Aya Brea

"...and then I said how was I suppose to know the difference right? Denture paste, tooth paste? Who knew one was glue?!" Kyle laughed and held open the door to her floor. They'd just exited the stairwell after Kyle's normal night of taking Darlene out.

Pheh. Normal. That was a depressing thought. "Well...they do put nice, step by step pictures on the side of one of them?" That was a CLUE Mr. Detective.

"Who reads toothpaste tubes? Really, I just passed it to him!"

"...I do? Janna's allergic to Xylitol and a lot of toothpastes have that in as a sweetener." Because it was bacteria neutral or something. Anyway! "So do a lot of chewing gums, so no giving her gum unless you've checked!"

That was...not the come back he was expecting. "What the fuck is Xylitol?" She was making that shit up wasn't she?

"No, honest! It's a fake sweetener! Toothpaste can't use sugar right? That defeats the point of brushing, so they use fake stuff but Janna's allergic. The doctor said it wasn't uncommon!" SHE WAS NOT MAKING IT UP!

"Huh," weird. "What do you use then?"

"Toothpastes that are mainly baking soda based with mint extracts!" The whole family did! It was a solidarity thing!

"Damn allergies huh?" Kyle smiled as they turned down her hall then...froze, hand reaching for the gun he wasn't wearing. Fuck. "Darlene, stay here." The door was kicked in.

"What? You need my key t-" Oh. OH. THAT WAS HER DOOR. WHO WOULD WANT TO KICK HER DOOR IN?!

"I think some of those people Traver pissed off may have stopped by. I'll look around."

Darlene nodded mutely, wide eyed...then lifted her cell to her ear to call Traver the moment her partner went into the apartment. Because...that was her life in there. Her material life. She needed to talk to Traver.

Kyle was starting to get bored leaning on the wall near the lockers while he waited. "Darlene! What are you doing in there?! Come on!" He was hungry, they were going to get food. He might forgive her if she was getting spruced up though. He could handle Darlene dressed nice.

"Sorry! Sorry Kyle!" Darlene called from the depths of the locker room. "I was showing the girls my pictures..." She sauntered out, slipping her phone in her pocket.

"Pictures?" Kyle sounded...annoyed. This was not an acceptable reason to dawdle. And she looked like she normally did after work. T-shirt and jeans. Not even tight ones.

"Yeah! We went out together on Sunday remember? And I wanted to show them the picture of Carol dancing because she didn't believe she looked good and we got distracted by the other pictures and..."

"Uh-huh, yeah." He...didn't care about girly pictures really. Not those kind anyway. "C'mon partner, we need food."

"Hey, it was good for Carol! And they wanted to see Traver when we first met and..." Yeah, she sighed and shut up, falling in beside Kyle as he wandered toward the car. "Sorry."

Slightly mollified by the apology, Kyle slid his arm across her shoulders and tugged her to the car. "Well, I know how girls get excited by that I guess. Bet he was kinda rough back then huh?" After all, younger Traver meant hoodlum Traver right? And he was all kinds of rough now...

"Hey! No!" She glared up at her partner (cutely) and fished her phone back out. Scroll, scroll, scrolllll. "Here! See? He was so nervous.." It had been adorable really. And there he was in all his awkward younger years. Less scarred. Far less scarred. "Still hot though right?"

Kyle...had no idea what to say. There was a photo of Traver and Darlene. an awkward photo. "Uh..."

"Oh, right, sorry!" Darlene laughed and scrolled through a couple pictures for him. "I should only ask the girls that right? Guys don't really say guys are hot, but hey, here...we're all dressed up nice?" And he could see Darlene in...very little? Next to Traver, naturally.

"...yeah, that's...later?" Kyle was floundering. FLOUNDERING! "You guys look older."

"Yeah, that was a really nice place, a few years after Janna was born." Still a while back though, and there was wistfulness in her voice. She'd liked dressing up. "Oh, hey, Breaker pics!" She was still scrolling through things! "He didn't know I was there." she confided cheerfully.

"You have pictures of Breaker?! Why?!" Yeah, lost his cool a bit there but...Breaker. On Darlene's phone.

And she helpfully pulled up more of them for Kyle to see! "Well, he's hot." Darlene pointed out simply. "Oh, no, I don't like him, I have Traver, but it's a shame he doesn't have a boyfriend you know? So when I see people that Breaker might like I try to...you know..." Show off the sexy pics? Like she was showing Kyle? Oops?

Kyle. Was. Staring. At Breaker in leather pants. Oh God it was like a trainwreck. "Try to what?"

"Well, I'm a crappy match maker but I try." Darlene grinned and let Kyle keep the phone to look at pics. She wasn't in a rush. "Breaker's easy. He likes strong guys, good muscle definition you know? Tougher, don't mind a bit of rough handling and have fun going to mixed martial arts shows and stuff." Because, well, everyone should have a significant other right?

"...does he know you do that?!" Why was he squeaking? Did Breaker think KYLE was available because Darlene hung out with him?!

"Nah, he wouldn't approve." Darlene knew that! Darlene also knew Breaker would be a little creeped out that she was pinpointing what he liked in men. "So I don't tell him." And at least he got laid sometimes as a result?

"Yeah, he wouldn't." Ew. Since he had the phone he started idly flipping through the pictures, and...he didn't like what he was seeing. Sure, random pictures of Darlene hanging out with the girls, good time pictures, but far too many Traver pictures. Far, far too many. "Hey, you only have the girls from the precinct?"

Darlene blinked and leaned sideways in her seat to look at the photos. "Well, yeah, some people don't like their pictures taken and I thought you might think it was silly..."

Ah, perfect. Kyle smiled and leaned sideways enough to lean his head on Darlene's. "I don't mind. And I know the poker guys won't mind. They had fun playing with you so go ahead and take pictures. And if you don't like cards you're more than welcome to take over the stereo." And dance. He liked that.

"Really?" Darlene grinned. "I like having pictures of people having fun!"

And if she took enough precinct pictures, Darlene might have to delete some older pics to make room...and most those breaker pics could go. Yeah. Just go. Could he figure out how to accidentally delete them now? No, she'd already scrolled the pictures away and now he was looking at Janna. "Well, we'll just have to have more fun around you won't we? It's a shame you're not doing more stuff with the precinct." With her coworkers and her real friends. "We can work on that. There's bowling Sunday night."

"I'm going out with the girls Sunday after shift," she was sorry! "And Tuesday I"m going out with Traver! A real date again! Oh...what should I wear? What do guys like on make up dates?" This was probably how the picture conversation in the locker room had gotten derailed.

Kyle...froze. Just...what? "...clothes?"

She wiggled around in her seat enough to give him a clear view of those worried, blue eyes. "Yeah, you're my best friend, and a guy, you'd know right? C'mon, you've had make-up dates before right?

Too much information. TOO MUCH because make-up meant more than just a date. It meant Traver would be all over Darlene again, hands and worse on HIS partner. HIS. His brain scrambled in circles of angry, angry jealousy for a minute or two before he shook his head. "Nah, if I've broken up with someone I break up fr good Darlene. Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know! He hasn't told me yet, which doesn't help with the outfit thing..." She grumbled and slid back into her seat properly.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." He gave her phone back and threw the car into drive so they could go get food finally. "Or hey, make him tell you where so you know how to dress right? You can tell me once you know and then I might be able to help." Until then he was going to stew. Stew and play nice with Darlene so she'd take pictures of him and not Traver.

"Yeah! I can try that!" She grinned and closed her phone. "Thanks Kyle!"

Kyle cornered her on the range; for given definitions of the word 'cornered' anyway. He blocked the way out of the booth and even Darlene knew better than to turn around with a loaded gun in her hands. So while she finished firing, Kyle stood close, and warm behind her. Darlene was a good shot though, nothing for Kyle to criticize as she squeezed off her rounds.

That was alright though, he wasn't there to criticize her gun work. He passed her a reload clip and leaned in to speak in her ear. "He's not good for you Darlene, you know it."

Darlene tossed her hair in an annoyed, barely listening way and went back to shooting. He had poison to drip into her though so he stayed, carefully timing his words between noise. "He's stepped up the dealing since the others were run off and he preens to have a Cop on his arm."

Another clip and Kyle's hand sliding to rest on her hip for warm, reassuring comfort or something. He wasn't groping, just...touching. Another one of Traver's move and something Darlene was used to from a man she trusted.

Hell.

"Sure, he has faith in you, so much faith, except he's a badguy and he know you'll never bring him in will you? He laughs when he says you're a good cop." It was a power game see? Traver got off on it.

The poor target at the other end was going to end up in shreds before this was done. It really was. "He may be gone on you, sure, you're the best thing in his world Darlene, but that doesn't make him a good person or good for you...cops don't mix with rats." They didn't. It was bad for them.

"And maybe you're going clean, but then what? You still stay with a dealer? You think that will be good for you?" Temptation temptation temptation? How was that healthy?

She was almost waiting for him to say that Traver wasn't good for Janna either; that would mean Darlene could blow up at him but instead...Kyle went slightly more insidious than that. "And we both know that once your clean there's nothing that a court can hold against you Darlene. You can have Janna, you're a good mom, we've all seen you. Everyone here at the precinct will testify for you, you know it." He couldn't use Janna as leverage if Kyle got that cut away now could he?

Ugly ugly ugly words.

Darlene slapped home another clip and shook her head, stubborn, but she was biting her lip. Listening despite herself. Worried. "He's...good to me Kyle. He's good for me." She finally offered, quiet and teary, just to let Kyle know that he may have hit home a few times.

"He's not all you have now, Darlene. You're in good hands if it comes to that. You've got us." The precinct. And Kyle, naturally, who had both hands on her hips now. How very literal. "Just think about it alright? I worry, and you know guys here will find out about Traver and you eventually..." It wouldn't go over well in a healthy precinct.

"I..."

"Shhhh," Kyle lifted a hand to tuck hair behind Darlene's ear gently and smiled. "Just think. Nice shooting." With that he turned on his heel and left the gun range, content in the success of step one of his plan to wean Darlene away from Traver.

Aya checked her hair and grimaced as she eyed the jewelry for tonight. Darlene, sadly, had no taste. Which meant her jewelry was cheap, shiny, and loud. But, this being her 'day off' and Kyle 'taking her out' to another bar, well, she'd dress up a little.

The locket with Janna's picture was on a long enough chain to dangle mostly-inside her shirt, but atop that Aya layered three more rhinestone chains, one with the obligatory jeweled cherries, and the earrings were large, fake diamonds.

Tight jeans, tight top, high heeled boot sand she was good to go. Not 'flirting' gear as Darlene would label it, but dressing up gear at least. After all, Kyle had hinted this place had dancing. Dancing and alcohol pretty much promised a good chance to wiggle thoughts into Kyle's head and to get him to open up some.

She was totally going to end up at the boy's apartment tonight but that was about what they expected. She did feel better knowing they were home and listening though.

Right on time Kyle's fist thudded on her door. "And it's go time," she breathed mock-cheerfully.

The place was not upscale. It was a club though, so nicer than the cop bars she'd been dragged to and shown around at. This was, apparently, a cop club, or at least a club that ignored the cops when they came en masse.

Kyle was edgy at first, glancing around, jerking when he caught people dressed in leather walking by, that gave her the opening she needed. "Hey, Kyle? Breaker bother you? You've been jumpy around him..."

Kyle turned his head back to Darlene and offered a smile, leaning in close to be heard over the pounding music. "Nah, I can handle him. Just hard to picture him as a fairy you know?"

"Damn dangerous fairy," Darlene noted soberly. "You know how he got his name right? It's gotta be in the files somewhere..."

Uh oh. This was probably something Kyle didn't want to know but...hell, he had to. "No, nothing but skull busting in those files you know?"

"Oh!" she gave a startled, nervous little laugh. "I see..." that was a problem. Her partner could have gotten himself into hot water without knowing it. She leaned in closer too, hugging her arms across her chest. "He's a good enough guy for what he does, but he got the name Breaker because there's just...nothing between fucking and fighting for him you know? It's all sexy to him. His lovers like it rough, real rough. So does he. Be careful around him alright?"

"Me? Why?" Kyle arched an eyebrow and smirked. "It's not like dealing with Breaker is my department, he'll get himself pulled off the street some day by another team and..."

"Not what I meant Kyle! You listen to me!" she swatted his shoulder, worried. "You're his type you know?! And yeah, you look good in tight pants but what if he thinks you're flirting?"

"I don't swing that way," Kyle shrugged, grinning. "I'm only interested in the gentler sex you know?" Then, naturally, "I look good?"

"Oh, you're fishing for compliments now? Fine, see if I worry about you again." She snorted, grabbed her drink and walked to another table in annoyance. That was Darlene. If someone pushed, if they demanded, she ran or pushed back. Besides, a breather was good.

It gave Kyle time to stew and mutter, then finally come trailing over. "Hey, Darlene, I'm sorry! You're right to be worried alright? I'll keep an eye on Breaker. C'mon, I said sorry..."

Darlene sniffed and tossed her drink back. "I'm dry."

"I'm on it." Kyle grinned and went to go grab more drinks. Time for Darlene to slip away and dance for a bit. Darlene enjoyed dancing, she was good at it, and better she knew she was damn hot when she danced. Kyle actually ended up pulling a few people off the floor when they looked like they were getting too close to his partner. That was...an interesting development. She'd pegged Kyle as a 'get in and dance close' sort rather than a 'make a clear space and watch' sort.

Strange.

And then there was more drinking. Kyle was going heavy on the drinks tonight. Not unexpected but still...she had to make sure he was drinking too or even her mitochondrial metabolism was going to get swamped. Finally though, it came down to 'Hey, what do you see in that guy?'.

Ah, fun times.

Darlene blinked and kicked her feet up on the bench next to Kyle, physical nearness with a table still between them. "He...he's a good guy Kyle."

Kyle's face darkened, "He's a dealer Darlene. That's the opposite of good."

Darlene winced and hung her head a little, "Yeah, but as dealer's go he's good? Never cuts his shit, never hurts his girls. Best you get on the street, you've seen the types that normally run. Hell, he coulda just dumped me when he found me you know? I...I had some bad shit." She was messed up six ways to Sunday and should have gone to a hospital, except then her precinct would have found out.

"Darlene, he saw you were a cop! Who wouldn't want a cop owing them?"

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, he doesn't ask for favors." She just did them sometimes when she thought no one was looking. Totally her own fault there. "He just...liked me." Even now. It was a wistful admission.

"Well, you're likeable," Kyle allowed, reaching down to pat her ankles. "But you really need to shake him."

She nibbled her lip and twirled her glass. "He's a good father Kyle. And he helps me be better. He wants me to marry him you know?" Yeah, wavering.

"And? Good for the kid doesn't necessarily mean good for you Darlene." Even drunk he managed to add a bit of smarm to that. He had something better to offer, naturally.

"...I told him no." She was almost crying, there was a catch in her voice. "Always told him no because I wasn't better yet you know?" Kyle was going to get the whole story now, poor Kyle. "I'm just not...good enough yet!" For Traver, for Janna, hell.

Kyle...went still and silent for a moment, brain working through the alcohol fumes, then smiled. "Darlene, that's him saying that. Those are his words, you're a damn good woman you know, and yeah, you've got your problems, but everyone does."

"Well, he knows it," Darlene sniffed. "Knows I'm not. Went back to Helen you know? And now it's...I don't know."

"Hey, hey now, no crying, you're out having fun." Kyle shook a finger at her then stroked that finger down her cheek. "You're working on being a good person and a good cop. He knows good cops don't date dealers. He's screwing your head around while telling you he wants you." Sure, garbled, but Darlene got his meaning right?

"And why does he do that?!" She asked, voice rising to a near shriek for a moment. "Why does he say he wants me better when if I'm better I can't...just can't?" AUGH!

"Have another drink." Had to help right? He liked where this was going all told. "I know you can be better, you're working so hard, but he's gonna hold you back if he can."

She sniffed and tossed back her drink, waving for another. "You...think so?" another sniff. "You think I can be a good person?"

"Yeah, best partner I've had." Kyle grinned and grazed his knuckles down Darlene's cheek gently. "Prettiest too. Bet dancing would help get you smiling again right? Let's get you dancing again."

Darlene giggled and glanced toward the dance floor. "Yeah, I like dancing."

Damn long night.

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?"