Chapter 8: Love Bandit (3.14) 1/30/94

The department physical fitness test was coming to a close, and Chris and Rita were still tied for first. Their colleagues were volunteering ideas for ridiculous tiebreakers between the two of them, and everyone was dissolving into fits of laughter.

"A dance off!"

"Let's get them drunk later and make them do field sobriety tests!"

"Mud wrestling!" Diana interjected playfully. She couldn't give up an opportunity to tease them.

Chris and Rita had already called their bet a draw, and were giggling along with their friends at their silly ideas. If it wasn't for Cap's next words, they would have hit the showers and headed to Society for the post-test gathering happening afterwards.

"No ties. Not in my department. We need a winner." Cap eyed them carefully, lips curled into a sinister grin. That's what they get for stealing my sandwich, he thought to himself.

The Sams shook their heads in defeat. "Alright, alright," Chris interjected, "I'm in if my partner is. Maybe she can't handle it. Tired, Sam?"

"You wish, buddy. But we're not mud wrestling. We need to come up with something real."

Diana piped up again. "Fencing!"

Chris and Rita both shot her a look, while Diana grinned in pure glee. She loved teasing her best pals. Michael O'Hara turned out to be a creep, and Rita's fencing lessons were a distant memory that she'd like to forget.

"Shooting range," someone yelled.

"Unfair advantage," Chris replied, "Rita's got me beat."

Rita smiled and shook her head shyly. He was right, but she still felt sheepish that he admitted that freely to everyone.

"Boxing!"

"That won't work either," Chris replied. "I think I have the unfair advantage there."

"Not so fast," Rita interjected. "That might work."

"What?! You don't box!"

"How do you know?" Rita gave him a sly, teasing look. "I'm in if you are, pal."

"You're serious?"

"Yes. Let's do it."

The hollers and hoopla exploded around them, as the day suddenly got much more interesting for their acquired audience.

"Hold on, hold on! We need some ground rules." Chris was still in awe of what she was suggesting, and was slightly nervous. Did Rita box? And was he going to be able to win?

Cap came up with the rules. "We're going to make this quick, because I'm hungry." He emphasized that point by pretending to glare at his homicide team. "Three, one-minute sparring rounds, with a minute to rest in between. After each round, everyone votes by applause on who had better skill. I'll decide who has the loudest cheers. It cannot end in a tie. If one of you sweeps the first two rounds, that's it."

"Sounds good to me." Rita purposely acted nonchalant as she readied herself for the task. Later she'd tell Chris about how his love for the heavy bag rubbed off on her, and she had been working out at Danny's gym for the past month. She wasn't sure why she hadn't said anything before, but it led to this perfect moment to surprise her partner. He looked mystified and she loved it.

They both donned their gear and approached the blue mat, as everyone circled around them. They watched each other expectantly until Harry yelled for them to start.

The first round caught Chris totally by surprise. He thought Rita was bluffing and planned to go easy on her, thinking she was trying to prove something in front of their colleagues. But Rita attacked. And she had MOVES. Real boxing maneuvers, and she was relentless. He spent the entire round dodging her punches. His shock was palpable, and when the minute was up, he simply stared at her. He didn't need to hear the judging or applause- Rita swept Round One.

During their one minute reprieve, he popped off his mouth guard. "Holy shit, Sammy."

Rita, who took off her helmet to drink some water, grinned at him, feigning innocence. "What?"

"Ha! That's it, Sam. Get ready."

Rita put her gear back on and readied herself for the second round. She was proud, but Chris was onto her now. Round Two wasn't going to be a picnic. Now that the surprise factor was out of the way, he was going to match her punch for punch. He wouldn't back down because she was his partner, or best friend, or a woman. His competitive spirit was ablaze, and she loved him for it.

The second round began, and it was Chris' turn to surprise her with a jab she wasn't expecting from the left. It knocked her off balance, and she spent the rest of the seconds trying to get her rhythm and pacing back. She held her own, but when the minute was up she swore loudly through her mouth guard.

Chris laughed. "Something wrong, Rita?" He felt bad knocking her sideways a bit, but he knew he'd catch hell from her later if he had held back.

His reciprocation of innocence took her right over the edge, as the applause obviously went to her partner for that round. Her emerald eyes glared at him as she faced him on the center of the mat. Everyone around them was going nuts, and she heard friendly wagers being thrown around.

"Alright, you two," Cap interjected, "once again, we are facing another tie breaker. This round is it- whoever wins, wins. Either way, I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it. All I can say is whoever loses is buying me a new sandwich."

Chris was grinning from ear to ear. He knew her weaknesses now based on that last round. He couldn't wait for his expensive dinner.

Rita grinned. She had some moves in her back pocket that she'd been saving, and she was confident that they would lead her to victory.

"Hey you two, be careful." Diana could see the look in both of their eyes, and had a feeling this round was going to be serious. Their competitiveness might be going a bit too far. She bit her lip in anticipation as Harry started the final round.

The first thirty seconds were insane. Their partner instincts took over as they deciphered each other's movements. They were choreographed dancers as they bobbed and weaved, defensive maneuvers at the forefront. The crowd around them was electrified, and the Sams were in the zone, meeting each other punch for punch. That is, until Chris faltered.

He didn't mean to- he was having an absolute blast sparring with Rita, and he really wanted to win. He desperately wanted bragging rights, not with their colleagues, but with her. He wanted to tease her and have just a little something to hold over his best friend. After all, she was the better shot, the smartest person he had ever met, and even though he made Sergeant first, she was the youngest woman to do so.

But thirty seconds into this final adrenaline rush and a thought flashed in his mind: Kim. Rita's friend was murdered this week, and she had once again handled this loss with strength, grace, and determination. She was also still reeling from the chaos Brent left in his wake, even if she rarely admitted it. And yet here she was, acing this test and sparring him as if it were any other day. He marveled at her. And that simple pause, that quick flash of reality, was enough to give Rita the upper hand.

And upper hand she gave him. He looked into her eyes for a second and his hands didn't block as she delivered a powerful blow to his chin. He stumbled backwards, stunned. The crowd went wild, and Diana covered her mouth with her hands.

Chris' response was nothing compared to Rita's. She gasped and wrapped her arms around him to stop him from falling. The match was definitely over. Her surprise turned to laughter as she kept her arms around him. Luckily, he was laughing too. They both quickly ripped off their headgear and gloves.

"Why didn't you stop me?!" Rita shouted over the thunderous gym.

"I don't know. I blinked and you jawed me!"

"I thought you were gonna block it!"

Their laughter continued as Cap unceremoniously crowned the winner. "Lance, you won. Lorenzo, you owe me a sandwich." He shook his head and walked away.

Diana approached the duo. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah," Rita eyed her, puzzled. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"That was intense. I could barely watch that last round. Chris, what happened? You looked like you saw a ghost for a second there."

"My mind drifted for a sec. It was just enough for my partner to punch me in the face." He winked and rubbed his jaw for sympathy.

"Awww, I'm sorry, Sam." She exaggerated her apology by turning his face and dramatically kissing him in the spot she landed on.

Diana looked relieved and satisfied. "Good, all better. Now let's head to Society. I'm going to hit the shower."

Chris teased as she walked away. "Want company in there, Dee?"

Diana shouted over her shoulder. "You're impossible, Lorenzo!"

Rita started walking away. "I'm going to head in there, too. I'll meet you at Society in a bit."

"Not so fast, Sammy." Chris grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "You've been holding out on me. Where did you learn to box like that?"

Rita smiled. "I'm surprised Mac and Danny didn't tell you. I started going to the gym. They have a women's boxing club on Thursday nights."

"And, when were you going to tell me this?"

"I figured I'd surprise you one day."

"Well, you're amazing at it. Keep at it, you're damn good."

"Thanks. It's helped a lot lately. Dealing with… everything."

"I hear ya." He looked around before planting a quick kiss on her forehead. "I'm gonna hit the locker room."

Rita snickered, doing her best flirtatious Chris impression. "Want company in there?"

He shook his head at her and groaned. "You're mean, Sammy."