A/N: This is a completely non-canon L&O fic. You'll see why as you read on. :) Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I dob't own any of the following characters with the exception of Detective Hargraves. The rest belong to Dick Wolf and co.
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Rey Curtis shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he stood alone in Anita Van Buren's office. It had been nearly two years since he had last stood there, handing in his resignation in order to take care of his wife, Deborah. She had died only months later, leaving him with three girls to take care of on a minimal salary and as much as Rey hated the idea of working the beat but he had to find some way to clothe and feed his children.
Now he was standing nervously in the lieutenant's office, waiting to see once more if he would be able to get a job as a detective. He hated the tension in the air, a tension that wasn't abated any by the fact that he had previously held a job as a detective at the two-seven. Rey knew that if Anita decided he was no longer up to par, she'd kick him out of her office and go on looking for the next recruit. His professional past with her meant nothing; all that mattered was if he could still do the job.
Things had changed since he had been there, that much was clear to Rey. Lennie Briscoe had a new partner in the form of an old partner. For the first time only ten minutes ago, Rey had met the infamous Mike Logan. Apparently Anita had been desperate for detectives after having six of her employees killed in a shooting earlier that month. She was willing to forgive and forget in the case of Mike Logan, desperate as she was. He had resumed working with Lennie Briscoe whose former partner had died in the shootout.
As Rey reminisced about the other things that had changed, the door flew inward and Anita entered briskly. The door was shut quickly behind her and she flashed a brief smile in Rey's direction before taking a seat behind her desk. His request for a transfer to homicide was on her desk and she glanced over it quickly then looked up at Rey.
"You heard about the tragedy ?"
Rey nodded. "I heard. It was very unfortunate."
"You think you can just come back here and be handed a job?" she asked.
Rey gaped at her. "Anita, no. I don't expect that. It's just that I need a new job and you need homicide detectives. You know I'm good."
She nodded slowly, "I do know it. And I've turned this over in my head for the past week. I think it's a good idea to have you back Curtis. If I can give Detective Logan his job back I don't see why I can't give one to you as well. Maybe it's the stress of not having enough detectives that's convinced me, but either way . . ." she trailed off and smiled. "Welcome back Detective Curtis."
He smiled back at her and shook the hand that she offered him over the desk.
Anita nodded, then glanced at the papers on her desk once more. "As you know you won't be working with Detective Briscoe, he already had a new partner." She flipped through the pages, then smiled to herself. "I think you'll work perfectly with Detective Hargraves."
Rey smiled and nodded. "Great. That sounds great. When do I meet him?"
Anita suppressed a smile and pointed to the door. "Go finds Hargraves' desk. Then you'll meet . . . him."
Rey glanced at her with a slight frown on his face, then nodded and went to the door.
"Oh, and Curtis, you can pick up your badge, handcuffs and gun from me tomorrow morning," Anita called just before the door shut behind him.
Rey stared around the bustling precinct, watching, remembering a time when he was one of the detectives moving through the room in a flurry. With a smile he realized he would be one of them again.
He stepped into the clutter of desks and began reading the name plates that sat there, searching for the desk that would read 'Hargraves'. Finding it was easy enough, but when Rey looked up, he was surprised to find that the detective wasn't sitting at his desk. There was a blonde woman bent over his paperwork, his wife perhaps?
"Excuse me," Rey said.
The woman glanced up and raised one of her eyebrows at him. Her hair was pulled away from her face in loose waves and her eyes were steel grey, the colour of the ocean sky before a storm. She was dressed in a plain black dress suit and she looked more stressed than Rey had seen anyone in a long time.
"Yeah?" she asked, dragging a hand through her hair. Her voice was tired and thick with a Brooklyn accent.
"Is, uh . . . Detective Hargraves around?" Rey asked.
The woman rolled her eyes. "You're lookin' at her smart guy ."
Rey immediately cringed, then felt himself begin to blush. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I uh, I just thought that Hargraves was a man. I don't know why I thought that but I'm so sorry. I'm not sexist or anything but-"
"You're sure as hell noisy," she finished for him. "You think I could get some quiet here? I have mounds of paperwork to complete . . . unless, of course, I get a partner soon."
"Well, if you're Detective Hargraves, then do you have a partner," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Detective Rey Curtis."
"Natalie Hargraves," she said, then stared him up and down. "Rey Curtis huh? Didn't you take off some two years back?"
Rey felt his mouth tighten and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I left to take care of my dying wife."
"Oh," Natalie looked away. "I'm sorry. I just started working here a year ago. I just heard the stories of you abandoning the precinct."
"I didn't abandon anything," Rey said. "My wife needed me."
"Is she dead now?" Natalie asked.
Rey closed his eyes, then nodded. "Yes. She died not long after I left. It's just taken a long time to get back into homicide."
"I'm sorry," Natalie said. "Van Buren didn't tell me anything about you, let alone that you'd be my new partner." She looked over at the door for a second and brightened slightly. "Briscoe says a lot of good things about you."
Rey turned to watch Lennie Briscoe and Mike Logan walk through the door, talking intensely to each other. Mike was speaking with his hands, waving them about in the air and his brow was creased as he spoke. Lennie was nodding, his brow also furrowed in concern. A quick glance around the room revealed Natalie and Rey, but he barely noticed his old partner back as he walked briskly to Natalie.
"We need you out there doll. Tell Van Buren you need a partner right away," Lennie said, smiling gently at her. "You're one of our best."
Natalie suppressed a smile and pointed at Rey. "Meet my new partner, Detective Curtis."
Lennie glance up and a surprised laugh escaped his mouth. "Jesus Rey, I didn't even see you there."
"I kinda figured," Rey replied, then reached out to shake Lennie's hand. "It's been too long."
Lennie nodded. "It has Rey, it definitely has." He stepped back and waved a hand in Mike's direction. "You've already met Detective Logan."
Rey smiled and shook Mike's hand as well. "Hi again Detective."
"You can call me Mike," he replied.
Natalie stood and glanced at Mike before returning her attention to Lennie. "So what's out there that you need me so badly for?"
Lennie shrugged. "Nothing yet. But New York's been too lucky lately. I'm sure we'll be hit by something big in the next few weeks."
"Hey, don't jinx our good luck so far," Natalie said sharply, rapping on her wooden desk.
"Still so utterly superstitious," Mike murmured.
Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Hey Logan, shut up. You don't know me anymore."
Lennie stepped between then and grabbed Mike's arm. "We're gonna head out. See what else Anita has for us to take care of. You guys play nice now."
Natalie rolled her eyes and began shoving paperwork back into folders. Her hands were trembling slightly Rey noticed and he frowned.
"You and Mike . . . you don't get along?" he asked.
Natalie laughed bitterly. "That's an understatement."
"He seems like a good guy," Rey said.
She nodded slowly, standing and taking the folders with her. She walked briskly across the room and Rey had to follow her quickly to hear her say, "Yeah, he is a good guy. But only if you're working with him. When you're dating him it's a completely different story."
"Oh," Rey said stupidly, understanding finally dawning on him. "You and Mike dated."
"Few years ago when I was still in college," Natalie said, stuffing the folders into an outgoing mail slot. "I was twenty one and pretty stupid. He was this handsome detective; not to mention that he was eight years older than me and had his own place. I thought it was great."
"Hey, we all make mistakes," Rey said.
"He's an asshole to date," Natalie replied, turning to look at him. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear all about that."
Rey smiled. "We're partners now. We have to trust each other." He glanced at the clock. "What do you say I take you for a quick dinner and we can get to know each other."
Natalie sighed and shook her head briskly.
"As partners," Rey said. "That's all."
She sighed again and looked around the room for a quick escape. Finding none, she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that'd be okay."
Rey smiled at her reluctance. "When do you get off?"
"Six," Natalie said, glancing at her watch. "You gonna pick me up?"
"I'll be here at six," he said. Rey began to walk away, then turned back and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Detective. I'm sure you'll be great to work with."
"Yeah, yeah," Natalia muttered, waving her hand in his direction. She tried her hardest to look annoyed, but as Rey Curtis walked away she let a tiny smile escape. She was secretly pleased that she would be working with Rey. From what she had heard, he was one of the best detectives at the two-seven, one of the best in New York city for that matter. She was looking forward to learning as much from him as she possibly could.
* * * *
Disclaimer: I dob't own any of the following characters with the exception of Detective Hargraves. The rest belong to Dick Wolf and co.
* * * *
Rey Curtis shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he stood alone in Anita Van Buren's office. It had been nearly two years since he had last stood there, handing in his resignation in order to take care of his wife, Deborah. She had died only months later, leaving him with three girls to take care of on a minimal salary and as much as Rey hated the idea of working the beat but he had to find some way to clothe and feed his children.
Now he was standing nervously in the lieutenant's office, waiting to see once more if he would be able to get a job as a detective. He hated the tension in the air, a tension that wasn't abated any by the fact that he had previously held a job as a detective at the two-seven. Rey knew that if Anita decided he was no longer up to par, she'd kick him out of her office and go on looking for the next recruit. His professional past with her meant nothing; all that mattered was if he could still do the job.
Things had changed since he had been there, that much was clear to Rey. Lennie Briscoe had a new partner in the form of an old partner. For the first time only ten minutes ago, Rey had met the infamous Mike Logan. Apparently Anita had been desperate for detectives after having six of her employees killed in a shooting earlier that month. She was willing to forgive and forget in the case of Mike Logan, desperate as she was. He had resumed working with Lennie Briscoe whose former partner had died in the shootout.
As Rey reminisced about the other things that had changed, the door flew inward and Anita entered briskly. The door was shut quickly behind her and she flashed a brief smile in Rey's direction before taking a seat behind her desk. His request for a transfer to homicide was on her desk and she glanced over it quickly then looked up at Rey.
"You heard about the tragedy ?"
Rey nodded. "I heard. It was very unfortunate."
"You think you can just come back here and be handed a job?" she asked.
Rey gaped at her. "Anita, no. I don't expect that. It's just that I need a new job and you need homicide detectives. You know I'm good."
She nodded slowly, "I do know it. And I've turned this over in my head for the past week. I think it's a good idea to have you back Curtis. If I can give Detective Logan his job back I don't see why I can't give one to you as well. Maybe it's the stress of not having enough detectives that's convinced me, but either way . . ." she trailed off and smiled. "Welcome back Detective Curtis."
He smiled back at her and shook the hand that she offered him over the desk.
Anita nodded, then glanced at the papers on her desk once more. "As you know you won't be working with Detective Briscoe, he already had a new partner." She flipped through the pages, then smiled to herself. "I think you'll work perfectly with Detective Hargraves."
Rey smiled and nodded. "Great. That sounds great. When do I meet him?"
Anita suppressed a smile and pointed to the door. "Go finds Hargraves' desk. Then you'll meet . . . him."
Rey glanced at her with a slight frown on his face, then nodded and went to the door.
"Oh, and Curtis, you can pick up your badge, handcuffs and gun from me tomorrow morning," Anita called just before the door shut behind him.
Rey stared around the bustling precinct, watching, remembering a time when he was one of the detectives moving through the room in a flurry. With a smile he realized he would be one of them again.
He stepped into the clutter of desks and began reading the name plates that sat there, searching for the desk that would read 'Hargraves'. Finding it was easy enough, but when Rey looked up, he was surprised to find that the detective wasn't sitting at his desk. There was a blonde woman bent over his paperwork, his wife perhaps?
"Excuse me," Rey said.
The woman glanced up and raised one of her eyebrows at him. Her hair was pulled away from her face in loose waves and her eyes were steel grey, the colour of the ocean sky before a storm. She was dressed in a plain black dress suit and she looked more stressed than Rey had seen anyone in a long time.
"Yeah?" she asked, dragging a hand through her hair. Her voice was tired and thick with a Brooklyn accent.
"Is, uh . . . Detective Hargraves around?" Rey asked.
The woman rolled her eyes. "You're lookin' at her smart guy ."
Rey immediately cringed, then felt himself begin to blush. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I uh, I just thought that Hargraves was a man. I don't know why I thought that but I'm so sorry. I'm not sexist or anything but-"
"You're sure as hell noisy," she finished for him. "You think I could get some quiet here? I have mounds of paperwork to complete . . . unless, of course, I get a partner soon."
"Well, if you're Detective Hargraves, then do you have a partner," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Detective Rey Curtis."
"Natalie Hargraves," she said, then stared him up and down. "Rey Curtis huh? Didn't you take off some two years back?"
Rey felt his mouth tighten and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I left to take care of my dying wife."
"Oh," Natalie looked away. "I'm sorry. I just started working here a year ago. I just heard the stories of you abandoning the precinct."
"I didn't abandon anything," Rey said. "My wife needed me."
"Is she dead now?" Natalie asked.
Rey closed his eyes, then nodded. "Yes. She died not long after I left. It's just taken a long time to get back into homicide."
"I'm sorry," Natalie said. "Van Buren didn't tell me anything about you, let alone that you'd be my new partner." She looked over at the door for a second and brightened slightly. "Briscoe says a lot of good things about you."
Rey turned to watch Lennie Briscoe and Mike Logan walk through the door, talking intensely to each other. Mike was speaking with his hands, waving them about in the air and his brow was creased as he spoke. Lennie was nodding, his brow also furrowed in concern. A quick glance around the room revealed Natalie and Rey, but he barely noticed his old partner back as he walked briskly to Natalie.
"We need you out there doll. Tell Van Buren you need a partner right away," Lennie said, smiling gently at her. "You're one of our best."
Natalie suppressed a smile and pointed at Rey. "Meet my new partner, Detective Curtis."
Lennie glance up and a surprised laugh escaped his mouth. "Jesus Rey, I didn't even see you there."
"I kinda figured," Rey replied, then reached out to shake Lennie's hand. "It's been too long."
Lennie nodded. "It has Rey, it definitely has." He stepped back and waved a hand in Mike's direction. "You've already met Detective Logan."
Rey smiled and shook Mike's hand as well. "Hi again Detective."
"You can call me Mike," he replied.
Natalie stood and glanced at Mike before returning her attention to Lennie. "So what's out there that you need me so badly for?"
Lennie shrugged. "Nothing yet. But New York's been too lucky lately. I'm sure we'll be hit by something big in the next few weeks."
"Hey, don't jinx our good luck so far," Natalie said sharply, rapping on her wooden desk.
"Still so utterly superstitious," Mike murmured.
Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Hey Logan, shut up. You don't know me anymore."
Lennie stepped between then and grabbed Mike's arm. "We're gonna head out. See what else Anita has for us to take care of. You guys play nice now."
Natalie rolled her eyes and began shoving paperwork back into folders. Her hands were trembling slightly Rey noticed and he frowned.
"You and Mike . . . you don't get along?" he asked.
Natalie laughed bitterly. "That's an understatement."
"He seems like a good guy," Rey said.
She nodded slowly, standing and taking the folders with her. She walked briskly across the room and Rey had to follow her quickly to hear her say, "Yeah, he is a good guy. But only if you're working with him. When you're dating him it's a completely different story."
"Oh," Rey said stupidly, understanding finally dawning on him. "You and Mike dated."
"Few years ago when I was still in college," Natalie said, stuffing the folders into an outgoing mail slot. "I was twenty one and pretty stupid. He was this handsome detective; not to mention that he was eight years older than me and had his own place. I thought it was great."
"Hey, we all make mistakes," Rey said.
"He's an asshole to date," Natalie replied, turning to look at him. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear all about that."
Rey smiled. "We're partners now. We have to trust each other." He glanced at the clock. "What do you say I take you for a quick dinner and we can get to know each other."
Natalie sighed and shook her head briskly.
"As partners," Rey said. "That's all."
She sighed again and looked around the room for a quick escape. Finding none, she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that'd be okay."
Rey smiled at her reluctance. "When do you get off?"
"Six," Natalie said, glancing at her watch. "You gonna pick me up?"
"I'll be here at six," he said. Rey began to walk away, then turned back and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Detective. I'm sure you'll be great to work with."
"Yeah, yeah," Natalia muttered, waving her hand in his direction. She tried her hardest to look annoyed, but as Rey Curtis walked away she let a tiny smile escape. She was secretly pleased that she would be working with Rey. From what she had heard, he was one of the best detectives at the two-seven, one of the best in New York city for that matter. She was looking forward to learning as much from him as she possibly could.
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