I am the lucky one for I have been the unlucky one to have been fortunate enough to be chosen.
Rasa (Testament of Will, Green 13)
2015
Maxie marched into Spinelli's office and slammed the door behind her, "You couldn't wait for me?" Maxie asked.
"The Jackal never agreed to wait," Spinelli pointed out, going back to his computer. He wanted to get this search started as soon as possible. He had a feeling that it was going to take a while, and the sooner it got started the sooner he could focus on other things.
"I don't see why you're being so difficult," Maxie said. "I can help you - I've helped you before."
"Yes, Maria Maximilliana has helped the Jackal on numerous occasions," Spinelli said.
Maxie glared at Spinelli. She knew he was trying to piss her off by using her full name, hoping she'd get angry about that and forget about the argument at hand. But she wasn't going to let him distract her. "Investigating is in my blood," Maxie said. "My mom used to be a PI and my dad was WSB. If there's ever an argument of nature versus nurture, I was raised as a cop's daughter. I have good investigative skills." Maxie sat down across from Spinelli when she realized he wasn't really paying attention to her. "Spinelli!" He looked up and gave her a small grin and motioned for her to wait a minute. "If this is a timely matter, you're wasting your time by arguing with me. You're going to give in - you always do." She wasn't sure how many times she'd had this conversation with Spinelli over the years. He'd officially opened up Jackal PI five years ago and she'd helped him out on more cases than she could count. Before she opened her own boutique, she'd thought about asking him to be a partner in Jackal PI. She loved the fashion industry, but there was something about the adrenaline rush of working on a case that she didn't get from the new spring line.
Spinelli hit a few more keystrokes, "Time is of the essence, but what I'm working on is not a case. It's something of the upmost importance for Stone Cold and - "
"Is it dangerous?" Maxie asked, her tone softening. She wondered what mess Jason was dragging Spinelli into now. Spinelli was a legitimate investigator, but every so often Jason asked him to do something that wasn't exactly legal. She couldn't blame Jason for wanting the best. She had no problem with Spinelli being friends with Jason, but she wanted as much distance between Jason's business and Spinelli as possible.
"Perhaps dangerous was an overstatement," Spinelli said, backtracking. Maxie worried more than she wanted to admit. "Sensitive - sensitive is more accurate."
Maxie narrowed her eyes at Spinelli trying to figure out if he was lying or not. After all these years he was still afraid of her sometimes, and it was something she used to her advantage. Especially if he was trying to hide something from her. When Spinelli didn't back down from her glare, she turned away. Satisfied that he was telling the truth, Maxie reached in her purse to pull out a compact and freshened her makeup. "Okay, but if you have a big case you're working on, I don't want to find out after the fact," Maxie said.
"Duly noted." Spinelli cross-referenced a few account numbers and started a new search. "Might the Jackal inquire why the Exasperating Blonde One is not at her boutique?" Spinelli asked. He was almost positive that she had some hotshot jean designer coming into her boutique today. "The Jackal was under the impression that the Stylish Blonde One would be rendezvousing with the Denim Engineer."
"English Spinelli," Maxie said. She had to admit, she sometimes found Spinelli's speech endearing and he'd definitely toned it down over the years. But there were times she wanted to have a normal conversation without trying to dissect everything he said, and this was one of them.
Spinelli checked his screen, satisfied that his search was in progress and he closed his lap top. "Does your negative mood have anything to do with the Absent Maternal One's phone call?" Spinelli asked.
Maxie sighed and started toying with her bracelet, "She said she's coming for a visit," Maxie said. "Is it wrong that I don't want to see her?"
"No," Spinelli quietly said. "She's hurt you over the years, it makes sense that you don't want to see her." One thing that he and Maxie had in common was that they were both abandoned by their parents, he was abandoned by his when he was in elementary school and didn't really remember them. Maxie was abandoned by her father at a young age, and her mother when she was older. Her mother's interest in her life when it was convenient for her was more hurtful than if she stayed out of it completely. Even if Maxie never admitted it, he knew that every time Felicia called or visited she got her hopes up that maybe this time her mother would stick around for good this time. Every time Felicia left again it reinforced the fact that Felicia didn't want to be a mother and made her wonder if maybe it was because of her that her mother left.
"I don't want to see her, but Mac - he'll play the guilt card on me if I freeze her out," Maxie said. It never ceased to amaze her that the parent who wanted her, the parent who raised her was the one that wasn't related to her by blood. She'd disappointed Mac so many times over the years and if she could do this one thing for him, it'd make him happy.
"Did she say how long she's staying?" Spinelli asked. For Maxie's sake, he hoped it was a short visit. Maxie could suck it up and endure a few lunches with Felicia, but anything longer than that and it was inevitable that they would start fighting.
Maxie shrugged, "Does it matter?" she asked. "She always breezes into town when it's convenient for her and leaves when she gets bored. I'm grateful that Mac married Bobbie a few years ago, so she can't worm her way back into his life anymore." On one hand it seemed odd, that Mac and Bobbie got together after all these years. But on the other hand it seemed right, Bobbie had always treated her like a daughter and now it was official - in a blended family kinda way.
"This is true," Spinelli said. The search he was running would take a few hours at least, and he couldn't do anything until he tracked down the bank records he was looking for. Which meant he had a few hours to help Maxie take her mind off Felicia. "Where's Mackenzie?"
"Bobbie took her to Carly's," Maxie said. "Mac has a play date with Emily."
"Let's go to the Valkeryie's, reschedule the munchkin play date, pick up our Little Blonde One and take her to the technology showcase," Spinelli said.
"We are not taking our daughter to a geek fest," Maxie said. "Mac can't even read and she doesn't need anymore gadgets." She was positive that anyone that didn't know her thought she named her daughter after a cosmetics line, but she hadn't. Considering who her father was, she wasn't named after a computer either. In fact, Spinelli had been horrified that anyone would think someone with his hacker genes was named after Mac computers since he was a PC user. It had taken a lot of pleading and a few rounds of tears, negotiations and not so veiled threats, but she'd finally convinced him that they should name their little girl Mackenzie.
"Ah - but gadgets help with hand-eye coordination and that will help the perfectly accessorized munchkin apply makeup in the future," Spinelli said. Maxie always made sure that Mac was dressed in the latest styles. She lavished affection and material things on their daughter so she would never question if her mother loved or wanted her. Sometimes Maxie overindulged Mac, but she was a good mom. Maxie was determined not to make the same mistakes her parents made with her. "A very distant future." He didn't like the idea of his daughter wearing make-up, because that meant she was growing up and growing up meant that she'd start dating. If there were anything he could do about it, he'd make sure she kept her head buried in technology magazines instead of fashion ones.
Maxie laughed and walked around Spinelli's desk and quickly kissed him, "Don't worry, Mac is not allowed to wear makeup until middle school," Maxie said. Spinelli was anything but conventional, but there was one thing he had in common with every father - he didn't want his daughter dating. She glanced at the folder in front of Spinelli, "Are you dead set against me helping?"
"It's not a case," Spinelli said. Sometimes his cases got dangerous and he wished that Maxie wouldn't get involved. But honestly, she was a great help - she thought about angles that would never occur to him and they made a great team, professionally and personally.
Maxie traced her perfectly manicured fingertips along Spinelli's jaw, "You're positive about that?" Maxie asked.
Spinelli gulped, "Positive," he said. They'd been married for almost three years and Maxie still had the uncanny ability to unnerve him with a single look or touch.
Maxie smiled and lowered her voice, "Well if you change your mind - about this being a case, just remember that I reserve the right to change your mind," Maxie said.
"I will keep that in mind," Spinelli said.
"I don't want to see her at all," Maxie said.
Spinelli pulled Maxie onto his lap, brushing her hair from her face. "You shouldn't have to, maybe if you told Mac how you felt he would understand," Spinelli said.
"Maybe," Maxie said. She knew that Mac hated how strained her relationship was with her mother. But she also knew how much he loved her, and maybe if she talked to him like an adult instead of an angry child, he'd listen to her.
"If you do decide to see her - you don't have to do it alone," Spinelli said. Maxie rested her head on his shoulder, and he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair. He never would've pictured himself with someone like Maxie. When he first met her, she was beyond jaded. He thought she was shallow and selfish and she was, but she was so much more. She was courageous, too courageous almost. She lived her life to the fullest but she had this raw vulnerability that surprised him sometimes.
"Thank you," Maxie whispered. She knew that people wondered why she started dating Spinelli. She knew that people thought they were too different, that she was manipulating him, but she hadn't been. After Georgie died, they became friends and she started to see past his Jackal persona. He was a good person and he respected her. Almost every man she met, wanted one thing from her - sex, and Spinelli was one of the few men she'd ever known that never objectified her. She never wondered if he was using her to try to get her to sleep with him, and that meant a lot to her.
Spinelli leaned forward and kissed her forehead, "Ready to go get Mac?" Spinelli asked.
Maxie nodded and stood up, "Can we skip the showcase and go to the park or something?" Maxie asked. "Maybe we can stop by tomorrow or something." She knew that Spinelli really wanted to go to the technology showcase, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with the crowds and the noise. Right now, she just wanted to hold her little girl for all the times her mother was never around to hold her.
"It's a date," Spinelli said, standing. He checked on his search, made sure his laptop was synched with his phone, then locked the screen.
Maxie rolled her eyes, some things never changed. Even though Spinelli stopped taking his laptop everywhere, he was constantly concerned about his laptop. Spinelli reached for her hand and started leading her towards the door. He suddenly stopped and pulled her closer, softly kissing her. Maxie smiled, brushing his unkempt hair out of his face. "What was that for?" Maxie asked, wondering what thoughts were running through Spinelli's mind.
"Nothing," Spinelli said. He knew Maxie was a great mom - she knew it too, but whenever her mom surfaced, so did her insecurities. "Just thinking how lucky Mac and I are to have you."
Maxie blinked back tears, "I'm the lucky one," Maxie whispered. For so long she felt so unlovable, so unworthy of anything good. But one day she'd stopped wrecking everything good in her life, destroying everything before it destroyed her, and she found herself falling for a man she never would've pictured herself with. Once she stopped fighting her feelings for him, she let him heal her wounded heart and it was the healthiest relationship she'd ever been in. He gave her everything she never knew she was looking for, including a beautiful daughter.
Spinelli smiled, lightly touching Maxie's face before leaning in for a kiss, "Then that makes both of us lucky."
THE END