Italics: Flashbacks


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Chapter Seven: Of Gossip and Invitations

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"In which I'm the court jester of the department because of Mr. Freeze and I'm invited to the apartment of doom. Seriously, did he just invite me to humiliate me further?!"


[Time: 12:00 p.m]


You know, there's a good reason why I don't go to the cafeteria at work. It's not because I refuse to socialize with my coworkers. It's not because I'm some edgy social reject with emotional issues.

It was the freaking gossip.

If it wasn't the gossip, it was a conspiracy against the coffee machine, If it wasn't that, it was the toilet paper bandit. Trust me, lots of weird conversations happened in the cafeteria.

The last thing I wanted was Vanessa and her love struck coworker surrounding me in the middle of my turkey sandwich.

They were sort of friendly, but at the same time they swooned over attractive new guys on a daily basis. I will never forget when Kennedy begged me to go out with him for coffee just to get away from them. Kennedy was like the poster boy in the department and lowly female traffic officers were doing nearly everything under the sun to get his attention. Of course they had to be careful around their superiors, otherwise they would have been reprimanded already.

Little did they realize that Mr. Freeze wasn't like Kennedy.

But I wasn't about to warn them.

They were going to find out the hard way.

But anyway, Mr. Freeze was missing in action since this morning, you know with the high profile case and everything. I mean he was at his desk doing paperwork, until I noticed that he received a call on his personal cellphone (which looked expensive as all hell, mind you). He seemed really annoyed when he left the office to take the call. A part of me was like 'Ah-ha! So the iceman does have emotions', but at the same time I knew this guy was no joke.

So I kept my lips zipped.

The last thing I wanted was to be handcuffed to my office chair. Not that I was scared of Mr. Freeze, mind you but still, that café incident was embarrassing and is still ingrained into my memory. Let's just say that he grabbed my wrist, spun me around like a top and dropped me to the floor. Well, at least you know why I was on the floor in the first place.

The cafeteria was like a buffet style corner, with white walls and black tiles. They were reminiscent of our entire department and L.A.P.D colors. So yeah, it was a typical place where the detectives and low level officers hung out. We also had birthday parties and special ceremonies as well.

There were things laid out for breakfast, like eggs, toast, sausages, bacon, coffee, tea, and fruit. Another reason why I didn't eat in the cafeteria was because there would have to be a really good special to entice me. I'm also too fond of my special café for breakfast so I had my preferences. But for lunch, I didn't feel like going out, since the paperwork made me lazy enough to go out.

And on top of that, I didn't have my car.

So I endured the torture for the time being.

Someone shoot me.

If I have to hear how 'hot' or 'sexy' Mr. Freeze is again, I'm going to slap the nearest woman across the face.

Okay, I'm not going to deny that Mr. Freeze was ridiculously attractive to the point I blushed like a school girl yesterday but this guy was a certified stuck up snob. It's a bad sign when we couldn't even get along the first day we met. Hell, I don't even know if we'll get along during this case. He was judgmental, self centered and had no problems insulting a woman. That whole 'chewing like a cow' comment still has me fuming.

"I wonder if he's married?"

"I wonder if he has kids? I mean, if he's married, he probably has a really adorable kid, right?"

Oh freaking great, the marriage talks.

This always comes up during a conversation about hot men. That way, you can breath a sigh of relief when they're available for the taking-wait a minute, why am I even mentioning this?! Why did I even mention it to you?

You heard nothing okay?

Nothing!

Lydia's dark eyes were focused on me the minute she asked that question. She was in her early thirties with short blond hair and hailed from an Ecuadorian background. From what I remembered, her family immigrated to the United States and she adopted the American culture rather quickly.

Hence asking me a question I don't know the answer to or I just don't care.

This woman was a 'manizer'. You know how they have the 'womanizer' variation for a guy who can't take his eyes off of any woman he encounters?

Well, Lydia was the equivalent of that.

"By all means, ask him," I said after a brief period of silence. "I really don't think it's any of my business because we just met yesterday and we weren't swapping love stories."

Lydia threw her hands up in the air in defense. "Look, I was just asking an innocent question okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Right…innocent. And I'm the Queen of England."

"Well gee, you're awfully grumpy today."

"Sue me."

Lydia rolled her eyes and drummed her manicured fingers on the table. How these girls made it past the academy is beyond my guess. Then again, Mr. Freeze did ask me that question when we first met.

Oh great, his sarcasm is starting to rub off on me. It's only a matter of time before I start wearing all black and I become a frozen icecube.

"You do know that you freaked out in Chief Randall's office and everyone knows, right?" Vanessa asked with a smirk before Lydia responded. "The walls aren't exactly sound proof. I'd say that you were excited over the news."

I nearly choked over a piece of turkey. Who in their right minds would be excited over a new partner like Mr. Freeze?! "Wait…what...!?"

Vanessa was trouble.

Pure unadulterated trouble.

If I didn't make her swear not to tell Kennedy about my feelings for him, all hell would have broken loose. She was a typical brunette (so was I, but that's not the point) with brown eyes, long dark hair that was done in a bun, and a curvy frame. Lydia was more on the skinny side but she had her own brand of curves. They were both wearing the standard black L.A.P.D uniforms.

Vanessa's smirk grew wider. "Oh come on, you know what I meant. Can't really blame you to be honest. He's definitely a looker, probably more than Kennedy— "

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on Redfield, you know what I mean. Do you know how many women would love to be in your shoes right now?"

Okay, I was not having this at all. "Look, he's my new partner, not my boyfriend okay? And no woman would want to be in my position because he's insane!"

But you know, Vanessa being Vanessa decided to press forward. "Well, some…suggestions seem to be going around—"

I didn't even give her a chance to finish. "What suggestions?!"

And that was when her eyebrow rose. "Well…"

"Well what?"

"Well, you know..."

"Okay seriously, if you guys came over here to start trouble, then it's not working," I said, interrupting her. "I am not excited over him and never will be okay? We're just partners, no more, no less. We're not together and he would be the last man on earth I would ever consider dating, let alone have coffee with!"

That was when Vanessa laughed. "Oh come on Redfield, we're just pulling your strings so just take a chill pill okay? Most of the girls already know that he's a bit of an ice cube anyway. But seriously, you're lucky, just like you were with Kennedy. Maybe you'll be the one to melt that frozen heart."

The glare I gave her was enough to scorch the cafeteria. "Melt a frozen heart?! He's a freaking sociopath! He made my life hell the minute I found out he was replacing Kennedy! He freaks me out already so please, for the love of everything that's not encased in ice, stop talking about him!"

And that's when I got up, grabbed my lunch and dropped it in the trash.

Lunch break – ruined, just like the beginning of my day already.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse.


[Time: 11:30 p.m]


"You want me to do what?!"

Either Mr. Freeze was on drugs or I didn't hear him correctly.

Here I am, making my way towards the local bus stop (remember when Mr. Freeze thought it would be a good idea to block my driveway in order to force me to ride with him to work?), just glad that the day was over and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief (trust me, paperwork is not fun), and Mr. Freeze shows up in his car with the window rolled down. He sounded as cold and emotionless as a robot, which wasn't surprising to begin with.

I think that's his standard mode.

Other modes probably include heartless and sarcastic.

Now, I'm not a fan of public transportation. The last time I was on a bus, some guy coughed in my face and I was sick with a cold that lasted for a week. Sure I scrubbed my face to the point it was beet red but that wasn't enough to save me from germ city.

The whole fiasco in the cafeteria left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Vanessa and Lydia snickered over my reaction, which made the situation with Mr. Freeze even more annoying than what it was already. I wouldn't have been surprised if the entire department already knew about the high profile case and the fact that I have go undercover as a slutty whore of a low-level druglord.

I am still not happy about that.

But anyway, let's get back to the 'conversation'.

"We are working on a case together. It's only fair that we discuss this case further in detail at my apartment. I would rather you didn't act like a child regarding this arrangement."

I just stopped and glared at him. "How long are you going to keep insulting me? If we're partners, then maybe you should start respecting me okay?"

I could have sworn I heard a soft laugh coming from Mr. Freeze. "You haven't earned that respect yet, I'm afraid. How many times have you called me a sociopath? You should also keep in mind that I am your superior. "

I just gave him one of my own tight lipped smirks. "Right, my superior. I'm sure Chief Randall made you feel really fuzzy, warm and special inside mentioning that. Do you know what else I see? A sociopath with too many issues with women and an ego the size of Europe. Want me to keep going? Because I have plenty of observations coming up."

And he just ignores the women and ego part. "That's probably the fifth time you've used the word 'sociopath'. That must be your favorite word."

There's no ending to this man's witty comebacks. Every time I say something, he has an answer for everything. No one has ever matched wits with me before, not even Kennedy. When I said something, it stuck, but with Mr. Freeze? Nope, he just brushes it aside as a harmless quip.

It's official...I am dealing with a professional sociopath. Yes, that's my favorite word because anyone who tortures another human being like Mr. Freeze has done to me is definitely a sociopath.

"Well, considering that you handcuffed me to a table and scared the holy hell out of a perp, I'm not sure what you expecting me to say. Don't blame me for mentioning something that's actually true."

"You proceeded to attack me when I warned you. As for the perp, he learned his lesson one way or another. I show little mercy towards incompetence."

I really wasn't having this conversation at all. "Okay, you know what? I'm going home. Call me when you want to discuss the case. Goodnight Officer Freezer."

As soon as I began walking again, the car started up, only to tail me.

Cue the low growl that rose from the back of my throat.

You know, Mr. Freeze is quite possibly the most annoying human being I have ever encountered in my life.

I mean, Chris can be a pain in the rear end when he wanted to be (like when he nearly set the kitchen on fire…), but this man…was insufferable. You would think he would get the hint and go away.

But no, not Mr. Freeze.

He has to tail me until I either commit suicide or give in to his command.

This must have been the 'hey, let's make Claire Redfield miserable' holiday. First a blocked driveway, then Vanessa and Lydia with their game of charades, and now he wants me to come over for tea and crumpets.

Maybe if I walked really fast down the street, a bus will miraculously show up and save me at the bus stop…

And that's what I did.

But Mr. Freeze wasn't having that. He revved up the engine enough to match my pace.

"Ignoring or insulting me doesn't change the situation, Officer Redfield. I assure you that dealing with this case will require careful planning. The earlier we go over the details, the better. Your childish antics only wastes valuable time."

"Oh, I insulted you? Good, then you know how I feel when you insult my intelligence. Also, there's nothing wrong with discussing that over the phone. I'm not coming over to your creepy dungeon so you can just forget it."

I was nearing the bus stop, which was a relief but was there a bus in sight?

Absolutely not.

Just freaking lovely. Way to fail public transportation, way to fail.

"I would really hate to inform Chief Randall about your insubordination. He may very well chew you out in front of your peers."

Did he seriously just try to blackmail me again? You have to admit that getting me into his car in the middle of my neighborhood was serious espionage work. It's like his voice led me to his car and I just got in without a will of my own.

Okay, now that's just creepy.

"No, no, and no. You're not blackmailing me again! I'm not falling for that trick again!"

"I have no intentions of blackmailing you Officer Redfield and I don't recall ever doing it."

"Oh really? You blocked my driveway this morning and forced me to drive in your car!"

"That was far from a blackmail. It was logic, all of which you decided to follow."

"So it's logic to block my driveway when I clearly told you that I was using my car?! And I only got in because I didn't want my neighbor thinking I was being arrested!"

"I fail to see why we should drive in separate vehicles. Also, your neighbor was at least half of the reason why you decided to get in."

Okay, that's it.

I stopped walking. The minute I did that, the car stopped. "Are you really doing this right now? I'm tired and would like to go home, if that's okay with you. We have plenty of time to discuss this case. I'm sorry, it seems like you're trying to make up for making my life hell between yesterday and today and I'm not having it. Go torture someone else!"

Again, I hear that soft laugh that's as warm-blooded as a psychopath in a random horror movie. "I highly doubt that. Either comply with my request or Chief Randall and I will have a long discussion about your refusal to follow a chain of command."

Oh no he didn't. I know he just didn't mention 'chain of command' right in front of me. "If you think for one second that I'm intimidated by your freaking threats, you are dead wrong. I'm not getting in that car. "

"Your body language tells a different tale, Officer Redfield. Therefore, I suggest that you get in."

"I'm not getting in your car!"

"I predict that you will."

"You can't tell me what to do! "

"Apparently I can, otherwise you wouldn't have complied with my request this morning."

"You blocked my driveway! It's not like I had any other choice!"

"You do realize that it will take a while for the bus to arrive?"

Wait, what?

Again, how does he do that?!

How do you just change a conversation in the middle of nowhere?!

I mean he's not wrong about waiting for a bus when it's close to midnight but one minute he was talking about the case; the next minute he mentions public transportation.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we call a brain fart.

"Um...well...I can still wait!"

"And you'll be waiting until one in the morning. I doubt that Chief Randall would be pleased with a late arrival to work."

"Well...uh..."

He literally had a point.

Los Angeles' transportation was just as bad as New York's transportation during rush hour. when you think about it. Which meant...hearing Chief Randall bark over my tardiness would cause a chain reaction throughout the department.

"...Damnit."

That infuriating smirk reared its ugly head again. "Well, it appears that I've won this little argument."

Is it possible to grind your teeth into dust?

Because my teeth are grinding together right about now.


Rule #7: My Redfield intimidating stares are literally broken. Note to self-it just doesn't work against attractive megalomaniac partners.


Author Notes


Yes, I'm still around. I've just been very busy with work and finding a new job. My updates have been very slow but I haven't forgot them at all! More updates are coming so please be patient! I'm really, really sorry for the delays. Thankfully I have a vacation coming up, which will allow me to update everything.