Disclaimer:  Don't own them. Just borrowed. No profit.

Rollie Tyler looked melted. That was the only word that fit in Francis Gatti's mind. The Aussie's T-shirt was plastered to his body with sweat. His brown hair was stringy and damp, completely limp. Definitely melted. Well, considering the day's heat, that wasn't a surprise. Frank was glad he'd spent most of it inside air-conditioned buildings. Pity, Rollie and Angie hadn't been able to do the same. He turned to consider the fair-haired woman as she climbed out of the FX van. Nope, she didn't look like Rollie. She looked wilted, not melted. There were some sweat spots (Perspiration, remember? Mom told you "Women don't sweat, they perspire.") and her hair was a bit limp, but not like Rollie. The short New Yorker wondered what his friend had been doing.

"Hi Frank." Rollie said in a subdued voice as he walked slowly toward the couch and collapsed. Francis had a feeling the special effects expert hadn't really registered his presence. His head dropped to the back of the couch, as if it was too heavy to hold up without help.

Angie smiled slightly at the detective as she headed for the first floor refrigerator. She pulled out a couple of bottles of water, then hesitated, reached back in and got two more. Walking over to Rollie, she nudged his foot and silently passed him a water bottle. He looked at it, blinked and accepted the offering. His large hands fumbled the cap off and then the Aussie drank deeply, draining the bottle.

Angie, still silent, passed her partner another bottle. Once again, he chugged the bottle. When she gave him the third bottle and he just sipped it, she sat down beside him with a sigh. Opening the remaining bottle, she drank some of the water and looked over to the observing Francis. "What brings you out, Frankie?"

"Hard day?" Francis wondered out loud.

"Yeah," Angie Ramirez answered. "We've been filming outside all day. Except Rollie. He's been stuck hiding in little boxes all day." Angie watched her partner with concerned eyes. "They're like blast furnaces. It's WAY too hot for this, Rol! You're going to get sick if we keep it up."

"Not much choice," Rollie mumbled.

Frank began to think what he'd come to ask his friends to do wasn't a very good idea. Maybe he shouldn't bother them, but if he didn't... and the girls did so want them to come. Truthfully, he and Sarah wanted them to come just as much as their daughters did.

"One more day, Ange. If we make it through one more day, we've got four days off. Just think, FOUR WHOLE DAYS!" The lanky man smiled faintly. "No little boxes, NO dictators! Sorry, directors. Nothing, ab - so - lutely NOTHING!"

"Ummm, air conditioning, cool baths..." Angie mused.

"Cool baths? Ange, I soaked myself every time we took a break and all I got was hot and wet! What's good getting wet if it doesn't cool you down?" Rollie grumbled.

"Work better inside, boss. It's just too hot and humid outside."

"I'll agree about the humid." Rollie lifted his head and looked over toward their visitor. "Hi Frank. When did you get here?" He asked, puzzled.

Francis and Angie laughed, they couldn't help themselves.

Angie shook her head in mock pity. "Sorry Frankie. Rollie melted his brain."

"Yeah, I can tell." Francis sighed. "Pity, everyone always said he was so smart too!"

"What? What?!?" Rollie stared at both his friends, bewildered.

"I was here when you got home. Remember." Frank Gatti said the words gently. It probably wasn't fair to tease Rollie when he was obviously miserable and drained from the heat.

Rollie stared at Francis like he'd just grown two heads, then turned to Angie for confirmation.

Angie smothered a grin and nodded. "Yep. You even said hi to him right before you sat down, Rol."

"I did?" The Aussie asked in a tiny voice. He didn't remember doing that. Bloody hell, he really was losing it!

The younger woman reached over and patted his shoulder. "You did. It's okay, Rollie. You deserve to be a bit out of it after the last couple of weeks. We haven't had a break for that long and almost every day has been outside. It's been awful!"

"In this heat wave? I bet. I'm glad I work in a nice air conditioned building. I don't know how you guys do it!" The detective sat down on the other couch.

"Yeah, well, it's part of the job, mate." Rollie shrugged and took another sip of water. "I'm sure you've done your time outside in the weather, Frank. Hot and cold!"

"That's why I decided to go for detective!" Francis declared.

"What can we do you for?" Rollie queried with a bemused smile.

"Uh... well... Nah, it's okay, forget it." Francis shook his head.

"No, Frank. What is it? We'll help. Right Ange?" Rollie turned to his partner, a trifle uncertain. She didn't like him helping the police, but Francis was their friend and...

Angie sighed mentally, "Yeah, sure will, Francis. What do you need?"

"Oh, it's not like that! It's just... Well, Saturday's the fourth of July, right?"

"Yeah, it usually happens every year about this time. U.S. Independence Day." Rollie grinned, he was always fascinated by the myriad fireworks displays around the country. It was amazing. He'd even done a few for friends over the years.

"Yeah, it does." Francis laughed a little. "Well, the Gattis always have a picnic and well, Sarah and the girls... and me, we were wondering if you'd like to come. Both of you! You and Angie..."

"Picnic sounds good to me. Ange?" Rollie watched his closest friend carefully. He knew she was worried about him. He'd come too close to heat exhaustion too many times the last couple of weeks. But still, a picnic wasn't work. It was fun and food! And it'd been too long since they'd seen the Gattis, they'd hardly seen Francis, never mind Sarah and the girls.

"Yeah, a picnic would be nice." Angie answered. She gave Rollie a look that said they'd talk AFTER Frank was gone.

"You're sure?" Francis quickly at his two friends. Reassured by their warm smiles, he continued. "That's great! The girls will be excited. We'll pick you up about nine thirty, Saturday morning. Is that okay? It's at a little park close to the harbor. There's a pool and picnic tables and a great view of the harbor fireworks and there'll be games and..." Realizing he was babbling now, he paused. "Okay?"

"Fine, Frank." Rollie was amused and wondered... games? What type of games? "Sounds fun. Angie and I will be here?" Getting an agreeable nod from his partner, he smiled again. "Ready and waiting."

"Great! We'll see you then." Francis glanced at his wristwatch. "Well, I better get going. Sarah and the girls are waiting. I just wanted to ask. Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for asking," Rollie answered for both of them as he walked with Francis to the door. "See you Saturday!" He closed the door on the wave of heat from outside and leaned against it with a sigh, closing his eyes.

"Go to bed, boss. See you in the morning." Angie paused beside him on her way out the door. "Oh and about the picnic, take it easy, okay Rol. Don't do anything strenuous. Got it?" She finished, eyeing him sternly.

"Yes ma'am." Rollie straightened up and popped a salute. " Got it! Good night, sweetie."

Saturday rolled around and not a moment too soon for Rollie and Angie. They were more than ready for their four day respite from work. True to his word, Francis pulled up in the family van a little after nine thirty. Rollie and Angie greeted the adults cheerfully and piled in the back, Angie in the middle with their youngest, Anne, in her child seat and Rollie in the very back with their two oldest, Donna and Belinda. The children were ecstatic to see the special effects experts and hugged Rollie hard. Both children poured out the latest news about what they'd been doing, not giving the Aussie a chance to say a word. Rollie just sat there and nodded and made appropriate noises as he was filled with news about camp, vacation Bible school, swimming lessons, new friends, old friends and more. Angie watched him, bemused by the way he seriously absorbed the girls' words. She knew if she asked him later, Rollie could faithfully recite every story they told him back. After all, he'd done it enough with her after they'd first met.

Frank pulled into a parking spot near the park and everyone piled out. Angie picked up the toddler and joined Sarah and the older girls by the van while Frank grabbed a large picnic basket and Rollie grabbed an extra large cooler.

As they strolled toward the park, Rollie looking around at the crowd. "Looks like a popular place, Frank. There's a lot of people here."

Sarah glared at Francis. "Um, Rollie, they're all members of the Gatti family. Didn't Francis tell you?"

Rollie froze in mid step, stunned and whispered. "Gattis?" He looked wide-eyed as he took in the number of people. The very thought of there being THIS many people in a family was alien to the Australian. Why he could count HIS family on one hand with most of the fingers left over and most of THEM weren't really related to him by blood.

"Francis!" Sarah frowned at her husband as she patted Rollie's back, reassuringly.

"I, uh, I told them it was the Gatti family picnic, Sarah. Honest! I guess I didn't exactly explain what that involved." Frank was getting a bit mad at himself. He hadn't thought and he should have. Leo had told him about Rollie's family and Angie's too. Damn it! He should have explained it. "I'm sorry, Rollie. I forgot you didn't know what that meant."

Angie joined Sarah in coaxing the tall man to start moving again.

"Wow!" Rollie mumbled as he tried to look every where at once. "Are they ALL Gattis?"

Francis chuckled. "Well, mostly. A few are good friends of the family. I wanted to introduce you and Angie to my folks and..." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled widely. "This seemed like my best chance to actually do it."

"Just how many Gattis are there?" Angie asked curiously.

"Well, I don't actually know exactly. My grandfather had ten brothers and sisters."

Rollie looked numbed. "Ten?"

Frank nodded, "Ten. Most of THEM had between five and nine children each. My grandparents had seven children and..."

"Wow." Angie watched the crowds of adults and children that almost filled the park. She looked up at her boss and back over the crowd. Something else besides numbers finally registered with the blonde. "Um, Frankie..."

"Yeah, Angie?" Francis led them to a spot shaded by some trees near the harbor side of the park and set the basket down. Rollie placed the cooler beside it.

"Rollie's the tallest person here."

The comment made Rollie blink and glance around. One look told him that she was right and he shifted nervously, suddenly self-conscious.

Sarah grinned. "Yeah, well Gattis are runts." She squeezed her husband's arm affectionately. "Cute runts, but still runts. I think one of Frank's cousins, Michael, is the tallest one I've met. He's about five nine."

"Yep. Poor cousin Mike is odd man out." Frank responded, unfazed by his wife's words.

"Not this year," Angie pointed out. A six foot two Australian was definitely an oddity in this particular crowd of Italian Americans.

"Well, no, not this year." Francis smiled at his taller friend.

Rollie wondered what he had gotten himself into. "So, um... What do we do now?"

"Now, we get to introduce you to our parents, who will dote on their granddaughters and ask both of you a dozen questions. They'll try and find out if I've been telling them the truth."

"Oh." Rollie considered that thoughtfully. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing special, mostly things about what you do." Frank grinned up at the lanky man.  "You know, movie magic." He turned to lead them further into the park.

Rollie trailed behind, looking back. "Will the picnic be okay there without anyone...?"

"It's fine, Rollie. No one will touch it. They know it's ours. That's our spot, we use it every year." Francis reached back to grab Rollie's arm, encouraging the taller man.  "Now come on!"

Francis, Sarah and the girls enthusiastically greeted Frank's parents. The older couple made Angie and Rollie feel welcome and the tall man started to relax again. The older girls ran off to play with their cousins and their parents and friends returned to "their" spot, leaving the youngest to be spoiled by their grandparents. Everyone greeted Frank and Sarah, eagerly catching up on the latest news and were introduced to the special effects experts. As usual, when Rollie was excited, his accent got thicker and more than one encouraged the tall Aussie to talk, fascinated by his oz accent.

Angie amused by the attention, kept Rollie supplied with something to drink, mostly water or lemonade. For desert, there would be homemade ice cream, made by another nearby family. Rollie took a turn at churning the cold treat, delighted to help, especially since Angie wouldn't let him participate in any of the ball games going on. Eventually the girls returned along with their grandparents and everyone settled down to enjoy the picnic basket. A nearby barbecue grill was put to use and everyone had BBQ ribs, hamburgers or hot dogs. There was pasta salad and deviled eggs, crisp raw vegetables and watermelon. They all pronounced everything as delicious. Finishing the last of the ice cream, the adults and youngest settled down for naps as the older girls rejoined their cousins. Everything was peaceful, except for the joyous sounds of children playing.

Almost an hour later, Francis wondered off to play baseball with his siblings and some of his cousins. Rollie sat up and observed the family activities wistfully. Must be nice to have so much family, he thought. Some older boys were in the trees, looking at something in their hands. Rollie jumped slightly at a loud pop and frowning, turned toward them. Fireworks were illegal in New York, but somehow these boys had either bought some or made them. He hoped it wasn't anything dangerous and they were careful. The special effects expert was very aware of the hazards of explosive devices. He was wondering if he should go and check on them, when something landed on the grass next to the slumbering Sarah and Anne. A single glance showed it was a M80, totally illegal and dangerous. Rollie was moving almost before it'd registered on his consciousness. He grabbed the heavy cooler and upended it, dumping melting ice and the remaining drinks on top of the small bomb. Rollie slammed the cooler down on top of the M80 and dropped on top of it. The firework exploded with a thump and Rollie felt the cooler thud hard into his chest.

Anne woke at full cry, scared by the loud bang and thud. Angie and Sarah jumped up, surprised. Sarah immediately gathered Anne in her arms, trying to soothe the toddler.

Angie saw Rollie sitting there, rubbing his chest and shaking. She realized what had happened when she saw the inside of the ruined cooler. "Rollie! Are you okay?" She looked around sharply, seeking the culprits who'd tossed the firework into their midst. When Rollie didn't answer, she scrambled to his side and gently touched his shoulders. "Rollie?"

"I'm... I'm okay. I'm okay, Ange." Rollie shook his head and looked for the boys. They were long gone, scared by what they'd almost done. "Are you okay? Sarah, Annie?" He twisted around to look at them, worried by Anne's cries.

"We're okay, Rollie." Sarah assured him. "Thanks to you!"

Others, attracted by the noise and activity, alerted Francis who came at a run. "Are all of you okay? What happened?!?"

"Some boys were playing with fireworks. They accidentally tossed one over here." Shaggy brown hair dropped into his face as he drooped a bit. "I'm sorry about the cooler, Frankie. I'll replace it."

"Forget the cooler, Rollie! You saved Sarah and Anne. Thank you!" Frank's heart ached at the thought of the close call. If their special effects friend hadn't...

Rollie stood up and headed back into the trees, wanting to check and make sure there weren't anymore "surprises". Angie trailed behind him. Frank touched Sarah's shoulder and Anne's cheek, silently asking his wife if they were okay. Sarah nodded and nudged her husband to follow their friends. The rest wisely held back, leaving the check to the experts. Frank was a cop and they knew his friends knew explosives. If there were any more, they'd handle it.

Rollie shook his head when found the small pile of fireworks. There was an M100 and three more M80s with them. These were hazardous and banned by the Federal government. They were caused the most injuries and deaths. Most of the others were relatively harmless if handled properly, mostly poppers and smokers and a handful of sparklers. All of them were banned by New York state law. With grim faces, Rollie and Angie carefully gathered them up.

Francis shook his head. "Can you identify who had them, Rollie?"

"No, I just saw they were older boys, about sixteen or seventeen maybe. I didn't see their faces. Sorry, Frank."

The police detective patted his shoulder. "Don't apologize, Rollie. I'll call for a squad car and turn these in. I just wish we could find the culprits. I hope they've learned their lesson and don't play with fireworks anymore."

"Yeah, I hope so." Angie echoed, remembering her father's death in an explosive special effect gone wrong.

As if he sensed her thoughts, Rollie wrapped his arms around the younger woman and hugged her close. For a moment, Angie rested her head on Rollie's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Remembering how her best friend had been rubbing his chest, she placed a hand carefully over the spot. "Are you okay?"

Rollie shrugged as she pulled away. "Yeah, just bruised. I'm fine."

Getting a squad car to pick up the fireworks didn't take long. The detective exchanged some quiet words with the officers. He was shaking his head when they left.

"What's up?" Rollie inquired with serious brown eyes.

"Nothing." Frank shrugged and met his friend's warm brown eyes. "That's the fifth load of illegal fireworks they've picked up today. One boy was taken to the hospital. He'll be lucky not to lose an eye. Why do they do it, Rollie?"

"I don't know, Francis. Maybe because it's... exciting? dangerous? glamorous and they want to impress their friends." Rollie looked toward the harbor, remembering his own excitement and interest. "The firework exhibits are beautiful and exciting..."

"Yeah, but private fireworks are illegal. Everyone knows that. You can't use them without a license. Why can't they just enjoy the exhibits and leave the rest alone?"

Rollie sighed as they walked back to join the others. "I don't know, Francis. I don't... know."

"Rollie," Francis pulled on one arm, stopping his friend. "Thanks for saving Sarah and Anne. If you hadn't..."

"I'm glad I could do it, Francis. Sarah and the girls are important to me too. You're... you're like family." Rollie finished shyly.

"I'm glad, Rollie." Francis smiled at the words. "We want you and Angie to feel welcome with us. You're important to us, too." He laughed softly. "Sarah was so glad when she realized I had friends that weren't cops. She worried about me being too... narrow I guess, just hanging out with cops."

"And special effects experts are better?" Rollie asked, amused by the thought.

"Yeah. You broaden my horizons!"

"Well, we'll certainly open your eyes, mate."

The friends were laughing when they joined the others. The rest of the day was spent quietly, talking, playing checkers, Gatti watching and nibbling on snack food. Donna and Belinda came back with some of their favorite cousins and pulled Rollie into a game of dodge ball and tag. Tiring, he finally begged off and collapsed next to Angie, to sip on an orange soda one of the other Gatti families had given them to replace what Rollie had dumped.

As the day changed to night, the Gatti family settled into position to watch the harbor. Donna and Belinda claimed places between Angie and Rollie, happy to sit with their "special" friends. At nine, the first of the fireworks lit the sky with color. The night was filled with soft pops and "oooh"s and "aw"s as the fireworks painted the night sky with colorful patterns. When it was over, they sat there listening to the night and soaking up the atmosphere.

"Well, I guess it's time to head home," Francis spoke, reluctant to end the day. Everyone gathered up the picnic supplies and they joined the exodus from the park. The van was loaded and they headed for home.

Rollie spoke softly, not wanting to wake the girls napping in the back, when Angie and he were dropped off at the brewery. "Thanks for the picnic, Frank, Sarah."

"Thanks for coming, Rollie. We loved having you." Francis answered.

"Will you and Angie join us again next year?" Sarah asked hopefully.

The special effects experts exchanged looks and Angie responded with a smile, "Sure, as long as our schedule will allow us."

"Just remember, you're welcome anytime." Sarah looked over at the tall man. "Rollie, thank you for..."

"Glad I could do it, Sarah. I just wish it hadn't been necessary." Rollie rubbed the aching spot on his chest. He knew he'd have a nasty bruise there, but he preferred that to the alternative. The pain that would have filled his heart otherwise. "Maybe next year will be quieter."

Sarah laughed, "I hope so. There's a new Gatti story now. Hopefully, it'll teach a good lesson about safety."

"Hopefully. G'night," Rollie called softly.

"Good night!" Angie echoed.

"Good night," Francis and Sarah answered back as they left.

Rollie and Angie entered the loft. They blinked in the brightness of the lights as Blue barked and turned them on. "Well, have fun, sweetie?"

"Yeah, except for that little piece of excitement. Are you sure, you're all right, Rollie?"

"I'm fine, just bruised. Don't worry so much."

Rollie glanced around the first level. "Long day. Want to spend the night? Or I could drive you home."

Angie stretched lazily. Rollie sounded wistful. "I'll stay, if you'll supply breakfast." She grinned, cheekily.

Rollie immediately came back, "Deal!" Adding slyly, "mercenary."

Angie lightly punched his arm and he laughed.

"Bed or couch?" Rollie offered the choice.

"Um... Couch. It's too short for you to be comfortable, boss." She responded, even though she knew he'd slept there before.

"All right. Since you're taking the couch, how about you get the shower first?" Rollie offered in compensation.

"Thanks, Rol. 'Preciate it!" Angie headed upstairs, eager to wash the dirt of the day off and relieve the heat.

Rollie was watching a video tape on the television when she came back down, clean, wearing one of his T-shirts and a soft pair of shorts from her small supply of clothes she kept at the loft. She smiled as she recognized "ID-4". "I'm still amazed that the Apple OS is compatible with the aliens'!"

Rollie laughed, Angie said that every time they saw the movie. He offered her the popcorn and they settled down to watch Earth take out the alien invaders.  "Yeah, well. That's movie magic!"