Chapter Three: I Won't Say I'm in Love (Part One)
By the time Ana and Dani reached the station, Sawyer was there and in Captain Cortez's office.
"Perfect timing, mija." Captain Cortez said, smiling.
"Hi, Mom." Ana replied, completely ignoring Sawyer.
"You didn't mention you knew this man when we ran into him yesterday, mija." Captain Cortez said, gesturing to Sawyer.
"Yeah, well, I'm not too fond of him." Ana retorted.
"He seems pretty attached to you, mija."
"I don't know why he would be." Ana said, turning slightly red. The captain noticed Dani standing behind Ana.
"What brings you here, Miss Vargas?"
"I'm not sure, actually…ask Ana Lucia."
"I thought she'd like to see her brother." Dani elbowed Ana. It was then that James spoke.
"HEY! Watch where you're elbowin' her, there, Dani girl. Wouldn't want to damage the goods, now would we?" Ana shot sawyer a murderous look.
"Ana, what exactly is going on here?" Captain Cortez asked.
"Ma, can we talk in private, please?" sawyer found it highly amusing.
"I think whatever you got to say to your moms, Rambina, you can say in present company."
"I'd like to talk to my mother in private…that's none of your concern, James."
"Oh, but the majority of us do know that it's my concern, Ana Lucia." Sawyer replied, using her full name to make his point.
"Would you hold on for just a goddamn minute?! I'd like to be able to tell her myself; it's my right!"
"Tell me what, exactly, Ana?" Captain Cortez was completely lost by now.
"¿Podemos hablar a solas?" Ana said, switching to Spanish so that Sawyer couldn't understand.
"Your friend would like to keep the communication open, mija." Ana was getting tired of fighting about this.
"Mama, por favor!"
"Ana, just tell her already!" Dani was obviously just as tired of this argument as Ana Lucia was. "I've got court in an hour and a half and i CAN'T be late!"
"Fine then leave."
"I thought you wanted me here, Ana. just do it or I WILL." Ana shot her a murderous look.
"I brought you here for support." Ana said, grabbing her mother by the arm and locking the door as she led them into a bathroom.
"Yeah, and I'm doin' a bang-up job of that from out here, Cortez!" Danielle shouted after the pair, Ana ignored her. She turned her frustrations to her brother. "This is all your fault, Sawyer!"
He pouted in his seat, refusing to speak.
"That little pout of yours might work on Ana Lucia, but you should know it don't do shit for me, James."
"Danni leave me the fuck alone." He got up and walked over to the bathroom door.
"Ok, if you dont wanna EVER see your kid when it's born."
"She ever beaten the shit outta you?"
"I'm a chick, Sawyer...we were in the police academy together. Anything she can do to me, i can do to her in equal force, if not in greater damage." Sawyer laughed like a goddamn hyena.
"Yeah, ok."
"You know what? I'm beginnin to understand why she doesn't want you in her kid's life. You may be my adopted brother and just as close as family, but you are a bona fide ASSHOLE." Danni said, only half-meaning it. "I feel sorry for that kid havin' you for a dad."
"She told you that?" sawyer asked, almost in a whisper.
"Hon, why do you think i invited her to dinner last night?! God, you really are stupid, aren't you?" sawyer kicked his chair.
"FUCK!"
"Nice vocabulary, Sawyer."
"Why wouldn't she want me?"
"What woman in her right mind would want a CONMAN for a father to her kid? we were having the same damn argument before she dragged me down here."
"I may be a piece of shit, but i'm a piece of shit with rights...she WILL let me see my child."
"She doesn't have to do ANYTHING...especially if she can make a judge see her side of things." Danni said, finally thankful for her legal background.
"Your not gonna help me?!"
"I'm not allowed to help you as much as i'd like to...its a conflict of interest! You're my brother!"
"And here i thought you loved me. What a joke."
"James, i could lose my license to practice law if i help you with this. i can't represent you in a court of law, but i can help you get the court documents together."
"Can you convince her?" he asked, beginning to sound desperate. "…that I can change?"
"I don't know, honey. It's hard to make Ana Lucia do, think or believe anything she doesn't want to." Danni understood her brother's pain.
"Don't I know it." He said, before laughing at something. "She just used me; no wonder she don't want nothin to do with me.
"No one ever accused Ana Lucia Cortez of being stupid." Dani said, a little harsher than she'd intended.
"You know you don't have to be a bitch right?"
"James...your on thin ice as it is. dont push it."
"I get it, you don't have to rub it in."
"Look, why do you wanna be in her life? Besides the kid?" she asked. He looked away, almost unwilling to speak his piece.
"There's got to be some reason you're bein' a stubborn mule about this." He looked down and then looked his sister in the eye.
"You wouldn't believe me."
"James, we grew up in the same house together, remember? i think i'd know when you're talkin' a bunch of bullshit."
"Look, it could work...it can work. i was thinking about her and then these feelings..." he sighed. "I don't know." She pulled a tape recorder from Captain Cortez's desk drawer.
"Start talking. we'll record it and go from there." He gave her a quizzical look.
"What, what do you mean?"
"I'll listen to it back at my office and see what i can do to manipulate Ana without kicking myself in the teeth." Sawyer gave her a dimple-filled grin.
"Well there you go, did it hurt? helping your brother?"
"James. Just start talkin already."
"Ok, ok." He sighed and started talking. "I always liked her, even when she was bein a bitch. She's strong, I thought that was hot…I think it's hot. Then she seduces me and I'm all jittery and shit, with butterflies in my stomach…funny really. Then I find out she used me." Dani gave him a look asking if he was finished. "I know that's not enough, you know 'feelings', I can't offer her anything, maybe my time, affection…love. I'm not the best person in the world. But when she told me, I…wanted it, want it all. But she probably doesn't feel the same; and it's not like I can force her."
"So you'd actually be willing to do whatever you have to do to keep her in your life?"
"I'd say no, but if i actually think about it i'd try my hardest." At that exact moment, Ana Lucia returned from the bathroom.
"You've gotten pretty good at the conning shit James, you actually kept a straight face when you were babbling on and on." She said, sneer on her face. "You talk a good game for a conman."
"I meant every word Ana, every goddamn word."
"Really now..."
"Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Sawyer was quickly losing his confidence. "I'm gonna make you believe me, Analulu, just you wait and see." Ana left the room without a word, James following her on her heels. When he finally catches up to her, he kissed her. After he pulled away, he spoke softly. "I love you, goddamnit. I don't know why right now but I do."
"Come on James you expect me to believe you, how do you love me…you don't even know me."
"How d'you know you dont, or that I dont?"
"You're a conman, your sister hasn't said anything particularly nice about you either. i slept with you once, for that damn gun, not cause i liked you or wanted you. i don't want you, it's that simple, we're 2 completely different people…"
"When I kissed you last night, I KNOW you felt somethin'. 'Cause I felt it too."
"Attraction, yes. But that's not love, even if it was a relationship doesn't stand solely on love."
"We have a kid together, Ana…if that aint a sign I dont know what is."
"A sign? Are you kidding me? We didn't use protection Sawyer, that simple."
"Like you ain't never done it without protection before, Lucy."
"That's none of your business. Accidents happens."
"And to think I was actually gonna do the right thing for once…be a man about somethin…even that comes back to bite me on the ass."
"Look I didn't mean to burst your bubble, but come on Sawyer…it's not worth it."
"But raisin a kid by yourself IS?"
"It's not the worst thing in the world. my mom said she supports me in the decisions i make, although it doesn't mean she'll stop bitching at me about it…anyways, i can understand you wanting to be in the baby's life but not mine."
"I'm not doin' none of that weekends-only bullshit."
"Tough luck James, it'll be what the court says if you don't wanna go by my rules."
"You are un-fucking-believable, woman. i musta been outta my mind actually listenin' to a damn word my sister said." Ana laughed.
"That you are." Sawyer gave her an exasperated sigh and continued down the front steps of the precinct, thoroughly pissed off at the world and women in general.
"The next nine months that man is gonna be a pain in my ass," Ana muttered to herself.