I'm so glad people liked this story so much! I appreciate the positive feedback and plan to have quite a few more chapters published.
For the reviewer that asked why his name is John Reese here still, I think it'd confuse people if I changed his name. Plus, I enjoy this coming to me ut of nowhere so just follow my story and watch the way it unfolds. I promise it'll be interesting.
A special thanks to Liz, Sam, and Kala for reading my first 2 chapters when they were rough drafts :] If you don't know Kala, she wrote "Pushing Boundaries " so go check it out!
Keep reading and reviewing with predictions or suggestions, I actually took quite a few into consideration for the upcoming chapters. Enjoy!
"Daddy" she said seriously, and he was having trouble keeping a neutral face. In the past, laughing at her when she was trying to be so intensely serious meant she'd get mad and that was the last thing he wanted.
"Yes Mia?" she smiled at the nickname but leaned more onto the table, reaching her hands to grab both of his cheeks in her palms. He placed his hands over hers to steady her and waited for her to speak. He raised a surprisingly articulate little girl, and waiting her out would find to be effective.
"Daddy, I like Jos"
"I know mija, Jocelyn is very nice"
"No daddy, I like Jos and I want her to be my friend. Can she come over for dinner?"
He sat there frozen at Amelia's question, unsure of how to respond. On one hand, he was intrigued by the Detective as well, but wasn't sure if it would be best to try anything with Amelia taking a liking to her so soon. On the other hand, if Amelia wanted something, she was going to fight him tooth and nail until he gives in or bargains. She really is too much like him.
"Sweetheart, Jocelyn may have plans for dinner"
"What about tomorrow night? Can I ask her about tomorrow?" the two of them were locked into a staring match, unbeknownst to them that Carter had hung up her phone and watched them for a good few minutes. She wanted to laugh when Amelia reached out fearlessly to grab her father's face, but it made her heart stutter step when he placed his larger hands over hers. She was his entire world, and being able to witness that kind of intimate relationship was breathtakingly beautiful. She noticed that they both stared stubbornly at one another, so she decided to rejoin them since she caught the tail end of their conversation.
"Ask me what about tomorrow?" she asks, and laughs at the guilty expressions on their faces. Amelia lets go of her father as he smiles at her, them both silently deciding something she wasn't aware of. She swore they were telepathically communicating, but she let it slide as she sat back down and Amelia went back to her food.
"So, what was all that about?"
"I'll let her tell you later if she wants to" Amelia's head shoots up and she grins triumphantly at her father with an, 'I-told-you-so' grin before she continues eating. He sighs and rolls his eyes, thinking that she was just a little too much like him at times like these.
"Ok, fair enough. Sorry about that, I forgot to call Boo before I left for lunch" he looked at her quizzically, unsure as to who this 'Boo' was. Her smile seemed to be one of familiarity, and he was praying to anyone that was listening that it wasn't a boyfriend with an embarrassing pet name.
"And Boo would be…" he trailed off purposely, hoping she'd fill in the blanks. She smiled sweetly as she ducked her head, taking a sip of her drink as he waited patiently for her. She looked up at him and sighed.
"Boo's my neighbor's son Caspian. I call him Cas, but Caspian reminded him of Casper the friendly ghost, so he's been Boo for a while. I watch him a few times a week so his mother can work" she shrugged and went back to her food while he just looked at her in amazement, unable to believe that she'd give whatever free time she had to watch her neighbor's son. She looks back up to him and he grins, looking back to his food.
"So, what were we talking about before I left?"
"Oh, why you were so happy to be here" she smiled softly and rolled her eyes innocently as she blew out a weighted breath. She looked down to Amelia before continuing.
"It just made me remember all of the good happy times Lina, my best friend and I had before she was killed our sophomore year of high school" she said quietly, returning to her food and letting the silence reign for a while. As they finished their meal he put his hand over hers on the table, catching her eyes.
"I'm sorry she's gone. I hope you'll forgive me for prying" he said, his eyes averting to his daughters as she looked around innocently.
"It's fine, it's been a long time"
"That doesn't make it any easier though"
They sat with his hand atop hers for a few minutes, just smiling gently at one another as Amelia looked on in amusement. Jos blushes at the fact that he hasn't pulled his hand away yet when she catches the same blush creep up his neck as he smiles humorously. Amelia sat quietly in the corner and sipped her juice, watching the way her father's fingers flexed over Jos's. She sat back and accidently giggled, watching as both adults jumped and pulled their hands away as they stared at her. She giggled at the wide eyes Jos gave her, but outright belly laughed at the dazed expression her father had before he shook his head and laughed with her. She liked that Jos was nice to her; it wasn't always like that when her dad met women.
"So John, you know that I'm a detective, what is it that you do?" Carter said as she cleared her throat again and let Amelia lean against her again. He leant back and stared at her, watching the ease in which she interacted with them.
"I'm a fireman actually. My brother looks after her while I'm gone but I call and miss her like crazy" he glances down at Amelia as she slips her head into the Detective's lap, Carter brushing her finger through her ponytail as she just stares as Carter.
"That's really great," she whispers as she watches Amelia, jumping a little when Amelia abruptly stands and sits on the table in front of Carter, forcing John to scoot over to be able to see the both of them. He was glad he moved the plates a few minutes ago for Amelia's sake. Amelia sits in front of Carter and put her feet in between her legs on the bench as her butt rests on the edge of the table and freezes for a minute before reaching forward timidly. Amelia grabs the gold cross that rests a few inches below the hollow of Carter's throat and just holds it silently. Her little fingers trace the lines of it as she stops and looks at Carter with her head tilted to the side.
"Daddy has one of those," she says quietly, her mouth slowly forming a smile that reaches her eyes. Carter didn't understand why she was so excited until she saw the way John was staring a whole in her throat. It made her feel hot so she ignored him and went back to Amelia.
"Really? Is it like mine, or bigger?" Amelia nodded vigorously as she used Carter's shoulder to jump off the table, only to crawl onto the bench beside her father, tugging at his shirt.
"Mija…" he said warningly, and she stopped and stuck her bottom lip out to pout effectively.
"But daddy, Jos has one just like you. But hers is there, and yours is right here" she said, pointing to the left side of his ribs proudly as Jocelyn tried to keep the smile off her face. She wasn't surprised to find out that he had a tattoo, but he seemed embarrassed. She had two of her own so it wasn't really so bad.
"Amelia, your daddy's is a tattoo. Mine's a necklace, but I have tattoos too" she said to Amelia, and John's eyes snapped to hers immediately. She liked that she'd surprised him; it meant that there was still some mystery there. He smiled flirtatiously at her when before he opened his mouth, only to have his daughter beat him to it.
"Really? Can I see them?" she asked excitedly, leaning on her father for support. He couldn't say he wasn't thinking the same thing.
"Maybe some other time sweetie. I actually have to get back to work," she said apologetically as she got up, watching as the pair followed. They started walking, but Amelia wanted Carter to carry her back before they had to leave. She agreed, and John just smiled as he followed close behind her.
"She has you wrapped around her little finger Detective," he whispered, watching as she shook her head and laughed before responding.
"Like you are any better John. All she has to do is bat those eyes and you're done," she teased him, the rest of their walk comfortable as they made their way inside the precinct. They followed her to her desk because Amelia refused to let go outside. They passed Fusco on the way in, and he just had to comment.
"Hey Carter, when'd you become a munchkin sitter?" he questioned, but stopped when John leveled him with a dangerous look as they passed. Carter stood at her desk with Amelia standing on her desk, eye level with her.
"So daddy said not today but tomorrow. Can you please come to dinner tomorrow Jos?" she pleaded, batting those eyes again, and this time John watched on in amusement when Carter looked at him.
"You're on your own Detective, it was all her idea. Can't resist those eyes can you…" she glared at him before whispering something in the little girls ear and slipping a card in her pocket as she jumped and hugged her before she was put back on the ground and beside her father. He was told that he wouldn't know until he got home, so he respected his daughter's brief secret. He looked back up to Jocelyn leaning a hip against her desk as she met his gaze head on. She smiled slowly as he did he same, both a little unsure of themselves. Before they had a chance to decide, Amelia gladly filled in.
"Daddy! It's time to watch UP! Kiss Jos bye so we can go home!" she said exasperatedly as she tapped her little foot impatiently. He burst out laughing as did she, but Amelia didn't let up. They sobered and he went in to hug her, her hands going around his neck as his wound around her waist. As her hands began to fall away, Amelia huffed and Carter looked down and back up before kissing him quickly on the cheek before pulling back flushed. He kept a hand at the small of her back and pulled her in lightly to place a kiss to the right of her mouth quickly before picking up Amelia. He winked at her as they left, and she could swear she could still feel his breath against her skin.
In the car, John asked Amelia what Carter had said to her in the precinct, and she only gave him minimal information.
"Jos is coming over tomorrow daddy, you have to call her" she produced a card from her pocket and smiled like the cat that ate the canary as she wiggled it in his view in the rearview mirror. He laughed outright as she waved the card in her hand, smiling and talking a mile a minute about 'Jos' coming to see her.
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