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marvelwitchergilmore · 2 years

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Love In The Bureau 6/?

They hadn’t seen one another in 8 years until her boss decided to leave, leaving the position of Team Leader up for grabs. Kate wasn’t the happiest when she found out who it was, but maybe something can change this time round...

Enemies to friends to lovers. CM level violence. AU!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Except one...

Dean had finally got home for the first time in the last three days and could finally sit down. The Kate situation was still bugging him but it would have to wait a few more hours. Or so he thought.

As he finally sat down on his sofa, switching the TV on before switching it back off again a few moments later realising he didn't want the noise, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Dean Winchester I'm speaking to?"

Dean was confused. "Uh, yeah. Yes. Speaking."

"Hi, this is Rosa. I'm a nurse at City Memorial. You've been listed as the emergency contact for one Kate Carter?"

Dean sat up. "Is everything okay? Is - Is she okay? What's happened?"

"Everything is okay. Kate has a successful surgery-"

"Surgery?"

"We can explain more once you get to the hospital. Would you-"

"I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Dean was there in 10. He may have to pay for a speeding ticket, but he couldn't care less.

He rushed inside asking for Nurse Rosa Jones. Three different receptionists directed him to different floors until finally he found her.

"Dean Winchester?"

Dean nodded.

"Well, Kate has just come out of surgery. She's completely fine. We'll have to keep her in overnight but other than that, she'll be free to go. I am under the impression she's more...advanced? than most humans."

"Yes, and I'd appreciate if-"

"I'd keep it to myself. It's okay, I already know."

"Can - Can I see her?"

Rosa nodded, patting him on the arm. "Room 302. Just down the hall and to your left."

"Thank you."

By the time Dean made it outside of her room, he found Kate lay in the hospital bed on a drip, a bandage to her shoulder, her hair down but settled. And her eyes were heavy.

"I'm your emergecny contact?"

Kate groaned. "Don't flatter yourself. They do it with everyone in the Bureau. You're my Team Leader. You're listed first."

Kate tried to sit up but Dean quickly rushed beside her, placing a hand on her uninjured shoulder, holding her still whilst he held up some pillows and helped her get comfortable.

"What happened?"

"Oh, just some guy."

"He shot you. I wouldn't call that just some guy."

"What else am I meant to say, Dean? He shot me in the shoulder after shooting me in the leg."

"He shot you in the leg?!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Would you keep your voice down. Yes, but I'm fine."

"Who?"

Kate didn't answer, pretending to think.

"Kate, I know you. You know who it was."

"Look, just...promise me you won't get mad."

"Why?"

Dean was really worried now.

"Just...promise me?"

Dean nodded, although reluctantly.

"A guy at the bank."

"At the bank-!"

Kate placed her hand up. "Ah, you promised."

"I- I -"

"Dean. Please."

So Dean did the only thing he could think of. He remained silent.

"I didn't know until I collapsed outside my apartment building. Ruth - my landlord. She found me close to unconciousness-"

"You mean death?"

"Unconciousness." Kate clarifed. "But, I'm okay now."

"Kate-"

"Please don't. Don't say anything." Kate begged. "Just...can you stay here tonight? And don't blow up your ego just yet, Winchester. Rosa's granddaughter graduated today and if she'd got to stay here with me just to watch me sleep then she's gonna miss the party."

Dean smiled. "Sure. I'll stay."

It didn't take too long until Kate fell asleep. The drugs hit her harder than she thought. She was sleeping like the dead when Rosa came in to check for the third time if she was okay to go home.

Her shift had finished half an hour ago so all she would have been doing is watching a patient sleep before having to call an on-call nurse or doctor in if anything changed.

"You make a lovely couple by the way."

"Oh, we're not- Kate and I -"

Rosa stepped forward towards Dean placing a gentle hand on his arm. "If there is anything I know about love and life - it doesn't come as often as you think. Especially with a connection like you two. With the way this world is...you deserve to be happy. Both of you. I also know when someone is in love and pining for somebody else, so...tell her. Tell her before it's too late."

Dean gave a small nod. "Thanks, Rosa."

"Goodnight, Agent."

Rosa left after that leaving Dean to sit back beside Kate before he fell asleep on the couch in the corner of the room.

By the time morning came around, Rosa came back in telling Kate and Dean all about her grandaughter's graduation and the party afterwards before discharging her.

"Oh, crap."

"What?" Dean asked, picking up Kate's overnight bag.

"My jacket. I must have left it outside my- What are you doing?"

Dean didn't say anything, just took off his own jacket and placed it over Kate's shoulders securely.

"Don't want you dying of hypothermia." Dean half joked.

Kate smiled. "Thanks."

She slipped her arms through the holes. It was a little big on her, but it was warm. And smelt of him. And oddly, it calmed her.

"Ready to go?"

Kate nodded.

Dean carried her bags to the car, drove her home and took her bags inside.

"What are you doing?"

"You've been shot. You're also meant to be resting. Both you and I know you're gonna try and come into work tomorrow thinking you're okay, so I'm making sure you rest."

"But-"

"Hey, it's either me or I call JJ."

Kate frowned. He won.

"Fine. You win."

Dean smiled. "Great. Now, take these."

Rosa had provided a prescription of painkillers for Kate to take every six hours.

"Thanks." Kate replied as Dean then moved from the living room to the kitchen.

It was odd to see Dean in a domestic setting. He cooked them both breakfast and dinner that day. Neither of them talking about what they should have talked about a long time ago.

Dean had already called the Director telling them what was what when it came to Kate. Clearly, she hadn't felt the bullet go through her skin - although, she did share the same genes as Captain America, so that wasn't as much of a surprise as it would have been.

The Director agreed with Dean - someone should take care of her. Ideally, it would be someone who wasn't Dean but, it was either JJ - all three of them knew that Kate didn't want JJ.

Not that JJ would be bad, it would just be more of...having two Peggy Carter's take care of you. Kate could just about take the one when it came to her being ill.

Kate never liked being taken care of when she was ill. That's what usually happened when you had two people who were stubborn as anything produce a child. 100% stubborn when the part that makes her human is shut down for a few days.

And Kate was refusing to call her parents or any family for that matter. She'd tell them once she's healed - or in about five years. Whichever came second.

So, it was left to Dean.

He was due holiday days anyway. And with his luck, if he left the country they'd have some copy-cat raging psycho on the loose after his team.

So, maybe it was better to stay in the country.

"I'm not letting you use your holiday days to look after me."

Dean gave a small chuckle as he flipped the burgers. "Aww, it's cute you think you have a say in that."

Kate was shocked but narrowed her eyes at him. He quoted her back to herself. But Dean just gave her a smile before assembeling their burgers.

"Thanks." Kate said as Dean handed her the plate. However, as she sat across from him, she could see him looking around, taking in everything that was in her apartment.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No. Come on, what? What is it?" Kate asked.

"Just...never thought your place looked like this."

Kate looked around before looking back to Dean. "What did you think it would look like?"

"Eight years ago? Grey and brown? Maybe a couple of books. Bascially what it would look like in any Uni dorm for a student who has no social life."

"Well, it was light blue and cream. I had a lot of books. Mostly work books. And I had a smaller kitchen and a bedroom even smaller."

"And, let me guess, a Captain America poster above your bed?"

Kate laughed, mockingly. "Ha ha. Very funny."

"Come on, he's your dad, isn't he? Didn't you have a poster of him?"

"The Howling Commandos, actually. And of Nat."

"Natasha Romanoff?"

"No. Natasha Jones from two houses down. Of course Natasha Romanoff."

"You looked up to her?"

Kate picked at her fries. "From my parents? Yeah. And I wasn't kidding when I said she tried to teach me ballet. God, she nearly fainted from how bad I was. No co-ordination at all."

"How old was you?"

Kate thought for a second. "Six? Seven? I got bored one day. Sick of school and I found her in the gym. I wasn't exactly the most coordianted kid, so, when I saw her practicing, I asked her if she could teach me. She was hesitant at first but I begged and begged and begged and she gave in. You know, I nearly broke my leg doing it?"

"Seriously."

"I'm not kidding." Kate assured him. "I was practicing on my own, waiting for her. Went on my toes, fell...and kept falling. Thankfully there was a crash mat but, if there hadn't been, that would have been my first broken bone."

Dean finished his burger, wiping his mouth before pointing to his leg. "Six years ago. Broken in two places."

"How?"

"Field opp. Hand to hand combat. Fell through the floorboards below after making the arrest."

Kate tried to surpress her laughter but struggled.

Dean shook his head. "No, it's okay. Believe me, once I got to the hospital the nurses thought I'd lost it. I just kept laughing."

As the hours passed, the pair found their way to the sofa, sat in front of the TV watching some random channel. But neither were paying attention to it. They just kept talking.

As much as they talked when getting coffee or getting dinner after work, but it was usually about a case. Now, they were actually Talking.

"What about you? Your folks, what do they do?"

Dean went quiet for a moment. "Come on, it took me nearly 9 years to find out you had a brother. And you and the entire world know my family, so, tell me, please?"

Dean smiled, looking up to her. "Fine."

"Yay."

"My mom worked in the PI business for a while until she had kids. Then she stayed home. I was two when she had Sam, so her hands were pretty full."

"And your dad?"

"He was a hard-ass." Dean answered truthfully. "He was in the Navy before he met my mom."

Kate could tell he didn't really want to talk about his dad, so she changed the subject. A little.

"How'd they meet?"

"Movie theatre. She knocked him down on his ass, he invited her to dinner and they talked about Led Zeplin. After that...they were together...for as long as they could be, anyway."

"What happened?"

"Six months after Sammy was born...she died. House fire. I carried him out, too."

"Wait, you carried-"

Dean nodded.

"What about your dad?"

"He ran back inside for mom." Dean told her. "But it was too late. I guess that was when he changed."

"Changed?"

"As much as he was a hard-ass, it...I don't know. It got worse. Mom was the light of his life. He loved her and he - he couldn't accept her death I guess. Always went on that someone had been in the room that night. That they'd been the ones to set fire to the place. So, he went on a man-hunt for them. I looked after Sammy and...we grew up."

Kate didn't really know what to say. Dean had lost his mother and had to become one when he was only four. And from the way he talked about his dad, he had to be Sam's father, too.

"You're a good man, Dean."

"I thought I was a son-of-a-bitch bastard?" Dean joked.

"That's only when I'm a pain in the ass." Kate replied.

And it happened again.

Eyes locked. A moment of...something deeper. Than both of them.

"Why'd you run?"

"What?"

"That night, after we kissed." Dean explained. "You ran. Why did you run?"

It wasn't like she could run now. She'd been shot in the leg, so it would be painful and difficult.

"I -- I don't know."

"Was it really that bad?"

Kate shook her head. "No. No. It was...it was perfect. I just -- I don't know why I ran."

"Look, if you want me to forget it. I will. All you have to do is say the word and it's done. But if I'm honest, I don't want to. Something happened that night and I think you felt it, too. But, like I said, if you want me to forget it, I will. I can walk away now and call someone else and we can go back to how they were before-"

However, Dean was cut off from his ramblings by Kate as she placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her before she kissed him.

He was a little taken aback but kissed back, his hands going to her waist, pulling her in closer.

"I felt it, too." Kate told him, their eyes closed, heads pressed gently against the others. "And I don't want to forget it."

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greenlaut · 2 months

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bitter tea & oranges

#inspired by the amount of time i spent just standing in jerusalem bureau #and my hc that malik would drink bitter medicinal teas to help with chronic pain #also my hc is that altair has chronic pain. so hes familiar how to deal with it #sort of a peace offering to offer orange to counteract the bitter tea #peeling oranges as an act of love ok ty #THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A WARM UP the ghost of altair possessed me to draw malik lovingly #my art #asscreed #assassin's creed 1 #assassins creed 1 #assassins creed #assassin's creed #altair ibn la'ahad #altaïr ibn la'ahad #malik al sayf #altmal #ac1 #ac #ac 1 #i will never shut up about jerusalem bureau being my safe place rn #altaïr visiting malik. he can scold me however much he wants. atleast he still sees me as someone worth talking to #maliks hatred recognising altair as his own existence vs al mualims adoration of altair like a well kept weapon

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ryandoesfanart · 3 months

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The law of owning a cat :oo it´s not his fault!

#assassin's creed fanart #assassin's creed #gay assassins ✨#altair #malik al sayf #altmal #altaïr ibn la'ahad #malik and altair #assassins creed #altair and malik being cute and wholesome #catsowner be like #sweet moment at the bureau #the bureau cat #altair loving cats is for ever gonna be cannon for me!

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xylathesilkwing · 4 months

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Incorrect Control Twitter Posts

#control 2019 #control remedy #control #Jesse Faden #Emily pope #Jesse x Emily #Frederick Langston #Simon Arish #fbc #federal bureau of control #go on. eat the mold. you won’t die probably #coming out as a Jesse x Emily shipper I love them let them kiss remedy #If y’all want more lmk!!#incorrect control #control meme

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eggl-rd · 1 year

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boy what the hell

#qsmp #qsmp cucurucho #qsmp fanart #qsmp census bureau #qsmp osito bimbo #edgesart #love this thing. the senses burrow

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wingedmenace · 11 months

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Some more q!Jaiden doodles ^__^

#qsmp jaiden #q!jaiden #qsmp census bureau #qsmp cucurucho #whatever it's name is #my art #I love the bit where jaiden starts petting the census bureau #so silly

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justsomeguy-cassavetes · 2 months

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OLIVER REED as IVAN DRAGOMILOFF in THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU (1969)

#didnt realize till i made this gifset how much he loves to toss and catch things.. love that for him tbh #the assassination bureau #oliver reed #basil dearden

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famdomohana · 10 months

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Swifties in the FBI

Whoever is in charge of social media for the FBI, just know I love you.

#taylor swift #speak now taylor swift #speak now taylor’s version #speak now tv #speak now #taylor swift midnights #midnights #vigilante shit #fbi #speak now fbis version #federal bureau of investigation #taylors version #swifties #taylorswift #i love whoever is in charge of the social media

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t3rm1n0s · 11 months

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the silly little guy that does nothing wrong ever ever!!! aka I am having fun with acrylics lol

#clicks and whistles #I LOVE laying colored pencil on top of stuff it just adds so much. 2me.#qsmp #qsmp cucurucho #qsmp census bureau

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nefertitisfjordd · 1 year

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#and they lived happily ever after #no but this scene was so pure and precious and joyous #the way they walk off holding hands ready to put that bureau credit card to G O O D use #gives me life #i love happy go lucky dana it is everything to me #txf #the x files #x files #dana scully #fox mulder #david duchovny #gillian anderson #msr #mulder x scully #scully x mulder #hollywood a.d.

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voonydapunk69420 · 1 month

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The Oldest House, New York City, New York. FBC Executive Sector

#control #remedyverse #remedy control #zachariah trench #control 2019 #federal bureau of control #fbc #photo mode #god i love how this game looks

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marvelwitchergilmore · 2 years

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Love In The Bureau 5/?

Enemies to friends to lovers. CM level violence. AU!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Eyes up, guys. He could be in here anywhere." Jess told them through comms.

For the last three hours, she had been planning everything with the team. Financial records had flagged on her computer from an old case. So, with the help of the BAU, she'd finally found a real identity of a person on the inner circle of a cartel in Virginia.

Spencer was sat in one of the booths with JJ, across from Rossi - to any passer by, they were just a couple meeting the parents, and the way they were talking, it was clearly JJ's stepdad introducing his daughter and son-in-law to his new girlfriend who was clearly late. Emily was sat by the bar, sipping on a martini, virgin obviously, and Luke sat at the other end of the bar, 'eyeing' Emily up.

And in the other corner of the bar, sat side by side, facing one another were Kate and Dean. Clearly, on a date. To anyone else's mind, anyway.

Dean's hand lay gently with care and affection on Kate's leg, leaning in a little. Her doing the same, keeping his eye contact.

Neither had spoken since that night. Not properly, anyhow.

~ ~ ~

Jess had given them their tasks. Their roles that they would be playing later tonight. And it was safe to say that Dean and Kate couldn't feel more awkward.

They were stood inside the locker rooms, the only thing between them being a block of lockers as they got dressed into their 'date' outfit.

Jess had said with them being close it would be the most believable. And everyone else agreed. Away from the feelings, simply when they stood by one another, they looked like a couple. Hell, a couple of cops had thought they were dating when they went to help out. One even thought they were married.

"Well, you bicker like it." They had told them when they found out they were just friends.

But now, here they stood, getting changed and the silence couldn't have been more defening.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Dean asked her eventually.

"Why wouldn't I be? I've gone undercover before."

"Kate."

Kate knew all too well what he was actually talking about.

"It's a job, Dean. We're co-workers, aren't we?"

"Is that all we are?" He asked, his voice a little on the harsher side.

"It's all we can be."

"Says who?"

"Why would we be anything different?" Kate asked him.

They were now both dressed. "Kate, we both know what happened-"

"Nothing happened."

"Is that what we're calling it?"

"Nothing. Happened." Kate reiterated. "Zip me up?"

Kate turned around, moving her hair out of the way, not once looking him in the eye. Dean was a little...confused? Disappointed?

They had been friends and now she couldn't even look him in the eye? Had it truely been that bad?

It took him a few seconds but he zipped her up. She moved her hair back, not once turning around. She continued walking, picking up her bag, closing her locker and making a B-line for the door ahead.

"Kate-"

Dean tried to call out after her but she didn't say much. Didn't say anything at all. Just kept walking.

~ ~ ~

"Got him." Luke said through comms as he lifted his drink.

Dean could see the door from where he was sat. "Eyes open. He's not alone."

"What?" Jess asked. She was across the street in a small apartment with Garcia and a couple other Agents.

"Don't look now, but our guy has clocked you."

Dean shifted his eyes to the second entrance of the resturant. He was looking around but there was that look in his eyes. He knew someone was here.

"Got him." Dean spoke in a low voice, never once making eye contact with anyone else other than Kate. "I'm gonna do something and you can yell at me later. Just follow my lead."

Kate nodded and quickly found Dean's hand on her cheek, pulling her in for a kiss. It was soft. It was more than a peck - it was a kiss. Part of it made Kate dizzy by the time he pulled away.

Dean took her hand in his, standing up. "Let's go home." He told her. Anyone could be watching them right now. And they were. He could feel their eyes on him and Kate.

Dean walked with Kate trailing a little behind him but only for a second because a second or two later, Dean bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, pal." Dean apologised.

The guy - Kate tried not to react. They guy was their guy. The guy who they had been looking for.

"Don't worry about it." He said, clearly supressing annoyance. After all, it had been an accident. Hadn't it?

Dean looked back to Kate, pulling her closer, an arm now around her as they continued walking until they got outside.

"Are you okay?" Kate played along as they walked away.

As they finally made it outside, they crossed over the road and circled the building until they found the back exit to the apartment building and found their way inside to Jess and Garcia.

"Garcia, track this chip." Dean told her, handing over a small piece of paper with it's coding on.

"You chipped him?" Kate asked, now understanding why Dean had 'bumped' into him.

Dean looked to her and nodded quickly before looking back to the screen, a hand on the desk whilst the other was at the back of Garcia's chair.

"They knew we were coming. He brought a friend. And-"

"Guys, who's got eyes on him?" Alvez asked.

"I don't know, he was here a second-" Emily began before JJ cut her off.

"Kitchen."

The following five minutes were filled with the evacuations and arrests.

"We don't have anything concrete to-" Jess now began as Alvez made the arrest of the second guy.

"What would you call that Prentiss?" Alvez asked, showing a bag of white powder.

"Well, I'd call that cocaine."

"Or maybe we do." Jess now said, hearing the conversation.

Meanwhile, Kate stood in the small bedroom behind a changing screen whilst Garcia sat on the bed, going through the black gym bag by her side that belonged to Kate, handing her her change of clothes.

"So what happened back there?" Garcia smiled.

Kate could hear her smile through her words.

"What do you think happened?"

Garcia still had a smile prominent on her face. "Well, I think our hunk of a team leader just kissed you in one of the most romantic ways possible. Well, romantic for being in the field."

"Penn."

"What? Hey, I saw it all through the security camera's. I'd call it romantic." Penelope told her, handing her a t-shirt. "So, what was it like?"

"Penelope!"

"Come on. Humor me. Please?"

Kate sighed. "It was...nice."

"Nice? He kisses you and all you can say is, it was nice?"

"Fine, more than nice. I don't know what else to say, Pen. He's...He's my Boss. I can't exactly call it the best kiss of my life."

Penelope stopped moving, her mind ticking over. And then Kate came out, now fully dressed.

"Oh my, god."

Kate stuffed her dress into the bag, not making eye contact with Penny.

"What?"

"You like him."

"What?" Kate asked again.

Penelope laughed. "Oh, you really like him."

"I've got to go."

"See you later. Say hi to lover boy for me."

Kate shut the door behind her, Garcia now turning back, talking to herself.

"Oh, she really, really likes him." Penny laughed to herself for a moment before it faded into a content smile.

~ ~ ~

The pair laughed, their eyes landing on each others. They had been holding eye contact the entire conversation but something about this felt different. More...deeper. Deeper than just two co-workers talking in the dim lights of the empty office...

They kissed.

They were kissing.

It was soft. Slow. Meaningful, romantic, calm and a little scary all at once. But they were kissing.

And neither had ever had a kiss like it.

It was a kiss that was only ever in movies. Or read about in books.

Neither had any idea that it could exist in real life.

And as they pulled back, needing air, their heads rested together, both unable to open up their eyes.

Niether had realised their hands had landed together, either. Holding each other with a gentle yet firm grip. They were safe. And safer together.

However, after a content silence passed over them, they both heard a noise causing them to jump. Kate more so.

"It's okay, it's just the printer shutting off." Dean assured her.

Kate was now stood, her hand still in Dean's as he sat. And suddenly all her emotions began to overwhelm her.

"I-I shouldn't - I - I'm sorry."

Kate dropped Dean's hand, moving to grab her jacket, shoving it on. "I- I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Kate. It's okay. I kissed you. I - is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah. Yeah, fine. M' fine. I- I have to go."

"Wait, Kate-"

Dean reached out, taking her hand in his again. "Kate. What's wrong? Did I do something? I'm sorry if I-"

Kate shook her head. "No. It - I -- You're my...I need to go."

"Shouldn't we talk-"

"I'll see you in a few days." Kate cut him off, grabbing her bag and making her way to the elevator. But Dean seemed glued to the stop where he stood, watching her scurry away.

"Kate? Kate?!"

But no answer. Kate just hit the close door button and sped away as quick as she could.

Everything in her told her to go back to him. Everything in her wanted to go back to him. So why was she running? Everyone on the team thought they were together. Everyone who they met when stood by one another thought they were dating. Hell, she'd be kidding herself if she said she hadn't thought about it once or twice over the years. Especially in the last year or so.

And it hadn't seemed so bad. It didn't now. So, why was she running?

Dean called her every few hours over the following days they had off. She had gotten out of there so quickly, he didn't really know how to respond. So, he told her it was okay. And that they should talk. If she wanted to forget it, he would. All she would have to do is give him the word and it was done.

But he didn't. He didn't want to forget. He wanted to keep that memory forever. Hell, it kept him awake every night after.

But the longer time went on, the more awkward it got. They wouldn't stay in the room with one another more than five minutes. It was worse than when they hated each other. Mostly because every urge was making them want to yell from the rooftops to stay, but they wouldn't.

But that all changed the moment Jess came back into the picture with her mission.

~ ~ ~

"The chip can only track him so many miles." Dean told Jess. "Once he's out of it - or changes clothes - we've lost him."

"How'd you know he'd be the one to get away?"

"Same way I know Kate hasn't killed me yet." Dean answered, Jess giving a small questioning look. "Luck."

"Ah."

Dean nodded and looked back to the screen.

It took a few hours but eventually they got a hold of him again. And, with luck, their target hadn't changed clothes as of yet.

"Where is he?" Dean asked, barging through Garcia's office door.

"National City Bank."

"Okay, text that location to the team. I'll call SWAT."

An hour later, they were stood outside the bank, their guy inside doing god-knows-what. All they knew was that people were inside and one of the tellers were locked in the managers room with him.

Meanwhile, outside SWAT was getting ready and Garcia was sat inside the van, hacking into the bank's security so they could get a good eye on what they were dealing with. However, as they were about to go in, Jess following Dean, he stuck his arm out stopping her in her tracks. As much as she had the field experience - he wasn't ready to see her go.

"Wha-"

"If this goes sideways, I don't want to be the one calling Sam." Dean told her.

"Dean, I'll be fine."

"No. Stay in the van with Garcia."

"Dean-"

"Jess-"

"Dean. No."

Dean shook his head. "Jess, I've already lost enough people. I'm not losing you, too."

It took a few moments, but with a reluctant sigh, Jess stepped back. Only, as she did, Kate came out from the van strapping on her vest.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Starbucks?"

Kate tightened her vest before checking her holster.

"Kate-"

Sighing, Kate looked up to Dean. "Look, you still need a secondary and Garcia needs Jess' help anyway. Look into all the financials. There's a reason he wanted the clerk and not the manager. If anyone can find it, it's you." Kate said, looking to Jess.

And, with a small smile, Jess looked to her brother-in-law and leaned in a little, her arms folded across her chest. "She's good for you."

Kate didn't hear this since she was too busy focusing on checking her gun.

As the van door shut behind Jess, Dean walked over to Kate.

"I'm not letting you go in there. Kate, if anything happens to you-"

Kate gave a small chuckle. "Aww, it's cute you think you've got a say in that."

"I do have a say in that. I'm your Team Leader."

Kate sighed, finishing tightening her gear, she looked up to Dean. Her eyes strong.

"Yeah, well, you still need a seocndary and Prentiss and Alvez are dealing with the public whilst JJ deals with the press since Garcia is stuck in the van and Rossi is helping out the cops. And you were the one that trained me."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "For six months."

"You still trained me." Kate pointed out. "I'm your best option. Now, shall we get to it?"

It took a few moments longer than either of them liked but Dean eventually backed down. "Alright."

They finally made their way into the building, the pair stuck side by side, SWAT getting in and helping the hostages.

Three hours later everything had been sorted. Jess could charge him under fraudulent claims and he'd be going away for a lot longer than he would have liked. People were safe.

Except for one...

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journalofimprobablethings · 10 months

Text

Oh hey I started re-listening to Balance and I had forgotten that when they find the red robe in Wave Echo Cave that Justin asks about the robe's stats and whether he could take it and god can you just imagine if Taako had shown up at the Bureau wearing Lup's robe??

And then I wrote a thing about it.

Lucretia thought she was prepared for seeing her brothers again.

She's had time to build up her walls, to steel herself for what she knows will be a painful encounter. She's had a decade now of secrets and privately held regrets and memories, and she's become adept at hiding her emotions, learned how to school all the dismay and sorrow from her expression.

Even so, it takes everything in her to keep her expression neutral when the three of them walk into the room.

Magnus and Merle look in many ways like she expected--though older, ten years older; and she realizes she's never seen them age before. They've been in stasis for a hundred years, always come back each cycle looking exactly the same; but now Merle's wrinkles have deepened, and Magnus has new lines at the corners of his eyes and grey threaded through his hair, even though his body is barely thirty.

The joy and and intense sorrow she feels at the sight of them, with all the changes the past ten years have wrought, is so strong she doesn't think she can hold it inside her.

But what nearly undoes her is when Taako walks in. He looks exactly the same; elves don't age the same way humans do, or even dwarves--but for a moment she thinks--

She knows it's impossible, but for a moment, every signal is telling her brain that the elf in front of her wearing a red robe and carrying a familiar umbrella isn't Taako--it's Lup.

Then she blinks, and her brain recalibrates, and she realizes her mistake.

It's not that she has trouble telling the two apart--after a century living together, the twins lost the ability to fool the others unless they were trying very hard.

But she thinks she could be forgiven for the lapse, because the robe Taako is wearing isn't just any red robe--not some ironic twist, the universe mocking her with echoes.

It's an IPRE robe. Lup's IPRE robe.

And he's holding Lup's umbrastaff, casually slung over his shoulder like it belongs there.

Lucretia has spent any moment she could spare from her search for the Relics trying to find any trace of where Lup might have gone, and has come up empty.

Taako doesn't know what he's lost, hasn't even known to look--but somehow he's succeeded where Lucretia has failed. Clearly, at some point in their recent adventure--

He found Lup.

Or at least, he found Lup's things. What does it mean, that the robe and staff were left somewhere Taako could just pick them up? If Lup left the staff behind, does that mean--

With effort, Lucretia stops her train of thought, forcing herself to take a deep, even breath and push the roil of emotions down deep inside her. Later, she'll be able to sit and think through what this could mean.

For now, she has a part to play.

She straightens her shoulders and smiles, only leaning a little bit extra on her staff as she stands to greet them.

"Welcome, you three. Magnus, Merle, Taako. Killian has told me a lot about you and your...exploits."

She glances over at Killian, who is watching her with a sharp expression. She can't have failed to notice Lucretia's reaction to the robe when Taako walked in. Lucretia wonders what she knows about how Taako got it.

"I wanted to personally thank you for your help in retrieving the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet," she continues. "Thanks to you, an enormous danger has been removed from the world."

Magnus coughs awkwardly. Lucretia knows he's thinking about Phandolin, all those people he failed to save. "Yeah, we uh. We were happy to help."

"Does this thanks come in the form of gold?" Taako asks. "I think retreiving a super magic weapon is worth a reward, right?"

"Or a job? We were told there might be job openings here," Merle adds.

Lucretia laughs a little.

"We'll get to that in a minute," she says. She glances at Killian. "First, I--Taako, I would like to know where you got that robe? It's very--"

"Red," Killian finishes.

Taako looks down at himself. "Oh this thing? Yeah, I picked it up off some skeleton in a cave."

A yawning, empty pit opens up inside Lucretia.

"I figured, he was super dead, so finders keepers." He swoops the ends of the robe a little. "Stylish, right?"

The pit inside Lucretia yawns a little wider.

It's not that she hasn't considered the possibility--probability even--that Lup is dead. And just because her body is dead doesn't mean that she is gone.

But it's the confirmation--and Taako's cavalier description of his sister's bones--that nearly undoes Lucretia for the second time that day.

She grips her staff tight, and forces herself to keep her breathing even. She places one hand behind her back, so that the others can't see the tight fist she's balled it into.

"This was the cave where you first found the gauntlet?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

Lucretia exchanges glances with Killian.

"You all have visited Johann, correct? You've taken the voidfish's ichor?"

"You mean the fish poop?" Taako asks. "Yeah, we drank it. Not my favorite thing ever, I've gotta say."

"Yeah, it was super gross," Magnus puts in.

"Salty," Merle adds. "But I dunno, it had a kinda--"

"Oh my gods, do not--" Taako says.

"I'm just saying, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever tasted."

"Please stop."

Taako pinches the bridge of his nose, and Magnus busts out laughing. Lucretia has to steel herself against another wave of emotion as she watches the three of them banter. The familiarity aches.

She raises her voice a little to be heard over Magnus's laughter. "In that case, you've remembered the Relic Wars."

Magnus sobers instantly.

"The wars were caused by the Grand Relics: a series of extraordinarily powerful magical objects created by a group of magicians that we...refer to...as the Red Robes."

All three of the boys look down at Taako's robe.

"Oh," Merle says.

"Shit," Magnus says.

"Well," Taako says.

"It is very probable that the...the remains you found belonged to a member of that group."

"But that's good though, right?" Magnus says after a moment. "If one of them is dead--that's a good thing? Isn't it? They can't cause any more harm if they're dead."

Lucretia digs a fingernail deep into the palm of the hand behind her back.

"I'm afraid the harm the Grand Relics are capable of will long outlive the Red Robes themselves," she says. "But that's why we're here. We are doing our best to right the wrongs the Red Robes did. To remove the dangers they put into the world with the Relics. And we'd like your help."

"Sounds like a good cause," Merle says. "Does it pay?"

"It does pay," Lucretia says. "Competitively, if I say so myself."

"I'm in," Magnus says.

"Can I ask a quick question?" Taako says.

"Of course," Lucretia says. "I understand if you want more information before--"

"No, no, I'm--as long as the pay is good, I'm all on board," Taako says. "But I wanted to ask--"

He gives the robe a dramatic swish.

"Would it be in bad taste for me to keep the robe? It's just so comfy, you know? Great armor stats."

Taako gives her a shit-eating grin, and Lucretia's head swims for a moment at the image, one part of her brain telling her Lup, it's Lup, while the rest replies no it's not, it's not, she's gone, maybe forever.

She forces a small, rueful smile.

"Well, I can't deny that seeing a red robe around the Bureau regularly might cause some talk, some... discomfort. But we're not in the business of dress codes here. I'll leave it up to you."

"Great!" Taako drawls. "Can't wait to be the fashion talk of the moon!"

And Lucretia can't help but smile genuinely at that--he's still Taako, even after everything.

"Very well." She sets her staff carefully against her chair, consciously relaxes her shoulders. In her imagination, Magnus's hand rests firmly on her shoulder, Merle's a reassuring presence at her hip. The memory of Lup's voice whispers in her mind. You got this, Luce.

"If that's decided, let's get you three up to speed."

She gestures widely to the reception room, putting a little bit of the theatrical flair she learned from Taako into the gesture.

"Welcome to the Bureau of Balance."