A.P.D headquarters was located in the heart of downtown Arkadia. It was relatively close to where Bellamy grew up with his kid sister, Octavia. Only a few blocks away from the city's most impoverished neighborhood, which the locals had dubbed "Factory Station".

The city's main transit line stopped directly in front of an old abandoned factory in that neighborhood, a stop that locals knew not to get off on, unless you absolutely had to.

Bellamy grew up, and raised his sister just 3 blocks south of that very factory, and on more than one occasion found himself being forced into a fight on his way to and from the stop. As a result, he grew up pretty tough and able to take a hit. When he was 16 he took on mixed martial arts at the local fitness club, where Police Captain Marcus Kane would go himself, to mentor and coach the kids in the area as an act of public service.

So, Instead of joining the slew of young boys who chose a life of crime from his neighborhood, Bellamy chose to pave a path out of there, and become a cop. Idolizing the captain and looking up to him as a father-figure, the young Blake wanted to grow into a man Kane would be proud of. And No way was Octavia ending up like their mother. Over his dead body.

Because he grew up in "The Factory" (another nickname for the same part of town), Blake knew the neighborhood like the back of his hand, which is part of why he was so good at his job. He knew the locals, he knew the grittiest hangouts for all the toughest and meanest crooks in town, and he knew exactly who to talk to when you wanted to know what was going down.

It was his playground, and he wasn't likely to get himself killed by saying something stupid to the wrong guy, like so many other cops did while walking the beat.

The true irony about 'Factory Station' though, was that it just so happened to butt up right next to downtown Arkadia, easily considered the nicest part of the big city. Downtown Arkadia was built along the Ark River, the city's namesake, and bustling port for many top businesses in the country. The elite upper class and business owners all wanted that nice view from their high rises, so you bet your ass the neighborhoods, parks, and famous Riverwalk were all kept super clean…. And safe.

Downtown Arkadia almost made you forget that the city was ranked #1 on the crime index, almost…. as an alarming 97% of all crimes were commited in the surrounding neighborhoods. Leaving Downtown Arkadia in it's own little bubble, and it's residents all too naive to the very real threats that surrounded them. But Make no mistake.. Arkadia was a dark city, and the police had their hands full.

Bellamy's first partner, back when he was still a rookie cop on the force, and hadn't yet earned his detective's badge, was a young man named Atom Finch.

After a very short few months working the beat together, a routine domestic dispute was called into HQ. Their car was called onto the scene of a run down apartment building in "Factory Station". It was a typical call for this neighborhood, and they took on many calls just like it that same day. Lots of Tweaked out junkies, lots of sobbing women and wailing infants. However, this stop turned tragic when Atom was shot by an angry drunk pimp. Bellamy hesitated in firing his weapon, and that mistake cost Atom his life.

Bellamy would not make that same mistake twice.

His second Partner was a cop named Officer Charles Pike. Pike was a veteran on the police force, and had been a cop since before Bellamy was out of diapers. He made his own rules, and was a little dangerous at times, but Bellamy was eager to learn and so he often followed in Pike's footsteps. Together they broke all manner of rules to book a suspect and catch bad-guys. And when those baddies needed a good shake down, neither of them hesitated in getting a little rough.

But, after a full year of dodging bullets with his new partner, who more often than not put Bellamy in the front of the line, Bellamy was forced to turn Pike in to his superiors.

He had witnessed the older cop put a bullet in the back of a young man's head, and that was one giant step too far for Blake.

The kid was a known gang banger, and had probably killed a man only minutes before his partner shot him, not to mention a previous and violent history with the police, Grand theft auto, and countless charges of armed robbery all stacked against him. It was all in the books, just waiting for this guy to get caught so they could lock him up and prosecute. But despite all of that, Pike decided the world would be better off without him in it. Now, Bellamy himself was guilty of slapping around a few of the guys he booked for domestic violence or child abuse for sure... but shooting someone with no weapon just because you felt like they deserved it, that was taking the law into your own hands. That was playing God, a dangerous game, and one that he wanted no part of.

Pike was arrested for the crime, and is serving his time behind bars. Bellamy had put him there. It was the one time booking the baddy didn't feel so good. That was his partner, his friend… and now his kids are growing up without a father.

Yeah….That was on him.

After Pike, he was immediately promoted. The Captain valued honesty and integrity above all else. He had remembered Bellamy from his days as an MMA coach. He would show up early to get more practice in, and stayed late to help pack up every night. Kane saw that same work ethic and determination in the man he had grown to be, and thus rewarded Bellamy with a place on Arkadia's very own Homicide unit as a detective.

His sister had never been prouder of her big brother, who immediately moved them out of Factory station, and into a calmer neighborhood directly South of it.

He was partnered with a man named Lincoln right after that. Lincoln was maybe a year or so older than Blake, and another one of Kane's pet projects gone right.

He was a hulking beast of a man. Handsome, taller, and even in better shape than Bellamy. He often wore a thick leather coat which made his broad shoulders seem truly gigantic. So It came as quite a surprise to Bellamy that Lincoln was actually a big softy at heart. He let more than one case get to him, and usually needed to step out for a breather after surveying the scene.

They worked together for several years, and were quick to get along. Often goofing off in the office, pulling pranks on each-other or pretending to be partners in more way than one, usually just to tease their buddy Miller who worked in the Special victims Unit.

Miller, who was gay, (a fact that no-one in the office knew, until last year's Christmas Party, where he introduced his fiance Paul to a bunch of surprised but not offended colleagues.), would simply roll his eyes every time they'd come into the office holding hands… spouting cheesy love lines to one another.

Homicide was a dirty job, and more than once they had been shot at, or put at serious risk while on assignment. They closed case after case after case and quickly earned their place on the team as top dogs in the A.P.D.

Everything was going great. That is, until Lincoln decided to pursue his dream, and transfer to the Gangs and Narcotics Division.

If he was honest with himself, he knew Lincoln was perfectly suited for the job. He looked the part, tall, ripped, tattoos, scars, he lived out of town for half of his life, so no one from Arkadia really knew him. Plus, he had a history with drugs ( the reason Bellamy refused to introduce him to his sister despite her pleading after seeing a picture of the two of them on Bellamy's cell phone), and therefore had a bit of chip on his shoulder about the drug trade in general. Fighting the war against drugs was sort of Lincoln's dream job..

So when Lincoln told him the news, he had to admit he was actually pretty happy for the big Lug. Even if he was secretly dreading starting over with a new partner.

It was the weekend directly after Lincoln's transfer, that Captain Kane wrote the hot-headed young detective a brief email: stating that his new partner was being transferred in A.S.A.P., and to expect them to come in the following work week.

"Detective Griffin, age 24, and a recent University of Arkadia graduate" He read out-loud from his desk to no one in particular. "No first name given, and no back-story either."

"Sounds like Kane's trying to avoid conflict again" snarked Murphy, Roan's partner in the Organized Crime Unit, not to mention a huge pain in the ass to everyone in the office. A smirk was plastered on his face as he played with his phone, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. If there was one thing about Murphy, it was that he refused to work on anything until a cup of coffee was firmly placed in his hands, and if it was possible, he was even more of an ass until he had that first sip.

What all of this probably meant though, was that the kid was a rookie, being placed in the department because his family had ties with the chief of police (Commissioner Jaha.) The name Griffin did ring a bell, some public official or well to do politician, just the type of person Jaha liked to bump elbows with. He was probably book smart, and street stupid, because anyone wealthy enough to attend U of A, and be buddy buddy with Jaha, probably grew up sheltered as Fuck.

Bellamy let out a deep throaty chuckle, and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, you probably nailed it this time slick. Because, 1: Whoever they are, they're young, and fresh out of college, which means they're probably naive as hell."

"2: They're Probably well to do, based on the fact that they attended the most expensive private university in the State...and you know how much I love rich Pricks from DTA.(Down-town Arkadia)". Bellamy gave Murphy a pointed stare as the two of them raised their coffee mugs in apparent agreement on this particular matter.

"And most importantly, 3: They're new to the force, with absolutely zero experience to back them up. You bet your sweet little ass Kane knows I'm going to hate this guy."

…...

Bellamy was not optimistic. In fact he was pretty pissed off. Putting a rookie in homicide was a dangerous move, and jeopardized his whole team's safety, and it was an insult to the dozens of officers who've been vying for the position, and have been trying to work their way up the ranks the old fashioned way.

So, on Monday, when Kane approached Bellamy's desk surrounded by an entourage of his usual staff giving detailed reports, and waving papers around for him to sign, he failed to see the small, young, blonde person standing directly behind his Captain.

"Blake" The captain motioned for the crowd to disperse.

"Sir" Detective Blake stood from his desk momentarily, until Kane motioned for him to sit back down.

"Blake, I would like..."

"Sir, with all due respect, I read your email…." Bellamy cut him off. Already letting the anger in his voice slip out.

"...and this Griffin kid, I mean, you can't be serious! This person JUST graduated the Academy a few weeks ago. A few weeks ago Kane?!. Do I look like a babysitter?! You're going to pair me off with the new guy?" He put his feet on his desk defiantly, and immediately went back into his tirade. "You can't put a rookie on Homicide Sir, that's a Homicide in and of itself."

Kane's face looked like it was about to explode.

"You know it, I know it, and I'm pretty sure everyone in the whole Goddamned precinct knows it. I'm sure this kid's rich ass parents won't mind the shame of having their kid working the everyday beat, if it means their son doesn't wind up in a body bag this Christmas….Hell that could still happen, but at least it wouldn't be a certainty." Bellamy Slammed shut an open drawer at his desk for emphasis.

He showed no signs of slowing down…. So The captain decided to cut him off..

"Detective Blake may I remind you that you're speaking to a Superior Officer!"

"Yeah, I know.. but I'm serious Chief. You're asking me to..."

"Bellamy, get your feet off that desk, and shut up…. that's an order.."

The young detective sighed a deep throaty sigh, but did as he was told. Folding his impressive arms across his chest as he settled down.

"Now listen to me Blake, before you make an even bigger ASS of yourself.…

Detective Griffin is one of the youngest people to Graduate with honors from Arkadia's most prestigious University, having studied both Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences. She also graduated from the police Academy at A.C.C. at the top of her class. So when she decided to join our team, I was thrilled to place such a brilliant young mind in our detective's unit. Her Forensic background will come in handy on the Homicide team, I'm sure you'll agree."

Bellamy had to do mental check...

"Wait.. rewind a minute there chief..." His face remained stoic, as he went over this new information in his head again.

"You're giving me…. a female partner. A female ROOKIE partner?.!? " He stood back up at his desk at this point, groaning loudly and dragging his hands down his face slowly for exaggerated effect.

"NO!.. Absolutely not. Are you out of your fucking mind Marcus?! " Bellamy blanched .. rethinking his tone as he spoke to his captain. "I mean,.." and here he changed his tone only slightly. "are you out of your mind, Sir?"

A very audible cough was heard from behind the chief at this point, and Kane looked both extremely embarrassed and livid.

Harper, Miller's partner, threw a balled up piece of paper at Bellamy's head from her desk in the corner. "What's being a girl got anything to do with it Prick" she smiled, letting him know that she still found this interaction more funny than offensive.

"... As I was saying... when she decided to apply to the force...we were thrilled to have such a strong mind working with us to take down the cities top criminals. Most of you knuckleheads never even went to college" Kane gave Bellamy a knowing look and continued..

"And pairing her up with my BEST detective of course seemed like the BEST decision…. So without further ado….Clarke, Meet Bellamy... Bellamy.. this is Detective Clarke Griffin... Your new partner" this is when he decided to step to the side and finally reveal that she'd been standing there the whole time..

'sonofabitch'... he mentally chided himself, she heard the whole thing.

He sat back down in his seat slowly, and outstretched his hand begrudgingly…

There in front of him, at barely 5'4" tall, stood a young woman. She had a bright head of Blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and a little mole above her lip.. He noticed the mole first, loathe to admit that it was incredibly charming, but it was. Anyway, with her soft skin and gentle curves she looked nothing like the other girls on the team.

Reyes on the bomb squad, with her lean solid form, caramel skin, and a permanently pissed off look on her face. And Monroe, who looked like a MMA fighter with a mohawk and a probable drinking problem. Even Harper was built tough as nails, and knew how to throw a mean left hook.

'Clarke' looked like she was the teacher's pet her whole life. Like she'd never been in a fight...ever. Like an upper crust princess who attended private universities, and hung out with the cities social elite on the weekend.

This was NOT going to work.

…...