Sanctuary fanfic: Old City PD - chapter 1
I wrote this about four years ago when I first started out with my writing. It's been posted on fanfic.net under my name lizzieanne but I wanted to update it a bit and gradually move all my stuff over to here.
When the show first started there was this whole secrecy thing, with the outside world not having a clue to what was really going on. So I loved the idea of investigating how The Sanctuary was perceived, especially by the police department.
Title: Old City PD
Rating: PG
Characters: Gen with hints of Helen/Joe
Word count: 4800 (over two chapters)
Spoilers: Set in Season 1 just after 'Edward'.
Warnings: None
Summary: The Chief of the Police Department had had enough of all the bizarre reports and unsolved cases on his patch. He decided it was time to investigate the enigmatic Dr Helen Magnus but had not intention of getting his own hands dirty, hell no, not when he had Detective Kavanaugh to do it for him.
Chapter 1
The Department was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Well you would have, if it hadn't been for the yelling coming from the Chief's office; he was chewing off someone's ear on the other end of the phone and it was only Monday. It took a brave person to get on the wrong side of him but that's what had happened. Someone somewhere had been pulling strings and interfering with our more… how should I put it? Colorful cases. It'd been happening a lot lately and it wasn't going down too well.
The pulling of the plug on the Meyers case was the last straw for him. I'd watched as he received the call and his face had gone from red to purple and back to red. I held my breath and hoped his weak heart would stand the strain. The last thing I needed was to have to give him the kiss of life. That would have totally ruined my day.
Now he was fighting back and it didn't bode well.
Everyone put their heads down as the door opened a crack and he yelled out my name. "Kavanaugh!" The sound reverberated around the room and you didn't argue with that.
"Yes Chief," I replied very swiftly as all eyes turned to me.
"In here… now."
I didn't need telling twice.
"Close the door," he said, lowering his bulky self into his luxurious chair. A dark cloud immediately descended over me. His head twitched to the unoccupied chair and back to me and I knew he wanted me to sit. So I sat.
"There's something I need you to do for me Joe."
Joe? He only called me that when he wanted me to do something above and beyond the call of duty. It normally ended with an unfortunate someone getting bit on the ass. That unfortunate someone was usually me.
I must have looked at bit well…disgruntled and I gave him my best disapproving frown. He did what he always did and ignored it.
"It's like this…I know how you hate, as much as I do, what's been happening lately. Far too many deaths in the city and worse still… some of our own. Plus, one word from on high and our cases are whipped from under us. Even though we can't argue with it, it doesn't mean we can't do a bit of discrete nosing around." He shuffled through the papers on his desk. "I have a few of my own suspicions and it seems that all roads lead back to Dr. Helen Magnus." His eyes widened as he looked up at me. "I hear that Zimmerman's now working for her and as you and he are friends…."
"Well I wouldn't say friends exactly," I chipped in because I knew where this was leading. Will and I got on pretty well when he worked for the Department. We used to talk over a few beers about the more disturbing cases which cropped up from time to time and maybe shoot a bit of pool but when he left that had abruptly ended.
"Do you know him well enough to get an invite to that mansion he works in?" the Chief continued.
"Well….."
"Good, that's what I'd like you to do….. pay her a visit. Be nice. Make a connection with her."
"Wouldn't it be better if you called on her? It would make much more of a statement." I tried to make a stand against the inevitable.
"I'd prefer to keep my distance because I don't want to create more problems. It will be better coming from you," he replied.
Yeah that would be right. If the whole thing went belly up I would make a real nice scapegoat.
"Just sound her out," he said trying to smooth my now ruffled feathers, "discretely though. Use your charm."
Me? Charming? I'd been called a lot of things in my time but charming wasn't one of them.
"If she is playing games with us I'd like her to know that we're watching."
I knew not to argue with him when he was in one of those moods. It was like a broken pencil. Pointless.
~~~~~
It was about a twenty minute drive to her place called The Sanctuary. I took the shortest route, which meant following the river until the mansion loomed large in my eye line. I pulled up a few yards from the gates and spent a few moments looking and thinking about the place.
When I first arrived in the City about ten years ago there was building work going on and I remembered all the colourful stories about ghosts and monsters being bandied about. All gossip and no substance I thought at the time and nothing had happened since to make me change my mind. Still, everyone loves a good story and there's nothing better than a spooky old mansion to stimulate the imagination. What really went on in there I was hoping to find out so I started the car and pulled up to the gates. With the spires and archways gracing the magnificent old building it wouldn't have been a surprise to see a drawbridge lowering and knights on horse back galloping out, off to fight some noble battle in a far off land. As that didn't happen I looked around for some kind of speaker to yell at or a button to push. I needn't have bothered as the gates opened automatically, so I drove in and parked the car.
At least I knew when I returned there would be no scratches on the paintwork and the wheels would still be attached. The security was impressive and I hoped it was to keep people out. Not the other way around.
I walked to the main entrance with thoughts of B movies and greetings of you rang? from a monster butler. I took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell.
My finger had hardly moved when the door opened and Will stood there. I laughed to myself but smiled at him.
"Will," I said hoping that the relief in my voice didn't show.
"Joe." He returned the smile and gestured for me to enter.
"Thanks for arranging this for me," I said, our voices echoing as we walked along the huge hall.
"You're welcome. Dr. Magnus is happy to see you."
"She is?" I wasn't quite sure I believed him.
"Yes." He looked relaxed as we continued up a grand staircase but I could tell he was studying me in that Zimmerman kind of way. He may be good at all that psyche stuff but I still had the edge if there was anything bad going down. I hoped it wouldn't come to that. "You seem surprised?"
Well I was. I had the feeling she was the kind of woman who didn't take kindly to having her privacy invaded for what ever reason but I wasn't about to tell him that.
"Well...I suppose I thought…she'd be too busy." I didn't look at him because I knew that he knew I was lying.
~~~~~
I was guided to the drawing room where Dr. Magnus was sitting on the sofa by a roaring log fire. The coffee table had been prepared with the usual assortment of drinks that the more civilised in society liked to prepare to welcome a guest. That would be me I guessed. Zimmerman and Dr Magnus had exchanged knowing glances as he left and it did nothing to reassure me.
"Detective Kavanaugh." She held out her hand and I shook it firmly.
"Dr. Magnus."
"Please… do take a seat," she said in her beautifully cultured
voice and I sat opposite her in a high backed black leather chair.
"Tea?" She smiled as I tried to make myself comfortable while taking in the surroundings. Being my usual suspicious self I had the feeling that the room had been carefully chosen for my benefit. It was nice enough. A bit grand maybe but very tasteful with an antique bookcase lining the far wall, a few paintings dotted here and there, a desk with a few photos neatly arranged on the polished top and the little cosy area around the fire where we were seated. It gave nothing away.
"No thanks, I'm not really…"
"Coffee then," she said firmly and held my gaze.
Her voice was warm but insistent and it seemed rude to refuse.
"Oh well, yes thanks," I said and watched her pour the steaming black liquid into an elegant mug.
"Cream?"
I nodded while I searched for a way to start the conversation on my terms but she beat me to it.
"I never got to thank you for helping Will and me with the Meyers family. Edward and his brother are now doing well. I do appreciate that I really do. I won't forget it."
I could see the kindness in her eyes. Unforced and genuine. It made me feel cheap.
"Just doing my job Ma'am."
"Well that's as maybe but still…there are many people who would have let that boy and his family suffer. They deserved better."
"I'm glad you were able to help."
She smiled again and took a sip of tea. Placing the china cup carefully back on the saucer before looking back up. "So…how can I help you?"
She was so elegant and civilised that I couldn't bear to sound as if I was interrogating her.
"I'm on a getting to know you mission." I cringed as I realised how ridiculous that sounded and tried to save my self-respect by quickly adding, "on behalf of the Police Department."
I saw her eyebrows raise and a slight hint of a smile form at the corners of her mouth but she remained totally composed.
"Really? Well then, what do you want to know?"
"You have a lovely place here Ma'am; a very, very large mansion. What is it you do exactly?"
"Straight to the point I see, well I'll be equally straight with you. In the main, this is a special research facility and I delve into the more unusual areas of science. Areas where others prefer not to tread but my aim is to use the knowledge I gain to help those less fortunate."
"Very admirable," I said and paused for a moment before considering my next question. I decided not to beat about the bush. "So, if I were to mention that there is concern about unusual and disturbing activities in the city lately and...”
"You are wondering whether it has anything to do with me?" Dr. Magnus interrupted and then quite out of the blue gave a little laugh. I couldn't decide whether it was one of those nervous reactions or not but it sure was wonderful to watch. A slight tipping back of her head revealing a smooth white throat. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"I can assure you that I am not personally involved in any criminal activities," she finally said.
I was starting to squirm a little. I'd interrogated hundreds of people in my line of work, admittedly most were the lowest scum of the earth and usually guilty, but even so my skills were of no use to me here. It was as if she had summed me up in that short space of time and found me wanting. My instincts were usually second to none but I was frustrated that I couldn't tell whether she was lying or not. What made this worse was she didn't even seem bothered by my presence in the slightest and that sure was bad for my ego. The most disturbing thing though was the way she looked; her physical presence. She was a tall dark haired beauty by anyone's standards; the kind of woman who men fought over and sold their souls to the devil for. I was struggling to keep my mind on the job. I seriously began to wonder what the hell I was doing and she obviously thought the same.
"I am assuming this is your boss's idea?"
I sighed inwardly. Smart and beautiful. I could have made some excuse but as she saw the look on my face I knew she wouldn't have believed me. "Yes." I decided to come clean. He did make me come here after all and if anyone had to suffer it should be him.
"Well, I am surprised he hasn't visited me in person because although we did meet on a couple of occasions at a charity event, we have never had the pleasure of a conversation." She paused briefly and then looked at me intently. "And you Detective Kavanaugh, we have met before, do you remember? I have spoken with you briefly at the hospital."
"Yes our paths have crossed a few times," I replied, "at the morgue."
"Never very pleasant occasions are they?"
I grimaced. "Hell no Ma'am, they're not."
Even though she was trained in the medical profession it was hard to believe that her life had to touch the dark underbelly of the world I was forced to inhabit most of the time. It didn't seem right.
"But sometimes intriguing none the less." Her face lit up and now looked totally in her element.
"Intriguing?" I asked. That's something I'd never considered.
"Yes. To do the job you do, you must enjoy solving crimes which cross your path; the more interesting ones, anyway. They are like puzzles are they not?" She paused for a moment and drank the last few drops from her cup. "As for myself, I enjoy trying to unravel some of nature's secrets; hoping to use that knowledge to help… humanity. We are not so different you and I."
Well that was a turn up for the books. I hadn't seen that one coming. If I didn't know better I'd say she was trying to get me on side. Her side.
"There is one thing you should know Detective and that is I fiercely protect the work I do here… and the people. Your boss wouldn't like it if he were to get on the wrong side of me."
With those fighting words her whole demeanour changed. Those lovely eyes narrowed and flickered with a steely glaze. I couldn't help thinking that she'd make one hell of a cop. Whether those changes were for my benefit I wasn't sure but it was definitely unsettling. Hell, she was unsettling. A search through the Department records threw up only the briefest of details about her and The Sanctuary. This annoyed the hell out of The Chief. He hated being in the dark about someone this mysterious with friends in places too high for him to reach.
Her attitude quickly reverted back to her former charming self. "Would you like to be shown around?" she asked as she placed the used cup, saucer and mug back on the tray.
"Sure, that'd be great," I replied and meant it It was just what I'd been hoping for.
As she walked beside me she gave me that lovely smile again and I could only hope my own came up to the same standard but I had my doubts. Damn. My hand went up to my face. Why hadn't I shaved?
~~~~~
Chapter 2
http://quirky-thoughts.livejournal.com/29284.html
When the show first started there was this whole secrecy thing, with the outside world not having a clue to what was really going on. So I loved the idea of investigating how The Sanctuary was perceived, especially by the police department.
Title: Old City PD
Rating: PG
Characters: Gen with hints of Helen/Joe
Word count: 4800 (over two chapters)
Spoilers: Set in Season 1 just after 'Edward'.
Warnings: None
Summary: The Chief of the Police Department had had enough of all the bizarre reports and unsolved cases on his patch. He decided it was time to investigate the enigmatic Dr Helen Magnus but had not intention of getting his own hands dirty, hell no, not when he had Detective Kavanaugh to do it for him.
Chapter 1
The Department was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Well you would have, if it hadn't been for the yelling coming from the Chief's office; he was chewing off someone's ear on the other end of the phone and it was only Monday. It took a brave person to get on the wrong side of him but that's what had happened. Someone somewhere had been pulling strings and interfering with our more… how should I put it? Colorful cases. It'd been happening a lot lately and it wasn't going down too well.
The pulling of the plug on the Meyers case was the last straw for him. I'd watched as he received the call and his face had gone from red to purple and back to red. I held my breath and hoped his weak heart would stand the strain. The last thing I needed was to have to give him the kiss of life. That would have totally ruined my day.
Now he was fighting back and it didn't bode well.
Everyone put their heads down as the door opened a crack and he yelled out my name. "Kavanaugh!" The sound reverberated around the room and you didn't argue with that.
"Yes Chief," I replied very swiftly as all eyes turned to me.
"In here… now."
I didn't need telling twice.
"Close the door," he said, lowering his bulky self into his luxurious chair. A dark cloud immediately descended over me. His head twitched to the unoccupied chair and back to me and I knew he wanted me to sit. So I sat.
"There's something I need you to do for me Joe."
Joe? He only called me that when he wanted me to do something above and beyond the call of duty. It normally ended with an unfortunate someone getting bit on the ass. That unfortunate someone was usually me.
I must have looked at bit well…disgruntled and I gave him my best disapproving frown. He did what he always did and ignored it.
"It's like this…I know how you hate, as much as I do, what's been happening lately. Far too many deaths in the city and worse still… some of our own. Plus, one word from on high and our cases are whipped from under us. Even though we can't argue with it, it doesn't mean we can't do a bit of discrete nosing around." He shuffled through the papers on his desk. "I have a few of my own suspicions and it seems that all roads lead back to Dr. Helen Magnus." His eyes widened as he looked up at me. "I hear that Zimmerman's now working for her and as you and he are friends…."
"Well I wouldn't say friends exactly," I chipped in because I knew where this was leading. Will and I got on pretty well when he worked for the Department. We used to talk over a few beers about the more disturbing cases which cropped up from time to time and maybe shoot a bit of pool but when he left that had abruptly ended.
"Do you know him well enough to get an invite to that mansion he works in?" the Chief continued.
"Well….."
"Good, that's what I'd like you to do….. pay her a visit. Be nice. Make a connection with her."
"Wouldn't it be better if you called on her? It would make much more of a statement." I tried to make a stand against the inevitable.
"I'd prefer to keep my distance because I don't want to create more problems. It will be better coming from you," he replied.
Yeah that would be right. If the whole thing went belly up I would make a real nice scapegoat.
"Just sound her out," he said trying to smooth my now ruffled feathers, "discretely though. Use your charm."
Me? Charming? I'd been called a lot of things in my time but charming wasn't one of them.
"If she is playing games with us I'd like her to know that we're watching."
I knew not to argue with him when he was in one of those moods. It was like a broken pencil. Pointless.
~~~~~
It was about a twenty minute drive to her place called The Sanctuary. I took the shortest route, which meant following the river until the mansion loomed large in my eye line. I pulled up a few yards from the gates and spent a few moments looking and thinking about the place.
When I first arrived in the City about ten years ago there was building work going on and I remembered all the colourful stories about ghosts and monsters being bandied about. All gossip and no substance I thought at the time and nothing had happened since to make me change my mind. Still, everyone loves a good story and there's nothing better than a spooky old mansion to stimulate the imagination. What really went on in there I was hoping to find out so I started the car and pulled up to the gates. With the spires and archways gracing the magnificent old building it wouldn't have been a surprise to see a drawbridge lowering and knights on horse back galloping out, off to fight some noble battle in a far off land. As that didn't happen I looked around for some kind of speaker to yell at or a button to push. I needn't have bothered as the gates opened automatically, so I drove in and parked the car.
At least I knew when I returned there would be no scratches on the paintwork and the wheels would still be attached. The security was impressive and I hoped it was to keep people out. Not the other way around.
I walked to the main entrance with thoughts of B movies and greetings of you rang? from a monster butler. I took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell.
My finger had hardly moved when the door opened and Will stood there. I laughed to myself but smiled at him.
"Will," I said hoping that the relief in my voice didn't show.
"Joe." He returned the smile and gestured for me to enter.
"Thanks for arranging this for me," I said, our voices echoing as we walked along the huge hall.
"You're welcome. Dr. Magnus is happy to see you."
"She is?" I wasn't quite sure I believed him.
"Yes." He looked relaxed as we continued up a grand staircase but I could tell he was studying me in that Zimmerman kind of way. He may be good at all that psyche stuff but I still had the edge if there was anything bad going down. I hoped it wouldn't come to that. "You seem surprised?"
Well I was. I had the feeling she was the kind of woman who didn't take kindly to having her privacy invaded for what ever reason but I wasn't about to tell him that.
"Well...I suppose I thought…she'd be too busy." I didn't look at him because I knew that he knew I was lying.
~~~~~
I was guided to the drawing room where Dr. Magnus was sitting on the sofa by a roaring log fire. The coffee table had been prepared with the usual assortment of drinks that the more civilised in society liked to prepare to welcome a guest. That would be me I guessed. Zimmerman and Dr Magnus had exchanged knowing glances as he left and it did nothing to reassure me.
"Detective Kavanaugh." She held out her hand and I shook it firmly.
"Dr. Magnus."
"Please… do take a seat," she said in her beautifully cultured
voice and I sat opposite her in a high backed black leather chair.
"Tea?" She smiled as I tried to make myself comfortable while taking in the surroundings. Being my usual suspicious self I had the feeling that the room had been carefully chosen for my benefit. It was nice enough. A bit grand maybe but very tasteful with an antique bookcase lining the far wall, a few paintings dotted here and there, a desk with a few photos neatly arranged on the polished top and the little cosy area around the fire where we were seated. It gave nothing away.
"No thanks, I'm not really…"
"Coffee then," she said firmly and held my gaze.
Her voice was warm but insistent and it seemed rude to refuse.
"Oh well, yes thanks," I said and watched her pour the steaming black liquid into an elegant mug.
"Cream?"
I nodded while I searched for a way to start the conversation on my terms but she beat me to it.
"I never got to thank you for helping Will and me with the Meyers family. Edward and his brother are now doing well. I do appreciate that I really do. I won't forget it."
I could see the kindness in her eyes. Unforced and genuine. It made me feel cheap.
"Just doing my job Ma'am."
"Well that's as maybe but still…there are many people who would have let that boy and his family suffer. They deserved better."
"I'm glad you were able to help."
She smiled again and took a sip of tea. Placing the china cup carefully back on the saucer before looking back up. "So…how can I help you?"
She was so elegant and civilised that I couldn't bear to sound as if I was interrogating her.
"I'm on a getting to know you mission." I cringed as I realised how ridiculous that sounded and tried to save my self-respect by quickly adding, "on behalf of the Police Department."
I saw her eyebrows raise and a slight hint of a smile form at the corners of her mouth but she remained totally composed.
"Really? Well then, what do you want to know?"
"You have a lovely place here Ma'am; a very, very large mansion. What is it you do exactly?"
"Straight to the point I see, well I'll be equally straight with you. In the main, this is a special research facility and I delve into the more unusual areas of science. Areas where others prefer not to tread but my aim is to use the knowledge I gain to help those less fortunate."
"Very admirable," I said and paused for a moment before considering my next question. I decided not to beat about the bush. "So, if I were to mention that there is concern about unusual and disturbing activities in the city lately and...”
"You are wondering whether it has anything to do with me?" Dr. Magnus interrupted and then quite out of the blue gave a little laugh. I couldn't decide whether it was one of those nervous reactions or not but it sure was wonderful to watch. A slight tipping back of her head revealing a smooth white throat. I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"I can assure you that I am not personally involved in any criminal activities," she finally said.
I was starting to squirm a little. I'd interrogated hundreds of people in my line of work, admittedly most were the lowest scum of the earth and usually guilty, but even so my skills were of no use to me here. It was as if she had summed me up in that short space of time and found me wanting. My instincts were usually second to none but I was frustrated that I couldn't tell whether she was lying or not. What made this worse was she didn't even seem bothered by my presence in the slightest and that sure was bad for my ego. The most disturbing thing though was the way she looked; her physical presence. She was a tall dark haired beauty by anyone's standards; the kind of woman who men fought over and sold their souls to the devil for. I was struggling to keep my mind on the job. I seriously began to wonder what the hell I was doing and she obviously thought the same.
"I am assuming this is your boss's idea?"
I sighed inwardly. Smart and beautiful. I could have made some excuse but as she saw the look on my face I knew she wouldn't have believed me. "Yes." I decided to come clean. He did make me come here after all and if anyone had to suffer it should be him.
"Well, I am surprised he hasn't visited me in person because although we did meet on a couple of occasions at a charity event, we have never had the pleasure of a conversation." She paused briefly and then looked at me intently. "And you Detective Kavanaugh, we have met before, do you remember? I have spoken with you briefly at the hospital."
"Yes our paths have crossed a few times," I replied, "at the morgue."
"Never very pleasant occasions are they?"
I grimaced. "Hell no Ma'am, they're not."
Even though she was trained in the medical profession it was hard to believe that her life had to touch the dark underbelly of the world I was forced to inhabit most of the time. It didn't seem right.
"But sometimes intriguing none the less." Her face lit up and now looked totally in her element.
"Intriguing?" I asked. That's something I'd never considered.
"Yes. To do the job you do, you must enjoy solving crimes which cross your path; the more interesting ones, anyway. They are like puzzles are they not?" She paused for a moment and drank the last few drops from her cup. "As for myself, I enjoy trying to unravel some of nature's secrets; hoping to use that knowledge to help… humanity. We are not so different you and I."
Well that was a turn up for the books. I hadn't seen that one coming. If I didn't know better I'd say she was trying to get me on side. Her side.
"There is one thing you should know Detective and that is I fiercely protect the work I do here… and the people. Your boss wouldn't like it if he were to get on the wrong side of me."
With those fighting words her whole demeanour changed. Those lovely eyes narrowed and flickered with a steely glaze. I couldn't help thinking that she'd make one hell of a cop. Whether those changes were for my benefit I wasn't sure but it was definitely unsettling. Hell, she was unsettling. A search through the Department records threw up only the briefest of details about her and The Sanctuary. This annoyed the hell out of The Chief. He hated being in the dark about someone this mysterious with friends in places too high for him to reach.
Her attitude quickly reverted back to her former charming self. "Would you like to be shown around?" she asked as she placed the used cup, saucer and mug back on the tray.
"Sure, that'd be great," I replied and meant it It was just what I'd been hoping for.
As she walked beside me she gave me that lovely smile again and I could only hope my own came up to the same standard but I had my doubts. Damn. My hand went up to my face. Why hadn't I shaved?
~~~~~
Chapter 2
http://quirky-thoughts.livejournal.com/29284.html