This is still for Mouse, who doesn't own these characters either.

June 9th, 2000 8:15 AM

Ken awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon. He stretched out in the rumpled bed and looked around Teo's room. She preferred soft rich colors, honey-brown and gold, with touches of deep green against cream gold walls. But her sheets were always crisp white cotton, the best she could afford and kept dazzling white. He got up and pulled on the long shirt he had worn last night and wandered off to the bathroom to take care of a few things.

When he came out, Teo called him for breakfast. She was already dressed for work, with an apron over her soft green blouse and slacks. Her hair was swept up into a bun, with a few strands dropping here and there, softening her face. The sunny kitchen was full of wonderful smells. Ken poured himself a cup of coffee and walked over for his morning kiss. "You're raring to go, koi. Not eggs again, you've had your two for the week!"

"Nag, nag, nag, Food Police. I'm making French toast."

"Which is made with?"

"All the love I can give it! Don't tease, kobito, it's going to be a long day, and I'll need my strength. Sit down, it's ready." They ate quietly, enjoying their time together before the start of another day. "Nezumo-chan, do you remember back when I was a rookie..."

"And dinosaurs roamed the earth. Vaguely, I was very young at the time. Why?"

"Don't be a smartass just because you're four years younger than me. I'm talking about the time I found those two cops in a shooting gallery that my partner and I were checking on. The older had the younger cop in a bad way before I came upon them and stopped what was going on."

Kenshin made a face. "You would have to ask at breakfast! Your stomach is stronger than mine after all this time." He rubbed his forehead. "Wasn't the young guy tied up and the older cop was pistol whipping him? I met you at the hospital where you'd taken him. All I remember is a bandaged big black-haired guy with really intense blue eyes staring at me when I came over to kiss you. He gave me the creeps. Why?"

"Because something about that makes me think of what's going on right now. The kid begged me to cover him, said it was consensual. I had my gun on the bastard who was pistol whipping him and he begged me to let the man go, that he loved him and I would ruin both their careers. It freaked me out; I know that. I just can't remember his name. I play rough, true, but I play within safe limits. That was just fucking torture; the old guy was a really sick bastard. He even had..." Her eyes opened wide and she stopped with a forkful of French toast in the air. She put it down and got up to go strap on her gun. "I've gotta go check something out."

"But your breakfast?"

"Well at least I'm not going to be eating those extra eggs, am I? Save the bacon for me. Love." She gave him an absent-minded kiss and ran for the door. Kenshin shrugged and went back to breakfast, thinking over the day's special for the bistro.

8:58 AM

Teo trotted into the records section of the 2-1, and waved at the older man behind the counter. "John, how are you today?"

"Fine, Teo. Six months and counting to retirement. What can I do for you?"

"How far has the department gone with digitizing old records?"

"About as far as back to 1990. Why?"

"I need to see a report I did in 1982. Would it still exist?"

"Yeah, it would be on record, deep in the files. Give me a date."

"That's the bitch, I can't quite remember. I was a rookie, only on foot patrol for about six weeks or so. That would make it September or early October of 1982. I was working Bed-Stuy with Paulie McNamarra as my watchdog. A young cop got hurt in a shooting gallery- fell, and cut his face on some glass. I helped him get to the hospital and wrote up the report; it was my first one. Could it be found?"

I'll call around, how quick?"

"ASAP. I'll owe you and Rita a dinner if you pull this out for me."

"Ken's cooking? I'll have it for you if I can. Is it connected with this case in the papers? The young kid who was murdered yesterday?"

"Yeah, I think so. That and an old detective story. Thanks, John, let me know."

Teo headed for the detectives office. Katsu Myojin was already there with a cup of coffee for her. "Thanks. What's new?"

"Report from forensics. And Dave Sanos is waiting to talk with you."

"Tell him to go away. I'm working and I don't have time to hold his hand. Where is the report? In Shou's office? Where's he?"

"Off today, remember he worked the weekend?"

"So did I and I'm here. Thanks."

She went into Shou's office and sat down to look over the folder. Vague memories still bugged her. She could see the scene, a dark, foul-smelling building, abandoned, and used by the local junkies for a place for a fix. She and McNamarra had been looking for a runaway girl who had been seen in the area. Paulie was outside in the alley and she moved into the building. The sound of something solid hitting flesh brought her quickly around a corner, light in one hand, gun in the other.

A heavyset man had another man on his knees before him, faintly visible in the beam of a light lying behind him. She saw the shine of the gun in the man's hand and drew down on him, shouting that she was the police. He dropped the gun, raised his hands and said, "Me too."

She held the gun on him and checked out the man on his knees. He was big, with short black hair and really blue eyes. His left cheek was split open and a steady stream of blood ran down onto his blue uniform. He was a cop too! His hands were cuffed behind him, pants down around his ankles as he knelt on the filthy floor. "Are you okay, man? I'll call for back up, my partner's outside."

"Please don't! It's my fault! I made him do it! I asked for it!" The blue eyes were frightened and full of tears. "He just got a little carried away, that's all! Come on, you'll destroy my career if this comes out, please just walk away."

"And let him finish you off? I don't think so." She looked at the standing man. "Uncuff him, and help him up. Remember, I'm just a stupid rookie and I might shoot without thinking so be very careful with how and where you move asshole."

The older man said nothing, just looked at her with glazed, sick eyes. The younger man spoke again. "It's all right! Just walk away and don't worry. I don't want to lose my job! I don't want to lose him, I need him so!"

The other man spoke. "Shut your fucking little wimp mouth or I'll shut it for you, bitch." He stopped when Teo pushed the gun up behind his left ear.

"There's playing rough, but you're a fucking sick man! You could have killed him and he's begging for me to go easy on you. I will have no trouble in sending your brain across this room if you open your mouth one more time. Now uncuff him! And help him up." The older man reached down behind the kneeling man and pulled something away from his buttocks, tossing it away with a crunch of glass." What was that? -Never mind, I know. Get the cuffs off and step away." He did as he was told and she reached down to touch the young cop's shoulder. "Did he hurt you there too? You're lucky that bottle wasn't broken- you'd be dead. Come on get up."

He stood and pulled up his pants, only looking at the man who had hurt him so badly. "I'm sorry Frank, I really am. Please don't go, don't leave me."

Teo felt like puking. She had been in some hairy scenes, but this was way twisted! "Come on with me and we'll get you looked at. You're gonna need stitches in that cut, and he'll have given you a nice big scar to remember him by. Here take this handkerchief and try to put pressure on the bleeding. Stop crying, man, I won't blow your cover, but you had better think more than once before you get near this sick fuck again. Were you trying to kill him, asshole?"

The man turned those sickly eyes on her again. "I don't know why it went so far, but yeah, I would have killed him if you hadn't stopped me. You're right, I am a sick bastard, blow my brains out for me right now, and I'll bless you for it!"

"No, Frank, please, it was my fault! I'm a slut and you have to show me how to behave! You were right, you were right!" The tall cop collapsed back down onto his knees, sobbing.

All Teo wanted was to get out and as far away as possible from this whole sick scene. She pulled the younger cop to his feet. "Come on asshole, you're going to the hospital now!" She started to back away, still holding her gun on the other man. "You drag your ass and stay out of my sight, you twisted bastard. Don't try to pull on me or come after us or I swear you'll die where you stand!" The man didn't move as she pulled the whimpering other man away. When they were safely around the corner, she took a shaky breath. "Come on! Yes, I said I'd cover your ass! Tell them you were looking around and fell on some glass or some shit like that; I don't care. You're just as sick as your boyfriend, but I won't let him kill you if I can help it. Stop the crying and come on!"