AN: This is my first time publishing a fanfiction, so feedback is appreciated. This story take place early in season 1.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"Jake, you can't keep doing this." Myka stood outside the Warehouse holding the phone to her ear with one hand while she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration with the other. "We agreed that she'd spend that week with me. I haven't seen her in over two months…. I know I had to cancel last time, but you cancelled the last three weekends before that. I've already cleared that week with work and bought plane tickets." Myka turned around and was startled to see Pete standing near the door to the Warehouse, shuffling awkwardly. She hadn't heard him come out, so she didn't know how long he'd been standing there. Or how much he'd overheard of her conversation. When he saw her looking at him, he gestured that she was needed. She nodded and turned back to the phone.
"Jake, I have to go, but this is not over. I'll call you back when I can." She hung up and walked angrily back to Pete who was holding the door open for her.
"Want to talk about it?" Pete asked as they walked down the long entry way together.
"Nope." Myka replied shortly.
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Later that night after everyone was asleep, Myka was on the front porch of Leena's, her phone pressed to her ear again as she continued her earlier argument with her ex. "Jake, I just don't understand why you planned a camping trip in the middle of the week we agreed Liv would spend with me." She listened as he gave some excuse. "Well, why can't you tell your father that you need to move it back a week? It's been two and a half months since I've seen her. … Skype doesn't count. … You said you had plans for her birthday, so I agreed to take her the week before. … We agreed on that a month ago! I have plane tickets and a hotel booked. I've taken time off from work. You can't just tell me something came up and expect me to be ok with it! … No, I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to stop sabotaging my visits. I want you to let me see my daughter!"
Angrily, she hung up. She'd call back and continue the argument when they were both a little calmer. Letting out a frustrated cry, she headed inside to get a drink. When she opened the door, she found Pete standing there with a cookie in his mouth.
Shit! Myka thought as she saw the look of shock on his face indicating he'd heard her outburst.
She had tried to keep her voice down because while the walls weren't paper thin, they were far from sound proof. Unfortunately, in her anger she'd been practically shouting by the end of the call. It wasn't that she tried to keep her daughter a secret, she was just a private person. She barely knew Pete. They'd only been in South Dakota for a few weeks. He didn't need to know everything about her.
Pete was still standing by the stairs, mouth open. When Myka walked past him, he snapped out of his shock.
"You have a daughter?" he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
Myka sighed and turned to face him. "Yes. Now I really need a drink. If that bothers you, we should probably talk about this another time."
"Go ahead. I can handle it." Pete replied sitting down at the table. Myka went to the liquor cabinet, poured herself a healthy glass of whiskey and joined him at the table.
She took a long drink before pulling her phone out. She brought up her pictures and flipped through them for a moment before finding the right one. She smiled as she looked at the picture for a moment then held it out to Pete. Pete smiled too as he saw the picture of a grinning little girl with Myka's curly, dark hair. "She's beautiful."
"Her name is Olivia. She'll be six in a few weeks." The smile crept from Myka's face as she added, "She lives with her dad in Denver."
Pete could hear the sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know that must be hard."
"Yeah," Myka said softly. "It really sucks. It was easier when I was in Denver and I could see her all the time, but then I was transferred to D.C. and it was a lot harder to get back. I haven't seen her in almost three months. We Skype a few times a week, but it's not the same."
"Bad divorce?" Pete asked.
Myka shook her head. "Jake and I were never married. And we separated amicably. We both decided that Liv was better off with him. I was in the Secret Service by then and he was a computer programmer. He could work from home and could be there for her whenever she needed him. And he had always been better with her than I was."
"I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you're great with her!" Pete interrupted.
Myka smiled. "No, it's true. I had my moments with her, but I've always been much better with adults than I am with kids. Olivia was Daddy's Little Girl from the moment she was born. I used to love watching them together."
"I'm sure she loves you just the same."
"Letting Jake keep her was the best choice for Olivia – the only option, really. But it was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life."
Pete took her hands in his and simply held them, offering silent comfort. They sat there for a few minutes, both with their own thoughts. Eventually, Pete's curiosity got the better of him. "So tell me about your baby daddy. What's his name? How did he react when he found out you were pregnant? Wait, how did you react? Oh, I bet you were a wreck!"
"Thanks." Myka swatted his arm. "His name is Jake Cameron. And you're right. I was a wreck. He handled it much better than I did."
"Tell me what happened. Start from the beginning." Pete moved to the edge of his seat in excitement, only half pretending.
"You really want to know?" Then, when he nodded, "Why do you care?"
"Because you're my partner, and I want to know what makes you tick. This was a big thing that happened in your life. I'm guessing it's not something you talk about very much and maybe you should."
Myka thought about his words. She'd never told anyone this story before, not even Sam. He'd known about Olivia, and he'd known the basics about Jake, but nothing more. She'd never felt comfortable sharing that part of her life with him. Strangely enough, though, she found herself wanting to confide in Pete.