"You can stop tryin' to look busy. Ain't nobody watching."

Ed stopped mid keystroke and looked up from his laptop. Damon Foster, one of his old running buddies and co-worker from Gang Intel, hovered over him.

"Detective Foster." Ed grinned. "Who let you in?"

Damon popped Ed on the back of the head before plopping down on his desk. "Hell, man, they put out the welcome mat for me. I'm helping one of your guys with a case. Tossed him a couple of leads and turned him on to one of my CI's."

Ed smirked. "When did you get so generous?"

"Shit, you know how it is." Ed watched Damon pick up the banana he'd brought for a snack and peel it. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." Damon took a big bite of the banana. "Say, this is really good. Where'd you get this?"

"Same ol' Damon." Ed laughed as he finished typing the report and sent it to the printer. When it had finished he shut off the laptop and pushed it aside. "So what's up, man?"

Damon finished the banana and dropped the peel in front of Ed. "Just runnin' these streets same as always. Tryin' to keep these females in check."

"You missed your true calling, Foster." Ed cracked as he pushed the discarded peel into his trash can. "You shoulda been a professional juggler. I think call waiting elevated your game to a whole 'nother level."

Damon shrugged smugly. "Hey, it's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it."

Ed laughed, shaking his head. "You keep jerking these sisters around and one day I'll be working your homicide."

"They can get a little testy sometimes." His friend admitted sheepishly.

"I wonder why?" Ed asked sarcastically.

Damon eyed him and responded shrewdly, "Maybe I need to take a page outta your book and branch out."

Ed shifted, somewhat agitated by his tone. "What you mean by that?"

"Aww c'mon, Green." Damon prodded. "What's this I hear about you and a certain former ADA?"

"I'm seeing someone." Ed answered noncommittally.

"Uh huh." Damon smiled and something about it irked Ed. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Don't hold out on your boy."

"I know you don't think I'm gone sit here and give you a play by play rundown."

"Why not?" Damon demanded. "You shy all of a sudden? Back in the day…"

Ed cut him off. "It's a new day, Damon."

Damon sucked his teeth. "So it's like that, huh? She got yo ass on lockdown."

"Abbie's cool." Ed didn't like the turn the conversation was taking but he was trying hard to humor his old friend. "We're working things out. Taking things slow."

"Not too slow I hope!" Damon blasted. "C'mon, man. Details!"

Ed leaned back in his chair. "You sound like a randy tenth grader. You that hard up, dog?"

"Never." Damon sniffed.

"Well then just be satisfied with 'Abbie's cool'."

"See how that just rolls off your tongue." Damon grinned. "'Abbie's cool'." Ed couldn't help smiling which only egged his friend on. "Aww, look at him! Look at that twinkle in his eye."

"C'mon, man." Ed struggled to sound serious. "Don't you have something you need to do? Somewhere you need to be?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I been thrown outta better places than this." Damon cracked as he stood up. "But seriously, man, one more question before I go."

Ed groaned. "Damon."

"C'mon, Ed. Holla at your boy."

Ed sighed and waited impatiently.

"Just between you and me," Damon leaned in conspiratorially, "is it true what they say about white girls?"

Ed's eyes narrowed into slits. "Say what?"

"C'mon, dog." Damon pressed, oblivious to Ed's outrage. "I heard they can be down with some real freaky shit. So… has Abbie let you tap that ass yet?"

Momentarily forgetting where he was Ed bolted out of his chair and grabbed Damon around the neck. Startled, his friend put up no fight as Ed slammed him into the desk and towered over him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded through gritted teeth. "Are you that stupid, man? Are you really that stupid?"

A couple of the other officers managed to pry Ed's hands from around Damon's neck as he helplessly sputtered and choked. After he'd been rescued he sat on the edge of Ed's disarranged desk gulping for air.

"You lucky your boys jumped in 'cause I was 'bout to wear your ass out."

Ed pushed against the officer who held him back.

"Get the hell outta here, Foster." One of the other detectives advised.

Damon straightened his clothes and fixed his tie. As he stood up from the desk he pulled a business card from his pocket and tossed it on Ed's desk.

"Pass that on to Abbie, man. I ain't above taking sloppy seconds."

Ed's nostrils flared and his hand balled into a fist as he watched Damon stroll out of the squad room.

= = = =

"Hey, Abbie!"

Abbie was sorting through a pile of briefs trying to decide which ones to take home with her. She'd smiled to herself when she began the process, thinking that 'home' had meant Ed's place lately. She didn't even have to carry an overnight bag anymore. After she'd made the ultimate leap of faith and cleared drawer space for him in her bureau he'd reciprocated, seemingly without giving it a second thought.

She stopped her sorting and looked up at who was speaking to her. "Hey, Monica. On your way out?"

The pretty young redhead laughed. "I'm practically running. Can't you tell?"

"Rough day, huh?" Abbie asked as she tried to maneuver the five files she'd chosen into an already bulging satchel.

"This case is really kicking my ass." Monica fell into the chair beside Abbie's desk and helped herself to a piece of candy from the open jar.

"And tomorrow you get to come back and do it all over again." Abbie chirped brightly. She snickered when Monica faked gagging on the candy. "Oh c'mon, Barkley, you love it. You're a glutton for punishment just like the rest of us."

Monica nodded and grabbed a few pieces of candy for the road before she stood up.

"Help yourself to that candy, Monica." Abbie teased.

Monica's eyes bulged. "I'm sorry!" She apologized. "I didn't even ask, did I?"

Abbie patted her arm. "I'm teasing, Monica." She assured. "You eat as much of that candy as you want. Leaves less for me to shove in my mouth and that means less time on the treadmill to keep my ass from gettin' as big as my beloved home state."

Monica giggled. "As if! Anyway, I'd have thought you didn't have to worry about that anymore."

Abbie was taken aback by the comment and her arm got caught in her jacket as she tried to put it on. "Why'd you think that?"

"Well, I know you're dating that hot detective from the 2-7 now." The woman babbled mindlessly as she tore open another piece of candy. "Green, right?"

Abbie untangled her arm and slid it into the jacket. "Yeah, that's right."

"Well, everybody knows black guys love their women to have big asses." Monica informed Abbie as she chomped on the candy. "'Junk in the trunk' they call it. Listen to their music. 99% of it has something to do with some woman's backside."

Abbie bit her lip. She had to work with this woman every day. Telling her that she was being an ignorant bitch wasn't going to help create harmony in the workplace.

"You sure know a lot about it." Abbie tried to keep her voice detached and casual.

"I try to stay informed." Monica winked and playfully elbowed her in the side.

Abbie decided against commenting as she turned out the light. Monica followed her out of the office and into the hallway. Until that moment Abbie hadn't realized what an annoying ring the woman's voice had. She sounded like one of her nostrils was perpetually clogged.

"So which way are you headed?"

"Uptown." Abbie responded vaguely.

"Me too! Let's share a cab."

Abbie's stomach flip flopped at the thought of having to listen to her incessant chatter for the next half hour. It would end with her heaving all over some innocent cabbie's back seat.

"No thanks." She said politely. She knew she didn't owe Monica an explanation but the crushed look on her face was too much for Abbie to bear. "I'm meeting someone."

Monica's eyes lit up. "The detective?"

Abbie simply nodded as they joined a small group already waiting for the elevator.

"So what's it like?"

Abbie felt hot breath steam her ear and turned to find Monica standing so close that they bumped noses. "What's what like?" She asked, annoyed.

"Oh c'mon, Abbie." Monica whined. "You know…"

Abbie rolled her eyes. This was really turning into an exercise of patience. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Monica."

The elevator arrived and they filed inside with the others who had been waiting. Abbie could feel Monica practically standing on top of her.

"Don't be selfish, Abbie." She whispered. "You know what I'm talking about. Is it true what they say about black guys?"

Astounded, Abbie turned to glare at Monica. The woman was one of the most educated and brilliant young attorneys in the state of New York. She'd graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and was on the political fast track. But at that moment she sounded like a stupid, horny sixteen year old who didn't know any better than to ask something so offensive.

Abbie cocked her head and in her loudest, most obnoxious voice asked, "Are you asking me if Ed has a big dick?"

There was a collective gasp in the elevator and Monica turned six shades of red as she tried to back up. Abbie rolled her eyes and turned back around. The elevator reached ground level and the doors opened. Abbie casually sauntered out without bothering to look back at the carnage she'd left in her wake.

= = = =

"Hey you."

Abbie kissed the top of Ed's head after she dropped her satchel by the door. The empty drawer had come with the offer of a spare key so she was able to let herself in. She sank into the couch beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Ed kissed her forehead. "Hungry?"

Abbie shrugged. "Not really."

"Me either."

They sat in the dark as the television flickered, both lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes Abbie lifted Ed's arm and slid under it, laying her head on his chest.

"Hard day?" He asked as he stroked her hair.

Abbie sighed and closed her eyes. "The usual. You?"

"Yeah, me too." Ed spoke softly. "The usual."