Partnered

by:

JJS4 & A.K. Hunter

Chapter One


Kevin Ryan stared into his cup of precinct-cooked, monkey-piss coffee. He'd been up late the night before chasing down leads on his latest case, one of the most important cases he'd ever tackled, and he wasn't quite ready to face a new day.

His phone pinged, and a message from Esposito flashed across the display.

"When did nurses stop wearing the little dresses?" —E

"Your grandfather's time." —K

"Save me, bro." —E

Kevin smirked, taking a sip of the foul brew. After seven years, his abused taste buds no longer protested the flavor. His partner had been hospitalized several days before after taking two rounds to his back. The resulting nerve damage meant Javier had several months of physical therapy ahead. The image of Esposito hitting the ground was burned into Kevin's memory.

They hadn't caught the shooter, the prime suspect on their most recent homicide case. It was the case Kevin had been working on tirelessly since Javi had come out of surgery, and their leads were drying up fast.

"Any luck last night?" Beckett asked, drawing him out of his thoughts. The police captain had stepped in to help on the case—she cared about Espo almost as much as Ryan did—but things were still looking bleak.

"Not yet, but we'll get him. Sooner or later that bastard will make a mistake."

She nodded. "Maybe the new team member will help."

Kevin snorted. "Don't hold your breath."

"Be nice. She's highly qualified, and you were a rookie once, too."

He rolled his eyes in response, and Beckett retreated to her office after gently smacking the back of his head. He still couldn't believe they were assigning the rookie to him. Yes, he needed a partner while Espo was out, but why couldn't he just consult with Beckett?

He glanced at the clock, savoring the precious seconds of alone time with his shitty coffee before he would be forced to coddle the newest member of their team. Their caseload was going to suffer. He didn't have time to hold a rookie's hand through every step. This was going to be such a nightmare.

"Excuse me, Detective Ryan?"

He frowned at the soft voice, and turned around, his eyes landing on one of the prettiest women he'd ever seen.

The redhead was dressed plainly, her gray slacks and white button-up subtly hinting at delicious, hidden curves. Her long hair was pulled back in a braid, and a few, messy tendrils escaped, framing the slope of her porcelain neck. She watched him with inquisitive, bright blue eyes, a small smile on her full, very kissable lips.

The badge on her hip gleamed in the fluorescent lighting of the bullpen, and realization dawned.

"Alexis Castle," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm so excited to be part of your team."

This goddess—whom he had just spent the last seventeen seconds ogling—was his new partner, the rookie whose life and training he'd been entrusted with.

Kevin stood up and shook her hand, surprised to feel a few callouses against his palm. "Kevin Ryan. Umm... Welcome, I guess."

He was so screwed.


Alexis had become a cop to help people. She loved puzzles and wanted to make the world a better, safer place, and she had thought that becoming a homicide detective would be a perfect fit. What she didn't anticipate was spending her first two weeks in homicide as a glorified secretary.

Detective Ryan seemed determined to do all the legwork and actual, physical investigating by himself. He left her tasks—finishing the paperwork on his last case, checking into their suspect's financials, looking up phone records and watching video surveillance—and spent the rest of his time away from the precinct, using the leads she found for him or ones he'd dug up himself. The only time he'd ever come back between the hours of eight and five was if he was interrogating a suspect. Alexis knew that, as the rookie, she'd have to earn her dues. But she hadn't signed up for a desk job. She wanted to participate in the actual investigation.

She stood in observation, watching her so-called partner interrogating their latest suspect. When she'd first met him, she was nervous about working with a young, handsome man. Alexis had been expecting to be partnered with a woman or a much older man. She'd been surprised to find out her first homicide partner didn't look much older than her twenty-three years and had eyes so blue you could drown in them. Fortunately for Alexis, Detective Ryan's cold manners had pretty much killed any attraction she had fleetingly felt.

Ryan slammed his fist down on the table and Alexis groaned. She had hoped the latest interrogation would bear fruit on their case. She needed him to be in a good mood, if he was capable of that. His normally quiet voice dropped an octave and filled the small space as he demanded answers that the suspect, a young woman, just wouldn't give.

Alexis recognized the look on the girl's face. She was afraid, but not of Ryan, and he wasn't going to make any progress by acting like a bully. A few minutes later he stormed into observation, rubbing his face. His eyes widened when he saw Alexis there.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Observing," she said shortly. She really didn't understand what his issue was with her participating in this case. Maybe he didn't respect women in law enforcement? No, that wouldn't be it. He had a lot of respect for Captain Beckett.

"Did you get those phone records—"

"They're sitting on your desk."

He nodded and looked back in the now-empty observation room. He never thanked her either.

"What's going to happen to her?" Alexis asked.

"We'll hold her overnight. Hopefully by morning she'll want to talk."

"I can talk to her." Alexis tried to keep her voice casual, like she was offering to do him a favor rather than chomping at the bit to actually do her job.

Kevin's head jerked around to look at her, and she maintained eye contact. "You want to talk to her?"

"Yes."

"You've got plenty of work to do."

"Chasing down paper trails? Let me talk to her. She might be more comfortable speaking with another woman."

"If you can't handle a little paperwork, then you're in the wrong field." He moved to the door, but Alexis stepped in front of it. He'd either have to back down and use the other exit, or he'd have to actually listen to what she was saying for once.

"I can handle paperwork. I'd do paperwork every day for the rest of the year if I thought I was actually learning something." Alexis spoke fast, trying to speak her piece before he cut her off again. "I was the top of my class. I'm the second-youngest person here to make detective. I have a lot to offer, and I've watched you go out alone ever since I got here. I'm supposed to be your partner. You're supposed to be teaching me, and instead I'm wasting my time sitting at a desk all day—"

"Wow. I had no idea you were expecting the royal treatment."

She just barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I can help you solve this."

"I don't need your help."

"It's been three weeks since Detective Esposito was shot, and you still haven't found anything. If this is you not needing my help, I'd hate to see what you look like in dire straits."

She'd gone too far. She knew it as soon as the words left her mouth, but Alexis didn't back down. She lifted her chin, defiantly staring into his darkening eyes.

His voice took on that low quality as he stepped into her personal space. She immediately stepped away, and her back hit the door. "If you don't like the way I do things, Princess, why don't you go complain to the captain? I'm sure she'll get you a new partner." A cruel smirk spread over his face. "On second thought, please do. I'm trying to track down a ruthless killer who nearly paralyzed my best friend. I don't have time to coddle a whiny rookie who doesn't know her place."

Alexis sidestepped out of the way, and Ryan slammed the door behind her. She was so angry she couldn't see straight. His words replayed over and over in her mind. Why did he hate her so much? What had she ever done to him? He was such an asshole.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. Maybe she was better off with another partner. Of course, she could have just as much bad luck with anyone else, and Alexis wasn't about to waste the captain's time. She needed to handle this herself. She needed to prove to Detective Ryan that she was useful.

Alexis glanced back at the observation room as she made her decision. She wasn't going anywhere. She was going to crack that case, and if, after that, he still wouldn't teach her, then she'd just teach herself.


He'd had a long night. After calling it quits for the evening, Kevin had stopped by the hospital to visit with Javi. He'd filled his partner in on their latest leads and breakthroughs, declining to comment when Javi had asked how the new rookie was doing. Kevin didn't trust himself to remain professional. Besides, Javi didn't need to hear about the rookie—with any luck, she'd be long gone by the time he was back to work. After saying goodnight to his partner, Kevin had sought out the release that only a nameless, aggressive woman could provide.

Despite the sleep deprivation, he was feeling much better the next morning. Optimistic, even. The suspect had been cooking overnight. Surely she'd be more willing to talk now.

He walked into the bullpen, and all of his cheer dried right up. The rookie was writing on his murder board, and she'd been messing with it for quite some time if the six paper cups of coffee on her desk were any indication.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

She didn't even acknowledge his comment, though he could tell from the tension in her shoulders that she had heard him. She capped the marker, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. She pressed her ink-stained fingertips against her mouth as she stared up at the board. New names and pictures had been neatly added to the lineup, and half the leads he'd been looking into had been taken down.

"Hey." He grabbed her elbow, more to get her attention than anything else, but she jerked her arm away like his touch burned her. He'd thought her discomfort in observation was due to his anger, but maybe she just didn't like to be touched. The girl was an ice queen. "What have you done to my murder board?"

Dark circles hugged her bright eyes, but she seemed unbothered by the fatigue or his anger. "There have been some new developments."

"How?" He'd just barely gotten back.

"I was right," she said. "Our suspect was more than willing to chat with me."

"You interrogated her? Alone? When?"

"At about eleven last night. She had a lot to say."

He'd had his tongue down whatshername's throat at about that time. It was then that he noticed the rookie's messy ponytail and wrinkled clothes. "You stayed here all night?"

She shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "I was just following the leads." She took in his tired appearance, and her eyes locked on something just below his face. "Is that a bite mark?"

Kevin casually adjusted the collar of his shirt, which was answer enough for the obnoxious redhead.

"Late night with your girlfriend?" she asked, her expression betraying a small grimace.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. "I've just never seen a grown man with a love bite—"

"Let's get one thing straight here, Princess. Just because you clearly don't have a personal life, doesn't mean you get to judge mine." He could tell his words affected her and he took satisfaction in it. "So what did you learn while disobeying me?"

"Well, I learned who our new number one suspect is, so I guess my 'disobedience' paid off. Oh, and don't call me princess."

Kevin shot a look at her. "Well," he sighed, "are you going to keep talking or not?"

Alexis sighed and pointed to the murder board. "Theresa told me that the guy we're looking for is Jared Watters."

"Watters? They're related?"

"He's her brother. She says this wouldn't be unexpected of someone like him."

"What does that mean?"

"He's kind of the black sheep of the family. He never really fit in and he's mentally ill."

"Perfect," Kevin deadpanned. "So why were her prints on the weapon?"

"Jared stays with Theresa and her husband. He took the gun from the safe in their house. It's registered to her husband, David."

"Well, they're doing a bang up job of taking care of him. What else is this guy into?"

"A little bit of everything: dealing, theft, assault. All small-time counts, presumably arranged by guys much smarter than Jared. He's a pawn," she said, her mind analyzing the man on the board in front of her. "People take advantage of his illness, get him to do small jobs here and there, knowing he's expendable."

"Before you hear wedding bells, that pawn almost killed my partner," Kevin reminded her, annoyed that she seemed to be sympathizing with him. "Does his dear sister know where to find him?"

"She gave me a few different locations." She held up a slip of paper, and Kevin promptly yanked it out of her hand and shoved it in his pocket. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Kevin was already heading to the elevator. He waved a hand in her direction. "Take the rest of the day off, Princess. You look like shit."

The elevator doors closed before Alexis could even form a response. What the hell? She'd been up literally all night long to prove that she was capable of being an equal partner, and he just took her leads and left? Alexis took a deep breath, then grabbed her jacket. She remembered most of the places on the list. Detective Asshole wasn't the only one who could investigate alone. She'd worked too hard to let some smug, Irish jerk keep her from doing the job she wanted. And since Ryan clearly wasn't interested in working as a team, she'd just catch their suspect by herself.


Thank you so much for reading the first chapter! We hope you enjoyed it. There aren't very many Rylexis stories out there and almost none like this one, so please keep reading! You won't be disappointed. :)