Chapter 59: Revelations
Gus made it to work, cursing the afternoon shift, she hated commuting in it. This, exacerbated by the coffee she managed to spill down her coat, ensured she was anything but glowing when she finally slumped at her desk in the precinct. She was attempting to remove the coffee stain when her phone rang, "Broussard."
"I need you in my office, now!" Mac's voice said.
What the hell, he hadn't bugged her apartment or something had he, how could he have known, why else would he want to see her?
Flack had just come in and saw her face, "what's up?" he questioned.
"Mac, wants me in his office, now," she said pulling a face and walking out of the pit.
Gus dragged herself to Mac's office dreading whatever he might have to say. She slunk in, and immediately sunk into a chair in front of his desk. "How's Don?" Mac asked first thing.
Gus tried to not react, not wanting to give Mac anything to work with, "he has probably had better weeks at work," Gus shrugged.
"I had to ask for it, I had to take the course of action I did," Mac said steadily, studying Gus carefully.
"We all have choices we have to make", was all Gus gave him. She was blocking him out.
"I didn't call you in here to talk about Flack."
Gus visibly relaxed, "what do you need then, Mac?"
"Claire's son found me, he has been following Stella since my birthday, thought she was Claire."
"Wha-" Gus leaped from her chair, "how, he's here, I didn't even know where she had-" Gus was stunned. She had been nine the summer Claire came to visit them, her belly swollen and scared out of her mind. She didn't really remember what happened, other than her parents had paid to ship Claire off somewhere to have the child and put it up for adoption and to get on with her life.
Gus calculated, "he's eighteen," was all she said.
"He is," Mac said back.
"I didn't know anything about it, Mac, I don't remember, I was a kid, I just remember coming home from camp and wondering why Ti Claire wasn't happy and wouldn't play with me. She never talked to me about it much other than warning me to not get pregnant a million times when I was a teenager."
"She spoke to me about him often, she didn't keep secrets."
Gus wondered if that was a dig, but didn't dwell on it. "So are you guys going to have like a relationship now?" Gus asked.
"I haven't figured that far ahead yet. His name's Reed, he was...taken aback when I informed him Claire was killed during 9/11."
"The poor kid was probably crushed," Gus murmured, "let me know if there is anything I can do."
"I would like for you to meet him, if he will let me into his life, seeing as you two actually share the same bloodline."
Gus felt her world spin a bit, thinking of Flack throwing his hands up and sneering 'blood, water' yesterday. "I guess we do," she muttered, "I'm going to go check on Flack," Gus said getting up.
"He may just need some space, Gus," Mac warned knowing how Flack could get.
Gus fought a bemused smile, "maybe," she choked out, walking out of the office.
Stella caught her in the hallway and dragged her to the canteen, "did Mac tell you?" Stella questioned.
"Hold up on the interrogation for a sec, Stel, buy me a coffee first."
Meanwhile Flack was taking a pretty good verbal beating down in the pit, which definitely put a dent in his euphoric mood from earlier.
"Maybe you've been hanging out with them scientists too much, Junior, forget what it means to be a cop."
"Yeah, your daddy know you turned yet, should be a fun Thanksgiving at the Flack's."
"Probably was trying to win his way into his partner's pants."
"Yeah right, girl probably doesn't even have a pussy, other than Flack, that is."
Flack sat there, trying to ignore the ridicule, knowing it was coming, he had tried to forget about it last night and this morning, and Gus sure had done a good job of that...
But the peace only lasted until he got home and Sam was waiting on him, practically attacked him as soon as he entered the door. "What the hell did you do, bro. Dad's been calling, Grams is having kittens?"
"Just some work stuff, sis, you don't have to worry about it."
"I'm not, but I am not your damn answering service, maybe you could try to swing by home whenever you dosomething to incur the wrath of our father."
"I'll call them later."
"Yeah well, they are calling me now," Sam said, pointing to her phone.
"Great," Flack snarked storming into the kitchen, "I don't want to listen to any lectures, Sammy, I can't deal with that right now, I need a shower."
"Fine, I'll at least tell them you're alive."
"I'll be down in a few." Flack stormed up the stairs and took a scalding hot shower. All he wanted to do was lie in bed with Gus for another oh decade or so before having to face reality, but that obviously wasn't going to happen.
"That is a truly hideous tie," Sam said when he came back into the kitchen, she was pretending to pour over a magazine.
"You bought it for me, Sam!"
"Yeah, well I must a been drunk when I picked it out, I apologize."
"How pissed is dad?"
"I think he would be less if you called him instead of the phone ringing off the hook the entire morning from every precinct from here to Albany. Tough case, huh?"
"Worse, I had to give evidence that got a detective arrested."
Sam whistled, "well, well, Donnie boy, I think I may finally have a chance to know what being the favoritechild feels like. Didn't think I would ever see that day."
"Sammy, come on!"
"Just saying. You'll be fine, just call him or stop by."
"I will later, I kinda have a lot going on right now."
"More than busting a fellow officer, wounding our father's soul and breaking Gram's heart? What did you do, sleep with your partner?" Flack didn't move a muscle, but his eyebrow twitched.
"Jesus, you did, you slept with Gus!"
"No, I didn't."
"You never could lie to me for long, Donnie, not even when we was kids and you broke the head off my favorite doll."
"Not another word," he growled at her. "You breathe another word, and I will make sure your car is towed every time you park it within 50 feet of a no parking zone."
Sam thought about all the tickets Donnie had gotten rid of for her, and how often she did illegally park, she paled. "Fine, but I think it's a good thing." He glared at her. "Last word on it, hand to god," she said making a locking motion to her lips.
Flack tapped his pen against his desk wondering what Gus was doing in Mac's office still. The captain had already come by for a chat, telling him he knew it was tough but he had done the right thing...blah blah saying all the right political things, but Flack didn't buy a word of it, he could tell by the look on the man's face.
Gus finally came back, clearly shaken. The guys had already spent their energy on ribbing Flack, so they didn't even bother with her. Flack knew it would come her way eventually, he would try his best to deflect it, but it was inevitable. She sat in her desk, visibly pale."What, what did he say, did he guess?"
Gus shook her head, cocking it towards the room, "I got paper work," she growled, mean enough to frighten off anyone thinking about bugging her. She sent a text to Flack. Not us, but something I will have to deal with at some point, talk later, okay? -G
Flack picked up his phone when it buzzed, read the text and nodded.
Thatcher snapped at them then, "hey Caine and Abel, you're taking this call, body in a dumpster?"
"Your reference makes no sense, Thatcher, I mean Judas or Brutus could have worked but-" Gus was cut off by Flack dragging her out to the car.
"Sunshine, don't make things worse by showing off."
"I was merely pointing out the fatal flaw in his reference, it's not my fault he's an idiot," Gus retorted, not in the mood for any boys' club antics.
"He's an angry idiot who is a lot bigger than you and I can't watch you every second," Flack pointed out to her.
"Fine!" Gus huffed.
Arriving at the scene Gus remarked, "why do I get the feeling we are going to mysteriously get the call for over floater, crispy critter or dumpster dive for the next while?"
"Probably the least of our worries," Flack said with a sigh
"What do you mean?" Gus wondered if he was talking about their earlier antics or something else.
"Nothing, it's just petty crap. And I gotta deal with the legend himself on top of it all," Flack sneered.
"Good times," Gus responded, and then gagged as they got close to the dumpster, the uniforms were staying well away. The air hung heavy with the scent of decomposition mixed with rotting seafood and other garbage, the damp alley mixing in mildew and other damp scents.
"That is horrific," Flack made a horrible face
"And it's been cold," she ended with.
"It hasn't been cold," Flack said, seriously this girl did not know from cold.
"Coldish, enough. Not baking hot," Gus said hesitantly lifting the dumpster cover and covering her nose with her arm, "Christ, its been a while, that smell still gets you," she said tearing up.
"How often you smell something this bad, sunshine?" Flack asked peering over the side of the dumpster and grimacing.
"Try a couple a hundred bodies rotting for a week in summer heat in attics or floating in flood waters mixed with 400,000 rotting refrigerators. This isn't shit," she said moving some trash off the body. "Gutted" she remarked.
"Like a fish," Flack responded.
"At least we don't have to do the diving," Gus said propping the lid open and gesturing to Lindsay who was grimacing on the edge of the crime scene tape.
"Did you lose a bet, Monroe?" Flack asked her.
"Messer pulled rank," Lindsay replied trying to not hurl. "That is horrible, I don't think I have smelled anything worse!"
"Don't get her started on that," Flack said gesturing to Gus who was poking through the dumpster with a stick.
"I think he was baked and I don't mean stoned," she called, "check this out Linds," Gus said lifting up an arm that was rather bronzed.
Flack and Lindsay both turned away. "Why is she so bent?" Flack asked Lindsay.
"Don't look at me, she's your partner."
Flack shrugged, "are we going to question any witnesses Gus or do you want me to leave you and the body alone?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Gus said hustling over.
"You better hose yourself down before you get back in the car," Flack said. "No one's going to talk to you," he said sniffing her.
"It's not me," she said pointing, "Lindsay just stirred the pot so to speak." Lindsay had in fact requested one of the techs remove the sewer manhole cover. "That completes the trifecta by the way," Gus said gagging.
"Come on, let's talk to some people upwind," Flack said pushing her forward.
A good while later while not getting anywhere on the case, Flack stop Gus and pulled her around the corner. "What did Mac want, sunshine?" he demanded trying to be calm and hide his worry.
"Wasn't about you. Except him saying maybe you might need some space, which was really hard to not laugh at by the way considering..." she trailed off, shuffling her feet and turning beet red.
Flack was bemused by her sudden awkwardness, she always seemed so self-assured, even more than he was and he didn't think that was possible. He had to rescue her though, so he placed a hand on either side of her head on the brick wall she was leaned against and eased toward her, kissing her gently, "I'm not such a fan of spaces without you in them right now, sunshine," he softly said.
"Flack, we are on the street!" she said ducking under his arm, still flushed.
"Gotcha, but what did Mac want?" Gus stared down at Flack's tie trying to decipher it, was that one fish two fish, red fish blue fish in a paisley? "Earth to Gus," he said waving his hand in front of her face.
"I have a cousin," she said in the same tone Newton probably used when he discovered gravity.
Flack shrugged his shoulders, "I have about three hundred," he said feeling lost.
"Claire had a child," she said, hoping he would catch up.
"Mac has a kid!" he exclaimed.
"No, focus Flack, when she was a teenager Claire had a kid who she gave up, I had just turned 10. He's 18 and tracked down...well Stella thinking she was Claire, but Mac was there and..." Gus didn't know what else to say, she looked up at Flack. "I actually have some one alive that I am truly related to. However, I get the idea that Mac failed to mention that on his meeting with Reed."
"Reed's the kid?" Flack said trying to keep up. He knew that Gus' father had also been an only child born to elderly parents who died before Gus was born. He also knew that her maternal grandparents had died in a car accident when Gus was small, she hadn't known them very well. It started to sink in what it might feel like to discover someone was out there who actually shared some of your bloodline and then also not have the person know about it, "Mac didn't tell him."
"I think telling him Claire was dead was more than enough of a shock. Apparently this all happened right before he read over your memo book and came to hook up Truby. Guess we weren't the only ones with a complicated night," she sighed.
"I didn't know it was that complicated, Gus. Seemed pretty natural to me," Flack said squaring his shoulders.
"But it could become complicated," she sighed again, "I'm not trying to argue."
"You don't regret last night, right sunshine?" Flack asked, praying she did not.
Gus shook her head, "of course not, or this morning," she grinned wickedly, "or potentially tonight, but...we just have to...I just want..." she was at a loss for words.
"What, what do you want?" Flack questioned, realizing he would move mountains to give her just about anything she wanted.
She leaned forward resting her forehead on his chest, "I want that part of us to be just us. Without everyone in our business. You know how they all can be, even those with the best intentions, I can only imagine what Thatcher or Lafferty would do," she shuddered.
Flack wrapped his arms around her, patting her on the back, "fine, you want this to just be about us, it will be. Mind you it has been hard enough for me to hide how I feel about you this long."
Gus' head snapped up, suddenly she felt like she was drowning, she was desperate to ask what have you been feeling and for how long, but she was terrified of the answer.
"Come on, I want to go question the brother," Gus said switching back into work mode and escaping from Flack's arms.
"Right behind you, sunshine," Flack said shaking his head, dumbfounded.
Chapter 60: Benefits
They left separately that night, as Gus was in the lab with Lindsay until the point of exhaustion and Mac demanded she leave. "Like you don't sleep here half the time!" she snapped.
"I have a couch in my office, you don't anymore," he responded. "Go!" he said leaving no room for argument.
She reviewed a text on her way home, Sweet Dreams, -F She smiled and did a little happy dance.
She was back in the lab after 5 hours, bugging Adam.
"Don't you have someone to go question, where's your other half anyway?" he asked her.
"No, I don't, give me something to work with and who are you talking about?"
"Flack, you two are peas in a pod," he said, peering into a microscope, "I think these fibers may be from women's underwear. They were found in the vic's pocket."
"Sounds like a cheater to me," Gus replied.
"Not every guy is a jerk you know, Gus," Adam replied.
"How often you go sticking panties in your pocket, Adam?"
"Good point," Adam said, turning back to the microscope.
"So how often do you go sticking panties in your pocket, Adam?" said a bemused voice behind them.
"I'm going to go with never, Flack," Adam replied, not looking up.
Gus smiled at Flack, but noticed the bemused expression was already gone from his face. In fact she couldn't even see a trace of dimple. That couldn't be good. She wrinkled her nose at him and jerked her head toward the empty canteen. "Page me when you get something more to use, Adam," Gus said walking out.
"I'm working on it," he grumbled.
"Sit!" Gus demanded as soon as she and Flack entered the canteen.
"I ain't a dog, sunshine," he snapped.
Gus rolled her eyes, her back turned to him dropping coins in for horrific faux cappuccinos.
"Don't roll your eyes," Flack said to her back.
"You are scary sometimes, you know that Flack?"
"So are you!" Flack was generally torn between horror and fascination in how well she could read him.
"What's going on?" she said turning around and wincing at the hot stream of liquid that burnt her hand.
"Attempted to talk to my dad last night," Flack said, his face falling.
"Attempted?" she asked searching his face and setting the cup down.
"Let's just say I'm not feeling much like the prodigal son right now," he slumped over the cup.
"It went that well?" Gus said sitting behind him, wanting to throw her arms around him, but she knew that would guarantee someone would walk in.
"It was more like an hour of strained glowering and growling. Luckily Sam called to ask for money, bore the brunt of it," Flack shook his head.
"Way to throw her under a bus, Flack!" Gus just couldn't understand sibling relationships.
"I didn't, not my fault she doesn't have a job and dropped out of school," Flack snapped.
"Tough love, I forgot," she muttered. "I am sorry, Flack, truly."
"Not your fault. I just doubt I will be going over there for dinner any time soon." Flack felt lost, it wasn't the first or probably even thousandth arguement he had with his father, but sometimes he wished they could just yell it all out in the open and be truthful and move on.
Gus drummed her fingers on the table, "guess I'll have to supply you with more meals then, huh?" she joked.
"Guess you're even more stuck with me now," he volleyed back, staring intensely at her, happy she was trying to lighten the mood and also wanting to do very work inappropriate things to her up against that glass wall. Gus felt herself flushing again. "You are going to have to stop doing that, sunshine, or everyone will know." She was tongue tied as well. "I'm going to go harass Adam," Flack said with one last smoldering stare.
Gus melted in her chair.
"You alright, you look overheated? Lindsay asked coming in, frowning at some test results.
"Fine, fine," Gus choked, "what did you find?"
"Finally sorted out the 17 samples found under the victim's nails. Most of them matched the garbage, proving he was killed in the dumpster and struggled to get out, but we also found two DNA samples, one male related to the vic and one female. Female has a hit in the system, Karen Franks."
"Karen, huh, that was the name of the brother's wife. Wonder if the hit is under her maiden name, how old is the record?" Gus asked
"Five years," Lindsay said flipping some pages.
"Heh, they were married three years ago, wife was complaining about a forgotten anniversary when I questioned them," she picked up her phone and dialed Flack. "Why is it men can't keep it in their pants and yet are shocked when they get killed for it?" she said as soon as he answered.
"I am getting far too much crap down here in the pit to deal with feminist riddles, sunshine," Flack replied.
"Brother did it," Gus said resolutely.
"Let's go pick him up," Flack said hanging up.
"If they've been killed, how do you know they are shocked?" Adam asked from behind Lindsay and Gus, chewing on a muffin. Lindsay and Gus both shook their heads and walked off.
A couple of hours later after making the brother dissolve into tears, and confess in the interrogation room Gus happily snapped at the uniform, "get him out of here!"
"Remind me to never cheat on you," Flack said amused at her flaying of the brother.
"Should it ever enter into your mind, you will end up in the swamp as gator bait!" Flack gulped, knowing she was serious. "Speaking of which..." Gus started.
"Speaking of what?" Flack asked, worried.
"We never did discuss what our arrangement was," Gus shrugged, flipping the case file shut and walking to the pit.
"I wasn't aware of an arrangement," Flack said walking alongside her.
"Are we just PWB or what?" Gus was trying to remain light and easygoing, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to separate herself from her emotions with a man that knew so much about her.
"Huh?" he hated when she used slang he didn't understand, where did she get it from, he needed a Sam to Gus translator or something. He looked up in confusion before realizing Gus had already walked into the pit.
"So you want to be Judas or Brutus?" was Thatcher's way of greeting her.
"I've always more fancied myself Beatrice from Much Ado," she replied gliding past his stunned look.
"Your smarts won't always save your ass Broussard!" he called across the room, glaring at Flack as he walked in, "Judas, Brutus or this Beatrice chick?" Thatcher snarled at him.
"Flack will do just fine," he said sitting down across from Gus, "you got all intellectual on him again didn't you?"
Gus shrugged, "only Shakespeare," she said innocently.
"When are you gonna stop poking the rabid dog with a stick?"
"About now," she said signing her name on the paperwork. "I got four hours until I have to be back" she said while simultaneously texting him, Ya coming blue eyes ; ) ?
"I'll drive ya," he said upon reading the text, reaching for his jacket.
In the car he said, "Shakespeare, you really had to bring up Shakespeare to him?" he groaned. "They teach that in high school, Flack, I wasn't in a zone of improbability."
"If it isn't in Sports Illustrated, it is in that zone," Flack retorted.
"Much ado was made into a movie, not a very good one mind you..." Gus said innocently.
Flack snorted and then said, "but till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace."
Gus bit her tongue in shock, "did you just quote Benedick at me?"
"Maybe there was this play at school once that I was in..." he smirked.
Gus licked her hand, grimacing at the blood.
"What did you do now?" he sighed.
"Bit my tongue, big time," she said wincing.
"Damn, I was about to put it to good use!"
"It is still functioning," she said flirtatiously, and then, "park legally would ya" she said pointing at a spot two blocks away.
"Fine," he said pulling in.
The walked to the building, hands shoved in each of their pockets, touching but not overtly, acting like kids skipping school.
Mrs. Potter was in the lobby holding court with some of the gentlemen in the building. She was not happy when they turned their attention to Gus. "Excuse me," she said haughtily, "she has a gentleman caller with her, though I do find that a bit unladylike at noon on a Thursday. Though he is handsome enough...and I am so glad you aren't turning out to be a tile muncher, Augusta dearie."
Gus tried to hold back laughter, Flack almost passed out doing the same. "See ya later, Mrs. Potter," Gus aid stepping into the elevator and slapping Flack on the back.
"Tile muncher?" he snorted.
"Lesbian," she translated.
"Well I do have to say I agree with the old bat," Flack said smiling down at her knowingly. He held her in a heated kiss that lasted all the way up and into the apartment.
Thirty minutes later, both satiated and sweating, they lounged on top of the covers.
"So what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?" Gus asked. Flack shrugged,
"Recover, good god woman, I think you're trying to kill me!"
"Not yet at least," Gus grinned, snaking over him to pull his shirt on to head to the kitchen.
Flack usually didn't wish to be eighteen again, but her body lithely leaning across his, her bending over to the ground, he prayed for better recovery time. He suppressed a groan.
"You all right?" she asked, slipping his shirt over her head.
"Yep, just wondering how much of my wardrobe you are going to steal."
"One pair of pants, Flack, one!" she yelped as he swatter her on the backside as she clamored out of bed. "You want me to make you food or are you just going to keep harassing me?"
"Fine but try to not ruin my shirt!" he called after her, heading to the shower.
When he got out, slipping back on his trousers and undershirt, he was happy to find his shirt unstained and folded on the bed.
She had slipped into jeans and a t-shirt that stated New Orleans, You've got to be tough across her chest. He chuckled, "Sunshine how many cheeky t-shirts do you have?"
"Cheeky," she teased, seasoning whatever was in the pan on the stove, "about a dozen, give or take," she said popping something into his mouth.
"What was that?" he said swallowing.
"Apple," she replied.
"Apple?" Flack prayed she wasn't trying to make him eat healthy.
"Yep."
He watched her cooking from a barstool, studying her face and its mix of concentration and relaxation. "You ever gonna tell my what PWB means?" he asked still curious.
"Partners with benefits," she said turning a pork chop, "I coined it based on friends with-"
"I figured out what it meant, sunshine," he glowered slightly. She slid him a plate of food, silently, watching him. She set a her plate beside his and started to walk around to the other side of the counter.
He caught her wrist, "Gus I don't want an arrangement or an acronym, understand?" his eyes burned into hers, she felt herself going weak in the knees, all she could do was nod. "Truly, I'm not sure you do," he letting her go.
"I'm not sure I do either," Gus said shakily.
He slid down off the stool, resting a hand on each upper arm, gently. "I understand that you don't want everyone to know about every part of our relationship, but I can't even think about you with someone else."
"So that's what we're doing here, a relationship?" Gus croaked, suddenly parched.
"All in," he replied, sitting back down.
"But I don't do relationships, Flack!" she demanded.
"I think you already have been," he said gesturing.
"Crap!" she said, lifting up to the barstool beside him.
"You always have such ringing endorsements, Gus?"
"I just meant if that's what we are doing then I am sure to screw it up," she looked so dejected.
"Not if I have any say in the matter," he said digging into the food, "I like your cooking too much," he dimpled, "among other things."
She melted into her plate, forgetting about the food.
Chapter 61: Ground Rules
"I think I am going to go take a shower," Gus said sliding off the stool.
"Can I come?" Flack asked a devious dimpled smirk on his face.
"Didn't you just take one?"
"Yeah, I don't know why though because I am feeling somewhat dirty again," he said catching Gus by the arm and pulling her towards him.
He slid from the barstool, sliding his hands around her waist and running his thumbs up underneath her t- shirt. Even that simple light touch was enough for Gus to feel like the world had started spinning in the opposite direction. She leaned in to kiss him, and was happy when he pulled her to him, his hands sliding up her sides, his tongue hot and probing. She moaned slightly, feeling suddenly lightheaded. She stumbled backwards, but Flack was holding tight enough that she didn't fall. Instead he lifted her on top of the counter, nudging between her denim clad legs, lifting her shirt over her head, pleased to see she wasn't wearing a bra. Gus was caught off guard, Flack's deftness having completed these tasks in mere seconds.
"Two can play that game," she breathed, attacking the buttons on his shirt, fumbling with them as Flack's hands lightly ran up her arms and over her collar bone and down to her breasts.
He paused briefly assisting her in the removal of his shirt and undershirt, slightly distracted by her leg snaking up his and winding around his waist to draw him impossibly close. He ran his hands up her back, massaging her muscles and he drew her in for another kiss. He could get lost forever in her kisses. Her legs were firmly wrapped around his waist and she was pulling him towards her with them until they toppled back on the the counter, sending plates crashing to the floor.
"Damn it!" she growled.
"We'll clean it later," Flack growled back, kissing down her neck to her breasts, taunting her with his tongue, moving lower to her navel when she groaned. He had caught the edge of her jeans in his teeth and was attempting to undo the button in the same manner when he stepped back onto a shard of glass. "Shit!" he yowled out of both pain and frustration.
"Don, crap, are you OK?" Gus exclaimed starting to slide off the counter top.
He stopped her, lifting her up on over the glass, grimacing at the shard still wedged into his foot."No sense in us both getting hurt" he said setting her down in the dining area and handing her her shirt.
"I'll got get the first aid kit," she groaned, horny as hell now but worried about Flack's foot.
She came back with the first aid kit in one hand, and slid out a dining room chair for him to sit on, "let me see," she said, gesturing to him to sit down. He carefully stepped around the debris, shirtless, and sat down, holding his leg out. She pulled the piece of plate out with tweezers, swapped it with alcohol and hand a band aid on in no time.
"Gee, it's like you've done that before!"
"Funny, Flack, next time I'll use iodine."
"Sorry about your plates."
"Are you kidding, this is me we are talking about they are cheapies from Ikea. I'm a little more sorry about your foot, or more accurately what your foot injury interrupted," she looked up at him from her crouch on the floor, her eyes flashing dark green with need and desire.
"Well luckily that can be continued," he said with a smile, pulling her to her feet and giving her a scorching deep kiss that almost sent her bending over backwards.
"Good to know you've recovered," she said breathlessly, looking deep into his blue eyes also dark with desire.
"You have amazing healing powers, Detective Broussard," he said scooping her up and taking her into the bedroom. Tossing her playfully on the bed, he wrenched off her t-shirt and said, "now where was I?" with a devilish grin, kissing down her flat stomach.
"Anywhere you want," she said, grinning back just as evilly.
Flack didn't need to be told twice, he couldn't get her jeans off of her fast enough, nor could Gus remove his trousers. Flack deftly hooked the waistband of her underwear in his left hand while reaching into the drawer of the nightstand with his right, Gus helped by shimmying out of her panties and tugging on his. "This might be turning into an addiction, sunshine," he said low in his throat, poised over her.
"Luckily I can offer you several different treatment options," she purred guiding him into her.
Satisfied but exhausted afterwards both fell into a deep sleep. Gus woke up an undetermined time later, still underneath Flack, "Crap!" she cried seeing the clock. "We have to be back, like now!" she said throwing Flack off of her, he shook his head dazedly.
Gus flew to the shower, in and out in under five minutes, leaving the water running as she jumped out calling "Next!" She threw on clothes and headed back into the bathroom as Flack was exiting, a shiver went up her spine, spying his dripping form, towel wrapped around his waist, grinning at her. "Stop it, don't look at me, go get dressed!" she said reaching for her brush.
"Fine, I'll be in the living room. We have plenty of time, you know."
Gus grumbled, she despised not being on time. Gus finished brushing her hair and went to go get her gear from the bedroom.
Slipping her shoes on in the bedroom and about to clip her badge to her waistband, Gus realized Flack had grabbed her shield instead of his. Something about that bothered her and she couldn't figure out why. Other than she could feel herself falling for him and didn't want to end up some stupid piece of fluff that needed a man to survive.
She blamed those feelings for her angry stomp into the living room and her the reason she lit into him, tearing her shield off his waistband, "I don't care if you are all in or not Flack, I don't want everyone knowing we are sleeping together, and giving out my badge number as your own might just clue some people in."
Flack just looked at her dumbfounded, "it was a pretty simple mistake, sunshine, they are the same except for the number."
"I have an actual name," she said, practically hurling his shield at him.
"Fine, Augusta, I apologize. Now could you calm down because I really hate emotional roller coaster rides."
Gus' therapist background kicked her in the butt. "You're right. I am just feeling a little freaked out by this and Truby and Reed. I am not sure how to process it all."
"Process it a little at a time sun-, Gus, that's all I am doing", Flack didn't like the sudden flip of the switch, but he should have known it wasn't go to be easy for all the times she had pushed him away.
"Fine but one point I will not waver on, I am not giving up any of my identity for you!" Her eyes were full of pain.
"I wasn't asking you to, where is this coming fro-" Flack clicked through one of their millions of conversations, landing in the middle of Gramercy Park, "that guy, Gage. I'm not him". He hated this man he had never met, one that had obviously worked his partner over good. He hoped to never meet him.
"And I'm not that girl I turned into, I just thought you should know that," Gus said crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.
"Duly noted, would even write it in my memo book, in freaking Cantonese if it will make you feel better. Now can we go?" he said, hooking his shield onto its proper place.
"Fine but we need ground rules," Gus said pulling on her jacket and grabbing her bag.
"Ground rules?" he sighed.
"Yes, but we can talk about those later, I don't want to be late," she said ushering him out of her apartment.
"Great, can't wait for that conversation," he said stabbing the elevator button.
"Don't get snarky on me," she said holding the front door of the building open for him.
"I'm not," he said holding the car door open for her.
"Good!" she said leaning across about to unlock his door and then realizing, "How is it we have just now slept together, we have a freaking routine for everything?"
Flack slid a glance at her, was she serious? "Do me a favor, flip down that visor." Gus complied, "now what?"
"Look in the mirror and ask yourself that question, I've been trying to sleep with you for nearly a year," he glowered.
"You are such the gentleman," she retorted.
"Take me or leave me," he said.
"Like I have a choice," she grumbled and then launched into her list: "No getting all sappy on me at work while we are working a case unless one of us gets shot, stabbed, blown up or otherwise maimed".
"Not a problem," he smirked drumming on the steering wheel, happy the traffic was light.
"I'm serious. Also no new cutesy nicknames, you want that buy a hamster," Gus said riled up.
"Why a hamster?" he tried to not laugh at her earnestness.
"You hate cats."
"How do you know I don't hate hamsters?" He said giving into the laugh.
"Flack! No PDAs around the team even when not on the clock. They are like sharks and can smell blood in the water," she continued ignoring his mirth.
"How long is this list of demands?" he was bemused to say the least.
"Ground rules. You can add in any you want."
"I'm all good," Flack was thinking there were no ground rules that Gus could come up with that would keep him from her, he had fallen for her some time ago and now that he knew what she was like in bed...well he wasn't giving up on that good a thing.
"I am not giving up anything for you. You don't like something, we discuss it like adults. I still have my own life and my girls' nights and my own friends. And no locker room talk with Messer!" she emphasized the last point by stabbing at the dash.
"Well what the hell am I supposed to talk to him about then?" Gus realized he was smirking at her, especially when he added, "where are these own friends of yours that you have been hiding?"
"Bite me!" she sniffed.
"Later, don't want to break any of the ground rules this early in the game," he shook his head, chewing on his cheek wondering when she would get it through her hard head that he would do damn near anything for her?
They walked into the pit same as they had a hundred times before, Flack holding the door, Gus fumbling with coffee and her bag and a newspaper. Just act normal they both chanted. They walked silently to their desks, settling in, opening case files, flicking through notes not looking at each other.
Parker wheeled his desk chair over an hour or so later ."You two have a fight over this Truby thing or something?" he asked Gus.
"No," she looked up at him puzzled, "why?"
"Because normally you would have chastised him for about three things and he would have teased you for about five by now. The silence is creeping me out." He studied the two of them while rolling back to his desk. They probably did have a fight about the Truby thing, Broussard probably went into feelings and family and Flack probably tried to argue but gave in. Those two are a mess, he thought shaking his head.
Thirty minutes before the end of shift, Gus groaned when hearing, "well look it here, floater just turned up with Einstein and Judas' name on it," Lafferty said elbowing Thatcher.
"Why thanks Laff, I had just been thinking I hadn't seen a good floater in a while," Gus said snatching the report from him and stalking out.
"You better watch your girl there Judas, one day she's really gonna piss me off"! Lafferty snapped at Flack. "If you are capable of having anyone's back that is," Thatcher added on but Flack kept walking.
Gus could tell something had happened as soon as Flack walked up to the car, his face said everything to her. "They aren't real supportive of this whole memo book thing, huh?"
"I can't blame them, I just wonder how long it is going to last," Flack said doggedly.
"You are hardly dealing with the most mature group in there, so who knows. But-" she paused, buckling her seatbelt, "it's not like you wanted to give Mac your book, he was getting it one way or another."
"I guess, it's just" he smacked the steering wheel, "why the hell did Truby have to mess up in the first place?"
"Dunno, we all can cross a line, you know that. But try to remember it is his responsibility, not yours", Gus rested her hand on his upper arm.
Flack didn't respond to that instead saying, "Um, Gus can you not poke at the floater like you did dumpster guy?"
"I'll try not to."
Standing over the body, with the ME that Mac was seeing made Gus suddenly self-conscious. She didn't know who knew about that yet.
"Augusta," Peyton greeted her warmly. Flack shot Gus a look. "Detective," Peyton said to Flack. Flack shot Gus a second look. "I am not entirely sure that you haven't just been made redundant," Peyton said and motioned for the tech to photograph the body.
"What?" Flack asked walking off to the uniforms. "How so, Peyton?" Gus asked.
"I do believe this is a suicide, not a homicide. 43 year old woman, id and note found in her pocket, in a plastic bag none the less. No indications of a struggle. No defense, gunshot, or stab wounds. No ligature marks. I would say she probably jumped from the bridge and was carried here by the current. I would estimate time of death at about midnight. I will run a full tox screen back at the lab," Peyton said zipping up the bag and pulling off her gloves.
She headed back to the ME's van, stopping and squeezing Gus on the arm, "I do hope I haven't ruined any Thanksgiving day plans you may have had, Gus, but Mac did invite me..."
"I don't do Thanksgiving really, Peyton."
"Can't say I have either, but when in Rome," she said laughing and trotting off.
"What was that about?" Flack asked coming over from talking to a uniform.
"Nothing, what do we have?"
"Vic is id'ed as Charlotte Truxillo, 43, address listed on the license checks out, divorced, just lost custody of her kids. Didn't show up to work today, boss reported her missing but said she had been depressed lately."
"No wonder," Gus replied, "let's go check out the address".
The arrived at a dingy small apartment that smelled like, Gus sniffed...
"Curry," Flack replied, "nice place."
"She kept it clean, though."
They surveyed the apartment, everything was clean and neat. Too much so. Flack pushed the message button on the answering machine, making notes of the calls.
Gus wandered to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, "holy Valley of the Dolls Batman!" she exclaimed.
"You are such a nerd," Flack called back.
"Yeah, well I got Depakote, Effexor, Seroquel and Xanax in here, all still with pills in them but a bunch of drugstore bags in the trashcan. Doctor on the label is a psycho-pharmacologist, Dr. Billings, good guy. My bet is rapid cycling bi-polar with prior history of attempts," Gus called backing out.
"Machine had two messages from her boss and one from an attorney wondering where his money was. Maybe he came to collect?"
"Mental illness, loss of support system, financial stressors, access to medication and a note. Are we seriously going to debate this?"
"Not now," Flack said emptying out a trashcan by a desk, "rough drafts," he said. "And a copy of her will sitting out in the open."
"Open and shut," Flack said once back in the car.
"For once," Gus replied, "and I didn't poke the floater!"
"I am so proud of you right now."
She stuck her tongue out, "lets go do some paperwork."
"Fine but can you hurry it up, I really want to use all of my day off."
Gus switched her phone into calendar mode, "we do have the day off tomorrow and the next day. How did that happen?"
"We do get them off occasionally, you know."
"Two in a row?"
"On call on Tuesday, start back on day shift on Wednesday. Do you pay attention at all in staff meetings?"
"No, I have you for that," she grinned.
"Funny. So what are you going to do with two days off in a row?"
Gus shrugged, "I don't know it is such a foreign concept, what about you?"
"Though I might shoot some hoops with Messer, catch up on some laundry, maybe take this hot girl I'm seeing out to a fancy dinner hoping to get lucky." Gus shot him an evil look before realizing he meant her. "Gotcha didn't I?"
"So?" Gus said acidly.
"Nothing, it just is such a rare thing, I like to revel in it."
"Gloat you mean," Gus poked at his arm.
"Pot-ay-toe, pah-tot-o. Speaking of which, what's up with Peyton and this squeezing arm woman to woman chat thing?" Flack said sliding a glance her way.
"I told you nothing. Or not nothing, but I don't know if I can tell you...yet."
"What is she shagging Mac or something?" Gus didn't react except for the smallest eyebrow twitch. "Jesus is anybody on the team not sleeping with each other!"
"I dunno, we may have been the last hold outs," Gus smirked, "so about this fancy dinner, do I still get it if you get lucky first. Like tonight, first?" she asked trying to keep a nonchalant face.
"I don't know I think I have to check with my partner, she might owe me dinner for solving our case so quick."
"Nice try, I fed you before shift. And now," she said sniffing her clothes, "I have a severe craving for Thai".
"Perfect," he said with a devious smile.
"Why?" Gus was confused.
"They deliver," he said with a look that nearly caused Gus' suit to incinerate itself.