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Iris drove Merlin to work the next day. Her ankle was sprained badly, but luckily it was her left one, so she could still drive. Merlin offered to drive this morning, but she had refused. She had also refused crutches, but at least she was wearing the cast that she had gotten at the hospital after their 'escape.' They didn't talk during the drive. They didn't even listen to music, which had Merlin so on edge that he wanted to punch something, but he let them go on in silence, because he knew that Iris needed it.

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They had always been fairly popular. They were essentially the 'dynamic duo' of the precinct, but now, with everything that had happened, they were followed by stares everywhere. They tried to ignore them. Instead, they went to their regular desks. There looked at each other over the mountains of paperwork that had appeared and sighed quietly. It was going to be a long day.

It was a very long day, and neither one of them was thrilled to be kept later than necessary by their boss. And yet, life's not fair. He called them into his office just as they had been packing up to go home.

They sat down across from him. Elijah Hoffman was a tall, middle-aged man with dark skin, and a shaved head. 

"So." He had the personality of a lion. Regal, but not afraid to lash out if you messed with him. 

"You two idiots managed to get yourselves kidnapped." He had not gone to college, but rather had gone straight into the academy from high school. He had spent seven years as a police officer, five as a detective, and then had rapidly climbed the ranks all the way to Chief Superintendent, where he had decided to stay, despite many more promotions that had practically been shoved at him. Everyone at the station was slightly afraid of him.

"It's not like we were trying." Everyone except Merlin. Hoffman's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Not only did you get yourselves kidnapped, you got an FBI agent kidnapped with you. An FBI agent who is now deceased. Murdered. And while we have your story, we don't have the person who killed him, because you killed her. And don't even get me started on the random dead civilian." Judging by his tone of voice, he was not happy. Merlin was also panicking slightly at what Freya may have put into her report. Realistically, the report couldn't possibly be finished yet, but that didn't stop a billion scenarios from running through his head, each one worse than the last. Because of this, he barely heard it when Hoffman continued speaking.

"Now, I'm presented with a dilemma of sorts. A case has come across my desk that, under normal circumstances, I would give to the two of you. It's just the sort of weird shit you two freaks get off on." Iris didn't even pretend to look offended.

"Under normal circumstances?" she prompted.

"Well, now that you are officially on probation, and I can't do that. So, I am giving this case to detective Abernathy. However-"

"But Abernathy's an idiot!" Iris protested. Hoffman shut her down with a glare, but her sudden yell at least had the benefit of bringing Merlin back to his senses.

"However," he continued. "If you were to glance at the case file while it was on Abernathy's desk, I don't think anybody would protest. And if you were to take a long lunch, because of course, you've been through a lot as of late, no one would think that was odd."

"Sir," Merlin said cautiously. "Are you giving us permission to steal Abernathy's case?" Hoffman's face was thunderous, but there was a glint in his eye.

"I am doing no such thing! That would be completely unprofessional, and show obvious signs of favoritism. I am simply laying out a set of circumstances." He looked both of them in the eye, one by one. "Understood." They nodded, and Merlin went from worried to very excited.

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