Billie put the paper into the file and set it on the desk.

"Okay, you can go now."

Van got up to leave then felt like he should ask Billie something to show that he cared about her too. "So, uh, how was your hot date last night?" As soon as he'd said it Van found himself on the receiving end of a Billie death glare. Her icy light blue eyes looked like they might shoot freezing rays right out of them. `Good job, moron. She was all bitchy when she called earlier. Why do you think that was?'

"Who said I had a hot date?" Billie said, her voice as frosty as her eyes.

"I just figured ... um, maybe ..."

"Well my weekend plans, they fell through."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in."

"No, it's all right. You can go now."

Van started to leave. "See you on Monday then."

"Okay," Billie said taking her seat at the desk.

Van stopped at the doorway. "Hey, Billie, can you come help me with something? If you're not too busy."

Knowing she had nothing to do, and for once thankful for a distraction she said, "I can spare a little while. What do you need?"

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

"Okay, this is not what I was expecting."

"Not expecting? Then what are we doing HERE?" Van said joking. He and Billie were in the baby area of a large department store.

"Funny," she said in a voice that made it clear she didn't think that was the case. "So why are we standing in the baby department? Please tell me you and Deaq didn't find anything in a basket on your doorstep."

"No. You remember that playpen I broke a few days back?"

"Sure, when you were watching Deaq's sister's kid right?"

"Yeah and I wanted to get a replacement."

"So what does this have to do with me?" asked Billie. She remembered Van's desperate call a few days ago when he didn't know how to stop the baby from crying. Then, figuring it out, she continued, "Oh no. What is it with you? Why do you think I know about this stuff? Do I LOOK like a mother?"

"No, but you look like a chick, even if you don't always act like it. You're a woman. You HAVE to know."

"You think that's enough? Just because I'm a woman I have to know?"

"Well, yeah," Van said, not understanding what she was getting at.

Billie decided on another tactic. "Don't you know any other women besides me?"

"Of course I do, just none that I can ask for help with this."

"Can't you just ask one of the girls you slept with?" asked Billie. She and Deaq were well aware of the rather large number of women Van had had sex with before he and Deaq got together. When the three of them first started working as a team Van was still having sex with women, including the mark of several cases, much to Billie and Deaq's chagrin. It was a habit that Billie was pleased to see disappear once Van and Deaq had hooked up sexually.

"Most of them don't want to hear from me again. The ones that do, I don't want to talk to and the rest are either not the type you want ask for help or they're unreachable."

"By unreachable you mean like escaped from police custody?" Billie couldn't help but rub it in just a bit.

"That too."

"So what about your Mom? Why don't you ask her?" Billie had always wondered what Van's Mom must be like. She'd met his Dad and that had answered a lot of her questions but still she felt like she had only half the pieces of the puzzle.

"No. Just no." Van didn't want to open that can of worms. "You should feel honored. I value your opinion so much I want to take YOU with me."

"Right because my being here has nothing to do with Deaq refusing to go with you and your not having anybody else to ask."

"You got it," Van said then found the aisle he was looking for.

"So, how's married life?" Billie found herself asking. Normally she never asked about their relationship outside of what was necessary for work. They had been honest with her from the beginning about their relationship and she had appreciated it and returned that respect by giving them their privacy. However, if Van was going to make her shop for baby furniture she figured it was okay to be a bit less formal. This was essentially off the clock time anyway.

"It's great. I love living there. It's what I always wanted. Plus we have more sex than you can shake a stick at," Van said. He wasn't sure what possessed her to ask but he wasn't about to let an excellent opportunity to make her squirm slip by. God knows she'd made him uncomfortable plenty of times.

"Okay, that's just too much information," Billie said as she closely inspected one of the displayed playpens.

"I'm just messing with you. Actually it's true, but anyway, there is something about it that concerns me."

"What's that?"

"I keep thinking. Now I know that Deaq wants me there. I have no doubts about that anymore."

"But ..."

"But what if he doesn't want me living with him later? I mean, what if he wakes up one day and thinks he should have a family instead?"

"He has a family Van."

"Yeah, but he doesn't see them all that much. Sure we're going over tomorrow but I mean the rest of the time. What if he wants something close? You know, a wife and kids?"

"Van, he has a family. He has us, you know that."

"Yeah, but I don't know. What if that's not what he wants long term? What if he stops wanting me?"

"I don't think that's going to happen, Van. But if you're worried maybe you should ask him."

"I guess so." Van flashed Billie a huge smile. "What would I do without you?"

"You probably wouldn't be here would you?" said a plump, cheery, middle age, saleslady. She came down the aisle and looked at Billie. "My goodness dear, you must not be very far along. But look at you two," she continued smiling at Van and Billie. "You'll have just the most beautiful children ever!"

"Oh, no we're not-" Billie began.

At the same time Van said, "We aren't togeth-"

"Such a cute couple you make," she went on not paying attention to their objections. "So, you're looking at playpens. Have you picked one out yet?"

Figuring it would probably be easier and faster to just let the saleslady think whatever she wanted, Billie said, "Yes, but he broke the last one. Do you have any idiot proof ones?"

The saleslady looked at them knowingly. "Right this way."

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

"Deaq?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Billie could come with us?"

"To Cherise's place?"

"Yeah."

Van and Deaq were headed to his sister's home for dinner. In the trunk of the car was the playpen Van and Billie had picked up the day before.

"Why you think she'd want to go with us? Probably busy out searching for crack dealers right now."

"I don't know, she said her plans got canceled and everything's already taken care of for next week's meet. I mean she must be really bored if she was willing to go with me to pick out a playpen yesterday."

"You really think she'd want to come?"

"Sure she'll say she doesn't want to but she's probably all bummed out and alone."

"You do realize you're talking about OUR BOSS. The same woman you called, and I quote: `a demon bitch' a few months ago."

"Yeah but things seem different now. She seems to almost like me now. I know it sounds weird but I think ever since you and I got together she's been acting different."

"I noticed it too. Maybe it's `cause she don't have to worry `bout you havin' sex with the mark anymore."

"I didn't do it that many times," Van said knowing Deaq wouldn't agree.

"Bull," Deaq said. The memory of Van not so long ago getting it on with too many people who weren't him was still a painful one for Deaq. It had been hard on him at the time to watch the man he was quickly falling in love with constantly screwing what seemed like every pretty face that came along.

They drove for a few moments in silence.

"You gonna call her or not, Van?"

Van pulled out his cell and tried to think of a way to ask Billie that wouldn't make her suspicious. She'd probably think it was one of their practical jokes or something.

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

Twenty minutes later Billie climbed into the backseat of the car.

"I can't believe you guys talked me into this," she said.

"Billie, that's what we do, remember? If we couldn't convince you to come with you'd think we weren't very good at our job," Van said. "So see you had to accept or you'd just be proving that you made poor choices when you picked us, right?"

"That has a certain logic to it, I guess," Billie said. She really hadn't needed them to twist her arm. She'd spent the week working ahead and had little to do all weekend. That would have been fine but with her plans canceled she didn't have much in the way of work to keep her busy. As it was she was waxing the cars in the Candy Store when they'd called. Waxing them for the third time in a row that day. "Your sister won't mind?"

"Oh, naw. We always had lots of people `round for dinner when we was kids. She still likes having a whole group. Bet they'll have a whole pile of kids, her and Jay."

"That's her husband?" asked Billie.

"Yeah, lawyer. Entertainment law."

"Figures," said Van. "So what's he like?"

"Don't know really. Only met him a couple times. Never talked much to him," said Deaq.

"So you don't really know him?" Billie asked. This struck her as odd. Deaq was the rather protective type. She was surprised he hadn't put the guy through the gears before the marriage.

"No. They were married when I was still in New York," Deaq said, his voice sounding a bit guilty. "Guess I haven't been 'round much. But hey, goin' today, right?"

Though she had told Van that there wasn't such a thing as women's intuition, Billie had a bad feeling about this.

Go to: Part 5 - Acquaintances

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