It was a calm day on the streets of New York City, a rarity for the legendary Big Apple of the United States. The sun was shining gently, its warming rays interrupted from time to time by fluffy white clouds that were swiftly scudding across the clear sky. New Yorkers were out in force on the streets, taking a moment to walk through the massive city and enjoy the good weather they were having.
One of the outsiders amongst them was particularly enjoying herself, but she had good reason. She had just retired from the Army, after 24 years of active federal service. Her career had taken her just about everywhere: Germany, Italy, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo…just to name a few. Now she was spending a little time in New York, visiting a few friends before she returned home to her ranch in Montana to take over for her parents, who were both getting a little too old to care for the ranch.
Ahh Stormwynd…how I miss you so… She thought, turning her face to the sun and enjoying the light breeze that was playing through her short-cut blonde hair. The wail of a nearby siren turned her attention to another, more pressing matter: how she was going to say goodbye…to him.
She felt a slight twinge of regret flicker through her at how long it had been since they had even seen one another, but they had kept in touch, through text, email, and the occasional phone call on a birthday or Christmas. Feeling her sorrow starting to build, she stepped out of the mainstream foot traffic, pausing at the edge of a bridge as she leaned on the railing and stared out over the water.
Javi…finding you, even in this place, is easy. Finding the words that I know I need to say…now that is going to be very, very difficult. She thought, her slate gray eyes narrowing slightly as the sun reflected off of the water and flashed in her eyes. Sighing softly, she put the matter out of mind, rejoining the human rat race as she headed into the city determinedly. She was going to find him, and just hope that the words she needed would find a way to her when she needed them.
She moved with catlike grace and nearly unbelievable speed, passing people right and left as she turned, then turned again, unerringly making her way to her destination. Once she arrived, however, she hesitated, wondering if she really, really needed to go inside. Then she shook off her concerns, snarling at herself under her breath for her cowardice, then she walked right up the steps and opened the door, walking into the building as though she belonged there.
She stood in the front lobby of the New York Police Department's 12th Precinct, and she hesitated for only a moment before approaching the desk.
"Detective Esposito? Javier Esposito? Should be a Homicide Detective, I believe." She said to the bored looking officer at the front desk. He jerked a hand towards a set of elevators and mumbled which floor, and she thanked him before heading that way. She stepped boldly into the elevator once it arrived, punching the button for the correct floor, then the door closed.
As the elevator slowly rose, she felt her heart hammering in her chest, her hands growing clammy at the thought of being able to see him again, after so long. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as the elevator stopped at the correct floor and the door opened.
Stepping out, she paused for just a moment, her gray eyes searching the floor quickly, then she spotted him. Her instinct was to stay out of sight and observe for a moment, but he had his back to her, so her mind said screw it, just go. So she did. She moved with timeless grace, her strides so liquid-smooth that every officer stopped in their tracks to watch her as she approached her target. He was talking to two men and a woman, and all three went silent to stare at her as she halted about five feet behind him and waited.
She could tell that he was confused by their sudden silence, and his head turned just enough that he caught sight of her from the corner of his eye. Instantly he froze, turning his head a little more to get a better look at her before he rose to his feet and pivoted to face her. They stared at one another, his mahogany brown eyes staring into her slate gray gaze, before she smiled softly and spoke quietly.
"Hello, Javi. Been awhile, hasn't it?" His head snapped up at her voice, the tone light and lilting as he took a half step forward, and she saw his disbelief before he replied.
"Linnea?"
A/N: So...it's been awhile for this story. I know. Things got busy, weird, overwhelming...the list goes on and on and on...but as you can see, I am FINALLY back in business with this one. So yay for that! :)
As you can see, much like what happened with The Wanderer and Dark and Stormy Night Challenge, Battle Song is undergoing a re-write. I am still working diligently on The Wanderer but I've had several fun ideas pop into my head for Battle Song lately...so here you go! I'm starting on the re-write!
Right now, I doubt that updates for Battle Song will be as frequent as they have been for The Wanderer but I guess we'll see on that. What I'm hoping for is to get the muse going on this story good enough that I will be able to concurrently run the thread for it while I continue my work on The Wanderer, but again, we'll just have to see about that.
As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything that you care to dispense.
Until we meet again...
Kani
