A/N: I don't remember what the Magic Store Owner from Illusions name was, nor could the RoboWiki give me an answer, so we're calling him Todd. (The character is canon even if the name isn't!)
Week Nineteen - UDC 7 - Detective Lisa Madigan and Todd the Magic Store Owner
Conquer
When she woke in a cold sweat with a startled cry poised to ring out but only a gasp of air escaping, the sound of a comforting voice and the touch of a hand on hers soothed. The feelings were quelled and the voice expertly eased her into relatively calm wakefulness, providing an anchor to the here and now.
As her breathing slowed, Lisa found him fully clothed and sitting in a chair next to their bed, watching her with concerned intent. "You didn't have to spend the night in the chair."
He smiled. "Yes I did. I saw the news bulletins, and you tend to kick and punch me during night mares."
Dictate
Looking at the sincerity in his eyes, she knew that was not a joke by any stretch of the imagination. "It wasn't that bad of a day."
"So you weren't nearly blown up three times?"
Lisa paused, sighed. "No. I was nearly blown up twice, and my partner ended up with a bomb in his leg. That was after he actually was blown up by a mad man."
Todd nodded slowly. "And the bomb in the leg?"
"Got deactivated."
"Ah."
"That doesn't mean we should let my nightmares dictate when you get to sleep in your own bed."
He stared at her for a long moment before asking a question that made her stare right back. "Who is Murphy?"
Rebel
The question wasn't one she was prepared to answer, especially not to him, and Lisa had to look away. "It was a long time ago and doesn't matter any more, Todd."
"You talk in your sleep. That name comes up often... usually in conjunction with 'fight', whatever that means."
Lisa blinked, startled at the observation, and let her eyes wander in search of something she could point to, to explain it without going into too much detail. Of course it would come up after a day like yesterday. Murphy had nearly gotten blown up from the inside out, after getting blown into a security barrier!
Aftermath
It took her a minute or two, but she found it and got out of bed to take the picture off the wall to show him. It was a picture Nancy had given her after the funeral that later turned out not to have a body in the casket, with Nancy, and Alex, and an infant Jimmy. Slowly, she turned back to look at Todd, then handed him the picture. "This is Murphy. Or was, rather. You've met Nancy and Jimmy, remember?"
Todd took the framed picture and studied the man in it for a moment before his eyes widened in faint recognition. "Oh. This doesn't explain..."
"I was there. He was my partner."
"And did he fight?"
Rebirth
Lisa sat down on the bed close to his chair, a pensive expression on her face as she thought about it from the perspective of someone who didn't know the whole story. Did he fight? Of course he had. But there was only so much that will and medicine could do... "Yes. I think he did."
"But...?"
Lisa saw the opening for what it was and shook her head. "They're not all happy endings. No matter how much prayer and will and modern medicine there is."
Except... in this case. The man who had been her partner was still her partner. After a fashion.