Chapter Eight

Sonja took a deep cleansing breath and entered the office. No one was at their desks, but she could hear laughing in the kitchen. As she placed her things on her desk and grabbed a mug, she heard Chris' voice sail over the rest.

"And then, Percy put her tongue in mah mouth, and well, let me tell you, that girl has more talent than a Bourbon Street hooker."

"You should know LaSalle," she heard Brody reply.

Sonja stormed into the kitchen, and stopped dead in her tracks to see the whole team - LaSalle, Brody, Pride, and Plame - standing around the island drinking coffee totally naked (well, Triple P wasn't standing, but he was still sans clothes).

Chris put down his coffee. He walked over to her with a huge grin and an even bigger erection. "Here's the girl of the hour. We wondered if you'd ever get here!" He began to kiss her and pull at her clothes. She struggled to get away.

"Yes, we've all been waiting Sonja. Christopher's given you quite the buildup," Pride smiled as he approached her with open arms and an equally stiff member.

Sonja backed up hoping to feel the wall, but instead found herself in the soft arms of Meredith Brody.

"I'm so glad you've joined us, Sonja," Merri whispered in Percy's ear, embracing her from behind. "I was getting real tired and very sore. Now, I can concentrate on Pride as you take care of LaSalle."

"Hey, what am I? Sloppy seconds?" protested Plame.

"No way," Brody said. She murmured in Sonja's other ear, "You haven't lived until you've had wheelchair sex - talk about the earth moving!"

Percy wriggled out of Merri's arms and ran over to the open courtyard. "What's going on? Why are you like this?"

"You crossed the line Sonja," Pride said, suddenly serious. "Everything is different."

"But, I don't want it to change, I want it to be the same," Sonja cried as her co-workers surrounded her. She could feel their skin press against her, suffocating with their touch and smell. She felt herself getting lost in a tangle of limbs.

Sonja woke up breathing rapidly. Her heart was beating like a rabbit. She looked at the clock. It flashed 7:25 AM. Alone in her own bed, she remembered leaving LaSalle at midnight, making him swear their relationship wouldn't change their work life. They both seemed resolute, but her subconscious was telling her otherwise.

Were they just fooling themselves? Sonja wasn't sure, but she did know that she wasn't yet willing to give up either her job or LaSalle. To that end, she had pull it together and go to work like it was a normal day.

In other words, fake it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Across the city, Chris LaSalle whistled through his morning routine. Everything in his home was brighter since she was here. His bed, his bathroom, even his Mr. Coffee seemed to shine since she touched them.

All was right with his world. He was young, healthy, and had a great woman he worked with and loved. He knew he had it bad, but he didn't care. Sure, they had to cool it at work, but that only made their time together sweeter.

Who could ask for anything more?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Sonja got out of her car, she felt a sharp prick near her ear. She instinctively swatted to feel the large fuzzy body of a bee.

'Fan-fucking-tastic.' She thought. Not a good sign.

She entered the office and got a chill. It was empty just like in her dream. Again, she heard talking coming from the kitchen. It took all her will to get her mug and walk in. Brody was drinking coffee at the table while Pride worked at the island stove. To her relief, they were fully dressed.

Pride looked up and gave her a big smile, "Percy! Glad to see you made it out of LaSalle's alive!"

Sonja's heart jumped until she remembered the flooding ruse she and Chris had made up.

"Oh yeah," she chuckled lamely. "It was touch and go there for a while." Touch and go! She thought to herself, way to be obvious. But, of course, no one else noticed.

"Well, sit down girl, 'cause I whipped up some scrambled tofu and soy cheese for your dining pleasure!" Pride placed down a steaming plate with a fork. Sonja grabbed some coffee and sat down next to Merri.

She silently talked to herself as she ate. 'Don't be paranoid, don't be paranoid.' Still, she felt she was being watched. She looked up to see Brody's half-moon eyes scrunched up and staring.

"Percy what's that on your neck?" She reached out her hand.

"Oh nothing," Sonja said a bit too annoyed as she moved away. God-damn LaSalle and his talented mouth.

"No, let me see, it looks swollen," Merri said. "I think you got stung!"

Inwardly, Sonja breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, the bee! .

"Here, come look at this Pride," Brody said, "I think the stinger's still in there. Do you have any tweezers?"

"I do, I do," he said rummaging in a nearby drawer, until he produced the tiny tongs. "Here they are." He deftly lit the gas stove and sterilized the tips.

"Now, don't squirm Percy. This will just take a second," Pride said. Merri was holding Sonja's shoulders steady as King knelt down to do his surgery.

That was the precise moment Chris LaSalle entered the kitchen.

"What the hell's going on!" He yelped loudly, causing Pride to dig the still hot tweezers into Percy's flesh, making her neck jerk in an unnatural position.

"Shit!" Percy and Pride yelled in unison.

Brody turned to him. "LaSalle, be quiet! Percy got bit and Pride is getting the stinger out."

"Gotcha!" King proclaimed, holding up the tweezers with, well, pride.

"I think I wrenched my neck," Sonja winched twisting her head around. "Thanks alot LaSalle!"

"Sorry, I just..." he had no words. "Are you OK?"

"Oh she's fine," Pride said getting a band-aid from the tweezer drawer. "You aren't allergic, are you?" he asked.

"Not that I know of," Sonja said.

"Well, you might want to take Benedryl, just in case," Brody said. "Although it could make her drowsy."

"We wouldn't want that," Pride said. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Oh ah'm sure she did," LaSalle said. "Sonja's a regular early to bed, early to rise sort."

Percy threw a few visual daggers at him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she babbled. "Thanks guys, for helping me. I'm going to my desk, now. Thanks for breakfast Pride. It was awesome as always."

"No problem," Pride smiled and turned to LaSalle who looked suddenly pale.

"You alright boy? Never saw you flinch at the sight of a little blood," he said.

"Yeah, I'm good King," he managed. "Got any of that breakfast left?"

"Here's some eggs," Brody said, pushed a platter over. "You sure you're OK?"

"Yeah, just with my flood yesterday and everything, I'm, ah, a bit tired," he said.

Percy got back to her desk and turned on her laptop. Her hands were trembling.

"Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean," she mantra-ed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later, their phones went crazy.

"Dead Marine found in his home," Pride said after hanging up. "Foul play suspected. Let's go. Brody you're with me. LaSalle, Percy, we're going to 675 Broadmoor."

"Heard," LaSalle said motioning to Percy.

They got in the car, with LaSalle in the driver's seat.

"Well, that went well," he said.

"Oh yeah, until you yelled, and Pride nearly sliced my jugular," she said.

"Hey, all I saw was everyone crouched around your head," he said. "I was worried, you know?" He touched her hand; she jerked it away.

"That is precisely the kind of thing we have to be careful about," she said.

"What, I can't touch you in my truck?" he asked.

"Someone could see," she said softly.

As if to prove that point, Brody tapped on LaSalle's window making them both jump. He rolled it down.

"Hey, Pride said the address is 765, they mixed it up before," she looked at the startled faces. "Anything wrong?"

"No, Brody, 765, got it," LaSalle said.

"OK, then. See you there," Brody turned and walked back to the other car.

LaSalle rolled the window back up. He turned to see Sonja's pissed off face.

Her voice was steady and measured. "You have got to Settle. The. Fuck. Down."

With that she faced forward. "Now drive."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, properly chastised.