Sea Star

Rogers's alarm goes off at six o'clock the following morning, and the detective sleepily stretches his arm to hit the snooze button. As he snuggles back under his comforter, he wonders at the insistent feeling of joy niggling at his brain. He sleepily tries to puzzle it out in the half-haze of the dawn when the alarm goes off again. He startles up to a sitting position even as memories of last night come flooding back.

Tilly. He smiles even as he feels a tiny qualm about his decision. He knows in his heart that he has done the right thing in offering the vulnerable young girl his home, under the circumstances. But what of the long-term? Would she think it a permanent arrangement? Does he want it to be a permanent arrangement? He shakes his head and begins his morning ablutions. It's too early to worry about that. For now, perhaps he should talk to Tilly and look into getting her enrolled in a vocational program or course.

He shaves, showers, and gets dressed, strapping on the prosthetic hand before donning a shirt. As he exits the room, he smells coffee percolating in the kitchen. Tilly must be awake.

"Good morning, Detective!" a cheery voice greets him from the back of the living room. "I was admiring your aquarium."

Rogers pours himself a cup of coffee and walks up to where Tilly is perched on a stool, staring intently at his reef aquarium.

At his approach, she turns and says with a grin, "I can't believe I missed it last night! It's so gorgeous!"

"Thank you!" says Rogers, fighting a rising blush as he takes a sip of coffee. This is not something many people know about him. In fact, he doubts anyone but Henry, who is the only person from among his coworkers and friends that has stepped foot in his apartment, knows about his hobby.

"How long have you had fishies?"

"I…ah. About three years or so," he says shortly. That was a few months after he had stopped drinking. His counselor had suggested getting a pet (a low maintenance one to begin with), stating that having something to care for might help in fighting the ever-present impulse to give in and take just one sip of alcohol. He had found himself driving to the local pet store, wondering if getting a pet guinea pig or a rabbit was the stupidest idea imaginable. He was still a mess—he would probably end up killing the poor creature within a fortnight.

"Shiver me timbers…" the resident macaw shrieked at him as he passed by its perch and stumbled into the aquarium section. He was immediately drawn in. He had started off with a simple 5 gallon freshwater aquarium housing a couple of guppies and mollies, but had soon "graduated" to the more complex saltwater systems. He was now the proud owner of a 40 gallon reef aquarium complete with live corals.

Tilly is clearly mesmerized by it all and eagerly questions him on the kinds of fish he has and the set-up of the tank as he drops fish and plant food pellets into it. Rogers finds himself getting quite into the topic as he explains the mechanics of the water circulation and aeration, and pointing out the different varieties of fish and coral in the tank.

"Look, I found Nemo!" says Tilly, giggling as she points to a little clownfish peeking out from between the corals. Rogers smiles indulgently at her.

"And there's his dad!" she exclaims, as a larger clownfish swims up behind 'Nemo', fins flapping. "I'm glad they're together."

Rogers is caught by the wistful tone in Tilly's voice, and remembers Weaver saying something about Eloise Gardner's cult having separated Tilly from her parents. He makes a mental note to himself to research the details of the case.

Tilly gasps suddenly. Rogers looks at her in alarm; she's pointing at something in the back corner of the tank, half-buried in the sand. "Is that a starfish?"

Rogers peers at it. "Yes. There are quite a few of them in there, in fact. They add a lovely color to the tank, and do a good job keeping it clean."

They watch as the little starfish slowly makes its way to the front and starts crawling up a rock. It is a red sea star with tiny deep blue spots on top.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" says Tilly. "Does it have a name?"

"I haven't named any of them, but feel free to do so if you wish."

"Thanks, Detective," says Tilly with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that has Rogers narrowing his own at her.

"I'm going to retain the power of veto."

Tilly sticks out her tongue. "You're no fun! And just for that, I'll name the most boring rock in the aquarium Rogers."

Rogers laughs at that, full-throated and carefree, and Tilly joins in.

"That's fine, Tilly. Go ahead. And you know what, we should call that little starfish Tilly."

"Really?" she asks, with surprise and pleasure.

"Really. It does look a lot like you, especially when you're wearing that red plaid shirt you're so fond of."

Tilly grins. "Alright, I won't name the rock after you. You can be Nemo's dad."

Rogers smiles broadly. And that smile doesn't entirely fade through the rest of the day, even when Weaver is being extra clipped and cryptic, and the lads in the bullpen a tad rowdier than usual. On the way home, as he stops at the convenience store to get bread and milk, he also picks up a jar of orange marmalade.

Thanks to ultraluckycatnd for the beta!