Violet Chemistry - Part One
In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous...the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
a/n: I’m posting part one here, and the rest will be on my patreon. A few disclaimers: I am not promoting copaganda. I have simply re-watched 22 seasons of Law and Order: SVU and I wanted to write my own thing based off of the main characters Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson. If you’ve never watched SVU some of this is going to be very confusing, but I tried my best to explain things so you wouldn’t necessarily need the SVU background. Harry is basically Elliot, and Ronnie is basically Olivia. I am not an expert on the criminal justice system or special victims, I simply used the information from the show to create this story. So much of this fic is probably inaccurate.
Warnings: THERE WILL BE MANY TRIGGERS IN THIS STORY! The words rape, homicide, pedophilia, murder, etc are used throughout this fic. If these things deeply upset you or trigger you, please do not read this story. Mentions of cheating, domestic violence, and other upsetting content is also intertwined throughout this story. Again, if these are things you don’t like, then please don’t read it.
Words: 6.6K
Main Characters: Detective Harry Styles, Detective Cameron (Ronnie) Walsh
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“RONNIE!!”
It all happened so fast. Harry did the one thing he shouldn’t have: he ran to help his partner instead of chasing after the perp.
“SOMEONE CALL A BUS, NOW!” He screamed to the vice squad behind him while he added pressure to where Ronnie was bleeding out.
The EMT’s got to her as soon as they could, and when they told Harry he couldn’t ride with them to the hospital due to the severity of the wounds, but he went ballistic and they backed off, letting him into the back of the ambulance. The only people he listened to were the nurses at the hospital that told him he couldn’t go into the operating room. That’s when his captain caught up with him.
“I’m not leaving the hospital. Not until I know she’s alive and breathing.”
“Harry-“
“I don’t want to hear it, Cap.”
“Harry.” The captain yanked him aside and made him look at him. “You haven’t even asked about what happened to Jones. Did you forget what you’re on the payroll for?”
“Of course not.” He has tears rolling down his cheeks, but he’s so angry he doesn’t even realize. “I know I fucked up, but I saw Ronnie go down, and-“
“The chief is going to want you two separated after this.”
“I figured.” Harry looks away from him.
“I’m going to have the doc talk with both of you. You both need a psychological evaluation. Then a decision will be made.”
“Your decision or the chief’s?”
“Mine. He trusts my judgement. But I need to make sure I can trust both of yours.”
“Fine.”
“You still haven’t asked about Jones.”
“Respectfully, Cap, right now I don’t give a fuck about that piece of shit. Reynolds and Miller were there too, and since they’re not here worrying over Ronnie the way that I am, I’m assuming they caught Jones, or they’re down at the DA’s office waiting for arraignment.”
“They did catch him.” The captain nods.
“And the other underage girls? We only got a few of them out.”
“Found in one of his broken-down trailers, alive. Miller’s contacted their parents, they’re on their way here now. We had them sent right here so they could be checked over.”
“Obviously.”
“Don’t give me attitude, Harry. I’m giving you a very small, brief pass since Walsh is your partner, but that doesn’t mean you’re not on thin ice.”
“Heard, Cap.”
“Excuse me, Detective Styles?” A nurse taps him on the shoulder. “You’re listed as Cameron Walsh’s emergency contact, so I’m allowed to give you the particulars of her surgery. Who is this?” She nods towards the captain.
“Our captain, he can listen. She’d want him to.”
“Okay. Four bullets were removed from the body. Two were in her chest, one in her left shoulder, and one was lodged in between her ribs. The doctors were able to get them all out, but she’s in a medically induced coma.”
“What, why?” Harry’s eyes widen with panic.
“She started seizing from the blood loss. The doctors felt it was necessary.”
“So, when will she wake up?”
“When her body lets her. They’re still getting her stitched up and bandaged. They’ll be taking her to a private room shortly. Once she’s set up, I’ll come get you.”
“Alright, thank you.” The nurse walks away, and Harry takes out his phone.
“Are you texting Mark?”
“No.” Harry scoffs. “I’m messaging Reynolds and Miller that Ronnie’s alive.”
“Don’t you think you should contact Mark?”
“I don’t want him here, so no.”
“That’s not up to you. He’s her boyfr-“
“I know what he is.” Harry snaps. “I’m her emergency contact, not him. Get a clue, Cap.”
“That’s strike two, Detective. Check yourself.”
A little while later, Harry rushes to the room that’s been set up for Ronnie. He stops short of the doorway. It’s scary seeing her hooked up to all the machines. He steps in slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed. He takes her hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze. She has a few scrapes on her face, but nothing serious. He looks at how messy her hair is, and it makes him laugh softly.
“You’d hate the way you look right now.” He stands up and pulls an elastic off his wrist. He props her head up just enough so he can pull her hair back into a French braid. “Remember when you first taught me how to do this? Katie was about three, and Kathleen was on vacation with her girlfriends so I was on double parent duty. I was father of the year for being able to braid Katie’s hair the way Kathleen usually did.” He sighs and ties the end of her hair with the elastic and sets her head back down. He pulls a chair up so he can sit by her. “Don’t worry, Ron, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving you.”
**
Five Years Earlier
“Styles, I’d like you to meet your new partner, Detective Cameron Walsh.” Captain Sellers smiles as the other detectives crowd around to say hello.
“I go by Ronnie, hi.” She smiles as she shakes Harry’s hand.
“Nice to meet you. You’re joining us from homicide, yeah?”
“Mhm. I’ve always wanted to work in SVU, so I jumped at the chance when the position opened up.”
“You wanted to add rape and kiddie porn to your murder, huh?” Harry smirks and Ronnie grins at him.
The two clicked instantly. Harry took Ronnie out for a drink that night so they could get to know each other better, and so he could give her some tricks of the trade.
“I’ve been in special victims for four years now. It never gets easier. There’ll be cases you take extremely personally, but you have to try not to. I still do it sometimes, it’s tough not to picture these things happening to your own family and friends. In homicide, all your victims are dead, right? Well, in special victims, more often than not, they’re alive. It’s hard when you have to make someone relive a rape, or having to listen to a child talk about how someone they trusted took advantage of them.”
“You’re saying things I already know. I’ve been trained on all this. I’ve dealt with families and friends of victims. A lot of it is the same. Compassion and relating is important and more effective than accusing the perp.”
“Exactly. You might find yourself having to pretend to agree with a pedophile. It’s the worst, but-“
“It’s worth it if we can get an admission.”
“Yup.” Harry takes a sip of his beer. “Alright, so, what made you want to join special victims? You said you always wanted to work in this unit.”
“I…this is something I didn’t even tell my last partner, but…I feel like we’re really forming a bond here, so…I’m the…product of a rape.”
“Jesus, I’m sorry.” He leans in so he can listen to her better.
“I’m lucky in that my mother didn’t treat me like scum. I know it was hard for her sometimes, but for the most part we had a good relationship.”
“Had?”
“She died last year. Sclerosis of the liver. She coped by drinking.” Harry goes to open his mouth, but she stops him. “Don’t say you’re sorry again, it’s alright.”
“Do you know who your father is?”
“No. When I was younger I wanted to know because I hated that I came from someone that could do something so heinous to someone else, but recently…I don’t know, it doesn’t bother me anymore that I don’t know who he is. I just hope he didn’t ruin anyone else’s life.” She takes a sip of her own drink. “What about you? Why are you in SVU?”
“I sort of just fell into it. I’m tough enough to handle the perps. I’m good with kids. I actually just had one of my own. Well, my wife had her, but you get what I mean.” He takes out his phone to show Ronnie his lock screen. “That’s my wife, Kathleen, and our baby girl, Katie.”
“Oh wow. How old is your baby?”
“She’s six months.” He smiles fondly down at the picture. “Kathleen was my high school sweetheart. We broke up when I served. I was a navy seal. When I came home we got back together and got married. Best decision I ever made. I love being a family man. My household was so fucked up when I was a kid. I like knowing I’m providing a positive environment for my daughter.”
“That’s amazing. How do you make time for them? This job can feel never ending sometimes.”
“You have to build in those boundaries. Obviously we have to keep working until the job is done, but when the captain tells you to go home, just go home. You can’t do your job right if you’re exhausted.”
“True.” She nods.
“Try to do as I say and not as I do. Cap and I butt heads on the regular. I have a temper. Most of the time I can keep it together, but sometimes I lose it. It depends on how much the perp is pissing me off.” He looks her up and down. “Anything else I should know about you?”
“You mean other than the fact that my mother was a rape victim? No, I don’t have any other skeletons.” She smirks, and it makes him laugh.
“I’m glad you can joke about those things.”
“It helps make the job more bearable at times.”
“Sure does.”
The two went on to work very well together. Ronnie got to meet Harry’s wife and baby. Kathleen would often come see Harry for lunch if it was a paperwork heavy day.
After a year on the job together, the two got close. Ronnie was having trouble in her personal life. That is, her love life was nonexistent. One afternoon, when they were sitting in the car as they staked out a perp, Ronnie asked Harry for some advice.
“Can I ask you something personal?” She says.
“Depends on what the subject is.” He says as he continues looking out the window.
“Sex.”
“I’m listening.”
“I can’t get aroused.” She tells him bluntly, causing his head to snap in her direction. “Any time I even think of dating, I talk myself out of it. It’s like…it’s like my mind goes to the worst possible place. I think every man is going to try to take advantage of me, or that they’re playing me, buttering me up. Did you ever have trouble when you first started in special victims?”
“Oh, yeah. I couldn’t get it up for like three months.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Kathleen was ready to kill me. I mean, I’ve got a mouth and hands, but it got to a point where when I’d get between her legs I’d get flashes of the gruesome shit I’d seen.”
“How did you move past it?”
“Talking to Kathleen, and time. When was your last date?”
“I don’t know, a year.”
“You haven’t had sex in a year?”
“I guess not.” She shrugs.
“And you haven’t taken care of things yourself?”
“I told you, I can’t get aroused. I can’t even watch porn anymore because I keep thinking all the girls are underage and are being forced into it.”
“So, nothing gets you even a little wet anymore?”
“Harry.” She sucks her teeth and shoves his shoulder.
“I’m not going to tell anyone, I never tell anyone what we talk about. Partner confidentiality.”
“I’m as dry as a bone.”
“You need to, I don’t know, do something for yourself. Like, light some candles, take a bubble bath, use a new vibrator, or something. Kathleen has this one toy that-“
“I don’t need to know about the toys you and your wife use.”
“You know, Miller is single, and I know for a fact he thinks you’re cute.”
“I know he does, but I don’t shit where I eat.”
“Not even for one night?”
“Nope.”
“I can ask Kathleen if she has any single friends, we could go on a double date.”
“I’m all set.”
“Do you have a problem with my wife all of a sudden?”
“What, no. I just don’t think we should necessarily combine those areas of our lives. You’re always saying it’s important not to bring work home with you. Getting too familiar with your family would be a bit much.”
“Just say you don’t want to hang out with me, I’m a big boy.” He rolls his eyes.
“You’re annoying.” She shoves his shoulder again, making him chuckle.
“In all seriousness, it just takes time. Don’t force yourself. When you feel like giving it a try with someone, you’ll know. You’ll feel that familiar zip of electricity go through you. You’ll be drenching your panties again like you never stopped.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Harry.” She laughs so hard she snorts.
Harry always found a way to make Ronnie laugh.
But things weren’t always so funny. By the time Harry’s daughter was two and a half, Kathleen kicked him out of the house. She was sick of him not putting the family first, and he was sick of her not understanding that with his type of job he can’t always do that. He had been pissy at work for a while, and when he finally snapped at Ronnie while they were working a case, she snapped back when they returned to the squad room.
“Don’t ever talk to me like that again.” She says to him. “I don’t need you making me look bad in front of the perps.”
“Then do your job correctly.” He crosses his arms over his chest.
“I was. Whatever your problem’s been lately, get the fuck over it. I’m your partner, don’t treat me like it’s my first day on the job.”
“Kathleen and I separated.”
“What?” Her features soften.
“Kathleen and I separated last month. Not legally, but I’m living in my old apartment that I had been subletting.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t being a good enough father and husband, according to her. So, now I get to see my daughter even less.”
“You should ask Cap for some time off. You and Kat have been together forever, you’ll get past this.”
“I don’t know, something’s different this time.” He runs a hand through his hair. “She thinks I prefer spending time here…with you.”
“Oh please.” Ronnie groans. “That’s so cliché. She knows nothing’s going on between us. I’d never break up a family.”
“So if I wasn’t married with a kid you’d be okay with breaking us up?” He smirks, and she shoves his shoulder. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be joking right now. She thinks I have better communication skills with you than with her. But that’s only because any time I’d tell her about what was going on at work she’d stop me halfway through because she didn’t want all the details. Eventually I just stopped talking about work at all. Turns out, we just don’t have anything left to talk about.”
“That can’t be true.” Ronnie frowns.
“I think it is. I just want to do right by Katie, she’s my top priority. That’s the one thing Kathleen and I are agreeing on right now.”
“I hope you know you don’t have to keep something like this from me. I’m not a blabber mouth.”
“I know, it’s just embarrassing. I fucked up, and I didn’t do anything to stop it.”
“This is a tough job, and it’s even tougher to have a family to go home to. I can’t imagine the stress that causes.”
“Every little kid we come across, all I can think about is what if something like that happened to Katie. I won’t be able to protect her forever, and it kills me.”
“Did you explain that to Kathleen?”
“Of course I did! We went to therapy for weeks, but I didn’t say all the things she wanted to hear. She’s done.”
“Let me take you to dinner later. We can hit up the Chinese place, have some drinks, and…just turn our brains off for a while.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Would you rather go home to an empty apartment?”
“No.” He smiles softly. “Alright, Chinese and drinks after work. Thanks, Ron.”
“No thanks necessary.”
Ronnie wanted to jump for joy, which made her feel terrible. She has nothing against Kathleen, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t have feelings for Harry. She knows it’s dumb to fall for your partner, but they spend so much time together. He knows her in a way that no one else does. She loves him. She’s in love with him. She’s not going to press her luck, but maybe after some time without Kathleen, Harry will realize that if he and Ronnie do things right, they could be together. It’s not totally uncommon for detectives to get together, and it’s certainly not against the rules. She catches him looking at her sometimes, she knows this isn’t completely one sided.
**
Harry got shot. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. But this time around, he realized what was really important to him: his wife and his daughter. After he got out of the hospital, he went home. He just wanted to see Katie. He got to tuck her in and read her a story, and when he was done with that, Kathleen asked him to stay. He wasn’t going to say no to that.
**
Ronnie can’t read Harry. Which is strange because she can always read him. He’s been antsy lately. He’s constantly checking his phone, his mood goes from hot to cold in seconds.
“Hey, can we talk?” She asks him, and they both go into the bunk room for some privacy.
“What’s up?”
“That’s what I was going to ask you. You’ve been weird lately.”
Harry sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. “I wasn’t going to say anything for at least another month, but Kathleen’s pregnant.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“My wife is pregnant.”
“Who’s the father?”
“Um, me.” He says, completely offended.
“How could you be the father? You’re not even living together.”
“That’s the thing, we’ve been working on reconciling.”
“Since when?”
“Since I got shot a few months ago. I went over to see her, and I asked if I could come home. We’ve been going out on dates, doing things as a family again. It’s reignited our spark.”
“So, you got shot, then went and fucked Kathleen?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you guys gonna do?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I just…do you think it’s a good idea to bring another kid into your situation? How long could these good times last? We both grew up in fucked up households, you know how bad it is. Why would you want to put another kid through that?”
“I can’t believe you’re even suggesting Kathleen have an abortion. She doesn’t want that.”
“How do you know? Did you ask her? How does she feel about it?”
“We’ve always wanted more than one kid, of course she’s fine with it. She’s really excited to be pregnant again.”
“Are you two at least back in therapy? I mean, have things changed? Are you being a better husband and father this time around? Or do you only care now because she’s pregnant?”
“Don’t interrogate me, Ronnie.”
“I’m not trying to! But you’re not thinking rationally about this, Harry. Do you really want to make things work with Kathleen after these last seven months?”
“See, this is why I didn’t talk to you about this.” He shakes his head.
“What does that mean?”
“It means, you wouldn’t understand the trials and tribulations of marriage. For fuck sake, Ron, I’m the longest relationship you’ve ever had with a man!” Her mouth falls open at that. “Whatsamatter, baby, you can dish it but you can’t take it?”
“You’re an asshole.”
“Oh, you’ve wounded me.” He puts his hand over his heart, mocking her.
“How could you even say something like that to me?”
“It’s the truth. You can’t make any relationship work. I’m the only guy in your life you trust. Maybe you should go to therapy.”
“You know what, from now on, let’s just keep our personal lives private. I won’t ask you about yours, and you won’t ask me about mine.”
“Works for me, partner.”
Ronnie makes an exasperated noise, and huffs out the door. She nearly runs over Kathleen.
“Kat, hi!”
“Hi.” Kathleen smiles softly. “Were you just in there with Harry? Alone?”
“Yeah, we needed to have a private discussion. He told me the good news, congrats.”
“You look thrilled for us.” Kathleen rolls her eyes.
“Look, I’m not saying it’s not a blessing, but I just think-“
“Walsh.” Harry’s low voice bites through the air. “Don’t you have some paperwork you need to get done?”
“Don’t you know you can’t tell me what to do? We’re the same rank, you prick.” She walks away from the two of them. She needs to clear her head.
**
After taking a month off for paternity leave to help Kathleen with their new baby boy, Harry returns to work. It’s hard leaving his three favorite people, but he knows he needs to get back to SVU. This time around, he’s going to set limits where he can. He’ll take a break to go home for dinner, then come back to work if he needs to. He’s not going to screw this up a second time.
Harry checks in with his captain first thing, then catches up with Reynolds and Miller. He looks around for Ronnie, but she’s not there. He figures she must be out on assignment. But much to his surprise, she comes walking into the squad room with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a man by her side. She’s giggling and has rosy cheeks. The man walks her over to her desk. She sits up on top of it, and he leans down to speak in her ear, making her smile. She nods and kisses his cheek before he leaves. Harry approaches her with a smug look on his face.
“I leave for a month and you already have a new man in your life?” He jokes, and she hops off her desk to hug him.
“Welcome back, Styles.” She gives him one more squeeze before letting him go. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Ron.”
“I’m sorry I never came to the hospital, or to the house…I didn’t want you to think of work while you were away.”
“That’s alright, I’ve got tons of pictures to show you.”
“What’s his name?”
“Eddie.” He smiles fondly. “Edward, actually, but we’re calling him Eddie.”
“I like that.” She smiles.
“So…” He sets his jacket down and loosens his tie a little. “Who’s the guy?”
“He’s our new ADA.”
“What happened to Timmins?”
“She got offered a better salary with homicide.” Ronnie shrugs. “His name is Mark Hayes. We butted heads at the beginning, but we ended up going out for drinks one night and one thing led to another.”
“What happened to not shitting where you eat?” Harry smirks at her.
“I’m not, he’s at a completely different table. It’s not like we see each other all the time. He has other cases he’s working, you know?”
“Isn’t it a conflict of interest for you to see our ADA?”
“We disclosed things with, Cap. We figured all that out. It hasn’t affected either of us at work.” Her cheeks start to redden, and Harry’s eyes widen.
“And after work?”
“I’m sorry, Detective, but I’m afraid that’s diving a bit too deeply into my personal life.”
“Ah.” He nods. “That bad, huh?”
“What?” She laughs.
“If he was any good at fucking you, you’d tell me about it.” He leans his bum against the desk, standing closer to her. “What’s wrong, he can’t make you come?”
“The opposite, actually.” She turns, getting right in his face. “It’s the best I’ve ever had. In fact,” she looks around to make sure no one else is listening, “I’ve recently found out that I can squirt.” She watches as Harry’s eyes visibly darken, his pupils turning into saucers. His jaw clenches and he stands up straight. “Welcome back, partner.”
**
Flash forward two years later. Harry’s divorced, but still occasionally fucks Kathleen when he’s desperate and just wants something familiar. It’s hard not to get riled up with emotions when he’s over spending time with his kids. Ronnie’s been seeing Mark the entire time. He’s asked her to move in a dozen times at this point, but she always comes up with an excuse as to why she can’t.
Harry and Ronnie are currently sitting in Cap’s office. They think they’re in trouble. For what, they’re not sure, but it’s usually not good when they both get called in for a chat.
“I have an important assignment for the two of you. It’s going to involve being undercover for a bit.” Cap explains.
“Alright, what’s going on?” Harry asks.
“We’ve had a string of strippers getting murdered. They all work at the same club. Narcotics tipped me off. They’ve been working the case because the perp running the entire operation is the one giving the command on which girls are getting tossed. It happens infrequently enough that it hasn’t raised a ton of eyebrows.”
“Is that why we’re just hearing about this now?” Ronnie asks.
“Homicide was taking care of the murders. We’ve only recently found out that the girls that aren’t being tossed in the trash, are being prostituted out and raped. There’s an open position at the club. Ronnie, I need you to go undercover as a dancer. Start off as a bottle girl, but I need you to get into that dressing room and get whatever information you can. Harry, I need you to be her handler.”
“So I have to take my clothes off, and he gets to be my pimp?” Ronnie scoffs.
“I know it’s not the most appealing thing for you, but you’re the only female detective we have that could actually pass as an erotic dancer.”
“Gee thanks.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll do it, but I’m keeping whatever lingerie I have to buy.”
“Deal.” Cap looks at Harry next. “What do you say?”
“I’ll do it. I don’t trust anyone else to work this with Ronnie. I think Miller’s head would explode if he saw her dressed provocatively.”
“Stop it.” She shakes her head. “When do we start?”
“Immediately.” He hands them each a folder. “That has the information on where you’ll be staying, your new ID’s-“
“We have to stay in the same apartment together?” Ronnie asks.
“Once Harry gets in good with these people, they may come around to check for bugs and wires. It has to look like you both live together.”
“Captain, respectfully, Harry is a slob. I can’t live with him in a…oh my god, this is for a fucking studio?”
“That’s what they gave me funding for, Walsh. I’m sorry it’s not ideal.” Cap says facetiously.
“Is there at least a couch for him to sleep on?”
“Why do I have to sleep on the couch?” Harry scoffs.
“Because you’re not going to be the one sliding up and down a greasy pole every night.”
“Fair.”
“Enough. Go take some time to get familiar with your new identities, and go shop for whatever you may need to make it look convincing. You’ll be staying at your new apartment tonight. Have fun, and try not to kill each other.” He looks at them. “Or…anything else.”
They both roll their eyes at that, and leave the office. Ronnie takes out her phone and calls Mark to let him know what’s going on. He’s up in the squad room ten minutes later.
“How long will you be gone for?” He asks her by her locker.
“I don’t know, it could be weeks…months.”
“Months?”
“These things either happen fast, or they’re really slow. You know that.” She closes her locker and looks up at him. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t the best thing happening right now. But at least we’re not living together, you won’t miss me too much.”
“Don’t use this as an excuse.” He sighs. “Are you at least being given a burner phone so we can still have contact?”
“Yes, but I have to use it carefully. If our place gets bugged or something, it could mean game over. I feel bad for Harry. He barely sees his kids as it is. This is going to be really tough for him.”
“Yeah, Romeo.” Harry says as he opens his own locker. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of our girl.”
“Can you give us a minute, Styles? We’re talking.”
“Mmm, no.” He grins and leans back against the lockers. “No, I think I’ll continue eavesdropping. Kathleen’s bringing the kids by so I can see them before we go, so I’ve got time.”
“Harry.” Ronnie looks up at him with her big brown eyes, and he all but melts.
“Fine, I’ll leave you alone. Oh, when we go to the store to get all your stripper accessories, should we get you some sex toys?”
“Christ, Harry.” She shoves him away, making him laugh.
“Does he always have to be so crude with you?” Mark asks her. “This is the sex crimes division for fuck sake.”
“We do it to each other, it’s just how we work. If we don’t find reasons to laugh, we’d cry.”
“So, we can’t even go be alone for a bit?” He steps closer to her, making her blush.
“I want to…” She looks over her shoulder at the bunk room, then back to her boyfriend. “I should really start briefing myself on this case. I want to check the homicide detective’s notes, see what we’re really dealing with. I’m sorry, Mark. I know…I know this is what makes our relationship difficult.”
“It’s alright, I understand.” He leans in and kisses her, then pecks her forehead. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
While Ronnie is on the computer looking over everything, Harry is talking with Kathleen and the kids. Ronnie can’t believe Katie’s already five, and that Eddie’s already two.
“How long will you be gone for, Daddy?” Katie asks him. She’s got her arms around his neck, her bottom being supported by his hip while Eddie is on his other hip. Ronnie looks away before she has time to fantasize about how strong her partner is.
“Well, Daddy’s not sure. I’m going on a top secret mission, so Daddy won’t be able to see you for a while, but I’ll do my best to call when I can.”
“What about on FaceTime?” Katie looks up at him, pouting.
“We won’t be able to do that, sweetie, I’m sorry.”
“But…but I’m gonna miss you.” Her bottom lip starts to quiver. Harry looks at Kathleen. She takes Eddie from him so he can properly hug his daughter, biting back tears of his own.
“I’m going to miss you too, so much. You have no idea.”
“Why…why do you like being with Ronnie more than Mommy?”
“Katie.” Kathleen says. “Now’s not the time for that.”
“Sweetheart, it’s not that I…Ronnie and I work together, that’s all. She’s going on the secret mission with me. We keep each other safe. And while I’m gone, Mommy will keep you and Eddie safe, alright?”
“Will you miss Mommy too?”
Harry and Kathleen look at each other, and her face flushes from the coy smirk forming on Harry’s face. “Of course I will. I’ll miss you, Eddie, and Mommy very much. I’ll check in when I can, okay? I need you to be a brave, big girl and help Mommy a little more. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s my girl.” He hugs her and gives her a kiss before setting her down. He takes Eddie back and tosses him into the air, making him laugh. “Alright, little man. Need you to be a big boy.” Harry takes Eddie’s thumb out of his mouth.
“Okay.” Eddie says with his precious, soft spoken toddler voice.
“I love you.”
“Wove you too, Daddy.”
Harry smiles at his boy and sets him down. He tells Katie he loves her as well, then looks at Kathleen.
“I know you don’t need me to tell you this, but be careful.” She says to him.
“I like it when you tell me to be careful. It helps having your voice in my head.”
“Come back in one piece.” Her voice cracks as she throws her arms around his neck. He holds her close.
“Don’t cry, it’s going to be alright. I’ve gone undercover before.” He coos into her hair.
“Not like this.” She pulls back from him and pecks his lips before fully letting go. “Check in when you can, like you said.”
“I will. I love you, you know that, right?”
“Yes, and I love you too.” She picks up Eddie and sighs. She and Ronnie make eye contact, but neither of them say anything to the other. There’s nothing to say.
**
Harry walks around the store while Ronnie picks out clothes to buy. It’s all miniskirts and tight dresses. Then she goes to the lingerie section, and he joins her.
“Would you ever wear any of this stuff for real?” He asks her as he picks up a pair of crotchless panties. “It can’t be comfortable.”
“It’s not. This is stuff you put on when you tell a guy you’re going to slip into something more comfortable.”
“But you just said it’s not comfortable.”
“It’s not, but it’s also not going to stay on for very long.” She grabs a few bras and throws them in her cart. “I have to buy makeup too.”
“Don’t you already own makeup?”
“Yes, but I mostly wear neutral colors, nothing too heavy. I need to get some pallets with more vibrant colors. I need to get fake lashes. Oh! I’m going to need some highlighter.”
“Jesus, this is going to be never ending. I hope Katie’s a tomboy so she doesn’t have to deal with all this.”
“How’s that working out so far?”
“Not great, she’s all about princesses and Barbies right now. It’s actually pretty cute, and she has a wild imagination. I always have fun when we play with her dolls.”
“You play Barbie with her?” Ronnie pouts up at him endearingly.
“Course I do.” He shrugs. “It’s important to spend time doing the things your kid likes to do, rather than dragging them out to do something you want to do. As she gets older, she won’t feel like it’s a chore to hang out with me because she’ll know I’m up for whatever she wants to do. Within reason. I don’t want her thinking I’m going to take her to get a tattoo before she’s eighteen.”
“You’re a really good dad.”
“Thanks. I hope she and Eddie feel the same way.”
“They do, they have to. You’re doing the best you can.”
“Right. Let’s keep shopping. I’m ready to get the fuck out of here.”
The two get all the things they need, and head to their new home for the seeable future. It’s a nice place, but it’s going to be hard for them both to stay in such a small space.
“So, who’s taking the bed for real?” He asks her later that night over takeout.
“I have a proposition.”
“I’m not sleeping foot to face.”
“That’s not what I was going to suggest. I was thinking we could just stick some pillows between us so we can both sleep on the bed.”
“Do we need a barrier at all? I’m not going to try to fuck you while you’re sleeping.”
“Well, obviously, or I’d say you’re in the wrong line of work.” She smirks. “I just want us both to be comfortable.”
“I won’t sleep if I feel like I need to be rigid.”
“Okay, so no pillows.”
“We’re both adults who have shared beds with people before. I think it’ll be fine.”
“What do you usually wear to bed?” She asks him.
“Boxers. What about you?”
“Oversized t-shirt.”
“Well, if anyone busts the door down we’ll at least look the part of a couple.” He takes another bite of food, then sets his container down. “You and Mark have a quickie earlier?”
“No.” She laughs. “We almost did, but I wanted to start briefing myself. I felt bad, but isn’t this more important?”
“You need to find that answer on your own. I’m clearly not the expert.”
“I think you just married someone that bit off more than they could chew. You’ve been in this line of work since you two were married. She knew how hard it was going to be.”
“It wasn’t like this when I was in vice. I had standard shifts, the same schedule for months on end. That worked for us. I don’t blame her…so you shouldn’t either.”
“Sorry.” She swallows down a noodle.
“Why won’t you move in with Mark? An attorney like him should have a great place, definitely one big enough for two people.”
“It’s big enough for more than two people, that’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…he’s been dropping hints about wanting to really settle down together. He wants to have kids with me. I love him, I really do, but I don’t know if I’m the type of person that can handle all those things.”
“You’re great with kids.”
“I know that, but I’d never be around. I’d be working all the time. I’m just not ready for it.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Yes.” She sighs. “But neither of us necessarily wants to break up, so we have a fight once every few weeks, and then we move on.”
“Maybe the time apart will help you both gain perspective on what you really want from each other.”
“That’s sort of what I’m hoping for.” She takes a sip of water, then sighs. “So, what’s our backstory?”
“I’m your pimp.” He smirks.
“You’re my handler, not my pimp.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“No it’s not. A pimp pimps their girls out to have sex with other people. Handlers don’t do that.”
“It’s the same thing, but whatever.” He rolls his eyes. “How should we approach that, by the way?”
“Approach what?”
“You having sex. I don’t want you to get forced into something.”
“I’m supposed to start off as a bottle girl, then work my way up. So I should be fine. Once you get in good with the bosses, you can just tell them they can look, but they can’t touch. I’ll stay focused on getting information from the other girls, you stay focused on gaining the trust of the bosses.”
“Arthur Jones is the guy we’re looking to bring down. He’s the head of the entire operation.”
“We should go there in the late afternoon tomorrow when it’s not busy and see about me getting a job. Do you know which detectives from narcotics are already undercover there?”
“Yeah, Cap texted me who to look for. It’s another guy.”
“Okay, so none of the girls are under cover. Damn, it’s gonna take me some time to become friends with them.”
“Apparently, we have all the time in the world.”
The two clean up from dinner, then take turns washing up before bed. It’s a little awkward when they both slip under the covers, but they’re both able to fall asleep easily.
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