The next morning, Kenzi slowly opened her eyes to be met by a ray of sun shining directly at her through the boards in the windows. Hissing dramatically, she threw her arm over her eyes as a shield from the offending sunlight.
"It's alive." Bo said with amusement as she noticed the goth stirring on the couch.
"Sunlight. It burns." Kenzi groaned. "We really need to invest in some blinds." She grumbled as she threw her arm out in the direction of the coffee table to feel around for a pair of sunglasses that she thought she had left there. Knocking a wine glass off of the table with a loud shatter, Kenzi gave up her search with a painful moan. "Loud noises."
Bo rolled her eyes from her position in the kitchen and grabbed a pair of sunglasses off of the counter. Making her way over to the human, she nudged Kenzi's leg to get her to make room. "Here." She outstretched her arms after she sat down, presenting the sunglasses and a mug of steaming coffee to the smaller girl.
Kenzi opened one eye to see what Bo had and lazily smiled at the Succubus. "I think I'm in love with you."
"That would make my love life so much more complicated." Bo chuckled.
Kenzi put the glasses on and sat up before she took a sip from the mug. "Oh Bo-Bo, I take it back." She stuck her tongue out in disgust and gently set the mug on the table next to her. "One day I'm going to teach you how to make actual coffee."
Bo scowled as she took a sip from her own mug. "It isn't that bad." She pouted. "So… Did you have a good night?"
"Does the massive hangover not answer that question?" Kenzi's eyebrows shot up over the edge of the sunglasses.
"Seems like you and 'Tam-Tam' were having a good time." Bo said pointedly, gauging her friend for her reaction.
"Tam-Tam?" Kenzi mused. "Oh shitballs." She gasped and reached into her bra. Pulling out the $50 she had won, her jaw dropped. "That wasn't some crazy dream?"
"Nope. You two were pretty drunk when I showed up."
"You picked me up?" Kenzi asked in shock, running a hand through her unkempt hair.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Bo chuckled as she reveled in the Russian's distress.
"I hustled bottle blonde to teach her a lesson and then we went shot for shot with some top shelf shit." Kenzi said thoughtfully. "The last thing I remember… Oh. My. God." Kenzi groaned and put her face in her hands.
"What?" Bo sat forward quickly, alarmed by Kenzi's reaction.
"I told her that dumbass smirk of hers is sexy." Kenzi whined, her voice muffled by her hands.
Bo just stared at Kenzi and then burst into laughter. "You're kidding."
"I wish I was." Kenzi grimaced as she tried to remember more of the night.
"Well when I got there you two looked pretty up close and personal." Bo goaded with a grin.
Kenzi tore the sunglasses off to gape at Bo. "Ow. And huh?"
Bo's phone began to ring in the kitchen and she laughed as she jumped up from the couch to go answer it. "Nothing, nothing at all." She teased.
"Oh no. You get back here right now and tell me everything." Kenzi screeched as she stood up to chase after Bo. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Pain." She immediately stopped and grabbed her lower back. "Why the hell did I sleep on the couch?" She wondered out loud.
"Hello?" Bo continued laughing as she answered the phone, watching Kenzi mutter to herself and try to stretch out the kinks from sleeping on the uncomfortable furniture all night. "Hey Dyson, what's up? Uh huh. Yeah. Okay, we'll meet you there." Hanging up the phone, Bo tilted her head as she looked at Kenzi in amusement. "Get dressed. We need to meet Dyson at a crime scene."
"Right now?" Kenzi scoffed and looked down at her wrinkled outfit from the night before. "Can I at least shower? I feel like death."
"You smell like it too." Bo made a face. "Go make yourself presentable. I'll make us a quick lunch."
Kenzi looked at Bo warily. "Why must you always attempt to torture me?"
Bo shot an unimpressed look at her best friend. "Go get ready."
Kenzi saluted Bo and made her way upstairs. Bo shook her head with a smile and made her way into the kitchen to make them sandwiches for the road.
After Kenzi had gotten showered and dressed, the duo made their way to the address that Dyson had provided them with. Getting out of the yellow Camaro, both girls leaned on the open doors and looked at the scene in front of them.
"Minus the size, the resemblance to our humble abode is uncanny." Kenzi lifted her sunglasses up to take in the condemned buildings exterior.
"I'd like to think our place has a little more charm." Bo winced as a shutter fell off of one of the windows and shattered on the ground.
"What are we about to walk into?" Kenzi asked hesitantly.
"No idea." Bo shrugged and shut her car door. "Only one way to find out." She chirped as she began walking up to the building.
"Right behind you, wonder snatch." Kenzi lowered the sunglasses back down to control the hangover headache and followed the Succubus.
Walking under the yellow police tape that had been set up, Bo and Kenzi made their way to the front of the building, bypassing the officers guarding the scene who waved the girls through without question. The officers had worked alongside the girls enough times to know that they randomly showed up at crime scenes when Dyson called them for a consult.
Walking upstairs to a long hallway with various doors, Bo and Kenzi were met with a horrendous smell that made them cover their mouths and noses.
"Oh my God. What is that smell?" Bo tried not to gag.
"I'm going to hurl." Kenzi's face turned slightly green to emphasize her point.
"Bo! Kenzi! In here." Dyson called out from inside one of the rooms.
"What the hell is going on?" Kenzi asked, still covering her mouth as they entered the room. "Why does it smell like the anus of a yeti?"
Dyson nodded at an officer who nodded back in acknowledgment and left the trio alone. Dyson sighed and knelt down next to a badly decomposed body, looking it over in deep thought.
"Is this human or fae?" Bo asked quietly as she became adjusted to the smell, taking another step closer to Dyson and the body.
"I smell fae." Dyson sniffed and shook his head to clear the unwanted smell of decaying flesh. "This body has been here for quite some time."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Kenzi huffed. "Hey, I thought you were out of town." She crossed her arms as she stared at the wolf.
"I was." Dyson said simply, still concentrating on the scene.
"Sorry, partner." Tamsin smirked as she strolled into the room, file under her arm and head held high. "I wasn't going to take this case alone." Looking at Kenzi, the Valkyrie noticed the green tinge to the small woman. "If you can't handle it, short stack, the door is that way." She nodded towards the door as she made her way to the body to kneel next to Dyson.
Kenzi pursed her lips and straightened her posture. "I'm fine." She said through clenched teeth, leveling a murderous glare at the blonde while trying to ignore the smell.
"We should get this body to the doc." Tamsin determined after examining it for a moment. "We're not going to be able to get anything by staring it all damn day." She stood up and looked around. "Did you canvas the scene yet?"
Dyson shot the blonde a withering look. "If you had been here when you said you would, you would know the answer to that."
Tamsin shrugged. "I got held up. I'm here now though, so let's comb this place over." Glancing quickly at the other three, Tamsin inspected the file in her hand that had the buildings layout. "Dyson, Bo, why don't you look over the first and second levels and the midget and I will take the third and fourth levels." She looked back up to find Dyson not paying attention, Bo tilting her head and gazing at her with curiosity, and Kenzi still glaring at her. "What?" She asked impatiently.
"Why do I have to be stuck with you?" Kenzi snapped and put a hand on her hip.
"Because it would be better for me and Dyson to split up since this is technically our crime scene. If we each take one of you, it would make this process a lot easier. I don't need the two of you," Tamsin pointed between Bo and Kenzi, "Taking off on your own and possibly withholding information from us." She crossed her arms and stared the shorter girl down.
"It makes sense." Dyson agreed. "Not that you would withhold information." He interjected quickly when Bo scoffed in disbelief. "It would make the process easier though."
"Fine." Bo frowned at the Valkyrie before turning to Dyson. "Come on, Dyson." She grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room.
Kenzi watched them leave with a scowl and turned to look the blonde up and down. "Aren't you chipper today."
Tamsin rolled her eyes. "You're a real peach when you're hung over, aren't you?" She looked around the room. "Come on, let's get this over with."
"What exactly are we looking for?" Kenzi muttered as she began inspect her surroundings, slowly walking around and trying not to touch anything.
"Anything that seems out of place." Tamsin responded absentmindedly.
"Right. Anything out of place in a condemned building. That's not impossible at all." Kenzi grumbled.
"How are you feeling?" Tamsin asked nonchalantly, tilting her head as she examined a painting on the wall.
"What?" Kenzi snapped her attention to the blonde, startled by the question.
Tamsin made brief eye contact before she averted her eyes. "I was just wondering how you were feeling after how much you drank last night. I'm not going to lie, I'm surprised you're functioning." She shrugged and continued her search.
"Like you actually care." Kenzi rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning back to look at a pile of books on the side table.
"You're right, I don't." Tamsin said, her voice hardening. "There's nothing here. Let's go look around the rest of the place." She began to walk past Kenzi but was stopped by the human grabbing her arm.
"Wait." Kenzi shifted on her feet. "If we're being honest, I feel like I went head to head with a troll." She gave the blonde a small smile. "How are you not hung over?"
Tamsin glanced at the hand on her arm which Kenzi promptly removed before the taller woman could say anything about it. "Who said I wasn't?" She smirked, making Kenzi chuckle. "Come on. We still have a lot of ground to cover."
"Okay." Kenzi nodded and followed the detective out of the room, making a grossed out face at the body still lying on the floor.
With no luck on the third floor, Kenzi and Tamsin made their way to the fourth floor. With Tamsin leading the way, Kenzi followed while inspecting the walls, unaware that there was a hole in the floor in the middle of her path. Stumbling as her heel got stuck, Kenzi unleashed a stream of swear words in Russian as she tried to pry her foot free.
Tamsin laughed as she watched the small human flail about with no luck. Backtracking to where Kenzi was, she reached down and pulled more of the floor loose, releasing the heel from its prison. Kenzi put both of her hands on the Valkyrie's shoulders to steady herself as she found her footing.
"There you go." Tamsin whispered as Kenzi regained her balance, her breath catching against her will at their close proximity.
"Thanks." Kenzi whispered back, unconsciously glancing at Tamsin's lips for a split second before she cleared her throat and continued walking. "So what kind of fae could do that? I mean, I know there are probably a lot, but how are we supposed to narrow it down? It's not like we've found anything useful yet."
Tamsin smoothed down her jacket and took a deep breath. "Hopefully the doc can tell us something. At this point, we just need to hope that they left some kind of evidence on the body."
Kenzi scrunched her nose. "Ew."
Tamsin shrugged. "No one ever said this would be glamorous. Although with the way you're dressed you'd think you were about to walk the runway of some emo convention."
"I am not emo." Kenzi gasped in offense. "It's not my fault you have no sense of style." She turned up her nose at the blonde.
"No sense of style?" Tamsin asked incredulously. Inspecting her outfit, she looked back up at Kenzi with furrowed brows. "How is this not stylish?" She held her arm out to show off her jacket. "Isn't leather always stylish?"
"I don't understand how you and Bo aren't besties." Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Leather fetish bull shit." She mumbled under her breath.
"Maybe because she's a psychopath." Tamsin said matter-of-factly as she strolled passed Kenzi into the first room they came across.
"Yeah, yeah." Kenzi muttered and bypassed the room the taller woman had gone into to open the door to the next room. Immediately hit with a nauseating smell, Kenzi doubled over trying not to lose her lunch. "Tamsin!" She called out and coughed. "You're going to want to see this."
Tamsin ran over to Kenzi and instantly put her arm up to her face to try to block the smell. "Holy shit." She winced. "That's…pungent."
"No kidding." Kenzi pulled her jacket up over her mouth and nose as a shield from the smell as she reached for her phone. "I'll let D-Man know." She backed away to call the other detective and to get away from the fumes.
Tamsin grimaced as she walked into the room, finding a pile of bodies in various stages of decomposition just like the one downstairs. "Safe to say I think we found the dumping ground of whatever did this." She scrunched her features in disgust.
After finishing what they could at the crime scene, the group decided to meet up at the Dal to discuss their findings. Lauren had stayed at the lab to run tests on the samples Bo and Kenzi had dropped off, promising them that she would call with any information as she came across it.
Bo and Kenzi were listening to the radio as they made their way to the Dal, both singing along with the song playing and dancing around playfully. As the song ended, Bo lowered the volume to the radio and glanced at Kenzi out of the corner of her eye.
"So how was it with Tamsin today?" Bo questioned the younger girl.
Kenzi turned towards Bo in confusion. "It was fine." She said slowly. "That's random."
Bo sighed. "I just want to make sure she isn't giving you a hard time. I don't want her to start bothering you because she's trying to get to me."
Kenzi gazed out the window and watched the scenery pass by her. "I don't think that's her angle. I'm not sure what exact angle she's trying to play, but I don't think that's it. Besides, I'm sure word has gotten out around the fae community how they should know better than to mess with The Kenz."
"Right." Bo laughed. "Seriously though, if I need to step in just say the word." Bo smiled at the human. "I know 'The Kenz' can handle her own, but I'm always here to lend a helping hand."
Kenzi made a face. "Maybe choose a better way to word that next time, Succubus."
Bo winked at Kenzi. "That would take the fun right out of everything."
"Dear Lord." Kenzi groaned but couldn't help but chuckle.
The foursome had been sitting at the Dal long enough to have their table littered with empty bottles and glasses, the majority from Kenzi and Tamsin, and by this point they were all becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress they had made on the case.
"I obviously do not know enough about the fae to be of much help." Kenzi glared at the files strewn across the table with annoyance. "I'm tapping out." She made her point by taking a large swig from the bottle in front of her and leaning back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table.
"If Dyson and I can't figure it out I doubt you'll prove to be much help regardless of how long you stare at the files." Tamsin knocked Kenzi's heel off of a file and picked it up to look over it for the umpteenth time, hoping something new would catch her attention.
Kenzi smiled sweetly at the Valkyrie. "Just because I'm not from the age of the dinosaurs doesn't mean I can't help."
Tamsin rolled her eyes. "Help how? By draining this shithole of all of the good liquor?" Standing up, Tamsin stretched her aching muscles. "I'm getting us another round." She stated as she walked towards the bar.
"She just continues to become more and more lovable." Bo muttered as she watched the retreating blonde. Checking her phone, Bo groaned in frustration. "I wish Lauren would find something."
"Even if she does find something, it doesn't mean that we'll get the answers we need." Dyson said calmly, rubbing his hands over his face. "I think we all need a break." Glancing at the pool tables longingly, he smiled at the two brunettes. "Anyone up for a game?"
"What's the bet?" Kenzi smirked and sat up a little straighter, her interest piqued.
"I suggest you refrain from any bets with the brat unless you have the cash to spare." Tamsin said as she walked back up to the table and set a round of beers down.
Dyson raised a questioning brow at his partner. "She hustled you, didn't she." He laughed, laughing harder at the unimpressed look on Tamsin's face and the shit-eating grin on Kenzi's face. "I wish I could have seen that."
Bo slammed her file closed, earning startled looks from everyone else. "Sorry." She winced when she realized how loud she had been. "Maybe we do need a break. We've been staring at the same shit for the better part of the night." She glanced at her phone again. "I think I'm just going to call it a night."
"What's wrong, Bo-Bo?" Tamsin patronized. "The doc being all work and no play leaving baby fae a dull girl?"
Bo bristled at Tamsin's tone. "I've about had it with your shit." She stood up to face the blonde. "Why do you insist on being such a pain in my ass?"
"Fess up to sucking the Dark fae into a coma and let me present you with a new pair of shiny bracelets and you'll never have to deal with me again." Tamsin stared down the shorter fae.
"Maybe you're losing your hearing in your old age, but I didn't do it." Bo seethed. "How many more times can I say it?"
Tamsin smiled smugly. "You either confess or I find out for myself, but either way you're going to pay."
Kenzi and Dyson shared an exasperated look as they witnessed the two stubborn fae getting more and more agitated at each other. Kenzi nodded at Dyson, both conveying with their eyes their intent. Standing up, Dyson placed a gentle hand on Bo's arm while Kenzi stood next to Tamsin.
"Come on, Bo. Let's play." Dyson said gently but sternly.
"Actually, I'm just going to go." Bo jerked her arm out of Dyson's grasp. "I'll call you if Lauren finds anything. Kenz, you coming?"
Kenzi subtly peered at Tamsin out of the corner of her eye. "I think I might stay for a little. You're going to Lauren's anyway, right?"
Bo raised a brow at her best friend. "Right." She said slowly. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow?" She asked as she began to gather her belongings.
"You bet." Kenzi shot Bo a reassuring smile. "Go have fun with Doctor Hotpants." She kissed Bo on the cheek and smacked her ass as she made her way to the bar.
"Isn't that adorable." Tamsin scrunched her nose and followed the human.
"I think I hate her more every time I see her." Bo scowled in the blonde's direction. Turning to Dyson, she gave the wolf a thoughtful look. "Will you keep an eye on her for me? I think she's trying to use Kenzi to get to me."
Dyson gave Bo a surprised look and turned his attention to the bar. Witnessing Tamsin say something to Kenzi, earning her a punch in the shoulder from the human while Tamsin laughed, his curiosity was heightened. "Of course."
"Thank you." Bo sent a charming smile at the wolf. "I'll call you if I find anything out."
Dyson nodded. "Sounds good."
"Well if it isn't my favorite fae in all the land." Hale boomed as he walked up to Dyson and Bo.
"Whatever it is you need, it can wait until tomorrow." Bo laughed. "You guys have fun." She gave a little wave as she left.
"I don't need anything." Hale said, perplexed as he watched Bo leave. "Except maybe a drink." He turned to Dyson. "You hanging around for a while?"
"I'll grab us a pitcher." Dyson smiled at the Siren. "You set up the game." He directed as he made his way to Tamsin and Kenzi.
"Dude, seriously. Quit being such a bitch to my bestie or I might have to take you down. Russian mafia style." Kenzi said to Tamsin with a stern look as Dyson came up to them.
"Whatever you say, princess." Tamsin shook her head with a smile, completely unfazed.
"Ladies." Dyson made his presence known. "Would you like to join me and Hale in a game of pool?"
"Playing pool with the acting Ash?" Tamsin snorted in amusement. "Doesn't really sound like my kind of Saturday."
"Right now he's just my old partner." Dyson chuckled. "Come on, it'll be fun."
"Come on, Tam-Tam. Let's annihilate these asshats." Kenzi smiled deviously.
Tamsin considered her options for a moment and decided that kicking her partner's ass in pool would be more fun than finding the bottom of a bottle alone somewhere. "What the hell." She shrugged. "Trick! We're going to need a couple of pitchers!" She yelled at the man behind the bar. When he shot her an unimpressed look, she smiled sweetly. "Please?"
Kenzi snickered as Trick rolled his eyes but went to pour the pitchers anyway. Observing the scene around her, Kenzi smiled as she watched Hale talking to a beautiful girl by the pool tables, Trick muttering under his breath as he kept shooting Tamsin dirty looks, and Dyson and Tamsin arguing about which one of them would have to attend to the mass amount of paperwork they had let build up.
The Russian felt something in the pit of her stomach as she watched the blonde stand toe-to-toe with Dyson, a new feeling forming that she wasn't sure how to respond to. In the span of 24 hours, her thoughts of the Valkyrie had changed from loathing to something she couldn't explain rationally. She was drawn to the blonde fae and had no idea where the feeling had come from.
"Yo, short stack." Tamsin called out, scrutinizing Kenzi with a slightly concerned look. "You're not about to puke, are you?" She made a face at the thought.
"Huh?" Kenzi shook her head to clear her mind, realizing how badly she had zoned out. "No, I'm golden." She stood up when she saw that Tamsin had two pitchers in hand and Dyson was already talking to Hale. "I'll grab the glasses."
"We need to win this. Dyson and I bet the massive stack of paperwork at the cop shop and I don't intend on losing." Tamsin squared her shoulders as she walked to the table with purpose. "I will scramble your brain so hard you won't be able to tell Louis Vuitton from Wal-Mart if you fuck this up."
"Wow, Tamsin. You sure know how to sweet talk a girl." Kenzi smiled, amused at the determination of the other woman.
Tamsin smirked. "I do what I can. We win this, and I'll make it worth it for you." She winked at Kenzi.
Kenzi swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. "I'm going to hold you to that, Tam-Tam."
Tamsin rolled her eyes good-naturedly, realizing that Kenzi would never stop with the nickname. As they made it to where Dyson and Hale were waiting, Tamsin snuck another glance at the small goth. While she had initially been annoyed with the feisty human, she was fast finding that she actually enjoyed her company. Kenzi matched her sarcasm and snark without so much as blinking and the blonde was starting to look forward to their interactions much to her own dismay.
There was strong pull towards the human that she wasn't sure how to handle, so she found blaming it on the alcohol that had been flowing over the past 24 hours made the most sense. She was a Valkyrie, she didn't do attraction based off of more than looks or the feelings that were associated it. Not only that, but Kenzi was a human. Add that to the small fact that she was trying to put the human's best friend behind bars, whatever Tamsin was feeling was something that would not go further than being drinking buddies now and again. At least that is what she kept trying to convince herself.
I just want to say WOW. The response I got for the first chapter absolutely blew me away. Thank you all so much for the incredibly positive reviews, and I am so glad that you all enjoyed the first chapter. Hopefully this second chapter lives up to your expectations! I'll probably update once a week (I'll try for every Wednesday), but if I'm off by a few days please excuse me. Real life can be a bitch sometimes.
I want to say a special thanks to LadyKitsune87 for motivating me to get this second chapter out sooner than planned. If you can find a way to PM me some cookies, I might update sooner again!
Also, thank you KobizenOne for pointing out the correct spelling of "Thievyrie". I knew it didn't look right when I first wrote it.
