Location of Thread: Police Station Tag Line: Some games can be dangerous Characters Involved: John McCoy & James Hanaway (with others possibly joining later) Played By: Karl Urban & Josh Holloway
After James's brief conversation with Whitney and his following one with Rachel, he had gone to work trying to figure out what was going on. Was it a case of an ex lover scorned and John wasn't involved in the killings at all? Or was there truth in this and that's why Whitney was now John's ex? It's not as if John knew him enough to tell him anything about his past, but he hoped that after a few weeks of working together now, that he might feel better about opening up to him. So after his morning round of the community, he decided to go and see if John was free to talk. He knocked upon the door and then opened it slightly, “Are you good for a chat John?” John looked up from the papers he was working on and raised his eyebrow, the look on James's face told him that whatever it was about, it wasn't going to be an enjoyable chat. He shoved the papers into his tray and beckoned with his hand for James to come in. “Sure, sit down. By the look on your face, you ran into some trouble on your round this morning? Tell me all about it.” He had to know about any trouble, as it got catalogued and then he himself would go the people in question and either tell them off, or get to the bottom of the issue.
James sat down, and wasn't really sure where to begin. How do you tell your boss that the only trouble you're here to talk about, is the trouble your boss himself is in? He shook his head, “Actually, no, the rounds have been all fairly quiet since I started, beginning to think we're living in some sort of Pleasantville to be honest.” This got a chuckle from John, but only James knew the truth about Pandora, he probably wouldn't be saying that. Though to give him credit, a lot of the residents did act like that, because, well, they never know how is going to be talking out of turn outside the community. They didn't like just anybody knowing about who or what they were. “Right, so, why are you looking so troubled my friend?” John liked to think that they could be friends, he might be his boss, but they still worked together and it was better if you could be friends with one another. Or so he thought.
Now, Whitney had said he was to say hello to John, but should he mention her name to see how he would react? Would it be better to do that, than come right out and say, I've had a tip that you've been the one behind all the recent murders, when he wasn't even supposed to be aware of them as yet? After a very quick think, so as not to stay quiet for too long, he opted for the first, “What does the name Whitney Granger mean to you John?” James watched as John sat back in his chair, squirming slightly, lifting his hand up to the back of his neck and let out a low whistle. One word finally came out of his mouth, “Bitch.” This made James raise his eyebrow, “Nice.” He retorted, but chuckled a little. After all, he had no idea what had gone on between them, he only had Whitney's very little word on it so far.
John sat forward, with his hands touching fingertip to fingertip, brow furrowed, “Whitney and I were in a long term relationship, I even proposed to her, but it didn't end well. What has she been saying?” He then put his hand up, “No, wait, I'm going to take a guess that she's blaming me for a lot of stupid stuff? That would be typical of her. I bet she never told you that she's always doing things that are against the law?” John asked, he got up from the desk and went to the file cabinet and then threw James a file at him that was very thick, so thick it made quite the thump and papers around the desk to fly off onto the floor. “Read that.” He sat back down again. He didn't say a word, instead, letting James find out for himself, exactly who the precious Whitney Granger was, the only thing missing, was what she was.
Location of Thread: Police Station Tag Line: Some games can be dangerous Characters Involved: John McCoy & James Hanaway (others may join later) Played By: Karl Urban & Josh Holloway
James could only look at John with an eyebrow risen and his mouth open as he explained that Whitney was an ex and that she apparently had been in trouble with the law. John had then proceeded to throw a rather thick file at him. He had picked it up and started to look through it, letting out a low whistle like John had done a few moments before. This was a lot of crime, nothing too heavy handed, such as murder, but a lot of robberies and grievous bodily harm, which to be fair, when it came to the law, was bad enough. James didn't even have to go through it all, the first few pages was enough. He looked up at John, “Why in hell is she still out and about then? I mean, why has she not been incarcerated for a longer term? Was she ever?” Then it hit him, “Oh please for the love of god don't say you let her away with it?” He just noticed that it might be possible that none of that file was every properly dealt with.
James had seen John go into the file drawer often and that was not the same drawer that he typically went to for cases. It was like he treated this specially. Had he done favours for Whitney? He hoped not. If he had, then maybe John wasn't the decent law enforcer that he had hoped he was. John looked down, this was not going to be an easy discussion, for a start it meant that he was finally going to have to tell James about this town, something he had hoped to hold off on for a while yet. Or maybe he could get around it, he doubted it, but he could try. “Can I just say that it's complicated?” Somehow he didn't think that was going to fly and by the look on James's face, he was right. He was scowling at John, “No, mate, that's not enough. You want me to be the sheriff, and sure you're the boss of me, but how can I make judgements and keep the residents safe if I don't know the truth about one of the worst criminals according to this file.” He began to look through it again, the number of crimes that she had done were insurmountable. It didn't matter if they were mostly small, it all added up.
John sighed, he was going to have to give him more than that, he knew it. “I think you might need a stiff drink before I tell you anything that you need to know. In fact, you might want to hand me your badge, as I don't think you will want to stay.” Christ, thought James, that didn't sound good. He shook his head, “Nah, keeping the badge, I'm made of tough stuff, so, do you want to go to the bar to have a good talk? Maybe later, once we've clocked off?” He wanted to get to the bottom of this, and he wanted to do it without any help from Rachel, as she couldn't be neutral, what with being hired by Whitney to investigate John and that's something that he was going to have to tell John too, seeing as he had been suspicious of her and now, clearly, with good reason. John gave James a bit of a smile and nodded his head, “Yeah, sure, let's talk later tonight.” He was glad that James was giving him a chance to explain, rather than just take Whitney's word for it.
**** later that evening ****
Later in the Angels and Demons bar, which James was quick to notice was a rather weird name, he and John were sat at a table towards the back of the bar. They both had a pint of beer and a glass of whiskey, they had been there for about half an hour already and had started with just general stuff, clearly waiting for some of the alcohol to kick in before getting to the real reason for their discussion. It was John who broke the silence, “So, Whitney. I thought the world of her, the sun shone out her backside as far as I was concerned. She could do no wrong in my eyes. Thought she was the one for me, the one I was going to spend the rest of my life with. When I proposed I could tell right away that she wasn't into it. Turns out she wasn't the tying down type. That was a blow to start with. When I pressed her, she said that I didn't know her, not the real her and she was right. She started telling me about all the things she had done.” He stopped for a break, took some of his drink and then continued.
“I begged her to just stop, that I wouldn't turn her in, or report her, that she could turn her life around. She refused. Said that she liked the thrill of her crimes too much. I had no option but to let her go. I couldn't be with someone that liked that kind of trouble when I am against it. Before you ask, there's a reason why I never pushed to get her charged officially, even though I kept a note of everything that she did from that moment on.” How do you tell your new sheriff, that your ex isn't a human being, in fact, that she belongs to the underworld and that if you cross her, your life will be made hell, quite literally in some respects. She had used her demonic powers on him a lot, to the point that he was barely holding onto his life, so it just wasn't worth it. She was strong, one of the strongest demons out there. It had been better to let her carry on, to keep himself safe. He downed his whiskey, then snapped his fingers for another. He pointed to James's glass of whiskey, “I suggest you do the same before I continue.” What the fuck was John going to tell him thought James, however, he did do as John had done, downed his whiskey and when barman arrived, John asked for two more whiskeys and they were placed in front of each of them.
Now it was James's turn to say something, “So, basically, what you're saying, is she's a lover scorned, and trying to get her own back by saying that you were committing all the murders in the community? By the way, you should know then, that she hired Rachel to investigate you. So, that's why you were suspicious of her. You should also know that she asked me to spy on you for her as she was wary of you. It seems that neither of you need to be wary of the other at all. So, what else is that you need to tell me?” Whoa, thought John, he had no idea that's why Rachel had arrived in the community. That was new, he chuckled a little, “Fucking scheming bitch. Hiring a detective to investigate me for crimes that I never committed, when she got away with all of that in that file. I don't believe it. You do realise that we're going to have to tell Rachel about this, she needs to know she's been sent on a wild goose chase. So, yeah, there's something that you really need to know about this town. You probably should have been told before you even agreed to join the community, but truth be told, nobody ever gets told prior to them joining, because if they did, they'd not stay.”
James lifted up his second glass of whiskey and downed it, he was definitely intrigued now. Whatever it was that John had to say about this town, it couldn't be good. So many things about this place had definitely stood out to him though. The school for one, it had such a stand out name, Mirador and was basically a castle, the shop that he had met that lovely woman in the other day, Magical Remedies, and now this bar Angels and Demons, and the name of the town, Pandora Community, was Rori actually onto something when she said on the way here that day that the name gave her shivers?
Location of Thread: Police Station Tag Line: Some games can be dangerous. Characters Involved: John McCoy & James Hanaway Played By: Karl Urban & Josh Holloway
Taking in what John had said, and his thoughts about how Rori felt on their arrival day plus the alcohol beginning to take effect, James found himself starting to chuckle. The idea that they were living in some sort of supernatural world wasn't sitting well at all. He then circled back to the last line John had said about nobody staying if they got to know prior to arriving. He couldn't the suspense any longer, still chuckling, as he couldn't help himself, it was just something he did when he was starting to feel intoxicated. He then slowly put up a hand, “For the love of god, please don't say that we're living in some sort of Pandora's Box and vampires and werewolves are real. I think that maybe we've had too much of this magic juice.” He downed his beer and this time it was James that called the bar person over for a top up, which arrived seconds later.
John sighed, that was the exact reaction he had pretty much expected from James. They all reacted the exact same way when they finally got told. Some just put their hands up and said they couldn't deal and off they went after having their memories erased. The others, well, they weren't so lucky, let's just say that. He just looked at James, as sternly as he could, then he simply said, “What's the name of the community James?” He had a bemused look on his face, he couldn't help it. There he was asking if they lived in some sort of Pandora's Box when the town was called Pandora Community. The realisation dawning across James's face was even more amusing. James had gone from looking amused, to puzzled, to sort of frightened to amazed. He couldn't help but go back to the day that they were travelling to the place and he and Rori has spoken about her reservations about the place. He downed the whiskey and put the glass on the table. “You're shitting me, you're definitely shitting me. You can see I'm pissed as a fart and this will be hilarious to wind me up.” Somehow though, the look on John's face told him that he was not being wound up. “I think you better tell me exactly what you're talking about.” Though whether he should be taking in that information when he was quite drunk was another matter. But it wasn't like he could get sobered up quickly.
John sat back, this wasn't going to be easy. Hadn't Samantha always said that the new sheriff should be made aware of this place ahead of agreeing to join? Maybe it was time to change that policy, especially if James chose to leave once he heard the truth. “The community got given its name because it's full of supernatural beings James. Witches, warlocks, werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires, you name it we probably got it. Basically, a right Pandora's Box of creatures, hence the name of the town.” He gave a bit of a shrug and smirked at James. This would be the tell tale moment, when James was either going to cut it, or he wasn't. John figured he looked tough enough, but just because someone looked that way didn't mean that they were. James hadn't said anything, he was letting what John said sink in. It was quite the revelation, maybe he should have figured it out by now, what with the weird names of some of the places. But he just put it down to the fact that maybe they just liked the name of supernatural things. He knew he had been quiet for too long, “So, you're not shitting me. Werewolves, vampires and witches, they all exist? Why don't you have one of your own kind here as the sheriff then?” He asked, raising his eyebrow. It made sense to him, that if the community was full of weird creatures, should they not have the same type looking out for them? Then he realised that it could possibly mean that John and Rachel were probably not human either. Realising this, he let out a low whistle, “That means that you and Rachel are, what?” He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know, but to be fair to both of them, they hadn't attacked him, or made him feel uncomfortable.
John chuckled, “I'm not sure about Rachel, we don't all talk about what we are to one another all of the time. I can tell you what some of them are, but not all of them. I'm a wolf, I'm the adult alpha of the pack. We also have an alpha for the younger pack too. You've probably even met some of them by now, or at least one of them.” Of course James had met one of them, as had Rori, young Jake. James might have felt quite drunk as this conversation had started, but the content was quite sobering. What about Sam, the girl he had met at the shop the other day, it was called Magical Remedies, that meant it was a high possibility that she was a witch. He wasn't sure what to do with this information. He didn't know if he wanted his daughter around this sort of stuff. He wasn't even sure he wanted to tell her if she hadn't already discovered it for herself that is. But what could he do other than to stay? If he left, they would have to get in yet another sheriff, and he didn't want to come across as someone who couldn't cut it. “Are there any humans living here?” He finally found himself asking. John smiled, “Yeah, we have some. Most of them just get on with it, of those that were not happy with it, they chose to leave. So, are we going to lose you too?” He had to know, as he really wasn't sure he could go through the whole process of finding yet another new sheriff. All of the previous ones had been human, but something about James told John that he wasn't human, not fully at any rate. He was definitely something, he just didn't know what.
James wasn't sure what to say, he didn't want to let John down and having to search for yet another sheriff; but he had Rori to think about. How would she feel if he decided to stay without talking to her about it and she wasn't happy? They had always been close and told each other everything, but he couldn't tell her about this. He just didn't think that she would be ready or take it well, not after her initial reservations. “No, you're not going to lose me. I feel that I can deal with this. However, you're going to have to clue me in on as many of the residents as you can, so that I know what to and what not to expect from them. For instance, what exactly is it about Whitney that makes her so special that you haven't been able to imprison her?” He had to know. You just don't let a repeat offender off with anything, no matter what that crime was and especially not when they were your ex, as that was just asking for trouble.
John had expected that question to be fair, well, he couldn't very well not answer him, not now that he had already given so much away about the place to James. Might as well answer his question. “This one might blow your mind a bit, Whitney is a demon. Underneath that beauty, she is anything but. I only found that out myself when I broke up with her. I mean, I could hardly stay with her when she kept getting herself into trouble with the law. Thought she could get away with it because I was her partner. She's very powerful, and if you don't like what she does or say, she will let you know about it, and painfully, trust me. It's nigh on impossible to get her locked up. She can literally make life hell for you. All I can do is reprimand her and keep a note of it and ask her not to do it again. She just doesn't listen to me.” James put his head in his hands. He had heard it all now. He was finding it difficult enough to contend with the idea of living among wolves, vampires and the like, but demons? What the actual hell?
“Are you fucking kidding me? A demon? Why are they being allowed to walk the earth if they're so, so...” Waving his hand around trying to think of the correct phrase, damn, his inebriated brain, “so, dangerous?” It was the best word his brain could come up with. John sighed, “Because only one person is allowed to deal with them, keep them in line and that's only when and if he feels like it. If anyone else dares to tell them what to do, or tries to send them back to hell, they get shit from him.” For the love of god, James knew where this was going, even though John hadn't physically said the name, he knew it. “You mean to tell me that only Lucifer, the fucking devil can tell them off or make them return to where they really belong? John, Lucifer?!” This was getting worse and worse. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear any more. He had said before he could deal with this, but could he really? The devil? Could he really deal with that? But what was the choice? Leave and let poor John down so that he had to get in yet another unsuspecting sheriff?
John looked down, and then up slowly and nodding, frowning, “Yeah, I'm afraid so. So when it comes to demon mischief, it's best left alone. That being said, they ain't all bad. We have some good ones, who just go about as a normal human and live a good life.” That was true, he knew plenty of them, and most of them were as good as gold. Honestly, most of them just wanted a normal happy family life. Whitney had given the impression that's what she had wanted, turned out to be a lie.
James downed his beer, but that was it, he couldn't handle any more alcohol, he had to get his head around all of this. He leant back in his seat and put his hands around the back of his neck and rubbed at it, the tension that had built there was bad. He could feel the knots in his own neck and shoulders. “I'll stay, but promise me that you will say nothing to Rori if you see her, I'll get Rachel to do the same. I don't want her finding out, not yet. If anyone is going to tell her, it has to be me.” John smiled and nodded, “Whatever you want. I'm just glad that I'm not going to have to go on a search again for yet another sheriff.” It was a huge relief. He really hadn't wanted to have this town conversation again with another sheriff. “Let me officially welcome you to Pandora, here's to a glowing working relationship.” John put his hand out and James shook it, “Yeah, same, cheers.”
It was at that point that Rachel walked in. She looked to the back and saw how cosy they both were. She didn't like this, not one little bit. She had asked James to spy on John for her, not to become best drinking buddies together. How could she get information about John if James was his friend? He'd never tell all. She walked towards them, “Looking cosy gentlemen, may I join you?” She asked, and sitting, not waiting for a response from either of them.
Location of Thread: Police Station (though they went to the bar) Tag Line: Some games can be dangerous. Characters Involved: John McCoy, James Hanaway & Rachel Evans Played By: Karl Urban, Josh Holloway & Elizabeth Mitchell
John was far from sober, so when Rachel joined them, and said that line about them looking cosy, he saw red. How dare she join his community, his station under false pretences. He just couldn't get to grips with the fact that when you are investigating someone, you don't tell them that you are. But he was so angry that she could have the audacity to work with him when all the time she was spying on him. He stood up, pushing the chair back, “What the actual fuck Rachel? You join my community, my station, pretend to be my friend and the whole time you're investigating me?” James let out a low whistle, not really sure what to do. Should he try to intervene or not? Though, if someone had been investigating him and trying to be his friend, he would probably have reacted in the same way, he had to have his boss's back, so he stayed quiet.
Rachel was taken aback, and as she tried to form some words together, her mouth just kept opening and closing. Eventually she managed to string a sentence together. “Well now John, I wasn't going to walk in and say hi, thanks for agreeing to let me join your station oh and by the way while I'm here I'll be spying on you?” She shook her head, but she couldn't really blame him for being annoyed. It had been a cheap thing to do, but she had to get close to him, and the only way that was going to happen was by working alongside him. John grunted, he was not amused, he sat down again, “Still a shitty thing to do Rachel. You could have done that from afar, you didn't have to pretend to be my friend. You honestly think I could be responsible for those deaths? Did you not even ask anything about her background? The bitch is my ex, out to get me for fuck's sake.” Rachel sighed, because after her talk with James, she knew that now. But when someone hired you and was paying you good money, then you just did it and didn't ask questions. “I'm sorry okay. But what was I to do? What if someone hired you to do that for them and the easiest way to get close was to work with them?” She flagged the bar girl down and ordered a vodka straight, she was going to need a good stiff drink herself. Without asking, she then sat down too, but next to James, as she didn't think she'd be welcome next to John, not right now anyway. Meanwhile John realised that she had a bit of a point. “I suppose so, but it might have been better had you just asked me outright. I could have told you she was my ex and out for revenge.” He was so annoyed, he couldn't really get over that betrayal and yet annoyingly understood the way that she had done it at the same time.
Rachel looked across, she felt terrible, John was so angry, “Look I'm sorry, but I was just doing my job. You know fine well that not all cops are clean.” John finally gave in, sighing a little and then looked over at her, eyebrow risen, “I know. I'm sorry. I think I'm more angry at Whitney to be honest. I can't believe she did that to me. You know she's got a file thicker than anybody else at the station?” Rachel felt awful, maybe she should have done some digging around Whitney before she had agreed to take on her case. “You're kidding me?” While Rachel and John were conversing, James had zoned out, thinking about the town that he had agreed to join, the town that he was unwillingly forcing onto his daughter. Was it fair to keep all of this from her? Was it fair to stay here when she was in the dark? Was it fair to keep her in a town that might not be safe? His thoughts were broken by John's voice as he caught the final part of his sentence, “Isn't that right James?” He had no idea what he was talking about, shrugged, “What?” John chuckled, “I think you need to get home and sort that head out, you're gonna be sorry in the morning. Whitney, she's got a huge file?” Oh, so he was talking to Rachel about her was he, “Yeah, I was quite stunned by it. Apparently we can't even touch her.” Then wondered if Rachel knew about the town, so said nothing more than that. However, that had piqued Rachel's interest. “Why can't we touch her?” Damn it thought James, she doesn't know he thought not realising that she was one of them. John glowered, “Because only Lucifer can punish her.” He hadn't even said the words quietly. Wait, did the whole damn town know about the type of people that lived here? He had to guess that they did, nobody even turned or batted an eyelid. Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes, “Demon then? Had no idea, never even picked up on it and I can usually sniff out the supes from the humans. Well, I shall be giving dear Whitney a call and telling her that investigation is over.” John reached over and took her hand and gave it a bit of a squeeze, “Thanks, I appreciate that.” James was glad to see that the atmosphere had lifted a little between the both of them and now he wouldn't have to be in an awkward place spying on each of them for the other, but it did beg the question, “So, while this is all nice and stuff, we still don't know who is responsible for all those deaths, someone out there is still playing a very dangerous game and my guess is that Whitney might even know who is behind it.” He didn't know her, but she was really smart mouthed with him that day and he hadn't liked it. Though maybe that was because she was a demon.
Rachel downed her drink, “Well, lads, I think we have to join together in solving this one, three heads are better than one, right? And I'm sure it helps now that we're all on the same team.” She put her hand into the middle of the table, “As the musketeers say, all for one and one for all.” John put his hand on top of hers and James's hand on top of John's, and then the two of them repeated her line. He wondered if he should maybe tell them about that book he found, but he wasn't sure it would do them any good until he got more information on it, so he'd leave that for now, but somehow he was sure that it had a lot to do with the deaths or murders.
