Hello!
Well, it's been a while! I promised myself that after exams were over I would rewrite this (especially the beginning chapters) and so here I am.
This was a story idea that I couldn't let go of after doing Romeo and Juliet in class. It doesn't fit to the plotline perfectly and will waver a little but the link is clear (so me thinks).
Cliff Angell and Don Flack snr are both highly respected ex-police officers, one from the NYPD and one from the JPD. They were once friends, but jealously got the better of both of them and they grew to hate each other and blame the other for their failures. It lead to a great rivalry between the two families, their children growing up to hate each other without ever meeting. However when two of them fall in love, will it be enough to end the long feud? Can the Shakespearian tragedy be re-written, or will their fates be sealed?
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From an ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean,
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows,
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife,
The fearful passage of their death-marked love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Jessica Angell lay tiredly, glaring at the open curtains allowing in the day. Usually the sunrise in New York was stunning, a mixture of a blood red sun rising and the pinks, purples and yellows which would caress the morning sky. Today however was not one of those times, the rain steadily falling and lashing against the window panes. Occasionally the wind would blow with an exceptionally large gust and the glass would shake within the pane. Jess plunged her head into her pillow and groaned. The steady beat of the rain thrummed and filled the air, nearly causing her to miss the insistent bleeping of her alarm.
With one last sigh, Jess kicked her duvet from her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. A brief shiver ran down her body and for a second the temptation to pull the cover back and sleep for another ten minutes was almost too great. Another stretch and another yawn lead to her padding into the bathroom, the cold tiles harsh against her feet as she made her way over to the mirror and studied the girl within. She looked awful.
Lindsay Monroe, close friend to the Angell family and long term confident for Jess, had held her birthday celebrations the previous night and by hell Jess was paying back for going out for a few drinks when she had her first day of work the next day. Her hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions, as if electrified, and her doe brown eyes were rimmed with a very unattractive shade of purple and black from her smudged eye shadow and eyeliner. Picking up her toothbrush with an unsteady hand, Jess managed to successfully place the toothpaste on the brush, surprised by her own skill considering the hammering of the rain was playing like an anthem in her head.
By the time she deemed herself suitable to present herself for her first day, the clock had betrayed her and she was running late. A mad frantic rush to find clothing turned into a task of Hercules by itself, ending with her throwing on the first thing she happened to see.
Taking the stairs two at a time she noticed Lindsay's door was firmly shut and allowed herself a small smirk. No one else was awake in the Angell household and Jess made her way to the door trying to make as little noise as possible. Carefully she opened the ornate front door and was immediately assaulted by the smell of rain, damp plastic and exhaust fumes. With another dose of bravery, courage and sheer determination she stepped out into the rain… and right into an ankle high puddle.
A day which begins with running to a police precinct with a wet foot and a hang over is generally observed to end badly. Life is a bitch like that.
Rain. It wasn't that Don didn't like rain, it was more to do with the fact it was his first day off in months and he would be forced to spend the day moping around the apartment unable to forget about her. Devon was the love of his life he was sure, she wasn't.
Knowing that attempting to fall back asleep would be futile, Don pulled himself out of bed and stretched like a cat which had been lying in the sun for too long. Mornings were not really the highlight of the officer's day, but the early morning shower was something he cherished. As the steam fogged up the glass and the scolding water poured down his back he attempted to forget her.
Grabbing the nearest towel he stumbled towards the kitchen in a search for food, appreciating the need for substances as his stomach growled. Cold pizza from the hockey game last night seemed to be his only hope and he munched on it happily as he remembered Danny's face as his side had lost. He wolfed the food down as quickly as his throat would allow him to, turning to see his sister staring at him grinning.
"If you don't mind, I'd rather eat my breakfast without the mental scaring thanks," Sami teased waving her hand towards the towel slung low on his hips. With a blush, Don placed the pizza dish on the side to tighten the fabric only to find once he'd finished the pizza plate and his sister had mysteriously disappeared. Life is a bitch like that.
Hope you liked it I know this chapter is quite short, more updating on the way soon!
Beth