Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Feb 23, 2008 1:41:55 GMT
“We should all just be glad you can’t have beer while you’re on your medication,” Chris had quipped lazily, taking a swig from his own bottle after dealing the hand, giving a lopsided smirk that prompted a roll of his partner’s eyes and a chuckle in the other men at the table. “And you’re not getting the crappy cards. Mark’s just getting the best ones. It’s not my fault he has some kind of crazy Poker powers.”
Mark laughed outright at that, almost a melodramatic cackle, collecting his cards with a grin as he said, “That’s right, my friend, and don’t you forget it.”
“Not that you’re cocky or anything,” Kevin mumbled, shrugging when Mark shot a ‘glare’ in his direction.
Chris busied himself with setting Sarah’s cards in her hand for her, managing to do so, once again, without seeing what she held, and then went right back to organising his own hand.
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Sarah
Human
Departed
If it takes my whole life, I won't break, I won't bend
Posts: 290
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Post by Sarah on Mar 7, 2008 15:51:50 GMT
"Yeah, because I drink so much beer when I'm not on medication," Sarah retorted, poking Chris lightly. "You know I hate that garbage."
She gave Mark a playfully suspicious look. "Crazy poker powers, huh....Mark, what would it take to convince you to impart your secrets?" She glanced at her cards, then did a double take, green eyes widening slightly. "No, really. I'm not above bribery at this point."
In point of fact, she was holding three sixes. But damn if she wasn't going to try to bluff at least once tonight.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Mar 29, 2008 3:26:12 GMT
“Careful,” Chris warned, setting his bottle down on its coaster, the set having clearly originated from some bar in one corner of Los Angeles or another, no doubt an impromptu and drunken ‘gift’ from one of the Gunmen, “the beer might hear you.” He even lowered his voice conspiratorially, as if it were all some big plot, prompting a smile from Kevin, at least.
“Ah, Sarah, those are secrets that I’ll be taking to my grave,” Mark sighed dramatically, smoothing his hand of cards into a neat stack, setting them face down just before him on the round table, reaching to take a small handful of chips to set beside him so he could snack while he played. “You should know that by now.”
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Sarah
Human
Departed
If it takes my whole life, I won't break, I won't bend
Posts: 290
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Post by Sarah on Apr 11, 2008 23:16:01 GMT
"Ooh, I'm scared," Sarah taunted, reaching for a potato chip. "What's the beer gonna do, drown me in my sleep?"
At Mark's comment, she turned to him with what could best be described as a woobie expression. "Aw, c'mon Mark, pleeeeeease? I'll give you all the dirt on Erica you could possibly need." With a grin, and impudently sparkling eyes, she added, "Hell, I'll even give you some decent blackmail material to use on Tyler, if you ever need it." She caught Chris's eye and offered him a mischievous smile.
True, Sarah probably had some of the only knowledge in the world that could even come close to being blackmail-worthy where her beloved partner was concerned, but she wouldn't honestly give it up. That didn't mean she couldn't try to make him sweat a tiny bit, however.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on May 11, 2008 20:29:58 GMT
Chris had shrugged at Sarah’s mockery as if to say ‘it might, you never know’, realising at the same time that his drink was getting low. It would have to wait until the next hand; it was something of an unspoken rule that, to rule out controversy even amongst the group of friends, no one left the table mid-hand. It didn’t mean they were out of the game if they stood, naturally, but none of them wanted accusations of cheating when the missing parties returned to their seats.
“I knew him before you did,” Mark pointed out with a fitting grin, before taking a chip and crunching it, chewing and swallowing after Ray’s laugh before he went on to add. “But, if you’re good, maybe I’ll give you some dirt, hmm?” His expression was devious and triumphant as he reached for his beer.
Chris rolled his eyes. “Maybe we should forget about blackmail and focus on the game?”
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Jul 22, 2008 23:51:18 GMT
They had been settling into the newest hand, laughing and teasing one another over the dregs of their first real round of drinks; it was early in the evening yet, and Chris, for one, hadn’t been intending to drink a lot anyway. He still had a quarter of his bottle left. The pizzas they had ordered had arrived by now, and Ray was munching eagerly on his third slice, picking the pieces of mushroom off almost daintily and setting them in his napkin to fold up and dispose of when everything was done. Chris threw him a knowing smirk, and then glanced back at his unimpressive hand. Hmm. Unless he suddenly developed a talent for bluffing, there was no way he could walk out of this hand victorious. Damn.
A shrill tone filled the room, and after the men all glanced at one another, then the sole woman, and across the table again, Chris realised it was his phone. “Oh, crap, hang on.” He set his cards face-down on the table, fished the device from his pocket, and glanced at the display, ready to ignore the call if it was anyone he knew he could cast aside without consequences.
Seeing the name blinking up at him from the illuminated face, Chris took in a breath, said to the other players at the table, “I fold,” and then stood to answer the call.
“We’re not at that part yet,” Kevin said, looking puzzled as he followed the sergeant with his gaze.
“Well, when you get there, I fold,” Chris clarified, and walked away from the table, into the kitchen, where he flipped open the phone to answer it. In his experience, she didn’t really call him unless it was important for one reason or another, and given that she was supposed to be coming back into town tonight after a trip, he had to assume this was no different; “Elle? What’s wrong?”
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Aug 1, 2008 19:03:09 GMT
Sure enough, when the voice on the other end of the line responded, it was Élodie, someone Chris had become familiar with over the years since her abduction at the hands of a crazed ‘fan’; obsessed stalker might have been a more fitting description. Chris and Sarah had handled the case, and ever since, he had kept in touch with Elle. So hearing his friend’s voice, obviously distressed and alarmed, on the other side of the connection, he glanced just once to the doorway leading from the body of the apartment into the kitchen, and then set one hand at his waist, just above his hip, while he listened.
“I know, I know. Okay.” Chris paused, looked around his kitchen as if it would give him some sort of plan to go with, before one asserted itself quite automatically in his brain. “Okay, stay where you are, I’m coming over.” If that wasn’t what Elle wanted, then it was too late now, he was already heading out of the kitchen, phone still held to his ear. Apparently the poker game had been put on hold while he’d been in the kitchen, and seeing their friend’s unmistakeable sense of purpose now, the ‘Lone Gunmen’, as well as Sarah, were watching him intently.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, her cards on the table, her body half-twisted to face him, clearly trying to read the situation in her partner’s body language and expression.
Tilting the phone from his mouth to answer the female redhead at the table, he said, “I’m not sure yet. I’m heading over there. Stay here, and I’ll call you.” Sarah was still recovering from her injury, and if something was going on at Elle’s house, he couldn’t risk her in that way; it was irresponsible. “There’s more beer in the fridge.” With that, keys and jacket in hand, gun at his hip, he was heading out the door.
“Elle, I’m on my way. Just sit tight.”
Continued at: Beverly Hills; Residential District; Élodie’s Home.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Aug 27, 2009 1:49:16 GMT
POST TIME-SKIP
After the events of the night before it was really no surprise to all involved that Elodie had no intention whatsoever of sleeping in her house. It didn’t matter that it had been finished little more than a month ago or that she was in love with the architecture, what mattered was that it had been invaded, her personal, private space, what was supposed to be a sanctuary had been tainted and ruined by one man, one man she still saw occasionally in her dreams no matter how hard she had worked to get over the harrowing experience that had led to her heart transplant. At first she had been intending to stay in a hotel, until Chris had offered to have her stay at his apartment for the night. When it came down to it, Elle was not too proud to admit that she was terrified right to her core and the prospect of staying in a place with a cop watching out for her was much better than staying in a big anonymous hotel. It was smaller, more secure and Chris was armed. That helped a lot.
Being her usual stubborn self though she had told him tat she was absolutely not ousting him from his own bed and would happily sleep on the couch and in the end of the day arguing with her when she had her mind truly set on something never ended all that well. In truth the light hearted back and forth about it before they had both turned in the night before had been just as calming as staying there in the first place and to her great surprise, she had actually fallen into a deep and untroubled sleep once she had curled up on the cushions.
"I know you told me to stop saying it, but thank you again for letting me stay here last night," Elle said, folding up the comforter she had used the night before. "Honestly, you really went above and beyond. I probably wouldn’t have slept a wink in a hotel."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Aug 27, 2009 14:28:01 GMT
Offered was putting it lightly. It wasn’t just because he was a seasoned cop that Chris had been able to assume so boldly that someone who had gone through what Elle had wouldn’t want to stay in her house; no, really it was just because he, like her, was human. People got scared, they had their cages well and truly rattled, and when that happened they needed support and safety. Her house didn’t feel safe, not to Elle and certainly not to Chris. Even after they’d been assured that there was no one inside, he felt he couldn’t blame her in the least for not wanting to spend the rest of the night under that roof. So he had told her she could spend the night at his place instead, dressed it up as an offer but really, the bottom line was that he wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. So he’d helped her gather up the basic necessities and seen her back to his apartment.
That had come back to bite him when Elle had insisted she sleep on the couch, though, reminding him that they weren’t so dissimilar really. They were just as stubborn as each other, there was no budging them when they had made up their minds, and so, even though he had tried to get her to back down, Chris had been the one to finally admit defeat and after that he had left her to her own devices. A good few hours of the late night had been spent on the phone with Sarah, talking over the medical revelation of the evening, the one he had missed in being at Elle’s house. The idea that he would be assigned a new partner by the department soon was still sinking in by the next day; it would likely take a while to truly settle.
“Don’t mention it,” he told her, grabbing one of the pillow he had grabbed from the closet for her, spares he kept on hand just in case Mark, Kevin or Ray happened to need a place to crash at short notice. “To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep either if you’d gone to a hotel.”
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Aug 27, 2009 22:59:05 GMT
As one of the officers who had taken her statement – one of many statements she had given after her surgery about the night of the car crash and the drug addled man who had essentially held her captive – Chris was better qualified than most to know what sort of state Elle was in twenty-four hours ago upon finding those horrible post-it notes in her home. The truth was that he’d only really had to mention it, offer or insistence, and she had more or less jumped at the idea. Demurely and politely as she could manage in her crumpled business suit and ruffled hair. Despite knowing that even if she declined at first for show he wouldn’t have let it slide she hadn’t bothered to do that, there was no point to it and she’d been so exhausted first from her flight and then the emotionally draining experience, the shock of it all. They were both completely stubborn individuals, but Elodie knew how to pick her battles, and when to wave the white flag.
Elodie smiled warmly. "Well, I’m glad it saved us both a sleepless night then," she said, turning the comforter over again in her arms, folding it in the other direction. It was easy for her to be a little more blasé about the whole thing in the light of day, in the safety of her friend’s apartment. It wasn’t that she didn’t think what had happened was significant or that she was going to be an idiot and just swan on home, far from it, but if she was one thing, Elle was a survivor and she would be damned if she would survive being kidnapped by an insane, drugged up fan, a massive heart attack and a full transplant only to dissolve totally now. No. Elodie would pick herself up, and cry on. Regardless of last night and the fact that the man who had broken into her home was still at large, she had faith in the system, the police would do their jobs, they’d catch him eventually and until then she would just be careful. Code word for paranoid perhaps, but it wasn’t paranoia if someone really was out to get her. "I don’t suppose you’ll let me buy you dinner to draw a line under the thanks," she continued after a pause.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Aug 27, 2009 23:15:38 GMT
Even with the amount of cases Chris went through and therefore the amount of victims or witnesses he worked with, there were always some that stuck out in his mind. Élodie’s had always been one of those few; it had been such an unusual case to begin with, not that that made it any less damaging or dangerous for the person on the receiving end of whatever was going on at the time, but that wasn’t really why it had stuck with him. There had been something about Elle’s case that had stayed with Chris long after they had wrapped it up. Not that they had closed it, not completely; the previous night was a perfect example of why it hadn’t been officially closed. The man who had kidnapped and almost killed her was still out there somewhere. There wouldn’t be a repeat performance of the man’s escape, Chris would see to that.
Every time Élodie had thanked him, he had told her not to worry, she didn’t need to thank him, he hadn’t really done anything worthy of thanks; all manner of responses had come to mind and been offered to her, all with one goal in mind. She needed to stop thanking him. While it wasn’t his job to offer his couch to traumatised home invasion victims, Elle had been a friend of his ever since her recovery in the hospital; he’d visited her after her transplant operation and the friendship had built from there. True she travelled a lot and he worked almost constantly, neither having much in the way of social lives, but they’d kept in touch, talked on the phone or via emails. “Are you going to take no for an answer? That’s the real question, isn’t it?”
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Aug 28, 2009 0:23:53 GMT
The fact that the case had never really been closed had been one of those things that Elle had just forced herself to get over, to deal with. After she had given those statements she had done all she really could to help and she had to made her peace with that, at the time she had much more important things to think about, like caring for the new heart she had been fortunate enough to receive. Comparatively her wait had been a short one and there wasn’t a day that went by that she wasn’t grateful for the organ that pumped in her chest. Every day that she wasn’t plugged into fifty different machines to monitor her vital signs, to circulate and oxygenate her blood, every single one of those days was a gift. Elle could either be angry at the man who had put her in that hospital bed, or she could be thankful that she had been able to get out of it again. She chose the latter.
Not that it was an easy decision, not right now anyway. It was something she had to work at.
"If you know me at all, you should know I never take no for an answer," Elle laughed. In all honesty in her line of work it was the done thing, people made business deals over lunch, they discussed blueprints over dinner and she had become accustomed to eating out more than she ate in. In the scheme of things she actually didn’t enjoy it a terrible amount when it was business if only because she felt like her feet never touched the floor these days, she was always going somewhere or in the middle of something and she knew she ought to give herself more time to decompress. Maybe on some level she kept herself busy on purpose; if she was busy and her mind was occupied it was easier to move on from things like the night before. "Let me do this and I’ll stop thanking you," she offered after a moment. "Cross my implanted heart," Elle grinned but she was completely sincere and any promise she swore upon her heart was hardly to be taken lightly.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Aug 28, 2009 1:05:20 GMT
Those cases that couldn’t be closed for one reason or another were the proverbial thorns in police officers’ sides. Chris was certainly no different there, there was no way he could be. He hated to leave things unfinished, it grated on his nerves to walk away from something that wasn’t wrapped up entirely with all the loose ends taken care of. It wasn’t just Elle’s case when it came to that personal -- and professional -- peeve of his, it was each and every unclosed case in his eventful career that ate away at him as time went on, the figurative weight on his shoulders only continuing to grow with each passing day, week, month, year. Maybe that was one of the reasons he had gone into Narcotics. At least the cold cases in his department didn’t always involve loved ones looking for closure. Chris certainly didn’t envy Homicide officers for that.
Where Elle was accustomed to eating out at restaurants of one sort or another Chris, like any cop worth his salt, had gotten used to eating in, usually out of cardboard containers, making good use of his microwave after long days at the station or on the street chasing one scumbag or another, to whatever end. Takeout was a staple of any officer’s diet, as much of a cliché as it was. Then again, clichés had to start somewhere, didn’t they? While the doughnut stereotype was more often than not a lame joke from days gone by, outdated and so very predictable now, the takeout one was still going strong, and for good reason. For Chris it was a rare treat to either eat out or have a home cooked meal. It wasn’t that he couldn’t cook for himself, just that he usually didn’t get the time, or didn’t have the energy.
Knowing just how serious it was for Elle to swear on her heart, Chris was quiet for only a moment, considering something that he inwardly accepted had already been decided. It was out of his hands, really. It was easier to just go along with it, let Elle buy him dinner and feel like she had repaid him even if he didn’t think she owed him anything at all. “All right. I know better than to argue with you by now.”
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Aug 28, 2009 20:51:40 GMT
It was odd how even eating habits could be affected by the day job; in Elle’s line of work it was socially unacceptable not to eat out at least once or twice a week with colleagues, they were a madcap bunch at best, and there were perhaps one or two at best with whom she actually got along with in any kind of friendly capacity but as much as she would probably prefer to adopt more of Chris’ lifestyle, to stay in and eat normal food – even if it would have to be vegetarian in her case, given her particular diet and the need to keep her ticker in good condition – rather than have to go out to a restaurant with people she didn’t like terribly much for the sake of keeping up appearances’. It wasn’t just about the going out, it was he getting ready, getting dressed and putting on make-up, doing her hair and generally looking not just presentable but professional and attractive. It as just expected.
Which was why, whenever she could get away with it Elle wore her hair in a ponytail, forwent any kind of make-up and dressed in slacks or even tracksuit pants, partly for comfort and partly to counterpoint the rest of her attire which was considerably more high end.
Generally it really was just easier to agree in situations such as this and Elle nodded, smiling. "Excellent," she offered. "Besides, it’s been a while since we caught up," her eyes dropped with a little breath of a sigh, "and I’d rather focus on that than on my crazy stalker."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Sept 1, 2009 14:02:27 GMT
Not only because he was a cop but because of his very personality and attitude when it came to any kind of high-end function the likes of which Elle frequented, Chris was not a fan of the whole dressing up process and everything that went with it. That much effort and attention to detail could always be better spent on his work, he felt, which was why he always dreaded the Force functions; being of high rank within his department, he was quite often expected to make an appearance, something he loathed. He owned a decent suit but that didn’t mean he liked the damn thing. His father hadn’t liked them either. Clearly Chris Tyler had taken after his father in a wide variety of ways.
“I can see your point,” he said to her with a feigned sage nod before giving her another smile, reaching out a hand for the comforter she had folded neatly. Taking it from her, along with the pillows in his other hand, he headed out of the room briefly to return them to their place in the top of his bedroom closet, where they would continue to threaten to fall down on him whenever he opened the door in haste. Coming back out, he glanced around the room as if to reassure himself that there was nothing left behind. Hands at his hips, he looked at Elle again. “Then again, you know from experience just how thrilling my life is. It’s not just routine, it’s a whole lot of repetition.” Chris wasn’t, of course, including the latest drama in Narcotics in that definition.
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