"Good morning, Dyson," Bo said as she walked by his desk toward her new office, a perk of her new promotion.

Dyson rose to his feet and walked behind her with his hands in his pockets. "Welcome back, boss. What do we have on the agenda for today?"

Bo unlocked her office door and rested her box down on the desk. She swayed her eyes around the office, for a second, and sat behind her desk.

Dyson pointed to the pile of files on her desk. "There's the information you asked for about our old case." He sat in the chair in the corner. "And if you don't mind me saying," He sighed. "I think you should stay away from that case, it's no longer ours."

Bo rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Dyson. But I plan on working on this on my free time, so no worries."

Dyson watched as rummaged through her box and pulled out a picture of her and Lauren. "What does Lauren think about that?" He gestured to the framed picture in her hand.

She positioned the picture beside her computer and turned her attention back to Dyson. "Lauren? Why would I need Lauren's permission about what cases I work on?"

He shrugged. "That case almost killed you so…maybe your girlfriend would feel something about that…have an opinion."

Bo dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "I need to get caught up on things. Please let me know when Ryan arrives."

Dyson swung the door open and mockingly saluted her before closing the door behind him.

Bo began catching up on work, reading through her emails and messages. The ones from Ryan came first. She flipped through those messages when her phone buzzed beside her. She frowned reading the message. It was from Rainer, her father's campaign manager, wanting to take her to dinner to discuss the fundraiser. She slid her attention to the next message, about a photo shoot with her father. She didn't reply to the messages. She planned on ignoring them as long as possible. There was no way she felt comfortable exploiting a tragedy for political gain. It was wrong.

She turned her attention to the files littering her desk. She carefully picked up one and began looking through the details of the case. She was beginning to read through what was discovered at the crime scene when another message from Rainer popped up on her screen. She had no intention of reading that message. The only thing that made sense to her was to focus on work and ignore everything about her father and his campaign. Whatever mangled version of the truth her father wanted to sell, to help himself, she wasn't interested in. She owed it to the victims to solve the case. She couldn't risk getting distracted from that goal by her father.

With a quick breath, she re-focused on the case file. Nothing of use was discovered at the scene and the brothers had escaped without a trace. She rubbed the back of her neck reading over the material slower, trying to find some detail that the others might have missed.

XXXXX

Lauren's phone rang late in the morning. Bo was gone, and she was alone in bed. She rolled over and shielded her eyes from the bright light gleaming through the window, blinking her sleep away she squinted at the display and groaned. Evony. She declined the call and pulled the blankets over her head.

A few minutes later, the phone buzzed again, with a text. She ignored it and didn't read the text as she stretched her body out and scooted out of bed.

She picked up her laptop and textbooks and carried them into the next room. In the kitchen, she put away the random items that were scattered around. Bo and Tamsin weren't the tidiest people to live with. They tended to leave messes out especially in the mornings.

She turned on the coffee pot and opened her laptop and froze, unblinking at the screen. Bo had left open her last Internet searches. It appeared like she was looking at houses. Every muscle in Lauren's body tensed, and her stomach knotted. Houses? She loved their apartment, and she wondered why Bo would be looking at houses now. They couldn't afford that, not now. She scratched the back of her hair, and her mind wandered to the little black box hidden in her room.

She pushed herself out of the chair and paced the length of the kitchen. In the spirit of open and honest communication, she decided to call Bo and ask her about it.

After a few rings, Bo answered. "I was just thinking about you. How did you do that?" She said on the other end.

"How's work?" Lauren asked pouring her coffee.

"Not much going on yet, really. I miss being with you in bed." Lauren heard a brief pause. "What are you wearing?"

"Nothing."

"Really?"

Lauren laughed at Bo's excited tone. "No, I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts."

"I bet you look amazing."

Lauren was quiet, for a second, drumming her fingers along the counter. "Were you looking at houses?" She asked at last.

"Yes," Bo answered promptly but then hesitated a moment. "But before you panic, I was only curious about what was out there."

Lauren frowned at the phone. "I wasn't panicking."

"Mm-hmm." There was another pause, and Lauren heard Dyson's voice. "Oh, I got to go. See you tonight."

"Be safe." Lauren put her cell on the table and sat down to drink her coffee. She took a moment to glance at the houses Bo left up before she closed them out.

XXXXX

The smell of coffee called to Tamsin distracting her. She wandered away from her desk to the coffee pot, where she came across a table filled with coffee, an array of donuts and several different pastries. She made her coffee and scooped up a pile of food. She moved to her desk and after ten minutes, she was riding a wonderful sugar high and energy was bursting through her.

Dyson strolled up to her with a grin, quickly he grabbed a donut and ate it in two bites.

Tamsin gave him a warning look and moved her food out of his reach. "Get your own."

He chuckled and sat beside her. "Why? You have more than enough there for two." He pointed at her pile of untouched donuts and pastries.

"It's my breakfast." She gripped her coffee mug tightly, glaring at him.

He squeezed his lips together. "You're so weird, Tamsin."

Tamsin scoffed. "I need my three meals a day. It's important."

Dyson pulled the plate away from her. "That's not a meal. That's junk."

Tamsin scrunched her nose and pulled the plate back. "It's fuel, I need it."

Dyson suddenly turned serious and studied her face.

In the middle of a bite she stopped. "What?" She asked with her mouth full.

"I like you." He said directly.

Tamsin nearly choked on her donut, before she swallowed it, her eyes were impossibly wide. She didn't know how to respond. Did he mean in a friendly way…romantic…she wasn't sure. So, she simply gaped at him.

He chuckled. "Ok. Well, that's out there, balls in your court." He stood and walked away from her.

She watched him go and quickly ate another donut.

XXXX

At the same time, reluctantly, Bo entered Ryan's office.

Ryan ignored her at first, tending to the work on his desk.

Bo's nerves were on edge, with a deep breath she waited impatiently. She was tired of his games, his ridiculous power plays. To make things worse, his smug face irritated her even more.

Ryan slowly lifted his eyes and stretched his arms out on his desk, dancing his fingers annoying on the desk. "Dennis, so good to have our hero back."

She answered with a pointed eye-roll.

"How much did daddy pay for that medal? Or what favors did he give out?"

Bo held back her retorts and stared at him. Ryan wasn't worth it. She didn't need to engage in the back and forth. She didn't need the aggravation.

He flipped through the papers on his desk. "You're back, but you won't be on active duty until you go through the required counseling." He smiled, coldly at her. "We don't want you getting shell shocked out there."

Bo clenched her jaw and fought against arguing back. "What will I do in the meantime?"

His smug smile expanded. "Oh, paperwork, answering phones. You know woman's work."

Bo tapped her foot on the floor. He was baiting her and she wasn't going to give in. "Can I go now?" She figured Ryan would keep her busy with tedious work, but she knew arguing wouldn't go anywhere.

"What's the rush?" His eyes scanned her body, openly stalling on her breasts.

She followed his gaze and folded her arms over her chest. It was his typical behavior, but she bit back the urge to slap his face. "I have work to do." She snapped back.

Ryan snorted. "I know about those files you requested, stay away from that case."

Bo stood her ground and calmed her nerves, staring him down. "Why? I can work on it on my free time."

"No. It's not your case. Daddy can't save you from everything." He sneered his lip curling in disdain.

Bo grabbed the doorknob. "I have work to do." She said sharply before exiting the office.

XXXXX

Having dinner and drinks at the bar, Dyson waved his hand in front of Lauren's face, and she blinked quickly and turned her attention back to him.

"Sorry, what were we talking about?" She bit into her sandwich.

"Doc, am I boring you, geez? What's up?"

Evony sat at the bar and waved at Lauren with a sly smile. Lauren squirmed in her chair. "Nothing." She averted her eyes to her sandwich.

Dyson turned and gawked at Evony. "Who is that?" He pointed his fork in Evony's direction; she raised her glass to answer his gaze.

Lauren treaded lightly. "Evony, I worked with her at the hospital." She had no clue why Evony was there, and she wasn't in the mood to find out.

Dyson was pretty amused by how uncomfortable Lauren looked. "The one that hates you but also wants to sleep with you?"

Lauren crinkled her nose and leaned back quickly. "That's not true." She tried to look as unknowing as possible as she answered.

Dyson stared directly at Evony and grinned. After a second, he shook his head. "Trust me on this one, Lauren. Those are not friendly eyes she has on you."

Lauren scrubbed her hands down her face.

He chuckled and took a long drink of his beer. "Wouldn't it be funny if Bo walked in right now and saw her looking at you like that?"

She scrunched her features and glared at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I just think she'd have something to say about it."

Lauren turned angry and annoyed. "Are you trying to start trouble or something?" She slammed her drink down, harder than she meant to.

He put his hands up and gave her an innocent face. "No, I just find jealous Bo funny is all."

Lauren slapped his hand. "Stop. Bo and I are in a really good place, right now. We don't need unnecessary drama or jealousy."

Dyson laughed so hard his face turned red. "Lauren, you are so easy to rile up. I can't resist."

A transformation took place in Lauren's features turning fiercely protective, her posture stiffened. "Joking about my relationship isn't funny. We almost broke up."

"But you didn't. Bo's too whipped for that." Dyson said, after taking another drink.

Lauren pulled his drink away from him and shot daggers at him with her eyes. "How many of these have you had?"

He cracked another smile. A jovial, laid-back expression crossed his face. "Geez, Lauren what happened to your sense of humor?"

Lauren glared at him. Her disapproving look spoke volumes. "Just stop, ok. Don't joke about me and Bo."

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I was only teasing you. Honestly, I'm glad things are going so well. Nothing makes sense in our little group when you two are at odds." He grinned. "I mean who would get me in the divorce?"

"Haha. You're not funny." Lauren's attention snapped to Evony as she approached the table, walking with a smirk and a confident stride.

Evony invited herself to sit down and stared at Lauren. "Is your phone broken, Dr. Lewis?" An unreadable mask slipped into place on Evony's face.

Lauren rolled her eyes, turning in Evony's direction. "Oh, yeah. I was getting a lot of annoying messages, so I threw it against the wall."

"Feisty." Evony gave Lauren a small slick smile.

Lauren let out a long, heavy breath. "What do you want, Evony?"

Dyson awkwardly shifted in his chair and swerved his eyes away from them.

"Seems like we've lost a promising young surgeon. I would like to keep tabs on you." Evony leaned closer to her. "See how your new career is working out."

Lauren parsed Evony's words. "No, thanks."

"It's very interesting that we're no longer working together. It opens up a lot of possibilities, don't you think?" Evony's face was triumphant as she continued to gauge Lauren's reactions.

Dyson stayed quiet, but his eyes broadened.

Lauren stared directly back at her. "I don't actually."

Evony gave Lauren a once over and rose from her seat in a smooth motion. "If you change your mind." She slipped a card on the table and swaggered off, looking more assured than she had any right to be.

Both Dyson and Lauren moved for the card at the same time. Dyson snatched it up first. He read it and put his hand over his mouth and laughed into it.

Lauren reached out and took it from his hand. It was Evony's home address. Lauren tossed the card onto the table and rubbed her hands down her face, and Dyson shook his head at her. Lauren left it at that and finished her food in silence.

XXXXX

Lauren sat behind Bo massaging her shoulders. "How was work?" She asked, her breath warm through the thin shirt Bo wore.

Bo squeezed Lauren's legs. "Meh. I have to talk with a counselor before I can get back in the field. They want to make sure I'm mentally stable."

Lauren slid her hand over Bo's neck while she bent to kiss her ear. "That's good." She said softly.

Bo looked backward over her shoulder to glance at Lauren. "Yeah, but I'm fine it's a waste of time."

"They want you safe. And so do I. You lived through a traumatic event, and there's no telling what might trigger the memories. Safety first." Lauren gave Bo a quick peck when she finished.

"I guess. But I feel fine. I'm Bo Dennis I can handle anything."

Lauren stroked her, exploring the curves of her arms and back, slowly but firm. "Well, Bo Dennis you're also human so take care of yourself."

"Really, I'm not worried I can handle myself." Bo's head fell back, savoring Lauren's touches.

"You might feel better getting everything off your chest, talking about what happened with a professional." Lauren traced her fingertips up and down Bo's leg.

"I'll go, but I'm not happy about it. I want to get back to work."

They slipped into silence and Lauren continued to massage Bo's shoulders and back.

"What are you thinking about," Lauren asked her breath again on Bo's neck.

Bo turned around and pushed Lauren onto the bed, a mischievous smile on her face. "About getting you naked." Bo gazed into Lauren's eyes; her smile subsided replaced with an intense expression.

Lauren's heart pounded as she waited for Bo to make a move. "You're so beautiful, Bo. I can't believe how lucky I am." She pressed her lips to Bo's, ending the conversation. She ran her hands under Bo's shirt and around to her back, holding her close.

Bo's lips drifted down Lauren's neck, her fingers traveling across Lauren's thighs. Lauren exhaled in pleasure, relaxing into Bo's touches with a mixture of desire and love.

XXXX

The next morning, Lauren woke up with a smile. She felt full of energy and was excited to start the day. She was so relieved that things were still going so well for them. Everything was perfect. Completely perfect.

Bo buried her face in her pillow. "I want to stay in bed with you." She groaned. "I don't want to go to work."

Lauren rubbed her hands down her back. "I'll be here when you get home. I'll make you dinner."

Bo flipped over and grabbed Lauren's waist and pulled her on top of her. "That's very domestic of you." She kissed her fingertips.

Lauren bent down, lightly her hair brushed over Bo's face. "Well, don't get used to it. I will be going back to work next week."

"In that case, I'll start making you dinner." She paused and smiled. "Or buy you dinner." Bo moved her hands to Lauren's shirt to start to lift it up.

Lauren wiggled away from her. "We don't have time for that." Bo was unfazed and scooted closer and returned trying to get her shirt off. Lauren swatted her hand away. "I'm not ready to buy a house, Bo. I'm basically starting my career over right now. I can't afford it."

Bo pulled her hands back and rested them behind her head. She peered up at Lauren. "Well, that was a good segue." She teased. "But I could take care of it for now."

Lauren frowned. "No, we're equal partners. I can pay my own way."

Bo shrugged. "We can wait, I just thought…I just wanted to see what was out there."

Lauren cupped her face and kissed her forehead. "You're adorable but can we please wait?"

"Your wish is my command, my lady."

"Haha." Lauren rolled out of the bed. "Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

Bo regarded Lauren fondly. "Sounds great. I need to check my messages and jump in the shower, first."

Lauren walked the door, and Bo called out to her. "This could be our life, you know? Taking care of each other, waking up together, loving each other…every day."

Lauren smiled and left the conversation at that and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. She found Tamsin sitting in the kitchen, focusing on a stack of papers on the table. "Morning," Lauren said as she strolled to the refrigerator.

Tamsin flinched and lifted her head quickly. "Lewis, you should wear a bell or something, you startled me."

"I have a smooth and quiet gait, I can't help it. Do you want breakfast?" Lauren asked, her back to Tamsin as she pulled food out.

Tamsin's features brightened. "Sure."

Lauren nodded and busied herself with making the three of them breakfast. "Did you go out with Dyson last night?" She asked cutting through the quiet.

Tamsin frowned and watched Lauren. "What do you mean, go out? What…did Dyson say something to you?"

Lauren looked back over her shoulder. "You two spend a lot of time together, I was just asking."

"What's a lot of time?" Tamsin asked, nervously fidgeting with her paperwork.

Lauren laughed and tossed her head back. "You're wound up. What's up?"

Tamsin opened her mouth to answer but both their attention turned to the door when they heard a knock.

Tamsin thankful for a distraction quickly moved to answer the door. In front of her stood a tall man, with a head full of thick dark hair. He wore a fitted gray suit, which Tamsin thought probably cost more than her truck. "Hi, I'm Rainer." He smiled and held out his hand expectantly toward Tamsin.

Tamsin frowned and didn't bring her hand out to shake it. "We're not interested in joining your church. We're all filled up here."

She moved to close the door, but he stopped her. "I'm looking for Bo Dennis. I work for her father."

"Uh-huh. Well, if you don't mind waiting out here. I'll get her." She closed the door in his face before he could answer.

Lauren looked up from the stove and watched Tamsin walk down the hall to get Bo.

A few minutes later, Bo entered the kitchen looking annoyed. She kissed Lauren's cheek before she opened the door.

Rainer smiled with pure confidence. "Ms. Dennis, you haven't answered my messages."

"I'm not interested in helping my father." Bo said shortly.

Rainer rubbed his hand over his chin and jaw. "Your father does not take no for an answer."

Bo scoffed. "One thing you should know is I won't be ordered around by my father, or anyone. I don't have the time to go around fundraising for him. But beyond that, I'm not interested."

Rainer arched his eyebrows. "Well, one thing you should know about me, is I didn't get my job by giving up at the first no." A smile curled along his lips.

Bo glared at him, and he continued. "Give me a chance to prove myself. I promise I'll make it as quick and painless as possible."

"I will talk to my father directly about this and not through his errand boy." Bo closed the door; he kept smiling as the door shut on him.

Bo spun around. At that point, she was furious. Her neck felt stiff, she couldn't believe her father would send his employee to her apartment, especially someone so pompous. She wanted to scream out her annoyances.

Lauren made their plates and looked at Bo, with curiosity. "I don't understand what your father wants you to do exactly."

Bo let out a long irritated breath. "Go to parties, smile for photos, give lame speeches. You know manufactured nonsense."

Lauren handed Tamsin and Bo their plates, and they sat together eating. In the middle of eating Bo's phone buzzed with a message from her father. She ignored it. This situation was certainly going to be interesting, Bo thought as she disregarded another message. And yes, her father wouldn't give up until she agreed to help him. But she planned to wait him out and ignore him completely.

XXXXX

AN

Thanks for reading and reviewing!