*~*~*Short Stories with Sky*~*~* (Comments Welcome)

[violeta.]

You are an awsome writer, I hope I can write like you one day

[SkySmoke]

You are an awsome writer, I hope I can write like you one day

Aww, well thank you for the compliment <3 I'm glad you enjoy the stories

[violeta.]

It is my pleasure, I have this page bookmarked for whenever you come out with more stories, I can read them. These are so good and the most recent one made me cry, in a good way!

[SkySmoke]

Blake (♂)**********************************************************Anastasia(♀)

“Anastasia! Come on! This looks awesome!”

Blake ran ahead of her, clutching his arrow and plastic pumpkin tightly as he headed for the entrance to the haunted house in front of them. Anastasia tugged nervously at the edges of her maroon princess dress. She was still annoyed at their parents for dressing them in the same theme. Blake was a medieval knight and she was a princess. They had been best friends since preschool and everyone swore they were going to get married someday. Every Halloween their moms thought it was the cutest thing to dress them in something that made them a pair and take pictures, even though they were in 4th grade now and perfectly capable of picking their own costumes. She was pulled out of her daydream by Blake’s hand on her arm.

“Stac! Come on!” He tugged her forward and she hesitated.

“Blake…you go….I’m…tired” She mumbled, stubbornly not wanting to admit she was scared. He knew anyways, he always knew.

“No, you have to come with me. It won’t be the same. Besides, its my job to protect you. I’m the knight and you’re the princess, remember?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes, then grew serious.

“I don’t know…”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll go in front, that way the monsters get me first. I’ll even hold your hand.”

She crinkled her nose at him, then huffed.

“Fine, but I’m not holding your hand.”

He beamed a smile at her and they headed towards the entrance. As they waited in line Anastasia could hear people screaming inside. By the time it was their turn she was terrified and she reached out and grabbed Blake’s hand as they walked thought the door. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand as the first monster ran at them.

He kept his promise and didn’t let go of her hand through the whole haunted house and he had stayed in front of her, even when she was pretty sure he was scared. They ran out the exit and breathlessly chose a candy bar from the table as their prize for making it through.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” Blake said with a laugh, his voice a little shaky. Anastasia smiled at him.

“Thanks for being there for me Blake.”

“I’ll always be here for you Stac, that’s what best friends are for.”



Its when we are at our weakest when feelings we thought we had under control come crashing down around us and make us forget how to breathe…



It was always him that she called when her world was falling apart and tonight was no exception. The past week had been horrible and tonight when her boyfriend had broken up with her had been the last straw. She picked up the phone and dialed his number without thinking. They were will close but hadn’t spoken in months. They had tried dating for a few months before he broke it off, saying she would always be like a sister to him.

“Stac! Its been too long.” His familiar voice greeted her with the nickname only he was allowed to use and her muffled crying was the only response that would come out.

“Uh oh. Are you at home?”

“Mhmm.”

“I’ll be over in a little bit, okay?”

“Mkay.”

She hung up the phone and tucked her legs underneath her on the couch to wait for him. About twenty minutes later her doorbell rang and she shuffled to the door. She opened it and was immediately pulled into his arms. She went willingly and let herself cry against him, her body shaking with her sobs, but she didn’t care. He had seen her worse than this.

Somehow he guided both of them to the couch where she curled up against his side as her crying subsided. She loved the fact that he didn’t bombard her with questions and just let her cry. Sometimes he never asked what was wrong, and she never told him. He just knew she needed someone and that was all that mattered.

“Thanks Blake.” She sniffled, not wanting to discuss the breakup.

“For what?”

“For being here for me.”

“I’ll always be here for you Stac, that’s what best friends are for.”

She laughed quietly and sat up so she could look at him.

“Do you remember the first time you said that to me?”

“What?”

“That you’ll always be here.”

“I don’t know, sometime when we were little.”

“It was 4th grade Halloween, the year our parents dressed us as a knight and a princess and you led me through the haunted house.”

“Oh! I remember that. You were scared and didn’t want to go. God, our parents made us match for Halloween for years.”

“Yes, they did.” She stood up and picked up a picture off of her mantle. It was of their 4th grade Halloween, at the end of the night. They were standing in Blake’s living room with a pile of candy at their feet, their arms casually draped across each others shoulders, still in costume. She smiled as she handed the picture to him.

“Wow, I can’t believe you still have this. That was forever ago.” He smiled at the memories for a minute and then handed her the picture back, his hand brushing over hers.

“I mean it, you know.”

“Hm?” She set the picture back in its place and sat back down on the couch next to him. He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him.

“That I’ll always be here for you.”

She sighed as she leaned against his side. She thought she was over him, she really did. She had sorted though the mess of her emotions for him and put the ones that weren’t going to go anywhere in their box and filed them away. Moments like these, when he was there for her without question, were the hardest. Most of the time it was easy for her to keep her feeling for him to herself, but when she was in his arms it wasn’t nearly as easy.

“I know you mean it, that’s what best friends are for.”

She was glad she was leaning against him, that way he couldn't see the tears that quietly ran down her face as her heart broke for the second time that day. Yea, she was in love with him, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t feel the same way about her, so there wasn’t much she could do about it. He was her best friend and she wasn’t going to let anything mess that up. She could be friends with someone she was in love with, right?


Blake (♂)**********************************************************Anastasia(♀)

[fifetastic]

I haven't really had time to read all of your stories, but I love your signature. Caught my eye right away. Can't wait for season 4 premiere!

[SkySmoke]

Victoria (Tori) (♀)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nikki(♀)

Its funny how, when looking back, the moments that change your life seem so…well…normal.



“Mind if I sit here?”

I barely heard the voice through the music I was listening to. I blew an annoyed breath up towards my bangs, partly to show my annoyance, and partly to move them out of my face where they always hung. It was an ungodly hot day and I had found a quiet, shady spot on campus to read sitting under a tree alone; something almost unheard of. And now someone wanted to share. I ran my hand through my hair and looked up.

She was standing in the sun, her long black hair pulled back into a braid. The first thing I noticed about her were her eyes; they were gray. Not that light blue that you think of when people say someone has gray eyes either. Hers were honestly gray. I studied her for a moment; people didn’t usually talk to me. She raised one eyebrow at me and pointed at my headphones, asking if I had heard her. I pulled them off of my ears and let them drop around my neck.

“Yea, sure. I guess.” I muttered as I scooted sideways, making room for her to lean up against the tree too.

“Thanks. There isn’t shade anywhere and its just too hot inside.”

“Mhmm.” I nodded my response and pulled my headphones back up over my ears and went back to reading my book.

We sat in silence for about an hour and I had almost forgotten she was there until she tapped my shoulder. I looked at her and lifted one earphone off of my ear.

“Thanks for sharing your spot, I’ve got to get to class.”

“Sure, no problem.”

She stood up and walked away a few steps then turned back.

“My name is Tori.”

I started at her for a second and she sighed and started to walk away.

“I’m Nikki.” I called after her. She turned back and smiled, then headed towards class.



“Mind if I sit here?”

I pushed my hair back out of my face and glanced up at the now familiar gray eyes. I half smiled and rolled my eyes as I scooted over. We’d been sharing “my” spot every afternoon for a week and she still asked. She laughed quietly as she sat down next to me. I glanced sideways at her.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, just wondering if you ever actually smile, that’s all.” She answered without looking at me as she pulled her book out of her bag, folded her legs Indian style, put it in her lap and started reading. We never spoke much, and aside from her name I didn’t know any more about her than I did the first day she sat next to me. I chewed my bottom lip for a second then closed my book and turned to face her. She didn’t notice at first and kept reading, twirling the end of her braid around her finger as she read. She finally felt me watching her and looked up at me.
“What?”

“Why do you always come sit here?”

“Um…its quiet. Every where else people are on their phones or making out with someone…you just sit and read. I can go…if you want me to.”

“No, its not that…I just wondered. What are you reading?”

“Stuff for my law class.”

“Law?”

“Mhmm, I want to be in the FBI.”

“Wow, that’s cool.”

“Really? Most people don’t think so.”

I shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, sudden self conscious for some reason. She smiled and nodded towards my book.

“And you?”

“Oh, I just…its not for a class. I…my classes are writing classes. Nothing interesting.”

“You write?”

“I try.”

“I think its interesting.” I smiled at her and she laughed, “You do smile!”

I bit my bottom lip and looked down at the grass.

“I didn’t think you’d be the shy type.” She said softly, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“I’m…not?”

“Oh, okay.” She raised an eyebrow at me and I shook my head softly as I looked down at my watch. I had about a half an hour until my class and I was starving.

“I’m gonna go grab some food, I’ll…see you around.” I muttered as I stood up.

“I can come with you…if you want?”

“Uh, yea, sure.”

She shoved her book in her back and stood up next to me.

“Just one thing.” She added as she stood. I raised my eyebrows at her, silently asking what.

“You can’t fall in love with me.” I laughed and turned to walk towards the lunch hall.

“Alright, I’ll do my best.” I answered with a sarcastic smile as she came up to walk next to me.


Anyone interested in more?

[SkySmoke]

“Mind if I sit here?”

I rolled my eyes, over exaggerating the motion as I shifted from my spot in the middle of the couch off to one side. She laughed as she flopped down next to me and opened her book. I looked up from my writing and looked out the window of the Rec hall; it was still raining. I became transfixed watching the water run down the windows until she nudged my shoulder. I looked over at her, mildly annoyed at the interruption.

“Don’t you have a paper due tomorrow?” She smirked.

“Yes, but its done. Besides, I like watching the rain. I wish there was a place outside I could sit without getting drenched. I love the sound too.”

“Mhmm, me too.” She smiled at me briefly before opening her book on her lap. I watched her read for a while. We’d been best friends for about a year and it still amazed me that we had gotten as close as we were.

“How goes the police academy research?” She huffed, then closed her book.

“Next month they are taking recruits. I’m nervous. What if I can’t handle it? Or don’t make it?”

I elbowed her softly in the ribcage. She was always doubting herself.

“You’ll do just fine.”

“You always say that.”

“Because its true.”

She stared at me, her gray eyes boring into mine as if searching for some sort of secret or doubt. I raised my eyebrows at her and she laughed.

“Thanks Nik.”

I grumbled at the nickname I hated when used by anyone but her. Then, on impulse, I jumped up off the couch and grabbed her wrist, tugging her up with me.

“What are you…doing?” She muttered as I pulled hard and got her to a standing position.

“Come on, lets have some fun for once. We always study.”

I turned towards the door, dragging her behind me with a death grip on her wrist. She dug her heels into the carpet and stopped me.

“What…..are….we doing?”

“Tori, come on.” I whined and pouted at her, sticking my bottom lip out. She scowled at me, then relented.

“Oh geez fine.”

I beamed a smile at her and drug her out the door. Once we were outside I let go of her wrist and walked out into the pouring rain and turned my face up towards the sky. I was immediately soaked; my hair stuck to the sides of my face and my clothes clung to me. I laughed as I twirled in a circle then turned to look at her.

“Come on!”

“You’ve lost your mind. You’re soaking wet, come back up here.”

“No, come on Tori, its fun!” I emphasized the word by jumping in a rather large puddle and sending a spray of water up around me. I looked back at her,

“Come catch me.”

I teased and went skipping across the lawn of the rec hall, splashing in puddles on the way. She watched me for a second, took a deep breath and walked out into the downpour. I heard her gasp, then laugh as the rain quickly soaked her clothes and hair. She ran to catch up to me and I spun around and kicked water at her.

“You’re nuts, you know that right?” She giggled as she tried to grab my wrist. I twirled away from her, teasing her.

“Yup, but you love me anyhow!”

She caught my wrist mid twirl and pulled me to a stop facing her. Her eyes were more serious than I expected and the look on her face took my breath away. For a moment, nothing existed but the two of us and the pouring rain.

“Yea, I do.” She said softly before dropping my wrist and sprinting across the lawn.

“Your turn to catch me!” She called back, making me wonder what, if anything, had just happened.



“Mind if I sit here?”

“Seriously? Are you ever going to stop asking that?” I muttered as I slid over in the overstuffed chair in her living room that was really only for one person. She wiggled into the space next to me and bumped my shoulder with hers.

“Probably not, at this point its just kind of funny.”

I arched my eyebrows at her and she reached over and pushed my bangs out of my eyes; something she only did when she was concerned that I was upset.

“What’s going on?” She asked softly.

I sighed heavily. I really shouldn’t be doing this here. She had just graduated the police academy and this was her celebration party. I had put on a happy face, but after a while I just needed to be away. I had left the backyard quietly but she noticed; she always noticed.

“Its nothing, go back to your party.”

“Its not the same without you. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”

I flinched at the words and she furrowed her eyebrows together.

“Come on Nik, talk to me.”

“I just…I’m scared. Its real now, ya know?”

“What is?”

“You…being a police officer. I mean, I knew its what you wanted. I know what you want after this is the FBI, but…it was never real before. Now it is. You’re really going to be out there, getting shot at. People are going to try to kill you Tori…”

“I know that. I can’t promise you I’m not going to get hurt. All I can say is that I’ll go out there and do my best to make it back every day.”

I bit my lip and stared at my hands folded in my lap. I was happy for her, I honestly was. But she was my best friend, and had been for 3 years. The thought of losing her… the thought of wondering about losing her every day…was daunting. She watched me quietly then reached out and put her finger under my chin and turned my face towards hers.

“Hey…I know its going to take getting used to, but this is what I really want. And I want you to be okay with it.”

I nodded sofly.

“I am…its just…new is all. I’ll get used to it. Just…”

“I know, and I’ll do my best. That’s all I can promise you.”

“Alright. Lets get back to your party then.”

She smiled at me and stood up from the chair then took my hand and pulled me back out into her backyard.

[SkySmoke]

“Mind if I sit here?”

This time it was me asking her, and she half smiled at the inside joke and scooted over on the hospital bed, wincing at the pain. I sat down on the edge, next to her hip, and looked at the bandage on her shoulder. Neither of us spoke for a while and she reached over and laced her fingers between mine.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. I raised my eyebrows at her.

“For what?”

“This. Getting shot.”

“It wasn’t your fault, and you’re going to be okay, that’s all that matters.”

“I know, but I know it scared you. And…I promised that-”

“Of course it scares me, and you promised that you’d do your best. Unless you jumped in front of the guy and yelled please shoot me, then its not your fault.”

“I’m gonna go back ya know.”

“To what?”

“Being a cop. This could happen again…it probably will happen again.”

“I know. I wouldn’t expect you to quit. You’ll go back to being a cop, you’ll end up in the FBI, just like you’ve wanted to. And I’ll go back to worrying.”

She smiled at me then loosened her fingers from mine and slapped me on the arm.

“I wish you wouldn’t worry.”

“That’s like asking me not to breathe. Its not as bad now as it was the first year, but I’m always going to worry. You’re my best friend, I love you.”

She bit her lip and looked away from me, her gray eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn’t read clearly. Over the years of being her friend I had learned to just let her have her space, that she would talk when she was ready to. After a few minutes she spoke softly, still not looking at me but staring out the window instead.

“Do you remember the first day we met?”

“Yes, you wanted to share my shady spot to read.”

“Mhmm, and do you remember later that week, the first time we got lunch together?”

“Yea…Tori…”

“Do you remember me telling you not to fall in love with me?”

I looked down at my hands. I remembered the conversation quite clearly because in the moment I thought she was nuts. I had never had feelings for a girl before, so when I agreed not to fall in love with her I had viewed it all as a joke. Now, after knowing her for years, it was a different story. It always felt like our friendship had blurred the line between friendship and something more. I had never said anything to her, or even hinted at it, for fear of ruining the friendship. Every time I dated anyone I found myself constantly comparing them to her, and no one ever measured up. I looked up from my hands to find her watching me.

“Yea, I remember.”

A smile slowly spread across her face.

“Yea well, I wish you would have given me the same warning.”

“Wait…what?”

“You heard me…you didn’t warn me that I’d fall in love with you.” Her tone seemed a cross between angry and something I couldn’t place, but all I could do was stare at her.

“I don’t want to do this to you….” She said so softly I could barely hear her, but I could tell she was fighting back tears.

“Do what to me Tori?” She sighed heavily and pushed herself up into a more seating position.

“This. Us. Whatever we are. When I chose this career path, I…never wanted anyone else. Not as a significant other. I never wanted to put anyone through that. The constant worrying. The wondering if I’m coming home at night. Wondering if I’m going to get shot, stabbed or otherwise hurt. I didn’t want to worry about who I would be leaving behind. And now…that its you…I don’t want this for you.”

“You don’t really have a choice.”

“What?”

“You can’t chose who cares about you. Who worries about you. It doesn’t work like that. I’ve been worried about you since the day you graduated the academy.”

“Yea…I remember but…”

“No, no buts. And…friend or…otherwise, I would worry the same.”

“So…does this mean that we’re…” She bit her lip and blushed, something she rarely did, and I laughed.

“Us…yea, I guess it does.” She reached for my hand and weaved her fingers between mine again.

“Good, I’m glad.”

“Yea, me too.”



“Hey babe, mind if I sit here?”

I blinked a few times and opened my eyes halfway to find her standing at the end of the couch, still in her uniform. I grumbled as I sat up, dragging the blankets with me as I looked at the clock. It was 2am. She sat down next to me and I curled up against her side.

“You okay?” I asked, still somewhat groggy.

“Mhmm, tough case. Sorry its so late.” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and rested her chin on the top of my head.
“Its okay. You’re home, that’s all the matters.” She laughed softly.

“We caught the guy today. The one who has been killing the kids.” Her voice took on the exhausted tone it always did at the end of a case she had closed but still wasn’t happy with the results. I knew it well; it was used often ever since she had become a homicide detective.

“At least he can’t hurt anyone else.”

“I know…but I just keep thinking…had I been faster, better, smarter…I might have saved one more-”

“Shhh. None of that. Come on, lets go to bed.”

I untangled myself from her arm and the blankets and stood up, tugging her arm for her to follow me. She followed me silently to the bedroom, then closed the bathroom door behind her and I crawled into bed while she changed and showered. She climbed into bed and curled up next to me, her head resting on my shoulder.

“You’re good at what you do. And you’ll be good at being an FBI agent too, so stop doubting yourself.”

I spoke quietly, running my fingers though her hair. She planned on applying for the FBI in a few months. It was something we were both nervous about; for different reasons. She was afraid she wasn’t good enough, and in a sense, I was afraid that she was. She smiled at me and leaned up to kiss me softly.

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too, even though you’ve told me not to.”

[SkySmoke]

“Mind if I sit here?”

She leaned down and draped her arms around my neck, kissing it softly as she murmured the words against my skin.

“Hmm, do I ever?”

She ran her hand through my hair as she walked around the couch and flopped down next to me.

“Strange sense of déjà vu?”

I laughed softly. We were in her parents living room, at yet another celebratory dinner. This time it was for her making it into the FBI. She had been assigned to the office in Los Angeles and we were leaving the next day. Her family and friends had all gathered at her parents house to say congratulations and goodbye; chances were that we would be in LA for 3 or 4 years at least. I was happy for her, but I had gotten tired of being social and had quietly drifted to the living room. As always, she had noticed.

“Yea, a little bit. Only they don’t have that big comfy chair anymore.”

“Nope. Are you doing okay?”

“Yea, I’m alright.”

“You’re lying.”

“Maybe a little.”

She sighed deeply and leaned against my shoulder. I rested my head against the top of hers and braced myself for the discussion that was coming.

“You know, I wouldn’t blame you if you ever said you couldn’t do it anymore.” She whispered and my heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t the usual discussion where she said she wished I didn’t worry. I sat up and moved away from her so she would turn and look at me. Her eyes met mine and I just blinked at her for a minute.

“Wh-what?”

“I wouldn’t be mad…I would understand if you ever said you couldn’t handle this anymore. The worry, the waiting, the not knowing, the stress.”

“You mean…leaving you?”

“Yea…”

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unsure of how to respond.

“I couldn’t…I would never…”

“No, I’m not saying that I think you want to, I’m just…I just want you to know that I would understand if you did.”

“I would never want to. I chose this. Us. You . Knowing what you wanted to do with your life. I went into it understanding what it meant, what I would have to learn to deal with-”

“You couldn’t have known, not entirely, not until you lived it.”
“Maybe not entirely, but I had and idea, and I know now. I’ve lived it for years.”

“This will be different though, the FBI is different than being a cop. Its more dangerous, and I don’t want this for you…I never have.”

“I know that, and I don’t care. I want you. I love you…despite of all of this…and because of all of it at the same time.”

She chewed her bottom lip as she stared at her hands.

“Do you realize how proud I am of you?” I asked quietly. She softly shook her head no. “Well I am. This is what you’ve always wanted, and you’ve done it. Tomorrow we go to LA and you get to do the job you’ve been talking about since the day we met. You’ve been shot, more than once. You’ve gone though some rough times, but you never gave up. And now you’re right where you wanted to be.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you…”

“Yes you would have. You would have done it all on your own. That’s just how you are.”

“No, you believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. You have no idea how much that made a difference.”

I reached across the space between us and took her hand in mine, which made her look up at me.

“I’m not going anywhere. I want this and I’m in it for the long haul. You’re worth it, all of it. The sleepless nights, the waiting up on the couch, the worry when I know you’re working on a tough case. Sitting by your hospital bed after you’ve been shot waiting for you to wake up. All of it, and then some. So don’t even tell me that it would be okay to walk away.”

As I spoke tears ran slowly down her face as the truth of what I had said settled in. I reached out and wiped them away with my thumb as I smiled.

“Got it?”

“Yea, I got it.”



“Mind if I sit here?”

I asked quietly, hoping to make her smile. Her only response was to mumble something and scoot over on the couch and make room for me. I sat down next to her and she quietly curled up against my side. I wrapped my arms around her, at a complete loss for anything to say, so I just held her. She was quiet for a while, then started talking, so softly I had to strain to hear.

“We had him…everything was going according to plan…and then everything went wrong. The power in the warehouse went out, a car accident down the street took out a pole…and in that split second he pulled his gun and started firing. Reynolds was the closest to him…and he was using armor piercing bullets. They tried to catch him, but he got away…”

Her story drifted into silence and I knew she was crying. Just like I knew Reynolds, her partner, hadn’t made it. It was a case they had been working on for months. A huge drug bust and they had brought in eighty members of one of the biggest drug rings in the city by finding their main manufacturing warehouse and raiding it, but the ring leader had gotten away and shot a few agents in the process. I ran my fingers through her hair, waiting for her to finish.

“I couldn’t…Reynolds was down but I went after him anyways. Someone else was with Reynolds but…we chased him though most of the warehouse but it was dark and he kept shooting back at us…Warren went down in front of me and then he made it to the door. I just…I keep replaying it in my head trying to figure out what went wrong.”

“You couldn’t have fixed anything…the power going out…that split second. Sometimes that’s all it takes. You know that even more than I do.”

“I know but…”

“You all do your best every time you’re out there, and sometimes things just go wrong. You can’t blame yourself.”

“But Reynolds…his poor wife…and their little girl.”

“I know.”

I sighed and immediately felt guilty at the relief I felt at the fact that she was here and fine as she was telling me the story. The thought that had run though my head was that I was so thankful it wasn’t her.

“I saw his wife…and all I could think of was…it could be you someday…”

“It could be…but today it wasn’t…so lets just be happy with that.”

I felt her nod against me and we sat in silence until I felt her breathing change as she drifted off to sleep

[SkySmoke]

“Mind if I sit here?”

She shook my shoulder gently as she asked. I peeled my eyes lids open and glanced at the clock. 3:00 glared back at me in numbers too bright for the rest of the room. I groaned and scooted over in the bed, making room for her to sit next to me. She sat down and waited for me to wake up because she knew it was useless to talk to me right after waking me up. After a few minutes I pushed myself to a sitting position and yawned as the now too familiar feeling of dread started to settle in my stomach. The only reason she ever woke me up this early is because she had been called away for a case. We had agreed many years ago that, no matter what time it was when she left for work, she would wake me up. We never really discussed why but we both knew it was because it could be the last time we saw each other.

“How long?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“I’m not sure. A week maybe?”

I sighed, louder than I meant to. She had just come home a few days before from a case where she had been gone for a week. She smiled sadly at me and pushed my bangs out of my face.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll come home as soon as I can.”

“I know, its okay. I just miss you is all.”

“I miss you too. Work on your book while I’m gone, I’ll be back before you know it.”

I wrinkled my nose at her. She had been encouraging me to try to get published and my own insecurities were making the process slower than it really needed to be.

“Alright, I will. Stay safe.”

“I’ll do my best.” It was her customary answer and she leaned forward and kissed me, her hand running over my cheek, smiling as she pulled back. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Even though I tell you not to?” She winked at me, trying to lighten my mood before she left.

“Especially because you tell me not to.”



“Do you mind if I sit here?”

Hearing the words from someone other than her felt wrong somehow. I shook my head numbly, tears streaming down my face as I sat on the couch. Agent Duncan sat down on the other end of the couch and watched me, uneasily shifting his weight as he searched for something to say.

I had opened the door and my knees had almost buckled when it saw him standing outside. He was her partner since Reynolds had died a few years ago and I knew another Agent coming to the house could only mean one thing; she was gone. He had reached out to steady me or I probably would have collapsed where I stood.

“Nikki…I’m so sorry…” He whispered after a few minutes of silence. I blinked at him, having almost forgotten he was there.

“What happened?” I managed to choke the words out even though my throat was so tight I felt like I could barely breathe. He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands as he spoke.

“It was a drug bust…the same guy from a few years back. He had started up in a new city, had a couple hundred guys under him again. We…well she…managed to track down their manufacturing warehouse again and we got word of a big move coming up. She was determined to get this guy Nikki. There was information that he was connected to an even bigger, international ring and…after what happened with Reynolds…anyways. We had the place surrounded and it was like the last time…we had a bunch of them, and he broke away from the group. She was the first one to go after him. She fired at him a few times but I’m guessing he had a vest on, because he just kept running…they turned the corner into this room and…he must have had it rigged because the whole thing just exploded. That whole corner of the building went up in flames. And Nikki…I swear, I was about 100 feet behind her…and I wanted to run in there but…the fire…there’s no way. We barely got the rest of the team out before the whole building went up….”

His sentence trailed off into silence and I looked at him to see tears running down his face. Despite my pain, he had lost someone too. A partner and friend. He had been to the house a few times for BBQs, I knew they had gotten along well.

“Thank you Duncan…”

“God Nikki…she loved you so much…I’m so sorry…if you need anything, please call me.”

“Thank you.”

We stood up and he hugged me tightly. I let my head rest on his shoulder for a second before letting go and walking him to the door. He walked out then turned back to face me.

“She really did love you ya know? She always said her reason for doing everything so by the book and making sure she was as safe as she could be was so she could come home to you.”

“I know…I loved her too.”

He nodded quietly then turned and headed down the steps. I watch him go, then slowly closed the door. The click of the lock sounded so loud in the other wise silent house and I rested my forehead against the inside of the door, not wanting to face the rest of the house without her. After a few minutes I turned around and leaned against the door; unable to make my legs carry me anywhere I just slid down the door to the floor and rested my head on my knees as I cried. All I wanted was to curl up against her and have her hold me; realizing I wouldn’t ever be able to again brought on an entirely new wave of tears.