Deaq got up off the couch and went to see what Van wanted. Upon entering the kitchen he saw something he'd never seen before and had never expected to see. Van was lying on the long kitchen table, hiked up on one elbow and nearly naked. That wasn't the part that surprised him. What blew his mind was what Van WAS wearing. Van had whip cream covering his crotch and a trail of it zig-zagging up past his hips, over his stomach, across his abs and finally ending at his nipples. Both were covered with lots of whip cream. Over each nipple and one where his crotch was buried in whip cream was a bright red Maraschino cherry.

Van looked at Deaq with hooded eyes and wearing his most cocky smile said, "I made desert. Hope you like VAN-illa sundae."

Deaq just shook his head and thanked God for the millionth time that he'd found this crazy man.

"Oh and don't worry, you won't be left out. I picked up my favorite too." Van reached behind him, pulled out a couple jars of chocolate sauce and wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

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

Deaq woke up the next morning to the sound of the phone ringing. He managed to pull his arm out from under where it was pinned and grabbed the receiver by the second ring.

"Deaq," he said into the phone sleepily.

"I need to talk to Van," Billie said without any pleasantries or apologies for obviously waking Deaq.

Rather than say anything he decided to just wake Van up and make him deal with Billie since she was obviously in a bad mood. He nudged Van but rather than wake up he just rolled over away from Deaq to face the wall. Deaq put the phone to Van's ear and, once he was sure it was balanced, got up to hit the washroom.

"Van? Van? Are you there?"

Van heard a voice in his ear and it was definitely cranky. It also definitely wasn't Deaq.

"Huh?" he mumbled out.

"Van wake up! I need you down here now," Billie said.

Van grabbed the phone and sat up. "Wha's goin' on? Why you want us there?"

"I don't want you here. I NEED you here. But just you."

"Deaq doesn't have to come?"

"No."

Practically whining Van asked, "Well why do I have to go down there? How come Deaq gets to stay home?"

Getting irritated by his acting like a bratty little kid, Billie shot back, "Because DEAQ didn't shoot anyone yesterday. YOU did, and I need your signature on the reports. You should be thankful I did the paper work for you. Now get your ass down here!"

Before Van had a chance to whine that it was Saturday and couldn't this wait `till Monday, she slammed the phone down in his ear.

Deaq leaned on the doorway and looked at Van who was just hanging up the phone, obviously not too pleased with what he'd been told.

"I gotta go down and sign the reports."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yep," Van said as he pulled off the covers.

"Hey, hold up. I don't gotta go too?"

"Nope. You get out of this one."

"Ha ha," Deaq said teasing.

"Shut up, salsa boy," Van said as he got up and started looking for something to wear.

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

Van signed the report quickly and handed it back to Billie.

"There, done. Did you really have to get me up at 8 in the morning on my day off for this?"

Billie looked at the report and sighed.

"Can I go now?"

Tossing the signed page into the trash can Billie said, "No, you can go as soon as you do this properly."

"What? Handwriting too sloppy?"

"I don't think they'd accept this from Van STRUMMER do you?"

"Oh crap. Did I?" Van couldn't believe he'd signed off on an official report using his undercover name by mistake.

"Yeah, you did," Billie said as she printed off another copy.

"Is that bad?"

"I don't think so."

"It's weird though. I used to think of Van Strummer as the person I played, but now," he sighed. "Now it's like that's who I am. I spend so much more time being Strummer it's like I play at being Officer Ray."

"I know. I understand," Billie said softly. She really did know exactly what Van was talking about.

"Yeah, I guess you would."

"Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"Pretending to be that person, Van. Being someone else."

"What bothers me is what if I'm not pretending anymore?"

"If you really feel that way then there's a problem. You ever talk to Deaq about this?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't feel the same. I think he can separate it all better. He doesn't feel so bad about lying, like he can separate that's it's the job better than I can."

"But you don't have to pretend with him right?"

"He understands what I'm saying, even if he doesn't feel the same way. And no, I don't have to play at anything with him. It's like when I'm with Deaq there's no Officer Ray, there's no Van Strummer. There's just Van. Just me, you know? I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that, have him. He, uh, he keeps me grounded, you know?"

"You're lucky to have that," Billie said softly.

"I know," Van replied.

They sat there in the office for a few moments each lost in their own thoughts. Finally Billie went and grabbed the new copy of the report page and set it on the desk in front of Van.

"You know who you are. Sign it," Billie said seriously.

Van, without hesitation, signed his real name.

Go to: Part 4 - Perspectives

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