A/N: Hey guys, the last chapter was just way to long so I split it into 2 and put a quick recap at the top, italicized. Hope you enjoy! :)
Suddenly the sound of broken glass came from behind her, catching Eleanor's attention. She quickly levitated a gun to her hand and turned, pointing it at the stranger.
The man emerged from the shadows, revealing his face... Diego
Eleanor took a sigh of relief before dropping the gun and releasing her tight grip on Sarah.
"Ellie," Diego began softly, as to not startle the weeping girl. "What happened?"
"I...I don't know. I was supposed to meet...her here, but I was late." Eleanor began, finding herself unable to say Sarah's name.
Diego quickly glanced to the woman Eleanor was near, putting together that it was her friend. He gave her a sympathetic frown before crouching down near her and holding her gently in his arms.
Eleanor allowed herself to cry as she held the man close. "It's okay, Ellie. It's okay." Diego soothed, as he rubbed a comforting hand along her back, like he used to do when they were kids.
The familiar gesture lessened Eleanor's tears as she eventually pulled away from him. Diego helped her up, keeping his hand protectively around her waist.
Eleanor would have blushed at the gesture, but she was to distraught to even realize it. Instead, she stared blankly into nothingness, letting her sorrow consume her as it had when Ben died.
Diego gave her a worried glance, as he looked around the now destroyed dinner, before coming to a realization.
"Eleanor was supposed to be here."
Diego suddenly held the girl tighter, catching her attention. She looked to the man, reading his mind for the first time in nearly a decade.
"Yeah, but I wasn't." She reassured him, yet he still held a fearful look at the mere idea of losing her.
"If it wasn't for what happened at the house, you would have been on time...you would have died..." he began, rubbing a shakey hand down his face.
Before Eleanor could say anymore, a noise emerged from the back room. Diego protectively pushed Eleanor behind him while grabbing a knife from his pocket.
"Who's there?" He called out, as an older woman came into view.
"Agnes?" Eleanor asked, with a small smile as she moved in front of Diego.
"Eleanor! Thank god you weren't here!" She exclaimed as they took each other in a warm embrace.
"I should have. I was late." Eleanor said guilty, but Agnes was quick to speak up.
"Nonsense. If you were here, you could have died." She said before releasing from the girl.
"Sarah's..." Eleanor began, but found herself unable to finish the sentence.
"I know honey, I'm so sorry. I know how close you two were." Agnes said comfortingly as Eleanor quickly wiped a few tears from her eyes.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Diego asked, in an effort to remove the image of a dead Eleanor from his mind.
"Well sure. Are you with the police?" She asked hesitantly as she looked him up and down. "Yes I am ma'am." Diego lied and Eleanor caught on.
"He's the best on the force." Eleanor said proudly, causing Agnes to immediately trust the man. After asking a few questions, the sound of sirens echoed in the distance.
"That's our que." Diego said, while grabbing Eleanor's hand in his own.
"Thank you for your time ma'am." Diego told Agnes, heading towards the back exit.
"Bye Agnes!" Eleanor called out, before they ended up in a back alley.
"Let's go back to the academy and get you cleaned up, alright?" Diego said comfortingly and Eleanor nodded, still numb from the situation.
Suddenly a woman approached them with an unamused look on her face.
"Shit - hang on. Let me..." Diego began, but was cut off by a shock coursing through his body.
He fell to the ground, as Eleanor looked at the woman, stunned.
"What the hell!" She said, but before she could do anything, she too was tased.
The woman quickly picked the two up, handcuffing them. "You don't talk to my witnesses, understand?" She asked bitterly.
"Let me catch you up to speed, Eudora." Diego taunted, catching Eleanor's attention.
"Eudora?" She thought to herself. "Does Diego know her?"
"Don't call me that!" She shouted and Diego smiled, unfazed.
"Right, Detective Patch. What, are we going to keep things professional?"
"I don't know if we ever agreed on much." The detective began, turning Diego around.
"We agreed on some things." Diego added with a wink.
"Did we really though?" She asked as she began patting him down.
"I'm confiscating this." She said, while holding a police radio.
"Military surplus. They're practically giving them away."
"And this."
"No skin, super cheap. Bought it on eBay." Diego said nonchalantly and Eleanor laughed to herself, finally catching Eudora's attention.
"Who's she?" The detective asked coldly and Eleanor blushed, unsure of what to say. Diego quickly noticed her uncomfortableness and spoke up.
"This is Eleanor." He said proudly and the detective's face softened.
"Oh Eleanor, I've heard so much about you! I wish we could have met under better circumstances." Eudora said genuinely and Eleanor smiled to herself at the thought that Diego mentioned her.
Eleanor continued to pat down Diego before pulling out a mask. "That, you can keep." Diego smirked before replying.
"You used to like that."
"Not anymore." She said seriously, while placing the pair into a police car.
Eleanor immediately tensed up, realizing how close Patch and Diego really were. Just because she didn't date anyone else doesn't mean he couldn't. And she couldn't find it in herself to blame Eudora, so she just sat there sadly in the back of the police car, beside the man she once loved.
"Hey, you okay?" Diego asked worriedly and Eleanor nodded smally.
"As good as one can be." She joked, but fully meaning it.
"I'm sorry about your friend." Diego said sincerely and Eleanor looked down sadly.
"Thanks." She said shortly in an effort to contain her tears.
"She seemed like a good person." He added and Eleanor smiled to herself, remembering all of her times with Sarah.
"She was...she really was. After my accident, Sarah helped me recover and become a psychiatrist. I wouldn't be here without her." Eleanor admitted, letting a few details slip about her time away from the academy.
"Ellie, about your accident, what happened?" Diego questioned, but before she could answer, the car stopped at the police station and the two were forced out.
He sighed to himself before walking up the familiar steps to Eudora's desk. Eleanor followed closely behind as she suddenly realized the gravity of this situation.
"Oh god..." she began, catching Diego's attention.
"What's wrong?" He asked with a look of concern.
"I've never been arrested before." She said fearfully and Diego let out a small laugh.
"Don't worry Ellie, it's just Patch. She'll let us go, trust me." He calmed her and the girl let out a sigh of relief.
The two sat in a chair beside the desk, waiting for the detective. Eleanor nervously tapped her foot as she felt the voices begin to consume her.
"I can't believe I let Alex drag me into this."
"Hey honey, yeah I'll be leaving in about an hour or so...love you too."
"Where's that file for the Brandosa case?"
"Marissa better pay my bail or I'm breaking up with her..."
"Is it time to go home yet?"
Eleanor sighed as she held her head in her hands, with Diego quickly taking notice.
"You alright?" He asked worriedly and she mistakingly nodded her head, only worsening the pain.
"Yeah, just a headache." She said but he knew what she meant.
"Have they been bad lately?" He wondered, having not seen the girl in years.
"Yeah...ever since my accident it's like everything has been dialed up to 11." She said with a pained laugh, only causing the man to worry more.
"Why don't you do those exercises to calm your mind like you practiced when we were kids." He offered, desperate to help.
"They don't work anymore." Eleanor said quickly, rubbing her head once more.
"They only work when I do it with you." She admitted, before looking up at him.
Diego smirked, realizing the effect he had on the girl. "Alright, let's see if I remember this then." Diego began as he spoke softly into her ear.
"Close you eyes and take a deep breath." Diego began calmly and Eleanor followed.
"Good." He smiled, before continuing.
"Now think of the last time that you were happy and felt serene. Do you have the place?" He asked and Eleanor silently nodded her head.
"Now tell me about it. Where are you? Who are you with? How old are you? What does it feel like?" He questioned, staring intently at the girl.
"I'm on the rooftop of the academy and it's nighttime. I'm with you and we're 16. We were laying down and looking up at the stars, making stories up to go with the constellations we saw." She began and Diego looked at her in shock.
"Was the last time that she was happy really with me? And was it really 13 years ago?"
He thought to himself, slightly blushing at the fact that her happiest memory is with him, but worried that she hadn't had another one since.
"Keep going." He said, wanting her to retell the day he remembered so vividly.
"We has snuck out in the middle of the night and were nervous that Dad would catch us, but I didn't really care because spending time with you was worth any punishment. And it was cold, really cold, so you put your arm around me and we snuggled up against each other, just watching the stary night sky. And you said something..." Eleanor trailed off, trying to remember the boy's words.
"Oh, I remember! You said that you were looking at 'the most beautiful thing in the world.'" Eleanor concluded, smiling at the memory.
Diego remembered that day fondly, having always treasured those secret moments with her. But little did Eleanor know, that Diego wasn't looking at the stars....
He was only looking at her.
Eleanor eventually opened her eyes again to see a smiling Diego.
"Better?" He asked and she nodded happily, finally feeling a true sense of calmness for the first time in years.
"Uncuff them." Patch ordered a cop as she made her way to her desk with a file in her hand. The officer released Eleanor and then Diego from their chains.
Eleanor rubbed her raw wrists while Diego quickly grabbed the file off of Patch's desk, reading it.
"Thanks Rodriguez." Diego called out and the man smiled before returning to his duties.
"How many people do you know here?" Eleanor asked him, but before he could answer, Patch yanked the file from his hands.
"So, did you talk to the tow truck guy?" Diego asked, but Patch held a stern stare.
"Shut up and listen carefully." She began seriously, causing Eleanor to gulp loudly.
"The next time you interfere in one of my investigations, you so much as breathe on one of my witnesses, or touch a piece of evidence, I'll charge you with obstruction of justice." She threatened, causing Diego to roll his eyes sarcastically.
"You will do jail time. Clear?" She asked and Eleanor punched Diego lightly in the arm, prompting him to behave. He looked at Eleanor for a moment, before back to the detective.
"You need to relax, Eudora. All this bureaucracy is get-" he began, but Patch quickly cut him off.
"Don't call me that."
"Look, I know you. You like playing by the rules, but you live for putting the scumbags away." Diego said, causing Eudora to look at him.
"So why don't you put that badge down for one night...and come out on the streets with us. Without all this bullshit." Diego offered and Eleanor looked at him, confused.
"Us?" She questioned and he glanced at her before back at Eudora.
"Yeah, you and me." He clarified, as if it were obvious. Eleanor suddenly looked down, trying to hide her now rosy cheeks.
"You're right, that sounds super fun." Patch began, causing Diego to smile widely.
"But I think you missed some things when you got yourself thrown out of the police academy, so let me explain." The detective said, catching Eleanor's attention.
"Diego was kicked out of the police academy?" She wondered to herself as she stared curiously at the man beside her.
Diego felt her stare and looked down, embarrassed that she found out this way.
"This bullshit is what gets convictions in a court of law. What you do out there is a fantasy. I would love to play cops and robbers, wear a mask, feel important, but guess what? Recess is over. It's grown-up time. You're still trying to prove that when you were kids, running around in those stupid uniforms, that it wasn't for nothing." Eudora said, as Diego avoided making eye contact.
"Yeah...I know you too, Diego. Now leave before I change my mind." He sighed as he got up from the chair. He leaned towards Patch to tell her something, but she merely put a hand up to silence him.
Eleanor suddenly found a strong aversion for the girl at her excessive ridicule of Diego. "Come on Di, let's go." Eleanor said, using her nickname for man.
Eleanor glared at the detective as they began to walk away, when she felt a warm sensation on her hand. She looked down and saw that Diego was holding it, sending butterflies to her stomach.
She could finally be at ease again. She had the love of her life back, she had her Diego back and nothing could ever take that away.
Or so she thought...
A/N: How do you guys feel about Patch? Comment your opinions :)