Redemption

Chapter Two

He had been sleeping surprisingly well for the first time in a long time. When slumber finally claimed him, he didn't want to let go. Unfortunately, the alarm clock on the headboard shelf above his head just had to go off and wake him. He groaned loudly as he turned it off before he rolled onto his side. He reached over to wrap his arm around Danni's waist, only to find her side of the bed empty.

He opened an eye to see if he'd just missed her, but she was definitely gone. He rolled over onto his other side to peek into the bathroom. He was happy to find that the door was open and the light was off. At least she wasn't crying on the floor, he thought with a breath of relief.

He yawned noisily as he stretched, taking in a familiar, yet appetizing scent. The smell of freshly-cooked eggs reached his nose, which made him smile. He never knew what to expect from Danni in the mornings anymore. But, cooking was a good sign. It told him that she was in a good mood; the nightmare would practically be wiped from her mind.

A content sign escaped him as he paused before climbing out of bed. Music reached his ears, which meant she must have been listening to the radio as well. She was in a very good mood.

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen to see her hovering over the stove, clad in her pajamas with the added touch of her old, gray sweatshirt. He softly chuckled as he heard her singing along to the music, her hips swaying to the music. He would have said something to alert her to his presence, but he was enjoying what he was seeing. He leaned against the wall as she gave him an entire performance, though she was none the wiser.

"Fever… when you kiss me; fever when you hold me tight…" She tipped the pan of eggs onto two plates and set it back on the stove as she went to push the plunger down on the toaster. Her back was to him and she was still oblivious that she'd had an audience. She continued to sing, her dancing becoming more provocative as her hips became more in turn with the rhythm. "What a lovely way to burn; what a lovely way to burn; what… Bobby!" She screamed as she turned around to see him standing there, with his arms crossed over his chest. She gave him a dirty look as he let out an amused chuckle. "How long have you been standing there?"

He thought for a moment as he considered all of the answers he could give, until he decided on the one that wouldn't get him slapped. "Long enough, Luv." He laughed even harder as her face turned three different shades of red. She tried to hide her face behind her sleeve, which didn't work. "I only came out for breakfast; I never expected a show… and what a performance!" She playfully hit him on the arm as she continued to blush. "Please, don't stop on my account." He climbed upon the counter and waited for the grand finale.

"You're such a jerk," she said as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, but I'm your jerk. That should count for something." He flashed her one of his sexiest smiles which he knew she couldn't be angry at.

She shook her head as she took the two pieces of toast from the toaster and put one on each plate. She handed him one and took the other to the table. He jumped from the counter and happily joined her. They remained quiet for a moment, enjoying the silence before she spoke up. "I was talking to Robert the other day." She saw him grimace at the sound of her Lieutenant's name, which she only rolled her eyes at. Even after all this time, he couldn't get over Stern's previous attempts at glory. Of course, that was before his daughter was born, so now he was more subdued.

"What about?" he asked as he took a bite of his toast. He did it to hide his annoyance of the man, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. She knew how much he disliked the older man and nothing she could say or do would change that. The only good thing to come from working with Stern was Danni.

A light flush appeared on her cheeks as she looked down at her plate. "He said that he's thinking about retiring at the end of the month." She saw the look on his face and knew he was happy that he wouldn't have to deal with the man anymore. "He just wants to spend more time with his family and he can't really do that if he's leading our team."

"Good for him, but what yahoo are they replacing him with?"

Her flush deepened and she couldn't even look him straight in the eye at this point. "Actually, he wants me to replace him." She glanced up to see Bobby's surprised expression and only hoped he wasn't choking on a piece of toast.

"That's great," he finally answered as he let it sink it. The smile that reached his eyes was proof that he was telling the truth. He wanted to lean over and kiss her, but she stopped him before he had the opportunity.

"I didn't say I was going to do it." She paused as she saw his shocked expression. "But, I didn't say no, either. I told him that I would think about it."

"What is there to think about? You're the best person for that job. You know his cases, his team, everything. You'll be running circles around whatever idiot they find. If you let this pass you by, you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life, Luv." His little rant made him unable to comprehend anything that was going on around him, so he was surprised to see the smile on her lips. "What?"

"Bobby, that's one of the nicest things you've ever said to me." She gave a soft chuckle as his confusion grew. "Do you really think I should? It'll only mean more work for me and we hardly spend any time together as it is. What's going to happen if I take it?" The worry in her eyes was clear as she fought a war inside of her own head. There were so many pros and cons to this decision that she felt like her head was about to spin off from her body.

If she took the job, it would mean more money and allow her to do what she'd always wanted to do. Since she became a cop, all she'd wanted to do was lead her own team, but, that was before she fell in love with Bobby. If she took it, she would never see him. But, if she didn't take it, there would be some clueless wonder trying to lead a group of people he didn't know. He would probably screw them over ten-fold.

He rested his hand upon hers in comfort and gently stroked it with his thumb. "Don't worry, Luv. We can work through it. We've worked through worse. I will stand by your side for whatever choice you make. If it gets rough, there's always the option of stepping down. Just don't fret. You'll never know unless you give it a shot."

She smiled even wider at his words. He didn't always show it, but he was very good with giving comfort. His speech showed her that he was willing to be with her every step of the way. "I guess you're right. It doesn't mean I'm not terrified, though." His only answer was him lifting her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

Breakfast continued with soft kisses of the hands and intimate, sideways glances. If only the world wouldn't get in the way for one single day, then they could be together like they were when their relationship started. The heat that was between them hadn't dwindled at all. It was just circumstance that they never had time to be intimate with one another; for them to express their love.

But, even as the world began to start its day, the soft kisses quickly turned into touching and soon the room became too hot for them. Bobby cleared his throat as he stood up from the table and went to do the dishes.

He'd expected her to be hurt by his quick retreat, but that wasn't the case. She only figured it had to do with stress from work or something along those lines. She could relate, so she really couldn't complain.

He stood at the sink, trying to concentrate more on the dirty dishes than his own hormones, when she surprised him by her arms wrapping tightly around his torso. He turned in her embrace and looked down into her love-filled eyes with a questioning look.

"I never thanked you for last night."

"That's what I'm here for, Luv. I'd do anything for you." One side of his mouth lifted as he smiled, which made him exude such boyish charm. He was so handsome when he did that and it made her heart pound like crazy.

"I know, but I just want you to know how much I love you because of what you did for me." She reached up and gently caressed is cheek, allowing it to tinge a shade of pink. "You really don't know how much it means to me."

He swallowed hard as he stared into those sparkling blue eyes of hers. The electricity that radiated from them was almost too much to bear. "I think I do," he said, rather hoarsely as he continued to try to swallow that imaginary lump in his throat. "I love you and nothing will ever change that." He leaned down and placed a light kiss upon her lips. He felt her arms tighten around his neck as she pulled him closer to deepen their lip-lock.

All common sense and control was thrown out the window as he lifted her from her feet and placed her on the counter for easier access to her lips. He felt her legs lock around his waist as his hands slid through her soft hair. A giggle escaped her as his lips left hers to find their way to the sweet spot on her neck. He gently nipped at her flesh and then smoothed it with his mouth, which made her elicit a loud gasp. He smiled as their lips met again and his hands unzipped the sweatshirt so his hands could rest upon the smooth curves of her waist.

Her body trembled as she stared into his eyes by way of their foreheads resting against one another. She felt her sweatshirt fall from her shoulders as if she willed it to happen, which she did. She would give anything to have Bobby take her right then and there, but she knew he wouldn't. He would tease her first until she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Bobby," she moaned as she felt him beginning to lift her tank top from her stomach to remove it. She willingly lifted her arms for him to discard the item, but he stopped as he cursed loudly. The ringing of her cell phone, which sat next to the stove, was the culprit and he looked at her for instructions of what to do. She gave a smirk as she lifted the tank top from her body, revealing a matching pink bra, and threw it to the floor. "Ignore it," she said as her arm snaked around his neck to pull him into a kiss.

The only problem was that he couldn't ignore it. Danni might not have been on duty, but she certainly was on call and it would have to be important for whomever to call her so early. He kissed her softly on the lips and pulled away to pick her top up from the floor. "You should answer it." He handed her the tank and kissed her once more. "Maybe we can continue this later," he added with a smirk as he went to get ready for work.

She sat dumbfounded upon the counter as she saw him retreat. She would have been happy to just ignore the call. Whoever it was, they could wait; her hormones were not as patient. With a low growl, she answered the distraction as she watched Bobby's silhouette walk from one end of the bedroom to the other. "Talbot." She listened only half-heartedly to her teammate, Jeffery DeMarco, as he informed her about a case that had just come up. "Can't you just fill me in later? I'm kind of in the middle of something, right now." She sneered as she heard his chuckle. She knew what he was thinking and damn him because he was right.

She and DeMarco had a history together, which made this banter normal for them. He was one of the idiots who hadn't been conned by Jessup last year. He was one of the good ones. Too bad Pike and Mitchell weren't that smart. They'd gotten caught with a lot of drugs after their friend was taken down and it didn't turn out very well for them.

Now, only Stern had the two of them, plus three rookies to take care of. She was surprised that his resolved had lasted for this long. But, they were willing to learn from the close-knit team and they were quickly becoming friends. "Yeah, fine. I'll be there," she growled as she closed her phone.