Title: Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters.

Series: Takes place after "Go Green" Post #39875.

"You shouldn't have done this. You don't even like Baseball."

Abby smiled and sat back on the bench. They were in a park, Henry and Joe playing with their trucks on the grass a little bit away, and having a ball of a time. "I know. I'm a saint, and, I think that my
brain was addled by the Celtics winning their 17th championship. It kinda..." She turned towards Kerry and tucked her leg under her. "Do you like Miami?"

"As much as anywhere else. Why?"

Abby shook her head and looked out at Joe and Henry. "They seem to get along well."

Kerry chuckled, "They're boys. They're different than us girls, Henry vrooms, Joe vrooms back, it's an international language." Kerry put a hand on Abby's closest shoulder. "How are you doing? Is Luka handling your separation okay?"

Abby shrugged, "I don't know, but, I don't want to talk about him, I... he, Carter, Jake, I could go on, they were such mistakes. The divorce is moving along though."

"I know the feeling."

Abby smirked, "You wouldn't happen to mean... Ellis West would you."

Kerry did a double take, "Wait, how the hell did you know about that?"

"C'mon, have you totally forgotten how much your co-workers loved you at County?"

Kerry rolled her eyes and both women fell silent. It was Kerry who finally broke the silence. "Aubrey Huff had quite a game."

Abby winced, "Yeah, I know... They're Baltimore, and the Cubs are four and a half..."

"Only four now..."

Abby rolled her eyes, "I know. I just thought, at the time, it looked like a fun win... but, the loss aside, the boys seemed to have fun. Does Henry like Baseball?"

Kerry smiled, "The Marlins, Hanley Ramirez yes, but he loves to play soccer as well, basketball, a little tennis, golf. I drew the line at football at his age." The smile dropped from her face, "I-Ironically, the only sport he hasn't gotten into, doesn't love, is Hockey, his mother's obsession."

Both women looked up as Henry ran over. "Mama, can I have my ball?"

Kerry tilted her head to one side, "Are you sure, it was a foul ball you caught all by yourself. Your first one."

Henry nodded very seriously, "Yes Mama, I'm sure." Kerry reached down and handed Henry the foul ball that he had snagged in his hat during the game. Henry started to run off, but stopped when Kerry cleared her throat. He looked sheepish as he turned back, "Thank you Mama..."

Abby waited until Henry was out of earshot to laugh, "Before he was born, I couldn't see it, you, as a Mom, but now..." She shook her head.

Kerry stared out at the boys who were tossing the ball back and forth, every few seconds Henry would say something to Joe, or show Joe how to do what he ws doing, "Abby, why did you invite us to this game?"

"You said you were going to be in Chicago."

"Abby..."

Abby trailed off and closed her eyes. "It's stupid, and there's no reason, you're going back to Miami, I'm here. It's stupid."

"Actually, we're not."

Abby's head swiveled towards Kerry slowly, "What do you mean?"

Kerry stared out at Henry, "It's not fair to Henry being so far from his family, and... I miss Chicago, as mentally unstable as that makes me seem. Miami isn't bad, but it isn't Chicago."

"Wow..."

It was Kerry's turn to turn her head and meet Abby's gaze. "So... what's stupid?"

Abby stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "You have to understand, I don't understand." She took a breath, and then sat back down.

The brunette was about to stand again when Kerry's hand came down on her knee. "Whatever it is, we're friends. It can't be that ba..."

"I think I want to have sex with you..."

"What?"

Abby shook her head, undid her ponytail, running her hand through it and redid it. "That's not... that's not really how I meant it, I mean, I like you, but lately, well, if I'm truthful about myself it's not just lately, but let's just say lately for now. And it's in a..." She glanced over at Joe, "Well, not so platonic way, and it scares the shit out of me."

Kerry was silent for a long time, so long that Abby started to stand again. Kerry stopped her, catching the brunette's hand in her own. "You surprised me, I never expected those words to come out of your
mouth. It didn't even..."

"I get it."

"No, trust me Abby, you don't."

Joe came rushing over, holding his eye, "Mommy, mommy..."

Henry juggled the ball between his hands as he came over to Abby, Kerry and the sobbing Joe. He bit his lip, "Sorry, I didn't mean it."

Kerry brought Henry into a hug as she stood. "I think it's time to get you two home."

"No, sleepover, you said we could do a sleepover Mama..."

Kerry raised an eyebrow at Henry for a moment before she somehow managed to keep a straight face and spoke, "I know that Henry. I'm not senile yet young man..."

Abby chuckled and Kerry shot her a look.

"So Joe can still come?"

This seemed to sooth Joe's eye a bit. He nodded enthusiastically as he looked up at his Mom. "Plwese?"

Abby smiled, "Of course, that was plan wasn't it?"

Abby stared out her window. "It was a stupid idea."

Kerry was on the couch and watched Abby for a moment, "When did your feelings change?" She stood and joined Abby at the window.

"I don't know." Abby turned and found her lips captured in the gentle caress of Kerry's. After a few moments Kerry drew back. Abby stood there with a look on her face that Kerry couldn't quite decipher. She finally spoke, "That was to scare me off right?"

Kerry let a short chuckle escape. "No... I would have done this." Kerry grabbed the back of Abby's head and pulled her down for an intense kiss that had so much force it could have broken noses.

Kerry let go as suddenly as she had grabbed the younger woman, and Abby had to catch herself on the sill so as not to do a header. "I... wha..." Abby shook her head, "That, that wouldn't have scared me off."

Kerry took a step back out of Abby's personal space and smiled as she turned back towards the window. "Didn't work for me either. Couple of weeks later I wound up in Doc Magoos and then in bed with a certain blonde doctor."

"Well..." Abby bumped Kerry's hip and put her arm around the slightly shorter woman. "I'll have you know that I am not that easy."

"Oh?"

"Hey, okay, not that easy anymore. I expect at least three dates, and one of 'em had better include your fried chicken."

Kerry smiled, "Three huh?"

Fin ~ July 27th, 2008