who looks like he just stepped off an Armani ad? Guys and girls can't just be friends."

"I'm friends with Wallace, are you going to take him away from me too? What about you, you're going to be spending the next eight hours all alone in a car with Paige, more than that if she stops to eat every two hours, should I be worried?"

"Of course not… I'm not interested in Paige."

"Do you find her attractive?"

"I find you attractive."

"That's not what I asked, could she or could she not grace the cover of next month's Vogue."

"I love you Veronica, it doesn't matter how pretty anyone else is. I love you. I want to be with you."

"And I want to be with you, but right now you are really pissing me off. So what, you think you have more self control than me? That I should trust you to stay away from Paige but that I won't be able to resist Charlie. How long do you think it will take me once you and Paige drive off, before I throw myself at him?"

"Veronica-"

"No Logan, I thought we were getting past all this. I thought you were going to stop trying to control me. I poured my heart out to you these last couple days. I thought you trusted me. Was I wrong to trust you? You don't choose my friends Logan, I do, don't make me regret that I chose you."

*************************************

Walking back to the hotel, each holding a bag, Charlie laughs when he sees the parking valet seething over the large SWAT issued suburban with its blackened windows blocking the Lamborghini. Charlie takes Paige's bag and places it along with the one he'd been carrying onto the passenger seat. Taking pity on the poor valet, Charlie tosses him the keys to the sports car. "I can see how that could put a damper on your business, come on I'll help you switch them around."

After righting all that was wrong in the world of the parking valet he follows Paige inside to find the rest of their party. Just as they walked into the banquet hall Charlie grabbed her arm and pulled her back out, swinging her around and up against the wall. He puts a hand on the wall above her shoulder, his other hand on the wall next to her waist, effectively blocking her in.

"Paige, stay." His eyes are pleading as they bore into hers.

"Charlie, I said I'd think about it."

"Paige, I'm asking you to stay, stay for me. Stay because I'm asking you to."

"Charlie…"

"When was the last time I asked you for something?"

"Ummm let's see, there was that time a little over an hour ago when you asked me to forget that I looked and felt like a complete disaster and you asked me to go to your parents. There was the time a few hours ago when you asked me to let you come to my doctor's appointment. I'm skipping the 'take these pregnancy tests' question because that wasn't really a question. And earlier this morning you asked me to let you go running with me."

"All of that was for you, I asked, but I did it all for you. When was the last time I asked you to do something just because it was something I wanted? Stay Paige, just one night, not because you need the sleep, just stay because I want you to."

"All right. As long as it's okay with Logan I'll stay."

"Tell me you are doing it for me, that I'm the only reason."

"Charlie… if you hadn't asked, if it wasn't something you wanted I would have said no." Paige could feel the pounding in her heart, Charlie's gaze so intense that she felt he was actually touching her. "We need to go in…" Breathe, why can't I breathe?

"Thank you, come on let's go."

Taking the two empty seats at the table Paige starts teasing her mom for being late, and was surprised to hear her mom deny that it had been her fault. Charlie and Paige both noticed that things at the table seemed a little strained. Paige told about some of the clothes she bought and told Logan he might have to ship his bag home so she would have room for her four new pairs of shoes. Veronica attempted a laugh but Logan didn't seem to find it at all funny.

The waiter comes and takes their order and as soon as he was done Penny asks Paige to join her in the ladies room. Logan, Veronica and Mac all watch as Derek and Charlie hop up to help the ladies with their chairs.

Once inside the lounge area of the restroom Paige turns to her mom, "So are you going to tell me what's going on? When I left this morning things were great between Veronica and Logan, now not only do they both seem to be avoiding me, they aren't even looking at each other."

"Logan has a bit of a jealous streak. He found out Charlie is handling guard duty and he went a little crazy. I think he's upset, but I also think he is a little embarrassed at how he handled it."

"Men can be so stupid. Okay that explains what happened with them, why are they avoiding me?"

"I told you, Logan said some mean things… Paige I need you to stay another night."

"What? Have you been conspiring with Charlie?"

Penny shakes her head confused. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, but no I haven't talked to Charlie all day. Your dad and I have that Breast Cancer fundraiser tonight. He surprised me with a room at the hotel where the event is being held. Your dad thinks if you stay, Logan won't freak about Charlie spending the night and this way Logan and Veronica will have more time to work out their issues."

"Mom I told Kate I would be back tonight, it isn't fair to just keep changing things on her. Her publisher is already mad because she put the tour on hold. I told her she could get right back to it, tonight was going to be the only night I got to spend any time with her."

"I already called Kate. She did a book signing in Neptune this morning, and she is going to do one in LA tomorrow, she got Lefty to stay with Don, her publisher is appeased. She told me she would stay for a couple of days after you got there. She misses you too. She feels badly that you have been dealing with everything without her. Paige it could be fun, just like when you were little. You can all have a slumber party in the family room, and get pizza, you can watch a movie. As long as it's PG-13."

"Funny, have you mentioned this little plan to Logan? Are we even sure he can stay?"

"No, we didn't want to tell him that we wouldn't be there tonight until we knew you would be."

"Fine, I'll ask him."

Penny and Paige go back to the table and Penny nods, smiling at Derek.

Paige isn't quite as happy, she leans over and whispers to Charlie, "You knew! You didn't buy all the lemons hoping I would stay, you knew I would have to. What was up with the whole, stay because I asked?"

Charlie smiles and whispers back, "I'm not just a pretty face Paige, I can read people too, and Logan's jealousy might as well be written on his forehead. I didn't want that to be the reason."

Paige sighs loudly and gulps down her strawberries and champagne tea, "Logan can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Without waiting for a reply Paige gets up and heads for the door.

Logan whips around and glares at Penny, when he doesn't get a reaction from her he turns to Charlie, still getting nothing he turns to Veronica.

Veronica meets his gaze and whispers sarcastically, "You better go, you don't want to keep her waiting."

Logan defeated, gets up and follows the path Paige had taken. He finds her in the foyer of the grand hotel by a huge flower display.

"Paige, I'm sorry…"

"For what? What are you sorry for?"

"Once again I shot off my mouth and… wait your mom didn't tell you?"

"No, and to be honest I don't think I could handle it, so if it is all the same to you can we just skip it for now? You can save it for the next time you need to insult me. All my mom told me was that you got upset about Charlie doing his job. Logan, Charlie is a professional, he won't let anything get between him and the job he is tasked to perform. He is very good at what he does."

"Paige-"

"It doesn't matter Logan, all that matters is Veronica's safety. But we want both of you and to be comfortable with the way things are. What is it about Charlie that concerns you?"

Logan looks at her but he doesn't reply.

"Is it that he's so young? Did my dad tell you how he holds the highest training score for SWAT, and not just here, but in the state? Do you question his ability?"

"That isn't it."

"Okay what is it?"

Logan finds a flower just to the left of Paige's head to stare at, again not replying.

"Logan I can't help you if you don't tell me what your problem is."

"It isn't just Charlie, I hate that any guy will be spending that much time with Veronica."

"So you are just jealous?" When Logan doesn't answer Paige continues, "I'll take your silence as a guilty plea, what would you prefer Logan?

"Why does it always have to be Charlie? Why can't it be some old guy, who's married and has ten kids? Why can't I hire private security?"

"Because old married guys with ten kids don't have the kind of time that Charlie has, or the focus. Look Logan, Charlie wasn't the only guy who volunteered for this assignment, but he was the best. Some could see this as a cake job, lots of down time, babysitting a teenage girl. It's easy to let your guard down under those circumstances. Charlie won't do that, he doesn't know how. He sees everything Logan, right now he's sitting at that table quietly studying everybody in that room, he could tell you the license plate number of every car that was in this lot when we got here. You want a list of everyone you talked to at that film thing yesterday, Charlie could give it to you. Hell Logan, he could sketch every single one of them for you. And private security? Are you going to pay someone a million dollars to keep her safe? Because that's how much the Sorokin's are willing to pay to anyone who will bring her head to them on silver platter. Charlie can't be bought, he doesn't care about the money. He is the most loyal person I have ever met."

"That's all great, but does he have to be so damn good looking."

"You need to trust Veronica… and you need to put her needs ahead of your jealousy right now. She needs you to be comfortable with her situation, if you keep this up, she is either going to do something stupid that will get her killed or she's going to push you away, I don't think either of those are things you want."

"No…"

"Logan we can't stay for much longer, it isn't safe for you to be here, not for you and especially not for Veronica. So this is a onetime offer. My parents will be gone overnight tonight. Charlie will be staying over. Would you be more at ease if we spent one more night?"

"Will that mess up any plans you had?"

"I have already said I would stay as long as it was okay with you."

"Yes I would like to stay."

"Okay, so is this all settled? Can we go in and enjoy the rest of brunch? No more drama?"

**************************************

"Hello Dick." Mac ran up the last few stairs that she had been climbing when the phone rang and then into her room. Closing the door behind her she plops on her bed. "You have perfect timing, I need to talk to someone sane."

"What's wrong? I thought we agreed, if you needed anything you would call. What's going on?"

"Nothing is wrong, I just spent the morning with a bunch of crazy people."

"What crazy people. I thought Paige was leaving and you would be all alone, I was going to call you earlier but you had that brunch."

"Paige had to stay another day, she isn't really one of the crazy people, at least I don't think so. I told you her friend Charlie has been hanging out with us and so have a couple of her other friends. They are the crazy ones." This is so hard, how do I not tell him his best friend is a raving lunatic. What was I thinking agreeing to this? "We all went to brunch and there was a bit of tension, Paige's friend's boyfriend got all jealous when he found out that his girlfriend was going to be spending some time with Charlie, and even though it was work related he went all nutso, never mind that Charlie practically drools when Paige is around. When this was pointed out to him he made a stupid ass comment about how her ex boyfriend loved her too but it didn't stop him from screwing around, so needless to say you could have cut the tension with a knife. Now Paige is downstairs pretending to be fine with everything by teaching Charlie how to make lemonade, and yes the 'when life hands you lemons' line has been used to death so please spare me, and the other couple are hashing it out somewhere else. Paige's parents are going out tonight and evidently the rest of us are having a slumber party, like we are ten or something. Can you say awkward?"

"That boyfriend sounds like an ass, actually he sounds a lot like Logan, who is often an ass. I'm sorry you are having a bad day."

"It's better now… Speaking of Logan can I ask you something?"

"I already told you, you can ask me anything. Does this have something to do with Logan?"

"Kind of, not really I guess, but I talked to him-"

"You talked to him? I haven't even talked to him, he's like out of the country or something."

"I know I helped with that, I added some security measures to his phone and stuff so nobody could track him. I talked to him because I had some questions… about you."

Dick had been walking out to the terrace but decided he needed to sit down for this, and preferably somewhere we he couldn't just jump off the building if he didn't like where this went. He turned back and sat down on the couch. "Okay, what did you want to ask him, and what did he tell you?"

"I was nervous Dick, this was before last night when we had our whole conversation about you being a better person. I knew you were changing, I just needed independent confirmation. Just so you know I told Logan he didn't need to keep this our conversation a secret from you. I asked him if it was true that you never cheated on Madison, and if she was really your only girlfriend."

"I told you that, you didn't believe me?"

"I did… I wanted too. But I needed to make sure I wasn't crazy. You'll be happy to know he backed you up."

"So you'll believe Logan but not me?"

"It wasn't like that, I told him if he didn't want to answer he didn't have to, I just wanted the truth, he didn't have any reason to lie."

"I suppose he told you I was a master at arranging a break-up."

"I'm not worried about that, if you wanted to be with other people while I was gone, you could have, it was your choice… I also asked him if he would let you date his sister."

"I'm sure he loved that one, did he tell you that all of his friends have 'dated' his sister at one time or another?"

"You mean you and Trina… never mind I don't want to know, Logan said he would be okay with it, and then he mentioned I might want to ask about Vegas. I wasn't going to say anything, I know you can't change your past, I just got really curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want, just tell me to mind my own business and we can talk about something else. How's the weather there, its foggy here."

"Mac, that wasn't exactly my proudest moment. It was back in February, everything was catching up to me, Logan and Veronica had just broken up again, he was all doing his gloomy vampire routine. I was lonely too but I expressed it differently. I met a girl, she had a sister, I arranged for them to come over thinking it would be a distraction for Logan. The sister turned out to be a kid, the girl and I ditched Logan and the kid and went to Vegas. We drank too much, we got to talking about how sucky our lives were and we got married. I had it annulled the day Monday after we got back to Neptune. It was stupid and immat-"

"It's okay."

"It isn't okay-"

"Dick I asked you to tell me and you did, that is all that matters. Thank you for telling me and for being honest. I don't care about the rest.

"Mac you are amazing."

"Hmmmm that sounds like a much nicer topic, let's talk some more about that. What exactly do you find so amazing about me?"

********************************

"Veronica I said I was sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to. Did you apologize to Paige when you talked to her outside?"

"I tried but she wouldn't let me."

"Good I wouldn't let you either, you're lucky her and her parent's didn't toss you out on your ass, my dad sure would have."

"It wasn't like that. Her mom didn't tell her, and she didn't want me to. I stood out there feeling like a total ass and all she wanted to do was convince me that Charlie was the best possible option to keep you safe. I feel better about that, but it made me feel even more like an ass for everything else. I will talk to her Veronica, as soon as you tell me that we are okay, that I didn't completely break apart everything we worked so hard to put together these last couple of days."

"I told you I'm not giving up Logan, we are in this together."

"I don't deserve you…"

"Probably not, but you are kinda cute…"

"Just kinda? Do you think Charlie is cut-"

"Logan!!!"

"I'm kidding, just trying to see if you still have a sense of humor. But I guess not. That means if I want to hear you laugh I'm going to have to tickle you."

"Don't you dare, Logan don't… stop please…"

*****************************

Charlie let himself back into the house after running home to get workout clothes. He hears Paige in the family room so he heads that way, he found her lying on the couch that they had shared the night before. She was flat on her back with her knees pulled up, and she was on the phone. Her mom was sitting on the loveseat reading the latest issue of People Magazine. Penny saw Charlie standing in the doorway and started to wave him in but he put his hand up to him mouth and signaled for her to be quiet. He points to Paige and then got down on his hands and knees and began crawling past the back of the couch. Charlie's job on SWAT, not to mention his role in the FBI had taught him to move silently. He took his time, and listened to Paige's side of her phone conversation, moving only when she was talking. He snuck around the couch to the far end where Paige's feet were and he waited until she was done listening and began to talk again. As soon as he heard her voice he pounced, springing over the armrest right onto where Paige was, his hands all set to engage in another round of 'Operation Tickle Torture'. He was in mid air when he realized he was completely screwed. He landed on the now empty couch with a thud. Paige leaped from behind the couch and landed right on top of him. Still on the phone and rambling about her new shoes, she managed to secure his hands and completely pin him to the couch.

"Kate hold on real quick okay, I have to take care of something… Charlie, are you ever going to learn."

Penny laughed from the loveseat where she witnessed the whole thing. "Paige you really need to learn to play nice. This isn't how you should treat your friends."

Derek who had caught just the final seconds of the show stood in the doorway. "Charlie, I might have to rethink your position on SWAT if you keep letting my nineteen year old daughter get the best of you."

"Mmmmm mmmmm hhhmmmmm" Charlie tried to respond but Paige pushed his head further into the couch cushion.

"Are you quite done yet?"

"MMMmmm MMmm."

"Oh sorry." Paige lets up on Charlie's head but continues to sit on top of him.

"How do you do that? I was totally quiet. Your mom didn't flinch. I only moved when you were talking. How did you even know I was there?"

"I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you… Sorry Kate, I had to catch a rat… oh okay hold on, Charlie, Kate says 'hi'.

**************************************