It was finally Friday.

That meant that Saturday and Sunday were the only two days standing in between Katrina and being able to shadow a real-life cop. After getting over the initial shock of everything, the young woman couldn't be more excited. It was all she ever talked about during working hours with Lisa. Honestly, she was surprised the older woman hadn’t asked her to shut up yet.

“What if the officer that Captain Gellar, paired me up with hates me? Or worse yet, what if they end up being a complete asshole, just in general?”Katrina asked while trying not to get too worked up.

The pair was sitting at a table in the breakroom that sat tight against the only wall with windows. The only view that was offered was of the parking lot that was in desperate need of repaving, and the jail that was connected via a small walkway on the second floor of the station. The only people who could get a good look outside were those brave enough to touch the grimy blinds that were certainly showing their age.

This room was one of the biggest in the whole precinct. Four vending machines lined the wall adjacent to the doorway and the wall opposite that was full of lots of counter space and a bulletin board. There was an old television mounted on a small wooden shelf in the corner with a dead plant sitting underneath it.

“Really, I keep telling you. It’ll be fine! You keep forgetting that Gellar said someone agreed to have you follow them around. It’s not like the captain had to seek someone out to fill the position. They found him and said they wanted to do it.”

“Besides, it’s not like you’ll get paired up with Lieutenant Gray, of all people. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Most of the people that work here are super nice and really welcoming.”

The intern blinked when she heard the mention of Lieutenant Gray. Surely Lisa wouldn’t think to mention someone by name unless they were one of the absolute worst. She bit her lip and started wringing her hands together while still staring the records clerk down.

Taking a bite of her apple, Lisa laughed at the magazine article that she'd been enveloped in for the majority of lunch. In hopes of trying to get Katrina to focus on something else, she tried passing the magazine over to her friend with a grin.

“See I told you! Liam Hemsworth has really let himself go! I’m not crazy after all.”

Katrina grabbed at the magazine and nearly crushed the edges between her open fingers.

“Lis. This is serious! I’m nervous as hell!”

The brunette took a deep breath and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment before finally making eye contact with her protégé again.

“Again, you need to relax, Big Kat! Come on you are better than this and you know it. Where is Little Miss Badass, huh? What happened to that girl I met two weeks ago? So you are going to shadow someone and help with real-life casework a bit early. That was the plan for down the road anyway, wasn’t it? Honestly, I don’t understand why you are freaking out. This is exciting! Special Agent Reynolds, here you come!

Katrina did nothing but glare in return.

“Alright fine.”

Lisa huffed and finally gave in.

“For starters, the one guy is Detective Quinn, not Winn or whatever the hell you said before. He’s got a reputation, and he is super full of himself, but really he’s harmless. If you smell cigarettes and coffee mixed together, you know you’ve found him, can’t say I would understand why you wouldn’t want to though.”

The older of the two women put a hand to her mouth as if the mere thought of it was enough to make her shudder.

“Sorry, yeah, that smell is unmistakable. It’s absolutely disgusting.”

“Okay, so stay away from Adam. Got it.”

Katrina nodded slowly while watching to make sure Lisa wasn’t about to get sick all over the lunchroom. Once her friend seemingly recovered, she continued with her questioning.

“Well, then what about that lieutenant guy you mentioned? What’s his deal? Is he the actual precinct asshole or something?”

At this point, Lisa snorted so hard with laughter that she almost started crying. A couple of other nearby officers couldn’t help but look over in the girls' direction, quizzical expressions crossed over their dumbfounded faces. She slapped a hand against the table's surface a couple of times and shook her head no, completely unknowing or uncaring that everyone was staring at them.

“Kaleb?” Another sharp intake of breath on the brunettes part. “Oh, absolutely not. He’s just a bit...uh...Hmm. Okay, how do I put this?”

Katrina folded her hands across her lap waiting patiently.

“He’s not a bad guy or anything. He’s just really quiet and hard for a lot of people to figure out. Lieutenant Gray is...well I guess you could say, complicated. Honestly, at this point, he does what he wants and we all just sort of, let him. A couple of people have actual bets on when he snaps and kills someone...No, Adam would most certainly be more of the precinct asshole, for sure. Hands down.”

Lisa noticed her friend's absence of eating, the frozen meal left untouched, and she sighed in exasperation.

“Oh come on, eat already! Who am I your freakin’ mother?! We’ve already been over this whole eating thing multiple times, sugarplum!”

Hearing about how emotionally unstable one of the higher-ranking officers in the police station seemed to be did nothing to calm the blondes' nerves. If anything, hearing all of that only proved to make her feel worse. All it took was Lisa making the comment that involved the blondes' mother, and the young woman snapped out of it and started eating on command.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke in between chewing forkfuls of cheap steak. “I mean you’re right. What's the worst that can happen?”

“Exactly! Honestly sweetie, nothing you encounter here will be more awkward than those two drunk guys singing Baby Shark at the bar from last weekend. You handled that like a champ, and that was before a single drink even went down. Gellar chose to let you do this, and he doesn’t make those kinds of decisions lightly. He knows what he’s doing, I promise.”

~~

When Katrina had finally left the precinct for the evening, she was cutting it very close to when her night classes were supposed to start. Since the spring weather was cooperating, she could walk the distance in between precinct and campus without an issue. This feat proved to be a bit more difficult and time-consuming than she had originally planned, but being late to class for once in her life wasn’t going to be that big of a deal.

She made her way into the center of the school grounds, only to find the person she had been looking for noticeably put off about something. Standing before her with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his eyes drilled straight into her, and yet the young woman didn't flinch.

“Barry!” Katrina greeted cheerfully. “What’s got you so upset? Did Professor Andrews try and call you out in the middle of the class again?”

She gave him a playful shove at the ribs, but he was unwavering.

“Look, I know you always get so lonely when I’m not around, but ta-da! I’m here now! You can stop being so sad!”

She couldn’t help but chuckle, stopping abruptly when her friend still hadn’t said a word. She could see his expression hardening with every passing second. Why was he glaring?

“Hey, hey, hey,” Katrina dropped her blue backpack on a nearby bench and then closed the gap between herself and her classmate. Leaning in close, she brought him into a very tight hug. “I’m sorry, I was just teasing you. What’s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”

At Katrina’s kind gesture, Barry’s face finally softened. His right arm snaking around her waist, he had a very good hold on her.

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“You’re late! I was getting worried! I thought something had happened to you, I tried calling and texting you and no answer. Seriously, Kitty, I thought you were dead! I was this close to calling 911!”

Katrina listened and found that she had to fight an overwhelming urge that begged her to punch him square in the jaw for a brief moment. On one hand, she knew he was right, it wasn’t nice of her to leave him in the dark as she had. He was looking out for her, and she knew that. On the other hand, he wasn’t her keeper either.

“Well,” she spoke calmly, a forced smile betraying any notion that she might be even the tiniest bit irked. She wanted to be mad at him, but she just couldn’t do it. He was always so nice, helping her study--and more importantly, keeping her out of trouble after having one too many drinks. “I’m sorry. I was out of line. Next time I’m running late, I will make sure to at least shoot you a text message, okay? It was just my last day on the first floor and I wanted to make sure to say goodbye to everyone and tie up some loose ends. The train was also running late and I lost track of time.”

Barry let out a small sigh and hugged the impossible woman even tighter to his side. Before her internship, he had always respected her space. Ever since her mention of getting to shadow an officer a bit earlier than originally anticipated, he just seemed to be much more protective of her. They weren’t even together or anything! He had just decided to take this duty upon himself while fully aware that the young woman could win her way out of a fight.

“Right, it was your last day on the first floor. You’ll still see all those same people again on Monday, so who cares?

Katrina cared, but maybe he had a point. The only person who she was even remotely close to back at the station was Lisa. Even then, the two of them had made a serious effort to hangout as much as possible outside of work. So if she had left without saying much, it probably wouldn’t have mattered to anyone.

“You’re right.” She continued to lie. It was effortless at this point. “Now come on, let’s get to class already or Abigail will have it in for me...again.”

~~

Sunglasses on and earbuds at full-blast, Katrina watched helplessly while another Express Train sped through the station. She was used to random delays during the morning rush, but this was getting a bit ridiculous. That was the third one in twenty minutes and if she didn’t get on a train within the next few, she was going to be late to work.

Shit!

Right on cue, an R Train finally stopped to allow passengers on board. It had grown fairly crowded at this point, and because the young woman didn’t want to take any chances, she decided that going on the offense, in this case, would be best.

“Pardon me…’ Scuse me!....Thanks!”

A small frame allowed the young woman to slip in between people with ease. She even managed to elbow some kid who was trying to use his skateboard to get onboard from behind her. Eyes twitching, her irritation was well hidden behind her shades.

“Not today, asshole,” she rolled her eyes and pushed past him standing right up against where the doors would close. She made it! Thirty more minutes and she would be back to the place where she felt most at home!

As the train finally started in motion, Katrina found that the all to familiar pit in her stomach was coming back. She didn’t mind the crowd at all, living in New York City her whole life, she was used to this. No, the discomfort wasn’t from her claustrophobia. Trains didn’t bother her. It was more so a bunch of nerves that were plucked individually the closer she grew to work, and with no sign that the insistent plucking would be relieved any time soon.

You’ve got this Reynolds. Everything is going to be just fine. Relax, damn it!

Getting from the train into the precinct was all just a blur for the young woman. In between making sure she wasn’t late--and conquering her fear of taking the elevator up to the third floor--Katrina had been through a lot that particular morning. By the time she had found her desk--with a nameplate and all--she was able to start breathing normally again.

Sunglasses on the desk--and the purple cardigan she had been wearing over her polo draped across the back of her chair, she couldn’t help but let out a content and happy sigh. This was all real, and she had a desk space to prove it! Quickly setting to work, the blonde made sure to start up her computer terminal after sitting herself down. Her earbuds in and playing a particularly loud song, Katrina nearly screamed when someone brushed past her shoulder. Having been so wrapped up in writing a formal 'Thank You' email to the captain, she had no hopes in being aware of the newcomer until they were already in her personal space.

“Holy-” A curse nearly left her lips until she came to the realization that it was only a coworker who had approached. He had already taken it upon himself to get comfortable on the edge of her desk, crossing his arms and giving her a quick once over. The fact that he was leaning in close enough that she could smell fresh cigarettes and stale coffee made her want to vomit. Then it hit her. They hadn’t even been formally introduced yet and she knew exactly who this guy was...

If you smell cigarettes and coffee mixed together, you know you’ve found him.

Detective Adam Quinn. Of course.

“Better get used to it. Fucker's never on time." The male spoke gruffly. Katrina couldn’t even offer to shake his hand being as wrapped up in his snide comments as he was. A soft roll of his eyes--along with the derogatory name--made it clear that whoever this ‘Fucker’ was, he didn’t like who she had gotten partnered with.

While appearances could be deceiving, Adam definitely looked the type to create conflict--despite his short lanky form--judging by the short disheveled hair, a slight bit of stubble and a scar across his lower lip likely from a past dispute. Not to judge a book by its cover, but he most certainly looked like a brawler.

"I could keep you company, 'least till the asshole shows up." A cocky grin split across his rough features.

“Oh! You must be Detective Quinn! How great to meet you.” Katrina offered him her signature fake smile. Playing nice around people she didn’t care for was one of the things she had always been very good at. “Your reputation certainly doesn’t do you any justice! Actually, if you don’t mind, I just really want to get this email finished up.”

She averted her gaze from the man so she could focus on her computer screen. Hearing another voice call out from behind her, the young intern couldn’t help but groan inwardly. All she wanted to do was let the captain know she had made it in on time and that she was eternally grateful for this opportunity, but no!

“Are you surprised he didn't stay overnight again?" The second voice intercepted. Much smoother and kinder in comparison. Standing next to his companion--skin much darker than his paler counterpart--he offered a warm smile to the supposed 'new meat'. He seemed nice enough, but Katrina wouldn’t let her guard down just yet if the two of them were considered friends.

"Dennis Carlisle.” The newcomer introduced himself. “Don't let Adam scare you. He's all bark, no bite." He joked, earning a warning glare from the detective.

“Hi! Yes! Katrina Reynolds, it’s so nice to meet you, Officer Carlisle!”

She shook his hand, with a smile. The fact that Adam hadn’t been so kind as to introduce himself or shake her hand wasn’t lost on her as far as first impressions went. She did mentally kick herself though, having felt bad for not standing up to greet them.

“The Lieutenant isn’t as bad as Adam makes him out to be, really.” Dennis went on despite Adam’s snarky comment. “He’s a little odd, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Katrina tilted her head to the side. Surely he wasn’t referring to the same person she thought he was.

“Dudes a fucking prick.” Adam chimed in. “Anyone else tells you any differently and they can kiss my ass.”

Katrina rolled her eyes and her back stiffened when Adam went to rest one arm across her shoulders. Who did this guy think he was, seriously?!

“I’m just trying to warn you ahead of time, doll face.”

“He’s just a little late, sometimes. But he pulls long hours so you can’t really blame him.” Dennis admitted. “The best thing to do is just roll with it. You’ll hear and see a lot while you’re up here. Don’t take too much to heart. If the captain was that concerned he’d put the two on a different floor.”

Dennis was already proving to be much kinder than his counterpart. Still, that wasn’t helping to make her feel any better. All she wanted to do was get this internship finished, get the job with the police department, and then a few years later she could work for the FBI. All these weird curveballs being thrown her way were not helping!

“Thank you, Officer Carlisle, Detective Quinn,” Katrina closed her eyes and sighed. If she were outside of work, this situation would have been handled before it even started, but considering how many rules she needed to abide by here, Katrina could really use some help. Silently she prayed for some sort of miracle, her partner showing up, the fire alarm going off, anything.

“Everyone has been so secretive about this elusive partner of mine. From the way you’ve both described him, I would almost have to guess that-.”

Katrina’s head shot up when she heard the familiar creaking of the elevator lobby doors sliding open. She knew that sound, even if she had never stuck around on this particular floor for very long. It was the sound that she loathed hearing when Lisa had begged her to grab some sort of paperwork from a different floor other than the first. Normally, as long as she wasn’t going to wait for an elevator herself, she wouldn’t be bothered by such a noise. However, the person who was going to either pass or fail her through the program still wasn’t in yet, but she had a sneaking suspicion that he had just arrived.