Participants:
| Scene Title | When Girl Cops Go Wild |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Kay and Liz just say 'fuck 'em all' and head off to do something wild, crazy, and not remotely cop-like. |
| Date | February 22, 2009 |
Some days you're the windshield, and some days the bug. Elisabeth's pretty damn well aware of that. By the time Kat Marks drops Liz back off in front of the precinct, the SCOUT squad room has already been made aware of the situation on the GW Bridge — that they lost the guy in spite of talking him down from jumping. The SWAT team reports that in trying to get back over, even with the help of Marks and Harrison, the guy fell into the river below and they couldn't get to him fast enough. Liz stops off briefly in Harvard's office to update him — she's dressed for court (skirt and heeled boots rather than in her normal gear of pants and comfortable shoes). And when she slammed out of Harvard's office, it was with a hollow-eyed look that Kaydence probably knows well. So when Liz offered coffee, and the suggestion for Starbucks was made instead, the blonde jumped on the 'getting the fuck out of the precinct' possibility with a speed that can only be called desperate.
As they walk down the street, Liz has her hands shoved in her pockets. And finally, she says, "So what's crawled up your ass and died this week?" Becuase, you know…. when The Bitch is being particularly pissy around the office, it does get commented on. Elisabeth slants Kaydence a glance. "Things okay with you and Parkman? Tell me to butt the fuck out if you want," she offers.
This week, Kaydence is definitely the bug. The problem with being The Bitch is that everyone knows when your mood is especially foul. That obvious, huh?
Kay's thumbs are stuck through the beltloops of her tweed dress slacks, matching her suit coat. "Matt's gone," she mutters. "Some stupid assignment. He didn't tell me where he went. He just left me with the girls." Her heeled leather boots all but stomp on the sidewalk as she goes. "I get it. He's HomeSec. He can't tell me everything. But shit. He's just gone."
There's a wince there. "That sucks more than a little bit," Elisabeth agrees. She pauses, considering the last conversation she had with Parkman and comments softly, "I'm sure you could VENTURE a guess as to where he went." Liz can. "But ultimately? Men suck." She grins faintly. "Why do you think I don't keep one around permanently?"
"I'm beginning to think that you've got the right idea, Liz." Kay drags her fingers through her hair and frowns. "I don't know that getting engaged was the best idea I ever had. I love Matt, but… Maybe I'm… Never mind. You don't want to listen to this." It's not like the two know each other that well. Although it's not like Kay has any girl friends either.
There's a bit of a hesitation there as Elisabeth weighs her next words. And she stops in the street to turn to look at her companion. "Look…. usually I bite my tongue. I like working with you, I admire your professionalism and confidence. In some ways, you're what I aspire to be as a cop, Kay. But… and again, tell me to fuck off if you want… we're the only female cops on our whole squad, that mega-bitch Marks aside — and let me tell you something, don't trust that woman as far as you can THROW her — and I *would* like to be your friend. It'd be damn nice to have someone to talk to when everything's going down the fuckin' toilet. So… that said… if you want to confide in me? Anything you say is between you and me." She grins a little. "And that includes anything you say about the asshole telepath who got pissed off because I *thought* to myself that he was pussywhipped that time he came into the squad," she tells Kay with a snicker.
Kay smiles faintly. Elisabeth's offer to be friends is unexpected, to say the least. But no less welcome. "I worry that I'm using him to replace Spencer. I mean… They were partners. Matt was practically family already. I just… Am I really ready for this? To take the plunge a second time, as the saying goes?" Words that should be dismayed are filled more with annoyance than anything else. Detective Damaris does not like not having the answers.
Resuming walking with her co-worker, Elisabeth considers the idea. "Rough place to be," she admits as they move. And then she chuckles. "Didn't realize we were treading water in the same pool, but…" She looks at Kay. "I'm sorry that you're stressed about it. What's got you thinking that?"
"I was so mad with Matt for…" Kay shakes her head, resuming her stride. "Liz, I slept with someone else. I never cheated on Spence." She glances down at her watch. "How much longer are you on the clock? The bar is sounding a lot more appealing than Starbucks." She pauses again, steps halting only for a brief moment. "Do you want to come with me tonight? I sneak out to Staten Island to check up on the rock. I was hitting the bars there originally so I wouldn't run into Matt. But now? They're just fun." She grabs Elisabeth's arm. "What do you say? Break out the slut gear. It'll be a blast."
Oh, *ouch*. Elisabeth winces a little, and then Kay goes all Cop Chicks Gone Wild, and she looks surprised. But then she grins a bit. "You know what? Fuck the clock," she tells the other woman. "C'mon, lemme hit my apartment and change clothes." She's been looking for a reason to go over there anyway, so … seems like the time to go. Besides, she'll be able to look out for Kay. "I'll tell you something, though… and you can take it with a whole shaker of salt. There's a guy that I loved…. I think he's dead now, but I don't know for sure. He's been missing since the bridge went down. But even before that… he loves me. Tells me he loves me for who I am, doesn't seem to want me to change. And the reason that I'm not willing to commit to him is because in spite of loving him, I'm not sure I love him enough to *be* faithful to him. And I won't do to him, if I can help it, what my bastard of a fiance did to me in college, you know? If I'm not committed enough to stop sleeping around, then it's not time to commit as far as I'm concerned." She shrugs a little. "If he loves me in spite of it? Well.. he's a big boy, can take care of himself."
"Maybe I should call the engagement off. Or at least ask that we not set a date. I still want to keep seeing him. I love him. I love his daughter. I just… think that maybe I need more time. Maybe I need some time to be single, right? Instead of going from married, to broken-hearted, to married." Liz's arm is squeezed gently. "I'll call my mother. Tell her to keep the girls overnight. You can crash at my place after we're done."
With a shrug, Liz agrees to the overnighter — she'll just pack a bag for when they get back along with changing her clothes. As to the other, she talks to Kay as they alter direction and head back toward the car so Liz can get stuff from her place. "I'd have to say that it totally depends on how you want to handle it. You're in love with a telepath. To my mind, that means lying to him or covering what you've done is just right out the window," she comments. "So if you love him, might be better to really talk to him about what's actually got your panties in a wad. Like… did you do it he's a cop just like Spence, and it's a shit-ton more dangerous these days and you're afraid he might die and leave you alone like Spence did?" Elisabeth's tone is quiet now… perhaps uncertain. If she's hit the nail on the head with that one, Kay might decide Liz is a good target to lash out at. But well… it's not in her nature to beat around the bush any more than it's in Kay's. "Or because you're trying to test him and see if he'll just abandon you cuz you did something stupid? Or was it just plain contrary pissiness on your part?"
The hammer has hit the nail squarely on the head. It shows in the way Kay's poker face falters and then falls away completely. "I am so scared taht he's going to go and get himself killed like Spence." She presses the back of one hand to her nose, successfully stifling tears for now. "Part of it was contrary pissiness, as you say. I mean, he just… He was gone. I was so mad. I just did it."
"Heh," Elisabeth says as the hike on back the way they came. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I started dating my guy by accident, he totally freaked me out, and the first thing I did was get laid. By someone else," she confides on a sigh. "And as stupid as it sounds, it was damn good, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. The only real guilt I have on it is that… well, much as I adore the guy, I just…. really don't know if he's the right one. Seems like he should be. He knows every damn thing there is to know about me and loves me in spite of myself… I should snap up a guy like that, right? But when he started talking long-term, I was all 'oh shit!' and well…. now he's dead. Or at least…. he's missing." She ruthlessly pushes down the rest. "And since I don't want to deal with that, and I'd rather get completely shit-faced, c'mon." She gently shoves Kay back around the far side of the car so the other woman can climb in and Liz will drive. "We all do stupid shit when we freak. If your guy loves you," she says quietly as she climbs in, "he'll know you better than you know yourself and he'll understand."
"I sure hope you're right, Liz. I'm beginning to think you understand the game better than I do." Kay climbs into the passenger side of the vehicle and buckles up, crossing her legs and drumming her fingers on her knees. "I didn't date before I met Spencer. I don't really know much about traditional relationships. Spence and I… We were fate. We just sort of happened." And then he was taken from her. "I've been a cop for so long. I worked Vice. I lost a lot of my girls to horrible sons of bitches and was sometimes the only one who could identify them. Give them names. I've shot bad people. I've shot the wrong people. I've gotten my hands dirty. I never lost a wink of sleep." She turns to stare out the window. "And then some bastard killed Spence. And I almost ate my gun. So many times. I still think about it. Some prize I am, huh?" There's a moment's pause. "So we both lost people who loved us for who we are. Let's drink until we don't care, huh?"
Elisabeth pffts at Kay. "I don't know shit about the game. I just don't let guys get that close. Cuz I think I'm pretty sure they're all liars," she comments. "Besides… cops make lousy spouses, most of the time, so… I just don't set myself up for that shit. I keep it easy, have a lot of fun, and ignore the rest of it," she says as she starts the car and begins the drive back to her place. She glances at her companion, though, and says quietly, "I haven't been any kind of a paragon of virtue, Kay." Far, far, far from it. "I've killed bad people." Recently, in fact, though she doesn't say that to Kay. "I've lost hostages to perps, and today I lost a jumper." She pauses and says quietly, "And I'm pissed to all hell at Marks for panicking and losing her grip on him too. I think I want to shoot *her* ass." She looks out at the street again as she drives. "Even when I'm home right now, I'm not sleeping much — not without a pill. Too much bad shit, you know? I didn't try to eat my gun…. it's just not in me to do it. But I can understand the impulse. The day the bridges went down? I didn't want to do anything but climb in my bed and never, ever come out. Came to work instead." She grins just a little. "And I damn sure think we deserve one seriously major binge."
"Work used to be enough. Some days, it still is. I wish I could go for days. It would make things so much easier. To just… go." Kay sighs. "You know, I think we're both good for each other and horrible at once. We should have done this ages ago, sweetie."
Elisabeth laughs at that. "Well… I've been kind of still feeling my way around the squad, but frankly? With all the crap that's rolling downhill at us, Kay… I find that I don't much give a shit anymore. And if it means that it's us versus them, well… Girl Power." She shrugs a bit and admits, "It's hard enough being a cop. When the hell do you have time to make friends? So I figured I'd take a shot at it."
"Marks is not even allowed to know the location of our secret treetop clubhouse," Kay stipulates quickly. "And no boys allowed."
"Absolutely not," Elisabeth replies with feeling. "If Marks fell off a bridge next time, it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. And no boys allowed is just a given." She grins at Kay and the women head off into the night to find some trouble as only good-looking women can find it….
 February 22nd: For Flint |
 February 22nd: When Girl Cops Go Wild, Part 2 |