Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 17:44:07 -0800 From: "L. K. Griffin" To: FKarchiver@fkfanfic.com Subject: Misconceptions 01/01 Disclaimer: Insanity strikes. Or maybe it was the flu. Either way, I don't own these wonderful characters. I can't help it if they moved into my head and took up residence! Misconceptions By Laura K. Griffin Tracy was mad. Very mad. Borderline pissed off. Her partner could be a real pain in the ass! She knew he was only joking, but damn it! She was sick and tired of the image she seemed to project. For years she'd been known around just about every precinct in Toronto as 'daddy's little girl.' Commissioner Vetter had several pictures of his blonde pig-tailed daughter framed on his desk...pictures from the 3rd grade no less! How was she ever going to get away from that little girl reputation! For God's sake! She was a detective on the police force now! Tracy continued to mutter under her breath as she shuffled paperwork around on her desk, spilling coffee in the process. "Damn it!" she yelped as the coffee threatened to soak a report she'd been working on all night. "Damn it all, Nick! You just had to stick me with the paperwork again!" she sniped at the empty desk across from hers. "Detective Vetter." Tracy looked up into the amused eyes of her captain. "Sorry, sir. I'm just...a bit preoccupied." "I can see that. Why don't you knock off a little early after you clean that up. Knight's already checked out for the day. We can get along without you for an hour or two." He smiled, and Tracy couldn't help but give him a wry grin. "Thanks, Cap. I guess I've been a little tense lately." Tracy sopped up the spilled coffee with a few leftover napkins from her last trip to Buck Stars, threw the nasty mess away, and headed out of the precinct. Once she got settled into her car, she found herself driving over to the Raven. At least if she spilled coffee there, someone *else* would clean it up. The Raven was rocking, and Tracy welcomed the crowd. It was her chance to be invisible, slipping quietly through the throng of dancers, drinkers, revelers, and the 'regulars.' She made her way to the bar and ordered up a Scotch, neat. The bartender eyed her carefully but seemed to sense the mood that she was in and decided to say nothing. Tracy thanked the barkeep and found a small corner table in the shadows to hide in. She felt like brooding, and brooding was best done in private. However, her privacy was short-lived. "Hi, Trace." Urs had seen Tracy wonder into the bar and decided to risk a little girl talk. "I know you probably want to be alone, but I thought I'd check on you. Anything I can do?" "You know, Urs..." Tracy was about to unload a rude rebuff and then decided 'what the hell?' "I'm just in a lousy mood I guess." "Man trouble?" "Sort of. Not romantic stuff though. It's my damn partner, Nick." "Really? He seems like a pretty nice guy to me." Urs smiled that innocent smile as she sat across from the angry detective. "Nice! Yeah...he's nice. Whatever. Nice, nice, nice! But you know, he treats me like some dumb little sister or something! I'm sick of it!" "Oh. I think I get it. Kind of the way Vachon treats me sometimes." "You know...it started out so simple. I was looking at a book on dogs, thinking about buying my nephew a puppy. Then Nick comes along, and we start talking about childhood pets. I mentioned that I had a dog named Sparky, and he laughed at me!" "Aw! You had a puppy? I never got to have one." "That's not it, Urs. He made fun of the name of my dog! He asked me if I had a cat named Fluffy!" "What's wrong with that, Tracy? I don't get it." Tracy downed her whisky in one swallow, slammed the glass on the table and frowned. "Urs...Fluffy is a name that Nick thinks some air head kid would name a cat, and since I had a dog named Sparky, he just assumes that a cat named Fluffy goes along with it. It just...well...it...pisses me off!" "Tracy. Did you even have a cat?" Tracy sputtered a bit, motioned to the bartender to bring her another round, and then stared at the empty glass in front of her until the waitress brought over the second whisky. "Maybe." "Maybe?" "Yeah. Maybe." Tracy sipped her drink. She was already feeling the effects of the first one, and she knew she'd better slow down. "Yeah. I had a cat. As a matter of fact, I still have it. She's pretty old, but she's in good health, and I like to having her around." "Do you think I could see her? I love animals, but I don't really have a place to keep a pet. I could drive you home. I don't think you should be driving anyway." Tracy looked up at Urs, and she could see that the young woman was sincere. And she looked like she could use a friend. Maybe they both did. "Sure. Let me finish this up. If you'll drive me home in my car, I'll give you cab fair back." Urs smiled at this offer, and just nodded. A few minutes later, Tracy was putting the key into the lock of her apartment. As she opened the door, she flipped on the living room lights. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Tracy called her beloved pet. She was rewarded with the sound of claws pitter patting across the linoleum floor of the kitchen. Tracy leaned down and picked the animal up. The cat purred at her owner's attention. Tracy turned to look at Urs who had a rather shocked look on her face. The cat was completely hairless! "What happened to the poor thing?" Urs whispered. "Nothing at all. They're bred this way. They're supposed to be hairless." "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this!" "She's very sweet, and you get used to the way she looks. And look at the bright side: no cat hair on everything!" "You have a point! Cat hair does seem to end up everywhere. Can I hold her?" "Of course. She's friendly. She likes to be scratched behind her ears." "What's her name?" Urs asked as she cradled the hairless kitty and marveled at her soft skin and beautiful eyes. Tracy blushed a deep crimson red and whispered, "Uh...her name is...Fluffy." ----- fin -- Cousin Laura - The Original Dark CERK Perk http://userzweb.lightspeed.net/~graven/CERK.htm (.wav files) http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/5006/index.htm (DPs) "Walking through shadows...feel like I'm drifting away..."