Westlake opened the door to her office thinking hat maybe she will talk to Joe tonight about what has been going on. Let him know how she felt,
forgive him in a way. It would take a while for her to fully trust him again with her feelings and heart, but this was the first step.
She had planned to take him to dinner at a local tavern and then maybe a movie or something, she wasn't sure, but she was defiantly taking him to The Fountain. With everything that has happened between them on the last case, she felt that their relationship was progressing in a good way.
Even after all problems in this last case, where Joe didn't trust her,
undermined everything she said, tried his best to stay away from her,
she still had this feeling of being drawn to him. It took a strong person to apologize and move forward, right?
As she opened the door and walked in she wasn't prepared for the sight she encountered.
"Oh, sorry." She said sadly, as she looked from Joe to the other woman in his arms, in a rather compromising kiss and embrace.
She walked out and shut the door and leaned her back against the cold door. She let out a sigh as she heard Joe's foot steps towards her, with that she took off down the hall towards the garage. She had to get her head straight before she had to face him again. With the case being over she would have at least two days to do just that.
She finally reached her car and climbed inside. Finally all by herself,
she let the tears fall. She was so hurt by his actions, and to think she was willing to forgive and move on. This time it is going to be a lot harder to do, and having to work with him so closely was going to be tough.
Westlake just drove around for hours, her car phone rang about four times before she called Frankie and let him know where she was so if need be he could reach her.
Back at the complex Joe had come back and Frankie was full of questions for him.
"Hey Frankie"
"Joe" was his flat answer to him. He was mad, and upset with him.
Frankie had a conservation with Joe the other day and got him to admit that he had feelings, strong feelings for Westlake. He told him to do something about it, just this was not the way he wanted it to happen.
"What is wrong Frankie?" Joe asks a he sits down next to him.
"Joe, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything." Joe replies, clearly not knowing anything about what he was talking about. Well that is not totally true, after Westlake had walked in on him and his ex girlfriend, in her office doing something he knew would hurt her terribly, he ran after her. When he finally reached the garage he saw her in her car crying, then she drove off. He slumped down and sat on the ground for a few moments before he got up and went back inside.
"Look Joe, as much as I enjoy our time together, the feelings I have for you, you have great feelings for someone else."
"Ah.." He was cut off "Your partner Joe, I mean did you see her face when she walked in here on us? Joe look.." She walked over to him and put a hand on his chest "I am not even staying in Metro, this can't work between us. Plus I am not sure it would if I stayed her anyway."
"I am sorry." Was all he said and backed away from her.
"For what? Coming on to me, for feeling something that we once had?" She said to him "Oh please Joe, what we had it was wonderful while it lasted, now it is time to move on. You love her Joe, I can see it in your eyes. You are more loyal and dedicated to her than you ever were to me."
He sat down in her office chair and watched her walk out the door. He picked up the phone and dialed Westlake's car phone, her home number,
the complex, but she didn't want to be reached.
All of a sudden Frankie pulled Joe out of his reverie.
"Joe? Earth to Joe"
"What? Oh yeah what's your question Frankie?"
"Do you remember our conservation the other day about Westake and your feelings for her?"
"Yeah." Joe replied and put his hands over his face. Everything was hitting him full force all at once. His eyes started to well up and he got up and walked over to the couch.
"Then why on earth when I said 'Why don't you do something about it' do the totally opposite? I even told you what she told me." Frankie said as he sat down on a chair in front of him.
"I don't know Frankie. I was, still am scared to death of Cameron."
"Scared? Why?" he inquires "Because, I don't want to lose what we have together, I don't want to lose our friendship, and because Frankie, I want this to be more than just a fling, I want it to last forever."
"Joe then you have to fix this."
"I know, she won't answer her phone, I have no idea where she is."
"She probably needs some time alone Joe. I know I would be really hurt and upset Joe, give her time."
Joe sits there for a few moments then gets up to get a water.
"You know where she is don't you?" Joe asks "Joe don't ask me that."
"So you spoke to her didn't you?"
"Joe, looks I told her I wouldn't say anything to you about her location."
"I can find her with the Viper Frankie, so you might as well tell me."
"Joe, I hope you respect her enough not to do that to her."
Joe sighs and sits back down again.
"I do you know that."
Frankie stands up and walks over to the computers.
"Hey Jo you want to help me out here for a little bit?"
"Sure what do you need?"
"I am just putting the finishing touches on the heat and seek. Can you please set that cup right there?"
"Where here?"
"A little over to the left."
"Here?" Joe asks "Frankie,do you think that everything will be okay with Cameron and me? I know I really messed up big time. I just don't know what to do."
"Joe try her office in about two hours. And you didn't hear it from me."
With that Joe took off in the Viper. He went straight to her office. The thought of stopping by the flower shop crossed his mind, but he just wanted to get there.
"Joe, slow down" Frankie's voice came through the car phone of the viper. "I mean you want to get there in one piece. Slow down."
"Yeah sure Frankie. Bye" And he clicked off the monitor.
By the time he reached the garage he noticed Westlake's car wasn't there yet.
'Good she isn't back yet' he said to himself and went to her office and opened the door. He just stood there for a moment remembering that this is the spot where everything went down hill for Westlake and him. This is where he messed up and now he wanted to make it all better.
Joe sat down on her couch and waited for her to come back.
Just like Frankie said she came back about two hours later. Cameron walked through the door and shrugged off her coat. After hanging it up on the rack she walked over to her couch and sat down. She hadn't even noticed Joe sitting on the couch next to her. As she rested her head in her hands and started to cry again silently.
Joe reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Joe?" she asks "Yeah, it's me." He says as he rubs her back slowly.
"Joe look, I am sorry I interrupted before." She says to him, he noticed that she doesn't even look at him. "But Joe, you hurt me badly. After our last case, after we talked about the 'other stuff' that we were moving closer to each other."
He sighs and stops drawing circles on her back.
"Look I miss read your intentions. It was unprofessional, and it won't happen again." She says "Cameron, look she wasn't staying in Metro anyway, and she had something very interesting insight about us."
"Joe please don't this any harder than it already is." Cameron says as she walks away from Joe towards her bedroom.
She started with her shoes as she slid them off her feet and put them by the door. She turned around to see Joe sitting on the couch, his head in his hands. Cameron knew he was sorry about what went on during this case, but for some reason she needed to push him a bit. Probably to make him suffer a bit, or push him to tell her what she already know, but still needs to be heard.
She started to walk towards her bedroom to change when she heard Joe.
"I am so sorry, I never meant for this to happen." He mumbles. As Cameron moves closer to him she hears a definite shake in his voice. He never heard her coming, as she put her hand on his shoulder and slowly move it down his arm as she sat next to him on the couch.
"Joe, look at me." She said, but his had didn't move. "Joe?" then she took her other hand and lifted his chin to look at her.
"After our last case, I really thought we were actually going to move forward in this relationship. Even though I know you don't get involved with people you work with, and for me, finding it awful hard to get close to anyone after what happened with my ex husband."
"I don't know how much more I can do this Cameron, how much longer I want to." Joe says "It just took someone else to point that out to me."
"Joe how you acted towards me during this case was terrible, it was like I wasn't even there. I was really really hurt. I didn't know where to go, what to do."
Joe takes her hand in his and starts to talk "Do you know how much I want to move this relationship further? How hard it is not to touch you, it doesn't even matter where you could just walk by and brush my arm or something."
"Then why Joe?"
"Because I couldn't have you Cameron and it drove me nuts."
Cameron started to stand up and walk to the kitchen to get some water.
Joe got up as well, determined not to let her out of his sight.
"It is the same way with me Joe, do you know how hard it for me not to reach out for you when we were standing on the dock last week. Why do you think I had my hands in my pockets."
She turned around and leaned against the refrigerator door and looked p at his through half closed eyes and a smile on her face. Joe was standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets just watching her.
"I want so much Joe, and what I have now isn't it. I was so upset when you said you didn't want to be my partner anymore, I as crushed. Do you know that?"
"Well you know what, at the apartment, when you backed into the corner do you know how much I wanted to do this?" He reached out and put his hands on her hips "And this." He whispers in her ear, just close enough to gently touch her ear with his breath.
"Joe, do you really think we should be doing this?" She asks hesitantly,
already knowing the answer but having to ask it anyway.
"No, but I don't want to stop."
"At the airport Cameron, did you understand what I was talking about before Julian showed up?"
"Yeah"
"Cameron?" Joe asks as he pushes her against the refrigerator again and put one hand on her neck and one on her upper arm.
"Yeah?" She whispers and that was all that was said Joe leaned down and kissed her for the first time.