"To be honest," Harrington was saying into her cellphone. "Eileen said nearly everyone there was pretty snooty. And if it has to do with the jewelry then I think there's a chance one of the people from the East End dozen could be behind all this."
"Okay, that's all I needed to check. Fox?" Brad said on the other end.
"Yes sir?" the officer responded immediately.
"Anything suspicious?" Brad asked.
"No sir, I have the blinds closed and I have the camera on my door open on my laptop," Fox replied. "There hasn't been anyone outside but my neighbors."
"I'm glad to hear that," Brad said. "I'll let you go, but I'll check in later to make sure everything's alright."
"Of course," Fox said. "Do I need to come in tomorrow?"
"For the time being I'd like you to keep Ms. Harrington there but I will call you in the morning," Brad answered. "If you don't mind," he directed to Harrington.
Telling the chief she didn't, she watched Fox saying goodbye to her superior before she said, "He should have asked if you minded," not surprised when the officer responded swiftly.
"Oh I don't, and he asked if I would mind taking on this assignment," Fox said, looking at the clock she had on the wall.
"You don't really need to make dinner," Harrington said. "I could pay for it."
"I need to," Fox said. "I was going to cook some salmon and I need to before it goes bad." She glanced at the woman and asked, "Is that alright? Any allergies?"
"No, though how are you preparing it?" Harrington asked.
Smiling Fox answered, "I like to use cumin and turmeric." When the woman nodded she said, "Okay, if you want to watch TV go ahead."
"Actually… do you mind if I stay here?" Harrington inquired.
"I don't… are you alright?" Fox asked her in concern.
"I am I just feel slightly jumpy," Harrington explained after hesitating before the officer was responding rapidly.
"You'll be alright, I'm not turning off the laptop the rest of the night," Fox assured her. "And the camera on my door has a motion sensor I can turn on."
"Please," Harrington replied, rubbing her arms.
"Do you want some wine?" Fox asked.
Shaking her head Harrington said, "They suggested I should avoid alcohol."
"If you need aspirin let me know," Fox told her after she'd studied the woman.
"I'm okay," Harrington replied.
"Are you sure," Fox stated, watching her rubbing her arms still.
"It's cold," Harrington said hesitantly.
"The freeze, I forgot all about it," Fox said, hurrying over to the living room and her sectional.
"You don't… have to," Harrington started to say when Fox retuned to her and made her turn back around. She looked over her shoulder after the blanket was covering her and said with a smile, "Thank you though." When there was no response she frowned and turned seeing the officer looked startled asked, "Are you okay?"
"We've met before," Fox said.
Opening her mouth to speak, Harrington stared at Fox more intently and it hit her abruptly. "We have, the gathering," she said. "But that was… nineteen years ago."
"Yeah, I was nine but I remember you," Fox said, beginning to smile.
"So do I," Harrington replied. She grew serious and said, "You were the only one that would talk to me… out of the East End families."
"Yeah, I was lucky my cousin Kristine would talk to me," Fox said, rolling her eyes. "Though my mom was part of the dozen." She then said, "Are you warmer now?"
"Yeah, thank you," Harrington said before she watched Fox going to a thermostat. "A blanket is fine," she told her.
"I know, but we'll feel it tonight," Fox replied, adjusting the temperature before the heater came on.
Moving to sit at the peninsula, Harrington looked on while Fox was beginning the dinner and she said, "I asked my parents if I could play with you after that picnic."
"What did they say?" Fox asked, turning from the lettuce she was washing in the sink.
"It would be better if we didn't look like we were trying to work our way into the top tier of families," Harrington said with a sigh.
Shaking her head Fox said, "I hate that idea. But it's weird that no one's intermarried since that picnic. There's a lot of kids."
"There are," Harrington said. "I think I'd heard that Bennie Thayer and Candice Waller nearly got engaged."
"That did happen," Fox said, mixing the salad that she'd finished preparing and put dressing on. "Their families managed to convince them they shouldn't."
"Sad," Harrington said. She sighed and said, "But I guess things won't change."
"I wouldn't really say won't," Fox replied. "There's always a chance."
Harrington studied the woman as she was moving around the kitchen again while she nodded briefly to what Fox had said. She couldn't help watching the officer, trying not to stare before the meal was ready and they were sitting at the table for two the officer had next to the kitchen. "I didn't mention," she said after they'd begun eating and she'd complimented the officer on the food. "Your apartment is really nice."
"Thank you," Fox said before she hesitated. When Harrington urged her to speak she said, "Even with everything happening today, your house seemed nice. What I saw of it." She was startled when the woman made a brief face and she asked, "You're not happy with it?"
"To be honest I'm not. The layout, the finishes," Harrington said. "I know I can work on it myself but I just…" she tried to explain before she trailed off.
"You don't need to tell me," Fox said, watching the woman closely and easily discerning the pain she was going through.
"I didn't really want to talk about it," Harrington said.
"That's fine. More ginger ale?" Fox asked.
"No thanks," Harrington replied. "I won't be able to finish my food."
After they had eaten for a little more the pair were finishing and though she tried to stop her, Fox was cleaning up with Harrington's help. When they had finished she was looking at her laptop and said, "If I change right now would you mind?"
"No, just let me see that screen," Harrington replied immediately.
"Okay, I'll be right back," Fox said, going to her room. She got her clothes and went to change, doing so as fast as she could before she was walking back into her living room to find Harrington wrapped up in the blanket again. She was about to ask the woman if she should turn the heater up when she was shaking herself.
"Sorry I'm just… feeling tired," Harrington explained. "But I don't need to go to bed yet."
"I wasn't going to suggest it," Fox replied, sitting next to her. "I'm your bodyguard, not your mother."
"She passed away… five years after that picnic," Harrington said. She felt Fox's hand on her shoulder and said, "It was a lonely life, my dad was focused on getting as much money as possible. I just wanted someone to pay attention to me. He's lucky I didn't rebel."
"Is that why you were so close to the Vernons?" Fox asked.
"I think so," Harrington replied with a smile. "I almost thought I was attracted to Eileen at first but it didn't take long for me to realize they were the parents I'd never had while I was a teenager."
"And they left you everything they had," Fox said. "They thought the same of you," she said, speaking rapidly to the woman when she was about to speak with a frown. She watched Harrington relax and nod before she was sighing and speaking so softly she almost didn't hear.
"I don't want all this… I want them back," Harrington said. She sobbed once when Fox was wrapping her arm around her but pushed aside her tears before she said, "What am I going to do with two houses and a museum? I can't sell them, it would break their hearts if they knew I would consider it."
"You don't need to decide this second," Fox said reassuringly. "Wait until this is all settled and the holidays are over before you think it over."
"Holidays," Harrington said, nearly starting to cry then. She struggled for a moment to keep from doing so and took some comfort from the way Fox's hand squeezed her shoulder out of comfort. When she felt she could speak again she thanked the officer before she was speaking to her a little hesitantly at first.
"Would you want to watch something… play a game?" Fox asked.
"A game?" Harrington asked, relieved she could speak normally.
"I have a bunch for my niece and nephew," Fox said.
"Okay," Harrington said. "They're young right?"
"Four and six," Fox replied, standing up. "Come and see," she told the woman.
Nodding, Harrington got up and started to look through the boxes of games Fox had, trying not to remember what she had nearly wept for before.
Coming awake, Fox realized the bed wasn't moving but Harrington next to her was. She turned and saw the woman was nearly thrashing back and forth and she was about to attempt to wake her up when she was sitting up with a gasp. "It's alright," she told her. "You're at my apartment, you're safe," watching her breathing hard.
A sob escaping her, Harrington couldn't stop the tears that were welling up in her eyes and she buried her face in her hands.
"Hey…" Fox started to say, startled with how hard the woman was crying. She turned on the lamp on her nightstand and turned back to her, hesitating for a moment and then gently wrapping her arms around her. "Nightmare?" she asked. Feeling Harrington nodding she said, "I'm not surprised after everything that happened… want to tell me?" She had to wait a little for the woman to calm down, but once she had she said, "Tissue?"
"Please," Harrington replied, her voice rough.
Handing one to her, Fox wanted to get off the bed to get a glass of water, but Harrington was holding her too tightly for that. She was a little startled to realize the woman had grabbed onto her but didn't mention it while the she was speaking a little huskily still.
"I was in a car with Eileen and Bernard," Harrington began. "I was driving but we were going too fast and just faster and faster and I saw the building coming through the windshield but I couldn't stop."
Squeezing her gently Fox said, "It was just a dream luckily. You're okay."
Breathing out a little hard, Harrington nodded before she said, "I know, it was so vivid though."
"Let me get you glass of water," Fox told her.
"Sure," Harrington replied. When the officer didn't move she asked, "What's wrong?"
"You're holding onto me," Fox explained gently.
"Oh! Sorry," Harrington said, letting her go immediately. "Sorry," she repeated a little feebly when Fox pulled back enough for them to look at one another.
"It's okay," the officer replied after a moment before she was literally tearing herself away from the bed.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Harrington closed her eyes but opened them again since she was seeing her nightmare. "Thank you," she said, relieved Fox walked back in the room when she did.
"It's not a problem," Fox said, watching her sip and trying not to shake in the cold that had enveloped her once she'd left her bedroom.
Turning to put the glass on the nightstand on her side of the bed, Harrington looked back and realized the officer was holding herself tense. "Are you cold?" she asked in concern.
"Yeah, the living room is freezing," Fox replied, unable to help herself as her teeth clattered together. She watched Harrington scoot up to her and wrap her arms around her tightly before she was doing the same to her. "Mia?" she eventually whispered.
"Yeah?" Harrington replied, her voice shaking.
"This is the weirdest time to ask you this," Fox said, pulling back slightly so she could look her in her eyes. "When all of this is over, and if you'd ever want to, will you go out with me?"
"Yes," Harrington replied. She couldn't help smiling when the officer's eyes widened and told her, "I've been attracted to you, it's been impossible to ignore since we got here." She was a little startled when Fox breathed out hard and sagged against her and she cupped the back of her head for a moment before she asked, "You too?"
"Yes," Fox said so firmly that she was smiling while Harrington laughed. She then straightened up and gently brushed her thumb across the woman's cheek tenderly before saying, "It's probably against regulations for me to do this but…"
"You're off duty, and at home," Harrington said firmly before she pulled her against her. They kissed each other gently on the lips, pulling away from each other slowly though they hadn't lingered long. She sighed and said, "That was nice."
Pressing her cheek to hers Fox asked, "It hasn't been for you before?"
"It felt different," Harrington said. She bit her lower lip when Fox nodded in agreement and she said, "We won't stop will we?"
"Once I'm on duty we're going to need to but I'm hoping the case will be over soon," Fox said, pulling back slightly. She saw Harrington yawning and said, "We should get some sleep." She wasn't surprised when the woman tensed and she said, "We could talk a little, fall asleep that way."
"Okay," Harrington replied slowly before they were letting go of each other. She watched Fox grabbing the covers and helped her pull them over them both before they laid down on their sides, facing each other.
"Warm?" Fox asked. Seeing Harrington nodding she said, "Tell me about you."
"What about me?" she asked, smiling at the request.
"Anything… everything really," Fox replied, leaning closer to her.
Brushing her lips to the officer's, Harrington murmured to her, "What will we talk about over dinner?"
"We'll figure something out," Fox replied before she watched Harrington while she spoke. She responded in turn, and they were soon sleeping, having moved to wrap their arms around each other to stay closer through the rest of that frigid night.