Lights That Lead Us

[Devon Olivia Walker]

Men often wondered how women could walk in such high heels, but if anyone could see Devon now, they’d probably be more concerned with how this petite blonde could run in them. If her brain would slow down for just a moment, she’d probably be thinking the same too and there would be a voice reminding her of how dull desk duty would be if she tripped and hurt her ankle. There was no time for any of that though and she wanted to get to Bryce as quickly as she could, knowing that he was already waiting for her as it was and that she was running quite a bit later than planned.

The sting had been more difficult than they imagined and when the lead detective made a move to call it all off, it only strengthened Devon’s resolve. The way she saw it, if the operation failed then she failed. Most of it boiled down to her being able to make the role believable and get the information they needed to arrest Doyle and without succeeding they would be back to square one with no leads and another family without closure. She had seen that first hand and she wouldn’t be held responsible for it happening to someone else’s. It had been hard work, she hated what she had done or said at times, but the right words were spoken, the strategically placed wire picked it up and within seconds the detectives and the rest of the operation team were surrounding them, whipping out the cuffs and dragging Doyle away, the man screaming how it was harassment and how he would get Devon back for playing him like that. She didn’t feel the threat though, just overjoyed that she had succeeded even when the others doubted it would work.

She owed most of that success to Bryce though. Without him helping her with pretty much everything, she wouldn’t have had the confidence to last five minutes in that club. He had chosen the dress which she was holding down as she ran, helped her feel more comfortable with the whole thing and had even promised to meet up with her once she was free from her duties. The detectives had congratulated her, but told her to go and enjoy the rest of the night, promising to leave her some paperwork for in the morning when her shift started up again. It was a good job Bryce was meeting her; she was much too wired to go home and relax without having a work out or running with Atticus first!

Devon’s kohl rimmed eyes found Bryce and the dogs sitting at one of the edge tables to the small outdoor bistro. It looked like closing time was fast approaching, but Devon didn’t care one bit. Running over, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, almost falling over the dogs and his knees in the process. “I owe you, like, a thousand and one favours!”

[/color] She told him, before pulling away from him and untangling her leg from one of the leashes. “Seriously, you are the best. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”[/color] She said sincerely, regaining her balance and then collapsing in the opposite chair in a manner that did not match her glammed up appearance at all. Still, she wasn’t a party girl of any sort and the second the operation had ended, she was back to the relaxed, casual Devon who laughed with the cops and had better places to be than in one of New York’s many nightclubs.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 631!
OUTFIT! Overdressed Mess!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce should have been nervous. His closest friend was down the street in the Marquee club, trying to take down a bad man. But he wasn’t. He knew Devon was good at her job and he’d done all he could to bring her out of her shell. It was all up to her to use what she knew. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that Devon would get through this and get Doyle. He didn’t know what was going on down the street, but he was expecting it all to turn out; it had to, or whatever Dev did wrong would be his fault. Naturally after they’d practice as they had, the night was running through his mind; all the different scenarios that could happen. He didn’t want anything to happen to Devon or he would be the worst kind of guilty. Still, he’d suggested meeting up with her afterward to unwind from it all. And it made him feel better seeing her afterward and knowing for himself that she was perfectly alright.

He’d gotten her spare key from her earlier in the day, when she was getting ready for the performance of her career. He’d had some things he couldn’t do with the dogs around, but once they were finished he was going to circle back, pick up her Labrador, Atticus and stop at his place real quick to shower and grab Scotty to go meet up with Devon. He wasn’t sure how long she was going to be on the sting for, so they decided to meet up down the street at the café. He ordered himself a coffee when he got there and a slice of pie since he’d eaten already but he needed something to do with his time other than sit there and worry. He’d brought his laptop along, to talk to Tristan while he waited and scour the internet for something to do. The longer she took though, the more his nerves increased. And his mind started going through all those scenarios again and as much as he wanted to push them out of his mind, they just wouldn’t leave until he saw her again. He knew she was prepared for this. She was ready for the operation, but that wasn’t stopping him from worrying about it all; especially when she wasn’t walking down the street when he’d thought she would be.

He wasn’t about to leave though, just in case, and ordered himself another coffee. It wasn’t until the waitress returned with the coffee pot did she tell him there was only a half hour left until they were closing shop. Bryce thanked her not sure where he’d go if they closed and she wasn’t there. He couldn’t text her because he didn’t want to screw up in anyway. It was another fifteen minutes before he was nearly thrown out of his chair. He automatically wrapped his arms around Devon’s waist, keeping her balanced so neither of them would topple over the pair of dogs lying at their feet. He let out a breath of relief, glad she’d made it out alright. His mind finally quieted down from the worst case scenario playlist it was going through. Bryce helped Devon get untangled and watched her, smirking as she fell into the vacant chair. He shrugged, “Walk home in that?” he asked with a grin as he reached down and picked up the backpack he’d dragged along. “They’re closing in about ten,” he said, holding the bag out to her, knowing she would probably be completely uncomfortable in a dress she’d forgotten was in the back of her closet.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 607
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

Devon had thought of everything that could’ve gone wrong tonight. Doyle was not a guy who would be worried about hurting an NYPD officer and he would’ve done whatever it took to get out of there, if he had the chance in the end. The lead detective had warned her and Devon had spent a night or two awake, tossing and turning, almost tempted to call Bryce for some form of reassurance when her doubts began to bubble over and send her crashing back down to the panicked state she had been in the time she showed up at Bryce’s apartment door with a bag of dresses and shoes. She had to learn how to cope alone; the CSI detective wouldn’t be there on the night and her worries would have to be swallowed and ignored. She had done that before stepping foot in the club, taking a moment to lock away that internal voice of doubt and remind herself that everything they had worked on would be a success tonight; and it had.

She couldn’t believe it and there wasn’t a feeling quite like knowing she had done something so amazing that Doyle was looking at a pretty hefty sentence. If anyone ever asked her again why she was a cop, this would be the example of a reason that would spring to the front of her mind first. Still, at least she got to finish the night now with one of her closest friends and the man who she still held responsible for this whole night proving to be so fruitful. Her dog sniffed at her legs and nudged her for attention until Devon’s manicured fingers found their way into the soft fur of his back, the smile still glued on her face as slowly she began to come down from the adrenaline induced high that could only accompany something like what had just happened.

Laughing, she looked down at the dress she was wearing, still not quite used to being in something quite like this, or the heels that accompanied it. Still, she was growing more comfortable in this sort of clothing now, though she was in no rush to change her wardrobe to short skirts and low cuts tops that were practically a second skin they seemed so tight. “I don’t even want to know what people were thinking when they realised I was a cop in this.”

[/color] She shook her head, pushing her backcombed and hairspray coated blonde hair back from her face and grinning again. It probably took most of the club by surprise when the detectives and officers made their presence known, but it was only now that she could really think back on it all without the rushing buzz of the moment lingering in her mind. “Again, you are my hero, Bryce.”[/color] Devon smiled, flicking her eyes across at him when he handed her the bag and she noted her more comfortable jeans and tee in there. Glancing across at the door to the deserted café, Devon nodded in appreciation and then stood up, quickly finding her balance in the skyscraper heels. “If they want to kick me out, I’ll flash them my badge; speaking of, you should know that there are very few places to hide a weapon, badge and handcuffs in this outfit. Okay, take one last look. After this, you will probably never see me in it again.”[/color] She joked, doing a quick twirl before laughing and making her way inside to the bathroom, smiling at the waitress before she slid behind the door.

A quick change later and Devon was feeling a lot more like herself. The only thing that remained was the make up around her eyes, which she would clean off once she was home. Grabbing a hair tie and raking her fingers through her blonde hair a bit more, she threw it up into a messy knot, before stuffing the dress and shoes into the bag and making her way back outside again, taking a moment to get used to the loss off the added height provided by the heels. Smiling across at Bryce, she folded her arms and chewed her lip for a moment. “So, anything you’re dying to do? I’m too wired to sleep.”[/color] She asked, not caring if they just walked randomly through the city for a bit.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 758!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce’s mind worked over time, worrying he’d be getting a call any second to go to the very scene Devon was working. The longer it took for the blonde officer to get to him, the more his mind wandered. Though when she practically fell in his lap and he knew she was safe, he was good again. Bryce laughed, shaking his head. “They were probably thinking they should either join the force or get into trouble more often,” he said teasing. She did look amazing in the short, sequined number, he had to admit. And no doubt there were countless guys at the club with their eyes on her. She was something else. He shrugged, brushing it all off. “I didn’t think you’d want be stuck in that for longer than you had to be,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t get too pissed at him for going through her things. Of course, if she was like the only women in his life, she’d be mildly annoyed at him for poking through her belongings before being happy about not having to wear what they had on. He’d actually lost count how many times he’d had to help his sister-in-law with that. And despite the fact that she asked for his help, she still got annoyed at him for doing as she asked.

Smiling wickedly, Bryce picked up his phone from the table and made quick work of bringing up the camera. Hastily, he snapped a couple pictures before slipping the phone into his pocket. “That makes me all the more thankful I never have to wear anything like that! There’s always space in pants! And these pictures are going online,” he teased though he hardly meant it. He knew too well how much getting respect in the force meant to Devon. Something as trivial as a picture could ruin it with the other guys in her district. And as much as he wanted to share the pictures, Bryce couldn’t bring himself to do that to his friend. While she was in the café changing, Bryce took the time to power down his laptop. Once Dev was back, he’d slip the laptop back inside and carry it about wherever they went.

He sat back, quickly finishing off the coffee he'd ordered and already paid for and scrubbing first at Scotty's sides, then Atticus who started whining again when Devon left for the air conditioned café. When she came back though, her Lab stopped immediately. Bryce shook his head, reaching out to take the backpack from her again. “We've been sitting here for a while, these guys probably need to do their thing,” he said as he slipped his laptop back into the bag and zipped it up again. “How does a moonlit stroll through the park sound to you?” he asked, teasing. Everyone thought Central Park was some sort of scary place, but it was like any other part of the city. If you stayed on the paths and didn’t wander away from the lit areas, you were all good. Stray and bad things happened. Plus they were both armed and very well how to use those guns. They hardly looked the part of cop, but they were. Standing, Bryce stretched his arms in the air before shrugging the backpack over his shoulders. As fast as he could, Bryce went about untying the two dogs from the railing and handing Atticus' leash to his owner.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 573
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

As a cop, any day could bring a worse-case scenario to life. Even a simple patrol could result in gunfire and an officer down, but the key was not to think like that. The second there was doubt in the mind of one of New York’s finest was the same second when mistakes would be made. A second of hesitation or a moment of trigger happy panic was all it took for everything to spiral out of control and a routine patrol became under the fire of an investigation, usually from IAB. Devon had no intention of letting that happen to her and she made a serious point of leaving her other baggage at the door before she walked into her precinct for the start of her shifts. “I should’ve dragged you in there to tell them it’s really not worth it.”

[/color] She joked, shaking her head whilst looking at the dress once more. If she was wearing something like this again anytime soon she would be surprised, if not horrified. This really wasn’t her and the dresses that she did like wearing when the occasion called for it, looked nothing like this one.

It took a moment to realise that this was the reason Bryce had taken her spare key from her and that he must’ve had a good mooch around her apartment before taking Atticus out to meet her. Narrowing her eyes playfully, she threw him a false glare. “Did you have fun looking through my drawers, perv?”[/color] She teased, just happy that she had her comfortable clothes to change back into now. Plus, there was nothing in her apartment or wardrobe that Bryce hadn’t already seen before with other women.

Devon heard the click of the phone camera and spun to stare at Bryce with another pretend glare before she tossed a stirring spoon from an empty table at him, hoping it would hit him hard. “If I find out you’ve shown those pictures to another human being I will drop you like I dropped that drug dealer last week; the one I brought in with a limp.”[/color] It had been a damn good tackle that finally allowed Devon and her partner to slap the cuffs on him, but the dealer had gone over funny as she got to him and since then there was a joke about how rough she was and there was the typical remarks of “remind me not to piss you off, Walker” from her colleagues.

She straightened out the shirt of her sleeves as she listened to Bryce’s logical idea about the dogs. Her lips twitched upwards into a smirk and she clasped her hands to her chest. “You romantic old soul.”[/color] She joked, taking the leash from him and chuckling to herself. Most people avoided the park the second the sun began to dip in the sky, the myths of dangerous attacks and murders almost like ghost stories to New York citizens. Devon had been raised in the city and knew the truth; it could be dangerous, but so could everywhere else in the world. “If my parents knew about today and this walk, I think it might kill them.”[/color] She shook her head, musing over the thoughts again. Her parents worried enough without needing to know the details of their eldest daughter’s life as a cop.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 590!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Though he was technically a detective, Bryce worked for the crime lab and didn’t have to deal with the same day to day that Devon did. He ventured out of the lab long enough to collect evidence, take witness statements and follow up on any and all search warrants a judge may provide his cases. He didn’t work the streets like the beat cops and he didn’t exactly have an office or really a desk to speak of. The lab was his office and whichever conference room table they happened to be using was his desk. ”I think the other cops running around the place probably did that enough for you,” he said, chuckling at the image the group of the probably created. There would have been a ruckus after they’d gotten a hold of Doyle.

Despite what he thought was going through Devon’s mind- because it went through Tatiana’s, he didn’t go digging through her things, searching for whatever he might be able to use against her if need be. He may not have exactly been a cop, but he still lived by the same rules as the good ones; to him that included peeking through other people’s things for something to hold over them. ”I had a wonderful time rummaging through your drawers and closets, thanks! Such great finds,” Bryce said sounding as though he had something over her, though the case would be the complete opposite.

“Ouch! Bryce said, feigning pain as he rubbed the spot on his arm the spoon hit. ”That hurts you know! It’s stainless steel!” he added, frowning and looking down at the spot as though he could see it through his shirtsleeve. Even though he’d been talking over her, he’d still heard her and the smirk on curving his lips told as much. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Dev,”

[/b][/color] he said grinning mischievously as she walked away. He’d heard about the tackle, it had been all the cops of her precinct here talking about; teasing about really. He’d been quite impressed when he heard what had happened on that takedown. It was a good one and any veteran cop could only wish they’d been the one.

Bryce rolled his eyes, ”One of my hidden sides,” he remarked mockingly. He’d never had a girlfriend long enough through college and work to treat them like they should be. In high school, he’d had one girlfriend and had treated her like quite the princess. And though they had ended things, it had ended on friendly terms, her running off to go to school in California while he stayed and went to Harvard. Bryce handed over the leash without a problem, wrapping his own pets around his wrist though the dog knew better than to tug on the leash. Casually, Bryce threw his arm over Devon’s shoulders, as he navigated the nearly empty streets of New York to the debatably scariest park in the country. ”I won’t tell if you won’t, Dev,” he promised, grinning down at her.
[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 503
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3[/size]

[Devon Olivia Walker]

She had to laugh. Anyone who thought her job could be glamorous or exciting in a good way would only have that thought for a short while. In the club, people had seen her flirting with Doyle one second and then pulling a gun on him as the rest of the undercover team revealed their identities the very moment they had all they needed to arrest him. Poor folk on an average night out had been startled at the suddenly stop of the music and the yelling from the veteran detectives who moved in to make the arrest. “I think they should have been, especially when they saw some of them dancing.”

[/color] Never did she think she would see some of the men she thought of as mentors dancing in the Marquee!

Devon trusted Bryce. She knew he wouldn’t have gone snooping around every nook and cranny of her small, but modern New York apartment. Still, it was fun to tease him about this sort of thing just because she knew he could take it in good humour. Besides, she had nothing to hide, no questionable hobbies or weird things hanging about there. Her apartment was pretty simple and that reflected the things in it. There was still one thing she could twist on him now and it was with a mischievous smirk that she turned to look at him, to challenge his own teasing tone. “So, I guess that means you got a good look at that little cheerleading outfit I spent most of high school in?”[/color] If he did, she would be surprised. She kept it at the back of her wardrobe kept in one of those protective bags that a few more of her dresses hung in. Mainly it was because she didn’t want any damage to come to the old uniform, even if she would never wear it again. It was one of her strongest connections to the memory of Frankie and that meant more to her than she could explain.

Laughing, Devon shook her head and pointed at the CSI. “Man up, you big girl!”[/color] She taunted playfully, turning on her heel before she heard him speak again. Pausing, Devon bit her lip, turned around and met his eyes from across the space, her eyebrow quirked and lips turned upwards into a smirk. “Oh, I always keep my promises.”[/color] She told him with just the hint of a flirtatious tone before she walked off altogether to go and change. The dress was bringing out the more devilish side to her it seemed, or that very well could just be the influence of Bryce’s company.

Chuckling again, Devon looked up at Bryce and slapped him on the back warmly. “Don’t worry; if you want to serenade and spoil some pretty girl, then your secret will be safe with me.”[/color] She teased with a wink. Romance, relationships were things Devon had only briefly experienced, even with the years she had spent with Nathan. Once Frankie died, her view on everything changed and she grew into the girl she was today. When he died, a lot of her own ideals did too and everything became real, very fast. The thought of romance was long gone from her head, at least for now. Not many guys wanted to get involved with a girl who carried a gun or who could make no promises for the future. Still, she didn’t let that bother her and teasingly looked up as Bryce’s arm came across her shoulders. “You’re determined to take me down with this thing, aren’t you?”[/color] She nudged him playfully with her shoulder and smiled. “My lips are sealed.”[/color] She said with a laugh as they got closer to the park.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 658!
OUTFIT! Overdressed Mess!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce hadn’t grown up with a ton of TV. He’d been too busy hanging out with friends, going to practice and staying on top of his grades. Two of those things were to make his parents proud. In a house of overachievers, you couldn’t afford to take even twenty minutes from your day for television unless you were checking stocks, weather or the news. That all meant that he’d never seen the crime shows that seemed to take over late night television before the amusing comedic talk shows. He’d never seen the more glamourized side of the criminal justice field. And in high school, if someone would have told him he was going to major in Forensic Science, get a degree and a job as a lab tech for the NYPD straight out of university, he would have laughed in their faces. “Damn, I should have waiting in the club to see that!” he said, laughing at the image that popped into his head. He could see them easily enough making fools of themselves dancing awkwardly to music they probably never even heard of before that night!

Though he did go through Devon’s drawers, searching out something more Devon to wear, he hadn’t gone all CSI, digging through her things to find the elusive cheerleading uniform from high school. He’d had a couple things on his to-do list. First and foremost was to get her more comfortable clothes, second was taking Atticus for a walk. He knew if her dog was anything like his, Atticus would love another walk even if Devon had taken him out before she went off on the sting. Scotty was always ready to go for a run, walk or play outside. “An excellent look in fact. I have pictures and everything,” he said shamelessly lying while pretending to scroll through the pictures saved on his phone.

He hadn’t had quite enough time to get out of the path of the spoon, but he had tried. “Oh, ha-ha. You think you’re so funny, don’t ya?” he asked, sticking his tongue out at her retreating back like a petulant child not getting his way. Though the tongue was back in his mouth a second later when turned back and the devilishly twinkle that was in his eye was matched in hers. Instead of saying anything, because doing that would lead somewhere Bryce wasn’t sure he wanted to be, he turned that grin into a cocky smirk and winked at her, before going back to finishing off the coffee he’d ordered a short time before.

Bryce shrugged. It wasn’t exactly a secret side of him, but with no romantic relationships in his life currently, it was tossed to the background and basically forgotten; so it may as well have been some sort of secret. “Just full of jokes tonight aren’t we?” he asked, sarcastically. Besides, his job meant too much to him, and with the hours he kept, there wasn’t much time for relationships of any kind really, but especially a romantic one. Even his days off were packed full to the point it felt like he’d had to schedule time to brush his teeth! Bryce grinned down at Devon, adding a little extra dead weight to the arm. “Oh, hell yeah,” he said, laughing. Shaking his head, he tugged lightly on the leash in his hand. Scotty loved the park and knew that was where they were going when they got close enough. “My parents don’t care, you’re do,” he said, raising a brow looking down at her.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 591
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

Devon knew that her parents longed for her to go back to chasing her old dreams of a career in politics, but the young blonde was happy where she was now. Strangely, she loved being a cop, even with the late hours, endless patrols and days that dragged on. It was impossible to explain to her worried parents or the old friends who laughed and told her to “pull the other one” when she first told them about joining the NYPD, but she felt like she was in the right place each day that she pulled that uniform on and walked into the precinct. “Even I lost it for a few moments when my eyes first landed on them.”

[/color] The detectives who had momentarily distracted her were two men with wives and young babies back home and never before had she seen them so awkward. They had a great partnership on cases, but they definitely should not have been dancing in the Marquee; neither of them knew how to act with the other being their pretend company for the evening. Luckily, they vanished a little further into the crowd before Devon closed in on Doyle.

Rolling her eyes, Devon nodded along. At the end of all of this, Bryce had gone and made a bit of time in his day to find her some comfortable clothes to end the night in, rather than the eye catching dress that had certainly done its purpose tonight. To Devon, it was one of the best and sweetest things her friend could do for her, especially since she hadn’t even hinted about a change of clothes for after the sting when they were hanging out. “Well you better not have stretched it out; I plan on wearing it again.”[/color] She teased, raising her eyebrow as she implied that Bryce had tried the pleated uniform on. She was in too much of a good mood right now and there was still a strong surge of adrenaline pumping through her body after tonight, which only fuelled the silly mood she was in. “I’m not the one who nearly cried about a spoon.”[/color] She retorted to his sulk, laughing to herself.

She had to admit that it felt great to be back in the clothing style she was so familiar with. A pair of heels and a dress might make a girl feel amazing and sexy, but she would always choose her comfy shirts, jeans and sneakers over that. An old high school friend often joked that was why Devon was the only single girl still – because she didn’t dress to impress, but Devon didn’t care about husbands or romances right now. She wanted to get her career off the ground and make a name for herself in the police force; dragging someone else through all of that wouldn’t be fair and full of cancelled dinners and broken promises. “I’m thinking of trying my hand at stand up.”[/color] She laughed under the extra weight of his arm and shook her head softly. “Oh please, you’ll have to do much better than that to take me down!”[/color] Truthfully, if he poked her just below the ribs she’d crumple to the floor in a second, but she wasn’t about to reveal her weakness to him. Knowing Bryce, he’d threaten her with it all the time! She glanced down at the puppy to her left, Atticus happily making his way to the park he jogged through on a daily basis. She looked up at Bryce, her eyes catching his for a moment before she looked down to Atticus again. “Believe me, they have a damn good reason to.”[/color] She whispered and without meaning to she leaned a little closer to Bryce, trying to combat the memory of Frankie’s death. She didn’t want it bringing down her mood tonight and it was something she had still never told anyone about, despite it being the reason she wore the uniform and carried the gun.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 698!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Grabbing the clothes had been the least Bryce could do for Devon; after all, he was the reason she’d sucked herself into that second skin sequined dress in the first place. If it had been up to her, she probably wouldn’t even have thought of the number. Sometimes, a straight man’s eye was needed. And in this case, it was the only thing that would have made this work. Bryce had read up on Doyle. He liked the flash, and a dress like that screamed flash. That got Dev in the door, after that it would be hair flipping, laughing at jokes that weren’t funny and running her hand up his arm whilst flirting her way into his arms to get the sting done and over with. It was probably a good thing Bryce hadn’t been in on the sting. The cops in there with her weren’t exactly her friends. They were colleagues and they all looked out for each other, but ultimately, they were there for one thing and only that one thing. Even sitting a couple blocks away at the café, Bryce was itching to get in there; he didn’t like the thought of that slick, drug toting creep having his hands all over his friend. The sting would have fallen to pieces with him there, because he would have been across that red VIP rope and his hands would be around Doyle’s throat, squeezing the life from the slime ball.

Bryce looked down at himself before quirking a brow and looking over at Devon. “Please, with this build, that outfit just slipped on,” he said, teasingly. He knew he wasn’t built like a linebacker. Of the football team, he was the kicker at best. He was wiry, all corded muscle hidden under his slim build. “And I looked damn good in it, too. If I do say so myself, which I do,” he added, jokingly. He liked that he could have these odd conversations with Devon and she didn’t just lean away from him like he was some sort of crazy man. It was good to just forget about work and what they both saw on shift. The world could be a cruel place. “Hey! With those arms, you throw harder than the high school quarterback!” he said, pouting though it was still all a show.

Bryce hit Devon with a very bland look. “Don’t quite your day job, you’re better at it,” he said, dryly. The young CSI thought about that for a second before smiling wickedly. “Maybe I’ll try another tactic sometime. Tell me, are you by chance ticklish? Even if you say no, I’ll try,” he said teasing, trying to find her weakness. Bryce’s eyes narrowed in confusion. This was the first time Devon ever hinted at things back home not being all sunshine and daisies. He was aware her parents weren’t fond of their daughter becoming a cop though he wasn’t aware of the circumstances behind that. Still, Bryce wasn’t one to pry unless he was trying to tease and be playful. He wasn’t good at interrogation either, he was a CSI first, and cop second; questioning wasn’t his strongest card. “Do they?” he said, casually, though he would have guessed Devon would just clam up now and change the subject.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 548
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

If the captain had asked more from her than to flirt her way around Doyle for one night than her morals wouldn’t have let her do it, but tonight had been kept simple and most of the heavy flirting she had been practicing hadn’t even been used during the evening. She found it was hardly necessary since Doyle was quite the pervert and she had been in a dress that left more on show than it actually covered up. There had been a few suggestive lines that made Devon wish she could slap him and reveal what she really was, but she had held herself in check, biting her tongue and instead just giving Doyle a coy smile which he seemed to like. It probably wouldn’t be the highlight of her career, but she was proud that she managed to pull the sting off without losing any of her dignity in the process. She still had to find a way to thank Bryce for helping her out to instil the confidence in her that she had needed for tonight.

She raised an eyebrow at him and then looked him up and down, as though she was inspecting him with her cobalt eyes. Then, she looked over herself, shifting her weight from foot to foot before shaking her head and crinkling her nose. “Nah, I don’t see us being able to borrow clothes from each other.”

[/color] She decided, as though it had been a serious proposal. “Although, I would pay money to see you dressed as a cheerleader.”[/color] She smirked and let out a small laugh. “Well, I guess I know who I can ask to be ‘vanity’ at my seven deadly sins party.”[/color] She teased, shaking her head at him. She had no intention of throwing a party at all, but she did always like the idea of the seven deadly sins themed events. There was supposed to be a group of them at Stanford who were going to dress up for Halloween as them, but it fell through when some romantic drama broke out between gluttony and wrath. Laughing warmly, she glanced across at him and shrugged her slim shoulders. “Maybe I picked up a trick or two during high school.”[/color] She suggested, in reference to her throwing ability, but it could be interpreted several ways.

She sighed contently, still wearing a happy smile as she stared up at the sky as though lost in thought. “I am, aren’t I?”[/color] Dev was definitely still floating in some other world after the adrenaline rush and amazing sensation of success. If she had ever had a doubt about this career choice they had all been quashed by what had just taken place inside the Marquee. She bit back her smile and sighed softly. She knew Bryce would try anyway, so there was no point in lying to him or trying to play it cool. “I am, but you have to find just the right spot, or else your plan will result with me throwing you on your ass.”[/color] She warned, refusing to tell him where it was that would send her crumpling to the floor in a strange fit of gasps and giggles. She did think it would be hilarious to try and take Bryce down though; she was tiny in comparison to him. Devon had never told anyone about her brother’s death because she didn’t want the sympathy of some stranger. Still, she trusted Bryce and part of her wanted him to know about Frankie and why she became a cop. She looked up at him with a sad smile and shook her head gently. “Not tonight. I’ll tell you that story another time.”[/color] Devon didn’t want to upset herself and leave Bryce feeling awkward whilst she grew emotional; not after such a successful evening.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 672!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce had never been asked to be on the inside of a sting operation. He was usually waiting to the side or in the truck sitting and listening for the call he needed to rush the area. He’d been on that side of an operation quite a few times since getting his badge but he hardly had the look for anything more nefarious. He wasn’t the bulkiest guy around and he had the smarts of maths and science to back him up rather than the street smarts that was highly recommended for those parts of the job. He had the lean, corded muscle that still made him look like some scrawny nerd. It made him chuckle whenever he was working the same case as some of the more built CSIs; compared to them, Bryce really was the nerdy little brother they had to watch out for. But he was more than capable of taking care of himself and had proved as much a few times, disarming a suspect without even drawing his weapon.

Chuckling, the CSIs sized himself up before doing the same to Devon and shaking his head. “As much as I think I’d look sharp in some of your clothes, I have my own and they’d probably be too big in the chest area anyway,” Bryce said wiggling his brows suggestively. He was teasing, there was no way on Earth he’d be rummaging through Devon’s drawers for himself, unless it was all part of some cruel and unusual prank. “And you don’t have enough money in the world to pay me for that,” he added, grinning. He would joke all he wanted but to actually get him in the outfit? Hardly seemed likely. Bryce’s eyes widened as he gasped dramatically. “I don’t think so! I am not a Smurf!” he joked, taking her comment wrong on purpose. Although, if there ever was such a party, showing up as Vanity Smurf would put an interesting spin on the Seven Deadly Sins personified. Bryce was proud of Devon for going into that club. “You most certainly are. I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t walk into the precinct to cheers and praise!” The guys around the precincts were pretty good that way when a job went the way they had planned it.

“Was telling me that a bright idea, Dev?” He asked, arching a brow at her. Now, he was determined to find this weakness of hers and exploit it if he needed to in a teasing way, of course. He liked Devon, he didn’t need her pissed off at him to the point that only flowers would do and he didn’t know what kind she liked in the off chance that ever occurred. Bryce smiled, nodding his head slightly; he was right. “A night when we’re not celebrating the glory of victory!” He said trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t want to bring down the high that was in the air from an operation that went so well. They weren’t always so smooth, or fairly easy once inside, but this one had seemed to be just that and that alone was cause for some celebration. Bryce was usually called in afterward, when the sting was done and over with to collect the evidence they needed if there was any to be collected and then he spent his time in behind the walls of the lab, analyzing, testing and filing every bit of information properly. They hit the park’s entrance and Bryce squeezed Devon to his side in a friendly hug. She had done a damn good job and had kept her cool, it was all anyone could have asked of her, and she played her part to perfection.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 620
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

Before tonight, the only role Devon had ever played on these sting operations was additional backup. It was never anything special and normally they didn’t even get to see anything go down and she could only recall getting called in once over her two years with the NYPD. Tonight had been a very big thing for her and it had heavily relied on the one she thing got teased most for by her friends; the fact that she looked nothing like an NYPD officer when she wasn’t in the uniform. Devon was tiny compared to most of the officers she worked with and still had the sunshine smile that had become a part of her life back when she was a cheerleader. However, she knew the streets, the gangs and the tricks of New York well, often able to find the short cuts during a patrol when they were chasing down through the streets. It was the perk of growing up in New York and just because she wasn’t involved in any of the danger when she was younger it didn’t mean that she didn’t have a good knowledge about it; that knowledge was how she avoided it so well. She had worked hard to prove her worth with the sceptical detectives who always brushed her to the side at first and even now that she had some of their respect, she still pushed herself to do better, improve her takedowns or quicken her responses.

Glaring playfully at him, Devon curled her fingers into a fist and punched his bicep with restrained strength. She knew he was only messing around, just like she was, but sometimes he still deserved a quick smack in the arm than he did a witty or taunting remark. “I’ll have to find something else to use as currency then. Maybe a drunken bet?”

[/color] She said, musing the thought aloud as she tapped her finger against her chin. They could joke all they like, but Devon would quickly jump at the chance to get Bryson in some embarrassing outfit if she could figure out how to make it happen! Devon stared at him with her eyebrows furrowed and jaw slightly slack. “I mention vanity and you instantly jump to The Smurfs. That actually explains a lot.”[/color] She teased, shaking her head and folding her arms. She doubted it would fit with the rest of the party, but she wouldn’t put it past Bryce to do it. “You’re too tall to be a Smurf anyway, you’d have to be Gargamel.”[/color] She said haughtily as though it would dash his hopes. Bringing her hand up to cover her face, she let out a soft groan, the smile still there. “I hope not. I couldn’t cope with that. I never handled being the centre of attention very well unless I had a set of pom-poms in my hands.”[/color] She confessed, pulling a face. She had seen it happen before with other officers, but she had never imagined it happening to her.

“You’d never have believed me if I said no.”[/color] She said matter-of-factly. It would only encourage him more if she lied about it and she could without him grabbing at her at every chance to try and catch her out with that lie. “Besides, like I said, there’s only one tiny spot where I’m ticklish and I’m not telling you where that is.”[/color] If he found it then she was sure that would lead to a never-ending threat, since the tiny space below her ribs was the only spot that she couldn’t retaliate from. Anywhere else and she could, but the tiniest of touches there had her on the floor in a hysterical heap. “Exactly!”[/color] She grinned, pushing away the dark clouds, refusing to let them ruin this evening for her. There would be another time for telling Bryce the reason she had the badge and the gun and it would probably only be when he caught her with tears in her eyes of half a bottle of rum down; it wasn’t a story to drop into casual conversation. She butted his chest playfully as he hugged her, wrapping her spare arm around him to return the gesture.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 737!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Since he landed the job, Bryce had mostly been on the retrieval end of operations. It wasn’t more than this past year that he was actually in on some of the stings. Mostly, it was, like Devon, he was in the right age group; though Devon’s part in all of this was quite a bit bigger than his had ever been. But even after the sting went down, he was part of the team collecting evidence, filling bags and boxes with pictures and fibres. This time around, Devon had a rather juicy role to perform. And naturally, between being glad she came back from that club safe and sound, he was going to tease her relentlessly about that dress. Bryce couldn’t recall a single time he’d seen her in person in a dress. Then she turned up at his house, having a mild panic attack and it seemed like every time he saw her she was in that sequined mini!

“That the best you got, Officer?” he said, grinning a cheeky smile at Devon. His grinned stayed as his brow rose, intrigued with Devon’s idea. “What kind of bet?” he asked, too curious for his own good sometimes. It was a rare day when he could pass up a bet of any kind. He liked the competition of trying to win a bet. Usually he kept away from money bets but five or ten bucks here and there weren’t anything. And when he did bet cash, it was usually with Tristan. Bryce’s head fell back with his laughter. He was the youngest, and since his house was practically empty, he hardly spent any time there unless he was eating or studying. That meant there was too much time spent with friends; a lot of time to develop quite the comical side. “From the TV I did watch, I never missed a Saturday morning episode,” he said once his laughter settled down enough for him to speak clearly. “Gargamel was the perfect comedic villain! It would be an honour!” he said, grinning a particularly giddy smile thinking about the possibilities.

The guys are the precinct was good, unless the one they were cheering on wasn’t interested in the praise. “Well, you could always bring the pom-poms in with you, carrying them in your purse or a backpack or something. You don’t go to work in your blues,” Bryson said slowly as if thinking it all through as fast as the words were pouring past his lips. He had a tendency to open that mouth of his before he thought through the words. Naturally, it got him into some hot water, but it also helped greatly with his comedy act. Of course, Devon would be fine if the guys cheered and clapped for her. She’d probably go red as a tomato but she would make it through the few short minutes of praise without harm. Bryce didn’t even have to think about that. The grin that spread across his face was answer enough but still, he said, “Nope!” Bryce shrugged. “I’ll figure it out eventually,” he said lightly. They were celebrating and he hadn’t even had the foresight to do anything overly special. Even this walk through the park was more for him to get out all that nervous energy than for Devon; though after what she’d just gone through, she needed it too.

Tag|| Devon!
Words|| 562
Clothes|| What a Wreck
Music|| If Only They Knew By A Rocket To The Moon
Notes|| <3

[Devon Olivia Walker]

Devon was positively bouncing after the success of the evening. She was less than a year away until she would be eligible for promotion to detective, so everything she could do to make her name more known in the precinct would be beneficial to getting that shield quicker and tonight was exactly the boost she would need to beat some of her academy buddies to the higher ranks. It wasn’t a competition, though they did joke about it from time to time, but Devon had always been ambitious and following menial orders and chasing about loose ends was not exactly the way she wanted to spend the rest of her life. She felt ready for the next step and couldn’t wait for it to come, determined to work harder than ever until then to prove herself to the higher brass.

Her eyebrows raised at his cheeky little challenge and she looked up to meet his gaze, a daring twinkle locked in her eyes as she shook her head and smirked playfully. “Nu-uh, no details allowed! I said drunken bet. You’d have to buy me a drink first.

[/color] She teased, her smirk widening into a sassy grin. Devon did not get drunk often, but on the rare occasion when she did it for fun she turned into quite the troublemaker. Drunken bets and silly dares had landed her in more embarrassing pickles than she cared to remember, but the list only grew longer every time the room began to spin for the young blonde. The reserved and sensible cop vanished and was replaced by a more daring version who thought flirtatious challenges and sucker bets were always a good idea. There was a legitimate reason why Devon only let her out to party once in a blue moon! She brought her hand to her face and shook her head at what she had just started. “I don’t think I’ve seen an episode since I was about eight!”[/color] Pausing for a moment, she looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. “Considering he tortured a race of tiny beings I’m starting to wonder if a girl like me should be friends with a guy like you.”[/color] Compared to Bryce, Devon might as well have been a Smurf! People had affectionately called her such when she was younger, but luckily it was a nickname that had never stuck apart from the odd joke here and there.

She looked at him as though he had sprouted another head. “You must be delusional if you think I’m going to show up for my shift in my cheerleading uniform and whip out the pom-poms.”[/color] Devon scoffed and looked back to the direction they were walking in. Bryce was still the only one there who knew about her old activity and she planned on keeping it that way! “I think I’ll just take the awkward, bumbling route, thank you very much.”[/color] She’d be able to walk through it so long as no one spoke to her when she was still caught up in it. Then she might end up rambling and saying something that made no sense! She quirked her eyebrow and just flicked the hair from her face. “You think so, do you? Well, good luck with that.”[/color] It was a hard spot to find randomly, but she didn’t doubt that he’d try.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bryce!
WORDS! 593!
OUTFIT! Casual Again!
LYRICS! Wonderwall - - - Oasis
NOTES! <3