"Jesus Christ for someone so smart she's fucking stupid!" thought James as he closed the door behind an angry Kaitlen. It wasn't even clear why she was angry, to anyone looking on she was just angry because she was scolded and didn't even appear to know why. To Harris, his words were clear as were their meaning. On hearing the drama that had unfolded Adeline quietly walked into the office and she stood waiting for James to start talking. "She will get herself killed Addie, and this cute act is not something for the office! We are God damned FBI agents, not some high school role playing PI agency!" he ranted while pouring himself some coffee and picking up his pen.

"Boss... I think you may have been a little too hard on her this time. This kid has been through a lot!" Adeline had grown to like Kaitlen and even enjoy her company around the office. She looked back to her own desk and smiled at the sight of the flowers that she was bought. "She walked her ass in here and the first thing she did was... Kiss my fucking forehead!? What am I? Her 30 year old son? This is a place of work... SERIOUS Work!" He took a sip of his coffee and began to click his pen repeatedly. His frustration was evident to see and Adeline knew that James wasn't like this without reason, she knew he had told the rookie what she needed to hear and not what she wanted to hear and judging by her reaction, Kaitlen had completely missed James' point and taken it as a personal and unprovoked attack. "I know what you're trying to do Jimmy and why, but surely by know you realise that Kaitie doesn't respond to this" the secretary pleaded.

"Christ Addie, it's Kaitie now?!" Adeline's cute nickname didn't sat well with James and he shook his head in disapproval. "We can't coddle her! Oh and get this..." he continued his tirade "She's doing this for me? Seriously!? I mean come on, she shouldn't be doing this for me or her sister or any other asshole out there, she should be doing this for herself!" Harris loosened his tie and slumped back into his seat while sipping at his coffee before throwing his head back in frustration, looking at the ceiling. "Addie, could you get me a little something harder to put in this coffee please?" James asked gently like a kid in a candy store asking for treats they know they can't have. "Uuh no Jimmy.... You know you don't touch that stuff anymore. You don't need it..." Adeline's brow creased into an annoyed and concerned frown for the first time in a long while. "Don't ever ask me for that again" she warned.

"Well, can't fault a guy for trying" James said sarcastically. "Okay, instead can you contact the Chief and ask him to block all investigation on this case for now? If need be get him to call Rei directly. I don't want Rei to be able to continue working on the case alone... Reading through some of this stuff, the killer isn't due to strike for a while yet so we should be good for time." James wanted to give Kaitlen time to think things through properly and knew that burying her head in work would just be her way of escaping from the problems she needed to face. "Sure thing boss... Anything else?"

"Yeah, call Rei and tell her she has the week off... Also, send her some flowers and a get well card..." Harris said still looking at the ceiling while clicking his pen. Adeline smiled before silently leaving the office to carry out the tasks put to her. Harris was alone in his office, the only sound made being the repeated clicking of his pen. He wondered what caused a prospective agent with a bright future to act the way Kaitlen did. She was impulsive and didn't really think much about her conduct, why would someone kiss their superior like that in the office thinking it was a good idea, it made no sense. If someone had seen them, both their reputations would have been in jeopardy and James had so much more to lose than someone who was still technically a trainee. The nature of the job was that it could take decades to build and make your career in the Bureau, but it only took a single moment of madness to break it.

"I could really use a stiff drink" whispered James ensuring Adeline wouldn't hear him.

James was still reeling from his previous encounter with Kaitlen. He groaned loudly in disappointment and frustration. Kaitlen seemed to be so self absorbed that she was completely missing every lesson that he was trying to teach her. James thought about how she had proven to be an amazing trainee during the training stages. He remembered how she aced the theory tests, the firearms tests, the combat drills and everything else in between, but now she was in a real world situation where office politics made you as much a big-time player as doing your job well did, she was stumbling at every hurdle.

“God, I’m trying, really I am! What the hell do I do with this woman?” He said out loud, finally putting down his pen before rubbing away at his stubble and pouring out a hot cup of coffee while noticing that Adeline had left the office. “Shit, I really need a shave…” thought James, trying to distract himself from the day’s events so far. He lay back in his chair and closed his eyes at which point time seemed to effortlessly pass by.

“Jimmy? Hello Jimmy?” The agent could hear a distant yet familiar voice growing louder. “Jimmy wakeup!”

“Huh? Hu.. What?” James mumbled waking up with a start. “Addie? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I met up with Kaitie a few hours ago and got the case files back.” She informed him. “She also wanted me to ask you to meet her for dinner at the Porcelain at eight… I think she wants to clear the air” Adeline knew that James was not very happy about the idea of going to dinner with Kaitlen, especially after all that had happened, so she decided to soften the news by adding in Kaitlin’s assumed motive to convince him to go.

“How long was I out?” James asked, being sure to avoid addressing the subject of dinner directly.

“Jimmy, it’s 5 o’clock right now. You’ve been asleep for a few hours” Adeline responded with a chuckle.

“Christ, I dunno why I was out for so long. I guess all this bullshit tires me out” James sat up in his chair and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake up.

“Boss, I think you should go talk things through… You never know she might figure out your angle in time” Adeline said hopefully. “You never know ‘til you try right?”

James sighed loudly at Adeline’s suggestion. “I highly doubt it!” he said coldly. “Uuuh I dunno Addie… Maybe she’s just not cut out for this line of work and maybe I’m not instructor material” he said uncharacteristically questioning his own abilities. “But uuuh, don’t Porcelain do those great steaks?” he asked.

“Go home and get cleaned up Jimmy, you know what you have to do” Adeline said no longer being subtle in her suggestion.

James slowly rose from his chair and walked towards Adeline. “It’s her last chance, you know there are only three strikes Addie, I need you with me on this one…” He smiled wearily before stroking her shoulder tenderly and making his way to the parking lot. He got in his car, a Royal Blue Chevrolet saloon with striking chrome detail that he was infamous for owning, and drove home thinking of nothing but the upcoming meeting wit the troubled trainee. “I’m not looking forward to this shit one bit. Though I’ll make sure to grab a steak, been a long time since I had one of those.”

On reaching his home James promptly got undressed and jumped in the shower. He started it off hot as he always did, filling the bathroom with steam in the process while he soaped his tired body at which point he turned the temperature down low to rinse off. The cold water took his breath away and cleared his mind as he stepped out of the now cold shower. James hated being sweaty after spending time in the shower getting clean so always finished off with a cold rinse. After drying off, James opened the bathroom drawer pulling out a set of hair clippers trimming his beard down to a very short length. He preferred the rough look as he felt the clean babyface look didn’t suit him and those who stayed hairless only did so to attract women and be seen as younger than they were. James didn’t care for either thing; he liked his beard and wanted to keep it.

His casual dress was far removed from his office attire, he wasn’t much for suits and formal wear. Looking into his closet he picked out a dark navy pair of jeans, a pair of sporty yet simple looking with and black sneakers (Think Adidas Superstars) and a black short jacket. Seeing him in the street, no one would have guessed he was a Federal agent and that’s how he liked it.

Ruffling his slightly damp hair, he got back into his car and drove to the Porcelain and parked outside where he saw Kaitlen inside waiting and looking predictably fed up. Looking at the time James slowly got out of the car and headed for the entrance.

“Reservation sir?” asked a smartly dressed young lady.

“Surname Rei?” He asked coldly.

The young woman look at the time and back at Harris with a disapproving look “If you’d kindly follow me sir… “ She politely instructed, leading him to Kaitlen’s table. “Your seat sir, I’ll send a waiter over immediately, enjoy your meal” with that the lady walked off leaving Harris standing behind his chair.

Harris looked at his watch, he was 15 minutes late and without an excuse. “Sorry I’m late… May I?” he said pointing to the chair before sitting down regardless.

James sat and listened intently to what Kaitlen had to say; after all, despite the mess that had been created he thought that she deserved a chance to say her piece. As Kaitlen looked him dead in the eye, he realized that she was sincere and fully accepted her explanation, but again he was slightly frustrated. Now they were in public and they were free to express themselves however they wanted, Kaitlen had laid her cards on the table, but she had laid them down carefully and uniformly. She was now displaying the attitude that was reserved for the office and times they were on the job. This wasn’t really what James was looking for but above all else he appreciated what appeared to be her complete honesty and overlooked the delivery of her apology, it was the content that mattered.

He agent made his order as the waiter poured him a glass of water, silently signaling him to stop when the glass was full. He knew that his silence only increased the already tense atmosphere. “First of all, you probably already guessed, but I wasn’t gonna come here. But everybody deserves a moment to be heard no matter what is it they have to say” he paused, taking a gentle sip of water to prepare himself for the imminent conversation. “Secondly, you know me… Though appreciated, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about apologies so skip it next time” looking at her confused and slightly annoyed expression, he knew this would annoy her but hoped what he would say next would allow her to understand him a little better.

“Kaitlen, from the start you’ve been an amazing trainee… You aced all your tests, your combat skills are formidable, you showed a passion for the job, and you advanced way faster than most of the goons and wannabes that came through” he started by reassuring the young woman that he had in fact noticed her progression. “But you have a problem, your judgment is waaaay off… The key ingredient that could have made you one of the greatest trainees I’ve ever seen.” He paused slightly before continuing, “Even now, you’re talking to me like we’re at work and you’re being reprimanded, if you wanted to have a talk like this, we could have done this in the office” Kaitlen looked bemused and James understood why, on the one hand he was complimenting her professional skills and on the other he was mercilessly dissecting her character.

“For such a smart girl, you’ve done some stupid things… Not only that but you completely missed and misunderstood my obvious motives” he said before putting his elbows on the table, linking his fingers and resting his smooth chin on his clasped hands. “Yes, I am a Goddamn asshole! But I don’t just say shit without reason. I don’t like to waste words and time… You know this Rei!” James decided it was time to be a little more open with the young woman so that there was no more misunderstanding between them. “There was always a lesson to be learned, and I thought you’d appreciate more subtle lessons rather than being spoon fed and treated like a child.”

The waiter had broken James’ train of thought as he laid both meals down carefully on the table. James’ eyes locked with the smoking hot steak muttering what sounded like a thank you under his breath. James promptly picked up his steak knife and fork before excitedly shearing off a corner of the tender slab of grilled meat and thrust the small piece into his mouth. He smiled slightly as he enjoyed the distinctive and rich flavour of the cooked beef before looking at Kaitlen, “Mmmm… It’s good! Please, dig in” he said ushering Kaitlen to start on her meal before it got cold.

“So I’m… A little disappointed that certain decisions… Were made, and that certain things were kept from me… Potentially putting us at risk.” James said while slowly chewing his steak in between words. “BUT! I want you to finish this week sabbatical from work, have a think about what you want and how you wanna get it…” he ordered. “Then comeback, and we’ll talk business… I think you deserve another chance” there was a long awkward silence where both parties concentrated on their meals, seemingly digesting the food and the conversation.

James quickly devoured his meal, clearly enjoying every bite along the way.

“So? Any thoughts?” he teasingly asked

Harris smiled subtly and looked on as Kaitlen stumbled through her dessert outburst and the apology. He found it funny how someone normally so sure of themselves and their abilities could be humbled and coyly trip over their words during the following conversation that ensued. James was again silent yet visibly glad when Kaitlen again proceeded to, in not so many words, apologise and thank him for another chance. He thought it best to stay quiet while Kaitlen spoke for now, he wanted to know where her head was and whether or not she was really focused. He liked where this meeting had gone so far. Before he had a chance to break his silence, Kaitlen told James that she needed a bathroom break, so he ever so slightly widened his smile and playfully waved her off.

James hoped that this would be a big turning point for his trainee but was confident that she had seen the way forward and was ready to finally take steps to be the absolute best she could. The veteran’s guidance and her desire and hard word would be key in molding her into one of the best. Now that the pair was finally synchronized, her potential was sure to be realized in due time. James skimmed over the dessert menu as he sipped his water, realizing that nothing took his fancy before placing it back into it’s small holding stand on side of the table.

Unable to break his work habit, James couldn’t help but scope the restaurant out for any suspicious types to pass the time. He knew a fair few criminals and informants who operated in the area and wondered if he could get just a little work done tonight if he caught sight of anyone. Realizing his hypocrisy, considering he had lightly scolded Kaitlen about learning to separate work and pleasure, the agent chuckled lightly and shook his head before deciding to stop and relax for a change. Little did he know that his relaxation would be short lived.

"I told you before. I'm. Not. Interested." He heard from a familiar voice coming from behind him. He stayed seated and was confident that if there was trouble, the trainee would be able to handle herself. He decided to keep himself inconspicuous in the event that if it was a criminal that knew his face they would go ahead with their crime with a false sense of security.

Kaitlen came back to sit down and the situation appeared to dissipate. James breathed a sigh of relief but could sense something wasn’t right with her as she appeared flustered. As Kaitlen began to speak a pair of large hands slammed down on the table causing an awful crash and knocking the glasses of water over. After the man finished his tirade, he kept his hands firmly planted on the table, clearly refusing to move until Rei decided to leave with him. James was never one to take violence lightly, he more often than not responded in kind.

As the man aggressively reached for Rei, snatching at her upper arm James reached up, grabbing the man my the back of his head and slammed him violently face-first into the table while sweeping his supporting arms out from underneath him. The man face crashed into a glass that was knocked over and screamed in pain as the glistening shards cut at and imbedded into his face. Harris even denied him the comfort to being able to hold his face as he got up from his seat and took him to the ground before cuffing him in one fell swoop. “You NEVER put your hands on a Federal agent do you understand me?” he whispered into the ear of the assailant.

The crash and scream had turned the lively atmosphere of the restaurant into one of shock as all conversations promptly stopped creating an eerie silence that was only disturbed by a handful of gasps and murmurs. “I’m arresting you on the charge of harassment and attempted assault on a federal agent!” James’ commanding voice bellowed as it filled the restaurant while he read the brute his Miranda rights before dragging him up off the ground and towards the door.

“Sorry rookie, gotta drag this asshole back to the precinct… Enjoy your evening and your break! I’ll see ya at the office next week… Don’t be late kid!” he called out to her as he dragged the man out of the restaurant. “Move it ya piece of shit! Let’s hope ya don’t die of blood loss huh? HAHAHA!” James taunted the man as he left.

James felt bad for leaving Kaitlen alone with the bill and knew he'd probably never hear the end of it. But he was glad that at the air had finally been cleared.

"Time to start a new chapter" he mumbled

It had been a week since his dinner with the trainee and James arrived at the office almost an hour and a half early, something he tended to do if he was ever unable to sleep or had a lot on his mind. He was excited about today. Kaitlen was back and they could start focusing on their real job.

During this week Harris found himself busier than ever. He had spent most, if not all, his time fighting to prevent their case from being given to another team. He liked the sound of this case, a serial killer needed to be caught, and as far as he was concerned this case belonged to them, no one else was good enough to tackle it. It would be a great case and before her collapse he saw that Kaitlen was really getting into this particular investigation. This kind of case would be good for her. To hell with giving her some shitty robbery or some common mugging case, James relished at the idea of guiding his rookie who had renewed her confidence and her objectives through a tough case. This was a case with substance, something they could both sink their teeth into and would help them both fully get back on track after the recent tempestuous events that had plagued their professional relationship.

“Hey Addie…” James said keeping his cool despite his optimism for the day ahead. “Anything new for me honey?”

“I’m afraid not Jimmy…” His doting secretary replied, almost displaying an air of disappointment. “Just a few messages from the chief. Want to hear them?”. She already knew the answer.

“Nah, forget it... Just shred, delete, burn, rip, stir-fry it, whatever you like. I’ve got work to do today” he said with a wink and a cheeky smile.

“Of course Sir” Adeline, said lightly with a light chuckle. “I’ve left you some coffee on the desk just as you like it”

“Thanks honey!” James replied stepping into his office and removing his jacket in one swift motion.

Before he even sat down, James found himself pouring a cup of strong coffee before turning on his computer and pulling a collection of files out of his desk drawer. Taking a careful sip of coffee he proceeded to loosen his tie and get straight to work. He pulled up file after electronic file of all the victims of the Zodiac Killer’s seemingly insane spree. As he looked at the images he felt a familiar stirring in his stomach, as much as someone could be desensitized to violent and graphics images, it was never a painless task. The sight of these seemingly innocent people with glyphs and symbols carved into their skin was hard to stomach even for the experienced agent.

James shuddered at the thought of the murderer taking so much time to accurately make all those carvings into the skin of another human being. “I’ll get you I swear…” he muttered venomously under his breath before sifting through some more paperwork.

Suddenly the office door opened, and in came Rei who smiled weakly emitting a strange air of nervousness that was uncharacteristic for her. He watched quietly as she sat down before announcing her arrival with a morning greeting.

“Morning, and here on time too huh? You spoil me kid.” he joked, maintaining his serious expression. “But yeah my week’s been a pain in the ass Rei… I’ve had to talk to the chief over and over about not letting anyone else work on OUR Goddamn case! You know he ALMOST gave it away to Jones and Bernard… I mean THOSE guys? Jesus, I’m surrounded by assholes!” he growled before taking a sip of coffee that, as always, appeared to calm him down. “Otherwise, we’re good so far, we've still got our case” he said calmly closing his eyes as he lost himself in the smooth and bitter taste of the hot black coffee.

“So what ya got for me Rei?” he asked, leaning on his desk to listen intently before interrupting her again “and Christ kid! Loosen up just a little will ya”