Jason Richards (![]() ![]() @ 2012-05-02 21:12:00 |
![]() |
|||
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Entry tags: | #group scene, 10.06.11, chloe, jason, xander |
Which Daughter?
Who: Xander and Jason (with a guest appearance by Chloe)
What: Coming clean
When: Thursday Evening
Where: The precinct
Warnings: Talk of drug and alcohol abuse, violence and death
Xander wasn't exactly sure that what he was doing was the smartest thing in the world, but by the time he really started thinking about it, he was already walking into the precinct. He still smelled partly of weed since he'd been sitting in his car, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been had he not showered earlier. Going to talk to a lion detective while smelling like pot, especially when you wanted to date his daughter, was stupid. Even for someone as withdrawn from reality as Xander Russo.
Still, his feet carried him forward to the desk clerk and he drew in a breath. "I need to speak with Detective Jason Richards." he said with a little sigh. He didn't give a reasoning and simply tucked his hands into his pockets and waited for the clerk to retrieve Charlie's father. He wasn't really sure what he'd say or how he'd explain everything and was pretty sure that Charlie's dad was going to tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine and to get the fuck out of his face. Either way he wasn't about to show up to this party thing on Saturday and drop the bomb then. That was just ridiculous. He wanted to be a man about it and the best way to be a man was to come clean about your issues face to face.
Jason was hoping whoever was here had a tip on his case. It was dead. He’d been going over everything again and time had gotten away from him. Nothing was standing out and he was beyond frustrated with it. He hurried to the desk, his hopes rising even as he saw the scruffy kid standing there. “I’m Detective Richards,” he said, holding out his hand. “Can I help you?”
Xander took the offered hand, gripping it fairly firmly and giving it a brief shake before letting his hand slide away and be tucked into his pocket. "I'm Alexander Russo," he told the man. "Xander," he amended, shaking his head a little as he tried to collect all of his thoughts. Standing before the man, knowing he was a lion, made all of this more difficult. But it was too late to turn back now. "I'm here to talk to you about your daughter," he explained. "So um, can we go somewhere private?"
Most people found Jason intimidating even if they didn’t know he was a lion. Considering the topic at hand, he had reason to worry the massive man might not take too kindly to him. And considering the size of Jason’s arms alone, it was a justifiable concern. “Nice to meet you.” He managed not to growl when he said that and let go of the kid’s hand without applying more pressure than necessary. “Which daughter?” he immediately asked, since it was a legitimate question. Boys usually wanted to talk to him about Chloe, although this kid could have easily been one of Charlie’s friends as well. “Come on,” he added, turning and heading for one of the interview rooms.
"Charlotte," Xander said as he followed the man to the interview room. Once inside, he didn't feel much safer. Privacy wasn't exactly a good thing when you were staring down a lion that was the father of the girl you liked and you had a past and a present as big and horrible as Xander's was. "I like her and I want to date her and she invited me over to this barbeque thing that you're going to be having this weekend, but I wanted to talk to you beforehand because I don't think it's fair to anyone, least of all Charlie, to show up at this big get together and cause a big stir of drama. I'd much rather get it out in the open now rather than later."
That was...not what he was expecting. No boy had ever shown an interest in Charlie yet. He knew this day was coming, but that didn’t mean he was remotely prepared for it. All of that didn’t make a lot of sense and had his back up as a lion and a cop. “Okay,” he said, sitting down at the table. “Sit down, take a deep breath and start over.” That way he could catch up too.
He did as the guy told him to, drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly before sitting down and looking up at the man. "I like your daughter, Charlie," he said first because that was the most important bit of all of this. "And I know that you're a werelion or whatever so you're doing everything but scaring the piss out of me right now, just so you know," he added for good measure because it was taking a hell of a lot of balls to be sitting there in a precinct that made him want to crawl out of his skin.
"So I know that if I show up at this party I'm going to smell like weed because I smoke it," he went on. "And I know that you're a cop so you're not going to be happy about that. And I know that you're gonna pull my rap sheet and find out all you can about me because that's what cop dad's do and you're not going to be happy about all the crap that you're going to find in the records I've got. I just want to be straight with you from the get go because I really like Charlie and I want to do whatever it takes to be able to be with her, even if that means coming in here and fessing up to everything first." Hell, Charlie didn't even know he was here and probably would freak out when she found out, but that was just something he was going to have to deal with.
Actually, it took a lot of balls to approach him for people who didn’t know he was a werelion. He scoffed that admission. At least the kid was honest. “I’m not going to eat you,” he assured him wryly. “People taste terrible and you never know where they’ve been.” Maybe the joke would make the boy relax. He was so nervous he was making Jason twitchy.
His brain was a little frazzled but as the kid talked, things started falling into place. He smelled faintly of weed, like he’d been somewhere where someone had been smoking it recently. His own behavior was more of a dead giveaway though. Jason had worked in vice for a decade. He could spot a junkie at 30 paces most of the time.
He didn’t like what he was hearing, although at least the kid seemed to have some idea of who he was messing with and how much Jason cared about his daughter. “First of all, don’t tell me what I will or will not like,” he began. “Yeah, I know you’re a junkie. But you took a big risk coming here and talking to me. It’s what you’re not telling me yet that I’m concerned about.” Jason didn’t object to a little weed. Except he knew the damage the greater drug trade had done to the world and basically that was why he opposed it. But there was more and he had a feeling it was worse than dope smoking.
At least he wasn't going to eat him. That was better than Xander expected, but he'd only brushed the tip of the iceberg and barely at that. "I drink," he added first. "A lot more than I want to admit and I pop pills." Yeah, this was going towards a negative place very fast. "And I was in a huge legal battle not too long ago involving the death of my father." There, that was it. Everything bad he'd ever done. There wasn't much else he could do but stand there and look up at Jason. It was all really in his hands and Xander was starting to think that maybe he was stupid for showing up like this. "Charlie doesn't know I'm here," he added. "I think she'd probably sock me in the stomach if she thought I'd just show up at the precinct."
Okay, because he hadn’t smoked pot and drank too much in high school? The pills weren’t good, but the rest was pretty run of the middle teenager shit. Not anything he wanted Charlie involved in. Downers weren’t the worst thing for a were, but weed and booze were the gateway. He knew this. The second thing was really bugging the kid and it was what he had to get out of him. Luckily, Xander gave him an opening.
“No, she’d tell me to play nice and not growl at you,” he countered with a wry smile. “Then punch me in the stomach if she thought I was trying to scare you.” He rolled his shoulders. “You want something to drink? I could use a cup of coffee myself.”
Xander had been holding his breath without even realizing it and this guy just smiled and talked about how Charlie would punch him for trying to scare him and it left Xander blinking in disbelief. He almost didn't even hear the question the man asked him, but eventually nodded a little. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Coffee, I could use some coffee." And maybe a double shot of jack to go with it. Fuck.
Yeah, the less he gave this kid a reason to fear him, the easier it would be for Xander to open up to him. He pushed down his parental freak out, reminding himself so far all that was wrong with the kid is was he was a teenage boy who was interested in one of his daughters who popped pills. That was easily solved, even if he wasn’t happy about it. Jason nodded. “I’ll be right back,” he said, taking those few minutes to compose himself and put back on his game face. Yes, he was treating Xander like a reluctant witness. But the kid had something important to get off his chest, something he knew Jason wouldn’t like. So time to get out the kid gloves.
Coming back in, he dropped a cream and sugar dispenser on the table before setting down both cups of coffee. The kid smelled like cigarette smoke. “Are you 18? If so, it’s okay if you smoke in here.” Sometimes letting an interviewee have a smoke and relax was the only way they could get him to open up. Even if he was 18, that meant an 18 year old was chasing after his 15 year old daughter. Jason fought down his instinctual knee jerk reaction to this. It was probably best the kid had confronted him at work. Where it was easier to be professional and harder to hide the body. Smart move.
He sat there alone for a moment and sucked in a few long, drawn out breaths. He had to calm down or he was going to get eaten, even if the guy told him he wasn't. If he didn't chill, he'd never be able to convince this man that he wasn't so bad a guy and wasn't the worst thing for Charlie.
When Jason returned, Xander was a little bit less antsy, but not by much. He shook his head as his fingers slipped around one of the coffee cups. "Not yet," he told him. "November first I will be." He could sure as fuck use a cigarette though. His fingers were itching to go for his pockets to retrieve the pack of smokes, but for now he was able to keep from following his urges.
Seventeen, almost eighteen. That was better. In some ways. Jason set about drowning his coffee in cream and sugar, looking up at Xander. “I can smell it on you,” he said. “Go ahead. I’m not going to tell anyone.” He reached into his pocket and dropped a small metal ashtray on the table. He’d figured the kid would need a smoke.
Taking a drink of his coffee and giving Xander a minute to light up and get calmed down before he started questioning him. “Okay, so tell me about what happened with your dad,” he said. “You came to me, which took a lot of balls. So I want to hear your side before I go digging.”
Xander felt slightly like he was being set up, but that was mostly paranoia and really didn't have all that much to do with Jason. Still, that cigarette in the pack in his pocket was calling his name and he gave in, reaching in to grab the carton and popping said cigarette into his mouth. He replaced the carton in his pocket and collected his lighter and once he'd taken a few drags, he felt a bit more calm. Flicking the ashes in the tray, he let his eyes fall to the table and brushed a hand through his hair. "I killed him," he told him honestly. That was as simple and true as the story could be told. There was more to it than that, however, so he just continued on before Jason could speak.
"I lived in Queens," he explained. "New York," as if that needed to be uttered. "Dad was a drunk, and he beat on my mom and me a lot. We sort of got used to it and then one day I came home and I caught him beating her and it was worse than any other time." He paused and took a drag from the cigarette, closing his eyes and trying not to think about his mother's face or her last dying gasp, but it wasn't that easy. It felt like it was yesterday and not so long ago.
"He'd killed her and I'd walked in on it right as it happened and then he freaked out because I'd caught him. He ran at me and we fought and in the midst of it all I broke my leg and by the end, he was dead." It all sounded like someone else's story. It felt like it couldn't possibly be his history, his truth, but it was. "By the way, I'm a witch," he added with a sigh. "Without the broom, but with the magic and since I was a witch and so were both of my parents it turned into this big fiasco where I was this evil spawn of satan who killed my loving father with my devil's magic." Yeah, he was bitter even now. "I'm sure if you go looking you'll find plenty of articles, but I beat the rap and I'm free and clear." It didn't mean that he wasn't still a killer, capable of horrible things. He doubted he'd want to let himself around a teenage girl if he was in the guy's position.
Jason’s face didn’t betray any emotion when Xander revealed he’d killed his own father. There was more to the story and just by the way he was acting towards Jason from the beginning smacked of prior issues with authority figures.
He couldn’t keep the grim expression from his face as Xander spun a tale of abuse. Yeah, that didn’t surprise him, but it did make him feel for the kid. Culminating with the boy walking in on his father murdering his mother. It was a story Jason had heard before. Read in old case files. There was no reason to disbelieve him.
The rest just made him mad. Not at Xander, but at the DA with an agenda. “Because a history of abuse that culminated in the murder of someone else isn’t obviously self-defense,” he grumbled. “I hope you cursed the damned DA for that shit.” Really, how did he expect to make it stick? The defense attorneys had reasonable doubt written into the thing, even from what he knew. “Sorry, pet peeve. I hate lawyers with an agenda. Especially ones who don’t care who they hurt trying to forward their cause. Which is usually getting a better position and pension.”
This wasn't going the way Xander had thought it would. It sounded like the guy was somewhat on his side, at least as far as the court battle was concerned. Taking another drag to get over the disbelief, he flicked the ashes once more into the ashtray and let out a breath of smoke. "I just wanted to get as far from Queens as I could," he admitted. "Got in touch with this SAO lady that lives here, Phoebe, she got me out of there, back into school and I've got my own place so I guess things are okay now as far as that goes but," he shrugged. "I just want to forget about it and I can't. I can't even breathe without remembering all this shit that I just want to forget ever happened."
That was the reason for the pills, the weed and the booze. It numbed him enough that he could sleep or just forget that he existed for a while. It was easier than dealing with his feelings, easier than talking to some shrink about his problems. "So, am I allowed to come to this barbeque thing or do you think I'm too bad an influence?"
Yes, he was on his side there. The kid was telling the truth. He could tell that from experience alone. He’d double check it just to make sure, but he didn’t doubt Xander’s story. He wasn’t even that bothered by the pot, booze and pills. Xander clearly wasn’t a useless junkie, and he seemed like a good kid who’d had a bad life. He wanted to help him.
He just wished he didn’t want to date Charlie. Because while it probably wouldn’t be much for him to kick the drugs and cut back on the booze, he had a lot of baggage. Charlie was 15 and that was a lot to deal with. “Have you told Charlie all of this?” he asked, avoiding answering the question until he knew if he’d been as straightforward with his daughter. Because he had to be able to be honest with both of them, or the answer was a resounding no.
He let out a breath and nodded a little. "I left out the pills and the booze mostly because she was too busy falling off the swing when I admitted about my dad," he explained. "Guess it came as a surprise, but yeah, I told her. She has a right to know before she gets all mixed up in me and my issues." He was just as worried about Charlie as anything else. She was the important thing in all of this and even though he wanted desperately to be with her, he didn't want to make things hard for her. "I mean I'll tell her about the booze and the pills too, but I want you to know that I wouldn't force anything I do on her. I'm not going to turn her into some junkie, she's too smart for that."
Well, she knew the big thing, that was important. “You need to lose the pills anyway,” he told him honestly. “Cut back on the booze. That’s where it starts, so it’s good to get rid of it now before it’s too late. I don’t know if Charlie told you, but I worked in vice for a decade. I know far too many people who’s lives kind of went like yours, only without having anybody step in and say ‘Stop now’.” He shook his head. “I know you won’t. I know she won’t. I know my daughter better than that. Charlie is too smart for that. And she doesn’t want to deal with me when I found out.” It just went without saying really. Daddy lion was a cop, doing illegal things that he could find out about was just stupid and asking for it.
Jason took another drink of coffee. “Okay, I’ll be straight with you now,” he said. “I don’t like the idea. Not that I think you’re a bad kid. I don’t. You are a good kid who has a had a bad life. But you have a lot of baggage and problems. Which a lot of us do. I have my fair share. But my daughter is fifteen years old. While she’d claw my eyes out for saying it, I’m not sure she can handle this. Not because she’s not strong enough or easily overwhelmed. But because she’s fifteen.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “But I am not going to say no. Because you were straight and upfront with both of us. Because you seem like a good kid. It’s up to you to make sure your baggage gets sorted so that it doesn’t hurt my little girl. Because if you don’t, I will cripple you and let her have you. Understood?”
He couldn't blame the guy for not liking the idea. He'd probably have thought he was fucking ridiculous if he did like the idea, honestly, but he nodded a little at the statement. Charlie was fifteen and he understood that too and his baggage wasn't average 'I've got a crazy ex girlfriend' baggage. It was lawyers and killings and death. Destruction and a shit load of self medication to get through the night. Maybe Charlie wouldn't be able to handle it, but he was glad that Jason was leaving that choice up to her.
He nodded again at that last question. "Understood," he agreed. "I have no intentions of hurting Charlie, directly or indirectly," he assured the man. "I like her and she makes me feel like things can be okay," he said, though that last bit was more for his own benefit than Jason's as he took a last drag from the cigarette and put it out in the ashtray. "I never really dated back in New York, never could. And I haven't since I've been here, but Charlie makes me want to be a better person just so I can be good enough to be seen with her. What better motivation can I get than that?"
It was more the emotional trauma of the abuse and seeing his mother murdered. Of being put on trial for killing someone who sounded like they more than deserved what Jason hoped was a painful death. The trauma that was clearly so bad he’d turned to booze and drugs to deal with it. “Get counseling,” he said. “I know, trust me. It sucks. They make me go every six months or I lose my shield. It does help. Just find somebody you can actually talk to. I know people, I can hook you up.” It was the least he could do, since he was all but saying ‘Fix yourself or you have no chance with my daughter’..
He scoffed at the last thing. “You are not a bad person because you’ve had a bad life and had to face things no kid your age should,” he corrected. “You are not good enough for my daughter, because you’re a teenage boy and I’m her father. But that doesn’t make you a bad person. That negative self image isn’t helping. Hence, therapy.”
Xander didn't want to take counseling but he doubted he'd have a choice if he wanted to be with Charlie. "I'll give talking to a shrink a go, but I can't promise anything. I've never been good at pouring out my feelings to some person I don't really know. I don't even want to be doing it now, but I kinda didn't really think showing up on Saturday and letting all this out would have been smart." He was a teenager, not a moron.
Maybe he was right about his negative self image, but that didn't make therapy seem any more appealing. "So do you have like a recommended therapist?" he questioned, figuring he might as well just get that shit out of the way. It couldn't hurt anything, that was for sure.
Jason understood his compunctions. “I’ll get you a list and give it to Charlie to give to you,” he told him. “At least you can doc shop. I have to deal with whoever is on staff at the time or Infernal Repairs sends over. Which is a crap shoot.” Nobody liked psyche eval time, that was for sure. He shrugged. “Look at it this way,” he added. “Telling me got you what you wanted. So maybe it won’t be so bad if you do it with somebody who is actually qualified to help you screw your head on straight.” He did want to help this kid more than anything. He just wished Xander wasn’t wanting to date his daughter as well. But at least he would be in the loop for not freaking out and forbidding it. No matter how much he wanted to.
He had a point. He had gotten what he wanted. He could date Charlie without worrying too much so long as he worked on himself and didn't do anything stupid like break her heart. "Okay," he said with a nod. "I thought you were going to bite my head off and shove it down my throat," he admitted. "So thanks, for not doing that." It wasn't everyday that he got treated like he wasn't some lunatic. Even his teachers looked at him like he belonged behind glass with a straight-jacket wrapped around his body.
Jason smiled and it possibly showed off too many teeth. “No that’s what happens if you hurt her,” he informed him, then sobered. “No, no matter what my daughters think, I can be rational. Especially when the person who is talking to me is being rational and mature and not trying to emotionally blackmail me or accuse me of ruining their lives. You get respect for behaving like an adult and being honest.”
That got a little grin from Xander and he shook his head. "I don't plan on hurting her," he told the man once more. "If anything I guess I should be worrying about her hurting me. I've seen the damage she can do on the field," he laughed. Charlie could hold her own, even where he was concerned. "I just don't see the point in lying because it's just going to come out anyway," he shrugged. "I can write down all my information if you wanna look into the reports, but save for going into every detail, I already told you what happened." Still he knew that this man was a police officer and no doubt he'd want to look again.
Jason chuckled. “Yeah, who do you think taught her all of that?” he pointed out. “But no, if you hurt her, she gets to decide what we do with you. Since her sisters will be none too pleased with you either. It’s a pride thing. So there’s plenty of motivation for you to treat her with respect and be honest with her. Besides the fact she is that awesome and that is why you’re hung up on her.” Yes, he was a very proud papa. Charlie was the daughter he was closest to, and he wasn’t going to lie to this kid about the kind of pressure he’d be under.
He shook his head. “I have your name and the jurisdiction,” he told him. “Even if I can’t access your file, there’s plenty of things that would be public record. And I believe you. Remember, telling if people are shitting me or telling the truth is part of my job.”
Xander planned on treating Charlie with respect regardless because she deserved it, not because he was frightened of her father or her sisters for that matter, but he just nodded in response to the man. "Yeah," he agreed, letting his hand brush through his hair again as he looked up at the man. "I guess I should get out of your hair and let you get back to work," he said as he stood up from the chair and offered out a hand to Jason again. "Thanks, again," he said. "For listening and for not tearing into me like I was a perp."
It had sort of been a joke and sort of been fair warning. The kid needed to learn to relax without chemicals. Really. “Yeah, I need to go stare at my case some more and hope a lead materalizes out of nowhere,” he admitted wryly, standing up and offering his hand to Xander. “More like reluctant witness. And you were easy to roll. Which was better for everybody.” Yeah, he’d just admitted it. But that was probably only fair. “Stay out of trouble. I’ll see you Saturday. Stay out of the pot and pills, I won’t be the only were cop there.”
Shaking Jason's hand once more, he nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. He could last a couple days without the pot and the pills. Maybe. Okay, so he'd try. That was the best he could really do, but it was worth it for Charlie. "I'll see you," he said as he moved towards the door, letting out a breath as soon as he left the room. It certainly hadn't gone the way he'd thought it would, but that was better than expected. Now, how to break it to Charlie that he'd gone and talked to her dad somewhat behind her back? Hopefully she wouldn't freak out. He shook his head a little at the thought and headed for his car. Staying off the weed was going to be harder than he thought. Apparently smoking cigarettes would become even more of a vice for him in the days to come.
Jason picked up the ashtray and dumped it into Xander’s cup. He’d throw them away when he left. His case was going nowhere and he wanted to find Xander’s file and double check the facts. He doubted he was going to like what he found, not because the kid had lied to him, but it would just confirm his suspicions the DA tried to railroad him. Which made him angry as a father and a cop.
Digging out his phone, he dialed Chloe’s cell. He was going to be awhile and afterwards, he’d probably need time to deal with what he found. And really work through everything in his head. Which meant he wasn’t going to be home anytime soon. It was only fair to warn his oldest daughter about that. “Hey princess,” he greeted her. “Do you know a Xander Russo? Because he just came to me today to ask to date your sister.”
Chloe had just gotten off of work and had only just settled into Dimitri's truck when her phone rang. Before she could say anything more than hello, her father asked her about Xander Russo. She glared over at Dimitri and drew in a breath. "Yes," she said. He went over there to ask to date Charlie? "He's friends with Dimitri. Dimitri told me that he liked her and we kinda got them to talk, why?"
Well, that explained a lot. “Yeah, although I’m guessing you didn’t know he was tried and acquitted for the murder of his father,” he said wearily. “That’s what he told me and he wasn’t lying. It was self-defense. But he’s got problems, since he killed him because he walked in him murdering his mother. I’m double checking his story and getting a list of therapists for him. He’s coming to the barbecue Saturday, because apparently, your sister likes him too. So I have reading to do, and I am going to need to think everything over. Maybe vent at Justice.” He didn’t want to burden the woman he was interested in with his family drama, but she would be the person who would understand the best. “Can you watch Grace tonight?” If she said no, he’d just have to deal. She was seventeen and had a boyfriend. She couldn’t be expected to babysit her sister all the time while he ran background checks on her sister’s dates. “Please?”
Chloe somehow managed not to murder Dimitri as he drove though the glare she gave him could have killed him if she tried any harder. "I'll have Dimitri take me to pick up Gracie from Grandma's," she said firstly. "Can he come over to the house?" she asked, figuring she'd check that with her father first before just doing it. "Of course, I might need to warn you that I may or may not kill him before you get home."
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle softly at that. “Just text me and let me know if I need to help you hide the body,” he said. “Luckily, Justice is best friends with the ME, so covering it up won’t be a problem.” He let out a breath. “Yes, he can come over. Although please don’t kill him. It’s fine. Well, it’s not fine, but I don’t think he’s a bad kid. I’m just worried his baggage is too much for Charlie. She’s so young.” And really, this wasn’t something Chloe would probably understand. “If I am not going to make it home by breakfast, I’ll call you.” He didn’t know how long this would take. “Thanks, Princess. I love you. Give Gracie a hug for me and tell her I’m sorry. Do not under any circumstances tell Charlie I am running a background check on her boyfriend. I don’t need her over here freaking out at me tonight.”
Chloe wouldn't kill Dimitri, but she certainly planned on reaming him good as soon as they weren't driving and she could get him alone and let all of her aggravation out on the boy. He was a football player, he could take it. "We'll make homemade pizza with Gracie and watch movies," she promised. "I'm sure she'll forgive you for one night. Just yeah, lemme know if you're not gonna be home so I know how much to make for breakfast. Oh, and since I know Charlie's going to be pissed if I have Dimitri over and don't ask for her, can Xander come too?" she questioned. "I'd like to put the fear of big sister kitty into him while I'm at it. Might as well make sure he's well aware that he doesn't need to be breaking Charlie." She wouldn't ream him, but she wanted to get a feel for the boy. "She'll be mad if I get something and she doesn't, especially if it's a boy. And her being interested in boys is so weird. What's going on with the universe?" She sighed and shook her head a little. "I love you too and I'll give Gracie a hug and kiss and bedtime stories for her too, promise. Tell Justice I said hello."
Jason sighed and nodded, even though his daughter couldn’t see it. “Yeah, more the merrier,” he said. “Make him jump once for me. Same with Dimitri.” He wasn’t happy the kid had set his younger daughter up with such a troubled boy, but he couldn’t really be angry about it. “If they want to make it up to me and you, they can be sure you girls and Grace have rides to school in the morning. Just sayin’.” They really needed to get Chloe a car, for nights like this and when he was working overnight. “Okay, I gotta get back to work and start my research. No hanky panky in the house, princess. Goes for your sister too. And I will.” It made him feel better than his daughter was warming up to the idea of him at least having someone else to confide in. But she’d just been acting so grown up lately it was making his chest tight to think about how close she was to 18 and leaving home. “I love you,” he added again. “Later.”
"They'll be out before it gets too late," she promised. "And no hanky panky, but hopefully hanky panky doesn't include making out because that's not fair," she teased, knowing that her father wouldn't want to hear that, but grinning all the same. "We'll behave, promise. You can trust me," she assured him. Which was all she really wanted in the first place, to be trusted. She was close to being an adult and she wanted to be treated like one. Lately she'd been getting just that and she couldn't have been happier.
"I'll get Gracie in bed at a decent hour. You drive safe and don't stay on the road too late, okay? I'd rather you stay at Justice's than have you driving around when you're tired trying to get home." She could be reasonable, damn it. "I love you too," she replied. "Bye, Daddy."