Humming contentedly to himself, Mark Sloan reached into his well-stocked kitchen cupboard to retrieve the pepper sauce he knew was Steve's favourite. Adding the sauce to the steaks that were already sizzling nicely on the grill, he nodded with satisfaction. He was determined his son would enjoy a nice meal and a relaxing evening. Having spoken to Tannis earlier on the phone, he knew how hard his son was working, and Amanda had told him what had happened in the path lab.
Momentarily Mark frowned; Steve could be far too casual about his health. He took it for granted that his body would just keep going for as long as it had to. Mark knew better. That's why he'd planned tonight as complete R and R. He was astute enough to realise that Steve wouldn't willingly take the night off, but he figured that with Jesse and Amanda around they could have a nice meal, some good conversation and may be give Steve a hand with the case.
'Hey Mark' Amanda called as she entered the kitchen carrying two bottles of wine and a large dessert box. She stopped, sniffing appreciatively 'Those steaks smell wonderful. Is that the pepper sauce?'
'Sure is honey' Mark smiled 'I'm cooking Steve's favourite, you know may be it'll cheer him up a bit'.
'I hope so Mark' Amanda chewed her lip. 'He could really do with a boost right now. This case is a tough one'.
'Can I get some help here?' Jesse interrupted as he staggered in.
Turning both Mark and Amanda laughed out loud at the sight that met them. Weighed down by numerous cans of beer Jesse was involuntarily partaking in some impromptu juggling, his precious cargo perilously close to slipping from his tenuous grasp.
'I hope some of those are for me' Steve smiled ruefully, appearing behind Jesse and relieving him of some of the cans 'I could sure use a beer right about now'.
'Steve!' Mark beamed, relieved that he'd made it home on time, but concerned at how tired he looked 'I didn't hear you come in'. He motioned Steve to a chair 'Sit down, dinner's almost ready'.
'That's great Dad' Steve replied. 'But do you mind if I grab a shower first?' He indicated his crumpled shirt 'after today's heat wave I'm feeling pretty grimy'.
'Sure go ahead' Mark told him amiably, 'I'll let you know when it's ready'.
Taking a beer with him, Steve headed downstairs to his own apartment 'I'll be five minutes tops guys I promise.' he called back over his shoulder.
'He looks terrible' Jesse said gravely, and was rewarded by a sharp nudge in ribs courtesy of Amanda.
'It's alright Amanda.' Mark sighed 'You're right Jess, he does look terrible. And that's why tonight is so important. We need to give Steve our support, help him with the case, but also help him to relax'.
'Don't worry Mark' Amanda reassured him with a smile 'Tonight is gonna be just what the doctor ordered'.
Downstairs Steve turned the water on full blast and stepped into the shower. The water felt great and for the first time that day he let himself relax. He knew he'd been burning the candle at both ends. He also didn't need anyone to tell him that he couldn't keep up that pace indefinitely. So far his father had been surprisingly restrained, but falling asleep twice and almost fainting in the path lab wasn't the kind of behaviour that would keep his Dad off his back for long.
Steve smiled; he knew exactly what tonight was all about. He hadn't failed to notice that his father was cooking his favourite dinner and there was no doubt that Jesse and Amanda were under strict instruction to make sure he relaxed. Sighing he turned off the water and reached for his towel. With the towel wrapped around his waist he headed into the bedroom. He looked longingly at the bed and was tempted to stretch out for 5 minutes. Shaking his head he resisted, knowing that if he lay down he wouldn't be getting up again any time soon. Instead he began towelling himself off and grabbed some fresh clothes from the closet.
Still in the office down town, Tannis yawned widely and rotated her shoulders, wincing at muscles stiff with cramp. Okay, so it wasn't exactly two minutes since Steve had left, but hey, she justified to herself, he wasn't the only one who wanted to solve this damn case. She hoped he was enjoying himself tonight, forgetting about the case and taking a break with his father and friends.
She sighed, maybe with Mark on his back; Steve would unwind a little, get some sleep, and be in a better mood tomorrow. The way he'd snapped at her this afternoon had been worrying, but not exactly unexpected. She guessed she couldn't really blame him for getting uptight. This case was like one of those crazy kids games – one step forward followed by three steps back, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
But Steve's behaviour bothered her, she'd seen it before in other cops and she knew if he didn't slow down it could only end in trouble. Mind you, she thought in amusement, other cops didn't have Mark Sloan as a father. From what she knew of Doctor Sloan, it was unlikely he'd let his son run himself into the ground. Steve might be stubborn, but when it came down to it, she was pretty sure which Sloan she'd put her money on in any argument where health was concerned.
The high pitched bleep of her watch broke the silence of the deserted office, reminding her that another hour had gone by. She sighed guilty, for all her worries about Steve; she was pretty close to the edge herself. Despite her best intentions, the obsession to crack the case, to stop the crime was powerfully addictive and with Steve so intense, it was hard not to get caught up in the crusade.
She smiled. There was something kinda old fashioned about Steve Sloan. He reminded her of one of those guys in the 1940's westerns her Dad had enjoyed so much, the ones they always re-ran on cable on Saturday afternoons. He was reminiscent of those old time heroes with the square jaws and the white hats – the ones who ran the bad guys out of town and saved the towns folks' daughters, but always remembered to say 'please' and 'thank you' and knew exactly how to treat a lady.
Tannis had to admit he was pretty different to most of the men in her life. Involuntarily she winced – looking back; she hadn't always made the smartest choices in the romance department. Recently there hadn't even been any choices to make. With the unsociable hours, the possibility of injury or even death on a daily basis and the need to dress more for the rifle range than the catwalk, she guessed it was hardly surprising that guys weren't exactly queuing round the block.
She sighed, she did love her job and she was proud of her professional achievements – the only woman on Master's task force; that was going some. She had made it in a field dominated by men and she could hold her own as one of the boys. But that was just it, she wasn't one of the boys, not really, she was a woman, and in her heart of hearts she wasn't immune to the ticking of the biological clock. Girls she'd known in school were on their second or third babies by now and in her weaker moments she wondered what could have been if she'd chosen a different path.
Tannis frowned, torturing oneself with 'what ifs' never did anybody any good and she rarely indulged in such self-defeating behaviour. But the young woman in the case today had set her off thinking about her own past - first loves, the thrill of infatuation and of course the inevitable broken hearts. And that was why she'd stayed so late, even though she'd promised Steve she'd go home early. Vicky Harris and her 'groupie-like' obsession for Peterson had struck a cord today, taken Tannis back to a time she hadn't thought of in years.
From her own college experience, she was aware of the potential for staff-student liaisons. The cynical adult she'd become knew that too many Professors saw preying upon attractive young undergraduates as a mandatory perk of the job. Naive, impressionable freshman seduced by prestigious Professor then jilted for the next pretty face to walk through the door. It was an old story. That was her grown up self talking, but fifteen years ago she'd been that girl. A fresh faced girl from the sticks wanting to make good, a girl who had given her heart to her college professor only to have it broken almost beyond repair.
She'd grown-up fast since then and she sure wasn't that girl any more, but she guessed it gave her some insight into Vicky Harris. Tannis felt certain that Harris was the mystery woman at Peterson's hotel. She hadn't mentioned her theory to Steve and the possibility of an illicit affair between student and teacher obviously hadn't occurred to him yet. She smiled, trying to imagine Steve with a crush on one of his professors. Steve crossing the line, infatuated with an older, married woman? She couldn't see it somehow; he was far too sensible, his morals beyond reproach – back to the guy in the white hat!
Had he ever had his heart broken she wondered idly. Ever fallen madly and inappropriately in love? She didn't see him as a slave to his emotions, apart from the occasional burst of anger, he kept them pretty much under wraps. But then what did she really know about his romantic life? She knew he dated when the job would allow it, but she wasn't sure if he had anyone special right now.
'And why are you even thinking about it Archer?' she chastised herself.
Sure she wasn't immune to Steve's charms, but she'd never seriously considered him as anything more than a work colleague and she was pretty certain he'd never seen her in any other light. She had no idea where this chain of thought had come from, but knew it could mean only one thing.
'Tannis' she told herself firmly 'You really need to get some sleep!' In the force, when a girl started to contemplate the romantic life of her partner, she'd definitely been spending too much time at the office!
Emphatically closing the files she dropped them onto her desk for the next day. Checking her watch she saw it was a little after 7.15pm – still early. Spurred into action she grabbed her bag and coat, determined to listen to her own advice and catch an early night. The driven mood Steve was in, it might be her only chance until the case was solved. She needed to be sure that she could keep up the pace. She'd been here before and knew only too well how easy it was to burn out, how dangerous too. An exhausted cop was a liability, a danger to herself and her fellow officers.
Collecting her car from the parking lot she headed for home, thoughts already on a relaxing bath, take away pizza and bed. Tomorrow they'd tackle Vicky Harris, tonight she was taking a break. She hoped Steve was doing the same.