Tick Tock Part Three - Dock

The Talk

Reed groaned and threw himself down on the curved sofa in the bar, closing his eyes as he quietly fumed over the shitty day he'd had. Breakfast with Chloe and seeing Nines back in one piece aside, it had been pretty fucking low. After meeting with Dr Marr about the incident, Fowler had decided it would be best to place him on leave for a week. Proper leave. As in, he wasn't allowed within ten feet of the precinct for seven fucking days! Nines too. What the phck am I supposed to do for seven phcking days? It was torture already. On top of that, he'd had to meet up with Perkins at the FBI headquarters to go through everything again.

He hated going to official looking places at the best of times, but doing it without his usual leather safety net had been unnerving. He'd dressed casually, as usual, the clothes clean and in one piece at least, but stepping onto that shiny floor with the tiled FBI seal had been uncomfortable. Everything and everyone had looked so official. Identification cards, expensive suits, exotic potted plants, and plaques and pictures scattered smartly across the walls. His shoulders had tensed the moment he set foot in the echoing lobby full of busy people. The guiding hand on his shoulder had given him some reassurance. Nines...

"Detective Reed! Nines!" Colin's voice called, the click of expensive heels signalling his arrival. They were the ones Chloe had given him for Christmas. Shiny and new. He looked every bit the part of a young, upcoming FBI agent. His suit that day was navy blue, with a black shirt beneath his waistcoat for a change. "It's good to see you both, are you alright?" he asked with a hint of his usual anxiousness. It was sort of cute. His hazel eyes ran over both of them, pausing to analyse the yellowing mark on Reed's temple before sweeping down to Nines' now replaced and fully functional arm.

"I have been fully repaired." Nines had held his arm up for inspection, and Reed added his own grumbled agreement that he was fine. After a brief interface, Colin led the way, pausing every so often as he noticed Reed looking at the various plaques and pictures. It was pretty interesting, and he even recognised a few of the cases mentioned. There was one from a joint FBI and DPD task force tackling a red ice ring. The one that had gotten Hank his promotion all those years ago. There were the Johnson murders, a family that had been killed in their home. That was a case Reed and Jack had been working their asses off on when the FBI had swooped in to claim jurisdiction. Shit like that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He also paused to take a look at Perkin's modest section, letting out a low whistle as he eyed the long list that spanned over three decades. Perkins had been with the FBI since graduation, it seemed, and he'd risen consistently since then to become the leader of his own small department. Reed couldn't help but notice that his progress had stalled since then though. It was only as he'd entered the small pen that he'd realised why. Upon entering, he saw Perkins in his element. He was standing with two younger agents, fresh-faced and eager for his seasoned input. He was explaining something to them about the papers and they were hanging onto his every word. His sharp eyes had looked a lot softer than usual as he'd raised them to check they understood, and then they were walking back to their desks, talking loudly across the pen. A few months back, Reed would have expected Perkins to yell at them to be quiet and get on with their work, but he simply huffed with his hands on his hips. He'd discarded his jacket, and his tie looked a little looser than usual, too. Perkins was relaxed and at home. He hadn't risen any higher because he'd found his place, a lot like Hank. Having his own small team in his own small section was enough.

"Detective Reed, Detective Nines." Perkins' business face fell back into place as he approached and took Reed's hand in a firm grasp. He looked him over carefully, likely assessing whether he was up to the questioning they needed to get through. "Step into my office. It's quieter up there." He led the way through the small space and up a few steps into one of the smart offices overlooking the pen. Colin took his place at Perkin's shoulder as Nines and Reed sat in the comfortable chairs before the large mahogany desk. A notepad had already been set down ready to take notes and Colin was recording as always. "When you're ready, just start at the beginning," Perkins invited patiently as he sat back.