Sorry for the delay. I just came back from vacation on Monday.
Enjoy!
Kat put her finger on top of her lips and stared at the black German shepherd. "I need you to be quiet," she whispered to him. "Don't do anything and just lay there on the bed covers."
Riddler licked her face.
The teen snorted and whipped the saliva from her face. With one last glance at him, Kat quickly left her bedroom door. She mentally slapped herself when she shut the door to loud. It caught her mother's attention. Kat forced a smile on her face and walked away from her bedroom door. "What's up mom?"
Olivia raised an eyebrow at her daughter. She shook her head and gestured to the bag of groceries. "Help me with groceries. But first pick up your backpack from the floor," the detective pointed to the discarded backpack on the entrance of the living room.
"So what are we having for dinner?" Kat asked, nervously scratching the back of her neck. She snuck a glance behind her shoulder when her mother turned around. She saw the remote control in the counter and made her way to grab it. "Or take out?"
"Well, I was craving for baked salmon for some time," Olivia said as she pulled out the packed pieces of salmon.
"Awesome," Kat smiled, turning on the TV. She glanced one more time towards her room before going to grab her backpack.
As they continued to put away the groceries, Kat kept quiet. She glanced towards her room every once in a while, whenever her mother wasn't looking.
"Are you okay?" Olivia put down the bananas on the counter. "You seem a little…off. I'm surprised you haven't asked anything about the case or when you can have your things back."
"I just had a long day," Kat shrugged. "I can't ask you about the case because you don't want to bring your work in the house. And because there is a ninety five percent change that Porter would be mentioned."
Olivia rolled her eyes but kept a small smile on her face.
"Summer vacation is what I have in my mind," Kat hoped on the counter, startling her mother. The teen wasn't really lying about the upcoming vacations. But the dog in her room is what she was really concerned about at the moment. "I will be able to sleep in late."
The detective let out a low chuckle. "You already to that during the weekends."
Kat grinned. "But in the summer I can do it every day."
"And what mak—"
Scratching noises began to be heard in the apartment. Kat's eyes widen and started to cough loudly. It worked when her mother turned back to look at her.
"Are you okay?" Olivia asked, placing her hand on her daughter's forehead. "Do you need some medicine?"
Kat shook her head as she continued to 'cough'. "I'm fine," she said between coughs. She only stopped when the scratching came to a halt.
Liv stared at her daughter one more time. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Kat said, giving her mother a reassuring smile.
The detective hesitated but continued to put away the rest of the groceries. Just went she closed one of the upper cupboards, a bark rang through the apartment. Liv tensed and turned to look at her daughter. She saw Kat's eyes widen at the noise.
"Was that a dog that I just heard coming from your room?"
"N-no," the seventeen year old stuttered.
"Kathryn Benson, go open your bedroom door right now," Olivia's voice went from confusion to stern in less than a second.
Kat gulped and hopped off the counter. She fumbled with her hands as her mother followed behind her. The teen couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Riddler couldn't keep quiet. But then again, she knew it was only a matter of time before her mother found out about it. Kat just wished she would have find when Kat would properly introduce the dog to the detective.
The teen reached out for her doorknob and tentatively opened it. The door wasn't fully opened when Riddler came running out the door. He made a full circle around Kat before jumping in front of her, placing both of black paws on her shoulder, and licked her face.
Kat couldn't help it. She let out a giggle and ran her fingers through his black coat. She gently pushed him away and Riddler settled back on all fours, panting and waggling his tail. Kat turned to look at her mother with apprehension.
Olivia stared at the black German shepherd for another moment before she turned her attention to her daughter. Her eyes were still wide in shock.
"Surprise?" Kat nervously smiled at her mom.
Eddie stared up at red and orange tint sky as he let out a puff of smoke. He liked that his breaks were mostly during sunset. He liked to look up at the different colors in the sky, even if he was standing in the back alley behind his workplace. His peace was interrupted when his phone started to ring.
He grumbled in irritation when he saw it was Madison calling him. They had an argument on their last party that he was still annoyed at his friend. He let it ring for another second before answering her call. "What do you want?"
"Hello to you too," Madison sarcastically said. "You up for it next weekend?"
"Don't know yet," Eddie grumbled. He took a drag from his cigarette and then let out another puff of smoke. "Might arrive a bit late."
"Doesn't matter at what time you get there, just show up at the party."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "I saw Kat today."
"How is she?" Madison said. The young man could hear how worried the redhead sounded at the mention of their young friend. "Is she alright? How come she hasn't talked to us?"
"She is alright. Nothing bad happened to her but she's grounded," Eddie shrugged. "Her mom took away her laptop and phone."
"Shit," Madison muttered.
"Kat told me to tell you that once she is ungrounded she will want to see us," Eddie said, taking another drag from his cigarette. "She wants to know how she ended up in Bronx Park."
"Well, that is going to be a nice conversation we are going to have," the redhead sighed. "Did she tell you when exactly she is going to be ungrounded?"
"No.
"I don't think I can't wait until she is ungrounded. I need to talk to her."
"About what?" He frowned, taking a long drag from the cigarette.
"You know what."
"Keep that shit away from her," Eddie gritted through his teeth. "We don't need a repeat of what happened to her."
"It's just a test run," Madison said, with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "She is going to sell them, not pop them in her mouth."
Eddie shook his head. There was no point in arguing with her. When Madison had something in her mind, it was impossible to make her stop. "Look, I have to go back to work. I'm still on thin ice with my boss."
"Fine."
He threw his cigarette on the concrete ground as he hung up. He was not going to let Madison convince Kat into selling drugs. Kat was like the little sister he never got. Eddie had berated himself from giving her the ecstasy back in the rave. It was stupid of him to give her that pill. He regretted it they discovered she disappeared from the party. He grumbled to himself and walked back in the building.
"…then he followed me all the way home," Kat mumbled. Her eyes traveled to the dog, who was resting his head on top of her black vans. She shifted a bit on the couch. "I already gave him a bath and dried him off with one of the towels."
Olivia stared down at her daughter. She had listened to the seventeen year old explained how she came to find the German shepherd. Although Olivia was touched by the concern her daughter showed the dog, the detective knew that they couldn't keep the dog.
"Honey," Olivia sighed, "what you did it's sweet…but we can't keep him."
Kat frowned. "Why not?"
"Taking care of a dog comes with a lot of responsibility," the detective said.
"I can do it mom," Kat glanced down at Riddler for a brief moment. Her eyes connected with her mother's when she looked up. "Just give me a chance to prove it to you. Please?"
Olivia stared at the dog. His tail was moving back and forth on the wooden floor as he listened to their conversation. He looked up at the detective and gave her the same eyes he gave to Kat. He let out a small whine and continued to stare at the detective.
Olivia sighed and rubbed her lips, thinking of what to do. Kat had always wanted a dog since she was a small child. Olivia remembered when her daughter would stop and giggled at the puppies that were on the window displays in the pet shops. Or when Kat had looked ecstatic when she petted Frannie, Amanda's dog, before they had to leave Central Park.
Seeing the sadness in the dog's eyes and the dejected look on her daughter's face, made Olivia's decision difficult what they were going to do with the German shepherd. After a few more moments of going over her decision, Olivia let out a long sigh.
"One week," she ran her fingers through her hair. "Show me that you can take of him for a whole week. If you can, then you may keep him."
The detective almost fell backwards when her daughter decided to attack her with a hug. Olivia let out a low chuckle and hugged her daughter back.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kat said, almost jumping in joy. She pulled away from hug and grinned at her mother. "You won't regret it mom. I promise!"
"It's only a test run," the detective seriously stared at the teen. "If you can't, he will be going to a shelter. "
"I won't let you down, mom," Kat vowed. "I will prove to you that I can take care of him."
Olivia glanced down at the dog, who was now standing close to her. She ran her fingers through his black coat. "Stay out of my room, dog."
"His name is Riddler," Kat informed her mother as she sat down back in the couch again. She patted the empty space next to her. Riddler immediately jumped on the couch and laid his head on her lap.
"No, off the furniture. Now," Olivia strictly told the black dog.
Riddler just turned to look at her and placed his head on Kat's lap again. His tale waggled as the teen's fingers scratched behind one of his ears.
Seeing the stern look on her mother's face, Kat nudged Riddler off her lap. "Sorry, boy. You have you get off the couch."
Riddler let out a whine but jumped off the couch to the wooden floor. He shuffled closer to Kat's leg and rested his head on her lap again, with his tail waggling happily.
"Did you say his name was Riddler?" Olivia raised an eyebrow to her daughter.
Kat shrugged. "I listed off names and he barked at that one."
Olivia crouched and Riddler moved to look at her. Liv hesitantly scratched the back of one of his ears. "No shoe chewing, sitting on furniture or peeing on the floor. Understand?"
Riddler sniffed closed to the detective's face before giving her a face lick.
Kat threw her head back, laughing as her mother whipped away the dog saliva.
"Okay. That's enough," Olivia said, pushing the dog away from her as she stood up. "I'll start making dinner."
Kat quieted down and whispered to Riddler. "Good boy."
"I heard that!"
"So Delia is out on bail," Porter sighed.
The detective groaned and leaned back on the leather car seat. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Then we won't. At least not tonight," he smiled softly at her. He glanced down at his watch. "What do you say we go eat, my treat."
"Maybe some other time," Olivia turned to look at him. "I'm too tired after today."
Porter nodded. "I understand."
"I don't want a repeat of last time, Dean." The detective softly said.
"It's not going to happen," Porter reassured her. "We will take it slow. Not rushed into it like we did before."
Olivia smiled at him and took the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel. "How does next weekend sound like?"
"It's perfect," Porter brought her hand to his lips and gave it a small kiss.
"Wait for me!" Kat giggled as she kept a firm grip on the leash.
Riddler barked at the teen and continued to walk ahead.
The seventeen year old rolled her eyes and hurried her steps. Her mother and she bought a leash, a dog toy and dog food last night for Riddler. He had been bugging her for a walk ever since she came back from school. She had quickly finished her homework and chores before she took him out.
She didn't felt like going to Central Park so she decided to take Riddler out on a walk around the streets. The sun had just set when Kat decided that it was time to go home. She was too busy on making sure that the leash wasn't hurting Riddler, she didn't notice a familiar red head leaning against a parked car.
"Since when did you get a dog?" Madison raised an eyebrow at the dog.
Kat turned around and grinned when she saw her older friend. "Madison! What are you doing here?"
"Eddie told me what happened," Madison shrugged. She pushed herself off her car and walked towards the teen. She gave her a crushing hug. "I've missed you."
"Same here," Kat returned the hug.
Madison stared down at the black German shepherd. "Seriously though, where the dog came from?"
"Found him in an alley," Kat smiled down at Riddler. "My mom will let me keep him if I can prove to her that I can take care of him for a whole week."
"Sounds promising," Madison yawned. "Listen, I know that you are grounded but there is going to be a party next weekend. What do you say?"
Kat shook her head. "I can't."
"Come on," Madison pouted. "It's going to be fun. Plus, there is something that might peak your interest."
"Oh yeah, and what is that?"
The red head smirked at Kat. "Pills."
"Keep that shit away from me. I learned my lesson,"
"You sound just like Eddie," the redhead groaned. "Instead of popping them, we are going to sell them."
"I don't want any of that shit," the teen gritted through her teeth. She relaxed a bit when she felt Riddler nudging his nose against her hand.
"What happened to the adventurous teenager that sneaked out to raves and parties?" Madison frowned. "This grounding is changing you."
Kat shook her head. "I promised my mom I won't do anything that involved drugs or alcohol."
Madison scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just try it out. If you don't like it, then you can back out."
"I'll talk to you later," Kat frowned and turned towards the apartment. She stopped when she felt a grip on her wrist.
Riddler growled lowly and didn't take his eyes off Madison.
"It's okay," Kat mumbled to the black German shepherd. But it did no good. He kept a protective stance next to her as if waiting for the right moment to attack Madison.
The teen turned to look at the redhead. She noticed the frustration in those stormy blue eyes. It sounded more like a command than a suggestion, in the teen's ears. She made a promise to her mother to not get involved in drugs ever again. And hell, she was going to keep that promise. Even if it meant losing a friend or two in the progress.
"I just can't," Kat whispered to Madison.
Madison narrowed her eyes at the teen. "I will give you until the day before the party to change your mind. Trust me, Kat, once you have that money on your hands, you won't regret a thing."
Kat just stared at her older friend. It sounded tempting but she already made up her mind. No matter how much money she will get, it will be dirty money. And she didn't want to get caught with any kind of drug substance by her mom or by anyone from the law.
"I'll think about it," Kat mumbled. She just wanted Madison to leave before her mom would find them talking outside the apartment building.
It seemed to have work because Madison let go of her wrist. The redhead gave a flashing smile. "That's all I wanted to hear! I'll see you later."
She gave the teen a quick hug before walking towards her car.
Kat didn't even wait to see her drive off as she walked inside the apartment building. She had a lot in her mind as she reached the stairs.
Mark noticed how Kat had been quiet all Monday morning. He had a feeling something bad happened during the weekend. He had been meaning to ask her but didn't know if he should. He waited until the teacher turned around to write something on the chalkboard and took out his cellphone. He sent a quick text to Kat and waited patiently for her to reply.
Kat was slightly started when she felt her cellphone vibrate in one of the pockets of her jeans. She discretely took it out and checked who it was. She smiled faintly when she saw the message was from Mark.
Did Riddler chewed on your favorite shoes? You seemed down since this morning. - M
She looked to her right and saw Mark giving her a soft smile. Kat told them of Riddler and they were both happy that her mother was able to give her a chance on taking care of the dog.
Kat returned the smile and looked back at her phone. Her mother had given back her cellphone before school. Kat was surprised to have it back. The teen could still remember how agitated her mother had been the whole weekend but didn't question it. Kat sent a quick reply to Mark.
Something happened this weekend. My mom has been restless since Saturday. - K
A minute later Mark sent his reply.
Does it have to do with the news report last night? About the prostitution murder that the NYPD is involved with? – M
I think so. It could be connected to the case. I just don't know why mom is so agitated about it. They didn't mention anyone's name from the precinct. I don't know about this morning since mom didn't want to turn on the TV. - K
Mark put his phone away before the teacher could see him. He waited a few minutes before sending his reply.
Have you talked to someone from the precinct? Munch? Or maybe Cragen? – M
My mom has told me I can't visit anyone from the precinct. I guess I will just have to wait until tonight to ask mom what the hell is going on. - K
The remaining time in the class, Kat's mind was still not in the lesson. She was thankful when the bell rang. Her and Mark hurriedly put everything away and stepped out of the classroom, along with the other students.
Mark gently grabbed Kat's hand to make her stop walking. He waited until her dark brown eyes connected with his light brown eyes. "Are you sure that you are alright?"
"I am," Kat mumbled. "This whole weekend just been really weird. That's all."
That wasn't the only thing that was on Kat's mind. Madison's proposal was still on her head when she woke up this morning. Kat had been trying to find ways to tells Madison that she wasn't interested in selling drugs. Her friend wasn't going to take the news well, but Kat hoped that Madison would understand on why she is not interested.
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Mark stared at her with deep concern in his light brown eyes.
Kat smiled reassuringly, not wanting for him to worry about her any further. "I know. And when it becomes too much for me to keep it bottled up, you will be the first to know."
"I better be," Mark smiled back.
They both gazed down. They were still holding hands in the middle of the hallway. Their eyes traveled up and they stared at each other for another minute. Kat was the first to break the eye contact.
"Um," she cleared her throat. Her cheeks started to blush as she looked down at her shoes. "I should better get to class. Don't want to be late."
"Yeah. Same here," Mark said, disappointed to let go of her hand. "But I do mean it. I'm here if you want to talk."
Kat smiled at him one more time before walking away. She could still feel how warm and soft his hand felt when he held her hand. Blushing, she quickly walked down the hallway. She didn't see the small smile on Mark's face or hear the sigh as he watched her walk away.
"I need to tell her soon," Mark mumbled as he turned away and walked to his next class.
Next chapter will be up as soon as possible. Also, I will be starting on working on the "Growing Up" one shots again. Like I said before, I will be taking down three or four to fix them (I already know which ones) and reposting them. Don't know when exactly I will post the first one but it might be somewhere on the first week of August. Not sure yet.
Any who...hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a safe weekend.
Review!