Liz POV

I had myself taken out of the rotation, beginning at noon.

Mike mentioned wanting to take me out of town for the weekend, work permitting, and since I have more vacation days than I know what to do with, I decided to make doubly sure that my work would permit.

So from lunch time Thursday until eight o'clock Tuesday morning, I'm officially on vacation.

And I can't remember the last time I was so excited by the prospect.

I used to spend vacation days piddling around my apartment.

And maybe I would this time, too.

Maybe Mike would get swamped with this case.

But I was willing to take my chances.

Besides, tomorrow's my birthday.

I've worked on every birthday since the day I turned sixteen, but not this year.

"Got big plans, Doc?" Luke asked me as he helped me clean up from the latest autopsy.

It was nearly two o'clock and I figured that once I got the morgue back in order, I'd check out.

"Oh, she's got plans," Sarah said with a grin.

"Plans for what?"

I looked up at the sound of the new voice in the autopsy suite, and I watched in irritation as Danny came across the room.

"Plans with her boyfriend," Sarah said pointedly. "Detective Logan."

It was humbling to see how quickly Sarah was taking up for me, being protective of both me and Mike.

I've always had acquaintances more so than friends. I guess my personality tends to put most people off.

And even now that I have good friends in Alex and Bobby, it still surprises me a little to find others who seem to like me.

I can only guess that Sarah sees something in me that she can relate to.

Or maybe I'm just more likeable now that I'm with Mike.

"That's going to be difficult, since he's in the middle of botching a big case right now," Danny replied to her assertion, all the while not taking his eyes off of me.

"Do you have business in here?" Luke questioned, also stepping up in my defense. I'm not sure how much he knows about anything, other than the fact that Danny kissed me last week, but the tension in the room was unmistakable. "Because the morgue isn't exactly open to the general public."

"I'm not exactly public," he said as he flashed his NYPD badge. "I'm officially part of the department again."

"Good for you," I said dismissively, even though I hated the idea.

And why had it come to this?

I mean, really.

Why did he have to act like such a jerk?

He could've just come back and quietly applied for an open position and there wouldn't have been any of this hostility floating around.

"Yeah, well I guess I needed it to be official before tomorrow's meeting. You know about that, right?"

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, something which I'm sure was going to be a smartass reply, but I shook my head and nodded towards the door. She and Luke reluctantly left the room, leaving me alone with Danny.

Not that I want to be alone with him, but I also don't need to belittle him in front of my colleagues, and I had a feeling that's where this encounter was heading.

"I know about the meeting. What I don't know is why you're doing this. Alex worked hard to get where she is."

"And I didn't?"

"I didn't say that. But it's her job now, and you're acting like it's your God-given right."

"I didn't come here to fight about it, Liz."

"Then why'd you come?"

"It's your birthday," he said as he reached his hand in his pocket. "I bought you something."

He pulled a jewelry box from his jacket pocket and held it out, but I didn't make any move towards it.

I'd dated the man for the better part of a year. Off and on, but still…he'd never once bought me a present.

"It's not my birthday."

"Yes it is," he argued foolishly. I raised an eyebrow at him and he added, "Isn't it?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh. Well. Close enough," he said, thrusting the box towards me again.

"I can't accept it."

"You don't even know what it is."

"It doesn't matter. I appreciate the gesture, but…"

"Liz. I'm trying here."

"To do what? Lure me away from Mike? We've already had this discussion."

"I'm trying to show you that you can do so much better. He's not your type, Liz. He's hot-headed and irrational and egotistic..."

"You don't care that I don't want you," I interrupted. "You just can't stand that I want him."

"It's not that," he said lamely, letting his hand drop to his side as he still clutched the box.

"Yes, it is. You came back and expected me to fall at your feet, but I chose him over you. I chose all of them over you and it's driving you crazy. I remember how you used to talk about Bobby and Alex. You can pretend now that you didn't, but you talked about Bobby like a dog, and it's burning you up that he's my friend, a good friend, one who I'd pick over you every single time."

"What happened to you, Liz?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Mine's easy. I spent a year away from everyone I know and love. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but it gave me the opportunity to prioritize and reflect."

"You reflected on all of the times you canceled on me because someone better came along?" I posed, and then I shook my head and added, "You know what? It doesn't matter. This is who I am now, and what happened between us in the past is irrelevant."

"Because of Logan," he said distastefully.

"Not because of Logan. Because of me," I insisted.

I don't want him thinking that if it weren't for Mike I'd be receptive to the idea of being with him.

"So what are you going to do when he gets suspended again?" he asked, ignoring my assertion. "Or maybe next time he gets fired…you know he even put in his letter of resignation over this Eames thing, so he's probably going to be unemployed as of tomorrow, so what then?"

"You think I'm with him because of his career?" I asked, stumped as to his point.

"I understand he was out of a job for almost a year because no other department wanted him. The NYPD is the only one who can tolerate him, and I don't see that lasting very long."

"Okay. Here's what you can't seem to grasp. I don't care what he does for a living. And I'm proud of him for his support of Alex. My letter would be in that stack, too, if I thought it held any weight," I said as my anger overrode my sense of professionalism. "And honestly, I'm sick to death of having this conversation with you, so let's end this right now. I never loved you, not even a little bit, not for one second, and there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I ever will. Even if Mike were to walk through that door right now and dump me flat on my ass, I still wouldn't want to be with you. Is that clear enough for you?"

We stood there for a moment, toe to toe, with me glaring at him in annoyance and him astoundingly shocked by my candor.

"Okay," he said at last. "I'm sorry to take up your time."

I was tempted to say something more, something that might take the sting out of my words, but anything else might be construed as encouragement, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I'll be seeing you around though," he said as he headed for the door. He hesitated with his back to me, and then he reached out and set the jewelry box on the table before continuing. "As captain of Major Case, you know I'll be making trips to the morgue. I'll do my best not to make it awkward for you."

His parting shot only made me more glad that I hadn't tried to take out the sting.

He's so damn sure he's going to be captain….the asshole.

"You okay, Doc?"

I closed my eyes briefly before turning around to find Sarah loitering in the doorway.

"You were listening, weren't you?"

"I…um…"

"Sarah," I admonished, sighing heavily as I shook my head at her.

"I'm sorry, but after what happened last time when you two were in here alone, I just…"

She broke off and ran her hand roughly through her hair, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before bringing her eyes back to mine.

"I don't trust him. And I didn't want him to hurt you," she finally said. "So you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I promised, then I smiled and added, "Now quit lurking in the doorway and get in here and help me finish up."

"Luke and I can do this," she reasoned. "You're off the clock. Go get started on your big plans."

I started to argue, but then my cell phone buzzed.

Lunch isn't going to happen today, not even a late one, but if you want some entertainment, stop by 1PP. Bobby and I are headed there now with a viable suspect.

"Okay," I said as I looked over at Sarah again. "You're right. I'm on vacation. Can you do me a favor?"

"Name it."

I nodded towards the burgundy-colored box sitting on the table near the door.

"Can you find an address for Danny Ross and mail that box back to him?"

"He left it?" she asked as she moved across the room with a curious expression on her face. "What is it? Did you look?"

"I didn't. But feel free to look if you want to, and then send it back to him."

"Will do, Doc. Enjoy your vacation. You can tell me all about it on Tuesday."

"Yeah, sure. Just like you told me all about your date with Yuille," I teased.

Because yesterday I'd gotten surprisingly little out of Sarah.

"We had a really nice time."

"Nice? That's all I get?"

"He's very sweet. And interesting. And…"

"You slept alone in your own bed, right?"

"Yeah, I did," she'd said on a sigh.

But she'd been smiling, just like she was today.

"I've got another date tomorrow night," she replied. "We'll have lunch on Tuesday and swap stories, okay?"

I agreed, although my stories would be censored because I haven't quite gotten the hang of this tell-all attitude, and then I gathered my things and left the morgue.

Twenty minutes later, I was standing in an observation room at 1PP, alongside Alex and Stanley.

"Slow day in the morgue, Doc?" Stanley had asked me when I first entered.

"I'm on vacation," I replied.

"And you're spending it here?"

"I didn't want to miss this. So, who's the guy?"

"Riley Smith," Alex answered. "He's the neighbor and possibly the boyfriend of the first victim. He was watching her apartment for her, and says that she said she went to Florida."

"And?"

"And he had a printout of the instructions for eradicating fingerprints."

"You think he's the mastermind behind the whole competition?"

"I wouldn't call him a mastermind, but yeah…the theory is that he killed his girlfriend, and then started the competition to cover it up."

We watched through the glass as Mike and Bobby spoke quietly to each other, purposely ignoring Smith.

After another moment, the interrogation began.

"You're sure you don't want a lawyer?" Bobby asked him.

"I said no. What are you, a fucking idiot?"

"Nice," I remarked. "Does he get points for his language?"

"According to Bobby, it gets worse," Alex said on a chuckle. "Apparently he cursed them all the way from Maywood."

"Well, they've got less than two hours to weed through the colorful language and get you a confession," Stanley said to Alex.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I postponed the press conference."

"And Holt is pissed," Stanley added.

"He won't be once he realizes my reason behind it."

"That's what I mean. You'd better have a reason or we'll all be towing the unemployment line."

"I didn't ask you to quit for me," Alex reminded him firmly.

"No, you didn't, because that's not your style. But I thought it was the right thing to do when Mike first mentioned it, and I think it even more so now because it's ridiculous that it's come down to this one goddamn interrogation, and yet here we are."

"I'm not worried," Alex said, shifting her gaze back onto Bobby.

Stanley exhaled loudly, and then put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not either. I'm just…frustrated. This is all bullshit."

"I know."

"I mean, why should it depend on whether or not two detectives out of two dozen can get a confession from one dumbass with a severe lack of articulation?"

"It shouldn't," I spoke up. "But since it does, aren't you glad it's them?"

TBC...