=Rusty entered the office, heading over to Buzz. "Hey, you said you had something new for me?"
Buzz nodded, handing him a file. "A cold case, if you will. I just... I want my father's and uncle's case to be set aside for now."
"Oh. Okay. Are you sure? We were getting ahead in the case."
"I know but let's leave it for now. I've given you this to tide you over."
Rusty sighed, looking through the file. "Another Jane Doe?"
"Not just another Jane Doe. This one's a mother. With a little girl around Lauren's age."
"Why would you give me this?"
Buzz smiled sadly. "You'll figure out why."
He then left to focus on their current case as Rusty sat and looked through the case file. Turns out, the deceased was twenty-two and had an association with Harvard University. There had been dead ends on possible suspects and no known family nor friends were found.
"What have you got there?"
Rusty looked up at Kris who sat beside him with a cup of coffee. She handed it to him and shrugged, turning to the file.
"I'm breastfeeding and coffee makes me gassy."
"Fair enough," he replied, taking a sip. "I'm working on this."
Kris raised an eyebrow. "What happened to her baby?"
"She's in care. Until they can find any living relatives."
She frowned. "She's no older than our Lauren. The girl's no older than us. I never want Lauren to ever go through this."
"She won't don't worry."
Kris nodded and gave him back the case file. "I'm clocking off early for a 'Mommy & Me' class. Lauren's doctor says that I need to get her out more and with other babies but I just want to shield her, you know? It's not completely safe out there."
"She'll be fine. You'll be fine."
She nodded with a small smile and picked at her nails. "Uh, dads are allowed too, if you want to come sometime."
"How about today? I'm not busy."
"Oh, sure. Meet me by the elevators at 2."
Rusty smiled. "Will do."
...
The peppy instructor clapped her hands, making Kris jump as she held her daughter. "We're going to try balancing on the beams! Mommies, grab your babies and help them balance and cross the beams. This will help any late bloomers with walking and early birds with perfecting their steps!"
Rusty laughed as Kris pulled a face as she got up, Lauren's hands in hers. "For a seventeen-month-old baby, she's quite advanced," Kris muttered.
"Of course, she's nearly two," Rusty replied, filming Lauren as she waddled over the beam. "Any plans for her birthday?"
"It's definitely going to be better than her first," Kris said. "I'm thinking something that she will definitely remember."
Rusty pondered on the thought. "How about a princess-themed party?"
"Are you funding this?" Kris scoffed with a smile.
"We both are!" Rusty replied. "Or a circus theme!"
Kris rolled her eyes. "How about a zoo theme?"
Rusty's heart stopped. "No."
Kris snapped her head up in confusion. "Why not?"
"Just... no. No zoos."
"Okay... We'll stick with the princess theme. And you'll be Prince Charming! Won't he, baby?" Kris giggled, watching as Lauren babbled to Rusty.
The instructor came over to them with a bright smile. "This must be our newcomer! Hello, Lauren!"
Kris smirked when Lauren stuck her tongue out at the instructor.
"She's tricky with new people," Rusty explained before Kris could make a snarky remark.
"I'm Lindsay," The instructor said, shaking his hand with a flirtatious smile.
Rusty gave her a polite smile as Kris raised an eyebrow. "Rusty. And this is Kris, Lauren's mom."
Kris gave a little condescending wave as she placed Lauren on the soft mats. "Babe, do you mind taking Lauren. I have to go to the toilet."
Rusty looked at her confused as he nodded. "Okay..."
Kris smiled and left them, heading towards the female toilets.
She took her time, throwing water on her face and wiping it with a tissue. She wasn't jealous per say but he was taken and it was her duty to let others know. Gus was her good friend and she didn't want him to get hurt. Their relationship was advancing quickly now that Rusty finally said the famous three words to him.
Kris exited the bathroom, feeling much better. She spotted Lindsay's hand on Rusty's shoulder as he tried to get Lauren to perform some of the baby yoga poses.
You're doing it wrong, Kris thought, making her way over to them. "Hand her here, Russ." She chuckled. "She's bendy but not that bendy." She wiggled her eyebrows, making him laugh.
Lindsay watched on, feeling displaced. "So, how long have you two been together?"
"Around six years." Kris lied easily. "We just clicked and Lauren came as a surprise."
"How lovely..." Lindsay replied shortly. "Class ends soon. Would Lauren like a little snack before you go?"
"Just fruits, please." Kris smiled.
Lindsay nodded and left them, muttering about how bitchy Kris came across as.
"Why'd you lie?" Rusty asked her. "I could have easily said I was gay and then that would be it."
Kris rolled her eyes. "Then that would be another issue in itself. Don't you understand the female mind?"
"Thought I never would. I have Emily's to crack, still."
She giggled and gently pushed his shoulder. "Well, you've got a mentor in me."
...
Sharon sat down in her chair, placing the bowl of salad on the table in front of her. "Right, isn't this lovely? A nice family dinner."
Rusty frowned, staring at his burger. "You want something."
Sharon tilted her head. "I want something? Whatever do you mean?"
"Or you want to tell us something," Kris cut in, pointedly staring at Rusty.
His mother chuckled before nodding. "I've realised that this condo is... too small for us. Lauren's getting to the age when she's becoming more independent and mobile and you two can't camp out in the living room forever."
Rusty begrudgingly admitted that it was small for the four of them with only two bedrooms. "And yeah, Emily and Ricky do visit sometimes and then it becomes a mess."
Kris sighed. "No, it's not small. It's just full. To be honest, I've been looking at rentable apartments for Lauren and I. We've outstayed our welcome."
Sharon gasped. "No! You haven't!"
"I have. Maybe it's even time to talk to my parents and sort something out. I can't do this to you guys." Kris mumbled.
"I... Well, I was going to tell you that I found this wonderful five bedroom house in the suburbs and I was planning to look into it with Andy but if that's how you feel..."
"Kris, don't make any decisions until we've seen these houses." Rusty cut in. "I seriously want you guys to stay and I get to see Lauren regularly and watch her grow."
Kris nodded, stuffing a piece of chicken in her mouth. "I need to talk to my parents first."
"Maybe before Lauren's birthday?"
Kris nodded again, keeping silent for the remainder of the dinner.
...
Her knee couldn't stop shaking as she waited and waited. Rusty had given her a lift and headed to Lauren's swimming classes alone as her parents were only free at this time.
She heard the door open and stared at the three beverages on the table. She remembered exactly how they loved their coffees and she opted for a sweet fruit tea instead.
"Kristen,"
Kris stood up and looked at her parents for the first time in years. They'd aged, definitely. Her mother's pristine blonde hair was now greying at the sides and her frown lines were more evident. Her father's brown hair was now silver, brown no longer being the dominant colour. He also had frown lines on his forehead.
Kris admitted, she didn't look the same either. She no longer had long brown hair, her hair was shoulder length, wavy and light brown at the tips. Her eyes were wiser and stormier. She had certainly gained baby weight around her bust and hips but she wore them proudly. She was no longer their baby girl. She was a woman in her own right.
"M-Mom, Dad." She breathed out. "I, uh, I got you both coffees," she said as they sat down.
"Thank you." Her mother smiled.
Her father sighed heavily, taking a sip before swallowing. "So, how have you been?"
"I've been well. You?"
"We're getting there. I'm thinking of retiring in a couple of years." Her father admitted. "I'm getting too old for this."
Kris gave a sad smile as she turned to her mother, expectantly.
"Oh! I'm now dedicating my time to write an autobiography. It's about my life in my profession as well as Kyle and... you."
"How lovely..." Kris mumbled, sipping her tea.
Her mother sighed. "So, enough about us. What are you doing? Are you at school? Have you finished?"
"Uh, I've got a job. It pays well." Kris replied, checking her phone as it beeped with a new message.
Her father looked over at the phone, catching a glimpse of a photo of Lauren, Kris and Rusty. "So, you kept her?"
Kris blushed, picking at her new phone. Rusty had gotten it for her on her birthday with help from Gus and she had been ever so grateful for that.
"Yeah, we did." She admitted. "She's nearly two. She's growing fast..."
Mrs Slater bit her lip. "Can we see more pictures? Know her more?"
Kris was surprised. It was them who told her to get an abortion. To send her for adoption and no matter how many times she thought about it herself, she always chose to keep her angel. Her lifesaver.
"Yeah, sure," Kris said, unlocking her phones and pressing the gallery. "Rusty loves filming her. It's like a movie, sometimes, watching her grow."
Her mother chuckled when she watched Lauren run across the living room to hug Rusty. Her legs bent and she stumbled, falling into his arms happily. Her father laughed when he saw Lauren blowing kisses as her parents, kissing their cheeks and babbling about kisses.
"Does she have a pet?" Her mother asked. "She would love a pet!"
Kris giggled. "No. We're thinking of moving so... we might get her a fish or a dog but it's not definite."
"Are you two together?" Her father asked.
Kris shook her head. "No... I'm staying single." She didn't go into the matter of Rusty's love life as it wasn't her place to. "They're swimming right now."
"How lovely," Her mother grinned. "Look, Kristen, baby... We're sorry for everything. It was just a big shock and you know... appearances and all that but after you left, we were badly berated for not supporting you. Your grandparents talked to us and told us to let you reach us in your own time because we lost the right to."
"It's honestly fine. I've grown up and so have you and we're now seeing things differently."
Her father placed his hand on hers. "You've grown so much,"
"Would you like to come to Lauren's birthday party?" She asked, removing her hand. They were building bridges but not that fast. "It's in seven weeks. And it's princess themed so you might have to dress up,"
Her mother giggled. "Of course! It was really nice seeing you."
"I guess." Kris smiled.
