"I warned you about Weaver, detective."
Captain William Jewell was already halfway through a beer and another glass sat waiting at the empty spot across from him when Killian arrived at Roni's. Killian sighed and sat across from his captain, taking a sip from the glass; Root Beer this time.
"Good evening, Captain," Killian said dryly. He had hoped this conversation could wait until after he'd some food in him but the man sitting across from him clearly had other plans.
"Not your captain outside of the precinct," Liam corrected.
"You're always my Captain," Killian retorted, his tone torn between exasperation and sentimentality.
"Is that so?" Liam chuckled, "Then why do you insist on ignoring me?"
"I'm not ignoring you, Cap-"
"Call me captain one more time, Rogers, and I'll have you on desk duty for a month." There was a smile tugging at Liam's lip but Killian still went quiet for a moment and Liam watched him carefully.
He had suspicions that their friendship did Killian no favors around the station, but there was something about the eager young officer which had called to Liam all those years ago. He'd taken the man under his wing, even dragging him from their previous posting here to Seattle when he got the promotion to captain of this precinct.
"You could have blocked the promotion," Killian commented finally, his voice quieter than he intended. "Why didn't you?"
"Don't think I wasn't tempted. You're a hell of a lot safer giving out parking tickets and chasing down stolen vehicles than out with…" Liam sighed and glanced across the table, his eyes serious. "I know how much you want this… but Weaver is…"
"What is he?"
"I don't know exactly, and that's what bothers me."
"He closes cases," Killian offered with a small shrug.
"And he goes through partners," Liam retorted, "fast."
"What happened to Williams was nasty luck."
"And Johnson?" Liam asked, eyebrows raised.
"That wasn't his fault-"
Liam sighed. He'd done his best to remain impartial when it came to Officer… Detective Rogers but ever since the day Killian had been shot in that alley he was finding it more and more difficult not to simply put him on desk duty where he wouldn't get hurt again.
"That's what the IA report says," Liam replied carefully, glancing around to ensure their privacy. "But Weaver seems to attract such luck to his partners, whatever IA says about him." Liam ran a hand through his hair, leaning back in the chair and eying Killian. "I don't like it, Killian. Weaver requested you personally, the same bloody hour Belfrey started throwing her weight around near demanding your promotion. Normally such things take months but- I don't like it."
"Most people would go with Congratulations," Killian grumbled. He knew his voice sounded a bit too sulky for a conversation with his superior officer, off the clock or not, but he couldn't seem to help it.
"We both know you deserve this. That's not what this is about. It's Weaver I don't trust, not you." Liam leaned forward. "Just be careful."
"I'm always careful."
This is really just a world building chapter, in which I intend to drop canon-divergent Jones brothers "between the scenes" moments. And I'm very excited about that!
