For those recovering from the flu, I give you this.

I'll Bring Home The Turkey If You Bring Home The Bacon

"Let me see it."

"No." She crossed her arms across her chest. There was no way in hell he was going to change her mind.

"Please?" He gave her puppy dog eyes and a pout that made her stomach do funny things.

"It's stupid, you wouldn't like it." She knew she was just stalling for time at this point.

"Since when does that matter to you?" Now his arms were crossed too, the task of putting picture frames in the cardboard box betwixt them clearly forgotten.

"It's in a place inappropriate to show your coworker." She said lamely, trying to convince both herself and him.

"Bullshit." He held up the picture, taken what seemed like light years ago, that had given her away. "And like that mattered anyway…" He arched an eyebrow cooly. Clearly he wasn't just going to let it go.

She shot him a withering look. He grinned and held his hands up in surrender. Was Ryan Wolfe flirting with her?

"What if I don't want to show you?" She reached across and snatched the picture out of his hand.

"Then I'll just guess until a, you show me, b, you get so annoyed with me, you show me to shut me up or c, I guess right and then you show me." He grinned impishly. "I win eventually, Valera. Admit it."

She rolled her eyes. "Why don't you finish packing. I didn't invite you over because I wanted to be harassed." Maxine busied herself with carefully rearranging the frames already in the box. She invited him over because he 's cute and good at organizing, but mostly because he 's cute. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

Ryan picked up another frame and wrapped in a sheet of newspaper, carefully folding it. " Are you excited to move?"

"I suppose so. Yeah, I mean, I'm excited to finally own my own place, I just really hate packing." She moved toward the bookshelf and settled herself on the floor in front of it, not quite sure how to go about undertaking the daunting task of packing up her sizable library. Thank God. Maybe he's dropped his fascination with…

"Is it science related?" He interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" She was just going to play stupid. She grabbed a stack of books off the shelf and dropped them into the labeled box. Behind her, Ryan had finished packing the frames and was currently struggling to tape the box shut.

"Your tattoo, is it science related?" He said slowly, fumbling with the packing tape and the flaps of the box.

She picked up another stack of books and dropped them in the box before getting up and walking toward him, avoiding the question entirely.

"Do you need help with that?" She asked, almost laughing at the sight of him trying to rip the tape and hold the flaps shut all at once.

"Yeah, that'd be great…" he said breathlessly, still fumbling with the tape.

"It's tape, Wolfe, not rocket science. My four year old niece has better dexterity than you." Maxine placed a hand on the seam of the flaps while her blushing coworker ripped the tape.

"You're really mean, Valera. I'm surprised you have any friends." He deadpanned.

She bent down to pick up the sealed carton, her eyes level with his. "It has nothing to do with science." She picked up the carton and carried it to the front door where others just like it sat.

"Okay. Hmmm…" Ryan unfolded himself from his crouched position. "Is it someone's name?"

She reappeared, this time with two beer bottles in hand. "Wolfe, seriously? I'm not stupid. No." she scoffed, handing him one and setting hers atop the bookcase.

He settled on the couch, watching her pack her books, and sipped his beer thoughtfully. Maxine sighed to herself and shook her head.

"How are you liking the lab? Miss patrol at all?" She inquired, realizing she felt uncomfortable in the silence.

"Huh? Oh. It's nice, different from patrol. I like the work, but…" Ryan shrugged his shoulders, taking another pull from his beer. "…dynamics are a lot different than expected."

"Oh? How so?" Maxine swiveled her body to face him.

"In case you haven't noticed, Calleigh, Eric and everyone else aren't too keen on having me there."

She nodded. "Give them time, Ryan. Everyone's just going through a lot."

"I know. Doesn't mean it's not a pain in the ass. Yesterday when I suggested something to Calleigh, I thought she was going to shoot me right there in the lab.

Placing the rest of the books that would fit in the box, Maxine stood up and grabbed her beer, surveying what was left to do before settling herself on the couch next to him.

"I'm glad you're there, Wolfe." She winced, hoping she didn't sound too overzealous.

He chuckled dryly. "Thanks, but you may be the only one."

The two of them sat in silence, drinking their beers and staring off into space. Maxine was trying to reason how she could ask if he was seeing anyone without being too assertive. He's cute and reasonably sweet. A girlfriend wasn't out of the question, or a boyfriend for that matter, but she really hoped it was neither of the two. She could deal with him having a girlfriend, sure. Ladies came and went, but a predilection for the same sex wasn't something Maxine saw as being changeable in the slightest. Oh please let him not be gay. That would be just my luck.

"Is it a cartoon character?" He blurted out suddenly.

She whipped her head toward him. "Excuse me? Do you think it would honestly be a cartoon character?"

"Well, no."

"Then don't even ask."

"Sometimes you never know. One girl I dated had a tinkerbell and a tigger on her lower back."

"Oh boy." Maxine winced. "Was she 12?"

"Twenty-three." he remarked laconically. "She was nice."

"She had tattoos of children's characters above her ass crack, Wolfe. At that point, it doesn't matter how nice you are, you're branded for life." Maxine snorted.

"You're cruel."
"But I'm being honest." She retorted.

"I know and you're right." He nodded sympathetically.

"Well then don't give me that 'you're cruel' shit." At least now she knew he liked ladies. "What was her name? Wait! No! Let me guess, it ended in some variation of 'ee".

"Staci."

"Told you."

"I never doubted you."

"Good" She nodded.

"Is it a flower? I bet it's a flower."

Maxine sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes. He wasn't going to give up, was he? As annoyed as Maxine seemed, a tiny part of her was pleased the coworker she had a phenomenal crush on was even fractionally interested in her. And to be entirely honest, that bothered the very independent Maxine.

"It is! I'm totally right! It's a flower!" He sounded smug and pleased with himself, he grinned wildly at her. "I was right."

"No, you weren't." Maxine plunked her bottle down on the end table and stood in front of him.

"What?" Ryan frowned.

"You tell anyone and I'll have to kill you." Maxine carefully lifted the right side of her t-shirt and turned slightly. There on her side, just under her ribs, were three small peacock feather, barely bigger than two inches.

"Wow."

"There. Will you shut up now?"

He nodded. "How long have you had them."
"Since I was nineteen." She sat down next to him again, picking up her bottle. "They were kind of spur of the moment thing."

"Do you want more tattoos?" he inquired, tipping back his drink.

"Yes. No. I don't know." She shrugged. "Do you have any tattoos?"

"Me?" Ryan chortled when she gave him her 'well, duh.' look. "No. No, I do not. Being a Jew kind of gets in the way of that."

"Please." Maxine rolled her eyes. "I saw you practically inhale a bacon cheeseburger just a couple of days ago. Something tells me your Rabbi wouldn't be too happy to hear that.

He laughed. "Okay, so I'm not a very good Jew, but my parents would be happier to hear I was eating dairy wrapped meat than to hear I had a tattoo. My mother would have an aneurism." He shook his head and chuckled.

Maxine smiled, pleased with herself.

The room fell into a companionable silence before Ryan stood up. "We should probably finish packing."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Some hours later, after the last dish had been packed away and everything had been taped shut, a worn out Ryan yawned.

"I should probably get going. What time is the truck showing up tomorrow?"

"Nine, I think. I want everything to be moved by eleven." Maxine said as she walked him to the door, admiring the span of his back along the way.

Ryan nodded. "Do you want any help unpacking? 'Cause I can help, if you'd like." He sounded eager and that made her flush with a strange sort of pleasure.

"I would love your help, Ryan." She smiled at him. So unbelievably adorable.

He pinked slightly. "So I'll see you 'round eleven then? And if you don't get everything unpacked or whatever, we can maybe grab some dinner. Unpacking can be a bitch. It could take you days." He rambled.

"Yeah, we can grab something." Maxine had to force back a grin and remind herself she was a grown woman, not a love struck teenager. Did he just ask me on a date?

"Cool." Ryan nodded, heading out the door. "Night, Max. Call me if you have any problems."

Oh boy. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for all your help!"

He walked toward his car, before stopping and turning around. "Oh. Hey and Max? Not to sound creepy or anything, but your tattoo is beautiful."

"That's really sweet of you, Ryan." Maxine was thankful he couldn't see the silly grin stretch across her cheeks, which was only amplified when he grinned widely, winking.

Resistance from this point on was futile.

Hope you enjoyed it. I have two more semi planned and then an idea for a multichap. Be on the lookout.