With half the team injured, Beckett had called it a day, shifting the remainder of the research work to a couple detectives Gates had called in to assist, thus allowing her men some much-needed rest.

And Kevin couldn't be more grateful.

Perhaps deep inside, the seasoned detective shared the same morose thoughts he hadn't been able to get out of his mind.

The accident.

The other car.

What if it had been a setup? What if their killer had somehow contracted the other driver to ram the Crown Vic, hoping to kill two birds with one stone, literally speaking? But why not put on a seat belt and take a chance in getting hurt? Or had this been a suicide mission from the beginning?

"Well, I got some beans-in-a-can, frozen meatloaf and my momma left me some chilaquiles to eat…"

Esposito's strained voice pulled him out of his deep thoughts and Kevin glanced back up sheepishly, trying not to stare at the angry red marks along his partner's neck where the seatbelt had dug in deep.

"That's why I ordered pizza.", the younger detective replied with a cheeky grin and leaned against the kitchen counter, "Not because of your momma's cooking but because you should be sitting down and resting. You look like you need it."

"I'm fine."

With an ill-tempered shake of the head, Esposito grabbed two bottles of beer out of the fridge, setting one on the counter and taking the other one with him to the nearby drawer where he rummaged for an opener.

"Well, you don't look fine.", Kevin countered confidently, knowing it was the only thing that would make it through his partner's thick skull, "That was a bad accident and it's a miracle you guys are alive. And it's ok to be hurting. The very reason I came home with you is to make sure you're ok and help you out- so that you can rest. That's what friends are for."

Once their beer bottles were open and he'd had his first sip, Kevin could see some of his partner's tough-as-nails attitude wane, eventually turning into subdued guilt.

"If this wouldn't have happened, we could have caught our guy. This…this nightmare would be all over with by now. Instead, we got another name to add to his list of victims…"

"And yet you're alive and we can try again tomorrow. We will stop this guy, Javi, trust me. This was just…an unfortunate accident. Two cars being at the wrong spot at the wrong time. It won't deter us from finding him."

Taking another long sip of beer, Esposito dropped his head to his chest, the defeated gesture tearing on Ryan's heartstrings.

How could he possibly explain to his best friend that yes, another man was dead, but thankfully it wasn't him or a certain writer; that in the great scheme of universal fate, Kevin was forever grateful for this outcome.

He was about to come up with another round of encouraging dialogue when a knock on the door disrupted them.

"See, I told you the pizza guys are fast…", Kevin said instead and bridged the few feet to the entrance.

Reaching for the wallet in his rear pant pocket, his smile quickly faded into a confused frown when it wasn't the pizza guy waiting for him on the other side after all.

"I…I am sorry. I am looking for Javier?"

Snapping out of his surprise in the fraction of a second, Kevin opened the door wider to let in the beautiful blonde he remembered so vividly from a couple of days ago. With her hair partially hidden beneath a hoodie and a set of shaded glasses obscuring most of her face, she was almost unrecognizable.

"Allison…", Javi whispered from behind and stepped in between them as if attempting to do damage control, "What are you doing here?"

"I…I hadn't heard from you in a couple of hours and I am open until tomorrow morning so I thought I would…stop by. I am sorry, I didn't realize you had company."

With an apologetic shrug, she pointed at Ryan, then smiled candidly.

"I remember you from the autograph session, detective. Thank you again for all your help."

"You are more than welcome, Miss Banes.", Kevin replied with a Cheshire cat grin that wasn't returned by his nervous partner, "I am here to keep an eye on Javi. You see, there was this accident today and-"

"Everything is fine.", Esposito interrupted and closed the door with his foot, holding onto Allison with his left hand while balancing his beer with the other.

There was no hiding the obvious when it came to the chemistry between them and Kevin stayed back while his partner gently steered the petite blonde toward the kitchen, as if trying to move her out of sight.

"Anyway, I was going to keep an eye on Javier for the night but since you are around, maybe you could do that?", the young detective continued with a wily smile, thoroughly enjoying Esposito's embarrassment about the unexpected guest.

Allison nodded eagerly, pretending oblivion when it came to the unspoken conversation going on between both partners, then wrapped her arms around Javi's chest and kissed his neck.

"I think I can do that."

"Perfect, that'll…that'll be great. So I guess…I am going to head home then. I did order some pizza and ehm…money's right here…"

Pulling thirty bucks out of his wallet, Kevin gently placed the bills on the small cabinet by the front door, before reaching for his wool coat, sensing Javi's eyes on him the entire time.

By the time he was dressed, he met that anxious stare, recognizing the unspoken plea to keep this situation under wraps.

With a calming smile, he cocked his head understandingly, then waved at Allison.

"You guys have a great night. I'll see you tomorrow, Javi."

"Thanks, bro."

As he closed the door behind him and walked down the long corridor to the elevator, Kevin couldn't help but shake his head in undisguised amusement. With a high-profile individual like Allison shaking up the team, his acting skills would have to be spot on for the not-too-distant future.