Chemistry and Other Sciences

Summary: Part of the Future Perfect universe. Things don't go quite as planned when Katie goes out for a drink after work with her colleagues.

Disclaimer: Tony isn't mine; everyone else is.


A/N: This is part of my Future Perfect series, which features Katie and Leigh, the twin daughters of Tim and Abby. This takes place sometime after Girl Talk.


Tony looks around the debris-strewn bar and sighs. Lots of witnesses, which is good. But also a lot of people to interview, which is bad. And the Metro police officer who's bringing him up to speed doesn't seem to understand the concept of getting to the point.

It's pretty straight-forward, really. Junkie looking for the money to buy his next fix decides to rob a bar, and starts waving a gun around. And is too stupid, or too strung-out, to notice that it's a bar populated mainly by Marines, many of whom are still wearing their BDUs, so it's not exactly easy to miss. And isn't satisfied with the cash that the terrified server hands over, and gets off two shots – shattering several bottles and catching an unfortunate mounted deer's head right between the eyes – before he's tackled by several Marines. And cracks his head open against the floor and is dead before the ambulance gets there.

This wouldn't normally be his problem, but with half the office down with the flu, even the major case teams have to help out with the sorts of things that wouldn't usually rate their attention. So now he gets to spend the better part of all damn night interviewing a room full of Marines in varying stages of drunkenness so he can fill in the paperwork declaring that nobody still alive did anything wrong.

I wonder how the Director would react if I just say it's a potential Darwin Award? he thinks to himself.

The guy from Metro finally shuts up, and Tony sends his agents off in various directions to start collecting witness statements. Turning towards the large tableful of people he'd assigned to himself, he casts a more careful eye over the group. Marine, Marine, Marine's girlfriend, Marine... he observes silently with the confidence of long experience working with the military as his gaze travels down the table. His step falters and he blinks hard, hoping he isn't seeing what he thinks he's seeing. But nothing is different when his vision clears.

Eight Marines. Two girlfriends. One boyfriend.

And Katie.

Perfect.