Title: Officer Needs Assistance
Author: Sue MacNeil
Fandom: Adam-12/Emergency!
E-Mail: creativestorm@juno.com
Rated: PG/R
Pairing: Pete Malloy/Emily DeSoto-sorta :-)
Archive: Sure
Content Warning: Humor, a little angst, maybe a surprise or two..
Author's Notes:  Pete Malloy's got problems...of the female kind! What
started as simply helping out a lost
motorist has turned into a case of unrequited love. It's causing big
problems, and Mac is fit to be tied. Desperate, Pete hatches a plan and
turns to old friend Emily DeSoto to help. She agrees, and that's when the
real trouble begins!
**************************************
   "Ready to go 10-7?" Officer Jim Reed asked.
   "You bet I am. I'm starved. Go ahead and call us in." his partner, Pete
Malloy replied.
   Jim reached for the radio. "1 Adam-12 request 10-7 Beeker and Supulveda."
   "1-Adam-12 roger. Cleared for 10-7."
   They pulled into their favorite diner, stomachs rumbling. Pete had just
opened the menu when a voice called out.
   "Pete! Hello!"
   Pete groaned. "Not again."
   "Afraid so, my friend." Jim tried to smother his grin.
  It had started out innocently enough. Two weeks ago, they'd stopped to
give directions to a lost motorist. Miss Danielle Prendall. All Pete had
done was give her directions to Santa Barbara and smiled.
Just doing his job, or so he thought. But somewhere along the way, Danielle
had fallen for him, hard.
He'd been flattered, but not interested. The stunning young woman just
wasn't his type, and besides, he was too busy studying for his final exams
at UCLA to even think about going on a date. At first it had been kind of
cute, the nice letter she'd written, the brownies she'd brought to the
station, but things had snowballed into constant phone calls, visits to the
station, and worst of all, she always seemed to "run into" him no matter
where they happened to be, and Pete was getting desperate. He didn't want to
hurt her feelings, but he feared there was no other way to get the message
across. This puppy dog crush was beginning to cause him serious grief.
  "Hello Miss Prendall." Pete said politely.
  "It's Danielle, remember?"
  "Yes I do, Miss Prendall."
  "I'm glad I ran into you Pete. I'd like to invite you to my place
tommorrow night for a home cooked meal."  she smiled, taking a seat next to
Jim.
  "That's very nice of you, but I'm on duty tomorrow night." he replied.
  "Well the night after then!"
  Pete glanced at Jim and sighed. "Miss Prendall, look. I appreciate your
offer, I really do, but the fact is I-" he stopped, looking at her face. She
was gazing at him adoringly. "I don't think my wife would." he blurted.
  Jim looked up from his coffee, startled. Pete shot him a warning glance.
  "Wife?" Danielle's face fell. "You're..married?"
  "That's right Miss Prendall, so you see why-"
  "I'd like to meet her." she interrupted, "and tell her what a lucky lady
she is."
  "Oh, well-"
  "Problem Pete?" Jim spoke up.
  "No, not at all, it's just that she's very busy-" he stammered. Damn it
Pete, she's called your bluff.
  "Will she be at the Department Picnic on Saturday?" Danielle asked.
  "How do you know about that?" Pete exclaimed.
  "My father's restaurant is providing the food, and I'm in charge. Guess
I'll see you and Mrs. Malloy then. Toodles!"
  Pete watched her leave. "Oh brother."
  "You sure stepped in it this time." Jim said.
  "Don't I know it."
***********************************
   "1-Adam-12 clear."
   "10-4 I Adam-12 clear."
   Jim hung up the handset. "Got any ideas yet?"
   "No."
   "Why don't you just dig into that little black book of yours and ask one
of your girlfriends to help you out?"
   "First of all, I don't have a black book, and second of all, if you think
I'm going to call some girl up and ask her to be my wife for a day, you're
crazy. That'd be like adding gasoline to a fire."
   Jim laughed. "Why did you tell her you were married in the first place?"
   "I don't know. It just sort of came out. I figured if she thought I was
married she'd do the right thing and leave me alone. I didn't expect her to
call my bluff."
   "Hey, what about Dixie? She'd help you out."
   "Reed, do you really think Dixie McCall is the kind of woman who'd marry
a guy like me?"
   Jim couldn't resist. "You're right, she's too good for you."
   "For the sake of our partnership, I'm going to forget I heard that."
   "1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12, assist Engine 51 with crowd control, 167 West
Lane. Respond code 2."
   "I-Adam-12 roger."
   Pete's eyes suddenly lit up. "Reed, I've got it. I think my wife problem
is solved!"
   "Oh boy!"
*****************************************
   After helping out 51, Pete made a beeline for the station and the nearest
phone.
   "Hi, it's Pete. Oh I'm fine. Listen, can you drop by the station? I need
your help with something."
   Jim stood nearby, shaking his head. "Pete, you're headed for trouble." he
chuckled.
   "Pete's in trouble? What else is new?" Ed Wells called as he breezed by.
   Pete cheerfully ignored him. "C'mon Jim, let's go get some coffee."
   They walked to the breakroom. "Pete, are you sure she'll agree to your
plan?"
   "I sure hope so. I'm desperate."
   Ed walked in and headed for the coffee machine. "Like I said, what else
is new?"
*********************************************
  Emily DeSoto walked down the hall, taking in the sights and smells of the
the station. It had been years, but lord did she still miss it. Coming here
was like coming home again. She spotted the break room and hurried toward
it, wondering what in the world Pete Malloy was up to now. Pete and Jim were
both dear friends. She and Jim had graduated from the same class at the
academy, and Pete had been one of the first officers at the station to
welcome and accept her. Being a police officer was tough-being a female
police officer was even tougher. She'd had twice as much to prove as the
other rookies. Pete and Jim had always shown her support and respect, and
she'd never forgotten. As she walked into the break room she caught sight of
them and caught her breath. God I miss being a cop, she thought, I really
really miss it.
  "Hey Em, over here." Pete called.
  She smiled and headed over. "Hi guys. Do I dare ask what it is you're up
to?"
  Jim laughed. "Ask Pete."
  "Em, I need your help. You see there's this girl and..."
  "Oh boy." Em chucked. "I might have known."
  She listened as Pete filled her in.
  "....so that's it. It would only be for a day, and I'd really appreciate
it."
  "I'm flattered Pete, but it's all so sudden!" she teased, her eyes
twinkling.
  Jim smothered a grin.
  "C'mon Em, think of it as an undercover operation." Pete replied, smiling.
  "Oh sure, go appeal to the cop in me, you sneaky thing. Oh, all right. I
guess it wouldn't hurt. But I'm only doing it because it's you, Pete."
  "Thanks Em!" he jumped up and kissed her cheek. "You're a doll."
  "A doll?" Ed Wells teased, taking a seat nearby. "By God, you really are
desperate, Malloy!"
  "Hey!" Emily protested, her eyes twinkling, "don't talk that way about my
husband!"
  Ed choked and spit his coffee across the table.

*******************************************
  Jim turned away to hide his laughter.
  "Nice going Ed. You sure know how to impress a gal." Pete said, handing
him some napkins.
  "Pete, I gotta get going. You owe me one, my dear." Emily grinned.
  "Would it make you feel better if I said I'll be indebted to you for the
rest of my life?"
  She thought a moment. "It's a start." she winked.
  "Hold it!" Ed finally regained his voice, "Aren't you married already? To
a paramedic?"
  Pete's expression grew serious. "Hey yeah. Is Roy going to be okay with
this? I don't want to cause any problems."
  "Don't worry about it. Roy knows you're a friend, and besides, he's not
the jealous type." Emily smiled.
  Pete watched her go. "I sure hope she's right."
  "Look on the bright side Pete. If her husband decides to kick your ass, he
can patch you up afterwards."
Ed said.
  Pete shot him a look. "Ed, you're all heart."
***********************************
  "WHAT?" Roy exclaimed.
  Emily sighed. "It's really not a big deal, sweets. I'm just helping out a
friend." she turned down the bed.
  "I know he's a friend, Em. But pretending to be his wife? I just don't
know how I feel about watching that." he sighed and slid in.
  "What do- oh lord-the softball game! I forgot!"
  "The fire department is playing the LAPD. I'm the second baseman."
  "Roy, I'm sorry. I forgot all about the game. I'll still be there to cheer
you on." she joined him.
  Roy was silent. "Well I suppose it's only for a couple of hours, and you
will be going home with me." he grinned.
  "You bet." she kissed him and turned out the light.
  "Em?" he said suddenly.
  "Yes?"
  "You and Pete...did you two ever have..you know, something going?"
  She turned the light on and sat up. "No! Pete was never more than a friend
to me." she studied him. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"
  "Who me?" Roy asked innocently.
  "My darling DeSoto, do I have to remind you just where my heart is?" she
smiled, moving closer to him.
  "Mmm..maybe."
  Emily turned out the light, her giggle filling the darkness. "It would be
my pleasure, but don't blame me if you're walking funny tommorrow."
  Roy groaned softly. "Lord I love it when you're wicked."
***************************
  Saturday dawned sunny and warm. At 9am sharp, Pete arrived to pick up
Emily.
  "Morning Roy. I really appreciate you understanding about all this."
  Roy smiled. "No problem. I've had your problem a time or two myself."
  "We'll see you at the picnic, okay?" Emily kissed him. "Don't forget your
glove."
  Pete was admiring Emily's outfit, a buttery yellow sundress with little
blue and pink flowers on it. "Oh yeah, the game."
  "You playing?" Roy asked
  "Me? No. My partner's playing centerfield though."
  "I'll try not to keep him too busy."
  Pete smiled. "We better get going. See you there, Roy. And thanks again."
  Roy watched them go, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
*****************************
  "I don't believe it. She's not even here!" Pete exclaimed.
  They'd been walking around for several hours, and Danielle was nowhere to
be found. Pete was ready to strangle her. He'd endured 2 hours of smart ass
comments and stares for what appeared to be nothing.
  "Well it seems you may have called her bluff, Pete." Emily said, as they
took a seat under a nearby tree.
  "Yeah, looks that way. Em, I'm sorry-"
  "Don't apologize. No harm done. I hope this means the end of your
troubles."
  "Me too. Mac was really breathing down my back about it."
  "Wow, she must have been really bad...it takes a lot to rile up ol Mac."
  "Tell me about-damn, there she is!"
  Emily followed Pete's gaze. Danielle was standing over by one of the
picnic tables, chatting with Jim and Jean. As they watched, Jim smiled and
pointed to them.
  "She's coming over. I guess it's show time." Emily whispered.
  Pete reached for her. "I want her to get the message loud and clear." he
said, kissing her.
  Danielle stopped and stared at them as her face fell. The message was
getting through.
**************************
   "Ready for the game, partner?" Johnny grinned as they walked toward the
ball field.
   "I suppose so."
   "You okay?"
   "Fine, why?" Roy asked.
   "I dunno, you just seemed- what the HELL?" he stopped, looking past Roy.
   "What?" Roy turned to follow his gaze and froze at the sight of the
couple under the tree. Emily was in
Pete's arms, they were kissing passionately, and if it was an act, she
deserved an Academy award.
*****************************
  The kiss broke and they seperated, ready to greet Danielle. Instead,
Emily's eyes caught Roy and Johnny watching them and her hand flew to her
mouth.
  "Oh no!!"

*****************************
  "Something wrong, Mrs. Malloy?" Danielle asked.
  Emily wanted to get up and run to Roy, but she forced herself to look away
and up at Danielle.
  "What? Oh no, I mean I just realized I think I left the iron on." she
stammered.
  "Don't worry honey, I turned it off." Pete said, his arm around her.
  "Well, you two look very happy together."
  "Yes we are, aren't we, honey?" Pete smiled.
  "Oh yes." Emily looked away again, in time to see Roy and Johnny heading
for the ball field. "The game is about to start, dear. Don't you want to
wish Jim luck?"
  "You bet I do. Nice talking to you, Miss Prendall." Pete stood up and
brushed himself off, then offered his hand to her. Emily scrambled up as
fast as she could.
  As soon as Danielle turned away, Emily's eyes filled with tears. "I've got
to find Roy."
  "Em, what's wrong?"
  "He saw us kissing, and judging from the look on his face-"
  "Aw no. Em, I'm sorry-" Pete looked crestfallen.
  "I know Pete. I know."
  She took off across the grassy field, going as fast as her prosthesis
would let her.
*************************************
  "I said forget about it Johnny." Roy pounded his glove, then took a
grounder from first.
  "What? You just saw your wife kissing another man and you want to forget
about it? Man, I never thought Emily was like that-" Johnny stood a few feet
behind him at short.
  "She's not. Look Johnny, just forget what you saw, okay?"
  "Okay Roy, what the hell is going on?"
  Roy sighed and explained everything to him. "She was just helping a
friend."
  Johnny chuckled. "Thank the spirits. I was really worried for a moment.
That's just like Em though, to do anything for a friend."
  Yeah it is, Roy thought, but I never thought she'd go that far.
  "Roy!"
  Both men turned at the sound of Emily's voice. She was at one of the
benches, waving him over. Roy sighed again and trudged over reluctantly.
  "Yeah?"
  "Roy, about what you saw-I'm so sorry-it-"
  "I can't talk about this now, Em," he interrupted," I have to get ready
for the game." he started to turn away. His voice was low and quiet, the way
it always got when he was upset.
  "Honey, please-" she touched his arm, tears filling her eyes. "I love you,
and only you."
  He stopped and turned back to her, reaching out to brush her tears away.
"Don't cry..look, I'm not angry with you. I just..I just wasn't prepared for
how I'd feel seeing you with another man, thats all."
  "I understand. I didn't think Pete would take it that far. He feels as bad
as I do."
  "Roy, c'mon!" someone shouted.
  "Be right there!" he called, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across
her forehead. "We'll talk later, okay?"
  "Okay. Roy?"
  "Yeah?"
  "I love you."
  "I love you too."
*****************************************
  The LACoFD won the game 4-2, thanks to a grand slam by Roy. Afterwards,
the players mingled over a barbacue, and Emily and Roy slipped away to talk.
They found a quiet spot behind the bleachers and sat down.
  "Em, it's just that I never thought I'd ever have to share that..part of
you with anyone, and when I saw you with him like that, I realized I never
want to." Roy's voice was quiet.
  "And you never will! I don't want to share that part of me with anyone but
you."
  "I never thought I was the jealous type, but maybe I am."
  "Well it's over now. Danielle got the message and it's over. I'm Mrs.
DeSoto again and thats all I want to be."
  Roy pulled her close. "Good. When it comes to you, I'm selfish. I want you
all to myself."
  "You got it, my darling DeSoto." she reached up and kissed him. "Johnny-"
  "I explained the whole thing to him. It's okay."
  "I'm so sorry Roy..I never wanted you to get hurt." she said softly,
touching his cheek.
  He caught her hand and kissed it. "It's all right. No real harm done. But
the next time a friend asks you to play wife for a day, tell em no, okay?"
  She grinned. "You bet I will."
  "Good. Wanna kiss and make up?" Roy's eyes danced.
  She sighed in relief, then smiled, playing with the dark curls that peeked
out from the open collar of his shirt. "Hey, Kel has the kids until tonight.
How about we go home and have a little playtime for ourselves? If you're
really good you might get to hit another home run."
  Roy traced her jaw with his fingers. "Best idea I've heard all day,
shorty."
  "Shorty? Who you calling shorty?" she asked, with mock indignance.
  "You." he grinned and began to tickle her.
  Emily squealed and tried to get away. Laughing, Roy pulled her against his
chest and kissed her til they were both breathless.
  "Oh my," she whispered, "We'd better leave now or we'll never make it
home."
  "Mrs. Malloy?"
  Emily's head shot up to find a shocked Danielle standing there.
  "Miss Prendall!"
  "How could you be so horrible to such a good man?" she cried, "How could
you? You'll pay for this!"     Before Emily could answer she turned and ran
off. She sighed and sagged against Roy.
  "Oh brother!"
***********************************
  "Well you can't blame him Pete."
  Pete and Jim were at a picnic table as Jean and several other officer's
wives chatted nearby.
  "I know that Jim. I feel horrible. It was my idea after all. I don't even
know why I kissed her."
  Jim reached for a hot dog. "Well you had to make it look convincing right?
  "Yeah, and it worked, but I think Roy thought it was a little too
convincing."
  "Aw, he'll understand. Roy's good people."
  "I hope you're right." Pete squirted mustard on to his burger.
  "Hey, here they come now."
   Pete stood up quickly. "Roy, I'm really sorry-"
   He held his hand up, smiling. "Don't worry about it. You've got bigger
problems now."
   "What?"
   Emily sighed. "Danielle thinks I'm cheating on you with Roy and
she's...unhappy to say the rest."
   Jim looked on in disbelief as she explained. When she finished Pete
looked heavenward.
   "Why me, God? Why me?"

*********************************
  When they got to the shop, Pete's hunch proved to be correct. Danielle
was standing in front of the shop holding a sign saying "BOYCOTT THIS
SHOP- DON'T SUPPORT ADULTERY" Pete reached for his hat and exited the
car, shaking his head.
  "Pete!" Danielle hurried over to him."Pete dear, I'm so sorry about
what that horrid wife is doing to you!"
  "Miss Prendall, kindly put down the sign and wait here with my partner,
okay?"
  She nodded as Pete made his way inside. Lindsay Bradshaw, Emily's
assistant manager, was standing at the counter wringing her hands.
  "Thank goodness you're here! I don't know what that woman is talking
about! She's scaring our customers away!"
  "It's okay Lindsay. Is Emily in?"
  Lindsay shook her head. "It's Roy's day off so she took the day off
too."
  Pete looked around for a minute. "Do you mind if I borrow the office
for a minute?"
  "Not at all."
  "Thanks."
  Pete walked back outside. "Miss Prendall, follow me."
  Once they were in the office, he took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Miss Prendall, this has to stop. What you saw at the picnic is not what
you think you saw, and I owe you an apology for that. I should have been
truthful with you from the beginning. The man you saw my "wife" with was
actually her husband. She's his wife, not mine."
  "What? You mean-"
  Pete shook his head. "No Miss Prendall. Emily is just an old friend of
mine doing me a favor. I tried to tell you I wasn't interested, but you
just wouldn't listen, so I told you I was married in the hopes that would
do the trick. I apologize for that, but please, this HAS to stop. I'm
sorry but I'm just not interested, all right? Now can you take your sign
and please go home?"
  Danielle looked at him with a mixture of humiliation and anger.
"Gladly- and I hope I never see you again!"
  With that she turned and hurried out. Pete looked down and sighed.
Problem FINALLY solved. Jim was waiting for him out front, browsing
through a stack of parenting books.
  "You ready?"
  "Yeah sure. Everything okay?" Jim asked, carrying one of the books to
the counter and paying for it.
  "Just fine." Pete eyed the book, "another one? When are you going to
learn that babies don't come with instructions?" he teased.
   Jim's eyes twinkled. "Yeah, well neither do women."
   "Got that right."
  They climbed into the car. "Now what?" Jim asked.
  "Now we go over to Em's and tell her the good news. And do me a favor,
will ya? Next time I come up with such a stupid idea, slap me or
something."
  Jim laughed. "Can I get that in writing?"
************************************
  Pete and Jim walked across the DeSoto's front porch and rang the
doorbell. The house seemed oddly quiet for the middle of the afternoon.
Pete knocked on the door.
  "Em? Roy? It's Pete."
  A few minutes later the door opened, revealing a flushed and breathless
Emily, her hair tousled, clothes rumpled. "Hi guys!" she said brightly.
  "Hi there. We didn't....interrupt....anything, did we?" Pete asked
carefully.
  Emily grinned. "No of course not."
  Jim, who knew better, smothered his laughter.
  "Well I just wanted you to know I spoke to Danielle and straightened
the whole thing out." 
  "Oh Pete that's great! I was beginning to worry. You know I love you to
death, but the next time you need a wife, ask someone else?" she grinned
again.
  "I promise." he smiled.
  "Hey honey, we're running out of bubbles!" Roy's voice called. 
  Emily blushed. "Gotta go!"
***********************************
  Pete shook his head as the walked back to the car.
  "Now what?" Jim asked, sliding inside.
  "Nothing. It's just...in the middle of the afternoon?" he said finally.
  Jim laughed. "One of the fringe benefits of marriage. You really ought
to try it sometime."
  "Oh no! I've had a  taste of marriage, remember?"
  "And?" Jim teased.
  "Let's just say it just didn't agree with me, shall we?"
  With that he drove off, trying to ignore Jim's laughter.

THE END