Disclaimer: Moonlight and characters don't belong to me; I'm simply a fan having fun with the characters.
Beth had her chin propped in the palm of her hand with her elbow leaning against her desk as she played through the footage on her computer. "Steve, this is impressive!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. "You're like my second pair of eyes!"
Steve smiled smugly. "So you did miss me."
"Much as I would love to boost your already over-inflated ego, Steve, I can't say that I have."
"Man, if I knew you were going to shoot me down like that, I would've asked Maureen for a different assignment."
Beth laughed. "What I meant was, it's been such a slow week that your 'superior' camerawork would've just gone to waste."
"You mean you spent the week covering 'fluff'?" Steve grinned. "Now I wish I hadn't taken last week off!"
Beth's phone trilled. "And now I'm glad you did," she shot back as she scooped up her phone. She smiled when she saw the caller ID: Mick St. John. "Hold on; I've got to take this." She moved her chair back slightly. "Hey."
"Are you busy?"
"No. Just checking out some leads."
"I can imagine," he replied dryly. "I heard you stopped by Anna's this morning. She told me you were very curious about Shane."
"Was she upset?"
"Actually, she said it was a very refreshing conversation. Asked me to thank you again for your help on the case." His tone was bemused. "I don't know what you two talked about, but there was nothing left for me to ask!"
Beth had to laugh. "Feeling a little territorial?" she teased.
There was a pause and Beth suddenly imagined him with the crooked half-smile he wore when he was amused. "Not at all," came the reply. "It's probably for the best."
"You want me to stop by your office?"
"No, I'll stop by. I'm already out. You at Buzzwire?"
"Yeah."
"See you soon, then."
"See you soon," she echoed, lips curving upwards slightly.
As soon as she hung up, Steve pounced. "So who was that? I heard a lot of giggling…" He smiled slyly. "That boyfriend of yours perhaps? The DA?"
"Shut up," Beth laughed. "You know it wasn't."
"I don't know much about women, but I know that's how a woman laughs when she's in love," Steve continued, relentless, his voice almost singsong.
"Don't be ridiculous." But she was blushing furiously.