Thanks so much for your reviews! Hahaha, they really made me laugh.

As for Kris, I promise she will make up for her behavior BIG TIME!

Hope you enjoy this chapter, and stay healthy, take care!

Thanks to my beta Sweepeaspatch. All remaining mistakes are mine.

The tv show Men in Trees isn't mine ofcourse, the scene was in the show at the beginning.

Chapter 15

Police station

"And? How did it go?" Fidel asked as Dwayne came in and he heard two bickering voices further behind him coming closer.

Dwayne sighed as he dropped himself in his chair. "What do you think?!" He dropped his forehead on his desk. He felt totally drained! This was impossible! Those two could pick a fight about anything or everything!

"O." Fidel said softly as he sat down behind his desk too. He focused on the papers in front of him quickly before they came barging in the station. His superiors were in -that- modus again, then it was best to keep your head down.

Camille stormed in and walked to the fridge as Richard sat down behind his desk with a look of irritation on his face. She took a bottle of water and marched back towards her desk with a look of venom on her face.

Richard pretended to bury himself in paperwork as he secretly took out a crossword puzzle. He needed something to get his mind off Camille and the almost unbearable tension he was still feeling between them. He looked up at her shortly and it seemed that she was busy with something on her computer screen.

Camille looked up from her screen after about an hour. She had done enough reading up on all the people that were expected to come to the party. She almost knew all of them by heart and everything they had done wrong. She looked at her watch. Lunch time. Great, her reason to escape for just a moment. She wanted to leave this tension filled situation. Dwayne and Fidel had stayed silent all this time. She studied them. Why was that? But maybe that was for the best, she had enough on her mind as it was!

"Lunch time. I'm off. If that's okay." She looked at Dwayne and Fidel. She wasn't taking no for an answer and that was very apparent from her tone of voice and the way she looked at everyone, except at Richard.

Dwayne shot up from his chair, as if he'd been asleep. "Yes lunch. Yes, me too!"

Camille's room

"Bonjour." Camille said as she walked into her bedroom. "What are you doing here so early?" She asked surprised.

Kris was huddled up underneath a thin sheet, with a cup of tea in her hands watching a tv show.

"Hi." She said sweetly. Her hair was damp and a fresh citrus smell came from the bathroom. She shrugged. "I didn't sleep very well. So I just showered and am relaxing a bit today."

"You didn't use up all the hot water I hope?" Camille asked slowly in a threatening tone as she eyed the damp bathroom and tried to measure how long Kris had showered and if there would still be enough hot water left.

"What? You of little faith." Kris called from the bedroom.

"Faith isn't involved, experience." Camille mumbled as she came back into the bedroom.

Kris managed to swoop her eyes from the screen and looked at Camille. "Ugh please. I've never left you with cold water." She looked at the tv again. "I wouldn't do that to a friend."

"We'll see about that..." Camille mumbled.

"What are you doing here? No practicing today?" Kris asked teasingly with a knowing smirk.

Camille give her a warning glare.

"O, you do have practice ahead of you? Hence the showering in the middle of the day? You want to smell good don't you?" She smiled widely as she ignored Camille's glare cheekily.

Camille threw a pillow at her and missed.

"Woow, impressive." Kris muttered sarcastically as she looked at the pillow that had landed meters away from her on the floor. "Come and look at this tv show. It's so nice! And romantic." She said the last word in a high pitched voice, followed by a giggle.

"What is it?" Camille asked from the bathroom as she walked back towards her bedroom.

"It's called Men in Trees. And this is such a romantic scene!" She almost squealed.

"You can be such a little girl." Camille commented as she shook her head fondly and rolled her eyes.

"Little? What's little about romance? Now I won't show you anymore." She said sadly as she pulled the blanket from Camille's bed side away to hers too.

"Show me." Camille ordered as she sat down on her part of the bed and grabbed her part of the blanket back.

"Well... If you act like that-" Kris started sadly with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Camille huffed in annoyance and impatience as she snatched the remote away from Kris and pushed play.

"No, you have to rewind! You'll miss the good part! It's about this woman, she's on a lake. But she doesn't know it because it's frozen and there's snow on it. This man, who is ofcourse really nice, he calls out for her because she is in danger. She doesn't understand him and the ice breaks, he hasn't acted friendly towards her, so she is annoyed by him. But I think that they are secretly in love with each other, and don't know it yet. She falls in the water, it's really cold. And then-"

"-My God! Are you going to tell me? Stop! I'll see it for myself." Camille uttered impatiently as she rewound and pushed play.

Kris sighed warmly at the tv. They watched how the woman woke up, they didn't show the man saving her. And how she was on top of him, naked, for body heat. "Isn't that romantic?" Kris swooned.

Camille laughed. "This was it?" She commented and stood up to walk towards the bathroom as she shook her head.

"Camille! How can you not like this?! Where is your heart? I just love that hidden attraction."

"It's tv. It's not real." Camille shouted from the bathroom as she began to clean her face.

"But just imagine... What if it was?" Kris's voice came from the hallway. She leaned against the doorway and studied Camille with a big smile. "Just imagine this happening to you with a very nice man. Wouldn't that be romantic?"

"Me freezing to death? No, not romantic."

"O, come on! Use your imagination... The romantic part is in him saving you! Can you just imagine? That you have to be that close to someone. It's always so funny when they do something like this in tv shows or movies." Kris looked away dreamily. "O! What about when you put two people in a closet or in a tight space where they are pushed against each other and feel very awkward but maybe secretly like it, but we don't know that yet because they themselves are so confused about their feelings...And then they either come out fighting or kissing." She giggled enthusiastically.

Camille huffed. As if that was real life. She wasn't in the mood for sweet romance right now. She was still angry with that stupid, stubborn, stiff ENGLISH man!

"How about you bind them together? You know these people that really have all this sexual tension." Kris eyed Camille from the side with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "But they don't seem to know it themselves?" She tried to read her friend. "And everyone notices and is annoyed by it. I think maybe if you put them together on purpose, you know.. Put them in a situation they want to get out of but somehow they have to be really intimate... That would move things along."

"You should write one of those flimsy romance novels." Camille commented dryly as she took a washcloth and put it against her face. She reveled in the coolness of it against her cheeks.

'So you wouldn't want to be tied up to someone, your bodies all close?"

Camille frowned and then rolled her eyes as she put the washcloth away and took a towel. "Are you drunk?" She shook her head. But Kris's silly talk and romantic enthusiasm did make her feel light hearted and forget about the heavy feeling she had been having. "It sounds like you want to be tied up to someone."

"No." Kris sighed sadly as she leaned against the wall tiredly. "I don't have a man that I secretly love or find attractive but don't know about. I would know, you know."

"There will be hell to pay if there is one cold drop out of there." Camille said as she pointed at her shower. "And there might even be some tying up then. How about I tie you up with the concierge? I'm sure he'll like that a lot? Put you two together in the hall closet? I have some minimal space there to be all cozy and intimate, even if you don't want to but secretly do want to." Camille ogled her friend and smile evilly. "He'd just love to get his hands on you, I'm sure of that."

"Do you mean that big man with the big belly that's really old and smells like old sweat and dirty socks? Thanks. Great!" Kris muttered disappointed. "Thanks for your support."

Camille didn't react.

"So you wouldn't want to be tied up with..." Richard. Kris swallowed and smiled evilly as Camille started to undress. It was clear to her that Camille had her mind on something else. "Okay! I know when I'm not wanted. Ugh... The story of my life." Kris sighed dramatically as she left the bathroom and headed back to the bed.

Moments later Camille marched back into the room. Freshly showered. "You'll find someone who will save you from ice cold water one day." Camille suddenly said as she rummaged in her closet for new clothes.

Kris's eyes grew in surprise as she studied Camille. "So you did listen to what I said?"

"Oui, of course." She answered as she took out a pair of jeans.

"Ahhh, you're so sweet! My sweet friend." She teased in a too sweet tone of voice. "Do you really think so?" Kris asked hopefully as she winked.

Camille smiled. "You'll find someone who'll save you from dying because that's what you want I guess? Not just a normal romance?"

Kris rolled her eyes now. "Of course I want normal! I don't want to be in danger, thank you very much."

"I know, you're just a very weird person." Camille teased back as she winked at her now and put a new top on. "I'm off to work again." She sighed deeply as she took her shoulder bag. At least she felt somewhat refreshed now. Ready to face the afternoon with that very annoying man!

Police Station

Someone cleared his throat and Dwayne, Fidel, Camille and Richard looked up at Commissioner Patterson who marched into the Police Station like he owned the place.

"Team." He greeted as he looked at everyone shortly.

Richard felt himself cringe behind his desk. He had the idea that by that look alone the Commissioner could see right through him. And what was he doing here in the afternoon? He surely didn't come to push Camille and him again, or to ask her again how the undercover exercises were going? He hoped not.

"I'm happy to inform you that I've found a solution to our problem."

"And what problem would that be exactly?" Richard dared to ask.

"The problem of another English male playing Sergeant Bordey's lover for our party in only two days." He grinned widely.

Richard couldn't help it, but the word 'lover' in the same sentence as 'Camille' made him cringe again. He didn't know why.

"It is solved." Commissioner Patterson stated proudly as he eyed everyone. "Team, might I introduce; detective Nick McGarrett. He has a lot of experience with undercover work." He pointed towards the door opening proudly.

The whole team turned towards the tall man in the doorway. Richard's mouth almost fell open as he saw the broad, athletic man who looked really big and muscular and had so much thick dark brown hair on his head.

Camille bit her lips as she eyed the very handsome man with blue eyes, dimples in his cheeks, and broad shoulders. He looked athletic and very fit. And he had something sweet and sociable around him. This man seemed like an easy going man to be around.

"Do I know you from somewhere?' Camille asked as the new detective shook her hand with a wide smile.

Richard almost huffed out loud. Could her pick up line be any more obvious?!

The detective shrugged. "I-"

"-Let me guess. You would have remembered." Richard filled in before the detective could even answer her. How predictable...And annoying. Superficial too. He hadn't expected that from Camille. On the other hand... He'd never really seen her with a man that she was interested in. So he really didn't know her behavior around someone she would be interested in.

Everyone looked at Richard's blunt outburst.

"I'm sorry?" Nick looked with surprise from Richard to Camille.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I was just saying..." Richard mumbled as he tried to hide behind the pile of papers on his desk.

Nick's blue surprised eyes settled back on Camille. He frowned at her. "If you've never been in England, I wouldn't know where I would know you from." He told her.

Even his voice sounded really nice. Dark and low. He would do just fine as her fake-lover."Your name seems familiar... I don't know why." She said.

Nick shrugged and smiled widely at her. She noticed the dimples in his cheeks. She thought of Kris, something she had said days ago. About dimples in mens cheeks. Funny.

"Maybe it'll come to you later." He offered in a friendly tone as he went to introduce himself to Dwayne and Fidel.

Camille gave Richard a hard, angry stare. What was he thinking? With his stupid and unfriendly behavior? He was ignoring her.

"If anyone sees detective Milano, tell her I want to see her." Patterson said.

"She's on a holiday sir." Camille mentioned when she sat down behind her desk. Why would the Commissioner want to see Kris? Strange...

"Yes." He just said. It sounded like there was a lot behind that one word. Like he already knew that she was on vacation.

"I'm sorry sir, but I thought Camille and I were doing the job." Richard suddenly said as he stood up. He had been silent before. But had mustered up enough courage to speak up now.

"That didn't go so well, did it Inspector?" Patterson looked from Richard to Camille.

Richard pursed his lips together as he swallowed. "Er...Em... I'm sure... If there... Would have been more time... It-" Richard began to stammer as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

"-No thanks." Camille bit at him quickly from behind her desk. "We're just not suited for each other. The sooner we face that, the better." She said harshly as she eyed Richard and then directed a fake smile at the Commissioner. It felt good to say this. Very good. She knew it wasn't friendly. But she didn't want to think about that now. She focused on the new detective's broad, attractive back. He was wearing a light blue polo shirt. And aknee-length shorts. At least he wasn't wearing a big woolen, stuffy, stupid suit.

Richard clenched his teeth and swallowed. So she thought he wasn't good enough for her? That they weren't suited for each other? Who was he kidding anyway? If he couldn't even pretend to like her, play her lover, how could he ever be just that in real life? Maybe he'd just had to stick with dreaming about her. He suited just fine with her in his dreams, that was for sure.

"And if detective McGarrett has experience that might be a better way to go." Camille said. Why did it feel like she was rejecting Richard? Like he would take it that way?

Richard looked up at the taller man.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to barge into your investigation Inspector." McGarrett apologized to Richard as he shook his hand.

Camille looked up at Nick and began to like him more and more by the moment.

"O, well, er yes... It's probably for the best anyway." Richard mumbled as he looked at Camille who was beaming up at the new detective.

"So." Camille said as she eyed Nick up and down when the Commissioner was gone. "I thought all English men wore suits, all day long." It was a jab at Richard. She hoped he would pick up on that.

Nick's brows rose in surprise. "Why would we do that? With this heat?" He looked at Richard apologetically. "You must really enjoy your suit."

"O, he does. Believe me. He does. Sometimes I think he sleeps in it." Camille answered for Richard.

Richard felt himself cringe. He clenched his teeth. Did he hear something venomous in her voice? "Detective Sergeant Bordey. That's enough of that, don't you think? You might try to focus on the case at hand." He snapped.

Detective McGarrett was facing Richard so Camille could openly ogle the new detective. She did it on purpose so Richard could see. "O believe me, I will. I will focus on the case." She gave a cat like grin as she smiled widely when Nick turned around and faced her. "I'm sure we're going to get along very well." She cooed. "Are you sure you're English? I thought all English men are stuck up and pedantic. You seem rather social and smooth."

Richard clenched his teeth again. His jaw was beginning to hurt. Ow, how he wanted to shout at her! She was pushing him! And by the looks of her she was enjoying it. This was not the place for this. He needed to stay professional. This was his job. He was a Detective Inspector! Act like it Richard!

Dwayne snickered at that and tried to hold his laugh in. Fidel looked the other way.

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And? What did you think? More to come soon...