John ground his teeth, glaring across the room at Anna. She flicked her eyes up occasionally, scowling in return, before turning back to her work. He jumped when something flicked him in the face and went to rage at the perpetrator until he saw Branson staring back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What was that for?"

"For being a prat." Branson pointed to Anna as she flipped another page in whatever file she studied, "She's an expert on this guy and she'll help us catch him. That's what she's here to do and that puts her on our side."

"She's taking our territory."

"Please! If someone wants to come in and catch a serial killer for me I'm not going to begrudge them the time of day for it." Branson clicked his mouse, frowning at something on his screen before addressing John again. "I thought you'd be pleased for the extra help. You were bitching about not having it yesterday."

"I didn't think they'd be giving us an expert."

"What would you want them to give us? A temp? An amateur? Or," Branson paled, feigning abject fear, "A trainee."

"Shut up."

"Then man up and stop whinging about it." Branson frowned at something else, pecking his fingers over his keyboard a moment and then stopped. His eyes widened and he faced John, "You didn't!"

"Didn't what?" John signed his name at the bottom of a report, not paying Branson the attention he needed. He finally looked up to see Branson flipping his head between Anna's desk and their own so fast he could give himself whiplash. "Stop that before you break your neck."

"You slept with her!" Branson hissed, "That's what's you got your knickers in a twist right now."

"Worry about your own knickers." John signed another form, pointing his pen at Branson, "Or, better yet, worry about Sybil's knickers."

"I'm worried that you dropped her knickers."

"I'd never drop Sybil's knickers."

"You know what I mean." Branson's face tinged red, "I'm talking about you dropping our expert's knickers."

"Technically she dropped her own knickers as I was a bit busy getting the condom on."

"But that's why you're upset."

John finally faced Branson, "It's not like there's never been office romance here and you never accuse any of their bad moods on getting their leg over with the wrong person. You and Sybil argue all the time and you never say it's because you're working in close quarters and making time between the sheets."

"First, Sybil doesn't technically work here. She's a nurse and she's handled some of our cases in an advisory capacity. Second, whenever anyone else gets it over they don't then cold shoulder the other party like you are right now."

John snorted, "You watched what Mary did to Matthew after their drunken interlude at Christmas."

Branson shook his head before burying it in his hands, "Why do you speak like you were born in a completely different generation?"

"Being well-read isn't a crime."

"Being a pretentious snob is." Branson's head came up. "Just talk to her."

"Why?"

"Because, like it or not, she's here to stay until we nail this guy's ass to the wall and I want that to be sooner rather than later." Branson got serious, "Go and sort out whatever you've got going so we can work civilly with her for as long as she's here."

John capped his pen, "Everything about this screams 'recipe for disaster'. You know that, right?"

"I don't care if it's a bad translation of Chinese instructions on a ramen noodle container so it reads that you bake until dead. You're sorting out your mess with her so we can work as a team and you're doing it right now."

"I thought I was the senior partner in this duo."

"Then act like an adult, pull up your big-boy britches, and get your ass over there to apologize for being a dick to her."

"Not for getting it in her."

Branson did not crack a smile, "Don't be crass. It doesn't suit you and it wears very poorly."

John sighed, "Do you ever get tired of being you?"

"Never." Branson snapped his fingers and pointed, "Before I tell Chief Crawley what you did."

John stalked over to Anna's desk and knocked is knuckles on the edge. She did not look up, though he caught the flick of her gaze, "Yes Mr. Bates?"

"Branson says I should apologize."

"And I'm guessing you don't agree." She put down her file and looked up at him, "Then what brings you over here."

"He wants me to make peace so we can work together and solve this case."

"Seems wise." Anna sat back, folding her arms, "I'm all ears, Mr. Bates. What do you want me to say?"

"Why you're here."

"Because this takes finesse and focus."

John scoffed, "None of which we have, is that it?"

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to." John hung his head, managing a dispirited laugh. "What, they don't think we can handle this case?"

"It's got nothing to do with your ego, Mr. Bates. It's not meant to stroke or kill it, so you can put your precious pride to rest."

"Then what's it got to do with?" John put his hands on her desk, leaning down to look her in the eye. "Why do we need an English DI consultant?"

"Because it was my case first and I'm the most qualified person for this."

"You? Because you study serial killers?"

"No, because he started with me." Anna stood, forcing John to rise. "And before you make some crack about me needing to get this for myself I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Your people asked me here." Anna nodded at John's widening eyes. "This wasn't my choice but I followed a request. So I'm not invading and, to be honest, I don't want to be here. I wish I could just hand this off to you and Mr. Branson over there but Chief Crawley thought you could use my help and I consented to give it as I could."

"I doubt we need it."

"Then, if you've got a problem or something to say to them I suggest you address it with your Super. And if you don't want to do that then stick it up your ass and leave it. Either way, leave me out of your little pity party because I haven't the time." Anna gathered her things, "I'm here to catch a killer. You want to help then we're glad to have. If not then stay out of my way."

John watched her go, scowling. He was so focused on her that the slap up the back of his head made him twist and flinch. Rubbing furiously at it he saw Branson at his elbow.

"What was that for?"

"Being an ass." Branson pointed, "She's going in the wrong direction with the wrong look on her face."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Drop your ego like your ex-wife dropped you."

John flinched, "That was rude."

"Like you're being." Branson checked his watch, "I've got a lunch with a CI. If you don't mind, could you try and have this all figured out before I get back?"

"No guarantee."

Branson only gave an exasperated sigh and left John by the gaggle of desks.

Anna returned to her desk a short time later and John steeled himself to go back over to her. When she saw him, Anna started to stand but John held up a hand. "I… Would you come somewhere with me?"

She frowned, her brow furrowing deeply with the narrowing of her eyes. "So you can truss me up in the back of a trunk and ship me back to England?"

"No," John shook his head and pointed toward the ceiling. "Somewhere we can have a conversation."

"Here was fine earlier."

"You wouldn't want to share this details with the room." John jerked his head to the side and Anna followed him to the lifts. "We're going for a bit of a view."

They took the lifts to the roof and John stepped out, allowing Anna to get past him as she surveyed the view from the rooftop. With a shrug she turned to him and held her hands open, "We've got the view so what've you got to get off your chest where only the birds can hear us?"

John pushed his hands into his pockets, focusing on the ground as he kicked at a loose bit of concrete. "I wanted to ask why they chose you."

Anna groaned, "I told you-"

"No," John shook his head, "I'm not talking about my shitty accusation that my superiors have no faith in us. I'm talking about why you're the person they chose."

"Other than my previously mentioned expertise?"

"Other than that." John confirmed, shrugging his shoulders. "There's a reason you said this man focused on you first. And since I'll assume no one would be dumb enough to assign a case to a victim it couldn't be because you were someone he hurt there has to be another reason."

Anna pursed her lips and John noted the slight twitch in her cheek. "That'd be true, in most scenarios, if the background check for agents and consultants covered legal name changes."

John's jaw almost dropped. "You're name's fake?"

"Not technically." Anna crossed her arms over her chest, "I changed it by deed poll, all legal."

"But they would've found that in the research."

"If I were a policewoman then yes, they might've, but I've got friends in high places and I'm a consultant so the rules are a tad more lax for me than you." Anna took a deep breath, "I'm here for a reason, same as you… just not the same reason."

John shook his head, "I don't know you at all."

"Of course you don't. We only met last night." Anna met his eyes, "It doesn't mean we can't help one another with this case."

"That's what you're calling it?"

"What do you want me to call it?"

"I…" John blew out, taking a hand from his pocket to run it through his hair. "What kind of hand do I give you in all this since you wouldn't be this far without a plan."

Anna snorted, "You're right, I do have a plan."

"Why?" Both of John's hands were outside of his pockets now, spread wide. "What'd he do to you?"

"How much do you know about him?"

"Only that he signs 'Green' on all the scenes and has a very Joker-esque disregard for human life."

Anna nodded, "You're not far off the mark but, from experience and research, that's a learned trait."

"Learned how?"

"Practice." Anna took a deep breath, "He was one of those people who find themselves in a position to exert influence and power over others and it went to his head. He had money and believed other people were pleasures to be personally expendable."

"Were you one of those people?"

"After a fashion." Anna did not meet his eyes, "I was at a club in York, when I was at Uni, and I was a bit tipsy so I went outside for some fresh air when the room started spinning a bit."

"Is that where he found you?"

"I'll not go into the details but I knew his voice and I knew enough to know him when he found me the next day at Uni. The same voice he's used on all the taunting tapes he ever sent the police hunting him down."

"You've studied those tapes?"

"I could recite them verbatim for you."

John shook his head, "I don't need that."

"No one needs it." Anna sighed, "But I know him and it haunts me to this day that I didn't do more then."

"How'd you mean?"

"I couldn't get him behind bars for what he did to me."

"Why not?"

Anna shook her head, "I don't know if you know what it's like to be a woman and have to explain to the police why you're drunk in public or why you wear tight clothes or why you happened to be alone for any reason but I didn't get anywhere with them about my rape."

"So you tracked him down? Tried to get your own justice?"

"Not my own justice, no. I'm no vigilante."

"But you did track him down?"

"Not at first." Anna paced to the edge of the building. "I changed my course of study so I could fight people like him and stop women being treated as I was. On the way I found my current avenue of expertise and I made it my life."

"I'm not sure I follow the connection."

"The majority of serial killers are men who use the killing as an expression of sexual dissatisfaction and their victims are women." Anna gave a little snort, "Can't you see the connection there?"

John nodded, "In that context I do."

"So I wasn't overly surprised when I discovered there were other women like me who'd filed complaints against him and wanted a result but they'd either been rebuffed or distracted by the police."

"Was there another player?"

"It's how Green avoided a lot of awkward investigations and inquiries. He had his father's money and, based on the research I did into his family, Green's actions are learned traits from years of watching domestic abuse."

"It has an affect."

"So does pornography and his computers have been full of it since he was twelve." Anna made her hand move like stairs. "It's a progression to the point where you see other people as disposable pleasures to be used and abused as you wish."

"Then why turn to serial killing?"

"My guess is something made it so he couldn't rape anymore. Probably an accident or a disease." Anna's lip twitched toward a smile, "His father suffered prostate cancer young and it could be that Green did as well."

"Then he moved to kidnapping?"

"It's all about power, Mr. Bates, and he wanted it however he could get it. Inciting terror would be similar to what he got cornering women in alleys or dark shadows and raping them." Anna finally met John's eyes again, "I think the first death was a mistake, that he went too far."

"But instead of being shocked to stop he continued?"

"It's the next escalation in his power struggle. Power over someone to give them fear is nothing compared to keeping them on the edge of life and death and he's planted his flag there."

John rubbed a hand over his face, "Bastards like that make a bad name for every man on the face of this earth."

"The horrible truth of humanity is that people are human and they can do inhuman things." Anna sighed, "I'm sure you've got the families of those women breathing down your neck."

"A few of them." John nodded, "The others accepted that they'd lost their daughters to the sex trade or bad boyfriends or a lifestyle they 'knew would get them killed' but I know the signs of people trying to cover their grief."

"Then I guess that puts us a critical juncture, Mr. Bates." He raised his eyebrows and Anna gestured with a finger between the two of them. "Where do we stand?"

"You mean now that I know you're not really you and you're chasing some demons of your own?"

"Yes."

"At the start," John extended his hand, "Hello, my name's John Bates and I'm working this case. My partner, Tom Branson, is downstairs, and I hope you forgive the rather awkward first meeting we had."

Anna took his hand, "We're not always our best on first meetings."

"No, we're not." John took his hand back, "But I'd love to get your insight on this case."

"It'd be my pleasure."