Sorry for the delay in posting - I've been having a bit of trouble with my account for some reason. Think its fixed now!
"You look very pleased with yourself," DC Georgia Trotman noted the next morning at AC-12. It was very unusual for Steve to have such a big grin on his face this early in the morning. "What's got you in such a happy mood?".
"I had a date last night," Steve said, his smile getting even bigger as he recalled the previous evening.
"That explains it," Georgia said. "Still on a high from all the post-coital hormones,".
"We never...," Steve started to say before he realised he'd given too much away.
Georgia's eyebrows raised at the surprising news. Whilst Kate was the first woman to really catch Steve's attention, he hadn't been celibate. He'd had several one night stands, including with her. It had happened on an AC-12 social evening soon after Georgia had joined the unit. Her and Steve had been very flirtatious and with a bit of alcohol in their systems had succumbed to temptation. Unfortunately, the sex had been a major disappointment for both of them. They just weren't compatible in that way and had mutually decided to remain as friends.
"Losing your touch Arnott?" she joked.
"Piss off, George!" Steve retorted, using his pet name for his partner. Steve had told Georgia about his conquests since her, like she had with him. The pair of them were a little on the promiscuous side but Georgia could tell that this woman who he had met yesterday was different. She had never seen Steve so happy. He was practically glowing.
"So tell me all about this amazing female who appears to have tamed the great Steven Arnott," Georgia said.
"She's the nurse looking after our Witness Protection patient," Steve said and Georgia recalled the brunette woman she had briefly seen the day before. "I bumped in to her at the supermarket. Her kid literally dropped some frozen peas at my feet,".
"Kid?" Georgia repeated. Steve had never shown any interest in women with children before.
"Josh. He's ten months,".
"Careful, Steve," Georgia warned. "She might be trying to trap you in to playing happy families with her,".
"Kate's not like that," Steve said, jumping to Kate's defence. "She's very independent,".
"If you say so," Georgia replied, slightly worried for her friend. He'd once told her dating women with children required far too much commitment from him, and yet here he was after one date with a complete change of heart. "You told the gaffer?".
"Why?" Steve questioned. "Kate's not a witness or anything," he pointed out. "I'm not breaking any rules,".
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Georgia said sagely as she powered up her computer to start her work for the day.
By the end of the day, Steve's mood wasn't as cheerful. He'd had no phone call from Kate. Every time his phone had rung he'd hoped it would be Kate's voice on the end of the line but it never was. He knew she'd hadn't promised she would phone that day, but he'd sort of thought she would. Why hadn't she called he wondered to himself.
The next day was a similar story and Steve began to think that he'd read too much in to things. Kate wasn't as in to him as he was to her. She wasn't going to call. He felt a complete idiot.
"Night, Steve," Georgia said as he walked past her out of the office. He'd been in a bad mood all day and Georgia had put it down to the Kate woman.
"Whatever," Steve replied somewhat despondently. He just wanted to get home and lick his wounds in private.
"Hello?" He said rather grumpily in to his phone at home later that evening, his mood no better than at work. The phone had rung the same time as the microwave had pinged to let him know his meal was ready and he was trying not to burn himself as he removed the meal from it's plastic container.
"Steve?" a quiet voice asked eventually.
"Yes!" he snapped as he shook his hand in pain. The steam from his meal had burnt his hand.
"It's...it's Kate," the voice said. "Is it a bad time?".
Steve instantly knew something was wrong from the tone of her voice. Gone was the confident woman he had met two days ago to be replaced by this timid version. "Hi," Steve said, much more gently this time, his mood miraculously improved. "How are you?".
"I'm sorry I haven't called...," Kate started to apologise.
"That's ok," Steve said, glad Georgia wasn't there listening. He had been anything but OK without any word from Kate for over twenty four hours. "You're calling now,".
"Something happened,".
"Are you ok?" Steve asked very concerned. "Is it Josh?" He guessed before Kate could answer his first question.
"He's ok," Kate said, "but...I need to talk to you,".
"What's your address? I'll come straight over," Steve promised.
"No!" replied Kate forcefully. "Don't do that. I'll come to you. What's your address?".
Steve rattled off his address to Kate before she said something about ordering a taxi and hung up. He paced the floor, meal forgotten as he waited for Kate to arrive, wondering what on earth was going on.
On the tenth or eleventh peek out the window, he saw a taxi pull up outside his building and immediately went to open the front door.
Kate emerged from the back seat. She was all in black with a black cap on her head, the visor of which was pulled down low over her eyes. She appeared scared to be outside and kept looking around to make sure the taxi hadn't been followed. Josh was fast asleep in her arms.
The taxi driver got out the car and removed Josh's pushchair and a rucksack from the boot. Kate paid her fare and quickly took the buggy from the driver before Steve took it from her and led the way inside.
As she followed him inside, Kate couldn't help but inspect Steve's flat. He kept a neat place. Modern appliances and fittings. A few pictures scattered around to make it feel like home, but nothing too personal.
"You want to put him down on my bed?" Steve asked, pointing at Josh.
"Umm...ok," Kate finally decided. Josh was nearing ten kilo's in weight now and wasn't the easiest of loads to carry for long periods of time.
She followed Steve in to his bedroom where a neatly made king size bed was the centre piece. Kate lay Josh down on his back and placed a few pillows around him so that he wouldn't roll off on to the floor. Josh stirred briefly but Kate gave his tummy a reassuring pat and he settled back to sleep before she left the room , shutting the door quietly behind her.
"Would you like a drink?" Steve asked.
"Yes thanks," Kate said as she removed her cap. "Tea. White. No sugar," she ordered.
Steve got to making the drinks but was distracted by Kate. She was pacing up and down unable to sit still, fidgeting with her hands. She was definitely in some sort of inner turmoil. Unable to watch any longer, Steve stood in front of Kate and grabbed her arms, stilling her. "Whatever it is that's going on, you can trust me. You know that don't you?".
Kate looked in to his eyes. He was a really nice man and he was telling the truth, but she didn't know if he could help her. This was a huge thing to tell him. If she did tell him. She still hadn't completely made her mind up.
"I don't know if I can do this," Kate fretted. She knew it was the right thing to do but she was possibly putting Josh's life at risk in doing so.
"Tell me what's going on, Kate," Steve urged. "I can't help you unless you do,".
Breaking out of Steve's grasp, Kate turned her back on Steve and walked a little distance away to think. She couldn't do that properly looking in to his lovely brown eyes. Putting her hands up to her mouth as if she was praying, Kate had one last think through of all her options. Just when Steve thought she wasn't going to tell him anything at all, she turned back to him, her mind finally made up.
"Your man in Witness Protection. You know who he is yet?".
"We're still working on it,".
"You better work fast," Kate said.
"What do you mean?".
"They're going to try kill him again," Kate said. "Day after tomorrow, during my shift,".
"How do you know that?" Steve asked, shocked.
"Because they want me to help them," Kate revealed.