The following weeks passed without further event. Brenda went through the motions, solving 4 cases and assisting Robbery/Homicide with 2 more. She was focused. She was a machine. She'd almost entirely put the incident with the Captain out of her head, except for the early morning hours, when the house was still, and Fritz was deeply asleep, and then, only then, did she drift back, to the curves of the dark haired woman pressed against her, those lips, those hands. Brenda treated those memories like bits of candy, stashed away in a locked drawer until she was alone, then she'd devour them hungrily, licking their residue from her fingertips, wishing there was more. Her phone rang, startling her. Checking the caller ID, she saw that it was Chief Pope, and she answered quickly. He asked her to come down to the station, saying he needed her help with a delicate case. Brenda said she'd be right there, and moved to dress and leave.
Captain Sharon Raydor sat at her desk, breathing through her nose, as she pondered her options. Everyone knew that Brenda was loyal to Will Pope. Loyal to a fault. Never the less, the women on the force deserved a Chief they could look up to, and Brenda certainly fit that bill. Still, Sharon tried to picture asking her to consider applying, and every scenario ended badly. Best case, Brenda would agree, but then flake on the paperwork. Sharon could solve that, by completing the application for her. Okay. Worst case? Sharon didn't really want to imagine that. Squaring her shoulders, she grabbed her papers, tucking them into a manila folder, and resisted the urge to check her appearance in the mirror in the bathroom on the way up to Major Crimes. It wasn't a social call, after all, and it had been weeks since that day, and the Chief hadn't come to her, so Sharon filed it away, moved on, and did her job to the best of her ability. Today wasn't going to change that, she told herself as she stepped into the elevator. She wouldn't think of Brenda—no of the Chief, in that way today. She pushed away the memories that threatened to overtake her, pretending that this was a different elevator, not the same one from weeks before. As the doors slid open, she stepped out into the hub of Major Crimes, and nodded at the team working there. She made her way to Brenda's office, and knocked on the door. Brenda looked up, and her mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Cap'n! What a surprise. Come on in, what can I do for you?" Brenda tried to keep her voice even, tried to keep her features schooled into indifference, even as her pulse hit doubletime, and her palms went damp.
The dark haired woman stepped into her office, and sat down. She cleared her throat, as she thought about the best way to begin.
"Chief Johnson, I have a few questions to ask, if you've got a moment?" Sharon kept her gaze steady on Brenda's face, not allowing herself a glimpse of those treacherous hands.
"Uh. Certainly. I have to meet with Chief Pope in about 10 minutes, but I'm all yours til then." Brenda blushed as she realized the double implications those words held. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs, and pressing her thighs together tightly, ignoring the subtle ache that had flared upon seeing the Captain again.
"Excellent. I'll move quickly, then. You've been with the LAPD for...?" Sharon clicked the point of her pen into the writing position, and held her hand ready to take notes.
"A little over 5 years now."
"Really? Hmm. Seems longer." Sharon replied. "Before that, you were with the Atlanta PD, and before that, the Washington DC police force, is that right?"
"Yes, it is." Brenda drummed her fingers on the arms of her chair, trying to suss out where, exactly, the Captain was going with this line of questions.
"You know, Captain, I could probably be much more helpful with your Internal Affairs investigation, if I knew what it was about."
Sharon smiled a genuine smile then, and replied, "You'd be surprised how many people think that, Chief. But the best way to help me, really, is to answer my questions as thoroughly as possible. Now, you first met Chief Pope in Washington DC, is that correct?"
"Yes it is." Brenda replied. "Is he the subject of this-"
Sharon cut her off. "Can you tell me how and when the two of you first met?"
Brenda tried not to let her aggravation show. Obviously, a background check into Chief applicants was essential, but Brenda wasn't so sure that this particular interview was, or that the head of FID was the only one who could conduct it. The aggravation felt good, though. It was nice to look at the Captain, and feel something other than fierce desire flooding through her.
"In March of 1997, I became the Liaison between the Department of State and the Police Department where Chief Pope was Deputy Chief."
"And how was your working relationship with Chief Pope?" Sharon cringed again, knowing this was a dangerous road to travel.
"Excellent, in fact we got along so well that he convinced me to leave my job, and join the DC police department. It gave me an excellent opportunity to observe his leadership skills close up."
"Because the two of you were having an affair?" The Captain hadn't meant for that to come out as sharply as it had.
Brenda stared at the Captain for a long moment before answering.
"When you work the hours we do, under pressured situations, it's not unusual to find yourself involved with a coworker." Brenda kept her voice low and even, but she fisted her hands beneath her desk, trying to will some composure out of the tension.
"Even a married one?" Sharon had the good grace to blush at this.
"Well. He didn't tell me he was married when we first started seeing each other. But that doesn't make him a bad candidate for Chief." Brenda resisted the temptation to make reference to their brief lapse in judgment in the weeks before. No, she could keep her cool.
"Cap'n Raydor, I am finding these questions to be extremely personal." She straightened her glasses, and tried not to glare at the Captain.
"I assure you, if it was personal, I wouldn't be here." Sharon interjected weakly, with a tired smile.
"The intimate part of my relationship with Chief Pope ended in DC. And, as a matter of record, was disclosed by Chief Pope before I was even hired." Brenda brushed her hair out of her face, and spun slightly in her chair.
"But if Chief Pope created Major Crimes specifically to bring you to Los Angeles-"
Brenda cut her off. "Major Crimes was not—it was just another name, for a division that had already been in operation for a year before I arrived. It was not created specifically for me. It was designed to protect the department from cases like OJ and Rampart. And to Chief Pope's credit, the division is functioning exactly as it was designed to, as you can see for yourself.
"Thank you! I'd love to see for myself! You know, prior to this, you and I have pursued parallel investigations. For me to really get a good look at how Major Crimes functions, I do need to accompany you on your next investigation. Fantastic!" Sharon knew she was stretching, but she also knew that Brenda wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Pope's application for Chief, and so she'd agree to this, however unhappily. She tried not to feel the pang of disappointment at that last thought. Standing, she clicked her pen closed, and smiled down at Brenda.
"I'll be in touch. Let me know when your team goes out again, m'kay?" She showed herself out.
Brenda took her glasses off, and pinched the bridge of her nose. What on earth was she going to do now? She couldn't afford any more slip-ups. Not with Will applying for Chief. So she'd just have to keep it cool, distant, and professional. She counted on the thought of Will keeping her more faithful than the thought of Fritz had. Faithful. That WOMAN! Brenda couldn't believe the questions she'd asked. Was she fishing for personal information on her, or Pope? What had that look been, when she asked her about having an affair with a married man. Her phone buzzed, and she heard Will's voice inviting her to his office. She stood to go meet with him.
After her briefing with Pope, Brenda's headache was even worse. Not only was this not a Major Crime, but now she was going to have the Captain in close proximity to her until they solved this non-case. And how Will expected her to get any closure in a case where a crime hadn't even been committed yet was beyond her. Brenda flopped into her chair and put her head in her hands. She pulled open her candy drawer, which was down to the dregs. She found a heath bar, leaving her only with Twizzlers. She'd have to go shopping later. Twizzlers never quite did it for her, like chocolate. Polishing off the candy bar, she grabbed her purse, and went out to brief the team. She got all the way to the door, before she remembered she had to notify the Captain. Groaning, she stalked back to the phone, and dialed Sharon's extension. She scowled at the goosebumps that leapt from her skin when the woman's voice came on the line.
"FID, Captain Raydor speaking." Sharon made sure her voice was low, and sexy, having seen the Chief's extension pop up on the interoffice caller ID. Then she cursed herself for entertaining the thought that it mattered what she sounded like on the phone.
"Cap'n Raydor. We're conducting a preliminary investigation. You're invited to the briefing, but if this is a bad time, you can catch up later, or follow on the next case." Brenda knew better than to hope for a break like that.
"I'll be right up, Chief. See you soon." Sharon hung up the phone, a crooked smile on her lips. In a moment of rare self-honesty, she admitted that she was looking forward to spending so much time with the Chief. She admitted that she'd been spending too much time thinking about their past encounter, and it was maddening. Sharon wondered if emotions would run as high on this case, as they had on the Ally Moore case. She found herself rather hoping so. Shaking her head, she decided to take the stairs up to Major Crimes, to try and burn off some of that nervous energy.