lighting in a bottle, hands on the throttle

TIME: 09:46 am LOCATION: holy cross parish  STATUS: open

The sun’s heat blazes down on those who collect on the lawn in front of Holy Cross Parish, and even Aaron’s own shirt would cling to their back with sweat. The church had nothing more than fans standing at the ground, circulating what little cool air there was through the service, and even now stood outside where there was the slightest breeze- most still used their pamphlets to wave air in their faces.

But Aaron wouldn’t let it bother him, with a sweat bead running down their forehead, and the ever precent beaming smile across their features. “Thankyou for making it down today,” shaking the hand of some of the faces they were new to meet today. But honestly that had been just about everyone- after barley having been in town for a week now. But they were more than happy to assist the Pastor with the thanks, if not for the excuse to get to talk to more people. “I’m Aaron Lacey, I’ll be around helping the Pastor out for a little while if you ever need anything.”

...

Church had never really been his thing, he’d gone with his mother when he was a kid to appease her and had continued into adulthood and through his marriage because it was important to his wife that they set a foundation for the kids. The marriage might be ending, but Alex was pretty damn sure she was going to have continuing services for their kids on his weeks in the custody agreement, so he may as well stick to it. But the damn heat inside the church was stifling, and Alexander was more ready than most other Sundays to get this over and done with. Naturally, that would mean that Eloise would sneak away to meet one of her friends, and Alex sighed. He offered a tight smile to the man that introduced himself, and smiled. “Alex Hawkins, nice to meet you. In terms of needing things, you seen a ten-year-old around? Blue dress, dark hair, looks just like an older version of this one,” he said as he jerked his head towards his youngest daughter, holding tight to his hand.

“Listen we got our number one suspect locked up within the first four days! You can’t tell me my magic isn’t already working! We’ll get those motorcycle enthusiasts all locked away before the end of my term and you can bet on that.” 

...

“Unfortunately, it’s gonna take a lot more than one Prospect behind bars for people to believe your magic is working.” Alexander included, though he felt as though that was pretty well implied. “When you put your money where your mouth is, people’ll start to believe.”

“I have gotten into one too many arguments with my grandma about how we should just revise the menu and take stuff off that nobody buys,” she replied. To Aurora, it just seemed like a waste of time to make things that weren’t popular. But, they were all family recipes and perhaps Nana Gillenkerk was too stubborn. “Daisy, though? Alright, let me just head to the back and look for that name,” the baker nodded her head as she walked the short distance to the back of the store.  It only took her a moment to find the box that had her name printed on it. Taking it back up front, she placed the box on the counter and smiled. “Okay, it’ll be ten dollars even.”

...

“I mean, you could do a poll or something on the least popular flavors to have some weight in the argument....but I also know that some things aren’t worth fighting over, and even gross flavors will usually sell for half-off, so.” Daisy had certainly been guilty of grabbing more than a few half-off pastries from the rack for the sole purpose of them being half offi as it was. “Thanks,” she said as she pulled out her wallet. “Sorry again for not coming in earlier. Got behind at work and then had to go deal with something for my kid, so the day got away from me.”

“Understood.” Teressa was always happy to see a new hire excited at the prospect of their weekly theme night; some straight refused any part of it, for which she of course let them go. The most important part of her business, outside of its use to the club, was to make sure her employees were happy in their jobs, or they’d never last; trustworthy too, obviously, but they couldn’t even get hired without that. “That’s the right attitude to have, honestly, never lose it. As for making sure you’re alive, you never have to worry, I always watch out for Minha família.”

...

“You might be the only person to ever have that opinion on my attitude. But, really, getting to table top dance at work sounds like something everyone should want.” Chloe offered a smile with her shrug. “Gonna be honest though, never saw the movie that you’re referencing for this theme night but I am down for making an ass out of myself dancing on the bar any day, so.”

…

A sharp pain caused his face to twitch but besides that he sat still, listening as she patched him up. “Who says your world isn’t off it’s axel? Maybe you’ve created an illusion and decided to live in it. Easier than dealing,” he mostly teased, dark eyes finding its way to hers, offering her the smallest of grins. “But at least you’re a cute control freak, right?” 

...

“Then it sounds like I belong in a psych ward.” Valentina rolled her eyes as she finished up dabbing at his face, reaching for a package of butterfly bandages to apply one to the worst of the cuts. She smiled a little, unable to help it, and nodded in agreement. “Damn right I am, and don’t you ever forget it.”

..

He shook his head at the question, knowing it would earn a possible scoff or a even more verbal form of judgement. On and off the job, he wasn’t much of a drink. When he was younger he might have indulged a little too much. Now being a Deputy, he had to keep sharp just incase. At the mentioning of the fire, his lips curled. Nobody knew anything about the fire except everyone knew who it involved. With a quiet sigh, he leaned back in his seat, not sure what to add to the conversation. The entire point of her involvement in the MC was to gain information. Just felt like she has been hiding in her turtle shell. But what was the point of an informant if they weren’t willing to get information? 

“That’s too bad considering that’s your job,” he commented, flashing her a quick grin. “But don’t worry – I know you rather just exist and let information just fall on your lap instead of actually earning your deal with the feds.” 

...

Daisy couldn’t help it: she rolled her eyes, huffing out a bit of a laugh around the cigarette between her lips. “You know, I didn’t know that? Thanks for the reminder, I had no idea.” It had been a long day, and she was cranky. She was mostly cranky by default as it was, but adding this to the list of shit she’d been dealing with on what was supposed to be her day off. “I gave a statement, which is everything I know for now. I can’t exactly go digging because you and ya boys arrested our Prospect, so everyone is a little on edge right now, so you shot yourself in the foot there.” She wouldn’t be pushing for information when there were already concerns about whether or not the Prospect would keep his mouth shut while in holding. “As I get information, I’ll pass it along. When things cool off a little bit, I can do some more pushing, but I can’t draw attention to myself right now.”

…

“Oh you have a child?” Suddenly she regretted inviting the young mother to sit down. Between the long over-extended shift and having to go home to take care of her babe, Nadia was sure the acceptance of her invite was just out of politeness now. And while on a normal day she might feel okay accepting this, the other looked exhausted and she couldn’t help but frown at Valentina. Her fingers lightly squeezed her coffee as she brought the drink closer, taking a much needed si before speaking. “I feel bad for asking you to stay. You should totally go and be with your kid.” 

...

“Si, I have a baby. She’s three months.” Valentina would honestly talk about Luna to anyone that would listen, which she was sure was starting to annoy the other nurses at the nurses’ station at the hospital. She waved off the other admitting to feeling bad, shaking her head. “Nah, don’t feel bad. I have no problems saying no, and I honestly need a few minutes to just...exist before I go home and go into mommy-mode. She’s with her dad anyway, so no harm no foul.”

Aurora has had one hell of a day so an evening spent at one of the local bars was needed. Sure, she didn’t mind working at the family bakery. Her hours were pretty flexible and she had everything down when it came to her job responsibilities . But, she had to deal with a not so nice Karen who got on her last nerves. She had been nothing but bitchy towards the baker, not understanding that she couldn’t place a cake order in the morning and expect it to be ready in an hour. God, she was ready to knock out a few cold one’s.

Sitting down at the bar, she raised a brow towards the other woman. “I mean, I’m not opposed to you getting me a beer. I’ll make sure to give you a nice tip on top of that for doing this shit off the clock.”

...

“I got you,” Chloe said with grin cast towards the other woman as she took a quick drink from her own glass. “I will never say no to tips, especially on a day when I’m not even working and am just too impatient to wait.” She closed the register once she’d paid for her drink, mumbling something to herself along the lines of never say I’m not good to my coworkers as she slipped a few bills into the tip jar on the counter. “Beer it is. Glass or bottle?”

Gabe rolled his eyes, but let out a soft chuckle. “That figures, you kids never want to handle the problem patients. Oh I wish I could’ve seen that, but I mean Arizona does share a border with Mexico, so it’s to be expected. Sure, I doubt he’s fluent, but it’s easy enough to pick up the curse words.” He nodded, appreciating her offer, and accepting it with a smile. “I do actually, thank you; better make it an iced a black coffee, God only knows if I’ll actually get to drink anything hot before it’s gone cold.”

...

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone likes the problem patients, regardless of age. I get plenty of them, so you get the bicycle pendejo.” Despite the words, Valentina was smiling, and nodded as she pulled out her phone to add his order to the one she’d started. “Yeah, I’ve started exclusively drinking iced coffee since I’ve had Luna because I’ve learned it’s better to expect it to be cold rather than be disappointed when it’s cold. Anything else? I’m personally ordering at least three cake pops, so..”

~

“You just told me to lie.” It was hard to keep up with her, though maybe he should’ve known better at this point. “And y’know, it’s not much of a lie since I think she’s always good no matter if she’s screamin’ her head off.” He figured that would eventually stop as she got older. “And it’s all worth it because she’s cute.” He gushed as he looked towards their daughter in her bassinet. He gave her a nod, “I’m just sayin’ if you’re sleeping that I don’t even have to deal with you. It’s not like I have any place to be within the next few hours.” 

... “I would like to argue that her choice to scream at 2 am for absolutely no reason is not good.” Especially when she’d worked a twelve (or more) hour shift and was dead to the world. “Of course she’s cute. I helped make her.” Valentina chanced a quick glance into the bassinet as well, knowing better than to get too close and tempt fate. “Why are you saying deal with me like it’s a bad thing? I’m a fucking delight.” Despite her word choice, her tone was light, and a smile was sent his way. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay. I have no plans other than taking a shower, ordering dinner and crashing, but if you want more Luna time you’re welcome to it.”

Teressa still found it odd to be called a boss in this context, not that she didn’t love it, but it took some getting used to. Running her own business though, that she’d taken to like a fish in water, and adding a Coyote Ugly night once a week had been a no brainer. However she did have bartenders, like Chloe, who weren’t sure, and while she was never going to force someone, she was going to encourage them to have fun with it. “I mean you certainly don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable, but I encourage everyone to try it at least once. Besides, if it’s really your balance that you’re worried about, that’s why we have pipping over the bar; easy to grab. Plus I can promise I won’t laugh at you, only with you, and any one of us will help you back up if you fall.” She wasn’t going to confirm or deny that she’d be up there, it always depended on her mood, but she knew it could be fun, and it always garnered better tips.

...

“Nah, don’t get me wrong, I am all for making an ass out of myself and hauling my ass up there...I’m just warning you about the potential for disaster, here.” But Chloe was grinning, excited about the potential for fun during her shift despite the risk of breaking her arm. “Nah, you can totally laugh at me. I would laugh at me if I fell, so you’re free to. Just make sure I’m not dead first, yeah? This will be my first time sober bar dancing, so we’ll see how this goes.” It could go better or worse, really, and Chloe wasn’t sure which way the pendulum would swing. “I bet I’d get some pity tips if I busted my ass, though.”

…

“Compassionate nurse doesn’t carry a first aid kit around with her?” He teased but bit his tongue when Valentina pulled out some sort of bag, taking out a few items like butterfly bandages. Despite wanting to move, just to spite her, Miguel remained still, dark eyes on her now. “You like being able to control things and you fear the moment you can’t is the moment your world will spin off it’s axel.” He flashed her one of his typical grins before adding, “You’re a delusional control freak.” 

...

“I do carry a first aid kit with me.” Valentina reached into her bag again, pulling out the full pouch rather than just the few items she’d taken from it to flash it to him. “I just don’t carry glue with me. That’s back at my apartment.” More supplies she’d snagged from the hospital and kept a stash of, just in case. Hell, so much of what she had was outside of her scope of responsibility at her the hospital; evidently, fixing up members of the MC had helped her further develop her skill set. She dabbed at the cuts on his face with the bzk wipes, then opening a package of butterfly bandaids for the one she’d gestured towards earlier. Valentina rolled her eyes, pausing in the task of patching him up for the moment. “You’re not...wrong,” she said, shrugging once. “But if that were the case, my world would have spun off it’s axel when I had Luna. So, partially right. And I might be a control freak, but I’m not delusional.”

..

“No lectures from me – scout’s honor.” 

His lips curled into a smile as he walked over to her, greeting her with a single nod, taking a seat down beside Daisy. His arm stretched out on the edge of the bench, opposite side of the woman and looked in front of him, noting the fireflies starting to come out and blink in the pre-summer evening. Right before dusk, when the sky was still light out and colored by the sunset, was probably one of the most peaceful times of day. The world was getting ready for slumber and a calmly silence which was usually met with chirps of nightingales and crickets. Walks were a rarity for Angel but something brought him out that evening and finding Daisy was a plus. 

His eyes quickly scanned the area, looking for anyone in earshot, finding noone and relaxed in his seat. “How’s it going?” He knew ever since the Harlem sector of the MC made it’s way here, things have been tensed for her. Of course he didn’t know all the details but the deputy knew enough to know dealing with these people were tough in comparison to the Arizona sector. All he knew was family had been involved with the MC in New York and everything else kind of clicked. It was personal. 

...

It was hard to resist the urge to make face when she recognized the voice, Daisy instead offering a nod in return as she brought the cigarette back up to her lips for another drag. The “yay” that left her under her breath was absolutely sarcastic, and Daisy took a quick and subtle glance around the park as she shifted slightly on the bench. There was no one else around, which was absolutely a good thing, though it still felt risky. This double life mess she’d gotten herself into stressful, and meeting in public with one of her contacts was absolutely never her preference. “Thank God. I always feel like a teenager in trouble when those moms stare me down when I light up over here. In that case, d’you want one?” She finally looked over at him, gesturing towards the pack still in her lap. She shrugged at his question, reaching her arm around the edge of the park bench to tap ash from the cigarette in her hand onto the grass below. “It’s going.” She didn’t have anything to report, or else she would have. Daisy didn’t like to be in the habit of holding onto information, preferred to hand it off as soon as she could. “If you’re here to ask me if I know anything more about the fire, don’t bother.”

Lucas practically jumped at the opportunity of getting to watch Luna himself. He knew what he looked like, like the irresponsible dad who was always fucking up but he didn’t think he was. And if he could prove to his ex that he was responsible enough to watch her for more than a few hours, then he could prove just about anything. “She’s always good for me.” Which wasn’t the straight up truth but she didn’t need to know that, she wasn’t here to observe. “I don’t have to go, Val. I can stay and you can sleep. I mean she’s survived this long with me watching her and I’m her dad. Neither of us wanna deal with a cranky you.” 

...

Valentina squinted at him slightly, and then rolled her eyes. “I know I said to lie, but saying she’s always good is a stretch. She screams every single time I put her down and sleeps in two hours stretches.” Luna liked to cry, and Valentina was well aware of that. Valentina toed off her shoes at the door, dropping her bag onto the table just inside her apartment as she made her way more fully inside. “...But, the effort towards the lie is appreciated.” A half smile was offered as Valentina reached up to free her hair from the pony tail it had been in for the past twelve hours, fingers massaging the indentations left behind from the hair tie out of her hair.  “If you aren’t here then you aren’t dealing with cranky me, see how that works?” But she didn’t turn the offer down outright, weighing it over for the moment.

++++

Jules’ head popped up from hanging low to look at the label on his beer bottle. He gave Chloe a half smile when she came to sit next to him. Jules kept his eyes on her as she made herself comfortable. He had been sitting at the bar far too long. Like always, the firefighter had been drawn into his own thoughts. When he wasn’t working, getting lost in his own thoughts was what he was good at doing; especially when he was itching to do damage. It was a day off too many. His next shift wouldn’t be until the weekend and he hated it. He liked to work his days away. It gave him something to do and Jules needed to be kept busy. 

“I’ve been here for a few hours too long.” He says snorting slightly and agreeing with Chloe. It was time to go, but he didn’t want to be alone. Now though it seemed like he wouldn’t have to be. “Yea, fuck yes.” Jules chugs his beer down quickly before standing up. “I’m actually starving and I wasted too much time in here.” Jules shakes his head at the thought of being in the bar for so long. He almost feels ashamed. But hey, at least he only drank one beer. “What kind of food do you feel like eating?” He asks as he reaches out his hand towards her to take. “I’ll eat with you, but I’ll skip the game. I honestly don’t know how to play video games.” It wasn’t a lie. He didn’t know how to play games. It wasn’t his thing.

... “I consistently spend too much time here so I feel ya. That goes with working here though, so I guess I have an excuse.” And even then, Chloe found herself wondering in often even on days off - she would prefer to tip familiar faces when she was looking for a drink, even if that meant spending even more tie at her place of employment. “I am in the mood for fucking anything. I haven’t eaten since this morning, so I’m also starving. Though I will never say no to greasy burgers, so...” She cast him a quick grin, latching onto the hand he offered. “Let’s gooo.”

“...Who in the hell doesn’t know how to play video games?” Chloe’s eyebrows knit together slightly, expression reading confused. “Aren’t you like, my age? What kind of millennial are you?” She was teasing, evidenced by the wide, lazy smile that broke out a moment later. “Whatever, man. More Snap for me then.”