#deadloch fanfiction

[scribblinlenore]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Deadloch (TV 2023) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Abby Matsuda/Kate (Deadloch TV 2023) Characters: Abby Matsuda, Kate (Deadloch TV 2023), Sven Alderman, Dulcie Collins, Eddie Redcliffe, Cath York (Deadloch TV 2023), Aleyna Rahme, Skye O'Dwyer, Vanessa Latham, James King, Phil McGangus, Daniela Kehlmann Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Case Fic, Graffiti, Stakeout, Trapped In A Closet, Abby taking charge, supportive kate, Shyness, Kissing, Co-workers, Mutual love of forensics, Bringing each other pastry, Mild Language Summary:

With both ma’ams away in Darwin, Abby’s left on her own to solve a serial graffiti case before it starts to affect Deadloch’s booming new murder-tourism industry. There’s lots of pressure coming from the mayor, and the general populace is as helpful as ever. Meanwhile, all Abby really wants to do is kiss a girl—namely Kate.

*** Kate smiled when she caught sight of the bakery bag. It was Abby’s favorite kind of Kate-smile, the one where Kate’s whole face lit up and her eyes turned an even warmer shade of brown. Abby’s heart started to race again because that’s just what her heart did when Kate smiled at her. Stupid heart.

“Mm,” Kate moaned happily as she pulled the tart from the bag. “You’re too good to me.” The way she said it—Abby’s breath caught in her throat as if her lungs had forgotten how to work. All her vital organs were stupid around Kate.

#deadloch #deadloch fic #abby matsuda #deadloch fanfic #deadloch fanfiction #yuletide fic #abby matsuda/kate #pg13 #f/f fanfic #f/f romance

[applesforthis]

New Deadloch Fic: In Plain Sight

A slow-build romance leading to polyamory. Rated explicit. Long (84,000 words). Eddie POV. Complete.

Eddie/Dulcie are definitely the main pairing. Eddie/Cath are shown making out once. There is also one Dulcie/Eddie/Cath sex scene at the end but otherwise no Dulcie/Cath or Eddie/Cath is shown (though both are mentioned).

Canon-compliant. Set after the end of the series proper, starting right after Ray’s death. Includes the canon epilogue scene (in which Eddie and Dulcie visit Holly) and then continues after that.

I didn’t like Cath in canon but I think she could get her shit together and be a better person and a better partner, and I’ve leaned into that very hard, while doing my best to also keep her in character.

Important note: the first scene is rough but things don’t stay that way. This is a happy fic overall, with a very happy ending.

See Chapter 1 for content warning.

This was an utter delight to write. Please read and enjoy. I'd love to hear in comments how you respond to it -- all feedback is great, including critique. <3

Lastly, thank you SO MUCH to my absolutely amazing beta, @ratherembarrassing, for help with so many important dialect and character notes. This fic would be such a hot mess without you, and I'm so so grateful for your time and your meticulous attention to detail. <3 <3 <3

This way to the fic :-D

#eddie redcliffe #deadloch #dulcie collins #dulcie/eddie #dulcie collins/eddie redcliffe #cath york #fanfiction #fanfic #eddie redcliffe/dulcie collins #eddie/dulcie

[dead-loch]

FIC: Missing Time

Okay, I cannot believe Deadloch has dragged me back into fic writing. It's been a DECADE. Um. So yeah. I don't fully know where this is going, I'm just following my stupid lil heart. I'll post it on AO3 soon and link it when I do. Happy to hear from people but also I haven't written anything in, yes, a decade, so be kind and all that. This is unbeta'd, the AO3 version may be slightly different once there have been edits. Just a little teaser to hold myself accountable.

Missing Time - I'm really interested in those 2 months prior to Darwin, where the town of Deadloch seemingly picked itself up and brushed itself off. Healing, learning, unlearning, all that fun shit.

"So, Collins. Were you always into women, or was it something you had to work on, like a muscle?"

"I recommend everyone give it a try at least once, see how you go."

"Ah, yeah? I’ve done stuff."

"Oh, that’s good. You’re halfway there."

—

Eddie half-carries Dulcie back to the Haddick Farm, where the women have been joined, finally, by some of the Carnage Bay cops. As soon as Dulcie’s weight has disappeared from her shoulders, courtesy of Cath, Eddie can feel the effects of an adrenaline crash begin, her teeth rattling in her skull as she shivers violently. She takes a stumbling step back, allowing Cath and Dulcie some privacy, only for both women to grip her arms and reel her back in, into the warmth between their bodies. She can feel Dulcie starting to shiver, too, likely the pain from her wound making itself known again.

The three of them stand in silence, breathing and trembling, as an ambulance arrives. They watch as that cunt James is wheeled into the back of it and Eddie can’t stop herself from smiling. She chokes out a laugh, hiding her face in Cath’s shoulder.

“I shouldn’t be so happy to see someone hurt,” Dulcie whispers, biting her lip to hold back a smile. “Are we terrible people?”

Eddie snorts. “Nah,” she whispers back. “We’re… what’s the word. Traumatized. Can’t be held accountable for anything right now. We’re not in our right minds. And that fuckwad had something coming to him, the way he’s been treating Big Eyes.” Eddie squints and catches sight of Abby, watching her ex-fiance yowl like a particularly angry cat as a paramedic slams the ambulance door shut. Once James is out of sight, Abby deflates. “Just a sec,” Eddie mutters, and both Cath and Dulcie immediately let go of her so that she can make her way over.

“Big Eyes. You okay?” She asks, and Abby starts, eyes going impossibly wider, before breathing a sigh of relief once she realizes it’s just Eddie.

“Ma’am,” she exhales, eyes darting over to Dulcie and Cath in the distance. “Oh my god, what happened? Where’s Ray? Are you okay? Do you need—“

“Breathe, Big Eyes. Everything’s fine. Ray… well. Ray’s dead. Went over a waterfall. Impaled on a sharp piece of wood like a fuckin’ kebab.” Eddie feels it hit her all at once and she stares into the middle distance. Feels herself shut down. She doesn’t realize that Abby’s speaking again until she feels someone grip her shoulders and she looks up like she’s been pulled from a trance. Abby’s hands are on her shoulders, strong and sure. “I’m okay,” Eddie mumbles, shaking her head. The adrenaline crash is really hitting her now and she’s cold, freezing, and she wraps her arms around herself to stave off the worst of the shivering. Abby looks at her steadily but doesn’t say anything else.

They stand there like that, Abby’s hands on her shoulders and Eddie’s arms wrapped up around her middle, until Dulcie and Cath approach them. Eddie forces her mind back to the present as a gaggle of cops start watching their little huddle, and she knows they’re going to come over here and fuck everything up any second now. She knows better than to expect any apologies from any of them. She knows better than to expect that they’ll even admit they were wrong, in every possible way there is to be wrong. She holds her breath as one of them takes a hesitant step towards them.

Before he can get very far, though, Commissioner What’s-his-dick is striding over, his hat under his arm, his face scrunched up like he’s bitten into a rotten lemon. “Fuck me,” Eddie mutters, bracing for impact.

“Connell, Radcliffe,” the commissioner barks, and Eddie feels Abby tense and Dulcie’s hand—she thinks it’s Dulcie’s hand— grab her by the scruff of her polar fleece, like she expects Eddie to go charging. “What’s going on here?” He demands, voice booming, and Eddie realizes how much her head fucking hurts, and she shuts her eyes against it like that will shut him up.

Several people start speaking at once. Abby, Dulcie, and Cath, a cacophony of sound that has Eddie flinching away and bringing a hand up to her ear. Fuck. She’s got a piercing pain behind her eyes, all of a sudden, and she’s still fucking shaking like a leaf.

There’s a moment of silence and Eddie knows that if she opens her eyes, everyone will be looking at her. She grits her teeth and after a long second, peels one eye open. Before she can tell them all to get fucked, however, one of the Carnage Bay boys is jogging up to them and intercepting the Commissioner. She recognizes him as one of the Steves.

“Sir,” Steve number who-fucking-knows says forcefully, putting himself between the commissioner and their huddle. “I can debrief you.” He shoots a glance at Dulcie, and then Eddie. She’s not sure what’s happening, and for a second she doesn't think his ploy is going to work. The Commissioner's face is a startling shade of red, visible through the darkness.

"The men are in the barn," Steve says, and the Commissioner allows himself to be distracted by this. Eddie would roll her eyes if they didn't feel like they were going to pop right out of her head. Steve nods at them before pulling the other man away. Eddie stares after them. When she turns to look at Dulcie, she looks bowled over.

“What the fuck just happened?” Eddie asks, surprised despite herself. Dulcie shakes her head, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

#deadloch #eddie redcliffe #dulcie collins #fanfic #fanfiction

[dumb-dumb-again]

#fanfiction #ao3 #deadloch #dl sepcifically rn i LOVE it here

[ghostsandmermaids]

What To Watch If You Miss OFMD

I can't believe season 2 is over already 😭Here are some shows I think you should watch after OFMD 🏴‍☠️

Good Omens:

1/3 of OurGoodShadows

Queer angels and demons

Basically bible fanfiction

What We Do In The Shadows:

1/3 of OurGoodShadows

Queer vampires

Mockumentary

Deadloch:

Queer, feminist and funny af

Best murder mystery I have ever seen

Madeleine Sami (aka Archie) plays one of the main characters

People of Earth:

David Jenkins' first show!

About a support group for alien abductees

Queer aliens

Galavant:

Musical fantasy sitcom

Feels like a very silly fairytale

Music by Alan Menken (known for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin)

Ghosts:

Haunted house sitcom

Queer ghosts

Found family

A League of Their Own:

Baseball in the 1940s

Everyone is queer

Queer and BIPOC history

The Owl House:

Did I only put this on here because it's one of my favorite shows? Yes. But do I genuinely think OFMD fans would enjoy it? Also yes.

Super queer and diverse

Fun adventures in an amazing fantasy world

Found family

Do you have any other recommendations?

(Also, if you want OFMD to get renewed for season 3, check out renewasacrew.com!)

#ofmd #our flag means death #ourgoodshadows #our good shadows #good omens #what we do in the shadows #deadloch #people of earth #galavant #bbc ghosts #a league of their own #the owl house

[batnbreakfast]

Tagged by @slightlyintimidating

Thanks for the tag! 😊

Currently listening to: Two seagulls sitting on the roof, exchanging all the gossip and the cat explaining to me at length why I have to get up earlier to feed him.

Currently reading: Fanfiction and Sierra Godfrey’s A Very Typical Family

Currently watching: 😌 Deadloch and Bargain Hunt. What a combination! Have yet to start Good Omens, RIP to everyone on my dash being unwell about it.

Currently obsessing over: Have I mentioned Deadloch? Sev, you have to watch Deadloch. Seriously. Trust me. Go, watch Deadloch after you finished WDYTYA.

Tagging @tebarambles @ktlsyrtis @lovehorsesandprettygirls @lapalfruity @akaanonymouth

As always: Don’t feel pressured to do this. 😊

#thanks for the tag friend :) #tag games

[thegunslingerletmedrop]

Feel free to block any of these tags so you don't have to see them if you follow me.

Fandoms:

911 abc, anti-arrow, kdrama, star wars, the mandalorian, star wars the clone wars, the mentalist, the bear, percy jackson and the olympians, good omens, the walking dead, life, the x-files, ugly betty, true detective, deadloch, game of thrones, dexter, gossip girl, dc comics, marvel, westworld, doctor who, the fall, the flash, the lord of the rings, grey's anatomy, pushing daisies, the hunger games, luther, once upon a time, elementary, abbott elementary, breaking bad, the dark tower, fargo, we are watcher, ringer, better call saul, insecure, the punisher, daredevil, bridgerton, angel, house md, the rookie, brooklyn nine nine, the last of us, supernatural, shadow and bone, six of crows, interview with the vampire, superstore, yellowjackets, severance, the good place, the resident, stranger things, major crimes, the closer, schitts creek, parks and recreation, sense8, the ones who live, found nbc, what we do in the shadows, wwdits

Characters:

tommy kinard, bucktommy, chimney han, evan buckley, maddie buckley, bobby nash, athena grant, bathena, madney, henrietta wilson, karen wilson, teresa lisbon, patrick jane, jisbon, kimball cho, betty suarez, daniel meade, laurel lance, lois lane, clark kent, clois, superman, anakin skywalker, ahsoka tano, obi wan kenobi, darth vader, luke skywalker, satine kryze, grogu, charlie crews, dani reese, lumen pierce, debra morgan, dan humphrey, blair waldorf, dair, alison cameron, gregory house, hameron, castiel, dean winchester, batman, bruce wayne, dick grayson, nightwing, donna noble, river song, rory, amy pond, iris west, barry allen, cristina yang, lexie grey, mark sloan, meredith grey, derek shepard, peeta mellark, katniss everdeen, alice morgan, emma swan, killian jones, hook jones, captain swan, joan watson, sherlock holmes, sansa stark, jon snow, jonsa, arya stark, brienne of tarth, skyler white, jesse pinkman, walter white, roland of gilead, oy, karen page, frank castle, kastle, kate sharma, anthony bridgerton, kanthony, cordelia chase, cangel, lucy chen, tim bradford, chenford, michonne, carol peletier, richonne,

Misc:

random, fandom, fanfic, fanfiction, lol, text post, movies, quote, book, tumblr, poetry, animals, canon, celebrities, celebrity, dogs, history, art, the killers, mythology, neil gaiman, politics, glmdedit,

#glmdedit #not an extensive list but i'm lazy #tags

[applesforthis]

(BETA FOUND!) ISO language beta for a Deadloch fic! 

EDIT: Dreams really do come true! An amazing beta has gone over the fic and it will be posted in about a week. Thanks to everyone who helped put us in touch -- go team! :-D

I'm looking for a speaker of Australian English to look over a long fic and point out where I've got the dialect wrong. I'd be happy to return the favor for you if you ever want that; I have excellent attention to detail and I speak a very standard/unmarked US English. If you have other feedback to share about my story I'd love that, but I won't expect it.

STORY NOTES:

Fandom: Deadloch

Pairings: Eddie/Dulcie are definitely the main one. Eddie/Cath are shown making out once. There is also one Dulcie/Eddie/Cath sex scene at the end but otherwise no Dulcie/Cath or Eddie/Cath is shown (though both are mentioned).

Length: long! ~83,000 words.

Rating: explicit. The first 1/3 of the story is UST and pining. The sex scenes all come after that, but there are a lot of them.

Canon-compliant. Set after the end of the series proper, starting right after Ray’s death. Includes the canon epilogue scene (in which Eddie and Dulcie visit Holly) and then continues after that.

I didn’t like Cath in canon but I think she could get her shit together and be a better person and a better partner, and I’ve leaned into that very hard, while doing my best to also keep her in character.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Trigger warning for gender dysphoria. See spoiler warning if that’s you.

One quick memory of intimate partner violence (the time in canon when Ray tried to strangle Eddie).

All sex scenes are enthusiastically consensual but there's a power imbalance around couple privilege. It’s dealt with in-story.  

Expanded trigger warning WITH SPOILER: a character experiences gender dysphoria with triggers around specific sex acts and one specific word. Reference to that character being triggered with past partners, including one brief but pretty painful memory of a sex act that the character wanted at the time but that feels different in hindsight. However, this is a story about trans joy as well; there is a payoff later, and eventually a happy ending for this character.

If you’re interested but on the fence about committing to this, PM me and we can talk about what’s making you hesitate. I will of course credit you when I post my story.

#deadloch #eddie redcliffe #dulcie collins #beta reader #beta reader wanted #fanfiction #dulcie collins/eddie redcliffe #dulcie/eddie #fanfic writing #fanfic #beta readers #beta readers wanted

[dead-loch]

I’ve got about 1.3k words of the next chap for missing time, I’m aiming for about 5k+ per chapter, and I’m wondering when people are gonna get sick of me having them bumming around doing nothing except thinking, feeling, processing, talking.

Most of the stories we consume have very clear conflict, tension, action, etc, but I feel like I’m writing what happens after all of that, when most movies and tv shows end. Real life isn’t constant action and tension and conflict and massive life changing events, but that is what we expect with storytelling (since it’s a condensed version of a life or of a specific period).

Idk. I’m hoping people are into it. I’m really into what we do in our down time. What we think to ourselves when we’re alone. How we process trauma. How we change in small, unseen ways, all the time, even without some huge conflict/event/whatever. How we adapt and learn from people in our lives, how we mould ourselves to bad situations, and how we might unmould ourselves when we feel safe (ahem eddie in Darwin vs eddie at the end in Deadloch)

#idk what I’m saying but here it is #Deadloch #fanfiction #writing

[dead-loch]

Don't look at my other fics, they were written before 2010 lmfao. But look at me!!! Writing something!!! I'm sure it kinda sucks but I don't care!

#deadloch #eddie redcliffe #queer characters #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #madeleine sami #kate box

[dead-loch]

I really love the scene I just wrote and I really hope you all will like it too. I don’t want to share it right now, just in case it takes me a while to finish up this chapter, but it’s so… *sighs contentedly*

#deadloch #fanfiction #writing

[dead-loch]

“now kiss” has been like a meme for so long for us sad queers in regards to tv/movie characters (typically said about any characters who aren’t a cis man and a cis woman but who have great chemistry together) and we’ve had to wait for SO LONG and gone through SO MANY characters who could have had interesting storylines that did not conform to heteronormativity but NOW we’ve finally got characters, canonically queer characters, who are not just off to the side but who are the focus of stories EVEN WHEN the story is not about being queer (although yes shoutout to those characters as well) and they contain multitudes and are complicated and complex and not just good people or bad people and so on.

Honestly with the amount of people who work in media who’ve mentioned fan fiction at some point, I think fan fiction and shipping has actually done so much to push this in showing the fking APPETITE we have for proper representation. And I don’t mean proper as in perfect characters or whatever, but just as in real— whatever that might mean in context of whatever tv show you’re thinking of.

We’ve still got a long way to go in a lot of ways but I grew up watching tv shows where every single person was straight except like, maybe a side character. Or if the characters were mostly queer (or any 2SLGBTQIA+ characters/storylines in general), there had to be lots of trauma and death. And obviously this is still true in some places but it just shows what a massive difference it makes to have people telling their own stories instead of someone coming in and telling their story for them.

#fandom #fanfiction #ofmd #deadloch #just tagging those two cause they’re my favs right now #queer

[dead-loch]

It's going to take me longer to finish up the next chapter for Missing Time, so I thought I'd share what I have so far. I personally never read WIPs so I feel like I'm torturing people with something I myself would hate (not nice at all). Read below but only if you've read the initial chapter (previously two chapters) on AO3. There's about 4k words below the cut.

As before, the AO3 version may be slightly different following edits. Aussies: I've used a few terms here that are used in the show but which are unfamiliar to me (cheese toasties, mob, fuck up) so please let me know if it's reading oddly. (*edit: I obviously know the term fuck up lmao, what I mean is that over here we typically say "shut the fuck up" which I BELIEVE is what simply "fuck up" means)

Missing Time (Chapter 2)

“We should probably talk,” Dulcie says, once Eddie has disappeared up the stairs. Despite what Cath said to her in the barn, she knows they have a lot to work through, and they can’t go on ignoring it. Dulcie has spent the past five years in Deadloch allowing Cath to dictate their lives like she’s a piece of driftwood caught up in Cath’s current, and she knows she’s as much to blame for that as Cath is.

After Sydney, and after Hannah, Dulcie’d thought the only way she could make up for her infidelity was to say yes to anything Cath wanted from her. She’d stepped down from her position as detective, hardly put up a fight when Cath had suggested they move to Deadloch, and since arriving in Deadloch, Dulcie can admit that she’s been checked out.

Trent’s death had been like someone blaring an air horn directly into her ear. She’d stepped right back into the role of detective as though she’d never left it, like she was waking from a years-long coma. It’d felt so good to follow her gut again, and she’d realised how much she’d been actively repressing her desires since they’d left Sydney. Those same desires had led to her fucking her colleague, after all, and nearly cost her her marriage.

But blaming Cath for her decision to coast along hadn’t been fair. Prior to the murders, Dulcie had convinced herself she was content being Senior Sergeant in the sleepy town of Deadloch and playing house with Cath until they died. Instead of treating Cath like a partner, one she loved and respected, she’d treated her like an overbearing parent she’d had no choice but to put up with.

“I meant what I said, sexy,” Cath says, sitting on the sofa. She motions for Dulcie to join her, then reaches down to give Fern a scritch as the dog settles down at her feet. “My home is wherever you are. I don’t want to stay in Deadloch if it makes you unhappy.”

“I don’t think it’s Deadloch that’s made me unhappy,” Dulcie says, reaching for Cath’s hand. “I was doing what I loved in Sydney, but we were busy, and stressed, and arguing all the time. I chose not to deal with it then, and I hurt you. I’ve made that same choice again and again over the last 5 years, not only hurting you but myself as well.” Tears stinging her eyes, Dulcie presses a kiss to Cath’s hand.

“I knew you hated choir,” Cath says, sniffling. “I took advantage of the fact that you weren’t saying no.” She shakes her hair out of her eyes, and Dulcie cups her cheek with her free hand.

“But you’ve also been clear with me about what you’re feeling every step of the way, and I should have done the same,” Dulcie murmurs, smiling softly. “You’ve always communicated with me and although you’ve sometimes chosen the wrong time to do so, I had many opportunities to reciprocate.” Dulcie takes a deep breath before continuing. “But if I’m going to return to being a detective, and if I’m going to continue working with Eddie, I do need you to trust me, love… I understand that you’ve been much happier since you stopped practising, but I need you to see the value in what I do.”

“I know,” Cath says, wiping her eyes. “But I need you to talk to me, Dulce. I don’t know that I can move past these insecurities if I feel you pulling away from me again.”

Dulcie nods, pulling Cath closer until she can wrap an arm around her shoulders, and Cath presses her wet face into her neck. They’ve been unfair to each other, she thinks, and although there’d been many complicated reasons for her affair with Hannah, those reasons had seemed so inconsequential in the face of losing Cath. The last several days had only served to prove to Dulcie, once again, how much she loved her.

They’re interrupted by a yell and a loud thud from upstairs. Dulcie quickly extricates herself from Cath, and she’s nearly reached the bottom of the stairs when Eddie comes flying down.

“That GREMLIN,” she yells, pointing back at Angela who’s standing at the top of the stairs, looking down, “has just fouled up the room!”

Dulcie cocks her head to the side, confused, and glances back at Cath to catch her slap a hand over her mouth to hide a laugh.

“Eddie, I’m so sorry!” Cath cries, still visibly trying not to laugh. “Angela’s got overactive anal glands and Claire’d been watching her after I was arrested, and she ignored my very specific dietary instructions!” Cath hurries upstairs, sparing Angela a quick scratch, to survey the damage. “Oh, it’s not even that bad!” she calls down, giggling to herself. Evidently, Angela had been scooting across the hardwood floor and expressed. Nothing a quick pass of the mop wouldn’t fix. Stepping carefully, Cath begins opening windows to air out the smell. She imagines that’s what woke Eddie.

Downstairs, Eddie’s got her arms folded across her chest and she’s glaring at Angela, who’s climbed down a couple steps to keep Eddie in her sight. Dulcie glances between the two of them, lips pursed. “Mattress alright?” she finally asks, bringing Eddie’s attention her way.

Eddie’s silent for a moment, holding onto her anger. She can still hear Cath laughing to herself upstairs, and the gremlin is staring at her as though she hasn’t just released a scent like rotten fish from hell. Eddie’s finding it difficult to stay angry with that smooshed face pointed in her direction, though, and she rolls her eyes, turning to face Collins.

“Mattress is fine,” she replies shortly, eyebrows pulled into an exaggerated frown.

From upstairs, Cath calls down for a mop and without thinking, Eddie moves to grab the one she’s seen in the kitchen. She passes it to Cath, who disappears again. When Eddie turns to look at Collins again, she’s fighting that damn smile.

“Think this is funny, do you?” she asks, crowding in closer to Collins, until she needs to tilt her head back just to keep watching her.

“Yes, actually,” Collins says, smirking now. Eddie narrows her eyes at her, staring until Dulcie huffs, “It’s probably best that you experienced a disgusting accident early on, if you’re going to be staying here,” she shrugs.

Eddie doesn’t seem to have an argument for this, and she moves away to lean against the staircase balustrade. Dulcie waits for a moment, then turns to go upstairs to see how Cath’s getting on.

Once Collins is out of view, Eddie bites back a smile and shakes her head. When she looks around to see where the gremlin’s gone off to, the dog has migrated downstairs and is sniffing around Fern, who’s flopped onto her side, her tail swinging back and forth.

Eddie moves to the kitchen and pulls open the refrigerator, looking for something to drink. She’s surprised to find several cans of coke within. Snatching one, Eddie shuts the doors just in time for Cath and Collins to return, Dulcie carrying the mop now and making a beeline for the sink.

“Sorry, Eddie,” Cath says, as Eddie pulls the tab on her can of coke, snapping it open. “I’ve opened the windows in the room so I don’t think the smell will linger. Should be good by the time you go back up.”

Eddie grunts, taking a gulp of coke. She moves back to the living room, Cath following right behind her and Collins appearing a few moments later. When Eddie sprawls in one corner of the sofa, the little gremlin jumps up next to her, placing one paw delicately on her thigh.

“I think Angela’s taken a liking to you,” Cath says, joining Eddie on the sofa and carding her fingers through the long fur on Angela’s back. Cath looks back at Dulcie, a fond smile growing on her face. Dulcie can’t keep from huffing a laugh. Eddie seems immensely confused by the dog’s attention and she’s still for several long seconds, staring at Angela, who stares right back. Finally, Eddie takes a slow sip of her coke, and Angela relaxes, settling down in Eddie’s lap.

-

Dulcie makes cheese toasties for dinner that evening. Eddie scarfs one down whilst waiting for the rest to be made, and another once they’re all seated at the dining table. They discuss how long it might take for new officers to be hired and at one point, Eddie notices that the little gremlin is lying down directly beneath her chair. She tips herself sideways to give a little pat to the dog’s bum before straightening again.

Abby returns from Sharelle’s as they’re cleaning up. She’s gone home for a change of clothes and arrives clutching her backpack. Eddie ushers her into the living room without comment, pushing her to sit on the sofa.

“Sharelle asked how you were feeling, ma’am,” Abby glances at Dulcie, “I told her you were doing well, considering.” As they get comfortable in the living room, Dulcie nods her assent “Thank you for letting me stay here, Cath,” Abby turns her mournful gaze on Cath, and Eddie, suddenly, vividly remembers why she’d compared Abby to a traumatised bush baby and why her nickname is ‘Big Eyes’. Those eyes are weapons of mass destruction, she thinks.

“How’re Sharelle and her mob?” Eddie asks, scratching her chin and forcing herself to stop thinking about Abby��s massive fucking eyes.

“They’re fine, ma’am,” Abby starts, but she’s stopped when Eddie waves a hand and shakes her head.

“Don’t need to call me that,” Eddie says, gruff. “Eddie’s fine.”

“Um, okay, they’re fine, m– um, oh! Tammy and Miranda described an antique gun Margaret had at the cemetery and I was sure I remembered reading something about an antique gun somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where. I called Fay, and she’s convinced it’s the gun that Margaret accused Sharelle’s mum, Wendy, of stealing.”

Cath jolts up from where she’s seated, gasping. “Sharelle told us about that gun when we were being held at the footy club!” Her expression darkens and she looks at Dulcie. “Do you think I should offer to represent her?”

Dulcie hides a wince, shrugging. She knows Cath means well, but she’s unsure how Sharelle or Wendy would receive the gesture. “Maybe we ask Sharelle once things have settled down a bit,” she says softly, patting Cath’s knee.

They chat for a bit, the conversation eventually turning to Abby’s move to forensics. “Sven’s put in his notice, and I’m going to speak to Kate before putting in mine,” Abby’s saying, her gaze bouncing between Eddie and Dulcie as though expecting them to tell her she can’t or shouldn’t move forward with this. When neither of them object, she continues. “I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot more of Kate, with James… currently out of commission.”

Eddie wishes she could find any satisfaction in James losing his tongue, but it’s difficult to feel vindicated when she remembers the slick sound it’d made when Abby had caught it. She shivers, shaking her head to clear it.

Collins and Abby start discussing logistics of a transfer and Eddie drifts. She’s well-fed, warm, and for the first time in days her mind isn’t racing to process increasingly stressful and terrifying information. She barely notices when Angela jumps up onto the armchair with her and wedges herself between Eddie’s thigh and the armrest.

When Abby starts yawning, Cath runs upstairs to find her a pillow and a blanket for the sofa. Dulcie gently nudges Eddie out of the chair and up the stairs, her hand on Eddie’s back so that she doesn’t stumble. She doesn’t speak, amused by Eddie’s uncharacteristic silence. In Eddie’s room, Dulcie quickly shuts the windows and then shakes out a thick comforter over the inflatable mattress.

She hears Eddie sigh and turns around to find her rolling her eyes. “I can do that,” Eddie says, shooing Dulcie away from the bed and out the bedroom door. Dulcie rolls her eyes but allows it. Before Eddie can shut the door, Angela scampers into her room and onto her bed. Dulcie listens to Eddie mutter through the door, and she only steps away when she feels Cath’s hand at her back.

“Abby’s tucked in downstairs,” Cath whispers, guiding Dulcie to their bedroom. Dulcie smiles, puts her arm around Cath and presses a kiss to her hair.

-

Eddie wakes the next morning to her phone vibrating beneath her pillow. She grunts, reaching for the phone and sliding her finger across the screen to answer it.

“G’day,” she husks, running her tongue across her teeth and grimacing. Who the fuck is calling at the arse crack of dawn? There’s silence on the other end until she hears a familiar chuckle, one she hasn’t heard in a very long time. Holly. Eddie sits up, rubbing sleep from her eyes. How the fuck has she forgotten about Bushy? She presses a closed fist to her forehead, angry at herself. But Holly doesn’t sound angry.

“Heard you closed the case,” she’s saying, amusement clear in her voice. And pride. Eddie could cry. She hasn’t heard Holly sound like this since before Bushy’d died. Holly had ignored her calls, dozens of them, and later Eddie might find it in herself to be annoyed about that, about Holly believing the load of shit the department had fed her about Bushy’s death and how it’d been Eddie’s fault for not being there. But right now she’s just relieved.

“Ah, yeah, told you I would, didn’t I,” Eddie replies, smug, just like old times. Holly laughs again. The silence that follows is comfortable, and Eddie listens to Holly’s breathing. She can hear rustling in the background and she imagines that Holly is sitting in her backyard, probably in one of the old camping chairs they used to sit in while they ate and discussed whatever case she and Bushy were working. “How’d you hear?”

“Little thing, dunno if you’ve heard of it, it’s called the internet,” Holly snarks, and an aching hope blooms hot in Eddie’s chest.

“Fuck up,” she mutters, grinning. At the foot of the mattress, the little gremlin has begun to wake up, stretching and yawning. Eddie balances the phone between her ear and shoulder and carefully rolls out of bed to land with a soft thump on the floor, then pushes herself to her feet. She takes a deep breath, steeling herself, before asking, “anything new about Bushy?”

“Nothing,” Holly sighs, and Eddie can picture her rolling her eyes. “It’s being investigated as a homicide, but they’ve lost a lot of time believing the crock about the croc.”

Eddie hums and pulls on a clean pair of undies, courtesy of Dulcie or Cath, who own more undies than she’s ever seen in her life, probably. She makes a mental note to go shopping for clothes. “I’ve been asked to stay on down here,” she says, feeling like she owes Holly an explanation of why she hasn’t taken the first flight directly back home. “Just until they can hire some new cops,” she assures, pulling on a shirt and pants with some difficulty. Once she’s dressed, Eddie makes her way downstairs, the gremlin at her heels.

“Not sure how long that’ll be, but I’ll come back as soon as I can to help.” She doubts she’ll be allowed to help in any kind of official capacity, given she was Bushy’s partner and the entire force had turned their backs on her. But she doesn’t care. Technically, Collins hadn’t been operating in an official capacity either at the end, but they’d still managed to do more than the Commissioner and his band of idiots.

“I hope you’re looking after yourself, Eddie,” is the only thing Holly says in response, and Eddie’s momentarily caught off guard. She freezes in the doorway to the kitchen, unsure how to reply. It’s only Cath appearing and pushing a steaming mug into her free hand that has her moving again, and she clears her throat.

“I’m fine,” she says shortly, nodding her thanks to Cath and taking a sip of coffee, sweetened to perfection. “I’m okay,” she tries again, softer. She watches as Cath putters about, getting both dogs ready to go outside for a morning walk. Holly’s silent for several seconds, until Eddie catches herself and says, “I hope you’re doing the same.”

“I am.”

They chat for a bit as Eddie finishes her mug and Holly updates her on how things have been going in Darwin, aside from the discovery of Bushy’s body. Eddie tells Holly about Deadloch and its population of lesbians, being as crass as she possibly can just to hear Holly laugh. Collins steps into the kitchen as Eddie’s telling a particularly offensive joke and pins Eddie with A Look until Eddie has the grace to look ashamed. Kind of.

When their conversation dies down again, Eddie makes Holly promise to keep her apprised of any changes in Bushy’s case, and Holly makes her promise in turn that she’ll let her know as soon as she’s able to come home. They say their goodbyes as Collins takes a seat across from Eddie, and Eddie stuffs her phone into a pocket.

“How’d you sleep?” Dulcie asks, cradling her own mug of– Eddie wrinkles her nose in disgust– tea.

“Good,” Eddie says. “Very well, actually, because that dog of yours kept her disgusting fluids to herself.”

“I’m not sure I would call her my dog–”

“That’s your wife,” Eddie interrupts, pointing in the direction of the front door, “Who’s adopted that dog, ergo, that is also your dog, whether you asked for it or not.”

Collins rolls her eyes but before she can say anything else, Cath’s come back in with the dogs. They listen to the door clatter and a few moments later, both dogs run into the kitchen, their nails clicking on the floor. Fern makes her way to Dulcie’s side, resting her snout on Dulcie’s thigh and gazing up at her. Angela the Gremlin sniffs at Eddie’s legs before curling up beneath her chair, and Dulcie has to fight another smile.

And yes, fine, Fern and Angela might be her and Cath’s dogs, but she doesn’t think Eddie’s realised, yet, that Angela is also her dog. Or, perhaps more accurately, that Eddie is now Angela’s human.

-

Dulcie and Cath make breakfast while Eddie and Abby sit outside with the dogs, Eddie bundled up in freshly cleaned polar fleece and another pair of cargos. Eddie throws a ball for Fern and Angela, neither of whom seem particularly interested in playing fetch. Angela brings the ball back to Eddie once, but on the next throw neither of them can be arsed to go running after it and the ball remains where it lands.

They eat outside, enjoying the morning sun, and Cath makes plans with Eddie to drive to Hobart so that Eddie can purchase some necessities, since she’d decided to come to Deadloch with all of one stubby holder to her name and only the clothing on her back. Now that she’s not running after a serial killer, Eddie thinks she might want a few creature comforts for the remainder of her time in Deadloch, like maybe her own toothbrush instead of the cheap one she’d taken from the Bush Wolf. And a few more pairs of underwear.

“We can stop by Centrepoint, Eddie, which should have anything you need, and I’ll need to stop by the pet supply shop, too,” Cath is saying as she starts clearing their plates. Eddie jumps up to help, wrestling the plates from Cath’s grip. She shoots a look towards Dulcie and Abby before hurrying away, into the house.

“I’ll come, too, love,” Dulcie says, and she hooks her foot around Cath’s ankle when Cath sits down again. “Abby, maybe you could stay with the dogs?”

“Uh… sure, ma’am, I mean, Dulcie, but I’ve never–”

“They’ll probably just sleep,” Cath assures Abby, before she can begin to spiral over the responsibility of two dogs being in her care. This doesn’t seem to give Abby any comfort.

When Eddie comes back, she picks up the gremlin and holds her aloft directly in front of Abby’s face. “If you start smelling something like rotten fish guts, it’s this one,” she says, and Abby wrinkles her nose in disgust and jerks back. Angela seems unbothered by the accusation.

Tutting, Cath reaches over to give Angela a comforting pat as Eddie takes her seat, the dog perched in her lap again. “Angela’s on her high-fibre diet and shouldn’t have any more accidents,” she says, prompting Eddie to roll her eyes.

“We’ll see,” Eddie mutters, stroking the gremlin’s flank.

As midday approaches, it becomes more and more obvious that Dulcie has very little idea what to do with herself if she’s not working. She cleans the kitchen, starts the laundry, and begins tidying the living room, feeling unmoored.

Abby and Eddie remain outside, even once both Dulcie and Cath have gone inside, discussing the Deadloch Police Department hiring new personnel.

“I can’t imagine anyone in Deadloch wanting to join,” Eddie’s saying, sitting low in her chair with her legs akimbo. Angela is lying precariously across her stomach.

Abby nods, fidgeting in her seat. “I hope the Commissioner isn’t staying long,” she confesses and Eddie can’t help it, she laughs.

“Sorry, sorry, Big Eyes, it’s not you,” she says, waving a hand. “I’ll never be able to look ‘im in the face without seeing him yell like an angry child over Phil,” Eddie explains, and now they’re both chuckling. Eddie feels like if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll throw something. The thought of that fuckwit being her boss makes her want to scream.

“He’ll probably be gone by the time we go back,” Eddie says, shrugging. “Can’t see him staying around when he’s got very important Commissioner-y things to be doing elsewhere.” Eddie strokes Angela the Gremlin’s back, watching as Abby relaxes upon hearing this. She wants to ask how Abby’s feeling about the whole… James-losing-his-tongue thing, but she doesn’t know how. She seems to be doing alright, considering, apart from not wanting to go home. Eddie imagines that’s because she doesn’t want to be alone with her thoughts at the moment, and she can’t blame her.

Eddie doesn’t want to be alone with her thoughts, either. Ever. But especially not right now.

“You set up a meeting with Kate, yet?” she asks, changing the subject, and Abby latches onto it eagerly.

-

Cath spends 15 minutes following Dulcie as she tidies a house that doesn’t need tidying. “Sexy,” she says, finally, placing her hand on top of Dulcie’s where she’s reaching for a broom. “You’re meant to be taking some mental health rest. Rest, Dulce.”

Dulcie wants to argue, but once she gets a good look at Cath’s face, the urge to fight leaves her. “Right,” she says, dropping her hand. “I’m not completely sure what that means,” she offers, half-smiling. Cath smiles back, pulling Dulcie into a side-hug.

“Well,” Cath says, “Skye texted me to invite us to dinner this evening.” At the mention of Skye’s name, she feels Dulcie tense and start to pull away. Cath grips her tighter, leaning back a bit so that she can look at her face. “Alright, she said it was Nadiyah’s idea, but I think it’d be good for all of us, sexy.” Despite the fact that Skye and Dulcie’s relationship was in tatters at the moment there was a reason Dulcie was Tom’s godmother and Cath hates seeing them fight. “They’ve invited Eddie and Abby, too,” she says, hoping this might convince Dulcie.

Sighing, Dulcie rolls her eyes at the obvious manipulation, but she has to admit that it does help. “Fine,” she says, “But you’re telling Eddie.”

Cath grins, giving Dulcie a quick squeeze and standing on her toes to give Dulcie a kiss on the cheek. “This will be a good thing,” she announces as she pulls away and turns to go find Eddie and Abby outside.

Dulcie watches her go, unconvinced.

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