meet me in the middle

Despite his brother’s frowns, a wide grin remained on Jason’s face. He craved for another drink, for anything to keep his high up, to keep him happy. “You ain’t no detective! Even a detective couldn’t sort this out, actually. Wanna bet even that fancy loud hunter man won’t solve a single thing? That poor girl will be forgotten in no time.” He spoke, as if discussing the most simple thing. He was all too honest when he was drunk; maybe even a little too much.

“What am I doing? Walking around, Nicky!” He grinned, forgetting all about his own questioned. “And then I’m doing her a little later on.” He nodded at the girl, who, instead getting annoyed, only smiled at him. Good looks really did compensate for being a little too harsh. “It was late when i started this. So that counts!” And, finally, a grin disappeared, only to be replaced by confusion. “How many? Oh- um- I think I lost count after fifteen. But all delicious!”

“I will be, one day!” Nick protested, a little too loudly for his liking. He glanced around, making sure no one could hear them, but everyone was either too far away or not paying attention at all. Typical East End business. “Look, okay...even if he doesn’t, someone has to. And that’s what I’m trying to help with, because this isn’t right. And walking around drunk in the middle of the day isn’t helping anything,” he said, echoing Jason’s words.

“Jason, ew,” Nick said, frowning at his brother’s crassness. He loved Jason more than anything. But it was moments like these that brought out Nick’s deep seated not-quite-resentment. “That’s...dude, we’re in public! You can’t just...” Nick shook his head, sighing into his hand. “Look, let’s just get you home, get you a nap before you do something stupid again, okay?”

Quinn had seen Nick the second he had walked into the festivities, but it seemed there was something else on his mind. He seemed like a totally different person, lost in himself and whatever personal mission he had made this. She didn’t quite approach him yet, instead she watched from afar. The least she could do was make sure her best friend was safe, but it seemed that there was more needed here. Which is why she finally moved to stand beside him at the edge of the dance floor. 

“Nick, I’m going to say this because I love you more than anything in the world. Shut up”, she sighed, moving to take the soda away from his grasp and placing her whiskey between his fingers instead. “You need to relax and have fun. You’re going to kill yourself if you’re looking for something that goes bump in the night around every corner”, she rattled on, nudging his fingers. “He looks like a guy who is too nervous to ask a girl to dance and is like fourteen”, she commented with a laugh. 

“Please have a drink and then dance with me?”

He looked over almost in shock at her words, glancing down at the whiskey in his hands with raised eyebrows. “How can I relax? Something could happen, and you never know if...” He sighed and took a deep breath. He downed the glass of whiskey in one gulp, trying to picture someone else infinitely cooler doing it, like his brother or a movie star or something. But he couldn’t keep his cool, and he leaned over and coughed. “Holy...wow. Okay. Remind me never to do that again. And guess there’s a reason I never started with that.”

Drink down, dance coming up. He shook his head and tried to muster up a smile for Quinn - if he could for anyone, it was her, and although the result was less bright than his normal expression, it was real.

“Only for you. And only cause it’s Founder’s Week. And only cause I feel like...I feel like I’m going insane a little. So why not dance?” He laughed, set the glass down, and reached for her hand. “I hope you remember that I haven’t danced with a girl since...forever. Probably with you. Didn’t I step on your foot?”

Tension held the young man’s body rigid as he watched the crowd. A swirl of bodies, laughing and dancing and totally ignorant of the danger that could potentially be lurking just outside. But Nick wasn’t part of either group at the moment, and even though the cop had been actually ordered to take a night off patrolling the streets and assisting with the Nala Malraux investigation, he still watched as though he were responsible for those present. He’d even almost brought his gun and carried it with him, but at the last second he’d decided to leave it at his apartment, and he wished for its solidarity at his belt.

In his hand he held a can of soda, purchased from a stall that he couldn’t remember. Ice trickled from his fingers and crept across the aluminum as he focused on a figure across the way, and only a rustling near him drew his attention, his stern face softening as he saw Quinn.

“Hey! So glad you’re here. Look at that guy over there - doesn’t he look suspicious? What do you think?”

        “No.” Ines remarked somewhat shortly, it was nothing directly at him directly but she hadn’t had much luck with any of the other police officers given the events of the prior twenty-four hours. After news of her sisters death hit, Ines had made quick time about getting to the scene which at the time was still being thoroughly investigated. And yet not matter how much she had begged and pleaded with the officers, not one had budged in agreeing to let her see her sister. To say she was furious was an understatement. “You seriously think I want to answer questions after everything today? Coffee isn’t going to bring her back, Berry.”

Nick hung his head in shame. The anger and pain was clear in her voice and face, and even though the logical side of his mind said that there was little he himself could have done, not even anticipating this, he still felt, in that moment, some level of culpability. “I’m so sorry. This must be the worst thing in the world,” he said, confident policeman facade slipping. “Is there anything I can do?”

It was a one-of-a-kind type of situation for her. Sensing that urge was odd and deeply unsettling, it somehow evoked to a time she begged to forget. It was close to a sense of dependence, one she felt to her maker - yet a million times stronger with the vampire. Never having shared a blood bond before in this manner, the young vampire hardly knew what to expect.

Sooner than later, she caught herself keeping an eye on the pretty officer. Not on plain sight and far from disturbing him, she would watch over him, make sure he was physically all right. Because emotionally she was certain he wasn’t himself and that wasn’t because she was good at interpreting behaviour or reading people’s reactions. She felt restless and, sooner than later, she realised that was actually him. In regards to that, she wished she had stuck around her maker for longer. There was so much she still didn’t know, so much she could still accept a hand with… But it’s been done, she was alone.

It hadn’t been that long since that dubious night, yet they haven’t spoken ever since. Just like she would follow him in the night, she would avoid him whenever there was the smallest possibility of an approach. Perhaps because Blake also wasn’t sure on how to deal with him, with all the things he made her feel. She didn’t have answers to give him if he ever made any questions. That disconcerted her. However, this evening she had putten her discomfort aside. There was a tingling feeling that wouldn’t go away, one she began to believe would only settle if she was in contact with him. And a little past six and a half, she headed to the area in town where she knew he would be about, also knowing that consequently they would cross paths. And here they were.

Much like himself, she seemed to lack the ability of speech. Which was nonsense, because if there was a woman on Earth with the capacity of whipping words through her tongue, it was Blake. After stopping on her track and looking at him, she walked towards him on the sidewalk, without hesitance. “Have a cuppa with me? Or coffee - whatever you’d like.” Quietly standing there in silence, her blue gems gazed at him. It was an overwhelming feeling that took over her, unexplainable. It bothered her, yet it was good. It made her feel good, but so… dumbfounded.

Nick watched her as she approached - of course they’d be bound to cross paths eventually. East End, while the biggest place he’d ever lived, was still not a very large town. Pure coincidence dictated that he wouldn’t be able to avoid her or his memories of that night forever. His own mind wouldn’t let him forget, so why would he expect the universe to hold any more mercy? And then she was walking towards him, and for a moment Nick was frightened, frightened the way he had been when he’d stumbled back that night, his own blood pouring between his fingers.

But the worst of it passed, and he was left with question. Nick was usually good with people, but he let a moment of silence pass for perhaps half a second too long for it to be natural. He swallowed.

“Sure, a coffee sounds good.” He kicked his feet against the ground, hoping that even though he’d literally just agreed to speaking with her, that he’d somehow look up and be alone again. Nick didn’t mean to, but he shoved all his problems and things he didn’t like or couldn’t deal with into a mental box that seemed as if it was eternally straining, but somehow managed to incorporate one more thing.

The question is when it would give out.

“There’s this place, uh, over here,” he said, pointing, and then scratching at his neck without really meaning to. “We could go get a coffee...” He trailed off. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I didn’t imagine running into you like this. I mean, not that I imagine about you. I mean, not that I don’t think about you, cause I do, but I just....” His face burned as he found himself unable to explain what he meant. “Ugh. I’m sorry.”

Frankie had been in a daze. She had been finishing up a shift when she had seen the body left out in the centre for the town to see. The scream that had emitted from her throat had been deafening for it had been something she had never seen before. Yes, she was training to be a nurse and yes, she had seen a lot of blood before… but nothing like the brutal murder that had been occurred the night before.

She thought about the details as she waited at the bus stop but at this point, she had probably missed two buses to the hospital. A voice jolted her out of her thoughts and she whipped round to the officer.

“Um…” Frankie started, hugging her arms over her chest uncertainly, “I mean - I can try?” She shrugged. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be though…” She said.

Nick smiled warmly after reading the discomfort clear across the girl’s face. He’d seen her around town, but never interacted with her. It was clear she was very upset, though, and from what Nick guessed, was not a part of the community, which meant he had to choose his words carefully. Even though he was being more proactive than ever, he didn’t want to cause more drama for East End. He only wanted to do his part to fix it.

“It would be a huge help,” he offered. “Any every little bit helps.” He nodded to the coffee shop a block over. “Walk with me? I’m Officer Berry, but you can call me Nick if you like. All my friends do.”

He’d heard of the news, of another death in this forsaken town, but it didn’t stop Jason. It didn’t stop him to go out and get piss drunk- or, perhaps, that was exactly the reason why he was out there, drinking from the middle of the night up until now. After all, it was so much easier to do exactly that, rather than go and try to help somehow sort this out. Try to think about who could possibly be behind this all. So as he spent his only day off at the bar, drinking thorough the night beforehand, it was almost a surprise that the man was capable to walk and talk. And not only that, but to also find someone willing to drink with him, and to talk him into leaving the bar with her. Stumbling out the bar, with his arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulders, Jason let her lead him towards her place, not once caring who might see him this drunk so early in the day. 

“Heeeey! Nick!” He grinned when he saw his younger brother. Working to clean up and rebuilt the city, and spending his evenings and nights either drinking or finding another person to sleep with, was taking a toll of him, and the price was not getting to see his baby brother. “Nick What you doin’ out here? Playin’ fancy?” He slurred, his grin remaining as he pushed himself away from the girl. “Who drinks coffee? You gotta offer somethin’ stronger!”

The voice stopped Nick in his tracks. and he looked over, only to see Jason entangled with a girl and walking with a familiar, uneven gait that immediately gave Nick all he needed to know about the situation. He frowned - he and Jason hadn’t had the chance to sit down and be brothers for a little while, and Nick knew that most of the time, his brother was busy with his own pursuits.

“I’m doing my job and trying to find out what happened,” he said, looking over at the girl, expression uncharacteristically unreadable. Nick usually wore his heart on his sleeve, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit angry. Jason knew that Nick was doing everything he could, so why was he going to go and do something like wander around the town in public like a drunk idiot? “Look, what are you doing?” he asked, ignoring the rest of his brother’s questions. “It’s not even late, and you’re already out like...like this? How many drinks did you have?”

⇥ delivery for @officer-berry

The troubles were over, for now, but there was still one thing that sent a shiver of worry down her spine. Quinn had yet to hear from Nick and that was more unusual than the surprise hurricane that destroyed the town. She had searched every place that came to mind with no luck. She stopped at the police station, her shop, his apartment, her home, their favorite coffee spot, their favorite restaurant. Any place that had held a memory of her best friend she would search top and bottom. Nick had not been in the Tavern with her, he had to be in one of the other safe spots. Then where could he be?

There was only one last place that she hoped he could be, the one place they both had from when they were kids. The spot in the woods where they would light a fire and practice their spells together. It was the place that had been her oasis growing up with her parents and now she hoped there was still some magic left in the trees. 

“Nick?”, she called out, carefully stepping through the trees into the clearing. “Nick, please tell me you’re here.”

Something had snapped in Nick that night. He was...different. He felt different. With everything going on, he felt stressed to the point of...something. He wasn’t sure. But everything seemed so loud, and all the people around him were suddenly too much for even his patience. So he went to one of the few isolated places he knew, a place that he thought of as his and Quinn’s. The clearing was peaceful, and even though the trees displayed signs of weathering the storm, it was easy to pretend as if everything was normal.

Nick sat on the ground, a blank around his shoulders, when he heard a voice. He looked up, quickly wiping underneath his eyes and clearing his throat. “Who - wait, Quinn, is that you? Is that really you?” He stood, the blanket falling to the ground, and for a moment, the despair rooted in his heart showed on his face. “I’m so glad you...you’re here,” he choked out.

He didn’t yet know what it would cost him, but he wasn’t going to let fear stop him.

“I’m so sorry, do you have a moment?” he asked a person walking down the sidewalk. He was in his blue officer’s uniform, his badge polished and on display. In his hands he held a notepad, and in his blue eyes a certain determination lent, in the right light, an icy glint. “I don’t mean to bother you, but if you wouldn’t mind answering some questions, that would really help us out. If it helps, I’ll get you a coffee?”

It was finally over. It felt like weeks until the storm finally ended, and Jason was relieved to be out of whatever was left of the bar. Granted, he did help keep it in place, even if it left him exhausted. Alcohol and overuse of his powers just didn’t go well hand-in-hand. Despite that, despite the exhaustion, he pushed himself not to go back home, or whatever was probably left of it. Instead, he walked around the town square,after the big announcement, trying to look for his brother. Something had to do. Nick was smart, he would have come there to check out the hassle. If he was still alive and alright, that is.  He was starting to lose hope- and sanity, along with his energy- when he spotted a familiar dark blonde head, sticking out from the crowds from miles away. His mood lightened up immediately, and he pushed past the few people, some looking for their belongings, some too terrified to do anything. “Nick! Nick, what the hell, bro!”

@officer-berry

Nick was shaken and exhausted. Sure, the fire station had been relatively safe all things considered, but the situation with the young vampire hadn’t been what he’d wanted at all. Sure, he’d let himself be fed from (again...), but it was literally a matter of potential life or death, and Nick couldn’t, in good conscience, have not let feed and risk her coming in hungry in a room full of vulnerable people. Admittedly, he’d run the first chance he’d gotten, searching for either Quinn or Jason. His phone had lost service, and he wasn’t sure where anyone was. Feelings of panic and despair were just beginning to surge through his body when he heard the familiar voice.

“Jason?” He looked up, blue eyes searching the crowd. “Jason!” And despite his fatigue, he found himself pushing through the throngs of people, only stopping when he stood in front of his brother. “Holy crap, I wasn’t sure what had happened to you. My phone went out, and I imagined the worst cause, like, our building was flooded, and now these people are saying they caused it, and...wait, are you okay?”

“Mmm, still sure you’re missing a few things to what you’re saying,” she laughed. “But I’m just going to blame the coladas for now instead of whatever science teacher you had as a kid.” Bela didn’t stop him, nor had she had the time to, from ordering her and himself a round of the strawberry coladas he was endorsing. She threw the bartender an ‘I’m sorry’ look before turning back to Nick. A joke? Wracking her brain for one, she came up empty-handed. “I don’t know. I don’t think I have one. Or anyone else did for the matter.” Aside from maybe kids who wanted to tell everyone on the school yard their joke. “What’s your?” 

“Mm, I never liked science anyway. I liked English better. I got to make up stuff and all my teachers gave me good grades for it,” he grinned. Shaking his head, he made a note to ask her again after a drink. Maybe she was one of those people who wasn’t into conversation at first. “Everyone totally does. You just need to find yours,” he said confidently. “Okay, so mine goes...” He paused, taking a long drink of strawberry colada. “So there’s a man, right, and he’s driving his three penguins around in the back of his truck. A cop pulls him over and tells the guy - You need to take these penguins to the zoo, sir. The man says okay, and they go their separate ways. The next day, so, the next day, the cop sees the same guy and his penguins, except the penguins are wearing Hawaiian shirts. The cop says to the guy I thought I told you to take them to the zoo. The guy says Okay, I did, and now I’m taking them to the beach!”

“Oh–okay, if you say so dude.” He shrugged, not allowing too much time to fret on if that was the real story or not. “A cop who drinks huh. Aren’t you like paranoid or something? But hey at least you’re being safe. Kudos to you.” Avery was quick to add. “Well, only one way to find out. Surely, somebody has to be. What town doesn’t have an Uber driver??!!”

“Why would I be paranoid? And it’s not that weird. I can enjoy myself like everyone else. Being a cop has nothing to do with it.” He frowned, a little defensive. Nick already felt a modicum of guilt for enjoying himself, and he was beginning to second guess himself regardless. “I guess. I don’t know. I’ve never really been out of town. But you’re right. I’m sure. You seem to totally know a lot about these things.”

“Oh man, I guess you’re in one of those moods to not stop?” He questioned, holding his hands in the air, though chuckling softly. “Crap. Now I’m going to feel like a bad influence. Safe is always the way to go though. You have the Uber app right? Cause drinking and driving is a no go!”

“I could totally stop. Anytime, if I wanted to. I just don’t want to go home yet is all.” There were too many reminders at home about the stressors of life. WHat harm would a little fun do? “What? Nah, man, don’t do that. I’m fine. I’m a cop. What kind of cop would drink and drive? I’ll just get Jason to get me.” A pause, then he scrunched his nose. “Unless he’s drunk too. Aw, man, maybe I should download Uber...Do you think there are even any drivers in this town?” He wondered aloud.

It wasn’t uncommon to find people, who were a little too friendly, at the bar, but, at least, as the man leaned closer to Valerie, he wasn’t trying to grope her or do something worse. Instead, he made the brunette frown before she down her shot of whiskey. “Yes, dude.” She said, in slight annoyance, as she turned to face him. “Isn’t that a holiday drink? The kind that tastes more like lemonade than actual alcohol.”

“What? What kind of holiday would this be for? Unless you’re thinking like, a summer vacation. That would be cool! But I’ve never really been on a summer vacation, so I couldn’t tell you for sure.” He nodded happily. “Yeah, you can barely taste the liquor in it! That’s what makes it great! I could drink, like, ten of these probably.”

Ray smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll have one. But that means that you should probably have that glass of water first.” She replied, glancing down at the cup the bartender had just placed in front of the guy. Ray ordered herself the drink he spoke of and took a sip. It was a lot sweeter than she expected. “It’s sweet. Not something I’m used too.” She chuckled. “But you’re right, it has made my night better.” She replied. 

“That’s no fun. Water’s no fun.” Wrinkling his nose, Nick took a drink anyway. The back of his mind said it was a good idea; it was advice he gave frequently on his patrols. Water and a cheeseburger, something to soak up the alcohol. “I’m glad.” Smiling at her, he continued to sip at his water. “It’s one of those things that everyone pretends to be embarrassed about getting but secretly enjoys anyway. Like cupcakes or donuts with sprinkles on them, y’know? What would you normally get?”