Right in front of you

by TweedleDuh

REPOST Jody and Skalany come home from a much need vacation. But what do they come home too?

5. Right in front of you (5/5)

~Hey all of the readers who have stuck by this story till the end! This IS the end.  I think you find it surprising and I hope you all like the ending.  I spent a lot of time thinking up this story and I'm sorry for all of the people drooling for the next chapter!  Please Review this story and tell me what you liked about it and what not.  It take two seconds lol.  Again thank you for reading and enjoy!~

 

          The rest of the night Jody toyed with the idea of going to the funeral despite Kermit's warning.  Every time she had decided to go she would change her mind knowing full well she didn't want to get yelled at by Kermit ever again.  She put on a pair of jeans and a bulky sweater.  She didn't think there was any reason to get dressed up.  All she would be doing was sit in the precinct and wait for everyone to return from saying farewell to a friend.

Kermit finished loading up his desert eagle and watched the man in front of him.  After a full minute of watching this man struggle he chuckled and decided to speak up. "You need help with that?"  His eyes sparkled for the first time in two weeks.  "No thanks I can do it.  So Jody and Mary Margaret aren't coming right?"  The man leaned forward to grab his jacket and turned to Kermit.  "No they aren't.  Skalany wasn't that hard to talk too.  I don't think she wanted to go in the first place.  Jody on the other hand…  Well I think I scared her into not showing up."  The man sighed.  "Good.  I don't want them to be there when this goes down.  Especially after you telling me how difficult they are taking this whole… well you know."  Kermit nodded.  "Yeah I know.  They almost made ME cry!"   The man looked up with shocked hazel eyes.  "The unbreakable Kermit??  I wouldn't believe it! It would be like…  like…  well the regular phrase is hell freezing over."  Kermit gave the man a glare and stood up.  "You ready?"  The man made his way over to the old door.  "More then you know."

The churched filled up fast as cops from all over the area filled the pews.  Captain Simms stood in the back watching and greeting people as they entered.  She was mostly looking for Kermit.  She wanted to know the reason for the media being there.  Blake made his way over to her.  Shoving his hands in his pockets, he too watched as people walked in the door.  "Captain why is Mason and her camera crew here?"  Simms shook her head.  "I don't know Blake.  Peter WAS a well-known person around here but I never expected media coverage.  I made sure they weren't let in.  Have you seen Kermit?"  Blake and Simms both greeted Donny Double D and Lula before continuing.  "No Captain.  Haven't seen him since yesterday.  I was thinking he'd have been the first one here.  I was wrong."  Simms turned her head to the front of the church when she heard the priest door close.  Kwai Chang Caine came out dressed in a long beige robe clutching a book in his hands.  She watched as he greeted well wishers sitting near the front.  "Well we can't wait for him to get over his problems and show up here.  This thing is gonna start in a few minutes Blake.  You should go back to your seat now."  Blake nodded and retreated to his seat.  Simms checked out the door one last time before following.

Jody sat in the almost completely deserted office.  There were only a couple of officers working who didn't really know Peter too well and offered to stay.  They looked at Jody every once in a while wondering why she didn't go to the funeral.  Jody started to read a magazine in one of the desks when she heard footsteps up the stairs.  Her eyes flew to them.  Mary Margaret appeared in front of her causing Jody to sigh loudly.  "Sorry… were you expecting someone else?"  Skalany grabbed a chair from one of the empty desks and placed it in front of the one Jody was sitting at.  "No…  Well I guess.  I don't know.  I must be losing it.  That funeral can't be over yet."  Skalany took a look around the room.  "Nope its not.   I brought cards.  Thought maybe you were losin it and needed some distraction.  Guess I was right."  Skalany pulled the deck out of her pocket and started shuffling.  The two women sat at the desk half into their card game.  Their mind was only on one thing… What was happening at that church?

          Caine stood at the alter gazing over his audience.  He wasn't sure how to start this and was beginning to wonder why he agreed to this in the first place.  His wandering eyes landed on so many of his sons close friends.  He felt their pain and feeling of loss.  He wished he could go down those steps and hug each and every one of them.  Tell them everything was alright.  But he couldn't… he had to stay strong.  If not for himself and the people around him… but for Peter.  "Welcome friends…  I want to thank… you all… for coming to bid farewell to my son Peter.   I want to explain the closed casket.  That was my decision.  I… am sorry if you all feel…  disappointed?  With my decision…" Caine was about to continue when he felt anger surround the church.  It hit him so hard he thought he would fall over.  His eyes now transfixed themselves on the doors facing him.  They opened and a figure in white entered quietly.  The moment he had been waiting for had finally come. 

"Look at all you people!  Weeping your little eyes out!  Over what?? OVER WHAT?!?!  That piece of shit in that coffin you sit in front of?"  Simms heard the voice and sharply turned half way in her seat.  She couldn't believe who she saw in front of her.  Her anger grew.  She grabbed for her weapon and felt her muscles tighten as she prepared to take this guy out.  Blake grabbed the hand she held her gun in and shook his head roughly.  He leaned over and whispered to her.  "Captain you shoot at him unarmed and he wins."  Simms lowered her gun and watched as this madman slowly made his way up the isle.  "I mean come on!  Look at you all?  Do you realize your mourning over someone who took away my family?  Caused me to go into therapy?"  Simms smiled at that.  She found it funny.  "I took that asshole out of your lives because I care about you all!"  Gasps and whispering were heard all through the church.  " SHUT UP!  STOP WHISPERING!"  

Caine started to walk down the stairs toward the man.  "Richards…  You are not welcome here…"  He was cut off as Richards spun around pulling a gun from his hidden holster and aiming it at Caine.  The priest didn't blink or budge.  He just stared into the crazy mans eyes.  " And you Kwai Chang Caine…  half the reason I am here today!  I see you are burying Petie.  Tough isn't it?  To bury a son twice?"  Richard's started to step forward to the priest, gun still aimed.  "I always told Pete I would get him someday.  I promised to be at his funeral too.  Well I always keep my promise!"  Caine finally spoke.  "Why do you hate my son?"  Everyone in the room could see red in Richard's eyes as he wildly looked around the room with a scary toothy grin on his face.  "  Wanna know why Caine??  Why I hated your son? Why I killed him?  Because he RUINED MY FAMILY! He Ruined my LIFE!"  The sound of Richards taking the safety off the gun rang through the church like thunder in a storm. Even though the room was filled with mostly cops, none of them made a move for fear of their life.  They knew this man was crazy and the slightest act would cause him to go over the edge. Even Simms, who had been eager for her chance, sat still. "Pete had to die… And so do you.  It's BOTH your faults!"  Richards changed his aim and shot at the casket behind Caine, putting three holes into the side.  Screams and more gasps filled the room causing Richards to grab for his head in pain.  "Shut UP! I swear!!!  I'll kill you all!"  He opened his eyes again and slowly aimed carefully for the priest's head.  "I always keep my promise……"

Another click was heard causing Richards to snap out of his daze.  He felt a cold poke in the head, of what he could only think was a gun barrel; pressed against his skull so hard it caused him to wince. " Your breaking your promise this time…"

There was an eerie silence before the church was filled with a collected intake of breath.  Caine backed up slowly to the casket and lifted the top reveling its contense…  Nothing.  Richards turned his head slowly only to be greeted by a smirk and hazel eyes.  "What the hell…" Richards' eyes blow up like balloons and he stepped away slowly.  "Your... your DEAD! I KILLED YOU!"  Richards collapsed to the church floor grabbing his knees and pulling him self into a fetal position.  He rocked back and forth muttering incoherent sentences under his breath.  Caine stepped over and kicked the gun away. 

Peter tucked his gun into the waist of his pants with his good arm and spin around to face Kermit.  "That was easy."  Kermit holstered his gun and put his hands on his waist smiling.  "Oh yeah!"  Simms couldn't believe her eyes.  Peter was standing right in front of her.  Breathing, smiling, and saving the day.  She didn't know whether to be happy or angry that she was kept out of the secret.  She stepped out of the pew towards the now forming crowd.  "Well Detective Caine!  I know I can speak for everyone here in saying I'm utterly in shock!"  Strenlich came over and gave Peter a happy slap on the back.  Peters wince went unnoticed by the large man.  "Jesus Caine!  Good to see ya!  Shocked me too!"  Peter put a hand through his hair.  "I think that was what we were going for." Kermit lowered his sunglasses to see her better "Ohh I like that look.  The shocked look!  Well worth two weeks of hell."  Peter patted his father on the back.  "And the amazing Shaolin priest is a wonderful actor!  Wish I was conscious to see the show that night."  Caine bowed.  "I learned from watching… HBO?"  Everyone around them laughed Before Simms could stand it no longer.  "Peter…  what happened since that night.  I demand an answer."  Kermit and Peter looked over at each other with childish grins. "Pete I think she wants an explanation."  They both looked back at her still holding those ridiculous grins.  "Well Captain if you don't mind…  I have a couple people I need to see first.  Then I'll explain it."

Jody and Skalany were just finishing up their card game when they heard the doors of 101^st open.  They jumped up in unison and stood behind their chairs.  Jody was afraid if she saw this Richards, she was going to kill him.  Right in front of everyone.  It didn't matter right now though.  She would think about the consequences later.  Jody could see heads come up the stairs.  Kermit was first followed by a horde of cops restraining someone.  He was yelling at the top of his lungs.  Jody and Mary Margaret couldn't take their eyes off of him.  He was wearing all white.  It had to be the guy.  They couldn't understand exactly what the guy was screaming.    But one word stood out… "dead". 

"That guy looked like he was severely unstable." Skalany said, finally taking her eyes off the screaming man.  Jody nodded and turned startled when she heard a voice behind her.  "That guy is gonna fry. Either in jail or a nut house."  Kermit stood in front of the two women.  His face was lit up.  More then they had seen from him since they left for their vacation.  "Why Kermit… Your awfully perky.  Nailin that guy must have helped huh?"  Kermit whipped his glasses off.  "Oh yeahhhh."  The two women smiled genuinely.  Kermit was back alright. 

Kermit looked around in the office.  It started to fill more with officers and people in need of help.  It was back to normal.  He was pulled out of his day dreaming by Jody's voice. "Ummm Kermit?  How was it…"  He could hear her voice crack before she finished her sentence and remembered just then that they had no idea about Peter.  "Uh… well…  It was a funeral.  What can I say?  Just your basic all around normal funeral!"  The energy in his voice made Skalany and Jody's eyebrows fuse together in confusion.  "Kermit you need some time off don't you?"  His smile got brighter.  "Nope.  I'm fine."  Jody shook off his odd behavior.  "So this asshole's probably gonna get a life sentence.  I mean with all of the things we were going to bust him for in the first place and… well then there's the…" She didn't want to finish the sentence and didn't have to.  A voice cut into the conversation from behind.  "…Then there's the attempted murder of a police officer."  Jody stood watching Kermit's Grinch like smile before starting to turn around.  "Attemp…………?" If her words were solid they would have fallen out of her mouth and broke into a million pieces on the floor as she saw the face in front of her.  She couldn't mouth a word or give a reaction as she stared into hazel eyes.  THE hazel eyes that had kept her from sleep the past few days.  "P… pete…?"  Peter was fully aware of her shock but continued like normal.  "Yes attempted.  Cause he didn't kill me so its attempted murder."  A tear fell from her eye as she stood there like a stone statue.  Peter saw it fall and followed it with his eyes.  Kermit had told him how hard they took it but never expected it was this bad.

Jody started to awaken from her half coma and raised a shaking hand to Peters face.  She couldn't believe he was right in front of her alive and healthy.  She focused more on him and noticed that the health part wasn't totally true.  He held his arm close to his chest protecting it.  Jody remembered Simms tell her what happened and figured that that was the shoulder he was shot in.  His face was kind of pale like he was cold.  But when her hand touched his face he wasn't cold at all.  She couldn't control it any more when he leaned his head down to look her in the eye and smiled.  She broke down sobbing uncontrollably. 

Peter wrapped his good arm around her shoulders pulling her close to his chest.  He did it very softly trying not to hurt his arm or ribs.  She buried her face into his jacket.  Her arms pulled him closer as she wrapped them around his waist.  The uncontrollable sobs were heard through out the office but she didn't' care.  She had her Peter back.  She breathed in his smell and felt the heat from his body.  Her arms started to squeeze tighter, constricting Peters injured ribs.  He took in a deep breath and squirmed out of her grasp.  She looked up at him with a look of sorrow.  "I'm… soo sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"  Peter wiped a tear off of her and cheek.  "Its ok.  It wasn't that bad."  They stood there smiling at each other when Simms came up from behind.

"Ok detectives.  I want my explanation now."  Peter and Kermit sighed at the same time and went to grab some chairs.  "Well Captain…  That guys been sendin threat letters to Pete ever since we busted that hacking kid a few months back.  Wanted revenge on him and thought he got it that night in the warehouse.  But what he didn't know was we were prepared for something to happen because of the letters and Pete wore his vest.  He shot at him like we thought hittin him in the chest and shoulder.  The shoulder wasn't planned but we had red dye in packets attached to the vest causing it to look like blood.  We had Caine on stand by to make sure he was alright and take him before medics could see him.  Pete rested up for two weeks and here we are."  Simms looked down at Peters smiling face.  "Well… great achievement gentlemen.  I still would have liked to be involved in this little plot."  Caine came over talking to Skalany and Strenlich.  "If you had known about Peter then the reacting wouldn't have been …… real."  Simms looked over at the priest and nodded.  "Yeah I guess not. I should have known all along anyways."  Jody walked over to Peter and smacked him in his good shoulder. "That's for making me sad!" She said trying to hold back her laughter.  Peter rubbed his shoulder lightly giving her a confused look.  "Hey don't smack the dead guy!"  Everyone around them laughed.  Everything was finally back to normal in 101^st.