A/N: MPants is back! I’ve missed you. And I’m sure you’ve missed our intrepid gumshoes, so I will leave you to the readin’.

I lay in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling, before getting up. A dream I’d been having when my alarm rang had disturbed me; I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong, not being able to remember the events of the dream, but it sure left me in a funk.

I could hear Pete in the kitchen, making coffee. I didn’t know how the guy could be such a morning person. Particularly on cold, dreary days in December. The smell of the roasted beans hit my nose and Pete started whistling. I grimaced.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and pushed myself up off the mattress. I paused to stretch the night’s sleep away and scratched at the stubble on my face that never seemed to quite go away. I threw on a robe over the white T-shirt and boxers that made up my pajamas and meandered into the kitchen.

“Morning sunshine,” Pete smiled at me from the stove, where he’d put on bacon. I wrinkled my nose. As good as it tasted, the smell of bacon frying always made my stomach turn.

I waved my hand in a somewhat friendly manner and took a mug from the drying rack in the sink. I pulled the fancy vacuum coffee pot Pete’s mom had given us for Christmas last year towards me and poured myself a cup. Not even bothering to add sugar or cream, I took a sip of the scalding liquid. I hoped the combination of coffee and heat might burn the feeling of waking up on the wrong side of the bed away.

Pete whistled again, but this time it wasn’t cheery. “What’s eating you, Jazz? You look like hell. I’m starting to get cranky just being near you.”

I placed the mug down on the counter and leaned against the sink before rubbing a hand across the back of my neck. “I don’t know, man. I had some dream last night that’s got me all mixed up. I can’t shake the feeling.”

Pete took the crisp bacon out of the frying pan and laid the strips on a plate. He handed the plate to me, then poured a bowl of scrambled eggs that had been sitting nearby over the hot grease. He snatched a piece of bacon from the plate I was holding before I walked it and my coffee mug over to the table and sat down.

“That’s terrible,” Pete said through a mouthful of pork. “I hate it when that happens.”

“Yeah,” I mused, then sipped my coffee.

I stared off into space while Pete finished cooking the eggs. He brought a heaping plate of them over to the table, along with two empty ones. I piled some eggs and bacon onto mine and stabbed at the fluffy yellow substance with my fork. I hadn’t known Pete long when we moved in together; we’d hit it off during training at the academy. But I was sure glad to find out he was an accomplished cook. I could barely make a sandwich.

I shoveled some eggs into my mouth and followed them with a piece of bacon and a swig of coffee. After I’d swallowed, I spoke. “Good food, Pete. Thanks.”

“Nothing beats a hearty breakfast to ward off a long, cold day.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, Mom.” Pete sometimes sounded much older than his 25 years.

We continued eating, in relative silence. Before too long, I had finished.

Pete looked at his plate, which was still half-filled with food. “Did you even chew?”

I winked at him as I took my empty plate to the sink. “Leave your dishes here, I’ll get them when I get back from the shower.”

Pete saluted without turning around. “Right-o Captain.”

I walked back into my room and grabbed my dop kit and towel and then headed to the bathroom, which was located down the hall. I took a quick shower, after letting the water warm up to a nearly scalding temperature, and then shaved. I nicked myself once, when I’d let myself drift off into the haze I seemed to be stuck in, and cursed under my breath. I rubbed the trickle of blood away with my finger; some of it caught on the white scar on my chin. Thinking about that, at this time of the year, only made my funk worse, so I threw up the familiar mental wall before rinsing the shaving cream off my face.

I cleaned up the sink before walking back to the apartment. Pete passed me in the hallway.

“Great timing,” I started.

“As always,” he replied, with a smile.

I entered the apartment and hung the wet towel on a hook over the radiator to dry. In my room, I threw on an undershirt, a pair of dark wool pants and a heavy sweater, and went back into the kitchen to clean up while Pete got ready.

We left the apartment together and, since it wasn’t snowing yet that morning, decided to walk the ten or so blocks to the precinct. Pete picked up a paper while I popped into a corner market to get two cups of coffee to go. We warmed our hands on the cups.

I listened as Pete talked about Charlotte, which was pretty much the only thing he talked about these days. I nodded and added the requisite “mm-hmm” or “you don’t say” where required. She was still down with the cold she’d gotten a couple of days ago, so he was planning a trip, complete with chicken soup, to her place tonight. The way he spoke about Charlotte reminded me of the way I felt about a certain someone; just thinking about Alice chipped away a little of the fog I’d been in since waking up that morning.

We were nearly to HQ when Pete said, “When she’s better, you and Alice and me and her definitely need a night on the town.”

I smiled. “You bet, Pete. Alice is really looking forward to meeting both you and Charlotte. She was mighty sad y’all couldn’t make it out on Wednesday.”

“Yeah, that was too bad. But you guys had fun without us.” He nudged my arm with his, conspiratorially.

I rolled my eyes as we walked into the building that housed the police office. I nodded at the sergeant on duty at the front desk. I was ashamed every time I saw him; I could never remember his name. It was something foreign, something unusual. His brother, Embry, worked the same beat Pete and I did, when we weren’t working it, with a guy named Jacob. They were good fellows, if a little standoffish.

Pete nodded at the man as well. “Morning, Quil.”

Ah yes, that was it.

After changing into our uniforms in the locker room, we headed to our desks. We had some paperwork to take care of before we headed out on rounds later this afternoon. It was Friday, and that also meant we’d be making a stop at Lilly’s. I hadn’t talked to Rose since Sunday dinner, and even then we hadn’t had a real chance to talk about what was bothering her. I’d been hoping Rose would be able to give me a few more insights. But since the few details she’d let drop at Lilly’s before the dinner at Mrs. Swan’s, she’d clammed up. She’d spent most of last Sunday near Royce. I snorted. The girl certainly knew how to keep me at an arm’s length.

The phone rang, breaking me out of my staring contest with the framed photo of President Coolidge hanging on the wall.

“Whitlock,” I said into the receiver.

“Hello, officer,” the voice on the other end of the line cooed.

My grin nearly split my face in two. “Hello, darlin’. I’ve missed you.”

“Aww, Jazz,” Alice replied. “I was trying to be all coy and you go and say something like that and get me all sorts of flustered.”

“Sorry, but it’s the truth. I feel like a thirsty man stuck in a desert when I’m not near you.”

Pete choked on his coffee at his desk across from mine. I shot him a look; if I had to put up with his “endearing” conversations with Charlotte, he could learn to deal.

Alice giggled on the other end of the line. It didn’t quite sound right, however. Something was up.

“What’s wrong, Ali?”

“Bella just called Edward. She … she got a letter yesterday.”

“A letter?”

“From Emmett.”

The world suddenly sharpened. I lowered my voice. “From Emmett. Is she sure?”

“Yeah, she said it was in his handwriting.”

“What did it say?”

“That he’s OK, that he made a bet he couldn’t repay and got in too deep with some pretty nasty characters. He thinks they’re deciding what to do with him. He’s down at the docks, somewhere; he can hear sounds of boats and seagulls.”

“What’s the plan?” I knew Edward Masen well enough to know he’d already come up with something.

“Well, that’s part of the reason I called. I wanted to see if you were free tonight, to go to Lilly’s. With me.”

“I’m going to Lilly’s on my route later this afternoon, Alice. I can ask whatever you need to ask Rose when I’m there.” I knew Alice was deeply involved in this case, but I wasn’t happy to see that Edward was so thoughtlessly throwing her to the sharks. “This was Edward’s plan?”

“I’m not going to ask Rose anything, Jazz,” she said, her voice growing hard. “And this wasn’t Edward’s idea at all. I have a hunch and I will be seeing it through.” Her voice softened a little as she continued. “And I would like it if you were by my side when I do.”

I shook my head. Of course it was Alice’s plan. I should have known. She was a flapper, through and through. Her strength only made me fall more in love with her, however. I was completely and utterly stuck on Alice Cullen.

“I would be honored to escort you, ma’am.”

“That’s right,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “Meet you here, at the office, when you get off work? We could grab a bite to eat before we head over to Lilly’s.”

“Sure thing, darlin’,” I replied.

“Have I told you that I adore it when you call me that?”

I laughed. “No, I don’t think you have.”

“Well I do.”

Pete cleared his throat and I looked up. He was pointing his eyes in the direction of the chief’s office, where the Chief Charles stood, looking in our direction.

“Gotta run, baby, the chief’s headed this way.”

“Oh, OK Jazz. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight,” I said. I hung up the phone just as the chief made it to our desks.

“Whitlock, le Nord.” He nodded at each of us in turn.

“Chief,” we responded, in unison.

Pete and I listened as the chief went over some new regulations the force was putting into place. I let my mind wander a little, picturing Alice’s sweet face, remembering how good it felt to have her body pressed against mine as we huddled against the cold a mere two nights ago.

“That is all, gentleman. Good luck on the beat this afternoon.” Chief Charles turned on his heels and marched back into his office.

“Did you get all that Pete?” I smiled at my partner.

“Nah, I nodded off about halfway through.”

Pete and I finished up our busywork in the office before lunch, then drove a cruiser to the spot where we started our beat. We got to Lilly’s about the same time we always did, 6:30-ish, at the end of our walk, and went inside for our weekly coffees.

It had started to snow as we were walking, and there were little drifts piled on top of our hats as we entered the front door. I took Pete’s hat from him and shook both mine and his onto the mat outside.

Pete went to our usual table and I went to the counter to get coffee from Felix. We exchanged cursory pleasantries. I took the mugs back over to Pete without even asking where Rose was. I had been pondering Alice’s hunch since we spoke this morning, and by now I was completely and totally suspicious of anyone who worked at or near Lilly’s. I knew in my heart that Rose was only involved in the situation because she had to be, but I still didn’t want to have to pretend like everything was copasetic when it obviously wasn’t.

I watched as Demetri’s black sedan drove into the alleyway. I waited, making small talk with Pete, until it had returned to the street. As soon as it had rounded the corner and was out of sight, I was out of my seat.

Pete looked up at me, startled. “What’s with you? You still edgy from the dream this morning?”

“Got a date,” I replied, trying to play off my eagerness to leave as excitement to see Alice. It wasn’t a total lie, after all.

“Ahhhh.” Pete tapped his temple to signify his complete understanding.

I set a brisk pace back to the car, then drove at just above the speed limit on the way to HQ. I beat Pete into the locker room and nearly elbowed him in the face in my haste to get changed.

“Geeze, Jazz. Slow down. Alice isn’t going anywhere.”

I just nodded and slowed my pace, just enough to appease my critic. We parted ways at the outer doors of the building; Pete was headed to Charlotte’s and I was going uptown.

“See you later?”

“Yeah Pete. Have a good night. Tell Charlotte I hope she’s feeling better soon.”

The walk from here to Alice and Edward’s office was a long one, but I felt the need to work off some of the nervous energy that had been plaguing me since I woke up this morning. I set off at a jog and got three blocks before I realized it might not be a good idea to show up at the office, for a date, out of breath and sweating.

I slowed and hailed a cab. The jog, as brief as it had been, had done me some good. I took deep, calming breaths as the cab drove along the snow-covered streets.

When we reached the office, I asked the driver to wait as I ran inside to get Alice. I walked up the steps of the brownstone and down the hallway to the office. I knocked on the door and then opened it.

Alice was waiting. She was perched on the edge of her desk, her thick coat wrapped around her shoulders, but allowing me a tiny peek of a leg from underneath. She smiled at me as I walked toward her, wrapping her lithe arms around my waist when I reached her. I placed a light kiss on her cheek and breathed in her delicious scent. She smelled of honey and vanilla.

“Hello beautiful.”

“Hello handsome.”

Edward called from the inner office. “Jasper? Can I talk to you a second?”

I reluctantly pulled myself from Alice’s embrace and walked to the doorway. “Edward.”

Edward stood and made his way to me, sticking out one hand for me to shake. “I’ll trust that Alice has filled you in on the letter?”

“She has.”

“I want you to know that I only have Alice’s best interest in mind. Her well-being comes before any case. No matter who’s involved,” he said. I saw a flash in his eyes and I knew he was thinking about Bella.

Edward continued. “This whole, information gathering mission, was Alice’s idea. I didn’t much like it when she had a similar plan to talk to Rosalie, but it turned out some good info. So I’m trusting in her judgment.”

“Agreed.”

“And I am trusting in yours, as well, Jasper. Things are a little more serious now than they were the last time she visited up Lilly’s.”

I nodded. “I won’t let anything happen to her, Edward. You can be certain of that.”

I felt Alice draw close behind me. Her hand lit on my shoulder and she tugged, lightly. “Enough of this bull session, boys. We got work to do.”

Edward followed us to the office door. “Call me later, at home. Let me know what you find out.”

“Will do, Eddie,’ Alice trilled as we headed toward the waiting cab.

We set off toward a restaurant Alice knew of in the vicinity from Lilly’s. Alice spent the drive curled into my side, beaming up at me as I told her about my day. I mentioned the funk I was in when I woke up in the morning, and how it had all—for the most part—gone away the moment I’d heard her voice on the phone.

During dinner, she wouldn’t tell me anything about her “hunch,” even after I’d tried twice to get her to tell me. “You’ll see,” was all she’d say. She seemed nervous; I figured it was just excitement about the assignment. It was still new to her to be a full-fledged part of the detecting team, and, as she’d told me, she couldn’t be happier about it. Either that or my nervousness from earlier was catching.

After eating, we walked down the street to Lilly’s and then through the dark alleyway and past Felix to get into the joint. He raised an eyebrow when he saw me, out of uniform, but I just smiled and shrugged a little in Alice’s direction, as if her presence explained it all. Felix grinned; apparently Alice, and all of her personality, was well-known in these parts.

We wandered over to a small table near the stage. A jazz band was playing, softly. The house singer, a dame named Kate, would be on later. I didn’t see Rose, but I knew she was around somewhere.

I helped Alice with her coat, and complimented her on the dress she was wearing underneath.

“Oh this? It’s really a work dress. But I figure it’s nice enough for a night out, too.”

“I think it’s lovely. You make it lovely, Alice.”

Even in the dim light I could see her cheeks redden, slightly. I smiled at the sight.

Something at the bar caught Alice’s eye. “OK, Jazz,” she said, looking me straight in the face. “You know that you’re the only man for me, right?”

I was a bit taken aback. I knew that Alice cared for me, and that I cared for her—more than she knew—but for her to come out and say it so blatantly was unexpected. And yet, coming from Alice, not surprising.

“Yes …” I said, hesitantly.

“I have to go do something that might seem like I’m sending mixed signals.” She put her hand over mine, on the table, and squeezed. “But my heart is staying right here, with you.”

I flipped my hand around so that it was holding hers and squeezed back. The fact that she felt the need to reassure me that her heart was mine was sweet, but I already knew it, deep down. Nothing Alice did would make me doubt her.

With a nod, she walked up to the bar. I heard her sweet voice ring out, and I turned just enough so that it although it looked like I was watching the band, I could also see her. She was talking to a bartender. She was leaning in, close. She was rubbing her hand up and down his arm. My fists clenched the table so hard I felt like it might break.

I didn’t doubt Alice, no sir. But I definitely did not like what I was seeing.

She laughed and I could hear her clearly for the first time as she said, “Oh, Alec. You are just a doll!”

Alec? Who was this guy?

I forced myself to look away from the bar and toward the band. As my eyes drifted across the doorway to the kitchen, I realized Rose was standing there, also watching the scene at the bar. Her eyes were slits, and I could almost feel the steel of her gaze from here. I stood, intent on walking to her, when she noticed me. She turned on her heel and disappeared. I sighed, and sat down. I wasn’t making things better by letting her go off by herself, but I didn’t want to jeopardize Alice by explaining the real reason I was at Lilly’s.

My shoulders slumped; I appeased myself by watching the man at the piano. Alice returned a little while later, two drinks in hand. She was all smiles until she sat down, positioning herself so I blocked her from the guy at the bar.

Her face was glowing, but it contrasted with the determined look on her face.

“Did you get what you needed to?” I said, my voice rigid.

She saw my face for the first time then, and hers fell. “Oh Jazz. I told you what I was going to do wasn’t going to be easy for you.” She reached across the table and laid a hand on my crossed arms, but I didn’t uncross them.

“I know.”

“Then why are you acting like this? Alec has been carrying a torch for me for a while. I didn’t like to, but I had to feed him a line to get what I needed. What we needed.”

“Why?” I felt the need to keep my statements short. Otherwise, I was afraid of what might come out. I wasn’t a possessive person, not normally, but Alice was mine.

“Because. I can’t really tell you here, but if you’ll stop being a wet blanket and at least pretend to enjoy yourself a little longer, we can go somewhere and I will fill you in.”

I looked at the drinks she’d brought to the table. “What’s that?”

“Whiskey.”

“I don’t drink.”

“Jazz,” she started. “I know you’re a cop and all, but really, we’re in a speakeasy. Can’t you take it easy for one night?”

“I don’t drink, Alice,” I snapped, immediately regretting it.

She straightened up, pulling her hand off my arms. The look on her face was as if I’d struck her.

I softened, immediately. “Oh Ali, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just … I’ve been off all day. I am sorry.” I reached a hand toward her, willing her to meet me halfway.

After a moment, she relaxed. Her hand reached out to take mine. “It’s got something to do with the scar on your chin, the not drinking. Doesn’t it.”

I looked at her. Really looked. The woman was a wonder.

I sighed. It was going to come out eventually. And I wanted Alice to know everything there was to know about me.

“Five years ago, I moved to New York to live with Rose and her parents,” I started. Alice looked at me intently. Her eyes pleaded with me to continue.

“I didn’t move here because I wanted to. I moved here to get away.”

I thought about Christmas, 1921.

“We all used to get together at Christmas. The whole family. In 1921, My sister Maria and her husband Corin were expecting their second child. The first, Nettie, used to run around the house, chasing the family dogs. She probably still does, actually.” I laughed. Maria’s daughters were great girls, if a little rambunctious.

“Corin and I went out after supper, to town, to get some ice cream for the girls. We’d been drinking a little with dinner, but not a lot. It started snowing on our way back and we got excited, like two little kids. It didn’t snow often in Texas; in fact, this was the first year since I was real young that it had happened. Corin urged me to get a move on; he wanted to be able to play in the snow with Nettie.

“I was driving an old Flivver my father kept around the ranch we lived on. It wasn’t in the greatest shape, but it still ran. And Father was nothing if not practical.

“I sped up, also eager to get home. I took a corner I’d taken a hundred times at a speed I’d driven a hundred times more.” I paused, taking a breath. The memories flashing before my eyes were painful.

“The car couldn’t handle the combination of the corner, the speed and the slick ground. When I woke up, I was in the clinic. I had split my chin wide open on the steering wheel, broken my arm and some ribs. My whole body felt like a giant bruise.

“Corin wasn’t in the clinic with me.”

Alice gasped.

“Come January, I couldn’t stand the haunted look in Maria’s eyes any longer. Father sent word to Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Margaret and I made my way up north before February began.”

Silent tears were streaming down Alice’s face. The back of my neck ached; I felt like I was going to throw up. I’d barely told anyone, save Pete, about what happened before I’d moved here.

“It was an accident, Jasper.” Alice whispered.

I pulled my handkerchief out from my pocket and wiped the salty tracks from her face. “I know, Ali. It took me a long while to come to terms with it. At first I blamed myself, and I lost myself in self-hatred. Before I left, Maria told me she didn’t blame me. Which helped, a lot. But I just couldn’t stick around to be a reminder of what she’s lost.

“She and Nettie, and the little one, Lucy, live with my parents. They do OK. Maria’s a really talented seamstress and she’s sold some of her work in Dallas. So they’re not in need; but I send them money as often as I can. For the girls. For fun stuff.”

“Oh Jazz.” Alice looked at me with eyes full of hurt and love. She didn’t pity me, however, and for that I was thankful.

“So that’s why I don’t drink.” I rubbed my chin. “And that’s where I got this. It’s a constant reminder to be wary, alert and responsible.”

“You’re such a police officer,” Alice teased, lightly.

“You got it, doll.” I stood up. “Think we’ve worn out our welcome? I’m ready to head home.”

“Of course,” Alice responded. She stood and I helped her on with her coat. She waved in the direction of the bar, but her heart was no longer in it. We nodded to Felix on the way out the door.

“Good night, Jasper, Miss Alice,” he said as we walked down the alleyway. Alice shivered.

We hailed a cab and rode downtown, to my apartment. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?” I asked Alice as we neared our destination.

“I’d love to. Can I use your phone to call Eddie, too?”

Of course, the reason we were at Lilly’s in the first place. I’d almost forgotten.

“What did you find out from Alec?”

“Well,” she started, fluttering her eyelashes at me. “I found out that deliveries to Lilly’s come from a place on the Hudson, near the West Washington Market.”

“Nice going, Ali! How’d you know you’d be able to get the information from Alec?”

“Other than the fact that I am an adorable dame and Alec is completely infatuated with me?”

I laughed, my earlier bad mood gone. Telling Alice about my past had felt like a release. “Well yes, besides that.”

“Emmett mentioned an ‘A’ in his letter. Demetri and Tanya are mixed up with Rose, with Lilly’s, and so I figured ‘A’ might play a role in it as well. Alec was the only person I could think of with that initial. My hunch paid off.” She was practically lighting up the night, her smile was so bright.

We’d reached my apartment and gotten out of the cab while she told me this. I picked her up and swung her around in the gently falling snow, giddy with love and excited that we’d gotten such a big break on the case. I was thinking of it as my case now too, I realized as I placed Alice gently back on the ground. So much for not getting involved with P.I.s.

“Let’s go call Eddie, shall we?” Alice waited for me to lead the way.

“Let’s,” I replied, and took her hand to lead her out of the cold.

A/N: BIG BREAK, you guys. :D Hope it was worth the wait.

Thank you for not hating me too much for being gone. I had a blast; thanks for the well wishes! And thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favorites. You guys are what make us excited to keep this story moving along.

Check out a picture of Alice’s dress in our profile.

Slang terms:

bull session—a male gab session

dop kit—a men’s bag of toiletries

flivver—a Model T; an old car

line—insincere flattery

stuck on—have a crush on

wet blanket—a killjoy