rated *
A Hand that is Never Empty
by Treanna
WHY CAN’T YOU SEE MY SIDE.
Thump thump kick
THIS IS ALL I EVER WANTED TO DO.
Kick kick kick
I DON’T THINK I CAN DO THIS ANYMORE TRIX. IT IS JUST TOO HARD.
THEN MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST WALK AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
Thump kick thump.
“Hey, Belden, what did that punching bag do to you?”
Trixie wiped the sweat from her eyes and frowned at the man in front of her. “What do you want, Tony?”
“Trix, you finished half an hour ago and you told me you would take me to get my bike from the mechanic.”
She turned and bending down picked up her towel. She wiped her face. “I just needed to wind down a little.”
“A little?” He laughed. “That punching bag has definitely had its life shortened while you were winding down a little.”
“Get off my case, Pirelli.”
“Trix, you have been like a bear with a sore head since you came back from your weekend away last month. What happened to make you so grouchy?”
“None of your business.”
“Listen, honey, I live with you and life around the apartment has become increasingly unbearable. Why even Pat and Anna have complained and I didn’t think they noticed anything but each other.”
“They have only been married for a couple of months.”
She headed out of the door and he followed. Driving in the car he approached the subject again.
“It must have something to do with lover boy Jim. I haven’t noticed any phone calls from him lately.”
“Pirelli, I am warning you!”
“We have been friends for years now, Trixie. You are the best partner a guy could have. I hate it when you are upset. Isn’t there anything I can do?”
She stopped the car outside the bike mechanics and sighed as she shook her head.
“It is something that I have to work out on my own.”
“Well, remember I am here whenever you need me.”
As Trixie drove home she sighed again. At twenty-three she had a promising career. As a detective in one of New York’s largest police stations, she had received three commendations for service above the call of duty for stopping a drug ring, a white slavery ring, and also rescuing the life of a young girl being held for ransom. And with many other credits to her name she should be the happiest woman in the world. So why was she so miserable?
An hour later Tony walked into the apartment to find Trixie seated on the lounge, wearing an old pair of pajamas, a carton of ice cream beside her and a huge amount of tissues on her lap. He could see by her eyes that she had been crying. He put down his helmet and jacket and walked over to her.
He sat on the coffee table beside her.
“Okay, my girl, it is about time that you and I had a heart to heart.”
“Leave me alone,” she sniffed as she got up. She collected the ice cream and all the tissues and dumped them into the bin.
“Trixie Belden, come over here right now.”
“Tony.”
“Now, Detective Belden.”
She flounced over and plopped on the couch. He smiled at how cute she looked, even with red swollen eyes.
“Okay, honey, now how about you tell me what happened the last time you visited Sleepyside?”
She went to get up but he pushed her gently down again. He reached over and took her hands.
“Come on, Trix, talk to me.”
“Jim wants me to come home,” she sniffed.
He handed her another wad of tissues as he smiled.
“Well, you do have a week’s holiday starting today and I know you were planning to go home.”
She shook her head. “He means permanently.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
She stood up and walked around the room. His eyes followed her.
“When I went home a month ago, Jim and I had a terrible argument. He is tired of our long distance relationship. And I know that we only live an hour apart, but the boys' home takes up so much of his time and so does my police work. So we hardly see each other. He wants us to settle down together but...”
“But what?”
“I don’t know if I am ready yet. I love him so much, but I also love what I am doing.”
“You can be a police woman anywhere, but Jim can’t move his school.”
“That’s what he said. We argued so heatedly I thought we would melt the paint off the walls.”
“That bad, eh?”
“Well, as you said, Jim hasn’t called lately. He told me that I was the only one who could make the decision and I knew where he was. He then walked away from me and I haven’t heard from him since.”
Tony walked over and took her hands in his. “So my partner is a little confused.”
“More than a little. I am not sure what to do.”
His mind then ticked over something his mother had said to him. “I want to try something on you, Trix, and I promise it won’t hurt.”
“I am in no mood for games, Tony.”
“This is not a game, honey. Just trust me. Close your eyes.”
After looking at him for a moment longer she did what he asked. He studied her upturned face for a moment and had a mad desire to kiss her. But she was and never would be his and that privilege must go to another.
He sighed quietly. “Now, tell me, Trixie, what is your first thought when you wake up in the morning?”
“Jim.”
“And your last waking thought?”
“Jim.”
“Now, hold out your hand.”
When she did he marvelled how tiny it actually was.
“Now, open your eyes and tell me what you have in your hand.”
She opened her eyes and looked down. “Nothing. It is empty.”
He smiled. “Then, when you know that your hand is not empty anymore you will have your answer to what you need to do.”
“I don’t understand?”
He smiled. “You will, baby, you will. Now I have a suggestion.”
“What suggestion?”
“Go home tomorrow and go and see that Jim character. Talk to him.”
“But what if he doesn’t want to see me?”
“He will, honey, and I have another suggestion.”
“Which is?”
“You are one gorgeous woman partner, but it is hard to see under all that manly clothing you were. Masculine trousers and jackets for work and track pants and baggy tops for home may be comfortable, but you are not going to show your man what he is missing. I have known you for many years and have never seen you in a dress yet. So go do something about that unruly mass of curls on top of your head and put something on that will knock his socks off. Maybe then he will be too speechless to argue with you.”
“Tony,” she warned. “How do you know that Jim doesn’t like me in casual clothes.”
He laughed. “He loves you, honey, but it turns a man's head to see a woman looking like a real woman. Now off to bed and think on what I have said. I have work early in the morning and I hope I won’t see you when I get home.”
He was surprised when she reached over and hugged him.
“Thanks for caring, Pirelli.”
If I had the chance, Trix, I would take you to my bedroom and make all your hurts go away in the nicest way possible, he thought as he hugged her back.
It was hard to let her go, but he moved back and plastered a grin on his face. “I am exhausted and I have to be up by five so I will say goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Tony.”
He watched her walk into her room and sighed. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.
As Trixie lay in bed she didn’t expect to sleep but her next waking thought occurred just after the sun rose the next morning.
She got out of bed and made herself a coffee. She then wandered back to her room. For some reason she headed over to her wardrobe. Opening it she reached into the back and pulled out a dress. She lay it on the bed and studied it. Di had visited a few months earlier and had persuaded her to go with her to the post Christmas sales. She had persuaded her to buy some sexy lingerie, and a couple of dresses, this one included.
It was a halter neck that showed a good piece of cleavage. The skirt was quite tight and fell to a considerable few inches above her knee. It fit her like a second skin and Di had been delighted. Trixie had been unsure but had bought it anyway to please Di. And now she was glad. Putting her coffee down she pulled her suitcase from under her bed and began to pack for a weeks stay at home. By the time she was finished it was a little before nine and she rang her hairdresser and was pleased to find out that there had been a cancellation and she could get in by ten. So she hurried through her shower and quickly got dressed.
Two hours later she was back in the apartment. She had stowed her suitcase in the car and was just about ready to put on her dress when the phone rang.
“Sorry, Trix. I was hoping you were still home.”
“What’s wrong, Tony?”
“There are some papers that you need to sign in relation to our last case. Can you come into the station and sign them?”
“No problem. I am heading home, but I will swing by there and sign them on the way out.”
There was silence for a moment or two. “So you are going home to see Jim.”
“If he will see me.”
“He will be mad if he doesn’t.”
Trixie smiled. “I just have to get changed and I will be in.”
“Okay, partner.”
Trixie walked back into her room and slipped the dress over her head. It still fit perfectly and she was glad that all the ice cream she had devoured over the last month had not affected her figure at all. She studied herself in the mirror, unsure if the dress was too revealing. But what Tony had said to her the night before made up her mind. She put on her shoes, grabbed her bag and keys and headed down to her car.
When she got to the police station she got out and adjusted her dress that had ridden up during the ride. She then walked inside.
Men she had know for a while stopped and stared as she walked by.
“You'd think you had never seen me before,” she told them and one of them laughed.
“But Trixie, not like this. Girl, you are a fox.”
She laughed. She didn’t feel insulted by the wolf whistles that followed her to her desk.
Tony was leaning back on his chair talking to another policeman when he saw her. And he promptly landed on the floor.
“Tony, are you okay?” she asked worriedly and he smiled as he shook his head.
“I don’t think I will ever be the same again. What did you do to yourself?”
“You told me that men liked their women to look like real women. Don’t I look all right?”
“Partner, if I was Jim, I would take you into his bedroom and lock the door and throw away the key. Underneath all those manly clothes is one hot babe.”
“Well, thank you, Pirelli. Now where is that paperwork you wanted me to sign?”
He pulled out and envelope and she opened it. She sat down at her desk to read it and Tony sat down too. Standing gave him a bird’s eye view of her cleavage and it was not doing much for his equilibrium.
When she had signed it, she handed it back to him and smiled weakly.
“Well, here goes. If I am back in a few hours you know that he doesn’t want me any more.”
“Anyone who doesn’t want you, baby, needs his head examined. But if he does, remember I am here for you.”
She stood up and gave him a quick hug. And then she hurried out.
“Man you have it bad,” the detective next to him said and Tony sighed as he watched her leave.
“Yeah, but her eyes are only for her redheaded friend and he will definitely be a fool if he walks away from her.”
Trixie’s ride to Sleepyside was uneventful. She thought about going home first, but her need to see Jim was so great she headed there first. She got out of her car and walked inside. Her first stop was the women’s bathroom. Honey was inside. She saw Trixie and her mouth gaped open.
“You look gorgeous,” she told her as she hugged her. “I hope you are here to see my brother.”
“If he will see me.”
“He has been so miserable over the last few weeks, but refuses to tell anyone what is wrong. All I know is that you two had a terrible argument.”
Trixie nodded. “It was pretty bad.”
Honey watched her friend for a moment.
“Do you remember Joey Campbell?”
Trixie nodded. “He works at Sleepyside police station.”
“Well, he is tired of small town living and he wants to move to the city. He is hoping for a transfer and to find somewhere nice to live. Do you have any suggestions?”
Trixie smiled at her friend. “Ask me again in an hour or so.”
Honey hugged her again. “Go get him. He is alone in his office at the moment and doesn’t have any classes for the rest of the day.”
“Thanks, Honey.”
“Well, as your sister-in-law, I have to look out for you.”
She then walked out of the room. Trixie took another minute to calm her beating heart before she headed for his office. Jim’s secretary Niki was sitting at her desk. She smiled when Trixie walked in.
“Hello, Trixie, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks. Is it okay that I go in and talk to Jim for a while?”
“Most certainly,” she told her. “And how about I hold all his calls until you come out again>”
“You are a wonder, Niki. Thank you.”
“If you can put a smile back on Jim’s face, that will be thanks enough for me.”
“I hope so,” Trixie told her as she opened his door and walked inside.
She could only see the back of his chair.
“What is it, Niki?” His monotone voice came from behind the chair.
“Jim?” Was all she said before his chair whipped around. As his eyes focussed on her, he jumped up quickly, tripped over the leg of his chair, and fell flat on his face.
Trixie hurried over.
“Jim, are you okay?”
He pulled himself up and stood before her.
“I didn’t expect you,” he told her, his eyes travelling down the length of her body almost devouring her.
“Have I come at a bad time?”
He shook his head. “I have the afternoon free.”
“I have the week off and I wanted to come down and try to sort things out with you.”
“I thought we had already done that.”
“But we argued so heatedly and we both said things that we didn’t mean. I have been so miserable over the last month.”
He sat on the edge of his desk and looked at her. “Tell me about it.”
“I picked up the phone so many times to ring you, but I was afraid you would hang up the phone on me.”
“I would never do that to you, Trixie. You know how I feel about you?”
“I wasn’t sure that you felt the same way any more.”
He stood up and took her hands in his. “I could never change the way I feel about you.”
Trixie looked down at his hands and something flashed in her mind.
“Jim, could you do something for me?”
“What?”
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Please, Jim. It is important to me and our future.”
He looked deep into her eyes and then closed his.
She moved away slightly and his arms moved instinctively out towards her.
“Jim, when you go to bed at night, just before you are going to sleep, what do you think about?”
“You.”
“And when you wake up and you know that your day is going to be flat out, what is your first thought in the morning?”
“Always of you, baby.”
“Now, look at your hands and tell me what you have in them.”
He opened his eyes and looked down. “Nothing. They are empty.”
She placed her hands inside his and he closed his fingers over them.
“Your hands will never be empty again.”
He looked down at their joined hands for a moment then looked up at her face.
“Trix?”
“There is a police officer at Sleepyside station that is looking for a transfer and a place to stay in New York. Do you think that I should offer him my job and apartment?”
Jim slid his hands from hers and slid them around her waist drawing her as close to him as was humanly possible at that moment.
“Are you sure that this is what you want?”
She slid her arms around his neck and smiled.
“When I am away from you, I am only half of a whole. I love the work I do, but I love you more. And in Sleepyside I can still make a difference.”
“That dress is entirely too distracting,” he told her.
“You like it then?”
He nodded. “Burn it.”
"What?"
“You think that I want anyone to see you like this? Well, maybe not burn it, but only wear it when you are around me.”
“James Frayne.”
“I am glad that I am one of the only ones who have seen you dressed like that.”
He saw her face. “Hmmm or am I?”
“Well,” she told him with a grin. “Apart from most of New York’s police station.”
“What!?!”
She laughed at the frown on his face.
“How about we talk about this later. I have other things on my mind.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe seeing if that ring is still on offer and if it is if we can plan on a day really really soon.”
“The answer to the first is a most definite yes. And to the second--remember how quickly Mother had Juliana’s wedding organised? I am sure she can do ours lot quicker now she has had the practice.”
Trixie smiled as she raised her lips to within inches of his. “There is only one other thing that I want from you at the moment.”
Half an hour later the door opened and Jim and Trixie walked out. Niki saw the ring and smiled.
“Well, Trixie, I am glad that you two are back together. Jim is not a nice boss to work for when he is Trixie-deprived.”
“Humph!” Jim snorted.
Trixie laughed. “Then, from now on I can promise I will do my best to make sure that Mr Frayne is smiling every day.”
“I like the sound of that.” Jim laughed.
The girls laughed with him.
The End
This is another preempt to another longer fanfic. Thank you to Niki for your editing genius and also for allowing me to borrow your name.