Morgan looked down at her watch as she sped through traffic, rushing to pick up Chloe. She was late - again. Her boss had wanted her to make up for a day last week when she'd left early to pick up a sick Chloe from school. She knew Chloe wasn’t going to be very happy when she arrived. Morgan always tried her best not to be late because she knew what it felt like to be the last kid picked up, watching while all the other kids’ are picked up on time.
Chloe went to an after school program that closed at six o'clock, but she made every attempt to pick her up by 5 o’clock. Usually, she failed miserably. It was 5:30 now and if Morgan didn’t get there by 6:05 they would charge a dollar for every minute after. If she hadn't been speeding it easily would've taken her longer to get there, but she couldn’t afford to just give away money like that. She just prayed that she didn’t get pulled over on the way.
The light a few yards up turned red and Morgan slowed to a stop. With a sigh she propped her elbow on the door and leaned her head against her knuckles.
"Come on,” she groaned.
As she sat there impatiently, her cell phone rang from its place in the passenger seat. Morgan grabbed it and answered without looking, expecting one of Chloe's daycare teachers.
"Hello?”
“Morgan, where is Chloe?” An angry voice demanded.
Morgan sighed and rolled her eyes. Now of all times...? She had a million and one things to do: get Chloe, head to the grocery store, cook dinner, clean up, check homework, get Chloe showered and in the bed.
“What Devon? Why?”
“Look, I’m trying to see if I can come get my daughter, since you told the damn school I wasn’t allowed to pick her up anymore.”
He'd gone up the school? What the hell?
“That’s right, because you like to get Chloe whenever you want and it doesn't work like that, Devon. You can’t just go up to the school and yank her out of class just because you feel like it.”
“I am her father; I should be able to do whatever the hell I want with my kid.”
Morgan grabbed the bridge of her nose.
"Look, I don’t have time for this-.”
“I want to see her now, Morgan!!”
“For what? You can’t even pay your fucking child support, but you want the privilege of seeing her? You shouldn't have any rights. It’s a privilege for you! If you were so concerned and wanted to see her you wouldn't have gotten us kicked out of our old place - where, might I add, you had access to her all the time.”
“You stupid bitch. You can’t deny me seeing my child, that’s why I’m taking your ass to court.”
She could feel the blood start to boil throughout her body. She was so sick of his shit, so sick of his name calling and childish antics. He always called her a fat bitch, a whore, fat ass, broke bitch or whatever he come up with just to get her steamed.
“You want to say you’re her father, but don’t want to do what it takes to be a father. You don't come to her school functions. You don't pay for anything for her. You didn't even show up to our agreed upon visitation schedule. You want to make up the rules as you go along because you are a selfish bastard. Get the hell off my phone.”
Morgan hung up the phone and tossed it back on the seat with a growl.
HONK!
She looked up, realizing the light had turned green. Morgan hit the gas, turning a couple more corners before pulling up in front of the school. She threw the door open and walked quickly up the steps. She jogged lightly through the main building, into the main courtyard of the small school. There was a double-wide trailer set up at the back of the campus for the daycare program.
Morgan climbed a short flight of metal stairs and opened the door. The room was spacious, the walls decorated with colorful drawings and projects. There was a small kitchen where they served snack and did cooking projects, and lots of tables for games and homework. At the other end of the room was a large patch of carpet for board games and story time. There were plenty of games and toys of the kids to play with, and the staff was made up of young adults who liked to run and play with the kids. It was a great place to leave your children before and after school, but it was expensive.
Chloe was sitting alone at one of the tables in the middle of the room, coloring on a piece of paper as she swung her legs back and forth. There were five or six other kids there, and two teachers chatting amongst themselves. Morgan was thankful that there were other kids still there; at least Chloe wasn't the very last one. The teachers paused when Morgan entered, and smiled and waved.
“Chloe,” they called. "Mommy's here."
Morgan simply smiled at her daughter and turned to the sign out book. Chloe stood up and quietly gathered her things. Morgan met her at the cubbies to take her backpack.
"Hey honey,” Morgan spoke softly. "Sorry I’m late.”
Chloe didn’t bother to look up.
"You’re always late,” she replied, stuffing the paper into her backpack.
Then she slung the bag over her shoulder, waved to the teachers, and walked out of the classroom in front of Morgan.
Morgan sighed, waved at the girls, and quickly followed behind Chloe.
"Chloe, I know I’m late a lot, but Mommy got off late. I came straight here and I tried my best to be on time.”
Chloe didn’t respond as she walked with her head and shoulders down, looking at her shoes. Morgan felt bad as she watched her daughter lead the way to their car.
Once they were buckled up in the Jeep Morgan eyed Chloe through the rear view mirror. The little girl stared aimlessly out the window. Morgan had a feeling Chloe was purposefully avoiding eye contact. It was a dirty trick, something Morgan would have done herself, and Chloe was her mother's daughter. Morgan turned her eyes back to the road.
"We have to stop by the grocery store and get some stuff for the house. You have any idea what you want to eat tonight?”
Chloe shrugged her shoulders and continued swinging her feet, kicking lightly at the back of the passenger seat. Morgan sighed again and decided to remain quiet until they made to the grocery store. For a six year old Chloe was certainly hard-headed and temperamental. She needed a little time to herself.
***
Justin pulled a gray tee shirt over his torso as he strolled down the hall to the kitchen, in search of something to eat. He'd just gotten back from drill, and after spending days in the field with a group of guys he wanted to spend the evening stuffing his face with Doritos. Well, truth be told he had a short, explicit mental list of other things he wanted to do too, but Doritos was more likely than any of those things to actually happen.
Pulling open the fridge door he found nothing but two bananas, a gulps worth of milk, and a few bottles of water. He scratched the back of his neck, and sighed while closing the door.
The last time he went to the store he'd only grabbed a couple of day’s worth of food. Now he really needed to do some heavy duty shopping. Justin turned to walk back into his bedroom, where he slipped on his shoes, grabbed his things from the dresser, and headed out the front door.
Justin wasn't a big grocery shopper. The Corps didn't include cooking in the boot camp curriculum, and in the field you ate MREs so he didn't make it a habit of being too particular about food. Usually whenever he was hungry he would just order something to eat, go out to grab a bite, or invite himself to dinner at Chad's. Whenever Chad's family got together it was like a family reunion. But, now with Chad gone it looked like he was going to be spending more time eating at home. A real trip to the store was in order.
Ten minutes later Justin pulled into a parking spot, grabbed a cart, and headed inside the store. He made his way down the cereal aisle, looking for something that was quick and easy to put together during mornings on-the-go.
"Pick out the cereal you want, honey."
Justin glanced at the voice a couple of feet to his left. He barely registered a head of dark hair and turned back to the Cocoa Puffs in front of him, only to do a double take on the woman. His eyes rested on her curvy silhouette, watching as she stared intently at the little girl in front of her. He could only see her profile, but that gave him a great view of her perfectly tucked button nose and full pouty lips. He noted it also displayed one hell of a rack...
"This!" The little girl said, pulling a box of Captain Crunch from the shelf.
The woman smiled, taking the box.
"You sure you don't want something with a little more sugar?"
She waited for the little girl to smile, but she didn't. Finally the woman sighed, dropping the box into the cart.
"Still not speaking to me, huh?"
The little girl didn't answer her mother, just turned and began to wander down the aisle, running her finger tips along all the boxes. The woman followed behind her at a slow, lazy pace.
Justin watched them continue down the aisle and turn toward the meat department. Then he blinked and turned back to the cereal shelves.
Lucky Charms.
He grabbed the box, put it in his cart, and looked back at the spot where the woman had been. He was right about her being tall for a girl, and her brown skin was still glowing and a little red from the sun. His heart was pounding a little faster than normal, like he'd broken out into a lazy jog when really he was standing still. He thought for a moment about following her. They'd just turned the corner a few seconds ago. He could probably go two isles down and come up on their right flank behind the potato chip display...
Shaking the thoughts from his head Justin immediately spun the cart in a one-eighty turn and started toward the produce section, away from the woman and her little girl.
Morgan grunted as she steered the cart to the left. The cart was filled to the brim with cookies, frozen treats, meats, sides for dinner, fruit snacks, a case of beer, and of course, Chloe's Captain Crunch. The cart had been a little rundown when they'd gotten it from the collection out front, and by isle 14 it'd all but given out. The wheels squeaked loudly as Morgan navigated her way to check stand six.
Chloe stood in front of the cart, picking at the candy bars on display and thumbing through CosmoGirl. Morgan frowned, thinking about her own collection of grown up Cosmo's on the coffee table.
"You're too young for this," she said, pulling the booklet from Chloe's fingers.
Little brown eyes glared up at her in protest.
"Why don't you pick out a candy bar?"
That made Chloe smile. When in doubt, a Hershey’s bar usually seemed to do the trick. Morgan busied herself with unloading the items in the cart onto the counter. She'd just picked up the cantaloupe when she heard Chloe speak.
"You're the man from my house."
Justin had been impatiently waiting in line as the cashier rung up the family in front of him. A man, a woman, and 3 boys. They'd piled half the store onto the counter to be rung up, but he was pretty sure they'd be back within the next week for more. They'd be better off investing in a Costco card. As he eyed his collection of Gatorade, frozen dinners, and Top Ramen on the belt he realized the same could probably be said about him.
He heard someone groan as they approached the isle, but he didn't bother looking back to see who it was, just checked the time on his watch. A new episode of The Cleveland Show was airing in twenty-five minutes and he was going to miss it while waiting in this stupid line.
Finally the cashier, Maribelle, placed the last case of cream soda on the bottom of the family's cart, and handed them a receipt with an exhausted smile.
"Thank you, have a good evening."
The family moved on, and Justin stepped forward, offering a tight smile of acknowledgement to Maribelle.
"Good evening, sir. Did you find everything okay?"
When Justin parted his lips to answer, another voice made him freeze with his mouth open.
"You're too young for this."
His heart started to beat fast again. Through his peripheral vision he could see all of the groceries piled onto the belt behind his, and the little girl glaring up at the woman. Now his heart started to beat even faster, tapping out a quick rhythm foreign to his ears.
"Why don't you pick out a candy bar?"
Justin stood up straight and squared his shoulders, trying to regain some composure as the little girl turned to the candy display. Why he was feeling so uneasy, he didn't know. She was just a woman, and that was just a little girl. He'd been in situations with much higher stress levels than this. So far they hadn't paid him any attention at all, and he'd probably make it out without being recognized. Besides, even if she did recognize him, so what? It was a free country; he could shop where he wanted.
"You're the man from my house."
Fuck.
Justin hesitantly looked down to his left, and into a pair of big brown eyes. A little round face was staring up at him; her head tilted all the way back so she could look into his eyes. She was biting her bottom lip to hold back a grin, but her eyes were dancing happily. She turned to look back at her mother excitedly, her hair swinging around her little shoulders. Then she turned back to him.
"I saw you wearing black."
Morgan paused, looking first at Chloe, and then at the man in line ahead of them. Chloe was smiling, big and cheesy, and Morgan had no idea why. She looked over at the man; he was looking down at Chloe with a startled expression. Then, he looked up at Morgan with beautiful bright blue eyes that didn't seem at all familiar.
"I'm sorry, mister," she said, reaching out for the little girl. "Chloe, honey, come here and stop bothering people."
"No," he said quickly.
He paused for a moment and licked his lips before continuing.
"I mean, it's alright. She's right. I uh, I work at your complex."
He watched as the woman's brow furrowed while she looked him over, trying to place him again. Like he'd figured before, she had no idea who he was. He was about to turn back to the cashier, who'd asked for his club card, when the woman's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.
As she sucked in a breathe of surprise something at her waist caught Justin's attention, and he looked down just in time to see a large green and beige cantaloupe slip from her fingers, smash onto her foot, and roll onto the ground. The woman let out two gasps, first one of surprise as the melon fell, and a second of pain as it made impact. She bent over at the hips, resting her weight on the shopping cart with her face buried in her purse. He was pretty sure he could hear muffled curse words, but he couldn't be positive.
Morgan groaned to herself, inhaling the tropical scent of the Bath and Body Works perfume in the middle compartment of her purse. The melon had hurt her foot something fierce, but that was no comparison to what it'd just done to her pride. She'd recognized the man. It'd taken her a moment because she'd had to let his features soak in. Tall, fair skin, brown hair cut short and close to his head. Bright, blue eyes as clear as water and a lean solid build that managed to be both intimidating and unsuspecting at once. Add those characteristics to his confirmation that he worked at the Polo Apartments, and that meant he could only be one person: the new guard. And she'd just acted like a complete klutz in front of him.
"Are you okay?"
Morgan paused when she heard his voice, and took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Yes," she said, finally lifting her head. "It slipped right out of my fingers. I'm alright... Come to think of it, you do look a little familiar. I've seen you around the complex. Sorry. I'm Morgan."
Justin watched as she extended a hand to him. She had slightly muscular arms for a girl, but then, if she'd been carting her daughter around on her own he wasn't surprised.
"I'm Justin."
He took her hand. She had soft, smooth skin, and thin, slender fingers. Her nails were short and bright red.
"This is my daughter, Chloe."
He looked down at the little girl, and she was still in the same spot wearing that same grin. He was starting to wonder if she knew something the rest of them didn't.
"Hi, Chloe."
"Hi," she chirped. "Aren't you supposed to be in a uniform?"
Justin chuckled to himself, looking down at his gray tee shirt. Between the Corps and the guard gig, it'd become awkward even for him to see himself not wearing a uniform.
"Not tonight," he said. "Only when I'm working."
"You don't work today?"
"Chloe," Morgan chastised.
Justin chuckled again when the girl glared at her mother for the second time.
"It's alright," he assured Morgan. "No, Chloe, not tonight. But, maybe I'll see you tomorrow."
Chloe smiled big as she watched the man pay for his purchases, and stuff the change into his pocket. He looked back at them both, offering a small smile.
"Bye," Morgan managed to say. "It was nice to meet you."
"You too."
***
It was a particularly breezy night. The summer heat wave was taking a breather, and the temperature had dropped into the mid-50's. The rustling of the trees would have been relaxing, had it not been for the house alarm going off in the distance.
Morgan and Char sat on the porch in their usual chairs. They'd spent an hour gossiping about the usual suspects: the couple in the next building, and the men in the lot losing their rent money on dice games. But, eventually all conversation shifted towards the new guard, whom she could now begin referring to as Justin.
"I wonder where the new guy is tonight. Watching him is my main motivation for coming out here now."
"He's not working tonight," Morgan said.
As soon as the words left her lips she wished they hadn't. Charmain's attention snapped to her immediately, her head whipping around like a possessed woman who smelled blood.
"How would you know?"
Morgan shrugged as if it was nothing, though inside she was still embarrassed by both her physical and emotional reactions to Justin's presence.
"I ran into him at the store earlier."
"What?! And you didn't say nothin'? Girl, why are we talking about lazy ass Terrell when we could be talking about this?"
Char stood up, turning her chair to face Morgan. She sat on the edge, ready to start her interrogation.
"Begin."
Morgan shrugged again.
"It was nothing. We were at the store, Chloe recognized him, so I introduced myself and he introduced himself. That's it."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"What's his name?"
"Justin."
Char sat still for a moment, and then she narrowed her eyes at Morgan.
"Naw aw, you're holding out on me. If that was it you wouldn't be so quiet about this. Plus, that don't explain how you know his work schedule."
"Wait a minute; I didn't say I knew his work schedule. I said he was off tonight. He just mentioned it to Chloe when she asked him why he wasn't in uniform."
"Mmhmm."
Morgan tried to focus on drinking her beer, but Charmaine's eyes were boring into the side of her face.
"And I dropped a cantaloupe on my foot?"
"Bingo!" Char clapped. "Pick up the story right there, and GO!"
"It wasn't a big deal, Char. I was a little surprised to see him, it was heavy, and it slipped. It landed on my foot, but I managed to keep from screaming, and I rebounded with a nice firm handshake."
Char's face, which had been lit up with excitement, dropped.
"Handshake? Aw hell, I was expecting something better than that."
"A handshake was all he offered. Apparently, he's a gentleman."
"Next time drop a knife on your foot and let him carry you to the ER. Then he could be your knight in shining armor."
"No, thanks. Had one of those already."
Devon had been her self-proclaimed "knight in shining armor" once. Look what it got her: a jacked up credit score and a sassy six year old.
"So, what was he like?" Char asked.
Morgan thought for a moment, savoring the bitter taste of Miller on her tongue.
"I don't know. Normal, I guess? Scary."
"Scary?" Char raised an overly-manicured, questioning eyebrow.
"Well, you know, he was standing there with his shoulders back and his chest all puffed out. I wasn't sure if he was going to shake my hand or pat me down."
"I'd choose pat me down. Lord, please, let him pat me down!"
Morgan rolled her eyes and took another sip from her beer. This time it was in a glass bottle instead of her usual can or cup.
"Well, he'll be here tomorrow. Break into a car around eleven, you should get his attention."
***
Morgan placed a box of powder detergent on top of an overflowing laundry basket. It had taken a few weeks to collect enough white clothing to do a load - unfortunately she'd hit that limit a week prior and now she was overdue. She hoisted the basket off the floor and wedged it between her hip and the wall so her hands were free to lock the front door.
"Chloe, c’mon honey.”
Chloe came running from her room, her little barrettes bouncing and clicking together. She waited on the porch for her mother to lock the door, looking out at the other kids running through the grass.
It was about 5 o’clock in the evening and Morgan had just gotten home after a full day of work. She usually saved chores like this for the weekends, but she'd been forced to pick up some extra shifts at work to make sure she'd be able to make rent and cover the bills. Tonight was going to be a frozen pizza night, so she had a little extra time to catch up on her domestic duties.
Chloe held onto her hand, skipping along as they headed to the community laundry room in the center of the property. Once she got to the small building, she loaded her clothes into the washer and set the timer. Chloe had already made her way out to the playground, running behind a group of kids playing hide'n'seek on the structures.
Morgan walked over to the picnic area and took a seat on top of one of the tables, pulling out her phone and opening the calendar to see if she had any appointments coming up. Mainly she was killing time to give Chloe a chance to play in hopes that she'd burn off some pent-up energy. Morgan had given in at the gas station and allowed her to get a soda. It seemed as soon as Chloe took a sip of it she went from zero to sixty in seconds.
The little girl swung back and forth along the monkey bars the best she could, stretching her thin arms out to reach the metal bars in front of her. She shook the curly strands from her face and looked out into the distance to see the big man in all black walking towards the playground. She jumped down from the monkey bars and looked over to see Morgan on her phone, and then she turned back at the man, watching him grow closer and closer.
Chloe debated on whether or not it would be a good idea to run out to the parking lot to say hi. She frowned at the thought of getting yelled at, so she turned around and ran over to her mom.
"Mommy!” She screamed out in joy.
Morgan's head shot up and she raised her eyebrow as Chloe came coming towards her.
"Mommy, mommy! It’s Mr. Justin!”
Chloe pointed and Morgan followed her daughter’s finger.
Justin walked as if he was on the mission, but his eyes were scanning the grounds. He surveyed the parking lot, and the front stoops of the apartments to his right. He scanned over the rambunctious children in the play area until his eyes landed on them.
Chloe jumped up and down waving, and Morgan sat with nervousness in her stomach and chills rolling through her body. The adults shared a soft smile and he waved at Chloe just enough for her to notice, but not enough to draw any attention or break his stride.
As quickly as Chloe had come to Morgan's side, she ran off again. She was darting over to Justin, and Morgan's instincts caused her to jump up and chase after her.
"Chloe!” She yelled out.
Justin hurried away from the parking lot, further onto the side walk toward the grassy area where the little girl was running after him. With as many idiots that drove recklessly around the lot the last thing he wanted was for a kid to get hurt, so it was best if he got away from the street.
“Hi Mr. Justin!” Chloe called out as she slowed her run to a walk.
Justin looked down at the doe eyed child as she grinned from ear to ear at him.
”You know you shouldn’t run off like that.”
"I know," she smiled. "But I saw you."
Justin smirked at her. With that round little face and big innocent grin he had a feeling she was used to getting away with a little more than running off.
“She knows better than to do that, don’t you Chloe?”
Justin looked up to see Morgan approaching with her arms folded and a stern look on her face. Her dark eyes were burning a hole into the back of her child’s skull, and Chloe dropped her head as if she could feel the sting.
Justin eyed the mother as she stood with her long hair pulled back into a ponytail, a simple white tank top, and a fitted ripped pair of denim capris.
Even in the simplest of clothes he found his eyes wandering over her figure. Her skin was glistening in the sun light. It seemed like regardless of day or night her skin was always lustrous. He didn’t know if it was sweat from the heat or the natural glow of her skin, but it was breath taking.
“I’m sorry about that.” Morgan spoke softly, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s shoulders.
He shook his head, finally pulling his eyes from her.
"No, it’s fine.”
She smiled kindly at him, then ushered her daughter back toward the playground. Before they were too far away, she looked back over her shoulder at him.
Justin turned on his heels and started back toward building D, taking a deep breath to keep his heart from jumping out of his chest. He shook his head, baffled by how he was reacting. He'd seen plenty of females, but this girl - she got to him in a way he'd never experienced before.
The day soon turned to night, and Justin was leaning against the back side of building A as he waited for his partner Tim to come from making his rounds around the complex. Tim was completely different from Dale, not just in age, but in enthusiasm. Tim wasn’t Marine material, but he didn’t complain or spend half of his night with his feet propped up and drool running out the corners of his mouth. Tim pulled his weight when it came to his work. When Justin was on the ground wrestling with a suspect, Tim didn't just stand back watching the way Dale did. Justin didn’t know if it was because that was just the way Tim was, or if Dale had told Tim of the nonsense he didn’t tolerate.
Justin ran his hand over his short cut and folded his arms over his chest as his eyes scanned the area in front of him. The playground was empty of children, but littered with toys and candy wrappers. In the middle of the empty space his eyes landed on her as she traveled from her apartment towards the laundry room with an empty basket. He couldn’t make out her face, but he could make out her outfit and her figure. He swallowed hard and stood up straight as he watched. It was rather late for a female to be out walking around alone.
As he watched, Tim came around the corner, giving her a nod and a wave before she disappeared into the laundry room. Justin followed the narrow concrete path, meeting Tim halfway between the playground and the front building of the complex.
"Well, everything seems quiet for right now," Tim spoke.
The Marine nodded, shifting his eyes from the laundry room to Tim, then back again. He watched her reappear, making her way back up the path with a basket full of clothes on her hip. As quickly as she'd come she was gone again, and with that he sighed.
"Alright. Just head on back to the office in case we get a call. I'm gonna stay out here and walk the grounds for awhile."
Tim nodded, heading down the path to the door of the office. As his footsteps faded, Justin looked back towards Morgan's apartment one last time. The front porch light was on, along with the lights in her living room.
Before he could get too hung up on wondering what she was doing inside Justin headed off on patrol. It was better to keep walking and keep his head clear. He had to figure out why he wondered about her so much. She was beautiful, yes, but he saw other attractive women during the day driving to work, shopping at the mall, even hanging out at the complex playing dice in the parking lot with the men. But, something about her was different. She was sweet-natured, and kind. But beneath that there was something else. Something vulnerable and open, yet guarded and cautious. She was a puzzle of contradictions.
Glancing around the grounds, Justin's eyes landed on a balled up piece of pink cloth. It'd been discarded in the grass near the top of the knoll. Moving closer he saw that it was a ribbed sweater, with delicate pink ruffles around the sleeves. Part of the tag was showing, and he could make out the letter C written in sharpie. Leaning down to get a closer look, he gripped the tag with his fingertips to see Chloe written on the back. He couldn't help but grin softly, envisioning the little girls’ bright grin as she watched him. He only let the smile last for a moment, and then he wiped it away and buried it inside.
He stood up straight, the pink sweater still in his hands. Morgan's porch light was still on, but the living room lights were off. He didn't want to leave Chloe's sweater lying here for some other child to steal, or a drunken moron to come along and pee on. Maybe he should leave it on her porch? No, it could still be stolen from there. He certainly wasn't going to carry it around until tomorrow. He was a nice guy, but he was no lost and found.
He spent a few more moments thinking over his options. He could leave it on the porch and ring the bell. But, that was too close to playing Ding-Dong-Ditch and he hadn't done that since he was 11 years old. Maybe it was best that he hold on to it for now. He could leave it on his desk in the office, he doubted any of the other guards would take off with a pink child's sweater - though they might ask him a few questions about it, particularly nosy ass old Dale.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," he cursed himself.
All the things he'd done in his life: boot camp, the recon indoc, combat tours, classified missions. Yet, here he was, still nervous to go ring this woman's doorbell. He'd spent less time hesitating to clear hostile houses than he'd spent working up the courage to knock on her front door, and he already knew first hand that she was a friendly.
The grass crunched under his heavy boots as he made his way to the top of the hill and over to the path that crossed in front of her door. In the distance a car alarm was ringing, but he knew it wasn't on his property, so the noise went in one ear and out the other. As his fist rose to knock on the wood door, he could faintly make out Morgan's voice and Chloe's carefree giggle. Thankfully he wouldn't be waking anyone up. He knocked twice, and footsteps padded towards him.
"I'm serious little girl. Go brush your teeth, right now."
"I did."
"You did not. You rubbed toothpaste on your tongue and then spit it out."
Chloe's delightful laugh was drowned out by the turning of metal as the chain and deadbolt were undone. The door opened slightly, and soft light from the kitchen spilled out. Morgan was there, her eyes narrow and suspicious. When she looked up at him they opened to their normal size and the door opened wider. He could see a black and white stripped sofa in the living room, and a solid wood dining table large enough for six beyond that.
"Justin?" She spoke.
Her voice was low and soothing. He didn't think she talked like that on purpose, she was just naturally alluring. She wore grey sweat shorts and a yellow tee shirt, and her long curls were pulled back into a messy bun. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so he cleared his throat and tried again.
"I found this," he said, offering her the sweater.
As she reached out for it, the scampering of little feet started at the back of the apartment and quickly approached the front door. Chloe appeared behind her mother, her smile as bright and wide as ever and toothpaste suds smeared along her chin.
"Justin!" She giggled.
He still didn't know why she was always giggling at him.
"Hi Chloe," he said.
"Mr. Justin found this outside and he was bringing it back for you," Morgan said, showing Chloe the pink fabric. "What do you say?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said. "Just try to bring your things back inside so they don't get lost, okay?"
Chloe nodded excitedly. A beat of silence passed between them, and it soon became awkward. He took a step backwards, preparing to say goodnight.
"Do you want to see my dance?" Chloe asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Come in. Come see my dance," she said.
Chloe reached out, grasping Justin's left hand in her two smaller ones. Her hands were warm and almost as soft as her mom's, but not quite.
"Mommy, can I show Mr. Justin my princess dance?"
"Oh honey, I don't think so. It's getting late."
"Please mommy, I want to show it. Just one time."
A pair of pleading brown eyes, and a set of confused blue eyes landed on Morgan simultaneously.
"You're supposed to be brushing your teeth," she said. "You know its bed time."
"I did!" Chloe argued. "I'll go to bed right after. Please Mom? Just one minute. One minute."
Without waiting for an answer Chloe tugged with all of her might, which was much more forceful than Justin had been prepared for. One second he was on the porch watching Chloe's eyes grow bigger and bigger as she begged and wondering what the hell a 'princess dance' was, the next he was in their living room tracking dirt onto the beige carpet.
Morgan paused for a beat, and then let out a defeated sigh.
"One time, quickly. Then it's bed time, and I mean it."
"Okay!" Chloe smiled. "I need to get my hat!"
Without another word Chloe turned and ran to the hall that led to her bedroom, leaving the grownups behind in silence.
Morgan was the first to move, turning toward him and nervously biting her lip.
"I'm sorry," she said. "She loves to do little performances. If you need to get back to work I can cover for you, tell her someone busted in the back gate or something."
He smiled at her for moment before lowering his gaze to his boots. Thank God he had. His looking away was the only thing that saved her from looking like a fool. His face, while usually serious and focused, was animated and joyful when he smiled. He was devastatingly handsome this way, and everything in her- including her heart- had paused in awe.
"It's alright," he said. "It's quiet. I can wait."
Morgan nodded. She lowered her own eyes to the ground and it was then she realized she was still clutching Chloe's sweater, and they were still in the doorway.
"Please, come in."
Justin watched as she moved about the room, picking up pink and purple toys and kicking articles of clothing under the sofa and into the hallways out of his sight.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting any company."
She glanced up and his eyes met hers briefly, shyly. Then he looked away, sighing and running a hand over the buzz cut on his head. Morgan didn't know what that meant. Was he tired? Bored? In her chest her heart was pounding. She'd grown so nervous that the feeling ached in her bones. Her stomach twisted and turned as if filled with a million butterflies all fighting to get out at the same time. She'd never felt so unnerved by any one person before, she struggled for something to say.
Luckily, she didn't have to think for long. Chloe's footsteps came bounding back into the room. She was wearing a hot pink tutu, her pink fedora, and a sparkly pink tank top pulled over her pajamas.
"Are you ready? Are you ready?!"
***
It was a Saturday morning. The sun was shining brightly, even though it was only 8am. The kids of the complex were already outside running circles around the property. Chloe was in the living room, lying in front of the television watching an episode of iCarly on the Disney channel. Morgan stood in the kitchen in her robe, making her special Saturday morning Mickey Mouse pancakes. One large pancake and two smaller ones made the head and ears, strawberry slices formed the eyes, chocolate chips were used for the nose, and a bacon strip for the mouth. Chloe liked to drizzle syrup all over, eat the ears first, and work her way forward the nose.
On the counter near the refrigerator her phone lit up and started to dance around. Morgan cursed, removing the griddle from the fire before walking over. She grabbed the phone quickly, her thumb just about to press the green button when she froze.
Devon.
Devon.
Devon, it flashed.
She pressed the middle button to silence the ringtone. Morgan glanced into the living room at Chloe. She was still engrossed in her show, her little feet kicked up in the air.
Looking back down at the phone his name continued to flash. She waited until it stopped and returned to the home screen, a little phone symbol at the top indicated a missed call. She'd only just returned to the stove when it started to buzz again. This time she silenced it right away, and tossed it onto the counter near the stove.
He could have been calling about something good. Maybe he wanted to make plans with Chloe, or make a payment on his child support. Anything was possible, however, none of that was very likely. Whatever he wanted, it was probably bad, and she didn't need any bad news today. Chloe was in a good mood, she was in a good mood - it was her first Saturday off in weeks. If he wanted to fight with someone, he'd have to look elsewhere. If he really had something to say, well, that was the reason she had voicemail.
The call finally went to voicemail, and the screen faded to black. Morgan sighed, carefully flipping Chloe's Mickey on the griddle. Sometimes if she ignored him, he simply got bored and moved on with his day.
A few peaceful minutes went by, the only noise coming from the dialogue and canned laughter of the Disney show. Then, a chirp sounded, and she knew who the text message was from without even looking. But, she looked anyway.
Pick up, it read.
She hadn't even considered responding, but even if she had wanted to he was calling again before she had the chance. The screen lit up. His name flashed.
Today was going to be a long day.
Across town Justin’s feet hit the pavement in a rhythmic sound. It was the only noise coming from his body aside from his steady, controlled breathing. The intense heat from the early morning sun caused him to sweat furiously as he took his run. He wore black shorts with Marine printed on one of the legs and a towel tucked into the back of the band, which he grabbed every once in awhile to wipe the sweat from his brow. This was routine for him ever since he joined the service, and it wasn’t something that he strayed from even though he was home.
He was taking a much longer run than usual, for reasons that had nothing to do with stamina and fitness. He couldn’t get Morgan out of his head. Ever since last night no matter what he tried doing she was there. She even followed him into his dreams, and it was rare for him to have a dream that didn’t involve something from his time in the field.
He'd enjoyed spending a few minutes watching little Chloe's dance last night - though you'd never get him to admit that to anyone. She was a very smart kid, full energy, and without a care in the world. When she came running to him, it made him feel nervous, but it also felt good inside to have someone -even if it was a child- look forward to seeing him. It was an added plus that Morgan was growing more and more beautiful every time he saw her. He had no idea what she thought of him -if anything- but she never looked disappointed or upset to see him.
Justin kept running with his iPod strapped around his bicep and ear plugs in his ear. He turned a corner, heading back into the entrance of his apartment complex. He was slowing his pace as he approached the entrance, and pulled out his ear buds just in time to hear his name being called out.
He turned his head to the right and saw Tim shutting the trunk of his car.
"Hey," Justin panted. "What are you doing over here?"
Tim gathered two black duffle bags in his hands and walked to meet Justin on the sidewalk.
"I'm here all the time," he said. "Tamara lives over there."
Tim gestured to a neighboring apartment building with his chin.
"No shit," Justin said, staring up at the building. "Looks like we're neighbors."
"Looks like. Actually, uh, this would be perfect timing. Don't we work together tonight?"
Justin turned away from the building, looking down at the two black bags Tim had set at his feet. They looked like his uniform and equipment for work. Justin looked up at Tim, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Do you think maybe I could get a ride with you tonight? Tama's been bitchin' about being here all night without a whip. Yo, if you could help me out I'd appreciate it. I'm sick of being in the doghouse over this shit."
Justin chuckled. He knew the pitiful feeling of having your girl pissed off at you over miniscule things while you're working your ass off trying to pay the bills.
"Yeah, no problem," he said. "Just be ready to go when you're supposed to be. I don't come in late, and I'm out the door on time."
Tim smiled, his shoulders visibly slumping in relief.
"Thanks man. I won't be late. Ay, you never know, maybe it'll be a slow night and we'll even get to head home early."
***
Morgan was putting away the dinner dishes after wiping down the counters with Clorox wipes. Chloe was sitting in the living room fresh out of the bathtub, lounging on the couch watching her Cinderella movie before heading off to bed.
Just as Morgan was beginning to sweep the kitchen floor a rapid knock rapped on the door, startling her a bit. She looked over to Chloe, who was no longer engaged in the TV, but looking at the door with curiosity. Morgan leaned the broom up against the kitchen wall and made her way to the door.
She looked through the peep hole, finding the last person on Earth that she wanted to see.
Devon.
He knocked on the door, harder this time, and startled her once again. Chloe moved from her place on the couch to behind her Mom, clinching her legs. Morgan turned around and pushed Chloe back towards the living room.
"It’s alright baby, go sit back down on the couch."
"Morgan! I know you're in there! Open up the door, I want to see Chloe!”
Morgan took a deep breath and unlocked the door with a trembling hand. She didn’t know if it was because of her nerves or because she was scared, but she wasn’t about to let him see either feeling. She opened the door and quickly stepped out onto the porch, slightly closing the door behind her.
"What are you doing here, Devon?”
Devon stood six feet even with dark brown skin, and he wore an oversized t-shirt and blue jean shorts that barely stayed on his hips. He'd been handsome at one point in life, but ever since he'd begun to show his true colors Morgan didn't find him attractive at all. He looked down at her with dark colored eyes.
“I came to see Chloe.”
“She’s about to go to bed, she has school in the morning.” Morgan folded her arms across her chest and shifting her weight to one leg.
“Fuck that. I want to see my kid. Now.”
Morgan shook her head. She really didn’t have time for this. She'd ignored his phone calls for a reason: because she didn’t feel like arguing with him today. The present moment in time, however, made her wish she'd just answered the phone.
"Don't yell at me. If you wanted to see her you could have easily set a time in advance. You can’t just demand to see her when you're ready. It’s selfish, inconsiderate, and unfair to her.”
Devon chuckled at her for a moment, glancing off into the distance. Sharply, he turned and gave her a stern look.
"See, Morgan, this is the shit I’m talking about right here. You want to make the rules, and only do what's convenient for you! I can't even have a conversation with you because you're so fuckin stupid. I’m her Daddy; half of her came out of me.”
Now it was time for Morgan to laugh. He couldn’t possibly be serious right now, as if donating sperm is what makes a father.
“I think it’s time for you to leave, Devon.”
“No, I’m not going anywhere until I see my kid.”
“You are not seeing her today or anytime soon. Maybe you should pay some child support, since she's half you and all.”
“I’m not paying shit.”
Just as Morgan was about to open her mouth she felt a pair of warm fingers on the backs of her thighs. She turned around to see Chloe peeking out from behind her.
"Mommy, I didn’t know Daddy was coming.”
“Hey Chloe baby. How’s Daddy’s special girl?”
Devon moved, reaching out for a hug. Morgan blocked him with her body, turning around to shoo Chloe back inside.
“Honey, go back inside and start getting ready for bed. You will have to see your Dad another time.”
“What the fuck?!” Devon shouted. "What the fuck is your problem? I'm right here, just let me see her."
Chloe jumped at the sound of his voice, causing Morgan to raise her guard. She shielded Chloe with her body, reaching back to push her further into the house. She wanted to get Chloe back inside, and the door closed, before Devon got anymore upset.
"I told you, Devon, tonight is not the night. It’s time for you to go. You're scaring her.”
“It’s your fucking fault! You got her scared of me. You're probably telling her all types of damn lies about me, talking all kinds of shit about me."
His voice rose with every sentence. Over his shoulder Morgan saw a neighbor in building C peak out through their dining room curtains to see what was going on.
Nosy.
“Devon, please go.”
As she spoke she felt Chloe's hands back at her legs again, but gripping them. Why didn't her child ever listen and just go in the house?
“No! I’m not going any got damn where!”
He shouted again, and stepped closer to Morgan. She was quickly growing tired of his mini temper tantrum. She turned her head to look back over her shoulder.
"Chloe, go back inside,” she said in an urgent tone.
Chloe shook her head, too afraid to go inside by herself and too afraid to leave her mother alone. A small tear trickled down her cheek.
"Come with me Mommy, please.”
Morgan sighed and turned her attention back to Devon, whose eyes had grown red as he paced back and forth on the porch.
"Look Devon, I’m going inside now. I’m asking you again, please just go. We will talk about this later.”
Morgan kept careful watch over him as she inched her way back into the doorway. Her feet had just hit the threshold, Chloe behind her, when Devon reached out to grab her wrist.
"I said I’m not going anywhere until I see my kid.”
He squeezed her wrist tightly, yanking her back out onto the porch. Morgan suppressed a scream -trying not to scare Chloe any more than she was- and tried to yank her wrist back, to no avail. Chloe stood in horror, frozen at the sight of her mom’s struggle…
“Daddy, no!”
**
Tim stepped out onto the pavement, taking a big whiff of the night air. Justin stepped out behind him, giving the other guard a strange look. Tim looked back at him, gave an unconcerned shrug, and both men chuckled before heading deeper into the complex. They'd set their bags down in the office and strapped on all their gear before setting off on patrol. Dale still had another hour until his shift was over, and instead of Justin waiting around watching the incompetent old fool snooze he decided to go ahead and get a jump start on his shift. Tim decided to tag along for lack of anything better to do.
As they were passing the first building the faint sound of shouting echoed through the air, accompanied by a softer, yet equally stern voice shortly after.
Justin raised his eyebrow and looked at Tim, who mirrored his reaction.
"Where is that coming from?”
“It sounds like from the backside of B," Justin pointed out towards the building.
They both started toward the building, seeing three figures in the distance. Two of them Justin immediately recognized as Morgan and Chloe. Morgan seemed as though she was arguing with some man, and Chloe was crying as she watched. It must have been someone they knew.
”It looks like a boyfriend and girlfriend argument," Tim observed.
Justin twinged a little at the thought of her having a boyfriend. From the looks of this it seemed more like a bad break up. Or maybe he was just doing a little wishful thinking...
As the guards watched, slowing their walk to remain unseen, the argument between Morgan and the man escaladed. Justin watched, almost in slow motion, as the man grabbed Morgan’s wrist. Chloe tried to get in the middle to separate the adults, and he pushed her back, not even stopped to notice that he'd roughly shoved her into the wall. Before Justin knew it his body was in full swing. He took off in a dead run towards the couple, the sound of Tim's boots stomping behind him.
He watched in horror as the strange man grabbed Morgan with both hands and threw her to the side like an unwanted rag doll. She flew into the air, her feet completely leaving the ground, and handed in the grass just shy of the concrete walkway. Chloe screamed for her mom, covering her face when Morgan hit the ground. Justin heard her moan on impact, and watched as she raised a shaky hand to her head. The man attacking her didn't pause; he just turned and stalked toward her.
Justin could think of nothing but the man as he approached the scene, his eyes flashing red with rage. He'd never hit a female, and he'd never stand for watching one get hit by someone else - especially this female, and especially in front of her daughter.
The attacker had been too busy notice the guards approaching, but when they were a few feet away he heard their footsteps. He looked up at the two of them, his eyes growing round and wide like a deer caught in headlights. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, barely escaping Justin's outreached hand. He ran down the sidewalk, heading towards the front of the complex, with both guards following in close pursuit.
They were just a few feet away from Morgan's door when he was tackled to the ground. Tim shouted for the man to turn on his stomach and put his hands behind his back. The man fought the guards as best he could, kicking and throwing wild punches. Justin and Tim worked together to turn him onto his stomach, Justin wrapping a thick arm around the man's neck and Tim securing his legs. The man refused to accept defeat, despite the fact that he had no chance of getting away. He thrashed and cursed beneath them, insisting that he wasn't resisting and had done nothing wrong. Finally, Tim secured the man with a pair of silver handcuffs.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Justin demanded. "Don't you know not to hit girls?"
"Fuck you," the man spat. "You don't know me, and you don't know shit about that bitch."
Justin's eyes narrowed, masking the blue orbs that had darkened to a shade of cobalt. He wanted to hit the man. He wanted to kick the shit out of him and watch him grovel on the ground begging for mercy - however, some level of professionalism had to be maintained. This was a job, after all. So, he knelt on the man's back, pressing his knee into his spine slightly harder than necessary. The man groaned, and Justin smirked.
"Mommy?"
The small voice turned his attention back to the scene behind him. Chloe was on the porch, her brow furrowed as she watched her mom. Morgan was lying in the grass, leaning on one elbow. She was hanging her head.
"Call this in," Justin said. "Get this piece of shit out of here."
Justin stood up, making his way over to Morgan. She didn't look up as he approached, and he squatted down beside her. She turned toward him, but her long curls covered her face. Hesitantly he reached out a hand to brush her hair back.
"Morgan?"
As soon as he touched her she flinched. Her head shot up, her dazed eyes -glazed with fear- locked onto him.
Justin automatically withdrew his hand and raised it in the air as a sign of surrender.
"It's okay," he said softly. "It's just me. He's in custody."
Morgan visibly relaxed, and her eyes lowered again. Justin watched her for a moment, waiting for some kind of reaction. Finally he licked his lips and lowered his head, trying to see her face. His hand reached out again, itching to comfort her somehow.
"Morgan, are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
His response was the short and adamant 'no' that left her lips. Morgan was trying to get her bearings back. Devon's assault had knocked the wind out of her, and she was feeling stunned. She didn't remember seeing Justin arrive, but she was glad he was here now. She heard him ask if she was alright, and his fingers slid into her hair. She couldn't help but close her eyes when his thumb brushed her cheek. It had been a long time since someone had touched her so tenderly.
"Mommy?"
Chloe meekly called her name, and both adults looked over. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes sparkled with moisture.
"Come here," Justin told her softly.
He held a hand out to her, and she came to him without a second thought.
"Are you okay, Chloe?" Morgan asked.
She wanted to hold her daughter and tell her everything was going to be fine, but the world had yet to cease spinning.
"Yes," Chloe nodded.
She stood there looking at her mother, her little body so close to Justin's he could feel her leg brushing the side of his uniform. After a second she raised her brown eyes to him.
"He's always mean to mommy," she said.
Justin didn't know what to say. The little girl looked so sad standing there, unsure of what to say or do now. What did she mean 'always'? This wasn't the first time something like this had happened?
"She's okay now," he said, trying to reassure her. "She'd probably feel better with a hug from you, though."
Chloe turned to her mom, climbing into her lap and giving her a big hug once she realized it was safe. The mother and daughter cuddled each other, breathing a sigh of relief that the ordeal was over.
Footsteps approached, and Justin looked up to see Tim a few feet away. His right hand had a firm hold on the handcuffs securing Morgan's attacker.
"Does she need an ambulance?" Tim asked.
Justin looked back at her, and smiled inside as he watched her kiss Chloe's head and rub her back soothingly.
"No," he said. "She's a tough one."
Story Tags: boyfriendj kitchensex interracialj abusiveex justin soldierj alternateuniverse
