Chapter 1: The Fall of an Angel
If you were to ask Police Constable Daniel Butterman why he joined the Police Force, er Service, he would suppose it was for his dad. That was the most obvious reason and was the one he usually gave when asked but he had also joined for a dream. He had grown up watching action films and had fallen in love with the idea of being a policeman(officer) in that way. It was all just so exciting and "romantic" in a way; So very different from the usual day to day in Sanford.
He had been simply beside himself with excitement his first day on duty. Nothing ever happened in boring old Sanford so, in hindsight, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Maybe not the daring drama that London so often boasted but perhaps something other than the usual crushing monotony that defined the village. But, time continued forward and Sanford remained Sanford. Sure there were a fair number of accidents but nothing that could be considered crime. On the very rare occasion something 'criminal' did occur, it was even rarer for the persons responsible to be processed much less charged. His dad would always pat him on the shoulder with a twinkle in his eye and assure him that he would take care of everything.
So life went on in a comfortable, dream-like routine. Days filled with patrols punctuated with the occasional Cornello and ending with easy drinking at the pub. Days quickly dissolved into months which slipped into years. Before Danny knew it, five years had passed. He hadn't even finished unpacking his things from his move from his dad's to his own flat. On the outside, he appeared content if only a little bored. On he inside he felt stuck watching his life pass him by with every setting of the sun. The only escape he had was in his beloved action films which he continued to watch almost nightly. They were his oasis in the mundane; a guilty pleasure that both eased and intensified his need for ... something more. Little did he know that 'something more' was well on its way.
Sergeant Nicholas Angel arrived bearing all of the light and power of his namesake on a day that had been like any other, and it was glorious. Just being near him seemed to melt all of the icy monotony Danny had been frozen in. It was as though all his life had been in black and white and now, for the first time, his world was experiencing color. The part of his brain not blinded by hero-worship was thanking any and every god in existence for his assignment as Angel's partner. He had a legitimate excuse to haunt his every step. He pelted Angel with question after question about the big city and the action he had seen. Danny knew he was being a bother but he couldn't help it. To him, Nicholas Angel was all his action heroes brought to life. He wanted to know everything about him. Angel held a bright aura of power and respect he wanted to bask in forever.
Though Sergeant Angel insisted that the job wasn't about the action, it seemed to Danny that he was trying to convince himself of that just as much as he was trying to convince his partner. Angel took every task seriously but Danny could tell that the simple tasks Sanford had to offer were frustrating him. In fact many things were frustrating him; the seemingly meaningless tasks, the attitudes of the other officers, and there was the fact that he had not even chosen to come to Sanford in the he first place. Danny couldn't blame him on any point. What was interesting to him was that as frustrated as Angel was with the current state of his life, very little of it seemed directed at Danny. Angel patiently listened to and answered his endless barrage of questions and even seemed to humor him. There were some times when Angel seemed to enjoy his company, the best example being when they (and by they he meant mostly Angel) chased the shoplifter.
Danny suspected Angel would deny it later but he appeared to thrill in the chase, very much in his element. Danny's favorite part was when Angel insisted they jump the garden fences. The idea seemed scandalous to Danny but Angel just flashed a smirk on his handsome face.
"What's the matter Danny? Never taken a shortcut before?"
With that he was off, leaping the fences as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The fancy twist over the final fence was clearly just for fun and sent a message Danny heard loud and clear; he was showing off for Danny ... who was enjoying every second of it. Unfortunately, Danny was much less capable in the jumping department. By the time he disentangled himself from the splintered remains of the last fence (he would have to apologize later) and caught up to Angel, he was already placing the suspect, well Pete, under arrest.
Back at the station, Angel was all business. Danny watched, deeply impressed at how quickly and efficiently he worked. Danny figured he had done this often enough back in London to really get it down. They were almost finished when Skinner showed up and announced that he did not want to press charges. Danny wasn't surprised. Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time someone had actually pressed charges in Sanford but Angel was flabbergasted. He confronted Skinner who calmly explained his reasoning in his oiliest voice. He appeared to take great pleasure from this as well as passing out the biscuits that Angel had just finished processing as evidence to the officers. Danny had heard it all before and was used to Skinner and his odd ways but something about his actions bothered him. Skinner was always a very pointed individual but this seemed like he was deliberately trying to irritate Angel. And as far as Danny could tell, it was working. Luckily, Frank took that moment to appear in the doorway eating the day's ration of Chunky Monkey and diffusing the situation with his presence.
"Is there a problem?" He asked.
"Sir, Skinner has said that he does not want to press charges against a person who has committed a blatant offense." Angel answered, his voice full of disbelief. Frank simply nodded and said what Danny has heard many times before.
"Leave it with me. I'll make sure everyone gets their just desserts."