The sun shone through the window as it rose into the morning sky. A hand reached out from under the sheets, grabbing a pair of glasses off the window sill. Jill sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, placing the glasses on her face. She blinked and looked around the apartment.
"Rachel? Are you here?"
She got out of bed and walked around the room. She knew if Rachel had been there she would see her. Jill looked at the other bed. It was still made.
"Did she not come home last night?"
The teen began to panic. It wasn't like her friend to not come home. Something must have gone wrong.
"What if she got hurt... or... what if she got caught? What am I gonna do? I can't call up the station and just be like... uh hey did you catch a thief last night!"
Jill paced around the apartment and looked over at the phone. "Maybe... maybe I could call and ask for Sai. He could tell me something like that. But... that would sound weird. Why would some ask for a curtain cop?"
Taking a deep breath she sat down on her bed again and looked at the door.
"Okay girl... just relax. Maybe she stayed somewhere last night. Maybe she was home and she just left early and you didn't hear her. Oh... Rachel, where are you? What could you be doing?"
Her eyes landed on the phone again. She really felt like she needed to talk to someone just to calm her nerves. She reached under her pillow and pulled out Sai's hat. She still had the napkin he gave her with his number. It was a direct line to his desk at the station.
"I know I shouldn't... but..."
Without finishing her out loud thought, she picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number.
---
A few strands of sunlight danced through the curtain letting itself lick over the two sleeping lovers. Entwined in each other, it was George who woke first. The warmth of Rachel's body and the softness of the bed made him feel more drowsy, but the light of day just wouldn't stay away from his eyes.
Slowly flicking them opening, he looked at the body beside him. Her skin looked a soft rosy pink that was slowly being over taken by a honey orange. He only wished he could look at her like that all day.
However he knew Raymond would soon come checking on him and a nude woman in bed was not quite the normal watch up call he was use too. George couldn't help the smile though that came to his face.
'Wouldn't that be something to see Raymond react to this.' He chuckled quietly to himself until another thought came to him.
Wong. Last night, after they made love, she had told him everything. He had no idea Wong played so cruelly. And it bothered him greatly that he had so much power over her.
'Let me help you. I'm sure...'
'No. I don't want anything to happen. I won't let anything bad happen to anyone I care for.'
George sighed as he remembered their conversation.
'Well at least now, I know who to repay for harming you Rachel.' His eyes narrowed as he thought about Wong touching her in anyway.
Rachel gave a sigh and curled into him more, breaking his train of thought. Letting his arm come to rest on her side, he felt the smooth skin under his hand. Memories of last night came back to him and he closed his eyes as he let his chin rest on her head. Her soft breathing was relaxing.
'The world just needs to go away, just for a little while,' he thought.
A waking moan made him pull back a little to see Rachel slowly being to wake. She looked at his chest for a moment then up at him. A soft blush had formed on her cheeks and George found himself putting his hand on it. He let his thumb brush against the pink skin and softly smiled. Leaning forward to give her a soft kiss, he whispered against her mouth.
"Ma belle rose rougissant."
She smiled."What did you say?"
He brushed some of her hair behind her ear and gave her another kiss before answering. "My beautiful blushing rose."
She bit her lip, he noticed she did this when she was trying to hide something. Like a giggle. "I didn't know you spoke French."
"I have to speak many languages in my career. You meet a lot of interesting people."
Rachel frown as she thought of something."You meet a lot of creeps in mine."
George smiled a little. "I'm sure you speak creep quite well."
She looked up at him with a smirk."Are you also this humorous in the morning?"
"No." He replied as he lend in to kiss her collar bone."It must just be you."
---
Sitting back in his chair, Sai shook his head lightly listening to the voice on the phone. He never expected her to call and though he was glad to hear her voice, he didn't like how upset she sounded.
"I'm sure everything is fine. You just need to relax."
Domon walked by his desk and Sai glanced up at him. He covered up the speaker part of the phone and sighed.
"What's going on? Emergency call? Please don't tell me you're trying to talk someone in off the ledge of a building."
"No, it's um... you remember Jill right?"
"Oh. You making personal calls during business hours? You're gonna get in trouble." Domon smiled, taunting his partner.
"No. She's upset about something and she called me." He paused and quickly uncovered the speaker when he heard his name called.
"Yeah, yeah I'm here. Sorry, someone stopped by my desk for a second."
Domon shook his head and walked off.
"Look, I'm sure she's fine. No, no one has reported any robberies from last night. No one has been brought in either. Please, just calm down."
The young officer became quiet again as he listened to Jill rattle off more worries. He couldn't understand most of what she was saying, she was speaking to fast. A smirk crossed his lips as he thought of a way to change the subject.
"Am I going to have to come down there and make you calm down?"
His eyes went wide and he held the phone away from his ear. She didn't think his comment was all that funny and was letting him know.
A couple other officers at their desks looked over at him. Sai blushed with embarrassment and slid down in his chair.
Putting the phone back to his ear he sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just wanted you to stop worrying."
He became quiet as his father walked by his desk. He looked up at the man with a nervous grin but relaxed when his father just smiled and walked away.
"Look, I really have to get going. I have work to do and... hey, come on now it's alright. Are you crying? No... okay okay... it just sounded like it. Look, I'm sure everything is fine. Maybe she just stayed out last night. What? No. I don't know what she would be doing but still. Please, just relax, okay?"
He let another sigh escape his lips. He wished he could talk to her in person, it was hard to be comforting over the phone.
After a moment he was going to say something when he heard yelling on the other side.
"What are you doing? Who are you talking?"
There was a click and then silence.
Sai blinked a couple times and then hung up the receiver. "Uh... good bye."
He glanced around the office and the few people still looking at him. Quickly he picked up a pen and started filling out papers on his desk.
---
"Where the HELL have you been?"
Rachel's mouth snapped shut. 'Okay, pretending to wake up early isn't going to work.' She shook her head some.
"It doesn't matter, who were you talking to?"
She glanced at the phone. Jill made a mad face and placed her hands on her hips.
"No it does matter. You weren't here last night and you didn't come home. What were you doing?"
She began to tap her foot as she rose a brow.
Rachel looked around the room for a moment. 'Think think! I was just spending the night with the greatest man alive. Oh by the way he's the Cat too.' She rolled her eyes at the thought.
"A um, I was pulling a all nighter."
"With out telling me about it? What a bunch of crap!"
Rachel frowned."Well who the hell were you talking to?"
"I asked you first!"
The two girls glared at each other for a moment until the phone rang.
Jill's face showed a slight sign of terror.
Rachel raised a brow and hurried over to it.
"I GOT IT!" Jill jumped at it picking it up before Rachel could.
"What are you so scared about?" She narrowed her eyes some.
"Hello? Oh... yeah... hi... It's for you..." Jill turned giving Rachel the phone, who was eying her strangely.
"Hello?"
"Rachel, Wong is rather upset today."
"Argo?"
"Yes, now listen, something happened last night and he's really upset. You two stay in your place for today. I don't want to see any trouble happen. Okay?"
"Alright. Thanks for the heads up. Talk to ya later."
"What upset Wong?" Jill asked as Rachel realized she had been listening to the conversation.
"You little sneak!" Rachel hung up the phone.
"Why Is Wong upset?"
"Hell if I know!"
"You do know! Tell me!"
Rachel made a face as if to think. Then more calmly, she spoke. "Who were you talking to?"
Jill's nose scrunched up some in thought. "You tell me, I'll tell you?"
Rachel gave a sigh. "If I tell... will you keep calm?"
Jill laughed. "Of course! You're gonna have to promise me you won't yell though when I tell you."
Rachel raised a brow once more. Something told her she already knew the answer for this one. "I promise I won't yell."
"Ok... umm.."
Jill began to play with her finger nail. "I've been secretly meeting Sai at night."
"You've been doing what? Are you stupid? You're going to get hurt!"
"You said you wouldn't yell! It wasn't even my idea! Sai set it up! He got Argo to help!"
Rachel sighed and shook her head. "That man gets into everything. Is that who you were talking to?"
Jill looked down and nodded slightly. "Yes, I got scared when you weren't home. I panicked and I called Sai."
"He gave you his home number?"
"No. I called his desk."
Rachel's eyes went wide and she bit her tongue to keep from yelling. "You called the station? Oh, Jill, what were you thinking?"
"I was scared something happened to you. You never stay out all night." Jill looked up at Rachel. "Well? Where were you last night?"
"Me? Uh... I wasn't done talking about you. How long have you been doing this?" Rachel glanced around the room. She wasn't sure how to explain what she did last night to her friend.
"For about a month. Now it's your turn. Fess up!" Jill crossed her arms over her chest.
Rachel sighed and tried to collect her thoughts. "It's a long story."
"Well then make it short. Where were you?"
"I'm getting to that. Jill, I know who the Cat is."
Jill raised a brow slightly confused. "You were out spying all night? You didn't think to call me?"
"No, that's not what I was doing."
"Well then what were you doing then?"
"Um... well..."
Rachel looked down at her feet.
"Okay first off you can't say a DAMN thing to anyone else. Not even your kiss-a-boo boyfriend okay?"
Jill blushed a little but then nodded.
"Alright. I found out who the Cat was when I was trying to get that book for Wong. Remember?"
"Yeah, the one the you didn't get... oooooh." Jill smiled a large grin.
"Stop that!"Rachel pushed her a little.
Jill laughed but let her go on. "I thought you were acting kind of odd."
"Among other things. Anyway, He didn't know I knew, until last night. Wong had set a trap for him. To unmask him. I had to stop Wong. That's why I was out last night. And every night so far. I had to spy on Wong to figure out what he was going to do."
"You still haven't told me who the Cat is."
"I'm getting to that! So I followed the Cat and was able to help him. And I er... confessed who I was."
"YOU WHAT?"
Rachel felt like she shrunk. Jill seemed to be looming over her with a dark presents.
"And you said what I was doing as bad?"
"Now listen... there's uh... more."
"What could be worst?"
"Well, the Cat, it's George."
Jill's mouth fell open. "You're kidding?"
"No."
"Fancy pants George? Mr. Business man? That guy from the park?"
Rachel nodded.
"No friggin way..."
"It's a long story but yeah so now you know." She gave a half smile and began to turn when Jill spoke up again.
"What a second? What were you doing all night with him and oh my god you DIDN'T?"
Rachel's face turned bright red. "Uh..."
"RACHEL!"
"I'm sorry!"
"You're breaking your own rule!"
"I know! I'm sorry Jill. You must think so low of me."
"Little Miss No Relationship. Ohhh yeaaah."
Rachel looked at Jill who had a large grin on her face. "You perv!"
Jill only laughed. "Did ya make a man out of him?"
"Stop it!" Rachel marched off towards the kitchen.
"Did the neighbors call to complain?"
"Shut up!"
"Did you use protection?"
"What the hell? How do you even know about such things? You better not be!"
"Why? You did."
"I'm older!"
Jill only laughed. "Suuuuure."
"Oh shut up." Rachel flopped into a chair over whelmed.
"You're to much."
"I bet it was too."
"JILL!"
---
About an hour later, and more detail of what was going on in the girls' lives, not that much detail about one, they were sitting at the table talking about what to do.
"How do you think he did it?"
Jill raised a brow at Rachel's question. "Who?"
"Your little cop. How did he get Argo to help him?"
"Oh. I don't know. I ask him, but he never tells me. I worry about him still. I can see it every time I'm with him. It really hurts him to lie to his father."
Rachel smiled slightly. "Well, he's got it bad for you."
Sighing, Jill put her head down on the table. " I feel guilty though. I mean if I was just the normal girl he thought I was at first, then he wouldn't have to lie."
"Jill, trust me. He never thought you were normal." Rachel laughed and shook her head.
"I just wish I could spend time with him and not worry about getting caught. We can never meet in the same place. Even though I smile and I'm happy, in the back of my head I worry. He's pointed it out before. That no matter where we are I'm always looking around to make sure no one sees us." Jill lifted her head up and rested her chin on the table top. "I think I make him worry too."
Rachel reached out and ruffled her friend's hair. She tried to think of something she could say to lighten the mood. "Well, you better slow down. You'll run out of places for your dates."
Jill huffed out an unamused breath. "Hey, t least I don't go back to his place after foiling the boss's evil plan."
Rachel got a flat expression on her face and gave the other girl a slight glare. "You better not be going back to his house. You're too young for that kind of thing."
Jill smirked and laughed sitting up some. "Oh yeah, he'd never be able to lie about that one to his daddy."
Shaking her head, Rachel joined in laughing. "Jill, you're bad."
"I know. So what are you going to do about George?" Jill took a deep breath to stop laughing. "What are we going to do about anything?"
Rachel frowned."Who knows." She began to study the bottle of pop before her. "I don't know what I want anymore. Everything is different now. And George..."
"Honey bunny."
"Shut up." Rachel looked at Jill.
The girl grinned again but then changed the subject."It's great for you cause you're both thieves, my boyfriend's a cop."
"It's not as great as you think. It would be just competition between the Cat and I. Trying to out do the other. We're not a team like you and I."
Jill nodded a sadly. "Both of us aren't having much fun with our boyfriends like we should."
Rachel sighed. "Things would be better off if Wong didn't have control over us."
"Everything would be A LOT better with out Wong."
"Yeah, and as much as I hate to say it. He's clever."
"He's a bastard."
"A clever bastard." Rachel took a sip from her bottle."If only he messed up and the cops could pin... something..."She looked up as she began to realize something.
Jill only sighed, not noticing Rachel's cunning look. "Yeah, if they could just pin something on him, we be free and..."
"Do you want to make your boyfriend look good in his daddy's eyes?"
Jill looked at her. "What are you talking about?" It was then she noticed the look. "Oh no Rachel... you have that look. What are you thinking?"
"Jill, it's brilliant."
"What it is it?"
"I can't believe I never thought about it before."
"Thought of what?"
"And I think we could pull it off too."
"PULL OFF WHAT!" Jill was almost heaving as she growled out the words.
Rachel looked at her and then laughed. "We're gonna get Wong."
"Get him what?" Jill asked confused.
"Pin him for the cops."
"Leave a clue?"
"Leave a clue."
Jill looked at her in shock. "But what?"
Rachel went on thinking. "What could we get and not have him know?"
"Rachel... Rachel... RACHEL!"
She turned to look at Jill.
"What?"
"That's crazy. If we get caught doing it, Wong will kill us. Seriously! And if we screw up the cops might find us! It's too risky!"
Rachel gave a smile. "Well, someone once told me, you sometimes have to take a risk to gain everything."