A/N:
Hope everyone liked the first chapter. From here on out I'll be putting sneak peeks at the end of every chapter so you know what's coming next.
italics represent flashbacks
Read/Review :)
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Julie sat in the parking lot of the police station for almost twenty minutes. She wasn't doing anything inparticular like looking for something in her purse or cleaning out the incredibly messy floorboard in her car, which she should have done weeks ago. No. She was hiding from Pete. Since the conversation at the Boardwalk a week and a half ago, they'd been acting like honeymooners. They'd spent their days together at the beach or taking long walks down the Santa Monica pier. After he took her home, he'd call her and they spent hours talking about nothing. And when they couldn't talk anymore, one of them would come over, they'd make love all night long, and get up the next afternoon and do the very same thing.
They'd been in their own little world together, but the inevidable happend. Work beckoned. Today was the first day back with a new captain and new cops working over them that could actually use weapons. More shit to deal with. More undercover work that would probably last months. She made it clear to him the night before that they couldn't tell anyone they were together. Romantic relationships in the work place, in this work place at least, was actionable for dismissal and could get one or both of them killed. They'd all been told that at orientation by Captain Greer. Greer. It would be weird without him as their boss. It didn't seem right. Nothing did at the moment.
Pete hadn't taken the news well. Apparently, he'd thought they would be the exception to the rule.
"Fuck 'em," he'd said, "I'd like to see them try to fire either of us. Who gives a shit if they find out, anyway? They're a bunch of old guys with bad backs and corns. We can get into a thousand places that they can't. They need us. If they didn't, we wouldn't be going back. We're not even real cops." But Julie explained that she couldn't take the chance of losing this job. There was nothing else for her now. This was it. She could tell by the way he looked down at her that it had hurt him. But he said he understood, and wouldn't say anything to anyone. Not even to Linc. "Yeah, right." she'd said, "We'll see how long that lasts. You're like two girls in a schoolyard. You guys tell eachother everything. I'll give you a week." He just laughed and said, "You underestimate me, you know that?" Julie shook her head and traced shapes on his bare chest with her index finger. "No. I just know you."
The truth was that Julie knew Linc wouldn't say anything. Even if he were to find out by accident or pick up on something between them. He would never say anything to anybody. Let alone to the superiors over them who he rarely showed an ounce of respect to. Most of the time he never said anything at all, unless he was relaying information. He was all business, all the time. That was just how Linc was. Always the consumate professional.
"No. I just know you." Julie did know Pete. He'd told her more about himself in the past week and a half than anyone had ever told her in her life. How he was born into a wealthy family and raised by the maids and nannies. His parents both had demanding jobs and social lives and rarely spent any time with him as a child. He had alot of friends and of girlfriends who meant nothing to him. Both were only interested in his bank account and who his parents were. As a teenager, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd and got into drugs. He was in an out of jail for years and got kicked out of his house and high school at sixteen. He stayed at a different house every night and eventually started breaking into condos on the beach with a crew. Until one night when someone from his crew started a fire in one of the condos and they were all charged with arson, which is how he ended up at the bureau.
Greer saved his life, he'd said. He would have been dead by now for sure. And Julie believed him and silently thanked Greer, wherever he was, for doing everything that he did for him. When he asked her about her past, she didn't relay much. She wasn't ready for that yet. She definately hadn't grown up with a white picket fence or into a family with money. She spent most of her childhood and teen years in a trailer park with a drunk, gambling addict for a father who left when she was nine and a selfish mother who nothing was ever good enough for. So, when he asked, all she said was, "That's another story for another day in bed." She nuzzled the crown of her head against his neck and he never said anything else about it. She liked that he didn't push her. It seemed like that's all anyone in Julie's life ever did.
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Julie took a deep breath and slung her purse over her shoulder. Before she even got inside the double doors she saw him. Pete was leaning against the wall with two coffees in his hands waiting for her. Fuck. It was like the conversation last night never even happend. She pulled the door open and gave him daggers. Right away Pete knew she was pissed and immidiately threw one of the coffees in a nearby trash can. Maybe he should have saved it for Linc whenever he showed. But he was thinking in the moment.
Julie huffed as she walked past him. "I can buy my own coffee. Don't buy me coffee, and don't wait for me like I'm your wife or something, got it?"
Pete had to jog just to catch up with her. "Don't buy you coffee. Don't wait for you, and we're not married. Recieved."
She stops at the front desk and signs in. After making sure no one is in earshot, "While you're making that list add don't be a smart ass this early in the morning too. That's a big one with me. By the way, I'm glad you think all of this is so fucking hilarious."
"I will try not to be a smart ass. But I'm an intellectual so I'm not promising anything. The jokes come naturally. I was actually like this close to being a stand up comedian."
She feels a smile spread across her face. Julie knew she shouldn't encourage him, but he couldn't help it. "Stop making me smile. It's so irritating."
He scoots closer to her so he's only inches away from her body. She could feel the warmth from his side. This was going to be harder than she thought. "You know what else is irritating," He moves closer to her ear and whispers, "Not being able to touch my own girlfriend in public. I feel like I'm a fucking Irish Monk. That's what's irritating. Have I told you how good you look?"
Julie puts her hand on her forehead, taking a deep breath. "Okay. That's it. Come on." She grabs his hand and pulls him into a nearby supply closet.
After pulling the door closed and locking it, she shoves him hard against the shelves. Pete chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. "Since when do you like it rough?" She quickly knees him in the groin and he leans over in pain. He whispers loudly, "Jesus, Jules! What the hell? Goddamn it that hurt."
She crosses her arms over her chest and moves to the opposite side of the closet. "First of all, I am not your girlfriend when we're at work. Get that through your head. Second, are you trying to get us both canned? Is that what you're doing, because if you are then it's working. What the hell is wrong with you? We talked about this last night. You said you understood, Pete."
Pete holds a hand up, still keeled over. "Sorry, I'm trying to regain my standing position over here. Let's recap so that I know I heard all of that. You're not my girlfriend when we're at work, and I shouldn't try and get us both canned. Am I right?"
She stands in front of him, her hard expression not even softening. "When you repeat the things I say over and over it irritates me even more. And Pete if I wanted to hurt you, I would have. And I know I didn't. So man-up and stop milking it."
He smiles at his feet. It actually had hurt alot at first, but the pain went away quickly. Nothing got past her. "Let me ask you a question. Why'd you really pull me in here?" Julie doesn't answer him. The way he was staring at her was making Julie uncomfortable. "Baby.."
Julie groans, "Did you just call me baby?" she asks, with a sigh.
Pete nods, smiling at her. "I think I did, yeah. Come on, answer the question. Why'd you pull me in here?"
Her eyes dart from him to the shelf of cleaning supplies across from her. She thought she'd pushed him into the closet to set him straight. Now she wasn't so sure. Damn him. Pete smiles, knowing that she was finally loosening up. He cupped her cheek with his hand. "What are you doing?" Julie breathes.
Pete moves closer to her face, caressing her side. He quickly spins her whole body around so her back is to the shelf and he's in control. She tried to protest, but his hands were pinning her wrists to the cold metal and his entire body frame was pressed against hers. The sexual tension was paralyzing. There was so much of it between them that it was hard to breathe. Normally, she would have already drop kicked the person who was holding her down like this. A part of Julie was scared to death. Not of him, but the way he made her feel. She liked it. She leaned her head back and he kisses her neck. "Pete, we can't do this in here. It's not appropriate."
"If you can get past me be my guest. Otherwise, I'm assuming the position." he says, in between kisses.
She feels heat rising to her face. Letting out a small moan, "Is that a challenge? Because I could drop kick you in the balls again, and get out of here just as fast as you drop."
Pete shakes his head, releasing her wrists from his gentle grip. He runs his hands through her hair and kisses her on the mouth. "I don't think you'd do that unless you felt threatened. And I am completely non-threatening. As you should know by now."
Julie couldn't help but giggle at this notion. Pete was probably the most non-threatening human being she'd ever met in her life. Even when he held a gun he didn't look threatening, which is why he usually got his ass kicked unless Linc was with him on the job. "Fuck off, Cochran. We have to go meet our new boss. He's probably an asshole like you so you two should get along fine."
He kisses her forehead lovingly, putting his arms on both sides of her. "Cops are supposed to be assholes. That's why no one likes them."
Julie takes his sunglasses that are folded in his pocket. She holds them up. "Are you actually gonna wear these in there?"
He nods, taking them back from her. "Yep."
"You do know that those things anger most people and you look like Smokey and the Bandit in them, right?"
He looks at her confused, placing them back in his pocket. "Smokey and who?"
She pushes him off of her and walks to the door. "Nothing. Wait and then come out after me, okay?"
Pete does a small salute. "Hey," he says before she leaves. She turns back around, "Yeah?"
"I'm not adding calling you baby to the list. I like it too much."
Julie smiles shyly, walking out the door. "Shutup."
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Captain Rodriguez threw down the files he was supplied with on the three 20-somethings sitting in front of him. Assault. Arson. Armned Robbery. It was unbelievable that these kids had lasted as long as they have. But, they did break the last case open and the department was obviously greatful for that since they're back on staff and IA was backing it. Before he spoke, he eyed the one on the end with his feet up on the empty chair in front of him. "Get your feet off my chair, Hayes. I just bought that."
Linc stares the man down for a couple of seconds, but reluctantly does what he's told, placing his hands behind his head. "It's nice. A little on the cheap side, but nice. I guess the department doesn't pay you shit though. I hear that."
Pete nods in agreement, adjusting his sunglasses over his eyes. "Green would have gone better with the walls, probably."
Julie just shakes her head. They had been acting like this the whole time they'd been in Captain Rodriguez's office. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He wasn't Greer, but he seemed fair and even-tempered, and she assumed he wanted to help them effectively do their jobs. She smiles slightly at him, who looked like he wanted to snatch those sunglasses right off of Pete's head. He pushed a file across the desk to her. "This is your first assignment, kids. You start tonight. Be at the club at ten sharp. The directions are in there, too. Shouldn't be too hard to find, but just a heads up it's in a bad area. Barnes, you'll go separately. You need to be there at nine for your shift. Since it's your first night make it eight-thirty as a show of good faith. Make nice with the manager and the other waitreses.. the bartender.. the bouncer's. You know the drill. The job's all set up."
Julie takes three of the files, passing one each to Linc and Pete. She looks up from her file. "Cocktail waitress?"
The Captain nods, "It was either that, a bartender, or one of the call girls they've got working in the back rooms that they're prostituting illegally, which is what we're trying to blow the lid off of. They have enough bartenders and I figured you wouldn't be comfortable with the latter. Am I right?"
She nods quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just-- I've worked as a cocktail waitress on the job and off before, and I hate the uniforms. But I'll deal. Not a problem." The last thing Julie wanted was to dive back into posing as a prostitute/waitress again. She wasn't ready for that. Not after what had happend with Billy.
"Good, good." says the Captain as the phone on his desk rings. "Rodriguez?" He waves his hand for them to leave.
Pete glanced at Julie past Linc before they stood up. She walks out of the room and Linc notices. "What? Do I have something on my jacket?"
Pete shakes his head, watching Julie leave. "No, man. No. The jacket's good. It looks good." he rambles.
Julie walks past them carrying two small boxes on top of eachother. "Here, I'll take those." Pete says, trying to take them from her.
She snatches them away and keeps walking. "No it's okay. Worry about moving your own stuff."
Linc watches Pete strangely as he stares at Julie walking away, and arranging things on her desk in the back of the station. "Did I miss something?"
"No. I did." says Pete, simply.
"That makes alot of sense, Pete." says Linc, snatching the sunglasses off of his face. "I'm taking these. They're starting to piss me off."
Pete looks at him wide-eyed, trying to get them back. "What the hell?"
Linc holds them over his head. "I'm keeping them. Hey, can you believe they're actually giving us desks?"
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Coming Up: Julie, Pete, and Linc start the undercover work at Insomnia. The gang aren't happy when Rodriguez sends cops to babysit them on their first assignment with him as Captain, and Pete finds out something about Julie's past.