A/N: M-rating

September 8, 1940

Jennifer felt herself come alive with Nick's kiss. She had missed him so much, and she knew it, but she hadn't known how desperately she had craved this since they'd been ripped away from each other by the end of the FBI operation. It had been more than a year since she had kissed him. One year, one month, one week. A hell of a long time to be missing someone. He'd been working with her on Homicide for six months, but she'd been missing him—missing this—for a whole year.

Perhaps being pressed up against a dirty alley wall in the middle of the night with Nick's tongue in her mouth wasn't the most romantic reunion. That thought crossed her mind, as did the fact that they were still on the job. She reluctantly turned her head away from him to break their kiss.

"Nick," she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Jen," he murmured once more, trailing his hot, wet kisses down her neck.

"Nick, we can't," she insisted.

Instantly, he pulled back. His hands went back against the wall just above her shoulders. "You're right," he breathed. "I'm sorry."

"We've gotta get the notebook back to the station and entered into evidence. The DA is gonna need it."

"Yeah," he agreed.

After another beat, he pushed himself off the wall and stepped back to give her some space. He was considerate like that. He never crowded her. Nick always kept himself close, but he didn't overwhelm her. He'd lean down to her level, never standing over her. He spoke softly, never overpowering her. Not with his voice or his body or anything else. He had given her space these last six months, being the perfect gentleman and detective partner. And if anyone else—Matt or Duncan or Simon—had behaved that way, she would have appreciated it and thought nothing more. But Nick she craved. She wanted him close. Now and always. She just hadn't let herself think about it before now.

"Let me call a cab to take you home," he offered. "I can get one to the station and log the notebook."

Jen hesitated, not wanting to foist the work onto her partner. But she also didn't much relish walking into the station looking like this. There were enough people who didn't take a female detective seriously. "You sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure," he confirmed.

And so Jen just nodded. They walked out of the alley onto the main street. Nick hailed a cab and put her in it, murmuring a gentle "Goodnight" before closing the door for her.

She watched him out the window as the cab drove off. She was silent on the ride home, tuning out the cabbie's incessant chatter. Cab drivers must be wired like that. Or else chatty guys just gravitate to the taxi service. Either way, Jen wasn't in the mood right now. She was lost in thought. About Nick, of course. That kiss really threw her for a loop. They were partners. She was a detective. This was her dream job. Everything had been strictly professional. And now they'd gone and busted that all up.

Only things had never been strictly professional with Nick. Not since everything they'd shared in Brooklyn. The things they'd done and seen. The things they'd said. And of all the things they'd said, the one thing that had gone unsaid was the fact that they'd fallen in love. Jen wasn't foolish enough to try and deny what was between them while they were undercover. And after this kiss, she couldn't pretend that she wasn't still in love with him, too.

Jen paid the cab driver when he dropped her off in front of her building. She went upstairs feeling all mixed up. The only thing she knew was that she loved Nick.

And that decided it. Jen took off her wild jazz dress and donned a long skirt and a sweater and went right back outside. She hailed the first cab that came by and gave the address. Her whole body buzzed with nervous anticipation. But not one shred of doubt plagued her. Not just then.

She paid that cab driver and hurried up the steps of the brownstone. The windows were all dark. Jen knocked and pushed the buzzer, but there was no answer. Just like the last times she'd tried to come to this address. But she wasn't disheartened this time. She wasn't worried.

Jen went and sat on the stoop and waited.

September 9, 1940

It was after midnight by the time Nick managed to get done with everything at the station. He was able to change into the regular suit he kept in his locker so he wasn't stuck in that stupid zoot suit, and he did the paperwork that he needed to do, and finally he could go home.

He was exhausted. And it didn't help that he was still somehow buzzing from kissing Jen. That had been a mistake, he knew. Tempting fate but falling victim to his desperate need for her. Seeing her singing up on that piano just drove him wild. And it wasn't just the blatant sexuality of her performance—and Nick knew firsthand that Jennifer could be a very sexy girl—but seeing the confidence and dedication to the undercover role and the diversion she was causing, he was just in awe of her. He felt quite sure that there was nothing that Jennifer Mapplethorpe couldn't do and do expertly well.

Damn, he really had it bad.

Nick's own car was left at the station when they went undercover, so he drove himself. He was ready to try and put Jen out of his mind and go straight to bed when he parked his car and saw the woman herself sitting on the stoop in front of his brownstone.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in amazement.

"I wanted to see you."

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long."

She was probably lying, but he didn't care. She was here.

Nick offered his hand to help her up off the step where she was sitting. Her fingers were freezing. He let go of her to unlock the front door.

"Nightcap?" Nick offered as he took off his coat to hang by the door. Jen didn't answer, so he turned to ask her again, but instead of speaking, Jen took his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. She took him by surprise, but Nick was quick to catch up.

When he pulled away to breathe, she began trailing more open-mouthed kisses down his neck, just as he'd done to her in that alley. Her hands slid down his shoulders to undo his tie and unbutton his shirt. She was halfway done by the time he shook himself and made her stop.

"Jen, wait." His voice was hoarse with the arousal he was trying to deny.

She looked up at him expectantly.

Nick gazed at her beautiful face, her lips wet and a little swollen from their kisses thus far. "Are you sure you should be here?" he asked. He couldn't help reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Jen smiled and instinctively leaned into his touch. "I was home and I realized I wanted to see you. Wanted to be with you. I want to be here, Nick. With you," she assured him.

He pulled her back into a searing kiss, not holding back now. As his tongue surged into her mouth, he walked her toward the stairs. They broke apart and went up to his bedroom, hand in hand. As soon as the bed appeared, Jennifer turned her attention back to his half-opened shirt.

Nick let her undress him as he peppered kisses against her jaw and down her throat. The taste of her was sweet and delicious and he couldn't get enough. God, he'd missed her so much. All the memories and long-buried habits were returning. "I want you," he mumbled against her skin as he moved them closer to the bed, sucking and nipping on the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Yes, Nick," she moaned, arching into his touch. She'd gotten his shirt off and focused for a moment on his ministrations. Nick took the opportunity to pull her sweater over her head and unzip her skirt.

Jen moved on to his belt buckle. She pushed his pants and boxers down, taking his impressive cock in hand with expert skill. Nick groaned and twitched at her touch. But he did not want to be distracted so easily. He stepped away from her and quickly pulled off his shoes and socks before settling them in his bed. Before she joined him under the bedsheets, Jen took off the rest of her clothes. Nick stared at her as she got under the sheets of his bed, still not quite sure how this wasn't just a dream, having her back with him after so long. And having her in his bed. He moved himself to hover above her, relearning every inch of her body.

"Please," she begged, aching for his touch once more.

Nick settled between her legs, his mouth making wet trails down her neck and chest, paying each of her pert breasts the attention they deserved. His hand continued down, stroking her sex. Her hips moved against his fingers to increase the friction. Nick took a moment to kiss her lips again. She sucked on his tongue, giving him shivers down his spine and a jolt to his groin. He was already so hard for her, aching to enter her. But not just yet. Nick traced his tongue down her stomach and lifted her thighs to rest on his shoulders as his mouth sucked and licked at her. After all, they weren't hiding anymore. Jen could be as loud as she wanted.

She shuddered and jerked against his face as her climax ripped through her body. He could feel her body undulate in time to the pulsating waves of pleasure that consumed her. She gasped and moaned and cried out his name.

Finally, Nick couldn't wait any longer to have her. As she recovered from her orgasm, he gave himself a few strokes before lining himself up with her entrance. Jen lifted her legs to encourage him in. His tip nudged against her already-sensitive flesh. She moaned as he pushed into her, slow and deep until he was fully seated inside her. Nick savored the feeling of being inside her. He leaned in to kiss her and began thrusting at a steady pace. Jen linked her ankles behind his back, pulling him in deeper. It didn't take long for him to lose his self-control. Her fingernails scratched his shoulders and back as she clung to him, riding the wave of passionate pleasure he built up inside her. By the time he spilled himself inside her, Nick had practically forgotten his own name. All that existed was Jennifer. She was everything to him, and with her once again, Nick finally felt whole.

He managed to collapse on his back beside her. They lay side by side, slick with sweat and breathing heavily. Jen rolled over and nuzzled against him. She pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. They both slipped into slumber without really realizing it.