Part 1 - Innocents

Detective Maximilian Branski had made detective just over eight years ago. It had been a tough climb, but he’d made the goal in the Academy. He’d worked hard building the reputation of a tough guy, a job made more difficult by his shorter build and the fact that muscles tended not to bulk on him no matter how hard he worked. Diminutive in comparison to his partner, Detective Joseph Parker, Max tended to fuse a temper just as short.

Violent Crimes Division was a tough job. He and his partner spent most nights looking at a body and interviewing blind witnesses until they got just enough information about the victim to find out that everyone wanted them dead. Too much time, in Max’s opinion, was spent behind a desk with a stack of files and cases still waiting for his attention.

At first, he’d cared too much about people. His years on the streets started out painfully as he went home every night feeling as though he hadn’t done enough for one day. Later into his career than most cops he knew, he grew the thick skin. He worked harder and better until he was the job and nothing more.

He’d made detective, then, and almost overnight the thick skin grew callous. He started to realize that the people getting killed were often worse than the ones who killed them. Why not just let the bad guys off each other until there was no one left?

The day he walked through the yellow tape and stared down at the body of a young, pregnant black woman still hovered over the body of her young daughter, maybe six years old, he remembered why he’d become a cop in the first place and why he’d been so determined to be the detective who got those bastards off the street. He found out that his heart was still intact and it still knew how to hurt, as well as bleed sympathy.

He sat beside the whimpering husband for nearly an hour, forgetting why he was there or that he’d left Joe to cover things. The husband wanted to appear tough and calm, but all he could do was murmur about how much he loved them and that he had nothing left.

Hearing about two other detectives cleaning up after the man’s suicide just less than a month later didn’t help.

Max stacked two case files on top of each other and stood. He gave Joe a quick smile as he passed. "Finally got those two wrapped up," he said. "Hearing is set and I’ve been assured the DA’s got everything they need."

Parker nodded. "Great, Branski. I guess that means we can get to work on that drug dealer now, huh?"

Max shrugged. "Yeah, right after the meeting. Stevenson said he wanted to see all the detectives this afternoon at three, remember?"

Joe nodded. "Guess I wasn’t thinking. What’s it about?"

"Don’t know," Branski replied. "I heard a rumor that there’s a new detective, though."

"Where’d you hear that?" Parker asked, moving to his feet.

Branski chuckled. "Desk Sergeant. She heard about it from district 27."

"27th? Is he being transferred here or what?"

Branski shrugged. "Guess we’ll find out. I’m going to file these."

Parker nodded and followed him across the squad room. Resting an elbow on the dented cabinet, he watched Max shove files in the vicinity of where they belonged.

"You think they’ll switch us?"

"They wouldn’t, would they?" Max replied, closing a drawer to open the next one down.

"Why not?" Parker reasoned. "They’ve switched every pairing so far since you came. Took me from Banet when you came."

Max nodded. "I guess it’s our turn to get split again, huh?"

Joe nodded. "It’d be easier to put the new guy with Wilkins, but Wilkins has been working solo for over six months. Something tells me you’ll be humping the turf with Wilkins by tomorrow morning."

Max glanced across the room at Wilkins, an older man with a permanent frown. "I hope you get him," Max answered and closed the second drawer. He turned and looked around the room. "Think maybe they’ll split someone else and we’ll end up with them?"

Turning to cast a gaze over the bullpen, Joe shrugged. "Who knows?" he began, then noticed a woman with long dark hair entering the squad room. He smiled. "Looks like we’ve got bigger fish to fry," he said as he stepped quickly across the bull pen, Max close on his heels.

"Hello, ma’am. I’m Detective Parker. Can I help you?"

The woman smiled vaguely, looking at Parker, then glancing at Branski. "I’m looking for Captain Stevenson," she replied firmly.

"Right this way," Parker offered immediately, comically bouncing his way across the floor. He knocked on the door to the Captain’s office and opened it when invited. "Someone here to see you," Parker said quickly, then waved the woman to enter. He smiled at her and she looked annoyed as she stepped inside and closed the door.

Max folded his arms, waiting for Joe to turn. The instant he did, he chuckled. "Who do you suppose that is?" Max asked.

Joe shrugged. "Don’t know. Think I impressed her?" he asked with a grin as he led the way back to their adjoining desks.

"I think she has some sort of impression," Max replied. "Why you bother is beyond me. She’s too young for you!"

"What do you mean, too young?" Parker asked, feigning shock.

Max laughed a little, looking at the floor. "Hell, I think she’s too young for me!"

Laughing, Joe tried to respond. "Hey, my wife left me for a younger man. You think I can’t hook a younger woman?"

Max shook his head and leaned on his desk. "It’s nearly three," he said as he glanced at the clock over the Captain’s door.

Joe nodded, having already returned to reading a file. He looked up at the door, then faced Max. "You don’t suppose…"

"Suppose what?"

"She’s the new detective?" Joe asked, a smile suddenly crossing his face.

Max looked through the window in the Captain’s door and shook his head. "Naw. Couldn’t be. Maybe she’s a lawyer or something."

"Dressed like that?" Joe asked. "Besides, she had the bulge."

Max furrowed his brow at Joe. "The bulge?"

"Yeah. Didn’t you notice? The jacket had a nice line except for a bulge by her left arm."

"Are you suggesting that was her gun? You’ve gone nuts, Joe. She can’t be the new detective – if there even is a new detective."

"Why not?" Joe asked, watching the door as the Captain opened it and waved them, as well as several other detectives, inside.

"I don’t know," Max replied. "Just seems weird. Maybe she’s civilian aide or something. I bet that’s what this is all about."

"Sure," Joe said and shrugged. "I guess we’re about to find out," he added as Max slipped into the room and Joe moved in beside him.

Stevenson leaned back in his well padded chair and glanced at the woman in jeans, a t-shirt, and a black tailored jacket. Max was looking for the bulge Joe mentioned when he realized he was staring. Looking to her face, he met her gaze and looked away embarrassed. ‘She must have thought…’ he thought to himself before Stevenson interrupted the idea.

"I’ve had to do some shuffling," Stevenson began, then put up his hand to stop the already beginning whispers, "and you all know how I love feedback so let me stop you right there." He glanced about the room with a stern look. "Detective Katherine Monroe is brand new to our little team and I’m putting her with," he glanced at a list on his desk. "Detective Branski."

The woman looked around until Max gave her a quick wave. She curled up one corner of her mouth and looked back at Stevenson.

"That makes Parker a loner, so I’m putting him with Banet," he added before glancing at his list. "So now I’ve got Wilkins and Marcosias. I’m putting the two of you together. Everybody clear?"

The group of detectives nodded in unison and split up. Max pushed between Parker and Wilkins to step up to Monroe. He held out his hand and gave her a smile. "Katherine?"

She nodded. "Kat," she added. "It’s easier on the tongue. Stevenson said I’d be partnered with a Max."

Max nodded. "Maximilian Branski." He shrugged. "You see why I go by Max."

Kat smiled. "Yes, I do," she responded as she followed him out of Stevenson’s office. "What’s the desk arrangement?"

Max shrugged. "Looks like Parker’s moving to Banet’s so that leaves his desk open. We try to stay close here," he responded. "How long you been a detective?"

"A month," Kat replied quietly.

Max stopped beside their desks and turned. "How many?"

"Just the one," she responded more clearly and saw Max frown. "Yeah, lucky you," she added.

Branski shrugged. "No skin off my nose," he said quietly. "I’ve got this drug dealer thing to deal with," he said, holding up a file. "Looks like Parker left it for us to figure out."

Monroe nodded. "Murdered?"

Branski nodded. "By one of his own. Looking like someone trying to take over the biz. We’ve got to track down Ax Johnson. He stood the most to gain and he’s been missing for a couple days. We got a lead that he’s hanging at his mom’s again so we’ll start there."

"All right," Kat agreed and followed him from the squad room.

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"You look young to be a detective," Max commented as they traveled.

Kat glanced at him. "Actually, I’m a little old, considering."

"How old are you?" he asked, then coughed. "I’m sorry. I know better than to ask a woman her age. Never mind," he added quickly.

Looking at him a moment, Kat raised an eyebrow. "I’m thirty six and don’t apologize. Women are stupid to think they can hide their age."

He glanced at her. "You don’t look that old," he commented.

"Hmm," she murmured.

"I mean, uh…"

Kat chuckled, looking out the window. "I don’t really care how old I look. I’m glad you think I don’t look thirty six, but I suspect that’s part of the reason it took me so long to make detective. I guess I don’t think it’s a compliment in that sense."

"Oh, I’m sorry."

"Not your fault. I became a cop because I wanted to be a detective, but do you know the hoops they make a female jump through just to get as far as vice? Let alone the leap to detective. That is unless you’re willing to sleep with…" she stopped herself and glanced at Max. "Never mind. Ax Johnson?"

"What about him?"

"Just thought that since he’s the one we’re looking for, maybe we should be talking about him."

"Oh." Max paused. "Tough being a female cop, I guess?"

"At times," she responded coldly.

"What about being a female detective?"

"I’ll let you know."

Max chuckled. "Well, I’ll confess something to you. Twenty minutes ago I was having trouble believing that the woman who walked into the precinct could possibly be a cop so if I say something stupid, you tell me ok?"

She examined him a moment. "All right," she said. "Max?"

"Yes?"

"That was pretty stupid."

His eyes narrowed and he looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"You’re asking me to tell you when you’re not tiptoeing around me. That’s not how it works. I don’t want you to tiptoe. I just want you to see me as a cop."

"I do."

"Not a woman."

"Not a woman? See, that’s what I don’t get. How am I supposed to not see you as a woman. You don’t see me as a man?"

"I see you as a cop, my partner. I’m going to be placing my life in your hands probably soon and I don’t want you protecting me because you see me as a woman, but because you see me as your partner."

"Ok, but you are a woman."

"Do you look at Parker and think ‘Gotta protect him. He’s a man.’?"

Sniffing, Max turned a corner before answering. "Well, no. Of course not."

"That’s all I’m saying."

He paused a moment. "Ok, so partner, not woman."

"Right."

"So, partner, what made you transfer to our little corner so soon after making detective?"

"My first partner as a detective saw me as a woman," she replied flatly.

He looked at her, wide eyed. "Did he…?" he asked suggestively.

"Well, I always assumed the problems would come if a partner saved my life because he saw me as helpless. What actually became the problem was that I saved his life and it burst his ego beyond repair. We decided it would be better all around if I left."

"Oh," Max said, letting is sink in. "I never thought of that."

"Yes, well, you’re more into saving lives than being saved, aren’t you?"

Pulling to a stop, he looked at her intently. "What does that mean?"

"Two of three citations were for extreme measures to save a life."

"You read my file."

"I knew where I was going and who my partner was before you did, it would seem," she responded, getting out of the car.

Max hurried to get out and looked at her across the hood. "Find anything interesting?" he asked.

She smiled coyly. "Seems you have a temper," she replied. "I’ll have to remember that. Also seems you’re the kind of guy who became a cop to be a hero."

He pointed. "Actually, that’s wrong."

"Is it?"

"Yeah. I became a cop because as bad as this is, it means there are even more of the innocent dying. I mean, when a drug dealer dies, who really cares, but…" he sighed. "When a pregnant woman throws herself over her daughter trying to save her and they both die anyway, it seems like it’s my turn to stop things."

Kat nodded slowly. "I see," she replied quietly. She’d read something in his file that resembled what he was eluding to – the thing that had gotten him mandatory therapy. She wondered if he still blamed himself for the husband who killed himself 23 days later.

Max stared at the hood of the car for a long time before he walked around it. Side by side, the two approached the door. "So, why did you become a cop?" he asked her as they neared.

She smiled, pulled out her gun, and waited until he was in position before knocking on the door. "I get to carry a gun," she responded with a grin.
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"Stop drinking my coffee!" Kat snapped as she grabbed the paper cup from Max’s hand.

"There’s more coffee in the lounge."

"Then get your own, Chimp," she sneered, using the term she’d been calling him less than affectionately.

Max chuckled and looked over her shoulder. "What’re you doing?"

"Reports," she sighed.

He watched a moment. "Well, that’s worded all wrong."

She stopped typing and looked at the document where he pointed. "Looks fine to me."

"Well it’s not. You should change it."

"Leave me alone."

"You don’t know what you’re doing. Here, let me," he reached down and she grabbed his hand, twisting it as she stood. His jaw dropped and a noise escaped his lips. "Aw!"

"I said leave me alone," she snapped, shoving him as she let his hand go.

He rubbed the wrist. "I’m just trying to help."

"Oh sure! Like you were trying to help with the wallet, yesterday?"

Max threw up his arms. "Oh come on!"

"You’re the one who left the evidence bag on the hood of the car! I’m the one who got a warning about tampering with evidence. How does that work?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Stevenson called me in this morning. I got the lecture you deserved," she snarled. "He informed me of your side of the story. Why do you get off on making me look like I don’t know what I’m doing?"

"Because you don’t!" he snapped back. "Face it. You need a lot more help than you’re willing to take and some day it’s going to get one of us killed!"

Stevenson’s door flew open.

"Me!? You’re the one…"

"Stop!" Stevenson yelled.

Kat folded her arms and glared. Max took a step back, physically looking a bit more relaxed.

"I’ve had just about enough," Stevenson said. "In my office. NOW!"

Stevenson sank behind his desk as the two detectives stood tall before him. "The two of you will learn to get along, is that clear? I know you’d rather I change things around here, but I’m not. As soon as you two learn to get along, it’ll make you better cops, so figure it out."

"Sir, I…"

Stevenson glared at Kat. "Figure it out," he said through gritted teeth. "I don’t want to hear any more bitching from either of you. Clear?"

"Crystal," Kat mumbled.

"As a vase," Max tacked on quietly.

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Max turned toward his alarm clock and tapped it off. He stared at the numbers a moment as he recalled the dream which now carried into consciousness. Over the past six months he’d begun to see Kat as another one of the guys. The two played polite for the first two months, but when Max tested the grounds and told her she didn’t know what the hell she was doing, she snapped right back - pointing out that he was the one who had left the evidence bag on his desk.

Since then, they’d fought several times in the bullpen, in the car, and even in front of witnesses. He could see the tension building between them, but last night the dream had shown him tension of another sort.

At first, he liked the idea of sex with Kat. He was a single man on the verge of forty with a new partner who was younger, prettier, and had a finer ass than he. Not looking would have been the true crime, but it only took a moment of reality to see what that would do to their careers and to their professionalism, what little they maintained between arguments. Yet last night, the dream had been vivid and real and much more difficult to deny. Pushing the thought from his mind, he got ready for work.

Dispensing with the niceties of the morning, Max swiped Kat’s coffee and drank it. Gulping the last of it, he choked and spit grounds across the desk.

"I told you to stop taking my coffee," Kat said without looking up.

Max coughed again and spit the mouthful of grounds back into the cup. "You did that on purpose," he said.

"Of course I did," Kat replied. "I told you to stop taking it." She looked up, then, and grinned. "You ready to go out?"

"Out where?"

"A couple hikers tripped over a corpse this morning and called it in a few minutes ago," she explained. "They were off the path by what we’re guessing is about half a mile up Little Creek Canyon. The CSU’s already on its way and I was just waiting for you."

"Called it in?"

"On their cell. Ah, the information age," she remarked with a smile. "They’re up there waiting for us to speak with them, I was told."

"Let’s go, then," Max said, avoiding eye contact.

When the pair arrived at the lower end of the trail, Kat parked behind the police cars and jumped out. She didn’t stop until the trailhead at which point she turned to find that Max was lagging behind. "Hey, Branski!" she snapped. "You coming?"

He looked at her and nodded. "You go ahead. I’m going to check things at this end of the trail."

She shrugged, confused, but jogged up the trail, veering off where the first officers on the scene had marked the way. Kat came upon the scene a few minutes later to see flashes from the camera and a team collecting evidence with tedious perfection. Noticing a uniformed officer talking to a couple, she moved around the yellow tape and approached them. The officer turned and she tucked a thumb behind her badge to identify herself.

"This is the couple that found her," the officer began, then leaned close in confidence. "A little shaken up." He straightened and stepped with Kat back toward the police tape. "She saw the woman first, then he did. We can’t get the woman to say much of anything and neither of them is willing to explain what they were doing out here."

Kat shrugged. "Of course not. They’ll get fined for leaving the trail, plus they just stumbled on a body. I don’t think I’d be saying much either. Go see what else you can find, ok?" The officer nodded and turned back toward the couple as Monroe bowed under the tape and approached the body.

The first thing most noticeable was the naked body sprawled in the mud and leaves. Spots of mud covered her body, but as Kat looked closer, she noticed many of them were bruises. Opening the book of notes she kept, she started making notes as the ME leaned over the body. The neck was bruised, dark and with the distinct impressions of hands. Inside the woman’s left elbow were a number of markings. The track marks were bold against the pale skin. Taking another step closer, she began to smell it. The wind had been friendly, but now it shifted and Kat blinked hard.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and looked at Max. "Welcome," she said sarcastically.

"What have you got?"

"She’s a drug addict who was probably whacked by her dealer." She pointed with her pen. "Beat the crap out of her and strangled her. She’s naked so I’m guessing rape, too, but that’s just an assumption. I was letting the ME have his space until you got here."

He nodded and stepped up to the man in a suit with latex gloves who was prodding the body. "Branski," Max offered as introduction. "What do you see?" he asked.

The ME stood and browsed the notes he’d been making. "Dr. Smith. The body is about two days old. I’ll get the entomologist to date how long she’s been here, but she was moved and buried post mortem. The rain washed away the dirt which is what exposed her. I don’t think I’m stepping out on a limb to say strangulation."

"Rape? Abuse?" Kat asked, taking a pair of gloves from her pocket and snapping them over her hands.

"Rape, yes," Smith responded. "She was beaten up pretty badly before she was killed, but it wasn’t ongoing. I think it’s safe to say that all of the contusions were induced within twelve hours of death."

"All?" she asked for confirmation of her suspicions.

Smith nodded. "I wouldn’t date the track marks more than a week, either."

"A week?" Max asked, astounded. "All right, so she hadn’t been in it long. Anything to ID?"

The doctor shrugged. "Ask them," he replied, motioning to those collecting evidence. "You know all I can give you is a time of death and an autopsy, which I’ll have for you as soon as possible. The rest is up to you."

"Right," Kat said and tapped Max’s elbow as she turned toward one of the investigators. She found herself walking up to one of them alone, however, and immediately asked the question Max had wanted to know.

"Nothing to identify. Trace evidence is about all we’re managing and unless the guy licked a leaf, we won’t even have traces." The man let out a breath. "No prints, but there are abrasion around the vaginal canal and the ME seems pretty confident of finding semen inside."

"Thanks," Kat said, turning.

Max was squatting over the body now. As she approached, he glanced at her, cleared his throat, then put on the latex gloves he’d been holding in one hand. She watched him a moment, then squatted across from him and watched as he pinched mud between his fingers and examined it.

"You ok?" Kat asked.

Max nodded. "Uh, did you write down the part about the body being moved post mortem?"

"Yeah. I think I got everything. We’ll have to hope her prints can ID her and that there’s some semen to ID the killer. Maybe the ME will find more during the autopsy."

"Maybe, but something here doesn’t sit right."

"What do you mean something?" Max shot her a glare and she raised her eyebrows. "Who pissed in your Wheaties?" she asked. "You’ve been giving me those looks all day."

"Sorry," Max said, surprising Kat even more.

"Excuse me. Did you just apologize?" She watched him nod. "Well, now I know something’s wrong. What’s up?"

"Nothing," Max snapped.

"Come on, Max. It’s the partner thing. If you don’t snap my head off, I worry about you."

Max stood and started back toward the trail. Kat found herself rushing just to keep him in sight. Once they reached the bottom, he climbed into the driver’s seat, leaving her to become a passenger. Getting in, she cocked her head. "Something going on at home?" she asked.

"No," he sneered.

Kat chuckled. "Oh, so is this about what’s not happening?"

He turned his head. "What do you mean?"

"Haven’t seen you with a girlfriend," she commented. "Must get lonely."

He shook his head. "No," he said quietly, then shifted into reverse, hitting the gas so hard, they were both thrown forward. Kat glared at him as he turned sharply to drive down the canyon.

"You have a secret life I’m not aware of?" Kat prodded.

"It’s not personal," he sneered. "Just drop it."

"So it’s professional? Something happening with Stevenson? Parker?" She paused, pondering her next suggestion.

"No, look. It’s not work, it’s not personal. I don’t want to discuss it!" His face was getting red, but she didn’t stop.

"Marcosias stole your sandwich, right?" she asked, but Max just shook his head with pure annoyance and stopped replying to her jokes and accusations. Finally they reached the stationhouse. As she got out, Kat looked at him from across the hood. "We’re not finished," she said, pointing at him as he rounded the hood and the two walked inside.

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"They don’t know anything!" Kat argued as she sat in the interview room with Max. "How long are you going to keep a couple innocent hikers here? They didn’t see a thing!"

"Yeah, well someone had to see something."

"Why? Look, we’ve been pounding our heads on the wall for two days, Max. So far we’ve got an ID, but the time of death and all the details are escaping the ME. Give it up."

"I’m not about to let a killer walk. She had a family. She had friends. Are you ready to make that girl’s sweet mother live with her daughter’s death just because we can’t find a lead?"

"That’s not what I’m talking about, Chimp," Kat snapped. "I’m just saying to leave the couple alone. They didn’t need to come down here again. They stumbled on it at seven. This time of year, seven’s still pretty dark, isn’t it?"

"You’re not up for work by seven?" Max asked, surprised.

"Shift doesn’t start until nine. Why would I…" she stopped herself, realizing he just assumed women took hours to get ready for work. Shaking her head, she returned to the subject at hand. "Either way, the body was dumped long before that."

Max moved closer to her. "Well, I’ve got nothing else to go on," he replied. "And stop calling me a monkey. It’s disrespectful."

Kat rolled her eyes and made noises like a chimp. Max looked annoyed and she stopped. "There’s a difference between a chimp and a monkey, you know."

"Don’t care," Max said, then furrowed his brow. "Remember Mary?"

"Who?"

"That little friend of hers."

"Marcie?" Kat asked. "You’re going through the victims little friends again?"

"Yeah. Marcie said she thought Nancy was at the poetry reading on campus."

"Right."

"Then her friend from the poetry club said she saw Nancy there."

"Your point?" Kat asked, reviewing her notepad as he spoke. "Because we’ve already established…"

"Well, didn’t the friend – what’s her name?"

"Uh," Kat scanned the page, then piped in with the answer. "The fellow poet? That’d be Dawn."

"Yeah, Dawn said Nancy headed for the Student Center."

"Dawn said she went to use the phone."

"Didn’t she say she assumed Nancy went to use the phone?"

Kat looked at her paper again. "Yeah, she did." She tapped the page with a pencil. "So did she make a call?"

"Maybe we need to subpoena the phone records." Max said. "Something tells me she was waiting for someone."

"Yeah, she wanted a ride home – except she never got home. We already established when and where we think she was picked up," Kat stated.

Max shrugged. "She went into the center and Dawn went home. No one was there to see her come back out."

"I’ll get the phone records," Kat offered. "I still don’t see…"

"I’m wondering if she did call someone, but it wasn’t her parents. Maybe she didn’t call anyone because someone else was picking her up already. We assumed someone grabbed her, but what about someone she knows."

"We’ve talked to everyone she knows."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Get the phone records and I’ll call Dawn. I think we need to ask all the student poets, not just the ones that knew her well. Someone might know something."

"Good idea," Kat agreed. "Until they can match the semen they found with a suspect, these are the only people we have to question."

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The two partners sat behind their desks reviewing the phone records for the Student Center at the time in question. No calls had been made or received there. Finding themselves back at square one, Kat leaned back. "You called Dawn?"

"Yeah. She’s going to call an emergency meeting for us tonight." He paused. "Probably some campus stupid stalker. How many of those we get in a year is beyond me."

"Well, you’d think, but they hardly ever kill people and the ones who do usually don’t dump the body somewhere else, do they?" she asked.

Max shook his head. "Her time of death is nine hours after the meeting ended. She could have been anywhere doing anything at that time in the morning," Branski observed.

"Wait, you got the TOD?"

"Oh shit," he said, then rummaged around his desk until he found the file he was looking for and passed it to her. "They finished the report and sent it up an hour ago. The meeting ended at eight according to Marcie and Dawn. They’re placing the time of death no earlier than five the next morning. The bug expert says she was in the canyon for about 48 hours so the body was moved there right after she was killed."

"Anything else, Yoda?"

"There’s semen from at least 6 men," he added. "So now we’ve got a group thing."

Kat sighed. She was lost in thought a moment before she spoke again. "The poets going to the dorm lounge tonight?"

"Easier. Dawn’s telling them to all come down here. How’s that for convenience?"

"Yeah?" Kat tilted her head. "That’s kind of odd, don’t you think?"

"What?"

"That girl getting them to all drive over to a police station on a Friday night?"

Shrugging, Max passed her the page of phone records she’d given him to examine. "I guess that’s a question you can ask Dawn," Max replied. "I gotta whiz," he announced and stood.

Kat Monroe watched him cross the room and exit through the doors. She looked back at her notepad and the various papers and reports before her. It would be a long night.

The two detectives only had to wait a couple of hours before the poetry group began to arrive. Dawn was one of the first and gladly took charge, letting the detectives know when everyone had arrived. One by one, they took them into the interview room and asked questions.

Once they were finished, Max sat at the table while Kat dismissed everyone. Still, they had little to go on, but it was much more than before. Kat stepped back into the room and leaned against the door. Max stood to stretch.

"Very little to go on," Max observed.

"Yeah," Kat replied, " but I do have a theory."

"Oh?"

"Her poetry. No one really remembered hers, but a couple said it was pretty dark and brooding."

"So?"

"So, maybe the subject of the poems knows more."

"We don’t know who the subject is either, do we?"

Kat shook her head. "Look, you listened to Ryan, right?"

"Yeah."

"He said that he remembers one she wrote about the terrors of a painful death." Kat folded her arms in front of herself. "Then she becomes the victim of one. Maybe she knew her killer. Maybe he was showing her the ins and outs of that kind of thing."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ryan said he’s seen her a couple times at a bar down on 5th. Let’s go there and see if she’s talked to anyone."

"You’re not making any sense."

"Max, come on. Try to stay with me. I’m not talking leaps and bounds here. She’s preoccupied with the subject of death and then someone murders her. College students get into cults and that kind of thing all the time. The only bar on 5th I know of is Lucky’s and if she’s hanging down there, she’s in with a pretty rough crowd. You think maybe she was asking for it?"

Max shrugged and followed her from the precinct.

------------------------
"We’re not getting anywhere!" Max yelled over the music as Kat sat at the bar. "It’s been two hours!" he groaned.

Kat shifted to her feet. "Maybe we should split up!"

"Maybe tonight’s not the night!" Max argued. "Come on!" he said and headed for the door.

Kat followed him to the car reluctantly. She stood on the passenger side as he unlocked the door. "What’s your problem, Max? Am I the only one working on this case?"

"No," Max replied and looked at the ground. "I’m just discouraged," he admitted.

"You know the cure for that is to follow more leads," she replied. "Come on, Max. You’ve been acting strange for days now. What’s going on?"

Max opened the passenger door and stepped around it. He stared at her as she leaned against the side of the car and let out a breath. "Nothing," he said quickly.

"I have to admit, it’s been nice not having you yelling at me for every little thing," she smirked.

Max just stared at the ground and chuckled.

"Hey," she said all at once.

"Huh?" Max said, looking up.

"Wasn’t it a full moon?"

"When?"

"Tuesday? The night she died?" Kat looked into the sky, spinning to find the moon.

"I don’t know. Does it matter?"

Kat shrugged. "More light. Plus, you know what they say about full moons."

Max glanced into the sky. "What?"

"You know, about the loony’s coming out," she responded, looking back at Max.

Max looked back at her. "They don’t say that."

"Sure they do."

"That’s werewolves and vampires."

"No," Kat said firmly. "Full moons carry more murders and… I can’t believe you haven’t heard this. I thought all the cops knew about the phenomenon."

Max frowned. "Sounds more like superstition," he replied. "What difference does it make?"

"Well, we looked for similar cases in two weeks, but it was a full moon. Maybe we need to look back a month."

"You’re crazy," Max said shifting.

Kat straightened and pointed a finger at his chest. "You’re a chimp," she responded. "Never thinking for yourself. Come on. Outside the box is supposed to be our job," she added with a poke.

Max grabbed her hand. "Don’t poke me," he warned, then found himself overcome. An image from his dream flashed in his mind and all at once, he leaned forward and grabbed Kat’s head, pulling it toward him as he pressed his lips against hers. Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he pressed his hips against hers and heard her make a noise.

An instant later, she pushed him back and stared at him in confusion. Max stepped backward and bowed his head. "Oh God," he breathed.

"What the hell was that?" Kat asked.

"Oh God," Max declared again, walking around the car. He unlocked his door and opened it. "Get in," he demanded.

"What?" Kat asked, still in shock.

"Get in," Max enunciated more clearly as he climbed inside and started the motor.

Kat climbed in and immediately pulled her seatbelt over her shoulder. "What the hell was that, Branski?" she asked, finding herself unable to call him by his first name anymore.

"I’m sorry," he said quickly. "I don’t know… I don’t know what happened," he said as he started to drive. He cleared his throat. "Look, just… we’ll just pretend this didn’t happen, ok? It didn’t happen."

"It didn’t happen," Kat repeated, staring out the window.

------------------------
The final word on the evidence surrounding Nancy’s body was that whoever had raped her, those who had left semen had never been brought in before. The DNA didn’t match anything in the databanks. No one could put Nancy with anyone suspicious, her time spent away from clubs, friends, and family she kept incredibly secretive. The case was quickly approaching the cold case files.

Two weeks passed and other cases demanded their attention. Max still hadn’t been sleeping well as he and Kat avoided discussing anything personal. She’d become cold and distant. Even Parker asked Max about it because he hadn’t seen the two fight once in those two weeks. He barely saw them communicate. Branski snapped that it was nothing, but Parker had been working with Max long enough to know it was something.

It was early in the morning and Max had come in to do some paperwork when a phone call was directed to him. He snarled before answering. "Detective Branski."

"Detective? This is Officer Preston. We got a call this morning that someone found a dead body and when we checked it out, we found out that you and your partner were investigating another murder in the area."

"What area?" Max snapped, not in the mood for a guessing game.

"Up Little Creek. According to the data we’ve got, it’s looking pretty similar."

Max furrowed his brow. "Female?"

"Yes, sir," he replied. "The man who found her is taking me to the location right now."

"Thanks," Max said. "Get a precise location while I put you on hold, all right?"

"Sure," said the officer.

Max hit the hold button and picked up a new line. A moment later, he dialed Kat’s number and waited through the rings. Eventually, her answering machine picked up. Dropping the line, he put the receiver back and finished the note he’d been making on a report. Setting it aside, he shifted through the files on his desk until he reached Nancy’s folder. Opening it, he let out a hopeful breath and picked up the line. "Got that location?"

"Yes," Preston replied.

Max was still taking notes from the officer when Monroe stepped into the bullpen. She watched him a moment, then sat at her desk. His was a pile of folders which spilled occasionally onto her own, but her’s was in pristine order.

Kat stared at the dented grey desktop and wiped her hand over the desk calendar which covered most of it. She browsed over the meaningful notes she’d made as well as the insignificant scribbles. Leaning back, she grasped the dirty handle to the distressed wooden drawer and slid it open. As she took out her notebook, she checked to make sure she had two pens in the little loops.

Just then, something flew onto her desk. She glanced at Max, then looked at the file. Seeing Nancy’s all too familiar face paper clipped to the front page, she moved her gaze to his.

Max hung up and gave her a half smile. "We’ve got another one. Some guy took his dog for a walk up Little Creek and the dog found something sticking out of the ground. The guy came down and reported it and the officer noticed our name associated with Nancy’s murder so he thought we might handle this one." He picked up the phone before she could respond and called the Crime Scene Division.

Kat watched until he finished his calls, then raised her eyebrows. "You really think we’ll find more off this one than the last?"

"You’re the one who keeps reminding me we have to try."

She shrugged. "Funny, I thought we were taking turns doing that," she responded dryly and stood.

Max pulled on his jacket, pondering the comment. It seemed true that when one got discouraged, the other was always there to push on. Shaking the thought from his mind, he followed her to the car.

------------------------
"Another shallow grave and even though it’s pretty far deteriorated, it’s not gone. A creek runs about thirty yards over there," Dr. Smith said, pointing just over a rocky hump. "It’s kept the ground moist over here so that may have slowed the process. I’m going to have to run some tests before I’ll be able to give you as much as the day she was murdered. I don’t even want to make guesses from what we’re seeing because there are a dozen causes for discolouration of skin and bone like that. I can’t tell you anything right now."

Kat took in the information and sighed. "Thanks," she said softly, turning to Max. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I think that either this is a popular spot to dump bodies or it’s one killer who thought he’d found a place secluded enough." He paused. "Nothing on the body looks like obvious murder, no gunshots, broken bones, stab wounds."

"Right. So strangulation seems a pretty safe bet."

"We’ll let the ME decide that while we try to figure out who she is."

Kat agreed and both started down the mountain. They stopped at the car and Kat looked down at her feet. "Things keep going at this rate and I’ll need a pair of hiking boots," she joked.

Max just nodded and got in the car. They drove in silence for a while before Kat took her eyes from the road. "Maybe we should talk about it," she suggested casually.

"Talk about what?"

"About what happened," she replied.

"Nothing happened."

"All right, but let’s say something did happen. It’s effecting how we work and I’m starting to believe that acknowledging it is the only way around it," she insisted.

"Look, it’s not like there’s some set of rules that we can’t get involved. I mean, if you were bangin’ Stevenson, then we might have a problem," he sneered crudely. "I just know that if we let ourselves," he choked, realizing he really hadn’t given her a chance to react. He really couldn’t assume how she felt. Clearing his throat, he stared out the window as he spoke. "I know that if I let myself feel anything for you, then I won’t be able to work. I’ll be thinking about you, not the cases. Whatever it takes to be the best cop I can be is what I’m going to do. That’s why I don’t want to talk about it. That’s why it didn’t happen." He glanced at her. "Can we drop it?" he added insistently.

She nodded slowly, biting her lip while she stared at the dashboard like a scolded child. She was frustrated, but knew he was making more sense than she could argue.

Pulling up to the station, Kat avoided eye contact, as well as any contact of the soul. From now on, she’d choose her words carefully. Making that decision as she rushed into the station ahead of him, she moved to her desk. Immediately she opened one of her grime covered drawers and pulled out the needed paperwork. Tossing it onto the desk, she took a pen and began to write. She was in deep concentration by the time Max sat at his own desk. Deeply involved in the case, she hoped he assumed, but that’s not where her mind was.

------------------------
Five minutes after they had an ID, Kat and Max had their first true suspect. It was weak at best, but the new victim, Tracy, had been hanging out with a man named Dominick Reznor. The man seemed to have no past and no present. One of Tracy’s girlfriends had met him once and didn’t like him. She’d then described the parties Tracy told her she’d been attending at his place.

Looking further into it, Dominick was a free-lance photographer who lived in a large house amidst a luxurious community. Nothing about him pointed to murder or drugs, but Kat had a hunch. She was working on a comprehensive list on those he associated with, including pictures and criminal records, when Stevenson summoned her into his office.

"You and Detective Branski have been getting along all right," Stevenson said. Kat swallowed. Did he know something? Would it be a big deal or did it mean nothing to the Captain? "I was reading over the notes on this case you two are working. You seem to be on a different course," he continued and she relaxed.

"Oh, yes," she responded, realizing there was no trouble here. "Uh, we’re not getting very far, but I’m working on a hunch."

"A hunch," Stevenson acknowledged. "Well, usually we prefer to work on evidence. Hunches are acceptable, but without evidence, what’s your trail?"

"We’ve got two bodies now, sir. I think if a hunch is all we’ve got, it’s what we should work on."

"Yet, you’re not working on the hunch together."

"Uh, no sir. Detective Branski thinks my hunch is that of an amateur," she informed him.

"Does he have something of his own?"

"No."

Stevenson sighed. "Two bodies qualifies as serial, technically. That makes this a federal case."

"No!" she snapped, then remembered her place. "I mean, it’s a little early to bring them in, isn’t it? Maybe there are some differences to this case. Perhaps they’re not the same. Shouldn’t we be sure?"

"Monroe," he scolded.

"Don’t take us off yet, sir. I really think we can get somewhere ourselves. I don’t want them coming in and taking my collar after everything I’ve invested." She realized immediately that she’d taken it for herself. Looking away, she quickly added, "I mean, everything we’ve invested."

Stevenson leaned back. "I’ll give you the weekend," he said. "That’s it, though. Monday morning if you don’t have a suspect in custody, I’m putting in the paperwork. It’ll raise the flag and the case becomes Federal. Got it?"

------------------------
Kat sat alone at the bar staring at the neon Lucky sign in the window. It was backwards from her perception and one end was beginning to flicker, anticipating its own outage. The seat beside her wasn’t unoccupied for long. Someone came from behind her and sat at it, presumably waiting for the bartender.

Glancing over, Kat swallowed. She’d come here hoping to see someone from the file she’d made on Dominick, but really didn’t expect it. Now, a dark haired man was sitting beside her. He’d been picked up once on possession of marijuana, but the charges had been dropped.

The bartended approached and she waved her hand to the empty martini glass on the bar. She hadn’t wanted to get drunk so she’d convinced the bartender to put water in the glass and sell it to her as a martini. "Another," she ordered and the bartender nodded, then looked at the man beside her.

"Another Bud," he said. He watched the tender walk away, then glanced at Kat.

She reached to her inside coat pocket and pulled out her wallet, seeing him notice her from the corner of her eye. When he looked away, she quickly pinched all of her cash aside from one dollar and folded it into her palm, then slid the stash into the pocket of her jeans. "Oh God," she breathed, staring into the wallet, but the man next to her said nothing. She pulled out the one dollar she’d left and peered into the pocket. "Shit!" she exclaimed.

The man looked at her. She looked at him sheepishly. "I’m out of money," she groaned. "And I just ordered a drink," she added.

The man smiled a little and produced a wallet of his own. "I’ll get this one," he offered.

The bartender placed the martini before her, then put a beer in front of the man. He passed the tender a ten dollar bill. "This’ll cover hers, too," he said. As the bartender made change, the man took it, leaving a couple bucks.

"Thanks," she said as he disappeared into the crowd and she grunted. He was certainly making things difficult. She sipped on the martini glass and nearly choked. Waving the bartender, she pushed the drink toward him. "This is supposed to be water," she said.

"Look, lady," he replied. "You’re not going to hog that stool all night ordering water in a martini glass and ordering me to be discreet about it. Comprende?"

Kat nodded and bit the inside of her lip. Spinning on the chair, she looked around the place again and spotted the dark man sitting with another man at a table. She took a deep breath and picked up the martini. Slowly making her way across the room, she was thankful that at least the appearance would remain intact as she smelled like she’d been drinking more that water.

She approached the table and sat in a third unoccupied chair before either man could stop her. She turned to the dark haired one and smiled. "I just wanted to thank you for buying me the drink," she said.

The man nodded, but remained straight faced. She glanced at his companion and smiled. "I swear I brought more money. I guess I just had more than I thought," she said as she moved the glass to her lips, letting a dribble spill on her shirt. She quickly set the glass down, letting the alcohol jump over the sides as she grabbed for a napkin and tapped at her blouse. "Maybe too much," she added, then giggled slightly.

The two men looked at each other and the dark haired one pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one before offering one to his companion, who declined, then one to Kat. She accepted and waited for him to light it. He put the pack and lighter away. "I’ll buy you another," he offered.

"You know, maybe just a beer like you boys would be better," she said.

The man shrugged. "Tony? Why don’t you get yourself another and pick one up for the lady," he said. His companion nodded and headed for the bar. The dark haired man turned to her. "What’s your name?" he asked.

She looked at him a moment, then smiled. "Jena," she replied, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Well, Jena," he said, "that’s Tony and I’m Jay." He watched her puff on the cigarette before continuing. "I take it you’re here alone tonight?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Not much else to do on a Saturday night."

"Nope," Jay replied. "Tony and I were just discussing that very fact." He smiled and she returned it. "So, Jena. What brings you here?"

She shrugged. "I just got off work and I needed to unwind."

Jay glanced at his watch. "Just now?"

"I work odd hours," she replied.

"I see," Jay replied and watched Tony approach them with two beers. He set one before Kat and sat down. Tony sipped off of his and Jay worked on his own. A moment later, he tilted his head at Kat. "Don’t you like Bud?" he asked.

Kat smiled in the most charming fashion she could muster and drank some of the beer.

------------------------
Feeling her body stiffen as Kat began to pull from her state of deep sleep, she wondered what had made her sleep the night without moving. At once, she was confronted with an image. The last clear moment was drinking beers with Jay and Tony. Now her head hurt and her tongue was dry.

She began to recall a dim dream she’d had, odd and blurred with huge chunks missing and none of it in order. She was lying on her back in a darkened room. From that position, she could see a pristine white ceiling and gold trimmed lighting. The walls were painted pale yellow and the bed was soft, inviting.

At once, she saw Jay. He leaned over her and she became immediately aware that he was naked. The idea jolted her awake and her eyes popped open. She found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. The bed was warm and soft and as she glanced around, she recognized the soft pale yellow on the walls. She snapped to attention and examined the gold trimmed light, then sat up. Had it been real?

She looked down at the blankets covering her body and found herself bare beneath them. The sticky feeling between her thighs left little doubt about what had happened. She looked around the room to make sure she was alone before wrapping the top blanket around her and stepping from the bed.

Kat noted the attached bathroom and looked inside. Moving out into the hall, she listened for another voice, another movement, anything. It wasn’t long before she’d made her way around the two story home. On the main floor, she found one door securely locked by key which raised her suspicions. A breeze from the lower edge told her it may be an entrance to either storage or a basement.

Feeling completely alone, though having no sure way to know if someone was behind that locked door, she went back up to the bedroom she woke in and stepped into the bathroom. On the floor was a pile of her own clothing. She stared at it, then at the shower. Leaning against the counter, she let out a breath. How could she let this happen? Reporting it would maker her look a complete ass, but it might provide a match to the murder victims.

Debating only a moment longer, she stepped into the shower and turned on the water. She continued to turn the hot until she could feel it nearly burning her skin. She liked to step out and see the reddened flesh on her chest and arms. Letting the water run over her, she wiped one hand down the opposite arm. As she then began to wipe the other arm, she froze. It was barely noticeable. She had to turn her inner elbow toward the light to be certain that what she saw was a tiny needle prick, but there it was.

Feeling a sense of failure, she swallowed hard, cleaned herself, and tried to numb her mind to the truths as she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. She turned to where her clothes had been and found an empty space. Taking a sharp intake of air, she moved to the door. It was open slightly, though she was sure she’d closed it.

She opened it, half expecting to see Jay or Tony on the other side. Instead she found her clothes in a pile at the head of the bed while a man with bright blue eyes and dark hair sat at the other. Immediately she recognized him. He was the main subject of her little undercover investigation and the first picture in her little folder. Dominick. She made a mental note to wait until he told her that himself. Maybe he had? Frustrated, she brushed her hair behind her shoulder.

Kat waited for him to speak, but he just watched her as she moved beside him and took her clothes in her arms. She could feel his eyes bore into her. What did he know? Had she said too much in her haze the night before? Had he even been here? She turned to him and he let his gaze make his way up her body and into her eyes. She stood firm, letting him. "Roofies?" she said at last.

The man tilted his head. "I don’t know what they gave you at the club," he stated.

She nodded and held out her arm. "But you know what this is."

His smile was coy. "Just a little something to get the party started. Jay says he doesn’t like them too limp." He looked away and rose to his feet. "Neither do I," he added smugly and folded his arms. "Sounded like you were looking to party anyway."

Kat watched him carefully. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t," she replied vaguely. "Heroin, I’d assume," she pushed.

The man chuckled, deep and smooth. "Well, you were drunk and tried to pick him up. I’d imagine it was a pretty clear sign," he commented.

Kat threw her head back to look nonchalant. "I was just winding down after a hard day at work."

"I’m sure," he replied and stood in the doorway. "I’ll let you get dressed. I heard you walking around in here and wanted to let you know you’re not alone."

Nodding, she waited until he stepped into the hall and looked back at her. "I think Jay left your car at the club. I better give you a ride."

"I’ll call a cab," she replied.

The man immediately grew an interested smile. "You told Jay you were out of money."

Swallowing, Kat debated two lies. Either she’d forgotten about money tucked in her boot or she could use the ride to glean more information. "Right. I forgot."

His smile fading, the man reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a small folded pile of bills. Clutching the wad between his index and middle finger, he waved it into the air. Kat immediately recognized it as the money she’d hidden in her jeans. "Then this isn’t yours after all," he said and tucked the money back into his pants, pulling the door closed with his free hand.

‘Dammit.’ Kat moved to the door and found that it would lock. Once she had it secure, she dropped the towel and dressed. Nothing was going according to plan, though she knew her plan wasn’t well thought out to begin with. She shouldn’t have been at the club alone and even more obvious, she shouldn’t have tried to get in with the suspects on her own time. Still, she was here now and would take advantage of the situation.

Pulling on her jeans and buttoning them, she reached into the pockets. The cash had been the only thing there. She put on her shirt and socks, then picked up her jacket. Fumbling through pockets, she found her wallet and opened it. Biting her lower lip, she wondered if Dominick had continued the search amongst her things and found her ID. Did he know she was a cop? That she’d lied about her name? It was all a guessing game of wits from this point on, she knew, but Kat was determined to figure out the answers.

Kat walked around the bed looking for her boots. On bended knee she looked beneath the bed, but it was clear they weren’t in the room. She stepped into the hall and found herself alone again. She cleared her throat and walked up the hall. She watched and listened for Dominick, but when she couldn’t find him on the upper floor, she descended the staircase.

Near the front of the house was one large room. It was obviously used for entertaining and was still a mess from the night before, she assumed. She stepped into it and saw Dominick seated at a small dining table.

He looked up when she entered the room. "Would you like something to eat?"

Kat walked across the room and stopped before the table. He had a place set for her and a plate with pancakes and sausages. He’d already poured a glass of juice for her and sipped slowly on his own. "No thank you," she said, feeling uncomfortable at the assumption.

Dominick stiffened. "You can’t tell me after everything that happened last night you’re not hungry. Sit."

His tone was commanding and he was right. Her stomach was grumbling and the sausage smelled good. She sat at the table and stared at the plate of food. He watched her stare a moment, then chuckled. "It’s not going to bite," he said.

Kat cleared her throat and picked up her fork. It was then she noticed her hand was shaking. She assumed it was hunger a moment, then her mind went back to the needle prick. Was it true what they said? Just once and you’re hooked? Maybe she felt queasy and uneasy because her body was wanting of something. Poking at the sausages, she wondered if this was a good idea at all. She put one on her plate and stabbed a pancake. Examining the way it lay on her plate, Dominick finally grunted. "I know. After last night you’re wondering who you can trust."

She looked at him, but didn’t let on that he’d pinpointed her concern. He continued. "I had nothing to do with whether or not Jay slipped something into your drinks just like I have no motive to mix coke into your sausage."

His following smile was disarming and she took a bite, cautiously at first. She really had no choice except to show that she trusted him. She realized he had yet to say his name so she cleared her throat. "You know my name. I feel like I’m at a disadvantage."

He smiled vaguely. "Dominick," he replied, "though you’re not since I told you my name last night." He paused and tilted his head. "Guess you don’t remember much, though, do you?"

She shook her head.

"Well," he said as he stood. "Don’t worry. You didn’t say anything to incriminate yourself."

His choice of words bothered her. She swallowed the sausage. Did he know who she was, why she was here? She could have said anything, but hoped that while her memory mostly failed her, that her mind had been clear enough to remember the danger she was in.

Dominick took his plate into the kitchen. Kat finished her breakfast and took hers in behind him. She moved to the sink and he grabbed the plate in one hand, putting his other over hers. "You didn’t need to," he said.

His manner was so polite it disturbed her. She had been working off a hunch that he was a killer, but it was without reason. Now she felt a fool for ever believing it. His hand was soft on hers, even gentle. All at once she remembered herself and stiffened.

He pulled his hand away. "You ready to go?"

She nodded. Having him drive her to the club, she was glad to see a few cars were parked nearby. She let him drop her, then started to walk toward the back of the lot, hoping he’d drive off before he realized that none of them were hers and that she was crossing to the diner to call a cab, the way she’d gotten to the club in the first place.

------------------------
Max Branski stepped behind the door of Captain Stevenson’s office and was surprised to see his partner. Since he and Detective Monroe had been partnered for barely six months, he’d never expected their names to come up when the rumors of reassignment began.

Kat smirked at Max as he sat across from the Captain and waited for her to do the same. "What’s going on, Cap?" he asked.

Stevenson looked down at the paper on his desk, then lifted it. "I’m reassigning you both."

Max frowned. "Reassign? Look, if this has to do with the case on Nancy…"

Kat smiled as the Captain interrupted. "I want Monroe to get some more exposure to some undercover investigations we’re looking at."

Kat’s smile faded. "Wait, what?"

Stevenson nodded. "I’m putting Branski with Parker."

Max shifted. "Parker’s ok," he said as he glanced at Kat and winked. "I’ve got undercover experience, though and maybe it’d be useful if we stayed partnered."

Stevenson shook his head. "No, no. I’ll put Monroe with Banet. He’s got more experience in undercover and homicide than anyone in the division."

Max leaned back. "So it’s not about our little campus girl?"

"No," Stevenson said, "though we’re removing that case from you. There are some leads from another homicide." Stevenson paused. "You guys did great, but they’re taking another route."

Max frowned. "What are you saying?"

Stevenson looked at Monroe and shrugged. "I can’t say anything else," he said. "You two are dismissed," he said and watched as Max stood. Once Max’s back was turned he nodded a knowing look to Kat and went back to work.

Max waited for Kat outside of the Captain’s office and pulled the door closed. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"What?"

"You’re getting reassigned undercover and I have Parker?" He moved through the maze of desks until he reached his own. "Kind of odd, don’t you think?"

Kat nodded. "I suppose so."

"Did you ask for it?"

"No, of course not," she replied.

"I just thought that maybe – after what happened."

"I thought we decided that nothing happened," she said quietly as she gathered her files.

"Well, of course, nothing did." He sighed. "But if something had happened, would you have asked to transfer?"

She shrugged. "I didn’t say anything, but I’m pretty sure the Cap figured out something was going on." Taking her coat, she moved near Banet’s desk while Max followed. Max had been a detective much longer than Kat, but he probably hadn’t worked as hard to get here. Still, he’d treated her fairly, much more so than the rest of the boys club. "Is this really so bad?" she asked him as he watched her sit behind the desk adjacent to Banet’s.

"No," he breathed, then smiled. "In fact, I’d say a celebration is in order."

She frowned. "Celebration?"

"Yeah sure," he said, then moved his face close to hers. "I just realized that this arrangement could mean new things."

Kat chuckled. "You just realized it? Well, you are a chimp, aren’t you?" she teased. "I’m having dinner at Chico’s at seven."

Max nodded. It was an acceptable place, he decided as he walked back to his desk. It wasn’t his favourite and he’d never been a fan of Mexican dining, but she would be there.

Stepping beside Banet, Kat spoke in low tones. "Stevenson told me the feds are taking over the case based on what I told them, but since I’m already in, they’re keeping me under."

Banet nodded. "I guess they’ll be throwing you in pretty quickly. Let’s go for a drive and I’ll fill you in on the things Stevenson wants you to know."

"I appreciate it," Kat said. "I did undercover when I was new to vice, but this is a whole new league."

Kat hadn’t actually told Stevenson everything that happened. Leaving out any details that might get her pulled from the case or the force, she made it sound like pure coincidence. As far as Stevenson was concerned, no one knew her real name. She had no proof otherwise. Dominick had called her Jena when he dropped her off. Perhaps he had no idea.

------------------------
When Max arrived at Chico’s, he expected to see Kat still in her jeans and buttoned shirt. Instead he saw a well tailored, tight fitting black shirt. It was buttoned just to the chest and the appearance of cleavage caught him off guard. When she saw him, she waved him to her table. As he approached, he was taking in the black leather pants and smiling unconsciously. "Well, well," he remarked. "I suppose you were expecting me."

She grinned. "Oh this old thing?" she asked as she smirked.

Max sat across from her and began to read the menu. Why Mexican sounded good to her was beyond him. He stared at the selection until the waiter approached.

Once they’d ordered and the menus were gone, Max leaned back in his seat. "So, how are things looking with your new partner?"

She tilted her head. "I’m guessing about the same as yours."

He chuckled. "Let’s forget about work," he said as he reached across the table and took her hand.

"I’m all for that, Max," she said softly. "I know we talked about the reasons why ‘us’ would be a bad idea, but…"

He nodded. "But now that we’re not partners anymore, it doesn’t seem to matter, does it?"

"No," she replied. "We flew past it so quickly, I never got to tell you… I never got to say that when you kissed me…"

He waited and when she let the sentence trail off, he smiled. "It was nice, wasn’t it?"

She nodded. "So what are we doing?"

Max moved his chair closer to her. "I don’t know. You tell me."

Kat leaned close until her lips neared his. She stared at his lips, then moved her gaze to his eyes.

He looked at her a moment, then leaned in close, letting his lips touch hers just as he felt her breath on his cheek. He leaned back and stared at her. "Strange how things work out, isn’t it?"

------------------------
Kat fumbled with the key as she felt Max’s soft grip on her hips. She turned the key and spun around to face him. "Thanks for dinner. It was very nice," she said.

"You’re not going to invite me in?"

"I don’t know, Max," she said softly. "We just decided things tonight. Maybe we should get to know each other better first."

"We’ve spent hours and hours on the road, writing our reports. I know you pretty well," he said as he snuggled close. In the boots she wore, her height was near his so he put his lips against her neck and kissed like a soft breeze.

Kat breathed deeply. She could smell his gentle cologne and feel his warmth against her. "I know, but that was mostly police work. What wasn’t police work was partner stuff. Don’t you think we should see how it works without police work to interfere before going too far too fast?"

Max looked disappointed. "This is fast for you?" he asked, smirking.

"Max," she said firmly. "Look, neither of us should have much going on Friday. Why don’t we go out again then?"

"Because I don’t want to." He paused. "Coffee?"

"Drop it," she insisted.

"Come on, Kat. Don’t be so cold."

"Cold? You’re acting like a horny chimp."

"Stop with the ape thing, already!"

"Chimps and apes aren’t the same thing either," she said, trying to make a joke, but only succeeding in annoying him more.

"Dammit!" he snapped.

"Thanks," she said quietly, pulling away from him.

"For what?" he sneered.

"For reminding me why I don’t want to let you in tonight," she said, moving inside and closing the door quickly.

------------------------
Friday seemed long to Kat. Banet had been training her in things he’d picked up over time, but weren’t in any manuals or training courses. Some of the finer details seemed out of reach, but she’d begun to understand.

Still, most of her time was spent thinking about Max. She’d seen him a couple times in the squad room, but for the most part their assignments kept them pulled in other directions. The only thing they’d established was that he still planned to pick her up for their date so they could talk about what had happened.

So, of course, when she dressed for her date with him, she picked something she knew would make him crazy. The short green dress with a tight bodice was a perfect fit for the occasion. She stretched black thigh high hosiery up her legs. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled and tucked her dark hair behind her ear.

When Max picked her up, he was annoyed. She was teasing him, taunting him. Trying not to react, he led her to the car and drove to the restaurant in silence.

Over dinner, they discussed their week, but the subject only lasted so long. After one particular bout of silence, Max sighed. "I’m sorry I got upset," he said.

She nodded. "I know." She paused. "I just want to be careful, Max," she assured him. "I don’t want to get hurt."

He cocked his head. "I wouldn’t hurt you."

"Not on purpose," she responded. He looked at her a moment and she quickly changed the subject to movies, which they found was an interest they had in common, agreeing on most films. All at once though, a debate over cop movies broke out between them.

Back at Kat’s apartment, she unlocked the door and turned to her companion. "Thanks for dinner," she said, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

Max smiled and kissed her. He caressed her lips and wrapped both arms around her. She leaned back against the door. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Not letting you get away," he replied as he kissed her again.

Kat reached behind her and opened the door, backing into the room slowly. "You know, when I said slow, I meant slower than this," she breathed.

Max brought one hand up and brushed her hair back. "I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to," he said softly, gently putting his hand on the back of her neck.

"I know you wouldn’t," she said softly. She knew him well enough. He had a violent streak which was well hidden, but it was always controlled and never aimed at a friend. She’d noticed that about him right off. It intrigued her. She opened her lips slightly and gave him a look of invitation.

Max pulled her neck close and pressed his lips to hers again, licking them and pressing his tongue into the opening. He licked at her lips, her teeth, and her tongue, feeling the passion swell as he moved her further inside the apartment and kicked the door closed.

She jumped when the door slammed, but wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let her tongue explore his.

Max brushed his fingers through her hair, feeling the warmth of his groin growing as he glanced around the place. Spotting the bed through a doorway, he lifted her body and took her to it. Laying her quickly on it, he moved over her and licked at her lips.

Kat felt breathless as his tongue danced over her chin and neck. She felt him place a hand on her thigh and push his way under her dress until his flesh touched her inner thigh.

An image flashed, but with more of a feeling. Someone moved slowly over her, touching her inner thighs, running his hands up... "Wait," she gasped and pushed him back, her heart racing.

Max moved back and placed his hand lower down her thigh. "I’m sorry," he said quickly.

She tried to catch her breath. "No," she said quickly and wiggled her way from beneath him.

Waiting for her to finish, Max moved back onto his knees and watched her move back against the pillows. He took a breath and ran his hand over his short blonde hair. "I’m sorry," he said again. "Maybe I should go."

She nodded, then reached for his arm. "I mean, no." She was surprised to hear herself say the words to stop him. "I just don’t want us going into this blindly." Taking another breath, she pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "What are we doing here?"

He frowned. "I thought it was pretty obvious."

"No, Max. I mean, how do you feel about me?"

"I don’t know," he replied.

She cocked her head. "Then this would be crazy and wrong. I need to know that this thing is going somewhere before I can let you into my bed."

Max nodded slowly. "I can’t make any promises," he said quickly.

"I know," she said. "I’m not asking for a commitment, here, Max. I’m just wondering what happens in the morning."

Max shrugged. "I don’t know, Kat, but I think it would be nice to find out." He looked at her and saw the look that told him he was about to be turned away. Looking inside he knew he would ask her out again. He knew he wanted to see more of her. He’d seen a lot so far and the idea of seeing everything, for once, didn’t frighten him.

He scooted closer to her on the bed. "I know one thing, Kat. I enjoy being with you and I don’t want that to stop. I know I love…" he caught the words as they came out of his mouth, but afraid to mutter them, he quickly covered his tracks. "I love being with you."

Kat reached over and touched Max’s hand. "Thanks, Max," she said. "I needed to hear that." She smiled at him and he leaned forward, but she put a hand on his chest. "I’ll see you tomorrow," she said softly.

Max frowned and stepped from the bed. "Dinner?"

"I’d like that," she replied, giving him another smile.

Sheepishly, Max walked toward the door. Kat got to her feet and followed him. She held the door a moment as he started down the hall. "I’m sorry," she said softly as she closed the door. Feeling relieved, she knew that the truth was she’d found an excuse. She remembered the morning in Dominick’s house, the moment she remembered just enough to know she’d been violated, but not enough to fear it. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the closed door and let out a slow breath.

------------------------
The next morning, when Kat was called into Stevenson’s office, she felt small. He sat behind his desk and a couple men in suits stood nearby. She knew why they were there and she’d spent all week preparing herself.

"This is Agent Leato and Agent Morton. They want to give you a little briefing about your assignment."

Kat nodded. Agent Leato nodded to Stevenson, then stepped forward. "Your trick to get into Dominick Reznor’s house was pretty risky," he began. "When we looked into things, we found that this guy may be running some sort of cultist drug ring. We haven’t been able to get any proof and it only recently came to our attention, but if he’s responsible for the deaths of the women you are investigating, we wouldn’t be surprised."

Morton stepped forward then and handed her a file. "You can add another one to the list. After the two you and your partner turned up, we sent in a team and managed to find another body. It was also raped and strangled, but older than the two you have and this time there are broken bones to convince us of the beatings." He paused and she opened the folder to see a new driver’s license. The picture of herself she recognized. Everything else was new. She looked to them in confusion. "We’ve made up the ID with the name you gave them and a few other details to make you exist on paper. You’ll find a few more facts on those involved in the parties that you weren’t able to find out."

Leato nodded. "We’re looking at psychological games. Are you sure you’re ready for this?"

Kat stared at the papers in her folder. "If I say no, then what? Start all over?"

Leato cleared his throat and Morton spoke. "Possibly. You managed to get in there, something we haven’t been able to accomplish. We’re looking at getting you in there tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" she asked. "Am I looking at 24/7?"

Leato shook his head. "No. He doesn’t seem to have the manpower to follow your every move. We’ve provided a house for you to use and a wardrobe. We’ll need you to spend most of your time there after he has your number in case he calls. You won’t need to be there all the time. We’ve got you with a rotating job schedule so whenever you want to leave, you can say you’ll be at work. It’s fairly straightforward and simple."

"Oo, the deluxe package," she remarked. "The whole place bugged?"

"Well, no. There isn’t much purpose to that unless he comes by. If he gets your address, let us know. Until then, you’ll get a modicum of privacy there. Right now, we just expect you to get in there and give us reason to bug you or his place. Don’t meet him at your place and there won’t be a reason to bug it. That would be easier on us. After you’ve got something, we’ll need you to stay in long enough to nail him."

Kat nodded and ran her fingers over the tight braid in her hair. She turned a page in the folder to find a list of instructions and information on their suspect. She cleared her throat. "If you need me in tomorrow night, how long do I have to think about it?"

Morton watched her glancing over the information in the folder and reached forward. He closed it with one hand and waited until she made eye contact with him. "You can think about it until that point," he said, "but I want you to think really hard, Detective Monroe. Turning down an assignment like this could have a detrimental effect on your record."

Kat removed the folder from beneath his hand and held it to her chest. She stood slowly, her eyes fierce. "Threats aren’t necessary, Agent," she replied. "You need me to do this. I might be a rookie Detective, but I’m assuming you’ve done your homework and know just how hard I had to work to get here."

He nodded.

"I’m used to not being taken seriously as a female, but threats aren’t necessary." She knew she was going to go through with this, but she wanted to jerk these boys who fancied themselves superior to a cop.

------------------------
Catching himself staring at Kat’s thigh, Max suddenly glanced up, relieved that she hadn’t noticed. She was still looking over the menu, but the small bistro table with ironwork and a clear glass tabletop was too much temptation. He watched as she crossed her legs and then heard her clear her throat. He looked up. That time, he’d been caught.

Kat threw him a carefree smile and tugged the hem of her leather skirt further down her thigh. "Did you want a salad too?"

Max cleared his throat. "Soup. I saw beef vegetable on the sign, right?"

"Right," the waiter replied as he waited for Max to order his entrée. Max quickly scanned the menu he’d been ignoring and stopped at the first thing that looked interesting. "Prime Rib," he said quickly and handed it to the waiter who quickly went on his way.

Leaning slightly to his left, closer to Kat, Max let out a long breath. "You look great tonight," he remarked.

"I noticed," Kat replied, folding her arms. "You’re not one for discreet."

Max chuckled and put his napkin on his lap. "I suppose not," he replied and looked into her entrancing green eyes. "I never noticed that before."

"Noticed what?" She blinked.

"Your eyes. They’re kind of odd." He noticed her raise an eyebrow and chuckled. "Not odd. I mean, they’re just different. You’ve got little gold flecks and there’s one little reddish brown one."

She looked away and folded her hands. "Uh, yeah." She smiled. "It shows up from time to time," she added.

Max put his hand on hers. "It’s beautiful," he said quietly.

Looking at him a moment, she tilted her head. This new assignment was first on her mind, but she was beginning to wonder how he’d handle it. No one could say exactly what the job might entail. She couldn’t say if she’d be completely immersed and unable to see him for months or if it would be every now and then as the federal agents had implied. Browsing over the folder of information she’d been given, it seemed that no one could really say what sorts of games he might play on her. She feared the challenge, but feared even more that she might have to play his mind games in order to find out whether or not he was actually involved in murder.

Kat turned her hand beneath Max’s and gripped it tightly. "Did you hear why they threw me in with Banet like that?" she asked him.

Max shook his head. "I figured you showed interest in undercover work."

She was about to speak, but the waiter appeared with her salad and Max’s soup. She waited until he left and Max tasted from his spoon before continuing. "I guess I was wondering too," she said quickly and picked up her fork, now afraid to tell him that she knew why.

Just over an hour passed and as Kat placed her hand over her coffee cup to stop the waiter from pouring her more, Max finished drinking his and waved for the man to refill his. Kat watched him put a little sugar in before sipping from the mug. Throughout the meal, she’d looked at him differently.

She watched him sip again before he looked at her. "Problem?" he asked.

Kat shook her head. "I’m just waiting for you to finish your coffee," she said softly.

"I’m finished," he remarked as he set the cup back on the table. "I didn’t realize you were waiting for me."

She smiled. "Max?"

"Yeah," he said quickly as he wiped his lips and stood, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

Kat took it and slowly rose. She stepped forward and surprised him with a gentle kiss. She kept a hold on his hand and turned toward the exit. They walked out quickly and Max unlocked her door. He stood beside her and tested what would happen if he leaned in and attempted to kiss her. When she kissed back, he put an arm around her and held her close, pressing his lips more firmly against hers as he let his tongue touch the soft skin.

A moment later he loosened his grip on her and looked into her eyes. "What’s with the change?" he asked.

Smiling enchantingly, Kat opened the car door. "It’s not so much of a change," she replied. "Take me home," she said quickly as she climbed in.

Max ran around the car and jumped in, starting the car quickly. He didn’t dare question or glance in her direction as he pulled onto the street. Before he’d accelerated to the speed limit, Kat leaned forward and put her head on the dashboard. "Max?"

A look of surprise crossed Max’s face and he looked at her. "Yeah?"

"They’re sending me undercover," she said as though confessing something while sitting back in her seat again. His eyes followed her, glancing occasionally at the road now, rather than her.

"What?"

"I’m supposed to go undercover tomorrow," she replied and swallowed. "I think I’m kind of nervous," she added quickly, the entire string of events now becoming more clear and more real to her.

Max smiled. He could hear a slight crack in her voice, but knew that pointing it out would make her more self conscious. He made a turn, then reached across the front seat and took her hand. "It’s pretty overwhelming the first time," he offered.

Kat was quiet for several seconds after she nodded. Max was getting closer to her place and as he pulled onto the street, he felt her clench her hand around his more tightly. He let the silence build as they entered the parking lot to her building.

The two walked up the steps and when Kat stopped in front of her door, she turned to him. "Tell me it’s going to be all right," she told him.

Max put an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "It’s going to be all right," he confirmed. "It seems like a lot to absorb, but once you get in there, it starts to feel really natural."

She nodded and kissed him once before unlocking the door. "I’ve been undercover before, you know. I was vice." She paused. "This is bigger, though, and I am starting to wonder if I’m ready to handle it."

"You did a good job before, right? If not, you’d be dead, I suppose. Maybe you just fit a profile."

She nodded. "Well, I suppose I fit somehow. It could be intense. You think I should be nervous?"

Max followed her inside and put an arm around her. "I don’t know," he responded and kissed her chin.

Kat let out a sigh and Max pulled back to look at her. She tilted her head. "I’m sorry, Max."

"For?"

Kat shrugged from his embrace. "Do you want some coffee?"

Max chuckled. "I had enough at the place, thanks," he responded and put his hands in his pockets. "So let’s talk about it."

"Talk about what?" she asked.

Max was still harboring a small smile. "It’s obvious you want to talk about this assignment more," he stated, moving to the couch and sitting without invitation. "So let’s talk."

Kat sat beside him and looked at her hands. "I’m not sure that’s what I want," she said.

"But you don’t want to… you know."

She shook her head. "Not tonight," she breathed, then looked at him. "I thought I did, but I realize now I just need someone to make me feel better. I can’t imagine sleeping together will do that."

Max shrugged. "Probably not," he replied and put an arm around her.

------------------------
As the light entered the room and Kat began to stir, she realized there was something lumpy and bony beside her. Slowly shifting and squinting, she could see that she had fallen asleep on Max. The two were entwined on the couch and as she began to roll, she felt him begin to stir.

She stood and turned to see him beginning to sit. They’d spent quite some time talking, though most of it Max spent trying to take her mind off the new assignment. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but Max remembered. He’d shifted slightly and made himself comfortable, not disturbing her. One hand he’d rested gently under her head and the other had been holding her hand. He wondered now if they’d still been like that when she woke.

"Coffee?" she offered quickly.

Max smiled. "Sure," he replied and followed her into the kitchen. She was standing before an open cupboard, the coffee maker beneath. As she reached for the box of filters, he moved behind her and put his arms around her.

A quick intake of air from her told him he’d surprised her and he smiled. "No grounds in there, right?"

She was quiet a moment, not moving. Staring at the filters for a moment, she turned. Max kept her in his embrace, smiling as she faced him. Kat looked into his eyes. "Thank you," she breathed softly as she moved close and kissed him gently.

Max was a little surprised, but took it in stride, returning the kiss and rubbing her back. Kat pulled away and turned back around. She continued with the coffee and he moved across the kitchen. A mug tree sat on her microwave and he picked himself a green one. He then sat with it at the small dining table, watching her move.

Part 2 - Descent

"Are you certain you’re ready?" Leato asked Kat as she slipped the driver’s license from the paperclip in the folder and replaced it with her own. She went through everything in the wallet she used and removed anything identifiable.

"No, but I already made the commitment," she replied.

Morton looked down at the rough edged threefold wallet and frowned. "Maybe we need to get you a purse," he said as he watched her.

"A brand new bag with this wallet?" she asked. "Besides, it’ll look unnatural if I’m fumbling around a purse. I’ve never carried one."

"Is there enough room in there for everything?" Leato argued.

"If not, then we’ll have to get creative," she replied. "Look, even if you gave me a pair of six inch heels and a sequined handbag, it’d still be me," she pointed out. "If this isn’t going to work…" she had gone in with confidence, but the moments were counting down and she was beginning to pray for a way out.

"No, it’s all right. We’ll get creative, just like you said," Leato interrupted. "Now, you went through everything, right?"

"Yes," she replied. "I’m pretty sure I’ll recognize someone from all those pictures. With luck, those boys will be at the bar again and I can just hook up with them. Simple enough." She looked up at the Agents and breathed slowly. "I got it all," she added.

Morton nodded. "How’re you going to strike up conversation?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there," she replied.

"You don’t have a plan?" Leato asked a bit surprised.

"I have several," she answered. "I just don’t know which opportunity I’ll get and I still might have to wing it."

"You know about the drug angle?"

"I know everything that’s in those reports like the back of my hand. I’m as prepared to go in as you are. Would you trust yourself to go in?" The look of concern Leato gave Morton was not reassuring, but she didn’t let it shake her.

Leato handed her a key ring. "This is to the car. Remember, it’s just a loner," he said. "We’ve got a change of clothes for you tucked under the back seat and some stuff placed inside to make it look more personal."

"I hope you got the right shade of lipstick," she said as she took the keys, covering for the fact that her heart was about to pound out of her chest. She stood and handed the folder to Stevenson, her own ID cards slipped inside.

Giving the men a nod, she left the small office and stepped into the bull pen. She took a deep breath and crossed the room. She saw Max staring at her, but didn’t dare let him see the fear in her eyes.

Opening the door that led to the parking lot, she looked around for the green Jeep they’d told her she’d be driving. Just as she spotted it, she felt something on her upper arm and spun.

"Good luck," Max said as he leaned toward her.

There was a catch in Kat’s breath as she held him close to her, letting their lips touch for only a few seconds. "I have to go," she said.

Max nodded. "Everything will be fine," he said as he looked into her eyes of doubt. "I promise."

Kat smiled and relaxed slightly. Max turned to go back inside and she turned toward the old Jeep. It was rather high and she had to jump to get in, but as she started the smooth engine, she let out a long breath and reminded herself that she had to continue to breathe.

------------------------
Kat drove the Jeep to her undercover residence and parked in the tiny gravel covered driveway. Using the keys they’d provided, she gained entrance to the place and began to look around. The interior design was sorely outdated and worn, but everything was spotless. The entire place resembled a trailer, the main room and kitchen were visible from the entrance, the bedroom doorway opening into the main room. She moved about and found the cupboards barely stocked with brand new boxes of cereal, canned goods, and unopened flour. She wondered who decided how this place would be stocked as she opened a drawer of loose, mismatched silverware.

Moving to the bedroom, she opened the closet to a minimal wardrobe and a dresser inside with perfectly folded pants and underwear that, when examined, she was flattered that someone had thought she was small enough to fit into. She’d brought a few things from her own place which she now pushed into the back of the closet. They may have provided a few things, but she didn’t know what to expect and was now glad she’d done it.

Closing the drawers and the closet, she moved back to the main room. An overstuffed orange couch was pressed against the wall under a large window at the front of the house. Beside it was a simple table with a phone and answering machine. They’d thought a green plant would make the place home, but she found the entire place too staged.

Kat sat on the couch and ran her hands over the keys she held. She went over all the prominent information in her mind and slowly leaned back, closing her eyes gently.

She’d already begun telling lies. Wondering where they would stop, she pushed a new reality into her mind, the one that fit what she’d told Captain Stevenson and the Federal agents. This would be the new truth. She’d worked undercover before and knew that one of the first things you learned was that you always got caught if you tried lying to your commanding officer. It was this realization that pushed her into the new mindset. She couldn’t mess this up.

Banet had given her a few tips that made sense. Undercover work, he’d said, is just about being a better liar than the guy you’re up against. Keep the lies as close to the truth as you can and the rest becomes the truth. Kat let out a breath and remembered that lesson. She put the keys she held on her knee and listened to the faint sounds of the world around her. Keep the lies as close to the truth as possible and Stevenson, the Agents, no one would know any better.

She played the scenario in her mind, reliving what she’d told the Captain. "I made contact with two of the men I was profiling at the club. They… they…" she sat up and leaned forward. "They gave me an open beer and I was stupid enough to drink it, attempting to gain trust. Don’t remember much after that, but then it doesn’t take a detective to piece together the course of events."

She swallowed as a word ran from the back of her mind and out of her mouth. "Rape," she breathed and shook her head. Stiffening her shoulders, she used one hand to cover her face. That is what they call it, isn’t it? She’d actually dealt with rape victims. She’d dealt with ones who’d been passed roofies and wondered if they had a case. She’d seen it all, inside and out, yet it took her until that moment to realize she was a statistic, a victim.

Chuckling, Kat rubbed her forehead. She didn’t feel like a victim. She didn’t feel abused or used the way she thought someone might or should. She knew that had she fought, she’d have been able to get free. She was trained to do so, but maybe that was the point. Maybe a part of her wanted it and the drug just stopped her from fighting it. Kat shook her head. She knew that part wasn’t true, but wondered now if not remembering was a blessing.

Glancing at her watch, she knew she’d have to leave for the club soon. She just had to get Jay and Tony, or whomever she could find, to trust her enough to take her back to the party. She’d been there once, would a return invitation be difficult to obtain?

Kat wore an outfit much less relaxed than the last time she sat up to the bar at Lucky’s. Her leather pants and black bustier were bound to get attention, but there was only one man whose attention she hoped to gain.

The place was slowly getting more crowded and with each breeze from the doorway, Kat looked to see who was entering. She knew it could be any one of the men from the file, but she had a score to settle with Jay.

As the hour grew late, her prayer was answered. The cold rushed in and Tony stepped inside. Kat turned to see a woman enter behind him, then Jay. As if everything depended on this, Kat stood, feeling every instant of her moves as if the world slowed. She brushed past a patron, then stopped in front of Jay, giving him a smile.

It took Jay a moment to recognize her. When he did, he took in her appearance and smiled back. "Jena, right?"

Kat half chuckled. "I thought I might have made more of an impression than that," she stated. "Buy me a beer," she insisted, then leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "You owe me that much at least."

Jay looked surprised, but walked beside Kat to the bar. "Two Buds!" he yelled over the crowd, then turned to Kat. "Didn’t expect to see you again."

She cocked her head. "You hoped, though, right? I’d hate to think I’ve lost my touch."

Smiling, Jay was at a loss for words. The bartender set down two beers and he reached for them both. Kat immediately pushed his hand from one and picked it up. "I’ll get my own, thanks," she said, then turned to find where Tony and the woman had gone. Seeing them sitting at a table, she watched the woman light a cigarette. Kat made her way through the crowd, feeling Jay as he caught up to her. She made herself at home at the table and held a hand out to the woman. "Jena," she said.

"Mandy," said the woman. "You know Jay and Tony?"

Kat scoffed. "We’ve been intimate," she responded, giving Tony a look.

Tony gave a worried glance to Jay, surprised that she had remembered. Jay sat down, his expression stern. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," Jay said quickly.

Kat picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table, letting the club noise be their conversation until she had it lit. She took a puff, then smiled and leaned toward Jay. "Just try not to fuck me tonight, ok?"

Jay looked guilty and glanced at Tony before turning back to see her blow out the smoke. "It was Tony’s idea."

"I’m sure," she responded. "Unfortunately for you, it’s only you I remember taking advantage of the situation." She paused, then leaned toward Mandy. "I’d get your own beers if I were you, Mandy. Tony’s full of ideas."

Tony and Jay looked annoyed. Jay grabbed Kat’s arm firmly. "So you remember a few things. Big fucking deal. No reason to ruin the evening for everyone else."

Kat shirked from his grip and leaned toward him, giving him a clear view of her chest. "I’m not saying it’s a big problem, Jay. It’s just that next time, I’d like to know what’s going on." She smiled and tapped the ash from her smoke. "I came here to party and if you’re too afraid to do it with a woman who knows your dick from a stick, then I’ll leave." Knowing he’d take the bait, she didn’t even shift in her seat. Instead, she puffed on the cigarette slowly.

Jay looked at Tony and waved him away. "Go get yourself a beer, buddy," he said.

------------------------
Dominick’s house looked cleaner than it had the last time she’d seen it, but then there was a lot of partying left to do. Stepping into the main room, she found several people sitting around smoking weed. She watched someone pop a pill as the person beside her sniffed a line of coke. The music blared and people were dancing with beers and reckless abandon.

Jay pushed past Kat into the room. "What’s your poison?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I need a few minutes," she said, to which he shrugged, then left her in search of a hit. In moments, he had a bong and lighter in his hands. Shaking her head, she looked about the room. Dominick was nowhere to be seen. Trying to make some connections, Kat moved about the room and talked to people.

Two hours passed before Kat saw Dominick. He came out from the kitchen right beside her and she immediately renewed her charm. With a smile, she watched him sip from a beer.

"Hi," she said.

Dominick nodded. "Enjoying yourself?"

Kat shrugged. "What else you got planned?" she asked.

Dominick smiled vaguely. "Wouldn’t you like to know?" he asked in a tone clearly indicating that this had become a game. He moved past her, then, and mingled amongst the crowd. She turned back to the woman she’d been speaking with.

The woman, Sarah, smiled. "I wouldn’t ask too many questions, if I were you," she advised.

Kat raised her eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Ask too many questions and you stop getting the freebies. He’ll kick you out and the good times are over."

Kat nodded slowly. "So what do you know?"

She smiled vaguely. "Enough to know he’s not inviting you in," she replied. She finished off the shot she’d poured herself and shrugged. "I’ll make it easy. You stick around, mind your own business. Sooner or later he’ll think you’re worth his time and give it to you."

"You act like it’s some kind of honour," Kat responded dryly.

Sarah stiffened, her face more grim. "It is." Pausing a moment, Sara took in a breath. "Dominick’s the one with the all the cards here. It’s more than just drugs and parties. Nick’s got something special that no one can really understand."

"Like?"

"If you have to ask, you’ll never get it," Sarah replied snidely and walked away.

Kat watched Dominick make friends with a woman, sitting on the couch beside her. Waiting until there didn’t seem to be anyone paying attention, Kat moved around the place, exploring again.

Moving into the kitchen, passing through, and crossing the dining area, Kat went to the locked door. It had kept her mind going for a week and she was ready to learn what was behind it. Standing close, she put her ear to it. She couldn’t hear anything.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned. Dominick grabbed Kat’s arm and forcibly moved her away from the door. "You will only get one chance to hear this and listen," he began smoothly. "Stay away from this door." His tone was firm and commanding.

"What happens if I don’t?" Kat asked.

"You find out what happens to someone who asks too many questions," he replied. Feeling the distinct impression of a threat, Kat tilted her head casually, trying to show that she wasn’t feeling the threat. Dominick smiled slightly. "Interesting," he said under his breath. Folding his arms, he stared at her. When she finally turned back to the party, he watched her go, guarding the door until she was gone.

Moving back to the party, Kat drank the beer she’d carried around with her half the night and leaned against the edge of the couch. People were beginning to pass out or leave. Kat decided she needed to stay, hoping to get more time alone with Dominick, though at this point, she wondered if any of the people here could be murderers. Closing her eyes, Kat listening to mindlessness until she fell asleep.

------------------------
Kat learned that the parties were for weekends, a time most people picked up enough drugs to last them the week. That meant she had a week before the next, but Dominick made it clear she was welcome to return.

During the week, Kat and Max saw each other several times. They went to the movies and he took her for a walk as they got to know each other better. She avoided talking about work because she wanted to separate it, but then he had little to say also.

Friday morning came and Kat knew she’d have a party to attend that night. She made her reports during the week and spent the nights in her apartment since she hadn’t had occasion to give out her new number or address yet.

Getting up early, she went out to the new house to check in on things. Max called Kat’s apartment for the second time that morning. He’d left a message the first time, but it was getting late and she still hadn’t returned his call. When the machine picked up, he turned off the cordless phone and went into the kitchen.

A moment later, the phone rang and he hurried to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I just got your message," Kat began. "I’m sorry I missed you."

"I just tried again. Where were you?"

"I just had a few things to check on this morning," she replied. "What’s up?"

"I’m not working today and I wondered what you were going to be doing."

"I have somewhere to go tonight, but I’m free the rest of the day," she replied. Max could hear the smile in her tone.

Smiling also, he looked at his watch. "We could start with lunch," he suggested.

"All right," she replied. "Mind picking me up?"

"I’ll be there in ten minutes."

Kat cleared her throat. "Could you give me a little more time?"

Max paused, but agreed. "How long?"

"Half an hour," she responded.

Max hung up the phone and looked at his watch. Thirty minutes seemed like a long time to him now. He’d spent so much time with her and had even tried spending non-work related time with her over the last week. All that time and it had been last night that he’d realized he was happy this way. He felt he understood Kat and she understood him. It was comfortable to be with her and every kiss felt like something more. Every moment he was with her he wanted to savor, remember, and take with him everywhere.

He started to clean his own apartment, desperate to make the time pass more quickly, though he continued to think about her.

Kat was still brushing her hair when she heard a knock at the door. She passed a clock and smiled. He was five minutes early, but that was all right. Wanting to see him as well, she threw her hair behind her shoulders and went to the door. The smile he wore when greeting her made her day.

Sitting across from her at the bistro table, Max stared at the sandwich he’d ordered, then at Kat. She was carefully picking the onions from her salad, not noticing him. All at once, Max reached across the table and took her hand. "Kat?"

Looking up, she dropped the onion she held in her other hand and smiled. "Yeah?"

Max stared at her a moment before losing his nerve. He truly wanted to tell her how he felt, but the words were escaping him. What was this feeling he had? He cleared his throat. "I thought after lunch we could go to the park. You know that bronze fountain?"

"Yes."

"They just did some repairs on it. I heard it looks great."

Kat blinked. "Ok," she said softly.

Max dropped her hand and picked up his sandwich. He felt a little insane and deflated, but he changed the subject and continued to eat.

Parallel parking just outside of the city park, Max walked Kat across the cement between two flower gardens. The season was late so there was little colour, but the leaves were still green. He took her hand firmly and walked her toward the fountain. He’d been right in saying that it was beautiful, Kat thought. She hadn’t imagined that it could look as nice as it did, having been run down before she moved to the city.

Max followed the concrete path around the fountain, keeping a hold on Kat’s hand and examining the statue inside. All at once, Kat stopped walking and as he felt the tug on his arm, he turned.

"What’s going on?" Kat asked.

"Nothing. Why?"

Kat smiled and tilted her head. "You’re acting strange. You’ve been acting like… like something’s wrong all day. So what’s up?"

Max stood close to her and put the hand he held behind her back, pressing his body against hers. "Nothing’s wrong," he said smoothly. They looked into each other’s eyes a moment before he leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

When he pulled back, she smiled again. "Something’s different. What is it?"

Max cleared his throat. "How do you feel about me?"

Kat glanced at the bouncing water and took in a deep breath. As she let it out slowly, she looked back at him with a serious look which concerned him. "I’m not sure I can answer that."

"Why?"

Considering, Kat paused again, then took a step away from him. "I think I’m still confused," she replied.

Max grabbed her into his arms and kissed her firmly. "I’m not confused anymore," he stated. Kat raised her eyebrows and he continued. "I know I said I wasn’t sure and I couldn’t make any promises. I’m still not going to promise you anything, but I know I’m sure."

"Sure about what?" she asked softly.

Max smiled, embraced her tightly and leaned his face into her neck, speaking the words softly into her ear. "I love you," he said.

Kat blinked. She found herself unable to move and her mind went blank. Playing the words again, she slowly began to bring her hands over his shoulders, pushing him back a little. "What?" she said.

Max cleared his throat again, then took a deep breath as he smiled. "I love you," he restated. The blank look Kat gave him was neither what he expected, nor a comfort. Feeling odd suddenly, he released her and stepped back. "I don’t mean – I didn’t mean -" Kat still didn’t respond. "Should I be sorry?" he asked suddenly.

Bouncing back into the moment, Kat shook her head. "No, I’m sorry," she said. In one moment she remembered her ordeal that night with Jay, the feelings she’d struggled with all week. Part of her wished he could read her mind so she wouldn’t have to tell him why she was hesitating while another part was too humiliated to tell him herself. She swallowed and began to cough. Max grabbed her arm and she patted her chest. Something had certainly gone down wrong.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Kat swallowed again, trying to stop the cough, then straightened. "Take me home," she said quickly.

------------------------
‘Love?’ Kat asked herself. ‘What am I supposed to do with that information?’ She grumbled and changed her clothes. Dominick had mentioned another party. He’d flat out told her he expected to see her there. Hoping the answers would come as she got there, she put on a pair of boots and grabbed her keys.

Insisting that Max leave her alone, Kat had spent the rest of the afternoon wondering what his announcement was supposed to mean, how it was supposed to effect her. She’d always been the one to say it first and now the tables were turned. Is this how those guys always felt the first time she announced that? No wonder things didn’t work out.

Hours later and on her way to another of Dominick’s parties, she was no closer to an answer than in the park.

The evening at Dominick’s started out much the same as it had before. Kat chose marijuana as her vice of the evening, something non-addictive that would allow her to keep her head, she hoped. Dominick was absent for much of the party, but when he made his appearance, he seemed to have a quest, just as he had before.

Kat moved behind the dining table and stood beside the closed curtains, disappearing almost completely so as to become an observer. Dominick sat on the couch beside a young blonde woman and the two began speaking. Kat watched for several moments until he produced a small bag of white powder. She smiled slightly and the woman bit her lower lip. Slowly the woman took the bag and laid it in her lap.

Dominick glanced around the room, then, and his eyes rested a moment on Kat.

She’d been staring, she knew, and the appropriate response was to look away, but she couldn’t manage. Their eyes locked and he smiled coyly as he placed a hand on the woman’s knee. He continued to talk to her as he ran the hand along the inside of her thigh. The woman seemed pleased, staring at the bag in her hand and leaning into him.

Kat was astounded by the way he continued to stare at her across the smoky room as he came on to the blonde beside him. The woman continually tried to catch his attention, clearly confused by his distraction. A moment later, he broke his gaze from Kat and licked the woman’s ear. She smiled and Kat could see the woman giggle. Something about the moment seemed more odd than a simple distraction. Was this all a show he was putting on for her benefit? If he knew she was a cop, perhaps he was giving her a show to keep her from the truth of murder. Confused and annoyed she stepped into the kitchen.

------------------------
Kat woke slowly as she heard new noise in the room. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a small group at the door letting themselves out. Dominick wandered the room slapping those who had passed out.

"That’s it. It’s over. Let’s go," he was saying as he kicked someone with a foot. The group at the door looked sober and as she looked at the window, she noted that the light coming through was new and bright. She sat up and watched as the others wiped away the drool and got to their feet.

Dominick moved to the couch and leaned into Kat’s ear. "You can stay," he offered, though when he moved back, he could see that she was very confused. He smiled, enjoying the look as he sent everyone else out the door. Once the place was cleared, he began to clean up the empty bottles and garbage from the floor. He could feel Kat watching him, but said nothing.

Finally, she stood and began to help. He produced a black garbage back and opened it. "Why did you ask me to stay?" she asked.

Dominick tilted his head. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Kat stopped and looked at him. He stopped also. "Yes," she responded simply.

Dominick took a step toward her and grabbed her arm. "A little pot was the best you could do, huh?"

Kat stared at him, waiting for his point.

"I thought you’d want something else," he said, putting his hand over the inside of her elbow.

"Like what? Heroin?"

He shrugged.

"Is that how things work?" Kat asked more as an acknowledgement than an actual query. "Give a girl a little injection and wait for her to come back for more?"

Dominick let her arm go and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps," he said.

"Except you charge them for the return visits, right?" she stated.

"Typical of any dealer," Dominick replied. "You know your business."

Kat swallowed. Her business? He knew. What was he going to do? Standing firm, she folded her arms. "Maybe I do."

"Maybe," he responded slowly. "Of course, that’s only if your business is dealing." He paused. "Is it?"

Kat raised her eyebrows. It appeared she was safe. "If I was?"

Dominick grabbed her jaw. Kat tried not to look concerned, though one swift move and he could hurt her seriously. "Interesting."

"What’s interesting?" she asked smoothly as he jerked her head to the side.

"You’re what, 35, 36?" He paused. "I watch you talk and walk and I wouldn’t put you much past late twenties."

Kat swallowed. His grip on her chin was firm and she could feel it bruising as he stepped closer and brought her face to meet his. "Then I look in those eyes. I think you’ve seen something few people have, but I’ve seen it," he said, his voice nearing raspy and ethereal. "You intrigue me," he remarked.

Kat swallowed again, still letting him hold her. All at once, she pulled away from his grasp. "I’m not a science project," she replied.

Dominick chuckled. "That’s why you interest me," he said. "You’re not afraid of me, are you?"

Kat shook her head. "Should I be?"

Dominick’s smile remained. "I suppose you’ll have to stick around and find out, won’t you?" He put his hand on her jaw again and pulled her close. He moved his head slowly toward hers, putting his lips up to her ear in deliberate motion that made her squirm inside. "If I find out you’re here to screw me out of my paying customers, I’ll kill you," he warned quietly. She waited for him to let her go, but he surprised her, letting his tongue out and licking her just below the earlobe before pushing her back.

Kat froze. She felt as though a serpent had just taken advantage of her. Swallowing, she stepped back. "I’ll keep that in mind," she returned, keeping her cool.

------------------------
Kat sat behind the wheel of the Jeep in a restaurant parking lot. She’d pulled in, not knowing where to go. Her apartment seemed the obvious choice until she got on the road. Would Max have a message waiting? Would he call her? She couldn’t talk to him until she’d sorted things out. She wasn’t even sure what her hesitation was.

Going to the house seemed an option, but she felt odd there. Still, Dominick had asked and she had given the phone number. It was time now to act like she lived in the place.

Leaning forward, Kat rested her head on the steering wheel. Even the car wasn’t hers. She wasn’t sure what was her anymore, in fact. A part of her was getting lost in the games she was playing.

------------------------
"Hey, Kat, it’s Max. Call me, please?"

Beep

"Kat? I really think we need to talk."

Beep

"I don’t want to sound pathetic, Kat, but seriously. You need to call me."

For some reason, the three messages from Max left a smile on Kat’s face. She’d gone to the house and used the miscellaneous supplies to make herself lunch. She then walked around the quiet place throwing a blanket from the bed over the back of the couch and trying to make the place feel more like home.

Alone in the fake place for three hours gave her enough time to think. Her apartment sounded nice. Life with Max sounded nice. Returning to her normal life sounded nice, so she did.

Kat picked up the phone and dialed in the number.

"Hello?"

"I’m sorry, Max," Kat said first. "You busy tonight?"

"Kat, I’m so glad you called, I was starting to worry that I…"

"You busy?"

Max paused. "No."

"Pick me up for dinner in a couple hours, ok?"

"Of course," Max replied.

Kat hung up the phone. A moment later, it rang. Picking it up, she half expected to hear Max’s voice again. "Hello?"

"Monroe? It’s Parker."

"Parker, hi," she acknowledged slowly as she sat on her couch. "What’s going on?"

"I just wondered if you’d talked to Max today."

Kat was silent a moment, considering the oddity of the call before responding. "Yeah, why?"

Parker was quiet a moment too. "I know he was trying to get hold of you," he finally replied.

"Uh, yes. He did. Why are you calling me to make sure?"

Clearing his throat, Parker spoke again. "Something’s going on with him. Maybe you should see if he wants to talk about it."

"Going on? What do you mean?"

"I really hope you’ll talk to him, Monroe," Parker stated. "I shouldn’t get involved, but I think maybe it has something to do with you."

"Parker, I…"

"Stevenson’s here. I’ll talk to you later," Parker said quickly. "Bye."

"Bye," Kat said to a dead line, still in confusion.

------------------------
Looking into the bathroom mirror, Kat sighed. She was right in thinking that Dominick’s act would bruise her, but with a little makeup, she hid it pretty well and hoped Max wouldn’t notice. Examining the makeup once more, she flipped her hair so that it hung over her shoulders, casting even more shadowed on her face and neck.

Max knocked softly on the door to Kat’s apartment and waited until she opened it. As soon as she did, she was greeted with a bunch of roses wrapped in fern, baby’s breath, and red plastic. She smiled vaguely and took the flowers.

Kat stared at the flowers and bit her lower lip as she moved to the kitchen. Using a vase left to her by her grandmother, she stuck the flowers in it and walked back out to the main room where Max stood. She set the vase on the center of her coffee table and straightened.

"You ready to go?" Max asked.

Kat moved beside the couch and waved an arm of invitation. "I thought we’d talk first," she replied.

Max noticed that she was wearing a nice dress and furrowed his brow. She looked ready to go out so he stood a moment longer. "I thought we’d start with dinner."

Kat sat on the couch. "You afraid to talk to me?"

Smiling, Max moved to the sofa obediently and sat beside her. He put a hand on her knee.

Kat immediately put her hand on his, turning it so that she could grasp it while removing it from her leg. "Parker called," she began.

Max let out a frustrated breath and shook his head. "Why’d he do that?"

"I don’t know, but he sure seemed determined that you tell me what’s going on."

"Why? It’s none of your business."

"What isn’t?"

Max shrugged.

"Parker seemed to think it involved me."

Looking annoyed, he pulled away. "I told him it had nothing to do with you."

"You know what? Why don’t you just start with what happened."

"Nothing happened. I’m telling you, it was just the circumstances."

"It what? If nothing happened, there would be no it for circumstances to effect, right? So tell me."

Max sighed. "We were interviewing this guy. He was pretty belligerent. We told him if he didn’t want to cooperate we could try talking at the station. I mean, it was all standard procedure."

"Right. Then what happened?" Kat coaxed.

"He said he didn’t want to go, said he knew his rights. They all know their rights." He looked at Kat and she nodded. "Well, we had enough reason to believe he was involved anyway so I went to cuff him and…"

Kat raised her eyebrows, waiting for more, but he just stared at the flowers on the table. "And?"

"Parker was just standing there. What was I supposed to do?"

"What did you do?"

"I hit the guy."

Kat shrugged. "So, he was giving you trouble and you belted him one, huh?" She chuckled. "Parker called me for that?"

"I hit him a few times," Max said quietly.

"A few? How many is a few?"

"A few is a few. I was just pissed off. You know, he’s involved in the rape and murder of a 16 year old girl."

"You’ve got proof of that?"

"Well, no, but he was suspicious."

"Ok, fine, you’re following a gut instinct, but to smack the guy around like that. What’d Parker do?"

"He grabbed me, but the guy was unconscious."

"You knocked him out? Max!"

"I didn’t mean to. I was just sort of angry, you know?"

"I’ve seen you angry before. Hell, I’ve seen you deck a guy before, but to knock him out? What were you thinking?"

Max furrowed his brow and didn’t respond.

"So why does Parker think it has to do with me? He thinks I’m giving you lessons on smacking the punks around?"

Max bit his lower lip and looked at her. "I dunno. He says I was upset and maybe that drove me to it."

"Upset," she repeated and looked away. "They pressing charges?"

"Not so far."

"Well, that’s a start," she responded. "Look, Max. You can’t go beating the shit out of some guy because you’re pissed off at me."

"I told you, that’s what Parker thinks! I’m… That’s not…"

Kat stopped him, grabbing his hand. "Ok, ok. Either way we need to talk."

"I know," Max replied, the anger present on his face as he pulled away again. "I know. I’m sorry, but I can’t go on like this."

"I know, Max. That’s why I wanted to talk."

Max nodded. "I’m sorry that I – whatever I said that freaked you out yesterday," he said quickly. "I don’t want you to have to say it. I don’t want to hear it from you."

Kat was surprised. She was prepared to tell him what she’d realized, but now he didn’t want to hear it. Staring disbelieving, she let him continue.

"As long as you’re on assignment, I won’t be seeing you around the precinct much. I’ll make sure Stevenson doesn’t partner us again after, you know, everything."

Kat shook her head. "What? What are you talking about?"

Max stiffened. "Believe me, it’s going to be harder for me than for you."

"What is?"

"Seeing you around the place, knowing that you don’t… knowing that things didn’t work out."

Kat finally realized what he was inferring and grabbed at his upper arm. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, then took a breath. "Just hold on," she breathed.

"I wanted to talk about this over dinner," he began quietly.

Kat inched closer. "Stop, no. Max, you’ve got it all wrong."

"Please," he half begged. "If you say the words, I’ll have that memory and I don’t want it."

"I wasn’t going to say that I didn’t want to see you anymore," she said quickly. "Max, relax."

"I know. You had some great speech worked out, but…"

"No, Max, I didn’t," she responded, "but it’s starting to irritate the hell out of me that you won’t let me come up with one."

He looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but she moved her free hand over his mouth and interrupted. "Max, I wanted to talk about yesterday. What you said was a good thing. I’m sorry that it took me so long to figure that out."

"But you said you wanted…"

"I said I wanted some sort of sign from you that you were looking for more than sex. I didn’t expect you to tell me that… that you loved me," she breathed, moving closer. "Max, it took me a minute, ok? I had to have some time to myself to realize that I like being with you. I needed to realize that I want to be with you too."

Max stared at her and as she smiled broadly, he began to relax and smiled also.

"You know, when a woman tells a man she loves him, he usually says he loves her back, but it’s just a reaction. He doesn’t mean it. If he did, he wouldn’t run the next time things go bad."

Max took her hand. "I won’t run," he assured her.

She smiled. "I know. Something in the way you said it told me that. I don’t know why I couldn’t say the same thing to you, but I guess I was afraid that I wouldn’t mean it if I did." Looking into his eyes, she let out a breath. He looked into hers a moment and she leaned forward surprising him a little with a gentle kiss. She moved back and stood.

Max kept a hold on her hand and stood also. He wondered at that moment what would happen if he leaned in and attempted to kiss her. When she kissed back, he put an arm around her and held her close, pressing his lips more firmly against hers as he let his tongue touch the soft skin.

A moment later he loosened his grip on her and looked into her eyes. "You still want to go to dinner?" he asked.

Smiling enchantingly, Kat wrapped her arms around him. "You hungry?"

Max shook his head. "Not for food."

Kat took his hands from her waist and started walking backwards toward the bedroom. "Are you sure?" Max asked her as he laid several kisses on her neck.

Kat nodded and held his head. "Yes," she breathed into his ear as he ran his hand up her thigh and laid her back gently on the bed. He moved beside her and brushed his fingers through her hair. They were still tangled in it as he put a hand behind her head and pressed his lips to hers again. Kat pulled him closer and he used his other hand to caress her thigh, coaxing her lips open with his tongue until he could slide it inside.

Feeling her body growing warm, Kat began to undo the buttons on Max’s shirt, slowly slipping it from his shoulders. He gently licked at her neck and planted soft kisses along the collarbone as he pushed his fingers under the edge of her stocking and slipped it from her leg. Gingerly he brushed his hand back up her leg, feeling her back tense as she moaned softly. Max shifted as she undid his pants and began to slide them from his hips. Moving to remove them completely, he changed hands and slowly removed her other stocking.

Kat wrapped one leg around Max’s body as he brushed both hands beneath her skirt and tugged on her panties. Swiftly, he laid over her and breathed softly in her ear as he nibbled the lobe. Feeling shivers down her spine, she reached down to undo her skirt. Her skirt was gone quickly, then Max helped her remove her blouse and before she had it from over her head, he removed her bra and pressed lips to nipple while letting his hands explore her abdomen.

As Kat gasped for breath, she felt him press his groin against her and wrap an arm behind her so that he could bring her closer. She wrapped both arms over his shoulders and closed her eyes, the ecstasy of his kisses making her let out the occasional groan. While he traced paths with his tongue over her body, he slowly moved his hand over her warmth, then parted the flesh and slipped a finger inside of her. Kat moaned as he pushed the finger further inside of her and gently slipped a second finger through.

She was warm and wet against his hand, her body sweet in his mouth. He felt himself growing hard and licked at her lips and chin, gently suckling the flesh. Absorbing the sensations, he didn’t notice as her hand moved closer, but when she touched his chest and ran her hand down to his hardened cock, he shifted to let her get a better grip. He groaned as she knew how to handle him, gently tugging and squeezing until he felt like he might burst. Removing his fingers from her, he ran them once across her clitoris. She responded with a tiny jolt as he climbed between her legs.

Pushing his way slowly inside of her, he lay over her and looked into her gentle face. She looked so sweet, even with the passion burning her cheeks red. He bent forward, kissing her lips and sucking her breast as she wrapped her legs around his frame and invited him inside. Undulating repeatedly, he pushed deeper and deeper inside of her as she met each one with a moan.

Leaning on one arm on the bed, Max ran the other hand down her thigh and grasped the back of her knee. Feeling hot, Kat groaned and held Max’s sides. She could feel the pressure inside of her building with each movement. She gasped as she neared the edge and the glorious moment of orgasm met her in a wave.

Max felt the strong contractions against his penis and began to speed his process just enough to reach his orgasm with similar relief. As soon as he did, he pumped slowly, pressing his groin against hers in gentle rhythm. He grunted as he felt himself let go, felt the semen flowing from him, pounding her until the last possible moment before finding that his arm was weak and he fell beside her. She kept her leg around him, turning toward him when he didn’t let go of her knee. Shaking as she leaned toward him, she kissed him again, probing his mouth a moment before resting her head in his shoulder and feeling his body shake also.

"Are you cold?" he asked breathlessly when he felt her shudder.

She looked into his eyes. "No," she replied and put her arm over him. "No," she repeated, snuggling against him. Max wrapped both arms around her and held her close. His breathing began to slow, a relaxing sensation for them both and Kat turned to look into Max’s face.

He smiled down at her, but saw that she wasn’t going to return it. "Is something wrong?"

Kat cleared her throat. "He’s a killer," she said simply.

Max shifted back on the pillow so that he could view her better. "Hm?"

"The guy I’m going after. He’s a killer," she replied and rolled onto her back. "They think he killed those two women we were working on."

"Our case?"

Kat nodded. "They’ve got a book on him. He may have killed more, but they haven’t been able to get anything linked to him." She let out a breath. "They found a third. Three or more. It could be a lot. Who’s to say I’m the one who can smoke him out?"

"You’re a trained professional," Max reminded her.

She shrugged. "Even trained professionals work with partners, but then people don’t get into this guy’s inner sanctum in pairs."

Max nodded. He remembered that she’d asked him to tell her that it would be all right and sensed she was looking for the same reassurance. He embraced her again and kissed her forehead. "Everything is going to be all right, and when it’s all over, you’re going to be a hero," he said.

Maybe it was the words or the way he held her, but Kat felt safe again. Closing her eyes, she smelled Max’s skin and felt his touch. She wanted to hold that sensation, that moment in her mind forever.

------------------------
Slowly, Kat opened her eyes to the light in the room. She’d forgotten completely about closing the curtains, but was reminded by the sun’s assault. She grumbled and rolled from her stomach, bumping into something beside her. Quickly, she turned her head and the events of the previous evening returned to her. She rolled to her side, then, and placed her hand on Max’s chest.

Maybe it was the first time with someone new thing, but she couldn’t remember specifics. Emotionally, she knew it had been wonderful. Physically hardly mattered. Tracing the line of his firm body, she watched until his eyes slowly opened.

Max immediately greeted her with a smile and laid his hand over hers. They stared at each other a moment before he took her shoulders and pulled her close enough to kiss passionately on the mouth. Immediately he pressed his tongue into her mouth and suckled her lower lip. It took him only moments to know that waking up in bed with Kat was much better than waking alone. Running his hands down her spine, he pulled her hips close to him, letting her feel him hard against her body.

Kat put a hand on Max’s back and brushed her fingers lightly over him as she moved her lips along his cheek, down his neck, and nibbled softly on his shoulder. She could feel him against her, warming her more effectively than the sunlight now on her back. She put a leg over his hips and intertwined herself completely until they were one, softly biting or suckling any part of flesh she could get in her mouth.

------------------------
Flashes of memories and images wafted through Kat’s sleep. Tossing in her bed, she felt chilly and wrapped a blanket around herself. Jay was moving over her, his body pressing her flesh into the bed. She tried to push him away, but even as she did, her mind told her to look again and when she did, she saw Max. Clinging to him and crying against his bare shoulder, he held her and she felt safe.

It was odd the way he grabbed her jaw and kissed her then. The lips were forceful, not tender and as she looked again, she was confronted by Dominick. He smiled coyly and reached for her, but as the room melted into her own and somewhere in the subconscious of her dream, the truth got lost.

Sitting bolt upright, Kat gasped for breath. She ran her hands over her head and grasped the back of her neck as she realized she was at home, she was safe. Rubbing at her eyes, the dream lingered, but she got up from her bed and stumbled to the kitchen.

Two hours later, a cab dropped her in front of the police station. Slipping on the sunglasses she’d brought and wrapping the scarf again around her neck, she walked inside.

It was Wednesday and she’d promised Captain Stevenson a written report. Tired of phone calls and red tape, she decided to drop it off herself, fairly low risk as she tried to look like a civilian.

Walking into the bull pen of the Detective Division, she passed her friends with a smile and entered Stevenson’s office. Passing him her report, she let out a breath. "Hey, Captain," she said softly.

"Monroe. Good to see you. How are things going?"

She shrugged. "I seem to be making some contacts, but I’m not quite there yet," she summed up. "I detailed everything there. I think I’m getting close."

"Good. Agent Leato’s has been asking for this all week."

"I know. I’m sorry," she responded, then stepped closer to his desk. "I heard about Detective Branski’s – indiscretion – last weekend," she said.

Stevenson cocked his head and waited.

"Well, I just wondered if the guy pressed charges," she inquired.

"Oh," Stevenson responded. "Well, no. We were able to come to another agreement," he said.

"Oh?"

Stevenson only nodded and she knew not to press further. "I’m going to stick around and catch up on some reports if that’s ok," she said.

"All right," Stevenson replied somewhat reluctantly. "Just be careful. Remember that you don’t want to be seen."

She nodded. "Of course," she replied. "I was planning to use the desk in the corner that no one uses. It’s quiet and with my back to the room, no one’s going to recognize me, even if someone I know happens by."

"Good," he responded, then looked her over. "Besides, with that scarf and those glasses, well, you look like you’re trying to cover something up, but at least you’re not easily identifiable."

She smiled and turned. As she stepped back into the bull pen, she saw Max and Parker bringing in a suspect. Moving to her desk, she opened a drawer to remove her things, then went to the corner desk to begin her work.

Max hadn’t noticed Kat at that point. He was too preoccupied to notice, but later when he left Parker with the guy in interview one, he walked to his desk and opened the bottom drawer. Just as he found the form he was looking for and pulling it out, he glanced up and saw Kat standing before him. When his eyes met hers, she smiled demurely and walked around his desk.

"Hey there," she said.

Max’s smile was very slow to form, but he rose as it did. "What’re you doing here?"

"Paperwork," she replied casually. "Saw you and thought I’d say hi."

He raised one eyebrow. "Hi," he said.

She glanced at her watch. "Actually, I was finishing up," she paused. "I called a cab. He should be here soon. Want to walk me?"

Max chuckled slightly. "I’ve got to get this to Parker."

She nodded and slid on her sunglasses. "Well, I’ll walk you that far then."

Agreeing, Max left the bullpen with her. The interrogation rooms were in a hall off from the main entrance and as he walked down, he began to talk. "So, what have you been up to?"

Kat pondered her answer a moment, then felt inspiration strike and cleared her throat. "Earlier this week I went on a date with this fabulous guy," she began. Max stopped walking and turned to her, the smile visible only when she looked into his eyes. "Well, I thought we had a good time, but since then it’s been far more work than pleasure," she finished, feigning that she was upset.

Max’s smile spread and he took a step closer. "Maybe the guy just doesn’t know what he’s missing." As he spoke, he took her hand and pulled her close. "I know I would never put work before the pleasure of your company," he teased, then embraced her. Leaning in close, he began to kiss her gently, feeling her smooth lips brush against his. He tried to stop then, but the temptation was too great and he pushed closer, bringing a hand to her chin and kissing her more deeply as she stumbled back against the wall. Kat ran her hands up his back and felt him relax slightly against her. Everything around them swirled in warmth and passion until Max heard a sound and jumped backward.

The door to the interview room opened, but fortunately for them both, no one stepped out. Max took a step toward the door and looked inside just as Parker finished his sentence and turned back to the doorway.

"There you are," Parker said quickly.

"Yup, here I am," Max replied, turning to give Kat a wink before he walked inside and closed the door behind himself.

Kat let out a breath and turned back down the hall. She only took a few steps before hearing the door open again. As she spun, she saw Max stick his head out and smile. "Looks like we’ll be writing reports tonight. What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I have to work," she returned regretfully.

Max glanced at the floor then nodded. "Call me," he said.

Kat nodded and turned again to leave.

------------------------
"Hey there. I’m Sean," said the black haired, green eyed man who moved beside Kat.

Sitting by herself for only a moment, Kat was trying to take a break from mingling. She’d met and conversed with nearly all the regulars to the parties, but still didn’t know anything she hoped. Sean had been at every party, but Kat had quickly noticed that he wasn’t one for mingling. She also noticed he had a special relationship with Dominick, conversing with him and a few others in another room.

"Jena," Kat said, holding out her hand, hoping to make just the right impression.

"I’ve seen you here for a couple weeks now, haven’t I?" he asked.

Kat nodded slowly. "Quite enjoyable," she replied somewhat flatly.

Sean raised his eyebrows. "You seem convinced."

Stiffening, Kat let out a breath. She hoped that this was her chance to place a seed of curiosity and she stared at the beer bottle in her hand as she did so. "I suppose I was just hoping for more," she stated.

Smiling broadly, Sean put a hand on her knee. "I see," he responded.

Kat swallowed and sipped the beer, not doing much more than swishing some in her mouth and spitting it back into the bottle. She put a hand on his and looked into his eyes. "I meant the party. I can go to a party like this at just about any college campus."

Sean tilted his head. "Maybe," he responded, "but who else is going to give you everything for free?"

Kat smiled. "It’s only free until you’re addicted," she responded. "Well, I suppose that’s the point," she added quickly. Sean moved his hand up her thigh only an inch when Kat took his hand in hers. "I can get that anywhere, too."

"Then why do you continue to come here?" he asked.

Kat shrugged. She had no answer ready and of course the truth was out. Letting go of his hand, she sipped on the beer again to stall. Finally she let out a breath. "Well, I suppose it is a little different. It just seems to me that…" she looked around the room searching for an answer. Dominick walked in at that moment, taking very little notice of her. She turned back to Sean. "I think there’s something more to my liking here. Perhaps I just haven’t found it," she said, a subtle prod.

Sean smiled as he stood and looked down at her. "Well, it’s been a pleasure, but I really have to go," he said. He took another moment to stare at her, then crossed the room to where Dominick stood.

Kat watched nervously as the two conversed. She hoped that she had been subtle enough, but the way Dominick eyed her after Sean spoke made her shift in her seat. Then, when he smiled at her and winked slightly, she cocked her head.

Sean walked away from Dominick, entering the kitchen and disappearing from her sight. Dominick went back to talking with Sarah whom Kat had met before. Kat waited a moment, then stood and found a group to mingle with once again.

------------------------
When Kat opened her eyes on Tuesday morning, she felt rested. An odd comfort washed over her as she looked at the warm arms wrapped around her naked body. She turned her head slowly to see Max sleeping comfortably, seemingly unaware that one of his arms was serving as a pillow to her head while the other rested over her abdomen.

Staring at him, she shifted her body to face him. The moment made him wake slowly. Squinting, he gave her a smile and pulled his arms from her body. He groaned and rolled over. "My arm’s asleep," he mumbled quietly.

Kat gave a half chuckle and started to climb out of bed, but Max swung his arm over her and pinned her down again. She gave him a smile and a soft kiss on the lips. "It’s late. You need to get to work," she informed him.

Max moved onto one elbow and looked at the clock. "I’m already late. What’s a few more minutes?"

"I have a lot to do," she explained.

Max nodded and kissed her. He pressed his body against hers, simultaneously holding hers against him. When he released her, he smiled again. "Just a few more minutes," he begged.

Kat relaxed and closed her eyes a moment. The feel of his fingers tenderly running along her chest and abdomen made her open them again. She propped herself up slightly and watched him gingerly trace her flesh. He reached the scar on her lower abdomen and she blinked slowly, dropping her head back and swallowing in anticipation of the question.

"Kat?"

"Yes," she wanted to snap at him, but it wasn’t his fault. Curiosity got the better of everyone. Staring at the ceiling, she closed her eyes again.

"I’ve been wanting to ask you something."

"I know," she said softly, then felt him moving. As she opened her eyes, she saw that he had shifted closer so he could look into her face, his hand resting now on her belly.

"You do?"

Letting out a breath, Kat raised her head slightly. "Everyone asks about the scar," she replied.

Max looked disappointed. He knew he hadn’t been the first, but he liked to think of himself that way. Clearing his throat, he tilted his head and stared into her eyes. When she said nothing for several seconds, he spoke again. "What do you tell them?"

"That I don’t want to talk about it," she replied.

Max moved to a sitting position. "And what will you tell me?"

Kat sighed and looked at the ceiling. "The same thing," she responded. Feeling a touch on her shoulder, she rolled away and climbed out of bed. Throwing on her bedside robe, she threw the ties around herself and started toward the bathroom.

As the water in the shower washed over Kat’s body, she looked down at the scar and slowly ran her fingers along it.

Several minutes later, she was startled when she heard a voice from the other side of the shower door. "Kat?"

Turning off the water, Kat swung the door open. "I’m finished," she stated, stepping out.

"It’s not that," Max said. "I was just going to ask you why you won’t tell me."

Kat tucked the corner of the towel into the top edge and stared at him. "Because I don’t want to," she said.

Max frowned. "Why not? I mean, you and I are… things are…"

Looking annoyed, Kat walked back into the bedroom and began gathering her clothes to dress. Max’s following her was not aiding the process and as she picked out a shirt, she turned to him. "Drop it," she snapped.

Max stiffened. Her tone made something rise in him and he folded his arms. "I don’t think we should keep secrets," he said.

"It’s not a secret. It’s personal," she stated firmly as she began to put on her clothes.

Grunting, Max grabbed her arm. "So at exactly which point do we start to share personal things, because I didn’t realize that I was supposed to keep my personal things away from you until some great moment."

Kat shrugged her arm away and stepped back. "I’ve been plenty open about a lot of things, but when I say I want just one thing to be private, can’t you leave it? I don’t want you in my personal business yet, all right?" she snapped.

Max’s anger was clear on his face. "Your personal business!? Fucking isn’t personal?"

"Get out!" she demanded.

"What!?"

Kat grabbed the first item of his clothing she saw and threw it at him. "I said get out!"

Max let out a breath, trying to calm his frustration. "I’m just trying to say that after everything we’ve done, you can tell me anything."

Kat found another piece of his clothing and tossed it at him. "Get out!" she repeated. When he didn’t immediately make the movement to go, she stomped her foot. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" she yelled, making a fist, her eyes on fire.

Max could see there was no more point to arguing, so he grabbed the rest of his clothes and moved to the main room. He threw on just enough to be modest before exiting her apartment, slamming the door behind himself.

Kat leaned against the wall and rubbed at her head. God, why did it always have to be that? If she told a man, he walked out because he couldn’t handle the fact that she was damaged. When she didn’t tell, they walked out because of secrets. There was no way to win.

Part 3 - Hell

Sitting alone in the corner booth of a diner, Kat peeled off the plastic wrapping on a new pack of cigarettes. She cracked the box top open, ripped out the silver covering, and stared at exactly 20 cigarette filters.

She’d quit smoking several years ago, but being around the smoking at the party, puffing the occasional joint, and feeling the tension of her life in her shoulders made the cravings grow again. Having to buy a new lighter with the pack, she now stared at the perfect plastic, then back at the box. She knew she should resist the temptation, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Kat took one smoke out and played with it in her fingers slowly. She tucked it back into the pack upside down, a superstition she’d picked up from one of her early smoking buddies. Pulling out the perfectly rolled cigarette beside it, she put it in her mouth. As she took one deep breath before even flicking the lighter, she began to taste. She let the breath out, then sucked slightly as she lit the end.

Her coffee cooled as she tapped the ashes off the cigarette into a brown dish. When her food arrived, she gave a quiet thanks to the waitress, then stared at it as the smoke grew shorter.

"May I join you?"

Kat heard the voice from outside her cluttered mind. It took her a moment to respond, and as she slowly looked up, she saw Dominick. Shaking the cobwebs from her mind, she straightened in her seat. "Oh, yeah," she responded at last, though he was already making himself comfortable.

He watched her tap the cigarette. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Kat cracked her neck and awarded him the slightest of smiles. "Define bad time," she replied.

Dominick took her coffee cup, glanced inside, then sniffed it. He set it down. "How’s the coffee here?"

"Same sludge you find everywhere," she said, then put out the cigarette.

Looking at the stick which was only 3/4 gone, Dominick picked up the pack and read the name. "I hope you didn’t put that out on my account."

Kat cleared her throat. "I don’t smoke much anymore," she stated.

Dominick looked inside the pack and pulled one out. "I can see that," he said, then held the cigarette out to her.

Kat looked at it a moment, then shook her head. Dominick lit it, then passed it to her again. This time, she took it and he smiled before taking out another and lighting it for himself. He got the waitress’s attention and ordered coffee for himself before returning his attentions to Kat.

"Well, Jena," he began slowly. "I don’t come here often, which is why I’ve never seen you here before, isn’t it?"

"What made you come in this time?"

Dominick opened his mouth, then smiled coyly. "I saw your car in the parking lot," he admitted. "I thought now would be a good time for us to talk."

"About?"

He leaned back casually. "This and that."

Kat waited for him to play his hand, letting him be the one in charge. He was quiet until his coffee came, then he leaned over it as he spoke. "I’m very interested in knowing what it is you’re looking for."

"Looking for?" she repeated, hoping for details.

Dominick smiled halfway. He seemed to drop the subject and pick up another as his face changed and he drank some of the brew. "I noticed that you and Sean became very friendly last weekend."

"I thought you noticed," she replied.

"Yes," he said softly. "He seems very interested by you also."

Kat stiffened. "Tell me, Dominick. What is it that makes me more interesting to you and Sean than the other women?"

"I wouldn’t say more interesting. Just interesting."

"I’d say more. You don’t treat me the same. So am I more or less of a challenge?"

Dominick raised an eyebrow, intrigued that her question had managed to surprise him. "That’s what I’d like to find out," he began, then quickly added a casual, "most of them call me Nick."

She nodded acceptance. "And how do you plan on finding out?" she replied, her tone daring him.

"We’re planning a very special party for tonight," he began coolly. "We’ve decided we’d like you to attend."

"A party?"

"Well, maybe it’s a little more like a meeting. Are you interested?"

Kat remained collected. "All right," she said, though she felt like everything was coming together.

"Good," he responded with a smile, then looked deep into her eyes. "When I walked up to you, you seemed distracted. Perhaps now that we’ve gotten business out of the way, you’ll want to talk?"

Kat shook her head. He looked as though he was going to press further, but then he looked up past her. Kat spun to see Max with Joe Parker standing a foot behind. She quickly stood. "Excuse me," she said with little intent to Dominick as she pushed Max down the aisle. "What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"We came in for coffee. Parker saw you sitting over there. Who’s that?"

"None of your business," Kat responded quickly, a little surprised that Max didn’t recognize Dominick from their research. "In fact, nothing’s your business anymore."

Max turned his attention from Dominick to her. "I’m sorry, ok? Give me five minutes to talk to you about it and…"

"Fine," she responded. Max looked surprised, but she continued. "We can talk later, all right? Just leave me alone right now, ok?"

Max bit his lower lip. "Yeah, all right. So who is he?"

"Leave it," she snapped. "We’ll talk about that later, too."

He nodded and turned. Parker moved to follow and she turned back toward her table.

"Hey, Kat?" Max said then.

She spun, not thinking at first, but the next instant, she realized she shouldn’t have responded. She blinked slowly as Max said, "I’ll be home tonight so we can talk." She nodded, excusing him quickly. She would call and explain later, but now her heart beat quickly as she turned back to the table.

Dominick seemed to have taken little notice of her absence. She sat down and apologized, but he simply waved his hand. He finished the coffee in his cup and set the mug softly on the table. "I really should be going, but I will see you at my place at eight, won’t I?"

She nodded quickly, then watched him go. Max and Joe continued to wait for their coffee as Dominick breezed past without a second look.

------------------------
Kat entered through the front door of the house and immediately began to look around. No one was in the front room as she had expected. Hearing a sound from the kitchen, she walked through the main room and stopped at the dining table. From there, she could look into the kitchen where she saw Dominick. He turned to face her, a butcher knife wet with the juices from a roast in his hand. He smiled only half way and stepped toward her. "Hello, Jena. Looks like you’re early, doesn’t it?"

She nodded. "I suppose I am," she replied keeping a close eye on the knife in his hand and feeling a certain amount of insecurity by it.

Dominick followed her gaze and set the knife on the counter, then began to approach her again. He was very close when he let the smile grow. "You’re not afraid of the knife, are you?" he said smoothly, watching her closely.

"No," she responded so quickly that the question had barely been finished. She felt her strength being tested by his approach.

"No, Kat? You’re not afraid of me?"

She swallowed at the sound of her name and shifted a foot, steadying it to react if necessary. He moved even closer and pushed his body against hers until the backs of her thighs pressed against the edge of the dining table. "I’m not afraid," she responded, hoping to give him something other than what he expected.

In a quick movement, he grabbed her throat and threw her back against the table. She gasped and gripped his arm with both hands. He pushed her back on the slick surface until her feet were off the floor, climbing over her. "I wouldn’t be too concerned about Detective Branski blowing your cover," Dominick said deeply, then brought his face an inch from hers. "I already knew."

Her eyes widened and it excited him. Pressing his hand over her throat, he could feel her body reacting, hoping for any breath. He could feel her legs moving beneath him, though she was too far on the table to hope for footing. He opened his mouth slightly and licked her chin. "Tasty," he remarked as she tugged at his arm and gasped.

A tingling sensation rose into her head. He put his other hand over her throat, both working to squeeze the life out of her and as she began to go limp, she looked for any way out. Yanking at his arms, he was much stronger than he appeared and Kat was beginning to lose her vision. She closed her eyes a moment, then found herself shocked at what she felt. Something told her he was testing her and as her eyes popped open, the look of her dare rested on her face.

No breath in her lungs, she mouthed the words, more than gasped them. "Kill me," she offered, then narrowed her eyes. "Kill me or fuck me," she rasped.

Dominick looked intrigued by the offer and leaned over her, pressing his lips against hers. One hand left her neck and she tried desperately to break free from his grasp and his lips. In an instant, she found his other hand. He had her pants unzipped and had loosened the grip on her neck just enough to let a thin stream of air into her lungs. She gasped with each thankful molecule that made it into her lungs.

"Did you come to play?" he breathed into her mouth as he wrestled his hand beneath her underwear and pushed a finger inside of her. She moaned slightly as he took the pressure from her windpipe, but kept the threat by pressing his fingertips against the sides of her neck. She felt blood rush back into her head as he shifted to a more comfortable position. Both were taken aback, though Kat much more than Nick, by the fact that the ordeal had made her wet. He pulled his finger from her and brought it to her lips. "I guess you did," he said softly into her ear while sliding her pants down her hips.

------------------------
Dominick cursed the sun as it burned its way through the sky. He’d let the cop live and even let her walk out of his house three nights ago. He hadn’t told anyone else that she was a cop and he wasn’t planning to do so. His plan had simply been to take her breath and dispose of the body. None of his party guests, nor any of his closer companions needed to know what he knew or what he’d done. He resolved that next time she wouldn’t be as lucky.

Still, he’d expected for three days that someone would be knocking on his door with a warrant. They hadn’t and that surprised him. Every move the woman made seemed to surprise him.

He searched through his desk and found the slip of paper he’d been looking for. He’d written Kat’s address on it the night Jay brought her back to the house. Beneath it, he’d written the new address he’d found on her after she’d changed her name. The information he’d taken from her wallet the first night had changed and he knew both women were carrying lies. Leaning back, he stared at it.

Part 4 - Red

Kat stepped into the small house and removed her leather jacket. The job had been tough and she’d kept telling herself that was the thing poking at the back of her mind. They’d placed her here in a false house with an equally false identity. She felt like a visitor - a guest - and couldn’t bring herself to sleeping on the bed.

They’d provided an overstuffed sofa with velvet pillows; the place she used to sleep because something about it was more familiar than the brand new, stiff mattress in the other room.

Exhausted, she tossed the jacket over the arm and sat on the couch. She thought of Dominick. Something was happening. It was something she’d known for some time now, but something she’d denied. She wasn’t really feeling a bond with him. "He’s a suspect, nothing more," she reminded herself as she unlaced her boots. Still, no matter how many times she said it, she still hadn’t done anything about it. Her report read that she was almost into his inner circle and that she assured them she’d have more soon. She’d lied.

Standing again for a moment she removed the binding jeans, then slipped her bra off without removing her shirt. Far more comfortable than pajamas, she pulled the t-shirt down over her hips and grabbed a blanket to throw over her lap.

Laying back and putting up her feet, she closed her eyes. It had been three days since she’d been here, three days that she’d been able to live as Kat, though she wasn’t sure who Kat was anymore. Jena felt like little more than a skin, but the Kat she’d been living as had changed while Jena made her moves.

Kat was losing touch with the cop she’d become and understood the corruption to come. Kat was a creature who’d found something much better than a dozen roses and a bottle of wine.

Closing her eyes, she began to relax and let the darkness enfold her. Jolted a moment later, she heard the loud ringing of the phone and reached for it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it’s Max."

"Hi,"’ she replied wearily.

"I thought you and I were going to talk tonight?"

"Were we?"

"We were supposed to meet an hour ago. What’s going on with you, Kat? It’s like you don’t care."

She paused. "I’m tired, Max. It’s been a rough week."

"You are the one who told me to call you at this number today and you weren’t there. What about us? When are you going to make time for us?"

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "Tomorrow night, I promise," she replied.

"I’m not sure that’s good enough. You’ve been putting me off since I saw you with that guy on Tuesday."

"Yeah, I have," she responded.

"Then…"

"Let me talk ok?" she snapped. "I don’t want to do this on the phone, but I’m going to so shut up and listen." She paused only a moment. "I’m sorry that I blew up at you. I want things to go back to normal – to be all right with us, ok?"

"Ok, then…"

"So I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll make up."

"Make up?" he said, feeling dizzy from her spin.

Providing a half a smile for the lover who couldn’t see her, she responded. "Tomorrow, tomorrow," she said. "We’ll make up the right way."

Max was quiet a moment. "All right," he said. "We’ll talk too, right?"

"Yes, Max. I promise."

"Talk to you later," he said, then. "Bye."

"Bye," she replied as she hung up and replayed the conversation quickly just in case questions about it came up later. She lay back on the couch again and took a deep breath. Relaxation was quick to return; she was exhausted. Soon, the world drifted away and left room to dream.

It was only blackness in her sleep she would remember, until a dream began with a clanking sound. Someone in her dream had dropped something. She turned a corner to see who and saw nothing, but heard breaking glass. Spinning in the dream she looked for evidence of a broken window, then all at once, she was slammed into consciousness by a pressure on her neck.

Eyes snapping open, Kat found herself staring into Dominick’s eyes. She reached her hand to the back of the couch and gripped her hand around broken glass. She wanted to scream, but the pain of the cuts became secondary to the struggle she began as the leather strap began to tighten even more at her throat.

A sick grin rested on Dominick’s lips as she grasped his arms. The left hand now injured sent a searing pain up her arm and she let go, but continued the struggle with her right. His look became more intense as he shoved at both ends of the strap and her head pushed back further into the cushions.

Feeling the same tingling she’d experienced before, she tried for a breath. She couldn’t get any air past her throat and he began to blur. The struggle continued, her legs kicking. All at once, she tightened her muscles and used both hands to grasp for the strap. It was tight against her neck and she scratched herself trying to get fingernails beneath it. She grabbed for the back of the couch again, thrusting her body, but the strap became tighter. Her mind shut off, unable to get enough oxygen to continue as she flailed her legs and hands, trying to get some sort of bearings. Just as she felt her eyes roll back in her head, he released the grip.

Coughing and gasping for air, she attempted a painful swallow while throwing fists against his body. He had her pinned with his own body and she could do little more to protect herself than squirm.

Dominick stared at her, watching her gasp and fight with everything she had. A look of frustration crossed his face and he reached into his back pocket. Kat watched as he slowly brought a knife from behind him and put it against her throat. "I should kill you," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her, taking her mouth in his and licking furiously at her lips, getting the lower lip between his teeth and biting. Using the blade, he grabbed her shirt in one hand and sliced it open. He hadn’t gone near the skin, but as he pushed the split shirt open, he placed the cold blade against her skin and she jumped.

"Then do it," she rasped, begging.

"Dammit," he breathed as he ran the knife down her chest. She arched her back as the blade pierced a shallow line in her skin.

Dominick licked at the blood coming from her chest and dropped the knife beside the couch. Pushing the blanket from between them, he managed to discard most of the glass cutting flesh between them. He took a moment to glance at her lower half and grinned. Ripping at the underwear she still wore, he made an opening for himself and began to undo his pants.

Kat lay still as he moved from on top of her to remove his pants and briefs. It was the perfect opportunity for escape, but she found herself more willing than she wanted to admit. He threw off his shirt as he moved back on top of her, placing a hand over her chest and wiping the blood around.

Watching him do it, she shifted with the pain, but tried not to think about it. He brought a bloody hand to her lips and grabbed her jaw with it, smearing the red around her face and neck as he leaned close and began to lick at the bloody chin. Still wet with the blood, Dominick pushed his thumb in her mouth, prying the space open. Kat could taste her own blood as he leaned in, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth.

Still holding her jaw so firm she could feel it bruising, he continued to kiss as he grabbed one thigh with his free hand and jerked her knee against his side. Pushing his way inside her, he slid in easily to begin the slow rhythmic fucking.

Deeper and deeper inside of her he pushed, licking and suckling the blood from her chin and his own hands as he thrust himself against her. A moment later, he shoved her head back, releasing his grip on her lips with one more bite. Each undulation sent her face farther back until all he could see was the streaked blood up her neck and to her chin. She began to groan as he brought his mouth to her neck and began to suckle on the bruised, bloody flesh, using teeth and tongue to bruise the tender skin even more.

Her muffled whimpers breezed into his ears as he took a chunk of skin at the shoulder between his teeth. Biting more firmly with each thrust, he tasted blood and listened to Kat as she cried out against the cushion of the couch. He felt her body jump as she gasped for breath, her skin hot beneath him while the sensation of her contractions filled the air.

His body filled with pressure and he released the grip on her chin. Slowly she brought her face back to where she could see him, where she could watch him as he moved away from her shoulder and gritted his teeth Pumping against her body, he grunted gently as his cheeks reddened and he parted his lips. The pressure of his body localized at his groin and just as he felt as though he would burst, the sweet relief of orgasm came and he took in a deep breath, slowing his movements until he was finished.

Feeling Kat shudder beneath him, he laid his body over hers and touched the blood drying on her chest.

"What do you plan on telling them?" he asked breathlessly as he looked into her eyes.

"Telling who?" she asked, taking his bloody hand and licking at his fingers.

Dominick rolled over her and stood. Kat sat up, twisting her face at the pain she felt, but looking at him in confusion. Bending a moment to get his shirt and pants, he glanced around the room. "You have a shower?"

"Of course," she replied and stood beside him. She felt dizzy and had to fall against the couch for a moment before regaining her balance. "Nick?"

He walked through the front room until he saw a small room with a toilet. Looking inside, he spotted the shower behind the door and turned back to her. "I’m sorry." He cleared his throat and spoke clearly. "There’s a meeting tonight. Maybe you can come."

Kat moved to the door of the bathroom and watched him turn on the water. His statement helped her to realize the reason for his odd behaviour and she let out a breath. "It’s not bugged," she said quickly.

Dominick stepped under the water before cocking his head. "No?"

"No," she replied. "I just missed what you were asking. What am I going to tell them in my reports?"

He nodded and she glanced at her hand. She was beginning to find a certain peace in the numbness that was building. Using her other hand, she began to open drawers. "I’m not sure, to be honest," she replied.

Dominick reached from the tub and grabbed her arm. She turned and stepped closer. "Come in here," he offered, taking a step back.

Kat stepped inside and felt the warm water on her leg, then brought in the other foot. He wrapped his arms around her and she reached forward, adding more hot water to the mix. Steam rose above the curtain as she closed it. She watched his arms begin to redden from the heat as it washed away the blood on her body. Holding one hand clear, she looked at it again. "Glass," she whispered and felt Dominick nod his head against her neck. She knew what he was really wanting to know and she leaned against him slightly. "I don’t know what I’m doing, Nick," she said softly.

Still wary, he grasped her hand with the wounds from the glass and held it tight. She gasped. "I know you have enough to turn me in. Are you waiting for something more?"

She gritted her teeth and grabbed his wrist. "No," she said. "No, and I haven’t told them anything."

He released his grasp and took a step back. "I don’t believe you. You’re setting me up for something bigger."

Kat stared at him blankly. He furrowed his brow and stepped out of the shower. When Kat followed him out, she threw him a towel. Putting a towel around herself, she turned back to the counter. Opening another drawer, she pushed her hands through a stack of wash cloths and slammed it shut. "No one had the foresight to give me tweezers or band aides?" she grunted. She stopped and looked up at Dominick. "I know. Why should you believe me?" she said.

He put on his shirt and opened the medicine cabinet. Inside was a first aide kit. He passed it to her and she took it to the bed. Sitting on the end, she opened the box and fingered through it. Once she found tweezers, she began to pull tiny pieces of glass from her hand.

Dominick put on his pants and leaned in the doorway. He watched her a moment before moving to the bed beside her. He grabbed her hand and the tweezers. Rough as he picked at the pieces, he enjoyed watching her wince. Glancing at the towel which was spotted slightly with blood at the chest though the wound wasn’t very deep, he dropped the pieces of glass he retrieved from her hand into the box full of bandages, pills, and a pair of clippers.

Kat looked into Dominick’s eyes again and watched his pleasure at her pain. It confused her. Never before had she been with someone like him and never before had she imagined she would like it. "I don’t know what’s happening, Nick," she confided. "I’m not setting you up. I haven’t made any reports. I keep telling them I’m close and they keep paying for me to live here, to fuck you. It’s no joke, Nick. Sooner or later someone will be asking questions and I’ve got to figure out what my answer’s going to be."

"They’re paying you to fuck me," he breathed as he placed the tweezers on the bed and took another look at her hand. Without lifting his head, he glanced at her before putting his hand on top of the bleeding wounds. He put a fingernail in one and began to dig in, grasping her hand so she couldn’t pull away. His gaze met hers and he looked angry.

"They’re sending me a paycheck to do my job. I haven’t been doing it," she gasped and he stopped, letting her hand fall as she grabbed part of the towel and pressed it against her palm. "I’m looking at losing my job," she explained, beginning to realize just how far things had gone. She looked across the room and saw the sun beginning to rise on the horizon. Suddenly, Max popped into her head and she swallowed. "I’m looking at losing everything," she added.

"Everything?" he asked. "There’s something else, isn’t there?" he asked.

Kat nodded slowly. "I’m supposed to meet my… my boyfriend tonight," she replied. He cocked his head and she pursed her lips. "Another cop," she breathed.

Dominick stood. Kat moved to the closet and began fingering through the clothes. It was getting cold, yet no one had thought to provide a turtleneck. Taking the warmest sweater she could see, she stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. It would easily cover the bloody bite on her shoulder and the wound on her chest, but makeup would have to help the increasing number of welts on her neck. Pulling the sweater over her head, she ran her hand over her throat and glanced at Dominick who leaned in the doorway. "He’ll be asking questions too," she said as she went back to the room in search of panties and jeans.

Dominick smiled, then chuckled. After a moment he was laughing at the situation. Kat turned to him. "I’ve never see you laugh."

"I’ve never fucked a woman like you," he replied.

Kat started to pull on the underwear and as it moved up her thigh, she found a new pain. Looking down, she saw where more glass had cut her, but on inspection, she could see that none had been left behind. She put on the jeans and moved back to the front window. The broken glass and bloody handprints on the couch would be difficult to explain. She cleared her throat. Procedure told her it was time to call someone to handle it, but the other part reminded her that they couldn’t know the truth. She glanced at Dominick and then walked into the kitchen. Using the brand new dust pan and brush from under the sink, she began to sweep the glass into a bag.

Dominick watched her with interest as she said nothing. Finally, he folded his arms. "What would you have done if I tried to kill you?"

She stopped and looked at him. "Tonight?"

"No. The first time. Or this morning. I know you’re trained to…"

"Yes," she cut him off. "I have several tricks up my sleeve as they say. They wouldn’t have sent me in if they didn’t think I was capable of defending myself." She rose to her feet and dropped the dust pan in the garbage. "You wondered that first time."

He nodded. "I could see it in your eyes. You didn’t even try."

She cocked her head. "Did you want me to?"

He looked up and down her body a moment before dropping his arms and moving beside the door. "I don’t know," he said. "I didn’t expect to hear your offer," he added.

She bit her lower lip to find it sore. She hadn’t taken much notice of her face, something that she feared would require even more makeup. "I don’t think I did, either," she replied.

"You’re meeting with…" he stopped. "I’d like to know his name."

"Max. I told him I’d see him today."

Dominick nodded slowly. "Detective Branski."

Kat confirmed his guess.

Dominick moved smoothly through the room. Kat had noticed a couple places on him where the blood didn’t wash away, likely from the glass remnants, but once dressed, there was no way to examine them. He stepped close to her. "Why’d you miss the party last night? Got enough on me?"

Shaking her head, Kat looked away. "I was tired. I guess… After what happened on Tuesday, I wondered…"

Dominick looked at her sternly. "I wouldn’t have shut you out," he replied.

Kat shifted. "Why not?"

"Because it was more fun watching you squirm than before you came along." He paused and Kat noticed him looking at her abdomen. Frustrated, she turned away. When the next words out of his mouth weren’t regarding her scar, she turned back, a bit surprised.

"Well, I hope you’ll come tonight," he said with a half smile.

"To the meeting?"

"No," he chuckled. "That was for their benefit. The party."

"Ah," she replied with a nod. "Well, what’s going to happen to me if I show up?"

He stepped onto the porch, shrugged, and pulled the door closed behind him. As he stepped down the steps, he turned to the broken window. "I suppose you’ll have to show up to find out."

She smiled at him, then looked past him, checking the street for vehicles she knew shouldn’t be there. Not seeing anything, she turned back to the mess and began to clean.

------------------------
Fingering through her closet, Kat remembered a dress she’d once bought. It was black with long sleeves and a turtleneck. The skirt was long and as she thought of it, she knew it was nearly the only thing she could wear. She’d called Max, but got nothing more than an answering machine. She called his desk at the station and was able to talk to him, but he explained that a case had come up and he was busy. He didn’t know when he’d be available, but she decided to take her chances and show up at the precinct anyway.

She felt a darkness inside. Like paint spreading on a sheet of glass, it was spilling into all of her thoughts. Kat thought she should be confused. She loved Max, though every time that thought occurred she questioned it. She didn’t love Dominick. The man was just entertainment, though every time that thought occurred, she questioned it also.

Something was growing in her mind, thoughts that were evil and shameful, though she found she couldn’t stop them. They were invading her thoughts, her dreams, and her emotions.

Pulling the dress over her head, she pulled it down and looked in the mirror. Smiling that she’d chosen the right bra, she liked what she saw and was even surprised by that. She never liked how she looked, always finding the faults. Now she looked at the shape this dress gave her, the elegance the black stockings provided her calves, and she leaned over to pick up the leather boots which she found most comfortable and wore often.

Lacing them tightly, she looked again, straightening the line of the dress over her form.

Moving through the precinct, Kat retrieved a few looks, though she didn’t notice them. She only wanted a reaction from one person and as she walked into the bull pen, she looked around for him. He wasn’t there, but she wasn’t surprised. She moved between her own desk and the one in the corner she’d been using, finding work to do, files to sort that had already been done, and doing all the things she usually left for a civilian aide.

Stevenson stepped out of his office and browsed the room in search of Banet, but he saw Monroe before locating the Detective. He walked over to her and when she sensed a presence, she turned to him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Kat shrugged. "Work."

Stevenson furrowed his brow. "You’ve been told not to…"

"I know," she responded quickly, "but Dominick’s got all his little playmates busy today. I wasn’t asked to be a part, but I figured that as long as they’re busy, there’s pretty much no chance of getting caught at work, so I came in to catch up on everything that’s been piling up."

Stevenson nodded slowly. "You didn’t think that someone could be brought in for some other charges?"

She shook her head. "Not going to happen," she replied with confidence. "It’ll all be in my report," she added. Stevenson turned and left her, back in search of the Detective with whom he needed to speak.

Kat continued to find work until she saw Parker and Branski walk into the squad room. She walked across to his desk and looked down at Max.

Feeling someone watching, he turned and stood quickly in surprise. "Hi," he breathed.

She smiled. "Hello. How are you?"

Max looked at Parker and shrugged. "Busy."

Nodding slowly, she touched his arm. "I was hoping you could find some time for us to talk."

Max looked at her a moment, then leaned over toward Joe. "You think you can handle the calls on your own?"

"Sure," Parker replied, then smiled a little at them both. "You two go figure this out," he added.

Kat nodded her thanks and led the way out of the room. "What have you told Parker?" she asked as Max stepped beside her.

"Not much," he breathed. "Just enough." She nodded and he continued. "That bother you?"

"No," she replied quietly. "You’re supposed to talk to partners, right?" She looked over at him and saw him nod. "I thought we’d go into one of the interrogation rooms," she said.

"Good idea," he responded. "I think we need the privacy."

Kat nodded and turned to go down the hallway. They walked to the end and Kat opened the door. She stepped inside and held the door until he entered. Closing the door behind them, she stood beside the wall.

Max leaned his back on the same wall beside her and looked down at his feet. "I’m sorry about what happened. I had no intention of things ending up that way," he began slowly.

Kat took a step away and faced him. "I didn’t mean to flip out," she responded. "I’m just not ready to talk about that detail yet, ok?"

Max nodded. "I can respect that, as long as I know that at some point you’re planning to be that open."

She shrugged and took a step toward him. He straightened and looked into her eyes. When she smiled casually, he felt relaxed and she took another step closer, her body now touching his. She leaned toward him and kissed him gently, but Max pushed her shoulders back. "Can you promise me?"

Kat smiled seductively. She could promise, but it would be a lie. ‘Would it really be a lie or merely a temporary deception?’ she reasoned to herself. "Yes," she said, then leaned in to kiss him again.

Max responded, holding her head and kissing her firmly. He felt her hands running down his chest and her fingers touched the waistline of his pants. He was enjoying the kiss and her touch too much to realize that she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants in swift motion.

The feel of her fingers on his skin, however brought him to attention and he pushed her away a few inches. Her hands didn’t slow their work as he spoke. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Kat’s smile was one of seductive invitation and she leaned close again, kissing him until he pushed back again. She’d freed his penis from the constraints of his pants now and was slowly running her finger along it, even as he tried not to be aroused. He pushed her back again. "Kat!?" he said in shock.

Kat moved away from him then, gathering the skirt of her dress in her hands, slowly raising the hem to her knees, her thighs, and backing toward the table. Her eyes were inviting him to partake of her as she moved the hem past the tops of her thigh high stockings, slowly revealing to him her lack of underwear.

Max was frozen in shock, swallowing as her hem reached her waist and she hopped back to sit on the table, parting her legs.

Breaking from his trance, Max stepped toward her. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe," she said softly, reaching out a hand to him.

He moved only a step at a time. "We could get fired," he added.

"It’s the danger that excites me," she whispered slyly as he neared enough for her to take his hand and pull him close. The moment he was standing between her legs, she pressed her lips to his. Stuck in the practicalities only a moment longer, Max returned the kiss and pushed his fears from his mind before putting both arms on her thighs and gently massaging as he licked at her lips.

Kat opened her mouth, welcoming him inside as he suckled her tongue and lips. His hands moved gingerly up her thighs and he cupped her buttocks, pulling her hips to the edge of the table. Placing her hands around his cock again, she felt him growing harder as they kissed passionately. Max tugged down the waistline of his pants for comfort before putting his arms around Kat and bringing her even closer. He slid inside of her as he heard her breathing change, the tiniest of moans escaping as he pushed.

Max’s lips slipped from hers and he began to suckle her jaw line. As he slowly moved along it, he reached a spot where Dominick had bruised her with his thumb and she jumped from the pain, taking in a quick intake of breath. Mistaking it for satisfaction, Max licked the area and sucked it again a moment before moving further along toward her ear and taking the lobe between his teeth. The entire time he moved slowly and gently inside of her.

Kat’s breathing became louder in Max’s own ear as he licked the soft skin beneath her ear. Placing one hand on the neckline of her dress, he pulled it away from her neck and Kat shifted, pulling her head back from him. She looked into his eyes, then, and pressed her lips to his. Max moved both hands along her thighs and felt her wrap her legs around him, thrusting herself against him and off of the table.

Max held her weight and spun, stumbling toward the wall until he pressed Kat’s back into the corner of it. She straightened and arched her back, moaning in her breath as he thrust himself inside her, pumping more fiercely against her groin as she bent over him and kissed his ear, his jaw, his lips.

The muscles in Max’s legs began to tense as his breathing increased. Kat’s uninhibited reactions increased as her moans became louder, more like gasps and yelps than a soft moan. Half of Max’s brain felt self-conscious about her sounds, but another wanted similar relief and he gently grunted with each thrust. The pressures in their bodies built with obsessive speed, both leaning in for hungry kisses. Kat threw her head back all at once, her orgasm ferociously taking her body over as muscles spasmed against Max and the wall. She fought to stay in control as Max held her more firmly, hoping for a similar release as she contracted against him. The sensations were enjoyable as they continued, slowed, nearly stopped before he felt the pressure of his own orgasm near enough. Gasping, he thrust as hard as he could until finally the moment came and his body released fluids into her.

Moments later, her legs slid down his and she stood in the corner as he held her tightly, kissing her lips.

Kat pulled her lips from his and spoke his name breathlessly. Max tightened his arms around her body and found her lips again, suckling them even as she tried to pull away again.

"Max," she breathed a second time.

"I don’t want to stop," he said against her cheek as he moved his head and found her lips again, kissing her fiercely and bringing his hands to either side of her head so she couldn’t pull away again. He nibbled and sucked until her lips went from numb to painful. Kat moved her hands to his shoulders and he moved his kisses down to her chin, then pushed his way to her neck, though the moment his hand pulled away the fabric and his lips touched her, she pushed him with such force, he stumbled backward.

Looking at her in astonishment she put her hand over the turtleneck collar and pushed it against her neck. "I’m sorry," she breathed.

Max blinked and bit his lower lip as he fastened his pants and turned toward the door. "No, it’s all right," he said quickly, then turned to her. "We’ll… I’ve got to…"

"I know," she said softly. "I’ve got to get back to work myself," she added as she moved to the door. He held it for her and she exited quickly, making a bee line for the ladies’ room as he did the same to the men’s.

------------------------
With her knees pulled up to her chest, Kat smoked off a hash pipe and watched the room. Things were beginning to blur, but she didn’t care. Dominick had been scarce, as usual, and she didn’t know what she was doing. The drug slowly took effect and messed with her cognizance. People took forever to spit out sentences and by the time they finished, she forgot how it began. Unable to string their thoughts together, she got lost in her own.

In the world, it was unsafe and no matter how hard she tried, putting away criminals wasn’t solving the problems. In this world, there were no problems. Whatever Dominick was cooking up couldn’t be worse than what was out there.

Max was a cop to save people. On some level, so was Kat, but she could have chosen many professions to help. She’d chosen to become a police officer because it wasn’t a passive assistance, it was aggressive. Aggression was pain and pain led to death. Holding out her hand, Kat stared at the cuts on it. It distracted her from the fact that Dominick had finally come into the room.

She looked up, half dazed. Dominick was watching her and as she tried to stand, she stumbled. He smiled and shook his head in amusement. Turning, he saw a young blonde standing behind him. Kat watched him put an arm around the woman and whisper into her ear.

Surprised at her own confusion, Kat wondered what he was doing, what she’d been doing, letting him touch her, letting him inside. He kissed the woman’s ear and put something in her hand. Kat blinked and caught herself as she almost fell again.

Dominick held up a finger and slid away from the woman. He crossed to Kat and took her arm, leading her to the couch. "Might be time to sleep it off," he said into her ear.

She stared at his lips. Only able to piece together the last three words, she smiled. "I’ll sleep it off with you," she said. "You don’t even have to slip me coke to do it."

Dominick pushed her roughly to the couch and leaned over her. "Not here," he hissed. "Don’t make an ass of yourself," he added, then went back to the woman and disappeared from the room.

It wasn’t long before the beer and weed had worked itself fully into Kat’s system. She felt sick. Rising from the couch did little to help, but she stumbled to the bathroom and threw up.

Cleaning herself up, she came out and leaned against the wall, then stared at the stairs. She gave her hair a swipe, then started up them slowly. At the top was a very large room, she knew from previous visits. It wasn’t the one that she’d been in, it was larger and with an even larger attached bathroom. At the top step, she stopped. The door was cracked open slightly. She found herself pacing her breathing to keep it quiet and stepping toward the door. Leaning forward to peek through, Kat straightened an instant later at what she saw and slammed her jaw shut.

A large, luxurious bed had two occupants. Dominick moved slowly over the woman, gently and tenderly. Kat swallowed, unable to take her eyes off them. Quiet and peaceful as the two moved together, she listened to the soft moans of the woman. Stepping back from the door slowly, Kat forgot she was at the stop of a staircase. She grabbed for the railing and the wall, but her footing was lost. She tumbled backward down the steps and knew the wall would approach soon, but she had no recollection of feeling it.

------------------------
The sensation of a pounding headache filled her mind before Kat was even aware that she was waking up. She opened her eyes to a brightly lit room and immediately squinted. Bringing one hand slowly to her head, she rolled onto her side and tried opening them again. "Fuuuck," she breathed, the minimal sound not helping how she felt.

"Oh, good. She’s alive," came a rather amused voice from behind her.

In one move, Kat flipped over, then immediately regretted it. Pushing past the pain, she saw Dominick sitting on the edge of the bed. Personal attention again, she thought first, then checked her body to make sure this time she was clothed.

He chuckled when she looked herself over, then handed her an icepack. "I was just about to leave this so you’d have it when you woke up." He waved his hand to the bedside table. On it was a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. "Whatever you need." He paused. "Stupid what you did," he commented.

She blinked, confirming his obvious response.

"Well, I don’t know what you were looking for, but I hope you found it." He stood, sounding annoyed. "Look, I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s one I hope you figure out."

"I’m not playing any games," she responded, finding her voice raspy.

"Knocked yourself unconscious for the hell of it?"

Kat sat halfway and glared. "What is it you want from me? You keep letting me live."

Dominick put a knee on the bed and was over her in an instant with a threatening hand on her throat. "You know I can do it."

"Can you?" she asked. "Then why haven’t you?" She lifted her chin to give him better access. "Come on. This is how you do it. You strangle them to death. Now it’s my turn."

He grabbed her and began to cut off the air, but she didn’t flinch. She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her as he leaned in, but at the last second, he threw her head back against the headboard and stepped back. "I don’t know," he admitted.

"What don’t you know?" she pressed.

"I don’t know why I can’t kill you!" he snapped.

Kat looked surprised, but watched him. He seemed puzzled by his words, then he turned and left the room. She watched the door a moment before she reached for the bottle of aspirin and drank a few down with the water. Putting the icepack on the back of her head, she immediately found the part that had hit the wall and had to move the bag to one side to cover it.

It was hours before she got out of the bed and made her way down the stairs. She reached the bottom to hear a deep voice. Moving around the house, she entered the kitchen and found Dominick on the phone. When he saw her, he quickly said his farewell and hung up. He cocked his head. "Tell me about the scar," he said.

Kat snapped to attention in surprise. "What scar?"

"The one you have." He paused. "You know the one I’m asking about."

Clearing her throat, she looked away. "I don’t want to talk about it," she said.

Dominick crossed to her in two strides and pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her chin with one hand and turned his head to show a scar down the left side of his neck. "I got this one from a bike accident when I was ten." He held out his arm and she could see one on his arm. "I got this one from a knife fight when I was eighteen." Pulling up a pant leg, he showed her another. "This one I got when my leg got caught in a machine at my first job in a factory." His words were angry and as he let his pant leg go, he put his other hand on her chest and pushed. "What’s the scar?"

"None of your business," she responded, unafraid.

He banged her head against the wall. "Tell me!"

"Why!?" she asked.

"Because I asked you!" he sneered. "You’ll tell me!"

She swallowed, bringing her hands up to his arms. "I was working vice a few years ago and I got shot. The bullet went into my abdomen and they stopped the bleeding, but it was too late."

"Too late for what?" he asked.

"Too late," she said quickly, then gasped as he slammed her head against the wall again. "Damaged me. Can’t have kids," she huffed as she tried to pull loose from his grip.

------------------------
The ringing of the phone managed only to piss Kat off, not to actually convince her it was morning. She pulled the pillow over her head knowing she’d only have to wait a few rings before the voice mail would stop the ringing.

There was a pause and she let out a breath, keeping her head beneath the pillow and her eyes clamped shut, she yawned. The phone started again and she grunted. A second try, huh? Sooner or later they’d figure out she wasn’t going to answer and believe she wasn’t home. Shifting as she waited through the second set of rings, they stopped and she made herself comfortable. There. It was all over.

The pause between rings was longer this time, but when the phone started again she groaned. Rolling over, she answered. "WHAT!?"

"Good morning, Kat," came Max’s voice dryly through the receiver.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"Stevenson tried calling you just now. He told me you weren’t picking up, but I had a feeling you were there."

"So? I was asleep. Shoot me."

"Asleep? It’s fucking afternoon!"

"So?" she responded coldly.

"Look, Stevenson wants you down here immediately. He said he tried to call a dozen times this morning."

"Must’ve slept through it," she responded. "Why does he want me there? I was told to make myself scarce around there."

"He won’t say. He just told me that you and I are supposed to meet with him as soon as you get here."

"Both of us?" she asked.

"Yeah, and he seems pissed." Max paused. "You don’t think he found out, do you?" he asked more quietly.

Kat chuckled. "How could he? We were alone in that hallway, Max. Just calm down."

"All right," he replied. "I’ll see you," he added before saying his goodbye.

Kat moved to the closet and grabbed the first shirt and pants. She showered in a daze and dressed. Standing before the mirror, she picked up her hairbrush and lifted her head to see herself.

As she did, she gasped. Her neck was a brighter contrast now as it was beginning to heal, scabs from her fingernails still present and as she looked herself over, she realized short sleeves wouldn’t do either. She swallowed and took out the makeup she wore so rarely the containers were dusty. Opening the bottle of foundation, she spread some along her jaw and looked in the mirror again. The bruises there began to look like shadow and she blended the makeup in, adding a thin coat of powder to soften the look more.

Changing into a different shirt, she could only find longer sleeves. She’d have to look feminine today and find a scarf, she decided. Once she was satisfied by her appearance, she picked up the keys to the Jeep she’d begun driving around as her own vehicle and drove to the precinct. Remembering that now she was having to cover tracks with the force rather than their suspect, she parked a block away and walked into the precinct.

When Max saw her enter, he furrowed his brow and stood. "You look - different," he stated.

Kat smiled vaguely and glanced at Stevenson’s office. "He still in there waiting?"

Max nodded and the two walked over. Max knocked, then opened the door for Kat to enter once Stevenson invited them in.

Stevenson sat behind his desk with a stiff back and a very stern appearance. Kat and Max stood side by side at attention before him.

"You wanted to see us, Captain?" Max said after an uncomfortable silence.

Stevenson grunted. "Yes," he said in a low growl. He looked them both over, then took a deep breath. Reaching into his top side drawer, he pulled out a video tape and set it on the desk. "Banet was interviewing a suspect and managed to get a confession," he began.

Max looked confused. "That’s good, right?"

Stevenson nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, he forgot to stop the taping."

Max swallowed and Kat began to chuckle. Stevenson continued. "Ah, so I see I don’t need to tell you what day this occurred? What time?"

Kat chuckled and Max turned to her, anger and surprise on his face. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Detective!" Stevenson snapped at them both.

Kat tried to control herself, pressing her hand over her mouth. She seemed unconcerned as to what Stevenson might want to add to the lecture. Max cleared his throat.

"You know, I’d like to fire the both of you," he began, watching their reactions. Satisfied that Max looked scared, but irritated that Kat looked amused, he continued. "I’d be happy if I could suspend you both, but I can’t afford that. Monroe is in the middle of a big sting and according to your reports, it’d take too much to try to change that. I can’t very well suspend Branski and not Monroe," he mumbled.

Kat licked her lips slowly. Max stared at her a moment, then looked back to Stevenson. The lingering silence was unnerving and finally Max spoke. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked.

Stevenson shook his head slowly. "Consider this a warning," he replied. "If I ever - ever see the two of you standing within ten feet of each other again, I’ll find a reason to… Is there a reason you are so amused, Detective Monroe!?" he snapped.

It wasn’t until he asked that Kat realized she’d been holding back a smile unsuccessfully. She glanced at Max, then took a step toward Stevenson’s desk. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her badge and laid it on his desk. "I’ll have my firearm on you desk in five minutes," she replied.

"What are you doing!?" Max exclaimed, grabbing her arm.

"I’m quitting," she responded.

Stevenson sat stunned and Max dropped his arm, not knowing what to say or do as she spun on her heel and left the room. Stevenson looked at Max, searching him for an explanation. Max lifted a finger. "I’ll be right back," he said, finally moving to follow her.

Catching her just outside the building, Max huffed. "Kat!" She turned. He jogged toward her, wondering why she was giving him that look of intimidation. It didn’t work on him, but it was disturbing him that she tried. "What’s going on here?"

"I’m walking away," she responded. "What does it look like, Chimp?"

Looking annoyed, he pushed the irritation out of his mind. "You quit? All that work and then you walk out just like that?"

"I’m not like you, Max."

"Of course you are. We live and breathe this."

"You do. I’m not like that."

"Look, I’m sure this will all blow over in no time. Stevenson didn’t tell anyone else and Banet isn’t the type to…"

"We got caught fucking in the interrogation room. Big fucking deal!" she yelled. "You really think that’s what this is all about?"

"Then what?"

She shook her head. "It’s about me," she said coldly. "Maybe that’s selfish, but I’m doing what I have to do," she commented quietly.

Part 5- Bloody Tears

"Hey, Nick," Kat said as she walked through the front door and passed him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quickly.

"Well, I was hoping you’d let me hide out here for a couple hours."

"Hide?" he asked.

She turned to him and gave him a nonchalant look. "Yeah. I caused some trouble down at the precinct and I don’t want anyone to be able to get a hold of me," she responded.

Dominick cocked his head. "What did you do?"

She paused. "Mind if I find something to eat? I didn’t get breakfast."

Dominick folded his arms. "What happened?" he requested again.

Kat turned toward the kitchen. Casually, she sauntered into it as Dominick followed. "I quit," she breathed and opened the fridge.

Dominick stepped to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her firmly. "You what?"

She shrugged. "I turned in the badge and gun, as they say."

Dominick took a step closer to her. "Why would you do that?" he searched her eyes for reason, but she pulled away.

"It wasn’t for you, I assure you," she responded. "Don’t you have anything to eat?"

Dominick looked angered. "Then why?" he asked firmly.

Kat shook her head. "We’re not going to get into it," she responded just as firmly.

Her fighting back caused Dominick the automatic reaction of force. Grabbing both upper arms, he pushed her against the wall. "You’ll tell me," he demanded.

Kat’s eyes filled with fire as she pushed him away. Dominick reacted quickly, grabbing her again and thrusting her against the wall, pressing his body against hers to confine her movement. Her manner was tough as she felt his fingers digging into her arms. "What are you going to do? Fuck me?" she challenged.

Dominick pushed her aside, his arms so powerful she fell to the floor. Grabbing a knife from the counter, he laid over her quickly and held it against her throat. Placing a knee over one arm while holding her other with his free hand, she didn’t move. Still, her eyes challenged him. He smirked. "You think I was so interested in fucking you I couldn’t kill you? It was that badge that was protecting you, little girl," he threatened.

Surprised when she still didn’t seem afraid, he leaned closer. "Good," she breathed.

Dominick noticed that she wasn’t fighting then, and let her arms go. Laying there, she squinted her eyes. "And you think I should be afraid of you because you bring death," she said slowly. Shifting her head back, her smile was nefarious. "You think I should be afraid of death," she added.

He felt her game and continued to play. Pressing the knife end slowly, it pierced her skin. She flinched, but didn’t pull away.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The two looked at each other, then Dominick stood slowly. The knock came again more firmly. Moving slowly to the door, both kept their steps light. Dominick peered through the small hole in the door, then turned to Kat. "It’s lover boy," he said to her in a whisper.

Kat furrowed her brow. "What?"

"You leading the cops to my front door?" he breathed firmly.

Kat motioned him aside. "I don’t want to see him," she said.

Dominick grabbed her hair and pushed her against the door. "You’ll see him, alright," he said, grabbing the scarf that barely hung from her shoulder and tossing it aside. He opened the door and stood behind it so quickly that Kat had no time to respond.

Max looked up from his feet and stepped closer to the door. "Kat," he said quickly.

"Go away, Max," she responded, noting Dominick’s departure into the other room with a glance.

He couldn’t hear her over the voices in his mind. She stood there with bruises, cuts, and a thin stream of blood trickling from her collarbone onto her blouse. He reached to grab the storm door and throw it open, but as soon as his hand had given away his intent, she grabbed the other side of the handle.

"Go away, Max," she repeated.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I think the question is what are you doing here!?" she snapped.

"I followed you," he said. "I thought I lost sight of you back there, but a call to the cab company and..." He paused. "Isn’t this…?"

Kat held up her hand to stop him, but he fought with the door a moment and finally swung it from her grasp. He stepped inside and grabbed her arms, noting her flinch. She pulled away. "Let go of me," she snapped.

"Look at you," he breathed, looking shocked and reaching for her - gently touching her jaw as he stared at her neck.

"You need to leave," she said firmly.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

She grabbed his hand and held it away from her. "You need to leave," she repeated.

"Not until you tell me what’s going on," he demanded.

"None of your business," she responded.

Max looked irritated. "How can you say that? After everything that’s happened, you’re shutting me out?"

She nodded slowly. "Now go."

Max cleared his throat. "Is it this guy? This guy you’re after?"

Her eyes were fierce. "I don’t want to talk to you."

"Has he brainwashed you or something?" he said in suddenly quiet tones.

Kat half chuckled. "You’d never understand," she responded and stepped away from him.

He reached to stop her. "Try me," he coaxed.

"Get out," she told him. "I’m finished with this conversation." She turned away from him and began to walk away.

"Kat," he begged, moving after her.

"You’re in a stanger’s house," she reminded him, "and you haven’t been invited in."

Max stopped. She turned to him again a moment. "You should get out before someone calls the cops for trespassing."

Look dumbfounded, Max stood frozen in his place. "How can you let him do this to you?" he breathed.

Kat stepped forward then, her manner threatening. "You don’t know a damned thing," she replied. "I told you, you’ll never understand."

"What is it you’re doing here?" He begged for an answer.

"Max," she said stoically. "You are going to walk away now and drop this, drop all of it, including me," she told him.

Max was completely appalled. He wondered what was going on in her mind and couldn’t find the mindset to move. Kat stepped toward him and grabbed his arm, pushing him back toward the door. He fought her, but she shoved him again. "You only get half of me," she said as she thrust him against the door. "You’ll never understand me," she added. "Now get out before I call the police myself," she snapped.

Max grabbed her arm. She tried to shrug away, but he was prepared. Pulling her outside, she stopped at the front step.

"You can’t stay here," Max insisted. "It’s dangerous."

"No, it isn’t," she replied. "Look, Max, what’s happening here… it doesn’t matter. He can’t do anything to me."

"Are you kidding me? Look at what he’s already done!"

She shook her head. "You became a cop to be a hero. A humble hero, maybe, but a hero. I became one because of the power, Max. I have more power here than I ever had behind my badge."

"What are you talking about?"

"See? You don’t understand," she pushed. "You don’t get it."

"Then help me because I’m looking at you and wondering how you are the one with the power."

She gave him a half smile. "Because I’m still alive."

Furrowing his brow, Max stepped closer. "Is this some kind of rouse? Some way to get into his head?"

"Goodbye Max," she said, pulling her arm away.

"Wait, Kat, you can’t do this."

She turned and pointed at him. "You’re wrong. This is exactly what I can do. I have my choices. What makes you think they have to agree with yours? What makes you think I have to want the same things and see the same things you see in order to be on the right path?"

"Because this one isn’t full of murder and drugs and pain, Kat," Max reasoned.

She nodded. "Maybe, but what’s so wrong with pain?"

Max couldn’t answer so he only stared as she walked back inside.

Turning into the kitchen, she found Dominick leaning against the wall. She smiled through the fire in her eyes, but it was a moment before either of them spoke. Dominick straightened and stepped toward Kat. "That was quite a performance," he said furiously as he grabbed her arms. "I hope it wasn’t for my benefit."

She shrugged him off. "I’ll get my keys and go."

"I don’t think so," Dominick responded, grabbing her again and pushing her against the wall. "I think you’re going to stay right here."

Kat had no response. Still angered from her encounter with Max and the current position Dominick was putting her in, she simply grunted. He moved her head to the side to examine his own handiwork on her flesh. Leaning in slowly, he put his lips to a darkened area and sucked softly. Kat closed her eyes, swallowing hard as she felt his mouth move up to her jaw and then to her lips. Leaning into the wall, she felt his tongue push inside and just as she let her own brush against his, she felt a prick, then a stabbing pain in her arm.

Jerking back she watched him pull the empty plunger from her arm and toss it to the floor. Dumbfounded, she stared, then looked at him. Her mouth felt suddenly dry and her head began to spin. She let out a moan and would have fallen to the floor if he wasn’t still holding her. Supporting her as he let her sink to the floor, her expression began to go from shocked to numb. He watched as the smile slowly crept onto her face, her eyes staring blankly. She caught his gaze and started a low chuckle.

------------------------
At first, the only thing she could will to move was her eyelids. Kat opened them and found herself staring across a sea of carpet and a door. It wasn’t just any door, it was the door. She could sense the breeze from under it and feel the lock like it was becoming a part of her. It took concentration for her to move her head toward the ceiling. She lifted it gently and looked around while listening. There was no sound, no unusual smell, nothing out of place. Placing one hand on the wall, she used it to help herself sit up. Observing, she noted she was exactly where she had fallen, the syringe still laying on the floor where Dominick had tossed it.

Her back cracked, the noise deafening as she straightened her back. Still relying on the wall, she pulled herself to her feet and walked slowly. She still felt dizzy and euphoric as she stumbled through the house. Finding that Dominick’s car wasn’t in the garage and no other sign of his presence, she moved back to the beckoning door. Squatting, she used an ice pick and knife from the kitchen to break the jam, then slid a card in to release the mechanism. She pushed the door open slowly and found a light switch. Finding herself staring down a staircase with walls on either side, she pushed the door closed behind her. Looking at the broken jam, she could do nothing so she shrugged.

Kat descended slowly, observing what she could see of the basement as she went. At first, she saw only dark, rock-like tile, but nearing the bottom, more came into view. To the right was a couch and oversized chair facing a television. She furrowed her brow at the family room type setting. Just beside the couch was a door she took note of. On the left was a huge black dining table and several chairs. The place was spotless and impersonal.

Walking along the wall parallel to the table, she found a door in the corner. It was wide open and she turned the corner into it, finding a short hallway. When she reached the end and looked into the large room, she found a closet on the far wall and a huge iron canopy bed. As she crossed to the closet, she grabbed the handle and found it locked. She wondered about opening it, but decided instead to check out the door near the couch in the main room. Making her way out, she went across the room and tried the door. Locked, but she wasn’t surprised by this now. She took the knife and ice pick from her pocket and worked at the lock until she was inside.

Pitch black like a tomb, she reached to the wall and felt around. She took a short breath before flipping the switch and illuminating the unconventional office setting. The desk beside the door was spotless. Beside that was a bookcase with rows of videos. The rest of the walls were covered in corkboard. Pinned to it, in perfectly obsessive rows and columns were thick manila envelopes.

Kat went to the videos and looked at them. They were logged by numbers and letters with no further information. She looked at the envelope nearest her and stared. Curiosity finally got to her and she carefully removed the tack. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out a stack of papers. As she did, she found a small round vial at the bottom. Furrowing her brow, she looked at the stack of papers, then realized they were blank sheets of paper. Taking the first sheet off, she saw a picture.

Horrified, she froze. A woman lay naked and posed beside a small wildflower bush. Swallowing, Kat moved through and found more pictures. They were harsh black and whites with bright flash. The composition and style made her immediately think of crime scene photographs. Halfway through the pile of images, all of the same woman, she saw the setting change.

Now she lay in a bed. Kat blinked. It was the iron work canopy in this house with leather straps binding her to it. She examined them all carefully, looked at the bruises and track marks, then set them carefully on the desk. Reaching back into the envelope, she removed the vial. Inside was a separated red liquid. Kat took in a breath. She’d seen blood that had been lying around in beakers and vials at the forensics lab more than once. She knew of no other liquid that looked like it. Staring at the vial in her hand, she slowly dropped it back into the envelope.

All at once, she felt herself grabbed, thrust, pulled, and shoved as the papers went flying. She barely had time to assess that Dominick had come in behind her, grabbed her, and dragged her out of the room. "I told you not to come down here!" he growled as soon as he had her out of that room.

Kat balled her fist, but before she could throw a punch, she was thrown across the room, slamming into a wall and falling sideways. Scrambling, Kat tried to face him, catching a glimpse of his anger as he yanked her from the floor and threw her again. His actions were too quick and as her face smacked into the side of the table, she fell backward, her head bouncing on the floor. He kicked her side once, but stopped when he saw her reaching to her back pocket. He noticed the knife and ice pick then and grabbed them, throwing them aside. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her torso, lifting her and throwing her against the wall. Her head thudded on the wall. He caught her as she fell and threw her against the table again, her chest hitting a chair and her face smacking the table again. On the ground, her eyes began to a blur. Wiping her eye, she could see blood on her hands and him coming at her again. Shifting quickly she kicked at him. He stumbled, but then threw himself over her and took her hair in his hand. Throwing her head against the tile, she was trying to grab at him, but her mind was having too much trouble stumbling over thoughts on how to escape to manage anything more.

"Ok," she huffed. "I surrender!" He smashed her head on the tile again and she gasped as liquid dripped to the back of her throat. "Stop, please!"

At that, his hands wrapped around her throat. He squeezed, looking into her eyes. Her mind couldn’t function well enough to hide her fears, her eyes giving her away this time. He pushed against her neck, listening to her gag as he watched the blood dripping over her forehead, from her nose, and out one corner of her mouth. Lifting her head by the neck, he threw it back again, then let go. "Dammit!" he grunted as he climbed off.

Kat grabbed her throat as she rolled to one side. Trying to move to a knee, she found her body couldn’t respond, her leg barely twitching as he pushed her onto her stomach. She pushed up onto one arm, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled the arm out from under her. Straddling her, she was pinned again, but he let go and she tried to gain some balance with her hands while his were occupied elsewhere. She didn’t care where, she just tried to get away.

Grabbing the leg of the nearest chair, she tried to pull her body away, but an instant later, he grabbed her arms and pinned them to the ground. "You just couldn’t leave, could you?" she heard him rasp into her ear as his hands moved down to her hips, then around and slid under her and into her abdomen. She fought, but he forcefully made his way to her jeans, tugging the button awkwardly as it was against the ground, but managing to undo it and pull down her zipper.

He moved back and she felt him tugging her waistband down below her hips as she pushed with her arms and struggled. Once her ass was bare, she felt him lay over her again, pinning her arms to the floor. This time his grip didn’t loosen and as she felt him move, she groaned. "Stop! Please!" she begged.

He moved her hands behind her back and held them together just long enough to free one hand for another purpose.

"No!" she moaned.

Dominick put a hand on her butt and she felt him moving her, shifting himself. She knew what was about to happen and as she squirmed, she tried not to feel the cock moving against her, pushing on her. She squeezed her eyes shut feeling tears start to escape as her skin started to crawl. "Help," she breathed, knowing there was no one there to hear her begging.

It wasn’t gentle the way he threw himself against her. A tearing pain ripped into Kat’s backside as he drove in deeper with a second push. Dry flesh made the sensation severe. She felt her skin resisting and pulling, her heart racing as her soul cried out. She held her breath, unable to stop or get away as he firmly held her wrists against her lower back and lowered his torso over her. She was pinned so tightly, she could barely struggle as he threw himself into again. Knowing she wouldn’t stop this, she relaxed a second until he thrust into her again and she tensed. Trying desperately to block it, she found the thick shaft rubbing her, driving in hard and deep was impossible to ignore. She whimpered and dropped her head to the floor. "Please," she sobbed against the floor, her cry interrupted only by another shove.

She wondered briefly what boiling blood felt like as her skin seared and her flesh became too hot. Swallowing the taste of blood in her mouth, Kat’s jaw hit the floor with his next shove. She heard him grunt in pleasure and found herself disgusted, her gut wrenching at the filth of the act. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as he thrust in several more times before a louder groan escaped his lips. Pushing away her thoughts too hard to notice what was going on with her own body, the blood suddenly rushed from her head. She felt her own orgasm pulsate strongly and as her head was pushed into the floor again, she cried out. An instant later, her sensitive flesh could feel him pulsating against her, his cum spilling into her as he pushed in again and again, completely spent before he finally loosened his grip on her wrists.

The instant he did, she dropped her hands to the floor and fought the numbness in them to push against it, sliding her body from under his while he moved back to one side. Her movements made her convulse, the muscles in her still contracting involuntarily every few seconds. Once she was free from him, her body flopped against the floor. She couldn’t move, but her body shook and she sobbed quietly.

"Kill me," she breathed through huffs, listening for him because she wasn’t facing him. He didn’t budge. "Kill me," she said louder. "Please. Just get it over with," she begged.

She could hear him panting even over her own gasping breaths. All she could do was listen to it for what seemed an eternity before he spoke. "I’m not going to kill you," he said.

Swallowing, she gathered all she had left and turned her head, pushing up with her arms. "Kill me," she demanded, looking at him as he sat there, his pants hanging open as he had one knee to his chest and an arm slung over the knee. He shook his head, barely looking at her. Kat struggled to her hands and knees and crawled across the floor. She picked up the knife and tossed it across the floor. It hit his foot and stopped sliding. "Do it!" she growled.

He shifted and moved to his feet, taking the knife with him. He passed her and picked up the ice pick. "No," he said and started up the stairs.

Kat fell back onto her side. "Kill me, kill me, kill me," she chanted breathlessly as she started to sob again.

Part 6 – Demon

Kat’s body shook. She craved. As much as she didn’t want it, she craved. How could her body crave something like this? It was nothing she’d experienced before, but her mind knew what would stop the intensity. A hit. Just one more until this was over. She had enough. She could turn him in, find some way to explain all of this, end it now.

Stumbling up the stairs, she wondered how much time had passed. It was dark in the house, dark outside. Moving through the house, she felt bumps, bruises, and what she suspected was a bruised or broken rib. The pain was excruciating, but the craving was worse.

Not finding anything useful on the main floor, she worked her way up the stairs. The door at the top of the stairs was half open and as she looked in, she saw his body sprawled across the bed. She stumbled in and fell to her knees beside the bed.

Dominick stirred and raised his head, looking at her in question.

"I need some," she admitted softly.

He smiled a little. "Need?"

"Please. You have to give me one more."

"No. You don’t need," he said softly and put his head down.

Kat grabbed his shoulder. "Please. Just one more. I’ve got money. I’ve got…" she swallowed as he rolled over and climbed out of bed. "Please," she said again softly.

Dominick took her hand and lifted her from the floor. "Downstairs," he said quietly and pushed her out the door. She walked down slowly, the pain reminding her of everything with each step. At the bottom, she turned into the main room and fell onto a couch.

Five minutes passed before Dominick came down the steps. He knelt beside her on the couch and took her arm. Tying a leather strap around her arm, he tightened it, then looked at her arm. Pricking her, he slowly pushed in the plunger of the syringe. She shook gently as she watched him remove the tourniquet, then take it and the syringe with him back up the stairs. He wasn’t even to the top before she felt her head drifting away, her mind clearing as the euphoria filled her body.

------------------------
Every inch of Kat ached, hurt, had some sort of terrible pain, but she had to do it. She moved down the stairs and into the office. Taking one video tape and removing an envelope from the wall, she turned and went back up the stairs. The heroin hadn’t completely worn off, but she was aware of her surroundings again. Quietly she ascended the stairs, knowing one false move would wake Dominick.

An hour later, she was knocking softly on the apartment door, even her knuckles hurting. She held the envelope and video against her tightly and swallowed. Hearing footsteps, she leaned against the doorframe, unable to support herself any longer.

Max looked at the clock on the wall as he rubbed his eyes and turned the knob. As he swung the door open, he saw Kat nearly fall into the apartment. Catching her, he took her arm and half carried her inside.

Making it to the couch, he set her down and turned on the lamp on his end table. As soon as she was illuminated, he gasped. "Oh my God," he breathed, taking in her sight.

Kat held out the envelope and tape. "He killed them," she breathed.

He took her offerings and dropped them on the coffee table. "Are you… can I…" He stopped, swallowing hard.

She started to shake her head, then brought a bloody hand to her head, stopping it. "No, I…"

Max took her hand and looked at it, noting that it was dried blood. He examined it, the glass wounds still prominent. Putting his hand under her jaw, he lifted her head gingerly while she winced. Her eye was swollen and blood streaked over her face. "My God. We have to get you to a hospital," he observed, starting to move.

Kat grabbed his arm. "No," she insisted quickly.

His body froze as he turned his head toward her. "You need medical attention," he insisted.

She started to shake her head again, this time looking nauseous as she did. She turned her wrist up and held out her arm. Max looked confused and as she caught the look in the light, she put her hand over the inside of her arm. When she moved it, he looked at the deep bruising, then saw the pricks in her skin. "What?…" he asked.

"Heroin," she breathed. "If you take me, they’ll know. I’ll never…"

He saw her gulp, then he stood. "I’ll get a cloth," he surrendered softly.

Returning from the bathroom, he sat beside her again and started to daub at her face until he found what was wounds and what had just bled from them. "What happened?" he asked as he ministered to her.

She leaned back. "He… I… did they…" She closed her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. Shifting slightly, she found a position less painful to sit in. Glancing at him, she quickly averted her eyes as he tapped her forehead. "In the reports – the victims. Did he… did someone…" she breathed deeply. "Were there signs of forced anal entry," she asked coldly, clinically.

"No," he replied quickly, then held the cloth still in his hand as he looked to her eyes. His tone became much more concerned. "No, why?" She swallowed hard and as he watched her bruised throat moving he had an answer, minus detail. His hand shook as he touched her forehead again He stopped again, dropping his hands into his lap. "You should have someone take a look at you," he said quietly.

She met his gaze, her eyes begging. "I can’t. Please. Please, just…"

His hand shook as he lifted the cloth and dropped it into his lap again. "Kat, you need someone to look at these and… and if there’s some evidence… you might be able… you might have…"

She waved to the coffee table. "There’s enough there. There has to be enough there," she insisted softly, weakly. "There has to be."

Looking at the items she’d brought, he pondered. When he looked at her again, she had tears on her cheeks. "There has to be. You can’t need me for this," she added softly.

"What’s been going on, Kat? There’s something… you’re not the same."

Swallowing hard, she grabbed his hand. "I’m scared," she whispered.

He looked at her tenderly and leaned forward. His lips touched her cheek lightly. "I’ll be with you the whole time," he told her.

"You can’t need me. They can’t need me. I… There’s so much more I did wrong, so much I could lose my badge. I could go to jail. I could…"

"It won’t happen. It was the line of duty. Whatever you did, you had to do."

"No, I didn’t. I lied and I …" her mind played over the events quickly. She looked away. "And I enjoyed it," she added. "I mean, at first. It was like a game."

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"I can’t tell you, Max," she replied. "It’s not that I don’t want to. I just can’t. This has all been some nightmare that I just can’t change." She put her hand over her suddenly queasy stomach. "I need…" she breathed.

He looked at her, holding her hand. "You need?"

Looking into his eyes, another tear fell down her face. "I need another hit," she admitted to him.

Max closed his eyes and put his arm around her. "You don’t. You just crave. I’ll help you through this."

"I need it."

"I’ll be here," he added quietly, holding her against him.

------------------------
Sleeping restlessly, Max watched the body tossing on his bed. He shook his head, knowing she’d be all right in time. Stepping into the living room, he picked up the video tape and put it in the machine. Holding the remote, he sat down and picked up the envelope. Putting it across his knee, he hit play, then started to open the envelope. He took out the stack of papers slowly. Moving the blank sheet, he stared at the image. The eyes were fixed and dilated, staring into the camera. He could see the marks of strangulation, the other things giving away the similarities to the other victims. Shaking his head, he turned to another picture, then glanced at the screen. It was so quick, his eyes were back on the photograph before his mind registered what he saw.

The photos forgotten, he looked up again and stared. The woman wasn’t fighting as she lay restrained to the iron bed. Her eyes were glazed, in fact, as though she was barely there at all. She stared directly at the camera for several moments, obviously aware of its presence as the younger man with dark hair and dark eyes moved in and out of her. Staring for several seconds, Max watched the man finish, leave, and someone new climbed over her. This one was rougher, slapping her before he rested his body on hers.

Swallowing his disgust, Max aimed the remote control and set it for a slow fast forward. No sound was needed to see what happened. One man after another, some getting props from a closet on one wall, raped her. As soon as she started to fight, started to seem aware of what was going on, Max saw a man with dark hair and blue eyes crawl onto the bed. He applied a strap to her arm, gave her an injection, and was gone again. Watching the countdown on the VCR, he observed nearly two hours of this before the dark haired man who gave her the injection returned.

Fully clothed, he moved over the woman. The fact that he was dressed caught Max’s attention so he stopped the fast motion and let it run normal speed. The man’s hands moved around her throat, slowly cutting off the air. She gasped at first, able to get something in. His grip tightened slowly over several seconds that seemed an eternity before he cut off all of her air. He watched her struggle against her bonds a moment before losing consciousness. The man continued to cut her supply of oxygen and Max could see the nut was getting off on it. He shook his head, dismayed.

He heard groaning from the bedroom and suddenly found himself back in the reality rather than sucked into what was on his television. Staring into the bedroom, he rose slowly as he paused the tape and walked into the room. Kat held her stomach, her eyes half open as she struggled to move.

"Don’t move," he said to her, crossing the room to grab his trash can.

"I’m going to be sick," she mumbled.

"Don’t move," he repeated, bringing the glorified bucket to her and sitting on the bed. He touched her back and held it out to her, watching her swallow the bile back.

"Max, I have to go," she said suddenly, the wave of nausea passing to make room for intense craving.

"No."

"You have to let me go," she insisted, trying to sit up.

"No. You just… we need to get through this. I’ll distract you."

She swallowed again and looked at him. "Did you watch the tape?"

He nodded slightly.

"What is it? What’s on it?"

Max clenched his jaw. He tried to figure out how to distract her from the evidence and her own desire at once. "I think you need a vacation after all this. Where would you go? If money didn’t matter, where would you go?"

She stared at him a moment before realizing his intent. "What’s on it?" she asked again.

"Don’t worry about it. We’ll handle it. You just worry about getting better."

She pushed at him, struggling against his grasp to climb from the bed. She was weak, but working hard, she slowly made progress. "It’s nothing," Max insisted, trying to hold her, but only managing to slow her down.

Shoving away, she stumbled into the living room. Max moved up beside her and caught her before she could fall. "It’s their last two hours," he said softly as she stared at the screen.

"The victim," she breathed and made her way to the couch. "Her last two hours." She took the remote and hit the pause button, throwing the machine back into play mode. Watching Dominick hold the woman’s throat, Kat touched her own neck. He slowly released his grip and moved from the bed. Kat blinked and looked at Max. The tape went blank so she stopped it and rewound.

Max moved beside her, taking the remote. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I want to see it."

He shook his head.

"I want to see it!" she insisted.

Grabbing at her hand as she reached for the control, he shook his head again. "Look, it’s just what you’d think. He lets them rape her and then he strangles her."

Kat met his eyes and absorbed. "He lets them? He doesn’t…"

"No. He gave her some heroin and he strangled her, but he never raped her – at least, not on the tape."

He watched her eyes go blank as she stared at the blue screen. "He doesn’t touch her?" she asked flatly. "He has to. Maybe it was before. Maybe it was…"

"You know the evidence on the victims we have. It all happened then. There’s nothing to indicate that he ever touched them if it’s not on this tape, not within two hours of death."

Kat started to gasp. "He had to," she insisted. "He had to! It couldn’t have been me! It wasn’t just me!"

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, afraid her already knew the answer.

"Max, you have to stop this," she said firmly.

"I will," he said. "There’s plenty here for a warrant. If it’s in his house…"

"In the basement. There’s a door off from the… off from the kitchen there’s this door. Down the stairs. It’s all down there. He’s got a shrine and the bed and… and… it’s all down there."

"Ok," he said, patting her knee as he attempted to calm her. "Ok, I’ll take care of it. I’ll make sure this doesn’t touch you."

She nodded emphatically. "It’s all there," she mumbled as she leaned against his chest.

He patted her back softly, then rubbed it. "I’ll make sure it doesn’t come anywhere near you," he promised quietly.

------------------------
She was sleeping again, this time much more peacefully. Max moved the trash beside the bed in case she needed it, then pulled the door closed. Dominick let her go, would the evidence even be left when they got there? He still couldn’t get out of her how much Dominick knew, how much Max could count on, but he had to end this. He slid the papers back into the envelope as he waited to the VCR to spit out the tape. Putting on a jacket, he tucked the items under his arm and locked the apartment door as he left.

------------------------
Kat found herself alone when she woke. Her hands were shaking and her mind had only one thought. "Max?" Getting no answer, she crawled out of the bed and found herself more steady, more strong. She opened the bedroom door. "Max!" Still not getting a response, she left it open and sat on the bed. Curling her knees to her chest, she hugged her legs and rocked slowly. "You don’t need it," she breathed. "You don’t need it." It became a slow chant, but she couldn’t take her mind off it. Rocking back and forth, her voice stopped in her throat.

She got out of bed and picked up the phone, calling a cab.

As the yellow car stopped before the familiar driveway, Kat made her way to the front door and knocked. It was a long time before it opened and as Dominick opened the storm door, he half smiled. "I knew you’d be back."

She nodded and he took her arm, guiding her inside. He took her up the stairs and waved her to the bed. She sat on it and watched him reach into a bag and take out his stash of heroin. Setting it beside the bed, he sat beside her. She stared at the powder and swallowed. He wasn’t offering it right away which concerned her so she looked at him, seeing that he was looking at her. "Please," she said softly.

Dominick gave her a disarming smile, then leaned in and kissed her gingerly on her raw lips. She felt his tongue on her, but couldn’t move. His lips moved along her jaw and to her ear where he bit hard. She gasped and he pulled back. She saw his grin remain as he finally reached over and took the packet, finally beginning to prepare the injection. She watched intently as he added a little water, stirred, cooked, filled the tiny plunger, attached the sharp point, and wrapped the strap around her arm. Swallowing as he pushed the plunger in, she leaned back on the bed and waited for it to take effect.

Kat wasn’t paying attention when Dominick stood. He heard a sound and when he moved to the window, he grinned a little. "It’s time," he murmured.

Opening her eyes, Kat watched him start more heroin. "Time for your own injection?" she asked, struggling with the words.

He looked at her and nodded slowly. "Something like that," he said to her. The amount on the spoon was much more than he’d given her a moment before and as he watched the team of police officer’s assembling, he held the lighter beneath the metal spoon.

Listening to the knock on the door, he watched calmly as the substance bubbled. Ticking down, they’d burst through the doors any moment, but he knew he had time. He sucked the liquid into the syringe, finishing as he heard the door downstairs slam open. He stuck the needle into place and grabbed Kat’s arm.

She shifted when she felt him touch her, unable to stop him as he thrust the needle into her arm and pushed the plunger. Managing a sound, she could do nothing more as he pulled the syringe out and dropped it onto the bed just as several men burst into the room.

Dominick held up his hands. "Caught me," he said, all the cockiness in the world hanging in his tone. Max pushed past two officer’s and looked into Dominick’s eyes. Dominick met the gaze and smiled arrogantly. "But it’s too late," he said.

Max shifted and saw Kat laying back on the bed. He saw the officer’s grab Dominick and begin to cuff him as he moved onto the bed beside her. "Someone call an ambulance!" Max yelled as he grabbed Kat’s jaw and saw her eyes closed, her lips curled into a smile. He slapped her and felt for a pulse, but it was getting slower and weaker with each beat. Grabbing her, he lifted her torso and tried to make her stand, but she was completely limp. "Kat!" he yelled into her hear, slapping her several more times. She remained limp and he checked her pulse. When he couldn’t find it, he dropped her to the floor and began CPR. Pumping hard, he added his breaths to keep her going, yet through it all, she remained completely limp.

Part 7- Epilogue

Max pushed the sunglasses higher on his nose as he turned away from the casket. He was the last to leave the gravesite, but as he neared his car, he found Captain Stevenson waiting for him. Stevenson knew that the sunglasses were hiding Max’s emotions. They certainly weren’t to block out the sun. The thick clouds had provided rain off and on all day, but didn’t allow any sunlight through.

Max let out a breath loudly and opened his car door. "Well?" he asked solemnly.

Stevenson sighed. "It looked like Dominick had records of where each victim was left. They’re still recovering bodies. There should be 17 in all. She, uh, Monroe was… was number 18."

Max nodded. "What about him?"

"Psychologists are still talking to him. The tapes will provide all the evidence we need and we’ve picked up most of the men in them. He’s not trying to bargain for his life. He says he was finished. He claims he was ready to end the games." Stevenson shook his head. "His real name was Mark Asch."

"He had a record?"

"No," Stevenson replied coldly. "He had his prints taken for a background check. He used to be a crime scene photographer, but he quit three years ago." Letting out a loud breath, he looked into the sky. "Lot of sick bastards out in the world."

"And he’s only one of them," Max said softly, then shook his own head. His mind drifted for a moment, then he shook his head. "Thanks."

"For what?" Stevenson asked.

Max tilted his head, waiting a moment before responding. "For covering the tracks. I don’t know if she deserved to be buried with full honours or not, but she got it."

Stevenson nodded slowly. "She was a good officer."

"Yes," Max said, sitting in the car and pulling the door closed. He looked at the steering wheel as he put the key in the ignition. "Yeah," he breathed softly. Stevenson was gone now and as he stared at the wheel, he felt it all coming to the surface. He wrapped fists around the wheel, then rested his forehead on them and let the tears come.

The End
2002

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