Hey all!

So, here we go, it's finally the start of Under My Skin! For those who have not read the sister fic to this story – Mischief And Me – it is recommended to do so, but not necessary; if for no other reason than to gain all the backstory behind Katie. Some of the events here directly tie into events of that story, but are just told from a different point of view. I'll be adding prompts to any chapters which tie in.

This is a Gavin/OC story, but it will delve into the many relationships around the pair of them too. Be aware that this fic will go to some dark places eventually, but it will be relatively light-hearted to begin with.

And…without further ado, let the story begin!

Prompt: This chapter ties directly in to Ch 8:Shhh, It's A Secret, and references both Ch 5: Two For One and Ch 6: Tag Team of Mischief And Me.

Chapter 1: Less Than Impressed

"Minna, I'm gonna make you into a rug unintentionally if you don't get out of my damn feet! I'll squish you if I trip!" The black and white fluffy cat continued to curl happily around Gavin's legs as he quickly demolished some toast at the kitchen counter, running late for his shift. He couldn't believe that he'd managed to sleep through all four of his alarms. It wasn't unheard of for him to go through two or even three, but all four? So much for squeezing an early morning run in before work.

Shoving the last piece in his mouth, he bent down to pick the cat up and scratch under her chin, earning a highly contented purr in response. Gavin had no idea why his normally bitchy cat was being such a suck up this morning, but he'd be lying if he said he minded that much.

It made a pleasant change from being clawed if he so much as walked past her when she was in a bad mood.

"All right, you softie, I've got to get moving," he mumbled around his toast, taking her through to his bedroom. She meowed sadly at him as he placed her on the bed and rubbed up against him again. Gavin raised an eyebrow at her as she kept begging for attention and sighed as he knelt down to give her one last scratch. She nuzzled his face in reply, earning an affectionate chuckle from the detective. "You're in a cuddly mood for once; I feel kinda bad for leaving," he murmured before giving her one last ruffle. "See you tonight, Minna."

Gavin strode away and nabbed his keys from his coffee table in the living room, turning back to see the cat was now curling up on his pillow, but turned towards the headboard: sulking. He chuckled while shaking his head.

Strange day when my resident psychopathic cat is huffing at me leaving. This better not be a sign of what's coming.

Remembering that he was running late, Gavin jogged down to his car and started it up. Checking over at the time, he hummed to himself quickly before deciding to make a quick pit stop at one of his favourite coffee shops (the fact that his baby sister was now working there – and could have an order ready and waiting for him to pick up – was just a bonus).

Shooting a quick text off to her with his order as he plugged in the destination for the autonomous car, he decided to take let the car do its thing for once and sat back to try and unwind before his shift. Fowler had warned him yesterday that he would have news for Gavin when he came in, and the detective would freely admit that he was not looking forward to it. There were only two reasons Fowler would want a word with him: Gavin was in the shit for something he'd done, or he was getting assigned a partner.

And since Gavin had been keeping his head relatively low after the whole incident with screwing up the arrest of a serial android attacker three weeks earlier and getting his ass reamed for it….

Fuck. This is so not going to be my day.

He was right, it was wasn't his day. This wasn't quite how he'd seen it going wrong.

After picking up his coffee and having a very brief chat with his sister, Gavin may have sneakily used his lights to get to the precinct on time. He hoped Fowler wouldn't have his head for it if he found out. His watch showed 8:14 and he smirked: shit heap of a morning, and he was still on time.

Of course…that was when it all went to hell.

Once he had deposited his prized coffee and phone on the desk, while throwing his jacket over his chair since someone had decided to crank the thermostat right up that morning, he took a seat to gear himself up for the bad news he was at this point resigned to – only to find his chair collapsed right under him as soon as he sat down.

Gavin clattered to the floor with a great groan, hissing through his teeth at the lancing pain which went through his hip briefly while glaring at the offending object. He ignored the laughter from the officers around him and took a closer look at his chair, soon confirming his suspicion – the screws had all been loosened or removed so that it would cave as soon as any weight was put on it. Gavin growled under his breath, irritated that he'd been targeted again.

What the fuck gives that plastic prick the right to hit me with his damn pranks? I'm so going to get him for this!

Sure enough, a quick glance over at the other side of the bullpen saw Hank grinning over at his partner, with Connor lightly smirking. Gavin was seething.

Damned plastic bastard…

"Would you like a hand, Detective?"

Gavin turned back with a surprised look, not recognising the female voice which spoke to him. Staring up, he took in the figure of the young woman before him. Dressed in a tasteful pale pink shirt paired with black suit pants, she carried herself with understated grace. Her hair was long and curled, blonde tendrils falling lightly over his right shoulder, while her eyes were a mysterious mix of pale green and hazel. She gazed down at him with a concerned face, while she held out her right hand in an offer of help.

Catching himself before he could be deemed looking with any significant interest, Gavin took the offered hand while clearing his throat. "Er…thanks," he mumbled while clambering back to his feet. She gave him a nervous smile and he switched to a vaguely disinterested tone as he spoke to her again. "Rookie, huh?"

She nodded and now that he was standing, Gavin could see her badge clipped at her waist. "I arrived this morning, Detective. The Captain said that he wants to see us in his office once you were in."

Fuck, so this really is happening. Don't tell me that this mousy young woman is meant to be who I'm partnered with? There's no fucking way she's a detective.

Gavin gave a long sigh before aiming a glare at Fowler's office, then turning to give the pranksters extraordinaire an icy stare as he came to settle back on his new company. "Uh-huh, sure…Well, guess I'd better go see what the hell he wants then. Ladies first," he stated with an outstretched hand, allowing the mystery woman to lead on. She gave an appreciative nod before striding on, and Gavin couldn't help but admire her natural poise. Quiet confidence, subtle elegance and a hint of respectful uncertainty.

All right, she seems mildly interesting, but like hell is she going to be my partner. No. Fucking. Way.

She tapped on the glass as they reached the Captain's office, and he beckoned them in with a wave. The pair entered, with Gavin leaning against the nearest glass wall in blatant disinterest and irritation, while his companion took a seat nervously. Her earlier confidence seemed to have fled for the moment, which had Gavin's curiosity.

Fowler finished with whatever he was typing on his terminal and sat back with a sigh, eyeing the pair tiredly. "Nice to see you finally showed up, Reed," Fowler growled, earning a scoff from the detective. "You've met Detective Marshall, good. She's new in the department, and is going to be joining Homicide as your new partner."

Gavin rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Really, Fowler? You know I don't do partners, let alone fucking rookies." He turned to shrug at the woman eyeing him in obvious disapproval. "No offense."

She snorted and crossed her arms, unimpressed, while crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. "Offense taken, Detective," she grumbled before turning her eyes back to the Captain.

"Suck it up, Reed, we've got bigger issues than your hang-ups about rookies," Fowler snapped, unimpressed. "Cases are stacking up in your department, and since Anderson and Connor are now in full swing with their android crimes division, extra pairs of hands are never going to be wasted. Marshall has come with high recommendations and is fresh into her promotion. Get her up to speed, and get the fuck out of my office!"

The male detective sneered, but stood and stormed out without so much as a backwards glance. Hearing the glass door shudder from the force of his slam, Gavin sighed angrily as he sat back down at his desk and rubbed his head tiredly, giving Fowler's office one last glare.

This was the absolute last thing he needed…

A call out to a crime scene saw the pair re-unite for the first time since their less than ideal start in the Captain's office. Gavin had been bemused at finding that his new partner – Wait, what the fuck is her name again? Marshall or something? – ended up spending almost an hour in Fowler's office, but what really had his curiosity, was seeing how Connor joined them not long after Gavin had left the room.

Connor and Gavin's animosity was not exactly subtle, so why exactly the android ended up getting in the middle of the new scenario was a bit of a mystery. Gavin didn't want to be as intrigued as he was, but he was a detective dammit. Being a nosey son of a bitch was in his blood, it was how he got results.

His interest had been thrown on the back burner, however, when they got word of a body found down at the harbour. As much as Gavin would have happily gone alone, he knew the grief he'd get from Fowler definitely would not have been worth it, so he begrudgingly waited for his new 'partner' to emerge from the office. Once she was out, he barked out for her to follow along as they headed to their crime scene.

The car journey was spent in a relatively uncomfortable silence, and Gavin could feel the mild animosity rolling off her in waves. She was currently sitting in the passenger seat staring out the side window, watching the world go by as they navigated Detroit's traffic. Now that he'd cooled off a bit, Gavin had to admit he was intrigued by her. She was unlike any detective he'd come across before, and she was definitely young. If he had to guess, he'd take a stab that she was in her mid to late twenties, so a good ten years younger than him.

Well, fuck. That just made me feel old as shit.

Sighing in relent, Gavin spoke up, not missing how her fingers stopped tapping on her leg as his voice broke through the atmosphere. "So, once we get to the scene we'll scope it out, go over what CSI have marked out for us before interviewing witnesses. Think you can handle that?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head; Gavin could hear the repressed anger in her voice, and he was intrigued as to how much she was trying to conceal. "I am not an idiot, Detective Reed. I may be inexperienced compared to you, but I know my way around a crime scene," she responded bitterly.

Gavin took a long breath internally. "Look, I told you I don't do well with partners." He grumbled the next bit under his breath. "I'm seriously being expected to look after a rookie? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Does being downright rude and an asshole count?"

Eyes wide, Gavin spun back to his companion, only to find her staring at him challengingly. He really hadn't thought she'd be able to hear that…but the snarky comeback was a welcome surprise. Gavin didn't want someone meek tailing him around, and he derived a lot of joy from a verbal joust. It was one redeeming feature Connor had developed since becoming deviant: he was a snarky fuck when he wanted to be. "…You've got some balls. I might actually like you," he threw back with a nasty smile.

Answering him with a scoff, she rolled her eyes. "So that's how it's going to be, huh? Connor wasn't kidding when he said you could be an almighty dick."

That had Gavin's momentary good mood vanishing in a puff of smoke. "The fuck did the plastic bitch say?" he hissed.

"That you can be vicious, you are stubborn, as most detectives are, but he did mention that you take it to a new level…and that you despise androids. He was actually quite close in his summation of your reaction when learning that I had spoken to him." Her face was quite unimpressed and Gavin realised that he was going to have to tone down the anti-android aggression. His opinions were certainly not shared so openly anymore.

Grumbling momentary, Gavin leant back again and decided to turn on the automation for his car so that he could concentrate on the conversation. "Fine, I suppose he didn't say anything untrue then."

The scowl stayed on her face as she studied Gavin. "It sounds to me like you have more of an issue with Connor, rather than his android identity."

That had Gavin pausing. Damn, she's sharp. "We've got history, that's for damn sure. He didn't tell you?"

"He mentioned a previous altercation, but stressed it was from during the uprising, before he deviated. Did he omit something?" Gavin just snorted in disdain. No, there hadn't been anything since the uprising – he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with the android again after getting flattened in about ten seconds in the evidence room – but that didn't mean he wasn't tempted.

Something about Connor just really rubbed him the wrong way.

"How did you even end up speaking with the plastic anyway?" he wondered aloud, turning the conversation to a different tangent.

She seemed satisfied at the change and went with it. "Connor was in charge of my orientation a month ago, while both he and the Lieutenant helped me settle in this morning. I find him quite pleasant, actually, Detective. Maybe he just mirrors whatever attitude he is given?" she added in a teasing lilt, which dragged an amused chuckle from Gavin.

How is your introduction to Detective Reed going?

Making a point not to show any outward sign of the incoming transmission along the android network, the female detective tuned in to answer Connor.

Better than I expected, in all honesty.

Her tone had relaxed completely from the false animosity she was projecting towards her partner.

Your hint to be aggressive with him was quite right. Thank you, Connor.

Not a problem. Please keep me informed as to how your day progresses. Do you think he suspects you?

In a word: no. The Detective has no inclination whatsoever that I am android.

I wonder if he will work it out, or if it will be necessary to enlighten him.

She repressed a smile.

I seriously doubt he will come to the conclusion willingly, based off your own experience and the conversation we are having. He really does despise androids, doesn't he?

Yes, but I am intrigued as to why. Not even the Lieutenant is aware as to the reason.

If I find out, I will make sure to tell you, Connor. Thanks for all the help.

I will happily assist however I can, Katie. Out of curiosity, how keen are you to keep the Detective in the dark as to your identity?

The corner of her mouth quirked an infinitesimal amount.

I think this could be a lot of fun.

"Hah! Whatever you say, newbie," Gavin barked back, chuckling at the idea.

"Are you one for nicknames, Detective, or do you know how to use proper names?" she prodded.

Smirking at her, he finally offered a hand. "Fine, fine. It's Gavin Reed."

Smiling earnestly, she shook back strongly. "Katie Marshall."

"Hope you've got some spine, Katie, I sure as hell won't be carrying you through the DPD."

"I think I'll be just fine with a sharp tongue based off you, Gavin."

He laughed warmly. "Meow. Keep that sass for the perps, rookie." Katie winked over at him and Gavin smirked slightly.

She's got some real spunk. Here's hoping she's a competent detective.

And that's it, chapter 1 down! Yes, many other characters from the series will be flitting in and out (especially Connor, Hank and Richard), but Gavin and Katie will be the focus.

Hope you all liked the introduction, please let me know what you thought of it!

*Smooch*