Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: BlackRose on 17-05-2008, 08:32:36</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>17-05-2008, 08:32:36</strong>
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				This was definitely not going to be a good day. Everything just seemed out of place for Scott. The shirt he was planning to wear, the long-sleeved white dress shirt, wasn't in his closet. He had already decided the coat was out of the question. The early summer months did not treat the city well. Sadly, they treated Scott and most everyone he worked with much worse. The heat was near unbearable sometimes, but he had to look professional. A growl passed his lips as he scoured his closet once more, turning out nothing. Why did his favorite shirt have to be missing? At least he'd already found his pants.<br><br>It was his day off, but he still had to go down to the precinct to meet his new partner. He supposed it was better to meet the guy now rather than on their first case together. This way he could take the guy out for a drink and find out his story. In his experience, everyone had a story, some people more than others. With any luck, this guy would have some interesting stories from wherever he came from and not be some snot nosed rookie straight out of the academy. Though he personally had never had a rookie for a partner, he had seen them in action. It was definitely not something he wanted to deal with on an every day basis.<br><br>After the retirement of his last partner, he'd been working with a fill-in. She was some snooty bitch from another precinct who had overstepped her bounds or something. He never really got the full story about her, seeing as she never wanted to tell it. Try as he might, she was strictly business and it bothered him. How was he supposed to be her partner if she was a giant clamshell? It wasn't just him, either. Everyone in the precinct, even his captain, wanted to get rid of her. The fact that they had a transfer coming in made everyone happy. If only he could find his shirt...<br><br>He growled again, turning away from the closet. He gave one last quick glance around the room before his eyes found the clock. He only had ten minutes until he was supposed to be there and he was only half dressed. "Think Scott... You had your shirt before the shower... Where did you... Aha!" His head popped up as he remembered, charging into the bathroom like he was going to war with his memory and had just trampled it victoriously. He plucked the shirt off the hook that hung from his bathroom door and donned it quickly. Luckily, he only lived a five minute walk from the precinct.<br><br>His fingers flew up the buttons, securing each one shut before tucking it in all around. Only two things left and still three minutes to get out the door. He quickly snatched up his belt, threading it through the loops. He finally ducked out of his bedroom, moving quickly into the living room to snatch his badge off the coffee table and secure it in place. His eyes found another clock, confirming the time. With any luck, he would get there right when he was supposed to. His walk to the front door was stalled by a last glance in the mirror, a hand through his short, chestnut hair to make sure it fell into place just right, and the snatch of his keys off the counter. Another few seconds and he was out the door, locking it behind him. Much to his luck, the elevator was already waiting for him.<br><br>The light of the morning sun was nearly blinding compared to the dimly lit interior of his apartment building. He brought his hand up quickly to block the direct rays of the afternoon sun. Why did his building have to face east? He waited just a few moments while his eyes adjusted to the light, grumbling a little already. "This is not going to be a good day... Why does this have to be today?" His lips parted in a long sigh, lowering his hand at the end of it since his eyes were somewhat better adjusted to the sun's infernal light. It really wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that he kept his apartment dark to save on electric during the hot summer months. The district had been stingy on this years raises.<br><br>He set off at a fast paced walk, trying to keep himself from breaking into an outright run just to get there faster. It didn't help that today was the hottest day so far this season. With the sunlight and heat reflected off the buildings and the streets around him, added to the exhaust from the cars, it was no wonder that just walking had already caused beads of sweat to form along his forehead. If it wouldn't have made him late, he would have driven the few blocks just to stay out of the heat. Unfortunately, it took longer to drive there, given time for parking. He glanced up only once, grumbling at the lack of clouds to help keep the afternoon cooler.<br><br>To make matters worse, he got stuck at both traffic lights, waiting for the white person to light up and let everyone across. Once, more, his mantra for the day passed his lips, muttering how it wasn't a good day as he brushed the beads of sweat from his brow just before entering the precinct. A quick glance around let him know he had either missed the introduction, or the guy wasn't there yet. The dubious look on the clerks face as he moved to the secured door told him that his new partner hadn't yet arrived. "Hey Gloria, buzz me in, will you?"<br><br>The door popped open a moment later, granting him access to the back halls of the precinct and, most importantly, the main floor where the rest of the agents were gathered, waiting on the new detective. The Captain was no where to be seen either, which wasn't a good thing. His eyes met those of Detective Williams, a middle aged man on the rather bald side wearing a threadbare suit that should have been burned years ago. He smiled his normal, crooked smile at Scott, "At least the air is working today. It's hot as hell outside."<br><br>Scott merely nodded before turning his attention back to the room. Not surprising, Detective Garcia still wasn't here. Williams' partner had a tendency for tardiness, so today was no surprise. He would probably burst in any moment anyways, like usual. "So, no sign of the new guy huh." Scott's voice rose above the random chatter. It didn't stop any of the conversations that were circulating, but he did get a few shaking heads in response. It seemed everyone was too caught up in the freedom from the fill-in to care that his new partner hadn't arrived yet. "Great... another Garcia on our hands." At least Williams was right, the air conditioning felt amazing compared to the heat outside.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>17-05-2008, 10:04:29</strong>
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				<div style="text-align: right;">(http://70.32.39.16/elluiki/images/b/b8/SamanthaLee.jpg)</div><br>"Good morning, passengers. We've arrived in Serafew. Please do not remove your seatbelts and remain seated until the airplane comes to a full stop. Thank you for flying with American Airlines."<br><br>From behind the blue-shaded sunglasses, a pair of eyes opened fully, blinking several times to erase the drowsiness that came with long flights and early mornings. She waited patiently as the plane slowed to a crawl on the runway, then exited to stop next to the airport terminal, signaling the near-simultaneous rise of almost every passenger on the flight. It took a few minutes of shuffling and careful pulling to pull down her small suitcase from the overhead bins; then, with a sigh of relief, Sam made her way down the runway and into Serafew National Airport, glad to finally be done with flights for a good while. A quick detour to the baggage claim and a little luck saw the well-dressed, pretty young woman out of the main airport within minutes, making her way outside so she could flag down a taxi to take her to her apartment flat in midtown.<br><br>"I can't believe it's so hot!" The rush of warm air when she stepped outside the sliding glass doors of the airport made Samantha immensely glad that San Diego had been experiencing a heat wave for the past few days. The knee-length white skirt blew around her legs, fluttering as the young woman checked her watch and then looked for a taxi to flag down. More than one pair of eyes strayed her way, as the lean, athletic body was showcased in a flattering turquoise halter top that hid as much as it taunted onlookers.<br><br>The flight had lasted a good ten hours thanks to rough weather in the Midwest and a scheduled landing in Houston, and though her clothes still looked as impeccable as they had when she'd stepped onto the plane yesterday night, Samantha was immensely glad that she would only have to unofficially meet Captain Leavitt and her new partner today. It was was a bit of a relief to know that one of those hurdles was already taken care of; it was, in fact, her instructor at the Academy who had recommended her to the Captain when a position had opened up in his precinct recently. She'd met with him two weeks ago, when she had flown into Serafew with most of her belongings, including her precious motorcycle, in order to sign some inspection papers for her flat. He was a gruff, but kindly older man who had an enviable sense of humor; after her interview and some searching conversation, especially about her experience with her ex-boyfriend, he had decided that she would fit in well with the "boys" under his command.<br><br>Sam flagged down a green taxi with ease, giving the man the address to her flat. As the taxi made its way slowly through the line of cars waiting to exit onto the highway, she slid open her phone and dialed the Captains' number, relieved when he picked up on the first ring.<br><br>"Captain, I will be a bit late coming in today," Sam said after a quick hello. She heard him laugh, and couldn't help smiling; he didn't seem bothered at all, even though this was technically her first day. A few more minutes of conversation assured Sam that she wouldn't be fired before she had even begun working at the precinct, and soon enough the taxi was speeding down the highway, away from her old life, and into her new one. Here, nobody would know about her past or who she was - she would be starting her new life with a clean slate, to make what she could of it. Certainly, it had taken a great deal of courage even to pick up her life from its shattered pieces - but Sam was happier than she had been in months, and she had regained the lovely, shy smile that had disappeared for several months during the darkest part of her life.<br><br><em>It's a new start</em>, she thought nervously. <em>But I think I'm finally ready to start over again.</em><br><br>On an impulse, Sam leaned forward to address the taxi driver. Perhaps it would be better to simply show up - she didn't want to make a bad first impression, especially to her new partner. "Actually, sir, do you think you could drive to Precinct Seventeen, in downtown Serafew?"<br><br><br><br>It was not the first time he had been late to work, and sadly, it would not be the last. Detective Garcia raced down the street from his nearby apartment complex, half a bagel stuffed into his mouth and a traveler's mug in the free hand that was <em>not</em> trying to tug his tie into a semblance of order. Despite the fact that he probably lived the closest to the precinct office where he worked, he was probably the one who was late the most often.<br><br>When the lights for the pedestrian walkway began flashing the red signs at him, Garcia sprinted across, waving an apology to the bikers and cars that he disturbed on the final few steps to the sidewalk. It was in this fashion that he finally arrived at the stately bricked building deep in the commercial district of downtown Serafew, where one of the police precinct offices was tucked neatly between several other small businesses and diners. He glanced down at his watch for a second as he threw open the doors to the precinct office - <em>Only ten minutes late!</em>, he thought gleefully - and then his luck ran out.<br><br>"Detective, watch out!"<br><br>The melodious voice of one of the few female cops working in the precinct snapped Detective Garcia's gaze away from his watch. Indeed, he had flung open his door, knowing that Gloria (the owner of aforementioned voice) would immediately buzz him into the back... however, he had not expected someone to be standing in the way, having just entered the office herself. He caught a glimpse of startled blue eyes before he tripped over her suitcase and crashed into the beauty.<br><br><br><br>Not long after, Detective Garcia walked into the main room that served as their office, looking more than a little ashamed of himself. The first of the cops who saw him chuckled.<br><br>"What's wrong, Garcia? Surely you're not sorry that you're late, again!"<br><br>"I wish!" He dropped his briefcase on his chair and proceeded to straighten his dress shirt and his tie, which had suffered a little damage on the way in. "I lost my bagel and my coffee this morning, but I just wish I'd gotten a little more time to talk to the hot little thing that was at the front desk!" When asked for more details, he ambled over to join some of the other younger cops, telling about the pretty young woman he'd literally run into that morning.<br><br>"Man, she looked good enough to eat. Those legs! And her rack wasn't all that bad either, especially with that body..."<br><br>His running dialogue was interrupted when the Captain cleared his throat from the doorway - loudly. The buzz of conversation silenced almost instantly, as everyone stood up and straightened in greeting. "Good morning, everyone. I know you've been curious about the new detective who's transferring into our precinct today. Boys, this is Detective Lee."<br><br>It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that almost all the eyes in the precinct widened when they saw their new transfer. Samantha looked around uncertainly at the dropped jaws and unabashed stares, but she gave a quick bow, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear as she smiled shyly.<br><br>"Good morning. I'm Samantha Lee - Sam, actually. I look forward to working with everyone from now on."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>17-05-2008, 11:41:19</strong>
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				All the attention had shifted to Garcia as he wound through all of the traits the woman in the lobby had that he wanted to get his fingers on. That is, all of the attention except Scott's. He didn't have time to worry about some girl in the lobby. He was supposed to be meeting his new partner today, and that was where his focus was at. Everything inside him hoped that he wasn't going to get stuck with a rookie. Somehow, from the way that Captain Leavitt had described his new partner, leaving out almost any important detail he could, Scott was convinced he would have to deal with bumbling inexperience. Who knew, maybe the Captain was lying... He did do that from time to time.<br><br>He finally let his attention turn to Garcia who had been using his hands to better describe the girl in the front when the Captain broke the chatter and introduced the woman that Garcia had been describing moments earlier. Indeed, Scott's eyes did widen slightly as she gave her little curt bow and her shy smile. It wasn't that he was interested in the fact that she was attractive, nor the fact that she was the woman that Garcia had been talking about moments before. He was surprised for a completely different reason. He couldn't help thinking that, as he looked at Sam, he was being demoted to a babysitter. There was no way that she could be a productive partner of his.<br><br>Even if she were smarter than he was, her sleight figure couldn't be that strong. His eyes shifted, dropping their curious gaze to her feet, slowly working upward over her body. Her long legs might be nice for chasing someone down, but then what? Did she plan to ask them nicely to sit down for her? Maybe, considering the reaction of the guys around him, she hoped that they would be so captivated by her beauty that they would throw themselves at her feet and beg for mercy. Either way, he found it quite amusing to contemplate.<br><br>While her hips did have a delicious curve to them, visible amidst the white skirt she was wearing, it only managed to further his thought that she was hoping to seduce the suspects rather than actually detain them. Hey body was just too small. Her arms, despite their lean appearance, would probably be terrible for trying to muscle down someone trying to overpower her. The more he saw of her, his gaze trailing ever upward over her petite breasts, the more he was convinced he had done something terribly wrong and was being punished for it.<br><br>The only saving grace to his punishment became apparent as his gaze settling now on her delicate face. He watched her fingers tuck the errant strands of hair behind her ear, deciding that if he had to babysit a rookie, at least she was cute. Scott was one of the few detectives left in the room that hadn't had to pick their jaw off the floor. Had she not been his partner, he might have been the one who thought the Captain had played a funny joke, calling out through the silence, "Ha ha Captain, very funny. Really, Where is Detective Lee?"<br><br>Scott watched Captain Leavitt shoot a very stern, very forceful glance at the offending detective, which quickly silenced any laughter that had erupted during the outburst. "Boys, Detective Lee just transferred here. You will show your respect." Scott thought that perhaps the Captain had realized that his joke of spreading the idea that some little Asian cop would be joining their ranks soon was a very bad idea now. Scott had been expecting a guy. Even if he was small and Asian, he would still have been a guy. Now that he saw Sam, he wasn't exactly sure how things would work out.<br><br>Finally his voice rose above the silence, breaking it for the second time since she had introduced yourself. "Well guys, now that you've seen my new partner, you can all get to work. I'm sure that you all have a ton of work to do." Scott made sure to keep his tone flat, hiding the surprise that was draining from his face. If he had to be stuck with her, he had to be stuck with her. There was no sense in gawking at her all day long. He let out a deep breath that he realized he'd been holding since he spoke, keeping his attention on Sam. Hopefully she would turn out to be more than a pretty face.<br><br>More than one of the detectives shot Scott a deeply envious look, all clearly jealous of the fact that he would be the one spending most of his time with her. Thankfully, he didn't see very many of them since his attention had solely settled on her. The ones he did see he didn't bother to acknowledge. To them, she was a pretty face. She would be nothing more than eye candy while they worked. To him, she was a liability. If she had any trouble holding her own, she could wind up getting both of them killed.<br><br>At least with the fill-in, he never worried about her ability to hold her own. She might have been smaller than Scott was, but not by all that much. She had also been a lit heavier that Sam's slender physique. Her attitude was totally different as well. Sam was shy, it was obvious by the look on her face and the way she stood, being gawked at by almost everyone in the room. His last partner had seemed intimidating, ready to pound someones skull into the ground for merely suggesting she had a feminine side. From the tone of her voice, Scott already figured that her attitude was no less different than her stature in comparison to his most recent partner. This was definitely a punishment.<br><br>Noticing that none of the guys around the room had stopped staring slack jawed, the Captain took a deep breath, letting loose a rumbling bellow that startled all the guys as he yelled for them to get to work. Slowly, but steadily, each detective peeled their eyes away from Sam and settled into their daily routine. Garcia even made like he was going to come borrow something off of Scott's desk, giving him a wink as he picked up a pen, of all things, "Go get her Tiger." Scott's eyes, mirroring the unimpressed look on his face, shifted to Garcia in a way that clearly told him to get lost. Garcia just laughed and turned away, going back to the case file he had open on his desk.<br><br>His hand came up as Garcia walked away from him, running through his hair that was still slightly damp from the shower before he came in. He never minded letting his hair finish drying from the hear and air in the summer since it kept him cooler longer. He knew this was going to be a bad day... why did he have to be right all the time? His weight shifted in his chair as he thought about his situation. He had to have screwed up somewhere, there was no other explanation for it. His hand fell back down into his lap and he gave a shake of his head, letting the nearly dry strands of hair fall neatly into place. Whatever happened today, it was going to be interesting.<br><br>With another soft sigh, Scott stood up and turned his attention back to Sam. The rest of his thoughts had since drained away, all that was left was to actually meet her and see if his assumptions were correct. His hand raised up and he beckoned her over with a curl of his fingers, followed by a fluid gesture at the chair next to his desk, "Come over here and have a seat,&nbsp; We have a few things to discuss before we can get out of here for the die." His voiced quieted down, not speaking again until she until she closed the distance between them. Once she did, his voice spilled forth, a little lower this time. "I'm Detective Mason; however, you can call me Scott. You can start by telling me where you're from, how your flight was, and why you decided to transfer into Serafew."<br><br>Scott was hoping that since his questions were simple enough, she wouldn't have any problem answering them. Once she sat down in the chair he motioned to, he would sit down too. Thankfully, there wasn't any real work to do today for either of them. Unfortunately he didn't think inviting her out for a drink would really be appropriate. He still couldn't believe what was going on. The only though spinning through his head as he sat and watched her was, <em>You have got to be shitting me.</em>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>17-05-2008, 14:59:37</strong>
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				Sam took a deep breath as Captain Leavitt directed her towards her new partner's desk, while he departed for his office. Perhaps it had been a bit of a mistake, coming here before she'd dressed more professionally... but it wasn't as if she had nothing to offer in the partnership. There was no reason to be afraid, especially with the level of Chinese martial arts that her mother had insisted she practice, outside of school and sports that she had enthusiastically thrown herself into. It was the only thing her mother, who had often been away on business, had insisted on. Sam was fiercely glad that she had continued the practice: underestimation of her abilities due to her physical stature always occurred, but martial arts was an avenue that gave Sam a definite edge of her overconfident opponents.<br><br>As she rehearsed the litany in her head, Sam felt a lot of her nervousness and anxiety melt away. It didn't matter if all of her coworkers thought she was just some pretty girl, at least for the immediate future. And though Detective Mason didn't seem all too impressed with his new partner, at least he hadn't rejected the idea outright - that meant that she would at least have some opportunity to show him that her abilities were not as questionable as the flatness in his expression led her to believe.<br><br>Once she'd walked close enough, Sam's chin lifted proudly and she looked up at him, square in the eyes. She noted briefly that his eyes were extraordinary - golden brown and a vibrant blue-green that seemed to shift as they watched her. However, for all that she was petite and slim-bodied in comparison to everyone in the precinct office, Sam was confident that she would be able to hold her own, given the chance. She offered her hand in greeting; when Sean took it, she shook her new partner's firmly, introducing herself simultaneously. "I'm Samantha Lee, Detective Mason. It's a pleasure to meet you." <em>Scott Mason</em>, she thought to herself when he introduced himself. It suited him - he gave the impression of being one who didn't take shit from others, and was a capable detective.<br><br>She seated herself neatly, her attention focused solely on Detective Mason - Scott - as he asked his questions. When he finished, she answered him without any fanfare or hesitation. After all, she had little to hide.<br><br>"I'm from San Diego, Detective Mason. The flight was rather terrible - a delayed departure and some nasty weather in the Midwest made it much longer than it had to be. I transferred here to Serafew on the recommendation of my Academy Instructor, Inspector Blake. It was one of the few posts available in a bit city, and I felt I needed a change from San Diego, so I took the post." <br><br>Sam's relief at having gotten through the rehearsed speech was well hidden beneath a calm veneer of confidence and quiet poise. It had taken a long time for her to come to terms with her past, and with the abuse her ex-boyfriend had laid upon her. In many ways, though, Sam was now a changed person. While she was not yet comfortable enough with her past to discuss it without tearing up, she could now think about it without losing her composure, an accomplishment that had given Sam the strength to start over.<br><br>Now, she smiled at Scott, the shyness a thing of non-existence once she focused on the responsibilities and duties of her job. "I know that it's my first day, Detective, and I heard from Captain Leavitt that you didn't have hours today. However, if you're free, I was hoping you could show me around the city, especially the areas of concern. Also, if it's possible, I would like to go see the city courts today, or perhaps go to the district attorney's office to meet the precinct's main prosecutor. Moving to a new area is always difficult, but with a veteran guiding me, I'm hoping that the process will be more efficient and helpful." Sam listed off the various items thoughtfully, though it was clear that she had at least pondered over the issues before. After her litany concluded, Sam paused, wondering if she had missed anything.<br><br>When nothing came to mind, the focus in her eyes softened slightly. "Afterwards, if there is anything that you want me to do, or anything you wish to ask, I'd be happy to do what I can to ease your reservations about me. I know that I don't look like much-" That issue was not a new one, after all, "-but I assure you, I can take care of myself, and do my job properly."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>17-05-2008, 19:24:17</strong>
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				Scott sat quietly with his back pressed firmly against the back of his chair while he listened to her answers. It was beginning to occur to him that either wasn't a rookie (but that wouldn't explain why her academy instructor recommended she go here), or she had a lot more confidence from what she was told by Inspector Blake. He figured it was probably the latter. She held a lot of confidence on the surface. What that meant for what was underneath would be yet to see the first time she was really tested. The idea was something that Scott was not looking forward to.<br><br>If her well rehearsed answers to his three questions hadn't done enough to make her think her instructor had a hand in her preparation, her requests did more than enough to correct his thought pattern. It had to been either Inspector Blake or Captain Leavitt who had instilled those thoughts in her head. With each name and place that she requested, Scott grew a little more reserved about the idea of having her as his partner. Perhaps she didn't realize how big the city really was. Perhaps she didn't realize how busy the Assistant District Attorney was. One thing was certain, if he took her around dressed like she was, the detectives here weren't the only ones who would make jokes about her.<br><br>Fortunately, that wasn't his main concern at the moment. If she wanted to show herself off as a piece of eye candy, let her. Scott was well aware that the other detectives, and quite a few of the other beat cops that had passed in and out of the room since Sam's introduction, were shooting him envious looks. He still wasn't sure why he was the only one who wasn't entirely happy about the deal. He lost his old, stuffy partner for this young, attractive woman. He lost a veteran partner for a rookie. He was being forced to babysit. Well, all things considered, they might be something important about her. Perhaps he could just treat it like the time he played chaperon to the Captain's niece... Though, if the Captain ever found out how he showed her the <em>town</em>, he would likely be out of a job. Come to think of it, that might be what this was about...<br><br>Her offer at the end seemed reasonable, but it did leave him a bit wary. She knew that she would be underestimated and felt that she had a need to prove herself. That was a very dangerous combination in a rookie. One that he would ensure didn't see fruition. As she had listed each place and person that she wanted to see, he mentally mapped out a course that would take them through their jurisdiction first and then moved to the other places that she had requested seeing. The courthouse would be easy enough to show her, but whether or not she got to see the ADA would depending entirely up to the mans schedule for the day. <br><br>Despite the professional atmosphere and its direct relationship to her request, he couldn't help but think about how he had shown the Captain's niece around town as well. She had been a cute little thing too, feigning confidence around Scott. That tour managed to include everyting the city had to offer during the walk from the precinct to Scott's apartment, where he showed her all sorts of ways to have fun in the city. This would be different, of course, but he couldn't help but see the similarities.<br><br>Scott's eyes leveled on hers, noting how her focus had shifted. "Well, Detective Lee, Sam, I will not question your ability to do your job, as long as you do it. You seem capable enough, eager to get started, and more than willing to please. As long as you follow my lead and don't try to be a hero, I'm sure we will get along just fine." Scott had heard it before, the speech other detectives have given rookies. It was a way to let them know that the detective acknowledged the rookies ability but asserted his own her own authority. Until she was more familiar with how things ran around here, she would have to follow his lead. Otherwise, she risked both of their lives.<br><br>His attention shifted from his rookie speech to her requests now, still sitting with his back against his chair. While his fingers quietly drummed against the desk, he once more considered the path he wanted to take. "We only cover a portion of the city. I plan to show you the boundaries of our jurisdiction before we see anything else. I can show you all around town so you know the best places to do just about anything it is you like to do..." his voice trailed off as he considered her for a moment, wondering just what it was she might have liked to do for fun. When nothing substantial came to mind, he continued, "After that I'll take you to the courthouse and let you meet ADA Michaels. He's a nice guy, an older gentleman. You might like him. If his schedule is free, you'll get to meet him face to face."<br><br>Scott was no more happy about this arrangement now than he had been when he first saw her. It would take time and proof on her part to sway him. In the meantime, he figured there was only one way to really get to know her. He might as well have fun doing it. He thought about asking her to change before they went traipsing around town, but thought better of it. He might as well get the looks he was bound to get for walking around with her dressed as she was. There was no denying that she was a cute one.<br><br>He finally shifted his weight forward, considering her anew. "Everyone has a story, Sam. Something they don't really want to talk about yet. Just remember that. We all have them and we have to trust each other. Out there it isn't a game. Our lives are at stake with every step we take. It's my job to make sure you don't get killed, and your job to make sure I don't get killed. We just happen to catch the bad guys from time to time." He figured talking to her about trust would do little to sink in now, but when the time came, she would understand. Hopefully, that time wouldn't come anytime soon.<br><br>Thankfully, his last partner had given him the very speeches that he was giving Sam. Passing on the tradition helped ease his concerns about her initially. With his last partner, neither of their lives had ever really been in all that much danger, but that didn't mean that this would be the same. Everything could change in an instant, which was what worried Scott the most. No matter how much she said that she could handle her own, when the hammer fell, who knew what would happen.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>18-05-2008, 11:46:13</strong>
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				It wasn't immediately clear, but as Scott continued to talk, Sam got the feeling that he was definitely not impressed with her. That definitely wasn't a surprise - she'd been teased and ribbed about her looks and her small stature for years, sometimes even by the other students in the martial arts studio she'd attended. It had especially become more prevalent once she'd entered college, once she had grown into her looks and acquired a subtle prettiness. And then entering the Academy... well, it would be an understatement to say that nobody had thought she could last past the first week, let alone graduate among the top group in her class. She'd known that she would have trouble proving her worth, but she had plenty of time to show him that she was as responsible and as hard-working as any man in the precinct.<br><br>When he described his plans for showing her the city, Sam nodded, shifting slightly in her seat, but no less attentive than before. "That sounds good. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to see the rest of the city, and if the ADA is not available today, I'll meet him eventually anyway." It would probably be a good idea, then, to ask if she could change, before they left - it made no difference if these detectives saw her in everyday attire (after all, she <em>would</em> be working here), but if she might be meeting the ADA or other cops while he showed her around, then it might be best to put on some more professional attire. Even if it didn't diminish the fact that she was quite pretty, maybe wearing something that showed she meant business would help.<br><br>The rest of his talk was as she'd expected - serious, no little concerned, and frank about the realities of their job. Sam nodded an affirmative at the end, not sure if she was supposed to respond. As she pondered those serious words, Sam unconsciously brushed her dark hair back from her shoulders, sending some silky strands tumbling down her bare back, and exposing more of the lightly-tanned skin at her shoulders. "I'll remember. Before we go, though, I'm going to change. Please excuse me, detective." Sam waited for him to indicate that she could leave before she did so, making her way around the desks and out of the office. She didn't miss that the vast majority of the room watched as she did so, but simply ignored them until she disappeared from their view, around the corner. Only then did she take a deep breath, with the corners of her lips turned down in a frown and a slight wrinkle of worry between her brows. She'd foreseen a little difficulty getting accepted, especially being a female with small stature, but she'd thought there would be at least another female detective in the office.<br><br>After she retrieved her small suitcase from Gloria and pulled some clothes from the inside pocket, Sam went in search of the locker room. When she found it and walked in, it took some effort not to wrinkle her nose at the subtle smell of sweat inside. Even though it was relatively clean, the hot day had intensified what smell had been there before. Sam located her personal locker, placed in the far corner of the room, and proceeded to strip out of her skirt and top, pausing only for a short breath when her eyes fell upon the jagged, pale scars marring the otherwise smooth skin of her upper thighs.<br><br>It did not take long for Sam to completely transform her appearance. Within minutes, Sam was walking back into the office briskly with a small pad of paper tucked underneath one arm, her low-heeled shoes clicking their way across the floor. Her eyes were fixated on a stubborn clear button on her left sleeve's wide cuff that she couldn't quite seem to slip into its buttonhole.<br><br>Some of the other detectives glanced up, not knowing she had gone to switch out of her attire, and had to take a second look at the professional-looking, serious young lady that strode in. It almost seemed as if the change of attire had led to a change in attitude: the nervousness and obvious feminine vulnerability were no longer present in her face, which was a mask of cool poise. Gone were the delectable bare shoulders and bared legs, replaced with a crisp white dress shirt and black trousers. Lamentably (at least, from the male detectives' points of view), Sam had pulled up her silky hair in a tight ponytail, then wound the long rope of hair into a neat bun. Though her pretty face couldn't be hidden, she had quite effectively managed to erase her "weak" appearance. Even if she was still as short and slim as before, at least she now looked capable, with an air of professionalism around her that couldn't be achieved without the proper attire.<br><br>Once she'd reached Scott's desk again, Sam looked up, subtly sliding the offending unbuttoned cuff behind her back as she met his gaze. "I'm ready to go, Detective Mason," she said seriously. "How are we going to be getting around the city?" Her hands shuffled the pad of paper beneath her left arm so that one hand could reach into one pocket. A deft flick of her wrist opened up her sunglass, which she perched on top of her head, where they would come into use underneath the sun's harsh glare.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>18-05-2008, 21:46:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott was sadly reminded of the woman who filled in as his partner for the short period of time that had passed since his last partner had retired. The way she addressed him, her attitude; in fact, the only thing that didn't remind him of the bitch was her attractive physique. At this insight, he was no more happy about this arrangement than ever. Not only was he getting the detective that would be underestimated every step of the way, but she was refusing to even use his first name, which meant their partnership would most likely get very stuffy, very quickly. Unless he could change her mind, of course. Perhaps it was just one of her self defense mechanisms playing into her surroundings.<br><br>He was still debating asking her to change out of her clothes when she said she was going to do so. Perhaps, seeing as she had shown up late, she didn't have time to change out of her comfortable every day clothes into something more formal. That at least gave him a little bit of relief that she did understand what kind of impression she might be giving some of the other important people that she would be working with. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to her disguised request, "Yes, of course. Go right ahead. The locker room is just down that hall and to the left, the door says Locker Room on it, so it shouldn't be hard to find."<br><br>Scott watched her as she left, one of the many. It was hard not to, honestly. Once she had broken line of sight, chaos ensued. As the Captain had already retreated to his office, chatter broke out immediately. All of the other detectives who had been watching from a distance now huddled together, discussing the various courses of action they might take to try and get into her pants. Not the least of which, was Garcia.<br><br>Scott shook his head at the guys and went back to looking through an open case file that was sitting on his desk. He wanted to drown out the talk that was happening on the other side of the room, "Man, seriously, that girl is smokin' hot. What I wouldn't give to bend that piece of ass over and get me some of that." Scott didn't even bother placing the voice, annoyed already at how things were going to play out. "So who thinks Scotty had a chance at getting a piece?" Williams' voice, however, was easy to place. It had been intentionally loud enough for him to hear.<br><br>"Not interested guys. She's my partner, not my girlfriend," Scott called out to the group that seemed to be more interested in his sex life than their work. He could already tell that working with Sam was going to be hard on him too. The extent of that difficulty would hopefully be no more than a few glib remarks. Those, he would handle well. Anything more than that, he might have to put a stop to. He gave a low, annoyed sigh and shook his head. He was half hoping that she would come out of the locker room while they were still chatting about her so he could see her reaction.<br><br>"Oh come on Scotty," Garcia piped up, coming over to his desk. "You know you'd kill to crawl into bed with her... I mean hell, take the Captains niece, you were practically--" Garcia stopped, the glare that Scott had cast up at him making him stagger backwards like he had been hit in the face. "Alright man, no worries," he finally replied as he backed away, the other detectives going back to chatting about Samantha's sexy little body in hushed tones. Even they were aware of the line that Garcia had crossed and found it best to stay clear of that line.<br><br>Scott's glare had been the product of a few things. Garcia's taunting had only been the trigger of the anger that welled up to near bursting. First, he'd been paired with a rookie that figured she could recite something her instructor told her and win his respect by meeting a few people. Second, his new partner had showed up in clothes that showed off her body a little more than was professional, getting all the guys talking about her. He still wasn't sure if it was an intentional gesture or not. If it was, it was surely working. Third, the other guys were already hounding him about it and making jokes. Even though they hadn't stopped, at least he couldn't hear them anymore.<br><br>Scott blew off the majority of the annoyance and anger with another shake of his head and a low sigh. Once more he looked back down at his case file, pushing a few pictures around and going over the witness statements again. There had to be more that he was missing. Even though it was his day off, working, as opposed to engaging in the idle chat about the various techniques one might try to get his new partner into bed, seemed like a good way to pass the time while she was changing. Thankfully, that didn't take very long.<br><br>He hadn't even noticed her enter the room again, though when the low buzz of background chatter ceased, he had an idea why. Either Sam had entered the room wearing something entirely outlandish, looking more casual than ever, she had entered in a much more professional attire that stunned most of the detectives (which was the more obvious choice), or the Captain had returned. On glance up after the soft click of her heels reached his ears was paired with a sigh of relief. At least she had the ability to look professional.<br><br>Scott kept his gaze on her during her entire walk back to his desk, one brow arched in slight interest. It didn't take long for him to follow her gaze and spot the one part of her that didn't fit right, her unbuttoned cuff, but he kept silent about it. It was no surprise to him when she hid that behind her back. No matter how professional she wanted to appear, he could see through it to her delicate side underneath. Whatever facade she tried to show off, Scott would know the truth. This was going to be an interesting partnership.<br><br>He looked up at her face again just before she got to his desk, making their eyes meet when she looked away from her wrist. Seeing her face, pretty as she was, amidst the layers of professionalism that she attempted to wrap around herself, was interesting. He almost cringed as she called him Detective Mason again, this distaste for the name showing somewhat. He stood up slowly, taking a step in closer to her once her sunglasses rested atop her head. His voice dropped so that only she could hear him, much to the pleasure of those already taking bets on how long it would be, "Please, if we are going to be partners, we will be spending a lot of time together. As such, call me Scott. All this Detective Mason formality is going to drive me nuts."<br><br>Finally he took a step away from her, moving past to lead the way out of the office. "You probably should have changed later, it's a ten minute walk to our first destination and it's kind of hot outside." Scott knew how his comment would go over with the other detectives. They knew his apartment was a ten minute walk. He couldn't help but grin, since he wasn't looking at Sam, when he heard Garcia chime in with an <em>oh yeah</em>... A simple shake of his head dispelled it though.<br><br>Getting out of the office was just as easy as getting in. Trailing Sam along behind him, he pushed the door open almost the same moment that Gloria unlocked it. He still wasn't aware that she had brought a suitcase to the office, but figured she must have had at least a change of clothes in the locker room. She could get them later when they returned. "As for how we are getting around..." he said as they left the confines of the precinct behind, stepping once more out into the hot mid-morning sun, "We're going to take my car, which is currently sitting in the parking lot at my apartment, ten minutes from here."<br><br>His hand raised in the direction they were to be going as he started walking, keeping his pace a little slow until she set in beside him. "Tell me, Samantha, what do you like to do for fun?" Scott knew that if he talked work with her for ten minutes, he would want to rip his hair out. They weren't working, he had just met her, and now he wanted to understand her. Hopefully she wouldn't just shut him out.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>22-05-2008, 01:20:15</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Samantha could only give him a rather nervous smile, wondering if changing into her more professional attire was going to better her partner's view of her. Having not been able to secure the last button into her cuff, she had hidden the offending wrist behind her... though, Sam had the distinct feeling that Scott was not someone who missed much. In fact, Scott's initial impression on her was reminiscent of her ex in one or two ways - he had also been observant and sharp of wit, and too skilled at manipulating her to his own ends.<br><br>When he stepped closer to her without warning, Samantha felt a blackening fear tighten in her chest for a split second, before that grip of fear loosened and she took a shaky breath. Though most of her gut-reactions had been worked past, it was still something of a deep-seated fear, letting a man come so close. Most of her nightmares and fears had been overcome with a combination of time and her experience in the Police Academy, but...<br><br>She winced when she noticed the slight distaste on his face. She was just doing everything all wrong today, wasn't she? And it certainly seemed as if she was botching up her first meeting with her partner, Detective Mason - Scott. "My apologies... Scott. I suppose I'm not used to being so familiar with someone who has so much more experience than I do," she said in apology. Well, there was that - and, these days, beyond other policemen and male detectives, Sam wasn't in the market for a new relationship. Since she was new to Serafew and had yet to even meet her neighbors, Sam also hadn't had much opportunity to make new friends here.<br><br>When he moved away again and began walking towards the door, Sam followed. She was about to answer his suggestion when some of the other detectives began snickering - and not understanding why, Sam swallowed her words, deciding to ask him later. She trailed him out of the building, slipping her blue-tinted sunglasses over her eyes, and looked in the direction in which his hand was raised.<br><br>"Only ten minutes' walk? That's really close... My place is farther uptown than downtown, so I might end up biking here every morning for work," Sam observed, only slightly envious of the closeness of Scott's home to work. Sam, particularly, did not mind the extra distance - any excuse for her to get on her bike was an excuse she accepted gladly. And though her bike did eat up gas, especially when she needed to be alone and wandered outside the boundaries of the city, it was one of the things that Sam wouldn't give up even if it did eat up a nice chunk of her paychecks.<br><br>Once Scott slowed down slightly, Sam managed to catch up, trying to simultaneously properly button her cuff while not dropping the small notebook she had brought along in case she had to take notes for things. "For fun?" She repeated, a small smile curling the corners of her lips. "Well... I love surfing and swimming. The weather in San Diego was perfect for that. Running, too. I also enjoy playing the piano, and listening to jazz. I'm not that excellent a chef, but I enjoy cooking, which is probably a good thing, since I live alone," Sam answered thoughtfully, glancing upwards when she finished. "Do you live alone too, Dete- Scott?"<br><br>The slip of the tongue was corrected just as Sam noticed it happening, and she flushed slightly from the mistake. Still, she held her composure, still absently fiddling with the offensive, unbehaving button, as she proceeded to ask Scott about the surrounding business in the downtown area, especially places for social gathering.<br><br>"Are there any good restaurants here, Scott? I've heard wonderful things about the variety of cuisine in downtown Serafew, but since I just moved here, I haven't had the opportunity to give that claim a test. If you have any places to recommend, I would love it if you could give me some suggestions, especially places with live musicians playing." While Sam did have her own secrets and wanted to give Scott a better impression of herself than she had yet given, it was beyond her to be two-faced and present some facade to the world; as she talked more with her partner, she loosened up without even knowing it, her mannerisms becoming less stiff and more casual, and her voice smoothing into her normal, almost musical alto. Though she was still nervous, Sam genuinely enjoyed and had a talent for conversing with people, and it showed in the brief, ten-minute exchange before they reached Scott's home.<br><br>When Scott paused, Sam did the same and glanced up at the tall, rather unassuming building in front of them. "Is this where you live?" She asked curiously.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>22-05-2008, 06:10:58</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott walked with her, keeping his pace the same the entire time. It was hot outside for sure, but their path took them near the waters edge. Luckily by now, they walked in the shade from the tall buildings and the cool ocean breeze did a lot to at least offer some relief to the heat. Once they made it back to his apartment, it would be even better. He always did enjoy living on the water, especially considering the view from his master bedroom. However, today would not be the day that she got to see that. At least, not if he had any say. She was his partner...<br><br>He turned his gaze down to her as he listened to the things she enjoyed. He knew there wasn't much surfing to be done during many of the months, but the ocean waves were interesting from time to time. It had been city ordinance to keep the ocean clear of any commercial vessels. Anything like that was a decent way to the north, out of the way and unable to cause the upset of the citizens in the city. She would definitely be able to go swimming whenever she chose, especially if her building was nice enough to have a pool. Even though his building was close to the water, they had a private access pool as well.<br><br>As she mentioned the weather, he grinned and shook his head. His hand came up to wipe the few beads of sweat off his forehead in a gesture to what he thought of the weather here. He waited until she had gone through the rest of her list of things she enjoyed before responding. "Perhaps I might find a good running partner in you then. I usually run a two mile stretch a few times a week, when work isn't getting in the way. I'm also not sure what your building will be like, but I have a really nice pool at mine, indoor too. You are welcome to use it if you like."<br><br>He continued to answer questions as they walked, coming ever closer to his building by the block. "I do live alone. Never been married either. No girlfriend to speak of at the moment. Lately, I've been a little swamped with work. My fill in partner was little to no help, never did any paperwork, you know? She just figured she would stay until someone came to replace her and get a free ride the whole time." Scott shook his head a little. "As for cuisine... I'm sure we can find a place to get lunch."<br><br>He continued to keep up the random small talk as the walked, noticing and enjoying the fact that she was at least lightening up and seeming a little more human. When they reached his building, a tall cream colored building, he nodded. "Yep. I live pretty close to the top. I need to get my jacket if we are going to be meeting important people." He walked with her to the entrance, pulling the set of keys from his pants pocket. Attached to the keychain, and the one he plucked, was a plastic card that looked much like a credit card of some sort. He passed it in front of a little sensor and the door unlocked, allowing the pair entrance.<br><br>Once inside, the halls were lit more dimly than one might have expected. He flashed her a quick smile, tucking they keys away, "New technology." He guided her through the main lobby of the building, which had a few business type offices and a hallway that went back to a door. Before they got far enough to see what was behind the door, however, they reached the elevators. That, of course, didn't stop Scott from explaining that the pool was at the end of the hallway, while they waited. <br><br>When the doors opened, he guided her inside and pushed the button for the twentyfirst floor. The doors closed a moment later and they began their ascent toward his apartment. "I figure, once I get my jacket we can get my car. We will drive about the edges of our jurisdiction, so you can see what exactly we cover, and then we will see if Michaels wants to meet us for lunch. Chances are, he will be busy." A ding heralded their destination and the doors opened. Scott led her out of the elevator and then back toward the front of the building before stopping at the last door. As if to tease tenants, there was no window for the hallway, so even now she wouldn't be able to see the delicious view that was visible from his bedroom.<br><br>He used a normal key for the door to his apartment. Apparently, the keycard was only for quicker access to the front door. Once inside, she would immediately notice that his place was far different than one might expect from a normal detective. The entire floor was covered in a light beige carpet that seemed quite fluffy underfoot. The walls of his apartment, where not covered with various pictures of obvious Asian origin, were pained in a very calm, almost earthy green. The cool green complimented the coloring of the carpet and gave an overall calming feeling to it. There was a mirror hanging on the wall close to the front door, framed with a dark, perhaps mahogany colored wood that had quite the intricate carving. From her vantage point at the door, she would be able to see the living room, part of the kitchen, and a pair of doors that led off into rooms behind. Even the furniture seemed to have a little Asian subtheme, though it wasn't entirely noticeable at first.<br><br>Once the door closed behind them, he turned abruptly, halting her advance any further into the room. His hand came up quickly, catching her wrist in his hand. His touch was gentle, but his eyes focused on hers. "There is something that I really want you to understand, Sam... If you are going to be out with me, you need to have all your buttons buttoned..." As he spoke, his other hand came up and gently pushed the button through its hole on her cuff. The exchange served two purposes. One, he wanted to see how she would react, his eyes staying locked to hers the entire time. Two, he wanted to make sure she relaxed a little and still looked her best.<br><br>He stayed there a moment longer, close to her, his hands at her wrist, before grinning and stepping back. "Feel free to explore as I get my coat. We won't be here long. There are drinks in the fridge, help yourself, the bathroom is through that door there if you need to use it," he turned, pointing to one of the doors that was visible from the entrance. With that he walked away, pushing the other door open and walking through it and into his bedroom. Already she might be able to catch a glimpse of the differently colored light, that brilliant blue that would be coming from the ocean, through the doorway to his bedroom.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>22-05-2008, 23:16:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Not surprised by the new key card technology for entrance into the building (after all, her own building was one of the newer ones in uptown, and had similar keys for entrance), Samantha entered the dimly lit building, smiling at his light comment. She was, of course, interested in the fact that he had a pool - while she knew that her own building was also outfitted with a state-of-the-art gym, she wasn't too sure about the quality of the pool, or other amenities such as a spa, jacuzzi, or sauna. Needless to say, Sam was quite excited to explore once she had fully unpacked and gotten the chance to wander freely around her building - she had the feeling that, the complex being so new and pricey, it would likely provide all such services.<br><br>Once inside the elevator, Sam looked around, intrigued - for all that the building seemed very unassuming and plain from the outside, the interior of this building was of a comforting quality that gave off a feeling of familiarity, of being inside a home. And though everything seemed fine and nothing was outwardly wrong, Sam wondered why it was that she felt so odd - and what was making her feel as if something was missing. Having never met Scott before, though, it was hard to put her finger on what it was that was bothering her.<br><br><em>It can't be Scott... while he's a bit similar to him, they're different in all the ways that matter.</em> Both of them had the tall, masculine build, though without seeing a direct comparison, Sam couldn't quite tell if her partner would be taller than her ex. They were both observant, confident, and cool and collected - without chinks in their armor. But while her ex had alway s had the effect of making Sam want to please him and put his needs and desires over her own... well, Scott didn't have nearly the same effect. It was the same, and yet... different. She wanted to prove to him that she was capable of being his equal, but with her stubborn pride intact.<br><br>It wasn't until she had entered his apartment and he had shut the door that she finally realized what felt so off in her encounter with Scott. While she remained slightly skittish around him (a prevailing nervousness around men, really), he provoked no <em>distrust</em> or <em>fear</em> in her - something that happened for any man except those who were quite a few years older than her, or those whom would not be able to overpower her unless she wished for them to. Scott certainly fit the bill for the latter sort of man - strong, proud, and confident - but for some reason, in the dozen or so minutes she had spoken with him, Sam already felt that he was not one she needed to fear.<br><br>It wasn't trust - yet. But even when he stopped and she nearly walked into his taller, larger body, Sam merely looked up, surprised; and when he reached for her wrist firmly, Sam only started slightly, a brief flash of some guarded emotion passing through her blue orbs. Then she blinked, and the emotion was gone, as she blushed and tugged gently on her wrist. There wasn't a sense of urgency or a panic-stricken stab of fear; Scott had, in the first few minutes of their meeting, had already established himself as someone trustworthy and not dangerous. While Sam kept most men that she met these days at arms-length, it was almost always because she felt wary of them, some gut-reaction that had no tangible reasoning or logic to it.<br><br><em>Why isn't he like the others?</em><br><br>"Scott, you don't have to button it for me," she insisted, horrified at the heat rushing into her cheeks. "I can do it myself - I was just about to finish, actually!" She said quickly, when Scott merely continued to poke the small button into its proper place. When he merely ignored her, Sam pouted, her eyes showing hints of her embarrassment as their eyes locked, bright blue with stoic hazel.<br><br>And then, of course, when he stepped back and grinned, Sam flushed even more. "You were teasing me! That's not funny, you bully!" She said defensively as he walked to his room. Slightly disgruntled but feeling infinitely more relaxed, Sam mumbled something about tall men and their games as she wandered around and looked at the paintings on Scott's walls. It was slightly disconcerting to know that Scott had so quickly (and without much beyond simple conversation) gained her instinctive trust.<br><br>As she stared at a Chinese painting of koi fish and a flowing river, Sam vaguely recognized why that might be. It was still very foggy, and Sam couldn't quite put her finger on it, but... well, there was definitely something.<br><br>When Sam decided that such somber thoughts might be best to ponder another time (probably on the road, or in the pool) and turned around, Scott was back, a jacket tucked over one arm. Sam scowled, but she returned to Scott's side, the hint of a smile curling the corners of her lips. "Should we get going then, Scott?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>23-05-2008, 07:47:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott had picked up his jacket quickly and returned to watch her browsing the paintings he had hanging. A light smile curled his lips at the sight of her. She had just enough Chinese visible in her, now that he really took the time to look, to make her almost seem to fit perfectly with the picture. His weight shifted against the door for a moment as he watched her move to the painting of the koi fish and the stream. That had been his personal favorite for some time now, and now she was gazing at it as if it spoke to her the same way it had spoken to him.<br><br><em>No Scott! I don't give a damn about your stupid paintings, your stupid artwork, or your damnable stupid ass hobbies!</em> The thought came back to him in a flash, followed by the sound of shattering glass. His last serious girlfriend had done a lot of damage with her last tantrum, <em>All you do is work! All the time! And when you aren't working, all you want to do is sit around and paint!</em> Another fight, from another time. That one had been earlier in their relationship, and Scott had realized his obsession with his fathers case because of it.<br><br>He shook his head, his eyes closing for a moment to refocus on Sam, standing in front of his painting, admiring it. With a deep breath and a low sigh, he strode forward, shaking off the effects of the resurfaced memory. With his jacket draped over his arm, he waited for her to turn around and join him at his side. "Yes, of course." His voice had dropped a notch from before, but his smile had returned. Everyone had a story, even Scott...<br><br>He opened the front door and led her out, locking it behind him. Thankfully, no one else had called the elevator since they had taken it up, so it was still waiting for them to go down. He led her into it, pressing the lobby button and glancing back at her after the doors closed. "Are you a fan of art or was it just something in that painting that you liked?" He was trying to get his mind back on getting to know Sam better, but it wasn't entirely easy. Even in the matter of the painting she had been admiring, there were memories tied to it.<br><br>He quite enjoyed the idea of small talk, though understood the need to change the topic away from his memories or anything tied to them. As the doors opened at the bottom of the elevator, he put his arm to the door to allow her to step out first and followed her, turning away from the front of the building this time. "The garage is actually on the other side of the building, so you will get to see the swimming pool as we pass it, as well as the other amenities." He cast her a small grin that hoped he was conveying information and didn't come off as he was making an attempt at bragging.<br><br>Sure enough, they passed along the hallway that had long glass windows to allow someone to look into the room with the pool. It was a decent sized pool, for being indoors, and it wasn't hard to make out the sauna or the jacuzzi on the other side of the room. Scott usually didn't let many people see his apartment due to the fact that it had so many perks. Most of the detectives couldn't afford to live in a place like this. Luckily, Scott had a little more income than most of them. He considered himself lucky.<br><br>As if the visible perks of his apartment weren't enough, when he led her out of the building and into the parking garage, she would notice, easily, one thing above all else. There wasn't a single car parked in her line of vision that looked cheap in any way. She was surrounded by expensive vehicles of all kinds, mostly foreign models. As if almost embarrassed by the display, Scott hurried her along past the luxury sports cars. <br><br>Finally, Scott stopped with a proud grin, "Ah... here we are..." He had stopped her in front of a black Bentley, the top already down. He walked up to the passenger door, opening it for her. He waited until she sat down, ignoring any protest she might have about not being able to open her own door, and then closed it to go around to the drivers side. Once seated with his seat belt fastened, he checked once to be sure she had done the same. "Alright... First, we check the perimeter of out jurisdiction... This way you know what we are in charge of."<br><br>Something didn't add up entirely... Scott was a detective. He lived in a rather nice apartment and drove a Bentley. On the salary the city paid, it wasn't possible. Scott didn't see fit to mention anything about it, however, as he pulled out and drove down to the street, setting a path around the edges of the area that they covered. Every now and then, he would point a building out as a problem spot for whatever reason, whether it be a common drug dealer hangout, or a prostitution hot spot. Serafew might have had its beautiful side, but it definitely had its dark underbelly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>24-05-2008, 10:56:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sam took one last, lingering look at the painting before she followed Scott's direction out of his apartment. "The painting... well, I've always been something of a fan of East Asian art. I especially love Chinese watercolors," she answered him, a gentle, nostalgic smile over her lips as her own thoughts returned to happier memories of her past. She was quiet as they slowly descended to the ground floor again, and could not help admiring the subtly rich furnishings of the building. On the pay that an experienced detective might get, it was certainly possible to live in a place like this... but while it wasn't extravagantly luxurious, it <em>was</em> still a much nicer place than Sam remembered one of her friends from San Diego having.<br><br>When they passed the pool, Sam gasped in delight, running up to the glass so she could stare at this very obvious luxury. It wasn't Olympic-sized (few places could afford such a pool), but it was a refreshing sight to as active a swimmer as Sam, who, thanks to her access of the ocean, was an avid swimmer who appreciated swimming through the waves as much as she did in a large pool. And the sauna and jacuzzi, of course, were luxuries that not many places had available for their guests.<br><br>"Ah... that's so nice," Sam breathed softly into the glass, only tearing herself away (and even then, most reluctantly) when Scott paused to wait for her. Hurrying after him, she gave a last wistful glance at the beckoning waters of the pool through the clean windows, which were marred only by the double handprints Sam had pressed into them in her eager enthusiasm. As they walked through the garage, Sam gave no indication that she even noticed all the luxurious cars parked in the resident spots - instead, she spoke glowingly about how lucky he was, a bit reminiscent as she recalled the last time she remembered swimming in a pool that big. She thanked him shyly when he opened the passenger door for her - normally, she might have protested or insisted that she could have done so herself, but seeing the pool had Sam completely starry-eyed with envy, which she frankly told Scott about in no uncertain terms.<br><br>Once the car started and they left the building, Sam discreetly allowed her eyes to travel over the car, admiring the seats and various panels separating her and Scott. She was no car <em>afficiando</em> - her realm was, after all, within those vehicles with only two wheels - but even she could tell that this car was quite something. About it, she said nothing - Sam didn't want to bring up the topic, only to tell him that she knew next to nothing about cars.<br><br><em>I would feel stupid for even saying anything, especially if he's interested in cars,</em> Sam thought, her eyes darting to Scott a few times as he pointed out certain problem areas. Though she asked her own questions about each place, and also fielded comments about various buildings or areas that they passed, Sam's stomach was knotted slightly in nervousness. Even though she had relaxed considerably since she'd met him earlier, Sam still wanted to impress him, in some way, shape or form. It didn't appear as if such a reaction would even be possible from Scott - it felt as if nothing would daunting or intimidating for him, as if he could take any challenge or obstacle in a stride.<br><br>At a stoplight, Sam slumped ever-so-slightly in the car with a silent sigh. <em>I knew it wasn't a good idea to come here right after my flight in, but I just had to insist on it...</em> Twisting discreetly in her seat, Sam lifted a corner of her sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Skillfully applied make-up and a healthy breakfast taken aboard her flight made her appear wide-awake, but it would take a saint to be relaxed and alert after twenty-four hours without sleep. Sure, there had been the couple of hours on the airplane, but... it was hardly restful to sleep to the sound of roaring plane engines.<br><br>It wasn't long before they passed in front of an impressive-looking courthouse, to which Samantha paused during one of her questions to stare at admiringly. "Do you think the ADA will be free today, Scott? Because... we can always meet him later, as you said..." Sam murmured quietly, her eyes still riveted on the stately, noble features of the building. Her fingers tightened subtly in her lap when she realized a new fear. Had she done the wise thing, to request a meeting with the attorney, though Captain Leavitt had told her that she would meet him later? Would the man have the same reaction that Scott and the other male detectives had had, and believe that her attractive surface was her only asset?<br><br>What if everyone else at the courthouse didn't take her seriously? How much would it take to prove otherwise?<br><br>Sam slowly returned to a proper sitting position, allowing herself to recline in the comfortable seat. The various emotions didn't change the expression on her face, though her bright eyes did become a touch duller as the thoughts passed through her mind. <em>How lowering it would be, to be judged as worthless just because I have a halfway pretty face...</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>25-05-2008, 06:26:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott continued to answer her questions freely, pointing out, from time to time, nice spots to eat as well. It seemed to Scott, at first, that through their animated chatting about the city, that she would probably do just fine if given proper guidance. He was still unsure as to how much guidance it would take; something he was not entirely sure he was looking forward to figuring out. The more she spoke, the longer the ride got, the more he began to catch the nervous undertone behind her words.<br><br>He was, afterall, a trained detective who's job was to pick out the subtle currents in a person. He did nothing that let her know that he had caught her rubbing the bridge of her nose since he wasn't entirely sure why she had done it. It was possible that she was feeling nervous due to the fact that she picked up on the idea that no detective could have afforded a waterfront apartment like he had, let alone dive a car that was worth nearly two hundred thousand dollars. It could have been that was nervous about what might happen today, meeting all these new people. It could also have been that she found him terribly boring and was nursing a headache since she was stuck talking to him. That, at least, he hoped was not the case.<br><br>An entirely different thought came into his head as the light turned green. Perhaps she was simply exhausted from her trip and hadn't had a chance to take a nap. She did say that the flight was over ten hours, if he remembered correctly. That is quite a long time on a plane. She did arrive early in the morning too, which led him to believe she was running little to no sleep. A light smiled played on his face amidst their continued talking at the thought that he wasn't the only one that could never sleep on an airplane. Again, he could have been wrong. Any number of reasons might have been the cause of her apparent nervous state.<br><br>It wasn't until they stopped at the courthouse that he really got a good idea of what it was she was nervous about. Her question pit him in an unusual position. He could appease her fears by telling her they would meet with ADA Michaels later, or he could push her further, perhaps to her limit, and comply with her earlier wishes. In the split second he had to decide, he went with pushing her on. Encouraging her would do well to earn her respect later. "Yes, I am quite certain that we will be able to meet with the ADA today. Even if he is busy, for a new detective on the force, I am sure that he will take the time to at least say hello."<br><br>He pulled into a parking space, being careful as he parallel parked as to not come close to hitting anyone else... One thing she would notice quite easily was that he was very careful with his car. After parking, he opened his door, immediately hitting the lock button so that he could come around to her side by the time that she got her door unlocked just so that he could open it for her. He allowed a little grin at her scowl. "Allow me."<br><br>He held his hand out to her to help her out of the car, understanding that it was a bit of a step up from the car to the curb. In truth, he had opened her door for two reasons. The first was simple, he was being a gentleman. The second, however, was that he was close to the curb and didn't want her to accidentally scratch his door against the cement. Either way, when she barked at him, he grinned a little more, "Didn't we go over this already? Please, I'm your partner, call me Scott."<br><br>He shook his head with a bit of a grin and fished his jacket from the backseat and slipped it on so that it covered the badge at his belt. When he started to lead the way up the steps, he nodded slightly to the security guard on duty, who returned the gesture. When he got to the door, he opened it for her, not taking no for an answer as he allowed her to pass through. It wasn't that he was making it a show to be a gentleman now at her expense because he knew how she was reacting to it, but more that it was just how he was.<br><br>Once inside, he guided Sam over to the police entrance, passing through most of the security checkpoints that normal civilians had to go through. After a couple of doors, they arrived at a desk with a rather attractive young brunette working on her computer. Immediately she hopped to her feet and came around the desk to give Scott a hug and a peck on the cheek. He grinned, hugging her back and returned the simple affectionate gesture, "How's your day going Sydney?" <br><br>Her face lit up before going to sit back down in her chest. "Excellent Scott. Mr. Michaels is up in his office, did you come to see him about a case? I can buzz him and let him know you're here." So far the young lady had completely ignored the presence of Sam. It wasn't that Sydney didn't know that she was there, it was that she was much more interested in paying attention to Scott. He, however, seemed not to really notice.<br><br>With a slight nod, he grinned at Sydney. "That would be great. We will head up there now then. Just let him know we are on the way up and to hang a shoe on the door if he doesn't want to be bothered." He gave her a quick wink before turning to lead Sam away from the receptionists desk and toward the elevators. Even as he walked, she would easily tell that he was still grinning and that he seemed to be in a much happier mood after the whole exchange.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>25-05-2008, 09:42:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was first a jolt of surprise that passed over Sam's features when she pulled on the door handle, and nothing happened. In her slightly tired state, it took a longer moment than usual for the young woman to realize that the door was locked. By the time she pulled it up and went to push open the car door, Scott was already standing oh-so-graciously besides the car and opening the door, grinning at the petulant scowl she shot at him. Sam didn't notice&nbsp; the curb, or the fact that part of Scott's courteous behavior was, in fact, for the preservation of his car door - so, when he also offered an arm to help her up to the curb, Sam brushed it aside in a huff and got out of the car herself, blushing faintly. She might have her pride in being an independent and capable working woman, but it was always flattering to have a door opened for her despite that, especially since most men in modern days had forgotten the simple courtesies of how to treat a lady.<br><br>"I can get out of the car myself, Detective Mason!" Sam insisted in a huff, but he was no more perturbed by her response to his actions than he had been when they'd first met, and she'd introduced herself to him (in what now, as she actually thought back, was the one of the worst possible first impressions she could have given him.<br><br><em>I showed up looking like... well, certainly not looking like a proper detective,</em> Sam lamented as they walked up the courthouse steps. Despite her rather frantic thoughts, she couldn't help but admire the refined veneer of the government building - the marble steps and white pillars held constant vigil over the many civilians and government officers that walked through its doors. The slight hints of awe showed in her face and eyes as Sam shifted her sunglasses back to the top of her head, giving a slight bow before she hurried after Scott into the courthouse.<br><br>It was not hard to note how many people greeted Scott on the way into the deeper parts of the building, or how many admiring female glances he drew. Often, Scott would give a curt nod (a more friendly wave, if the person in question was an attractive young woman) in greeting to someone he knew as they walked past. Several of those whom he acknowledged noted the shorter, pretty young woman following at his heels, but they didn't stop to ask Scott who she was; after all, in their world, it wasn't too hard to hear news and rumors of those who worked within their circles.<br><br>Several security checkpoints later, Scott was stopped by someone who looked like an attorney. It took but a few sentences for Sam to lose interest; they were talking about a case that had, apparently, just been wrapped up recently. Sam wandered off to examine the script etched into a stone plaque mounted on the wall, and smiled when she realized that what she was reading was one of the Articles in the United States Constitution. Her eyes widened when she realized that the words written onto that particular stone plaque was only one of many - the other various articles and sections spanned almost the entire length of the wall that she was staring at, a stretch of hallway that was tall and impressive in more ways than one.<br><br>"Impressive, isn't it?"<br><br>She jumped, startled, at how close the voice was to her ear. Her breath hitched in her throat when she whirled, to find a handsome man around Scott's age looking down at her, an amused smile on his face. Once her surprise passed, Sam smiled shyly, voicing a soft greeting when he extended his hand to her. She did the same, but blushed when, instead of shaking it, he took it and brought the back of her hand to his mouth, kissing it softly as he winked at her.<br><br>"I'm Detective Thompson, miss. Last I heard, Scott's replacement partner was tall, rather loud, and nowhere near as beautiful as you are," he said smoothly, his rich baritone sending a shiver of delight through the musically-inclined Sam. Though her cheeks were already rosy from his earlier gesture, she blushed even more at the compliment. It was something that she heard often, but the way Detective Thompson phrased the words came out much more familiarly and intimately.<br><br>"Ah... today's my first day, Detective Thompson," Sam said, her eyes flickering down as she tried to recover herself. When she looked up again, her eyes were glinting with pleasure, but she had pulled her face into a neutral, amused mask. "I'm Samantha Lee. It's a pleasure to meet you, detective. I didn't see you this morning at our precinct...?"<br><br>The other detective chuckled, waving away the question. "I'm not from your precinct - unfortunate, now that I see who Scott gets to work with... I transferred to the neighboring area about a year ago. Scott and I knew each other rather well, even if he can be a bit of an obsessive worker at times." When he noted the slight look of discomfort pass over her face at the mention of her partner, he changed his tack, looking completely prepared to charm Sam off her feet. However, a glance towards Scott shaking hands with the attorney convinced him that perhaps tonight was not the best time to be pursuing this new, attractive young woman.<br><br>"Well, I'm sorry to say that I must be off. I hope to see you again, my dear," Detective Thompson said with a wink, before he waved and began walking towards the courthouse's entrance. Tilting her head, Sam watched as he walked away, a light blush still coloring her cheeks and a hint of surprise showing in her blue eyes. Scott watched as the other detective walked off, then turned to Sam with a small frown. "I wouldn't get too worked up over Thompson, Sam... He's a jerk, through and through, like a fast-talking salesman who just wants to make the sale and never give it a thought beyond that."<br><br>Scott's rather flat assessment of the other man surprised her, but beyond a slight, puzzled frown, Sam's emotions were indiscernible behind her shuttered eyes and impassive expression.<br><br>They continued their way down the hall, eventually arriving in a smaller, sectioned-off part of the hall with a desk and a pretty girl sitting behind it. As the two (obviously friends of some sort, or good acquaintances) greeted each other, Sam had to fight to keep a scowl from her face - she wasn't petty, as far as vanity went, but being ignored was <em>not</em> something she was particularly tolerant off, especially in such a mood, at such a time. Just as Sam was about to butt in and introduce herself crossly, Scott led her past the desk and towards the elevators, grinning, obviously much more relaxed than he had been the entire morning. For some reason, the fact that the girl at the desk (Sydney?) had been the reason for his lighter mood irritated Sam, something that seemed completely illogical, in her point of view. It took a bit of self-control to keep from scowling or looking jealous as they stopped to wait for the elevator, then entered the enclosed room when the metal doors slid open.<br><br>"A girlfriend?" Sam asked nonchalantly, trying not to appear too interested as she glanced at the elevator's mirrored walls. It was a testament to her distracted state that she did not even notice the slight pout of her lips as she fidgeted and stared off into space, her nervousness returning in full tilt as they got ever closer to their meeting with the ADA.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>25-05-2008, 23:32:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott was quite a bit happier after the run in with Sydney. So much so that he didn't notice her discomfort until they were in the elevator together and she spoke, asking him about his and Sydney's relationship. He glanced over toward her, catching the pout on her face in the reflection, reading it all too easily. She was jealous. "No Sam. We aren't dating. She was my best friend's little sister. He died in a car accident a few years ago, but we've always been close. We grew up together, she's more like my sister than anything." He shrugged off the notion that they would have ever been romantic.<br><br>The fact that she had been jealous enough to ask removed the smile from his face. He would have to be a little more careful around her, that's all. While he would rather keep what they had on a professional level, any number of the other detectives would stop at nothing to take things further. The last thing he wanted was for her to ask for a different partner and then get stuck with someone like Garcia... or worse, Thompson.<br><br>He leaned over a little closer to her, resting his hand against her shoulder as he gazed down at her face through the reflection. He didn't say anything to her in that moment, being content with just the touch of his hand on her shoulder an his gaze on hers, listening to the soft ding every time they went up another floor. It wasn't long until the polished doors opened in front of them and he used his hand to guide her in front of him, letting it slide off her shoulder before she even exited the elevator.<br><br>It really didn't matter that she said she wasn't jealous, it was obvious in her voice. He decided not to push the issue any further seeing as the moment they got into the hall they would hear the kindly voice of an older man calling to them. "Scott M'Boy! How are you?" Scott grinned at the older gentleman, shaking his hand. Immediately he turned his attention to Sam, "And who is this vision of loveliness?" His hand extended, going to shake hers briefly, "Samantha Lee, A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."<br><br>He released her hand, the bright glow on his face showing that he was in no way doubting her, merely admiring her. He turned then, positioning himself between the two detectives and guided them both the short distance to his office. He stepped ahead of them long enough to open the door and let both enter before following them in and closing it, shutting them off from the rest of the building. Once more he turned to Sam, "Now then, You have to be careful around this one," he nearly laughed through his words, pointing to Scott, "He gets distracted easily and he might keep you from doing your job!"<br><br>Scott grinned and shook his head at the way that Michaels was talking about him, "I do not, Patrick. You know very well that I don't let myself get distracted that easily. It takes a lot..." His voice dropped at the end, almost grumbling about the prospect, Michaels on the other hand, looked back to same with a grin and a wink that clearly meant, <em>What did I tell you?</em><br><br>As Michaels went on about the various reasons that she needed to be careful with Scott, quoting several of his shortcomings such as having a weakness for beautiful women, it was clear that he was taking quite the liking to Sam already. Finally he laughed again and slapped Scott on the shoulder, to which he smiled and nodded, reinforcing an anecdote about one witness the defense attorney put on the stand that ended up telling the truth because Scott had talked to her previously. That was one conviction Michaels obviously didn't expect to get.<br><br>Scott glanced over at Michaels phone when Sydney buzzed in, calling for the ADA's attention. He looked up at Michaels with a questioning glance, but the man shook his head. His voice rose once more, "The jury back already? I thought it would take longer, they've only been out for three hours. I'm heading over there now." Sydney's voice came again, thanking him and telling him she would let the judge know before Michaels looked back between the two. "You kids have fun, I've got to go find out if we got the bastard or not."<br><br>Once more, Michaels positioned himself so that he could usher both Scott and Sam out of his office before striding off in another direction. Scott looked down at Sam with a smile as the two stood there, abandoned outside of the ADA's office. "See? I told you he was a nice guy... What do you think of him?" Slowly Scott led her back to the elevator so they could ride down to the lobby and head back out to his car. Scott was trying to decide where would be the next best stop on her tour of the city. Perhaps lunch was in order... He was getting hungry.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>26-05-2008, 02:38:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Once ADA Michaels had left, Samantha took a breath, surprised at how easygoing the older man was. "He's very... nice..." Sam said faintly, surprised at how frankly he had taken her, without judgment. Sam was quiet as they took the elevator back downstairs and began making their way out of the courthouse. Though deep in her thoughts, she took another admiring glance at the line of engraved plaques, wondering if she might be able to come back another time to look at the craftsmanship more closely. Then, within minutes they were back out of the courthouse, once again walking beneath the hot sun that Serafew's summers were so notorious for.<br><br>Having collected her thoughts, Samantha now allowed her eyes to wander up to Scott's composed face. He definitely appeared to be in a good mood, after speaking with Sydney, they talking with the ADA. It seemed as if Scott had many friends among their circles.<br><br>"His reaction when he met me was very different from wh- well, from what I am usually used to," Sam admitted as she squinted briefly, trying to get the sun spots out of her eyes. As she slipped her sunglasses over her eyes again, Sam couldn't help yawning, blinking sleepily as she was struck by a wave of fatigue that signaled her flagging energy.<br><br>"And... well, I'm sorry." Sam cleared her throat softly as she stopped absently next to his car, doing nothing more than scowling up at him when he opened the door for her and beckoned her in. "I came in very unprofessionally this morning, so I want to apologize if I've caused you any trouble among your colleagues for not coming in dressed properly." When he informed her, quite succinctly, that they would have reacted that way no matter how ridiculous an outfit she was wearing, Sam flushed hotly - not because she caught the veiled reference to how attractive he thought her (which she didn't), but because she definitely remembered Scott <em>not</em> reacting like everybody else had. Here she was making an effort to apologize, and yet...!<br><br>Sam muttered something very uncomplimentary under her breath as the car pulled away from the curb and they rejoined the cars going about the city on their business. It would have soothed her pride just a <em>little</em> bit if he'd somehow reacted in a way that made her think that he thought her even halfway pretty. And just as that thought passed through her mind, Sam froze - why did she even care what he thought of her, beyond that of her capability as a detective?<br><br><em>It must be the lack of sleep talking... I could really care less if Scott thinks I'm an ugly hag,</em> Sam told herself, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes briefly. It was too comfortable, the feeling of the warm sun glowing upon her face. It was at that untimely moment that Sam's stomach growled loudly, and she sat up with a jerk, her cheeks going red with embarrassment when she looked hurriedly and Scott and realized that he, too, had heard her stomach's cry for food. Trying to recover her dignity, Sam coughed and sat up straight in her seat, her back as stiff as a pole.<br><br>"Do you think we might go somewhere to eat, Scott? I think we could both use a little food right now," Sam laughed, covering her flaming cheeks with her hands. It was the first time that morning that she had laughed sincerely, and genuinely, without the edge of nervousness, or the polite courtesy that had been drummed into her manners from childhood. Her eyes sparkled merrily as she glanced over in Scott's direction, grinning, obviously more at ease than she had been all day. She rustled around in the small purse she was carrying, before pulling out a worn, almost ratty business card with writing scribbled on the back with purple ink.<br><br>"Another reason I came to Serafew is because one of my closest friends came here for college four years ago, and always gushed about how beautiful the city was. This was one of the places I was told about... well, before I moved here," Sam said, waiting until they stopped at another stoplight before handing the card to Scott. The edges were well-worn, though the quality of the business card was obvious; it appeared to have been handled often and frequently. Listed on the back of the card (in purple ink, no less) was an address, and a name that simply read <em>Alasdair's</em>. Its address was in the upper downtown area, only two or three blocks away from her flat. "Do you think we can go take a look?"<br><br>At his affirmative grin and comment that the food there was very good, Sam also smiled. "Really? That's good to know. And Chase is actually away on a business trip right now... He won't be back in Serafew for some weeks." The rest of the drive to the place was quiet, and before long, Scott's car pulled in front of a neat-looking entrance, without the restaurant's name anywhere in view. Only an embellished 'A' told Sam that they were at the right place, and she slowly followed Scott inside, not even noticing in her curiosity that Scott, again, held doors open for her and allowed her entry before he followed.<br><br>Once inside the restaurant, Sam noticed immediately why this place was recommended to her. Her eyes widened in delight when she saw the grand piano sitting on the stage set into the far side of the room, a stage big enough for a four-person jazz ensemble and a vocalist. The restaurant itself was filled, but not to overflowing, and the atmosphere casual, but without being overly so. Sam's eyes were wide as as they were led to a table and given menus, her eyes lingering over the shining black surface of the grand piano before sliding back to the menu to study her lunch options.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>27-05-2008, 02:23:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott had counted on Sam liking Michaels. Thus as she was discussing it on the way back to the car, he took the opportunity to open the door for her, much to her scowling dismay. After she finally sat down, he shut the door and went around to the other side and got in. He was careful pulling out, listening to her speak about her normal reactions and how sorry she was about her first impression with the guys at the precinct. Scott simply shook his head, "Sam, you could have showed up in a clown suit and they still would have been talking about your looks."<br><br>Scott had meant for her to understand that he found her attractive. Instead, she took it as a spurn on her apology and that bothered him. Here he was trying to make her feel a little better about her entrance this morning and she thought he was insulting her. How was he supposed to get it across to her that he didn't think she needed to apologize at all? That the other detectives had simply been out of line? He knew he shouldn't be outright telling her that he thought she was beautiful, it would only get in their way. He would have to find a way to explain it later when they could really sit down and talk.<br><br>As if a better opportunity couldn't have been provided, when they stopped at the stoplight and her stomach growled, his lips rose in a little grin. He glanced over at her, a brow raising while she sat up and coughed, trying to cover her hungry growling. He was a bit amused when she handed him a card, but nodded, "I know the place well, it's got excellent food." He continued to listen for a moment, wondering who her friend might be and if she would make Sam more comfortable. "Is your friend still in town here?"<br><br>When she mentioned that her friend was a guy, he quirked another brow at her, a little interested. He brushed it off for now, determined to ask her about it a little later, perhaps while they were sitting down. It wasn't a far drive from where they were to the restaurant, and when they pulled in, he made sure to park at a window spot so he would watch his car, seeing as he was leaving the top down. He didn't think there would be a problem, but he was a cop. He knew better than to simply hope.<br><br>Once again, he was out of the car and read to open her door for her. This time either she didn't care or didn't notice. At least his gentleman nature was finally being overlooked or accepted. He guided her up to the front door and then inside, once more holding the door for her. After being led to the table, he even went as far as pulling her chair out for her. Now of course he was going a little overboard since this wasn't even close to being a formal event, but he was testing his luck with how far she would accept his actions.<br><br>After she failed to get angry with him, he sat down and opened his own menu, although he wasn't really looking at what he wanted. He already knew. His hand slid inconspicuously into his pocket, withdrawing his credit card and keeping it hidden in his hand until the waiter came. Luckily it was a guy he knew from previous visits. The waiter immediately recognized him and grinned, "Hey Detective Mason, how's it going?"<br><br>Scott's hand came up quickly going to shake the mans hand, serving to pass his credit card stealthily into his hand as Scott greeted him, "Fairly well Jason. I'm just out to lunch with my lovely new partner Samantha Lee. She is new to Serafew and I'm showing her the ropes." Once his card had been securely transferred into the waiters hand, Scott gestured to Samantha with a little grin at his lips.<br><br>Jason gave a polite bow of his head to her before looking back to Scott. "The usual sir?" Scott nodded and then Jason turned his eyes back to Sam, "Detective Lee, What can I get for you to drink? If you know what you want to eat as well, I can take that now." He stood patiently, seeming a bit enthusiastic to have two detectives at his table for lunch. Not only did he know he was getting a good tip, but he knew Scott well enough to know that it would be an easy table. Easy table meant easy money, enough to put any server in a good mood.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>01-06-2008, 00:19:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Jason, right? I'm Samantha Lee - Sam, actually," she introduced herself, smiling as she stood and gave a slight bow before seating herself again. When asked for her order, Sam laughed sheepishly and held up a menu happily. "So many of these dishes look good - I'm going to have trouble deciding," she said mournfully, making a mental note to herself to come back here often when she didn't have any night shifts. She wanted to ask when the live performances here were typically held, and if there was ever a call for free musicians. She'd never been in a band, but Sam was very confident in her abilities as a jazz pianist; it was one of the few hobbies that her parents had all but thrown her into as a child, that she had actually stuck with past high school.<br><br>After a few seconds of thought, Sam tapped the menu page. "For a drink, I'll have iced tea with a lemon, please..." She pondered the contents of the menu for a moment longer, then folded it and handed it to Jason with a pleasant smile. "I would like the strawberry fields salad with your house vinaigrette instead of the ranch sauce, and the cedar-seared salmon pasta with extra bell peppers. Oh, and please make the second order not spicy - I can't handle it, unfortunately," she said with a sheepish smile. She thanked Jason politely before sitting back in her seat and returning to idly admiring the surroundings - the cozy positioning of the booths and tables, with subtle things like small sprays of flower in vases and a clean tablecloth that gave the place an understated classiness. The bar on the far side of the room was clean and welcoming, tucked into a corner, with a multitude of glasses hanging from the top of the bar, and a plethora of different bottles lining the shelves behind. The vast array of different colors and shapes of the bottles rather fascinated Sam, who could hardly even be considered a social drinker.<br><br>Still, much of her attention was taken with the small stage, where the piano sat. Its black shell was, at the moment, dark, since the stage was unlit. Before the direction of her attention was noted, Sam turned back to the table, the dreamy smile lingering on her lips for just a moment before she looked up and met Scott's gaze.<br><br>"So, how did you hear about this place?" She asked, glancing up when Jason returned with drinks in hand. She thanked him with a smile, then took a sip of her iced tea - chilled with just the right amount of lemon taste, and with large chunks of ice that kept the drink from becoming too diluted. When Scott informed her that he had grown up in Serafew and had similarly been coming to this small restaurant for as many years, Sam's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise, but she seemed genuinely interested in hearing about the city.<br><br>Leaning forward eagerly, Sam took another sip of her tea before she began asking him various questions - what kind of musicians did Alasdair's employ, and did they have a regular contract with any bands? He made it a point to explain that they employ mostly jazz musicians, but one night a week they turned the place into a poetry reading coffee bar. Sam nodded with interest, sipping her tea to avoid having to answer him; as the iced liquid slid down her throat, she closed her eyes blissfully, sighing in delight and running her fingers idly up and down the tall glass as she enjoyed the delicate taste. There was something overtly innocent about the reflexive, automatic gesture, tinged with a natural sensuality that yet seemed very raw.<br><br>They continued talking, and she asked him several more questions, poking around the issue, but without giving any solid indications that she was a musician herself, or that she had an interest in playing as an amateur entertainer. They spoke at length about their favorite musicians and genres (Sam waxed eloquent about the beauties of instrumental jazz music and its infectious rhythm), and just as that topic came to a natural end, Jason returned, this time with Sam's salad and Scott's appetizer.<br><br>If she'd been alone, Sam was sure she would have dug into it without hesitation. As it was, she only glanced over at Scott briefly, wondering how much she cared about his opinion, before shrugging and eating her salad with gusto, savoring each bite that entered her mouth, especially the strawberry slices liberally splashed through the green leaves of her salad. It was halfway through her salad before Sam finally slowed down a bit, and glanced over at Scott, who hadn't seemed to dent his appetizer at all yet. "What did you get?" She inquired, using her napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth. She missed a tiny smudge of strawberry juice just below her lower lip, and smiled shyly, blushing when she realized how she must have looked, wolfing down her lunch.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>04-06-2008, 16:06:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott took a sip of the water that Jason brought him as he both listened to and watched Sam. He answered her questions without reserve, quite happy that she actually seemed interested in the questions she was asking. It was refreshing, talking to someone like her, someone who actually cared about what they talked about. Scott had that problem before, where small talk was just something to pass time.<br><br>He watched her carefully, catching the subtle motion of her hand against her glass. All at once he tried to turn his attention away, looking over at the stage to get the image out of his head. When she started talking again, he smiled and fell back into the questions, allowing them to keep his mind away from the glass underneath her hand. He was finding that her tasted were quite similar to his as he listened to her about instrumental Jazz. He offered his thoughts about the band that usually plays at night, that they were good, but Alasdair's was always looking for new talent.<br><br>Jason couldn't have had better timing if he tried. The conversation came to a close, leaving Scott smiling at Sam for only a moment before the Caesar salad was placed in front of him. He was about to lift his fork and start eating when Sam saw fit to inhale her own salad. Rather than sitting there and eating as well, he found himself somewhat amused by how easily she found herself comfortable enough to eat as she was. Perhaps she didn't even realize that she was eating as quickly or as vigorously as she was at first, because when she finally did look back up at him, he noticed the color filling her cheeks.<br><br>The sight of her blushing really struck him. Of course he had noticed that she was pretty before this moment. He had seen her when she first arrived. He had seen how cute she was when he buttoned her cuff for her. He had seen how she reacted at the sight of the pool, when he locked her door simply so he could open it, even after she had seen him with Sydney. Now he saw her, delicate and beautiful, blushing because she worried about what he thought of her. Scott knew then that he was in a whole lot of trouble.<br><br>His lips rose in a small smile as he glanced away, looking down at his salad. "Caesar salad. They have one of the best Caesar dressings that I've tasted in years. Get it every time I come here." He lifted his fork and took a small bite of the salad. He was wondering if she would be oblivious to the smudge of strawberry juice that rested just below her lips, missed by her napkin. His eyes rose back to hers slowly, lingering on her lips on their way as he wondered for a moment what they would taste like the first time he kissed her.<br><br>After another moment of watching her, Scott went back to eating, savoring each bite of the rich dressing covered salad. She watched him eat a bite, curiously, then extended her fork towards him, completely seriously, a shy smile on her face. "Can I try?" Scott glanced up at her at her words. Presented with the unique opportunity, he proded another piece of lettuce with his fork and then lifts it to her, across the table, ignoring her outstretched fork. "Of course."<br><br>She looked at the forkful of lettuce, then at his face, then back at the fork, and blushed, but got up, and leaned forward to take the lettuce into her mouth. Scott grinned and pulled the fork back after watching her blush once more. He couldn't help himself. His eyes caught a bit of dressing that was left on her upper lip. He watched as she wiped it with her finger as she chewed absently. He could hardly believe that she slipped the finger into her mouth once she swallowed to suck the dressing off, but smiled none the less when she responded and told him it was delicious. He was still somewhat amused that she still managed to miss the strawberry juice under her lower lip.<br><br>Jason chose that moment to walk back, having watched the exchange with Scott feeding Sam. Jason's eyes shifted from Scott to Sam and then back, "Is everything going alright? How are the salads?" Scott grinned up at the younger man and nodded, "Excellent Jason, as usual." Both men's eyes shifted to Sam. She pressed the fingers of both hands to her lips, eyes closed as she finished chewing and swallowing the last bits of salad and dressing. Then she looked up at Jason, eyes shining. "It's delicious. I'd love to come back for more, and try everything else on the menu."<br><br>Jason gave her a quick little grin, then looked back toward Scott. "The entrees should be up in just another minute." He cast another grin toward Sam before walking away. Scott shifted his weight in his chair and shook his head slowly. His voice rose nonchalantly, "There will be plenty of time to try more Sam. Maybe we could even come here for dinner sometime and check out the local music."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>04-06-2008, 20:32:26</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Sam's entire face brightened when Scott mentioned dinner at Alasdair's, later. She nodded emphatically as she dug into her salad again, this time taking more care not to rush through the plate, and really enjoy the salad. The vinaigrette had just the right amount of tangy bitterness to it - Sam was no gourmet, but she could taste the rich flavor of herbs and lemons, as well as vinegar, coating her salad greens. Her enjoyment was very complete; she didn't speak as she finished off the salad, but there could be no clearer indication of her contentment than the soft glow in her cheeks and warm sparkle in her eyes. Once she was finished, Sam put down her fork and glanced up, meeting Scott's gaze again. She flushed slightly when he merely continued watching her, and quickly returned her eyes to her drink before the look in his eyes troubled her more.<br><br>"Do you play?"<br><br>The quiet words startled Sam into looking up again, though this time she wasn't self-conscious enough to blush. She pointed at the piano in question, tilting her head as she did so, and nodded in an affirmative. The small smile curled the corners of her lips up; she nodded and murmured her thanks to Jason when he came by and picked up her empty plate, whisking it back to the kitchen. Though Sam caught a quizzical look from the charming waiter, she didn't make a special note of it. When her eyes returned to meet Scott's gaze, she had pulled the glass of ice tea back between her hands and was slowly turning the base in her hands. The movement left a wet trail on the table, but Sam didn't seem to notice as she lost herself in thought.<br><br>"Yes, I do. I've played the piano since I was five... music is one of my first loves. It's helped me through some... tough times." Her gaze was wistful and somber as she stared at the piano, but it was anyone's guess what she was thinking. Her thoughts had returned to the period just after she had managed to break up with Andrew, when she hadn't been able to sleep without waking up shaking and sweating... hadn't been able to close her eyes without hearing a noise, and jerking awake. Love and music had slowly healed her - and the long process of becoming a stronger person, both inside and out, had begun then. Sam sipped idly at her iced tea, but eventually just shook her head and sat back, as if mentally turning a page on her thoughts.<br><br>"Maybe one of these days... I'll play for you. I would offer to do it on my piano, but it's not due to arrive for another couple of weeks. And... well, my flat is a complete mess right now, all boxes and misplaced furniture," Sam laughed. "Still, since we're partners now, I'm sure I'll have an opportunity in the future to play something for you." <br><br>At that moment, Jason arrived again, this time with their entrées. She laughed in delight when she saw her pasta, topped with herbs and sauce and a piece of salmon. "Oh my... thank you. It really does look delicious, Jason," Sam said with a grin. This time, Jason gave her a little bow and a smile, indicative of how taken he was with Scott's new partner. He put Scott's plate before him as well, glancing briefly at Sam before he did so, and did a combination of small shrugs and an inquiring look to show his interest. However, he did no more than that before he wished the two of them a happy meal and disappeared to serve some other customers.<br><br>Sam peered at Scott's plate - it looked as delicious as hers, with a variety of seafood placed over the penne pasta invitingly. She just managed to keep herself from licking her lips by grabbing her iced tea and taking another sip, but finally managed to tear her eyes away with another blush and a small smile. Maybe he would offer some, even if she didn't ask...<br><br>With that thought in mind, Sam began digging into her pasta, as enthusiastically as she had with her salad. It was quite amusing, her fierce and open enjoyment of food - more than once, Jason would be at the bar, cleaning glasses or chipping ice, and his eyes would be invariably drawn to the variety of blissful, contented, and pleased expressions wandering over Sam's face. From someone of Scott's range, sitting across from a table... her eyes, almost always a bright blue, were all but sparkling, wondrously bright whenever they were open. She didn't seem to mind that the sauce spread over her linguini pasta painted delectable patterns over her lips, before she licked them away or dabbed them away with her napkin. Had she known that she was making such a spectacle of herself, Sam would likely have blushed and been unable to look up at Scott for the rest of the day. But Sam was one of those young women that didn't seem to realize how her seemingly innocent actions were often misinterpreted and taken the wrong way. As she ate, she made little conversation, content to enjoy her food, and only commenting once or twice about how delicious her pasta and the salmon were.<br><br>She sighed happily when most of the noodles and succulent salmon were settled in her stomach. The cool crispness of the iced tea made her sigh blissfully, and this time when she looked up at Scott, she had no doubt that he was quite amused with her, though it didn't seem as if he minded her open joy of eating at all. Her blush put a rosy glow over her cheeks, but this time she grinned, her gaze straight and a bit proud. "Dessert menu, Scott?" She asked, trying not to sound too eager about it. She wondered what was on the menu... and what kind of delicious dessert she should order for herself.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>04-06-2008, 21:59:06</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott was far from oblivious as to Jason's attention to his new partner. He had hoped the young man would have more tact than making an attempt at her attention while Scott was around, but apparently he was wrong. Not that Scott could blame the kid. All the other detectives had said things, even he himself was starting to find her more attractive than he felt was professionally acceptable. However, the fact that Jason would make his interest known while Scott was there bothered him. That discomfort disappeared almost immediately after he left and Scott and Sam had their food in front of them.<br><br>Scott devoured his lunch with much the same enthusiasm as Sam. He was selective in how he ate the mixture of his seafood, picking through the dish for all of one thing at a time, only eating something else once there were no more of the first. He mimicked her sounds of content as he ate, even looking up at her from time to time to see that she was enjoying her food just as much as he was. Midway through the dish, he even skewered a scallop and a piece of the penne, lifting it to offer it to her, but she was oblivious within her own food; so, with a shrug, he ate it himself.<br><br>It didn't take long for him to finish his own seafood medley, in time to watch her with the last portion of her lunch. She was such an adorable creature, now that he spent the time to watch her in admiration of her unconcerned abandon. By the time she was also finished, he was a little amused, but more so by the fact that they both seemed to enjoy their food very much. Her offer was a bit tempting, to get dessert, but he shook his head. "I'm not sure about dessert right now, we have a bit of a day ahead of us and wouldn't want to sleep in the car. Perhaps though... What would you like?"<br><br>She looked a little disappointed, then brightened when he asked her what she wanted. "Tiramisu... if they have it?" She suggested hopefully. Scott nodded with a grin, "Of course they have it." He gestured to Jason on his next pass through the dining room and the server came to the table, immediately clearing the dishes out of the way. Scott smiled up at Jason, "Can we get one Tiramisu to go please?" Jason nodded with a grin and looked between them, "Will that be all for you guys?" Scott nodded again, "Just the check after that." Jason nodded and stepped away from the table, moving quickly enough to not really leave any perceptible gestures of interest toward Sam this time.<br><br>Sam had just pulled her wallet out to ask how much her share of the check was when Scott grinned, shaking his head and waving her away. In fact, he made no move to even get his own wallet out. He smiled at her confused frown all the way up until Jason returned with her dessert, setting it down in front of her, and looking back to Scott with a grin. "You're bill's been taken care of courtesy of the manager." Scott made to give a nod but stopped as Jason looked back to Sam, "You see, I told the manager that this was your first time here and&nbsp; I wanted to be sure you would come back a second time." Jason gave Sam a little grin. "I convinced him to take the check on the house Sam."<br><br>Scott was a little more than surprised at how easily Jason played off that Scott had gotten the bill covered. All the same, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, dropping it into the center of the table as Jason walked off. He pushed his chair back as he stood up, looking back up to Sam. "Ready to go? We can drop the dessert off at my place while we continue to tour the city, and get it again before I take you home, if you'd like." He watched her glance at the bill he left for Jason before putting her wallet away so she could stand, take her dessert, and follow him. He turned with her and led her out to the car, opening both the restaurant door and his car door for her before going around and getting in to start the car.<br><br>Several blocks away from the restaurant, he noticed that Sam was already asleep. He gave a simple shake of his head and a soft sight as he turned toward his apartment. Luckily this time of day, the traffic wasn't as bad. Given another thirty minutes, and the streets would have been packed, she would have woken up long before they got to his apartment. As such, it only took a few minutes to get back to his place. After parking and shutting the car off, Scott got out of the car and walked around to her side to see how deeply she was sleeping.<br><br>When she didn't stir, he opened her door, slowly and carefully undid her seat belt, and moved to lift Sam into his arms. Despite the grumbled protest that she managed, he lifted her easily and watched as she very quickly fell back into slumber. With her dessert secured in her lap, he turned, shutting the door to the car and walking her back through the halls and to the elevator. The wait wasn't terribly long for the elevator, but with each moment that he had her cradled against his body, he thought she might wake up and be angry with him. No such awakening happened then, nor the entire way up to his apartment. To his surprise, she didn't even stir as he took her into his bedroom and set her down atop the comfortable mattress. He lay her head softly against the pillow after taking her sunglassed off and setting them down on the table next to his bed.<br><br>He smiled softly down at her, shaking his head again and plucked the dessert from her lap, going to put it away in the fridge. He took a few long moments in the kitchen, wondering what in the world he was going to do about this... He liked her... He thought she was pretty, he thought she was funny, he thought she was smart... He also didn't like that Jason had lied to her about the check or that he had even put so much effort forward. With another sigh, he shook his head and went back into his room to get another blanket, a smaller, lighter blanket, and draped it over her body. His lips curled into a smile as he watched her snuggle down with the blanket and pull the edge in against her, completely out. He only watched her sleep for a few more moments, remarking on how peaceful and happy she looked now, before turning and leaving the room. He sat down on his couch and turned the television on, low volume to watch and wait for her to wake up.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>05-06-2008, 04:16:09</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Sam was feeling good enough that when she hesitantly left the restaurant, she didn't protest when Scott was his usual gentlemanly self - opening doors for her, offering an arm to assist her into the car. And she was content with the silence between herself and her partner, smiling vaguely as she cradled her precious dessert in her lap and she stared into the bright blue sky of Florida's early summer. And then, her senses lulled with good food and dulled with fatigue, she somehow managed to fall asleep. Normally, that couldn't happen someplace that she didn't feel entirely safe in, especially not after her experiences with Andrew. It took an extraordinary long amount of time for Sam to even get comfortable enough with a man, to get into his car as easily as she had with Scott. Of course, one could say that under these circumstances, him being her partner, made it completely safe...<br><br>However, Sam was more than a little surprised when she awoke to the golden light piercing her eyes.&nbsp; She made a small noise of discontent, but when the bright light continued even with her eyes closed, she opened them sleepily, still clutching the blanket. The small figure rose off the bed, and Sam rubbed her temples as she tried to figure out where she was and how she'd gotten here, because the last thing she remembered, she'd been counting the seconds that went by as she waited for the traffic light to turn green, in Scott's car.<br><br><em>Did I fall asleep...?</em><br><br>If she did, Sam wouldn't have been surprised - she was one of those who loved to sleep, whether she needed it or not. However, it was a warm surprise, knowing that she had fallen asleep in a relative stranger's car - a safe stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. Sam had to bite her lip and sniff back some tears when she thought of how long it had been since she had unconsciously felt safe enough in anywhere but her own home to fall asleep. <br><br>She rubbed her eyes again when she glanced back at the window, marveling at the beautiful sunset as the sun slipped back under the horizon. It was a lovely, breathtaking scene, Sam couldn't help thinking, as she pulled the pins and ribbons of her hair so it fell, unconfined, down past her shoulders. The locks were slightly wavy and creased from being pulled back all day, but Sam didn't seem to care that it was rumpled, and had no idea that it made her look even more decidedly innocent and sensual than before. For a moment, as she watched the glowing oranges and reds and golden colors shine through the window, she felt a sense of gentle peace fill her with warmth. <em>This is my first day here... the first day, to my new life here.</em> And she had to stand there for a few moments longer, to blot out bitter tears that choked out her voice and seemed to lift the burden of her melancholic past from her shoulders.<br><br>Sam was rubbing her eyes when she slipped out of the room, but it took her a few seconds to realize why the surroundings looked so familiar. This was... Scott's place, that she had come up to see earlier. Her eyes scanned the area, and she blinked sleepily when she saw Scott sitting on the couch, watching television - or rather, watching his dazed partner try to come out of her nap. When their eyes met, Scott smiled indulgently, amusement playing in his eyes. "Hello sleepyhead."<br><br>Sam scowled weakly and she rubbed her eyes again, hoping that any redness he might see in her eyes would be dismissed as drowsiness. This time she could help smiling as she came closer, sitting sleepily on the couch next to him as she tried to wake herself up completely and banish the melancholy that had taken hold while she had been in his room. "Where's my tiramisu?" She asked, the question split with a yawn. She blinked several times as she rubbed the back her hand against her eyes, but she was completely lucid, if a bit single-minded.<br><br>"Share with me?" She asked softly, smiling when he looked down at her. "As a thank you... for letting me sleep, and for bringing me up here. Your home is very beautiful and comfortable... it felt very safe," she murmured, as if in explanation. She followed him when he got up and led the way to the kitchen, pulling the little box containing the dessert out of the refrigerator and setting it on the table. Sam set to work opening up the tabs that kept the box closed; when Scott presented them both with a fork, Samantha took&nbsp; hers eagerly (of course, saying a quiet thank you as she did so) and stared at the dessert, before cutting a tip off the slice with her fork.<br><br>A look of pure bliss and enjoyment passed through her face as the taste made her shiver in delight. She closed her eyes briefly, remaining still as the delicate taste of chocolate filled her mouth and melted on her tongue. They were glowing when she opened them again, and Sam sucked on the end of the fork, pleased, as her eyes wandered up to meet Scott's. She blushed when she realized that he had been watching her - the tiramisu remained untouched save for where she had disturbed the delicious creation. "You should eat some too," she insisted, looking away as she pushed the opened box towards him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>06-06-2008, 01:18:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott flipped through the channels, spending the majority of the day watching television while Sam slept in his bed. A couple times he got up to check on her, making sure that she was still sleeping peacefully. Each time he was rewarded with the pleasant sight of her peacefully sleeping face. Each time he checked on her, he left with a smile on his lips to go back and watch more television until she woke up. He couldn't believe that his new partner, the pretty thing she was, had fallen asleep so easily. It was a good thing that they weren't working today... This could have been a bad thing.<br><br>Finally though, he heard her stir and get up, turning on the couch to smile at her. "Hello sleepyhead." He shifted his spot on the couch as she came to sit down so that she could be comfortable. He watched her with mild amusement after she had sat down, the small smile broadening into a grin once she asked where her dessert was. "Its in the fridge still. Would you like it now?" He stood with a nod when she asked him to share it, leading her away into the kitchen. He got her dessert out and set it on the table in front of her before getting a fork for both of them and handing her hers.<br><br>His smile stayed etched on his lips as he watched her take that first bite, an intensified replay of how lunch went. He sat down across from her and pushed the dessert back between them before sinking his fork in and breaking a piece off. "I thought you said share, not take one bite and give the rest to me." He grinned and brought the fork to his mouth, letting his eyes close as he tasted the tiramisu. A content sigh came as he felt the rush of flavor against his tongue, only opening his eyes a moment later to see if she had resumed eating.<br><br>Sam grinned, trying not to laugh at his comment. "If you don't hurry up, I'm going to end up eating all of it," she said teasingly as she took another large, enthusiastic bite. Without hesitating, he took another bite, smaller than hers, and pushed it into his mouth with a grin. He watched her quietly as he continued to eat the dessert, making sure to take a bite only when she did so that they split the dessert relatively evenly.<br><br>After the tiramisu was gone, he smiled softly at her. He waited until he was sure she was done with her fork before reaching over and gently taking it from her hand. With both forks in one hand and the tray in the other, he stood from the table and went to put the forks in the sink and the tray in the garbage. He stayed in the kitchen for the moment, leaning against the counter and looking at her. "Did you sleep well?"<br><br>She was quiet for a long moment, her eyes looking as if they were seeing into her past. "Yes... Yes, I did. Better than I have in a long time," she murmured quietly. Scott added her comment to one she had made before, worrying him a little about her past. His own words played over in his mind, <em>Everyone has a story, even you.</em> Maybe eventually she would let him in, but until then, he wasn't going to press. He smiled and nodded, walking back to the table and sitting down across from her again.<br><br>Sitting down, it was much easier to be comfortable. He had watched her sleep so peacefully, seen her face in such a blissful state, he wanted more. But she was his partner and that would be pushing things far too far. The table as a divider would help. "So we only managed to get half the tour done before I brought you back here to sleep. We start tomorrow. There are a few cases that I still have open, I'll catch you up on when we get into the office in the morning, but what are your thoughts so far? What do you think of your new home, Serafew?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>06-06-2008, 23:42:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sam made quick work of the tiramisu, unable to stay completely quiet as she finished it with Scott's help. She tried her best not to be messy or overly enthusiastic about it, but the sweet, delectable taste of the chocolate was too heavenly for her to take <em>too</em> much care in eating it. Each time chocolate flakes or cream scattered over her lips, she simply licked it off or wiped it off with a finger... and then did the same. Having been told before about her rather overly sensual eating habits, Sam did her best to quietly eat the dessert, though she did avoid looking at Scott as she enjoyed herself. <br><br><em>Not because I care what he thinks,</em> Sam told herself as she sucked on the tines of her fork. <em>I just don't feel like getting teased for my eating habits again...</em> It was what she was thinking, but even Sam didn't entirely believe her own attempts to convince herself. For the moment, though, she ignored the strange feeling that she cared a lot about Scott's opinion of her - there would be plenty of time to think and brood about it.<br><br>When asked what she thought of Serafew, Sam tilted her head to the side as she pondered his question, seriously thinking of what she knew of her new home thus far. "I'm sorry," she murmured, hiding a small smile when he mentioned that their tour that day had only been halfway completed. She folded her hands on the table, wiping a corner of her mouth absently with her fingers. "Please fill me in on the cases tomorrow morning, then. But of Serafew..." Now, she leaned forward, cupping her chin in her hands, obviously considering her answer. There was little that she had yet experienced; but it was a new place, where nobody knew of her past... and for Sam, that was really all that she had wanted, moving here.<br><br>"It's a beautiful place, Serafew," she finally answered, a smile on her face. Her gaze was clear and bright as she stared across the table at Scott, with only a lingering sadness visible on her face. "All of the other detectives seem very kind and accepting," she thought out loud, completely oblivious to the fact that all of them saw her as a woman, and not a detective, "And Captain Leavitt really did place me with someone who can guide me through my first months as a detective," she chuckled, blushing when she remembered the Captain's words to her. She hadn't quite known who she was up against at the time, but now she did.<br><br><em>"We don't have any female detectives in our precinct right now, so I hope you're comfortable with men, and lots of them. Over half of them need girlfriends or wives to keep them in line, but..." Captain Leavitt beckoned for Sam to stand as he came around the table and ruffled her hair. "Scott doesn't have a partner at the moment. He's very responsible and trustworthy, and he's very level-headed and steady. And..." The Captain smiled, smoothing the girl's hair down, as if she were his own daughter. He didn't have any children, but he did have a niece around Sam's age. He couldn't even think of how he would feel if his niece had endured what Sam had, and was greatly impressed by her maturity, and how at peace she was with herself. "Scott will take care of you, and unlike the other guys, he won't pursue you. He might be a bit gruff at first, but I think you two will do well together as partners."</em><br><br>Sam couldn't help but smother a laugh as she recalled the conversation, but shook her head at Scott's inquiring look and raised brow. "For the most part, I think I will love it here. It's a bit different than San Diego, to be sure, but... it's quite lovely here," she finally said with some finality, deciding it might not be a good idea to elaborate on the conversation that she remembered. And it was only now that she really blushed, quite embarrassed, but feeling that it was very necessary for her to say, for both of their sakes. "And my partner at work seems very firm with his career, though he is very understanding of having to take care of his rookie partner's inexperience," she murmured, lowering her eyes. "I will look forward to your guidance, Scott, so I'll thank you in advance for helping me if I have trouble."<br><br>Once she had said her piece, Sam stood up abruptly, a small smile curling her lips. "I think though, that it is getting a bit late... I should really be heading home."<br><br>"Do you want to drop by the precinct first?" Scott asked. Sam looked at him, startled, then realized that she really did need to go back to the precinct before she went home. "Ah... yes, I should. I left my suitcase there, and they're the only unpacked and cleaned clothes I have for work right now," Sam mused. She extended her hand so she could shake Scott's hand, professionally, then made as if to leave on her own. "I'll be heading first then - I'll see you tomorrow morning, Scott," she said cheerfully, clearly intending to walk back to the precinct and then go home herself. But when he insisted... well, Sam wasn't so stubborn that she would refuse a ride, and simultaneously save herself a taxi fare...<br><br>Back at the precinct, Sam waved to Gloria as she made her way into the office. She smiled and greeted the other detectives as she walked into the office, missing the fact that the other detectives took a second glance when they saw her with her hair in lovely disarray, and unbound - the only difference in her outfit from her departure earlier that day. She spoke to the Captain briefly over some formalities - all of her equipment, including badge, gun, and holster, would be available to her the next day - and received some paperwork, before he bid her a farewell. She ignored some of the suggestive looks and comments, merely smiling and making her goodbyes as she left to collect her suitcase, and soon enough she and Scott were driving down the road again, this time for her new home in Serafew Heights - more popularly known as The Towers to citygoers. Though Sam insisted the entire way that she could just take a taxi there, Scott insisted that there was no need for her to take a taxi when he was perfectly capable of driving her home. "It would just be a waste of money," he informed her, and that was the end of that - nothing Sam said could seem to convince him that she could find her own way home, so she finally just gave up and allowed him to drive her home.<br><br>They finally arrived at the Towers. Sam glanced over at Scott, thought about asking him to drop her off in front of the building, then rolled her eyes and thought better of it - if her experiences that day were any indication, he wouldn't drive her all the way here only to drop her off. She directed him into the parking garage and into a visitors' spot, before leading the way into the building's lobby. The entire front lobby spoke of subtle luxury and elegance; marble-covered counters and vases of exotic flowers brightened the understated, neutral colors of the front hall. Sam was quiet as she collected her keys from the receptionist, then made her way to the locked double glass-doors that gave access to the elevators up the building. She entered her passcode into the small keypad and intercom stand, walking through when the doors opened, but was more than surprised when Scott followed.<br><br>"I can go up on my own, you know... the building is entirely safe!" She informed him, though Sam couldn't help smiling at his courtesy. The entire elevator-ride up to the fortieth floor was silent, since Sam didn't make any effort to converse, quite comfortable with their silence. On the fortieth floor, there was only one set of doors in the entire hallway: the doors leading into Sam's flat. She tried out the lock - a key that looked old-fashioned, but had electronic chips embedded inside to unlock her place's security system - and sighed in relief when she heard the locks tumble and the door click so she could open it. She opened it just enough to slide her suitcase in; inside, only boxes and a few pieces of furniture could be seen (from what Sam could remember, her Queen-size mattress was still sheet-less and naked in her room). She turned to Scott, taking a deep breath before extending her hand. "Okay... I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she asked with a small, grateful smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>11-06-2008, 22:22:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott smiled down at her once they reached her door, noticing well that it was the only door on the floor. He waited for her to unlock the door, seeing as it was quite possibly her first time inside (he was not aware of her prior visit). If the door didn't open, she might need a place to stay, after all. He breathed a soft sigh of relief, like she did, when the door opened and she slipped halfway inside. *Yes Sam, I will see you tomorrow then." He turned after a moment and called the elevator, thankful it was still there and he didn't have to wait for a minute or more until the thing came back. He glanced back over his shoulder, giving one last smile to Sam, before stepping into the elevator and letting the doors close.<br><br>His drive back home was rather uneventful, but he wasted no time committing the passcode she had used to enter the building to his memory. He didn't really have plans of using the code for anything, but in case he needed it, it would be good to have it. He kept thinking about how peaceful she had looked, snuggled into the blanket on his bed. He shook away his thoughts as he got out of his car and made his way back up to his condo. It didn't take long for him to get ready for bed and fall asleep; tomorrow was going to be a long day.<br><br><div align="center"> * * * </div><br>The alarm buzzed loudly, jarring him from his restful slumber. He gave a low grumble as he rolled and pushed the off button. His body threatened to fall asleep on him again if he didn't move, so he slowly crawled out of bed and pushed his way into the bathroom. He was shaking off sleepiness as he turned the shower on, stripping out of the clothing he slept in and getting into the hot stream of water from his shower. By the time he was done getting himself clean for the day, he was much more awake.<br><br>He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He wrapped the towel around himself to protect from the chill air inside his condo once he was a bit dryer. He gazed into the fogged reflection of himself in the mirror, brushing his fingers up through his hair to get it to lay right and then set about brushing his teeth. Now that the various morning chores were done, he shook his head and went back into his room to get dressed. It didn't take long before he was dressed and ready to leave, despite it still being dark outside. He took a glance out onto his balcony, smiling warmly at the sight of the moon sinking down onto the horizon. A little while longer and the moon would be out of sight.<br><br>He wandered out into the kitchen to start preparing his breakfast, dropping two eggs into a frying pan and mixing them up, adding some cheese to the mix as it cooked. He grabbed a little Everglades Seasoning, adding it to the cooking mixture of scrambled cheese eggs and then thought about lunch. Sam probably wouldn't have anything to eat, so Scott thought it would be best to bring her something special. <br><br>He quickly pulled another pot down from the cabinet and filled it with water. He turned another burner on and put it on the stove, adding salt until the water was a little cloudy. He mixed it quietly as the water heated up, grabbing a spoon and taking a small sip of the water, smiling at the taste. "Just like the sea, as mom used to put it." He chuckled a little at the thought and shook his head, going back to his breakfast to mix the egg mixture to prevent it from burning.<br><br>He took a quick trip out to his balcony, gazing over the little garden of fresh herbs he cultivated. He plucked several leaves from his basil plant, knowing how resilient it was, he didn't worry at all about leaving it somewhat bared, before going back inside and to the kitchen. He put the leaves on the counter before pulling the pan of eggs off the stove, grabbing a plate and sliding his breakfast onto it. He set the plate aside to cool slightly as he rinsed the pan and set it in the sink. He would have to load the dishwasher later...<br><br>He turned his attention back to his future lunch. He opened the cabinet again, pulling down his food processor, a favorite tool of his in the past few months. He made sure each piece was rinsed carefully before he assembled it and plugged it in. He glanced back at the water, seeing that it was almost boiling. A little grin spread across his face as he thought about how Sam's face would light up if he was right about her not having lunch today. He quickly turned his attention back to his work, rinsing the basil leaves thoroughly and adding them to the food processor. He turned, opening the fridge and pulled out the mix of grated Romano and Parmesan cheese, spooning several scoops on top of the leaves. Satisfied, he returned the cheese to the fridge. <br><br>He went back to fishing through the cabinets, pulling down some extra virgin olive oil, a few cloves of fresh garlic (peeling them quickly), and a little ziplock bag of pine nuts. He added the various ingredients to the mix before turning it on and watching everything chop and mix together into a fine paste. Once properly mixed, he turned it off and tasted it before adding a little more oil and garlic to flavor it just right. Before mixing it again, he pulled some angel hair pasta down from the cabinet and added it to the now boiling water, to get that started while he finished the sauce he would use.<br><br>While he waited for the pasta to cook, he turned to his breakfast and ate quickly, savoring each deliciously cheesy bite. It wasn't long before he finished eating and went back to preparing lunch. As everything began to finish up, he filled a little tupperware container with the basil pesto sauce and another larger container with the pasta, which had been ice bathed moments after he figured it was done, just to cool it quickly so it could be stored properly for lunch. He piled all of the dishes into the dishwasher and closed it so it could have everything clean by the time he got home.<br><br>Scott went back into his room and grabbed his gun from the safe in his closet. Although he didn't have anyone who could potentially pick it up and hurt themselves with, he strongly believed in gun safety. He fitted the harness that holstered his gun at his chest over his shoulders, getting comfortable with it, and then slipped his jacket on overtop to cover it from view. He fitted his badge into place at his belt, and then went back to pick up both containers of food and head to work. The drive there being just as uneventful as the drive had been home last night. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad day afterall?
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>13-06-2008, 16:32:36</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				After Scott left, Sam turned around and took a deep breath, her attention moving to the empty flat. Most of her furniture was already in place, though the flat was still sparsely decorated; no surprise, as her last home had been much smaller than what Chase had managed to get her here in the Towers, with his connections. The most lovely parts of the flat were definitely the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedroom, bathroom, and part of the living room. It was spacious, with all the sunlights and windows in the room... Sam had big plans for the windows and balconies, where she could have her own veritable garden of plants and flowers, and inside, she could fill her ceiling with the lovely wind chimes that she so adored.<br><br>Everything in the flat, though, was still covered with sheets or protective plastic wrapping, even if they had been moved to roughly the right areas. Sam's new carpets, still rolled up in one corner of the room, would eventually give some muted, subtle color to her home; her grand piano, a gift from her constantly-working parents when she came of age, was sitting quietly in its corner of the room, where a lovely dark-blue and silver shroud hung from the ceiling to protect the instrument. She wouldn't be able to play it until the tuner came, but... its mere presence was comforting in this strange new place.<br><br>Shrugging and sighing off her apprehension, Sam flicked on the lights, smiling when the bulbs, attached to metal bars along the ceiling, and came on. Even though it was getting late, she decided it might be best to begin unpacking now: if she never started, she would continue living out of boxes and suitcases until someone else helped her to unpack.<br><br><br><br>The next morning saw Sam rising with the sun, yawning and stretching with a slight wince when she realized that she had fallen asleep on top of one of her boxes. It took a bit of stumbling as she shed her clothes on the way the bathroom (resulting in a toe stubbed against a box of books, and almost hitting her head against a misplaced shelf), but eventually, Sam found her way to her bedroom, and the connecting bathroom. She had to take a pause, standing in the doorway in only her underwear, to admire the largeness of the bathroom. Smooth, beautiful white marble covered the counters and huge tub, which was expansive for one, luxurious for two, and comfortable even for three.<br><br>Sam slipped off her underwear with a yawn as she stepped into the shower stall, waking herself with a cold shower. She shivered as she stepped under the torrent of water, tilting her head back and gently combing her fingers through her long mane of hair. Bathing and sleeping were her only vanities - she enjoyed them, and enjoyed both activities almost sinfully, though being a detective probably meant she would be having less of both than she would like in the future. <em>It's not too big a deal... Serafew seems like a lovely place, and Scott does seem like he'll make a good partner, like Captain Leavitt said he would.</em><br><br>Her thoughts wandered a bit, but emptied until she was simply enjoying the wet spray, letting her hands first wash her long hair, then soap up and rinse her body. Several times, her fingers wandered down to touch the tattoo on her hip, briefly; she traced the outline of elegant wings, then the petals of the chamomile flower nestled between them. Sam closed her eyes and smoothed back her hair, taking a deep breath to remind herself that she was really free from her past, and was no longer bound by the fallacy that she had believed was love.<br><br>When she emerged, water still dripping onto the tiled floor, Sam was drying her hair with the towel, wondering if she should take her bike to work, or take a cab. She grabbed her brush from the suitcase sitting opened on her naked mattress, and began brushing her hair, shivering as the cold drops of water slid down her bare skin. With a stiff hair accessory, Sam tied up her hair in a knot at the back of her hand, slipping in a few bobby pins here and there to keep it secure. Once she had slipped into her underwear - simple, plain black - she turned to the mirror to make sure her hair was neatly tied up. Her eyes flitted somberly to the criss-cross of angry, thin stripes along her thighs, the line across her upper chest, and the oddly-shaped marks scattered over her flat stomach. She knew without twisting to look that her back was similarly adorned as her upper thighs were. All those scars were from bursts of anger, before Andrew had learned how to beat her without leaving marks. For a few seconds, she stared at herself in the mirror, her fingers trembling slightly, still sifting through her hair as she tucked back a few loose strands and pinned them securely to her head. It would take a long time for some of the scars to fade, and some, like the horse-whip marks, never would.<br><br><em>But it's in the past, you know...</em> Sam told herself, shaking her head as she turned away to dress for the day. She had changed her last name, moved across the country, and become someone stronger and more self-empowered than before - he couldn't find her here, and he couldn't hurt her again.<br><br>Forty minutes later, Sam was parking her Yamaha Fazer (http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9058/2008yamahafz6dov2.jpg) in the underground parking lot underneath the precinct station, greeting the other cops and detectives with a cheery smile as she removed her bike gear. She had to fight her amused smile when she saw the shock or surprised looks on their faces - they definitely didn't expect to see the pretty face underneath the helmet! - and hurried to the stairs, glancing at her watch to make sure she still had enough time to eat her leftover fried rice (leftovers from two nights ago). <em>Twenty minutes!</em> Sam thought with relief, dropping off her duffel bag and extra clothes into the locker. She was already digging into the small bento container and savoring the delicately-flavored rice when she strolled into the squadroom, nearly choking when she saw Scott already sitting in his seat.<br><br>Swallowing hurriedly (and nearly choking on her food a second time), Sam hesitated shyly, then smiled, her eyes shining with gratitude as she wished him a good morning. "You're here early, Scott. Do you always make it a point to arrive before the shift starts?" She inquired, before continuing to devour her breakfast.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>24-06-2008, 12:58:54</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott had never really been one to eat breakfast. The summer days were too hot to put too much heavy food into his stomach without having his stomach turn when he was outside in the heat. Lunch, however, was what he looked forward to. When he got to the precinct and immediately went to put away the pesto and the pasta that he had made for lunch, he wasn't really surprised to see the beat cops showing up from their overnight shift. He glanced about the floor, looking to see if Sam had gotten here yet and grinned a little when she wasn't. Maybe she would give him something to tease her about afterall.<br><br>He didn't have to wait long while he went over the files that he planned to go over with Sam. Soon the night cops were off duty and the dayshift had started, the squad room emptying out minutes before a few detectives arrived, Sam close behind. He smiled when she didn't see him at first as she went to her locker room, waiting for her to come out to nod in greeting. He had an example to set for her, and he intended to make it a good one. "Actually I do. I've been thinking about a case, we're rather close to an arrest on one and I wanted to catch you up to speed. I figured I would get here a little early to go over the evidence again so that I could brief you properly."<br><br>Scott shifted his weight as he opened the case file again, turning it to present it to her. When she sat down, he started going over the details. "Murder and rape. Seventeen year old girl raped. Mother, father, and the younger brother killed. The perp left the parents and brother alive to watch while he raped her, then killed them in front of her. Really sick individual. I think he planned to kill the girl too, but something must have scared him off. We got DNA from the rape kit, but the guy isn't in the system. Our victim, Sasha, is still in the hospital, too scared to go home. The state is going to place her into foster care soon, but for now she is still recovering." He gazed up at her a moment, halting just long enough to let the details sink in.<br><br>His eyes went back to the folder as he flipped the page over, showing a picture of a younger hispanic man. "Perp is Enrique Rodriguez. He graduated from Serafew High last year, two years ahead of Sasha. She thinks it was him, said his voice sounded familiar. Witness places someone roughly his build leaving the home around the time of the crime. Neighbors have Enrique coming around their house, yelling and screaming about not being able to see Sasha, apparently the family wasn't happy with it. We haven't gotten a whole lot of information from the girl. We'll find out by lunchtime if Michaels was able to get us a warrant for Rodriguez."<br><br>Scott shifted his gaze back up and away from Sam, nodding to another detective as he entered. Captain Leavitt was still in his office, having just sent off the street cops for the day. With a few minutes left before the official start of the day and several detectives still missing, Scott didn't really think that the Captain would start yet. When he looked back to Sam, his expression turned serious, "Serafew isn't a pretty town from this end sometimes. We do what we can to keep the trash off the streets, but sometimes it gets ugly. We just have to do our best to make sure that we get these guys off the street."<br><br>He wasn't entirely sure what notion Sam had been given before she got to Serafew. He didn't know what she had been told, what she expected, or even what she wanted from Serafew. What he did know was that this wasn't a case that he wanted to start her off on. With any luck, though, Michaels would have their warrant by lunch time so that Scott could show her an arrest and show her that sometimes justice does work. Sometimes they would get to help people. He really hoped that she wasn't going to get scared away on her first day, but his fill in partner hadn't been much help in pressing Michaels for that warrant. Luckily, as a few more detectives arrived, including the normally late Garcia, Captain Leavitt exited his office and took a look around. Seeing as most everyone was here already, he stepped out of his office, looking a little grim.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>02-08-2008, 15:27:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Listening intently from the chair next to his desk, Sam nodded after important points during his debriefing, glancing quickly through the file to glean the important facts of the case. Sasha was just barely an adult, with a very youthful face, and she looked it from her picture, where she stared blankly at the camera, a haunted and numb look on her face. Sam continued to listen, though she flipped through the pictures of the victim's injuries, going still when she saw the hand-shaped bruises around the girl's neck, hips, and legs.<br><br>Shaking off a shiver, Sam continued to the other side of the folder, which contained more paperwork and pictures. There was a photo of the suspect - a high school graduation photo, very likely from the yearbook - and he was smiling with roguish charm, looking altogether harmless. Sam wondered if he was, staring hard at the picture for a few seconds before she returned the case file to Scott. Though she continued to eat, slower now that she was sitting down, the irregular pace of her chewing and her intent eyes were indication enough of where her thoughts lay.<br><br>"This suspect, Rodriguez, looks pretty good for the perp, though that can only be confirmed once we have him in custody," Sam finally said after she swallowed a mouthful of her breakfast. "These other witness accounts of his comings and goings are pretty damning though - and if it was this guy, I wonder what it was that blew his fuse," the young woman mused aloud, her brows furrowing as she ran through some possibilities. None of them were worth mentioning at the moment; she had only cursory details of the case, and had no idea what the situation was. "Hopefully we can find out more after we question him... and you were thinking of questioning Sasha again, I'm guessing?"<br><br>Her mind whirring away, throwing out possibilities for Rodriguez's behavior, Sam suddenly remembered his comment about the warrant. "You sound almost worried about the warrant, Scott. Is there some reason that the judge won't grant it to us?" She asked with a bewildered frown. "The facts, from what you've told me, sound solid enough. There's no established motive yet, but he seems to have had the opportunity, and he'll certainly be able to tell us <em>something</em>-"<br><br>Her sentence was cut off by Captain Leavitt's door opening. Sam almost stood, about to ask him a question, but her voice died off at his grim expression. Uncertainty clouding her face, she was deciding whether to voice a tentative good morning when the Captain cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.<br><br>"You've all been briefed on the Lopez double-murder case, but we have a problem. The hospital just called - our victim, Sasha Lopez, has gone missing from the hospital, and nobody, <em>nobody</em> seems to know how or when this even happened. Seeing as how she was scared to death of leaving her room, let alone the hospital, we will from now assume that this was a kidnap by our most likely suspect, Rodriguez. Williams, Garcia - contact the DA's office, and put a rush on that warrant. You two, and you two-" The captain shot out orders like a well-oiled machine gun, pointing to corners of the precinct office and rattling off instructions and observations that left Sam more than a little impressed. The whole room, sleepy and quiet only half a minute before, was now bustling with activity, as detectives neatened up their uniforms and made for cars, phones, and flipped through witness statements and pictures with speed enough that even a falcon might envy. Finally, their esteemed leader shifted his eyes to them.<br><br>"Scott, Sam - I want you at that hospital interviewing staff, nurses, patients, and security tapes, and find out what the hell happened." Captain Leavitt looked harassed and no little grim, a far cry from the jovial captain from the day before. And no wonder - this was a high-profile case, and once the press got wind of this very unfortunate turn of events, they would be at the police like dogs on a fresh bone. Once that happened, police politics would get involved, and there would be even more pressure from the top, and the situation could only become infinitely more complicated.<br><br>Even sensing his imminent doom by journalists hungry for a scoop, Captain Leavitt remembered to beckon to the newly-partnered pair to come into his office, giving Garcia a bark to hurry his ass out of the office when he caught him staring. Once the pair was inside his office, he handed Sam her equipment - her holster, firearm, badge, and ID.<br><br>"I'll see to it that all of your paperwork will be processed within the hour, so you'll have no problem working this case. You know what to look for," the captain said, giving a nod to Scott. "Scott can brief you on the way to the hospital - now, we'll see if Inspector Blake thought right to recommend you here. Get going - I hope you can give me an update on this mess soon," he said with a grimace, before waving them out.<br><br>Given the cue, Sam nodded curtly and shrugged into the holster, shoving firearm securely into place before pulling on a light jacket. To be honest, it was too hot for a jacket, but they would need the professional appearance today. ID and badge were shoved into their appropriate places, and Sam grabbed the case file and the copy of the morning paper lying on her desk. Her breakfast was covered and stashed into one of the empty drawers, forgotten; all of her gear in hand, Sam glanced across their desks, prepared to keep up with her partner.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>BlackRose</strong> on <strong>25-09-2008, 05:44:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Scott listened quietly as his young partner voiced her opinions out loud. He was getting a fairly decent idea of how she thought and the extent of her naivety where police work was concerned when she mused about wondering what caused their suspect to blow up. For now he remained silent, he would explain a little more later when they were on their way to question Sasha. He was about to open his mouth to reply when the captain stepped out of his office and started barking orders.<br><br>Scott shifted in place, and finally sank back into his chair. He had gotten up when he first saw the Captain exit his office, preparing for the worst. He should have just stayed in his seat. He personally knew both of the officers that were supposed to be guarding their witness. There was no way that they both would have turned their back at the same time. They had posted the detail for a reason. They had used those officers for a reason. A reason that Scott wasn't entirely aware of. The crime itself happened within their precinct. The hospital was in another precinct. He had been told by his fill in partner before she was replace that the detail had been hand chosen, but that she didn't know why.<br><br>Scott narrowed his gaze at the Captain, who gave a subtle shake of his head while Sam maneuvered into her holster. He was certain that Captain Leavitt understood the nonverbal concern, but the shake of his head was all he needed for now. He would ask later when things were a little more calm. Scott needed time to sort his thoughts out anyways. He couldn't make assumptions and jump to conclusions that could ruin careers. At the same time, the life of a traumatized young woman was at stake. Scott was determined to figure it out.<br><br>He walked out of the office without so much as a word spoken and moved quickly back to their desk. "Something about this smells bad, Sam... I hope you know what you jumped into." He spoke quietly to ensure that she was the only one to hear him. He grabbed the last couple folders off his desk and put them away, picking up his note pad and sliding it into his pocket before leading the way out of the precinct and around to his car. This time he was far too distracted to afford her the chivalrous opening of her door, knowing she would just berate him for it anyways. He didn't have the time to waste here.<br><br>Unfortunately, Scott was well aware of what needed to be done. Doing it wouldn't be so bad. Pulling it off would be nearly impossible. He just hoped that everything had been done right and that this would end smoothly. He waited long enough for Sam to get seated in the passenger seat before starting the car and quickly pulling out, heading as fast as traffic would allow for the hospital. "I have a bad feeling about this Sam... A really bad feeling. I don't think that Rodriguez acted alone."<br><br>Knowing that he wouldn't get by with such a statement without offering a justifiable explanation, he continued to speak, "There was no way, looking over the details of the crime, that he could have done that by himself. Rodriguez isn't big enough, nor smart enough, to pull this off. He had help... We had no witness statements about anyone but Rodriguez, which was why I thought we would have issues with a warrant. You don't notice one person and fail to notice the others." Scott sighed and shook his head, trying to find the right wording to get his thoughts out.<br><br>When he stopped at a red light, he brought his hand up to his eyes, rubbing them as if trying to collect his thoughts. "I also don't think that the crime was what it appears to be. I think it was screwed up. Rodriguez wasn't supposed to leave Sasha alive, I don't think. In fact, if she hadn't called 911 when she did, I'm pretty sure that she would be dead. I also don't think that the rape was part of it, just a nice little bonus that was added onto the package." He grumbled under his breath as the light turned green, frustrated that it took so long. He quickly sped back up and cut off another car in an attempt at getting through traffic to get to the hospital quicker.<br><br>He glanced back over his shoulder once to make sure everything was clear before changing lanes again, then turned his voice back to Sam. "It's my gut feeling that this wasn't about Sasha at all. This was about her parents. They just got the wrong kid to do the job. Now they got the right people to finish it." Scott didn't make mention to who they was, as if he figured she would understand it without him explaining. That or, he was simply too buried in his own thoughts to think clear enough to explain every little detail to his rookie partner. "I don't think we will get much out of the hospital staff, but we'll try. My hope is resting on a friend of mine..."<br><br>He shifted his weight slightly and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. Without much effort, her pressed a quick combination of buttons and held it up to his ear. "Listen, don't talk. I need info. Sasha Lopez. Find it. Call me back with details." Just as quickly as he raised the phone to his ear, he was sliding it back away into his pocket. Without so much as a glance toward Sam, he grinned, "Informants are wonderful."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Partners in Crime (BlackRose and Caeli)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>16-11-2008, 15:58:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was too distracted trying to keep up with Scott (his longer legs gave him a definite advantage when they needed to walk, and walk fast) to notice the muggy, hot air as they stepped back outside the precinct building. Grimacing, she shifted in her jacket, which suddenly made her feel overly warm, and tried to juggle the items in her hand - a small notebook and pen she'd just barely remembered to grab off&nbsp; her desk before Scott took off, as well as the case file and morning's newspaper. It took a bit of shuffling before she managed to open the car door, especially trying to stay calm (or at least, look as if she was perfectly calm) while not dropping any of the things balanced precariously in her fingers (the notepad and pen) or squeezed between her arm and side (the case file and the newspaper).<br><br>Soon enough the car was pulling away from the precinct, with Scott driving at a speed that was just this side of legal. He wove between the cars on the morning roads as if the action was second nature to him; at the very least, he didn't even seem perturbed when a driver or two shook their fists at him from behind their car windows when he cut in or out of lanes.<br><br><em>No. This isn't the time to be impressed. Stop spacing out!</em> Samantha quickly stuffed the small notebook and pen into one of her jacket's inside pockets. And that was when Scott chose to reveal his thoughts on this seemingly horrible accident - or, as his words showed, the barest tip of something much more complicated.<br><br>Her surprise when he told her that he didn't think Rodriguez had acted alone showed clearly on her face. Samantha's jaw dropped open slightly, and she only remembered to shut it, flushing slightly, when he glanced over at her. At a loss at what to do, she opened the file in her lap again, her small fingers working quickly and flipping through the papers in the case file. Nothing. He had been the only "suspicious person" mentioned and profiled - all of the other people who had been interviewed regarding the case only ever mentioned a boyfriend. A canvas of the neighbors showed that he had been by her home often in the past weeks, normally at first, before his behavior slowly escalated to angry shouting and yelling outside her home, until people threatened to call the cops on him. Sam had only skimmed through the file, but her eye was well-used to catching important details amidst a flood of typed and handwritten documents and reports. This was no exception, even if the circumstances and situation were slightly different.<br><br>"But, Scott... the witnesses that were interviewed for this case all only ever mentioned Rodriguez-"<br><br>Before she could continue, he explained his thoughts. A mulish frown appeared on her face, but she glanced back down at the reports clipped into the file - some handwritten half-sentences and phrases here and there on the pages , but for the most part typed up, with a small stack of photos tucked inside. She flipped through some of the pictures as Scott slowed the car to a stop; she felt a little green when a polaroid showing Sasha's injuries cropped up. Sam quickly tucked it into the rest of the stack, forcing her thoughts back on track.<br><br>"Scott... if you're right, then why didn't any of the witnesses mention anything about other people? Why didn't he finish with the job? And if this double-murder and rape was really a crime aimed at the parents... well, what makes them important enough to target?" It would have been an understatement to say that she was completely confused, and lost beyond any doubt. Scott's explanations did make sense - of a sort. She wasn't as well versed in Rodriguez's background to say whether or not he'd been able to pull of the crime himself, but not enough of the other pieces in the puzzle fell together to suggest that Sasha's rape had been a cover-up or set-up to get the parents. <br><br>Sam did listen to Scott as he kept talking - part of her mind noted the rich tenor of his voice, clearly audible even as he cleanly beat a path to the hospital - but her mind was working, the gears twisting as she tried to follow her partner's line of thought. <em>Okay. Assuming he's right - why try to cover it up at all? It probably means that whoever had something against the parents, might be easily traced if they didn't disguise the murder of the parents as something else. So they needed a scapegoat to do their dirty work for them.</em><br><br>That logically led them to Rodriguez - perhaps, someone that the parents didn't approve of for their teenage daughter. But then that also begged the question - how could the masterminds behind this be so sure that Rodriguez would kill for them, instead of turning them over to the police? <em>Fear is usually enough of a motivational factor,</em> one part of her mind pointed out. <em>Or, if they're a significantly powerful group, they might easily have had information to blackmail Rodriguez with. Killing him afterward would be small potatoes to any large underground crime syndicate or group...</em><br><br><em>But none of the witnesses mentioned anything about more people. If this crime was committed by more than one person - others, including Rodriguez - why didn't Sasha mention anything when she was initially interviewed? Why didn't the neighbors see more people fleeing the scene? There were no suspicious cars or people mentioned lurking in the area,</em> Samantha realized, as she flipped through the reports and papers to confirm her thoughts. How to explain that?<br><br>She almost immediately answered herself. <em>Fear. Witnesses don't always tell the truth, or the whole truth, especially if they have reason to believe that doing such will get them silenced.</em> But...<br><br>Before Sam's thoughts could twist themselves into anymore hopeless knots, she heard a soft sliding of fabric as he shifted in his seat and returned his cell phone to his pocket. "Informants?" She asked before she could stop herself, intrigued. "I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose, but... well, Sasha's parents. What did they do that could make them a target of brutal murder? It's obvious they're being made an example of - the whole family, as a warning. Do you have any ideas, or are you hoping your informant can dig up that information?" When he didn't answer right away, Sam realized that the car had stopped - they were at the hospital. She trotted after him as he stepped out of the car, handing him the case file and straightening her blazer as they hurried towards the hospital entrance.<br><br>"Scott, wait! Aren't you going to tell me what you're thinking? I can't read minds..."
			</dd>
		</dl>
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