CHAPTER 7: TWENTY QUESTIONS

T INA TOOK ANOTHER swig of her beer and looked down at her cowboy boots, the light colored hardwood floor contrasting against the dark rich leather. Cool water condensed on the outside of the bottle she was holding, her thumb rubbing wetly over the Corona label. Lifting her eyes again, she glanced over the youthful face of Mariel Potidean. With a small smile, she spoke quietly, not particularly one for small talk, but willing to give it a go.

"So, how do you like Chicago?"

She could tell she was making the young scientist nervous and to be honest, she herself was feeling a bit out of sorts. The type of women Tina Amphipoli was used to dealing with were not at all like Mariel. Most of her casual relationships were with older, more...experienced women, like herself. She broke less hearts that way by involving herself with people who could handle her emotional distance and her aloofness. The investigator had only been truly in love once, although she had come close to those feelings one other time. The painful memories of that first foray into real love had left Tina cautious and afraid...not that Tina considered such a possibility with the young FBI researcher.

With a slight chuckle, Mariel smiled, her green eyes nervously catching blue. She looked over at the investigator as she spoke, crossing a leg over the other in an attempt to relax.

"Well, to be honest, it's a bit daunting, but I'm adjusting. I haven't really had a chance to explore much so.."

Mariel trailed off, her eyes returning to the hem of her sweater, unconsciously shifting back into her chair more. Tina nodded and murmured, her eyes returning to her boots.

"Yeah."

Glancing back over to Mariel's lithe form settled in the chair, she was struck by the amazing differences between her and this young woman. Mariel had her degrees and her new career, she was unjaded by the real world, optimistic, ready to solve every problem. Even in the brief conversations they had, Tina could pick up on the type of person this young doctor was. That was her business, reading other people. Then again, considering Mariel's field, they had a few similarities with each other.

Mariel smoothed the cotton fabric of her khakis under her thumb before raising her eyes again to the detective. This wasn't going very smoothly. The dark woman didn't seem to be much of a talker. She'd have to be the one to get the ball rolling if they were ever going to get anywhere fast. With a smile, she chuckled.

"So, how 'bout them Cubbies?"

All of a sudden, Tina's body sprang from the couch, her tall form moving in a defensive posture in front of Mariel's chair. Startled, the researcher reached out and grabbed Tina's leather coat, her eyes darting around. Excitedly, she spoke.

"What is it?!"

Tina glanced behind her and put her finger to her lips, indicating the need for silence as her eyes narrowed. With a gesture, she indicated towards the darkened hallway. Whispering, she turned back to Mariel who was seated at the edge of her chair bewildered.

"I saw something back there."

Mariel rose from the chair, standing behind Tina, her hand still resting against the leathered back of the private detective. Peering off into her hallway, she searched for a dark intruder or some other form of danger that could be lurking in her apartment.

"There!"

Tina spoke in a whispered voice as a small crash erupted in Mariel's dark bedroom. Rushing forward, she moved swiftly to the edge of the hallway, surprised to find Mariel pressed up next to her against the wall. Glancing back down at excited green eyes, she could see that Mariel was with her every step of the way. With a determined look in her eye, Tina Amphipoli tipped her beer bottle, draining the rest of the half-full contents in a gulp before turning the empty bottle in her hands and holding on to the neck. She was armed now.

Quietly, she peered around the corner into darkness, barely able to make out any shapes in the scientist's bedroom. Gradually, her eyes adjusted to the faint glow from the streetlights outside one window and she quickly scanned the room for the bulky shape of a hidden form. Seeing and hearing nothing from her vantage point, she turned back to Mariel, leaning down to whisper close to her ear.

"I'm going to reach in and turn on the light, as soon as I do that, I'm going in. You stay here."

At the investigator's whispered voice, Mariel felt a skittering shiver run down her back. The brief contact of lips against the side of her head and the warmth of breath sent a rather distracting thought through the young FBI researcher's mind. Looking up into Tina's blue eyes at close range, Mariel shook her head in agreement before she, too, downed her beer in a hurried couple of swallows, her petite face scrunching up just a bit when she was finished. With the bottle in her hand, she was ready. Damn if she wasn't going to arm herself as well.

With a smile and a nod, Mariel signaled to Tina and watched as the tall detective snaked her arm around the corner, finding the bedroom light switch. Instantly, Tina moved with speed and precision, turning on the light and doing a forward roll into the room, landing in a crouch in the middle of the brightly lit bedroom. Mariel followed right behind and had her bottle over her head, prepared to do damage. For a good five seconds, there was silence as both of them quickly scanned the sparsely furnished room, Mariel's heart beating a mile a minute.

Suddenly, the light blue edging covering the bottom of the bed moved and a small yellow-golden furry head poked out, blinking back at the two imposing women wielding beer bottles. With a tiny 'meow', the cat skittered out from under the bed and ran up Mariel's leg, launching itself on to the young woman's shoulder and latching its claws in the blue wool sweater. Wary golden eyes looked over at the tall dark-haired investigator. Laughing, Mariel cried out.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, it's just Idgie!"

Tina breathed out as she watched the researcher reach up and disentangle the cat from her shoulder and cradle her pet in her arms. With an amused smile directed her way, Mariel shook her head at the detective.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you about her."

Tina raised an eyebrow as she relaxed after giving the room the once-over again and bringing the bottle back down to her side. With a crooked smile, she approached Mariel, holding her fingers out so the golden cat could sniff her. With a semi-scolding tone of voice, the private eye glanced up at the sparkling green eyes of the young doctor and smiled.

"I thought I told you to stay back while I went in."

Idgie the cat examined Tina's outstretched fingertips and took a liking to what she found, reaching her neck out and rubbing up against the investigator's hand while Mariel held her. With a quirky smile, the scientist looked up into blue eyes.

"What? And miss all the excitement as you subdued Idgie? Not on your life!"

Tina scratched the soft yellow-gold fur on the side of Idgie's face, smiling a bit when the animal began to purr contentedly in Mariel's arms. Raising an eyebrow up at the researcher, Tina kept smiling as her low voice rumbled good-naturedly.

"Very funny, Mariel."

The blond looked down at Idgie receiving soft scratches from the detective and took a breath. There was something about the way Tina said her name that was vaguely disarming. It seemed to roll off her tongue in a deep timbre that vibrated inside of the young woman. Swallowing, she smiled as she looked up, her eyes catching warm blue briefly. With a laugh, she held out her empty beer bottle.

"Looks like we both could use another, huh?"

Tina chuckled and shrugged, her eyes falling back down at the purring Idgie cradled against navy blue wool. The faint herbal scent of citrus and spices from Mariel's bedroom wafted around her before she smiled up at the young doctor.

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"And so, when he said 'But I'm a Boilermaker too', I said, 'You could be Purdue Pete for all I care, it ain't gonna happen'."

Mariel laughed, her gestures animated as she sat comfortably on the couch with Tina. The private investigator chuckled back at the young woman, noticing the slight reddening of her cheeks from the beer she was drinking. After the whole Idgie incident, they had felt much more relaxed, Mariel chatting easily.

Tina shifted in her coat and sank down further into the couch, her long legs stretching out in front of her and crossing at the ankles. Resting a half-finished Corona on the belt at her waist, her two large hands wrapped around the clear bottle, fingers clasping. With a glance over at the still-smiling scientist, she spoke.

"So, you seeing anyone now? I'm sure you've got the guys lining up for you."

With a glance over at the detective's profile, Mariel chuckled.

"Speak for yourself, I'm sure you have no problems in that area either."

Mariel paused as she watched the corner of Tina's mouth quirk into a small smile. Settling herself cross-legged, Mariel turned and put her back against the arm of the deep green couch so she could face the detective's lean muscular figure. With a shake of her head, she smiled down at her hands before she continued.

"But the answer is no. I'm not seeing anyone and I haven't for a long time. I...um, well, back in undergrad, I was engaged to someone. And, well, since then, I haven't really had time for dating."

Tina glanced over at the researcher, noticing the look that crossed the young woman's face. Returning her gaze to the floor, she watched Idgie walk by her boots, sparing a glance at the two while trying for a look of indifferent nonchalance. The cat had passed by her ten times since they settled on the couch it seemed, each time pretending she didn't care about the occupants and wasn't dying for some affection. With a soft voice, the investigator spoke.

"What happened to the engagement, if it isn't too personal to ask."

Mariel lifted her blond head to smile over at Tina, briefly catching her blue eyes. Reaching out, she pressed her hand against the detective's leathered arm without thinking and leaned back. Tina looked over at her and waited.

"No, it's ok. It was a long time ago. Peter, he um...well, he was accidentally shot and killed. We were visiting his parents in New York before the wedding and.."

Mariel paused and took a breath before continuing.

"It was just one of those freak things. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, right in the middle of a robbery at a convenience store, down in the Village. Funny, we had just gone out to get ice cream."

The young doctor laughed as she remembered the search for Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

"It was two weeks before our wedding in March. His mom wanted to go shopping with me for her dress. They..never caught whoever did it. I, uh...I wasn't paying attention when it happened, looking for who knows what in the damn store and I never saw who did it."

Tina was silent as she watched several emotions pass over the FBI researcher's face, those green eyes growing slightly darker as the young woman swallowed hard. Reaching out a long arm, her fingers wrapped gently around Mariel's wrist before she gave it a light squeeze and looked at her.

"I'm sorry."

Mariel lifted her eyes and smiled at the gesture from the woman she barely knew. Pushing back the bad memories, she nodded her head.

"Thanks."

She watched as the detective let go of her and nodded with a soft smile. Raising her bottle, she took a drink and smiled back at Tina.

"I went into this field partly because of that. I wanted to understand what would make someone do something so horrible to someone else. I figured if I could help in some small way, it would be worth it."

Tina let her eyes drift back down to Idgie, the cat had positioned herself across the room from the couch in plain view of the occupants and simply sat there, with her side to the women, pretending to be disinterested in them. With a sip of her own warming beer, she swallowed and spoke in a low voice.

"Lots of reasons why someone might do the things they do."

Mariel nodded at the investigator's profile, her eyes tracing the strong lines she found there. Tina Amphipoli was an exotic beauty, her chiseled look was made subtle by the soft lines of her feminine features. Dark eyebrows framed her penetrating blue eyes and her jawline curved with a graceful strength. Her hair was luxuriously long and dark, the soft bangs highlighting her face. Her skin tone was flawless, a rich color to it despite it being far past the bronzing light of the summer sun. Sitting there on her couch, Mariel considered that Tina might possibly be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

Seeing the tense lines on that profiled face, Mariel tucked her cryptic words away for later examination. The detective made no move to continue that line of conversation and it didn't seem like it was appropriate to bring up the painful past on the police force that Tina was surely referring to, Mariel smiled and changed the subject to something more light.

"So, what about you? Got any men in your life?"

That got a genuine laugh from the detective as she shifted back into an upright position, her arm causally draping across the back of the couch, the beer held lightly in that hand. Resting a booted ankle on top of her other knee, Tina turned to the young scientist and smiled. She appreciated the change in topics and relaxed accordingly, her full attention directed at Mariel. At that moment, Idgie chose to grace them with her presence and jumped up between them on the couch, waiting for expected attention. Mariel reached a hand out to stroke behind Idgie's ears and Tina nodded at the golden cat while she smiled, her voice holding a hint of amusement.

"She's a jealous one, huh?"

Mariel chuckled, smiling back at Tina when the investigator reached out and rubbed against the cat's back. Idgie purred at the attention of both women and sat there contentedly spoiled. With a soft laugh, the researcher spoke.

"Well, she certainly doesn't like to share me. Of course, she's more than eager to prostitute herself out to anyone willing to scratch her."

Tina's low laugh rumbled as she looked over into green sparkling eyes. She was beginning to really like this woman. She had a casual self-confidence once she got comfortable and she could put the edgy detective at ease with her laid back charm. Plus, there was a depth to Mariel Potidean that she admired, more than surface good looks and more than pretentious book smarts. She was real. Tina smiled at the doctor, unconsciously letting her mask down just a bit. With a low voice, the detective raised an eyebrow.

"I can see why she'd want you all to herself. Smart cat."

Mariel started at the comment, feeling the slight blush coming to the surface of her neck and cheeks. With a shy smile, she laughed a bit.

"Nah, she just sticks around because I feed her, right Idgie?"

The cat purred and closed her eyes as both Mariel and Tina's hands stroked along her soft coat of fur, the detective assigned to her head and her mistress assigned to her back. Idgie wasn't one to complain when she had it so good.

"No."

Tina's voice drifted between them as they concentrated on the pet. With a curious look, Mariel lifted her eyes and looked over at the lounging detective, her eyes narrowing at the faint smile on her face. The researcher's voice was confused.

"No, she doesn't stick around because I feed her?"

That smile got wider on Tina's face as she looked up, her blue eyes clear and unguarded. With a hint of amusement, the investigator decided to go for complete honesty here. No better time than the present to get this out in the open.

"No, I don't have any men in my life. I prefer the company of women."

The pupils in Mariel's hazel green eyes went just a bit wider as she registered this information. She hadn't been expecting that, really. Or maybe she was secretly hoping that was the case but didn't want to be disappointed if it weren't. Swallowing, she nodded and smiled, suddenly shy.

"Yeah?"

With a grin, Tina nodded her head in return, taking note of the rise of color against the smooth cheeks of the fair-skinned blond. Very subtle signs that Mariel was just fine with that little revelation. And as the detective noticed a slight increase in the pulse point at Mariel's neck, she considered that maybe the scientist was more than fine with that information. With a relaxed low voice, Tina confirmed.

"Yeah."

At that, Idgie got up and moved sleekly over the couch and proceeded to curl herself up in the detective's lap, her paws scouting out a spot on faded Levi's before settling herself with a pleased purr. Both Tina and Mariel looked at the golden cat in amusement and the researcher laughed as she spoke.

"Even the company of spoiled girl cats?"

Tina smiled as she reached a lazy hand down and rubbed the tip of Idgie's ear between her fingers gently. With a chuckle, she looked back up into Mariel's bright green eyes, her own blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Yep, I'm not picky."

Mariel laughed as her nerves eased a bit more in Tina's company. While certainly she could still feel the nervous jitter run through her body in this woman's presence, she was also starting to feel comfortable. Everything she had heard about the no-nonsense detective and even their conversation at dinner didn't prepare her for this more relaxed side to the dark woman. It was entirely pleasant and quite interesting, indeed.

Tina chuckled and smiled over at the talented new member of the FBI. With a renewed sense of confidence, Mariel's eyes got brighter as she smiled. In a barely controlled, excited voice, she raised both dark golden eyebrows and grinned wider as she spoke.

"So, shall we talk about the case?"

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 452