Francis Gatti approached the old converted brewery with all the seriousness of a stake-out for very dangerous, clever, wary criminals. "Mave's Raves", a local gossip column had included a small item about special effects expert, Rollie Tyler, and a "gorgeous, absolutely exquisite blonde beauty". His wife, Sarah, had promptly sent him on his current mission to find all about their friend's latest love interest. He would have to be careful, Rollie could easily flee verbally, if his questioning was too heavy handed. Angie might know and, depending on her mood, might actually share. However, it was best not to count on her help. Caution and a light touch were needed. He pushed the intercom button to the workshop's security system. "Open up, it's the police." He remembered Leo saying those very words here. He missed his partner. They had only served together a little over a year, but Leo McCarthy had been the best partner ever and an even better friend. He had also shared his friendship with Rollie Tyler. The best thing he could have done for the younger detective and the Australian.

"Come on in, Frankie. The door's open." Angie called from her clean room.

"Hi Angie! Where's Rollie?" The short, dark haired detective asked, once he was inside.

"Upstairs, looking for something. We're almost done with 'Flashpoint!' and will start a new movie in a couple of weeks. Rollie wants to take a... a doona with him when we go up state."

"What's a doona?" Frank asked curiously, looking up at the blonde. He noticed the bud vase sitting next to her computer set-up. A red rose and a white rose sat entwined together in it.

Angie shrugged. "I think it's a blanket or comforter of some sort. He wasn't really clear when I asked."

Francis considered the tidbit with a slight smile. Rollie hated being cold. If they were heading for upstate New York with chilly fall weather approaching, it made sense in a Rollie sort of way. "Why's he looking for it now? I mean you said two weeks, right?"

"I think he wants to get it cleaned or something." Angie answered as she returned to her work.

Frank watched her work and considered the roses thoughtfully. A red rose was for love, a passionate love. A white rose meant "I am worthy of you". The two colors together meant... unity, that was it. Sarah would be pleased that he remembered so much that she'd drilled into him about the "language of flowers". That reminded him, he should get something for Sarah, just because he loved her. He wondered who had given the beautiful blonde the flowers, who was "worthy" of Angie, then mentally gasped. Beautiful blonde! Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Angie's occasional, mysterious smiles. Rollie's distraction while he was working. The happiness that seemed to glow from the pair of special effects experts. The absolutely exquisite blonde beauty was Angie Ramirez! Well, well, he still had to confirm his hunch, but Frank was pretty sure he had it right. Sarah always lamented that their friends weren't a couple. Looked like she might be getting her wish.

Before Detective Francis Gatti could begin his interrogation of his blonde "suspect", he was interrupted by his partner, Palmira "Mira" Sanchez. She barged through the front door of the loft, not even knocking. It was a good thing the door hadn't been locked, Frank thought to himself.

"Angie! Are you all right?" Mira asked anxiously, eyeing her younger friend.

"I'm fine, Mira." Angie answered, slightly amused.

Mira nodded. "And Rollie? Is he okay?"

You ought to know from the way Angie's acting that Rollie is fine, Frank thought as he observed silently.

"Rollie's fine, too. What's wrong with you, Mira?"

"I read the police report from last night." The Hispanic detective explained.

"Whoa! What police report?" Frank asked, suddenly puzzled and worried.

"The one that listed Rollie and Angie as among the witnesses to that drive by in the theatrical district, Frank." She answered automatically, then did a double take. When had he gotten here?

"The drive by? You saw the drive by?" Frank focused his attention fully on Angie.

"If you read the report, Mira, you'd know we didn't really see anything. We were just there."

"Just where?" Rollie asked, bewildered by the tail end of the conversation he'd just wandered into. "See what?" His arms were full. He carried a cloth bag covering something soft and round, like a giant sleeping bag.

"The drive by last night, Rol." Angie responded.

"Oh, that. Yep. Didn't see anything. Sure heard it and saw the results though. Why?"

Mira sighed and shook her head. "Nothing, I was just worried is all. Are you sure neither of you saw anything?"

"Positive, Mira. We wouldn't hide something like that." Rollie's expressive face looked slightly hurt and a touch offended that his police friends would think that of them.

"I know, Rollie. Sorry, I just don't like my friends being that close to..." Mira trailed off as Rollie's face brightened slightly in relief.

"Don't blame you. It was not fun! Is everyone all right?" Rollie asked anxiously, remembering the injured theatergoers.

"They're doing fine, Rollie. There are two still in the hospital, but the doctors expect a full recovery. We were lucky this time, amigos."

Rollie nodded in complete agreement as his eyes sought Angie's. They spoke of his gratitude that she wasn't one of the people in the hospital. Her eyes answered silently with the same sense of gratitude. They had been extremely lucky last night.

Francis smothered a grin. Well at least he was now certain of the identity of the "gorgeous, absolutely exquisite blonde beauty". Details could wait for a more private moment. "What about the Simmons case? Anything new?" He easily deflected Mira to their own work and the pair of detectives left discussing motives and alibis. Mira never even thought to ask him why he was there at this time of the morning.

Angie sighed in silent relief. She had a feeling Frank suspected something was up, but she wasn't ready to share the change in her relationship with Rollie with the rest of the world just yet. She smiled warmly at her handsome boss, partner and the light of her life. "So, that's the mysterious doona?"

Rollie looked up at her, bewildered. "This is my doona. What's mysterious about it?" He considered the soft, light weight in his arms.

"Just this. What is a doona?"

"Oh, it's a quilted blanket, sort of like a comforter, except it's lined with wool instead of being full of feathers. This," he raised the bundle in his arms, "is a two blanket doona. Not as warm as a four blanket, but I don't think I'll need a four blanket yet."

Angie nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. It's only autumn after all." She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing at Rollie's seriousness.
 
"I'll take it to Momma Rosa to get it dry cleaned later. It's been in storage for a while." He smiled up at Angie. "Care to join me for breakfast, Ms. Ramirez?"

"Love to, Mister Tyler."

The special effects artists set out to enjoy a hearty breakfast before being wrapped up in the work of the day. "Flashpoint!" was coming to a close and it was going to be hectic for a while.

Work kept them from arranging another date. Two weeks later found the partners safely ensconced in a pair of trailers in upstate New York. It was beautiful this time of year and both enjoyed the clear weather. Even Rollie had to admit the autumn chill felt good after a particularly hot and humid summer. "Mystery of the River" was being filmed in and around a small town near the Hudson. The location was beautiful and the shoot was fun for a change. This movie wasn't full of violent and/or noisy special effects like "Flashpoint!" had been. It required a far more delicate touch to get the eerie beauty and surreal feel the director was seeking for the romantic story line. Tyler FX was enjoying the change from their normal action or sci-fi flicks. This movie would give them a chance to show their versatility and the quality of their work. It was far more challenging than blowing up a car or setting up a flash fire.

The romantic scenes were also making the couple anxious to get together for another date. Rollie stood contemplating the flyer posted on a nearby utility pole. A county fair would be a fun date, at least he thought it would. He'd never actually been to one and just knew what he'd seen around in his work and on the screen. Rollie was willing to give it a try if Angie was agreeable. Angie was more than agreeable and they decided that would be their next date on Friday night. Saturday's shooting had a late start, so it was perfect. The FX team went to work with willing hearts, eagerly anticipating their second date.

Rollie and Angie set out Friday night to enjoy a night at the fair. They were dressed comfortably in jeans. Angie wore a long sleeve, black sweater with a wide yellow, horizontal stripe and Rollie wore a long sleeve T-shirt with a dark, charcoal sweater on top. Both chattered happily as they left the lot where the film crews' trailers were located. As soon as they were safely out of sight of their co-workers, they reached for each other's hand. The fair was just a half mile away, an easy walk for the couple. The Australian had a flashlight hanging from his belt, thinking they might need it when they returned after dark. There was no sign of the stress of their first date. Rollie and Angie were more comfortable with the thought of their changing relationship and, away from the possibility of their friends catching them at it, they were far more relaxed.

Angie snuggled close to Rollie as they stood in line to purchase tickets for the rides and games. She noticed some of the local women were looking at Rollie with more than appreciation in their eyes and slipped a finger around his back belt loop. Her actions said clearly that this one is taken. And looking at the way the tall man held his companion, the women silently agreed.

Rollie saw the men looking at Angie and felt a twinge of jealousy. He tightened his arm around her shoulders slightly and glanced around. She's mine, his eyes said. And seeing Angie slip a finger in his belt loop, the men silently acknowledged their loss.

Rollie purchased a large roll of tickets for the fair and the couple entered eagerly. Looking around, taking in the sights and smells, they laughed happily.

"So, what do you want to do first, Angie?" Rollie asked, his eyes full of wonder and excitement.

"Hmm... rides first." Angie said and pointed toward one.

Rollie's eyes widened, then he grinned as he led her to get in line for the Tunnel of Love. They gave each other little kisses as they waited for the line of couples to move. Just for warm-up practice. Rollie didn't feel the embarrassment he had at the theater on their first date, because they weren't the only couple kissing here. As a matter of fact, the others were quite a bit hotter in their oscular action. An elderly couple walking by, snuggled closer to each other as they watched the tall, dark haired man hug the smaller, blonde woman in under his chin, her back to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her, the blonde smiling in contentment, her hands resting on his larger ones. This was a couple truly in love, they thought and remembered their younger days with joy.

Rollie and Angie managed to kiss each other quite a bit during the course of the ride. Where most of the other couples jumped and started at the surprises of the ride, the special effects couple ignored them and concentrated on each other. Angie straightened her sweater and made sure it was tucked in as they came to the end of the ride. Both of them were breathless. They laughed and Rollie touched his forehead to Angie's, before helping her out of the car.

Holding hands, they went looking for more rides to share. They hit several rides in rapid succession - the Merry Go Round (where they held hands), the Scrambler (where they pressed against each other and touched hands where they held tightly as the ride whipped them around) and the Roller Coaster (where they held hands and yelled with excitement). They decided to try something a little quieter and hit the Broadway. They looked at the fortune teller's tent and, by mutual consent, bypassed it. They knew their good fortune, they were lucky to have each other. Rollie bought some cotton candy and they shared the sticky sweet, ending with a lingering, gentle kiss when they finished. They watched the strongman in action and a sword swallower, a fire eater and a small dog act. Angie challenged Rollie to a shooting game, winner take all. The special effects artists swiftly found the balance of the rifles and both racked up impressive scores. Angie won by six points and Rollie solemnly added his prize (a stuffed alligator - purple) to hers (a large stuffed teddy bear - yellow). Next, Rollie tried his hand at a fishing game. Catching his rubber fish, he handed it to the carny and they waited to see what his prize was. It was a small orange and blue, generic, beanie frog and Rollie grinned at the silly looking animal, pleased by his catch. Next came hot dogs and sodas as they sat on a bench and watched the fair going crowd.

Finished with the food, they joined the people viewing the local fair exhibits. Angie stared in awe at some of the craft work. The quilts were beautiful. The embroidery was exquisite. She loved to look at it, but knew she would never have time to learn how or work on such pieces of art as the crocheted baby blankets or the knitted afghans. A pity, she would love to give an afghan she had made to Rollie. He would appreciate it. Rollie examined everything with the wide, curious eyes of a child. He'd never seen anything resembling some of the things they saw. The colors were a delight, the crafts work was perfection. He couldn't get over some of the woodwork they saw on night stands and rockers. He wished he could give something like that to Angie, handmade by him. They oohed and ahhed over a rocking horse with a wool mane and tail.

The couple drifted on to the livestock barns. There, Rollie petted every animal that stuck it's nose out to him. Angie watched in amusement as he found just the right spots to scratch behind their ears and they butted his hands, begging for more. They both cooed over the puppies and kittens, gently stroking the baby soft fur. Wistful, Rollie led the way back out in the night air. It would be nice to have a real dog at home, but he knew his life style was not conducive to a good home for a live dog. And at least, he had Blue. Angie observed his face, and knowing what Rollie was thinking, she pressed close to his side, her arm hugging his waist, trying to offer comfort.

Rollie looked down and smiled warmly at her. He hugged Angie close. "So, what now?"

Angie looked at the night sky and sighed. She didn't want the night to end, but it was getting late. "The ferris wheel?"

"Ferris wheel it is then!" Rollie tugged her hand and they went to stand in line. It was very short, there were only a few people waiting. The night was getting late and the crowds were thinning. Angie handed her prizes to the attendant for safe keeping. Rollie's frog was safely stuffed in his pocket. They got into the bucket and cuddled close as the ride rose high in the sky. It stopped to allow other riders on, but soon was turning smoothly, offering a beautiful view of the country-side. The couple didn't really notice, their attention on each other once more. Rollie and Angie were kissing each other with increasing passion when the ride started to jerk. The Aussie frowned as he glanced down. Something was wrong. The ride stopped, then started as the attendant got people off as quickly as he could. The couple sighed and waited for the ride to end. They were at the top of the wheel when it jerked to a halt. Looking down, they saw the wheel had finally finished breaking down, the attendant was working frantically to get the motor going again. They watched someone else join him. Rollie and Angie looked at each other, then smiled. Deciding to take advantage of their time alone, they returned to kissing each other.

Interruption came in the form of a small hook and ladder fire truck, carefully maneuvering the fairground. It came to a stop beside the ferris wheel. The couple watched in mild amusement as the firefighters raised the ladder and began to remove riders from the wheel. There was no way this one would reach the top buckets where they were. It looked like they would have a long wait. Rollie cuddled Angie close and looked up at the night sky. He wasn't worried about getting down, it would happen eventually and if he had to be stuck... Angie was the one he wanted to be stuck with!

Not quite a hour later, the firefighters had given up on reaching any of the other riders. Rollie sighed softly. Now, they just had to wait for the motor to be fixed. Angie snuggled against Rollie's warm body, shivering slightly in the chill wind. She wondered who else was up here with them. That was when they heard the sound of children crying. Rollie and Angie looked at each other. Rollie craned his head around so he could see them. The children were about eleven, both girls with blonde hair. They were terrified, being stuck up at the top of the wheel, two cars behind them. Rollie sighed and prepared to stand. They couldn't leave those kids alone.

Angie put her hand on his arm. "You shouldn't go alone." She told him.

Reluctantly, the ex-stuntman nodded. They both climbed carefully out of the bucket, helping each other find their holds on the metal grid of the wheel. Slowly, cautiously, the couple made their way, down and across to the bucket with the girls. They heard the calls from the crowd below as people looked up and saw what they were doing.

"Hi!" Rollie called brightly, as he got near enough to be heard without shouting too loudly. "How you doing here?"

The blonde friends stared wide eyed at the man and the woman following him, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"I'm Rollie, this is Angie." The Aussie told them as he paused to help Angie pass him. They would be less intimidated by her. "Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Melissa," the one closest answered him. "This is my best friend, Paula. Are we stuck for long?"

"Maybe," Angie answered truthfully as she finally reached the car. "We don't know."

"Paula has as... asma, she's having trouble breathing."

Angie and Rollie exchanged looks, that didn't sound good.

"Do you  have your inhalant, Paula?" Angie asked the scared girl, recognizing the painful, wheezing gasps now for what they were.

Paula shook her head, wide eyed and scared.

"No, her momma has it in her purse. Down there." Melissa pointed below.

"Damn," Rollie whispered to himself. There was only one thing to do, they had to get Paula her medicine. The simplest solution was to get the wheel working again. Barring that, he'd have to bring it back up. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "I'll go down and see about getting the ride going again. You wait with the girls, Ange."

Angie clambered into the car and looked down. "All right. Be careful, Rol. Even you can't bounce that far." She didn't like it, but it was the best they could do. Someone had to keep the girls calm, especially Paula. Someone would have to climb down and Rollie stood the best chance of fixing the motor, if it could be fixed.

Rollie nodded, "See you soon, luv," and carefully moved toward the center of the wheel.

Angie and the girls watched his progress. She started telling the girls outrageous stories to distract them. The blonde woman kept a close eye on her partner's progress. Once, Rollie had to stop and come back up, then shift slightly over, before he could continue his downward climb. The firefighters moved the ladder close to the wheel again, waiting for the man to come within reach. There were screams when Rollie slipped, hanging on by his right hand. The Aussie felt the metal strut cutting into his palm. Somehow, he managed to regain a grip with his left hand, then position his feet against the metal. Too close, he clung to the wheel and shook for a moment, before resuming his climb. Angie stifled her own scream of terror with an iron will. She shivered and pulled the girls closer, sharing her body heat in the chill night air. The blonde special effects artist found herself silently praying for her partner's safety.

Finally, Rollie felt eager hands on his legs, helping him position his feet. Soon, he felt the hook ladder under them and sighed in relief. The crowd cheered and applauded.

"Are you crazy?!?" The firefighter exclaimed. "You could have been killed pulling that stunt!"

"No choice," Rollie gasped out, as his lungs sucked in air. "One of the girls has asthma. She's having an attack. Needs her inhalant. Any chance of getting the motor going?"

"Damn it!" The firefighter shook his head, helplessly. "It'll be at least another hour, maybe two. They need a part to fix the motor."

"Get the inhalant from her mum. I'll take it back up."

The firefighter looked at him in shock. "Now I know you're crazy."

"I know," Rollie sighed, "just get the bloody medicine!"

The firefighter climbed down to get the medicine. Rollie leaned against the cage at the top of the ladder. He looked at his right hand and hissed. The palm was badly cut. It was long and deep. More stitches, he thought as he pulled a dark colored handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around his hand. Using his teeth and left hand, he managed to tie a knot in it. There, that would do for now. He rested, waiting for the other man to return.

Less than ten minutes later, the firefighter was back. "Here," he handed the inhalant to Rollie who tucked it into his jean pocket with the frog. "Are you sure you can make it back up there?"

"Do you want to try?" Rollie asked with wry humor.

"Uh, not really," the volunteer firefighter answered reluctantly.

"I'll make it." Rollie assured him. "I used to do stunt work." He reached up and started to climb. He was about seven feet up, when he called back down. "Of course, that was usually with a harness and an air bag!" He continued the climb up. Somehow, it seemed father going back up. Maybe because he was tired, maybe because it was up against the pull of gravity, which kept telling him it was time to come down now. The Aussie ignored it and climbed, carefully, steadily. Paula needed her inhalant. Angie was there. These thoughts had a stronger pull on his heart which overruled his head and body.

Rollie's body was trembling by the time he passed the inhalant to Angie. She handed it to Paula who immediately began to use it. The blonde helped Rollie as much as she could as he clambered around to climb into the bucket on the other side. Sitting down, the girls between him and Angie, he leaned his head back on the head rest and tried to catch his breath. Wild cheers could be heard from below, but the couple ignored them. Angie wanted to hold Rollie, but that wasn't possible here. She settled for watching him as his breathing eased.

"They said it would be another hour or two for the motor to be fixed." Rollie informed them.

"What's wrong?" Angie asked as she watched him, anxiously. Her quick eyes had already found the handkerchief around his palm. So close. She shivered and hugged herself.

"Don't know, luv. That firefighter said they need a part. I'm sure we'll be down as soon as they get it here." Rollie reached over, placing his hand behind Angie's back, the girls tucked safely between them. They were quiet as they waited, watching the night. It seemed so peaceful, Rollie thought tiredly. So peaceful and so far from all the excitement and noise.

The Aussie woke with a start as the wheel jerked and began to turn. Realizing he had fallen asleep, he looked sheepishly over at Angie. She smiled gently at him over the girls' heads. Looking down, he realized he wasn't the only one as the two young girls woke up as well. Most of the crowd was gone when they finally came down. There was an emergency unit from the fire house, the sheriff and a deputy, some of the carny people and some very relieved parents. Rollie yawned as he helped the girls down and then Angie. They paused and Rollie kissed her tenderly, before sitting her on her feet.

Everyone was fussing over the girls and the couple decided to slip away. They hadn't gotten far, when the sheriff joined them.

"You folks okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, fine. Tired though." Rollie stretched stiffened muscles. He was going to be sore for a while.

"You need to get your hand checked, Rollie." Angie reminded him. She hadn't gotten a chance to look at it on the wheel, but reached for it now.

Rollie looked at her and shrugged. "I need stitches." He told her calmly. "It's pretty long and deep. Not too bad though, Ange."

"Not too bad?" The sheriff echoed, then shook his head. "Come on, I'll drive you to the clinic."

"Thank you," Angie replied in relief.

"No, it's us that should be thanking you two. You're real heroes."

Rollie blushed and buried his face in Angie's hair.

"We did what had to be done." Angie told the man as she pulled Rollie after them. "Just do me a favor, don't make too big of a fuss or I won't be able to bring him out anymore." She ended in a stage whisper.

The sheriff grinned at the pretty blonde. "Swelled head?"

"Terminal bashfulness." She answered solemnly. "He's likes attention, just not that much of it."

"Gotcha," the sheriff gestured them into his patrol car and they made the short trip in silence.

The doctor on duty swiftly cleaned Rollie's injured hand. He stitched it without a squirm from his patient who was paying more attention to the blonde woman holding his other hand than the doctor. "You probably need a tetanus shot." The man said as he moved to the medicine closet.

"Naw, had one... What? Three months ago?" Rollie looked at Angie for confirmation.

She nodded. "Yep. Right before we went to Texas. After you got road burn. You took advantage of that doctor visit to catch up on your shots for the year."

"Road burn?" The doctor echoed and shook his head.

"You don't want to know," Angie informed the docotr puckishly. "Can I take him home now?"

"Uh? Oh yeah," the doctor answered, "just make sure he keeps it dry and clean. Change the bandage once a day. Use this cream, it'll help prevent infection." He passed a sample tube to her. "If it starts looking irritated, bring him back. He should get it checked again in a week. Do you want a pain killer?"

Rollie shook his head. "Over the counter will do fine."

"Thanks," Angie tugged Rollie gently to his feet and the couple left. They found the sheriff waiting for them.

"Thought you might like a ride back." The middle aged man said. "You're with those movie folks, right?"

"Right." Angie answered. She hadn't wanted to walk back and calling the director for a ride didn't seem like a good idea.

Rollie paused outside. "We forgot your prizes, sweetie."

"Forget the prizes, Rollie." Angie told him. "I've got what I want. You! Safe and sound and almost in one piece. Now come on, I want to go to bed. We have work tomorrow." She glanced at the courthouse clock. "Make that today."

Rollie smiled softly, warmed by the declaration. He fell asleep on the way back to the movie camp. The Aussie yawned and went where Angie pulled him once they arrived. It didn't take her long to get him safely tucked in, snug under his doona. He was back asleep in an instant. She stroked his soft, brown hair back from his eyes. Kissing his temple softly, "As long as you're safe," she whispered to him before leaving for her own bed.

An hour later, Angie slipped back into Rollie's camper, a blanket around her shoulders. She couldn't sleep. The blonde sat on the edge of his bed and stroked his hair. She smiled softly as she watched Rollie sleep. He looked so young and innocent, like a little boy, his frog on his pillow where she'd placed it earlier. Ten minutes after that, Angie Ramirez was sound asleep, curled up at Rollie Tyler's side.