Chapter 4 "The Dating Game"
"Open up! This is the police!" Fin yelled as he pounded on the door of Cortez's apartment, warrant for his arrest firmly in his hand. He stopped pounding and looked at Jessie, who nodded, and they both counted to three. After three, before Fin could even blink, Jessie kicked the door in. Fin was surprised at Jessie's strength.
Fin had his gun out but noticed Jessie didn't. He figured working in the gang division made her quick at the draw.
They walked into the living room to find a very distraught looking Marcos Cortez sitting on the couch.
"Hey! You can't do that!" He screamed and then took a hard look at Jessie. "Leah? You were a cop! You bitch!" Cortez snarled angrily, jumped off the couch, and started toward her. Before Fin could even move Jessie had pulled her gun and was aiming at Cortez's face with her right hand, her left hand lazily by her side. Jessie was so close to Cortez that he was sure to feel the cool metal on the tip of his nose.
"Blink," Jessie dared him. "Just give me a reason to pull this trigger." She said in a disturbingly calm voice. Cortez gulped and took a careful step backward. Fin cuffed him and Jessie read him his rights almost cheerfully.
Back at the station Fin and Jessie had let Elliot have a crack at Cortez in the interrogation room while they relaxed at their desks.
"I was impressed with you today. You did a good job." Fin said to Jessie. "A little creepy but good." He chuckled. Jessie had her feet propped up on her desk and was leaning back in her chair. They'd already finished their reports.
"Thanks," She said tiredly.
Fin looked at his watch and saw that it was about seven-thirty at night.
"Hey Harper, you wanna grab some chow?" Fin asked. Jessie smiled and sluggishly slung her feet off her desk.
"Sure, who could resist that charm?" She asked sarcastically.
"Odafin Tutuola! I'm shocked that you wouldn't ask your own sweet loving partner if he were hungry!" John said woundedly from his desk. Jessie cocked an eyebrow.
"Odafin?" She asked and smiled sweetly. Fin shrugged.
"You hungry?" He asked John.
"Nah, you two kids have fun." John winked at Jessie who just laughed and rolled her eyes. She was already fond of John and his sense of humor.
Fin walked to Cragen's office and cleared it when him that he and Jessie were gonna' go grab diner and asked if he wanted anything. Don politely declined and gave them the go ahead to go grab something to eat. Fin walked back to Jessie, but not without slapping John on the back of the head as he walked by.
"Hey!" John cried as he leapt from his seat. Fin quickly grabbed his coat and Jessie's hand.
"Run! Old angry man on the loose!" He laughed and tugged Jessie through the door as a paper ball whizzed by his head.
Jessie and Fin laughed hysterically in the elevator. Fin hadn't even noticed that he hadn't let go of her hand till they both glanced down awkwardly. Laughing nervously, he dropped her hand, and the elevator doors opened and let them out into the lobby.
"I know a burger joint down the block if that's cool with you. I'm buying." Fin said.
"You don't have to…" Fin waved her off.
"I owe you, remember?" Jessie smirked.
"This is true." She said. She took Fin's arm that he offered and soon relaxed into their stride as they stepped out onto the busy sidewalk.
"Okay, lead me to the food Odafin!" She giggled and got a dark look from Fin. He was trying really hard not to laugh.
"Oh my gosh!" Jessie exclaimed. "This is the best burger I've had in a long time!" She said in between bites.
"Yeah, they're okay." Fin laughed. He'd never seen someone so excited about a burger before. "I'm glad you like it." He said, taking a big bite out of his own. They are good burgers, he thought.
"I haven't eaten all day." Jessie sighed.
"Well that's not healthy." Fin said, glancing at his watch.
"Yeah well, I'll live." Jessie mumbled, taking a drink of her soda. Jessie looked out of the window and watched the people pass by.
"Gosh," She said in amazement. "This place is freaking huge!" Fin gave an amused chuckle.
"You're telling me." He said.
"It's hard for me to fathom the fact that I now live in a city." Jessie said airily.
"Didn't you live in Dallas?" Fin asked curiously.
"Hell no! I just worked there." Jessie explained. "I lived in a small country hick town my whole life!" She boasted proudly.
"That makes sense. You don't strike me as a city girl." Fin leaned back in the booth.
"Is that a bad thing?" Jessie asked, tilting her head to the side a little. She fiddled with her straw and smiled slightly. She wasn't sure why she was flirting but she just couldn't help herself. Fin leaned in a little closer.
"Not at all." He said, his voice deep and low. "I kinda like it."
Fin and Jessie locked eyes for a moment. Jessie's head filled with so many thoughts that she couldn't concentrate on just one. Time just seemed to stop… till a loud clap of thunder brought them both back to reality.
"Damn!" Fin said, motioning for the waitress and asking for two doggy bags. "Sorry, but unless you wanna get soaked, we better go." Jessie nodded as they quickly stuffed the doggy bag with their burgers, fries, and ketchup packets. Fin paid and covered the tip (despite Jessie's cry of protest) and they headed back to the police department.
"So, you think she's cute?" Olivia asked Elliot with a wink.
Elliot interrogated Cortez for about a half hour before he lawyered up. Elliot was glad he didn't confess. He deserved an execution.
"Yeah, she's pretty." Elliot replied, trying to shrug Olivia off. In truth, Elliot thought Jessie was very pretty and rather intriguing. "Where is she anyway?" Elliot looked up and noticed she wasn't at her desk.
"Fin took her out to get some dinner." John said to Elliot from his desk, never taking his eyes off his paperwork. Elliot nodded and kerplunked himself down in his chair. Olivia pulled her chair around to Elliot's desk, put her elbows down, her face in her hands, and just looked at him.
"What!" He exclaimed, rustling some papers and stacking them.
"Please! Who do you think you're foolin?" Olivia asked. "So, seeing as you're gonna be house mates, you gonna try to snag a date?"
"Fin beat me to it." Elliot said dejectedly.
"He did it cause he felt bad for being a jerk to her today!" Olivia reasoned. "Look, you haven't dated since the divorce and it's about damn time to start!"
"Cragen wouldn't like it. He'd flip about inner office dating!" Elliot said, trying to get Olivia to just shut up.
"He wont as long as it doesn't interfere with work and you know it!" Olivia argued. Elliot threw up his hands.
"Drop it okay!" He snapped. "She just started working here for Christ's sake!" He hollered. This caused John to give them a look over his glasses.
"Fine, give her time to settle in, but after that give it a try." Olivia persisted. John listened intently.
"Maybe, but I ain't making no promises. Okay, Liv?" Olivia smiled in triumph. Elliot got up from his desk and, feeling aggravated, walked to the bathroom.
"Liv, what do you think you're doing?" John asked. Olivia raised an eyebrow and rolled her chair over to John's desk.
"Trying to help out my partner." She replied.
"Well, cut it out." John looked at her as if she was some meddling child, and at the moment, to him, she was.
"And why should I?" Olivia crossed her arms and glared at him.
"You know good and well Fin's interested." John said.
"Well, he better get on the ball." Olivia snapped.
"I'll bet you a months pay that Fin and Jessie will end up together before she's been here a full six months!" John said smiling. Olivia's eyes glistened mischievously.
"I'll take that bet!" Olivia grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a quick contract.
"Sign." Olivia handed John the pen. John read over the conditions and sighed at the bottom next to Olivia's signature, confident in his partner.
"Done," John said. "At the end of a six month period, whoever's partner is currently dating her, will win a months pay!" Olivia smirked.
"Let the games begin!"
Authors Note: Ok so I'm bored and can't sleep so I decided to upload another chappy lol. Enjoy!
