The office felt too full and cramped. Rhia's chair was a hard-plastic folding thing they must have pulled out of her old high school auditorium, and her ass was already going numb.

Sitting across the desk from her was Lieutenant Carla Davis, Maddox's immediate supervisor. She was a good woman, a little young for most officers in her position. Maddox liked her, and she was one of only two people he fully trusted to take care of Nova when he couldn't. The large animal was currently laying beside her, loyally waiting for a command.

Sitting next to Rhia was a tall elven lawyer. Her traditional name from her clan was so full of soft vowels it made her feel like she was chewing on marbles. She tried to pronounce it out of respect, but quickly reverted to what the elves called their "mortal names".

Ethel Powell sat impressively graceful in the uncomfortable plastic chair with one long leg crossed over the other. Her faintly olive-green skin was paler than that of some of the rest of her clan, which was probably why she had taken a position within human relations. Easier to work with humans if you looked like them. There was little she could do about the sharp point of her ears or the earthy green of her hair to make it look more human. She kept her hair pulled back in a professional bun, and Rhia tried to imagine what it looked like when it was loose. Elves were everything every story had ever said about them. Tall, intimidatingly ethereal, and arrogantly intelligent.

It was the third participant that had Rhia on edge. Captain Mark Landon. Carla's boss's boss. Rhia and Maddox's godfather. Compared to the elegant Ancient next to Rhia and the young lieutenant behind the desk, Mark was old, grizzled, and past his prime. But Rhia had known this man most of her life. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

Besides physical strength, he was politically connected and motivated. He could ruin any human life and make a serious dent in an Ancient's. He had a temper constantly bubbling just under a surface of calm that he had spent decades perfecting. Rhia had seen that side of him blow up. He had no love for Rhia in that cold heart if his. He scared the shit out of her.

When she finished telling the small group hat happened the night Maddox was shot, she waited for the questions to start. They were going to pick her story apart until they had every detail. Carla would look for the truth, as it was her department under fire, and she was a genuinely good person. Mark would look for anyway to blame it either on the Ancient or the E.M.S. staff, as long as it wasn't any of his precious officers, even a no-name rookie like Brown. And Ethel would look for any way to make the cops to look and sound as racist as possible and get her client a nice payout if they ended up in court. It was a game that no one wins.

"Alright, Rhia," Carla said with a poorly concealed sigh. "Just a few questions for clarification. Sergeant Kincaid called for E.M.S. backup. Did he call you specifically?"

"No." she answered immediately. "Ma- Sergeant Kincaid called dispatch, dispatch called the nearest station, the station sent out the first team ready to go. That just happened to be me, Ian, and Lisa."

"Ian McSorley and Lisa Germaine?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been working with them?"

"Lisa; on and off for about three, maybe four years. She mostly drives. Ian has been my partner for two years. Before that I trained him, and I vouched for him when he decided to take his paramedic certifications."

"You're awfully invested in this kid." Mark said emotionlessly from his spot in the corner. "Something we should know about your relationship?"

Rhia bristled defensively. "Ian is a friend and a colleague." her voice bordered on disrespectful, her eyes focused on Carla's desk. "He is someone I can trust, and he can trust me in return. Just like the police, we can't work with someone we can't trust."

"Are you sleeping with him?"

"Jesus, Captain." Carla snapped, looking around at him.

"Ian is gay." Rhia snapped, finally looking up to meet his eyes challengingly. "I get that you think I'm doing a man's job, but I'm really not his type."

Ethel chuckled while Carla let her head fall into her hands. Mark's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a chill ran down her spine. She looked away again. "Suffice to say," Carla really did sigh this time. "You've been working together for a while. Is that why you gave Mr. McSorley point?"

"No. I gave him point because he's half fae. He has Ancient status. He could establish a rapport with Matron Landgren much faster than I or either officer could."

"Did you explain this to Officer Brown?"

"No. I trusted Officer Brown's training. The training the was supposed to teach him that there is an Ancient on every E.M.S. team. I also trusted Sergeant Kincaid's judgement. If he had faith in Brown's abilities, then it wasn't my place to question it."

"Would you have questioned it if he weren't your brother?"

Rhia sighed and pressed her fingers into her aching temples. "No."

"How did Mrs. Landgren react when Mr. McSorley began the calming spell?"

"She didn't. She was manic. She didn't notice the rotting garbage in her kitchen. Had Officer Brown kept his mouth shut, we..." she stopped, seeing the look in Mark's eyes.

"We're done here." The captain said coldly. "Lieutenant, go print off the statement for Miss Kincaid to sign."

The lieutenant glanced at Ethel, who nodded, before standing up and walking out of the office. Ethel closed her notebook and rose to her feet to face Mark. "Well, Captain," she said evenly. Her voice was musical and much deeper than Rhia expected. "This was, as always, enlightening to see the processes of human law enforcement. I will admit, however, that Sergeant Kincaid's actions were commendable. You should strive towards training more personnel to be like him." She turned to Rhia. "I hope your brother finds a speedy recovery. I hear that Doctor Nolan Wes has taken a personal interest in his care."

"Uh," she stammered, quickly standing to take the elf's hand. Her stomach did backflips when she heard the mere mention of the vampire. For three days she hadn't been able to get the man out of her head. "Yeah. He... He's been a great comfort to our parents."

"As he should. He is, as the elves would say, Yfeerie."

"I'm sorry," Rhia frowned. "I don't understand what that means."

Ethel smiled. "I commend your and faeling McSorley's actions. You acted with Matron Landgren's best interest at heart. Not many would do that." She glanced meaningfully at the captain, whose eyes narrowed even further.

"Is the Matron alright? I know Ian was a bit... rough."

Ethel laughed. "She is getting better every day. Back to her old self, according to her daughter."

"Good. She, uh, called me a 'cursed fire head' before everything went to shit- shit, sorry."

Another laugh. "Nothing to apologize for. I cannot think of a dwarven reason to fear red hair. It could have been a memory brought on by her manic state, or perhaps the manic state itself that made her fear you. I will make a point of asking her when I see her next."

"Lieutenant," Mark snarled as Carla returned with two copies of the statement. "Thank god."

"Here, Rhia," She handed Rhia a copy. "Read this over. Once you sign it, it's on the record."

Rhia skimmed over the document, nodded, and signed her name at the bottom of both copies. "Right." She managed a polite smile. "If anyone needs anything, I'll be with my brother."

"Rhia." Mark's cool voice froze her in her tracks. "A moment." He waited until Carla left, grumbling that this was her office. Ethel gave Rhia a look that might have conveyed concern, but it was hard to tell with her lawyer mask on. The door closed with a quiet snap. Rhia gripped the back of her chair to keep her hands from shaking. His cold grey eyes drilled into her. "Your disrespect has not gone unnoticed." He said in a low warning. "You will watch your tone."

"Yes sir." She muttered.

"You will also watch how you speak about my officers. You are right about one thing: It is not your place to question them."

"Yes sir."

"And stay the hell away from the Ancients. Request a new partner. A human partner. I don't know who or what this Nolan Wes is, but if those mongrels are complimenting it, it is a terrible sign."

"I can't just ask for a new partner." She gripped the chair tighter. "That's not how it works, that's like-"

"Rhiannon Meredith Kincaid," the police captain took a step towards her, pronouncing every syllable of her names with a snap to his voice. "I will not repeat myself. Your father and I have tolerated your fascination with the Ancients long enough. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Her voice was barely a whisper now.

"Good." He turned to the door. "Now, go be with Maddox. I'll be dropping by the hospital later tonight."

She almost ran for the door. Her heart was like a jackhammer against her chest and there were tears in her eyes. Distracted as she was, she got all the way to the hospital before noticing a small business card tucked under her windshield wipers. It was a thick card with a glossy Lifetree pressed into the center. The words Powell, Burnet, & Wes; Partners of Law reflected the sun brilliantly. On the back was Ethel Powell's details with a neatly handwritten note: Call me if you want to talk.

Rhia sighed, hunched over, braced her hands on her knees, and forced herself to take several deep breaths. Why was her life like this?

~