The thunder boomed outside as the rain pounded on the rooftops.  The chilliness of the droplets seeped into the office, along with some of the wind that blew relentlessly outside.

Levi groaned as he sat back in his chair, loosening his white cravat as he let out an exhausted yawn. Papers littered his usually spotless desk, and the mere thought of disorganization brought the detective a massive migraine. Rubbing the bridge of his nose him in between two tense fingers, Levi reached over and pulled out a small drawer in front of him, snatching a bottle of pills that conveniently fit his predicament. He shook out two small oval pills and plopped them into his mouth, chugging down a whole water bottle with the medicine.

He sighed, glancing at the clock.

12:52 am

Levi groaned.

The detective was working late tonight; the case he was about to solve was just within his reach. A few more hours of analyzing evidence and the case will be closed.  Rubbing his eyes once more, Levi took a deep breath and picked up his pen, scratching marks into the scattered pieces of paper to link the facts together in one strong, logical explanation.

By four in the morning, Levi had cleaned up his cluttered desk and filed everything to its neatly order once again. He set his reading glasses on his desk and walked away, grabbing his coat from the back of his swivel chair and snatched his keys.  He exited the office, letting the doors swing closed behind him.

He drove in the icy rain, tugging his coat on at a red light as he made his way downtown. The droplets tapped softly on the hood of his car, the windshield wipers squeaking a little bit as they moved across the glass in fan-like motions. Levi, though it was frosty outside and his fingers grew numb, didn't bother to turn on the heater.  It was a habit now, as well as driving in silence without anything to fill his ears but the gentle hum of his engine and the soothing sprinkling of the rain upon his roof.  He drove down the freeway, his face plain and a bit hostile from sleep deprivation. He had to come back to the center at six anyways, so spending a little time at the bar would help kill the time.

Levi glanced at the clock once more.

4:29 am

He let out a scoff, flicking his icy gaze back to the slippery road before he could cause an accident; being groggy from fatigue was enough.

Arriving at downtown Trost, Levi parked in front of a local bar, the neon sign flickering as the sun peeked up from the distant horizon.

Slamming his door and locking his vehicle, the detective trekked through the rain and mud towards the pub.

"Oi, Ackerman!" a voice called from the counter. "I was wonderin' when you would show up!"

"Hey Hanji," Levi greeted the woman, arriving inside the tavern and tousling his moist jet-black hair to the side.  "You're still here, huh?"

"Well of course I am!" Hanji scoffed. "Have a seat!"

"You don't need to tell me twice," Levi muttered. The detective took a chair at the bar, pulling out a box of cigarettes and lighting one up with one of the candles that lined the bar. He took a long drag of the cig before tapping some of the ash into a tray. "The usual, if you would please."

"One Scotch Mist, comin' right up!" the woman piped up.

"Thanks Hanji," Levi sighed, taking another drag out of his cigarette; he sighed.  "I've had a long day."

"No kidding," the bronze-haired woman scoffed. "It's five in the morning, for Christ's sake!"

"You don't need to remind me," Levi groaned, rubbing his temples.  "This case was a bit more tricky than the rest."

"What type of crime is it this time?" Hanji rambled, smirking as she scooped some shaved ice into a cup.  "Another serial murder?  Or was this a one time thing?"

Levi took another heavy drag of the cigarette.

"This one was a serial rapist," he said casually, exhaling out a thick cloud of smoke.  "She tortured and mutilated her victims after raping them with various objects and left them to bleed to death upside-down."

"Yeah, I heard about that one on the news," Hanji added.  She nodded.  "A terrible thing to endure, that's for sure...

        "Wait...did you say 'she?!'"

"The bodies were barely identifiable by the time we found them." Levi ignored her exclaimation and continued to breathe in the sticky smoke.  "She'll be caught tomorrow morning."

"And wasn't...she called the -"

"Basement Killer," Levi grumbled.  "She did all of her activities inside the victim's own basement."

"That's so brutal," Hanji laughed, exhaling as she proceeded to reach for a bottle of amber liquid.  Tipping the nozzle, she splashed some Scotch into the glass of shaved ice before sliding it over to the detective.  "Drink up; you have to leave in thirty, don't you?"

"Stop reminding me of all this shit," Levi snarled, snatching the glass in his hand.  "I came here to get my mind off of all of that."

Hanji giggled, adjusting her glasses.

"Sorry," she chuckled.  "Would you like anything else?"

Levi gulped down the drink, slamming the base of the glass down onto the bar counter as he scrunched up his face from the burn of alcohol.

"Another," he muttered.  "I need some in my system; I've only had like four hours of sleep this week."

He picked up his cigarette once again, breathing in the toxic smoke and filling his dying lungs with the stuff.  He exhaled, coughing a little as he set down the stick on the tray once more.

"Slow down there, ace." Hanji plucked the glass from the counter and set it in the sink, picking up an identical glass from the back before scooping the ice into it.  With a splash of Scotch, she slipped it into Levi's grasp.  "At this rate, you're going to die by the time you're thirty-five!"

He scoffed.

"Tch.  Whatever..." The detective glared the bar tender, then down at the drink, scowling as he held out the cup and demanding with a firm and gritty voice.  "That's another five years anyways."

The detective slid his cup over to the bar tender.

"More."

Hanji stared at the man with glinted glasses, but shrugged and grabbed the bottle of amber alcohol.  She popped the cap open and watched as the fiery liquid fill up Levi's glass to the brim.

The detective chugged down the Scotch again, his throat burning from the liquor but his mind slowly and deliciously slipping away from reality.  He felt his entire body numb with every drink, his head spinning into a blissful slumber.

"Hey," Hanji shook the man awake as he slumbered on the bar counter.  "Levi."

"Hmm...?" The detective smacked his lips together as he slowly rose, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he sat back up on his seat.

"It's six thirty," Hanji whispered.  "You um...you should go."

"Shit," Levi muttered as he rubbed his face.

"Yeah..."

Levi tightened his loose cravat and slipped from his seat, grabbing his coat; he tossed a few bills onto the bar before storming out the pub.  He stumbled into his car, roaring the engine to life as he rubbed his bloodshot eyes again.  He was so fucking late to the office and he knew he really shouldn't be driving while he was still intoxicated; but the alcohol clouded his judgment.  He looked into his rear-view mirror with bleary eyes, straightening his neckpiece one last time.  He put the car on reverse and proceeded back out of the parking lot with a massive roar, rumbling onto the freeway and back towards the agency.

Fidgeting in his seat, Levi frequently checked his mirrors, paranoid of any police cars that may be suspicious of his intoxicated driving.  He sniffed his red nose and rubbed his bloodshot eyes, chewing on several pieces of gum he had stored inside his car.  It was only when he started wheezing when he realized he should have lit another cigarette before leaving the bar.

Levi pulled up into the rather small parking lot, his wheels screeching.  He tugged on his coat and, thankfully, remembered to light another cigarette.  Searching for his dark fedora, he killed the engine and hopped out of the vehicle.  He walked into the office with his hands stuffed inside his pockets, his head tilted down so his hat could hide the redness that plagued his unbelievably pale face.  His eyes drooped from fatigue, the dark circles under his eyes looking like smears of black eye shadow rather than bags.  His thin lips, chapped and tightly pressed into a thin line, held back strings of yawns before entering the facility.

"Ackerman!" a familiar deep voice called to the detective as he sauntered through the double doors.  "You're an hour late!"

"Apologies, Chief," Levi mumbled to the significantly taller blond man without lifting up his face.  "I lost track of time."

"I don't pay you for coming late." The chief scowled.  "Seriously Levi, what the hell is wrong with you today?"

"Please don't blame him, Mr. Smith!" a much more delicate voice called from the side.  "Mr. Ackerman was here in the office very early this morning; I saw his car leave the office when I was across the street to get my morning coffee!"

At this time, Levi had stopped in his tracks, standing a few meters from Erwin, with his head still dipped down low.

"Miss Ral," Erwin addressed the girl.  "I don't believe I was addressing you when I last spoke."

The strawberry blonde flinched back in intimidation before bowing slightly to her boss.

"O-of course," she stammered.  "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Smith."

"Carry on." Erwin nodded to her before seeing her scurry off to her own division.  As soon as she took five steps away, the chief turned his attention back to the oddly dark investigator.  "How late were you here for last night?"

"I left at four in the morning, Chief." Levi ground his teeth.

Erwin stared down at the man who still refused to meet his slightly hostile blue eyes.

"This is the first time I've been late, Erwin," Levi added in, chewing on his chapped lips.  "The first time in the eight years I've been working here."

Erwin scoffed.

"Look up at me, for God's sake, Levi!  I feel like I'm talking to a dog here."

Levi ground his teeth again, obeying as he slowly lifted his head up to meet the chief's icy gaze with his own.

"Good God, Ackerman.  You've been drinking again, haven't you?"

Levi huffed, taking a long drag from almost forgotten cigarette.

"Life for me hasn't exactly been a fucking walk in the park for me lately," Levi said simply, his voice as grim as his features.  "A guy's gotta find some escape sometimes."

"You're lucky you're my best man in this business," Erwin growled.  "Or else you'd be out of a job right now."

"Apologies, Chief," Levi mumbled again, taking off his no longer needed fedora.  "I'll get right to work on the Basement Killer Case."

Levi stumbled forward, only to be caught by the arm by the taller man.

"I have some people finishing it up already," Erwin said.  "And I have to say, Levi.  A very nice job in connecting the first and last murders."

Levi didn't respond; he only stood there, his head once again tilted slightly downwards.

Seeing there was no comment, Erwin proceeded with his statement.

"How do you feel about cracking a cold case, Ackerman?"

Levi flickered his bloodshot icy eyes up to the chief's now calm, almost serene gaze.

"A cold case?" Levi sputtered.  "Why a cold case?"

"Well for one," Erwin explained, "there hasn't been a good cold case investigation since my own last file.  If you can crack this one wide open, we can get loads of media and press on our station in no time.

        "Second, I think you'd find this one a little interesting."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"You always give me interesting cases," Levi scoffed, taking in another breath of smoke.

"For good reason," Erwin stated, shrugging his massive shoulders.  "The more interesting ones are always the tougher ones to crack."

Levi shrugged, taking in another drag of smoke.

"So, Ackerman," Erwin rumbled, glaring down at the dark-haired man with suddenly piercing blue eyes.  "Are you in?"

Levi glared up at the chief, tugging his arm free from Erwin's grasp before rubbing his reddened eyes, sniffling his irritated nose.  He coughed and shrugged again.

"Sure, why not." He walked over to a nearby desk and smashed the butt of his cigarette into the ash tray. "It's not like I'm busy now anyways; I just got done busting the Basement Killer."

"Perfect." Erwin grinned a rather interesting smile, flashing white teeth.

"I have one condition, though." Levi swerved around on his heel, facing the tall blond once more.

"Ask away, then," Erwin sighed, crossing his arms.

"I want a day off," Levi said.  "Just one day.  That's it."

Erwin smirked, looking down at the pitiful body that slumped before him.

"Sure, I can't see why not." Erwin chuckled.  "You've been working nonstop for the last four cases.  I think you deserve at least one day off."

"Thanks," Levi scoffed.  "I guess I'll be going home now."

"Not so fast, Ackerman." Erwin stared down at the smaller man once again as soon as he pushed himself off of the table.  "There's some more things with this cold case I think you ought to know."

Levi sighed and leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the chief.

"Come on, just spit it out already," Levi grumbled.  "I want to get home as soon as possible before anyone else can come and ask me for some help and shit."

"It won't take long," Erwin said.  "It's just that you have a partner in this particular case."

"What?" The dark-haired man widened his bleary eyes.

"I'm sure she won't be a burden," Erwin assured him.  "She's just another intern from Trost Prep."

"Another intern?!" Levi yowled.  "God fucking damn, when are these college brats going to stop transferring over to here?!"

"This one has a lot of potential, I can assure you," Erwin insisted.  "She's the valedictorian, you see.  Otherwise, I wouldn't pair her up with anyone in this agency; much less you."

Levi scoffed.

"Tch, you think flattery is going to ease my temper?" the detective spat.  "How many fucking times do I have to tell you, Erwin?  I don't work with other people."

"Oh but I think you and Miss Stefani will work quite harmoniously together." Erwin shrugged, brushing aside the matter.  "She's an easy character to work with, I can assure you; I've had a few words with her before assigning her to this particular case."

Levi just scoffed, rubbing his face in his hands as he let out a breath of frustration.  He massaged the bridge of his nose and pressed the side of his thumb and forefinger atop his brows, feeling the throbbing ache eat away at his sanity.

"Fine," Levi growled finally.  "I'll work with her.  Just give me this fucking day off to clear my head and I'll be good as new in the office when I come back."

The chief smirked as Levi swerved on his heel, muttering under his sour breath of smoke and alcohol as he headed towards the doors.  He grabbed his cravat, once again loosening it with sharp jerks as he stormed towards the front.  Just as he reached the exit, Erwin called out to him once more.

"And Ackerman?"

He whirled around and crossed his arms angrily again over his chest, the cloth that was his cravat slung across the back of his neck.

"What is it this time, Smith?" Levi scowled.  "I swear, if you're pairing me with a second student for this one fucking case I swear, I'm going to murder you myself!"

Erwin just chuckled.

"No, it's only you and Miss Stefani for this one." He smirked.  "But I think you should know this one isn't exactly a cold case..."

Levi ground his teeth together in fury.

"...what."

Erwin nodded.

"It's a case from a collection of files in a certain safe; cases like these haven't gone cold for long, but they're so unusual they need to be classified in a whole new category."

"A new category for interesting cases?" Levi scoffed.  "That's interesting information in itself, I guess."

"Quite," Erwin agreed calmly, nodding his head once more.  "These types of mysteries...are part of a group called the X Files."

Levi stared at the chief with a little more intrigue now, a dim sparkle lighting up his dull iron eyes.

"Now you see...the reason why I've chosen my best detective to work with the valedictorian from the best college for crime investigation in the country in this case is because...

        "This particular file has resumed its murders after a six year gap."