Finding Kate

Chapter Seven: Breathless

"You always work with Megan." Eric pointed out frowning as he looked at Speed studying him.

"Not anymore."

Speed's eyes were on me expectant. I tilted my head giving him a stoic look.

"You really think that if I switch scenes with you that it's going to turn out any better than if it was you and Megan. One of us will end up at the bottom of that ocean and I look too damn hot today for it to be me." I reminded him, still fiddling with my badge clip.

"I'll trade." Delko told Speed, who looked more than relieved. "But you owe me."

Tim squinted at Delko before rolling his eyes.

"I'll buy you a round next time we're at the bar." He offered, as a wide grin spread across Delko's face.

I closed my locker as Eric patted Speed on the shoulder.

"Glad you finally came to your senses man." Eric remarked before slipping out of the door.

Tim frowned, looking pointedly at me.

"I didn't tell him about you and Megan, he's a CSI, he probably picked it up the same way I did...Detecting." I reminded him as we drifted towards the exit.

"Yea well, that's well and truly over, and the less cases we get put on together the better." He muttered as we stepped into the lift and he pressed the button for the parking garage.

"She called the other night." I remembered hearing his voice in my half asleep state saying her name.

Speed bowed his head and nodded.

"I thought you were asleep." He commented.

"It was the only time I woke up that night." I answered honestly.

From the look on Tim's face I knew he was secretly pleased by that.

"No nightmares?" he inquired.

I shook my head with a small smile.

"Not one. My subconscious must have known I had someone watching over me." I said softly.

"Kate about the other night..." Tim drew to a halt; hand on the door to the parking garage.

I held up my hand to silence him, being careful not to betray my own emotions.

"You don't need to say anything. We both needed someone that night and it just happened to be each other. You've always been a great sense of comfort to me, there's something about you that just... You make me feel safe and I needed that."

My heart was screaming at me, telling me to shut the hell up, what was I doing? Whilst my head already knew the answer to that question. I was making this easier for him.

"So you don't have to say anything more about it. I understand it's not gonna be a regular occurrence, we weren't trying to chase the past, we were just trying to deal with the now."

"So no hard feelings because I don't want to leap head first back into a relationship with you?" Speed queried raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head.

"I'd be alarmed if you did. I did an awful thing to you back then, I can't expect you to forgive or forget, although I know you're trying." I reasoned.

Tim was staring down the corridor now.

"I'm trying Kate, I really am."

I reached out and touched his arm gently; his gaze was on my hand now.