Moonlight On the Sea

Looking up from underneath
Fractured moonlight on the sea
Reflections still look the same to me
As before I went under

~Never Let Me Go : Florence + The Machine

Andrea McNally loved the smell of water. And respected it to the fullest.

Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, oceans or seas, it didn't matter. Ever since childhood, the scent of flowing liquid, be it over mud, rocks or algae, was enough to cheer her from some of her most miserable days. To this day, she still didn't quite know why she was so drawn to the water, just that she was.

Perhaps it was the wildness of it all.

How water could be so gentle in one moment and become a deadly force in the next. How it was life sustaining and life destroying.

Whenever an ocean storm or hurricane was on television, she would plant herself in front of it and watch religiously until Nature had played herself out. She was enthralled by the chaos, amazed as the water ate at land and people held on it. At this age, she didn't understand how the people could be there one minute and gone the next or why Tommy had tried to turn off the flickering TV whenever a part like that was aired. All she knew was the ocean was something no one could ever understand and that knowledge drew her even closer.

The mysteries held under the surface had fascinated her from when she could walk and her father had taken her out to the beach on weekly adventures. Sometimes, if she was lucky, they would head out a handful of times in one week.

She had taught herself to swim in the waters off the coast of PEI when they had gone to visit relatives. Her Aunt and Uncle had claimed she had taken to the water like a fish and Tommy had simply looked on proudly. With a few lessons from her older cousin, she had nearly mastered all of the strokes and spent most of that summer either at the pool or at the beach.

Growing older and learning much too fast how to take care of herself, the piers of Toronto had become a source of escape. No matter the time or circumstances, she would more often than not find herself standing beside a massive tanker and staring out over the water. It was when she turned fourteen that the pier became a sort of lifeline to her. Her father had missed her birthday that year, as well as the day before, and come stumbling home from one of the worst benders she had witnessed. He hadn't said a single word to her, just marched through their dirty apartment and into bed.

That night, she sat on the very edge of the wood, letting the wash and crash of waves ease some of the fear and pain that had built up over so long.

In essence, the ocean saved her life.

Going through high school, being the outsider girl with a cop for a father, the swim team had kept her sane. She was pretty damn good at it too, making national times for her age group and competing in meets around the province and east coast. There was a brief moment when she even considered going for a scholarship with her times, but registered for the Academy before she put too much thought into it.

Now that she was a full-fledged officer with the Fifteenth division, she rarely got any time to swim anymore. Her tradition of going out to the pier had faded and in its place, drinking at the Black Penny with her fellow rookies became her new habit. But she would seldom pass up the chance to patrol along the waters whenever the offer arose.

Which is how she found herself riding solo and doing a sweep along the piers.

The night was quiet and the moon bright and already, she was feeling happier. The week had been taking a toll on her. With shifts piling up one after another, every night or day home to some new excitement, more often than not, she was half asleep by the end of each patrol. And with Traci currently crashing on Andy's couch thanks to some spat with Jerry and Luke still being an insistent asshole, her life was in some serious need of relaxation.

Then there was Sam Swarek.

Cutting off that train of thought before it could even begin, Andy shook her head sharply and peered out the cruiser's windows towards the water. Moonlight danced off the small waves, little diamonds on the water.

"1519, reports of a disturbance near the South Pier have been reported." The static of her radio jolted her from her thoughts and she sighed.

"This is 1519, en route to location."

"Copy."

Flicking on the cruisers lights, she pushed the gas and sped along the chain link fence that only kept out the cowardly and those who wouldn't even bother. When she bumped through a large puddle, sending a sheet of dirty water flying in all directions, a grin spread and her heart started pounding.

Okay, maybe all the action wasn't so bad.

When she reached the gated section of the fence, she was surprised to see the chain cut and looming doors wide open. Eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously, she edged the vehicle through the opening and pulled to the side, parking neatly.

Climbing out, she clicked on her high beam flashlight and set off in the direction of the pier, keeping a careful watch around her and a hand on the butt of her weapon. She did a slow, careful sweep of the buildings, making sure they were locked up tight, and made her way through the maze of surrounding containers. Certain no one was about, she headed towards the shipping passage.

The smell coming off the water bolstered her spirits. It was fresh. It was wild. It was home.

It was enough distraction that, when she headed to the edge in order to peer out over the water and examine the hulking freighter, she missed the two figures crouched behind a shipping container abandoned to the side of the pier. Cast in shadows from the moonlight and the container itself, they were easy to miss.

She should've seen them.

Stopping at the very end, her boots thumping solidly against the foot high barrier, she reached absently for her radio and breathed deep.

"Dispatch, this is Officer McNally; I'm at the South Pier and-"

Her finger was still on the button when she felt something akin to an elephant slam into her back.

The thunderclap of two shots rang out an instant later, even as her body pitched over the edge. Her vision went red and black, stars exploding in the corners and air was punched from her lungs. There was a split instant where she was suspended in the air, staring down at the cold, unforgiving water and all she could think was;

False start. McNally is disqualified.

Then time snapped into high speed and the water welcomed her into its frozen embrace, light spinning away in the darkness.

However, today, Andrea McNally was terrified of the water.

...

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Author's Note: Hello readers! I would like to announce that I have commenced 'The Rookies Choice Awards', where authors can be recognized and recognize those stories you deem amazing. These awards will be held through May and June and would like to encourage each reader and author alike to participate in nominating their favorite fics and authors for the first year of the "Rookies Choice Awards!" The nomination ballot, rules and category summaries can each be found (in time) at "The Parade" Forum. To reach those posts, please take a trip to the forum itself. I look forward to hearing from each of you!

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