Title: The Tea Shop

Disclaimer: As always - I do not own the characters, though I wish I did.

Summary: What happens the morning after

Chapter One

The morning light broke over the couple curled in a ball in the front of a large blue truck. As they slowly woke, both groaned at the intrusion of the light and tried to untangle themselves without bumping elbows, knees or honking the horn. As they pulled apart both seemed to come out of a deep fog.

"Nathan, what the hell happened?" the woman asked, holding her head.

"Oh Crap" said the man, rubbing his eyes with the palm of both hands, then looking around in distress. "Um… Audrey? We're not… uh, completely dressed".

She could feel she wasn't wearing a bra and wouldn't have been surprised if her underwear had been missing too. She looked down at herself, then over at him turning bright red as she did so. "Um, wow - yeah". His shirt was buttoned out of order and untucked, his fly undone.

As he frantically put his clothes back in order he glanced at Audrey and noticed what looked a lot like both a bad case of bed head and several hickeys. What the hell? "I've never had to ask this before but… did we do something?"

They looked at each other. Both faces startled, confused, and a little embarrassed.

"What is the last thing you remember?" She asked. She tried to think back to the day before, but found it mostly foggy. "Breakfast, I remember breakfast".

"Me too, then going to the station".

"Ok, then.."

"Paperwork and …" He stopped, forehead crinkled. "Did we get a call?'

"about a missing car?" She added.

"At the tea shop" they said together. They then stopped and stared out the window. Beyond entering the tea shop, neither could remember anything until they woke.

Nathan tried hard to avoid looking at Audrey, her mussed state and the fact that he might be responsible for it were both very, very distracting. "We should clean up before we go over there. I'm pretty sure this will go better with fresh clothes and a shower".

Audrey felt relieved, at least they had some facts. "Right. Drop me at my place" she said in a business-like tone. The thought of going to Nathan's place and grabbing a shower made her nervous. She was pretty sure they must have had sex last night, given the both very sore, and deeply relaxed feeling in her body. She wasn't clear on much, but definitely didn't want to be in any situation that could get intimate right now.

He dropped Audrey at her place with the promise to pick her up in an hour. She began to step into her shower, glancing at the mirror as she did so. Then she froze. Slowly, she walked over to the mirror on the back of her bathroom door. Is that a bite mark? How did I get one there? The possibilities made her flush and sit down suddenly on the top of the toilet. Apparently whatever happened to her last night was pretty passionate. I wonder if Nathan has marks like this? She rubbed her lips with her fingers and tried hard to remember what happened.

Nathan drove home in a state close to shock. Did I.. did we.. Really? He started to get worked up. Finally? I got to… and I don't remember? Hell! Trying hard to push those thoughts out of his mind he went home, cleaned up and changed on autopilot. He had to be calm, clinical. This was a case after all, he had to focus on being a professional.

By the time Nathan got back to Audrey's place she was ready and waiting outside. She had a notepad and pen in her hands, her service revolver and badge on her hip and was looking very serious. "The notes?" he asked amused.

"I have been writing up the timeline with possible drugs that might have been involved, assuming this isn't something more…"

"Troubling?" said Nathan with a smile.

"Exactly".

The drive to the little tea shop was polite, but quieter than usual. Both were so tied up in their thoughts and trying so hard to be normal, they were nearly unrecognizable.

The tea shop was a small building at the end of a scenic dirt road. It had a nice view of the water but was pretty well hidden from the road. Only a small hand-painted sign, "Anna's Tea Heaven" next to a mail box, gave its location away.

They walked up to the door, tentatively, not sure if they should treat the occupants as suspects or witnesses.

A small red-haired woman in a long flowered dress opened the door and said in a soft, almost musical voice "Come in dears, I imagine you must be very confused right now". She stood back and held the door open.

Looking at each other in surprise, they walked in and let the door close behind them.