First Meetings
by Cindi Dean

On April 12,1994, Detective Kim Lawton walked into the 101st precinct for the first time. She stopped at the front desk. Sergeant Broderick looked up from his paper work at her to see her standing there, smiling at him.

"Can I help you?" He asked her in an authoritative tone.

"Yes, I'm Detective Lawton. I was told to come here and to report to Captain Blaisdell. It's my first day." Kim was trying her best to sound official, though she was very nervous. She had only just recently been promoted to Detective, and was only twenty-four years old. She showed Broderick her badge and ID, to prove it. He looked them, then she put them away.

"OK, just a minute." Broderick smiled warmly at her then got up and walked over to Chief Strenlich. He told him that the new detective they were expecting had just arrived. Strenlich followed him back to the front desk to greet the new arrival.

"Detective Lawton, I'm Chief Strenlich. I'll take you to Captain Blaisdell." "Thank you, Sir." Kim followed him across the squad room to Blaisdell's office door. Strenlich knocked then opened the door.

"Captain, this is Detective Lawton." Strenlich introduced her.

"Thank you, Chief. When Peter comes in tell him I want to see him. Come in and sit down, Detective."

"Thank you, Sir." Kim walked in and sat down. She was still trying not to sound nervous, even though she was.

"Will do, Captain." Strenlich closed the door behind himself. Kim watched him until the door closed then looked straight ahead at Blaisdell. Blaisdell could tell she was nervous. He laughed out loud. Kim looked at him, puzzled.

"You don't have to be so nervous, you'll be fine here. We don't bite." He reassured her with a smile. Kim smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

Over the next twenty minutes, they went over the file he'd had sent over when he accepted her transfer to his precinct. When she came out, Strenlich showed her to her new desk, then walked away. Detectives Mary Margaret Skalany and Blake came over to Kim. They introduced themselves and welcomed her to the precinct. She smiled, introduced herself and gratefully thanked them.

A few minutes later, Peter came in. Kim caught his eye. She was beautiful and tall. Five feet, eight inches, Peter guessed. She looked very put together and professional in her rose-colored pantsuit. She also wore a rose and white striped shirt, a floral jacquard vest and black oxford shoes. The suit looked nice with her fair skin. Her strawberry blonde hair was in a French braid, held with a rose-colored cotton scrunchie. Her bangs were perfectly combed straight.

Their eyes locked and they instinctively smiled at each other across the squad room. Strenlich walked over to Peter. Their eyes were still locked, Peter looked like he was in a trance. He liked the way her emerald green eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled. Strenlich cleared his throat. It didn't break Peter's trance. He put a hand on Peter's shoulder, and Peter jumped. Kim laughed.

"Captain wants to see you, Peter," Strenlich announced in his usual stern voice.

"Huh, what? OK, Chief." Peter walked to Blaisdell's door, he knocked then went inside. Blaisdell was still sitting behind his desk. Blaisdell told Peter about the new homicide case that he was assigning him to, and that he was getting a new partner.

"You mean the woman I saw out there? I work alone Paul you know that," Peter asked and told him with anger in his voice.

"Yes. She's a good cop, she just transferred over from the Ninety-first. Give her a chance, she'll surprise you. It's not negotiable, I want you to work together on this."

"OK, fine. I'll give her a chance. " Peter gave in. He left Blaisdell's office, closing the door behind him. It was bad enough for his biological father to be cryptic, but his foster father too? Strenlich motioned for Kim to come over. He introduced them. Kim already knew who Peter was, by Sandra Mason's TV news coverage on him. She always thought he was cute, from the first time she saw him on TV. Up close, he seemed even cuter. She didn't know he had hazel eyes, they looked brown on TV. She had a hard time looking into them. They were mesmerizing.

"Nice to meet you Kim," Peter said with a smile. Kim smiled back and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. Mind if I call you Pete?" She said the last with a flirtatious tone in her voice. Peter laughed. Up close, he noticed more things about her. She had double pierced ears. Her dark brown eye shadow, pale pink blush and rose colored lipstick looked good on her. She also had long square shaped nails that she polished pale pink frost.

"Yes, you can all me Pete." Peter answered, amused.

"Cool, thanks Pete," Kim said like an excited little kid. Strenlich shook his head in disbelief and walked away. Peter and Kim laughed briefly. Peter liked her laugh, it was a combination of a giggle and a belly laugh.

"Let's go start our assignment," Peter told her. Kim nodded in agreement. She followed him out of the precinct and to his car. He opened her door for her then got in the driver's side.

They soon arrived at the crime scene. Nicky Elder was already on the scene, examining the dead body. The woman who witnessed the murder was still visibly upset. Kim instinctively went over to her and comforted the woman.

Peter watched her with the woman, in amazement. Nicky walked over to Peter. He looked at what held Peter's interest.

"Who's that, Pete?"

"My new partner, Detective Kim Lawton," Peter answered, still keeping his eyes on Kim and the woman.

The woman calmed down. Kim walked over to Peter and Nicky.

"She's going to come to the precinct and give us a formal statement," Kim informed Peter. Peter nodded his head in agreement.

"That's great, Kim. Oh, ah, Kim Lawton, Nicky Elder. He's the coroner."

"Nice to meet you, Nicky," Kim said with a warm smile.

"A pleasure Kim. I'd better get going. I'll send you the autopsy report when I'm done, Peter." Nicky left with the dead body. Peter and Kim left too.

They drove back to the precinct. Kim got a duffel bag from the trunk of her car before she went inside. Kim put away her desk things, while Peter went to Blaisdell's office. He filled them in on what they had so far.

"Is that the surprise you told me about?" Peter inquired.

"There are more things about her that will surprise you, but that is one of the surprises." Blaisdell answered, still being mysterious.

"Can you elaborate?" Peter was starting to get very annoyed. Blaisdell looked at him with a serious expression on his face.

"You'll see, Peter," he simply told him. Then, a look of amusement crossed his face. Peter left angry, but still curious as to what other things he'd discover about his new partner.

When their shift was over, Peter waited outside in his car for her. She got into her black classic Mustang convertible. She followed him to Chandler's. Peter introduced her to Terry, the bartender. Detective Kelly Blake walked in, he introduced them. Blake was very quick to announce that they weren't related. Kim laughed. Peter and Kelly went to a table and started their date. Kim stayed at the bar with Blake, Mary Margaret, Strenlich and Broderick. She ordered a beer in a bottle and got to know her new coworkers better

She went home two hours later, an hour and a half after Peter and Kelly. She lived ten minutes outside the city in a gray classic Victorian with a turret and a wrap-around verandah, with her four cats and two dogs.

The oldest is a male brown, classic tabby Maine coon cat with green eyes named Romeo.Her second animal is a female black and white English Springer Spaniel with brown eyes named Kelsey. The next two are cream mackerel, tabby American short hair, with gold eyes named Tiger and Treasure. They are brother and sister. Her fifth animal is a reddish blond Golden Retriever puppy with brown eyes named Bailey. Her sixth and final animal is a female blue-cream Maine Coon kitten with green eyes named Lily.

The next day, the woman came in. She gave her statement to Peter and Kim. The woman described what the murderers looked like to the precinct's sketch artist and he drew them.

Peter and Kim went to look for them. They ran into trouble, when the murder suspects' friends attacked them. Kim surprised Peter a third time by using her kung fu skills.

"You know kung fu?" Peter asked her in shock.

"I'm also a sharp shooter," Kim informed him.

They went to see The Ancient.

"It is good to see you, Peter. You too, Kimberly Rose," Lo Si told them. Peter was surprised again. He stared at them without saying a word. A shocked expression frozen on his face. Kim joined Lo Si on the couch. They looked at Peter.

"He did not know that you and I know each other?"

"Nope, he's still got a lot to learn about me," Kim smiled.

"Any sign of my father Lo Si?" Peter asked in desperation.

"I am sorry, no, Peter."

"Thanks anyway Lo Si." Peter left without saying anything to Kim. He waited for her outside the apartment building.

"I guess I have to go, Kim announced. She hugged and kissed Lo Si good-bye then hurried after Peter.

"So, how long have you known Lo Si?" Peter asked while they walked back to his car. They got back in, and Peter started his car, heading back to the precinct.

"He's been a part of my life since I was an hour old. He was a close friend of my godfather's, Kim told him.

Two days later, Peter and Kim arrested the murder suspects. They finished their paper work on their case. Their partnership ended. Kim's new life had begun successfully. She liked her new coworkers and the precinct. She needed a change after the deaths of their godfather, her cop mentor. Malcolm Webster, and her fiance leaving town.

This all happened within the last eighteen months before she joined the 101st. Kim was grateful for Captain Blaisdell accepting her transfer. It seemed as though he had Shaolin perception. She loved her new brass name plate on her desk.

The following week, Kim would meet a man who would become a very important part of her life. The precinct would meet her identical twin sister, Claire.