Keefer stared out the window on the subway in thought. Sheridan had sounded so strange during their last phone call and she didn't know what to make of it. In the past, when Danni sounded like Sheridan did, she was hiding something, and the something usually wasn't good. The brunette's stomach ached with nerves. She didn't want to think bad things, but ever since Sheridan mentioned a secret, Keefer had been nervous. She trusted Sheridan; at least she thought she did. Why do I feel like this if I trust her? She wouldn't hurt me... would she? The tall woman frowned at herself. This is ridiculous. Sheridan is allowed to have secrets. God knows she's not Danni. I really love Sheridan, with every part of me. I trust her. Keefer stood up with an air of confidence, even though there was that tiny, little bit of doubt still in her mind. She looked out of the window as the city passed by and sighed. I love her, and I trust her, she thought again with a determined nod of her head.

The conductor bellowed over the loudspeaker that the train was going to skip some stops as it went express and the tall woman smiled. She really wanted to get home and this was a good thing. Arriving at her house earlier than usual, Keefer stepped on the porch and looked around in confusion. "What?" she asked out loud as she spotted the cover to the barbeque on the floor, the grill missing and the charcoal burning. Her brows furrowed as she noticed the potatoes, covered with all sorts of insects eating their fill. Keefer was puzzled and put her ear to the door; she heard Sheridan's muted cursing. She stepped back and thought for a second, letting her gaze wander over the cooking utensils on the side of the grill, and the strange cat eating an ear of corn. A chuckle escaped her and she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't begin guffawing out loud. She tiptoed over to the window and peeked in, but was unable to get a clear view of the kitchen except for the doorway.İWhen she saw her lover running back and forth in front of the doorway with a scowl on her face, she had to run away for fear of divulging her presence.

Keefer stifled another laugh. It was painfully apparent that Sheridan had been attempting to cook dinner and failed miserably. The doubt that had previously tickled her senses disappeared quickly, to be replaced by a warm, loving feeling. She had the urge to run inside and hold her lover; she felt oddly protective, but she knew Sheridan's personality would not allow her to do this. A second cat came upon the first one and the first one growled. Keefer snickered. What could have gone wrong? She must know how to use a grill! She put her ear to the door and heard the water running, and decided it was a good time to sneak in. She entered quietly, which was easy since the door was unlocked and Fifi could usually hear her keys a mile away. She snuck towards the kitchen and saw the grill in the sink, steam billowing from it as the water hit the hot metal. Sheridan was holding a humongous rawhde bone in front of Fifi.

"See this yummy, delicious, juicy bone?" The construction worker allowed Fifi to lick it and the dog's tail wagged furiously, then Sheridan took it away and held it over her head. "Well, it's going to stay up here," she put it on top of the fridge and the dog's tail fell down, "until you apologize for eating the corn." Fifi laid down and sulked.

Keefer bit her lip. Fifi would do anything for an ear of corn and Sheridan must have found that out the hard way. The blonde turned towards the sink and stabbed what appeared to once be meat with a fork.

"Stupid steak. Shoulda took her to a restaurant," she groused as she tossed the steak in the garbage. "To think, I thought I could be romantic," she pouted. "I'm such a loser. The guys were right."

Keefer frowned and backed out of the house as quietly as she had entered. She sat in a chair on the porch and thought about what to do. Letting Sheridan know she was here now would devastate the construction worker. Keefer pursed her lips in thought and then smiled. She stood up and shook her head. Bless her heart, poor thing. I'll fix it. She walked a few blocks away and stopped at a pay phone to call Sheridan. She told her lover that her train went out of service and she was waiting for another one to arrive and that she'd be about a half hour late. That should give her enough time. Keefer's belly rumbled. Barbeque would have been good. She smiled. I bet she never did that before for anyone. The thoughts of which warmed Keefer's heart. The inspector could hear the tremendous relief in her lover's voice when she ended that phone call and she wondered what Sheridan was going to do.

The tall woman settled on a bench in the park and pulled her "subway" book from her bag. She doesn't have to try and impress me... I'll have to bring that up sometime. For now, though, I'll just wait.

Usually, if Keefer was going to be late or was stuck somewhere, Sheridan was in her car and on the way as soon as she hung up the phone. However, this time, immediately after hanging up the phone with Keefer, the blonde called the local diner and ordered two dinners as fast as possible. She did a victory dance before returning to her clean up duties. "A half-hour Feefs! We got time!"

Keefer closed her book and smiled. She couldn't concentrate on the story -- Sheridan kept popping into her head. Her blonde lover was so full of surprises, and she couldn't wait to see what was in store for her when she got home again.

Sheridan ran around like a chicken without a head -- she took the trash outside to leave no evidence of her disaster, and had moments to spare as she sped to the diner to pick up her order. She tipped the host rather generously for helping her out and hurried back to the house. She faltered a bit as she approached the door, suddenly worried that Keefer may have already come home. She rang the bell and Fifi started barking; she waited a little longer before putting her key in the door and letting herself in.

The tall woman was very surprised to find her house smelling the way it did when she got back. It no longer smelled like charred meat and smoke, but like food. Mouth-watering food. Her stomach let its emptiness be known the minute she closed the door behind her. Fifi was lounging on the living room floor, gnawing happily on the big bone and Keefer smiled at Sheridan's punishment tactics. "Hey, I'm home. What smells so good?" she asked as she tossed her bag on the couch.

"Hiya, babe."

Sheridan suddenly appeared by Keefer's side and the tall inspector leaned down for a kiss. Her lover was sweaty and nervous and Keefer felt bad. She wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and hugged her silly, burying her face in the damp neck. "Mmm, you smell sweaty, what have you been doing?"

"You'll never know if you keep breathing on my neck."

Keefer laughed and stood back. "Why does it smell so damned good in here?" she asked as she entered the bathroom to wash her hands, Sheridan right behind her.

"I tried to make dinner"

"It smells like you've succeeded."

"Uh, not really," Sheridan looked at her feet.

"Come on, it can't be all that bad. What did you make?"

"A mess," Sheridan chuckled and took Keefer's hand to lead her into the kitchen. "This," she gestured to the table, "is your romantic dinner, Keef."

Keefer took in the rose and the candles, the wine and the food and wanted to cry. She had no idea how her lover managed to clean up the disaster that had been her kitchen, but she did, and she made it all so sweet. "Oh, Sher, it's beautiful."

"Sit, Keef, you must be starved. I know I am."

Keefer allowed Sheridan to pull out her chair and watched as the construction worker poured some wine for her.

"You don't mind if I have a beer, do you?" Sheridan asked, holding up a bottle.

"Anything you want," Keefer replied, a huge loving smile on her face. "This is so sweet, Sher. Thank you."

"Aw, don't thank me, just eat."

The tall woman inspected the plate of food. It was very apparent that Sheridan had ordered this from a restaurant, but that didn't make one bit of difference to Keefer. Sheridan was just as adorable as she'd ever seen her, smiling somewhat shyly as she studied her beer bottle. The blonde was probably deciding whether or not to tell her that she didn't cook this, and Keefer found it cute. "This is so sweet. No one's ever done this for me before."

Sheridan's eyebrows went up. "No one?"

Keefer shook her head as she stuck her fork in her salad. "Nope," she smiled, "you're the first."

"Then maybe I should tell you that I didn't cook this."

"Do you really think that matters to me?" Keefer asked before filling her mouth. "Mm, I love French dressing. You don't miss anything."

"It doesn't matter that I didn't cook it?" Sheridan asked, a little frustration in her voice.

"Why should it? It's the thought that counts. You got all my favorites here... that's all that matters. You pay attention to me -- you remember the little things, like salad dressing. That meansİeven more than if you cooked something."

Sheridan chuckled, "Keef, you have no idea what I went through today." The blonde cut into her chicken and make a kissy sound.

Keefer watched as Fifi came running to her lover and accepted the bit of food happily. "I thought you spent the day with the dogs?"

"Something like that," she snickered. "Is it good?" Sheridan asked as Keefer sampled some of the chicken.

"Fantastic. Thank you, sweetheart," Keefer winked at her satisfied lover. "To tell you the truth, if the dinner's this good, I can hardly wait for dessert."

Sheridan's eyes narrowed at the implications. "Oh, yeah."

They ate in silence, alternately smiling shyly at each other, lost in their own thoughts for quite some time before Keefer cleared her throat.

"So, what did you wind up doing all day?" she asked innocently

Sheridan shrugged and swallowed a healthy gulp of beer. "Took the dogs out for a long time, then I went to Pop's to wash them. Stevie was there and we had a small water war."

"Sounds like fun. I'm jealous. I sat in my office and worked all day." Keefer stared into the flame of a candle and smiled. Even if Sheridan didn't cook the food, it was romantic to be sitting here in the semi-darkness, drinking wine and eating dinner. "That's all you did?"

"Well, actually..." the blonde got up from the table and went to the fridge for another beer. She opened it and drank some before replying, "I did a few other things."

Keefer scraped her chair along the floor as she pushed away from the table. She motioned for Sheridan to come over to her, and when the construction worker got close enough, Keefer wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "Like what?" she asked, resting her cheek on her lover's full belly.

Sheridan's head dropped forward and she rested a hand lightly on the back of Keefer's neck. It felt good to be so relaxed after such a hectic day. "I went shopping... all over Brooklyn. I tried to grill us a dinner."

Keefer smiled, turned her head and kissed Sheridan's stomach before looking up at her with innocent eyes. "And?"

Green eyes turned bashful as they stared into bright blue. "I fucked it up. Bad."

Keefer lifted the bottom of Sheridan's shirt out of her pants and rested her cheek on the bare skin. It was warm, and smelled sexy and she closed her eyes in bliss. "You know, I never expected this. Just knowing that you tried to do something romantic is enough for me," Keefer said quietly from her comfortable spot. She moved her head again to kiss Sheridan's ribs, then leaned back in her chair and looked up. "Actually doing it was the nicest thing anyone ever did for me."

Sheridan blushed slightly and squatted down between Keefer's legs. She rested her beer bottle on her lover's thigh and seemed to be studying it as she spoke. "You wouldn't have thought so, had you come home on time."

Keefer ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, scratching her scalp lightly, in the way she knew Sheridan loved. "I doubt that you could ever disappoint me."

Sheridan looked distressed. "Don't say that, Keef. You don't know. I may disappoint you one day -- even if I don't want to."

Keefer smiled reassuringly, "Shhh, it's okay. I know it would never be deliberate."

Sheridan seemed to relax some and leaned her head into Keefer's fingers. "If you keep doing that, I'll fall asleep right here and we'll never get to dessert."

"That's alright. I think you need this."

Sheridan nodded and sighed happily. Keefer knew just what she needed, she always did, and it made the construction worker smile, but she was serious -- Sheridan was ready to fall asleep. She suddenly stood up and held out her hand. Keefer took it and allowed Sheridan to pull her out of the chair. The blonde blew out the candles and turned Keefer around to face the doorway. "To be continued in the living room."

"I can clean up, honey..."

"Nope," Sheridan shook her head, "I've really gotten quite good at cleaning today. You go change into comfy clothes. I'll be right in... to feed you dessert."

Keefer's belly tingled at that idea. She followed instructions and when she sat on the couch in her pj's, a thought occurred to her. "Hey, what about the kids?"

Sheridan walked into the living room with two plates and a box of pastries. "Stevie is going to walk them tonight. I think he's even going to sleep at my apartment. I'm all yours."

Keefer chuckled at the grin on her lover's face. "Kick off those shoes and come here," she patted the couch next to her as she peeked into the bakery box.

"I'll do one better," Sheridan grinned from ear to ear as she started to take of her clothes.

Keefer watched in appreciation as her lover stripped down to her underwear. "You're absolutely right. Much better," she said with an uncontrolled leer.

Sheridan reached over to the box and pulled out a finger-full of whipped cream. "Open up."

********************

Sheridan awoke alone on the couch, with the blanket from the futon covering her. She stretched her arms over her head and turned over onto her side to snuggle down. Fifi must have heard the rustling of blankets, because she trotted over with the giant bone in her mouth. Sheridan grimaced as the dog dropped the rawhide on the floor and jumped up on top of her, covering her face with beef-flavored kisses.

"Pffth! Feefs!" The construction worker scrunched up her face as she fended off the attack.

Fifi finally settled down, laying half on and half off the blonde, looking back and forth between her and the bedroom.

"I don't know either, Feefs. The last thing I remember was lying on your mommy's lap... and then I woke up," Sheridan sighed and mechanically pet the dog as she tried to recall the events that led to her current position.

They'd shared dessert, from each others fingers, lips and tongues before Keefer pulled Sheridan's head onto her lap and began running her fingers hypnotically up and down her torso and, eventually, through the blonde hair. Sheridan remembered muttering sleepily about Keefer spoiling her and she remembered her lover's soft smile of reassurance right before she drifted off.

"I think mommy forced me to sleep last night, Feefs. Hmm... how the hell did she know how beat I was? I know I didn't tell her. She had no idea what really happened inİhere before she got home." The dog cocked her head to the side and licked her lips. Sheridan began scratching Fifi behind the ears. "It's freaky, really. Sometimes she just knows exactly what I want or need. Even before I know what it is. That should scare me, huh, girl?" The blonde sat up, causing the dog to stand. "Ugh, get off my bladder," she groaned, crawling out from the blankets and making a beeline for the bathroom.

Keefer heard Sheridan talking to the dog, but couldn't make out the actual words. She had slept restlessly without Sheridan spooned up against her and had gotten up numerous times to check on her. Keefer was pleased that her lover slept through the night like a log. Poor thing was exhausted. It had been hard for the inspector to get to sleep at first. With each suck of her fingers, Keefer had become more and more turned on. She had to hide her eyes at times, so her lover wouldn't read the arousal in them. The tall woman wanted Sheridan to make love to her so badly, but more than that, she wanted the construction worker to relax. She had even purposely placed Sheridan face up in her lap, so the blonde wouldn't smell her. Keefer finally slid out from under her sleeping lover and went off to bed. At first, she had toyed with the idea of touching herself to get some relief, but then decided that the wait would make it so much sweeter.

Sheridan glanced at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. Her hair was standing up all over the place and she had creases on her cheek from the couch. She snickered at herself, No better way to wake up on Saturday morning. The blonde spit out the toothpaste and panic overtook her. SATURDAY! She ran into the bedroom foaming at the mouth and checked the time. It was 8:15, and she blew out a relieved sigh as she walked back to the bathroom. Gotta be at Pop's at nine -- plenty of time, she thought as she rinsed out her mouth.

Keefer laughed to herself after Sheridan left the bedroom. She almost lost it when her lover came bolting into the room in her underwear, hair all over the place with toothpaste all over her mouth. She must have just realized it's Saturday. I get my new and improved closet today, Keefer smiled to herself and turned over to get comfortable once she heard the shower running.

When Sheridan peeked into the bedroom, Keefer was sleeping and she walked quietly to the bed and kissed her on the lips. "Babe, you have to get up. Me and the guys will be here soon."

Keefer opened her eyes and grinned, "I was just lying here waiting for you to kiss me."

"Oh?" Sheridan smirked and climbed on top of her lover. "Well, then, let me give you a proper kiss," she said before leaning down and devouring Keefer's mouth.

When the kiss finally ended, Keefer hummed dreamily, pulling Sheridan down on top of her for a hug. "You smell so clean and yummy. I don't want you to leave."

"Oh, but I have to... Steven is at my apartment, I have to go get him, shoot by Pop's and then get back over here. Hopefully Stevie walked the boys."

Keefer frowned as her lover crawled off of her and stood up. "I guess I should get up, then."

"Yeah, I don't want either of them seeing you in your nightie," Sheridan chuckled.

"What nightie?" Keefer said playfully as she rolled her naked body out from the covers and stretched long and hard.

Sheridan's jaw fell open and she stopped breathing for a second, "God, woman!" She reached out to grab for her nude lover, but Keefer backed away and walked casually to the bathroom.

"See ya soon, sweetie," Keefer teased, closing the door behind her.

"Fuck," Sheridan closed her mouth and swallowed the drool. "I just got incredibly wet," she told the dog who had no interest in the conversation.

****************

Sheridan pulled her car in front of a hydrant and blew the horn, hoping Steven would get the message. A few minutes later, the door to her building opened and her brother came bounding onto the street. Sheridan smiled at his enthusiasm, and at his clothes. He was wearing the exact same thing as she was, denim cut-offs, a tanktop and a flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off. Work boots and sweat socks finished the ensemble, again, for both siblings. She grabbed the paper bag off the floorİof the car and handed it to Steven as he sat in the passenger seat.

"Morning, Sher!" he beamed and then looked in the bag "Ooo, for me? Cool!"

Sheridan chuckled as her brother bit into the powdered donut, making a mess. "Coffee's in there, too, just the way you like it."

"Nank oo," he replied around a mouthful.

Sheridan threw a napkin at him and drove off towards her pop's house. "The kids miss me?"

"Nuh uh. I had 'em out pretty late last night. We played in the park until after dark and then they fell asleep as soon as we got home."

"You know, Pop don't like you running around the park after dark," the blonde scowled. Truth be told, she didn't like it either. Glancing at him, she rolled her eyes. He's built like a Mac truck, and he had two big-ass dogs with him. Get over it. "Anyway, I won't tell him, okay?"

"Cool," Steven grinned and turned on the radio. "So, who's gonna be there?"

"We're meeting Philly. He'll follow us to Keefer's and then it's just you and me, kiddo."

"Thank you for letting me help you, Sher, I'm really excited!" Steven suddenly looked scared. "Will Keefer be there the whole time?" he asked meekly.

Sheridan chuckled, "She said she's getting lost today -- giving us some working space. You're not disappointed, are ya?"

"No, it's good. I don't want her to see me sweating. Or worse! What if I do something stupid and bleed in front of her? I don't want to be a retard in front of her, Sher!" his voice taking on the sound of desperation.

The blonde was grateful for the red light as it gave her a chance to pull her brother's head up from his chest. "What the fuck is that all about? I don't want you talking like that any more. Keefer likes you just fine and if you started bleeding in front of her, she'd probably take better care of you than I ever could."

"She wouldn't laugh at me?"

"Never." Sheridan began driving again and turned onto her pop's block. "Besides, if anyone's gonna make a fool of themselves in front of Keefer, it will be me. I get so fucking stupid around her sometimes."

"I think you're in love with her."

"No shit." Not noticing Phil, Sheridan turned off the car and leaned back in her seat. "I'm definitely in love, Stevie boy."

"Is that good or bad?"

Sheridan turned her head to glance at her brother. "Why do you ask that?"

"Cause when you said it, you looked like it hurt."

"I did?" the blonde raised both eyebrows. "Pay no attention, bud, it's a good thing."

"What's love feel like, Sher?"

"I'll tell ya later, there's Philly."

********************

The small black sports car pulled in front of Keefer's house, allowing Philly's pick-up to back into the driveway. Sheridan and Steven got out of the car, Sheridan running to open the front door, leaving Steven to assist Phil in carrying the sheet rock from the truck. "Babe? We're here! Are you decent?" Sheridan called into the house.

"As decent as I'll ever be with you around."

Sheridan blushed. Philly swallowed a chuckle at his friend's discomfort and Steven just fidgeted.

Keefer appeared in the living room and a blush overtook her features when she realized she had shouted that out loud enough for everyone to hear. "You coulda told me they were actually in here," she whispered to her lover.

Sheridan shrugged and drank in Keefer with her eyes. The tall woman was wearing short jogging shorts and a T-shirt, with cute little backless sandals. "Where are you going dressed like that?"

"There's an outdoor flea market a few blocks away, and it's already hot out," the brunette looked at her outfit self-consciously.

"Oh," green eyes narrowed and Sheridan leaned really close to Keefer. "You look fucking edible right now."

Keefer's eyes widened and her stomach flipped. Her expression turned devious and she bent down to Sheridan's ear. "I went to bed horny last night, and I woke up even hornier this morning."

Sheridan groaned out loud.

Phil cleared his throat -- the drywall was getting heavy. "Uh, any time now."

"You are a tease, Keefer," Sheridan whispered.

Keefer bent her head, glanced at Phil and Steven who looked up at the sky, then planted a nice sensuous kiss on her frustrated lover.

"God, now I'm horny, too."

Keefer grinned playfully. "Suffer a little," she said before walking out the door with an extra sway to her hips. She glanced over her shoulder, saw Sheridan's pained expression and felt rather cocky about it. Changing gears quickly, she stopped by Steven and smiled brightly, "Hi, Steven! I'm so glad you're here. Now I know it will be the best closet ever. I'll be back later with lunch for you guys." She kissed him on the cheek and he blushed crimson.

"Hey, where's mine?"

"Fuck you, Philly."

"Just askin'."

Keefer chuckled as she walked away.

part 38

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