First Fic (: Wrote it to burn the last episode out my skull. Goes back quite a bit to late in season 3 (not really following the plot too closely). Let me know what you guys think. I have places to go with this one. Places...
Tamsin tapped her fingers against the desk as she studied the computer screen in front of her, her eyes glazing over from time to time as her tired mind struggled to stay alert.
"Fuck..." The blonde sighed, slowly leaning back in her chair as her eyes finally succumbed to fatigue. Dyson peered over from his desk at the Valkyrie, letting a small smile grace his lips as she lazily stretched her arms above her head.
After discovering the mass grave of fae in the middle of the countryside two weeks ago it had been nothing but sleepless nights and coffee-fuelled days for the detectives. Tamsin slowly slumped forward back towards her desk, a grimace contorting her face as her tired green eyes opened to the same picturesque landscape she had been graced with for the past few weeks: A computer, a desk, and too many case files to count.
"More coffee?" Dyson smiled, tapping the blonde's empty mug as he leaned against the wall beside her.
"I am so done for tonight." Tamsin moved her gaze to the window, the imminent sunrise was just beginning to bathe the taller buildings in a peach glow.
Dyson let out a deep chuckle as he made his way over to the coffee machine, pouring himself a fresh mug. "I don't blame you." He sighed, taking a quick sip of the stale liquid, "We've been working our asses off on this case."
Dyson walked back towards his desk after receiving no semblance of a response from the blonde, quietly slipping back into his chair. "But I must say, for a creature of the night, your post-twilight stamina is pretty abysmal." He grinned, taking another sip.
Tamsin let a small grin grace her lips as she side-eyed her amused partner.
"I think you're getting Valkyrie and Vampire confused wolf boy." Tamsin shot the other detective her best fake smile as she grabbed her purse off the desk and lazily swung it over her shoulder. "Besides, I'm hitting the bar, not my bed."
"You in?" The Valkyrie cocked an eyebrow at Dyson as she made her way towards the door.
"I think I have at least a few hours' work left in me before I'll require whisky." He smiled, "have fun though."
"Figured." Tamsin called over her shoulder as she left the room.
The cool dawn air brought the blonde momentary relief as she stepped outside the station. She had been half joking about heading to the bar, but the thought of her empty bed in her even emptier apartment made the idea of booze and human interaction all the more appealing. A few months ago this would not have been the case. The Valkyrie would've cherished the solitude of a quiet place to herself; an instant of relative peace in her otherwise violent existence. Her kind were solitary creatures after all; doing the bidding of their master, not forming attachments or bonds of any kind, be it with human or fae…
Tamsin shook her head as she re-focused her eyes to the morning light. She hated this feeling that had been building inside her over the past few months. She felt weak. Her first instinct after a long few days wasn't to sleep, or eat, or do any of the things her body gravely needed. It was to drink and forget and let her walls down, even for an instant, with the people she'd grown somewhat accustomed to. She wouldn't say close, as the Valkyrie had never been close with anyone, but she could stand these people, and that was closer than the blonde had felt to anything in a long time.
Tamsin cracked her neck as she attempted to start her truck, making a few lazy attempts before the broken beast finally came to life. "Asshole," She muttered, pushing down on the accelerator and making her way to the bar.
As Tamsin entered the Dal the air was warm and surprisingly musty. She glanced up at the large antique clock on the wall: six-thirty. The blonde made her way towards the bar, stopping for a second as she noticed the outline of a figure curled up on the corner couch. The Valkyrie cocked her head as her eyes examined the peaceful figure, her long brunette hair pulled up into a messy bun, toned leg hanging limply over the edge of the couch from underneath a fur throw.
"What are you doing up so early?"
Tamsin jumped slightly as she was brought out of her minor daze, turning to see Trick, who was looking at the blonde with a mixture of confusion and concern.
"Working late on the case?" He frowned slightly.
Tamsin nodded at the older man, not quite wanting to break the serene energy of the room with her own voice. She slowly slid onto one of the barstools and crossed her arms on the hard mahogany bar, leaning her chin against her forearms.
"You want to talk about it?" Trick raised an eyebrow, studying the weary Valkyrie as he began cleaning glasses.
"Not really." She sighed, pouting slightly as she once again glanced up at the clock.
There was a moment's silence as Tamsin remained focused on the clock hands, her eyes faintly glazing over as the exhaustion was beginning to sink in. "Do you ever close? Or is this a twenty four-hour kind of bar..?"
Trick chuckled as he placed one of the glasses on the counter in front of the blonde. He'd never known her to be one for small talk.
"Because I thought that was more of a dark thing." Tamsin continued, her eyes moving back down to stare languidly at the older man.
"Last call usually falls in the wee hours, but there was an….incident last night." Trick cleared his throat and quickly glanced over at the figure on the couch behind the blonde. The brief movement did not escape the Valkyrie.
Tamsin let a slight smile grace her lips as a few possible scenarios ran through her mind.
"I sometimes forget that my granddaughter is a powerful succubus." He smiled, grabbing an unlabelled bottle of clear liquid from behind the bar. "Much like my late wife, gods rest her soul. The kindness and beauty in their brown eyes often conceals too well the power and destruction that resides within the blue."
Tamsin slowly raised her head, "What did she do this time?" She rolled her eyes as a sarcastic smile graced her delicate features. "I don't really have room for any more drained fae bodies turning up on my doorstep."
"She got into yet another fight with Lauren about her…feeding habits." Trick shook his head as he raised the bottle in his hand, offering its potent contents to the Valkyrie.
"Actually I'll have a bloody Mary…It kinda doubles as a healthy breakfast." The blonde smirked as she leaned her head against her palm.
"As you wish." Trick smiled as he made his way back up the bar to grab the required ingredients.
There was another long silence as the blood king began to slice vegetables, periodically glancing over at the pensive Valkyrie.
"The doctor can't sustain her and she knows it." Tamsin broke the comfortable quiet, a seriousness lacing her voice. "She needs to feed on fae, and fae alone. This holding back crap isn't helping anyone."
The older man looked thoughtful as he expertly fashioned the blonde's cocktail.
"I'll never get this human-Fae bonding garbage that everyone seems to be into nowadays." The Valkyrie sighed, leisurely stretching her arms above her head. "I miss the good old days when Fae were Fae and food was food."
Trick let a small smile pull at his lips as he set the spicy cocktail down in front of the blonde. He often missed talking to fae as old as the Valkyrie. "Maybe the good old days were not quite as 'good' as you remember Tamsin."
"Whatever old man." The Valkyrie smirked, "I call them like I see them, and the doctor is selfish. Humans are a selfish species and I'd be long dead before being caught mating with one."
Trick frowned at the blonde as he wiped his hands clean.
"Why do you care who Bo mates with? What business is it of yours if she is strong or weak…Happy or unhappy with her human?" The older man placed both his hands on the bar either side of the Valkyrie.
Tamsin smirked as she took a generous sip of her bloody Mary. "Delicious."
She placed the glass back down on the bar and looked across at the blood king, cocking her head slightly.
"I've had to save Bo twice now." She paused, running her finger down the side of the cool glass. "She's been weak, wanting…needing help at every turn." Tamsin let out a sarcastic laugh as she gazed back up at the older man. "If she wasn't somehow always involved in my police business I wouldn't give a rat's ass about everyone's favourite Succulette, but as her grandfather? Maybe you should start giving a shit."
Tamsin once again brought the glass to her lips, taking another generous swig of the fiery cocktail.
Trick leaned forwards as his eyes bore into the Valkyrie.
"How dare you question my love for Bo." He snarled, attempting to threaten the blonde as he leaned ever closer. "I care more for that girl than you will ever care about anything or anyone."
Tamsin sighed as she closed her eyes, nonchalantly wiping a drop of the blood king's saliva from her well defined cheekbone.
"Just one Valkyrie's opinion," she smiled sweetly. The blonde got to her feet as she drained the rest of the glass, slamming it back down against the bar.
"I'm a little short…" Tamsin frowned, shrugging slightly. "Add it to my tab." She winked, grabbing the celery stick from the empty glass and taking a bite.
"I guess that means you'll be back?" Trick scoffed. He had seemingly calmed down, but his distaste for the Valkyrie was thinly veiled.
"What's going on? What time is it?"
Both Tamsin and Trick jumped slightly at the interruption. The blonde turned her head to find a dishevelled Succubus leaning against a wooden post by the now vacant couch. The brunette yawned as she languidly stretched out her arms, revealing a strip of pale smooth skin between her tank top and leather pants.
Tamsin coughed as she averted her attention back up to the ancient clock, not really focused on reading the position of the hands. She felt…intrusive somehow? The Valkyrie had lived by a strict code her entire life, and as a warrior she believed in preparedness; readiness for battle at all times. Only a warrior's lover should see them in a state of rest, and that included the act of waking from sleep. Bo hadn't been acting much like a warrior lately, but the blonde's code of honour still applied.
"It's almost seven Bo, get some more rest." Trick's voice brought the blonde back down to earth. He sounded softer again.
"God, my mouth feels like an old rug." Bo frowned, sticking her tongue out over and over again to try and get rid of the feeling. "What happened last night?"
Trick frowned as he poured his granddaughter a glass of water, sprinkling a bright orange powder into the mixture.
"And why is Tamsin here?" Bo suddenly noticed the Valkyrie, cocking her head with confusion as she studied the blonde.
"Don't worry Succubus," Tamsin smirked, taking one last glance at the tousled brunette. "I was just leaving."
Bo opened her mouth as if to say something but came up empty. She frowned slightly as Tamsin pushed open the door, a gust of cold morning air sending a chill up the Succubus' spine.