Benson had said that the diner was only a few blocks around the corner. Morales and Pierce ended walking seven to reach it. Apollo's Diner was what you would call an "All American Diner", well worn booths, scratched up tables, a cozy atmosphere and friendly employees. They sat across from each other in the corner of the diner. Pierce picked at a Caesar salad and Morales was digging into a hamburger. This was the usual set up for them. Pierce would be entertained by how much Morales could put away, be it Mexican, Italian, anything plus dessert of course. She smirked behind her fork and hand as he made eye contact with her. Since their last major case and the night at the bar things had lightened up between them, awkwardness had melted away.

"Do I have something on my face?" Morales asked picking up a napkin. Pierce shook her head.

"It's just always a treat watching you eat, Morales." Pierce replied going back to picking at her salad. Her next goal was removing the onions that she had specifically asked not to be added.

"Well, no dessert for you then since you have your treat" he said turning his head and flagging down the waitress. "Anyway... can I get your best dessert?". The waitress recommended the blueberry pie and left. Pierce tilted her head in amusement and watched the pedestrians passing out the window next to them.

"You ever just want to know where everyone is going?" She asked Morales.

"Can't say I have. Why?"

"Just the crazy amount of people in this world. Every person having their own life, 6 billion people worth. How you experience your life. Perceive everything. Everyone else experiences life and perceives it the same way you do, just different circumstances and experiences from you. With touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste. It's amazing when you think about it. All of it combines with a persons on going in their life. Where they're born, how many siblings they have, what kind of parents they have, if they went to college, if they fall in love. So many things." She rambled lost in thought.

"Don't get all philosophical on me, Pierce. You lose me on your knowledge with human nature and outer space. Next thing you know you'll be going into an existential crises." Morales said laughing. Those were two topics that Pierce could talk about for hours. While he was joking about being annoyed by it, he loved when she did. It was something that he enjoyed, watching her eyes light up as she bounced from topic to topic. Their conversations in the car from location to location, over lunch or dinner, sitting in his living room pouring over case files, sitting out on her balcony with a couple of beers, he loved it all. Morales would listen to her anywhere, but he doesn't dare admit it.

Pierce turned her head to him slowly, her eyelids still lidded dreamily. Her mind had drifted off elsewhere as they sat in silence. She simply smiled and went back to her salad. The waitress came back with the pie and the bill.

"Has Benson gotten back to you yet about Finn?"

Pierce reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Not about that anyways. Said we can retire for the day. Looks like Finn is rounding up some pimps and seeing what he gets tomorrow" she replied glancing at the text app. "Besides that I have a couple of spam texts and an "I love you" from my mother."

"Give my regards to Joan" Morales said through a mouthful of pie. "We're going to Jersey next month, right?" Pierce cocked an eyebrow up at him.

"I'm going to Jersey next month, yes." Pierce said pushing her salad away and throwing a used napkin on it.

"I can't go? Your mother loves me"

"She's never met you" Pierce said rolling her eyes at him and took a drink from her water glass.

"I'm sure you've told her all good things about me. Don't they ask you about the man in your life?". Pierce nearly spat her water out.

"Good God, Morales" He shrugged and set his fork down.

"I'm good to go now. Care for a stroll?" They paid up and headed out onto the sidewalk. "Well, we can either head back or wander I suppose" Morales said looking up and down the street.

"I'd rather head back to the hotel to be honest. I'm beat." Pierce said rubbing the back of her neck. They hadn't rested much since getting off the plane. "Maybe another time we can wander. Benson sent me an email file I want to look over too before the evening."

"Okay" Morales replied and hailed a cab. The drive back was quiet, Pierce rested her head against the cool window and closed her eyes. She felt a headache creeping in on the left side of her head.

"When we get back, I need to stop at the pharmacy on the corner" She said opening her eyes.

"Headache? Don't blame you with the mess of this case. I don't think that this whole situation with the kid's sexual assault is-"

"Morales." Pierce hissed quickly jerking her head to the driver. He looked at the rear view mirror and the driver quickly moved his gaze away from them in the mirror as their eyes locked.

"Sorry" he mumbled. The cab stopped in front of The Lexington and the detectives climbed out onto the sidewalk.

"I'll be back soon, couple of minutes" Pierce said checking her pockets for her wallet. Morales waved her off without looking at her and paid the cabby. An eye-roll and hands in the air went into motion before she walked off. He was copping an attitude because of her stopping him from talking the case in public. You just never knew what kind of person was listening when in a small space like that. "Men" she mumbled under her breath as she looked over her shoulder watching him walk inside the hotel.

The quick trip to the pharmacy turned into twenty minutes of browsing for some ibuprofen and a stop at the liquor bodega across the street. The fresh air and absence of work for a little while helped Pierces head and she let her mind drift freely as she made her way down the aisles of the bodega. Her fingers stopped on a bottle of Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey on a shelf. Hopefully this would pep up Morales for the evening she thought as she looked at the bottle in her hands with a smile.

Back outside The Lexington Pierce opened the ibuprofen bottle and popped a couple in case the headache would try come crawling back.

"You have got to be kidding me" Pierce said with a look of loathing as the sliding doors of the hotel opened. There stood Morales leaning onto the counter of reception with his forearms and playing with a pen while the receptionist from earlier, Lindsey, batted her eyes at him laughing at whatever stupid joke he told her. Morales had his own smile going. He still had his coat on which meant for the time she was gone he had been talking with her for a good while. A ping of jealousy hit Pierce as she slightly narrowed her eyes. Fantastic she thought sarcastically.

"I see you're keeping yourself busy" Pierce joked as she walked past him. Morales looked over at her over his shoulder and set the pen down. Lindsey watched as she approached the elevator with her back to them.

"About time, I thought you got lost" Morales said turning towards Pierce, she carried two paper brown bags. Lindsey put her hand over Morales's and slipped a piece of paper into his hand. He raised an eye brow questioning and looked down at it, a set of numbers was well written on it.

"I get done in a half-hour..." she said quietly to him "I'd love to talk more, maybe we can grab a drink?". Lindsey tried to sound sultry. This time both of Morales's eyebrows went up in surprise. Pierce watched their interaction from the elevator as she pushed the up button and smirked. She reached in the brown bag from the bodega and called out to Morales.

"Oh, hey, Morales" She raised the bottle of whiskey up and shook it. Morales made a "O" shape with his mouth eyes set on the amber glass like it was a trophy.

"Thank you" Morales said to Lindsey holding the paper up but not looking at her as he walked to the elevator briskly. He shoved the now crumpled paper in his pocket and grabbed the bottle from Pierce. "Nice" he said reading the label as they walked into the elevator. Like calling a dog to dinner Pierce thought as she pushed the button for their floor and the close doors button. She smirked again as she locked eyes onto Lindsey's. The doors quickly closed on the receptionist's wide eyes and flared nostrils.

O

OO

OOO

"Like heaven" Morales said smelling the bottle of whiskey. He set cap down next to it and pulled out an old fashioned style glass for drinks from the kitchen cabinet. "Want one?" He asked looking over his shoulder and lifting up the glass.

"No, but maybe invite Lindsey up for a drink" Pierce said playfully removing her blazer. Morales looked away blushing with a smile playing on his lips.

"Maybe I should, would be nice company" He poured himself a drink and turned to her resting his back against the counter. Pierce walked over and reached around him to slide over a twelve pack of beer made in a New York brewery that she had also found at the liquor bodega.

"Black-Tie. Made in NY, can't find it elsewhere" she said popping open a can. Morales watched her take a swig and set the rest of them into the small fridge. He took a drink of his own taking her in. She moved without much hiccup, headache must have gone. She went from here to there grabbing different things and placing them on the coffee table. He wandered to an easy chair and plopped down. Pierce sat down on the couch and opened her laptop to look at the file that Olivia had sent over. She held her breath on finding anything useful. Until Finn found anything, they were pretty limited on leads.

"I know we're here on work but you need to loosen up. There won't be anything new until tomorrow or after" Morales said leaning forward and closing her laptop on the coffee table. Pierce had been re-reading everything for the last hour and a half. She was a few beers in and he was on his third whiskey.

"I know, I know… It's just..." She said setting her forehead in her hands "I don't know" Pierce dragged her fingers down her face as she leaned her head back and stopped at her neck. "I've said it before, these types of cases with children... It's not for me. I don't know how they do it". Morales shook his head in agreement and sighed. He rested his chin in his hand propping his elbow up on the arm rest of the easy chair.

"You're trying at least. Give yourself credit there. I know a lot of people would of said no to coming here with this case" Pierce stood up and huffed.

"I only came here because I know her and the family, Morales, Olivia asked me here because she was involved with the family before with me."

"That means nothing, you still could have told them no. You had no obligation" Morales lowered his legs off the ottoman and set his drink down on the end table. "I would have said no if I were in your shoes. Personal involvement or not, it wasn't assigned. You were nice enough to take a requested case. Not everyone does that". Pierce shook her head and walked to the window looking out at the busy street below. It was dark now, the sun had completely went down a half hour ago. Morales walked next to her with another beer in hand.

"Morales…" Pierce said taking it from him and looking up at his dark brown eyes "This… this is going to go a lot deeper" Morales's chest hitched as his eyes scanned her gray ones. A lot deeper, her words rang in his head. This or the case? He questioned himself as his eyes dipped down to her lips and back up. His head was lightly swimming now. He could just lean down to her, she wasn't that far from him.

Pierce's head was running a mile a minute. Her gut feeling was telling her that this case went a lot farther than just a couple of run-aways and a single pimp that may have been dishing them out to pervert Johns on the street. Any comfort would be acceptable and here stood Morales. He scooped Pierce into his arms and forced a hug. She rested her head against his chest as he rested his head on top of hers. She knew his height was always threatening when he was this close to perps but here it was a perfect fit of consolation.

They stood like that for a few minutes before Pierce finally pulled away. Cool air filled the space of where her heat and warmed him. "I'm sorry, I… I just need to go get some fresh air" she said putting the beer back into his hand. It was cold, he felt her warm hand around it as he looked at her a bit disappointed. Morales understood her distancing. Granted, they work professional partners, crossing the line almost never ended well, but he would have jumped at the chance here. The alcohol in Morales's system was clouding his judgment he decided as he took the can. Pierce gave his wrist a squeeze and made her way to her bedroom.