An Outside View of Things (1/1)
Title: An Outside View of Things (1/1)
Rating: K
Characters: Ruby Quarles, Elias McCoy, Peter Carlisle
Disclaimer: Characters from Blackpool and Doctor Who are the property of BBC, are are used with the greatest of love and respect; no profit is intended from the writing or sharing of this story.
Summary: A view of some of the events from “And So Things Go” from the perspective of an outsider.
Notes: First and foremost, I’d like to wish principia_coh a very happy birthday.
Many thanks to both earlgreytea68 and chicklet73 for their beta of this, and to xebgoc and harpinred for their general encouragement when I originally threw this their way. Also, huge thanks to EGT for the title :)
An Outside View of Things
Ruby Quarles was bored.
She fidgeted, adjusting the headphones covering her ears, idly playing with a knob controlling ambient noise; the headphones remained resolutely silent, and there was no indication whatsoever that they’d be coming to life anytime soon.
She sighed in frustration, knowing she had to keep listening, to stay seated where she was; she hoped, however, that the small mobile next to her left hand would vibrate, offering at least a text from her husband.
She’d been in Glasgow for well over two months-had painstakingly built the small room in which she sat, surrounded by sophisticated equipment designed for listening and tracking, had managed to avoid attracting the attention of the men she was following, had bored her neighbours into indifference by keeping a set routine every day.
And, in spite of being in the middle of the biggest investigation of her life, she was utterly, completely bored.
She tensed, hearing noise coming through the headphones, listening intently for the voices she knew better than her husband’s; she heard instead the passing voice of a woman she’d come to learn was the current lover of one of the men-Judy-something, just a passing fancy for the man in question-and relaxed.
It was odd, really-she’d been busy for much of her time in Glasgow; had compiled information on their suspects, had even managed to befriend one of the suspects, and slowly turn him so that he was willing to come to the police with what he knew. And then, that morning, things had gone almost completely quiet.
The phone next to her hand vibrated, and she hastily picked it up. It was a proper phone call, and it was from the Chief. This, she thought, couldn’t be good.
She shifted the headphones, bringing the phone to her ear. “Quarles.”
“Your informant is dead, Inspector.” Cunningham, as usual, cut straight to the point.
Oh, bollocks. “Where?”
“Paisley. Any motion?”
“Been dead quiet today, sir. I reckon they’ve laid low.”
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” Cunningham offered.
“As am I, sir. He would have been a great source.” Bugger and sod and a thousand other curse words. Shields had been her best hope for bringing an end to the interminable case she-and her husband--had been wrapped up in for years. And, if she were honest, having Shields serve as the linchpin in the case would have been a feather in her cap.
“Detective Inspector Elias McCoy’s coming up to work with Greater Glasgow.”
Ruby always reflexively smiled when Cunningham referred to her husband by his title, as though she’d no idea who the man was. She paused only a second. “Aye, sir.”
“Standard comms protocols apply, Quarles.”
“Aye, sir.” She was to wait for Elias to reach out to her, unless she had something that mandated immediate consideration.
Cunningham rang off without another word, and Ruby slowly slid the padded earphone back into place.
Her husband was coming north.
~ - ~
It was days before she saw Elias, although he did ring her his first evening in town.
“Quarles Washing and Cleaning,” she answered, affecting a thick Glaswegian brogue, a mischievous note to her voice.
“Ah, just the thing. I have a bit of washing needs done.” Elias was playing the game, his estuary accent almost comical
“Somehow, I’d believe that,” she replied, grinning.
“Actually, love, I’ve kept the abode quite clean in your absence.”
“Mmm. I suspect, though, that that’s because you’ve been dining out, and using the dry cleaners.”
There was a warm laugh. “I’ll neither confirm nor deny that. How’re you doing, love?” At the last, he slipped into his native accent, a mellow Scottish brogue which he only sporadically used.
“Would you believe, bored?” Ruby was a northerner, and let her voice return to its native tones in response.
“I’m not sure I would-you could find entertainment watching grass grow.”
“At least there’s a bit of movement there,” she groused.
“Nothing at all today?” Elias almost sounded disappointed.
“What, you were hoping they’d mention your name, all aquiver with fear?”
“Well, no...” Ruby made a noise of disbelief, and Elias added, “Ok, perhaps.”
“Give it time, love. How’d you spend your day?”
She listened as Elias told her of the trip north; of being assigned yet another temporary partner, and being met by the partner at the airfield. “He’s an odd one, Rue. From around here, based on his accent, but works down in the Lakes. It’s lovely to see the GGC are as helpful as they ever were,” he added, wryly.
“I’ll not complain about them, Eli-not so long as I’m safe here. Where’re you working out of, then?”
“A small precinct in Paisley-half hour or so away from where you are, I reckon, in good traffic.”
“Ah, so an hour on a good day. I’ll bear that in mind.”
They chatted for only a short while longer, enjoying each other’s voices. Ruby was thrilled by the thought that Elias was within ten miles of her; and she was torn between wanting to do her duty, and wanting to see her husband, immediately.
The entirety of her time on the phone was spent with an ear towards the listening devices which Shields had assisted them in setting up, prior to his death. It wasn’t much-Ruby wasn’t even sure their suspects didn’t know about them-but it was better than nothing. And it certainly beat the way she’d been collecting information on them whilst she built the listening room, working with representatives from the GGC assigned to the case, spending her days-and, more often, her nights-sitting in a car and conducting traditional surveillance, using handheld devices to listen in on what was being discussed. It was all legal-Cunningham and his superiors had made sure of that-but it was tedious, even by her usual standards.
With Elias up north, she had firm hopes that her husband’s case success rate would hold-in spite of his mysterious partner.
~ - ~
“Rue, we’re coming over.”
Ruby glanced at the phone, surprised both by the statement, and the tone of voice Elias had used. He sounded almost grim. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Found some new information, think you should probably meet the new partner. Plus, I may as well pick up whatever goodies you’ve got.”
“Alright,” she replied. It was up to Elias to decide when and where to meet, after all-although they were of the same rank, he was in charge of the case and so she worked for him.
“Your place. Drugs search. Ah...” She could picture him glancing at his watch. “An hour, tops. Be gentle with the new guy.”
“Never,” she laughed, ringing off. Elias had told her he was partnered with one Peter Carlisle-the Peter Carlisle, in fact, the man the tabloids had declared as the latest lover of Rose Tyler. She’d thought he was having her on, tweaking her love of reading the gossip pages, but had realized that Elias was indeed quite serious. She suspected his warning to be gentle on the inimitable DI related as much to work, as to her curiosity about how he’d come to be with the Vitex Heiress.
She spent the next hour packaging what little information she had for Elias, ensuring the tapes and notes from both her work, and the work of her GGC partners, were carefully tucked away in items that looked as though they could have come from a drugs raid. The headphones had gone silent again, disturbed only by the sound of snuffling as the occupant of the room shifted in his sleep, and she was able to devote most of her attention to the task at hand.
Almost an hour later, she heard a loud banging on the door and a voice shouting, “Open up! Police!” The banging followed a pattern the team had set up, months before, which let the person know it was safe to open the door. In a drugs investigation-especially one involving members of the force-a person could never be too careful.
Ruby mussed her hair, reached down and made sure her clothes were haphazard, and made her way to the door, bellowing all the way. She jerked it open-and almost burst into giggles at the sight which greeted her, covering it up by protesting, “What? I didn’t do it!”
There was Elias, warrant in hand, fully in-character; the man behind him-Peter Carlisle, in the flesh-looked extremely uncomfortable and not a little confused but was also dutifully showing his warrant.
“We’ve got information as says otherwise,” Elias replied, his brogue thick with the Glaswegian accent. He pushed her out of the way, his hand giving her a gentle squeeze on her upper arm, and strode into the flat; his partner followed him, standing aside as the door closed.
She and Elias continued to shout at each other as she made her way down the hallway, although she was grinning once she was safely in the room, out of the line of sight of any windows or the front door. DI Carlisle, however, remained by the door.
Ruby relaxed against the doorjamb, letting all pretence drop, and arched an eyebrow at her husband.
“She’ll not bite, Carlisle. C’mon.” Elias’s estuary accent was back, and he gave Ruby a wink as he said the words.
What was he up to? She moved, stepping over to the desk as she saw Carlisle make his way cautiously down the hall; she didn’t miss his reaction as he stepped into the room; as he took in the equipment. His jaw dropped.
“Peter Carlisle? Meet Ruby Quarles.”
Peter reflexively extended his hand to shake the redhead’s. “A pleasure.”
Ruby gave him a steady look, trying to take his measure. Elias, in the few moments they’d spoken since his arrival, hadn’t said much at all of substance about the man now standing in front of her. She knew, of course, about his personal life-at least, she knew what the papers said; but the only further information Elias had shared was that DI Carlisle had the interpersonal skills of a porcupine.
“Have we met?” Carlisle finally stammered.
“No. But I know who you are. Your picture doesn’t do you justice, you know.” It was true-the man in front of her was much, much more attractive in the flesh. Even confused, he had a bit of charisma about him. Ruby wondered if he knew he had it.
Probably not, she thought as he scowled at her. “And you are...?”
“Peter, have a seat.” Elias’s voice was still shot through with amusement, and Ruby had to stifle a grin as Carlisle bristled. He remained standing near the doorway, a stool next to him. McCoy shook his head indulgently. “Suit yourself. Detective Inspector Carlisle? Welcome to the Met-Glasgow Field Office.”
She had to stifle a laugh as she watched Elias’s poor partner practically collapse on the stool next to him. He still looked confused, but it was easy to see the tension thrumming through him-and, possibly, a bit of resentment underneath it all.
Ruby sat back, watching-and, occasionally, interjecting-as Elias briefed Carlisle up on the case. It was odd-surely Elias had told him most of these things by now? Then again, Elias did have some trouble trusting his partners. And, given the rather acerbic personality the man was exhibiting, Ruby suspected that Elias might have reflexively decided not to tell him everything there was to tell.
As Elias went into laborious detail on some point, she found herself wondering how on earth Carlisle had managed to pull a woman as vivacious as Rose Tyler. Come to that-how had he even crossed paths with Rose Tyler? There was a mystery which held appeal…
“When did you get married, again?” Carlisle asked, apropos of nothing as Elias finished telling him of the investigation.
“Eight and a half years,” Elias answered, reflexively. She couldn’t believe he’d fallen for the question, and rolled her eyes.
She also made a note that no matter how he appeared, Peter Carlisle was one clever man.
~ - ~
She didn’t see Elias for almost a week, after that, although she talked with him on the phone every day, and sometimes several times a day. The listening devices she monitored were beginning to pay dividends, to some degree-relationships were becoming more apparent, if nothing else. And while she didn’t hear anything which she could use to order a raid on the suspects, it was becoming apparent that the suspects were well aware, now, of the investigation being conducted-and the fact that they might be in danger.
It was a relief, then, when Elias finally called a break in the investigation. It was just a day-one day, for he and Carlisle to take off and catch their breath. But it was a day when he wouldn’t be out in the field, poking around; or sitting in the station, an easy target for anyone who might choose to go after him.
The best part of all, however, was that she’d be able to spend the day with her husband, tucked away in his suite in the hotel in Paisley. She made sure the listening post was covered by one of the locals-they had access to the frequency, in a pinch-and didn’t look back as she walked away from the flat that morning. She was scrupulously careful getting from the flat to the hotel, making sure she wasn’t being followed, parking her car in a garage at a downtown shopping centre, changing her appearance in the ladies’ toilets, and then transferring to public transport to go to the hotel. It took her two hours to do it-but it was well worth the effort when she was greeted by Elias at the door to his room, pulled inside, and treated to a proper kiss after he closed the door.
They spent the day together, lazing about in bed, making up for lost time. Certainly, she’d managed to sneak a trip or two to London during her temporary assignment to Scotland; but there was just something about knowing Elias was there-would be in town for however long it took, and that she most likely would be going back to London with him when he was done.
“How is it going, Eli?” she asked that afternoon, glancing back down to where her husband’s head rested against her. The bulk of his body lay on the bed, between her legs, but he had a habit of using her stomach for a pillow after sex; she enjoyed it, but had a terrible time falling asleep with his body constricting hers.
“Mmm?” he sleepily replied.
“The case. How is it going, generally speaking?”
Elias shifted, brushing a kiss over her belly button before moving to crawl up and lie next to her. “You know how the case is going.”
Ruby’s desire to sigh was trumped by her instinct to laugh-Elias’s brogue was getting thicker. Clearly, the impact of being in Glasgow, and being partnered with a fellow Scot, was wearing on him.
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Your Scottish is showing, love.”
“Aye, well, what’d a lass like ye expect?” he replied, overexaggerating his native accent.
Ruby leaned up to kiss him. “You know I love it. Now, about the case...”
“About the case, or about my partner?”
“Both.”
“You know the answer to the first, and I’m wondering why you’re asking about the latter.”
“Curiosity.”
“Clearly.”
“He’s an odd one,” she replied after a moment’s thought. And he was-taciturn almost to rudeness, brooding in the most classic sense of the word, and very, very canny. She was suddenly presented with the image of the mysterious Peter Carlisle as Mr. Darcy, and couldn’t help but giggle. “Does he ever talk?”
“You know he does.”
“Literalist. Is he ever not sarcastic?”
Elias paused, clearly searching for an example of where the mysterious DI hadn’t been. “He’s actually...he’s a good guy, Rue.”
Ruby stared at Elias, astonished. He was notoriously hard on partners; his last partner had demanded a transfer after a month, declaring Elias to be the most difficult person he’d ever worked with. His years in the military had bred a certain inflexibility into him-so to have him say, after such a short time, that Peter Carlisle was a ‘good guy’...it beggared belief. “You’re kidding.”
“You’ve met him.”
“I have. If I’d met him at a bar, I’d have tossed my drink on him.”
“He wasn’t that bad, Ruby.”
“No, I suppose he wasn’t. But...honestly, how he pulled Rose Tyler is quite beyond me.”
Elias smiled. “You think he’s not worthy? A lowly policeman?”
She swatted lightly at him. “Stop misinterpreting my words. I mean...she’s always smiling, and happy, and flitting about the social scene like a butterfly-”
“If you believe the papers.”
“He...I don’t know that he’d be able to have a conversation of more than ten words on a good day. And I wonder if he ever genuinely smiles.”
“He’s smart, Rue. And he’s chatty enough, once you get him going.” Elias sat up, reaching for the duvet and pulling it over them.
“And you like him.”
“I do. He’s got good instincts. Not sure about where he comes from-he’s not talking about it, but from what he’s let slip it sounds...interesting. But, so far, I do like working with him. Now-” Elias leaned up, kissing her. “Do you really want to be talking about my partner when we’re both in bed together, love?”
Ruby closed the remaining distance between them, leaning up into Elias. “No,” she replied, kissing him.
When she returned to her flat that evening, she was the most relaxed she’d been in days.
It was a good thing, too-because it was the next day that Peter bloody Carlisle nearly got her husband killed.
Before she’d heard the story of the near deaths, she’d trusted Elias’s words about his partner-enough so that she was willing to tease Carlisle, to test his mettle, that afternoon when Elias called her to the station. Elias certainly had noticed, asking her about it that night as they lay together in Elias’s bed.
“I note you’ve given up calling your partner Carlisle,” she offered, unable to resist teasing her husband.
“Mmm.”
“You like him,” she sing-songed, grinning.
“You’re one to talk--I rather thought you were flirting with him in the car.” Elias grinned, and she rolled her eyes.
“I might have been teasing him, but that’s only because he was so grim!”
“He’s a lot like me, Rue.”
“You were never grim.”
Elias arched an eyebrow, and she amended her protest. “You weren’t! You might have been...reserved. But that’s only because your job meant you had to keep quiet.”
“You didn’t know that at the time, but you still made the effort.”
“I wanted to get you into bed.” She danced her fingers over his chest, grinning up at him. “I never could resist a man in uniform.”
“I feel so objectified!” he protested, teasingly.
“Oh, fine, I decided that getting through your prickly exterior would be a challenge unto itself.”
“Much better,” Elias replied, mollified. He captured Ruby’s hand, pulling her closer to him.
“I’ve missed you.” She stroked her hands across his dark hair, clinging damply to his scalp.
“And I you. I’m sorry we blew your cover.”
She sighed. “’s alright, love. Was getting a bit bored of it.”
“But-”
“No buts. You did what you had to do; I’d been wondering if I’d ever be able to go back to London and see you. So really, it’s alright.”
The room fell back into silence, broken only periodically by the sound of traffic outside.
“I...Ruby, there’s something you need to know.”
Elias’s voice had lost the light playfulness it had held only a moment earlier, and Ruby tensed.
“What’s that, love?”
“The house today. It was wired to blow.”
Ruby felt a chill wash through her. “It was what?”
“Wired to blow.”
“And you went in?”
“Well, Peter did...”
Her opinion of Peter Carlisle plummeted with those words.
“I see,” she said, icily.
“No! Ruby-he...here’s the thing. We were going to go in the front door-I was going to force it. But Peter had a bad feeling about it, so we went around the perimeter. And we found a window which was clear, and Peter forced it-”
“-after he had a bad feeling about the house-” she interjected
“Well, yes, but he made sure it was fine first. And he went in, and then came right out. Ruby-if he’d not been there, I’d have gone through that door. And I would have been killed. But because he was there, I didn’t, so I wasn’t.”
The room lapsed back into silence.
“You...you were almost killed today,” she breathed after several tense moments.
“Almost. But not quite. Ruby, don’t be angry with Peter.”
She kept silent, unable to give Elias that promise just yet. Peter Carlisle might be clever, and a good detective-but he also had a careless streak which had put Elias in danger. She wasn’t quite sure she’d be able to live with that.
Her opinion of Peter Carlisle wasn’t helped the next morning, when she saw just how petty he could be. He was in a foul mood, unwilling to listen to Elias; Elias looked frustrated, but was unable to follow his partner out the door after he’d stomped off in a huff. He covered the phone, whispering “get him coffee” to her, before returning his attention to the person on the other end.
“Get him coffee,” indeed. He could ruddy well rot, if she had her way. But Elias needed him-and, inexplicably, seemed to genuinely like him-and so she found a cup of coffee and made her way out to the idiot’s car. She was fully prepared to give him a piece of her mind, but she relented as she saw him in the light of day-he looked like hell.
Perhaps he wasn’t so cavalier as she’d thought? Still, she couldn’t resist giving him at least a little piece of her mind. She took advantage of his shocked silence to exit the car and go back to Eli-and to work. Carlisle seemed to be a little terrified of her, after that; she, recognizing her advantage, went back to teasing him, taking delight in making him blush, and wondering if the man truly had a sense of humour or if Elias had made up that particular fact.
The thing was...she found she instinctively liked Carlisle. She didn’t want to, not particularly-he had a reckless streak, and seemed to have a terrible time trusting people. But it was those very things which appealed to her-he reminded her of Elias, not just because of those two traits, but because of everything else. He offered the same sharp observations, she noticed once they all started working together to build the case before arresting Wilson and the others. He had a knack for intuiting relationships between people, and he was dead clever at identifying plausible motives. He had a terrifyingly good eye for detail; she suspected he might have a photographic memory.
And-the thing that really clinched it for her-Elias came to life around Carlisle. Her husband was chatty enough, and always had a ready smile when with friends. But at work...he’d had a terrible time keeping a partner, especially since he’d worked exclusively on the drugs investigation. He grew disillusioned with several of the people Cunningham had put his way-they weren’t quick enough for him, or lacked imagination. Elias was a fantastic detective-everyone knew it-but he had absolutely no patience at all for people whom he considered to be stupid.
Peter Carlisle, Ruby deemed, was a person whom Elias considered to be very smart indeed.
“I’ll be sorry to see the end of working with him,” Elias said the night before the case finally concluded. For her, the end of the Glasgow piece was a relief. Finally, she could go home. There would be reams upon reams of paperwork to do, absolutely-but she’d be at home, and with Elias.
She couldn’t wait.
But for Elias, she realized, there would be genuine regret at leaving Glasgow. Or, at least in leaving behind his partnership with Carlisle.
“You’ll still have to work with him, Elias. For a while yet.”
“Well...yes. But...” Elias sighed, laying back on the bed, his shirt clasped in his hand. “I’ve enjoyed it, Rue. Actually enjoyed it.”
“Temper tantrums, exploding houses, and all?” Her voice was laced with mischief, but the question was serious.
“Aye. He’s a good partner to have.” Another heavy sigh. “He makes me try harder.”
“You always try, Eli.” Ruby lay down next to him, staring at the ceiling.
“Yeah. But...I really did have a good go up here. Didn’t think I would. But I’m glad he was here.”
Ruby stifled a sigh. “You could always ask him to transfer down, Eli. If you really want to keep working with him.”
Elias turned his head, looking at her. “I could, I suppose. I honestly don’t know what it’s like at North Lakes-he never talks about it. And really, that’s a bit extreme. ‘Peter, shift your entire life simply so I don’t have to be saddled with a new partner next week.’.”
Ruby couldn’t help but grin.
“What?”
“’s like you’ve got a crush on him. ‘Will you be my partner? Check yes or no.’”
“No, it’s not!”
“Oh, it absolutely is.” She leaned over to him, kissing his cheek. “It’s cute, Eli.”
“It’s not cute,” he grumbled, wrapping her in his arms.
Her reply was cut off by the press of his lips against hers.
~ fin ~
Rating: K
Characters: Ruby Quarles, Elias McCoy, Peter Carlisle
Disclaimer: Characters from Blackpool and Doctor Who are the property of BBC, are are used with the greatest of love and respect; no profit is intended from the writing or sharing of this story.
Summary: A view of some of the events from “And So Things Go” from the perspective of an outsider.
Notes: First and foremost, I’d like to wish principia_coh a very happy birthday.
Many thanks to both earlgreytea68 and chicklet73 for their beta of this, and to xebgoc and harpinred for their general encouragement when I originally threw this their way. Also, huge thanks to EGT for the title :)
An Outside View of Things
Ruby Quarles was bored.
She fidgeted, adjusting the headphones covering her ears, idly playing with a knob controlling ambient noise; the headphones remained resolutely silent, and there was no indication whatsoever that they’d be coming to life anytime soon.
She sighed in frustration, knowing she had to keep listening, to stay seated where she was; she hoped, however, that the small mobile next to her left hand would vibrate, offering at least a text from her husband.
She’d been in Glasgow for well over two months-had painstakingly built the small room in which she sat, surrounded by sophisticated equipment designed for listening and tracking, had managed to avoid attracting the attention of the men she was following, had bored her neighbours into indifference by keeping a set routine every day.
And, in spite of being in the middle of the biggest investigation of her life, she was utterly, completely bored.
She tensed, hearing noise coming through the headphones, listening intently for the voices she knew better than her husband’s; she heard instead the passing voice of a woman she’d come to learn was the current lover of one of the men-Judy-something, just a passing fancy for the man in question-and relaxed.
It was odd, really-she’d been busy for much of her time in Glasgow; had compiled information on their suspects, had even managed to befriend one of the suspects, and slowly turn him so that he was willing to come to the police with what he knew. And then, that morning, things had gone almost completely quiet.
The phone next to her hand vibrated, and she hastily picked it up. It was a proper phone call, and it was from the Chief. This, she thought, couldn’t be good.
She shifted the headphones, bringing the phone to her ear. “Quarles.”
“Your informant is dead, Inspector.” Cunningham, as usual, cut straight to the point.
Oh, bollocks. “Where?”
“Paisley. Any motion?”
“Been dead quiet today, sir. I reckon they’ve laid low.”
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” Cunningham offered.
“As am I, sir. He would have been a great source.” Bugger and sod and a thousand other curse words. Shields had been her best hope for bringing an end to the interminable case she-and her husband--had been wrapped up in for years. And, if she were honest, having Shields serve as the linchpin in the case would have been a feather in her cap.
“Detective Inspector Elias McCoy’s coming up to work with Greater Glasgow.”
Ruby always reflexively smiled when Cunningham referred to her husband by his title, as though she’d no idea who the man was. She paused only a second. “Aye, sir.”
“Standard comms protocols apply, Quarles.”
“Aye, sir.” She was to wait for Elias to reach out to her, unless she had something that mandated immediate consideration.
Cunningham rang off without another word, and Ruby slowly slid the padded earphone back into place.
Her husband was coming north.
~ - ~
It was days before she saw Elias, although he did ring her his first evening in town.
“Quarles Washing and Cleaning,” she answered, affecting a thick Glaswegian brogue, a mischievous note to her voice.
“Ah, just the thing. I have a bit of washing needs done.” Elias was playing the game, his estuary accent almost comical
“Somehow, I’d believe that,” she replied, grinning.
“Actually, love, I’ve kept the abode quite clean in your absence.”
“Mmm. I suspect, though, that that’s because you’ve been dining out, and using the dry cleaners.”
There was a warm laugh. “I’ll neither confirm nor deny that. How’re you doing, love?” At the last, he slipped into his native accent, a mellow Scottish brogue which he only sporadically used.
“Would you believe, bored?” Ruby was a northerner, and let her voice return to its native tones in response.
“I’m not sure I would-you could find entertainment watching grass grow.”
“At least there’s a bit of movement there,” she groused.
“Nothing at all today?” Elias almost sounded disappointed.
“What, you were hoping they’d mention your name, all aquiver with fear?”
“Well, no...” Ruby made a noise of disbelief, and Elias added, “Ok, perhaps.”
“Give it time, love. How’d you spend your day?”
She listened as Elias told her of the trip north; of being assigned yet another temporary partner, and being met by the partner at the airfield. “He’s an odd one, Rue. From around here, based on his accent, but works down in the Lakes. It’s lovely to see the GGC are as helpful as they ever were,” he added, wryly.
“I’ll not complain about them, Eli-not so long as I’m safe here. Where’re you working out of, then?”
“A small precinct in Paisley-half hour or so away from where you are, I reckon, in good traffic.”
“Ah, so an hour on a good day. I’ll bear that in mind.”
They chatted for only a short while longer, enjoying each other’s voices. Ruby was thrilled by the thought that Elias was within ten miles of her; and she was torn between wanting to do her duty, and wanting to see her husband, immediately.
The entirety of her time on the phone was spent with an ear towards the listening devices which Shields had assisted them in setting up, prior to his death. It wasn’t much-Ruby wasn’t even sure their suspects didn’t know about them-but it was better than nothing. And it certainly beat the way she’d been collecting information on them whilst she built the listening room, working with representatives from the GGC assigned to the case, spending her days-and, more often, her nights-sitting in a car and conducting traditional surveillance, using handheld devices to listen in on what was being discussed. It was all legal-Cunningham and his superiors had made sure of that-but it was tedious, even by her usual standards.
With Elias up north, she had firm hopes that her husband’s case success rate would hold-in spite of his mysterious partner.
~ - ~
“Rue, we’re coming over.”
Ruby glanced at the phone, surprised both by the statement, and the tone of voice Elias had used. He sounded almost grim. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Found some new information, think you should probably meet the new partner. Plus, I may as well pick up whatever goodies you’ve got.”
“Alright,” she replied. It was up to Elias to decide when and where to meet, after all-although they were of the same rank, he was in charge of the case and so she worked for him.
“Your place. Drugs search. Ah...” She could picture him glancing at his watch. “An hour, tops. Be gentle with the new guy.”
“Never,” she laughed, ringing off. Elias had told her he was partnered with one Peter Carlisle-the Peter Carlisle, in fact, the man the tabloids had declared as the latest lover of Rose Tyler. She’d thought he was having her on, tweaking her love of reading the gossip pages, but had realized that Elias was indeed quite serious. She suspected his warning to be gentle on the inimitable DI related as much to work, as to her curiosity about how he’d come to be with the Vitex Heiress.
She spent the next hour packaging what little information she had for Elias, ensuring the tapes and notes from both her work, and the work of her GGC partners, were carefully tucked away in items that looked as though they could have come from a drugs raid. The headphones had gone silent again, disturbed only by the sound of snuffling as the occupant of the room shifted in his sleep, and she was able to devote most of her attention to the task at hand.
Almost an hour later, she heard a loud banging on the door and a voice shouting, “Open up! Police!” The banging followed a pattern the team had set up, months before, which let the person know it was safe to open the door. In a drugs investigation-especially one involving members of the force-a person could never be too careful.
Ruby mussed her hair, reached down and made sure her clothes were haphazard, and made her way to the door, bellowing all the way. She jerked it open-and almost burst into giggles at the sight which greeted her, covering it up by protesting, “What? I didn’t do it!”
There was Elias, warrant in hand, fully in-character; the man behind him-Peter Carlisle, in the flesh-looked extremely uncomfortable and not a little confused but was also dutifully showing his warrant.
“We’ve got information as says otherwise,” Elias replied, his brogue thick with the Glaswegian accent. He pushed her out of the way, his hand giving her a gentle squeeze on her upper arm, and strode into the flat; his partner followed him, standing aside as the door closed.
She and Elias continued to shout at each other as she made her way down the hallway, although she was grinning once she was safely in the room, out of the line of sight of any windows or the front door. DI Carlisle, however, remained by the door.
Ruby relaxed against the doorjamb, letting all pretence drop, and arched an eyebrow at her husband.
“She’ll not bite, Carlisle. C’mon.” Elias’s estuary accent was back, and he gave Ruby a wink as he said the words.
What was he up to? She moved, stepping over to the desk as she saw Carlisle make his way cautiously down the hall; she didn’t miss his reaction as he stepped into the room; as he took in the equipment. His jaw dropped.
“Peter Carlisle? Meet Ruby Quarles.”
Peter reflexively extended his hand to shake the redhead’s. “A pleasure.”
Ruby gave him a steady look, trying to take his measure. Elias, in the few moments they’d spoken since his arrival, hadn’t said much at all of substance about the man now standing in front of her. She knew, of course, about his personal life-at least, she knew what the papers said; but the only further information Elias had shared was that DI Carlisle had the interpersonal skills of a porcupine.
“Have we met?” Carlisle finally stammered.
“No. But I know who you are. Your picture doesn’t do you justice, you know.” It was true-the man in front of her was much, much more attractive in the flesh. Even confused, he had a bit of charisma about him. Ruby wondered if he knew he had it.
Probably not, she thought as he scowled at her. “And you are...?”
“Peter, have a seat.” Elias’s voice was still shot through with amusement, and Ruby had to stifle a grin as Carlisle bristled. He remained standing near the doorway, a stool next to him. McCoy shook his head indulgently. “Suit yourself. Detective Inspector Carlisle? Welcome to the Met-Glasgow Field Office.”
She had to stifle a laugh as she watched Elias’s poor partner practically collapse on the stool next to him. He still looked confused, but it was easy to see the tension thrumming through him-and, possibly, a bit of resentment underneath it all.
Ruby sat back, watching-and, occasionally, interjecting-as Elias briefed Carlisle up on the case. It was odd-surely Elias had told him most of these things by now? Then again, Elias did have some trouble trusting his partners. And, given the rather acerbic personality the man was exhibiting, Ruby suspected that Elias might have reflexively decided not to tell him everything there was to tell.
As Elias went into laborious detail on some point, she found herself wondering how on earth Carlisle had managed to pull a woman as vivacious as Rose Tyler. Come to that-how had he even crossed paths with Rose Tyler? There was a mystery which held appeal…
“When did you get married, again?” Carlisle asked, apropos of nothing as Elias finished telling him of the investigation.
“Eight and a half years,” Elias answered, reflexively. She couldn’t believe he’d fallen for the question, and rolled her eyes.
She also made a note that no matter how he appeared, Peter Carlisle was one clever man.
~ - ~
She didn’t see Elias for almost a week, after that, although she talked with him on the phone every day, and sometimes several times a day. The listening devices she monitored were beginning to pay dividends, to some degree-relationships were becoming more apparent, if nothing else. And while she didn’t hear anything which she could use to order a raid on the suspects, it was becoming apparent that the suspects were well aware, now, of the investigation being conducted-and the fact that they might be in danger.
It was a relief, then, when Elias finally called a break in the investigation. It was just a day-one day, for he and Carlisle to take off and catch their breath. But it was a day when he wouldn’t be out in the field, poking around; or sitting in the station, an easy target for anyone who might choose to go after him.
The best part of all, however, was that she’d be able to spend the day with her husband, tucked away in his suite in the hotel in Paisley. She made sure the listening post was covered by one of the locals-they had access to the frequency, in a pinch-and didn’t look back as she walked away from the flat that morning. She was scrupulously careful getting from the flat to the hotel, making sure she wasn’t being followed, parking her car in a garage at a downtown shopping centre, changing her appearance in the ladies’ toilets, and then transferring to public transport to go to the hotel. It took her two hours to do it-but it was well worth the effort when she was greeted by Elias at the door to his room, pulled inside, and treated to a proper kiss after he closed the door.
They spent the day together, lazing about in bed, making up for lost time. Certainly, she’d managed to sneak a trip or two to London during her temporary assignment to Scotland; but there was just something about knowing Elias was there-would be in town for however long it took, and that she most likely would be going back to London with him when he was done.
“How is it going, Eli?” she asked that afternoon, glancing back down to where her husband’s head rested against her. The bulk of his body lay on the bed, between her legs, but he had a habit of using her stomach for a pillow after sex; she enjoyed it, but had a terrible time falling asleep with his body constricting hers.
“Mmm?” he sleepily replied.
“The case. How is it going, generally speaking?”
Elias shifted, brushing a kiss over her belly button before moving to crawl up and lie next to her. “You know how the case is going.”
Ruby’s desire to sigh was trumped by her instinct to laugh-Elias’s brogue was getting thicker. Clearly, the impact of being in Glasgow, and being partnered with a fellow Scot, was wearing on him.
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Your Scottish is showing, love.”
“Aye, well, what’d a lass like ye expect?” he replied, overexaggerating his native accent.
Ruby leaned up to kiss him. “You know I love it. Now, about the case...”
“About the case, or about my partner?”
“Both.”
“You know the answer to the first, and I’m wondering why you’re asking about the latter.”
“Curiosity.”
“Clearly.”
“He’s an odd one,” she replied after a moment’s thought. And he was-taciturn almost to rudeness, brooding in the most classic sense of the word, and very, very canny. She was suddenly presented with the image of the mysterious Peter Carlisle as Mr. Darcy, and couldn’t help but giggle. “Does he ever talk?”
“You know he does.”
“Literalist. Is he ever not sarcastic?”
Elias paused, clearly searching for an example of where the mysterious DI hadn’t been. “He’s actually...he’s a good guy, Rue.”
Ruby stared at Elias, astonished. He was notoriously hard on partners; his last partner had demanded a transfer after a month, declaring Elias to be the most difficult person he’d ever worked with. His years in the military had bred a certain inflexibility into him-so to have him say, after such a short time, that Peter Carlisle was a ‘good guy’...it beggared belief. “You’re kidding.”
“You’ve met him.”
“I have. If I’d met him at a bar, I’d have tossed my drink on him.”
“He wasn’t that bad, Ruby.”
“No, I suppose he wasn’t. But...honestly, how he pulled Rose Tyler is quite beyond me.”
Elias smiled. “You think he’s not worthy? A lowly policeman?”
She swatted lightly at him. “Stop misinterpreting my words. I mean...she’s always smiling, and happy, and flitting about the social scene like a butterfly-”
“If you believe the papers.”
“He...I don’t know that he’d be able to have a conversation of more than ten words on a good day. And I wonder if he ever genuinely smiles.”
“He’s smart, Rue. And he’s chatty enough, once you get him going.” Elias sat up, reaching for the duvet and pulling it over them.
“And you like him.”
“I do. He’s got good instincts. Not sure about where he comes from-he’s not talking about it, but from what he’s let slip it sounds...interesting. But, so far, I do like working with him. Now-” Elias leaned up, kissing her. “Do you really want to be talking about my partner when we’re both in bed together, love?”
Ruby closed the remaining distance between them, leaning up into Elias. “No,” she replied, kissing him.
When she returned to her flat that evening, she was the most relaxed she’d been in days.
It was a good thing, too-because it was the next day that Peter bloody Carlisle nearly got her husband killed.
Before she’d heard the story of the near deaths, she’d trusted Elias’s words about his partner-enough so that she was willing to tease Carlisle, to test his mettle, that afternoon when Elias called her to the station. Elias certainly had noticed, asking her about it that night as they lay together in Elias’s bed.
“I note you’ve given up calling your partner Carlisle,” she offered, unable to resist teasing her husband.
“Mmm.”
“You like him,” she sing-songed, grinning.
“You’re one to talk--I rather thought you were flirting with him in the car.” Elias grinned, and she rolled her eyes.
“I might have been teasing him, but that’s only because he was so grim!”
“He’s a lot like me, Rue.”
“You were never grim.”
Elias arched an eyebrow, and she amended her protest. “You weren’t! You might have been...reserved. But that’s only because your job meant you had to keep quiet.”
“You didn’t know that at the time, but you still made the effort.”
“I wanted to get you into bed.” She danced her fingers over his chest, grinning up at him. “I never could resist a man in uniform.”
“I feel so objectified!” he protested, teasingly.
“Oh, fine, I decided that getting through your prickly exterior would be a challenge unto itself.”
“Much better,” Elias replied, mollified. He captured Ruby’s hand, pulling her closer to him.
“I’ve missed you.” She stroked her hands across his dark hair, clinging damply to his scalp.
“And I you. I’m sorry we blew your cover.”
She sighed. “’s alright, love. Was getting a bit bored of it.”
“But-”
“No buts. You did what you had to do; I’d been wondering if I’d ever be able to go back to London and see you. So really, it’s alright.”
The room fell back into silence, broken only periodically by the sound of traffic outside.
“I...Ruby, there’s something you need to know.”
Elias’s voice had lost the light playfulness it had held only a moment earlier, and Ruby tensed.
“What’s that, love?”
“The house today. It was wired to blow.”
Ruby felt a chill wash through her. “It was what?”
“Wired to blow.”
“And you went in?”
“Well, Peter did...”
Her opinion of Peter Carlisle plummeted with those words.
“I see,” she said, icily.
“No! Ruby-he...here’s the thing. We were going to go in the front door-I was going to force it. But Peter had a bad feeling about it, so we went around the perimeter. And we found a window which was clear, and Peter forced it-”
“-after he had a bad feeling about the house-” she interjected
“Well, yes, but he made sure it was fine first. And he went in, and then came right out. Ruby-if he’d not been there, I’d have gone through that door. And I would have been killed. But because he was there, I didn’t, so I wasn’t.”
The room lapsed back into silence.
“You...you were almost killed today,” she breathed after several tense moments.
“Almost. But not quite. Ruby, don’t be angry with Peter.”
She kept silent, unable to give Elias that promise just yet. Peter Carlisle might be clever, and a good detective-but he also had a careless streak which had put Elias in danger. She wasn’t quite sure she’d be able to live with that.
Her opinion of Peter Carlisle wasn’t helped the next morning, when she saw just how petty he could be. He was in a foul mood, unwilling to listen to Elias; Elias looked frustrated, but was unable to follow his partner out the door after he’d stomped off in a huff. He covered the phone, whispering “get him coffee” to her, before returning his attention to the person on the other end.
“Get him coffee,” indeed. He could ruddy well rot, if she had her way. But Elias needed him-and, inexplicably, seemed to genuinely like him-and so she found a cup of coffee and made her way out to the idiot’s car. She was fully prepared to give him a piece of her mind, but she relented as she saw him in the light of day-he looked like hell.
Perhaps he wasn’t so cavalier as she’d thought? Still, she couldn’t resist giving him at least a little piece of her mind. She took advantage of his shocked silence to exit the car and go back to Eli-and to work. Carlisle seemed to be a little terrified of her, after that; she, recognizing her advantage, went back to teasing him, taking delight in making him blush, and wondering if the man truly had a sense of humour or if Elias had made up that particular fact.
The thing was...she found she instinctively liked Carlisle. She didn’t want to, not particularly-he had a reckless streak, and seemed to have a terrible time trusting people. But it was those very things which appealed to her-he reminded her of Elias, not just because of those two traits, but because of everything else. He offered the same sharp observations, she noticed once they all started working together to build the case before arresting Wilson and the others. He had a knack for intuiting relationships between people, and he was dead clever at identifying plausible motives. He had a terrifyingly good eye for detail; she suspected he might have a photographic memory.
And-the thing that really clinched it for her-Elias came to life around Carlisle. Her husband was chatty enough, and always had a ready smile when with friends. But at work...he’d had a terrible time keeping a partner, especially since he’d worked exclusively on the drugs investigation. He grew disillusioned with several of the people Cunningham had put his way-they weren’t quick enough for him, or lacked imagination. Elias was a fantastic detective-everyone knew it-but he had absolutely no patience at all for people whom he considered to be stupid.
Peter Carlisle, Ruby deemed, was a person whom Elias considered to be very smart indeed.
“I’ll be sorry to see the end of working with him,” Elias said the night before the case finally concluded. For her, the end of the Glasgow piece was a relief. Finally, she could go home. There would be reams upon reams of paperwork to do, absolutely-but she’d be at home, and with Elias.
She couldn’t wait.
But for Elias, she realized, there would be genuine regret at leaving Glasgow. Or, at least in leaving behind his partnership with Carlisle.
“You’ll still have to work with him, Elias. For a while yet.”
“Well...yes. But...” Elias sighed, laying back on the bed, his shirt clasped in his hand. “I’ve enjoyed it, Rue. Actually enjoyed it.”
“Temper tantrums, exploding houses, and all?” Her voice was laced with mischief, but the question was serious.
“Aye. He’s a good partner to have.” Another heavy sigh. “He makes me try harder.”
“You always try, Eli.” Ruby lay down next to him, staring at the ceiling.
“Yeah. But...I really did have a good go up here. Didn’t think I would. But I’m glad he was here.”
Ruby stifled a sigh. “You could always ask him to transfer down, Eli. If you really want to keep working with him.”
Elias turned his head, looking at her. “I could, I suppose. I honestly don’t know what it’s like at North Lakes-he never talks about it. And really, that’s a bit extreme. ‘Peter, shift your entire life simply so I don’t have to be saddled with a new partner next week.’.”
Ruby couldn’t help but grin.
“What?”
“’s like you’ve got a crush on him. ‘Will you be my partner? Check yes or no.’”
“No, it’s not!”
“Oh, it absolutely is.” She leaned over to him, kissing his cheek. “It’s cute, Eli.”
“It’s not cute,” he grumbled, wrapping her in his arms.
Her reply was cut off by the press of his lips against hers.
~ fin ~