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her.  “Figuratively speaking.”
    “Ah.  Well, that doesn’t sound nearly as entertaining,” she replied, not quite smothering the grin.
    He shook his head at her, hiding his own grin as he lowered his head.
    “So are you on a case now?” she questioned after taking a sip of the rich drink.
    “Of course.  You were an officer.  Did it ever end for you?” he asked with a shrug.
    “Nope,” she said, shaking her head as she wrapped her hands around the cup, grateful for the warmth that seeped into her fingers. She glanced at Gabriel’s hands that were wrapped around his own cup and wondered how warm they were.  She shook her head again, bringing herself back to the present conversation.  “Not once.”  After a pause, she added, “Until I quit, that is.  Well, a bit before that,” she amended lamely.
    “Exactly,” he replied, gripping his drink tighter.  “I’m working on a case right now that’s a…touchy area.  Humans and angelus are both involved.”
    “Can’t say much else?” she said as she cocked her head.
    “Nope,” he replied with a shake of his head.  A cold breeze gusted around them, making him pull his wings even tighter against his back.  He was grateful for the warmth and wind-block they provided.
    “Gotcha,” she said, starting to stand when she decided her ass was frozen enough to keep a fridge cold for a week.
    He looked up at her, confusion on his handsome face.  He shifted his weight to look at her better.
    She cocked an eyebrow at him and grabbed his arm, tugging him out of the seat.  “C’mon.  I’m cold. Moving warms me up.  So let’s walk.”
    He slowly smiled and let her pull him to his feet, picking up his drink as he stepped away from the table.  “To the bridge?”
    “It’s going to be colder there,” she said petulantly deciding that he made a better wind-block when she stood closer to him.
    “Are you complaining?” he asked, deep voice rolling around her in the darkness.
    “Nope, just stating the facts,” she said pertly, pulling her heavy coat tighter against the fall chill.
    “Sure you are,” he teased.  He felt his heart thud as she pressed herself against his side.  “Are you using me as a windbreak?”
    “Probably,” she said nonchalantly.  “I mean, really, what else are the wings good for?”
    He laughed, the dark sound echoing in the night.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he asked suggestively as they started towards the bridge.
    She laughed at his question, but was glad for the surrounding darkness when she felt her face flush.
    His wings brushed against Amalia, and he inwardly cringed, quickly pulling it closer to himself.  This was often when human women got weirded out.  Surprisingly, she seemed to take the large feathers in stride, just lightly brushing them behind her without a second thought.  He was coming to realize that there was a lot more mettle to this human than met the eye.  He relaxed the wing, letting it rest in its natural state.
    “So,” she said softly as they walked down the dimly lit path towards the wooden bridge.
    “So,” he responded amiably, enjoying her presence.
    “So,” she repeated, stepping a bit closer to him and further out of the wind.  “What does it take to be an Enforcer?”
    “Experience.  Education,” he replied, “same qualities as a police officer, I gather.”
    “So you have schooling?” she asked curiously.
    “Yeah, I have schooling,” he said with a low chuckle, wondering where the conversation was going to go if she kept repeating herself.  “And so do you,” he replied lightly.
    “And just what do you know about me?” she replied pertly, a more than little unnerved at the thought of how much he might know.
    "I know that you have a Bachelor in Psych as well as your library degree." 
    “Have you been stalking me?”  She stopped, making him turn to face her.  She didn’t like the turn of conversation.  She suppressed a shudder when she remembered Eric