Hey there, Red here. This is my solo AU fic ^_^ (Though White is my proof reader of course. )
Hope you enjoy my first chapter :)


Chapter one: Nothing is ever easy.

- Kahlan's POV –

Transfers always were difficult to arrange, especially between cities like Aydindril and D'Hara. The police departments had always been at war with each other over jurisdiction and credit when it came to the bigger cases so being an Aydindril cop in D'Hara was probably the least sought after job on the force. Kahlan still took the job though, she wanted out of Aydindril and D'Hara seemed the best place to go, not to mention she was really looking forward to working with her new partner. Apparently she was in the army before she took up police work, Special Forces, then, after only a few years on the force, she'd been promoted to Detective, it was an impressive history and Kahlan was looking forward to seeing her in action. Still, she was a little uncomfortable about being in such a new place... D'Hara was very different to Aydindril, the streets seemed darker and the buildings rougher. Not that it wasn't beautiful; it did have its own splendour but she guessed she was just wary of the unfamiliar area. As the taxi pulled up at the station, she paid the driver and climbed out, brushing the creases out of her clothing as she straightened up. For her first day on the job she'd decided to look as professional as possible. She was, after all, still a little inexperienced (having only been promoted a few weeks ago). Her clothes were formal but easy to move around in: black trousers, a white shirt, tidy black shoes and a light grey jacket, with her new badge hanging around her neck. The taxi drove off and with a final check to make sure her long brown hair was still tied neatly back in a low ponytail, she headed for the door, not wanting anyone to look out of a window and see her just standing there.

Inside was full of activity. Some officers were talking with each other or into phones and radio receivers whilst others were dragging people of varying levels of compliance toward different rooms. Unsure of where to go, she looked around for someone who didn't seem too busy, or too angry, and settled on a black haired woman stood by a lift. She was shorter than Kahlan by a head and a half, her long hair tied back in a loose braid that reached the middle of her back. Her clothes were somewhere around smart casual; black formal trousers and jacket but with a red T-shirt underneath.

"Excuse me; I'm not sure where to go." She gave a polite smile and the woman turned to look at her, pausing briefly before returning the smile.

"Where are you trying to get to?" She didn't seem bothered by the interruption so Kahlan relaxed. She hated appearing so nervous but first day at a new job and first week in a strange city clashing together played with her nerves.

"I'm looking for Detective Mason." As soon as she spoke an amused smirk came over the other woman's face.

"Oh, you'll be her new partner. Follow me." As if they were waiting for her to speak, the lift doors chose that moment to open and the shorter woman stepped in. A little worried as to why this woman found her so amusing, Kahlan followed, standing beside her.

"Her office is on the fourth floor, I'm headed to forensics on fifth but I'll show you the way." She still smirked but Kahlan gave up trying to decipher it and simply gave a thankful smile in return.

"Thank you. My name's Kahlan by the way." She held out her hand politely and the shorter woman took it.

"Raina, nice to meet you." She winked as the doors slid open and they both stepped out, walking along a hallway until Raina stopped at a door labelled with two names: Detective C. Mason and Detective K. Amnell.

"They got your name on there already huh? That's optimistic." The shorter woman sounded amused but before Kahlan could ask what she meant by that, Raina had pushed the door open.

"Darken I already told you, I don't want a new- Oh it's you." An annoyed voice reached her before she entered the room but as she did her eyes found her new partner.

Cara Mason was stood beside one of the desks, staring at them. To say that she didn't look much like a detective would be an understatement. Her blonde hair reached to the tops of her shoulders that were mostly bare aside from the black straps of the woman's tank top that was worn tucked into the most skin tight pair of blood red leather trousers Kahlan had seen in her life. She couldn't help but wonder exactly how the woman got into them in the morning; it looked as though she'd have to be sewn in. After a second she realised she was staring and blinked, pulling her attention back up to the blonde's face, only to be met by a pair green eyes that practically shone with amusement. Apparently she'd been caught. Determined to keep her cool, Kahlan clasped her hands in front of her, hiding her embarrassment behind a calm expression. After a moment of awkward silence, the blonde spoke.

"Raina, don't you have some blood to analyse or something?" She turned her attention to the shorter woman, who, Kahlan only just noticed, was watching the exchange with the expression of someone watching a sparring match.

"Right, I'll see you later." She seemed disappointed but left anyway, giving Kahlan one last amused glance before shutting the door behind her.

- Cara's POV –

Once Raina was gone, Cara moved to sit on the edge of her desk, her eyes roaming freely over the new partner Darken was trying to force upon her. It was clear what he was trying to do here, send in some impossibly hot chick and see if it made her suddenly want to have a partner. Sorry, Kahlan Amnell, but you would be going home soon, taking your stunning figure and flawless features with you.

"Listen, I'm going to tell this to you straight. I don't need, or want, a new partner. Just like I didn't need or want the last one. No offence, but I work better alone." She folded her arms across her chest and waited. The brunette seemed to think for a second before shrugging.

"Well, you're not going to be much use if you stand there acting tough, so I guess I don't need you either." Amnell's expressionless mask stayed in place while she spoke and Cara blinked in surprise. Normally she got an earful of complaints, one or two laughs from people who thought she was kidding or a lot of swearing. Never a reaction like that. The woman was... odd.

"Just... Stay out of my way." She moved around to sit behind her desk, not bothering to look up and see the inevitable smirk that would be plastered over the other woman's face.

The office stayed in icy silence for half an hour before Warren from records came up to get Amnell's signature for a few things and present her with her ID swipe card. Before he scurried off again, Cara picked up the report she'd had Darken sign earlier and held it out.

"Take this with you." She only glanced at him briefly before going back to her computer; the case had been open and shut from the beginning; basic domestic dispute that got out of hand. The woman had thrown a vase at her husband while they were fighting, it hadn't gone well and she'd tried to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Boring. It was strange but in this job she often found herself wishing murderers would get smarter. That way she would have something to do other than play games on her computer. At the minute she was on Tetris (having just got bored of Pacman) and was getting pretty good at it.

It was almost the end of the day before Darken came in. She'd been expecting him: he was, after all, the biggest letch she had ever met, and her new 'partner' was not unattractive.

"Detective Amnell, It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Police Chief Rahl." He smiled and Amnell stood up, Cara stayed where she was, dropping a L piece into a great spot and clearing three lines.

"It's great to finally be here." The woman seemed to be mimicking Darken's 'friendly' demeanour but as she glanced up Cara could see by the brunette's raised eyebrow and tightly controlled smile that it was just for show. So Amnell was pretty and smart. Surprising.

"How're you settling in? I hope Mason's not giving you too much trouble?" The smirk practically dripped from his voice as Cara went back to her game, rolling her eyes to herself as Amnell gave a short laugh.

"I can handle her." That made Cara pause, she covertly glanced up to look at the pair but found no trace of a satisfied smirk anywhere on the brunette's face. In its place lay simple cheerfulness. Either she was a lot smarter than Cara first thought, or she was too nice for words. Or insane; that was definitely still an option. She might have to keep an eye on this one. Speaking of keeping an eye on things, she turned back to her game, only to find she'd forgotten to pause and a long tower of blocks had formed up the middle, resulting in game over. Damn it.

"You like her." Dahlia's icy blue eyes narrowed and Cara looked to Berdine and Raina for help, only to find them a little too engaged in... each other to offer support.

"She's just a colleague, not even a permanent one; I just need a way to get rid of her." She grumbled the last part mostly to herself and took a long drink of red wine. The restaurant around them was busy but the four of them liked it here. It was their frequent double-date spot.

"Then why have you done nothing but talk about her since you turned up? Late, by the way!" Dahlia scowled and Cara gave a quiet sigh, reaching over to take her girlfriend's hand.

"Because I hate having to put up with a new partner." She pulled on Dahlia's hand to bring her closer and slid a hand into her hair, using it as grip to get the shorter woman close enough for a kiss. The pair of them hadn't been together for nearly as long as Berdine and Raina but Cara dared anyone to try and tell Dahlia to take it easy. The platinum blonde had a habit of getting insanely jealous over the tiniest of things. Cara was pretty sure that if she didn't find an excuse to get rid of her latest partner within the week, Dahlia would make one of her 'surprise visits' to her office. Though, given whom her partner was, Dahlia seeing Amnell for herself might not ease her jealousy. It wasn't often she found someone who was possibly more attractive than her girlfriend.

Probably best not to say that out loud.

- Kahlan's POV-

Nothing is ever easy. Kahlan sighed heavily as she stepped inside her still unfamiliar flat. Her first day on the job and her partner had told her to leave and her boss had eyed her up. She felt a strong urge to pack up and get the first plane out of D'Hara but, as Zedd used to say: Nothing is ever easy. She couldn't just give up and go home. Her response to Mason's rejection certainly seemed to have stunned the blonde a little and Rahl was definitely completely oblivious to her desire to remove something (or pair of things) he held very dear and shove them down his throat. Creeps were, as the noun suggested, creepy.

The day had ended early so she had time to unpack a few more things before her dinner arrived (a Chinese food menu had been left in her post slot so she decided to make use of it). Boxes still littered most rooms but she'd managed to unpack essentials and assemble a few key pieces of furniture. So far she had a bed, a sofa and a coffee table. Did she really need anything else? She eyed the other boxes warily. The three she'd done were very simple: the sofa had only needed its legs screwing on. Somehow she'd managed to assemble her bed wrong twice before getting it right. Her thoughts strayed to the coffee table catastrophe but she didn't want to go there: it had been a waste of a perfectly good screwdriver. With a quiet sigh she dropped down onto her new sofa, Richard had always insisted on doing all the manual labour. Maybe she should have made him let her help: then she'd be good at this stuff. The memory of when they moved in together rushed forward and Kahlan smiled. He'd been like an over-exited puppy, all but bouncing down the stairs to help her carry her things in. A knock at the door caught her attention and she rooted through her pockets for money. Her stomach had been growling for half an hour now, so food was definitely top of the priorities list. She could battle the remaining deadly furniture later.


So that's the first chapter done :) hope you enjoyed it.