A/N: Written for callmeadreamer on LJ for the Jagan/Kenlos Fic Exchange that happened at the James/Logan community on LJ.

This combines two prompts, "Crime AU! Either they're the criminals or the cops, or a mixture of both (like cop!James and criminal!Logan)" and "Something supernatural, take it and run as far and as creatively as possible (just no werewolf&vampire!Jagan Romeo and Juliet forbidden interspecies type lovestory please?)".

The explosion was an accident.

They were in the warehouse district by the bay, chasing after their latest lead. His name was Tyler and according to his file, he could control fire. He had bright red hair and freckles all over his face. He was short and stocky, not much to look at at first glance but James still wouldn't want to get into any kind of fair fight with him.

They followed him into a warehouse and immediately lost him among the crates stacked almost to the ceiling.

"Crap, where did he go?"

Kendall opened his mouth then stopped, head tilting to the side, a look of concentration on his face. He glanced around quickly and before James could ask what he'd heard or smelled or feltwith his freaky senses, he was grabbing James by the arm and tugging roughly. They barely made it out of the way before the fireball whizzed past over their heads. They ran behind some crates for cover, kneeling together.

James turned to Kendall, eyes wide in shock and whispered fiercely. "Fireballs? Since when can he shoot fireballs? I thought he could only control fire, not conjure it up!"

"He must've leveled up."

They stared at each other quietly for a few moments before James snorted in reluctant amusement and Kendall grinned. "Shut up, he's going to hear us," James said and shoved gently at Kendall's shoulder.

Kendall shook his head and peered over the top of the stack of crates they were hiding behind quickly. "He's got a lighter," he whispered as he ducked back down.

Right, that made sense.

Another fireball flew overhead and they both ducked down further. Kendall wrapped an arm around James protectively and glanced back over the crates. "Okay, I think he's spotted us."

"What do we do?"

"I'll distract him and you get that lighter away from him."

Kendall moved to get up but James grabbed him by the arm. "No, wait. I'll distract him. You're faster than me, you'll be able to catch him if he tries to run."

Kendall shook his head and opened his mouth to argue but James was already getting to his feet. "Hey! Over here!"

The shouting was unnecessary because Tyler was already focused on him before he even got the first word out, a fireball flying towards him on the second. He managed to dodge it, but there was a second one right after it. His eyes widened and he ducked behind another crate just in time. The fireball hit the crate instead and James jumped slightly at the sound of the impact.

He tried to look over the crate but he found it on fire, flames blocking his view. "Shit," he muttered, panic rising in him as he crawled away from the flames. The last thing he needed was to be near flames, not with the amount of hair products he put in his hair.

He eventually reached the end of the row and peeked around the corner. Tyler was still in the same place he'd been in before, lighter in one hand, ball of flame in the other. James quickly ducked behind the crate before Tyler spotted him. He took a deep breath, only regretting his decision to be the bait a little before springing to his feet.

"Come on, is that all you got?" he shouted breathlessly, running out into the open. Tyler threw fireball after fireball at him and he managed to stay ahead of them. He skidded to a stop when Tyler decided to change things up and threw one in James' path instead.

James tried to backtrack, spinning around to run in the opposite direction but Tyler threw another ball of fire to cut him off. James backed up against a stack of crates, panting heavily as Tyler approached. He glanced around frantically, searching for a sign of Kendall but there was nothing yet. 'Come on, man,' he thought and gave Tyler a shaky smile.

Tyler didn't return it, mouth set in a firm line. He lifted the lighter in one hand, thumb steady over the flint wheel, ready to ignite it at any moment. "Why are you after me?"

James took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, smile transforming into a cocky smirk. "We just need some information," he said, voice soft and lilting. He inwardly cringed as Tyler's eyes clouded over, going distant.

Tyler blinked twice rapidly, gave his head a little shake like he was just hit with something. He looked at James suspiciously and James knew it wouldn't be enough to just use his voice. "What do you want to know?"

James shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, bringing up one hand to wave in a dismissive gesture. "Oh, nothing much," James said and made a show of fiddling with his gloves. He steeled himself for what he was about to do. "Just whatever you know about Mercedes Griffin," he said and absently started to pull off one of his black leather gloves.

Mercedes Griffin was a rogue agent. She disappeared over a month ago with some vital intel. James and Kendall had been put on the case to bring her back but so far they'd found nothing but dead ends. It didn't help that they were getting pressure from Gustavo who was no doubt getting pressured from Director Griffin to find her. Everyone knew how spoiled Mercedes was and James was pretty sure this was just her way of throwing some kind of temper tantrum to get attention from her father.

Tyler was their first real lead and there was no way James was going to let him get away. He managed to get one finger loose before a growl emanated from behind some crates a few yards away. It was so deep and low that James felt it more than heard it, reverberating in his chest and making his pulse spike with fear. He felt sweat prickle at his hairline and he glanced over towards the sound.

There was a rustle, a blur of dark fur and then the creature stepped out into the open, nose tilted up, scenting the air. It wasn't like a wolf. It stood on two legs, hunched over, broad shouldered with long arms almost touching the ground. Its hands were still like human hands but with dangerously sharp claws. Its fur was a dark gray, almost black and its eyes were a golden brown, flashing briefly when the light hit them.

It always took a moment for James to reconcile the beast with the man he knew. And even though he knew it was just Kendall, his heart still jackhammered in his chest, fear running through him at first glance. It was some kind of natural, primal instinct to be scared, some part of him buried deep down knowing that this creature could kill him, tear him apart with barely any effort.

He swallowed and shook his head. He knew he wasn't in any kind of danger. Not from Kendall. He'd explained it to James once, how he was still himself but not, how he understood James and recognized him as a friend and ally but he wasn't fully in control of himself. He wasn't a mindless beast but his reasoning was overruled by his instincts. He actedbefore he thought and James knew how much Kendall was afraid of hurting the wrong person when he shifted.

"Holy crap!"

James couldn't help but grin at Tyler's reaction at seeing Kendall, eyes flying wide as he backed away in fear. "If you come quietly and tell us everything you know, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you."

Tyler flicked his gaze to James briefly before turning his attention fully back to Kendall. James could tell the moment Tyler made the wrong choice. James' eyes widened as Tyler flicked his lighter to life and gathered the flame into a ball in his other hand. It happened too fast and before James could even think to stop him, Tyler was flinging the fireball at Kendall.

James watched, eyes wide as it hit Kendall in the shoulder. The beast clutched at his chest, fur singed and James thought he could see reddened skin beneath it. He winced in sympathy then backed up further against the stack of crates as Kendall's eyes focused on Tyler. He snarled and then he was boundingtowards Tyler, long arms propelling him forward fast.

Tyler's eyes widened and he tried to run. He managed to turn around, arms flailing slightly with the momentum of his movements but he barely made it two steps before Kendall was on him, tackling him to the ground. The scream Tyler let out was cut off as he hit the ground, the air knocked out of him from the weight of Kendall on him. Tyler struggled slightly, trying to push the beast off of him but Kendall leaned in close to his face, upper lip pulled back in a snarl and Tyler stopped moving. Stopped breathing for all James knew because the next moment, Tyler was out cold.

Tyler's lighter had clattered across the ground, slipping from his grip when Kendall collided with him. James walked over and picked it up and slipped it into his pocket before he walked back over to Kendall and Tyler.

"Good job, Kendall," he said brightly, reaching out to place his hand on Kendall's shoulder. James briefly buried his fingers into the thick fur, knowing that it was rough and course. He couldn't feel it then with his hands covered in leather but they'd been partners long enough for James to have touched Kendall in the past.

Kendall swung his head around towards James, eyes flashing and he growled low in his throat in warning, a reminder really. James quickly removed his hand. "Sorry," he muttered and tucked his hands into his pockets.

Kendall shook his head and moved away from Tyler, giving James room to kneel down and check his pulse. Satisfied that he was still alive, he rolled him over and handcuffed his hands behind his back. He cringedat the blood matting the back of Tyler's hair and hoped he woke up soon, he didn't feel like carrying him back to the car.

"Fuck, that hurts."

James looked up to see that Kendall had shifted back, touching his shoulder gingerly with a pained expression on his face. The skin was dark red and blistered and James had to resist the urge to reach out and touch too.

"I'm sure your boyfriend will fix that right up for you."

Kendall glared at James. "Just for that, you get to carry him to the car," he said and flung his t-shirt and shirt over his uninjured shoulder before he walked away without another word.

"What? Kendall, come on, I was just kidding!" he called after Kendall's retreating back but Kendall kept walking away. James called out one more time. "Kendall!"

When it was apparent that Kendall wasn't going to help him, he rolled his eyes and let out a huff of annoyance. He glanced down at Tyler's prone body then leaned over, bending at the waist to reach down and grab Tyler's arm. He pulled him up, bending at the knee so he could get him over his shoulder. Tyler was unsurprisingly heavy and James grunted softly as Tyler's weight settled over his shoulder.

He staggered a few steps forward before he adjusted to the extra weight and slowly made his way out of the warehouse toward their car. He glared at Kendall as he approached. Kendall grinned at him from where he was leaning against the driver's side.

"He's really heavy just so you know," he said as he slid Tyler off his shoulder and leaned him against the rear car door.

Kendall grinned at him. "I'm injured, remember?"

James rolled his eyes, a retort ready on his tongue. He didn't get a chance to say it though since the next moment, there was a loud but small explosion followed quickly by a larger one and then another even bigger one.

"Holy shit!" James cried out, the force of the explosion throwing him against the car side. His arms instinctively wrapped around his head to protect himself from any potential falling debris. When he was sure it was safe, he let his arms down slowly and glanced over his shoulder at the warehouse before he turned to stare at Kendall in wide-eyed disbelief. "What the fuck was in those crates?"

Kendall blinked at him, eyes just as wide as James' and shook his head. "I don't know…"

They looked at each other then turned back towards the burning building before back to each other, mouths hanging open in shock. Suddenly, James laughed. It bubbled out of him without any warning and it set Kendall off and they stood laughing beside the car for a few minutes until Tyler started to come to and James shoved him into the backseat.

James was still chuckling slightly while Kendall drove them back to headquarters. It wasn't that funny, yet it was. If they had taken a few minutes longer to catch Tyler they would've been caught in that explosion, might have even died. It wasn't the first explosion they'd narrowly escaped and it probably wouldn't be their last but it was, however, the first explosion that theyhadn't set.

The Supernatural Crimes Division was a sub-category of the FBI dedicated to solving the world's more…special cases. Bodies found mysteriously drained of blood, people disappearing in the woods, or people seemingly in two places at once were too much for normal agents to handle. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Humans liked to play pretend that things like vampires and werewolves existed but faced with the reality of their existence and suddenly they were having nervous breakdowns and retiring early.

So, the only logical solution was to create an organization made up of creatures of the same nature to keep things in order. Not many people knew they existed. The offices for the SCD were located several levels below the FBI headquarters and only the top officials even knew they were there.

James hadn't even known they existed until they caught him using his powers illegally at the age of nineteen.

James was actually more human than not. His great-grandmother had been a siren but his great-grandfather had been human. And so had his grandfather and his own father as well so the siren blood he inherited from his mother was diluted, weak but still strong enough that he was able to entrance others. He could make them do anything he wanted with just the sound of his voice and a small touch.

He used it a lot to his advantage when he was younger, often getting in trouble for it with his mother. She was the only one that he couldn't use his powers on and because of that when his parents divorced, he chose his father over his mother. He could control his father and get away with anything he wanted and James liked having that kind of power over someone.

After high school, James moved to LA to become a popstar and once again, he used his siren heritage to his advantage. He didn't think much of it because hey, there were people that slept their way to the top and what he was doing wasn't quite at bad as that.

He learned how wrong he was a year after he arrived in LA and found himself arrested, waiting in an interrogation room, handcuffed to a table. He looked around the room, not sure what he had done wrong. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anythingwrong. At least not something that would land him here. He wasn't worried though. All he had to do was say a couple words and he'd be out of there in no time.

He looked up when the door opened and in walked a woman in a suit, holding a folder in one hand.

"Hello, Mr. Diamond. I'm Special Agent Wainwright," she said, pulling out the chair opposite James.

James smiled at her pleasantly. "Let me go," he said, words light and lilting, laced with the undeniable allure of a siren.

Agent Wainwright wasn't phased and James' smile fell flat when she simply said, "No."

It happened sometimes. James would come across someone whose will was too strong for him to manipulate with his words alone. He tugged on the cuffs around his wrists, the chain clinking lightly as the links shifted against each other. There was no way he was going to get her close enough to touch.

She let out a small sigh and leaned forward slightly. "Do you realize how much trouble you're in?"

"What? But I haven't doneanything."

Agent Wainwright shook her head. "We have six documented instances of you manipulating a human using your powers."

James' mouth went dry, his eyes widening in surprise. "What?"

Wainwright smiled at him before she turned her attention to the folder on the table. She flipped it open and read aloud. "James Diamond. Part Siren. Manipulates a person's will with the sound of his voice. May need skin-on-skin contact if confronted with a being with a strong-will."

"Oh." It was all he could think to say. He didn't know what to think. How did they know about him? What were they going to do with him now? His mind flashed with images of being poked and prodded or worse and he felt a flash of panic rise in his chest.

Agent Wainwright smiled gently and reached over to pat the back of James' hand briefly. "Relax, James. We only want to help you."

James met Kendall the first day of Academy but they didn't hit it off right away. Kendall rubbed James in all the wrong ways with his ability to rally people to him with just his words. He didn't need any special power to do it either. It was just him, his natural charisma working for him and making people listen.

James kind of hated him.

But it was hard not to like Kendall. He kind of grew on you, got under your skin and made you want to be a better person.

He was a leader. Anyone could see that. The way he never gave in, even when it was in his best interest to stand down. He confronted the trainers whenever he thought someone was being mistreated. He was always there with words of motivation and encouragement when the other students seemed to be losing faith in themselves.

James couldn't help but admire him for it and it was only natural that James fell in love with Kendall.

Well. Love was probably a bit strong, but James did have a strong desire to make out with Kendall.

Unfortunately, no matter how alluring James tried to be, Kendall didn't seem the least bit interested in him. He knew Kendall was at least bisexual. He'd seen him flirting with other guys in their class but when it came to James, there was nothing. It was frustrating because James knew he was more attractive than anyone else in the academy, male or female, so why wasn't Kendall interested in him?

James eventually gave it up as a lost cause but decided that he at least wanted a kiss from Kendall, whether Kendall wanted to kiss himor not.

It was a spur of the moment decision really. They were in the gym, resting on one of the side benches after a workout. James watched as Kendall swept his sweat-soaked hair out of his face, grinning at James slightly before he brought his water bottle up to his lips. James' eyes focused on each bob of Kendall's throat and he licked his lips.

"Kendall…"

Kendall turned towards James. "Yeah?"

"I want you to kiss me."

James wasn't surprised when Kendall was unaffected by his words. If there was ever anyone that wouldn't be affected by the power of his voice alone, it was Kendall.

Kendall's eyes widened and he shook his head. He set his water bottle down on the bench between them. "James," he started slowly, gently, the way James had heard him talk when he let down other people.

James didn't want to hear the rejection that was coming next so he quickly placed his hand on Kendall's bare shoulder and tried again.

"I want you to kiss me, Kendall."

This time Kendall's eyes clouded over just a little and his mouth parted slightly. James licked his lips and leaned forwards, eyes drifting closed.

Suddenly, his hand was being slapped away, causing his eyes to snap open. He found Kendall frowning at him, brows furrowed deeply. "What are you doing?"

James' cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he quickly moved away from Kendall. "Nothing," he said, averting his gaze.

"What the fuck, James? Were you trying to use your powerson me?"

"No, of course not!"

"Don't lie to me!"

James pressed his lips together firmly and refused to look at Kendall. He didn't know what to say. No one had ever been able to resist him when he touched them like that. It was a first and the embarrassment of not only being rejected but having his power fail him for the first time was too much.

"James!" Kendall barked at him in that annoyingly authoritative way he had that had James' eyes snapping towards him automatically.

"I just wanted to kiss you, okay? Just once."

"So, what? You were just going to violate my trust and kiss me whether I wanted to or not?"

James' lips tightened, chest heaving slightly. "You weren't supposed to be able to say no!"

Kendall's mouth fell open slightly and he stared at James, dumbfounded. "What? I just- You-"

Kendall stopped and then opened and closed his mouth a few times. It was the first time James had seen Kendall so speechless and he suddenly felt like he was missing something because he didn't see what the big deal was.

Finally, Kendall seemed to give up on trying to form words and just shook his head before he silently grabbed his towel and water bottle.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you," Kendall said, tone clipped and hard. He wouldn't even look at James and James felt like he'd really screwed up.

James got to his feet and reached out for Kendall, taking a step towards him. "What? Come on, Kendall. It's not-"

Kendall held a hand up and the words died on James' tongue, stopping him from moving any closer. "Don't," was all Kendall said before he slung his towel over his shoulder and spun on his heel.

James watched Kendall walk away, chest feeling tight with anger and embarrassment.

For the next week, Kendall only spoke to James when he had to. His words were always clipped and distant and he made a point to not get any closer to James than he had to. It hurt but James bore it with as much dignity as possible. If Kendall was going to throw things all out of proportion then that was his problem. When Kendall was ready to get over himself then James mightbe there to forgive him.

But by the end of the week, James was just angry. He was angry at Kendall for making such a big deal about it, for not forgiving him. But he was also angry at himself for fucking everything up.

By the middle of the second week of Kendall's silent treatment, James decided it was time to sacrifice his pride for the sake of his friendship with Kendall. The fact that this was even an option made it clear that it was the right decision. James wouldn't deny that he was selfish and stubborn and he had never neededanyone's approval before. But for some reason, he wanted Kendall's, wanted his approval and his friendship and whatever else Kendall wanted to give him.

He tracked Kendall down at the library and sat down heavily in the seat beside him. Kendall didn't bother looking up at him but James saw the way his jaw tightened so he knew that Kendall knew it was him.

"Kendall, I'm sorry," he said eventually, after letting the silence drag on until it was almost unbearable.

Kendall kept his gaze down on his book, jaw set. James noticed how his hand was closed in a tight fist against the table top.

"Kendall, please stop being mad at me," he tried again, gently. He wanted to reach out and touch Kendall, force him to look at him and forgive him but that's what got him in trouble in the first place. Besides, it's not like it would work anyway. James took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Please, Kendall. You're my only friend."

It was true and even more pathetic than that, Kendall was probably James' first real friend, someone that knew who and what he was. But even more than that, he was now the first person James knew was his friend because he wanted to be James' friend. James would never be able to manipulate him, make him do anything or say anything Kendall didn't want. If Kendall forgave him then it'd be because Kendallwanted to and that was suddenly very important to James.

Kendall looked up then, eyes still guarded but at least he was looking at James and James let himself relax slightly. "You betrayed my trust, James. I don't know if I can ever forgive you for that," he said softly.

"It was just going to be a kiss, Kendall. I would've never done anything else, I swear."

"Wouldn't you? It's just a kiss this time, James, but what happens when you want more?"

James floundered a bit, looking for words to defend himself. "What does it matter? I can't use my powers on you anyway."

"That's not the point!"

"Well, what is it then?"

"You really don't get it, do you? You betrayed my trust, James," Kendall repeated like James was a little kid. "You were going to useme and you don't even care!" Kendall pushed his chair back suddenly and shot to his feet. He grabbed his book bag and started to shove his notes and books back into it.

"I do! I do care!" James grabbed onto Kendal's jacket sleeve, trying to tug him back down.
Kendall growled low in his throat, eyes flashing gold. It made James' heartbeat spike, fear running cold down his spine and he quickly released Kendall.

Kendall quickly composed himself and looked down at James with a hard expression. "Just imagine if the situation had been reversed. If I was the one taking away your control and what makes you youjust for my own selfish pleasure."

James swallowed thickly. No one had ever explained it to him like that. He'd never even thought twice about using his powers on others, hadn't thought about what it was like for them. At school with his classmates and teachers, no one knew what he was and what he could do so it was easy to get out of a lecture for anything he'd done. The same with his father, he just kept evading any kind of punishment until his father gave up. And his mother, the one person James couldn'tmanipulate with his powers, had stopped speaking to him when he was sixteen. James knew it was his own fault. He stopped returning her calls and avoided her when she came to visit.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, heartfelt and sincere. "I've never thought about it like that before."
Kendall sighed over him and when James looked up the tension had leaked out of Kendall's shoulders.

"Yeah, well, you're lucky you have me now to teach you how to be a decent person."

James couldn't help the grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "So, does this mean you forgive me?"

Kendall sighed then rolled his eyes before he grew serious again. "Yeah but don't ever do that to me again, do you understand, James?"

James nodded. "Yes, I promise."

"We can't be friends if I can't trust you, James. I need to be able to trust you."

James nodded again and wondered if it was a werewolf thing, or if it was just a Kendall thing, or maybe it was a little bit of both. "You can. I promise. I'll never do it again," he said, grinning wide, and drew an 'x' over his heart with his index finger.

James didn't like using his power anymore after that. Not after Kendall tore it apart, showing him the ugly side of it. The thought of using it, even if it was just to get a confession, made him feel sick to his stomach.

Luckily, he only had to use it as a last resort. When nothing would get their suspect to talk, when even Kendall's threatening deep-throated growls got nothing more than fearful babble and pleading.

Which is exactly what was happening with Tyler. He kept flinching every time Kendall spoke, eyes wide with fear. James was afraid Tyler was going to wet himself or worse and he finally interjected.

"Alright, I guess it's my turn, Knight," James said with a heavy sigh.

Kendall stopped his pacing as James stepped froward. "James…" he said softly and reached over to touch James' arm but then stopped at the last minute.

James knew what he was going to say. He didn't have to do this but the thing was that he did. They were getting nowhere with Tyler and even if he didn't really know anything like he claimed, they had to know for sure. No one could lie to James. If he wanted them to tell him the truth then they would.

James flashed Kendall a quick smile, nodding shortly. "It's fine."

Kendall's eyebrows communicated his worry, burrowing gently. "Are you sure? We can work him a little more. You don't have to."

"It's fine. It'll be easier this way and we can get out of here faster."

Kendall studied James worriedly for a few more moments before he reluctantly nodded. "Alright," he said and stepped away from the table, letting James take his place.

"What are you going to do?"

James turned his attention back to Tyler. He was looking at James in fear now, eyes flicking anxiously back to Kendall every few seconds.

James smiled and pulled out the seat across from Tyler. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you," he said as he unsnapped his gloves and started to pull them off. He flexed his hands gently, taking a moment to enjoy the cool air hitting the slightly clammy skin. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions."

"I already told you, I don't know anything."

"Well, we're just going to confirm that." James reached across the table and placed his hand over Tyler's before he could get another word in. "Just relax."

Tyler's eyes clouded over instantly and he leaned back in his chair, tension leaking out of his entire body. James didn't waste any time getting the first question out.

"Do you know Mercedes Griffin?" They knew the answer to that but it was a good place to start.

"Yes."

"How do you know her?"

"She contacted me about a job."

"What kind of job?"

"She wanted me to steal something for her."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. She never told me. I was supposed to meet her next week to get the details."

James sighed. Of course they would arrest Tyler a week before he knew anything. But maybe they could still get something out of him. "Where were you going to meet her?"

Tyler shook his head and James' heart sank. "I don't know. She was going to send me a message with a location."

James sighed and glanced over at Kendall. Kendall had his arms crossed, face unreadable but James could probably take a good guess about what he was feeling. Anger, aggravation, frustration. James shook his head slightly and focused back on Tyler. "Do you know where she's staying?"

"No,"Tyler said, the word coming out strained. He looked paler than before, sweat beading on his forehead.

James had him under his spell for too long. He gritted his teeth, feeling the affects of using his power for so prolonged a time as well. "Do you know anything else about Mercedes? What her plans are, if she's been in contact with anyone else?"

Tyler shook his head again. "I don't. I really don't. I wish I did, please. You don't know, okay? But I don't know anything, I swear, please, just, please," he pleaded. The wheedling, desperation in Tyler's voice made James' stomach roll and he quickly broke skin contact. He turned away and took a deep breath. Across the table, he could hear Tyler breathing heavily.

He jumped when he felt Kendall's hand land on his shoulder. "Don't," he said and shrugged him away. "I'm fine."

"Sure, you are."

Kendall uncuffed Tyler from the table and led him out, leaving James to collect himself. After a few minutes, James was able to breathe right and his stomach settled. He met Kendall outside the interrogation room.

"Well, at least we know that she's after something," James said with a wry grin.

"Yeah but what? With her it could be anything."

James sighed and shook his head. He didn't know what to say. Kendall was right. There was no doubt that her motivation was to get back at her father, but there was no way of knowing just how far she'd go to do that.

They were interrupted by Kelly passing by. "Hey, guys, Gustavo wants to see you in his office," she said, holding her clipboard close to her chest.

James and Kendall exchanged a look. "Crap."

James knew what was coming when Kelly told them that Gustavo wanted to see them in his office. There was only ever one reason Gustavo called them into his office and that was to yell at them.

Gustavo didn't disappoint. After yelling at them about the explosion and ignoring their protests that it wasn't their fault this time, he dismissed them with a gruff "Get out," and a flick of his hand.

James sighed once they were safely out of Gustavo's office. They got the same lecture every time and he was kind of sick of it. Especially since it wasn't their fault. He ran a hand through his hair as he and Kendall walked down the hall, heading back to their desks where he knew he had a stack of paperwork to do.

Kendall bumped his shoulder as they walked. "That wasn't so bad," he said, corner of his mouth lifted in a small smirk.

James huffed. "No, I guess not. Still sucks getting yelled at for something that wasn't our fault."

Kendall chuckled. "Well, to be fair, we do tend to blow things up a lot," Kendall said and James couldn't help but grin in response.

"Hey, James!"

James stopped and looked over his shoulder in surprise to see who was calling him, then smiled when he saw who it was.

Carlos Garcia was on the same team as James and Kendall searching for Mercedes. He was basically just an office worker though. He wasn't allowed to go out into the field because he was too rare and valuable a creature to be allowed in any kind of danger. Carlos hated it and often complained about being stuck in the office doing boring paperwork while everyone else got to go out on cases.

James felt bad for Carlos but he also knew that Carlos was even lucky to have been able to join the FBI in the first place.

"Hey, Garcia, what's up?" He looked Carlos up and down, not for the first time, trying to imagine what Carlos' true form really looked like. The form that James saw now was just an illusion, or not an illusion. It was solid and real. If James were to reach out and grab Carlos' hand, it'd feel exactly like it looked: a human hand.

But it wasn't Carlos' realhand. James wasn't sure Carlos even had hands. Hooves, maybe? He wasn't sure. No one had seen a unicorn in centuries and all they had were faded images and paintings for reference.

James remembered when Carlos was first introduced to the team. He had almost laughed when Carlos revealed what he was, suddenly shy and bashful, contradicting the enthusiasm he had been exuding just moments before. (He also remembered the sharp elbow in the rib he'd gotten from Camille in the process.) But having Carlos around was pretty useful, even if he couldn't help out with field work. He could heal any kind of wound, cure any kind of poison, and he had saved James' life on more than one occasion.

Carlos stopped in front of them, breathing heavily, and looked between Kendall and James quickly before he cleared his throat. "Uh, I just saw Logan. He said he was looking for you," he said to James but his eyes kept flicking back to Kendall. "Hey, Kendall," he added, a small blush coloring his features.

"Hey," Kendall said, lips quirking up in a small smile. They stared at each other for a few moments before Kendall broke the small silence. "Um, thanks again for, ya know," he said, reaching up to rub his shoulder gently. He shifted his weight and cleared his throat, lips twisting into a wry grin. "I owe you one."

James rolled his eyes. It was frustrating watching Kendall and Carlos interact sometimes. They both liked each other, they both knew that they both liked each other and yet, nothing ever happened between them. "Translation: I love you, Carlos, let's get married and have weird but adorable half werewolf-half unicorn babies," James said and took a special kind of pleasure in seeing Kendall's eyes widen as James' words registered.

"James!"

James' widened his eyes, going for an innocent look. "What? You were totally thinking it. Don't deny it, Kendall," he said sternly, pointing a finger at Kendall's face.

Carlos laughed and peered up at Kendall curiously. "Can male werewolves get pregnant?"

James' eyes widened. He hadn't expected Carlos to play along. He laughed while Kendall sputtered, arms flailing slightly in his embarrassment, ears burning red. "No!"

"Oh," Carlos said and he sounded almost disappointed which sent James into another laughing fit.

Kendall sent James a dirty look, clearing his throat loudly. "So, what was this about Agent Mitchell?"

James quickly stopped laughing at the mention of Mitchell and he looked at Carlos expectantly.

Carlos blinked in surprise, eyes widening slightly. "Oh! Um, I'm not really sure. He just passed by my desk earlier asking for James," he said with a shrug.

James let out a sigh and then groaned softly. "Me? For what?"

Logan Mitchell was the most annoying agent James had ever met. He wasn't even a real agent as far as James was concerned. All he did was tinker around in the archives where they kept powerful and magical objects to be used when necessary. He didn't like James and James didn't like him. He was stuck up and kind of a jerk in James' opinion and he had no reason to be looking for James.

Carlos shook his head and shrugged again. "I don't know. He didn't say."

James let out another sigh and rubbed at the side of his face. "Alright, thanks for letting me know," he said, wondering what he'd done to get Mitchell out of the vaults. He usually sent interns if he needed anything from the upper levels.

Carlos' nodded and smiled. "No problem," he said ducking around James. James turned to watch him go and when James turned back towards Kendall, he found him watching Carlos walk away as well, a wistful look on his face.

James shook his head. "You're an idiot."

Kendall's gaze snapped towards James and he flushed red. "Shut up."

Logan sighed heavily and glanced at his watch. He didn't have time for this but of course he had to make time for it. A missing item from the Vault wasn't something to take lightly. Everything had to be accounted for or it'd be hisneck on the line.

He straightened when he saw Diamond come in with his partner. He knew exactly when James noticed him, his eyes widened and he nudged Knight and it was like having a door slammed in his face. James' mind was always so open, thoughts coming and going freely that it was really obvious when he was shielding them from Logan.

Logan was used to it. No one wanted their thoughts read and Logan didn't much care toread them so it was a joint effort. Everyone shielded their thoughts from him and he did his best to not even try to read them.

Logan didn't know what it was about Diamond that annoyed him so much. He just had this way about him. He was arrogant and irresponsible. He'd read the reports on the amount of damage control that was needed when Diamond and Knight were involved. But he didn't dislike Knight so it was something purely James Diamondthat rubbed Logan the wrong way.

"What do you want, Mitchell?" Diamond asked when he reached his desk. He walked around and placed his hand on the back of his chair.

"The Seal of Solomon," Logan said, crossing his arms.

Diamond's brows furrowed in confusion. "The Seal of what now?"

Logan sighed. "The Seal of Solomon," he repeated slowly. "You checked it out last week for that demon infestation, remember?"

Diamond's face relaxed in realization. "Oh, yeah. I took that back though."

Logan shook his head. "No, you didn't. There's no record of you checking it back in."

Diamond paused to look at Logan carefully, brows furrowed again. "But I did," he said slowly, then turned to Knight. "Right, Kendall?"

"Oh, no. Don't bring me into this," Knight said, taking a step away from them.

Diamond gave Kendall a look but Kendall just raised his eyebrows and lifted his hands in front of himself. Diamond rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. I totally took that back."

"Diamond, I'm the only one allowed to check anything back in. I think I'd remember you bringing it back and even if I didn't, I would've put it down in the log. Find it or I'm going to have to report it in to Griffin."

Diamond sighed. "Alright fine. I'll find your damn Seal of Solomon," Diamond muttered in annoyance. "Can I get back to work now?"

Logan stared at Diamond for a few moments longer before he nodded and stepped away from his desk, turning his attention toward Knight. "How are you doing, Agent Knight?"

Knight looked surprised that Logan was addressing him but he recovered quickly. "I'm fine. You?"

Logan nodded shortly. "Good. Have you made any progress on your case finding Mercedes?" He couldn't help but ask now that he was there, since he and Mercedes had dated briefly.

Mercedes wasn't a woman that took no for an answer and once she set her sights on something, it was pretty much impossible to dissuade her of it. So when she'd walked down into the Vault and declared that they were going on a date, there wasn't much Logan could do about it but nod and ask what time she wanted him to pick her up.

Despite her pushy, narcissistic nature, Logan had grown fond of her, especially after she'd gotten bored with him and broken it off after their fourth date. When she disappeared, he worried. About her and because of her. Mercedes was like a loose cannon, like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum, who knew what she was up to out there. Plotting world domination or shopping for new shoes, both were very high probabilities. He wouldn't be surprised if she was actually doing bothat the same time.

"Nothing so far," Knight said with a sigh. "Just a lot of dead ends. She's good."

Logan's mouth twisted into a frown. "Well, if there's anything I can do, just let me know."

Diamond snorted softly from his desk and Logan's eyes snapped towards him, brows pinched together gently. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering how youcould possibly help."

Logan's eyes narrowed at Diamond's derisive tone. "What's thatsupposed to mean?"

"Well," James started but was cut off by Kendall.

"Thanks, Agent Mitchell, if we need anything, we'll be sure to let you know," he said with a smile.

Logan nodded at Knight then turned back to Diamond. "Don't forget about the Seal," he warned before he left, hands clenched at his sides. He felt dumb for letting Diamond get under his skin but he did it so easily. It was obvious Diamond didn't think much of him and that was fine. Logan didn't much care for Diamond either.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Kendall and James filled Camille, Carlos and the rest of the team in on what happened with Tyler. Now that they knew that Mercedes was out to steal something, they focused their time on making a list of renown thieves in the area to be put under surveillance. After that, James had a lot of paperwork, most of it old cases that he'd been putting off for way too long.

It was late when James and Kendall decided to call it a day, and they went out for drinks at their favorite bar before they each headed home. James was nursing his second bottle. He lifted the bottle and peered down into it, swirling the liquid inside.

Even though he had more pressing matters to think about, he couldn't stop thinking about Mitchell. It aggravated him that he was able to get under James' skin like that. "Ugh, where does he get off? He thinks he's so much better than us just because he works down in the vaults," James said, placing his bottle down with a little more force than necessary.

Kendall chuckled and arched an eyebrow. "You talking about Mitchell?"

"Yes! Who else would I be talking about?"

Kendall shrugged. "I don't know. Sometimes I just tune you out," he said then laughed when James punched him in the arm.

"I'm being serious here, Knight."

Kendall shook his head and took a drink of his beer. "You know, I don't blame him for being such a tightass about it. Some of the things we have down there arepretty dangerous," Kendall said, ever the reasonable one.

James hated that about Kendall sometimes so he didn't even bother acknowledging his comment. "He does have a pretty nice ass," he said thoughtfully instead. Just because Mitchell was an annoying asshole, didn't mean James couldn't admire the package, right? "If only he didn't actlike one."

Kendall blinked at James rapidly at the sudden change of topic. "What? Wow, not even the point I was trying to make, James," he said, shaking his head, an amused look on his face.

"Oh shut up," James said, elbowing Kendall in the side. "I've seen the way you check out Carlos' ass when you think no one's looking."

Kendall's eyes widened and his ear reddened. "What? No I don't!"

James tilted his head to the side, brows bunching thoughtfully. "No? Oh, that must just be me then," he said then shot Kendall a cheeky grin at the annoyed look on his face. He reached over to shove at his shoulder lightly. "I'm just messing, man. Calm down."

"I am calm," Kendall gritted out, turning back to his drink.

"Then why do you look like you're about to rip my throat out?"

It was true. Kendall's eyes kept flashing from green to gold and back again, a low growl escaping him. Kendall looked almost surprised to realize that he was doing it and he immediately stopped, clearing his throat embarrassedly.

James grinned again. "Don't worry, Knight. You know I would never try to get between you and Garcia. Not that I have much of a chance. The guy's totally in love with you."

"Shut up. Carlos and I are just friends."

"Mmhmm, Carlos, huh?" James' grin widened. Kendall always made a point of being as formal as possible with Carlos but every once in a while he slipped and let his affection show. James could never resist teasing Kendall about it.

Kendall's ears burned brighter. "You know what? We're not talking about this anymore," he said and averted his eyes back to his drink.

James laughed and leaned over to bump his shoulder against Kendall's. "Come on, Kendall, I still don't understand why you don't ask him out. The guy's had a huge crush since he joined the team."

Kendall shook his head. "We work together, James. It wouldn't be professional. Besides, I wouldn't be good for him."

James' sobered up quickly, the smile on his face dropping, and he sighed. "You know that's complete bullshit, Kendall. If you weren't good then Carlos wouldn't look twice at you."

It was known that unicorns had excellent judge in character. And even if that wasn't the case, James had known Kendall for years. They'd even dated for a while after James' failed attempt to seduce Kendall. He knew Kendall was a good man but sometimes Kendall had a hard time believing it. He'd always been that way and James figured it had something to do with Kendall's past before the academy and James. Something that had happened, maybe something Kendall had donethat he still hadn't been able to forgive himself for. He'd never talked about it though and James had learned how to respect Kendall's boundaries.

Kendall shook his head again. "Just drop it, James. I don't want to talk about it," he said and James nodded, understanding that this was another boundary that James wasn't allowed to press.

He didn't have to be quiet about it though. "Fine, whatever you say. But I'm stating, just for the record, that I think you're being stupid."

"It's been noted. Just like the dozens of other times you've said it."

"No, like, really really stupid. Colossally," James insisted, wanting to make his point clear.

Kendall just grunted in reply and finished off his beer before ordering another one. James didn't mention Carlos for the rest of the night and their conversation moved back to safer territory, like Mercedes and what she could be planning to steal.