John Reese (
primary_asset) wrote2018-01-05 03:35 pm
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The city of Darrow has been a bit of an interesting place to be since New Year's Eve, a little more dangerous than it's been in the past. John doesn't blame any of the people who have been affected by the changes, he can't even begin to imagine what it must be like, how hard it must be for them to adjust, but it does mean there's a bit more danger that's come with the chaos.
People take advantage of chaos. There are always people who do.
So John is out patrolling more often. He's picked up a few extra shifts on Karen's encouragement and while he knows she doesn't need taking care of, it eases his mind a little that she doesn't mind that he's out here.
It's unusual for a detective to be out on the street like this, but John has always preferred it. And he's really only a detective because the Machine decided he ought to be and John doesn't consider himself above the activities of the regular officers. So he's out on the streets and he knows he shouldn't be alone, it's not the safest route to take, but John isn't worried about his own safety.
Maybe that's why he gets cornered. It's a robbery gone wrong, a few masked men who think they can abuse an elderly shop owner into giving them all the money in his register, but John enters at just the right moment. Or the wrong one, he'll think later, when he's recovering from his injuries. It's not that they take him by surprise, he's aware from the start how many of them there are, that there's three behind the counter, one behind the door and one in the back room, but five against one just aren't very good odds.
They're worse still when he's hit from the side with a length of pipe and even though he tries to shift away at the last second, he still takes the hit on the back of his neck, hard enough to knock him down.
Karen might have encouraged him to pick up some extra shifts, but as he collapses on his hands and knees, he has a feeling this isn't quite what she had in mind.
People take advantage of chaos. There are always people who do.
So John is out patrolling more often. He's picked up a few extra shifts on Karen's encouragement and while he knows she doesn't need taking care of, it eases his mind a little that she doesn't mind that he's out here.
It's unusual for a detective to be out on the street like this, but John has always preferred it. And he's really only a detective because the Machine decided he ought to be and John doesn't consider himself above the activities of the regular officers. So he's out on the streets and he knows he shouldn't be alone, it's not the safest route to take, but John isn't worried about his own safety.
Maybe that's why he gets cornered. It's a robbery gone wrong, a few masked men who think they can abuse an elderly shop owner into giving them all the money in his register, but John enters at just the right moment. Or the wrong one, he'll think later, when he's recovering from his injuries. It's not that they take him by surprise, he's aware from the start how many of them there are, that there's three behind the counter, one behind the door and one in the back room, but five against one just aren't very good odds.
They're worse still when he's hit from the side with a length of pipe and even though he tries to shift away at the last second, he still takes the hit on the back of his neck, hard enough to knock him down.
Karen might have encouraged him to pick up some extra shifts, but as he collapses on his hands and knees, he has a feeling this isn't quite what she had in mind.
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"Took you long enough," she says, teasing, her nose wrinkling through a smile. She leans in to kiss him then, just because she can, soft and brief but sure. "I love you, too."
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Not since Jessica. But he isn't going to make the same mistakes this time, he isn't going to take Karen's presence for granted or think he can save the world without having something to live for.
"Let me talk to the officer in charge," he says, then kisses her again, longer this time, lingering. "I'm sure they'll let us give our statements tomorrow if I tell them I need to see a doctor. I'll be right back."
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Besides, her heart is racing for reasons that have nothing to do with the fight that just took place or whatever this power is flowing through her veins, and she would really rather not deal with other people right now at all.
Her hand slides down to take his, briefly. "I'll be right here."
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It doesn't take long to deal with the situation and John arranges for them to come to the station tomorrow. They know him, they know his reputation, and he's well liked in the department, so it doesn't take much work.
"Come on," he says, returning to where Karen is standing so he can taker her hand again. He loves her and she knows it now, he's said it to her, heard it from her. Somehow that makes the entire night seem just a little bit different. "We're free to go."
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"Perfect," she says, her hand curling around his. "Let's get out of here. How are you feeling?"
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"Ask me anything," he says, turning them in the direction of their shared building. She can stay with him overnight, make sure he doesn't get any worse, but given everything that's just happened, he doesn't want to end up in the hospital, surrounded by doctors. He wants to go home with her. He just wants to be with her.
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He loves her, and somehow that's both earth-shattering and self-explanatory, as if it's always been the case. Maybe, for her, it has been.
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"You were working for the lawyers on a case I had," he adds "But you changed careers soon after."
The first meeting had been rather exceptional in a lot of ways, not only because he'd shown up on a Darrow beach, hypothermic and near death. Because maybe he'd loved her a little bit already, even then. Whatever it is, he can't forget it.
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Notably, of course, is the one Harold arranged for them before John finally made his move. She's still convinced that must have been a deliberate move.
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"This one is my favourite," he tells her. "The one that isn't fake." It probably doesn't need to be said, he's sure she knows it already, but he still likes to say the words.
"And since I passed, does this mean I get to go home instead of the hospital?"
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Carefully leaning her head against his shoulder, she adds, "This one is my favorite, too. And, yes, since you passed, we can skip the hospital. For now."