Thanks once again for the reviews. I just loved some of you trying to guess what was on the sheet of paper.

Sophiesworld2 - you freak me out a bit. You know far too much of what's going on in my head. We're obviously two minds with but a single brain cell ;-D Can't wait to hear if you were right about 'the paperwork'.

Chapter 4

"I mean it. I want you to go," Harry told him icily.

Dempsey laughed uncertainly. "This is stupid. You're not serious."

"Those very words sprang to my mind too. You really have no idea how offensive that is, do you?" she fumed.

Dempsey looked down at the sheet of paper in his hand, his eyes swimming over the typewritten words he'd read over so many times that he had unintentionally memorised them.

"No! As a matter of fact, I don't. You don't think somethin' like this is important?"

The printed note paper was headed, 'Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust', sub-heading, 'Sexual Health Services'. There followed a date from last week, a reference number and the subject header, 'HIV Screening Test Certificate'.

This is to certify that: James Dempsey has been screened for HIV antibody using: Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and was found: Negative, as at: 08/09/87

It was signed and rubber stamped.

Dempsey figured that was cause for celebration but apparently Harry didn't.

"I think you'd find AIDS a lot more offensive, Princess," said Dempsey, annoyance edging into his voice.

She pushed him away violently with both arms outstretched.

"Just get out! I really can't believe you sometimes."

He stumbled back, caught off guard by her fierce reaction.

"What's the matter with you? I took this test for us, 'cause I want us to start out right."

She pushed at him again, forcing him backwards.

"Go, Dempsey!"

"D'you know how embarrassing it was to sit in an HIV clinic waiting room, huh? With the junkies and the drop-outs? The assorted freaks and weirdos?"

"And whose fault was it that you found yourself there in the first place?"

Half shoving, half escorting him, she had managed to manoeuvre Dempsey into the entrance hall where she was opening the front door with one hand and keeping him at arm's length with steepled fingers as though holding off a dirty, wet shaggy dog.

"I know it! But it's all changed now. I wanna be with you, babe an'…"

Harry had the door open now.

"You're treating it all like it's some kind of joke, wrapping it up in pretty paper and tying a ribbon around it, like you think you're being clever."

"C'mmon, don't be like this," he cried. "I was sugar coating the pill."

He held fast to the door frame, resisting her attempts to get him onto the porch step.

"Why couldn't you just tell me? But no, you had to go and make an all singing all dancing production out of it, didn't you?"

"What, I shoulda told you over the turkey and mashed potatoes? 'Oh, by the way, honey, I got some great news last week – I don't got AIDS'."

"Don't be obtuse."

Another shove saw him over the threshold.,

"Or maybe I shoulda waited a while longer an' told you as I carried you up the stairs to bed, just to really get the romantic juices flowin'."

"Remove your hand," she warned, looking pointedly at his fingers hanging onto the doorframe as he faced her.

"You're being irrational, Harry," he cried.

"And you're rubbing my nose in your sexual history and I find it exceptionally crass and in very poor taste, not to mention downright vulgar." Her fist slammed into his fingers and he yelped. "Now go away!"

The front door slammed too and all was suddenly quiet.

The stupid, stupid man! Why did he have to be so bloody insensitive? She felt tears of angry frustration welling up in her eyes. These last few weeks, he'd been so incredibly thoughtful and attentive and it wasn't just the silly Christmas stuff. Dempsey could be a real gentleman when he wanted to be; she'd always known that but he hadn't ever displayed that side of himself to her quite so consistently. After all, they were work colleagues in a rough world of criminality, violence and deceit which didn't allow much time for etiquette and refinement where their relationship was concerned. But since Cornwall, they had seen each other much more regularly outside of work, four or five times a week. Although he still teased and chided her, something about the way he did it had changed; he had become gentler, less abrasive somehow. He had softened. But then, so had she, hadn't she? She knew she wasn't as quick to jump down his throat these days and was a lot more tolerant of his ways. But why in God's name had he thought that that 'Christmas present' was acceptable? It turned her stomach to even think about it. It brought it home to her how much he slept around; all those women, so much loose living that an AIDS test was an obligatory part of starting their new relationship.

She hated him for it but the love was ripping her in two. She knew she couldn't be without him; he meant too much to her now, which was why this thoughtless act had hurt so much. But no, it wasn't thoughtless, it was far from it yet despite the pains he had gone to, it still hadn't occurred to him that she might find the whole thing abhorrent.

"So now you put a piece of timber between us, can we talk about this?"

Harry wiped away the single tear which had spilled down her cheek.

"There's nothing to talk about. You're the most insensitive man alive. The end!"

"Baloney!" Dempsey exploded. "I did the decent thing here."

"Decent?" shrilled Harry.

"Is that so hard for you to believe? I put my hands up, I made a few mistakes. Figured I should make sure I was a hundred percent safe before you and I got it together. That's 'cause I care, Harry. I want for you to be safe too."

"Can you please keep your voice down? I have neighbours you know."

"So better let me in."

"No!" she hissed angrily. "You don't get it do you? You can't turn something like that into a bloody junket. Wrapping up your HIV test results doesn't make it amusing, Dempsey, it makes it bloody obscene!"

Dempsey banged his clenched fist gently against the door, dispirited and frustrated by her reaction.

"An' how would you have had me tell you, huh? C'mmon, you've told me how I got it wrong, now you can tell me how I coulda got it right 'cause last time I checked, AIDS wasn't real sexy, ya know. Kind of a passion killin' subject in fact." He had got considerably louder since she had told him to keep his voice down.

"The neighbours!" Harry reiterated, knowing even as she said it how banal it sounded.

The letter box shot open and Dempsey's voice was suddenly in the hall with her. "I don't give a shit about the neighbours, Harry but I'm down on my knees all the same if that's what it takes. Talk to me. Tell me why I got it so wrong."

"That's the point though, isn't it? I shouldn't have to explain. But subtlety and discretion never has been your strong suit, has it? Just mentioning you'd had a health check at an appropriate moment would have been far too easy for you. You couldn't have fitted the words, 'clean bill of health' into the conversation, could you?"

On the other side of the door, Dempsey was feeling the strain on his shoulder, his raised arm stretched up along the wood, hand flat. With his left thumb, he kept the letter box propped open. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions.

"Which moment? What conversation? I didn't wanna spend the evening tryin' to shoehorn it in someplace and still run the risk of fallin' flat on my face when I did."

He'd obviously thought about this after all, she had to credit him with that much. It was just they were looking at it from totally opposite ends of the spectrum.

"But it just wasn't appropriate, James. Surely you must be able to see that."

Dempsey felt a ray of hope shine upon him. She had called him 'James'. But he still wasn't about to back down. So he'd misjudged her reaction to this particular Christmas caper but it didn't make him wrong and her right. Okay, so it wasn't ideal but he'd figured it was better to keep it light, follow the Christmas theme thing 'cause Harry had been loving that. Hell, hadn't she organised all of this for tonight?

"If you think I screwed up then I'm sorry," he tried.

But that only served to madden Harry all the more.

"That isn't an apology and it's what you think that's bothering me. You're just deflecting the issue."

Her own voice had risen again.

"Okay, okay. With hindsight, I could've toned it down maybe. Now you gonna let me in?"

"So now you're just going to roll over? You think that's going to make everything alright?"

Dempsey transferred his weight to his left foot, his haunch taking the strain away from his right knee.

"Jesus Christ, Harry, I can't win with you!"

"If you didn't treat everything like a game you might stand a fighting chance."

"My kneecaps are splintering on your porch, babe. D'you think we could slug this out from the comfort of your couch?"

"NO!" she objected. "Go home. I don't want to talk to you. I wish you'd get that through your thick head."

"Harry," he whined through the letter box. "Princess. Are we really gonna fall out over this? Let me back in."

She stood with her back to the door, arms folded defiantly across her chest. "Give me one good reason why I should," she fumed.

The letter box creaked as Dempsey's thumb pushed the flap up higher.

"Because I love you," he shouted, exasperated and becoming more perturbed by the second.

The stunned silence was palpable and the air around them seemed to still. Not even the breath in their lungs stirred as the words slowly penetrated.

Dempsey was in shock. He'd said it! Holy shit, he'd said it out loud. But it was the wrong time. She was mad at him – again. Was there ever a right time though? Despite how close they'd become, he still had this ability to press her buttons; to get her all fired up over something and nothing. Course, it was a two way street but he kind of enjoyed it in a perverse sort of a way. When she jabbed that finger of hers in his face and told him he was an idiot, he had to admit, it kinda turned him on. Did she get a kick out of it too? Was that part of the attraction for her, the regular flare-ups and clashes? Did it make her feel alive? Did she get that same rush he did?

Closing her eyes, Harry tried her best to relax, a seemingly impossible feat with her pulse racing and her heart pounding out of control.

There was no doubt about what he'd said – what he'd shouted, in fact the words were still ringing in her ears. And did he mean them? For some reason, her initial instinct was to deny their validity. In her mind she scorned the words. 'Nice try, Dempsey… Cheap shot … You really will say anything to get what you want…' But he meant it. She felt it in every fibre of her trembling body. She knew him too well to be fooled by worthless platitudes and verbal smokescreens and her inability to speak highlighted the fact. She hadn't a clue what to say anyway.

The letter box closed quietly and she pictured him now on his feet.

Harry turned to face the door and finally took a breath, feeling a little bit light headed.

He was standing right in front of her with just a two inch thick piece of wood between them.

Almost on autopilot, she reached for the door handle. It stuck and she had to wrench it. For months she'd meant to get somebody to come and look at it, bloody months. A second and then a third yank before it finally flew open.

Dempsey appeared as startled as she and for a moment they just stared at each other.

Then Dempsey stepped forward, drawn in by those wide blue eyes and just pulled her into his arms. There was no more deliberation, nothing else to consider and he knew that now had been the right time after all.

"You'd better come in," she whispered just before she was silenced by his lips on hers.

It felt different somehow. She couldn't explain it but the 'three little words' made everything better. The adrenaline; the euphoria, the knowledge that there was that magical thing between them.

Outside in the darkness, a small group of teenaged boys made their way along the pavement, laughing and joking with each other. The sound brought the rest of the world onto the doorstep for the two of them and the vintage Christmas music that had seemed to fade as their row escalated now returned to weave blithely about them.

Harry found herself laughing, a small, giddy, laugh as she stood with her arms around his neck. His half smile was anxiously curious. He was struggling to determine what the laughter meant and that in itself amused her. She slid her fingertip down the bridge of his nose, grinning up at him.

"You makin' fun o' me?" he asked uncertainly.

She shook her head, brimming with joy. "Nope."

"Okaaaayyy?" He glanced away as though trying to take stock of the situation before returning to her.

"I just can't believe you said it," she beamed.

"Well, I did." He was falling apart at the seams. "Did you like that I said it or… did I just make an awkward situation a thousand times worse for myself?"

"I love you too, you idiot."

Yep, he definitely liked when she called him an idiot.

"Well whadya know?" he mused calmly, shaking his head in a 'you learn something new every day' sort of way.

Their embrace became a clinch which quickly turned into a rugby tackle as Dempsey kicked the front door shut behind him and they half fell, half dragged each other up the staircase to the charming refrain of Benny Goodman's swing orchestra playing 'Santa Claus Came In The Spring'.

"How's the shoulder?" Harry asked breathlessly.

Having stripped him of his jacket to fling it across the chair in the corner of the bedroom, she was now working on the tie.

"Ready, willing and able."

He realised he was hindering her progress but he just couldn't keep his hands or his lips off her. He held her face in his hands, planting rough kisses where and when he could as she inched his tie undone.

Impatiently, she at last tugged it free and it went the way of the jacket, falling a little short to trail along the floor.

His mouth fell to her neck, making contact with her warm, scented skin.

"Jeez, you smell good."

Something deeply sensual with a wave of erotic spice invaded his nostrils. His lips parted involuntarily, drinking in more of the scent that clung to her throat.

"Coco," she moaned, fingers opening up his shirt.

"Chocolate, huh? Can't wait to peel away the wrapper." The thin, silky black fabric of her dress slid up to her thighs under his questing fingertips.

"It's Coco Chanel… perfume…" Her hands were exploring his bare chest and her mind missed a gear.

Dempsey's mouth curved against her throat. "I know it's perfume."

His right hand had moved up to her back and found a zip. He gave a little tug but it was a two handed operation required to pull it down and reluctantly his left hand left her thigh.

He raised his head to make eye contact as he drew the zip down, loving that soft, buzzy metallic sound it made.

"I love you, James," she said softly as the dress slipped from her shoulders.

His eyes seemed to change then, to darken yet fill with light at the same time. "You know I fell for you a long while back?"

He looked down at her exposed body. "Oh, baby," he breathed.

"When?"

"Let's just say it was before Cornwall."

A black silk and lace teddy. She'd had some reservations, wondering if it was too much but the look on his face would suggest it had been the right choice.

She was blushing slightly under his intense scrutiny. "I think I was already in denial by the start of the Sachs case."

His fingers wandered along her right shoulder.

"This has been a slow burner alright." He took her into his arms as he roamed her curves. "I guess there's been somethin' goin' on with us a lot longer than either of us care to admit, huh?"

"It's certainly looking that way."

She pulled his shirt back off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor before settling her hands on his waist.

His turn again.

The dress was hanging around her hips still but with effortless proficiency, Dempsey swept it downwards and she stepped clear, leaving her displayed to him in only the lingerie and heels.

He seemed to be frowning as he took in this image of her and Harry smiled anxiously, her self-consciousness in this unfamiliar attire blocking out his obvious appreciation.

"Turn around," he commanded, tossing the black silky dress in the general direction of the bedroom chair and giving her one hundred percent of his attention.

Her lack of self-confidence both amused and appalled him. Watching her pivot in front of him like some vestal virgin made him realise that she really wasn't used to wearing anything this sexy and therefore didn't have a God-damned clue how hot she looked.

The teddy was cut high on the leg and accentuated her perfect curves. The shape of her ass, highlighted by the broad lace trim would have brought a tear to the eye of any warm blooded male.

As she completed the 360 degrees he couldn't take it any longer, he needed to touch her, to feel her body against his.

"You're incredible, Harry." He trawled her body with his eyes. "Jesus Christ, you're so beautiful."

The awe evident in his voice gave her an injection of confidence and she reached out to take his hand and pull him towards her, stepping back towards the bed as she did so.

Dempsey followed her like a lamb to the slaughter, his heart racing. This was real and it was happening. A wish fulfilment four years in the making was right here in front of him.

Sitting down on the side of the bed, Harry began to undo his belt.

He touched his fingers to her flushed cheek. "I love you, Princess. You have no idea how much."

Harry looked up and gave him a shyly sensual smile, quite glad of the excuse to look away from the eye level action as she unzipped him and more than happy to hear his declaration of love.

The way he looked at her just radiated that love. She felt it in the same way you could feel an electrical storm was brewing and it hit her like sunshine busting over her skin.

"I think I do."

Dempsey slid a hand into his right trouser pocket and drew out a handful of loose change which he quickly deposited on the bedside cabinet and almost at the same time, took his wallet from a back pocket.

And then the trousers were down around his knees and Harry was compelled to stare at the solid length of his penis as it strained for freedom within his shorts.

Flipping the wallet, Dempsey pulled a Durex from one of the slip pockets.

"I covered all bases," he said sheepishly.

She took it from him and put it with the loose change. "That won't be necessary. I went to see my doctor too. I can get the prescription framed and hung above the bed if you'd like," she added with mischievous sarcasm.

"I kinda like the sound of that. His 'n' hers – licence to lurve," he laughed and Harry shrieked as he launched himself on the bed, dragging her with him.

As they kissed, Dempsey pulled off his shoes and managed to disentangle himself from his trousers but only a few minutes after, he sat up.

"What?" asked Harry, raising herself up onto her elbows.

"I got a feelin'."

"What are you talking about?"

But he turned away from her and reached for the telephone.

"Dempsey!" she protested. "Who on earth are you calling for heaven's sake?"

He dropped the receiver down unceremoniously onto the bedside table, misjudging it so that it skidded off and cracked against the side before it hit the ground.

He didn't bother to retrieve it.

"Do not disturb," he grinned.

Harry welcomed him back into her arms and they made love to each other for the first time, a new experience, a mind blowing thing that had taken them forever to get to and was all the more incredible for the wait.

Dempsey realised that he'd never had first time sex with a woman whilst actually already being in love with her.

She was making him a better man.

Hope you enjoyed it. They got there in the end ;-)

Chapter 5 is in the making but might not be to everybody's taste... is all I'm saying ...