It was the sound of her buttons ricocheting off various objects around the room after Joey had yanked her shirt open, that finally brought Watson back to her senses and after some fumbling, she carefully gripped Joey's hands and removed them from her breasts. "Joey, stop," she murmured against her lips. Joey didn't seem to hear her, as she continued to ravish her mouth and Watson found herself fighting an internal battle. Her body wanted this, to let go and have Joey's hands back on her breasts, her lips on hers and so much more, yet her mind was screaming at her to stop. For once, her mind won out. "Joey, we can't do this," she said in a much firmer voice.

There was something in her tone that finally broke through to Joey and she stopped kissing her and just stared at her. Then she looked down, saw Watson's shirt was open and her bra clad breasts in clear view, the nipples prominent even behind the sheer material. Then Joey looked at herself. Saw that she was naked except for her knickers. Her skin was flushed. Her nipples erect. And for the first time, it registered in her alcohol dazed mind, what she was doing. Her horrified eyes met Watson's. There was no censure there in Watson's eyes, just understanding and if she wasn't mistaken, desire, which made Joey feel even worse. "Oh my god," she whispered, then without another word, Joey moved off Watson's lap, picked up her discarded robe and ran from the room.

Watson leant back in the chair and let out a long, breathy sigh. Her heart was still beating quickly as her mind raced over what had just happened. She'd felt kind of out of control there and totally sucked into the moment. It was as if all common sense had deserted her and now looking back, she was surprised by how much she had wished she'd stayed silent and just let it happen. She imagined the sex would have been that hot, frantic sex that would have seen her soaring to climax in no time. Except that would have been totally the wrong thing to have let happen. While there was no denying that Joey was a great kisser, that she was beautiful, had gorgeous boobs and had felt great having her body moving against hers like that, she should never have allowed this to happen in the first place. Joey had obviously been inebriated and she knew from watching Joey lately, that the poor woman just wasn't in the right frame of mind emotionally to be embarking on any sort of relationship, even a fling, right now, not to mention the fact that Joey was still a suspect in the murder of her lover. It didn't matter that she was more on the side of Joey being innocent than guilty. She was still a suspect and so, a no go zone. So how the hell did she let this happen?

"Fuck," she muttered. "Maybe I could just blame my perfume," murmured Watson, since Joey was the second woman after Fitzy to have basically thrown herself at her that day. What the hell was going on with that? She shook her head at the way the day had progressed. A quickie with Holmes, then propositioned by Fitzy and ending with Joey gyrating on her lap and trying to suck her face off. And somewhere in between all of that, she'd ended her sexual relationship with Holmes and even managed to do some policey stuff.

"What a day," she said, then tried to figure out how she was going to get any sleep tonight when she was still so worked up. Even now, her nipples were still hard and missing the encompassing warmth of Joey's hands. That thought sent a rush of desire to her groin. "Shit." She felt like screaming out in frustration. What a day to have ended things with Holmes, because right then, a bit of uncomplicated, no strings attached, frantic sex that wasn't with a suspect, would go down a treat. She couldn't leave the house though, so it was Plan B. A cold shower.

Watson lurched to her feet a little shakily. She had moved into the house to protect Joey and having sex with her had been the furthest thing from her mind, actually, it hadn't been on her mind at all and so this really was one of the worst possible outcomes to have occurred from her moving in and she just hoped that by morning, Joey would have sobered up and with any luck, completely forgotten about this. No, that wasn't the answer. Pretending this hadn't happened would just make an already intensely awkward situation, so much worse. And god help her if Morag ever got wind of this. When Morag had threatened her against taking advantage of Joey, she doubted the woman meant like this, yet Watson held little doubt that Morag would still most likely carry through with her threat to destroy her career if she ever found out about tonight. "Shit."


Charlie had made it to the stairs in the other room when his mocking laughter reached her ears. It truly was a hideous sound disguised as it was with that inhuman voice, but she kept climbing the stairs. She reached the second door at the top and her hands were shaking so much as she tried to unlock it. "Wrong key, love," he cackled. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a key swinging from his fingers.

He was lying, she told herself. Yet the door wouldn't budge. "No!" she cried out, her forehead falling against the door in defeat.

Each of his slow and steady steps up toward where she was, were like a knife through her.

"You think I didn't know what you were up to?" he said. "I knew from the moment you started flaunting your body what you were planning." He ran his hand along her hip, then gripped her hair and tugged hard.

"Owww," she screamed in pain.

"Did you really think you could seduce me as easily as you do everyone else?" he laughed menacingly.

"You monster!"

"Now, now, let's not have a lover's tiff," he chuckled and dragged her back to her room and threw her face first onto the bed.

Oh god, he was going to rape her or kill her she thought in that terrified moment she felt him lay on top of her.

He caressed her body and rubbed his groin against her. "You really are a beautiful woman Charlie," he practically purred into her ear. "And I like my women to have a bit of fight in them," he said to her as he caressed her body with his hands. "Tell me Charlie, do you like it hard and rough with every pounding thrust a man like me could give to you?" He thrust his groin against her to punctuate each word. "Or is it soft and slow, with only my tongue and hands that would get you going?" He licked his tongue along her naked spine and she shuddered in revulsion. "Dick like Brax or tongue like Joey?" he tauntingly asked her. "Which would remind you most of what you've lost?" He repeated his movements, dry humping her and licking her. "Dick, tongue, dick, tongue," he sang in a lullaby tune. "Which is it Charlie?"

She whimpered beneath him, unable to find a voice to answer and he laughed cruelly at her response. "Try to escape again and I'll be only too happy to find out which will have you screaming out the most," he warned her. He slapped her arse so hard, it stung. "So be a good girl from now on and I won't need to find out."

The sound of the door locking, further signalled her defeat and Charlie curled up into a tight ball, sobbing. She was never getting out of here. This hellhole was to be her final resting place.


Early the next morning, Watson could hear Joey moving around in the kitchen and she found herself hovering a few feet from the doorway, reluctant to take those few extra steps that would take her in there, because that would mean coming face-to-face with Joey. She winced at that description, since it was entirely because of the last time they'd come face-to-face, that she didn't want to go in there. Watson still couldn't believe she'd allowed that encounter to happen and she'd been trying to convince herself that she had been too tired from another long day to have reacted more quickly, yet the truth of the matter was, she'd been excited. She'd barely slept a wink because her mind kept replaying that scene, along with a few additional others, not to mention, her mind had been in turmoil at how drastically things had changed. She was meant to protect Joey, not seduce her and now she wasn't sure if she was the right person for this job. Especially since she couldn't stop thinking about the desire Joey had stirred within her and the memory of what Joey had felt like in her arms, having her lips crushed against hers. "Oh god," she murmured, starting to feel turned on once more. She needed to get herself under control and remember that she was a professional who wasn't allowed to let personal things interfere in her job in any way.


"Shit," Joey muttered when she realised she'd nearly added orange juice into the scrambled eggs instead of milk. Her concentration this morning was completely shot. She'd barely slept knowing that Watson was lying next door to her and when she did manage to fall asleep, her alcohol induced dreams were filled with erotic imagery. Mostly of Charlie and the times they were together, but interspersed with memories of last night and what may have happened if Watson hadn't stopped her. At times, it was as if she had still been able to feel Watson's breasts in her hands, her mouth against hers, her body beneath hers. Joey shuddered at how close she'd come to making a huge mistake. It was bad enough that she'd virtually thrown her body at Watson and now she was going to have to see her again, but it could have been so much worse had they actually slept together. Thank god one of them had had the strength to stop that disaster from happening.

She shook her head. Last night was so unlike her. She wasn't one to just throw herself at someone she barely knew. It had to be the alcohol, she kept telling herself. She'd never really been able to hold her booze and with all that had happened, it was no wonder she had cracked last night. Hell, just earlier that day, she'd nearly been run over and she was already highly strung after all the stress and drama and combined with too much alcohol, she'd thrown herself at the woman who had saved her life. It was a completely understandable response to all that had happened, especially when she had felt so lost and alone, she rationalised to herself. And it just happened to have been Watson who was there when she cracked. It didn't mean anything, just as her continued nervousness around Watson had meant nothing. It was just a product of the situation.

From now on though, she needed to steer clear of the alcohol, she told herself. Only problem with that, was she wasn't sure she could survive these current living conditions sober.


"You're a professional police officer and nothing can ever happen again with Joey," Watson told herself and with that mantra playing over and over in her mind, she found the courage to face this challenge.

"Good morning," she said in greeting to Joey. The cheeriness she'd mustered into her voice, sounded so fake to her ears, but it was too late now, the words were already out.

"Good morning," Joey said. "How is your arm this morning?" she asked, her back still to Watson as she made herself busy over the stove. At least she hoped that is what it appeared like to Watson, rather than a deliberate attempt not to look in her direction.

"As expected, it's a little stiff," replied Watson. "You?"

"I'm fine," she said.

The awkwardness between them was palpable and Watson had never felt so out of place and uncomfortable.

"Would you like some eggs?" Joey asked her.

"That'd be good."

With breakfast in front of them, both women sat silently, their food untouched. Watson decided to bite the bullet and confront the big elephant in the room. "Joey, we should speak about last night."

"I'd rather not," she muttered.

"We can't ignore it."

Joey sighed and nodded. Watson looked like she felt; tired and nervous, which was something of a relief as it meant she wasn't the only one suffering here. "I'm sorry for attacking you last night," Joey mumbled to her.

"I'd hardly call it an attack."

"Perhaps attack was the wrong word," Joey said. "Yet you still weren't expecting me to do that."

"That much is true."

"Neither was I," admitted Joey. "I hope you don't think I make a habit of getting drunk every night and throwing myself at someone, it's just that I saw you sitting there in Charlie's chair and I suddenly felt so empty and lost and had this desperate need to just feel something."

"Joey, I know what it's like to seek intimacy with someone when you're under enormous stress or just looking to find some sort of connection to remind you that you can feel something again."

"It wasn't just that," Joey said. "With everything that has happened; Charlie dying, the accusations, the brick, someone trying to run me over, it all got too much for me, especially having you here."

"Me?"

Joey nodded. "Last night was the first time since Charlie had died, that a woman was spending the night under this roof with me and I didn't know how to deal with it, so I drank." She wiped her eyes. "I just miss Charlie so much."

"It's ok Joey, I understand," Watson said with compassion. "And if my presence here or any other woman for that matter, is going to be too hard for you, then I can have a male officer replace me here if that will make you more comfortable." She wasn't sure who she could trust to replace her, but she'd find someone if she had to.

"No!" rushed out Joey. "I'd rather no one was babysitting me, but since that isn't going to change anytime soon, I'd prefer it be a woman and of those available, you do seem the best choice."

"Thanks," drawled Watson. "I think."

"I just meant, that if the choice is you or Holmes, then I'd definitely prefer to live with you." Right then, Joey wished her mouth would stop working before she made things worse.

"I got that Joey," Watson said with a smile. "And while we're at this, I should apologise for last night as well."

"You?" Joey said in confusion. "You did nothing wrong, in fact, you were the only one who did the right thing by stopping me."

"Yeah, eventually," she said. "Joey, I knew you were intoxicated and weren't in the right place emotionally, so I should never have let it get as far as it did and for that, I'm sorry."

Joey almost asked Watson why she hadn't stopped it straight away, but on reflection, that was an answer she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "How about we just put last night down to alcohol and an unexpected end to a stressful day and just put it behind us?" Joey suggested. "And not tell anyone else what nearly happened."

"Sounds reasonable," murmured Watson. She just hoped this never even got close to happening again and they were able to put it behind them, because otherwise, living under the same roof with this awkwardness surrounding them wouldn't do either of them any favours. "We should eat brekkie now before it gets any colder."

"Bit too late for that," Joey muttered with a grimace around a mouthful of stone cold scrambled egg.

Watson just shrugged as she hoed into hers. "I'm a cop, so cold food and coffee becomes part of the job."

"I'm so sorry for you," Joey said in a way that made Watson smile. "I'll be back in a minute," she said as she got up suddenly from the table and left the kitchen, only to return just as quickly. With her face flaming, Joey held out a shirt to Watson, who recognised it as the one she'd left in the bathroom after her cold shower last night. "I found the buttons and sewed them back on for you," mumbled Joey, still embarrassed as to how the buttons had come off in the first place.

"Thanks for that," Watson said. "I'm hopeless with a needle and thread, so this was likely to have ended up in the rubbish."

"It's the least I could do," Joey said, really hoping to put an end now to that night and its memories.

"Well thanks again," said Watson.

Joey looked away from her, concentrating on her food as she made a silent wish for Watson to stop smiling at her like she kept doing, because that smile, along with those eyes and her compassionate nature, was a deadly combination that was becoming so very hard to ignore.

"Where are you Sally," she said to herself. She didn't really appreciate the babysitting, but if it meant putting distance between her and Watson, even for a few hours, then she was all for it and for it to happen right now.