In a message dated 28/5/02 8:10:25 pm, writes:
Title: When the Heat Is On (1/?)
Author: Angela Penfold
Email: AngelaPRPi@aol.com
Category: Romance/Suspense
Disclaimer: Third Watch and its characters do not belong to me. I won't make
any money using them in this story.
Notes: This story is set sometime after the end of season 2, but in my own
little timeline, Bobby wasn't killed after being shot. He of course survived
and made it through to my little story.
When The Heat Is On
Chapter 1
The beer bottle grew warm in her hand as the sun slowly marched in its
inevitable arc across the sky. Late nights and the third watch didn't mix
well with summer days spent drinking cold beer, but a day off provided the
chance for some relaxation and the opportunity for Kim Zambrano to pretend
that her life was less stressful than it really was. Aromatic smoke drifted
around her but it didn't obscure her view of the city and it wasn't the type
of smoke that would usually have her reaching for an extinguisher.
This had been her favourite spot ever since they'd moved into the apartment,
her own little patch of peace away from the grimy, dangerous streets of New
York. It'd taken some hard work to haul out the rotting felt flooring and a
ramshackle chicken coop left by the previous tenant, but eventually the tiny
patch of roof garden had become the haven she'd first imagined when she'd
viewed the apartment.
Feeling the warmth of fanned heat against her neck, Kim smiled languidly.
With the apartment to herself for her entire day off, she'd decided to
celebrate and just kick back in a summer tradition that went back to caveman
times, barbecue. Admittedly it wasn't woolly mammoth roasting with a
delicious aroma over the coals but there always seemed to be something
primitive in the ritual of barbecuing and there was definitely something
barbaric and overtly masculine in the figure standing over the grill.
Like the best of the ancient hunters, his broad shouldered figure supported
the smooth slabs of muscle of a natural athlete. He wasn't as furry as his
ape ancestors and the low brow of the missing link was thankfully missing but
there was something distinctly male in the dusting of dark hair on his tanned
forearms and the sleek, noble lines of his face. His position, cooking for
them, seemed so natural that for a moment Kim found it hard to remember that
he wasn't a permanent fixture in the place she called home.
A soft sigh of contentment passed Kim's lips as she shifted in her seat and
felt the crinkle of the cotton cushion against her bare shoulders. Summer had
hit the city early this year and the heat was already becoming too much for
some of its residents, but evenings spent sweating in the cramped cab of her
rig had made Kim appreciate time out in the fresh air and sunshine. Standing
in front of the grill, the heat must've been fierce for him, but he didn't
complain, not even when his T-shirt had plastered itself against his sweaty
back. Not so long ago he wouldn't have thought twice about stripping off his
top and cooking while the breeze cooled his hot skin but things had changed
for him. Too self-conscious about the scars that now marred his body, he kept
his shirt on even though it was wet through.
Almost as if he felt her eyes on him, he turned to her, his dark eyes zoning
in on hers. A slow smile crossed his face, white teeth glowing against his
tan. In a practised move he deftly flipped a thick, juicy hamburger before
speaking. "You'd better be hungry. These are almost done and it'd be a damn
same to waste meat this fine."
"Oh don't worry." Kim's lips curved in a grin as she raised her bottle and
took a gulp of luke warm beer. "I'll eat my way through the lot. I've been
waiting for this all week."
He chuckled softly as he turned back to the grill and shifted a crispy piece
of chicken away from an overzealous flame. "I always look forward to the day
off. No late night prank call outs, don't have to eat Nieto's cooking and no
stumbling drunks puking on me."
A mischievous glint appeared in Kim's eyes and her grin broadened. "Can't
guarantee that last one isn't going to happen. The day's still young and
there's a couple of six packs chilling inside."
"Mmm," he grunted. Lifting his own beer, he gulped down the last of the
frothy liquid, then let the bottle swing back and forth between his fingers.
"You wanna go grab a couple more of them while I serve this stuff up?"
"Next time, I'm doing the cooking and you can play slave," Kim shot back as
she got to her feet.
"Uh huh," he smirked. He flashed her a wicked grin from beneath his long
eyelashes. "We'd both be at Mercy with food poisoning within three hours and
you know it."
"Smart ass." Grinning broadly she aimed a slap at his hip with her magazine.
He tried dodging but the shot still landed across his thigh. Kim smiled
proudly, laughing at him as she strolled back into the oppressive heat of her
apartment. Spending her day off alone had its appeal, lazing around the
apartment, no screams of 'mommy' echoing through the lounge, but inviting him
over had been the best idea she'd had in months. He'd pulled away from her at
the hospital after the shooting and it had seemed like he'd been continuing
to pull away from her since but out there, today, it was almost like old
times again.
Kim tugged open the fridge door and stooped in front of it. Chilled air
washed over her hot skin, eliciting a sigh of relief from her lips. The
relief soon faded as the shrill ring of the cordless phone blew in from the
roof garden. Drawing in a deep breath, Kim grabbed two bottles of beer and
called out. "Grab that for me."
Almost instantly the screech of the phone was cut off and replaced with the
low murmur of his voice. Strolling back outside, Kim watched him with
interest.
"Hello?"
"It's Alex." The normally inaudible voice that came through on the other end
of phone lines was clear to her, three feet away this time. The sheer panic
in her co-worker's stressed voice was also clear as Kim listened. "I need to
speak to Kim."
"Sure." A frowned creased his forehead as he stepped closer, intending to
pass over the handset. "What's happened?"
Alex's sigh buzzed loudly over the line, its tone sending fear spiralling
through Kim's stomach. "Someone torched the leather warehouse on Saint Andrew
Boulevard. Some of the squad got into trouble." The volume of her voice
dropped as her voice emerged again. "They rushed Jimmy and Sweet to Mercy,
it's pretty bad." His voice locked in his throat. Unable to speak, he just
stared at Kim, his face grim.
Title: When the Heat Is On (1/?)
Author: Angela Penfold
Email: AngelaPRPi@aol.com
Category: Romance/Suspense
Disclaimer: Third Watch and its characters do not belong to me. I won't make
any money using them in this story.
Notes: This story is set sometime after the end of season 2, but in my own
little timeline, Bobby wasn't killed after being shot. He of course survived
and made it through to my little story.
When The Heat Is On
Chapter 1
The beer bottle grew warm in her hand as the sun slowly marched in its
inevitable arc across the sky. Late nights and the third watch didn't mix
well with summer days spent drinking cold beer, but a day off provided the
chance for some relaxation and the opportunity for Kim Zambrano to pretend
that her life was less stressful than it really was. Aromatic smoke drifted
around her but it didn't obscure her view of the city and it wasn't the type
of smoke that would usually have her reaching for an extinguisher.
This had been her favourite spot ever since they'd moved into the apartment,
her own little patch of peace away from the grimy, dangerous streets of New
York. It'd taken some hard work to haul out the rotting felt flooring and a
ramshackle chicken coop left by the previous tenant, but eventually the tiny
patch of roof garden had become the haven she'd first imagined when she'd
viewed the apartment.
Feeling the warmth of fanned heat against her neck, Kim smiled languidly.
With the apartment to herself for her entire day off, she'd decided to
celebrate and just kick back in a summer tradition that went back to caveman
times, barbecue. Admittedly it wasn't woolly mammoth roasting with a
delicious aroma over the coals but there always seemed to be something
primitive in the ritual of barbecuing and there was definitely something
barbaric and overtly masculine in the figure standing over the grill.
Like the best of the ancient hunters, his broad shouldered figure supported
the smooth slabs of muscle of a natural athlete. He wasn't as furry as his
ape ancestors and the low brow of the missing link was thankfully missing but
there was something distinctly male in the dusting of dark hair on his tanned
forearms and the sleek, noble lines of his face. His position, cooking for
them, seemed so natural that for a moment Kim found it hard to remember that
he wasn't a permanent fixture in the place she called home.
A soft sigh of contentment passed Kim's lips as she shifted in her seat and
felt the crinkle of the cotton cushion against her bare shoulders. Summer had
hit the city early this year and the heat was already becoming too much for
some of its residents, but evenings spent sweating in the cramped cab of her
rig had made Kim appreciate time out in the fresh air and sunshine. Standing
in front of the grill, the heat must've been fierce for him, but he didn't
complain, not even when his T-shirt had plastered itself against his sweaty
back. Not so long ago he wouldn't have thought twice about stripping off his
top and cooking while the breeze cooled his hot skin but things had changed
for him. Too self-conscious about the scars that now marred his body, he kept
his shirt on even though it was wet through.
Almost as if he felt her eyes on him, he turned to her, his dark eyes zoning
in on hers. A slow smile crossed his face, white teeth glowing against his
tan. In a practised move he deftly flipped a thick, juicy hamburger before
speaking. "You'd better be hungry. These are almost done and it'd be a damn
same to waste meat this fine."
"Oh don't worry." Kim's lips curved in a grin as she raised her bottle and
took a gulp of luke warm beer. "I'll eat my way through the lot. I've been
waiting for this all week."
He chuckled softly as he turned back to the grill and shifted a crispy piece
of chicken away from an overzealous flame. "I always look forward to the day
off. No late night prank call outs, don't have to eat Nieto's cooking and no
stumbling drunks puking on me."
A mischievous glint appeared in Kim's eyes and her grin broadened. "Can't
guarantee that last one isn't going to happen. The day's still young and
there's a couple of six packs chilling inside."
"Mmm," he grunted. Lifting his own beer, he gulped down the last of the
frothy liquid, then let the bottle swing back and forth between his fingers.
"You wanna go grab a couple more of them while I serve this stuff up?"
"Next time, I'm doing the cooking and you can play slave," Kim shot back as
she got to her feet.
"Uh huh," he smirked. He flashed her a wicked grin from beneath his long
eyelashes. "We'd both be at Mercy with food poisoning within three hours and
you know it."
"Smart ass." Grinning broadly she aimed a slap at his hip with her magazine.
He tried dodging but the shot still landed across his thigh. Kim smiled
proudly, laughing at him as she strolled back into the oppressive heat of her
apartment. Spending her day off alone had its appeal, lazing around the
apartment, no screams of 'mommy' echoing through the lounge, but inviting him
over had been the best idea she'd had in months. He'd pulled away from her at
the hospital after the shooting and it had seemed like he'd been continuing
to pull away from her since but out there, today, it was almost like old
times again.
Kim tugged open the fridge door and stooped in front of it. Chilled air
washed over her hot skin, eliciting a sigh of relief from her lips. The
relief soon faded as the shrill ring of the cordless phone blew in from the
roof garden. Drawing in a deep breath, Kim grabbed two bottles of beer and
called out. "Grab that for me."
Almost instantly the screech of the phone was cut off and replaced with the
low murmur of his voice. Strolling back outside, Kim watched him with
interest.
"Hello?"
"It's Alex." The normally inaudible voice that came through on the other end
of phone lines was clear to her, three feet away this time. The sheer panic
in her co-worker's stressed voice was also clear as Kim listened. "I need to
speak to Kim."
"Sure." A frowned creased his forehead as he stepped closer, intending to
pass over the handset. "What's happened?"
Alex's sigh buzzed loudly over the line, its tone sending fear spiralling
through Kim's stomach. "Someone torched the leather warehouse on Saint Andrew
Boulevard. Some of the squad got into trouble." The volume of her voice
dropped as her voice emerged again. "They rushed Jimmy and Sweet to Mercy,
it's pretty bad." His voice locked in his throat. Unable to speak, he just
stared at Kim, his face grim.