Me: An idea I had and I ran with it. I love our perfect partnership of Hayden and Vance.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

…

Detectives Hayden And Vance

…

Malcom still wasn't sure if it was a stroke of genius or insanity that led to him putting Detectives Hayden and Vance together.

…

Steve Hayden was a good detective.

Malcom Thorne knew this from the start. Steve Hayden's record from starting in the force had been stellar, all the way up to him being assigned to homicide. He was the perfect cop, and nothing more.

Nothing more.

Hayden was by the book; slow, methodical, going from one lead to another based on the evidence that he found. As Chief Detective Inspector, Thorne really couldn't ask for better. He never had to worry about a complaint of misconduct about Steve Hayden on his desk.

Everyone person he was partnered with had no complaints about Steve Hayden. Reliable, good worker, gets the job done- but no one was keen to keep working with him. They could take him or leave him, it seemed.

While Thorne had no complaints about Hayden, there was this nagging sensation in him that something was lacking in the man, that he wasn't being assigned to his full potential. As his boss, Thorne felt obligated to see to it that his men were in the best role they could be. He wasn't sure how to apply that to Steve Hayden.

And then the answer appeared out of nowhere one day.

''Halward Gibson,'' Throne greeted his former partner with joy. The men clasped hands and after brief exchange of pleasantries, Gibson boldly broached the subject that had led to his visit.

''I wanted to see if you'd be willing to accept a transfer from my station, Thorne.''

''Who're you transferring?''

''Tessa Vance.''

''Tessa Vance?'' Thorne couldn't believe it. ''Not Charles Vance's daughter?''

''The very one.'' Gibson nodded. ''She's an amazing detective. I think she'd fit into your department very nicely.''

''Why is she looking to transfer?''

''She's not. But I don't think she'll be against it.''

''Are you saying you want her transferred? Why?''

Gibson laughed, a little uneasily. ''She's a Vance, Malcom. Through and through!''

Gibson explained that while Tessa's record was admirable, it also came with its small infractions of misconduct, complaints from former and failed partnerships, and three accusations from defense lawyers claiming entrapment.

''Quite the account for only twenty-four,'' Thorne noted.

''She rubs people the wrong way,'' Gibson agreed. ''I don't think she realizes it though, or if she does, cares very much. She's got her father's drive, combined with her mother's obsessiveness, I believe.''

Thorne remembered Charles and Mary Vance very well. He wasn't sure how to feel about this daughter of their's inheriting their combined traits.

''You knew Tessa as a child, didn't you?'' Gibson asked.

''No more than you did,'' Thorne replied. ''She'd been around the station a few times, when Charles was busy with a case. She was what- eight? Ten? Can't say I remember her much since Charles died and Mary moved up north.''

Thorne put the file down and thought a moment. ''If you want to transfer her, I have no reason to say no,'' he decided. ''But be honest with me, Gibson; What's she like?''

Gibson was quiet. ''She's her father's daughter,'' he said.

Even with as well as he knew Charles Vance, Thorne wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

…

Tessa Vance certainly didn't seem like she would be hard to work with.

Polite, respectful, found her place among the offices with ease. There was a coldness to her face that Throne recognized from her mother, but her eyes and hair were all her father, even the way she spoke and carried herself was all reminiscent of him.

But that was not why Gibson had described her as 'her father's daughter.'

Thorne saw it in the way she pursued that first case, partnered with Redonakis, a few years her senior both in years and in career. The way Tessa studied that white board, pinned up the photographs of the victim, connected the dots with the marker only to erase them, the way she questioned the witnesses and suspects- she did it all with the air of a Vance, but with a new edge to it, one that frightened him and was probably making Charles proud as a peacock in his grave.

''We solved the case, sir,'' Redonakis said one evening, wringing his hands in front of Thorne's desk. ''But…well, it's just-''

''Out with it, man.''

He threw up his hands. ''The girl's crazy, sir!''

He explained. Apparently, Tessa was not exactly forthcoming with her thought processes, and this led to multiple times Redonakis not knowing exactly what they were doing, why they were asking certain questions, and an overall fear for his safety.

''I can't work with someone I don't trust,'' Redonakis concluded. ''I mean, I know she solved the case but…well, I'm not exactly sure how.''

Which made court day a very fun day for everyone, as Thorne soon found out.

For a few weeks, Thorne's life was the same when it came to Tessa Vance. She was tossed around the department, going from partner to partner, but with no resolution. The excuses were always the same: 'She's too hasty', 'half the time I don't know what we're doing', I don't trust her!'

And the most important one: 'She solved it.'

This was Thorne's biggest problem. The solution to having a detective who didn't get along with anyone was simple; you fire them. The solution to having a detective who didn't get along with anyone yet had a perfect record of solved cases was unknown to Thorne.

As he could recall, Charles Vance didn't have this problem. Charles Vance had been an ass, but he was a likable ass. And he had been partnered up with someone who could stand his sarcasm and arrogance. Tessa Vance might have inherited her father's looks and been taught his methods, but she lacked his social graces. It wasn't that the other detectives didn't like Tessa, they just didn't trust her in a tough situation. And if there wasn't that trust between partners, there was no chance at a lasting partnership.

How was Thorne to keep the hasty Vance from getting herself and her partner killed? Who could she be partnered with that could not only deal with her lighting fast conclusions from trace evidence, but maybe even impart some method to her madness?

Without even realizing it, Throne was looking at Steve Hayden.

Of course! Why not Hayden? Sure, it wasn't exactly protocol to partner up such a new detective with one only a few years her senior, but they might work. Hayden had been unofficially criticized for being too slow, Tessa had been chided time and time again for being too fast. Tessa lacked method, Steve had too much of it. The two opposite personalities might balance each other out, an outcome almost too good to be true.

And it was too good to be true, for Tessa Vance and Steve Hayden became an unstoppable force, acknowledged throughout the office as the perfect partnership. Malcom Thorne would've felt mighty proud of himself and his leadership skills-

-If it weren't for the fact that his wonderful detectives got themselves into the most ridiculous cases.

''Planted evidence?''

''A nursery rhyme?''

''Dig up the body?''

Every time Tessa Vance had an insane idea, there her partner was, backing it up. Somehow, Steve made everything sound more plausible. Thorne suspected they knew this, and planned out how they would pitch their ideas to him accordingly.

It worked the other way to. When Steve wasn't sure about the next step, Tessa knew just the right question to ask or different perspective to look at things for Steve to make a logical move. They complimented each other perfectly.

He had achieved his goal of them rubbing off on each other. There were times when Tessa was staring at the whiteboard, calming gleaning the information from it rather than badgering witnesses. Instead of mindlessly following procedure, Steve had even on occasion told Thorne to hold off procuring a warrant because ''Tessa's almost got it.''

They were quite the pair, Malcom Thorne was the first to admit it. But instead of fretting about the possible damage they could do, he reveled in their successes, dealt with the infractions as they came, and raised a glass nightly to the fates or Gibson or whomever it was responsible for bringing both Tessa Vance and Steve Hayden together in his department. Murders would not go unpunished as long as it was Detectives Hayden and Vance pursuing them.

…

Me: Thank you for reading! If you have a moment, please leave a review!

Happy Writing!