Hey guys. New chapter from me. Dedicated to Suzanne, cause she's awesome and helped me with a bit of it *hugs*. Enjoy
Just as they reached the front of the line an arm shot out, thrusting a bill into the hand of the operator before guiding Catherine to an empty car.
"What was that all about?" the redhead asked as she settled herself onto the hard, low seat of the car.
Lou shrugged. "Figured you wouldn't want to spend the ride being tormented by Sanders."
Nick and Sara slid into the car, forcing Catherine to move closer to Lou, then the attendant pushed the safety bar down, locking the four of them in place.
"Too late to back out now Cath," Nick teased, nudging her shoulder lightly.
"Just don't deafen the rest of us with your screaming Cowboy," she fired back as the ride began to move.
Catherine took a deep breath and gripped the safety bar, catching Sara's eyes and smiling, earning a wink in response.
As the rise began to pick up speed she bit her lip and tightened her grip on the bar. She let out a small squeak as she felt the car spin in place as it moved around the track. She buried her face against Lou's shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut, unable to help the laugh that escaped as Nick's screams and curses reached her ears.
A few minutes later and the ride began to slow before coming to a complete stop. Catherine opened her eyes as the safety bar was released just in time to see a rather pale looking Nick being led from the ride by a grinning Sara.
She giggled as she took Lou's outstretched hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet and help her out of the car so they could join the rest of the group. By the time they were all assembled near some of the stalls Nick had regained a little color in his cheeks.
"Feeling alright Nicky?" Catherine teased with a grin.
"I'm feeling fine thank you," he replied with a cough.
"Oh a test your strength machine!" Greg squealed. "I want a go! I bet I can beat any of you guys!"
Jim, Hodges, Ray, Sara and Catherine all declined. Greg looked particularly disappointed when the trace tech shook his head; he'd wanted to beat him just for the hell of it. Nick had straightened but the former lab rat refused, stating he'd feel bad for beating him in his weakened state.
Finally Greg turned to Lou.
"How about it detective? You up for the challenge?"
Lou smirked. "Just don't cry when I beat you Sanders."
He shrugged out of his black leather jacket and handed it to Catherine with a wink before following Greg to the booth.
The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes and fell into step beside Sara as the group headed over to watch.
"Does Greg have any idea what he's let himself in for? It'll be a massacre!"
"The poor kid has no idea how competitive Lou is. There's no way he'll lose," the older woman chuckled, a hint of pride lacing her tone.
They all arrived at the booth just as Greg was picking up the mallet, having evidently won an unseen coin toss. He gritted his teeth with effort as he lifted it above his head, swinging it down to connect with the target. Much to his dismay the metal counter only just cleared the half way mark.
"Wait! That can't be right!"
"The machine doesn't lie Greggo," Nick called out with a grin, receiving a dirty look from his friend.
Lou chuckled and stepped up beside the younger man, taking the mallet from his hands. "Tough luck Sanders. Maybe you should've challenged Stokes after all." Nick grumbled his disapproval and Ray laughed, clapping him on the back.
In contrast to his opponent, Lou swung the mallet with ease, bringing it down with a resounding thump. The metal counter rocketed to the top and crashed into the bell, the loud dinging sound it gave off making Greg's shoulder's slump in defeat.
The detective grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
"Better luck next time buddy."
The vendor approached Lou and handed him a small stuffed toy of Eeyore, his prize for beating Greg before the group moved on. Lou caught up with Catherine and slid an arm around her waist, presenting the Disney character to her with a wry smile.
"I'd look silly carrying it around all night," he responded to her raised eyebrow. The redhead shook her head and laughed as she took it from him, tucking it into her purse so that only its head was visible. She shifted and looped her arm through his and they strolled after their colleagues.
"Hey Sanders," Lou called when they'd closed the gap a little. "Remember our wager?"
The younger man turned and sighed. "Let me guess, effective immediately?"
"You got it," the detective's grin widened at Greg's groan.
The stinging sensation of nails being dug into his arm forced his attention to return to the woman beside him.
"Wager?" Catherine enquired, a quizzical look on her face.
Lou shrugged. "We thought we'd make our competition a little more interesting."
"So… What did you win?"
"Sanders has to do your paperwork for the next month."
Her eyes widened. "What? Why?"
He shrugged again. "You've been working too hard these past couple of months, you deserve a little time to yourself."
A smile spread slowly across her face; it was moments like this when she was struck by how kind and considerate Lou was.
"Besides," he continued. "It means that for the next month I can take you out to dinner and dancing or a show whenever I want."
Catherine laughed and slowed to a stop, raising herself up on tiptoes so she could press a soft kiss to his lips.
"I love you," she mumbled against his mouth, and he repeated the sentiment. "That was very sweet, thank you. Greg's going to have a heart attack when he sees the amount of paperwork there is on my desk."
Lou chuckled and stole another kiss, pulling her against him and deepening it. They'd almost forgotten where they were when Greg's dulcet tones made them break their embrace.
"When you two have quite finished sucking face, there's a car on the ghost train with our names on it."
They moved apart; Lou chuckled while Catherine flushed slightly, sending a death glare in Greg's direction. He merely grinned back.
"I have a question," Catherine piped up as they joined their friends in the line. "What would Greg have got if he'd won?"
Lou wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Trust me when I tell you, you don't want to know."
Hope ya'll liked it :)
Lily
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