Man of the Hour

Birthday-challenge
by Lucy

"There he is! Man of the hour!"

Blair's cry resulted in a burst of applause from the tuxedo-clad men around the table as Rafe came in to the restaurant. The young detective, also dressed to the nines in his own tailored tux, followed the voice and saw the display his co-workers were putting on, and promptly turned a bright shade of red. He hesitated, then approached.

"Hi, guys."

"'Hi, guys?'" Henri jumped up and grabbed his partner in a one-armed hug. "Come on, man. We know you can be more profound than that. Shouldn't you say something more along the lines of, 'Thanks for giving me my moment in the spotlight, guys. I never could have made it where I am without you?'"

Rafe grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. "Not that I don't appreciate your contributions, but I'm taking solo credit for this one."

Blair beamed up at him as he sat. "You should! That was great! I knew you'd be the best choice for this job." The fact that he had selected Rafe to be the Cascade PD's representative at the charity fashion show that night wasn't lost on him.

"I should work on commission here. I should be a talent scout. I should-"

"You should forget it," Rafe completed firmly. "I'm glad I did it, Blair, but I almost went into palpitations on that stage. I'm just not in to show biz."

"Could have fooled us."

"Oh, leave him alone, Chief. Not everyone lusts for the spotlight like you do."

Blair turned to his partner with a glare. "I do not lust," he said with a modicum of dignity.

That dignity was ground into dust as everyone around him burst into laughter.

"That's not what Sandra down in records said," Henri reported gleefully.

"Or Gina in the lab."

"I heard he propositioned one of the Vice guys in drag."

"Rhonda ducks into the bathroom whenever she sees him coming."

"Half the women in patrol-"

"Oh, ha ha ha. You guys are just jealous." Blair grinned good-naturedly.

"Of you? Sandburg, give us a break." Simon chuckled around the cigar firmly planted in his mouth.

"Sure," Blair continued easily. "Of course they say most men lose their appeal around middle age. Simon? Jim? Any response to that?"

Both men gaped at him for a second before Jim reached across the table and smacked his roommate in the back of the head. "You're lucky we're in a public place, Chief."

"Whatever, gramps."

Rafe glanced over to see a rather intimidated-looking waitress standing there, obviously waiting for an opening. "Hey, who's buying the drinks?"

Every other voice but one answered. "Sandburg."

Blair's eyes got big. "Whoa, guys, hang on. I'm just a poor grad student, remember? I'm the only one around this table who doesn't get paid for being at the station all the time."

Simon waved him off with a grin. "I got it."

"Thanks, Simon," Blair's grin returned automatically.

"Cheapskate," Simon mumbled even as he turned to the waitress.

When the loud group managed to get their orders in, Rafe turned back to Blair to speak, but his eyes caught on someone coming in and he stopped, staring.

Henri caught his look as the conversation went on around them. "You know her?" he asked, seeing the dark-haired woman, formally dressed in a sparkling blue dress, that Rafe was watching.

Rafe didn't seem to have heard. "Oh my God," he said quietly, still gaping.

Henri's eyes narrowed and he studied the woman. She did look familiar somehow, but he'd be damned if he could place her. "So who is that?"

"You don't remember her? She was...she..."

Henri didn't fail to notice how his partner's eyes stayed on the woman as he talked. A grin spread over his face, but he made an effort to hold it in. "Well. She's pretty."

Rafe glanced back at him and nearly blushed. "You really don't remember her?"

"Nope. But I don't have to. Why don't you go say hi?"

"Uh. No. No, she's probably meeting someone. Or something."

Henri stood up and unceremoniously hauled Rafe out of his seat. "Go. Talk."

Rafe protested, but Henri shoved him away from the table and towards the door, returning to his seat without a word.

Blair stopped his joking with Simon and Jim long enough to glance over. "Where's he going?"

Henri shrugged. "Bathroom? I don't know."

"Oh." Unconcerned, Blair went back to his conversation. "And anyway, Jim, it's not like you've had some great success where women are concerned."

"Yeah? At least none of my girlfriends have ever taken me hostage and used me as a getaway driver from some drug deal."

"That's not fair, man. Iris wasn't a girlfriend. And what are you laughing at, Simon? When's the last time you were on a date?"



Rafe made a mental note to choke his partner to death with his bare hands as Katrina Rosenberg looked right at him. He fished a smile out of somewhere and attached it to his face, going up to her slowly.

"Detective. I was hoping I would see you again," she greeted with a warm smile.

His smile grew less nervous. "Ms. Rosenberg. Small world, huh?" He almost cringed -- stupidity flowed from his mouth like air.

"Katrina," she replied easily. "And no, not really." She paused, flushing lightly. "I overheard you planning to meet your friends here."

"Oh?" He couldn't think of a reply.

She nodded shyly. "You have no idea how I felt when I saw you on that stage. I just...I had to..." She stopped, flustered. "It's been a long time."

"Almost a year," he agreed.

Their eyes met, and she lost a little more of her self-assured air. "I hope you don't mind my coming. I won't keep you from anything, I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I thought you were tonight." Her smile returned faintly. "You seemed nervous."

"I was petrified," he admitted, the gentle look in her wide brown eyes setting him at ease.

"You had no need to be. You were a natural. You probably raised more money than anyone else."

"Well. Um. Thanks." He shifted on his feet, glancing back at the table he came from. The four men he'd left behind were laughing about something, and none even glanced his way.

"I'm sorry, I'll let you get back."

"No! That's...I mean, don't worry. I see these guys all the time. Do you maybe want to get a drink or something?" Rafe tried to keep his nervousness out of his voice.

She smiled brightly, and it washed over him like a warm breeze. "I'd like that."

"Great." They stood for a moment, smiling at each other inanely, before he snapped into action, leading her past his rowdy coworkers towards the small bar in the rear of the restaurant.

"Whoa! Sandburg, look out! Your rep is in danger, ladykiller." Henri voiced his near-shout so Rafe could hear it.

Rafe could feel the eyes of the table following him as his friends laughed in response.

"What's that all about?" Katrina asked as they passed.

"Nothing," Rafe answered quickly.

Blair's voice was also conspicuously loud. "I told ya, I can spot talent a mile away."

Rafe resisted a grin.

"Your friends are pretty...spirited."

Rafe sat after her. "Were you ever three years old?"

She flashed a puzzled smile. "Of course I was."

"Well, so are they."

"Ahh." Katrina laughed softly.

Rafe watched her smiling, and reflected suddenly that he hadn't seen her do that very often.

His mind instantly went back to the time they had met. It was one of the worst cases he'd gotten involved in -- what started out to be a routine security job at an art opening had turned in to a bloodbath when some group of psychopaths came in, gunning down the innocent people and taking Katrina Rosenberg hostage. Rafe and Blair had been the only two officers left when the men had invaded the gallery near closing time, and when they had jumped to stop the men, Blair had been shot. Rafe had tried to help his friend, but was hit from behind.

They had awakened in a small, cold room, Blair bleeding his life away. This wonderful woman who had been grabbed, the daughter of one of the richest men in Washington, had allowed their captors to...

He still had trouble thinking about it. She had let herself be raped by those men, in exchange for releasing Blair and taking him where he could get help, and then in exchange for them leaving Rafe alive.

He could remember the days they spent in that one-room cell clearly. He still saw it in his nightmares. All the times they had come to take her away, before he knew what was going on. And then, by the time he did know, he was too weak from the cold, from lack of food and water, to do anything to stop them. They took her one more time after she had finally admitted to him what was going on outside that room, and then he had fought to keep her safe. He didn't have much strength at that point, but he did everything he could. Finally they simply held on to each other and wouldn't let go when the men came for her. They would have had to force her off, and they had been told by the man paying their fee that she wasn't to be even bruised.

When they finally got frustrated enough to simply take her away, Jim and Henri had managed to find them, and had stopped them before they could.

It was a harrowing case from start to finish, and in the hospital he and Katrina had made plans to see each other again. He owed his life to her. She had sacrificed herself in the most degrading way possible to protect him and Blair, and he never forgot that. Unfortunately, things hadn't come together after that. Rafe developed an infection in the hospital and had to stay for nearly another week, and then the backlog of cases kept him busy, and finally he just assumed it would be better to let it go -- she had made no attempt to contact him, so it must not have been meant to be.

And now here she was.

He faced her, putting his memories out of his mind. "What were you doing there tonight?"

"Trying to be a philanthropist, like every other rich person in the city." She shrugged.

Rafe smiled slightly. Rich. Katrina Rosenberg had inherited every penny of her millionaire father's money the night those men had come to take her. They had killed her father, probably by accident, and she was all that was left of the family.

She met his eyes. "You were wonderful up there tonight. Really."

His smile faded slightly. "Yeah, well. I...thanks."

They looked at each other for another long moment, and a burst of laughter from the table he had left behind broke in to his reverie, making him glance over.

She followed his gaze, and breathed in suddenly. "Is that...that's Blair, isn't it? Your friend..."

Rafe nodded, facing her again. Wondering what she could be thinking.

She sat watching him for a moment, as the long-haired observer laughed with his friends. A small smile crossed her face.

"Would you like to meet him?" Rafe asked suddenly, standing.

She opened her mouth to say no, but thought about it. "I think I would," she answered finally, sounding almost surprised by the fact.

"Come on." He held out a hand spontaneously.

She took it without a thought, and they both almost froze, eyes meeting again.

Rafe flushed, but didn't comment. He pulled her from her seat gently and led her to the table.

Blair was in the middle of some story, but Henri saw them coming and elbowed the observer none-too-gently.

"Ow! Man, what's..." Blair's eyes went up, and he broke off instantly. "Oh, this is why you deserted us." He grinned up at Rafe.

The young detective nodded. "Blair Sandburg, I'd like to introduce you to Katrina Rosenberg."

He stuck out his hand instantly. "Nice to meet you."

She shook his hand, smiling almost sadly. "We've met."

"Have we?" Blair frowned, searching his thoughts. Suddenly he froze, his smile vanishing, his face losing all color. "Oh my God. It's you!" His hand fell and he stood shakily, ignoring his partner's instant questioning look.

Her smile faded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spoil your good mood."

"No, no! I just..." Blair shook his head, stunned. "I have no idea what to say to you," he admitted finally.

"There's nothing to say. I just wanted to meet you." She looked over at Rafe. "I should go. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable."

He glanced back at the table, at Blair's pale face, and steered her away from his friends gently. "It's alright. He...we both...there's just no way we could ever tell you how grateful we are for what you did for us."

She blushed lightly, gazing over at Blair, then back to him. "It was worth it," she said sincerely.

He could see that she meant it, and was touched by it. "It's good to see you again."

"You, too. I've thought about you many times since..."

"So have I," Rafe confessed quietly.

Behind them, the table had fallen quiet, and Rafe guessed Blair had reminded them all who the woman was.

She cleared her throat softly. "I'll let you get back to your friends."

"Oh. Alright."

"Goodbye, Detective." She gave him one last smile before turning and heading for the door.

Rafe watched her until she was out the door. The moment she was out of sight, his head cleared and he was in motion, going after her quickly. He hit the door at a near-run. "Katrina?"

She was only a few steps away, and she turned back in surprise, with a smile she couldn't hide.

He came right up to her, his hands coming out and grabbing hers before he could think about it. "I want to see you again."

Her smile seemed to warm the air around them. "I'd like that very much."

"Good." He hesitated. "We're having...there's a party, Friday, at the station. Just a small thing. Would you come?"

"What time?"

"Around seven?"

"I'll be there," she promised firmly.

He grinned. "Uh. Good. That's good. So I'll see you...Friday. Major Crimes, tenth floor."

"Yes. Friday."

It took him a long moment to remember to release her hands, but he did finally and they broke apart. He went back to the door of the restaurant, smiling inanely, and glanced back to watch her until she was let into her car by a man that had to be a driver.

Once she was out of sight he went back inside, and approached his now-quiet group of friends with a huge smile.

Blair was still pale, but offered him a smile in return. "She was there tonight, huh?"

"Apparently." Rafe sat beside his partner again.

"I should have thanked her," he said quietly in response. "I should have at least remembered to thank her."

"We all should have," Simon said solemnly.

"You still can. She's coming to the station Friday." Rafe couldn't hide his smile.

"She...is she?"

Seeing Blair's blanched face, Rafe's smile faded at last. "Is that okay? Does she really make you so uncomfortable?"

"It's fine," Blair responded almost instantly. "I really don't know how to...how do you thank someone for doing what she did?"

Rafe remembered her smile as she had watched Blair. "I don't think you need you," he replied honestly.

Blair nodded slightly, unconvinced.

"If it's going to be a problem..." Rafe met the observer's eyes.

"No, no problem. It's your birthday, after all." Blair smiled again. It wasn't his normal megawatt grin, but it was sincere.

"Good." Rafe sat back, seeing the broad smile forming on his partner's face. "What?"

Henri shook his head innocently, but his eyes were gleaming. "Nothing at all, man. Nothing at all."



Friday passed like any other normal day. Henri and Rafe went out and did their thing, bringing in a murder suspect they'd been after for days, fighting over who'd have to fill out the paperwork on him. They saw Ellison and Sandburg in passing. Just another normal day.

Until seven o'clock, when they were officially let off of work. Rafe had his nose stuck in a report when the time arrived, and Henri had to come up and clock him in the head to get him out of his desk.

"Rafe! Man, come on! Party time!"

Rafe shut the report gladly and jumped up. "Man! About time. This week has gone on forever."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, follow me down to my car real quick." Henri turned without waiting for an answer, heading for the door.

Rafe tailed him. "Why're we going to your car? Party time, remember?"

"I know. But I need ta talk to ya for a sec." Henri dove into the elevator when the doors opened, and immediately grabbd the arm of the uniform already inside, pulling him out none-too-gently. "Take the stairs, man, this is private."

Rafe laughed, following his partner in as the doors shut. "What's up, H?"

Henri turned to him seriously. "Okay, this is the deal."

Surprised by the sudden solemness, Rafe just waited for him to keep going.

"You're my best friend, man. I worry about you a lot. You're fine most of the time, I know that. But you're also lonely and miserable, and I never could figure out why. You don't seem to have a problem with women, but I've never seen you really interested in anyone. In fact, the first time I ever saw you flip out over a chick was with this Katrina Rosenberg."

Rafe flushed, but still stayed quiet, confused and unsure where Henri was going.

"Now, I seem to remember this girl liked you too, so I'm glad she's coming up here tonight. The way I see it, best birthday present I can give you is some time alone with this lady. So soon as she gets here, you two hang around long enough for Hairboy to say whatever he wants to say to her, and then you jet, you got me?"

"Uh. Henri, look. I've got-"

"What you've got," Henri interrupted without a thought. "Is reservations at Sylvio's at eight, and a free dinner complements of your all-knowing, God's gift of a partner. Are you with me?"

Rafe just gaped at him for a long moment. "Henri. I, uh, don't know what to say."

Henri grinned. "Don't worry, you can thank me tomorrow morning." He wagged his eyebrows meaningfully.

Rafe flushed. "Yeah, whatever."

The doors opened as Henri laughed at his red-faced partner, and Rafe's flush grew even deeper when they saw who was waiting for the elevator. "Katrina! Hi!"

She smiled automatically, puzzled. "Are you leaving?"

"No! No, no. Just...uh, just coming to get you." Rafe made room for her to step in. Them knowing Henri wouldn't mind, he grabbed his partner's arm and pushed him through the doors as they started shutting. "Take the stairs," he repeated Henri's words with a grin. "This is private."

Henri's chuckle followed them into the elevator as the doors shut.

Rafe faced Katrina, smiling almost shyly. "I'm glad you came."

"I wouldn't have missed it. What's the occasion, anyway? Or do you have parties at the office every Friday?"

"It's...uh, it's my birthday."

She lit up. "Really? You hould have told me! I would have brought something."

Rafe hesitated before answering. "You came. That's enough of a present for me."

It was her turn to blush, and she startled him by throwing herself into his arms a second later. "I missed you! You have no idea how happy I am to see you again, Rafe."

He returned her hug, surprised but happy. This wasn't exactly the Katrina he remembered. The girl he had met a year ago was aloof, unemotional. She had an incredible heart, Rafe had found out eventually, but she hid her emotions under a cool mask.

Life on her own must have been good for her since then.

"I missed you, too," he confessed as she pulled away a second later.

"My therapist was thrilled when I told her about tonight," Katrina beamed over at him.

"Therapist?" Rafe's smile faded. "Oh. Because of the..."

"Because of a lot of things," she said with a shrug. "She tells me that you represent something to me. I..." She looked down with a slight laugh. "I dream about you a lot. You...keep me safe. Is that silly?"

Rafe felt warmed by the confession, and found himself thinking that he owed Henri more than he thought for arranging time alone for the two of them. "No, not at all. I just wonder if you'll give me the chance to do it while you're awake."

She met his eyes, surprised. A slow smile spread over her face, and she just nodded, silent.

They were both surprised by the opening of the elevator doors.

"Happy birthday!"

The shout greeted them as they stepped out, and Rafe felt himself turning red again, wondering if it was just his day for being red-faced. He grinned out at his co-workers, taking in the hastily-assembled decorations and presents with something like amazement.

He glanced over at Henri, who had somehow beat them up to the office, then at everyone else lined up. Jim, Blair, Simon, Joel. Other detectives he knew almost as well as his closest friends, a few people he wasn't sure he could name off-hand.

His eyes went to Katrina, still by his side, and without a pause he waded into the crowd. Sooner they got this over with, sooner he and Katrina could go have some dinner alone.

He reflected as his back was slapped by his friends and presents were thrust into his face that this was one of the better birthdays he could remember.