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Kacie sighed softly and stirred. She opened her eyes sleepily to find Peter looking at her. "Didn't anybody ever tell you it's not polite to stare?" she asked drowsily, stretching out one arm to slide her hand up onto his shoulder.
"I wasn't staring."
"Were, too. I caught you at it."
Kissing her forehead, he repeated himself. "I wasn't staring. I was observing. It's part of my job, and I was just...practicing."
"And what did you observe, O Master Detective?" She yawned again and cuddled closer.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That your headache is gone."
"Oh. Yeah, it is." She stretched lazily and nestled closer again, laying her head on his chest and listening to the steady thumping of his heart. "What else?"
"That you need more sleep, and that I don't want you to go into work this morning."
She laughed softly. "Already switched days with Pam. I don't have to go anywhere today." She gently caressed his jaw line with the tip of her thumb. "What else?"
"That you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and I am damn lucky that you married me."
"Hmmph. Took you long enough to come up with that," she said with a pout, lifting up her head to look at him.
He laughed out loud and tugged at her with his arms until she wriggled her way up his body enough for their lips to meet. "Somebody is feeling much better today. I'm glad." He kissed her again, more warmly this time.
"Somebody always feels better waking up in your arms." She propped herself on her elbow, head in hand, and ran her fingers through his hair with her free hand, her love for him shining in her eyes.
Peter's face suddenly grew serious, and he blurted out, "Kacie, do you want me to give up being a cop?"
She looked shocked at his words. "When did this sudden interest in a career change come up?" She answered his question with a question, puzzled at the subject matter.
"I saw what just being at that funeral did to you yesterday. I watched Carla, and the rest of Jack's family, and what losing him was doing to them all." He paused, taking a deep breath and lodging his tongue between his teeth as he studied her. "I'm asking you if you want me to walk away from a job where I put my life at risk every day."
Putting her hand behind his head, she pulled his face to hers for a quick kiss. "Before I answer that, let me ask you a few questions first, OK?"
At Peter's nod, she continued. "Do you like being a cop? And be honest with me."
"Yes."
"Are you good at it?"
Reddening slightly, he admitted, "Yes."
"Are you making a difference in this screwed-up world by being a good cop?"
He lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "I don't know." At her exasperated groan, he looked up again, grinning crookedly. "OK, yeah, I guess I do."
"Then, no. I don't want you to quit."
"But yesterday, and-and-and last night, when I brought you home, you were so upset." He sat up, leaning against the headboard of their bed, looking at her in confusion.
She sat up next to him and trailed her hand over the corded muscles of his arm. "Peter, you know that I can't remember half of what I say when I get a headache as bad as the one I had yesterday. I should've told you that I woke up with that headache yesterday morning. The whole day was like a blur to me."
Peter scowled at her indignantly. "Ka-cie! Why didn't you tell me? I never would've let you go to the funeral or anywhere else if I'd have known that."
"I know you wouldn't. That's why I didn't tell you. I had to be there for Carla. We both did."
The slightest hint of moisture appeared in her eyes. "I knew all the risks in being a cop's wife before I ever met you, Peter. I came into this relationship with my eyes wide open. You love being a cop, and the city needs more men like you. The world needs more men like you." She laid her hand on his chest and continued earnestly, "I want you to be happy more than anything. If being a cop makes you happy, I don't want you to give it up."
Sliding both hands around his neck, she added in a husky voice, "That doesn't mean I don't worry about you, and that doesn't mean I'm not scared for you sometimes. But, no, I don't want you to give up doing something that you love." She caught her lip between her teeth and just looked at him. "Not unless it's what YOU really want to do."
Peter's whole heart shone in his eyes as he caressed her face with his fingertips. "You...are an incredible woman, Katherine Christine. I love you."
"I love you more."
He pulled her into his embrace with a happy chuckle. "I love you most." He kissed her lips before letting his mouth start roaming over her throat and neck, murmuring huskily, "That means I win."
They slid down under the sheets as one, and she giggled. "The hardest part here is trying to decide whether to let you win or make you work for it."