"Someone's had a sighting!" he cheered excitedly, waving a piece of paper in the air as he sat on his desk and spun around, frantically searching his drawers. "I told Stork the second he got a sighting reported that he should let me know, and one just came in five minutes ago."
"Sighting for what?" Finn asked before taking a sip from his cup. Aerrow cocked his gun before caching it in its holster, a sly grin on his face at the question.
"It's her," he responded simply, taking the leather jacket off the back of the chair and slipping one arm into the sleeve. "She's been spotted around a neighbourhood I know quite well. I'm confident I can bring her in this time."
"You know you won't get clearance on this," Finn sounded bored as he returned to the magazine in his hand. "This'll be, what, the third time you've tried to track down this chick? Why so interested?"
"Third time's the charm, man," the second arm wove itself into its sleeve. "I won't let her slip one by me again, not this time."
Finn shook his head, if only to appease the cop opposite him. "Well, good luck."
"No," Junko, the Chief of police, had a low voice that resounded in his office. Aerrow's shoulders dropped under his jacket.
"But sir, if I can just-"
"I've already told you before whenever you come to me with this case, Aerrow," he explained, tossing a manila folder onto the redwood desk. A tanned hand flipped it open to a photograph of a young girl staring coldly into a camera, her amber eyes glaring. "She's not worth the costs you put in to track her down. Every time you go after her, you come back with no prisoner and a smile on your face. She's a C grade criminal at best, let the bounty hunters deal with her. Right now I need my policemen doing worthwhile tasks. Take Finn downtown and deal with troublemakers or something, you're all worked up."
"But if I-"
"I said no," he flicked the newspaper in front of him and buried his round face behind it. "That's an order, Sergeant."
The redhead slammed the door behind him.
"Boss said no?" Finn chuckled to himself, taking a sip of his coffee. Aerrow pushed past him violently, shoving on a pair of sunglasses.
"Cover for me."
"What?" a little bit of the hot drink caught in his throat. The blonde coughed in response. "Where are you going?"
"I told you," Aerrow had one foot out of the door. "She's not getting away again."
Piper handed over her notes and accepted her change. No credit cards, of course; she had been doing this for long enough. With the white plastic bag in her hand, the bell to the milk bar's door chimed as she exited, squinting at the setting sun as it spilled a sickly orange over this side of the city.
She looked down, avoiding the cracks and debris littering the sidewalk as she walked aimlessly without direction. A chill ran down her spine, bringing her walk to a halt.
The street was practically deserted, only a few scuffling feet moving to avoid the motionless girl. She turned her head, orange eyes glancing around frantically for any sign of danger.
A light wind rustled through the grocery bag.
Three dark cars lined the road opposite; each less distinguishable than the last. Her eyes narrowed on to the last car, the shadow of a driver only just visible in the sunset.
Piper turned around, brows furrowing as she questioned the eerie feeling tugging in her brain. With natural movements hiding her fear, she rounded a corner out of sight and dashed down the alley way.
From the driver's seat of the black vehicle, Aerrow smiled as the navy-haired girl left his vision, moving in a direction he recognised. Shutting off the ignition, he stepped outside and pulled his jacket closer to his chest in the slight breeze, a wide grin on his face as he began his mission.
The motel lamplight gave just enough for Piper to read the playing cards as she placed them on her bed. The room surrounding her looked unused, ready for a fugitive to make a quick getaway whenever necessary.
The knock on her door before midnight caused her to jump in her skin, leaping from the bed and hiding below the windows.
She wasn't expecting any visitors. She never did.
Three knocks rung out, confirming her fear that someone was indeed out there, and it wasn't just the wind or a wild animal. Courageously, she crept along the fading carpet to the door, stretching up to reach the peephole. The shiny button of a leather jacket sparkled in the moonlight, a grin unwillingly spreading on her lips.
She backed away from the door, running into the bathroom just as the wood splintered and the door broke free from its lock. Aerrow raced in after her, gripping her hands and turning her around in his hold.
"You're not a good fugitive, you know," he smirked, grunting as she struggled. "Even without meaning to, you can leave a paper trail behind."
"Nice to see you again, Aerrow," she responded cockily, still pointlessly fighting in his tight grip. "Long time no see. What is this, our third date?" Piper batted her eyelids cheekily. He smiled in response.
"Glad to know you've been thinking about me," a blush crept on her face, unnoticed by the officer as he pulled her hands forward, circling handcuffs around her small wrists. "But trust me when I say this is the last time we'll be meeting up like this."
She glanced down at her new silver bracelets thoughtfully. "Weren't these the pair we used to use all the time?" she asked slyly, craning her neck up and edging her lips closer to his. He backed off immediately, fighting off a grin.
"Oh no no, don't you tempt me," she was pulled from the bathroom to the small motel bedroom towards the door. "There's been a new warrant put out on you and this time I'm going to claim it. I'm bringing you in."
Piper scoffed, rolling her eyes as she stood in the middle of the room. "No you're not."
He turned to face her, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "And why not?"
"You're not bringing me in, you've never brought me in," she exclaimed, holding the handcuffs down as she pulled a pin from out of her sleeve. "Because deep down you know you'll never get to see me like this if I'm behind bars."
His eyes darted downwards in thought, spying her fiddling with the cuffs. Before he could say anything, one hand was released, and she wrapped it around his neck in an attempted headlock.
The handcuff flailed wildly in front of him, just out of reach as Aerrow fought to keep her arm off his neck. He caught it in its swing, dragging her by one hand towards the bed and down as he fixed it to the corner post. She scoffed in defeat, pulling on it before giving him a deadpanned look.
"The bedpost?" her tone was sarcastic as he pulled out a cell phone. "Kinky."
"Get used to it," he murmured carelessly, turning away from her. "You'll be seeing plenty of cuffs and posts in jail."
Just as the call began to ring, Aerrow's eyes widened at the sound of stifled sobs. He turned around, noticing her face beginning to flush as she stared wide eyed at him. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and for a moment he didn't realise that the call on his phone had failed.
"You really are taking me in?" she asked incredulously, staring up from her kneeling position beside the bed. He bent down to her level, oblivious to everything around him. "What happened to you?"
"I…" he stammered, meeting her sad stare. "I got good at my job while you were away."
She hung her head in dejection. "You know what I miss most about you?" he stared intently at the girl, awaiting the answer to her question.
"Your company."
"Do you have any twos?" he asked, playing cards fanned in front of him. She shuffled the stack in her grip, hands free of restraints.
"Go fish."
"You're a liar," he replied with a smile, moving his head to look at her cards. She shied them away, but not before he pulled out a red two of hearts from her hand.
"Well, I had one, but I was saving it," she snatched the card back, holding it high above her. Aerrow pulled himself up in an attempt to get it back, but stopped himself when amber eyes close to him fluttered. He was towering over her, her breath falling on his neck. He brushed his lips against hers tentatively, closing the gap between them. The familiar territory progressed how it always did, and though Aerrow knew what this could lead to, he couldn't help himself as fingers ran down the buttons on the front of her shirt.
He lay behind her, softly kissing the back of her bare neck as he cuddled closer to her.
"Just like old times, huh?" he muffled into her shoulder, feeling her body move with light laughter.
"Just like old times," she repeated, turning around in his embrace and kissing him lightly.
They sat up in bed together. A film playing on the motel tv was muted. His arms never released his grip from her.
"I'm not letting you get away," he whispered, but neither were sure what he meant by it.
Sleep scratched at her eyes as Piper noticed the pink hue to the dawn. Lying back in sleep, he turned his head away from her, muffling into the plump pillow. "Marry me."
She gasped lightly, though she knew something like this was coming. He had always been the hopeless romantic; she had always been the loose end.
"It didn't work out the first time," she whispered, hearing his breathing slow down as though he was preparing for sleep. "What makes you think it'll work this time round?"
She waited for his response, but when his breathing became heavier, Piper sighed. She slowly brought her foot to the ground, keeping the mattress as still as possible so as to not wake him. Clothes were tossed hurriedly into the open duffle bag at the end of the bed in a rehearsed escape plan. Aerrow shifted under the sheets, catching her attention.
"But I love you," he finally answered groggily, still not facing her. Piper stopped what she was doing, freezing in her spot as she stood tall. She walked over to him with quiet footsteps, moving the strands of red hair to plant a kiss on his head.
"I love you," she whispered, fighting off tears as she swiped his car keys off the bedside table near her. She gripped the cold metal in a tight fist. "So much."
The sun was beginning to rise as Piper shut the door to the motel. Her hoodie was pulled up, the duffle bag sitting on her shoulder and his keys jangling in her hand. She stopped briefly at the window, divided by an old curtain. Through a gap, she could just make out his body moving as he cuddled himself closer.
With the pain in her heart growing, she closed her eyes softly and let herself walk away, leaving him alone once again.
Aerrow sat up in the empty motel room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He sighed in dejection when he realised he was alone, staring blankly at the door and then the window. Pulling his shirt on over his head, he threw back the covers to the other side of the bed; a pair of handcuffs set on the sheets.
I always intended this story to be a Storm Hawks fic, but wrote the first draft with OCs to present to a writing group. It's a vague short story with many unanswered questions; why is Piper on the run? Did Aerrow become a cop to find her? How long was she gone and when will he see her next? These are all up to your imagination. What is certain is they used to be married, unbeknownst to everyone around them, she's still on the run and they both still love each other. Hope you enjoyed this one-shot, I will be updating Secret Issues and Fight For You soon but wanted to post this to let you know I'm working on them! R&R!