A/N: I found an old bit of writing during the time of Arrow's case, so I tacked it on the end of a chapter I'd started for a promotion for Ned. Enjoy xx Mariah
Ned was counting down the minutes to the end of his shift, so when the clock hit six o'clock when LeTrai called him into his office.
That could only mean on damn thing.
He was going to ask him to stay late and look into Arrow's case through the night shift. To try and piece together the small lead they had with everything else that he and Jamison had found at the latest crime scene. But this case had been on his belt since victim one, and now they were on ten.
Ten crime scenes. Ten victims, that they even knew of.
He'd counted Arrow's tattoos in the photos they had of them from his last prison stint. He fourteen teardrops. Fourteen victims, but only ten crime scenes. They had to stop him, and for the past ten hours he had been chasing leads, victims and possible witnesses to no luck.
No one wanted to come forward. Not one damn person.
"Hey, Ned," LeTrai started as he walked inside his office, turning the light on and going to his desk, throwing his keys down and taking his jacket off. "How are you liking the day shift and pay increase?"
He'd been promoted to a detective at the beginning of the year and he'd gotten more clearance and better cases, but it wasn't his dream. He wanted his detective badge before he was thirty and that was getting closer and closer. He was twenty-eight after all.
"Better pay and more parameters in better cases than being on the night shift," he answered. "I get to see Katie more now, even though I'm still here 24/7 it feels like."
LeTrai looked up from the report that was on his desk and laughed, shaking his head at Ned. "How is Katie? I feel like it's been an eternity since you both were was last over for dinner."
"We'll have to come over again soon," he replied, glancing at his watch. "She's doing great and settled in at the high school with her teaching well. She's happy to have her summer vacation."
"Have somewhere to be?" LeTrai asked, signing the report and closing the file. "You're shift should be over by now, right?"
"It will be in at seven," he answered, looking at his watch again to be sure. "Katie's got dinner waiting."
"Good thing I caught you then." LeTrai smiled and stood up. "Sit down Ned. You're not in trouble and I'm not asking you to stay late. I know better than to mess with Katie making you dinner," he chuckled, making his way around the desk and leaning against the front of it. "How's the case coming along? Did you get any new info from the victims or possible witnesses?"
"No, but I got a few doors slammed in my face." He replied, pulling up on his pants.
"That comes with job son," LeTrai answered and there was a knock at the door. "Come in."
"I'm sorry to interrupt Capt." Laurie, his co-worker said. "Hey, Ned. Been a while since I've seen you. You're always out doing something with Arrow's case."
"What's up?" LeTrai asked.
"I found a crack in Arrow's alibi for the last victim. Well more than a crack, I broke it." Laurie said. "He said that he was at his parent's house checking on their dog while they were out of town, but I found video footage of him at Moe's. I can't believe we missed him. He's right there with our latest victim and you can see him slip something into her drink."
"Grace," he said. "Grace Mahoney. You can see that? It never comes up on their toxicology screens... we can try and narrow it down now. This is everything we needed Laurie to bring him in for questioning and make him slip up. Fuck."
"This is great," LeTrai said. "I'll call the judge and get a warrant for his arrest because we all know he won't come in for questioning."
"So Ned, are you wanting to come with me to make the arrest?" Laurie asked, nudging him.
"I would, but in case it doesn't stick overnight I'm gonna try and keep my cover with Arrow. He doesn't know I'm a cop yet. I've had a few drinks with him and can get more information if he slips through our hands again." He explained, standing up. "And I have to get home. Katie already has dinner done at home and I can't keep my wife waiting too long. We all know how that goes, but I will definitely be here bright and early for questioning."
"Still as whipped as ever I see..." Laurie chuckled, rolling her eyes at him. "Whatever Banks. You're missing out."
"Not really whipped," he sighed but ignored her banter as much as he could. "I'm more the devoted and loving type."
"Well, I'll see you in the morning sissy. I'm going to get the arrest warrant from the DA," Laurie scoffed and slipped out.
"So what were you going to say before she came in?" He asked, sitting back down in the nearby chair.
Letrai typed away and glanced up at him. He was a busy man. Ned knew that. Everyone did.
"I'll just get down to business, okay? How would you like to be my deputy nomination for this year's lineup? I believe you've earned it and then some Ned." LeTrai explained. "If you accept that is."
"I gladly accept, sir." He grinned. "Thank you. I won't let you down."
"I know you won't," LeTrai nodded to him. "You're the most promising detective I've seen since I transferred here and I can't wait to see what you do for our team in the upcoming years."
"That's a fantastic thing to hear from you sir," he replied, shaking his hand. "Thank you."
"Enjoy the weekend off and celebrate with your wife, Ned." LeTrai smiled, going back to his typing. "Don't tell the guys I did that for you, but tell Katie I say hello and get the hell out of my office. If you want to come in tomorrow to badger Arrow while she's at work then come on in."
"Yes sir," he laughed, saluting him. "Thank you again."
Katie was sprawled over the couch with a book and a notebook, she highlighted the book and wrote a small number before moving her notebook to write the same number and jot something down and question for her students to elaborate on and write in their own journals for their reading assignments once school started. Katie was always ahead of the game when it came to her classes. She wasn't the type to just give busy work. If there was a question sheet then there was a reason for it, something to be taken from it and then there would it be turned into a study sheet for a quiz or test later on.
"Some people would be offended that you're highlighting in such a great piece of literature," Ned whispered in her ear.
"Not many of those people would be English teachers because I know way too many colleagues that do this same thing," she replied and turned to look over at him. She smiled as she saw her husband's handsome face but then furrowed his brow. "It helps me and my student succeed and have genuine questions about the book."
"Well, your mother would be offended," he joked and moved around to sit next to her on the couch.
"My mother would only be offended if this was a first edition," she answered rather quickly. "And if I were to ever do this to a first copy, please, by all means, call my mother and let her murder me because that would be a well-fought case."
"Would it now?" he asked, leaning closer to her face to steal two short-lived kisses from her. "What is this book anyway?"
"The Scarlet Letter," she laughed and pushed him back to his side of the couch. "How can you call it a great piece of literature if you have not read it yourself?"
"Put it on the list," he sighed and smiled at her. "How was your day?"
"Rather relaxing," she smiled. "I've read five chapters of this bad boy and drank so much tea. Plus Stitches if drunk on belly rubs and I've loved the few moments he's decided to actually lay with me."
Ned scratched the cats head as he stretched and plopped off the couch, affectionately rubbing his face against Katie's leg.
"How many books have you read this week?" Ned chuckled. "Because this the third title I've noticed and most of the time my eyes don't even wander far enough to read the book title.
"This would be lucky number seven," she replied. "But only because I need to get all of fourteen read by the beginning of the school year and I've procrastinated until now on reading anything."
"Why so many books before September?" He asked.
"The first unit of the year is a lit circle which means each student can pick their own book out of these fourteen titles. But it also means that more than one is bound to pick the same book and form a group for discussion." She explained. "Make sense darling?"
"Kind of," he nodded, making his way around the couch to sit next to her. "What doesn't make sense is that you've read seven books this week when it's only the end of June. You still have two months to read them all."
"I know," she laughed, moving her legs to rest them on his lap. "They've just been all great books so far so I finished them rather quickly. Plus all that means is less time reading... and more time spent with you."
"That's a celebration indeed," he smiled. "I'm glad you have had such a relaxing time."
"How was your day?" She asked, closing her book. "And yes, I really want to know about it all."
"Tense," he sighed. "There have been too many dead ends with this case, but one of the new cadets finally found the needle in the haystack today and cracked Arrow's alibi. He's in custody now and I will get a crack on him probably tomorrow or Monday. We have to find something more to stick or we'll have to let him go after the weekend."
"Why would go on Monday? Why not tomorrow? Isn't he like your holy grail of suspects?" She asked, confused.
"Oh," he grinned. "I forgot to tell you. LeTrai gave me the weekend off to celebrate with you."
"Celebrate what?" She asked, sitting up. "Now you're acting weird."
"You know, for getting my deputy's badge," he winked at her.
"You got it?" She gasped and moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Oh, Ned! I'm so proud of you. We have to celebrate." She kissed him next, moving to straddle his lap. "Do you want to go out to eat or eat here?"
"I kind of want to order in," he shrugged and leaned in to kiss her again. "I don't want to go anywhere."
"I guess we could do that," she said moving off of him. "I'll grab the take-out menus."
"No, Katie wait." He stopped talking and looked at her.
She turned back around and her hands were on her hips, in a very Melinda like way. Her brown curls fell around her face as she waited for him, loving the way she smiled at him. The way her leggings fit perfectly around her curves.
"Stop," she immediately said, pointing her finger at him. "Do not get all glazed over for me yet. We have to eat, Ned."
What could he say? He was a dirty minded man. And inappropriate. Very inappropriate. He was always thinking about inappropriate things when it came to Katie.
He got up and walked to the other side of the room, meeting her. What made things worse was the fact that once he decided to move closer. She'd taken that as an okay to keep walking and was now slightly bent over the counter, reading one of the many take-out menus they had.
"I'm not feeling Chinese," she scoffed and slide that menu out of her sight. "What are you feeling?" His breath immediately hitched when her eyes met his, hair falling around her face, the top of her shirt falling slightly, showing her green bra. "Ned! Eyes up here. Food is on the agenda first," she walked closer, grabbing his tie and kissing him. "Then you can do whatever you want to me," the last few words came off her tongue with a smirk.
He could make out her perfume distinctively.
Honey vanilla.
She always smelt like something fresh out of the bakery oven and he loved it. He was breathing deeply. He could smell her perfume and the fruity scent of her shampoo. The proximity from her body to his was too close, her hips brushed against his, but he didn't step back.
He focused on the way her face was lit up as she looked at him. Even if all he could think about was picking up and pinning her against the wall, taking her right there in the hallway. His mind briefly went back to when she was bent over the counter.
He could do that too. Bring her to the kitchen, pin her, turn her around, mount her there with a smack to her ass. She had such a nice ass too. He would be able to feel the way it would jiggle against his palm, the warm skin of her rear. He felt his chest rising and falling more rapidly at this point. And that smile of hers too? It was perfect. He heard her laugh and he broke out of his trance-like state.
"I guess we could wait to order food since you're so distracted," she laughed, biting her lip. "Whatcha thinking about Ned?"
He continued breathing heavily, not answering her. She went to speak again when he closed the remaining distance between them, crushing his lips against hers. She froze in shock for a moment before registering fully what was happening. He parted her lips quickly, forcing his tongue into her mouth, his hands sliding down her sides, resting on her hips.
She moaned slightly as he did so and dropped her stack of menus, her hands immediately finding their way into his hair. He pulled her back a few remaining feet, hitting the wall roughly. She moaned again as he picked her up, spinning around and pushing her into the wall.
He pinned her against the wall with his body. His hands roamed her body, frantically but gently, and she pulled his tie off and started to work on the long cascading row of buttons on his shirt. Once unbuttoned, she ran her hands slowly down his chest, making him moan slightly. She smirked as she felt him getting harder against her thigh and she moved against him slightly, causing more friction, making him moan louder than before.
Her hands roamed over his chest and she broke from their kiss, immediately kissing down his neck. She smirked as he groaned when she took his belt off and she bit hard down on his neck. He tightened his grip on her hips as she did so. She teasingly undid his trousers and pushed them down as he reached up to pull down her leggings, tugging on her panties. She closed her eyes as his hand slid over her center slightly as he pulled them down with her leggings.
He smirked, helping her out of them and immediately started trailing his hand up her inner thigh as he sucked and bit roughly on her neck. He stopped mid-thigh and bit on her neck hard. She moaned and gripped his hand moving it to where it needed to be. He continued to bite on her neck as he slid two fingers into her, causing her to moan loudly and grip onto his shoulder for support. He moved his fingers hard and roughly, causing her to moan involuntarily with pleasure.
He continued to move his fingers hard as she moaned, every once in a while, rubbing his thumb over he swollen and aching clit. She drew in a sharp breath every time he did, trying to rub against his hand for more friction. She trailed her hand to the waistband of his boxers and wasted no time pushing them down and slowly started pumping him.
She smirked as a low guttural moan issued from his mouth. She reclaimed her lips with his and move her hand faster as he plunged his fingers deeper into her.
"Oh, fuck.. fuck," she moaned as she felt her walls flutter around his fingers. "Ned... Goddamnit."
He was getting close too. He could feel the tension building. He moved his fingers faster, causing her to moan and pump him faster. "Ah, fuck, Katie!" he moaned, as he climaxed.
He rubbed his thumb roughly over her and watched as she came undone. She arched her back as she came hard, her hand tugging on his hair slightly and moaning his name over and over again. She immediately kissed him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth and gripped him in her hand again as he started to get hard again before he quickly pushed himself into her dripping core.
"Oh, Ned," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist as he thrusted into her.
He moaned loudly at the feeling. She arched her back and met his thrusts in rhythm, both of their
breathing picking up heavily. Ned continued thrusting into her, gripping her hips hard and plunging into her as deep as he could. He moaned and almost pulled out before plunging back into her, making her grasp his shoulders.
"G-God, Katie, you're so… amazing," he groaned as he slammed into her.
Katie gripped his hair tightly as she felt him repeatedly slam into her. She was aching with need and high on ecstasy. With every thrust, her moans got louder and his grunts got deeper. She closed her eyes and reveled in the pleasure as he thrusted, even if her back slightly pained from the constant slam into the wall. It was adding to the pleasure and she ground her hips against his as much as possible. She leaned her head to his neck and bit roughly, making him growl in approval.
She slowly made her way up to his ear and whispered. "Ned, oh, yes," she moaned. "Make me scream your name," she said through heavy panting.
More turned on by her words, he obliged. Husbandly duties and all. He moved into her harder and faster than before, causing her back to slide up the stone wall slightly on every thrust.
"Mmmmm, yes! Don't stop!" she screamed.
"Oh, god Katie," he gasped and he felt her spasm around him as she hit the peak of her climax and shouted out his name.
He came deep inside her, throwing his head back in pleasure and moaned. Once each of them was down from their highs, he slowly pulled out of her and stood her back on her feet. They felt like jelly and she held onto him, kissing him.
"Hi," she let out a breath and her head fell back. "A plus effort, Mr. Deputy... can we order food now? I'm feeling wings but they don't deliver."
"We could go out, you know," he answered.
"I don't want to get dressed. I enjoy being in the nude with you," she replied with a smile on her face.
"My two favorite things... I'm the happiest man alive." He grinned. "Thank you, for dealing with long nights. I wouldn't have gotten this promotion without you Katie."
"Yes, you would've," she laughed and smiled at him. "Why can't you see how great you are?"
He picked her up, kissing her, moving toward the stairs. "We'll get food later," he whispered.
"Later is good," she nodded and kissed him again. "I'll call Aaron and have him get it for me from the pizza shack because the wings there are great. Plus he owes me a favor, remember?"
On Saturday evening, Ned felt well-rested and a little ticked off that LeTrai had called him down to the county prison. He was supposed to have the weekend off. Even if he enjoyed that he was going to see Arrow in shackles, he didn't like the idea of leaving the Clancy family dinner early.
Katie hadn't been mad. She'd come into the living room to convince him to go after he'd left the dinner table to answer the phone. She was the one who reminded him that he had to see this case through and nail the bastard.
"This better be good," he said to his partner, Jamison, who was standing outside the cell in the heavily guarded hallway. Beside him was one of the rookies, Ramirez, who was taking a peek into the cell where Arrow was being held.
"He said he'll only talk to you," Jamison groaned, rolling his eyes. "Ramirez let it slip that you're a cop."
Ned sighed and slowly glanced over at the newbie. "I'm really sorry." Ramirez immediately said, trying his best to keep standing straight. "I forgot you went undercover at the bar to get intel,"
"Yeah, next time just keep your goddamn mouth shut." He muttered, walking up to the cell door. "Now I'm missing quality family time to question a criminal at eight at night." He pulled up his badge and banged on the bars. "Open up."
The gate slided open and Ned stepped in, seeing Arrow at the table with Captain LeTrai. For some reason, Arrow hadn't called a lawyer. He still wanted to be cocky, mostly because he knew they didn't have much on him beside the video breaking his alibi.
"Ned!" Arrow cheered and looked up from where he was freely walking around, his ankles shackled in chains. "How lovely to see you. I haven't seen you since that night at the bar. I should've known that you were one of them."
"Get his ass in the chair," Ned spoke to the correction officers behind him as he fixed his jacket and sat down across from where Arrow would be seated.
They escort him over to the other side and shoved him down in the seat.
"Don't have to be so rude, Ned. I thought we were friends," Arrow chuckled, glancing over LeTrai. "Not like this guy. He's stone cold."
"You have ten minutes with him, Detective Banks." LeTrai said to him with a slight nod as he stood up and stepped off to the side.
"Why did they send you all the way down here so late? I didn't think they'd get you here tonight," Arrow relaxed as much as he could with metal shackles around his wrists and ankles and smiled at him. The man leaned closer, breathing in. "You know, you still smell like your wife a little. I treasure that night when I met her. I had feeling she'd be special."
"You've learned how to push my buttons, Arrow. I'll give you that," he sat back in his chair, trying to keep his cool. He didn't like it when any man talked about his wife in that way, let alone some criminal who he was trying to put away. He cursed that Katie had ever met him. "You know why I'm here."
"My little rat of a brother is squealing to you pigs, I know," Arrow's shackled moved a little as he was unsettled. "And you're not too big of a puzzle. I saw the way you clenched your jaw every time I looked at your wife that night. It's a trigger for you."
"After we cracked your alibi and got a search warrant for your house, your accomplice started telling us everything. I just thought I'd come to gloat and see how you were doing." He smiled, leaning back into his chair. He playing it cool, because yes, Arrow's brother had told them a little bit of information, but not nearly enough.
"You wouldn't be here if you didn't need something from me, Ned." Arrow chuckled. "I'm not a retard, now, come on we've always been honest with each other. If I give you something, I want something in return." Arrow dragged in and on, his words never ending as usual. He loved to gloat. "If I tell you that, hypothetically, I might know where a few bodies my brother buried. Would you tell me a little about your wife? I smell a little honey and vanilla mixed in with your cinnamon spice cologne. You were just with her, right?"
Ned's mouth moved from side to side as he gritted his teeth. Arrow knew just what buttons to push. "I was with my wife just a little bit ago, yes," he muttered. "And you're going to tell me where some hypothetical bodies are buried?"
"Yes, I'm very observant. I saw my brother burying their bodies," Arrow chuckled as he leaned back into his chair. "Now back to your wife. Can I see a picture of her?" When he didn't answer, Arrow rose his shackled hands and held them over where his phone sat on the metal table. "I bet if I press that button on your phone your screen will be her picture."
Ned pulled back his phone from where it sat on the table, out of his reach. As he held the phone, he clicked on his home button and a photo of Katie appeared. An older one of her smiling with an infant Emma on her chest.
A rare moment during those times.
He slid his phone over just enough. Arrow already knew what Katie looked like. Would a picture really be that harmful?
Arrow smugly inspected the photo slowly, licking his lip. "She has a very nice neck. Nice and lean," the man glanced up from the photo. "Is the child yours?"
"No," he said, reaching to grab his phone and slide it in his pocket. "We don't have any children, yet."
"Sad, you two would make beautiful children." Arrow leaned back into his chair and smiled. "How long have you been married to her?"
"Enough with the twenty questions about my wife. I want some information for you now," he set his clenched fists on the table in front of him. "You don't get to talk about my wife again, got it?"
"Whoa slow your roll there, Ned." Arrow sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's just guy talk, right? I give you a little, you give me a little."
"I don't want to hear your stories. I'm not here for that," he scoffed and stood up. "I'm here because you said you had information and would only talk to me. Is that true?"
"And if I tell you something? Will you answer my question?" Arrow asked.
"We just celebrated our third wedding anniversary this summer," he muttered quietly. "And what do you have to tell me?"
"Everything started when my mother would beat me and my brother whenever my father wasn't looking. She knew how to not leave a mark," Arrow explained. "Now tell me, are your wife's breasts as firm as they look?"
Ned grabbed hold of Arrow's jumpsuit and as the guards stepped closer he released his grip but held him close to his face.
"Tell me Ned, what are you thinking about doing to me right now?" Arrow slyly grinned, narrowing his eyes at him. "You gonna ruin the case over a few words?"
"I'd like to get my gun, put it in your mouth, and pull the trigger." He said simply, shoving him back into the chair. "And if you ever speak about my wife like that again, I will do with no hesitation, Arrow. You got that?"
"Oh, Ned... no, no. I don't think you'd actually do that. You swore to save lives, remember?" The man chuckled and relaxed back into his chair and set his shackled ankles on the table. "Plus, it is so much better to do it slowly. You should take your time. All my life I have been meticulous about finishing what I've started, and I haven't finished with you yet, I can feel it. I have something special in mind."
"You won't get the chance, you sick scumbag." He stood up, fixing his jacket. "You're locked up now. You'll never see the light of day again."
"Do you dream about me Ned?" Arrow asked.
"I don't even think about you," he muttered, running his hand through his hair. That was a lie. While he's never dreamed of him, Arrow was always on his mind. "I'm sick of your games. I'm done. Goodbye."
"Well, just know, I'll be dreaming of your wife." One last dig, the only thing Arrow was good at.
Ned didn't give him the chance to see his reaction. He waited until he was outside to punch the wall and then he pinned Ramirez up against the wall.
"Do you realize what you did by telling him I was a cop? We could've actually got something out of him if he didn't think I was one of us." He groaned and walked away, flashing his badge to get outside before he could yell at anyone else.
He just needed to breathe some fresh air and take the drive home slowly. That would calm him down.
The moment Ned stepped outside and was out of ears reach of the guards outside, he called Katie and broke down. He hated the way Arrow had asked him questions about her. He hated that he'd gone through with it, just to be played more.
"I'll meet you somewhere, anywhere." She said on the other end. "I'm already in my car. Are you still at the prison?"
"Yeah," he sighed, unlocking his truck as he stepped toward it. "I'm getting in my truck now."
"I know neither of us are hungry, but I could go for desert. How about some ice cream?" She asked. "We can meet at a fast food place and talk."
"Okay. Can we go to Dairy Queen?" he said.
By the time they walked out of the fast food restaurant, shakes in hand and smiles on each of their faces.
"I can't believe you still don't think Dairy Queen counts as a date," he said as he fished a peanut butter cup from his shake.
"It doesn't," she said, taking a bite out of her sundae.
"But a dinner at Lento's for the billionth time does?" He asked.
She smiled with her spoon in her mouth. "Yeah, well, I like Lento's. It's a cheap Italian place and if we are talking dinner dates I'd like eat at the sea food restaurant that opened last week, but somebody — and I'm not gonna name any names here, but somebody keeps bailing every time we make plans because of his cases." She smirked at him. "But I get it. Arrow is a crazy criminal and he pushes your buttons. I wish there was something I could do."
"You're doing it," he smiled, licking ice cream off his lips. "You're here. We're eaing ice cream and you're keeping me smiling."
"Okay, good." She said, wanting to change the subject now. "So is there some strange way to eat a Blizzard?"
"Put some ketchup in it," he replied as they leaned against the hood of his truck.
"Are you serious? That sounds vile." She looked at him.
He started to laugh. "Yeah, that's because it is. Don't do that." He looked so amused with himself.
She smacked him, but he only smiled, his eyes bright. "You're gross for even suggesting that Ned. My sundae is a masterpiece."
And she can feel it in the tips of her toes, his smile. She liked it.
"Share a bite?" He asked, opening his mouth slightly. She scooped a generous amount of strawberries and ice cream before bringing it to his mouth. "It's really, really good."
"I know, right!" She said and took another bite for herself. "It's almost better than sex."
"Nothing's better than sex," he said, licking his lips and taking a bite of his own ice cream as he snuck a glance at her.
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She giggled and smiled playfully at him.
"Maybe it's a proposition," he shrugged, glancing back at her fully this time. "Want to test that better than sex theory?"