Christmas Eve, Adila Sharvani's Office, Okibashi Group Building

Teru thought he was the last person in the office. As he was passing by Adila's door, he saw the sliver of light streaming beneath it into the dark hallway. Why was she still here? They had successfully finished the serial rapist/murderer case today with a guilty verdict. He assumed she would be out celebrating or at least be at her house with a bottle of champagne and a movie. A smile pulled at his lips when he remembered their first Christmas together. She loved the holiday and after that so did he. Once she was gone, he no longer celebrated it though. There was no reason. Since she was back, could there be a chance of celebrating it with her again? Probably not. She had been disappointingly cold and formal with him in the long months that she has been back. He never imagined she actually meant it when she told him they would restart their whole relationship. So far not much progress had been made. An occasional hug was as far as their love life had gotten and she still refused dinner dates whether it be out or at home.

Adila finished pinning the labeled photos of men to the board. She promised herself she would go home after this or she would still be here tomorrow. On her victorious return from the verdict portion of the trial, she had been given the information for a new case involving men that were being murdered in the city. Mr. Okibashi's administrative assistant had told her specifically it could wait until after the holidays, Christmas and New Year's both, since it was a favor for the National Police Agency. She had been ordered to take time off but had refused. Spending the afternoon going over the material, she had already determined the connection between all of the victims which was they were all hosts at some of the lower echelon host clubs in Japan. The killer was targeting these men because they would be the least likely to be missed quickly. At the more popular host clubs, the hosts were like gods among women, coveted and highly paid so their absence would be immediately noticed. There had been sexual activity before each young man met their demise at the hands of a woman. 'At least they went with a smile on their face,' she thought sadistically, glancing at the photos of the men all wearing overly big cheesy grins. Sighing heavily and thinking about the men in her life, she was almost tempted to sympathize with the murderer. Maybe she should talk to Mr. Okibashi about bowing out of the case because it would be a conflict of interests.

The knock on her door startled her because she thought she was alone. Crossing the room with the hurried stride of impatience, Adila opened the door hoping it was one of the cleaning people. Unfortunately it was Teru. She could not stop the noisy sigh of frustration before it escaped her lips. He smiled at her making her remember how cute and charming he could be which caused her to drop her arm and allow him into her office.

"I'm glad you're always so happy to see me," he responded sarcastically, coming in anyway.

"Why are you still here?" she asked, leaving the door open as a hint.

"I could ask you the same thing," he remarked casually, sitting down in one of the dark brown leather chairs in front of her desk. He watched her walk back to the board she used to layout photos and other evidence when she was piecing the puzzle of information together. Since her back was turned to him, he took the opportunity to look her over carefully. His eyes started studying her at her caramel colored hair that she wore in a matronly bun at the nape of her neck on most days, including today. She wore a mint green silk tank top with thin straps; the top looked more like underwear than outerwear. Her tight black skirt clung to her curves in a way that any man would appreciate. His eyes traveled down her brown sugar colored calves to her bare feet. He smiled. Shoes had always been her biggest enemy. He wondered why she ever left Texas or even Los Angeles in the United States. He could picture her running barefoot there in a grassy backyard with a couple of kids and a puppy nipping at her bare toes.

"Why did you come back?" he asked, seeing her back instantly become stiff and straight. "It wasn't for me. Who was it for?"

Adila did not want to answer that question. She had told him from the beginning how things would be and never promised him anything except that she would not accept him right back into her arms or her bed. Choosing to ignore the question, she pretended to look at the pictures while pondering over something. A yelp of fear and surprise refused to be restrained when he grabbed her by the arm and whirled her around to face him.

"I want to know why," he demanded, his dark eyes boring into hers.

"It was for me. I did it to prove something to myself," she told him being only halfway truthful.

Adila had indeed wanted to prove to herself that she could resist him and his magnetism. She did want to give him a second chance but under her terms and so far he had lived up to those terms. After L's death and her night with Shuichi, it had been tempting to run straight back into his arms. The temptation had been averted by her drawing further away from him and avoiding him at all costs. She could no longer run since he had her cornered, quite literally, in her office. The other half of her reason was simply because it was a really good offer and career move that she did not want to decline. With this job, she could use the other half of her major, her hard earned degree in law.

"Adila," Teru murmured, touching her cheek lightly with his fingertips. "I still want you. I still love you. I've been able to fall in love with you all over again these last few months. Please tell me if you are going to allow me a second chance or keep me hanging on."

Adila hesitated, looking into his eyes. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she tried to comprehend the emotion held in his eyes. It seemed he did love her. It was strong, obsessive love but was it real, lasting, and healthy from a psychological standpoint? She held her breath when he bent to press his lips to hers. Her hands buried themselves in his silky black hair as her body reacted to him in shocking way. The emotional release came in euphoric rush that left her lightheaded and feeling disconnected from reality. She had read in many psychology books this was the feeling cocaine addicts get from their first hit of the drug. Their brain as well as the body are instantly hooked on that rush of instant gratification that sends them into the atmosphere. She was afraid she had just experienced the same thing with Teru.

"Will you be mine?" he mumbled against her lips, holding her body to his.

"Yes," she answered without a bit of uncertainty.

Teru kissed her again. This time he asserted his dominance by pushing his tongue between her lips to taste every inch of her mouth. She tasted like the rose tea she cherished. It had become her favorite since her return to Japan. He had been watching her, noticing things, making mental checklists of her likes and dislikes. She had changed tremendously since their first try at a relationship and he understood the wisdom of getting to know her again. It had been like learning and loving a whole new woman but with the tender familiarity of it being his soul mate. She had returned to him, and he would never let her go again.

"Come home with me," Teru murmured between pecks on her lips.

"I can't," Adila gasped before he covered her mouth completely with his. She grunted when he released her hair from the bun to rake his fingers through it.

"Please," he begged, pulling her hair a tad to make her lean her head back.

"No," she gulped, wanting to say yes so very much.

The flicks of his tongue across her neck followed by tantalizing nips was destroying her resolve with each delectable thrill of arousal it sent racing through her body. She closed her eyes and gathered the last shreds of self-control she possessed. Pushing him away, she retreated to her desk to gather her jacket and purse to leave.

"Come to my house tomorrow for dinner. Be there at seven. I know you won't be late." Adila moved toward him, giving him one last kiss before dashing out of the door.

Teru stood stunned and alone in her office staring at the door long after she was gone. Dinner? He smiled from the invitation that he would definitely be accepting. It was a good start.

~\0/~

Adila was putting the finishing touches on dinner when the doorbell rang. She looked at her watch and smiled. Taking off her apron, she ran to the living room then forced herself to walk to answer the door. Her day had been spent in excited anticipation of his arrival tonight. She was looking forward to this more than she had thought she would. Apparently, she needed another fix, another 'hit' of him, just like any addict. Brushing her fingers through her hair nervously, she wiggled her whole body as if to rid herself of the nervous energy building within her. With a pleasant smile on her lips, she opened the door.

"What the hell…" she gasped completely bumfuzzled when a tree filled her vision rather than Teru's handsome face.

"I brought you a present!" Teru announced from somewhere behind the greenery.

"Teru! What is this?" she inquired, stepping back so he could bring in the four foot tall live tree.

"It's a tree," he replied purposely being droll. He handed her the bag containing the decorations.

Adila was astonished when she looked into the bag and saw the ornaments she had bought so many years ago for their first tree. She was thrilled with his unexpected present because she had not decorated for Christmas. Since she was not feeling festive and she would be by herself, she had not bothered with the effort. His exceeding thoughtfulness had unquestionably put her in the mood to celebrate.

"Where should I put this?" he asked, looking around for a suitable location.

"Right there," she told him, pointing to the table in front of the big picture window in her living room. "We can decorate it after dinner."

Dinner was a quiet, subdued experience where they made small talk while they ate just like they did on their lunch hours at work. They always made it a point to avoid conversations about work; that had been a rule they established early on to avoid focusing on their jobs too much. The only time they were allowed to talk about cases or anything connected with them was at the office or the law building. After dinner they went to the living room to decorate the tree.

"Remember this?" Teru queried, holding out the angel to her.

"Yes, I remember," she replied, taking the delicate ornament from him. Her eyes filled with tears as she stroked the white wings made of real feathers.

"Don't cry, Adila. Everything will be all right," he murmured, brushing his fingers across her cheek.

Adila wanted to believe to him. She gave him a shaky smile before turning her attention to the ornaments waiting to be hung on the tree. Grateful for the distraction of the task of decorating the tree, she did not think about the fear that grew within her: the fear of giving in to him too soon. Maybe she already has. Extending her arm to place the first ornament, a clear ball containing a figurine of the Prince and Clara from the Nutcracker Suite, her mind filled with the memory of when he surprised her with tickets to that play for their first Christmas. She held her breath when his hand covered hers to assist her with hanging the fragile ball. Her throat constricted from the powerful emotions threatening to overwhelm her because the nostalgia from the flood of memories was becoming too much. She managed to tamp down the tidal wave of diametrically opposed emotions before she drowned in them while dissolving into tears.

What was supposed to be fun became a solemn occasion for revisiting old recollections and to reminisce about the way things once were. No words were spoken because both of them were too busy getting lost in the past. After finishing the tree, Adila plugged in the lights and they stepped back to view the fruits of their labors. She felt his arm slide around her waist as they viewed the lovely twinkling lights making the glass icicles sparkle in all colors of the rainbow.

Teru pressed his lips to her cheek, nuzzling her gently. "I need to leave."

Adila bit her lip to keep herself from asking him to stay. It was best to let him go. But just for tonight.