Partners

“Will you stop messing with that? You look fine,” Megan scolded, swatting Chad’s hands away from his tie and straightening it officiously before patting the lapels of his suit in place. “There, let her see you now.”

Chad glanced in the mirror. “I look the same as I did when she saw me just a few minutes ago.”

“But the wedding’s today! It’s bad luck!”

He eyed Megan and shook his head. “We’re not the ones getting married, Meg,” he pointed out. “How can it possibly be unlucky for Andrea to see me?”

His eldest sister frowned up at him, waggling her finger and giving him that look as if he were still twelve years old. “It’s practice.” She bustled off to harass the ushers and Chad turned towards the mirror one last time, trying to ease the Windsor knot that was about to choke the life from his body. Practice. He couldn’t deny that he’d been imagining what it would be like if this truly was his wedding day and Andrea would be coming down the aisle towards him on her ill-tempered father’s arm. Joe certainly hadn’t been shy about dropping several not-so-subtle hints about it.

A despairing wail from the direction of the other room made him grin at his reflection before raking a hand through his hair and heading off to see what Faith was freaking out about now. “What’s going on in here?” he bellowed good-naturedly, ducking as the ring-bearer’s pillow came sailing at his head. “Did someone’s mascara run again? I thought I told you ladies to quit crying.”

One of the bridesmaids frowned at him. “You should have knocked first – we could have been in our underwear for all you knew!”

“Aaaaaand that’s why I didn’t knock,” Chad teased. The bride-to-be yelled for him and he peered around the corner of the hotel bathroom door to find her perched on the closed toilet lid in wearing a pair of sweatpants and an oversized SWAT shirt. “Why aren’t you in your dress?”

Faith pointed a finger at a bundle of tulle hanging over the shower curtain rod. “Does that look stretched out to you? It is, isn’t it?”

She looked like she was about to run screaming down the street and he nudged the door shut with one foot. “Faith, it’s fine.” Megan would jump all over him for wrinkling his dress slacks, but he knelt in front of her and took her hands which, predictably, felt like ice. “Why aren’t you dressed?” he asked gently.

“I…I just…”

“It’s only natural to feel nervous your first time,” Chad soothed. “I remember mine like it was yesterday. It was a bit dark in her bedroom, but-”

“Chad! ” Faith giggled.

He grinned back at her, reaching up to smooth a strand of hair away from her forehead. “It’ll be fine, trust me.”

“I’m just nervous, and… you saw him? He’s here?”

Chad gave his partner’s hands a squeeze. “He is. The others had to haul him off to his room when they caught him trying to get in here. But if I catch him even thinking about sneaking out the back way, I’ll lock him in the weapon’s cage for a month with nothing but my old boots for company.”

Faith gave him another smile, and he could tell she was just about ready to put that dress on. “You really think that’ll fix him? I don’t know about that.”

“Oh, it will,” he reassured her. “Those boots smell horrible. Andy held me at gunpoint while she made me put them on the deck. Meredith refuses to even go out the back door anymore.” Standing, Chad settled against the edge of the sink. “Getting married can be one of the most frightening things you’ll ever do, but you can’t listen to everyone’s negative views about it. If it’s the right move for you, and you love him, it’s worth it. Shit, look at Steve! He loves marriage so much, he has a wedding every three years.”

His partner laughed up at him and climbed to her feet, reaching for her dress. “I guess you weren’t frightened when you got married the first time?”

Chad winked and opened the door. “I might have been a little scared at the sight of Fat Elvis officiating, but I think I was too drunk to know the difference.”

By the time that Faith was completely ready to go, he’d tried to lure Andrea off into their room but she’d been too busy talking to the groomsmen to succumb to his charms, so he returned to flirt with the other bridesmaids and help his partner with the train of her gown. “Think there’s gonna be a call-out right in the middle of things, Lieutenant?” Faith asked him, flapping her hands in front of her face and trying not to hyperventilate as soon as they were in the lower hall and the murmuring conversation of the wedding guests could be heard through the door.

“You should be so lucky,” Chad started to tease, then saw how her face was starting to crumple. “Oh, no…” he bent down to put his arms around her, careful not to mess up her hair when Maria Santos hissed at him for even going near it. “You’ve still got time to call this whole thing off and marry me instead.”

She pressed her face into his chest and snuffled something, then leaned back and started fanning herself again like that would stop her from crying. “I love you, big guy.”

“Love you too,” Chad said affectionately, smiling down at her. “Now quit being such a girl.”

“I’ll try,” Faith promised. Maria motioned to him urgently, and he leaned down a final time to kiss her cheek before moving out into the hall to join Hawkins’ best man, who held out his arm with a grin on his face.

Chad jokingly looped his arm through the other officer’s as the wedding party lined up outside the hall and Annie came up to open the doors, swatting at him and telling him to behave. The wedding guests all turned in their seats and Chad hurriedly disengaged his arm before the two men began to walk down the aisle. “You’re the ugliest maid of honor I’ve ever seen, Lieutenant,” Williams whispered.

“Suck it, Williams. You’re just jealous because she didn’t ask you,” Chad murmured back, looking for Andrea and finally spotting her sitting near the front watching him with a look on her face that made him want to haul her up to their room right that instant. The dress she was wearing didn’t do any harm either. He grinned over at Justin Hawkins, who looked about ready to throw up. “Tried to get her to marry me instead, but she said no.”

Hawkins gaped at him, then grinned reluctantly. “Yeah, sure she did, Big Dog. Holy shit, here she comes!”

Chad turned his attention back down the aisle where Faith was slowly walking up to them by herself; he’d known her father had died when she was a teen and she’d confessed how hard it would be to make that walk on her own. Obeying a sudden impulse – he’d deal with the irate wedding director later – Chad walked to her side and offered his arm silently. His partner beamed up at him and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Thanks.”

“I got your back, squirt.”

He stood by as the vows were exchanged, his eyes drifting back over to Andrea and wondering what she’d say if he asked her to marry him. After they’d left the hall and reassembled for wedding photos, he bent to brush a piece of lint from his trouser cuff and a pair of hands clapped over his eyes.

_ _ _ _ _ _


“Guess who’s going to take you to the nearest broom closet and ravage you?” Andrea whispered.

“Ummmm….Williams?” he guessed, making her laugh. Standing, Chad turned and hauled her into his arms. “I like your dress.”

“Thank you.” She twined her arms around his neck and whimpered into his mouth when he kissed her deeply. “Chad, we shouldn’t… you’ve got to make a toast for Faith.”

He kissed her again. “I haven’t forgotten my maid of honor-ly duties. I just really like your dress. Now, about that broom closet…”

“Shelten, get your ass in here!” someone yelled.

“Guess that’ll have to wait until after the reception.”

Andrea laughed up at him. “Let’s go before they come looking.” Slipping her hand into his, they walked down to the reception and found their seats – as a member of the wedding party he should have been sitting at the head table but he’d insisted upon being seated with her. Nobody but the wedding coordinator was put out about it, anyway. She laughed with the other guests as Chad told them all a hilarious story about Faith’s first day on SWAT and his search for a matching bridesmaid dress that was big enough for him.

Looking over at Chad as he listened to Williams’ speech, Andrea was filled with pride at the way her big lieutenant was so protective of Faith. The two weren’t strictly partners since his rank precluded such a thing, but he’d taken her under his wing as surely as if she were his little sister. His detractors at Metro only saw what they wanted to see when they looked at Chad, and he’d certainly built himself quite the reputation for being a hard-assed bastard. They couldn’t see the kind, loving, and generous heart that lay behind the façade he put up on a daily basis, but that was just as well – she wanted him all to herself.

He glanced over and smiled, leaning in to nuzzle her cheek and drop his arm over the back of her chair… Andrea figured she owed old Ernie more than even she knew.

After dinner, dancing, and quite a few glasses of champagne later, she was feeling a bit tipsy as Chad guided her to the edge of the dance floor. “I think someone’s a little drunk,” he teased, his hands gentle on her waist as he steered Andrea towards an empty table.

“M okay, schweethear’, don’t worry,” Andrea said with a slight slur.

“If I don’t worry about you, who will? Here, sit down – want me to get you some water?”

She shook her head to clear it, smiling up at him. “No, jus’ need to sit for a while.”

Chad sat down and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and they watched the newlyweds dancing for a bit before he pressed his face into her neck. “You really look beautiful in that dress, Andy.”

“Do I?” Andrea asked, still feeling slightly dizzy. His strong arms felt good around her, and she wriggled in his lap until she felt his growing erection pressing up against her ass. “Think you look beautiful in your suit.”

Chad laughed. “Do I? And just what do you think you’re doing?”

She wriggled again, feeling him rise beneath her. “Trying to seduce the maid of honor.”

“You’re drunk,” he pointed out, but slid his palms over her thighs and pressed her down firmly. “I’m not going to take advantage of that.”

Andrea bit her lip at the thought of him making love to her when she was like this. They’d never done that before, and it might prove… interesting. “Yes, you are.”

“Detective Battle, are you trying to seduce me?”

She giggled. “You betcha. It’s working, too, you perve.”

“Me? Perverted? Why, I ought to turn you over my knee right here and…oh, wait. Never mind. I’ll be right back.” Andrea sipped on another glass of champagne as Chad went to make their excuses and congratulate the newlyweds one last time, complaining when he took it from her hands. “You’ve had enough, young lady.”

“I’ve had nowhere near enough,” Andrea said suggestively as soon as Chad guided her into the elevator, reaching down to fondle him.

He pressed her against the wall of the elevator in response and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her leisurely. “I love you,” he whispered, and the combination of alcohol, lust, and those words made her knees turn to water. Chad scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their room, making sure to put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign outside the door.

tbc…


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