I know I haven't updated Life With You Makes Perfect Sense, but I've hit a wall. I'm trying to fix that, but here's something that I cranked out since I've been in an awesome mood lately!
Read and enjoy, and let me know if there are any prompts you'd like to see done!
"You don't know what it's like, do you? To have a kid out there that's your flesh and blood, you don't know what that love would make a person do," Mathew Spencer sighed at Oscar from across the table, deflating a bit as he realized that there was no way to talk himself out of his situation.
He'd been a normal guy, 42 and a chef, a wife, and a six-year-old son before things started to unravel. He'd come home from work to find his wife having an affair with another associate at her law firm, and he'd stormed out, keeping there wasn't a way to deal with her without things getting out of control. They'd decided to divorce, and by sheer luck and a hell of a lot of fake years, she was awarded primary custody of their son Cody. Even that wasn't enough to make him snap, until she told him she was moving that is. It was an 'incredible opportunity' to become a managing partner at a firm that happened to be a few hundred miles away, but he knew it was her way of making sure she made him as miserable as possible. He'd tried to fight her, but the course refused because his work took up a good chunk of his time. Why being a chef seemed to be more time consuming than a lawyer baffled him, and that was when his rage started to set in.
He'd gone over to her apartment, the one she'd rented with that same associate, and failed to try to get her to change her mind. She even admitted it; she was doing it out of spite. She may not have loved him anymore, but to divorce her and alter the lifestyle she'd become accustomed made her bitter. She may live Cody too, but he was the only thing that could bring Mathew to his knees. Knowing that made her dangerous to him, and he'd decided to fix the problem. If that meant that he had to strangle her to keep his son, prison seemed worth it. She was the only person standing between him and his kid; in his mind there was no other option. And even now, he didn't regret it for a second.
Oscar sat back, his chair reclining a bit with him as he observed the man in front of him. There were blue circles underneath his eyes, but his state was clear as day. He knew what he'd done was wrong, but did it for the good of his child. While Oscar could understand, milder was murder. He was still a detective, and there was nothing he could do. It was one of those things that kept him up at night, knowing if the roles were reversed, the only thing he would have made sure of was that he wouldn't be caught. Just as he was about to answer him, he was met with a smug smile, and it took quite a bit of self-restraint to not wipe it off of his face. He wasn't used to being the violent one, but doing an interview with Cross of all people instead of Angie had soured his mood. Mathew's wife was blonde with blue eyes; they all agreed it was better not to dangle her in front of him at all. So here he was with Cross standing begin him, and he could feel the dull throb of a headache settle behind his eyes.
"No kids and a job that consumes you, what a hell of a life you've got there"
"Beats going to prison for killing my wife. I think I'll wallow in despair at another time"
Angie stood behind the glass, chewing on her thumb for the entire interview until that point. She smiled and burst out laughing, knowing full and well Oscar was reaching his breaking point. She had to smirk; he always had been the ridiculously patient one out of the two of them. Some things she was glad never changed.
"At least I had an ex wife, must suck knowing you go home alone every night"
"That's very insightful Mr. Spencer, but I couldn't care less about your running commentary on my personal life. If you'll excuse me, I have just about anything better to do than sit here with you any longer"
He got up and walked out, knowing Angie had left the observation room and was close behind him as he sat at his desk. Cross was right beside him, clapping him on the shoulder as he stopped to lean on the corner of his desk.
"I don't know what that was about, but you handled yourself well Vega"
"Thank you sir, it helps when psychopaths think they're the smartest person in the room" he remarked, the condescension not quite hidden in his words.
"Well, I'm just sorry he took digs at your personal life like that," he replied, and he saw from the corner of his eye how Angie froze midway to her desk. She stuttered into motion again, but he just looked at Cross blankly. Himself and Cross weren't friends, so he honestly wasn't sure why they were still discussing this. He knew he was going to regret it, but he asked anyway.
"What do you mean exactly?" He asked, and Cross rubbed the back of his neck briefly before speaking, his tone almost apologetic.
"You know, since you've been divorced way back when, you don't exactly seem like the type to serial date. Just saying that maybe it's been a while, I didn't mean anything by it" Cross explained, trying and failing to get his gigantic foot out of his mouth. He shot a helpless look at Angie and Oscar followed, raising an eyebrow at her as she sat back. Her arms were folded over her chest and her legs were crossed, a look of irritation lurking around her narrowed eyes.
"Hey, don't look at me. Even I knew that was a bonehead move," she said, her gaze flickering over to Oscars. She felt a wave of guilt, knowing that if she just spoke up this wouldn't have been up for discussion. She couldn't though, so she dropped her eyes, fiddling with a pen until Cross awkwardly moved away from them. She wanted to say something, but the look on Oscar's face told her otherwise. He looked understanding, and that was what made it worse.
"I could just-"
"Ang, don't. It's fine, just let it go"
He turned his chair in towards his desk, effectively ending their conversation until he hears her chair squeak behind him. He sighed, knowing she'd plop down on the corner of his desk any second now. He didn't have to wait long. She slid in close to him, putting her right foot on the corner of his seat as she leaned on that raised knee. Anyone else doing that would have raised questions, but because it was them, no one even gave them a second look. Her foot turned him towards her slightly, forcing him to lean back and look her in the eye. Her head rested in her hand on her knee, giving him a guarded look.
"Angie, there's nothing to talk about"
"Uh, yeah there is. That wouldn't have happened if-"
"If what? We've talked about this before, numerous times. It's fine"
"Yeah, but-"
"Ang. Let. This. Go. Please," he muttered, getting up. That forced her to drop her foot, standing upright as he moved past her. He grasped her arm lightly, letting it go as he moved away. His fingers were warm, almost reassuring even after he let her go.
"You want coffee?"
"Yeah..." She said, looking at Cross through his door as Oscar left the bullpen. She bit her lip, knowing this was either going to end horrendously, or just kind of badly. She didn't have high hopes, but it was a long time coming. She took a deep breath, pushing herself to stand in the doorway of Cross' office as he finished up a phone call. He motioned her in, and have her a confused look as she shut the door behind her. She sat down, looking at him doubtfully as he ended the call and looked at her expectantly.
"Looks serious Angie, what's up?"
"I haven't been completely honest with you Mark," she sighed, leaning her arms on her thighs as she looked up at him expectantly.
"I'm not a mind reader, so what exactly are you talking about?"
She ran her hands over her hair as she blew out a breath, covering her face for a second before decisively getting to her point. Well, almost, there was some necessary background info she had to start with.
"Well, have you taken a look at my personnel file since you've been here?" She asked, already knowing the answer when she was met with a puzzled look.
"I'll take that as a no. Look, when Boyd was here, we had an understanding about something. That meant that as long as no one got hurt and things didn't get messy, he'd always be the first one to advocate for...me"
Cross looked at her, the dread creeping in as he stared at her blankly, not understanding what she was talking about. She'd naively hoped it didn't have to be an in depth conversation, but she was obviously wrong.
"He's known for the past five years that I'm married Mark"
Cross looked dumbly at her, his jaw dropping slightly at the news. She cringed, knowing there was no other way to phrase it. If he had a problem with her being married, he'd sure as hell have a problem with the rest of what she had to tell him.
"Are you serious? How the hell could you not tell me Angie?" He asked, wondering why she hadn't mentioned it sooner.
"I figured you'd read my file and thought nothing of it. But you kind of shot that hope to hell," she muttered, shooting him a dark look when his face looked confused. Again.
"Wait, what? Why did you think it didn't matter and that I would have just let it be?"
"It's been almost two years and nothing's changed, I figured we were in the clear by now"
"We?"
She shook her head, smiling sadly as she got up, hoping to end this conversation as quickly as it had started. She moved towards the door, turning to lean her back against it as she regarded Cross curiously. As a cop, he had horrible deductive reasoning skills. Or he just didn't want to see it. She twisted the knob behind her back, pulling the door with her as she spoke. Her other hand pulled a necklace out from under her T-shirt, the chain long and thin as she picked up the three rings at the end. She put them around the end of her thumb, pulling them away from her body to show him before she dropped them over her top. The rings fell right below her bust, ensuring they were never visible until now.
"Oscar and I just celebrated our five year anniversary last month Mark. I didn't want it to ever be a big deal, but I just don't care anymore. People can say what they want, I just wanted it to be out in the open"
"Jesus Ang, you've been together five years?"
"Actually, we've been together almost seven years. We didn't want us dating to be an issue, so we just didn't say anything. Same thing when we got married"
"I can't believe it, you and Vega..."
"Yeah, about that..."
She looked at him guiltily as she stood half inside out half outside his office, her eyes flickering to watch as Oscar started to make his way back from the elevators. He gave her a curious look and tilted his head, and all she could do was bite her lip and smile sheepishly. While he might be happy once she mentions this, he's never going to let her live this down. She's going to hate the phrase 'it's about time', she's sure of it.
"I've always gone by Angie Flynn, but if anything happens, legally I'm Flynn-Vega. And with that I'm going to be anywhere but here..." She murmured as she slipped out, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous face he was making about everything she'd just told Cross. She supposed it was a bit left field, but it didn't even matter anymore. What's done is done. She met Oscar halfway between their desks, and his eyes immediately dropped to where he could see her rings over her shirt. He looked her in the eye, his gaze cautious as his head tilted in the direction of Cross' office briefly.
"Something wrong partner?"
She took her coffee from his right hand, deliberately running the thumb of her right hand over his fingers before she pulled away. She smiled indulgently, taking a sip as she watched him eye her suspiciously, but what he couldn't hide was the sliver of hope he was obviously feeling. He really was her best friend; she couldn't have picked a better man to share her life with. That, and the fact that him and Manny were ridiculously close. She's pretty sure he'd get rid of her before he gave up Oscar.
"Nothing honey, everything's fine," she murmured to him, and he smiled slowly as he understood exactly what she wasn't saying. He motioned towards the interrogation rooms with his head and they walked in sync, needing a minute to digest what she's just done. As they made their way into the room, Oscar leaned back against the door as she stood a few feet in front of him, sipping her coffee like everything was business as usual.
"So, how'd that go?"
"Well, I think he was too stunned to actually from an opinion. So...okay I guess?" She replied, shrugging her shoulders as she sat on the corner of the long table in front of him. She moved closer to her, putting his coffee down beside her as he reached for her neck. His fingers ghosted over the skin of her throat as he grasped the chain between his fingers, opening the clasp and letting her rings slide into his palm. He clasped the necklace back together and pocketed it, arranging her rings in his right hand before reaching out with his left. He grabbed her left hand with his, squeezing it gently as he held her stare, bumping the cool metal against the tip of her ring finger. He looked the way he did on their wedding day, his eyes and hands steady, like there was nothing more important to him than this exact moment.
"I promise to love, honor, and cherish you for the rest of my time on this earth. There's nothing you could do to change the fact that I fall in love all over every time I wake beside you, and it's the greatest gift I've ever been given. You're my lover, my best friend, my companion in life, and I couldn't imagine a better person to grow old with. I feel like I've loved you forever, and its only just beginning. I'll be your safety net and your sparring partner, but never doubt that my love for you only grows as time goes on. I'm lucky the love of my life is my equal in every way. Amor Vincit Omnia" he murmured, reciting his vows to her again as he slid the rings on her finger.
Just like that day, tears gathered in her eyes as he spoke, not being able to look away from him as he put her rings exactly where they belonged. She almost couldn't respond, but reached for his right hand that was holding his own wedding ring. She breathed deeply, grabbing his left hand with her own, and responded in kind as she slid his ring onto his ring finger.
"You've become not only my greatest friend, but the love of my life. There will never be a day that I won't love, cherish, and honor you as my other half, and I'm lucky I found you. You've been the calm to my storm and the voice of reason when there's no one else that can get through to me. I fell in love with you and have never looked back, knowing it was the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm not perfect by a long shot, but loving you has made me realize that my imperfections are the pieces of the puzzle that lay perfectly with yours. I look to what lies ahead, and know with absolute certainty that I can overcome anything as long as I have you. I love you with all my heart, and I always will"
She took her left hand and rested it against the side of his neck, pulling him in close as he did the same. The metal of his ring against her skin still thrilled her after all this time, and she had to smile. They were different now, but in some ways exactly as they were. He still was pleasantly surprised when she managed to make eggs and toast that didn't required a fire extinguisher, and she was still aggravated when he put notes on the fridge so she remembered the things she'd forgotten recently. It was what made them work, and there wasn't anything that would change that anytime soon.
She pulled him that last inch closer until she was able to kiss him, and she could feel his beard tickle her like every other time. It made her smile into the kiss, and he answered in kind by nipping at her lower lip playfully. She chased him back, biting his top lip gently as she ran her tongue along the seam of his lips teasingly. He opened his mouth to her, his tongue running along hers as he tilted her head to get a better angle. He sighed into her mouth and she swallowed the sound, her tongue tangling with his like they'd done this hundreds of times. That was probably because they had. They eventually pulled back away from one another, their lips swollen and breathing a little bit heavier. Angie smiled up at him, swiping her thumb under his bottom lip as he caught it between his teeth, her smile turning into a lip bite full of promises.
"You do know we still have a few more hours before we can head home, right?" He asked, knowing that was the last thing on her mind. She made a face, running her hands over her face as she stood up, preparing herself.
"Yeah, but being out there means Mark can see us. The whole time"
"Come on Rapunzel, no more tower for you"
"See, you think you're funny, but I know better"
"I'm hilarious Ang"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," she replied, giving him a look as they made their way out of interrogation.
"Oh don't lie, we both know you love it"
She looked at him, watching the amusement dance across his face as he looked at her. She could have continued to give him a hard time, but she loved the look on his face more.
"I love you, big difference"
He looked at her and his gaze softened, a corner of his mouth turning upwards as they neared their desks. He linked his pinky with Angie's briefly before letting her go, whispering in her ear quietly as Lucas approached them.
"I know. And I love you too"
She smiled, pushing stray pieces of hair behind her ear as she looked at him. They've been together for years, but she knew she would never get tired of hearing him say that.
"Never doubted you for a second"
So, that's it. Like it?
Let me know your thoughts!