Chris sat at his desk with his head in his hands, trying to clear his mind of the day's events. The man he had been partnered with for 5 years was just convicted of second-degree murder. For some reason, Chris thought this was all his fault, like he could have done more or something.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear another figure enter the room.
"Hey."
Chris looked up. "Oh, hey Hector."
A small smile appeared on his face. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, just thinking."
Hector's smile disappeared. "I heard about the verdict. Gotta be rough seeing your old partner sent to jail like that."
"Kibre keep you updated?" Chris asked.
"Yeah. Yelled at me, too. Said I shouldn't be letting you do this alone."
Chris snorted. "She can be a bitch sometimes."
"Oh, she's not that bad once you get to know her."
"Whatever." He hated the way he always stuck up for her.
Hector sighed, "Listen, I know how bad this whole mess was, but I gotta ask. You with us?"
Chris raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Did Kibre put you up to this?"
"No, she didn't. I meant that if something like this were to happen again, you won't go behind anyone's back and do what you think is right."
"Hey, you said it yourself. It was rough for me. I didn't even want to get involved in the first place. This was forced on me!"
Hector held up his hand to stop him. "You didn't answer my question." There was a note of seriousness in his voice that Chris couldn't avoid.
"I don't know." He said slowly.
"You're gonna have to decide sometime. You're either with us or you're not."
"I got nothing against you, Hector, but I'm not sure I can stand working for the DA's office."
"Why?"
"Being told what to look for isn't the same as finding the stuff on your own. Seeing an old friend made me realize how much I missed that aspect."
"You got a point." Said Hector. "It's been a while since I worked a case like that, too. But Chris, you let yourself get too close to the case. Think like a detective, not a friend."
Chris growled under his breath. He was this close to punching Hector. "I told you, I had no choice."
"That's what you think."
"Damnit, Hector, don't you start on me, too! You'd be no better than Kibre." He said with force in his voice. "You're the only ally I got right now."
"If I'm your ally, you would have let me help you." He stated matter-of-factly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't need this right now, especially from you." Getting up from his seat, he brushed past Hector, heading towards the door. "I thought I could count on you. Now I see you're just like the rest of them – only out for justice."
Before he made it out the door, Hector spoke up, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"You're right."
Chris smiled to himself before finally leaving --proud that he had managed to get through to someone. Maybe working here wouldn't be so bad after all.
Let me know what you think. Comments and advice are always welcome.
Disclaimer: Don't own Law & Order: TBJ or any of the characters.
Silvarius Meleisah
