A/N: This is set before Robbie joins the team.
For inkandpaperskater
Things Done While Kissing Prompts
(Tug) – sender hooks their fingers in receiver's belt loops, and tugs them in for a kiss.
For once, Michael wasn't completely happy to be calling upon Jackie. He wasn't going to be an enthusiastic party of tonight's plans.
They had been stuck on an assignment last minute. Their job was to stake out a club, looking out for any signs of money laundering. This wasn't strictly their department. Those involved with the case were already known to the club, hence their involvement. Nobody was particularly thrilled about that.
If only Fraser wasn't on sick leave, he could have given the job to him.
He rang her doorbell and she appeared a moment later, a strange look on her face.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." She smiled enigmatically.
As she widened the door to welcome him in, he smirked at her appearance. With her nice top and flowing skirt – not something she'd wear at the station – she looked stunning.
The smile on her face made him realise he was staring. "You look…great," he finally said.
"Thanks." She shut the door behind them. "You don't look so bad yourself."
He glanced at his jeans, hoping his appearance was a good enough attempt at dressing casually. As long as they didn't stand out from the crowd, it didn't matter. As he watched her, it almost felt like he was picking her up for a date. Which was a silly notion when that person was his subordinate and best friend.
Wasn't it?
Time to get things moving along. "Are you all set?"
"Just about." She went to retrieve her things, while he hoped that this assignment wouldn't take too long to complete.
This was definitely not his kind of place. Michael had decided that almost as soon as they had walked into the club. An opinion he was adamant about now they were both nearing the end of their first drinks.
For the most part, everything was going as expected. Or so they thought. Their careful glances at their surroundings turned out to not be as discreet as they thought when a couple approached them.
He immediately recognised the man as someone connected to the case – a Steve Drummond. The look of suspicion on his face made Michael wonder if this case was over before it had a chance to begin.
It was the woman accompanying him who spoke first. "Sorry, we couldn't help but notice the way you've been looking around the place. Is everything okay?" Her demeanour was more friendly, though he couldn't detect if it was genuine or not.
Before Michael had time to think of a response Jackie jumped in. "We're fine. It's just my boyfriend and I's first time here. I suppose we're still deciding what to make of it after all the good reviews we've heard about it."
"That's right." Michael smiled, trying not to let his surprise show. He took Jackie's hand.
Drummond seemed to brighten at that. "It's always nice to see new people in here. How about we join you for a while?"
"Great," beamed Michael. He hoped his smile didn't look as fake as it felt.
"Just give us a moment." The couple both flashed smiles before they walked away.
"I'm sorry Michael," Jackie began, not looking at him. "It was the first thing I could think of."
"It's okay Jackie, really." He let out a breath. "This could lead us to the breakthrough we need." He looked at their hands still entwined. "Looks like we're already making a convincing start."
"What?" she asked just as her eyes went to their joined hands. Their eyes met and they shared a smile, the tension lightening as a result.
Thanks to Jackie, talking about their fake relationship was easier than expected. All he'd had to do was back her up. Of course, they'd talked about other matters, trying not to be too obvious in their interest in the club.
He observed the couple's body language. It was clear the two were in a relationship. Whether they were happy was another matter. Whenever they touched, there was a hint of possessiveness on Drummond's side.
Realising he should make more of an effort, he braced himself for his course of action. He waited a moment before he placed his hand on Jackie's thigh, almost like he'd done it many times before. She gulped her drink before placing her hand atop of his and stroking it.
This time he took a sip of his drink, totally unprepared at how nice it felt. A glance at her revealed a hint of a smirk. They stayed that way for several moments until Jackie went to fetch a round of drinks. The loss of contact was something he immediately missed. Another thing that surprised him.
It wasn't much later that the couple made their apologies to go.
"That's okay," Jackie said before turning to Michael. "I was hoping we could have a dance."
"Of course, sweetheart," he smiled. Somehow, the use of endearment didn't feel strange at all.
They said their goodbyes before they made their way to the dancefloor.
"Look Jackie, about earlier," he began a moment later. "I just wanted to make things more convincing. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."
"I wouldn't have said that."
"What?"
She grinned as she put her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry that this is a slow song, but I wasn't sure how you'd cope with something more energetic."
He scoffed, "You're acting like I'm too old for this."
"I just can't imagine you dancing to Europop."
"So, I don't like club music. Everyone's different."
"Uh-huh. You tend to prefer music that's more classical…choral even." Her tone was teasing.
He smirked, "I seem to remember a certain someone who sang in the same festival choir as me for a while."
She returned the smirk. "And if I recall correctly, it was me that recognised you."
"Well, you looked very different in uniform." The smirk stayed on her face. "Okay," he conceded, though what exactly he was conceding he wasn't sure. He put his hands on her waist and they started to sway to the music.
Moments passed before she surprised him again by resting her head on his shoulder.
"This gives me a better view, I might be able to spot something," Jackie explained.
"Of course," he replied, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. He couldn't help but wonder if this was her idea of revenge because he'd touched her thigh earlier. "Do you see anything?" he asked after a couple of moments.
"Nothing suspicious."
Her breath touched his neck; he suppressed a shiver. Not reacting to it was a minor success.
Each lovely second of having her in his arms made him wonder why this wasn't a regular occurrence. His mind instantly answered him. Not only was Jackie his subordinate, she was also his friend. And he couldn't risk ruining that.
What would he do without her?
The start of an up-tempo song pulled him out of his reverie. Jackie pulled away to look at him, but whatever words she'd been about to say died on her lips.
Their faces were inches from each other. Their dancing had stopped, but they were still in each other's arms. Slowly, everything dimmed into the background. Rationality had gone out of the window. The look on her face took his breath away; he had always found her beautiful.
He started to lower his face, and Jackie closed her eyes in anticipation. As he moved another fraction, he shut his eyes. Their lips were about to touch when someone clumsily pushed past them, bringing them back to reality.
They stared after the person in question. The poor sod looked like he was about to throw up.
Eventually, Jackie turned to face him.
"I suppose we should…" he began, but Jackie stared right past him. "What?"
"I think you should see this," she motioned for him to turn around.
Michael complied and was met with an interesting sight concerning the case. The moment between them now gone, it was time to focus on their potential breakthrough.
The drive to Jackie's was filled with silence. But it wasn't the comfortable silence that usually befell them. No, this was tinged with some uneasiness, and perhaps slight awkwardness.
To him anyway, he had no idea how Jackie felt.
He pulled up to her street and parked the car, waiting until she removed her seatbelt before he spoke. "Listen…you were great tonight."
She smiled somewhat shyly. "Thanks."
"I mean it. It's thanks to you we were able to catch them."
"You might be the only one who thinks that." She smiled ruefully.
"They're just worried you're going to take the credit." If the other cops had worked as closely with her as he had, they'd be able to see just how brilliant she was.
"Well, at least our involvement is over."
He nodded in agreement. Another silence arose, he didn't really know what to say.
It was Jackie who broke the silence. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sure."
As soon as Jackie left the car, he cursed himself. This wasn't how he wanted to end the night, he realised. It wasn't how he wanted to leave things with Jackie.
He unfastened his seatbelt and left the car. "Jackie!"
She turned around, expectantly.
Michael opened his mouth, but words failed him.
"What?" she asked.
He smiled to himself. "I don't actually know what I was going to say," he admitted.
She laughed at his admission, causing him to laugh along with her. "Are you trying to apologise about earlier?" she asked once she sobered.
"Do you want me to?"
"No," she almost whispered.
They stared at each other, any traces of unease or awkwardness gone.
"Do you know what I want?" she asked after a moment.
"What?"
A small smile played on her lips as she moved closer to him, hooked her fingers in his belt loops and tugged him in for a kiss.
"That," she said when they broke apart.
He smiled before he leaned in for another kiss, pulling her flush against him in the process. As the kiss deepened, he felt her hands move from his belt loop to under his jacket. He stifled a groan.
It was the sound of sirens that broke them apart. The sight of the ambulance assured him that they weren't needed for now.
Jackie turned back to face him a moment later. "Do you want to come in?"
"Yes, Jackie," he grinned, "I'd like that very much."
She smiled back before he locked his car and followed her inside. Maybe, just maybe, this was worth the risk.
