A/N: Very short. I know. Forgive me? :D This story is unbetaed (but read and reread by yours truly), so be nice. If anyone is interested in the position feel free to pm me, I don't bite, much xD.
"Have a good first day, honey," Mrs. Luis almost missed her daughter's cheek as the girl set land records leaving the car. In the past two months everything in her world had changed. She had gone from stay at home soccer mom to a working single mother. She remembered the look on Detective Grover's face and his voice as he asked to come in – funeral voices . . . . . .
Sarah Luis lay down on the couch. She had just spent the past three hours in a battle with her youngest son …. He wanted to sleep in her and Paul's bed. The boy had punched, kicked and bitten his way into it, but he was now fast asleep on their oversized memory foam mattress.
A quick glance at the clock told Sarah that it was nearly midnight. Where was Phoebe? Where was Paul? Both her oldest daughter and her husband should have been home hours ago. Just as Sarah had gotten up to call both of them, the doorbell rang.
Thank, God, Sarah thought, speeding to answer the door, "Where the hell have you –" Mrs. Luis froze midsentence. Her mouth didn't even move to make amends.
Standing in the doorway was her husband's partner – no husband.
"Good afternoon, Sarah, can I come in?" Detective Grover attempted to smile, but only succeeded in a sickly cloying mockery of one.
"O-of course …." Sarah took a gulp, nothing good could ever come at a police officer standing at her doorway at midnight.
Detective Grover didn't stay for much longer after delivering the news. It wasn't something he normally did, told wives their husband was dead, but this had been a special case – or so Sarah guessed. The hardest part wasn't explaining what had happened to her daughter …. "Phoebe, come here," Sarah didn't use the voice she normally used when Phoebe came home at two in the morning; it was softer, more loving. "Detective Grover came by earlier – "
"Whatever he said was a lie, the cop let me off the hook it …. Where's dad?" Phoebe's words came out fast, but Sarah barely even heard the first part. The moment Phoebe mentioned her father's name, Sarah lost it. The tears spilled down her cheeks, coming as quickly as the Indonesian rain. One second her face was a mask of calm, the next she was a mess. Phoebe wrapped her arms around her mother, "What happened?" Phoebe's normally power and confidence was gone, replaced by raw fear.
"The man had a hostage, Paul was trying to negotiate with him … make him see sense – he had been the person to find him ….. but then he snapped," Sarah let out a short, lifeless, laugh," I guess he never was the best negotiator …." Sarah hiccupped.
Sarah nearly jumped out of her seat; the car behind her had finished dropping off its children and had honked at her to hurry up. Apparently Sarah wasn't the only one who had to hurry to work.