This is my last update until after Christmas. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.
"What are you doing?" mumbled Joey, her eyes still closed to keep out the morning light.
"Stroking your ego."
Joey moaned softly. "That's not my ego that you're stroking."
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No," she said after another gentle stroke across her nipple. "Carry on."
"How about showing me those gorgeous eyes of yours first?"
Joey shook her head. "I'm still sleeping."
"Did you know that you're a wonderful conversationalist for someone who is meant to be sleeping?"
"I'm a very talented person."
"That ego of yours just got a bit bigger then."
"All the better for you to stroke."
Chuckling, Charlie leant down and kissed the tip of Joey's nose. As she did so, she was finally greeted with a glimpse of those eyes she loved so much. "Good morning my sleeping beauty."
"Morning," Joey said, her arms snaking around her girlfriend's neck. "How much time do we have?"
"Not long." She'd barely gotten the words out when Joey tugged her head down and captured her lips.
A minute later, Charlie was trying to extract herself from Joey's grasp. "I have to get ready for work."
"When you said 'not long', you weren't kidding," grumbled Joey and she reluctantly let her go. "Why did you even start?"
"You just looked so adorable lying there," replied Charlie. "And so very tempting, so I couldn't help myself."
"Next time if you're in a hurry Charlie, then please be strong and keep your hands to yourself."
"My, aren't we grumpy this morning," teased Charlie as she climbed from the bed. She deftly snatched out of midair, the pillow her girlfriend had just launched at her head. "And we're frustrated, too."
"It's all your fault."
Chuckling to herself, Charlie gathered her clothes and headed to the bathroom. She was humming as she hopped into the shower and started the water.
"Hey," she yelped when Joey snuck in behind her. Before she could say anything, she was spun around and her lips were crushed against Joey's. "We better make this quick," she murmured against Joey's lips.
"Not talking would help."
Wasting no more time, there was a frenzy of thrusting and groaning as the sounds of their frantic coupling echoed around the room.
"Oh god," Charlie moaned as they both came together. "Wow," she murmured and they parted.
"It's just polite to finish what you started," Joey said as an explanation.
"I'll remind you of that the next time that you leave me high and dry."
Joey grinned at her. "Speaking of reminders, shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"
"If you weren't so damn wonderful, I'd be so annoyed with your delaying tactics."
"Now you're just wasting time with all this chatter, so how about I just step outside and let you finish."
"I thought you were stepping outside," Charlie said when Joey leant against the bathroom wall.
"I just meant the shower Charlie and since I'm already all wet, I might as well finish my shower after you," said Joey in reply. "But I'll stand here out of the way so I won't distract you any further."
"And you think standing there buck naked and glistening wet isn't a distraction," muttered Charlie, but she did her best to ignore the image and the soft chuckling of her girlfriend to finish her shower.
Shannon kissed the naked shoulder beneath her head. She felt contented, as she lay curled up by Graves' side, her leg draped casually over her hip as her hand rested on her belly. Staring into Graves' eyes, she smiled at the warmth she saw there. "Has anyone ever told you that you're too cute and sweet to be a big bad cop?"
"Plenty of times," Graves replied. "Though usually by people who can't see beyond my youth and the blond hair."
"Well I certainly see beyond those things." She gazed in appreciation at the naked body in front of her. "Well beyond them, but I still think you're cute and sweet." Shannon chuckled when Graves blushed red. "Especially now." She kissed her softly on the lips. "Last night was wonderful."
"It was amazing," agreed Graves. "Even more so, since I'm usually not one to fall into bed on the first date."
"I'm so glad you made the exception."
"So am I."
They kissed a few more times, before Graves reluctantly pulled away.
"I wish you didn't have to go to work," murmured Shannon. "I'd rather spend the day together here, getting to know each other better."
"Thought we got to know each other pretty well last night," Graves replied with a suggestive smile as she picked up her clothes.
"That we did, but there is still so much to learn," Shannon pointed out. "Such as your first name. It kind of feels weird to have made love to someone, when I don't even know their first name."
"So now you're guilt tripping me into revealing it?"
"Yep."
"Ok then, here it is." Graves leant in close and whispered it to her. She smiled wryly when she saw the look on her lover's face. "I told you that mum was a high school teacher, well she's a history teacher and she's really into all the mythologies of ancient cultures, especially Greek, so given what our surname is, she thought that was the perfect first name to go with it."
"It's actually not that bad."
"On its own maybe, but when combined, I'm not sure it's the best name for a cop to have."
"A perfect name for an undertaker though," joked Shannon.
"Believe me, I've heard all sorts of career suggestions to suit my name, but my heart was on being a cop, which is perfect in a way, since we're often known only by our surnames anyway." She started to walk to the bathroom, then paused. "Do you need a lift anywhere after breakfast?"
"Nah, I'll catch a bus if I need to."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I don't have anywhere to go just yet anyway," Shannon said. "Besides, I don't want you to end up being late for work because of me."
"Well, I won't be long."
"I'll order us breakfast while you're in there."
"Thanks."
"A penny for them."
"Huh?" Watson said as she turned to face Gina. She had been lost in thought while she was standing there waiting for her coffee order and so hadn't even noticed Gina's approach.
"A penny for your thoughts," Gina said again.
"Make it two and you have a deal."
"Are you ok?"
"I miss Martha," she replied. "I'm so used to having her beside me every night, that it feels weird to be going to bed when I know she's not going to be there."
"She'll be home soon."
"Yeah, I know."
"Is that all that is bothering you?"
Watson shrugged. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
"I have some free time before I need to be at the school if you'd like to talk," Gina said softly, trying to gently coax her into opening up more.
"Do you think I've been too hard on John?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.
Gina took a moment to consider her reply. Her stepdaughter appreciated people being up front with her and so she decided that was the best way to answer. "If you want me to be honest, then yes, I think you've been too hard on John," replied Gina. "Damn hard on him at times, but I do think I understand why."
"You understand?" Watson murmured. "Because sometimes I'm not so sure that I do anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Here's your coffee, love," Irene said as she chose the most inopportune time to interrupt.
"Thanks Irene." Watson took her coffee and turned back to Gina. "I need to get to work," she said.
"If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."
"Yep, sure," she said but she was already moving away. "Bye you two."
"Where is that girl rushing off to now?" Irene asked Gina.
"To wherever she doesn't need to face the hard questions."
Irene shook her head. "That girl is too stubborn for her own good at times."
"She gets that from John." Gina smiled to herself then. She had warned her husband about getting too ahead of himself where his daughter was concerned, but she considered it a good sign that Georgie was starting to openly question things now.
Angelo smirked when he noticed the lone figure standing at the bus stop. Recognising her as the redhead who had been with that young Detective at the Club last night, Angelo saw an opportunity too good to pass up. He pulled over in front of her and wound down the window. "Can I offer you a lift somewhere?" Leaning on the open window, she peered warily in at him. "It's ok, I'm a police officer, if that's what you're worried about," he said.
"Not a very popular one if last night was anything to go by."
"That was all bullshit," he said. "It was an accident in which I wasn't even the driver, but because the new Sergeant wants my wife, she's been spreading lies to try to convince everyone else that I'm the one to blame." He shrugged his shoulders. "And because she's a local, they all take her side."
"Must be tough."
"It is." He smiled at her. He could tell her hesitation was wavering and if she was so easily fooled, it was going to be easy for the rest. Here's hoping that Graves talked a lot about work to big note herself to her girlfriend. "Come on, I'll give you a lift to wherever you need to go."
"Don't you have work?"
"Not till this evening." Still she hesitated a little. "It's at least another half hour before the next bus," he informed her and prayed that the bus he'd passed a couple of minutes ago didn't appear before she accepted his offer. "The buses aren't very reliable around here," he added for extra incentive.
"Damn," she muttered. She glanced around. There wasn't another car in sight. "Oh well," she said and jumped into his car.
Charlie sipped her coffee and started shuffling through the papers on her desk. She'd managed to arrive at work on time, despite her very distracting girlfriend's best efforts and she had spent most of her time since arriving, sitting in her office, waiting on word from Robertson. He and Graves had left for the city moments before she had arrived for work. According to Hogan who had been on duty at the time, Robertson had received a phone call, then a fax and then after leaving a message with Hogan to tell her that they'd fill her in when they returned from the city, they'd both rushed out. They were obviously chasing up something important in the investigation and Charlie was starting to get impatient for news, since they'd now been gone for hours.
She had just reshuffled her papers once more when Robertson and Graves walked into her office.
"We have both good news and bad news on the investigation front," Robertson informed her.