(no subject)

[wgraham]

Will isn't the type of person who generally enjoys going out to eat. He doesn't like being in public, for one, and also he's very basic about the sorts of things he eats, not needing anything extravagant. Eating is one of those things he does because he can't not, not because it's something he necessarily enjoys.

That isn't to say he doesn't like food. There have been times in his life when he's very much appreciated a good meal, though a lot of those moments are a bit tainted now that he has a better idea of the ingredients that were likely used.

Diner food, though, is less benign than sort of unpleasant. But he and Reid aren't here for the cuisine.

When Reid had told Will about the vampires leaving bodies near cafes and restaurants like the one they're in now, Will had wondered if maybe there was some kind of underground food service system, one that captured human victims and fed them to vampire clientele. It was probably a long shot, but he figured they might as well check some of the places out, to see what they might be able to determine.

They aren't undercover exactly, but they're also not visibly armed. Will's not carrying a gun, though he can do it now with his status as law enforcement, but he has his switchblade in his pocket, feeling much better knowing he has a weapon he can use if he needs one. He's not sure of Reid's carrying, but a part of him hopes he is. A bigger part hopes they won't have cause to need to defend themselves.

They've ordered already, and both have (sadly not alcoholic) drinks in front of them. Will's been looking around as much as he can without drawing attention, remembering how much he hates the florescent lighting they use in these places, the combination of the lights and the permeating smell of bleach giving him a headache. He sips his Coke.

"So far this place seems more like a typical diner than I was hoping," he tells Reid with a wan smile. "I hope I didn't interrupt your afternoon for nothing."

Comments

[youfeelluckypunk]

One of Graham's theories, that perhaps the victims of the vampire attacks are being lured out from the locations they're dumped, had been one Reid had previously entertained himself but hadn't looked into very deeply. It's been difficult, working the case mostly on his own, though he's had Clank to help him where he can and Luke never fails to offer going out to investigate in the evenings. Of course, the after-hours method of investigation involves slightly more morally dubious methods, which Reid doesn't hold against Luke at all because in the end, the desired outcome is the same: the murders need to stop, and they need to stop quickly.

It's been a few weeks since the last body had been dumped, long enough for the Chief to insist that they shift their focus to cases that won't go cold, but Reid knows better without saying as much out loud. There's been a slump before and now that there's one again, it only means they need to work doubly hard before the body count gets more added to it.

Now that they're here, both of them looking awfully conspicuous considering how much they'd rather not be noticed, Reid has been scanning the diner every so often to keep an eye out for any potentially suspicious activity. So far, though, the only thing suspicious has been the stale bitterness of his coffee.

"You didn't interrupt my afternoon at all," Reid tells him, shifting his gaze to Graham and returning the smile. "It's good to be working any possible angles of this case, especially when we aren't quite sure what we should be looking for. Vampire crime isn't exactly an area of expertise for most." He pauses then, his smile twitching. "Besides, on a regular day, there's nothing to interrupt until it hits about six."

[wgraham]

Will gives Reid another smile. "I have to admit, my days have been generally pretty empty," he says. "Though I've been reading all those files you dug up for me. The blood evidence is fascinating. Major neck trauma and absolutely no arterial spray, even in the victims who weren't completely exsanguinated. There must be something effecting the blood pressure, but there's nothing in the toxicology reports to indicate the victims were drugged."

He realizes he's probably being a little more excited about blood spatter reports and autopsy findings than a normal diner goer, and he clears his throat and takes a drink of his cold coffee, wincing.

"Probably not the right conversation for this place," he admits with a grimace. "Have any plans tonight?" he asks, trying on some small talk instead in an attempt to be more casual.

[youfeelluckypunk]

They've spent hardly any social time together at all, save for lunch or coffee within the station. Something like this, talking over a meal in a diner, hasn't been typical for them, but Reid finds Graham's company as pleasant here as he does at the station. Save for the discussion about blood spray and neck trauma, they could probably pass for just meeting up as friends. He's had more of those, friends, here in Darrow than he has anywhere else in his life, which Reid thinks would probably elicit sympathy from some people but for himself, he only feels content.

There are people in this city who care about him, genuinely care about him, and it has nothing to do with what skills he can offer when it comes to solving a case. He'd never say that was the only thing his teammates liked about him, they'd treated him as family because that's what they were; but in spite of that, he remains convinced that if they hadn't met him through the job, they likely wouldn't have looked past the way he presents himself on the surface. He knows he's awkward, sometimes a bit alienating with the way he rambles on and on, but the friends he's made here seem to embrace it. One man in particular even loves him for it.

"Maybe not," Reid agrees with a low chuckle, "though I doubt anyone's really trying to eavesdrop on us." There are only a few other tables seated in the diner, and the waitresses gathered behind the counter are engaged in animated conversation. Nobody's listening to them, of that he's certain. "I've only come across vampires of the more dangerous sort a couple times, but they're immensely strong." Luke had been forced to change completely into his wolf form to kill the vampire that had attacked them, though Reid isn't sure whether or not that was just to buy them enough time to leave before any others could come after them, too. "Their biology, as you can imagine, would be nothing like ours. Whatever it is about the way they feed is what has to be affecting the victims like that."

He clears his throat before taking a sip of his coffee when Graham asks him his plans, and Reid isn't at all embarrassed to talk about who he's dating but at the same time, it isn't something he often discusses with colleagues. Graham isn't just a colleague, though, he's his partner, someone Reid has come to trust.

"Nothing concrete," he says truthfully. After a brief pause, he meets Graham's eyes. "My boyfriend and I, we usually just order in and relax at home on the weekdays. What about you, anything special?"

[wgraham]

Will isn't surprised to hear that Reid's theory on the lowered blood pressure has to do with the biology of the species of vampire that did the killing. Will had a thought himself that there might be some sort of venom in the vampire fangs, or perhaps a chemical in the saliva that slowed the blood flow either for ease of ingestion by the vampire or to keep the victim alive for further feelings. Next time they got a fresh body, Will planned to get as much of a sample of the neck wounds as possible for testing.

"As much as I don't want to meet one of these killers," Will comments, "it would be fascinating to examine one. Have you ever seen one killed?" he asks. "Do the bodies remain intact?"

Will had been doing a lot of research on vampire mythology, had a list of characteristics committed to memory. His catalog was missing a lot of connections, unfortunately, between the various myths and what existed in their (albeit skewed) reality. Having concepts wasn't a bad place to start, but the knowledge was largely useless without any basis of fact to compare it to.

He's happy, though, when the topic changes. He's extremely interested in their case, but he's had something new on his mind lately, something he hasn't been able to share with anyone.

He thinks Reid might be worried about his reaction to finding out Reid's in a relationship with a man, but it doesn't phase Will in the slightest. Will himself has really only identified as heterosexual most of his life, but that isn't to say he hasn't entertained homosexual thoughts on occasion. He is and has always been open to experience and opportunity and allowing himself to be fluid in the moment.

"Did you meet your boyfriend here?" he asks, honestly very curious. Will had always had trouble meeting and connecting with people before he came here, but now that he's in this strange city, things have changed somehow, and he wonders if Reid experienced the same.

"I ask because I..." He pauses, feeling a little giddy to be admitting this to someone aloud for the first time. "I met someone," he finishes, and he can't keep a little bit of a smile from coming out across his face.

[youfeelluckypunk]

Leaning back against his side of the booth, Reid frowns, his brow furrowing in thought. "Just one," he answers, and it hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience. If Luke hadn't been there, if he hadn't changed into his wolf form, Reid might not be here to talk about it right now. They hadn't been dating yet, both of them still convincing themselves that they could be satisfied with being good friends for fear of ruining what they already had, but even then, Reid had known he wouldn't be able to keep that going for very long. Without a moment of hesitation, Luke had torn the vampire apart to keep it from attacking, and the only fear Reid had felt was that Luke might get hurt. He remembers threading his fingers through Luke's fur, void of any suspicion that Luke would hurt him, and in spite of the circumstances, it brings a soft smile to his lips.

It fades as quickly as it appears, if only because he knows Graham is waiting for him to continue, and Reid refocuses his attention on his partner. "They disintegrate," he says. "They can be wounded, but they'll heal. When I saw it, the vampire's head was torn from it's body, and it was like-- like it turned to dust. The way Stoker described in Dracula. There could be others, though, that die differently. With so many factions running around the city, it's hard to pinpoint exact weaknesses or what to expect overall."

Their waitress stops by then to offer refills, and Reid gladly accepts more coffee, though he's a bit relieved when she leaves again. The diner is admittedly a bit too public a place to be talking about this at length but as long as the place stays relatively empty and the servers keep more to themselves, he thinks they'll be fine. The topic of relationships, of course, is a perfectly safe one here, even if it's a bit foreign to Reid to discuss so openly.

Graham's question, neither judgmental nor mocking, serves to remind him of just how different it is here. His teammates at the BAU had always seemed surprised when Reid would show interest in someone, as if his intelligence meant he couldn't have feelings, even though he'd shown time and time again that couldn't possibly be true. He hadn't exactly been emotionally stable after what Hankel had done to him, after all, though he supposes that's a far cry from falling in love. With Maeve, there'd been the initial surprise, then then the teasing, which is precisely why he'd wanted to keep it from them in the first place--especially Morgan, but even JJ and Garcia, who'd meant well in offering advice Reid hadn't sought out in the first place.

"I did," Reid confirms, finding it easier to smile again now that he's talking about his boyfriend, and he doesn't try to hide it. He trusts Graham already, even with this, and he lets out a short laugh. "He was the very first person to help me when I arrived here, actually. I just-- I felt like I could trust him, and I don't often feel that way about someone right off the bat. Obviously, I turned out to be right." It'd taken them a few months to be able to work up the courage to admit their feelings to each other but once they had, Reid had felt like his whole life changed. Every day, he's grateful for having Luke in his life, and he knows very well that he could never walk away from what they have. Even if given the opportunity to go home.

"But you met someone!" Reid brightens at the news, pleased to see Graham smiling like that because it seems so genuine. "That's really great, congratulations. Are you-- I mean, is it serious or just starting?" His cheeks flush then, and he holds a hand up. "You don't have to feel obligated to answer, of course, I just remember how good it felt to be able to call Luke my boyfriend for the first time. It still feels good."

[wgraham]

Will nods, and he's not surprised when Reid tells him that the dead vampire he'd witnessed had disintegrated into dust. He's found references to that reaction in several sources, as well as a few where the bodies turn into meat soup, for lack of a better way to phrase it, and even fewer than just die and decompose as a mortal human being would. It would probably be too much to ask for any of the vampires in Darrow to leave a body they could examine, and he really doubts they'll be able to get any to come in voluntarily for tests.

"I never thought I'd say this, but this makes me miss regular human psychopaths," he says with a dry laugh. "At least you know what to expect biologically." He shakes his head. "You said before there are some vampires that hunt their own kind," he recalls, thinking of a different approach. "And some that only eat non-human animals. Do you think any of them submit to interviews?" he asks. "Maybe they have some information that could help."

He gives the waitress a tight smile when she comes to refill their coffee, hoping that she's not paying too close of attention to what they're saying. She'd probably just think they were crazy, but there's no knowing if the staff at any of these cafes and diners could be involved in the vampire attacks. It's best if they keep what they know away from any potentially prying ears.

Will's glad that Reid doesn't seem upset by Will's diversion in the topic of conversation. People like them can sometimes have trouble sharing their feelings, because they tend to feel over analyzed by other people criticized and judged. It's more likely because of how hyper aware they are of their own observatory skills, and how they look at other people themselves. There's a certain anxiety that comes with vulnerability, and there's nothing more vulnerable than admitting what you have in your heart.

If nothing else, Will is really starting to trust Reid's instincts. They have a similar skill set, but it's different enough that it broadens their combined abilities. Will can see people fairly clearly, spot motives and understand thought processes without a lot of effort. Reid seems to be the same, which is very comforting to Will. He can tell Reid's being honest with him, trusting him with information, and it only causes his already high level of respect for Reid to increase.

"Trust is imperative, I think, in romantic relationships," Will agrees, and the story Reid relays about trusting Luke immediately reminds him exactly of how he felt when he met Molly. "If you can find it that quickly, it's something to take notice of."

He wants to ask Reid more questions about Luke and his relationship, but he feels like that might happen organically as they continue their conversation. So he responds to Reid's questions for the moment instead. "It's both, actually," Will says, and it's a little dizzying to think about, how intense his feelings for Molly are already. "It's just starting, but it's... It's big," he explains, hoping Reid will understand. "I met her a week ago at Kagura. Molly Carpenter," he says, needing to tell Reid her name. "We haven't discussed terminology yet, but I'd call her my girlfriend. We're definitely together, and exclusive."

[youfeelluckypunk]

Graham's comment about missing human psychopaths elicits a surprised laugh from Reid, though he's mid-sip when it happens, and he sets his mug down hard on the table so he can cover his mouth before he starts sputtering. There's truth in what Graham has said, a truth Reid can relate to, because even though he's come to a point where thinking about vampires as unsubs has become generally commonplace, he still has those moments of wondering how on earth this could have happened to him. When it comes to Darrow, explanations are few and far between, and Reid has come to accept that. He doesn't dwell too much on what he'd do if someone else from his world were to arrive here or if he one day woke to find the love of his life has been taken from the city. There are too many other pressing matters to occupy his mind, worrying about all the things that could happen hardly seems productive. Even so, he sometimes finds himself comparing this life to his old one, and the vast differences are beyond astounding.

Aside from the existence of vampires, there's also the fact that he's in a relationship with a werewolf, which is nothing like he could have possibly imagined before he'd been brought here. It's been a learning experience, though, one he's come to value because while vampires and werewolves may still be the thing of stories in his world, it's given him an entirely new perspective on how to go about his job. Profiling a vampire seems rather pointless from an unseasoned point of view but there are nuances in the creatures' behaviors, different needs and desires, and Reid isn't sure that it'll ever be possible to come up with a satisfactory record of those things with an undetermined number of factions at play, but he's been trying.

"I have contacts," Reid tells him, keeping it simple for now because he owes it to the vampires who have supplied him with information to keep them anonymous. When it comes time to talk to them again, he'll certainly be calling Graham to be there but until then, Reid doesn't want to risk losing whatever help they can get. "They haven't agreed to interviews on the record but if they hear anything that sounds like it could be related to the case, they get in touch with me. There hasn't been much yet. Whoever's in charge of this particular faction is very good at keeping things quiet, which I think is a fair enough indication that they're someone these vampires fear. They're in a position of power, and I imagine it doesn't turn out very well for anyone who tries to cross them."

He takes another sip of his coffee, the corners of his lips twitching at how easily Graham seems to find it to talk about his girlfriend. Whoever this Molly Carpenter is, she'd clearly made an impression from the start, and Reid knows the feeling. It'd taken him and Luke much longer to push past their fears before finally allowing themselves to be together but now that they've reached that point, Reid knows he couldn't have gone on for much longer anyway. He couldn't have kept his relationship with Luke platonic or watched Luke fall for someone else. It would hurt too much, even thinking of it now sparks an uncomfortable tug at his heart, but Reid knows he's nothing to worry about. Luke loves him, there's nothing he's ever doubted less.

"It's nice," Reid says, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at himself. "To say the least, I mean. I didn't date a lot in my world. I had a girlfriend a couple years ago, but she-- she was killed." And then he'd been forced to kill her a second time in the other Darrow, but he isn't keen on getting into that. "After that happened, I thought it was over for me. She was different, Maeve, you know? An incredible intellect, you could hear it in every word she said, and she was kind. I didn't expect her to come into my life but once she was there, I didn't want to let her go. So when she died, I figured I'd never be able to find something like that again. Not that I ever looked in the first place but that only made it seem more obvious."

He lowers his gaze to the table, briefly losing himself in the memory of seeing Maeve's face for the first and last time, but it gives way to Luke. The poems Luke had left for him, the evening in the abandoned amusement park, the first time they'd kiss, the glass sculpture of the Towers Luke had commissioned for his birthday, his boyfriend's lazy smile this morning when they'd woken up, it all comes rushing toward him in a blur of images, and he has to take a deep breath because he can feel his heart swelling in his chest.

"I was wrong," he continues. "When you say it's big with Molly, I know what you mean. I look at Luke, and I know. It's-- It's indescribable, how important he is to me. In a place so unpredictable, it's nice to know there's at least one person who will always be by your side."

[wgraham]

Will should probably have guessed that Reid would have vampire CIs here in Darrow, knowing what he knows about them so far. It's such a strange concept, and his mental image is comical, something like Dracula meeting Reid on a street corner somewhere and agreeing to pass on information. It bothers Will a bit that the vampires committing the murders are afraid of exposure, but that their connections don't know enough about them to provide useful data on how they might be stopped. It's a disconnect again fostered by things that are unknown because they're outside the realm of Will's basic understanding of biology and possibility, but Will doesn't know how to fill in those gaps. He should sit down and talk to Molly about the vampires she knows at least; it could give him a better starting off point than he's been able to find on his own.

"How often do you hear from your contacts?" he asks, because he knows it's been a few weeks since the last attach, and the pause worries him some. If the murders are a result of the vampires needing to feed, then he'd suspect they'd be more regular and less spotty. Of course he has no idea what the metabolism of a vampire is, and how often they need to have blood in order to survive. That's probably another one of those things that specific to each kind of vampire. There are so many unknowns, and if anything makes Will unease it's having gaps in his ability to understand a killer's motivation.

Then Reid tells him about his girlfriend who was killed, and he cringes, feeling guilty for stumbling into that territory. But that part of the story is only the beginning of what Reid is telling him, the fact that he'd suspected he'd be alone and then he found unexpected love, only to have it taken away from him. Will knows how that feels to a degree, though he's never felt anything that was perfectly symmetrical until he met Molly. He finds himself smiling a bit when Reid starts talking about Luke, about finding exactly your equal, the person to balance you, to see your faults and love you despite them. Will and Molly haven't talked about love, and they're not there yet, but it's coming, Will can feel it.

"I've never dated, not really," Will tells Reid, turning his coffee cup 180 degrees on the table top. "I've never been in love. It's hard to quiet all the things in your head, to relax enough to let someone in. But Molly..." He takes a breath, and he knows he shouldn't worry what Reid will think about what Molly is; he's Will's partner and Will trusts him, and they're investigating vampires together. He doesn't think it's going to faze Reid all that much to know that Molly is a wizard.

"She's different. And not just a special and amazing woman, because she is those things. She's intelligent and strong and self sufficient, especially for being only 25," he says, feeling proud to say all those things about someone who has chosen to be with him. "She's magical," he tells Reid finally, raising his eyes to Reid's face. "She can read me because, somehow, on some level, we connect more than just emotionally and intellectually. I can feel her energy, and she can feel mine. She's a wizard, which sounds so... insane and crazy, but I know it's true. I believe her, I trust her." He stops himself there, because he's starting to shake a little with his nerves, worried what Reid is going to say in response to this revelation.

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Not as often as I'd like," he says, though Reid supposes he doesn't have a great deal of control over that. "What I want to do is talk to the families of the victims, see if there's a connection there because we haven't found one otherwise. That's something we can work on, now that there's two of us dedicated to working the case."

Hopefully, it'll help in getting things solved that much faster, though Reid knows that it still won't be that easy, considering all they have to think about in terms of how to approach the vampires once they determine the right faction and what to do with them once they're caught. The answer isn't simple, it never will be, but together, they might just be able to come up with a proper solution.

What ends up surprising him more than the fact that they're talking so freely about this in the middle of the diner is how easily Graham comes out with what Molly is, not because Reid doesn't believe what his partner has said about her abilities but because he wouldn't be so quick to reveal that Luke is a werewolf. Luke isn't ashamed of what he is, the time for those feelings has long since passed, but it's not something he openly advertises, either. The same has been true about Derek, even Alec and Isabelle regarding who they are as Shadowhunters, and Reid has no intention of revealing what his boyfriend is unless given express permission, just like he knows Luke would never tell anyone about his struggle with his addiction.

That is something Reid knows he'll have to explain to Graham, if only because he has to be pragmatic about their future as partners. Should anything happen to him, if he were ever to get hurt, he wants to all he can to ensure he won't be given any narcotics to ease his pain. He's already made Luke promise him that, even though Reid knows it would be difficult to see him in that kind of pain, but it's necessary. The road to recovery after what had happened with Tobias hadn't been an easy one, not for him or anyone close to him, and Reid doesn't want to put anyone through that again.

Still, he does appreciate Graham would tell him such a thing about his girlfriend, and it truly isn't that Reid doesn't trust him, more that he doesn't want to breach Luke's trust. He'd never do anything to compromise their relationship, not when they've come this far together, not when their love and devotion to each other has remained so strong. If there's one person in this world he'd do anything for, it's Luke. It will always be Luke.

"It's not insane," Reid assures him. "Listen to us, we've been sitting here talking about vampires, I'm not going to think this is what makes you sound crazy. It's unlike any other feeling, having a connection like that with someone. Luke and I, we aren't magical, but it sometimes feels that way when we're together, you know? No matter what she is, whether or not she's human, she's important to you. She means something to you that nobody else does. I understand that, I really do. It still floors me, knowing that I'm the one Luke wants to be with because--" He pauses, letting out an incredulous laugh. "Because nobody's ever wanted me like this before."

He's been physical with just one other person, but Ethan hadn't loved him. At the time they'd been together, Ethan still hadn't been able to accept himself, to accept their relationship, at least not in a public setting, and Reid had known it wouldn't work out long before they finally broke things off. With Maeve, he'd thought he'd finally found someone he could share a life with, even if they'd only ever talked over the phone; and Reid thinks that they could have, if Diane Turner had never walked into their lives. They could have been happy together, but it only ever hurts to think about what could have been.

What he knows for sure, all he needs to know, is that he's whole now.

[wgraham]

At first Will wonders why he didn't think of talking to the victims' families, but then he realizes that he didn't pay attention to which of the deceased were native to Darrow and which (if any) weren't. That idea certainly brings up more questions. "Were all the victims natives?" he asks, his wheels turning a little as he tries to decide if that angle takes him anywhere. "And are the vampires all from outside the city?"

He has a feeling the answer to the second question is yes. The people who are from Darrow seem very two dimensional, like extras on a television show. They don't believe in anything outside a basic, mundane human existence despite all the evidence to the contrary. Will's not even sure they're real people, but he's not sure what else they would be. They're certainly corporeal and mortal, but there's nothing in their eyes, emotion all programmed and surface deep. He has a fleeting thought that maybe they've been lobotomized in some specialized way, but that seems a little too far fetched, even for this city. At any rate Will can recognize the natives without any trouble now, and he doesn't generally bother with them.

Reid's reaction to what Will tells him about Molly isn't exactly what Will was expecting. Of course Reid doesn't disbelieve him; as he pointed out himself they're hunting vampires here, so the idea of a wizard isn't really that much of a leap. And Reid isn't afraid either, doesn't exude any worry to what Molly might have the power to do. It's more like Reid's surprised that Will would tell him something that might be a secret that isn't his to tell. And also that Reid's keeping something from him.

Will's good at this stuff, he's used to it, so he's not going to ask, he's just going to file it away for later, hoping that it's not something that's going to put Reid or Will in danger down the road. People keep things to themselves all the time; Will has a fair few secrets of his own, the least of which is that he knows a serial killer who lives here, one Will is pretty certain has murdered people in this city, assuming he's reading Hannibal's hallmarks correctly. Of course the investigations missed things Will would know to look for, so the only doubt in his mind comes from unknowns, not from his own dithering.

"She is human," Will tells Reid, because that feels like an important distinction to make. Of course he's not entirely sure it's true; he knows Molly was born human, but he's not really sure what having fairy blood in her does, if that changes her biologically or makes her something else. Everything he knows of her is human, though. "She is just magically inclined. I don't know many of the details yet. So far there seem to be a lot better things to do together than for me to interrogate her," he jokes with a bit of a laugh.

He thinks of what Molly told him before then, which is one of the reasons why he doesn't feel like Molly would mind Will telling Reid about what she is. "She says there are vampires where she comes from," he tells Reid. "She told me she'd be happy to tell us what she knows about them, if we think it would help our investigation."

Will pauses then for a sip of his coffee and he realizes that this is literally the strangest conversation he's ever had. He laughs as he considers it, shaking his head. "I've been in this city for three and a half months, and so far I'm working an active investigation on murders committed by vampires and I'm dating a wizard. Back home I was an unstable introvert who was so sick with encephalitis that I was about two days way from ending up in a coma with total organ failure." He shakes his head again. "There's something about this place, there has to be. I've never been in love in my life, it was never even a draw for me. But now..." He takes a breath. "I want to fall in love with her."

[youfeelluckypunk]

"The victims were all natives," Reid confirms, "and I can't say for sure whether the vampire faction responsible is from outside of Darrow, but I can tell you that vampires existed without the help of transplants. The vampires I've spoken to, the ones I've been working with, they're not from here. The common theory seems to be that it's a smaller faction of Darrow trying to grow into something more powerful, I just don't know the motive yet. It'd be different if the killings happened more frequently, if the M.O. wasn't so specific every time. Victims found in an alleyway, left overnight, blood trails left on the ground as if they'd been dragged there, not killed there. But to what end? There's a bigger picture here, it's not just hungry vampires looking for their next meals."

One victim's husband had arrived at the scene of the crime, and Reid remembers it vividly, can almost still feel the contact of the man's fist against his cheek and his back against the wall of the alley. At the time, he'd understood the reaction, he'd felt the same way after Maeve had been killed. Lashing out, wanting someone to pay, these are things Reid has experienced, too; but now that his mind wanders back to that day, which had happened to be Luke's birthday, he wonders if there hadn't been something more to it. He kicks himself now for not making deeper connections sooner, for not seeing past the surface of the reaction because he'd been preoccupied with the thought of visiting the man he'd come to fall in love with, but Reid sits up a little straighter in the booth.

"Maybe the victims themselves aren't connected at all," Reid says, narrowing his eyes as they squint in thought. "Interviewing the families is going to be our best next step in solving this, I think the connection must be through them. It's possible the victims were all just forms of collateral, and I know where to start in finding that out. One of the victims, her husband came to the crime scene, and he... reacted. Violently. There was grief in it, of course, but remembering it now, I think there was a degree of guilt to it, too. It was almost like he wasn't surprised to see his wife dead. He should be the first one we talk to, then see if we can conduct interviews with the closest relatives of the other victims."

He cuts himself off before he says Luke could help them interrogate more vampires, too, if only because Reid doesn't want to have to explain why it would be safe. The larger part of him doesn't want to involve Luke at all, doesn't want to put his boyfriend in any line of danger, but at the same time, Luke's abilities are undoubtedly exceptional. Besides that, Luke had offered his help in the case, no matter the capacity, and Reid thinks he'd be something of a fool not to take it. Pausing to take another sip of his coffee, he glances up at Graham to find his partner studying him, and he resists the urge to shift uncomfortably under the mild scrutiny. Graham knows he's hiding something, of course he does. It's not because they know each other inside out, that side of it will have to come with time, but Graham can see things in people the same way Reid can. It's what makes them a good pairing.

Still, he's not ready yet to reveal what Luke is, not without his boyfriend's permission. Eventually, it may be too much for him to continue keeping the secret from someone he works so closely with, especially if Luke will be involved with the case; but until then, Reid is ready to keep his mouth decidedly shut about the influence of the full moon.

"Let it happen," Reid advises, finally breaking his silence. "Let yourself fall in love with her, if that's what you want. I got here in May and now, I'm sharing an apartment with the love of my life." It's so easy to say that, to refer to Luke that way, and it still surprises him because before and after Maeve, romantic love had been such a foreign concept to him. He and Will don't share the same pasts, not even the same personalities, but they're similar in the way they'd viewed themselves--incapable of finding love, of being in a relationship, and that entire theory has fallen apart for both of them in just a matter of months in this city.

"I think we're lucky to be in this position," he continues, nodding as if he has to convince himself of it, which he most certainly doesn't. "We weren't looking for what we have but here it is. Some people search for a lifetime and never find it at all. Darrow's a fickle place, it lets people come and go without choice, but I couldn't let that hold me back from loving Luke. I don't care how long we have together, I just want to be with him. Given the choice, I'd stay with him here for the rest of my life, whether or not I was shown a way back home. I want to spend every day with him, I want to grow old with him, I want--" His breath catches in his throat, and he has to take a second to gulp it back down before ducking his head. "I want to marry him someday. All these things that I couldn't have had before I was brought here, I want to do them all with him."

[wgraham]

Will nods as he absorbs the new information, allowing it to alter his previous theories and augment some others, sorting it all into the filing system in his brain. Warring vampire factions actually makes a degree of sense; the killing could be territorial, and if it turns out the victims have a connection in some way, they might be able to find out what people are being targeted and stake them out, see if they can't catch the guilty vampires in the act.

"The way you describe it makes me wonder if the native vampires don't appreciate the presence of the ones from outside the city. Maybe they're drawing too much attention from people like us, knowing we'll try to stop the killings," Will ruminates out loud. "But you're right: we're going to need to talk to the families to see if there might be something tying them together. Or at least a common thread related to what you said about that one victim's husband. Maybe there's some kind of bribery system at play, or the human residents are getting something out of protecting the vampires and their actions." Will's eyes are moving as he shifts through ideas in his brain, not focusing on anything but moving things around.

"There are a lot of possibilities," he says, blinking to look at Reid directly. "Too many. Hopefully interviewing the families will help us narrow it down some, give us a handful of starting places. I think we should talk to the violent husband soon, so we can get the ball rolling."

It's funny, because Will has never been a person who enjoys talking about his feelings. A lot of them are dark, or course, unsavory, but there are tender feelings beneath everything else, a desire to be needed, the urge to seek out companionship. Before Molly Hannibal was the closest he'd come, and that wasn't ideal for a variety of reasons, the least of which was that Hannibal would just as soon kill him as support him.

But he's not afraid of his feelings for Molly. Most of his life he'd been immune to the idea of romance, and stringently against showing any vulnerability. Hannibal has seen his soft places, but that's because he knows how to get Will to roll over and expose them. But with Molly he's finding he wants to reveal himself to her, he wants to open a door into his heart and let her in. It's like she has a key somehow, just through being who she is, and even if she didn't, he wouldn't chain up his soul to keep her out.

Will finds himself smiling when Reid talks about wanting to marry his boyfriend, and a part of that is related to the measure of himself he sees in Reid. Minds like theirs are almost never quiet, they're full of data and scenarios and odds, and it's hard to let love settle in an environment like that. Logic is a shield, and it's easy to hide behind physics and probabilities and science, especially when the usual reaction people have is to be put off by the methodology. Deep, intense feelings are terrifying, and positive ones are worse. Being cynical is easy because there are no hopes, no expectations, and no disappointments. Finding hope, learning to love someone, to need them, it opens a person up to all sorts of potential pain.

"The odds against finding someone here have got to be astronomical," Will says. "It's such a small pool to draw from, much smaller than we're used to, and people are from so many different places. Or maybe that's why it works. Shared experience," he adds with a small smile. "Whatever it is, I agree: we are lucky. I feel like my entire world has been turned upside down, but it doesn't feel wrong at all."

He pauses for a moment, taking a drink of his coffee which has unfortunately gone a bit cold. "I hope you get to grow old with Luke," he says, holding Reid's eyes for a moment. "I hope I can stay too, and experience life with Molly. She's so good, and I've had so much bad. I want time to enjoy this, to be with her."