Rangers Apprentice AU-Police Force

Episode 5: A Turning of the Page

The clattering of milk cans brought Will sharply awake. For a moment, he laid still, listening to the various noises that made up his morning routine. There was a stamping of feet overhead, as the Kelly's children rushed about;  Mrs. Gregory, as she called to her alley cat for his breakfast. And then his alarm went off, ringing sharply in his ear and causing him to sit upright. It was today.

Scrambling out of bed, he dressed quickly and slid the brush over his hair, struggling to work the threatening curl out. A final survey in the small mirror, nailed to his apartment wall was satisfactory enough, and Will took the narrow stairs as quickly as he dared, landing on the bottom with a thump. The landlady was still outside, and Will knew he couldn't stand to wait in the kitchen long. He took to the street, merging with the stream of workers and school-bound children.

 Today was the day he became a full-fledged officer. No more rookie, no more waiting. Grinning widely, he broke into a run and sped down several blocks, unmindful of the stares that were turned his way. Zipping past an apple cart, Will finally slowed to a brisk walk, then stopped as a familiar booth caught his eye. Just then, his stomach growled. A few minutes later and he was back on his way, a thick sandwich in hand. 

 Sunlight filtered feebly between rows of buildings, a cold wind quickly canceling out any warmth its beam might give. Then he rounded a corner, and paused. There it was; the department. He still had much to learn. And he still wondered, at times, if he could ever be as good as Gilan or Halt. But it was a grand life, and Will was just thankful to have this chance. 

  Idly he noticed a figure approaching the station, with forthright steps, broad shoulders carrying a ...camera? Suddenly, Will frowned. That looked like-and as the figure stopped at the doorway, he groaned. It was Horace. The one problem that he still didn't know what to do with.

 *******

  "Good morning, fellows!" Gilan clasped a hand to his ear, and eyed the younger man with mock pain on his face.

 "What right  have you to be so cheerful so early, Horace?"

The reporter blinked, falling for the act and stumbling over his words a little. "I-I'm sorry, Gilan, but it's just such a nice day outside, that I"

 "Did we ask his opinion, Halt?" Gilan asked dramatically. Across the table, Halt looked up from his cup of coffee and reports. He thought that Gil could have been a shade less dramatic, but merely raised an eyebrow. It seemed enough for the pranking officer, however.

 "You see? Even Halt thinks so." Horace turned a delicate shade of pink, but before he could unburden an apology, the breakroom door opened and a lithe figure slipped through.

"Morning." Halt looked up as Will came up to the table, watching as his partner and the reporter eyed each other warily.

"Morning," he said with a touch of dryness. "Is it as Horace says? A beautiful day?"

 Will seemed unsure of what Halt was getting at, missing the prompt and merely nodding. "Yes. I guess it is." He saw Halt's gaze drop to his hand and flushed as he realized he was still holding a half-eaten sandwich. "I'll get rid of this, I'm not hungry anymore."

 "You'll want it before the day is through," Gilan said cheerfully. "Or have  you forgotten that today is the opening day of the fair?"

 Will apparently had. Horace grinned, at ease now that the attention was turned off of him. "Yeah, Will. And I'll be on hand to get pictures, so don't mess it up."

 Clearing his throat, Halt rose. "I would watch where I was walking, if I were you, Horace. We're going to be working in the livestock area; a bit messy, if you remember last year."

 Gilan laughed, and even Will managed a nervous smile, as the reporter again turned a shade of pink. "That was my first year, Ha-uh, Mr. O'Carrick," Horace protested. 

 Gilan snorted back another laugh and also rose, draining the leftover dregs of his coffee in the sink. "And you were green-in more than one way, you mean?"

 The joking would go on forever, if someone didn't break it up, so Halt left. Roll call would be in a few minutes anyways, and he also knew that if he left, Will would, also. It was almost as if he had gotten an extra shadow glued to his side, he thought, hearing the quiet steps behind him. 

 Roll call was over in short time; and soon they were in the car and heading toward the source of the banners that had lined the city streets for the last week or so. He had almost forgotten it started today, with all of the extra burglary detail they had had to undertake until the jewel thief was under wraps, but Halt wished that he could have had a little more time before having to switch to patrolling a crowded fairground. His least favorite part of the job. It suddenly dawned on Halt that Will was being quiet. Which was strange.

 "Any questions, before we go in?" He asked. Will stirred, from staring out the window. 

"I-don't think so?"

"Is that a question, or a statement?" Halt asked mildly. "I have a question, if you don't have any."

 "What?" 

"What is it between you and Horace?" When his partner stayed quiet, Halt pursued. It was time this thing came to a head, he thought. "Every time you two are near, it's like watching two dogs, wondering who will make the first move."

 He observed Will out of the corner of his eye. The boy seemed uncomfortable, tapping his fingers on the door. "Um, I-we..." the rest was an unintelligible mumble.

"I beg your pardon? I'm not fluent in that language, " Halt drawled.

"I've forgotten what he's mad about," Will muttered again, a little more clearly. Halt raised an eyebrow. 

"You've forgotten, and yet you two keep fighting?"

They had arrived at the outskirts of the fair, and Halt had to concentrate on his driving so he missed any of Will's expressions.

"Yeah. Because he's still mad at me. But I don't remember why; it happened when we were kids, and we haven't spoken since."

 Parking, Halt looked across at Will. "And you can't just ask him why?"

Will avoided Halt's eyes. "Well, I thought it was better this way. Avoiding him, hoping our paths didn't cross. And, " he added with a rueful grin, "Horace was bigger than I was, so I guess I was scared of him."

"Well, you seem to have grown up now, and I think you're going to see quite a lot of him, so maybe it would be better if you two just had it out sometime. " Halt paused, then added, "Just a word of friendly advice." He exited the car, and donned his cap, surveying the crowd that was starting to gather, and took a deep breath. And so the day begins, he thought.