Scarlett @ don't wish, don't start

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd had a mountain of paperwork on his desk. He found himself maneuvering around piles of paper and files. Eating a sandwich for lunch while signing reports and delivering files all over the office all morning. By about 12 pm he was hours away from being off duty and he'd just gotten a big home invasion case to take care of. He went to scene and interviewed the owners and talked with the csis. It was gonna be a long night. He got his team to start looking at robberies in the area, track down fences and keep an alert for the stolen items. In an out all afternoon tracking down what he could doing the street cop thing.

By five pm he had his head down on his desk, he'd have to call home and say he wouldn't be home for dinner. Work took precedence. Todd loved his family though, so he hated that he wouldn't get some down time with them.

He sighed and sat up. "Hey Walters, how is that analysis of other robberies coming? And has anyone talked with the lab? Do they have anything yet?" He asked, opening an new internet browser to search up the financial records and phone calls of the family robbed. Sometimes their motives weren't always pure.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett was doing a decent job at balancing a full tray of scones and two large Starbucks coffees. One of the police officers, who recognized her because of her obvious connections, opened the entrance door so that Scarlett wasn't forced to try a tricky maneuver. She flashed her wide, sincere smile (specifically saved for public interactions) knowing that she was well-liked in the community because of her sweetheart persona. She was otherwise too quiet for many people to actually know her well, so she just listened attentively when people talked and smiled a lot.

That and people tend to like you and send a lot of sympathy if you get seriously ill. Scarlett said her hellos to the staff manning the desks or rushing about, answered some questions: Yes I'm doing well, thank you. Dad's got the night shift tomorrow. Yeah, I'll be off to college in the fall. And then Scarlett was told of a new, big case, and how that meant her brother wouldn't be leaving any time soon. It was just what she suspected when she heard he canceled on dinner.

Scarlett walked into his office, having been there multiple times before, and stood at the foot of his desk. Poor guy was so preoccupied he didn't even notice her there, which made Scarlett feel a bit triumphant, for being able to sneak up on her older, normally more attentive brother.

She reveled in the moment for a minute before declaring, "I come bearing gifts!"

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd looked up to see Scarlett. Granted, he was knee deep in work and he didn't want to trouble her, plus she was supposed to be recovering not running around. But gifts? He could deal with that. "They better be homemade." He teased her, clearing off enough room to set down her things. Did smell delicious.... and coffee, thank god. The coffee around here was terrible and he didn't have time to leave and get some.

"How ya doin' Letty?" He asked her lightly, taking a scone and biting into it. Oh blood sugar. He didn't even realize how hungry he really was. He hoped mom wasn't cooking something amazing.... That would suck.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he yawned. "Crazy home invasion case, the perps made off with all her old jewelry." He said. The owner was a little crazy and the pieces were valuable and they had to find them before it was too late, hopefully in the hands of whoever robbed them. Not to mention they stabbed the husband, who was going to be fine.

"Hope your day was less hectic than mine so I can vicariously live through you." Todd lamented with a slight smile. It was nice to see her.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett bringing something not homemade? What was Todd thinking? "Naturally, they are of my creation." She boasted. There really wasn't much to boast about though. While Scarlett was a decent cook in the way of pasta, rice and most carbohydrate entrees, scones were the only thing she was really good at. They turned out very well in her Home Ec class, and so she insisted on trying them at home, much to the delight of her family. They were sort of her thing from then on.

Scarlett sat in the chair across from Todd, which was technically reserved for the types of people Todd normally questioned. She felt right at home, however. "I'm doing well." She replied, watching Todd scarf down scones. It was slightly amusing, but she also felt kind of bad for him. He often forgot to eat when he was busy.

Scarlett nodded as he explained his case. She heard enough of them to really pick up on the cop lingo and understand what certain things meant. No matter how many times he mentioned home invasions, however, Scarlett always thought of military operations. That was probably because she watched the news regularly, and invasions always meant something militaristic.

"Mom and Dad are pretty busy." Scarlett offered in the way of information, sipping her coffee. "There was a accident somewhere on route 11 - over turned bus that combusted. So Dad's out hosing it down, and Mom's in the emergency room dealing with the accident victims. Dinner was supposed to be just you and me, but then Mom said you cancelled."

Between accidents, emergency rooms and home invasions, Scarlett felt she should mention something that didn't suggest the world was falling to pieces.

"I had a great day at school, though."

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd chuckled. "Good to know the education system is holding together." Sometimes in this job it really did feel like the world was falling apart. Then again, it was probably just because of his families jobs, firefighter, cop and doctor. You saw a lot of the bad stuff, knew everyone needed saving. They had sort of made it an Owens family business to save people. Scarlett had already been saved, she didn't need to save anyone but herself, she had to get well.

"Want me to give you some money for dinner? You can go out and get take out and eat here or something. I hate to make you eat alone I'm just swamped." He said, finishing up his third scone, washing it down with some coffee. She was a fabulous sister for getting this stuff for him, he really barely had the time to chat, much less get food.

Walters came back with a report from the CSIs, "Fingerprints were all smudged, nothing usable. The blood all belongs to the husband but a bit of blood on the knife belongs to an unknown male." She summed handing him the file. "Also, there have been two other cases in that neighborhood, daytime robberies, no prints, and the home owners were threatened with a knife, but no injures until today." Clara Walters was a pretty blonde officer on Todd's team and she smiled a nodded a hello to Scarlett before going off to finish something else.

Todd offered her a thanks and flipped open the file, biting into scone four. "So dinner plans?" He asked, making sure his baby sister would get fed.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett waved her hand dismissively. "Ah well the system is sort of irrelevant at this point." Figuring this needed explaining, Scarlett went on after breaking off a piece of a scone and popping it into her mouth. "We're seniors." She shrugged as if that was explanation enough. Most of her classmates already got accepted into college. There was no pressure anymore. Teachers sensed this and basically let them do whatever they. Today, for example, Scarlett watched two movies, composed poems, played seven-up, and spent an entire class period talking to her favorite teacher about vintage cars, their benefits and faults.

Scarlett looked up at Clara Walters as she spoke, and wondered what it was like being an attractive female officer. Did assholes take her seriously, for example? If they didn't, Scarlett only had more admiration for Walters to be working as she did in a difficult world. She hoped she conveyed her positive feelings in the smile she returned.

When Clara left, Scarlett stared after her, wondering how many scones it would take her in order to develop that curvy of a rear-end. And then Scarlett looked away because she realized she basically just checked Walters out, and it was always awkward to be caught checking someone out.

"That's basically why I'm here." Scarlett explained, turning back to Todd. "It is my full intention to spend this entire night with you, going on coffee runs and the like. Because I know you're chained to the desk with rusty, old-fashioned shackles."

"And don't be silly. I have money." Sure it was her parents' money, but whatever. "Don't you think I can provide for my own brother?" Scarlett asked with mock offense.

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd followed his sister's eyes and chuckled. "Are you checking out Clara's ass? It is impressive but thats sexual harassment, we are in the workplace." Another officer nearby laughed lightly, the whole office knew he was gay so he could get away with it, plus, he was close with Clara and he knew she would take it the right away. He shook his head a little. Women. He totally didn't get them.

"And ah, my little lackey for the evening." He joked. It would be helpful actually. She could get his team coffee, deliver his files around the station. It would help get things done faster. Many hands make light work. He'd learned that in the orphanage where Miss Marisol would say "muchos manos hacen menos trabajo" when she wanted the kids to help cook or clean or do whatever chore they were griping about.

"I know you don't have homework to do but I still want you to be awake for school tomorrow, so maybe not the whole night." He said, he was such a stereotypical big brother, he could almost laugh at himself. Todd fully intended to make sure she ate before she helped them with anything. He took a swig of his coffee, feeling the buzz tingle in his chest. He really wanted some rest.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett blushed and glanced apologetically at Clara, but glared (ahem, tried to glare, but couldn't keep from grinning) at Todd. "You shouldn't poke fun Todd," Scarlett said in a tone of mock seriousness, "You can't possibly imagine what it's like having repressed sexual tensions for a member of the same sex." And with that, she got up dramatically.

"Thai or Italian?" She asked. "And don't worry about school, tomorrow's senior cut day." Another dismissive wave of the hand. Scarlett was doing a lot of that lately. Now that she was better, with only recovery to look forward to, she let the senior buzz take her over. Everything could be dismissed. Work. Worries. Concerns. Nothing mattered anymore, except having fun. Serious things stopped mattering after the third marking period.

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd laughed heartily. "No, I have noooo idea how that feels." He responded, still chuckling. She was quick witted one, Scarlett. He appreciated a joke at his expense every once in a while. He had been single for a long time, he hoped to change that soon though... So really, knowing Clara had a great ass didn't help him as he was gay. He had never really thought about Scarlett's sexual preference much but he wondered right then if maybe she was bi or something, but as far as he knew, she was straight and she would have told him if she felt she wasn't, since he knew how that felt.

"Um... Italian." He decided. Maybe they should just get a few pizzas for the office, they'd probably love that... "Maybe we should pool money and buy it for anyone whos still here working." He suggested with a shrug. Up to Scarlett though since she was going to be their errand girl.

He laughed and shook his head a little, "Am I calling you out sick?" he asked. She could cut senior skip day, he knew she wasn't doing anything in classes.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

"Calling in is such conformist thing to do, Todd." Scarlett shook her head like it should be obvious. "I'm just going to not show up like every body else."

If she was getting a large quantity of Italian themed food for an office full of people, it could only be - "Pizza? Should I ask around for who's in and what sorts of toppings they prefer?" Scarlett figured that if she was to be helping out the local heroes, she might as well do a good job. She didn't wait for an answer, just smiled at Todd. "No need to tell me you want pepperoni." And then she was off asking people for money and pizza preferences, while flashing her friendly smile. She was sort of used to people treating her very well if she used the smile a lot.

Then she left, and approximately forty minutes later she returned. The new intern helped her carry in all the pizzas and bottles of soda - apparently he had seen her arrive from his window. While she appreciated the help, she had a feeling that his eagerness was an unintentioned result of the friendly smile. It happened sometimes.

The arrival of the pizza made a palpable change in the office atmosphere. Everyone's mood lifted and Scarlett had made sure to get regular (not diet) soda, because the regular had caffeine. She was sitting across from Todd again, eating her slice of mushroom pizza, feeling good by having been so useful. No wonder her whole family was in public service - helping people felt nice.

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd was grateful for her getting the office food, it was really gonna be a help. While she was gone everyone tried to get enough done that they could really chew and take their time once food arrived. They managed to get a few potential suspects, Officer Walters brought a few in and was questioning them. Todd was working on the paperwork when Scarlett returned. The office felt lighter and happy to get some food.

"Thanks sis," he said, biting into a slice as he typed, leaving greasy finger prints on the keyboard. Todd noticed the intern at the front desk was being rather helpful and he realized the guy probably had a crush on Scarlett but he didn't point it out because she'd probably get all nervous and rambly.

He yawned, but in a few hours they were almost done for the night. The man was recovering well and stable, they had narrowed down the suspects and since Todd had worked two straight shifts, he was gonna get a little off duty time.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett knew that apart from running errands, the most helpful thing she could do was stay out of people's way. So while people ran around being super-productive, Scarlett sat in her usual seat playing Pokemon Black on her DS, because, yes, she was that much of a dork. Besides, it was precisely the sort of thing that could keep her mind occupied and keep her from falling asleep.

Occasionally she looked up from her game to give Todd thoughtful inspections: did he look like he needed coffee, food or anything else she could give him? Most of the time the answer was no - he just looked like he needed sleep. At one point though, she did snatch some paper towels from by the water cooler and tossed them his way, staring disapprovingly at the greasy keyboard. She took much better care of her technology, but she was also mildly obsessed with it. Todd probably didn't much care for the office computer.

Once in a while, she asked, "How are you holding up, Todd?" Softly, as to not startle him, and because she was concerned. The feeling of superiority the senior buzz had given her was waning, and her mind was filling with a sort of buzz you get when you've stayed up too long. The office lights seemed inhumanely bright and occasionally caused Scarlett to see spots. It probably didn't help that she was staring at a bright screen. She shut her hand-held game console and put it back into her back, restless having spent so much time sitting, and tired from spending so much time awake.

[Todd Stephen Owens]

It was almost midnight by this point and Todd was done for the night, the others too. No one would work well on no rest. "Okay guys, tomorrow is another day." He said. And with his cue, everyone started closing folders and throwing away pizza crusts and shutting down computers. It had been a long day and he threw an apologetic smile at Scarlett. "Thanks for keeping us company Letty." He said, ruffling her hair.

He waved goodbye to his team and threw on his jacket. They'd drive home in their separate cars and meet up... where? "Hey why don't you crash at my place, its closer. I'll tell mom you're with me." He offered.

[Scarlett Anne Owens]

Scarlett smiled as Todd ruffled her hair, as if there was no better compliment in the world than one from an older brother. "Was I a good lackey?" she asked, fixing the hair that Todd had just messed up. Ever since she was old enough to actually care about her hair, she tried getting Todd to stop ruffling it. But it was a few years since she gave up on that. It wasn't as though she had detailed hairstyles that she slaved over, but she didn't like looking like a disgruntled chicken either.

"Okay." She agreed with a nod. Normally she liked being at Todd's place - it meant a lot of fun. Most likely a lot of fun would not happen when they got, considering the late hour. Still, that was the impression she had of his place. Plus she'd probably get to wear his pajamas or just flannel shirts. Letty loved oversized men's clothing.

"Do you mind if we just go in your car?" Scarlett asked. She really didn't feel like driving - she wasn't experienced enough to feel comfortable tackling the dark roads while sleepy. "It's not like I need it to get to school tomorrow." She reminded him with a grin.

[Todd Stephen Owens]

Todd chuckled. "Yes, you were a very good lackey. If I ever wanna take over the world, you will be my number one henchman." Though, the notion was ridiculous, their whole family was dedicated to service to and for the community. But it was a good joke, and it was true. He'd depend on Scarlett to be his underling.

"Okay," He nodded, they'd take his car. He had to come back tomorrow morning anyway. And she was skipping school... a cut on her record, tisk tisk. He got into the car and sent a text to their mother saying that Scarlett was in his custody and was spending the night. With that, he drove to his apartment.

Once there, he unlocked his building, climbed the four flights quietly and unlocked his door with a sigh. Good to be home. "Rock paper scissors for the bed?" He asked. he also had a comfortable futon, but he'd rather sleep in his own bed, but when she was here sometimes she took it. But he had a job to get to and she was skipping school.