Paul and Annie were just finishing breakfast with a final cup of coffee when Peter wandered in, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"Morning, Sweetie," Annie said, accepting his kiss on her cheek. "Coffee's on the counter," she added unnecessarily, as Peter was already pouring himself a cup.
He sat down and joined them with a yawn. Paul grinned and asked, "Sleep well, Son?"
Peter laughed and stretched. "Like a rock." He took a sip of coffee and continued, "Kacie's still out. I didn't have the heart to wake her up." He scowled and stared moodily at the mug before him. "I sure wish she didn't have to go to work this morning."
"She doesn't," Annie told him. "McClanahan told her to stay home today."
"Then I wish I didn't have to go in." Peter shook his head ruefully. "I'm already in the doghouse with my captain, so I don't dare not come in today."
"In that case, you'd better get a move on, Peter." Paul glanced pointedly at the kitchen clock. "You've got less than forty minutes to get ready and get there."
"Damn. I was sorta hoping Kacie would wake up before I left." He took another swallow of coffee and then asked, "Mind if I use your shower?"
"Some of your things are up in your room," Annie said. "You should find enough to get you by for one day, if you don't mind not quite dressing in style."
Peter jumped into the shower, and after toweling off, shaved with the unfamiliar electric razor. He knew that if he hurried with the regular straight edge, he would probably cut his own throat. He dressed quickly and quietly, glancing at the clock and seeing he was running out of time.
He tiptoed over to see if Kacie was waking up, and saw that she hadn't moved from the time he had first arisen. He brushed a feather light kiss on her lips and whispered, "I love you."
She stirred, and a soft smile flitted briefly across her face.
Barely able to resist the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her thoroughly, he crept from the room and closed the door quietly behind himself.
Peter was frowning at his computer screen when Broderick sauntered over to his desk.
"Hey, Peter. Someone at the front desk to see you."
Peter looked up distractedly and glanced around to see Kacie waiting for him. A smile lit his face and he was on his feet immediately.
Before he could take a step, the sergeant winked at him knowingly and commented with a smirk, "No one's using interrogation room two right now if you need it for -- um -- questioning."
Peter flushed a deep red and aimed a half-hearted backhand swat at Broderick. "Shut up, wise ass." He moved eagerly to reach Kacie's side. Grabbing her by the hand, he dragged her into the room Broderick mentioned, closed the door behind them, and pulled her into his arms before she could say a word. Their lips closed upon one another's for a long moment.
When they finally broke apart, she snuggled in his arms and murmured, "I was really getting sick of starting my day without this. Two days in a row, even."
He chuckled happily and said innocently, "What are you talking about? I kissed you this morning."
"Nuh uh -- doesn't count," she demurred petulantly. "I wasn't awake." She slid both hands into the hair behind his head. "But I am now, and I want yesterday's good morning, too; with interest; for delinquent payment." She guided their lips together and he responded eagerly.
He at last pulled away and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"
"I guess...but I've decided it's going to cost you."
"Uh-oh." He stepped back to look at her eyes, which gleamed at him wickedly. "What's the price tag?"
"Tonight you will wine and dine me with a very expensive, very intimate, candlelight dinner."
His eyes took on a matching gleam. "And where might this take place?"
"I'll leave the details up to you. But I'll make sure your best suit is back from the cleaners, and I'm going shopping for a new dress. How's the limit on our VISA card?"
He groaned in mock dismay, "You mean I'm gonna have to get all dressed up after a long day of work?"
She kissed him again and turned to reach for the doorknob. As she started to walk out the door, she smiled at him cheekily. "Don't worry. You won't being staying dressed for all that long." She winked suggestively and slipped out the door. Peter's face reddened and he fought to bring his thoughts under control as his body started to respond to the pleasant mental image she had planted in his mind.
It was well after six before Peter was able to find the top of his desk. He had been working feverishly, not only to please Captain Simms, but to keep himself from thinking too long about the promised end to his evening.
The night crew had replaced the day shift when Simms emerged from her office. "Go home, Detective."
Peter looked up at her distractedly. "Huh? What?"
"I said, go home," she repeated.
"But yesterday you said..."
"I know what I said, Detective," she remarked pointedly. "But what I am saying now is go home. If I have to tell you again, consider that order rescinded."
"I'm going, I'm going," Peter jumped to his feet and snatched his jacket from the back of his chair. "See? This is me disappearing out the door."
He let himself into the apartment and called out, "Kacie? Honey? Where are you?" He wandered into their bedroom and inhaled the fragrance of her perfume lingering in the air. His suit, shirt, tie, and socks were laid out neatly on the bed along with a note. He picked it up and read out loud:
"'Peter, I'm dressed and waiting for you down in the lobby.
I intend to make an impression, so hurry it up. KC'"
He smiled to himself and whistled cheerfully as he ducked into the shower.
Minutes later he was down in the building lobby, peering about eagerly. A voice from behind him spoke in sultry tones, "Hey, mister, lookin' for a good time tonight?"
His head swiveled around in irritation until he realized who had spoken. His jaw dropped as he stared at Kacie. She wore a deep blue, tea-length evening gown that set off her figure to perfection. Her shoulders and back were bare, and the gown draped in shimmering folds from the high circular neckline in front. The fabric glistened in the light, and Peter could already imagine his hands touching the silky material. Her hair was gathered up in a loose braid, much as it had been for their wedding, and curling tendrils of hair framed her face and sparkling eyes.
He moved toward her purposefully and took her hands in his. "You are absolutely stunning," he breathed and leaned forward to kiss her. He inhaled her perfume and nuzzled her ear. "You're wearing 'Opium' tonight," he murmured. "You know what that stuff does to me."
"Um hmm." She kissed him back. "That's why I met you down here. I was afraid I'd never get you out of the apartment otherwise."
"And you would have been right," he told her. He sighed and shook his head. "Come on. We'd better go, or I'm not sure we'll get out of the building."
He put an arm around her shoulders and she slid her arm around his waist, resting her hand possessively on his hip. "Where are we going?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nuh-uh. My turn for surprises."
Peter pulled the Stealth up in front of the French restaurant Kacie had been dying to try. She beamed at him in delight and kissed him before exclaiming, "I love your kind of surprises!"
He leaped from the car and trotted briskly over to her side, assisting her from her seat. They strolled together arm in arm into the restaurant, where they were shown to a table conveniently located in an isolated corner of the room. The view of the city from their vantagepoint was spectacular.
Peter ordered for them both in fluent French. Kacie stared at him in open-mouthed astonishment. "I didn't know you could speak French!"
He tried to look nonchalant, but burst into laughter. "When I was in college, I used to play hockey with a French-Canadian," he admitted. "He told me that speaking French was a great way to impress women." He grinned at her charmingly and asked, "Is it working?"
"Oh, you bet," she nodded and smiled alluringly. "You might even talk me into going home with you tonight." Under the table, she kicked off a shoe and started sliding her silk stockinged foot up and down along his ankle, contacting the bare skin of his leg underneath the cuff of one of his pant legs.
Peter jumped, and a lustful gleam appeared in his eye. "You'd better watch it," he warned. "My wife is a very jealous woman, and if she sees the way you're coming on to me, I'm afraid of what might happen."
"I'm not worried." Her foot caressed his shin and calf. "I'm sure she'll be no problem."
Peter reached for her hand, and held it in both of his. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"
She smiled at him and ducked her head shyly. "I dressed
for you. I wanted tonight to be really special."
He looked at the ring on her finger and then met her gaze
with adoring eyes. "Any time I can be with you is special," he said softly. "Sometimes, when I look at you, I wonder what you ever saw in me. A woman like you could have any man she wanted."
She blushed at his compliment and replied quietly, "I didn't want just any man. I wanted you." They leaned over the table toward one another and shared a simple kiss.
He shook his head in disbelief. "Even after I treated you the way I did the other night?"
"Wel-l-l..."
"Kacie, I am so sorry for acting the way I did. I felt like slime all day yesterday knowing how much I'd hurt you. And when I found you at Paul and Annie's in all that pain, I wanted to rip my tongue out." His hazel eyes were dark with misery. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Kacie tried to maintain a severe look, but failed utterly in the attempt as she snickered, "How can I stay mad at you when you look at me with those big puppy dog eyes? Peter, are you ever going to stop using that 'look' on me?"
Seeing the love reflected in her eyes, he kissed her fingers and grinned crookedly at her. "Not as long as it keeps bailing me out of trouble."
After their meal was finished and the dishes were carried away, Peter opened the bottle of wine that had been chilling and started to fill their glasses. Kacie covered her glass with her hand until he reminded her, "Hey, remember: you were the one who said 'wine' and dine." As she blushed, he told her, "You don't have to drink it all, you know."
He picked up his glass and raised it in a toast. "To my wife," he said, his voice husky with emotion, "who loves me more than I deserve and tolerates more than she should have to." He clinked his glass with hers. "You are my love, and my life."
As Kacie took a tentative sip, she made a momentary face before looking surprised and commenting, "Hey, this stuff isn't bad at all."
"You mean I might get you drunk before I take you home?" Peter chuckled.
She smiled back at him seductively and replied in a languid drawl, "Why would I need to be drunk to go home with you? I've been waiting for that all...day...long." She raised his hand to her mouth and nibbled his fingers.
He inhaled sharply and cleared his throat, gently pulling away his hand. "If you don't stop looking at me like that, I am likely to do something that will get us both kicked out of here."
She leaned over the table toward him. "Why don't we just go home then? Because I am just about ready to jump over this table to get to you."
"Hold that thought, because I have one more surprise for you." Peter reached into his inside coat pocket to pull out a jeweler's case. "It's just a little something I picked up for you today." He shrugged one shoulder self-consciously, then handed her the box, unable to hide his excitement.
Kacie took the box from him with eager hands. When she popped open the lid, she gasped and her lips formed a soundless "o". Her eyes immediately welled up with tears and she breathed, "Oh, Peter, you shouldn't have."
"I-I saw it and it made me think of you, of us."
He took the necklace from her and got up from his seat to place it around her throat. He fumbled with the tiny clasp as it nearly disappeared in his hands. Once the necklace was securely in place, he returned to his chair, an indulgent grin on his face as he watched the Kacie's delight in her gift.
"How does it look?" she asked tremulously.
"Breathtaking," he said, never taking his gaze from her face.
"But Peter, this must have cost..."
"It wasn't enough," he stopped her. "You deserve so much more than I can ever give to you." He took her hands in his and
spoke earnestly. "When I saw this, I knew it was made for you, for us. My heart is bound up with yours, just like these two hearts. Sometimes..." His voice faltered, and he swallowed hard before beginning again. "Sometimes, at night, I can feel our hearts beating together in the same rhythm, and it feels like we share one between the two of us."
"I will never take this off," she vowed, fingering the miniature hearts lovingly as she looked up at him with her heart in her eyes. "Can we please go home now? I want to thank you properly."
"And how would that be?"
"I've been imagining all the ways since before we left home."
"And that dress has been driving me crazy all night. I love the feel of silk. I love the feel of you."
He got up from his seat and pulled her chair out for her. She gave him her hand, and when he tugged her to her feet she whispered in his ear, "I'm wearing nothing under this dress, you know."
Peter was grateful for the length of his suit coat as he felt his desire quicken at her words. He gulped and growled back, "You suppose people would notice if I threw you over my shoulder and ran out of here with you?"
"They might." Kacie touched his face with soft fingertips before kissing him. "Besides you might use up all your energy up before we get home."
She blushed to the roots of her hair when he whispered, "I think you better worry about conserving your energy, because the way I feel right now I'm going to keep you up all night."
The next day Peter was conferring with Kermit about a case they were working on when Strenlich called his name and motioned him over.
"Hey, Pete," Frank said, "I'm sending you on a stakeout with Sara tonight."
"Tonight?" Peter asked, dumbfounded. "As in, work late?"
"As in, probably overnight."
Peter raked a hand through his hair. "Tonight? Why me?"
"What's the matter, Caine?" Detective Sara Rezac approached the two with her characteristic hippy swing. "Oh, wait. I know. You're afraid your wife won't like it, aren't you?"
Peter ignored her and appealed to Frank. "Why me? If this is a vice case, I have more than enough homicides to keep me busy."
"There's been a rash of robberies at various swanky hotels, and the Marriott is next on the pattern. The commissioner wants this problem taken care of, so there's undercover cops planted all over the place from every precinct and department in the city. They needed one more, and you two are our gift from the 101st."
"Come on, Caine, it'll be fun," Sara grinned. "I've been
dying for the chance to spend some time alone with you."
Peter glared at her before switching his stare to Strenlich. "How long we gotta do this?"
"Until the perps are caught," Sara broke in. "Shouldn't take more than...let's say a week or so."
"I wasn't talking to you!" Peter snapped. "Frank, I still don't see why..." he argued, stopping abruptly when he saw the thunderclouds appear on Strenlich's face.
"Because everyone else has their own cases to deal with, Detective," he snapped. "And because it's my job to give assignments and it's your job to follow my orders!"
Peter felt his own temper flare and was about to retort in kind when Simms walked by.
She stared blandly from one angry face to the other. "Is there a problem here, people?"
"No, um, Captain, no problem," Peter quickly said. "Chief Strenlich here was just filling us in on an assignment for tonight."
"Good." She nodded and walked into her office.
Sara grinned at Peter. "You're getting awfully worked up over a little stakeout, Peter. A person would think you've never been alone with a woman detective before."
Peter looked at Strenlich. "Frank, can we talk about this some place private?"
"We can use Kermit's office. He's gone for the day."
The two men walked into the vacant room and Peter
closed the door behind them.
"I know what you're going to say, Peter, and the answer still is: you still have to go." Strenlich's face was set in grim lines.
"But Frank, this is pretty late notice, isn't it? I mean, I'll hardly have time to tell Kacie about this before I have to leave her."
"Pete, I can't let you off the hook for something like this just because you're the only married detective we have right now. It's not fair to the others, and like it or not, your job comes first."
"I know, Frank, but Geez, with Rezac? She's been hitting on me for weeks, and I don't like it."
"You saying you want to file a sexual harassment complaint?"
"Naw, I don't want to carry it that far. I just want her to leave me alone." He groaned in frustration. "The only woman I want to spend my nights with is Kacie. Christ, I won't have time to look out for bad guys, I'll be too busy fighting Rezac off."
"You're just going on a stakeout with her, Peter. Nobody is saying that you have to sleep with her, for God's sake."
"I know. You're right, Frank, on all counts." Peter sighed. "This will just be the first night that I haven't spent with Kace since we got married. And I know that she's going to remember that the last stakeout I was on didn't go so well. I hate the idea of leaving her all alone and worrying about me."
"Peter, I understand what you're saying. As your friend, I'd love to tell you that you don't have to go. As your chief, I have to make this a direct order."
"So when and where does this all go down?" Peter asked resignedly.
Peter changed into a dark suit and tie, and started packing the Gucci suitcase he had picked up from the precinct property room. When he heard Kacie come in, he walked out to meet her with a hug and kiss, and then continued to hold her tightly.
She stiffened in his arms. "OK, what's going on?"
"What makes you think that something is going on?" He evaded the question without loosening his hold on her.
"'Cuz you're never home at this time, those are not your play clothes, and you are holding me so tight I can hardly breathe. You gonna play twenty questions with me, or are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
He released her and looked at her unhappily. "I have to go undercover tonight."
She froze and stared at him as the color drained from her face. "Why?" she asked in a strangled voice.
As he explained the situation, the color started to come back to her face, and she attempted to sound casual. "Well...it won't be so bad. It's not like you're going after bank robbers or drug dealers. I know that you'll be careful, and-and-and it's not as if I didn't know you'd have to do this kind of work sometimes." She swallowed audibly and asked, "Are you all packed yet?"
"Not completely."
"OK, I guess we'll start with that." She took his hand and walked with him back to their bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching with big eyes while he finished his packing. "When do you have to leave?" she asked in a small voice.
He looked at his watch. "Five minutes ago." Their eyes met, and he could see the fear there as she fought back tears. "Honey..." he tugged at her hands, pulling her up off the bed and cuddling her close to his chest.
"I'm sorry," she choked. "I don't mean to be such a big baby."
"Sweetheart, why don't you stay at Paul and Annie's tonight? I hate to think of you waiting here all alone."
"Oh, don't be silly. I'll be all right." She smiled bravely. "I don't need a keeper, and you have more important things to think about tonight than me. You have to concentrate on your work." She continued thinly, "I know you have to go. Just promise me that you'll come home. I don't care what time it is; even if it's not until tomorrow morning. Just promise me that you'll come home to me and in one piece."
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly in reply. "I hate this," Peter said in a choked voice. "I hate leaving you like this." He lowered his head to hers and their lips met in a lingering kiss. "I promise that I'll be careful. I'll miss you."
She nodded and kissed him back. "I love you. You better go."
He embraced her fiercely and whispered gruffly, "I love
you." Snatching up his suitcase, he left quickly, knowing that if he stayed a moment longer he would never be able to leave at all.
