Title: There's Gotta Be A Better Way.
Author: xperimental
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: If they belonged to me then I wouldn't have to write fic because this is what you'd see on the show. So no, not mine. Not that I'd ever take credit for Angelo anyway.
Series summary: A collection of one shots re-writing events from the show as they would've happened if Charlie wasn't a stupid, cheating slapper and Joey was still around.
Episode summary: This one takes place around episodes 4881 and 4882 where Irene's trawler got sunk and Aden decided that he wanted to marry Belle
Acid Tongue
Running his hands through his short hair, Aden looked away from Angelo and back down at the few floating remains of the trawler, wondering what he had done to piss off whoever it was who controlled these things. The one time that he really couldn't afford to be out of a job and the boat gets sunk.
"Hey. Sucks, huh?"
He chuckled and turned to the dark haired girl that'd just sidled up next to him. "You couldn't have called me to let me know? I busted my ass getting here because I thought I was going to be late."
"You were late," Joey pointed out. "And I only got here about two minutes before you did."
Aden smirked at her. "Late night with Charlie?" he teased.
"Something like that but that's not why I'm late. Ruby was hogging the bathroom this morning. I'll never understand how it can take so much time to get her hair to look like that."
"Alright, I'm done here," Angelo announced, interrupting them. "Now you're all going to have to accompany me to the station to be interviewed."
"Is that really necessary?" Gibbsy challenged. He didn't like the idea of having his two deckhands being questioned by the cops about the boat, who knew what they might say. It was bad enough that Joey was living with one. "Surely you can't think that any of us had anything to do with this."
Angelo puffed himself up, crossing his arms over his chest. He did not like his authority being questioned. "It's proper procedure, Mr. Gibson."
"Didn't care much about proper procedure when he shot Jack," Aden mumbled. He may have been grateful to Angelo for getting Irene out of prison, mostly for Belle's sake, but hadn't forgotten the events of the last year nor the fact that Angelo's incompetent police work was the reason that Irene had been in there in the first place.
"You three, follow me."
-
"Watson!" Angelo barked, leading the trio into the police station and accosting the first officer that was unlucky enough to cross his path. "Show Mr. Gibson into the interview room."
"I don't work for you," Watson shot back instantly. "Get one of your blue overall brigade to do it."
"They're all busy."
"Not my problem. I guess you'll just have to wait."
"Or you could just do as your ordered!" Angelo raised his voice, causing Charlie to emerge from her office to investigate the commotion.
"What is going on?"
"Constable Watson is refusing to assist me in interviewing these suspects," Angelo spoke before Watson could get a word in. Charlie raised an eyebrow at the use of the word 'suspects' to describe Joey and Aden. "I was assured that I'd have the full co-operation of the entire station, once my superiours hear about this-"
"There's no need for that," Charlie said placatingly. The last thing she needed was another angry phone call from her bosses. Knowing that he'd keep throwing a tantrum until he got his way, Charlie sighed. "Watson, assist Constable Rosetta with his enquires…." Then remembering that, with Joey's encouragement, she was trying to work on her interpersonal relationships, she tacked on a rather unconvincing, "Please."
But, after months of being Charlie's verbal punching bag, it was enough for Watson. "Fine." She threw the folders she was holding down onto her desk. -She'd better not get into trouble for her paperwork not being in on time because of this- and turned to Gibbsy. "Right this way, Mr Gibson."
"I'll be in in a minute," Angelo called after her. "I just have to make a quick phone call." Watson just rolled her eyes in response. Turning his back on Charlie without so much as a thank you, Angelo picked up the station phone and started dialling.
Not that Charlie minded in the slightest, she took the opportunity to make a beeline for her girlfriend. "What's happened?"
"The boat was sunk last night and apparently we're all suspects," Joey said with a hint of a smile. She always tried to find the funny side of things.
"Which is stupid," Aden growled loudly, not caring when Angelo overheard him and glared at him from across the room. "As if we'd want to put ourselves out of a job."
Letting his temper get the better of him, Angelo slammed down the phone receiver and stormed over. "I told you, it's procedure. Now sit down and keep your mouth shut until it's your turn to be interviewed!"
"Angelo!" Charlie exclaimed, shocked. She really didn't get his attitude, he was always saying that he wasn't there to be liked, he just wanted respect, yet he never showed any to anybody else. She'd already passed on several complaints that she'd received about his attitude and aggression towards others, not that that had gotten her anywhere. Angelo Rosetta was staying in the bay for the foreseeable future and there was nothing that she could do about it.
"Whatever," Aden spat at his former rival for Belle's affections and went to sit down on the uncomfortable wooden bench. Angelo wasn't worth getting into a slanging match with, Aden wasn't going to risk his good behaviour bond. Especially now.
Pleased that he had put Aden in his place, Angelo smiled smugly and walked away before Charlie could even try to reprimand him.
"That must be fun to work with," Joey remarked cheekily. She'd been subjected to many of Charlie's irate rants when it came to the formerly crooked cop, it seemed like everyday he did something to piss her girlfriend off, but this was her first time actually experiencing Angelo in person.
Charlie scoffed. "Oh, you have no idea."
"Oh, I think I may have a few."
"Yeah." Charlie ducked her head, blushing, as she remembered her annoyed rants about her former partner. Thank god Joey was such a good listener.
"Um," Joey began awkwardly, unsure of how to broach the subject. "He's going to want to know where I was last night. What do you want me to say?" she asked, respecting the fact that Charlie wanted to keep her personal life separate from her professional one as much as possible.
Charlie smiled gently at her girlfriend's consideration of her feelings. "Just tell him the truth."
"Okay." Joey grinned back, feeling like they had just taken a massive step forward without even realizing it. It really didn't take much to make her happy.
"Senior?" The constable behind the desk called out to Charlie, holding up a fax that'd just come through. Obviously, Senior Constable Buckton's attention was required.
Charlie held up a finger, indicating to him that she would be there in a minute and turned back to Joey. "So, since you're not working, do you want to have lunch with me?" she asked, slyly running her hand down Joey's arm.
"Hmm, sure, I think I'll be able to fit you into my suddenly empty schedule."
"Great, meet me at the Diner at one?"
Joey was surprised but tried not to show it, the only times that they ever had lunch out in public was when Ruby had been with them. Usually, they just met up back at home to eat, away from prying eyes. "I can do that."
The officer from before called out for Charlie again, more insistently this time.
"Duty calls," Charlie said, rolling her eyes. "I'll see you later." She briefly squeezed Joey's hand tightly, in lieu of a goodbye kiss and went of to deal with whatever had her colleague so concerned.
Joey joined her glum looking friend on the bench. "Hey." She nudged him with her elbow. "I didn't know you liked working on the boat that much. You look like somebody's told you that your cat's been turned into road kill," she joked, trying to bring a smile to Aden's face.
"I don't have a cat. And I don't like working on the boat, well I do, but I don't love it like you do. However, I do love getting paid and I really can't afford to be out of a job right now," he explained.
Joey frowned, surely Aden had enough saved up to cover him until he found something else.
"I'm going to ask Belle to marry me," he revealed, knowing that Joey could be trusted with the information.
"Seriously? Didn't you guys just move in together, like yesterday?" And people accuse lesbians of moving fast, she thought to herself but didn't dare voice it out loud because she knew that she really had no right to talk; she'd moved in with Charlie before they'd even become a couple.
"Yeah, but I already know that Belle is the girl that I want to spend the rest of my life with, why waste time when we can make it official?"
"Fair enough." Joey couldn't argue with that. "I'm really happy for you, Aid, you two have been through so much, you deserve this."
"Thanks, Jo." He smiled at her before remembering why he was in such a foul mood in the first place. "Anyway, I've put a deposit down on this antique ring and it cost a bomb. If don't find a way to come up with the rest of the cash soon, I'll lose the ring and the deposit."
"Ah, now I see your problem."
The door to the interview room opened and Angelo emerged, followed by Gibbsy. "Thanks for your co-operation, Mr Gibson. I'll contact you if I have any other questions."
"No worries," Gibbsy said amicably, now confident that this idiot was no threat to his operation. "Happy to help."
Angelo flashed him a tight lipped smile then turned his attention to the other two sitting in reception. "Collins!" he bellowed, drawing the attention and scorn of everyone in the station. Most especially Charlie, who added it to her list of things to yell at him about later. "You're up."
"He really does not like you," Aden observed, amused.
"Believe me," Joey sighed, standing. "The feeling's more than mutual."
-
"Where were you between the hours of one and six this morning?" Angelo began the interview without any preamble.
"In bed."
"Convenient," he sneered. "Can anyone corroborate that?"
"My girlfriend can."
Watson had to bite her lip to keep from smirking as Angelo flinched. Oh this was just too good.
"That doesn't mean much, she was asleep, you could've snuck out at anytime," he continued with his ludicrous line of questioning.
"I said that we were in bed," Joey corrected him. "I never said that we were sleeping."
This time Watson couldn't stop herself from laughing at the stricken look on Angelo's face, it was such a classic 'Oh snap!' moment and the fact that it was delivered by Charlie's much younger female lover just made it that much sweeter.
"You think that you're better than me, don't you," Angelo shouted the accusation at Joey, who seemed completely unaffected by the sudden and unexpected turn in the interrogation.
"No, I don't. Actually, I don't really think about you at all," Joey answered honestly, not intimidated by him in the slightest.
Seething, Angelo slammed his folder shut and shot up from his chair. "Get her out of here," he told Watson before storming out of the room.
Watson, unable to speak through her muffled giggles, gave him the thumbs up. Finally she got a hold of herself enough to ask. "Six hours, really? Impressive."
Next time: Ruby wants to take a ride on Xavier's disco stick but Charlie says no, no, no.