Rangers Apprentice AU-Police Force

Episode 8 The Other City

The air was beginning to crispen, and the wind held a bite to it, as Will made his way down the street early that morning. It was his day off, one of the rare moments in a young officer's life where he had complete freedom to do whatever it was, he wanted to. Up till now, for Will, days off were a sad reminder of what he didn't have. It meant sitting in his room quietly alone and reading or taking a walk alone...or going to anyplace, alone. Today was the exception, however, and he found himself enjoying the rapid and bustling pace of the streets, the scent of roasting chestnuts and the call of the newsboys as they waved their papers aloft like flags. Today, he was meeting up with Horace-he had someone to spend the day with.

 As he passed a little shop a flash of scarlet caught his eye and he stopped abruptly. Through the glass was a stack of books, and Will recognized several authors that he had enjoyed. He consulted his watch. He had five minutes to meet Horace under the clock at the park; and he could always run. Swiftly opening the door, he entered, heralded by the tinkling of the bell. It was still early morning and he seemed to be the only one inside the place; selecting the book he flipped through some pages, and rapidly lost himself to the story within. It was his one weakness. And the reason why he was completely unprepared when a voice boomed in his ear.

"I should have known."

Nearly dropping the book and receiving a hard stare from the proprietor who was fixing a display nearby, Will took a deep breath and looked up at Horace's irate expression.

 "It's always a book-you'd let the house burn down around you, because you had to finish a chapter in that book."

 "Horace, I'm sorry." Stacking the book neatly he lifted his arm and tried to stifle the look of dismay as he realized the time. 

Horace nodded his blonde head emphatically. "Mhmm. You're late. And if it wasn't for the fact I was coming the other way and saw you enter the shop earlier, I wouldn't have any idea where to look for you."

 "I'm...sorry?" 

The journalist sighed, a loud gust of breath that stirred the papers of the calendar hanging near his head. "No, you're not. You'll do it again. But I'm used to it by now," he said with a touch of irony to his usually loud and boisterous tones.

 "Well, we can just say we changed the meeting place then, right?" Will couldn't resist the grin that spread over his face. He hadn't realized just how much he had been missing, having Horace for a friend again. Thumping the older young man with his elbow he headed toward the door.

"Come on! We have a day to waste."

As they exited the shop he turned and led them down the alley. Keeping up easily with his long legs, Horace looked down at Will. "Where are we wasting the day? You seem to have made plans already."

 "Savvy," Will remarked. "I thought we'd go and take a look at the old home."

They regained the sidewalk and crossed the street, dodging the oncoming cars that were rattling past. As they walked, they left the shops behind and began entering what Will always labeled in his head as the other city. The city he knew. 

 Horace wrinkled his brow. "I have a day off...and I'm going back there?" He frowned. "You do realize it has changed a lot."

 "I know."

"And that it has a lot of gangs now, besides the possibility of the strike."

"I know that also." Will dodged a trash can nimbly and sped up a little. "But that's it, Horace. We know it; it's going to be fine. And I thought it.." He broke off, feeling awkward at how to finish the sentence. He'd thought it would be nice to see it one more time. The place where they'd grown up, the place where they'd been happy for a while. The place where she had been.

 It was hard to explain that to Horace. He might get the wrong idea, and Will didn't want to make him upset at him already. He liked the young reporter that Horace had grown into. But he didn't know yet if the old Horace might still be angry with him at times, and Will was nervous about straining their new friendship.

"It would be nice, yes I get it." Horace ended up finishing dryly. "So, let's hurry then. We don't want to spend all day here, after all." Giving his weathered fedora a tug down over his forehead, he remained silent and the two became lost in their thoughts. Seemed, without becoming. One never ignored their surroundings in the other city; as the sidewalk began to crumble, the trash piled, and the buildings became more often in disrepair or turned into crowded little apartments, the two young men watched everything out of the corner of their eyes. The further Will walked back, the more he became anxious. He hadn't realized how much it would do to him, and looked up at Horace with concern.

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

Horace grunted softly, his blue eyes watching a group of teenagers lounging across the way. "You've had worse, trust me."

After a moment he added, "Do you think the talk about Morgarath is real?"

Will shivered as they passed the shadows of a building, but he couldn't tell if it was from that, or the question. He wished Horace hadn't brought it up; it also reminded him of Halt, and the opinion his partner might have had if he'd known of Will's plans today. He and Gilan had taken an extra shift, because of the strike situation but Will's submission had been denied.

 "I don't know," he said, thinking of Halt now. "Part of me thinks he is but..." he trailed off.

"The other part of you feels like you're believing in Santa, or the boogey-man?" Horace suggested, and Will nodded his head. 

They left it at that and continued on in silence. Winding their way through the streets, stopping to point out a memory here or there as they drew closer, the boys began to feel as though no time had passed at all. And when they rounded the last corner, their feet slowed automatically as they approached the orphans's home.