***Trigger Warning***

After an hour long lecture from Inara (I think it would've been longer if she wasn't so weak), Brexton and I head to the police station.

The drive is quiet, both of us too anxious to speak. I'm okay with it though. I don't mind the time to sit with my thoughts. In fact, I think it's exactly what I needed.

Towards the end of the trip, I break the silence. "Wait?! Your trial! What happened?!"

My hopes of him being found innocent are crushed by the look of stress on his face. "They postponed it for two weeks since Inara is in the hospital. It's also new evidence so they sort of have to push it back a bit.

He chuckles. "You telling them Brant was responsible really threw them though a loop."

We pull into the station before I can respond.

Nerves soar through me as I'm taken back into the interrogation room. Flashbacks of how I was treated the last time I was here do nothing to calm me.
However, this time they seem to be more open to what I have to say.

With Inara's eager blessing, I place all the blame on my cruddy ex boyfriend.

I tell them everything. I tell them that Brant was on the run for trafficking girls. I explain how he tricked me into coming here with him and then slowly started his business back up without me knowing anything he was doing.

I give the details Brexton told me about the night of the murders. However, I change the narrative to what it was meant to be. I say that Brexton was the hero who came in just in time to save his sister, but unfortunately too late to save the others. I also fabricate a whole scenario where Brexton grabbed the gun out of Brant's hand, covering it in his fingerprints.

As for the whole poisoning scandal, I once again incriminate Brant. I say that Brant was so enraged when he found out I was getting closer to Brexton that he decided to kill Roger and place the blame on him. I share what Brant told me about killing Roger because he owed him money. For good measure, I add in the part where I dumped him, then caught him sleeping with a coworker while she was on the clock. This helped explain why he went after me as well as how he was in the hospital at the time of the crime.

I allude to the fact that he wasn't just furious at me, but also afraid Brexton would tell me the truth about the murders. This part I believe could be true.

The detectives seem satisfied as they write down my statement. I guess they sort of have to believe it since Inara, Brexton and Brant were the only ones there that night that are still alive. It was two against one and the one was caught attempting to shoot to me so...

I try not to freak out as they inform me that I'm most likely going to have to testify in court. It's a lot of pressure having Brexton's fate in my hands.

I take a deep breath and agree to do it, knowing I'd lie through my teeth all day long to protect this man.

Next, they take Brexton back to question him again. I'm not sure what all went on behind closed doors, but he looks like his usual calm self when he walks out. I take it as a good sign.

My phone lights up and I smile when I read the message.

"Hey Mr. McGomery, how would you feel about going to a club tonight?" I say as I fasten my seatbelt.

His hearty laugh makes me smile. It was so nice to hear him laugh. "What?! Can angels even drink?"

I reach over and mess with his hair. "Please, you and I both know I'm not that angelic. My friend Lucy, your other nurse, invited us out and I think we should go."

I give him my sweetest smile. "Come on, we deserve to enjoy ourselves a little!"

"Tempting, but aren't we supposed to be laying low and not acting suspicious right now?"

I lift a shoulder carelessly. "We also need to celebrate our successes. Today was a huge success! We royally screwed Mr. Ten Names."

Brexton steals my hand and places it with his own on his lap. "Ah, you did that all on your own. I'll take you wherever you want to go, but I'm driving so I'm going to enjoy from the sidelines."

I forget he's driving and throw my arms around his neck. "Thank you! I'm only planning on having one or two shots. I just want to dance and have fun."

He squeezes me with one arm, not letting me break the hug. "Dance?"

"That's literally the only reason I go to clubs. Which means you better be prepared to dance too."

He bites his lip nervously and releases his hold on me. "I'm a terrible dancer."

I find it hard to believe Brexton is bad at anything, but I go with it. "Good, then you'll make me look better." I tease.

"You could dance with Lucy, right? I'm sure she's great at it."

I glare at him. "Veto."

He sighs, but says nothing.

Glancing at my phone I realize it's Thursday, the day all my homework is due. "No, no, no! How long was I in the hospital?"

"Like two and a half days. You were so drugged the first day I don't think you woke up once."

I facepalm myself. "I need to message all my professors and let them know I was there and see if I can get an extension on my homework! It may be too late in the day for them to even see it though. They're going to hate me by the end of the semester."

"The scheduler at work is probably fuming too." I mumble.

"Don't worry about it, it's all taken care of."

I cover my mouth in shock. "What?! Brexton you didn't!"

He smirks. "I'm pretty much best friends with your professors at this point, so they could never hate you. As for your work, you should've heard them when they realized a former patient accused of murder was calling in sick for you. They lost their minds." He chuckles, remembering.

I can't help but find amusement in it too. "Okay, I'm ready to start planning our wedding now." I joke, although his face gets serious. "For real though, thank you!"

He nods and pulls into the driveway. "You're welcome Stormy."

"Oh I'm Stormy again now."

He runs over to open my door before I can. "Different nicknames for different scenarios."

"Thank you." I say as I get out. "What's the scenario for Stormy?"

He takes my hand and walks me to the front door. "When you're overwhelmed with emotion, you're eyes look like they have tiny clouds in them. When I'm thinking about kissing you, you're Strawberry Shortcake."

He lets go off my hand and takes off his leather jacket. My eyes trial his strong arms as he places it on the coat rack.

When he catches me staring at him, I clear my throat. "Are you saying you don't want to kiss me right now?"

His dimples show, making him look absolutely irresistible. "No, I'm still mad at you."

I follow him as he walks into the bedroom. "Hey! That's just cruel Brexton!"

"What's cruel is making me watch you shoot yourself."

"I know and I'm sorry!"

"I'm not mad, but I can't have you thinking it's okay to do something like that again. I need you to know if you do stuff like that there's repercussions."

He heads to his closest, not bothering to look at me. "We should match, but we'll have to wear black because that's pretty much all I have."

I hug him from behind. "I could wear my black mini dress Brexton."

He side-eyes me. "You're not sly. I know what you're doing."

I feign innocence. "What am I doing Brexton?"

He groans and finally turns around. "Stop saying my name! We have to get ready."

"We have two hours, I only need one." I persevere.

My breath catches as he brings his lips inches from mine. "Nope." With that, he lifts his shirt over his head and walks into the bathroom. I'm disappointed and overcome with desire.

I make a mental note to make it up to him and I already had an idea on how to do it. I plan to coordinate this scheme with Inara when she is feeling better. For right now, I guess I suffer.

I throw on my black mini dress with the sweetheart neckline and pair it with my red heels with cross straps that go up to my knees. I do a quick layer of mascara and a deep red lip that matches my shoes. To complete the look I add a sparkly silver cross necklace and loose curls in order to match Brexton's chain and natural curls.

When Brexton comes out in cargo pants and a black button up shirt with the top buttons undone and his hair jelled up just right, I gasp.

His eyes trial my body and he curses as he makes his way to to me. "You look like trouble in the best way."

I smile shyly. "You too."

He steals one last look at me. "Alright let's go Strawberry Shortcake."