Title: Unknown

Chapter 17

Author's Notes: It's taken me this long to get Eric into a wetsuit!

Leaning over the railing, I scan the water, trying to catch a glimpse of Eric. To my left, two of Eric's fellow divers chit chat about the weather…of course, considering they're on a boat in the middle of the ocean, diving for evidence, I guess they probably have more than a passing interest in what the skies might look like in the next half hour.

A few feet away, Alexx is having a conversation with Luke Collin, a thirty-five year old banker who currently has a letter opener sticking out of his throat. Taking another glance at the ocean, I let out a breath and trudge over to join Alexx and her new friend.

"Has he told you anything interesting?" I ask, kneeling down beside Alexx.

Alexx glances up at me. "He told me he died at approximately 3 pm."

I narrow my eyes at the letter opener. "Weird choice for a murder weapon. You know. For a guy who died on a boat, anyway."

Alexx flashes me a smile—the kind of smile my mother used to give me when I'd take apart the record player to see how it worked. "Well, it got the job done, baby," she says. "So, Mark's due home tonight, right?"

Nodding, I reach into my kit and pull out a pair of tweezers. "Yeah, H is letting me leave early to pick him up." With the tweezers, I pull a small white thread off the vic's hair.

Alexx leans back on the balls of her feet and gazes at me. "So, when am I going to meet this guy?"

I roll my eyes. "Soon," I say.

Raising her eyebrows, Alexx says, "That's what you said last month, Timmy. What? Are you ashamed of me?"

I smirk. Trust Alexx to employ guilt when necessary. "Of course I'm not."

"Are you ashamed of him?"

I give Alexx a look. "No, I'm not ashamed of him, either," I grouse. Then I grin. "I just like keeping you to myself."

Actually, that's pretty much the truth. Alexx is my friend, not our friend, and I like that. Besides, I know Alexx. She'll take one look at him and decide he's not good enough for me.

Alexx looks me up and down. "Well, I want to meet this guy, Tim, or I'm going to call him myself."

Rolling my eyes, I say, "All right, Alexx. I'll bring him by after I pick him up tonight. Okay?"

Nodding, Alexx says, "That's better."

"Try and be nice to him," I say.

Alexx grimaces. "Well, now what do you think I'd do?"

"Intimidate him," I say.

"Please," Alexx says. "He's going to love me."

I glance toward the railing of the boat. "What's taking Delko so long?"

Alexx shrugs. "Maybe he's found something."

Narrowing my eyes at the dark blue water, I murmur, "You don't think he's gotten eaten by a shark or something."

The two waiting divers burst out laughing. Great.

Just then, I see Eric's head appear over the railing. One of the divers walks over and helps Eric into the boat.

I stand up a little too fast and nearly fall backward. Fortunately, this goes unnoticed by everyone but Alexx, who grins a little, but doesn't say anything.

I hurry over to Eric, who's peeling off the top part of his gear. "What took you so long?" I ask.

One of the divers, a blonde named Brock (figures), with a deep bronze suntan, says, "He thought you got eaten by a shark, Delko."

I shoot Brock a glare, and then turn to Eric, who's trying and failing not to grin. "Did you find anything?" I ask, trying to sound professional.

Eric shakes his head. "No dice. And no sharks."

Brock glances up at the sky. "A storm's brewing. We should probably get back."

Eric nods in agreement, and runs his hand through his hair. Brock motions to his buddy, and the two clomp off, presumably to tell the driver or Captain or whatever to get us home.

As his two colleagues disappear around the corner, Eric glances up at the sky, lets out a breath, and then leans down to stow something in his bag.

I take advantage of Eric's…position to sneak a glance at his backside. Nice. The man always did look good in a wetsuit. I should feel guilty, and I suppose I sort of do. But it's not like I'm touching.

Licking my lips, I turn back to check on Alexx and find her grinning at me. Oh crap. Now I'll never hear the end of this.

"Tim, wait a minute." Mark stops dead in the hallway leading to the morgue and tugs at the sleeves of his shirt. "Do I look all right?"

"You look fine," I say, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. It's funny. I still feel like I'm doing something scandalous every time I kiss Mark on department property. I don't know why. Word of my new romantic status spread over the department like wildfire within two weeks of Mark's first appearance here. Other than a few dark stares, I haven't really been hassled. But still, to act so free with him in public…this is uncharted territory.

Mark's been pretty tense since I told him I was bringing him here to meet Alexx. He's asked me to have her over more than once, but I always found an excuse to put it off. Now, here I am, hauling the poor guy to meet her on a moment's notice. Mark wants to make a good impression. I guess being dragged off an airplane and driven to the morgue while he's nursing a stiff neck and wearing the clothes he slept in during his flight wasn't what he had in mind.

Glancing at the swinging doors that spill into the autopsy chamber, Mark asks, "Are we going to have to go in there?"

I don't even try to fight the grin. "No," I say. "When I called from the airport, Alexx said she'd meet us right here as soon as she changes into her civvies."

"All right," Mark says, letting out a weary breath. "I really want to make a good impression on her."

"I know."

"I understand what she means to you."

"I know."

About then, swinging door fly open, and Alexx emerges from the morgue. "Well, you two are here already," she beams. "Here I thought I'd have to wait."

Biting my lip, I say, "Well, we caught all the lights." I twist my neck toward Mark, who's still standing a few feet away. "C'mere, babe."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Mark walks up to me from behind and places a hand on either of my shoulder.

"Alexx," I say with a breath, "This is Mark. Mark, this is Alexx, our medical examiner and my friend."

Mark leans forward so that his chest is against my back. Reaching around my waist, he holds out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Woods," he says. "Tim's told me a lot about you."

Alexx takes a step forward and grasps Mark's hand. "It's about time we met," she says, shooting me a glare. "So, you're an environmentalist?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mark beams. "We're a couple of science nerds, aren't we, Tim?"

I nod.

Alexx crosses her arms and looks Mark up and down. I have to admire her audacity. Most people wouldn't have her nerve. After a long, awkward (for Mark) moment, she says, "What are your long term plans, Mark?"

Mark claps his hands back onto my shoulders. Squeezing my muscles, he says, "Um…career-wise?"

"Tim-wise," Alexx says.

I wince, my cheeks starting to burn.

Mark squeezes my shoulders again, this time more firmly. "We plan to stay with each other for the rest of our lives." Kissing my on the top of the head, he asks, "Right, Timmy?"

"Right," I say.

Alexx nods, as if she's considering a new scientific hypothesis. "Mmm. Does your work take you to DC a lot?"

"More than I'd like," Mark says. He runs his hands up and down my arms. "Or Tallahassee. Sometimes I have to speak at conferences. Mostly, though, I meet with lawmakers."

"Mmm." Alexx nods slowly. "Do you plan to stay in Tim's apartment?"

Alexx thinks I live in "a hole in a bad part of town." A willingness on Mark's part to stay there would be a strike against him.

Mark raps on my shoulder with his knuckles. "We'll buy a house, eventually. I want to buy another car, though. Get Tim off that deathtrap bike."

I roll my eyes. "I like the bike."

"Well, I don't," Mark says, painfully kneading the muscles in my shoulders. "We're getting a second car."

I think about arguing, but I don't want to spoil Mark's first day back.

"Well," Mark says. "It was great to meet you, Dr. Woods. But I think we'd better get home. We still haven't eaten, and I'm pretty tired."

Alexx nods. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Mark."

Mark finally lets go of my shoulders and walks over to Alexx. "You'll have to bring your husband over for dinner sometime."

"We'll do that," Alexx says. I know that tone, though. It says she's not exactly jazzed to get together with Mark anytime soon.

Mark pats me on the arm. "Let's go, hon."

"I'll be out in a minute, Mark," I say. "I have a candy bar in the glove box if you're hungry."

Mark grins as he backs down the hallway. "This is what you're eating while I'm gone? I hope there's food in our refrigerator."

After Mark rounds the corner, I turn to Alexx. "You don't like him," I accuse.

Alexx looks away. "I'm sure I'll get used to him."

I cross my arms. "I don't want you to get used to him," I say. "I want you to like him."

Alexx stops and faces me. Letting out a breath, she says, "I just don't like the way he paws all over you. It's like you're a possession, not a person."

"That's not true," I say. "He's sweet, hardworking…"

"He held onto you like he was your keeper, baby, and I don't like it." Alexx's tone of voice indicates that her decision is final, and I'm not going to talk her into liking Mark by expounding upon his virtues. I had a feeling she'd react this way, but I guess I was holding out hope that Mark would charm Alexx like he did everyone else.

Letting out a resigned breath, I walk over to Alexx and kiss her on the cheek. "Well, I hope you change you mind, because I love him."

Mark and I don't talk during the drive home. The flight took a lot out of him, so he sleeps in the passenger seat while I drive. When we finally get to our building, I jostle him awake. "Rise and shine, babe," I say.

Mark opens his eyes and greets me with a sleepy smile. "Hey," he says.

"Let's just order out," I say. "You're too tired to cook, and let's face it—my cooking's not edible."

"That'll work, hon," Mark says. As we drag ourselves up the stairs to our apartment, Mark reaches up and rubs my neck. "So, what did she think?"

I glance at him. "Alexx? Oh, she didn't say much."

"She didn't like me, did she?" Mark says.

Swallowing, I say, "She didn't say that."

"You didn't tell her anything?"

I lick my lips. "What would I tell her?"

When we reach our apartment, I thrust my hand into my pocket and tug out my key. Pressing my hand against the door, I insert the key into the lock and jiggle it a little. Finally, the lock turns, I shove open the door, Mark and I walk silently into the darkening room.

Dropping his suitcase on the floor with a thud, Mark says, "I just got the impression Alexx didn't like me, and I wonder if you told her something."

"I didn't," I say. "She's just over-protective of me is all. What would I tell her?"

"That we fight a lot?" Mark suggests.

"I didn't tell her that," I say. "It's none of her business."

"No, it isn't her business," Mark says. "And we're getting along."

"Yeah, we are," I say.

Mark walks over to me and wraps his arms around my waist. "The past is in the past. I just don't want people thinking I'm a monster."

"I haven't told anybody," I say.

"I'm glad about that, Timmy. 'Cause we're doing good again. There are people with way worse problems than us."

I lean my head against his chest. "I know."

Mark threads his fingers gently though my hair. "Like those people in the morgue."

Burrowing my head deeper into Mark's chest, I say, "I know, babe. We're lucky."

Mark lifts my head up and kisses me chastely on the lips. "Yeah. We're good."

"Yeah," I say. "Yeah. We're good."