Based on a prompt for "Abandoned" that decided it needed to be done. Right now. Within a couple days of Valentine's Day, so...oops. This takes place between SR3 and 4, though it is much closer to 4.

His tie was crooked. At least that's what Anne told him before she started to adjust it. She was quick and precise to a degree that he never would be, and when it was done she gave him a smile. Troy gave her one back, but when he caught himself in the mirror later he pulled it out of alignment. Just a hair.

It was the night of the ball, and this time the uniform was stifling. Maybe it was the lights, or maybe it was the people, but as he went through his routine he couldn't stay focused.

It was the lack of purple he realized after a few minutes. He kept on checking for it, even though his mind kept on telling him not to. She hadn't been to Stilwater for months now. Not since…that.

He'd seen something like it coming for a while – she'd withdrawn from nearly everything else in Stilwater - but he hadn't let himself believe it. Even with the way she'd been visiting less and less, with more time spent at Johnny's side than anywhere else.

Like an idiot he'd ignored it completely up until the point that she was shoving it in his face.

"You've earned it, you know. The space. The white picket fence and all of the bells and whistles."

Which didn't include her. His attempt to prove her wrong nearly led to a broken nose on his end, but he couldn't blame her. Pulling a ring at that moment and not before had been a mistake.

Fucking idiot.

"Expecting someone?"

Anne held his arm as he scanned the room, and he almost gave her the fake smile he was flashing everyone else. "Not sure yet."

"Not sure, or…"

"It's hard to guess. They don't follow the schedule, so I keep an eye out for anything strange."

"Oh, right. The Saints?"

He nodded. "Yeah, the Saints."

Anne laughed. "I thought purple was their hallmark?"

"A bigger one's trouble, but purple's usually your best bet."

She started searching the room too and he gently pulled her towards the bar. If red came through that door he didn't want Anne to see him react to it.

He met her at a work party a month ago. She was a friend of a distant friend, someone that did secretarial work for a living, so they traded stories on the joys of pushing papers. It made him that much more sympathetic to Linda for putting up with his shit over the years, and when Anne invited him out for drinks after that he considered it briefly, but said he had a busy week ahead of him.

It had been getting close to a minor holiday. Things had been picking up, and people always got antsy around then, even with cease fires down and lines drawn.

She gave him her number anyway. Scratched it out on a napkin and gave him a smile with it. Nothing complicated. So, within a couple of days he took a page from V for once. Acted. Didn't think too much about it, and he'd enjoyed the company. Let himself get used to it. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Even now that question kept on popping up, and he wasn't able to give it a straight answer.

He was summoned to the stage and Anne gave him a small kiss before he went. The commissioner welcomed him to his usual spot by his side and he kept his hands folded behind his back. Normally this would be the point where he'd fight to stay awake. Not this year.

They had begun to skim the intros when a small group in purple made their way in, rounding the edge of the room to take their designated table. He turned his head just enough to catch the red and felt his throat go dry.

Everything was on autopilot after that. He went up, gave the usual spiel, and counted down the time until he was able to get off of that stage.

Anne was waiting for him at their table, and she waited for him to polish off his champagne before putting a hand on his arm. "Everything okay? You looked really uncomfortable during the last part."

"It's nothing. Just…nerves."

She let go and they went through dinner, his attempts at conversation some of the worst he'd made in a while. It got easier as other officers came by, each taking a moment to shake his hand or greet them. The alcohol definitely boosted his mood, but when a familiar suit came by, he wished he'd kept the bottle for himself.

"Evening. How's it going over on this side of the pond?" Pierce asked, offering his hand.

Troy shook it. "About the same, though I think Stilwater's starting to miss its stars. Hard to get people to come here if the main attractions are running off to other places."

"Hey, paving the campaign trail's no easy thing! You want to go political you've got to travel, but you're right. Never hurts to remember your roots. Got to show up in the old hometown now and then."

"Celebrity 101?" Troy joked, leaning back in his chair.

"Proper care of your media empire 101! Bit more complicated than that."

Pierce noticed Anne at this point and Troy tried not to frown. "Anne, this is Pierce Washington-"

"No, I know who he is! Those are quite the advertisements you've got up now. Half the girls in the office can't get over them."

She shook his hand with a smile and Pierce dropped the uncomfortable look he was sporting for mild awe. "Really? Do tell! I've been wondering how they've been testing with the public, and every vote counts."

Anne would be welcoming. Troy almost laughed at the irony. "You're not going to throw that out here, right?"

"My business pitch? Hell, no. Why would I need to when I'm talking to a fan?"

She laughed with him and Troy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, ease up a bit. At least until after the next round of drinks hit, eh?"

"Ready for the bottle too? I feel you." V's voice made him sit up as she put a hand on Pierce's shoulder.

He hadn't seen that dress on her in a while – red, short, strapless – but it wasn't difficult to remember the first sound out of her mouth once he'd helped her out of it. That trip down memory lane ended fast, but his fingers twitched as he carefully looked her over.

Her lips were red as well, and they curved up as she continued to face Pierce. She wasn't drunk, but the flush on her face told him she'd already had plenty. "Mingling?"

"Yeah, boss. Doing what we do," Pierce said, glancing back at her. "And maybe I was having some fun too. Thought I'd see how…you know, the Chief's holding up."

"Right." Her dark eyes flicked between him and Anne, and Troy felt his teeth start to grind together. "Evening, Chief. Busy night?"

He shrugged and folded his arms. It took a few seconds for him to keep his jaw from locking, but he wasn't going to freeze up here. "No more than most. Just more schmoozing and dancing involved."

"Shouldn't be more than the usual, unless you're feeling spry. Though I'm seeing a lot of new faces here. You might have to show these young uns how it's done."

That almost got her a scowl, but he reigned it in at the last minute. "Cut a rug? Not my thing. Besides, I don't think they need to see me make an ass of myself on the dance floor. Might leave a bad impression."

V cracked a smile and he quickly looked away.

Anne, on the other hand, pushed forward. "You're the head of the Saints?"

"One and only," she said, winking. "Don't let the red fool you. I'm all purple."

He heard V start to go through her introduction and rubbed his eyes. Anne was curious, rightfully so, and he listened as they got into a conversation similar to the one that Pierce had started. It was a strange thing, and he wondered how it would've played out if V had stayed stone cold sober. Either way, he wasn't sure if he should've been present for any of it.

When Pierce handed him another glass full of alcohol he thanked him wholeheartedly.

"No problem. You looked like you needed it."

"…That obvious?"

"Getting there," Pierce said, standing close to the table. "You might need more next week when I get those requests forwarded."

Troy put down his glass and sighed. "Thanks for the warning."

"It's Thanksgiving. Got to get that shit in early if I want to get it approved. I know how it goes."

"Yeah, you should," he said, trying not to think about the float from hell they'd gotten by him last year. "Thanks to you new policies got pushed through. Stricter ones."

"I thought the older ones had that taken care of!"

"Nope."

That made Pierce's face fall and Troy felt a bit petty for it, but the paperwork had flooded his office. "Which we'll have to review. And then reapply. Again."

"Yep. Welcome to bureaucratic hell."

The next drink he took finished the glass and he found himself itching for something else. A cigarette. He'd tried cutting down again about a week ago, but the urge was back and getting worse. He knew why, but at least it'd be an itch he could scratch.

V's eyes drifted towards him and he held them for a good minute until he realized someone was talking to him. "Sorry, what?"

Anne shifted in her seat so she could face him better. "She won't tell me the answer."

"To what?" he asked, keeping his attention on Anne.

"To why you keep on putting up with my bullshit," V answered, her grin taking on an edge. "Thought it was obvious."

Troy had no choice but to look at her then. "It is. Ultor pays me enough for it." He pushed his seat back and got up, excusing himself before leaving.

He made his way through two cigarettes as he leaned against the rail. A cool wind blew through and he ran a finger under his collar to loosen it. The feeling of being suffocated wasn't present anymore, but the hit of nicotine wasn't helping like it should've. It smoothed everything down long enough for a stray thought to get his mind running again, and when he started to light a third cigarette he gave up and stashed it.

Pressing a hand to his eyes, he took in a deep breath, held it, and exhaled. "Get it the fuck together. Christ, it shouldn't be this difficult."

"Shouldn't be, but it is, right?"

The quiet voice made him hesitate. "Always is."

He turned and V stood there, rubbing her hands together against the chill. Her smile was shy, but left when he didn't return it. "You going to come back in? Almost thought about sending a search party for you."

"I'm coming. Just had some bad habits to maintain," he said, walking over to her.

"Shit. Maybe I could bum one off of you."

He shook his head and chuckled. "It's not called quitting if you keep on going back to it."

The shy smile came back, but her teeth tugged at her bottom lip. "True. Never did manage to get that part right."

She shivered and he gestured towards the door. "Come on. It's warmer inside."

The music had started, something slow and peaceful and V played with the thin chain of her necklace as she scanned the crowd. "Whoops. Looks like the party's in full swing now. I don't know how you handle it year after year."

"Could say the same for you," he threw out, searching the room himself. "You're an old vet by now."

"Old?" She tried to appear scandalized, but it fell apart fast. "I'm catching up to you, aren't I?"

"Bit by bit. The truth hurts."

When she continued to stick by him, he let himself look at her again. He was tracing the line of her shoulders to her neck when she noticed, but didn't tell him to fuck off. She waited, watching him, and what he saw there when he finally caught her eye was something he hadn't seen in a while.

Kissing her would've been a mistake, but that didn't stop him from considering it.

"…I owe you a dance."

She stood up straight. "What?"

He'd been thinking that too, and was surprised he actually got the words out. "A dance."

Troy held his hand out to her and she stared at it.

"It's tradition. Hate to break it now."

She pursed her lips, but took his hand anyway, her touch lighter than he ever thought it could be. The care she took didn't fit her at all, and it got under his skin fast. It made him hold her a bit tighter, and he knew she had to notice.

"She seems nice." He didn't give an answer, and V kept on going. "Kinda quiet when you don't prompt her. Helps you think, eh?"

"Someone told you, didn't they?"

Her eyes left his for a second, but not for long. "Kinzie…found out one day. She wasn't digging on purpose, but brought it up when I asked what was new over here. It wasn't any of my fucking business, but…"

"News travels. Even small news. Don't worry about it."

The guilt didn't entirely fade. "Sure."

Her attention stayed on two things while they went around, him, and the crowd. He had a feeling she was trying to find Pierce, but he hadn't seen him or Anne once since they had come back in. It wasn't cause for concern, but it didn't stop V from searching.

"Still, congrats. I mean it." She gave him a soft smile and it dug at him. "You're not a bad catch, if I might say so myself."

"For a chain-smoking workaholic, sure," Troy said, his tone going bitter. "I'm a real prize."

Her hand left his shoulder to run over the commendations on his coat. "You're a decent guy. That's hard to find, Chief."

"And you?"

"I'm hot shit, what do you think?" Her lips curved up and he couldn't resist returning it. "Just kidding. That's the obvious answer, right? I don't know. Still trying to figure that bit out."

"What if I tried to tell you the same?"

"That I was decent? Shh, don't try to say that out loud. I've got a rep to maintain," she whispered, leaning close.

She lingered and he felt her fingers tap against the back of his hand. He was supposed to step away, but it wasn't easy. Wasn't then, wasn't now.

He took her around, and she played with one of his lapels as they kept on going. Every other turn he caught her perfume – light, her so-called citrus disaster – and he wanted to bury his face in her hair. Old habit. Funny how they kept on falling into them no matter how much distance they tried to maintain.

The dance let her drift close again, and he didn't bother to police the space between them this time. His arm curled around her back instead of remaining on her hip, and she gave him the same look she'd given him by the door.

"You should try, you know. To find someone you can actually take out into public and not get crucified over. Might make things easier."

"I don't want easy. I want-"

"You know I still-" It stalled in his throat, and he felt her hand start to tighten around his.

There was no avoiding those eyes of hers now. He half expected her to deck him. At least he did until what was there shifted. The affection he caught hurt as much as any punch from her would've.

"Figures," she murmured as they came to a stop. "We fucked each other up bad, didn't we?"

She pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth and broke away, disappearing into the crowd.