Zane and his beautiful android sat at the noodle bar in the Third Quarter that no one had ever learnt the name of with a big bowl of Ramen in front of him. The Japanese owner stood across the bar taking orders and passing them off to the young woman who was quite possibly the fastest and best chef Belle and Zane had ever seen.
"... have you seen something, Hiro? You see everything." Said Gold before taking another mouthful of Ramen.
Zane had known Hiro for almost ten years, he was a good man that knew just about everything that went on in the Third Quarter and by God did he make some good food.
"True," Smiled Hiro as he passed a bowl over to a young woman with bright pink hair at the other end of the bar. "but a cop dosing up, that I'd remember, Sergeant Gold." There was a pause where the Japanese man leaned on the dark wood bar of the noodle stand. "Doctor Hopper came here yesterday looking for you though, I remember that."
Zane froze with a mouthful of Ramen half way from its bowl, Belle raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" Was all the Scotsman said.
"Yes." Responded the Japanese man. "Seems that you've been avoiding him-"
"Of course he came here." Muttered Gold.
"You've been coming here since Neal was a rookie-" Gold tensed at that forcing Hiro to sigh. "I'm sorry. So... why are you avoiding the doctor? Did you two get back together and not tell your favourite chef or is it evaluation time again?"
Belle couldn't help but think to herself that considering Zane didn't seem to want friends he had rather a lot of them; Jefferson, Victor, Archie and now Hiro.
"Evaluation." Grumbled the Sergeant.
"Shame," sighed Hiro. "you two were good together."
Why does everyone keep saying that?! Belle's mind demanded, not that she was jealous, no of course not.
"Anyway, if we can get back to the reason I'm here – other than the Ramen – and tell me if you remember anyone hanging around Officer Tobin."
Hiro thought for a moment and then shrugged.
"No. He bumped into someone and knocked everything he was holding all over the floor though, I only remember that because the other man screamed at him to watch where he was going. Another man helped him pick up his things while his MX stood there doing that stare thing they do."
Belle had a thought. "Was he carrying any liquids?"
"Huh?"
"She means did he have a water bottle or something?" Gold simplified as he finished off the last of his food, Hiro's food was the only thing Belle had ever seen him eat with gusto.
"Oh, nope. Just popped some of that gum he's always chewing on."
"It was the gum!" Grinned Belle forcing Zane to look at her. "Small, easy to exchange and it was just a matter of time until he had some. Hiro said it himself 'gum he's always chewing on'."
Gold cleared his throat. "Okay, send a message to Jefferson and have him take another look through Eric Tobin's MX footage for our possible gum switcher."
Zane watched Belle out of the corner of his eye while he paid Hiro for the Ramen, over their time partnered together he'd noticed how whenever she sent messages she'd sit bolt upright and her azure orbs would flutter back and forth – he'd always wondered what she read on her heads up display – as the blue sparks caressed her temple. She was an android and yet he'd learnt what she looked like when she was happy or how she'd stare at the floor when she was sad. He'd thought her nothing more than a machine designed to catch bullets for him in the beginning but now he knew the truth she was a person, beautiful, kind, and so much more important than he'd realised.
"Hiro, don't suppose you got a look at our possible poisoner?" Asked Zane as he rose from his seat.
The Japanese man huffed out a laugh and gestured around to the beyond busy noodle bar.
"I hardly have enough time to think, let alone remember random things that happened two days ago. All I can really tell you, Zane, is that it was a man in a ballcap... I think. And the only reason I remember any of that is because Officer Tobin came here everyday, he was more of a regular than you, Jefferson, Victor and Archie. That Detective Swan used to be as well but I lost her to Granny's Diner a couple of months ago."
It sounded like Hiro was getting ready for some huge speech about food quality and diners but thankfully someone called out for service and Hiro leapt into action.
"Gum seems like a pretty damn good way of poisoning someone, the killer doesn't even have to be there when it happens."
"I agree, Data." Gold cleared his throat. "Come on, back to the precinct. I need to see what Forensics has found."
"They'll send you a report." Belle pointed out with a soft smile.
"True, but I like to breath down their necks, it reminds them to be terrified of me."
Belle chuckled and rolled her eyes, sometimes she thought Zane had become addicted to his quips and teasing.
XXXX
Zane sat in Archie's office at the precinct having avoided the good doctor for the last week, almost two. Fluorescent lights rained down on them from the high ceiling and – as usual - the bulb in the far corner by the door buzzed annoyingly, almost like a cricket in distress, Archie had grown used to the constant noise but it still annoyed the hell out of Zane.
"It's about time you showed up, I even went to Hiro." Said Archie in that calming voice of his.
"I know." Muttered Gold. "I'm here now."
Zane threw his arms out in a flamboyant gesture as if to prove it. Archie just looked at him with a gentle smile and rose from his desk. He leaned down over a single sheet of plastic paper and signed his name on the bottom then turned and passed it to Zane; who just stared at it for a moment with a look of puzzlement on his sharp features.
"Did you just rubber stamp me, Doctor Hopper?"
"I thought we should get that out of the way." The redhead settled himself into the green armchair opposite the Scotsman and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Now we can have a normal conversation, you've never responded to therapy and you never will. Bourbon?"
"Now that I respond to." Chuckled the Sergeant while Archie poured two glasses from his desk and returned to his chair.
"Zane, we dated, that was more than enough for me to know exactly who you are. I probably know you better than you do."
Gold chuckled and took a sip of amber liquid. "Is that what you do, Archie? Date your patients to further your career?"
"Nope, just you. You're special. Cheers." The redhead raised his glass towards the older man then took a swig, the dark liquid burnt his throat pleasantly.
The two of them had always had their own level of sarcasm and veiled conversation, it was almost a game they played, Archie also used it to get information out of Zane without him realising that was what he was doing.
"It was three years ago yesterday that I started working here." The doctor mused. "You got me the job remember?"
Zane smirked over the rim of his glass and fixed his dark eyes teasingly on his former lover.
"How could I forget? You let me fuck you over that desk." He gestured with his glass to Archie's mahogany desk; it had been a gift long ago from Zane and Archie treasured it.
"Trust you just to remember the sex." Archie took a sip. "How have you been, Zane? I knew you'd avoid me for the anniversary of Neal's death, that was why I haven't reported your absence to Regina, but that was almost two weeks ago. Why have you been avoiding me?"
"I haven't." Gold answered a little too quickly.
Archie just raised his eyebrow at his ex.
"Yes you have, please don't lie to me. Something has happened and you don't want me to drag you out of mood as usual."
"I don't do that."
Archie smiled, eyes glinting in the horrid fluorescent light. "You always do that. It's part of the reason we broke up."
"Is it?" Gold's brow furrowed.
"Yeah. We're great friends, partners though, that didn't really work out."
"But the sex was good." Grinned the Sergeant and downed the last of his bourbon.
"God yeah." There was a pause, a peaceful intermission in their conversation where neither spoke. Archie enjoyed his conversations with Zane because that was what they were, just conversations, they trusted one another and could help each other without even trying. "Speaking of sex, you've slept with someone recently." Zane froze at that for a second, Doctor Hopper always saw through Zane's mask. "Don't lie to me. Who is he?" Gold said nothing and realisation struck the redhead. "Oh, it's a she. Well, it's been a while, I thought that after Cora you had sworn off women forever. Who is she?"
"No one." Gold didn't sound overly convinced by his own answer.
"Please Zane. You know you can trust me." Archie set his empty tumbler down on the small round table beside his armchair. "Heck, I won't even tell Jefferson and Victor. Everything we talk about in here is private."
"I think they already know, dearie." Gold sighed and set his glass down as well. "Fine. It's Belle."
"Who's Belle?" There was a pause as Archie's eyes widened. "Oh, the BLE. Wow, I can safely say I never saw that coming. Zane, that's against protocol-"
"I know," interrupted Gold quickly. "but she's not an MX, she's... real."
There was true feeling in the Sergeant's voice and Archie knew just how rare that was. There was a spark in Zane's whiskey colored eyes that Archie hadn't seen in a very long time. Doctor Hopper pulled off his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, they might not have been a couple any longer but Sergeant had always loved Archie's hands and couldn't help raking his eyes over them.
"Zane, you know none of what we discuss can leave this room, my evaluation is to determine if you're fit to work and you are. And I'm so glad that you're finally ready to step back into the world of relationships and romance." There was clearly a 'but' coming. "BLEs were designed to be human but I have to ask, are you perusing a relationships with Belle because she's a machine and can't leave you or have any anterior motives? Your and Milah's marriage was one of convenience not love. Cora used you to try and further her own career, Zelena still thinks she had a shot with you and we just couldn't function as a couple. Belle is assigned to you, she can't leave, she can't tell anyone about your relationships because she'd be deactivated and-"
Gold cut him off abruptly.
"No, it's none of that. And it was only once so stop calling it a bloody 'relationship'. She's more like a human than most humans I've met, if that makes any sense. Being human means she has freewill so she may not even want to be a-" He sneered at the word. "- relationship." Gold sighed but Archie just sat quietly and listened like the therapist he was. "I mean look at me, I'm a grumpy Scotsman with a synthetic leg and a slight drinking problem. I don't eat properly, I don't sleep probably, I have a very short temper and I despise people."
Archie couldn't help but wonder how much of an effect Belle'd had on Zane, everyone could see the Sergeant's problems but Zane hadn't ever admitted them out loud before, not beyond the 'grumpy Scotsman with a synthetic leg' bit.
"Or maybe she does." Offered Archie with a gentle smile as he finally slipped his glasses back on.
Zane paused. "Sorry, are you for or against us?"
Doctor Hopper smiled. "I'd say for."
"Why, Archie?"
"Because you just said 'us' as though the two of you are already in this together. I think your subconscious has already made up your mind for you. You've said me and Milah, me and Cora but I've never once heard you say 'us' about anyone since we were together. You care for her, a lot more than a cop should care for an assigned android."
The conversation dipped for a few moments and Archie took the liberty of refilling their glasses.
"We didn't work as an 'us' did we?" Gold said after a while as he stared into his tumbler.
Archie's response came in that soft tone of his.
"No, but were you happy?"
Gold hadn't expected that question and for a moment didn't know how to respond.
"Were you?"
"Yes." Said Archie quickly, he didn't need to think about it.
"Aye, so was I." Zane downed his second glass of bourbon.
"Talk to her, be with her if that's what you both want. After everything you've been through, after Neal, you deserve some happiness."
Zane just looked at the doctor for a second or two as the corners of his mouth curled upwards.
"Why are you always so understanding and know just what to say?"
The redhead leaned back in his armchair and took a sip of amber liquid.
"Because I'm a great therapist and I know what you sound like in bed. Another glass?"
"Aye.