Mag1c Boi – Chapter 1

Characters: Murphy, Dresden
Summary: He was a Wizard. She was a Cop. What more can I say?
Author's notes: Based on the song "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne. Has a TV verse Murphy but everything else is Book verse.

It was one of those slow days at the precinct which would unfairly force a certain sergeants mind to wander when she should be waiting for the inevitable moment when just another crime would be committed in this suicidal city and everyone would look to her to try and deal with it.

Drifting off into the natural world of dream scape was a perfectly average thing to do as part of the mental life cycle of the working force, but it was probably worse when you worked at emergency services. The first step was feeling utter boredom during moments when you should be happy that humanity wasn't trying to kill each other. At least, not trying to kill each other in your city. The next step though, which could occur anywhere between five minutes and half-an-hour later, was an unquestionably large guilt that you had just been looking forward to a distressed civilian calling you for immediate help with a life-threatening problem. After that, you would usually pay attention for the rest of the day.

At this precise moment in time, Lt. Connie Murphy was at step one and couldn't be happier. She was leaning as far back as in her new office chair as possible and relishing the oiled springs and unworn fabric, before it would be "quickly borrowed" by one of her cohorts under the false pretences of an emergency and passed around each office until making it back to her a year later with a torn seat and a suspicious stain. Her partner Kirmani was glaring at the chair from the cubicle opposite her and that somehow made the satisfaction of having comfortable furniture that much sweeter.

The reason why there was very little to do today in the way of cases, aside from the occasional robbery that you would grow to expect in a large city such as Chicago, was that once again, Harry Dresden had walked into the scene (he had been invited but that was hardly the point), did some crazy tricks allied with awkward question dodging and walked off again leaving a happy pair of quintuplets with their parents and an insane cult residing in the cells. The cult hadn't been arrested. They had somehow appeared in the cell joined in a scattered circle and very confused looks on their faces.

Dresden insisted he should be paid for that one, but I reminded him that he'll need to prove he somehow teleported the group there before I can justify rewarding him for it. For a split second, he actually contemplated explaining things to me, but he quickly shrugged his shoulders with feigned acknowledgement and slouched off to his car.

It was troublesome to Murphy to think that her friend was hiding things from her, but she had a strong suspicion that whatever form of honesty came out of his mouth would most likely make her question his sanity even more. Seriously, you only needed to meet Dresden for a day and you would think he was a weird soft. Murphy still remembers the day when she first met him and he hasn't changed his way of life much since. He normally wears a selection of dark clothing, which on its own would make him seem a bit gloomy, but that's not enough. He has to add a thick leather duster that he will wear in any sort of weather, most specifically hot and adorn it with illegible writing and symbols

Murphy grinned, no longer paying attention to the sounds of the office. The weirdest thing about his appearance was the giant stick he carried with him, which she supposes does help to fill out the recommendations for a wizard's outfit, but will cause many people to question whether he is dangerous or not. Just thinking about a man walking up to you with a giant stick does bring some violent imagery, but in this day and age, it just isn't seen enough for a person to fear it. The first time Dresden walked into her precinct, most of the officers thought he was a gardener and promptly ignored him. Now that they all know he thinks he's a wizard, Murphy has to hide her head in shame when he comes in and makes a straight beeline for her desk, passing through the glares and muffled laughter of the rest of the office.

She frowned in her mental playground. It would just be so much easier if he didn't get results. If he made no contribution to the process of crime solving what-so-ever, she could fire him and get back to what she considered "a normal working life".

Dam his detective abilities.

She did have to admit though that having someone like Dresden in your life promised very interesting days. Though he was a compulsive liar and probably a con-man, he radiated an aura of trust from himself that promised fun-filled conversations and happy moments to remember. You still wouldn't believe he was actually a wizard, but you might let him water your plants now and then. That that Murphy would ever allow him to get close to her home. He was a good friend and made her laugh on many occasions, but Murphy strived to keep her personal life and work life separate. It was hard enough on her daughter Anna that she had to work ungodly hours of the week, so she wasn't about to start bringing possible suitors to meet Anna with the vague hope that Murphy could trust them not to abandon her after a short fling.

Murphy's eyes bolted open and stared at the crumbling paint on the ceiling.

Since when was Harry going to be a possible suitor?

It wasn't unreasonable to contemplate a possible relationship with Harry. He was good looking in that weird sort of way and his sense of justice and protecting the weak was rivalled only by that of Murphy's. He was clear enough to her and the rest of the station that he sorta-maybe liked her. His chauvinistic attitude seemed entirely focused on her and on several occasions, she had spotted him looking at her when he thought her back was turned. Kirmani had once hinted at the possibility of a pool going around regarding when he was going to ask her out and whether he would cry or not when she turned him down. After a sharp glare from Murphy, he shut his mouth and didn't bring it up again. It was a cruel bet, but there was no way she could start a relationship with harry. For one, it was entirely unethical for an employee to date his boss. Not only was it frowned upon, but it could interfere with the weekly investigations that they worked together during and any disagreements they had while on the case, would be brought over into their personal lives and trying to keep it separate would become an issue.

Another problem would be how the rest of her office viewed the couple. Murphy had several good friends who respected her, but almost all of them couldn't stand Harry. To them, he was a lying con-man who only did his job for the money. As a rule, most officers hated detectives as they did almost exactly the same jobs and got none of the political barricades. The fact Harry claimed to be a wizard, only served to alleviate the problem.

Murphy closed her eyes again and allowed herself a moment of weakness. While they lasted though, the going would probably be good. Harry was a very dedicated man, who shared her sense of putting the bad guys away when they were guilty, rather than only when they could prove they were guilty. It seemed almost storybook the idea of the couple patrolling the streets of Chicago for the safety of the city and its citizens, solving crimes and rescuing crying children.

Leaning forward in her chair and staring at the blank computer screen, Murphy scowled. She had been thinking too much and it was time to get back to reality. Noticing the time on the white-washed clock above Kirmani's head, she decided to call it a day and grabbed her stuff. She rolled a piece of paper into a ball and chucked it into a dozing Kirmani's forehead. As it bounced off, he abruptly woke up "Wazzit?!"

"Sid, I'm going home for the day. Make sure you finish those reports on the cult before you go too."

Still in his sleep induced state, Kirmani just agreed with what ever she said with wavering nods. "Sure sure. See you tomorrow Lt."

She waved her hand as she turned around and strolled down the corridor and as she turned the corner, she just had enough time to see two officers make a made dash for her cubicle in an attempt to get to her chair before the other one did.

To be continued