let’s just kiss and say goodbye

An hour later you pulled up to a silver Airstream trailer on a dirt road outside of the city. It was almost 2am. You had never seen it before. The last time you met Colter, which was also the first time, you had hooked up in your hotel room. His ridiculously big GMC Sierra was parked in front of it, confirming you were in the right place.

You parked your car behind it and walked up to the Airstream. Colter had already seen you pull up and opened the door for you. His face lit up when he saw the smile on your face.

“Come in” he smirked, holding his hand out; he was still wearing the suit, but his tie was loosely hanging from his collar. You climbed up the steps and looked around. The inside of the trailer was cozier than you had expected. Colter closed the door behind you.

“Do you want a beer?” he asked taking a sip from his own.

“Sure” you replied still inspecting the trailer. It was warm inside and it smelled like Colter. A scent of wood, herbs, vanilla and citrus wrapped around you, making you feel at ease. You took the beer Colter was holding and leaned against the table. Colter sat down on his bed.

“How did it go?” you asked regarding the reunion of the family Colter had worked for.

“Great, I think she’s gonna be okay” he nodded.

“You’re doing a good thing.” You praised him. “Helping all these people.”

“I like to think so” he replied.

“I know so.”

Colter couldn’t help but smile at your approval. He felt comfortable with you.

“You know, I was hoping you’d still be wearing this dress” he smirked sizing you up, his eyes following the way the dress hugged your body. You hadn’t changed out of it, partly because you had seen his look at you in it before. You had exchanged your heels for sneakers, and it didn’t quite add up to the whole look, but you’d be out of the shoes and the dress soon anyways.

“Can’t really blame your professor for staring” he continued to flatter you.

“Except it’s not really appropriate to look at a former student like that” you huffed taking a sip of the beer. Colter got up walking towards you, putting his beer down on the counter.

“Thanks again for saving my life” he said with a breathy voice when he was only a few inches away from you. You took a shaky breath.

“You’re welcome” you almost whispered, watching Colters face closely. His eyes were looking back and forth between your eyes and lips. Your heartbeat fastened. He closed the distance between you, leaning in but not all the way as if to wait for you to close the final distance to give him permission to kiss you. You did, and your lips met his softly. He tasted like beer and mint. One of his hands found its way to the small of your back, pulling you closer to his body. The warmth of him immediately wrapped around you. His other hand took your beer bottle from you and set it down on the table behind you. Your hand once again found its way to the back of his neck, just like it did in the professor’s office. The other hand rested on his biceps, feeling the muscles flex under the fabric.

He pulled away his breath heavy. His lips wandered to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses. You hummed in pleasure, your hand buried in his hair.

“I’ve been thinking about getting you out of this dress, the moment I saw you tonight” Colter whispered, his pupils dilated.

“What are you waiting for?” you asked looking up at him, your face flushed. His eyes darkened with desire and his lips crashed with yours, hungrier this time. You pushed the suit jacket from his broad shoulders and pushed him backwards towards the bed. He helped you with unbuttoning his shirt and pulled away for a moment to take it off, giving you a second to take in his bare muscular chest, watching his muscles flex, as he swirled you around.

You drew air in sharply as his hot breath met the delicate skin of your neck, and you tilted your head to give him better access as he lightly sucked on your skin. He slowly unzipped your dress and unclasped your bra. He slid your dress and bra straps over your shoulders, exposing your chest. Colter continued to place kisses on your neck and shoulders. One of your hands reached up to his head, your nails scraping over his scalp. He cupped your boobs with both hands lightly circling your nipple with his thumb. You turned back around in his embrace, stepping out of your dress and shoes, pushing him to sit down at the foot of the bed. He watched you climb on top of him, straddling his lap in nothing but a black lace thong. His hands ran up your spine, leaving goosebumps. He buried one of them in your hair, which had fully resolved from the bun that had been there earlier and pulled your face to his to reconnect your lips. You slowly started grinding your hips on top of his and could already feel his boner against you. A low moan escaped his throat, amplifying the throbbing in your pussy. Scooting back a little you unbuttoned Colters pants, but he stopped your hands. He wanted to lead this time, he wanted to make you feel good with him. He led both your arms back around his neck for you to hold on and with a swift movement, his strong arms around your waist, flipped you on your back, him now leaning over you. You breathed shakily and moaned a little as his mouth trailed down to your chest. He stopped at your nipple and sucked on it, his tongue circling. With his hand he stroked over the other one. He slowly moved further down your stomach, his breath causing goosebumps. He kneeled on the ground at the foot of the bed pulling your core closer to him. He placed a kiss on your pantie covered clit with a low hum, before pulling it down your legs, kissing the inside of your thighs.

You moaned again, making Colter smile.

“Keep making that noise” he hummed. He placed himself in between your legs, placing your legs over his shoulders and his hands firmly on your hips. You drew in a sharp breath as his mouth met the sensitive skin of your clit and he started sucking on it. First gently, then massaging it with his tongue sending waves of pleasure to your core.

“F*ck” you moaned, throwing your head back and burying one of your hands in his hair, the other one gripping the sheet. Colter replied with another low hum and the vibration spread through you. He slipped one finger inside of you easily. It turned him on even further feeling how wet you were for him and added another finger stroking your walls, that clenched around him. Your legs trembled, and you lifted your hips, begging for more. He quickened the pace in which he moved his fingers in and out of you, his tongue running through your folds hungrily. You breathed heavily getting closer to your climax. Colter had to pull himself together to not start touching himself to your pleasure. He wanted to make you cum first before allowing himself to feel the pleasure of f*cking you to a second orgasm. Your moaning intensified.

“Don’t stop” you breathed. He wasn’t planning to anyway and kept going until he felt you clench and pulse around his fingers. Your fingernails scraped over his scalp, lightly pulling on his hair. The pressure in your core came to a peak, and Colter looked up at you, throwing your head back and moans crossing your lips. He pulled out his fingers as you had come down and finally took off his pants. Your eyes followed his every move and wandered from his lust filled eyes to his muscular chest and abs and down to his dick.

You scooted away from the edge of the bed as Colter crawled over you in between your spread legs. You reached down to his dick pumping up and down a few times as his lips crashed on yours. He moaned into the kiss, biting your lip as he pulled away heavily breathing. He reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a condom from the drawer.

“Let me” you whispered, taking it from him. While you fumbled with the packaging his lips came back to working the sensitive skin of your neck, leaving little marks. You reached between your legs, pumping his cock a few times before rolling down the condom. He groaned in your neck and slipped his cock through your wet folds a few times before guiding it to your entrance. He lifted his head looking into your eyes, his pupils dilated, cheeks flushed and breath heavy. You met his gaze with a soft nod.

He slowly pushed inside you and locked your lips again, drowning your moan. He gave you a moment to adjust to his size, rubbing your already sensitive clit in the meantime. You pressed your hips into his, signalling him that it was okay to move, and he didn’t loose a second but rather started thrusting into you. At first slow and steady but quickly picking up the pace as he grew closer to his own orgasm burying his face in the crook of your neck, whispering curses into your ear.

“Colter” you panted making him pause and looking at you, breathing heavily.

“Lay down” you commanded nodding at the space beside you. He smirked, following your order. You straddled his lap and lowered yourself on him. Colters hands dug into your hips. You started moving on top of him, throwing your head back in pleasure, feeling his dick pulsate inside you hitting your G-spot. He groaned in pleasure moving his hips with yours. Your nails dug into his chest as you quickened the pace to bring yourself and him closer to your climaxes. It didn’t take long to send both of you over the edge. Feeling your walls clenching around his dick and seeing your face in pleasure caused Colter to not being able to hold it in any longer. You could feel his dick twitch inside you and looked down at him, his eyes closed as he tried to steady his breath. His hands were still holding onto your thighs, steadying them as they trembled from your orgasm. You leaned over him planting a soft kiss on his lips, which he returned with a smile.

He opened his eyes as you pulled away and sat up, you still on top of him. You climbed off him, falling back in the sheets. That was even better than the first time. He got up, cleaned himself up and gave you a towel to do the same. You wiped away your own wetness.

“I’m glad you came over” Colter smirked leaning down to you his face only inches from yours.

“Yeah, me too” you replied once again connecting your lips for a soft sensual kiss. He pulled away with a smile, grabbing his beer from the counter and finishing it in one gulp.

“Can you grab me my phone from my purse?” you asked him. You ran your hands through your hair and pulled the blanket over your naked body, now that Colter wasn’t close to you anymore it had gotten colder. He saw you covering up and pouted walking over to you, handing you your phone. You checked if you had any messages, you didn’t but then again it was just past 3am. Colter lied down beside you, crawling under the blanket with you, checking his own phone on the nightstand for the time. He held out his arm for you to scoot closer. You put your phone aside and propped your head up on your hand.

“You know, if I keep helping you with doing your job, you’ll have to start sharing the reward with me” you smirked running your fingers over his chest in little patterns.

“Oh, and I thought I just made us even” Colter replied huskily.

“Oh no, that was for me saving your life, for getting you the information to find Jessie, you still owe me” you elaborated, and Colter left out a raspy laugh.

“I’ll treat you to dinner next time” he said absently stroking your lower back with his fingers.

“Y/N?” Colter didn’t expect to see you again so soon. The last time he had seen you which was also the first time you had met, was a couple hundred miles away. You had helped him with a case because you knew some details about a woman who had disappeared. The end of the job had resulted in the two of you hooking up at your hotel room. He had to suppress a smile while thinking of that night.

“You clean up nicely” you complimented him, eying his black-tie look. He looked damn handsome. You also couldn’t help but remember how his hands roamed all over your body the last time you had seen him.

“Well, you’re one to talk, you look stunning” his gaze wandered over your body. Having him look at you like this was so much better than your professor. You were wearing a black evening dress with a slit and a modest neckline. Your hair was gathered in a bun at the back of your neck. Your make up was stronger than usual.

Colter cleared his throat. “I didn’t expect to see you here” he said and took a sip from his beer.

“I could say the same” you replied with raised brows.

Colter moved a little closer to you. You could smell his cologne. “I’m looking for a student, she went missing three days ago and I’m pretty sure her professor has her locked up somewhere” he told you in a hushed tone.

“Why would he do that?”

“Because they had an affair and she threatened to tell” he explained, taking another sip of his beer as if they were talking about the weather.

“Which professor?”

“Cameron Rodney, he teaches History” Colter said. “I thought he would be here, and I could follow him to wherever he keeps her.”

“I think I know where his office is” you thought aloud.

“Well, shoot” Colter said eagerly.

“If anything, I’ll show you, you won’t find it without me, took me weeks to find my way through this place.”

“Y/N…” he started but you interrupted him. He didn’t want to put you in danger, like the last time you helped him with a job.

“No point in arguing Colter” you stated and took the bottle from his hands, put it on the counter and lead him away from the crowd. He sighed and followed you into the hall, unable to not glance at your ass.

“You know you didn’t tell me what you were doing here” he said as he caught up with you.

“I was invited. I studied here and a friend of mine works here now, so he makes sure I get invited to the events with free booze and food” you smiled. Colter nodded amused. You took a few turns and walked down another corridor.

“This should be it” you said pointing to a door. A sign on the door confirmed what you said. Colter rattled the doorknob; it was locked of course. He took a few steps back.

“Hey, hey, you’re not going to kick the door in” you said your hand on his chest to hold him back. Colter rolled his eyes.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Do you not know how to pick a lock in your line of work?”

“I do, but I don’t have any tools with me” he shrugged.

“Good thing, you have me” you smiled and pulled out two bobby pins from your updo, releasing a few strands of hair. “Will this work?”

Colter took them and started picking the lock, it took a few minutes but eventually it clicked, and the door opened. You followed him inside and silently closed it behind you. He pulled out a flashlight and started looking around.

“What exactly are we looking for?” you asked using your phone as a flashlight.

“Anything that might tell us where he is keeping her” Colter told you going through folders on a sideboard. Minutes passed as the two of you kept searching the office for hints.

“You know…”

“Sshh, someone’s coming” Colter whispered, putting a finger to his lips, so you would keep quiet. He looked around the room to find a place to hide the both of you. Your heart began beating faster. The steps in the hallway grew closer. Colter cursed at the lack of hiding spots in the room, but you had a better idea.

“Okay, come here” you commanded, seating yourself on the desk and pulling him in between your legs before loosening his tie.

“What are you…” he started but you stopped him by pulling his face to yours. It was like the air was kicked out of his lungs when you pressed your lips on his. His hands instinctively found their way to your thighs on either side of him, while your own hand was cupping his cheek, and the other one was pulling him close at his neck, buried in his hair. The door to the office opened, and the light turned on.

“Hey, this is a private office, get out of here” a security guy said shaking his head at the two of you. You pulled away from Colter in a hurry, got up and adjusted your dress. Colter cleared his throat and turned around.

“We’re really sorry” he said huskily and took your hand to lead you out of the room, your face flushed and with a smile on your lips. As soon as you stepped out of the building and headed towards Colter’s car, he looked at you, smirking.

“Good idea” he pursed his lips.

“Thank you” you winked at him. “I’d say this was a success.”

“We didn’t really find any evidence” Colter frowned.

“Check your pocket” you simply said with a proud smile. Colter pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and smirked when he saw what it was.

“So that was what your hand was doing there, I thought you were going for something else.”

“I still might.” You gave Colter a playful look and headed for the passenger side door.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Colter asked his brows drawn together.

“You didn’t think I would just find the location for you and then not come check it out, did you?” you asked in disbelief.

“Well, don’t you have to get back inside?”

“And do what? Let myself be gawked at by my former professor for a little longer?” you scoffed.

“I don’t want you to get hurt” his expression turned soft.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it, I have last time” you smiled, opening the door. Colter sighed, climbing into the driver’s seat.

“No, last time, you got one over the head” he scoffed and started the car. You rolled your eyes at him.

A few minutes passed. His phone lit up with an incoming call: Bobby.

“Hey Bobby, talk to me” Colter answered the phone on loudspeaker.

“Hey C, so I can’t find anything connecting our guy to these offices he is renting according to that receipt” Bobby sighed.

“He’s probably paying cash for it, no point in having a secret office if anyone can track you there” you suspected.

“Who’s this?” Bobby asked.

“Y/N Y/L/N” you introduced yourself.

“Y/N is helping me out” Colter added.

“Hang on, Y/L/N as in the author of…” Bobby concluded.

“Yup” you interrupted him.

“That’s awesome, any chance you can send me a signed copy of your latest book, I couldn’t get my hands on it yet” Bobby asked.

“Sure, I…”, Colter interrupted you, “Listen guys, I hate to break up this wholesome fan moment, but we do actually have a missing girl to find.”

“Sorry C, I don’t have anything for you, not even his phone was at the building.”

“Okay, thanks B, I’ll let you know if we need anything.”

“I’ll have Colter send you my number” you hurried to say before Colter could hang up.

You arrived at the building complex a few minutes later.

You followed Colter quietly, which was a task in itself since you were wearing heels. You made it up to the office. The door was locked, and Colter shot you a questioning glance, you nodded in approval. He kicked it open and entered his gun raised. The room was empty.

“Sh*t” he cursed and ran his hand through his hair.

“It doesn’t make sense” you said looking around the room. It was basically empty except for a desk, chair and cupboard. You walked to the cupboard and rattled the handle, it was locked. You looked at Colter and saw you were both thinking the same thing. There was something in there he didn’t want to be found. Colter walked over to you and with a strong pull the lock ripped. The cupboard didn’t have a back panel, instead it was placed to cover a door to a storage room. On the ground was a bag.

“This doesn’t look like it belongs to Professor Rodney” you stated the obvious. You exchanged glances with Colter.

“Call 911” he said, and you fished out your phone stepping a few steps away from him. He kicked in the door and shone his flashlight inside. A girl was cowering in the corner looking up in panic. You could hear Colter say softly “It’s okay, your father hired me to find you, I’m here to take you home.” Your heart fluttered at how caring his voice was and watched him help the girl out of the closet and over to the chair. You gave the police your location and what had happened and hung up, heading over to the student.

“Hi, I’m Y/N, you’ll be okay” you tried comforting her with a smile. She looked absolutely exhausted but nodded. Colter sighed and watched you, taking his phone out. You could see that he was frustrated that you hadn’t found the professor responsible.

“Colter!” you called out. It was only a split second in which you saw a metallic reflection behind him and with instincts you didn’t know you had pushed him aside, both of you tumbling to the ground. A bang followed by a shattering noise and a scream echoed through the empty room. Colter recovered quickly and took a single shot himself. He hit the shooter in his right shoulder making him drop his gun and stumble backwards. Colter got up quickly, kicking the gun away and planting himself in front of you and the girl.

“Don’t even think about moving” Colter growled at the professor, then glancing down to you.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice immediately softer.

“Yeah” you said getting up and walking over to the girl taking her hand.

You waited until the police came and cuffed Rodney and lead the girl outside. You followed them outside and to Colter’s car.

“What were you thinking?” Colter called out.

“Excuse me?” you retorted turning around to him in disbelief.

“Throwing yourself in front of a bullet? Are you f*cking crazy?” Colter replied still agitated.

“Oh, I’m sorry, here I was thinking I just saved your life” you threw your hands up in defence.

“You could have caught a bullet.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t. Starting to regret not letting you catch one though.” You scoffed. Colter sighed his jaw clenched. You tilted your head anticipating his response with raised brows. He bit his lip.

“Thank you” he finally replied, taking a step closer to you.

“Was that so hard?” you smiled, the anger leaving your face. You couldn’t have stayed mad at him anyways.

“I'll take you back to your car” he said and opened the passenger door for you. You nodded and climbed in.

He wasn’t used to someone risking their life for his, it was usually the other way around. He threw glances at you the whole drive over to the university where your car was parked. He pulled up next to it.

“So, this is goodbye?” you asked Colter trying to read his face.

“Well, um… I want to see Jessie home” he replied.

“And collect your reward?”

“It’s not about that.”

“Right” you nodded, not ready to say goodbye to him.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll make sure Jessie gets home and then meet you at your place in an hour” he suggested, a cocky sparkle in his eyes.

“Oh, no” you laughed, causing a look of confusion on Colters face, his smile fading. “I’m staying with my parents so, no. But… send me the location of your trailer and I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

Colter scratched his beard and nodded, the smile returning to his lips. “Deal.”

"Morning," he said, his voice raspy from sleep.

"Morning," you whispered as he leaned down to plant a kiss on your lips.

"Can't believe you're still here," he said, meeting your gaze.

"I'll do you one better, I'm gonna be here tomorrow too," you smiled and cupped his cheek, pressing another kiss on his lips. "Guess I'm gonna make some coffee."

"Thank you," Colter replied and picked his phone back up, watching you climb out of bed. "Okay, Velma, what do you have for me?"

You could hear Velma telling Colter about a job he was requested for while taking two mugs out of the cabinet and looked over to him meeting his eyes on you. Colter was listening to Velma and taking some notes in a notepad. He couldn't help himself glancing over to you every other second, though. Wearing his shirt, your hair messy, your bare legs smooth, and your butt peeking out from under the hem of his shirt. If you woke up next to him like this from now on, he wouldn't need coffee anymore. Seeing you instantly made him wanna be awake with you, run his hands over your body.

He finished the call and hung up just as you walked over to him with the steaming mugs. His eyes still looked sleepy, but the look he gave you was nothing less than adoration.

"Get back in here," he commanded and put the cup down on the nightstand. You did the same and climbed back into bed, straddling his hips. He placed his hands on your thighs and just looked up at your face.

"So, where are we going?" You asked, running your hands across his chest.

"Iowa" he replied absently, taking your hand and planting a kiss on the back of it. You smiled at him. You couldn't believe that last night you had to convince him to let you come with him and now he seemed like the happiest man alive.

"Any chance we can get breakfast on the way?" You asked.

When you noticed that he kissed you back your body seemed to melt into his touch. Into the warmth of his skin. Your heartbeats seemed to sync, and Colter gently pushed your back against his cupboard. The kiss deepened once you had solid resistance behind you. His hands moved to wipe your hair away from your chest and finding the zipper of his hoodie, unzipping it and sliding it off your shoulders. He broke off the kiss for a moment looking down at you, grinning at you not wearing anything underneath his hoodie. This seemed to be the only confirmation he needed. You were both breathing heavily. Then his hands found their way below your butt and in swift movement lifted you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck instantly. His lips crashed on yours again and he turned you both around to gently lower you both on the bed, positioning himself between your legs. You could feel his hard on against your crotch and a small moan escaped your throat. “F*ck” Colter mumbled, and his lips left yours and trailed down your jawline to your neck and collarbone. Your hands ran over his flexed biceps and muscular back, over the occasional scar. You hummed in pleasure and could feel Colter smile against your skin. One of his hands was massaging your boob, making sure to not come too close to the cut so your stitches wouldn’t rip. Instead, he trailed gentle kisses over it and down to your nipple, circling it with his tongue. You lifted your hips and pushed them against him, causing him to groan a little. He wanted to f*ck you so bad, but he wanted to savour this, since he didn’t know when and if there would be a next time. He left a trail of kisses down to your waistline and slowly pulled your pants down to your ankles and let them fall to the floor. His hands slowly ran up your legs and leaving goosebumps on your body, while he leaned back over you. You watched him closely as he kissed your thighs and moved closer to your core. How was he so damn handsome? You moaned and he started trailing the line of your tanga with kisses. His warm breath amplifying the blood pulsing to in between your legs. You wanted him now. You didn’t want the teasing that you usually enjoyed, you wanted to feel him, as close as possible to you.

“Colter” you breathed out his name, making him look up to you. He seemed to understand what you wanted without any more words, because in a quick move he hooked his thumbs into your panties on both sides, pulling them off and dropping them to the floor leaving you naked in his bed. He only gave you a short moment to catch your breath and watch his perfectly formed abs and chest while he pulled off his own pants and boxers and quickly crawled back on top of you, your lips colliding once more.

He held himself up with one arm while the other one wandered in between your legs. He gently stroked over your clit, causing a wave of pleasure run through your core and a small moan to leave your lips, drowned by Colters tongue in your mouth. He pulled away and buried his face in your neck, kissing and sucking on your skin. He wanted to hear you fully. You knew he would leave a mark, but you didn’t care. He guided his dick to in between your legs and with a gentle thrust slipped inside you with ease. Both of you moaned at the sensation. At first, he moved back and forth slowly, giving you time to adjust to his size. He then began to thrust harder and faster, your moans only encouraging him more. The pressure in your core began to build but you didn’t want to let him do all the work. He got a good look at you all hot and bothered, it was your turn. When his face came back up to yours, you gently lifted your head to kiss him and push him from you at the same time, turning him to lie on his back instead and straddling his hips, lowering yourself onto him. A groan escaped Colters lips and his head fell back as you started moving back and forth. Your walls clenching and pulsating as you got closer to your own climax. You watched his arm and chest muscles flex which were holding onto your hips encouraging your movements. Your fingernails were digging into his chest where your hands were holding you up.

“Colter” you breathed his name and threw your head back in pleasure.

“God, you’re so f*cking gorgeous” he whispered just loud enough for you to hear. He was devouring you with his eyes, watching every inch of your body in top of him. He couldn’t take it any longer, he quickly sat up and swirled you around, his dick remaining inside you. You were back on your back. His hands slipped beneath your hips to prop you up and give him better access and he thrust into you harder and faster.

“Keep going” you said digging your nails into his back muscles. He did as he was told and sent you over the edge quickly, moaning his name again. Hearing this and feeling you clench around him made him come as well. You felt his dick pulsating inside of you, his head buried in your neck. Once both of you had come down from your highs, he heaved himself up, still breathing heavily, smirking at you. You cupped his face, pulling him into another kiss, which he gladly melted into, like it was a drug he kept coming back to.

“Well, this wasn’t how I expected my night to go” he sighed as he fell into the sheets next to you.

“Are you complaining?” you raised a brow at him.

“Hell no” he grinned.

You lied down on your side to be able to look at him and absently traced a scar on his biceps.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to that other high paying job because of me” you said.

“Don’t be sorry for that, I’ll always come for you” he replied smiling. You smirked and continued tracing his biceps. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner” he added glancing at the cut on your chest.

“This is not your fault.” You propped up your head on one arm to look at him.

“It just feels like if I had found you quicker or come to you earlier, it wouldn’t have come this far” he sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and mustering your face.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you” you insisted. He nodded lightly and pulled you in for another kiss. A gentle one.

This was three days ago. Colter had arrived early the next morning and had come straight to your apartment. He had looked exhausted, just like you. Both of you had not slept. You told him about your stalker. How it started out with DM’s you hadn’t even noticed at first. Then little notes left in the bookstores you were doing readings at but then they were left at your car and finally at your apartment. They seemed harmless at first, but they had become more frequent and with notes saying he would come by and show you what you were missing if you continued to ignore him. Finally, a dead rat was left on your doorstep. The heart was cut out. But the police couldn’t figure out who it was and only told you to leave town.

With Bobby’s help Colter put a name to your stalker in a day, Thomas Smith, very original. They couldn’t find him right away though. And now you were tied to a chair in some basement. Your phone had been left by the side of the road somewhere. Your stalker had hit you on the head with something and then drugged you. You had trouble keeping your eyes open. He was mumbling to himself. You saw a knife reflecting the dim light in the room. Panic rose in your chest.

“What are you doing?” you whispered.

“If I can’t have you, no one can” he hissed looking at you. He then walked over swiftly and pressed the knife to your chest, which was heaving up and down in panic. You could feel the cold metal on your skin.

“And if I can’t win your heart, I’ll just take it” he spat. Tears rose in your eyes. You were too weak to move or fight against the restraints. Blood drew from the spot he was pressing the knife into, and he cut a long wound right above your boob. A short scream escaped your lips before he pressed his hand on your mouth. He slapped your cheek. It was long enough though to tell Colter, who was clearing the house above you, where you were. The door burst from his hinges. In relief you closed your eye.

“You better step the f*ck away from her” Colters voice was husky. He seemed even broader than usual and his gaze was full of anger.

“Or what?” your perpetrator asked, standing in front of you, shielding you from Colters view.

“Or you’re gonna regret it” Colters jaw was clenched. Your breathing was still heavy, the blood from the cut was soaking your shirt. Colter put his gun away. He was ready to hurt this guy with his hands, making him regret ever putting hands on you. You didn’t know what happened but suddenly Colter was by your side. The creep on the ground.

“Are you okay?” his voice and gaze had softened. You nodded weakly.

“Let’s look at this” he said, taking a look at the wound on your chest. “You’re gonna need stitches.”

“Watch out” you said, your voice betraying you by not being able to warn him louder. But Colter quickly turned around and a loud bang followed by a thump had your stalked on the floor, bleeding from a hole in his chest. Colter’s breath was heavy.

“Police and ambulance are on the way” Colter breathed out and loosened your restraints, taking you in his arms. You could smell his scent before passing out.

After waking up in a hospital bed and staying for a few hours for observation, Reenie who had been worried sick, was taking you home.

“Did Colter already leave town?” you asked her.

“No, he wanted to be there when you woke up, but he had to give his statement to the police” Reenie explained. “I’m sure he’ll meet us at your apartment.” You nodded. You hoped so.

“Y/N, he was worried sick when we couldn’t locate you.”

“He was?”

“I’ve never seen him like this. He carried you out of that house and didn’t leave your side until this morning.” she continued. You rubbed your temples. You still had a headache.

“He’d do that for every one of us” you said, trying to play it down.

“No, Y/N, not like this! Yes, he would be worried, but he was… this was different. He was terrified something would happen to you.”

You bit your lip thinking. How was this different? Yes, he had come when you called and saved your life, but he would have done the same for Reenie, Bobby, Teddi, Velma and maybe even Billie. Yes, you had hooked up a few times and sometimes you wished he would stay longer, but you would never ask him to. You both were living on the road. You preferred writing all over the place, you found it inspiring. You found him inspiring.

“I don’t know Reenie” you sighed as she pulled up into the parking spot in front of your apartment building. Colter’s car was parked in the parking lot, and he was leaning on the hood, walking towards you as he saw you pull in. You couldn’t help but smile at his handsome face. He seemed relieved to see you smile. He had a cut on his lip. Your stalker must have gotten a punch in. You got out of the car and Reenie went to get your bag out of the trunk.

“Hey” you said with a crooked smile. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

“Hey” he mumbled into your hair then letting you go, his hand remaining on the small of your back.

“I’m really sorry, darling but I have to get to the office” Reenie said giving you a hug and dumping your bag on Colter. “I trust you will bring her up safely” she added looking at Colter with a raised brow.

“Will do Reenie, see you” he smirked. You thanked Reenie and she drove off. Colter followed you up to your apartment and put your bag inside once you had unlocked the door for him. He stood in your living room awkwardly, his hands in his pockets.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” You asked.

“Yeah.” Colter nodded, not looking into your eyes.

“Thank you” you said, offering him a warm smile, “for saving my life, you know.”

“Anytime” he replied, meeting your gaze. You could look into his eyes for hours.

“I’m glad you’re okay” he added and walked towards the door.

“You’re leaving already?” you asked, your heart aching a little.

“Yeah, that case I was on my way to when you called, they still haven’t found the boy” he explained. You nodded.

“Good luck then.” Once again you knew it would make no sense to ask him to stay. He looked at you with an expression you couldn’t quite read. He wanted to stay longer. He wanted to make sure you were okay. He wished he could ask you to come with him.

“Get some rest, okay?” he said instead and gave you a last hug. He wished he could hold on a little longer but that might have made him change his mind about leaving already.

“I’ll see you when I see you” he added with a smile and let go, walking down the stairs and disappearing. You sighed and closed the door. You went to the bathroom and turned the shower on. You undressed, inspecting the wound that pervert had caused. You winced a little at your reflection. You looked like a mess, not exactly how you wanted Colter to see you.

“Do you think Colter already left?” you asked Reenie on the phone. An hour had gone by since he had left your apartment. You had dozed off for half an hour after showering but couldn’t stop thinking about Colter. Like Reenie said it was different with you.

“Probably not, why?” she asked.

“I need to see him” you said, rummaging through the hospital bag.

“For what?” Reenie asked and you could hear the flirt in her voice.

“Why is a man’s hoodie jacket in my bag?” you inquired, confused at the piece of clothing you had found.

“Oh, it’s Colters, he put in on you in the basement, since apparently you were only wearing a bra” Reenie explained.

“Oh, for god’s sake” you sighed in embarrassment.

“It’s not like he hasn’t seen it before” Reenie chuckled.

“Context Reenie, it matters” you groaned in annoyance. You couldn’t help but notice that the jacket smelled of Colter and breathed in his scent.

Colter had just come out of the shower; the hot steam filled the trailer. He put on a pair of sweatpants. He would pack up and then leave. On his way over to his trailer, Velma had called, telling him the job he wanted to get to was done. Police had found both, the teenager and the Ferrari. However, they were looking for another job for him. He hated leaving you like this. He hated to admit that he felt a jab every time he left you behind and it pulled at his heart not to see you or hear your voice in weeks. Because it wasn’t the same with other women. He tracked your book tour appointments just to see if you were close by, but it was over now, so there was no chance of running into you at random cities.

Colter squinted as headlights lit up the trailer. “What the f*ck?” he mumbled, confused as to who was driving up to his camp site. He grabbed his gun. The car outside came to a halt and the lights turned off. He opened the door, trying to see a face in the dark.

“Put that down” he heard your voice and your footsteps coming closer. He smirked slightly.

“I thought I told you to rest” he replied, stepping back in the trailer to let you in. You took the few steps inside but hesitated for a moment when you saw he was shirtless and just had a towel hanging over his shoulder, which he was now using to ruffle his hair dry. As soon as you stepped in your body was overcome with warmth and the same scent his hoodie smelled of.

“I’ve never been very good at resting” you smirked. You noticed a stitched up cut on the side of his stomach. Your perpetrator must have not only gotten a punch in.

“You got stitches?” you asked, you hated that he got hurt while saving your ass.

“Was just a scratch” he replied looking down at it. “It was my fault really, I was distracted, should have taken him out the first chance I had.” Colter saw that you were still looking worried. He also noticed that you were wearing his jacket he had left you with and even though he didn’t want to, it made his heart beat a bit faster. He liked the thought of you wearing his clothes. He cleared his throat, distracting himself from his thoughts about you and making you look up into his face.

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked, looking at you gently and grabbed a shirt from the bed. You followed his movements with your eyes.

“You’re not gonna need that” you said firmly and finally closed the distance between you, pressing your lips on his, taking the shirt out of his hand in the same movement and buried your other hand in his hair. Colter might have been surprised at first but then immediately kissed you back. His hand pulled you closer by your waist. He breathed in your familiar scent, and it instantly made all his worries disappear. There was only you in this moment.

It was a nice quiet Friday night in your and Tim’s home. You were lying in bed watching reruns of Chicago Fire while your nine-month-old daughter slept in her crib in her bedroom. It was just the two of you at home since Tim was still working. Most likely, he was finishing up paperwork. Tim has always waited until the last hour of his shift to do paperwork.

While you were rewatching the runs of Chicago Fire, you suddenly heard some sort of noise coming from down the hall. It sounded like it came from Tim’s office. You immediately sat up in bed, and you quickly turned off the TV. Then you quickly looked over to the baby monitor that was on the nightstand on your side of the bed. You checked if the noise woke up Vanessa. Luckily, it didn't. She was still soundly sleeping in her crib. So, then you reached over to where your phone was on the nightstand with the baby monitor and grabbed it. You dialed 9-1-1 on your phone but didn’t press the call button yet. You decided to get out of bed and see what the noise was. You grabbed the bat from under the bed and exited the bedroom. You quietly walked down the hallway to see what the noise was.

When you reached the door of Tim’s office, your heart dropped. The door was open just a bit for you to see the inside of it. You saw a man going through all of his stuff. There were papers everywhere, all over the floor. A few of the filing cabinets were opened with a whole bunch of folders thrown onto his desk, and a few framed pictures that he hung up on the walls were broken. The man didn’t even notice that you were standing there, but you did feel someone come up behind you and put a hand over your mouth.

———

Tim was glad that he was finally home. He couldn’t wait to be in bed with you, and possibly get some snuggles from his daughter if she was still awake. Tim loved being a father. It was one of the best things that happened to him. Tim turned off his truck and got out. He closed his truck door behind him. When he approached the front door, he immediately noticed that the door was open halfway. He knew that wasn’t a good sign at all. He reached for his gun from his holster and entered his home. When he entered his home, he noticed that nothing was really out of the ordinary, except that there were framed pictures of you both, and your daughter too, thrown on the ground with broken glass surrounding them. While he was examining the pictures that were thrown on the floor, Vanessa started crying. Somehow she must have sensed that Tim was home. Tim quickly put his gun back into his holster and sprinted down the hallway to Vanessa’s bedroom.

When Tim entered Vanessa’s bedroom, she was standing up in her crib, holding onto the railing. The sight in front of Tim broke his heart. Tim wasted no time walking up to Vanessa’s crib and picking her up. Tim was swaying her back and forth trying his best to calm her down. While he was doing that, he pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?” The operator said on the other end of the phone.

“This is Sergeant Bradford with the Mid-Wilshire Police Department. Badge number, three-four-eight- three. I need every patrol car that is in the proximity of 3065 Sunset Avenue. My wife has been kidnapped,” Tim said to the operator on the other end then ended the call. After he did, Tim walked out of his house with Vanessa in his arms. He was still swaying her back and forth to calm her down. It was helping just a little though. Her cries have just turned into her whimpering instead.

Not too long after Tim did walk out of his house. He saw patrol cars from both directions of the street arrive. Tim felt relieved seeing all of the patrol cars showing up. John, Celina, Lucy, Nyla, Angela, Lieutenant Grey, and a few other officers got out of the cars. Some ran into the house to search it, a few went on each side of the house to check for anything, and Angela was the one to walk up to Tim to ask him what happened.

“I was leaving a crime scene a few blocks from here when the call came in, so what the hell happened?” She asked as she approached him.

“Y/N’s missing,” were the only words that came out of Tim’s mouth. After Tim said those words, he started having tears roll down his face. Tim couldn’t gather the fact that someone decided to break into your shared home, take you with them, and then leave your daughter alone in her crib for who knows for long.

The sight in front of Angela broke her heart. It’s rare for Tim to get upset about things, but this situation was completely different since it involved you. Also, Angela knew that the sight in front of her too is gonna stick in her mind for a while. In a way, the case is hitting close to home for everyone. Angela considers you a close friend of hers. “Omg, you’re fucking serious? Do you have any idea who could have possibly taken her?” she asked.

“No,” he shook his head. “I just got home and I was disoriented, and Vanessa started crying in her bedroom,” Tim said.

Angela’s eyes widened, “She was alone? For how long?”

“I don’t know,” Tim stuttered. Tim was starting to beat himself up. He should have been home when this all went down. You would still be here. Your daughter wouldn’t be so scared right now. Also, on top of that, whoever is responsible for your kidnapping would be sitting in the back of the squad car instead of running around free with you.

“We’re gonna find her,” Angela promised Tim as she put her hand on his shoulder in a way to comfort him.

Tim just nodded his head.

“Tim, you need to see this,” Nyla called out from the doorway of the front door. Tim turned around and nodded his head.

“Do you want me to hold her until you’re done with Nyla has to show you?” Angela asked, referring to Vanessa who was in Tim’s arms.

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Angela gave him a light smile.

Tim handed Vanessa to Angela and headed back into his house to see what Nyla had to show him. Nyla directed him to his home office. When he approached his home office, he noticed that everything was disoriented. He saw case files scattered across his desk and broken picture frames on his desk too. He entered his office and walked up to his desk to get a closer look at everything. When he did, he noticed that the broken pictures were all pictures that he was in. Some of them were pictures from his days in the Army. Some were from when he first joined the LAPD. Some were even pictures of when Vanessa was first born. Tim found it strange that all of the pictures that were broken were pictures that he was in. There were pictures of just you and Vanessa that were on the untouched walls. Tim had a feeling that whoever kidnapped you had something against him. That would explain why all of the pictures that he was in were broken.

“What the fuck?” Tim whispered under his breath.

“Do you have any idea why the person who took Y/N was in your home office? And what could they possibly be looking for?” Nyla questioned Tim. Nyla was hoping that maybe Tim would know, because if he did, then it would make it a lot easier to find you.

“I have no idea,” Tim shook his head. “Everything here is work-related. I don’t have anything valuable here.”

“And, nothing was taken from your house either,” Nyla informed. “So, my best guess is maybe whoever took Y/N had something against you and took her to get some sort of revenge on you. That could explain all of the pictures that you are in are destroyed.”

Nyla had a good point there, because if someone from your past was behind your kidnapping. Most likely they would have broken all of the pictures that you were just in, not the other way around.

“So with that being said,” Nyla started her sentence off with. “Angela and I will head back to the station and investigate deeply about your past. Maybe there's someone from your past who is behind this,” she said. “Also, we will go ahead and check POD footage. Maybe a traffic cam caught something,” Nyla hoped.

“What should I do in the meantime?” Tim asked her.

Nyla sighed, “Well, first things first, your house is a crime scene, so you can’t stay here until it’s all clear to do so. Secondly, what you should do is just let us handle this. Due to protocol, you already know that you can’t work on this case with the rest of us. We will put all of our focus on getting Y/N back,” Nyla explained.

“Screw, protocol. It’s my wife who’s missing. I need to be on this case,” Tim demanded.

Before Nyla could say anything. Lieutenant Grey entered the room and walked up to Nyla and Tim. “She’s right though,” he said. “It’s standard procedure. You can’t be on the case. It hits too close to home for you. Plus, you need to put all of your focus on your daughter. Granted, she’s way too young to know what’s currently going on, but still, you need to be there for her,” He explained.

“Understand, sir,” Tim nodded his head. Tim wasn't gonna argue or beg his boss that he needs to work the case. Grey was right. Tim needs to put all of his focus on Vanessa and be there for her. “I’ll go ahead and pack bags for Vanessa and me, since Nyla mentioned that I can’t stay here since my house is an active crime scene,” Tim added.

“Do you have an idea where you can stay in the meantime?” Grey asked.

Tim sighed, “My sister’s house. I’m gonna call her and see if she’s okay with me staying there until this whole case is solved.”

“Okay,” Grey nodded his head.

Tim walked past Lieutenant Grey and Nyla, and out of his office to go outside and call Genny.

When he got outside, Angela was still out there holding Vanessa, and talking to Lucy. Both of them noticed that he headed over to where his truck was parked in the driveway and that he had his phone to his ear.

———

Tim got off the phone with his sister. He explained everything that was happening and that he couldn’t stay at his house since it was a crime scene due to the kidnapping. When Tim explained all of that to Genny, she couldn’t process it. She couldn’t gather the facts that her very own sister-in-law was missing and the fact that her niece was left alone, crying in her crib.

“What’s going on? Who did you get off the phone with?” Angela asked when Tim approached her and Lucy.

“My sister,” he answered. “I asked her if it’s okay if Vanessa and I stay at her house due to what’s going on.”

“What did she say?” Angela asked as she handed Vanessa back to Tim.

Tim sighed, “She said that she’s completely fine with Vanessa and me staying over at her house. She is shaken up by the fact that Y/N was kidnapped though.”

“Are you going to head over there right now?” Lucy chimed in.

“Not yet,” Tim answered Lucy’s question. “I have to go back inside and pack some things up for Vanessa and me.”

Tim handed Vanessa again to Angela, so that he could go back into his house to pack bags for both of them. When Tim entered his house again, he didn’t want to spend so much time in it, so he walked straight to your shared bedroom. When he walked in, he saw your side of the bed unmade and the TV was paused. Tim walked over to your shared closet and grabbed the duffel bag from the top shelf. Tim started grabbing shirts from the closet, pants from his drawer, and any clothing he was going to need. He grabbed his toilet trees from the bathroom and put them in the duffel bag with his clothing. Tim walked out of the bedroom and headed to Vanessa’s bedroom.

Tim reached Vanessa’s bedroom and grabbed the travel bag from her closet. Tim packed clothes, diapers, toys, and her baby blanket. After Tim was done packing, he exited her bedroom. While Tim was still in the house, he headed over to the kitchen to grab a container of formula and a few of her bottles. When he got all of the supplies that he needed, he walked out of his house.

“You got everything you need?” Angela asked when Tim approached her and Lucy again.

“Yes,” Tim nodded his head.

“Do you want a police escort to your sister's house?” Angela asked. It’s the least thing Angela could do for him, especially in the situation that he’s currently in.

“Yes, please,” Tim said.

Angela just nodded her head, and then she followed Tim to his truck with Vanessa who was still in her arms. He unlocked his truck once he reached it. Tim opened the back door and put the bags on the back seat next to Vanessa’s car seat. Angela handed Vanessa over to Tim and he got her situated in her car seat. Once he did, he closed the door and walked to the driver's side door.

“Are you ready to go?” Tim asked Angela when he got into the driver's side of his truck and rolled down the window.

“Yeah,” she nodded her head. “Let me just head over to my car and then we’ll head over to your sister’s house.”

Angela walked over to her unmarked car that was parked right in front of Tim’s house. Angela got in and then headed down the street. At the same time, Tim pulled out of his driveway. He was right behind her to follow her to his sister’s house.

———

Tim and Angela both arrived at Genny’s house. Tim turned off the engine and got out. Same for Angela. Tim opened the back seat door and got his stuff out.

“Do you help carry anything?” Angela asked when she walked up to Tim.

“Yes,” he nodded. “My bag and Vanessa’s bag. My hands are full just by carrying her in her car seat.”

Angela didn't say anything, she went ahead and grabbed his bag and Vanessa’s bag. Tim unbuckled Vanessa’s car seat from the back seat and then he closed the door. Once he was settled, he closed the door and locked his truck. Both of them walked up to Genny’s front porch. Before either one of them could ring the doorbell, Genny opened the door. Genny wished she were seeing her older brother under different circumstances, not seeing him due to his house being an active crime scene since his wife had been kidnapped.

“Come on in,” Genny said softly as she stepped out of the way for him and Angela to enter.

Tim and Angela both stepped inside. Genny closed the door once they entered her house. Tim set down Vanessa’s car seat on the coffee table in the living room, took her out of it, and started swaying her back and forth to keep her from waking up. Angela set down what she was carrying for Tim on Genny’s couch.

“Come here,” Genny said to Tim once he was settled. She brought him into a comforting hug. Tim needed a hug at the moment, especially from his little sister, and especially after what had happened in the past few hours.

“Do you need anything else before I head back to the station?” Angela asked Tim after he pulled away from Genny’s hug.

Tim sighed, “I want my wife back, that’s what I need.”

Tim’s response broke Angela’s heart. She knew how badly the situation was affecting him. Angela knows how much Tim loves you. She knows that he’ll do anything to get her back.

“Tim, I promise you that we are gonna do everything we can to get Y/N back,” She reassured him.

“You promise?” Tim asked.

“Yes, I promise,” Angela nodded her head. “Also, if your mind changes about needing anything, don’t hesitate to call me,” she said.

“Okay,” Tim just nodded his head. Tim was just all quiet about this whole situation. He wasn’t saying much, or having any reaction. It’s like he just shut down. No one could blame him though.

“I’ll walk you out,” Genny spoke up.

She walked Angela outside to her unmarked car. Once Angela got into her car, she took off and headed back to the station. Genny then walked back into her house.

———

“Find anything yet?” Angela asked when she approached Nyla’s desk. Angela was hoping she did, so then they could get to the bottom of this case.

“No, I haven’t,” She shook her head. “I even checked the POD figure in the area where Tim and Y/N live. Nothing came up. Whoever took Y/N is smart and knows how to avoid traffic cams. Also, I have been looking into Tim’s past to see who could be behind Y/N’s kidnapping, but nothing has stuck out so far,” Nyla added.

“You want a fresh pair of eyes on trying to find the person from Tim’s past who could be behind the kidnapping?” Angela offered.

“Yes, please,” Nyla pleaded. Nyla knew that having an extra set of hands to help would make the case a little easier to solve.

Angela took a seat at her desk which was right across from Nyla’s desk. Nyla handed her a stack of case files. Angela knew that her and Nyla were most likely gonna be up for the night looking through each case file.

“The stack of case files that I just handed over to you is the most high-profile arrest that Tim has made in the past year as a Sergeant. Maybe in one of the case files there could be something that stands out, and maybe that something could give us an answer on who is behind this whole kidnapping,” Nyla explained.

“Got it,” Angela nodded. Angela then grabbed the first case from the stack and opened it. She started to go over the report that was written up by Tim and possibly see if the current person could be behind the kidnapping.

“How’s Tim doing?” Nyla questioned.

Angela looked up from the case file that she was going over and looked at Nyla. Angela sighs, “Not well. You can tell that this whole thing is messing with his emotions. I feel so bad for him. Also, it’s like he just shut down. He didn't even have any sort of reaction or emotion when we arrived at his sister’s house.”

“I mean, can you blame him though?” Nyla shrugged her shoulders. “His wife is missing and who knows where she might be right now?” she said.

“You do have a good point there. I just really wonder where Y/N is,” Angela frowned.

“I do too,” Nyla sighed.

———

The last thing you remember was that a stranger’s hand covered your mouth and then a bag was thrown over your head. That had to have been about two hours ago, or maybe longer, who knows? You were now in some abandoned shed by the looks of it. There was a huge window on your right side. You couldn’t make anything outside the window since it was dark out. The only light source was the moonlight. It was coming from a different window that was on the other side of the shed you were in. You weren’t alone in this shed, the two kidnappers were with you. They were sitting near the door of this shed that you were in, so there was no chance that you could escape and try to get help. If you did have the chance to escape, you wouldn’t know where to run to in the first place. You had no idea where you were.

“Look who's finally awake,” One of the kidnappers said.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” you begged.

The kidnapper scoffed, “Well, since you asked, I’m Mark, and that’s my brother, Jason,” he pointed to the person who was standing next to him. “And what we want is your beloved husband, Tim. So where is he?” Mark asked.

“I have no idea,” you lied.

“Yes, you do!” Mark yelled.

“No, I don’t,” you shook your head. “If I knew, wouldn’t you think I would tell you? Plus, what do you even want from him?”

Mark crouched down to be at eye level with you since you were sitting down on a random couch that was in the shed that you were being held in, “I want him to pay for what he did to my brother and me.”

“And what is that?” you croaked.

“He arrested us,” Mark stated. “Then he sent us up to Pelican Bay,” Mark said as he stood back up.

“So? You want to get revenge for that then?” you asked Marked.

“Exactly,” He nodded. “So? Let’s try this again, where is Tim?”

You know that these two kidnappers aren’t gonna stop until you officially give them an answer that they wanna hear, so it’s gonna be a very long night for you. You just wanted someone to rescue you, your husband to rescue you, to be exact, and put these two men back in prison.

———

It has been over three hours since this whole incident occurred. Tim still hasn’t heard anything from either Nyla, Angela, or Lieutenant Grey. He was hoping that maybe towards the end of the night, he would get some news from them. If he does, he probably won’t have a hard time sleeping tonight, because he won’t be so worried and stressed out about the whole thing. If he doesn’t get any sort of news, then it's gonna be a very long night for him.

Tim was finally able to put Vanessa back to sleep. It only took her about ten minutes for her to fall back asleep which was kinda shocking to Tim since sometimes it takes at least thirty minutes for her to fall asleep. Once Vanessa was settled into the crib Genny kept for old time's sake. Tim quietly exited the guest room and headed to the front room. When he entered the front room, he saw Genny reading a book by one of her favorite authors. She must have heard him since she looked up at him, put the bookmark into her book, and set it on the coffee table.

“How are you feeling?” She asked her older brother when he sat down on the other side of the couch.

Tim sighed, “Horrible. This whole case is just making my heart shatter. Y/N is missing and there aren't any leads on who could have done something like this to her. I just keep on thinking about how scared she probably was when she was taken and how she was probably scared about whether this person or the people were gonna take Vanessa too, or even worse, hurt her. I just feel like this whole thing is my fault. If I were home instead of finishing up paperwork back at the station. I could have prevented this from happening. I could have protected Y/N and Vanessa, but it’s too late for that.” Tim had tears running down his face now. Tim wasn’t a person who showed his vulnerability to anyone else, besides Y/N, but at the moment. He didn’t care. He just had to get his feelings out. He couldn’t keep bottled up any longer. Plus, Tim knew that his sister wouldn’t think any less of him since he was showing his vulnerable side.

“Tim. Don’t do that,” Genny begged. “Don’t beat yourself up and blame yourself for this. You had no idea that this would happen,” Genny said. “Everyone back at the station is putting all of their focus on Y/N. They are going to find her.”

“Thanks,” was all Tim could say. He was glad that his sister was by his side during this hard time. He has been there for her when she needed it the most. So, of course, she’s doing the same thing for him.

“Of course,” she gave him a light smile.

———

Nyla and Angela weren’t getting anywhere on the case files. It felt like they were hitting dead ends. It was starting to get frustrating for both of them.

“Hey, since it’s approaching midnight, do you want to pick this up in the morning? I feel like with possibly a good night's sleep, we can focus better on going through the case files,” Angela suggested to Nyla.

“I thought you would never suggest that. I feel like I’m gonna fall asleep at any moment.”

Angela chuckled, “Well, let’s both head home then.”

Nyla closed the case file that she was looking at and put it back in the pile with the rest of them. Angela and Nyla both tidied up their desks and then got up from them. Both of them headed out of the station to the parking lot where their cars were parked.

“I’ll see you back here in the morning,” Angela said to Nyla.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Nyla said back to her.

———

You were woken up by the sunlight coming through the window. You were glad that it was daytime now because maybe you could now figure out where the two kidnappers were holding you.

“Oh! Look who is finally awake,” Jason said. “How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Horrible,” you spat out. “Sleeping on this random couch that’s in this random shed that you’re currently holding me isn’t comfortable at all.”

“Well, that’s too bad. Sucks for you then,” Mark spoke up.

“What are you gonna do to me today? Slap me? Torture me? Kill me even? Or better yet, how about you two just let me go?” you said to the brothers. What you said was so random, but after what you went through last night, you felt the need to say that to them.

“If we let you go, you’re just gonna run to your lovely husband and tell him everything that happened to you. Then we will just go back to prison and spend the rest of our lives there.”

“You kidnapped me, a Sergeant’s wife, and an Army veteran's wife, for Christ's sake. Don’t you think that isn’t going to come with consequences?” you asked them. “Plus, I bet Tim and the whole Mid-Wilshire Police Department are trying to find me right now,” you said.

“Well, let them,” Mark shrugged his shoulders. “They aren’t going to find you anyway.”

———

Tim has been up for the past two hours now. So has Vanessa. She slept a little past eight which doesn’t happen often. Usually, she wakes up around the time that Tim is getting ready for work, but of course, that didn’t happen this morning. Before Vanessa woke up, Tim was able to shower, so he was able to get that out of the way. So then his main focus could be on his daughter. Tim just finished changing Vanessa into a new set of clothes. After he did that, Tim picked her up from the bed and exited the guest bedroom to head to the kitchen.

Genny was in the kitchen when Tim entered it. She was making some coffee and breakfast too. “How did you sleep last night?” She asked him.

“Pretty decent,” Tim answered. “I think talking to you last night about how I’m feeling about what’s currently going on really helped. So, thank you.”

“Of course. That’s what siblings are for,” Genny gave Tim a comforting smile. “Have you gotten any updates about Y/N’s kidnapping?” She asked him.

“No,” Tim shook his head. “But I am hoping that I get some sort of update soon though,” Tim hoped.

———

“I think I got something,” Angela jumped out of her seat.

“What is it?” Nyla looked up from the case file that she was currently canvassing through.

“This case file that I’m looking at shows when Tim made two arrests of these two brothers whose last name is ‘Lawrence.’ He made this arrest when he first got promoted to Sergeant.”

“What did they get arrested for?” Nyla questioned Angela.

Angela read over the file until she could get an answer for why they were arrested. “They both got arrested for armed robbery and assaulting an officer,” She said. “Most likely one of them assaulted Tim when he was making the arrest.”

“Does it say anything else? Maybe one of them said something to Tim about getting revenge or even something along the lines of them threatening him.”

“Let me check,” Angela said. Angela went through the pages of the case file until she could find something, and luckily, she did. “You’re right,” Angela stated. “Tim wrote that the older brother, ‘Mark,’ kept on threatening him about when he and his brother, Jason, would get out of prison. They will try to find Tim, and when they do, they will hurt him, and hurt the people whom he loves the most.”

“It has to be those two brothers who are behind all of this,” Nyla said. “Does it say anywhere that they are out of prison? Or what?” She asked Angela.

“Let me see,” Angela said as she started to type into her computer. “Got something.”

“What?” Nyla asked.

“Reports say that they got released on probation two weeks ago,” Angela shared.

“Does it say anything about where they could be staying? Maybe a halfway house or some sort of shelter?” Nyla questioned her work partner.

“No,” Angela frowned. Angela was upset that she didn’t get an answer about where the Lawrence brothers could be. Or, the location where they could be holding you captive.

“Now, what?” Nyla asked.

“I have no idea,” Angela shrugged her shoulders. “I’m going to call Tim though to give him an update about what’s going on.”

“Okay,” Nyla nodded her head.

Angela got up from her seat and walked over to one of the interrogation rooms that wasn’t too preoccupied to call Tim.

———

Tim was in the middle of a conversation with Genny when it was interrupted by his phone ringing. They were sitting at the dining room table while Vanessa went down for her afternoon nap not too long ago. His phone was on the kitchen counter. Tim got up from his seat at the dining room table and looked at the caller ID to see who was calling him. It was Angela.

“It’s Angela. I gotta answer it,” he said quickly to Genny before he answered Angela’s call.

Genny nodded her head.

“Hello?” Tim said to Angela who was on the other end of the phone.

“Hey. You got a minute?” She asked Tim.

“Yes,” He answered.

“Okay. First off, this is off the record since you’re not technically on the case since it’s personal, but secondly, I think Nyla and I found something that could lead us to Y/N.”

The moment that Angela said those words, Tim felt his heart drop.

“What is it?” He asked Angela.

“Do you remember those two brothers you arrested around five years ago? It was around the time when you first got promoted to Sergeant,” She said.

“The Lawrence brothers?” Tim asked.

“Yes,” Angela answered. “So, I was reading over the arrest file that you made on both of them. In the file, it said that Mark kept threatening you, and he said to you that when he and his brother, Jason, get out of prison. They are going to find you and hurt you, and hurt the people you love the most. Plus, reports in the system say that they got released on probation two weeks ago.”

“What do you mean they got released two weeks ago, Lopez?” Tim scolded. Tim wasn't happy with what he just heard. The older brother assaulted me before I could have arrested him. I got a black eye because of him,” Tim said over the phone to Angela.

When those words came out of Tim’s mouth. Genny looked over where he was standing in the kitchen. She couldn’t believe what she just heard from her older brother.

“It was either because of good behavior or they started to get overcrowded, or some shit like that. Honestly, it’s wrong what the older brother did to you, but my gut is saying that the brothers have to be the ones behind the kidnapping. And, also if they are the ones behind the kidnapping, records aren’t showing where they could be, so we have to keep on digging into where they could be holding Y/N,” Angela explained over the phone.

“Trust your gut, Lopez. If you truly think that the Lawrence brothers took Y/N, then try to find out where they are keeping her,” Tim demanded.

“Okay, I’ll keep on looking to see if I can find where they are keeping her,” Angela said.

“Okay. Keep me posted.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Tim ended the call with Angela and put his phone down on the kitchen counter, walked back to the dining room table, and sat down. Tim ran his hands over his face. Tim was starting to have so many emotions run through him. He wasn’t sure if he should be sad. Happy? or angry?

“Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what was that all about?” Genny asked Tim when he sat back down at the dining room table with her.

Tim turned his attention to his sister, “It was Angela,” he sighed. “She told me that she might have a lead on Y/N’s kidnapping.”

“Oh my goodness,” Genny gasped.

“Yeah,” Tim nodded his head. “Angela said that she will keep me posted.”

“Well, hopefully, she gets some information on Y/N’s kidnapping.”

“I hope so too,” Tim agreed.

———

You don’t know how it happened, but it did. You were able to escape from Jason and Mark. The reason you were probably able to escape was that for some reason Jason and Mark left the abandoned shed that they were keeping you in, so you took the risk and escaped from them.

When you got out of the abandoned shed. You noticed that the sun was starting to set, which was a good thing, because with what was left of the sunlight, you could see where you were getting held. You immediately noticed that you were getting held at the Old LA Zoo which is located in Griffith Park. You were questioning why Jason and Mark kept you captive at the Old LA Zoo, but that didn’t matter because now what only matters is whether you could run somewhere to get help.

When you got out of the shed, you could tell that you were off to the side of a dirt trail, perhaps a hiking trail. For a split second, you weren’t sure if you should head left of the trail and start running, or head right, but then you remembered that Tim had mentioned to you to always head right if you're trying to escape any sort of danger, so that's what you did. You started running in the right direction. You were hoping that maybe running down this trail, you would come across someone and they could get help for you. As you continued to run down this trail, you came across the rest of the cages that were a part of the Old LA Zoo, and where the picnic tables were too. You then ran towards the small parking lot that wasn’t too far from where you are now.

When you reached the small parking lot, you saw a couple around the same age as you and Tim. You were about to approach and ask for help, but then all of a sudden, you felt someone grab your waist from behind. It was one of the brothers. You were assuming that when they went back to the shed they were keeping you in, they saw that you had escaped from them.

“Let me go!” you screamed. You screamed as loud as you could. You were hoping that maybe the young couple would look in the direction of where your screams were coming from. Or even someone who would be hiking off to the distance where you were.

Your wish came true because when you were screaming, the young couple heard you screaming. They both noticed that you were distressed. You saw the young woman get her phone out of her pocket and by the looks of it, she looks like she’s calling for help.

———

Lieutenant Grey just got off the phone with the Watch Commander at the Northeast Division station. He was informed about the 911 call that came in, explaining how a woman who was with her husband, getting into their car after taking an evening hike saw a woman a few yards away, and the woman looked like she was in distress and was trying to escape from someone, but she wasn’t able to. Plus, the woman whom she saw trying to escape fit Y/N’s description.

“Listen up, everyone,” Grey yelled out when he walked out of his office to get everyone’s attention. “I just got off the phone with the Watch Commander at the Northeast Division station. They informed me about a 911 call that one of their dispatchers received not too long ago. This phone call was about how some lady who was with her husband in the area of the Old LA Zoo in Griffith Park saw some other lady who fit Y/N’s description running away from someone and was in distress, and by the sound of it, I’m pretty sure that it was Y/N trying to escape the Lawrence brothers, but it was too late because the lady who made the phone call said that some man grabbed her by waist and pulled her back towards him and took her somewhere in Griffith Park,” He explained. “So, with that being said, I have notified S.W.A.T., LAFD, and local Airship. They are heading out there at this moment. I want everyone in this room right now to drive as quickly as you can to get out there. I’ll notify Tim about what’s happening. Then I’ll head out and meet everyone over there.”

Not even a second after Lieutenant Grey explained what was currently happening. Everyone in the room immediately headed out to the patrol cars and headed to the location. Grey went back to his office, closed the door behind him, sat in his desk chair, and dialed Tim’s number to call him.

———

Tim was watching TV in the living room of Genny’s house while Vanessa was playing with her toys on her playmat on the floor. While he was watching TV, his phone on the coffee table started ringing. He reached over to grab it, he looked to see who was calling him, and it was Grey’s office phone who was calling him.

“Hello?” He said into the phone.

“Bradford, I got some news for you.”

When Lieutenant Grey said those words. Tim felt his heart starting to beat fast. He was wondering what news Lieutenant Grey was about to give him.

“What is it?” Tim asked.

“We found your wife.”

Tim was shocked at what he just heard. He couldn’t believe it. He can’t believe that you were finally found. He felt like he could cry happy tears because of it.

“Where is she? How did they find her? “Is she alright?” Tim frantically asked.

“She’s in Griffith Park in the area of the Old LA Zoo. The Northeast Division got a call from a woman who saw some women running towards their direction, screaming, and possibly running away from someone to escape them, and the woman was able to describe what the women looked like, and the description fits perfectly with your wife. Plus, since you’re asking if she’s alright. Truly I don’t think so, she was held captive for the past few days. She’s gonna need you, Bradford. I know I technically sat you out for this since it’s personal, but that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll radio Sergeant Chen to stop by your sister’s house to pick you up, and you both can head over there,” Lieutenant Grey explained over the phone to Tim.

Tim couldn’t believe what his boss just explained to him. Tim was starting to feel so many emotions at once, especially anger. He was angry that the Lawrence brothers dared to break into your and Tim’s shared house, kidnap you, and hold you captive for a few days.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting in the front yard for her,” Tim said.

“Okay, perfect. I’ll meet both of you out there.”

“Alright,” Tim said. Tim ended the phone call, then he immediately got up from his spot on the couch and walked over to the dining room table to tell Genny about the news.

“They found Y/N,” He said when he approached her.

“Oh my gosh,” Genny said as she closed her laptop and looked up to Tim. “Is she in stable condition? Do you know?” She asked.

“I have no idea,” Tim shook his head. “Most likely she isn’t. Grey even informed me that Lucy is on her way over here, so then we can head over to where Y/N was held captive. So, would you mind watching Vanessa for now? Tim asked.

“I don’t mind at all. Of course, I can watch her,” Genny nodded her head.

Tim sighs in relief, “Thank you so much.”

“Of course.”

Tim quickly walked away and went to the guest bedroom to grab his gun holster and his badge. Tim then rushed out of Genny’s house. When he exited her house, right on time, Lucy pulled up in her shop. Tim entered the passenger door, got in, and then they headed off.

———

Lucy and Tim pulled up to the area where the Old LA Zoo is located in Griffith Park. There were so many other officers on the scene, including the Northeast Division, S.W.A.T., LAFD, and local airship. The local airship was flying around the area with its searchlight on to see if they could find you since Griffith Park is over 4,000 acres, because there's no way that it could be all covered on foot. That would take days to do that.

Tim and Lucy quickly got out of the squad car. Tim walked to the back of the shop and opened it to get a bulletproof vest. Once Tim was ready, he closed the back of the squad car. Lucy and Tim immediately walked over to the trail that leads to the Old LA Zoo. The moment Tim and Lucy arrived on the scene, everyone went their separate ways in the park to find you.

Tim and Lucy were sweeping everything on the trail. Both were shining their lights on everything they came across on the trail. Trees, bushes, the old cages from the Zoo, basically anywhere the Lawrence brothers could be hiding you. So far, they haven’t had any luck. Until they heard Angela in the distance, yelling at someone or something to put the weapon down.

“That’s gotta be the brothers or at least one of them,” Tim said.

Tim and Lucy ran towards where Angela was. When they arrived, they saw Jason holding a knife to your throat. While Mark had a gun pointed towards Angela. Tim's heart immediately dropped, he didn’t like the scene that was happening right in front of him. Tim had to act professionally though. These situations are something that Tim deals with from time to time. He’s trained on what to do in situations like this. You were scared, you looked like you were about to start crying, and by the looks of it, it looked like you had some marks on your face. That made Tim feel so angry that the two brothers were most likely the cause of the marks on your face.

“L.A.P.D.,” Lucy yelled. “Drop your weapons now, or we will shoot,” She warned.

Surprisingly, the brothers dropped their weapons, but then they decided to run off the other way and left you standing there. You were shaken up by what just happened. Tim quickly put his gun back in his holster and ran up to you. While Angela and Lucy ran past you to catch the brothers. Tim wrapped his arms around your waist when he walked up to you, the moment he did, he started crying. You started crying too. You can’t believe that you are back in your husband’s arms.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” you sniffed. You pulled back and looked at Tim. “I thought I wasn’t gonna make it. Where’s Vanessa? Is she okay?” you started to ramble.

“Shhh everything is okay now,” Tim reassured you. “I’m here now. You’re safe. Vanessa is safe, Genny is watching her right now. Let’s get you transported to the hospital to get you checked out, yeah?”

You nodded your head.

———

You had to stay overnight in the hospital. The nurses wanted to keep an eye on you since you were severely dehydrated and lacked nutrition. You just wanted to be back home already with Tim and your daughter, but you knew that it was for safety precautions.

“May we come in?” Angela knocked lightly on the door of your room. Wesley was with her. They brought a bouquet of your favorite flowers for you.

“Of course,” Tim answered.

“How are you feeling?” Angela asked as she put the bouquet next to the bed and then sat down in the empty chair that was next to your hospital bed.

“Okay, I guess,” you nodded. “And thank you for the flowers, it means so much to me.”

“Of course,” Angela smiled.

“Did you catch them?” you then decided to ask her.

Angela looked at Tim. She was hesitant to answer your question. Angela wanted you not to focus on the brothers anymore and not focus on the consequences that they are going to face. You should just focus on healing from the terrible situation that they put you through, but you know you will start to heal once you get an answer from Angela.

“They caught the brothers,” Wesley spoke up for Angela. “They are going back to prison. Both of them ended up confessing to everything, so they aren't going to see the outside world ever again,” He said.

Tim’s eyes widened, “Wait. You’re serious?”

“Yeah,” Wesley nodded his head.

“Well, that’s great news for me,” you slightly grinned. You were relieved that the Lawrence brothers ended up confessing about everything. You were relieved that they are going back to prison and that they are most likely going to spend the rest of their lives there.

“Yes, it is,” Angela gave you a comforting smile. “Get some sleep now,” she said. “You have been through so much for the past few days.”

“I will,” you promised.

Angela got up from the edge of your bed and walked out of the room with Wesley.

———

Throughout the very late evening, Lucy, John, Aaron, Celina, Nyla, Grey, and many others from Mid-Wilshire stopped by to visit you and a few of them dropped off flowers for you too. It felt very heartwarming to see how many people wished you a fast recovery and that they have your back if you need anything. You couldn't ask for any better people to be in your corner. You appreciate them all very much.

You were currently in Bozeman running a few errands. Bozeman was the closest town to where the ranch was, unlike Billings. Billings was at least two and a half hours from the ranch. Bozeman was only a forty-minute drive away. Plus, you tend to only go to Billings if Rip is with you. This time, he wasn't. Rip decided to stay back at the ranch with your daughter, Evelyn. The two of them decided to start getting the Christmas decorations out since October is going to be over soon. You're the type of family that starts decorating for Christmas once November starts.

The first place you had to go to in Bozeman was the post office. You had to pick up some stamps since you don't have any, and you know you’re going to need them since the holidays are approaching since most likely, you’re going to have to mail out Christmas presents to your family members who live in other states besides Montana.

When you entered the post office, there weren't many people in line waiting to either drop off a package or preps to pick one up, or even to buy stamps. It was probably because it was a Friday afternoon and the majority of people were still at work, and not out running errands.

Once you received your stamps, you headed out of the post office and over to the next place that you needed to go. You had to head over to the local jewelers to pick up Rip’s wedding ring. You and him send it to the jewelers for it to be cleaned since it’s been a while since it was last cleaned.

“How can I help you?” the young woman asked you when you walked into the jewelry shop.

“Hi,” you greeted the worker. “I’m here to pick up a ring that was sent in last week to be cleaned.”

“What’s the name?” she asked you.

“It’s Y/N Wheeler.”

After you told the worker your name, she headed back to get Rip’s ring. While you were waiting for her. You admire the jewelry that was displayed in the glass case that was right where you were standing. While you were doing that, you just had an uneasy feeling come over you. It felt like someone was perhaps watching you. You looked around the jewelry store to make sure no one was there, and that your mind was just playing games with you. While you scanned the place, you didn't see anything out of the ordinary. You didn't see if anyone could be stalking you.

“Here you go, Mrs. Wheeler,” the worker smiled. She came back from the back room with a small box. The small box had Rip’s wedding ring in it. “Would you like a small bag for it?” she asked you.

“No, I’m good,” you shook your head. ‘Thank you though.”

You placed the ring into your purse and headed to the next place that you needed to go. You had to go to the local beauty store to buy more face lotion since you ran out of it this morning. The beauty store was a family-owned business too. You have been shopping at the store for as long as you can remember.

When you entered the store, you grabbed a basket. Yeah, you just need to get one thing, but still. You won't be surprised if you end up buying other beauty products that you come across in the store. You headed over to the aisle where the face lotions were, so that you could get that out of the way. While you were looking at all of them, you noticed someone out of the corner of your eye, standing a few feet away from you. You didn't know that besides the owners being in the shop, there was someone else shopping, besides you. You did notice though that the guy looks very familiar, but you can't exactly figure out why he does. You just brushed the situation off and went back to shopping.

In the end, you did end up spending quite some time in the beauty shop. You did end up buying more than the face lotion that you needed to. You ended up buying some new fragrances of perfumes that were on sale, a new cologne fragrance for Rip, a new bottle of bubble bath soap for Evelyn, and a new bottle of body wash for Rip since he was running low on the one that he had back at home.

The owner’s wife, Lucy, was checking you out. While she was, the two of you were having small talk with each other. It felt so nice talking to her. You always have the greatest talks with her when you do. You were updating her about Evelyn. Lucy has always considered Evelyn as her own niece. Also while you were getting checked out, and having your small talk with Lucy, that’'s when you noticed the guy again. This time he was off to one of the aisles looking at the different gel products for men. You thought that it was odd that he was in the same area as you again.

“I’m sorry, sir. Do I know you from somewhere?” you decided to ask the man. You just had to ask him that question. You needed to know why he looked so familiar to you.

The man turned his attention towards the register where you were at, “No ma’am,” he shook his head with a small smile plastered on his face. “I’m actually new to the area.”

For some reason, you really didn't believe the guy. You weren't gonna tell the guy that though. If you did, that would most likely not turn out good. “Oh! You just look very familiar to me, that’s why,” you explained to him.

“I guess I just have a familiar face then,” he lightly laughed.

“I guess so,” you awkwardly smiled. You started to get that same uneasy feeling that you got when you were at the jeweler's shop. Lucy must have noticed that you started to look uneasy as she bagged up the items that you bought.

“Hey. Are you alright?” she asked concernedly.

You turned your attention back to her. “Yeah, I’m alright,” you played it off.

After you paid for your items and exchanged your goodbyes and headed out. You are done with your errands now. You put the bag from the beauty store in your car, so you don't have to carry it with you while you head over to the coffee shop. You just decided to walk over there since it was only a couple of buildings down. Once you get your iced coffee, you’re planning to head back to the ranch.

While you were walking down the sidewalk, heading to the coffee shop. You had to cross a small alley to get to the other side. You were about to do that when suddenly a van cut you off and blocked you from being able to get to the other side.

“What the…,” you mumbled to yourself. Before you could go around the back of the van to get to the other side of the sidewalk. Someone in a mask opened up the side door of the van and grabbed you. You had no time to react at all. The person closed the door once you were in. There was another person in a mask too in the back of the van with the one who grabbed you. Then there was the driver who even had a mask on. They were definitely wearing masks, so they could keep their identities hidden.

“What should we do with her?” the person who grabbed you asked the driver.

“You know what to do with her,” the driver said.

You knew that voice. It was the guy’s voice, the one you talked to back at the beauty shop. You were starting to wonder why he and the two men with him had kidnapped you. Did they have something against John Dutton? Did they want to buy the Yellowstone Ranch even though it’s not for sale? You just had so many questions running through your head.

The two men started getting closer to you. You tried your best to scoot into the corner of the van, but you know that it’s not going to solve anything. “Stay away from me, please,” you pleaded. Tears started to roll down your face.

——-

It must have been an hour at least being in the van with those kidnappers. The things that they did to you were horrible. You felt very vulnerable and disgusted. You just wanted to be back home already, but sadly, you weren't. You had to drive back home. You know that you shouldn't. You know that you should Rip to pick you up, but you don't have the energy to explain over the phone what happened to you. You would rather just explain in person, if you can even find the right words to do so.

On the drive back to the ranch, your mind was racing. Your brain wouldn't stop replaying what happened in the van with the three men. You wanted to cry, scream, punch something, etc. You just wanted to turn off your brain and forget what happened to you.

———

When you pulled up to your home on the property of the Yellowstone Ranch. You weren't sure how exactly to feel. You weren't sure if you should feel relieved that you were home. Or feel nervous since you are wondering how Rip is going to react/feel about what happened to you? You turned off your car and just got out. You couldn't care less now about your purse and the bag from the beauty store. You just wanted to get the clothes that you were wearing off your body.

When you approached the front door, you started to shake as you put the key in to unlock it. Once it was unlocked, you stepped into your home and closed the door behind you. You saw that Rip was sitting on the couch facing the fireplace with a whiskey glass in his hand. You didn't see Evelyn anywhere in the living room with him. She either must be taking a nap or hanging out with Teeteer somewhere on the ranch property. Rip must have heard the door open and close since he turned his attention towards you.

Rip’s smile just disappeared from his face. It seemed like he just saw a ghost. Without any hesitation, Rip quickly placed his whiskey glass onto the coffee table and headed over to you. “Who did this to you?” he asked you. He saw that you had a black eye, a busted lip, and a red mark on your neck. He took a step closer to you. He wanted to get a closer look at your injuries.

“Stay back,” you stepped back. You wanted comfort from your husband, but you weren't in the right headspace for that due to what just happened to you.

When you said that to Rip, it just broke him. Whoever did this to you. It must have hurt you very badly. “Okay,” Rip just nodded his head. “Who did this to you?” he asked you again. Rip wanted to get angry about your situation. It wasn't the right time for that though.

“I don’t know,” you shook your head. “It was three masked men.” You started crying again. “One man grabbed me and put me in the back of the van. Then him and his two buddies did horrible things to me,” you said through tears.

“I’m gonna find these fuckers,” Rip mumbled loud enough for you to hear him. Rip wasn't sure how he's going to, but he’s gonna find a way to. The three men are going to pay for what they did to. Rip doesn't care if the men have to end up at the train station. The three men don’t know who they just messed with.

“Are you sure?” you asked.

Rip was about to take a step back, but then he remembered that you wanted some distance between you and him. You noticed that he had done that though, and so you slightly nodded at him, signaling that you were okay now with him being a little closer to you. “I’m very sure, honey,” he nodded his head.

The way the word honey sounded when Rip said it to you. It made you feel a little bit better. Rip somehow knew that you needed to hear him calling some sort of pet name in this situation.

You just nodded at what Rip said. “I need to change,” you sorta changed the subject. “I just want to get out of these clothes. “I don’t want them on me any longer,” you sniffed. You have calmed down from the crying that you were just doing not too long ago.

“Do whatever you need to do, sweetheart,” Rip spoke to you softly. As much as Rip wanted to lash out, because of what happened to you. He can’t. That’s a side of him that you don't need to see at the moment. You just needed to see the comforting and soft side of him right now. “I’ll be here back on the couch if you need anything,” Rip said as he walked back to the couch and sat down.

You just nodded your head at your husband and then headed down the hall to your shared bedroom. You stripped off your clothes once you entered your bedroom and threw them in the trash can that you and Rip have in the bedroom. If you kept those clothes, you would just remember the horrible moments that happened to you while you wore them. You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror that’s in the corner of the bedroom. Your bra and underwear were dismantled. You had some dirt marks on your bra and your underwear had a medium-sized tear on the waist part of it. You wrapped your arms around your body and looked down at your face. Tears started to roll down your face again.

“Hey, you’re okay, honey. I’m right here,” Rip spoke softly. He must have heard you start to cry while he was in the living room. He led you to the edge of your shared bed and had you sit down. He took a seat next to you.

“Why did this have to happen to me?” you cried into his arms. Rip wrapped his arms around you.

“I don’t know,” he shook his head. “It’s not your fault at all though. Okay?”

“Okay,” you slightly nodded your head. You unwrapped yourself from Rip’s arms and headed over to your dresser. Just like the clothes you wore earlier, you wanted to take off your bra and underwear too. Before you slipped them off to change into a new pair of underwear and clothes, Rip actually turned his head the other direction. It’s not that he wanted to look at you. It’s because he respects your feelings and knows that it’s actually not the right time to look at you in a time like this. Once you tossed the bra and underwear into the trash can, and changed into pajamas. You went back to the edge of the bed where Rip was.

“I’m going to help you get through this, sweetheart,” Rip promised. Rip is going to keep his promise. He’s going to help you get through this horrible incident. He’s not leaving your side anytime soon.

taglist: @auroralightsthesky @sunflowerleii

Bucky was finally planning to propose to you. For the past few months though, he was going back and forth about whether he should or not. He was having second thoughts about the whole thing. He started getting into his head and was thinking that you wouldn't want to marry him, but then Bucky just had to remind himself that of course you wanted to marry him. You have mentioned to him that you wanna marry him someday. So, now he just has to come up with a plan for how to propose to you.

Bucky was in the tower at the kitchen island with a few notebooks and books about marriage and proposals surrounding him. He wanted this proposal to be perfect. He wanted it to be something that you’ll never forget. Unfortunately, Bucky was struggling with planning this proposal. He wasn't sure where to start.

“This proposal is going to be the death of me,” Bucky groaned as he ran his hands over his face. When Bucky said that, he ended up saying it a little too loudly, because Yelena was at the other side of the kitchen, and she ended up hearing him.

“Wait, you’re proposing?” she asked him. She was stunned by the fact that Bucky was planning to do that.

“Well,” Bucky sighed. “Yes, if only I could figure out how the heck to propose to Y/N.”

“It’s simple,” Yelena started to say as she started walking to the kitchen island where Bucky was sitting. “You just get on one knee and ask her if she wants to marry you,” she finished her sentence.

Bucky just looked at her with an annoyed look. He knew that she was messing around with him by saying that. “Really?” He scolded her.

Yelena threw her hands up to surrender, “I’m just joking,” she said. “Don’t do that, because that’s a lame move.”

“Trust me, I won't," Bucky promised. “Y/N will have my ass if I ever pull a stunt like that.”

“Well, start easy, has Y/N ever talked about what kind of ring she would like to be proposed to with one day?” Yelena asked Bucky. She then pulled out the chair across from him at the kitchen island and sat down.

“As I can recall, she has in the past,” Bucky answered Yelena.

“Perfect,” Yelena beamed. “What kind of ring would that be then?”

Bucky looked at one of the magazine catalogs about different engagement rings that he had secretly saved. Bucky kept everything on paper. Yeah, of course, he knows how to work modern technology, but he felt more comfortable if he had everything on paper instead, just in case anything goes wrong and the internet goes out and he loses everything.

“Y/N has talked about these two different engagement rings all the time,” Bucky informed Yelena. Bucky slid the magazine across the kitchen island to her. Yelena picked it up and took a good look at both rings. One ring had a rose gold band with an oval-shaped diamond. While the other one also had a rose gold band, with a circular diamond instead of an oval one. Out of all engagement rings those two have been the ones that you have always brought up to Bucky.

“Oh! Those are very pretty,” Yelena exclaimed. She loved how both rings were very elegant, but simple. “Y/N got some good taste,” she complimented the rings after. Yelena then slid the magazine across the kitchen island, back to Bucky.

“Thanks,” Bucky smiled.

“Now, you just have to figure out which one sticks out to you the most,” Yelena commented. “Is it the first one or the second one?”

Bucky sighed. Both of them stick out to him, but he can’t propose to you with two rings. That would just be very odd to do. “Technically both of them stick out to me,” Bucky shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, how about this,” Yelena paused for a quick second. “Which ring can you picture more on Y/N’s finger?” Yelena asked. “Maybe that can help you make a final decision on which ring to get for the proposal."

Bucky closed his eyes. He started to picture both rings in his mind. He started to picture which ring would suit your ring finger. He even started to picture which ring would suit your personality better. As odd as that might sound, he knows picturing that will most likely help him in the end.

“The oval-shaped ring,” Bucky announced when he opened his eyes back up. After picturing it in his head, the oval-shaped ring fits you more than the circular diamond ring. Now that Bucky has pictured it in his head, he can see himself proposing to you with that ring instead.

“Are you sure?” Yelena asked to double-check with him.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Bucky nodded his head. Bucky was one hundred percent sure.

“Okay then,” Yelena said. “Next step is finding a location where you want the proposal to take place.”

Figuring out a location where Bucky could propose was going to be more difficult than figuring out a ring. There were many places where the proposal could take place. You have never told Bucky any specific location where you would love to get proposed to. Bucky just knew that he didn't want it to take place in a public place where there were crowds of people. He wanted it to take place in a more isolated/quiet location.

“Y/N has never mentioned any specific location where she would like to be proposed to,” Bucky said.

“Has she ever talked about a dream destination that she would like to visit one day?” Yelena questioned Bucky. “Maybe you could take her to a dream destination of hers, and then during the trip, that’s when you propose to her,” she suggested.

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows as a way to show that he was thinking. He was thinking about whether you had ever mentioned dream destinations to him in the past. Most likely, you probably had. While he was thinking about it, Ava all of a sudden walked into the kitchen.

‘What’s going on over here?” She asked Bucky and Yelena when she approached them both at the kitchen island.

“Bucky’s proposing,” Yelena said to Ava.

Ava’s jaw dropped a little. She was shocked, but excited at the time that Bucky was planning to propose to you. “No way,” she exclaimed. “When?”

“As soon as I can figure out a destination where I can do the proposal,” Bucky said.

“What about Red Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona?” Ava suggested.

Bucky and Yelena just looked at each other with confused looks plastered on their faces. They thought that it was so random that Ava randomly brought that location up. Ava noticed that both of them were confused by what she said.

“Y/N recently brought up that place to me when she and I were talking the other day, that's why.”

“That could work,” Bucky said.

“Yeah, it could,” Yelena agreed with Bucky.

For the rest of the evening, Bucky did research about Red Rock State Park. While Yelena and Ava decided to start looking up wedding photographers in the magazine catalogs that Bucky had on the kitchen island. He was glad that Yelena and Ava were there to help him plan this proposal. He can't wait to see the whole outcome of it. He can't wait to propose to you.

taglist: @auroralightsthesky @sunflowerleii