Kate had spent most of her evening at Steve's flat, panicking. They had poured over Jo's file and hunted for social media's, only to find the bare minimum of information.
However, they had concluded that Saturday was April 22nd, and that just so happened to be Jo's birthday. The DCI hadn't mentioned it to Kate, yet she'd agreed to spend the weekend with her.
"What am I meant to do? Maybe she doesn't like her birthdays but I want to make it a good day for her!" Kate was on pint of beer number 7, something she'd regret tomorrow.
"Get someone on the team to bring up birthdays. That DS Lomax guy seems invested in yours and Davidson's relationship, ask him. Then see how she reacts."
It was surprising to hear good advice from Steve, as he was usually the one digging holes but Kate welcomed it brightly.
"That's a really good idea, mate!" The DI simply rolled his eyes.
"Always the tone of surprise." It was easy to forget the pair were detectives, excellent ones as well but they certainly had their moments.
"So, what do I do if she doesn't like birthdays?" Her tone was mellow now, slightly apprehensive too.
"You teach her to like them. Don't go too big, it'll scare her but just a present and invite her over for some wine. And if she does like them, take her for a meal.." Kate nodded at the suggestion, taking it on board.
"Just be gentle with her. You don't know when she might turn on you."
Kate rolled her eyes and took a large sip of denial. Steve decided to move swiftly on, aware that the DI wouldn't change her mind without enough proof.
The friends talked into the early hours of the morning again, hardly mentioning Jo but they both had to admit it was nice for the sense of normality.
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"I was thinking we could make it a tradition to buy a cake for every officer in the station on their birthdays. It would be a nice personal touch." Chris admitted as they gathered for their daily briefing.
Kate didn't even need to bribe him. Chris had accepted immediately, something that confused the DI slightly but she was grateful.
"What?" Jo's head snapped up from the file she was reading.
"I don't know, I just think it would be sweet. Who doesn't love birthdays?" Chris continued his facade until Jo grumbled.
"Me." She thought it had been subtle but every head turned in her direction.
"Look, you can all organise it amongst yourselves, but leave me out of it." She ordered before pushing herself out of her seat and disappearing into her office.
"Okay... well that didn't go the way I wanted it to. I expected it though." Kate smiled sadly to herself, casting a brief glance at the closed office door. 'Jo always has her office door open.' Kate noted.
The guilt of causing her boss distress ate at the DI's stomach for a few hours until she caved and decided to go on her lunch break. It was well within her rights but Kate very rarely used the breaks, it disrupted her work flow.
As she sauntered back to the Hill, her mind circled back to the DCI. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she sent the detective a quick text.
K: Grabbing a coffee on my way up, want one?
It didn't take long for the brunette to send her reply. Kate smiled as she read it and slipped into the queue.
J: Cappuccino would be great! 👍
Kate also knew that Jo had a great tendency to disregard her basic health when at work, so typed out another message.
K: Pastry?
J: Go on then :P almond croissant if they've got it!
The use of ':P' made Kates heart skip a few beats, it was crazy just what the brunette could do to the DI, even with a text.
Kate quickly ordered before racing back to the station, desperate to keep the pastry and coffee warm.
"Boss." She smiled as she placed the goods on the desk.
"Kate. You have no idea how grateful I am." Jo smiled up at the DI as she opened the bag.
"I was on my way up, it was the least I could do." Her modesty bathed her words as she shut the door behind her, blocking out any unwelcome eavesdroppers.
"Nonsense. Everyone's going to think you're playing suck up now though." The DCI smirked and Kate lost all sense of logic.
"Maybe I am." The tone of her voice was significantly lower than she anticipated and slightly raspy, she watched as Jo visibly tensed every nerve of her body.
"Well then... I have to admit I like the sucking up." Her accent emphasised the verb and sent a shudder through Kate's spine.
However, if the DCI had noticed it, she left it unmentioned. Kate was slightly grateful, that could be an awkward conversation.
"I was thinking on Saturday, you might want to come over to my place? It's nothing special but I have lots of wine and some company would be nice." There it was, the invitation was out there and it would determine how much hatred for birthdays levelled up to the DI.
"That would be lovely, Kate." The way she said her name made the younger woman's stomach do backflips and she had to nod quickly, averting her gaze as to not stare in awe at her boss.
"Brilliant, come over to mine at 5pm?" Her intentions were to spend the entire evening... and preferably night, together so she suggested an early time to keep her excitement at bay.
"That sounds great... but I was wondering," Kate's heart sank, was she going to say she only wanted to spend an hour together instead of the entire evening?
"Wondering what, boss?" She kept her face and tone stoic, not allowing margin for misinterpretation.
"I'm sure you already know Kate, hence the scoping in the briefing room and pity coffee afterwards but, it's my birthday on Saturday." She admitted and Kate blushed after realising she'd been caught out. Of course she had, the woman was SIO on the highest murder case of the year.
"I did... know, that is." Kate smiled sheepishly, not daring to look at the potentially angry DCI.
"And, I may not like my birthday very much but the concept of spending it with you, it's... nice." Kate couldn't help but think Jo wanted to use a different word at the end of her sentence.
"I'm honoured Jo, I really am. But I don't understand where this is going?" She truly had no idea what the woman was suggesting, leaving her no choice but to prompt her.
"Okay... what I'm asking, or trying to, is..." She continued to stumble over her words and Kate couldn't help but smile at the woman's adorable nature.
"I want to go out for dinner with you. Like a proper birthday meal but if you dare mention it's my birthday to anyone, you'll be forced to file a transfer request." She covered her invitation with a threat, in true Jo Davidson style and Kate's heart swelled with excitement.
"Definitely. I won't mention it to anyone and I'd be more than honoured to go for dinner with you. Do you want me to find somewhere, or should I leave the planning to the professional?" She was more than surprised that her words were coherent and resembled a sentence.
"I'm happy to find somewhere." Jo nodded, reluctant to relinquish control to the younger detective.
"Brilliant. Just, let me know the details whenever and I'll see you around." Kate dismissed herself back to her seat as she knew any longer in an enclosed space with her boss could cause her to act out.
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Jo couldn't believe what she had just done.
She had despised birthdays since she turned 14 and her mother caught her kissing another girl. The kiss had been an accident, or so Jo thought at first.
'It was just my friend wishing me a happy birthday' She promised, yet nobody was convinced.
Her mother had changed after that moment and died shortly after. Joanne knew it wasn't her fault that her mother was found hanging on her 19th birthday, but she couldn't help but blame herself.
Yet today something changed, she made plans for her birthday. Not plans with the bottles of wine she nursed whilst watching episodes of 'Greys Anatomy' but legitimate plans with the girl she was falling head first fearless for.
She'd had a restaurant picked out for months, she just didn't have the guts to ask Kate out. However, when Chris started pining on about birthdays, Jo immediately twigged that Kate knew.
It was safest to take the first move, show Kate where she stood on the birthday front so if she led the way, hopefully Kate would follow behind like a duckling.
She called the restaurant using her mobile, still sat in her office.
"Hello, can I make an appointment for 7pm on Saturday please?" She asked politely, hoping the demand for the restaurant would be low enough.
"Yes, of course. How many for and can I take a name?" A soft professional voice echoed through the speaker.
"Two, under..... Flemson." She knew better than to give her real last name to a stranger over the phone, they may somehow have OCG connections and that happened to be the first thing she thought of. 'Their names did sound quite nice squished together.' She thought to herself before finalising the booking.
She diverted her attention back to her work for the rest of the day but when she saw Kate packing up, decided to grab her coat, handbag and log off.
"You leaving?" She asked as she, conveniently, left her office at the same time as the DI threw her bag across her shoulder.
"I am, are you?" Kate smiled softly as they matched pace.
"Well, truth be told, I saw you leaving and decided to join you." Jo smiled sheepishly, wondering why she didn't just say 'Yes.'
Kate laughed, the angelic noise that caused Jo's insides to warm in a matter of seconds.
"Did you choose a restaurant?" The conversation diverted as the DCI nodded.
"7pm on Saturday. I'll come over to yours at 5 still, if that's okay and then we can Uber over together? I'm sure we'll end up too drunk to think properly afterwards, at least I will, so I don't think being rendered useless with a car would do us much good." Jo briefly explained, earning a nod of affirmation from the younger detective.
"Sounds like a plan. How fancy is this place?" Kate didn't want to appear under nor overdressed so wanted to gauge a vague understanding of the place they were going.
"It's... fancy. I hope that's okay?" Jo stumbled over her words slightly so Kate automatically shot a hand to squeeze the woman's arm reassuringly.
"Fancy is fine. I'm just worried I'll be underdressed." Kate voiced her concerns, somehow trusting the brunette entirely in that moment.
"Well, good thing I'm coming over 2 hours in advance then." She smiled softly, bringing her own hand to squeeze Kate's that was still resting on her forearm.
"I think that'll be lifesaving." Kate laughed as they began walking again. They had reached the front doors to the station so knew they had to part ways, as not to arise suspicion.
"Well. I'll see you tomorrow." Jo smiled with a nod before disappearing to her car. Kate waited a few minutes, waiting for the DCI to drive away before slipping into the darkness of April's evening herself.
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Jo had panicked about what to wear for 4 hours. It was currently 4pm and the brunette was still sat on her bed, wrapped in a towel.
She knew she had to leave in 20 minutes if she wanted to arrive at Kate's on time, which she did. This is what ignited the brunette to make a final decision and strut to her wardrobe for the final time.
She settled on a short fitted blood red dress that stopped mid-thigh. The neck was plunging, which accentuated the DCI's insecurities yet, what many had described, her best assets. The hem of the chest was a burgundy, emphasising the exposed skin it rested upon. It was an off the shoulder garment, yet had three-quarter sleeves as coverage, since so much of her body was already on show. Due to its tightly fitting nature, every curve of her body was visible, yet due to her fitness regime, this only made her look better.
Turning to admire herself in the mirror, she sighed deeply. 'It's the best I'm gonna get.' She resigned, turning her attention to finding her black stilettos that added a significant height to her small frame.
Once she's located them, she grabbed her makeup bag and positioned herself in front of the vanity.
After about 20 minutes, the DCI was tolerant of her appearance. She rarely wore a full face of makeup but today she had settled for a smoky eye look, with a burgundy lipstick. It was certainly a change compared to her usual wearied appearance but Kate was worth the effort.
She glanced at her watch to see she really needed to leave, so grabbed her grey coat and handbag before disappearing out of the door. She drove to Kate's apartment, resigned on leaving her car there overnight.
As she ascended the steps to the younger detectives apartment, her nerves began to seethe. Her intrusive thoughts became beyond irritating and Jo had to use every inch of willpower in her body not to turn and run back to her car.
Defeatedly, she raised a trembling knuckle and knocked 4 times on the door. 'Here's to a good night' She mentally toasted herself as she awaited the door opening.
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Kate had been antsy all day. She had been pacing around her entire apartment, tidying over and over the small mishaps she happened to find.
She wanted everything to be perfect for Jo, even though they weren't even going on a date. They were just friends.
Finally, there was a crisp knock on the door and Kate beamed, recognising it immediately. As to not appear too desperate, she sauntered to the door, unable to hide the incredibly prominent skip in her step.
As she pulled the door open, her jaw physically dropped to the floor. Her eyes did a firm once over of the woman stood in front of her, more or less mentally undressing her.
She'd always been aware that the DCI was incredibly self-conscious but upon seeing her in something much more revealing, in comparison to the turtlenecks and blazers, she truly couldn't fathom why.
Every curve was well defined and each inch of her skin was flawless. Kate was observing the definition of perfection in her mind and nobody could convince her otherwise. Her hair had been curled effortlessly, as always and thrown carefully into a half up, half down hairdo. It was always Kate's favourite of her styles.
"Oh god, I knew it. I look hideous." Jo began to panic as Kate watched her hands trembling.
"Look, I'm going to change." The DCI assured as she began to turn away.
Kate was still speechless, beyond in awe of the woman in front of her. All she could manage was shooting her hand out to grip, slightly too harshly, the elder woman's wrist.
"No." Her reply was clear but a little too strong. Jo winced at the grip on her wrist and the tone used towards her, she tried to sink away.
"Jo... you look. Jesus, you look perfect. Never change." She began to wish that she was already drunk, so at least she'd have something to blame these words on, but alas, she was sober.
Jo turned to face the brunette, who was still in joggers and a hoodie.
She quirked an eyebrow, highlighting more confidence than the woman currently had.
"Hmm, is that right?" She coaxed as she entered the apartment, breathing in Kate's scent as she did.
The DI began to stutter as Jo elegantly fell back into an armchair.
"We need to get you ready. Now, your colour is clearly blue so what do you have?" Jo took control almost immediately, nobody would ever know she had doubted her own appearance mere seconds ago.
Kate escorted the detective through her apartment and into her bedroom. It wasn't anything spectacular but had all the necessities.
It was almost immediate for Jo to pull a short navy dress that had a slit from just below the waist to the end of the dress, that rested just above Jo's own dress. It had a mesh abdomen, accentuating the toned abs Kate possessed. It had a V neck but was nowhere near as plunging as the DCI's. The spaghetti straps barely held the garment up but Kate learnt to manage nonetheless.
"This." She handed the hanger with the garment across to the DI who smiled warmly.
"You should become a fashion guru in another life." Kate assured as she dismissed herself to the bathroom where she slipped into the dress.
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When she emerged back into the bedroom, it was Jo's turn to mentally undress the woman in front of her.
"Wow..." She too, was speechless. She had envisioned Kate in the dress before selecting it but nothing could compare to the real thing.
"Really?" Both women belittled their physical appearances much more than they should but their modesty was made up for with one another.
"Yes. God yes. Now, let's get your makeup done and we can head out." Both detectives were sober but the compliments were far from platonic.
It didn't take long to finish Kate's look for the night. Her makeup was very similar to Jo's, just that she'd opted for a navy eyeshadow, blended slightly with a kingfisher shade.
The two women looked stunning, there was no denying it but they continued to deny the tension that loomed above their heads and in their lower stomachs.
"So... I could use a drink before we go." Kate admitted, ambling towards the red wine sitting on the counter.
Jo simply nodded in agreement, carefully taking a seat in the armchair.
"Me too. This could be a very long night." Kate swore she saw a smirk on the detectives lips but played it off, handing across a glass.
"Here's to another year of Jo Davidson." She toasted, something the DCI accepted reluctantly.
"Cheers." She smiled, more genuinely than she thought. Perhaps birthdays were wearing off on her after all.