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CHAPTER SIXTEEN NED

"Please tell me this didn't actually happen" Lennox said.

Ned wanted to look away, to look at anything other than the lieutenant's expression of disappointment, whether that be out the window, where it was foggy yet again, or at Lennox's desk, which was decorated with a two small potted plants and a photo of the wolf herself with her husband and their two sons. But a guy with balls looks his superior in the eye and admits if he's fucked up, and Ned knew he had. So he looked Lennox directly in the eye and said "Yes, it did."

Lennox grimaced. "I hope I don't have to tell you all the reasons why this is _extremely_inappropriate? Having sexual relations in the office? What were you thinking, Parker?"

"I wasn't thinking" Ned admitted honestly. "If I hadn't been caught up in the moment....if I'd been thinking, it wouldn't have happened."

"Now finally you say somethin' intelligent" Captain Williston snorted. The big Doberman was standing behind Lennox, his arms crossed, and by the way Lennox's ears were laid back, Ned suspected she wished Williston wasn't there.

"This just isn't the kind of thing I'd expect from you" the other wolf continued. She waved a paw in the direction of the door. "It's a miracle the whole station doesn't stink of..." she let that trail off, and Ned remembered the night before; he and Garrett running around spraying de-scenting solution everywhere, turning the air conditioning up to fan out the scent. The top of his desk still smelled, especially since Garrett had come all over his notes, but at least the scent had been dulled enough that it didn't fill the whole room.

"You have my apology" Ned said, ears low and tail low like those of a repentant sinner. "I swear this won't happen again." Responsibility means taking responsibility when you fuck up.

The lieutenant nodded. "The....man you were with. Is he...?"

"My boyfriend" Ned felt a twang of joy inside at calling Garrett that, even if his whole station now knew it. "Garrett Dyckert, the actor who cleared up Olympia Rogan."

"Oh" Lennox nodded. "That's better than....." she didn't finish. "Well, as this is your first transgression and you aren't normally a troublemaker, I'll let you off with a warning...just don't let it happen again. Last thing we need right now is the media getting word that cops are screwing actors in the police station."

"Yes ma'am" Ned agreed, and feeling relieved. For the first time since Lennox had called him into her office, he felt his body relaxing, the tension waning so his tail could lose the stiffness and his ears return to their normal position, no longer flattened submissively.

"That's all" Lennox flicked her ears to dismiss him. "You've heard another body's been found - go get ready."

Unfortunately, Captain Williston had other ideas. "Not so fast," the chief said, holding up a big brown and black paw. "I'm goin' to have to intervene here. Parker isn't going nowhere."

Lennox's ears instantly flattened and she shot Williston an angry look. "Please, Captain, allow me to deal with my own men in my way."

"Can't let you do that" the dog insisted, laying a paw on Lennox's shoulder, and ignoring the way she instantly stiffened up. "Way I look at it, this police department would be going soft if we let publically-screwin' tail raisers off easy."

Ned felt the fur on his neck rise and he bit back the angry retort that came to mind. "What are you saying, Captain?" Lennox asked icily. Her paw was closing around a pencil on the desk, claws crunching around the papers laying there.

Despite that the debate concerned him, Ned's ears pricked with interest. It wasn't often a rookie cop got to observe a power-play between two senior officers.

"I'm sayin' that I think this fine young officer" here the chief addressed the fourth and final person present, "deserves some credit for alertin' his superior officer of the unsuitable behaviour of his fellow cop." He was looking at Jason Pollack, and the cougar was smiling.

"Dealing by men is my concern, Captain" Lennox insisted. "Yes, Parker should not have been....doing what he did, but I do not reward tattle-talers either. This isn't kindergarten."

Annoyingly, Williston laughed. "I'm goin' to disagree, lieutenant. Pollack did the right thing today, and for that, I'm giving him and his partner leave to respond to the Tiger's Tail crime scene."

What? Williston was giving Jason of all people the case? That meant....but that meant that Ned wouldn't be going...

Lennox almost exploded. "Captain, you will NOT mess with me in this way! I will reprimand my men as I see fit. The Prophet is Parker's case."

"Not for today, Antonia" the Doberman growled, and then Ned knew that he was serious. No one ever called Lennox by her first name unless they meant business.

"Captain, if you give me the case, I won't fail you" Jason interjected suddenly. The cougar was leaning forward, face masked with hope. "Lennox always gives Parker the better cases, because they're both wolves. I won't fail you, you have my word."

"Does she now?" Williston said, but Lennox had walked over to the window and was staring out, her paws clenched to fists. Maybe she was trying to get control of herself, but the way her tail was all bristled up gave her feelings away pretty easily. "Parker, you and your partner are off the Prophet case for today. I want you organising our files on the recent rise of organised crime into more useful categories. Mayor Wong wants progress taking down gangs and Mafia, and I don't intend to deny him it."

Muttering "Yes, Captain" was all Ned could do. He tried not to see Jason's triumphant, superior smile of victory. But the annoyance and anger rose within, even if he could not express it. Williston was asking for something that technically wasn't even Homicide Division business, and he was doing it out of malice, Ned was sure of it.

But Williston wasn't done. "As for you, lieutenant" he growled, turning back to Lennox so his eyes were staring into her back, "Do not stand up to me again. I appointed you to this position, and I can remove you from it just as easily. Do not give me further reason to do so."

After the chief and Jason had left, Lennox finally returned to her desk and sat, still visibly annoyed. "Why did you have to put me in this position, Parker?" she questioned, staring past him at the door.

"I'm sorry, lieutenant" the wolf repeated. "I never meant for..."

She shushed him with a paw wave. "I know. My paws are tied today, but I'll try to get you back on the case tomorrow."

"Thank you" Ned said. Being off the case for one day was bad enough, but for a moment he'd feared Williston intended to give it to Jason entirely. Scarlett was not going to be pleased.

"One thing is clear" Lennox's voice jerked him back, and when he turned to face the lieutenant, her eyes were fiery with a steely determination. "Captain Williston is a fool if he thinks he can treat me with such disrespect and expect me not to seek retribution." She gave Ned a wry look. "His days as Captain are limited...mark my words."

"You just had to fuck him right here in the station?" Scarlett growled, shaking her head. They were having a midmorning snack, and Scarlett was not happy about the results of Williston's punishment. "Not that that isn't totally hot, but oh Ned, why'd you have to get us off the case? And just when a fourth victim shows up too."

"Who's the vic?" Ned asked. "Another celebrity?"

Scarlett popped another French fry into her muzzle and shrugged. "Some weasel. I don't think he was important, though. Only way they knew he was killed by the Prophet was the Ten Commandments."

That didn't make sense, Ned thought, not if the Prophet wanted to kill people that the populace cared greatly about - but they didn't know what the killer was thinking; maybe this was all part of a twisted plan. "Besides, punishment is you have to tell me all the details about last night" the coyote added.

Ned took a bite of his hamburger and set it back on the plate. The responding officers were long gone, but he could still remember the prance in Jason's step as he and Milo had joined Arkady and Nolan in the elevator. Satisfaction of victory.

He flicked his ears to clear the thoughts. Enough of that. "All I'll say is he's a great lay" he said, realising how shallow it sounded, but not wanting to elaborate.

"What's this you're saying?" a cheery voice inquired. Oh great, Montoya.

Nope, even worse; Montoya and Diego together. "So," the jaguar began, sitting at the table next to Ned's and Scarlett's. "Who's this coyote you were having such a fine time with last night?"

Just perfect, Ned thought. This was why he hadn't wanted anyone to know about Garrett, or about his love life in general. Just because Montoya and Diego were always talking about this or that girl they'd had a romp with didn't mean he needed to be party to those conversations.

"His name is Garrett Dyckert, and he's an actor from Carmen Barbosa" Scarlett told them. "Though if you give Ned a bad time about it he's likely to throw you out the window."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to offend the big bad wolf" Diego laughed. The wolfdog had the top three buttons of his shirt open and Ned caught his scent, not quite wolf, not quite dog. A few months ago, that would have had him secretly imagining Diego bent over a bed, but now the scent did nothing for him.

"You're dating an actor?" Montoya repeated, surprised. "Way to go, man. I mean, I'd totally prefer a girl, myself, but still....whew."

"Plus that's a decent show" Diego added. "Is he that coyote from England? Has earrings and a habit of throwing knives at folks he doesn't like?"

Ned sighed. They would never leave him alone unless he talked, and Scarlett must have given up on chasing them off, because she was back to dipping her French fries in catsup and eating. "Yes, the character named Floyd Sinclair."

Montoya laughed. "Well, I can't see the appeal myself, but I'm glad you finally got some tail. I was starting to think you were one of them abstinence-until-marriage guys or something."

"I just happen to prefer actual relationships to one-night stands" Ned muttered dryly, polishing off the last of his burger. At least the two detectives didn't seem too put off by the fact he'd been fucking a dude - actually, Montoya wasn't teasing him any more than he would have if Ned had been caught with a girl. Diego was being quieter, but seemed kind of curious, so maybe the guys were just inquisitive about having a gay guy in their unit, their own personal fag, or something.

"Oh? I didn't tell you?" Montoya grinned, and then threw his head back, laughing.

"I don't think you did" Diego told him, but he was still looking at Ned.

"What's this?" Ned asked, half-way pleased that the conversation had been diverted away from him, but also feeling a sense of relief. He was out to the division, and with the possible exceptions of Captain Williston and Jason, nobody seemed to care. But this was San Fernando, after all.

"I have a girlfriend" the jaguar stated proudly. "We've been on four real dates! Like with a movie, dinner, flowers, everything." He pulled out his phone and proudly displayed a photo of an attractive black jaguar, smiling at the camera from a restaurant booth.

"And I thought you were only capable of one-night stands" Ned murmured, just as Scarlett said:

"She's very pretty" and "you'll have to bring her down to meet us sometime, Montoya."

"We should do a group date or something" Montoya suggested. "I'll bring Sofia, you'll have Nolan; Ned can bring his coyote, and Diego...."

"Still going for one-nighters?" Ned asked, turning to the wolfdog.

"Oh, yeah, sometimes" the dark-furred canine answered quickly, pulling himself closer to the table. "I'll find someone to ask out sooner or later."

"Just preferably not to a date in the station!" Montoya roared, slapping the table. "You realise you're never going to live that down, right, Ned?"

"So I've noticed" the wolf muttered sardonically. He piled the paper plate and empty juice can on his cafeteria tray and looked up. "I just have to hope one of you idiots does something even worse."

"I'll remember that" Montoya laughed again. "That is if Sofia and I even make it here...that cat can really get it on in the car. Agile little thing, she is."

Scarlett grimaced. "Ok, too much information, Montoya."

"If you want to talk about 'too much information'" Diego remarked slyly, "talk to Ned. Did you smell the area near his desk?"

But the way he said it didn't sound like someone grosses out, Ned thought. He actually sounded turned on, whether he realised it or not.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you guys thought about nothing but sex" Scarlett's sarcasm was clear and she stood up from the table. "Anyway, Ned, you and I need to get to work on that stuff Williston wants us doing. If we want our case back tomorrow, anyway." She gave him a pointed look.

"Agreed" Ned said, and they excused themselves and left Diego and Montoya to continue their ribbing.