Till Death Do Us Part: Chapter 7

A/N: Yeah, in case you haven't noticed, the title of the fic has changed. I just thought 'Undying Love' was a little too plain. ;P

And check out the other T/P fic I started if you haven't already: Heart of Glass.

Random Comment: I got my license!

Chapter 7: Life Brings Changes

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Officer Ryan Kurtis yawned and tried to keep his eyes open as he drove his blue and white squad car. It was nearly midnight, and he hadn't had the slightest amount of sleep last night. Not to mention the incredibly busy day he had-but then again, every day was a busy day for a cop like Ryan Kurtis. He was going to be promoted any day now, ever since he had decided to try his luck with the FBI. He remembered his boss's words with a wry grin- You're a good cop, Kurtis. One of the best. And the FBI needs people like you, believe it or not. Think about it, Kurtis. I'm giving you three days.

Yep. That was him, all right. Kurtis the hero. Superman, he chuckled to himself at the nickname his fellow officers had given him after the numerous bravery medals he had earned.

He wished he could say the same about his life at home.

"Let's face it, Ryan, I'm just not capable of being a good mother. I'm leaving tomorrow- the divorce papers will be sent shortly. Forgive me, Ryan, this is just something I have to do."

Forgive her, right? He shook his head in disgust as he recalled his ex-wife Maria's harsh words. It was hard to imagine he had the perfect family not too long ago. A doting wife and an adorable little kid- life was going good for Officer Ryan Kurtis. Until his wife had dropped the bombshell, shattering his dreams into a million pieces.

Ryan Kurtis the hero? Yeah right.

He sighed, running a hand through his sandy blond hair. He had married young, and still didn't look much like a father of a 1-year old. Not like he had to start worrying about his age; he was only twenty-eight.

Suddenly, completely out of the blue, a dark figure emerged from the shadows and ran out into the street. "What the fuck!" he swore, then desperately swerved his car to the left in an attempt to avoid colliding with the person. The figure's eyes widened- he could see that even in the dark- as if realizing for the first time that he was in a police car. Then whoever it was turned and ran for dear life.

Officer Ryan Kurtis was right on their heels.

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"I don't believe this!" Trunks shouted. "How could you be so stupid and let her go alone this time of night? She just came back from the hospital two freaking weeks ago!"

"She's not two years old, Trunks. And besides, there was nothing I could do to stop her!" Marron snapped back.

"You wanted to hurt her, didn't you? Why? Because you were jealous!"

"Yes, goddamnit! I was jealous of my own best friend. Because of you! You're the one who drove me this far!"

Trunks paused, staring at Marron as if seeing her for the first time. "It disappoints me," he said softly, "That I trusted you once."

"Oh, shut up," she muttered crossly. "Just go away, Trunks. You ruined her life, and now you're ruining mine too."

Trunks took a deep breath and struggled to stay calm. "Marron. Please. Don't make this worse than it is. We'll find her, bring her back. She'll understand."

Marron rolled her eyes but he could see the fear she was trying to hide clearly. "You think she's in danger? Who knows where she went?"

"I'll find her," Trunks was already putting his coat on. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Marron agreed, a tight knot forming in the pit of her stomach. How stupid could she be for fighting with Trunks? And for telling everything to Pan, so she would leave?

Oh, God, what have I done? She wondered. What in the world have I done?

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"Hey!" Kurtis yelled, gaining on the man. Or was it a woman? he thought distractedly. "Stop running or I'll shoot!"

But whoever it was seemed not to hear him. Kurtis tackled the figure within minutes.

He heard a soft groan and quickly got off of him-or her-but kept a firm hold on the sweatshirt they wore and peered at the person closely.

He was shocked when a beautiful young woman stared back at him. A woman, he realized with a sudden jolt, that I almost recognize from somewhere.

"What the-" he began, but stopped himself. "What are you doing out here, miss? The area's not very safe this late at night." He looked around, as if someone might be after her.

"It's nothing," the girl muttered. "I was just headed home."

Officer Kurtis continued to look at her suspiciously. "So why were you running?"

"Because you scared the living crap out of me," she said sourly, glaring at him.. "I thought you would arrest me!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "I never said I wouldn't. And why the hell did you run out onto the street like that? You could have been killed!"

"I didn't see your car coming," she mumbled.

Officer Kurtis was shaking his head. "I'm afraid I just don't believe your story, Miss-"

"Pan. Pan Son," she paused. "And I didn't do anything wrong. Honest."

"Look, Miss Son. It's a little after midnight and you're alone, in the middle of the woods, running from a cop. Somehow I don't think you were headed to granny's house," he said skeptically. "So either you're a runaway or you're up to no good."

"It's nothing like that," she kept insisting, but Officer Kurtis shook his head again.

"We'll just find out at the station then, won't we," he said curtly, then began reading her rights.

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"It's almost one a.m., Trunks. Give it up for now, please! And call the police, would you? Maybe they found her."

"Marron, she ran away in case you've forgotten. And anyway, it hasn't been sixty-eight hours yet, so the police won't consider her 'missing'."

"So we're just going to stay out here the whole night?" Marron stared at him in disbelief.

"Not the whole night, but at least a couple more hours. You can go back home if you want to."

Marron slumped back into her seat, closing her eyes. She might as well try to catch some sleep here….

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God, she's pretty.

Officer Ryan Kurtis shook his head, wondering where the hell that thought had come from. He was a cop for crying out loud; it was his job to interrogate and point fingers at people. Make them feel guilty, not think that they were pretty.

But he had felt sorry for Pan Son the minute she had let out her real story. A boyfriend who cheated on her with her best friend. It seemed as if the world was just crawling with them, considering the fact that countless numbers of young women dragged into the Police Station had the same tale to tell these days.

"Where can I reach your parents?" he asked her, one hand already on the phone. "You can go home when they come and get you."

"They passed away about two months ago." Suddenly she looked incredibly sad. "I live alone. At least, for now."

Kurtis murmered a quick apology This just keeps getting complicated, doesn't it? He gave her a tight smile and said, "Well, that could be a problem."

"Officer, I refuse to go back to the apartment I share with my friend. I'll go somewher else. You don't have to worry about me."

"No, I can't just let you go off like that," he said, then checked his watch. Almost two a.m. What the hell am I supposed to do with this girl? Let her spend the night behind bars?

"Miss Son, I don't know what to tell you. You're going to have to call up your friend, and fast, because my duty's almost up."

"I told you, I'm not going back there no matter what. " She looked at him stubbornly.

"Then you're coming with me again," he said, suprising himself as the words came out of his mouth. "Come on. Hurry up, I don't have all day."

"Where?" Pan was staring at him, confused.

"I have a spare guest room back at my place," he said, desperately trying to sound casual, as if he picked up people off the street and brought them home every day. "You're welcome to stay there until morning."

At first, Pan just looked at him in shock. Is this guy for real? She watched him curiously while he straightened papers on his desk and hesitated when he began to head out.

He turned back when he felt her watching him."Look, Miss Son, I'm a police officer. I'm not going to hurt you. But if you'd rather spend the night behind bars, then that's up to you."

Slowly, without saying a single word, Pan got up. Do I trust him? She asked herself. It wasn't like she had many other options.

"You coming or not?" He seemed to be getting impatient.

"Yeah. I'm coming," she muttered. Then without a second thought she grabbed her jacket and headed after him.

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They didn't talk much in the car. What the hell are you supposed to say to a cop, anyway? Pan wondered. Still, the silence was nerve-racking. She felt she should say something, at least.

"Thanks, by the way," she said quietly. "I appreciate it."

"No problem. It was my duty, miss."

She definitely knew it was not his duty to bring her home like this. But she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to say anything about it.

"You miss your parents?" he asked suddenly. "I mean, you must get lonely out here by yourself."

"Lonely?" she almost laughed at the question. Who had time to be lonely when they were too busy trying to stay alive? "Not really. I try to keep myself busy."

Silence again.

Pan was surprised he had made some kind of personal talk. Encouraged, she decided to plunge ahead and ask the question that had been disturbing her all this time. She prayed she wouldn't make him angry.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

He looked at her. "Go ahead."

"Will your…" she paused. "Will your wife…be okay with this?"

He paused for a moment. Then he laughed, shaking his head. "If I had a wife, she might not have been. But I don't, so you can relax. All I have at home is a mother and a little kid."

"Oh." She said, not really knowing what to say. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that he doesn't have a wife?

She realized he had stopped the car in front of a fancy-looking house that seemed rather empty from the outside with all the lights off. Only a single light dimly glowed in what appeared to be a bedroom window.

"Come on in," he said, getting out of his car. "It's chilly out here."

Pan slowly walked up the stairs to his house and found herself wondering what Marron and Trunks might be doing right now. Probably not giving a shit, she thougt bitterly. Then she took a deep breath and walked into his house.

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