A/N: I AM NOT DEAD! :D Only out of ideas until my best friend made small suggestions and WOW! Second longest chapter so far again? I LOVE IT! :D Sorry for the delay. But I promise the next chapter is 1/5 written.
REPLYING TO REVIEWS!
Moonlight-Wolf: Wow, many points! XD I'm not going to answer that first one (: they may be or may not be getting close. I just know there is much water to roll under this bridge THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA SAY! Also maaaaaaaayyyybbbbeeeee. XD Maybe Mike's dead, maybe missing, maybe... not. Haha. Munro is lightly ripped, but the forces of gravity (and the alcohol ahem) gave him a small belly. Glad you like Dogritos! A pack will be sent your way soon. XD I hope your pizza tasted as good as the one Munro, Laura, and Ash shared. ;) And just... holy crap man. XD Thanks for the review!
Guest: Yes, it does. But keep in mind that The Koala and the Porcupine is my priority.
TideRider925: Thank you so very much! :D
mrLapin: Always good to see Ash smile. They say you're welcome ;) And thank you so very much!
bookreader525: Hmmm yummy review! Also, yes, Ash has got the best protector ever. Eddie's words are going to be crucial to the development of the story! :D Thanks for your review!
Alright, done. Like the chapter? Drop a review :D It'll always be answered. Now on to the story!
"Hello?"
"Is there a reason your boy in blue friend showed up at the club today?"
The deep voice startles him a bit, so he covers the speaker. "Babe, gonna go outside for a moment. Be right back."
"Okay, love."
"I'll be right back," he says, going straight to the door and closing it behind him. He just goes into the garage, leaning against a dusty table. "How many times do I have to say my wife doesn't know I work for you?"
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, Mr Family. But this is more important than she finding out."
"What is it?"
"Your coppa friend showed up at the club today."
"Munro?"
"Yes, Munro. What did he find?"
"I... I don't know. Today is my day off, I didn't even see him."
"How more incompetent can you get? I told you not to leave his side!"
"He didn't tell me he was going!"
"He wasn't supposed to tell, you were supposed to know just for being there!"
"I'm sorry. But like I said, I have a family I must watch after too."
"I can fix that."
Frisk's brows curls into a concerned frown. "If you harm Aspen… or my unborn daughter… I'll have you locked up so fast you won't have time to blink."
The voice on the other side just laughs. "Don't bother. You're a no one. Your bud there was a Lieutenant when he tried getting us and everything he had vanished into thin air."
"Wait… what?"
"I knew that name was familiar. This guy tried arresting us like thirty years ago. We even suggested taking him down, but our judges wouldn't let us. Today is different."
"What do you mean he tried arresting you?"
"What do you think that means, Frisk?" The otter stays silent. "Tell you what. Do as we say, everybody is happy, your boy in blue remains alive just like your daughter and wife, the end. How's that?"
He sighs, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Fine. That's fine by me."
"Then we have a deal. And find out what your friend knows!"
They hang up. Frisk promptly tosses his phone back into his pocket, then directing his hand to rub his forehead. He frowns to himself, opening the door to the garage and walking into the front lawn. Prostrated against the fence, he watched his wife. Looked down at her swollen belly, then back at her face, then down at his own hands. He wants to cry, but doesn't find the strength to do so. Slowly, he walks back into the house, silently shutting the door behind him. He's with Aspen in a second.
"Who was it?" She asks, looking over at her husband. "You okay? You look pale." Frisk hugs her from behind and runs his nose across her neck, slowly inhaling her scent. Soon, she can feel his lips on her neck, so she leans against him.
"It was no one," he assures, "just... this LASPOD guy I'm working with, Munro."
"Oh yeah? What did he want?"
"Nothing. Just update me on the case. He doesn't get a day off."
"Really? I heard the LASPOD gets three week days at home."
"That's because they work 24-48 or 48-72, depending on what they're working with. And also because they're only called in emergencies."
"Was this case an emergency?"
"No, it was supposed to be investigated by the precinct's detectives. But the victim is... a kinsman of Munro's? I don't know. He was allowed to work on it as long as he coached me."
"Ha! Coaches you? You're way past the probatory stage!"
"I know."
"Did you talk to the Chief?"
"Yeah, I did. It didn't work."
She snorts. "Ridiculous."
"I know. But hey... if I get this guy to like me, he may talk about me to the Colonel. I may even join the LASPOD!" She turns to him with a serious look. He shrugs. "What? I may! It has happened before."
"Alexander William Frisk, you are not going to lick some cop's boots in exchange for a job."
"Of course I won't! And that's not what happens, either! I mean that if he likes my work, he may invite me to join, take it easy on the course."
"Why didn't you work to pass the usual course, baby? I remember someone saying you were one of the best in the class."
"I was until a certain point. The course is hard, love."
She shrugs. "Munro passed it. And isn't he like 60?"
"51. And he passed it when he was 20."
"And he keeps working without undergoing a second course?"
"Actually, he retired a while back. He only came back for this case."
"And... he didn't undergo the course again."
"At his age? No. The LASPOD wouldn't risk it."
"Won't risk the guy having a heart attack in the course but will risk endangering his life in a shootout or something. Bunch of irresponsibles sons of a-"
"Hey! I think that too, love, but the Chief of the LAMAOD and the LASPOD don't care about what I think."
"Corrupts, all of them," she says with a shake of her head. "You watch your friend's work closely, love. There is a reason they allowed him back."
Frisk's persona falters. He lets almost the entirety of his weight rest upon his wife as he buries his face in the nape of her neck. Oh, if only she knew he is the one working in the case for a reason... "We have a plan. I'll watch him closely."
Aspen leans against him as well. "Will you watch your back, too..?"
"Yes, I'll watch my back too. But I'm probably gonna need a mirror for that." She cracks up laughing, finally turning to look at him.
"We can work that out."
Altho her protuberant belly repels him lightly, he still holds her close.
And his will to cry is still there. But, for his wife, he's going to refrain from it.
It saves him from explaining why he's crying, too.
Ash lays down by Buster's side. Soon, her hands wander down to find and caress his soft, furry hands. She can feel tears prickle her eyes, but fights them back the best she can. She brings him yet closer to her, yet stays mindful of her quills.
"Hello again," she whispers at the bottom of his ears. "Hey, love... sorry I went away. I needed to shower, and eat, and get some sleep. No offense to your room, because it really is a nice room, but the couch is very uncomfortable to lay on."
The tears are practically trying to flood her eyes. She clears her throat to smooth her teary voice and sniffles in a desperate attempt to prevent the tears from falling. "Do you find this bed comfortable? It feels a bit hard to me... but again, that may be because I got a thousand pointy knives attached to my back." She chuckles lightly, gripping his hand a little. "Can you squeeze my hand..?"
Seconds tick away, Ash growing more desperate by the 'tick'. She can no longer hold the tears back, so she just allows them to flow freely from her eyes. "I'm sorry..," she mutters between cries. "I just... why you, Moon, why..? Out of so... so many animals in this state... some of... who did terrible things... and they go after someone who could never harm a fly... you got flaws... like anybody else, but..." The emotion in her voice prevents her from continuing. She grips his gown tightly, comforting herself by his presence.
"Please come back to me..."
"Lau, you here?" Munro walks inside, shutting the door behind him. "Lau? Ash? Ghost of my nana?" No answer. He walks over to his room, tossing the increasingly heavy file to the bed. Since he's alone, he takes the liberty to kick off his shoes as he walks over, and letting them choose where they want to be. The same goes for his loosely folded uniform: he throws it at a chair and pretends not to see the pants that slide right down to the ground.
He sends Laura a quick 'I'm home, love you' message before turning on the stereo in some calm song and hopping into a nice, hot shower. Well, that had been a productive day, collecting testimonies and the all.
Johnny didn't give him much more than Eddie did, Gunter was out of town, a still-traumatized Meena could hardly form a sentence and Rosita, for whatever reason, shut the door on his face. He didn't push. He can't force a witness to testify.
He wishes he could.
But since he can't, most disappointing day of his career it is.
Mid-bath, he can't miss it when the sound goes slightly fainter, and that's how he knows his fiancée is back home. He speeds up a little. Once he's out, he wraps himself in a towel and goes straight to the living room. He spots Laura at the kitchen, and slowly approaches her, hugging her close from behind. She leans into his arms.
"Hey."
"Hey... how was your day?"
"Ah... very disappointing, but it just got better. Yours?"
"Would it get better if I told you I got a pack of artisanal beer for you?"
"Depends. Will you help me finish it?"
She giggles, lifting both his hands to her mouth and kissing them. "Of course."
"Then, yes, it just got better." He kisses the nape of her neck, making the woman shiver. A satisfied grin paints itself on his features as he lets his hands lay on her belly. "Ash with you?"
"No, she's staying in the hospital for the night."
"Good." Munro dips Laura lightly, earning a small yelp from her. He kisses her gently. "Balcony?"
"Beer and starlight? All in."
"Alright... each of these is a different flavor, and I put post-its over the labels so we don't know what we are taking. Wanna flip a coin or get them off and take the ones you fancy?"
"I was thinking Russian roulette. Whatever we grab, we down."
"Fine by me. Ready?"
"Born ready."
"Okay, go!" At her sign, the two of them reach into the beer case and soon come up with a couple bottles. Laura pulls the post-it off first. "Strawberry Explosion."
"Fresh Mint," Munro says disappointedly as he scrunches up the post-it and throws it away. "Why do I have the feeling this is liquid toothpaste?"
"There is a name for liquid toothpaste. It's called mouthwash." He cracks up laughing. She just smirks, passing her beer over to him. He promptly opens it and gives it back. "Thank you."
"Welcome, love." He opens his own beer. "Alright, on the count of three?" She nods. "One, two, three, down!"
The two of them take large sips of their fate-chosen drinks. When they come up again, Laura's mouth is curled upwards in a smile, while Munro's is just expressionless. She giggles. "What?"
"Alright, so... mouthwash from a... dubious source." She only laughs harder, so he gives her a humorous smirk as he taps her side. "Yours?"
"Sweet, but leaves a slightly sour taste in the mouth. Wanna try?"
"Can't be any worse than the prison mouthwash one." She laughs as they exchange beers. Once again, they down the bottles.
Laura coughs into the bottle top. This time, it's Munro who laughs. "You were right. This is like the worst thing I ever tried."
"Told you so."
"God... what did you say this was again, prison mouthwash?"
"Yep."
"Why prison? But damn, it tastes like that."
He laughs lightly, taking the bottle from her hand and putting it on the ground below. "Alright, we both agree Fresh Mint is terrible. And that's the expression police uses for bad things, they belong to prisons."
"Seems accurate, if we're talking about this. Ack." She scrubs her mouth with her hand in an attempt to get the bad taste away. Munro just chuckles before taking her hand. When Laura looks up at him, he plants a long and sweet kiss on her lips. She gladly accepts it, letting her lips meld with his flawlessly. They don't know who starts, but in a matter of seconds, their tongues are dancing passionately. They come up for breath sooner than they fancy. Their mouths part with a loud 'pop' sound and neither of them can stop smiling at one another.
"Where... where did this come from..?" Laura asks between pants.
Munro merely shrugs, planting a kiss on her collarbone. She shivers and shuts her eyes. "What did that taste like?"
He leans in to touch foreheads with her. Her arms slowly guide up his chest to his back as she pulls him closer. "It tasted like... Strawberry Explosion... and love... and you're gonna have to do better than that if you wish to get the Fresh Mint taste out of my mouth, Belleville."
"Oh, I will, huh?"
"Yes. Yes, you will."
It's past two in the morning when a loud ringing noise startles the couple awake. Laura scrambles around for it, lazily picking it up and pressing the 'answer' button.
"Hello..?"
"Hey, uh... I'm sorry about the time."
She yawns and rubs her eyes as she sits up. "Ash?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Ash, it's okay. It's alright. What is it, you okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine, I just..." Laura can make out a faint sigh on the other side. "Can I sleep in your house?" Before she can reply, Ash goes on. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking this. But I... I just... I keep..."
"Ash, it's alright to be afraid... especially at night, when you're sleeping in a hospital, with your loved one in a coma right beside you."
"So... I can come over?"
"Any time you want. Need a ride?"
"No, I'll... I'm gonna take a cab. Thanks, Laura."
"Welcome. I'll be waiting, okay?"
"Okay. U-uh... thanks again."
"It's nothing. I'll wait."
"When she gets here, can I kill her?" She elbows his side. "Ow!"
"Take it easy. It's hard on her."
"I was joking, love," Munro says, pulling her into his arms. "Get in here."
She plants a sweet kiss on his lips before giving into his embrace and cuddling close to him. "Did we seriously sleep out here?"
"Problem? It's comfortable and warm." He kisses the top of her head. "I gotta get up. Look into Moon's password, I don't know how long the images will be there."
"Oh come on..."
"I have to, love. I'd love to stay, but... I gotta get up." He kisses her forehead. "When you sleep. I can wake you up when Ash is here."
She yawns. "Sounds like a plan." Laura grabs the covers, bringing them closer to herself as she snuggles up to her companion, and caresses the fluffy fur on his chest. After a short while, she leans in and kisses it. "I had a great time tonight."
"Me too."
"First Love Year, you have got to be joking me, Moon," Munro rants to himself as his Goorilla search returns no useful results. He scrolls down for a bit. "Of course. Moon wouldn't create a password that anyone could discover with a Goorilla search."
Eventually, his fingers grow tired of scrolling, so he just starts using the keyboard's arrows. But that happens before a specific result gets his attention. "First Love, 1948. A romantic comedy movie, seriously? Worth a try." With a sigh, he minimizes the window and moves the mouse over to the security app, but before, he takes a look at the wallpaper. A picture of Buster and Ash.
"A koala... and a porcupine... she, a rebel teenager; he, a middle-aged theater nerd... Love truly is a curious thing, ain't it..?" He clicks the surveillance icon and the feared login screen pops in front of his eyes. He takes a deep breath. "1-9-4-8. Come on, Moon... bear with me here." He blows a hot breath at his hand before wiping it on his shirt and finally reaching out for the mouse. The arrow is soon on the 'Enter' button. Munro's hands are shaky. Click.
"The password you entered is incorrect."
"Son of a-!"
Ding dong!
A/N: Well, it only took me an eternity. I was missing the feel of the 'Update' button XD if you like my story, please leave a review!