When Superintendent Hastings asked Steve if he had something to wear to the Officer of the Year Award presentation, the only thing he could think of that was not one of the suits he wore to work was his black suit and bow tie. Internally he groaned, it had to be his first day at AC-12 when he has to attempt to tie a bow tie correctly.
He decided though to do the best he could that day as he got to grips with his new job, before he went home and undoubtedly had to phone his ex-wife for instructions on how to tie his godforsaken bow tie.
Fifteen year old Steve Arnott stood in his best friend, Emma Ryan's, bathroom attempting for the fourth time to tie his bow tie. Emma had somehow managed to convince him and his caretakers at the group home that it was a good idea for him to go to the school dance. And it had been until Emma handed him the bow tie that he was now still trying to tie.
"Steve, do you need a hand?" Mrs Ryan asked as she appeared at the bathroom door to see the fifteen year old struggling. She had just finished helping Emma get dressed and had told her daughter that she would check on the young boy who had recently stolen a new place in her daughter's heart.
"My dad used to tie these if I had to wear one," he admitted with tears clouding his eyes. Everything had happened so quickly; his dad left for work and just didn't come home due to a car accident and then after the funeral he was put in a group home because his mum had 'checked out'.
"Oh, Sweetie," was the only thing Mrs Ryan could think to say as she took the bow tie from Steve's hands and began to tie it with ease. "There you go," she said after only a few moments with a soft smile on her face.
"Thanks," Steve muttered softly before Mrs Ryan steered him out of the bathroom and down the stairs to wait for Emma in the living room. He didn't know why he was even bothering to go other than the fact that Emma had more or less told him that he had to do it for her.
Steve couldn't help but sigh as he closed his front door behind him; it wasn't an angry sigh or anything bad but just a sigh of relief that he was finished with Counterterrorism. He hadn't realised until he started at AC-12 just how horrible it had been at Counterterrorism in the aftermath of the Fahrenheit decision, but AC-12 was completely different and his previous actions weren't held against him.
He locked his front door before throwing his keys into his couch and making his way to his bathroom to have a shower. He pulled his shirt over his head and started to undo his belt before he got fully undressed and stepped into his shower.
The third time since his father's death that Steve had to wear a bow tie was his wedding day. It had been four years since his father had died but he still hadn't learnt to tie a bow tie correctly. He was nervous about the fact that he was getting married but when he looked over at his daughter sleeping on his and Emma's bed, he knew that getting married was not going to change anything but show how much they loved each other.
"How's it going, my soon to be husband?" The voice of his fiancé, his soon to be wife, pulled him from his internal complaints regarding having to wear a bow tie and the fear of everything changing once he had a wife and daughter rather than just a fiancé and daughter. To most it would not seem that big of a deal, but Emma was his first love so he felt as though he was giving up any chance of having another relationship.
"Just trying to tie my bow tie. Why do I have to wear it?" He said with a laughing tone flitting through his voice. He honestly wanted to know why he was being made to wear a bow tie, but by the look on Emma's face he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon.
"Steve, let go of it," Emma chuckled as she laid her hands on top of his hands which were holding each end of his bow-tie. After the length of time that they had been friends, Emma knew that it was more than just the fact that he had to wear a bow-tie that was bothering him; it was the fact that he had to get married without either of his parents there to witness it, and that their daughter would not have two sets of grandparents but only one set. And to tell the truth, Emma understood that it was difficult for Steve, she just wished that he would tell her. "What's really going on?" Emma asked as she tied Steve's bow-tie for him.
He never answered, but Emma wasn't too worried, she knew that he would open up eventually. Steve just smiled at her before he gave her a chaste kiss and pushed her out of the room to go and get ready for their wedding day herself.
Steve had been stood in front of his bathroom mirror for fifteen minutes trying to tie his bow-tie when he eventually admitted defeat and picked up his mobile phone from where it was sitting on top of his window ledge. He paused for only a moment before he dialled the well known number for his ex-wife.
'Hey, what's up?' Emma's voice floated over him and made him sigh in the knowledge that even although they are never going to have a romantic relationship again, they could still maintain their friendship.
"I still can't tie a bow-tie, Em," Steve admitted before he closed his eyes against the laughter that he knew would erupt from Emma at that statement. He gave Emma a minute before he cut in. "Emma, I've got to be at this work thing in about half an hour," he cut in causing his ex-wife to stop laughing so hard.
'Right, put it around your neck. Make the right side shorter than the left side. Move the left side to the right, over the top of the left bit. Take the bit that was on the left and bring it under the bit on right and through the neck loop. At the joint fold the bit originally from the right to the right and then to the left so it looks like a bow. You doing okay, Steve?' Emma asked as she realised that Steve had not said a single word since she had began explaining how to tie his bow tie.
"Yeah, keep going."
'Bring the bit that was originally on the left straight down over the middle of the bow shape you've already made. Now fold that bit back towards your chest and hold the fold. Push that bit through the loop you've already made with the other bit. Now pull them together to tighten them. Make sure it is even, Steve,' she finished explaining before waiting until she had heard Steve sigh in relief.
"I think that's the first time I have ever tied a bow-tie correctly," Steve laughed in relief at finally being properly dressed so as he could go to the dinner and award presentation that Hastings had essentially demanded he was at on time and appropriately dressed. "Thanks Em," he added as he picked up his phone which had been on speaker since he had phoned her and began walking towards his living room so as to pull on his shoes and leave to meet Hastings.
'It's cool. Phone Livvy before bed, or if you're not home in time, first thing in the morning. She wants to know how your new job is.' Emma commented before she hung up the phone. They had a rule of trying not to say goodbye so that they always had a reason to fight for the next phone call and their next day with Livvy.
Steve arrived at the arranged time and couldn't help but glance around when he realised who it was that was receiving the award and then it got even weirder when Steve realised who it was that Hastings wanted them to investigate. He had known that he would be looking into other police officers but he didn't consider that it could be some of the best police officers that they had.
If nothing else he knew that it would certainly be interesting now.