Point of view... of who?
NEVER HAVE I EVER been mistaken. Ever. Everything has all gone to plan since day one. Ten years ago.
She's so clueless, it makes me laugh. She lets herself become naive and spills every little secret. She has had the most horrific past, oh sob sob, and she can't speak. Cry cry.
It's quite pathetic, just as my father has said to her little ear.
Ten years ago.
"You've let her in, you've slept with her, but you let her slip away. That easily? I didn't threaten you for nothing. Did I?" I say with a threatening step towards the quivering Quentin. Gag.
Quentin shakes, and his voice trembles as his eyes look at anything but me, "I-I'm so sorry... I'm sorry! I should've done better. I'll get her back for you. I'll make sure she gets what she deserves from hurting Tanner-"
"Don't say his name!" I scream, kicking him in the gut. He groans and leans forward, the cuffs behind him don't allow him to fall fully forward. He says nothing as he tries to catch his breath over his beaten body.
"I might as well just do this all for myself, shouldn't I? My Mother was right, men are useless," I flip my hair and sigh as I look around my shoulder. Case white cell is catchy. The police do well with case names, but horrible with investigations.
Silence goes over Quentin and me like a blanket. A hot, muggy, annoying blanket you'll kick around in every few seconds. I take my gun out of my holder and cock it. The empty room echoes the sound around the halls. Quentin whimpers and I grin as he shivers. I leave my hand limp at my side, for now.
"When will they start searching here." I ask calmly. I might already know, but Quentin might know more than me.
"T-they will leave in about ten days t-tops. O-on Lawrence's word." Quentin trips and stutters over his sentence and I chuckle, but scowl at the name of Lawrence. Who names their child Lawrence? It's a stupid name and it is withholding someone I despise and I hate it more.
"Great. Her old computer isn't a hard code, can get it in a few minutes tops. She never deletes her history of messages with Tanner. I'll get all the information I need." I start pacing, thinking of my plan in my head. I think I'll hire some goons to shoot the living hell out of Lawrence by making up a case. I think I'll also, oh just for fun, burn her body.
Quentin quivers and a tears hits the floor. He starts moaning grossly. He starts crying out for Lawrence. I giggle and bend down, petting his head.
"There there. You know, before you ever slipped into my hands, you were a nice guy. If you never associated with me in the first place, I would think you could have told Lawrence how much you loved her. Well, for shits and giggles, preferably mine, let me tell you a story about how, ten years ago, my dad killed Tanner accidentally, and I gave him horse pills, and how she was supposed to die. How she was supposed to die, I told him, "Daddy, you need to know something. There's this girl who stole my Tanner, and I want you to make sure she never meets him, or speaks with him, ever again. Don't hurt Tanner." I told him just that. What did he do? He did everything I told him not to do. I told him to kill her, but she lived. And so Daddy died." I laughed.
Quentin had stopped shaking, and he looks at me with anger in his eyes, and he makes sure I'm looking at him when he grins, "Lawrence didn't die because you were stupid. Too stupid to realize she's stronger than you. She could've been healthy, speaking, and with Tanner. But, you were an idiot. I'm glad she's alive, so she can end you-"
Just before he said my name, I shot him. Right in the forehead.
He slumped over, dead. And I stood, with a grim expression on my face.
The plan is making sure that Quentin is positively wrong, and I'll make sure of that.
<<<
>>>
Lawrence's point of view
Five hours earlier
The note trembled in my hands as I handed it to Chief. He took it in an evidence bag and someone led me to the car. I felt uneasy, extremely uneasy and scared. Who did this, why did they need my laptop? Why would they kill my god damn Grandmother?
When I was in my apartment, I closed my door and sunk to the floor. I cried. I haven't cried in so long, and the last time I did was ten years ago. I started crying until I felt nothing but my heart and lungs.
I couldn't handle anything. I tried to be tough, tried so hard. But, there's nothing to be tough for. I feel like the world is against me. I feel like I have nothing but anger and sadness and remorse and just, a long strand of nothing. I wanted to help, but all I was doing is causing problems in the unit.
I started thinking about Quentin. About three years ago when I first walked in the department with my decree in hand and Chief by my side. Quentin and Rachelle greeted me with open arms, and I felt at home. I felt loved at that moment. Quentin and me always had something growing together. I loved him, but didn't know it. He was always smiling and his ego was bigger than his IQ, but he always made me laugh. He'd always look at me like I was a goddess and I looked at him like he was a hero. He saved me from my corner and brought me out step by step. I truly loved him with all my small being, but then, when he kissed me that night three years later, in the ball with his hand on my waist, and my hand on his shoulder, while the other two were holding hands, I kissed him and it felt right. It felt like we have both needed each other, and finally found it.
Hard to say, but I don't regret that night with him. I don't regret letting him twirl me and dip me and feed me the little bite sized fruits while we lived on the champagne that was definitely more expensive than my dress. The best part is the gestures he would do. He would brush his fingers against mine, twirl my hair or touch the small of my back as he led me around. My heart felt like it was going to burst. I smiled at the love we had.
But, during the whole night, there was an edge to him. It seemed like there was an edge to everyone in the room. Something wasn't right. I was too fizzed to ask him, and he soon let it go himself. After the second bottle of champagne, we sang. We hollered and we danced. We kissed and we both sat down lazily on the benches to the gardens behind the mansion. The fountain was a drizzle to our lovely silence. There was his arm placed around my shoulder and the butterflies held captive in my stomach. There was a moment we looked at each other, and we laughed. We started laughing so hard he was rolling and I was clutching my stomach. He hiccuped and he starts shimmying around the garden and it made me laugh harder.
The lights of the memory flooded away as I felt something rustle in my pocket. I dug my hand in it and felt a crumbled piece of paper. I held it in my hand. It was a tad yellow from age, ripped on the sides and words barely intelligible. I realized, this was a note from the night in the case of case white cell the first time I went there. It felt like forever ago, something changed from that first day.
I opened the note, and my eyes widened like saucers. I wiped my eyes, took a quick shower and grabbed a cup of coffee. I put on my uniform and ran out to my car, and to the station.
I tried getting my head away from Quentin as I didn't see him at the meeting. There was two seats empty. One where Quentin sits, and one where Rachelle sits. She doesn't go to the meetings though, she doesn't need too. There's always an empty seat there. She always gets the leftovers from Chief, since she is second in command.
They start looking at the note closely, and start translating and deciphering the code. I'm surrounded by notes, and what's scary is that they're all in the same handwriting. It's familiar handwriting, but I can't put my tongue on it.
Tuning back into the conversation, they look at me at once. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and quickly sit up. My eyes feel red but I don't let it bother me. I look questionably at Chief, and he repeats his question.
"We're going to search the case white cell since the evidence you provided gave us enough to search the area. Since you first found case White Cell, and it's obviously your choice, since of," he clears his throat, "of what happened, would you join case White Cell again and help me lead this big ass case. Would you?"
After all I've been through, after everything this case has brought me, after the heartbreak and the tears, I shouldn't accept this. Something in my gut is screaming no, don't do it. Shake your head and walk away. But I am done running away. That running away thing is pissing me off, and I'm ready to stand up and finish all that has started. Finish what has gotten me off the edge, what has made me fall in love with Quentin and what has happened to my small family, what has happened ten years ago, I feel has led me, no, all of me, to this moment. I nodded, and stood.
"When do you want the search, Commander?" Chief smiled his rare smiles, and everyone who is sitting in the meeting room looks at me with respect in their eyes. It feels like everyone is holding their breath, waiting. I give it to them, I pour my heart and soul out into these words. I let them see who I really am.
"Ten days, Chief. I'll expect us to give it all we've got."
Silence.
Complete silence, throughout the room, and Chief even looks stunned.
Then the clapping starts. All the clapping starts going, and cheers follow short after. Everyone in the room is laughing and cheering and clapping. Chief laughs also and claps with his big hands.
They're clapping for me, for all of us. We're clapping because we're going to win.
And I'm going to make sure I tell my Grandmother and Mother I love them. I love them so much.
Because, I have a feeling we're going into war.
***
A/N: I wanted to mix it up a little, sorry it took fifteen chapters! I wanted to give depth into the situation, and put a bit of realism into Lawrence. She's brave, happy, and all together a real human being with real feelings. She might've had her heart broken, and she might've lost someone whom loved her, but she won't give up. She will never.
Also, who do you think it was who shot Quentin? I have my suspicions...
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