It was 1 am, and Shay was listening to Hermann tell her all about his son's last little league game. She walked around the empty bar retrieving abandoned glasses while Hermann was washing some at the sink. Shay wasn't terribly interested in what her friend was telling her, but she listened attentively anyway. The only thing he said that was amusing to her was the fact that another kid's dad had initiated a fight with him.

"Wow, the parents are getting crazy over that stuff already? How old's your kid?"

"He's nine," Hermann said, matching Shay's incredulousness. "These people, man. They're absolutely insane."

Shay nodded in agreement and set the last of the glasses on the counter next to Hermann. There were at least twelve more that he had to wash, plus the counters and tables had to be wiped down again. She checked her watch and realized how late it was. "Hermann, want me to finish up here?" she offered, gesturing toward the time. Hermann knew how late it was already. He opened his mouth to decline, but Shay insisted. "You have a family to get home to. Plus, it sounds like you might have to kick someone's ass at the next Little League game. You should get some rest."

Christopher laughed and shut the sink off. He leaned on his hands as he internally debated if it would be okay to leave Shay with all the work. Shay saw his mouth bend into that crooked frown like it always did before he said no to something. Before he could reject her offer, she said, "It's not a big deal, man. I'll be done in no time."

Hermann smiled and reached across the sink to pat her on the shoulder. "Thanks, Shay. You're a good kid." Shay dodged the compliment with some lighthearted joke, though she'd be lying if she didn't admit that his comment made her smile. She watched him grab his coat and go, stopping to wave goodnight before he stepped out into the velveteen darkness of Chicago nighttime.

The first thing Shay did when she was alone was switch off some of the lights, which had begun to give her a headache in the last couple of hours. Then, she made her way to the jukebox and found a song she liked. She pushed some quarters in and, with shameless excitement, listened to the opening sounds of Wine And Chocolates. She danced her way behind the bar and flipped on the sink, feeling the warm water brush over her pale hands while she scrubbed the glasses clean. She bobbed back and forth to the song.

She heard her phone calling for her attention from her back pocket. She sighed and withdrew her hands from the warm water to dry them on the nearest towel. She checked her phone.

Hey, are you at Molly's? — Rafferty.

Shay smiled and typed back.

Yep, all by myself. I sent Hermann home.

Shay held her phone in her hands after she sent the text, waiting for Rafferty's typical prompt response. However, Allison didn't send anything back. Shay waited a whole minute before she retired her phone to the counter and continued washing the glasses. She wondered why Allison had decided not to text her back. Maybe she was considering dropping into Molly's, but didn't want to be alone with Shay; it wouldn't be much of a social visit. Shay shrugged the thought away; Maybe she's just occupied right now. Or unconscious, she appended, remembering how late it was.

Just when she decided Allison must have fallen asleep, she heard a quiet tapping on the door. The sound was sudden, and it sent a startling bolt toward Shay, who dropped a glass in the sink with a loud clink. Shay peered through the darkness toward the door, where she saw someone's face inches away from the glass. A hand was raised next to their face, and it was waving at Shay. She moved around the counter slowly and cautiously, squinting to see who it was before she got too close. That's when she recognized who it was.

"Hey, Allison," Leslie murmured, pulling the door open. She did not expect to see the brunette. "What're you doing here?"

Allison moved past the doorway. Shay noticed she was wearing a purple track jacket and sneakers. "I was on a run and thought I'd stop by," she huffed, her breathing a little irregular from the exercise. Shay took a moment to fully understand what was said to her.

"You were on a run? It's like, one-thirty!" She shot Allison an incredulous look.

"Yeah?" Allison called from a barstool.

Shay shut the door and strode toward Allison, who was spinning back and forth in her seat. Shay stopped next to her and stared directly at Allison until she stopped spinning and looked back. "Raff, that's not safe," she stated seriously. Rafferty's face held a small amount of confusion before her eyes cast down and her mouth forced itself into a nervous smile.

"Alright, that's true. It was dumb of me, but I was restless and I couldn't sleep," she explained, the words practically flying out of her mouth. She dug her elbows into the bar. Her hands clutched her head. She suddenly looked utterly exhausted. Shay dropped her arms from her hips and, seeing the sudden change in Allison's demeanor, wondered what the cause of it was. She plopped down in the stool to Rafferty's right and crossed her arms on the bar. She rested her head on top of her arms like a pillow and looked at the other woman. Rafferty looked straight ahead at first, unsuccessfully feigning interest in the stacks of bottles in the glass cabinets behind the bar. Then, she turned toward Shay and made eye contact. For the dozenth time, Shay took special note of that particular shade of brown in Rafferty's eyes.

"Not sleeping, huh?" Leslie said. She reached across the counter and grabbed a glass she had just cleaned. She dropped it in front of Allison and slid an almost-empty bottle of copper alcohol over. "Maybe this'll help."

"I fuckin' hope so," Allison muttered, tipping the bottle into her glass. She lifted the drink up and tilted her head back, downing it in just a few gulps. She was very aware of the loud sound her glass made when she set it down. "Where's your glass?" she asked Leslie.
"I'm not drinking, 'cause I'm going to be driving you home."

"Hey, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah, just finish off the rest of the free booze I'm offering," Leslie replied. Allison had no objections; she poured out the rest of the bottle's contents and lifted it to her lips again. She eyed Leslie over the rim of her glass for a few seconds, perhaps trying to communicate something Leslie couldn't quite understand, before knocking the drink back.

Shay stood up from her seat and made her way to the other side of the bar. She resumed washing the glasses, taking Allison's with her and discarding the empty bottle in a bucket under the counter. Allison asked if Shay needed any help, but Shay shook her head. Allison mimicked Shay's earlier behavior with Hermann and insisted that she help out somehow. "Y'know, since I got a free drink and all," she added with a laugh.

Shay relented and handed Allison a rag and a spray bottle to wipe the tables with. Allison scooted out of her seat and and made her way to the nearest table. They worked wordlessly for five minutes, maybe. The only sound was the persistent hushing of the running facuet, the occasional dainty clink of the glasses being set on the dish rack, and the rubber of Allison's sneakers gripping the hardwood floors as she went from table to table. Shay was the first to speak, and she was asking a question. "So why can't you get the snoozies?"

Allison's first answer was a snort, accompanied by an enthusiastic chuckle. "Did you just call it the snoozies?" Shay gave a nonchalant shrug and a grin. She let Allison avoid the question only as long as her laughter lasted. When it ended, it was heavily silent in that dim bar. Shay had shut the water off and put the last glass off to the side. Allison was still wiping tables in the far corner. She sighed.

"I... can't say," was her answer, and she seemed to regret it as soon as it fell out of her mouth. She looked up from her rag and gave Shay an apologetic look from across the room. Shay's eyebrow dipped in confusion.

"Well, that's cryptic." Allison nodded in agreement and strode to the bar, setting the rag next to the sink. She shrugged.

"It's nothing, I've just had a restless mind from this lack of working," Rafferty said. It was only half a lie. Shay left the matter alone, picking up on the fact that Rafferty didn't want to get into it and was trying to communicate this as kindly as possible. Shay nodded in acceptance and drummed her fingers on the countertop.
"Well, shall we go then?" Rafferty nodded. Shay grabbed her parka off the hook by the door and exited with Allison.

The wind was waltzing through the streets in some bearable state between fervor and laziness. Still, it was quite cold, and Shay was quick about directing Rafferty toward the car parked just a few yars away from Molly's. It was Kelly's car. Shay popped open the shotgun seat door for Rafferty, flashing her a mischievous grin over the top of it. It was her latest move in their funny game of Who Can Be More Chivalrous? Allison jokingly shook her fist at the blonde and muttered, "Damn you!"

"Where do you live?" Shay asked as Rafferty ducked in.

"501 Fledgling."

Shay nodded and gently pushed the door shut. She hurried around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat. Shay fished the car keys out of her jacket and was about to put them in the ignition when she felt Allison's hand curl desperately over her wrist. Her wintry blue eyes went to Allison, whose mouth hung open slightly and whose eyes refused to meet Shay's. Shay wanted to ask but she didn't know what she would be asking, exactly.

An ominous feeling whirled around in Allison's gut. It grew heavier at the thought of her being driven back to her home on Fledgling Drive, the very one she had just literally run away from an hour ago. "I don't think I can sleep there tonight," Allison whispered finally. Her voice sounded painfully unsafe. She released Shay and fell back into her seat. She looked out her window at an uninteresting fire hydrant, simply because she couldn't muster up the power to look at Shay.

"Hey, what's up, Raff?" Shay asked gently.

"Nothing," Allison automatically insisted. Her voice was suddenly very hard. Shay nearly recoiled at the sudden change from heartrendingly vulnerable to agitated. Allison's hand went to the door handle. Before Shay could protest, it fell back into Allison's lap, where it mingled uncomfortably with her other hand. Shay watched those ten fingers cross and uncross restlessly before reaching out to cloak them with her own. It was an instinctive move, not anything Shay had planned, and for a moment she panicked over the idea that the gesture might spook Rafferty out of the car. Rafferty let out a big breath she had been holding. She looked down at her lap, where all three hands were. Her thumb started to stroke Shay's knuckle, and Leslie felt a twinge of pleasant familiarity.

The two of them stayed like that for some measure of time neither could guess at. Shay's eyes went back and forth between their hands and Allison's face, though Allison was transfixed on the hands only. Leslie gratefully accepted the moment to explore the curve of Allison's forehead, the bridge of her nose, and the shape of her cheekbones. She took note of the attractiveness of the brunette's profile, which was a soft brown silhouette in the darkness.

A lock of hair slid out of place and fell into the corner of Allison's eyes. She reflexively removed her hand from under Shay's to push her hair back behind her ears, though she regretted the movement because it had unintentionally ended their moment of silent intimacy. Shay snapped out of her reverie and was suddenly aware of the stiff, constricting feeling in her throat. She gently pulled her hand back so she could start the engine. The car seemed to clear its throat as it came on. Shay gripped the wheel, perhaps a little too tightly, as she pulled out of her parking space.

"You can stay at my place tonight," Shay offered. She knew Allison didn't want to go home, and though she wasn't exactly sure why she speculated that the house might hold some unhappy memories for her, perhaps the same memories that could be keeping her up all night. She looked toward the brunette for approval. Allison nodded.

"Thanks, Shay." Leslie knew Allison meant it sincerely.

"No problem, no problem."

Allison courteously waited a few seconds before saying, in a jokingly stern voice, "But just so you know, I'm not putting out."

Shay was laughing so hard, she missed her turn.

Thank you for reading. Please remember to review (keeps me motivated to write the next chapter), and thank you to all of you who do review. How very sweet.

I'd say I'm sorry for the slow build-up to Shafferty but that would be a lie ;)

Shout out to maximinaluca, who really spurred me to get going on this chapter. It's awesome to know you were so interested in finding out what happens next in this fic. :)

Hope you all have a lovely day.