Hello! The next few chapters are particularly special to me because this is how the whole idea of Alex was born :) These scenes popped into my head one day, and her character developed from them. I'm so excited to finally be at a point in the story where I can share them!
Please let me know what you think - and what you think is next :)
Alex had stayed up until 3:00 a.m., unpacking her belongings, but even as she arranged her new room, it felt…strange. The space seemed almost foreign to her, despite Jay's efforts to make it comfortable with a new bed, dresser, and desk. The room was simple - a closet with a dark brown barn door and a large window that looked down to the busy side streets below.
However, she still saw herself as a temporary occupant in this apartment, a guest waiting to be shipped back to her father's. So what was the point of truly settling in? Deep down, she was bracing for the inevitable moment when this fragile stability would crumble, and her life would spiral into chaos once more.
But she couldn't dwell on that right now. It was Monday. And today she had plans - she had to get those pills.
She'd been stressing out about how she was going to leave the apartment with Jay's approval since he was supposed to be around unpacking today. A few lies had come together in her head, but none were a true winner in her book. But if she was good at one thing, it was lying on the fly and she was going to put all her eggs in that basket.
Unable to sleep more with her nerves on high alert, she headed into the kitchen around 6:30am and started doing the only thing she could do - cook. She rummaged through the fridge and grabbed some ingredients to make omelets, toast, and bacon. As she was focused on cooking, her mind relaxed and it was a welcomed feeling.
Around 7:00am, Jay emerged from his room, fully dressed, but still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It felt great to finally sleep in a bed again instead of the couch. The privacy and comfort were an excellent start to this new chapter. He paused for a moment, surprised to see Alex in the kitchen - especially at this hour on her first day of fall break and not being grounded.
"You're up early," he commented as he walked into the kitchen, taking it all in.
"Early bird gets the worm or some shit like that," she commented. "Now take your coffee and sit down. It's almost ready." She handed over a cup of hot coffee and shooed him out of her way. She preferred to work alone in the kitchen and didn't need him screwing anything up, especially after Adam had confirmed that Jay sucked at cooking.
Jay grabbed the cup and held his other hand up in acceptance. He didn't need to be told twice to sit down and drink coffee. He took a few sips while he watched Alex move back and forth, getting everything ready. He was slightly in awe - she'd never cooked anything for him before other than cookies from time to time over the years. So it felt…weird. But a good kind of weird.
"But really…why are you up so early? I had to drag your ass out of bed just a week ago and now you're willingly up?"
She shrugged as she headed for the fridge to get the shredded cheese. "Couldn't sleep. New place and all," she lied. She knew damn well why she couldn't sleep…she was about to buy something that was…less than legal.
"I'm sure it'll start to feel like home soon," Jay reassured.
A strange shiver ran down her spine at his casual mention of 'home' but she quickly brushed it off. "It's not home," she muttered under her breath as her attention returned to the stove.
Jay heard the comment, and it did pull at his heartstrings. He knew that nothing would compare to her idea of home. A place where she was happily surrounded by their mother.
Before he had a chance to reply, she put his omelet on a plate and walked over to him. "Now less talking, and more eating." After she placed it in front of him, she took in his appearance for the first time that morning. He was dressed in jeans and a short sleeve black shirt - nothing new. But she noticed his gun and badge hanging on his waist. "You working today?" she asked, ensuring she sounded as nonchalant as possible.
"I was going to leave you a note." He shoved a bite in his mouth and his eyebrows rose. "Alex, this is really good," he complimented genuinely.
"Well duh," she replied flatly. She knew she was a damn good cook.
Jay shook his head playfully at the banter before diving back into his explanation. "I got called into work, so I won't be able to help unpack until later tonight. We got a huge break on a case, so the team is heading out soon."
The teen inwardly jumped for joy and had to turn her back quickly to hide her smile. Well that would certainly make things much easier for her to leave this morning. "Whatever. I'll be fine doing it alone. We're basically done," she commented looking around the living room where only a handful of boxes remained.
Jay nodded, trying to show he was okay with leaving her here alone. He had no reason to not trust her at this point, especially after how she'd acted the last few days. It honestly seemed like things were going well, and he felt hopeful that they had turned a new page. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had put his guard down around her.
"Well, call me if you have any questions or anything at all. And no leaving without telling me where you're going, okay?" He had hoped she remembered their conversation after her last great escape with Will.
"Aye, aye, Captain," Alex muttered as she sat down to eat her own food.
After a few minutes of silence while they ate, Jay piped up, "You know…I could get used to this." He motioned toward the food with his fork.
"So I'm your live-in maid now?" She stared flatly at him.
"I mean you have to earn your keep somehow," Jay quipped, jokingly.
To which, Alex picked up a half eaten piece of bacon and threw it across the table at him. Jay effortlessly caught it and shoved it in his mouth.
For a moment…she forgot about her plans.
For a moment…things felt easy.
For a moment…this felt normal.
However, just as fast as that feeling came…it disappeared.
Once Jay had left and she'd cleaned up the kitchen, it was time to face her day. She went into her room, closing and locking the door even though she was alone. Her heart was pounding as she pulled her messenger bag onto her lap. With a steadying breath, she unzipped a small black toiletry bag, fingers tracing its worn surface. Its contents had caused her nothing but pain over the past few months, but she clung to the hope that it would all be worth it in the end.
It had to be.
Forcing down the familiar knot of childhood trauma rising in her throat, she opened the bag, revealing a bunch of folded bills she'd painstakingly collected over time.
It was time to put them to good use.
Alex's heart pounded in her chest as she stood on the dirty street corner in a rough part of Chicago, her trembling hands clutching the crumpled bills. Deep down, she knew that she shouldn't be doing this, but the allure of the new drugs to please her friends and the temporary escape from her turbulent life were too strong to resist.
A figure approached, hidden beneath a black hat and sunglasses. She recognized the tattoo along his neck from the photo she'd seen in Jay's case file. This was the guy who had what she wanted…what she needed.
The transaction happened quickly, the drugs exchanged for the money with next to no questions asked, much to Alex's surprise. It had actually been a lot easier than she had expected. Maybe desperate teens were his demographic.
She didn't want to admit it, but there was a part of it that was exhilarating - like an adrenaline rush that she'd been able to accomplish this with no issues or consequences. It was strangely like a confidence boost. She was going to have the best time with her friends!
Now that she had 10 pills shoved in her jacket pocket, she was eager to get the hell out of dodge. Her footsteps echoed loudly in her ears, her heart still racing, as she tried to fade into the shadows of the quiet street.
As Alex rounded the corner to head back to the train, another figure appeared from the opposite direction. She barely had time to react before she nearly collided with him. For a split second, her gaze flicked upward - and then her breath caught in her throat.
She recognized those blue eyes instantly.
They were startlingly clear, in stark contrast to his ragged gray hoodie, the kind that made him blend in with the street, looking every bit the part of a worn-out drug addict. Their eyes locked, and in that moment, everything froze. Panic surged through her veins, paralyzing her, as if the very ground beneath her feet had turned to quicksand. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe - trapped in the moment, as fear gripped her like a vise.
It was Jay.
Back in the lookout car, Adam and Kevin were watching everything play out through Jay's hidden camera on his hoodie.
"Is that…Alex?" Kevin hit Adam's chest while he stared at the frozen teen on the screen.
"Shit man, turn it off, turn the camera off!" Adam yelled as he rolled his chair over to cut the audio. Whatever was about to happen wasn't going to be good - Alex shouldn't be anywhere near this corner and the last thing they needed was to have it on video. Their first instinct was to always protect their own, and they were doing just that without a second thought.
"Fuck," Alex muttered as air slowly began to fill her lungs again. Finally, when her head snapped back into place, fight-or-flight took over, and her body chose flight.
Now.
She broke into a sprint down the street past her brother. She was focused on one thing - get to the train to get as far away from here as possible.
The sudden burst of movement caught the dealer's eye. Sensing something was wrong, he whistled sharply, signaling his crew to scatter. In an instant, the street erupted into chaos. Bodies darted in every direction, the once-quiet corner turning into a blur of frantic motion.
Jay was a well-trained detective - and an even better soldier. He'd been in situations most people couldn't even begin to imagine, facing dangers and making split-second decisions without flinching. But this - this - was something he never thought he'd need to prepare for. Seeing Alex, his little sister, standing on a drug-ridden street corner shattered every sense of control he'd built over the years.
For the first time in his life, he froze.
His mind raced, trying to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of him. He stared helplessly as the dealer bolted in one direction, and Alex, wide-eyed with fear, in the other. He stood there, paralyzed, torn between his duty as a cop and his instinct as a brother.
Before he could make a move, Adam leapt out of the undercover van, snapping him back to reality. "Go! We got this!" Adam yelled, already sprinting across the street with Kevin close behind, chasing down the dealer.
Jay's hesitation vanished in an instant. He didn't need to be told twice. He spun on his heel, adrenaline surging through him as he bolted after Alex, who already had a half-block head start. His feet pounded the pavement, each stride eating up the distance between them, but not fast enough.
"Alex, stop!" he shouted, his voice sharp, cutting through the crisp mid-morning air.
But his words only fueled her panic. She glanced back for a split second, fear flashing across her face, and then she pushed herself even harder, legs pumping faster as if outrunning him could somehow erase the mess she'd been caught in.