Finding any sort of privacy on the 4th floor of the Hall of Justice building had been a challenge to begin with.
Half a dozen sets of eyes had followed his forcibly sterile rekindling with the beautiful woman he'd shared far more than just a few moments with; making it painfully obvious that the bullpen wasn't the place to have the discussion Beverly undoubtedly wanted to have.
When Steve's mind wandered from one interrogation room to the next, not finding a quiet corner anywhere in the busy office, he decided to head back out into the hallway, dragging Beverly along by her hand.
Several feet down toward the old wing that was still partially under construction to fit in additional departments, he finally came across a small storage closet getting repainted and receiving all new wiring.
Better yet, nobody was currently in sight to disturb them.
"Oh Steve…", Beverly cried as soon as they were out of earshot from anybody walking by, "How is it I keep finding myself in these messy situations?"
Grasping both of her elbows, the young Inspector leaned forward, trying to look her in the eyes. Unable to meet his glance, Beverly threw herself against his chest, weeping in defeat.
They stood there for many long moments, seconds turning into minutes, then hours, as the raw pain escaped the young woman's body with every tear she shed.
Holding her tightly against his chest, his chin resting on her head, Steve gently rubbed her back, slowing down his own breathing in hopes it would soothe her troubled soul.
Finally, her sobs slowed down, and the young Inspector used the opportunity to shift back, make enough room between them to reach for her chin, lift her head so that she would face him.
"Tell me what happened downstairs…"
Pulling her face away from his gentle touch, Beverly shook her head, then stifled another sob.
"I dropped the charges, Steve."
"You what?!"
Feeling his heart race at the news that was neither welcome nor positive, the young Inspector fell quiet for a moment, struggling to come up with the right words.
"Why…why did you do that? You know you had a solid case. Even with what happened yesterday. I am…I am going downstairs to talk to Armin to have that case reinstated."
"No. Stop it! Just…stop it!"
Beverly's volatile reaction startled Steve and he froze in his spot, watching her fight an inner battle, before she calmed down enough to speak again.
"Audrey was going to file charges against you, for police brutality and overstepping your bounds, just like Mike said.", she explained with a heartbreaking heaviness in her voice, "I couldn't let that happen. Not to you. Not after everything you've done for me. So, we talked to his lawyer and offered to drop the charges if he dropped his. And he…he agreed."
As the horrible burden of guilt filled all his senses, Steve pursed his lips and fell quiet, unable to say a single word to refute her actions, knowing far too well what the implications of a charge would have on his career with the department.
Sensing his troubled brooding, she reached forward and caressed his cheek, before dropping her arm to her waist again.
"My profession doesn't depend on what this man does as much as yours. I couldn't bear the thought of my problems becoming yours, possibly affecting you for the rest of your life. You're…you're a ray of hope and humanity for so many of the people you come across every day. Just like you were for me. So, it was a compromise I was easily able to make, Steve. And like you said, people like Audrey, the compulsive types, will likely try it again. And maybe next time we'll be luckier and get him put away for good."
A faint nod was all he could manage as he tried to swallow the nausea building up in the back of his throat. It was enough to paint a smile on Beverly's distraught expression and she reached forward to kiss his lips, then turned toward the hallway.
"I'll be in touch once the dust settles. Take care, Steve."