Fake Fan Fiction ❯ That Which Does Not Kill You ❯ With the Pricking of My Thumbs... ( Chapter 1 )

All right, people! Here I am with another fic…. I don't know why I'm writing this right now, because I should, in all honesty, be working on all the original stories I want to get done, or working on homework, or trying to reorganize my schedule to fit everything in….but my muse will only allow me to write Fake fanfics at the moment. Stupid, insolent muse….never does what I say….

 

This is starting out looking like a pretty short story—probably only two or three parts unless I find other things to add to it. At the moment, the plot line is simple enough, and I'm praying it stays that way, because otherwise it will turn into a full-blown thing and I am screwed if that happens.

 

-sigh- Enjoy this one, guys. All the other work I'm supposed to be doing is suffering so I can start it. Hope it's worth it…

 

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Chapter 1—With the Pricking of My Thumbs…

 

“Damn overnights…” Drake grumbled, setting a cup of coffee on the desk in front of his partner. “I hate Marty.”

 

“No you don't,” JJ replied with a laugh. “You don't have the heart to hate him. Besides, it'll be good for him to get a girl. Otherwise he might turn like the rest of us, and I don't even wanna think about what Ted would do if that happened.” The blue-haired man took a sip of his coffee and shuddered. “God, that's awful.”

 

“I know. I put on a fresh pot.”

 

JJ grinned. “You're such a good provider,” he said, grabbing Drake's tie and pulling him down for a kiss. It stretched out and slowly deepened, until JJ finally broke it off rather reluctantly and said breathlessly, “Let's finish this fast, okay?”

 

Drake smiled. “Couldn't agree more. What do you want me to do?”

 

“Finish filling out that stack on the desk, will you? I'm gonna get the rest of this stuff into the computer and then we should be able to go home and get back on our normal schedule the day after tomorrow.”

 

-----

 

“God damn it,” Dee muttered, tightening his hold on his lover and willing himself to stay asleep as the phone rang insistently on the bedside table.

 

Ryo groaned and turned over to bury his head in Dee's chest. “I need to get that.”

 

“Ryo, it's our day off, and it's freaking early. Just pretend we're out or dead or something.”

 

“Can't…it might be work.” The blond haired man rolled over and reached for the phone at his bedside.

 

“Exactly my point,” Dee replied wryly, moving over to put his arm back around Ryo.

 

“Mmm…`lo?” Ryo asked sleepily, smiling slightly as an arm slid around him from behind and he was pulled back against his lover's chest. “Hi, JJ…”

 

He knew without looking that Dee was scowling, and then the phone was snatched from his hand. “What the hell do you want, JJ?” A pause, then, “Die.” With that, Dee turned the phone off, dropped it back on the table, and curled back up into his previous position.

 

Riiiiing.

 

Dee reached over and picked up the phone before Ryo could get to it. “Go to hell.” Click.

 

Ryo sighed in exasperation and grabbed the phone when it rang a third time. “JJ, it is five thirty in the morning. You have got to get yourself a life, man.” He paused for a moment, then sat bolt upright in bed. “We're on our way.”

 

-----

By the time the partners arrived at the local Bank of America, a faint splash of gold had appeared on the eastern horizon. Police officers were milling about the premises, talking into walkies and on cell phones, taking or issuing orders, and discussing possible courses of action. They found JJ and Drake standing by their car, talking in grave tones and frowning deeply. The two looked up when Ryo and Dee reached them.

 

“What's going on?” Ryo asked breathlessly. “I heard `Bikky' and `hostage' and I was out the door before you could say anything else. What happened?”

 

“Hostage situation—been in there since five yesterday afternoon, but it wasn't called to our attention until five this morning. We were pulling an all-nighter at the precinct when it got called in, and they said they might need a sharpshooter. I figured I could handle it alone, but then I saw Bikky and Carol through the window—before they all got moved to the back of the place and all the lights went off—and I called you first thing.”

 

“Has anyone been hurt?”

 

“Bikky's fine, and so is everyone else, as far as we know.”

 

“What does the guy want?”

 

Drake sighed. “We have no idea. He came into the bank wanting money just like any other robber, but as far as we know, the banker wouldn't give in and now the guy's decided to up the stakes. He's obviously desperate for cash, but we think it might be something bigger. He's almost frantic, and he keeps apologizing to everyone and babbling about some guy named Sawyer. But he's also shaking like an addict and we know he's a former druggie. He's supposed to have gone through rehab and gotten past the worst of it, though. We don't know what to make of it.”

 

“So…basically, we have no information at all.”

 

“That's what it comes down to, yeah.”

 

Ryo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, no one's been hurt. That's something, at least. Do we have a hostage negotiator on the phone?”

 

“She's on her way.” Drake put his hand on Ryo's shoulder. “She's the best in the business, Ryo. If there's anyone who can get Bikky out of there, it's her.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Drake let out a quick bark of laughter. “Trust me on this one. She's my ex-girlfriend.”

 

-----

 

The hostage negotiator arrived ten minutes later, and was brought over and introduced to the four officers almost immediately. By that time, the place was swarming with even more officers, and they had been joined now by an ambulance and a truck from the nearest fire station; apparently there was cause for concern, no matter what words of reassurance Drake had offered.

 

The newcomer was introduced as Jackie Marshall, but that was all they learned about her. She wasn't a tall woman, but she gave off the sense of height and power as she stood before them, her eyes snapping with intensity and her manner businesslike and efficient. None of them could understand what it was about her job that had given her such a presence, but they didn't dare question it; they were intelligent enough to value their limbs, after all.

 

“Er…hi, Jackie,” Drake greeted her, looking a bit nervous as he pulled her into an awkward hug and earned a smile from the intimidating woman.

 

“Relax, guys. There's no need to look so nervous, I don't bite. At least…not the good guys.”

 

Drake chuckled and immediately looked more comfortable. “Guys, this is Jackie. Jack, this is Randy and Dee. Their son is one of the hostages, so…” He trailed off, clearly seeing no need to emphasize his point. The uneasy look was coming back now as he added, “And this is…JJ. My…partner…er…among…other things…”

 

JJ smiled slightly and slipped an encouraging hand into Drake's.

 

Jackie gave them both an appraising look that caused Drake's face to burn, although it wasn't visible to anyone except JJ. Then she smiled again, and said approvingly, “Good choice, Drake. He's hot.”

 

Drake's face really did burn at that, and this time it was obvious to the entire group. Ryo pretended not to notice, but Dee roared with laughter and clapped his friend on the back.

 

They were all reminded why they were there, however, when Berkeley Rose came over to them and introduced himself to Jackie before sending her over to the group of officers that were standing near the building, next to a table that was covered with all sorts of equipment. Then the commissioner turned his gaze to Ryo and Dee, and he did not look pleased. “What are you two doing here?”

 

The conversation that followed was rather more hostile than it would have been in normal circumstances, but Ryo was not in the mood to be quiet or respectful and in the end, they were allowed to remain on the scene, if not to actually be involved in the process.

 

“That guy is such a—” Here, Dee called their boss quite a few names that caused Ryo to give him a reprimanding slap in the shoulder. Dee pouted as he rubbed his arm indignantly and said, “Oh, like you weren't thinking it.”

 

-----

 

As the day wore on, the very air around them seemed to grow tense, and the anxious looks on the faces around the officers weren't helping matters.

 

When the sun began to sink and dusk set in, Ryo was sitting on the bumper of one of the empty police cars, leaning into Dee's comforting embrace and for once not caring who saw. Dee held him gently, every once in awhile placing a kiss on his forehead or running a gentle hand through the blond hair.

 

Drake came over to them at about midnight, looking just as exhausted as the others felt and followed closely by an equally weary JJ.

 

“Any luck?” Ryo asked, tensing immediately.

 

JJ shook his head. “The guy's just getting more and more desperate….but he's not saying what he wants. He just keeps saying, `Help her, help her, help us,' over and over and over. We think he's losing it, but he's not giving in….”

 

“And he's still apologizing, too, when he's not begging,” Drake added, running a discouraged hand through is hair. “It's….weird. It doesn't follow the normal pattern. He's not obsessed with having power over anyone, he's not making any serious demands for money or drugs or anything, but….he's showing the signs of heroin withdrawal and he's definitely losing his hold on reality. None of us can make heads or tails of it….”

 

Ryo sighed in frustration and felt Dee squeeze his shoulder gently.

 

“Okay, so…what now?” the black-haired man asked. “It's been hours and they haven't made any headway at all. Is Jackie having any luck?”

 

“Well…no, not really,” JJ replied hesitantly. “The guy doesn't trust her. He doesn't trust anyone. We can't get anything concrete out of him… We don't even know his name, which means we've kind of hit a wall in his background check.”

 

Ryo groaned. “Great,” he muttered, sounding eerily like Dee and brushing an exasperated hand back through his hair. “Just peachy. So what's the next step?”

 

“They're…talking about sending JJ up,” Drake said quietly. “Just as a precaution.”

 

Dee frowned. “It's come to that already? I thought there wasn't any immediate danger.”

 

Drake looked uncomfortable. “There wasn't any danger this morning...” His mouth took on the grim set that is the characteristic of a police officer under undue stress. “I think `immediate' just got here.”

 

Ryo signed heavily and went back to leaning against his lover.

 

This was shaping up to be a very long night.