Detective Shauna Franklin

She was right, after a few more minutes, she had passed out. I slipped my arm under her and adjusted both our positions. I slept with my dick in the promise land, when we both woke up. I was still in her, just as solid as I was when I went in.

*******

It was Cook who started spreading the malicious rumor that we slept together. We both denied this disgraceful lie. Shauna and I both firmly believed there wasn't a lot of sleep going on that night.

The grandparents came in with Sophie three days later, Shauna insisted on sitting when they came in. Sophie walked into the library and looked at Shauna.

Shauna turned it into a staring match for a moment before saying. "You look taller in your photo's."

Sophie burst into tears and ran across the room, then practically jumped onto Shauna's lap. I ushered everybody out of the room and left them to it, although I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that room, we all believed that this one conversation was important to both of them. The girlie bonding thing lasted two hours before they joined us all out back. they were never more than a few feet away from each other for the rest of the evening.

The urge to pull my daughter to one side and ask about the photo and the bottle, never came to fruition. It seemed that they both went straight to friend mode and stayed there. If she ever decides to tell me, then I will listen, a little mystery never hurt anyone,

Shauna wanted to go back to work, Doctor Phillip Martinez advised her to take another week off, she declined and with a shrug of his shoulders, he let her go back. She kept her apartment and on her days off she stayed with us, both the girls became inseparable during her rest days.

After a month of being back Sophie asked why she hadn't moved in yet, since she was already sleeping with daddy. Shauna went beet red and looked accusingly at me, I instantly stuck my hands up so she knew it wasn't me pushing Sophie to ask her.

Shauna caught up with me in the library later that evening, she had just come downstairs from Sophie's room, her eyes gave her away.

"She's already told me you didn't put her up to this."

I shrugged my shoulders before sitting down. "You already know my opinion on all this Shauna. I asked Frank to time it, it takes an hour and ten minutes on a bad day from this door to the precinct. You already know that if you're having a bad day and don't want to drive, either Frank or I will come and get you. It's you that's holding yourself back Shauna you already know Sophie and I want you here, hell even the staff want you here as well, and they're a fickle bunch at the best of times."

By now Shauna was standing, staring out the library window, it took a moment but I eventually stopped talking.

Finally, she pulled air into her lungs and said. "Fine, we will give it a six months' trial period, on the proviso that at the end of those six months all three of us sit down and discuss the future."

I wanted to say that I doubted anything would be said from either Sophie or myself at the end of the six months. But this was the closest she had come to agreeing so I wasn't going to push my luck.

*******

Coming for you ...

Shauna loved her alone time with Sophie, these trips to school were always full of, to them, girlie talk. Small things like what she got up to during recess and who was doing what in class the day before. Shauna looked on it as her bonding time, all be it with a six-year-old who wanted desperately to be so much older.

For Shauna, she would offer a heavily watered-down version of her day, the first week of course it was desk duty until she was signed off to return to a police work. Her trips out to investigate cases increased and Captain Michelson had once again partnered her up, only with a female detective this time.

The school gates loomed closer and they joined the three other cars already in the drop off line, Sophie looked at her. "I'll have milk with my lunch today, the little carton fits in my hand nicely."

Her stomach hurt so much as she desperately tried to suppress a laugh. "But you like milk, after all you pour loads onto your breakfast each morning."

Sophie's eyes were looking out the window for a moment, it's something she did when she was pondering a question. "Mmhhmm, do you think daddy will let me drink coffee when I'm seven?"

That question came from so far out of left field, Shauna simply wasn't prepared for it, it also tilted her laughter tolerance over the edge and if it wasn't for the steering wheel in front of her, she would have been bent double by now.

It still took a moment to calm, she daren't look at Sophie, she knew that she would see a six-year-old cutie waiting for an answer to her question. Thankfully the line moved and it was Sophie's turn to exit the car and join her friends at school.

"Shauna, I'm putting you on notice. Tomorrow I want a hug goodbye from you when we do this again."

Shauna watched in shock as Sophie leaned towards her, kissed her cheek and left the car. Waved once the door closed and headed towards the school building. She was on auto-pilot when she once again engaged gear and while looking in her rear-view mirror, she pulled away.

It was the black car two cars back that instantly caught her attention, it tilted as it mounted the curbside and accelerated past the two waiting cars in the line. The supervising teacher tried to stand in front of it and wave it down to at least a walking speed, she barely made it out of the way before the car came to a stop a few feet from Sophie, who was standing still, in shock at the events unfolding in front of her.

Every feeling, every instinct in Shauna screamed as her eyes supplied the information to her brain that something was terribly wrong and that Sophie was in very grave danger. Her hand pushed the stick into reverse as a man in a ski mask ran from the car and grabbed Sophie.

Only one thought lived in her head, that same thought repeated itself over and over again. Blanking out all logic, that one thought grew as the seconds flew by. "You're not taking her." Repeated itself like a living breathing mantra.

Sophie's scream carried across the whole school grounds. That same scream took on a life of its own, although her thoughts were divided on what options would be open to her when she made sure the kidnapper had no way of escaping with her friend. Shauna could have sworn she heard a woman's scream in her thoughts, right alongside little Sophie's.

The man holding a screaming and kicking Sophie got almost halfway to his waiting car when he noticed the reversing car pass him at breakneck speed and hit the only means he had of escape side-on, causing it to lift off the ground and rest on its side. The driver got out the same time Shauna did, her anger was such that she didn't think to scream that she was a Police officer. She just shot him instead, then turned her attention to the man holding onto Sophie.

Sophie seemed to be the calmest of the three people involved in this event. An understanding of sorts seemed to pass between the two of them, in that split second Shauna took to look at Sophie, Sophie briefly nodded to her friend, and then placed the palm of her hands over her eyes. Shauna drilled a hole into the forehead of the man holding her best friend hostage. She got to Sophie seconds after they both hit the ground, in one swift movement she pulled her vest off and wrapped it around Sophie.

She knew she was breaking a cardinal rule, never give up your body armor. A fit bodyguard can be more effective than one with bullets in her. But this is Sophie and that rule was going to be ignored right about now, she scooped her into her arms and started to run for the school building.

As she passed the wreckage of both cars her worst fears came to life. A people carrier had now mounted the curbside and had also placed itself between the school building and Shauna. Five men in ski masks got out, all armed and walking towards Shauna like they owned the place. Shauna turned and ran back to the wrecked cars, it was then that the masked men opened fire on Shauna, her thigh reached a pain threshold that was unfamiliar to her.

Some primeval instinct within Shauna made her move her charge to her other hip, just then she felt like she had been punched in the lower back. Her legs buckled as they reached both tangled cars. She placed Sophie on the ground, holding onto the body armor wrapped form in her hands, she said. "It's going to get difficult from now on, I need you behind me so that I can concentrate on what's happening."

Sophie went to hand her her vest, Shauna stopped her. Shauna wasn't stupid, the bullet in her leg was to prevent her from escaping with Sophie, whether the one in her back was just a lucky shot or intended didn't matter anymore. These people may have done their homework on her father but they would have missed her and that was a monumental mistake on their part.

The look they gave each other was enough, Sophie knew, she just knew. "Mommy says I can tell you this. You're going to marry Daddy and I get to have a sister and a little brother in return. Mommy says she brought you to our family for a reason, dying isn't one of them."

Even with all the events going on around them, time seemed to freeze for these two ladies, these last few weeks had come down to this moment. In that one second, she understood the true power of a woman's love for her family, the same love she herself was exhibiting right at this moment. All Shauna could do was nod her head, she couldn't form words, other than to thank the dead wife of the man she was already in love with and his daughter was right up there in that same love pocket.

Shauna sat down next to the now upturned black car and tucked little Sophie behind her. A figure dashed from the school and caught up with the five men. She pulled one of the slower ones down by his ski mask, as she did her knee came up and caught the man square in the face. As his momentum took him back up again, the woman climbed onto his back, wrapped an arm around his neck and head and with one swift movement, killed him.

The other four suddenly realized they were another man down, by then the woman had scooped up the dead man's gun and magazines and was now ten feet from the upturned car. Shauna laid down covering fire so Karen Townsend could make it to the car.

Karen sat next to Shauna, both could already hear the faint but distinctive sounds of Police cars, but still way off in the distance.

Shauna took a moment to look at her new partner in crime. "You want to steal my thunder girl? I just knew by that tattoo on your arm. Way to go Marine."

"Hey this is my school there shooting up, not to mention one of my favorite students they're fixing on stealing." Her head went to look behind Shauna and the bundle lying between her and the car. "How are you holding up sweetie, help is on its way, it will be here soon, you have both of us looking out for you now."

The voice that came from behind Shauna made them both smile when she said. "We all like your tattoo as well Miss Townsend, we think it's so cool."

"Well thank you sweetie, Miss Shauna and I will be a bit busy from now on and things may get a bit noisy, an odd swear word may escape our lips as well, so please don't tell on us will you?"

They both heard Sophie giggle.

The four men now had a choice to make, they could also hear the sirens, it was fight or flight time. Three of them looked to the guy on the end, he nodded and suddenly they ran towards the upturned car, guns aimed at the two women who had no chance to hide behind the car.

The sound of an over-revved car hitting and tearing up a fence line stalled the progress of the remaining men. The blue and red penetrating lights of a squad car on silent running joined in the foray, the fence dragging the car to an eventual stop ten feet from the upturned car and the two armed women. Suddenly the odds were tilted and all the men changed direction back to the people carrier.

With everything that was going on around them, it meant they couldn't even grab a hostage on the way out. The girls and both officers from the patrol car watched as the carrier tried to make it to the gates before the noise of oncoming Police. The gun battle lasted minutes, the kidnappers left this earth empty-handed.

Shauna turned her head toward Karen Townsend; she was already fading in and out through her own untreated wounds and continued blood loss. "I have to go now; I leave her in the only care I trust." Her last words came out almost as a drawl as she fought so desperately hard to finish what she was saying. "Other than me."

Karen smiled her hand grasped Shauna's wrist. "See you on the other side Shauna."

Sophie suddenly screamed as the world for Shauna went dark, a woman's scream joined little Sophie's and followed her into unconsciousness.

*******

We meet at last ...

Even though the room was dimly lit, Shauna still had to squint. It still felt a little too bright for her comfort. The sleeping figure of Marcus was on the high-backed chair in the corner, little Sophie asleep on his lap.

"They both look so beautiful like that don't they?"

Shauna suddenly turned her head and looked at the figure standing against the wall, looking at the two sleeping forms, and started to hyperventilate.

"It wasn't your time to die Shauna, you have many years and most of all, many adventures in front of you yet."

Recognition was instant, Marcus still had pictures of his late wife all over the house.

"Is it worth me mentioning that you are in fact, dead, Victoria?"

The woman giggled, looked once again at the sleeping forms across the room and then turned her attention to the woman lying on the bed.

"Well Shauna, technically, so are you. The only thing keeping you alive at this very moment, are those machines pinging away in the corner, it's also why you can see me at the moment."

The staring match didn't last, so many questions came to Shauna, questions that she so desperately wanted answering.

Victoria shook her head. "I can't answer even a fraction of the questions running around your head right now Shauna. I chose you to look after the two things I treasured the most, since I can't do that now. You've proved already that you would gladly give your life to save my daughter's life."

Shauna once again looked at the sleeping forms of the people she really did love in this world. She understood what true sacrifice meant and that was to protect something you love so dearly, yet when she looked at Marcus, all she felt was sadness. He was a man and she was only half a woman.

"Cosmetics Shauna, purely cosmetics." She was reading her thoughts again.

The giggle came from Victoria, still standing against the wall simply confirmed it. "Marcus has fallen for the woman inside of you. It's you that refused to have your body back, claiming you don't deserve it. That's nonsense and we both know it, let Marcus help you."

Shauna was thinking about what Victoria had just said, the painful thing about it all was that Victoria couldn't hide the smirk from Shauna, because she knew she was right.

"We both love you Shauna. Mommy found you and sent you to us."

Both women instantly looked towards what was once, two sleeping figures. Sophie was sitting on her father's lap, her hands clasped tightly between her legs as her father slept on.

Tears formed in her eyes and slowly slid down her little cheeks as she looked towards her mother. "Thank you mommy, I love you and always will. Is it wrong for me to love Shauna just as much?"

Shauna watched Victoria gulp.

"No baby, it's just fine to do that. I know in my heart that Shauna will love you just as deeply as I do." Victoria seemed to shimmer then. "You know I have to leave you now don't you? Just as you know I will always be in your heart."

Sophie nodded her head, she smiled and tried to be more grown up than her years, but the tears just poured down her cheeks as the last presence of Victoria left the room in a final shimmer. The gulp of air from Sophie as she tried so desperately hard to stifle her tears, caused Shauna to lift her arms and little Sophie leapt from her father's lap and rushed into them,

When Marcus woke up, the picture of Sophie tucked into Shauna's arms and both asleep on her hospital bed while the machines keeping Shauna alive continued to blink and ping, to those in the room, would stay with him for years to come.

It was a day later that the pinging noise of the machines next to Shauna woke her. The nurse looked shocked and gasped before pushing a red button above the bed. For the next hour it was test after test. Phillip Martinez came in thirty minutes later and joined in with the circus around Shauna, as test results started to come back the tension in the room eased.

Doctor Martinez was still in her room when Marcus turned up, the heart monitor went a little wild right about then as well. Phillip looked at the monitor and then at his friend leaning against the door and smiled again. This time he looked at Shauna whose cheeks were a little on the pink side.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while, just don't exhaust her." Then he looked at Shauna. "Going by what's going on with that heart machine, you effectively have a lie-detector strapped to your chest. I would claim the Fifth on the questions you find uncomfortable if I were you."

A croaked "Thank you" left Shauna's lips.

Phillip Martinez paused next to his friend, his hand rested on Marcus's shoulder before he smiled and said. "She needs water, give her sips for now. I have a nurse monitoring her vitals at the desk, I will warn her they might spike every now and then. It's show and tell time my friend."

*******

I could only nod at my friend. She watched me walk over, dragging a chair with me. I sat and leaned on the bed, our heads no more than a foot or so apart.

"You and Karen Townsend are all over the news outlets. Karen has told the news people that she was only your backup, that you did all the hard work."

A tear rolled down her cheek, it was then I remembered the water, she sucked on the straw for a moment and then I put the glass back on the cabinet.

"Captain Michelson has already put you forward for a citation. He told me to tell you that dying won't be a good enough excuse to not turn up at the ceremony."

The pinging noise from the machine increased, I looked at it for a moment before reaching for her hand, it was very warm to the touch. The pinging noise increased again.

"You're going to get me thrown out of here if you don't calm down."

Her grip on my hand tightened slightly, her voice was still a whisper when she said. "I've seen and spoken to Victoria."

I nodded before saying. "I know, your little partner in crime ratted you out. It's a good thing that Cara and Cook were in the room when she told us, I was all but useless when she did."

The pinging noise slowed to a more mundane level, for now anyway.

"Sophie said that you and I are going to have a girl and a boy, she gets to name them apparently, because mommy told her so."

Mischief came to her eyes, her smile backed them up.

"Left to you, you would call them Esmerelda and Zachariah."

I tried the indignant look. "Good solid American names, what's wrong with that?"

She smiled. "I'm not marrying anyone with a worse twisted imagination than me."

Shauna suddenly realized that she used the M word.

Her tongue came out and wet her lips, I went to bring the water back but she held my hand tighter to stop me.

"I love you. No one is making me say this but I do love you. It's because I do, it also means I can't marry you. I'm half a woman; you both need a whole one."

My hand went to her cheek, she tried to move away but I wouldn't let her, her tears increased, more so when my hand made contact.