A/N: Quite a hiatus, I know, but this fic is up and moving again. I intend to finish this, but updates will be slow since it's been so long, and I really have to get accustomed to writing this fic again. But, I don't want to delete it, and I don't want to leave it unfinished, so despite any mixed feelings I'm sticking with it.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and Gumshoe's air conditioning-free apartment was nearly as hot as the street outside. The sun was still blazing and from his window he could see the kids on their bikes, the families likely leaving for the beach, and the group of people lined up outside the ice cream shop across the street. Despite the weather, it was one of those days where Gumshoe would have gladly gone into the office to give himself something to do, with the added bonus of it being cooler than his home.

He sat on his couch for a while after his poor attempt at making breakfast and idly flipped through channels. A day off didn't feel like much of a treat when there was nothing to do except stare at a tv program he couldn't put much interest in. After a while, Gumshoe fell asleep, his neck turned in an awkward position against the top of the couch and with the remote still in his hand.

His cell phone rang and he was jolted awake, drowsiness still tugging at his eyes.

"Hello?" he mumbled into his phone.

"Detective! I mean, uh, hi!" There was a moment of silence as Maggey, who sounded somewhere between nervousness and excitement, paused to collect her thoughts. "I know Sunday is your usual day off or, uh, it still is, right? Anyway, Mr. Armstrong gave me the day off today and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the parade downtown, i-if you're not busy that is, but it's so nice out and I thought..." her voice grew quieter as she trailed off again.

"Of course, pal!" Gumshoe answered, suddenly a lot more awake than he was just a few minutes ago.

"Really? I could meet you in about an hour, if that's okay." Maggey seemed much more at ease.

"Sure thing, I'll see you then." He hung up the phone and, feeling more excitement than he had in a while, began to get himself together and more presentable.

Maggey arrived at his apartment with the hour as she promised, and as Gumshoe opened the door he was taken aback by the sight of her.

She was dressed casually like any other day, but after seeing her in uniforms of one variety or another for so long she looked lovely in the comfort that typical clothes afforded. She seemed to be happy enjoying a stress-free day off, and for Gumshoe that was the most beautiful part of all.

"Hey Maggey," he said. "Ready to head out?"

"You bet!"

Gumshoe walked out into the hallway and locked his apartment door, following Maggey as they made their way down the stairs to the street level. He lived only a few blocks over from the downtown area, and their short walk was mostly filled with silence. They approached the crowded street, catching sight of floats and cars as they rolled on by.

Many members of the Los Angeles Police Department were present, and when Maggey saw a motorized Blue Badger decoration adorning one of the floats she called out to Gumshoe. "Look, it's the Blue Badger! Isn't that the one you helped design, Dick?"

"Huh, well will you look at that, it sure is. I guess the precinct managed to get it up and running again in time for the parade," he replied.

"You should let more people know how creative you are! I bet you could even make something to help out in an investigation." Gumshoe looked over at Maggey, who surely couldn't have known any internal details of the Engarde case, and saw that she was smiling earnestly. His gaze lingered on her until a sharp crack rang out and colors were reflected in her glasses. Her turned his head to see that the fireworks had begun and the sky was already starting to turn a dusky shade of blue.

They stood in silence then, catching the remainder of the parade and the fireworks show, neither willing to break the comfortable silence between them.

By the time the parade ended the streets had begun to clear, and Maggey offered to walk with Gumshoe back to his apartment. He protested at first, noting the commute she still had ahead of her to return to her own home, but she insisted. "It's only right I return the favor," she had said.

"I had a very nice time tonight," she said as they made their way back.

"Me too, pal."

"I've had a very nice year, really. I appreciate all you've done for me," she paused to look at him as they walked. "I consider myself lucky to have you in my life, Dick."

He was surprised at her sudden admission, briefly meeting her eyes before she broke eye contact just as quickly as she had looked over.

"Feeling lucky - that's not something I ever expected," she said with a chuckle. "But when I was a child my mother used to tell me that maybe all this bad luck I have is just waiting to be canceled out. That one day something will happen where I realize I'm not as unlucky as I feel. It's always been a comforting thought, at least..."

Gumshoe did not reply, feeling that anything he could say would only detract from Maggey's heartfelt admission. Within a few minutes they arrived outside his apartment building, and he turned to face Maggey to say goodnight.

"Thank you," she said before he got the chance to speak. Maggey leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, blushing slightly as she did so.

"I-I'll be seeing you," she said as she gave a quick wave and walked off to return home.

Gumshoe could only stand outside, momentarily mesmerized by the joys a day off could bring.