Chapter 3

3 Weeks Later

Since the night in at her place Sarah and Deb had stayed really close, almost like a couple but nothing had been made exclusive...yet. In their breaks of their busy schedules they'd hook up and have great sex. Occasionally, they'd go out late after all of this sex for some food or whatever but Deb didn't think they really qualified as dates. It was just hitting lunch time as Deb's phone rang.

"Lieutenant Morgan, what?" Deb was frowning at her computer screen at a particularly gross murder scene they were dealing with.

"Good afternoon, hard at work I'm presuming?" Deb's frown broke with a smile across her face.

"Hi there, and yes of course I am. What are you up to for lunch today?" It was Sarah, Deb's...well, Deb didn't really know what to call her just yet.

"I was going to see if you'd like to go and get something?" Deb's office opened as she nodded and agreed.

"Yeah that sounds great, I'll come by your office now. See you soon." She hung up fast and watched as Dexter stood in the doorway, Harrison by his side.

"Who was that?" He asked as a frown grew on his face.

"None of your business, that's who." Deb struggled not to curse, vaguely aware of Harrison. Automatically she went to Dexter's side to pick Harrison up to cuddle him. Dexter fixed Deb with a look, and she scowled back. They had a sort of silent conversation where Dexter demanded to know who she was speaking to and Deb told him where to go...which wasn't anything she'd say aloud in front of her nephew.

"I thought I'd let you know that I need to take the rest of the day off, Jamie called in sick." Deb quickly bit back the yelling and the swearing Dexter would've usually gotten and just smiled as sweetly as she could.

"Fine but you need to start working the hours you're paid to. I'll come over a bit later if I can and see my little nephew, right buddy?" She earned herself a nod off Harrison and he didn't move away when she went to kiss his cheek. She set him down and he took his father's hand happily.

"Okay see you later." Dexter left with Harrison, shooting her one last look. As he got in the elevator Deb got her stuff together and huffed out a deep breath of air, figuring out how to diffuse this situation later. She gave her brother one thing; she'd have more luck deceiving a lie detector.

"Batista I'm off to lunch, see you later." Deb called as she walked past his desk. Engrossed in the same disgusting crime scene as she had been minutes earlier, he waved an idle hand in her wake. Standing in the elevator she pushed the ground floor button and just as the doors closed a hand shot in between them and pried them open. Soon enough she saw the hand belonged to Quinn, the last guy she wanted to see. Over the past few weeks he had been blackmailing her repeatedly for all sorts of stuff and the other team members were starting to ask about it. She had to put a stop to this.

"Hey boss, just to let you know I'm gonna head home now." Deb set her jaw.

"You're feeling sick?" Of course he wasn't, they both knew he was perfectly fine; she was just hoping he'd be half decent about blackmailing her.

"Nope just want to go for a beer." Deb turned her full body to face him.

"What's your problem ass hole?" He laughed and turned himself.

"Nothing, I just fancy a beer. I mean, you wouldn't want me to accidentally slip up and tell your brother you're a rug muncher would you?" She snapped and grabbed his collar, pinning him against the elevator wall as the doors opened with a ding.

"Listen to me, and you listen good, I've had enough of your bull shit! You don't know anything, and Dexter isn't going to believe a word you say anyway. So I'd keep your mouth shut and be back in that office by an hour or so help me I will fire your ass!" By the last sentence she was screaming at him and there was a small group of people watching them intently. Half of them were wondering if she was going to punch him and half were betting she could take him.

"You got it?" Deb prompted when he didn't answer.

"Yes." He mumbled as she let him go and took a step back.

"Yes what?" She demanded.

"Yes boss." He added and she nodded, turned on her heel and stalked out of the elevator. The crowd parted, eyes fixed on Quinn as he fixed his shirt. Usually he would have followed her with his eyes, all the way to the main door, but he counted himself lucky that he'd gotten away with his head still intact. He wasn't going to risk it. Slowly he walked out of the elevator, the small group disbanding as they realised the drama was over. Deb was just getting in her car as he exited the building and he pretended to be texting so that she didn't make eye contact with him. Deb looked at her watch and realised that she was going to be late to see Sarah, shit. As she swerved out of the parking lot however, she had a small grin of satisfaction on her face that Quinn had been put back in his place. Sarah was waiting outside of her office as Deb screeched to a halt in her BMW.

"Sorry I'm late." She apologised as Sarah got into the car.

"It's okay, I survived. Is everything okay with you?" Deb was still red in the face and rattled from three almost fatal crashes she'd almost caused in her rush to get there. She was far from fine.

"Yeah I'm fine, what are you in the mood for?" Deb pulled out onto the road and drove in the general direction of the harbour. It was nice and close to both their offices and had plenty of choice.

"You're anything but fine. You want to talk about it? And I don't mind, you pick where we go." Deb nodded and mentally decided on a burger bar she was fond of.

"You can't fuck me and shrink me, we talked about this." Deb told her curtly.

"I know I recall, but you seem angry at someone. I can still be here for you as a...friend?" Deb raised her eyebrows at Sarah.

"With benefits." Sarah added and that got Deb to laugh.

"See? I knew I could make you smile." Deb took the steering wheel with one hand and held Sarah's with her other.

"You do make me smile. It's just Quinn being an asshole."

"Is he still holding this over your head?" Deb nodded.

"But not for much longer, I nearly killed the little shit about five minutes ago. I think he got the message." Sarah nodded and went to ask Deb about it some more, but changed her mind.

"So where are we going for food?" She asked as Deb pulled into the parking lot on the harbour.

"A burger place down here, it's pretty good. And they even do salads." Deb mocked Sarah's healthy eating lifestyle.

"Hey I can eat hamburgers too; they're just a bit of a treat." They laughed as they went to the till and ordered their food. As promised, Sarah ordered her hamburger but with salad instead of fries. It was a compromise. They sat by the water and just enjoyed each other's company.

"You want to do dinner tonight?" Sarah asked as Deb ate her burger heartily.

"Um...I don't think so I've got to go and see my brother. But I could always come over later?" Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"A booty call? Sounds good but I want a real date out of you sometime soon. How about tomorrow?"

"I can't we have this party benefit thing at work for some old retiring detective." Sarah froze in mid bite into her hamburger.

"A party?" Deb nodded.

"Well I'm still free if you some company." Sarah thought her hint for the invite was quite obvious. After all they were together...sort of. She believed that the allocated 'plus one' spot was hers.

"I don't know how late I'll be. The night after?" Deb ate a handful of fries; completely oblivious. Sarah dropped her burger.

"You're kidding? I thought you'd at least invite me to the party."

"You want to go?" Deb asked in shock, he voice muffled by the fries.

"No, I don't want to spend a night with a bunch of old cops commemorating some guy I don't even know. But I would like a nice night out with my girlfriend, if that's okay?" She was still staring at Sarah in shock as she forced the fries down her throat.

"Your girlfriend?" Sarah rolled her eyes and got her stuff together.

"Yes Deb, the woman you sleep with and occasionally treat to a meal and even less occasionally be caught in the light of day with is your girlfriend. Why don't you give me a call when you grow up okay?" Deb couldn't speak as Sarah stalked away, her outburst attracting almost everyone's attention. It took her a few seconds before she realized what was happening and jumped out of her seat to chase after Sarah.

"Sarah, wait! Look I'm sorry-" Just as Deb was catching up to her Sarah spun on her heel which made Deb backtrack fast.

"Deb I like you and I enjoy being with you and I really enjoy having sex with you but I can't do this again. I spent half my life hiding who I was and sneaking around. I'm a grown woman and if I want people to know I'm gay then they will!" A woman had stopped to stare at Deb and Sarah in confusion.

"What are you looking at?!" Sarah snapped which made the woman hastily leave.

"Listen-" Deb tried.

"No, you listen. I want to be with you and I will happily see you at late nights and early mornings because of your work shift or your family but not because you're ashamed of me. You either be out with me or not with me at all. Choose." Sarah turned and left, she could feel the tears starting to burn in her eyes and the lump in her throat. The last thing she wanted Deb to see was her crying over her. Thinking about her words she felt she'd been harsh on Deb, but she wasn't some fifteen year-old whose parents might kick her out. She was a grown woman who should be proud of what they had like she was.

"Trust me to fall in love with a fucking closet case." Sarah mumbled to herself as she flagged down a cab to take her back to work. Deb watched Sarah get into the cab and drive off feeling lost.

"Jesus to fuck-" She started but there was a young woman with a child behind her. The woman frowned at Deb who smiled politely and walked back towards her table. Some seagulls were helping themselves to her and Sarah's lunch and Deb just grabbed her stuff and made her way back to her car. Funnily enough she didn't even feel that hungry anymore. Sitting in her car she thought about what Sarah had said. She was really happy when she got to spend time with Sarah and the sex was really good. Would it be so bad if they became an item? Surely her colleagues and her brother would understand? If she was happy then no one should really have anything to say about it. It wasn't long before she got back into the office and saw Quinn was sitting behind his desk as instructed, behaving himself.

Good, at least some things are going right today. She thought to herself. As she sat behind her desk she flicked through files and case reports but she couldn't concentrate on anything...apart from Sarah and the thought that she'd ruined it all by being too afraid. Snapping the report in front of her shut Deb picked up the phone and called Dexter.

"Hello?" He said politely.

"Hey Dex, I'm gonna have to cancel tonight sorry, something's come up. I'll come see Harrison soon though."

"That's alright, why what's come up?" She couldn't bear to lie to him again.

"Y'know my friend, Sarah?"

"Yeah, your girlfriend?" Deb froze.

"How...did you?" Dexter laughed.

"Oh come on, I'm your big brother. Walking around with that 'I just got laid' smile and disappearing to 'none of your business' a lot. I know, Deb. And I'm fine with it. I'd like to meet her though." Deb was dumbfounded, but God did she love her brother and awful lot. Smiling weakly she nodded, then realised he couldn't actually see her.

"Thank you Dex, you don't know what that means to me."

"Yeah, I do. Now go, have fun I'll see you soon." With that she hung up and felt extremely happy about everything almost instantly. Turning back to her reports Deb finally got some work done before she had to head home.