Title: It's Cold Outside
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Carl Hickman/Louis Daniel
Fandom: Crossing Lines
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 924
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Carl Hickman or Louis Daniel, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"I hope you won't be going anywhere for a while now that you're finally home and I know you're safe," Carl told Louis with a frown. "I don't want to deal with that again."

Louis shook his head, quite sure that he was telling the absolute truth when he said that he wouldn't take on any more undercover cases. That had been his last one.

He didn't have only himself to think of any more.

"I won't be going anywhere," he assured Carl as he took the mug of coffee his boyfriend handed him. "I'll leave all of the undercover work to Tommy from now one. I promise."

It really wasn't a hard promise to make. Now that he had Carl in his life, he didn't want to take any more risks than he had to. Doing things like that was all in the past.

He should have made that kind of a promise when he'd had Rebecca and Etienne in his life, but he hadn't. He had been a younger man then, and he had been on fire with the need to make his mark in the world. He had taken far too many risks, and as a consequence, had distanced himself from his family.

Then Etienne had died, and he and Rebecca had drifted apart. And when she had died, they were really as strangers to each other. They hadn't been close for years.

It had mainly been because of his work; it had come between them almost from the beginning. This time, he wasn't going to let that happen. Not with Carl.

But of course, with Carl, it was completely different.

Carl shared his work. He was part of the team, and he knew what it was like to be a cop, to be involved in law enforcement. He didn't have Rebecca's distance from the work.

No, Carl knew exactly what he did, and why he was so committed to it -- because he had that same commitment. Which really did make them the perfect pair.

"It's cold out there," Carl said, nodding towards the front window, where Louis could see the first snowflakes beginning to fall. "It's a good thing we didn't have to go in today, with the snow. I think we all needed a little bit of a break. Here's hoping that no international incidents happen for the next couple of days."

Louis nodded, laughing softly as he did so. He knew that no snowfall, no matter how bad it might be, would deter his team members from their job.

Even if there had been a blizzard, they would be working if they were needed. That was simply the kind of people they all were -- hard-working and completely dedicated.

But that was why Carl understood him so well -- they were cut from the same cloth, just as the rest of the team members were. They all understood just how each one of them felt about what they did, because they all felt the same. They were united in their dogged prsuit of justice.

Rebecca had never felt that. She had never really known what it was like to have such a strong sense of commitment; she could have walked away from her job as a lawyer at any time.

In fact, she would have been perfectly happy to do that, and to just be a wife and mother. But for some reason, she had waited too long for that -- and it had destroyed their happiness.

But that was in the past, Louis told himself firmly. No use crying over spilt milk.

There was no point in thinking about the past. It was over and done, completely behind him. What he had to look forward to now was his life with Carl, a life that had infinite possibilities.

Yes, it was cold outside .... But here, in their home, it was warm and comfortable, matching the warmth that they felt for each other in their hearts.

He was right where he wanted to be, with the man he wanted to be with. They had both come through the fire to be with each other, and they were both a little world-weary and singed from those flames. But they'd made it to the other side, and being together was their reward.

"Baby, it's cold outside, but it is quite warm in here," he murmured, moving closer to Carl on the couch. "And I think we should celebrate having the rest of the day -- and the weekend -- to ourselves."

That could change at any moment, he knew. They might not have the entire weekend to themselves. They could have a new case at any time.

But for the moment, they could celebrate their free time.

Louis knew exactly how he wanted to do that. Smiling, he stood up, holding out a hand to Carl and waiting for the other man to get to his feet.

Without a word, he led the way to their bedroom, not caring that their coffee would get cold. It might be cold outside, but he intended for the two of them to be very warm indeed.

***