In Cop's Clothing
chapter four
Work promised to be long today. Though he'd only be working a half-shift, Bosco *knew* his partner was going to be constantly after him about one thing or another. Even though he *had* vacuumed the couch that morning before he'd left for his own apartment. He'd gotten out before Yokas had woken; the kids and Fred had made enough noise to waken even the deepest-asleep wolf.
Things were routine until they got into the car. Yokas kept shooting him looks.
"What?" he finally demanded.
"Don't yell at me," she responded. Perversely, she went back to concentrating on her driving. For about two seconds. Then she glanced over, again.
"You're staring."
"So? Since when has that bothered you?" She didn't sound at all ruffled.
"'Since when has that bothered me?' Since forever!"
"You usually don't try to deafen me, though," she said, still calm. Like they were discussing the weather, or that day's list of suspects to watch out for.
Glaring, Bosco turned away, trying to ignore the feel of her gaze on him.
For a while there was an incredibly annoying silence. Then, "Fred says you didn't eat anything... normally you like his cooking."
"Wasn't ready before moonrise," he muttered.
"You can't eat when you're a wolf?" she asked, surprised.
"How many wolves do you know who eat cooked food?"
"Ask me how many wolves I know, period." She glanced at him again. "We had more meat in the fridge. You could have asked, Fred would have got it out for you."
"Yeah? And how was I supposed to do that?"
She laughed. "Come on, Fred's smart enough to understand a wolf saying he's hungry." There was a pause, then she added, "I'm not saying you *have* to eat at our place. I'm just saying you can." As if she'd guessed he might be more concerned with feeling self-conscious, than hungry.
"I'd rather eat at my place. And sleep there, too." He was not sulking, he told himself.
"Don't sulk. I don't want you staying by yourself. Do we have to go through this argument again?"
He reminded himself he was arguing with a mom. She was used to stubborn and used to winning. But he couldn't just let it go. "It isn't like I don't know how to take care of myself. Been doing it for years."
"You're the one who said you got into trouble because you were alone."
"Nothing I couldn't get myself back out of. I'm here aren't I?"
"You're saying that the time you were out sick for a week right after the full moon was a coincidence?"
"Would you believe food poisoning?"
"Not really. You came back sporting a bandage on your right forearm."
"That could've happened to anyone," he muttered.
"Anyone with paws instead of hands?"
He glared at her.
"So you're staying at my place tonight." She sounded like she'd won the argument.
"I'm not sleeping in the kids' room."
"Was the couch OK? I noticed you vacuumed it; thanks. Do you want me to call Fred and have him set something out for you? I don't know what's in the freezer...."
"Faith," he said breaking into her questions. "Chill."
She glanced at him almost guiltily. "Sorry. I'm just wanna make sure you're OK."
"I'm fine, I'm great. It's not like this is a new thing for me, y'know. I've been doing this all my life."
She gave him another look, then said quietly, "You really don't wanna come over, do you?"
He sighed. "I appreciate the concern, Faith, really. No offense, but I'm not thrilled about playing family dog for your kids."
"Then you won't mind if I stop by your place tonight and check on you?"
It was a fair compromise. And, truth be told, he did like the feeling of having someone worry about him. Not that he'd ever admit. "Guess I can't stop you," he grudgingly grumbled.
From the way she half-grinned at him, he figured she knew exactly how he felt.
"5-5 David, suspicious man reported at 115 Dugan. Woman requests 5-5 David respond to the call."
"Great, just great! It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?"
"I thought you liked Ms. Murphy," Yokas said, grinning, before she acknowledged the call.
Bosco just gave her a disgusted look.
***************
They arrived to find Ms. Murphy waiting for them, as usual.
"Oh, thank god you're here!" she exclaimed as soon as they'd gotten out of the squad. She went over to Yokas and took her arm. "It was horrible!"
"What is it this time?" Bosco asked sarcastically. "Freddy Kruger?"
"Oh, no, of course not! Freddy Kruger is fiction!" She gave Bosco a look of scorn, before turning back to Yokas with real fear in her eyes. "I saw it last night, but I didn't remember until just now! He must have hypnotised me or something."
"Who did, Ms. Murphy?" Yokas asked patiently.
"If she says Count Dracula, I'm outta here," Bosco muttered.
Yokas gave him a dark look, but the frightened woman nodded. "Not him, of course - but one of them! It was, I remember his eyes and his fangs...."
Yokas stared at her in amazement, then shot a querying look at Bosco.
"Not my department."
She turned back to Ms. Murphy. "Could you.. describe him?"
Yokas made notes as Ms. Murphy earnestly described the dark, mysterious figure who snuck into her locked house and made unseemly advances, threatening to bite her neck then bewitching her into forgetting it all. Yokas kept a straight face throughout and promised to let her know if they found the man. Vampire.
Finally they left, with Yokas reassuring Ms. Murphy that the vampire wasn't likely to return.
"Wish there was some way to cut off her cable."
"Be nice," she scolded. Then she gave him a worried look. "Bos--"
"What?"
She glared at him. "Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm asking. Are vampires real?"
"How the hell would I know if they were?"
"Excuse me? You're a werewolf, aren't you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well you're both mythical creatures. Don't you keep track of each other or something?"
Bosco rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. We all get a newsletter, and go to conventions once a year."
"Gimme a break, Bosco. I've known about this for what, two days now? Cut me some slack while I get caught up. Which, may I remind you, involves you actually answering my questions instead of rolling your eyes at me."
"Well, don't ask stupid questions then."
"How am I supposed to know what's stupid question until I ask?" She gave him a look, shaking a finger at him briefly before returning her hand to the wheel. "Don't think I don't know you're being this way to make me stop asking questions at all."
He was silent for a moment. "Don't like being treated like a freak," he finally said.
"You're not a freak, Bosco. You're different. I just... I just wanna know. I don't like the idea that there's a million new things about my partner that I don't have a clue about."
"I'm still the same guy, Yokas. The only thing you didn't know is that I happen to change into a wolf three nights a month."
"So the thing about silver bullets isn't true?"
"They'll kill me. So will ordinary bullets."
"And bad pastrami?"
"Is still usually lunch."
She rolled her eyes at him, but fell silent. Bosco was about to be thankful for it, hoping they could get back to doing their job and leaving the interrogations for the criminals, when Yokas spoke up again.
"So, have you ever thought about joining the K-9 unit?"
the end
chapter four
Work promised to be long today. Though he'd only be working a half-shift, Bosco *knew* his partner was going to be constantly after him about one thing or another. Even though he *had* vacuumed the couch that morning before he'd left for his own apartment. He'd gotten out before Yokas had woken; the kids and Fred had made enough noise to waken even the deepest-asleep wolf.
Things were routine until they got into the car. Yokas kept shooting him looks.
"What?" he finally demanded.
"Don't yell at me," she responded. Perversely, she went back to concentrating on her driving. For about two seconds. Then she glanced over, again.
"You're staring."
"So? Since when has that bothered you?" She didn't sound at all ruffled.
"'Since when has that bothered me?' Since forever!"
"You usually don't try to deafen me, though," she said, still calm. Like they were discussing the weather, or that day's list of suspects to watch out for.
Glaring, Bosco turned away, trying to ignore the feel of her gaze on him.
For a while there was an incredibly annoying silence. Then, "Fred says you didn't eat anything... normally you like his cooking."
"Wasn't ready before moonrise," he muttered.
"You can't eat when you're a wolf?" she asked, surprised.
"How many wolves do you know who eat cooked food?"
"Ask me how many wolves I know, period." She glanced at him again. "We had more meat in the fridge. You could have asked, Fred would have got it out for you."
"Yeah? And how was I supposed to do that?"
She laughed. "Come on, Fred's smart enough to understand a wolf saying he's hungry." There was a pause, then she added, "I'm not saying you *have* to eat at our place. I'm just saying you can." As if she'd guessed he might be more concerned with feeling self-conscious, than hungry.
"I'd rather eat at my place. And sleep there, too." He was not sulking, he told himself.
"Don't sulk. I don't want you staying by yourself. Do we have to go through this argument again?"
He reminded himself he was arguing with a mom. She was used to stubborn and used to winning. But he couldn't just let it go. "It isn't like I don't know how to take care of myself. Been doing it for years."
"You're the one who said you got into trouble because you were alone."
"Nothing I couldn't get myself back out of. I'm here aren't I?"
"You're saying that the time you were out sick for a week right after the full moon was a coincidence?"
"Would you believe food poisoning?"
"Not really. You came back sporting a bandage on your right forearm."
"That could've happened to anyone," he muttered.
"Anyone with paws instead of hands?"
He glared at her.
"So you're staying at my place tonight." She sounded like she'd won the argument.
"I'm not sleeping in the kids' room."
"Was the couch OK? I noticed you vacuumed it; thanks. Do you want me to call Fred and have him set something out for you? I don't know what's in the freezer...."
"Faith," he said breaking into her questions. "Chill."
She glanced at him almost guiltily. "Sorry. I'm just wanna make sure you're OK."
"I'm fine, I'm great. It's not like this is a new thing for me, y'know. I've been doing this all my life."
She gave him another look, then said quietly, "You really don't wanna come over, do you?"
He sighed. "I appreciate the concern, Faith, really. No offense, but I'm not thrilled about playing family dog for your kids."
"Then you won't mind if I stop by your place tonight and check on you?"
It was a fair compromise. And, truth be told, he did like the feeling of having someone worry about him. Not that he'd ever admit. "Guess I can't stop you," he grudgingly grumbled.
From the way she half-grinned at him, he figured she knew exactly how he felt.
"5-5 David, suspicious man reported at 115 Dugan. Woman requests 5-5 David respond to the call."
"Great, just great! It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?"
"I thought you liked Ms. Murphy," Yokas said, grinning, before she acknowledged the call.
Bosco just gave her a disgusted look.
***************
They arrived to find Ms. Murphy waiting for them, as usual.
"Oh, thank god you're here!" she exclaimed as soon as they'd gotten out of the squad. She went over to Yokas and took her arm. "It was horrible!"
"What is it this time?" Bosco asked sarcastically. "Freddy Kruger?"
"Oh, no, of course not! Freddy Kruger is fiction!" She gave Bosco a look of scorn, before turning back to Yokas with real fear in her eyes. "I saw it last night, but I didn't remember until just now! He must have hypnotised me or something."
"Who did, Ms. Murphy?" Yokas asked patiently.
"If she says Count Dracula, I'm outta here," Bosco muttered.
Yokas gave him a dark look, but the frightened woman nodded. "Not him, of course - but one of them! It was, I remember his eyes and his fangs...."
Yokas stared at her in amazement, then shot a querying look at Bosco.
"Not my department."
She turned back to Ms. Murphy. "Could you.. describe him?"
Yokas made notes as Ms. Murphy earnestly described the dark, mysterious figure who snuck into her locked house and made unseemly advances, threatening to bite her neck then bewitching her into forgetting it all. Yokas kept a straight face throughout and promised to let her know if they found the man. Vampire.
Finally they left, with Yokas reassuring Ms. Murphy that the vampire wasn't likely to return.
"Wish there was some way to cut off her cable."
"Be nice," she scolded. Then she gave him a worried look. "Bos--"
"What?"
She glared at him. "Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm asking. Are vampires real?"
"How the hell would I know if they were?"
"Excuse me? You're a werewolf, aren't you?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well you're both mythical creatures. Don't you keep track of each other or something?"
Bosco rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah. We all get a newsletter, and go to conventions once a year."
"Gimme a break, Bosco. I've known about this for what, two days now? Cut me some slack while I get caught up. Which, may I remind you, involves you actually answering my questions instead of rolling your eyes at me."
"Well, don't ask stupid questions then."
"How am I supposed to know what's stupid question until I ask?" She gave him a look, shaking a finger at him briefly before returning her hand to the wheel. "Don't think I don't know you're being this way to make me stop asking questions at all."
He was silent for a moment. "Don't like being treated like a freak," he finally said.
"You're not a freak, Bosco. You're different. I just... I just wanna know. I don't like the idea that there's a million new things about my partner that I don't have a clue about."
"I'm still the same guy, Yokas. The only thing you didn't know is that I happen to change into a wolf three nights a month."
"So the thing about silver bullets isn't true?"
"They'll kill me. So will ordinary bullets."
"And bad pastrami?"
"Is still usually lunch."
She rolled her eyes at him, but fell silent. Bosco was about to be thankful for it, hoping they could get back to doing their job and leaving the interrogations for the criminals, when Yokas spoke up again.
"So, have you ever thought about joining the K-9 unit?"
the end