End of Watch

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Judas Carmichael hated rain. He also hated the orc that stood in groups across the street from him. It didn't help that his partner belonged to the same social class as they did. It also didn't help that the orc group hated his partner. 
They were throwing up gang signs behind the other man's back, pretending to shoot at him and it wasn't the first or the last time they would do it. 
"Hey, Ruvik!" He barked, finally tired of standing in one place while the other man decided whether he wanted an orc burger or a bronto thigh. Both smelled like death. "Today, please! Geez, I swear four elves have died in the time it's taking you to decide on that garbage."

Her power flowed through him, giving his veins a bright blue glow. For a moment he couldn't breathe. This had never happened, not even back in his time. His body had never reacted so strongly to a Bright before. It made him weak and yet powerful in the same moment. He didn't know what to do with the feeling. "Go." He whispered in Viola's ear after a long moment. "We shall meet again."
His human partner grabbed for her and all but chucked her over his shoulder. The last thing the little elf would see was Kandomere spread out his arms so the orcs could check him for weapons, the lines of veins stretching under his skin visible and now black.

"Okay." Molly said distractedly. "But why don't you call him first?" She was looking around the room, almost as if she were missing a part of herself.

Viola had her eyes screwed shut once they were outside. It felt like the past few days had been someone else’s life. She was Viola Vermont, her days were about shopping, or sitting in her library reading about whatever she chose. 

“Are you okay?” Ruvik asked uncertainly when he saw how distracted his human lover was. “Did you leave something behind?” He added, a rough thumb brushing the back of her smooth hand gently.

"I dunno what the boss sees in you, girl." Her new ward said as he tossed her into the seat and strapped her in. "Fucking Banks don't open till morning and he's too weak. What the hell did you do to him?"

Molly gave him a shocked look, surprised he noticed. "I...it's stupid. Where is your phone? We'll call your partner."

“I didn’t do anything!” Viola insisted, feigning fatigue as she wiped at her eyes, wanting to mask how badly she wished to cry right then. “Whatever is happening is all on him! He started all this when he kidnapped me!”

Ruvik nodded to the nightstand where his phone had been charging, though didn’t let go of Molly’s hand. “Nothing is stupid if it’s imortant to you.”

"From the story I heard, Missy, you ran away." The human reminded her with a scowl. "Go ahead and cry little girl. You can't make it with the big dogs."
He reached for his phone and dialed Celia's number, staring at the building where he'd left his partner.

"I just wanted to know what happened to the wand. I don't remember dropping it and I...was worried we left it behind. Not that...." Molly tucked her hair behind her ears.

“You’re under the impression I want anything to do with... the big dogs!” Viola hissed.
“You took your sweet ass time!” Cerlia’s voice hissed, though it sounded strange, like she was concentrating on something else as she spoke to him.

“Molly, look at me.” Ruvik was worried by how the wand had the young woman so easily distracted. “We will find the wand. I promise.”

"Your daughter has made a huge problem for him. He needs a Bright to come and fix it. The banks don't open for sixteen hours and there's no way in hell I'm leaving him in with...are you listening to me?" He snapped.

"I...saw something when I was touching it the last time. I don't think that elf lied to us. I think...I think he made that one from a human spine." Molly confessed, waiting for Ruvik to laugh at her.

Celia had her phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear as she spoke to her human counterpart. “What did she do now?!” She snapped, though her voice was laced with pain as she dug the bullet from her chest.

Ruvik didn’t laugh, quite the opposite. The well built orc actually turned somewhat pale. “He... he can do that?”

"she fucking kissed him!" The man named Montehugh was beyond upset now. "He's got black streaks in his skin! He was sick. I had to leave him with the orcs." 

Molly didn't know how to respond. She nodded slowly. "Her name was Jenny...she...looked like me. When I touched the wand I saw it...her...the orc guy...she called Jervik. They loved each other." Molly's voice broke. She didn't want to say more. She didn't want to believe. None of this was in the books.

“What?” Celia stopped what she was doing, her attention now completely on the conversation, despite the blood dripping down her chest. “Why did she kiss him?” She asked thinly. “Why are there orcs involved at all?!”

Ruvik was quick to pull Molly into his arms and squeeze her tightly. “He won’t get the chance to do it again. He has no magick without a bright like you, right?”

Montehugh rubbed at his beard and sighed deeply. "Look...you have a wand right? Get the fuck here and fix this and I'll explain it then. All I know is he's in deep shit if they start figuring shit out. And with those marks they will. Get your ass here!"

"It's not me I'm worried about." Molly confessed, resting her head in his shoulder. "Did you know Jervik wasn't really a Bright...it was Jenny. As the wand she gave him the power he needed to defeat the dark lord?"

The line went dead, and no more than a few seconds later, Celia was banging a fist on the driver side window, a hand still pressed to her wound, and her face looked somewhat ashen from the blood loss. “You were supposed to protect him.” She snarled.

“How did no one know that?” Ruvik asked, his voice low, as though afraid any loud mouse would startle to soft creature in his arms and have running far away from him.

"You know him. When he gets something in his head there's no stopping him." Montehugh snorted, shoving open his door. "Somehow the orcs got your kid and he went to get her back. They got the idea that he was married to her, made him kiss her. Wants him to pay more money in exchange for her."

"I don't think Jervik wanted anyone to know." Molly whispered. "I'm not sure."

“And you let him?” Celia grunted as she got into the car. “You should have gone back in there and...” her vice coed off as she finally glanced at her daughter. “What the fuck happened to her ear?!” She demanded, her eyes now narrowed at Montehugh.

“He was ashamed?” Ruvik asked sadly. “Wanted the glory?”

"You can fix that too, right? Fucking orcs got blade happy on us. He was pissed off. Practically shaking. Are you no good? Mother fucker...we can't leave him there..." Montehugh muttered, talking at a mile a minute as he always did.

"I don't think she let him. I think she sealed his lips. His rage fueled the battle but when it was all over...the wand was burried and he...he forgot her." Molly blinked back tears. The thought was now eating her alive.

“Yeah, I can fox your shit, like always.” Celia growled. “Shit... I left you for one fucking day, and you let this happen?!”

Ruvik hugged Molly even tighter, suddenly quite afraid. What if his was a new war? Would she make him forget her too once it was over?

"Then get in there and do it!" Montehugh snapped, his phone vibrated and he turned away, waving at her to get on with it.

Molly jumped hard when the cellphone began to ring, a roaring orc melody. It was enough to have her crawling away from him.

Celia continued to glare at Montehugh, half tempted to use the wand and turn him in a squealing piglet, as that was how he acted. 
Viola was trying very hard to pretend like she wasn’t there. Celia scared her, and she didn’t want the elder woman even glancing in her direction. All she wanted was to be somewhere safe with her new human lover.

Ruvik was pretty sure he whined like a child when Molly removed herself from close proximity. “What?” He growled down the phone, now in a very bad mood.

Montehugh slammed his phone back into his pocket, his ruddy face now red. "The orc gangs have a wand. He's gonna have a fit when he finds out. We've got to deal with that first. Get in." He added with a growl.

Ruvik was hearing the same thing from his partner. The human didn't sound too happy about this news at all. "Where are you? Stupid shit is happening and I need back up, damn it."

“You can’t take her back to them!” Celia snapped. “You take her somewhere safe, I’ll fix this.”

“Me?! Where the hell are you?!” Ruvik hissed. “You were supposed to be bringing the elf to my place, then you both disappeared, no word or nothin’!”

"Not hardly. I was trained for this shit. You take her home before you screw something else up and I'll go get the wand. When she's safe, you come back for him!" Montehugh barked. 

"The elf ditched me. I got a call from her dad thanking me for bringing her home safe. After all those crocidile tears she went back to him. Look, are you coming or not? I'm doing my job and you're sitting on your ass!" Judas shouted.

“Trained for this shit?! You’re the one who just left him there!” Celia practically screeched before the back of the slender hand connected with Montehugh’s face. “Get your shit together by the time I’m back.”

Ruvik was frowning, Judas’ words seeming to sound so wrong to him. “She... just went back? Just like that?”

"Bitch." Montehugh muttered, tossing Celia the keys and making a show of reloading his gun. 

"Damn it, Ruvik! I don't have time to chat! Get the hell back here! These orcs are gunning each other down over a piece of wood!"

“You wish that’s all I was.” Celia snarled before the tyres squealed and she and her daughter disappeared down the road. 

Ruvik was staring through the doorway Molly had walked through, for the first time hating his job. “Give me ten minutes, I’ll be there.” He assured his partner reluctantly. “Just...try not to get killed, okay? That’s paperwork I don’t need.”

Judas was waiting for Ruvik when he got there. The street was littered with bodies, blood, and ruined cars. Not to mention debris. 
"Fucking morons tried to pick that thing up and took out half a city block." Judas grunted. He too looked liked he'd come through hell. He was barely on his feet.

Ruvik only took the briefest of glances around before he shoved his partner behind cover when he saw the mess he was in. “And you thought it wise to take them all on alone?!”

"I wasn't alone. Earlier there were four of us and six guys from the magic feds that showed up. It really turned into a shit show then." Judas said, sliding down the side of the car. "They're all gone. Everyone. Just dust and shit, Ruvi. Geez. That thing is still sitting there too..." Judas leaned forward, burying his face in his hands.

Ruvik was quickly trying to process all this information. He felt like none of it was real. “We could really use that elf of yours right about now...” he muttered, not wanting to bring Molly into this at all. He had seen how badly she had wanted to get back to a wand. In all honesty, it had deeply worried him. “You stay here... I’ll... I dunno, figure out some way to grab it.”

"Are you nuts? It's out in the open and there are people gathering in the buildings nearby. They had guns, Ruvi, big ones. We need to be smarter about this. Maybe call the department and the Feds. Report this first." Judas hissed, grabbing the other man by the belt and dragging him back to the ground.

“Report it and then what? Sit on our asses while we wait for the feds to come be heroes?” Ruvik snorted.