Making a big life change is pretty scary.

Know what’s even scarier?

Regret.

Zig Zieglar had said that at some point and it was a quote that had been rolling around in Quin’s head for quite some time now. It was impossible for it not to with all the things that had happened in the past six months.

The trip to Virginia and its fallout along with the general malaise she had felt as the dust settled seemed to have set the redhead on a crash course trajectory with everything that had just happened.

Everything with her current case had been going well. Against her better judgement, Detective Archer had continued her work with her outside sources and things really seemed to be getting done. Then Ashton had showed back up in town and shit hitting the fan hadn’t even seemed like the right phrase to apply to the situation, even as all of her carefully laid plans fell apart.

It had become more and more evident as more time had passed that things simply weren’t going to change, or get better in her current situation, so Quin had made a change. Maybe the change itself had been a bit more spontaneous and dramatic than the changes in her life tended to be. Maybe it had been less than necessary to storm into the Captain’s office when the door had been shut and unceremoniously dump her badge and side-arm on his desk. What she’d said had probably been even more unnecessary.

Needless to say. Quincy Archer had just quit her job in spectacular fashion...and pretty much ensured that no matter what she thought later, she wouldn’t be getting it back.

The details weren’t important right now though. What was important was that Quin had made her way home, paced her apartment for a solid hour, and still didn’t even know how she felt about the whole thing.

Exhilarated? No..there was still adrenaline there, but exhilaration had a totally different connotation than what the redhead was feeling at the moment. She’d been almost numb as she’d walked from the office, conscious of all the eyes watching her progress as she’d grabbed her things from her desk and left. That had quickly worn off though.

Now…

Quin needed someone to bounce ideas off. The list of appropriate people was pretty short, and Quin dialed Nate’s number even as she was grabbing her jacket and keys from the table where she’d haphazardly tossed them on her way in.
Voicemail. Damn. Quin stopped outside her door as she was locking it and leaned her forehead against the smooth wood. Why hadn’t he answered? Nate always answered when she called, just like she did when he called. It was a thing.

There were a million reasons, she decided finishing up with the locks, that a person wouldn’t pick up their phone. People cooked and couldn’t use their phones, or left them charging in other rooms unable to be picked up. Heck, she’d forgotten to turn her ringer back on after a meeting once and had realized six hours later that she’d missed more calls and notifications than she thought she ever got in a day.

Surely he wouldn’t mind if she stopped by somewhat unannounced. This was BIG...he’d understand that she needed someone to talk to.

All things considered, it didn’t take Quin long to make it to the new building that Nate called home. Something about the place still struck Quin as odd, but she wasn’t even thinking about that fact as she made her way inside and identified herself to the people in the lobby. As her renewed friendship with Nate had grown, the people at the front desk had become more and more comfortable letting her inside.

Up Quin went to Nate’s floor, then made her way to his apartment door, completely unsure what she was going to say or even how she felt about the whole situation. All she knew was that she was coiled tighter than a spring and if she didn’t at least talk to someone soon, she was going to crack.

No regrets, right?

Quin knocked.

The world was a mess. There was a tear in space-time, Haven was dealing with a criminal organization tarnishing the reputation of mutantkind, and Nate had a long day of classes dealing with a troublemaker in the back row. With so much to worry about, it was nice to have an evening to set all those concerns aside and be content.

Nothing made Nate more content than a night with Norah. Natalie and Nate were busy parents, but they worked hard to coordinate so one of them was usually available to take care of Norah after school. Natalie had a late night at her firm, so Nate had the pleasure of hosting Norah at his Haven apartment.

Nate finally felt like he was getting the hang of parenting. He helped Norah with her small homework assignment (adding double-digit numbers,) cooked a dinner in line with Natalie’s strict dietary rules (spaghetti squash chicken parmigiana,) and took part in a tea party with Norah and her dolls. As someone who spent a long period of his life infiltrating high society, he was sure Norah’s tea party was more enjoyable than any high tea he ever attended.

In the distance, Nate heard a knock at his door. He glanced at his wristwatch, wondering who would be dropping in. Did Nat get out of work early? Or it could have been Devon dropping by; one of the benefits of living in the same building. ”Hey sweetie, I have to answer the door. Will you and your dolls be okay without me for a minute?”

Norah, who was sporting a fake tiara and holding a plastic tea cup with her pinky out, considered the question. ”Hmm, okay. You may be excused.”

Nate chuckled and got to his feet, bowing to his gracious hostess. ”I will keep it quick, ma’am.”

Leaving Norah in the living room, Nate made his way to the entryway of the apartment. Looking through the peephole, he was surprised to see a shock of red hair on the other end. Nate was allowed to keep a small list of guests who could pass through security without requiring him to sign them in. Natalie and Quin were the only two people he kept on his list, so it was entirely possible for a surprise visit to happen; they just never did. Quin always called… first…

Right. Nate had been so absorbed in tea time, he failed to realize his phone was still on the kitchen counter. He had a weird feeling if he went to check his messages, he would have one missed call from Quin waiting for him.

Opening the door, Nate smiled. He was less than prepared, but it was always nice to see Quin regardless. He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the lips as a friendly greeting. ”Well, fancy seeing you here. Hi, Quin.” He looked the woman over and immediately realized something was… off? ”What’s up?”

Quin heard someone approach the door and let out a slow sigh of relief. It had suddenly occurred to her as she waited that maybe the reason Nate hadn’t answered the phone was because he wasn’t home. If that was the case, she was going to have to wonder more...or worse, call her parents just to have someone to talk to about what was going on.

That wasn’t the case though, and suddenly there Nate was giving her a quick kiss and asking what was wrong. Somehow Quin already felt better.

Still.

This was one of those things. In everything she’d been thinking since she left the precinct, in every single thing she’d had running through her head, Quin hadn’t given a second’s thought to what she was going to say when the time came to actually talk about what had happened.

Quin’s head was blank. Completely blank.

”Hey…” she said dumbly.

Suddenly, the incredulity of the situation struck Quin like ton of bricks.

”I just quit my job.” she said, and burst out laughing. Hell, it was better than crying.

Nate watched expectantly as Quin worked her way up to explaining why she was at his door. She did not make him wait very long, cutting straight to the point, but Nate needed a moment to decide if he was really hearing her correctly.

Quin quit her job. It was such a shock, Nate was not sure he believed her initially. The laughing did not help, but it was almost like manic laughter. Maybe Quin was telling the truth and had no clue how to handle everything. Nate knew Quin well enough to know policework was the future she always saw herself in since she was a kid. They had talked about how frustrating she was getting with the job, but he always thought she would find a reason to stay. Such a big life change could easily result in the kind of shock that made someone laugh at the absurdity of it all.

”…Oh my God, you really did, didn’t you?” He was still stunned, but she obviously came to the apartment to talk to someone, so Nate had to focus and be the kind of friend he promised he would be at the castle. ”Well, I always knew you had plenty of boldness in you.”

Nate placed a hand on Quin’s cheek as she laughed. He found himself chuckling, because he too had no clue what came next after such big news. He looked back over his shoulder to the door leading to the living room. There was no rule stating Nate could not have his friends around Norah, and that was what Quin was above all else. (There were snarky remarks, but no rules.) ”You should come in,” he assured her. ”Just… I have Norah tonight. So… yeah. Hope that isn’t weird?” They were making strides toward being good friends, but Quin was still an ex-girlfriend Nate shared a genuine love with. He was unsure if it would make her uncomfortable to meet the child he had with another woman.

”I did…” Quin gasped, trying to pull herself together. Standing in the middle of an apartment hallway and laughing like a maniac did tend to worry the neighbors.

Boldness? That was one word for it. Stupidity. That was another. And Rashness. Also impulsivity. These were all words that Quin had never really associated with herself. It was disconcerting to say the least and the giggles were threatening to give way to more intense emotions. That wouldn’t do, not at all. She had to pull it together. Well, honestly speaking, she probably didn’t. If anyone had already seen her at her worst it was Nate, and he was still here to help. Still though…

Nate invited Quin in and she was already nodding her head when he pointed out that Norah was there.

Norah? It took Quin’s frenzied mind a moment to realize who that was. Nate had his kid? He hoped it wasn’t too weird?

It was weird...not that he had his kid over, but that she had randomly shown up...somewhat unannounced on a night when Nate was hanging out with his kiddo.

”Are you sure it’s okay?” Quin asked, brows drawing together, ”I don’t want to interrupt you guys and your time.” It was true, Quin knew how important Nate’s time with this daughter was and the last thing she wanted to do was interrupt. Especially not with something as intense as this.

”I can come back later.”

Fortunately, Quin did not seem bothered by Nate’s daughter being around. Instead, her concern was that she should not be around if Nate had his daughter. It made sense; Quin knew how much he valued time with Norah. Since they had started having real conversations again, it was telling how often he found ways to bring her up. She was, without a doubt, the most important thing in his life.

Still, Norah was not the only important thing in his life. Quin had her own importance, and their friendship was worth sparing some time for since she was in need. ”Quin, I’m going to have Norah around for the rest of my life—well, maybe with the window of time where she is an angsty teenager.” Nate wanted to believe Norah was such a sweet kid, she would skip such a step, but she was the daughter of her parents, so it likely had to come out eventually.

Nate took Quin’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. ”Get your cute butt in here so we can talk this out.” Not that he was going to give her a choice, as he tugged on her hand to lead her into the apartment.

As they stepped into the living room, Norah looked up from the small table she had her dolls and stuffed animals stationed around. She noticed Quin straight away and smiled a toothy smile. Norah was, perhaps, the most social six-year-old in New York, so she was not about to shy away from new people. Nate recognized her interest and grinned. ”Norah, this is daddy’s friend, Quin.”

Norah scrambled to her feet and approached the pair, offering a hand to Quin. ”Hi Miss Quin! I’m Norah.” With her introduction out of the way, she looked up to Nate curiously. ”Is Miss Quin going to join us for tea time?”

Nate crouched lower to get near Norah’s level, mussing up her hair with his hand. ”Not quite, sweetie. Miss Quin and I need to talk about something, so would it be okay if we took a small break from tea time?”

The look of disappointment was clear on Norah’s face, but she was too good a child to put up a fuss. ”Okaaaay…”

Fortunately, Nate had a solution ready for his daughter’s disappointment. ”Do you want to go play with Parker in the guest room?”

As expected, her face lit up. Natalie was not a fan of Parker (or the idea of her daughter spending time with a giant spider,) but Norah loved the little guy. ”Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, daddy!” Norah started immediately toward the guest room before turning around, remembering her manners. ”It was nice meeting you, Miss Quin!”

And in Quin went. So much for having time to pull herself together and make a good impression. What a good impression for a six year old would have been, Quin couldn’t guess...but she put on her best, ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ smile and allowed herself to be drug into the living room of the apartment.

It had been one thing to find out that Nate had a kid. It had been another to hear him talk about her all the time. Norah had become this sort of ethereal part of Nate’s life that was somehow separate from the part of which Quin was a part. Seeing the little girl brought the two parts together in a strange convergence that...really wasn’t strange at all. What a weird night this was turning out to be.

Pleasantries were exchanged, and Quin found herself not faking the smile at the little girl and her tea set. She’d had these moments as a child, and they were some of the best...imagination running wild as wild figments and honored guests arrived for tea. It made Quin feel even worse for interrupting the night, it seemed like tea hadn’t even been served yet...and Quin had been gracefully invited.

Tea would have been nice. Almost as nice as pretending that the last few hours hadn’t happened and she hadn’t randomly shown up here to try and figure out what she was going to do with her life.

With tea postponed, Nate offered Nora the option of playing with Parker, and Quin had to chuckle at the little girl’s enthusiasm. Parker was a charming fellow, and had a tendency to grow on a person in unexpected ways. Obviously that was the case with Norah. Off she went to the room, and Quin gave a small wave, ”It was nice to meet you too!” she called.

And then the little girl was gone.

”She has your eyes.” Quin said, ”And your natural magnetism. I don’t envy you in about ten years.”

It was true, but it wasn’t exactly why she’d came and she didn’t want to completely ruin the tea date that she’d interrupted. Maybe she couldn’t take back the interruption, but she could get all the feelings off her chest and let the Daddy/Daughter night continue as planned.

”But yeah...I guess I’m unemployed.” she said, trying not to start laughing again. "And I have absolutely no clue how I actually feel about that."

Nate was glad to see his daughter behaving like a perfect little young lady meeting Quin. The girl was such an important part of his life, so he did not want to keep her separate from the other parts that mattered. Quin and Norah said farewell and she was off to go play with Parker—an activity he would eventually have to remind her not to bring up to her mother.

Quin had kind words for Norah, including an allusion to the teenage years Nate was trying not to think about. He had a precious, good-natured daughter. He did not need to think about what the social, charming offspring of he and Natalie would be like in high school. He wanted to commit to being the kind of father who let his daughter make her own choices and mistakes, but he was already feeling overprotective of her at six. That did not bode well once hormones kicked in.

With Norah off in the other room, Nate and Quin were left to revisit Quin’s original reason for visiting. She was unemployed. Not only was she unemployed, she was the one who made that choice. It was nice to know she was not forced out of her position, but in his eyes, the department was still at fault for pushing someone so passionate about her work to the point where she could not take it anymore.

Nate took Quin’s hand and led them both to the couch. She was surprisingly easy to lead along because Nate was now all but certain she was still dealing with the shell-shock of her decision. Once they were sitting, he could place an arm around her shoulders. ”You’re unemployed,” he repeated. ”But you made that choice. For you to get to that point, I know things must have been beyond saving.” Quin was not going to quit her career for petty issues. If she wanted to leave the force, things were unsalvageable.

Quin let herself be led as Nate pulled her towards the couch. Everything was finally starting to sink in.

She had really done it.

People daydreamed about quitting their jobs all the time. It was one of those things that got you through the day....that and imagining putting your fist in the middle of certain co-workers faces. It was why it was a blessing that most people couldn’t read your thoughts. Jobs would have been scarce, and long-term employment even scarcer.

Still. She had actually done it, in the way that people simply sat at their desk and thought about. There hadn’t been two weeks notice, or deep considerations. Nope. She’d just marched right in there and quit. In italics.

All of this ran through Quin’s head in the few moments it took to get from the middle of the living room and settled into the couch. Nate’s arm around her shoulders reminded Quin that he was there, and she looked over at him in time to hear his comment about the circumstances that had made her leave.

There was nothing for it. Eventually she was going to have to explain what happened.

”I felt like I couldn’t breathe.” she said. ”I’ve been working this case…” she started, then leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. It was easier to put her head in her hands that way.

”Mutli-organizational human trafficking.” she wasn’t going to get into details, they weren’t important in the least.

”It’s been going really well. Leads were plentiful, we’ve been taking them apart piece by piece. I have a….great CI. We were making progress. Saving people” Saving kids.

Back she leaned until her head was against the top of the couch cushion, and she could roll it to the side to see Nate as she talked.

”Turns out it’s a multi-agency investigation too and MRC thought it’d be a great idea to bring back the lead investigator who's been working the case in Virginia...only it probably wasn’t a good idea for us to work together on the case. He had more experience, apparently had the same connections.” She hoped she didn't need to spell out who the other cop was. It still made her sick to think about it.

Quin ground her teeth and moved on, ”The new case I got was a good one, I only made it a couple of days though. Then I quit. In spectacular fashion. Somehow I doubt I’ll be getting my vacation days back.”

There. That was about it.

Nate settled in to listen to the circumstances that pushed Quin to leave her job. It was good to see she never lost passion for the work itself. The way she talked about her last case made it clear her heart was in the right place, just like it had always been. That was when she excelled: doing meaningful work that helped people. His hand kept rubbing her back gently as she leaned forward into her hands.

Even in the criminal world, there were different levels of ethical behavior. Human trafficking was the kind of disgusting crime that gave criminals in general a bad name. Nate was glad she was putting a dent in that enterprise, and he made note of her kind words toward a criminal informant. The years had really softened Quin up to the kinder parts of the criminal element.

Quin leaned back, so Nate slipped his hand away from her back so she could recline on the couch. He placed it instead on her knee, just looking to maintain supportive contact. Some old “lead investigator” returned to work the trafficking case, and Nate was smart enough to connect the dots. He remembered who Quin ran into when she visited Virginia and he realized why the department would bump Quin off the case when he returned. If Nate needed his opinion of Ashton soured further, that was a good start.

It was a universal truth of business: people did not quit jobs; they quit people. Quin was tired of being unappreciated and disrespected by the people around her. It was easy to see why that would compel her to quit.

Though Nate was admittedly curious what constituted a “spectacular fashion.” He gathered everything from the story and sighed. ”Sounds like you’ve had one hell of a day,” he started, giving her knee a squeeze. ”So maybe we should talk about the positives here. It had to have been cathartic to get everything off your chest on the way out. I’m picturing colorful language and stunned faces?” The wrath of Quin was not something a wise person would willingly invoke.

Quin just nodded, a bit numbly, at Nate as he asked about how exactly she had quit. Had it been cathartic? Was that the word for it? "I was in there and my mouth was running before I even knew what was happening." she said. "I told them what I thought of the whole situation and how bullshit it was that I was getting kicked off a case that I'd made so much progress on." Had that been it?

The redhead groaned and ran a hand through her hair, "I threw my badge at my Captain. It wasn't like in shows where a cop is all stoic and gently places their side arm and badge on the desk. Nope. I did set the gun down properly...it's instinct...but I definitely threw my badge at my boss." Quin giggled a bit at the end...what else was there to do?

"I guess I've known this has been coming for a while. Probably since that night at the castle...maybe even before. I just...I don't have a plan B, I didn't do any planning...I don't have a job." It was all funny in some kind of tragic way. Quin was sure of it. Eventually she would see the humor. Eventually.

One thing had to be said for Quincy Archer: the woman knew how to make an exit memorable. It sounded like the frustration and anger she had bubbling below the surface for years finally cracked her open. She erupted on her Captain, going so far as to toss her badge at the man. That was just impressive; by definition, that was probably a crime, but Nate would guess the Captain was too stunned by the event to realize it himself. ”I mean, you aren’t exactly the picture of ‘stoic,’ Quin. You can definitely be a spitfire.” And spit fire she did! Right at her superior on the way out the door.

It was nice to see Quin could giggle about what happened. She made a big, dramatic gesture, but it could still be a positive step. Nate also respected that it was hard to see a positive step when it was a step in the direction of unemployment.

Nate pulled the redhead in closer, offering his shoulder as a place for Quin to rest her head. ”You don’t have a job,” he affirmed, before continuing, ”But that won’t last. Even as a former MRC Detective, you have transferable skills. There’s other fields of law, there’s teaching. There are plenty of places where you can still fight the good fight, too.”

The thought of Quin doing good work without the limitations of bureaucracy drummed up an idea Nate might have had before, but never seriously considered until Quin tossed aside her badge. ”You were a great detective, Quin. But didn’t you hate the constant limitations and red tape that kept you from doing the right thing or made it impossible to do your job successfully? Maybe now that you have stepped away from it all, you could look to do work that still helps people and lets you do what needs to be done?”

Quin nodded, she did have transferable skills. Well...she would have anyway.

"That might be true, as long as I don't get blackballed for the way I quit." It was a distinct possibility. Then again, it was also possible nothing would be said about the whole thing and she could simply move on with her life. That was the best case scenario and the redhead supposed that at some point she had to stop being melodramatic about the whole situation.

It was honestly too early to start thinking about jobs like teaching. Maybe she could find something in private security. Being a rent-a-cop didn't really float Quin's boat, but there were other kinds of security. Real jobs that involved real kinds of things. She'd also be damned before she gave up her work on the child trafficking case. She'd made too much progress to simply roll over and die on the issue...she'd just have to be more careful.

"You're right. I've got connections I've made over the years..." she said thoughtfully, wondering if asking about job prospects meant she'd have to actually start calling her vigilante friend by his ridiculous "Ranger" moniker. It was almost too much again.

Nate had pointed out that maybe being unbridled from the red tape and bureaucracy that ruled any public agency like the NYPD would give her a chance to help people the way she'd always wanted...without the...rest. She cast him a slightly withering look with a shadow of a grin.

"I'll die before I prance around in spandex, chasing bad guys in the night." It had been ages since she'd actually seen an X-man wear spandex...but it still had to be said. She may have evolved a bit, but Quin still had strong opinions about New York's favorite band of vigilantes.

Nate did not want to agree with the possibility of Quin getting blackballed, but it made sense. Police and people in leaderships could occasionally take insubordination and disrespect poorly, and Quin’s actions could definitely be interpreted as “disrespectful,” even if Nate thought they were warranted. Some people could get petty, and limiting her opportunities in the field would be a petty way to get revenge.

The idea of teaching was a possibility, but not one Nate really expected Quin to be interested in. She wanted to be hands-on and she wanted to fight the injustices of the world. A professor could make a difference, but Quin wanted to be the one to make things better, not just teach people how to do it in her stead.

Of course, there were some lines she was never going to cross. From their time together, Nate knew all too well how Quin felt about the X-Men and their vigilante activities. Nate could have pointed out how their operations were similar to how the police operated, just without the bureaucracy and red tape, but he had better things to do than advocate for the X-Men.

”Trust me, I haven’t forgotten how you feel about the X-Men,” he said, kissing her cheek and chuckling. ”Though I still advocate for you in spandex for reasons unrelated to crime fighting.” Ironically, Nate usually wore a bodysuit in situations where he might have to shift so he did not unshift in the nude. If he could make it work, he could only imagine the fabric’s effect when worn by Quin.

Anyway! Nate had a point to make, so he could not get lost in thoughts of his scantily-clad ex-girlfriend. ”I was thinking something more independent. Plenty of your skills as a detective would suit work as a private investigator, right? Pursuing leads, talking to witnesses, investigating evidence. You’d still be able to help people.” Most private eyes worked on behalf of a client that directed their focus, so the work could range from rewarding to sleazy.

There was another option, however, and it was time for Nate to play his hand. ”Plus if you had the backing of, let’s say, a large humanitarian organization, you could still have the autonomy to look into problems you think need to be looked into. No red tape. No bull**** office politics. Just a partnership working toward the goal of a better world for everyone.” Nate had to be careful when gaging Quin’s reaction. Haven was a public entity, but not every member saw all the layers within. It was an organization that thrived on compartmentalization, letting everyone operate to their chosen level of moral ambiguity. As one of the few people operating in the most questionable ring, he had to know how much Quin would feel comfortable with knowing before he made any suggestions.

Spandex. Quin snorted at the idea. There simply wasn’t a situation in which she thought spandex would be useful. Honestly, the stuff was so thin that it lost all practicality. It wasn’t even sexy...not really anyway. People thought lots of things were spandex that simply weren’t...they were blends. Quin knew a lot about blends, being able to manipulate synthetics did that to a person...and blends...were another thing altogether.

This was a mental tangent though, and it didn’t have much place in the conversation, no matter how nice the compliment had been and how warm Quin’s responding smile was.

PI. The word made Quin’s brows draw together. PI’s were...well...like everyone else. There were some really good ones, some really bad ones, and a whole lot of mediocrity in between. Some of them toed the line of the law like so many tight ropes stretched between skyscrapers and some pretended like some of the laws didn’t apply to them at all. Quin had seen several of those type...in lock up for one reason or another. Still…

What Nate was saying made sense, and as he spoke, Quin watched him intently. This was the kind of talk that seemed more focused than a simple suggested. She was distracted...but not enough to miss such obvious verbal cues.

The job Nate described was...to put it simply...dreamlike. Getting to help people, continuing to do the kind of detective work that made Quin feel like she mattered without all of the red tape and bureaucratic crap that she had to deal with at the precinct. She stared at Nate, eyes slightly wide.

”In a perfect world that sounds like an amazing job...but unfortunately we live in New York.” she sighed and leaned back again, ”I’m not going through that rift...no matter how good some people try to make it sound.”