Chapter Text
Kate Sheffield was a great detective by everyone's standards, her perspicacious ways helped her discover clues others would glance over, her cunning voice that gets criminals to admit without thinking, and her compassionate heart towards the victims that has her staying awake to solve the case. While Anthony Bridgerton is utterly the same, his witty humor causes victims to confide in him secrets that break the case, his cleverness that exceeds the box of thinking to solve the case, and his heart that makes him work himself to the brim if a case is unsolved. The two hate each other with every fiber of their being because of just how similar they are to one another.
3 March 14:05
Kate is finishing paperwork for a finished case at her desk, the coffee cup that has been refilled far too many times today is the only thing keeping Kate from falling asleep right then and there.
“Detective Sheffield,” Her boss calls from his office.
As Kate finishes her gulp of coffee she closes her computer and rushes to the office,
“Yes, Mr. Jeffrey?”
“Sit down, sit down.” He gestures to one of the two chairs, wooden with red leather.
As she awaits for whatever news he is about to give her, since people don’t normally get called into the office for praise.
“Now Detective, I have been watching you these past few weeks,”
She can’t say she didn’t know, it was obvious the first day because his blinds were now open when they never were before. She was a detective after all this was her job.
“Yes sir.”
“Now I know you have been working solo for the past month after your partner changed her path and went and joined metro.”
Her former partner Eloise, whom she was still extremely close with, was always a wild card; which is why she was such a good cop. Though she got bored of detective work so she requested a switch leaving Kate in happy lonesome.
“Now you might not see this as a great opportunity but it is, once you get past the person.”
Now this cannot be good.
“Detective Sheffield, I would like for you to meet your new partner.”
The door creaks open, and before Kate even turns she knows who it is.
“Detective Bridgerton, pleased to meet you again. Please sit down.”
“It’s a pleasure sir.”
Kate doesn’t even look at him, nor does he look at her.
“Now you both have ideas but I am here to state the real reason for this partnership. Detective Bridgerton, you come in high regards from your former captain and Detective Sheffield is one of my very best detectives, I believe that you two would be an unstoppable pair and double the amount of crimes we solve. Now I know you both are smart so I won’t be shy of why I am doing this, I have a goal before I retire to be nominated for best captain and I believe you two pairing up would be my best shot at that nomination.” He clears his throat and opens a packet, assuming to be files on both of them.
“Now after looking at both your files, I understand you two have some childish competition towards each other. But you two will need to work it out or at the very least leave it outside of work. You two have much in common and considering that Detective Bridgertons sister was your former partner, Detective Sheffield I see no reason as to why you cannot overcome these issues.”
He nods at the pair, waiting for them to nod and leave his office. Then he closes his blinds and gets back to work.
The two don’t talk until Kate reaches her desk and shuffles some of her stuff off the empty desk,
“This is your desk, you can get a computer from the front desk.”
“Glad you got your stuff off my desk.” He proclaims as she is finishing up picking up a few leftover pieces of paper.
She mimics a smile and goes to her seat.
“This is officer Rolez badge number 4339 we have a 10-459, are any detectives able to come down?” Kate's radio goes off.
She picks it up, and turns on the microphone, “This is Detective Sheffield, I am available.”
As she sits up and puts the radio back in her belt,
“You know we work together now Kate, so next time say we.” Anthony remarks cutting in front of her towards the elevator.
“Maybe if my partner was worthy of introduction I would.”
As they race towards the elevator Anthony hops in the elevator first, “Ever heard of ladies first?”
“Where is this lady you speak of Kate?”
She rolls her eyes and presses the ground floor, crossing her arms and standing as far away as she can in a small elevator.
3 March 14:34
As the two buckle in and Kate starts the car, “Where is the burglary?” Anthony asks as he sets up the police GPS.
“5409 king street, but make sure you-”
“Commuting to 5409 king street, Philadelphia.” The car speaks.
“Make sure to put it in Los Angeles next time, hm?” Kate remarks as she pushes his arms aside and enters in the GPS herself.
As they drive towards the crime scene, the silence is deafening and they could care less.
“Kate, did you hang out with Eloise last weekend?”
She didn’t, “Why do you want to know Detective Bridgerton.” She replies not looking at him.
The use of the formal name irritates him, though she knows it does, “She said she was going to a club with you. And you don’t seem like the type to club.”
She is reminded of how much of a dick he is in record time, “You don’t seem the type to be a detective but here we are.”
“Then what do I seem to be Kate?”
“Hm, a criminal perhaps.”
He rolls his eyes and sits back down in the seat, obviously not getting any answers.
“Can you put some damn music on?” He complains motioning towards the radio.
“Gosh, what are your thoughts not good enough to keep you entertained? It’s a five minute car ride.”
“My thoughts are boring, are yours not?”
“My thoughts are kept to my mind, and anyway we are here so can you please stop complaining.”
He exits the car racing towards the house, leaving Kate steps behind.
“Ah, Officer Rolez correct?” He questions as he reaches to the head of the steps standing in front of a police officer.
“Yes, are you Detective Sheffield?”
“No, I am her.” Kate remarks as she reaches next to Anthony, their bodies squished on this small deck.
“Hm, I don’t remember a mention of a rookie coming along with you.”
Kate hides a laugh and nods her head, not bothering to correct the officer.
“I’m not a rookie Officer Rolez, I’m a detective. Been on the force as long as her.”
“Oh my apologies Detective…?”
“..Bridgerton.” He huffs, obviously annoyed at how little he is known to others.
“So here is the crime scene,” Officer Rolez states as she guides them into the living room, “The point of entry was most likely the window and the exit was also the window. I spoke to the owner and she was not home at the time but she did notice about five grand missing and her handmade sculpture.”
“Were any prints found?” Anthony asks as he steps over the yellow tape.
Kate scowls at him as she usually asks the questions, but then again she usually is solo as well.
“No prints, and no evidence we found of any of us but you two can look around too.” The officer shrugs and starts at the door, “I have to do some paperwork for this but you guys can knock yourselves out.”
“She’s not making detective.” Anthony remarks as she leaves the room, smirking a bit.
“Maybe she just is having an off day Detective.” Kate quickly remarks leaving no room for question.
“Or she just does not have the gift I have.”
“I would hope no one has whatever gift you have, the world would be a better place.”
“Oh you wish you had my gift Kate.”
She rolls her eyes and walks over to the window nook to look through the pillows and cushions.
With her gloves on she searches the left side of the room while Anthony searches the right side, seemingly finding nothing.
“I found nothing over here, did you happen to find anything Detective?”
“Nada.” He remarks, not looking directly at her.
His lying face is easily remembered from police academy, “You’re lying tell me what you found.”
“I found nothing.”
She walks over to him, standing a few inches away from him looking directly in his eyes. She knows it will break him.
“Tell me what you found, Detective.”
He rolls his eyes and unveils a bag of white powder from his pocket.
“You were going to keep this to act as the smart guy!” She steps back annoyed.
“You have no proof of that Kate.”
“This is just like the academy! You are a cheater! Cheater!”
“God keep your voice down will ya? I was just going to deem the reward to get ahead of you. Nothing illegal God.”
Kate huffs and Anthony can see the steam coming out of her ears like a train.
“My shift is almost over and I cannot wait to get the fuck away from you.”
“Guess we finally agree on something.”
“Don’t patronize me.”
He mockily puts up his arms and steps over the yellow tape and leaves the house. Kate does a final scan and doesn’t see anything so she also leaves. As she puts the key into the car she wants to leave him at the crime scene so bad, but she can’t.
3 March 16:22
“Edwina I’m home!” Kate shouts out to the apartment, getting no response. She hears a shuffle in Eloise’s room, but Eloise is at work.
“Edwina?” She asks as she opens the door.
She sees Edwina and another little girl playing with Eloise’s makeup laughing while applying blush to each others cheeks.
“Edwina.” She states crossing her arms looking at her sister.
As she turns around and goes white, “Didi..! I didn’t know you would be home so soon!”
“Mhm.. what are you doing in Eloise’s room?”
“Uhm..”
“Nevermind that, who is your friend?”
“This is Hyacinth!” She beams as she and Hyacinth get up from the two kitchen stools they dragged into the room. She looks oddly familiar but she cannot place where.
“Nice to meet you dear, are you staying for dinner?”
“No, no I’m supposed to catch the bus and go home at six!”
“All by yourself?”
She nods excitedly.
“You’re in Edwina’s class right?”
“Yeah, we sit next to eachother after the new seats!”
“Thats nice!” She is worried about how a twelve-year-old is supposed to go home on a bus alone especially at night.
“So you ride the bus alone?”
“Uhm.. yeah!”
“Have you done it before?”
“Yes..” She replies not looking at her eyes.
“Edwina come out here for a second.” She says as she grabs her sister's arm and drags her into the hallway.
“Does anyone know that your friend…-”
“Hyacinth.”
“Yes Hyacinth, does her parents know she’s here?”
“Umm.. I don’t know, she just went home with me after school! I wanted to show her my new karaoke machine!”
Kate rubs her forehead, annoyed at the actions of her sister, “You are not allowed to bring people into this house without asking me okay?”
“Fine.”
“Good, now we are going to drive her back home because she is not riding the bus alone.”
Edwina rolls her eyes and goes back into the room.
“By the way, Edwina, no going into Eloise's room!” She screams.
“It’s so cool my sister lives here!” Hyacinth says once the door is closed.
“I guess.”
“When does she come home from work?”
“I don’t know whenever I guess.”
“I haven’t seen her in forever! Her and Anthony got into this big fight and then she moved out.”
“Me and Kate get into big fights but I can’t move out, sometimes I wish I could!”
“Girls, lets go.” Kate screams at the front door with keys in hands.
The girls run out and past Kate down the stairs to the car parked in the parking garage.
3 March 17:00
“This is your house dear?”
“Yep! Thanks for the ride Miss sheffield!”
“Please just Kate.”
As Hyacinth exits the car a woman dressed in a servants outfit comes up the car,
“Thank you for dropping her off, her brother has been worried sick.”
“Of course!”
“Inside, now miss.” The servant says as she takes off Hyacinth's bookbag and pushes her into the gated entrance.
“Your friend lives in an expensive house huh..?”
“I guess.” Edwina responds by reading some new book she picked up at the library.
3 March 20:42
Eloise quietly opens the door and closes it, but it's useless as both girls are already in the living room.
“Eloise, glad you finally came back.”
“Hello…”
“Where have you been?”
“Why do you need to know?” She asks as she shuffles into her room taking off her coat and short heels. “God I hate these heels. Heels were made for women to suffer.”
“Guess who I’m partnered up with now at work.” Kate says as she sits on the couch next to an asleep Edwina.
“Who? Is it that hot guy from Newport?”
“What? No..!” She replies astounded at the weird guess, “It’s Anthony.”
“Anthony?” Eloise ponders as she opens a bottle of wine, “My brother? Anthony?” She gapes as she almost drops the bottle of wine.
Kate simply shakes her head with embarrassment and annoyance as she reaches for the bottle to fill her glass.
“He is an even bigger douche than the last time I saw him, oh and get this he asked about you!”
“Me?” Eloise replies with a hint of sadness in her voice. “That’s odd he doesn’t know I moved in with you.”
“He said he wanted to talk and you said you were going clubbing with me, which you were not.. So?”
“Oh.. uhhhh nevermind that.” Eloise replies, grabbing the bottle and filling her cup swiftly and taking a gulp.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you moved out?”
Eloise cringes, it was such a rough argument and Anthony went insane on her. She had never seen Anthony act like that and it actually scared her, so much so she moved out at night and slept on Kate’s couch for the night and then hadn’t moved out of the guest room since.
“I don’t really want to remember it, if that's alright.”
“Yeah, it's fine.”
After a few minutes of wine drinking and gossiping, Kate remembers something but she doesn’t want to be wrong. She hates being wrong.
“Eloise.”
“Hm?” She replies looking up from her book.
“I think your sister might have been here earlier today.”
“What?”
“She looked a lot like you, and I’m pretty sure I remember seeing her before.”
“Daphne?”
“No, not the little one… God I can’t remember her name.”
“Hyacinth?”
“Yeah, she was playing with Edwina.”
“I know you won’t talk or see Anthony, but why aren’t you seeing your other siblings?”
“It would be too hard with Anthony.”
“I’m sorry, I know you love your siblings.”
“Mhm.”
Eloise’s phone starts to ring, and she looks at the contact, she rushingly gets up, says her goodnights and goes into her bedroom closing the door. Odd.
6 March 10:09
Back at work, after a nice three days off by pure chance. As she walks to her desk she sees that Anthony is already at work.
“Detective.” She gestures as she sits down and opens her laptop.
“Glad you finally showed up to work Kate.”
“I’m not so glad you showed up.”
He looks at her a bit sad, obviously thinking about something but he decides to leave it and looks back at his computer. He is typing mindlessly for a while, it doesn’t really seem like he is typing anything useful but Kate doesn’t care.
“10-480 any detectives able to come down?”
Before Kate can even reach for her radio, Anthony beats her to the chance.
“Affirmative Detective Sheffield and I can be there.”
As they start to leave they are stopped,
“Detectives!”
“Yes sir?”
“Tell them you can’t come, I need to speak with you too.”
“Yes sir.”
6 March 10:39
As they are seated familiarly like they were three days ago the captain starts to open a briefcase and hands us two papers.
“Now before you read it. I would like for you too to know what I am dealing with actively.”
Kate puts the paper down face first onto his desk which Anthony shortly follows suit, sitting up and facing the captain.
“Now detectives, if you haven’t noticed we are extremely short staffed as of now. We’ve had two quits and then one fire so we are holding on by a thread, now you two are if I must say the best workers here.”
That got Anthony's ego boosted as he sits up and straightens his jacket, smiling cockingly at Kate.
“Now you too have done patrol before, correct?”
“Yes sir, four years.” Anthony responds even more cocky somehow.
“And you?”
“Yep.” Kate responds, seeing no reason to brag to someone who doesn’t care.
“Great, now I know this may be a change of pace for you at first but I think you can swiftly get used to it. I need you two to work patrol and detective work at the same time. We are low on patrol and the crime is increasing because of this, so this is how I want it to work. I want you too to take a patrol car and go on patrol every morning together, if nothing is wrong you come back here and do some paperwork then patrol again after lunch, then hour paperwork break then patrol till end of duty.”
Kate tries to not look at the chief like an idiot because that's what this plan is, it will just work her overtime and nothing will- well Kate is extraordinary so it will work but she won’t like it.
“However if a detective is needed you both will go to the scene, do your stuff and then work on that case till it is finished and then if it is finished do patrol. I will expect you to keep up with the paperwork though because I can’t have it lacking.”
“So sir, to be clear you want us to work double the amount, get more paperwork but less time to do the paperwork?” Anthony remarks, putting his hands in his pockets leaning back in the chair.
“Yes, is that a problem?”
“No, sir.”
“Great, and your performance better not lack.”
Then the chief shoos them off and they get back to their desks.
“I guess we have to do patrol now.” Kate remarks annoyed as she packs up her laptop and starts to the elevator.
“Can he hear us out here? Like listening devices?”
“No?”
“Good, because this is a stupid ass plan.”
Though Kate tries to hide it, she does chuckle and agrees that this plan is stupid.
“Well if you can’t keep up you can always quit.”
“Oh I can keep up, I was worried for you.”
As they enter the elevator Kate still stands as far away from Anthony as possible but she does him throughout the elevator ride.
“Here’s our patrol car, I drive.”
“Woah, woah!”
Before Anthony can object Kate grabs the keys and rushes into the car, buckling in.
“That was a bitchy move you know.”
Kate shrugs and reverses out of the parking lot.
After a bit of cruising around looking for crime, which doesn’t exist apparently.
“You know I hate patrol.” Anthony chimes in looking out the window.
“You did it for four years, did you not?”
“Wow you really hate my bragging, do you not?”
“Your mockery is not doing the effect you think it is.”
“Kate.”
Kate thinks about responding but just shrugs her shoulders and murmurs a sound.
“Do you know where Eloise is?”
Fuck. “Why do you care?”
“She’s my sister in case you didn’t know.”
“Doesn’t seem like a brother to me.”
“And what would you know about having a brother Kate?”
She rolls her eyes and makes a sharp right turn, having Anthony slam into the window.
“Oops.”
“You know if I wasn’t such a gentleman I would have a very cruel word for you.”
“I don’t find you as a gentleman so do what you wish to do Anthony.”
As soon as it comes out of her mouth she wants to hit her head onto the steering wheel, hopefully he did not notice. Anthony smirks after that slip but luckily Kate doesn’t see.
“Kate-”
She doesn’t respond to his mockery, it's better to not give satisfaction to the bullies.
“Kate- Detective Shefflied!”
That gets her attention, as she turns her head she sees a figure of a gun in a nearby shop. She pulls over and turns on the sirens as she gets out of the car.
She takes her radio out, “10-31 Detective Bridgerton and I are witnessing an armed robbery at Ladies Supermarket, calling for backup.”
As she puts it away and takes out her gun, Anthony is already outside the door on the side peering in. She gestures to Anthony to wait till she gets there, and luckily he abides.
As she is on the other side of the door Anthony gestures for her and him to walk in holding guns.
As they slowly walk in, guns aimed at the perpetrator. The cafe is small so there is only one exit for him to leave, there are seven hostages and one child, he has a pistol with a bag of money, and he seems to be nervous.
“Sir, put the gun down.” Anthony says slowly as he raises the gun towards the man.
“No- No, you put yours down!”
“Sir, Sir what is your name?”
“No, you’re going to shoot me!”
“We won’t shoot you, just tell me your name.”
He looks around trying to see if somewhere there is an escape, “There's not an exit sir.” Kate says as she stands up and slowly walks towards the hostages.
“No, no, get away from them!” He screams holding the gun up at Kate.
Anthony immediately comments, “Sir put the gun down now.”
“No no no no, this wasn’t- it wasn’t supposed to happen!” He starts to panic, which is never a good sign surrounded by hostages.
“Sir, let the hostages go, they don’t have any more money.”
He doesn’t reply, so it's most likely a no.
“P-Put the gun down!” He screams looking at Kate.
Kate looks at Anthony and nods, “Only if you let one hostage go.”
He looks at the hostages, complementing and ultimately agrees.
“Uh.. you! You get out now.” He says quietly pointing at a young man.
He looks between the cops and the guy, “Can you let my wife go instead, please? She’s pregnant!” He tries to reason with him.
“No- No no no no, you go! Not my wife.”
Anthony looks at the young man and expresses that he needs to go, without wanting to he does leave looking back at his wife.
“N-n-now gun away.” The man says, stuttering. He is probably on some type of illegal drug which makes him even more irrational.
“Okay, just don’t shoot while I put it away…” Kate remarks as she shows herself putting the gun back in its holster safely.
Now with eight hostages still in the cafe, they have to act fast because guys like him do not last long before going insane and shooting the place up. Kate signs to Anthony that he has to calm the shooter down or he will go sporadic, with a nod from Anthony it’s clear he understands.
“What's your name?” Kate asks as she puts her hands up, though the gun is still aimed at her she slowly inches closer towards him.
He doesn’t respond at first and keeps flailing the gun at her.
“Sir, put the gun down please.” Anthony says, aware that the clock is ticking and soon SWAT would roll in and almost kill everyone.
“You won’t shoot?”
“I won’t shoot if you put the gun down.”
“Will you let me leave with the money?”
“If you put the gun down, I won’t stop you.” He says, hoping he doesn’t see the entire squad outside.
“Okay.” He says as he puts the gun on a table.
As soon as the gun is out of his grasp Kate rushes towards him to grab his arms just as Anthony rushes towards him as well. As the two reach the suspect, Kate uses her handcuffs to cuff him and takes him outside. Anthony is left with the job of making sure all hostages get out safely.
6 March 12:45
“Holy shit, I have not done patrol in ages.” Anthony says as he falls into the patrol car, Kate already in the driver's seat waiting for him.
Kate shrugs and puts the car in reverse to wheel out of the parking lot, even though she’s driven since she was sixteen so about nine years driving every time she starts to drive she always gets nervous especially if there are other people in the car, even someone as low on the scale as Anthony.
“Are you ever going to converse with me?”
“Not if I can help it.”
He rolls his eyes, and turns up some instrumental pop music on the radio.
“So can we talk about Eloise?”
“No.”
“Please, I know you know where she is.” He pleads trying to get me to look at him, “I need to talk with her Kate.”
“Do it yourself.”
“God, Kate I can’t if I don’t know where the fuck she is!”
Kate rolls her eyes at his outburst, hands on the wheel.
“We’re at the station so, goodbye.” She says as she exits the vehicle and swiftly gathers her stuff and disappears inside.
Anthony tries to contain his anger, and even though the dented trash can would differ he calmed down.