Chapter Text
May 2019
Gingerflare stood and stretched, not being too careful of his movements. Eddie needed to wake up and take himself off to bed. He looked over at his best friend, who was still quietly snuffling in his sleep.
Jumping up onto the back of the couch, Gingerflare quickly made his way across and settled down next to Eddie’s head. Not wanting to startle him, he softly delivered a head-butt. When he was rewarded with nothing but another soft snore, he increased the pressure a bit.
Eddie mumbled and waved his hand as if swatting at a fly and then promptly settled back into a snooze. Gingerflare yowled softly in frustration. Eddie might have needed the sleep, but Gingerflare might have overdone it a bit with his purr.
He decided that he needed to be a bit more assertive. Carefully ensuring that his paws were fully sheathed, he leapt down onto the seat and then not-so-gently plopped himself in Eddie’s lap.
“Oof!” Eddie jumped awake, blinking rapidly. He shook his head and then looked down. “Oh, it’s you.” He scratched the top of Gingerflare’s head. Gingerflare gave a soft trill and waved his tail in glee. “Need to go out? You look well-cared-for, so maybe you’re not a stray after all. Do you live around here? Want to head home?”
Gingerflare nudged Eddie’s watch and then trilled.
“Hmmm.” Eddie stared at him, then checked his watch. “Dios! It’s almost midnight. I really passed out.” He scritched Gingerflare under the chin and studied him carefully. “Let me guess. Your people feed you before bed, and it’s that time. Well, I can let you out if you want. I need to get along to bed myself. I can see that you’re stubborn, so I guess if I open the door, you’ll either go or decide to stay.”
Eddie stood up, and Gingerflare jumped to the ground. He trotted towards the kitchen then stopped and, turning back towards Eddie, trilled joyfully.
“I’m coming. I’m coming. I must have been more tired than I thought.” Eddie stretched his arms over his head and gave a big yawn. Then he ambled slowly towards the kitchen and made his way to the back door. Gingerflare scurried along in his wake.
“Well, my friend, thanks for the company. Come back if you want. I’m not sure I can keep a cat fulltime with my job, and it seems like you have places to go and people to see, but I certainly see why people like having cats as pets.” He paused and frowned. “Don’t tell Christopher, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Eddie opened the door, gave Gingerflare a little bow, and gestured towards the outside. Gingerflare gave one last loud trill and sauntered out the door.
“Good night, your highness!” Eddie chuckled and then shut the door. Gingerflare heard the locks engage and, a few minutes later, heard the same noise from the front entryway. Then, he quickly made his way down the path alongside Eddie’s house and turned and ran up the sidewalk. Around the corner, he glanced around. The street was quiet, most houses dark, and no vehicles were approaching. He ducked behind a boxwood hedge and shifted.
Buck peeked over the shrubs and then stood and stretched. He made his way down to the end of the block, where he’d left the Jeep.
The evening had given him much food for thought and the incentive to be a little more pushy now that it seemed like Eddie’s family had gone home to Texas. From what he’d said, Eddie certainly seemed like he wanted Buck to push. Just then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, wondering who was texting him at almost midnight.
Eddie: I know you’re probably asleep, but I wanted to see if you want to come over tomorrow and hang out with us. Just text me back when you wake up.
Hmmm. Well, maybe Eddie talked himself out of whatever had been making him act like a cornered alley cat. If so, then Buck felt no guilt over siccing Gingerflare on him. He opened the car door, took a seat, and started the engine before texting back.
Buck: I’m awake. And sure. What time? I have work on Tuesday, so day is probably better than evening.
Eddie: I have work on Tuesday too. And come whenever. Chris is staying home one more day. He has a therapy appointment at 11. Maybe we can do something nice afterwards.
Buck: Sure thing. I’m headed to bed. If you’re lucky, I’ll show up early and make you pancakes. ☺
Eddie: ☺ Cya tomorrow. Night.
Buck: Night.
Well, crap. He was happy to hear that Eddie had signed Christopher up for therapy, but he was also fairly sure that Eddie hadn’t been to a therapist himself while planning a funeral and hosting out-of-town family. And he seemed to think he was coming back to work the day after tomorrow. After his wife died at a scene they’d responded to, Buck thought that a bit of time on the couch was a given. However, the hubbub of the last few shifts probably meant that some of the standard steps in filing for bereavement leave had been missed. Eddie was due three shifts off with pay, and a good and experienced captain would make sure that he saw one of the department therapists before being allowed to come back.
Not that it was fully Chim’s fault, since Buck wasn’t sure who else would have done better given the last minuteness of it all and everything else that had happened. Elena, their lead engineer who usually filled in for Bobby, was out on maternity leave. With Bobby suspended for safecracking (talk about strange), Shannon dying, Chim trying to get a handle on a job he hadn’t been fully prepared to take, and bombs going off all over town, the last few shifts had definitely been more frenetic than usual.
Well, Buck figured he could use the system to make sure that therapy happened. He’d call Bobby in the morning—his stupid three-shift suspension was over. Buck figured the brass needed to make a point about blowing up bank safes and getting building plans through backdoor methods, but he’d like to see any of them do better under pressure.
───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───
Buck settled on the sand next to Eddie. Christopher had a shovel and was digging holes down at the edge of the water, pausing as he watched them fill up. Buck had promised to come down in a bit and toss him around in the water and then take him to hunt for sea glass.
He looked over at Eddie, who was staring out at the horizon.
Buck had called Bobby early Monday morning, knowing he’d be awake to get the kids off to school. He’d sounded preoccupied but said that he was off of suspension and would take care of the Eddie issue. When Buck had asked if there was a problem, he’d responded that Brooke was having some issues but that everything was under control and that either he or Athena would tell Buck about it later. Buck had wondered what that was about—maybe Brooke had manifested magic? That could be hard to control, particularly with puberty rearing its ugly head.
Christopher had gone to his therapy appointment earlier and then they’d gone for lunch at a food truck location about a block away from where they were now. As far as Buck could tell, Chris was sad but doing okay. Eddie had pulled Buck in when the therapist asked to speak with him, and the verdict had been that Chris needed to talk and would benefit from continued therapy, because, at this point, he didn’t differentiate between his mother’s death and her leaving in the first place.
Buck found that very concerning—and he could tell that the therapist did, too—but Eddie had just sighed and shrugged. Buck found that concerning, too. And he was very happy about his earlier call to Bobby.
His phone dinged, and he picked it up.
Sgt Athena (ICE): What a mess. Brooke is a bobcat shifter. Marcy is a fucking asshole.
Shit. Well, that explained Bobby’s distraction.
Buck: Let me know if he needs help. Or someone to help her with her shift.
Sgt Athena (ICE): I will. Maybe Wednesday, just to give him a break. May is probably the best one to help her, and she’s coming over after school, but she’s in the middle of the end of quarter projects and tests and shit.
Buck: No problem. Whenever you want.
Sgt Athena (ICE): I set her up with an in-the-know doctor and got her a note for the flu. So, Bobby may be out for a few more days. She seems stable with him around, but she keeps involuntarily shifting when she goes to sleep and then has trouble shifting back, so we need to get you and May involved in teaching her.
Buck: Kk. I’m with Eddie now, but I’m free on Wednesday. Let me know what you want me to do.
Sgt Athena (ICE): Deal. I’ll let you know. TTFN.
“What’s up?” Eddie had turned towards him.
Buck shrugged. “Brooke has the flu. Bobby might be out for a few more days.”
Eddie sighed. “Fucker. Did I tell you that he’s making me go to a therapist before I come back?”
“No.” Buck stared out at Chris and then at the horizon beyond. “You didn’t.”
“Yeah.” Eddie sighed. “He called early this morning. So, I guess I won’t be back tomorrow, since the therapist can’t see me until tomorrow afternoon.”
Buck leaned in and bumped his shoulder against Eddie’s. “It’s not a bad thing, you know. You signed Chris up for therapy.”
Eddie laid back into the sand and groaned. “I know. But I need to look stable. Like a good parent. My parents are assholes, Buck.”
“You know, being in therapy is a positive. You’re improving yourself, Eds.” Buck put his hand over on Eddie’s knee but stayed upright, knowing that someone needed to keep an eye on Chris.
Eddie rolled his head over towards Buck. “I did do group therapy at the VA when I was in El Paso after I was discharged from the Army. And it was helpful.” He sighed. “But my parents weren’t supportive about it at all.”
“You said it—your parents are assholes.” Buck paused. “Are you ever going to tell me why you shoved me away all weekend?”
Eddie groaned again. “They complained about Carla, Buck. Really. They said that I was making Chris put up with someone who wasn’t family. They sat there in front of Abuela and Tía Pepa and said that I needed to move back to El Paso because I had no family here. I just didn’t want to deal with any more of that. Or make you deal with it. They’re my fucking family.”
Snorting, Buck squeezed Eddie’s knee again. “Okay. Well. They do sound like total assholes.” He glanced out at Chris, who was still digging his way to China, and then turned to Eddie. “I could have dealt with it. Why do you do that? Why do you put up with their comments?”
“I don’t know.” Eddie sighed. “I hate them. Really. But every time they say stuff like that, I fold.” He shrugged. “The only reason I haven’t folded now is because of Christopher. He’s happy here.”
Buck looked out at Chris, who was standing and packing up the bucket. He gave him a wave and signaled him to stay where he was. As he stood, he patted Eddie’s shoulder. “You know, you’re important, too. Protect Chris, but maybe protecting yourself is something you can talk about with the therapist, hmm?”
Growling, Eddie sat up. “Maybe. We’ll see.”
───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───
On Thursday morning, Buck parked under a tree at the edge of the parking lot and shut off the engine. He still had twenty minutes until his shift started, so he sat for a minute listening to his commute playlist.
Looking around the lot, he didn’t see Eddie’s truck yet. He knew he was coming back today. He’d seen the department therapist on Tuesday afternoon, and whoever it was had wanted to see Eddie again yesterday (Buck had gotten paragraphs of complaints about the “stupid headshrinker” around dinnertime on Tuesday) but had cleared him to return to work. Buck had gone to Bobby’s for a while yesterday and then had dinner plans with Maddie, so with Christopher back in school and Eddie wallowing, he hadn’t made plans with the Diaz’s. He’d texted Eddie later in the day to see if everything was all right but had only gotten a thumbs up and then silence. (Which may have inspired Gingerflare to make another late-evening incursion—Buck had a whole kitty’s worth of Diaz-wrangling tactics to use, and he wasn’t afraid to use all of the tools in his toolbox.)
He wondered if Bobby would be back today. What a fucking mess that was.
Just then, Eddie’s truck pulled up next to him. Buck opened his car door and grabbed his duffle.
“Hey man! You’re back!” Buck looked over the roof of his Jeep, resting his arms on the roof, to where Eddie was hauling his own bag out of the back of his truck.
“Yep. Finally.” Eddie sighed and walked over to the passenger side of the Jeep. He looked somehow well-rested but rung out at the same time. In a low voice, he continued. “They approved me to come back—the therapist agreed that I was better off keeping busy at this point. And Christopher’s therapist said that I should do my best to get him back on his regular schedule.”
Buck nodded. “Good. Are you going to see the therapist again? I know it sucks, but it can be helpful.”
Letting out a groan, Eddie rested his forehead on the passenger door of the Jeep. Then he looked across the roof towards Buck. “It doesn’t matter. I have to go no matter what. Like I said, Dr. Joon, my therapist, agreed that getting back on a normal schedule would be helpful, but then he told HR and Bobby that I needed to continue therapy for at least four more weeks. Twice a week.” He groaned again. “Apparently, some of my answers sent up about a hundred red flags.”
Good, Buck thought. He couldn’t make himself feel bad for siccing Bobby and HR on Eddie if it meant that Eddie had someone to talk him through some of his mixed-up ideas about Shannon and his parents and life in general.
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with therapy. No matter what your parents might say about it. In fact, getting therapy would only solidify your case if your parents decide to be total assholes.” Buck shouldered his bag and started walking towards the bay doors.
“I know. Really, I know.” Eddie fell into step beside him. “I get it. You gave me your lecture on Monday.”
Buck snorted back a laugh. “I did. And it’s all true. So, suck it up, Diaz. At a minimum, if you’re making Chris do it, then you doing it is setting a good example.”
“Asshole.” Eddie looked over at him and grinned.
As they wandered through the equipment bay towards the locker room, Buck noticed a strange scent. It was a combination of citrus and vinegar, with a background layer of mint. He hadn’t seen Bobby’s SUV in the parking lot, but he wondered if he was back and cooking something. Or maybe a new cleaning product. Every time the LAFD shifted brands, Buck had to get used to a new smell before he could shove it to the background and forget about it.
They set their bags down on the bench, and Buck was suddenly overcome by a yawn and the desire to take a nap.
“Tired?” Eddie pulled his uniform out of his locker and started to change.
Pulling his hoodie off and grabbing his uniform shirt, Buck shook his head. “Well, I wasn’t before. And I went to bed at a decent time last night.” He yawned again. “Maybe I’m allergic to Captain Han.”
Eddie laughed. “Maybe. Well, maybe you can take a nap. I’d be happy for a…”
“No!” Buck jumped up and grabbed Eddie, pushing his hand over his mouth. “Do not say the Q-word.”
“The Q-word?” Eddie’s forehead wrinkled as he laughed and shoved Buck away. He pulled away and grabbed his pants and then pulled them on. “Oh, you mean—”
“No! No, no, no!” Buck rolled his eyes. “Did no one at the academy tell you about the Q-word? We do not say it ever. Never ever ever.”
Eddie started to laugh. “Are you serious?”
(Buck was serious about the Q-word, but hearing Eddie laugh after the last crappy week was maybe worth him accidentally saying it.)
“I am dead serious. Don’t say it. Even if you don’t believe it, most of these guys do.” Buck waved his hand towards the vehicle bay and the loft. “And if we get a shitload of crappy calls and someone knows you’ve said it, you’ll never hear the end of it. Ever. Trust me, I know.”
Eddie snorted again and stuffed his bag into his locker. “Fine. I won’t say your magic Q-word.”
Shoving his own bag into his locker, Buck straightened up and set the military creases on his shirt and then headed for the loft. “Just don’t.”
As he strolled through the bay towards the loft stairs, Buck was once again hit by the scent of citrus and mint. Once again, he felt drowsy and stifled a yawn. He felt like crawling into a corner and taking a nap. “Jeese.”
“Eh. We’ll go see what Captain Han has in store for us. I’ll cover for you and get other people to do it too if you promise to kick Chimney out of the kitchen and manage the dinner meal.”
Buck yawned so big he felt like his head was splitting open. “Deal.”
As they mounted the stairs, Buck wondered if saving them from a Q-word shift was enough good karma to earn him a nap.
・・・・・・★ᖗ(⪧ᴥ⪦)ᖘ★・・・・・・
“Kids! Breakfast!” Athena called out. They’d been almost ready when she’d passed by their rooms, but Harry tended to drag his ass on Mondays more than any day of the week.
May threw herself down on one of the stools at the kitchen island, and Athena shoved a bowl of granola, yogurt, and strawberries and bananas in front of her.
“Wow! This looks great!” May said. “Thanks, Mom.” She dug in as Athena went to try to get Harry to finish up whatever the heck he was doing.
“Harry!” Athena called.
“Coming!” he answered. Finally, he came into the kitchen, dragging his backpack behind him. Athena placed a bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios with the rest of the sliced strawberries and bananas in front of him. He quietly started shoving them into his mouth.
Looking at her watch, Athena saw that they had about fifteen minutes until they had to leave. “Okay, kids, eat up. Be ready to head to the car in about ten.”
Her phone sounded with Bobby’s ringtone. Picking it up, she wondered what the problem was. He should be getting his own kids ready to send off to school, so he usually texted her at this time of day if he needed to tell her something.
Athena swiped to connect the call. “What’s up, Bobby?”
“I need help.” Bobby sounded frantic.
“What’s wrong?” Athena wandered into the living room away from her kids.
Bobby groaned. “Brooke woke up as a bobcat. A bobcat, Athena! She can’t shift back! I have no idea why she’s a bobcat, and I don’t know what to do!”
Athena gasped. “Really? A bobcat?”
“Yes,” Bobby said with a sigh. “A bobcat. A very cute and cuddly bobcat. Can you come over?”
“Yes.” Athena glanced towards the kitchen. “I’ll be over as soon as I drop the kids at school. Do you mind if I tell them? May would be one of the best to help.”
“It’s fine. I trust you. And them.” He sighed. “I’m actually glad that I know about you and yours because I’m not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t.”
“Well, you do. And we’re here to help. I’ll be over in a bit. Just keep her calm and yourself, too.” Athena was already wondering how this had happened. “Just for my information, what was Marcy’s maiden name?”
“Larsen. Why?” Bobby sounded calmer and more thoughtful.
“Shifters don’t just appear, Bobby,” Athena said. “And we’ve pretty much established that your family has magic, not shifter genes.”
A loud sigh reverberated across the phone line. “Yes. God. Do you think she knew?”
Athena paused, thinking about what to say. “I don’t know. But it had to come from somewhere.” She glanced towards the kitchen and called out. “Kids! Finish up!” Then she turned her attention back to the phone. “I’ll be over as soon as I drop them off.”
“Okay. Thanks. We’ll just cuddle here and practice our purrs.” Bobby snorted back a laugh. “She seems perfectly happy with it, so I’m not too worried. But, obviously, she needs to control it and be able to shift back before she goes back to school.”
Athena chuckled. “Yes, that would be the goal. Okay. I’ll be over in a bit.”
They said goodbye and then she went back into the kitchen. “Okay kids. Let’s get ready to go. I need to head to Bobby’s as soon as I drop you off.”
May stood and put her dishes into the dishwasher. “What’s up?”
Athena sighed. “Brooke is a bobcat. And she’s still a bobcat.”
“Really?” May picked up her backpack and hefted it onto her shoulder. “Did Bobby have any clue?”
“Nope. Not a one.” Athena turned to Harry. “Come on, baby. Finish up. We need to go.”
He shoved the last bite of banana into his mouth and jumped down from the stool. “I’m ready!”
“Okay, let’s go.” Athena headed for the door.
May followed close on her tail. “Does Bobby need help? Brooke seems to like me. Maybe I can help her.” She paused for a moment. “I have a test today and a project due tomorrow, and then another test on Wednesday. But I could help at night and then this weekend. I mean, we’re different cats, but the shifting and stuff is the same, right?”
“Yes, it is. Controlling the shift is the same no matter whether you’re a panther or a bobcat.” She chuckled. “Or a big ridiculously-fluffy Maine Coon. So, that would be good.” Athena grabbed her keys and wallet and hustled Harry towards the car. “I’m going over right after I drop you both off. I want you to concentrate on finishing up the school year. You’re only a year from graduating, so your grades matter more in the big picture than Brooke’s do and that should be your priority. I’m going to make sure she gets a doctor’s note, so she should be fine schoolwise. But we can definitely have you help her this weekend. We’ll need to get her to control it enough to finish out the school year, and then we’ll have the whole summer to really work on it.”
As they headed out the door, Athena’s brain was already starting to think about the Larsen family. Because shifter children didn’t come from nowhere. And, if Marcy left Bobby ignorant of the fact that his children could be shifters, then “asshole” was the minimum that Athena was going to declare her.
───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───
Athena walked into Bobby’s townhouse, looking around. She could smell the scent of cat and of worry. “Bobby!”
“Back here!” he called. “On the sun porch.”
She walked through the house and out the back. Bobby was sitting on the daybed that sat against the back wall of the sun porch, a small beige cat with large tufted ears and dark brown spots curled up at his side. She was almost the length of Buck’s Maine Coon, but slimmer and more petite in frame.
“Well, what a gorgeous kitty you have there Bobby,” Athena said with a smile.
“I know!” Bobby answered with a smile, tickling the little bobcat under her chin. “I’m quite pleased with her. But I’m pretty sure that she probably wants to be a girl again so that she can go to school and finish out the softball season.”
“I would guess.” Athena walked over and carefully reached out towards Brooke. The bobcat looked up as her, and Athena scritched her under the chin. “Why don’t we let her take a nap for a bit since she’s decided to skip out on school today.”
Bobby carefully got up from the daybed. He turned to Brooke. “I’ll be right inside. Take a little nap, and then Athena is going to try to help you shift back, okay?”
Brooke gave a guttural “Meow” and a nod. Then she closed her eyes. A few moments later she started to purr.
“Let’s go. She may shift back while she sleeps now that you’ve gotten her to calm down. And that purr will knock you out cold if she doesn’t know how to control it, so just be aware.” Athena tugged at Bobby and drew him into the living room. “Where’s Robbie?”
“I sent him to school. He didn’t want to go, but he also understood that he can’t really help. He had a geometry test this morning and a history project to present this afternoon. He called a friend and got a ride.” Bobby slumped onto the couch, laid his head back, and closed his eyes. “All I can do right now is picture how I would have reacted if we all didn’t already know about shifters.”
“Well, stop that right now.” Athena sank onto the couch next to him. “You did know. And you did great. And, even if you hadn’t, I’m fairly sure that you would have done great anyway. You’re a wonderful father, Bobby. And you admitted that you’d suspected things from time to time on scenes when I told you about us last fall.”
Bobby covered his face with his hands. “I know. I know. But worrying about how I would have reacted is easier than wondering if Marcy knew and never gave me a clue.”
Athena sighed. “Well, we already know that Robbie has some magic. And he’s already fifteen, so I’m fairly sure that he’s not a shifter. How old was Brooke when Marcy left?”
Bobby thought for a moment. “Nine. She had turned nine at the end of October, less than two months prior. Robbie was ten.”
“Well, I made a few calls on my way over. The Larsens are a very reclusive cat shifter family in northern Minnesota.” She snorted back a laugh. “The person I spoke with compared them to the Amish, if the Amish were evil and hated everyone.” Athena leaned into Bobby, who put his arm around her. She had placed a call to the California rep for the Shifter Council after she’d dropped the kids off at school. Stiles had had no good words to say about the Larsens. Very secluded and very pro-shifter at best; xenophobic, anti-human, and an ideology built around a laundry list of other discriminatory beliefs at worst.
“Hmmm. Well, that makes sense,” Bobby said with a sigh. “I always had the idea that she was Amish. She told me that she was on rumspringa when we met, so I just assumed. She paid a tithe to her family the entire time we were married and wouldn’t ever budge on it even though she didn’t seem to have any other contact with them.” He shook his head and sank further into the couch cushions, drawing Athena with him. “It’s actually what we were arguing about the night of the fire before I went out.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, Marcy seems to have been from a family of born shifters. She probably assumed that they’d have shifted before that if they were going to. May and Harry both shifted when they were eight—that’s common for born shifters, but that’s because they grow up seeing their parents shift, and they know that the shift is possible. They see their parents do it, so they want to do it, too.” Athena hummed for a moment. “I’m not saying that’s an excuse, but she probably did convince herself that they were human rather than shifters, particularly since you weren’t a shifter.” She paused for a moment, thinking about what could have motivated Marcy to leave. “Tell me about the fire. I know you said that you think your magic put it out and that Marcy left right after, but give me some details.”
Bobby groaned. “We were arguing. Again. We were living in that crap building. It was all we could afford. Marcy worked part-time in retail and mostly was a stay-at-home mom. Which was fine. I made enough to support us all. That is, if she hadn’t insisted on sending ten percent of our income off to her family every month. It was non-negotiable. And I’d agreed to it before we married, so I found it difficult to just say no. Not that I didn’t try to convince her otherwise. I kind of figured that the longer she was away from her family, without contact, and the older our children were, the more she’d realize that our kids deserved that money.”
Athena leaned in closer. “So, what happened that night? After you argued?”
“Well, you know that my magic was bound and the problems that caused. So, after we argued, all I wanted was a drink. I told her I was going out to get milk, and I went to a bar. I sat there and watched the Vikings game for a while. I only had one drink—usually that was enough to take the edge off.” He squeezed her tighter and pressed his head into her shoulder. “When I got back and parked in front of the building, I saw the flames flickering from the top floor.” He shivered, his voice taking on the tone of a captain reporting on the status of a scene. “I called 9-1-1. Then I went into the building. When I got to our floor, the entire ceiling was ablaze. I found Marcy and the kids in the hallway, heading towards the stairs at the far end, away from where I entered. I yelled for them to run for the stairs. Just then the ceiling started to disintegrate.”
He paused for a moment and breathed in deeply, tears running down his face.
Athena turned towards him and took his face between her hands. “What happened, Bobby?”
“I don’t know. I was so scared.” He let loose a sob. “I suddenly felt like my entire body was on fire and then next thing I knew the fire snuffed out. Gone.” He collapsed onto Athena. “Marcy looked shocked and angry. Then she turned her back on me and took the children and ran for the stairs.” He sighed. “When I got downstairs, after stopping and helping a few other people evacuate, the children were sitting on the back of an ambulance, and Marcy was nowhere to be seen. A week later she sent me a pile of paperwork—divorce and papers to sign over parental rights.”
Athena gave him a tight squeeze. “Did you try to find her?”
He shook his head. “She did it all through a lawyer. She cancelled her cell phone, and I never even had an address for her family other than a PO box in Duluth where I’d sent the monthly checks and the lawyers office, also in Duluth. I know she grew up in the boonies somewhere near Lake Superior, but that country up there is vast. I had no idea where to start looking for her. And by the time I got the papers from the lawyer, I was so angry at her for taking off that I concentrated on the children and on getting our lives put back into order. So, really, that was it.”
Athena gave him another hug and then sat back on the couch, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Well, I’d hazard a guess that she saw that you had magic. Why that would have scared her off, I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s not like she would have been unaware of magic if she’d grown up in a shifter family. But some of those secluded rural families are funny about some things. This one certainly seems to be. They don’t like turned shifters. Or humans. Or even other supes like you. The money you sent probably kept them off your back. Otherwise, they might have shown up and pushed her to come back earlier.”
“Well, she can just go to hell.” Bobby flopped back into the couch cushions, his arm still around Athena’s shoulders. “I’m glad that I don’t know how to get in touch with her because, if it’s like you said, I’d be worried that now she’d want to take Brooke from me. Now that she is a shifter. And that’s just not happening ever.”
“No,” Athena said with a shrug. “Really, she’d have to go through the courts to get her back, and it would be impossible to explain without letting out the secret.”
Bobby closed his eyes. “Can you hear her? Is she still asleep?”
Athena listened for a moment. “Yes. She’s snuffling and purring. She’s fine.”
“Okay.” He put both arms around her. “Let’s take a nap and then deal with this all later. I’m so tired.”
Laughing, Athena hugged him back. “Okay. A nap. But don’t be surprised if you get woken up by a bobcat in your lap.”
───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───
Three days later, Athena was at her desk in Wilshire Station working her way through a pile of incident and arrest reports. She’d already changed to go home, but Michael was picking up the kids at school, and they weren’t all due at Bobby’s house until dinnertime. So, she figured she’d see if she could get ahead of the paperwork monster. Unfortunately, being a Florida panther shifter didn’t give her magic powers over bureaucratic pencil pushers.
Her phone rang. Michael. She clicked to connect the call. “Hey, Michael. What’s up? You manage to get Harry and all of his science project mess home, or do you need backup?”
Michael’s voice echoed calmly through the phone line, but she could hear a hint of fear. “Athena, there was a bomb delivered to the house.”
She jumped up, shoving the pile of papers into her “In” basket and grabbing her car keys. “A bomb? Where are the kids?”
“We’re fine, Athena.” Michael’s voice sounded calmer now that his news had been delivered. “There was a package on the front porch. It was addressed to you. It smelled…off. Like unlit fireworks under a layer of lemon and mint. The bomb squad and ATF are here now, and it’s definitely an explosive of some sort. The sergeant said that it’s similar to the other packages that have been delivered. The task force guy is here, and the detective in charge from the LAPD side is on his way out. Your friend Rick, right?”
“Yeah. Yeah. That’s the one.” Athena’s heart was beating fast in her chest. “Do they need you to stay? If not, why don’t you take the kids and get out of there. Go feed them and take them back to yours. We’re not getting back into the house until the CSI team and bomb squad clear it, anyway. I’ll head over and see what Rick and the ATF folk have to say.”
Athena knew that Bobby would understand. She was also starting to wonder if he needed to be concerned about being next.
“Okay,” Michael sighed. “Feels strange to run but, yeah. I’ll check with the officer in charge and see if I can get the kids out of here.”
“Good. Talk to you later. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I know anything.” Athena disconnected the call and sighed.
She’d never been so glad that Michael and both of her children were shifters and able to detect that there was a problem before it became a worse one. Although she wondered why the package smelled of minty lemons. They were probably lucky that the smell of cordite was so strong because those scents sometimes masked other ones, particularly when applied strongly.
Hmmm. She picked up her phone and dialed Rick. The odd odors were concerning—it spoke to a bomber who was aware of scents that covered up the smell of the C4 being used in the previous packages. It was a bit terrifying because, while the bomber could have done it knowing that the bomb squad and their K9’s were on the job, it also made her wonder if he—or she—was aware of shifters.
Gathering her things, she headed towards the parking garage, dialing Rick Romero as she walked.
“Romero.” His voice was sharp and rushed. “What’s up, Athena? I’m on my way to your house now.”
“Rick. Michael said something interesting.” She opened the door and crossed the parking garage floor. “He said the package smelled of mint and lemons. I’m wondering if the bomber is trying to mask the scent.”
“Hmm. Okay. Got it. I’ll take a look when I get there and make sure the CSI techs do the same. It does sound like a possibility.” He paused. “Alright, I’m here. Gotta go. You on the way?”
“Sure as shootin’. See you in a few.” Athena disconnected just as she reached the driver’s door of her SUV. Climbing in, she belted up, turned on her police scanner, and headed for home and whatever mess waited for her there.