Fifteen minutes later, just when Janet was about to go in and make sure something hadn't happened to her charges, Ian and Andrew made an appearance, Ian holding a large paper bag, and Andrew carrying a cup of steaming coffee and a couple of donuts on a napkin. Ian set the bag on the roof of the car and opened the door for Andrew, babying his right hand – which Janet decided had to be killing him if he was being that careful with it.
"Here's some coffee for you, Doctor Fraiser," Andrew said, handing it over as he got into the back seat.
"Thank you, Andrew."
"You want a donut?" He asked as Ian got in as well, the bag in his left hand. "We got donuts and muffins, so you can choose."
"Or you can have a brownie, some Twinkies, some cupcakes, Dingdongs or a pie," Ian added, looking in the bag. "I got apple, lemon, and berry."
"We didn't know what you'd want," Andrew explained.
Janet smiled, reaching out and tipping the bag towards her so she could look into it. Not only did they have those items, but also they had chips, a six-pack of Mountain Dew, several different kinds of candy bars and a bag of Gummy Worms.
"Hungry?"
Ian shrugged.
"Didn't know what we wanted, either. So we figured whatever you didn't eat, we would."
Teenagers; the human garbage disposals.
"I'll have one of those donuts, Andrew," Janet told him, putting the coffee in the cup holder and reaching back for one. "Thanks."
Taking a bite, she started the car and put it into gear, and headed for the interstate once more. They'd be on the road a couple of hours, but they weren't going to arrive home hungry, that was for sure.
OOOOOOO
There wasn't a lot of traffic – even for a Sunday afternoon, and they made good time. Janet was really enjoying the drive – despite not being dressed for it. It'd been a long time since she'd driven a sports car, and the convertible had a powerful engine that Ian had tweaked a bit once Sam had given it to him. What was the point of being a genius when it came to engines and drives if you couldn't apply it to your every day life and give yourself some extra horsepower, after all? He liked driving fast – had never denied that – and now had a car that was more than capable of getting up and going when he asked it to.
Janet, of course, didn't realize that – it wasn't something you told your girlfriend's mother, really – and several times she found herself going well over the speed limit without realizing she was even going so fast. She just assumed that it was her own lead foot – and yes, she liked to drive fast, too, although she'd never admit it to anyone – especially the boys.
Andrew didn't say anything – although she was pretty sure that since he was sitting behind Ian he had a perfect view of the speedometer and knew when she was speeding – she assumed he didn't mind, because he wanted to get home. Ian had dozed off, leaning against the passenger window, his can of Mountain Dew in the cup holder next to Janet's empty coffee cup and his hand cradled protectively in his lap. Janet decided that he'd probably slept badly the night before, and she didn't blame him at all for not being able to stay awake. He'd probably sleep a lot better in his own bed, though, and she was anxious to get him someplace he could be a little more comfortable.
The second time she looked down and realized that the needle had inched towards the century mark, however, Janet shook her head and started slowing down once more. The roads were dry and bare, but it wasn't safe to drive so fast – how did she get going so quickly without noticing? A flashing light in her rearview mirror told her almost immediately that she hadn't slowed down soon enough.
"Shit."
"What?"
Andrew had never heard Fraiser swear before, and looked up from the magazine he'd bought at the gas station. Ian woke a second later as he felt her down shifting and slowing even further, the car coming to a stop on the side of the freeway. He sat up, looking over at her, eyes tired and curious.
"What's up?"
Janet looked into the rearview mirror again, and sighed as the state patrol officers got out of the car that had pulled in behind her, one coming up on her side, and one coming up on Ian's.
"It's the police," she told them, even as she rolled the windows down.
"What?"
Before Janet could explain, the officer on her side – his nametag read 'Patterson' – spoke up.
"Do you know how fast you were going?"
Janet frowned, trying to look innocent.
"No, officer…"
"A hundred and two."
"You were going a hundred and two?" Ian repeated, looking over at her.
She sighed.
"License and registration and proof of insurance, please," Patterson said, shaking his head.
Damn.
Janet looked up at the officer as she realized something. Something fairly important.
"I don't have my license on me, officer. I left it at home."
"Uh huh." Patterson didn't look surprised at all, and Janet decided he'd probably heard every story in the book. "Is this your car?"
"It's mine," Ian said, speaking up.
"Can you prove that?" He asked, looking past Janet at Ian. "Got the registration handy?"
The cadet nodded, reaching for the glove box with his left hand.
"What happened to your hand?" The other officer – the one on Ian's side – asked.
"None of yo-"
"Ian." Janet's voice stopped him before he could finish that statement.
He scowled.
"I cut it."
"Registration," the officer repeated. He didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence to know what Ian had been planning on saying, and there was nothing he hated more than smart-assed young punks.
Ian opened the glove box and started to reach in, when the officer on his side suddenly reached into the car and grabbed his hand.
"He's got a gun!"
Immediately Patterson had his hand on his sidearm, as did the officer that still had hold of Ian's left hand. Shocked at the sudden turn of events, Janet looked over, and could plainly see the butt of Ian's backup Glock in the glove box.
