Chapter One: A New Liaison

Author note - In a repeat of my note from the Prologue: This story is the seventeenth in the Magical Flashpoint series. It follows "Anything for Family".

Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.

57 hours earlier (3 days earlier)

Team One was relaxing in the briefing room after yet another successful hot call, this one magic-side. Ever since the hot call that had resulted in the death of their first Auror liaison, the Auror Division had been much quicker to call Team One in if they had a problem; for most of the Aurors, Team One had proved their mettle and skill, as well as their willingness to mix magic in when needed. Of course, most of the calls weren't that hard, as far as Team One was concerned; some of them wouldn't have even gotten a Team One call out if they'd been tech-side.

Today's call had been a mixed bag. Parts had been easy, almost too easy, but that had been offset by the need to keep the subject from bolting tech-side with his Veela captive as well as coordinating with the on-scene Aurors, some of whom still only respected orders from a magical Auror. If Greg Parker had had more hair, he would have been tearing it out trying to get his point – that the Aurors needed to cover the gateways – across to the thick-skulled patrol Aurors.

As a result, while most of Team One kicked back and enjoyed a late lunch, Greg was making notes, trying to figure out how to get around the rather permanent problem of Team One's lack of magic or, failing that, getting the Auror Division to assign a new liaison to his team. The other part of his notes was an attempt to come up with something for Commander Holleran, who didn't like – at all – that his top team went on calls that were 'too classified' for him to know about; he was starting to demand that Greg give him a, in his words, "half-way decent explanation that doesn't include the word 'classified' at all, Sergeant Parker."

"So…" a voice drawled from the doorway, "This is how the best of the best kick back." Team One looked up to see a man they hadn't seen in well over two years. With slicked back black hair, a glint in light gray eyes, and a smug smirk on his face, Auror Anderson stood in the doorway. He wore the typical Auror trenchcoat and had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat; there was a lazy look about his stance and his lean face held a touch of amusement.

As Greg looked up at the man, there was a slight raise in the hair on the back of his neck, a nudge of warning. With the briefing room door open, Greg greeted him with a cheerful, "Constable Anderson, what brings you to the station?" The SRU Sergeant set his notes aside, noting a flash of something in Anderson's eyes, there and gone too fast to identify.

Anderson took a step forward, getting inside the briefing room proper, and cast a pointed look back at the door. Sam, close by, stood and tapped the controls to bring the door down; Anderson waited until it was down before speaking again. "What with all the guff you lot got today, Madame Locksley thinks it's time you got a new liaison that the boys on the street will listen to." Team One bristled a bit; yes, there'd been some static, but they'd gotten the on-scene Aurors to cooperate, to help the team stop the subject without any shots – or spells – fired. Anderson, not seeming to notice he'd insulted them, moved on, adding, "I figured maybe you'd prefer a familiar face, see how it goes."

"You volunteered?" Sam questioned, a wary light in his eyes as he tracked the Auror.

A casual shrug. "Someone had to," Anderson observed. "Step in, take over where Brian left off." Again, his tone, almost flippant, rubbed Team One wrong, their eyes hardening at his disregard for the fallen Auror. Snagging a free chair, Anderson surveyed Team One. "Seeing as we'll be working together, I thought I'd drop by, reintroduce myself…get to know all of you." He smiled at them, his expression open and earnest.

Team One traded looks, none of them pleased by the choice for their new liaison, but then, they hadn't been all that happy back when Brian had volunteered to become their liaison for a second time and he'd worked out, posthumously earning unofficial member of the team status. So Greg Parker stood, offering a hand to the Auror. "Welcome aboard then, Auror Anderson."

Anderson shook Parker's hand, a satisfied look on his face. "Thank you, Auror Sergeant Parker."

The rest of their day was slow, training and workouts with a plan to drill the next day if they didn't get a hot call. Anderson chose not to depart after reintroducing himself to the team; instead he hung around, asking questions, both professional and personal. Ed answered the professional and breezed over the personal, making it clear that personal was off limits. Wordy, wanting to make their new liaison welcome and less naturally suspicious than his best friend, answered the personal questions, telling Anderson about his family with a touch of pride, even showing the Auror a picture of himself and his girls and pointing out each girl with a father's pride and pleasure ringing in his voice.

Anderson studied the picture for several moments after Wordy finished, a wistful look on his face. "Never could settle down," he mused aloud, "But it sure sounds nice."

Wordy chuckled as he put the picture away in his locker. "Believe me, it's the best," he replied. "I wouldn't trade my girls and Shelley for anything." Leaning against his locker for a moment, he considered, then offered, "Hey, how about I show you around, introduce you to the rest of the station?"

Anderson cocked his head, looking startled and caught off guard. "But I'm working with your team, right?" A shrug. "Why would I need to know the rest of the station?"

Wordy's smile faded; this was reminding him, sharply, of how Brian had been in the beginning. At least Anderson hadn't yanked the kids out of school to act as a buffer between himself and Team One. Yet. "Okay, well," he shrugged back, "If you change your mind, let me know." Then he headed out of the locker room as Anderson stared at his back, then turned his attention to the brunet's locker, a thoughtful look on his face.

Jules and Sam greeted the Auror with his cover rank, Jules' eyes sparkling with her enjoyment of the day thus far and Sam doing his best to keep from staring at his ex-girlfriend. After the City Hall Sniper, Sarge had dropped the hammer, telling them that the rules were there for a reason and they could either break up or one of them would have to transfer to another team. Anderson noticed the tension, but politely didn't comment on it; instead he asked them many of the same personal questions he'd already asked Ed and Wordy, with a scattering of professional questions mixed in. Sam, still on edge from the briefing room snubs, kept his answers short and to the point; Jules revealed that she had no close family in town without a qualm. The Auror noted their answers and attitudes; then he took the effort to placate Sam after his inadvertent insults, but, once again, declined any offers to introduce him to non-Team One personnel.

As he departed, Jules threw a frown at Sam. "Is it just me, or is he acting a lot like Brian did in the beginning?"

Sam shrugged. "I came in right at the end, remember? But, yeah, I know what you mean Jules. If he wants to work with us, he's going to have to meet our dispatcher at some point."

Jules considered. "First day, I guess we shouldn't be too hard on him."

"Yup," Sam agreed. Then his eyes lit. "What are you thinking?"

With a smirk, Jules leaned her elbows on the table. "Oh, nothing much…whipped cream, that kind of thing."

Spike and Lou were the last two on Anderson's list; accordingly, he plied them much as he had the other Team One members, mixing personal and professional questions. Lou answered the questions as he worked on inventory, making sure the team had everything restocked and organized. Spike, helping him out, was a bit guarded, unwilling to share his current family troubles with a perfect stranger.

Despite the reticence, Anderson soon established that neither had any family in town beyond their parents, both sets of whom had no idea their sons were involved in the magical world. For a third time, Anderson declined an offer to show him around and introduce him to the other men and women who worked at the station. He did, after a glance around, use his wand to return the boxes Lou was finished with to their places. Then he departed, satisfied smile still on his face.

Lou waited until the door shut to shake his head at Spike. "If any of that had been electronics…"

"I hear ya," Spike agreed. "He could've fried it and he didn't even ask first."

Lou leaned against the table, a frown crossing his face. "I don't know, Spike. We need a new liaison, but something about him's rubbing me the wrong way."

Spike stopped his sorting to look up at his friend. He looked at the door, then back at Lou. "It is just the first day," he observed.

"So give him a chance?"

"Yeah." With that and twin shrugs, the two got back to work.

Greg considered the Auror as he departed the station, not even glancing towards Winnie as she called a farewell. Something was bugging him about the man, a nagging instinct that the veteran negotiator and investigator was learning not to disregard. Beyond his instincts, he was a bit…suspicious…that Auror Anderson, beyond his initial arrival, hadn't asked him any questions. Why his entire team and not him? And why had he given everyone who didn't know about magic the cold shoulder? After a few moments, Greg decided: he'd give Auror Anderson a fair chance, but he would be keeping an eye on the man.