"No, no, no, no, no. That was not the way it happened," Leo said, catching his breath and laughing at the same time.
"Oh, so tell us, Oh Mighty One," Jo replied sarcastically, bowing dramatically, spreading his arms before him as he did.
"Okay..." Leo thought for a second. "...It was a dark and stormy night..." he started.
They all laughed. Lightning lit up the sky outside and, a second later, thunder clapped.
"Aw, c'mon, Leo!" Tom called from the back of the room.
Leo was covered in mud from head to toe, and Kia was lying in the corner of the room, just as wet and muddy. A stranger sat amongst them, looking to be the same state as Leo-- covered in water and mud.
The entire squad was there, no one wanting to go home in the rain yet. All who had families called them, and, just to be included, some called their siblings. They were all waiting for the rain to let up, and decided to find a way to pass the time.
So they sent someone outside.
In the rain.
At night.
"Okay, so I drew the shortest stick," Leo defended himself. "But I had the most fun, right?"
It'd been three months now, and there was little hope that Piper was alive. Leo hadn't seen Melinda in nearly five days, and wouldn't for another few.
The whole station was finding ways to keep Leo's mind far from Piper. They-- without Leo's knowing-- actually rigged the sticks for Leo to draw, knowing he'd had a hell of a time in the rain and might get him to smile.
And did it ever work.
"Yeah, yeah," a few said, trying to get the whole story from him.
"I think we're havin' more fun laughing at you," Jeff reminded Leo.
"Okay, okay," Leo held up his hands in surrender. "So, first thing I see when I walk outside..."
Leo walked outside and looked around. The door slammed shut behind him. Cowards, he thought, taking a step out into the rain. Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder followed carefully behind it, right on time.
The dogs barked from their kennels.
Figuring he'd better make the best of the situation, Leo walked toward the kennels. He reached a hand out toward where the A-frame was. He touched it, and took a step forward. There was too much mud there, and he slipped and fell. Struggling to get up, Leo walked again toward the kennels. He reached them and took another step.
Someone came up from behind him and grabbed his shoulder. He whirled around. A flashlight bobbed, and a person behind him screamed. She grabbed out aimlessly in Leo's direction and got his shoulder. They both fell to the ground. The woman scrambled away and fell back in the mud. The dogs barked.
"Who-- Who are you?" she stammered.
"Who am I? What the hell are you doing out here?"
"Where?"
"At the police station!" Leo had to yell just to hear himself. "Wait-- who are you?"
"My name-- My name is--" Lightning struck and Leo saw her face. Thunder boomed behind it. She got a frustrated look and stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kayla!" she screamed.
Leo shook her hand, but was mainly using it to hold himself up. She was doing the same. "What are you doing at a police station?"
"Getting lost!"
"Come with me!"
Leo led the way through the kennels and onto dry land. They went inside through a back door. In the light, Leo could see her much better. She had long dark hair that reminded him of Piper, and she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that were now ruined. Her hair was down and soaked with mud and rain.
"Where am I again?"
"At the police station."
"Oh, good."
"Lucky you."
"What were you doing outside?" Kayla asked Leo.
"Taking a dare. We're rained in. How did you manage to get lost?"
"How else? I was camping and took a walk and started to pour. I got lost out there. I was lucky... Thank you. Are you an officer."
"Yeah. The name's Leo Wyatt."
"Kayla Cruise," she answered.
"Well, we've gotta go back out, 'cause this door to the main station is locked."
"Oh..."
"Coming?"
"Definitely."
Leo took Kayla's hand to be sure to have her behind him and opened the door. They set out into the rain again, walking along the fence and holding onto it for support.
But Kayla slipped and fell, and grabbed Leo, bringing him down with her. As they scrambled up, they both fell again in the mud, laughing too hard to even care much at all.
Some people screamed to them and Leo and Kayla turned around to see the rest of the station outside. They were right in front of the door, huddled around it under the porch-like roof that stuck out a good twenty feet over concrete.
"What is this, a brothel?" Jeff yelled. Leo looked down and saw himself laying over Kayla, both of them trying to catch their breath.
Tom held out his for Leo to take. Leo reached for it, but his cousin's hand slipped from his grip and Leo fell back into the mud back onto Kayla. She laughed and pushed Leo off of her. She sat up on her butt and turned over so she was on her hands and knees. She used Leo, who was sitting in the mud, to hold herself up, steadying herself with his shoulder. She took a wide step onto the concrete and was helped up fully by Cortez. She fell back on her butt on the concrete, laughing to hard to feel it.
Next was Leo's turn. He grabbed Ron and Jake's hands and they pulled him up onto the concrete.
"So no-- no brothel. Granted the situation, Jeff, I am still married," Leo commented when he finished his story.
Jeff didn't say anything, he was too busy laughing. He wouldn't have replied to Leo anyway, considering what he'd said. "So Kayla, looks like you're stuck with us, then."
"Well, my camp's been washed out..." Kayla trailed off.
"You got first rounds in the shower. I'll get in later," Leo said.
"Yeah, I got some clothes that'll fit you in my locker," Jo offered.
"Don't bother, Jo. I still got some of Piper's clothes," Leo said.
"No, it's fine--"
"I've been meaning to get rid of them anyway. Just haven't brought 'em home yet. You know where they are, Jo," Leo insisted.
Jo and Kayla went into the back. "I know it's none of my business, but who is Piper?" Kayla asked when they were out of earshot.
"Ah, Piper was-- is-- Leo's wife. She's been missing for about three months now. I guess Leo giving up some of her clothes just means he's... accepting the fact that she may not be alive."
"Oh... I-- I didn't mean--"
"It's okay. We don't bring it up, just think of ways to keep his mind off of her while he's at work." They turned left down a hall to the lockers. "And when he brings it up, we don't press the issue."
"I understand why... You've got a locker with the others?"
"I'm one of three women on the squad. Yes, I do. They don't think any less of me, 'cause I will kick their asses, and they know it."
Kayla smiled.
"Oh, right here," Jo said. She turned the combination to Leo's locker and opened it.
"You guys give away your locker combos," Kayla observed.
"Ah, we're a family, what do we care? God, I remember this one time when some of the guys freaked when they found underwear in my locker. Underwear, and they freaked."
"Well, that's how guys are."
"Yeah," Jo agreed with a little laugh.
"Hey, is that Piper?" Kayla asked, pointing to a picture on the inside of the locker door. She didn't dare touch it, though, for fear of getting it dirty. She was still covered in mud.
"Yeah. About... Mmm... six months ago. That's their little girl. Melinda. She's four."
"It must be terrible."
"It is for all of us, but Leo the most."
"I couldn't imagine how to live through something like that."
"Well, we get through it for Leo and Melinda. Take turns watching her sometimes, though she stays with one of her aunts mostly... Here..." Jo grabbed a pair of jeans and a long t-shirt from the locker. "Oh, and here," she added, closing Leo's locker and going to her own. She opened it and grabbed underwear and a bra. "You look my size."
"Thanks," Kayla said.
"Sure."
"The uh, showers are that way on the right. Don't get lost on the way back."
"I'll try."
Jo smiled and left and joined the others. She got filled in on their conversation just by listening for a second.
"So does this mean you're giving up?" came a voice.
"No," Leo said quietly. His smile was gone and the sparkle that lit up his eyes had faded. "I'll never give up. I'll just try to be... contented..."
"Happy? At ease? Relaxed? Satisfied? Leo, you've never been content with anything in your life. Why start now?" Ron asked.
"Have to, and because other things I could change. This..."
"Never mind."
"No, you wanted an answer... In the past, if I wasn't content with something, I'd change it. Because I could. Well, I'm not content with this, but I can't really change it and bring her back, now can I?"
"Forget it, Leo. Don't get into it now," Adam said.
Leo closed his eyes and shook his head. "Fine."
A/N: Good news! I am not "Brat" Kern, or Dan Gordon, so Piper won't stay away long. All I can promise is she doesn't die. Yea! And Leo gets to vent later on. (I think you'll learn he has some anger management problems like... three or four chapters from now...) Hope you liked it. Oh, and the flashback thing was stupid, I know, but the basically same thing happened to me once and I had a good laugh with my friends, and I was out of ideas, so I used it.
