Not What I Expected (Aviva)

[Matt Harper]

Matt Harper sat at his desk at the 409 Precinct in the heart of London, England. After a partially long day of driving around the city in his cruiser, all he wanted to do was head back to his place and crash for the night. But he had some reports he had to finish up from the weekend and plus the captain had wanted to see him towards the end of his day. Had it been that long already? About six months before, Matt had applied for a promotion to homicide, and the chief had given him a six month waiting period. He had worked his butt off during those last six months, trying to prove to the captain he was homicide material. He had solved a case or two, but recently crime had been down, particularly the homicide rate. It seemed a few of the criminals were getting the picture that the London police weren’t messing around. Today was the day the captain was going to give him his new badge and assign him a partner. He had waited for this day for so long, ever since he had graduated from Hogwarts.

It felt so long since he had graduated from the wizarding school. He remembered his days there so vividly. It felt like just yesterday that he was studying and stressing over his NEWTs. Divination, Transfiguration, all his classes. It had been a while since he had used some solid magic, since he was surrounded by muggles constantly. It got annoying from time to time, but there was a guy or two from the precinct who he had gone to Hogwarts, so he could share a story or two with those guys. It was a primarily muggle precinct though, and the only way he would be allowed to use magic was if he was employed by the ministry. That might be a possibility in time, but for right now he wanted to focus on moving up to homicide and getting better cases than the simple ones he had been doing for the past year and a half. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the cases he was given. Matt just wanted something bigger, something better. More than just simply saving cats from trees, breaking up gang bangers, and arresting small crime perps.

“Harper!” Matt heard the captain yell his name. Well here we go. Time to see who the lucky partner is. Matt got up from his desk, organized the little bit of papers that were spread about on his desk from his week’s cases, and threw his jacket on. He nodded at the guys around him, as they seemed to give him a little well-wishing. They all knew what was coming for him as well. None of them thought anything other than a new partner and Matt getting his new homicide badge. Matt walked confidently into Captain Kragen’s office. “You wanted to see me?” Matt asked subconsciously, sitting down in the plush chair in front of the captain's desk. “Yes, Matt. As you know, six months ago I told you we’d see about getting you a spot in homicide.” Matt sat still, not fidgeting, as many of his cohorts would. That made them appear nervous, and Matt knew he already had this whole thing in the bag. He just needed to give the captain the right spiel and he’d be fine. “Your cases have been exemplary, and your work on them has been even better. I think you’ve earned this. It’s been great having you here to do our sometimes monotonous jobs, but I know you’re wanting more than just sitting in a cruiser on patrol. It’s due time.” The captain slid open the drawer next to him and pulled out a medium size box. He handed it calmly to Matt. “Go ahead, open it on up, son.”

Matt opened the box to find the gold badge he had been wanting for years. He took it out immediately and slipped his wallet out, pulling the old badge out and replacing it with his shiny new one. “Thank you so much, Captain. I’ve wanted this for a long time.” Matt was all grins, but maintained his composure. There was still the partner issue to be resolved. Which one of his buddies on the force would get a promotion? “As you also know,” Kragen began. “We’ll be assigning you a new partner for your homicide cases. The job can get brutal, and two heads are always better than one on some of those harder cases. Time for you to meet your new partner, son.” Matt smiled, anxious to meet who it would be. Would it be Johnson, his best friend for the past two years in the force? He doubted it. They had a habit of roughhousing too much. Either way, whoever it was, he was sure not going to let them take advantage that quickly. “Morgan! Come meet your new partner!” the captain bellowed out the door, signaling the individual to come present themselves. Matt turned around as a figure came to the door quickly, and his reaction suddenly changed.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Today was the day Aviva would be getting her new partner. She still wasn’t too happy about the thought of working with a partner once more, but what could she do? As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Aviva could definitely use a bit of a helping hand. Her caseload was getting harder and harder to handle all by herself, leaving Aviva more restless as irritable from lack of proper rest. There were case details flooding into her head from different cases constantly and all at the same time. By now, Aviva was starting to actually mix up details, combining and confusing cases, and basically not acting like herself. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Aviva had her work cut out for her, and she was spreading herself pretty thin. She had been working alone for the past six months, waiting for some newbie to come in and take Darwin’s place as Aviva’s partner. Of course, Aviva had too much pride to admit she needed some new kid right out of the academy to help her do her job, but it was damn near impossible to do it without one. Gregory Darwin had been Aviva’s partner, mentor, and close friend. She told him everything, knowing he was the only one she could really talk freely with. The almost sixty-seven year old man was like Aviva’s second father, but of course, this was not always so.

Aviva remembered years ago, when she had first started working at the 409 precinct, Darwin used to give Aviva one hell of a hard time. Aviva knew now that it was only because he wanted to see her at her fullest potential, but at the time, Aviva hated the man. He was cold and bitter, yet unmistakably brilliant all at the same time. Everyone both feared and respected him, but he didn’t make many friends around the precinct. Aviva was the same way, she supposed. She didn’t like to associate with many of her coworkers, unless she needed to of course. Many of them were decent people and Aviva could probably withstand a conversation with them, but she was far too prideful and (in her opinion at least) intellectually advanced to ever create friendships with these people. Many of the newer officers who did not know better had attempted to try and get on Aviva’s good side by means of flirting and such, but many started to learn after just about the third “accidental” coffee spill to the shirt. Aviva and Mr. Darwin had been great friends. They spoke about everything, eventually leading up to Aviva being able to trust him enough to talk about her secret. Aviva knew what the others said about her and Darwin. She’d overheard a petty conversation between a few lowly cops and had given them a piece of her mind for it when she heard it. “Morgan and Darwin are brilliant, I’ll give you that. I mean really, her father is Jack Morgan. How could she not be brilliant? Not to mention dashingly beautiful, not like she gives a damn about anyone around here. She’s a witch, and Darwin is just a sour old man. Do you think they’ve slept together yet? That would explain why the those two stone cold hearts are so close. I bet you they have…lucky little devil.” Aviva scowled at the memory. The saddest part was, that comment had been made exactly a week before Mr. Darwin’s death.

Aviva was incredibly upset about Darwin’s death, but it would have had to have happened sooner or later, right? The man had an ongoing heart condition, and everyone knew this. Still, that didn’t make his death any less upsetting. Aviva wasn’t the kind of person to cry, especially not in public. She always maintained the same general expression, more or less. She didn’t like to show the world she had problems, even if she believed her issues had long since been resolved. However, on the day of Gregory Darwin’s funeral, Aviva cried for the first time since Tyler broke her heart. Aviva remembered getting odd looks from people during the wake. No one had expected Aviva to fall apart that way, and neither did she. But she couldn’t help herself. Gregory was like a father to her, and now that he was gone, Aviva really did have no one. She rarely spoke to her retired father, and her mother hadn’t even seen Aviva since last Christmas, where Aviva felt compelled to come back home to visit her family. Even then she didn’t even spend much time there because she was working so hard. Aviva sighed, placing her large, old fashioned looking round reading glasses back on her nose. She really wasn’t looking forward to sharing her cases and spending so much time with some strange person she barely knew, but she knew it would have to be done. Aviva thought to herself, trying to figure out the answer to the case she was working on. Of course, she needed to wait on the coroner’s report first, but there was no harm in trying to figure out some possibilities before the official cause of death was determined. “Well let’s see…found dead in the park…seemed to be suffocated to death…three year old girl.. What kind of creep kills an innocent three year old? Let’s see…I’ll have to check up on some members of the close family, maybe anyone who had a grudge on the parents? Can’t be a filicide case…the parents have a perfect alibi. So let’s see…maybe the babysitter? There were emergency contact numbers on the fridge in the victim’s home, so maybe the babysitter did it? Well the girl’s only around seventeen…what kind of motive would she have to kill the-” Aviva was instantly pulled out of her thinking process by the deep voice of her captain, calling her into his office to meet her new partner.

Aviva stood up, entering the office with her glasses still perched on her nose. She removed them with a quick motion and placed them in her inside jacket pocket. Her eyes immediately went to scanning the environment. Kragen seemed to be bursting with pride, meaning this guy had to be pretty good if the captain was so keen on putting the two together. The desk was just as messy as ever, only it had an old police officer’s badge on it. Probably the new guy’s.. Aviva thought to herself. She then let her green eyes rest on the new guy himself. He was dressed in a suit, no tie, seemed like he was a pretty casual person. He was good looking, Aviva supposed, but he had a bit of an immature air to him. He seemed overconfident, a bit too eager. He seemed familiar right off the bat, and after racking her brain for a name, she came up with one main possibility. Could he be that Gryffindor Harper kid from Hogwarts? Aviva glanced at his jacket and noticed a what seemed to be the shape of a wand in his inside pocket. He was obviously not a muggle, so at least Aviva wouldn’t have to deal with keeping her secret from someone she spent so much time with. She glanced at Kragen again, who smiled. “Morning, Kragen.” She said with a bit of a political smile. She then turned to her new partner, Harper. “Aviva Morgan, pleasure.” Aviva said, shaking his hand. Of course, her tone didn’t sound anything like she was too happy about working with him. Aviva was an independent woman by nature, and it had taken quite a while before she could even trust Greg Darwin. Of course she wasn’t going to be too fond with having to work with someone else.

[Matt Harper]

Matt was taken aback suddenly. In all his studies he had known that most of the time, partners were paired up with same sexes, and it wasn’t very often that differing sexes were paired up, mainly because of the clash of opinions. Even though you would have that with anyone, studies seemed to sustain the fact that co-ed partners ended up either hating each other or sleeping together, both which were likely bad for the partnership. What was Kragen thinking? He of course knew what was best, and Matt always respected his judgment, but what was the meaning of this? Did Kragen really think he could work better with a woman? It was confusing, but Matt knew his job meant more to him than complaining about having a woman (a very attractive woman at that) as his partner.

As Matt eyed Aviva, she reached her hand out to shake. Not being one to be rude, he immediately shook her hand back and nodded. “Matthew Harper, nice to meet you as well.” He knew they’d have time to get formally acquainted on their first few cases, so he skipped the small talk and turned back to the captain. “So, Captain. What’s our first case? I’d like to get started right away, now that I’ve got the badge and everything.” Matt didn’t want to sound too eager, but it was his first day on homicide, and despite the surprising fact that his new partner was a woman, he really just wanted to get a head start on any cases the captain had waiting for him. “Matt, Morgan’s got a full lot of cases on her plate. There’s one she just got, right Morgan? That three year old that got murdered and the parents have an airtight alibi? You know which one I’m talking about, right?” Kragen took two seconds to see Aviva nod her head, and looked back at Matt. “Harper, now that you’re her partner you’ll be helping her sort through her many cases that are stacking up. Now it’s not that she’s not competent to finish them on her own. I decided to put you two together because you’re both damn good at this line of work. Now get to it. Morgan give him a run down of that case and don’t give him an easy job.”

The captain turned around to work on paperwork on his desk, as it was the messiest in the precinct. Matt followed Aviva out of his office, thinking. He couldn’t imagine what kind of cases were about to be thrust into his hands, but it was what he wanted. As she walked in front of him, he couldn’t help but notice how attractive she really was. She stood decently tall, even though he was a bit taller than her. She had the most beautiful flowing blond hair, and she walked with an attitude that almost no one could match or copy. She hadn’t seemed too thrilled to be working with him, much to his expectations. Aviva was likely not too fond of having to be paired up with a man, she was likely the kind that had always worked with women or on her own. He couldn’t make that complete assumption just from meeting her, but it was already invading his mind. As they approached Aviva’s desk, he noticed how organized yet overloaded it was. Looks like the captain wasn’t kidding about how busy she’s been. She must be good. He decided to make some small talk to try and lighten the mood. “So how long have you been in the 409, Aviva?” It was a simple enough start, and he hoped she would at least want to open up slightly with him. After she answered, he would begin to ask about the case, as that was the main reason they were together, of course.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva could clearly see the look of surprise etched on Harper’s face. He seemed absolutely astonished that the captain had chosen such a person to be his partner. Aviva concluded that his surprise most likely came from the fact that Aviva was a woman and he was a man. Most of the pairs made in the 409 precinct were of the same sex, basically because of the clashing of opinions, plus the sexual tension of course. But Aviva had long since proved she worked better with men. She didn’t take any of that sexual tension crap. Aviva actually preferred working with men. Before being moved up to homicide and working alongside Mr. Darwin, Aviva used to be paired with other women. This didn’t work out of course, seeing as Aviva didn’t particularly get along with women. They were far too weak in her eyes, always complaining about something or another. Then when they weren’t complaining, they were most likely gossiping excitedly about other people. The Captain had learned after the first three incidents in which Aviva’s female partners all quit, saying they now needed to seek a “mental sanctuary” of some sort. Males were better for Aviva. Before Darwin, she was never really close with her other partners. They’d become close acquaintances if anything, but Aviva barely remembered a thing about her early partners. Never did Aviva get close with anyone in her line of business, and it was very rare for her to get close to anyone outside of business as well. She couldn’t help it though. This was the way Aviva worked.

She glanced back at Kragen again and offered him a nod in response to his question. She wasn’t all too fond of this guy already. He seemed far too eager for the job. He seemed over confident and probably a total mess in her opinion. If there was anything Aviva hated more than liars and criminals, it was messy people. Things needed a place, otherwise it’d be impossible for anyone to find a thing anywhere. As Harper shook her hand, she took note of the fact that his grip was decently strong. He seemed like he was the type of person that worked out frequently. So, he could most likely physically keep up if they were chasing a suspect on foot or needed to hold someone down. The only question left in Aviva’s mind (and it was a very important question at that) was whether or not this man could mentally keep up with Aviva’s caseload. Perhaps he could, if Kragen thought him worthy of working with his best inspector.

She was decently impressed that he wanted to get to work so fast, at least he wasn’t a procrastinator like she had known most Gryffindors to be. Of course, Aviva did not have any proof that this was indeed the same Matt Harper that attended Hogwarts as a Gryffindor in Aviva’s year, but she had no doubt in her mind that he was a wizard in general. Aviva spoke up at once when her captain addressed her directly. Aviva’s eyes glittered slightly at the captain’s words. And don’t give him an easy job.. Aviva smirked. “Wouldn’t dream of it sir.” She said, walking toward her office, her partner following behind her. The room was a pretty secluded and there was quiet classical music playing from her computer. There was an empty desk and computer on the other side of the room. The desk used to belong to Mr. Darwin, but of course now it lay unoccupied…or, at least it did. Aviva rolled her eyes as she walked toward her desk, her new partner standing in the doorway. Small talk. Aviva thought to herself bitterly. Oh, how she hated small talk.

“Since I was eighteen.“ Aviva said simply, quickly locating the file that contained details about the case. She got up and placed the file down on the empty desk. Matt was still standing at the door, leaning against the doorway. “The case file. That’ll be your desk. Keep it neat.” Aviva said in a clear, bored and business-like tone. “Now, the case Kragen was talking about was the Kelsey Cameron case. Kelsey is a three year old girl who was found dead in the park last night. We’re still waiting on the coroner’s report, so its almost impossible to get proper suspects. However, when we do go to visit the crime scene again, I suggest you keep that wand of yours in a more well hidden spot than your jacket pocket. People may be wondering why there’s an odd wooden stick poking out of your jacket.” Aviva said smartly, sitting herself down on her spinning office chair. She glanced down at a picture of her smiling parents next to her computer. Aviva sighed and placed the picture frame face down. She wasn’t even sure why she even kept the picture there in the first place. She could barely stand to look at it.

[Matt Harper]

As the two walked over to Aviva’s desk, Matt could tell that Aviva already couldn’t stand him. She was likely an arrogant, take charge kind of woman, and he knew they would fight on some things. He would likely have to do his best to fight through it and give it the best shot he could. Kragen had put the two together because he knew what kind of a job the two of them could do separately, so they should be even better (and quicker) together. It might end up being an uphill battle, but Matt would have to clench his teeth and get through it. When he shook Aviva’s hand, he could tell that she was definitely the kind of person who didn’t mess around, and he’d need to bust his butt to prove he was worthy of this job. Kragen had given this to test him. Most of the partners in the 409 were same sex, and when Aviva walked in that idea had been shattered. It wasn’t so much a problem with Aviva, or a problem that he had with working with women. He hadn’t been hurt before, it had nothing to do with that. It was just the irregularity of it. But Matt wasn’t about to complain to Kragen about it. That wasn’t the issue.

Matt pretended that he had ignored the comment from his new partner about not giving him an easy job. He wanted to get to work right away, and he didn’t want some easy assignment. Matt had been through enough in the past few years with the Academy and his cop stint, and he didn’t need anymore routine checks or basic cases. He wanted the good stuff, the solid cases that took time to figure out, and needed more than one person to solve. Matt spat out his small talk, trying to at least lighten the mood, but he immediately regretted it as Aviva answered with a simple and straight answer, not even looking at him or recognizing his presence. Matt didn’t bother answering back to her information. She’d been in the 409 about as long as he had, a bit longer actually. She was used to this station, and he could definitely tell. She directed him to his desk, basically giving him orders. It was something that Matt didn’t like, but he decided he would put up with it for now. It was her case, and likely her old partner’s desk. He had cleaned his own desk out a week or so before and had some things in his locker that he would move to his new desk. She informed him to keep it clean, and he turned to her. “And if I don’t? Maybe I think better with files spread out and having them in a mess. Do you have a problem with that?” He intended on being a bit difficult, to see how hard he could push his new partner.

Matt, in fact, was not the kind of person to keep his desk and things messy. He had some organizational tendencies, and while things may not have always been in their right order or spot at his old desk, he kept it presentable. Aviva would learn that, but he wanted to see how far he could push her, at least on this first day. He listened as she went over the basics of their first case, the one Kragen had mentioned in the office. His new partner pointed out that his wand was sticking out of his jacket, which surprised him slightly. So she’s a witch. Interesting. Could Kragen have known...likely not, he thought to himself. She sat down and he didn’t bother moving the wand. “It’s got a spell on it, actually. Keeps it invisible to muggles. Only other wizards and witches can see it, so why don’t you worry about yourself more than my wand getting noticed, huh?” He had an attitude in his voice, and that was normal for him. After all, he did want to push Aviva and see what got under her skin. He opened the case file and glanced through the very empty information. They really had nothing until the coroner was done, but he needed to know about leads. “Any leads at all yet? Or are we just sitting on our hands until the coroner’s done?” It was a simple question, and likely one Aviva would get annoyed by, but he needed the answer.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva clenched her teeth at the man’s challenging words. Working with Matthew Harper would definitely be a challenge for Aviva. She was used to either the partner she was able to look up to and learn from like Mr. Darwin before her, or the kind that simply did their job and solved the cases, keeping things on a strictly professional need-to-know basis. Aviva could tell right now that Harper would be different. If Aviva was correct in her observations (which she almost always was) Harper was the kind who was eager to prove he was better. He’d be the one who desperately wanted to get to the interesting serial killer type cases because such a bold personality such as himself got bored handing out tickets and doing regular old police work. He was probably smart, because Aviva knew Kragen would only place her with who he felt was the best. Then again, who was he to determine who was good enough to be working with Aviva? She needed to be working with a person who could keep up. Aviva worked at an alarmingly fast pace, but she also knew how to get the job done well. She highly doubted Harper would be able to work in this fashion, especially if he claimed he wouldn’t be able to keep his own desk tidy. Aviva stood up from her seat and glared at him. The room was in fact not all that big, so the two were only mere feet away.

“Listen, Harper. The way you organize your things may be your business, but it does tend to reflect on the kind of person you are and whether or not you’ll be able to handle the many curveballs that are going to be thrown at you. You can’t keep a file in the right drawer then how the hell are you supposed to organize the facts in a murder investigation? So you can keep that desk a ruddy pigsty for all I care. But know that the second Kragen walks in that door and sees it, he won’t be pleased. So I would stay on your toes these next few weeks if I were you. Do you really think you’re the first newbie to be thrust into my door? Of course not. There were many others much like you who were placed in here to see if they were ready for homicide. You’re no different. This job is a privelege and an honor. It can be taken from you much faster than it was given to you, trust me.” Aviva said, speaking harshly. Aviva didn’t like to be trifled with, and this kid needed to know that right now. She wasn’t going to try to be nice when she didn’t want to be. She had lives to save, criminals to throw in jail, and cases to solve. There was no time to be messing around.


Aviva was slightly taken aback by Harper’s retort. It was a smart idea, hiding it from muggles. But then again, Aviva wasn’t going to admit that now was she? She did find it a bit odd that he didn’t just conceal it from everyone instead of just the muggles. What use was showing off exactly where he had his wand to the entire wizarding population? That was like Aviva keeping her gun out in the open where everyone would be able to see it. However, Aviva was already back in her seat after her minor blow up with her copy of the case file in her hands. She was in “work mode” now, and she couldn’t be bothered by his little stabs at getting her angry. She grudgingly placed on her large round reading glasses and began scanning through it once more. She hated the blasted things, but she didn’t have the time or the patience to go out and get a better pair. Besides, Aviva had had those for years and they hadn’t failed her yet. When they broke, she supposed she’d have to go out and get new ones.

Aviva only looked up quickly between pages answering his questions. “Well the girl was only found at ten am this morning, so most of the investigating is yet to be done. I suppose we’ll have most of what we need by tomorrow. In the meantime though, there’s the seventeen year old babysitter and anyone close to the child that might have had some sort of grudge on the family. She was found nestled in a bunch of blankets, so it was likely someone who cared for the girl enough not to just throw her there after murdering her. I’ve checked into the possibility of a filicide, but the parents have one hell of an alibi. They were in court inquiring about a parking ticket. The judge himself can vouch for them being there during the time of the murder.” With this, Aviva closed the file and placed it back on the table. “Any more questions, Sherlock?” Aviva asked rather sarcastically.

[Matt Harper]

While Matt was a bit taken aback by the choice Kragen had given him for a partner, he knew that, whether man or woman, Kragen knew who was good, and he put good people with better people. In the past, when he had been assigned cases, Kragen had started out by putting him with newbies, so that they both would have to learn on their own. As he had begun to prove himself, he had been assigned to better people within the force, giving him more credibility within the precinct. All his closest buddies in the force knew that Matt was waiting for this day, this day when his badge would get its well-deserved upgrade, and it didn’t matter that his partner was a woman. That wouldn’t make this victory in his career any less sweet. Matt intended right then and there to squash any sexual tension that might try and lurk its way in between the two. Yes, they’d have some jokes and jabs thrown back and forth, and it wouldn’t be your average partnership without arguments and fights throughout. Come to think of it, Matt hadn’t heard much of Aviva around the squad. He knew of the few women they had around the precinct, but he hadn’t heard her name before today. It was likely a part of her mystery, and her disguise. She acted like the kind of person who kept to herself, and liked it that way. Matt wasn’t completely that way. If he wanted to get to know someone, that’s exactly what he did. He figured them out. That looked like what he would end up having to do with Aviva, since she didn’t seem very up for talking.

Matt grabbed his copy of the case file and swung his chair around so he could sit in it correctly. Any other time, if his partner had been a man, he’d have flipped the chair around and sat completely relaxed in it. Aviva would likely judge and think he was more of a moron than she currently thought he was. He adjusted his sport jacket as he sat back in the chair, examining the file contents, and the various facts, letting them flood into his mind. Aviva came back with a few retorts about his organizational skills, and he couldn’t help but smile. She obviously hadn’t seen his real desk, otherwise she would know he had been completely kidding. She said something about a pigsty, and he nearly lost it. “Morgan...come on. You barely know me. It was a joke. I keep my desk organized for the most part. Davis, on the other hand,” he pointed over to the messy desk that Aviva had likely thought was his desk originally. “His desk is quite the ‘ruddy pigsty’ as you’d like to call it. And by the way, I know what this job means. I know how this job works. Cool it down a bit. I’m not a complete newbie. I may be new to this job, but I’m definitely not new to the 409. So chill.” His words were a bit forceful, but at the same time he was just trying to at least keep the peace between the two. He didn’t want his new partner hating his guts as soon as they figured out they’d be working hand in hand with each other every day over the next, who knew how long.

Matt could tell that Aviva was a bit surprised about his idea to hide his wand from muggles. She didn’t seemed like the person who would admit that someone else had a good idea, which he knew it was a good idea, but he didn’t mind. He knew he had gotten the better of her a bit, at least that time. Matt felt a smug smile come over his lips, but brushed it away quickly as Aviva looked back at him. He hid it pretty well, but had a bit of a hard time concealing it as she answered his questions about the current case. She seemed annoyed by his persistent questions, so between her answers he nodded, as if he was giving her his complete and undivided attention, which he was, even if he was mocking himself. After she finished with some of the basics and ended with a witty retort, he said simply, “You don’t really expect me to get the entirety of this case just from reading a couple pages in a folder do you? I asked the questions because this is your case. Since Kragen paired us up as partners, I assume you’ve got quite the good head on your shoulders, and Kragen wouldn’t put me with someone he didn’t trust, since I believe he trusts me. So thanks for the details, Morgan.” He glanced at the open folder again, professionally, noting the name and address of the babysitter. He looked at his watch and realized it was just after three in the afternoon. School had likely let out in London already, so they would have a good chance at finding her at her house.

Matt looked up at Aviva, fully in work mode now. He pulled a small silver nameplate out of his pocket and put it at the end of his desk. Detective Matthew Harper, it read, embossed on the metal. “Now it’s officially my desk, I would assume. It’s just after 3, school lets out at about 2:45, doesn’t it? I think we could catch…,” he had to look one more time at the name to make sure he got it right. “Kayla Sworsgie, age 17, at her parents house just a few streets down. You feel like driving, or do you want to walk?” Without missing a beat he put the file in the top drawer, slid it shut and grabbed his scarf from his old desk chair. It was the only thing left on his old desk. The rest of his things were either at home, in his car, or in his locker. He didn’t have much in his car though, just a few necessities and a small bag of trash that he had forgotten to take out of there this morning. Matt grabbed the brown scarf and flung it around his neck a couple times. His mother had made it for him years before, and it was made from a tough, long lasting yarn that didn’t break or fray easily. He’d had it for nearly five years and through five harsh winters in different places it had kept him warm. Matt grabbed his keys out of his pocket but put them back because he had decided he was walking, when he realized Aviva wasn’t following him. He turned around, slightly cocking his head. “You coming?” he asked her, fully expecting his new partner to be up for the challenge.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva tried to regain her composure after her little spat. This guy wasn’t worth her words. Hopefully, Aviva would be able to prove Harper somehow unworthy like she had the rest of them and be done with him. She couldn’t understand why, but for some reason Harper was different than all the other new entrants. All the others were immediately intimidated by her, which didn’t surprise her. But this guy was different. He didn’t seem to understand the fact that Aviva wasn’t one to mess with. He continued to push her buttons and test her limits, and they’d only known each other for just about ten minutes. Well, aside from Hogwarts obviously, but that didn’t count. Aviva didn’t pay much attention to anyone other than Tyler and her studies back when she was younger. Aviva didn’t have the time or patience to deal with the pathetic issues of her other classmates. She still had very much this same attitude, though at least back at Hogwarts she was able to have a conversation without her cold, business-like tone taking over and scaring the other person away. She couldn’t help it really. Ever since graduation, it seemed that blow after blow came her way. Was it such a crime that Aviva found a way to block her heart from hurting anymore? Sure, she was doing this at the cost of losing all emotion completely, but at least it kept Aviva from hurting. Until she found a better way to keep from breaking down, she was going to continue holding the world at arm’s length. If those around her didn’t like it, well they didn’t have to be around her then.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. Didn’t he understand that the Homicide Unit wasn’t exactly a place to be joking around? She sighed, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and removing her thick glasses. She stood up. “Listen Harper, I’m going to tell you right now that I don’t joke around. This is the Homicide Unit. I don’t fool around, because honestly there’s no time. As long as there’s a sick criminal out on the streets, we don’t have time for jokes. And please,” Aviva said through gritted teeth. “Don’t tell me to chill out again.” Aviva said strictly, though she actually didn’t seem angry this time. She glanced down at the large stack of files just waiting to be cracked. It bothered Aviva that she was so behind. It was impossible to keep up her previous pace once Darwin was gone and Aviva was working alone, but she still blamed herself for not being able to get through her caseload quick enough. Aviva strived for perfection, and when she was behind, she could barely even eat or sleep until she felt she was at that stage of near perfection once more. It was a trait she shared with her adoptive father, Jack Morgan. Aviva’s father was rarely ever home, and when he was, he was exhausted. Even when he did have a spare moment, Aviva remembered practically being able to see the case details whirl in and out of his head. He was a busy perfectionist, just like Aviva was. She hadn’t spoken to him in over a month…perhaps she should give him a call. Aviva waved the thought off quickly. She couldn’t let her mind stray off like that, not when there was a killer on the loose.

Aviva tilted her head slightly, pondering the thought of seeing the girl just after school. She was now in work mode once more, all the tension between her and Matthew Harper vanishing completely as the details flooded her mind once more, refreshing her conscious thoughts with the little facts that couldn’t be forgotten. Aviva had never met Kayla Sworsgie, but admittedly, this was the next step she had been planning on taking to solving the case. It seemed like she was the most likely of suspects, even though she was a seemingly innocent seventeen year old girl. Of course, Aviva had learned to understand that things were never what they seemed. She’d convicted ten year olds of murder in the past, so it would come as no surprise to Aviva if the girl was more dangerous than half the killers in prison at the time. She glanced down at the silver nameplate. Harper had managed to place it in almost the exact same place Darwin had kept it. Aviva felt a soft tug at her heart at the reoccurring realization that her “second father” of sorts wasn’t coming back to work with her. Aviva ignored it though, and responded in a very subdued tone, her eyes focused strictly on the name on the plate to avoid Harper’s gaze. “Yes, I suppose it is yours now.” She said quietly, more to herself than to anyone else.

She glanced up at the clock, as if she wasn’t all too positive Harper had the correct time on his watch. Just as he had said, it was a bit passed three. She sighed. “We’d better drive. This girl could very well be the perp, and I’d hate to have to walk her to the station.” Aviva said in a voice that was almost monotone, picking up her long black jacket and storing her wand away safely on the inside pocket of her thick jacket. It was completely concealed from both muggles and magic folk there, so she had nothing to worry about. Aviva rolled her eyes at Harper’s question. “Of course I’m coming.” Aviva said simply, walking out to the parking lot, keys in hand. She passed the Captain on her way, who smiled smugly at his “perfect pairing.” Aviva rolled her eyes as she walked confidently into the bright sunlight of the parking lot. She left the file on her desk. She already had all the detail stored in her head, so she didn’t need that information laying around the crime scene. “We’re taking my car.” Aviva said calmly, walking into the driver’s side of her impeccably tidy car. Putting her key into the ignition, she glanced at Harper. “Ready for your first homicide? These case can be trying, so keep up.” She said in a light tone. She could joke too, but there was some seriousness in the question as well. Homicide was a big deal. The last guy puked when he saw his first corpse. Part of Aviva hoped Harper have the same reaction. She didn’t like the way he worked. She didn’t like anything about him actually. Just stick it out Aviva. He’ll be gone soon, just like the rest of them. Aviva sighed. She sure hoped so.

[Matt Harper]

As Matt walked out with Aviva, he could tell she was beginning to slightly lighten up. Of course, her comment earlier said completely otherwise. “And please, don’t tell me to chill out again.” She had said it through gritted teeth, he could hear her. He didn’t need to see her, he could tell she was frustrated. What was her immediate problem with him? He didn’t need her to be obnoxious like that. Matt was just acting the way he normally would. The fact was though, that maybe he needed to change his attitude with Aviva. Maybe it was up to him to chill out a bit. She wasn’t big on small talk, but then again, how were they supposed to get through the day, much less even being partners without small talk? He wanted to know about her life, and all she had given him was basic information that he had asked for, and hadn’t elaborated on anything. And he had left the door wide open. She just was not the kind for small talk apparently. Matt had never really run into quite the kind of person such as Aviva, but there was a first time for everything, right?

Matt walked with Aviva to her car quietly, and waited for her to open the passenger side door. When he had put his name plate down on the desk, he noticed Aviva’s eyes change, her entire demeanor almost changing instantly. She was no longer looking at him, she was looking at his nameplate, almost longingly. Matt heard her quietly mutter, “Yes, I suppose it is yours now.” What did she mean by that? He looked at the desk again and his first thought was all the other partners she had had. While he didn’t know her well, he was sure she had been there long enough to have been through a few partners, as he had been. In the past years he had been through three partners, no stretch of the imagination by anyone’s length. But with an attitude like he had already seen in the past fifteen minutes or so with Aviva, he was sure some people hadn’t been able to handle her personality. In fact, Matt wasn’t sure if he would be strong enough to handle it. He would do his best, but sometimes his best wasn’t good enough. His father had taught him that as a child, and that was one reason why Matt had never quit at anything in his life. This challenge would be nothing different. Aviva wasn’t necessarily a challenge, but moreover an obstacle he had to contend with in his current race. Muggle sport metaphors were his dad’s favorite to use.

Matt tucked his wand again, to make sure it was secure, and slid into the car with his first female partner as she started the ignition. She asked him a simple question, and he was impressed to get some small talk out of her for once that day. “Of course I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for this day for a while. I knew when I went into Police Academy a couple years ago that this day would eventually come. To be honest, I didn’t expect to have a female partner such as yourself. But Kragen put us together for a reason. He must think you’re good or something. Wonder what he’s thinking.” As Matt said the words, he looked at Aviva, making sure she knew he was trying to make another small joke, even if she had said no more jokes. “I know, no more jokes. I’ll work on that. Just how I am I guess.” She said about how homicide cases can be trying. “Trying, eh? What can be so trying about a 17 year old perp that killed the baby she’s getting paid five pounds an hour to watch? I won’t be surprised if this is our girl. You have any better ideas?” The fact was that Matt sounded completely convinced because frankly, he was. Usually he wasn’t this certain about cases, but the evidence seemed pretty straight forward, and when the girl had been questioned originally, the file had said she had broken down crying. Cheap cop out of an amateur killer. Seventeen year olds were amateur killers.

They pulled up to the address and got out of the car. “Would you like to do the honors? Since it’s only my first day, I should probably see how it’s supposed to be done, by the pro.” He waved his hands, shooing her towards the door, giving her the invitation to climb up the steps first. “Demonstrate for me, please?” He was giving her a hard time, which was likely a bad idea, especially on his first day. What he didn’t need was Morgan going back to Kragen today giving him a bad review and demanding a new partner. But he was giving this his best shot, and he was also hoping that Aviva was giving him the benefit of the doubt. He was new to this whole co-ed pairing of detectives. It shouldn’t have been much different than same sex, but for him, it was drastically different because it was just not what he was used to, at all. Following Aviva up the steps, he waited for her to knock on the door and see who would answer the door. It would likely be the parents, anxious to know why the police (especially detectives) were at their door in the latter part of the afternoon.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow slightly at Matt’s little rant. He seemed completely stereotypical. He was eager, confident, and absolutely sure he’d be here to stay. Aviva highly doubted that. Aviva had come to the conclusion that she was the test partner. She was, without a doubt, the best detective in the homicide unit. She was also the most fierce, and the hardest to put up with. Of course, Darwin had been the exact same way. He was old and seemingly bitter, and he didn’t mess around. He had been her mentor, her idol. Many of her techniques and attitudes came from Darwin’s teachings. Back before Aviva had come along, he had been the test partner. Most didn’t last a day with Darwin, but Aviva stuck it out. She hated Detective Darwin with a passion when she had first arrived, but that strained partnership had escalated into a friendship of sorts that Aviva would never forget. Aviva was the first and only one to pass what Aviva liked to call Kragen’s ‘initiation test’. Now Matthew Harper was the lab rat. Would he pass and stick with Aviva like Aviva had stuck with Darwin? She doubted it. Matthew Harper, much like the others, was temporary. Once he proved that he could either put up with the most intolerable or he just wasn’t cut out for homicide, he’d be gone. Just like the others. But what was with that tugging feeling in the back of her mind, telling her otherwise? It had been quite a while since something had gotten the best of Aviva. She was usually on top of her thoughts and feelings. But this—well, this was odd. For once, she had no idea where that rebelling thought of Harper as her permanent partner had come from. Aviva furrowed her brow in deep thought, zoning out for a bit after his self-congratulatory speech. Of course, Aviva was better than to just space out like a child with a one-track mind. Even throughout her thought process, she was listening…well, mostly anyway.

Finally out of her little reverie, Aviva raised her eyebrow slightly. “A female partner such as myself?” She questioned, though she knew exactly what he meant. He wasn’t used to this all business, all the time sort of attitude. Aviva’s cold and slightly hostile nature had caught him by surprise. For some reason, this thought amused her. “Well it’s one thing to get the job Harper; it’s another thing entirely to keep it.” She said, in a voice of slight warning. Then she added a bit of a smug smile at Harper’s thoughts about Kragen. “Well of course. Haven’t you heard, Harper?” She said, strapping herself in her seatbelt and backing out of the parking space. “I’m the best. Get used to it.” She said as she drove off. Aviva wasn’t kidding when she said she wasn’t one for jokes. So why all the sudden light conversation? The thought did puzzle her, but she decided that while it was showing, she might as well humor this odd new side of her. She chuckled dryly. That astonished her even more than the jokes, though she didn’t show it. “Good. For once, a newbie that knows his place. Ah, if only the last guy was able to see that.” She said with a nonchalant shrug, parking perfectly next to the curb directly in front of the house. She noted the mud puddle just outside her new partner’s door. “Well we don’t know for sure it’s the babysitter yet. It seems a very likely possibility, but what’s the motive? I checked out her school records before you got here. She’s in the race for Valedictorian. Not to mention she’s not on any medication, meaning she’s likely not of the mental variety. But I see what you’re saying. It makes sense. If anything, I’m betting that it was an accident. Let’s go. Oh and Watch the mud puddle outside your door by the way. If you walk back into this car with muddy shoes, I’m going to have to kill you. Got it?” She said, slightly more serious this time. She hated having a dirty car. Well, technically, Aviva hated having a dirty anything, but her car was definitely on her top priorities list.

Aviva merely rolled her eyes at Harper’s jokes. She would gladly take the lead, show him how his job was expected to be done. Quickly and efficiently. There was no other way to do things right. He knocked on the door briskly and waited. It was just after school, so she doubted the parents would be home from work just yet. Before knocking on the door, she looked through the small glass window, noting all the exits that were possible. “Keep an eye on the exits when we get inside, in case she decides to run for it. And try not to use magic. That normally complicates things. Now watch.” She pointed through the small window for him to watch with her, noticing a large dining room table that was packed with open books. There were two drinks on the table, and sure enough, there was the babysitter and what seemed to be her boyfriend, judging by their closeness. She could barely make out a small figure in the kitchen. A toddler, couldn’t be more than four. He was fixing himself a grilled cheese sandwhich—on the stove. What an idiot. She may be book smart, but the girl obviously lacked common sense. “This is beginning to look more and more like just a negligent babysitter who was able to cover up her crime.” Aviva shook her head in disappointment and knocked. The girl answered moments later.

The girl answered and things had gone pretty much as every typical poorly planned homicide did. The guy left on her request, she accidentally let it slip, then tried to make a run for it. Of course, she was stopped in moments, being that the girl wasn’t all that fast. As she sat handcuffed in the trunk of Aviva’s car, Aviva glanced at Matt. “I hope you were taking notes.” She said slyly as they drove off. The chase, or the fun part as Aviva called it, was over. Now there was all that law business to deal with.

[Matt Harper]

Matt sat in the car, with his hand out the slightly open window. While it was the dead of winter, it wasn’t completely freezing out, and it was warm enough that he hadn’t needed his scarf. It had been quite the nice day, despite the calling for snow that night and the night before. They pulled up to the street where the girl lived, and Matt was glad they were about to get on with the case. While he wasn’t tired of Aviva already, he found it a bit perplexing that one moment she was correcting him and scolding him about jokes, then she was making her own and expecting him to find them quite funny as it was. It seemed she played a solid game of double standard, and saw nothing wrong with it. Fine, he could play that game as well. But at the same time, he felt he needed to respect her as a detective, and as an officer. Which was why he decided right then and there that no matter how much it seemed like she wanted to try and kick him out, or get rid of him, he’d do his best to stick around and show her his staying power. It was now his personal mission to show Aviva Morgan what kind of man could really do this job. He didn’t know any of her past yet, but he could tell already that many a newbie had gone through her, and had done so failing miserably. He would show her how he could stick around and take to this job like a pro, because he was a pro, at least at being a cop. He could improve on many things, and those things would be what he would learn from Aviva.

Matt listened to all of Aviva’s facts as they readied themselves to get out of the car. She questioned that it could be the baby sitter, but the facts were there that it was likely an accidental homicide. Common, of course, and Matt was used to common cases. He had had quite a few crazy cases in his day, especially as just a regular cop on the beat, but for the most part it was straightforward. Matt chuckled as Aviva gave him clear directions not to step in the large mud puddle outside of the car. “No worries, partner. If I get these shoes muddy, I’ll use a spell on myself so I never do it again. I just got these. I don’t need them getting messed up already.” They were an old looking pair of muggle Converse sneakers, with a brownish tint to them. They were brand new, even though they looked worn. He stepped out of the car, using his wand to blow the excess mud under the car and away from where he needed to step. As he looked around him, he noticed a couple walking down the street and quickly hid his wand once again, so they wouldn’t suspect anything.

Even though Matt had said the parents would be home, he remembered the time again and realized how early it still was. They would likely run into the baby sitter with her siblings, and see some evidence of whether or not this was their perp. Aviva explained some short basics, slight tactics that he had learned back in police academy, and he nodded, even though he had learned this all already. He was just getting a bit ahead of himself. Aviva then pointed through the window, and Matt noticed the same thing she had. The small toddler helping themselves to making a grilled cheese on the stove. “Gotta love that upbringing. Cereal’s just as good. Time to break these lovebirds up.” The girl answered a moment later, finally removing herself from her boyfriend’s lips. Aviva had requested the boy leave, and he did. As they questioned her, the girl began to get very nervous, and let her negligence slip, and nearly made a run for it. Before she even got one foot away, Matt reached out and grabbed the back of her hooded vest, preventing her from gaining any traction. “Now, now. We’re not done talking yet.” After reading the girl her rights, the partners put the girl in the squad car, and Matt looked at Aviva as she looked back at him. “Oh I think I got plenty for my first time. Hopefully the next one will turn out to be a bit more interesting.” Matt surely hoped the next case would be more entertaining than this one had been.