Quincy and Tia

*****

Funny. When you're going somewhere you don't want to go, it takes absolutely no time to get there. As I pulled into my driveway, I glanced over at Quincy's house and sighed. Before I trudged up to his door, I put my car in the garage and fed Isis.

When he didn't answer the door right away, I smiled thinking maybe he picked up another shift. That hope crashed and burned when the door opened cautiously a moment later.

He stood there, all wet and glisteny from a shower with only a towel around his waist. Muscles danced under his supple and smooth skin. Then my eyes spied a drop of water sliding down over his chest before bumping over his washboard abs to the towel.

"Tia, I thought..." He stopped when he met my intense stare.

I pounced.

It was sometime later before our breathing slowed and we were able to move. I smiled lazily and turned my head toward him. "Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful."

He chuckled. "If this is how you thank me, you'll get flowers everyday for the rest of your life." He kissed my shoulder. "We need to get up."

"Why? I'm comfy." I snuggled my backside to his groin. When he twitched, I squealed. Quincy moaned and tightened his arms to hold me still. "I need to let Niju in. And the front door is wide open. I've seen old man Wayne's curtains flutter twice. I think he has binoculars." He looked up again. "Sorry. A telescope."

That had me scrambling for clothes and cover.

A much calmer Quincy reached for his towel and tied it around his waist as he shut the front door and secured it.

"Can I use your shower?"

"Go ahead." He nodded toward the stairs and went towards the kitchen and I climbed the stairs for the bathroom. The warm spray relaxed my tired muscles. Quincy had one of those body showerheads that sprayed from nine different angles. I grunted and moaned as it soothed kinks I gained today from work and more recently with Quincy.

"Ooh, you started without me." Rock solid arms caught me before I fell from spinning so suddenly. "You don't have to scream! I'm the only other person here."

"Well you didn't have to sneak up on me! I could have killed you!" I smacked at his shoulders.

"Really? Perhaps I should to more careful. I wouldn't want to anger your fists of fury again. I came to ask you something, but now that I'm here, I can't remember what it was."

"Try." I growled fixing my shower cap.

"I should have brought flowers." Quincy grumbled. "Could you turn around? I can't concentrate with you looking at me all expectant." I sighed and turned.

"Oh hell." He muttered. Then I felt his lips at the back of my neck and his hands slid down my back to cup my ass.

"Quincy, focus."

"I am." His chest rubbed firmly against my back, his hips cradled mine. Fingertips ran from my ass up and around my nipples.

"On what you were going to ask me not fucking me."

"Can't I do both?"

"No. Men can't multitask. A known fact. Was what you were going to ask me important?"

"Mmmm." He hummed as he thought. "Nope."

"In that case, you may continue." And with much enthusiasm, he did. The water was long cold by the time we hauled our wrinkly butts out of the shower and dried off.

Dressed in one of Quincy's hooded sweatshirts I followed him downstairs to the kitchen. Niju greeted me suspiciously as I smelled like a stranger and a cat. Although now that I was liberally coated with Quincy's scent, I was granted access. He licked my hand and went to his food dish. Dismissed, I sat down at his table while Quincy rummaged through his refrigerator.

"If I didn't already know I was pregnant, tonight would have clinched it."

He froze. "Why are you making jokes? This is serious."

"Which is exactly why. Do you have any idea how drastically this baby will change our lives?! I mean both of us work nights!"

"We'll get through this, Tia. I'll be here for anything you need."

"Thanks Quincy. I don't trust easily."

"No!?!"

Oh, the sarcasm.

"But-" I glared. "I believe you. Just don't think you can get out of any early morning feedings."

"So you've decided to keep it?"

"Yeah." I mumbled, feeling my face heat and again I thanked my blush blocking skin. "I wouldn't want you to feel like I destroyed your chance at being a father. And I don't suppose it would be so bad having a rug ratrrgf!" The definition of a strangulating bear hug: Quincy happy. "Crush me and no baby."

"I can't help it! I'm excited."

"That'll change. Give it a few more months. You'll be sick of the baby and me."

"Never." Quincy walked over to my chair, kneeled and took my hand. "I wasn't joking when I said I'd take care of my family. I want you to be my family. You and my baby."

"You don't even know me." I tried to pull my hand away, but he held on fast. "You don't know what it is to be me."

"Well I know I'll try. Granted I'm probably never going to understand everything with the cultural differences."

"I'm not talking about white and black."

"Then what? Our backgrounds aren't that different. Not horribly so."

"I would scare you if I told you everything."

'Go ahead. Tell him you hunt down and kill men.'

'Kill rapists.'

'Same thing. You really think he cares about the reason? You're a murderer. Ever wonder if they'd bring the chair back for you? Maybe I should check the classifieds for another host.'

'Why wait? Get out now and leave me alone. I have enough to deal with without adding hearing voices to the list.'

"Tia? Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked you to marry me."

'Well I didn't have too far to look. Say hello to my new host.'

"Quincy, didn't you hear anything I said? We don't know each other. We aren't compatible. Sex isn't everything."

"I know that." He interrupted. "We don't talk about it now, but you give it some thought. Now what would you like to eat? I've got the stuff to make spaghetti."

"That's fine, but don't change the subject."

"What's your favorite color and song?" He started cooking the ground beef.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting to know you. My favorite color is green and I like the new Fall Out Boy song." Adding the sauce to the meat.

"Red and Rhianna's new one. Toothpaste."

"Crest. You?"

"Colgate." I smiled. "That proves my point, incompatible. Atheist."

"Idiosanct. Born of Catholics, Roman Catholics."

"You're kidding. You do realize I won't raise my kid Catholic. And your dad will kill you for it after they resurrect you from killing you earlier for dating me."

"He'll love you." He added the pasta to the boiling water.

"Famous last words. Are you insured? Just in case."

"Buried."

"Cremated."

"Organ donor." We said in unison.

"Ah, ha!" Quincy laughed triumphantly. "Some things are more important than others."

"Dove milk chocolate."

"Oreos."

"Apparently." I murmured dryly.

Quincy spun around. "Tia!" He gasped.

"What?! You said it. Freak!"

"That mouth of yours. It will get you into trouble."

"You love it. How many people can remove a belt, pants, and underwear with just their teeth?"

"So you have a talented mouth, and other talented things. But I can obviously do something better than you." Quincy stalked slowly towards me; leaning in, close enough to kiss.

"And what would that be?" I asked softly, relishing his closeness.

"Cook." He whispered smugly. Then he turned back to the stove. "I mean who else could burn, I'm sorry, char something they were just heating up? I feel I was falsely accused of distraction. The charring of those veggies started long before I came to the door."

"And?" I watched him strain the pasta over the sink.

"I want my name cleared of all counts of second degree food charring and first degree distraction."

"Ah, but you were distracting me. I was thinking of you. Why we hadn't moved forward, if you liked me? If you did why the hell the gentleman charade and if we would ever have sex? And when, oh and what position-?"

"I see. So council maintains that my absence physically is still my fault mentally?" Making two heaping plates spaghetti he set them on the table.

"That is correct."

"I object!"

"Council will retract that objection if he wants me to stay the night."

"I retract my objection." He parroted dutifully.

"Mmmhmm." I nodded. I started cutting my spaghetti when I heard a loud slurp. Looking up I watched in horror as Quincy slurped another noodle. Feeling my disapproving gaze, his eyes rolled up to mine. I raised an eyebrow.

"Slurping is good luck."

"Says who?" I demanded.

"The Chinese. You know, they who invented noodles."

"Its' like living with a three year old." I told the ceiling.

"Which you will be in a few years so consider me practice." Quincy added slurping another noodle.

'I can hardly wait.' I thought sarcastically.

Later that night, after another bout of energetic sex, my head dropped exhaustedly on his shoulder. "Quincy how's that case you're working on?"

"Dead end. He hasn't made a move in weeks. He might have moved on. Or he could be stalking a possible target."

"How do you know it's a he?"

"Tia." He chuckled. "No woman could do what he's done. Bloody, violent and senseless."

"Hey Quincy it's the twenty-first century calling. This world is full of women who body build, wrestle, do martial arts. Some could kick your butt without thinking of it. The rest, if you piss them off."

"Please. I know women do things that men do, just as well as they but what woman could or would?"

"Perhaps there is a reason."

"What reason? I'm bored let's kill someone? Women don't kill without serious mental issues. They'd kill once for their life or children but not just because."

"Why? There are so many unsolved cases out there. Who knows how many of them were committed by women?"

"You're taking this equality thing a little far, don't you think?"

"I'm not saying women are equal. Just better at it."

"Funny."

"I'm just saying don't close your eyes to possible suspect just because of gender."

"Why are you so sure the killer is a female?"

"Intuition."

"Here we go."

"Make fun all you want, but in the end, when you catch her listen when she tells you

why."

'You want him to catch you? Why not just tell him the truth now?'

'It isn't time.'

'You want him to catch you in the act. He'll shoot you.'

'I know.'

'Ah, going for the dramatic dying-with-I-love-you-on-your-bloody-lips-Old-

Yeller-ending.'

'Something like that.'

"I suppose I should be pleased that you think I'll get this asshole."

"You are a wonderful cop, Quincy. Never forget that. Now go to sleep."

"Can't. All that praise went to my head."

I looked down. "I see." I reached for him. "I'll see what I can do." Ducking under the covers, I did.

It was the middle of the night when my cell phone rang. Half asleep, I clawed to the edge of the bed to the nightstand where I'd laid it. "Hello?" I asked groggily.

"Tia? It's Morgan. Is Anna with you?"

'It would be interesting if she were.' "No." I said a bit more alert. I glanced at the alarm clock next to Quincy. "She took some extra hours for me, but she should be home by now."

"She called me before she left the hospital, but that was hours ago. Tia, we only live ten minutes from the hospital."

"Okay, stay there in case she calls or comes home. I'll call the police and go by the hospital. Maybe several traumas came in at once and she got distracted. She probably crashed in the supply closet."

Debating whether or not to wake Quincy, I crept downstairs to collect my clothes. My cell phone rang again. "Morgan, did she-"

Heavy breathing on the line.

"Morgan?" I just knew it wasn't him. Apprehension caused my nape hairs to stand on end.

"She shouldn't have interfered. I wanted you." A sterile voice informed me cold dread raced up and down my spine. "Who are you?"

He ignored me. "She tried to fight me. But I know she wanted it. The little whore. She wasn't as good as I know you'll be. She cried."

Impotent rage filled me. "You bastard! If you hurt her-?! Let me talk to her!"

"I'm sorry, Tia. Anna can't speak to you anymore." He hung up.

I choked back bile and tears and angrily checked the phone number.

It was Anna's cellular.

The rest of the night was a blur. I ran screaming for Quincy who jumped out of bed instantly alert. Quickly I told him what had happened. He threw on clothes and called his precinct to relay the situation.

Then we went to the hospital, Quincy driving, I was too fearful to try. His words repeated in my head. 'He wanted me. Anna couldn't talk to me anymore. This sick bastard was after me, not Anna. But he hurt her. Maybe-...' Tears threatened, but I wouldn't let them fall. 'Anna was all right. Some jerk stole her purse and pranked me. She's fine.' I thought.

Six hours later, I knew the truth: Anna wasn't fine. She would never be fine again.

The cops found her body in one of the dumpsters behind the hospital. If I'd known what I would see, I never would have gone outside. I've seen death before. Violent mutilation wasn't new either. But the knowledge that the gouged heap of flesh had been my beautiful vivacious loving friend not ten hours previous had me vomiting up Quincy's spaghetti. He pulled me back from the scene so I did not ruin any evidence.

"He- he..." I trailed off when I could speak. The bastard had removed everything that made Anna female. Quincy hugged me fiercely as if trying to protect me from my thoughts. "How could he do this and get away? People are always around!"

"He grabbed her, Tia. He took her somewhere else and did this. He just dumped her here."

"Why?!" I demanded. Such a small word for infinite questions. None of which I had an answer. Except, he wanted me.

The coroners were preparing to move the body, there was no way for me to think of it Anna, when Morgan arrived. He bulldozed his way through the officers' barriers. One tried to stop him and put their hand on Morgan's arm. Morgan promptly turned and laid the cop out cold with a single punch. As unprepared as I was for seeing Anna lifeless on a pile of garbage like an unwanted toy, nothing could have prepared me for Morgan's grief.

He made a sound that could only be described as keeling. A long, loud horrible wail. He scooped Anna's body up into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. It was painful to watch. It was so tangible. No one approached him, afraid of his wrath. They did manage to keep the curious masses and television crews so far back that they would not be able to exploit his sorrow.

The tears I'd kept at bay earlier fell fiercely while I witnessed him I thought, 'this is all my fault.'