Max & Kara

"Daddy won't like them," Kara stated, looking at her bright pink nails. "He'll say it's too much."

Max smiled despite herself. Mani and pedi with this kid…John doesn't really get it, even if he is so great with his girly-girl daughter's love of tutus, pink, unicorns, ah they are both adorable together. "Tell you what, we'll cook him dinner and maybe he won't notice."

"Max, you're a bad cook."

"Well, that can distract him from our nails."

Kara giggled, hugging her by the car. "I love you, Max."

Max felt her heart warm at that the kid in her arms. Oh, she is so sweet. "I love you too, Kiddo. Come on, maybe you can show me around the kitchen."

"Max?"

She looked up, as Kara hugged her tighter. "Jill, hi. Kara, do you remember Dr. Brock? Can you say hi?"

Courthouse

"Judge," Wambaugh. "My client, the esteemed Mayor Marsh was merely enjoying a night out when he was refused service because he was white and from out of town."

"Wambaugh," Bone said.

"They discriminated against him. Billy Marsh and his waitstaff violated his civil rights based on the color of his skin."

Littleton stood up. "Richard Marsh made racist comments toward his waiter. They have the right refuse service to anyone."

"You're only saying that because you're black."

Littleton held his temper at that. "His civil rights weren't violated when he makes racist and offensive statements."

"Which are his first amendment rights. Just because your client has a bias against white people doesn't give them the right to kick out my client."

"A bias against white people? Do you hear yourself?"

"I hear your bias too. I thought your white girlfriend might have opened your eyes a bit."

"Enough," Bone said. "Both of you enough. I tend to agree with Mr. Littleton, but need to hear the facts of the case. Trial date in two weeks."

Max & Kara

She likes making her life difficult, Jill thought, just look at her with Kara Littleton. "What are you two doing?"

"Max is going to cook Daddy a bad dinner to make him not hate my nails," Kara stated.

"Ah, not intentionally bad," Max smiled. He'll be tense, ah home maker I'm not, and he just smiles at me when I try. Why can't I cook? Little kids can cook. "Well, I have a good helper this time around, Kiddo."

Kara giggled and grabbed her hand. "Daddy is going to kiss you. He kisses her a lot, Dr. Brock."

They are the poster couple for this, she thought, Max might even go for it, even if she is turning red at Kara's declaration. "We should have dinner."

Oh, John is so not on board with this, Max thought, and…well I'm in his corner. And this sweet girl. "Uh, maybe. We don't have a lot of free nights right now. What do you think, Kara? Are you ready to go home?"

She nodded, hugging her again. "Yes. I love you, Max. Let's cook Daddy a good dinner."

"Max, wait."

"We really have to go," she said, not liking the gnawing in her gut. "Maybe we can get coffee later this week."

"You and John are what this town needs to ease the tension."

She gulped at that. "Listen, we're just…I don't think we…What?"

"Max, look at yourself and Kara right now."

"We're just hanging out."

"I need you both to support my campaign. Ed Lawson would destroy this town and you know Carter. You need to fix this with John."

"Fix what?"

"You know what."

I can't… "Listen, we're…he can plug who he wants for mayor. I'm staying out of it. And you, Kara? Are you ready to help me with dinner?"

She nodded, hugging her again. "Can we make cookies too?"

Oh this kid, she thought, she makes me melt even more than John. "I think we can handle that. Jill, I'll see you around."

Courthouse

"Doug, stop," John said.

"Ah, come on. Let's go get a beer."

"I'm not getting a beer with you."

"You don't want to get a beer with a Jew?"

He turned to look at him. "You're a disgrace to the legal profession and to Judaism with this case. You know what it is like to be discriminated against. You know what the comments feel like."

"You better watch it. I might sue you next."

"You can try."

"Just an angry black man."

He's a vile bastard, Littleton thought, looking at Richard Marsh, and he makes me feel that way. That's not who I am…that's who I won't be. "I'll see you both in court."

"It's people like you that ruin communities like this."

John turned to look at him. "It's people like you that bring out the hate and fear in these towns."

"You bang white woman. Do you think that makes you acceptable?"

Max, he thought, who just moved in officially two days amidst all of this. Boxes everywhere, Kara so excited, chattering away to her, talking about all the fun things they were going to do together and Max just going with it.

"You bang her, take her out, and all it does is destroy a perfectly acceptable white woman. Go back to your place."

"My place?"

"Your country."

He looked at Wambaugh again. "You better have your client brush up on his testimony. Have a good night."

Brock House

"Max didn't seem that opposed."

"You want to use Max and Littleton in your campaign?" Jimmy asked his wife. "You know how private they've been about their personal relationship. He just plugged Carter.

"Please. Kara was holding her hand, they were all over town yesterday. We saw them kissing by his car a few weeks ago. They flaunt it everywhere and then Max gets to act shocked when people harass her about it."

She did kiss him, Jimmy thought, before climbing in his car. Littleton didn't stop smiling with her or take his eyes off her. "Leave it alone, Jill."

"You approve of them?"

"What?"

"They make people angry. You would care if Kim was dating one of them."

"One of them?"

"One of those black students."

Jimmy stared at his wife. "Do you have a problem with…black people, Jill?'"

"Right now? I do."

Littleton House

"Max…"

She straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around him after her semi successful dinner and him putting Kara to bed. "How about you talk to me?"

"It's hard to talk when you're doing this."

"Well, I had to get your attention."

"You are," he started, as he pulled her in closer on the couch, as she nipped at his jawline. "Max…"

"Hmm," she smiled, brushing her lips over his. "We don't have to talk."

"You are a temptation," he started, letting his hands rest on her waist. Gorgeous, he thought, that smile…how adorable she and Kara were in the kitchen together. Max whose life has gotten much harder because of us. Max who looks delicious in her sweats. "You're the only person I want to talk to right now."

She backed up, settling on the cushions next to him. "Tell me."

He squeezed her tighter, as he filled her in on court. "Don't look at me like that."

She snuggled in close to him. "Marsh is an idiot. Wambaugh should be ashamed."

"And you and Jill?"

She winced. "I don't know…she thinks we're an example to hold up."

"Ah, our interracial relationship?"

She smiled at that. "I'm here, okay?

"Yeah, you're my roommate these days."

She kissed him again with that. "You're decidedly non-platonic roommate?"

"Max," he started, her gentle touches and kisses getting to him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to be a good girlfriend and not my disaster of a self."

"You," he smiled, despite his mood. "Are one of my two favorite people…I really adore this side of you."

"When I'm not antagonizing you?"

"Oh, I love that prickly, aggravating and irritating deputy. I also love my very fun, smart, sexy, girlfriend, who is doing…Ah, I just love you."

She snuggled in closer to him, feeling warm and secure. Happy, she thought, he's it for me. "I love you too."

He tilted her face to his. Nine months, it's too soon, she just moved in…this town…her and Kara giggling in the kitchen together. Max, this soft, understanding, ah, I want to marry her. Not now. After this case… "Did you hear that?"

Stifling a scream as the flaming bottle broke the window, as John jumped up to put the fire out. Scrambling to her feet, as the bullets flew in, shattering the others. "John, get down!"

TBC