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[mitochondriaaya]

Aya made yet another note in her notebook, a name and a 'usual' location. Kyle had decided that since there were no pressing cases at the moment, Darlene needed to be introduced to the streets of her new territory. Honestly, to her, it felt a lot like she was being shown around like a sorority girl at a highschool prom. Out of place, a touch too mature for the venue, and with a boy who was strutting for all he was worth.

She was bored.

Darlene, on the other hand, was vaguely amused. "You going to trot me out over Hell's half acre tonight Madigan?"

"Kyle," he corrected with a stern finger shake as he put the car in park once more. "And yes. We have to show everyone who the newest uniform is so they know to let you be." He slipped out of the car and stuffed his hands in his pockets, smiling slow and savage at the huddle in this alley. "This used to be Gammor's territory, but he's serving life elsewhere now. That leaves the girls here and..."

"And the shadowy people behind them." Darlene chuckled. "People seem to move in fast here."

"Yeah, well, always another fish." Kyle shrugged and lifted a hand "Hey, you there, wanna step into the light?"

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

Step? No, no, Traver didn't step. Braig swaggered out with the movement of a little man who knew just how big he really was, body notwithstanding. The shadow behind him didn't step either, it shifted like liquid metal until Dilan was looming down over the trio like the hovering fist of an angry god.

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Kyle whistled slowly as he took in the pair then settled his grin back in place. "Well then, these would be new faces in this area. Darlene, I give you New Pimp One and Thug." Ah, the wit.

Darlene had flipped open her notebook as a matter of course, hanging on Kyle's word (ostensibly), but when the pair step forward she snapped her notepad shut and crossed her arms. A move she knew pressed her breast upward and since her new partner seemed so keen on keeping an eye on her...well..."Traver." Deadpan. "You're...apparently...on my beat now."

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"Hey, baby." Traver said in return, reaching out to brush her cheek with the back of his knuckles, "Good to see ya, even if it is business." Slow and drawling, not quite possessive but definitely peacocking a bit in front of the new guy.

"Darlene." Breaker rumbled, a good octave below Dilan's normal speaking voice; it gave him an almost Germanic accent.

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Darlene jerked her head back from that light touch (a moment late)and scowled at the pair. "Docks getting too cold for you?"

Kyle blinked then scowled at the pair as well. "Detective Ansel to you." Not Darlene. Not anything so familiar. "What are a pair of river rats doing here?"

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He spread his hands, "Darlene'n me go way back, don't we baby? Janna wants to know if mama is comin' to visit this weekend." Mother of his baby, detective, he gets to be as familiar as she lets him. "There was a void, de-tec-tive, an' nature ahores a void. Breaker'n me are settlin' in real nice."

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"Abhors." Darlene muttered the correction as a matter of course, not budging an inch from her arm-crossed position. "I..." Oh, that wasn't fucking fair. She'd JUST gotten into her new precinct Traver! She glanced down at the ground and took a half step back, making just enough of an opening for...

...Kyle to step forward, reacting naturally to that flinching body language. He slid a half step in front of his new partner, putting his bulk between the smaller woman and the new pimp in town. "Oh, of course, take out the bedrock and the slime rushes in." Naturally. "You don't want to go pushing at my partner."

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Traver didn't bother stepping up, that's what he had Breaker for. The half-Katzu shifted a half-step of his own, and smiled in a casual, content way that made it clear he liked the possibility of fighting. He liked it a lot, and didn't much care if the potential fight was with a cop.

Traver lifted one hand, stopping Breaker from moving any farther, "I ain't pushin' her, de-tec-tive. We are havin' a con-ver-sa-tion about our daughter. I been polite, haven't I baby?" She could say no, of course, she could leave him hanging, but he's got her drugs. He's got her baby. He's loves her, in his fucked up way, and she knows it.

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To give Kyle credit, he didn't flinch, he just cocked an eyebrow at the men. Hitting a cop had some pretty steep consequences after all, and he didn't think Traver wanted to stir things up with the precinct this early in his move. "Down boy," he drawled easily at Dilan.

"Relax, Madigan." Darlene offered softly from behind him. A soft touch the man's back to reassure him it was alright, then she was stepping back out to see Traver properly. "Yeah, you been polite. Sorry about that. And yeah, I wanna see her okay?"

"Shit," Kyle blinked and looked down at Darlene's head. He didn't like where this was going already. Daughter huh? Time to run through schedules and...ah, yeah. "Stake out. You wanna come by the precinct with her we may have a minute or two though." See? He could be accommodating! Now, did the pimp really want to sit around the police precinct instead of being out here earning money?

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"This weekend, then." He was a good father, he was. Also the kid they were using had done this before, she was a veritable expert at calling strange women mama and running for hugs. "What time you wanna see us, baby?"

Breaker just kept that same little smile on his face. Some Katzu were a little feral, a little crazy...and kind of like wolf-dogs, half-Katzu could be more dangerous than the full-bloods.

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"Well, if you come by before dinner I can give her a bit of money for those rides she likes at Pizza Palace?" she offered after a hesitant moment. "I don't know if...Kyle?"

The man perked up when she used his first name, then made a show of thinking things over. "We'll be going on lunch between five and six on Saturday. Probably make it back to the precinct a quarter after five then?"

Darlene smiled in relief and finally uncrossed her arms.

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"We'll be there, baby." Traver assured her, still ignoring Madigan for the most part. He was having a conversation with his lady, after all. His lady, his lover, his love. He may've fucked up, but he was going to get her back. "We all got business, now, don' we? I shouldn' be takin' your time when you're workin'."

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"We'll be there," Kyle promised in kind, then he was pointing out the ladies that had been hanging back, listing off names for Darlene. Yep, back to work.

Darlene flashed a smile at the pair and pulled her notebook back out. "New area, new faces," she agreed easily. "And you could have just called Traver. Calling is good." It sounded an awful lot like a concession on her part.

Kyle snorted. "Pimps don't call cops detective. It's against the natural order of things."

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"I would'a called you, baby." Traver protested, "Jus' not until you got off work." He was considerate like that! Breaker grunted and stepped back again since there wasn't going to be a fight. This time. "You have a good night, Darlene, but not too good." Light, teasing, with a hint of insecurity due to her new partner being a relatively good looking man and their relationship being so rocky right now.

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"Don't wait up," Kyle snorted.

"Late shift, but you know how it goes." Darlene added. "Kyle knows his way around, he's showing me the sights. We'll be fine." A small, small smirk since she'd caught that edge of insecurity in his voice!

[sliceitwithwind]

He watched her go, right up until one of the whores behind him called his name to help break up an impending cat-fight.

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Saturday, at five o'clock sharp (have to show off for the cops, see? There really is a kid, holding her daddy's hand and chattering about a bird she'd seen earlier) Traver and Janna showed up to wait for Darlene to get in. The little girl was an adorable half-Olia with black-black hair and aqua eyes the same shade as Darlene's. Traver was cleaned up, jeans and a t-shirt with a jacket over it, and Janna was in Osh-Koshes with tennies.

Traver was fine with waiting, keeping Janna right close to himself and talking seriously with her about where they were going after they talked to momma.

Breaker was out attending to business. Cops made him nervous.

[mitochondriaaya]

It was closer to five thirty than five fifteen before Darlene came in the door trailed by Kyle who was chattering about some kind of security or another. Apparently the stake out could get tricky, and Darlene was taking notes as a matter of course. She snapped her notebook shut mid-sentence the minute she spotted the kid, never mind the rest of the adults (including Kyle much to his annoyance). She was on her knees and waiting for her hug before the first "MOMMA!" had faded from the air.

That left Kyle to shut his mouth with a snap and glare over Darlene's head at Traver. "Well, what do you know? Streets haven't eaten you yet?"

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"Streets ain't ever gonna eat me." Traver said benevolently while he watched his woman and his baby-girl hug each other. His eye flicked up at Madigan and he shrugged with a small smile firmly on his face. His. Nothing this tall mixed-breed could do would take that away from him. "Havin' a good night, baby?" That to Darlene, in between high-pitched commentary about birds, her dog, and Missy in daycare's broken finger.

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"Don't be so sure about that, given your line of work." Madigan crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway, willing to let Darlene have her moment with the kid. "Hey kiddo."

Darlene looked up, an honest, sweet smile on her face. "Gettin' better," she admitted. "Baby girl, this is momma's new partner. His name is Kyle Madigan, I'll be working with him." The girl quit her chatter and looked up at the police man with curious eyes.

"I'm a detective, just like your Mom."

"An Scooby-Doo!" The girl giggled.

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"Thas' right, princess." Traver agreed, ruffling his little girl's hair, "Jus' like Scooby. You wanna watch some Scooby t'night afore you go to bed?"

"YES!" she squealed, and Braig knew Roxy was going to KILL him, but it'd be worth it. He adored kids old enough to talk and play. ...He kind of wanted one. Huh. Apparently he had a biological clock. His smile turned real for a second as he realised that.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Not too much," Darlene laughed. "Too many cartoons and you get weird dreams." Not that five year olds had too many things they actually called 'weird' but still.

"And food first. I can't come out tonight baby girl, I'm still working, but daddy said I could give you money for the rides at Pizza Palace alright? And when we talk on the phone next time you gotta tell me which ones you picked." Because it was not going to be enough money for every ride! It was what a cop newly transferred could scrape together in pocket change!

Appearances were important after all.

"Oh, yeah, I remember those rides." Kyle tried to insert himself back in. "That's mean, getting her to pick. What do you say kiddo, I can kick in ten towards rides too if your mom says okay."

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Janna looked up at Kyle and said seriously, "Money doesn't grow on trees." She heard her real mommy say that all the time! Braig stayed out of this one, Aya could handle it. Important to let Madigan think he was getting one over on them.

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Aya turned that smile up on Kyle, a gift to the man who was willing to spoil her child, then nodded to Janna. "No it doesn't baby, so be real polite since he's being so nice." She slipped an arm around the little girl's waist, pivoting on her knees so the kid could reach Kyle if he did hand out money, but so she'd be mostly between them.

From the outside it just looked like a doting mother who couldn't get enough of her kid in the time she had. "But bedtime hasn't changed...?" she arched an eyebrow at Traver to make sure of that statement. "So you may have to pick what all you do tonight."

Kyle was going to just smirk and fish a bill out of his pocket for the kid.

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"Thas' right." Traver agreed, nodding, "Rides or Scooby, princess, but not both of 'em."

Janna bit her lower lip while she was thinking, looking between Darlene and Traver, then said, "Rides!" because she could have Scooby any day! Just not late at night.

"Okay, princess. You thank De-tec-tiv Madigan real nice." he ruffled her hair again, and dragged the back of his knuckles lightly against Darlene's cheek in a wistful caress; see? He was there. She was going back to work with her partner, but Traver cared about her.

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"Good choice," Madigan opined to the girl quietly. Somehow, in his mind, this went down as a win in his book! Which, coincidentally, was a loss for Traver. Perhaps he could find some videos of Scooby Doo to pass along through Darlene? That would be solid gold really, judging by how his partner reacted to the ride money offer. "Here you go! And I'll be waiting for your mom to tell me which ride was your favorite!"

Darlene waited a moment or two for the girl to get money, then snuggled her back against her chest. The gesture was a good excuse to move after she went still under Traver's caress. She'd didn't jerk away but...yeah, not much softening either. Gratitude was there, certainly, but..."Now you be good for your daddy, baby-girl. I know you can talk him into anything but have some mercy tonight alright? And you, Traver...babe...try to hold strong? Thanks." That last word was warmer than any of the previous ones though.

Queen of mixed signals tonight? Maybe. That or a little confused given a new man in her life that she'd have to work well with.

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"Do my best, baby." Traver promised her, "You know I ain't good at that without you." Matter of fact, Darlene was somewhat better able to stand Janna's adorableness than Traver was. He was a sucker for big blue eyes. "C'mon, princess. Momma has to work."

"Mommy works a lot." Janna agreed, holding her arms up for Traver to pick her up and then clinging to his neck, "She's a good cop!"

"Thas' right, princess. You take care, baby. We'll give you a call tomorrow, let you know how it went."

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It was partial immunity granted by the extra X chromosome! And yeah, ouch. Good cop. Her smile wilted just a little around the edges at that unintentional sally then she was standing up and leaning in to kiss Janna's cheek. "I mean it baby-girl, be nice to daddy. And try to make sure he's home and in bed before he turns into a pumpkin."

Kyle snickered and tried to hide it in a cough. "Nice meeting you ma'am," he gave the little girl a mock-salute and held the precinct doors open. "Be good Traver."

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"I ain't just good, I'm awesome." It was a habitual response before he blew Darlene a kiss and sauntered out with their daughter.

Outside he kept up the act all the way to the pizza place, where he finally let himself be Braig. Although spoiling Janna was pretty much the same no matter who he was being.