As Kate walked up the hallway in her apartment building she
blinked in surprise as she heard a familiar sounding if rather irritated
voice. "The damn door doesn't even take messages?" Gwen complained
aloud, looking at the door angrily.
"Hey," Kate called out to her as she came around the corner,
giving her boss a smile, "the thing was chirpy and irritating, a fatal
combination."
"One of there days," the elegant Asian woman shook her head,
"I'm going to buy you a modern answering service and make you use it."
Gwen sighed as Kate walked up to her, "Could I talk to you for a
moment?"
"And here I was wondering what you were doing out here," Kate
smiled, the rangy looking young woman producing an old fashioned
key-card to unlock the door.
"You even took the voice recognition system out, too?" Gwen
blinked as she followed the sandy brown haired woman inside.
"That was a rhetorical question, right?" Kate smiled as she
waved Gwen inside, "No lectures, please, I get enough of that from
Beth." Kate walked towards the kitchen as she asked, "Do you want
something to drink?"
"Whatever you have that's cold," Gwen calmly answered. She moved
into the living room, taking a seat in one of the battered chairs. The
place wasn't bad looking, but it was rather like going back in time a
few decades.
"Here you go," Kate came in with two cans of soda, passing one
over to Gwen. She sat down in the other seat, "So what can I do for
you?"
Gwen took the can with a gracious, "Thank you." She tapped it
once, the seal clearing, then took a delicate drink. "I just wanted to
let you know you don't need to go in today," she explained, "and your
answering machine isn't working."
"Huh," Kate took a more vigorous drink of her own can, "guess
the bosses don't want us there, considering the leak. What happens if
there's an emergency?"
"I get paged," Gwen shrugged, "then we'll have to see." She took
another drink, looking up to coolly meet Kate's thoughtful gaze.
"You aren't thinking of not answering an emergency call, are
you?" Kate drawled out, a slight smile teasing her lips.
"I think the Chief needs a little reminder why I talked him into
forming the Chasers in the first place," Gwen said gravely.
"You know you're going to get in trouble," Kate pointed out,
taking a slurp of her drink and leaning back casually in her seat.
"Maybe so," Gwen shrugged, "but I've been in trouble before."
She took a drink, "The force needs us more than we need them."
Kate chuckled wickedly. "Well, if you need a spear carrier for
this little brawl," she said, "give me a call, I'll back your play."
Gwen turned the can in her hands, then took another drink. She
looked over at Kate, "Do you think I did the right thing, forming the
Chasers?"
Kate blinked, "Are you getting philosophical on me?"
"Something like that," Gwen sighed. "If the Chasers weren't
around, the freewills wouldn't be in the situation that they are, with
the threat of the police going after them hanging over their heads." She
hesitated, "And Lynn would still be alive."
Kate had the oddest look on her face, her sandy hair falling
into her eyes. "Or maybe Lynn would have gone after that killer anyway,"
she finally said softly, "and had to have done it without the training
you and I gave her."
To say that Gwen was surprised by that would be something of an
understatement. She took another drink, finishing off the can of soda
before saying, "I wouldn't have expected to hear that answer just a few
months ago."
"Your friend Alexis is a pretty good headshrinker," Kate
acknowledged. "And it helps, knowing that we got the bastard that did
it," she added.
"That we did," Gwen quietly agreed. She gave Kate a slight
smile, "We've never talked about this before, have we?"
Kate got up out of her chair, walking over to the window to look
out at the city. "I wasn't ready to talk about it before," she admitted,
"I was still too wrapped up in my pain."
"You do seem happier," Gwen noted. She smiled slightly, "Is it
because of your new friend in lowtown, or maybe a fellow officer?"
Kate fought back a blush as she replied with as much dignity as
she could muster, "I don't know what you're talking about." She looked
back at Gwen and smirked, "And are you and Alexis getting back
together?"
Gwen laughed softly, "No, I don't think so." She paused, a
slight smile appearing on her face as she continued, "I think we're
becoming friends."
"You weren't before?" Kate asked, noticing that Gwen was out of
soda. She retrieved two more cans, carrying them back over to where she
sat.
"We were just ex-lovers," Gwen shook her head firmly, "there was
a period of time when we weren't even talking."
"You almost sound like Jen and her ex," Kate noted, sitting down
across from her as she put the drinks down. "So you're not seeing
anyone?" she asked.
"No," Gwen said, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. 'I have
been noticing someone lately, but I am not telling you that,' she
thought.
"Too bad," Kate said as a soft knock came on the door. She got
up to her feet with a scowl, "What is this? This is the most visitors
I've had in weeks."
The door swung open, and Jen blinked up at her in surprise. "Ah,
hi," the pretty blonde smiled, "I was trying to get a hold of you, but
there was no answer."
Kate smiled wryly, "So you had to come all the way over here?"
Not waiting for an answer she stepped aside to let her by, "Come on in,
join the party."
"Party?" Jen repeated, taking a hesitant step inside the
apartment. She saw Gwen sitting there and stiffened slightly, "Ma'am!"
"It's Gwen," the elegantly dressed Asian woman reminded her. She
smiled, picking up her can, "Besides, we're all off duty here."
"Sorry, Gwen," Jen blushed faintly. She stood there hesitantly a
moment, taking in Gwen's clearly relaxed posture. She looked over at
Kate, "I guess I came over at a bad time."
"No, no," Kate shook her head, "we were just talking."
"You're certainly welcome to join us," Gwen offered, holding up
a can of soda.
Jen looked between Kate and Gwen, then she walked back to the
door. "Maybe I'll catch up with you at work," she said to Kate. She
looked over to Gwen, "And I got your message not to go in tomorrow,
thanks." With that, she was out the door and gone.
"What was that about?" Kate blinked, standing there looking
clearly confused.
Gwen sighed, "I think Jen may have jumped to certain
conclusions." At Kate's continued confusion she elaborated, "I mean,
about why I'm here in your apartment."
Kate looked at her in shock, "What?!"
Gwen couldn't help it, the stunned look on Kate's face was just
priceless. She giggled softly, chuckled, then finally began to laugh
aloud. Kate kept a dour look on her face for awhile, then she began to
see the humor in the situation, too.
"Sorry," Gwen managed to get her laughter under control, wiping
at the tears in her eyes.
"It's okay," Kate conceded, "it is pretty funny, in a twisted
sort of way." She flopped back down in her seat, "Wonder how I'm going
to explain this tomorrow?"
"Tell her the truth," Gwen advised with a smile, "that you and
your friend were talking and having something to drink, and that's all."
"Jen probably won't believe it, though," Kate noted.
"That's not my fault," Gwen shrugged. She finished her second
can off, then got up to stretch, "I'd better get going, before I get you
in trouble again."
"Not a problem," Kate said quite seriously as she walked Gwen to
the door. "If you do need to get in trouble with the Chief," she
reminded Gwen of their earlier conversation, "I'll back your play."
"Thanks," Gwen smiled at her, "that means a lot."
"Nah," Kate waved her hand casually before she flashed Gwen a
sudden grin, "I just love being in the middle of a good fight."
Gwen stepped out into the hallway, then looked back at her.
"There isn't anyone who I'd rather have watching my back," she said
simply. With that she strode down the hall, leaving a thoughtful Kate
leaning against the doorway.
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