Chapter 7 – A night out on the town
"Hey, Chief. What're you up to?" David Gabriel waltzed into Brenda's office with a broad smile on his face.
"Oh, the usual, David: stoppin' criminals in their tracks with the power of the pen," she said sarcastically as she lifted her black Bic.
"That riveting, huh? Then you won't mind if I interrupt?"
"Not at all; in fact, I welcome it! Have a seat," she said, motioning to a chair.
She hadn't seen David nearly enough in the past few weeks and even when she did it was only for a few minutes here or there.
He looked good. Much better than he had when he'd had to leave Major Crimes. There was a time when she'd thought he'd never recover the same confidence and humour he once had. But the way he seemed lately reminded her of his best days in his former job.
He took a seat.
"I was talking to Julio the other day, we've been keeping in contact a little more, and we were saying we should go out sometime soon, a little group of us. You know, reminisce a little." He said.
Brenda beamed. She missed the guys immeasurably and the thought of spending time with them again lightened every load in her heart.
"That would be great!" She said. "Who all would comin' along?"
"Julio and Mike and you and me."
"What about Louie and Andy?"
"Well the plan's to go to Ol' Larry's, and Andy would rather avoid the bar. But he offered to drive us home later if we need it," David replied. "As for Louie, well he's not exactly the late-night partying kind."
Brenda didn't think any of them fit that bill, but she also couldn't imagine Louie Provenza thriving in that scene. She laughed at the image of him sitting stiffly at a bar full of people, gripping a glass of scotch.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. You guys can even come see my place after!" Brenda said brightly.
"Definitely. So, the plan is to cab it from work together. Julio and Mike'll meet us here, and we can grab dinner and then drinks after. I was thinking Friday night, if you're up for it." David suggested.
"Perfect," Brenda replied.
David stood.
"I'm buying you at least two drinks at the bar, by the way. I have a feeling after all of that," he pointed to a looming pile of paper on her desk, "you're going to need at least that much."
Brenda looked at the pile sadly.
"I certainly will," she agreed.
Friday night went from good to great in the span of a few hours. Brenda was a little hesitant at first. She knew David had patched things up with their former co-workers, but she still had a fear that the evening would become uncomfortable.
But when Mike and Julio met them at the Bureau building, they greeted David and Brenda like long-lost family, old crimes forgiven.
They grabbed a quick dinner first, catching up on everyone's family dramas and new relationships. David shared that he was dating someone new, to which Julio responded with an exaggerated eye roll.
"Hope she's better than the last one," he said with a smirk. His tone was light, containing no trace of bitterness.
"Well she's not a lawyer, at least," David said with a laugh.
After being endlessly teased, they finally got Brenda to reveal she'd been on a date the previous week.
The boys let out a series of attention-seeking cat-calls and Brenda buried her face in her hands.
"It was so awkward!" She cried.
"Weeeell, Chief. It's been a while since I dated, but in my experience, the first person you date after a long relationship is not often taken seriously. You're still feeling how it felt with…" Mike avoided using Fritz's name, "your ex-husband."
Brenda pulled a disgruntled face.
Julio clapped a hand to Mike's back.
"What our logical friend Mr. Spock means to say is, if he's not the right fish, throw 'em back, Chief."
Brenda guffawed.
"When did you become such wise ol' men?" She drawled. "And wouldja stop calling me Chief? The only one that still has to do that is Gabriel," she said, throwing an elbow into David's arm.
"Ow! Damn, you have pointy little elbows!" David said, then added, "CHIEF."
Ol' Larry's Bar was just down the street from the restaurant so the group made their way there promptly after supper.
Brenda hadn't hung out in a bar that wasn't strictly for cops in at least a few years. As far as bars went, she liked the interior of this one – red leather seats and a classy crimson bar back.
The four of them sauntered up to the bar and took up four stools set around the corner of it so they could see one another.
They ordered promptly: for David, a pint of Guinness; for Julio, rum and coke; for Brenda, a whiskey sour; and for Mike, a Piña Colada.
"With a little umbrella in it," Mike added, miming placing an umbrella in a drink, in case the bartender misunderstood.
They all looked at him incredulously.
"What?" Mike said.
"Mike if you order like that again, they're going to ask us for I.D." David deadpanned.
"Or just throw us out on principle," Julio laughed.
Brenda snickered.
After the next round (and after deciding Mike was not allowed to order for himself anymore), Brenda mustered some of her liquid courage.
"So how's Cap'n Raydor doing as your new boss?" She tried to mask the motive.
Mike and Julio looked at each other, each smirking a little, before turning back to the Chief. Julio took a sip of his rum.
"She's no you, Brenda." Mike said.
Brenda rolled her eyes at what she suspected was a pre-planned response.
"Well thank you for the needless flattery, but I wasn't fishing. I'm serious! Is she treatin' you guys all right?" Brenda asked.
Julio paused, giving the question some thought.
"She's actually doing really well," he said finally, without any sarcasm. "At first I thought she wouldn't last a week."
"Especially with all the fuss Louie was making," Mike amended. Julio nodded.
"But even he's warmed up to her somewhat." Julio said.
"Key word being: somewhat," Mike smiled.
"Plus she's sticking her neck out for us now. It's a lot different than it used to be." Julio finished.
Brenda nodded, a little sad to realize she really had been adequately replaced. At the same time, she felt an odd sense of pride. Sharon was doing just fine in her new position, even with all of that initial resistance. She truly was a woman of remarkable fortitude. She could tell her boys were finally giving the Captain her due respect.
Brenda couldn't help but grin as she sipped her whiskey. She didn't see Mike and Julio exchange a look when they noticed her strange, sudden glow. They certainly hadn't anticipated that reaction.
"Aren't you two neighbours now?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, well, sort of. She's a few floors up from me." Brenda said, wiping away her silly smile.
"Of course she is," David laughed, finishing his beer.
"It's not so bad as I thought it'd be." Brenda said. "Anyone else ready for another round?"
The three men raised their hands simultaneously.
Brenda couldn't say how many rounds they had at the bar, only that at one point she'd had two drinks at once. After that, things were a bit spotty.
The next thing she could remember was the four of them piling into a cab bound for her building. They were all talking at twice their usual volume, no longer inhibited by propriety.
"Brenda, do you have any food at your house?" Julio slurred.
Before she could answer, Mike chimed in.
"Oh my god, you know what would be so good right now?"
Brenda turned to him with a goofy grin.
"What?" She asked him, breaking into anticipatory giggles.
"Pancakes!" Mike exclaimed.
"DRUNKCAKES!" David cheered from the passenger seat. The cabbie shook his head.
"Mmm, oh god that sounds good," Brenda hummed at the thought of maple syrup. "But I don't trust any of us with a stove right now," she was surprised at how little she was slurring considering how heavily her head was swimming. She could hear her accent thickening though.
Thick like maple syrup. She was drooling now.
Then a silly thought occurred to her. An absolutely insane thought. Just the idea of it sent her into another fit of giggles.
Julio and Mike started cracking up even though they had no idea what was so funny.
"Was it something I said?" David called out.
"Not this time," Brenda said, catching her breath. "I've got an idea."
Sharon didn't have a clue why her cell phone was ringing at 2:30 in the morning. She hoped like hell it wasn't a case.
She scrambled out of bed, trying to find her purse in the dark. Why the hell didn't I leave it on the nightstand?
When she finally plucked the phone from her purse, she answered right away, afraid she'd miss it if she checked to see who was calling first.
"Raydor," she croaked, her voice still thick with sleep.
The first thing she heard was snickering in the background.
"Captain! I'mean, Sharon! It's Brenda Leigh!" A sickly sweet and clearly inebriated voice spoke up.
"Hello, Brenda. And what do you need this late at night?"
"Well I'm with David and Julio and Mike and we're on our way to the buildin' but we were wondrin," Brenda paused, as if she'd completely lost her train of thought.
"What were you wondrin, Brenda Leigh?" Sharon couldn't resist imitating the Southerner's thick accent. She was grinning from ear to ear now; drunken Brenda sounded utterly adorable.
"We were wonderin' if you would come make us pancakes? At my place?" Brenda's words were sugar-coated.
Sharon heard the three men start chanting what sounded like "drunkcakes" in the background.
She shook her head, leaving a beat of silence as her initial response. She was more or less awake now anyway. Still, was she really considering saying yes?
"Shar? You there?" Brenda asked.
Sharon laughed at the shortening of her name.
"Yes, Brenda, I'm here. Text me when you get to your place and I'll come down. Do you have everything to make pancakes?" She responded.
"Everythin' but eggs," Brenda answered. "See you soon!"
Brenda waited impatiently after she sent Sharon her arrival text. She tried to focus on the scene in her condo. It was rather entertaining.
Mike had gravitated towards the stereo and was now poring over her CD collection, selecting a suitable soundtrack for their stupor.
David and Julio were meanwhile inspecting her small store of liquor, trying to figure out what kind of drinks they could make with Crème de Menthe, a few fingers of rum, and a half twenty-sixer of vodka.
"Chief – I mean, Brenda," Julio smiled. "Do you have any shot glasses?"
"Sure do," Brenda replied, stumbling a little as she went to retrieve them. She grabbed four glasses, considered it, then grabbed one more. She presented the boys with them and they began pouring vodka into each. And a little bit on the top of the cabinet too, but she could clean that up in the morning.
David realized there was a fifth glass. He smirked at Brenda.
"You think the Captain will partake?" He asked.
"With a little persuadin," Brenda said mischievously.
"Well then, we'll wait for her first. I can't wait to see how you persuade her," David said with a laugh.
"Hey!" Brenda said and hit his arm. "I will have none of your sass, Mister Gabriel!"
A knock at the door stopped Brenda's heart for a moment. She lit up.
"Brenda, you listen to The Black Keys?" Mike called out in disbelief as she crossed the room.
"What? Oh. Charlie left that at our old place ages ago," Brenda called back over her shoulder as she groped for the door knob.
Brenda finally managed to pull the door open for her personal chef. Sharon was a vision in her doorway. The woman had on a tight beige camisole and plaid pyjama bottoms, her body framed by a blue, silk kimono. Her auburn hair hung in a messy bun. She looked good enough to eat.
"Brenda? It'd be a shame if you didn't invite me in after going to such trouble to get me here," Sharon interrupted Brenda's longing gaze.
"Oh! Of course. Sorry, Cap'n." Brenda stepped aside to let her in.
Mike had finally managed to get The Black Keys to play on the stereo after much fiddling. His usual technical skills were a little stunted by the liquor.
Sharon put her carton of eggs down on the counter next to the pancake supplies Brenda had amassed. She turned a front burner on.
"Wait, Sharon, before you get cookin' we were wonderin' if you'd do a shot with us." Brenda said.
Sharon quirked an eyebrow.
"A shot of what?"
"Vodka!" David called out from the couch where the three men had settled, lining up the glasses on the coffee table, spilling even more.
"Sure," Sharon said with a laugh.
Brenda grabbed Sharon's hand, feeling a little brave, and dragged her to the other side of the coffee table. Brenda dropped to her knees on the rug. Sharon followed suit a bit more gracefully.
The five of them each picked up a shot.
"To old and constant friends!" Mike exclaimed as they raised the glasses.
"And to new ones!" Brenda added. They clinked their glasses over the table and Brenda caught Sharon's eye.
She grinned at the brunette and they all threw back the booze.
"Hoo!" Julio gasped, giving his head a shake. They all took a second to recover.
Sharon cleared her throat.
"And now," she said. "It is time for pancakes."
Brenda was hypnotized by the way Sharon moved around the kitchen. She made everything look effortless and beautiful.
The four drunkards were seated around the kitchen table, exchanging stories of past shenanigans and breaking out in renewed laughter every few minutes.
It wasn't long before Sharon was serving the first round of perfectly browned pancakes, the very first of which went to Brenda.
"Ladies first," Sharon said.
"Thank you, Cap'n," Brenda said, batting her eyelashes in a cartoonish way. She then drowned her plate in maple syrup.
They enjoyed their pancakes in silence for a bit, the music still ringing throughout the condo.
"These are really, really good, Captain." Mike said enthusiastically.
"Thanks, Mike. And you know, outside of work you can just call me Sharon." She replied warmly.
"Aren't you havin' any?" Brenda asked her.
"No, I'm not really hungry. I'm having enough fun watching you lot." Sharon replied.
A half hour later, the boys were considerably less rowdy and a little sleepy. Brenda helped as much as she could as Sharon cleaned up dishes and put the ingredients away. The blonde mostly accomplished making more of a mess.
Andy arrived promptly, coming upstairs to retrieve his wards.
"Andy, I could've dropped them off. You didn't have to drive all the way here." Sharon said as they watched Mike, David, and Julio stumble to their feet and head for the front door.
"Not a problem, Captain. This was the plan. Besides, you think I'd miss the three drunk stooges?" He said. "Not for the world." They both laughed.
Sharon closed the door behind them and returned to the sink to wash the frying pan. She had just begun scraping off some particularly stuck batter when she felt Brenda's body behind hers. Sharon froze.
Brenda's hands fell to Sharon's hips, brushing aside the kimono and moving over the Captain's body. She rested her head against Sharon's shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Sharon said stiffly.
"Nothin."
"Brenda, stop."
"Why?"
Sharon removed Brenda's hands and spun around, forcing the blonde away.
"Because you're drunk. And because you don't know what you're doing."
"I do so," Brenda pouted. "I– I want you."
"You don't know what that means!" Sharon shouted. She swallowed, a little guilty at the outburst.
"You don't know what that means." She repeated quietly.
Brenda's eyes started to sting. Her vision blurred and she lost her balance and stumbled against the counter. Sharon grabbed her waist to steady her.
Brenda threw her arms around Sharon and hugged her like a stuffed teddy bear.
"Brenda, honey," Sharon soothed, hugging the woman back. "You're tired, I'm tired, how about we just put you to bed?"
Brenda nodded into the woman's shoulder.
Sharon guided her to the bedroom and tucked her under the comforter, not bothering to remove the blonde's dress.
Brenda relaxed quickly, her limbs going limp and her eyes falling shut.
"I'm going to leave you some water and Tylenol on the nightstand. Take them as soon as you wake up and then go back to sleep for as long as you can, okay?" Sharon said.
"Kay. Sharon?" Brenda said quietly, her voice already fading.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for comin' over."
"You're welcome. Goodnight, Brenda Leigh."
"Night," Brenda managed before passing out entirely.