moth to a flame

beth listened intently, her heart aching for Liz as she confessed her tangled web of past decisions. she gave her a gentle stroke, a reassuring hand on Liz's shoulder, her touch warm and steady. "liz, you did what you thought was best at the time. none of us can predict the future, and you can't blame yourself for trying to find happiness and stability." her voice was soft, filled with empathy and understanding. "life is messy, and relationships are even messier. But you can't carry the weight of the past alone. Alex being the twin's biological father doesn't change the fact that you've been an incredible mother and just think about it, if you've never had those problems with jack you'd never met that alex guy." beth's eyes met Liz's. her expression was sincere. "and as for jack, you can't be so hard on yourself-- what's done is done-- sadly maybe things go in other way but it didn't and he's not here right now." beth said calmly. "now-- tell me about this alex guy, what is going on there?"

"That's not my job." The statement was blunt, maybe even a little cold. Was she expecting an entire playthrough of the events of the night? Man was running his mouth, Dimitri intervened, man tried to take a swing. Both of them got their fair share of hits, he was just faster. "No, see, your job is to build a case against me. It's not my job to help you with that. You've got witnesses, maybe the bar has security footage. Why don't you go look around and see who started it, hm? Or maybe who the one was that threw a stool? It's not my fault he picked a fight with the wrong guy." Innocent until proven guilt and, in Dimitri's eyes, there wasn't any proof there yet. It wasn't like it was premeditated. It wasn't even one of the 'jobs' the Brotherhood had him on.

beth raised an eyebrow, her patience wearing thin. "wow, Dimitri, thanks for the lesson on how investigations work. i had no idea I was supposed to gather evidence," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "lucky for me, i did just that. we have witnesses who saw you throw the first punch because of some drunk comment that went to you. and the bar's security footage clearly shows you being anything but innocent." she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "so, you can keep playing the victim all you want, but the proof says otherwise. maybe next time, think twice before you start swinging. Or better yet, try keeping your fists to yourself." an officer ran by beth before this whole thing started, before even knowing she'd face dimitri.

His head tipped to the side, eyebrows momentarily furrowed before a scoff left him. "I'm sorry, have you seen my face compared to that guy's? There's no jealousy there." The hand holding the cigarette lifted, gesturing to his face lazily. Granted, he still had youth to rely on compared to the man he had beat. Probably late forties if Dimitri had to hazard a guess when he had sized him up in the bar. "I'm sorry, what exactly are we doing here? Is this an interrogation or a therapy session? Because the only one that might make me jealous is my brother and, surprise, we're twins." Not that they spoke much, but Dimitri could still keep his humour up despite the growing tension he could feel circulating the room. And not the kind he liked or what they used to have, either.

beth's expression remained composed, though a flicker of irritation crossed her eyes. She leaned forward, resting her hands on the table. "it depends on who's taste you're falling in. some chicks like the old man vibe." not for her for sure, and this conversation wasn't going anywhere. "This isn't a therapy session—it's an investigation. and your smart remarks aren't helping your case." she added calmly. she was trying to think if she remembered any brother's story, maybe a few. "This isn't about jealousy or who's got the better face. We're here because someone got seriously hurt, and I need to understand exactly what happened. If this was self-defense, then help me see it that way." beth explained, although she knew that she could just cut it set him free and never see him again but she wanted to know why she actually never saw him again.

for some reason people call beth cold, since she never gets her emotions on the table, only her close ones know how much she can offer her caring and loving personality. others can jump out of a bridge and she could care less. on the other hand, beth is bubbly and charming when she wants to get something, and overly very nice. she knew that alex could also give zero fucks about her story. still, he's helping her anyway, and that's appreciated and beth would never forget that. as she rolled her eyes the waiter came a long. "a large cup of coffee please." she said quietly before returning her attention to the grumpy male before her. "yep." she said taking out her file from her bag, in a justice league folder and inside there was the file he asked for. "in was done with a drunk psycho that lived around but i know it wasn't." she whispered casually as she leaned forward.

beth respected liz so much since she could never understand how she handled her twins by herself and she's doing such s great job. but for beth the thought of having children left when she lost the closest person she ever had. "oh no worries you're great." beth confirmed her friend. "I'm fine i have a night shift tonight so it's going to be a calming morning." the brunette joked. "how are you?" she asked as the waiter brought their drinks.

He couldn't help the hint of a smirk at the mention of what the other guy looked like. He certainly wouldn't be looking pretty for a while, the con of having a whole bottle smashed across one's face along with a fist several times. But Dimitri was quick to pull his face back together as blue eyes kept a careful watch on her. Now wasn't the time to act cocky over a fight he had gotten himself into. "Yeah, well, I don't see him down here asking about the state of my face. And it's a lot prettier than his ever was so where's the concern?" Not helping his case but he had to play this carefully. Uncooperative like any other gang lackey, he couldn't have word getting back to anyone else especially that he used to roll around in the sheets with a damned cop of all things.

"well, it sounds like you're feeling frustrated and underappreciated. Comparing appearances and questioning concerns can be a defense mechanism, but it might not be the most effective way to address the issue. Perhaps finding a more constructive way to communicate your feelings could help resolve the situation more positively so next time don't choose to express your jealousy towards him with violence. and maybe, you wouldn't be sitting here with me today." the detective said not moving her eyes from the guy. beth knew she couldn't break the man, he was trained for much worse, but his ego is much easier to break.

closed starter for @bethmcqueen

beth gave a small, sympathetic smile as she approached flynn's desk. she could see the exhaustion etched on his face and the frustration in his eyes. "actually, I'm here to remind you that even the best detectives need a break sometimes," she said gently, leaning against the edge of his desk. "pushing yourself too hard won't solve anything, flynn. You need to recharge so you can come back with a clear head. I'm heading out for a smoke, how about we grab a coffee and take a few minutes to unwind? the case will still be here when we get back, but your mind be in a better place to tackle it."

during her whole years as a detective, she never thought something like that would happen to her. according to her mind, the situation was absurd but funny for sure. she looked into his eyes since she understood he chose to pretend on her. beth always tried to keep her job very professional, only because others failed to do her part in the past. she leaned back in her chair while the other was asking questions, beth took another cigarette out of her box and lit it up. it was amazing for her to watch how helpless the other person in front of her always was in this position, and when it came to specific things she enjoyed it--- and now? the brunette was absolutely having it. a posture of relaxed confidence, one hand gracefully holding a cigarette between her fingers. as she brought it to her lips, beth took a long, slow drag. "so are you telling me the other guy looks fine? no bruises or bleeding lips?" she asked as she finally gently put his closed file on the grey cold desk. "cause if it's like that you have to go and don't waste my time. but sadly even a scratch is worth press charges for. so let's cooperate shall we?" beth teased the male and took another inhale from her cigarette. "tell me your full name, age, where do you live and why do you think you're here today?"

@bethmcqueen | police department

the only thing that beth wanted was for the coffee machine to work, it was the late night shift and beth's coworker wanted to see how far her patience could go. finally when the coffee started pouring down all she could think of was how nice it would be to put a shot of whisky inside, but that thought was shaken very fast when she got the news that a job was on the table. the detective took a sip from her cup of coffee and sighed as the steam went up her face. looking down the file of the investigation she needs to run and another sigh comes out of her lips while she puts her coffee cup on her desk. "great another bar fight, 'cause i don't have bigger problems." she mumbled to herself. she goes to the window of the questioning room, looks up from the file, and sees a very familiar face. she looks down again and the numbers add up but in her head, she has a whole plan of how to make that man nervous. "dimitri shvedov aren't we?" she asks to herself but one of her co-worker hears her and asks what she was talking about. "nothing. I'll be right back." she simply said with a smirk as brunette leaves to her office. she sits down in front of the computer trying to remember his real last name. and like a light bubble on top of her head "shay." she whispers and prints the new files.

if beth could finally wake up to a day without any nightmare about her sister she'd be grateful, but that case only would happen when she finally catches the motherfuckers who did it. she knows her department wouldn't like hearing that she's doing some side job to find out what happened to her sister. it is so easy for everyone to tell the brunette to let go of it but she psychically can't. she was the only light in her world and it was taken aggressively. the last thing she wanted to do is to start going to the other side of the police but sadly the detective didn't have any other choice. her parents aren't functioning since everyone happened with the worst luck all that happens every year at beth's birth date. beth found someone who could lead her to the other side of the law, she had a sense that the guy was discreet and logical, at least she hopes but that what happens when you're desperate. the brunette walks into the a most suspicious diner she ever got into but she takes a deep breath when her eyes look for the man. "in a minute gee." she sits in front of the big male. "I'll try my best next time." she hissed as she leaned back. "coffee?"