Harry was very sensitive to the office atmosphere as in contrast to yesterday Dempsey was on fine form and was exchanging banter with the guys until Spikings came out and told him to shut it.

Dempsey came over to her. 'What's up with the chief anybody'd think he wasn't pleased to have me back?' He relaxed and put his feet up on her desk and lit a cigar. 'You caught up with the paper work yet honey cos I said I'd go the bar with the guys and since you're one of the guys you're invited. You're driving so only one drink for you, don't need to stay late if you don't want.'

'And if I don't want to go to the pub?' She rather thought they needed to talk about where their relationship was going. She had the feeling that Dempsey would quite happily tack sex onto her role as his partner; she wasn't sure whether a committed relationship was on the cards too.

'Well then you don't have to,' he studied her through the smoke he'd exhaled. Dempsey could see Harry was having a hard time with adjusting to the move forward in their relationship but he was kind of pissed she didn't want to celebrate his success. He decided to call her on it. 'It was a successful operation and the guys' want to celebrate; even Spikings is going and you're my partner Tinkerbell so it will look kind of funny if you don't but then hey, it's up to you.'

'You're so manipulative,' she responded irritated that he was trying to make her feel bad. Harry didn't really want to share James with the team, she'd only just got him back and then they had last night to factor into the equation. On the other hand maybe it was a good idea to go out in a crowd. He wouldn't notice if she left early and that would gain her thinking time.

Harry had to admit that Dempsey going for a home run last night, and this morning she added her skin heating, had complicated things. He'd rushed her and she was feeling awkward; half wanting to run and half wanting to be back in his arms at the earliest opportunity. She was hyper aware that he was watching her and it made her feel uncomfortable in her own skin.

'Love to know what that blush was about, you having improper thoughts Harry,' his eyes were warm on hers and held an intimacy that embarrassed her further.

'Shut up Dempsey, I've got work to do and I can't do that with you sitting there grinning at me like a monkey.' Since the team were used to Makepeace being snippy with Dempsey it was assumed that business as usual was the matter of the day.

Spikings who'd been watching his crack team through the window was not so easily convinced. 'Something's changed I can feel it,' he growled to Chas. 'The yank is looking pleased with himself and her ladyship looks like she's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar,' he grinned at his analogy. 'What's your guess?'

'No idea guv, the team seem to be back to normal today Dempsey was still decompressing yesterday,' Chas had heard Jim tell Harry to cancel her party so he knew they'd been one-on-one last night but he wouldn't dream of giving that information up.

'Well I'd say he's thoroughly decompressed today and he's back to his normal arrogant, brash, know-it-all self and I hope Harry knows what she's doing.' He sat down at his desk and lit a cigarette and took a drag, 'what's the betting like on a white wedding?'

'Five to one,' Chas answered dourly. 'Harry up the duff's on evens.'

'Makes sense if that over sexed Neanderthal gets his paws on England's finest however I have more faith in Harry,' he got out a twenty and handed it over to Chas, 'besides I'd like to see the Lieutenant in a morning suit, yes I'd enjoy that.' Spikings laughed with malicious pleasure at the thought. Years of having to deal with the mayhem Dempsey caused had made him anticipatory about a bit of payback and Harry in his view was definitely the Yank's nemesis.

-oOo-

Harry accompanied Chas over to the Ambrecote Arms where the team generally met due to its near location to the SI10 offices, Dempsey had gone over there earlier with Watson and Fry. Makepeace usually kept in the vicinity of Chas, Spikings or Dempsey because when the team had a few beers they tended to target her as the object of their affections and she got sick of warding them off, having her bottom pinched or worse.

'Good to have Jim back,' Chas offered genuinely. 'Difficult the undercover stuff, glad I'm office bound sometimes; Dempsey said it was tough without giving a lot of detail. For a bloke with a million stories he doesn't give much away.'

Makepeace nodded. 'I think it got to him,' she agreed. 'None of us are super-human in the end no matter how we try and pretend everything's okay. Anyway tonight is a time for celebration so let's get to it,' she eyed the bar and the noise already emanating from it with some reservation.

Chas squeezed her shoulder and gave the female detective a sympathetic smile. 'If you need sanctuary you know where I am.' He was more than aware that the male members of the team had a bit of a thing about the Sergeant and the beer goggles made them bold.

Harry felt the thump of the music emanating from the juke box as she entered the pub and the wall of noise from the mainly male contingent hit her like a physical blow. Dempsey yelled at her across the bar to join him and she swallowed hard and made her way through the sea of bodies to his side.

'Hey babe,' he ran his arm around her shoulder and guided her to a positon next to the bar where his body shielded hers from the crowd. 'Anyone touch you on the way over,' he growled in her ear ready to read the riot act to anyone who'd tried. He knew what the guys' were like and they all wanted a chance with Harry, she and D.C. Linda Harmon were always one and two on the department top bird chart. Harmon was a bit more generous with her favours though which tended to give her the edge.

Harry's blue eyes met his mocking his possessive manner and she raised on her tiptoes her mouth to his ear as the noise increased, 'I've acquired a certain skill at avoiding gropers; as the evening wears on it's more of a challenge.' She eyed his glass and deduced beer and a whisky chaser,' she looked up at him questioningly. 'I see you're ready to party.'

'I'm celebrating,' he shrugged and smiled at her as he indicated to the barmaid that he wanted to be served and ordered her a vodka and ice, 'we can leave the car and get a taxi no need for you to drive.' He saw she was looking a little gun shy at the suggestion they would be leaving together and leant down to counter that, 'no need to make a big thing of it angel, but you're definitely going home with me.'

Makepeace acknowledged that they would leave together more often than not of late but since they'd done 'it' she felt less comfortable about it. Her eyes widened as Harmon approached them and the detective constable was obviously in the party spirit she'd changed her outfit and was showing a lot of skin, thigh split and heaving breasts.

'Congratulations Jim, nice one; you're definitely putting the department on the map, everyone's saying it,' her green eyes flirted outrageously with the American. 'Save me the last dance,' she fluttered her eyelashes provocatively. She ignored Makepeace entirely as she was her main competition for force pin up but to be honest Linda couldn't see what the lads saw in the frosty cow.

'I'd like that but my little, arctic fox here would turn on the ice and since she's my ride home I've got to keep her sweet,' Dempsey's eyes danced as he saw the two women glaring at each other.

Spikings joined them he had an instinct for confrontation and could see this situation going from bad to worse. 'Makepeace a word,' he indicated she should follow him with a swift jerk of his head. 'You have two choices girl you can claim the annoying Yank or leave; Dempsey's still coming out of the cover and if he gets loaded he'll be a handful; don't worry I'll see he gets home.'

'I don't think I understand you sir, why should I claim him he's not a lost dog or a piece of luggage,' Harry was cool to the point of icy as she didn't like Spikings assumption that Dempsey was hers. She hadn't got used to the idea of an 'us' or 'them' even if everyone else had made assumptions about the status of their relationship. 'If the Lieutenant wants to take up D.C. Harmon's less than exclusive offer it's up to him, he's an adult and even drunk I would imagine he would know what he was doing.'

'If you're going to be all snooty with him he probably will just to spite you Sergeant,' Spikings advised with a twinkle in his eye. 'I just want a quiet drink without the Lone Ranger going off on one or indeed Tonto.' He patted her shoulder and watched her gravitate back to her partner. He eyed Chas with a sarcastic smile, 'can't you get one of the lads to divert lusty Linda, Watson for example the ladies seem to like him.'

'I make it a policy not to interfere in matters of the heart guv, don't want anyone to cry foul on the odds,' he took a mouthful of beer and watched Dempsey secure Makepeace next to the bar in her former position of comparative safety; if you called being surrounded by the Yank as safe. 'D.C. Harmon seems in fine form tonight sir and she likes senior officer's so the betting says she'll leave with at least a DI. If you want to run interference for Makepeace then…

'Shut up Chas, Mrs Spikings is a force to be reckoned with and I don't want to come to work tomorrow singing like a falsetto, there's plenty of D.C. Harmon's but I've only got one set of wedding tackle.'

Chas choked on his beer at that, much to his guvnor's amusement. The door opened and a contingent from the Murder Squad came in led by Spikings favourite Chief Inspector Tratter, he had a new officer with him who was a good looking, clean cut sort with a voice full of marbles like Harry.

Tratter gave Spikings a wince of a smile. 'I hear your team are looking all shiny and bright upstairs Gordon you might as well enjoy the brief moment in the sun before the storm sets in. Your Yank wasn't it? Let me introduce you to our new boy, D.S. Pearce-Wynding he's posh like Makepeace even says he knows her.'

The SI10 governor groaned as Pearce-Wynding homed in on Harry and made the introductions, he watched Dempsey's jaw square and was amazed at how aggressive the Yank's body language could be and currently it was saying go stick your aristocratic head up your arse or ass in American.

'Great,' he said under his breath. 'I'm used to the sun old chap got quite a tan whereas you're looking a bit on the pale side maybe your bit of posh might change your luck; I've got a heavy enough workload without receiving requests for assistance with serial killers and the like.' Spikings knew that would get Tratter's goat as he'd fought like hell to keep the Thriller Killer.

Chas diplomatically changed the subject and bought Tratter and his DI a drink; he was used to pouring oil on troubled waters as Spikings tended towards an irascible style of inter-departmental relations.

Meanwhile in the far corner of the bar the two toffs were getting reacquainted. 'Bit different from The Ivy,' Henry Pearce-Wynding said in a conspiratorial tone to Makepeace, 'more diesel than Cristal, how are you Harry you look well,' his gaze was appreciative as it moved over the blonde officer.

'I'm fine Henry, I see you walked in with Chief Inspector Tratter I hadn't realised you were on his team,' she felt Dempsey stir restlessly. 'My partner in crime Lieutenant shortly to be Detective Inspector James Dempsey I'm sure you've heard of him,' she sipped her vodka her eyes mocking her colleague.

'Yeah, definitely more diesel than Cristal,' the American growled and gave a sarcastic smile as he shook Pearce-Wynding's hand. 'Although I do like a glass from time to time,' his arm went around Harry's shoulders in a not too subtle indication of how he liked his champagne.

'I'd better get back to the team,' Henry took the warning but gave Harry a questioning look. 'See you around Harry we must catch up over a coffee,' he smiled at her assent and went back to his team.

'Did you have to be so rude,' Makepeace turned on Dempsey and shrugged off his arm. 'Henry's family are old friends of mine there's no need to act like a Neanderthal every time another man approaches me.' She could see that James didn't particularly like her tone but also noticed he'd left the chaser out and was now just drinking beer.

'Don't know much about men do you princess? We got all this testosterone running around and when another guy tries to muscle in on our girl then it kind of finds a focus so even though you don't want everyone to know we did it, I know we did and that makes me protective about you.' He pointed at himself and then her to underline his meaning.

'Wrong word possessive not protective,' Harry bounced back. 'And I don't like being pawed in front of my colleagues so if you don't mind keep your hands to yourself.'

'I put my arm around you it wasn't groping,' Dempsey grated dangerously. 'I could do that and get a welcome from any girl here, what's the matter with you? If you're regretting last night just tell me but just so you know I ain't going back to the she loves me, she loves me not stuff.'

'I think I got that last night,' Harry responded defensively and then jumped with shock at a loud crash as a table was overturned and a fight started over the other side of the bar. She watched as Dempsey assessed the altercation to see if help was needed and then looked back at her. 'Two teams in a bar ain't good news with any luck Tratter will get his guys out of here; c'mon princess we're leaving this ain't no place for a lady.'

Now that was protective Harry mused as Dempsey pushed open the doors and led her out into the street towards her car, 'I thought a fight was the ideal end to a team evening that or a wrestle with D.C. Harmon,' she got into the driver's seat and started the car. She hesitated to drive off unsure as to what direction she should take.

'Harry it's your place or my place I ain't fussy but we're going to have a talk like grown-ups do,' his dark gaze took in her mutinous profile. 'I know I rushed you last night and you're out of your comfort zone so let's discuss that.'

'All right,' she headed for her place as she knew there'd be no food or drink at his and he could always sleep on the sofa and then she wondered if that was a tactical error as she could have left his apartment but it would be harder getting him out of hers.

'I'll leave if you ask me to,' Dempsey was quite adept at reading Harry, 'you get to call it tonight.' He knew he was taking a gamble and a high stakes gamble at that but he was determined to move their relationship on and wanted her to acknowledge that it had.

Harry supposed she should feel grateful for the reassurance but somehow she wasn't because it felt more like James was calling her on her behaviour and she had to admit she'd been all over the place emotionally and that wasn't how she liked to conduct herself. 'Thank you,' she said politely and then coloured slightly as she realised how prim and proper that sounded.

'You're welcome,' he growled looking out of the car window so that Harry missed the way his jaw squared in a determined fashion and just how much that polite 'thank you,' had bugged him.