First chapter = disclaimers

At long last, an update. Kudos to those who pushed for a new chapter, ask, and ye shall receive!

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Carol sighed as she got back to her apartment. Her father was an amazing person, but with his involvement, things could get sticky. His plot was obviously a mere ruse to get Steve and Ellen talking.

The problem was that Steve would probably figure that out as quickly as she had. Steve usually did not like other people nosing around in his love life, not even his own father. Normally, Steve would overlook such an intrusion, but Carol was not sure he would in this situation.

Steve and her father were close, but there was a point that even Mark could not cross.

Carol ran her fingers through her hair. What to do? She'd have to call Jesse. From the small amount of time she had spent with her brother's friend, he seemed to be an eternal chatterbox. Hopefully, he would be able to smooth things over with Steve, with any luck, that would parlay into getting Steve talking to Ellen which was the goal of everyone involved.

Now then, time for "Ellen" to start writing out some resumes.

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Ellen groaned as she fiddled with the phone cord. So far, she had not been able to really dig up anything on the doctor Mark had asked her about. The fact that she did not have any information did not truly warrant a phone call. On the other hand, there was a high likelihood that Steve would be home to answer the phone.

This brought up another dilemma. Did she want Steve to answer the phone, or did she not want Steve to answer the phone? Was hearing his voice worth the seething sarcasm that it would emote the instant he knew it was her?

Ellen closed her eyes and tried to visualize "angry Steve." It worked for about five seconds. The problem was that none of Steve's moods had every fazed her before. Annoyance was just another way of displaying his charming features.

Ellen paused her train of thought. Did she just apply "charming" to Steve's facial description? Wonderful, she really was turning into a romance novel writer. She snorted. Maybe she should take up writing pulp fiction. After all, it was not that far off from writing for a tabloid.

With conviction she picked up her phone. There was nothing like a cold dose of the truth to chase away romantic notions.

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Mark sighed as he shuffled his way to the phone. It had been a tough day at the hospital and Steve was having a harder one at the station. That meant that Steve was still and the station and therefore unable to answer the phone for his dearest father.

"Mark Sloan," he said pleasantly into the receiver.

"Mark? You sound terrible," Ellen spoke before her brain caught up with her. She had been set for Steve to answer and was surprised when Mark had.

"Ah, Ellen. Yes, I've had a tough day at work," Mark said as he mentally added her phone call to the list of things that had gone wrong that day. It would be the one day Steve was not home…

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm also sorry that I can't cheer you up. No dirt on your doctor friend. In fact, I haven't been able to come up with much at all. It's going to take a bit more research than I thought it was going to."

"Well, don't push yourself too hard. It isn't an emergency."

"Please don't say that. It gives me bad feelings when you say things like that. People turn into axe murderers and psychos when you and Steve say phrases like that."

Mark laughed, "Okay, how about 'I'm sure you have more important things to do.'"

"Well, that's better. Not much better, but better."

"I'm glad I put your mind to rest. Now, is there anything else?" Mark tried not to sound too hopeful.

"No, no I guess not. I'll give you a call when I find out anything."

Mark wanted to sigh when she did not ask about Steve but instead he said, "Goodbye, Ellen."

Ellen responded with a very bland, "Goodbye Doctor Sloan."

And both were totally unsatisfied with a perfectly pleasant conversation.

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Jesse rubbed his hands together nervously. Carol had called him last night and told him about Mark's latest scheme. She had also given him distinct instructions to keep Steve in a good temper about the deal.

"Right, like that'll work," Jesse muttered to himself.

"Like what will work, Jess?" Steve said from behind the doctor.

Jesse nearly spilled his coffee on himself, "Steve what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I don't know. What am I usually doing at the hospital while I'm on duty as a homicide detective?"

"You're asking your father to solve a case for you?"

"Very funny, Jesse."

"Gee, I'm sorry Steve. You didn't look like you'd been injured."

"Jesse!"

"Take it easy, Steve. You're turning red in the face."

"I don't know why I even bother with you anymore."

"Because I own the other half of the restaurant and you can't avoid talking to me?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of you being good friends, but I'll take your excuse. It's more professional."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Nice try, Jess. But you're on break for another ten minutes. You haven't asked what the case I'm working on is about, and you still haven't answered my first question."

"Man, they really train you well in the police force don't they."

"No, I live with my father. He is sneakier than any criminal I've ever met," Steve paused and looked at Jesse's face, "Dad's up to something, isn't he?"

"No," Jesse shifted his weight around and looked for a reason to escape.

"Jesse, you couldn't lie to get a quarter from a half blind ninety-year-old woman."

"That's harsh Steve. Why would I want to take money from an old lady?"

Steve just fixed his stare on the shorter man using his height to intimidate Jesse.

"Okay, okay. Look Mark might be planning a little something to make you happy that won't make you happy, but it should only you're too stubborn to realize it, and you're going to be a big jerk, and I don't want to clean up the pieces, so just be nice and don't get all huffy. Got me?"

"Not really, but I'm sure it will make sense in a month or two."

"Good. Anything else?"

"Yes, when my friend Jesse Travis comes back from his trip; remind him that he has to work at Bob's tonight."

"Ha, ha."

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Steve marched himself into his father's office, "Alright, what are you up to?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're up to something. You have to be. I asked Jesse about it and he's speaking in incoherent sentences."

"Now, Steve, would I do something like that to you?"

"Dad, you've been doing 'something like that' to me since I was born."

"Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Once."

"Really?"

"Recently."

"You don't blame me for that do you?"

"No, no. I blame myself."

"Steve, it really wasn't a mistake until the two of you decided to be mutually stubborn."

"I wasn't mutually stubborn. She's the one who left me. I simply got stubborn afterwards. I didn't just admit to being stubborn, did I?"

"Steve, no one will argue with you that Ellen made a huge mistake by breaking up with you. But, it would be a worse mistake if you couldn't forgive her or if you let it affect the rest of your life."

"I know Dad, it's just. I loved her so much, and she left me. I wanted, I wanted this one to work out. I thought it would. I thought she loved me as much as I loved her."

"Maybe she did."

"I doubt that."

"Steve, one of your main concerns about the people that you love is that they'll be hurt because of your job."

"Yeah, so?"

"Is it difficult to see that Ellen might feel the same way?"

"She's a reporter. It isn't the same thing."

"It is in a way. Son, if Ellen stayed a tabloid reporter, it wouldn't be long before your reputation suffered. People would be accusing you of leaking stories to her. I would be suspect of allowing confidential information to leak out. If you thought someone you loved was in danger because of you, wouldn't you try to make them safe?"

"Are you trying to say that she left to protect me?"

"Yes. Steve, Ellen's career would have suffered if she had stayed here, but you would have suffered too. By moving away, she moved you out of harm's way. I don't agree with the way she handled the situation, but then again, I don't always agree with what you do either."

"Yeah, well the problem with calling it a mistake is that mistakes can be fixed. There isn't much opportunity for us to do that."

Mark smiled, "Leave that to me, son. Leave that to me."