This is it, folks! The final chapter. I hope you'll like it.

Epilogue

"Try working according to the rules from now on, Lieutenant. This is the UK, not the Wild West. Keep that in mind." Spikings instructed Dempsey. He took the Yank's gun and badge from his top drawer and placed the items on top of his desk.

"Sure, whatever you say… Chief." Dempsey mumbled, glancing sideways at his partner. He still felt treated unfairly, but had promised Harry not to make a scene. They would be working together again, and that's all that mattered, she'd said. Dempsey gathered his stuff from the desk and put them away.

"Now, about you two working together…" the Chief Superintendent continued, as if reading his mind. "I thought it might be a good time to rearrange things a bit."

Shocked, Dempsey and Makepeace exchanged glances. "Rearrange what exactly, Sir?" Harry was the first to react.

"Originally, we'd come to an agreement that you would be working with the Lieutenant for a year, Sergeant. Due to circumstances this has been extended. I thought it was time to keep my promise to you."

"But Sir, I've already told you I wanted to continue working with Dempsey! I'm used to him now, and we make a great team!" Harry responded.

"C'mon, Chief! Harry's right. I admit, we had a bit of a rough start, but things are going well now. Why split us up?" Dempsey chimed in.

Rubbing his chin, Spikings studied his two detectives. "I've been watching you these last few months, and let's say I'm a bit worried about the way you've been interacting with each other lately. To that extent that I wonder if there's possibly something more going on between you two... something of a more personal nature?"

"Something personal between Dempsey and me, Sir?" Harry laughed nervously. "That's ridiculous! I mean, he's not exactly my type, is he?"

Dempsey looked at her, frowning. "Oh, and what is your type exactly, Sergeant?"

"Well, let me think…" Makepeace pretended to think deeply. "The man of my dreams must be sophisticated, bright, well-spoken, considerate and with an impeccable reputation." She studied her partner from top to toe. "So, basically, the exact opposite of you, Lieutenant."

Dempsey narrowed his eyes. "I see… Guess it don't matter anyway, cause you definitely ain't my type of broad either!"

She chuckled. "Really? I thought anyone wearing a skirt was your type!"

"Hey, I ain't lettin' just anyone sleep in my bed, ya know! I do have my standards!"

"Really? By all means, tell me all about them! Who knows? I might qualify."

He held her gaze, a lopsided grin on his face. "The woman who gets to sleep in my bed must be good looking, hot, have a good sense of humour, but above all, she's gotta have the right sizes." With both hands, he demonstrated the contours of a woman, deliberately exaggerating her cup size. "Her clothes don't matter, she won't be wearing them for long anyway."

"Dempsey, you're disgusting!" Harry exclaimed aghast, which amused him even more.

A tired expression on his face, Spikings sighed. "Alright, you two, that'll do! Forget what I said and go catch me some criminals!" He waved toward the door. "Oh and Dempsey, make sure to get rid of that pile on your desk first! I can't bear the sight of it any longer."

As they both stepped out of his office, Dempsey mumbled into Harry's ear. "Sophisticated, huh?"

She responded between gritted teeth. "hot and with the right sizes?"

He grinned. "Guess the boss don't know you very well, Tiger." Which resulted in a playful poke to his ribs.

When he arrived at his desk, he grimaced. The pile was even bigger than he had expected. "I think I'm gonna need some coffee first. How 'bout you?"

"Good idea. Hold on, I'll join you."

By the time she'd reached the coffee machine in the far corner of the office, Dempsey was already pouring the steamy brown brew into two mugs.

"Ta", she accepted the mug he offered her. "Do you think Spikings believed us?" Harry asked while searching for the milk.

"Yeah, of course he did. We were pretty convincing, weren't we? In fact, I think we both deserved an Oscar for our performances." He added, grinning.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. She obviously didn't share her partner's enthusiasm. "It was a close call though. I'm sure the boss will keep a close eye on us for the next few months, so we'd better be careful. What bothers me most, however, is that we've lied to him. If he ever finds out..." she stopped mid-sentence.

"Relax Princess, everything's gonna be fine. The way I see it, Spikings should be grateful to us. We saved him the trouble of having to rearrange his teams." Handing her the milk, Dempsey casually stroked her arm. A small, inconspicuous gesture. At least, that's what he thought...

On the other side of the office, Chas was busy looking up some data on the computer. The moment he looked up from the screen, he noticed Dempsey's gesture. It wasn't so much the small act that surprised him, but Harry's reaction. Instead of putting the Yank in place, she smiled at him! A loving, somewhat shy smile. Chas blinked a few times. "I'll be damned, maybe the guv was right after all…!" he muttered to himself.

"What did you say, mate?" Watson had come to stand beside him, handing him a list of names Chas had asked for.

"Oh, nothing important. I was just talking to myself." A little distracted, Chas accepted the document and started comparing the names with the names on the computer screen. His eyes fell on a name halfway through the list. "Bingo, the Guv will be pleased!"

On his way to Spikings' office, he couldn't stop himself from taking another glance at his two colleagues. They were now walking towards their desks, each carrying a mug of coffee in their hand. They were bickering as usual, which made him doubt about what he'd seen… Had he been dreaming?

With a sigh, Dempsey plumped down on his chair. He looked with disgust at the mountain of paperwork that was waiting for him.

Amused, Harry took place at her, as good as, clean desk. "Seems like you'll be desk bound for the rest of the day, Lieutenant."

Grumbling, he took the first file. "Say Sergeant, you always claim you're so good at doing paperwork. If you would gimme a hand, we'd be done in no time. How 'bout it? For old time's sake?"

"Forget it, Dempsey! This is your mess, you clean it up!" She shook her head, determined not to give in this time. Until she looked up, into a pair of pleading, hazel eyes. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Alright, but this is the last time I help you out! Understood?"

Her stern gaze softened the moment she saw his face brighten up. "Mind you, you do owe me something in return. How about dinner tonight, at your expense? And I get to choose the restaurant."

"Deal! What time shall I pick you up?" This sounded like a date. He kinda liked the idea.

"Around seven? I'll make the reservation."

"Seven it is! Which restaurant are we going?"

"That's a surprise." She smiled mysteriously, which made him fear the worst. Knowing her taste, it would probably be one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Ah, whatever! She was worth it.

"At least tell me what I should be wearing. Fancy clothes or more casual?"

Standing behind him, she selected the files she wanted to handle. "Your clothes don't matter. You won't be wearing them for long anyway." She whispered into his ear, while she picked up the selected files. Before he had the chance to reply, Harry was already walking back to her desk, a mischievous smile on her lips…

(THE END)

I must say, writing this story has been an unique experience. However, without your feedback and encouraging words, I wouldn't have been able to finish it. I really hope you've enjoyed this fic, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

A special thanks to my two fantastic proofreaders, NightOwl22 and MiniMetro, for their guidance and support. I've learned so much from both of them, and I hope they'll continue writing Dempsey and Makepeace fics. It would be a waste of talent if they didn't. Also still hoping for the return of #HappyThursdays... ;-)