11

It had been a very long weekend for P.J. Saturday had been
especially taxing, and it was safe to say that the local gym had had
a good workout as P.J. strove to keep his mind off the woman he
loved. That evening, standing under a hot shower, feeling his
muscles creak in protest at the possibly over generous workout he'd
done, he let the water pour over his face. Once again, his mind
drifted back to Maggie, and he sighed, reaching over to turn the tap
off and grabbing a towel.

P.J. knew he had to make a decision.

He could either stop being in love with Maggie or he could tell her
and they could take their chances. P.J. shook his head, a rueful
grin gracing his tired features. Stop being in love with Maggie.
Yeah, right. As if. He could no more do that than stop breathing. He
loved her, and he knew he would always love her.

And so, he had to tell her.

Yeah, right.

As if.

Dropping the damp towel into the laundry hamper, P.J. pulled on a
clean pair of boxer shorts and walked into his bedroom. The house
was quiet, Ben and the others were still down at the pub, but P.J.
hadn't been in the mood for company.

OOO

Sunday had been marginally better. He'd had to work all day, and had
caught one of those cases that bug you well and truly. Nothing too
serious, just a drunken assault that had got out of hand. He'd had
to wait for at least half of the day for the combatants to sober up,
only for them to both suddenly realise that they were best pals, and
didn't really want to kill each other after all, in fact they just
wanted to be left alone to get on with life. That, and to head on
down to the pub.

He and Ben had finally made it home at about nine o'clock, via the
bottle shop and the video shop. When the doorbell rang, Ben had just
settled down on the couch, a plate of steak and chips balanced on
his lap, and P.J. was carrying his dinner through to the lounge.
Stopping en route, P.J. opened the door, his eyes widening slightly
as he saw who stood there.

"Mags" he said softly, his blue eyes drinking in her
presence. "Hey" he smiled, his voice returned to normal. "What's
up?"

Maggie grinned back at him tiredly. "So can I come in then?" she
asked, brushing past him in the narrow hallway, stealing a chip as
she did so. As she moved past him, she smiled up at him, and her
heart stopped for a millisecond as she fell into the depths of his
blue eyes. That couldn't be right, she told herself. Could it? Could
she really have seen that depth of emotions in his eyes? She
stopped, and they stared at each other, both reluctant to break the
spell, both wanting more, but afraid. What if – well, what if they
did take that leap? What if Maggie really did see the love she
thought she saw, and what if P.J. had taken the chance and pulled
her to him, never to let her out of his heart again?

"Oy" came a shout from the lounge. "You coming in or not Doyle?"

And the spell was broken.

Moving into the lounge, Maggie smiled tiredly at Ben. "How'd you
know it was me?"

"You're the only person that can shut P.J. up like that, even if he
has been a grumpy git this weekend. And you had to bring the car
back, and – "

"And you can shut up too Stewart, " grumbled P.J. as he sat down on
the couch, smiling inwardly as Maggie made herself comfortable next
to him. Reaching over again, she stole another chip.

"There's a plate and food in the kitchen if you want food" Ben
said, watching with a grin as P.J. moved his plate out of reach as
she reached for another chip. Maggie thumped his arm, before moving
in closer to steal more of P.J.'s dinner.

"It's all right Ben, I'll just pick at P.J's. You don't mind, do
you?" she said smiling sweetly up at him.

Smiling over at her P.J. resigned himself to his fate, resting his
plate on his knee. "Go on then."

Ben reached over and pressed play, the sight of P.J. and Maggie
sitting so closely, eating off of the same plate was beginning to
make him edgy. They were still protesting innocence, still
maintaining that there was nothing between them, and as far as they
were concerned, there wasn't. But Ben was beginning to think there
was more to it, whether they knew it or not. There was most
definitely something between Maggie and P.J., they just hadn't
realised it yet.

And Ben was becoming more and more convinced that he was going to
make sure that they never found out. Shutting his eyes momentarily,
Ben thought about it. Really thought about it. P.J. was a good
bloke, a good friend. And so was Maggie. But that didn't mean that
he should automatically mean move out of the running for Maggie's
affections – if indeed there was a competition. Except there was. I
like her, Ben admitted to himself. I like her a lot.

And he almost managed to squelch the tiny voice that kept telling
him that P.J. liked her more. That P.J. was most probably very much
in love with Maggie, and – if Ben were brutally honest – Maggie was
probably falling in love with P.J. as well. Glancing over at them,
he was just in time to see Maggie grab P.J.'s hand, nibbling the
chip that he held. They were in their own little world, the film,
Ben and the rest of the world fading into the background. A surge of
jealousy ran through him, and reaching forward, he turned the sound
up, watching with a grin as P.J. jumped in surprise.

"Put him down Doyle, you don't know where he's been" he said, trying
to lighten the mood.

"It's all right, Ben. He's house trained" she said, reaching up and
stealing the last chip, holding it in her hand as she spoke. P.J.
was heroically ignoring her comment, too busy eyeing the chip,
pouncing suddenly and stealing it back.

"P.J.!" Maggie squealed, " That's not fair!"

"Fair? You ate most of my dinner Mags" he retorted, but was
completely unable to withstand her puppy-dog expression, relenting
and breaking the chip in half. "I must have sucker written across my
forehead" he groaned, handing the morsel to her. "Go on."

"Thank you Patrick" she grinned.

"Anything for you Margaret." He grinned back, their eyes catching,
gazes fusing, emotions almost tangible. Ben groaned from the other
couch.

"Good grief, get a grip will you? You're missing the film". He was
still pretty wound up by their unintentional flirting, determined to
get their minds off each other and onto the film. P.J. reached over
and put the plate on the floor, curling back into the couch, smiling
over at Maggie as she did the same. The fact that both had made
themselves comfortable very close to each other slipped no-one's
notice.

12

Three hours later and everyone was asleep. Ben's tall frame was
stretched out along the couch, feet dangling from one end, head
lolling off the other, snoring gently. He'd managed to consume
rather a lot of beer, which had caught up with him and he had passed
out half way through the film.

On the other couch, Maggie was also fast asleep, the stress of the
weekend, the drive and the glass of wine she'd had catching up
with
her. She, however, was much more comfortable than her colleague. She
had a warm chest to sleep upon, and a pair of arms wrapped snugly
around her. In her sleep, Maggie had made herself comfortable,
curling into P.J.'s warm body and feeling totally relaxed.
Finally,
P.J. was also asleep, relaxed, warm and comfortable, apart from a
slight pressure on his chest. It was this that finally woke him up,
and opening his eyes, he glanced down to see what was there. His
heart missed a beat when he saw the golden hair, and felt her warm
breath against his neck.

Maggie Doyle was asleep in his arms.

Held against him, wrapped tightly in his arms, legs intertwined with
his as they half lay, half sat on the couch together.

P.J.'s life was complete. The end of the world could happen now,
and
he wouldn't have cared less.

Sighing softly, P.J. gazed down at her. "I love you Mags," he
whispered. "God, I love you so much." He sighed again,
wondering if
he'd ever have the guts to tell her when she was awake, knowing
that
he was going to have to do something soon, because he most certainly
couldn't go on like this for much longer.

A noise from the other couch broke the spell, and P.J. unwillingly
began to move Maggie, laying her back on the couch and watching her
curl up in the spot he'd just vacated. He couldn't be sure,
but he
prayed that the soft whisper he heard from her had been his name.
Moving over to the other couch, he used a toe to prod the comatose
form of Ben Stewart.

"Wake up you moron!" he hissed. "You owe me one, Stewart.
I was
there mate, she was in my arms, and you went and interrupted!"

Ben's only response was a slightly louder snore. P.J. sighed and
reached down to hoist his snoring colleague to his feet, and managed
to propel him to Ben's room. Dropping him down on the bed, face
first; he considered leaving him that way for a split second, before
reaching over and moving Ben's head so that he could breath.
Returning to the other end of the bed, he pulled Ben's boots off,
before grabbing a folded t-shirt and using it as protection while he
pulled Ben's sweaty socks off. Throwing a blanket over him, he
glared at Ben once more, before turning to go back to Maggie.

Except that she was standing there in the doorway to Ben's room,
watching P.J. with a smile.

"You are a very good man, P.J. Hasham." She said softly,
exhaustion
making her yawn. Holding her hand over her mouth, she let the yawn
ride itself out, before shrugging at P.J. "I should go. I'm
absolutely shattered. It's been a long couple of days," she
whispered.

"You're not going anywhere Mags. You know you're too
tired to drive,
and besides " he said, quite unable to help moving over to her
and
wrapping an arm around her, "You had that glass of wine, and as a
conscientious copper, I can't allow you to drive."

Gazing up at him, feeling warm and safe with his arm wrapped around
her, she managed a tired smile. "Ok," she gave in.

Never letting his arm leave her shoulder, P.J. guided her along the
hall, stopping her when she made to turn back into the lounge,
instead turning her towards his bedroom.

"Mags, listen. You're exhausted. Sleeping on the couch
won't help,
and you're going to sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep on
the
couch."

Was it his imagination or did her shoulder slump slightly as he said
the last part?

"P.J., don't be daft, you'll never get any sleep on that
couch,
you're too tall for it" she said, trying to move back to the
lounge,
only succeeding in turning in his arms so that she was now facing
him. P.J. automatically wrapped his other arm around her, pulling
her into a hug. Resting his head atop of her golden hair, she felt
his reply.

"And what makes you think I'd get any sleep knowing you were
out
here tossing and turning on the couch. Nope. Decision made, " he
said, moving away from her slightly, but still holding her in his
arms, as sheer exhaustion made her sway on her feet. He walked her
into his room, sitting her down on his bed. Going over to his
drawers, he pulled out an old t-shirt and handed it to her.

"Here, you can sleep in this. Just let me grab some stuff, and
then
you can get some sleep. " He said softly, seeing her eyes begin
to
drift closed. "Mags, ah, do – do you need any help?"

"Hm?" she managed, before he'd crossed the room and bent
down in
front of her.

"The things I do for you, my beautiful Margaret Doyle," he
whispered,
as he put her shoes to one side, before standing up and helping her
take her jumper off. P.J. was then faced with a dilemma. He just
wanted to look after her, to get her into bed, and that would mean
getting her undressed. He could leave her like he had Ben, just
shoes and socks off, but he knew from experience how uncomfortable
sleeping almost fully dressed was.

Thankfully – or unfortunately? – his dilemma was solved when
Maggie
once again managed to force her eyes open. "Hey you" she
whispered
with a smile, reaching out to take his hand. "You still here?"

"Come on, beautiful, you need to get changed and into bed" he
whispered back, his fingers wrapped around hers. Maggie looked down
at herself and nodded, beginning to pull at her top. P.J. stood, and
found himself reaching down to drop a quick kiss on the top of her
head, finding he had to force himself to let her hand go. He wanted
nothing more than to just lie down with her and hold her to him all
night.

At the door he turned, taking one last look. By now she had the t-
shirt on, and was stepping out of her jeans. P.J.'s t-shirt
reached
half way down her thighs, and almost to her elbows, she was swamped
in it. He stopped, and waited until she wriggled under the covers,
sleep claiming her almost immediately. Turning the light out, he
waited for a few more moments, before moving over to the bed.
Reaching down, he kissed her, softly and sweetly.

"Good night, Mags. I love you."

And it was only when he was half way out of the door again, that he
thought he heard her say, "Love you too."

13

P.J. Hasham was awakened by a huge thump as the door to his bedroom
was kicked at about some ungodly hour the next morning. Falling off
the couch, he untangled himself from the blanket and stood up.

"Ben! " he whispered fiercely. "What the hell do you think you're
doing?"

Ben looked between his housemate, and his housemate's
bedroom. "P.J.? What are you doing out here? Why didn't you sleep in
your bed? "

But before P.J. could answer, his bedroom door swung open, and
Maggie Doyle stood there, looking just as fierce as P.J. "He's
there, because I'm here" she said crossly. "And you just woke me up
Ben. And what's more, I know I'm supposed to be a morning person,
but not after being woken up by the kick to end all kicks. No wonder
he hates mornings if you do that every day!" she grumbled, moving
down the corridor to the bathroom, leaving them staring after her.

"And good morning to you too!" P.J. called after her, "Wow! Wouldn't
like to wake up to that every morning!" he grinned, his inner
thoughts telling him quite the opposite.

Ben managed a grin back, "Actually, after Rachel being hideously
cheerful every morning, that might make a nice change!"

And for a second there, it was like a Mexican Standoff. Both men
stared at each other, before Ben shook his head. "Way too early to
be up. Can't be helped though, and I need coffee. P.J.?"

"Ah, yeah. Coffee." He said, staring after Ben. What the hell had
that meant? Why was Ben thinking about waking up with Maggie every
morning? What the hell was going on?

In the kitchen, Ben was grinning. He'd seen P.J.'s reaction, he'd
well and truly seen it. Which is why he'd said it. Might give him an
idea of reality – might make him realise things weren't going to be
as easy as he had thought.

Standing in the hallway, P.J. finally got his emotions under
control. So. Ben was interested in Maggie too. Well, why wouldn't he
be? She was the most gorgeous woman in Mt Thomas, and - and at this
precise moment she was in their shower. P.J. groaned, pushing his
bedroom door open, and moving over to his bed. He was on Mids today,
starting at twelve and finishing at eight. And that meant he could
get a few more hours sleep. Not that he would sleep now, he thought
as he got into bed. For one thing, he now had Ben to contend with,
and had to find out what Ben was planning.

That and P.J. was now lying in the bed that Maggie Doyle had very
recently vacated, and it was still warm, and the sheets smelled of
her. Ok. Get a grip Hasham. Calm down. Calm down. So the woman whom
you're crazy about slept here, so she slept in your bed – and so she
just walked back in the room, still wearing that t-shirt with a
towel wrapped around her wet hair.

"P.J.! What are you doing here?"

"It IS my room!" he grinned.

"Yes, there is that, but you slept on the couch last night"

"And?" he said, biting his lip to stop himself grinning even more.

"And I slept in here"

"Oh, I know that!" he said stretching out in the bed. "I know that"
he said softly.

Maggie stopped, and a blush stole across her face. "Yes, well, I –
er, I need to get dressed. I'm on earlies with Ben, and I need to
get home to get a clean uniform."

P.J. sat up, the sheet falling away, leaving his chest exposed. "You
and Ben? " he asked, not able to stop the spark of jealousy that
spun through him. "Mags?" he said after a pause when she didn't
reply. "You and Ben?"

"Yeah, and he's not in my good books for waking me up like that
either. Now, are you going to get out of here, or shall I just get
dressed her and now?" – oh my god did I just say that? This morning
is just getting worse and worse, Maggie thought.

Firstly Ben had woken her up when she'd been knee deep in a dream
where P.J. had put her to bed and whispered that he loved her. Then,
opening the door, she came face to face with P.J. Hasham wearing
just boxer shorts. And now, now he was lying in bed, there, right in
front of her. In the bed where she'd just slept.

And she couldn't do a single thing about it.

No matter how much she wanted to crawl right in there next to him.
No matter how she wanted to kiss that silly grin right off his
gorgeous face.

And to top it all off, she had just offered to strip off in front of
him.

Mind you, he didn't look that upset about it, in fact – in fact
that grin looked almost hopeful. She glared at him again, sighing
when all he did was to lie back on the bed and pull the doona over
his head.

"Go right ahead, can't see a thing" however much I want to, he
thought.

However much I want him to, she admitted to herself.

Dressing quickly, she finally came to sit on the bed to tie her
shoelaces. "It's all right, you can come out now, " she told the
lump on the bed.

"I know" the lump said, as P.J. flung the dooona back and gulped in
the fresh air.

"How do you know!" Maggie said quickly, her embarrassment almost
hidden.

"Easy, you sat down on the bed, and the only reason you'd do that
would be to tie your shoes. Why, did you think I'd been peeking?" he
asked with an innocent look.

"No, of course not"

"So what would you have said if I had?" he asked, meaning it to
sound like a joke, but the look in his eye gave him away. He was
serious.

Maggie's heart leapt into her throat. Why was he looking at her like
that? Like he, like he wanted to say something more, like –

"Maggie! Are you nearly ready? And where's P.J.? Oh well, he can do
the dishes, hurry up woman, we need to go!" yelled Ben down the
corridor.

"Coming, just a minute!" she said, her eyes never leaving P.J.'s.

"Ok. " Ben yelled back, and in the bedroom, P.J. had swung his long
legs out of the bed and was standing in front of her.

"Maggie, " P.J. said very softly, and then he was holding her, arms
wrapped around her and his face inches from hers.

"Maggie, I want to kiss you" he whispered, "Please, can I kiss you?"

And she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, and the
kiss was soft, incredible, tantalising and left them both breathless
and wanting more.

"Peej, " but whatever she was going to say was broken off by another
kiss, this one deeper than the first, more needy, more passionate.
P.J. pulled her close to him, his hands tracing a gentle path down
her back, then up again and caressing the back of her head. Maggie,
for her part, was making the most of him. His skin was smooth and
warm, his kiss intoxicating.

Breathless, they broke apart. "We – " she licked her lips, and it
was all P.J. could do not to kiss her again, "We need to talk, " she
said, with a huge smile, and he nodded at her.

"Yep. " he said, giving in and kissing her again. "Come over
tonight? Ben's going out for drinks with Nick,"

"Ok, " she grinned back, the moment shattered by the loud squawk of
a car horn. "Oh hell, I've got to go. I'll see you later then, " she
grinned, breaking out of his arms reluctantly. She turned at the
door, to get one last fill of P.J. in his shorts, standing there
with his eyes blazing with love – and quite unable to help herself,
she stole one last kiss, before running out of the house and getting
in the car. Her grin widened as, when she was shutting the door, she
could hear P.J. faintly in the background.

"YES!"