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Coffee. The magic bean. The necessary fuel by which all thought was made possible. Approximately one half of the body fluids contained in most cops, teachers, parents, and healthcare personnel. Nick’s current purpose for being awake and upright at the moment.

He yawned widely as he paused outside the haven of caffeine - Starbucks. Sure, it was one in the afternoon but, after an all night stake-out which got him in the door at ten in the morning, he felt justified in having slept until about twenty minutes prior. He also felt that he more than earned an extra large coffee with plenty of sugar and chemical flavorings. He was awake, he was wearing pants, he was all good.

Laughing a bit at himself, he pushed open the door and moved inside, pausing only for a moment to take a deep lungful of the warm, coffee scented air. Then he neatly stepped to one side so as not to block traffic. Another yawn escaped him but he muffled this one with a hand. Golden amber eyes searched the menu despite Nick knowing it forwards and backwards. It was part of the ritual. Absently, he tucked both hands in the pockets of his light leather jacket and rocked back on his heels.

Got it, he thought with a grin. Decision made, Nick allowed himself the indulgence of some people watching as he got in line for his order. The barista was familiar - a cute redhead that he flirted with regularly. He remembered that she liked emo rock and admitted to a regrettable tattoo in a predictable place. Two people ahead, a guy in a suit stared intently at his cell phone. Probably a lawyer, a junior partner. He had that hungry look about him. Directly in front, a cute blonde, well put together, digging in her purse. Nick politely avoided peering over her shoulder and instead directed his attention to a table to his right, just outside the line corral. Two teenage girls chattered animatedly over their coffees, a text book and a note book open in front of them. One kept pointing at it emphatically. The other shook her head and leafed through the book, searching. Nick craned his neck a bit to see the topic. Algebra? Nope, he would be no use there.

“Next?”

Snapping back to attention, Nick moved forward in the line. Just the pretty blonde and then him. Then… Coffee. Mmm.

Nick could not quite stop himself from lifting an eyebrow in dubious reaction but he also failed to halt the crooked grin that curved his mouth at the same time. Cute, he thought, and totally selling it. Because, for no other reason than the way she had deliberately tried to catch his eye, Nick knew her real distress also had an angle to it. He felt like buying, though. Call him a sucker. She was cute and what was the price of a cup of coffee? Nothing that would put him out. Not even at a joint like Starbucks.

Lifting a hand, he stepped forward and fished out his wallet with the other hand. "Don't worry about it, miss," he interrupted. "Consider this a pay it forward thing. Those still happen, right?" He flashed a broad grin full of perfect white teeth. Then he turned his focus back to the barista. "I've got hers," he informed the woman behind the counter. "Just add a venti caffe latte, three shots of vanilla syrup, whipped cream and cinnamon." He paused in the process of pulling out a twenty dollar bill. "Eh, add another shot of espresso to that, too, please," he added as he handed over the money.

The barista nodded and rang up the order. She handed over the change and then picked up a cup, tipping her head to one side, pen at the ready. "Oh, yeah. The name's Nick." He glanced at the blonde, eyebrow raised as if silently asking for her name to be put on the cup.

Nick stifled the good-natured laugh that threatened to escape him at her response to his actions. Instead, he simply grinned broader and took a step back. With a gallant, sweeping gesture of his arm, he motioned her out into the cafe proper. "Not something you need to do," he pointed out, "but I'm not stupid enough to say no. Even if it's not really an even trade."

The laugh rose again and he let go into a chuckle. "I'll end up owing you another coffee," he elaborated. "Go on and have a seat, Pen. I'll bring the drinks over."

She only needed to feel abandoned or expectant for a couple of minutes before the tall blond reappeared at her side with a wide grin and a pair of drinks. "Your coffee, m'lady," Nick drawled as he presented hers with a bow. His golden eyes danced with laughter. Then he slid into the booth opposite her, his own cup cradled between big hands. He cocked his head and let his gaze take her in once more. His grin broadened. "So, Pen, is that how you always take your coffee?"

"Oh, you know. Whatever I get the itch for." He chuckled, eyes pausing only briefly on her mouth. "Though I sometimes get all responsible and lay off the sugar and caffeine late at night if I have to sleep. Maybe."

Nick sipped at his coffee, seemingly oblivious to the scalding temperature. "But sleep can be really overrated so it really does depend."

"Lots of things. Twenty-four hours is a lot of time to fill." Nick lifted his cup in a teasing salute before taking another deep drink of his coffee. His unusual golden eyes watched her over the rim. She was a hard one to read, he reflected thoughtfully. Pleasant and pretty with a sense of humor. Plus a bit of a tease. Still there was something behind those smart eyes that made him curious.

Relaxing back in his chair with a lazy air, Nick lowered his cup and shot another grin at Penelope. "Don't hold it against me but I'm a cop," he finished. "What about you?"