He was absolutely seething. They drove back to her place in stone-cold silence, both too angry to utter a word. He hit the brakes by her front door, she was out and running before he was even out of the car. But there was no way she was shutting him out on that one! He ran up her stairs behind her, threw her inside her hallway, slamming her front door shut behind him.

Tonight's scene kept replaying in his head. He never thought the day would come when he would be so angry at his partner. She didn't have the right to do something so careless. She was a cop for fuck sake! She knew the dangers of pulling such a stunt. She had been off today. He knew something was wrong when she avoided him and barely uttered one-syllable words all day.

He was glad he followed her after she all but fled from their office. Something was eating her, he knew her well enough to be aware of those moments when cracks appeared in her strong and confident exterior. When he saw her stepping out of her house looking like sex on a stick, he was in shock. Was she dating someone and didn't tell him? She looked incredible but yet there wasn't this spark in her eye or a smile on her lips when she stepped into that bar. She sat alone at the overcrowded bar ordering cocktails after cocktails when suddenly some random guy made a move on her, his hands on her thighs, his mouth whispering something in her ears. She moved his hands away and he could see from where he sat at a distance that she was not interested and made it clear to that man. Wandering hands were not Lady Harriet's style, how could that twat not understand that? Dempsey was trying his hardest not to move from his corner but it took all his will not to punch that idiot for touching her like that.

However, it seemed like the guy didn't take rejection kindly and with the amount of alcohol he had obviously been drinking, he thought he was entitled to this little moment with this very available and very sexy woman. And from there on, it got nasty quickly. He pushed her against the wall near the men's toilets and told her in no uncertain terms that he didn't like girls playing games with him and forced his lips onto her before she could react. Dempsey who had been hiding in a corner till then, literally flew in and pulled him off her within seconds, threw him on the floor and when he went to retaliate showed him his police card and gave him his no-nonsense look! Dempsey dragged his partner outside and shoved her in his car without saying a word.

Back at her place, Dempsey couldn't help but shout at her as he pushed her against a wall, his finger hammering every word he said.

"What on Earth were you thinking about, Sergeant? You didn't know what that man was capable of. You put yourself in danger and could have been seriously hurt or even worse if I hadn't been there!"

Hurt and anger flew across her face, each word he yelled to her face feeling like a slap

"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. And, FYI lieutenant, I didn't ask you to follow me in that bar!" She looked at him with eyes wide with fury and, her voice getting louder by the second, demanded an explanation "Why were you even there? Since when do you spy on me, hum? What's gone into you? As far as I know, it's not a crime to go out and have a couple of drinks! And yes, he tried his luck but I was NEVER in any danger. I was in control despite what you thought. I did NOT need you to barge in and protect me. I am NOT some flimsy broad who needs a man to come to her rescue. I DON'T NEED YOU, LIEUTENANT! GET OUT OF MY FACE NOW!"

"I'll get out of your face when you answer my question, Harry. What's gone into you? Do you know the rape percentage of women who are wandering alone in bars at night? Did you really have to behave like some cheap hooker in that tight black dress?" The minute he said those words he regretted it.

And that was that! The cup was full! She slapped him across the face and started hitting him on his chest with all her might. She was furious, he didn't get it at all, did he? It was all HIS fault in the first place but of course, she couldn't acknowledge that. Dempsey was holding her at arm's length, his anger slowly replaced by concern while her tears were falling freely with each punch.

"How dare you? How can you? Why were you even there? I didn't want you there, I didn't need you there. I just wanted to feel free. I wanted to be a woman tonight, not a cop, just a woman. Is it too much to ask for goodness sake? »

TOO MUCH TO ASK?, he thought. Hell, yes, too much to ask from him. He couldn't let her do that. He just couldn't. He was ready to burst and he couldn't prevent shouting the next few words like an explosion that had been waiting to happen for months now.

"Oh, I know you're a woman Harry. I see it every damn day sitting in front of you, working with you, I have to try my hardest and forget that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Every single day, I have to remind myself to not touch you, to not kiss you when there's nothing more in the whole wide world I'd like to do. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY." Slowly he let her arms go and he looked defeated, shoulders falling and looking at the carpet unable to look at her.

"Do you think there's a single man in this world who can resist you when you're wearing this dress and those killer heels? Any man at all who could turn their eyes away? Do you even have any idea how hot you look?"

"But perhaps I didn't want anyone to resist tonight. Perhaps I wanted someone to take me in their arms. Perhaps I wanted to feel loved, wanted. I wanted at least one man to notice me." Slowly Dempsey's eyes stared at her in disbelief, he wanted to hold her, take her in his arms, kiss her passionately, just to show her the depth of his feelings.

" …..And yes", she carried on, "I admit that this punk was a complete tosser and yes he deserved what he got. I just …." and then the fight left her, her legs were not carrying her any more and she fell on her knees unable to carry on fighting with her partner, tears falling freely as she closed her eyes as she crumbled. If she was honest with herself, her partner was the only man she truly wanted to be held by, the only one she was craving the touch of. But yet, she had never been able to take that step. He was her partner, the best one she's ever had, but also her closest friend. She loved his company and had been craving it lately. She had felt a shift in their relationship over the last few months and it scared her. She didn't know how to handle that situation and her frustration was bursting at the seams and tonight her carefully built armour had cracked. What was she supposed to do now? They were partners and there was a line they shouldn't cross for their own safety. Surely, it was too dangerous and wasn't there a rule somewhere banning you from any romantic involvement with your partner? But then his words just hit home. Didn't he say he wanted to kiss her, touch her?

But, suddenly, she stopped, stared at the floor, frowned and hugged her slender body, shivering, and breathed "Dempsey? What did you just say? A minute ago….?"

Dempsey knew then that the penny had dropped. He knew her walls were built to protect her from being hurt and that to let him in she would need to trust him with her heart.

He knelt down in front of her and stroked her arms slowly, hoping to get her out of her daze.

"Harry….look at me princess….please Harry, look at me", he pleaded. Hesitantly, Harry raised her head and looked into his eyes, fearful of what he was about to say, fearful of where their partnership and friendship were heading towards.

His hands reached her face, unable to withhold his need to touch her any longer. His thumbs dried her tears gently as he tried to convey all his feelings for her in his own eyes. He knew it was now or never so he gave his best shot in the words he whispered to her:

"I know you're scared, princess and I know it's not easy for you but you can't let your fears and your pride get in the way of what life has in store for you. You and I both know that we can't ignore this thing between us forever. It's killing me every day a little bit more, being so close to you and yet so far. I'm willing to take the risk, I'm more than willing to change for you. There hasn't been anyone in my life for over 12 months. I spend all my free time with you and if I'm not with you the only thing I can think of is you. Please don't give up on us, give us a chance. The ball is in your court but please know that I would give up this job in a split second if it meant you'd accept to give us a go. What do you say, Harry? I promise I won't hurt you. Please…" His heart was beating like crazy in his chest, unsure and scared of what she felt or not. She looked at him with her wide blue eyes stunned. She got that "deer in a headlight" look.

-"I don't know whether to run away or to throw myself in your arms. I never in a million years thought you'd be …... I'm so lost. I'm….. I don't even know what to say! Dempsey…James…I might have given you the wrong impression tonight. I was frustrated and lonely and, yes, stupid and careless. I acknowledge that. But the reality is that I'm not a one-night stand kind of girl. I've never been and never will be. That's why I knew nothing was going to happen tonight. I don't know what I was thinking. All this tension between us got to me. I thought you were not interested and after what you said to that girl yesterday evening about me being just your partner, I felt completely rejected and…well…. I am so, so sorry for tonight. » and she burst into tears again thinking she had now blown all her chances with Dempsey. That's until he reached out to her and held her tight in his arms while she cried, stroking her hair…Once Harry's tears calmed down a bit, he cupped her face gently and explained,

« I couldn't possibly tell a complete stranger that I had fallen in love with my partner, could I? »

Harry stared at him and saw how vulnerable he looked. Her hands stroked his face, she finally understood that he was it, he was her destiny. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Closing her eyes, she could feel his breath on her lips, his lips soft and sweet while his hands held her head firmly against him. Her senses went in overdrive when this soft, tentative first kiss turned quickly into a more passionate embrace as he opened his lips. It was like opening the gates at the dam, tongues were colliding, hands were everywhere at the same time. There was an urgency created by the overflow of emotions. Dempsey couldn't actually believe that he was finally kissing his partner. He had dreamt about it for so long and finally there he was. But reality surpassed his dream by a mile. She was pure fire beneath this icy exterior. She was so sexy. He knew he'd have to stop before completely losing control and reluctantly moved away and looked at the woman he loved. He let his eyes run over her face, her swollen lips, her eyes dark with desire and knew there and then that all resistance was futile.

His grin was reflected in her own. They both started to giggle understanding the enormity of their situation and just sat there a while holding on to each other, like a breath of fresh air, kissing and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

After a few minutes like that, Dempsey took her hands and pulled her up with him.

"I'll make us a cup of tea. I think we could do with one, I know I need one after all that! smiled Harry.

He followed her in the kitchen, wrapping her in his arms as she fetched their cups in the cupboard. She leaned back on him, feeling his soft lips on her neck, and then his fingers caressing her face while they kissed with so much tenderness, so much love…. She couldn't help but let her last defence fall apart and whispered,

"I love you so much, James."

His breath caught in his throat and he turned her around into his arms and kissed her with all the passion he was capable of muttering words of love and need. The kettle sat untouched as they held onto each other's body, scared to wake up from this wonderful dream. They had so much tenderness and respect for one other that they knew that a new bond was formed here and there. An indestructible bond.