C2Mel

Sipping his coffee, Joe wandered over to his desk to check his paperwork. He'd swear his 'In' box never dwindled. Well, at least he'd had plenty of time to deal with the paperwork. It had been unusually quiet in the SIU that day. He pulled his chair back and settled into it, determined to make a dent in that stupid 'In' box. He'd been making good progress when Rachel dropped a file into his box as she breezed past on her way to her own desk.

"Thanks a lot, Rachel, as if I needed more paperwork." Grumbling, Joe pulled the file out of the box to see what this one was all about.

Laughing, Rachel sat down at her desk and flicked on the computer. "Hey, don't blame me, Joe. I just work here."

"Yeah, yeah. That's all I hear…excuses." It wasn't a bullet that was going to force him into retirement; it was writer's cramp. With a heavy sigh, Joe began reading the new file.

Having overheard the whole conversation while looking at something Harvey was working on, Nash couldn't help but laugh quietly. They were all going a little stir crazy. It had been way too quiet around the barge the last few days or so. Harvey had finally had the time to work on that new program he'd been talking about. Joe was catching up on paperwork, as was Rachel and Antwon.

Glancing at his watch, Nash made a decision. "Okay, gang, let's go to lunch."

Looking around at the others then turning back to Nash, Harvey looked at his boss in surprise. "What, you mean all of us?"

Suppressing a smile, Nash feigned confusion. "Well, of course I mean all of us. You act like we never go to lunch together."

Antwon tossed a file folder onto Joe's desk, earning a disgusted frown, and smiled at Nash. "Well, we don't. We're usually too busy."

"Well, today we are all going to lunch. If anyone has any errands to run after lunch, I suggest we take separate cars." They all split up, Joe riding with Nash, and met again at the Cherry Blossom Chinese restaurant for lunch.

Nash couldn't remember a time when the whole gang had been able to meet together at lunch, and he made a mental note to try to do it again. Harvey, Rachel and Antwon hadn't looked so relaxed in ages. Plus, it gave the three a chance to get to know each other a little better.

After paying their bills and laughing about their fortunes, they headed back to their cars. Nash and Joe returned to the barge, while the other three took off to run a quick errand or two before getting back to work.

Sighing in contentment as he and Nash boarded the SIU, Joe felt like he was going to bust. He never should have eaten so much. Stopping at his desk, he couldn't believe how much paperwork had been piled on it during lunch. With a groan, Joe sat down to try to make a little headway.

Having to deal with paperwork of his own, Nash just smiled in sympathy and headed upstairs to his own desk. He hadn't been there long, when he saw Joe taking a coffee break. "I'm surprised you can find room for that coffee, Joe."

"Funny, Nashman. I'm just taking a break from all that administration crap. Man, it’s been way too quiet around here."

Groaning, Nash shook his head. "Joe! You said the 'Q' word, man. What are you trying to do, jinx us?"

"Aw, come on Nash. You don't believe that stuff, do you?"

"Bubba, anybody in police work, firefighting or EMS will tell you the surest way to get a call is to say the 'Q' word." Nash shook his head, smiling. "I'm surprised you don't know that, Joe."

"Huh." Joe shrugged his shoulders and went back to his coffee.

When his cell phone rang, Nash pulled it from his jacket pocket and flipped it open. "Nash." He listened for a moment then rubbed his brow with his free hand. "Okay, we'll be right there."

Nash slapped the phone closed and dropped it back in his pocket. "Well, bubba, you jinxed us. There's a bank robbery over at First National and you'll never believe who's in there as one of the hostages."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they all split up after lunch, Harvey followed Rachel. She was dropping her car off to get new breaks then they'd run a few errands before heading back to work. He pulled into an empty parking space and waited for Rachel to fill out the paperwork on her car. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Harvey hummed along with the Grateful Dead bootleg he'd just acquired the day before.

He immediately stopped humming when the passenger door was yanked open and Rachel dropped into her seat. "I can't believe how much it's going to cost to replace those breaks. They obviously don't realize what an Inspector's salary is."

Chuckling, Harvey put the car in gear and headed in the direction of his cleaners. "Yeah, I guess they don't. How much is gonna cost you?"

"$600. Can you believe it?" Rachel shook her head in disgust with the whole thing. "I wonder if they charged me that much because I'm a woman? Maybe I should've let you go in with me."

With a sheepish grin, Harvey shook his head. "Don't look at me. I don't know much about the inner workings of the automobile. I just drive one."

Rachel smiled and stared at him in mock disbelief. "What do you mean, you don't know anything about cars? You're a man, aren't you?"

"Last time I checked, I was." Harvey spared a quick glance at Rachel and smiled mischievously. "You're a woman. How come you can't cook?"

"Touche`!" Rachel laughed and made a 'mark' in the air with her finger. "One for Harvey."

Pulling into the parking lot in front of his dry cleaners, Harvey left the car running so Rachel would have some air conditioning. "I'll just be a minute, Rach."

Only, it wasn't a minute. Or five. Or ten. After arguing for fifteen minutes with the owner, Harvey finally managed to leave the cleaners with all the clothes he'd dropped off. They'd had to search the whole place, but they'd found them.

Grumbling to himself about the decline of customer service, Harvey opened the back door and hung the clothes on the hook. When he dropped into the driver's seat, Rachel shot him a questioning look. Buckling his seatbelt, Harvey shook his head. "Don't ask. Just don't ask."

Laughing to herself, Rachel knew better than to push the issue. They drove the next few miles in silence then Rachel's smile grew. Harvey was so preoccupied, that he was humming along with the tape again. She wondered how long he'd do it before he realized she was there and listening. Well, he isn't tone deaf. Wonder what his voice sounds like?

Having spent more and more time with Harvey at work, Rachel was beginning to like the Grateful Dead, herself. Before she knew it, she was tapping her foot along with the music. The tapping and humming stopped when the car suddenly developed an uneven rhythm, and the unmistakable sound of a flat tire reached their ears.

"Aw, man, I don't believe it." Pulling over to the side, Harvey put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Grumbling, he got out and went to get the spare and jack. Slipping out of his jacket and looking up to see Rachel holding her hand out, he passed it to her. "Thanks, Rachel. I guess if it's not one thing, it's another."

It took another fifteen minutes to get the tire changed, thanks to some stiff lug nuts. When they made it to the bank without mishap, Harvey breathed a sigh of relief. Rachel climbed from the car and was surprised to see him doing the same. "Harvey, you don't have to go in if you don't want to. It shouldn't take me long."

"That's okay. I'd kind of like to use their restroom to wash my hands, actually." As they reached the building, Harvey held the door open for her and followed her into the coolness of the bank's lobby. Rachel went to stand in line, and Harvey headed for the Men's room. If they'd only known.

When Harvey came out of the restroom, he did a double take. Rachel hadn't moved a step while he'd been gone. "Swell. At this rate, we'll never get back to work."

Scanning the lobby, Harvey saw an empty desk with two chairs for prospective customers. With a resigned sigh, he wandered over and sat down. He shifted the chair so he could see Rachel and, propping his elbow on the desk, dropped his chin in his hand to wait. The lunch he'd had was making him drowsy, so he hoped Rachel wouldn't take too long or he'd embarrass them both by falling asleep.

Checking her watch for the tenth time, Rachel frowned in annoyance. There seemed to be only one teller working, which didn't make much sense considering the time of day. The 'quick' trip to the bank was shaping up to be a prolonged wait.

Rachel looked around the lobby, trying to find Harvey, and almost laughed out loud when she finally spotted him. He was sitting at a desk with his head propped in his hand, practically falling asleep. She watched as his head slowly drooped, only to snap back up again. Rachel smiled as Harvey looked around the lobby and, seeing that she hadn't moved, dropped his head back in his hand. It only took a minute for him to start nodding again. This time he waited too late, and his head slipped off his hand before snapping awake. Rachel couldn't stop the short burst of laughter that time, and got a funny look from the customer standing in front of her.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Harvey checked the time on the clock sitting on the desk. He'd been fighting sleep for ten minutes. Rachel had finally moved up in the line, but not nearly far enough. Feeling the effects of too many glasses of water with lunch, Harvey stood and stretched. Glancing at Rachel once more, he headed back to the restroom.

Having seen Harvey go back to the restroom, Rachel sighed. She couldn't believe this was taking so long. Poor Harvey. He hadn't known what he was getting into when he offered to give her a ride from the garage. She smiled, though, because she knew that even if Harvey had known this was going to happen…he still would've made the offer. He was just a nice guy. Her thoughts elsewhere, and standing in the middle of a line of people, Rachel was caught completely off guard as four armed men burst through the lobby doors.

Dropping to the floor with the other customers, Rachel was glad she was wearing a blazer today. Maybe those men wouldn't notice she was armed. She winced when one of the armed men struck the security guard, grabbing his gun. The tallest man, apparently the leader, addressed the people who lay face down on the floor. "Alright, I'm sure you all know we're not here to make a deposit. Just stay where you are, we'll do our thing and get out of here."

Two men stationed them selves near the door, one of them turning the dead bolt to make sure nobody got in or out. One covered the customers huddled on the floor, while the ringleader went over to the counter with a large duffle bag.

While the tall, blond man was trying to get his money, Rachel looked around at the setup. Hopefully, these guys weren't trigger-happy. Suddenly remembering Harvey, Rachel prayed he didn't step out of that restroom into this mess. That badge he wore around his neck wouldn't endear him to these men.

Crumpling up the paper towel after drying his hands, Harvey tossed it in the garbage and headed for the door. As he reached for the handle, he thought he heard shouting in the lobby. Cocking his head and wrinkling his brow, he slowly opened the door a crack to peer outside. He couldn't believe what he saw. Two armed men stood near the door, while another held a gun on a group of people lying on the floor. Although he couldn't see the moneyman, he knew there had to be at least one. Carefully shutting the door, Harvey paced the restroom floor. "Great, this day just keeps getting better and better. Think, Leek."

He stopped his pacing and stared up at the ceiling. Well, he could probably find a way out, but he wasn't sure what that would get him. Visualizing the bank's floor plan, Harvey remembered there was a room on the same side as the restroom that had no windows and the door was closed. He'd only noticed it when he'd looked around for a place to sit. He was pretty sure he could, maybe, get the drop on the armed men if he came from that room. Knowing Rachel was out there to back him up was also a plus.

Pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket, Harvey punched in the numbers for Nash's phone at the SIU. When he heard his boss answer, Harvey whispered his predicament. "Nash, it's Harvey. Listen, I'm here at the First National bank and there's a robbery in progress. There are at least four armed men, three that I can see. It looks like there's about twenty hostages. Nash, Rachel is one of the hostages. I'm in the restroom. So far, they don't know I'm here."

"Okay, we'll be right there."

"Thanks, Nash." Flipping the phone closed, Harvey slipped it in the pocket of his cargos. He looked around for the easiest way to climb up to the ceiling. He went in one of the stalls and climbed onto the edge of the toilet. Praying it would hold his weight, he put a foot on the toilet paper holder, grabbed the top of the stall divider and stood. He quickly placed his other foot on the top of the divider and braced a hand against the wall for balance. Reaching up, he pushed the ceiling tile aside and grabbed edge of the hole. He carefully hoisted himself up and found a precarious balance. He knew he'd have to be very careful where he put his hands and knees.

He made his way slowly and carefully across the ceiling. When he'd judged he'd gone far enough to see most of the lobby, he carefully lifted the edge of one of the tiles and bent his head down to see. He knew the officers that would soon be gathering outside would need to know exactly how many armed men were inside and what their positions were. He could now see the fourth man yelling at the teller. Glancing around the best he could with his limited field of vision, Harvey realized that there were only four.

After slowly lowering the tile back into place, Harvey once again pulled out his cell phone. He waited impatiently for Nash to answer, and swallowed a sigh when he finally heard Nash's voice. "Nash, it's Harvey. I've managed to crawl up into the ceiling. I can see all of them, now. There are only four armed men. Two are near the door, one is with the hostages and one is getting the money from the teller."

"You're where?" Nash let up on the gas a little so he could hear the phone better. Sitting beside him, Joe was also on the phone. "Harvey, for crying out loud, just stay there. Okay?"

"Okay, boss." Closing the phone, Harvey looked around the semi-darkness. He hoped he wasn't stuck up in the ceiling for long, and he worried about Rachel.

Rachel was worried. Surely Harvey would come out of the restroom any second now. He'd sure been in there a long time. Maybe he'd heard or seen something and was laying low. She could hear the woman next to her quietly sobbing. Sliding her hand over, very slowly, she grasped the elderly woman's hand and gave a small reassuring squeeze. They'd get out of this. Harvey knew what was going on and had called Nash. At least she hoped so.

This was already taking too long. If these men were to leave, they needed to leave now. She would rather the armed men make it out of the bank with the money, than all these innocent people get caught up in a prolonged hostage situation. Besides, if that was the case…no way could Harvey stay cooped up in that small bathroom for that long. She sure hoped Nash was on his way.

Hanging up with Harvey, Nash turned to Joe. "Well?"

"Antwon's on his way. He'll probably beat us there."

"Good. I sure hope this has a happy ending, bubba. I really don't like having one of my people a hostage and the other sitting up in a ceiling with four armed men standing below him."

Joe stared at Nash with a puzzled frown. "Harvey's in the ceiling? What's he doing there?"

Checking over his shoulder as he switched lanes, Nash smiled. "He was checking to see how many men we're up against, and getting the layout…in case we have to call in swat. Remind me to tell him he did a good job. After I jump all over him for risking his neck like that."

"You got it, Nashman. Man, you wouldn't catch me crawling around a dusty, bug infested ceiling." Joe shuddered at the thought, while Nash chuckled at his best friend's expression.

Bugs hadn't even occurred to Harvey. He struggled to maintain his balance, and strained to hear the shouted words below. He felt something crawl over his left hand, and he reflexively shook it to get rid of whatever it was. The image his mind was painting was bad enough. He lost his balance and stuck out his right hand to catch himself. His weight shifted and that was it. He had time for one brief thought. Uh-oh.

Hostages and robbers alike stared in astonishment at the body that fell from the ceiling in a cloud of dust. Rachel winced at the thud Harvey made as he hit the floor. The blond man darted over to point his gun at Harvey's heaving chest. The badge, hanging from its chain, caught the man's eye. "A cop! This guy's a cop."

Before the man could even think his way through this unexpected twist, the distant sound of sirens caught his ears. The sound hadn't escaped the notice of the other three, either. The blond man stared at the bag in his left hand then back at the cop, struggling for breath on the floor. They'd just have to cut their losses. Take what money they had and run. "Damn pig!" He gave the cop a parting kick then yelled for his cohorts to run.

"Let's go! The cops are on their way."

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as the four men took off into the bank's parking lot. Headed for their getaway car, no doubt. Concerned, she jumped to her feet and knelt next to Harvey, who was finally getting back the air that had been knocked from his lungs when he'd hit the ground. She slipped her hands inside his jacket and gently ran them along his ribs, feeling for breaks or tender spots.

"Stop! Stop!" Harvey pushed her hands away and Rachel frowned with worry.

"Harvey, what's the matter? Where does it hurt?"

Taking a wonderfully deep breath, Harvey gave her a crooked smile. "It didn't hurt. It tickles when you do that."

Staring at him a moment in exasperation, Rachel suddenly started to laugh…releasing all the pent up tension she'd had since the ordeal began. Her musical laugh was infectious and Harvey couldn't stop himself from joining her. The hostages slowly got to their feet and stared at the two laughing Inspectors like they'd both grown another head. That, naturally, made the two laugh even harder.

When Nash pulled the 'Cuda up to the bank with a squeal of tires, he saw Antwon running up. "Nash, the robbery suspects took off. Several marked units are chasing them now. I just got here, myself."

Nodding in relief, Nash led Joe and Antwon through the bank's glass doors. The sight that greeted them made them freeze in their tracks. Harvey and Rachel both sat in the floor, holding their stomachs and laughing, tears streaming down their faces. When they spotted Nash and the others, they made a huge effort to stop laughing and regains some semblance of decorum.

Nash took in the broken tiles and the dust covering Harvey and came to the obvious conclusion. "You okay, there, Harv?"

Clearing his throat, Harvey smiled and shared a look with Rachel. "Yeah, boss. I'm fine. Scared the ca-ca out of me, but no damage."

Looking around, Joe gestured at the lobby. "Well, what the hell happened? How did you two end up in this mess, anyway?"

Shaking his head, Harvey tried to wipe the dust from his Grateful Dead armband. He'd have to have it dry cleaned. "Joe, don't ask. It's been the day from hell."

Nash looked at his watch then stuck out a hand to pull Harvey to his feet. "Well, bubba, it's only a little after three. The day's far from over." Laughing at the expression on Harvey's face, mirroring Rachel's, Nash relented. "Well, you two, it's all down hill from here."

Antwon brushed some of the dust from Harvey's back and gave Rachel a big smile. "I think we should get these two back to the SIU. I think the dangers of police work are less than the dangers of your everyday, run of the mill, errands."

Sticking out his arm, Harvey tilted his head, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well, Rachel, shall we?"

"Let's." Hooking her arm through Harvey's, the two walked outside…leaving Joe, Nash and Antwon to stare after them with disbelief. Antwon was the first to find his voice. "Okay, is anyone else just a little bit scared at the thought of those two 'bonding'?"

"I don't know, bubba. Can't be any worse than Joe and I." Nash laughed and led the others outside. It wasn't exactly how he had wanted it to happen, but his new team seemed to be connecting. That was good enough for him.

END