The day that Superintendent Ted Hastings sent him a transfer request for him to be moved to AC-12, Steve knew that there would be backlash from those who were not happy that he had stood up for the truth but he also knew that it was the best decision he could have made. He had grown used to the dirty looks and the cold shoulder he got from those he worked with so the distaste that he would face from those that AC-12 investigated would not make a difference. The only difference that there would be was the fact that he would have backup when he needed it and support from his boss and colleagues.
Steve had kept his head low since he had put in the paperwork that confirmed what had actually happened with the Fahrenheit order but there had been more than a couple of close calls in that time between him not receiving backup when he was supposed to whilst checking for leads on the lost terror cell, and threats that had been sent his way from those under his command who deem that he was not protecting his men. He had been searching for a transfer out of Counterterrorism when Hastings papers crossed his desk only requiring his signature.
He hesitated regardless of all the positives that came from the possibility of transfer just from the thought that it could all be another unfortunate prank from someone else who was against him still be in counterterrorism. The pranks had been ongoing since prior to the Fahrenheit order but afterwards, they got significantly more frequent and more serious. The opportunity appeared to be too good to be true until he spotted the post it note that was stuck to the inside cover to the file; 9AM Monday. Do not be late.
That was when he knew that it wasn't a hoax because no one would actually go to that length to get the upper hand in pranking him. With the worry gone, he signed the relevant forms before delivering them to his boss. He just had to make it until Monday and then he was out of there, a fresh start and the ability to go home at night to his daughter. He could do that. He could make it until the end of the week. After all it was only a few days away.
Livvy was sat at the kitchen table in Steve's apartment when Steve got out of the shower and had changed into his jeans and t-shirt. Although it was the middle of the week, and under normal circumstances his daughter spent most of the week with her mother, Livvy had been staying at his flat more nights than not following the failed counterterrorism operation. He stood in the doorway to his kitchen watching Livvy for a minute before he flicked the light switch off-on-off-on causing Livvy to look up from her school folder and turn towards the kitchen doorway.
'Livvy, we need to talk,' Steve signed to his daughter before he walked over to the table and sat in front of her. 'You understand what my job is?' He asked the ten year old after Livvy had closed her folder. He signed slowly, almost hesitantly as he tried to figure out how to tell Livvy that he was moving departments because he knew that his daughter would ask questions.
"Yes." Livvy spoke before she began to sign. 'You stop the bad guys that want to harm us like them who blow up people,' she tried to explain and although the subject was not something that was amusing Steve wanted nothing more than to laugh at the way Livvy had chosen to describe his job at counterterrorism.
'Yes, but you know that something went wrong and I got blamed,' he signed before he glanced down for a moment to consider what he was going to say next. 'Now, what I wanted to tell you is that I am changing departments. I am going to be looking into corrupt officers. It means that I am going to be working different hours but it should not be as dangerous,' he finished before Livvy stood up and launched herself at Steve to give him a tight hug.
"Daddy safe now," the three words would have sounded childish from any other ten year old when put in the form that Livvy had put them in, but it was one sentence that brought a smile to Steve's face, and tears to his eyes. Livvy didn't usual speak more than a word, as she found the fact that she couldn't hear what she was saying weird so she had taken to just speaking sign language or writing down what she wanted to say on a whiteboard like she did at school. It was only when it was something important or she really wanted to make a point that Livvy would speak out-loud.
'Yes, I am going to be safe now,' he confirmed after he backed out of Livvy's hug. He couldn't help the smile that he returned as soon as Livvy's face lit up. It was now that he knew that he had made the right move in deciding to move to AC-12.
Monday morning Steve made an extra effort to ensure that he was up early enough to have time to sit down and eat breakfast with Livvy; normally, he would get up and make Livvy's breakfast, and have his shower whilst she was eating it, but he wanted a fresh start at home as well as at work. It honestly was not until he sat down to eat breakfast with his daughter before he went to work and she went to school, that he realised just how easily his daughter could make his day a whole lot brighter even if all she signed was 'I like breakfast with you'.
For the first time since the raid and the shooting and the Fahrenheit order, as Steve dropped Livvy off at school he looked forward to going to school. To being able to do his job. To working with people he could trust and wouldn't attack him for telling the truth.
"Is it Steve or Steven?" Hastings asked him as he met him before they entered the AC-12 offices.