Who: Will Graham and Navi What: Helping tie up loose ends When: 5/25 or so Where: Will's office in downtown Irvine Rating/Warning: PG13, talk of violence Status: Complete
Will yawned as he reached for his triple espresso. He’d never been much of a coffee fan, but energy drinks were disgusting, and he needed to stay up. He’d worked a late shift handling a body fished from a reservoir, and then when he’d tried to nap, the dreams had come back with a vengeance, replaying scenes from a Grand Guignol murder show with the wumping, dull soundtrack of an MRI.
As he started to look through his leads on previous cases, one of his coworkers stuck her head around a corner. “Graham? There’s a lady here wanting to get a restraining order, but I gotta run to court. Can you explain to her this isn’t the place?”
Hopefully it wouldn’t get ugly. Will nodded, rising and rolling his neck before going over to the entrance of the police headquarters building.
Nobody really seemed to know where to get a restraining order. It was depressing in a way - Navi felt bad for all the women who weren’t magically blessed with wings and tactical skills. But instead of fussing, she simply sat down and waited for the next person to tell her a new place to go to. Baby Zellie was sleeping in a sling against her chest, brown-gold curls sticking up as she curled closer to her mother. Navi, for her part, was rereading The Art of War while she waited.
Will came out into the vestibule and approached the only woman there. “Ma’am? My name is Detective Graham.”
She looked up from her book and smiled. “I know you wouldn’t be the person to help me with a restraining order, but if you can point me in the right direction.” It sucked that she had to know what she was looking for to know where it was. “Or even the right person would help.” She could’ve found Will Graham’s childhood stamp collection in a second, but this was different.
Will was thrown by her calm. “I know exactly who to speak to,” he said after a minute. “If you’d care to come back to my desk, we can give him a call. Detective Ortiz had to go to court, but she asked me to help.”
She nodded, standing up and stroking Zellie’s hair to soothe her. Zellie reacted very much to her mother’s moods, as many babies did, and Navi’s movement had made the baby whimper in her sleep. “I would’ve done it in Oregon where he attacked me, but they’re not really valid across state lines. Or jurisdictional ones.” She wondered why he seemed so confused, then realized he was probably used to people who were more upset than she was.
“You actually could have filed one in Oregon,” Will said. “The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution means states have to honor things like restraining orders and marriages from other states. Why it doesn’t seem to apply to same sex marriage, I don’t know, but it does to most other things.” Still, she had grounds to file here, so it was all right. He belatedly realized he might be info-dumping, and added, “If any of that was too legalese, just let me know.” “Nope! I got it all. It just didn’t make sense to stop - he’s with the government himself and awesome at tracking, so I was trying to lose him.” She followed him to his desk, putting her book back into Zellie’s diaper bag - decorated brightly in blue with a few fluffy looking clouds on it.
Will blinked, sitting down and waiting until she’d sat in his guest chair. “With the government? With all due respect, ma’am, is this something you need to involve the FBI in?” If she hadn’t already. He was curious in spite of himself, but he knew enough not to press.
“Probably. But the Agency is already involved, so this is really just a formality.” Navi sat down in the guest chair, looking down when Zellie started to wriggle. She hummed lightly to the infant, a song that anyone who shared her dreams would recognize as a song that was the royal family of Hyrule’s own lullaby.
“What’s the Agency?” Did she just mean the FBI? Was that a slang term or something? If she was a government wife, it might be.
Navi went pale, realizing she’d stuck her foot in it. “It’s ... sort of? More CIA than FBI, I can’t really talk about it too much.”
Will was immediately suspicious, but not necessarily of her. “Well. We can at least get you the restraining order you need. And we, unlike some other counties, actually back it up.” He couldn’t help but smile in a black way. “There hasn’t been a homicide of that nature in Orange County in over a year.”
“There wouldn’t be even if he did find me.” Navi beamed. “He already tried once, but I knocked him out with a lamp. He underestimated me, and that means he’s not as good as he thinks he is.” She still had bruises on her neck, hence a collared shirt in summertime. “I’m ... well, I shouldn’t tell you, it’ll sound nuts.”
“Ma’am, trust me, I know nuts.” Will raised an eyebrow. Were they about to add government conspiracy on top of magic?
“Do you dream?” Navi winced. “I’m not as worried about my own safety because of them.”
“Yes, I do.” That made more sense. “Mine are rather horrible.”
“I’m sorry,” Navi murmured. “I’d hug you, but you don’t look like you’re a touchy feely person. Mine are ... horrible sometimes but usually good. I helped save the world?”
“Did you?” Will smiled a little. “My girlfriend can talk to animals? Her dreams are a bit better than mine.”
“I can talk to plants! Between the two of us, you’ve got awesome witnesses,” Navi smiled. “I’m a fairy,” she murmured quietly, almost conspiratorially.
“Really?” Will wasn’t sure which of those statements was more unusual. “Is that ... does that give you any extra power to handle yourself in difficult situations?” Awkward, maybe, but better than asking ‘Did being a fairy help you knock out your ex-husband with a lamp’.
“In my dreams, my job was to train and help the Hero of Time. So I’m really good at tactics - seeing weaknesses, things like that. Like, you have a rotator cuff issue in your right shoulder.” Navi smiled and kissed the top of her baby’s head, smiling when Zellie snuffled in her sleep.
Will blinked again, both amused and terrified at the same time. “It appeared from the dreams. I got shot walking a beat in New Orleans.”
Her blue eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh. I swear, police officers don’t get enough credit.” She shook her head, wishing he were huggy - he deserved one.
“I didn’t actually suffer it, it’s just there.” Will still felt odd about it. He hadn’t even mentioned that to Lilo - it wasn’t an injury, but a healed one. “I dream of being an FBI profiler. And things have been going from bad to worse.”
“The dreams are a blessing and a curse,” Navi murmured. “They show us who we might have been or could still be, they give us gifts, and they give us sorrows. Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve stayed in Oregon. My daughter, she’ll be a fairy too. Her wings are already forming.” And she wondered if Zellie would end up with any of Pete’s gifts.
Will didn’t really have patience with that kind of attitude, but he had to speak politely. “My dreams have given me encephalitis, night terrors, injuries and distrust. I know others have had better ones, but I’m not seeing anything the dreams have given me yet.” He smiled a little, looking up the information for the Family Records division.
Navi squinted, trying to find a bright side. “... antibodies?” She winced, chuckling to herself and sighing afterward. “I’m really so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Just, if there’s an upside, I haven’t found it yet.” Will dialed the number he found, waiting to speak to the detective on the other end of the line.
He reached a live person after three rings. Will explained the situation and the detective told him to send the lady over; Will said he would. Simple enough. He hung up and relayed the information to Navi. “I can give you directions to the right building, and there’s a real, live person who’ll be there to talk with you when you get there.” He smiled a little. “I’m sorry you’ve probably been jerked around.”
“Oh, thank you. I would’ve been able to find them if I’d known their name, but I didn’t.” She smiled at him and stood up. “I’m glad I met you, Detective Graham. You’re really nice. I’m sure you’re awesome at your job.”
“Ma’am, may I ask you something?” Will was curious, and it made him reckless.
“Of course.” Navi paused, sitting back down. “Please, call me Navi.” She still had to legally change her name back to her maiden name.
“Navi, then.” Will had to choose his words carefully, nonetheless. “Can you explain ... how you’re so ...” Sigh. “I think I’d be very upset were I in your shoes. Why aren’t you?” Hopefully she wouldn’t get angry. Just, he didn’t understand how not to take it personally. It felt impossible.
She sighed, taking a deep breath. “I am angry. I am. But letting it show, letting it ... come out - Zellie’d feed off of it. I want my baby to grow up happy and strong, and not let things defeat her.” Navi smiled and felt her eyes tear up a little, but she didn’t feel resentful of Will for it. It was good to cry when one was sad. “Besides, just because he ... changed, doesn’t mean that he didn’t love me before. It just means that life’s taking a different path for me. Trees grow roots around things, they don’t just stop when there’s an obstacle.”
He’d honestly never thought of it that way, and the more he considered, the more it made sense. “I’m sorry to bring it up,” Will said. “I was just thinking that it’s hard not to take my dreams very personally. Wonder what I did to deserve them. I am angry. But there are small good parts.” He offered her a tissue box, reaching across to Kirsty’s old desk to give it to her.
After accepting a tissue, she dabbed her eyes a bit. “Take the good from them. They’ve taught you to be stronger, I’m sure. Somewhere, there’s a Will Graham who isn’t so lucky as you.” She smiled and squeezed his hand, the only physical comfort she thought he’d accept. “Your girlfriend’s very pretty.” She’d noticed the photo on his desk.
He blinked for a minute, but then realized the photo was rather intimate. It was of Will and Lilo, and he had an arm around her. They were leaning close. It was either a family member or girlfriend, and they looked nothing alike. Will smiled a little. “There isn’t much good in them. But my dream self has dogs who love him. He’s met a few extraordinary people.” Not for the first time, he thought of Alana, though it was a lot less painful than it used to be.
Standing up, she looked down at him. “You’re a warrior, you know. I can tell.” If this had been Hyrule, she might have trained him. “Maybe you can tell me more things about your dreams sometime, under better circumstances.”
“Perhaps.” Will stood as well, managing a small smile. “And if there’s anything I can do for you - if Detective Vandenberg needs help with your restraining order, or takes too long, let me know.” He knew how to put the fear of God in someone. That, he hadn’t needed to learn from the dreams.
“Thanks, Detective Graham.” She would’ve flown away if she could, but instead she walked toward the other detective’s office, feeling much lighter.