--THE COP & THE JOURNALIST

[sweethoney]

Hey there ;D

I'm Kate!

I'm super new here and I thought I'd just post a little something, see if it was well received etc. It's an original story, something that's been swimming around in my head for a long time and I just got brave enough to show it somewhere. <3

Hope you enjoy! Comments are SO appreciated and adored!

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There was nothing quite like fresh, cold watermelon waiting on the counter. Amidst the flying papers, red-faced editors and excited jabber, the tenderly halved piece of fruit seemed to sigh in content with her on a perfectly creamy white platter. Jackie looked once to her right down the hall, and once to her left into the open chaos of the newsroom. Once she was sure the coast was clear she darted into the tiny kitchenette. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, she could allow herself this tiny detour on her way to the copy room, right? A journalist needed to eat.

Her entry went unnoticed by the bubbling coffee maker in the corner and the low mechanical groan of the vending machine. She was in the clear. But she knew every second was precious. Her open toed Jimmy Choo heels clicked against the tile in a kittenish display and she sidled up to the counter, plucking a hefty wedge of the fruit in her hand. It was already dripping pink juice onto the plate and she made sure to lean over as she prepared for her first bite. Her Diane von Furstenburg black wrap dress was new. And there was nothing worse than walking around work all day with a big messy stain. Red apple lips parted gently and she took her first bite of the watermelon. As luck would have it, a telltale dribble of juice spilled down her chin.

“Jackie!”

The woman went rigid at the familiar, rasping voice passing by the kitchenette. She swallowed the bit of watermelon a little haphazardly and wiped at her chin with a little less grace than her expensive clothes and pretty up-do suggested she had.

“Chief!” she responded like a soldier, still sucking juice from her bottom lip, but the man was already walking off. A wordless command for her to follow.

She took the watermelon with her in spite and let her heels click across the tile and then fade into the carpet of the hallway. For a man pushing sixty and smoking a pack a day, her boss could really move. Jackie wove her way between her co-workers who were already balancing stacks of papers and coffee mugs (most of the writers on her floor let caffeine serve as their only sustenance) and nearly knocking over a laptop someone was holding out as they turned to talk to someone. But she was an expert of the news floor and did a little half-turn, catching more than a few eyes with the slit of her wrap dress. She chased her boss all the way to his office and made it in behind him before he could even turn to close the door.

“How’s that story of yours comin’?” the gruff man asked. He didn’t bat an eye at her and gently eased around the desk and into his cushy black chair. A hand touched at his peppered mustache and equally grey brows pinched over his eyes at his favorite journalist.

“Great! I think I’m really close to a breakthrough,” the woman gushed. Her smile was almost too big for her face but with the way her cheeks colored and her eyes crinkled, it was forgivable and quite endearing.

“You never let me down before, kid.” The man took off his glasses and started to clean them with the sleeve of his untucked business shirt. Jackie swallowed. The watermelon was starting to drip again in her hand. When Chief cleaned his glasses, everyone knew bad news was sure to follow.

“What else did you need me for, sir?”

“Listen, Jack. You’re a good investigator, you know thats what I love about you. But I’m startin’ to think you’re a bit too good, if you get my angle.”

“No sir, not really.”

The older man finished with his glasses and placed them back on his weathered face. He sighed. “We’ve been getting some complaints from the NYPD. From a Matthew Winters, specifically.”

Jackie felt her mouth tighten. That son of a bitch! Sure, he’d given her a stern talking to a few days ago but she didn't actually think he’d report her! This was completely unfair. He couldn’t do this! Not when she was so close to finishing up her story! Alright, so maybe she wasn’t as close as she was letting on. The first part was finished. The story she’d initially pitched was done, about the drug bust in lower Manhattan a year earlier and the men responsible finally being put away. But before she could send it in some interesting information was brought to her attention. Apparently, there was a good amount of the initial deal that had just vanished. No one could account for it. And the NYPD was staying pretty tight lipped about it. So she’d been poking around the system a little bit. And sure, maybe she knew she had been getting on a certain Officer Winter’s nerves with her constant nosing, but she couldn't help but be outraged that he’d reported her. Jackie was just doing her job. Of all the people in this city Jackie thought a police officer should have understood that.

“Oh, him,” was all she could say.

“Yeah, pretty important guy from what I’ve heard. You’re a damn good writer Jackie, but I don’t want you pissing this guy off. It could get us in a lot of trouble.”

“But Cheif -- “

“No buts, Jack. Wrap it up with what you have and have it in my inbox by Friday.”

Jackie huffed. There was no point in arguing with him past this point. It was discouraging to be caught and reported -only sloppy journalists did that. But it was also comforting to get a standpoint of what her boss knew and didn’t know. Thanks to jerk-of-the-year Matthew Winters, he was now clued into the fact that she’d been poking around the NYPD. But he didn’t know that she also had an honest to God informant, by the name of Keith. He was an ex-con and still very much a member of one of New York’s most drug crazed gangs. He was helping her out of some misplaced sense of redemption she figured. Whatever his reasons were, Jackie and his relations were strictly prohibited.

The Chief also had no idea what her real story was on. No one did. It was as Top Secret as a story could get. Corruption in New York’s shiniest department. A scandal that would rock the city from the inside out -the NYPD and its crooked cops. Keith and all the signs had her convinced those missing drugs had gone into greedy hands with badges instead of rightfully back into the evidence room. But all that was completely hush hush. She wanted it to be a complete, mind-blowing surprise when the story came out.

Jackie peered down at her boss through thick lashes. This whole thing with Winters was just a minor set back. She could handle this. And she would have the story for him by Friday. Of course, she’d get her information honorably and leave Officer Winters alone, at her bosses request.

“Yes, sir,” she said with a curt nod.

Like hell she would. Within seconds of exiting the office she scurried over to her desk, depositing her watermelon in the trash basket as she went by. She whisked her heavy winter Burberry coat off the back of her chair and slung it around her shoulders. She snatched a notepad and a pen off her desk artfully, clipping a wisp of dark chocolate hair behind her ear as she did so. All her movements came together like a symphony of urgency, a talent most New Yorkers were famous for mastering.

As was the ability to hail a taxi effortlessly, while befuddled tourists waved their arms like distressed birds. Down the elevator and out the doors of the building Jackie merely had to raise her arm above her head and a yellow cab pulled up to the sidewalk against the dark slush of ice and dirt. She slipped inside and leaned forward.

“The precinct, please.”

The heat was welcomed by her frigid cheeks. She’d only been outside for a few seconds but the harsh New England air was particularly cruel this winter. With frozen fingers Jackie started to thumb through her wallet. Her father had offered to buy her, her own car but it was pointless to have one in the city. Besides, as much as she enjoyed his spoiling and taking advantage of his bribery for the twenty-six years she’d been alive, a car was stepping over the line. He could certainly buy her love and make her forget his absence in her life with gift cards to Gucci and the like, but a car was too much. She had her own career now and if she needed a car, she would get it herself.

The precinct was only a few minutes of driving through the snowy, congested streets. Soon enough Jackie was paying her fare and exiting the warmth of the vehicle into the brisk winter afternoon. Her heels skidded a little on the icy sidewalk but she kept her composure and look of importance as she marched up the steps of the stone building and made her way inside. The building was warm and a welcome respite from the air outside, but there was a coldness to the place that didn't really rub her the right way. It never had, and especially not after her investigating had deepened. She should have felt safe in the precinct, but she didn’t.

“Heya, sweetheart.”

She turned to find a toothless drunk staring up at her. His hand was cuffed to the desk he was propped up against and his eyes were glassy and red. He made a show of looking her up and down.

“I’m not your sweetheart,” she snapped at him, crinkling her nose.

Quickly she made her way farther into the building. It was almost as busy as her floor. Papers were rustling, telephones were ringing, coffee was still bubbling at two in the afternoon. She looked around expectantly and touched at the familiar weight of her notepad in her coat pocket. A young officer sitting at a desk to her left suddenly looked up. She heard his brief, mocking chuckle.

“Hey Winters, your girlfriend’s here.”

Jackie steeled herself. A wave of chuckles passed through the other officers as they slowly all became aware of her presence. She bristled a bit at the term but kept her face composed. She was Jacqueline Jae, a modern day Lois Lane right down to the alliteration. She could take anything these guys dished out.

Matthew Winters finally emerged. He came from the back of the building where she assumed the interrogation rooms and holding cells were. He was a handsome man, no woman in New York would deny it. He had a strong, freshly shaven jaw and a sculpted face. His nose was straight and regal and his eyes were two smoldering emeralds in his face. They burned with green hatred when they set on Jackie. She watched the stoic figure of Officer Winters move towards her amidst the chortling peanut gallery and in a moment she was staring up at all the pristine, composed, sexy six feet of him. No, no she was still angry with him. He’d reported her! Stop drooling, Jackie. But he smelled of Ivory soap and aftershave. It was becoming increasingly harder to stay angry.

“Ms. Jae, a word?” his hand hooked around the inside of her elbow. She was surprised by how much he dwarfed her. The firmness in his grip suggested it was not as hard for him to stay angry with her.

She allowed him to lead her back past the desks and into a more private area of the precinct where neither of them could be mocked. Jackie shook her arm from his grip a little indignantly and narrowed her eyes at him. After he’d guided her into the back he’d stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Busy week?” Jackie was right on him, pouncing on him like a lion to an injured zebra. Her notepad and pen whipped out in a flash and she poised herself, ready for anything that tumbled out of his mouth that might be helpful.

“Ms. Jae, I was almost certain I spoke with your employer this morning.”

“You did, and as far as he knows, I’m closing up my story right now, having an almond croissant at Bennie’s and definitely not bothering you. Let’s keep it that way, hmm?”

The man touched at his nose gently and it was just then she noticed the tip of it was red. He sniffed before running a hand through his hair and sighing.

“Ms. Jae this is hardly appropri-” he stopped mid sentence and shook his head, as if trying to rid cobwebs from around him. Before he could even hold up a finger to pause the conversation he turned from her, placed a fist under his nose and clenched those dark emerald eyes of his shut.

“Ehh-CSCH!”

Jackie shuddered gently at the sound. Perfect pitch, powerful but quiet, quite irritated. She watched him recover curiously, noting the reddened state around the corners of his eyes and the slight falter of his handsome lips as he fought off the tickle. Bleary eyed he turned back to her, apologizing under his breath.

“Bless you,” she hurried to say, not denying herself the shake of her breath.

“Thank you,” he said gruffly. He was obviously not fond of thanking her for anything but his manners kept him from dismissing her fully. He was quick to not let her take the reigns on the conversation or the situation again. He straightened his coat and met her eye, “Now, I’d love to continue to talk with you, but I’m afraid duty calls.”

He rubbed at his nose again and she could almost feel the frustration coming off him in waves. To break his stoic composure like that, in front of her of all people, must have been maddening. And apparently his nose thought it wanted to do it again.

“Where to, today?” she asked, trying to maintain her quips.

“The park. Messy scene, I’m sure you wouldn’t enjoy it,” he said uncomfortably, looking over her shoulder for an escape. She noticed him sniff softly.

“Try me,” she said, squaring her shoulders and turning up her lip.

She’d be damned if he tried to keep her away from this story. Or anymore of his sneezes. This was turning out to be a better day than she’d expected.

“Whatever,” Matthew responded bitterly before pushing around her and heading for the door.

Jackie followed on his heels excitedly.

[obsessed]

Well, first of all, welcome to the forum!

Second, I really like your writing. <3

[LeapYearKisses]

Welcome! This is a lovely start to your days here. I really like your style!

I can't wait for more!

[sneezelove]

i agree with obsessed! the writing is really good!!

i can't wait to read the next part!!

[jezebel215]

i like this a lot!

[everest]

Nice start! Welcome, and I'm looking forward to more.

[sweethoney]

oh my goodness! i didn't expect people to comment back so quickly! this is amazing!

thank you all so so so so so much! i'm so happy! <3 and i'm so honored to hear you guys enjoy my writing. that just like made my dayyyy ;D

/much love!

had the second part written up already so here you are!

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Being an experienced New Yorker, it wasn’t hard for Jacqueline to get another taxi and follow Matthew Winter’s squad car towards the park on the East Side. And just as he pulled into the caution taped scene, Jackie was paying her fare and stepping out into the snow.

It took her a while to get close, pushing her way around the squad cars and blocked off areas and when she got to Matthew he was already speaking with another officer. The thick chill of the wind blew at his already disheveled hair and Jackie tried not to drool at the way he stood with authority heavy on his broad shoulders, speaking lowly to the other officer.

She whipped out her notepad and pen and stepped near him, trying to look businesslike. The other officer noticed her presence and looked squarely at her from down his nose. Matthew turned to see what he was looking at and when he found Jackie his expression grew weary. He opened his mouth to say something but delighted the young reporter by pausing and letting his eyes narrow desperately. He turned away from both of them and placed a fist under his nose again. He bent slightly and his wide shoulders shuddered with the sneeze that was certainly more potent than the last. “ISH!”

“Bless you,” Jackie and the other officer chorused.

Matthew grumbled and turned back to them, “Excuse me.”

His eyes fixated on Jackie then and she enjoyed the faraway look in them. He was obviously not entirely focused on what was at hand and more at something prickling in the back of his nose.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, his voice sharp and not as amused as his words portrayed.

“Can’t get rid of me that easy, handsome,” Jackie countered. She watched his handsome, angled face like a hawk, waiting for another twitch of his nostrils, waiting for him to lose that perfect, cold mask of his.

“So I’ve noticed.”

The other officer looked over his shoulder, “Alright, man. Talk to you later.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Matthew said with a nod, watching the other man head towards the epicenter of the scene where the most law enforcement was concentrated.

The two of them left alone, Jackie peered up at the man and poised her pen above her notebook, ready to scrape any information he gave her and weave her findings from it. But before she could speak he was already walking. She nearly stumbled over herself in her hurry to catch up with him.

“So what’s the deal?” she called as she tried to fall into step with his much longer stride.

“Homicide.”

“How many victims?”

“Two.”

“Do you think this could be connected to the drug war?”

“No.”

“But the recent killings, they’ve all had ties to the gangs. The East Side is pretty close coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Ms. Jae,” Matthew stopped short, turning on her. She stopped abruptly with him and looked up innocently, her pen lightly on the inside of her lip as she chewed thoughtfully.

“Is there anything I can do to make you go away?”

Jackie grinned at him, “Answer some of my questions and maybe we can strike a deal.”

Matthew ran a hand down the length of his face and looked away. The movement, though supposed to calm him, only seemed to irritate his nose further. He sniffed hard and she noticed the corner of his lip twitch as he tried to ward the inevitable off.

“This isn’t the pl- place for -damn it, hold on,” he raised his eyes to the sky and sniffed again, holding up a finger.

“You okay?” she asked. As angry with him as she was for being a jerk and reporting her, she was noticing now how miserable he looked.

He turned from her again and she held her breath as he placed his characteristic fist under the regal fixture of his reddened nose. His eyes squinted on a spot far away in the distance and he shook his head again, as if it would help dislodge the release. “F-ine, I just ha-have to -hi’ISH!” His eyes slammed shut and his head bent with the sneeze. Jackie started to bless him but registered the fact that he hadn’t lowered his fist yet.

He shuddered lightly and bent at another, “hi’ISHOO!”

“That doesn’t sound so good,” she sympathized, her notepad lowering just a bit.

“Sorry,” he apologized under his breath, unceremoniously wiping under his nose with his jacket sleeve. He sniffed hard and blinked away the irritated tears before meeting eyes with her again.

She found she enjoyed his more vulnerable visage. Though his face was still tight and angular, his cheeks had gone rosy and his eyes seemed wider and an encompassing green with the red around it. He looked quite miffed at the severity of his sneezing and the innocent, befuddled look on his handsome face was more than endearing. His sniffing was even more so. She just wanted to wrap him up and take him home to take care of him. But in half a second once he had control again he crossed his muscled arms over an obviously -even through his jacket- well built chest. He might as well have been putting barbed wire and stone between them.

“I was trying to say that this isn’t the place for reporters. Especially ones as stubborn as you,” he said, his fierce eyes narrowing under his strong brow, “You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”

“I’m already in trouble, thanks to you,” she shot back, her sympathy dissolving.

“Worse trouble,” he retorted with equal venom. His handsome features twisted up in exasperation. If she was any less of a reporter she would have left him alone out of pity. But she needed this story. She was going to uncover everything.

A thought struck her. What if, the prestigious, devilishly good-looking Matthew Winters was a crooked cop? She sucked in a breath and looked as nonchalantly as she could up at the man who stood a good few heads taller than her. Could he be trying to get rid of her to try and knock her off her path? Maybe he knew exactly how close she was to zeroing in on her hard evidence and he just wasn’t having any of it.

“Hn-gxt-ah.” Jackie was brought out of her troubled thoughts as Matthew’s nose decided to give another outburst. He caught this one to try and retain his composure in the strong vice of his thumb and forefinger. The release at the end suggested it had been painful, and that adorable bleary look washed over his features again as he recovered.

No, he didn’t look like a crooked cop. He was stoic and dark and a little cold, but she didn’t think he was involved with the drug war. Still, she had to stay on her toes.

“Bless you,” she said, watching him rub furiously at his red nostrils.

“Thanks.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you what,” her composure softened a little. The guy was obviously under the weather, and as much as she needed this story, she wasn’t so heartless as to add to his misery all day, “Give me one good piece of information I can use in my investigation and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Investigation?” he caught her slip of the tongue but shook his head, choosing to ignore it in light of the escape she was providing him. He rubbed at his forehead contemplatively. “Ah, alright, alright. The two guys that were shot down were both from Puerto Rican descent, so it could have been the gang but there weren’t any rival casualties or evidence. So we’re ruling it as just the Puerto Ricans getting rid of dead weight in their usual style.”

Jackie’s pen was moving faster than the speed of light, jotting his low, husky voice down word for word. When he was finished she finished as well and looked up, a little softer than she had before, and smiled gently.

“Helpful?” he asked, rubbing his nose gently and trying to peer at her notebook.

She slipped it artfully back into her jacket and gave him a nod, “It’ll do for now. But don’t think I won’t be back, Winters.”

She swore she could hear him groan, and tried not to be smug about it. He rubbed his nose again and sniffed and her stomach burst with butterflies. He cleared his throat and looked over out at the scene giving her a view of his regal profile complete with a full mouth and masculine cheekbones. He turned back to her after a moment.

“It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Jae,” he said dryly, but his concentration was elsewhere.

She gave him a little salute and held her up end of the bargain, turning to head back towards the street.

“Take care of that cold, huh?” she called over her shoulder, and turned her head just in time to see him bed at the waist, sneezing harshly into cupped hands.

“HU-ESCHOO!”

Smiling a bit to herself she pranced delicately through the slush and towards the sidewalk. Tomorrow, she’d be back, and hopefully if the damp, icy weather kept up Officer Winters would still be at the mercy of that cold.

[kato]

Add me to the list of admirers, please. Love it! I really like the chemistry between the characters.

[Ciuty80]

welcome here!

i LIKE your story

please continue

[obsessed]

You're too good at this. <3

Btw, don't forget you can make a post in comings and goings ;D

[Tarkus]

Me likey.......

You're an awesome writer as far as I've read, and I eagerly await more of your delicious NYC cop drama...and the sneezing

I can't wait for more!

[scent]

Me likey.......

You're an awesome writer as far as I've read, and I eagerly await more of your delicious NYC cop drama...and the sneezing

I can't wait for more!

Very creative! And welcome

[dumpling]

Welcome

and I love your writing style

can't wait for the next part

[sweethoney]

oh my goodness i love all of you SO MUCH <3

thank you so so so so much for all your nice comments. they make me so warm and fuzzy on the inside! XD -snuggles all of you-

(and oh i think i will make a post there, obsessed! thank you for pointing it out!)

alright loves, here's the third installment.

AND for your viewing pleasure i have pictures of what i see as jackie and matthew.

if you like to picture them for yourselves while you read by all means don't feel like you have to click!!

BUT if you're like me and enjoy picture references sometimes then here you go! <3

Ms Jackie Jae: http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc107/b...-08200901-1.jpg

Mr. Matthew Winters: http://www.nextcompany.com/images/m/821/82...oper-z-b-46.jpg

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Her departure didn’t quite turn out as planned. Instead of hailing a cab like she’d planned, Jackie decided in the brisk cold it was a good time for a walk. She was plenty warm enough with her thick coat and scarf and she had a red hot notecard in her breast pocket burning with new information, courtesy of Matthew Winters. It was a good day, a great day even. But of course, as she’d learned long ago, great days were often short lived.

The street was more or less empty. The lower East Side was nowhere you wanted to be at night but Jackie figured it was safe enough in the light of day to prance down the sidewalk. Her heels clicked on the cold concrete and she shoved her hands in her pockets, admiring the hazy white skyline of the city as she took her stroll. She’d wait until she got farther into the city to catch a cab again. She thought better on her feet, anyway. When she was walking some of her greatest ideas came to her, and her organizational skills sharpened. So as she clicked delicately down the snowy sidewalk her head was like a hornets nest, buzzing with facts and information, news clippings she’d red, comments and signs in the precinct.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the black SUV trailing her until the breaks squealed and a door opened. Jackie whirled and on instinct her hand reached inside her purse for her pepper spray. But a thick hand grabbed her arm before she could extract it and yanked her in the direction of the car. The grip was harsh and unfriendly and much stronger than she. She had no choice but to be pulled into the back seat of the car and roughly deposited inside.

“Go, man, go!” the man who’d grabbed her, indiscernible by the mask over his face, climbed in behind her skillfully and slammed the door, waving a hand towards the driver.

The SUV roared to life and Jackie sat frozen between two masked thugs, not daring to make a move. Though, she held her face was the perfect mask of stone. Though her heart was just about ready to burst through her throat she kept her pale green eyes calm and her lips smooth.

“You Jacqueline Jae?” the man to her left asked.

She stared straight ahead.

The one on her right suddenly shoved her back, gripping her by the throat, “Answer him!”

“Yes,” she spat finally. The man wrenched his hand off her in disgust.

She kept her eyes on the street, memorizing each road they took and what direction they were going. Unfortunately, the thugs seemed to have planned for it and before they asked anymore questions they drew a bag over her head. Her world went black and she was aided by only sensation. She could smell the heavy, cheap cologne of her attackers and the material of the bag.

“You’re investigating the drug bust, ah?” The man to her left shoved her, demanding an answer.

Deciding it was best to answer than ignore them at this point she nodded through the bag. “Yes,” she replied curtly.

“Little girl, you shouldn’t be playin’ around with things like that. We know you’re talking to brothers on the inside and that’s dangerous dangerous business.”

“Gathered that,” her sharp voice countered his patronizing.

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all,” the other man explained, though she could hear the mocking smile in his voice.

“Thank you for your concern.”

She felt a face close to hers and warm breath fanned at her through the bag, “Take this as a warning Jacqueline Jae. You stop investigating this story or we’re coming for you again. And this time we wont be so pleasant.”

“Stop the car,” the other man said and the breaks hit, squealing again. The door opened and the frigid air rolled in, basking her already shuddering body with ice.

The bag was ripped off her face and her arm was tugged violently until she was stumbling out of the vehicle. The pull was so harsh that she went sprawling into the slush-filled sidewalk, soaking the front of her jacket and most likely the notepad inside with her months of work inside.

“Remember what we said, sweetheart,” one of them called.

“Go to hell, bastard!” she heaved at the sidewalk, but the car door was already slammed shut and the engine roared. She turned her head, hair dripping into her face, and watched the car take off. Of course, no license plates. This was just her luck.

Shaking with cold and shock, she fumbled to pull her cellphone from her bag. She dialed 911 desperately and tried to calm her voice as she sat there in the street and tried to explain to the operator what had just happened without crying like a baby. Jackie Jae didn’t cry in the face of danger! She took this as a challenge! This meant she was getting to them, if they were trying to go after her she really had uncovered something worth taking risks for. She tried to rationalize her fear with these thoughts but right then they weren’t helping any.

“The police are on there way,” the operator assured her.

And sure enough, within the minute she heard sirens. The NYPD was always quick to act, but she was damn lucky that only a few blocks away a good deal of them were congregated investigating the homicide she’d just been at. She remained on the sidewalk, not caring for her bare legs in the snow or her nice Burberry coat or how goddamn cold she was -she just sat there until the first car pulled up, red and blue lights flashing in a dizzying array of light.

Jackie looked up doubtfully as the car door slammed and a pair of hurried footsteps slicked against the snowy asphalt.

“Jacqueline?!”

Wait a second. She knew that voice! Her eyes lifted, squinting against the bright white backdrop of the sky, and low and behold there he was. Matthew Winters -as fate would have it, the first to be on the scene. As intense as their meetings had gone earlier, all animosity was gone from his face as he jogged over to her and crouched down in front of her crumpled form. Concern creased his brow and his eyes searched her over for any apparent injuries. Jackie found herself warmed by his worry.

“Are you hurt?” he asked quickly, and almost too quickly his cold caught up with him. In the urgency of the moment he hadn’t been expecting it and as he’d run a hand through his hair the sneeze caught him by surprise and he just had time to turn to the side before expelling a completely uncovered outburst. “HU-ehESCH!”

He recovered quickly, given the circumstances and merely sniffed once before repeating his question. He searched her eyes with a face painted with heavy concern, and at its epicenter a red nose. Jackie looked down at her hands that were torn up from catching herself on the sidewalk. But other than that, she was okay. He noticed her upturned palms and grabbed one gently, his much larger, warmer hand cradling her smaller, colder one. He inspected the wounds gingerly and then returned her hand to her.

“C’mon,” he said, sniffing softly, “Let’s get you out of the snow.”

She was too dazed and shocked by the whole ordeal to even make a quip about his change in demeanor. At that moment she was clinging to his concern and the heroic quality of her rescue. Matthew Winters in that moment had become her Knight in shining armor rather than a royal pain in the ass. Before she could protest he crouched further and slipped a warm, muscled arm around her shoulders, and the other under her bare knees. In one swift movement he lifted her from the ground and created a warm vice for her against his hard chest. Her head turned in at his shoulder a bit as he straightened to his full extent and headed for his squad car.

“We can wait in here where its warm until the ambulance c-comes,” he said. And she didn’t miss the slight hitch of his voice. She lifted her eyes a bit in time to see him scrunch up his regal nose to try and dissuade the urge. But it was no use. His eyes lifted upwards and his brow gathered in desperation. Not having any hands to cover his mouth with he attempted a daring stifle towards the left.

“HGNXT!” Successful, and she felt his body shudder against her. The sneeze made his arms grip her tighter for a moment and she felt the flexing of his chest as another humming bird of a breath seized him. He drew in another breath for the second, though this time the sneeze was harsher and more difficult to stifle. “HN-GSHHH!”

While sneezing he barely took a wrong step and didn't loosen his grip on her any, which amazed and excited her. He really was a hero, a regular day superman. “Bless you,” she murmured against his warm chest and he thanked her throatily and offhandedly while clearing his throat. They’d reached the car and expertly he opened the passenger door while still keeping her in his grasp. Handling her like she was a fragile bird, he eased her as gentlemanly as he could into the seat and closed the door once he was sure she was situated. She watched him rub at his nose as he crossed the front of the car and came around to the drivers side. Once he was inside he shut the door, he sniffed once and reached forward to cranked the heat for her. He started to unzip his own NYPD issued jacket and shrugged out of it effortlessly, revealing the crisp white dress shirt underneath that made it obvious just how good of shape he was in.

“Here, put this on. Yours is soaked,” he ordered.

Jacqueline almost declined, wanting to point out that he was sick and needed it, but she didn’t think he was going to take to kindly to being babied right now. Besides, she was the one who’d just been picked up by a couple of gangsters! She deserved to be babied, for once in her life. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever been. Not even as a child. So obediently she shrugged out of her wet jacket and thanked him as she took his and wound it around her body. It was too big for her and her arms were nearly lost in it but it was warm and smelled of that wonderful Ivory soap. She snuggled into it, her cheeks flushing with what she hoped she could blame on the heat. When she looked back over he was rubbing at his running nose and holding a walkie-talkie. He pressed a button and placed his lips closer to it.

“This is Officer Winters. The victim is not -” he paused, the tell tale sign of a sneeze on the way crumpling his features. This one came quicker and harsher than the previous ones she’d witnessed and he turned towards his window with his fist under his nose, his shoulders heaving with the force of two consecutive sneezes. “Huh-GISHOO! ESCH!” He turned back towards the walkie talkie sniffing miserably and shook his head a bit to try and clear whatever the sneezes had upturned in there. “The victim is not injured, I have her with me now, I’ll bring her back for report.”

“Roger that.” Someone else's voice crackled through the speaker and satisfied, Matthew hung it back to the dashboard.

He then glanced over at Jackie, his eyes a little irritated but burning green warmth. “Alright, can you tell me what happened?”

She nodded numbly and sighed, starting from the beginning.

[obsessed]

LOVE. <3

This is so intriguing, plot filled... I got shivers, that's how good it was.

Oh and him being sick is a nice little positive there.

[LeapYearKisses]

Aside from all the sneezing, this story is really intriguing! Adding it in, it becomes both intriguing and sexy. BD I want to be rescued by Matthew Winters.

[jezebel215]

this is so yummy. super duper, cinnabon yummy

[musiclover90]

Wow, this is amazing so far. PLEASE continue.

[everest]

I love it. Your storyline is great, and I love your descriptions. Keep it up!

[PaperThings]

Sneezing or no sneezing, this is absolutely wonderful. Your writing is gorgeous. I absolutely love it.

[dumpling]

I LOVE THIS

I like the plot...and the sneezes

[Tassielli]

Ok I'm going to bump this because I really want an update onthis story its amazing you should totally continue

[ichixshiro14]

Yay for the bump cause I agree wholeheartedly haha

[sweethoney]

OH MY GOSH.

I'M SO SORRY GUYS.

SCHOOL AND LIFE GOT CRAZY AND I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THIS. thank you so much for bumping! <3 ily guys

SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I'LL KEEP ON IT THIS TIME, PROMISE!

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“You can’t be serious.”

Matthew Winter’s nose was stuffed beyond all recognition. He hid it well in his voice but an acute sniffle at the end of his sentence demonstrated how much torture he was actually enduring. Jacqueline, asked to wait outside the office after a few grueling hours of questioning, had her ear pressed up against the door to listen in on the conversation. Like any self respecting journalist would, right? Unfortunately, what she heard made her skin crawl with guilt.

Basically, she’d screwed Winter’s over one time too many. Even for someone with her kind of record. Not only had she badgered him until he called her boss, followed him to a field job, pestered him while he was apparently dying of the plague -but now her daring investigative journalistic passion had gotten him stuck at her place for the night keeping watch over her sorry ass. In New York City, the police didn’t take anything lightly. Especially not a temporary kidnapping and a threat on a young reporter’s life. The bastards she was investigating were no two bit criminals either. They were no-nonsense and dealt in blood over any other alternative. They had the city’s drug trafficking and weapon handling in the palm of their hand. And though she was actually investigating a cop’s involvement in their handling, she’d gotten too close for comfort and was marked as public enemy number one. Now she had a big bullseye on her forehead.

Which was why the NYPD thought it appropriate that she should be watched carefully. Round up unlucky bastard of the week: Matthew Winters. Jacqueline pressed her ear harder against the door to listen.

“Look, I’m sorry Matt, I know it’s not your responsibility but everyone else is booked. If there was someone else to do it I would find them for you but the fact is your the only one.”

“Hih-ESCH!”

“Christ, Winters, you really are sick. I’m sorry you gotta be the one to do this.”

“Nah, it’s all right. Her safety is more important than this cold. I’m on it -nothing’s gonna happen to her.”

Jackie heard chair legs scraping against the floor and took the opportunity to back up to the opposite wall and sit back on the bench in the hallway where Matthew had left her. She folded one leg over the other and pressed her shoulders back against the wall as if she was lounging. Not a moment too soon the door to the office opened. Matthew stepped out first, looking as bold and as picturesque as before. With the backdrop of the door behind him he looked like a magazine ad -perhaps with the exception of his red nose and rosy cheeks. He caught a cough in his fist and his broad, muscle shoulders shook just briefly with the gesture. Jackie then remembered she still had his coat draped over her and hurried to stand. She shrugged the thing off and held it out for him -a peace treaty of sorts. He took it from her with a nod of thanks. Right now he looked way too miserable now for her to get any satisfaction out of pestering him. And she felt like hell for having to get him to babysit her.

The older lieutenant strode out behind Matt and gave him a fatherly clap on the shoulder before looking at Jackie.

“Ms. Jae, in order to ensure your safety, Officer Winters is going to station himself outside your apartment for the night and keep watch.”

Matthew looked nothing but stoic, even as she searched his bright blue eyes for a sign of hatred for her. There was none, and it warmed her heart as well as broke it to pieces. She was such an idiot.

“Okay,” she said softly, avoiding both of their eyes and looking downcast like a child might. She was a child, really. Sticking her nose where it didn’t belong and pushing the envelope an inch too far.

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The car ride was sufficiently uncomfortable. He didn’t talk much, and Jackie was too ashamed to even bring up any witty banter or pester him. She sat with her hands folded in her lap feeling discomfited and uneasy. Whether it was still reminiscent feelings from her date with those thugs or the gnawing guilt, she wasn’t sure. Most likely a mixture of both. But there was one thing she was sure of, even if she was a bad person for thinking it -she was glad he was staying tonight. Even just sitting next to him in the patrol car made her feel safe. His heat radiated off of him in waves just as his prominent bravery did. He was a good cop. She was absolutely sure of it now, with the lack of resentment in his eyes when he looked at her and the selfless way he sneezed and coughed his way to her house to stay up all night and put his life on the line for her.

“You’re going right at this intersection,” she said softly, tucking a curl behind her ear.

She looked over to see if he’d heard her and he was nodding vigorously, but his eyes squinted. A few gasping breaths sucked through his mouth as it tightened and he brought up a free hand from the wheel of the car to his face.

“Esch!” He caught one forceful sneeze in his fist and managed to turn on his right signal while doing so. He raised his watering eyes to the rearview mirror and switched lanes to make the turn while he sniffed and recovered.

“Bless you,” Jackie

“Thanks,” he sniffed heartily.

She rifled through her purse to find some tissues. She found the pack and ripped it open, supplying him with a soft few. He thanked her again, a little softer this time, and dabbed at his red nose with them.

“It’s this road right here,” she pointed with a manicured fingernail and he executed the turn, “That apartment building coming up on your left.”

He pulled into the parking lot with ease and found a spot next to the entrance. The cheap brown building loomed over the car. After the long hours at the precinct the sun was just starting to weaken in the sky and a dusty amber light fell on the faces of the windows. Snow lined the balconies and made the sidewalk sparkle in the lights from the patrol car. No sooner had Matthew put the vehicle and park and cut the ignition did his nose start to give him trouble again.

Jackie looked over to find his hand on his seatbelt latch but the other holding the wad of tissues to his nose. His eyes squeezed shut and she watched his handsome brow crumple in desperation as his torso jerked forward with a sneeze.

“Eschoo!” he sneezed once but held the tissues in place as he stifled two more perfectly silently. The only indication he’d sneezed at all was the precise jerk of his shoulders.

He looked like an odd paradox sitting there. With his gleaming badge, gun holstered at his hip and bullet proof vest under his jacket. A man so strong and self-assured and yet trembling and sneezing his head off, debilitated by the common cold. His wonderful muscles and stoic attitude could do nothing against the germs and it was a vulnerability Jackie found to be touching. And here she was, the stupid little reporter who was going to make him endure a whole night of this with no rest.

“Bless you,” she said meekly, watching him finally manage to stop sneezing and unclip his seat belt. He wiped his nose without shame and sniffed hard before opening his door.

“Thanks.”

She stepped out with him on her own side, feeling her heels slip a little in the ice. It was definitely colder out now that the sun was setting and she hurried to get her keys out of her purse so they could get in the building. He certainly didn’t need to be outside anymore than he had been already. He locked the patrol car and then followed her, sniffling and coughing gingerly as to not arouse suspicion (like she didn’t already know) to the doors. Once they were inside the heat of the lobby greeted them. They were silent as they took the elevator up to the fourth floor and silent all the way to the end of her hall where she found her number on the wall.

“This is it,” she said, breaking the heavy silence that had only been punctuated by his sniffles.

She opened the door and then stepped in. It was clean, thank God. She didn’t want anyone, especially Matthew Winters, seeing her apartment the way it looked the day before one of her deadlines. Of course there were still newspaper clippings and papers thrown about in her writing corner but it certainly didn’t look like a bomb had gone off. Candles she’d been burning last night left the humble abode smelling of warm apple pie and her assorted artwork of black and white photographs from who no-name artists made a fairly impressive look for herself. She didn’t treat herself to the luxuries her father wished she would, with all his financial support. She preferred to not come off as a rich daddy’s girl -especially to her house guests and colleagues. And apparently in this case, an officer from the NYPD.

She turned her head over shoulder to look at said officer, looking sexier than ever with rouged cheeks from the heat of the building and a little snow in his hair still.


“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked, tilting her head at the way he stood just outside her threshold.

He shook his head, coughing into his elbow briefly before answering.

“I’ll patrol outside your door tonight, Ms. Jae. You just go and relax, you’ve had a rough day. I’ll be out here if you need me. If anything looks suspicious just come get me and I’ll be right in.”

Her eyes faltered, “You’re just going to stand out there? All night?”

“Ye-” his eyes suddenly squinted up and he turned away from her, bringing his fist to his mouth as his face crumpled, “ESCHOO!” It was certainly more powerful than the last and it seemed to take him longer to bring himself back from it. He sniffed hard and rubbed at his nose for a moment before straightening and looking back at her. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Jackie’s face was a mess of indecision. But what could she do? He had his orders. And he’d probably strangle her if she stayed out and tried to talk with him all night to keep him company. So she merely nodded and stepped inside further to close the door behind her. He met her eyes and she stared at him the entire time until the door finally closed between them. She sighed and pressed her back up against the door.

Under her breath she muttered, “Jesus, it’s like kicking a puppy.”

[Zane]

Yay!! an update! This is very good! I'm hooked! hope you continue and thanks for writing this!