A/N: IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! I managed to find time to finish this chapter early.

Consider it a last-minute present before the day is over.

Now, let's get down to the Langley Police Department and meet the rest of the family.

Tori checked the address on her phone and this older brick building seemed to be it, nestled between the town library and a music store. The Latina shrugged and walked up to it, passing a framed map of the community and a bulletin board for local updates.

She opened the big unassuming red door and entered ostensibly the town hall. It didn't take long until she found the entrance to the police department and went inside. Immediately, Tori was greeted by a smiling man with a balding head. Just like anywhere else, they were typically the first face you see when walking into headquarters.

"Good morning, Miss!"

(How old does he think I am?)

"You're too kind," Tori smirked. "I'm Tori Vega. I was supposed to meet with...?"

The man behind the desk blinked with wide eyes and nodded.

"Just a sec..."

He picked up the phone and pressed a single button.

"Hey, boss! I've got Vega here with me."

"Send her in!" came the female voice through the speaker.

"Great, thanks!"

He gingerly hung up the white phone and came around to meet with her.

"Sorry about that," the man told her apologetically. "The name's Erwin. But everyone calls me Sikowitz."

"Whoa," Tori remarked. "How did you get that one?"

Sikowitz looked at her blankly.

"...because it's my last name?"

Tori mentally facepalmed, embarrassed.

"Oh...sorry."

"Anyway, I'm dispatch and booking."

She had unwittingly insulted him already, so Tori just let the man explain what was plainly obvious.

"So... you're the cop from California, huh?"

"My reputation proceeds me..." Tori smiled crookedly. "Guess word gets around in a small town like this."

"What do you mean?" asked Sikowitz.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way...just...I've spent my whole life in a city big enough that you could shoot someone in the street, and everyone would just walk around the body like ants."

The rather wild-looking man was rendered speechless.

"Okay, then!"

(Well, that's a first for me. Never made a man uncomfortable because "I" was the weird one.)

Sikowitz guided her through the precinct as she was new and pointed to a door that was dead center at the end of the corridor.

"There's your homeroom!" he sighed. "And don't be put off by the chief. She's actually a real softie."

"Um, thanks."

He waved bye and ran back to his station.

She was walking toward the door as she looked back at her temporary guide. When Tori turned back to face front, she was nearly touching the glass with her nose. HELEN DUBOIS, CHIEF was written in big bold letters. Not knowing what to do, she gently tapped on the glass instead of a more aggressive knock.

"COME IN!"

Tori swallowed.

(Was she being loud because she was in a bad mood, or was it because the door was shut, and she needed to make sure I could hear her?)

The thin tan hand gripped the doorknob and turned it.

"Hello?" greeted Tori with caution. "Chief Dubois?"

"Good! You found the correct door."

The older black woman locked eyes with Tori as she steepled her fingers. Her desk was very organized, presumably having her pending work and finished work on opposite sides of the big piece of oak furniture. On the edge were some small photo frames and a triangular nameplate baring the same as the glass door.

"Sit down," the chief gestured toward the wooden chair on the other side of where she sat.

Tori nodded, closing the door behind her and sitting down. The chair was rigid, just offering the basic function, didn't go above and beyond for comfort.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she nodded with civility. "I'm Tori V-"

"I know who you are!" Dubois interrupted.

The Latina looked a bit silly with her elbow sticking up behind her like it was. She was preparing to shake her hand and decided better of it midway in raising her arm. Tori just sighed to herself and returned to a more natural seated position.

"I'm sure your boss informed you of the trouble we've been having here."

"Just that there was an open double murder case?" Tori offered.

Helen huffed and set her palms onto the grid calendar that decorated the very middle of the desk.

"No, Officer Vega! A double murder would be if they were killed at the same time! These two victims were brutalized independently of one another."

Tori blushed, feeling a foot tall.

"Oh, right. I misspoke," she winced trying to smooth things over.

"Look, Vega...resources in the area are tied up at the moment," Helen explained. "I need all the help I can get! While the nation cries bitter tears over these pretty little high school graduates, nobody gives two shits about some sex workers."

Brown eyes averted her new superior while Tori's pointer finger tapped lightly.

"You're right," she agreed.

"Excuse me?"

"You're right," Tori repeated. "I mean...a life is a life."

The chief blinked as she sat back in her chair.

"I know those girls might be still alive, but what about the ones who are dead? Where's the justice there?"

Helen smiled at the cop, hiding it behind a well-placed hand of course. David wasn't blowing smoke; his daughter was the real deal. She really hoped that Tori was as sharp as he led on and would chalk up these first couple of minutes to her being nervous. It's not every day you meet the boss AFTER presumably getting the job.

"Chief Vega and I go back a bit," she admitted to the new blood. "I trust his judgment that you are up to the task."

She then waggled her finger for Tori to lean in closer and Helen did the same.

"I'm well aware you two are related, but for your sake...let that stay between us."

Tori nodded, seeing the logic in that.

The door suddenly started opening while a voice knocked on the way.

"...sorry, Chief but I..."

A tan fellow with a big smile poked his head in. He immediately regretted his choice of action as he was interrupting.

"WHOOPS! I'm sorry, boss..."

Helen half rolled her eyes and waved his clumsy apology away.

"Vega, this is Lane our criminal psychologist."

He eyed the unfamiliar female and put on his best "welcome face."

"Hello, there!" Lane nodded before looked back at the chief. "Is this the cop from out of town?"

Tori couldn't believe that he was really doing this right now as if she wasn't in the room.

"Yes..." Helen confirmed through a gritted smile. "I was just about to send her to Harris and..."

Lane held up his hand and nodded.

"Gotcha, gotcha, sorry again boss!" He looked back down at Tori. "If you have any problems acclimating to the team, don't hesitate to come to my office. Door's always open!"

He retreated quickly, allowing the door to glide to a partial close on its own.

"What did he mean by that?" Tori asked incredulously.

"Lane is also the department therapist," Helen explained with an exasperated sigh. "It pays to have him on board than to have IAB sniffing around."

Tori scratched her arm.

(Sounds like folks were wearing multiple hats around here. They weren't kidding how small this precinct was.)

But she understood about her aversion to having Internal Affairs poking around her operation. Anytime an officer had to discharge their gun, or anything the least bit suspicious, here came Internal Affairs who were as anal as the IRS, only they have guns! Her father didn't have a high opinion of those guys. Tori didn't like them very much because of her own experience with them.

[FLASHBACK]

Opening the door to the break room and finding two men in suits with badges on their belts made Tori's heart sink.

She recognized those shields. These men were IAB. Given her less-than-stellar reputation among her peers, being seen in the same room as these guys would not help in the slightest.

"Detective Vega!" smiled the older of the pair as he stepped forward to offer his hand. Tori begrudgingly accepted it. They got on her nerves, but she wasn't an idiot. "So glad to catch you. I understand that you're involved with some undercover work."

"I'm afraid I can't elaborate," Tori sighed. "...sir," that last word rolled out with thinly veiled sarcasm.

The other fellow nodded.

"Oh, I'm sure this is above all of our pay grades, right?" he snickered.

"We don't want to keep you long," the first man said, giving his younger partner the side eye. "We've got a busy day too."

Tori breathed sharply through her nose, getting some coffee.

"If we could make it brief, that would be great. I was about to leave."

The younger Internal Affairs agent nodded and cleared his throat.

"Ah, just getting one more cup of java for the road, huh?"

His attempts to ingratiate himself with the police officer was falling flat. If Tori shared one thing with even her lesser colleagues was that they could smell IAB from a mile away and the best thing to do (as with civilians and regular cops) was to give brief answers to their questions and avoid implicating yourself.

But unlike some of her fellow officers who may be shaking in their boots in this situation, Tori had nothing to fear. As far as her record went, she was as clean as a bean. She always did things by the book, much to the chagrin of some on the LAPD. Tori established herself in her early days as a beat cop. She would enter an establishment where the owner would offer sandwiches and soda pops "on the house." The Latina would refuse, making it awkward for her current partner (the flavor of the month). As far as Tori was concerned, there was no such thing as a free lunch. When her partner asked who taught her that, she responded with THEIR chief.

And interactions like that would continue the revolving door of partners for Tori Vega. Didn't matter who they paired her with; once they saw she was a straight shooter, she was immediately labelled a stool pigeon and nobody wanted to be near her. And these weren't bad cops; nobody on the take or using their authority to harass. But the handouts and unofficial "perks" like parking wherever you wanted were so ubiquitous that it was expected.

The reputation of the LAPD and police in general have been in a downward spiral for years. Tori took stories of cops using unnecessary force and even killing people who presented no threat very personally. Ironic since that "blue wall" that bad cops hide behind wouldn't come to Tori's aid. Because again, someone who does the right thing without looking for ways to buck the system make a lot of folks nervous.

"We won't grill you about any details regarding the case you're working on," the older agent assured her. "We just wish to impart this onto you."

Tori took a long sip of her hot brew and set it down to fold her arms.

"Okay?"

"If you happen to catch any of your fellow officers...in a compromising position..."

"You will report to us, won't you?" the younger man finished.

Hawkins happened to walk past the open door to the break room and caught Tori standing with the Internal Affairs agents. His eyes widened and he politely excused himself. Tori shut her eyes, knowing this was going to blow up in her face.

(Here we go.)

"It would be beneficial to the entire department if you cooperate, Detective Vega. Have to sniff out those bad apples, am I right?"

Tori slowly sipped the rest of her coffee before politely giving her leave and getting the hell out of there.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"Let's not waste any more time!" Helen declared.

She stood up, and Tori followed suit. The chief stood a mere 5'1" which made the superior sigh at the more statuesque detective. She walked over to the glass door and opened it for her.

"Harris is down this hall, hang a left and he's the second door."

"Thank you," Tori nodded, biting her lip. "Have a good day in case I don't see you later."

The chief's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you'll see me later. I like to check in on my people."

Tori didn't know where that nervous chuckled came from, but it tumbled out of her face anyway.

"Then I will see you later, boss."

Helen let out a puff of air.

"You don't have to call me boss, Vega!"

"Oh, okay" the Latina nodded. "Then...see you..."

Helen put the poor thing out of her misery by silently shutting the door, ending the awkward exchange.

"I sure hope you're right about this one, David." she whispered softly to herself.

"Okay..." Tori sighed to herself. "Just nailing these first impressions."

She followed the chief's directions to the letter and saw the door was ajar. The Latina peered in and saw nobody in there. But there was definitely someone here very recently as there were open file folders and half-drunken coffee mugs abound. There was also a "murder board" on the wall, a giant cork rectangle filled with photos and handwritten notes and a map of the greater Langley area all stuck onto it with pushpins.

Tori got closer to the map and studied it. It was similar to the one outside, but this had the roads better defined and it was accented with post it notes indicating specific details: "First Victim: September 28." "Second Victim: October 19" She figured these must have been where these two were found, apparently near the woods surrounding Langley.

It was commonplace for a murderer to dump the body in an area far from the place of abduction. Or torture.

She audibly gasped from the photos below taken at the time of discovery. How they were described in the articles didn't do the brutality justice. That first one, Lin Deering, her heart being cut out and her genital area mutilated were left out of the news. They only described the barbarism in very vague terms. Strangely, this killer about did everything he could to corrupt and destroy this woman without compromising her identity. Some of these guys relished cutting off the head or the hands, or something to make putting a name to them impossible.

He must have wanted her loved ones to know that Lin suffered tremendously.

Perhaps the cops left certain details secret from the press to create an index of questions that only the killer or killers could answer. Or maybe, the media didn't wish to publish such lurid violence with excruciating accuracy. Even mainstream media sometimes had their limits. Tori licked her lips and said a silent prayer for the poor woman. She hoped that she died sooner than her captor intended and that she feels no pain or sorrow anymore.

"Who the hell are you?"

Standing in the doorway were a couple of guys. The one who asked the question was a black man with his head shaved on the sides. While his posture was on the offensive, his tired eyes said otherwise. The man's counterpart was a slightly taller, long-haired guy. He was of similar complexion to Tori. He appeared more confused than angry.

Tori was surprised but understandably, they must have been too. She was the intruder in this situation.

"Sorry, I'm...Detective Tori Vega," the newcomer explained. "Are either of you Andre Harris?"

Long-hair stepped aside while his colleague approached her.

"That's Detective, if you don't mind!"

"Hold on," the other guy blinked. "Is this the one from LA?"

Harris rolled his eyes and gave a three-quarter lookback of disapproval.

"It's very nice to meet you, Detective Harris" Tori smiled. "And you are...?"

The other guy's smile quickly deteriorated as she didn't catch his name prior to their meeting.

"This is Beck Oliver..." Andre sighed. "My partner."

The Latina's eyes lit up at recognition.

"Oh, right! You must be the cop from Calgary!"

"Vancouver," Beck drawled. "But close enough."

Andre walked past them both, rubbing his face while muttering something about the girl at least getting the province right.

"So..." Harris huffed, staring at the murder board. "You've come in here to help out with this case?"

"That's right!"

Tori tried to put her best foot forward, standing beside the weary cop who was folding his arms.

"Look...Vega, was it?"

She nodded.

"I know you're from the big city, and you've become a detective not that long ago. This isn't an opportunity to prove your mettle, okay?"

Tori blinked.

"What?"

"This case is about capturing a killer of women," Andre made eye contact. "Regardless of their life choices."

A tan arm raised like he was met with a railroad crossing.

Tori has had enough of her fellow officers pushing her around, telling her who and what she was. This was new territory, and she would be damned if the cycle was going to repeat itself.

"Stop it right there, detective!" Tori told the man. "I didn't come here to step on anyone's toes. All I care about is what you care about!"

Andre regarded the new one in disbelief.

"You are still the lead on this..." she went on. "And I will follow your lead, but I've been burned before by partners. I want to know I can trust you."

"That's funny," Harris smirked. "I've got the same problem with you."

"Whoa...a dilemma..."

They both looked at Beck who immediately regretted speaking right at this moment.

"So... who's hungry?" the Canadian shrugged.

Twenty minutes later, the trio were situated at the far corner booth in Dom's Diner.

Beck was eager to get this new partnership back on track after that less-than-stellar first meeting. He decided to treat Andre and Tori to lunch to try and smooth things over. His partner was really going through it these past few days since Traylor vanished. No new bodies have surfaced but it felt like there was a time bomb beneath the man and it would go off any day now. And then there was Tori, the new kid on the block.

Mixing people like this can be taxing, especially when Andre and Beck have been tight for nearly a year. These killings became top priority in the last couple of months. The chief called in reinforcements and here emerged this tall, attractive lady from the Golden State. The man from up north was smitten by the newcomer and wanted her and his existing partner to get along.

Beck got his usual, a medium rare cheeseburger with steak fries and a coke. Tori ordered the same, as it sounded good when he ordered his. He remarked with enthusiasm how they think alike. Tori just waved it off as nonsense because a burger and fries are pretty universally liked, vegans notwithstanding.

Andre just got an order of onion rings and a coffee as too much haven't been agreeing with him lately. Even the stranger noticed the physical pain on his part.

Tori saw how relatively quiet in was in the diner, so she felt comfortable picking her new partner's brain about the case.

"Before I dive deep into the whole thing..." she began with a sigh. "Maybe you boys could bring me up to speed with what you know?"

Harris shot her a look.

"Don't know how to read or something?"

"Dude!" Beck admonished with wide eyes.

Tori just squinted her eyes at the slight.

"See, I just don't want to waste time going down the wrong rabbit holes. If you two ruled anything or anyone out, I'd like to know."

The dark-skinned detective tapped the table, breathing evenly through his nose.

"Or, maybe...there...aren't any leads?" Tori offered.

The table shook when Andre planted his elbow, covering his eyes in exasperation.

"The women were found in the same general area, which covers quite a bit. That, the savagery of the murders and that they were sex workers are all that connects them."

Beck was noticeably disappointed by what he told her.

"Rumor has it the FBI might show interest if one or two more bodies are found," Andre added with disgust. "Frankly, I don't appreciate toying with innocent lives like that just so we can officially label this a serial killer before something is done!"

Tori looked at Andre with quiet awe, finding his resolve refreshing. Beck's wandering eye aside, these appeared to be both good men. She certainly didn't have very much of this back home. They were the kind of cop she wanted to be, where protecting the community was paramount.

"Listen..." she leaned in. "I'm with you guys. I want to catch this piece of shit."

Beck and Andre exchanged nods.

"Alright then."

Andre held up his coffee while the other two picked up their ice-cold beverages.

Tori felt nature calling and politely excused herself, sliding out of the booth. Beck watched her leave, and he was quickly called back by his partner's clearing of the throat.

"What?" Beck shrugged.

"Don't shit where you eat, man" Andre warned before popping an onion ring into his mouth.

A/N: I can't tell you how much fun I had with this one, making Andre less friendly toward Tori as they were always a solid relationship in most stories. But I think you'll enjoy this three-way buddy cop thing we've got going here.