Hey everybody!

I hope you're liking these short stories so far! Here's one with Liz Sherman!


A Small Pit Stop

"Please," Xavier begged. "Not even for half an hour? Or fifteen minutes! How about ten?"

"No," Liz Sherman said firmly, hands on the steering wheel as she drove the van through the street. "We are not going to the arcade or the video store; we're just going to get some snacks for ourselves."

The two of them were currently in a nearby town, enjoying some free time outside the Bureau building. The special agents had their own break room, and snacks had started to run out earlier that week. So, armed with requests from about half-a-dozen other agents, Liz had volunteered to go get them. The groceries now sat in the back of the non-descript van, and the agent and agent-in-training sat in the front seats.

Xavier had begged to go, causing a major commotion among the Bureau's higher ups. Most had wanted him to not go, saying that the risk of him transforming and destroying public property was too high. However, Professor Broom had talked them down, insisting that Xavier was just a child and needed to get outside the agency from time to time. Plus, Liz was a skilled fighter, and could easily contain the situation if the Minotaur made an appearance.

"Okay, so no arcade or video store," Xavier spoke up as they stopped at a red light. "How about the music store?"

"No."

The teen frowned at her. "What's the point of being outside if I can't do anything," he complained.

"I know the feeling," Liz said, tapping her finger on the steering wheel. "I was the same way when I was your age; whenever I got to go out in public, I was stuck with a strict chaperone who wouldn't let me out of his sight."

"Who?"

"Broom." She smiled at his confused expression. "Okay, so he's no sergeant general, but he understood that I couldn't go running off to wherever I wanted to. He may be kind, but he barely budged an inch whenever he took me out in public."

"And I'm stuck with the product of that," Xavier said gloomily as the light turned green. "Remind me to thank him when we get back to the Bureau."

"I'll set your hair on fire." Liz smiled, but noticed that the teen looked downtrodden instead of laughing at her joke. Figuring he needed some quiet, she continued to drive them through the small town, heading back towards the Bureau.

At the last stoplight before they would leave the town, Xavier was still quiet, taking one last look out at the town before going back into the serious world of the B.P.R.D. Liz Sherman noticed this, and felt a pang of pity for him. She remembered her small excursions into the regular world when she was younger, and realized it was not that long ago; she was 23 now, and had only become a full-fledged agent when she was 18. Sighing a little, she turned on the turn signal.

"You know," Liz said out loud, "I don't think we got any ice cream."

"No one asked for ice cream," Xavier said in a tired voice. "Besides, you said we couldn't get any because it would melt by the time we got back to the Bureau."

"Who said we were getting any for everyone else," she asked, parking in front of a small ice cream parlor.

The teen sat up a little upon seeing the shop, turning to find the pyrokinetic agent grinning at him. "Really," he asked. "But I thought-"

"I've never been as stern as Broom when it comes to these things," Liz confessed. "Besides, I'm in the mood for some rocky road."

"Won't we get into trouble?"

"I thought you didn't mind trouble."

Xavier grinned at that statement. "Liz, trouble is my middle name," he said braggingly, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. "I'm getting mint chocolate chip!"

Liz smiled a little, fully aware that she would probably get a fifteen minute lecture from Broom about their little 'detour,' but not caring. She got out of the van herself, already tasting the chocolatey goodness of the frozen treat.


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