"-Don't ever scare me like that again! She said, hitting him with her fist one last time
-Owe will you cut it out? What did I ddo?
-Making me believe it's Manny they founnd! It's not him! He was wearing a blue pair of jeans and a gray tee shirt. He spilled his soup and had to change"
Elizabeth heard everyone sigh of relief and Lucky passed a nervous hand in his hair. She always loved when he did that, his hand stopping to scratch the back of his head. And this time was no different. Audrey said she would make some coffee and Elizabeth went in the living room to answer the door. 4 policemen entered and Lucky greeted them like old friends, getting Elizabeth jealous of their obvious closeness. He took them in the kitchen where Audrey gave them coffee and something to eat. Lucky saw that Elizabeth was still not back in the kitchen. He excused himself and went to look for her, finding her sitting on the porch, her arms around her knees, her eyes looking at the stars. The breeze was gently moving her hair, and Lucky had to take a deep breath, trying to repress the feelings he thought were long buried.
"-What are you doing out here alone? He asked and he saw her jump
-You startled me! She said, a hand on her heart
-Sorry about that. You'd think I'd knoow by now not to sneak up on you. Want some company?
-Sure. Think you can take my mind off of what's going on long enough for me to relax?
-I can try. You're grandmother is in tthe kitchen with Frank, and the guys, I think we are safe out here for now. Marcus can fill them in on what's going on.
-So.... She started, tell me about youurself
-Myself? Ok, let's see. My name is Luucas Lorenzo Spencer Junior but I go by the name of Lucky...
-LUCKY! She said, laughing. I mean, iit has been two years since I saw you last time, what happened in your life since then?
-Why didn't you say that in the first pplace? He said, playfully. I thought I had to refresh your memory, in case you forgot about me.
-Never. So, when did you become Taggerrt's partner?
-Almost right out of the Academy. We wwere working on hostage situation, and I was working along with Taggert and Garcia. I was in my blue uniform, which I hated, and then the guy we were trying to catch said he would come out and leave the woman alone right? So we were all in our position, this guy comes out and starts shooting at everybody. Garcia got hit, Lucky said, sad, so I went in the backyard, entered the house, got out by the front door. The guy hadn't seen me yet, so I moved on him, jumped for his throat and got him down, while Taggert came to take him away. We couldn't save Alex, and a couple of days later, when it was time for Taggert to get a new partner, he said he wouldn't work with anyone but me, cause he knew I'd have the guts to risk my life to save his.
-Wow, little Lucky actually a hero huh?? Asked Elizabeth, while she shoved him with her shoulder
-Just doing my job. He answered, modesst.
-I still don't understand why you becamme a cop in the first place. It's so risky
-I get to beat up some of the bad guys!! He said, laughing. Seriously, it was something I had to do. You know, after you got raped, I felt so helpless, there wasn't anything I could do. Well, being a cop, I actually help getting these bastards off the streets.
-Yeah but working with Taggert? You ussed to hate him
-He's not that bad once you get to knoww him. He still gets on my nerves sometimes though.
-What does he do?
-Well, I remember this one time, We arrrested this rapist caught in action, and I swear I wanted to rip his heart out. Marcus kept telling me to calm down but I wouldn't, so, before I could do anything, he handcuffed me to a chair."
Elizabeth bursted out laughing, and Lucky was laughing as well. Liz said she would get some coffee and he could tell her why after. Lucky was looking at the stars, remembering the night after Tom's trial when they went to the park and she said the stars were beautiful, and he answered, but he was looking at her. Never, since that night, had he been able to look at the stars without thinking about her, and how she looked like an angel. He heard her come back and she gave him a cup of coffee. She sat down next to him.
"-Ok, now, why did he tie you to the chair?
-Well, remember that night we wanted too trap Murty? Well he saw I calmed down as soon as he did that, so he figured I'd calm down this time too. He said when two cops had a partnership there was always one good cop and one bad cop, and as long as I wouldn't let him be the bad cop I would stay tied to the chair. He said no one would take his job away from him, especially not a rookie."
Elizabeth was laughing from the heart, saying it did sound like Taggert. Lucky was looking at her with a smile. He was starting to realized how much he had miss her. When he left her two years ago, he jumped two feet in his work, studying like crazy, working extra hours in the school cafeteria, plus his job on week-ends at Jason's garage. Everything was good enough for him not to think. Thinking meant remembering, remembering meant hurting, and hurting, for him, meant dying. Now, seeing her for the first time in over 730 days, was like finally seeing the light after a lifetime of darkness.
He saw her shiver from a breeze and took his coat off. Without asking her permission he threw it over her shoulder and closed it front the front. Elizabeth smiled at him and took a sip of coffee.
"-I hope wherever Manny is he's not cold, she said, her voice filled with sadness
-Honey, he said gently, I'm sure he isnn't. If he has been kidnapped, normally people take kids his age to make up for a child they lost at some point. So I'm sure wherever he is, he's probably in a bed with a warm blanket."
Elizabeth started to cry gently and looked at her watch. Manny had been missing for more than 10 hours already. Lucky wanted to take her in his arms to console her, but he didn't know if he should. Elizabeth took the decision for him, as she put her head on his shoulder and her arm around his waist. He gently put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to him, her tears soaking his white shirt. He was gently stroking her hair, trying to calm his heart down, cursing himself to think about how good it felt to have her in his arms, while the boy she considered as her own was missing.
Lucky's heart just shattered in a million pieces when he thought about that and he violently pushed the thought in the back of his mind. No, not tonight. He wouldn't go there tonight, not with Elizabeth in his arms like that. He worked two years to be able to live his life normally, this was not the time nor place to live in the past. Elizabeth needed him, badly, and he would be there for her. This was about her and what she was going through, not what they went through together.
"-Lucky can you come in a minute? He heard
-Be right there. Lucky looked at Elizaabeth. I'll be right back"
He saw her reluctantly pull away from him, letting him get up.
Elizabeth saw him leave and started to cry again. She didn't want to be close to him, she didn't want him to console her, she didn't want to feel his arms around her. She threw his coat on the floor. She didn't want to smell his spicy odor, the one she liked so much. It was all over her now, making her head spin faster than a day on the roller coaster. When Lucky came back on the porch he found Elizabeth lying there, unconscious.
He took her in his arms, still amazed at how light she was. He gently put her on the couch, and sat there, waiting for her to wake up. When she finally came to, it was to see Lucky gently brushing her hair out of her face.
"-Well hello there sleepy head, he said gently, almost whispering. Welcome back. You ok?"
Elizabeth tried to sit down but her head started spinning, and Lucky helped her down again.
"-Take it easy now Elizabeth. You don't wanna hurt yourself and not be able to greet Manny welcome back now do you?
-What did they want?
-Frank and his partner are going home. If you're sure you're ok, I'm gonna go and check the backyard one more time
-I'm Ok
-Ok, I'll see you in a moment"
Elizabeth put her head back on the arm of the couch, suddenly so tired she could barely keep her eyes opened. She was drifting into a light sleep when she heard chairs moving in the kitchen and people agitating. She quickly got up to see what was going on and saw Lucky entering by the patio door, his face all read from the effort, carrying an unconscious 5 year old boy, wearing blue jeans and a gray tee-shirt, the boy's head hanging backwards, both his arms over Lucky's arms.
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