Brenda woke up the next morning, her head pounding. She groaned, the dim light seemed to hurt her eyes, making her headache worse. She wondered where she was, finally focusing on the fact that she lay on her couch. She had no idea how she got there. She seemed to remember leaving the party with Flynn, but the rest was hazy. She promised herself she'd never drink that much Merlot again. It had never hit her that hard before.
Slowly, she sat up, seeing a bottle of water and two asprin sitting there, alongside a note. She tried to focus, but her brain wasn't cooperating with anything at this moment. She grabbed the water, downed the asprin and then sat back. How did I get in here?, she wondered. Finally, the throbbing in her head died down enough so that she could read the note that someone had left behind.
"Chief, you're going to need the asprin in the morning. It's been a long time since I had a hangover, but I found it best to keep it simple as to remedies. Sorry I left you on the couch, I had a hard time getting you in the door and that's where you ended up. If you remember anything from last night, or want to talk let me know, I'll come back over. Don't worry, I think I got you out of the party before there was any lasting damage to your rep. Flynn."
Brenda's mind geared up, wondering what damage to her rep she might have inflicted at the party. What did I do last night? God, now she was going to have to phone Flynn to come back over and tell her exactly what happened. She recalled dancing with him, walking in the gardens with him. Oh, and having a fight with Fritz at the party. After that, things became hazy. She finally felt well enough to stand up, and she headed for the bathroom. She shed her costume, turned on the shower and stepped under the hot needles of spray. She definitely needed this. Finished, she pulled on her robe, and picked up the phone to call Flynn.
"Hi, Lt. Flynn. It's Chief Johnson." Brenda said nervously.
"Hi, Chief. How are you feeling?" Andy asked.
"Um, I'm not in the best shape right now, but not as bad as when I woke up. Listen, I read your note, and I would appreciate if you could tell me what happened last night."
"Sure, Chief. Why don't I come over. I'll bring you some coffee if you want."
Brenda was unsure why he felt the need to come back over, but agreed to it. Lucky for her, it was the weekend, so it wouldn't affect her work, but she still felt crummy nonetheless. Knowing that he was coming over, she got dressed, in yoga pants and a henley top, very casual and comfortable. She flopped back on the couch, dozing off until she heard the doorbell ring. She got up to answer it, opening the door for Flynn who stood there with two coffees and a box of donuts.
"Hey, Chief, wasn't sure what you might like, there's a selection here." He handed her the box, coming in and putting the coffees down on the table. He shrugged off his jacket and took a seat on the couch. Brenda sat down beside him, opening the box up. She chose one and passed the box to him. He grabbed one out and settled in.
"Okay, Lt., spill. What did I do last night? How badly did I embarrass myself?" Brenda just wanted to know.
"Well, you were a little unsteady on your feet and almost fell a few times. Your husband showed up with another woman and that caused a lot of talk. You had to deal with a lot of wandering hands last night. And I had to carry you into the house here, you couldn't walk. Do you remember anything that happened once we got in here?" he questioned her, wanting to know if she remembered kissing him, but judging from the way she acted around him, she didn't.
"Did I slap any of the handy ones?" a perturbed Brenda asked.
"A couple. They kept their distance after that." Flynn smiled, amused. "I got you out of their shortly after, you were having a bit of trouble keeping your balance. Didn't want your rep to get ruined."
"I highly doubt I have much a good reputation anyway, Lt. I'm not exactly the most popular person in the LAPD. I bet it highly amused them to see me acting whatever way I was acting." Brenda was pissy.
"Well, that's why I got you out of there. It was for the best. Listen, Chief, do you remember anything after we left the hotel? Anything at all?" Flynn wanted to know if she had any inkling that she'd kissed him.
"Sorry, Lt., I don't even know how I got in the house. Thanks for covering me with a blanket, though. That was very sweet of you." She thought about last night, trying hard to remember anything. She smelled a hint of Flynn's aftershave and her mind drifted to when she'd been dancing with him. And something else came to her mind also. The realization suddenly struck her. She'd kissed Flynn. She looked at him in shock.
"I kissed you! My God, I'm so sorry, Lt.! I had no business doing that. None whatsoever!" Brenda jumped up from the couch, worried about what she'd done. She turned beet red and headed to her bathroom, where she locked herself in.
Flynn followed her, sorry that he'd upset her by making her remember. He talked to the bathroom door.
"Chief, listen, it's okay, it really is. I just wanted you to know, I liked it. I really did. There is no reason to be embarrassed, really. We're both adults here."
"Lt., you work for me. I kissed you totally out of the blue, taking advantage of your kindness. I have no excuse, except for the Merlot." Brenda fretted behind the door, sitting on the floor with her head in her hands.
"Chief, Brenda, believe me, you didn't take advantage of me. And I really want to know if you'd like it to happen again." he said, hoping to get a response he'd like. All last night, after he'd left here, he'd thought of the kiss, of her, of a possible relationship with her.
"Oh, Lt., I have no idea. I'm still dealing with whatever it is with Fritz. I had no idea he'd moved on like that. I don't know if I'm ready to even think about that." Brenda said.
Flynn slid down the door and sat, they were actually back to back through the door. He felt defeated when she said that.
When silence was the answer, Brenda worried she'd hurt his feelings. "Look, Lt., give me some time, okay? In a couple of months, I'll have my head screwed on straight, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be ready. Right now, I don't know. Anything we do, I'm afraid it would just be a reaction to seeing Fritz with another woman. And I don't want to hurt you. I like you."
"That's what you said last night, before you kissed me. That you like me. I just wanted to know if it's true."
Brenda took a deep breath. She'd had feelings for Flynn for a bit, nothing serious, just that he seemed to get her in a way that Fritz hadn't, even Pope hadn't. But she'd always just thought it was friendship. The Merlot had taken away her inhibitions on Halloween, and her mind hadn't been able to rationalize it away.
"It's true. I just don't want to ruin anything between us. Just give me some time, okay?" Brenda pleaded.
"I'll give you some time, Chief. I just wanted to know if I have a place in your life, outside the office." Flynn hated sounding pathetic, but he knew that if she didn't have to do something, Brenda wouldn't.
Brenda stood up and opened the door, and he almost fell in backwards. She smiled and helped him up off the floor. "You have a place in my life, Lt. I think you always will, somehow. Let's just take this one day at a time, shall we?"
Flynn looked at her, returning her smile. "Just one thing, Chief. I just really have to do this."
He took her face in his hands and kissed her, sweetly and gently. Brenda couldn't help but return the kiss. Wrapping her fingers through his hair, they stood there like that for several minutes before they broke apart.
Embarrassed, they looked at anything but each other before they spoke. "Give me some time to figure things out, and I think we could maybe go forward with this. If you'll give me some time." Brenda spoke.
"As long as you give me a chance, that's all I ask." Flynn agreed to her terms.
"I'll give you a chance, Lt. And this time, it's not the Merlot talking." Brenda smiled at him, feeling a happiness starting within her. And just to prove to him that it wasn't the Merlot, she kissed him again.