God, she's drunk. Still completely beautiful, maybe even more than usual now she has her guard down, more Harry than D.S. Makepeace, and he watches her unashamedly as she saunters over to him, their drinks in hand. He says nothing as she moves closer, pressing herself up against him, her blue eyes gazing up at him as she bites her lip.

"You're under arrest."

There's a smile playing on her lips that he can only describe as looking like a challenge, and damn, even though he's pretty sure they wouldn't be in this situation if she was sober, he really wishes she was.

"Harry..." He takes the drinks out of her hands, sets them on the fireplace, and runs his thumb slowly across her cheekbone, not missing her soft exhale as he pushes her hair out of her face.

"I like it when you call me Harry." Her smile widens and she somehow pushes herself even closer to him, her warm breath tickling his skin. "Makes me feel like a woman."

"Oh honey..." He grins, shaking his head and wondering how he's the more sober of the two but somehow the most confused. "You're all woman."

"I know that!" She giggles and her hands come to rest on his shoulders. "I just mean that I sometimes feel like I'm a police officer instead of a woman. But do you know something, Dempsey? I'm a woman and a police officer. I am two whole things."

"Yep, you sure are, and so much more," he answers with a grin, unable to pull his gaze from hers.

"Here's the thing..." She sighs and frowns slightly. "What are we going to do about this thing we have, you and me? We shouldn't work, really, we're so...different, I suppose. But somehow, we're...the same. I really don't think I'm meant to feel the way I do about you, and I most definitely shouldn't think the things I think when I look at you, Dempsey. It's very...unprofessional."

"Unprofessional, huh?" He smirks and reaches his hands to rest on her waist as she wobbles slightly. "Woah there, partner, steady."

"Partner..." She smiles and her hands move from his shoulders to rest on his face, her thumb running across his bottom lip. "I know it doesn't always seem like it but I really am glad we're partners."

"Partners are meant to be there for each other, we're meant to have each other's backs." He knows he shouldn't push, she's drunk, she probably means none of what she's saying but he can't help it. "What's unprofessional about that?"

"I know that, but I'm not sure...I don't think..." She pauses, pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. "I don't think I ought to look at you and ponder how it would feel to..."

Before he has time to wonder what she's about to say her hands slide around the back of his neck and her lips press against his. She's soft and warm, she tastes sweet and exactly how he thought she would, and her hands run through his hair, her fingers tugging slightly. He's so caught up in her, this beautiful creature he's thought about kissing, about loving, for so long, that he almost forgets how wrong this is, that he can't, he won't, do this when she's so drunk.

When he feels her tongue slide across his top lip he knows he's on the edge of throwing caution to the wind but, as brash as he sometimes is, as inappropriate as he can be at work, this is different, this is Harry, and he's not that guy so he reluctantly pulls back, his hands cupping her face, watching as she tries to focus on him, her pupils huge and confusion in her eyes.

"What?" She frowns and he sees the confusion start to fade into something else, something less confident. "Oh God, you don't want to-"

"Oh honey no, I do want to. I really want to. More than anything..." His tone is firm because no matter how goddamn drunk she is, he needs her to know he didn't stop because he doesn't want her. "Jesus, Harry, you have no idea how hard it was for me to stop. Do you really not know how long I've wanted to kiss you? How long I've wanted you?"

"So kiss me then, you bloody nut, I'm right here!" He almost laughs at her demand but he knows her well enough to know that laughing right now could turn a kiss into a slap pretty damn fast.

"Alright, princess, listen up, I'm going to tell you how it is. When I do kiss you, I want you to be sober so I know you actually want it, I want you to remember it in the morning, every little detail..." He leans in and strokes his finger down to the tip of her nose, feeling her tremble slightly. "And I really want to know when we're in Spikings' office that you're not listening to a damn word he's saying because you're thinking about my lips on yours. Now, does any of that sound like I don't want you?"

She bites her lip, shaking her head and looking away, her eyes meeting his only when he pushes her chin gently up towards him.

"I absolutely want you." He lowers his voice and his thumb sweeps softly across her skin. "You hearing me, partner?"

"Yes." It's barely a whisper but she's listening, so it's enough.

"That's my girl. Alright, I'm gonna get you some water and some preemptive pills for tomorrow's headache, and then I think I should head home so you can get some sleep," he says, knowing he's probably going to need a cool shower before he has a chance in hell of sleeping. "Okay?"

"Okay." She takes his hand and squeezes it gently before she turns away, and his eyes drift down her back, his mind filled with thoughts of kissing his way down her spine, her hips, the curve of her ass…

"Harry?" He shakes himself out of it and waits as she looks back at him. "You think Angela might let you keep that dress?"

"Oh, believe me, if she wants it back she's going to have to wrench it from my cold, dead hands..." She aims a lopsided grin at him, her eyes sparkling. "And I think we know who the better shot is."

"Thank you." She looks up at him, a half smile on her lips, and the colour back in her cheeks that she was lacking earlier.

"Next time you might not be so lucky." He smirks at her and he's weirdly comforted by the faint eye roll he receives in return before she smiles.

"Makepeace!" Spikings' voice rings out but they still don't break eye contact. "A word, please."

He watches as she winces slightly before turning towards where their boss is standing. His eyes follow her as she walks over to Spikings, her arms crossing in front of her when she reaches him. From where he's standing it doesn't look like a difficult conversation and she looks like the cool, slightly aloof Makepeace that he finds so damn sexy. The same Makepeace he found so infuriating in the beginning. Spikings shoots a glance in his direction and he gives a showy salute, watching as his partner stifles a grin. She nods, Spikings raises an eyebrow and that seems to be it as she turns and makes her way back to him.

"All good with the chief?" he asks.

"I think so. Rather bizarrely, he wanted to check, and I quote, 'that the cogs are still turning smoothly in his most well oiled engine'." She runs her hand across her head, frowning slightly. "You know, if we're alright, you and me."

"And..." He pauses, moves closer to her. "Are we...alright?"

"Perfectly." She smiles and hands him her car keys. "Here, you can drive me home, Dempsey. I feel like I've been hit over the head with a rather substantial mallet."

"It would be my pleasure, ma'am." He takes the car keys from her and his free hand instinctively brushes a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, the little shudder that runs through her in response not going unnoticed.

The drive to her place is quiet, but comfortable, and he's pretty sure she's dozing for at least half of it. It gives his mind time to replay the last twenty four hours, from her dragging Angela to the bathroom to change into her dress because she knew he liked it, to the kiss he had to stop if he had even a halfway chance of showing he's a decent guy, and then this morning, her reaction when she realised he had, in fact, been a perfect gentleman in the face of the woman of his dreams drunk and pressing herself against him. He shakes his head and grins...what a day.

She stretches and her eyes flicker open, taking in her surroundings as they turn into her driveway.

"Home sweet home, sleeping beauty." He looks over at her, her cheeks flushing slightly as she stifles a yawn. "Big night, huh?"

"Mm, you could say that." She falls quiet, makes no move to get out of the car. "Dempsey...can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He smiles at her apparent hesitation over whatever she's about to ask.

"You may have noticed that I had...quite a lot to drink last night, and I don't remember much, really, but I think..." She bites her lip, averts her eyes from his gaze. "I kissed you, didn't I?"

"Ah, Makepeace." He watches as she nods, a charge running through him at the affection in her eyes when she looks back at him. "Yeah, you did."

"Thought so..." She sighs but the look in eyes is warm, her gaze steady. "I, um-"

"Look, don't worry about it," he decides to give her an out even as he hopes she doesn't want it. "It's pretty much accepted that you get a pass when the demon drink fuels your moves."

"What if I don't want one? A pass, I mean." Her words tumble out faster than usual and he bites back a smile. "Being drunk gave me the courage, Dempsey, but it didn't...well, it didn't manufacture the urge, if you understand what I'm saying."

"Gotcha." This time he grins and doesn't try to stop. "Then you may as well know that if your blood hadn't been about eighty percent champagne last night I'd have kissed you back something crazy."

"Well..." She turns in her seat, shifting closer to him and taking a breath. "I'm not drunk now."

"No, you're not." He smiles at her but does nothing more than run his finger gently down her cheek, hoping it's enough to let her know he's waiting and ready whenever she is.

Her lips are on his before he can think any more, and her hands slide into his hair, tugging slightly, just like she did last night. This time she's sober, she wants this, and he's free to respond, so he deepens the kiss, his hand moving to cup the back of her head, his thumb rubbing the soft skin under her ear. He feels her tongue move across his top lip and he hears a moan, and which of them it comes from he has no idea. When she eventually pulls back, her eyes are bright, her lips slightly swollen, cheeks faintly flushed, and he can't take his eyes off her.

"Goddammit, Harriet Makepeace, you're beautiful." It's all he can seem to manage but it seems to be good enough if the smile she gives him is any measure.

"Do you..." She pauses, reaches for his hand, and squeezes gently. "Do you want to come in?"

He wants so much to go inside, to undress her slowly and deliberately, and take her to bed to show her exactly how beautiful she is, but all of a sudden he realises that what he wants more is to do this thing properly.

Shit, she has him. Hook. Line. Sinker.

"You know something?" He raises an eyebrow and she waits for him to continue. "I do want to come in, I really, really do but I think what you really need tonight is one of those insanely deep bubble baths you love so much, followed by a good night's sleep."

"You're probably right," she says, nodding.

"Little louder for the people in the back?" He grins at her.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I did say probably." She reaches for the door handle and he stops her, his hand clumsily grabbing hers.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night." His thumb runs across the back of her hand. "Then if you still want me to come in after that, there'll be no stopping me."

"You mean, dinner as in..." She looks intrigued, a little bit surprised. He likes it. "A date?"

"Yeah, a date." He grins at her. "As in handsome guy takes beautiful woman to a restaurant, they eat food, drink wine-"

"Thank you for the clarification. It may have been a little while but I do just about remember what a date is." She cuts in, her eyes focused intently on his. "I'm a little surprised, that's all. I'm not sure I really considered you a romantic."

"Oh, you have no idea." She really does have no idea. He wants to bring her flowers, make her breakfast, hold her hand. She has no idea what she's letting herself in for, and he loves nothing more than to keep her guessing. "I still don't hear a yes, Makepeace."

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, you're behind the wheel of my car, so...fill it with petrol at some stage tomorrow and pick me up at 7. " She gives his hand another squeeze before letting go. "Goodnight."

"See you tomorrow." He watches her get out of the car and walk up to her door, smiling when she turns back at the top of the steps and gives a shy wave. "Get some sleep, princess. You're going to need it."