Callie's Shadow Ch. 01

"Fuck," she hissed, sliding back into the chair and picking up a couple of the napkins that Angel pushed across the table to her. Wiping off her hand, she counted to ten and then ten again before looking up.

"Why did you disobey my order?" Shadow asked, leaning forward and resting his elbow on the table. He took another long sip of his coffee, grimacing unconsciously and then set down the cup, waiting for her to answer.

"I wasn't trying to be a hero. I was trying to keep the subject close enough that I wouldn't lose his scent. When I stepped in the alley, the scent of the trash was covering his up. I couldn't be sure he would be there. He used that confusion to waylay me."

"He almost raped and killed you." Daniels started pacing once more. "Your death would have been particularly gruesome, Raven. The Lingus Lizard tears the head off the female lizard during the mating process. She fertilizes him with an agent that is in her blood. He has to bathe himself in it."

"Yummy," Callie said, pushing aside her coffee. "That's a thought that'll help me stick to my diet."

"When we got to her, sir, she was preparing to stun the subject. She had the situation under control." Shadow finished his coffee with another grimace. "We hid the beast, waited out the police and then returned to the house. The lizard was brought back for study, no one was seriously hurt and the humans are none the wiser."

Daniels closed his eyes, the only thing that looked remotely human about the blue skinned demon. "It was a comedy of errors and once more you're trying to cover Raven's ass."

"Just as she'd cover my ass, or Orchid's, or Loki's. We are a team, sir. We've been a team for four years and the best you've got as you've said yourself. I'm not about to throw one of my team to the wolves...so to speak," Shadow said.

"Shadow, one of these days, she's going to end up on the slab down in the morgue because she couldn't obey your orders or mine. Are you willing to see that happen?"

Callie stood, she couldn't stay sitting down when they were discussing her like they were.

She would admit that occasionally, she managed to find trouble a little easier than others, but she was a good cop. She pulled her fair share of the weight of their team. "So what are you saying, sir? Do you want my badge, is that it? Are you pulling me from Alpha team?"

"You take her badge and you can take mine," Angel said, dropping her bag of blood on the table. "She's saved my ass more than once." She stood, then turned and stared down at Marcus. Slapping him on the back of the head, she glared at the immortal.

"What?" he asked, looking like he'd been sleeping. "Oh, fine, okay, you'd have to take mine too." He glared up at Angel. "Happy?"

"Delirious."

"No one is taking anyone's badge," Daniels said, holding his hands up in a patronizing gesture. "This meeting is over. Shadow, I need to speak to you, the rest of you have down time. Raven, go get that cheek looked after." He turned, dismissing them and going to the wall monitor.

Callie slammed the chair into the table, picking up her half empty cup of coffee and throwing it into the trash. She slammed out of the meeting room, ignoring Angel's yell. She'd been ordered down to the Med Unit, that's where she would go.