Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Something Like Forever ❯ The Longest Day ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3—The Longest Day

 

NYPD 27th Precinct

10:00 a.m.

 

That morning, JJ and Drake were in the filing room, filing the paperwork that just never seemed to leave any of them alone nowadays. The two didn't do much talking, but worked in silence. It was sort of awkward, but they tried desperately to cover that up by pretending nothing had happened between them. But it had.

 

About a week before, JJ had kissed Drake.

 

It had been a complete accident. Drake had come over to talk about a case with his partner and found JJ crying on his couch. Naturally, he had been concerned—JJ always seemed to be the happy-go-lucky one. So he's gone over to sit next to the man on the couch and asked him what was wrong, and JJ had replied that he felt guilty over Dee and Ryo's breakup, because Dee just wasn't the same anymore and JJ felt that he himself had caused the whole thing by wishing so hard for Dee to be back on the market. Then he talked about how he didn't feel the same way about Dee anymore. “I mean,” he had said, “I still love him. I think part of me always will. But…I don't want to be with him anymore… And now he and Ryo are broken up and he's heartbroken over it and I can't help feeling like I caused it all by wishing for it.”

 

This had been followed by Drake trying to comfort JJ—very awkwardly, as Drake wasn't good with words and was even worse at comforting people. But he must have done something right, because the next thing he knew, JJ was kissing him.

 

JJ had pulled quickly away and blushed very deeply, and Drake had just stared at JJ for a moment before jumping up and running out of the house.

 

And then they'd pretended like it never happened and now things were just…weird between them.

 

JJ had no idea why he was so embarrassed. After all, he'd never had any problem running up behind Dee and grabbing him for a kiss. But with Drake…it felt different. Not wrong, but different. It felt like…something. It felt like there was potential there, between him and Drake. And that freaked JJ out a little, because Drake was so not gay. He went from woman to woman to woman and had never once thrown JJ a glance, but…

 

Well, there was no use thinking about it, JJ concluded. I couldn't have him even if I wanted him…and I'm not sure I do… Do I?

 

At that moment, JJ's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Drake's voice. He shook his head slightly. “Hmm…? I'm sorry, what?”

 

“I asked what's up with Dee and Ryo nowadays,” Drake replied conversationally. “They getting back together anytime soon?”

 

“Not as far as I can tell,” JJ replied. “Hand me that stack?”

 

Drake did so, and JJ took the papers as he continued talking. “I heard the Commissioner asked Ryo to dinner already.”

 

“Is he going?”

 

“I don't think so. I hope not—then all the chances of him getting back with Dee would be shot straight to hell.”

 

“I thought that was what you wanted.”

 

“…Nope. I've given up on Dee Laytner. He'll never be mine, I'll never be his, and I don't wanna make a big thing out of it. And besides, my ego's all fixed up and happy because at least I can say with complete confidence that out of Ryo and I, I'm the better sharpshooter.”

 

Drake laughed. “If you say so.”

 

“Drake!”

 

Another laugh. “I'm just messing with you.”

 

“So what do you think of the whole Ryo-Dee situation?”

 

“What do I think? I think those two won't stay apart forever. It's one of those sickening made-for-each-other things. Besides, Dee's in love.”

 

“I've never seen Dee in love,” JJ replied. “It's interesting.”

 

He had discovered recently that he could now talk about Dee and his relationships without any of his old feelings popping up to strangle him—well, not as many as before. It was a nice feeling. Strange…unbelievably confusing…but nice.

 

Drake came over to place some papers in the filing cabinet JJ was leaning against as he flipped through a stack of paperwork on a clipboard. He laughed. “If I know Dee, he probably thanked God every day for a month after he and Ryo got partnered up.”

 

“Probably still does.”

 

“Aww, that's so sweet,” Drake teased.

 

“Now, now, don't mock,” JJ replied without any real heat to his words.

 

“But it's so much fun.” Drake grinned. “You dropped some papers.”

 

“…Oh…” JJ bent to gather up the stuff he'd dropped and stood again, only to find his own face inches from Drake's. Drake was still chuckling, but the smile faded from his face as he stared at JJ. It was like they were under a spell, or in one of those really corny romance films depicting a couple's first kiss. (Or in this case, second kiss.) Then JJ leaned in to give Drake a soft, hesitant kiss, just like he had last week. Drake just stood there for a moment, letting it happen. Then, quite suddenly, he was kissing back. Slowly, he brought his hands up to JJ's shoulders and pulled the other man a little closer.

 

Drake had kissed plenty of girls before, but kissing JJ was just…different. His lips felt warmer somehow. Part of his mind whispered to him that this was wrong, that things weren't supposed to happen this way, but he pushed the little voice away and pulled JJ even closer. After a moment, however, that voice became too loud to ignore, and he pulled away from JJ very suddenly.

 

JJ stared at him. “Drake, I…”

 

“Don't worry about it. I have to…go…do something…somewhere that's…else…” And with that, Drake fled the room.

 

The fact that JJ had kissed him wasn't what scared him. But the fact that he himself had returned the kiss….that terrified him.

 

-----

 

JJ just stood there in the filing room for a long while, trying to sort out what had happened. He had kissed Drake. Drake had kissed him. JJ had felt his heart soar. Drake had fled in terror.

 

That couldn't be a good sign.

 

Sighing, JJ finished filing the paperwork and went to find Drake, only to have Ted tell him that the brand new and very confusing object of his affections had snatched a pack of cigarettes and moved off the premises at hyper speed to smoke in peace.

 

So JJ had gone to Dee's office, and that was when he found Ryo asleep at Dee's desk, which the blond had never thought about moving from the night before.

 

-----

 

The Orphanage of the Sacred Heart

11:00 a.m.

 

Dee knocked at the back door of the orphanage with his free hand, his other being occupied with trying to keep hold of the giant cardboard box he held under his arm. He shifted back and forth from foot to foot out of habit, being currently hyped up on caffeine.

 

After a few moments, a young woman came to the door, holding a tiny girl in her arms. She smiled in welcome—she had a very nice smile, Dee noted. “Can I help you?”

 

“Are you Cecily Carlisle?”

 

The woman nodded. “That's me. What can I do for you?”

 

“I'm Dee Laytner. Sister Maria sent me over. She was cleaning out the orphanage and she threw some stuff in a box—clothes, toys, books, y'know—and she wanted me to bring it over and see if you could use any of it before she donated it to the charity drive.”

 

“Oh, how nice of her! Come in, and I'll see if there's anything in there we can use.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“I have to say, this is a surprise,” Cecily said as she led Dee down several hallways, past a room where some children were playing and a couple of rooms filled with beds, and into a large, deserted kitchen. “You can put that box by the door. Sister Maria never mentioned she was sending anyone over.”

 

“Really? She said she'd call.”

 

“Well, I'm sure she's busy with all those children, and she did mention that she was taking them all out today.”

 

“That must be why she didn't call. She probably forgot. She never forgets anything, though… Especially spilling juice on her carpet…she still hasn't let me forget that…”

 

“When did you do that?”

 

“When I was nine.”

 

Cecily laughed. “Want some coffee?”

Dee looked up with a grateful smile as he set his load next to the door leading outside from the kitchen. “You have no idea how much.”

 

“Well come one over here and get some. So, I'm sorry, who are you?”

 

“Dee Laytner.”

 

“Oh…and how do you know Sister Maria?”

 

“I grew up in her orphanage, actually. Until I had to go out and get a life.”

 

Another laugh, and Cecily handed Dee a cup of coffee. “Go have a seat while I look through this stuff.”

 

Dee nodded and went to sit at the table. For the next few minutes, the two just sat there, making small talk and such, and after about fifteen minutes, Cecily stood up. “I think we can use all of this, if Sister Maria is really willing to give it to us.”

 

“She said you'd say that, and she said to make you take it.”

 

Cecily laughed. “That sounds about right.”

 

Dee drained the last of his coffee and stood. “Okay, I'm sure you're busy, so I'll just…get out of your way…”

 

He was almost to the door when she spoke. “Dee?”

 

He turned around to smile at her. “Yeah?”

 

“Do you want to stay? I've got a little cleaning up to do, and…it'd be nice to have some help. I know you just met me and cleaning probably isn't high on your list of priorities, but if you're not doing anything…”

 

“I'm not. And I'd be glad to help.”

 

Cecily smiled happily. “All right. Thank you. Follow me, then. Come meet the children.”

 

Dee watched her walk away, and grinned to himself as she left the room. Score one for Dee Laytner, he thought appreciatively.

 

In the room they had passed before—the one full of kids—Cecily pointed out the children and told Dee their names, all of which Dee tried very hard to remember. Learning the kids' names and getting them to trust him would help him win Cecily's trust, which could only help Dee approach his goal.

 

A plan was already forming in his mind.

 

-----

 

Fifth Street Estates

Apartment 62

4:25 p.m.

 

In his little apartment, Gregory Chintzier carefully finished packing his last stash. He had just returned from an orphanage run by a Sister Maria Lane—it had been empty, which had only helped.

 

This was it. This was the day he would create his own legacy. Not like the rest of his family….they had run out on their duty to their family.

 

But not this time. This time, he would do his part to ensure that as much of the next generation as possible was wiped out. Starting with the New York City orphanages.

 

Only one more left to take care of.

 

-----

 

NYPD 27th Precinct

7:10 p.m.

 

Ryo was tired. He was exhausted. He could hardly think straight anymore.

 

But he was happy.

 

It had taken him most of the day to put together teams to tail Chintzier and guard the Orphanage of the Sacred Heart, but tomorrow, everything would be in place. Armed officers dressed as civilians were already heading over to Chintzier's house, and tomorrow another team would be dispatched to the orphanage to keep anyone from going in or out of it unless they had a very good reason or unless an arrest was made. Until then, they all just had to sit tight.

 

He had been trying to call Dee all day, but he wasn't answering his home phone or his cell, and his apartment had been empty when Ryo had gone over there. He couldn't get hold of Sister Maria, either, so he had no idea where Dee was or what was happening in the world. At last, he gave up trying, figuring he'd call Dee as early as possible the next morning and brief him on what was happening.

 

With a little mental sigh, Ryo returned to his office to do yet another stack of paperwork.

 

Meanwhile, in his office, the Chief was listening to a very strange message on his machine….

 

Chief, just an update on the new case. I've cleared out all the orphanages in the New York City area. There are bombs set to go off in every one of them. I'm wrapping up your new case right now. And, sir…I promise, I'm only doing what I have to do.

 

-----

 

Lady Of Faith Orphanage

7:15 p.m.

 

Sister Madrilène, the woman who ran the Lady of Faith Orphanage, had just finished settling the children in to do their homework when her phone rang. Smiling at the little boy whose hand clung to her skirt, she gently uncurled his fingers and set him on the bed to be read to by an older girl. Then she stood and went to the phone.

 

“Lady of Faith Orphanage. How may I help you?”

 

“…You have to get out of the orphanage.”

 

Naturally, the woman looked shocked. “Excuse me? Who is this? We do not appreciate prank callers here, Mr.—?”

 

“I can't give you my name, and it isn't a prank. Just…trust me. There are at least fifteen bombs ready to go off in that building at exactly seven-thirty, and one of them is most likely right under your feet. I don't know how they got in there and I don't know how or why they got into the other orphanages, but I do know that the man who planted them will stop at nothing to wipe out the next generation. All the other orphanages have already been cleared out and have been empty since six this morning, but I only just managed to get through to you. You have to take the children and go. Now. And if you don't believe me, call the NYPD 27th precinct. They'll tell you the same. You have thirteen minutes to get out, I suggest you hurry. I don't want to hurt you…I want to help you. Leave the orphanage. Now.”

 

Then the caller hung up.

 

Sister Madrilène stared at the phone in her hand for a moment, then went to move the children quickly out of the orphanage.

 

-----

 

Orphanage of the Sacred Heart

7:20 p.m.

 

Dee looked nervously out the window as though he were searching for something. It was getting late…

 

“What's the matter, Mr. Laytner?”

 

“…Nothing. So…your daughter seemed sweet. In that…brief moment that I actually got to meet her.

Cecily smiled. “She's the best. She likes to play alone, though. Usually upstairs in one of the bedrooms.” She looked up at Dee, her smile widening. “She liked you, though. I could tell.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Dee stood nervously and went to the window. He had to fight not to sigh—there was a dark figure coming slowly up the road. Time to go.

 

“Cecily, if I tell you something you may not want to believe, do you promise to trust me?”

 

“…Maybe…”

 

He turned to look at her. “You have to take the kids out of here.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I don't have time to explain but in about a minute and a half a man is going to come in here to kill your children, and you'd better be damn sure you're nowhere near here when he does. Take them out the back—he's most likely gonna climb through one of the windows. Go!”

 

Cecily had been staring at him, but now she jumped into action. Her mind cleared itself up as she realized that her children were in danger. She didn't know why she trusted this man. She just…did.

 

So she gathered the children up and was just about to rush them out the back door when she turned suddenly. “Robin!”

 

“I'll get her, go!”

 

“But—"

 

“Go!”

 

“Okay!”

 

Then Cecily herded the children—most of them looking scared and confused—out the door and Dee bounded upstairs. In the first bedroom he came to, he found a little girl about six years old sitting on the bed, clutching a teddy bear and coloring in a coloring book. He went over to her quickly. “Robin?”

 

“Hi, Mr. Dee,” she replied cheerfully.

 

“Robin, I'm going to tell you something, and you have to trust me,” Dee said, speaking very quickly. “It's very important, so listen.”

 

The girl looked up, giving him her full attention.

 

Dee took Robin and lifted her, placing her by the window. “A man is coming to hurt you, Robin, and if we're going to get away from him you have to do exactly as I tell you.”

 

The little girl's eyes widened, but she nodded.

 

Dee had just finished telling her what to do when he heard it—someone had opened a window in the room next to them and climbed in. And about ten seconds later, the door opened.

 

The man who entered was just…well, he looked the part of a serial killer, for certain. He spotted Dee standing by the open window, with Robin partially hidden behind him, and he…leered.

 

“You're Greg Chintzier,” Dee said. It wasn't a question.

 

The man stared at him, sizing him up, and then a small, slightly insane smile touched his face. “The one and only. You're that NYPD cop who left the warning on my machine.”

 

“…Yep.”

 

“The warning about what would happen if I bomb the orphanages.”

 

“That's me.”

 

“Well it's too late, Detective Laytner. It's all in motion.”

 

“Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.”

 

“What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“What do you think it means?”

 

Chintzier sighed, and chuckled. “I'm in no mood to play games tonight, Mr. Laytner. I've already placed a bomb in here—several of them, in fact. And they'll go off in about a two minutes, give or take.”

 

“That part I knew. What I don't get is…why? You blew up those buildings, you raped those girls, you killed children. Don't deny it.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Laytner. It's a family obligation thing. We date back, we Chintziers.”

 

“Yep, all the way back to the 1920s serial killer Chintzier.”

 

“…You really did do your homework, didn't you?”

 

“Always do.”

 

And then, as if he'd suddenly become possessed, Dee took two steps forward and threw a punch that sent Chintzier reeling. In two more steps he was back at the window, and he picked the little girl up and tossed her out the window. She landed in a heap on the ground, but it wasn't terribly high up, and the girl jumped to her feet and started to run, not looking back.

 

Chintzier had just managed to regain his balance after the blow, and he was just in time to see Robin go out the window. He stared, and a muscle worked in his jaw, but his anger merely simmered beneath the surface. “You don't really think you can save them all, do you, Mr. Laytner? You cleared out this place, I take it. But the others….”

 

“The others are empty, too. I cleared them out this morning.”

 

“…You…?”

 

“And now you'll be going to jail for a crime you weren't even able to commit. But there's the other crimes to take into consideration, too. The rape, the beatings, the arson, the destruction of public property, the illegal ownership of destructive weaponry…”

 

“How did you…?”

 

“Don't underestimate the power of friends in low places.”

 

The man looked like he was about to explode with sheer rage, but then he calmed down, very suddenly. “But of course, my arrest would depend on you getting out of here alive.”

 

Dee laughed. “Oh, I'm not a total moron and I have no delusions about what a man can live through and what he can't. I know I'm not making it out alive. But that girl I just tossed out the window? She's wearing a wire.”

 

There was complete silence for a moment. “You gave her a…?”

 

“What, you don't think I'm a complete idiot, do you? I managed to get you here. Of course, you may not be going to jail today after all.”

 

“…What?”

 

“You may be going down right here with me in three….two….one….”

 

And then Chintzier made a mad dash for the window and Dee dove for the nearest possible cover as the entire building burst into a ball of white-hot flame.

 

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Okay I know the beginning of this chapter probably had everyone going, “What the crap… JJ and Drake? When did that happen?” It was my way of setting part of the stage for a future story (see Dead Men Tell No Tales).

 

And I know the whole thing with Dee solving it all and the guy coming was really sudden, but it was supposed to be that way. I wanted everyone to think that Dee was just blowing off the case, making his completely coming through in the end a bit of a surprise.

 

So don't kill me for this chapter, please!