I Face My Monsters

Chapter 3: The 80's Were Better...

"Today is gonna be the day that their gonna throw it back to you.." sang the radio. Vale couldn't help but sing along as she drove the long trek to what would become her new home. She was glad she wasn't going completely alone, since the station she was heading to allowed her to bring her K9 German Shepherd, Murdock. She was Murdock's handler, which had a role in that decision. His big brown eyes were wide with excitement as he watched everything outside roll by. 

Vale was a firm believer that television was better in the 80s. She loved that she had the last name of her favorite detective from the 80s show The Rockford Files, and that Henry's last gift to her before she left was a black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am which she lovingly called K.I.T.T., after the exact car of that name in the show Knight Rider. Murdock was named after the hilarious crazy pilot in her absolute hands-down favorite show ever, The A-Team. Nothing beat good TV. 

By all appearances, Forks, Washington was a small town a few miles from Seattle. It wasn't the nicest of places Vale had seen, especially compared to Absaroka, so she was sure that there would be a good amount of illegal activity in the area, which in turn meant work for her. She mentally began pinpointing potential hotspots for druggies and other possible dangers. Apparently, Forks High School was low on security staff, so she would be spending some of her time there as well, giving talks to the teenagers on substance abuse and how to get help. She liked helping kids, especially ones that were obviously trying to make their lives better. She had little patience for ones with bad attitudes or who were apathetic or mean-spirited. No bully ever got away with bad behavior on Vale's watch, and she was determined that none ever would - never again.

It was a relief to finally arrive at the small house she had bought for herself. It was just outside of town and about a 30 minute drive from the station. It was a quaint little place with plenty of windows for natural lighting. The house had two bedrooms, but Vale fully intended to transform one of them into a fully-stocked library. Murdock hopped out of the car, glad to stretch his legs at last. 

The rest of the evening was spent bringing in the last remains of what she had packed for herself. The majority of the furniture and other interior necessities had been brought over by the movers already; now all that was left for her was to refine what they had left behind. She collapsed on the bed, worn out. 

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Her alarm went off at 5:20 AM.

"Day one, buddy." She smiled at the wagging hound beside her, who was resting his snout on the bed.

At exactly 6:00 AM, the two of them were walking into the office of the Chief of Police. He was standing behind his desk. "Ah, you must be the new constable. I'm Charlie Swan, Chief of Police here." "Vale Rockford, sir." He picked up a file from his desk. Vale's eyes landed on the board on the wall behind him, with pictures of both wanted and missing people. One face in the wanted section caught her eye, but she said nothing. 

"It says here that you were a deputy for Sherriff Longmire... Although you technically outrank me I won't be doing you any special favors-" "That won't be neccicary sir." She interjected quickly. "The Absaroka County Sherriff's Department worked on a much smaller scale sir, which is why I was a deputy and not just a constable. I wouldn't completely consider it a demotion sir, considering that the scale here in Forks is larger than what I'm used to, but you won't be having any attitude problems from me." She stated, he hands clasped behind her back and her posture straight.

Charlie studied her for a moment. "Your file says that you were primary investigator on the abuse cases... what kinds of abuse?" "Many different kinds sir, including drug, physical, and mental. I help girls get back on their feet when life pulls the rug." Charlie nodded. "Perfect. We've got good work for you here then." There was silence for a moment. Vale couldn't tell exactly what her new boss was thinking. "Sir, I won't let you down. I'm smart, competent, loyal, and nobody ever outworked me. I won't disappoint." 

Charlie smiled for the first time. "No, I don't think you will. I'll assign you your uniform, badge, and weapon. Your schedule will be assigned tomorrow, so I'm going to show you around town today and get you familiar with the area." He bent down to scratch Murdock's soft ears.

Vale's lips quirked into a grin. "Thank you, Sir."

Several miles away, a smile formed on Alice's lips too. 

"Soon..."