An Improbable Crossover

Chloe Decker pressed the cold drink to her temple hoping against hope that it would cool off her blazing temper. The sight of the virgin cocktail raised her ire even more, though.

She sighed as she shook her head. She should be used to it by now, after all she knew what she was doing when she accepted his proposal but sometimes she so wanted to strangle that man!

The woman that slumped down next to her two minutes later had that same look on her face that she seemed to be sporting.

Without looking at her she wrapped on the counter and called to the bartender. Jimmy came around with his usual accomadating smile.

"What can I get you?"

The woman, a striking brunette with sharp blue green gold eyes, sighed deeply reminding Chloe of herself five minutes ago.

"What I would like," she answered in a put upon voice. "Would be a constant supply of vodka, but that would he murder on my credit card," she smiled mirth lessly at the patient bartender. "So I'll take a beer, thanks."

Jimmy nodded cheerfully. "One beer coming up."

Chloe studied the woman for a second. The smart dress pants and conservative top ensemble spoke of wealth, she would know, but not overly so. She was dressed a little bit like a lawyer but the calluses on the index finger of her dominant hand and on the palm of her non dominant one looked pretty similar to ones that were present on her own hands.

Nails were clipped closely too, non manicured just like hers, despite her husband's attempts at pampering, minimal make up and scuffed steady looking boots that had seen some serious use but still taken care of.

The bulge near her right hip and the glint of metal on her waist confirmed her suspicions. Stopping Jimmy in her tracks she nodded at her friend.

"Give her what she really wants and put it on my tab," she said knocking down half of her drink and turning to the woman next to her.

She predictably tried to protest. "Oh, thank you but I couldn't possibly..."

Chloe cut her off. "Relax!" she insisted. "I know the owner, I'm not paying for those drinks anymore than you are," she winked at the woman and nodded for Jimmy to continue.

At that the woman fully turned to face her and watched as she cast the same observant gaze over Chloe that she had passed over her.

Allowing the assessment she waited before a small smile formed on her downturned lips and she stuck out her hand.

"Detective Kate Beckett NYPD."

Answering her smile with a coy smirk Chloe shook Becketts hand.

"Detective Chloe Decker LAPD."

The two held hands for a moment before their stoic faces broke out into identical grins as they let go.

"So Kate!" asked Chloe as the music grew louder. "I've got reasons for my mood but what's got you so down, moreover what brings an NYPD Detective over to warmer climates?" It was after all freezing over in New York with winter fast approaching.

"A case I've been chasing for a few months finally caught a break!" she answered as Jimmy brought over her drink of choice and she downed it faster than Maze and wiped her lips with the back of her hand as Jimmy topped her up once more. "It led me over here with a body that dropped a couple of weeks ago."

Chloe frowned well aware of protocol regarding cases that crossed state lines and having faced such problems in the past.

"But since the case crossed state lines isn't it..."

"The Feds case now?" she asked downing the second glass and finally settled enough to nurse her third. "Yeah, but I've been working on this case for months and after chasing a lead all over the country, I wasn't gonna have some Fed taking my case from me. Besides..." she trailed off and took a generous sip of her next glass.

"Besides what?" asked Chloe momentarily forgetting her glum mood as she was pulled into Kate's predicament.

Kate sighed and shook her head running her fingers frustratingly through her long golden brown locks. "Well I promised the latest victims daughter that I would find her mother's killer, you know?" she bit out bitterly finally finishing her third glass and waiting for Jimmy to fill her fourth. "And now I've got to go back home and tell that fourteen year old girl that justice for her mother is out of my hands." she sniffed but out of probably years of practice, Chloe speculated, did not let the tears drop.

Chloe hummed sympathetically and thought that she would probably have had the same problem with Feds taking over her cases if she didn't have a fourteen year old of her own to go home to. As it was, anything that could take the load off her back was a Godsend in her opinion, she internally smirked at what her husband would have to say about that errant thought.

"So," Kate continued starting on her fifth drink, Devil she could really put those down. "I was just about to grab a witness report before I was stonewalled by the suits. I mean you should have seen them, blocking my charger like they owned the damn road and that condescending consultant of theirs with his mind reading shtick. I mean I get that he caught Red John but that doesn't mean I don't know how to do my job."

And she was back to slamming down drinks.

"Wait Red John?" asked Chloe, the name niggling in the back of her mind. "Wasn't that the psycho that murdered some TV charlatans wife and kid because he called him out on air?"

Kate nodded solemnly. "Yeah," she answered softly tracing the rim of her half full glass with her finger. "I know he had it bad, I know what that feels like, but he doesn't have to be such a dick about it."

Chloe nodded non committedly. Being familiar with a certain consultant who also had had it bad for quite a lot longer that this supposed FBI consultant she had to disagree, it seemed that they did have to be a dick about it.

"And to add to it, my own partner didn't back me up!"

"What?!" asked Chloe now appropriately outraged on her fellow detectives behalf.

"I know right?" she asked rhetorically. "Here I am trying to close my case and he's all like 'Come on Kate! A week in Hollywood with no work and no snow? Think of all he beaches and the food and the sights...' and on and on and on. Damn him and his sexy punchable face."

Chloe looked around the club. "Where's he now?" she asked scanning the crowd for someone paying attention to them.

Kate sighed again but didn't bring the glass to her lips. "I kind of blew up on him then left telling him not to follow," she slumped her shoulders in dejection. "But I saw his face as I left and now I'm feeling guilty that I caused it and I know he's sulking around in our hotel room while I'm getting drunk knowing full well that he was just trying to cheer me up."

Chloe studied her drinking buddy as she actually let a few tears slip. Seems like this partner of hers was more than just a colleague, not that she was one to judge.

"So this partner of yours..." she asked just as two more ladies dropped down on stools farther up the bar. Kate glanced at them before turning to face her before doing a double take.

"That's them!" she said in a loud whisper, somehow amazingly being not drunk enough to point. "That's the ones that stole my case!"

Chloe looked the two over. The first woman, sitting closest to her was dressed very feminine in knee high floaty skirt that showed off her considerable legs, her top had some tribal patterns that seemed very not of the norm. She had a number of beads and a prominent necklace hanging around her neck, and her hair and makeup was impeccable.

"She doesn't look much like FBI!" Chloe shout whispered into Kate's ear, seriously her ear drums were about to burst from the loud beat.

Kate frowned and upraised the dressed up, auburn haired woman. "That's because she'd not," said Kate scowling. "Ever heard of Dr Temperance Brennan?"

Chloe's eyes widened just as Jimmy placed another virgin cocktail down in front of her and topped up the other detectives drink. "Have I ever? My partner doesn't shut up about her books. And my friend Ella won't shut up about her expertise with Bones, apparently she can tell a persons age, gender, preferred sport and sleeping habits just by looking at their bones and I'm not even sure if she was exaggerating."

Kate huffed and scowled over at the women ordering drinks. "Yeah, the perp killed this vic a while back and the only thing left was bones so they called in an expert."

Chloe upraised Dr Brennan for a moment longer then moved on to observe the other woman. She looked more like an FBI Agent but only in her dressing style, looking at her cute dimpled smile and short stature she couldn't imagine her taking down a suspect even a foot bigger than her, but then again, she herself had taken down suspects double her size so...

Kate caught her glance and nodded. "That's the dicks partner, feel sorry for her being stuck with him but apparently they're married."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think the FBI allowed fraternization between colleagues?"

Kate shrugged. "I guess they get a pass because he's a civilian consultant!" she smirked. "Not that I can talk, I'm married to my civilian consultant as well."

Chloe grinned in surprise. "Well," she nudged the brunette. "So am I," she saluted Kate with her glass and drained it waving off Jimmy's refill offer, Kate didn't, she did gape at her in astonishment though.

She glanced from Chloe to the women at the end of the bar, looking away when suddenly the Agent spotted them. Kate let of a laugh. "You know what?" she asked, again rhetorically. "The guy that came with Dr Brennan? The FBI Agent, apparently they're married as well."

Chloe didn't have time to answer to that surprising revelation before the other two women came over.

Tapping on Kate's shoulder the Agent got her attention which turned into a scowl when she recognized who it was that wanted to talk to her. To the Agents credit she didn't even flinch, clearly appearances can be deceiving.

"Detective Beckett?" she asked professionally. "I just went over your case file and I wanted to thank you for all that you did. Your information was invaluable."

Kate looked at her in surprise for a moment before shrugging. "I'm just doing my job, Agent Lisbon," she gritted out downing yet another glass. "which would have gone faster if youd let me keep doing it." Clearly she didn't get over grudges easily.

Lisbon sighed. "Can I sit here?" she asked Kate who shrugged again. The music finally went quite as another slower song started up. Taking her shrug as a yes Lisbon took a seat next to Kate. "Detective, you know you risk reprimand if you violate your jurisdiction, especially since it has happened before," Chloe watched as Kate's eyes widened at the fact that she'd obviously gone over her history. "And I'm afraid that if we hadn't become involved then the case would not have the benefit of being under the scrutiny of Dr Brennan and her team at the Jeffersonian."

Dr Brennan then chimed in. "I assure you, Detective Beckett," she said importantly. "I am more than qualified to go over the remains and discover any trace evidence that may have been left behind." Then she frowned as she caught Chloes gaze and her obvious listening in on the conversation. "Agent Lisbon are you sure you want to be discussing matters pertaining to the case with a layperson present?"

Lisbon frowned for a moment at her words before blinking in understanding. "Oh, the Detectives friend is also a Detective, and I wasn't really talking about the case just Detective Becketts involvement in it."

Brennan frowned and looked to Chloe. "Detective?" she asked hesitantly perking up at her answering smile. "Have you met Agent Lisbon before?" Chloe shook her head no. "Then how does she know that you were a detective."

Chloe assumed that Lisbon deduced her assumption the same as she had Kate's but it seemed that Brennan also recognized her occupation but was it a different observation from the other cops?

"Well clearly you think I'm a detective as well Dr Brennan," answered Chloe. "Why don't you tell me how you came to that conclusion."

"Well," began Brennan eagerly. "The periorbital hyperpigmentation around your eyes suggests long nights but that could also be due to the presence of a child in your life, however your athletic build, maintained at this age suggests otherwise, the abrasions and calluses on your hands do suggest frequent gun use however that could just be because you're an enthusiast, your posture is slightly slumped which suggest time spent at a desk. Your index fingers are slightly more bruised then the rest which suggest poor typing technique bit typing non the less. You seem to favor your left shoulder at times which suggests a past injury from the range of your motion it suggests a healed bullet wound."

The three remaining women just listened at the deluge of information flowed freely out of the scientists mouth.

"However," continued Brennan. "All of that is conjecture without proper examination, No the reason I know that you're a detective is because you were on the news a few years back, my Christine's favorite singer Axara had been in the news because her life was being threatened and I remember you giving an interview to the press as the lead Detective in charge of the investigation."

"That was a two minute interview that I gave almost five years ago," Chloe asked in wonder. "You remember me from that?"

Brennan smiled pleased at her reaction. "I have an eidetic memory, and I followed that case carefully since Christine was insisting I go and help them solve the murder just so Axara could start singing again." That broke the stunned silence and all three cops laughed. Brennan extended her hand. "I was very relieved that you managed to solve the case, I'm Dr Temperance Brennan, it's very nice to meet you Detective Decker."

Chloe accepted her hand amused at the clearly interesting scientist. "Chloe's fine Dr Brennan."

Brennan smiled. "I would offer my first name but I'm told it's a mouthful, so Brennan is a good compromise for my friends. Well except for Booth, he calls me Bones," offered Brennan.

"Booth?" asked Chloe taking her hand back and signaling to Jimmy to keep her new friends drinks coming on her.

"Oh Agent Seeley Booth, my husband and partner."

"Ah," allowed Chloe as Lisbon turned to Kate.

"So I talked to my boss back in Austin and he says that because of the exemplary work you did on this case we can let you in on the investigation as a consulting party, however the collar will still got to the Feds."

Kate frowned over that compromise before nodding, Chloe could see the gears turning in her head, coming to the same decision she would have; as long as she could help get this bastard she wouldn't care who got to cuff him.

"I can live with that!" she agreed and shook on it as Jimmy came back to refill all their drinks.

Lisbon and Brennan protested the refill. Jimmy cast them his charm smile that usually sent the ladies swooning. "Relax ladies it's on the house," he nodded at Chloe. "Queens orders."

Chloe blushed and swiped her umbrella at the kid. "I told you not to call me that!" Jimmy just grinned and went to serve the rest of the revelling patrons.

"Queen?" asked Lisbon confused before remembering her manners. "Oh, I don't believe we met Agent Teresa Lisbon."

"Chloe!" she yelled over the again loud music. "And the Queen thing is a joke because of my husband."

The three clearly didn't get it but were too busy drinking to really bother probing too much.

Eventually after a few more rounds and getting to know each other Kare spoke up with a question.

"So from what I understand, we all four of us... Fight crime as a cop consultant pair and are married to that same partner and we all have the highest closure rates in all of our respective jurisdictions? And we all somehow end up in same damn bar?"

Lisbon clutched her silver cross necklace and smiled drunkenly. "Pretty serendipitous, I'd say."

Chloe snorted at the notion and decided to drop the biggest bomb. "You think that's crazy, try being married to the actual Devil and finding out you're pregnant with his baby!"

All three of the women looked around at the fourth and shouted at the same time in disbelief.

"What?!