DISCLAIMER: Women's Murder Club and its characters are the property of James Patterson, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC. No infringement intended.
SPOILERS: Season 1, Episode 7: The Past Comes Back to Haunt You.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Swoon For You
By GilliganKane
The moment Lindsay had laid her eyes on Cindy Thomas, she knew that the redhead was going to be T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Sitting at Theresa Wu's desk, trying to wiggle open the drawer, the brunette had almost fallen out of her seat when the young reporter stuck her head over the divider. And when she wouldn't quit talking, and later was caught breaking into the dead crime reporter's apartment, Lindsay had realized that this girl wasn't going to go away any time soon. A jab to her rib cage pulled Lindsay out of her nostalgia.
"Lindsay, you with us?" Jill asked playfully from across the table, a smirk gracing her features. Next to her, Cindy was grinning and looking down at her cell phone, her fingers flying over the keys. Now it was Lindsay's elbow jabbing into Claire's side. The Medical Examiner next to her gave her a confused look.
"What's she doing?" Lindsay whispered. Cindy's shoulders shook in silent laughter, completely oblivious to the fact that all eyes were on her giggling form. Jill leaned over the reporter's shoulder and her face instantly lit up. Deftly snatching the cell out of Cindy's hand, she began to read aloud as Cindy's eyes grew wide. The redhead made a grab for the phone but Jill hid it.
"So, instead of going out tonight," Jill's eyes sparkled as Claire made kissing noises in the background. "How about you just come over and I can make us something to eat...well okay, I can only make Mac & Cheese, but we can rent a movie, maybe even..." Jill stopped reading out loud abruptly and finished in silence. She looked at Cindy sadly. "Oh Cindy, don't talk to this guy. Ever again." Lindsay and Claire reached for the phone at the same time.
"Guys, give it back." Cindy tried to grab it back, but her arm length failed her, and Lindsay had no problem snagging it quickly out of the lawyer's hand. She held it between Claire and herself. Cindy stood halfway up in her seat, attempting to reach for her phone, but Jill pulled her back down easily.
"Really, guys, just give it back." Jill had one arm still holding Cindy down, and when no one made a move to do such thing, Cindy slumped in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, effectively giving off the air of a little kid angry because she was put in time out. Lindsay finished reading the message and looked up at the redhead, dark eyes narrowing in anger. Claire was still reading, but when she finished, she snapped the phone shut loudly and shook her head in disappointment.
"Jamie sent you that?" the Medical Examiner asked in disbelief. Cindy opened her mouth to defend herself, but Lindsay cut in first.
"Well what do you expect? Their first meeting was in 'Maggie' the little red car, which that creep broke into and attempted to kidnap her!" Cindy sat up straight.
"He did not kidnap me." Lindsay rolled her eyes.
"Oh sorry, that's right. He only told you he had a gun and made you drive while he was crouched in the back seat wearing a shirt covered in blood," Lindsay drawled out sarcastically. Jill grinned at the barb; Cindy had fire in her eyes.
"He had a good reason."
"He committed a crime," Lindsay shot back.
"His father was on death row." Cindy stopped herself from slamming her fist on the tabletop.
"He kidnapped you." Lindsay leaned forward in the booth.
"He needed to prove his father's innocence." Claire and Jill settled back against the linoleum seats, watching the two women as their eyes darkened in anger. Jill raised an eyebrow in Claire's direction, but the shorter woman shook her head at the blond motioning between the redhead and the brunette.
"And he had to break into your car to do that?"
"He did what had to be done," Cindy protested.
"He could have killed you!" Lindsay's accent deepened and she raised her fist in the air menacingly.
"And he didn't!"
"Only so he could sleep with you afterwards," Lindsay muttered. Jill and Claire sat up straight, attentive and waiting for the redhead's response. Cindy looked flustered and opened her mouth once, closing it again before finally answering.
"Well then it seems like you two have a lot in common, don't you?" Lindsay furiously gritted her teeth. Next to her, Claire was looking at her, expecting an explanation. Jill stared stupidly between the fuming Inspector and the smug looking reporter. Claire spoke first.
"Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jill stared at Lindsay, looking for a reaction other than fury, but she didn't get one.
"Lindsay? Cindy? Why don't we have share time?" Now Lindsay's head turned violently towards Jill and the blond thought that the Texan's glare alone could kill her.
"Oh you mean you don't know where Lindsay spends her nights?" Cindy was directing her speech towards Claire, and only Jill noticed the glare in Lindsay's eyes fade and turn into a pleading gaze.
"Cindy." One word was uttered from the brunette's mouth, but Cindy refused to meet Lindsay's eyes. "Cindy," Lindsay repeated.
"No, you don't get to say something completely out in left field and then expect me to keep my mouth shut because Lindsay Boxer wants me to. I don't swoon every time you walk into the room Boxer!" Cindy grabbed her cell phone from the table and pulled her jacket off of the seat, putting it on and walking out of their hangout. Lindsay moved to follow her, but Claire refused to move from her seat.
"You're kidding, right?" Lindsay stared Claire down. "Cause I can either leave this booth in a calm respectable manner, or I can jump on top of the table. Pick your poison." Claire moved wordlessly out of the booth, freeing Lindsay who took off after the reporter.
"You think that they're..." Jill let the sentence hang in the air. Claire smiled.
"Oh yeah."
Outside, Lindsay looked left and right, trying to figure out which way Cindy went. When she couldn't spot the shorter woman, she hung her head in defeat. Shuffling her feet, she shoved her hands into her pocket and turned towards her car.
"You're such a jerk sometimes, you know that?" Cindy's voice floated to her ears from behind her. Lindsay turned slowly, a grin on her face.
"You're still here."
"Only because as I was leaving I remembered that you're my ride." Cindy had her arms crossed over her chest defiantly, putting up a physical barrier between her and the brunette. "Don't do that again," the redhead demanded.
Lindsay nodded fiercely. "I won't."
"Ever again," Cindy repeated. She looked Lindsay square in the eye. "Or you're sleeping on the couch, and I'll never kiss you again, and you can go back to your lonely, lonely house."
Lindsay held back a smile. "You really don't swoon when I walk into a room?" Cindy threw her hands up into the night sky and started walking towards Lindsay's car ahead of the brunette.
"That's just like you! I threaten to make you sleep on my horribly uncomfortable couch that's two sizes too small for you, and all you want to know is if I swoon when you walk into a room? You're kidding right?" Cindy looked back to read Lindsay's expression. "Oh my god, you're not kidding."
"Well, do you?"
"You're such a hopeless romantic Boxer." Lindsay smirked.
"You totally swoon." Cindy reached the car and waited for the brunette to open the door. Lindsay went around to the passenger's side and opened the door with the key, holding the door open for the redhead. As she rounded the car to get into the driver's seat, she stopped and looked intently at Cindy's reflection through the visor mirror. The redhead flashed her a smile.
"Oh yeah, she totally swoons."
The End