Henry and Mason: Outside The Midnight Hour **BEING REVISED**

Chapter One

The detective's morning cigarette and his three cups of coffee barely kept him going inside the excitement of the office. Officers and civilians alike rushed around, a chaotic mess surrounding him. He slurped up more of his coffee as if it would remove the large bags formed under his eyes. He took a seat at his desk, smoothing down the hairs which curled out at his neck, and yelled at him that it was time to get a haircut. As if on cue for the detectives next drink of coffee the sound of a file slapping the desk filled his ears, and the once delicious coffee spewed out of his cup and onto his lap. The detective's harsh gaze met with his supervisor's equally stern gaze.

"You're working on a new case as of today. It's a serial killer so don't get your panties in a bunch saying it's boring, Henry." Her voice was demanding and unforgiving, something Henry had gotten used to over the years. "Finish your coffee and finish it fast, a body was discovered this morning." She began to turn away, her shoulder length hair bobbing from side to side. "Oh, and Henry? Actually read the file this time." With one last scoff she left his office area, leaving him with scalding hot coffee stains on his pants, and the overwhelming stress of a serial killer on the loose.

The double doors that lead into the large room of busy people were shoved open by an unfamiliar face, a short tower of coffee cups in drink holders hid the hazel gaze of the new recruit as he balanced the cups carefully. "Okay, I have three plain coffees and then a uh..." He paused, glancing around the room nervously. It was his first day and he, One, had no clue who he was working with. Two he looked to be the youngest one there and he felt majorly out of place. And finally three, he wasn't even sure he was in the right building.

The stranger slowly set the coffees down on a nearby desk, quickly apologizing after he received a dirty look from the desk's occupant and he returned the paper cup holders to their balanced place in his arms and sighed, his gaze flickering about the room, hoping to find someone approachable.

Henry's eyes were quick to dart from the file to the confused kid, holding up his hand and beconning for him. "Over here hotshot," he said over the roars of people. So far the file had left him needing a smoke more now than ever, and a hot cup of coffee to chase down the bitterness of cigarettes. Four bodies, all found with similar wounds, mangled and tossed away like trash. The victims were men which didn't surprise him, but the beheading of the poor men definitely seemed to send a cold shiver down his spine.

He waited impatiently for a moment, as the young man tried to push his way through the disorderly room. His fingers tapped on the desk creating a soft, yet aggressive tune. "New intern?" Henry asked, pulling one of the coffees away from him, taking a large gulp despite the heat which resonated out of the cup. It seemed to take him a moment before he quickly replied yes, a nervousness lacing his voice. Henry could watch the boy's eyes flicker from his face to the file which sat open on the desk. "What's your name kid?" He asked, raising his dark brown eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh! Mason," The question caught him off guard, and Mason's attention had now snapped back to the detective standing before him. "Mason O'Connor."

"Well Mason O'Conner," Henry began as he held out his hand for Mason to shake. "You aren't supposed to read the files as an intern." He added on when he took his hand and firmly shook it. The detective watched Mason's face flare red, and chimed in once more. "I'm Detective Henry Miller." Finally the awkward, and seemingly embarrassing handshake came to an end when Henry dropped his hand back to his side.

Mason averted his gaze away from Henry and let his hand return to hold the coffee cups. "I'm sorry sir. I swear it won't happen again" He was new on the job, fresh out of college with a degree in Criminalistics and Criminal Science and was still trying to figure out what division he wanted to start a career in. After a few well calculated seconds Mason collected himself and gave a small nod as if to reassure himself. "Can I get you anything else Detective Miller?"