Lol. I'm not going on strike, just yet. Although, if I do, you can blame Simone.!!

But here's another add to hold you guys over. Lol.

Here you go Thuli=]

Chapter 8:

After jogging the mile from the basketball court, Chris sprinted up the stairs of his apartment building to the third floor. He ran down the hall to Lexiie's apartment and pounded on the door. It was barely seven-thirty in the morning. He knew that Lexiie, who hated mornings almost as much as he did, would be hitting her snooze button for the second time around seven-thirty. Chris waited and then knocked louder, almost rattling the new door on it's hinges.

He smiled as he heard Lexiie's loud and colorful curses before he heard the sound of many locks being disengaged. Lexiie swung open the door and Chris couldn't prevent the large grin that worked its way onto his face. One part of her hair had become stuck to her face during sleep and the remaining curls stood in a variety of directions. The robe that she had thrown around her body was inside out and twisted almost into a knot revealing more than it hid, including her long brown legs that Chris noticed were smooth in the morning light that shone through the living room. So Lexiie did shave her legs.

Chris saw the threatening glare in her eyes, but he took his chances and walked into the apartment. As a peace offering, he held up a wrinkled bag filled with bagels and various containers of cream cheese and two cups of coffee.

Only because I smell coffee, I haven't shot you," Lexiie greeted him as she closed the door. She engaged the safety on her nine millimeter Beretta that she held in one hand which Chris hadn't noticed. She set the gun on the table near the front door then practically fell onto the sofa. "What time is it?"

"Do you always answer the door with a gun in the morning?"

"Only when the idiot pounds on my door, waking me out of a peaceful sleep at the crack of dawn."

Chris sat beside her on the sofa and begun to spread out the food. He knew that Lexiie could eat two bagels at a time. And he made certain to purchase her favorite, blueberry and cinnamon. It had surprised Chris that he knew what Lexiie's favorite flavors of bagels were. It had surprised him how much he knew about her. Chris had spent 15 minutes that he stood in line at the coffee shop realizing that he knew more about Lexus Katie Alexander than he knew about the various women he had dated over the last four years.

"Maybe I should still shoot you, it's too early even for coffee." Lexiie groaned as she buried her face in a sofa pillow.

"It's almost eight o'clock," Chris cheerfully replied. He offered her a bagel that he had slathered with honey cream cheese. When she didn't reach for it, Chris tore the pillow from her hands and held the bagel higher.

"It's too early," Lexiie grumbled, even as her stomach loudly protested and she snatched the bagel from him.

Chris laughed, then said, "You're going to need all of your energy this morning. You have an appointment at nine-thirty."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. At a beauty salon. My sister-in-law, Illiana, will meet you there."

Lexiie's eyebrows scrunched together as she slowly sat up and, unfortunately pulled the robe closer together. Chris had begun to notice a small expanse of cleavage in the tank top she wore that hinted at full breasts underneath the thin cotton robe. Chris was horrified at his thoughts. Was he really ogling Lexiie's breasts?

"What are you talking about, Brown?" Lexiie demanded.

"I already told my partner and my lieutenant that I'm taking the rest of the week off. My lieutenant would have like a little bit more notice, but since I haven't taken a vacation or a sick day in the last seven years I've worked for SFPD, he couldn't complain too much."

"You're going with me to Santa Barbara?"

"One Prince Charming at your service." Chris hadn't known what he expected Lexiie to do in response to his agreement to help her, but none of his imagined scenarios included her staring at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Why?" she finally demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't fall all over yourself thanking me," he muttered dryly.

Avoiding his eyes, she suddenly became interested in the bagel in her hands, Chris was not fooled, but he was intrigued. Lexiie didn't avoid anything. She faced everything head on: suspects, convicted criminals, him. He didn't thinkshe knew how to suppress her feelings.

"Lexiie, I'm going to help you," Chris tried again.

She glared at him and angrily snapped, "I'm not a charity case."

"I never said that you were. Do you not want me to go with you anymore?"

"I'm not going anymore," Lexiie announced as she jumped to her feet, knocking bagels to the floor and almost tipping over the cup of coffee, which Chris barely managed to catch. She didn't appear to notice the calamity as she stalked to the windows.

"You're not going to your sister's wedding?" Chris asked incredulously as he picked up her bagels from the hardwood floor.

"Step sister," Lexiie immediately corrected. She turned to face him as she said.. "No one will miss me. Harlem asked me to be in the wedding for the same reason that Diamond wanted me to be in her's, to please my dad. The Perky Quads will do anything to please him."

Chris suddenly grinned when he saw indecision on Lexiie's face. She noticed his smile and suspiciously glared at him.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Chris guessed.

"What would I possibly be scared of?"

"Your family. The Perky Quads."

"Don't tell me, let me guess. The ball hit you in the face during your morning basketball game with your brother and it's affected your thought process," Lexiie dryly retorted. "I'm not scared of the Perky Quads."

"Yesterday you were going off about Cinderella and Prince Charming, and this morning you're not going to the wedding? What happened?"

"I used my brain. Who am I kidding? I can't sweep into my father's house and pretend that ... that I'm anything but me."

Chris would have laughed except that he saw the defeated slump of Lexiie's shoulders before she suddenly rememebered that he was watching her. She quickly straightened up but stood motionlessly across the room, holding his gaze.

"Don't you want to see your sis ... your step sister get married?"

"It's actually surprising how much I do want to see it. Harlem is the least irritating of the Perky Quads."

Chris laughed at her flippant response. He wondered why Lexiie didn't want anyone to know that she had the capacity to care for anyone. For some unknown reason, just once he wanted her to lower her shield for him.

"You're going to the weddind, Lexiie, and you're going to knock them dead just like ol' Cindy."

"Cindy?" she questioned, confused.

"Cinderella," Chris said with a dramatic and frustrated sigh at her missing his reference. "She was scared at first, but she went to the ball."

"Stop implying that I'm scared," Lexiie snapped, while clenching her hands into fists.

Chris smiled because for some reason he liked her angry and combative. he didn't like seeing Lexiie sad. it was a realization that had taken him a long time to understand, but he had accepted it a few months ago when he had allowed her to insult him for a full 20 minutes after he found her almost crying over a botched operation at work.

He couldn't explain why, but he wanted her to live her fairy tale. He wanted her to go to the ball, to be the envy of everyone in the room. And even though he knew that she didn't need him or anyone else to do that, she thought that she did. And as always he would do whatever she wanted. But not without a fight.

Chris walked across the living room to hand her the coffee cup. Over the rim of the cup, she continued to regard him as if he were a suspect she was questioning. He would bet that Agent Lexus Alexander was a very intimidating interviewer. Even while she was wearing a ridiculous robe that had bright yellow suns and clouds on it, he knew most men would proceed carefully when Lexiie was involved. Chris wasn't most men.

"If we're going to do this we're going to do this my way," Chris told her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that in this fairy tale, I'm going to play a dual role. I'm going to be your Prince Charming and your fairy godmother." Chris paused for a moment, then quickly added, "And, yes, I'm secure enough in my masculinity to equate myself to a fairy godmother."

"I think you're taking our 5 minute discussion of Cinderella a little too far."

"You want to be Cinderella, and I'm going to give it to you."

"I'm scared," Lexiie told him while shaking her head in irritation.

Chris grinned as he responded, "You should be."

"What if I don't agree to your way?"

"You will because I know that deep down inside you really want to know what it's like to be a princess for a week."

Lexiie held his gaze for a long, silent second and for the first time Chris noticed the rich color of her eyes. He always thought that her eyes were a plain brown. And he had been some what right. Her eyes were brown, but there was nothing plain about them. His eyes drifted to her wide mouth, the thick lips, the pink tongue that suddenly darted across her bottom lip. Chris had the insane urge to grab her and kiss her. He wondered if her lips would taste like the coffee she had sipped or sweet like the honey cream cheese.

"Are you sure that you want to play this game, Brown?" Lexiie's hard voice interrupted his suddenly vivid fantasy that included untying her robe and pleasing what was undernearth. Chris shook his head and mentally kicked himself. Chris refused to believe that Lexus Alexander was the reason that certain parts of him hardened. He blamed it on the coffee. Good coffee always excited him.

if u go on strike im gonna b royally pissed off lol

running another add wud be thanx enogh *angelic smile* pls
run it run it

mannn i love this story
haha im glad chris is goin nd this should b interestin to see what she loooks like afterwards

Lol I love this story...RUN IT

And denile continues on...
run it Lexxie!
I'm so proud of you.
*wipes tears away*

LOL funny Run it

lmaao , thats funny .

ruun (:

yes it is!!! very finely tuned

heh...heh..heh....i have a radar for it...i jus skimmed.....but i love me some dru!

Lol. How did you manage to not read this and yet pick out Dru's name. =D

This one is for Harlem, who is apparently addicted to this story. Which I completely understand because there are a few stories I, myself, am addicted to and I know how it feels waiting for a new add. Lol. Enjoy =]

Chapter 7:

"Foul!" Chris cried as his older brother roughly pushed past him and, like an NBA point guard, dribbled the basketball toward the basket on the opposite end of the court. Chris screamed in protest as Dru soared through the air and slammed the basketball through the netless outdoor hoop. Like a cat, Dru landed gracefully on the hard pavement, then stared at Chris.

Chris rolled his eyes at his brother's dramatics. "Do you remember what the word 'foul' means? It means that Druex Brown has once more turned the basketball court into his own private search and destroy mission."

"I don't recognize fouls, little brother," Dru casually commented. He added as an afterthought, "And I won."

Dru broke into a wide grin as he jogged acoss the court to his water bottle and towel. For the last four years since Dru had moved to San Francisco, the two brothers played basketball twice a week before work.Chris was definitely not a morning person, but after five years apart from his brother, he welcomed the chance to know Dru again not only as a brother, but also as his friend. So Chris dragged himself to the court, and surprisingly these quiet early mornings with his brother now seemed as natural as breathing.

Chris grumbled as he walked toward a bench and dropped next to Dru. Even though the brothers had been playing for an hour and Chris could feel the sweat pouring down his face, his back, and his chest, Dru seemed as composed and cool as a statue. The only sign that Dru expressed of his recent activity was the heavier rise and fall of his chest.

The two brothers sat in companionable silence, watching the sun naturally light the nearby trees and apartment buildings. More cars began to filter onto the streets and more people began to hurry by on the sidewalk. Another day in the city was beginning.

"What's on your mind?" Dru asked, breaking the silence. "I know I usually crush you on the court, but you usually put up a better fight."

Chris laughed at the teasing smile on Dru's lips. Chris still couldn't get over the fact that the man sitting next to him was the same silent stranger who he had encountered on the streets four years ago. Dru still could probably win a silent contest with a mute, but he was not the same Druex Brown who had moved with the shadows as an operative for the Group. Chris knew that Dru's wife, Illiana, who was now pregnant with their first child, had a lot to do with the difference in Dru. And hopefully Chris could claim a little credit too. Whatever the reason, he was glad to have his brother back.

"Nothing's wrong," Chris finally answered.

"Women problems?" Dru pressed.

"Not exactly. Lexiie problems."

For some reason Dru sighed and took a long gulp of water before he said, "What did she do now?"

"She wants me to go with her to Santa Barbara tomorrow. She wants me to pretend to be her boyfriend at her step sister's wedding," Chris said then laughed in disbelief at the insanity of the plan.

Dru didn't respond but continued to watch Chris. Chris rolled his eyes in irritation as he pointedly said, "Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?"

"It's dramatic," Dru finally said.

"That's all you have to say? It's dramatic? What about stupid and dumb and ... It's lying. We're in law. We're not supposed to lie."

"She specifically asked you to lie to her family?"

"No, she just said that she wanted me to go with her," Chris reluctantly admitted, then added, "But why else would she want me there except for me to pretend to be her boyfriend?"

"Maybe she wants a friend to be with her," Dru said with a shrug. The simplicity of his statement made Chris pause. he had to admit to himself that he had never thought of that. Lexiie needed something? Lexiie thought of him as a friend? Both possibilities seemed strange and very un-Lexiie-like to Chris. Dru asked, "What's wrong with her family?"

"Don't you mean what's wrong with Lexiie?" Chris said, for some unknown reason annoyed with him. Dru never responded the way Chris wanted him to, when and if Dru did respond. That was one of many problems with having an ex-spy brother.

"What's wrong with Lexiie?" Dru asked neutrally as he handed Chris a bottle of water.

"She has some inferiority complex when it comes to her step mother and three step sisters. She sees them as the wicked step mother and step sisters from Cinderella. Although, she says they're not wicked."

"Is she jealous of them?"

"I don't think Lexiie can be jealous of any woman. The only time I ever saw her jealous was when a guy from work stopped by the apartment to show me an antique Winchester rifle he found at a garage sale. Lexiie practically turned green." Chris laughed at the memory of the pure, unsheltered want that had been in Lexiie's eyes when she had gazed at the gun.

He stopped laughing when he remembered his friend watching Lexiie during the visit, and later asking Chris if he should ask Lexiie out. Chris hadn't told him no, but he must have conveyed his silent objection to the notion because Jesse had quickly dropped the subject. Chris never tried to figure out why he had cared if a nice brother like Jesse dated Lexiie.

"If she's not jealous of her step sisters then ..."

"She's intimidated by them," Chris mused. "and I think the fact that someone can intimidate her scares her. Lexiie likes to win. And in this case winning would be to arrive at the wedding with a date - a handsome, sophisticated, Prince Charming type date like myself."

"I'll allow that Prince Charming comment to slide. Are you going to help her?"

Shocked that Dru would even entertain the notion, Chris stared at his brother. As usual, Dru didn't blink but simply returned Chris' gaze.

"Of course not," he sputtered. "I can't just leave work in the middle of the week."

"Jayda told me that you haven't taken a vacation since ... since Mom and Dad's death."

Chris saw the conflict of emotions and guillt briefly flash across Dru's face at the thought of their parents. Even nine years after the car accident that had taken both of their parents' lives, Dru still could not completely forgive himself for having survived the accident. Chris knew his brother had come far from where he had extracted himself from Chris' and their sister Jayda's lives because of his guilt, but Dru obviously had much further to go before he truly came to peace with the accident. It had taken Chris a long time himself to accept the fact that death was as much a part of life as the love his parents had given him while they were alive.

"I've never taken a vacation because I'm a cop living on a cop's salary. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Santa Barbara."

"Dru, you're not suggesting that I should ... You actually think that I ... That's stupid. I can't go to Santa Barbara."

"Why would you do it?" Dru agreed, then took a long gulp of water and added, "You don't even like Lexiie."

"I like Lexiie," Chris quickly protested.

"Do you consider her your friend?"

"Sure," Chris replied uncertainly. "Since I eat dinner at her place more than mine, she can't be just an acquaintance, right?"

"Will you spend the rest of the week wishing that you were in Santa Barbara helping her through an ordeal that might not be painful for you and me, but could be painful for her?"

"I think I liked you better as the nontalking sphinx than as the guilt-tripping older brother."

Dru smiled, then said, "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty."

"You think that I should go with Lexiie?"

"I think that you should do what you want to do."

"And I think you should stop talking in riddles and just tell me to go or not to go," Chris snapped, glaring at Dru, who only laughed at him.

"I can't give you answers, Chris."

"Try."

"You need a vacation. Santa Barbara is a beautiful city. Put two and two together." Dru rolled his eyes in frustration as Chris continued to look at him doubtfully. "Lexiie will introduce you as her friend, and if her family wants to think there's something more to the friendship then you won't correct them. Either way, I can't see Lexiie expecting kisses from a boyfriend, real or imaginary. While she's being herded around from one wedding event to the next, you can go to the beach, hike, ride horses ... Do all of those things that people do when they go on vacations."

Chris was surprised by the jumping in his stomach at the thought of kissing and caressing Lexiie. She did have nice skin. She had nice skin and nice teeth. It wouldn't be completely terrible to spend a week with her in a southern California beach city as beautiful as Santa Barbara.

"There's not anything too pressing at work right now," Chris reluctantly admitted.

"Maybe you can help Lexiie with something else," Dru suddenly said. "It sounds like she feels invisible around her step sisters. Illi always teases me that after she leaves the beauty salon, every man she encounters on the street flirts with her. Maybe that's what Lexiie needs."

"A beauty salon?" Chris asked dumbly.

"Have her hair done, pedicure, manicure, massage, waxing, the works."

"You have been married for too long. What the hell do you know about female waxing?"

Chris laughed when he noticed a flush cover Dru's face. Dru pinned him with a hard glare and said, "I don't know the specifics, but I know that after Illiana leaves the salon she feels sexy. She's always sexy to me, but when she feels sexy, things get a litle more interesting ..." Dru's voice trailed off and he grinned.

"How do you propose that I get Lexus Alexander into a beauty salon?" Chris asked dryly. "This is a woman who pulled a gun out on her date when he suddenly reached into his coat pocket to pull out a handkerchief. Could you imagine her reaction if someone came near her with a pair of scissors?"

"Ask her if she'd like to do it. I bet you'll be surprised by the answer."

"Do you think that Illi could go with her to make certain that she doesn't shoot anyone at the spa?"

Dru burst into laughter. Chris knew that Dru thought Chris was only joking, but Chris shuddered because the possibility of Lexiie blowing off some poor hairstylist's head because he gave her a bad haircut was more real than Chris even wanted to imagine.

And the crowd goes "Awwww..."
Run it!

Hha.
Chris is a mess.

Run it Lexiie!