trufax
Author: Nathalia
Rating: PG
Challenge:
Candy Bar Crunch #25 - my heart on my sleeve
Cheeseburger #5 - trufax
Extras / Toppings: caramel, sprinkles
Word Count: 934
Story: Kennedy's Story
Summary: Reagan and Braddock share a moment while they wait for a file that bears surprises.
Notes: I will post some of the stuff that happens before this. Basically, they find traces of Joseph’s DNA on the crime scene. Plotty stuff here!
Reagan sighed. “They are taking their time with Barnes’ file.”
Ripley and Helena had gone home but Braddock was still there, insisting on wanting to see the file. He was dedicated to the case, one of his first and as much as Reagan would have preferred someone experienced, she decided that maybe this wasn’t all that bad. He was a detective, not whatever Ripley had referred to him as throughout the day.
“Aren’t you getting tired? You’ve been up all day. I could stay here and just call you in the morning, tell you what I found.”
Braddock shook his head. “That’s very nice, but I feel the need to stay here. Besides, haven’t you been up as long as me?”
“I didn’t have to look at bodies, just yell at Ripley and Helena. That’s a lot less work. All I have is an empty apartment to go home to, I might as well sleep on the couch. There’s no difference right now.”
“Who says it’s not the same for me?” Braddock took a sip of the coffee Reagan had gotten them both earlier.
“I just assumed.” She felt herself grow a little red. “Sorry.”
“Hey, nothing to be sorry for. You have no idea how much I wish I had someone to go home to.” He sighed. “I used to have someone but divorces sort of screw with having someone to come home to.”
“You really don’t want to listen to my romantic history,” Reagan assured him. “It would make your divorce look so normal. Long story short, the guy I waited to be with for four years is back in town, pretty much just waiting for me to tell him that I want to go back to whatever we used to have and I don’t know how to do that. I was looking forward to him coming back so much but since he’s been back, I can’t look him in the eye.”
“You just have to think things through,” Braddock assured her with a smile that felt very comforting to Reagan. She had been longing to hear this from someone, anyone, ever since Leo had come back and she had felt the doubt rise in her. Not that Kennedy had offered much of a shoulder to cry on.
She started fiddling with her hair. “I’m just worried what will happen if I make up my mind and it’s not what everybody expects me to do.”
“Listen, Reagan,” Braddock said, resting his hand on hers. She was startled by this but didn’t pull it back, fine with whatever bodily contact as soon as someone sided with her for once. She hadn’t told him what to call her, hadn’t specified that she wanted her last name used, so she didn’t protest when he used her first name. It didn’t make a difference. “Everywhere I looked, people were telling me that I shouldn’t leave my wife, that I would never find anyone like her again but I wasn’t happy, so what was the point staying?” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know you and I don’t want to tell you what to do with your life but if you don’t mind me telling me so, just try to do what makes you happy.”
“Thanks, Detective Braddock.” She slowly withdrew her hand and placed it on her thigh under the table that separated them, kneading her thigh with it uncomfortably. She had probably let him get a little too close. “I’ll keep that advice in mind.”
“Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries,” he added, blushing a little. “I just … if you need someone to talk to.”
“I’ll keep you in mind,” Reagan promised, too fast. She had no intention to talk to this man outside the Van Sciver case, no matter how nice he tried to be. She was already having enough trouble with her romantic love life and a divorced cop giving her advice was the last thing she needed.
She looked down, trying to think of something to say when someone knocked on the door.
“The Barnes file!” She exclaimed, far too excited, as the door was opened and a clerk came in. “Thanks. We were waiting for it.” She tried to smile at the young woman, feeling bad that she had had to stay until this late. This was not a job anyone would like. Reagan knew, she had gone diving for files often enough in the summers between her high school years.
The young clerk handed her the file, thin, maybe half an inch wide. “There must be parts missing,” she said, breathless.
“I’m sorry, this is all there was. Maybe they are locked up somewhere.” The girl shrugged. “I swear, this was all there was.”
Reagan felt her shoulders sag and she opened the folder, leafed through the initial pages to the CV. “It says here he was recruited into Cerberus right after high school. They paid for his education and everything and he stayed on board until he died at age 33. I don’t care if this guy never left his desk; there should be more information about him.”
The girl was still standing in the door and Braddock leaned over Reagan’s shoulder, trying to see something as well.
“The file was redacted,” he said through gritted teeth, pointing to a spot on the page that had been blacked out.
Reagan started to page through the rest of the file and indeed, a lot of the little information they had on Joseph Barnes had been blacked out.
“Why?”
“Someone doesn’t want us to know too much about Barnes.”
Rating: PG
Challenge:
Candy Bar Crunch #25 - my heart on my sleeve
Cheeseburger #5 - trufax
Extras / Toppings: caramel, sprinkles
Word Count: 934
Story: Kennedy's Story
Summary: Reagan and Braddock share a moment while they wait for a file that bears surprises.
Notes: I will post some of the stuff that happens before this. Basically, they find traces of Joseph’s DNA on the crime scene. Plotty stuff here!
Reagan sighed. “They are taking their time with Barnes’ file.”
Ripley and Helena had gone home but Braddock was still there, insisting on wanting to see the file. He was dedicated to the case, one of his first and as much as Reagan would have preferred someone experienced, she decided that maybe this wasn’t all that bad. He was a detective, not whatever Ripley had referred to him as throughout the day.
“Aren’t you getting tired? You’ve been up all day. I could stay here and just call you in the morning, tell you what I found.”
Braddock shook his head. “That’s very nice, but I feel the need to stay here. Besides, haven’t you been up as long as me?”
“I didn’t have to look at bodies, just yell at Ripley and Helena. That’s a lot less work. All I have is an empty apartment to go home to, I might as well sleep on the couch. There’s no difference right now.”
“Who says it’s not the same for me?” Braddock took a sip of the coffee Reagan had gotten them both earlier.
“I just assumed.” She felt herself grow a little red. “Sorry.”
“Hey, nothing to be sorry for. You have no idea how much I wish I had someone to go home to.” He sighed. “I used to have someone but divorces sort of screw with having someone to come home to.”
“You really don’t want to listen to my romantic history,” Reagan assured him. “It would make your divorce look so normal. Long story short, the guy I waited to be with for four years is back in town, pretty much just waiting for me to tell him that I want to go back to whatever we used to have and I don’t know how to do that. I was looking forward to him coming back so much but since he’s been back, I can’t look him in the eye.”
“You just have to think things through,” Braddock assured her with a smile that felt very comforting to Reagan. She had been longing to hear this from someone, anyone, ever since Leo had come back and she had felt the doubt rise in her. Not that Kennedy had offered much of a shoulder to cry on.
She started fiddling with her hair. “I’m just worried what will happen if I make up my mind and it’s not what everybody expects me to do.”
“Listen, Reagan,” Braddock said, resting his hand on hers. She was startled by this but didn’t pull it back, fine with whatever bodily contact as soon as someone sided with her for once. She hadn’t told him what to call her, hadn’t specified that she wanted her last name used, so she didn’t protest when he used her first name. It didn’t make a difference. “Everywhere I looked, people were telling me that I shouldn’t leave my wife, that I would never find anyone like her again but I wasn’t happy, so what was the point staying?” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know you and I don’t want to tell you what to do with your life but if you don’t mind me telling me so, just try to do what makes you happy.”
“Thanks, Detective Braddock.” She slowly withdrew her hand and placed it on her thigh under the table that separated them, kneading her thigh with it uncomfortably. She had probably let him get a little too close. “I’ll keep that advice in mind.”
“Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries,” he added, blushing a little. “I just … if you need someone to talk to.”
“I’ll keep you in mind,” Reagan promised, too fast. She had no intention to talk to this man outside the Van Sciver case, no matter how nice he tried to be. She was already having enough trouble with her romantic love life and a divorced cop giving her advice was the last thing she needed.
She looked down, trying to think of something to say when someone knocked on the door.
“The Barnes file!” She exclaimed, far too excited, as the door was opened and a clerk came in. “Thanks. We were waiting for it.” She tried to smile at the young woman, feeling bad that she had had to stay until this late. This was not a job anyone would like. Reagan knew, she had gone diving for files often enough in the summers between her high school years.
The young clerk handed her the file, thin, maybe half an inch wide. “There must be parts missing,” she said, breathless.
“I’m sorry, this is all there was. Maybe they are locked up somewhere.” The girl shrugged. “I swear, this was all there was.”
Reagan felt her shoulders sag and she opened the folder, leafed through the initial pages to the CV. “It says here he was recruited into Cerberus right after high school. They paid for his education and everything and he stayed on board until he died at age 33. I don’t care if this guy never left his desk; there should be more information about him.”
The girl was still standing in the door and Braddock leaned over Reagan’s shoulder, trying to see something as well.
“The file was redacted,” he said through gritted teeth, pointing to a spot on the page that had been blacked out.
Reagan started to page through the rest of the file and indeed, a lot of the little information they had on Joseph Barnes had been blacked out.
“Why?”
“Someone doesn’t want us to know too much about Barnes.”