Dark Chocolate

"Did you really say to me you were surprised we solved this case?" Sandra asked Strickland. She was once again talking to him on phone but it was now night time and she was curled up in bed wishing he was next to her and not on the other end of the phone.

"I only meant I was surprised it was solved so quickly." He replied desperately trying to walk back his earlier comments. He knew the moment he said the words to her that it was an error on his part he just hadn't expected her team to solve the case within a few days.

"You should have lied and blamed the bad connection" she told him with a laugh. It was a good think she loved the guy or she would have been rather put out by his remarks. But she knew him well enough now to know he didn't really mean it that way he said it.

"I'm not that good at lying to you on the spot" he sighed. "And you never cease to amaze me with your talent to solve crimes. You are magnificent." He told her a little flattery never hurt especially when it was true. He honestly was astounded by the cases her and her team were able to solve. He tried to make a point to tell her this whenever he could.

"Really trying to make it sound good, laying it on a little thick don't you think?" She laughed seeing right through his statement.

"Is it working?" he asked hopefully. He had a tendency to say the wrong thing when he wanted to praise her for her and her team's good work.

"We'll see when you get home." She said trying to sound grumpy but she had a big smile on her face. Lucky for her he couldn't see it.

"Are you going to tell me about this Colin Pitchfork?" He asked curious about her comments from their earlier conversation, the one he was now in trouble for.

"Nope if you want know you'll have to ask Jack and Brian. And we will talk about that note you left me later." She answered teasing him.

"I was rushed I'm sorry. I thought the goodbye I left you with that morning would have been more than enough. It was the reason I was late in the first place and had to leave you that note. I completely forgot about the stupid thing. But I am sorry how can I make it up to you? I saw some delicious looking chocolate in a store window and you could eat it while wearing the little number I got you. I saw it in another store window and just had to get it." He offered trying to change the subject to something more fun. He hated being away from her stuck at a stupid conference alone when he would have much rather been curled up in bed with her at that very moment.

"Have you actually spent any time at this conference?" She teased a bit more.

"I have in fact and I have been bored out of my mind. So what are your thoughts on the chocolate after your case?" He asked her once more. He didn't want to talk about the stupid conference that had taken him away from her. He wanted to focus on coming back home to her.

"It better be the most artisanal chocolate there ever was. I don't want to see a candy bar for a very long time and I never want to see anything that resembles a nougat ever again." She said firmly it was a wonder she could eat any chocolate after the case. When she looked at it she couldn't help but think of a finger cut off by a crazy cheating lover.

"Too close to this case?" he correctly guessed.

"You think?" she replied sarcastically.

"Sorry I won't mention candy again. I hate being away from you." He admitted the empty bed was starting to get to him.

"The feeling is very mutual." She sighed snuggling down into the covers; she wished he was right there beside her. She closed her eyes trying to pretend he was there with her and not on the end of a phone line.

"You know now that I am back at my hotel with have a good connection and you are home from the pub maybe we could try something over the phone?" he offered carefully.

"What like phone sex?" Her eyes popped open as she scoffed at his idea. She was more than a little surprised he was actually proposing they try and have sex over the phone.

"Yes" he replied he thought it was a good idea. If they couldn't be together that didn't mean they couldn't try and enjoy each other even if it was over the phone.

"I don't think I could take it seriously" she laughed just trying to picture it in her mind. She couldn't seriously envision trying to feel sexually aroused over a phone line.

"What? I can be very serious." He argued a little put out by her comments.

"It feels cliché like from the telly or worse from a case." She answered trying to explain she just couldn't do it. She wanted to be with him, to make love to him and that wasn't something she could do over the phone.

"You are probably right. It was worth a try," he sighed. As much as he wanted to try he did have to admit she had a good point.

"Right thank you" she replied closing her eyes once more.

"So how was your day off? You didn't miss me at all did you?"

"I missed you very much, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a day of taking care of myself. And I'm sure you're not too upset you missed my shopping excursion." She answered keeping her eyes closes if she tried she could imagine he was right next to her and not a few hundred miles away.

"What handbag duty?" he asked, it was no secret he didn't like to hold her bag while she shopped.

"If Gerry, Jack, and Brian can do it so can you" she reminded him.

"Right" he sighed once more, he was surprised they actually carried her bag. Those three had a tendency to make his life harder in unexpected ways. A perfect example was her handbag. They begrudgingly agreed to carry her bag whenever she handed it to them. This meant she expected him to do the same and he hated holding her bag. It wasn't that he felt like it emasculated him but it made him feel like she only wanted him there to hold things for her.

"I found some really cute shirts and a rather sexy little black dress." She teased him she opened her eyes slightly to peer at the dress hanging across the room. She knew he was absolutely going to the love how she looked in the dress.

"I can't wait to see it and to take it off you" he teased her back.

"I'm sure you will find a way to get me out of it as quickly as possible. You can't seem to stop with the sexual fantasies tonight, first chocolate now this." She observed, it was clear he was very distracted by his sexual desires. If he were home she would have gladly explored those desires but she just couldn't do that over the phone.

"Oh they are only fantasies until I get home." He promised he was beyond teasing her now. He was continuing to become more and more frustrated sexually.

"Promises, promises" she couldn't hold back the laugh. "Oh get this Gerry is trying to give up smoking." She told him wisely changing the subject. She knew if she didn't do something to try and steer the conversation away from sex he was going to try his phone sex idea once more.

"Right and how is it going? By the way I am going to ignore the fact that you went from our sex life to Gerry." He informed her and she could imagine the look her was giving her.

"We already agreed no phone sex" she reminded him trying not to get short with him.

"You agreed" he moaned.

"So I had to change the subject" she told him.

"Right so how is Gerry doing with it?" He asked giving up on the phone sex conceding to the fact that she really wasn't going to agree to it no matter what he tried.

"I'm not sure but I'm not letting him off that easy. He asked for my help and he is damn well going to get it." She said firmly she was determined to help him quit.

"He'll soon regret that." He replied quietly, he would have thought Gerry would have been smarter than that.

"Excuse me?"she demanded her voice rising.

"I didn't say anything" he had hoped she hadn't heard him.

"Sure you didn't" she replied letting it go it was too late to fight. "How long until you get back?" she moaned.

"Two more long days" he complained, he really hated being away from her. After his divorce he got use to living alone and going away for work didn't both him much but now he had someone to come home to. Now he hated having to travel away from her, all he wanted was to come home to her at night.

"Great I can't sleep without you. I keep waking up at the crack of dawn and I am so done with being up at that time of day." She sighed, she didn't know when it happened but she had gotten so use to him being there next to her every night when she went to bed and every morning when she woke up.

"Sorry, if it helps I can't fall asleep without you next to me" he sympathized. He lay there tossing and turning longing for her presence next to him. The hotel bed was very comfortable but he couldn't seem to sleep without her calm even breathing next to him and her smell on the sheets.

"Well what a pair we are." He continued with a hollow laugh. "As much as I don't want to, I have to let you go. I have a bunch of papers I have to read before tomorrow's presentation." He told her looking over at the bedside clock.

"Do you have homework?" She asked slightly mocking him.

"Yes I do" he whinged.

"Well we wouldn't want you to be the only kid who didn't get it done." She was really teasing him now and she was enjoying every minute of it.

"I love you." He said ignoring her comments.

"I love you too." She sighed "hurry home please."

"As soon as I can" he promised.

A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing.