Words. Numbers. Dates.
Emily Byrne had been watching her computer screen for hours trying to find an answer to everything. A single little particular that would have connected everything.
"Fuck that" she cursed throwing her head back on the chair.
She needed to find something, she didn't have time. There must have been a lead somewhere in those files. Emily looked at the clock, 1.10pm, she needed to leave to go pick up Flynn from school.
She got up, taking her phone when Crown stormed into the room followed by Cal Isaac, her partner, not a good thing.
"Byrne, we have a witness, we need to interrogate him" Crown ordered.
"Derek I can't now, I have to pick up my son from school, Isaac can you cover me?" she asked looking at him.
"I'm sorry Byrne, my shift ended a few minutes ago, I have the rest of the day off, I was about to leave" he gave her a sad smile, unfortunately the FBI had a strict policy regarding days off and she knew he couldn't work right now.
"Derek I need 15 minutes please, I promise I'm gonna be back as soon as I can, you can start without me" she begged him.
"Sorry Emily but we both know I can't start, I can give you a couple minutes to call Flynn or someone else, I'm sure he would understand, he is a smart guy" and with that Crown left the room.
"Fuck you" she muttered rolling her eyes and taking her phone.
"What's wrong?" asked Cal leaning on her desk.
"I needed to pick up Flynn and now I can't. My dad is out of the city, Alice is working, Nick is on a case too and he asked if I could go... but now I guess I'm just gonna text him to go home alone" she explained sadly, the last thing she wanted was to make feel her son ignored.
"I'm sure he will understand Byrne, you're a great mother" he gave her a comforting smile and putting a hand on her shoulder.
She closed her eyes at the sudden touch, letting out a sharp breath. She thought about it for a second, looking at him. Maybe she could ask Cal to pick Flynn up and leave him at her apartment, but she didn't want to bother him, it was his afternoon off after all.
"What?" he asked, looking at her confused.
"Uhm- I... I know this is your day off kinda but..." she furrowed her eyebrows, unsure to continue the sentence.
She had never let anyone come near to his son, he was the most important person in her life and she would have protected him at all costs. But she trusted Cal and she knew he was a good man.
"Do you want me to pick Flynn up from school?" he questioned, looking at her.
"If that's not a problem you know... you should just drop him off to my apartment, he can cook something. I just don't want him to go home alone, he could get hurt or someone could follow him or-" he interrupted her.
"It's ok Emily, I totally get it. I can do that don't worry" he smiled at her, giving her a reassuring look.
"Really? I don't wanna bother you" she really didn't, it was his day off.
"It's ok Emily, I'm gonna go now so I can be there in time. Can you send him a message telling him which is my car and everything? Cause he never met me so I don't know how to approach him" he asked, he saw some pics of Flynn from Emily's phone but Flynn had never saw him.
"Don't worry, he had seen a couple pics of you" she reassured him and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"I mean the pic of our team he- uhm- asked who my partner was and I just pointed you" she tried to save herself from the awkward situation.
She would have never told him that Flynn had spotted her smiling at her phone while checking her gallery, seeing the selfies and group pics she had. But that wasn't really a lie, he did ask who her partner was and she had told him.
"Ok, so I'm gonna go, write me when you're done, let me know how the interrogation went" he smiled, greeting her and leaving the office.
He parked his car in front of the school, he decided to get out of it so Flynn could see him sooner. He smiled thinking about how ashamed Emily was to ask him for a favor. He would have helped her in any way, they were partners after all. He also realized that she definitely trusted him a lot to let him near her son, he did know Flynn was the most important person in her life.
"Cal?" he heard a voice call his name and he gazed in that direction, seeing Flynn slowly approaching him.
"Hey buddy, I think your mum already messaged you. Unfortunately she had to interview a suspect so she couldn't come. I'm bringing you home" he explained the situation, obviously Emily had warned him and he knew her son didn't trust someone that easily.
"I know, it's ok. You work with my mum and if you're here she definitely trusts you so I guess you're cool" the boy looked up at him, nodding.
"Ok, I'm gonna bring you home come on" Cal said getting in the car, followed by Flynn.
"So, how was your day?" Cal asked, trying to keep some kind of conversation, not to make the whole ride boring and awkward.
"Boring. Two hours of science were awful, tomorrow I have a maths test and I am hungry. I'm so craving a burger right now" he explained.
Cal smiled, he remembered hating science too when he was a teen.
"Wanna grab a burger?" Cal asked, looking at him in the passenger's seat.
He saw his eyes lit up for a second but he could definitely feel he wasn't sure.
"I'd like to but I don't know if mum is gonna be ok with me eating junk food, we had it two days ago... and I should go home to take some money" the boy explained.
He tried so hard not to laugh. Emily definitely wasn't the healthier person he knew but he was surprised to see how she wanted her own kid to eat good.
"It's my treat, don't worry, and I promise I'm gonna talk with your mum and tell her it was my idea" he reassured him, seeing him smile, but once again being insecure.
"Don't you have to go back to work?" asked Flynn, still insecure, he really didn't want to be a problem.
"It's my day off, plus I'm hungry too. So? Wanna grab a burger?" he asked again, making the boy nod while smiling.
They headed to the nearest fast food and they ordered their food. She decided to text Emily, telling her they were out for lunch. He knew she wouldn't have answered until at least 1 hour but he felt like he needed to tell her.
They ordered the food and headed back to one of the tables, starting to eat. Silence fell between them.
"Do you like it?" Cal asked, breaking the silence.
"It's great! Thank you. I hope mum doesn't get mad at you" Flynn answered, smiling.
"Don't worry about that. I'll deal with it" he answered mirroring his smile.
Flynn was a sweet kid, a bit shy at first but once you get to know him he is really enjoyable to be around. Just like his mother. He saw a lot of Emily in him.
"Is everything ok?" Flynn asked, looking at him.
"Yeah sure, sorry" he started eating again.
"So, how's working with my mum? I mean does she get into troubles?" the boy asked.
"Kind of, but she is pretty great at pulling herself out of those troubles" he chuckled, Emily was definitely a force of nature.
"Can you promise me something? Flynn asked.
"Sure, what's up?" he questioned, looking at the kid in front of him.
"If mum won't be able to get out of troubles will you have her back? I don't want her to get more hurt than she already did" the boy explained.
Their parents never really explained all the details of what happened to her, but the few days he was trapped in that tank were pure hell for him, he couldn't imagine how she got through 6 years like that.
"I will always have your mum's back Flynn, I'm her partner. But you know, your mum is the strongest woman I have ever met, she is a hurricane" he looked at him smiling, reassuring the boy, who smiled and gave him a thankful nod.
They finished eating, talking about normal stuff and Flynn discovered that Cal used to play the same videogame he was playing at the moment. Once they finished their food they headed to Cal's car.
"Can I ask you a question?" asked the boy shyly.
"Of course" Cal nodded.
"Are you good at maths?" he continued.
"Yeah, I mean, I use it at work sometimes and it's pretty easy for me" Cal explained, looking at him.
"Can you help me with equations? I know it's your day off and I'm sorry but I have a test tomorrow but I don't understand them and I don't wanna fail the test. My mums and my dad have a lot to think about, I don't want them to worry also about me failing my class" he explained looking down.
"Sure, we can see them together and I can explain to you" he smiled, he had always liked maths so he could definitely help.
"Cool, thanks!" the boy smiled, he also wanted to ask him if he would have liked to play that videogame with him but he didn't want to steal more of his time than he already was.
They went upstairs and set on the kitchen table. Cal found out that he did actually remember how to solve equations and in a really small time taught them to Flynn.
"Why couldn't my teacher explain them like that?! They look so easy now!" he said, looking at his notebook.
Are you sure you understood everything?" Cal asked, he wanted to be sure he got everything.
"Yeah, thank you so much Cal!" he smiled, getting a smile in return.
"You're welcome buddy, do you need anything else?" Cal questioned, he was there, so he could help him with everything.
"It's ok don't worry, I just needed help with maths. But you can stay to play that videogame if you want" Flynn suggested.
He actually didn't have anything to do at home, he would have spent his whole afternoon alone on the couch, staying to play videogames wasn't a bad idea.
"Sure, let's go" he finally answered, getting up and following the boy to the couch.
She entered the front door, kicking off her shoes. It had been a long day and all she wanted was to go home to her son and... Cal? What was he doing here? She stared at them confused.
"Hey mum, welcome back! We're playing videogames!" shouted Flynn from the couch.
"I see, uhm Cal, what are you doing here?" she asked.
She knew they went out for lunch but it was almost dinner time and he was still there, not that she minded but it was his day off.
"Apparently I'm not as good at fighting as I am in real life... and it's definitely been too long since I took a joypad in my hands" he pointed out, looking at the "game over" on the screen.
"I'm beating your ass" he laughed, making Cal laugh too.
"Flynn! Language!" said Emily, and once again Cal tried not to laugh.
Language? Really Emily? FROM YOU?!
"Sorry. Cal helped me with my maths homework. I have a test tomorrow and apparently he is a good teacher! Well, better than mine for sure. And once we were done I asked him if he wanted to play with me" the boy explained.
"Sounds like you guys had fun, but I'm sure Cal wants to go back to his apartment now" she pointed out.
"Cal please stay for dinner we need to finish the game" the boy begged.
"Flynn!" she raised her voice a bit, Cal had spent his whole day off with her kid, she didn't want to waste his time even more.
"It's ok Em, I'm staying if it's not a problem" answered Cal, looking at her.
She nodded, heading to her room to get changed. Had Cal really spent the whole day with her kid? She felt so guilty for asking him to pick Flynn up, it was his day off and he definitely didn't enjoy it as he would.
When she headed back in the living room Cal's eyes were on her immediately. She was wearing a big shirt and a pair of comfortable leggings, definitely a different look than the one she always wore.
"Flynn go wash your hands and set the table please, I'm gonna cook something" she explained, running a hand through her hair.
"You are gonna cook?" he asked confused, his mom definitely wasn't a cooker.
"Ok I'm gonna try" she let out a chuckle.
Once Flynn left the room she looked back on Cal's direction, finding his eyes still glued to her.
"What? Do I look that bad?" she joked.
"I- no. No you never look bad. You're beautiful- I mean- let's cook something, I can help" he headed towards the kitchen, trying not to keep eye contact with her.
What? What did he just say? She followed him, keeping her head down, trying to hide her blushing cheeks under her hair.
"So uhm- you can cook..." she cleaned her throat, starting a conversation.
"I do, if you show me what you have in your fridge and where the pans are, I can make something" he explained, giving her a proud smile.
"Wow, I do really spot some husband material here" where did that sentence come from?!
He looked at her chuckling, leaning against the counter.
"I have a lot of hidden qualities Byrne" he eyed her, raising an eyebrow before going back to his work.
She swallowed hard, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"So, what's for dinner guys? Mum are you ok?" Flynn said entering the room and looking at Emily confused.
"I- yeah I'm fine. What's for dinner? I don't know, Cal is cooking" she said, pointing at the man in front of her.
"I guess some pasta" he answered looking around the kitchen.
"Cool, I'm gonna set the table" Flynn said taking some plates.
Cal went to the bathroom to wash his hands before dinner, he felt a really strange feeling in wandering around her apartment, it was such an unfamiliar place for him. Once he was done he headed back on to the kitchen, stopping in the hallway once he heard them talking, he didn't want to interrupt.
When their voices stopped he decided to enter the room only to see them hugging tightly. Emily was leaving a soft kiss on the boy's head and his heart melt. He never saw this side of Emily and after seeing it for two seconds it was already his favorite one.
For the whole dinner Emily kept looking at him, the way he ate, the way he talked, the way he tried to keep a conversation going with Flynn. She was literally in awe for him and the whole thing was increased by the amazing food she was eating. He definitely was a good cooker.
Once the dinner was finished and everything was clean, Flynn excused himself, saying he wanted to go to his room to relax. Emily knew her son and she could definitely see that it was a lie. So she excused herself and followed him.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked getting in his room and closing the door.
"What do you mean?" the boy answered, taking off his headphones.
"I mean that you never go to sleep unless I beg you, and now you're here, in your room" she explained, looking at him suspiciously.
"I'm not sleeping, I just wanted to listen to some music and relax a bit" he gave her a reassuring smile, she could tell he was lying but nothing seemed wrong with him.
"Ok, in that case I'm gonna leave you alone, but I'm gonna check you in an hour and if you're not asleep I'm gonna take your iPad and your phone" she pointed a finger to him and he smiled, nodding.
She headed towards his room door when his voice called her back.
"He is ok" he said still looking at his iPad.
She turned around a bit confused.
"What do you mean? Who's ok?" she asked walking back to him.
"I mean, HE is good. He has my blessing" he marked the word "he", making sure she understood.
"Are you talking about Cal? He is just my partner at work, that was a one time thing cause I didn't get the opportunity to pick you up" she explained, she didn't want him to have a new person in his life if he didn't want to.
"I'm not talking about your work mum" he looked at her, raising his eyebrows, definitely something he took from her.
"Then what are you talking about?" she asked again, she definitely wasn't following him.
"I'm saying that you're happy around him, you looked at him during the whole dinner and you have that smile pasted on your face whenever someone mentions his name. I'm saying that I am here now, listening to music... and you shouldn't be here" he explained.
She felt her cheeks on fire, was he really trying to say that Cal had his blessing for dating her? That he liked him? That SHE liked him? Of course he was funny, nice, sweet and her heart skipped a bit every time he was near but, was it really that obvious? And now her own son was trying to give her some alone time with Cal by staying in his room?
"Gotcha, I knew it" he laughed, looking at her flushed face.
"I'm- it's just-"he interrupted her.
"It's ok mum, it's literally impossible not to notice it if someone lives with you. But I think he doesn't know" he reassured her.
"I just need some time and I don't know how things will evolve. I don't even know if he feels something for me" she explained.
She wasn't really comfortable in sharing those kind of personal informations with her son, but she felt like she owned him an explanation. The boy nodded.
"I understand, it's ok to be scared I guess. But I do really think he likes you too" he gives her a reassuring smile.
She smiled back, leaving a kiss on his head and hugging him.
"Go back to him, I'm good" he said, nodding slowly.
She smiled back, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. She saw him still on the couch and she decided to sit beside him.
"Is everything alright?" Cal asked, obviously talking about Flynn.
"Yeah, he is just a bit tired you know, it's been a long day" she made something up, she definitely wouldn't have told him the truth.
"He is a good kid and you're a great mother" he said leaning against the back of the couch.
"Yeah sure, I had to sent you to pick him up because I was at work. Greatest mother ever! And by the way, thank you so much for spending time with him, you didn't have to" she faced him, leaning her head back.
"You had to work, it wasn't a problem Em, I didn't really had anything to do" he reassured her.
"It's just- sometimes I think that I should stay more with him even though I know I can't and he totally understand I have to work" she confessed looking down, the thought of not being there for her son AGAIN destroyed her.
"That boy adores you and he is so smart Emily, I bet he totally understands you need to work and you are leaving him alone just when you can't do otherwise" he tried to reassure her, putting a comfort hand on her shoulder.
She tried so hard not to arch onto his touch, a touch that became so addictive since Moldova, a touch she had been craving for weeks.
"I know, it's just hard, sometimes I don't feel enough" she gave him a sad smile.
He didn't have a kid so he actually didn't understand fully her feelings but he did know that she was a fantastic mother, he could see it in the way she talked and acted around Flynn. He saw her eyes becoming glossy, he didn't want her to be sad, not tonight, not ever.
"Do you want a comforting hug? You know I've been told I give great hugs if you wanna try" he opened his arms a bit, inviting her.
A hug. A hug could became even more addicted than a single touch. Would she be able to stop after this one hug? They shared a quick one back in Moldova but it was the adrenaline. Now it was real.
She decided to give in, nodding and hugging him. She felt his arms around her body and she laid her head in the crook of his neck. Her eyes shut as his cologne surrounded her, just like his body was and she was already incapable of letting him go. Emily looked up at him, only to find out that he was looking down at her and now their mouths were close, too close. She felt a shiver run through her body, fear overcoming her, making her lower her head immediately, bringing it back under his chin. She was sure he had understood what happened to her as he left a soft kiss on the crown of her head.
"I should go" Cal said, caressing her arm.
"You should" she echoed.
Neither of them moved, they stayed in that position for a bit more, just enjoying the moment. A sudden noise of an opened door made them part and switch back to their separated position as Flynn approached them.
"Mum, I'm gonna sleep, I wanted to say goodnight" the boy looked at both of them, definitely noticing his mother's flushed cheeks.
"Good night buddy" Cal said smiling.
"Night baby" she got up to give him a hug, kissing the top of his head, like every night.
Flynn returned to his room, making Cal stand up and reaching for his coat.
"We should do it again, maybe you guys can come at my apartment next time" he suggested pulling his coat on as she leant her back against the wall.
"Sure, we'd like to!" she used the plural, obviously he was referring to both her and Flynn.
"Great, just tell me whenever you guys are free" he pointed out, he knew Flynn was either with Emily or with Nick and he didn't want to steal his time with his dad.
"Flynn will stay with Nick for the next two weeks, he has some days off and he can take care of him. But you know, I'm free" she teased, she actually wanted to spend some alone time with him, the last half an hour was great.
"You're free" he echoed her words, getting closer.
"Yep" she answered, biting her bottom lip.
"But Flynn isn't around" he continued.
"We can have dinner with him too in three weeks if you want, but until that moment it's just me if you want" Emily explained, she really hoped he would say yes.
"Ok great, say Friday night?" he suggested, looking at her.
"It's perfect" she smiled, trying not to look too happy.
"Ok, sounds like a plan! Plus you really need a night out. I'll let you know about the details. See you tomorrow at work?" he asked.
"Sure, good night Cal" she smiled.
"Good night Em" he said, exiting her apartment.
She bit her lip once the door closed, heading back against the wall and letting out a breath. Was that some kind of a date? She didn't think so... but damn she couldn't wait for the following Friday.