Investigation: Dirty Cop (closed)

[zydrate]

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/zydrate01/2010-09-06_Michelle_Rodriguez.jpg

Detective Isabella "Bella" Russo
Age: 27

*****
"Come on...." Bella looked at her watch...another minute to go. "Please don't, please.." she said over and over to herself. Never in her life had she been so nervous, so...out of control until now.

She was so lost in her thoughts that it took her several seconds to realize her watch alarm was sounding. She turned it off as she walked back to the bathroom and looked on the counter... It was like her whole world stopped and she was walking in slow motion. She picked up the stick and saw the lines, confirming her suspicions right.

"OH SHIT!" She said out loud as she ran to the toilet to throw up...nope, it wasn't that she was disgusted, she was pregnant.

*~* One hour later *~*
As she walked into a sub contracted building for the NYPD, Bella kept her to herself, ignored everyone and their good mornings and went straight to her desk. Seeing her desk as she walked she realized there were a stack of files on there. With a muttered sigh, she took a seat and started to go through the files.

Her stomach still hadn't settled down and it crossed Bella's mind that she really had no one to ask about the pregnancy. Her mom had died over 17 years ago, her dad well, he was going to have a field day with this. No sisters, just brothers, all working for the Fire Department.

Her mind wandered back to how it all happened. One too many drinks, she wasn't on the pill, they had used protection... apparently, they beat the odds.

To make it all worthwhile for the gossipers out there, he was a fellow cop... Well, with a different department and it had been over 2 months ago when she and most of the department were at the Governor's Ball. She had a little too much to drink and was of course, hanging out with the guys. One thing led to another and well, she ended up having a one night stand.

Damn, what was probably worst was that she only knew his last name and rank...

Yeah, today was going to be a wonderful day...please note the sarcasm....

 

[Talon]

http://whoopsydaisies.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/ryan-reynolds.jpg

Detective Jack Carter
Age: 29
************

Jack looked at his watch with a sigh, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he waited for the automatic coffee dispenser to finish filling the little plastic cup. As usual he had been up late last night in the clubs and he desperately needed some caffeine to stay awake this early in the morning. He looked over as his buddy from Vice walked into the break room, a wide grin on his face as he locked eyes with him. "Yo, Jack...another late night bro?"

Jack shook his head, pulling the cup from the machine and turning to face his friend. "Gabriel...it's way too early in the morning for you to be flashin' your ugly mug around here...whats up?"

Gabriel moved over until he was shoulder to shoulder with Jack, leaning in close to his ear. "I got a line on some action you might be interested in. Real easy, real quiet, in and out...10G split...you down?"

Jack frowned. "It's also too early to be talking business. We'll hit the bar tonight for a talk...but I told you to be careful where you bring shit like that up. Do it again and we're gonna have a problem." He reached around to pat Gabriel on the back, making the conversation look like a greeting between friends to any outside observers.

Gabriel swallowed, looking around as he backed away from Jack and dropping the serious tone of the previous conversation. "Dude, what ever happened to that skirt you picked up at the Governor's Ball a few months back? You remember, dark hair...ass that practically reaches up and slaps you in the face?"

Jack laughed at the ridiculous image that comment brought to his mind. "You know how it goes, I lost her number."

Gabriel laughed. "Ahhhh...Fuck 'em and forget 'em, eh? Good man...but if there was one I had to remember, it would be her. What department was she from?"

Jack frowned, looking up at his friend from his cup of coffee and quirking an eyebrow at him. "What the hell man, you writin' a book? How the fuck do I know what department she's from, I don't even remember her name. Now, don't you Vice assholes have some crimes to solve?"

Gabriel laughed, waving Jack's comment off as he turned around and walked out of the break room. Jack sighed as he finished his coffee, tossing the empty cup in the trash as he made the short trek back to the Homicide department. He nodded to a few of the other officers as he passed, walking up to his desk to throw himself into the chair. He leaned over to open a desk drawer beside him, rummaging about for some aspirin. His head was fucking pounding, he could practically still feel the bass beat in his temples from that horrible techno crap they played in the club last night.

Hopefully this would be an uneventful day, he wasn't in the mood for surprises.

 

[zydrate]

"Oh my God..." Bella said after she looked at herself in the mirror of the woman's restroom. She had just spent the last 10 minutes puking her brains out. It seemed that even though she just found out she was pregnant, she seemed to be suffering more from morning sickness. Even when she had her suspicions... yeah, it wasn't fun.

A hard knock on the door startled her but before she could answer the door flung open, "Heya Russo! Get your ass out here, the captain wants to see you."

"Goddamn Daniels, what the fuck?!"

"Oh shut yer trap, you haven't got anything I've not seen before...put a move on it!" Daniels, an officer who'd been in the force longer than dirt, she was sure, ran the place like it was his own.

Splashing her face with a little cool water, Bella cleaned up and headed to the Captain's office. He wasn't alone, there was another officer there. No one stood when she entered the room, it didn't matter, formalities were long gone for other female officers. "You wanted to see me captain?" She said as she took a seat next to the other man.

The meeting was something totally unexpected. It threw Bella for a loop at what was happening. "Wait a minute, you want me to go under cover as a new transferee to catch a possible corrupt cop?"

"It is something you signed up for Russo."

"Yeah, but what did the initial investigation turn out? Why aren't we going with--"

"You know what, we don't have time for this shit!" The other guy spoke up, turns out he was the one who had started the investigation on the group of cops that were involved in all this. "Listen here Russo, the reason we're picking with you is because of your relationship with a Detective Jack Carter..." He was still talking as Bella's heart seemed to stop and she also stopped listening...

The captain threw the investigation file on the desk, jerking Bella out of her mental nightmare. "This is a copy, study it, memorize it."

Bella found herself studdering as she tried to speak, "Wait... how did you know about the one night?" She was totally dumbfounded, stupid hormones.

"Why do you think we're IA? Get going Russo, you start tomorrow in your new department."

 

[Talon]

Jack pulled into the parking lot of the bar he had agreed to meet Gabriel at. It was a dive, but they knew him well and none of the other officers ever came here after shift. In Jack's world, discretion was key. Fuck around and get sloppy and you get caught. Get caught and you end up in jail right next to the scumbags you put in there. Not an option for Jack.

Jack was a military brat growing up, served three years in the Army himself before moving back to New York and joining the NYPD. For his first few years on the force he was a real straight shooter, by the book on everything. That is until he made Detective and got partnered up with a slick old cop who knew how to play the system. Jack had been easy to turn, he wanted more out of life than a cop's salary could afford, and as his mother always put it, he had "champagne taste." He enjoyed the night life, the playboy lifestyle, the fast cars and the expensive suits. All it took was the right mentor to convince him that he'd never achieve these things without playing the game.

He started small, a few shipments of confiscated drugs that "disappeared" from the evidence locker, some small bribe payments from the local mafias to keep out of their business. But Jack was connected now, he knew whose palm to grease and who he needed to convince to look the other way. Jack didn't just play the system any more, he _was_ the system. Hell, he had a personal invite to the Police Commissioner's 25th wedding anniversary party. He knew all the right people in all the right places.

Now he just had to make sure he didn't get caught, and that this fool Gabriel kept his mouth shut. The problem was he couldn't do this type of inside work without depending on other people, and that's usually where shit went wrong.

Jack walked into the bar, heading towards a booth in the back where he knew Gabriel would already be waiting. He nodded to the bartender and stopped by the bar only long enough to grab the drink that had been waiting for him. Sliding into the booth across from Gabriel he set his drink down, folding his hands together and leaning over the table towards his friend.

"Look man...I brought you into this 'cause I thought you were smart. I thought you wanted big things for yourself. But your fuckin' sloppy..." Jack raised a hand to cut off an argument Gabriel had been about to make. "I talk, you listen. This is serious shit my friend. You want to end up locked down? Forget about that nice new BMW your driving, your gonna be some homeboy's bitch for the next ten to twenty if you ain't careful my friend." He leaned even closer to emphasize his point, reaching over to grab Gabriel by the back of the head and pull him in until their faces were almost touching. "Never...talk...about...the...fucking...business...in...the...fucking...station. Capiche?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah man, I got it. I'm sorry, bro."

Jack released his grip on the back of his head, leaning back against the booth behind him. "Don't be sorry...just don't do it."

Gabriel rubbed the back of his head where he had been grabbed. "Well...what do you think about ten G's worth of apologies?"

Jack took a sip from his beer, setting it back down on the table with a grin. "Now your talking my language, brother..."

*******

Jack rolled into the station his usual five minutes late, casually strolling past the Lieutenant with nothing more than a nod. Jack knew he was untouchable, he was too well connected. The only reason Jack wasn't a Lieutenant yet was because his 'other' activities would only be made more difficult by a position of authority, so he settled for recommending someone for the position that he knew he could walk all over. The Lieutenant cleared his throat as Jack walked past, clearly annoyed by Jack's frequent tardiness but unable to really do anything about it. It was hard to reprimand the cop the ate brunch on Sundays with the Captain before they played a round of golf together. All it would take was one word during any one of those eighteen holes and the Lieutenant might as well pack up his desk.

The Lieutenant walked to the front of the room, casting a wicked glance at Jack as he passed. "Listen up people, we got some new transfers in this morning. I expect all of you to act like the professionals that I know you are in welcoming them to the team."

Jack tossed his jacket onto the back of his chair as he reached his desk, scoffing under his breath. He new he was due a new partner, his old one having retired a few months back. And knowing his luck, one of these new people would be assigned to him. "Fucking new guys? Great. Well, where are they?"

 

[zydrate]

Bella was up most of the night reading the file. Looking over everything that had been compiled on Jack Carter, Detective.

His background, his time with the department, they hadn't left a thing out.

Now, Bella's story was a little complicated going into this new setting with little time to prepare. But her story was going to be she was in IA for a month and couldn't hack it (that part made her laugh a little), then transferred over to traffic, did some time there for a while before finally being assigned to her current department which she was starting today.

She also had decided it would be a good idea to pretend that she didn't know Jack and if he did recognized her, then she would stick with the story that she didn't really remember much from that night.

Yeah, she could do this. Get the info, turn him in, all was well, another dirty cop off the street.

Putting on a fake smile, even though her stomach was still crazy queasy, she ignored it and asked a man where she could find Detective Carter. The guy looked her up and down before waving her toward Jack's desk.

Bella was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket over it all, her gun holstered to a shoulder harness. "Uhh..excuse me...Detective Carter?" She held out her hand when he turned to look at her, she gave him a huge, eager-type smile, "I'm Detective Russo, your new partner."

 

[Talon]

Jack heard a feminine voice call his name from behind him. He scowled momentarily, wiping the look off his face before he turned around. Great, not only a fucking new guy for a partner, but it wasn't actually a guy at all. He didn't tend to get along with women well which was most of the reason why he stuck to one night stands. He could turn on the charm at the beginning long enough to coax them into bed, no doubt. But he tired quickly of the bullshit, so he never bothered to call them after he got what he wanted.

Jack turned, scanning her over briefly before taking her hand in a firm grip. His eyes passed right over her face without registering recognition. "Wonderful." His tone of voice made it sound like he felt anything but. "Well...Russo...I'm not too big on the whole 'getting to know you' crap, so why don't we just go get a cup of coffee down the street? We can talk about the case we're assigned to at the moment, and as it's your first day, I'll break you in nice and easy." He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, gesturing towards the exit. "After you, Detective."

Jack looked up and noticed Gabriel standing next to the Lieutenant's office, waving his hand as if to catch his attention. Jack frowned and raised his eyebrows as if to silently ask what he wanted. Gabriel made sure that Russo wasn't looking before gesturing towards her ass. Jack frowned again. Gabriel pointed a few more times urgently, as if he desperately wanted to get his point across. Jack scoffed and waved him off angrily. Apparently his friend had a bit too much to drink last and was still feeling it.

"We'll take my car, if you don't mind." He moved to hold the door open for her, casting one final look over to his friend across the room. Gabriel's eyes were wide as he once more pointed down towards Russo's ass, then lifted the same hand up and slapped himself softly across the face with it. Jack shook his head slowly...what the fuck was Gabriel on?

 

[zydrate]

"Wow, this is a nice car!" Bella exclaimed as she buckled herself in. In all reality, it was a nice car. Leather seats, GPS, fancy dash...yeah, no one could afford this, at least no one on the force who hadn't been there for more than 20 years.

If there was one thing (of many) that Bella hated were the bubbly types of women. Yet she had portrayed that toward Carter and could tell she was all ready getting on his nerves. So she toned it down a bit. Nothing was said for a few minutes but Bella needed to get information.

"So, how long have you been on the force Detective?" she ask, her eyes hidden by sunglasses.

 

[Talon]

Jack was still pondering what Gabriel had been trying to tell him as they walked to the motorpool where he had parked his car. He snuck a few appraising glances at her ass as they walked, and had to admit that it was quite nice. Then he remembered the comment Gabriel had made the day before in the break room. Ahh...he must have been trying to give him an example of what a face slapping ass looked like. Goofy fucker. He laughed under his breath, moving to open the passenger door for her as they reached his car. It was new, a sleek black Mustang GT with all the options. He wasn't enough of a fool to own it outright, it was a lease. Worked out better for him as his taste in vehicles changed rapidly, and he changed cars like other people changed clothes.

He climbed in the drivers seat and fired up the ignition. "Since we'll be working together now you can drop the 'Detective' bit. Call me Jack.". He pulled out of the garage, headed towards a local coffee shop most of the officers frequented.

She was certainly good looking, but he wasn't sure about her attitude. He preferred the take-no-shit type of girls, and this one seemed like the spray tan and manicure type. Maybe it would work out better that way, if he wasn't attracted to his partner.

"Seven years this fall. And loving every minute of it.". His tone was sarcastic; he really did love his job but he wanted to convey the stereotypical disgruntled, underpaid cop persona. " I thought I said no 'get to know' you shit, though? Got any interesting questions, Detective Russo?" He looked over and grinned at her playfully, keeping one eye on the road.

 

[zydrate]

"Well, Jack," Bella countered, as she looked at him over her sunglasses. She tried to hide her own smirk. It may have seemed easy to some but it hard to play someone you really weren't. "You can call me Isabella...or Bella for short."

"I don't really have anything just yet..." she looked back out the window, mentally telling herself to relax, this was the first time she would be on a case on her own. There were a lot of people counting on her.

Picking up her phone she started to text her 'friend'. The phone was an exact copy of her current one she used on the force, the number was different and it was filled with phony contacts. She had a program that sent her fake response texts back to her so it looked like she spent a lot of time texting people.

Soon, they had arrived at the coffee house. When they walked in, the smell of the coffee was overwhelming to Bella. It made her stomach churn and she wanted to puke right on the spot. But she thought she hid it pretty well as she took a seat at a table near the back.

"Water, please?" She told the waitress who took a few quick glances at Jack as she took Bella's order. After Jack placed his order, he looked at Bella with a look that was plain and simple. "What? I don't like coffee." She said with a shrug. Truth was, she loved the stuff but not lately.

 

[Talon]

Jack leaned back against his chair, resting his arm across the one beside him. "A cop that doesn't like coffee? Seems a bit odd...but I'm sure you'll find something to help you with the late nights and the early mornings." No coffee and she texted a lot; definitely not his type.

"So, got a jealous boyfriend that can't leave you in peace while you work? Or you just the texting type?" He would definitely not be able to bring her into the real action. She didn't seem like the type that would be able to handle the pressure, even if she was interested in that sort of thing.

She was going to make his life difficult. Hiding his 'side business' from a partner that was constantly with him would be distracting, make him sloppy. Sooner or later, no matter how observant she was or wasn't she'd see something. Perhaps it was time for him to ease back, lay low for a bit and leave the heavy lifting to Gabriel.

As the coffee arrived he added a few sugars and a bit of cream, stirring it slowly with his spoon. He looked up at her, frowning as he studied her face intently for the first time. "Have we met somewhere? You seem familiar...perhaps at a crime scene?" He nodded, that seemed to make sense. But there was still a feeling at the back of his brain, an itch that told him that wasn't where he recognized her from.

 

[zydrate]

"...but I'm sure you'll find something to help you with the late nights and the early mornings."

'Yeah, it's called morning sickness which happens all fucking day and night..' Bella thought but didn't voice it. She took a sip of her water after the waitress brought it. "Oh, I'm sure I'll manage."

"So, got a jealous boyfriend that can't leave you in peace while you work? Or you just the texting type?"

"Oh..." she forced a giggle and set her phone down on the table and leaned back in her seat, "No, no jealous boyfriend, in fact, no boyfriend at all. I just have a lot of friends.." she watched him make his coffee and for some reason, the look of it after he added the cream made her queasy so she took another long sip of water. Damnit, she had to stay in control here.

"Have we met somewhere? You seem familiar...perhaps at a crime scene?"

Bella shook her head slowly as she shrugged, "Not that I know of...just one of those faces I guess." Of course she kept her first response to herself. "So, Jack, what current case were you working on? Fill me in." She said as she got down to business. If she wanted to succeed at this, she was going to have to make it work. She had to earn his trust and then perhaps, get some leads of her own and act on it.

Simple? Of course not, nothing was ever simple.

 

[Talon]

Jack shrugged as he sipped his coffee. Maybe she really did have 'one of those' faces. Or maybe they just bumped into each other while on the job. There were enough cops here from all the different departments and precincts that it wasn't unusual to forget a name or face if you didn't run into them everyday. He wasn't particularly good with faces anyway, so he just decided to drop it.

No boyfriend though, sounded a bit odd. She was certainly attractive, and plenty of men were attracted to the airhead type. Even if he was a dirty cop, it didn't mean he wasn't a good one. His naturally inquisitive brain had been honed through his years of training to pay attention to the little details, and he was picking apart her story in his mind. Could never be too careful, and he wanted to make sure his new partner was the real deal.

Jack took another sip of his coffee before he answered her. "Double homicide...looks like a textbook crime of passion. Married woman and a single man found stabbed to death in a shady motel room. Nothing fancy, Forensics report in the next few days should confirm the identity of the killer. The husband is already being held as we found some of the wife's blood on his clothing after searching the home. About as open and shut as they come. I told you that we'd break you in easy, all the heavy lifting is already done, you just come in for the victory lap."

Jack finished off his coffee and signaled the waitress for a refill. "But enough talk about work...you free tonight? Some of the boys will be hittin' the bar, I thought you might like to tag along...get to know your new coworkers. They are gonna dog you pretty hard on account of you bein' a female and all, you might want to head off some of their macho bullshit by showing them you can hang.".

 

[zydrate]

When he mentioned the case and got to the part about the blood, Bella experienced a whirlwind of emotion with her stomach. This was something she certainly didn't need to hear about and picturing sure wasn't making it any better.

With a shaky smile, she just nodded, "Well, it would've been nice to see that through, although, with the rep of this city, I'm pretty sure there is bound to be more...guess we're never gonna be out of work huh?" She said, and tried to shrug it off.

"But enough talk about work...you free tonight? Some of the boys will be hittin' the bar, I thought you might like to tag along...get to know your new coworkers. They are gonna dog you pretty hard on account of you bein' a female and all, you might want to head off some of their macho bullshit by showing them you can hang."

"Pfft..oh believe me, I can hang with the boys, I do have older brothers." She took a long sip of her drink. Damnit, she wasn't expecting this. A bar. She couldn't drink. Not even one. Bella hid the frustration on her face, "Well, yeah, sure! I can do that. Sounds like fun and besides, anything for the job. I mean, I didn't really get to know anyone in my last department on account they were mostly a bunch of stuck up bitches." She shrugged and sighed, looking at Jack.

"You know, I'll be right back...if and when she gets back, can you get me another refill please?"

Bella didn't wait for a answer or any acknowledgement as she hopped off the stool and headed to the restroom. She needed to think about all this. It seemed that reality was hitting her.

Over and over in her head she had to remind herself that she was investigating this guy because he was possibly a dirty cop. In her line of work, she was the enemy no matter what. No one liked the IA department. Hell, even some of the IA officers hated their own kind.

In the restroom, Bella took a few deep breaths, taking longer than usual. There was no one in there and that gave her a moment of reprieve.

She needed to give him time to realize she left her cellphone behind. Looking at her watch she timed it so that a message would come up asking her about some tickets she needed to clear. Sure it was a small thing but those small things sometimes worked fucking wonders.

 

[Talon]

Jack nodded in response to her request as she got up to head towards the bathroom. He watched as she walked away, admiring the way her hips swayed as she moved. She might be his new partner and all, but no harm in admiring the view. He supposed there was at least one benefit to having a female partner. His last had been an overweight old guy on the edge of retirement, so Bella was clearly an upgrade in the visual department.

Jack drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he waited for her to return, catching the waitress's attention and signaling for another water. As she moved away the sound of Bella's phone vibrating against the table caught his attention. He looked up at the entrance to the restroom as he pulled out his own phone. He pulled her phone across the table, flipping it around so he could read the display. Obviously he couldn't check the contents of the message or she would realize that he had read it, so he settled for copying the number the text was sent from into his phone.

Jack slid her phone back into it's original position as the waitress walked up with a pitcher of water and filled Bella's empty glass. She looked over at him, chewing her gum obnoxiously. "A new lady friend, Jack?". He shook his head, clearly distracted and simply trying to get rid of her. "Nah, she's my new partner.". The girl picked up on his mood and walked away with a sarcastic, "Mmhmm." as she rolled her eyes at him playfully.

Jack dialed his phone as soon as the waitress was out of eavesdropping range. He kept his eyes on the bathroom, watching for Bella to emerge. "Hey Chris, it's Jack. Remember how you owe me a solid? Right, well I need you to trace this number for me...text me with the results as soon as you get them...great, the number is..."

 

[zydrate]

Trace in process. A text stated on the phone in her hand.

"Here we go..." Bella said as she put her real phone in the inside pocket of her jacket. She hurried out of the restroom and back to the table. Before Jack could say anything to her, she took a long drink of her water.

"Shall we?" She grabbed the other phone nonchalantly and headed toward the exit.

The day went slightly smooth, depending on whom you asked. Bella made sure to stay inquisitive about everything...the case, the evidence, everything.

She had eased up on her texting and put herself in full cop mode. Now that the day was winding down, she had to go out with the boys. It was something she had been dreading but it had to be done. "So, I will meet you all later, I think I'm going to get something to eat and perhaps change, sound good?"

 

[Talon]

Jack took the rest of the day to get the new girl acquainted with the details of their case. He showed her around the office, even helped her set her computer up on her new desk, directly across from his. His tone was sarcastic and humorous most of the time, but he seemed to treat all the other cops there in the same manner so it didn't seem that attitude was reserved for her. He even bought her a sandwich from the vendor that came by at lunch. He wanted her to think he was a nice guy, not an asshole. Better that way if she ever found out too much. The call he had made that morning was in the back of his head the whole day, but still no word from his contact.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan.". Jack handed her a sticky note with the details of the address on it. " We'll be there most of the night, show up whenever."

Jack walked into the bar a few hours after work. Like his partner, he had stopped at his apartment to change and grab something to eat before going out for the night. He had changed into a black two piece suit with a dark red collared shirt, tieless and unbuttoned at the neck. He walked straight up to the bar and nodded to the bartender. "Usual."

Jack turned around to look for his coworkers when he noticed Gabriel quickly crossing the room, an excited look on his face. Jack frowned, figuring he already knew what his friend wanted to say. " Look man...I ain't in the mood right...'

Gabriel cut him off, grabbing Jack by the arms. "Bro! What the fuck?"

Jack quirked an eyebrow. " What the fuck, what?"

Gabriel shook him a bit in his excitement. "Dude...your new partner..."

Jack shook his head, pulling his arms away from his friends grasp. "Listen, your my boy and all, but I can't let you drool all over my new partner all night. Your not gonna fuck her, so just get over it."

Gabriel laughed. "You really don't know? Dude, I wouldn't want to fuck her, I don't go where you've already been, bro."

Jack looked really confused now. "What the fuck are you talking about? Start making some goddamn sense, man."

Gabriel slapped Jack on the arm with a gin. " Dude...she's the skirt from the Governer's Ball, the one we talked about the other morning."

Jack's jaw dropped as it hit him. Pictures flashed through his head; dancing with her at the Ball, taking a taxi back to his place becuase they were both too drunk to drive...and...spending the rest of the night fucking each others brains out.

Jack stumbled back against the bar behind him. "Fuck!". That was about the highest level of speech he was capable of at the moment. Gabriel was practically bent over laughing, taking no pity in his friends situation whatsoever. Jack turned as he heard the door open, standing straight and trying to regain his composure, punching Gabriel in the arm to jolt him from his laughter.

Jack turned back towards the bar, taking a casual sip from his beer. Well...fuck.

 

[zydrate]

"So Jack...remember a while back, we sort of, ended up in bed together? Yeah, well, guess what?! You're going to be a father! I know right!? We used protection so how the fuck did it happen?!"

Bella had to laugh at her reflection in the mirror. She could only imagine his face to that statement. "Well, shit Bell...you are in a mess bigger than some congressman caught fucking around online..." She put the brush down on the counter and shook her head. That would have to wait. She still had a lot to think about both pregnancy wise and Jack wise...and not to mention, work wise...

Life is a fucking box of chocolates all right...stupid Forest Gump movie.

*~* 30 minutes later *~*
Bella was dress in a simple white short dress, her hair down and loose, a different way she wore it as oppose to having it up in a pony tail when at work.

She entered the bar and her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she saw Jack talking with another guy...she tried to recall his name but couldn't. With a small shrug she headed over towards Jack, "Hey there..." she said as she set her bag on the bar. The bartender immediately walked over to her, asking her what she was going to have, "Oh, just a soda please, I'm driving..." Yeah, that was a great excuse. She couldn't drink and only she knew why.

"So, what's the joke?" She asked as she saw the man next to Jack tried to cover his mouth and keep from laughing.

 

[Talon]

Jack looked over to her and nodded as if he had just noticed her. He was leaning against the bar, back turned towards his friend. Gabriel winked at her before moving off to join the other guys, still chuckling under his breath.

Jack turned and watched as Gabriel walked away. "Oh, him? Don't worry about him...he just giggles like that at random shit. I'm no doctor or anything, but there is something seriously fucked in his head." Jack clearly did not think what they had been discussing was even the least bit funny.

Jack took another sip of beer to try and buy himself some time to think. Why was he nervous all the sudden? But he knew why. It was because he broke "Jack's Cardinal Rule Numero Uno." ; never under any circumstances meet up with a one night stand again. By following that rule he had avoided situations like this. Until now.

He looked over at her, and suddenly the image of her face as she climaxed flashed across his vision, her scream of pleasure ringing in his ears. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Why the fuck did she have to come walking in here _right_ after he found out? Couldn't he have a few moments to collect himself? Clearly he had done something to piss the universe off, cause it was shitting all over him tonight.

He finally said the first thing that came to mind. "So...Bella. You must be thinkin' about how much of an asshole I am right about now. Am I right?"

 

[zydrate]

"So...Bella. You must be thinkin' about how much of an asshole I am right about now. Am I right?"

Not sure if he was serious or not, Bella looked at him and his expression before finally laughing a bit, "Uhh, no, I was wondering that when we first met."

She took a quick sip of her drink before speaking again, "But really Jack, I understand. I'm new. You're...well, not to be mean, old. At least in this department. I'm a female treading in to a male's domain. Don't worry about it. I--"

The ringing of Bella's phone stopped her from going on. She stopped talking and quickly grabbed it and swore under her breath as she read the display. "Oh shit!" She answered it, "Hello?"

She was met by a series of yelling mixed with screaming, she looked over her shoulder and mouthed to Jack, 'I'll be right back.'

Bella walked further down to the end of the bar and made it look like she was arguing with someone on the other line. This had gone on for several more seconds before she hung up, walked back over to Jack, her face had an expression showing she was upset. "Hey, listen, thanks for the invite, but I gotta get going, I'll talk to you in the morning all right?"

With that she headed out of the bar and made sure she kept that look of worry on her face. There were 2 plans, if he followed her, great...if he didn't, then he would get a text back telling him who that phone number belonged to that had texted Bella earlier that day.

 

[Talon]

Jack blinked. And then she was gone. Perhaps it was his lucky day after all. He quickly finished his beer, looking back over his shoulder to the guys and waving goodbye. They booed, hollering for him to come join them, but Jack was really in no mood.

The cold night air felt refreshing as he walked to his car in the parking lot. She had completely blown him off, acting like she didn't know what he was talking about. Maybe she didn't remember either, but he knew he couldn't be that lucky. Something was up with her. Maybe she got transferred to his department purposefully in order to fuck with him after he slighted her. Whatever it was it could wait until morning. He needed to get drunk.

Just as he opened the door to his car his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, seeing a new message had arrived from Chris. He frowned, tossing his phone into the backseat without reading it. He knew what she had to hide, who the fuck cares who texts her? He was way off his game, thrown completely off course by the curve ball life had tossed him.

He settled into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut. All day he had been staring at her ass, admiring her pretty face, and nothing? Just the tiny feeling of recognition he picked up on in the coffee house? Fuck that. He had asked her if she thought he was an asshole before, and now he was asking himself the same question. And he couldn't come up with any answer besides yes.

****

Jack pulled up to the nightclub that he frequented downtown, getting out and tossing the valet the keys. He nodded to the doorman as he approached, the velvet rope sliding open for him without challenge. He stopped to slip a hundred in the bouncers pocket, turning back around and pointing out two cute young girls that were desperately waiting to get in. "Them too." Jack winked at them and slapped the bouncer on the back before turning to move into the club, the two girls following on his heels.

"Fuck my life..." Jack mumbled as he walked in, looking around to survey the inside of the club. It was Techno night again, he'd have to remember to call in sick in the morning. Techno always gave him a terrible headache.

 

[zydrate]

Bella was only in her panties, her dress and bra long gone as she and Jack had made their way to his bedroom. They were touching, kissing, feeling, everything that someone who wasn't impaired on alcohol might have second guessed but not them, there was no time for talk, no time for names...

In the morning, with a hangover the size of Manhattan, Bella quickly dressed and left. That was it. No 'see ya', no 'thanks for last night', nothing. She had nursed the hangover and decided to not pay attention to what had happened and who it had happened with. It wasn't going to occur again anyway. He didn't get her name, she saw his on his uniform...

On her way home, Bella's real cell phone rang and she answered it, "Russo."

"What the fuck happened Russo?!"

Great, real yelling this time. What his name? Detetive Doss. The asshole that was in the Captain's office when she had been called in and made aware of this assignment.

"What do you mean what happened? He's not falling for it yet! Be patient! It'll happen alright?!"

"We don't have much time, we need to close in as soon as we can. Give me a report tomorrow. You know the drill." Then the line was cut.

Shit.

*~* The Next Morning *~*
Bella was sitting at her new desk waiting for Carter, who was about 3 hours late. She didn't question it. Her mind was distracted with other things, which was a stupid thing since she had a job to do. With a sigh, she took a sip of her water. At least today wasn't one of those days were she felt like shit, so at least she'd be acting some what normal today.

 

[Talon]

Jack rolled into the office later than usual, still wearing his dark sunglasses. He didn't even bother with a nod to the Lieutenant as he passed. He growled under his breath as he caught sight of Bella sitting at her desk across from his. He had forgotten she would be that close. Whatever.

He slammed his extra large cup of coffee on the desk, pulling off his jacket to place it over the back of his chair before taking his seat. He opened the drawer beside him to rummage for some aspirin again. He did this so often, why did he not keep it in a location that was easier to remember? He closed the drawer and popped open the top, counting out twice the recommended dosage in his palm before tossing them into his mouth and taking a swig of coffee to wash them down.

He was almost dreading the sound of her voice when she would inevitably speak, it would probably be something obvious like, "Somebody had a rough night!" or some goofy shit. Somehow his anger towards himself last night had redirected itself towards her. Okay, so he forgot her name and what she looked like. Typical douchebag guy move. What the fuck was her excuse? Was he not memorable enough for her? And she had been the one to walk out on him after all was said and done. Sure he had the same intentions, but he would have at least woke her up for some morning sex before blowing her off. She didn't even leave a thank you note. How rude.

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair as he waited for the pills to kick in. Why oh why did he submit himself to that shit every night? He needed to find a club exclusively for the deaf that he could frequent, at least there'd be less bass.

He was also a little pissed that she had thrown his game off last night. He hadn't even left with the two women who he got in. Not that they didn't want it, but he was thinking about her, and neither of their asses measured up to his partners. That line of thought had scared him, so he attempted to drown it in booze. It didn't work, he just went home drunker and hornier than usual.

Jack eyed her silently from across the desk, allowing the silence to hang over them for as long as she'd allow it.

 

[zydrate]

Bella had seen that look before. Her brothers used to come home with that same 'I drank too much for nothing' look and suffered because of it, and the last thing they wanted was to be bothered. But Bella couldn't help but say something when he took all that aspirin.

"You know, taking more than the recommended dosage could lead to health problems later on." Where the hell did that come from? She thought.

Today she had decided to take a different approach to everything for the sake of the investigation. She had to get answers fast and take action. That was the only way.

 

[Talon]

Jack quirked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah...thanks Doc, I'll keep that in mind for the future."

He took a long drink of the coffee, wishing it was a cold beer instead. It would probably make him feel better, definitely couldn't make him feel any worse. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly...he wouldn't play the rejected lover part here. He needed to get his emotions under control.

"So, Russo...bailing on us before the party even starts isn't a good way to make a first impression." He sorted through the papers on his desk, seemingly uninterested in the conversation. "Although, showing up to a bar with your cop buddies and ordering a coke is." He smirked, sarcasm practically dripping off his words.

He found the folder he was looking for and stood with it in his hand, tapping it against his empty palm. "But don't worry, we won't be bothering you with an invitation again. You clearly had more important places to be. Wouldn't be the first time though, right?" He leaned over to slap the thick folder down onto her desk. "Forensics reports are in. Better make sure everything checks out, your report is due by the end of the week."

Jack sat back down, taking another long sip of his coffee as he leaned back.

 

[zydrate]

"But don't worry, we won't be bothering you with an invitation again. You clearly had more important places to be. Wouldn't be the first time though, right?"

What the fuck was that suppose to mean? She thought as she looked at him. Her eyes locked with his.

"Forensics reports are in. Better make sure everything checks out, your report is due by the end of the week."

With an audible sigh, Bella stood, grabbed the report and then another one off her desk, walked around to his desk and slapped both folders down, "All ready done. Perhaps if you didn't drink so damn much then you would've been to work on time."

"I'm going to lunch, I'll be back later." She told him as she walked back around to her side, grabbed her jacket off her chair and walked out toward the exit.