Another late night at the office, the place was empty everybody else had lives to go home to. Kate sat in her office reading through report after report, doing everything in her power to put off going home to her empty lonely apartment. Then her phone rang, "Oh Todd, Hello Hun!" she tried to sound as sweet and loving as possible, "Just finishing up some paperwork." She barely had the sentence finished when the phone cut out; he had hung up on her. Great she thought, now he is pissed off, she began to shake there was no way she could go home now. He would definitely be waiting for her. And she really couldn't be bother with the hassle of an argument, as far as she was concerned there was nothing left to fight for anymore. She had to end it but she could only imagine what her mother would say, another man that has walked out on you, she could already see the look of disgust on her face. It was because of her mother Kate often questioned whether she was the problem, maybe she really was the frigid snow queen that drives men away. It was times like these; Kate began to truly believe she was unlovable. Then again it is hard to love damaged goods.

She curled up on the couch in her office, her cup of extra strong coffee in one hand and the next report in the other. She finished off the coffee and rubbed her eyes, which had begun to sting with tiredness. Her exhaustion eventually prevailed, concentrating on the file proved too difficult for Kate, and slumber took over. She slept right through first ding of the elevator announcing someone's arrival and she didn't even flinch at the second. However what followed caused her to bolt to her feet, as Todd's angry voiced boomed through the office. "So is this what you would rather do on a Saturday night, you are a real piece of work do you know that, Kate. You know I was married before to an Ice bitch that was married to her job, and it will not happen again."

Kate had stood opened mouthed she had no idea what to say, she was shocked at how he was reacting, "Kate, are you even listening to me? Get your stuff we are going home." She finally snapped out of it, "Excuse me, you do not just get to barge into my office, my place of work and demand that I leave with you. Perhaps it is better that this is happening sooner rather than later, Todd I think you should leave, and I do not ever want to see you again. This isn't working, not for me anyway, I am done." She turned on her heel and headed for her desk when she felt a hand wrap tightly around her wrist, "Todd let me go." His grasp only tightened as she began to squirm. "You don't get it do you, I end the relationship not you. I divorced the first bitch and you and I aren't finished until I say so." Kate began to panic, she lifted her other hand to hit out at Todd but he saw it coming "No use trying to fight honey," he whispered as her pulled her closer. But that was all he could say before her knee came swiftly into contact with his groin. He released his grip for a minute but Kate had not moved fast enough. He recovered quickly and as she tried to run her caught her by the hair.

"Oh, no you don't, think you can humiliate me like she did." He spun Kate around as their eyes locked she felt his fist collide with her jaw and then her stomach. With that Ethan came storming in to the room, and without a minute of hesitation he tackled Todd to the floor. Fists were thrown but the two men eventually got to their feet, "Are you sleeping with this twerp, you little whore? You can have her," he said smugly as her saw the fear flashed once again in Kate's eyes. With that he stormed out of her office and down the hall. Ethan rushed over to her, she hadn't really moved, she couldn't believe she had just allowed a man to lift his hand to her. "Dr Murphy, Kate look at me, Kate, are you alright?" The sound of her employee's voice caused her to snap out of her daze, she looked up at him everything registering in her head. She noted his newly forming black eye, split lip and bloody nose. "Oh God Ethan, I am so sorry." She reached out and gently touched his face. "Are you kidding Dr Murphy, the ladies love a bad boy and with these new battle scars I will be the worst at this weekend's ST convention." Seeing Kate was becoming even more confused, "Star Trek, anyway Dr Murphy are you ok?" She smiled at him and nodded "Yes, Ethan I am fine and thank you, for well you know being here... By the way what exactly are you doing here?"

"Oh well Megan just called seems we have a new body, found behind the dumpster of that new Italian restaurant. They will be here any minute so I should get cleaned up." Kate cringed she didn't want anyone else seeing her or Ethan for that matter. "No, Ethan you can take the rest of the night off, I can't have anyone seeing you like this." Ethan rolled his eyes, "Dr Murphy maybe you should head home to then, as I highly doubt you have seen your own reflection yet, and that bruise on your face isn't pretty either." She turned round quickly trying to catch her reflection in the window behind her. "Shit," she muttered under her breath. "Well, the both of us can't leave and you look decidedly worse than me, so on you go home Ethan, and thanks again." He turned to leave and as he did she heard him mumble under his breath, "You can tell Dr Hunt, were I am."

About twenty minutes later she heard the elevator, it was Megan, Peter and Lacey, and Kate could see they were heading right in her direction. Megan barged in through the door and she didn't even lift her eyes off the paperwork in front of her. "Where is Ethan? I told him to meet us here." Kate answered without even looking up, "he didn't look so good, so I sent him home to try and sleep it off." She could feel Megan roll her eyes; she didn't have to look at her to know that what she was doing. "Ok, well there is my body, look I can't get in touch with Todd, so I had to bring Lacey with me, keep an eye on her for me." Kate accidently lifted her head to find Megan but she was already gone and Lacey was left standing in the door way awkwardly. The twelve year old gasped as she met Kate's gaze and she noticed the bruise on her face. Kate quickly glanced back down at her desk, she was trying to avoid the little girl so much she didn't hear her approach.

It wasn't until she felt a small warm hand under her chin, she reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet the little girls once again, and knowing there was no making excuses. When their eyes met Kate could see tears welling up in Lacey's as she ran a finger over the bruise. "He did this, didn't he, I know it was him." Kate nodded sadly and the young girl burst into tears and apologies for her father's behaviour. Kate immediately got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around her pulling her in close. "Oh Lacey, sweetheart this is not your fault, you should not have to apologise for him." Lacey buried her head deeper into Kate's side and she wince but did the best she could to hide it from her. "But now I have to ask, Lacey, has your father ever," Lacey cut her off before she could say anymore, "No, not me, never," she said with conviction, but Kate heard her whisper afterwards, "but his temper scares me." She then lead the little brunette over to the couch, Lacey still hadn't let her go. A little while late she had final got Lacey to calm down and she had fallen asleep, she knew she was going to have to tell Megan now. It wasn't long before Kate herself fell asleep to.

Megan wrapped the case up quite quickly, it turned out the guy had way too much to drink, passed out and proceeded to choke on his own vomit and asphyxiate. She let Bud and Sam know so they could inform the family in the morning. It was five am and Megan was exhausted, she made her way to Kate's office to collected Lacey. She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Lacey and Kate on the couch asleep. But that wasn't the only thing shocked her, noticing the purpling mark on Kate's face she felt the anger bubble up inside her. "Bastard!" she muttered under her breath. She entered the room quietly and gently shook Kate awake. "Huh hum what is...Megan sorry you scared me." She said quietly aware that Lacey was still asleep, Megan knelt down in front of her. "Let's get you two home, eh?...Kate you will coming home with us ." She took the blonde woman's hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly, "If I know Todd, he hasn't finish yet." Kate made no protest, in reality she was petrified of going home anyway, he had a key after all. She simply scooped Lacey up, so her head was on her shoulder and legs dangling either side of her waist, forgetting about her side. She winced and placed Lacey as gently as possible back on the couch. "Let me see," Kate shot Megan a look of surprise, "Don't look at me like that, let me see. I want to make sure nothing it broken." Kate glared at her now, "I am fine, I would know if something was broken, I am a doctor to you know." Kate moved to pass Megan and the woman stepped in front of her, "Hey hard-head, stop being so stubborn and let me see, please I am just trying to help." Kate sighed and lifted her shirt slightly, Megan gasped, at the sight of the dark blackening contusion present on Kate's others wise unblemished stomach.

Kate pulled her shirt down swiftly, "Kate, I am so sorry this happened to you but please don't shut me out, I am trying to help." The younger woman had turned away from her and Megan noticed her form begin to shudder, she had finally broke. She spun Kate round and engulfed her in an embrace, the younger blonder had taken her shoes off and it made her easier to comfort as she sobbed. After while Kate lifted her head off Megan's shoulder and the redhead reached up and brushed a blonde strand behind her ear. "Come let's go." Megan shook Lacey awake as Kate composed herself and they headed to the car. They arrived back at Megan's apartment about ten minutes later, Lacey hugged and kissed her mother before, doing the same to Kate, which made the blonde woman smile, Lacey was such an affectionate kid, and then she headed off to bed. Megan instinctively took a hold of the Kate's hands and led her to her bedroom, she proceeded to find something for Kate tp wear, she was about the leave the room again to give Kate some privacy but she heard the other woman wincing once more.

"Hey, hey," she muttered gently, "Let me help, go easy ok." Kate relented and let Megan help. She knelt down on the ground in front of her and took off her shoes, she then unbuttoned Kate's trousers and slide them down each leg. The only time their eye contact was interrupted was when the fabric of the t-shirt passed over Kate's eyes as Megan pulled it over her head. Once she had Kate dressed again she noticed the soft bruising on her wrist, she ran her thumb of the top of them softly. Then out of nowhere she placed a small kiss on each wrist, she heard Kate's breath catch in the back of her throat and she panicked, thinking she was going to run but she didn't. Megan had no idea where this was coming from; she felt Kate's hand under her chin and allowed her face to lift up. Her hazel brown eyes meeting ice blue, Kate then reached forward cupped Megan's cheek and slide it round to the back of her neck and pulled her in gently pressing a kiss, to her employees, soft, warm and inviting lips. Neither woman knew what was going on and neither wanted to stop but Megan pulled back and look Kate right in the eye, "We should get some rest." She then lead the younger woman up from the base of the bed and had her climb into it, she then climbed in the other side. Within a few minutes Megan could hear Kate lightly snoring; she smiled and noticed that Kate still looked breathtaking even as she snored. Megan decided there and then she would have no problem waking up to this view every morning. I thought that excited and perplexed her.