A/N: Sorry that this was so late getting out. My new schedule at work started this week and it's been an odyssey. I like it but now I've gone from writing in the morning to writing at night. To make up for the waiting time, I wanted this chapter to be KING-SIZED AND SUPER JUMBO.
Hope this was worth the wait.
Drop a review, please!
Tori was pacing around her room, staring at the phone number Andre gave her. She finally psyched herself out enough to click on the 10 digits, which turned into a link that went straight for her phone app. Now it was ringing.
"Here we go..." she winced to herself.
"Crowley here!"
His voice was as sterile as ever.
"This is...Tori Vega."
She could make out what sounded like a coffee mug being placed down swiftly but carefully.
"Yes, Vega!" Crowley began, clearing his throat. "How are you?"
The Latina bit her lip not sure where this was coming from. This could not be the same man who ruefully kicked her out of the precinct.
Tori decided to just roll with it.
"Hanging in there, honestly. Why?"
"Just went through the reports and talked with everyone. You're very lucky to make it out of there alive. That was one in a million!"
Usually when someone antagonistic gave praise, it was the prelude to a bomb about to be dropped. His tone sounded genuine, but she was being cautious. Tori could picture that other shoe getting ready to fall.
Now, Tori could hear a door opening and some incoherent voices. Several of them. Before Crowley resumed addressing her directly, she understood a faint exchange probably aimed at whomever else was in the room.
"Really, now? HEY, Tori! Sorry, but I need to let you go right this second. It'd probably be better if you came down to the station and we can resume this conversation there."
Brown eyes widened.
"What? Um, oh..."
"Are you alright to drive today? Are you up for it?" his was voice giving off a sense of worry.
Tori rubbed her neck.
"My migraines are getting more manageable but maybe I should give it more time."
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll have someone pick you up."
And the call terminated just as abruptly as it started.
"What the hell...?" she asked, looking down at the dark screen.
Jade went home a little early today, not feeling her best. Even with her trusty coffee urn, it couldn't make up for a shitty night's sleep. She walked into her house, yawning in defiance of the bright afternoon sun.
The medical examiner took some melatonin supplements, drew the shades and crawled into bed. Just when she thought her sleep schedule was getting back on track, Jade was plagued by the most intrusive of thoughts: Tori Vega.
That tan beauty manifested into her town. Her life. And she had been a daily passenger in the busy train station that was her mind. At first, she was this pest. Tori was someone Jade could roll all of her frustrations and hatred into one brown-haired package. But the other night changed everything.
As she got to know her, Jade found more to admire in Tori Vega than to deride.
Tori was brave, confident, selfless, and awfully resilient. She could also be funny and disarming. Only when Jade accused her of having less-than-noble intentions did Tori's dark side emerge. Would she act any different if someone attacked her character? Let alone someone who didn't even know her?
And if her inner qualities weren't impressive and plentiful enough, she was a feast for the eyes on top of that.
Thinking back to that time Tori was giving her an earful, Jade found herself focusing on the brunette's plump lips and dark eyes. In retrospect, the doctor wished this intensity was focused on her under more...pleasant circumstances.
Even when she was tending to her wounds, Jade's heart raced being this close to her. And her ears didn't fail her. She could hear Tori's breathing hitch as their faces were nearly skin to skin. A fleeting thought graced her mind: did Tori like her? Jade shook her head. That was impossible. She was a total shit to the Latina and even this simple act of community service doesn't erase how cunty she was to the cop.
Jade's guilt haunted her as she drifted off to sleep.
What if things were different?
What if she was kinder to the new face from the jump? Especially with the benefit of hindsight seeing Tori looking all chummy with that woman at the baseball park.
As deep slumber took hold, Jade's imagination yielded one of its classic "What If?" scenarios. She would be in a reality that was familiar enough but would take a left, like her own private episode of the Twilight Zone. Disturbed by past mistakes, or roads not taken, Jade would envision these vignettes of what would have been had she made a different life choice.
Some were silly, like what if she never went to medical school and instead became a professional driver. Jade would man an 18-wheeler clear across the country, rocking out to the radio and having convos with other semi drivers on the CB. Her handle would've been Blue Eyed Soul.
Others were more emotional, such as if her Aunt Beverly hadn't died.
One night, she was returning home from work and the sweet lady was there to greet her with herbal tea and the pair would sit on their private beach. Jade would discuss the events of the day, what she did at work. Bev listened more than she talked. When she finally spoke, Bev described what the afterlife was like.
"You know what, Jade? There WAS no such thing as ghosts after all. What a relief!"
Her aunt would go on and on about how God made one side of an invisible bridge and Jade was the other end. Bev would travel this Bifrost with regularity, between where she came from and the zenith of her achievements in this life. Jade was in tears the whole time, sometimes laughing, sometimes not. Auntie Bev let Jade in on a little secret that the Man Upstairs isn't exactly as described in books, but one thing was for sure: the bigots got it all wrong. There were plenty of gays in Heaven. And those who mistreated queer folk on Earth in His name were in for a big surprise.
Jade woke up from that experience with a tightness in her chest.
How much of that was her spirit reaching out and how much was just her own wishful thinking?
She didn't dream about her beloved aunt this time. It was another alternate reality, though.
It was of her returning home from work, exhausted from two autopsies back to back. When the door flung open, she was ready to collapse. But her ears perked up at the sound of humming in the kitchen. And her nose was capturing something, too. She didn't feel panic or any other negative response. This presence was a welcome one.
Jade peeked into the kitchen to see Tori hunched over a pot, her long hair tied back in a ponytail which showed off her defined cheekbones. While her sense of smell was distracted by the aroma of whatever she was cooking, Jade's eyes were fixed on the tall Latina. Even not standing totally erect, looking relaxed, Tori's every movement was measured.
"I hope you're hungry..." the enigmatic woman smiled without even looking up.
She wasn't sure if she made any noise between coming in and now. Maybe, Tori could just sense her. She was a detective and presumably had a strong instinct.
Jade didn't answer and instead traversed the linoleum floor to inspect the contents of the pot, waving away the steam which was obscuring her view.
"Chili?"
"That's right."
"Smells amazing. You know...it's even better the next day ice cold."
Tori chuckled a breathy, dare she say, seductive tone.
"I'm telling you right now, West!" Vega was now brandishing a wooden spoon. "Dessert is only being served...hot..." She now hovered the utensil beside her mouth and licked the red sauce to taste. "MMmmm. And it'd better be TONIGHT."
JINGLE! JINGLE! JINGLE! JINGLE!
The blonde rolled over, reaching blindly for her stupid phone. Jade was rather enjoying that dream, and she was ripped away from it in the blink of an eye.
"Mother...FUCKER!" she mumbled.
Jade was forced awake before it got to the good part. At least find out if that contented moan was about the chili, or...
The phone kept warbling in defiance, the medical examiner being forced to fall onto the floor. As if her whole bedroom was conspiring against her, her legs were wrapped in the top sheet and made wriggling herself free difficult.
(GODDAMN IT!)
She finally got herself free and upright just to spot her cell on the nightstand. Jade really wished she had left it in the other room if she didn't want to be disturbed. She pushed answer with a grumble, not even bothering to check the caller ID.
"WHAT?" Jade barked into the phone.
"Jade?" came a familiar voice.
The doctor covered her mouth, heating up from embarrassment.
"Sorry, Cat" Jade huffed. "Didn't mean to yell, I... just woke up."
"Oh, alright!" the redhead perked up over the phone.
Jade covered her mouth, this time stifling a big yawn. She eyed the digital clock on the wall, and it was only 4:00. The sun hadn't gone down yet. The woman was hoping to at least get up after dark but instead she got only a tight 90 minutes.
"So...?" the blonde asked.
"So...?" Cat mimicked.
The short girl was a genius, but that skull was hardly suitable to house such a tenant.
"Why did you call me?"
The forensics scientist cleared her throat.
"Right! My bad. Remember that lady you found? Jane Doe's mother?"
The medical examiner sat up straight.
"What about her?!"
"Did you try calling her?"
Jade stretched, eliciting a groan.
"Yeah! But it went to voicemail. Told her who I was and what she needed to do." The blonde's face grew serious. "Wait, why do you ask?"
"Some clerk from the county is here and he's asking about Jane D... sorry, Donna."
She sprang out of that bed and fortunately, she was still partially dressed. Jade just needed to put her pants back on, collect her shoes and was out the door in a minute flat.
Tori was already at the door when she heard the car pulling up.
It swung open after one knock and the tan woman frowned slightly at who was on the other side.
"What's up?" waved Beck.
He noticed the subtle shift in her demeanor.
"Oh, hey!" she responded with a small wave back.
"Guess I'm your ride back to the precinct," he thumbed toward his car.
Tori nodded and grabbed her purse. She hesitated at her gun. Probably wouldn't need it but she didn't feel good about leaving it behind, even for a little while. If it wasn't in a safe, Tori had her piece within reach. That was the rule drilled in by her father.
She collected her weapon with holster and clipped it around her waist.
The cop looked up and saw her partner gawking at her head wound.
"Does it hurt?"
The Latina scoffed. That was such a "himbo" thing to say.
"I would put it somewhere between a paper cut and a piranha in my pants."
The Canadian chuckled at such a facetious answer. Just the right response to his dumb question.
"But seriously, how are you holding up?"
"Well...I guess I'm fine considering" Tori sighed while folding her arms. "Today, I'm a little nervous. Big Boss Man asked for a little talk."
"So I've heard" Beck shrugged. "You ready?"
Tori nodded and started outside, locking her room door behind her.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
The bespectacled man with thinning hair noticed the fiery blonde enter the morgue with authority.
"Are you..." he checked his clipboard. "Dr. West?"
She was not what the clerk was expecting to meet at this place. Between her and woman in the crime lab, the females in this building were lookers.
Jade eyed the drawer that contained Donna Blakely.
"Why are you here?" Jade demanded.
"Listen, Dr. West, you've been holding onto this Jane Doe for months at this point! This is highly irregular!" He scratched his cheek. "How in the world did you keep her preserved this long?"
Jade folded her arms.
"We've eased Donna to increasingly freezing temperatures with chemical solutions to prevent further tissue damage."
"Formaldehyde?" he asked, eyes wide.
She refused to answer.
"Dr. West, you aren't a funeral director," he pointed accusingly. "This goes beyond the scope of your..."
The slam of her hand against the metal drawer echoed in the small room.
"LISTEN! I would have let her go sooner but I can't help the scuttlebutt nature of the investigation. I only recently contacted her next of kin."
"And are they coming to claim the body?"
"She. Has. A. Name."
"Two weeks is the norm, even for unidentified people! I can't allow this to go any longer."
Her arms went down to her sides and she leaned in.
"What are you saying?" she asked.
The county clerk sighed and tapped his clipboard.
"You have until the end of the week. After that...the county will come in and take her for cremation."
Jade nearly lunged at the man.
"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! If it's a question of space, we've got tons of room! Plenty of open..."
"I'm sorry, Dr. West" he interrupted. "But you of all people know you can't delay this forever."
Unless she went with the complex (and costly) process of cryogenics, keeping Donna in stasis for longer stretches of time would be impossible. He was a prick, but he was right. Jade couldn't hold onto her anymore. It was miraculous she was able to stave off decomposition for this long!
"But..."
He just gave her an apologetic look, straightened up his white-collar shirt, and left.
Beck parked and the two sat in the car for a moment.
"That was pretty badass," he nodded. "How Jade swooped in and stitched you back together."
He saw her blush and brush back a lock of her hair.
(Wait...)
"Do you talk to Jade at all?" Tori asked.
(Oh, no.)
"Um, sometimes...I..."
Tori whipped her head around to face her partner.
"She doesn't...uh...mention me, does she?"
(What the - There's no way I can know two!)
"You know, uh..." Beck struggled to respond. "She might have but I don't pay too much attention if there's food. Sorry."
There was that deflated look again, just like back at the motel when she opened the door. Beck was picking up on her body language and she was giving off a vibe. A very specific vibe. He wondered if she was expecting Jade behind that door as her ride, just like how she came to her rescue that night?
Beck decided one thing at a time. First, Tori needed to get to this meeting and while he waited for his partner, he could sit on this hypothesis.
"Enough dilly-dally!" he grinned. "Let's go inside."
They entered the precinct and Tori caught a few scant glances in her direction. She knew that was going to happen. Beck hung back, leaning against the corner of a desk down from the corridor leading to the chief's office. Tori looked back with a worried expression and the bloke gave an encouraging thumbs up. She accepted the gesture and knocked on the door.
"COME IN!"
She slowly turned the knob and stood in the frame.
"Good day, chief..." the Latina shrugged.
Helen looked up with a smirk. Her pupils dilated at the obvious cover on Tori's battle scar.
"Vega! Sit down," she indicated to the chair opposite her desk.
Tori took a seat and coughed.
"The man in black called you?"
"Um, yes" Tori nodded.
"A moment," Helen grinned before pressing a button. "Sikowitz! Could you send Agent Crowley to my office please?"
The man uttered something unintelligible that the chief appeared to understand and clicked off.
"Before he gets here, I wanted to talk to you, woman to woman. Okay?"
The tan woman moved her nervous hands up and down the armrests of the chair. All Tori could do was nod.
"I'm sorry about what happened before," she admitted. "I didn't appreciate my hand getting forced by some government stooge."
"I'm...sorry, too..." Tori sighed. "I didn't want you to think I was...hiding something."
The chief sat back and folded her arms.
"I won't lie; I was a little hurt at first. But..." she opened her hand. "You didn't know if you could discuss that whole...mess."
Helen stood up and walked around to sit on her desk, towering over the seated Tori.
"Just want you to know we're all glad you're not dead," she smiled resting a hand on her shoulder. "Especially me."
The moment was disrupted by the sudden opening of the door and the emergence of Agent Crowley. His crinkled features were formed in a more pleasant demeanor.
"Ah, Tori!"
He swiftly closed the door and leaned against it, so they weren't disturbed.
"I appreciate you coming down here so we could clear this matter up."
"Clear...what up?" asked Tori.
"It's come to our attention that the men who spoke less favorably of you were not on the up and up."
Crowley locked eyes with Helen.
"She's being nice," he elaborated. "The agents who handled you...essentially cooked up this mission as a boondoggle to cover their tracks."
Tori's eyes were the size of dinner plates.
Over the course of their conversation, Tori would learn that an even bigger authority in the Bureau was launching their own probe. And Agents Lloyd Philips along with Ron Ford were going to be among the corrupt exposed. So, Tori was their way to infiltrate Leonardo Ruzzolini's business enterprise to remove any evidence of their involvement. Now that the undercover case had gone up in smoke, their only Hail Mary was to discredit Tori Vega. Her being summoned to Langley was handled with a certain discretion, so it took time for them to learn that she was no longer in L.A.
Once the Feds came on board with the Langley murder case, which was possibly connected to the disappearance of the Bellevue Belles, Tori's name came up on their radar. So, the dirty agents got to work making it look like Tori was the corrupt one. Since this whole thing was off the books and unsanctioned by the FBI, they could easily deny any involvement. Had they gone after Tori back home, there would be no shortage of rotten cops who would gladly defile her reputation.
Not like Langley, where the crew was warming up to her.
She ran her hands through her long hair, taking this all in.
"Holy shit!"
"At least one man in Los Angeles came to bat for you," Crowley smirked. "We really shouldn't have let you go."
Tori looked around at the both of them.
"So...?"
"Chief Dubois can be the first to tell you I am a stubborn son of a bitch."
"I mean your words..." she shrugged.
"But..." the man huffed. "I man of honor admits when he made a mistake. We'd like for you to come back on the investigation." He turned to Helen. "If the chief agrees to it, of course."
She gave him the side eye.
"I would be honored." Helen turned to Tori. "Fresh tomorrow?"
Tori got up quickly from her chair, wanting to hug her superior but hesitated just in time for a civil handshake.
"Absolutely, ma'am!" she beamed. "Thank you." Tori turned to the agent. "And thank you, too."
"Nailing that maniac is all the thanks I want. And we need all the good cops we can get!"
She appreciated the sentiment and thanked them again before slipping out the door.
Tori's progress was impeded by the presence of Andre and Beck.
"Are we back?" asked Andre.
"We're back!" Tori shouted, hugging them both.
In her excitement, she nearly missed a familiar face in the distance walking through.
"JADE!"
The blonde's face tightened at the waving Latina. Now that the boys saw her, too she begrudgingly came closer.
"Hey, Jade" nodded Andre.
"What you doing here?" Beck asked.
The doctor huffed and brushed back a strand of her hair.
"Fighting with the county. Why are we all happy?"
"Chica here just got reinstated."
Jade regarded Andre in disbelief and then focused on Tori.
"Really? That's great."
Beck came around and huddle his partners together, one on each arm.
"We gotta celebrate tonight!"
"Good idea!" added Andre. "You wanna come with, Jade?"
She rubbed her hands together, trying not to look Tori in the eye.
Beck made eye contact with Andre and while the girls weren't looking, made a gesture with his fingers that they should split. He looked at the Canadian confused.
"Oh, maybe you two should go ahead because Andre and I have that...thing."
Andre mouthed the word "thing?"
"Didn't Traylor say she needed help moving her stuff?"
At last, his fellow detective understood the subterfuge and played along.
"That's right!" Andre playfully smacked his forehead. "I'd forget my feet if they weren't...erm...you good to go?"
Beck nodded and the guys rushed away, leaving the women. Jade shook her head and followed them. She grabbed Beck by the arm and turned him around forcefully.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she shout-whispered.
"Keeping a promise," he shrugged.
Blue eyes blinked in rapid succession.
"What promise?" Jade pressed.
"I'm sending a nice girl your way," Beck replied with a wink and in her daze slipped out of her grip. "By the way, I gave Tori a lift so you're gonna have to take her home, BYEEEEE!"
Jade's hands rested on her hips as he vanished out the door.
The medical examiner returned to a bemused Tori leaning against the wall.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing," sighed Jade. "The dumbass twins are trying to play matchmaker."
Tori's brow lifted.
"What now?"
"They...uh...they thought it would be funny if we went...together, just the two of us."
The taller woman licked her lips in deep thought.
"You know...if I asked you out...then we wouldn't be playing their little game. Technically."
If it wouldn't warrant looks from people, Jade would have slapped herself in disbelief.
"Jade..." Tori cleared her throat before going on. "Would you have dinner with me?" She held up her hands. "It doesn't have to be a date-date. It can just be two friends getting some food. You're probably hungry; I know I'm starving!"
Jade stared at the floor for a second and dared to see Tori's face.
"I... could eat."
Her rumbling stomach made her blush.
"Okay, okay, I'm hungry too."
Thirty minutes later, the cop and the medical examiner were sitting at Prima Bistro, one of the nicest restaurants on Whidbey Island. It was a bit of a drive on their part, but both were craving something different. They were seated at one of the outdoor tables where they got a spectacular view of the setting sun.
"This place good, huh?" Tori asked.
"I love it!" Jade grinned. "They've also got plenty of vegan options if that's your thing."
Tori picked up her menu and perused through it. She felt a bit intimidated just from the appetizers, with items like chicken liver mousse and burgundy snails.
Jade sensed her slight unease.
"You okay over there?"
"Looking for a starter but this is more gourmet than I expected..." she chuckled nervously.
"How about...ah...the chickpea fries?" Jade suggested. "They serve them with a curry mayonnaise. So good!"
The Latina nodded and agreed to try it. As for the entree, given the heavy amount of seafood choices, Tori settled on fish. She ordered the trout grenobloise while Jade chose the lamb burger. Both ladies kicked things off with a Caesar salad and their appetizer, which Tori ended up enjoying.
Jade looked up from her nearly finished greens and propped her head on her raised arm.
"Tori?"
"Yeah?" she asked, still chewing her lettuce.
"What made you want to ask me out...other than spite?"
The brunette finished chewing and swallowed her food.
"To be honest..." Tori chuckled. "Between being sent away in disgrace, the Grim Reaper winking at me for the second time this year AND getting exonerated...all in the span of a week...I dunno...I'm kind of riding a high right now, so figured I'd shoot my shot."
Jade bit her lip, impressed by the cop's frankness.
"Do the boys do this a lot?" Tori questioned.
The medical examiner shook her head.
"No fucking way!" she smirked.
Tori thought back on her little talk with Andre during breakfast. She surmised that Jade must have had a similar conversation with Beck and these two detectives shared a brain cell and figured pairing these two regulars would create magic?
"I'm not...that upset they meddled...the morons..." Jade sighed.
"Seeing that I asked you on out to dinner and you accepted with little fighting," Tori scrunched up her face. "Seems that we're both fruity and should just relax."
Jade had to admit she was right. Now that all cards were on the table, the vibe got calmer.
"Tori...I... I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I am sorry about before."
Tori pointed to her bandage.
"Between this and saying yes to dinner, I think we're square." Tori smiled before sipping her iced tea. "Though I might have shot myself in the foot. I set the bar pretty high by having my first real date with a doctor!"
The pale woman turned red.
"I'm...you're first? That's kind of..."
"Sad?" Tori offered.
"I was gonna say sweet," Jade corrected. "Was that a... recent epiphany?"
The tan woman scratched her head.
"Pretty much. I suspected for some time and only in the last couple of years did I start to... believe it."
Jade sat back in her chair.
"I've known since I was a preteen that I was different from the other girls... in that I was interested in... other girls."
Tori laughed and started stacking their empty plates, making room for their main dishes which were approaching.
"Since you weren't a late bloomer like me..." the brunette began as they politely thanked their server. "You must have been on a ton of dates."
"And a ton of failures," Jade sighed.
The rainbow trout seared to perfection beneath her face smelled captivating, the brown butter sauce giving in that something extra. Meanwhile, Jade's lamb burger was served open, with the arugula and sauce on the top bun and next to it was the bottom bun holding the meat and finely diced onions and tomatoes. It, too smelled amazing.
But Tori ignored her plate for the moment and focused on Jade's remark.
"What do you mean?"
Jade rubbed the wooden table with her finger, playing with the condensation left by her ice-cold water.
"They oftentimes fizzle out after a few dates, that person didn't turn out who you thought they were. But the ones that really hurt..." she sighed. "Are those longer ones. The ones where you let down your defenses, give over your very being. And then you find out she was less mature than you thought and couldn't handle being her true self."
"That's pretty specific," Tori noted.
"And recent," Jade added.
Tori looked down at her hand and really wanted to hold it but was worried that was overstepping boundaries too soon.
"Probably wasn't as bad as what I did," Tori admitted. "I'm sure you saw that picture."
Jade bit her lip, understanding there was only one picture she would be referring to.
"Yeah?"
"Keeping a long story short... I was undercover to infiltrate this crime family, or so I was led to think."
The blonde tilted her head.
"Anyway," Tori continued. "Through dumb luck, I met the boss's younger sister, Rosalinda. And it turned out she developed... feelings for me."
Jade saw how this was troubling Tori so.
"I was stupid not to see the signals but when she tried to kiss me, it was too big to ignore. Then I felt this... horrible guilt."
"But why?"
Tori gave her a sad look.
"The last thing I wanted to do was toy with this girl's emotions. This had nothing to do with the case I was assigned, she had no part in this. But I thought through being acquaintances, maybe friends, I could get intel. But when I saw her feelings toward me... my first instinct was to shut this down."
"How did it happen?" Jade asked. "I mean, how did you let her down gently?"
Tori hugged herself.
"Didn't get the chance, actually. Someone tried to run us off the road and, in my haste, I outed myself as a cop to get an ambulance. That's how she found out the truth."
"Ooof!"
Tori looked off to the side, getting lost in the colorful sky as the sun started to vanish.
"We should eat, Jade. Wouldn't want dinner to get cold."
She was going to say something but reluctantly went along with Tori's suggestion.
Fifteen minutes later, when they were just about finished, Jade's phone made a strange noise.
"What was that?"
"That's... the app..." she reached for her cell, looking concerned. "For the Ring Camera to my front door."
"Someone's at your house?" Tori asked, leaning in. "Like right now?"
Jade held up a finger while she waited for the app to boot up and show the live feed.
"Jade? Jade, are you home?"
"Wendy, I'm out. W-W-What's the matter?"
"Please, help me! I took Bones out real quick and locked myself out. The baby's asleep upstairs, I'm freaking out right now!"
Tori caught onto the situation and called over for the check. Jade was still entrenched in her frenzied talk with her neighbor, so she couldn't protest Tori paying for dinner. She shot the detective an eye, letting her know she saw that.
"Give me ten, fifteen tops! Okay, bye!"
Jade pocketed her phone.
"Up for a detour?" she asked Tori.
It was a nice change of pace for Tori not to be leaking precious blood from the head whilst in Jade's car this time.
The Latina didn't notice any stains in the interior. She would have felt bad had she stained Jade's ride. Blood is a bitch to get out, particularly certain materials.
On the way to her place, Jade explained that Wendy was a single mom who works out of her home, so babysitting isn't always needed. But she clicked with Jade out of all of their neighbors. Wendy gave her a key for emergencies as she felt nervous raising her son all alone. It was a shame because from what Jade observed, Wendy was devoted to that boy and they never had to want for anything. She was very fortunate that her business allowed her to work remotely, and it paid well enough.
Jade accepted the key and after all this time, an emergency just came up. It was a better scenario than Jade having to let herself in because she could hear crying and no audible signs of Wendy, like she was hurt and couldn't respond. That kid of hers could sleep through a thunderstorm and was likely still in dream land. But she understood the young mother's worry.
Wendy graciously took the key and thanked Jade as she ran back home, Bones following her wagging his tail. Tori frowned when she lost her friend. She had fun petting the golden retriever. Now, she just looked around the grounds, admiring the serene setup of Jade's abode. She craned her neck and thought she saw the back yard ending at a point. Tori wondered where that led.
"Sorry about the sudden crisis," Jade shrugged.
Tori waved her off.
"It's cool. Hope she's better now."
Jade looked back in the direction of her next-door neighbor.
"Wendy's good people," she nodded. "Did you want to come in?"
"Uh...sure."
Jade stepped to the front door and opened it with her keys, switching on the lights on the way in.
"Oh, this is nice!" remarked Tori. "Love the hardwood floors."
She emphasized this by paying close attention to her footsteps echoing in the large room. Tori stopped at the stone fireplace. which was elevated a foot from the floor. That was useful as you didn't need to get on the floor to experience the full heat of the flame. Her eyes were drawn to the mantle jutting out of the stonework, the only bit of wood in the piece not intended to be burned.
A few framed photos were propped up on display. Tori smirked at the slightly younger Jade standing in her cap and gown with her high school diploma. The blue getup complimented her eyes beautifully. A lovely older woman had her arm around her, smiling even wider that the graduate. There were more pictures that had this woman, or Jade or both of them.
"Is that your mom?"
The lack of an answer gave Tori pause. She cursed herself for possibly committing a blunder.
"No, actually..." Jade finally sighed. "That's...my aunt Beverly. She died a year ago."
Tori went back to the graduation photo.
"I'm...so sorry, Jade."
The blonde got beside her.
"Don't be. I'm not. I mean I miss her a lot. But she was one of those people that...that..."
"She was a privilege to know?" Tori smiled.
"Exactly," Jade sighed, fingering the framed photo. "I really don't wish to get into it, but my mom died when I was born and my dad...he went off the deep end, let's just leave it at that."
The Latina couldn't help but focus on the forlorn expression on the doctor's face.
"She was all the family I could ask for."
"You Aunt Bev sounded wonderful," Tori bumped her shoulder. "I... lost my mom, too. But I was much older."
Jade wiped her eye.
"Your dad still around?"
"You mean the chief of police?" Tori smirked. "My boss back in L.A.? Yeah, he's in the picture."
Jade wandered over to the couch but sat in front of it rather than on it. Tori followed suit.
"You're lucky to still have him, you know. And at least you've got your mom's memories. Wish I could've gotten to know mine."
Tori reached out to her but Jade's cell ringing deflated the moment.
"Who's this?" The blonde's face scrunched up at the strange number and then something clicked. "Oh, wait! Sorry, gotta take this."
The cop made the lip lock signal that she would be quiet.
"Hello? Yes, this is she...I..."
Tori couldn't make out anything being said, but the voice on the other line sounded very upset. After a few seconds, Jade stood up, leaving Tori behind. She just looked on, monitoring Jade's mannerisms to infer the progression of the conversation.
"Hold on, but why...what? ...don't you..."
She seemed upset because the medical examiner started pacing intently around the house, moving from room to room. Jade's voice was going in and out, so Tori was losing what little context she was trying to make out. But her raised voice let her know this wasn't going well.
"Hello?" Jade stomped back into the living room. "HELLO? HELLO!"
"Hung up?" Tori asked cautiously.
Jade made a guttural noise of total displeasure and threw her phone at the couch, which bounced on the cushion.
"What happened?" she asked.
The woman started to cry and saw Tori taking her free hanging hand. Soft coaxing made Jade come back down to Tori's level.
"Who was that?"
Jade cleared her throat, obviously upset.
"There...there was a Jane Doe that was found a while back. I worked on trying to find her identity in my spare time until I finally got a break. Now, I just contacted her mother and..."
"And what, Jade?" Tori pressed.
Tears began to slide down the pale woman's face.
"She said that her daughter was an abomination and refuses to accept any responsibility to her!"
Tori had heard some incredible things, but this took the cake.
"Why would she say that?"
Jade leaned her head against the tan woman's shoulder.
"According to a friend of hers, she came out as gay and her family disowned her. Even in death, they won't come around."
The cop could not wrap her head around how a mother could react in such a way toward their child. She never had such a talk with her dad, but then again, such a thing was never an issue with him. And it certainly wouldn't had been a dealbreaker.
Tori saw how devastated Jade was at this young woman who died. She had no connection to her other than she was another human being. Of course, being queer like her played a part but she observed the way Jade dropped everything to help her neighbor and the care she gave when tending to her injury. Tori couldn't believe she thought this woman had no heart. Quite the opposite.
"Hey, listen..." she said, putting an arm around her. "That lady was an asshole. She doesn't deserve to be a mother. If life were fair, you would have been that girl's mother."
Jade blinked. It was an odd thing to say but it felt genuine coming from her.
"Neither of us are mothers, so how would you know?" Jade countered.
"I can just tell. You've got a good heart."
[FLASHBACK]
"Come on, Jade!"
She turned to see her auntie shaking her head.
"I already know you want to be a doctor but what about beyond school?"
"What do you mean?" Jade asked.
"I don't know...maybe one day you'll want to get married."
Jade laughed.
"Married? Me?"
"Why not? It's legal..." she hesitated for a second. "It's mostly legal."
Jade shook her head and sat on the couch.
"Okay, devil's advocate...what if your future wifey wants kids?"
"WHAT?"
"It could happen!" Bev shrugged. "What would you do?"
"I..."
"Yes, I know silly," she smirked. "But there's adoption, donors and who knows what science will come up with years from now?"
"But what if I'm not...what if I'm not mom material."
She sat next to her niece and hugged her.
"Only you can make that decision, but if you were to ask me...I think you are."
"Really?"
Bev beamed and pointed at Jade's ribs.
"You've got a good heart. That's the most important part."
[END OF FLASHBACK]
Blue eyes shifted to the brown eyes just above her.
"Jade?"
She lifted herself up and kissed Tori briefly on the mouth. Her breath ran out, her face looking tense.
"I'm...I'm sorry..."
Tori leaned down and kissed her back.
Nothing more was said at this point. Jade's hands fiddled with Tori's long hair while Tori's hands held Jade's form close. Their lips barely parted, only sporadically coming up for air. They couldn't recall if a fire was started because things were heating up as far as they were concerned.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked, cupping her powdery cheeks.
Jade bit her bottom lip.
"Are you?" Jade asked back.
They both chuckled at how they were more worried about the other.
"You need to go back to the motel?" Jade asked with sad eyes.
"I kind of...don't want to leave," Tori admitted.
Thin hands gripped Tori's waist.
"Then don't."