Kay
My first day with my new squad went well. They were much more open and accepting than my previous team- which seemed odd given that Ulm was quite a bit smaller than Stuttgart. Already I was invited over to a house warming party for a coworker and her girlfriend. It amazed me how open all of the people were; it was refreshing really. I felt that I could really open up to them and feel safe for the first time in my life anywhere outside of my home with Mia… and my time with Marc.

I chased him so hard at the beginning; it was only fair that it was his turn to chase me, right? I had put so much into us that it was his turn to put in the effort- If he really felt so strongly, if he hadn't given up and moved on with someone else as he and Bettina were officially separated. Marc was my exception, I had never chased after anyone like him. I had never chased after anyone so hard period. It amazed me how consumed I could be by another person.

The choice had fallen into my hands and Mia had made a good point- I had no obligation to Marc. What we had was over and done. She also had the point that talking to him could bring me closure over the situation and help me to feel more comfortable around him if he was transferred to the area.

Marc
Benno had grown so much in just a few months. I remembered the day we brought him home, how tiny he was and trying to give him a bath in the sink, the small diapers he would wear and the outfits Bettina would put him in. So much had changed in that time. Bettina and I had officially separated- I had left her the house and moved to an apartment between the house and the station for the time being- depending on where my transfer put me. That would also depend on if I talked to Kay and what his reaction to it all would be. There were so many uncertainties, but we were working through them.

Every other day I would go over to the house to see Benno, stay for dinner and putting him down to bed, talk things over with Bettina about what she needed from me, how I could help with Benno, and what we would do if I got transferred more than a short distance. Our conversations went smoothly for the most part if it was a bit tense in the beginning. We both wanted what was best for our little boy, though, so we were willing to do whatever it took. Sometimes, Frank and Claudia would go to the house for dinner as well and it would almost seem like old times. My parents still refused to talk to me, but as long as they continued to support Bettina and Benno I wasn't going to complain.

One of those nights that Frank and Claudia came over, we sat out back talking and drinking as usual while Benno slept soundly in his room.

'So, Marc' Frank began. 'How has desk work been?' he leaned back in his chair before taking a big drink from his bottle.

I sighed- desk work was not my favorite thing in the world, but it was keeping me busy and limiting interaction between certain people who had a tendency to cause problems and me until my transfer was completed. 'It's as terrible as you're thinking' I mimicked his previous actions. 'But I'd rather be stuck behind a desk than getting attached again.' That got a wince from Frank and a frown from the women of the group.

Frank had told me over and over that, he was sorry that he wasn't a few minutes sooner getting into the locker room to stop it from happening. I kept reassuring him that I was actually fine with what happened; it gave me a chance to hand out vengeance and repay pain where it was due. Limpinsky had since returned to the squad, but on restricted duty and mandatory anger management sessions (though no one was supposed to know about that).

Frank recovered from my jab quickly and continued 'We're having that information training from that lady soon.'

I had to sigh at his vague comment. If I didn't know what he was talking about, I would have been lost, and from Bettina and Claudia's faces, they had no idea what he was talking about. 'There is a group of specially trained officers coming to talk to us about a new program they are piloting that could be useful for some branches if not ours directly. They are going to give an overview of what they do and some tips on working with tricky situations.'

'Thank you, Marc' Claudia laughed and tapped her bottle to mine across the table.

'Enough work talk,' Bettina cut us off, not wanting to hear the same old stuff again. 'Claudia- when do you find out if you're having a boy or girl?'

I nearly spat out my drink at that- add being a terrible friend to the list of things that have come to describe me lately, right next to a cheater, liar, dumbass, and all-around a terrible human. How could I forget that one of my closest friends was going to have a baby, especially when they had been trying for so long?

Claudia ignored me and just smiled. 'We still have a couple of weeks before we get to find out, but we're getting very excited. I'm hoping it's a girl, but Frank wants it to be a boy so he can teach him all he knows.' Claudia leaned closer to Bettina, held her hand up by her mouth and fake whispered 'whatever that means.'

That had the three of us laughing hard while Frank simply looked bemused and a bit insulted. 'I'm very good at what I do, thank you,' he said, defending himself.
'What is that? Watching tv and drinking with friends?" Claudia teased.

Frank chose not to comment, only muttering to himself and taking another drink from his bottle.

All in all, it was a fun night. It was refreshing to feel normal again, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

Mia
'You have such a cute family! How long have you been together?' A woman who I didn't remember the name of asked me. We had gotten to the housewarming about 15 minutes before and were in that awkward time of small talk between everyone's arrivals and time to eat. Being a psychologist, considering the field I was in, I should have been good at small talk, but it was still an uncomfortable time for me, especially fielding questions like that.

Kay and I had gotten questions like that most of our lives since we were teenagers, despite my being a few years older, so we were used to similar questions. Things had gotten more awkward however with the arrival of Dietrich and not wanting to go into detail about the whole situation. 'Kay's like a brother to me,' I said quickly, not wanting to prolong the moment. 'Thank you; I love my little family very much.'

The woman blushed and began to apologize when the call came to grab food and find a seat. I glanced over at Kay to see where he stood, talking to one of the hostesses while holding a chattering Dietrich. It was hard to believe how big my boy had gotten. He had begun crawling the month before and so we had undergone several measures around the house to ensure his safety- primarily for when one of us was not within the immediate vicinity. He hadn't gotten to saying his ever-important first word, but we could tell it would be coming soon with how much babbling he did.

Kay turned to me and nodded- our signal for me to go first and get my plate (with a few nibble-able items for Dietrich to munch). As I moved to the kitchen, I began to see some faces that I recognized from around the station. I wasn't around many of the squads much or for very long depending on the circumstance, so it was nice to have more of a chance to interact with other officers outside of my own special group. I gave a head bob and a smile to a man who waved in greeting that I recognized as working in an office somewhere near mine but in a different department.

I got in line for food behind the woman who asked about Kay and I and decided to take pity on her, she hadn't known so I wasn't going to hold her presumptions against her. 'I'm sorry, but I cannot remember your name, there have been so many introductions since we came in.'

She smiled at me gently and nodded. 'I understand completely. Emma and Ada tend to go all out with these sorts of things, and both of them are so outgoing that they are constantly meeting new people. I'm Willa, and I'm afraid I've forgotten your name as well.'

'It's nice to meet you again, Willa. I'm Mia, and I came with Kay- he's new to Emma's team- and my little boy's name is Dietrich. How long have you known Emma and Ada?' I was glad Willa had been so understanding, and that she was in the same predicament I was seemed rather funny. She seemed kind and rather outgoing herself.

Willa gestured with her hands widely and laughed. 'I've known Ada since we were in diapers and Emma since high school. They are high school sweethearts, would you believe. It's sometimes hard to believe they have been together for so long.' By this point, we had reached the food and I looked for some items that Dietrich might enjoy. He was not a picky eater by any means and I was relieved by that fact. Dealing with one picky person in Kay was hard enough. Finally deciding on a couple of sausages and sides, as well as some banana and blueberries for Dietrich, I turn to Willa. 'I have to go rescue Kay from baby duty and let him come get some food if you care to join me.'

'I'd love to!' Willa replied joyfully. 'Most of the people here are Emma's work friends so it's nice to have someone to talk with. Where should we sit? You know what, go get Dietrich and meet me over there. Here, hand me your plate and I'll put it down at the table for you.' She gestured toward a table set up near the side of the house that had a few seats open yet. I gave her my plate, thanked her, and moved toward Kay.

He had gone farther back into the yard to talk to a guy that I recognized as one of the sergeants from the station named Lukas. I had worked with him on several occasions and had a solid respect for the man. I hoped that Kay could find a trusted superior in him that he didn't have previously.

Kay saw me coming and let Lukas know by nodding in my direction and saying 'here she comes now. Mia, you know Lukas from the station, right?'

'I do,' I responded, smiling and holding my and out to him. 'How are you doing? How's your wife? She's feeling better I hope.'

Lukas almost looked shocked that I remembered, but recovered quickly and shook my hand firmly. 'I'm well, thank you. Jocelyn is doing well also. Her treatments ended last week. Thank you for asking. I'm honestly surprised you remembered- we only talked about it briefly and that was… last month some time I believe.'

Smiling, I took Dietrich from Kay and turned back to Lukas, settling the tired boy on my hip. 'When it's important I make a note to remember it, especially with things like that. Have you gotten your food?'

'I was just heading that way when I got started talking to Kay. I guess I will go do that now.' We began walking back toward the house together and talking about little things while Dietrich chewed on a teething toy Kay must have pulled from the diaper bag that we had left in the living room. 'You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like, it seems Willa has saved a whole section of the table for us.' Lukas laughed at that, agreed, and went inside.

One thing I have to say for get-togethers like the one we were at, there was never a shortage of laughter, food, alcohol, good conversation, and laughter/easy conversation made easier by the alcohol.

Notes:

Happy Easter, everyone! I hope everyone's quarantine time has been well spent and everyone's staying safe.