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."

"I have spoken to your captain. I believe that the two of you would be do well on my squad. You will begin. Your training for that tonight. Then I will be moving you over to the night shift. That, of course, comes with a raise in pay." Kandomere said, his eyes never leaving, Ruvik.

Ruvik didn’t like this one bit. It stank worse than the human standing behind Kandomere glaring at the orc. “Let me guess, we don’t have a choice?” He asked, though he knew the money was more than tempting. With more money he could help Molly get wherever it was she wished to be.

"Of course you have a choice." Kandomere said. His tone had taken on a razor sharp edge and this time he was looking at Judas. "As I understand it, two elves have been murdered. I may or may not have the ability to bury evidence that could ruin the life of a certain beat cop." 
"You're fucking shitting me." Judas hissed.
"Oh they'd blame the orc, don't worry about that." Montehugh snorted. 
Judas sighed softly, glancing over at Ruvik. This was his friend. It wasn't fair to make him suffer for his stupidity. Besides, he'd seen the way he looked at Molly. His partner was in love whether he realized it or not. Who was he to break that up? At least someone deserved to be happy.
"A promotion?" He slapped the other man on the back, being careful to keep a smile on his face. "Are we celebrating at the Pancake house in the morning?" He asked with a snort. "Better call that orc girl of yours and tell her not to wait up tonight."

Ruvik’s eyes scanned over Judas’ face, very easily able to tell what the other man was really thinking. He also knew that Judas was hiding his own feelings for a certain elf. “When do we start?” He asked at last, feeling things were going to get much worse before they got better.

By the time morning came, Judas was exhausted. Montehugh and his crew had put the two newest members through hell, promising the coming weeks would be much worse.
They sat in Ruvik's apartment, careful to be quiet so they didn't wake the sleeping blonde curled in the couch. 
"Did you get the feeling they were trying to kill us?" He groaned, rubbed at his sore jaw where Ruvik had hit him aiming for something else.

“Us? They’d never kill you, pretty boy.” Ruvik snorted, though he was smiling as he said it. “Seems like this is all just a way to legitimately kill us and make it look like an accident.” He added as he carefully draped a blanket over Molly.

"You got that feeling too?" Judas asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge. He tossed one at his partner and sighed. "I'm not sure I can do this."

Ruvik caught the beer without looking, and stared down at it for a long moment. “It’s all too... convenient. We discover the wand, and suddenly the feds want us? That’s the sort of thing they would just steal away from cops and pretend they did all by themselves.”

"what's confusin me is that they have the wand already. What do they need us for? Neither of us is a bright. What can we bring to the table?" He asked, downing the bottle practically in one swallow.

Ruvik was watching Molly thoughtfully as he finally took a drink of his beer. “He had both the girls until we interfered... and knew that Inwas somehow involved with Molly. Maybe that elf of yours is the other piece of the puzzle?”

"I would agree but if you'd have seen them kissing..." Judas dropped onto the floor with a soft groan. "Can I crash here until we go to work tomorrow? I can't go home. I don't want to be alone."

“Do you really know what you saw?” Ruvik challenged gently. “Or did you see just enough to set that hot human blood boiling with jealousy?” He added as he set his half empty beer down. “You know you can crash here as long as you want.”

"How would you feel if it were her?" Judas asked. "I mean...she's practically made herself a whore for you. What if you figured you weren't the only one she's screwing?" He muttered, dowing the left over beer.

Ruvik’s good nature and tolerance towards his partner seemed to wear instantly thin with that last remark. “I gave her a place to stay when we failed to protect her home. You wanna sort your own fucking life out before coming in here taking shit like that!”

"don't treat me like I don't know what you're doing." Judas muttered. ,"A girl doesn't wait up all night that for no reason."

“What would you know about that? You fuck them, then leave them!” Ruvik hissed, finally letting his temper bubble. “That’s why you’re so pissed off, thinking the elf got the chance to do it to you first!”

"Go screw yourself. I hope you're aware they're going to kill you first." Judas roared, getting to his feet and stomping to the bathroom. He slammed the door hard enough to wake Molly. 
"Ru...You're okay. I was getting worried." She whispered, rubbing at her eyes. "What happened with the training?"

Ruvik wearily ran his fingers over his head before turning to offer Molly a rather tired smile. “It’s all fine, Judas is just weak like a kitten and needed beer to get past the pain of actually working, instead of sitting on his pretty boy ass.”

"You were right. People came to your apartment and bugged it." Molly said, holding out a handful of small devices. Each of them had been carefully smashed. "Every room had one. Even the bathroom." She watched look over them for a long moment before speaking again. "I went back to the old woman. She said the same thing. She told me that you needed to wake up. Then she said we needed to save the elf. She gave me a paper...I think it's written in orchish. She said this is where she is. She saw it in a dream." She handed the paper to him as well, worried about what would happen next. 
Judas yanked it away from Ruvik, holding it up toward the light. He was also dripping water on it from his shower. "It's a map. You don't need to know orchish to know that. How the hell would anyone know this? It's the zoo. The one they closed down years ago in Harlem."

Ruvik was scowling at his partner, though knew this was not the time to start an argument. “Which elf?” He asked Molly gently, though his gut told him they already knew which one. This was a lot of shit going down all at once. He ran his fingers over his head again, silently worrying what could have happened to Molly if she hadn’t found the bugs.

Molly shook her head. "she didn't say. She just said it was important to find her." 
"When are we going to have time to do that?" Judas snapped. "The feds got our schedule booked for weeks. We aren't going anywhere."
"I could go." Molly suggested. "It would easier for me anyway. Right?"

“You, shut up. You don’t get a say in this.” Ruvik told his partner rather abruptly. “And you,” he began, his voice instantly growing softer. “You honestly think I’m letting you walk into an abandoned zoo where they have an elf held hostage? Have you even thought what they could be doing to her? What they could do to you if they caught you?”

"She's right though. It would be easier for her to get in. And I do get a say in this." Judas shot back. "This is my hell too." 
"If you call in and get caught there, they will know for certain that youre trying to help her. It will look bad. I'm going. It makes sense."

“This has nothing to do with you!” Ruvik hissed as he turned his attention to Judas once more. “If this really is who I think it is, you said it yourself... she’s not yours.”

"so you're saying we just leave an innocent person sitting in there?" Judas muttered. "When did you become so heartless?"

“About the same time you became an asshole, apparently!” Ruvik snapped, tried enough that he wasn’t able to hold his temper all that well any more.

"you're just pissed because I want to send in your little fling. When people figure out what you're doing here they're going to take you out in the street and execute you. Talk about clan bullshit." Judas growled, not backing down.

Ruvik shoved Judas roughly this time, his fists instantly balled up once he had done that. “What the fucknis your problem!? We’re only in all this shit because you had to run off and play hero, and get yourself mixed up in elf politics!”

Judas took a swing at Ruvik, narrowly missing him. "She rescued me. It's the least I can do to return the favor. And screw you."

“Good job on that, you went running the moment you saw something you didn’t even know the meaning of!” Ruvik snarled right back, glad he hadn’t actually finished his one beer as he sidestepped Judas’ attack.