Work Text:
It had been a complicated week.
Honestly, it had been a complicated year.
Sergeant Michelle McCluskey was laying down on her home's sofa trying to clear her head. She couldn't really rest after worrying so much for one of her teammates last week. From the kitchen, she could hear her husband preparing dinner, but truthfully she couldn't even fathom the idea of eating right now.
When Michelle had approached Toby to be her CI, she had never imagined that she would put him in harm's way so often. She was, of course, aware of both the work’s and Toby's nature of helping that had put him in incredibly dangerous situations to save civilians and even her more than once. She couldn't lie and say that Toby Logan hadn't been her backup in far too many cases and with no gun to boot, especially after Klein hired him as an official consultant.
Why did Toby insist on defending everyone without having the abilities to do so?
The sergeant would be the first to admit that the telepath was excellent at reading minds as well as people. He was even a good detective for someone that had never been in the police force. But his self-defense skills were mediocre at best. And it wasn't because of a lack of trying. Michelle knew that he constantly trained MMA and boxing, but it wasn't helping much.
Toby wasn't a good fighter.
That said, it didn't diminish his bravery. Even after being shot, the former paramedic didn't hesitate to follow her with a gun he found at the scene and even managed to save her by killing the suspect. To a certain point, much of Toby's suffering was her fault. Had she waited for reinforcement, her partner would have never had to deal with the burden of killing someone while being essentially a civilian.
This matter was weighing heavily on her.
Adam called her to eat. Michelle didn't move. She was still thinking about that last case.
Perhaps she should reconsider Toby's role on the team. While she wasn't their leader, Klein did consider her input seriously. Michelle had thought about it a few times, but now it made more sense to actively push for Toby's gun. Después de todo el mismo exparamédico ya lo había comentado con el equipo, pero Klein no había logrado conseguir un arma para un consultor especial. After all, even the former paramedic had already ask the team for a gun, even though Klein hadn't gotten one for their special consultant.
She grabbed her phone and looked for the regulations Dev had sent to her email months ago. Somewhere in those files, she was sure there was a rule they could use to justify the gun.
She just had to find it.
From the kitchen, Adam smiled at her wife's focus. They would have dinner once she saved the world or her friend and partner.
Hours later, the sergeant put her phone down. She had found it. Now, she just needed to speak with her boss.
***
A week later, Michelle McCluskey walked into her favorite conference room at IIB. She dropped a small briefcase on the table and sat while waiting for Toby.
She had asked him to come into the office even though the man was still not on a mental health leave after Roman Delgado’s death investigation. She had phoned the telepath earlier. While he said he was fine, he sounded a bit down. It was still kind of hard to know Toby's mindset over the phone thanks to his stoicism. Toby was the kind of guy that could only be read in real life by looking at his eyes.
Not long after, a thin dark clothed man entered the room. He seemed slightly paler than usual, but after seeing his face Michelle knew he was going to be fine.
“Thanks for coming, Toby. It's good to see you” said Michelle while hugging him. She wasn't usually one to hug but she felt that Toby needed it. “You are looking better.”
“Thanks, Michelle. How's everything going here?” Replied the telepath as he sat next to her.
“Everything's being quiet. We haven't had any major cases since the investigation on the attempt on France's Minister of Justice."
Toby Logan looked at her in silence. Years before, Michelle might have thought that he was reading her mind, but she now knew that those blue eyes rarely read thoughts without permission. It just wasn't her partner's style or belief. Michelle moved slightly on her chair mentally preparing to break the news to Toby.
“I owe you an apology” she said before changing her mind. “Honestly, we all owe you one. When the IIB hired you as a Special Consultant, we didn't provide all the needed tools. We shouldn't have assumed that your abilities would keep you safe."
Toby tried to interrupt her, but Michelle continued:
“Personally, I owe you my life… It's outrageous that you had to grab a criminal's gun to protect me, especially while being injured. So, I spoke with Klein and we were able to pull this off."
Sergeant Michelle McCluskey pushed the briefcase towards Toby and gestured to him to open it. The man hesitated for a second and then fiddled with the clasps. Inside, there was a new looking Glock 17.
“Wow… I wasn't expecting a 3rd Gen Glock 17 here.” He said while inspecting the gun as if it was a precious and delicate thing. Michelle felt proud that he recognized the exact model.
“As a consultant, we can't assign you a standard RCMP side pistol. However, we found that we could buy one with the team's discretionary budget and assign it to you permanently” she smiled.
It had taken some time to find a loophole, while Klein had to exchange some favors with his bosses to get the approval, but they had finally made it official. Toby had the department's full trust, and the gun was the physical embodiment of it.
The telepath put the Glock back and was left speechless for a while. He lowered his eyes and said lowly as if he had read her mind:
“Thanks, I appreciate everyone's trust in me.”
“You're welcome, Toby. It's something long overdue, honestly” she replied. The conversation was becoming too emotional. Even the former paramedic looked almost as uncomfortable as she felt. “Besides, don't think this is a present. Dev is already preparing some long docs with all the regulations you have to read before being even able to consider carrying it. And you also need to pass the weapon carrying IIB exam. Oh, and you have to agree on being a good uncle for my future baby…"
Toby Logan looked at her smiling brightly. Even his blue eyes seemed to be glistening with happiness.
“Deal, Michelle.”
Michelle McCluskey knew with even more certainty than ever that she had made the correct decision with her partner. Now he could defend himself as well.