HOMETOWN HERO.

GEORGIE: not really, but now that you mention, that one might come in handy, too...

GEORGIE: Nate can't help

GEORGIE: come on, Nick. Please!!!

NICK: We're not double dating after what happened last time. That girl was creepy! She was WAY too into taxidermy and told me all her deceased cats had been stuffed.

NICK: She was weirder than you... 😉

The last bell of the day had rung less than an hour ago at the elementary school and Eleanor still wasn’t home. It had been one of those days and she’d decided to take a long way home to clear her head. Turns out she should’ve taken her usual route. She was lost in her thoughts when someone took a nasty fall in front of her. Her hands flew to her mouth, cringing as she imagined how much pain the person must be in. “Oh no,” she said nervously, taking a few steps towards them. “Do you need anything? I have hand sanitizer in my purse. Bandaids too. Should I call an ambulance?” She looked around, panicky. “Can anyone help?”

          After having dropped Mackenzie at her playdate for the afternoon, Nicholas had decided to run some errands, ones he hadn’t been able to finish while his young daughter was in school. His to-do list consisted of two very important things: get a thank you gift for his neighbor for watching Kenzie at the very last minute over the weekend, and buying Kenzie a new dress to wear to church on Sunday. Both errands were far easier to complete without a four year old in tow, especially one who loved shopping as much as his daughter did. His attention was suddenly swayed by the sound of a loud collision, and the familiar voice of a woman nearby, his head turning in the general direction as he watched the scene unfold before him. “Fuck,” he let out audibly, the word falling from his lips before he had a chance to stop it. “Everything okay over there?” Nick called out as his feet carried him towards the brunette, and the man crumpled on the floor in front of her. He recognized the woman as one of Mackenzie’s teachers at school, someone he hadn’t had many interactions with outside the four walls, but who his daughter had always spoken fondly of. “Miss Barton? Are you hurt?”

GEORGIE: bless it!!

GEORGIE: like an emergency only you can help solve

GEORGIE: 911 can't do shit

GEORGIE: please?

NICK: Is it a Tinder emergency? Do you need me to screen your newest matches or something? I told you I wasn't gonna do that again. 😑

GEORGIE: this might sound a bit odd, but I have to ask

GEORGIE: where are you now?

GEORGIE: bc if you are not at work, I think you must know that I might have an emergency and I need your help

GEORGIE: a total "Houston, we have a problem" kind of emergency

NICK: I'm at home, not working today.

NICK: Emergency? Like a fire emergency?

          It wasn’t every day that a stranger came into your life by that of a handmade Valentine’s Day card, especially from his daughter. And yet — it was oddly charming. She would go home remembering this discussion for the sheer originality of the situation, the card holding a place on her fridge, or on her mantel piece. There was no way in heck she was going to throw away a Princess’ gift. She wasn’t an idiot. “Well, it is 2019, she can’t be both a Princess and someone who does a little arts and crafts on the side?” She smirked, chuckling slightly as they talked of the young child with whom she had never actually met, and yet, the girl resonated with her on another level. “She can accomplish anything, I assure you. I know that much and I’ve never even met this future Princess.” All little girls could in this day and age. It was beautiful, really. The opportunities people could secure themselves if they knew where hard work got them, and the male before her didn’t strike her as the type to abolish said motivation in his daughter’s life. 

          As the blue eyed male mentioned it was a fifty-fifty between herself and the rather disgruntled man across from them, it was obvious she should thank both hers and his lucky stars that she was in the right place at the right time, or he’d end up with a black eye, apparently. “I guess I should say ‘you’re welcome’ then — for y’know, being here. Saved you from getting into it with lactose intolerant Larry over there.” She could recall that he had asked for a soy latte when ordering, considering he was just before her in the queue, so she had decided to name him for the sake of their conversation. “But you never know, that card could’ve melted his icy heart and this time tomorrow he’d be eating that bagel with a smile on his face, all thanks to your little girls kind gesture.” She had a knack for it really, seeing the best in people, or hoping for positive outcomes, even with people she had never met. “I’m glad to hear it. Not sure how I’d feel with a dad using his daughter to get into women’s pants.”

          Talking about his daughter was always far easier than talking about himself, which is why the young firefighter tended to fill the awkward void of conversation with information about Mackenzie, even if he was merely interacting with a stranger. She was the best part of him, with long dark hair and big, bright hazel eyes, mirroring much of her mother --- not just where her creative ability was concerned. Nick admired the way she looked at the world, like it was filled with endless possibilities, and for someone like her, it certainly was. He hoped that she never lost the childlike innocence that encompassed exactly who she was, and which he could tell the stranger beside him deeply appreciated. “No, you’re right, you’re right. But I think she’s going to have her hands full with all the unicorn wrangling she plans to do,” he joked, a hearty laugh bellowing in his chest as he spoke, remembering a previous conversation he’d had with his daughter about this very topic. “She’s got it all planned out.” Emphasized hand gestures accompanied his words before he held out his hand to the brunette, “I’m Nick, by the way. My daughter is Mackenzie, or Princess Kenzie, whichever she’s in the mood for.” After politely shaking the other’s hand, it was immediately clasped around his half-empty coffee cup as he brought it to his lips, reveling in the caffeine that was now trickling down the back of his throat. 

          “Lactose Intolerant Larry?” His eyes widened, both in amusement and humor, wondering where the nickname had sprouted from and whether or not the two knew each other. “I didn’t mean to offend your friend.” Nick said half-jokingly, his wandering gaze now planted upon the man in question as he studied him with further inspection. Maybe the woman was right; and suddenly he felt ashamed of the assumptions he’d made in the past, nodding his head slowly at the realization. “Kenzie is a better person than I am because she would’ve walked right up to him and handed him that card with fierce determination, and forced him to like it.” The coffee cup, now empty, was then set back down on the table as Nick settled back into his seat. “When women find out I have a daughter, that information usually doesn’t work in my favor--- they tend to run in the opposite direction.”

Nolan’s usual routine began and though he was temporarily off cases at the station, he had always been a self sufficient individual. When one door closed, he had been taught to open another for himself. Rather, he was forced to do as much. He was venturing into cases outside his usual realm of expertise, mostly because they weren’t criminals and he couldn’t use force to apprehend them. He was just finding, not capturing this time. Maybe that would be safer for him given his previous outburst. Laptop open, looking through various documents and statements that were supposed to help him in making headway in this case, he felt like he was already hitting brick walls. Which was why the distraction came at the exact right time. In the form of a unsymmetrical heart? Looking up as Nick spoke, the entire thing made a bit more sense. “I look like I’d appreciate a homemade card?” Nolan ran from all things Valentine and definitely all things love. “Is that a dig at me or something?” Actually, if not for all the decorations around Austin, he wouldn’t have even known that it was Valentine’s Day the day before. “Why are you on Valentine distribution duty?” 

          It was certainly no secret that the two had never been close, and despite being bound by the blood, the cousins had never spent a significant amount of time together. Since Arthur Mercer’s passing, Nicholas and Victoria had tried their utmost best to reunite the two families in the wake of tragedy; especially since their parents were no longer around, it seemed silly to remain apart from such a significant family member. But building a slow and steady friendship would need to come before any familial connection, which is why Nick had extended the handmade card to begin with --- it was a starting point, or so he thought. “No man, not a dig at all,” he reassured the other, shaking his head vigorously as a deep chuckle sounded from his chest. He didn’t know much about Nolan’s dating life, but he figured by his response that he wasn’t particularly fond of the current festivities. He couldn’t be blamed. “I just thought you’d like it. Kenzie made it, and she was really proud of it.” Nick further explained, offering a small smile in return before reaching for his warmed coffee cup, bringing it to his lips as he took a brief sip. “She took a bunch of these to school and then instructed me to hand out the rest at the station, spreading the Saint Valentine cheer or whatever she called it.” 

          There was something inside of him that propelled him to want to help, an obsession with trying to save or better someone’s life when they needed it; her friends had scarpered, disappeared amongst the crowds and nobody else was going to get themselves involved. It fell down to him as vomit dripped from her chin to try and get help, that coming in the form of his friend who had been chatting with him just moments before. “I don’t know—” Daniel answered both of his questions with a low, frustrated tone as he gave up scanning the room. “Watch out—” He called out as the girl threw up again, this time all over herself before falling back into the wall. “What the hell did this chick eat today?” He asked as pieces of food scattered the floor, stepping over a puddle to avoid slipping or getting more on him. “OK, I need to get her outside. They’ll throw her out otherwise, can you get some water? She needs a cab.”

          He wasn’t unfamiliar with a situation such as this, in fact, before his daughter’s birth he could have quite possibly been the person in need of assistance after having one too many beers. Instead of annoyance, he felt an immense amount of pity for the young woman; who had seemingly been abandoned by her friends, if she could even call them that after their quick escape from the current situation. Then again, they were possibly just as drunk as she was. Watching his friend immediately spring into action, as any doctor might do, Nicholas followed suit by reaching for the blonde’s purse that lay beside her on the floor. He began to rifle through her belongings before finding her cellphone, slightly amazed that it did not need a passcode in order to be accessed, and clicked onto her Uber app. Eyes scanned the floor, a large puddle of vomit covering his direct vicinity, “That smell is going to haunt me for days.” Nick gagged, shaking his head as he held up the phone in his hand. “Here’s her address, she has it set up in her Uber app. Looks like she lives out in Bouldin Creek,” he observed, handing Daniel the device as he took a few steps back, in the direction of the bar. “You call her an Uber and I’ll get her some water, maybe see if I can track down one of her friends.”

To say her day went bad was an understatement. She’d seen Nick’s text, but never responded, she didn’t care. The typical Scarlett way of coping was to wallow in her own self pity for far too long before finally grabbing something to drink and a warm body. It was a poor coping mechanism at best, especially when she was mad about work things, rather than personal things. There surely was an easier way to deal, she just had never done anything the easy way. 

Staring up to the ceiling in the entertainment room off the kitchen, she heard someone knock at the door. Only then did she realize that she’d forgotten to shut the gate at the end of her driveway– or maybe she did, but how would whoever know the code? She didn’t know, but if this was her time to get murdered, it couldn’t come at a better moment. Another knock and she heard the door open and a familiar voice rang through her empty, quiet house.

The brunette laid there, sprawled out on the couch for a second longer before actually getting up, meeting the man in the front front of the house. “UberEats?” She questioned, if anything could get her to stand up, it was food. It was always food, and she was happy that he’d caught on to that. A smile, rare as it was, creeped on to her face, as she moved towards him. Simultaneously, she took the bag from his hand, and leaned in, stretching up to her toes to press a kiss to his bearded cheek, the rough hairs pricking her lips, but she didn’t mind, she never had. “Ugh.” She practically moaned, “I don’t think I ate today, in this one moment, you’re an angel.” 

Moving back to the kitchen, she opened the bag, pulling out the spread of food, seeing quite a few tacos, looking back to Nick, “Is any of this for you? Because it’s looking like just enough for me. Like, sorry.” 

          If his sister wasn’t watching Mackenzie for the night, he never would’ve thought to drop by Scarlett’s house, especially uninvited but by the mood of her text, he could tell her day hadn’t been the best. It wasn’t often that they spoke about work, or what was bothering them, and Nick had never once felt obligated to share his worries or concerns with her which he was only too glad for. She never asked questions that required an answer, or probed him for more information than he was willing to give. On nights that were spent in the privacy of her own home, and even bedroom, were not nights that he wanted to divulge his entire life story. Their friendship, for all intents and purposes, was fairly superficial and that’s how they both intended to keep it.

          Perhaps it was a bad sign that Scarlett’s house had become so familiar to him, or perhaps he was just overthinking something so simple. They were friends; they had been friends long before they had embarked on their little tryst, and now the only thing that had changed between them was that they had seen each other naked. Sex didn’t always have to complicate matters, and when two people were as different as they were, sex was just used as a way of comfort --- or distraction. Suddenly, all previous thoughts escaped him as he watched her cross the room towards him, her hazel hues connecting with his own as she grasped the brown paper packet. “Oh baby, you say the sweetest things.” Nick emphasized jokingly, taking a step back as Scarlett surpassed him to make her way into the kitchen, shrugging off the black leather jacket that fit him securely around the shoulders and draped it over the back of the couch.

“No kidding; I’m taking advantage of it before it drops down to below freezing again tomorrow - maybe I’ll even get a tan,” she replied with a small smile; there was no chance of a tan anytime soon with how little sunlight the blonde subjected herself to. Gripping her coffee between her hands was more to keep them occupied than to gift herself easy access to the caffeine inside; god, she hated small talk. “Mm yeah, I suppose so. How’s the little one anyways?” Liv inquired curiously, thankful for the reprieve from weather talk. She knew vague details about Nick thanks to Nora - perhaps the most memorable being that he was a single father raising his daughter all on his own, which deserved every ounce of her respect even if Liv had no insight on parenthood. “If you feel like getting a few extra minutes of time away - I promise I won’t pass any judgments. I’m not necessarily a master conversationalist or anything, but I can give it shot.” 

          Nicholas laughed politely at the joke, knowing that Olivia probably had no intention of tanning out on the deck of the coffee shop, but appreciating the thought nonetheless. She was probably the Barnes sister he had interacted with the least, and not just because she had only come to town a little while ago, but because they had never found themselves in many social situations together before. He shared mutual friends with Nora, and Charlotte was a constant in his life because of her friendship with his older sister; whereas Olivia still remained somewhat of a mystery to him. He certainly wasn’t going to deny her request of taking a seat, enjoying the quiet peacefulness of the establishment as he pulled out the chair opposite her. “Kenzie’s good. She starts Pre-K in the fall, which is unbelievable to even think about.” Nick mused, shaking his head briefly before posing a question of his own. “How’re you? Besides enjoying the weather,” he quickly added, settling back into his seat. “You’re a grad student, right?”

          Amira had felt as though she’d suffered through this holiday alone far more often than not, so a part of her had grown accustomed to pushing it aside. Sweeping it under the rug and forgetting Valentine’s Day was ever a thing. It was just another day of the year — or so she tried to convince the hopeless romantic within her. Alas, the last thing she had anticipated was receiving a handmade card from someone’s daughter, all because she was in the right place at the right time. So, as the unfamiliar face leaned over and placed the card in her possession, she took it willingly as sapphire eyes glanced over the beautifully decorated card; her eyes then meeting his for a moment as she smiled reassuringly at his intrusion. “Well, thank you. Tell your daughter she’s got a career in the arts and crafts business in the future, if she wants.” A soft giggle left her lips as she once again glanced down to the item handed to her. “So, what gave it away?” She began, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to come to terms with how he had managed to pick her from the crowd, though she had assumed it was luck of the draw in all honesty. “That, I wouldn’t turn around and tell you to go to hell, I mean. Or tell you it was a cheap shot.” Positive that some women would assume this was a ‘pick-up’ if their egos were that inflated, but it was obvious it was exactly what he had muttered prior; just a way to hand out his daughter’s blessings for this time of year.

          This wasn’t usual for Nicholas, befriending strangers in a coffee shop, but something about the spirit of the holiday made the gesture seem a little less strange --- in fact, he hardly felt embarrassed at all, knowing that Mackenzie would be only too pleased to know that her handmade cards were putting a smile on strangers’ faces. It was the whole reason she had done it in the first place; her heart was so big, and she loved people, and loved making them happy even more. It was one of his favorite things about his daughter, and he was often amazed at how someone so young could possess so much love for the world. It was certainly something she had inherited from her aunt. “I think she’s planning on a career as a princess, but I’ll let her know.” Nick responded, an amused chuckle passing through his lips as he turned to face the stranger he had previously addressed. She was beautiful, with enigmatic eyes that immediately drew him in, and he couldn’t help but allow his gaze to linger for a brief moment before speaking once more. “Honestly, it was between you and that guy over there---,” he subtly pointed to a bearded man in the opposite corner who was angrily munching away on a bagel. He lowered his voice significantly, “But I thought he might sock me in the face for interrupting his breakfast.” Nick’s eyes widened dramatically, hoping his words hadn’t caught the attention of the stranger in question, “And if I was hitting on you, I wouldn’t use my daughter as a lame pick-up line. I’ve got better moves than that.”

Recently, the only thing Yennifer had to look forward to on Valentine’s Day were the copious amounts of people putting in orders for her holiday arrangements which barely helped alleviate the slight empty feeling of what she used to know. The day after wasn’t always great either but, the brunette decided to treat herself to a well deserved vanilla cappuccino this time around, each sip more thoughtful than the last. Her attention had been pulled away from her drink to see a handmade card, from a child no doubt, being handed to her. Grabbing the card, a wide smile stretched along her lips as she took in the crafted gift. “Why thank you. Now, I’ve gotten cards before but, this is completely unmatched. I will treasure it forever,” she laughed. She lightly nudged the man at his comment. “I’m sure that’s not true. I mean, she had to have gotten it from someone.”

          Seeing the smile on the woman’s face was certainly the best reaction he could’ve hoped for when handing over Mackenzie’s handmade card, knowing his daughter would’ve been completely enamored by the happiness she had inevitably spread by such a simple act of kindness. In many ways, she reminded him of his late mother, whereas in others, the father-daughter duo could be likened to two peas in a pod. “My daughter will be happy to know that. You better put it on display somewhere so that she gets the recognition she deserves,” he joked, a laugh sounding from the back of his throat as he shook his head in response to the stranger’s observation. Nick couldn’t take credit for Mackenzie’s artistic abilities, even if he wanted to, for that could only be attributed to Sutton’s DNA; another thing he was subtly reminded of every time he was forced to mention his daughter’s mother. “Actually, her mama is an artist. I can’t even draw any good stick figures. She definitely gets her sense of humor from her dad though, I hear she’s hilarious on the playground.”

“Jesus Christ.” Adrian cringed as the taste of the beer overwhelmed his senses. “One of the wait staff suggested a fruit flavored draft, but this tastes like really fucking awful cherry cough syrup.” He coughed as he spoke, shaking his head vehemently. “I dare you to drink that whole pint. I fucking dare you.” 

          Nicholas couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s man reaction, watching as he spluttered beside him, clearly not enjoying the beverage he had just tasted. “Remind me again why you’re taking draft flavor suggestions from your wait staff?” Nick questioned, brows furrowed in curiosity as he reached for the beer glass, rather hesitantly at that. He had never been much of a craft beer kind of guy, preferring to stick to the beers he knew and had grown to love, but wanting to support his friend in this venture too. “Here goes,” he breathed out, taking a small sip of the draft and allowing the cooled liquid to coat the back of his throat, adjusting to the new taste; it wasn't terrible, but he wouldn’t pay money for it either. “You should get a third opinion, preferably from a woman this time. Maybe they’re into these fruity draft flavors.”

Foot tapped impatiently as she waited for one Nicholas Mercer outside of their favorite spot. Usually she would have had no hesitation in walking right on in like she owned the place (sometimes she was there often enough she could almost claim her tab propped the place up) but after catching sight of a one night stand who hadn’t taken the hint it was one night and one night only, the brunette had taken up a spot on the side walk. Four texts filled with expletives later and he finally appeared in her view. “About time.”  Lips pursed in mock annoyance but it was only heartbeats before eyes rolled skywards as she grinned. “It’s not like we do this every week.”

          He was running late, he knew that already by the amount of times his phone pinged and a message came through from Amelia, filled with numerous curse words and even a few death threats --- which weren’t unusual for the pair. After parking his truck in the lot behind the familiar bar, he made his way around the front, car keys shoved in his back pocket where his phone now resided too. “Ya’ know I read every single one of those text messages in your voice, right?” Nicholas teased, a quirk of his eyebrow as he pulled her in for a hug, whether she willingly accepted the affection or not. “Sorry, sorry, Kenzie wouldn’t let me leave until I read Pinkalicious and Goldilicious. Now she wants a pet unicorn too,” he explained to his best friend as they started towards the entrance of the bar, loud music greeting them from the speakers overhead and accompanied by unfamiliar voices nearby. “How was your day? Is it a whiskey or beer kinda’ night?”

After the day she’d had– all she wanted to do was find a tub and soak in it, maybe sink a little too low in the water for a second too long, to remind herself she was alive and not a slave to her father’s corporate hell. Throwing her keys and her phone down at the little table at the entrance of her house she moved to the kitchen and sluggishly grabbed a glass of cucumber water. Mid-drink her heard her phone ding, the Kim Possible jingle, multiple times as text came it. An almost audible eye roll followed as she slowly made to back to her phone, regretting every setting it down in the first place.

text → nick🍺: You left your sweater at my place on Saturday. text → nick🍺: I’m thinking you should come over and pick it up. text → nick🍺: Clothing optional.

At the flood of messages, Scarlett couldn’t help but sigh. While, he was usually a good time. Not today, she was still in the mood to meditate dying. He needed to find someone else. She stared at it for a long second, contemplating it before deciding to stick with her original thought.

text → Scarlett: i am way too sober to even talk to you today 🙄🙄🙄

With her simple message sent, she threw her phone back down, this time steadfast in her determination to not pick it up again. She would rather just turn into a potato. That was better for her.

          Nicholas hadn’t put much thought into the text message, typing it up hastily as he sat in the driver’s seat of his truck, the luminescent light from his phone screen glaring up at him. It wasn’t late, and by all accounts he had just booty called (texted?) a pretty girl and her response was less than welcoming. But he had known Scarlett long enough to know that her bad moods were usually short-lived when it came to him, and when they weren’t rolling around under the covers, they were talking --- he considered her a friend, which is why a concerned furrow of his brow accompanied his next response.

text → Nick: Bad day?

text → Scarlett S.: [read]

          When his message was left on read, he immediately put the car in drive and continued down the familiar motorway towards Zilker, knowing Scarlett’s address by heart after having visited so frequently over the course of the last few months. After calling in an order at his favorite Mexican takeout restaurant, Nick knew his presence on her doorstep would be far more appreciated if he didn’t show up empty handed. He hadn’t eaten yet, and he could only assume she hadn’t either. Unsurprisingly, her front door wasn’t locked and after having knocked once, and then twice, he let himself in.

          Her house was beautiful, too big for one person he’d always thought and too perfect for someone as disorganized as himself, only briefly comparing his own home to hers. Whereas toys scattered every inch of his living room floor, hers boasted a beautiful imported rug, one which he was almost afraid to step foot onto. “Hello?” Nicholas called out, closing the door behind him with a quiet thud as he made his way further into the house. “I’ve got an order of chicken fajita tacos for one Scarlett Sutherland. Five star UberEats ratings are appreciated.”

         Valentine’s Day was always somewhat of a sore subject within the Mercer household, at least for the past three or so years when Nicholas had no one to spend it with. After Sutton had departed Austin for a new life that didn’t include him or their daughter, he had tried fervently to move on --- but to no avail. It was like forcing his heart to heal before it was ready, so instead he chose to focus on Mackenzie, whose favorite part of the festivities was writing personalized cards to her classmates. The writing was too large and fairly illegible but she had worked tirelessly on them all night, even making valentines for the other firefighters at the station. The day after, however, and Nick was still hoarding his daughter’s crafts. Seated at a corner table in his favorite downtown coffee shop, his iPad set up before him as he caught up on the morning news, he turned to the person seated beside him. “Here,” he handed them a small piece of pink cardboard that had been neatly folded in two, a large misshaped red heart displayed on the front. “You look like someone who would appreciate a homemade Valentine’s Day card, even if it happens to be a day late. Courtesy of my daughter,” Nick further explained, the corners of his mouth inching upwards into a small smile. “I’m not nearly as creative as she is.”