"Funny, Tucker."

Funny, yeah, but Leslie felt like she was going to explode if she didn't resolve this soon. Her admission last night, and her plan to act like an adult this morning and talk to Casey had gone out the window as soon as she laid eyes on her. It was easy to tell that Casey was eaten up with guilt and Leslie couldn't let her take all the blame. She also couldn't bring herself to say the words I'm attracted to you either.

So they'd fumbled through the apologies, finally agreeing to forget about it and move on. Which would have been ideal, if not for one little problem.

She was attracted to her.

"What do you think?"

She blinked. "What?"

Casey tilted her head. "About the cocaine."

She frowned, meeting Casey's eyes.

"Okay. So you weren't listening," Casey said with raised eyebrows. "Tox came back positive for cocaine. Homeless people can't afford cocaine. Homeless people can't afford drugs period. So, where do you think he got cocaine?"

"Patrick?"

"If Patrick is homeless too, where'd he get cocaine?"

"Okay, so it's really a rhetorical question?"

Casey laughed. "No, I was hoping you'd have a guess."

84.

*"The way you've described this Patrick, he may be a carrier for a dealer. Could be why he's a little better off than the others," Mac suggested.

"But what dealer is going to trust a homeless guy with money?" Leslie asked.

"True."

Casey sighed. "Okay, Mac. Anything else?"

"Nothing else on tox."

"And the knife wounds are a positive match?"

"Yeah. I'll include photos from both in my report. I'll copy Hunter on the e-mail."

"Thanks. At least we know we have a link now."

Leslie sat quietly, watching as Casey brushed at her hair, unconsciously tucking the longer strands behind her ears. Her eyes lowered and she was horrified to find herself staring at Casey's chest. She pulled her eyes away, focusing on Mac instead.

"If you can find me a knife, we can match the cut."

"Yeah, and if I can find me a Patrick, maybe I can find you a knife." Casey stood.

"Thanks for your time, Mac."

Casey held the door for her and Leslie walked through without a comment. Back on the street, she found herself keeping her distance from Casey as they headed back to their building.

"You know, tonight, there's really no need for both of us to be out," Casey said.

"Are you going to start that again?"

Casey glanced at her quickly, then away. "No offense, but there seems to be a little tension between us. And I hate it."

Leslie stopped, grabbing Casey's arm to make her do the same. "I hate it too. I'm sorry."

Casey ran her hand through her hair, staring skyward. "Look, I don't know what to do. I'm sorry for what happened. It's obviously made you uncomfortable to be around me."

"What? "

"That's why maybe tonight, we shouldn't be together."

85.

*"O'Connor, get over it already, will you? We're both adults here. And for some reason, you're not seeing the whole picture." She realized she was still gripping Casey's arm and she released her. Christ, can't you keep your hands off her?

Their stare was intense, neither pulling away. Finally, Casey took a step back. "Okay.

I'll get over it."

"Thank you."

But not another word was spoken as they continued on to their building. At the door, she paused, shifting nervously as Casey waited.

"Look, I've got an appointment," she blurted out. She glanced at her watch. "Early lunch. I'll be back in an hour."

Casey frowned. "What?"

"Call my cell if you need me."

She left Casey standing at the door, but she had to get away. She sat for a moment in her car, trying to decide what to do. Then it hit her.

Sam.

But she almost lost her nerve as she walked into CIU. Sam and Tori were good friends with Casey. But who better to talk this out with than Sam? So she showed her badge and was pointed toward Sam's office without having to explain her business. At the door, she raised her hand to knock then stopped, closing her eyes for a moment before tapping lightly.

Sam glanced at the door, then called a quick come in. She was surprised when Leslie Tucker stuck her head inside.

"Sam, I'm sorry to barge in unannounced, but-"

"No, come in. Is everything okay?" Then her heart raced. "Tori?"

"No, no. Everything's fine. I just needed...well, I wanted to talk. It's personal."

Sam nodded. "Of course." She motioned to the visitor's chair across from her, wondering at the troubled look on Leslie's face.

"I know it's only ten thirty, but could you break away for lunch?"

Something about the haunted look in her eyes made Sam agree. "Sure. I can get away."

Leslie smiled her thanks. "And when I say lunch, I didn't mean to eat. I just...just..."

86.

*"Need to talk?" Sam grabbed her purse. "I understand. How about we walk down to The Palms? We can get some iced tea and find a table in the shade," she suggested.

"Perfect."

Sam stopped at the reception desk on her way out, letting Melissa know she'd be out.

Once they were on the sidewalk, Sam leaned closer. "Want to tell me now or do you want to wait?"

"You already know, don't you?"

"Casey?" she guessed.

Leslie looked away. "I'm engaged to be married and I find myself attracted to another woman." She stopped up short on the sidewalk. "And I don't know what to do."

Sam took her arm. "Come on. We'll talk." At The Palms outdoor restaurant, she directed Leslie to an open table and then went in search of a waiter. Two teas and a spinach and mushroom quiche should serve as a light brunch. When she got back to the table, she squeezed Leslie's hand. "It's not the end of the world."

"I know." She twisted her napkin nervously. "What did you do when you found yourself attracted to Tori? I mean, you were with a guy then, right?"

Sam smiled at the memory. "Yes. And I was scared at first, I didn't really know what was happening. It obviously made me realize that what I felt for Robert wasn't it, you know? But we weren't living together, so that made it easier. And we weren't engaged. He wanted to get married, but I was never ready." She squeezed Leslie's hand again. "And of course, now I know why I wasn't ready."

"It's funny. When Michael asked me to marry him, I thought it would be good because he still had his friends and his games, and he wouldn't expect me to be with him constantly." Leslie tossed her napkin down and leaned her elbows on the table.

"Isn't that an awful reason to agree to get married?"

Sam studied her, wondering what it was Leslie wasn't telling her. She didn't have to wonder long.

"I've had these feelings before." She glanced at her. "For a woman, I mean. Well, a girl really. We were nineteen. And without going into great detail, I ran from it. I just couldn't deal with it at the time. I didn't think I could ever deal with it." She paused as the waiter brought their tea. "I hid it away, I buried it, and I went on with my life.

Truth is, I forgot about it. I mean, I'm thirty-two. Nineteen was a long time ago."

"But before Michael, I'm guessing there wasn't anyone?"

"No, not really. I dated but...how did you know?"

"Because before Robert, I was the same way. And when I met him, I thought, this isn't so bad. I mean, maybe this is all there is, you know?"

87.

*"Exactly. That's how I felt with Michael. It's been okay. But now, it's not okay." She looked at her. "Casey, I think about her all the time. I can't wait to get to work each day. I want to be near her, I want to touch her. And when I get home to Michael, I realize I don't feel those things with him. I never felt that need to be with him."

Sam nodded. "I know exactly how you're feeling. I just wanted to be with Tori all the time. I didn't care how or when."

Leslie laughed. "I know. I never thought I'd love all-night stakeouts."

They were quiet for a moment, Sam letting Leslie collect her thoughts. She finally leaned back in her chair. "So? Now what? Does Casey know?"

"Casey is either oblivious to it, or else she's pretending she's oblivious."

"Well, if it's anything like with Tori, I had to practically hit her over the head with it.

But maybe that's not what you want? Maybe you want Casey to ignore it?"

"Like this is a phase and I'll get over it?"

Sam shrugged. "Perhaps. I mean, you consider yourself straight, right?"

"I did, yes."

"So did I. Until I met Tori. And I thought, how funny. What are the chances I could make it into my thirties and have never met a woman who stirred sexual attraction before? Must be an anomaly. But I couldn't shake it. All the things I was taught I'd feel when I fell in love, I never felt them until I met Tori. And once I accepted that and quit fighting it, it just all fell into place. Tori, on the other hand, was harder to convince. She had this huge wall around her. She wouldn't let anyone get close. She didn't want anyone to love her and she didn't want to love anyone. It was her way of not getting hurt." She sipped from her tea, wondering how much to tell Leslie. "I know you don't know them very well, especially Tori, but if you take them at face value, they seem so very different from each other. Tori is distant, she appears unapproachable to most. She doesn't make friends easily. Casey is just the opposite.

She's very friendly, very open, and very approachable. And they both hide behind those traits. Tori lost her whole family when she was young." She paused. "They were murdered while she was made to watch."

Leslie's eyes widened. "I had no idea."

"She was twelve, but it took its toll. And Casey, well, she just had a crappy childhood.

And her brother, well, let's just say he's a-"

"Bastard," Leslie finished for her. "She's told me some."

"Good. Then you can understand how they were both starving for family. So when the two of them get together, as different as they appear on the outside-when they drop their protective shields-they are so much alike, it's scary. They could be sisters. I tease them all the time, and despite their protests, I think they love it. They need each other." She stared across the table, wondering where she was going with this story. "I 88*guess what I'm trying to say is that underneath that happy-go-lucky persona that Casey sports most of the time, lurks a fragile and kind heart, just like Tori's. And I don't want to see it get broken. She doesn't deserve that."

Leslie smiled. "No. But that would mean we'd have to actually talk about this."