New Partner (Simon)

[Animal]

Simon closed the book and looked up. ''Well, since we are going to be Partners, let us drop the formalities. Just call me Simon.'' Simon smiled at the rear mirror, hoping she would notice. He had noticed maybe he ought to cut a little slack upon his ability towards her. But he had to tell it to her, so that she could trust him. He held a brief silence and then he started:

''you know Ms. Fairweather. As partners, we need to trust each other, and know the other better than we should know ourselves. So I’m telling and showing you what I’m capable of doing. I’ve been trained to become what the police call a profiler. A profiler is a person that specializes in reading other people like they were an open book. Now I can understand that you feel uncomfortable about this whole situation with me using my abilities on you, and I’m sorry for that, but you need to know what I’m capable of doing if you and I are going to be partners. And as your teacher and superior I need to correct you if you do something wrong and teach you how things are done. But I also as your partner I will help you instead of just telling you what to do. Any questions?''
Simons’ voice had changed from being the friendly and calm voice to being the cold and strict voice. His smile had been replaced by a cold and neutral look, and he was looking at the mirror to get some eye contact with her so that it was clear what he just had said. his leg was crossed and his hands were folded on top of the closed book and he waited patiently for her to answer.

[Abigail Fairweather]

Stubbornly she held her eyes on the road, since she was afraid that he would do that whole I-am-charming-thing on her again. And since she responded clearly according to her emotions, she didn’t want to do the blush thing again. It was rather unpleasant doing that, because something a man said. Well in general she just wanted to ignore Simon, so she could drive in peace, without feeling like making a traffic accident every other minute.

“Well first of, could you stay out of my head? I know we are going to partners and stuff, but that doesn’t mean that I approve of you already trying to go through my head, after just meeting you. I grew up in Gotham, and I learned to be careful, which mean that I do not like strangers to go through me -like a book. Even if you are my teacher or superior, that doesn’t mean that I have to follow your every lead, and spill my whole life with you. I do have things I don’t want to share with others, just like you do, so, so… So just stay out of my head, alright?!”
The stirring wheel was starting to give little squeaking voices under the tight grip. Clearly she did not approve of his methods, and clearly the thought of sharing her life with him, made her very uncomfortable. Or well… It was more likely clear for Simon to see due to his proffesion, for a normal person she would more likely seem aggravated. And she couldn't describe how much, she wished him to be a normal person, at this very moment. She felt like he was getting to close, and she was ready to push the emergency button in her, just to get him to stay off the trail. He was way to eagerly to get to know stuff. and since she was not a criminal, he shouldn't be doing his profiling.
“And if we are going to be formal quit the Ms. and call me Abigail… Simon..”
Her eyes was fixated on the road, and she was in every way trying to avoid eye contact. But it didn’t really require her eyes to see that she was anxious, for she kept moving a little in her seat, twisting her hands, her breath being slightly faster than before.

[Animal]

Simon sat for a little while just looking at Abigail through the rear mirror. She responded in a way he didn’t quite expect her to do. Well of course she is still a rookie so he couldn’t blame her. Responding in that way to a superior would get her immediately fired, but of course this was Simon’s fault she responded this way. She was afraid, not used to this at all. Simon knew that, but of course he had to cross the line. As he always did. A small and cheesy smile came up on his mouth before replying to the frightened response from the poor girl. ''no… I will not stay out of your head. You need it, and the sooner you realize it the better.'' He knew that it probably would freak her more out, but she had to realize that she can’t do everything by herself. A person can’t save the world alone. Even when it comes to a persons’ ego, they need help, they have troubled lives and even if they don’t want the help, they need it if things is to become better.

Simon opened his book again and started reading when he suddenly realized what she had said. He looked suspiciously at her and asked. ''How did you know?... How did you know I have things I don’t like sharing with other people?'' he didn’t expect this kind of girl to have the same abilities as he did, so it seemed wrong that she knew he had a grim past.

[Abigail Fairweather]

Abigail was ready to start an argument against him, but she had this feeling that he weren’t about to listen to her opinion in this matter. So she gave up at least for now. Surly this was not the last she was going to hear from him, but she would just have to reply in the same way as now. Perhaps a little more mature, instead of just hitting the panic button, well he had hit a soft spot. In reality it just meant, that she had to be more careful around him, which was not a new experience for her.

It pleased Abigail that Simon had returned to his book, so that she could just drive en peace. Though he sooner or later would open his moth again, if not in the car, then when they were going to eat. That thought still bothered her, quite a lot actually.

With a calm face she answered him. “It shows on you…” She still refused to look at him, now for more than one reason. Simon was an idiot, and way too proud of himself, like he thought he was king of the world. Using his power as superior to get into something he should stay out of, even though every “couple” was supposed to have secret, - at least in you asked her. Hopefully he wouldn’t get to deep into her case, these next eight months before she could finish her education.

They hit the streets of Gotham you didn’t even need a sign telling you that. Beside the fact that you have to cross a bridge to get there, it was like interring a darker part of reality. Like this darker pocket of life, filled with weird people, and an thick feeling of the possibility for ones nightmares to come true. Gotham was that kind of place, filled with horrors and bad people. So the part about Abigail saying growing up here made her suspicious should be easier to understand now. Despite Gotham being a rat’s nest, Abigail still loved this place, and for it still was her home.

Abigail slowly guided them away from the prettier parts of town, and making them end up in the slum. She wasn’t bothered about it, but just stayed quite even if he were to ask questions. For her this was the last moment to collect the energy to deal with him, before she was going to be unable to hide herself, by not looking.

Finally Abigail pulled up, in front of a more or less decent looking place. A glass façade covering the front, showing a diner in an old 50’s looking style, and a sign in the front reading Cal’s place. Very original, but almost looking rather cozy.

“We are here…” She said before stopping the car, and turning the engine off. She then got out, an waited for Simon to do the same.

[Animal]

Simon smiled, giggling a little by himself. ''it shows''. She wasn’t that stupid after all. She actually had the same ability as he has. Well everyone does, but only few know how to use this ability. She was a potential student. She had the potential of becoming a good profiler. Simon started reading his book. He knew that he had created a very awkward and weird atmosphere. He could easily solve it, but he would give her some time to relax before he literally bombed her with questions so he easily could get to know her.

He heard Abigail saying that they were there. He had been too focused on his book, so he had lost track of his surroundings. He looked out of the windows and saw this old fashioned diner. He had expected her to pick a restaurant of any kind since he had said he was paying. But it was fine, it looked kind of rubbish thou, but what could he expect, it was a diner. He looked at Abigail and said ''It looks nice'' and then smiled to her. Well, he was used to eating in restaurant and other nice places, or at least, he had gotten used to that. It was actually his first time ever going to a diner, he had seen them before, but his parents had never taken him to any and he had never actually wanted to go there himself. His standards might have been a little too high. But he didn’t want to be any ruder to Abigail, so he thought that this couldn’t go wrong. He just had to be nice to her, instead of being all stiff and determined. He got out of the car and stood and watched the façade of the building for a brief second. He had brought the coat along, but the picture and teddy he had put it in the pockets so he wouldn’t lose them. Besides it would seem weird if he left the items in the car. They still didn’t know one another.

[Abigail Fairweather]

Simon had said the places she usually went, and this was it. Since the money was low, restaurants weren’t the places to go for her. She didn’t even know if there was a good restaurant around here. And if Simon didn’t like it he could just have decided himself. It was obvious that he was rather skeptical about it, but she chose not to comment on it. Well she wouldn’t really fit into a restaurant in the kind of cloth she wore.

She locked the car, and walked into the diner, waving shortly at the man behind the desk, that gave her a short nod back. Something that told that she probably had been her a lot before, which she had, since it was almost the only place she went, when she dined out. But it was a comfortable place for her, with old school seats, something that looked like a bar, and not very big, but big enough.

Abigail took seat by one of the tabled in front of the window, and looked up at Simon forcing forth a smile, though she was still a little irritated over him snooping around in her personal affairs. But in the end she had to accept it, and live with it, since he probably would keep on being nosy. So she just pushed a menu towards him, and looked in her own.

A waiter came over to them. “Have you decided yet?” the girl asked in a sweet voice, scanning Simon though her system, and then looking at Abigail with a questioning look, clearly not understanding why she was with him, since Abigail never had been seen with a guy, other than the other police rookies. But Abigail just shook her head a little, to make the girl’s hope fall a little.
“The Cheese Burger, and a coke… And you Simon?”

[Animal]

Simon stood and watched the facade and through the windows to see what kind of people that was in the building. He was a little skeptical because he didn’t want to lose his stuff. He heard that Abigail locked the car doors and started walking towards the diner. He quickly followed after, and of course again, held the door for her. He noticed she waved at the bartender and he nodded back. ''so this is her favorite place to eat'' Simon thought to himself.

It looked nice, a small comfortable place, where people could come and get something to eat. The bartender looked friendly and the staff looked all relaxed. He smiled once again, he could get used to eating this place. It was nice. He had a bad habit to judge only by the looks, but he always tried to give it a shot. He took a sit on the other side of the table and grabbed a menu card which stood at the table.

The waiter walked up to the table almost immediately, Simon was a little surprised, and he didn’t have gotten the time to pick anything from the menu. He felt a little stressed and he clearly showed it, he didn’t expect that he had to be fast. Besides, it didn’t look like there were many costumers in the diner. He smiled at Abigail, trying to comfort her a bit. ''Well, Abigail, it seems as you come here often, so what do you suggest?'' he looked quickly at the waiter and then back at Abigail again, still with his charming smile on his lips.

[Abigail Fairweather]

She looked up from her menu to look at Simon, given this question some consideration, looking down at her menu again. Clearly having no idea what to answer, since she liked it all, but that wasn’t really a proper answer.
“Uhm… Their burgers?” Her insecurity really showed because the situation was awkward for her. She had never been on something that even reminded a date(Which this kind of did), where she could practice these kinds of things. So she chose to find safety in the menu again, though she had ordered all she wanted.

”Well… Most of it is very good…” She smiled a little, before she caught an unrestrained tot of hair, and placed it behind her ear. She looked down on her hands, and pulled the sleeves on the Hoodie all the way down over her hands, not really that she was cold, far from, she was actually a little sweaty.

”So are you married?” she asked nodding at the ring on his finger, to point out where she had gotten the idea form, since it was a rather odd question to ask out of nowhere, at least if you asked her. Well it was rather odd for her to be ordered to get to know someone that was supposed to be close to her a lot from now on. It made her worry a good deal more, for what if he found out about her weird habits, and her former life. It was only around now that she really understood the danger in him being a profiler, for he didn’t really have to ask, to know what was going on. And if he really wanted to he could with a little work, actually get to know her past.

[Animal]

Simon noticed that she didn’t quite expect that question. ''Yes their burgers'' Simon said while laughing a bit, it wasn’t an all out laugh, but a little giggle. It might have been rude but she did seem as she could use a little smile upon her face. He looked down at the menu again. He had to determine what he wanted, but he didn’t want any very unhealthy food. He saw that they were selling other things than burgers. He looked up at the waiter and said ''I would like a chicken salad with a lemonade please'' he said with a big smile on his face.

After the waiter had left the table to get the food, Abigail couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. She had noticed the ring long ago, he knew that. He looked down at his ring and then quickly back up at Abigail. Simon didn’t quite know what he should answer. He didn’t want to be rude to her just because she was asking in to his past. He did the same so it was a fair deal. He hesitated a little. The memory of what happened didn’t make him happy. But he was used to the thought of it, so it didn’t make him all that sad. But it still made him sad. ''I was married.'' He forced a smile on his face. He didn’t want her to notice it made him sad to talk about.

[Abigail Fairweather]

She looked after the waiter, feeling a little like her only life line had just disappeared. She then turned her attention at Simon again, trying to figure out how to act around him, but didn’t really find an answer, but it would probably come sooner or later.

”What happened?” she asked without thinking twice before asking. Well it was a little interesting to hear this story, since she could imagine that his pushy personality could make even the strongest run away from him. The thought was rather entertaining until she realized his sadness. It made her feel like an idiot wanting to hit herself, since she was turning into a rather unpleasant person. ”Don’t answer that… I just… Eh…” she looked down, and up at the waiter as she came back with the lemonade and coke, to just disappear again. This was rather awkward. At all times this was the worst to be socially awkward.

”So… do you have a place to live yet?” she started to fumble with the end of her sleeve without thinking about it, but caused by her being nervous. Normally people didn’t really notice it, since she kept smiling, and looked like she wasn’t bothered by this. But unfortunately Simon wasn’t a normal person.

[Animal]

Simon looked at her. She was curious, he could easily tell. She wanted to know what happened but she didn’t want to dig too much in his past. He sat quietly and thinking whether or not he should answer her question. She had even withdrawn her question, but he still didn’t say anything. He looked down at the ring as she asked for another question. Remembering all the good memories he had from her… he really did miss her, everyday was a burden thinking of her, but it was what kept him alive. The memories of those he cared about kept a smile on his face.

He looked up at Abigail and smiled. ''I had an accident 3 years ago. A truck rammed into the left side of my car, instantly killing my wife and my father, my mother ended up in the hospital but she died a couple of days later due to the severe injuries'' He said. He chose not to mention his busted knee or all the scars he had gotten on the left side of his body. He didn’t want to answer the other question just yet so he completely ignored it. He felt he could trust her so he chose to tell her about what happened, besides he wanted to show a sign of trust in telling her things about his own past.

[Abigail Fairweather]

When he suddenly became very silent Abigail felt very out of place. She was sure that the question had been wrong of her to ask, and that was the reason why she was surprised when he suddenly answered. She felt very misplaced, ashamed of what she had thought of him, didn’t know what to do. Half heartedly she forces forth a smile, and started to stir the straw in the coke around. I am very sorry to hear…” strangely it was very comforting to hear him speak of it, as if he perhaps wasn’t that dangerous. Well you couldn’t judge a book by its cover, but perhaps she was wrong for once. Not everyone could be like the jerks at the academy, or like the scum’s she so often met in Gotham.
The silent had hit their table again, but this time it wasn’t that uncomfortable, but felt more like it was needed. Well at least form his side, but Abigail didn’t mind.
”I, uhm… I am sorry if I have seem a little rejecting, it has nothing to do with you. It’s just… Well I have had some problems with people my entire life, and well… It have made me rather timid” she said very still, being nervous about telling anyone something about her.

[Animal]

Simon kept the smile on his face even thou he had just told her about the accident. She started to apologize for her weird behaviour. ''Look Abigail, don’t be sorry just because you acted as you normally do. I know that you’ve had a rough childhood, it tells on your clothing, the way you use your body and the way you talk.'' He tried to be comforting so she wouldn’t freak out and he kept the smile on his face. He had gotten a little thirsty, so he grabbed for the lemonade. He looked quickly at Abigail and raised the glass ''Cheers Abigail, and thanks for picking me up at the airport'' he then took a sip of the lemonade just to taste it. They had used way too much lemon in the lemonade, making it too bitter for Simon’s taste. His face could easily tell, he made a weird and funny face as he swallowed the lemonade. It was a long time since he last had tasted a lemonade, but he didn’t recall it to be that strong.

[Abigail Fairweather]

She smiled halfheartedly and kept stirring in the coke, not really looking interested in drinking it. But by his cheers she raised the glass a little, and mumbled a silent cheer before she raised the glass to her lips. She took a sip of the coke, trying desperately to keep it in her mouth, when Simons face expression twisted into a very comical one. She had to cover her mouth to keep the coke inside as she giggled. By a stroke of luck she managed to swallow the coke, and grabbed a napkin to clean her face off.
”To sour?” she asked with a big smile while giggling and coughing at the same time.
She wiped her mouth in the sleeve of her – now dirty - hoodie, before she opened it to take it off, revealing her hidden feminine figure. The figure which now was framed by a grey sleeveless T-shirt. She then folded the hoodie, and laid it in her lap. Abigail was slim, if not almost thin, very pale as her face color has suggested, and with a few scared on her arms. She didn’t really seem very pleased with her figure, as the covered up the view to her body. Her arms crossed over one and another and a hand resting on each shoulder. But well this was better than a dirty shirt.

[Animal]

Simon couldn’t stop laughing when he saw the reaction Abigail put up. He just made a fool out of himself and it seemed to amuse her. It wasn’t a mocking laughter. It was a sweet and gentle laughter, like he was laughing about what he did. He reached for a napkin at the end of the table and started cleaning the table of the coke. While he started cleaning the table he answering her questions ''yes, it was quite sour'' he laughed.

After he had cleaned up he sat down again. He looked at Abagail, she had dropped the hoodie. She looked very pretty, she was very good looking. A small smile popped up on his lips as he tried to get eye contact with her again. ''so Abigail… can you tell me what you like to do in your sparetime?'' he had to start a conversation that didn’t feel any awkward to her, so talking about things she might like could probably make her loosen up.