THE DANGERS OF LOVE

by Sarah

      "Good Morning Sam!" Chris said perkily as he poured himself a cup of coffee and settled down to his desk.

     "Hey Sam," Rite replied quietly.

     "Hey, What's wrong Rita?" Chris asked worriedly

     "Huh?" She asked, breaking out of her daze. "Oh, Uhh, sorry I'm fine." She answered him.

     "It's Eric isn't it?" Chris asked relieved that it wasn't anything major.

     "Maybe..." Rita said smiling. "And how did you know that?" She asked curiously.

     "I just knew. C'mon Sam, we've been partners for five years, I just know these things!" He said matter of factly. "So, anything in particular you would like to say about him?" He asked, smiling, trying to cheer her up.

     "Sort of," She started, and then hesitated

     "Sam, you can tell me anything, you know that." He said as he started worrying again.

     "Well," she said hesitating again. After a reassuring smile from Chris, she continued. "He is starting to get...sort of hostile." She laughed as his fists began to curl into a ball. Before he could say anything, she kept talking "Now now Sam, don't over react!" she said half laughing. "Its his drinking. I know he loves me, but when he's drunk, he sure doesn't act like it." She said with the laughter and humor completely gone from her voice.

     "Rita," Chris said as he tried to calm himself. "Why do you stay with him? You could do so much better!" He complained seriously. "If he ever, and I mean EVER hits you, or hurts you intentionally, I swear to god, I'm going to knock his teeth into his stomach."

     "Chris, calm down, he wouldn't do that, its just that, hes been sort of hard to be around lately." She said.

     "I don't care. I really don't like that guy, and I don't see why you do," as she started to interrupt, he continued, "Since you DO like him," he said frowning," I'm not going to complain. Just think about it. You deserve better. I just want you to be happy, Sam" he said.

     "I know, and I appreciate it." she said hiding the sadness in her voice. As Chris went to go talk to Cap. Rita almost started crying. Why couldn't I just tell him that I don't want Eric. I don't want any man, except for him... She thought.

     Later that night Chris went to Rita's apartment for dinner and to work on their latest case. They were in the middle of discussing one of their suspects when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Rita said. She was in a good mood, and was happy to be with Chris. She bounced to the door, and opened it.

     "Hey there gorgeous," Eric said

     "Oh, uh, Hi" Rita said, trying not to show her disappointment. She had wanted to spend the evening with Chris.

     "So, *HIC*, Can I come in??" Eric said slurring his words.

     "Eric, I have work to do! I don't want to spend the evening listening to you babble, just to have you pass out on my couch.!" Rita practically yelled.

     "Damn, you rita, I know you want me." he slurred as he pressed himself against her. He began to kiss her neck. She tried to push him away, but he was to heavy.

     "Eric, STOP!" she almost screamed. Before Eric knew what was going on, he was laying on the pavement. Chris stood above him and said

     "If you EVER try anything like that again, I'll beat the living shit out of you no good loser!" He said trying not to let his temper take over.

     "Rita, your gonna let your *HIC* partner do that to me? C'mon babe" He said starting to laugh, but stopping when he felt the pain.

     "You bet your ass I am." She said as she walked over and kicked him in the crotch. "If you ever talk to me, call me or touch me again, I'll arrest you for harassment." With that she slammed the door.

     Rita slowly walked over to the couch, and sat down with a blank stare on her face.

     "Hey, Sam, its okay. You did the right thing. He wasn't right for you" Chris said as he wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. She rested her head on his strong chest, and slowly began to cry.

     "Why do I always pick such winners?" She asked sarcastically. "It's my own fault. Why didn't I see the real Eric sooner?"

     "Sam, I am not going to let you blame this on yourself. It was not your fault." He said soothingly. They both sat silently for a long time. Rita felt so comfortable there. She wanted to tell him then. Tell him about how her feelings for him had changed, but she was too scared. Every other person she had loved had died. She also didn't want to risk their friendship. She wouldn't know what to do if she would end up losing him too. He was her whole life.

     Chris was still mad. He hated Eric for that incident. He hated anything that caused his Rita pain. He knew that was barbaric, but he couldn't help how he felt.. He sat there holding Rita for a long time. New feelings for her were washing over him. After awhile, Rita fell asleep in his arms. He knew he should carry her up to her bed, but he sat awhile longer, not able to let go of her.

     Next morning Rita slowly awoke. It was one of those morning when it took her a few minutes to remember where she was. She couldn't even remember how she had gotten up to her bed last night. Then suddenly all of the memories from the previous night flooded into her mind. She figured she had fallen asleep on the couch and Chris had carried her up to bed. She sat up yawning. The door suddenly opened, and in popped Chris. "Sam!" Rita exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" She asked surprised to see him.

     "Well good morning sunshine!" He said happily. "I brought you up he last night when you fell asleep, then when I went to leave, my Charger wouldn't start,"

     "What a surprise!" Rita interrupted laughing.

     "Any way," he said pretending to be hurt, "I didn't want to wake you so I crashed on your couch. I hope you don't mind." He said politely.

     "Not at all my friend." She said happily. She had an idea of why he really stayed. She could just tell. She knew he was afraid that Eric would come back.

     I hope she doesn't know the real reason I stayed... Chris thought. He has been afraid Eric would return to finish what he started, so just incase he stayed the night.

     "I have got a surprise for you Sammy!" Chris said happily.

     "Oooh, sounds interesting!" Rita said. Chris disappeared out of the room, only to return a minute later with a tray. He sat down the tray, and Rita saw it had pancakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits, juice, and a rose. "Oh Chris, you are so sweet." She said

     "I know, I know..." he said smiling. Rita wrapped her arms around him quickly, and gave him a hug. "Well, what was that for?" He asked smiling again.

     "For breakfast, for being there for me last night, and for just being you!" She answered. Chris reached over and took a bite of her breakfast. Rita gave him a *what-do-you-think-you-are-doing* look.

     "I just figured you could use a little help on breakfast, seeing that we have to be at work in 25 minutes!" He said laughing

     "CRHISTOPHER LORENZO!" She said, "Why didn't you wake me earlier??" She asked

     "Because you looked tired!" He said defensively.

     "Yeah, most people do when they're sleeping!" She said as she jumped from her bed and made a dash for the shower. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Chris's puppy dog smile.

     "Don't be mad Sammy, I was only trying to help!" He said jokingly giving her that look.

     "I'm not mad!" she laughed. "Now go get all the paper work from the table for our case, and you had better change. Cap. Will flip if he see's you in the same clothes as yesterday!" She said smiling once more.

     "Okay, I'll go change, as soon as I finish breakfast" he said as he picked up a sausage link and popped it in his mouth.

     "Just go!" She said as she pushed him from her bed. "We're going to be late!!"

     Work that day was pretty uneventful. Although Rita was having quite a hard time concentrating on her work. She kept finding herself looking at Chris. Rita, you've got to stop thinking that way! Your going to drive yourself crazy! She once again tried to return to the paper work on the case they just wrapped up.

     Chris was worried about Rita. She seemed to be preoccupied today, and he was pretty sure that Eric was the reason. He was still mad about the previous night. He was glad that Rita had ended her relationship with Eric though. He always knew Eric was the wrong kind of guy for Rita. Chris was jealous of every guy that was in Rita's life. It wasn't until recently he finally realized why.

     "Hey Sam, you wanna go grab a bite to eat for lunch?" Chris asked Rita. Just as he finished his question, Rita's stomach growled loudly.

     "Yeah, sounds good," she said, "since SOMEONE ate most of my breakfast this morning!" they both laughed as they slipped out the door. The Cap. watched from his office as Chris put his arm around Rita. He knew something was going to go on between them, if it hadn't already. He was upset about losing his best homicide team, but was happy for the both of them.

     The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Rita thinking about Chris, Chris thinking about Rita. "Hey Sam, do you wanna come over for dinner tonight to celebrate our latest case?" Chris asked hopefully. Rita considered it.

     "Um, yeah sure. I'll be there around seven alright?" She asked

     "Yep. sounds great. Bring pizza!' He yelled down the hall as she was leaving.

     "Yeah, I know!" she answered as she disappeared around the corner.

     Rita was at her apartment, getting ready to go to Chris's. She heard the door open. Her natural reaction was to grab her gun, but found it missing. She remembered that she had left it downstairs. Hoping it was just Chris. She crept around the corner. "Chris?" She yelled out. "Chris is that you?" She asked again. All of the sudden a cloth was held over her mouth. She was forced to breathe in, and when she did, everything faded into black.

     It was 7:30, and Chris was pacing his apartment. Rita would never be late without calling. He had already tried calling her apartment numerous times, her page, her cell phone, and the office. No answer. He was worried out of his mind. After waiting for fifteen more minutes, he grabbed his coat, and opened the door. He was about to sprint to his car when he bumped into something. He looked down and realized that it was Rita.

     "Rita, God, are you alright?" He asked letting his concern show. After looking closer, he realized that she was bleeding from a wound at the head, and had a huge black eye. "Oh my god!" Chris yelled. He pulled her inside and picked up the phone to call 911. Rita grabbed the phone and hung it up. "But Rita.." he started.

     "I'm okay." she said. She knew he realized she was lying. She winced with pain when she spoke. "Just a few bumps and bruises."

     "Oh god Rita, what..Wh-what happened?" He asked as his voice shook.

     "It's kind of a long story..." She started. "It was Eric."

     "What! No! Oh god I should have killed that son of a bitch the first time around. "Wait....What did he do? He didn't...."

     A tear fell from Rita's eye as she answered. "He tried, but I got away." She hated seeing the pain on Chris's face when she explained what happened. "I was at my apartment getting ready to come over when I heard the door open. I was hoping it was you." She said as she blushed. "I went to see why you didn't ring the door bell, and I was forced to breathe in florosyene, and it knocked me unconscious."

     "Oh, Rita, I'm so sorry...." Chris said. His face looked so sad and angry at the same time.

     "Anyway, when I woke up, I was tied to a chair, and Eric was standing above me. He kept going on and on about me and you. How I must have been cheating on him with you. Tried to get away.." another tear fell as she continued. "So, he hit me, and threw me on the ground, and then he tried to rip my shirt open.." Chris put his arms around her.

     "Its okay Sam, you don't have to finish...Im so sorry that I wasn't there."

     "Oh Sam, it wasn't your fault. But we do need to talk about something."

     "We can, but first I have to take you to the hospital!" He exclaimed.

     "No, I need to talk to you about something. Something serious." She said.

     "And whats that?" Chris asked.

     "Well," Rita began. "I think that Eric knew something I didn't. I could never give my whole heart to him. I didn't want to commit to him because deep down I knew he wasn't the man for me." Please let him feel the same way that I do... Rita thought to herself. "But I think that I finally found the one man I can commit to." Rita held her breath.

     "Oh really Rita?" Chris asked. "Who's that?"

     "Well," she hesitated. "He's holding me right now" There. Its done. I said it. Chris paused for a almost a whole minute. He just sat there holding her in his arms.

     "Well thats good to know, because I've known for sometime now that I was in love with you.." He said knowing that would shock her. He tried to say it casually, as if it were a regular everyday conversation.

     "Christopher, are you serious?" She asked once more.

     "Positive." He said confidently as he pulled her closer.

     "Then I only have one thing to say." Rita said as she pulled herself up so she was looking him in the eye. "Christopher Lorenzo, I love you. I'm in love with you, and you mean the world to me." Another tear trickled down her cheek. Chris kissed it.

     "Hey, this should be a happy time for us!" He laughed. "Because I am in love with you too. For awhile now, I've been having these dreams about you," he said as he grinned. "I think about you all day, and when I'm not with you I go crazy!" They looked at each other for awhile, and finally shared their first kiss. They had kissed before, as friends, and as undercover couples. But this was different. Both Chris and Rita were so relieved that they had finally gotten their feelings out. After they ended the intense kiss, Chris and Rita both said "I love you," at the same time. Then they both laughed. Chris lifted Rita up at her neck and knees, and slowly carried her to the bedroom. It took awhile though, because they stopped every few seconds to kiss. When they got to his bedroom, Rita layed on the bed. They broke the embrace just long enough for Chris to slip her shirt over her head. Staring at her chest, Chris said, "I really do love you!" and laughed. It was a LONG night.

     The next morning Rita awoke with her head laying on Chris's chest. She wanted to re pay his favor of breakfast, by making him breakfast. She slipped out of bed and silently went down the stairs to start cooking. She still couldn't believe all of last nights events. She was so happy, she was sure she was going to burst. After a few minutes of cooking, Chris popped up behind her. "Well hello." Rita said as she kissed him. "How did you wake up?"

     "I don't know. I woke up and reached beside me, and you weren't there. I thought either you got embarrassed and left, or I was dreaming!"

     "I feel like I still am dreaming" Rita murdered as they kissed again.

     Chris was so happy, he realized he was humming. Last night had been great, and breakfast was good. He stopped his humming when he realized that the captain was staring at him. He realized that having a relationship with Rita was going to be difficult to keep from Cap. Chris knew that he couldn't tell Cap. Because the two would be split up as partners. He wanted to tell him though, because Cap was one of his best friends. In fact Chris wanted to tell everyone. He felt like running around the station telling everyone he loved Rita. Wouldn't the captain be happy with me then Chris thought as he laughed out loud.

     "What's so funny Sam?" Rita asked.

     "Nothing..." he said still laughing. Right then the captain walked out of his office.

     "I'm so glad to see you two hard at work!" he said sarcastically. Before either could defend themselves, he kept talking "There's a DB down on 413 Shoreside Ave. I want you guys down there quick. And no more goofing around!" he said sharply.

     "Wow, I guess he's just not in as good of a mood as us!" Rita said happily.

     "What have we got here Keisha?" Chris asked the ME.

     "Well, the victim is female, and her name is Talia Adams. Daughter of "Richie" Adams. She died from multiple stab wounds, with two to the heart." Keisha started.

     "Do you know her age?" Rita asked as she was writing down facts.

     "Yep," Keisha answered sadly. "She was only 18. I'm placing her death from between 4:00 and 5:00 am."

     After examining the body a little more, and taking some notes, Chris and Rita had her wrapped up and ready to go. They continued searching Talia's home for awhile with minimal success.

     "I wonder why Talia had her own place, seeing that she was only 18 for a month." Rita questioned.

     "Maybe she didn't get along very well with her pop."

     "Look what I found," Rita said as she lifted a planner from under Talia's pillow. After looking through it, they discovered that Talia had a meeting with Karl King at 11:00 pm. That was her last entry.

     A few hours later found the two sitting across their desks, talking about possible suspects. "So," Rita said listing some information, "Talia was daughter of Rich man Donnie Adams. She lived alone, had no income known income, and she didn't seem to have many friends."

     "Right, that donesn't leave a lot of suspects" Chris said. "I already questioned Talia's sister Darci. Darci told me that Richie and Talia never did get along. They fought constantly. She also said the reason Talia moved out as soon as possible is because her dad threatened her."

     "Seems kind of weird that she lived in that glamorous apartment when her dad didn't pay for it." Rita added.

     "So," Chris said, "Its most likely that Talia worked illegally. My guess is prostitution, maybe drugs. Lets go talk to her neighbors."

     Chris was questioning Talia's neighbor, while Rita was over at Donnie Adams' place. She was in complete awe of his house. She had seen big houses, but that must have taken the cake. "Mr. Adams, your daughter Darci has told us that you and your daughter didn't get along. She even said that you threatened her." Rita said as she watched his face.

     "Well, there's no denying that." Donnie said. "My daughter had everything she ever needed. I bought her nice clothes, cars, and anything she would ever think of. But that just wasn't enough for her. She started doing drugs, and started dating this real slimeball. I just didn't understand. I told her to get straight, and dump that creep, but she just wouldn't listen." Donnie said.

     "Do you know her boyfriend's name?" Rita asked.

     "Yeah, it was Bryson Sanders. A real rebel." He said with little sadness in his voice. "I told her over and over again that she could do better, but she just wouldn't listen. What made me so mad is that she had everything she ever needed, and all she ever did was take it for granted...and take me for granted. She always was my favorite."

     "Did she do drugs often?"

     "Not until Bryson showed up. Then she went overboard. I thought she was going to kill herself. So I did what I thought was right. I kicked her out, hoping she would scare herself straight. I guess I that was stupid on my part." Donnnie said while a tear fell off of his cheek.

     "It's not your fault Mr. Adams. I would have done the same thing. I only have one more question. Where were you between 4:00 and 5:00 am the night Talia was murdered?"

     "I was home alone." Donnie said. "I know that sounds horrible, but its the truth."

     "Anyone to vouch for you? Make any phone calls?"

     "Darci was here with me." he said

     "Okay, thanks for your cooperation. Make sure you stay in town, because I will probably be back with more questions. I'm also truly sorry about your daughter." Rita said with a lot of compassion in her voice.

     "Yeah. Thanks." he said and then turned away and started to cry.

     Darci stood at the door and watched Rita leave. She figured her dad would be getting in a lot of trouble soon, and she wasn't worried about it one bit. He deserved everything he had coming to him. He always did love Talia more then her. It just wasn't fair.

     Chris and Rita met back at the station and discussed their conversations. "I really don't think Adams did it. He doesn't have a great alibi, but I could just tell."

     "Yeah, that would be stupid. He's the obvious suspect. Also, her neighbor Gina happens to be best friends with Darci. She said that even though Mr. Adams and Talia fought, she always knew that Talia was Richie's favorite."

     "What about Darci? Did she have motive or alibi?" Rita asked.

     "Her and Richie were supposedly home at the time of the murder. As for motive, who knows? We need to get the report back from Kiesha, and we still have a missing murder weapon."

     "Yeah," Rita said as they both sat thinking. "Maybe Darci was jealous? I mean, not only was Talia Richie's favorite, but she also got all of the attention from everyone else. Thats got to be kind of hard on a 16 year old girl. I think we need to question her again."

     "Good idea. We can go get something to eat, and then questions Darci, and after that, we need to track down Karl King, and Bryson Sanders." Chris replied.

     "Sounds like a long day!" Rita said, but she didn't really care. She was still so happy about her and Chris's new relationship.

     "Well then, lets go eat darlin!" Chris said. The both laughed and walked out to the car.

     Darci was laying down on her bed resting, when a sudden knocking awoke her. Her head was pounding, and she had a terrible hangover. She slowly got up, and the door knocked again. She opened it, and saw Bryson outside. "Hey babe!" She said happily.

     "Hey." He said as they embraced. They disappeared into Darci's cabana.

     After asking Richie Adams who Karl King was, they learned that he was a family friend, and he was especially close with Talia. He was like an uncle to her, and they talked a lot. They also learned that he worked at the Palm Beach Country Club as a swimming pro. Chris parked the car at the club, and they both hopped out. After being directed to the pool, they spotted Karl.

     "Are you Karl King?" Chris asked as they aproched the man.

     "Yep. That would be me. What can I do for you?" He asked

     "We're with the Palm Beach PD, and we would like to ask you a few questions about Talia Adams's murder." Rita stated. At the mention of Talia's name, Karl's face fell. He climbed out of the pool, dried off, and sat down at a shaded table with Chris and Rita.

     "How close were you two?" Rita

     "Well, My father was friends with Rich, so I've known the family most of my life. When my dad passed away, Rich helped me out a lot. Emotionaly and financially." He said sadly.

     "How old was your father? You don't look as young as Talia." Chris said.

     "My father and Rich were different ages. I am 29, and Talia is only 18." he answered.

     "Why did you have an appointment with her the night before she was murdered?" Rita asked him, and carefully studied his face.

     "I'm not even sure. She called me a few days before, and told me she needed to speak with me. It wasn't a surprise really. She was always so dramatic about things. We talked a lot. I knew about her involvment with drugs. She told me her problems about drinking, drugs, and Bryson. I tried to help as best as I knew how. I wish would have known she was seriously in trouble this time. She always sounded like the world was about to end though."

     "What were her problems with Bryson?" Rita asked.

     "He beat her. He was an alchoholic, and an all around awful guy. Relationships rarely work out when you date your drug dealer." he said

     "So you knew for a fact that Bryson dealt Talia drugs?" Chris asked

     "Thats what she told me. It really wouldn't surprise me if he was the one who killed her. For some reason, it just doesn't sound that far out of his reach."

     "Where were you the night she was murdered, from 4:00 and 5:00 am?" Rita asked

     "I was at a party put on by the owner of the club. I had a little bit to much to drink, and we are close friends, so he let me sleep in his guest room."

     "Okay, thanks for your cooperations Mr. King. We might need to ask you some more questions in the future, so make sure you stay around. And if you can think of any thing else, don't hesitate to call me." Rita said as she handed him her card.

     "Okay, I'll make sure to do that." He said, and waved as they left the club.

     Chris was driving them back to the shop, as they talked about what they thought about Karl King. "I don't really think that he killed her." Rita said.

     "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I still feel there is something he didn't tell us. so where's our next move?"

     "First thing tomorrow, we are going to pay a visit to Bryson Sanders. But now, we get to go home, and I get to make you dinner!" Rita said happily.

     "That sounds like a parfait night!"

     They had just finished eating a home made lasagna, and they were laying on Chris's couch in each others arms. "Sam, what are we gonna do?"

     "About what?" Chris asked?

     "About Cap. I mean, I am SO happy that we are together now, but I feel so terrible hiding things from our friends, especially Cap." Rita answered.

     "Yeah, me too." Chris replied. "But what can we do? I mean there is no way I am ready for a new partner."

     "Me niether. But how long can we do this. I mean puting off telling Cap isn't going to make our problem go away." Rita said

     "Thats true. Maybe we could just wait for a little while, think things through, and come up with a plan of how to tell Cap. I think the best way to tell him, would be to have him and Frannie over for dinner. That way, Frannie will be so excited, that she will tell Harry to shut up if he gets mad!" They both laughed.

     "Your probably right." Rita said. "Lets just be happy for now!"

     "Now that, I can do," Chris said as he kissed her and pulled a blanket over their heads, and pinned her down to the couch.

     "Bryson." Darci called. "Bryson!" She said a little bit louder. "BRYSON!"

     "What.." He said quietly.

     "You had better get up, get out of my bed, get dressed, and get to wrok! My dad could find you here, and your going to be late for work." She said.

     "Yeah, yeah. Alright."

     "Now, if you get up now, I'll help you take your shower!" She said seductively.

     "Okay. God. I already told you I was getting up. Just go talk to your dad, before he suspects anything."

     "But what about our shower?" She said as she smiled.

     "Just GO!" He yelled at her, then climbed out of bed.

     "Are you Bryson Sanders?" Chris asked as they walked up to Bryson in the Auto Shop where he worked.

     "Why, who wants to know?" He asked

     "We're with the Palm Beach Police, and we would like to ask you a few questions about Talia Adams's murder." Rita said.

     "Whats to know? Her father hated me. Her father hated her. Her father probably killed her!" He said.

     "We will be the judge of that" Chris said.

     "Why do you say that Talia's father hated her?" Rita asked.

     "Well, he kicked her out of his house for one thing. He told her it was bad to do drugs, when he did them himself! He was a mad man. He seemed like he was going to have a nervous breakdown at any minute. He threatened to beat me up god only knows how many times." He said with anger in his voice.

     "How do you know that Mr. Adams did drugs?" Chris asked

     "I cought him sniffing one time at his house. He hated me ever since. Not that I care what he thinks of me."

     "Where were you the night Talia was murdered? Between 4:00 am and 5:00 am?

     "I was with Gina."

     "Gina Tomilson? Talia's neighbor?" Rita asked.

     "Yeah, thats the one. We met at a bar, and I ended up at her place."

     "So you and Talia weren't seeing eachother exclusively?" Chris asked.

     "Yeah. Well, she got what she wanted, and I got what I wanted, and that was that. No one ever said it was against the law to party." He said

     "Okay, we'll be keeping in touch. Stay in town, because we might need to ask you more questions. Here's my card." Chris said and handed him his card.

     "What a sleeze!" Rita exclaimed as they got back to the shop. "He difinetely has something going on."

     "Yeah, probably. But why would he want to kill Talia?"

     "That, my friend, is what we are getting paid to find out. Oh, I got the report on Talia back from Keisha. She was stabbed by a left handed person, from behind. There was no sign of a struggle, so the killer either took her by surprise, or it was someone she was comfortable with. They also found a few long blonde hairs on her."

     "Okay, so we should get a sample from Gina and Darci. But still, that isn't much to go on. I mean they could have been there for any number of reasons. I say we stop here for today, go home, get dressed up, and go out to dinner, my treat!"

     "Sounds like a plan. Lets get going though, cause Im starved." Rita said.

     "Yep... Me too." Chris said as he winked at her, and led her out to their cars.

     Chris and Rita sat comfortably holding hands in Che Pierre, one of the most elegant restraunts in Palm Beach. "Rita, I just wanted to tell you how happy you make me. I can't believe we didn't realize we were in love sooner. But now that we have, I don't want to waste another minute without you." He said as he smiled.

     "Thats so sweet Sam. I know what you mean about not realizing it sooner, but I am almost glad it happened this way." She answered.

     "What do you mean?" Chris asked.

     "Well, we have been best friends for five years. Think of all that we went through. Those were probably the best five years of my life. I wouldn't want to trade that in for anything!" She said happily. "Not that Im upset things turned out like this..." she said and luaghed.

     "Your right." He said as he reached over and kissed her gently on the lips. "Have I told you yet tonight how positively beautiful you look?" He asked quietly.

     "Yes," She said as she reached over to him and kissed him back. "twice actually," sahe kissed him again, "but a woman never tires of hearing that!"

     "Well, Rita Lee Lance, you are beautiful! Now lets dance!" He said as he pulled her up and they walked to the dance floor.

     "Okay Sam, its done. I just invited Cap and Frannie over to have dinner with us at your loft next Saturday night." Rita said.

     "Okay. We had better start planning. It may sound easy to say a few little words, but when that night comes, can you imagine how nervous we are going to be?" Chris said.

     "Do you think he really will split us up?" Rita asked a little worried.

     "You know what? I don't know. I uderstand that is the department rules, but some how, I kind of think he will bend the rules. I mean, he is always saying we are his best homicide team ever!" He said. "Shhh, here comes Cap!" He said as he returned to his paper work.

     "Whats new on the case?" Cap asked.

     "Well, we discovered that Darci had been arrested for shop-lifting, and harrassment, and she's only 16!" Rita said.

     "Hmm. Rich told stand by cops that Darci was resentful of Talia, because she got more attention. He also said that she went to the therapist regularly, because she had some emotional problems, and even threatened Talia before. Thats motive, and she has no alibi, so I would say get a warrant, and bring her in for questioning!"

     "Okay Cap." Rita said, as they all stayed sitting.

     "MOVE MOVE MOVE!" Cap yelled.

     "Alright, geez Cap, we're on our way!" Chris said and smiled. "He must be in the dog house witth Frannie." He whispered into Rita's ear. Rita laughed, and they walked out the doors.

     "Hello Mr. Adams," Rita said. "May was speak to your daughter?" She asked.

     "Go right ahead. She is in her cabana room in the back." he said.

     "Okay, thanks." Rita said. They walked over to Darci's room, and knocked on the door. "Palm Beach PD, open up!" Rita said loudly. They waited a bit, and no answer. Rita yelled again, and after no one said anything, they kicked the door open. "Hello?" She yelled.

     "I don't think anyone is in here," Chris said. They looked around the entry room, while Rita checked the kitchen, and Chris looked in the bedroom. "Uh, Sam, I think we found something." Chris said as he shook his head and put his gun back into it's holster. Rita came in and looked down on the body of Bryson Sanders.

     "It looks like he was killed with the same object as Talia. So I guess Darci is our primary on this one." He said as they were relaxing at the shop.

     "Yeah, but for some reason I was hoping it wasn't her. You know? She is still so young. Her whole life in front of her. It's just sad. Sometimes this job just really gets to me." She said as she shivered with a chill.

     "Hey, Sam, I know its hard a lot," Chris said as he moved to her side of the desk and rubbed her shoulders. "But you know, that when we take in a true murderer, and they will have to do time, and pay for what they did, you know in your heart that what your doing is right."

     "Yeah, I do." She said. "That still doesn't mean its easy."

     "Of course! What job is?" he asked

     "Yeah, your right. Anway, where do you think Darci could be?" She asked.

     "Her dad told us they had a small beach house a few miles out of Palm beach. He also said she liked to spend time there, so I guess thats the best place to start looking." He said.

     "Yeah. You know what I was thinking though? Darci and Gina are best friends. I mean they grew up together, know eachother forever, the whole deal. Why then, would Gina risk all that for a one night stand with Bryson?" Rita asked.

     "Who knows. How do we even know it was a one night stand? Maybe they were sneaking around behind her back. I wonder if the report on Gina is back yet. We need to go talk to her again too." As if on cue, an officer from the computer room walked in and handed Chris a file.

     "Here you go officer Lorenzo"

     "Yeah, thanks Craig. Okay, lets see what we got here..." He said as they bent over the folder and opened it up.

     "I see. No file. Which means..."

     "That Gina Tomilson doesn't exisist. Which also means..."

     "That Gina has a reason to hide. She must be running from the law or something. When Darci got in trouble for shop lifting, Gina was there with her. It was in Darci's report. Gina just stood there, and Darci denied putting anything in her bag. Maybe we are chasing the wrong girl here." Rita said.

     "What are we sitting here for then?" He said

     Darci was relaxing in her beach house when she heard a knock at her door. "Who's there?" She asked quietly. She was exhausted. Bad things kept happening to her. First she got in trouble for shop lifting, when she knew she didn't do anything wrong, then Talia died and on top of that her dad was still harassing her. She hated them all. Except for Gina. Her dear friend Gina, who she could always rely on.

     "It's me Darci, hurry, let me in!" Gina yelled. Darci got up, and opened the door. "Gina, you look awful, whats wrong?"

     "Darci, the cops are after you! They think that you killed Talia and Bryson!"

     "Bryson!? Thats ridiculous. He was at my cabana just this morning. How could he be dead? He's not dead!" She said.

     "Yeah he is. Im sorry to tell you. But we need to get out of here. I will drive you somewhere." She said as she pulled Darci up from her seat.

     "WAIT! I need a minute. I can proove it wasn't me. Somehow. God, I can't believe he is dead. Wait, I need to ask you something. When Bryson was was at my cabana, he tole me that you two slept together. Is that true??" She asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

     "Darci! We don't have time for this. You hvae to get out of here!" She said.

     "Did you?" She asked as she stared at Gina.

     "Darci, we.." She started.

     "DID YOU?!" She yelled.

     "Yes." Gina whispered and lowered her head.

     "Wait a minute, how do you know Bryson is dead? Why would they stop and tell you if they were in such a hurry to catch me??" She asked.

     "Umm" Gina started.

     "Gina... Gina no! You killed him didn't you? First you slept with him, and then you killed him. I have to tell the cops. I have to tell them about your past. They don't know about you do they?" She asked. Darci picked up a phone and started to dial.

     "I'd put the phone down." Gina said calmly. Darci turned around and saw a gun ointed at her head.

     "Gina! No! Your my best friend. Why have you done this?"

     "Your all bad. You BAD!" She screamed. She looked awful, shaking and crying, with mascara running down her face.

     "Tell me what you mean Gina. How are we bad?" Darci asked.

     "I LOVED BYRSON!" She yelled. "He was with Talia, and I excepted that. And then, he came to me! HE CAME TO ME! He told me he loved me. I loved him so much." She said as more tears ran down her face. "And then he told me he couldn't hurt Talia and leave her. And I decided I would give him space. He was with her first. I knew he would come back to me. And then he turned to you. YOU SLUT! He was suposed to love me!" she yelled.

     "Gina, put the gun down. I can get you some help! I understand you didn't mean to do what you did. Just don't make it any worse on yourself. Im sorry about Bryson. I didn't know how much you loved him. You should have just told me."

     " I COULDN'T TELL YOU! You were the one that caused all of this. Its all, your, falut." She said. "And now, your going to have to pay!"

     PALM BEACH PD, OPEN UP!" They heard from the front door. All of the sudden Chris and Rita appeared, and saw Gina with the gun.

     "Put the gun down Gina." Rita said as calm as she could.

     "I CAN'T! I have to end all of this. I have to end the madness!" She said as her gun arm shook.

     "Gina, shooting Darci is not going to stop the madness. It's just going to make it worse. Now put the gun down."

     "Your right." She said, as she slwoly lowered the gun to her side.

     "Thats a good girl Gina, drop the gun." Rita said.

     "This was all Brysons fault! No, I can't say that. It was my fault, I shouldn't of fallen in love. I should know the danger of love. Im so sorry Darci! Remember what I say! Remember the dangers of love! Shooting Darci won't stop the craziness, but this will!" She yelled quickly as she brought the gun up to her own head and swiftly pulled the trigger.

     "NOOO!" Darci yelled as she ran over to her friend's side.

     "Damn it!" Chris said as they both put the guns back to their holsters.

     "We should have been able to talk some sense into her. Poor Gina." Chris said sadly. They were at Gina Tomilson's memorial service. There were only a few people, and Darci was sobbing. Chris and Rita walked up to her grave, placed a few flowers down, and sadly walked away.

     "CHRIS!" Rita yelled.

     "What?" He answered.

     "Fran and Cap are going to be here soon, and you need to finish getting dressed! Hurry up would ya?" She yelled. He padded down his loft stairs in a nice white dinner jacket. Rita whistled at him and said, "My, you look awfully handsome."

     "You don't look to bad yourself!" He said as he wrapped his arms around her and began a kiss.

     "Mmm, I want to do this right now, but we need to get ready!" She whispered.

     "Why? Food's done, plates are set, they aren't due for a half and hour, we got time!" He said as he slipped his hands up her shirt. Right then the doorbell rang. Rita laughed, and Chris pulled away saying, "Ahh, I hate it when people are early!"

     "Fran, Cap, Rita said happily, Im so glad you could come!" They all sat down, and talked about the weather, a few cases, and other meaningless chit chat. When Rita sat down with the main course of Chicken, she looked at Chris, and knew it was now or never.

     "Cap, Frannie," Chris said reading Rita's mind, "We have a little announcement."

     "What's that Christopher?" Fran said smiling.

     "Well....." he started.

     "Ummm" Rita said trying to help out.

     "We kind of..." He said realizing this was harded then he would think.

     "Are together." Rita said, glad to get it out.

     "YOUR WHAT?" Harry yelled. Chris looked at Rita, and they were both laughing inside. Harry looked like he was going to pop.

     "Chris!" Frannie yelled as she jumped from her seat. "Rita!" as she ran to the two of them. "I have never been so happy for anyone! I knew this was going to happen. I knew it! Aren't you happy Harry?" She asked

     "My best damn homicide team..." He mumbled.

     "Harry! Be polite. We love them both. Just be happy for them!"

     "You know what?" Harry said. "I am happy. I know I might end up having to split you two up, but I am thrilled for you both." He said as he smiled.

     "What do you mean you might have to split us up? Is there a chance we won't?" Chris asked with hope in his voice.

     "Well, I'll see what I can do. You know I would do anything to keep you both together, but it may not just be what I want, you know. No matter what happens, I'll try. But for now, lets just celebrate!" Harry said as they all clinked their glasses together.

     "Well, that went rather well!" Chris exclaimed with a wide smile on his face.

     "Yes actually it did. I am really glad we told him. I felt horrible lying to him. But still, for awhile at least, we are still going to have to keep our relationship secret."
"Yeah, I know." He said as he walked over to where she was sitting. He lifted her at her neck and her knees.

     "Whoa. Where do you think youa re taking me?" She asked happily.

     "Hmm, I don't know." He said as he carried her up his stairs. "Rita. Im so happy. I have never been so happy in all of my life. I don't know what I would do with out you." He said seriously as he reached over and kissed her.

     "I know Chris. I love you too. I wish I could tell everyone I knew too." She said as she kissed him back.

     "Our new life together is going to be the best. I can't ever imagine us fighting. I just want to be with you all the time." He said with a smile.

     "Yeah. We have our whole life together to look forward to." She said. I have a feeling everything is going to be perfect!" She said.

     "Parfait Sam," He said as he laughed and kissed her again "Parfait!"