A/N: I'll try to post the next chapter by tomorrow but no promises. The week has been really hectic.
Just to let ya'll know, Nick may seem OOC but that's because (guess what) I'm trying something different. He's kind of edgy, and he's still holding the Nigel Crane and babysitter grudge.
And…DISCLAIMERI DON'T OWN 'JUDY' BUT I DO OWN 'LOU' I just don't wanna get sued :)
Chapter 2:
"She's extremely bright."
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LVPD Building
Outside steps
Thursday
May 5, 2004
12:23 a.m.
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"What are you doing?" Anna asked herself. "He's probably really busy. No way does he want to be bothered. You were right before. Why are you letting a seven year old get to you? Even though she is a genius…"
A man beside Anna looked at her as though she was nuts. She blushed and walked up the steps of the building. Anna pushed open the doors of the Las Vegas Police Department and walked inside.
The cool air conditioning hit her immediately. She pushed up her glasses and looked around. A tiny red head sat at the front desk, typing away at her computer. Anna looked back over her shoulder at the door, but sighed when she thought of what Regan had said. She slowly turned around and walked up to the desk. The secretary looked up and smiled as she approached. "Can I help you?"
"Um, yeah, hi." Anna left her sunglasses on for fear of someone guessing about the black eye. She knew it wouldn't happen, but it made her self-conscious. "I'm Anna Delmarco. I was wondering if I could speak with Nick Stokes or Greg Sanders. Are either of them here?"
Judy looked at the computer, "Just a moment." She motioned. Judy typed and clicked on the computer sorting through files. Anna sighed and leaned against the counter. "I just started my shift so I'm not sure whose here." Judy explained and Anna nodded. "Um, it seems they both are. And they should be on break now so you can go back to see them. If you would sign the visitor's log and grab a visitor's name tag I can direct you to them." She handed the brunette the materials and went back to her computer. Anna bit her lip and signed the log, clipped the tag on and handed the clipboard back to Judy. "Okay, they're at the end of the hall, make a right, go to the very end and the last door on the left is the break room. If they aren't in there, then someone back there should know where they are."
"Thank you." Anna replied and Judy nodded. Anna slowly walked the down the hall. She saw the labs and lay out rooms, offices, and locker rooms as she passed. Soon she reached the break room. She peered through the glass and saw several people relaxing.
An older gentleman was working on a crossword while sipping coffee. His eyes wandered to the brunette Anna had seen yesterday, who was sitting on the couch next to a blonde woman. The brunette was being bugged by Greg, who was playing Jenga, by himself. The pretty brunette smiled and refused.
The blonde was glancing back and forth between the television and her magazine. A younger African American, sitting on the couch across from her was stealing glances at her, and she stole some back. Their eyes finally met, and they both adverted the other's gaze and blushed.
But there was no sign of Nick. Anna sighed and slowly backed out of view of the room and walked back to the front desk. She silently slid over her visitor's tag and walked out the door. "Okay, I tried." She told herself. "I tried to go say hi and no one was there. It's not my fault. If I go back again it'll be like stalking him." Anna walked down the street as the sun moved behind the clouds. She stopped at the bus stop and sat on the bench. "I need a car." She told herself getting off subject. She sighed and folded her hands, and rested her elbows on her knees.
"Tell me about it." A man next to her remarked. It startled Anna and she jumped slightly. The man smiled pleasantly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He sat across the bench and mocked her position.
"No, it's alright." She assured him. He looked to be in his late seventies with graying hair and dark brown eyes. He was heavy set and tall. His brown skin matched his deep brown eyes. She smiled at him and looked forward.
"Where are you off to?" He asked politely.
Anna smirked, "The car store." Anna chuckled at the irony, as did the man.
"My name's Lou. Lou Barringer." He extended his hand. She smiled and shook it.
"Anna Delmarco."
"I would be off to buy a car but…at my age, what's the use?" He chuckled and Anna smiled.
"My sister's tired of takin the bus every day so..." She let her sentence trail off as the man gave a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, my grandchildren hate ridin the bus but it's all I know. I never did own a car."
"Really?"
"Yes Ma'am. I always thought they were a waste of money and time."
"Funny, that's what Regan says about school." Anna joked and the man laughed again.
"Is that your sister?"
"Yeah." Anna smiled and pulled out her wallet. She opened it and showed him Regan's school picture. "That's her fifth grade picture."
"She's in fifth grade there?" He asked astounded and Anna chuckled.
"That was actually from about two years ago. She uh…she's really smart. She's in ninth grade right now."
"Whoa. How old?"
"She just turned seven. April 14th." Anna smiled.
"You two look exactly alike."
"She's mistaken as my daughter a lot." Anna remarked. The man reached over and pulled out his wallet and a long line of photos unfolded. "Wow."
The man chuckled. "That's William, but everyone calls him Billy, he's the youngest, just turned ten months. And that Eric and Susie, fraternal twins, six years old. They're Billy's older siblings. Eric is the clown out of the two. Susie copies everything he does. I call them 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2'. And the oldest of that family is Shania, she's thirteen and at that rebellious stage."
"Ahhh, she hates the world and everything in it and thinks they all hate her back." Anna nodded in recognition and the man chuckled.
"Yeah. She thinks everyone has it out for her. But Gary, he's her same age and her cousin on her father's side; he's the most polite young man I've ever met." The two smiled and he continued, "That's George and Jorja, best of friends even though they're brother and sister. George is six and Jorja is four. Jorja has an adorable little gap between her teeth, she hates it, but George calls it her 'Newman smile'. Marg is fifteen. She once climbed a tree just to chase some boy and punch him in the nose."
Anna laughed and listened to the rest of the story. "She had the biggest crush on this boy…I think his name was Turner, but he kissed her best friend, so she chased him like there was no tomorrow. And Angie, she and Marg, like oil and water. It's a shame really. They could be the best of friends but…" Lou explained and Anna nodded. "Paulie, David, Louis, and Mark are the four oldest. Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three and twenty four. Two doctors, a fireman and lawyer. They sure do make me proud. Then their kids; Diane and Amaud are Paulie's, Trevor, Rashad, and Annie are David's, Max is Louis's, and Reba is Mark's. Love 'em all to death."
"Whoa. That certainly is a big family. It's just me and my sister."
"Well, having a big family has its ups and downs."
Anna smiled and the bus pulled up to them. "It was nice talking to you." She replied.
"Aren't you getting on the bus?"
She shook her head. "I think I wanna walk." She smiled and so did the man.
"Have a nice day Anna."
"You too Lou."
The doors closed and the bus pulled away. Anna watched it drive and turned around. Anna pulled down her sunglasses, shoved her hands in her pockets, and walked slowly; looking at the ground and scenery as she did so. It was a beautiful day and she just wanted to enjoy the scenery. "Oh crap." She realized she needed to go grocery and car shopping. She began her walk to the high school so she could pick up Regan. From there they would head to the grocery store.
Anna smiled at the thought of seeing her little sister again and continued her walk.
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Stokes' Residence
2:35 p.m.
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Nick's eyes slowly opened as he realized he had fallen asleep on his couch. Nick rubbed his eyes and sat up. It was 2:35. "Shit!" He yelled and jumped up. He relaxed when he realized he didn't have to work…for a week. He sighed and sat back against the cushions of his couch.
/-/ What am I gonna do for a week? I'm not goin home cause they'll harpoon me about getting a wife. I can't work. What should I do/-/
"I think I'm going to die of boredom." He joked dryly. Nick picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels. He moaned and threw it down. "Is today like 'National-be-bored-Day'? I mean seriously." He sighed and went to his T-Vo and selected the game he had T-Vo'd last night.
He sat and watched it like a zombie, not really paying attention. His stomach grumbled and he looked down at it.
He sighed and stood up and went to the kitchen but remember that no food would be found. He sighed and hung his head. He didn't really want to deal with the grocery store but knew that he needed nourishment.
He went into his room and opened his dresser and pulled out a clean blue T-shirt and fresh pair of jeans. he slid into them and pulled the shirt over his head. He put on his sneakers, grabbed his keys and sun glasses and walked out his front door.
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Zippy's Supper Mart
2:57 p.m.
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Nick walked into the air conditioned super mart and grabbed a cart. He pushed it towards the first isle and began to throw various kitchen items into his cart. He grabbed bread, biscuits, dinner rolls, bagels, and moved onto the pasta section.
Nick came across five different options for spaghetti and picked up two boxes and tried to figure out the difference between them. He scrunched his eyebrows together and sighed. A commotion at the other end of the isle drew his attention.
"Anna I don't like that kind of noodles. They aren't the good kind."
"Regan, they're the same thing except this macaroni isn't shaped like Sponge Bob and his friends."
"No…Sponge Bob has more nutritional value, at my age that's vital for healthy youth." Regan informed her.
Anna shook her head at her, "Where do you get this stuff?" She asked and traded the macaroni box.
Nick smiled from ear to ear. Regan rolled her eyes and looked down the isle and saw Nick. "Hey!" She smiled and pointed; jumping up and down. She grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her towards Nick.
"Regan calm down honey. Regan no. Stop." But it was too late. Nick smiled at the actions of the little girl and Anna blushed. "Hi."
"Hi." Nick extended his hand and Anna shook it. Regan smiled at the exchange between the two. "Um…how have you been?"
"Good. And you?"
"Good." Nick answered and Regan rolled her eyes at how pathetic their interactions were.
"You should come over for dinner." Regan butted in, knowing that Anna wouldn't ask him. And let's face it, they needed a push.
"I don't know."
"I don't think that's such a good idea." Nick and Anna said at the same time.
"Please. Anna makes good Jambalaya. It's really yummy and healthy for you too. Please." Regan begged. Anna blushed again and grabbed Regan's hand.
Nick smiled. "Regan I don't think Anna wants me over for dinner." Nick explained to the seven-year-old.
"No, th-that's not it." Anna objected.
"Really?" Nick teased playfully.
"No it…no I just, um…" She looked at Regan and Nick, and sighed. "Dinner is at six."
Regan jumped up and down, "Yay!"
Nick chuckled and Anna gave a defeated smile. "Okay Regan, we need to go home." She grabbed the little girl's hand and walked away.
"Wait! I don't know where you live." Nick turned around.
Anna turned to face him and walked back wards slowly. "You're a detective right? An investigator?" She smirked and turned around. "You'll figure it out." She shouted over her shoulder as she and Regan left the store. Nick watched her walk away and couldn't tear his eyes from her butt.
He shook his head and pondered what she had said. "I'll figure it out? I'll figure it out…" he told himself. Wasting no time, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the lab. "Hi Judy its Nick Stokes. Yeah, could you put me on the phone with Warrick Brown? Yeah, thanks." He waited for a while until Warrick's voice came through the phone.
"Brown."
"Hey Rick its Nick."
"Nick, shouldn't you be on vacation? Relaxing or something?"
"Yeah, hey I need you to do me a favor."
"Yeah…"
"I need an address and number of a girl."
"Whoa, you pickin up dates through the lab now Little Buddy?"
"Ha ha. No, I was invited to dinner."
"And she didn't tell you where she lived or give you a number or…anything?" Warrick teased smirking and motioning for people to do their jobs instead of listening to his conversation.
"No."
"Uh huh."
"Don't judge."
"Wasn't plannin on it man. Alright…give me a name." He sat down at the computer.
"Anna Delmarco."
"Got it. She lives…out in the middle of no where. Take I15 for about two miles, then get on to Route 93 and make a left onto Route 168 to Overton. Go South East for about two miles and you'll come to a bus stop. From there, drive for about a mile and you'll come to, well the middle of no where. Just…look around I guess. She lives like, absolutely no where. Her phone number is 567-1937. Good luck man."
"Thanks Rick."
"Welcome Little Buddy."
"Would you quit callin me that?"
"Nope."
Nick huffed and hung up. Warrick chuckled and did the same.
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Thursday May 5, 2004
Lake Mead
687 Lake Mead Drive
Delmarco Residence
5:38 p.m.
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The doorbell sounded, signaling their visitor had arrived. "I got it! I got it!" Regan called and ran through the house to the front door. "Hi Nick!" Regan greeted and pulled him into the house. "Anna's almost done with the Jambalaya."
"It smells really good."
"Anna, Nick's here!" Regan shouted.
"What!"
"I said, Nick's here!"
"Hon I can't hear you!" Anna shouted as they rounded the corner. She was dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel. Nick's eyes widened. "Oh God!" She screamed when she saw him. She ducked back around the corner and hid herself. "Um…you're early."
Nick blushed and covered his eyes. "Uh…yeah. I figured I would help get dinner ready."
/-/ Um…yeah. She's wet…and naked. Not what I needed to see. /-/ Nick thought
"Oh." She said her voice shaky and embarrassed.
"I got you some flowers." He handed them around the wall and her hand came around and accepted them.
"Thanks. They're beautiful. Regan, why don't you show Nick the back yard?"
/-/ Oh God…tell me he didn't see my eye. /-/ Anna prayed.
/-/ Did she have a black eye/-/ Nick pondered.
"Okay. Come on Nick." Regan dragged him through the back door and Nick tried his hardest not to bolt out of the house. He had embarrassed himself after not even being there ten seconds.
Anna watched from around the corner as they disappeared out the door and sighed in relief. She clutched her towel tighter and ran around the corner towards her room.
She threw down her towel and slid on her white terry cloth robe. She surveyed her options of clothes and selected a long brown voile skirt, white ribbed tunic tank, and brown flip flops. Since she didn't have enough time to straighten her hair, she applied curl enhancing volumizing gel to it. "Nice…like a brunette Julia Roberts or Sara Jessica Parker." She smiled and did her make up.
"Anna!" Regan voice came from the back door. "Are you dressed!"
Anna chuckled and blushed. "Yeah, I'm comin!" She smiled and walked out of her room.
"Anna guess where I took Nick!"
"I don't know. The docks?"
"No. I took him to The Fortress."
"Oh." Anna smiled and looked up to see Nick smirk. "Explains the mess." She gestured to Regan's filthy little body.
"Except, he was too big to fit through the door." Regan frowned. Anna and Nick shared a laugh as Anna led them to the table. "I had lots of fun."
"Yeah, I can see that. You look like a big dirt pile. Go wash up." Anna instructed giving the little girl a light shove towards the back hallway.
Anna laughed, "Yeah well, that's her. It amazes me how resilient, clever, and amazing she is."
Nick chuckled and Anna nodded. "She's great though. What grade is she in?" Nick asked.
"Ninth."
"Really!" Nick asked amazed and Anna nodded. "Man, high school…" Nick shook his head. "She's extremely bright."
"Yeah. She's in ninth grade now and she'll be in tenth next year but I might have to move her into eleventh or something. She's not challenged enough as a freshman. She's in all honors classes and her teachers suggested the moving of grades but…I'm not so sure about it."
"Why?"
"Well, academically I know she could do it. Socially, no problem. She's my little social butterfly. It's not her I'm worried about as much as the other kids. Like, how are they gonna take to her? Will she be okay if they don't? Are they gonna be mean if she's smarter than them? I mean, high school can be a bitch. Pardon my French. But I know when I was in high school, the kids were brutal. She seems to be taking this year pretty well though."
"Well, why don't you try asking her? I mean, she's smart. She should probably get to decided about how her future turns out somewhat." Nick offered. Anna nodded and looked towards the back door. "Anna," Nick began and Anna looked over at him. His gaze immediately went to where he thought he'd seen her black eye. "How-"
Regan came out from the hallway, clean and freshly changed and smiled at the two adults. "I'm done." Regan proudly smiled and walked over to sit down at the table. Anna smiled and Nick shrugged. Anna poured their bowls and the three sat down at the table and began to eat.
"This is good Anna." Nick complimented. He moved his head past the vase of white daisies, baby pink orchids, and light yellow tulips he had gotten her. He glanced at her face and she blushed and gave a small embarrassed smile.
"Yeah it rocks!" Regan smiled from ear to ear.
"Thank you." Anna tucked her hair behind her ear and Nick smirked and went back to his Jambalaya.
"Done!" Regan yelled and jumped out of her seat and ran over to the counter. She grabbed Anna's house keys and sunglasses and dangled them in front of Anna's face. "Can we go for ice cream? Please, please, please!"
"Alright, just let Nick and I finish eating first." Anna reasoned. Nick smiled at her and the two continued to eat. Regan sighed and sat on the floor watching them. Anna looked over at her sister and raised an eyebrow. Regan rolled her eyes and walked out of the dining room and into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and began to flip through the channels mindlessly. Anna chuckled as she finished her Jambalaya. Nick did the same and in no time, the three were out the door.
"Do we walk or take my car?"
"Doesn't matter. If we take your car we can drive her to the park and let her eat the ice cream there." Anna suggested. Nick nodded and slid his sunglasses on. Anna did the same as Regan trotted along in front of them. Nick walked to the passenger side of his car and opened the doors before the girls got there. Regan jumped up excitedly at being treated so nice and Anna helped the little girl buckle in. Nick stood behind Anna and held the door; he closed it once she was done and she turned around to raise an eyebrow at him. "You always act so chivalrous?"
Nick smirked, "Yeah." Nick replied as though it was no big deal. Anna shook her head and closed her door before Nick could. He chuckled and climbed in the driver's side. "You always so independent?"
"Yeah." Anna countered matter-of-factly. Nick shook his head and closed his door.
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Turtle Park
Ice-cream Counter
7:11 p.m.
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Anna, Nick, and Regan stood at the ice cream counter getting ready to order. "I want a double-dutch fudge sundae." Regan announced.
"No." Anna immediately protested. "You won't sleep a wink if you eat that. You can have chocolate but no double-dutch fudge or whatever. No vanilla either."
"Vanilla doesn't make you hyper."
"She's allergic to Vanilla bean."
"Oh."
Anna turned back to Regan. "You're hyper enough, how about some strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone?" Anna suggested and Regan nodded. "What do you want?" She asked Nick.
"I don't know." He replied and glanced over to see her pull out her wallet. "Hey, no. I got this. You made dinner I got desert."
"Yeah well, you bought flowers and drove us here."
"So, you have to deal with 'Regan the Restless' after her ice cream. So this is my way of applauding you." He laid his money on the counter.
"You're nuts. But nice nick-name for her." Anna looked over to the rowdy girl hanging up-side down on the monkey bars of the jungle gym. She chuckled and looked back at Nick. "Certainly describes her."
Nick nodded. "So what kind of ice cream do you want?" He asked getting back to the original conversation.
"Mint chocolate chip please." She gave a smile and Nick returned it. He turned to the lady at the ice cream counter. "I need a strawberry ice cream one a waffle cone, a mint chocolate chip ice cream on a regular cone and a chocolate milk shake." Nick replied. The girl added up the total and Nick slid the money across the counter. Regan raced to the counter and began to jump up and down as the women behind the counter began to assemble the ice creams. One of the girls came over and smiled at Regan.
"Hello sweetie. What's your name?"
"Regan."
"Regan? That's a beautiful name." The girl smiled and Anna chuckled at Regan's blush.
"Thank you. What's your name?"
"Tina."
"That's a nice name too."
Tina smiled, "Thank you." She looked up at Anna and Nick. "Your daughter is beautiful." She informed Nick and Anna. They looked at each other and blushed.
"Um…" Anna began.
"She's not my daughter." Nick smirked and Tina blushed.
"Oh I'm sorry."
Anna shook her head. "It's okay." The lady handed her the cones and they walked away. Nick stole a glance at Anna to see her reaction to the misunderstanding. She seemed calm, cooled, and collected. Regan was playing on the jungle gym when they approached her. Anna handed her the cone. "Don't drop it." She warned and Regan nodded.
"I won't."
Anna walked over to the swings and she and Nick sat down. Anna sighed.
Nick surveyed her mood and decided to bring up their conversation from earlier. "I think you should leave in tenth next year, see how she does, and if she needs to, move her to eleventh." Nick nodded his head and began to eat his milkshake. "I think she'd do really well."
"Yeah." Anna agreed and looked over at the little girl playing. "Besides, if she doesn't then I can always take her back to tenth. It's kinda funny, she's so intelligent and has academic skills so beyond her years and understands so many things…yet she still enjoys doing things that kids her age do." Nick chuckled.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.
"What happened to your accent?" He changed the subject, and she looked over at him.
"What?" Anna asked confused.
"Your accent. One, I can't figure out what it is, and two, it comes and goes. Its really thick one minuet and barely visible to the next."
Anna laughed, "Oh…my mother was Greek and my father was Roman/Italian. And I lived in Mexico for about six years so…I guess that's where that came from. As for the disappearing thing…I guess it depends on my mood." She shrugged and went back to her ice cream.
"It's pretty." Nick commented. She looked over at him. He was looking out at the scenery beyond the fence of the park. He hadn't looked at her when he had said it and his eyes were squinting from the sun. His face was completely serious. She watched him for a few more seconds.
He finally looked over at her and their gazes locked. She smirked and ducked her head and glanced back up at him with a small smile. Her spiral curls had fallen to one side of her face and she looked absolutely tantalizing. She giggled and ducked her head again feeling positively giddy from his stare. He chuckled at her reaction.
"You're so easily flushed." He teased. And she blushed again. "See." She shook her head and chuckled. "Where do you work?"
She licked her ice cream. "I waitress at Al's Diner and I'm a hotel help or 'maid', as Regan likes to call it, at the Tangiers."
"Really? My shift and I eat at Al's all the time and my friend Catherine, her father owns the Tangiers."
"Sam Braun is her father?"
"Yep."
"Wow, from what I heard the guy's a real ass. No offense to her."
"None taken. She thinks so too."
Anna nodded. "So…you're a detective?"
"Crime scene investigator actually."
"Like a scientist/cop."
"Copologist." Nick replied and she chuckled.
"Nice. So what does that make me?"
"Girl who can cook and clean? How about house-wife?" Nick teased and she shook her head.
"Funny." She joked and licked her ice cream again. "So, why don't you work?"
"I do. I just have some time-off. I needed a vacation."
"How long?"
"A week at least. They said I'm under-slept."
"Yeah, I can see that." He looked at her questioningly and she shrugged.
"They said I worked too much."
"I can see that too." He looked at her once again.
"It kinda goes along with the under slept thing. Anyway, maybe you need a vacation. You shouldn't work so much, it'll kill ya." She joked and he chuckled and shook his head.
"That's what my mom says. She's always complainin that I never call her." Nick informed Ann, his accent thick. He took a sip of his milkshake. "She's naggin me about workin too much, never callin, or visitin, not settlin down with a wife and kids." He shook his head. "She expects me to be just like my brother Roger."
"So is he like the star child?"
"Sort of. It's either Roger or my sister Amy."
"Oh. How many siblings do you have?"
"Six."
"Six!"
"Yeah, six."
"Damn…how many each?"
"Just the one brother and five sisters."
"Oooohh, house full of women. That had to suck."
"No, not really."
"It's only me and Regan." She gestured to the little girl behind her.
"I wouldn't want to only have one sibling. I mean, yeah, It was crowded as a kid, but I wouldn't change it for a thing. I was never bored."
They chuckled. Anna sighed and looked behind her at Regan playing on the jungle gym. She was jumping up and down while chasing a few other kids. She tagged one of the little girls and the chase switched. Regan ran across the bridge, but tripped and dropped her ice cream. "Oops." She said and looked over at Anna guiltily. Anna rolled her eyes and crossed the playground to stand at her side. She sat her down and checked her for cuts or scraps. "Sorry Anna."
"It's okay. Here. You know, for a high school freshman, you certainly do act like a little seven year old girl on the playground." Anna joked and handed Regan her ice cream. The little girl licked the cone and smiled.
"Thank you."
"For what, the ice cream or joke?"
Regan smiled, "Both."
"You're welcome...squared. See I can do math too." Anna joked and began to walk away. "Be careful." Anna shouted over her shoulder as she sat back on the swing next to Nick's. He smiled and offered his milk shake. She shook her head and began to swing. "No thanks." He smiled at her and set his milk shake down and began to swing along with her. She smirked and pumped her legs harder, gaining more air. Nick took this as a challenge and pumped his legs. Anna laughed and swung higher than him.
When she had a good foot ahead of him she let go of the chains and jumped off. Nick saw this and gasped and let go too. She landed on the sand and fell. Nick jumped and landed a few inches next to her, he crumpled as soon as he hit the ground. She was laughing and he rolled over to look at her. "Are you okay?" Nick asked concerned, she nodded her head yes and laughed hysterically. Nick shook his head. "You're nuts."
She continued to laugh and they laid there laughing like two idiots. Nick stood up and offered her his hand. she accepted it and stood up. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" She bent her leg to release the pressure on her right leg. She raised her skirt to get a good look at her leg and it revealed a gash across her calf and a nice big bruise. "Oh…guess I'm not okay." She looked up at him and began to laugh again.
Nick raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "What was in your ice cream?" He joked and she laughed again and sighed.
"I need to get this patched up." She stated and sat in the grass to examine it further.
Nick walked over to his car and grabbed his first aid kit from the compartment in the passenger's seat. He walked back over to Anna and sat down. She looked up at him and smirked. "You carry a first aid kit around?"
"Yeah. Just for this kind of thing." He stated and smirked. Anna shook her head and rolled her eyes. Nick looked around the playground to see what could have caused the cut. He picked up a shell with blood on it. He tossed it in the trash. He knelt down next to her and gently grabbed her calf and examined the wound. "Nice job." He commented sarcastically. Anna made a face and Nick shook his head. The cut was from her mid calf, diagonally across to her knee. It was bleeding and you could see the sand crusted to the blood around it.
"Wow, that's nasty." She commented.
"Eh, I've seen worse."
She looked up at him questioningly. "Really?"
"Yeah, once, this model was found under a bridge, in a shopping cart, with her face picked to pieces, and a rat in her mouth. We thought her sister did it, but we found out she took a pair of tweezers and did it herself." Nick slid on disposable gloves and pulled some cleansing towlets out of the kit. He began to wipe the area around her leg.
Anna made a disgusted face. "Gross."
"And another time, a body was found at a construction site, his head had been beaten in with a hammer. Poor kid was only sixteen."
"Eww." He threw the towlets away and examined the cut.
"It's bleeding heavy." He commented and applied pressure to her pressure points on her hips. Within a few minuets the bleeding had stopped and he took out the hydrogen peroxide to clean the inside of the cut with.
He brought the cotton ball doused in hydrogen peroxide to her gash and she hissed in pain. "Sorry."
She made a face and watched him clean her cut. He threw the cotton ball away and began to wrap gauze around her leg where the injury was located. He had finished looked up at her and smiled. It hadn't occurred to her till now that he was holding her leg, very gently…and he hadn't let go.
Green met brown and their gazes locked. Anna didn't know whether the fluttering in her stomach was from the gruesome story, or having him look at her that way. She felt her skin flush and looked away, pulling her leg out of his hand in the process.
"Thanks." She said and inhaled a steadying breath.
She stood up and offered her hand this time. He smirked and she helped him up. Anna broke her stare away from his lips to Regan on the jungle gym. Nick did the same and tried to shake the thoughts of her long, well toned, legs out of his head.
Regan saw them and smiled. Anna smiled and waved her over. "Come on!" She shouted. Regan climbed off the gym and walked over to them, dumping the paper from her ice cream cone in the trash. She stood in front of the two adults. "Let's go." Anna grabbed her hand and ran a hand through the little girl's wild curls.
"Are we going home?"
"Yes." Anna answered.
"Do I have to go to sleep?"
"Yes. You have school tomorrow." Anna answered and Regan moaned and frowned.
"Hey, look at the bright side kiddo, tomorrow's Friday." Nick pointed out.
"Do you work tomorrow?" Regan asked Anna.
"Nope. I can if I'm bored, but with you I never have that problem." She teased and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately.
"Do you have to work?" Regan asked Nick.
"No." He answered.
"Can you come visit us tomorrow?" Regan asked hopeful. The three stopped walking and Anna looked over at Regan.
"Raggs, Nick's on vacation. I'm sure he doesn't want to spend all of his time with us. Besides, you'll be in school."
"Not the whole day. Just till 3:15. I can see him then."
Anna paused, "Well then its up to him." The two girls looked over at Nick and he smiled.
"I'd love to see ya'll tomorrow." His accent grew thick.
"Yay!" Regan jumped and skipped to the car. Anna chuckled and shook her head.
"She's so hyper."
"Regan the Restless."
"You can say that again." Anna joked.
"Regan the Restless." Nick mocked and Anna laughed and shoved him playfully.
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Thursday
May 5, 2004
Delmarco Residence
9:47 p.m.
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"Anna, I'm not tired." Regan mumbled in protest.
"Sure, so why are your eyes closed and you're yawning?"
"Do I have to go to sleep?"
"Regan." Anna gave an exasperated sigh. "We've been over this."
"So…explain it to me again."
Nick watched the interaction from the doorway of the little girl's room. Her theme was lady bugs and flowers. Little red, yellow, and orange lady bugs were crawling on flowers painted on her walls. Butterflies were floating in the paintings also. At the bottom of the walls was grass painted on it, and then green carpet covered her floor. Her ceiling was blue and had clouds on it. Several glow-in-the-dark bugs and stars were stuck to the ceiling and tops of the walls.
A corkboard hung from her wall above her desk. The cork board had foam behind it with pink satin covering it and green ribbons going diagonally one way, then criss-crossed the next, to hold it down. Several reminders and important numbers were pinned to it. Her desk had a cup of pencils, pencil sharpener, several folders, thumbtacks, paper clips, pens, erasers, lined paper, computer paper, a lamp, and several framed pictures of Regan and Anna.
They were standing at the beach and Anna had knelt down behind Regan and rested her head on the little girl's shoulder. They were both smiling and Regan had a daisy in her hand. The next picture was Regan with a butterfly sitting on her nose. Her face was scrunched but she was smiling. Her freckles were extremely evident and her skin had a sun kissed tan. Regan's spiral curls tumbled in front of her face and the daisy she had been holding was now behind her ear.
A third picture was Regan and Anna once again. They were standing on a sidewalk at a park with trees, and a fountain in the back ground. It looked like the park from Summerland. Anna was knelt down and Regan and Anna's index finger was extended outward as a butterfly tried to land on it.
The last picture was of Anna. She was lying on a patio, next to a pool. She was holding a light pink Asiatic lily to her nose. A slight smile gazed on her face and her freckle underneath her eye was more evident. Her porcelain shaded skin was more evident since she was in the sun, but her freckles stood out amazingly. A lone curl toppled into her face creating a seductive light to the picture. She looked like a model.
Nick smiled at the picture and continued to look around the room. Her dressers were white with the illusion of lady bugs crawling on it, grass at the base, and several flowers hanging from the top painted on it. Her bed sheets matched the room. They were white with lady bugs, flowers, and butterflies.
He sighed and shifted his weight as the battle of "nu uh's" and "uh huh's" was reaching its zenith. Nick sighed and held up his hands in surrender. "Regan, if you don't go to sleep now then I won't come over to see ya'll tomorrow." He drawled.
"Good night." Regan said quickly and lay down. Anna's jaw dropped as she turned around to see Nick snicker. She pointed a finger and pushed him out of the room playfully.
"No fair." She replied closing Regan's door and walking down the hall. "You had an advantage."
"Oh yeah? What?"
"She likes you better."
"Nah…it's only cause I'm not her Dad."
"Well I'm not her Mom."
"So…you pretty much are." Nick protested. Anna smiled softly and Nick shrugged and smiled back. "When do you go back to work?" He asked getting off the subject.
Anna shrugged and walked into the kitchen. "When ever I want to."
"You're that independent?"
She scoffed, "No." She pulled out two mugs. "I got a crap-load of cash comin in. Do you want hot tea?" She questioned getting off subject.
"Yeah. Um Anna…I know it's not really my business but…you don't 'waitress' anywhere else do you?" Nick asked timidly.
Anna laughed and shook her head. "No. I helped my boss and his wife re-model their house a few weeks ago. It was a big job so…" She let her sentence trail off as she put the kettle on the stove. "I was gonna buy a car with it but, I figured why bother. There's nothin wrong with walkin. Plus…I don't have to work as often now and I can spend some time with Raggs."
The kettle began to steam and spout. Anna walked over to it and poured their tea. "Sounds great."
"Yeah. But I'll miss work when I don't have Regan to hang out with. It's weird my seven year old sister is probably my best friend." She chuckled and walked towards her couch. She sat down with her leg crossed underneath her and sipped her tea. Nick sat next to her and set his cup on the coffee table.
"So how old are you?"
Anna laughed and began to cough and choke on her tea. Nick reached over and patted her on the back. "I'm sorry. I wasn't using manners. Sorry, my mama taught me better than that."
She laughed and waved her hand. "No, it's okay." She coughed and air began to circulate through her lungs again. "I'm almost 23." Now it was Nick's turn to choke on his tea. She chuckled and patted his back. "Geez. Talk about manners."
"I'm sorry. It's just…its not that you don't look it but…I figured you weren't that young."
"Really? How old do I look?"
"Not much older. I just think it's the difference in our ages that shocked me."
"Why? You can't be much older than me."
"Well…"
"What? How much?"
"Uh…"
"Are you 26?"
"Higher."
"28?"
"Higher."
"30?"
"Higher." He repeated.
"My God. What are you like…fifty!"
"No! You were getting close."
"33?"
"Yep. I'm about to turn 34 in 3 months and 13 days."
"I'll be 23 in 2 months and 13 days."
Nick did the math and replied, "July 18th?"
"Yeah. August 18th?"
"Yep." Nick answered. Anna sighed and looked towards the back sliding door. "Wanna go for a walk?" Nick asked.
Anna smiled and nodded. "Just let me get my jacket." She stood up and walked through the kitchen, and dinning room, through the double doors, and made a sharp left to where he guessed as her bedroom. Nick watched her go and tried his hardest not to look at her butt as she walked away. When she disappeared he sighed and reclined against the cream colored leather couch. Nick closed his eyes and listened to his heart beat. In a matter of seconds, Nick fell into a light sleep.
A few moments later Anna walked back out with a dark brown sweater. She smiled at Nick's sleeping form. A second later, Nick opened his eyes and looked at her smiling. He had smelled her scent and immediately awakened. Her grin grew wider and Nick smirked. "You watchin me sleep?"
"Only for two seconds." She chuckled as Nick stood up and followed her out the door. She wrapped her arms around herself to shield her midsection from the wind. They began to walk from the patio towards the gate.
"Do you every get lonely living out here in seclusion?" Nick asked as they walked at a leisurely pace. Anna shook her head.
"No."
"Never?"
"Never. Why, would it bother you?"
"Well…yeah, kinda. I mean, no one is around for a couple miles. You're kinda out in the middle of nowhere."
Anna chuckled. "I like it. It's peaceful."
"I guess."
"Well where do you live?"
"Right off the strip. Actually, on the strip."
Anna shuddered. "How do you sleep?"
"Well I work nights so I sleep during the day, if I sleep at all, and its normally pretty quiet then. I lived kind of out of the way when I first moved here but…I decided a year ago that I wanted a change of scenery."
"I couldn't imagine living anywhere else than this." She gestured to the land around her. They arrived at the gate at the end of her backyard and she opened it. Nick shut and locked it behind him and they continued to walk. "I love this place, especially living on the lake. It's so pretty, all year long too." She sighed.
"I can see that." Anna pointed towards the docks.
"My favorite feature. I love the docks. I used to take Regan out on the lake all the time. She loved it. We'd fish, and swim, and just lay in the boat."
"You can fish?"
"Yep. Regan's been fishing since she was three. She's amazing at it."
They chuckled. "We should go fishing sometime." Nick replied. "You, Regan, and I."
Anna smiled. "Sounds like fun. How about Saturday? Are you busy then?"
"Not for my entire week off."
"Don't you have family to visit?"
Nick scoffed, "Yeah…but if I go to see them then they'll hound me about why I haven't settled down, or have a better job, or have any kids, or come see them more often." He sighed. "I'm supposed to relax. And let me tell ya, that ain't relaxin." Anna chuckled. "I mean don't get me wrong, I love 'em to death and I'm lucky to have em. But sometimes…"
"I know."
"Well you're the first." They climbed the steps to the docks and walked down the boardwalk. The waters beneath them sparkled and reflected the moon light. The water was so clear; you could see the fish beneath them swim around. They walked to the end and sat down. Anna kicked off her flip flops and sat them next to her so she could stick her feet in the ice cold water. A lone water lily floated towards Anna's pearl pink toe nails and she picked up the lily with her toes. A crisp breeze rolled n from off the waters and Anna inhaled deeply.
She sighed. "I love that smell." Nick looked at her long brown hair blowing in the breeze, and a smile spread across her lips. Her smile lit the night sky. A gold lining formed around her pupils and stood out dramatically against her Amazon green eyes. Nick frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing. You just…"
"I just 'what'?"
"You remind me of someone that's all."
"Who?"
Nick stared at her a moment, "No one."
"Aww, come on. Tell me." She begged and grabbed his arm. "Please." Nick chuckled at her.
"Don't worry about it."
Anna sighed. "Fine." She stood up and brushed the sand off her skirt.
"Oh. So I didn't tell you and you're gonna be mad?" Nick teased.
She laughed. "No." She walked back towards the end off the docks.
"Wait up!" He followed her as she jumped off the boardwalk and onto the sand below. "Where are you going?" She stood at the edge of the shore and waited for him to catch up. "Aren't there uh…gators down here?"
"Not that I know of and I've lived here for almost twelve years." She continued down to under the boardwalk and held onto the wooden columns.
"What are we doing down here?" Nick asked, Anna didn't answer; she simply stared out to the waters. Nick followed her gaze and was awe stricken. It was absolutely beautiful. "Oh."
They stood staring at the water for close to five minuets before Anna walked towards the water and bent down to pick up a lily. Nick watched her go. As she turned around he saw that the lily was stuck behind her ear. He smiled and so did she. She brushed her hands on her skirt and walked back to her original spot.
All that could be heard was the soft waves sloshing against the sand and columns. It was the most peaceful environment. Until an ear piercing scream tore through the atmosphere.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Anna looked over at Nick horrified. "Oh God." She breathed.
A/N: So…sorry to leave ya'll hangin…but it's what I do best (he he). Okay. I'll update soon. R&R please!
Chella
