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Chapter Text

"Ah, now we are complete." Superintendent Joe Donovan announced when Detective Charlie Hudson and his german shepherd Rex arrived at the bullpen.

While Rex settled on his blanket after having greeted Jesse Mills and Chief of Forensics Sarah Truong happily, Charlie took the seat next to Sarah, who smiled warmly at him. He returned the smile and turned his attention towards Joe, who was drumming his fingers impatiently on the tabletop.

"So, my old friend Superintendent Daniel Lewis from Corner Brook PD called me up and asked for help this morning." Joe explained. "They need our help for that very special assignment ASAP and I assured him I would talk to my best people right away." He smiled broadly, while Sarah, Charlie and Jesse looked at each other questioningly.

"Um, okay, and what is this special assignment about?" Charlie asked.

"The Corner Brook PD is investigating a double homicide. A newly married couple was murdered two weeks ago. Turns up that several years ago there had been two similar cases, all three of them leading up to a certain residential community." Joe explained, and then looked at Charlie and Sarah. "That's where you two come into play."

They exchanged a bewildered look and waited for the Superintendent to continue. "Ah well, the three of you, of course." Joe added, when Rex strolled over, sitting down between Sarah and Charlie, his snout on the table.

"I don't quite understand." Sarah said. "As far as I know the Corner Brook PD has a very capable team of forensics and, of course, of detectives in Major Crimes."

"They sure do!" Joe agreed. "And they did their job just fine as far as I know. But what Daniel requested was far more than that." He cleared his throat. "They need two officers totally unknown in that area, posing as a newlywed couple, moving into that particular neighborhood for a while to gain some insight into the neighborhood. Charlie, Sarah, you are going to do some undercover work!"

After Joe had ended, the others stayed silent for a moment.

While a small smile played around Jesse's lips, Charlie and Sarah exchanged a uncertain look.

Sarah finally spoke up first. "Um, I don't know about this, Joe..."

"Yeah, do you really think this is a good idea?" Charlie added.

Donovan waved it off. "Ah, come on. I told you before, you two make a fine couple. This is going to be fun. You get to play house for a while. Who knows, maybe you will even like it." he finished with a wink and got up. "In about an hour the detective in charge will be here to to give you a briefing on the investigation so far. Jesse, please set up a new background for Mr. and Mrs. Wilson here. But keep it simple, we've got to get moving tomorrow!"

"Right. On it!" The young tech agreed eagerly and got up as well.

Charlie and Sarah stayed behind, both smiling sheepishly while Rex whimpered softly, his eyes darting back and forth between them. "You don't have to do this, if you don't want to. I'd completely understand." Charlie said softly.

Sarah shot him a crooked smile. "No, no, as long as I won't have to fake another pregnancy, I'll be just fine." she assured, which made him chuckle, thinking back to their visit in the clinic of a suspect as expectant parents a few weeks ago.

Rex barked approvingly as if he wanted to say 'Don't you worry, with me by your side we'll be just fine!’

Chapter Text

The layout for the operation seemed simple: Charlie and Sarah would pose as a newly married couple that just moved into the neighborhood with their dog Rex and get to know their neighbors, as you would in a small suburban community.
Because they would move into the house of the previously deceased couple, which was already for rent again, there was hope that Rex and Sarah together might be able to find some traces that had previously been overlooked.

Corner Brook Major Crimes Detective Olivia Johnson looked sharply at Charlie and Sarah. "You have to be prepared for everything, so you have to know your story by heart. Where did you first meet, when and where did you get married, was she wearing a bridal veil or not and so on. You will never know what kind of questions will be thrown at you. People tend to be nosy and our killer could be your next-door neighbor, for all we know. The only thing we know for sure so far is that the victims did not die in their house. They were found dead in the woods a few miles away. Just like the other couples before. We have no idea how they got there. The only coherence apart from cause of death would be their place of residence so we strongly believe that is where our killer found them. As far as the motive is concerned, we can only make assumptions. Hatred, envy, whatever, we have no idea."

Charlie and Sarah exchanged a brief look.

Olivia Johnson handed over a thick folder. "I have put together all the documents for you on the three cases. Six years ago, the two other couples were murdered with an interval of four weeks sharp. I am not saying this necessarily has to repeat itself, but we must not ignore this possibility, which makes you a potential target. So stay vigilant and don't get distracted."

Charlie nodded slowly. He did not like being patronized by the other detective, but she had a point there. One that Olivia Johnson could in no way know about, or was it that obvious?

Sarah distracted him constantly.

Something there made his whole body tingle whenever she was near him. A lingering warmth attached to her laugh, a slight electricity in her touch and a brightness in her eyes that he found himself thinking about excessively often. He had to admit that she was distracting in all the wrong ways considering the probably dangerous mission, which lay before them.
Nevertheless, he swore to himself he would focus on the task ahead to keep her safe at all costs.

"Charlie?"

The soft touch of Sarah's hand on his arm ripped him out of his thoughts.

"Um, yeah, sorry." He stuttered, smiling apologetically. "I guess I zoned out for a moment."
Talking about being distracted easily, he thought to himself, while Rex rolled onto his side with a deep sigh.

"Jesse is waiting for us with all the details for our covers. We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer." Sarah said, smiling tenderly.

"No, we definitely shouldn't." Charlie agreed; mentally head slapping himself for not having paid attention when he followed Sarah towards the bullpen.

Chapter Text

Jesse Mills stood waiting for the pair with a smug smile plastered on his face. Next to him stood Joe Donovan, smiling just as smugly as the younger man did.

Expectantly Sarah and Charlie looked at the two men while Rex jumped onto his elevated seat.

"So...?" Charlie asked, taking up his usual position on the edge of the table.

"So... Mr Thomas and Mrs Julia Wilson." Charlie and Sarah looked at the young tech in utter disbelief. Had Jesse really dared to choose the first names of their respective ex-partners of all things?

Jesse chuckled. "Just kidding there! Mr Charlie and Mrs Sarah Wilson, it is. As Joe suggested, I kept it simple. Wouldn't want you to struggle with different first names in front of our suspects, would we?" Jesse announced, his grin deepening with every word, which earned him a good-natured eyeroll from both Charlie and Sarah.

"You're enjoying this way too much..." Charlie mumbled under his breath.

"Totally in sync already, huh?" Jesse almost broke apart when at that, Charlie and Sarah both raised their eyebrows at the same time. "Yeah, I see... so, you've met through a online dating platform - remember 'Meet Cupid'? - And immediately fell for each other. You have gotten married just a few months after your first date, on May 17th, to be exact. Charlie, you work at home as an analyst for a corporation, which gives you time enough to hang around in your new neighborhood. Sarah, you work part time as a scientist for a pharmaceutical company, which gives you the opportunity to come into the lab in case you find something interesting and, by the way, covers up for any forensic equipment you might want to take with you."

Both nodded in silent agreement while Joe grinned happily. "Excellent, Jesse! Good job!" Then he turned to face Charlie and Sarah. "So you two might want to go home and get packed. The moving van is scheduled to arrive at your temporarily new house's doorstep by 2 pm tomorrow."

"Oh, wait, before you leave...," Jesse interrupted "there is something else you absolutely need!" He presented a small box to them and opened it to reveal two matching, shiny polished wedding rings.

Charlie and Sarah's eyes locked and a shy smile played on their lips.

Rex leaped up and stole the velvet box from Jesse's hands. Then he sat right in front of Charlie and Sarah and nudged his partner's leg with his paw.

"Thanks buddy." Charlie took the box out of the dog's mouth and opened it once more.

Sarah peered inside over his shoulder and admired the matching golden rings. "Wow, these are really pretty. Jesse, did you choose them?"

Joe cleared his throat. "Actually, that was me." he declared proudly.

"Nice. You have a good taste." Charlie agreed.

"So..." Jesse stressed the word. "No touching ring exchange vows? Like, 'In receiving this ring, being the token and pledge of the covenant of your word, I call upon those persons present to witness that I, Charlie, do take thee, Sarah, to be my lawful wedded wife' or something like that?"

Rex barked approvingly.

"Very funny!" Sarah muttered.

"Now don't you get it started too, buddy!" Charlie sighed, throwing a sharp but somewhat amused glance towards his furry friend.

Meanwhile Sarah unceremoniously grabbed the smaller wedding ring and put it on the ring finger on her left hand. Charlie chuckled and did the same with the other wedding ring.

Jesse sighed and put a hand over his heart, feigning deep disappointment. "Come on guys, how can you be so unromantic? Not even a small speech?"

"Considering the fact that this mission could prove pretty dangerous, how about: Till death do us part?" Sarah declared wryly.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Sarah nervously fiddled with her shoulder-length hair and finally pulled it up into a loose bun. She had chosen a light grey sweater with a black leather jacket, as well as black trousers and her favourite pair of flat black boots for the day. She had not slept much; too much had gone through her head. She had worried about the case ever since detective Olivia Johnson had pointed out that they could probably become a target themselves. What worried her even more was the fact that she would live side by side with Charlie for an indefinite period. The Charlie she thought of continuously, whose sparkling blue eyes seemed to melt her insides with every glance, whose laugh sounded like music to her ears.
Sarah sighed. She really needed to get a hold of herself and focus on the task ahead.
She quickly packed the last things into her travel bag and left her apartment to meet up with Charlie and Rex.

At the same time on the other side of town, Charlie had just zipped his travel bag closed. "Rex, come on! We're late already!" he shouted.

The dog growled and threw another one of his toys in his very own bag.

"Seriously? I told you to get packed last night, but no, you had to watch TV all night instead!"

Unimpressed Rex carried a big bone to his bag.

Charlie sighed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, watching the German shepherd repeat this process several times with different toys, cushions and his favorite blanket. When Rex finally took the remote control for the TV, the detective had enough and grabbed his bag. "Okay buddy, this is enough. Come on."

Rex tilted his head to the side.

"Sarah is waiting for us...“he played his trump card and was successful. Rex barked, pulled his bag towards the door and threw Charlie an impatient look, which made the latter smile.
"Yeah, I know, now you're suddenly in a hurry, pal."

During their long drive to Corner Brook Charlie and Sarah went through their cover story repeatedly, until they were sure they would not forget anything, while Rex snoozed soundly on the backseat.

When they pulled up in front of the beautiful light grey two-story house with a vast garden, right behind the moving van, Sarah threw a glance towards the still peacefully sleeping dog. "I wish I was as relaxed as he is."

Charlie smiled reassuringly and reached for her hand. "We'll be all right. I promise." He said softly, laying all the confidence he could muster, but did not feel in the least himself, into his voice.

Sarah returned the smile, the squeeze of his hand giving her comfort and newly awakened strength.

"Now, as Joe so kindly put it, wanna play house?" Charlie asked with a crooked smile and a wink and Sarah chuckled before getting out of the car to face the challenge that awaited them both.

They had barely reached the entrance, Rex leading the way, when a woman with bouncing blonde curls came running after them, waving enthusiastically. "Welcome, welcome! You must be the Wilsons!"

Surprised they turned around. "Um, yes, I'm Charlie and this is Sarah...my wife." Charlie said a bit hesitantly, then put his arm around Sarah's shoulders and pulled her close. Automatically she wrapped her arm around his waist. The unfamiliar physical closeness felt strange and comfortably familiar at the same time. To anyone else, they looked like happily married thirty-somethings moving into their dream home, excactly as they had planned to.

"So nice to meet you! You must have snapped this place up fast; it was on the market only for days. I am Pippa, by the way. I live right across the street with my family." She turned around and waved impatiently at a short man who came walking slowly towards the little group. "And this is my husband, Chad! - Chad, hurry up a bit and say Hi to our lovely new neighbors!"

Chad rolled his eyes at his wife but greeted Charlie and Sarah each with a friendly handshake.

Pippa kept on chatting incessantly. "Chad and I do have a six year old boy and a four year old girl, do you have kids?"

"Um...no." Sarah answered and Charlie added "Not yet. We just got married a few weeks ago."

"Aww, that's just so sweet, oh, you'll have the most beautiful kids one day, I'm sure!" Pippa bent down to greet Rex who sat on his hindlegs, head tilted to the side. "And who are you?"

"This is Rex." Charlie explained. "Our only child for now."

Pippa laughed while her husband Chad eyed the dog suspiciously. "He's pretty big, huh?" Chad voiced.

"Yeah, he's a german shepherd and he might be the smartest and dearest dog ever." Sarah took sides for Rex instantly, which made Charlie smile fondly.

"Oh I'm sure Mac will absolutely love Rex! You know, Mac is our son. He loves all animals, especially dogs and, well, dinosaurs." Pippa chatted on happily.

Chad tugged at his wife's arm."Um, Pippa, don't you think Sarah and Charlie here would like to settle down in peace now, since they have just arrived?"

"Right, I'm sorry to have taken up your time. It's just so exciting to have new neighbors again!" Pippa excused herself and followed her husband across the street but turned around once more. "We'll hopefully see each other around soon! Oh, and Charlie? Don't forget to carry your lovely wife over the threshold!"

"Umm..." Charlie gave Sarah a scrutinizing look and lifted his eyebrows.

She broke away from his embrace and nudged him playfully in the side. "Don't even think about it!"

Rex whimpered and followed them inside, where they took a tour through their new home.

"Wow, this is nice!" Sarah exclaimed.

Charlie agreed. "This has to be worth as much as ten times the ammount of my place." he mused.

"Yeah, but your place is much cosier. It's a real home."

"Well, then let's make a home out of this house for the time being." Charlie suggested and began to unpack the first of many boxes.

Chapter Text

Sarah had joined Charlie in unpacking boxes while Rex had outspread his toys in the living room.
He even had choosen the place for his dog bed himself and dragged it through the room until he was satisfied with its new spot next to the comfortable sofa.

"I was wondering where to put my forensic equipment."

Charlie looked around. "Perhaps it would be better up on the first floor to protect it from prying eyes."

"Yeah, you're right. I could probably use the spare bedroom."

Charlie ran a hand over his face and smiled sheepishly. "Well, this makes us one bedroom short. But, um, I could always sleep on the couch I think."

Sarah tilted her head to the side and smiled coyly. "Remember that we are supposed to be married for not even three months. Don't you think that separate bedrooms would be quite noticeable there?"

"Right, um, you've got a point. That means we're going to share a bed?" The detective said, sounding almost hopeful. "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, though, so if you have other ideas..." he added quickly.

Sarah smiled warmly. "Oh no, that's fine by me. I mean, we're both adults, so..."

"I will keep my hands to myself, promise." Charlie grinned.

Sarah laughed softly and turned to carry the first box up to the first floor.
Charlie watched her retreat and his smile vanished slowly while he flopped down on the couch. He had meant what he had said earlier, but he was acutely aware that having Sarah next to him at night would prove very difficult, as it would take up all of his self-control to really keep his hands to himself.

Rex whimpered softly and jumped next to him on the comfortable furniture. Absentmindedly Charlie stroked the dog's head and scratched his ears. "I know buddy, I know. Pretty hard not to get distracted, huh?"

In the evening, they had finally stored away most of their stuff and Sarah yawned deeply. "Wow, I almost forgot how exhausting it is to move."

"How about I order something to eat and we call it a day?"

"Sounds great." Sarah picked up a carefully wrapped package from the table and turned it in her hands. "What's this?"

"Dunno. It was right on top of the box with the technical equipment Jesse had packed for us."

"So... open it?"

"Sure. Go ahead!" Charlie encouraged her.

When Sarah carefully unwrapped the package, her eyes grew wide. "Wow, that is... how did he do that?"

Charlie looked over her shoulder and saw that Sarah was looking at a photograph of himself wearing an elegant tailored suit, and of her wearing an ivory strapless beaded brocade embellished mermaid-wedding dress. Both were smiling tenderly at each other and Rex was sitting between them, wearing a black bow tie attached to his collar. "Wow, this looks so real!" He exclaimed, and then added in a low voice, almost a murmur, "And you look stunningly beautiful."

He was gifted with an adorable smile from Sarah while her cheeks blushed slightly."Thank you. You look good yourself. Not to mention Rex. You know, this has to be one of the pictures Alia took in the family portrait session a while ago. Jesse must have it photoshopped."

"He sure did. In a good way." Charlie agreed and gently took the framed picture out of Sarah's hands to install it on the mantel on top of the fireplace.

Their eyes locked and, for a few moments, he felt tempted to kiss her right here and then. However, he did not give in to his feelings. Instead, he took a step back, ran his hand through his hair and grabbed his keychain. "I...um... I'll take Rex for a short walk. Be back until the food arrives?"

Sarah smiled coyly. "Right then, off you go."

Chapter Text

When the door had closed behind Charlie and Rex, Sarah sunk on the couch with a deep sigh, closing her eyes and laying her head on the backrest. She had so badly wanted Charlie to kiss her. Moreover, she was pretty sure to have seen the same longing in his eyes as well, but just like that he had pulled back and the moment was gone. She silently scolded herself. Charlie had done just the right thing. They really could not afford to get distracted. Still... Sarah opened her eyes and they landed inevitably on the fake wedding picture above the fireplace. With another sigh, she stood up to set the table before the pizza would arrive.

At the same time, on the street in front of the house, Charlie set a fast pace, Rex walking obediently by his side. Silently the detective scolded himself. He had almost given in on his desire to finally kissing Sarah, when she had looked up to him with those wonderful warm brown eyes of hers. Instead he had just walked off. He stopped abruptly and turned around. Took three steps back towards the direction of the house, then turned around again and ran his hand over his face multiple times.

Rex watched his partner attentiveley and gave a compassionate whimper.

"I know buddy, I know. I acted like a total wuss."

Rex barked and Charlie kneeled down next to his furry friend, who licked his face affectionately.

"Yeah, okay, now let's head back."

When they arrived back at the house Sarah had just paid off the pizza guy and was about to head back inside.

Rex ran up to her, barking happily. "Hey, Rex, Charlie, you're back. Right on time." She gave him a dazzling smile and Charlie smiled back, relieved that there was no strange mood between them.

After their meal, Charlie suggested to have a glass of wine, which Sarah agreed to happily. All three of them settled comfortably in the living room, with Rex right in the middle of the couch, his head on Sarah's lap.

"So, what kind of plans do we have for tomorrow?" Charlie asked.

Sarah took a sip of wine before answering. "I'd like to get started with searching this place for anything previously overlooked. Hey, I could use a helping hand, or, in that case, a fine nose."

Charlie smiled and Rex yipped. "Always at your service."

"Thank you. By the way, what do you think about Pippa and Chad?" Sarah asked, referring to their neighbors they had met that day.

"Um, they seemed nice enough. A bit chatty on her part, but nice." He shrugged. "But you never know."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, who knows what tomorrow brings." Sarah yawned and emptied her glass. "I, um, I'm heading to bed. You coming?"

"Sure. You go on ahead, I'll be right up."

"All right." Sarah stood, carefully not to disturb the snoring dog, and ruffled Rex' fur. "Good night buddy."

While Sarah got ready for bed, Charlie put the wine glasses in the sink and watched his peacefully sleeping dog for a while before he went up the steps to the first floor.

In the bedroom, Sarah had choosen the left side of the bed and snuggled under the blanket. She felt Charlie’s presence more than she heard him, as he tried to move as silently as possible through the unfamiliar, dark bedroom, in case she was already sleeping.

"Ouch." The loud escaped him when he hit his knee on the wooden bedpost.

"You okay?" Sarah asked concerned and switched on the small light on her nightstand.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry to wake you."

"Oh, I have not slept yet."

When Charlie had settled down next to her, she turned off the light again and turned to lay on her side to face him. He did the same and although she could not see him in the dark, she could feel him smiling at her.

"So, um, I think we did pretty good today." Sarah stated.

Charlie hesitantly reached for her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "We did."

Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, "You know, I'm glad you are here with me."

Charlie chuckled. "Here, as in this bed?"

"Well, that too." Sarah's smile could be heard in her voice. "But actually I meant here, on this assignment."

Charlie was silent for a moment. Only the soft caress of his thumb on the back of her hand revealed that he was still awake, until he whispered "You know, I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else than you."

With that, they both drifted off to sleep, their fingers still interlaced.

When morning came, Charlie woke to find Sarah stretched against his side, her head resting on his shoulder and her hair splayed across his chest, while he had wrapped his arms possessively around her slim body. It seemed like the moment they both had drifted off to sleep, they had gravitated towards each other.

Although he knew he'd better keep his distance, he couldn't bring himself to let go of her. The feeling of her warm, soft skin on his was just too wonderful. So he held on to the woman he felt so strongly about, until she finally awoke minutes later in his arms.

Sarah woke to an unexpected sense of warmth and secureness that she had not known for a long time. It took her a moment to fully realize that it was Charlie's strong arms that offered this warmth and secureness. Slowly she opened her eyes to find Charlie smiling at her tenderly.

"Hey there sleepyhead. Did you sleep well?" he asked fondly.

Surprised that he still held her in his arms and seemed quite comfortable with the physical closeness, she did not shy away either. "Actually, I did. I haven't slept so well in a long time. How about you?"

"Same here."

They looked at each other for a long time, both savouring the close contact, before he leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I'll make breakfast. How about some pancakes?"

"That sounds wonderful." Sarah answered, when the soft tap of paws could be heard on the stairs.

"Ha, Rex heard the magic word - breakfast." Charlie laughed and seconds later, the dog crashed on the bed, yelping and whining, apparently not knowing which of the two humans’ faces he should lick off first in happy greeting.

"Hey buddy, good morning! Get out of the bed already, we're not at home!" Charlie reprimanded the dog.

Sarah laughed when Rex, instead of following Charlie's orders, rolled onto his back right in the middle of the bed to get his belly rubbed. "It's okay; I don't mind him being here. He's our only child, after all."

The detective chuckled, "In that case, I'll leave you to it." At the door, he turned around once more. Rex had snuggled up close to Sarah, his head on her chest, while she languidly scratched his ears with her eyes closed and a content smile on her lips. Charlie could not help the warm fuzzy feeling rising in his chest, sending his heart racing to the heavens. If he had not known before deep in his heart, he knew now for sure. Sarah was perfect for him, for them , in every way.

Just as Charlie had set the breakfast table, Sarah and Rex appeared in the doorway.

"Wow, this smells amazing." Sarah exclaimed. In fact, it did not only smell amazing, Charlie's pancakes really were delicous and shared among the three within a very short time.

Holding her cup of coffee in both hands Sarah savoured the hot liquid and closed her eyes with pleasure. "Mhm, I wish every morning would start like that."

"That would be fine by me." Charlie replied with a smile and Rex barked approvingly, and then ran to the door, turning and barking again. "I know buddy... Time for our morning walk. Sarah, do you want to come along?"

"I'd love to, but I really have to get to work here. Next time?"

"Sure." Charlie looked a bit disappointed, but of course, he understood. After all, they were not on vacation, even if that was how it felt to him so far.

Chapter Text

Charlie used the walk with Rex to take a look around the neighborhood. He met Pippa, who fortunately didn't have time to chat this time, because she had to take her son to school.

Further down the road a slim woman in bright pink sportswear came jogging up to them. Coming to a stop right in front of Charlie, she offered him a exaggerated smile while she took off her earbuds. "Hi there. I have never seen you in this area before, or I would definitely remember.," she said with a seductive look.

"Yeah, um, we only moved here yesterday."

"We - as in your lovely dog and you?" The woman moved even closer towards Charlie and put her hand on his arm which made Rex growl deeply.

"No, actually as in my wife, our dog and I." Charlie announced gladly.

"Oh." The woman seemed taken aback, but didn't withdraw her hand yet. "I'm Violet, by the way."

"Charlie. This is Rex."

Violet threw a somewhat annoyed look at the still growling dog, and then smiled up at Charlie. "Charlie. Gotta go now, but I'm sure we'll meet again pretty soon."

"Um, okay...," the detective shook his head in disbelief when Violet jogged off again, but gave a fake smile and a wave when she turned around once more to give him a wink.

Rex whimpered next to him.

"Yeah pal, you're right, I didn't like her either..." he mumbled.

About an hour later, they had finished their walk and Charlie unlocked the front door, only to hear the soft murmur of voices. "Sarah? We're home!" he called out.

Sarah's answer came promptly. "Honey, we are in the kitchen!"

Honey? Surprised Charlie raised his eyebrows. Apparently Sarah had company. The detective followed Rex, who took off towards the kitchen right away. He found Sarah standing next to a unknown woman, both holding a cup of coffee.

"Hey," Sarah got up on her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips against his. "Charlie, this is Jackie, our next door neighbor. Jackie, meet my husband Charlie."

Sarah's kiss hadn't been more than a peck on his lips, really, and yet it melted his entire body on the inside. Charlie was all struggling to pull himself together, when he extended his hand towards Jackie. "Hi, nice to meet you."

"Likewise!" she gave back. "I was just telling Sarah that we're having a small BBQ with some of the neighbors tomorrow at our house and you definitely have to join us!"

Charlie looked at Sarah who smiled and nodded. He put his arm around her waist and smiled as well. "We'd love to!"

"Great! Thanks for the coffee, Sarah. See ya tomorrow!" Jackie patted Rex' head. "Oh and feel free to bring Rex as well. My wife Amy and I love dogs!"

When the door had closed behind Jackie, Charlie let go of Sarah, only to find he was missing the warmth of her body instantly.

"So you've been busy making new friends in our absence?"

Sarah laughed softly. "I sure did. Jackie noticed the moving van yesterday and came over to invite us for tomorrow."

"Yeah, this BBQ could be a good opportunity to learn more about our lovely neighbors."

"Oh, now that sounded pretty convincing." Sarah joked.

"I, um, I met a woman named Violet on the street. She, uh, she seemed pretty pushy." Charlie explained.

"Ooohh, Jackie mentioned Violet before. She told me to keep you on a short leash because she would surely try hitting on you. She described Violet, who is married by the way, as quite the maneater."

"That sounds excactly like the lady I met," Charlie agreed. "Rex didn't like her at all. He is a good judge of character."

"Definitely." Sarah chuckled and put the two used cups into the dishwasher. "So, I'll get back to work. I had just started examining the rooms upstairs when Jackie came over."

"Okay. Hey, take Rex. In the meantime, I'll go over those case files once more."

Later Charlie was so absorbed in the case files that he didn't notice Sarah and Rex until they sat next to him on the couch.

"Found anything?" he asked.

Sarah shrugged. "Nothing. Not even Rex noticed anything interesting. How about you?"

"I'm not sure. Can't make out the motive."

"There may have been no motive," she said. "They could've just been terribly unlucky. Occasionally people are killed for no reason, they just happen to be singled out by a psychopathic serial killer with no real reasoning behind the act."

"You're right. But three couples, each not married longer than six months... there has to be a motive, a trigger, for the killer." He pushed some papers towards her. "Hey, could you take another look at those medical reports for me? I can't put my finger on it, but there is something that feels off."

"Sure," Sarah smiled "I was going to reread the reports anyway."

Some time later, she dropped the papers. "You were right. There is something that seems odd."

"What is it?"

"So all three of the women were strangled to death. None of the women had defensive injuries, but all of the men had massive marks on their wrists and ankles, even though they were shot in the heart with a single shot each."

The detective raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Charlie, being strangled means an outside force is exerting enough pressure to impede movement of air. It's a long struggle for the victim, so those women would have fought for their lifes, if they had been conscious at that time."

"You're right. So, the women were unconscious at their time of death, but the men were not."

Sarah nodded slowly, and then looked up to Charlie with sorrowful eyes. "I think those men were tied up and forced to watch their wifes die. That's why they fought so hard before getting shot at last."

"Wow. This is just cruel." Charlie was utterly shocked by Sarah's theory, but he had to admit, it made terrible sense.

A lump formed in his throat when he pictured the horror those men must have endured by being forced to watch their wifes die. For a moment the urge to scoop up Sarah in his arms and never let her go again became overwhelming. Rex seemed to sense the shift in his mood because he trotted over to him and laid his head on his lap, whining softly.

The sound of an incoming message tore Charlie from his dark thoughts. "It's Jesse. He wants us online in five. Apparently something interesting came up."

Chapter Text

Five minutes later Charlie and Sarah sat on the couch, Rex enthroned between them. The laptop was set open on the coffee table in front of them. They stared impatiently at the SJPD emblem on the screen until the feed finally cut on, opening a window into the well-known bullpen several miles away.

Jesse appeared on the screen, giving them a lopsided grin and a wave. "Hey guys," he said. "Sorry about the delay, we were having some computer issues at the headquarter. Nothing a little reboot couldn't fix, though. How is Corner Brook? Getting used to your married life?"

Charlie and Sarah looked at each other over Rex' furry head and smiled. "We're fine," Charlie finally answered. "So your message said you had some news to share?"

Jesse seemed to consider asking again about their fake married life, but, for the moment, he let it slide. "Yeah, I managed to get in contact with a friend of the murdered woman, her name is Maya. You know, Maya happens to be on vacation in Thailand and just now heard about her friend’s death. Backpacking in Thailand must be fun, by the way!"

"Jesse...," Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Right. So the night before Maya flew out to Bangkok, she skyped with her friend. Said she seemed rather nervous and on edge. She referred to a male neighbor, who was, and I quote 'giving her the creeps'."

"Wow. Did she put a name on this creepy guy?"

"Sorry Sarah," Jesse shook his head "I can't help with that. Just look out for the creepiest guy in your neighborhood?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and stood up when her mobile phone rang.

"How are things going down there, anyway?" Jesse asked, and the tone in his voice suggested that he had completely switched topics from the crime itself to something more personal.

"Fine," Charlie said vaguely, not in any mood to discuss this any further with the young tech. "So far the neighbors seem to find us genuine. We are invited to attend a BBQ tomorrow."

Jesse snorted on the other end of the line. "Hard work pays off, huh?"

Charlie chuckled and Rex barked approvingly.

Jesse couldn't let go of the topic. "So tell me, how does it feel being, uh, sort of, married for the second time?"

"Different," Charlie replied after having considered the question for a while.

"Well, obviously, since you are not sharing a bed with Sarah," Jesse asked, laughing. When he caught Charlie smiling knowingly to himself, the tech's smile vanished for a second, only to turn up even broader when realization hit him. "Whoa, wait, you two totally did share a bed last night!?"

"Gotta go now. Bye!" With that, Charlie closed the laptop, shutting Jesse out.

At the same time, Sarah had ended her call. "I've talked to Corner Brook forensics to confirm my theory. They assured me they did not miss any puncture sites on the female victims, so the anesthetic may not have been injected, but administered otherwise. However, they will check the last one again. The other two have long been buried, obviously, considering the time that has passed since their death."

Charlie nodded and checked his watch. "Hey, how about we check out the wood where the victims were found? Rex could use another good long walk, and, to be honest, I could use one as well."

"Sure." Sarah smiled warmly. If she was honest with herself, she was glad not to have to be alone now.

An extended hike in the most beautiful weather later, they arrived at the location the bodies were found two weeks ago. There was no hint anymore to suggest the crime that had taken place there. Charlie looked around to make sure that they were alone before kneeling down next to Rex. "Okay buddy, this time I don't have any sample for you to smell. So take a good look around for anything unusual, will ya?"

While Rex took off, his nose on the ground, Sarah and Charlie surveyed the scene.

"This is not a place many people come to frequently," Sarah stated, "It is far enough away from the trails to commit a murder without getting caught."

"It sure is. So our killer definitely knows the area." Charlie agreed.

Both looked up when Rex barked excitedly.

"Hey pal, whatcha got?" Charlie patted the dog's neck, while Sarah put on her light blue rubber gloves and carefully pulled the object Rex had found out of the branches.

"Looks like some kind of old cloth," she mused. "I'll have it checked out as soon as we get back."

When they started their way home, it was already getting dark. Had it been sunny and warm before, it had cooled noticeably by now. Sarah, wearing a light silk blouse with long sleeves, shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to stay warm.

Charlie eyed her worriedly. "Are you cold?"

"Mhm. Should have brought my jacket."

Charlie pulled his sweatshirt over his head and offered it to her with a shy smile. "Here. Take this."

She took the grey hoodie from his hands with a grateful smile and put it on, immediately feeling much better with the soft fabric on her skin and the decent scent of Charlie's aftershave around her. "Thank you. Feels much better," she smiled.

They continued on their way in silence until Rex suddenly stopped and stared into the twilight with a threatening growl and raised hackles.

Automatically Charlie reached for Sarah and shielded her from the potential danger ahead with his own body.

Rex started to bark wildly and the detective called out "Who's there? Show yourself!"

However, the only answer was the wind blowing through the trees and a crouched figure taking off through the undergrowth. Rex shot off to pursue him, but Charlie called him back. "Rex, back! - Wouldn't want him to get lost in the dark woods." he explained to Sarah.

"Yeah, we should definitely stay together. Who knows who is hanging around here." Sarah agreed, sounding rather anxious.

Charlie reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. They continued walking and soon enough they had reached the path leading the way home without any further disturbance.

When they returned home, Rex settled in his dog bed right away while the humans both flopped down on the couch, worn thin with exhaustion. It had been a long day. Neither of them spoke for a while, their eyes closed, leaned back against the couch cushions and just listening to the sound of Rex snoring contently.

Finally, Charlie brought his arm up over the back of the couch, and as if by invitation Sarah scooted in towards him, letting him drape his arm around her shoulder and pull her close. Neither of them spoke, questioned, or otherwise made any comment about the action, just like they had in the morning when waking up in each others arms.

They simply let it be.

Chapter Text

The next day started busy. While Sarah wanted to examine the piece of evidence they had found the night before, Charlie and Rex planned to go back into the woods, looking for traces of the figure they had seen there.

"Hey, I plan to go grocery shopping later. I may have frivolously promised we'd bring a macaroni salad for the BBQ later," Sarah sighed. "When I think about it, I can't see how I will be able to pull it off until we are due at the neighbors at 4 pm."

"Oh, Rex and I love shopping. For food, that is," Charlie winked. "So why don't you let us do this on our way back from the wood?"

"Would you really do that? You're the best!"

"Well, don't you forget it," Charlie grinned and called out for his furry partner.

They met again around noon. Sarah had just ended her call to the forensics team of Corner Brook PD, when Rex came strolling in, followed by Charlie, packed with two full shopping bags.

While they unpacked and stowed away the purchases, all the time carefully observed by Rex, they shared the results of their day so far. Sarah had managed to verify traces of an anesthetic and of DNA on the cloth and was waiting for the results of the DNA comparison.
In the woods, Rex had picked up the trace easily which led to an old log cabin. Unfortunately, the cabin had been empty and though someone seemed to live there at least occasionally, they had not been able to find any hints towards the resident's identity.

"I'm not sure this has anything to do with our case, though. Perhaps we just disturbed an old hermit out there last night." Charlie mused.

"We could always go back there. Who knows, even an old hermit could have seen something," Sarah suggested.

Charlie shrugged, "Yeah, maybe tomorrow. Right now we have to get ready for our little get-together with the neighbors, I think."

Sarah was first to jump into the shower and get dressed. She decided on a crimson figure-skimming summer dress with matching sandals. It was a warm and sunny day in August, after all. When she appeared in the kitchen, she found Charlie and Rex had already prepared the macaroni salad, and were seasoning to taste.

"Wow, you've been busy. Or did I take that long?" Sarah asked.

Charlie turned around, a spoon in his hands, which he almost dropped when he took in the sight of Sarah in her dress, her dark hair with the blonde highlights she wore since recently falling onto her shoulders in soft waves. He let out a soft whistle. "It was definitely worth the wait," he smiled fondly; and she could not help but do the same, whether she wanted to or not. He was infectious in the best way. "You, um, you look really pretty," he added in a low, husky voice.

"Thank you," Sarah blushed slightly, moved a step closer and turned her attention to the big salad bowl. "Charlie, this looks amazing!"

"Wanna try?" he said and held out the spoon for her to have a taste.

She complied eagerly and closed her eyes with delight while she was chewing. "This is so good!"

Charlie smiled proudly. "Glad you like it. I, um, I'll jump into shower."
In the doorway he turned, only to find Sarah stealing another spoonful and tossing Rex a bite as well. "Hey, leave something for the party, will ya?" he chuckled.

Right in time, they walked over to their neighbors on the left. In the vast garden of the yellowish house children were running around, playing a game of hide and seek. A handful of adults were present as well. Jackie greeted them enthusiastically, waving her wife over. "Amy, meet Sarah and Charlie Wilson. They moved into the Harper's house," she explained with a certain undertone, which did not go unnoticed by the pair. "And this is Rex," Jackie continued with the introductions.

Amy immediately bent down to ruffle the dog's fur. "You're a good boy, right, Rex?"

Rex apparently enjoyed the caresses and gave an approving woof.

Jackie smiled fondly down at her wife. "Told you Amy would love Rex. Her family has always held dogs and she is missing them a lot, but you know, with both of us working all day in the hospital here in the city...," she trailed off and in this moment seemed to notice the bowl Charlie still held in his hands. "Oh, the macaroni salad! Thank you, Sarah. This looks amazing."

Sarah waved it off. "No need to thank me. This is Charlie's work alone!"

Jackie winked at Sarah, "Good catch. He's a keeper."

"I know." Her eyes met Charlie's, "He's amazing."

Their eyes locked and, for a few moments, he almost kissed her. It would have looked natural, to those watching. But he was already walking a fine line when it came to the whole assignment because of his immeasurably growing feelings for her, so he placed a lingering kiss on her cheek, "You're pretty amazing yourself."

Amy got up again and slung her arms around her wife Jackie. "Aww, look at them! Young love! When did you say you got married?"

"Um, on May 17th," Sarah replied, smiling coyly.

"Oh, it is your three months anniversary today, then!" Jackie squealed enthusiastically.

Charlie and Sarah shared a surprised look.

"Come on; don't tell me you won't have a little celebration later on?" Jackie grinned.

Amy gave her a light shove. "Not everyone feels the need to celebrate any odd anniversary, honey."

"Hm," Jackie pouted, "Hey, let me introduce you to the others! I take it you haven't met all of our neighbors yet?"

By the end of the next hour, Charlie and Sarah were about as socially exhausted as two people could be. They had smiled, laughed, gestured, and nodded at all the appropriate times and places while keeping an eye out for anyone behaving abnormally. In the meantime, Rex busied himself with a game of soccer with the kids.

When Charlie joined the group of men standing by the kettle grill, Pippa suddenly appeared next to Sarah. "Just be sure to invite everyone in your sphere of influence, so no one feels left out," she said and pointed towards Violet, who was this time wearing a very short skirt and a pink tank top and eyed the group of men like a tiger would its prey. "Amy and Jackie did just that, so here she comes. Meet Violet."

Sarah watched with an amused smile how Violet approached the little group and immediately turned her attention solely towards Charlie, who looked indeed particularly handsome tonight wearing a light blue Henley with dark washed Jeans this evening. Pippa watched her closely. "Told ya to keep your hubby on a short leash. Charlie might be just her type."

Watching Charlie squirm and desparately try to get rid of the woman, his discomfort clearly visible, Sarah just grinned.

"So you're not jealous?" Pippa asked.

"Nah," Sarah laughed, "She's not his type."

Pippa looked at her sharply. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing six years ago. Turns out I was wrong, though," she muttered.

"What do you mean? Oh, did Chad and Violet...?"

"They did. You know, the worst part about it is not even the fact that Chad had an affair with her in the first place," Pippa laughed bitterly. "The worst part is that Violet didn't even like him. She just wanted to prove that she could have him, that she could have anyone she wanted, even a guy who became father only weeks before."

Sarah looked at her with big brown eyes full of pity. "Wow, that is so... Honestly, I don't know what to say. I am sorry. You must have had a really hard time back then."

Pippa waved it off. "Don't be. Nothing several months of marriage counseling couldn't fix in the end. Violet and her husband toured Europe for some time after the affair so she was no longer a problem. Even when they returned a few months ago Violet left us alone, as the excitement of the hunt is apparently over with Chad. We are still not friends, as you can imagine."

Across the lawn Violet made a confused face when Charlie finally left her standing alone, hurrying over towards where Sarah and Pippa were standing.

Chapter Text

Twinkle lights strung overhead offered a touch of elegance when the day slowly turned into night.
Soft music played and some couples had started dancing. The kids, who apparently couldn’t get enough of the furry star of the whole party, surrounded Rex.

Charlie had rejoined the group of men after Violet had disappeared out of sight.
Sarah, on the other hand, mingled with a group of women who were slugging down one Moscow mule after the other, giggling and screaming with laughter. She observed the other girls with an amused smile, occassionally taking a sip from her own copper mug, but all the while trying to avoid a refill to keep a clear head.
Ever so often Charlie and Sarah's eyes met, always looking out for the other one. That way it was not hidden from Charlie, when a tall, handsome man unknown to him approached Sarah and engaged her into a lively conversation. Seeing her with the other man clearly gave him a funny feeling of something he had not felt for a long time. As if reading his thoughts, Chad elbowed him lightly. "Your wife has got company," he stated.

"Yeah. Who is this guy, by the way? I don't think I have met him before."

Chad looked at him carefully. "This is Matt Simmons. He is one of the few single men in this neighborhood. Good looking fellow, but Pippa once told me he's giving her the creeps sometimes while looking at her"

"Oh, I see...," Charlie muttered and, after concidering this for a moment and seeing Matt trying to pull Sarah towards the improvised dancefloor, which she declined with a polite headshake and a smile, he added "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Um, sure," Chad nodded and watched as Charlie crossed the lawn with great strikes towards where Sarah and Matt were standing.

While walking up to Sarah he wondered silently what was the matter with him. He couldn't be jealous of that man, no way. Most likely his police instinct had kicked in and sensed something odd about that man, so it was perfectly correct, heck, even necessary, to intervene.
"Hi," he nodded towards Matt and took Sarah's hand. "Would you excuse us for a second?"

He didn't wait for Matt's answer when he pulled her along onto the makeshift dancefloor, where he put his arms around her and started to sway to the soft music with her in his arms.

Sarah relaxed into his arms instantly, looking up to him expectantly. "What was that about?" Her voice showed no signs of annoyance, more of amusement and curiosity, as Charlie realized with relief.

"Um, I guess I did not want this guy to get too comfortable around you...," he answered truthfully, smiling sheepishly.

Sarah chuckled softly. "You do realize that everyone watching will now take you for being jealous?"

"I’m your husband. I’m supposed to be.” He murmured softly into her hair, faintly hearing the alarm bells that were going off somewhere in his mind to tell him that he was dangerously close to crossing a line.

Sarah stayed silent and rested her head against his chest while he held her even closer. Both listened to the music playing softly.

There goes my mind racing
And you are the reason
That I'm still breathing
I'm hopeless now

I'd climb every mountain
And swim every ocean
Just to be with you
And fix what I've broken
Oh, 'cause I need you to see
That you are the reason

"This is a nice tune." Charlie finally whispered.

"It is," Sarah agreed; and they swayed on, listening to Calum Scott's angelic voice telling a story about how every relationship has difficult times but you stick with it, because the love you fundamentally feel for the other person overrides everything else.

There goes my hands shaking
And you are the reason
My heart keeps bleeding
I need you now

And if I could turn back the clock
I'd make sure the light defeated the dark I'd spend every hour, of every day Keeping you safe

A loud bark interrupted the intimate moment way too early. Charlie and Sarah simultaneously turned around to find Rex catching some hotdogs the kids threw at him, barking excitedly for more.

"I'd rather make sure that Rex doesn't eat everything up," Charlie said apologetically. "Be right back."

"Charlie?" Sarah called him back. "I'll go home for a minute to get my jacket."

"Okay," he smiled "Hey, um, should I go with you?"

Sarah raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side with a lopsided grin. "I'm a big girl, you know."

He grinned back and raised his hands in mock surrender "All right, all right, just asking!" Then he turned around to look after Rex, as the bites of hotdog had apparently been replaced by fruit gums. He had a hard time convincing the kids that fruit gums were not on a dog's menu, but fortunately Amy rushed to his assistance and shooed the kids inside to get some ice cream.

"Charlie. I've been looking for you," Violet suddenly stood next to him. "I take it your wife left without you?"

Charlie flinched. "No, Sarah will be back in a moment."

"You sure about that? I thought I had seen Matt going after her..."

"I am sure," Charlie decided to ignore the pushy woman's implication. "So would you please leave me alone for good?"

"Too bad," Violet purred. "I bet we could have lots of fun together."

"I really do not know what makes you think that. I am very happily married." Charlie clarified sternly.

"What the eye does not see the heart cannot grieve over...," Violet seductively whispered in his ear, but Charlie pushed her away.

"It's enough, Violet."

In that very moment, Rex suddenly raised his head in alarm and set up his ears.

Seconds later Charlie heard a scream and Rex took off at high speed, jumping over the fence, and ran towards the neighbor house, exactly to where Sarah had gone a few minutes ago.

Chapter Text

Charlie didn't hesitate for a second and ran after Rex. He found Sarah lying on the porch, Rex already by her side, whimpering and licking her face. Hands trembling, he dropped to his knees next to her. "Sarah? Hey, are you okay?" he asked, fear and worry clearly audible in his voice.

With a groan, she slowly tried to sit up, her hand going to her head. "Ouch."

Ever so gently, he supported her until she was sitting upright, his hands roaming over her hair to check for any injuries.

"What happened?"

"Um, there was this guy..."

"Matt?" Charlie interrupted her midsentence.

She looked at him sharply and shook her head. The movement made her grimace in pain. "No, not Matt. This person was much older, and at least one head shorter. He came up right behind me when I was about to open the door."

"Okay, that's it. We are leaving. As in right now. This assignment is over! Let me call detective Johnson." Charlie stated, his voice trembling.

"No, Charlie. Wait..." Sarah tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have any of that.

"Sarah, I won't watch you get killed here," he almost screamed now.

"Charlie," she grabbed his hand. "He didn't want to harm me. On the contrary, the old man warned me. He told me to take you and Rex and run away as fast as we can!"

The detective looked at her in total disbelief.

"When he heard Rex bark in the distance he turned to leave. I tried to hold him back, begged for more information and he gave me a light shove to get rid of me. I stumbled and hit my head on the wooden post."

Charlie looked at Sarah, then at Rex, who sat right next to her, tongue sticking out of his mouth as if he wanted to say I knew, or else I wouldn't have let him vamoose, stupid.

Charlie gave a deep sigh and slung his arms around her eventually. He rested his face on the top of her head, breathing in the meanwhile familiar smell of her hair and he felt Sarah's arms creep around him so that she clung to him. They sat in the dark, holding on to each other tightly. Rex joined the embrace when he laid his head on Sarah's lap. They sat like this for an incalculable amount of time that felt like an eternity and like a split second at the same time.

Finally, Charlie suggested in a low voice "Let's get you inside and find some ice for your head."
Carefully he helped her up and inside, Rex following closely. While Sarah got comfortable in the living room, Charlie searched through the freezer. He came back with a pack of frozen peas, a soft towel wrapped around it. "Is this okay?"

Sarah smiled gratefully. "That's perfect. Thank you." Carefully she pressed the package to the side of her head and made a face.

"Does it hurt much?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"It's okay, really. Hey, the old man told me to take, and I quote 'that husband of yours and your dog and get away from here as fast as you can. He already has his eyes on you.' So we are looking for a man, right?"

"Yeah, if we assume that the old guy is genuine... But how could he know anything about the killings, if he is not part of it?" Charlie mused.

"Perhaps he saw something in the woods. Charlie, we have to find him. I'm pretty sure he knows who the killer is."

"Yeah, but why didn't he call the police, then?"

"If only I knew," Sarah mumbled while she closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch.

Charlie watched her for a moment, a fond smile playing on his lips. He gently placed a blanket over her legs. "Get some rest. I will call Joe and detective Johnson. They need to know what happened."

"Hmm," Sarah tucked her feet under the blanket. "Charlie?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"We're not leaving. Not until we find this killer."

He chuckled softly. "Understood. Happy wife happy life, right?"

Laughing he took cover from the pillow she threw at him.

Chapter Text

"Sleep well?" Charlie asked about two hours later, when Sarah came padding into the kitchen with bare feet, hair swept up into a messy bun, still wearing her crimson summer dress.

He sat at the kitchen counter, dressed casually in jogpants and a grey t-shirt, the case files spread out in front of him, chewing on his pen. There was something about him like this that put her at ease, no matter what was running through her mind. Something natural and easy, something that made her unkempt hair and smeared make-up okay. They could be as disheveled as they wanted, they could share these moments without fear of judgment.

He closed the files and smiled, "You know, I was just about to call it a night, anyway. And you'd rather go to bed as well. Another night on the couch wouldn't be good for either of us, as cozy as it was last time," he said, referring to the night before they had spent on the couch, falling asleep snuggled close together.

"Sounds good," she said and poured herself a glass of water. "Any news from Joe?"

"Actually, yes. The DNA results came back positive. The DNA on the cloth Rex found matches the last female victim's DNA."

Sarah nodded in acknowledgement, sipping her water slowly. "Yeah, that's what I thought. So she definitely was drugged when the killer strangled her. Anything else?"

"Not really," Charlie shrugged. "Apparently Joe agrees with you. He wants us to keep going."

Sarah gave him a small smile, but Charlie looked at her severely. "So that's how it’s supposed to go from now on. I won't leave you unattended for a second. Either Rex or I will be by your side 24/7."

"Fine."

"Fine?" He echoed, surprised by her approval.

Sarah shrugged and put her glass in the sink. When she turned around to look at him, her face was serious. "I have studied the reports over and over again. I have seen what this killer did to his victims. All I want to do is find the one who is responsible for this. And if that means you will be at my side 24/7, I'm fine with that." Her eyes turned soft and she smiled dazzlingly. "Well, to be honest, I'm perfectly fine with that. How could I not be?" With that, she padded towards the bathroom, leaving a dumbfounded Charlie behind.

When he came to the bedroom a few minutes later, Sarah was already in bed, a book in her hands, and the light on her nightstand glowing dimly. Rex was with her, stretched out at full lenght at the foot of the bed. The dog opened an eye, acknowledging Charlie's arrival.

Charlie stroked the dog's shiny coat and laid down next to Sarah. Rex jumped out of the bed and looked back over his shoulder as if he wanted to say Okay, I took care of our girl, now it's your turn. The soft click of his paws could be heard when the dog disappeared downstairs.

Charlie chuckled softly and was met with Sarah's amused smile.

He held her gaze, the relief about having her by his side safe and sound showing in his eyes. Before his feelings overwhelmed him, he averted his gaze and cleared his throat. "Oh, before I forget, Chad says Hi and to get well soon. He came over while you were sleeping. Apparently our departure from the BBQ was, uh, noticeable."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, I guess," Sarah closed her book and put it on the nightstand. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth, as far as possible." Charlie shrugged. "Told him that you went home to grab your jacket and a guy came up behind you and scared you, so you stumbled and fell."

"You didn't mention the old man's warning?"

"Um, no, I decided not to share too much information." After a short pause, he added, "You know, I asked Chad whether he knew the old guy. He denied, but somehow I think he lied. I'm pretty sure he knows full well who this man is."

"But why would he keep it a secret? That doesn't make sense."

"A lot of things don't make sense around here," Charlie sighed. "I, um, I texted Jesse before and I asked him to run a background check on Matt Simmons. Just in case..." his voice trailed off.

Sarah looked up to him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Charlie, I've only talked to this guy for a few minutes. It's okay."

He returned her gaze and turned towards her. "Come here," he offered with an extended arm. She laughed and rolled closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He held her close and sighed contentedly, when she snuggled against his chest.

Relaxed by the other's presence, they drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

On Sunday morning, they awoke early to a constant ringing of the phone. The drowsy detective felt for his cell phone on the bedside table. Only partly he registered waking up with Sarah's back pressed firmly to his front, him spooning her from behind. "Hudson," he mumbled into the phone.

"Good morning Charlie!" Jesse Mills greeted him cheerfully.

"Jesse. Seriously, have you ever looked at the clock? Hell, it's sunday, after all!" Charlie rolled on his back, glancing sideways towards Sarah, who was slowly awaking, missing the warmth of his body next to hers instantly.

"Um, it is almost 8am. Don't tell me you're still in bed."

Charlie growled in response.

"Oh. OH! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Jesse asked, sounding much less apologetic than hopefully amused.

Charlie sighed deeply. "Just tell me what you've got already." He drew another gaze towards the woman next to him, who had in the meantime rolled around to face him, looking adorably drowsy.

"Right. Okay...This guy you asked me about, Matt Simmons, is quite interesting. He works in the real estate market and makes good money. He got a divorce six years ago. After only four months of marriage."

"That's when the first killings took place," Charlie interrupted.

"Excactly." Jesse confirmed. "Besides, this year he filed a case against his ex-wife. Apparently, she was pregnant when she left him six years ago and didn't bother to tell him about having a daughter. Simmons only found out a few weeks before."

"Wow. This could explain why the killings started again after the long break."

"Yeah. I already talked to detective Johnson, seems she didn't pay much attention to the guy until now. Says she didn't see a motive there. Anyway, she promised to take a deeper look and to check out his alibi at least for this year’s murder."

"Alright. Thanks, Jesse."

"My pleasure. Oh, Charlie? Sorry again for the disturbance. Have a nice day, you two, um, lovebirds," he piped, the laugh evident in his voice.

Charlie ended the call without further response and turned to look at Sarah. Her head still on her pillow, hair splayed around her face, she smiled up at him. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Charlie smiled back at her. "So, you heard that?"

"Most of it," she yawned and stretched lazily. "Nevertheless, I'd suggest we let Rex track our visitor from last night. His scent must still linger on the dress I wore because he touched me there briefly. I'd love to have another chat with this mysterious guy."

"Sure, that's a good idea. How about breakfast first?" Charlie said, already starting to get up.

Sarah called him back. "It's my turn this time. You stay in bed a little longer."

He sank back into his pillow, closing his eyes for another moment, a content smile on his face while he listened to Sarah greeting Rex downstairs and heard the two of them rummaging in the kitchen.

They shared a rich breakfast and especially Rex was more than happy to scarf down his own bowl of scrambled eggs, garnished with some bacon.

After that, they got ready for their hunt. While Charlie made sure he got his gun tucked neatly under his shirt, Sarah got her backpack full of her most important forensic equipment, just in case they would need any of that. On the porch, Charlie let Rex sniff on Sarah's dress and commanded him as usual to track it.

When they had just left the estate, Rex leading the way, they met Chad on the street. He eyed the pair curiously. "Hi! What are you up to this morning?"

"Oh, just taking a hike. You know, exploring the woods." Charlie replied.

"Yeah, it is wonderful for the dog that we now do have the forest right on our doorstep," Sarah chimed in.

Chad nodded and glanced at the backpack. "Are you planning a longer tour?"

"Um, we will see. Better to be prepared, you know." Sarah smiled broadly. Charlie, standing close to her, did the same.

"Well, have fun. Better not go that far. I've heard it should rain later." Chad recommended, before he walked over to his car.

Charlie looked up to the clear blue sky doubtfully. "Huh, I wonder where he got that from. It looks fine for me."

"Mhm, if you say so, city boy." Sarah chuckled and set a fast pace to catch up with Rex. Charlie grinned and followed her.

Almost an hour later they had penetrated deep into the forest and suddenly stood in front of the log cabin Charlie and Rex had visited before.

"Wow. Looks like our hermit found us before we could find him." Charlie knocked and carefully opened the wooden door, his hand resting firmly on his gun. Rex slipped inside first, closely followed by Charlie and Sarah.

The detective scanned the room. "Seems like no one is home. Again."

Sarah felt the old rusty kettle on the stove with the back of her hand. "Yeah, but it seems we have just missed him. The kettle is still warm."

Rex, who had sniffed around the room, suddenly growled and looked towards the door. Charlie signaled for the dog to take up the chase. Rex eagerly stormed outside, barking loudly. Charlie and Sarah followed without hurrying, since they knew that the dog would do its job just fine. As expected, next to the cabin a man in his seventies stood stiffly, eyeing the growling dog warily.

When he looked up and his eyes met Sarah's, he shook his head in distress. "You shouldn't have come here. You should have left, like I told you yesterday."

Charlie motioned for Rex to sit down. Obediently the dog followed his order, never losing sight of the unknown man. The detective briefly considered identifying himself as a police detective, but thought better of it.
Instead, he asked "What about that warning? What do you know?"

The man shook his head once more. "Just... just leave already!"

Sarah took one step towards him. "Please... You came up to me yesterday for a reason. You wanted to do the right thing. So please, tell us what you know."

"Haven't you heard about the killings?" The man sighed.

"We have," Charlie confirmed. "Do you know who did that?"

"You said that he already had his eyes on us. Whom were you referring to?" Sarah added.

The man shook his head, averting their gaze. Tears welled up in his eyes. "I... I can't tell. Really, I just can't. Please... leave me alone and just go."

Charlie and Sarah exchanged a brief look. Rex gently nudged the man's leg with his nose to comfort him.

"Look, if you are afraid of someone, we can help you. We, um, we could accompany you to the police and make sure that they protect you," Sarah tried to convince him, not yet blowing their cover either. "Please. Those people died a horrible death and you could help to save others, to save us, from being killed as well."

The man looked her in the eye. "It's not that easy, you know," he sighed and ran a hand over his face. "But you are probably right. I should not keep my silence any longer. The killer... um... I do indeed know who killed those people. It was my own son. You've met him, his name is..."

Before he could finish what he finally had wanted to say, two shots rang out and he dropped to the ground.

Chapter Text

Before anyone could react, a figure stepped out of the bushes, his gun pointed directly towards Charlie and Sarah. He shot a look at the lifeless body on the ground and the wildly barking dog next to him. "Too bad, Dad. Told you often enough to stay out of my business." He glanced at Rex. "Charlie, get him to stop or I swear, I'll put a bullet through him!"

"Rex, stop it," Charlie commanded and the dog reluctantly sat down. "Chad? Wow, I honestly wasn't expecting that," he added while trying to move slowly, inch by inch, in front of Sarah to shield her from the deadly weapon pointed at them.

Chad saw through his plan and stopped him. "Stop right there. Don't move any further."

"Okay, fine. So... why did you kill all those innocent people?" Charlie asked, eager to get Chad talking with the purpose of gaining time to come up with a plan.

His opponent gave a dismissive wave with the hand not holding the gun, "You wouldn't understand. You're all so blind, so mendacious, on your little newlywed heavens," Chad laughed bitterly. "But you know what? I've been there before. You think you will live happily ever after with the woman you love, but then one of those witches comes up and seduces you; and you almost loose it all."

"Is this about you having an affair with Violet six years ago?" Sarah spoke for the first time, all the time eyeing the old man lying on the ground motionless, desperate to help him.

"Ha, affair!" he snorted. "Violet captivated me and put me under her spell and when she had almost destroyed my whole life, she dumped me and left. That's how you women are!" Chad eyed Sarah furiously.

"Okay, okay," Charlie tried to calm him down and to move further between him and Sarah at the same time. "Chad, I still don't get it. Why kill all those couples? Those men were not all having an affair. No more were the women. Those where innocent people!"

"Yeah, but they would have cheated sooner or later! Everybody does at one point." Chad almost shouted, the madness shining in his eyes. "The women all deserved to be punished. As for the men, I redeemed them by freeing them from their wifes! However, don't worry, I will do the same with you, too. Sarah, why don't you come over here?"

"Not happening," Charlie answered on her behalf. "Detective Hudson, SJPD. Chad, you are under arrest."

Chad looked stunned at first, but he quickly recovered and began to laugh madly, "Now that's a surprise. But tell me, Charlie, who is the one with the gun?"

"That would be you, obviously," Charlie had to admit. "But we do have something even better. Rex, go!"

Rex leapt up instantly and attacked Chad from the side, so that he fell to the ground and dropped the gun.

"Good job, pal," Charlie praised his dog while taking Chad's gun, aiming it towards the man now lying flat on the ground.

Sarah hurried towards the old man whose name they didn't even know to check his pulse. "Charlie, he is still alive! I found a weak pulse."

She tried to stop his bleeding while in the meantime Charlie called for medical assistance and notified detective Olivia Johnson from Corner Brook PD. Chad was still flat on the ground, now securely handcuffed and guarded by Rex.

The next hour passed by in a blurr of non-stop activity when the paramedics arrived and detective Johnson and her team took over the crimescene.

"We are searching his house in this very moment. My partner called me, said his wife is devastated," Olivia Johnson explained.

"Well, who wouldn't be? First her husband has an affair, she puts all her effort in saving her marriage while raising her kids; and then she learns that he is a serial killer..." Sarah stated matter of factly.

Charlie shook his head. "I still don't get it why Chad's father was hiding out here, all the time fully aware that his son murdered all those people."

"Oh, um, that was the next shock for Pippa, by the way," Olivia Johnson said, "Apparently Chad told her his parents were long dead."

"They are not? I mean, both of them are alive?" Sarah asked.

"Yep. The mother left the family without a word one day to live with another man. Chad was still a kid back then. He stayed with his father until he turned sixteen. Seems like he had a grudge on his mother, since he never reacted to her attempts to make contact. I've talked to Chad for a few minutes before they took him to the station, apparently he thinks of his father as a weak man, so he broke the contact ten years ago." Detective Johnson looked after the ambulance driving off, "I think his father tried to look out for his son. Must be hard to see what a monster his only son has become."

Charlie nodded, "Yeah, hopefully he'll be able to tell us more when he gets better."

"It doesn't look too bad," Sarah explained, "As far as I could tell none of the bullets has done a life threatening damage."

"Anyway, thank you so much for your help. You did a great job out here!" Detective Johnson said, "Hey, I've talked to Superintendent Donovan. He is expecting you back in St. Johns tonight to debrief. So why don't you head back, pack up your things and get on the road? You must be dying to head home at last."

Charlie and Sarah's eyes met and it was in that moment they both realized that their time as a fake married couple was over officially.

All the little moments, all the unwatched, unnoticed touches that they had reasoned away until this very moment by the job they were doing, they had never been just a job. They had been the expression of a longing, a desire that was hidden deep within both of them.

Chapter Text

Detective Johnson did not seem to notice the awkward silence that had occurred, or she decided not to mention anything. Instead, she motioned towards one of the patrol cars, "I could offer you a ride back to the house."

Charlie and Sarah looked at each other and mutually agreed not to take her up on the offer.

"Um, thanks, but we'll be walking back. Rex needs the exercise before the long drive afterwards," Charlie declined politely.

Detective Johnson nodded, "Fine by me. I am dying to finally subject this Chad person to an interrogation. Oh, by the way, he works for a drug distribution company, so that´s probably where he got the anesthetics. We´re on that. We still do not know how he managed to lure his victims out here, so I hope he is ready to talk."

"Yeah, though this probably wasn't the hardest part," Charlie said and looked at Sarah, "I mean, we met him and he didn't seem odd."

"Right, he sure seemed like a nice enough guy. Wouldn't have thought much if he had invited us for a hike in the woods," Sarah agreed.

"However, I'm glad you caught him before he could continue killing," Detective Johnson concluded. Rex barked proudly. "Yeah, I didn't forget you Rex," she said and patted his head, "I'll make sure to send you some treats."

Rex barked happily while the humans said their goodbyes.

Charlie and Sarah walked next to each other in silence, whereas Rex strolled around through the trees.
Occasionally they would throw a shy look towards the other. Neither of them was in a hurry to get back, both unconsciously trying to prolong the inevitable parting.

However, they reached their destination far too early for their liking. The street was lined with patrol cars, cops were buzzing around, hurrying in and out of Pippa and Chad's home. The neighbors had gathered on the street and watched the bustle. Among them were Jackie and Amy, who waved them over excitedly.

"Sarah, Charlie! Have you heard, the police arrested Chad for murdering all those couples," Jackie reported conspiratorially. Amy added, "There is even said to have been a shootout in the woods!"

Charlie and Sarah shifted uneasily, but before they could come clean about their part in the whole story, a dark-haired man, clearly the one in charge on the scene, spotted them and hurried over. "You must be Detective Hudson and Doctor Truong," Rex barked indignantly, "And Rex, of course! I'm Superintendent Daniel Lewis. I can't thank you enough for wrapping up the worst case of our department so neatly."

"Um, yeah, um... we are happy that we could help you," Charlie stuttered and looked at Sarah for help, who looked equally flustered.

"On behalf of the Corner Brook PD, I thank you for your commitment!" Lewis beamed at them and shook their hands eagerly, "I have to get back inside. If you see Joe back at SJPD later, give him my best."

Jackie and Amy watched the exchange perplexed. When Superintendent Lewis had left, Jackie looked at Charlie and Sarah inquisitively, "SJPD? Detective Hudson and Doctor Truong? What on earth is going on here?"

"Umm...," Charlie mumbled, looking at his feet.

Sarah sighed,"We're really sorry about lying to you. We were on that undercover assignment, so we had to pretend being married to get some insight in the neighborhood."

"You pretended to be married?" Amy asked, disbelievingly. "So... you are not married? You are not even a couple?"

"No," Charlie said. "We work together, we're an excellent team, but that's… um, we're... friends."

"Yeah," Sarah muttered in agreement, nodding her head. "Just friends."

"Right," Jackie said, winking at her wife, the shock about the revelation having vanished into thin air already, "Just friends."

When Charlie caught Jackie's eye he saw a sparkle in it, a smile behind her lips that clearly said she did not believe them in the slightest.

Amy grinned, "You two made a very convincing couple."

Rex barked in agreement. After all, it was glaringly obvious to anyone with two eyes that his two favourite humans were way more than just friends.

"So, um, we'd better head inside to get packed," Sarah suggested, her cheeks still flushed.

"Right," Charlie agreed, "we, um, we should go. So, Jackie, Amy, it was nice to meet you. Take care of Pippa, will ya?"

Jackie and Amy both nodded. "Of course," Amy said, "Hey, you should visit some other day. We loved having you and Rex around and we would love to hear the whole story about your undercover assignment!"

Inside their temporary home, they packed their personal belongings only, since detective Johnson had promised to forward the rest the next day. Hence, they were good to go in barely an hour, despite the fact that Rex did his best to boycott their effort by not helping at all. Instead, he chose to lay stretched out in the middle of the room, having the humans walking around him, careful not to trip over him.
He even did unpack some of the things already in the bags, making Sarah laugh wholeheartedly. "Seems Rex doesn't want to leave yet," she grinned.

Rex barked loudly in agreement.

Charlie ran a hand over his face, "Yeah, um, I think he quite liked that place. And, um, the company."

"Actually, I did, too," Sarah said, looking at Charlie cautiously.

He smiled warmly, "Me too. Um, you know, I was thinking when we get home, we should..." The ringing of his cell phone interrupted whatever he had wanted to say. "Um, it's Jesse," He took the call with a look of equal parts apology and disappointment, which Sarah returned, smiling a little sad before she turned around to carry the first bags to the car.

Whilst listening to Jesse rambling about ordering pizza later that evening for their debriefing, Charlie watched her leave, feeling like he had just let a once in a lifetime opportunity go.

Chapter Text

Several hours later, they arrived back at St Johns. Exhausted from the exciting events of the day and the long drive home, they walked into the bullpen at a slow pace. Solely Rex seemed to be lively and greeted Jesse and Joe enthusiastically, since he had been snoozing in the backseat of the car during the whole trip.

Donovan beamed proudly, "Ah, here you are! Welcome back! I am glad you are all right. Superintendent Lewis called me earlier; Corner Brook PD is more than pleased with the outcome of your assignment!"

"Yeah, um, we're glad we could help out," Charlie said, barely stiffling a yawn.

"Here comes the pizza!" Jesse announced, arriving at the desk loaded with several boxes. Rex barked and licked his snout hungrily. "Yeah, buddy, you've got a pizza just for you tonight!"

While they ate, Joe reported what had come of Chad's interrogation. He had been eager to divulge his long kept secret. After Violet had ended their affair six years ago and made it public before leaving for Europe, his long-held hate towards his mother who had left the family reawakened, resulting in killing the first couple more or less unplanned. When by coincidence another newlywed couple moved into the neighborhood not long after that, he refined his method and used an anesthetic on the woman for the first time. With Violet being gone for several years and Pippa putting an effort into fighting for their marriage, he did not feel the urge to kill again and lived a relatively normal life. That is, until Violet and her husband finally returned from their trip, bringing all those bad memories back. When, again by coincidence, another newlywed couple moved into the neighborhood, he started to kill again and apparently felt good about it. Chad had depicted in bright colours how he had lured the unsuspecting last couple into the woods under the pretext of showing them a particularly romantic spot near a small lake, killing them both. He freely admitted that he had wanted to continue killing, having selected Charlie and Sarah to be his next victims.

The group stayed silent, considering this for a moment. Charlie and Sarah looked at each other, the relief about surviving this madness just fine clearly showing in their eyes. Hesitantly he reached for her hand under the table and intertwined their fingers, squeezing her hand softly. The tender gesture was not hidden from Jesse and Joe, but the older man signaled to the younger man not to comment on it. For once, Jesse stayed silent, albeit he could not supress the smile creeping on his face.

"Hey, what about Chad's father?" Sarah asked a few minutes later. "Any news from the hospital?"

"Yeah, he finally woke up. Detective Johnson spoke to him briefly, he seemed relieved to learn that you managed to overpower Chad and put him into custody. Says he only knew for sure his son was a killer after the third couple was killed, so he decided to stay close to keep an eye on him. When he saw that Chad was obviously interested in you, he came up to you to give you a warning. He blames himself for his son's deeds, because he thinks he did something wrong with his education after Chad's mother left."
Finally, Joe Donovan looked at his watch. "It's late. I'd suggest we call it a night."

As if on cue, Sarah leaned back in her seat and unsuccessfully tried to cover her yawn with her hand.

"Oh, still not tired of being fake married, are we?" Jesse grinned and pointed to her hand.

"Huh?" Sarah made an irritated noise and looked at her hand, blushing slightly when she saw that she was still wearing her wedding ring. "Oh, that. Um, seems somehow I've gotten used to wear it in the last few days." Flustered she slipped the ring off her finger and hesitantly put it on the table in front of her.

Jesse eyed Charlie suspiciously, "So," he stretched the word at length, "where is yours?"

"Um, you know, um, I guess I got used to wearing it as well," he mumbled, not longer trying to hide his hands under the table but hesitantly slipping the ring off his finger as well, putting the golden band right next to Sarah's, his cheeks slightly reddened.

Jesse chuckled, while Joe watched the exchange with a bemused smile.

Rex sighed deeply, clearly annoyed by his two favourite humans being so obtuse.

"Well, let me take those," Joe grabbed the rings and added mumbling under his breath, "My gut tells me we might need those again sooner or later..."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Charlie asked.

"No, no. Have a good night everybody!" Joe shooed them out of the bullpen, calling after Charlie, "Oh, Charlie, before I forget, please make sure that you have your report ready by tomorrow evening!"

"Right, that's gonna be a hard one to write up," Charlie sighed and followed Sarah out of the building, Rex obediently by his side. "Um, should I give you a ride home?"

Sarah smiled but shook her head, "Thank you, but my car is right over there and I'm going to need it in the morning."

"Right," he smiled sheepishly, "Well then... good night, Sarah."

Rex whined and tilted his head to the side.

Sarah smiled coyly and bent down to stroke Rex' head, "Good night Charlie, Rex. See ya tomorrow."

Later that night Sarah woke to an unexpected sense of absence. She still felt the weight of Charlie's arms across her, his breath warm on her neck. Without him, she was untethered, as if she was floating loose in space. She sighed and turned to her side to look at her alarm clock. She had slept just about twenty minutes. With a sigh, she pushed her duvet aside and got up again.

In the kitchen, she opened the freezer and looked inside, frowning. At last she decided on peanut butter ice cream. She leaned on the counter, savouring a first spoonful. Her glance landed on the fake wedding picture of her and Charlie, which she had taken secretly this morning, when they had packed their belongings in the house. Even though she knew Jesse had created the picture, she could not help but wish it was real.
Slowly she ate her ice cream, her eyes on the picture all the time, the only sound in the room the ticking of the clock. When the silence in her kitchen became unbearable, she turned on the radio and listened to the song playing.

Picture perfect memories,
Scattered all around the floor,
Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it any more.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.

She closed her eyes and sighed again. Then she decidedly threw her spoon in the sink and rushed off to grab her clothes.

Chapter Text

On the other side of the city Charlie was lying in his bed wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw Sarah's face, saw her smile and her sparkling brown eyes. He missed her warm body next to his, missed the soothing sound of her breathing evenly whilst asleep, so he had given up finding sleep a while ago. Next to him, Rex whimpered softly. The detective turned to look at him. Rex stared at him, head between his paws and whined once more, looking very sad.

Charlie sighed, "I know buddy, I know. I miss her, too."

Rex yelped and turned the light switch with his paw.

"Rex... pal, what's this about? Get some sleep already."

However, the dog clearly had other plans. He took Charlie's cell phone in his mouth, threw it on the cushion next to Charlie's head and barked invitingly.

Charlie weighed the phone in his hand. "I don't know, Rex. I can't just call Sarah in the middle of the night," he reasoned. "She will surely sleep long ago." Nevertheless, he unlocked the screen with his thumb and stared at the picture of himself and Sarah in her beautiful wedding dress. He had taken a picture of it secretly, right before they had left the house this morning. He zoomed in on Sarah's face and stared at it until the screen faded to black again.

Rex watched his favourite human for a while, his head tilted to the side, his ears moving occasionally. With a huff, he jumped from the bed and turned on the radio on the nightstand with his paw. Loud music was playing.

Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door.
Wishing you'd come sweepin' in the way you did before.
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind.
For me it happens all the time.

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk, and I need you now.
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.

"Now this is just great. Please turn it off already, pal," Charlie sighed and pulled the duvet over his head. Of course he could still hear the song playing on the radio.

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all.
It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now.
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now.
And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now.
I just need you now.
Oh baby I need you now.

Rex barked, took off and came back with the first of Charlie's shoes in his mouth, which he dropped unceremoniously on the bed. The process was repeated with the second shoe as well, after that with the detective's shirt and his trousers.

"All right, all right, I get it, buddy," Charlie sighed, but got up nonetheless. "At least let me head for the bathroom first, 'kay?"

Rex huffed impatiently.

In the bathroom, Charlie took his time taking a shower, all the time wondering what he should do now. He knew for sure that he loved Sarah with all his heart, with all his soul and with his entire mind. Judging from her behaviour in the last days, he was almost certain that his feelings were reciprocated.
However, if he had misread Sarah, it could probably destroy their whole friendship when he showed up late at night on her doorstep to declare his love. He sighed once more. He wouldn't find out of he didn't try now, would he? Determined, he stepped out of the bathroom to find Rex sitting by the door, the car keys already dangling in his mouth.

"Yeah, I get it, pal." Charlie threw on his jacket and opened the door, only to stop dead in his tracks. Sarah came strolling up to his doorstep, a shy smile on her face "Uh, Sarah? You okay? What are you doing here?"

"Hi, I... um...," Sarah stuttered. She didn't quite know what she had expected from her surprise visit, but for sure she had not expected to find Charlie all dressed up and on the way to wherever he was heading to at that time of night. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought... Nevermind, I shouldn't have dropped by unannounced, as you're obviously on your way to... somewhere." She turned to leave, but Charlie grabbed her ellbow.

"Sarah. Don't go. I... um... Actually, I was on my way to your place," Charlie shifted nervously. "You know, I couldn't sleep either."

She glanced up at him disbelievingly.

"I missed you, you know. And then Rex turned on the radio and there was that song and Rex kept throwing my shoes and my clothes at me...," Charlie found Sarah looking at him confused, so he stopped midsentence. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling."

Sarah stepped closer, her eyes shining brightly. "I missed you, too," she whispered softly.

A soft smile appeared on his lips and he moved closer, tenderly pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Their faces only inces apart, Charlie moved his head down, slowly closing the distance between them, until his lips cautiously brushed against hers.

For a moment, they both froze, warm lips pressed together, eyes open and locked in slight shock.
Then, at nearly the same time, two sets of lips opened on a moan and two sets of eyes closed helplessly.

Charlie pulled away from the kiss first, staring down at Sarah with a stunned kind of joy in his eyes. He cleared his throat, awkwardly, not meeting her eyes. Then he looked straight at her with a shy smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck, loving how solid he felt wrapping his arms around her waist in return, and kissed him back with a passion that probably gave away how she felt.

Slowly, never breaking the kiss, he turned around with her in his arms and gently directed her back inside the house, closing the door soundly with a kick of his foot.

Together they moved through the room where he sank back on the couch, still holding her firmly in his arms, deepening the kiss. He kept his eyes open as he brushed his lips against hers once and then again. She parted them slightly and he traced his tongue across her bottom lip. The soft sound she made actually made him dizzy and he closed his eyes as he opened his mouth on hers. Her tongue touched his hesitantly and he moaned softly, his fingers tensing imperceptibly in her hair, his mouth moving hungrily yet tenderly on hers.

She had never imagined a kiss could say so much and yet it did.

When they broke apart, panting and out of breath, Charlie in a whisper voiced her inner thoughts, "I never want to miss you again."

Sarah smiled tenderly, "Me neither. You make me happy and oddly complete in a way that I never was before."

Charlie looked at her, drinking in her beauty, her smile, her scent. “I´m glad we are finally here, together. You do know that you are going to be stuck with me,” interrupted by an indignant bark he immediately corrected his mistake,”right, pal, with us, for a long time? Like, forever?”

"That sounds a lot like until death do us part," Sarah grinned, "Charlie Hudson, you are not just proposing to me, are you?"

"Nah. Not yet, that is,“ he winked, kissing her again. “But you do know I love you, don´t you?”

Sarah kissed him back tenderly, “And I do love you.”

Once more, an indignant huff sounded from the floor where Rex lay stretched out. Sarah bent down and ruffled his fur, “Of course I love you too, buddy," she said before being pulled up by Charlie once more, kissing her passionately over and over again.

- The End