Light Of My Life

Water And Tears

Devyn releases a stuttering breath and closes her door back quietly, heart beating rapidly in her chest. Moving down the hall, she knocks on the door two down from her own and waits until it creaks open slightly, stopped by the rusty, gold chain lock.

"Hi, Mrs. Gordon," She greets the older lady who looks at her with squinted eyes. She doesn't like many people, but Devyn often helps her with her groceries so she's on her good side. Or so she hopes. "Um, so sorry to bother you, but...I locked myself out of my apartment and my phones dead. I was wondering if I could just charge it real quick."

"I suppose," The woman sighs, closing her door in order to unlock it before she reopens it, stepping aside to let Devyn in.

"Thank you so much." Devyn smiles and enters, immediately going to an outlet. She pulls her charger from her purse and plugs her phone in, waiting anxiously for it to come on.

When the screen finally lights up, she sighs but any relief she feels plummets when she sees three missed calls from her lawyer. She had been expecting it, but still. With shaky hands, Devyn calls her back.

"Devyn, I've be-"

"He's out, isn't he?" Devyn cuts her off, tension freezing her entire body.

"I didn't find out until after, I promise. And I tried to call you. Devyn, I'm so sorry."

"My phone died," Devyn says weakly but that's not what she's thinking about. She pulls her purse, and the gun inside, closer towards her. "I have to go."

"Devyn, I-" Hanging up the phone before the other woman can finish, Devyn unplugs her phone and shoves it along with her charger and into her purse. Jumping to her feet, Devyn stiffly thanks Mrs. Gordon before leaving the older woman's apartment. She peaks into the hallway, looking both ways before quietly making her way to the stairs, hand resting inside her bag.

When she exits the building, she's shocked when water pours down on her. She hadn't even noticed it had started raining. Ignoring the weather, Devyn makes her way to her car, looking around constantly as she does. She checks the vehicle before climbing in and starting it, pulling out on the street.

She doesn't bother pulling out her phone again. It's old, the battery probably died again the moment she unplugged it.

The drive is much longer than she remembers. Devyn pulls into the driveway and parks her car, checking out the window before jumping from her vehicle and rushing towards the door. She knocks loudly before stepping back to wait, glancing over her shoulder periodically.

"Miller?" Richard opens his front door, eyebrows furrowed when he sees his partner standing on his porch, soaked from the rain.

"I'm sorry," She apologizes before anything else and looks over her shoulder for the umpteenth time just as her eyes start to burn. "Can I-can I stay here? For tonight? Spencer's gone and I don't have anywhere else to go." Devyn hopes he doesn't hear the way her voice cracks.

"Yeah, kid," Richard nods and waves her in. "Come on, you'll get sick."

Devyn sniffs and walks into the foyer, wiping her face, water dripping from her clothes and onto the floor. "I'm sorry," She says again but this time, she breaks. A sob breaks its way out of her throat and she lifts her hand to cover her mouth, muffling the sound.

"Okay, okay," She hears Richard say, a little awkwardly. Not that she blames him. But despite this, he wraps his arms around her, ignoring her wet close as he pulls her to him. "It's okay, tell me what's wrong." Devyn doesn't answer him but continues to cry into his chest while his hand rubs up and down her back. She hadn't even felt like crying until she got here, she'd felt frozen ever since she got to her apartment but now...now that she's in a safe place, she can't stop herself.

"Point me in the direction of the person who needs their ass kicked," Devyn lets out a choked laugh but there's no humor behind it. She lets go of her white-knuckled grip on the back of Richard's shirt and wipes her face clumsily. "Come on, let's get you dry. Don't want you catching a cold."

Grabbing a towel, Richard sets it over Devyn's head and ruffles her hair with it, smiling when she snorts. "Here," He then hands her some sweat pants and a T-shirt that she accepts before locking herself in the bathroom.

Rubbing his forehead, Richard sighs and falls back onto the couch, waiting. He's not sure how he expected his night to go, but finding the closest person he has to family soaked and crying on his porch was not one of those ways.

He remembers when he first met Devyn. Her cheery attitude was wafting off of her in waves, her smiles making her eyes shine bright. It had annoyed him endlessly at first along with her tendency to rambling but now, he can't imagine going without those things.

The bathroom door opens almost silently. Richard looks up from his hands to see Devyn slowly walking towards him, her arms folded over her stomach. His clothes are much too big for her, the fabric swallowing her petite frame, making her look even younger than she is.

Pushing himself to his feet, Richard grabs the blanket from the back of the couch and wraps it around her shoulders. "There. Better?" Devyn nods with a hum, eyes down. "Let's sit down." Moving with him, Devyn sits on the couch sideways and leans against the back, folding herself into the blanket around her.

Richard matches her position but doesn't say anything. Instead, he watches her pick at the edge of the blanket.

"What was her name?" Richard is thrown by the question but he doesn't let it show. He looks off to the side and purses his lips.

"Sam," He whispers after a moment, clearing his throat when his voice comes out rough. Devyn wonders how long it's been since he's said it. "She was adamant about that. She...she hated being called Samantha." He shakes his head with a small, sad smile. "She was very stubborn. A lot like you."

Devyn looks down again and doesn't push. He told her more than she thought he would, she doesn't want to risk upsetting him. Any more than she already has, at least.

"My dad got let out of prison today," She figures she owes him an explanation. The words come out much easier than she expects them to and she feels lighter. Like holding that information to herself was this heavyweight but now that someone else knows, it's not so hard to carry. "And he knows where I live, so," Devyn clears her throat and shrugs, picking at her nails.

"You think he'll try to contact you?"

"I think he already has," Contact isn't the right word but Devyn's glad it's the one he used. "When I got home, my door was unlocked. Evidence that it had been picked." Devyn takes a deep breath in through her nose and lets it out through her mouth. "I didn't even go inside, I just left."

"Good," Devyn's eyes flicker up to Richard's, the man's emotions skillfully hidden. "You're staying here or with Spencer until you find a new place."

"Rich, you don't-"

"You're staying here," Richard cuts her off, voice leaving no room for argument. Devyn sighs and deflates further into the couch. "It's late, have you eaten?"

"Not exactly hungry," Devyn whispers, clutching the blanket around her tighter.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," She admits with a small nod. "But I don't-I don't..."

"Want to watch tv?" Looking up through her lashes, Devyn meets Richard's eyes and nods. The man twists on the couch before grabbing the remote and Devyn moves closer to him, stopping when her shoulder meets his.

__________

1. Richard is just the best, isn't he?
2. Well, Devyn's dad is out, I wonder what that means for her future. Any ideas?
3. Again, I bring up this moment with Richard. It was one I had in mind this entire story. I was so excited to write it! And I'm happy with how it turned out.
4. Richard is just so caring and kind. But also a little unsure when it comes to showing his emotions. Probably because of things in his past.
5. With this new information, do you guys have any new thoughts and theories?

Thank you guys for reading! There's so much more coming! Lots of angst and hurt/comfort! I hope you guys are ready for some heartbreaking stuff. But there's also good things so don't worry to much...or maybe you should.

___

'-'