A/N: And I told myself I would try to avoid jail-love fics... This was written in response to a prompt about a clumsy prison guard falling in love with a prisoner who has given up hope.
It feels good to be writing GerIta again.
An Important Clearing of Possible Misconceptions
This story should not be mistaken for an overly dramatized cop drama for two reasons: one, it takes place inside a prison and thus excludes the copious car chase/gunfight scenes; and two, the criminals are introduced from the beginning rather than at the end of a semi-predictable, seen-it-before plot divvied up by insufferable commercial breaks. Nor should it be mistaken for a hopeless romance novel full of sultry encounters of the x-rated variety and murmurs of devotion. This is, instead, a story of unlikely love, some redemption, and at least one instance of crying in the rain.
Introducing the Murderer
The murderer was a quiet man, keeping to himself and avoiding eye contact at all costs. For his detached, polite manner, he might have been something like an accountant or an engineer in a past life – a life free of barred cells and jumpsuits that smelled of overly-powerful detergent and sweat. Where he might have once mulled over pages of numbers, he now spent his days in rigorous physical training, building his body to ease his endless boredom. However, no amount of meticulously executed pushups or squats could put his mind at rest. His nights were sleepless, his fingernails were gnawed short, and the tired wrinkles settling into his young face darkened with each passing day. Still, he spoke little and generally ignored any attempts to lure him into conversation, feeling better at ease not saying anything at all.
The murderer was a quiet man.