Brenda stalked into the central room in Major Crimes, still seething at the unexpected, and wholly unnecessary intrusion of that woman into her investigation. She stood by the white board, and gazed across the faces of her team. They stared back expectantly, and Brenda rolled her eyes.

"We have to wait, Gentlemen, for Captain Raydor to grace us with her presence. She'll be accompanying us on this investigation. I don't want to have to go over it twice." Brenda explained crossly.

Sharon paused outside the squad room, smoothing her skirt nervously. She glanced down at herself, and impulsively unbuttoned one more button on her lavender silk shirt. Satisfied with the hint of reckless abandon in that movement, she pushed open the door, and slid into a seat across from Flynn.

"Thank you for joining us, Captain." Brenda clipped her words, still furious about the interview. "Now, this is being treated as a critical missing. We don't know much just yet, but we're going to go talk to the Disken family. They've reported their nanny missing. Sgt. Gabriel, how bout you ride with Flynn and Provenza today. We'll meet at their house."

"Sounds good, Chief!" Provenza shoved back from his desk, and Flynn stood as well. Gabriel looked pained, but pushed to his feet, and followed the men out of the squad room.

"The address is in the file I gave you, Cap'n. I'll see you there." Brenda turned on her heel and headed for the elevators, not waiting to see if the dark haired woman was following.

"Uh, Chief Johnson. I think, for the purposes of this inquiry, it would be best if I rode along with you." Sharon stated evenly.

"Oh for heaven's sake. Fine. Come on." Brenda ignored the coil of excitement that unspooled in her belly at the idea of being on that elevator with the Captain again.

The doors slid open, and the carriage was empty. Brenda stepped aside, and gestured to Sharon. "After you, this time?" A small smile quirked her lips for a fraction of a second, so quick that if Sharon hadn't been looking for it, she would've missed it.

"Indeed, Chief." She stepped into the elevator, putting a little more swing in her hips than usual.

Brenda followed, and hesitated. She glanced at the Captain out of the corner of her eye, and saw a similar hesitation, evident in the tension of her hands, the set of her shoulders.

"Oh for heaven's SAKE!" Brenda punched the button for the garage level. They rode in silence for a moment, awkward, and unsure. Brenda continued to watch the captain out of the corner of her eye. The dark haired woman was wearing a skirt, grey pin-striped, and falling just above the knee. She had on a pale purple button down shirt, and Brenda caught her breath at the realization that Sharon was more unbuttoned than she'd ever seen before. A matching grey pinstriped jacket and grey pumps finished the outfit. Brenda licked her lips, and closed her eyes against the thought of taking the woman's hand, just to see if those incredible sparks were still present. She rather thought they were, considering the Captain's faintly ragged breathing. Sharon, for her part, was studiously ignoring Brenda, though she felt the burn of the Chief's gaze, inconspicuous as it was. She tossed her hair back, the thick mane falling in waves over her shoulders. She heard Brenda's slow intake of breath, and wondered at that. The elevator dinged, and screeched to a halt, depositing them on the garage level.

"My car is over here, Cap'n." Brenda's voice was lower than usual, her drawl more pronounced. She'd been fine, all the way up until Sharon had flipped her hair, sending that luscious citrusy scent her way. It enveloped Brenda, occupying her senses, clouding her judgment. This was going to be a harder case than she'd thought. She'd have to concentrate twice as hard, to stay focused. She pressed the unlock button on the remote to her car, then gave in to the urge, and opened the Captain's door for her. Sharon looked faintly surprised, but covered well.

"Thank you Chief." She said simply, gracefully lowering herself into the bucket seat. Brenda let her gaze linger as the Captain folded her long legs, god those legs, into the car, and then firmly closed the door. She took several cleansing breaths as she made her way around to the driver's side, clearing her head of those thoughts, and that tangy, decadent scent. She dropped into the seat, and keyed the ignition. To her horror, she'd had left her MP3 player plugged in to the adapter, and that song, that beautiful, terrible song, filled the car.

"If you want this
if you want this
if you want this, you're gonna have to ask
nicely please
yeah if you want this
you're gonna have to ask me
you're gonna have to ask me"

Brenda clenched her hands around the steering wheel. She hoped that the vocals would be low enough that the Captain wouldn't make them out, but she didn't want to call attention to it by lowering the volume, or turning the system off. She felt a blush steal over her face, as she remembered the first night she'd heard the song.

Sharon paused in the process of buckling her seatbelt when the song came on. She quirked an eyebrow, and chuckled inwardly. So. The Chief listened to Melissa Ferrick. That was unexpected, and surprising. Perhaps the woman wasn't as straight as she let on. She saw Brenda stiffen as the music swelled, and saw the blush creep across those cheekbones. She blurted the first thing that popped into her head, an attempt to diffuse the palpable tension.

"How exactly, Chief, is a missing nanny a Major Crime?" Sharon's voice cut through Brenda's thoughts, but it took the Chief a moment to register the question.

"Well. We caught the case, that's how. We'll find out when we get to the Disken's." Brenda tersely replied, pulling the car to a stop at a red light.

Sharon cleared her throat, hating the resurgence of the animosity between them. Absently, she ran her hands over her skirt, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles. Brenda watched out of the corner of her eye, noting that, once again, the Captain had bare legs beneath her skirt. Sharon shifted slightly, and Brenda's breath hitched as the skirt rode up a bit on the Captain's thighs. Brenda wondered what that skin might feel like, slipping beneath her hands. She wondered what she would feel, if reached across, caressed that knee, slid her hand to the now exposed thigh, venturing past the hem of the skirt, claiming all that hidden skin with her fingertips. Sharon cleared her throat again, startling Brenda out of her reverie.

"Chief. Green light." Sharon's voice was soft, non-confrontational. She'd watched Brenda's eyes follow the line of her leg, saw the flush bloom in her cheeks. Sharon was pretty sure she could guess the Chief's line of thought. She was pretty sure it was similar to her own.

"Right. Thank you." Brenda pulled through the intersection, cursing herself for slipping. It was that woman. And that scent. And this song.

"Whatever you want
I'll give it to you
I'll give it to you slowly
'till you're just begging me to hold you
ya whatever you want
whatever you want
but you're gonna have to ask me"

Brenda sighed, and flexed her hands around the steering wheel. Her knuckles ached, from gripping it so tightly. She was grateful that they had arrived at the Disken's. She was pretty sure she would've lost control if she'd had to stay in that untenable situation for much longer. Putting the car into park, she automatically reached into the passenger side seat well for her over-sized tote. Her hand grazed the Captain's bare leg, and to her surprise, the Captain made a small noise in the back of her throat. Brenda glanced up, and saw Sharon gripping the door handle, her eyes closed, her head back, her lower lip caught alluringly between her teeth. Not really sure what she was doing, but moving with purpose none the less, she ran her hand around the Captain's leg, cupping the toned calf, then trailing her fingers to the slender ankle. She was clearly freshly shaved, her skin was so smooth, so supple. Brenda thought about the mechanics of running her hand up the length of that leg, letting her fingers devour the milky skin of Sharon's thigh, but there was no way to do that, from this vantage point, without sitting up and shifting position. And if she sat up, she was going to have to stop. So she continued to brush her fingers along the taut muscles of the woman's calf, the small bones of her ankles, and she heard Sharon whimper. Brenda snatched her hand away as if she'd been burned, and grabbed the handles of her tote. Sitting up, she glanced over at the Captain, and Sharon met her gaze full on, her green eyes dark with desire.

"The rest of the team is waiting, Cap'n. We should go." Brenda tried to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Indeed, Chief. We should. Go." Sharon's voice dripped like honey over Brenda's ears, and the Chief closed her eyes, licking her lips. She opened them, and saw Sharon staring at her mouth, her own lips parted. Brenda wanted to slide across the seat, and press her lips against the Captain's, wanted to feel the sudden shocking contact of tongues and teeth, the delicate battle for dominance over the kiss. Brenda bit her lower lip, and tore here eyes away. She opened the door, and stepped out into the unforgiving sunlight, welcoming the excuse to take a few deep breaths, to close her eyes against the glare and clear her head. She heard Sharon slam the door, heard those purposeful steps clicking away towards the house, and she leaned against the side of the car, giving the Captain a head start.

Sharon was thankful that she'd had a moment to compose herself. She wasn't sure she'd be steady on her legs after that...whatever that was. Her body was positively thrumming with desire, and she couldn't quite catch her breath. The Chief's intensity had been overwhelming. That she'd been undone by the simple sensation of a hand on her leg, touching her with such reverence, such single-mindedness, was foolish. Sharon knew, especially considering her reason for tagging along today, that this dance couldn't continue. But she couldn't bring herself to stop imagining...to stop hoping. She walked up the steps to the large home of the Disken's, listening for the sound of Brenda's shoes on the pavement behind her. She reached the porch, and turned around to see where the Chief had gone. Brenda was leaning against the car, her face in her hands. Sharon paused, wondering if she should go to her, when the blond woman shook her head, brushed her hair back from her face, and squared her shoulders. She stalked towards the house, and Sharon quickly spun on her heel, and approached Sgt. Gabriel.

Once inside the home, the team sat down with the family. Mr. Disken seemed angry, though his distraught wife admitted to calling the mayor. Sharon understood now, why Major Crimes was here. It was a favor. It all came back to politics. She cast her gaze around the room, taking in the details, and reminded herself that she was an observer in these proceedings. She managed to sit quietly until she heard the Chief ask a question that could be trouble.

"Chief Johnson. We're not permitted to inquire about the citizenship of the people we're investigating." Sharon reminded her gently.

Brenda turned, and glared at her across Sgt. Gabriel.

"I didn't ask about her citizenship. I asked if she spoke English. If she doesn't, then we need Detective Sanchez." The Chief replied tersely.

"Oh, she speaks English. And she's a citizen. We pay all the appropriate taxes, as well. Don't wanna embarrass the Mayor, you know." Mr. Disken interjected with a chuckle.

Brenda conducted the rest of the interview without further event, and they thanked the family, and left to go to the Nanny's home. She thought briefly that she should ask Sgt. Gabriel to ride along with her, so that she wouldn't be alone with Sharon again, but decided that would look peculiar. She'd just have to make sure there was no physical contact. She was able to hold her feelings in check, mostly, until she touched the Captain. It was like the sensation of her skin short circuited Brenda's brain, leaving only the part that ached for that woman. All other reasonable thought was lost in the silken feel of skin on skin. Brenda decided to just get in the car, and wait for the Captain. She dropped her head back on the headrest, and sighed, Sharon was clearly asking the other members of the team about Pope, but Brenda was glad for the chance to gather her thoughts, and steel her defenses. She thought about unplugging the MP3 player, and tuning to talk radio, but she decided against it. No reason to call attention to it, and after all, it was just music.

Sharon pulled open the passenger door, and sank elegantly into the seat. She noticed that Brenda had put her over-sized tote in the back seat, and she smiled a bit, even as she felt a pang of disappointment. Brenda turned the car on, and pulled out into traffic as soon as she heard the Captain's seat belt click. That sweet citrus musk blend swirled in the car, and Brenda tried breathing quietly through her mouth, attempting to find an escape from that intoxicating perfume. The music played quietly in the background, and she hummed along without thinking.

In the kitchen
in the shower
and in the back seat of my car
I'll hold you up
in your office
preferably during business hours
'cause you know how I like it when there's people around
and I know how you like it
yeah I know how you like it
I know how you like it when I tease you for hours

Sharon wondered if Brenda was aware that she was humming along. She wondered if the Chief was really aware of the implications of this song, at this juncture. She wondered if it was a signal. An invitation. Sharon pushed the thought out of her mind. They were on their way to check on a missing person. Whatever else, Brenda was a consummate professional, and wouldn't jeopardize the investigation, or the safety of the young woman in question. Even knowing that, Sharon couldn't help shifting in her seat, angling her body slightly towards the Chief. She crossed her ankles, knowing as she did so, that her skirt would shift, exposing more of her thigh than before. She tried to tell herself it was because she wasn't used to the seats in this car, but deep down she wanted to feel the burn of Brenda's gaze. The possibility of those hands on her skin again, breaching her defenses, Sharon was practically breathless at the thought. It was odd, this dynamic. In past relationships, Sharon was typically leading the charge, in a more forward and obvious fashion. This tactic was new to her, creating these small situations, these little moments in which she could entice the Chief without making an actual move on her. She wasn't passive, exactly, in this, but it was still a far cry from her usual actions. Of course, her usual actions didn't typically involve a married, straight, superior officer with an attitude problem, so, it was good to be flexible.

Brenda stopped humming abruptly when she sensed Sharon shifting in her seat. She kept her eyes forward on the road, but her peripheral vision was determined to betray her, giving her a glimpse of pale skin beneath grey, and Brenda knew intuitively, without turning her head, that there would be an expanse of uncharted thigh exposed. She gripped the steering wheel ever tighter, wondering if Sharon was as acutely aware of each of her small movements, or if this was an unfortunate (or fortunate, depending) side effect of Brenda's exemplary skills of observation. She saw Sharon lift a hand, and her nose was filled with that damnable scent again. Brenda surmised that Sharon had tossed her hair again. She thought that maybe riding in strained silence was contributing to her hyper awareness of the woman and her motions, so she cast about for something to chat about.

Sharon felt the change in Brenda's demeanor even before she spoke.

"Cap'n, when we get to the Gomez residence, let me and the team go in ahead of you, okay? Just until we clear the scene." Brenda blinked, realizing that her statement could sound like professional distance, or personal concern. She blinked again, realizing she wasn't sure of her own motivation.

"Thank you, Chief. I do have my own vest, and I knew what I was getting into when I got into this car." Sharon's voice dropped at the end of that statement, husky and full of promise.

Brenda narrowed her eyes, not hearing the agreement to stay behind the team.

"For heaven's sake Cap'n. Just stay behind the team. I have enough to worry about, without worrying about you getting shot. Just do as I say!" Brenda huffed, shoving a strand of hair back from her forehead, and pulling into a parking space a few doors down from the Gomez place.

"Yes, Chief." Sharon's voice fell like velvet around Brenda, and she found herself wondering if that's what the dark haired woman sounded like in bed, that low, ragged voice. Brenda wondered what her name would sound like, falling from those lips.

She jerked the car door open, and quickly exited, walking over to the rest of the team. The Captain followed behind at a reasonable distance, Brenda noted with some relief. She knocked on the door, several times, to no avail. Deciding that there was no time to waste, she pulled out her small lock-picking kit.

"You're breaking into the home of a citizen?" Sharon asked quietly.

"No, Cap'n. I am doing a public safety check. I have reason to believe that the occupant of this premises is in danger, and I am doing my civic duty to protect and serve." Brenda snapped back, hearing the tumblers of the lock click into the open position. She stood to the side, and gestured Detective Sanchez forward. He swung the door open, and entered. The team quickly cleared the house, and then Brenda heard the sound that would turn the rest of her day upside down. Sanchez calling to her from the back room.

"Chief, you should see this."

Brenda followed the sound of his voice, pushing through the door, and cursing. There, covered in blood on the floor, was an obviously dead Adrianna Gomez. Brenda covered her nose with her sleeve, and turned to Flynn, asking him to call for the crime scene team. She shooed the rest of the team, and the Captain, out of the room, and back out onto the sidewalk, so they could wait for the Scene team to get there and clear it. Brenda walked down the steps, and leaned against the railing. This was the part of her job she hated. The senseless devastations, these young lives, thrown away, always over something so stupid, so pointless. Greed. Deceit. Hatred. Anger. It was always so stupid! Brenda scuffed her shoe along the pavement, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Sharon stood on the landing, watching the Chief, feeling the grief rolling off of the woman in waves. She walked down the steps, and leaned against the railing next to her, letting their shoulders touch. She didn't say anything, or make any other gesture. She just lent the blond woman her warmth for a moment, her strength. Brenda saw the gift for what it was, and pressed her arm into the Captain's in thanks. They stood there for a long moment, shoulders touching, each lost in their own thoughts, but grateful for the presence of the other.