AN: So this mini-story main theme is the last big story suggestion/idea I got from one of you (this particular story idea came from PLLFan865). before I declared that I will slowly start to end this story. This chapter also contains a smaller scene idea (Gavin-Callie part) that came from CatieBell. Thank you to both of you! Let's see how I did...
Hope you enjoy :)
Amy POV
January 18th
It was an early afternoon, Stef and I were on out in the streets. Stef was behind the wheel. It was the start of the week and right now, time was going slowly. The last call we got, was some 2 hours ago. Right at this moment, we were aimlessly driving around, looking for drivers, who break the law by going over speed limit or drives at the red light. The block where we are in right now is a well known region. We are out in this region quite often.
"I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" Stef asks me. A moment after she asked me that, her stomach growled loudly.
I giggle back at the stomach growl sound "Someone hasn't fed the beast!" I reach over the seat and pat her stomach playfully
"I told you I was hungry!" Stef grins back "What is your answer – are you hungry?"
"Yeah. I could eat something. Coffee wouldn't be so bad either," I reply while looking out the side window, to see where exactly are we now, to think of a cafe of bakery which is near by
"154 Boundary street," I say out loud and look back to Stef
"Oh!" Stef exclaims out loud as she stops at the red light "There is the small bakery just around the corner!"
"Wait...about which one are you talking?" Somehow I couldn't quite remember the bakery Stef was talking about
"Betty's bakery!" Stef says and points down to the street in the intersection "On the street right there!"
The name rang a bell, I felt my hands get cold. It was the bakery where we were both shot. We hadn't been there since the shooting. Can't say that good memories come back to me, when I think about the place. It's like a ghost from the past. We used to go there regularly before the shooting. The owner Owen knew our orders by heart, because we tend to order the same thing.
"Oh!" Stef breathes out quietly, when she realizes, about which bakery she was talking about "We can drive to the next one-"
"No, no...it's uh...it's fine" I say trying to stay strong
"Amy we don't have to-"
"It's okay!" I insists, because I don't want to seem weak "We have to go there sooner or later, right? Face our demons," I chuckle awkwardly and glance to her
"Are you sure?" Stef asks putting the car back in gear as the green light will soon appear
"Mm-hmm" I hum back and nod my head, even thought I wasn't sure if I will be actually able to go inside. Stef makes the turn and we drive to the bakery. She finds an open spot and stops the car, but for now, she hasn't turned off the engine.
"We can drive to the next one, Amy. This is not the only bakery in this region," Stef says while I watch the bakery from afar "There is one at after the next intersection as well..."
"I can do this," I say talking to myself, not with Stef, trying to talk myself up to it "It's a bakery. What are the odds that something like that could happen again?"
"Slim. Very slim!" Stef replies. I glanced to her briefly, before I reach for the seat belt.
I was first one out of the car. When I was some 10 steps away from the shop, Stef catches up with me. Unknowingly, my pace had slowed down. I felt blood pumping fast, my heart rate had increased. Stef was standing by the entrance, hand on the door handle. I was not walking towards the shop anymore. My feet had stopped. The events that took lace few months ago, flashes before my eyes.
"You good?" Stef asks watching me, pulling me out of the bad memories that I had and the daze that I was in
"Y-yeah...yes, I'm good!" I stutter back and continue the way to the bakery. Stef pulls the doors open and lets me in first. She was close behind me.
The place looked different. It has been remodeled. The coffee machine stood in other side of the room. The walls had changed, different wallpaper. The glass case, where the bakery goods were, had been changed as well. I noticed two more security cameras at the corners, by the ceilings. Radio was on, the music rang out in the small shop. A young woman was standing behind the cash register, talking with the customer.
"Coffee first?" Stef places her hand on my shoulder blade, grabbing my attention. She nods to the side of the room. This time we don't split up. We make our way to the coffee machine and make ourselves coffee. When I picked up the paper cup, my hand was trembling slightly. I take the cup in my left hand and shake my right in the air as we walk towards the line to the cash register. Two people were in front of us.
"We are just getting lunch," Stef says calmly to me as we stand in the line "We do it every day. Today is no different than any other work day," I kept looking around me, to see if there is anyone suspicious in here. I was on high alert right now. All my senses were working like I was on adrenaline rush "Look, everyone has their heads in the smart-phones!" Stef nods to the man in front of us
When I hear the small bell ring out, signaling that someone had opened the doors, I instantly look over my shoulder to see who walked in. A young girl, Mariana's age, came up to the line and stood behind us. Like Stef said, she pulled out her smart-phone and stared down to it, while making click on it. Facebook. Twitter. Typical teenage stuff.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Stef asks the young girl, that stood behind us
The girl looks to us, she looks like she was taken off guards "There's a teachers seminar. Our classes ended faster," she tells us, her voice was trembling a little, like she was scared of us or scared of what will Stef do about it.
"Heading home?" Stef asks kindly and offers the girl a warm smile. The girl nods back stiffly looking between us.
"Be safe!" Stef winks at her and turns back towards the cash register. I saw the girl smile back before her eyes were once again averted back on the phone screen.
"See, nothing out of the ordinary!" Stef tells me before she lifts the cup up to her lips to take a sip. The customer that was up to the cash register, grabs her order and walks out.
"Freshly baked good!" I hear a familiar voice. Owen, the owner, walked out from the back, holding a tray of freshly baked pastry's. He puts the goods out, filling the trays in the glass-case and then walks up to the cash register to help the girl attend the customers.
"Next please!" He says, looking pass the guy that was in front of us. The moment he lays his eyes on us, he freezes momentarily, recognizing us. "Good day Officers!" he sounded pleasantly surprised "What can I get you?"
"The usual," Stef says from my side, when I remained quiet "2 of these and 2 of those freshly baked croissant!" Stef points to the glass-case, showing which pastries we will get
"Of course, of course!" he hurries to get out pastries
Stef places her cup of coffee on the counter and pulls out few dollars from her pocket "And two coffees!" she points to the cup in my hand and the one she put on the counter
Owen gets the baked goods in a brown paper bag "It's on the house!" He refuses Stef's money
"No, no...here you go," Stef tries to argue back, but Owen pushes her hand back rejecting her money
"It's on the house Officers. It's the least I can do after what you went through in here!" He gives us a sympathetic look. All I could think about was - he went through it as well, he was being robbed, he saw the massacre, all the blood, his life was in danger as well!
Stef and I look to one another "If you insist!" Stef puts the money back
"Are..." he clears his throat "How are you two doing?"
"Good as new!" Stef replies taking her cup off coffee and the brown paper bag "Back on duty for few weeks now, months!"
"That's good to hear! I'm glad to see you both doing okay and back to work!" He then shakes his head "The bloodbath that was here after the shooting…It shook me and my wife really badly."
"Glad to see that your shop is still open!" I finally find the courage to speak up
"We had to remodel. There was blood everywhere and the bullet holes and bullets in the walls," Owen says gesturing to where Stef had stood, when she was shot
"It looks nice in here!" Stef says having a look around the place "This is real tasty stuff! One of our favorite places to stop at lunch time," Stef lifts the paper bag up
"Thank you! My wife's secret recipe. Without her, this place would never exists!" He chuckles back and briefly glances to the back room where the kitchen is
"Well, it was nice talking to you Owen, but we have to go back. Duty calls!" Stef nods to the doorway
"Of course, of course!" Owen smiles at us "Come back anytime. For you two, everything will be on the house!"
"Thank you!" Stef and I reply as we both turn and head out "Have a nice day!"
When we get in the car I let out a breath. It went better than I had expected.
"How are you doing?" Stef asks opening the brown paper bag and hands me one of the pastry
When I took it, it was still warm and it smelled good "I guess, I'm okay. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I say looking out to the bakery "Thanks, Stef!"
"For what?" Stef asks with full mouth and continues to chew her food
"You know damn well for what. For being there then…and now!"
"That's what friends and partners are for!" She smiles back and raises the pastry up "Taste it! It's super delish! And warm! Mmm..."
It was the end of the shift. I walked out with my gym bag over my shoulder. Stef tossed her bag over her shoulder and hurries up to me. We walk towards the exit together.
"So...um, you have tomorrow off?" she asks me carefully
"Yeah, I have tomorrow free!" I confirm it
"What are you plans?" Stef asks me cautiously, in a gentle tone
"Me, myself and I, plus bottle of whiskey, big ice cream and video records and photo albums!" I count off my plan. It hasn't changed since the year one.
"Duke?" Stef says pushing the doors open
"What about that rascal?"
"You will have Duke as well,"
We walk the hallway to the doors to the exit quietly. When I pull the doors open, I ask Stef "How well do dogs tolerate alcohol beverages?"
"No idea," Stef chuckles back "Never had a dog. I have had cats. Cats aren't doing so well after few licks of strong beverage. They stagger afterward and they are not doing so well with jumping!" Stef reminisces as we walk towards the parking lot
"You fed your cat a beer?" I ask giggling about it. I know Stef is beer kind of person, so the most likely alcoholic beverage she gave her cat, must have been beer.
"I had left the kitchen for like 5 minute, when I returned she had her head in my glass of beer – licking it! It was not my fault!" Stef stops at her car "Are you heading straight home?"
"No," I stop on the pavement and turn back to Stef "Cooper's car is in the repair shop. Something wrong with the clutch. I will drive to pick him up, then shop, then heading home. You?"
"Need to pick up twins from school. Jesus has his wresting practice, but Mariana has her STEM class. Once I pick those two up, I'm heading straight home," Stef replies opening the car doors "Okay, I'm going to see you day after tomorrow!"
"Bye, have a nice evening!" I call back and continue my way to my car, that was parked a little bit further
Callie POV
Today Gavin picked me up from school and drove me home. He had a day off from work, so we decided to spend few hours together at my place. Once we arrived, we settled down on the living room couch and just hang out in each other company.
But like it always has happened with us, once we are both lounged down, cuddled up to one another we end up making out. And I was more than okay with that. The TV was running, giving us background sound. We had turned it to a music channel so we aren't interrupted by a loud commercial every 15 minutes.
We started by laying next to each other. Our lips had met for some 10 minutes, when I started to feel my right side starting to get numb. So we decided to change up our positions. Gavin turned on his back, but I sat on top of him, saddling him. He was leaned back at the end of the couch and pillows, I was leaned down towards him. Both of my hands were on his cheeks while I was kissing him, feeling his soft, moist lips on mine.
"I think he's watching us again!" Gavin says leaning out of the kiss and looking to the side "It's too creepy! It makes me...really, really, uncomfortable!" I lean back some more and look down to floor, next to couch, where Duke was sitting us, watching us like crazy. He has been sitting there ever since we sat down on the couch.
"Seriously, Duke! Go chase your tail or something!" I shoo him away. I love Duke, but right now, he was annoying us a little. We wanted a little bit of privacy, but he hasn't left our side. Duke took my hand gesture to shoo him away as if I wanted to pet him. He put his front paws on the side of the couch and leaned towards me, so I could pet him better.
"Yes, yes! I love you too!" I pet him a little and then pick up his front paws and drop him down from the couch "Now, please go! I will play later with you! I promise!" Duke barks out, but I turn back to Gavin "Right now, I want to play with you!" I grin at Gavin and lean back down to kiss him and continue our make out session.
A minute later I hear Duke's nail make a sound at the wood floor as he walks away. I don't look at him leaving, because I was too busy and occupied. Gavin moves his hands to my hips and we continue to make out.
A while later, Gavin slips his hands under my shirt. His fingers move over my skin gently. He moves his hands over to my breast squeezing them, that way also lifting my shirt up. We were now in a very heated make out session. I feel how Gavin got excited underneath me.
"Well, you two look cozy!" I hear moms voice from the doorway
Instantly, Gavin lets go of my breasts and pulls his hands back to himself. I jumped off Gavin, to the end of the couch. Gavin pulled his legs to himself and jumped up from the couch, further away from me, so my mom doesn't get any more ideas. To my horror, mom was not alone. Cooper was standing right next to mom. He was holding a shopping bag in his hand, mom had her gym bag over her shoulder. I honestly have no idea how I didn't hear them drive up or open the front doors.
We got here little after 4. Moms shift ends around 5ish. She went to Cooper, then to the mall to get the groceries. So that means it had to be around 6. But I had looked at the time 10 minutes ago, it was only 5ish then! At least I think it was 10 minutes ago. My time perception must be really shitty!
"Gavin, you should probably-" Cooper doesn't finish the sentence, but only gives a little nod
Gavin quirky sat back down and grabbed the first pillow that was by his hand. He placed it over his crotch and put his hands on the pillow. His cheeks were red and he was not looking at my mom and Cooper anymore. I felt my cheeks burn as well, but I somehow managed to keep the eye contact with mom. Not that I felt too comfortable with it. I knew she wasn't exactly happy to find us like this.
"Good thing we learned about the traffic jam and drove around it," Mom says looking straight at me. She glances to Cooper, who nods back agreeing with mom said. I screw up my face a little, because I didn't get the connection, she was trying to make.
"If we hadn't, we would have arrived 10 minutes later and who knows what you two would be doing by then! The shirt could have been off by then!" Mom glances to Cooper, while I avert my look to the ground in front of me in embarrassment "Maybe even pants! Now that...that would be very awkward!"
"Super award!" Cooper adds with a serious facial expression "Not something I would want to walk in on!"
"We are sorry," I stutter out quietly, still not able to look mom in the eyes
"What are you sorry for?" Mom asks back, reaming still in the doorway
"...Umm..." I briefly glance to Gavin, looking for some kind of help. He looks back at me clueless and shrugs his shoulder. Gavin was still keeping the pillow over him. His cheeks were still red. If this was hard for me, it was time times more awkward and embarrassing to Gavin.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," Mom says after she sees how I was struggling with coming up with an apology "Next time, if you plan on getting naked – do it in private where we can't walk in on you! And don't do it while someone else is home or coming home in the next few minutes!" Mom states back and then points to Gavin "How long will you need?"
Gavin lifts the pillow up a little and then shyly replies "Another minute or two!"
"Then sit there and wait it off!" mom tells him and then focuses on me "You – kitchen. Help Cooper make dinner, while I go pack my bag out and put a load in washing machine,"
I comply not wanting to get into any trouble. Cooper and mom turns to head their own separate ways. I look back to Gavin, to make sure he's okay.
"Go, go!" Gavin gestures me to follow Cooper "I will be there in a minute," I give Gavin a pity look and smile, before I walk out.
Cooper was packing out the groceries, when I walked in the kitchen. The two of us in the same room after what just happened - I bet this will be super uncomfortable for the both of us. Shyly I walk up to the table and start to help him pack out the shopping bag. I don't know what to say to him or how to act around him after the incident that took place.
"So, your mom thought that we could make our own pizza tonight!" he says taking out cartons of milk and setting them down on the table "Are you on board?"
"We have never made our own pizza," I say carrying the milk he took out to the fridge "I don't know how to,"
"I do, I can teach you!" Cooper says with a smile on his lips. It was like he had forgotten what had happened two minutes ago.
"What can I do?" Gavin asks, when he enters the kitchen
"You could-" Cooper started, but he was interrupted when we all heard Duke whimper out loudly, followed my moms angry shout "Get out you stupid dog! What have you done!? Get the fuck out!" it was followed by some more loud whimper from Duke and then we heard Duke running down the stairs, followed by moms loud footsteps
"Stupid dog!" mom shouted angrily, when Duke ran inside the kitchen, with his tail between his legs, head down, terrified. Mom marched in the next moment.
"Which one of you left the doors open!?" her voice was demanding, she was furious, angry all while on edge of tears "Did you walk in the room?" mom turned to Gavin and shouted at him
Gavin looked utterly confused as to what was happening. And honestly, I was confused about what had happened as well. I had no idea what was mom so upset and angry about. Cooper seemed to be just as clueless as the rest of us. Duke was hiding behind me, pressing close to my legs, he was still whimpering.
"W-wh...what room?" Gavin stuttered out, he swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared at my mom
"Don't pretend that you don't know! There is only one room OFF-LIMITS!" mom pointed at him and glared back at him. Gavin looked to me for help.
"Mom!" I interject, because it felt like mom was accusing him falsely of something he didn't do "What are you talking about? What happened?"
"Oh, so you are going to protect him?!" Mom turned to me, she was all worked up "How nice of you!" There was a strong presence of sarcasm in that last sentence
"Mom! Seriously...we have no idea what are you talking about" I say remaining very clam. There was no reason to shout back at her.
"Someone left the doors open and Duke got in and ransacked Markus room. Everything is a mess, chewed up, pillow is destroy..." Mom says with tears in her eyes and then adds emphasizing, when she glared down to Duke "He ruined everything!"
"Gavin and I never went upstairs when we got home!" I say honestly and looked down to Duke, who looked madly guilty "He must have opened the doors on his own!"
"I want him gone!" Mom points to Duke "Get him out of this house! I don't want to see him anymore!" Mom turns on her heel and marches back to the stairs
I look back to Gavin and Cooper and tell them, before I run after mom "Watch him!"
Skipping every other step I make my way up the stairs. When I reach the hallway, I see mom standing in the middle of Markus room, her back turned to the doorway. She was looking at the damage Duke had done to the room. My heart sank and tears form in my eyes, when I saw what Duke had done to the room. I know how much this room means to mom. It was all that was left of him. No one had touched a thing in it. It was left the way Markus left that fatal day.
"Mom?" I say barely above whisper as I make my way slowly in the room
"Get out!" mom replies in a whisper as her hand went up to her face. I can't even image what mom was feeling right now, what was going on in her head. All I wanted to do, was to hug her, hold her and tell her everything is going to be okay. Just like she had done for me hundredth of times.
I took another small step towards her. The floor creaked softly under me, but that was enough form mom to turn around "Get out!" She stated more sternly this time as she stared back at me. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Mom, we can-"
"I said-" She took a step closer to me and pointed to the doors "Get out!" I took a step back, not wanting to anger mom even more "Leave me alone!" I kept on backing out of the room as she kept walking towards me. I backed out on my own. I had never seen mom like this. She has never been like this, not even around the time they died and when she grieved.
When I had backed out of the room to the hallway, mom reached for the door handle and slammed the doors shut in my face, leaving me out of the room. The tears fell down my cheeks as I stood outside the room.
I hear someone breathing on the stairs. When I look over my shoulder I see Cooper standing on the stairs, hand on banister, looking at me and doors.
"It's bad...real bad!" I say quietly, before I turn to look back at the closed doors in front of me