Modern!Laina AU with Agent Lillytiger

[Agent Lilytiger]

Levi pressed into Raina's little peck, then smiled back at her. He felt wrong, like he should be going with her. But she'd asked him not to. He furrowed his brow a bit and looked away, flipping his laptop open again.

[Agent Blackhawk]

Raina smiled a little against Levi's lips and then pulled back completely. She bit her lip as he looked away and returned his attention to his laptop. She could tell he really wanted to go with her, but she just couldn't let him. If he got hurt she'd never forgive herself, and she wanted to talk to Nick privately. "I'll be back in a couple of hours then." She said, turning and walking out after another moment. She took a deep breath and adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she exited the house and started down the street. It didn't take long before she was out of the nice, beachfront part of town and well on her way to her old neighborhood. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap of her bag as she turned into the grittier streets of San Francisco. She was hyper aware as she made her way past shambled houses and storefronts, all sorts of people hanging out in front of them, smoke heavy in the already contaminated air. She just avoided making eye contact and kept walking. She grit her teeth as a couple of guys catcalled her and made a comment or two. Just keep going. It was made a little more bearable by the knowledge that there was a 9-mil in the zipper pocket of her bag. At one point,somebody touched her and she couldn't help but flinch. She eventually made it to her street. She stood in the middle of the cracked pavement for a moment, looking down the line of grimy two stories. She shook her head slightly and headed towards the cemetery.

[Agent Lilytiger]

Levi looked up again as Raina left, part of him desperately wanting to follow her. He held back though, instead deciding to trust her and respect her request. She wanted to see Nick alone, and that was understandable. Other than his desire to make sure she was safe, he had no reason to encroach on her privacy with Nick. Levi looked back to his screen, staring at it blankly for several minutes before getting back to his previous searches.

[Agent Blackhawk]

Raina paused a few yards from the cemetery gate, the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach becoming downright unsettling. She just swallowed and hesitantly approached the yard, hoping that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She knew at least a few people were watching her, hidden by buildings and curtains, but she just forced herself to ignore it. She swung open the gate and headed towards the back, right corner. She suddenly felt awful as she realized she didn't even remember exactly where Nick's grave was. She walked a couple of rows before she spotted the stone with "Nicholas Allen Murphy" carved into it's surface. She hesitated a moment, then took a deep breath and sat down at the base of the stone. It felt as though time was standing still as she sat there, surrounded by dead people. "H-Hey." She finally whispered, her voice shaking for some reason. She reached out and touched the words carved into the stone. "I'm sorry I haven't visited, but it's hard, living half-way across the country and all. I'm here with Levi- well I left Levi at the house, I wanted to talk to you in private. The rest of the band was here too, they were all on a national tour until about ten days ago. You already know Levi and I are dating, have been for a while, and gosh do I love him. But, we got in a fight, Nick, a really big fight. I was stupid and hurt him really badly. I got hit by a car, broke a bunch of stuff, skull and ribs included. It still hurts if I move wrong or breath too deeply, but I haven't told him that yet. I think my rib is going to hurt for the rest of my life. It's kind of a fitting retribution, isn't it? Break his heart, shatter my rib." Raina didn't even care about if anyone was watching her anymore, they couldn't hear. "But when I woke up in the hospital - Saint Francis, again, I don't know why I keep getting stuck in there - he was sitting next to my bed, holding my hand. What did I do to deserve a man who loves me so much? Why didn't he leave? Gosh, I wish you could answer me." Her fingers had started shaking and she twisted them into the dying grass around the grave. "But we talked. We always seem to talk it out. And we did some more talking. We're starting to get really serious. I took him to the Symphony Hall and UN Plaza and Union Square yesterday. And- He bought rings. He bought our rings, Nick. I'm gonna marry him." She'd started tearing up and squeezed her eyes shut to prevent her tears from falling. "I wish you could be there to see it. I mean, he hasn't proposed yet, because we're still in school, but we both know that's our end goal. I just- I just wish you could be there to give me away like you promised you would." She couldn't hold the tears back any longer and few of them spilled onto her cheeks. "I miss you so much, Nick. So much. But I'm still here, I'm still living for you. And now for Levi and the band and- and for myself. I think you'd be proud of me. I hope you are. I'll see you again soon, but for now," She lifted her gaze to the clear blue sky, a few more tears spilling down her cheeks, "for now watch me do what you always told me to do. Watch me rise and conquer."

[Agent Lilytiger]

Levi scrolled through several more articles, then finally set aside his computer. This was going nowhere at the moment, his thoughts too distracted by worrying over Raina. He wanted to text her and make sure she was safe, but also didn't want to disrupt her private moment with Nick. After several minutes of debating with himself, he typed out a quick text. Hey, text me when you're on your way home. Be safe.

[Agent Blackhawk]

Raina talked to Nick for a little while longer about all sorts of things. Little things about Levi, how they and the band were all moving in together, how she was still managing to keep up with her double major, how much she'd loved going on tour. Her phone buzzed, signaling a text. She pulled out the device and looked at Levi's message, opening it so he knew she'd seen it, but not replying. She looked back to Nick's grave. "You would have loved Levi. I think you guys would have been great friends. He- He came with me to your funeral, you know. I didn't even know he was planning on it until he pulled his suitcase out of the car at the airport." She chuckled a little. "You two would have gotten along great." She looked at her phone and noted that she'd been there for nearing two hours already. She touched the words again. "I have to go now, but I'll see you again. I'll call you and leave a message if nothing else." She smiled a tiny bit. "I love you, Nick. I miss you." She pushed herself to her feet, sparing one last look at Nick's grave before walking towards the cemetery gate. She pulled out her phone to text Levi. I'll be home soon, but would it be okay if I stopped at the Murphys' and invited them to dinner?

[Agent Lilytiger]

Levi spend most of his alone time wandering about the empty beach house, tidying up a little and trying to find things to do. He eventually just flopped on the couch and turned on Netflix on his laptop, starting the next episode of Castle, which he still hadn't finished. He was halfway through when his phone buzzed, and he grabbed it to reply to Raina. He smiled and tapped out his response. Okay, good. I missed you. And yes, please do! You can show off your impressive college cooking skills.

[Agent Blackhawk]

Raina paused with her hand on the cemetery gate, looking back one last time before stepping out and heading down the sidewalk towards the Murphy's. She wanted to see if they still had Nick's violin if nothing else. She pulled out her phone to look at Levi's text, smiling slightly. I missed you too. I'll see you soon. It only took a few minutes before she was knocking on the Murphys' door. It cracked open and a tiny face appeared in the crack. Raina smiled a little. "Hey, Ella. Can I talk to your parents?" The little girl grinned and ran back into the house shouting something about "RayRay's here! Mom, Dad RayRay wants to talk to you!" Raina couldn't help but chuckle a little. A minute or two later, Elaine pulled open the door and pulled Raina into a hug. "I didn't know you were in town! Come in!" Raina hesitantly stepped into the entryway. "Yeah, I came with my boyfriend and his band on tour. We-" Elaine cut her off. "Oh you have a boyfriend now! That's wonderful! Is it that nice young man you brought with you when- well you know. What's his name again, Liam?" Raina spared another chuckle. "Levi. And yes, as a matter of fact, it is him. Anyway's, we're staying in Mrs. Overshea's beach rental and we wanted to invite you and Phillip and all the kids to dinner tonight." Elaine smiled. "That would be lovely, dear. What time?" Raina shrugged. "Around six I guess." She hesitated. "Do- um- do you still have Nick's violin?" Elaine nodded. "Would you mind bringing it? It's been a long while since I last played." Elaine nodded again. Raina offered a small smile and stepped out the door. "I'll see you tonight." "Alright, dear, be safe." Raina couldn't help but look a couple houses down to see the dirty yellow house she'd spent so many years in. She shuddered and pulled out her phone. Dinner's a go. They'll be over around 6. I'm coming home now.

[Agent Lilytiger]

Levi glanced down at his phone as it buzzed again, smiling a little. He continued to patter around the house for a while longer, then decided to wait outside for Raina. He sat on the bench swing facing the beach, staring out over the ocean with a smile as he just contemplated just how happy he was with his life. Several minutes later his phone buzzed once again, and he checked the screen, then typed out a short reply. Awesome! See you soon.

[Agent Blackhawk]

Raina waited until Levi texted back before heading back down the sidewalk. She didn't trust not paying attention in this part of town. She bit her lip, the completely unsettled feeling making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up again. She took a deep breath and just kept walking, hoping and praying that she wasn't about to get jumped. She froze as she heard the all too familiar click of a handgun being cocked. She took another deep breath and slowly turned around, raising her hands. She shouldn't have been surprised that this had happened. "I don't have anything valuable on me." She said, eyeing the person for a moment. They looked so familiar. A firm hand clamped around her shoulder and she winched. "You're-" the man paused mid-sentence. "Harden." Raina was nearly frozen in fear as she looked up into the gnarly face of a stout man. "Mercer." She said nervously. "Let me go." Mercer, the big guy, shook his head and grinned. "Where'd you run off to? We liked getting our shipments from you. And then you stopped coming. The boss wasn't too happy when he went three weeks without new coke." Raina bit her lip again. "Well tell him I'm sorry." Mercer released her shoulder and cracked his knuckles and Raina suddenly knew exactly what was about to go down. The guy who had held the gun had stashed it and was now holding her hands behind her back. She bit her lip as the first punch connected with her face. Thankfully, Mercer was in a good mood and only landed a few blows on her body before the other guy dropped her onto the pavement. She groaned and curled up, her already injured body on fire. "I wouldn't come back without some protection." He growled as the stepped over her and vanished into an alley. She just laid there for a minute, trying to catch her breath back. She finally forced herself off the sidewalk and continued back towards the beach.