Episode41

**
"Hello, Mary Ann." Nash looked up at the woman approaching his desk, already he knew she wasn't the type he was looking for to fill the inspector vacancy. She didn't look the part, but he should give her a chance. Her solemn face hinted that she was just about as eager as he was to get the interview overwith.

"Good morning, Captain Bridges." Mary Ann wasn't certain about the interview, she had only heard about the opening through her boss in Ojai. She wasn't sure was up for this type of investigative work.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, Mary." Nash had to be fair, he shouldn't be so judgmental. He was desperate for a new inspector, but he still had to evaluate his options.

"It's Mary Ann." She hated when people called her Mary, he had to learn that right away. "We'll, I became a police officer two years ago. I've worked in Ojai the whole time, no really big cases."

"I see." Nash could assume that the work load of the Ojai department was practically nothing compared to San Francisco's. She didn't have the type of experience or expertise he was looking for. He had to hear her out, he did let Cassidy into the SIU. She had to be given a fair chance. "Tell me about one of the cases, Mary Ann."

"Well, it was really no big deal, Captain Bridges." She really didn't want to go into depth about the cases, they were nothing exciting. Mary Ann liked her boring job. "Actually, I've been on desk duty and patrol for a while."

"Care to tell me why?" Nash didn't want anyone who would be causing problems around the SIU, they already had enough to work with. Nash hadn't noted anything about being on suspension in her file.

"Just a little rift with a co-worker." Mary Ann smiled, it was nothing that couldn't be overlooked. It wasn't her fault the captain put her on surveillance.

"I see." Nash was certain she wouldn't fit in with his group. "Well, I'll look this information over and I'll get back to you within the next few days. Nash smiled when he saw Joe coming up the stairs from corner of his eye.

"Thank you, Captain." Mary Ann got up from the chair and headed back down the stairs. Joe rolled his eyes and shook his head, provoking a laugh from Nash.

"She's something else." Nash knew he'd have to be thorough in his efforts to find a replacement. He needed someone with potential to stick it out at the SIU.

"She sounded like. I think that's all for today, it's already 10 A.M. and we've had five rejects." Joe was glad Nash had taken the hiring upon himself again, it was a partial relief.

**
"I'm beginning to think we shouldn't go back, everyone will know. We'll be ambushed with questions." Harvey looked down at Rachel, with her head lying on his chest. The trip to Aruba had been just what they needed.

"I'm willing to stay." Rachel wasn't overwhelmingly anxious about getting back to San Francisco, knowing something from Connie was sure to await her there. She ran her hands through Harvey's hair and smiled, "imagine all the time we'd have."

Harvey laughed, "now I see the real Rachel McCabe." Harvey took a minute to think about the conversation he had with Nash about Rachel, it still didn't make sense to him, he still wasn't sure what happened. "Can I ask you something?"

Rachel looked up at him and smiled, "you can ask me anything." Rachel never intended to keep anything from Harvey, sometimes it just happened. She was afraid what might happen if he knew the truth, that it would change what he thought of her.

"It's about Nash." Harvey guessed she wouldn't be so open to questionning once she found out who was the subject. Since she was willing to tell, Harvey had to ask.

"Okay." Rachel knew they would be back to discussing Nash sooner or later. She couldn't help but feel guilty for putting Harvey through such hell. Rachel at least owed him honesty, but he deserved more. "Let me say something first." Rachel got up from the bed and stood before him. What she had to say would be all the more convincing if she looked him directly in the eyes.

Harvey was a little surprised that she was so certain about his question, maybe she had seen it coming. He didn't mean to beat a dead horse, but he had to feel secure in his marriage. He didn't want to lose Rachel, not now. "Go ahead."

"You mean too much to Nash as a friend and I love you too much as my husband, an affair between the two of us was completely out of the question. Nash is and always has been a very good friend to me, despite what happened between he and I romantically." Rachel paused, searching Harvey's face for some visible type of reaction. "However, if that friendship is going to jeopardize our marriage...," Rachel knew the ball was completely in Harvey's court, "I'm willing to make a change, whether it means quitting my job or cutting him from my life outside of the SIU."

"Really?" Harvey didn't mean to sound so surprised at her offer, but he was. Nash was a big part of her life. She had a closeness with Nash that Harvey couldn't understand, there was still so much about her that he didn't know but Nash did.

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy, Harvey Leek." Rachel sincerly wanted Harvey to believe that she would do anything for him, no matter what the personal cost. Harvey had come to mean everything to her.

He smiled, she was saying everything he needed to hear. Harvey's eyes lit up with interest as she approached him, "that's quite a promise to make, I'm a hard man to please."

"I'm willing to give it a try." Rachel sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, as he pulled her closer to steal a kiss. Rachel grinned, "even if it means having six to ten kids and giving up my job to wait on you hand and foot."

**
"Well, well, well... look what the cat dragged in." Nash looked up from his desk and smiled as Kat approached his desk. It had been over nine years since he had last seen Kat. "No pun intended."

"Nash Bridges, long time, no see." Kat knew she couldn't avoid Nash forever. Their high school days were over and their marriages had ended, it was about time for them to meet up again.

Nash looked at her suspiciously, "I'd get up to hug you, but I think I'm still recovering from our last encounter." Nash remembered that night all too well, Kat had told Harvey what she really thought of his upcoming nuptials to Bonnie. She had a little too much to drink and Nash decided to intervene.

"Hope you learned your lesson." Kat smiled, it was she who learned the lesson from her experience at the bar. "Sometimes, I'm just better left alone."

Nash chuckled, "I learned that lesson all too well." Nash wondered what would've brought her back to San Francisco. Last time he checked, she was doing private work and put in a few hours with the Sacramento department. "What can I do for you, Kat?"

"I hear you're hiring, so I'm here to apply." Kat really didn't need the work, but she wanted the job. She had to keep herself busy. Sacramento was too limiting, and the PI work wasn't what she was after.

"Here? At the SIU? You want to work with me?" In all the years that Nash had known Kat, he never expected she'd come to him for a job. She was a great friend, but he couldn't imagine working with her daily.

"Nash, let's get one thing straight - I've known you too long and a little too well...I will not sleep with you to get the job nor in order to keep in. You know my record and my file, you've seen what I've got to offer." It was nothing personal, she wasn't after Nash for a relationship. His barge was the ideal place to work, not too busy and not too slow.

Nash grinned, "if memory serves, we never got that far." Nash knew that she wasn't romantically speaking, but couldn't resist the chance to get in a joke about their past.

Kat rolled her eyes and sighed, "and we never will at the rate you're going."

**
"Nash thinks we got married because you were pregnant." Harvey chuckled at the thought, he hadn't even considered that as an option when they got married that night in Vegas. Harvey couldn't think of a better conversation to have over lunch, he wanted to discuss the future.

"Does that assumption come from experience, or just being nosy?" Rachel expected something like that out of Nash, she was a little surprised he didn't ask her himself.

"That's just how he justified our shotgun wedding and him not getting a formal invitation." Harvey chuckled, relieved that their problems with Nash had been resolved. "You know, it's not a completely insane idea."

"Us getting married or us getting married due to a pregnancy?" Rachel was intrigued, she wanted to know what Harvey had to say. He seemed pretty eager about settling down lately, she wondered what got him going.

"It would've been all the more reason to get married." Harvey thought about it for a minute, trying to remember everything he'd been thinking when he suggested they get married.

"You needed a reason to marry me?" Rachel laughed and flashed a toothy grin. "I knew it wasn't based on looks alone."

"They certainly didn't hurt, it was more like I'd need a reason not to marry you. I planned on asking sooner or later, but in Vegas..." The more he thought about it, the less justification he could find. He wasn't sure what sparked him to propose then and there, he just did.

"Everything's spontaneous in Vegas." Rachel knew when they returned to work the next day that there would be questions and tons of rumours. She could face them as long as she was with Harvey.

"Exactly." Harvey watched as Rachel pushed her food around her plate, completely distracted by something else. "Preparing your response to all the questions we'll get tomarrow?"

"Something like that." Rachel grinned, "I told you people would think I was pregnant, and now news of our marriage is going to generate more gossip than Joseph's little mind can handle." Rachel knew the rumours would definitely be flying the minute they walked in.

"You wouldn't hear any objections from me.'' Harvey couldn't wait till they had a child together. Once everything was settled between Jerry and her kids, a baby was a definite goal.

"Harvey, you're not helping." Rachel knew he wanted another child, and she had every intention of meeting that wish...when the time was right. For now, they had a lot to deal with. "They'll think I'm lying if I tell them I'm not."

"So let them think what they will." It didn't matter to Harvey what other people said or thought, as long as he and Rachel were happy. "They'll figure it out in a few months."

Rachel glanced at Harvey for a second, he looked completely peaceful as he
gazed out onto the ocean. She wondered what was on his mind. "What's the rush anyways?"

"Rush?" Harvey wasn't sure what Rachel was referring to, he assumed it was something to do with his bringing up the subject of having a baby yet again.

"To have a baby." She saw a look of sadness in his eyes, she wanted to assure him it would happen in good time. "I mean, I want to, but I think our kids will be keeping us pretty busy for the time being."

Harvey shook his head and smiled, trying not to think about his last appointment with Dr. Bradley or the recent incident over Nash. Time was all too quickly slipping away. "I'm not getting any younger and I think we'd have some really cute kids."

**
"You're still here?" Nash was surprised to find Kat outside the barge. He walked over to the rail and took in the view of the bay. Nash hoped their past wouldn't hinder a friendship for the future.

"We didn't finish our discussion." Kat knew Nash needed more time to decide if he'd hire her or not, but she wanted more details about the job. She was curious about McCabe, about working in the department with her after the investigation she had done for Bill.

"I thought we did?" Nash wasn't sure what more she wanted to hear. With Rachel still gone, he didn't want to make a final decision without her or Joe knowing about it. Kat was truthfully the best applicant he had seen to date.

"So when do I get to meet her, him, whomever it is that I would be working with if I got the job?" Kat was anxious to find out about her potential partner, wondering if she'd possbily be paired with Harvey. She knew his partner died the year before, but assumed they had already hired someone to take his place.

"I never said you were hired." Nash was almost certain she'd get the job. She had the credentials and the experience, and she definitely knew her way around the SIU.

"You need me and you know it." Word had spread like wildfire that Cassidy had left the SIU. Kat felt the time was right for her to submit her application.

"That's a matter of opinion, and she's on leave." Nash knew Kat and Rachel would probably get along, if anything, it would be better than Rachel with Cassidy. He didn't need Rachel's approval or Joe's to hire Kat, but he needed a little more time to think.

"Oh no, Nash, don't tell me she's pregnant and I'll be flying solo for months." That was the last thing Kat wanted to deal with, a pregnant partner. She was hoping for someone her age, or maybe a little younger, who loved the job as much as she did.

"Not that I know of, and she's on vacation until tomarrow." Unless Rachel was pregnant and hadn't said anything to anyone, Kat was safe.

"Business or personal?" Kat couldn't help but be a little nosy. She really wanted to see what Nash had in mind for her partnership.

"Personal." Nash didn't know how descriptive he could get without fear of later retribution from Rachel. He figured a few personal facts would be sufficient and give Kat something to go on.

"Family?" Kat's kids were grown and nearly out of the house, she wondered about the situation her partner might be in. Kat's kids didn't approve of her job, but it wasn't their decision to make.

"She's got two." Rachel's kids were now common knowledge in the SIU, he didn't think she'd mind if he brought them up.

"Is she married?" Now Kat was worried, the story was sounding a little familiar. "Tell me this isn't a young, unwed mother who is taking out her aggressions on society by being a cop. I'm not into that social work and counseling scene anymore, Nash."

"She's thirty-one years old and she's married, to your buddy Harvey Leek." Nash smiled as he said that, knowing the name would strike a chord. He hoped they could put their differences aside and everything would run smoothly between them at the SIU.

"Give her my condolences...he's a looker but that Bonnie had him whipped." Kat thought about everything Nash had told her about her potential partner. It all came together. She knew exactly who her partner was. "Rachel?"

"You know her?" Nash wondered how she knew her name, he hadn't mentioned it. Harvey hadn't said anything about speaking with Kat lately, maybe word had gotten around amongst the cops.

"No way, can't do it, Nash." There was no way Kat could be Rachel's partner, not after everything she found out. She knew too much. If she knew the job meant being Rachel's partner, she never would've applied. "I can't work with Rachel McCabe."

"Why not?" Nash was completely baffled. Five seconds earlier she was ready to sign the paperwork and get a new badge. Something was definitely wrong.

**
"You know, our days like this are limited, my love." Harvey knew all too well that once Rachel had her kids and they hopefully got Jerry, their moments alone would be few and far between. Even a lunch break every now and then might be a difficult task to accomplish. The day could not have been more perfect, he wasn't ready to leave early the next morning. He was enjoying their quiet time on the beach after dinner.

"Don't remind me." Rachel knew a change was imminent, but she didn't want to think about it just yet. She prefered to savour the time that they had. She relaxed and leaned against Harvey, feeling completely at ease.

"We should take advantage of this time while we still can." Harvey smiled suggestively, they had a little less than twelve hours before they had to rejoin the real world.

"Oh, I plan on taking advantage of you every chance I get." Rachel wasn't about to voluntarily lose any more time with Harvey. The days she spent without him were miserable and nothing she'd want to go through again.

"With three kids running around, it won't be easy." Harvey laughed when he recalled Jerry walking in on him and Rachel and imagined that multiplied by two other curious children.

"That's then, I'm talking about now." Rachel turned to kiss him, he picked up immediately on her intent. Another thought crossed his mind, Harvey was going to take advantage of her honesty.

Harvey pulled himself away from Rachel. "I've got another question for you." Harvey couldn't help but smile at the thought of the calender, Antwon would be so proud. He didn't mind the pictures, he just wanted to know how someone like Rachel had taken part in such an endeavor.

"I promised all-out honesty, so..." Rachel was going to stick to her word, she didn't have much to hide anymore.

"I happened to come across, a picture..." Harvey watched as Rachel's eyes grew with interest.

"A picture?'' Rachel was wondering what picture he might be referring to. Unless he did some digging while she was in Boston, he wasn't likely to have found many pictures of her college days lying around.

"More specifically a calender..." Harvey grinned upon seeing the mortified look on Rachel's face, "now tell me, was Ms. April a one time thing or is this something I should expect annually?"

"How did you ever find that?" Rachel covered her face with her hands, "the lighting was rotten, the wardrobe deplorable, and the poses..."

"Didn't look too bad from what I saw," Harvey chuckled softly, "but I'm biased." He took her back into his arms and grinned, "when's the next photo shoot?"

"Never." Rachel laughed, wondering how Harvey ever managed to find that cursed calender. "My calendar days are over."

"Good, I wasn't really interested in sharing my wife." Harvey now returned her earlier kiss, and pulled her in closer to him. "What was that for anyways?"

"My sorority was doing a fundraiser for a local hospice, we were competing against a fraternity for who could raise the most cash. They had a kegger." Rachel remembered the event all too well, her sorority had been competing against Scott's, it was the beginning of her end.

"I could see why you might win." Harvey considered the options in his head, kegger versus calender. His decision was obvious. "You did win, right?"

"Harvey..." Rachel grinned mischeviously, unable to believe he brought up the calender. She wondered how he ever found it.

**
"Can I ask you to dinner, or is that wrong now that you're my boss?" Kat didn't want to dine alone again. She wanted some company. Kat knew Louis was working late and she wasn't up for another night of take-out.

"I still haven't hired you yet." Nash had considered his options, he had to admit Kat was the best prospective to walk through the door. He'd make his decision by the end of the night.

"So it will be a business dinner." Kat knew she'd wear Nash down sooner or later, he couldn't refuse. He was probably just about as lonely as she was.

"You buying?" Nash had every intention to pay, but he wanted to see how far he could lead Kat on. Things were definitely going to be different between them this time around.

"You're sinking mighty low, Bridges, mighty low." Kat wouldn't mid footing the bill if it guaranteed her company. She wanted to talk with Nash, get to know him again. There was no intention of romance, she just wanted a friend.

"I suppose I could join you, but I can't promise you'll have answer by the end of the night." Nash already made his decision and talked with Joe, she was hired. He just needed the right moment to tell her.

"Just as evil as always, somethings never change." Kat sat down and waited for Nash, she had secured a date for the evening and probably a job. Maybe the day wasn't so bad after all.

**
"Guess who's back in town?" Joe wasn't sure if Inger would remember Kat or not, she was more Lisa's friend than Inger's. Joe knew that Kat shared quite a history with Nash. Joe plopped himself down next to Inger on the couch, moving her hand from the book cover to see what she was reading.

"Who?" Inger wasn't up for one of Joe's mind games, not after the day she had with Lucia. All she wanted to do was finish her book and go to bed.

"Kat Bauer." Joe grinned, having her around the SIU would definitely make for some good gossip. Especially where Nash was concerned. Maybe they'd finally get together after all.

"Really?" The name rung a bell, but she couldn't picture her face. Then, she remembered. "She's the one who didn't want Harvey to marry Bonnie?"

Joe laughed, "that's her." Joe liked that about Kat, she was never afraid to say what she felt. That was certainly a welcome quality around the SIU. "I bet Harvey wishes he would've listened."

Inger smiled, still not sure how to bring up Lucia. "I wonder what she'll think of mis marriage to Rachel?"

"She's Rachel's new partner." Joe couldn't help but laugh, the two would be quite a pair. He always thought something might happen between Harvey and Kat, but there always seemed to be someone else in the way. When he noticed Inger wasn't giving much reaction, he questionned her mood. "How was your day?"

"Oh, Joe, I don't know what I am going to do with Lucia." Inger hadn't anticipated getting another call from school about Lucia's behavior.

"What happened?" Joe hadn't been aware that anything out of the ordinary had occured. He wondered what he missed.

"The school called again this morning, apparently she's gotten into another argument on the playground." Inger didn't know where they had gone wrong. Lucia had never acted like this before. She'd expect something like this from their son, but not Lucia.

"Over what?" Joe couldn't imagine his sweet little girl getting into an argument over anything. They hadn't raised her to fight. She was only five years old.

"Someone didn't invite her over to play and I guess she got mad, she started to talk like Ulla." Once in a while, Inger wasn't too happy with her mother's influence on her young daughter.

"She didn't say..." Joe knew some of the things Ulla said, but he hoped he'd never hear his daughter repeating them.

"She did, she tried to put one of Ulla's curses on her." Inger smiled, finding it a little easier to laugh about the incident now that Joe was home. They'd have to talk to Lucia sometime the next day.

**
"Thank you very much for dinner, Nash." Kat was hoping he'd let her foot the bill, or they at least would split the cost. Nash wouldn't hear of it. He was still the gentleman he was when they first met. She stopped next to the 'Cuda as they walked through the parking lot, certain that's what he was driving.

"That's okay, it's coming out of your first paycheck." Nash smiled, he knew she'd accept the job. Joe was pleased she applied. The only one Nash was unsure of was Rachel. Especially with what Kat knew.

"Is that so?" Kat eyed him curiously, "I guess that means I'm hired."

"If you still want the job, if you can handle working with Rachel." Nash laughed, finding it unbelievably coincidental that Kat had been the investigator hired to check up on Rachel for Bill.

"I certainly know enough about her, don't I?" Kat smiled, she did know a lot about her partner and it would be hard to cover up everything she found out. She wondered how it would be working with Harvey.

"I won't tell her if you don't." Nash knew Kat didn't want Rachel to find out that she was Bill's PI. That wouldn't be the best way to start off their partnership.

"You've got my word." Kat didn't want to incriminate herself early on. She was anxious to start at the SIU, it would be a definite change of pace. Kat needed to get back to the city. She had left for all the wrong reasons.

**
"Will you slow down?" Harvey struggled to keep up with Rachel's fast-paced walk as she made her way back towards the hotel. He regretted that they had to leave so early that morning.

"It's so late, I didn't think we'd be gone that long." Rachel turned around and smiled, "you do know what time our flight is?" They had a flight for five-fifteen that morning, and it was already well after one. Harvey tried not to chuckle as he noticed her staggering walk.

"I'm not the one who scheduled it, that was you." Harvey laughed, he knew that they both had to get back to work. He enjoyed their time alone, but he was certain they'd have to face reality again sooner or later. Harvey glanced up at the signs as they walked down the street, "I don't remember shopping here."

"Oh, I guess we have to stay then if we missed a few shops." Rachel wouldn't have minded at all if they got to stay. She didn't want to go back, for fear of things going back to how they were. She looked at one of the shop windows, "here we go, Roy-Boy's Tattoos. Open twenty-four hours."

"Tattoos?" Harvey chuckled, Rachel definitely wasn't the tatttoo type. He had considered one himself a while back, but never found one he really liked. She definitely had too much to drink.

"Yeah, matching." Rachel laughed as she looked at the open books in the window display. She turned to Harvey and said in a serious tone, "instead of rings we can get matching tattoos."

Harvey smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "you've had one too many, my love." He guessed they'd both have a difficult time making their early flight that morning, and by then she'd completely forget about the tattoos.

"Come on, let's go in..." Rachel gently tugged him towards the shop door, she was set on going inside.

"I think what we need to do is get back to the hotel and get you to bed." Harvey assumed Rachel would remember none of this by the time they got home. He had a fair amount to drink, but she had a little more than she should have.

Rachel ran her hands against his lapels, then pulling him in closer for a lengthy kiss. "I think going to bed with you is a great idea, Inspector." Harvey laughed, he knew she'd barely be awake by the time they hit the door.

**

Part 2

**
"I don't want your job, or your friendship with Nash, Rache." Harvey had plenty of time to think about Rachel's offer for the duration of their trip and the flight. He knew exactly what he wanted. Rachel leaned against him, her arm carefully interlocked with his. He bent forward and lightly kissed her forhead. They had a little less than an hour left of their flight to San Fransisco and she had just woken up, sleeping off a slight hangover. Harvey had so much to say before they landed.

"I'd do it for you." Rachel wanted Harvey to know just how serious she was, she'd do anything to make him happy. Her job at the SIU didn't compare with Harvey.

"I know you would, but that's not what I'm after." Harvey didn't want Rachel to give up her life to be with him, just to accomodate him as a part of her life.

"So what are you after?" Rachel wasn't sure if he had a particular request or if he was speaking in general. Whatever it was, she was willing to comply.

"As good as it sounds to have six to ten children and get you waiting on me hand and foot, right now I'd settle for a little extra time with my wife." Harvey wasn't asking for much, just more time to be with her. Neither one of them really needed the extra overtime hours they both always seemed to have, their time could be spent together in other ways.

"That's not so bad." Rachel smiled, extra time with Harvey would be a welcome reprieve after being away from him.

"You say that now, wait till we've got kids around." Harvey smiled, knowing he'd love every minute he had at home.

"They go to bed eventually." Rachel knew that having the kids would mean a huge change was needed in their lifestyle. It might prove to be a difficult adjustment for two people who had been on their own so long.

"Need I remind you that little RJ is barely two-years old? By the time we finish chasing him around and pulling Jerry off the ceiling, we'll be lucky if we even make it to bed... let alone together." Harvey was speaking from his own early experiences with Jerry, Rachel was in for a shock if she thought things would remain calm around the house. "We'll be fighting for control of our bed every night, I can guarantee that there's going to be a third party waiting outside the door with a blanket in hand, wanting to come in."

Rachel grinned, "it sounds wonderful, really..." Rachel knew that Cecilia and Jerry had already made it a practice to come to the bedroom nightly for whatever reason, they'd probably teach RJ to do the same. She remembered that she hadn't asked about Jerry lately, with everything going on with Nash and then RJ and Connie, she didn't think to bring him up. "When will we know something more definitive about Jerry?"

"Anna is coming to town soon, and I planned on dropping the bombshell then." Harvey didn't want to discuss custody over the phone, he had to do this in person. "Lately, it just seems as if the best place with Jerry is with us. I know I should want him to be with his mother, and part of me does, but he just seems so unhappy."

**
"Any sign of Mr. and Mrs. McCabe?" Joe grinned as he pointed towards Harvey's empty desk. He knew Nash had asked them to come in after they got a few hours of sleep.

"Nah, I'm guessing one of them forgot to set the alarm." Nash knew firsthand of Rachel's love for the snooze button. It was still a little odd for him to fathom that she was married, let alone to Harvey.

"We'll be lucky if they make it in at all." Joe wasn't anticipating seeing Rachel or Harvey any time before noon. They had a long flight and they probably didn't get much sleep while they were away.

"Any more news on the Parker case?" Nash hadn't gotten a morning update yet and he wondered if Joe had heard anything from someone else. Antwon had been at City Hall all morning trying to get information.

"Antwon called, somehow the files on Hidden Lake Assisted Living have all been pulled from the drawer." Joe too found it odd that the files were missing as the business came under scrutiny.

"Has anyone heard from Nurse Parker lately?" Nash assumed that Edward Parker had a lot to do with the missing files. However, he disappeared over the last few days.

"Not that I've heard. The staff says he showed up late for his shift Tuesday and then left right away. Nothing strange, but another one of his patients died." Joe was concerned with the fact that it was his seventh patient to die in two weeks. The numbers seemed a little high, even with geriatric care.

"Once McCabe gets in, have her and Bauer go take a looksie at what's going on. Between a social worker and an almost doctor, we might get somewhere." Nash chuckled, he knew already that Kat and McCabe would be quite a pair.

**
"You're new, you're supposed to get here early to impress the boss." Nash laughed as Kat came up the last few stairs a few minutes after seven-thirty. "Don't worry, your partner isn't here yet."

"I can't believe you're making them come in today, that's just cruel." Kat knew Nash probably needed Harvey and Rachel around for something. There was always some type of work to be done at the SIU. "Poor Harvey, still subjecting himself to you after all these years."

"Obviously, time hasn't taught you a lesson either." Nash smiled, it was great to have Kat around again. She'd definitely liven things up around the SIU.

"I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?" Kat flashed Nash a suspicious grin, "but I guess you already knew that, huh?"

"I know a thing or two about you." Nash hoped their past wouldn't interfere with their professional relationship. She was the type of partner Rachel needed and the job would be good for Kat. She'd be a welcome addition to the SIU staff. "Your desk awaits you downstairs, I think you'll find everything you need."

"Do I have to address you as Captain Bridges?" Kat laughed, but she knew she had to give Nash the respect he deserved and the title he merited as her boss.

"Would you ever?" Nash rolled his eyes, "you'd be the last person I'd expect to hear that from. It's good to have you, Kat."

**
"Wait, don't leave yet." Between everything that happened and all that was said, Harvey had completely forgotten about the rings. He wanted to give them to her now. He wanted the world to know he was in love. Harvey wouldn't have objected to a few extra hours of sleep, but he knew they were needed that morning at the SIU.

Rachel glanced at her watch, "had you suggested this maybe five minutes earlier, I would've been in total agreement, but..." Rachel thought she knew exactly what his mind was on. As much as she wanted to, she knew they had to get to work.

"Nice thought, but that's not it." Harvey didn't want to rush the moment, but he knew another opportunity as good as this might not arise.

"Oh no?" Rachel was surprised she was mistaken, Harvey was usually pretty obvious with his intent. He did seem to have something else on his mind, a distraction of sorts. Harvey went into his suitcase and pulled out a small, velveteen box. Rachel sat down at the end of the bed, not quite sure of what she should expect.

"I'm not quite sure how I should do this, I mean, we're a step ahead of the game." Harvey stopped to think for a moment, the timing was right but the words he wanted just weren't coming to him. "Saying as that we're both investigators, I think we'll need evidence to prove the allegation of marriage." Harvey cringed, he used a work-related metaphor. That was a completely terrible approach. "If this were a normal situation, now would be when I asked you to marry me. However, that's all been said and done." Harvey fumbled with the box in his hands, completely nervous yet knowing he had nothing to be nervous about. It wasn't like she could say no, they were already married. He decided to hand her the box, and see what she had to say. Rachel opened the box, awestruck by what she found inside. She stared for a moment, Harvey looked up and smiled "if you don't like the bands, we can exchange them." Rachel was silent and completely amazed. Harvey thought she didn't like the ring. "Rache, we can exchange them, it's not a big deal."

"No, no... it's not that at all." Rachel looked at the rings again and then back at Harvey, "they're beautiful." Harvey could see the tears welling up in her eyes, "they really are gorgeous."

"So these are good tears, happy tears?" Harvey hadn't expected a teary reaction from Rachel, she usually reserved the tears for arguments or when she was upset.

"Absolutely." Rachel looked at the rings again and gently touched Harvey's face, as he stepped in closer to kiss her. She couldn't believe the lengths he'd go to in order to make her happy.

"I liked the tattoo idea, but I thought these were a little more your style." Harvey sat down next to her and pulled the engagement ring and her silver band from the box. He smiled as he slid them onto her finger, "I guessed on the size, there's a few things I still don't know."

**
"He's still not here yet?" Antwon looked over to Harvey's empty desk and shook his head in dismay. "I'm thinking he's not coming in at all."

Kat walked up to Antwon and smiled, "and let me guess, a certain Rachel McCabe is the reason he isn't here?"

"You got that straight, Harvey's got himself a real woman this time." Antwon laughed, not sure of who he was chatting with. Whoever she was, he was impressed with how quickly she picked up on the gossip. "No more boys night out for him."

"I wouldn't go that far, things might be in for a change around here." Kat was confident that the SIU group hadn't changed much over the years. If the guys were still the same, they still managed to grab a beer together two or three times a week after hours.

"Oh yeah? Do tell..." Antwon was already intrigued by the new face. She wasn't the age of the women he dated, but she was interesting. Kat guessed he was struggling to figure out who she was.

"I'm Kat Bauer, Rachel's new partner." Kat extended her hand and Antwon accepted.

"Antwon Babcock, Harvey's partner." Antwon smiled, things around the SIU were definitely bound to change.

**
"Looks like a few days away did you well." Nash could tell from Harvey's ear to ear grin as he walked up the stairs that their trip had been worth while. Nash hoped that things would be back to normal at the SIU within a few days.

Harvey smiled, not quite sure of how to approach the subject with Nash, "you have no idea." Harvey normally didn't mind exchanging a few stories every now and then with Nash, but being with Rachel made things different. He didn't know what Nash would want to hear or how much he was willing to share.

Nash could sense Harvey's discomfort, he knew he had overstepped some bounds with Rachel and he was ready to make amends. "Harvey, I am sorry for what happened with Rachel."

"If nothing happened, than I guess you have nothing to be sorry for." Harvey didn't want to get into the argument again. He knew where he stood with Rachel, and that was enough. She and Nash both did their share of explaining.

"I knew she was your wife, I shouldn't have relied on her as much as I did." Nash knew he had to move on past Rachel, especially now that she was married to Harvey. He wasn't going to hurt his friend. "It's just hard to let go of someone that I've come to depend on." Nash couldn't explain how he had come to rely so heavily on Rachel, she just wasn't like the other women in his past. "If my being friends with Rachel, if that's going to affect your marri..."

Harvey was hearing this all again, just as Rachel had offered the day before. "Nash, I don't want to end your friendship and I appreciate your respect for our marriage." Harvey knew Nash was sincere with his intent, he was trying to correct his wrongs.

"I can't explain why Cassidy said what she did, but there has been nothing beyond a hug between us since..." Nash felt the need to elaborate, to completely erase the idea that Cassidy had put into Harvey's head.

"Nash, just stop right there." Harvey shook his head and grinned, "I don't want any more details to mix with my jet lag."

"By the way, your wife's new partner is downstairs." Nash wondered if Harvey had run into Kat or not over the years, he assumed her presence might come as a complete surprise.

"Really?" Harvey was curious to see who Rachel would be working with, he hoped whoever it was that he or she would be a little more trained than Cassidy. He didn't want to question Nash's authority on the hire, but he was worried about Rachel.

"Remember Kat Bauer?" Nash knew Harvey certainly wouldn't have forgotten her. She clearly objected to his marriage to Bonnie, and would've stopped it had she been able.

"You're kidding..." That name certainly rang a bell. It had been years since he last saw Kat, right before he married Bonnie. Harvey wasn't so sure he liked this arrangement of Kat with Rachel. He was hoping for someone different from Cassidy, but this was a bit extreme.

"She's back..." Nash grinned as he watched Harvey rolling his eyes, the next few weeks were going to be fun.

**
"So, was it sex-filled and passionate?" Kat stood infront of Rachel's desk as she returned from the filing cabinets. She definitely caught Rachel off guard, judging by the astonished look on her face. "By the looks of it, you weren't exactly spending much time working on your tan?"

"Excuse me?" Rachel had no idea who was standing before her asking about her sex life. She knew there'd be talk, but this was a bit extreme. Rachel looked at her bare arms, feeling a little self conscious. They were burnt, not tanned.

"Your honeymoon, you're married to Harvey Leek." Kat didn't want to show how much she really knew, just the basics. "Quite a catch, if I may say so myself."

"How do you know... who are you?" Rachel didn't want to answer anything without knowing who this woman was. She hadn't seen her before around the SIU, her comments sounded like those of Rachel's mother.

"Kat Bauer, your new partner and an old friend of Harvey's." Kat extended her hand and smiled warmly. She knew instantaneously that she and Rachel would get along well.

"Rachel McCabe." Rachel shook her hand, a little surprised Nash had done the hiring while she was gone. Nash did warn her there were going to be some changes when she came in.

"Not taking his name?" Kat noticed she said McCabe instead of Leek, she wondered if there was a reason.

"Not yet." Rachel hadn't even realized what she said, Kat was quite observant. Cassidy would've ignored the comment and moved on.

"Sorry I was a little abrupt, I thought it would be a good way to break the ice." Kat wasn't sure how things would go with Rachel, especially since she knew so much about her.

"It was just a little unexpected." Rachel smiled, Nash's choice hadn't been so bad. Her curiousity was piqued by Kat's comment about Harvey. "So how do you know Harvey?"

"To be honest, I know all these crochety, old cops. If you got the time to listen, I got the time to chat. Up for coffee?" As far as Kat knew, their morning was pretty open. She wanted Rachel to speak for herself, and Kat intended to share as well.

"I've always got time for coffee." Rachel was a little more than surprised by her forward attitude. Kat was obviously nothing like Cassidy Bridges. Maybe this time, the partnership would last.

**