MiraBeth looked up from her position on the floor. When Roman had thundered across the room and jacked Seth up, he'd inadvertently tossed her on her backside on the floor. Momentarily stunned, she simply took in the sight of Roman's muscled arms straining as he dangled Seth several feet off the floor. One hand was wrapped around his friend's neck and the other forearm was braced across his chest. Long dark hair cascaded down his back. She could see the muscle clenching and unclenching in his jaw, matching the veins standing out along the strong column of his neck. If the situation wasn't so threatening for Seth, Roman would look HOTT. MiraBeth maneuvered the few feet that distanced her from the men, a move that caused Seth's eyes to bulge in fear.

"You should be scared, you *ss. Cheating on your woman wasn't enough, you had to make a play on mi…" Roman's growled snarl was cut off when MiraBeth struck. She planted her right foot and kicked his ankles out from under him with her left. As both men tumbled to the floor, she used her planted foot for leverage to boost herself into the air and springboard backwards.

Seth scrambled away from Roman as he gasped for air. MiraBeth stood over the irate Samoan, glaring down with her hands on her hips. "I am seriously thinking about arresting your overprotective, jealous, conclusion-leaping *ss for assault. Think about that, moron. Don't flinch. Just lay there and think." She turned to Seth and held out her hand. The other man glanced at Roman before shaking his head and backing further away, cornering himself between her bed, nightstand, and wall. "Your friend isn't going to hurt you. He is going to remove his head from his anus and thank you for attempting to repair his relationship with his girlfriend, something he hasn't drummed up the balls to do himself since he would rather sulk in another room and pout about how miserable he is." Roman started to sit up and open his mouth. MiraBeth whirled on him. "Did I give you permission to move? For your safety and mine, you need to stay put." Roman shrunk back flat against the floor at her harsh glare. "Let me put this in simple terms – you came into my room in the role of a perpetrator. That puts me in the role of a police officer." She squatted down beside him. "Not the roles we enjoy with each other, but you chose this. Now, hear me and listen. I know my job and I can do it well. You know I did it when I got out of Shawn's trunk. You know the hell I went through on that accident scene by…my…self. You think that I will have trouble handling you? Really? You…my boyfriend who leaps to the most asinine of conclusions and then tries to pummel his best friend who was trying to comfort me and fix things with me because he didn't have the huevos to do it himself?"

"He's not my best friend." Roman muttered.

MiraBeth stood up and threw her hands in the air. Seth looked at the floor, obviously hurt. "Would you get up and put some ice on that?" she said, exasperation filling her voice. Seth moved slowly, watching Roman the entire time.

When MiraBeth started to follow him, Roman reached for her ankle. "Please…"

"Please what? Please don't help our friend who you hurt? Please listen to more drivel that you want to spout off?"

"Please don't end us." he whispered.

MiraBeth looked at Roman with sad eyes. "We are both tired. I am going to chalk that comment up to you being exhausted and this being an emotional night." She shook her head. "Doubting our relationship after racing across the country…Stupid man."

MiraBeth found Seth sitting on the floor of the kitchen holding his head in his hands. It was her turn feel heartache and compassion for a fellow human being. She got a bag of frozen corn and a bag of frozen broccoli out of the freezer. Sitting on the floor beside Seth she pressed the corn against his cheek. His head popped up in surprise. "It will help the swelling. Not much to do for the bruises." She handed him the broccoli and looked at his neck. He shrugged. She shoved the frozen vegetables into place. "He will realize that he over reacted. You didn't do anything wrong, Seth. You didn't cross any lines. We are all on edge and feel shitty. We should be leaning on each other right now." MiraBeth looked at her hands, picking at her nails. She whispered, "I owe you an apology. I called you names earlier. I am sorry."

"S'ok. I 'preciate that. Any friends I can get I'm going to need." he said softly. "I thought that Roman was one… He was going to help me figure out how to make amends. I would be here for him and he would be there for…"

"He…" MiraBeth started.

"Seth, we are friends. You know that, man." Both people sitting on the floor looked up in surprise to hear from (and see) the man now standing at the door. "Mira was right, we are all tired and very emotional right now. I didn't mean… I know that you wouldn't hit on MiraBeth. You know what she means to me. You have more respect for me than that. Now that the two of you are becoming friends, you know what I mean to her and you wouldn't hurt her in that way. I know that, I really do." Roman dropped down to the floor on the other side of Seth. "When I opened that door and saw her in your…" Roman's head thunked back against the cabinets. "I guess it hit me how stupid I was, how hurt she was, and I was pissed that I wasn't the one holding her."

"You were jealous. I get it." Seth tried to stand up. "You two need to talk. You love each other too much to let this continue. I'll be fine."

Roman grabbed his friend's arm. "I am sorry."

"Fix things with MiraBeth. Don't make her cry anymore." Seth ordered. Looking at MiraBeth he said, "Listen to him. Consider the offer. Personally, having you keep my *ss in line would be scary and fun. Roman would be happier. I see lots of positives for taking the job. I know you love being a cop and, having seen what you might look like on the job, I know you are good at it. But I think this change could be good for you personally and relationship-wise." With those words he headed for the living room, clutching both bags of frozen vegetables.

"So, I guess we have a lot to talk about." Roman said quietly.

"I guess so." MiraBeth agreed. "Do you want to start with breaking into my house and almost getting shot or barging into my bedroom and almost getting arrested?"

Roman put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. "How about I start with I am sorry I completely f*cked up tonight and can we please have a do-over?" He pulled her close and clutched her tightly. "If we have to rehash everything that went wrong tonight, I will have to relive almost getting shot, seeing you in your officer demeanor – which is rather frightening – and I would also have to relive scrubbing Seth's p*ss off of your floor. I beg you, can we please begin the way I had planned?"

"What was that?" she asked, looking up from where he had cradled her against his chest.

"I told Seth he had to leave all electronics in a bowl in the kitchen and sleep in the living room. We were not to hear a peep from him. I was going to come in to your room and let you know we were here so you weren't shocked in the morning. I planned on sliding in bed behind you, holding on to you, and talking to you about what I had said to Vince. That we would talk about his offer. I knew you wouldn't be happy but I thought if we talked that maybe, possibly, we would agree on the merits of traveling together."

"Lovely plan." MiraBeth agreed.

"I agree. So why are you two still in the kitchen? Go away and let me sleep!" Seth called from the living room.

Roman kissed MiraBeth's forehead. "Give me just a minute." he whispered before heading for the living room with a bowl. "Where is your phone? Any other electronics? IPod? Hmmmm?" MiraBeth couldn't help but grin as she heard Seth grumble as he put his belongings in the bowl Roman held. "Dude, you are my responsibility until and if she agrees to take the job. Therefore your electronics are locked up unless I can see what you are doing. Like it or lump it; them's the rules." Roman came back through, grabbed MiraBeth's hand, and walked at a leisurely pace into her bedroom.