Fandom:	Houston Knights
Series:	Other Authors
Rating:	NC-17 (implied)
Pairing:	Joe/Levon
Archive:	Starwinder's
Title:	The Centerfold
Author:	Glo
e-mail:	Goglow@mailcity.com
Standard Disclaimer: Houston Knights belongs to Jay Bernstein and Michael Butler and Columbia Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fan fiction, written out of love for the shows. I am making no money off this. I have no money so please don't sue me. Any original characters who may appear in these stories are the property of the author.

Note: Guess I have a little O. Henry in my blood, just can't help myself - I love a twist at the end of the story. This one is another soft "piece" designed to bring a smile (I hope).

The Centerfold
By Glo

"Joey, come on, we're gonna be late," Levon Lundy said to his still-dressing partner. Levon's own string tie was already being tightened with a large turquoise stone-topped clip in front of the mirror in their bedroom out at the ranch.

"I'm almost," a pause as the sweater collar was pulled down over his face, popping his tousled head out the top, "done," Joey LaFiamma finished as he grinned at his bed mate and work partner.

"Yeah, right," Levon muttered fondly, as he stepped over with a comb and proceeded to quickly straighten the Chicagoan's hair, easily finding the part line, and flipping the long, dark wing of hair off Joe's face with a practiced air.

Joe had closed his eyes, smiling, under these familiar ministrations. Now he stepped closer and looked down into the shining brown eyes of his blonde friend. "Mmmm. New after shave? You smell good enough to nibble on..."

"Joe! Lemme go!" Levon shoved back and stood away from him, blushing and shaking his head, "We GOTTA go."

"OK, OK, relax." Joe LaFiamma picked up his twin holsters from the chair back on his side of the bed and shrugged into them, checking the guns from habit and precaution. His jacket concealed them as he added the layer of linen over the fine knit wool sweater.

Levon privately admitted that his fashion-conscious beau was ready for the cover of GQ though Levon would never permit Joe to venture before a professional's camera, too risky, might lose him with that pretty face and gorgeous body. No, this boy is mine and gonna stay that way. Like that ass of his, all rounded and tight under those fancy trousers he's wearing. Levon considered his lover's body to be personal property these days, and was careful about what he let LaFiamma show in public. Not gonna tempt the fates, the boy's a real pin-up. And I don't mean the kind on the walls of a Post Office, neither!

LaFiamma was standing patiently waiting now for Lundy to take up his forty-five and holster then add a generously cut western vest which effectively concealed the weapon. Brown-eyed blonde, my wild Shasta daisy, thought Joe affectionately, better never let him hear me call him by that name, though, he'd likely choke!

******************

The drive in to Reisner was held up by a combination of commuter traffic and a detour to Joe's city apartment. "Just sit here and keep the engine running, cowboy," Joe instructed slipping out of the red Jimmy 4 x 4 and on to the sidewalk. "Won't take but a minute to check my mail."

"See that it don't," Levon called through the open passenger window, then leaned back against the driver's side seat and listened to his country music count down on the radio. Was nice how Joe let him listen now without complaint. 'Course the deal was that when Joey was driving, it had to be rock'n'roll they listened to. Fortunately for Levon's eardrums, LaFiamma was not a heavy metal fan, just liked the deep bass, bone-numbing beats of rock music.

It was only a few minutes in fact before Joe was jumping back into the truck, an armload of mail held against his chest, as he closed the door with a firm click. Levon nodded his appreciation of the lack of door slamming as he moved the truck into gear and out into traffic.

"We gotta get you in more often, to check yore mail, boy," Lundy commented with a tip of his head toward the pile that Joe was busily sorting through beside him. "Either that, or you finally give up this place and tell the post office to deliver yore mail where you're sleeping." His grin made it plain that this was not a new tease line.

Joe answered without even a glance up at his partner, "Lundy, I'd do it but we ARE still trying to be a bit circumspect with the department. If they have to start sending mail to me at your ranch, questions ARE gonna be asked." Joe's response was so automatic, it was clear that this was not a new conversation. Joe slipped one shiny magazine to the bottom of the pile with a quick look to see if Levon noticed, but his partner was busy with traffic.

********************

As the shift changed, Levon listened to McNeely explain the leads that he and Salvatore Sanchez had been following up on the Internet during the early morning hours. Now Lundy and LaFiamma could do some daylight surveillance of one of several possible leads that had been uncovered. "Thanks, Bo, I'll just check in with the lieutenant when she gets here, then we'll start in on 'em." Levon shook hands with the night duty detective as he took the file folder of flimsy printouts.

Joe was already over at his side of their double desk, trying to put down his stack of mail without it slithering free on to the floor. Esteban Gutierrez, entering now, grinned at LaFiamma as he passed on the way to his own desk. "Joe, you must be one popular guy!"

LaFiamma finally gave up wrestling with the pile of envelopes, newspapers, and magazines, sitting down, he let them collapse across his desk top. He just made certain to catch and anchor the bottom magazine under the rest. "Must be," he answered, then added, "it's my scintillating personality, ya' know."

"Right, LaFiamma, right," chimed in Joe Bill McCandless who was removing his denim jacket and sitting down across from Esteban, his Mexican partner, on the other side of the bullpen.

"Naw," added Carol O'Brien as she stood from her own desk, "Joe, it's your body, lover, it's your body." She grinned, having fun with the tease.

Joe Bill and Esteban laughed to each other as they turned to face the piles of paperwork facing them. Levon had raised an eyebrow at "lover" but made no comment as Joanne Beaumont came through the doors at that moment. "Morning, Levon, Joe," she said, then, "Hi, Carol, Cindy, Esteban, Joe Bill, Tommy Ray, Hugh, Bobby." She nodded to each of her officers in turn, then started down the aisle of desks toward her glassed in office at the far end of the bullpen.

"Joanne, could I have a minute to go over the information the night shift got?" Levon asked, following her.

She gestured him into her office as the other men and women of the Major Crimes Unit settled in to start another day of crime fighting.

********************

Joe waited until Levon was safely behind that closed glass door before hissing across at Carol O'Brien. "Hey, Legs, it came!" He turned his body so that no one in the lieutenant's office could see as he pulled the glossy magazine out from under his stacks of mail.

Carol got up instantly, a genuine smile on her face as she walked over to Joey's desk. Alerted, Joe Bill and Esteban rose as one and found reasons to move files from their desks to a file cabinet next to Joey's.

Joe was quickly flipping the pages, then flattening out the magazine at the center staple. He ceremoniously unfolded paper flaps so that the elongated, double-sized page was clearly in view. He gently smoothed the page out and sighed in open admiration. Carol leaned over his shoulder and patted it as she, too, became lost in gazing at the page spread wide.

A whistle from Joe Bill, as he gave up his pretense with the filing cabinet and leaned on LaFiamma's desk, brought the attention of the remaining detectives in the room. Casually, in ones and twos they began to drift over to Joey's desk, all eyes on the centerfold that Joey was stroking now.

As if oblivious to all the eyes on him, Joe continued his conversation with Carol, "I think it's bigger, longer'n his, too. That shaft has got to be double sized. Carry a big load." His finger lingered over the area just south of the center of the page.

Esteban spoke next, before Carol could answer, "How do you know how long Levon's is, Joe? Didn't know he'd showed it to you."

"Hey, Esteban, Joe and Levon are getting pretty close these days," retorted Joe Bill, grinning slyly at his partner, "seems like they gotta start showing each other their armament some time."

That elicited a laugh from the rest of the crowd now standing around. Joe leaned back, putting his hands behind his head, "Yup, I done seen Lundy's all right. And this is bigger. But that's all right, Lundy does a good job with his."

Carol nudged his arm as she stood next to him, "Wouldn't you like to try out this one though, Joe? Bet you'd be a good match."

Before Joe could answer, there was a sudden commotion from the edge of the small crowd and Levon Lundy's grumble could be heard, "What in hell you people all doing over here?"

*****************************

As Joanne and Levon finished looking over the printouts, Beaumont agreeing with Lundy's choice of starting place, both looked up to see the unusual sight of every detective in the outer room surrounding Joe's and Levon's desks.

"What the...?" Levon gathered up the papers and found Joanne following him out, just as curious, as he strode down to the group of what appeared to be gawkers.

Irritably, he pushed through the crowd.

******************************

At the sound of Lundy's voice, Joe was slopping the pages together and shoving the magazine under the other mail. Carol swiveled her hips and plopped herself down on top of the papers, so that as Levon arrived at the desks, all he could see was O'Brien showing her palm to Joey who was studying it in rapt attention.

"Joe?"

LaFiamma looked up and focused on his partner as if he'd been a thousand miles away in thought. "uumm....yeah?" Then looked up at Carol as he ceremoniously handed her back her hand. "Legs, that's the longest life line I ever seen in anyone's hand, you got lots more living to do."

Levon looked on puzzled as she slid off the desk with a quick, "Thanks, Joey, didn't know you could read palms."

"Never did neither," Levon stated, looking fully at Joe now, almost challengingly.

The rest of the detectives were snickering and making whispered remarks as they began to disperse back to their desks.

"What was that all about?" Joanne Beaumont asked generally from behind Levon's shoulder.

As Levon turned to face her, Joe LaFiamma answered, "Nothing, lieutenant, just a little party game I know."

Beaumont sighed, knowing something else had gone on, but not wanting to make a big deal of it, "This is not party time, Joe, leave the games for later. Get to work." She turned on her heel, hearing Joe's "OK, lieutenant," in the background.

Lundy wasn't ready to let this just go, though. Joe had never shown any inclination to read palms before and from the looks of some of the other detectives, there was more to this than that. Carol was looking particularly smug over there.

*************************

"Joe?" Levon repeated, this time in a low voice, with a tinge of unhappiness. His partner keeping secrets from him was not something he liked to think about.

"Let it go, Levon," Joe advised, "nothing for you to worry about." His smirk said differently.

Lundy eyed the mail in front of Joe. There was something about the way Joe kept one hand glued to that stack...

Lunging forward, Levon snatched at the magazine and newspaper that Joe had been pressing down. Snatching them away from his partner, he sat back down in his facing chair.

Joe was already jumping up and moving around the desks, "Levon, give'm back."

That only encouraged further investigation. The cowboy pulled the magazine out from under some Chicago newspaper and froze. Joe ain't never looked at any of these kind of magazines afore. And now he's subscribing to one?

Lundy looked up at Joe, confusion in his eyes. Joe stopped in his tracks, gave a full body sigh, and sagged against the edge of Lundy's desk. "So, now you know."

Levon blinked. Something strange here. What the hell was Joey doing with this glossy professional publication? Didn't they have enough of this during the day, not to mention his own at home? Which Joey could have any time he wanted...

Better tell him now before he has a fit, Joe decided. Reaching out, he pulled the magazine from Lundy's loose grip. "I've been planning a special gift for you, cowboy. Wanted to see how yours measured up first though so's I'd know what to get."

"Mine?" Lundy said hoarsely.

"Yep," Joe said. "And this one is definitely bigger."

With a pause, during which Lundy could almost imagine he was hearing a drum roll, Joe placed the magazine formally on Lundy's desk, stroking the cover for a moment. Then...

He reopened to the centerfold spread, of the American Gun Collector's "Annual Collector's Edition," the page displaying a photograph of a gleaming, silver inlaid shotgun, shank long and heavy, shaft large and smooth, from stock to barrel, nearly touching both ends of the double page laid out in front of Levon Lundy.

THE END