Early to bed, early to rise, so the saying goes. Beth and Jason had certainly been early to bed, but sleep had been elusive for quite some time. Caught in the flush of that almost in love feeling, they'd shared hours together in talking and touching, before finally the need for sleep had overcome them both. One of them would have to rise before the morning became old and lazy, but it was not such an early morning as the other might have had, were she working the next day. A night spent curled about one another was temptation enough to call in sick, though neither were likely to take that step, whatever the temptation. The city outside the window never slept, the cadence of the streets changing as dawn arrived, bringing with it the gentle stir of her body as Beth rose from deep sleep to that numb doze to herald a waking.

Though it might have been her day off from work, the same could not be said for him. As a police detective, Jason's hours were a little more flexible than hers, but he was a creature of habit and prided himself on his punctuality. If he didn't show his face at the precinct by ten a.m., he'd end up facing a flurry of questions and a whole lot of ribbing, especially if his co-workers found out there was a woman involved. Still, once he'd fallen asleep, he'd slept like a log, hardly stirring all night, as if he hadn't slept so soundly in weeks. It wasn't that he was unaware of her presence there beside him - quite the opposite, in fact.

It was her presence that calmed and soothed him and made it possible for him to relax enough that he was able to get the first real good night's sleep that he had in a long time. The morning found him still in a deep sleep, despite the stirring of the city outside and the woman beside him. He looked peaceful in his sleep, younger than his thirty-five years, untroubled and tranquil. That tranquility would be shattered as soon as he walked into the precinct in the morning, but despite the stressful nature of his job, he was confident he was doing something worthwhile and making a difference in the world.

An early riser out of habit, Beth stirred under his arm, breathing in slow and deep as she opened her eyes, blinking at the dim light of the dawning day as it played through her curtains over the bedroom. A silly smile flickered to life on her sleepy face as she registered the warmth of the male body at her back, the weight of the arm wrapped about her waist. He stayed. Twisting gently, trying to move as carefully as possible so she didn't wake him, she turned to look at Jason, unable to keep herself from trailing the knuckles of her hand affectionately against his cheek. He looked so at peace, sleeping comfortably, and a part of her beamed with delight at the knowledge that he was in that state right there, with her. For herself, she had slept beautifully, her night filled with tender dreams and nocturnal murmurings that poured her heart out to the darkness that had enveloped them. God, I hope he didn't hear anything too weird last night.

Asleep as he was, some part of him seemed to sense her moving beside him, touching his cheek, even as she slipped out from under the protective wrap of his arm. He murmured something that made no sense, eyes moving beneath closed lids as he moved through a dream world he wouldn't remember upon waking.

Her smile softened as he murmured in his sleep, recognizing someone else who had the sleep-talking thing with no small amount of amusement. Those similarities just keep racking up, don't they? At least he wasn't talking complete nonsense, which she knew for a fact she did regularly. Her lips brushed against his cheek gently as she breathed him in, warm and wanting to go back to sleep with him. But there was another idea in mind, a better way to wake up, even if she wasn't entirely sure she could pull it off. But before she slipped from the bed, she had to give in to one urge that she knew wasn't going to let itself be known when he was awake. Not yet, anyway.

Leaning close to his ear, she drew her hand down over his shoulder, murmuring very softly to him. "I'm falling in love with you." Another soft kiss touched to his temple, and she slid out of the bed, bending to grab her robe from the laundry hamper as she made her way out of the bedroom. Breakfast was something she could do, possibly. Coffee, at the very least.

He furrowed his brows in his sleep as if some part of him heard her and became confused, or perhaps he was starting to wake and he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if she really had confessed her feelings. And then, she was gone and he was left to wake on his own and remember what had transpired the previous evening and wonder if it really had happened at all.

He didn't need to wonder too long. Beth might not own a radio, but she was more than capable of providing her own soundtrack. She was singing to herself as she padded through the apartment, putting the coffee to brew, whisking eggs, investigating the state of her bread in the hope that it had survived the night without developing mold. As generic as her childhood dream of being a star of some kind had been, there was no denying that she had a good voice, her choice of song sliding from show-tune to pop to blues and back again, filling the silence that might otherwise have been punctuated by bumps and thumps from the apartment above as she cooked.

It was only a matter of a few minutes before Sleeping Beauty started to stir, the smell of coffee reaching his nostrils, as effective as any alarm clock at waking someone who needed that first cup to get them moving in the morning. He groaned a little as consciousness returned, prying one eye open to look around, realizing quickly that he was in a strange bed and remembering with a smile why he was there. He noticed she was no longer sharing that bed, but he didn't have to wonder where she'd gotten to as he could hear her as she moved about the apartment, singing to herself, and he assumed she was making breakfast. He looked over at the pillow beside his, rumpled and with an indentation in the middle where her head had been resting, and he reached over to touch it, as if by touching it, he'd find some connection to her again, when all he really had to do was get up.

Every now and then, the singing became humming, the sound warm and constant, not respecting the barrier of the cracked door in its quest to fill his ears with the sound of her voice until it abruptly ceased with a hiss and a very creative curse. A moment later, there was the sound of water running, and Beth muttering incoherently to herself. It didn't take a genius to work out that she'd somehow managed to burn herself on what smelt like toast.

"Eat, before it gets cold," she urged him, smiling at his bemused frown. It was a relief to hear that she hadn't come out with anything too bad, though it would have been nice to have been conscious to see his reaction to it. "Maybe you're remembering something I said when I was awake," she offered, her smile softening as she eyed him over her coffee cup. "I didn't want to wake you, you looked really peaceful, but I wanted you to know I ....I'm falling in love with you."

He arched a brow as he looked over at her, clearly surprised to hear those words coming once again from her lips, this time when he was wide awake to hear them and know it hadn't just been a dream. He was feeling the same, and had said nearly as much the previous night, but it both shocked and pleased him to hear her admit it. What could he say to that, but tell her how he was feeling, feelings which mirrored her own. Breakfast was suddenly forgotten in the wake of those feelings. "I'm-I'm falling in love with you, too, Beth," he admitted quietly.

She hadn't expected to say it when he was awake and looking her in the eye, surprised by her own daring in actually saying the words aloud. But he'd answered her with the same sweet honesty she'd felt as she spoke, bringing her smile back to the fore. Her hand relaxed, drawing her fingers against his cheek with tender affection. "I'm kinda glad to hear it." Steadying the plate, she leaned over to kiss him softly. "I like feeling this way, with you."

He leaned toward her, meeting her halfway to catch her lips, feeling more at ease in her company than he ever had with anyone before. The nervousness he'd felt just a few days before was gone. It was as if he'd known her forever, though it had only been a few days. "Think we're moving too fast?" he asked, the coffee cup resting precariously against a knee.

She considered that for a moment, studying his expression as they held each other's gaze, comfortable and easy in his company. "I think it's only too fast if it feels wrong," she said finally, one shoulder rising and falling beneath her robe as she offered up a slightly bemused smile. "It's not like we're picking stationery or putting a deposit down on a house. I just ....This feels right, easy, the way it's supposed to feel. Isn't this what the romantics all over the world wish for?"

He watched her quietly while she talked, as if he was studying her or carefully considering every word. "It's a bit too soon to be picking out china and draperies," he agreed smiling, bemused by the thought of possibly doing just that someday. He leaned over to set his cup on the coffee table to prevent spilling it on his or her bare legs. Once his hands were free, he reached for a slice of toast, but held off before taking a bite. "You don't have to be romantic to want this, Beth," he pointed out. "You just have to be human."

She swallowed her mouthful, watching him as he set his coffee down, words swirling in her mind trying to make themselves known. Am I really going to say this" A moment later, her decision had been made, refusing to make a beginning with lies, however gently they were given. "I don't care whether I'm romantic or not," she admitted with a quiet chuckle, wiping her thumb against her lower lip briefly. "I'm yours, now. That's pretty much all that matters, right at the top of my list."

He smiled, finding her insistence that she belonged to him encouraging, her words touching him deeply, even if they were said with a chuckle. "Well," he started, as he contemplated his toast very seriously. "We could skip past the courtship and go straight to the altar, but I wouldn't want to give your mother a heart attack." There was the tiniest hint of a teasing smirk on his face.

She laughed aloud at that. "Mom's having too much fun planning Des' wedding right now, do you really want to steal her thunder and take another wedding out from under her nose?" she giggled, taking another slice from the plate to chew on. "Besides, I kinda like the idea of a courtship. Long and lots of fun, no hassles. Just us."

"We could do a double wedding," Jason suggested, but he was still mostly teasing. "A long courtship or a long engagement?" he asked, wondering if they were one and the same. He took a few bites of his toast while she thought on that, needing to put something in his stomach before he headed for the precinct.

"Maybe we should hold off on getting a ring until we know each other properly," Beth suggested with a smile, inching closer as her legs settled further over his. It was an interesting tangle of limbs, an easy comfort that settled over them as they shared breakfast together. It felt as though this was something far more routine and familiar than a single morning should be able to give them. "What time do you need to get into work?"

He couldn't help but continue to tease her a little. "You don't think three days is enough?" he asked, with an obviously amused smile on his face. He shrugged in answer to her question as he finished off his first slice of toast. "Nine-ish. No one will care if I'm a little late." It was true, though being a creature of habit, wandering in late would definitely be noticed.

"Three days is plenty, but I think my mother would kill me if she didn't get at least some hands on interest in my wedding," she snickered cheerfully, swallowing and licking her fingertips clean. Her gaze wandered toward the clock on the wall, checking the time. "Hmm ....six forty-five. You've got a little while yet. Time for a shower, at least. I don't want to send you into work smelling of what we've been up to." Her eyes twinkled teasingly, knowing full well how bad the teasing would be if he was a little late and decidedly disheveled.

"What if we eloped?" he suggested further, just tossing that out there to see what she might say, still mostly teasing. He knew it was too soon to get married, but he was curious what her thoughts were on the subject. "I don't think I'd mind smelling you on me all day," he replied with a smile.

She met his gaze with teasingly sardonic eyes, her lips curved in a warm smile over the rim of her coffee cup. "You're gonna be smelling even more of me if you keep saying things like that," she warned him laughingly, pausing a moment to make a little sense of his teasing about eloping. Oh yeah. Mom would never forgive me if I did anything like that. "You thinking about Vegas, or just jumping ship and hoping no one catches up before the vows get said?"

Stroking her fingers against the back of his hand, Bethany made the supreme effort to take her hand away, folding them both behind her back with a tiny, impish smile. "Can't help thinking you should have given me your handcuffs," she teased softly, shaking her damp hair out of her eyes. "I could have called in sick for you while you were stuck on my bed."

He lingered near the door, as reluctant to leave her as she was to let him go, but the real world wouldn't wait forever. Crimes needed investigating, bad guys needed punishing; salaries needed earning, and bills needed paying. And one very important phone call needed to be made, whether her mother was happy with him or not. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked, hoping she was free to spend it with him.

Her lips curved in a sweetly hopeful smile as they lingered there, bare toes rubbing into the rug in an attempt to distract herself from touching him again. That way leads to lateness and much teasing. "I don't have any plans," she told him through that smile. "Or at least ....I didn't until you asked. What are we doing tonight?"

God, she was so damned adorable, he thought, dreading leaving. It was only eight hours or so. Why did it feel like forever" "Finish what we started," he said, a smile curling his lips, still the gentleman but definitely showing a side of himself he rarely let anyone else see. Despite the danger, he reached for her, pulling her toward him for a final series of searing kisses, something to remember him by, something to look forward to rekindling later. He wasn't sure how he was going to keep his mind on his job today.

Dragged close, she was more than happy to kiss and be kissed, sharing that feverish desire back and forth one last time before he absolutely had to leave. Her fingers gripped his hair, his jacket, the barest of moans vibrating against his lips as she pulled away with a gasp, laughing softly at how addictive he was. "You gotta go before I strip you down again," she breathed tenderly, deeply reluctant once again to take her hands off him. "You have no idea how tempting you are."

"Speak for yourself," he replied, a happy smile on his face, feeling happier than he had in a long time. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be this happy, forgotten what it felt like to fall in love. He didn't want this feeling to ever end, but it must, at least for a little while. For a little while, he needed to try to forget her and focus on his job. It was dangerous not to, and he knew that was part of the reason he'd remained alone for so long. She was distracting, but God, what a distraction. "My place or yours?" he asked, as his lips brushed her cheek, close to her ear. The hell with a date; he wanted to explore this side of their relationship further. Bowling could come later.

"Yours. I'll bring the takeout." Her lips brushed his cheek in answer to his teasing affection, her hands smoothing down his chest to gently push him back, showing him her smile once again. "Go to work, Detective Daly," she told him softly. "Or you're gonna have to work late, and I'll just have to embarrass you by dropping by with your dinner."

"I'm gonna have to lie as it is, or I'll never hear the end of it," he grumbled, though he wasn't really feeling grumpy. He let her push him away, knowing if he lingered much longer, he'd be sorely tempted to call in sick. That would be a first. The last time he'd called in sick, it was with a hangover. This was one hangover he didn't mind having. "Am I picking you up or are you meeting me there?" he asked, as he pulled the car keys from his pants pocket and patted himself down to make sure he had everything.

Finally, her hand found the door handle, drawing it open to lean against the edge of the door as she watched him check himself over with a fond smile. "I'll meet you," she told him. Hell, it's gonna be difficult enough filling the day without dropping by to your office on the off-chance you've got time to christen your desk. "Just text me what time, and I'll be there."

"I get off at five," he told her. Work, that is. A poor choice of words, perhaps. He considered a moment. Was it too soon to give her the key to his place, when she hadn't even been there yet' Oh, hell....It couldn't hurt, could it' He could trust her, couldn't he" He frowned a little as he stared at the set of keys in his hand, contemplating a moment.

"Only twice a day, huh?" No, there was no way Beth was going to let that one go. "Well, either you're a really good actor, or we've totally messed up your routine." She grinned, dragging her fingers through her damp hair as he studied his keys. "I'll come by about six, is that okay?"

"I've got a better idea," he said as he fished the key to his apartment off the ring. He'd already shared his phone number and his address, though they were easy enough for her to come by, as Miranda knew them both. He was, both by nature and necessity, a private person, rarely sharing such personal information, unless it was with someone he trusted. How could he possibly know that the bad guys had already obtained such information by means of a third party' He reached for her hand and pressed the key into her palm. He had a spare key at home, so it wasn't a problem. "I've never done this before," he told her, with a slightly worried frown.

Beth stared down at his hand as he pressed the key into her palm, a little wide-eyed at that supreme offer of trust in her. And honored, too. "You don't have to give me this, if you don't feel ready to," she told him carefully. "I'm okay to sit on your stoop if you're a little late. Unless that would be too embarrassing." Her fingers closed around the key, accepting his offer of trust and hoping she was worthy of it. "I hope you have a good day, baby."

"I'm ready, Beth," he assured her as he pressed the key into the palm of her hand. How can I not be ready when I've waited all my life for you? "Just remember....It's a bachelor pad, so don't be too offended if you find a few Playboy magazines laying around." He smiled warmly and leaned in to kiss her again. "I'll see you later," he promised before turning to finally step out the door and start the long eight hour day before he saw her again.

"Maybe they'll give me a few ideas for tonight." she giggled, her lips soft beneath his as he kissed her before inevitably taking his leave. Leaning in the doorway, she watched him down the corridor, her fond smile widening to a ridiculous grin as her mind wandered back toward the evening, night, and morning. Oh yeah. I'm not letting this one get away.

((Ah, young love. ::snickers:: Fast, possibly. Is there a good reason for it' Yes, there is! But we haven't worked out how to get it into play without it being really confusing. Hugibubble thanks to Jason's player!))