Cops & Robbers
Chapter One- The Detective
"Regina, open the damn door!" Emma rapped on the hardwood door louder with every passing minute.
When she decided she had had enough and was ready to kick the door in, it swung open suddenly. A confused man in nothing but black briefs opened the door. Emma looked him over: bedhead, six pack and defined muscles.
Regina definitely has a physical type Emma thought.
"Umm…Regina is in the shower," he said sleepily. "Can I take a message or something?"
Emma sized up the man again. "Right, of course she is. You must be...Jer-Jeff-Jeffery, you must be Jeffery." She smiled and outstretched her hand.
"Jefferson, but close enough," he said, shaking her hand. "And you are?"
"Emma. The best friend." She stepped through the door.
He snapped his fingers. "Swan. Right." He chuckled and closed the door behind her.
"What's so funny?" Emma asked.
"Pictured you with horns the way she described you," Jefferson said, his gaze fell on her head where the would-be horns would have lain.
"Me? Horns?" Emma folded her arms defensively. "She's the one they call the evil queen," she mumbled under her breath.
"What's that?" Jefferson asked from the other side of the room. He seemed to be looking for something to throw over his half naked frame.
"Nothing." She shook her head and folded her arms.
Silence fell between them as they stood in the middle of Regina's living room. The room was littered with clothes, making Emma increasingly uncomfortable. The scent of sex still lingered in the room.
Jefferson wasn't any less awkward, bouncing from one foot to the other, clearly unnerved. He finally found a white t-shirt and threw it over his torso.
When they heard the shower turn off he visibly relaxed and called out for Regina. Regina waltzed into the living room in a plush white robe, drying her hair with a fluffy towel. The sight of her partner relieved Emma immensely, she rushed to her side and gave her a tight hug.
"What is it, Swan?" Regina scowled, trying to squirm out of the hug.
"I'm sorry. It's just good to see you," Emma said, arms still around Regina.
"You saw me last week when I left for vacation. I am still on vacation!" Regina exclaimed, louder than she needed to.
"I know... I know. I'm not here to interrupt the few hours left of your vacation," Emma said and Regina relaxed considerably. "We pulled a floater out from the river this morning. She looked so much like you and you weren't answering your phone...I just got-"
"I wasn't answering my phone because I was busy," Regina said pointedly, cutting Emma off.
Jefferson looked between the two women, feeling like something was lost in translation.
"Floater?" he asked, eyes half shut.
"Dead body," Emma told him nonchalantly then looked back to Regina with a worried glance.
Jefferson poked his finger in the air like a fifth grader, but Regina cut in before he could get his question out, leaving him more confused than anything.
"I'm not the only brunette in Maine, you know," Regina stated.
"It wasn't just the hair. She was about your height, too. I got concerned, you know with this job you can never be too careful." Emma sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. With her arm raised, her red jacket parted and Jefferson was able to see her badge and gun.
"Whoa!" He stepped back from the women then turned to Regina. "You're a cop?" he said to Regina alarmingly.
Emma couldn't believe Regina hadn't told him and had to try hard not to laugh.
"She's not a cop, she's THE cop. Ten years in homicide, practically a legend at the precinct."
Jefferson plopped down on the couch and scratched at his head. Regina ignored his outburst and turned back to Emma.
"Well now that you've seen me with your eyes and you know I'm okay you can go."
"I think you should come in. Something is up," Emma said.
"I have twenty-four more hours, you're really going to take that from me?" Regina asked, though she already knew the answer.
"I'm serious," Emma said gravely.
Regina reluctantly nodded and ran upstairs to change. She made it down ten minutes later, holstering her gun.
Jefferson seemed to still be in shock on the couch, and Emma had helped herself to a Gatorade from the fridge that had really belonged to Jefferson.
"Let's go," she said to Emma, picking up her coat that was slung over the couch.
"You're just going to leave me here?" Jefferson sputtered incredulously from couch when the two women had reached the door.
"Have a shower, help yourself to whatever is in the fridge and lock up before you leave," Regina replied.
"You're not afraid I'll steal your stuff?" he asked, stopping her from leaving once more.
"Well if you're stupid enough to steal from Maine's PD head detective then go right ahead, but I would advise against it."
He grinned sheepishly and relaxed back onto the couch.
"Call me later then?" he called behind her.
"We'll see," she murmured, but Emma knew what she really meant was unlikely.
"You didn't tell him you were cop?" Emma questioned the moment Regina closed the door.
"There wasn't a lot of talking between us if you hadn't noticed," Regina responded, sliding into the sedan Emma drove.
"I didn't realize you were seeing someone. Is that why you had a sore throat a couple weeks ago?" Emma asked, revving the engine with a smug smirk.
"Fuck off, Swan," Regina playfully snarled.
"You first, Mills," Emma rebutted.
The partners exchanged smiles before Emma pulled off.
"Seriously, how could you not tell me you were dating?"
Regina scoffed. "I'm not. Don't read anything into it. It was sex. I don't intend on seeing him again."
"I hear you. But does he know that?" Emma posed the question and Regina shrugged.
"Full of jokes today, huh? Graham likes your humor then?" Regina teased, hitting her where it hurt.
Emma's smile shrunk and she turned her attention back to the road.
"That's not funny," Emma said.
"Isn't it?" Regina pressed.
Regina knew they were heading to the morgue when Emma took a sharp right. She knew her comment about Graham would shut her right up. They had been partners for three years; she knew her too well. The two had a bumpy start to their partnership but were now inseparable.
Regina looked out the window blissfully unaware of the danger she was in.
"Mills," Wale said by way of introduction when the women entered the morgue. "Heard you were on vacation."
"Well, I was," Regina said pointedly, staring at Emma who shrugged innocently.
"I hope you're not here for autopsy results. The body just arrived," he said, gloving up.
"We're not. I just wanted to show Regina something," Emma replied.
Wale unzipped the body bag then frowned, taking a look at the body then back at Regina.
"Jesus, could be your sister lying on this slab, Mills," Wale said.
Regina scoffed and finally stepped forward to see the miraculous resemblance she kept hearing about. Even she was astounded; there was indeed a resemblance, at least on the features that hadn't been eroded by the water.
"Okay. We agree then. Who was this woman?" Regina asked.
"No ID yet. Graham is back at the station trying to work that out. We done here?"
Regina nodded but her eyes were still trained on the lifeless body.
"I'll call you when I get her prints," Wale called after them.
"Thanks, Wale," Emma called back.
At the precinct Regina tapped a pen on Graham's desk to get his attention. He was reclined in his chair intently reading something in a manila folder. He placed the folder on his lap and looked up when she threw the pen at him.
"Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?" he asked, squinting his eyes at her.
"I swear if someone else asks me that I'm gonna start shooting people," Regina snapped, half serious.
Graham smirked and sat up. "Emma plucked you out prematurely, didn't she? She was freaked out when she saw the body earlier."
"I noticed." Regina sat at the edge of his desk. "Did you find anything that could point to an ID?"
He dug into his drawer and flipped open a worn notebook. "I did find a missing persons report that matches our DB's description. Dark hair, brown eyes." He looked down at her boots then back up. "About your height."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"I'm waiting for Wale to confirm with the prints, but I would bet that your doppelganger is Vanessa Suarez. I don't want to call the family and put them through that if we have the wrong girl, so until it's confirmed she's still technically Jane Doe."
"So, who is she?"
"Twenty-nine year old middle school teacher. Reported missing last week by her fiancé Eddie Keaton."
"Hmm," Regina hummed. She could never imagine being a schoolteacher. Nothing had ever sounded so mundane and boring. She was sympathetic to Vanessa though; she didn't look forward to breaking the news to the fiancé.
"What's going on, Mills? I've worked with you for ten years, known you for twelve."
Regina snapped out of her reverie and shook her head at Graham. "I don't know yet, but doesn't something feel off to you?" Regina mused.
"You mean the resemblance? It could be a coincidence."
"You're right." Regina shrugged. "Emma was just being paranoid."
"About Emma…" Graham scratched his beard; a nervous tick he didn't know he had. "Has she said anything to you?" He finished quietly so no one else would hear him.
Regina twisted her lips and shook her head. She just wished Graham and Emma would get it over with and get together. "About what?" She played coy and dumb.
"Nothing." He shook his head. "I'll see if forensics has found a primary crime scene," he said, deflated.
"You do that," Regina said.
Emma had just come back from the deli across the street with two bagels and two coffees when Regina waved her over, feeling especially mischievous.
"Why don't you two follow up with forensics while I go see the Captain?" Regina suggested, gratefully snagging a bagel and coffee from Emma.
"Why don't we just wait till you finish with the Captain. Take your time," Emma tried.
Regina shook her head. "That's an order, Swan."
The blonde's face sunk with disappointment, and she exchanged a wary glance with Graham.
Regina made a mental note to figure out what the latest was with them. Last she checked, they had both admitted they had feelings for each other. She knew something else had happened because Emma was being especially awkward around him.
She left them at Graham's desk then went to Gold's office. She knocked once before entering.
He opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to comment that she should be on vacation, but she raised a hand and silenced him.
"I know, I know. I'm supposed to be on vacation and now I'm not. But I will take that vacation day at a later date."
"Then you'll have some paper work to fill out," Gold told her and she held up a pen.
"Knew you would say that."
Regina was finishing her bagel when Graham brushed by her and Emma took a seat at her desk opposite Regina's.
"What the hell is going on with you and Graham?" Regina asked before her butt met the chair.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked.
"Don't bullshit me, Swan. You've been making googly eyes at him for months and now you can't stand the sight of him. Do I have to kick his ass for something?"
"It's not Graham," Emma sighed, deflated. "Things were going places; he officially asked me out but I shut him down."
"Why?" Regina questioned, trying to keep the judgment out of her tone.
"Why? You know why. Regina, you're my best friend. And you and Graham-"
"Graham and I what?" Regina rolled her eyes. "I should have never told you."
"No, I'm glad you did. It would be too complicated," Emma said dismissively.
"Emma, you're reading too much into this. First off, it was years ago when we were cadets together in the police academy. Second off, it was not a relationship. It was just sex," Regina explained.
"I don't know if that makes it better," Emma whined.
"Please," Regina scoffed, "we share cups of coffee all the time."
Emma frowned at her. "That is not the same and you know it."
"What's really going on here, Emma? It sure as hell isn't my past with Graham. I gave you my blessing a long time ago - not that you needed it. You're getting scared again, aren't you?"
"So what if I am? Can you blame me?"
"Of course not, but you're not that scared girl anymore. You're a brilliant detective with a good job and friends who care. Now, if you don't fix things with Graham I'm going to punch you in the face. I promise you that," Regina declared.
Before Emma could reply, both their pagers went off.
Graham held up the crime scene tape for Regina and Emma to duck under once they got to the crime scene. It was on the coast, and a few fishing boats lined the shore.
"How'd they find it?" Regina asked.
"Heck if I understand what they said… something about calculating the currents," Graham scoffed, taking Regina's hand and helping her step on the slippery rocks.
"Still, bit of a stretch isn't it?" Regina said.
"There's also that," Graham said, pointing to a large rock smeared with blood. A purse and its scattered contents laid only a few feet next to it.
Emma used her gloved hands to pick the purse from the rubble. She opened it and slipped out the ID. "What do you know? Vanessa Suarez."
"I've got good news and bad news," Graham announced. "The building opposite us has cameras out front. Could have caught the whole thing on camera."
"Bad news?" Emma asked, though not meeting his eye.
Graham looked at Regina. "You're not going to believe who's building it is…"
"Who's Robin Locksley?" Emma asked when they had crossed the street.
"Robin Hood," Regina replied, using his nickname. "He runs the city's biggest charity."
"Soooo?" Emma raised an eyebrow, waiting for the reason his name was punctuated with dread.
"So he funds this charity with the millions of dollars he stole when he was a notorious thief. Allegedly," Regina explained.
Emma laughed. "Seriously. I get it, Robin Hood."
"The entire law enforcement department in Maine knows he's a thief, or was, but we never touch him," Graham said.
"Why?" Emma asked.
"For one, we could never find evidence to support our theories, and two he does really good work for Maine. He helps a lot of people," Regina said.
"You sound like a fan." Emma smirked.
"I've never met the man!" Regina defended.
Though that was an omission by law. Last year she had apparently caught the killer of a friend of his. She had not come across Robin during the investigation, but after the story was posted in the newspaper, she had received a large bouquet of flowers. The card simply read astonishing work detective, Robin. It had taken her all of one day to track down where the flowers had come from. She had not done anything with the news that it was Robin Locksley. One major reason for that being-
"He doesn't talk to cops," Regina said.
"Never. Ever. No detectives, not even traffic officers," Graham elaborated.
"Let's change that then," Emma said, shrugging.
"You can try," Graham said. "I'll finish up with forensics."
"This is pointless," Regina grumbled as they made their way to the building.
Emma ignored her and Regina grunted but followed. The building itself was exquisite, and Regina was shocked they had made it this far standing in front of the building without being shunned. A large man with curly hair stood by the door with a clipboard in his hand. He didn't even acknowledge their presence.
"I know you see us here." Emma spoke up first.
"And I know who you are. Cops. If you haven't heard-"
"A girl was killed. You think maybe your boss would have some sympathy. Or is everything he spouts to the public a facade?" Regina snapped, partly meaning it and partly trying to manipulate the man. She watched him sigh then take out his phone and type into it for a few moments.
"Go on in," he said.
Emma waited until she was inside to smile smugly at Regina.
"Atta girl," Emma praised.
They took the elevator up and were let out into a large open space. Boxes of food, clothes and even stationary lined the walls as far as the eye could see. A handful of people hustled back and forth with busy tasks. In the middle of it all was man with a bullhorn in his hand.
Regina had seen him in pictures, but the man was strikingly gorgeous. Rugged men would be end of her she thought for a moment before professionalism pushed the thought aside. She ignored how handsome he was and went straight to him. Emma followed closely behind her.
"Excuse me," Regina said tapping his shoulder. The man sent away the man and woman he was talking to and turned to Regina with a smile that made between her thighs moist.
"I'm looking for Robin Locksley," Regina said, playing coy. She didn't want the man knowing she knew who he was. Something innate within her wouldn't let the man know she had spent three consecutive hours on his website.
"You're looking at him," he said, giving her an appreciative once over.
Regina was a little taken aback at the big flirt he was.
"I thought you didn't 't talk to cops?" Regina asked.
"To be fair, you don't look like any cop I've ever seen," he said, blue eyes sparkling with raw attraction and mischief.
She should have shut him down then and there, but she found herself smiling at the compliment with no way to hide it. What had she just gotten herself into?