This chapter is going to contain a sequence of flashbacks that occurred between Hunter and Denver near the end
Chapter 11:
"Anything recent on the credit card?" Denver asked as she entered the room.
"Nothing since he bought a plane ticket to come to New York."
"That's why it was so hard to pinpoint exactly where Lambert was. Looks like we hit a dead end already," she groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Apparently today can get worse."
"You do seem a little out of it Denver, are things going good with Danny still?"
"Things are actually going pretty great with him since my birthday."
"That's good, I kind of had a date last night, these New York girls are crazy let me tell you."
"Makes Philly girls seem pretty chill, huh?" she nudged him playfully in the side.
"Speaking of Philly, how are things between you and your old lab partner?"
"I think I came off a little too bitchy."
"You, too bitchy, I didn't think that was possible."
"Adam, you really have to stop flirting with me."
"Hey, I'm not flirting with you," he tried to deny it.
"Look, you're blushing you little liar."
"Any breaks in the case yet?" Hunter asked as he entered the room, interrupting their friendly banter.
"No, Lambert hasn't used his credit card since he got his plane ticket to come here," Adam looked up at the man.
"No wonder they had a hard time tracking him. Detective Flack says that the precincts are doing what they can to find Lambert as well. Keep up the good work though Ross, your doing great."
"Thanks, I am the best lab tech here, after all."
"Don't speak so highly of yourself Ross," Denver shook her head. "And you don't have to try and impress him," Denver pointed to Hunter.
"Ross, why don't you take a break, and I'll try to help and hopefully track him."
"Yeah, come on Adam, let's let Detective Bentley do his thing," Denver grabbed Adam's arm.
"Actually Detective Sandusky we need to discuss something."
"Of what, why you think your all high and mighty? I rather not."
"Please, Denver?" he asked, almost in a pleading voice.
"You are really pathetic, you know that? Adam, go ahead and take your break."
"You sure?" he asked, eyeing the other detective.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she kissed his cheek, Adam smiled and walked off.
"So, is that the same Adam Ross you left in Arizona to come work for Philly?"
"I didn't leave him in Arizona, he told me to take the job in Philly. I regret taking that job now, I had to meet you."
"You've changed in two years Den, what happened?"
"You want to know what happened?"
"Yes."
"I told you to keep in touch with me when I got the job here. You never visited or anything. To think I actually had feelings for you."
"And you think I didn't have feelings for you, I loved you Denver. You don't know how damn depressed I was when you took the job here so quickly. I didn't visit because I wanted to get over you. You broke my heart when you left, like you didn't even care for my feelings."
"I fell for you and got scared, okay? I thought you were happy for me getting the job here, I definately didn't hear you complaining the night before I was gone."
"I thought if we had one more night together, you'd realize just how much I wanted you to stay. But you left anyways. I tried two years to get over you, and coming here today I thought why not have a nice reunion. But you wanted to act like a damn bitch, if I wasn't over you before I sure as hell am now."
"Like you could get over me that quickly, I was just doing my damn job to get some answers. I don't need you in my life, the sooner you leave the better."
"I don't need you in my life either, you don't care about my feelings, so why the hell should I care about yours."
"Screw you Detective," Denver stormed out of the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hunter groaned at himself. "Yeah, nice reunion, I basically just blew my chances with her. The sooner I get this Lambert guy, the sooner I can leave and forget about her."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Mac, I'm taking myself off the case, I've came to the conclusion that I can not work with Detective Bentley."
Mac who was at his desk nodded, "If it's too hard to handle, but remember, if you change your mind..."
"I'll let you know. I think I should go home, I've been feeling a little off today."
Mac nodded, "We'll have an officer take you home, I'm not going to take any chances with this Lambert guy. Be careful Denver, okay?"
"I will Mac," she nodded. "See you tomorrow," she smiled, before she left his office. She ran into Izzy on the way to the elevator.
"Where are you going Den?"
"I took myself off the case, I can't work with Hunter on this. Too much of the past came up, and I can't handle it. Mac said I can go home."
"Alright, well I'll see you when I get off work, okay?"
"Yeah," Denver nodded before leaving the lab.
An officer drove Denver back to her apartment, one waited in the car while the other one took her up to her floor.
"I think you'll be pretty safe, but I'm going to be right here if you need anything, okay?" the sandy blonde officer told her.
"Thanks," she opened her apartment and went inside, locking the door behind her. Before she could even settle down and get comfortable her phone rang, it of course being Danny.
"Izzy just told me you went home, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just had a disagreement with Detective Bentley."
"He did seem a little uptight when I met him. You worked with him in Philly right?"
"Yeah, trust me I don't know what I saw in him. He's a damn ass, he basically told me I have no feelings for anyone except myself."
"Seriously? What's up his ass?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Want me to come over after work?"
"No, it's just going to be me and Iz tonight."
"Alright, well be safe Denver, I love you."
"Love you too," she said and hung up the phone, leaning back on the couch. She was glad today was finally over, she laid down on the cushions and decided it would be best if she took a nap.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"How did we ever become friends?" Denver asked Hunter, as they went out to lunch, a few months since she'd been at the Philadelphia crime lab, she was only 24. "I'm just a lab tech and you're this crime scene investigator."
"You'll be up there one day Den."
"How can you be so sure?"
"You're smart as hell, look if you aren't a CSI in two years, you can stop being friends with me."
"Why would I stop being friends with you?" she asked, snuggling up to him. He kissed the top of her head.
"You are amazing Sandusky, the real question is why are you friends with me?"
"And for that I don't have an answer."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Hunter, I passed the test," Denver ran into his arms.
"See I told you that you could do it, and hey now we can still be friends."
"You sound like I'm a five year old, I'm twenty six now buddy."
"One more thing," he smiled down at her a good six inches taller than Denver. "Merry Christmas."
"Hunter, it's only Christmas Eve, and it will be for a couple of more hours."
"Okay, I phrased that wrong, Denver how would you like to spend Christmas with me?"
"Sorry, but my brother is supposed to be coming here."
"Den, when has your brother ever came to visit you for a holiday or your birthday since you came to Philly?"
Denver frowned, he was right, "Alright, I'll spend Christmas with you, but tonight we should celebrate me basically getting a promotion. And not to the bar so you can hook up with some random girl."
"It sounds like you are jealous."
"Me jealous, in your dreams probably."
"Then how about you and me hook up?"
"Funny," she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I'm being serious," he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's something about you, I can't put my finger on it."
"Do you know how many times I've heard that line?" she shoved him playfully. "Yeah, let's go to the bar you need to get laid, you're starting to come onto me, and I'm a little uncomfortable about it."
"Fine, but one day, you'll be begging for me," he winked, kissing her cheek.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"That double date was miserable, I lost all faith in finding a man for me," Denver leaned against her apartment door. "Thanks for the horrible birthday gift."
"Hey, I had fun."
"Come on Hunter, she was so damn boring, I was falling asleep just listening to her talk."
"I knew you were jealous, let's get you inside, I think you drank passed your limit."
"I had to drink or else I was going to die a slow and painful death of hearing her talk."
"Jealous," he smirked, as she pulled him inside.
"You don't wanna see me drunk and jealous buddy, let me tell you that..."
"Yes, I do. I want to see you when you are jealous."
"You wanna see what I think of doing to you when some chick is all over you."
"Yes, I want to see just how sexy you can get."
"Well then come here," she yanked his tie, and walked him to her bedroom. She shoved him onto her bed, and straddled him, her dress riding up her thighs. His member was pressed against his jeans.
"Denver, fuck me senseless," he tilted his head back.
"You asked for it Bentley," she grinded into him, while undoing his pants.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
It was five months after Denver had drunken sex with Hunter, things were awkward for them. She told him the morning after that she made a mistake, and was too embarrassed to look at him.
"That man was all over you Denver."
"And? I thought you didn't get jealous."
"That was until you gave me the best sex I ever had, and then you claimed it was a mistake."
"I was drunk Hunter, you should have known that it didn't mean anything."
"Well it did to me, you finally had sex with me, you don't know how happy I was."
"Even if I didn't remember it?"
"It can always happen again, you aren't drunk tonight. I love having sex with you. I just want to have sex with you whenever I can."
"Well it's not going to work, apparently I need to be drunk to have sex with you."
"We're Detectives, let's experiment then," he lowered his mouth onto hers. They moved together hotly, as their mouths opened almost instantly, and Denver's tongue brushed against his. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, he pulled back breathing hard.
"Maybe you were right," she nipped at his collarbone, removing his shirt, her hands sliding down his chest.
"Like what you see?" he asked, and she looked up at him and took a deep breath. "I guess we made a decision, I think we are officially friends with benefits."
"Let's try the sex first, and then we can come to the decision together."
"Well I'm going to rock your world tonight."
She pulled back slightly, "Not if you talk like that."
"I think we should stop talking altogether."
"I agree," she pulled his head down, and captured his lips in a hot kiss.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Denver jumped up when the door to her apartment slammed shut, Izzy kicked the door shut with her foot, she was holding a box of pizza.
"Den, why is the officer outside of our apartment, leaning against the wall sleeping? I hope me slamming the door, woke him up. He's supposed to make sure that you are okay."
"But sadly, I'm not okay, you woke me up too."
"Were you having a hot dream about Adam?" Izzy smirked.
"No," she felt her cheeks, heat up. "Actually I was dreaming of the good times I had with Hunter."
"Oh, and he tried to hit on me, Don didn't find that so funny."
"How exactly did he try to hit on you?"
"You know what he told me. He said 'there's something about you that I like.'"
"Yeah that's how he hits on women, sometimes it's hard to believe it works," Denver smiled. "I wish I was there to see Don's face."
"It was fucking priceless," Izzy laughed, plopping down on the couch next to Denver.
"Any luck on locating Lambert?"
"Not at all, let me tell you that bastard is fucking smart."
"So I guess Hunter will be staying here for a while."
"Yeah, he ain't all that bad Den, actually he gave me something he said belongs to you," she took it out her bag, and handed it to Denver.
It was a bracelet that said 'Forever mine' and on the back it had Hunter Bentley engraved, but something else was added that Denver didn't see before. It said, 'loves Denver 5/16/2004.'
Denver felt her eyes burn, "That was the day I told him I got the job here, I gave it to him and told him to keep it, to remember me. I never knew he loved me, until he basically threw it in my face this afternoon."
"Oh, what do you want to do with this then?" Izzy asked.
"I'm going to keep it," she rubbed her eyes, placing it in her pocket. "No matter what happens I can't find myself to hate that damn man."
Izzy smiled, "Well, let's eat some pizza, it's getting cold. I love you Sandusky."
"And I love you Pacino," Denver hugged her friend, before opening the box of pizza. Yes the day was finally looking up.
