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Heavy rain pattered on the roof of the 16th precinct for the third night in a row. Getting off work this late once again meant Renee would be driving home in inclement weather. Still, she wasn’t going to complain; her baby boy was at his dad’s for the weekend, which meant she’d have the apartment all to herself. A nice glass of red wine, leftover Chinese takeout, and a slice of the double chocolate layer cake she’d baked last night was calling her name.
But, more importantly, Renee wasn’t going to complain because she was grateful to still be breathing. Tonight more than ever.
Nowadays, she supposed some might call SVU being a little spread thin. Although she was glad to have Rollins make a return after her stint in Intelligence, losing Silva and Velasco back-to-back was something of a shock—Kate had taken a job with the FBI, and after his promotion, Joe had transferred to Vice. Renee naturally was proud to see their careers reaching new heights, but it also meant that the definition of field investigation for SVU sometimes saw fewer people covering more ground.
Such had been the case earlier today: Fin and Amanda were busy poring over security footage from the last known sighting of a serial rape-murder tag team the unit had been trying to track down. This left her and Bruno to make a trip to a location near Fort Tryon Park, where a potential witness asked to meet. Police stations make me jumpy, had been the man’s excuse, and Renee’s gut screamed something was off the entire ride over.
Next time, she’d never doubt that nagging feeling. Opening her locker, she let out a sigh as the memories of just a few short hours ago flooded her brain once more.
“Got any plans tonight?” Terry had asked as he turned onto a busy street. He always drove, something that she might’ve taken issue with if it were anyone else. But he was different.
“TJ’s with his dad for the weekend,” she’d responded. “There’s a bottle of Pinot Noir and double chocolate cake with my name on it.”
“Sounds like a good night to me,” he said. “Save me a slice?”
She’d rolled her eyes, even though the attempt to fight off a smile failed. “You’re insanely spoiled. You know that, right?”
“Hey, a beautiful police captain bakes just as good as my nonna, you think I’m gonna turn that down?” When they’d pulled to a stoplight, he reached over the console and gently nudged her shoulder with his fist. “Not a chance.”
The grin on his lips was full of charm and confidence, like it had been so many times before in the precinct when nights were long and the coffee cold. But for some reason, Renee knew it felt different this time. Different because of how her cheeks grew warm, pulse ticking up a notch. Different because despite a little bit of a bumpy start, they’d gradually become closer and more connected—and not just because he liked her desserts or their desks were right next to each other.
I could get used to this was a scary thought; it’d entered her mind all the same as they arrived at the location and exited the SUV. The older gentleman who’d contacted her stood by a row of metal newspaper racks, fiddling nervously with the sleeve of his coat. “Arnold Stevenson?”
He cut his gaze toward her. “You police?”
Renee nodded. “I’m Captain Curry, we spoke over the phone yesterday afternoon. This is Detective Bruno. You said you had information about the woman who was attacked the other night?”
Stevenson glanced back and forth between the two of them. “How do you know what I look like?”
“We’re really good at our jobs,” Terry deadpanned, forcing Renee to purse her lips to keep from laughing. “You got something for us, or no?”
The man sighed as if they were inconveniencing him, like he hadn’t been the one to reach out to Renee in the first place. “I work at Sal’s Diner down the street. A little bit after my shift ends, I see this jerk talking to the young lady. She kept saying ‘no thank you’ or ‘I’m not interested’, but he just kept going.”
Renee pulled up a picture from her phone and showed it to him. “This the jerk?”
Stevenson squinted as he looked at the screen, then nodded. “Yeah, that’s him. I’d seen him a couple times loitering the other day, but I mean…it’s New York, what can you do?”
“Was he with anybody?” Terry asked. “We’ve got two guys on our radar, think they’re working together.”
He scratched his graying mustache, shaking his head. “Nah, he was by himself. There were other folks on the street, but they just looked like they were passing by.”
Renee swiped to another photo, this time of the suspect’s partner. “You’re sure you didn’t see anyone matching this man’s description anywhere near the diner yesterday?”
There was that annoyed look again—as if he’d rather be doing anything else but answering their questions. “Look, Captain, I–”
A bullet ripped through Stevenson's shoulder before he could get the rest of the sentence out. Another whizzed past Renee’s ear, missing her head by mere inches.
Terry lunged for her, a strangled cry of “Get down!” escaping his throat as they hit the cold pavement and rolled behind the SUV. More bullets sprayed brazenly. Panicked screams engulfed the air, civilians running for cover, ducking behind the nearest edifice for safety.
Renee couldn’t move. Could barely breathe. Neither of them were wearing vests, but the expanse of Terry’s body shielded her, one arm wrapped across her midsection and the other cradling her head. With trembling fingers she clung to him, terror seizing her gut.
“Tell me you’re good, Curry,” he breathed into her ear, voice unsteady.
Silence ricocheted off the concrete as everything went still. Somewhere in the distance, sirens blared. Had it been a sniper from above? A spree shooter who’d already taken off by now, disappeared into the crowd?
“Renee.”
It’d barely even registered in her mind that Terry had spoken. Renee flipped onto her back, chest heaving as she fought to get air back into her lungs. The fear in his voice sent a jolt through her brain, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. “I’m good,” she choked out. “I’m good, Bruno.”
“You’ve got blood on your face,” he said as he cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb brushing against her skin and coming away stained crimson.
“That was from Stevenson,” Renee rasped as they helped each other get to their feet. She made the move to check on the man in question, but noticed two people kneeling beside him, applying pressure to the wound. Every second counted, but he could still make it.
Terry ripped his phone from his pocket and made a call, presumably to Benson to loop in the rest of the team on the situation. That’s when Renee noticed something starting to stain the sleeve of his windbreaker. Her throat tightened. “Bruno, you good?”
He ended his call and followed her gaze. Unzipped his coat, while Renee quickly helped him out of one sleeve. A sharp intake of breath followed as she saw a small, dark red spot on his gray Henley shirt. “Damn, didn't even feel it. Just a graze, I’ll be fine.”
“Still,” Renee said, brows knitted tight with worry. “Paramedics should be here soon. You should get that checked.”
“Yeah, I will,” he responded. “Must’ve gotten nicked once I grabbed you.”
When silence fell, something passed between them. Neither being willing to be the first to look away, or even wanting to. A chill went down her spine at how they’d both been centimeters away from grave injury, or worse. “Didn’t have you trying to take a bullet for me on my bingo card, moneybags,” she murmured, aiming for a joking tone, but the way her voice trembled rendered it unsuccessful.
“I know,” Terry spoke softly, taking a step forward, using his good hand to brush against the small of her back. “But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
As the harrowing ordeal left her subconscious, Renee pulled a maroon cardigan over her head and stuffed a few items back in her locker. The picture she’d taped up of her and TJ at the beach when he was in kindergarten caught her eye, and she could feel herself getting choked up as she pressed two fingers to it. He and his dad were probably playing Call of Duty right about now, none the wiser about how she’d gotten way too close to an early grave. She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, sighing softly as she shut the door.
She’d sensed Terry had been standing in the doorway, but her suspicions weren’t confirmed until she looked to her left. Leaning against the wall with the arm that hadn’t been bandaged earlier by the medical team, Renee gave him a once-over. “How’s that arm feeling, detective?”
“Never better,” he responded, and she pretended not to notice the small wince when he pushed up off the wall and walked inside, coming to stand beside her. “You alright?”
Renee nodded, trying and failing to free a handful of curls that had gotten caught in the collar of her jacket after she’d slipped it on. Without even having to ask, Terry slipped into the space behind her to help. “I got you,” he said quietly, fingertips brushing against the back of her neck as he gently pulled her hair free.
A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold pricked her arms, but Renee elected to ignore it. “Thanks.”
“Mhm,” came his soft reply, body so close Renee could feel the rumble in his chest. She tilted her chin up as he moved to stand in front of her once more. “Heading out?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more eager to see the inside of my apartment than I am at this point.” More than that, she was just as eager to forget what had happened entirely. The sound of the bullet slicing past her ear and the memory of Terry getting grazed made her chest feel tight.
Terry chuckled at her response, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You sure you’re okay? Today was kinda rough.”
Renee pursed her lips, eyes roaming his face with a mild air of curiosity. “Is this the part where we talk about what happened earlier, and you offer me comfort?”
Something flickered in his eyes that Renee couldn’t quite pin down. He swallowed hard, like what he was about to say next had been weighing on him. “You could’ve died, Cap.”
“So could you,” she countered, determined to keep her voice even.
“And so, what, you’re just…okay with pretending like it didn’t happen?”
“I’m not pretending,” she shot back. “I’m moving forward, because that’s the job. This isn’t the first time either of us has had a close call.”
She maneuvered around him to head out, but his voice stopped her in her tracks. “I know you sometimes like to pretend like things don’t bother you, Curry—like if you just focus on the work, you won’t have to let your guard down–”
Renee whirled on him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You could’ve died,” Terry repeated a bit more forcefully, and it was the first time she noticed his eyes were wet. “I almost lost you–”
“I almost lost you,” Renee’s voice broke unexpectedly, and though it was laced with frustration, she wasn’t angry. Knew he wasn’t either, not really. This was something else; something long buried beneath the surface, that today's events had unearthed in them both. "Forgive me if I'm not chomping at the bit to relive it, Bruno, alright?"
Quiet blanketed them, the only detectable sound being that of the rain pelting the roof. Terry let out a sigh, shuffling forward until they were a hair's breadth away from each other. She hadn't even noticed a tear had fallen until he reached out and brushed it away with his thumb. Despite herself, Renee leaned into his touch, the warmth of his skin penetrating her bones.
"Things do bother me," she whispered. "I feel things. I just don't want them to consume me."
"I know, and I'm sorry for saying otherwise," his voice was low and warm. "For those few seconds, I just...I was scared as hell. And even more scared of what that meant.”
“Me too. I’m not good at this. At letting people in.”
Terry’s eyes softened a touch. “You think I’m any better at it?”
That earned him a soft laugh. “Can’t say the thought crossed my mind.”
“How about we both give it a shot?” he murmured, closing the space between them further, forehead resting against hers. Renee’s eyes fluttered shut as she breathed him in, gently sliding a hand up his chest.
“I think I’d like that,” were the last words that left her mouth before he kissed her. Slowly, reverently. Taking his time, soaking her in.
Renee melted into his touch, tension from their argument and their day as a whole leaving her body—swiftly replaced by the light, fluttery feeling that came with being held in his arms. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time, and it felt nice to not worry how long it would last. Here, with him, she could just be.
Despite their height difference, with gentle ease she managed to thread her fingers through his hair, pulling him down a bit more to deepen the kiss. At the sound of a throaty hum escaping him, Renee smiled against his lips, satisfied that she’d done something that he found pleasurable. Something to file away for later, when they did this again.
Because if the first time was any indication, they’d definitely be doing this again.
They at last broke apart to catch their breath, still holding each other close. Terry’s hand came to rest at the nape of her neck, the faint hint of his cologne invading her senses. “An amazing baker and an amazing kisser? I think I hit the jackpot."
“Shut up,” Renee muttered, though she couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that came from her lips, laying her head against his chest.
“You want me to drive you home?” he asked softly.
Renee tipped her head back to look at him. “In your condition? I’ll pass. Counter offer?”
“I’m listening.”
“I drive you home, but we stop at my place first for a slice of that cake you’ve been bugging me about all day.”
Terry chuckled, a warmth in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. “I’m not saying no to that.”
“Good answer,” she whispered, aiming to steal another kiss, and eagerly being rewarded.
The thought of I could get used to this no longer held fear; now, it shimmered with hope.