Post by Betty on Nov 19, 2013 19:23:22 GMT -7
RICK WINTERBOURNE
"when I want your opinion I'll give it to you"
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
"when I want your opinion I'll give it to you"
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
FULL NAME: Guy Richard Winterbourne, goes by Rick
SPECIES: Gifted Human
OCCUPATION/RANK: Police Detective/Lieutenant
AGE: 45, January 1
GENDER: Male
SEXUALITY: Bisexual
FACECLAIM/APPEARANCE: Karl Urban
WE ARE ALL ANIMALS
POWER LEVEL: Intermediate to Advanced
BASIC POWERS:
- [*]Anti-Psychic ~~ It took quite a bit of research, but Rick has learned that while some individuals are blessed with psychic abilities, there are those who are born with no psychic abilities whatsoever. These individuals are called Anti-Psychics or Psychic Nulls. For most of his life, Rick thought he fell under the latter category, however, after several incidents over the last couple years of his life, he has since realized that he is not just a basic null, but is in fact an ‘Anti-Psychic'. Despite how it sounds, being an Anti-Psy actually means Rick possesses Psychic talent, only in his case it manifests as a dampening of psychic abilities around him. Because of this dampening going on for the longest time he believed that he didn't have any preternatural abilities at all.
When 'passively' using his anti-psi, there is a chance that most psychic phenomena around him will just not happen at all. Once he gained an affirmation of his ability, however, Rick has found that he is able to actively defend against other psychic attacks or abilities directed at him, or others within his area of effect(AOE). This includes whether the psychic phenomena is used around him with visible results, like Pyrokinesis, or towards him, like Telepathy. Things that he wouldn't notice being used, however, like Empathy, are more difficult to repel. This repulsion or dampening can be done without him even knowing he’s doing it.
[*]NulMagic ~~ Several years ago, after a rather traumatic incident, Rick discovered that he is not just a Psychic Null after all, but instead possesses what is called NulMagic. This ability is passive, and basically means that Rick is pretty much a black hole/void/blue screen of death when it comes to most all things metaphysical or magical. So, where glamours and vampire mind tricks might easily work their wonders on others, they do slim to nothing against Rick.
While Rick has yet to discover or realize this next bit, but possessing NulMagic means he cannot be turned into a vampire, nor can he catch lycanthropy of any kind; a witch’s magic will avoid him like the plague, and a fey’s Hand of Power is basically a Hand of Nothing against him. This power is ideal in Rick's line of work where he faces a majority of situations that involve metaphysical or magical things.
One of the negative aspects to this ability, however, is that Rick will always and forever be nothing more than a simple squishy human. Fortunately, he is supremely gifted with firearms and physical combat which he can rely on to protect himself.
WEAKNESSES:
- [*]Being human there are the obvious weaknesses that almost all humans possess: mortality, susceptibility to illness and disease, soft and squishy, etc.
[*]Rick's biggest weakness would have to be his Epilepsy. He takes medication to fight and help control his episodes, but the seizures can come on unpredictably sometimes.
[*]While Rick may be stronger than the average male and highly trained in martial arts and close quarters combat, there is no way he could take on a vampire or lycanthrope hand-to-hand without some sort of leverage; i.e. a knife or gun. Even then, there's a chance he would still get fucked up.
[*]Rick is a borderline alcoholic so he’s destined for some major liver problems down the line.
[*]Rick is also a pretty heavy smoker, maybe 2-3 packs a week, which can make breathing a fairly laboured task after too much strenuous activity, most specifically running for extended periods of time. He stays in pretty good shape though, so this weakness is fairly minor.
[*]Though he manages it better than most, Rick has suffered from PTSD since he was 26, following the events that surrounded his honourable discharge from the Navy. The PTSD is part of the reason he is mandated to get his head shrunk once a year. By managing, he usually means by drowning the memories in booze and nicotine and the rare but emotional phone call to his sponsor.
[*]Rick has been clinically diagnosed with low latent inhibition; a condition in which his brain is more open to incoming stimuli in his surrounding environment. As a result of this condition, Rick absorbs a helluva lot more periphery information than the average person. This can be both a strength and a weakness as he has to absorb and process a TON of information at once. As a strength, his LLI makes him better able to examine every aspect and detail of any given stimulus. This, combined with a high IQ has theoretically made him a creative genius, or in his line of work, an extraordinary problem solver. (Note that this trait is in no way related to photographic memory.)
[*]Rick is partially color-blind or ‘green weak.’ From a practical standpoint though, Rick has very little difficulty carrying out tasks that require normal color vision. In fact, he wasn’t even aware that his color perception was different from normal until he underwent a USAF entrance exam/physical and was denied entrance because he was colorblind. Not really a significant weakness, just another humble flaw adding to Rick's humanity.
SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
- [*]Maori Fire-dancing/Poi – A talent he was taught by his step-father since he was a very small boy. His skills are a bit rusty these days. However, just like riding a bike, it would be easy to pick back up should the occasion or desire ever arise.
[*]Rick speaks fluent English and Maori, and has basic conversational skills in Arabic/Farsi.
[*]Rick is an excellent Surfer.
[*]Rick is highly trained in mixed martial arts and hand-to-hand combat. As a former Navy SEAL and Maori Poi champion, Rick's physical conditioning and fighting skills are uncanny for a human.
[*]Rick's observational, deductive reasoning and problem solving skills are astounding. Due to his LLI, Rick is extremely gifted at problem solving. He has the ability to see every aspect to most situations and cases that others might miss or just not see. He is very good at piecing together puzzles and can process and sort large quantities of data faster and easier than most.
AM I A MONSTER?
LIKES:
- [*]Smoking. Cigarettes. Cigars. Pipes.
[*]Guns and most weapons in general.
[*]Drinking. Eating.
[*]Grilling/Barbecuing.
[*]His family and friends.
[*]Game/Movie nights.
[*]Tattoos/Ink.
[*]Being a cop.
[*]Elvis, Jazz, and Island music.
DISLIKES:
- [*]Idiots. Stupid people. Worthless assholes who take up space.
[*]Biggots. Racists. Assholes in general.
[*]Dirty cops. Dirty criminals. Lawbreakers in general, no matter their species or occupation.
[*]Liars.
[*]Confined spaces with no foreseeable means of escape.
[*]Rap and hip hop.
PERSONALITY:Rick practically epitomizes the strong, silent type. He keeps a very stoic countenance and it takes a lot, and he means a lot to get him to open up. He keeps everything close to the vest, including his feelings and emotions, and especially his past. Since his wife’s murder Rick has built up walls upon walls upon walls around his heart and it is near impossible to penetrate his emotional defenses. Rick does not trust easily, though he does give most everyone a chance to earn his trust. The only exception here would be his daughter; she one of the select few who gets to see a side of Rick that no one else ever really does. He also trusts her implicitly and loves her more than life itself. Rick would do anything to make his daughter happy.
Rick can be both fire and ice. He comes off as cold and harsh on the outside, but inside it's like he's always running hot, wild, and explosive at his core. Rick’s icy exterior is nigh infallible and has only been known to crack when facing the pressure of his temper or rage. He can be quick to anger around worthless and stupid people, especially criminals.
While Rick may come off as cold and callous on the outside, inside burns the soul of a very passionate man. It's simply that no one has managed to reawaken true passion within him since his wife's death. In fact, it's only amongst close family and friends that a lighter side of Rick can be seen and in those rare moments it is easy to see the type of man he might have been once upon a time. Rick can be eager to joking and laughter among those he calls friend, however he is all icy stares and cold shoulders to those he doesn’t.
Rick is a man of very few words, however that does not mean he lacks intelligence. Quite the contrary, actually, Rick has a very bright and intellectual mind, especially when it comes to problem solving and strategy. He simply does not like longwinded conversations. He is very direct and to the point, always speaks his mind and very rarely ever lies. Rick is typically very cool, calm and calculated, even when under pressure. He is known to be able to keep a level-head even in the direst of straits. This is what makes him such a good leader.
Rick is a borderline alcoholic and though he will drink whenever the chance presents itself, the care and well-being of his daughter and/or his team takes precedence over any personal BS he may or may not have going on. He does attend regular AA meetings and keeps a sponsor on retainer.
Rick absolutely abhors therapists and most doctors in general. However, what he really despises most are the memories and things they make him hash up for no reason other than to poke and prod at him, looking for any excuse that would give them a reason to take his badge. One may or may not find it coincidental how often Rick’s department-mandated visits to the head shrink tend to coincide with an increase in his drinking habits.
There is nothing Rick values more than loyalty and honesty; in himself and in others. These are two of his strongest qualities, and traits he looks for and values in others. Whereas he may not be so easy to trust a new detective on the job, he would have said detective’s back in a heartbeat, simply for the fact that they are on the same team; obviously this doesn’t apply to dirty cops. Which he fortunately doesn’t know that many of these days. On the subject of loyalty, Rick views betrayal as the most grievous crime or sin on this plane. To betray his trust and loyalty is almost a death sentence with him, whether that be figuratively or literally depends on the circumstance of the betrayal. The cops and officers in his line of work can be a pretty close band of brothers, though, which is one of the reasons he enjoys working with them so much.
Rick is a very pro-furry supporter and mainly took the position with RPIT and SID out of a desire to help defend the really innocent ones that society tends to discriminate against and let sweep under the rug without question or due course. It is his desire only to bring really bad ones to justice. Preferably at the end of his silver-bullet.
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
HEIGHT: 6’ 2”
BUILD: Tall, Dark and Handsome. Very fit and muscular.
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Mostly hazel with flecks of brown and green.
PLAY-BY: Karl Urban
BUILD: Tall, Dark and Handsome. Very fit and muscular.
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Mostly hazel with flecks of brown and green.
PLAY-BY: Karl Urban
Standing a couple inches above 6 feet, and weighing in just over 200 pounds of mostly solid and well-toned muscle, Rick can be more-than-a-little intimidating by his appearance alone. Add in the several-days-old stubble he typically sports, and the at-times-deadly-but-always-serious look in his eyes and he can definitely make even some of the strongest of men and beast think twice before crossing lines with him. Then to top it off, he’s got the badge, the sidearm and simply the way in which he carries himself that screams to any knowing person that he definitely knows how to kick ass, and well... Let’s just say no one short of a preternatural or someone with a death wish would have the gall to piss him off.
Due to his years in the Navy and continued daily exercise and strenuous job requirements, Rick has managed to maintain peak physical condition. His career and daily routine have served to keep his body very fit and agile. He is very well-toned and muscular mainly from the daily demands of his job, however he tries to maintain a strict exercise and nutrition regimen as well.
Rick has those total GQ-esque good looks. Hailing from New Zealand, he definitely has some of that exotic Maori blood flowing through his veins, given him from his mother. His hairstyle is known to vary, from shoulder length, to military buzz crop, however he typically lets his chocolate locks grow out to around his ears before getting them cut. Apart from your standard shampoo and conditioner, Rick doesn’t do much else to style his hair, instead letting it fall naturally where it may. If he happens to let it grow too long between cuts, he may occasionally sport a ponytail, but that’s about the extent he’s willing to go.
The hardest aspect of his appearance to describe would have to be his eyes. They’re not quite hazel but they’re not quite green, and can fluctuate between either/or depending on the lighting or the color of his clothes. His irises are rimmed by a dark circle which make his eyes really stand out, easily turning a normal look into a penetrating, intimidating or mesmerizing gaze.
Rick’s dress style tends to verge on business casual a majority of the time. He wears suits when the occasion calls for it, but when usually on the job he opts for a nice pair of jeans, a button-up shirt and a sport coat or blazer. He usually has a tie hiding somewhere just in case, but he sees them as potential nooses so he avoids wearing them at all costs. Outside of work it’s usually jeans and t-shirts, usually tight enough to show off his physique, but loose enough to where it’s obvious he’s not doing it on purpose or to show off.
Underneath the clothes Rick is covered with beautiful tribal tattoos which decorate over 60 percent of his body: He has a half sleeve with the tribal turtle centered around other tribal designs on his right bicep from his shoulder to just above his elbow. The design leaves room for more to be added on later should he ever want to (Right bicep).
Rick also has a full sleeve on his left arm from his wrist to his shoulder, however unlike his right arm, the design does not stop on his bicep. Instead it continues over to cover his collar and left pectoral. Just above his heart there is a face with closed eyes and somewhat of a frown. The face represents the sadness in his heart over the death of his late wife, but that symbolism is only known to him, his daughter and his family. (Chest/Left arm, left arm detail).
There's more tribal work that expands over the top half of his back (upper back). Rick also has a large piece that starts on his right side beneath his armpit and expands down his side, over his hip and further still to cover his right thigh (NSFW: right side/thigh). And yet even another large piece decorates the left side of his lower back and down over his left buttock, hip and thigh and joins the plate on his left calf and shin (NSFW: left buttock/thigh, left shin plate).
(Note: All images used are for reference purposes only to give you an idea of what his tattoos may look like.)
Hidden amongst the tribal art, Rick has more scars than can be counted really; one from a knife wound on his upper right chest; another knife wound in his middle chest; a dozen or so sporadic bullet wounds that decorate his arms, torso and legs; he also has a few surgical scars on his hip and his spine. He’s also broken his nose at least twice, dislocated his shoulder half a dozen times or more(can now do such at will at this point, though not without physical pain). All of the visible wounds, however, don’t even come close to accounting for as many injuries he’s actually suffered. They especially don’t show the mental and emotional ones.
Due to his years in the Navy and continued daily exercise and strenuous job requirements, Rick has managed to maintain peak physical condition. His career and daily routine have served to keep his body very fit and agile. He is very well-toned and muscular mainly from the daily demands of his job, however he tries to maintain a strict exercise and nutrition regimen as well.
Rick has those total GQ-esque good looks. Hailing from New Zealand, he definitely has some of that exotic Maori blood flowing through his veins, given him from his mother. His hairstyle is known to vary, from shoulder length, to military buzz crop, however he typically lets his chocolate locks grow out to around his ears before getting them cut. Apart from your standard shampoo and conditioner, Rick doesn’t do much else to style his hair, instead letting it fall naturally where it may. If he happens to let it grow too long between cuts, he may occasionally sport a ponytail, but that’s about the extent he’s willing to go.
The hardest aspect of his appearance to describe would have to be his eyes. They’re not quite hazel but they’re not quite green, and can fluctuate between either/or depending on the lighting or the color of his clothes. His irises are rimmed by a dark circle which make his eyes really stand out, easily turning a normal look into a penetrating, intimidating or mesmerizing gaze.
Rick’s dress style tends to verge on business casual a majority of the time. He wears suits when the occasion calls for it, but when usually on the job he opts for a nice pair of jeans, a button-up shirt and a sport coat or blazer. He usually has a tie hiding somewhere just in case, but he sees them as potential nooses so he avoids wearing them at all costs. Outside of work it’s usually jeans and t-shirts, usually tight enough to show off his physique, but loose enough to where it’s obvious he’s not doing it on purpose or to show off.
Underneath the clothes Rick is covered with beautiful tribal tattoos which decorate over 60 percent of his body: He has a half sleeve with the tribal turtle centered around other tribal designs on his right bicep from his shoulder to just above his elbow. The design leaves room for more to be added on later should he ever want to (Right bicep).
Rick also has a full sleeve on his left arm from his wrist to his shoulder, however unlike his right arm, the design does not stop on his bicep. Instead it continues over to cover his collar and left pectoral. Just above his heart there is a face with closed eyes and somewhat of a frown. The face represents the sadness in his heart over the death of his late wife, but that symbolism is only known to him, his daughter and his family. (Chest/Left arm, left arm detail).
There's more tribal work that expands over the top half of his back (upper back). Rick also has a large piece that starts on his right side beneath his armpit and expands down his side, over his hip and further still to cover his right thigh (NSFW: right side/thigh). And yet even another large piece decorates the left side of his lower back and down over his left buttock, hip and thigh and joins the plate on his left calf and shin (NSFW: left buttock/thigh, left shin plate).
(Note: All images used are for reference purposes only to give you an idea of what his tattoos may look like.)
Hidden amongst the tribal art, Rick has more scars than can be counted really; one from a knife wound on his upper right chest; another knife wound in his middle chest; a dozen or so sporadic bullet wounds that decorate his arms, torso and legs; he also has a few surgical scars on his hip and his spine. He’s also broken his nose at least twice, dislocated his shoulder half a dozen times or more(can now do such at will at this point, though not without physical pain). All of the visible wounds, however, don’t even come close to accounting for as many injuries he’s actually suffered. They especially don’t show the mental and emotional ones.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Rick’s beginning is a humble but complicated one. He was the bi-product of what was supposed to be a one night stand. His biological father was US Air Force based in New Zealand where he met Rick’s mother on a weekend leave. Well after a little too much alcohol, one thing led to another and Rick was conceived.
Guy Winterbourne tried to do right by Rick’s mom and even though racial prejudices still had the tendency to run rampant in those days, he asked Emiri to marry him, much to the chagrin of his family and girlfriend back home in the states. Guy brought Emiri home to meet his family before their child was born, and after just one weekend with the Winterbournes, Emiri called the engagement off. She wanted nothing to do with Guy or his racist family. Emiri didn’t need him or his family to help her raise her child; the Maori people were much more accepting of a woman in her situation.
The only stipulation was that most US armed forces had instituted pretty strict policies when it came to their soldiers getting native women pregnant. Guy would have to be a part of this child’s life whether he liked it or not. So, Emiri reluctantly agreed. When Emiri gave birth, her child being the first born son and all, if the father were a Maori man he would have the honour of naming his son after him, so, Emiri thusly named her son Guy Richard Winterbourne after his father.
When Rick was two, Emiri married Rongo Matin who became a closer father to Rick than his biological one ever would. When Rick was four years old an American doctor diagnosed him with LLI and told Emiri that her son would probably grow up to be a schizophrenic. However, little Rick was incredibly smart and his high IQ combined with the LLI made him a very creative, intelligent and expressive young boy, bordering on genius. Rongo and Emiri encouraged his cognitive creativity and supplied him with anything they could to stimulate and educate him positively. Rongo taught the boy Poi and traditional Maori Fire dancing and by the time Rick was five he was already participating in local competitions.
Throughout his childhood Rick usually spent his summers in the states with his biological father and he hated it. His step-mother and her friends did nothing but insult him and call him names, like savage and monkey, despite the fact that Rick looked very much like your average white boy just with a little bit of a tan. His step-mother was petty and cruel and would even lock him in his room whenever she had company over and his father wasn’t there.
Rick despised his trips to the US; that was, until the Hendrickson’s moved in next door.
Rick was twelve years old when he met Phillipa Hendrickson and for him it was practically love at first site. Being of an open and loving origin, Rick found that the Hendrickson’s didn’t have a prejudicial bone in their body and a majority of Rick’s summer days were spent in their home. The Hendrickson's loved having Rick over for dinner, especially because he and Pippa got along so well. They admired his intellect and his creativity, end even loved hearing about his Maori culture. The fire spinning seemed to especially intrigue them. So much so that, when he was 14 years old and with his mother Emiri’s permission, they funded his entry into an arts competition in Long Island. The grand prize in each category was a sponsored scholarship to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts, which was the school sponsoring the competition. Well, it had been a very difficult competition; there were many other performance artists besides Rick and the competition was fierce. However, the judges had never seen a performance quite like Rick’s before and they had been thoroughly impressed by his form and skill in Poi/Fire dancing. Rick scored him in first place, winning the grand prize.
Rick found himself in a very odd predicament, then, because his home and family were in New Zealand but he really wanted to go to this school. It was then his mother and step-father did something he would never have expected and be eternally grateful for. They moved their family to New York. Apparently it had been something Rongo and Emiri had been debating on doing for quite some time, because Rick’s aunt lived in New Jersey and raved about it almost constantly.
Their family was still small at the time, with only Rick and his sister Gene in tow, so the move would not have been that difficult. Rongo had been quite a successful tradesman and merchant in New Zealand and with his savings, Rongo and Emiri opened up a Maori/Polynesian restaurant that actually did quite well. Most New Yorkers finding the exotic food trendy and delicious. The Matin’s and the Hendrickson’s became fast friends and neither set of parents minded the blossoming romance between Pippa and Rick. It was actually supported and encouraged among all four parents. After a year or so, Rongo ventured into another business when he opened up his own Poi/Fire dancing and instruction studio. The classes filled up within the month. Rick helped out in both the restaurant and the school whenever he could and still entered competitions with his step-father. All in all the growing Matin family lived rather comfortable and happy in New York. Rick no longer had to spend entire summers with the Winterbourne’s, instead only staying over every other weekend or so. The change in visitation helped dilute some of the tension between him and his step-mother, and it also helped him develop and maintain a closer relationship with his brother.
After graduating from LaGuardia High School Rick knew he would be coming to a sort of impasse in his life. Though his family lived comfortably on the money that his parents made with their business, there was no way his parents would be able to fund a continued education into a Performing arts college. So, during the course of his senior year, Rick began looking for alternative solutions. The best one he could come up with that didn’t result in student loan debt, prison or having to apply for dozens of grants was to join the military. After so many years of service they would supply grants for his attendance to the school of his choice.
When Rick’s father discovered that his first born planned on joining the Navy, however, Guy was livid. How dare his oldest son choose the Navy over the Air Force? Rick tried to make his father see reason, because even if he tried he wouldn’t have made it. Rick didn’t have 20/20 vision, and he was color blind. His eyes weren’t terrible by any means but he was slightly near sighted and did have glasses just in case. Still, it was almost like betrayal in Guy’s mind. It was something that Rick and his father never saw eye to eye upon and still to this day is one of the reasons behind the tension between them; not the only reason but one of them.
After only a few short months, Rick had officially been dubbed Ice-man for his cool head in battle, but mostly because his roll call name was Winterbourne, Guy. Ice-man had been one of the instructor’s nicknames cause he couldn’t remember Rick’s real name; only that it had something to do with winter. In very little time at all, Rick’s Naval instructors found that the young man positively thrived in military strategy and problem solving. He was quick to thinking and even quicker to action on the field and off. He passed almost every practice and real time scenario at the top of his class. His physical condition was superb and his mind was sharp as a tack.
When his first tour was up Rick had every intention of returning home, however, after he was approached by a recruiter from the SEALs, Rick had a choice to make. He didn’t volunteer or sign up, he was asked if he would be willing to join the SEALs program. After much thought and talking it over with his family and his girlfriend, Rick accepted the SEALs offer and made it through hell week and the corresponding training just as dedicated and skillfully as he’d made it through basic.
Rick thrived in covert and black ops and it wasn’t long before he was making an officer’s pay; Performing Arts College being pushed to the back of his mind in the face of duty and challenging work that let him use his talents to their extremes. Rick was content right where he was. Well, almost content. There was still one thing he didn’t have… Pippa.
After his second tour of duty was over, Rick returned home where he arranged an elaborate night of beauty and romance wherein he planned on proposing to the love of his life. Rick hadn’t been more sure or happy about anything in his entire life. So, one might imagine his shock when Pippa turned him down, though not without tears in her eyes. Rick had been devastated at that turn of events, thinking that was going to be the end of their relationship and the beginning of his tortured and broken heart. That night Rick drowned his woes in a bottle of scotch, the effects of which inevitably leading to him crooning some Maori love song outside of her dorm window.
When Pippa came down to console him, Rick broke down in front of her. He yelled, he cried, he even begged at one point, but in the end he merely asked her why. Why did she turn him down when he loved her so much, and he knew she loved him? Pippa ask him to wait while she went and changed so they could go to an all-night diner she knew of down the street. Unbeknownst to Rick, the diner happened to be owned, managed and operated by the Long Island Pride, which also happened to be the biggest lycanthrope clan in New York. It was in this diner that Pippa revealed her biggest secret to Rick; she was a werelion. Of all the reactions Pippa was expecting, what Rick did was not one of them. Surprise, shock, alarm, disgust, fear, yes. Humour, no. Rick laughed. Full on, obnoxious, hysterical laughter; as if Pippa had told the funniest damn joke in the universe.
When Rick had calmed down enough to speak coherently, he told Pippa that he already knew that; had pretty much known since they were twelve. When asked how that was possible, Rick then revealed to her a little secret of his own; that he was a complete psychic null with a rare mental disorder that allowed his mind to notice things other people might ordinarily overlook or ignore. Rick might lack metaphysical senses to pick up on her preternaturalness, however there were other things that could give it away just as easily to someone like him.
After that conversation, Rick asked her to marry him again and this time with tears of joy swimming in her eyes instead of sorrow, Pippa accepted. With her Rex’s permission, Rick was introduced to a majority of the Long Island Pride, seeing as how he was going to be a prominent figure in Pippa’s life. Her parents had met the pride a long time ago when Pippa was first infected via a bad strain of lycanthropy vaccine. Pippa’s parents had always been supportive of their daughter and had the Pride’s protection because of it. Now, the Pride’s protection would extend to Rick as well.
After a whirlwind wedding and month-long honeymoon spent in Rick’s native country where Pippa fell in love with Rick’s extended family, and they with her, it wasn’t long before the newlywed couple were moved into their new two bedroom apartment loft. Shorter still, it seemed before Rick was leaving again to begin his third tour of duty and Pippa continued her education in medicine.
The two loved each other passionately and deeply. The only thing that worried Pippa was Rick’s occupation. Rick being a Navy SEAL terrified Pippa more than Rick could possibly know, and she would probably never tell him. Pippa wrote him every day and tried not to panic during the occasional long months when she didn’t get a response. It was Pippa’s face in his dreams and the bundles of letters he received whenever he was in a position to get mail that kept him going strong; that pushed him to not only fight the good fight, but to survive to see her face again. Their time apart was difficult, but it only made their time together all the more special. They made love like there was no tomorrow, which thrilled Pippa to no end because for a human Rick had amazing stamina. Pippa wanted for nothing but his safe return home… That… and maybe a baby.
A year into Rick’s third tour of duty, Pippa brought up the idea of having a baby. Rick thought it was an amazing idea, but due to Pippa’s monthly visit from the furry fairy they knew it would be impossible for her to carry one of her own to full term. They originally looked into adopting, but Pippa knew that her and Rick were bound to make one beautiful baby and she was determined to meet that child. So instead Pippa looked into surrogacy, which in the early 90’s was still in its final experimental phases. They found a willing surrogate in Rick’s sister Anika, who was an active lesbian and knew this would probably be the only way she’d ever get to experience pregnancy. She was more than happy to do it; it was the least she could do for her brother and his amazing wife. They deserved to have their own child. The procedure was successful and nine short months later, Pippa and Rick became proud parents of a baby girl, whom they endearingly named Annick after the Aunt that helped bring her into the world. It was apparent from birth whose side her looks took more after as she had the tanned complexion and dark hair color of her father, however her eyes were all her mother’s.
Rick met his child for the first time at the end of his third tour of service, when she was already two months old. He wept tears of joy and love for his beautiful family. His sister was named the girl’s Godmother. Rick thrived at being a father just as much as he’d thrived at being a husband, and a Navy SEAL. Everything seemed to be going so well. They had a great life together. Pippa was a junior Resident at Princeton Plainsboro teaching hospital, Rick was successful as a Naval Officer and their baby was healthy, happy and beautiful.
However, as it is with most good things in life, they were bound to come to an end. Sometime during Rick’s fourth tour of duty, he and his entire unit had been ambushed and taken captive. Rick and his men were tortured for weeks that felt like years. Many of his unit had died from the torture, and it was only the thought of wanting, no needing to make it home to Pippa that let him survive the impossible suffering his body and his mind was going through. It was six months before he was found and rescued. Out of the fifteen in his unit, only three had survived in addition to him. If you can call it surviving. Rick had a busted hip, a fractured spine and a contusion on his brain. That wasn’t the extent of his wounds, but those were the major injuries, the ones that would be the hardest to heal.
He was returned to Pippa a fractured and broken man and it was only through her love and support that Rick didn’t completely lose himself to his injuries and his own mind. His hip was pieced back together and held in place by a synthetic joint and several metal pins. His spine was braced, however he would need to seek extensive physical therapy if he ever wished to walk again, because he would walk again. Fuck what the doctors thought. Physical therapy he could do. Seeing a psychologist on a regular basis to contend with the PTSD; also doable. Living with unpredictable seizures for the rest of his life? That’s where he started hating himself. The seizures had started only a couple weeks after his hospitalization and according to the doctors he would probably suffer them for the rest of his life. The physical and mental trauma he sustained during captivity had caused irreparable damage. The seizures weren’t painful or dangerous by any real means, just needed to be monitored and if not treated or handled properly could lead to other accidents. There was medication he could take to counteract most of the effects, but they were not guaranteed to stop the seizures from happening altogether, only delude the severity and the frequency.
When Rick was finally on the mend, the Navy held a service where all four survivors were awarded medals of honour. Then based upon the testimonies from the three other survivors, they claimed that had it not been for Rick’s encouragement, conviction and sacrifice they probably wouldn’t have surprised. Rick encouraged them to hold on and fight to live to see their families again. He had often even taken torture or beating on their behalves. Because of this, Rick was also awarded a purple heart, though he accepted the honour bitterly.
Pippa had the medals framed and for the longest time they only acted as a sour reminder to Rick about his current predicament and he began to hate them just as much as he hated himself. Rick found himself broken and worthless, unable to love his wife or care for his daughter properly. Rick strongly tried pushing Pippa away. He thought himself worthless and undesirable and that Pippa deserved so much more than a broken man.
In response, Pippa had shown him nothing but love and support; even through the periods of heavy alcoholism and bouts of self-loathing and pity. It was Pippa’s love and dedication that helped him, much more so than any physical and mental therapy could have done. With her encouragement and love, it had taken Rick far less time than he thought it would, to regain the spirit and fire of the man he’d once been. Pippa was the kindling that fueled the fire of his spirit and made him feel alive. For that he would be forever grateful to her.
On the anniversary of their rescue, the Navy held a small memorial dinner where Rick proudly stood, though not without help from a cane, on his own two legs before his family and fellow sailors and gave a heartfelt speech. His brother had come, but when his own father failed to make an appearance it only served to alienate Rick’s feelings towards him even more. Guillame Winterbourne was just a man to him. Someone he used to know.
Rick got back into Poi as part of his physical therapy and he helped his step-father out a lot, as the older man was getting up in years and was not as young and agile as he’d once was. Rick’s sisters were also teaching traditional hula and belly dancing at the school and it felt great to be surrounded by family again and actually have the time to enjoy them. Still, there was a something that stirred inside his soul and made him restless. After so long serving his fellow man, Rick just couldn’t fully settle comfortably into the life of a ‘regular’ person. He needed to be doing something; to help people. He still had his Navy grants to use, though instead of the long forgotten dream of Performing arts school, Rick turned towards the police academy. His history was not lost on his classmates and instructors, and almost everyone was betting that he wouldn’t last the first year. Rick proved them all wrong, however, by graduating at the top of his class. Within only a few short years on the force, Rick had even worked his way up to a detective with SVU.
Life was good again. Pippa was happy. Rick was happy. Annick was happy and growing more and more beautiful every day. Rick and Pippa made love like bunnies and family was always close at hand. Things were really going their way… Therefore it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise for Rick when Murphy decided to rear his ugly head, again, and bring that stupid law with him.
Rick had been called in on a rape and homicide, expecting it to be just like any other night; a heinous crime that would make his blood boil and his anger sear at the one who’d committed the crime, but at the end of the day, they’d hopefully catch the bad guy and he’d go home and lose the bad memories in the sheer goodness that was his wife.
It was nights like those that Rick regretted being a psychic null. Perhaps if he’d had even an inkling of psychic or metaphysical presence, maybe then he could have sensed something off about the entire situation and prepared himself better for what was to come.
When Rick and his partner got to the scene it was nothing like he had thought it would be. The man who was the supposed rapist had half his throat missing and his torso was shred open from chin to navel. When Rick asked what happened he was directed to a campus security guard to fill him in while his partner went to question the first officer who arrived on the scene.
It was Ted the security guard’s first night on graveyard and he was walking a new resident to her car, he couldn’t remember her name; like he said he was new and so was she. They were in the parking lot when he was clubbed from behind and the woman was taken. Fortunately, the hit hadn’t been hard enough to fully knock him out and he was able to stumble after the perp. However, when he finally tracked the man down, he was already in the middle of the act.
The woman was screaming and quite literally clawing at him even though the man had a gun pressed to her temple, threatening to shoot her. It was then that Ted said he tried to pull the perp off, but the man shot him; fortunately the slug passed through the fleshy part of his right bicep, which was the only reason he was still on the scene answering questions and not in a hospital.
When it came to the next part, Ted grew sullen and said that he didn’t know the woman was a lycanthrope. That he supposed because of the smell of his blood, combined with the panic and fear of the situation, she shifted, right there in the alley, she turned into a beast and filleted her attacker alive. It was too dark and Ted couldn’t really tell what kind of shifter she was but if he had to guess, he’d say feline. Possibly lion or something along those lines. With that little tid-bit suddenly red lights and klaxons started going off in Rick’s head. New resident at the teaching hospital, just ended her shift, turned into a lion… He didn’t need LLI to help his mind piece these pictures together…
Impatiently, Rick pressured Ted to continue. According to him, Ted thought she was going to kill him too, but when she came near him, she only sniffed him a few times before passing on. Unfortunately though, in her blood rage she had attacked five other people, killing two before the first officer arrived on scene and she was put down. Rick’s train of thought derailed on that last part, ‘put down’. Rick had grabbed the man threateningly by his shirt collar and yanked him to his feet demanding to know what he meant by put down. Ted swallowed then said he begged the officer not to kill her, that it wasn’t her fault, asked him to try a tranquilizer first which was fairly standard procedure; lion’s hadn’t been deemed varmint’s after all and technically should not have been shot on sight. The officer seemed to not care when he shot first without asking any questions. The lion/woman had fallen dead on the spot. Ted later found out the officer had used a large caliber silver round.
Rick’s head swam as the world around him faded; all sounds were put on mute and as his focus turned to the sealed body bag he’d noticed when he had initially arrived, his gaze zeroed in and for once his LLI wasn’t forcing him to focus on everything else, and let him zero in on the one. A body bag was a normal sight at these scenes, so he’d initially thought nothing of it... until now. Rick harshly let go of the guard’s collar where he turned and pushed past officers, forensics scientists and photographers until he arrived at the gurney. Rick’s heart beat sounded like thunder in his ears as he reached for the zipper. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he pulled the zipper along its seam. It couldn’t be Pippa. It was all just some crazy coincidence. Pippa was at home where Rick planned on calling her after he was done here; to make sure she’d gotten home safe because she also worked at the teaching hospital.
When he finally pulled back the black material enough to see the face of the woman lying within, Rick’s world exploded back to life around him and for the very first time ever in his entire career, Rick Winterbourne vomited at the scene of a crime. When he was finished emptying the contents of his stomach, Rick glanced around until his gaze fell on the man his partner was questioning; the one that Ted said had chosen to shoot first and not ask any questions.
Pure, unadulterated rage boiled up inside of Rick and without even thinking, he ran towards the man and sprang into him, tackling him hard to the ground. Rick then proceeded to use the man’s face as a punching ball, swearing at him in every language he knew, reverting back to his native Maori as he accused the man of being a murderer who killed his wife. It took almost six men to finally pull Rick off the other officer and shove him into a squad car. When Rick’s partner saw the face of the woman in the body bag, Rick’s outburst suddenly made so much more sense. That didn’t stop him from suggesting that Rick be pulled off the case immediately, though. Rick was furious, but there was no amount of threats and cursing that would get his Captain to change his mind. Rick was far too close to the case and would only do harm. Plus he almost beat a fellow officer to death at the scene.
When Pippa’s body had been brought to the precinct’s morgue to be examined for further evidence, autopsied and cleaned, Rick’s boss permitted him the chance to see her alone, to say what goodbyes he could. Rick didn’t know what to say or do when he saw her lying there, looking like she were just asleep and not dead. His beautiful, loving, caring, nurturing, stubborn, willful, spirited, strong and passionate Pippa couldn’t be dead.
Rick stared at her body willing it all to be some sort of terrible joke. Wanting so desperately for her to just wake up and wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be ok. But she didn’t wake up. She couldn’t wrap her arms around him. She couldn’t tell him everything was going to be ok. She just laid there as if in peaceful sleep. Rick hugged her body to him tightly and rocked slightly as he wept the pain of a broken man. He sobbed, and moaned and wailed and cursed God. After a long time, but still not long enough, Rick was gently being told it was time to leave. The worst part about it all was that there wasn’t even someone he could exact his vengeance upon; Pippa had already killed her attacker. How was he supposed to avenge this pain?
Rick was given a mandatory six-month bereavement to attend to his affairs, which included trying to figure out how to explain to a five year old that mommy wasn’t coming home. The night Rick buried his beloved wife was the night that changed Rick’s life. He had asked his mother to look after Annie as the grief was too hard for him to bear. After an entire bottle of scotch, all Rick wanted to do was eat his gun, but Pippa would never forgive him for giving up so easily and abandoning their little Annie to cruel fate. He’d been lax on his meds and combined with the alcohol he’d consumed, the seizure that followed caused him to hallucinate, wherein he saw and talked to Pippa and was able to say the goodbye that he hadn’t had the chance to before. He told her that he didn’t know how he could live without her, that she had been the only thing keeping his fire burning. She reminded him that she would always be with him and that he couldn’t roll over and die when he had their daughter to love. Seeing as this was a conversation with his own mind, Rick had already known all these things however coming from a hallucinated Pippa seemed to really make the ideas stick. He had never taken the coward’s way out in his entire life, and he wasn’t about to start now. He was made of far tougher and stronger stuff. The devil was not going to win today.
Rick started seeing a therapist again and had a doctor re-evaluate him for his seizures. It was during this re-evaluation that both his medical and psychological doctors suggested to him the idea of getting a service dog, not only to help with his therapy, but there were specially trained dogs who could sense and warn their masters when they were about to have a seizure. So it was that MAXIMUS entered their lives.
After his bereavement leave was finished and upon passing a department ordered psych-eval, Rick was cleared for return to duty, however, due to the heinous spin the media put on the events surrounding his wife’s death, Rick was labeled as a furry lover and a ‘traitor’ to his own species. His old partner had already been reassigned a new one in Rick’s stead and there weren’t really any other detectives who were jumping at the chance to work with him, despite his exemplary and admirable record. As it stood, Rick had been given a choice; have his ass transferred to RPIT with similar outcasts such as himself, or have his ass sit behind a desk for the rest of his career. Seeing as he was thinking of applying for transfer anyway so the shit detective work surrounding his wife’s case didn’t happen to another innocent furry, Rick happily accepted the boot to RPIT; especially when it meant he’d also be getting a pay increase.
Rick became a sort of white knight among the furry and preternatural community. They knew he didn’t fight against them, but for them. Unlike most humans who blatantly discriminated against lycanthropes and the like, Rich had a much more open mind and was interested in bringing true justice, and not just the kind that others felt like cooking up to make the furries look bad.
His impact on the increased relations and cooperation between RPIT and the preternatural community was pretty impressive and it wasn’t long before other departments were vying to have him on their team.
So it was, when he got an offer from the St. Louis RPIT with the possibility for a promotion and an increase in pay, Rick was loathe to turn it down and jumped at the chance. There was still plenty of bad blood between Rick and the other departments in NY so it would be a nice change of pace and scenery; a chance to start fresh as it were. Annie was unlikely to see it that way, but she was only ten years old. She’d get over it.
So, Rick traded up their city condo in New York for a suburban townhome in St. Louis; a sergeant’s badge for a Lieutenant’s.
Despite Rick’s cold, curt and abrupt personality he easily found camaraderie with the members of his new unit, because although he was very cold and closed off, he was one damn good detective and had a way with and an understanding of lycanthropes and such that most human’s outside their circles tended to lack. Many lycanthropes were familiar with Rick’s story as the events around his wife’s death had caused an outrage in both human and preternatural circles. The anti-furries or humans first people called it a testament to how wild and uncontrolled the Were’s were, and fellow furries screamed injustice and a demand for civil rights and due course. Rick had been at the heart of it all fighting for his wife’s reputation and against the media’s smear campaign. Though he might have had a minimal social impact, the laws and movements he encouraged fellow lycanthrope supporters to put into action was anything but minimal.
Rick knew firsthand the extent of how truly evil some humans could be, only they didn’t have an undead soul or an inner beast to fall back on, so what was their excuse? There were good and bad in every walk of life. Rick didn’t see the world in black and white. He was very aware of all the multiple hues of gray that lingered throughout. Because of this view, he was well respected in both law enforcement and among preternatural communities. Rick was one of the few humans who did not discriminate them just because they were furry three days of the month.
Rick and Annie have lived in St. Louis for five years now, and he has no complaints. He likes his job, his house. He’s made a few friends and a few more enemies… But still… Things were doing alright. Annie was doing amazing in school and usually spent her summers with her grandparents in New York. The summer months were the hardest on Rick. Without Annie there it was easy for him to fall into grief and alcohol. The pain and despair from losing Pippa still lingers with him and there are times when Annie can look at him just right with those eyes that are so achingly familiar that Rick can feel his heart breaking all over again. But he refuses to give into his despair, no matter how easy it would be to do so. He owes Annie and Pippa his best and that was what he would give them. He still wears his wedding band which has successfully deterred many women’s advances, though it has also attracted that of others, but don’t get him started on how disgusted those types of women make him feel.
Yes, deep down he knows that Pippa would probably want him to move on, he just can’t see himself loving or trusting anyone the way he did her, or anyone loving him for that matter. Pippa had been the literal other half to his soul and without her he was just a broken alcoholic with anger and emotional problems and a 15 year old daughter. Who could love that?
Almost a decade after living and working in St. Louis, an incident involving a friend and a ghost helped Rick discover that he was not simply a psychic nul but in fact possessed both NulMagic and Anti-Psychic abilities. How this will impact his career and his life has yet to be determined, but such things seem like they can only do him and his team good.
Guy Winterbourne tried to do right by Rick’s mom and even though racial prejudices still had the tendency to run rampant in those days, he asked Emiri to marry him, much to the chagrin of his family and girlfriend back home in the states. Guy brought Emiri home to meet his family before their child was born, and after just one weekend with the Winterbournes, Emiri called the engagement off. She wanted nothing to do with Guy or his racist family. Emiri didn’t need him or his family to help her raise her child; the Maori people were much more accepting of a woman in her situation.
The only stipulation was that most US armed forces had instituted pretty strict policies when it came to their soldiers getting native women pregnant. Guy would have to be a part of this child’s life whether he liked it or not. So, Emiri reluctantly agreed. When Emiri gave birth, her child being the first born son and all, if the father were a Maori man he would have the honour of naming his son after him, so, Emiri thusly named her son Guy Richard Winterbourne after his father.
When Rick was two, Emiri married Rongo Matin who became a closer father to Rick than his biological one ever would. When Rick was four years old an American doctor diagnosed him with LLI and told Emiri that her son would probably grow up to be a schizophrenic. However, little Rick was incredibly smart and his high IQ combined with the LLI made him a very creative, intelligent and expressive young boy, bordering on genius. Rongo and Emiri encouraged his cognitive creativity and supplied him with anything they could to stimulate and educate him positively. Rongo taught the boy Poi and traditional Maori Fire dancing and by the time Rick was five he was already participating in local competitions.
Throughout his childhood Rick usually spent his summers in the states with his biological father and he hated it. His step-mother and her friends did nothing but insult him and call him names, like savage and monkey, despite the fact that Rick looked very much like your average white boy just with a little bit of a tan. His step-mother was petty and cruel and would even lock him in his room whenever she had company over and his father wasn’t there.
Rick despised his trips to the US; that was, until the Hendrickson’s moved in next door.
Rick was twelve years old when he met Phillipa Hendrickson and for him it was practically love at first site. Being of an open and loving origin, Rick found that the Hendrickson’s didn’t have a prejudicial bone in their body and a majority of Rick’s summer days were spent in their home. The Hendrickson's loved having Rick over for dinner, especially because he and Pippa got along so well. They admired his intellect and his creativity, end even loved hearing about his Maori culture. The fire spinning seemed to especially intrigue them. So much so that, when he was 14 years old and with his mother Emiri’s permission, they funded his entry into an arts competition in Long Island. The grand prize in each category was a sponsored scholarship to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Arts, which was the school sponsoring the competition. Well, it had been a very difficult competition; there were many other performance artists besides Rick and the competition was fierce. However, the judges had never seen a performance quite like Rick’s before and they had been thoroughly impressed by his form and skill in Poi/Fire dancing. Rick scored him in first place, winning the grand prize.
Rick found himself in a very odd predicament, then, because his home and family were in New Zealand but he really wanted to go to this school. It was then his mother and step-father did something he would never have expected and be eternally grateful for. They moved their family to New York. Apparently it had been something Rongo and Emiri had been debating on doing for quite some time, because Rick’s aunt lived in New Jersey and raved about it almost constantly.
Their family was still small at the time, with only Rick and his sister Gene in tow, so the move would not have been that difficult. Rongo had been quite a successful tradesman and merchant in New Zealand and with his savings, Rongo and Emiri opened up a Maori/Polynesian restaurant that actually did quite well. Most New Yorkers finding the exotic food trendy and delicious. The Matin’s and the Hendrickson’s became fast friends and neither set of parents minded the blossoming romance between Pippa and Rick. It was actually supported and encouraged among all four parents. After a year or so, Rongo ventured into another business when he opened up his own Poi/Fire dancing and instruction studio. The classes filled up within the month. Rick helped out in both the restaurant and the school whenever he could and still entered competitions with his step-father. All in all the growing Matin family lived rather comfortable and happy in New York. Rick no longer had to spend entire summers with the Winterbourne’s, instead only staying over every other weekend or so. The change in visitation helped dilute some of the tension between him and his step-mother, and it also helped him develop and maintain a closer relationship with his brother.
After graduating from LaGuardia High School Rick knew he would be coming to a sort of impasse in his life. Though his family lived comfortably on the money that his parents made with their business, there was no way his parents would be able to fund a continued education into a Performing arts college. So, during the course of his senior year, Rick began looking for alternative solutions. The best one he could come up with that didn’t result in student loan debt, prison or having to apply for dozens of grants was to join the military. After so many years of service they would supply grants for his attendance to the school of his choice.
When Rick’s father discovered that his first born planned on joining the Navy, however, Guy was livid. How dare his oldest son choose the Navy over the Air Force? Rick tried to make his father see reason, because even if he tried he wouldn’t have made it. Rick didn’t have 20/20 vision, and he was color blind. His eyes weren’t terrible by any means but he was slightly near sighted and did have glasses just in case. Still, it was almost like betrayal in Guy’s mind. It was something that Rick and his father never saw eye to eye upon and still to this day is one of the reasons behind the tension between them; not the only reason but one of them.
After only a few short months, Rick had officially been dubbed Ice-man for his cool head in battle, but mostly because his roll call name was Winterbourne, Guy. Ice-man had been one of the instructor’s nicknames cause he couldn’t remember Rick’s real name; only that it had something to do with winter. In very little time at all, Rick’s Naval instructors found that the young man positively thrived in military strategy and problem solving. He was quick to thinking and even quicker to action on the field and off. He passed almost every practice and real time scenario at the top of his class. His physical condition was superb and his mind was sharp as a tack.
When his first tour was up Rick had every intention of returning home, however, after he was approached by a recruiter from the SEALs, Rick had a choice to make. He didn’t volunteer or sign up, he was asked if he would be willing to join the SEALs program. After much thought and talking it over with his family and his girlfriend, Rick accepted the SEALs offer and made it through hell week and the corresponding training just as dedicated and skillfully as he’d made it through basic.
Rick thrived in covert and black ops and it wasn’t long before he was making an officer’s pay; Performing Arts College being pushed to the back of his mind in the face of duty and challenging work that let him use his talents to their extremes. Rick was content right where he was. Well, almost content. There was still one thing he didn’t have… Pippa.
After his second tour of duty was over, Rick returned home where he arranged an elaborate night of beauty and romance wherein he planned on proposing to the love of his life. Rick hadn’t been more sure or happy about anything in his entire life. So, one might imagine his shock when Pippa turned him down, though not without tears in her eyes. Rick had been devastated at that turn of events, thinking that was going to be the end of their relationship and the beginning of his tortured and broken heart. That night Rick drowned his woes in a bottle of scotch, the effects of which inevitably leading to him crooning some Maori love song outside of her dorm window.
When Pippa came down to console him, Rick broke down in front of her. He yelled, he cried, he even begged at one point, but in the end he merely asked her why. Why did she turn him down when he loved her so much, and he knew she loved him? Pippa ask him to wait while she went and changed so they could go to an all-night diner she knew of down the street. Unbeknownst to Rick, the diner happened to be owned, managed and operated by the Long Island Pride, which also happened to be the biggest lycanthrope clan in New York. It was in this diner that Pippa revealed her biggest secret to Rick; she was a werelion. Of all the reactions Pippa was expecting, what Rick did was not one of them. Surprise, shock, alarm, disgust, fear, yes. Humour, no. Rick laughed. Full on, obnoxious, hysterical laughter; as if Pippa had told the funniest damn joke in the universe.
When Rick had calmed down enough to speak coherently, he told Pippa that he already knew that; had pretty much known since they were twelve. When asked how that was possible, Rick then revealed to her a little secret of his own; that he was a complete psychic null with a rare mental disorder that allowed his mind to notice things other people might ordinarily overlook or ignore. Rick might lack metaphysical senses to pick up on her preternaturalness, however there were other things that could give it away just as easily to someone like him.
After that conversation, Rick asked her to marry him again and this time with tears of joy swimming in her eyes instead of sorrow, Pippa accepted. With her Rex’s permission, Rick was introduced to a majority of the Long Island Pride, seeing as how he was going to be a prominent figure in Pippa’s life. Her parents had met the pride a long time ago when Pippa was first infected via a bad strain of lycanthropy vaccine. Pippa’s parents had always been supportive of their daughter and had the Pride’s protection because of it. Now, the Pride’s protection would extend to Rick as well.
After a whirlwind wedding and month-long honeymoon spent in Rick’s native country where Pippa fell in love with Rick’s extended family, and they with her, it wasn’t long before the newlywed couple were moved into their new two bedroom apartment loft. Shorter still, it seemed before Rick was leaving again to begin his third tour of duty and Pippa continued her education in medicine.
The two loved each other passionately and deeply. The only thing that worried Pippa was Rick’s occupation. Rick being a Navy SEAL terrified Pippa more than Rick could possibly know, and she would probably never tell him. Pippa wrote him every day and tried not to panic during the occasional long months when she didn’t get a response. It was Pippa’s face in his dreams and the bundles of letters he received whenever he was in a position to get mail that kept him going strong; that pushed him to not only fight the good fight, but to survive to see her face again. Their time apart was difficult, but it only made their time together all the more special. They made love like there was no tomorrow, which thrilled Pippa to no end because for a human Rick had amazing stamina. Pippa wanted for nothing but his safe return home… That… and maybe a baby.
A year into Rick’s third tour of duty, Pippa brought up the idea of having a baby. Rick thought it was an amazing idea, but due to Pippa’s monthly visit from the furry fairy they knew it would be impossible for her to carry one of her own to full term. They originally looked into adopting, but Pippa knew that her and Rick were bound to make one beautiful baby and she was determined to meet that child. So instead Pippa looked into surrogacy, which in the early 90’s was still in its final experimental phases. They found a willing surrogate in Rick’s sister Anika, who was an active lesbian and knew this would probably be the only way she’d ever get to experience pregnancy. She was more than happy to do it; it was the least she could do for her brother and his amazing wife. They deserved to have their own child. The procedure was successful and nine short months later, Pippa and Rick became proud parents of a baby girl, whom they endearingly named Annick after the Aunt that helped bring her into the world. It was apparent from birth whose side her looks took more after as she had the tanned complexion and dark hair color of her father, however her eyes were all her mother’s.
Rick met his child for the first time at the end of his third tour of service, when she was already two months old. He wept tears of joy and love for his beautiful family. His sister was named the girl’s Godmother. Rick thrived at being a father just as much as he’d thrived at being a husband, and a Navy SEAL. Everything seemed to be going so well. They had a great life together. Pippa was a junior Resident at Princeton Plainsboro teaching hospital, Rick was successful as a Naval Officer and their baby was healthy, happy and beautiful.
However, as it is with most good things in life, they were bound to come to an end. Sometime during Rick’s fourth tour of duty, he and his entire unit had been ambushed and taken captive. Rick and his men were tortured for weeks that felt like years. Many of his unit had died from the torture, and it was only the thought of wanting, no needing to make it home to Pippa that let him survive the impossible suffering his body and his mind was going through. It was six months before he was found and rescued. Out of the fifteen in his unit, only three had survived in addition to him. If you can call it surviving. Rick had a busted hip, a fractured spine and a contusion on his brain. That wasn’t the extent of his wounds, but those were the major injuries, the ones that would be the hardest to heal.
He was returned to Pippa a fractured and broken man and it was only through her love and support that Rick didn’t completely lose himself to his injuries and his own mind. His hip was pieced back together and held in place by a synthetic joint and several metal pins. His spine was braced, however he would need to seek extensive physical therapy if he ever wished to walk again, because he would walk again. Fuck what the doctors thought. Physical therapy he could do. Seeing a psychologist on a regular basis to contend with the PTSD; also doable. Living with unpredictable seizures for the rest of his life? That’s where he started hating himself. The seizures had started only a couple weeks after his hospitalization and according to the doctors he would probably suffer them for the rest of his life. The physical and mental trauma he sustained during captivity had caused irreparable damage. The seizures weren’t painful or dangerous by any real means, just needed to be monitored and if not treated or handled properly could lead to other accidents. There was medication he could take to counteract most of the effects, but they were not guaranteed to stop the seizures from happening altogether, only delude the severity and the frequency.
When Rick was finally on the mend, the Navy held a service where all four survivors were awarded medals of honour. Then based upon the testimonies from the three other survivors, they claimed that had it not been for Rick’s encouragement, conviction and sacrifice they probably wouldn’t have surprised. Rick encouraged them to hold on and fight to live to see their families again. He had often even taken torture or beating on their behalves. Because of this, Rick was also awarded a purple heart, though he accepted the honour bitterly.
Pippa had the medals framed and for the longest time they only acted as a sour reminder to Rick about his current predicament and he began to hate them just as much as he hated himself. Rick found himself broken and worthless, unable to love his wife or care for his daughter properly. Rick strongly tried pushing Pippa away. He thought himself worthless and undesirable and that Pippa deserved so much more than a broken man.
In response, Pippa had shown him nothing but love and support; even through the periods of heavy alcoholism and bouts of self-loathing and pity. It was Pippa’s love and dedication that helped him, much more so than any physical and mental therapy could have done. With her encouragement and love, it had taken Rick far less time than he thought it would, to regain the spirit and fire of the man he’d once been. Pippa was the kindling that fueled the fire of his spirit and made him feel alive. For that he would be forever grateful to her.
On the anniversary of their rescue, the Navy held a small memorial dinner where Rick proudly stood, though not without help from a cane, on his own two legs before his family and fellow sailors and gave a heartfelt speech. His brother had come, but when his own father failed to make an appearance it only served to alienate Rick’s feelings towards him even more. Guillame Winterbourne was just a man to him. Someone he used to know.
Rick got back into Poi as part of his physical therapy and he helped his step-father out a lot, as the older man was getting up in years and was not as young and agile as he’d once was. Rick’s sisters were also teaching traditional hula and belly dancing at the school and it felt great to be surrounded by family again and actually have the time to enjoy them. Still, there was a something that stirred inside his soul and made him restless. After so long serving his fellow man, Rick just couldn’t fully settle comfortably into the life of a ‘regular’ person. He needed to be doing something; to help people. He still had his Navy grants to use, though instead of the long forgotten dream of Performing arts school, Rick turned towards the police academy. His history was not lost on his classmates and instructors, and almost everyone was betting that he wouldn’t last the first year. Rick proved them all wrong, however, by graduating at the top of his class. Within only a few short years on the force, Rick had even worked his way up to a detective with SVU.
Life was good again. Pippa was happy. Rick was happy. Annick was happy and growing more and more beautiful every day. Rick and Pippa made love like bunnies and family was always close at hand. Things were really going their way… Therefore it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise for Rick when Murphy decided to rear his ugly head, again, and bring that stupid law with him.
Rick had been called in on a rape and homicide, expecting it to be just like any other night; a heinous crime that would make his blood boil and his anger sear at the one who’d committed the crime, but at the end of the day, they’d hopefully catch the bad guy and he’d go home and lose the bad memories in the sheer goodness that was his wife.
It was nights like those that Rick regretted being a psychic null. Perhaps if he’d had even an inkling of psychic or metaphysical presence, maybe then he could have sensed something off about the entire situation and prepared himself better for what was to come.
When Rick and his partner got to the scene it was nothing like he had thought it would be. The man who was the supposed rapist had half his throat missing and his torso was shred open from chin to navel. When Rick asked what happened he was directed to a campus security guard to fill him in while his partner went to question the first officer who arrived on the scene.
It was Ted the security guard’s first night on graveyard and he was walking a new resident to her car, he couldn’t remember her name; like he said he was new and so was she. They were in the parking lot when he was clubbed from behind and the woman was taken. Fortunately, the hit hadn’t been hard enough to fully knock him out and he was able to stumble after the perp. However, when he finally tracked the man down, he was already in the middle of the act.
The woman was screaming and quite literally clawing at him even though the man had a gun pressed to her temple, threatening to shoot her. It was then that Ted said he tried to pull the perp off, but the man shot him; fortunately the slug passed through the fleshy part of his right bicep, which was the only reason he was still on the scene answering questions and not in a hospital.
When it came to the next part, Ted grew sullen and said that he didn’t know the woman was a lycanthrope. That he supposed because of the smell of his blood, combined with the panic and fear of the situation, she shifted, right there in the alley, she turned into a beast and filleted her attacker alive. It was too dark and Ted couldn’t really tell what kind of shifter she was but if he had to guess, he’d say feline. Possibly lion or something along those lines. With that little tid-bit suddenly red lights and klaxons started going off in Rick’s head. New resident at the teaching hospital, just ended her shift, turned into a lion… He didn’t need LLI to help his mind piece these pictures together…
Impatiently, Rick pressured Ted to continue. According to him, Ted thought she was going to kill him too, but when she came near him, she only sniffed him a few times before passing on. Unfortunately though, in her blood rage she had attacked five other people, killing two before the first officer arrived on scene and she was put down. Rick’s train of thought derailed on that last part, ‘put down’. Rick had grabbed the man threateningly by his shirt collar and yanked him to his feet demanding to know what he meant by put down. Ted swallowed then said he begged the officer not to kill her, that it wasn’t her fault, asked him to try a tranquilizer first which was fairly standard procedure; lion’s hadn’t been deemed varmint’s after all and technically should not have been shot on sight. The officer seemed to not care when he shot first without asking any questions. The lion/woman had fallen dead on the spot. Ted later found out the officer had used a large caliber silver round.
Rick’s head swam as the world around him faded; all sounds were put on mute and as his focus turned to the sealed body bag he’d noticed when he had initially arrived, his gaze zeroed in and for once his LLI wasn’t forcing him to focus on everything else, and let him zero in on the one. A body bag was a normal sight at these scenes, so he’d initially thought nothing of it... until now. Rick harshly let go of the guard’s collar where he turned and pushed past officers, forensics scientists and photographers until he arrived at the gurney. Rick’s heart beat sounded like thunder in his ears as he reached for the zipper. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he pulled the zipper along its seam. It couldn’t be Pippa. It was all just some crazy coincidence. Pippa was at home where Rick planned on calling her after he was done here; to make sure she’d gotten home safe because she also worked at the teaching hospital.
When he finally pulled back the black material enough to see the face of the woman lying within, Rick’s world exploded back to life around him and for the very first time ever in his entire career, Rick Winterbourne vomited at the scene of a crime. When he was finished emptying the contents of his stomach, Rick glanced around until his gaze fell on the man his partner was questioning; the one that Ted said had chosen to shoot first and not ask any questions.
Pure, unadulterated rage boiled up inside of Rick and without even thinking, he ran towards the man and sprang into him, tackling him hard to the ground. Rick then proceeded to use the man’s face as a punching ball, swearing at him in every language he knew, reverting back to his native Maori as he accused the man of being a murderer who killed his wife. It took almost six men to finally pull Rick off the other officer and shove him into a squad car. When Rick’s partner saw the face of the woman in the body bag, Rick’s outburst suddenly made so much more sense. That didn’t stop him from suggesting that Rick be pulled off the case immediately, though. Rick was furious, but there was no amount of threats and cursing that would get his Captain to change his mind. Rick was far too close to the case and would only do harm. Plus he almost beat a fellow officer to death at the scene.
When Pippa’s body had been brought to the precinct’s morgue to be examined for further evidence, autopsied and cleaned, Rick’s boss permitted him the chance to see her alone, to say what goodbyes he could. Rick didn’t know what to say or do when he saw her lying there, looking like she were just asleep and not dead. His beautiful, loving, caring, nurturing, stubborn, willful, spirited, strong and passionate Pippa couldn’t be dead.
Rick stared at her body willing it all to be some sort of terrible joke. Wanting so desperately for her to just wake up and wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was going to be ok. But she didn’t wake up. She couldn’t wrap her arms around him. She couldn’t tell him everything was going to be ok. She just laid there as if in peaceful sleep. Rick hugged her body to him tightly and rocked slightly as he wept the pain of a broken man. He sobbed, and moaned and wailed and cursed God. After a long time, but still not long enough, Rick was gently being told it was time to leave. The worst part about it all was that there wasn’t even someone he could exact his vengeance upon; Pippa had already killed her attacker. How was he supposed to avenge this pain?
Rick was given a mandatory six-month bereavement to attend to his affairs, which included trying to figure out how to explain to a five year old that mommy wasn’t coming home. The night Rick buried his beloved wife was the night that changed Rick’s life. He had asked his mother to look after Annie as the grief was too hard for him to bear. After an entire bottle of scotch, all Rick wanted to do was eat his gun, but Pippa would never forgive him for giving up so easily and abandoning their little Annie to cruel fate. He’d been lax on his meds and combined with the alcohol he’d consumed, the seizure that followed caused him to hallucinate, wherein he saw and talked to Pippa and was able to say the goodbye that he hadn’t had the chance to before. He told her that he didn’t know how he could live without her, that she had been the only thing keeping his fire burning. She reminded him that she would always be with him and that he couldn’t roll over and die when he had their daughter to love. Seeing as this was a conversation with his own mind, Rick had already known all these things however coming from a hallucinated Pippa seemed to really make the ideas stick. He had never taken the coward’s way out in his entire life, and he wasn’t about to start now. He was made of far tougher and stronger stuff. The devil was not going to win today.
Rick started seeing a therapist again and had a doctor re-evaluate him for his seizures. It was during this re-evaluation that both his medical and psychological doctors suggested to him the idea of getting a service dog, not only to help with his therapy, but there were specially trained dogs who could sense and warn their masters when they were about to have a seizure. So it was that MAXIMUS entered their lives.
After his bereavement leave was finished and upon passing a department ordered psych-eval, Rick was cleared for return to duty, however, due to the heinous spin the media put on the events surrounding his wife’s death, Rick was labeled as a furry lover and a ‘traitor’ to his own species. His old partner had already been reassigned a new one in Rick’s stead and there weren’t really any other detectives who were jumping at the chance to work with him, despite his exemplary and admirable record. As it stood, Rick had been given a choice; have his ass transferred to RPIT with similar outcasts such as himself, or have his ass sit behind a desk for the rest of his career. Seeing as he was thinking of applying for transfer anyway so the shit detective work surrounding his wife’s case didn’t happen to another innocent furry, Rick happily accepted the boot to RPIT; especially when it meant he’d also be getting a pay increase.
Rick became a sort of white knight among the furry and preternatural community. They knew he didn’t fight against them, but for them. Unlike most humans who blatantly discriminated against lycanthropes and the like, Rich had a much more open mind and was interested in bringing true justice, and not just the kind that others felt like cooking up to make the furries look bad.
His impact on the increased relations and cooperation between RPIT and the preternatural community was pretty impressive and it wasn’t long before other departments were vying to have him on their team.
So it was, when he got an offer from the St. Louis RPIT with the possibility for a promotion and an increase in pay, Rick was loathe to turn it down and jumped at the chance. There was still plenty of bad blood between Rick and the other departments in NY so it would be a nice change of pace and scenery; a chance to start fresh as it were. Annie was unlikely to see it that way, but she was only ten years old. She’d get over it.
So, Rick traded up their city condo in New York for a suburban townhome in St. Louis; a sergeant’s badge for a Lieutenant’s.
Despite Rick’s cold, curt and abrupt personality he easily found camaraderie with the members of his new unit, because although he was very cold and closed off, he was one damn good detective and had a way with and an understanding of lycanthropes and such that most human’s outside their circles tended to lack. Many lycanthropes were familiar with Rick’s story as the events around his wife’s death had caused an outrage in both human and preternatural circles. The anti-furries or humans first people called it a testament to how wild and uncontrolled the Were’s were, and fellow furries screamed injustice and a demand for civil rights and due course. Rick had been at the heart of it all fighting for his wife’s reputation and against the media’s smear campaign. Though he might have had a minimal social impact, the laws and movements he encouraged fellow lycanthrope supporters to put into action was anything but minimal.
Rick knew firsthand the extent of how truly evil some humans could be, only they didn’t have an undead soul or an inner beast to fall back on, so what was their excuse? There were good and bad in every walk of life. Rick didn’t see the world in black and white. He was very aware of all the multiple hues of gray that lingered throughout. Because of this view, he was well respected in both law enforcement and among preternatural communities. Rick was one of the few humans who did not discriminate them just because they were furry three days of the month.
Rick and Annie have lived in St. Louis for five years now, and he has no complaints. He likes his job, his house. He’s made a few friends and a few more enemies… But still… Things were doing alright. Annie was doing amazing in school and usually spent her summers with her grandparents in New York. The summer months were the hardest on Rick. Without Annie there it was easy for him to fall into grief and alcohol. The pain and despair from losing Pippa still lingers with him and there are times when Annie can look at him just right with those eyes that are so achingly familiar that Rick can feel his heart breaking all over again. But he refuses to give into his despair, no matter how easy it would be to do so. He owes Annie and Pippa his best and that was what he would give them. He still wears his wedding band which has successfully deterred many women’s advances, though it has also attracted that of others, but don’t get him started on how disgusted those types of women make him feel.
Yes, deep down he knows that Pippa would probably want him to move on, he just can’t see himself loving or trusting anyone the way he did her, or anyone loving him for that matter. Pippa had been the literal other half to his soul and without her he was just a broken alcoholic with anger and emotional problems and a 15 year old daughter. Who could love that?
Almost a decade after living and working in St. Louis, an incident involving a friend and a ghost helped Rick discover that he was not simply a psychic nul but in fact possessed both NulMagic and Anti-Psychic abilities. How this will impact his career and his life has yet to be determined, but such things seem like they can only do him and his team good.
THE ROLEPLAYER
ALIAS: Black Betty
CONFIRMATION OF AGE: 33
RP SAMPLE:
Rick sat down in one of the more comfortable oversized chairs next to the phone, where he crossed his legs with his ankle resting on the opposite knee; Max laid obediently at his feet. Rick gave the loyal service dog another pat before he reached over and picked up the receiver. Rick had to hold back a guffaw of laughter when he found that the woman on the other end was babbling very strongly and angrily, from what Rick could glean, at some susceptible intern who had ruined a test she had set up; the poor schlub. He’ll never make that mistake again. It all had something to do with science, and while Rick had a high IQ, Allegra’s science babble still eluded him. Even if he had heard what she was saying from the beginning he was pretty sure he’d still be lost.
Allegra was in full on babble-rage-mode and instead of being angry as Rick might normally be at someone else for acting that way, he couldn’t help but smile. Allegra was worth more than her weight in diamonds and gold. She was one of the very few people whom Rick could count among his closest circle of friends and trustees, despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other and barely spoken in almost four years. Working and nearly dying together tended to have that lasting effect on people.
Before she could get completely lost in incoherent land, however, Rick tried to reign in her rambling. “Allegra!” He said, trying his best to interrupt her tirade without being too rude. “Allegra, love?” He tried again, still to no avail. “Hey! Long-Legs Sinclair!!”
That did the trick. Allegra paused, mid ramble and stopped to think a moment before it fully registered what Rick had just called her. “Did you seriously just call me Long-Legs?” Allegra asked with a chuckle in her voice. No one had called her that since high-school.
Rick gave a subtle shrug, even though she wouldn’t see it. “You were deep in dangerous babble-territory. I had to pull out the heavy artillery.” Allegra full on laughed, which made Rick chuckle a little himself. “Listen, love, not that I’m not thrilled to hear your voice and all, and I wish I had the time to sit and catch up, but I’m afraid I’ve got a pretty full docket today.”
”I know. I’m really sorry to bother you, Lieutenant.” Rick could practically hear the air quotes Allegra was undoubtedly using around the word Lieutenant. It was just in the way she’d said it.
“So…” He prompted further. “Was this strictly a social call or did you need me for something?” Rick continued when Allegra neither told him the purpose of her call, nor made to say a goodbye.
“Um, possibly both?” She answered after a minute.
“Alright?” Rick said, dragging out the last syllable. He was not sure what that was supposed to mean. “Care to elaborate on what you mean by that?”
“Well…” She started, hesitantly. “The thing is there’s this guy I’ve been kinda seeing, and he’s like totally perfect for me and I really like him. And we connect on so many levels, cause he’s smart, and he gets me, and he thinks my babbling is cute instead of annoying, and he totally doesn’t mind that I keep these outrageous hours, and… He’s just... I’ve never connected with anyone like this before.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming.” Rick said.
“Hoh, yeah. A really big ‘but’.” Allegra sighed heavily. “I trust my mom and everything but... There may or may not be the distinct possibility that this guy I’m totally head-over-heels for… mayormaynothavesleptwithmymomlike30yearsago.” Allegra deliberately ran that last part together and let that kind of hang in the air for a minute; hoping that she could still rely on Rick to catch onto things that others might miss.
Rick paused a moment, deciphering what she’d just said and he was fairly certain he had the bigger picture. “So… If I understood that correctly, you’re what? Worried that it may or may not be possible that you and this guy share more than a few ‘common interests’?” At Allegra’s barely audible ‘mmhmm’ Rick continued. “And… you’re wondering if I’d be willing to cook up a DNA analysis through the squints in my department because if you ran your own DNA it might look a little suspicious?”
”See. This is exactly why I called you and not some schmuck from the next district over. Who needs a mind reader when I’ve got Rick Winterbourne?” Rick could practically hear her prideful smile.
“So when can I expect these samples?” Rick asked.
“Probably sometime today.” If Rick had been drinking coffee he’d have spit it out. “What?” Allegra asked innocently as if she hadn’t done anything wrong. “I knew you’d say yes, this call was just a sort of pre-emptive courtesy; to say hello and give you a heads up and just to hear your voice, and all that… Cause I miss you.” Allegra’s voice was laced with sugar as she said that last part. Someone was laying it on a little thick.
“Yeah, yeah, I miss you too… But what if I had said no? I am a Lieutenant now, after all, gotta set the example and all that. I don’t know about you but doctoring a forensics order isn’t exactly what I’d call exemplary behavior.”
Allegra actually ‘pfft’ into the phone, knowing he was being sarcastic. “I knew you’d say yes because if you had said no, I simply would’ve reminded you of certain video I have from a certain farewell party where a certain someone had a little too much to drink and while trying to show off this someone may or may not have caught his hair on fire.” Again with the coffee spitting, if he’d have been drinking any.
“You told me you burned that?!” Rick asked incredulously.
“Uh, yeah! As in I ‘burnt’ it onto my computer.” Allegra scoffed again. “Come on Ricky, did you honestly think I’d let that gem slip through my fingers?”
“You are absolutely evil, you know that?”
”Oh, don’t act like you don’t like it! Besides, if I remember correctly my evil ways came in pre-tty handy on several occasions!” That was true. No one could guilt and cajole and black mail like Allegra Sinclair. It was amazing where a pretty face, a quirky personality and mad skills with a computer could get you in this line of work.
“Alright. You win.” Rick conceded. “I’ll see what I can do. Just don’t mention the video again… ever… And you got a deal.”
“Thanks, Ricky. You really don’t know what a huge favour you’re doing for me.”
“Like hell I don’t!” Rick responded. “And you can full well expect I’ll be cashing in on said favour, missy, if ever I need it in the near to distant future.”
”Fair enough.” Allegra agreed.
Rick chuckled before he heard a loud crash from Allegra’s side of the call; followed by fluent cursing in not only English, but French and even Latin as well. Allegra cursing in Latin was never a good sign. When Allegra came back on the phone she sounded mondo pissed and more than a little frantic. “It’s alright, Legs. It was good talking to you. I’ll call you when I get the results.” With that, they both hung up.
Rick sat in the stillness of the situation room for a moment, simply basking in the brief respite of old memories, both bad and good; mostly good. He suddenly felt very tired as he brought a hand up to rub his face. It wasn’t until Max stood up and placed his chin on Rick’s knee with a whimper that Rick realized why he felt so tired. “Right now?” He asked. Max let out a little huff and Rick sighed heavily. “Alright, buddy. Let’s go.”
Allegra was in full on babble-rage-mode and instead of being angry as Rick might normally be at someone else for acting that way, he couldn’t help but smile. Allegra was worth more than her weight in diamonds and gold. She was one of the very few people whom Rick could count among his closest circle of friends and trustees, despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other and barely spoken in almost four years. Working and nearly dying together tended to have that lasting effect on people.
Before she could get completely lost in incoherent land, however, Rick tried to reign in her rambling. “Allegra!” He said, trying his best to interrupt her tirade without being too rude. “Allegra, love?” He tried again, still to no avail. “Hey! Long-Legs Sinclair!!”
That did the trick. Allegra paused, mid ramble and stopped to think a moment before it fully registered what Rick had just called her. “Did you seriously just call me Long-Legs?” Allegra asked with a chuckle in her voice. No one had called her that since high-school.
Rick gave a subtle shrug, even though she wouldn’t see it. “You were deep in dangerous babble-territory. I had to pull out the heavy artillery.” Allegra full on laughed, which made Rick chuckle a little himself. “Listen, love, not that I’m not thrilled to hear your voice and all, and I wish I had the time to sit and catch up, but I’m afraid I’ve got a pretty full docket today.”
”I know. I’m really sorry to bother you, Lieutenant.” Rick could practically hear the air quotes Allegra was undoubtedly using around the word Lieutenant. It was just in the way she’d said it.
“So…” He prompted further. “Was this strictly a social call or did you need me for something?” Rick continued when Allegra neither told him the purpose of her call, nor made to say a goodbye.
“Um, possibly both?” She answered after a minute.
“Alright?” Rick said, dragging out the last syllable. He was not sure what that was supposed to mean. “Care to elaborate on what you mean by that?”
“Well…” She started, hesitantly. “The thing is there’s this guy I’ve been kinda seeing, and he’s like totally perfect for me and I really like him. And we connect on so many levels, cause he’s smart, and he gets me, and he thinks my babbling is cute instead of annoying, and he totally doesn’t mind that I keep these outrageous hours, and… He’s just... I’ve never connected with anyone like this before.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming.” Rick said.
“Hoh, yeah. A really big ‘but’.” Allegra sighed heavily. “I trust my mom and everything but... There may or may not be the distinct possibility that this guy I’m totally head-over-heels for… mayormaynothavesleptwithmymomlike30yearsago.” Allegra deliberately ran that last part together and let that kind of hang in the air for a minute; hoping that she could still rely on Rick to catch onto things that others might miss.
Rick paused a moment, deciphering what she’d just said and he was fairly certain he had the bigger picture. “So… If I understood that correctly, you’re what? Worried that it may or may not be possible that you and this guy share more than a few ‘common interests’?” At Allegra’s barely audible ‘mmhmm’ Rick continued. “And… you’re wondering if I’d be willing to cook up a DNA analysis through the squints in my department because if you ran your own DNA it might look a little suspicious?”
”See. This is exactly why I called you and not some schmuck from the next district over. Who needs a mind reader when I’ve got Rick Winterbourne?” Rick could practically hear her prideful smile.
“So when can I expect these samples?” Rick asked.
“Probably sometime today.” If Rick had been drinking coffee he’d have spit it out. “What?” Allegra asked innocently as if she hadn’t done anything wrong. “I knew you’d say yes, this call was just a sort of pre-emptive courtesy; to say hello and give you a heads up and just to hear your voice, and all that… Cause I miss you.” Allegra’s voice was laced with sugar as she said that last part. Someone was laying it on a little thick.
“Yeah, yeah, I miss you too… But what if I had said no? I am a Lieutenant now, after all, gotta set the example and all that. I don’t know about you but doctoring a forensics order isn’t exactly what I’d call exemplary behavior.”
Allegra actually ‘pfft’ into the phone, knowing he was being sarcastic. “I knew you’d say yes because if you had said no, I simply would’ve reminded you of certain video I have from a certain farewell party where a certain someone had a little too much to drink and while trying to show off this someone may or may not have caught his hair on fire.” Again with the coffee spitting, if he’d have been drinking any.
“You told me you burned that?!” Rick asked incredulously.
“Uh, yeah! As in I ‘burnt’ it onto my computer.” Allegra scoffed again. “Come on Ricky, did you honestly think I’d let that gem slip through my fingers?”
“You are absolutely evil, you know that?”
”Oh, don’t act like you don’t like it! Besides, if I remember correctly my evil ways came in pre-tty handy on several occasions!” That was true. No one could guilt and cajole and black mail like Allegra Sinclair. It was amazing where a pretty face, a quirky personality and mad skills with a computer could get you in this line of work.
“Alright. You win.” Rick conceded. “I’ll see what I can do. Just don’t mention the video again… ever… And you got a deal.”
“Thanks, Ricky. You really don’t know what a huge favour you’re doing for me.”
“Like hell I don’t!” Rick responded. “And you can full well expect I’ll be cashing in on said favour, missy, if ever I need it in the near to distant future.”
”Fair enough.” Allegra agreed.
Rick chuckled before he heard a loud crash from Allegra’s side of the call; followed by fluent cursing in not only English, but French and even Latin as well. Allegra cursing in Latin was never a good sign. When Allegra came back on the phone she sounded mondo pissed and more than a little frantic. “It’s alright, Legs. It was good talking to you. I’ll call you when I get the results.” With that, they both hung up.
Rick sat in the stillness of the situation room for a moment, simply basking in the brief respite of old memories, both bad and good; mostly good. He suddenly felt very tired as he brought a hand up to rub his face. It wasn’t until Max stood up and placed his chin on Rick’s knee with a whimper that Rick realized why he felt so tired. “Right now?” He asked. Max let out a little huff and Rick sighed heavily. “Alright, buddy. Let’s go.”