Title: When the Heat is On (13/?)
Rating: PG-13
Author: Angela Penfold
Email: AngelaPRPi@aol.com
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, not going to make any profit in using them. Warnings: Mentions of sex and violence in later chapters. Some adult language in this one.
Notes: This story is set the summer following the second series and in my version of events Bobby survived the shooting.
Chapter 14
Having friends in low places wasn't always a blessing but in this case it had been a bonus. Amelia had handed over the keys to her apartment but she'd needed her jeep and the equipment it carried to deal with the scene. Trying to catch a cab with this much activity going on in the area would be difficult, the street was full of cops, paramedics and firemen though, friends. A quick conversation with Doc had provided him with a ride over to Harding, putting up with Nieto's endless bull on the way over there had been the most difficult part.
MacNab certainly lived in a better neighbourhood than his own. 1132 was a well-kept red brick town house. At some point the building had been converted from a large single family home into two, moderate sized apartments. From the intercom system it seemed that Amelia's apartment took up the top two floors. The stairs proved to be a slight challenge but eventually he found himself leaning against the wall next to her apartment door, his breathing gradually slowing to a normal level. Was a good thing he'd decided to hold off on the pizza delivery, it'd left his hands free and it would've been cold by the time Amelia got back from the scene anyway.
Jimmy slid the key into the lock and turned it. The door swung open quietly, opening into a large living room. Two doors led off of its near wall, a narrow spiral staircase leading to the top floor in the corner opposite the apartment door. From the outside the place had looked pretty fancy, inside it was pure MacNab. The apartment was cool, the air conditioning keeping up with the heat, and pretty spacious. The living room focused around two large, comfortable looking couches and a large screen TV. It was the other rooms Jimmy was more interested in though. He wasn't the type to pry but the woman and her home intrigued him.
He deposited the bunch of keys on a scarred wooden table and moved through the first door into the kitchen. It didn't look quite as homely as the living room. The countertops were clear of clutter, the stove gleaming new. The only concession to the room's actually purpose was a large bag of pretzels on the breakfast bar and a collage of take-out menus decorating half of the fridge. They'd come in handy when he got around to ordering the pizza.
Leaving the kitchen without exploring further, Jimmy headed for the third room on this floor. As soon as he opened the door he knew this was the heart of Amelia's home, a combination of work and escape. In what was probably originally intended to be a dining room Amelia had created a library-study combination. Heavy wooden bookcases, brimming with books of every kind, lined one of the biscuit coloured walls. On the opposite side of the room a battered leather sofa provided the one soft spot, a plaid blanket draped over the back a testimony to the number of nights Amelia hadn't made it up to bed before the exhaustion had claimed her. The room's most dominant feature was the large wooden dining tale in the centre of the room. A delicate looking laptop sat in the middle of it, almost buried in piles of files. The mass looked like it was in total disarray but knowing Amelia there was careful order to the chaos.
Weariness tugged at Jimmy's body as he wrapped an arm around his stomach. Even after two weeks in the hospital his body wasn't working at full capacity, it would take time. The journey from Mercy to the bar and then on to Amelia's apartment had taken its toll, leaving his healing abdomen stiff and aching and his limbs heavy. Turning, Jimmy appraised the couch, its leather upholstery was worn but it looked comfortable enough to melt beneath his body. He'd just rest up till she got here; give his body a chance to recover a little. Jimmy toed off his Nikes and settled himself onto the couch. He'd been right, it felt great beneath him, and the cushions cradled his aching body. His eyes fluttered shut, his thoughts slowly until sleep finally swept through him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The cushions shifted beneath him, jolting Jimmy awake as a weight settled on the edge of the couch. Gentle fingers skimmed over his brow, soothing fear before it could build. They slid over his cheek, hovered upon his lips before they were claimed by a soft kiss. His mouth curved beneath hers in a smile as the familiar taste of her filled his senses. His dark lashes fluttered open, sleepy eyes focusing on the lithe figure poised next to his chest. "Hey," he murmured softly. "Meant to be awake before you got home. Been back long?"
She shrugged, dark curls shifting around her shoulders. "About half an hour. You needed the rest so I thought I'd grab a shower and order us dinner. There wasn't any fabulous pizza smells when I walked through the door, figured you hadn't got that far."
Jimmy smiled sheepishly, levering himself up onto his elbows carefully. She'd given in to the warm weather when she'd dressed again, packing her curves into a pair of grey plaid pyjama bottoms and a figure hugging tank top in a similar shade that revealed the damage the collapse had done to her body. Ropes of reddened scars wound around her shoulder, down her upper arm. Pale, silvery lines, reminders of the surgeries that'd saved the limb bisected the scars. The first night they'd kissed in the hospital she'd tried to cover the marks as he'd peeled off her clothing but Jimmy had drawn her fingers away, kissed the scars until her shame had faded.
Catching the glance he cast at her choice of attire, MacNab returned his smile. "I have a thing for pyjamas. I wear them almost all the time I'm in the house."
"Sweet," Jimmy murmured. The woman certainly wasn't predictable; he'd readily admit that. His smile faded as he caught sight of the thick folder that she'd deposited on the floor next to him. Another emergency worker had come close to death today; it was the time for work not desire. He nodded towards the file, drawing her attention to it. "You started working on that yet?"
Nipping at her lower lip, Amelia shook her head. For just a few minutes she'd indulged herself in a little normality. Until the arsonist was caught her life would never really be normal. "I was waiting for the pizza to arrive."
A dark brow rose as the buzz of the doorbell punctuated her words. For once he didn't want to be saved by the bell. Jimmy planted his feet on the floor and rose slowly as Amelia rushed out of the room. He reached for the file and dumped it in the middle of the table. They'd be working while they ate. The murmur of voices drifted in briefly from the living room, then he heard the apartment door close.
He turned as Amelia strode back into the room, found himself smiling as he noticed the beers dangling from her fingers. "Think you've been reading my mind."
"Figured we'd need them by the time we've worked through all this." She set the beers and pizza down on the table and dropped into a seat. "We'll eat while the computer does its search through the databases for this guy," Amelia explained as Jimmy settled opposite.
The computer was already powered up, the search page of a database on its screen. "What do you want me to do?"
With one hand Amelia nudged the folder towards him, with the other she flipped the pizza box open, letting the spicy sent of hot pepperoni fill the air. "There's a statement from Boscorelli in there that includes a physical description in it. It's probably too general to help much but we'll give it a try."
Jimmy flipped through the contents until he found what he was looking for. He read each detail aloud, hoping something amongst them would click, bring the guy's identity to mind. Nothing fell into place and by the time he flipped the file closed the gloom had started drifting back into his mind. It felt like an impossible task. Amelia was right there when he looked up though, a smile on her lips as she held out a slice of pizza to him. It was going to be a long night but when she smiled at him like that it seemed like things might just work out and they'd get the guy.
Rating: PG-13
Author: Angela Penfold
Email: AngelaPRPi@aol.com
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine, not going to make any profit in using them. Warnings: Mentions of sex and violence in later chapters. Some adult language in this one.
Notes: This story is set the summer following the second series and in my version of events Bobby survived the shooting.
Chapter 14
Having friends in low places wasn't always a blessing but in this case it had been a bonus. Amelia had handed over the keys to her apartment but she'd needed her jeep and the equipment it carried to deal with the scene. Trying to catch a cab with this much activity going on in the area would be difficult, the street was full of cops, paramedics and firemen though, friends. A quick conversation with Doc had provided him with a ride over to Harding, putting up with Nieto's endless bull on the way over there had been the most difficult part.
MacNab certainly lived in a better neighbourhood than his own. 1132 was a well-kept red brick town house. At some point the building had been converted from a large single family home into two, moderate sized apartments. From the intercom system it seemed that Amelia's apartment took up the top two floors. The stairs proved to be a slight challenge but eventually he found himself leaning against the wall next to her apartment door, his breathing gradually slowing to a normal level. Was a good thing he'd decided to hold off on the pizza delivery, it'd left his hands free and it would've been cold by the time Amelia got back from the scene anyway.
Jimmy slid the key into the lock and turned it. The door swung open quietly, opening into a large living room. Two doors led off of its near wall, a narrow spiral staircase leading to the top floor in the corner opposite the apartment door. From the outside the place had looked pretty fancy, inside it was pure MacNab. The apartment was cool, the air conditioning keeping up with the heat, and pretty spacious. The living room focused around two large, comfortable looking couches and a large screen TV. It was the other rooms Jimmy was more interested in though. He wasn't the type to pry but the woman and her home intrigued him.
He deposited the bunch of keys on a scarred wooden table and moved through the first door into the kitchen. It didn't look quite as homely as the living room. The countertops were clear of clutter, the stove gleaming new. The only concession to the room's actually purpose was a large bag of pretzels on the breakfast bar and a collage of take-out menus decorating half of the fridge. They'd come in handy when he got around to ordering the pizza.
Leaving the kitchen without exploring further, Jimmy headed for the third room on this floor. As soon as he opened the door he knew this was the heart of Amelia's home, a combination of work and escape. In what was probably originally intended to be a dining room Amelia had created a library-study combination. Heavy wooden bookcases, brimming with books of every kind, lined one of the biscuit coloured walls. On the opposite side of the room a battered leather sofa provided the one soft spot, a plaid blanket draped over the back a testimony to the number of nights Amelia hadn't made it up to bed before the exhaustion had claimed her. The room's most dominant feature was the large wooden dining tale in the centre of the room. A delicate looking laptop sat in the middle of it, almost buried in piles of files. The mass looked like it was in total disarray but knowing Amelia there was careful order to the chaos.
Weariness tugged at Jimmy's body as he wrapped an arm around his stomach. Even after two weeks in the hospital his body wasn't working at full capacity, it would take time. The journey from Mercy to the bar and then on to Amelia's apartment had taken its toll, leaving his healing abdomen stiff and aching and his limbs heavy. Turning, Jimmy appraised the couch, its leather upholstery was worn but it looked comfortable enough to melt beneath his body. He'd just rest up till she got here; give his body a chance to recover a little. Jimmy toed off his Nikes and settled himself onto the couch. He'd been right, it felt great beneath him, and the cushions cradled his aching body. His eyes fluttered shut, his thoughts slowly until sleep finally swept through him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The cushions shifted beneath him, jolting Jimmy awake as a weight settled on the edge of the couch. Gentle fingers skimmed over his brow, soothing fear before it could build. They slid over his cheek, hovered upon his lips before they were claimed by a soft kiss. His mouth curved beneath hers in a smile as the familiar taste of her filled his senses. His dark lashes fluttered open, sleepy eyes focusing on the lithe figure poised next to his chest. "Hey," he murmured softly. "Meant to be awake before you got home. Been back long?"
She shrugged, dark curls shifting around her shoulders. "About half an hour. You needed the rest so I thought I'd grab a shower and order us dinner. There wasn't any fabulous pizza smells when I walked through the door, figured you hadn't got that far."
Jimmy smiled sheepishly, levering himself up onto his elbows carefully. She'd given in to the warm weather when she'd dressed again, packing her curves into a pair of grey plaid pyjama bottoms and a figure hugging tank top in a similar shade that revealed the damage the collapse had done to her body. Ropes of reddened scars wound around her shoulder, down her upper arm. Pale, silvery lines, reminders of the surgeries that'd saved the limb bisected the scars. The first night they'd kissed in the hospital she'd tried to cover the marks as he'd peeled off her clothing but Jimmy had drawn her fingers away, kissed the scars until her shame had faded.
Catching the glance he cast at her choice of attire, MacNab returned his smile. "I have a thing for pyjamas. I wear them almost all the time I'm in the house."
"Sweet," Jimmy murmured. The woman certainly wasn't predictable; he'd readily admit that. His smile faded as he caught sight of the thick folder that she'd deposited on the floor next to him. Another emergency worker had come close to death today; it was the time for work not desire. He nodded towards the file, drawing her attention to it. "You started working on that yet?"
Nipping at her lower lip, Amelia shook her head. For just a few minutes she'd indulged herself in a little normality. Until the arsonist was caught her life would never really be normal. "I was waiting for the pizza to arrive."
A dark brow rose as the buzz of the doorbell punctuated her words. For once he didn't want to be saved by the bell. Jimmy planted his feet on the floor and rose slowly as Amelia rushed out of the room. He reached for the file and dumped it in the middle of the table. They'd be working while they ate. The murmur of voices drifted in briefly from the living room, then he heard the apartment door close.
He turned as Amelia strode back into the room, found himself smiling as he noticed the beers dangling from her fingers. "Think you've been reading my mind."
"Figured we'd need them by the time we've worked through all this." She set the beers and pizza down on the table and dropped into a seat. "We'll eat while the computer does its search through the databases for this guy," Amelia explained as Jimmy settled opposite.
The computer was already powered up, the search page of a database on its screen. "What do you want me to do?"
With one hand Amelia nudged the folder towards him, with the other she flipped the pizza box open, letting the spicy sent of hot pepperoni fill the air. "There's a statement from Boscorelli in there that includes a physical description in it. It's probably too general to help much but we'll give it a try."
Jimmy flipped through the contents until he found what he was looking for. He read each detail aloud, hoping something amongst them would click, bring the guy's identity to mind. Nothing fell into place and by the time he flipped the file closed the gloom had started drifting back into his mind. It felt like an impossible task. Amelia was right there when he looked up though, a smile on her lips as she held out a slice of pizza to him. It was going to be a long night but when she smiled at him like that it seemed like things might just work out and they'd get the guy.