Meet the Parents

Alex, Jo and Katie were sat in their old bedroom. It was still decorated in feminine colours, the floor was carpeted white with a purple rug at the bottom of the bed. The ottoman had cushions cover the lid, the cushions were a multitude of colours; blues, pinks, reds. It was the full rainbow of colours. The walls were still covered in the wallpaper they'd chosen when Alex was around 7 years old; her older sisters being allowed the option of choosing the paper. Alex could remember how upset she had been at that age when she wanted to really get on with her sisters but they were choosing colours she didn't like. Pink.

Alex was never a fan of pink. Hated it and she came to hate the room. When she was a teenager she'd specifically chosen black and grey clothes to become the shadow in the room. It was all apart of her rebellion; she often felt that the colour pink had started the whole thing off.

The three women, now much older, sat huddled on the bed nearest to the window. Katie was cuddling a cushion, whilst Jo handed Alex a cup of chocolate and kept one for herself. "So, come on then. Tell us all about Mike." Jo said, trying to encourage Alex to begin the conversation on their most recent acquaintance, Mike Logan.

Alex tried to hde it but she smiled slightly. But she refused to answer or talk about it to them. "And don't tell me he's just a friend, because I've seen the way you two are looking at each other." Katie continued, with a grin on her face. "That's not how friends look at each other."

"Yeah, and look at you now!" Jo said, pointing at Alex's face. She was blushing slightly from the embarrassment at what her sisters had picked up. She'd really hoped that they wouldn't pick up on it.

"Okay, Okay, Okay." Katie said, holding up her hands, waving them around to usher Jo into silence for a moment. "Let's ask you a more direct question; how long have you known Mike?"

Jo looked at Katie and then at Alex, waiting for an answer. "I met him just over a year ago when he came to help with..."

"No, no." Katie interrupted. "Not that kind. How long have you known him?" Katie grinned when she noticed that Alex realised what she was asking. She was asking it in a way that didn't spell it out.

Alex sighed and finally conceded defeat, "About a month and a half."

Jo got all excited at that admission and was grinning wildly. Alex had expected as much, her sister Jo was the one in the family who got over-excited over the least little thing but especially when they were having conversations about men. "Alright, that's it! I want details and don't hold back!"

"There's... really, there's no details!" Alex replied, cringing a little over the topic of conversation.

"Not even a tidbit?" asked Katie, knowing full well that Alex was lying to them.

"What have you two been doing? Poking each other with sticks? Nearly two months and no details? We don't believe you!" Jo said, putting her chocolate down on the tray for fearing of spilling it onto the bed. Alex couldn't help but laugh at Jo's undeniable thirst for details and her direct way of asking for it.

Alex sighed, "Seriously." Both Katie and Jo looked at her and shook their heads slightly. "Alright, you want the details? Here you go; we've dated, we've kissed, we've held hands, we've danced!" Katie and Jo smiled and then Alex added, "We've slept together!" Their eyes opened wide at the way Alex said it with a smirk and then she laughed at them. "As in literal sleep." Jo slapped her on the arm. "Ow. We've just fallen to sleep several times on the sofa. That's it, there's your details." Alex rubbed her arm where her sister had slapped her.

"So, am I right in taking it that the two of you haven't... haven't?" Jo asked, implying the obvious, and Alex shook her head to tell her that she was right.

Katie smiled, "Aww, he sounds like a really romantic guy."

Alex looked down at her cup, using her index finger to circle the rim. "Yeah, he is." Both Jo and Katie didn't miss the sentimental, soft tone of voice that she used. They both looked at each other with a knowing smile.

"Oh, you're in love!" Katie announced with a huge smile.

Alex rolled her eyes, "No, I'm not!" she said, in denial.

"Yeah, you are." Jo said, also smiling.

"But don't worry we won't tease you now we know it's that serious." Katie told her, rubbing Alex's arm, with a kind smile on her face.

"Guys, I'm not in love!" Alex tried again, but it was no use because there was no way that they were going to believe her.

Katie and Jo looked at each and grinned, "Oh, denial!" they said in unison before laughing at each other and then turning to Alex. Katie was about to say something else but the bedroom door opened to reveal their father, John Eames, standing there, looking a little serious.

"Dad?" Jo asked. He smiled at them as a way of greeting.

"Could you two girls go downstairs and help John with those girls? They're killing each other down there." He asked Jo and Katie, "I need to speak to Alex." They nodded in response and turned to Alex.

"We've not finished this conversation." Jo told her, still determined to get some answers. She kissed her on the head. Katie did the same and then they left the room, closing the door behind them. Alex put her cup down on the tray next to Jo's and watched her father as he walked around the three beds and came over to the one she was sitting on. He sat on the foot of the bed whilst she sat at the head.

John looked at her as she watched him and then he sighed. "Honey, I just want to know what's been going on recently. I've spent the past few weeks trying to chase you up and considering your job I began to get a little bit more than worried about your safety."

"Dad, you know what it's like..." Alex started but he held up his hand to get her to stop.

"Alex, I'm not telling you off. I do know you're not a little girl anymore but that's never gonna stop me from worrying about you. I just need you to explain to me why you didn't contact us when you know your mother's not well." He explained, and he noticed the way Alex dropped her head in shame and guilt.

"Dad, I swear to you that if I'd known that much time had really passed, I would've called or something to let you know where I was and that I was okay... but I got caught up with this case and then it was just hard..." Alex's sentence just fell off and she lost track of herself and what she was trying to say. She looked up and sighed as she tried to find the words she was looking for. "Two months ago we got a case about Judge Garrett."

"I heard about that on the news." John said, when he recognised the name.

"Yeah, well, it got personal and some things were said and done that shouldn't have been..." Alex looked at her father, showing her sincerity. "And then I got caught up in other things."

"Mike?" He asked and she nodded. "Now see, was that hard? Why couldn't you say that this morning?"

Alex looked at him with a small smile, "You knew all along, didn't you?"

"Yeah, you've never been a good liar. Not to me, anyway." He replied, with a laugh.

She laughed and then she paused before speaking again, "I didn't say it this morning because I didn't think that I wanted it to 'come out'."

"You don't like him?" He asked, knowing that the answer was already 'no' but he couldn't understand why she didn't want him to know. She always told him everything and it hurt a little that she didn't want him to know this time.

"No, I do. I do. But I guess I wanted it to be..." her voice trailed off when she realised that she wasn't sure what she wanted it to be.

"A secret?" He asked, a small grin forming on his face. She nodded and he smiled, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." she apologised sincerely and they just moved closer to each other, holding each other in a tight bear hug. "We've got to work on our communication!" They laughed out loud and let go of each other.

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Mike Logan was being led back into the basement by none other than Johnny Eames. Everyone had since been told to abandon the basement because 'Dad' wanted a private chat with the 'new guy'. When they reached the bottom step, John turned to face him and they both stood facing each other. "So I guess this is the part where you test me?" Mike asked, he'd already been informed by Steve and Eric that you couldn't revise for the test and that he'd only get one with their father if he thought one was needed. Mike found the whole idea of a test quite funny and unusual but he couldn't forget that John was cop and his instinct was to protect.

"I've already tested you." He replied, calm and straight, not blinking at all.

Mike looked shocked, standing still wondering if he'd heard right. "Y-you have? What?"

"I'm not going to ask you what your intentions are toward my daughter because I already know the answer." He continued, completely ignoring the younger man's questions. Mike couldn't believe his ears.

"How?" Mike almost stammered the word out and he knew he looked stupid but this one had blindsided him.

"You know when you go off to have private conversations, you should really check to see who's behind the kitchen door." John told him, and then laughed when he saw the realisation hit Mike as it dawned on him that her father had heard them talking this morning in her kitchen. "And despite what you've been told, I don't literally 'test' men that they bring here. I just ask a few questions, so that I can sleep better at night without worrying if they're okay." He wasn't just referring to Alex, he was talking about all three of his daughters. He actually used to speak to the women his sons brought home as well, but he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't more protective of his daughters than his sons.

"You know I'm going to tell Alex about you listening in this morning." Mike told him, and John nodded.

"I expect you to, good answer." They heard footsteps and they both looked at the stairs to see Alex walking down them. Her face full of concerned as she looked wearily at the two men.

"Dad? What's going on?" She asked, reaching the bottom step, she stopped. John walked over to her and stroked her arm.

"Nothing, sweetheart." He then rushed back up the stairs. Alex watched him leave and then turned to Mike, her face showing how puzzled she was.

"Mike?" She asked, walking over to him.

He looked at her and then back up the stairs. He pointed towards the empty space that her father had inhabited. "He eavesdrops!" he informed her, which only added to her confusion. "This morning, when we spoke in the kitchen - he was listening behind the door." Alex gasped in a flare of anger and then turned to chase her father but Mike held her back using one hand to hold her arm. "No, it's okay."

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Johnny Eames looked at the basement door to see five of his children, Katie, John, Steve, Jo and Eric near the door, their ears pressed firmly against it. "What the hell are you guys doing?" He asked, watching in amazement at how all five of them managed to get an ear to the door without making a noise.

"Sssh!" Eric put his finger to his mouth to tell him to be quiet.

"We're eavesdropping!" Jo told him with a grin, not taking her ear off the door. Johnny looked at them disapprovingly, shaking his head.

"Come on, join in." Steve said with a grin, waving his hand at him to join them. Deciding that since he'd already done it once, one more wouldn't hurt so he found a space on the door and pressed his ear against it.

"You people shouldn't do that, you know. She'll kill you when she finds out." Karl, Jo's husband said, whilst he was feeding their son, Nathan.

"Ssssh!" They all said in unison, not wanting to miss a thing.

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Alex and Mike were now sat on the old chairs, sitting across from each other; close enough that their knees were grazing each other. "So has your Dad always tested boyfriends, or is this something he cooked up in the last few years?" Mike asked. Alex raised an eyebrow at him, her face smiling at him. "What?"

"Boyfriend?" She asked, "Is that what you're calling yourself?" Her face smiling the whole time she was talking.

Mike looked down at his knees, as they touched hers, and then looked back up at her, a small but unsure smile on his face. "Am-" pause "Am I wrong?"

Alex shook her head, happy tears threatening to fall but she smiled through her watery eyes. "No." she said, almost a whisper. She smiled at him, a full bright smile. He put his large hand on her neck, near her ear and used his thumb to stroke her cheek. He leaned forward and grazed his lips onto hers. Alex put her hands into his hair and pulled him closer to her.

Just as they were getting into the kiss she pulled away. She had a suspicious look on her face and Mike wondered briefly if he'd done something wrong. "Wait a minute!" She looked up at the ceiling of the basement. She whispered to Mike, "Have you noticed how it's quiet up there?" He nodded, after he listened for a minutes. She was right, there wasn't a single sound. Alex quickly stood up and quietly took her shoes off.

"What are you doing?" Mike whispered. She put her finger to her lips to indicate silence and then she tiptoed up the stairs. Mike watched her with fascination as the stairs didn't make a single sound, she knew exactly where to stand on every step so that no creaking sound was made. She reached the top and stood near the door for a moment, ensuring she couldn't be heard she quickly and effortlessly pulled open the door and watched as 6 people fell to the floor.

They were all laughing, albeit nervously, as they knew they'd not only been discovered for eavesdropping but they'd been caught red-handed by the person they had been secretly listening to. Alex watched them as they all scrambled to their feet. Her face was completely straight, void of any emotion as she watched them all look at her, deciding whether to stay or run like hell. They chose the latter and after one beat they all bolted towards the nearest exit. The back door.

Alex looked at her father, the only one who'd stayed. He shrugged and then she looked at Mike who had already walked up the stairs behind her and she grinned at him before charging off into the direction that her siblings had ran off into.

Mike looked at John as he clapped his hands as a decision was made. "Come on, Mike, you want a beer?" Mike nodded. "You like bud?" John asked, as they walked towards the refridgerator.

"Yeah, I love bud. How do you know?" Mike asked, thinking for a moment that John was pyschic or an extremely good guesser.

"I can't reveal my secrets!" John said, with a laugh, passing him the bud after he'd opened it.

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Come on, let me know what you think. I had such a laugh writing this one. Who said humor doesn't exist in romace:P