Title: how it all began
Disclaimer: If I owned Body of Proof, I probably wouldn't write fanfiction.
Summary: Out of everybody Peter worked with, he never thought it would be Megan confronting him. Meter (Megan/Peter) friendship. 2nd piece in the "get it back to good" series.
Notes:
Title is inspired by "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay, and the second piece in the "get it back to good" series. I haven't heard anything about Peter having a partner when he was an ex-cop, but I'm going to go with it for creative properties!
"Sit down."
No sooner than his feet had crossed over the threshold to Megan's office, had she said something. Peter glanced around, and her office (apart from him and her) held nobody else and he opened his mouth to ask her something, when she glanced up from behind her desk, her pen in her hand.
"Peter," she spoke, aspirated. "Please, sit down." He moved to sit in one of the chairs by her desk, and Megan went back to whatever she had been doing.
If anything, Peter decided, while he watched Megan. She's got something on our latest case.
After a few more minutes of silence, he couldn't take it anymore—rarely was Megan ever silent. "Megan? Are you all right?" Megan sat her pen down, and glanced up at him.
"I'm perfectly fine." She told him. "It's you, I'm concerned with."
Peter gave her a blank look. "Why?"
"I overhead Detective Morris saying, that you lost your cool with our main suspect today." He didn't reply, and she continued. "I asked him about it, he said you've done it once before this."
He shrugged. "We needed information. I got it."
Matthew Hacker, one of their prime suspects in the drowning of a sixteen-year-old had been a convicted cop killer.
"Yes, you did." Megan responded her lips pursed.
"Was that all?" Peter asked. "I'm sure Ethan…" Megan slammed her hands down on her desk.
"No Peter, that isn't all." Megan exclaimed. "As your partner, I'm supposed to keep you from being issued a reprimand. If Kate caught…"
"Bud and Sam would never say a thing," Peter interrupted. "And as my "partner", you wouldn't either."
Out of everyone Peter worked with, he never thought Megan would be the one confronting him. Sam had seemed on the verge of confronting earlier, but she understood his situation, and where he came from.
Megan didn't.
"As many times as I've done what I've done, turning you in would be highly hypocritical of me." Megan admitted. "However, I can't send you on the streets if you're going to attack suspects."
"It was only twice, Megan."
"And if it happens again?" She questioned, and he didn't respond. "Peter, I'm only concerned for you as…"
"Partner, I get it."
Megan fixed him with a slight glare. "Someone who cares about you," He swallowed. "If you're going to go around and try to shake down our suspects, I'd like to know at least why."
Peter glanced at her. "I'm sure you know why."
"I do," she agreed again. "But you need to hear it." He nearly chuckled, and Megan raised an eyebrow. "Humored are you?"
"The idea of saying something we both know is ridiculous." Megan glanced back down at her desk.
"I've tried." She stated. "I just wanted you to understand that roughing up suspects, who are cop killers won't get you your previous job back."
He couldn't believe her nerve (or maybe he could. This was Dr. Hunt, after all.)
"That has absolutely nothing to do with this," Peter dryly, commented.
"Yes, it does." Megan argued.
"I was shot, Megan. It's not exactly a huge secret around here!" Peter gave, as he threw his arms into the air. "I was working, and I got shot! I'm not looking for revenge!"
"How about revenge for your partner, then?" Megan suggested, and Peter narrowed his eyes. "You can get angry with me all you want, Peter, if it'll save you from doing something completely reckless."
"You're one to talk," Peter snidely commented, and Megan grew silent. He felt guilty, but he wasn't about to apologize. "My partner was a good man, Megan. He didn't deserve to be murdered!"
"Nobody ever does." She gave. "Our job is to give comfort to the families of the dead; to keep things like what happened to your partner, from ever happening again to somebody else."
"Sometimes that isn't enough."
"…and revenge doesn't bring back the dead." Megan reminded him. "If it did, we'd have one hell of a zombie problem."
Peter laughed.
"You're a good man, Peter. Revenge your partner and your career by getting murderers off the streets; not by nearly attacking our suspects. They aren't worth your energy." Megan glanced at her desk again, and Peter stood.
"Thank you, Megan." He wasn't exactly sure what to think of their talk, but he thanked her anyway.
Megan smiled. "You're welcome…now, go find Ethan and get my results! We've got a murderer to catch!"
Peter turned to hide his smile from her; one thing he could always count on from her, amidst a rare heart-to-heart moment was she'd still want to get back down to business.
And he wouldn't want to have it any other way.