Tim Speedle had met Jennifer Hagen six years ago, soon after he began his
internship at the Miami Dade Crime Lab. He'd been in the hallway, talking
to his mentor and boss Megan Donner, when Jennifer stepped off the
elevator, leading a man struggling in handcuffs down the hall to the
interrogation room. He remembered thinking how beautiful she was. Tall,
chestnut hair with honey blond highlights pulled back into a bun, eyes so
green he could see them all the way down the hall. He'd never thought that
the MDPD uniforms were all that flattering, but on her, it looked good. As
she passed them, she acknowledged Megan. "Hey, Meg." She said, flashing
the older woman a large grin. Megan replied, "Hey, Jen. Your brother's in
Room 3."
"Brother?" Tim finally questioned his boss when he felt sure his voice wouldn't come out too high or broken.
"John Hagen, narcotics detective. Jennifer's a rookie and John's little sister." Megan eyed him. "Why do you ask?" She grinned. "See something you like?"
"Yeah, she had a great set of cuffs." Tim rolled his eyes to hide his embarrassment from Megan's question. "I've never seen a pair that nice."
"Yeah, they're almost as great as the girl." Megan's grin grew wider by the minute.
Tim left his boss and walked down the hall. His head was down and he wasn't paying attention. He walked squarely into Jennifer Hagen, knocking the woman to the floor.
"God, are you okay?" He reached down to help her off the floor.
"I've heard of sweeping a girl off her feet, but this is a little much!" Jennifer grinned at him as she took his hand and stood.
"I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you sure you're okay?" Tim was trying to keep his cool, but didn't think he was doing a very good job.
"Fine, really. You seemed awfully deep in thought." He was still holding her hand. Neither made a move to let go.
"You're perceptive." He smiled back at her.
She laughed. "Jennifer Hagen, patrol. I'd shake your hand, but I think we're beyond that now."
Speed laughed. "Tim Speedle, crime lab." He released her hand reluctantly and gazed the jade eyes nearly even with his own.
"Crime lab? Very interesting. You work with Megan, then?"
"Yeah, Megan's my boss." Tim was struggling not to get lost in her eyes.
"Megan's been a good friend to me. I've known her for years through my brother. She wrote a letter of recommendation for me to get into the academy."
"Speed!" Megan called from the hallway and Tim whipped around to face her. "I need you in here." Megan said, surveying the scene before her. A smile spread across her face. "Take your time," she said, finally seeing exactly whom Tim was talking to.
"I'm on my way, Meg." He turned to face Jennifer again.
"I guess I better get going," Tim replied, very reluctantly.
"A bunch of us are meeting up at Pino's tonight after shift. Megan's going to be there and my brother John, too. Maybe you'd like to join us?"
"Maybe I will." Tim took a final glance at the incredibly beautiful woman before him. "I'll see you later."
"Later," she said. "I like the sound of that." Jennifer Hagen swept past him back towards the elevators.
She gave him one last smile before the elevator doors closed on her. Tim stepped into the lab where Megan was bent over a microscope.
"Clearly you don't need my help!" Megan deadpanned, trying desperately to control her laughter.
"You heard that?" Tim's crimson shirt was now blending quite nicely into his red face.
"A good investigator sees and hears everything. Honestly, she beat me to the punch. I was going to invite you to Pino's tonight, long before you saw the lovely Ms. Hagen." Megan's smile was really starting to get on his nerves.
He did meet them at Pino's that night. It was very interesting to see a totally different side of his new boss. Her husband Sean was there, along with John Hagen, his partner Ray Caine, the medical examiner Alexx Woods and several patrol officers. Jennifer was even more amazing that he originally thought. Not only was she beautiful, she was funny as hell. She had him laughing all night long, especially her verbal sparring with her big brother. John clearly worshiped his little sister, and let her win most of the arguments.
When it was time to leave, Tim got up last from the table and followed at the back of the crowd. He noticed that Jennifer had done the same.
He turned to face her and said, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"I'm glad. Walk me to my car?" she asked quietly.
"Sure."
He held the door for her as they exited Pino's and walked towards Jennifer's car. "Jen?" he asked, nearly choking on the words.
"Yeah?" She looked so beautiful, bathed in the light from the streetlamps.
"Speedle!" He turned to see John Hagen leaning out of his truck towards them. "Don't make me arrest you for accosting my sister on the first date!" He laughed heartily. "And Short Stuff," he said, pointing towards Jennifer, "BEHAVE yourself!"
She hollered back. "Go home before I haul your ass in for driving under the influence!"
"Hah!" Hagen laughed, shut his door and sped off, leaving them alone once again.
She rolled her eyes and chuckled quietly, turning her attention back to Tim. "You were saying?"
"Yeah, um, I was wondering.I thought maybe.um.I wanted to ask you." God, do I always sound this incredibly stupid, Speed wondered to himself.
"I'd love to."
"What?"
"Whatever you're asking, Tim. I'd love to."
"How about tomorrow night?" He asked hopefully.
"Seven o'clock? You can pick me up at my house." She smiled at him, and leaned into her car. "I'll give you the address." She wrote the address on a pad of paper she had on the passenger seat. "I put my phone number on there also, just in case you get lost, or, you know."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at seven, then." He turned from her to walk to the bike.
"Tim?" He turned around to face her again. Jennifer grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into her. She pressed her lips to his. Before he knew what had hit him, she broke the kiss, got into her car and left the lot, leaving Speed alone.
Speed carefully folder the paper with Jennifer's address and phone number and stuck it in his pocket. He put on his helmet, and started the bike's engine. Tim Speedle was falling.fast.
"Brother?" Tim finally questioned his boss when he felt sure his voice wouldn't come out too high or broken.
"John Hagen, narcotics detective. Jennifer's a rookie and John's little sister." Megan eyed him. "Why do you ask?" She grinned. "See something you like?"
"Yeah, she had a great set of cuffs." Tim rolled his eyes to hide his embarrassment from Megan's question. "I've never seen a pair that nice."
"Yeah, they're almost as great as the girl." Megan's grin grew wider by the minute.
Tim left his boss and walked down the hall. His head was down and he wasn't paying attention. He walked squarely into Jennifer Hagen, knocking the woman to the floor.
"God, are you okay?" He reached down to help her off the floor.
"I've heard of sweeping a girl off her feet, but this is a little much!" Jennifer grinned at him as she took his hand and stood.
"I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you sure you're okay?" Tim was trying to keep his cool, but didn't think he was doing a very good job.
"Fine, really. You seemed awfully deep in thought." He was still holding her hand. Neither made a move to let go.
"You're perceptive." He smiled back at her.
She laughed. "Jennifer Hagen, patrol. I'd shake your hand, but I think we're beyond that now."
Speed laughed. "Tim Speedle, crime lab." He released her hand reluctantly and gazed the jade eyes nearly even with his own.
"Crime lab? Very interesting. You work with Megan, then?"
"Yeah, Megan's my boss." Tim was struggling not to get lost in her eyes.
"Megan's been a good friend to me. I've known her for years through my brother. She wrote a letter of recommendation for me to get into the academy."
"Speed!" Megan called from the hallway and Tim whipped around to face her. "I need you in here." Megan said, surveying the scene before her. A smile spread across her face. "Take your time," she said, finally seeing exactly whom Tim was talking to.
"I'm on my way, Meg." He turned to face Jennifer again.
"I guess I better get going," Tim replied, very reluctantly.
"A bunch of us are meeting up at Pino's tonight after shift. Megan's going to be there and my brother John, too. Maybe you'd like to join us?"
"Maybe I will." Tim took a final glance at the incredibly beautiful woman before him. "I'll see you later."
"Later," she said. "I like the sound of that." Jennifer Hagen swept past him back towards the elevators.
She gave him one last smile before the elevator doors closed on her. Tim stepped into the lab where Megan was bent over a microscope.
"Clearly you don't need my help!" Megan deadpanned, trying desperately to control her laughter.
"You heard that?" Tim's crimson shirt was now blending quite nicely into his red face.
"A good investigator sees and hears everything. Honestly, she beat me to the punch. I was going to invite you to Pino's tonight, long before you saw the lovely Ms. Hagen." Megan's smile was really starting to get on his nerves.
He did meet them at Pino's that night. It was very interesting to see a totally different side of his new boss. Her husband Sean was there, along with John Hagen, his partner Ray Caine, the medical examiner Alexx Woods and several patrol officers. Jennifer was even more amazing that he originally thought. Not only was she beautiful, she was funny as hell. She had him laughing all night long, especially her verbal sparring with her big brother. John clearly worshiped his little sister, and let her win most of the arguments.
When it was time to leave, Tim got up last from the table and followed at the back of the crowd. He noticed that Jennifer had done the same.
He turned to face her and said, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"I'm glad. Walk me to my car?" she asked quietly.
"Sure."
He held the door for her as they exited Pino's and walked towards Jennifer's car. "Jen?" he asked, nearly choking on the words.
"Yeah?" She looked so beautiful, bathed in the light from the streetlamps.
"Speedle!" He turned to see John Hagen leaning out of his truck towards them. "Don't make me arrest you for accosting my sister on the first date!" He laughed heartily. "And Short Stuff," he said, pointing towards Jennifer, "BEHAVE yourself!"
She hollered back. "Go home before I haul your ass in for driving under the influence!"
"Hah!" Hagen laughed, shut his door and sped off, leaving them alone once again.
She rolled her eyes and chuckled quietly, turning her attention back to Tim. "You were saying?"
"Yeah, um, I was wondering.I thought maybe.um.I wanted to ask you." God, do I always sound this incredibly stupid, Speed wondered to himself.
"I'd love to."
"What?"
"Whatever you're asking, Tim. I'd love to."
"How about tomorrow night?" He asked hopefully.
"Seven o'clock? You can pick me up at my house." She smiled at him, and leaned into her car. "I'll give you the address." She wrote the address on a pad of paper she had on the passenger seat. "I put my phone number on there also, just in case you get lost, or, you know."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at seven, then." He turned from her to walk to the bike.
"Tim?" He turned around to face her again. Jennifer grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into her. She pressed her lips to his. Before he knew what had hit him, she broke the kiss, got into her car and left the lot, leaving Speed alone.
Speed carefully folder the paper with Jennifer's address and phone number and stuck it in his pocket. He put on his helmet, and started the bike's engine. Tim Speedle was falling.fast.