grumpymusings

[grumpymusings]

Her words were sweet and he appreciated them more than he could ever say. She really was a good lass, and he wished he had more people like her on his team. If only.

By the time they reached the station, the car park was filled. He drove into the garage, finding his way to his designated spot. He slipped out with her as they chatted, not even noticing who pulled into the garage behind them. It was Kim. The bastard saw them together, wandering for the lifts to head upstairs, and parked his car before taking out his phone to text another coworker.

Before long, the rumors would be spreading like wildfire.

She was unreasonably pleased that she’d managed to surprise him. She’d keep him on his toes. Honestly, she wasn’t looking for a relationship with anyone, but she could do a lot worse than Daniel Hegarty.

“I know you won’t let anything happen to me. I’ll do my best to not let anything happen to you, either. I’ve got your back, no matter what. I’m going to work my way back to DI. I can’t do that if I’m not a team player. I want to be a good cop. I have good critical thinking skills, even if I do have a bit of an impulse control problem. One day, I plan to be sitting in Claudia Mayhew’s chair.”

She leaned back in the comfortable seat and closed her eyes. They weren’t that far from the station, but it might be her last chance to relax for the rest of the day.

[grumpymusings]

It's a good thing they hadn't left their parking spot yet, otherwise his shoe would have immediately touched the brake. Swallowing thickly, he glimpsed her way with a look of pure shock.

"You're a constant surprise, aren't you, lass? Jesus, fuck."

As they drove off, he slowly began to relax. Eventually, he even found the brain power to continue speaking. He added, "You're welcome for all of it. We take care of our own. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. That's a promise."

His words brought a loud chuckle to her lips. “You’re sixty-one? Only a few years older than the last guy I dated. Not that he was an ideal partner. Far from it. A right wanker, as it happens. But that’s neither here nor there. Age is just a number, Daniel. Attraction is subjective.”

She was not ready to open the can of worms that was her ex. It wasn’t exactly fresh, but much like his stomach, it was still tender. One day, she’d be ready to talk about Christian Stratton. Today was not that day.

“Thank you for the breakfast, Daniel. And thank you for cleaning me up and giving me a place to stay last night. It’s appreciated more than you could know.”

[grumpymusings]

His head tilted as he watched her, endlessly amused with her words. He chuckled, eventually replying, "I'm sixty-one, Lennox. You're only, what, thirty-six, thirty-seven now? Let me know how you feel when you finally get to that age, alright?"

He waved over their server, asking for the check. He paid for their breakfast, leaving a nice tip, and tucked his phone away in his pocket. It had been sitting on the table between them. God forbid he left the fucking restaurant without it.

"Either way, whether you're independent or not, it doesn't matter. Let me be nice to you this morning. I think you deserve it after the day you had yesterday. You're a good officer. You obviously don't hear those words often enough, Glasgow shit-show aside, of course."

Later, as they left the restaurant together, he wondered how things would go with Bobby. Hopefully, he would be alright during their talk. The grandparents as well. They were all suffering right now.

“You knew my parents. What are the chances they raised me to be anything other than a strong, independent woman? No, I’m not used to having anyone take care of me. It goes against the grain.”

She sat back in her seat and studied him a bit. “Not my best idea, no, but it was necessary. Hopefully, we’ll have a quiet day after traumatizing Bobby in his interview.”

With a sigh, she gave him a grin. “You aren’t that old, Weeg. You’re at least ten years younger than my mam and da. They had me later in life than they would have liked. But they gave me a good life, at least for the time we had da.”

[grumpymusings]

( for @grumpymusings. ❤️ )

[grumpymusings]

"No," he said, feeling strangely indignant. "I don't care what anyone else thinks. We know the truth, so... Fuck everybody else. All I'm thinking about here is your comfort. Now, I know you're teasing, but the point remains. You broke your nose last night. You're feeling like hell today. Let me just... take care of you, alright? When's the last time you let someone do that, eh? You don't seem like the type for it."

He genuinely harrumphed before returning to his food. He managed a chuckle, though, and glanced her way just as he finished his meal.

"I'll admit, it wasn't your best idea. But I told you last night, it wasn't a situation that could have had things go any differently. I wasn't of much use. I was too... sore. I'm old, sneckie. I've been through it lately and yesterday was a bit much. You did what you had to."

“Maybe you should drop me off a block or so away, so people don’t see me getting out of your car,” she laughed. “That’s all we’d need, add to the gossip fire. Great. I knew this would be all over the station already. By the way, where is the doctor’s office? I don’t think I saw that on the mini-tour I was given yesterday. Of course, I didn’t expect to be working a major case ten minutes into my first day, either.”

She finished up her tea, and stacked her dishes neatly. She’d been a waitress once, and she knew how to properly stack a set of dishes. “You know, she’s not wrong. Things could have gone much worse yesterday. A couple of easy days wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for you.”

[grumpymusings]

He was lost for a little while, unsure of how to respond to her sweet words. She was such a darling, and he didn't understand how on earth he had ever gotten this lucky. It wasn't fair, really. He didn't deserve it, but he wouldn't overlook the opportunity to enjoy this.

"I'm fine with that, you know," he said sometime later. "Curling up with you to keep the autumn chill away. I think I could get used to this."

And wasn't that saying a lot? He swallowed the lump in his throat, turning instead to see her face. Then he continued. "I don't mind any of it, actually. I can handle this shit if I'm not alone anymore. Now I've got you. To hell with the rest. Thanks, love."

-----

"I like a good cuddle," she confessed. "And as Autumn starts to settle in, we might need a few more cuddles, y'know, to keep the chill away."

She laughed as he caught her thumb with his, enjoying that he was teasing her even if he was cheating a little with his long digits.

"I think I might be able to enjoy the colours a bit more this year," she meant because she got to share it with him. Things always seemed better when you had company, friends.

"Luck is definitely on our side, so maybe we'll get that fancy meal too. Until then though, I'm happy with your little stove and whatever we can find. S'long as it comes with your company."

[grumpymusings]

He made a face at her words before rolling his eyes, almost teasingly, and reaching for a fork. She was almost too much. After a forkful of eggs, he dared to respond.

"No, I don't. Not unless it's absolutely necessary, of course. Wouldn't it be a bit worrisome for you and I if I told Claudia that you'd spent the night at my house? On your very first day as well? She would assume something happened between us last night."

He laughed, eyes softening. Reaching for his coffee, he added, "We aren't in trouble at all. On the contrary, she was just warning me that the entire station's well aware of what took place last night, and she wanted to know if you were alright. And myself as well, actually. She cares."

He snorted after a wee sip. "She's convinced I'm one case or one criminal away from being back in the hospital. She's probably not wrong. But here we are, regardless. I'll heal and everything will be fine."

Davina pushed her empty plate aside, gingerly resting her chin on her hand as she listened to his side of the conversation. He was lying right to the ACC in front of her. Not only lying, but leaving out critical details, such as her spending the night at his home. Nice move putting Lisa’s name in though.

She waited until he hung up, and she picked up her lukewarm tea for a sip. “Do you make it a habit of lying to your superior officer, DCI Hegarty?” Her voice was teasing, and she understood why he did it. At least she thought she did.

“What did she want? Are we in trouble?”

[grumpymusings]

"You're certainly right, love. There's beauty to be found here as well. Like this, right here," he said, smiling to himself. "Never thought I'd be having a lazy morning with a friend ever again. Or a cuddle. It's the end of Summer, though. Autumn's coming. We'll see those pretty colors soon enough, won't we?"

Snickering softly, he captured her thumb with his, just to be a teasing little twat, before lacing his fingers through hers. It was something sweet, something he hadn't felt in over a year. His heart was hammering away in his chest.

"We're survivors, you and I. We're gonna be okay. Eventually, I'll come across some ingredients for a wonderful meal. If I can make something out of nothing, luck has to be on my side, right? I'm good at that."

-----

"Mm."

She hummed softly, closing her eyes as he toyed with her fingers, the sound of his voice and the rumble of his chest against her ear soothing her.

"I suppose that is a blessing. At least we were in the middle of nowhere when it all went down, probably what saved us. But we can still try and find as much beauty here as we can, yeah?"

She brushed her thumb against his lightly.

"We can hope, yeah? Maybe we'll get lucky and find some actual ingredients and stuff."

[grumpymusings]

Before he had a chance to comment, she was telling him that his phone was buzzing. Sighing, he reached into his pocket for it. It was Claudia.

When he answered it, she immediately began speaking. "You alone, Dan?"

He glanced Davina's way, looking her in the eyes as he replied, "Yeah, I'm alone. Why wouldn't I be? I'm not home anymore. Lisa came by last night to check on me, and I decided to treat myself to a proper breakfast before coming in. What is it?"

Trust. It was a huge sign of trust.

"Good," she said. "You had a tough day yesterday. I saw what happened last night. The whole station knows, and it's even made its way to my floor. You know, if you were in any worse shape, I think you'd be back in the hospital. DS Lennox had to drive you home? Jesus, Dan. Is she alright? An officer on the scene said her face was rather bloodied up. She did well, though."

He sighed, setting his fork aside. "Yeah, she did. I took care of her. Her nose is probably broken. She's alright, though. Strong as hell. She's Scottish, Claudia. What more could you expect?"

She laughed at that, genuinely amused. "You're ridiculous, you know? I'm just glad she's okay. And what about you?"

He coughed, not having expected that. "I'm fine, lass. I always am. I'll see you later, okay? I'll be in soon enough. Thanks for calling, though. I appreciate it."

“You didn’t elbow me in the face, you know. None of this is your fault. It’s totally on me. I’m the one that made the mad decision to stop and help that girl. And I’ll tell you this, I’d do it again.”

She finished off the tomatoes and mushrooms, and the fried bread, then turned back to her sandwich. She could hear a faint buzzing. Her mouth was only slightly full. “Your pocket is buzzing.”

[grumpymusings]

"Yeah, well. I've got a soft spot for the weans. That part isn't exactly news. Everyone fucking knows I'm a father and I care about children. Can't help myself. You met my daughter... You get it."

He chuckled then, amused as he cast a soft glance her way. He ate a few more bites before speaking again.

"That's a good idea, by the way you. The doctor will sort you out. I'd like to make sure you'll be able to breathe in the future. I'm just... sorry you're in pain, that's all. Maybe they can prescribe something a bit stronger, aye? You might need it for a few days."

She’d taken a healthy bite of her bap, the bacon sending its healing force through her. “God, that’s good. And the recommendations would be greatly appreciated.”

“I can keep a secret, you know. Your cold, hard reputation is safe with me. But, to be honest, a lot of people saw Bobby slip his hand into yours yesterday. You just may have been rumbled, boss.”

The tomatoes and mushrooms were perfection. She’d have to remember this place as well. “I think when we get to the station, I’ll go straight to the doc’s office, just to get my nose checked out.”

[grumpymusings]

Unable to help himself, his free hand fell to play with her fingers as they rested across his belly. He hummed in agreement.

"I bet everything's still gorgeous there. This time of year, a lot of the trees have begun to turn deep reds and vibrant oranges. It's a beautiful sight. Too bad we aren't there, instead. To be fair, though, there are (or were, rather) more people, so it's probably for the best. I'm glad I'm here with you, at any rate."

He sighed softly, eyes falling shut. "Maybe one day I'll be able to whip you up a genuine meal, eh? I'd like that very much."

-----

"That does sound good. Absolutely something that I would enjoy."

It was cozy here, wrapped up like this with companionship and human contact. With Cal specifically, she thought as he curled an arm around her. She didn't think she'd be this close to someone else in this position. They'd only just met and yet he made her feel safe. Which was astounding really. But she wasn't about to push that away.

"It probably is still gorgeous though," she replied after some time. "The trees are the same, the blossoms, the flowers. Some of the beauty would still be there even if it's not the same anymore."

[grumpymusings]

"Do me a favor, yeah? Stop pegging me. As a certain type of man, that is. You are terrifyingly perceptive, and it's worrisome."

They knew each other well enough by now. Fox would understand that those words meant something to him, that he would keep them tucked close to the heart on the loneliest of nights. It was kind of him to say.

As he sipped at his hot coffee, he glanced back at Foxy again. "But you are a clown, I'll give you that, mate. But a good-hearted one, and I will say that for you. Thank you."

-----

"I'm a clown but I'm a nice one. Even if I am surprisingly and terrifyingly," he flashed him a wink. "Perceptive sometimes."

Foxy wasn't here to judge. People walked a line and sometimes they were on the right side and sometimes they weren't. But if you tried to be on the right side more than the wrong then that counted.

"Listen, you're not perfect and never will be, who of us is? But what you have to remember is fundamentally humans are flawed. We're all stupid sometimes but you're trying and that means something, even if you never forgive yourself. And I'm not here to judge that, forgiveness is hard, I know, especially when it's yourself. But you're heading in the right direction."

[grumpymusings]

There was a certain look in his eye as he chuckled to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. She was utterly ridiculous. He finished a bite of his eggs, pensive now as he thought about her words.

"I'll give you a list, shall I? All the local spots, places where you can eat with fair prices and delicious food. Remind me." He sipped at his coffee, eyes resting on her. As he continued, he set the warm, steaming mug aside and shrugged. "Affinity's rather dangerous, you know? I have a reputation to uphold. I'm a cold, hard man, and you're liable to ruin that for me one of these days."

She pondered those words, but she decided not to ask him about that just yet. She was almost certain things would be revealed in due time.

“I’ll be honest. I don’t know why I have such an affinity for you. But I do, and I know I can learn a lot about being a cop from you. It doesn’t really matter to me what happened before. We can’t change the past, and I’m not going to judge you on yours. You have the choice to determine your future. You determine the man you’ll be from this moment on.”

The food came out in short order. “Your salmon and eggs look amazing. But I’m still dying for this bacon bap. I noticed it wasn’t on the menu, but do you know anywhere local where I can get white pudding? I’m craving the home comforts.”

[grumpymusings]

❝ the white wolf ❞

“I know that time Has numbered my days. And I'll go along With everything you say.”

(This story is from twitter and has migrated here. This was the final reply, and this was how it all began.)

For now, the plan was to remain in Mesopotamia, for a time, and to make their way through the sea of people, wandering in crowds to keep away from the light. Shadows were easier to manage. If they played this game correctly, they may yet return to Greece. She deserved it.

Mesopotamia was a land of varied cultures whose only real bonds were their script, their gods, and their attitude towards women. They could blend in here. It would be alright. He felt that to be true.

"We will weather this storm, little doe." Petros' eyes were on Mila as they walked along, eventually making their way to a rural village area. They were both suffering from the heartache of a lost loved one, but their grief and mourning were at least shared. They had each other. He refused to think about how such a carefully created Empire would be torn apart now that Alexander was gone. Was still being torn apart, even. He knew. Men were filled with hatred and greed, little else seemed important, and Alexander was the only one to ever bring them together.

@wastelandfairy

[grumpymusings]

Peter Capaldi as DCI Daniel Hegarty CRIMINAL RECORD (2024-)

[grumpymusings]

His expression softened a bit as she spoke and he chuckled at the haggis comment. Before he could say anything, though, their server came by with coffee and water for the table. He thanked the young lass and turned back to Davina after.

"You're..." He trailed off, scratching his cheek. "Well, you're probably the only person who's seen me in quite a long time, Davina. And it's only been a day and a bit. I'm afraid of what things will be like even just a month from now. Scary thought, right?"

His head tilted a bit, expression growing thoughtful. "Thanks, though. Yesterday might've been a lot but it woke me up. I've been asleep for far too long and it was about time something was done about that."

Davina let out a short bark of laughter when he said what he did about seeing right through him. “I’m not trying to change you. As you said, I barely know you. But I’ve already formed a pretty strong opinion of you, and you aren’t nearly as big a hardass as you seem to think you are. Tell me when I’m telling lies.”

She’d seen how he was with Bobby, and with his daughter. There was a story there, she was sure of it. But she wouldn’t ask. It wasn’t her business. Just like she wouldn’t “google” him online. He deserved to be judged honestly and fairly and she couldn’t do that if she had preconceived notions about him.

“Fine. You can pay. Dammit, I should have gone for the full Scottish. I haven’t had haggis in a while.”

[grumpymusings]

He ordered smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for himself, with a cup of coffee and a glass of water on the side. After the waitress wandered off, however, he turned his attention back to Davina and sighed.

"Listen," he said quietly, "I'm going to have to politely ask you to stop seeing right fucking through me. It's quite tiresome, and I've known you for about a day at this point, give or take a few hours. I'm not a fan of it. I'm a certain way. Just let me be how I am, okay? You can't teach an old dog new tricks and all that rot. And pfft, I didn't care what you said. I planned on paying for the two of us, anyway. So, just let me. It's only fair. After all, you paid for our coffee and sweets yesterday while we were out."

She waited till they sat down before she threw his own words back at him. “So fucking tired and sore, huh? And you’re going to give me grief about taking some fucking paracetamol?” She really had to curb her tongue around him. She was already entirely too comfortable in expressing herself.

She opted for tea instead of coffee, and a bacon bap with a side of beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and fried bread. She had a huge appetite and she wasn’t afraid to show it. “I was kidding about this being your treat. I know I eat enough for three people. I don’t expect you to pay for my meal. I should treat you since you took care of me last night.”