Once again I found myself outside her apartment building waiting for her. I'd already been in her apartment looking for her but since she wasn't home I decided to wait in the parking lot. Who knows, maybe she'd actually put bullets in her gun and thought I was an intruder when she walked in the door. Not very likely but I didn't feel like taking any chances tonight.

I don't really know how I'd ended up there in the first place. I'd been on my way home from a redecorating job when I found myself steering the car towards her apartment instead of my own. A couple of days had past since the phone call and I guess I was there to see if she was serious about the no deal thing. If she was I would just have to convince her to change her mind. One way or another. And also, I wanted to check up on her, things were crazy around her now and I hadn't seen her for a while. I needed to see for myself that she was alright.

I watched as her black CR-V rolled on to the parking lot. When she got out I noticed that she wasn't alone, Albert Kloughn got out from the passenger seat. And he was talking non stop. I could see that Steph was fighting the urge to rip is head off, but than again who wouldn't after spending a day with him?

After she walked him to his car she stood watching him drive away, talking deep breaths for a while. I used the moment of stillness to walk up to her. Just when I got close she turned around, letting out a yelp as she dumped right in to me. The small yelp made me smile at her. 'Big date?' I asked her.

'It's been a strange day' she answered in a tired voice.

'How strange?'

She told me how she, Albert and Vinnie had walked in on two girls making a porno movie and how the girls both knew Vinnie. I tipped my head back and laughed out loud, Christ she was right, that really was a day you wouldn't forget too easy.

'Is this a social visit?' she asked me.

'As social as it gets, I'm on my way home from a job.'

'Home to the Bat Cave.' She said and looked up at me with those big bright blue eyes. I love when she calls my house the Bat Cave, and that she sometimes calls me Batman. There's just something personal about it that I like. I guess I could see where she was coming from, I did have a lot of brand new black cars and mysterious gizmos that came in handy from time to time. If some one other than her had called me Batman I would have given them a look that would assure that they would never ever call me that again... but when she said it I just, I just... liked it. The thought of her seeing me as Batman made me feel powerful in ways I normally didn't. And god knows I wouldn't mind seeing her in a Catwoman suite.

'Yeah. The Bat Cave.' I replied.

'I'd like to see the Bat Cave some day.' Maybe someday you will I caught myself thinking for a second. What was I doing? My house was my most private place, the one place where I could relax. My sanctuary. And she knows how much I value my privacy. I don't bring just about anybody to my house, only a very select few has ever seen the place. I don't bring around people that's just a temporary acquaintance. Once you go to the Bat Cave it's forever.

'Maybe someday' I finally told her before I could stop it. I needed to change the subject to something more safe, so I turned to her car. 'Looks like you can use some body work on you car.'

She told me about how she had been attacked by spiders in her car and how Abruzzi had said that he'd someday rip her heart out. The Abruzzi part really worried me, it was not good that she'd gotten so involved with him. If I knew Abruzzi correctly he might actually hold on to his word. The thing is, she can't see that I'm worried about her, 'cause if she knows that I'm worried, then she will panic. To her, I don't get scared or worried... I need to stay calm for her to stay calm. So instead I smiled at her.

'Let me get this straight. You were driving along after being attacked by a flock of geese, and a spider jumped at you and caused you to drive into a parked car.' I asked her in an amused tone.

'Stop smiling! It isn't funny. I hate spiders.' She told me.

I slung my arm around her shoulders. 'I know you do, babe. And you're worried that Abruzzi will make good on his threat.' More of a statement than a question.

'Yes.'

'You have too many dangerous men in your life.' I told her. She really did.

'Do you have a suggestion on how I can cut the list down?' she asked me.

'You could kill Abruzzi.' I said without hesitation. I know it sounded like I was joking but I really wasn't at all. She raised her eyebrows questionably at me. 'No one would mind.' I finally said. 'He's not a popular guy.'

'And the other dangerous men in my life?' she asked me and I knew she wasn't talking about skips or stalkers anymore.

'Not life threatening.' I said. 'You might get your heart broken, but you won't get it ripped out of your body.' Was the only thing I could come up with. Not that it really was any consolation.

'Aside from your suggestion of killing Abruzzi, I don't know how to get him to stop.' She told me. 'Soder might want his daughter back, but Abruzzi is after something else. And whatever it is Abruzzi's after, he thinks I'm after it too.' Okay, that was both good news and bad news. The good news is that now I knew what I should be looking for, I need to find out exactly what it is he's after, and fast. The bad news, on the other hand, is that if he thinks that Steph is after the same thing as he is it means that he has just included her in one of his games. And that... is bad. Those games don't exactly stay on the laws good side.

She looked up at her window and I saw a flash of fear in her eyes. She didn't want to go up on her own. 'So.' She said slowly. 'As long as you're here, I don't suppose you'd want to come up and have a glass of wine?' She asked me.

I had a few other things in mind that I'd like to come up for, but I knew that she didn't need me pushing her tonight. Her day had been rough enough as it is. I also had a very strong feeling that it really just wasn't my company she was after. 'Are you inviting me for more than wine?' I asked her.

'Sort of.'

'Let me take a guess. You want me to make sure your apartment is secure.'

'Yes' she let out relieved.

I beeped my car locked before we went into the building. I took her key and opened her apartment door. Since I'd already been in there I already knew it was safe, but I did my security check anyway so that she would feel safe. When I flipped on the lights I saw Rex running in his little wheel.

'Maybe you should teach him to bark.' I said before I continued to prowl her apartment. When I had gone through all the rooms, and made a comment about her poor cleaning under her bed, I turned towards her.

'No snakes, no spiders, no bad guys.' Well maybe one bad guy... but I'm bad in a good way. I know I said I wasn't supposed to push her, but I couldn't resist it completely. I reached out and grasped he collar on her denim jacket with both my hands, pulling her close to my body. I let my fingers brush the soft skin on her neck and resisted my urge to kiss her. 'You're running up a bill. I assume you'll tell me when you're ready to settle your account.'

'Sure. Absolutely. You'll be there first to know.' she said in a pitched voice. I grinned down on her. I loved having an effect on her.

I suddenly remembered Vinnie's comment to her in the office. 'You have cuffs, right?' I asked her.

I could feel her twisting uneasy against me. 'Actually, no. I'm currently cuffless.' She finally admitted.

'How are you going to catch the bad guys if you haven't got cuffs?'

'It's a problem.'

'I have cuffs.' I whispered, touching my knee to hers. I could feel her heart beating faster and her breathing getting heavier. All of a sudden, a very pleasant memory that included her and cuffs came to mind. A short while after I'd met her for the first time, and was trying to teach her the secrets of being a bounty hunter, I received a phone call from her. She needed my help. But not just any kind of help, she was naked and cuffed to her shower and needed my help to get loose. I think that might have been the best phone call I've ever had in my life. After that night I had trouble sleeping for a long time. Every time I closed my eyes to sleep, the vision of her wet, naked and cuffed to her shower popped into my head. And after that every thought of sleeping was gone. I had a feeling that if the same thing happened today, it would end completely different.

'I think I'm hyperventilating,' Steph suddenly said. 'If I pass out just hold a paper bag over my nose and mouth.'

I felt a twinge in my stomach. I know I'm not the easiest person and that she's a bit scared of me... but I'm not that bad. 'Babe, it's not the end of the world to sleep with me.'

'There are issues.'

I raised an eyebrow. 'Issues?'

'Well, actually, relationships.'

Wait. Had I missed something? Was she and Morelli back together again? 'Are you in a relationship?' I asked.

'No. Are you?'

I wondered what made her ask that. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm not. 'My lifestyle doesn't lend itself to relationships.' I told her.

Well that was only partly true. Yes, it's hard as hell to be in a working relationship in my line of business. Mostly because you need to find a partner who understands and accepts that you risk your life everyday, might have to leave at any minute night or day and that plans may have to change for work. I had tried it and failed every time. So I stopped trying and devoted myself to my work instead. But a relationship wasn't impossible. Many of my employees have wives, girlfriends and some of them even have kids... and it works just fine. It just didn't seem to work for me.

'Do you know what we need?' Steph suddenly said. 'Wine.'

I released her jacket collar and followed her into the kitchen and lounged against the counter as I watched her get a bottle of wine and two glasses. She poured the wine and handed one glass to me.

'Cheers.' She said and chugged her wine.

I took a sip from it and continued to watch her. 'You feel better?'

'I'm getting there. I hardly feel like fainting any more. And most of the nausea is gone.'

I had a feeling that she soon would experience another kind of nausea. Steph wasn't a big drinker. She refilled her glass and moved into the living room. I followed.

'So,' she said, 'would you like to watch some television?'

I grabbed the remote and slouched on her couch. 'Let me know when you're nausea free.'

'I think it was the handcuff thing that pushed me over the edge.' She explained. I almost smiled.

'I'm disappointed. I thought it was the idea of me naked.' I couldn't help but tease. Again.

I searched the through the sports and settled on basketball. 'Are you okay with basketball? Or would you rather I search for a violent movie?' I asked.

'Basketball is good.' She answered simply.

We watched the game in silence for a while. I used the still moment to relax and regain some energy. Stephanie on the other hand, was everything but relaxed. I could feel her shifting uncomfortably on the couch, glancing at me sideways every now and then. Then she refilled her wineglass a third time. Boy she must really be nervous.

'This feels odd,' she finally said, 'Do you watch basketball in the Bat Cave?'

'I don't have a lot of free time in the Bat Cave.'

'But the Bat Cave has a television?'

'Yeah, the Bat Cave has a television.' A really big one. Steph would probably love it. I don't watch it too often though. Don't have the time.

'Just curious.' She said.

I took another sip of the wine and watched her sitting there. I could see her thoughts running too fast for her own good. Suddenly she gazed over to me and got a funny look in her eyes. 'Now what are you thinking?' I asked her.

'I was wondering if you were human.' She said.

'What are the other choices?' I asked her. I actually was really curious what other things she had contemplated that I might be.

She downed the last drops of wine from her glass and looked at me. 'I didn't have anything else specifically in mind.' she stated and we turned our attentions back to the TV.

When another five minutes had passed I could see her head drop. She was asleep. I smiled at the sight. She really gotta learn how to handle her alcohol. I took the glass out her hand before it would drop to the floor and put it on the table. I got up and retrieved a quilt from one of her cabinets. I pulled her as careful as I could into a lying position and cover her with the quilt. I watched her sleeping form for a moment. She's really something...

I bent over and brushed a kiss on her forehead. 'Night babe.' I whispered with my lips against her skin before I got up and left.

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