February 5^th, 2017. 10:22pm.

“What do you think?” Alex asked once the door was closed, her voice hushed.

Greg looked at the door, thoughtful. “I don’t know.”

“He’s an unusual predator if he’s guilty of what we think he is.” Alex grimaced. Only in textbooks had she seen a predator that crossed age lines so quickly. She glanced at the clock, shock jolting her. Katy was due to get off work in thirty minutes, and Alex had driven her there.

“Go take care of Katy.” Greg waved a hand at her.

Alex looked back at him, a frown on her face. Was that a dismissal?

“The media’s going to be after her,” Greg said. “You’re better off there.”

“Do you need anything else from me?” Alex asked, still a bit rankled at being dismissed.

Greg glanced at the clock. “I’ll keep working on him,” Greg promised. “If we come up with anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Katy’s statement didn’t mention seeing anyone around, but I’ll double-check with her.” Alex grabbed an empty folder and put together a pseudo case file, one which had room for her notes and a few relevant photos.

“Sounds good.” Greg nodded to her and then turned to another officer who was now standing next to him. Grabbing her case file, Alex turned and left the department.

She stood at the door of her SUV, something creepy hitting her. It was that tingling feeling between her shoulder blades, as if someone was watching her from somewhere she couldn’t see. Uneasy despite all of her training, she looked around, scanning the nearby areas.

There was nothing. But there were so many places that someone could hide, the fact she couldn’t see anything in the immediate area didn’t mean she wasn’t being watched.

She forced herself to take a deep breath and got in the car, ignoring the prickling sensation of fear as it slid up her spine when she sat in the empty car. The stupid horror movies she had watched when she was a kid flitted through her mind.

Someone hiding in the backseat, armed with a knife or a gun or—

Despite her best efforts, Alex checked. There was nothing back there.

Alex 0, Horror Movies 1.

“I’m ridiculous,” Alex muttered, distracting herself by shifting the car into gear and starting to drive out of the parking lot. She was ridiculous, and she knew it. FBI Agents weren’t supposed to be spooked by mysterious nothings in cars.

At least the hospital wasn’t that far away, even if she didn’t speed as fast this time. Katy would be almost done, Alex wouldn’t have to wait long. Her heart hurt as the little boy flashed into her mind. How could Katy handle it? Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she’d be screwed up after her shift.

Shit. Should Alex have gotten her some alcohol? She wasn’t allowed to have any (on duty, and all) but maybe Katy needed some.

Woah there. She reined herself in, dragging her attention back to the drive. What was wrong with her?

Unfortunately, she knew the answer. Or she had an inkling, anyway. She was a grownup, she knew what it was like to have a crush on someone. To be interested in them, beyond just wanting to have sex with them. And she was interested in Katy Sommers. Which wasn’t allowed. Of all the people to be interested in, there were few worse. Maybe her supervisor, but considering her supervisor was 53 and a man, that wasn’t likely.

She parked her SUV as close to the ER as she could and headed inside. Instead of flashing her ID, she asked to talk to the nursing supervisor and was quickly let inside without problems. If someone was there stalking Katy, trying to get more information, the last thing she wanted was to alert them to her presence.

Shit. The press conference. She sighed. She and Greg hadn’t had a chance to talk about that. She would have to call him later, once she and Katy were home.

To Katy’s home, not hers. With the quiet little room that was held back in time.

“Hey.” Katy’s voice caught her off guard. She had come out of a room when Alex had walked by, almost walking straight into her.

“Almost done?” Alex asked, cringing when her voice was a bit too cheerful. But Katy didn’t seem bothered. Instead her lips curved into a faint smile and she nodded.

“I have two patients to give reports on, then I’m done.” Katy took her gloves off and shot them into the biohazard bin.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Alex winked at her, and Katy smiled. It wasn’t even her usual tired smile, it was a genuine one.

One that made Alex’s stomach do a flip.

Yeah, nope. She dragged her mind away from that. Priorities. Missing kid. Case.

Once Katy went to bed, Alex was going to spend all night reviewing the case files and guarding the house. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had tried to break into a house that had recently experienced trauma. If anything, robbers and other unsavory types tended to view them as easy targets, whether or not someone was still living there.

“Ready?” Katy popped out of nowhere.

“How’d you know I was back here?” Alex turned to look at her. Katy was dressed in her street clothes, the jeans and t-shirt with a jacket she wore in the chilly Phoenix evenings.

“It’s hard for the nurses to miss the tall woman who looks like she’s glaring at everyone,” Katy said dryly.

There was a lilt to her voice that she hadn’t heard earlier. Maybe working, the time away from the house and the reporters, was good for her. Maybe she needed that more often. Even when it was attached to a trauma case. “I try not to glare,” Alex muttered. It was just sort of how her face looked. Something she was resigned to, that was for sure.

When she turned and looked at Katy, there were flickers of exhaustion on her face. Despite her upbeat mood, there was a bone-deep exhaustion that came from being on guard for three years. Alex just wanted to make it better, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to.

Without saying anything, they walked to the SUV and got in, and Alex started the drive home. This time she didn’t feel the need to check for anyone scary in the back. Katy brought a security Alex didn’t always feel on her own.

“Home sweet home,” Katy muttered wryly when she caught sight of the people sitting at the edge of her driveway.

“You’d think they would have given up by now.” Alex sighed, slowly pulling the car up the driveway and honking any time someone got too close. It wasn’t the most neighbor-friendly thing to do, but neither was stalking the mother of a missing child.

In retrospect, Alex would have been smarter if she had placed her bag with her in the front seat. Instead, she gestured for Katy to go inside while she went to the trunk and grabbed her go-bag and the files.

Of course, there were the requisite microphones and cameras shoved in her face. She smiled politely, nodded, and got out of there as fast as she could. She gave them the standard dismissal, able to see the frustration in their eyes. Despite the late hour they weren’t going to give up that easily.

Dropping her bag off by the front door, Alex took the case notes up to her bedroom - the guest bedroom. It was across the hall from Katy’s, and even though Alex didn’t plan to sleep, she wanted to be close to Katy when she did.

Just in case, you know. Something happened. And not for any other reason.

“I made coffee!” Katy’s voice traveled up the stairs. “And reheated pizza for dinner.”

Alex let out a relieved sigh, then hopped down the stairs so fast she almost tripped herself. It was only, like, her fourth cup of the day. She was practically in caffeine withdrawal.

“So it’s true about feds and coffee?” Katy asked over her mug, watching Alex with amused eyes as she sorted the pizza onto two plates.

“Of course.” Alex grinned. “It runs through our veins.” They stood there for a while in silence, just looking at each other, something in the air that made Alex’s heart thrum.

“Is there someone back home missing you?” Katy asked the question nonchalantly, as if the answer didn’t matter.

Alex swallowed and almost choked on her coffee, coughing. “Nope,” she finally managed. “You?”

Katy looked around the house with a sad smile. “No.”

Alex was careful to make sure that the coffee went down the right tube this time, and it was just the right heat. You know, to blame for the flush on her cheeks. Yup.

It was then that Alex was aware how close they were, Alex leaning back against the counter and Katy leaning against the island, only separated by a few feet. It was suddenly not enough room and too much all at the same time.

Alex was the one who stood, her body suddenly ignoring all of the commands she attempted to give it. She took a half-step closer, then another, until she was close enough to Katy that she could touch her if she wanted to without having to move more than a few inches.

She wasn’t thinking, she was just feeling. She was so tired, her mind all over the place, and all she wanted to do was escape. Katy offered that escape, Alex could see it in her eyes.

A soft thunk echoed as Alex placed her mug on the island. Katy was holding hers further down now, her eyes locked on Alex’s. Alex’s heart was racing now, and her palms felt sweaty. What was she thinking? What was she doing?

She wasn’t thinking, that was for sure.

She leaned forward, wrapping one arm around Katy’s waist and drawing her closer, ignoring the bite of the mug as it hit her sternum. Her body was pressed against Katy’s, her warmth a solid line against her. The adrenaline that Alex had been craving was building up, and all she wanted to do was just kiss her and forget everything.

“We shouldn’t do this.” It took Alex a moment to recognize her own voice.

Katy shrugged. “No one has to know.” Her gaze flickered to Alex’s lips, then back to her eyes.

Alex swallowed thickly, the decision hanging in the air between them.

Hating herself for multiple reasons, she pulled back, picking up the coffee and putting herself back against the counter. Katy watched her, curiosity there. “I’m… not saying no,” Alex said slowly, carefully.

Katy smiled faintly, but she didn’t say anything, instead she picked up her pizza and headed into the living room. Alex wasn’t far behind her.

Oddly, it didn’t feel awkward. It felt like just another night for the two of them, like no matter what problems lay ahead, things would work themselves out as long as they worked at it.

It was so not what Alex needed. But it was what she wanted.

She was so fucked.