Shrugging out of his holster, David Harper sighed as he entered the small one bedroom apartment he had called home for the past six months. It wasn't much, but it would do for now, he had reasoned. He had plans that didn't include paying rent on seven square feet with a view of the parking lot for the rest of his life.
His time on the squad was merely a means to an end. Unlike the other Dudley-Do-Rights and straight arrows that surrounded him daily, his reasons for joining up with the PCPD had little to do with fighting the good fight or working closely with the famous Commissioner Mac Scorpio. The PCPD merely provided him access to those he had scores to settle with.
Having grown up just off the hard living existence of Courtland Street, David had been no stranger the corruption that had lasted for years while the Frank Smith gang and the Corinthos racket ruled the streets. Instead of idolizing baseball players and James Bond, his only role models had been the drunks and drug pushers that littered his streets and the apartment complex he called home. The same bastards that beat his mother at night but hailed as heroes during the day, untouchable to all and escaping justice at every turn.
Checking to make sure the chamber was still full, David placed the gun back into his holster. With his service revolver, he now branded justice in this town. And he too could be considered a hero. He still glowed with pride when the autopsy revealed it was a bullet from his gun that had been the fatal shot for Jason Morgan in the prison yard. The fact it hadn't been him firing the gun was no matter. He had played a part in bringing justice that had been long delayed. For now that was enough.
Flipping on the lights, he blinked as he took in her form sprawled over the threadbare couch that sat in the living room. Her dark hair covered her flawless face and the shirt he recognized from yesterday had inched up in her sleep just enough to tease him with the barest hint of skin. Kneeling down, he rubbed her denim clad leg lightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Finding a woman as beautiful as this who shared his thirst for justice had been an unexpected gift, one he didn't intend on losing. "Wake up Gorgeous." He whispered into her hair. "Wake up."
At the ticklish feeling of her hair scattering across her forehead, Sam McCall lifted one eyelid and then the other, her lips forming a placid smile. Harper was the only one who ever called her "Gorgeous" and she could admit to herself that she was starting to like the nickname. She knew all his secrets, excluding his first name. She wouldn't have been surprised if Harper was itself an alias so she figured he would either tell her or not. It really didn't bother her. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."
"It's ok. I like waking you up." He smiled down at her. Catching sight of the paperwork that littered the coffee table, he grabbed at one of the stacks. "Research again?"
"What else? Killing Jason Morgan freed up a lot of my spare time." She joked wryly as she sat up and stretched causing the shirt to uncover her stomach. She let her arms drop thus forcing the garment to fall back into place. They were partners. Anything more would distract them from their main goals.
"I expected nothing less. How goes the mission?" He was careful to keep one hand pressed against her leg. Sam was determined to keep their relationship only on the partner level, while he wouldn't object to moving into a more intimate partnership. A large part of the desire to continue to work with her was the push-and-pull attraction they felt for each other.
"It's going. I kind of feel like I'm playing Ping-Pong for all the difference it's making." Sam got to her feet quickly and headed into the kitchen where she was planning on treating herself to a nuked cup of coffee.
"You'll find her Gorgeous." David sank back into the couch cushions she had just abandoned. "I have no doubt you'll find her."
"What about you?" Sam asked from the kitchen. They weren't supposed to discuss their common goal in public. The only reason he trusted such talk in this apartment was because the walls were sound-proof.
"If there's one thing you can count in this town, it's that the bad guys are in abundance. They might be better at hiding these days, but they aren't safe. I found four more of them tonight." The official reason for the stakeout had been a complete washout but spotting four of the pushers he remembered vividly from his childhood in the same neighborhood had more than made up for it. He smiled as Sam made her way back into the living room nursing her mug.
"Well since the Commissioner has his hands full at the moment, it won't hurt us to take out some of the bad seeds, now will it?" Sam reasoned matching his smile. "I can put on a fresh pot if you want some." She pointed to the mug in her hand.
"Nah." He shrugged and offered up a wink. "The only thing I want is a few hours in bed."
"I'll take the couch." Sam offered.
"That's not necessary you know." He pointed out.
Sam gave him a speculative look. "What? You want it?"
"Are you offering?"
"I was just going to take the bed if you wanted the couch." Sam clarified bluntly.
Chuckling softly, David was well aware she had purposely played dumb on the real intent of his question. "Go ahead Gorgeous. I'll be fine out here all alone."
"OK. Goodnight." Sam disappeared upstairs all too aware that she had dodged the bullet yet again.
"Night Gorgeous." He called up after. "Sweet dreams."
*****
Ric smiled as once again Maxie jumped back as the grease splashed out of the pan and onto her ivory skin. Not that he didn't appreciate her outfit, he did, but if she was going to insist on helping him cook breakfast, she had to realize there would be mess involved. "Blondie why don't you just sit at the table and let me serve you." He smirked at her.
"But I want to watch." Maxie whined adjusting the strap of her black bra so that it was tucked under Ric's "Kiss the Cook" apron.
"You can watch and not be burned by grease." Ric pointed out, shaking the pan a little so the eggs didn't stick to the sides.
"Where's the fun in that? This ensemble more than proves my importance in the kitchen."
"Oh yes. It screams five-star chef." Ric laughed. Maybe on the Playboy channel.
"Are you making fun of me?" Maxie stuck out her bottom lip in an unsatisfied pout. "Because I can change out of this if you think it's ridiculous."
Placing the skillet back onto the burner, Ric twisted around easily enough and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Don't you even think about it." He whispered as he dropped his lips to hers.
"We need pancakes." Maxie decided thwarting his attempt to kiss her. She moved about the kitchen as if she knew where everything was and selected each item she would need.
"Do you even know how to make them?" Ric teased, thoroughly enjoying the view she presented him with. It has been a welcome surprise to come back from Elizabeth Webber's early delivery to find Maxie waiting for him in nothing but her underwear and an apron.
Maxie threw him a dark look over her shoulder. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"That I never pictured cooking as one of your many talents."
"Shows how much you know. My grandmother showed me how to whip up pancakes from scratch."
"Really? Please tell me she recommended this particular wardrobe choice as well."
Making a face at his suggestion, she turned her back to him once she had gotten a hold of a bowl.
"You know." Ric drawled as he snuck up behind her, resting his hands on her hips. "You don't have to make me breakfast."
"But we have to keep up our strength." Maxie reminded him.
"I have plenty of strength." He assured her.
"But I thought you were hungry." Maxie pointed out breathing raggedly through her nose.
"I am. But not necessarily for food." Ric turned her gently in his arms so he could see her face. He tightened his hold on her hips to keep her from slipping away again.
"O-oh really?" Maxie tried to bite back her smile in time to face him. She almost succeeded.
Lowering his lips to nibble at her neck, Ric smirked pausing just before he made contact with her skin. "If you aren't sure, then it really has been too long for us."
"It has been a while." Maxie nodded turning her neck to the side to give him better access. "Ou-ouch!" She shrieked as the grease leapt from the pan and landed on her arm.
"Poor Blondie." Ric just barely managed to keep the laugh out of his voice. "Do you need some medical attention?" He purposely lowered his voice on the last two words of his question.
"It does burn." Maxie emphasized with a nod of her head.
Reaching over to turn off the stove, Ric pulled her arm up to examine it closely. Blowing on the slightly reddened area, he chased it with a light kiss. "Does that help?"
"A little. The pain is traveling up my arm." Maxie explained quietly.
"We can't have that." Ric placed kisses all the way up to her arm stopping at her shoulder. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"
"I think so. It's hard to tell. So many places..." She let her voice trail off.
"And we can't take chances with your health. After all you need your strength." Ric teased her as he moved his lips across her neck and towards her lips.
"What the fuck was that?" Maxie asked indignantly as some cruel person pounded on the front door. "Don't." She begged Ric when she noticed him start to retreat. "They'll go away."
"If I don't answer it now, they'll come back." He reasoned.
"Unless they're going to pick the lock, they won't know we're here." Maxie countered sliding her thumb and forefinger inside Ric's collar to stroke the back of his neck.
"Blondie..." He almost purred at her when the knocking was replaced by the ringing of the doorbell. "I have to answer it. They aren't leaving."
"They will. They really will." Maxie wasn't going to give up. This wasn't fair. They had already been interrupted with the early arrival of Elizabeth and Lucky's twins and now, NOW he was stopping them? Because someone was at the door, someone who was clearly lost?
The pout she was giving him should be illegal in this state Ric decided. He crashed his lips against hers, hoisting her up against him, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist. "If we can make it upstairs, we won't be able to hear the damn bell."
"Exactly." Maxie congratulated him for such quick thinking. The doorbell was replaced by a feminine shout, but it was impossible to decipher who it belonged to. "Oh for Christ's sake."
Somehow they had made it from the kitchen to the foot of the steps without him even knowing it. How the hell could one woman be so distracting? Placing her gently back on her feet, he rested his forehead against hers. "I'll get rid of them. You go upstairs and wait for me."
"Don't stand me up Dr. Lansing." Maxie warned him before hopping up the stairs.
"Never." He called after her, enjoying the view immensely. The insistent ringing of the doorbell forced him to rejoin the world that didn't revolve around Maxie Jones and her being in his bed right this very second. Taking an extra second to make sure he was at least somewhat presentable to answer the door, he finally threw open the door, fully prepared to quickly brush off whoever was standing there. Instead, his mouth dropped open and he couldn't help but stare.
"Katie?" The nickname slipped from his lips before he had a chance to stop himself.
"Good, you're here." Kate addressed him primly as she let herself into the house.
"What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk." Kate explained.
"What's there to talk about?" Ric asked as he closed the door behind her. "The papers came through. The ink should be dry now. We're officially over."
"You think a few pieces of paper can change the way I feel about you?" Kate asked incredulously.
"Katie." Ric lowered his voice and sat down, shaking his head. "I care about you. I always will. But we can't be together."
"How can we give up when we barely tried at all?" Kate demanded shrilly.
"There was nothing worth trying for Katie. We had both left each other a long time before I walked out."
"But I still love you. Can you honestly say you don't still love me?" Kate asked leaning over the arm of the couch so that their faces were mere inches from each other.
"Katie..." Ric shook his head. "That has nothing to do with this."
"I knew I wasn't too late." Kate smiled.
"That's not what I said. I already signed the papers Kate."
"But we can put that whole matter behind us and reconcile." Kate assured him.
"No." Ric shook his head. "We can't."
"Why not?" Kate stomped her foot. "Why aren't we worth fighting for?"
"Where was this fighting spirit while we were married?"
"I didn't think we would be getting divorced ever. I thought you would come around. I'm sorry. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? I was so stupid." Kate admitted tearfully.
"Katie..." He didn't want to be moved. He wanted to be stone faced at the sight of her tears. But he never could stand to see her cry. She so rarely did and the fact she was crying over this? It broke him a little, he could admit that much to her. "I know you're sorry. And you're not stupid."
"I kind of have to disagree." Maxie interrupted alerting them to her presence on the stairs. She had traded the tattered apron for a black and white polka dotted dress that hit her knees and swung out to form an elegant skirt.
Ric felt himself stiffen as her voice trailed over him. He stood up quickly and turned to face her. "Maxie!"
"So you know each other pretty well then?" Kate assumed in a dry tone.
"Probably a bit better than you knew the man you cheated on your husband with." Maxie added with a cold smile.
"How dare you?" Kate shrieked lunging for the stairs.
"Hold on!" Ric moved to grab Kate by the waist, effectively stopping her attack. He tried to ignore the dirty look both women gave him as he struggled to hold on to Kate. "I thought women were the fairer sex."
"Oh let her go, Ric." Maxie taunted the older woman with a calm, arrogant tone.
"This has nothing to do with you! How can you judge me? Sleeping with a married man isn't exactly a noble pursuit." Kate informed her.
"We're divorced Kate." Ric reminded her sharply. "The papers are signed remember?"
"Are you judging me? You? The woman who lost track of whose mattress her panties were stuck between?"
"Maxie." Ric cautioned her. "You really don't want to continue this." Kate only looked delicate. She didn't get to the top of her field by being afraid to fight. Her right jab was the reason she had gone through ten cameramen in ten months.
"I'm not afraid of her." Maxie assured him appalled that he would even insinuate such a thing. Her dad might have been a cop, but that didn't mean she hadn't had her fair share of bad boys or ended up in a situation that called for a nasty fight or two.
When he was a teenager the mere thought of two women starting a catfight in his vicinity would have been a dream come true. Now that he was a grown man, it was surprisingly not a situation he wanted to be in the middle of. "I think we all need to calm down here."
"Yes." Maxie agreed with a shake of her head. "Why don't you leave so we can get back to what we were doing before you came barging in?"
Kate backed up as if she had been physically slapped. It was all starting to fall into place: the man who had been seen in Maxie's presence after her sister's kidnapping, the woman her husband had moved on to, and then that awkward meeting between them at Kelly's. How could she not have realized it before? It was so obvious. Of course he would move onto a younger woman and why shouldn't he? It was a well-known fact that while she got older and started to depend more on makeup, he would just get better looking. "What makes you think...?" She met Maxie's eyes and a smile sprung to her lips. "What makes you think that you're more than a distraction from what Ric really wants? The only reason he's here with you is because he's desperate and you're willing."
Maxie could have said a number of things, but there was too much truth in Kate's words. This was why she felt out of sorts when this woman was around: She couldn't live up to the image. He might say over and over again that Kate wasn't what he wanted anymore, but it was clear in the way they fought that he was lying to himself, lying to her. And she had believed him. Stupid girl, she thought morosely. Stupid, stupid little girl. "I think it's time for you to leave now."
"Maxie's right." Ric kept his voice calm even though he wanted nothing more than to scream at Kate for her cruelty. "You need to go now."
"You know where to find me when you grow bored of your new toy." Kate reminded him and walked out.
Previews:
"He's not dead!" Morgan shook his head fervently.
"He is. He is dead." Robin stressed patiently.
"No! He said he would come and get me. He was supposed to come and get me!"