InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Pancakes are love"

awildthing (awildthing) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2012-10-30 20:18:00

Entry tags:

!complete, emma swan, sheriff graham (the huntsman)

Who: Emma (Swan), Graham
When: Tuesday evening.
Where: A residential street in Irvine.
What: Graham has a tail-light out. Emma pulls him over. It's really not his week.
Rating: Let's assume low. G/PG.

It was a white pickup - a mid-nineties Chevy, perhaps a little dirty but otherwise in good repair. Unpretentious. Good for carrying cargo. There was nothing in the truck bed, but that was because the driver had been out to dinner with a friend and coworker. It wasn't the right time of night for hauling furniture or scenery or props.

The pickup also had a tail-light out.

The driver was clearly male and fairly tall, judging by where the head-rest hit. He hadn't given the police car any trouble - when the sirens went on, the truck pulled over. The window was down by the time the officer made her way to the window.

Graham was rummaging in his glovebox. He was your standard hipster-grown-up, dressed in jeans and boots and a vest, because clearly you needed dress it up in order to hit a chain restaurant along the highway. "I'm sorry," Graham said, without really looking over at the officer, "The compartment's a mess, no one needs this many napkins -- ah. Insurance. Here--"

Ohgod. For a moment, the look on Graham's face was 100% deer-in-headlights. He knew this sheriff's deputy.

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	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 01:57 am UTC (link)
	Emma only had one thought in mind, and unfortunately she articulated it. "... aren't you that wolf guy?" Graham was and would likely be for some time 'that wolf guy' as far as Emma was concerned. She didn't care about the wolf itself. She was concerned how much he cared about the wolf, though. (Reply to this) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 02:08 am UTC (link)

Graham didn't wince so much as exhale through his nose. Loudly. And collect himself. "Sadly, not the worst nickname I've ever acquired," he replied, then offered over his license and paperwork. "Yes. Guilty; I'm 'the wolf guy.'"

He wasn't going to say anything else. He wanted to repair his first (well, second) impression, but he just couldn't help himself. It was like some horrible train-wreck that he was watching as it was happening.

"But if that's too much to say, you can call me Graham."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 02:20 am UTC (link)
	This was Emma Swan. Trying to reserve judgement. After all, he was pretty cute. "Graham. You've got a tail light out, buddy. No big deal, but you want to get that fixed, okay?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 02:25 am UTC (link)

It wasn't 'Wolf Guy.' And because it was Emma Swan, Graham allowed himself to take the use of his first name as a win. The smile was fleeting but completely obvious, even in the dim glow cast by his overhead dome light.

"--wait, really?"

It wasn't that he doubted Emma. It was that, true to human nature, Graham couldn't believe he'd missed something like that. He tapped the breaks and pivoted in his seat, and yep - the shadows on the squad car confirmed Emma's assertion.

"Oh. Thank you. I've some time tomorrow, I can take it by the shop in the morning."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 02:34 am UTC (link)
	Okay, now she was judging, just a little bit. "Oh, come on, it's just a tail light. We could fix it right now if you had the light." Then again, Emma had to take care of herself most of the time. She didn't like handing over any job, no matter how mundane. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 02:44 am UTC (link)

"You're assuming that I've the light." It wasn't a good idea to tease Emma, but Graham just couldn't help himself. The grin was back. "It's because the cabin's a mess, isn't it?" He paused for effect, then turned to rummage about.

"As it happens, I might have a spare."

The door opened and Graham swung out, box in hand. "--not that I'm sorry for the help, but I'm not keeping you from more important things? Real crime, or mad people in costume?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 02:57 am UTC (link)
	Emma shrugged. "I've got my radio on. Sounds like the mad people in costume are getting rounded up by the locals. You're stuck with me." She grabbed the box, grinning at him as she went back to her squad car to get her little toolbox. "And no, it's because you said you're going to take it to a shop, Graham." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 03:08 am UTC (link)

"I can change a tire?" Graham said hopefully, following Emma around the back. "But it seems wrong, taking an easy light-change away from a hard-working mechanic. I've a duty to support the economy, and... all right, it was general laziness, who am I fooling?"

There was a mini-flashlight on Graham's keychain. He clicked it once, to test, and then directed the beam down at the extinguished tail light. "...also I'm not entirely certain how to take this apart. Does it just pop free?"

The benefit of putting the torch between his teeth was that Graham stopped taking. The problem was that he was now tugging at the light.

He was really not going to impress Emma with his can-do masculinity, was he?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 03:20 am UTC (link)
	Emma wasn't unimpressed, strictly speaking. She was trying to be patient, oh she was trying but he just seemed kind of helpless. How did he manage to get to adulthood? She reached under the bumper and released the light casing from the frame of the truckbed. Usually it was a little lever. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 03:26 am UTC (link)

That exhalation? That exhalation was Graham trying not to laugh. "Of course," he muttered, but with the flashlight between his teeth, it came out "mmmfff corssss.' Oh right. He grabbed for the keys, which jingled in his hand.

"Under the frame. Right." He knew that. (He hadn't known that.)

"...perhaps you'd best tell me what you want me to do, and I'll just -- do it."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 03:29 am UTC (link)
	In almost any other circumstance, she would have made an awful joke. Any almost any other circumstance, it would sound flirty. As it was, Emma just had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. In a reasonably good natured sort of way. "Just pull out the casing, Graham." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 03:46 am UTC (link)

Well. Wasn't this painfully familiar? The nuances of the Internet. Surveillance video in hospitals. He wasn't going to laugh - not even because Emma Swan still knew more about how to do his job than he did.

Instead, he pulled out the casing.

"Ahhhh. Sorry about the Valarnet -- everything. I try to joke. Often I am unsuccessful. The trials and tribulations of spending your days catering to the whims of animals and production assistants, I suppose."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 03:48 am UTC (link)
	Emma shook her head, taking the casing and removing the burnt out bulb from the back, popping the new one into place. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're still not as weird as the guy running around thinking he's Buzz Lightyear." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

awildthing
2012-10-31 03:52 am UTC (link)

Okay. There was no way Graham could keep from laughing at that, even if he knew it wasn't the poor fellow's fault. "Thank you?" He answered, but he was considering that 'not as weird' as a win, as well. No question-marks about it.

"...I wonder if he has a Spanish mode."

That's right. Graham had seen a children's movie. Or, rather, he had friends with children and sometimes babysat.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 03:54 am UTC (link)
	Emma laughed too, because she absolutely had seen that children's movie, dammit. "I'm not poking any buttons on that suit to find out. He and Woody were causing a fit earlier, but not as bad as Yoda. We actually had to arrest him for child endangerment." Kids trying to float rocks above their heads was just an accident waiting to happen. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	awildthing 2012-10-31 03:59 am UTC (link)
	"Those poor children. They'll never enjoy Star Wars again." There was no laugh at that; not only because child endangerment was serious, but also because poor Yoda would be coming out the other side of Halloween with a criminal record... if things with the costumes righted themselves at all. "I hope it calms down after Halloween. That's all I can say." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 04:02 am UTC (link)
	"I hope someone can figure out what the hell is going on. I mean, none of this makes sense. It's not normal." Emma Swan didn't put a lot of stock in the dreams or the supposed 'weird' events of the past year. There was always an explanation, wasn't there? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	awildthing 2012-10-31 04:10 am UTC (link)
	Graham almost said something, but changed his mind. It wasn't time. Perhaps if she'd had dreams, or when, but not now. "I moved to Orange County from Los Angeles a little over a year ago. It's been a strange ride ever since. I don't pretend to understand it - I only live here." He shrugged. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 04:12 am UTC (link)
	"Don't we all," she muttered, sliding the casing back into the frame and watching the light flash back to life. Her grin was teasing. "Give me a call if the other one goes out." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	awildthing 2012-10-31 04:14 am UTC (link)
	"Dangerous offer," Graham said, all innocence. "I might." But then, to prove that he had manners, he extended a hand. "I'm glad to have met you in person. Thank you for your help." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	saveeveryone 2012-10-31 04:16 am UTC (link)
	This was getting dangerously close to flirting. And Emma Swan didn't do that. Ever. She shook his hand in what could only be termed a professional manner, then nodded. "Any time, Graham. Have a good night." She advanced in the opposite direction right back to her squad car. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	awildthing 2012-10-31 04:25 am UTC (link)
	Graham twirled his keys in his hand and turned back toward the truck cab. As unexpected encounters went, he considered this a success; no arrests, no running away, just a repaired light and the use of 'Graham' instead of 'Wolf Guy.' He'd take it. The door to the truck shut, and Graham started up the engine. Both tail lights glowed red in the darkness. (Reply to this) (Parent)