I'm wicked sorry it took me so long to update. And even more sorry I couldn't take the story where I wanted it to go. The muse just didn't play along, then RL attacked and it all went to hell.

I'm hoping to do my vision more justice in a sequel, but for now, this is the last chapter to at least end it without leaving it open for months on end.

This story takes place in the middle of TBO, so if you haven't read it, it may not make much sense…Steph left Joe's house in Ranger's truck to discover the wonders of GPS…and Haywood Street.

I'm not following the TBO storyline anymore because they're off on their own now.

Thank you all for your reviews, I'm so grateful for them. Until I hear back from you, I have no idea if a chapter is a hit or a miss, so keep me informed.

A special thank you to Becky and Stayce for making this story possible.

Disclaimer: Still not mine, just having fun with JE's characters

I ran my hand through my hair as I turned around and walked back to my car. Steph had gotten out and was leaning on the roof looking over at me.

She was grinning. "Glad to see you're not perfect, Morelli," she said and winked.

Bad Medicine

6

I smiled back. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

When I reached her side of the car I draped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Let's eat."

"Yeah," she agreed. "All that adrenaline made me hungry."

I chuckled as I held the door for her. "You're always hungry, Cupcake."

I quickly scanned the parking lot for any suspicious cars and then I followed her inside.

We chose to eat in the restaurant rather than take our food to go and took a seat at a table in a corner. I sat with my back against the wall and Steph chuckled as we sat down.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said and giggled as she unwrapped her burger.

"I can see the whole room from here," I argued and she looked up, grinning from ear to ear.

"I know. So why did you ask if you already knew why I was laughing?"

I did my impression of her eye roll and she giggled some more before she dug into her food. It was hard for me to keep my eyes on the room. Watching Stephanie eat is almost indescribable. Sometimes she closes her eyes smiling, sometimes she moans, it's an incredibly sensuous affair.

I finally told myself to relax and finished my own food, hoping I'd be a little more professional the next time I saw something suspicious.

"You seem better now. I thought food only works for me," she said as we got up and took our trash to the big bin.

I just smiled in return. The truth was, I'd put on what Steph likes to call my cop face. Her safety was my priority. I couldn't afford to have her worried because I was showing nerves. This way was much better. She'd think I was calm and in charge. And I would be, I had to be, for her.

I held the restaurant door for her, inconspicuously scanning the parking lot for anyone who didn't seem to belong or even better, an SUV with 'Slayermobil' sprayed on it, that would have made my job easier.

"I think we're both gonna enjoy this protective custody thing," I told her and slung my arm around her shoulders as we walked back to my car.

Steph was frowning when I opened the car door for her. "When you say it like that, it sounds like you are gonna lock me up."

Damn. Me and my big mouth. "I'm not taking you into protective custody," I said, taking her elbow to nudge her into the car. "I'm going to be there and I'm protecting you. You're not gonna be locked up. It was a joke."

"Promise?" she asked when I took my seat next to her. Our eyes locked and held.

"Promise," I said and put my hand at the back of her neck, pulling her to me. I kissed her lightly on the lips. I would have loved to do more, but I felt too exposed. Even though I was 99 percent sure we hadn't been followed and no one was watching us, we still had to be careful.

"I promise," I said again as I turned to start the car. Steph sat back and relaxed.

We got back on the highway and drove in silence for a while. When we got to Asbury Park, Steph craned her neck to drink in the scenery. She loved the Shore as much as I did. I was planning on retiring here or somewhere nearby some day and I was hoping she'd be with me then.

"I haven't been here in years," she exclaimed and was practically bouncing in her seat.

We were driving down Ocean Avenue and although summer was officially over, there were still a lot off people around. That was good, it would make our cover more believable. Just another couple on a weekend getaway, not a man trying to protect his girlfriend's life.

I hadn't been here for years either, but I'd stayed in and around Asbury Park often enough to know the area. We were heading towards the Empress Hotel that would both fit our cover and let us enjoy ourselves.

"Ooh, can we go to the Stone Pony?" Steph asked excitedly.

This was working better than expected, already Steph seemed like a different person, as if the pressure had been lifted. "Sure," I told her. "We'll check it out after we get settled."

"You're not planning on keeping me in the room the whole time?"
I gave her my warmest smile. "No, not the whole time." I winked and she rolled her eyes, still smiling.

"The Empress?" she asked when we turned into the driveway. "I was always curious to see the inside!"

Okay, I thought, another bullet dodged. I hadn't expected her to wrinkle her nose at my choice, but it wasn't exactly the Ritz either. It was the hotel I knew best and I felt more comfortable in a place I was familiar with for now.

I held the door open for her after I'd parked. "Let's just pretend we're a happy couple on a weekend break," I suggested and she smilingly took my hand.

"I'm good at pretending," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, suddenly sensing a whole other meaning in her words.

Steph laughed, a real laugh, and she punched me in the side. "It means I'm the Queen of Denial and if I want to pretend we're here only because we deserve some alone time, that's what I'll believe."

The sparkle in her eye told me she knew exactly why I had asked and she was enjoying watching me squirm. But I was happy to do some squirming if it made her so happy.

"Just checking," I said, grabbed my duffle out of the back seat and took her hand.

"You brought luggage?" she asked, backing up just a little. "I didn't know you had planned this."

"I didn't," I admitted. "But I keep some clothes and stuff for both of us with me, in case we ever need it."

Now she was curious. "What do you mean, if we ever need it?"

I held the front door open for her, trying to decide whether I should tell her the truth or some heroic version of it. She turned and looked at me with raised eyebrows, expecting an answer.

"Okay, so I've had the idea of stealing you away from Trenton for a while, sue me," I said, shrugging.

She frowned and I regretted going with the truth until she asked, "How come you never did?"

I took her elbow and led her over to the front desk. "I'm doing it now."

"No, I mean when I'm not in danger and trying to hide from murderous gangs."

I sighed. "Cupcake, you're hard to surprise and to sync our schedules is almost impossible. I know, I've tried."

She thought about that and after I'd checked us in as Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer, the name on the fake ID I got for undercover operations, I turned back to her.

"Let's just forget why we're here and enjoy that we're here, okay?"

Steph looked at me and took my hand. "I thought you'd never ask," she laughed.

I've always admired her strength and this was no different. Sure, she'd call it denial, but it was also her way of successfully dealing with problems. I spared one thought on how different this could have gone, and I thanked my lucky stars I'd gotten her here, out of harm's way, with her approval, not with her kicking and screaming and hating me.

I took her elbow and led her through the lobby, past the spiral staircase and towards the elevators. There were only a few guests in the lobby and none of them were paying us much attention. Thank God I didn't have to keep an eye out for anyone that only looked like a tourist, the Slayers weren't known to engage in undercover operations. If they were here, I'd see them. Although if Junkman had been there, I was afraid I'd hear him and see him in action before I'd see him approach.

"The penthouse, huh?" Steph joked when I pressed the button for the fourth floor.

I winked at her. "Nothing but the best." Then I slung my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me.

She buried her face in my chest for a moment, then she looked up. "Thank you for this," she said softly. "I might have been in over my head."

I snorted and kissed her on the nose, but the elevator doors opened before I could reply. Good thing, too. 'Might have'? She was always in over her head, only this time she wouldn't have been able to get herself out again. But rubbing that in wouldn't help right now, things were going great and I had no intention of getting her to defend her actions.

By now I was sure we hadn't been followed, but I still glanced up and down the hall before I took another step forward. I hadn't made reservations, but my badge and a twenty had convinced the desk clerk that one of the junior suites was available. That and the fact that high season was over, I guess.

There were fewer rooms on this floor than the other floors, and that suited me just fine. I hoisted up the duffle bag on one shoulder, took Steph's hand with my free hand and smiled.

"Consider this a trial honeymoon," I told her. "I have some ideas how I can take your mind off the Slayer mess altogether."

"I'll bet," Steph said dryly, but when I looked up, she was smiling.

My guess was she was as ready to forget this whole mess as I was, so I wasted no time keying the room door open and getting us inside. I dropped the duffle and pulled Steph closer.

"It's huge," she exclaimed, taking a look around.

I grinned. "I get that a lot."

She laughed out loud and let me lead her over to the king sized bed. "Are you sure you didn't make up this entire story to get me into a hotel room, Joseph Morelli?" she asked with mock suspicion.

God, she was beautiful. And for the ten thousanth's time I wished we were here for no other reason but to enjoy ourselves.

I lowered my head to her neck and started laving her sensitive skin. Steph sucked in some air and leaned back further.

"Hold that thought," I whispered against her skin and pulled back.

There was no reason to think we were followed, but I'd forgotten to lock the door, and I couldn't afford to get careless now. I jogged over to the front door, threw the deadbolt, and was back at Steph's side in less than thirty seconds.

"Now, where were we…" I said as I lay down next to her and let my hand slide up her thigh.

"We weren't followed, right?" Steph asked, suddenly serious again.

"Nope," I confirmed. Of that I was 100 percent sure.

"How long do you think we should stay here then?"
Another good question. Alone with Steph, none of our relatives aware of were we were…suddenly the reason we were here became very secondary.

I smiled. "Until I'm totally sure you're in no danger whatsoever anymore in Trenton."

Steph gasped as I ran my hand under her shirt and splayed it on her stomach. She leaned back and moaned when I started caressing her breast through the thin fabric of her bra.

"I'm never in no danger whatsoever," she pointed out breathlessly.

"I know," I admitted and pulled her t-shirt over her head to give me easier access.

I couldn't remember any assignment that ever combined the necessary with the pleasurable so well. We had a big comfy bed in a huge hotel room in a hotel with room service. No one had followed us and if we stayed low, no one would see us. All we had to do was wait it out, I'd keep in touch by phone, and as soon as Junkman was behind bars, I could return Steph to Trenton unharmed. And in the meantime, we could have one long weekend with all the thinkgs we never had the time for.

I stilled for a moment, listening for any unusual noises, just to make sure, since I expected to sign off for a while. I couldn't hear a sound from the hall.

"Something wrong?" Steph asked immediately.

"God I hope not," I replied on a smile and lowered my head again.

She reached out and ran a hand over my fly and it was my tunr to suck in some air. "No, everything seems just perfect."

She grinned at me and I kissed her, leaving no doubt that everything was indeed a-okay.

Somehow, a switch had been flicked and none of the shit back in Trenton mattered. I expertly opened her bra clasp and removed the obstructing material. Steph arched into my hand as I cupped her breast. And suddenly, my jeans felt way too tight.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked when we came up for air.

"This is a great idea," I assured her. "The door's locked tight, it's just you and me in here and I'm planning on protecting you with my body."

Steph giggled. Actually giggled. And then she moved under me and somehow managed to get my top snap open and that was the last straw.

I jumped up and shucked my jeans with record speed, then I pulled my t-shirt over my head before I went to work on Steph's pants.

Yup, it had been my best idea ever, a protective vacation. What better way to protect Steph than to shield her with my body?, was the last thought that made any kind of sense.

The End