sbpd_papabear | OOM: After Stumbling On Milliways

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OOM: After Stumbling On Milliways

It's been a couple days since they stumbled into some sort of shared hallucination (which is really the best thing he can think to call it) and neither one has broached the topic. For Henry's part, he's decided it's either too weird to talk about or never happened at all.

Instead, he's working late on Thursday night fixing paperwork that tried to claim Gus' car insurance as a state billable work expense. Nice try.

Just after seven, the station had gone more or less quiet - the steady din of the workday tapering off to the solemn click of a few keyboards punctuating the otherwise still environment. It was kind of nice... perfect time to grab a coffee and check out the snack machine for options to stave off dinner until he went home.

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"You were a detective, Karen. You know you can't investigate without access to an eyewitness or the crime scene."

He raises both eyebrows; "If we're going to figure this out, we need more than just ourselves."

The words 'crime scene' make her gut twist and she has to drop her chopsticks. She sighs heavily.

"Well, we're our own eyewitnesses. We don't know how to get to the... scene."

She hates what she's about to say, but it's been niggling at her every time the matter comes up.

"If this is some otherworldly kind of thing, that's, well, it's rather in the realm of of Psych, isn't it?"?

"No, uh-uh... no way am I bringing them into this." And not only because he's pretty sure Shawn'll try to have him committed.

"We can handle this, we'll go together - just the two of us - and try the door I went through."

"We'll try the door, and maybe we'll get there, but what if we can't get back?"

The idea of going back is tempting, of course, to figure out just what it was that happened. But she's become the sort of person who likes to have some guarantees in life.

"I can't just disappear, Henry."

"Then we'll have to keep dealing with it and be left wondering what really happened."

On cue, the waiter arrives with their wine and two nice large glasses.

"Might be worth the risk."

Now that gets her. It wasn't like that place, wherever it was, was unpleasant. But it wasn't home. It wasn't work. Their friends, their families, they were all back at home, none the wiser.

And time didn't pass in their "real" world.

Would that be the case if they went back? Would they at least find out where "there" even was? And why they were able to get there?

Was it worth the risk?

"I think I need to weigh the pros and cons. Unless you want to sell me." She takes a long swallow of wine, food forgotten for now. She's more than a little off kilter.

"Sell, no..." he shakes his head; "I think it's probably a terrible idea, but a better option that sitting around worrying about it."

The wine helps, a little.

The wine is helping a lot. It's giving her courage, false or not, she'll take it.

"So when do we try? Tonight? Tomorrow?"

Several bites of consideration later, he's not entirely sure.

Quietly, he replies; "If we go tonight, we're less likely to be seen going in together - but I don't know if you wanna do this at night."

"Why do you think it'd make a difference? As you pointed out, Henry, I'm a cop. Do you know where I made my bones? Vice. When I was with LAPD. I'm not exactly a blushing virgin."

And that lingering warmth of wine and his brain curling around things he shouldn't be thinking is back again; pinking his ears and scalp.

"Hey, I'm just saying that people might have some very interesting things to say about the two of us hanging out in the evidence room in the middle of the day."

"I'm sure people will have interesting things to say about us hanging out anywhere at any time, if they're inclined to gossip."

It's not like she doesn't know that the officers and clerks talk about her behind her back, and not always kindly. It's just how things go. At least they're respectful to her face, and get their jobs done. That's all she really asks.

"But then again, I am the chief. If I want to work in the evidence room with my consultant liaison at any given time, that's my prerogative."

There's always the question of how much gets back to the individual. Henry's not been told to his face, but he doesn't need to hear it to know things get said that people shouldn't be talking about without proper information - and even then, it's inappropriate.

He finishes his glass of wine, topping hers off before refilling his own glass - mulling over the options.

"Tomorrow, then." He nods slowly, twisting his fork in the noodles, "Just me and you."

Now it's her turn to feel warmth crawl up the back of her neck, lighting up her ears. She untucks her hair and picks up her chopsticks.

"Tomorrow. We could come in early, avoid the speculation a little, maybe?"

Henry looked back up to her with a small hint of a smile; "I thought you weren't worried about speculation?"

He chuckled under his breath; "I mean, it's kind funny - me and you..."

"Not so funny," she protests.

It's out of her mouth before she realizes it. And before she realizes the implication. She twists her mouth, embarrassed.

"Not worried about it, but we could waylay it altogether, is all I meant."

For a moment it's just there - and he considers addressing it...

And then she continues and he only nods. "Sure, yeah... I'm okay with that."

"Okay," she nods. "We'll figure this out, Henry, right?"

His way of cutting things down to brass tacks is still reassuring to her, in the end. She trusts his judgment, probably more than anyone else in the SBPD.

Which is a far better compliment than anything anyone could ever tell him.

"We will." He nods reassuringly, his eyes softening with a somewhat tentative smile.

"Even if we are in over our heads."

That brings out a little laugh.

"Not the first time we've been there. Hopefully won't be the last either. We usually make it out all right."

He does enjoy the challenge - and the knowledge that they won't be investigating alone.

He raises what's left in his glass and mutters; "To partnerships?"

With a sigh, she clinks her half-empty glass against his.

"Partnerships. And solving this mystery."

She hopes and prays that they can, and then maybe she can regain some semblance of her sanity.

Hopefully, if there is a solution.

"Tonight..." he chuckles dryly, taking another large bite; "well, tonight I'm trying to eat slowly so we don't have to leave."

"Careful, Henry." Her smile returns. "I might start thinking you enjoy my company or something."

She shouldn't tease. She shouldn't even inch down that path, but shouldn't seems an incomprehensible concept lately. Or maybe it's just the wine, loosening her tongue.

Henry appreciates that about wine, except when it's on him.

"Well, it wouldn't be a far stretch by any means." He doesn't mean to smile, or flash the innocent puppy eyes, but somehow they always seem to happen when he can't pull a poker face.

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