Power of Will, a SAW Fanfiction

Ch. 5 Pre-Saw: Just A Normal Dinner Party

Wilhelmina Maddox

Will had a headache. She winced as she walked into the station, hoping Hoffman still had some aspirin for her to mooch off of. She was surprised to see him going through his mountain of folders, squinting down with pen in hand. How cute, he's trying new things.

"Who are you and what have you done with my partner?" She announced herself as she took her seat across from him. "What's up? You never do paperwork unless Grissom is right over your shoulder. I expected you were just going to one day get crushed by the inbox avalanche."

"Got to make sure Grissom doesn't keep me here late," he didn't look up, his nose to the grind while he frowned in concentration. "He's been pulling that shit the past two Fridays. Remember, dinner tonight."

"I know," she raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. "You're so serious. Is Angie that intense? Oh! What does she like? Drink-wise?"

"White wines, but I already got some. Just make sure you're there. With Frank." He finally looked up, his blue eyes piercing through her. "How's it going?"

Her words caught in her throat and she looked away. "Honestly, I don't know."

"What happened?" He closed his folder and leaned back, folding his hands across his stomach. He was being surprisingly attentive. Something was off.

She felt her eyelids flutter as she recounted the past few hours of thrown glass bottles and the neighbors knocking to complain about the noise. "He's relapsed."

"Sorry, Will," his voice sounded genuinely grave. He pursed his lips in pity. It made her feel a swell of frustrated grief and she let out a huff.

"Forget it. He better behave tonight or he's only going to make a damn fool out of himself. I made that ultimatum. I'm seriously thinking it's time to go through with it. But not tonight. Don't worry, I'll try to make this as painless as possible." She rubbed her temples. "You got any more aspirin?"

He opened his drawer, took out the pills, and placed them near her. "I'll get you some water. Keep it together, Maddox."

She nodded, fingers pressing into the meat of her face while she clenched her teeth to try to shove away the migraine crashing through her like a wave. She took slow breaths, wishing she could go somewhere quiet and dark to lie down.

"Okay, Maddox?" A feminine voice, clipped and sharp, called out. She looked up to see fellow Detective, Allison Kerry, smiling down at her. The woman was cradling a steaming mug, a bulletproof vest on her small frame.

"Yeah, just didn't sleep well." She blinked through the pain and forced a smile. "Thanks. What's with the vest?"

"About to head south. I like the extra protection. Don't let Grissom work you too hard. I know you've been spending extra hours with Tapp and Sing. Glad you're on board. Let's grab coffee sometime. I've been meaning to get to know you. Nice to have another pretty face around." She smiled down at her before her eyes darted towards something behind Will.

"Kerry." Hoffman sounded passive and cool.

"Hoffman," Allison's face had gone from friendly to stone cold. She quickly walked by with a curt, "'Morning."

"Didn't know you two talked." Hoffman handed the styrofoam cup to her on the way back to his seat, and returned to his work. He didn't seem perturbed, his focus completely at the tasks on his desk.

"First time," She took double the recommended dosage and chewed the bitter pills, grimaced, and washed them down with the cool water. She hoped they'd kick in fast. Thankfully, she wasn't swamped with work like Hoffman was.