Chapter Two – New Surroundings
Peter Burke knocked on the door to his boss's office.
"Come in," the serious voice of Hughes said. Peter entered the office and closed the door behind him, then started speaking. "You know about the girl we just arrested for stealing rare jewelry?" Hughes nodded. "We'll I just came from interrogating her, and boss…she's only 15."
Sure enough, the news shocked the older man. "15? Are you positive?"
"She wasn't lying, but I'm sure we'll be able to tell once she takes off all the makeup and changes into some normal clothes," Peter said.
Hughes sighed, this situation now very much more complicated. "What do you think we should do?"
Peter started to say something, but stopped, and shifted nervously. "I have an idea, but I don't know if –"
"Just spit it out, Peter," Hughes sighed, fighting back a little grin. He was acting a bit like his surrogate son, and it amused him.
"Well, Elizabeth and I wouldn't mind taking her in. Have an arrangement with her similar to Neal's?"
Hughes leaned back in his chair and mulled it over. They had made some incredible progress with the young con, and he had no doubt that they would be able to do the same with the girl. "Is she willing to give up her stolen items? And admit to actually stealing them?"
"Yes, sir, she is. I haven't talked to her about this arrangement yet, but I'm fairly sure that she'd be fine with it."
The older man nodded and picked up the phone. He pointed it at Peter and said, "You go talk it over with her. Talk it over with Neal – he has a good heart but he might not be the best influence on the kid."
Peter nodded and left as Hughes was dialing up the 'higher ups.' He had a quick conversation with Jones and Diana about the case and then headed straight down to interrogation, where his family waited for the news. He saw the hopeful look on his wife and sons' faces and smiled.
"So far so good," Peter sighed happily. "Hughes has got to talk to some people and probably get her an anklet, or something similar. Now I just need to talk it over with Kaitlyn…"
He looked at the girl threw the glass and observed her solemn expression. She looked nervous, sad – like someone ready to meet their maker. He felt it was time to put her out of her misery. He opened the door and walked inside, noting the way Kaitlyn's eyes lit up with hope upon his entering.
"I've talking to my boss, agent Hughes," Peter started, taking a seat across from Kaitlyn. "The absolute best offer I can give you is… everything you stole in exchange for a new family."
"So I'd be put in the foster care system?" she asked.
"No…you'd actually be staying with my family, if that's alright with you."
The senior agent could tell she was surprised by his offer. He continued : "You'd be living with me, my wife Elizabeth, and most of the time, my adopted son Neal. You already met him."
"He was the man at the auction," Kaitlyn put together. "'Carson Goddard.'"
"Correct. He's a great guy, just a little mischievous. I'm guessing you too are a lot alike in that area," he chuckled. Kaitlyn grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"I'd love to live with your family, but…" The girls' eyes darkened and shined over with tears. "But I don't think it's a good idea."
"Why not?" Peter asked, concerned.
"I can't guarantee that I'll always behave," she said quietly. "Sometimes I act without thinking. And…I have really awful nightmares…it's not an easy thing to deal with."
Peter smiled at her comfortingly. "Honey, believe me, I am more than prepared to deal with that," he said. "Neal goes through the same things. You'll be at home with us – I promise, we will never turn our backs on you or abandon you. Let me help you."
Kaitlyn took a shaky breath and nodded. A couple of hours later, every stolen item were in FBI custody, ready to be returned to their rightful owners. Kaitlyn's very few possessions were packed up and sent the Burke's residence. Not surprisingly, she and Neal got along very well, whispering to each other and giggling just like siblings did. Neal helped Kaitlyn set up her room, formally the last remaining guest room.
Sure enough, once the girl had washed off most of the makeup and changed into casual, around the house clothes, it was obvious that she was 15. Her eyes were wide and bright blue/green, emphasized by her naturally long, blonde eyelashes. Her hair, a light honey blonde, cascaded down to the middle of her back in soft waves. She was a very pretty girl, and it was hard to believe that she'd committed such huge thefts.
She got along wonderfully with Satchmo – her and the dog played constantly, whether it be fetch or wrestling in the living room. Contagious, girlish giggles echoed throughout the house little bells. It warmed the Burkes to the core, and caused everyone's moods to peek at an all-time high.
oOo
Kaitlyn sat on her bed, positioned directly next to the open window, and watched young children play basketball on the street. The sun rays rested on her pale cheeks, warming them to a soft pink color. She played with a piece of her hair and sighed, watching a 'momma bird' feed her little babies in a nearby tree. She felt sad today, almost borderline depressed. She hadn't even smiled, and it was half past noon.
She'd spent a week with the Burkes so far and she absolutely adored them. She'd been given a tracking bracelet, slender and indestructible and attractive enough to Kaitlyn's liking. That didn't stop her from missing her old family. She kept having little flashbacks of them, like last night when she and El had been making brownies together, a little memory of she and her own mother had spent a lone Saturday night baking brownies for when daddy got home. When Peter and her had gone grocery shopping and Peter had stopped by the sports department, she remembered a time when her dad had accidentally knocked over an entire baseball card stand by accident. She found herself missing her family for the first time in quite a while. She'd never been close with her father or her sister. Her mother and she had a great relationship, but Kaitlyn could never open up to her about anything in fear that her mom would not want to deal with any of her problems.
She was just as scared to open up to the Burkes. She could never tell them about her history of self-harm, self-loathing, under-age drinking problems and suicidal thoughts. They wouldn't want her anymore, they wouldn't want to deal with such a damaged child. Nobody did, so she would keep them to herself. Everything would be fine….eventually.
TBC
I'm sorry this took so long! More to come, definitely. Also, if you've been following my wrestling themed stories, a one-shot for that storyline should be up soon. Review please :D
~Rebecca