Chapter Text
“Park Hill enter D, presumed TWOC with IC1 female”
A junior officer with dark brown hair in a tight bun turned her head expectedly to her colleague, a lean man with messy brown hair and an as well messy beard who winked at her. He was her senior for her training and couldn’t help but smile at his antics.
“Patrol 7 on it.”
PC Khan asked “What is TWOC ?”
“Well… It is… mhm. I guess it is when someone lose their car keys and try to jimmy their way in. In the dark of the night ? Something like that.” Kenny said with a thick Scottish accent.
“So it’s vehicle theft ?”
“I mean… We can’t assume thievery right away, it is a presumed Taking without owner’s consent ! And who need cars nowadays ?”
Yasmin chuckled “You would be surprised on how many would contradict you sir.”
“By the way, isn’t Park Hill where you live ?”
“Oh my stars ! It is ! We got to go very quickly !” She exclaimed quickening her steps to the car. “I am driving sir.”
“Alright but no need to call me sir !” He said throwing her the keys .
As Yasmin Khan drove them to the potential crime scene. Her senior started to lean in his chair ignoring seatbelt and his legs unto the tabletop of the car. Rambling about the night shift hours and it made his skin itchy that it could be his alleged time sickness, it only made Yasmin roll her eyes in silence.
Arriving to the Park Hill estate illuminated by the yellow light of many street lamps. Yasmin quickly made her way on the parking lot searching for the thief. Be it was quiet, it looked like nothing.
Agent Coinneich Tàileach or better known as Kenny ran by her side.
“Why are you running PC Khan ? You know this TWOC might be just ten racoons under a coat ?”
“A what”
“Racoons. Or a ghost … who knows ?”
“It is definitely not ghost” Yasmin pointed out to a Pontiac blue car with the highlights on, illuminating another car, trunk and hood opened, wires spilling out with a short woman arms full of sludge, blonde hair tied up in a lousy ponytail attending to it.
Yasmin knew that car, it was her neighbor’s and she pulled out her flashlight directed to the woman’s face.
“Hi ?”
The woman turned her head toward Yasmin and to be plainly honest she got a quite beautiful face.
“Hi !” Oh scratch that ! Now the woman smiled and she got now a way more pretty face and Yaz could feel her own burning up.
“What…” The junior agent turned to her senior who seemed quite interested about the whole situation and wasn’t about to help with it. “What are you doing ma’am ?”.
“I. AM. UHM. NOT. CARJACKING.”
“Sounds like you are.”
“No ! I am repairing ! The car it made a sound like RATATATATATATA for quite a while !” she made wild gesture while making the sounds as loud as possible.
“Madam you need to quiet down a bit, it is 2 a.m.” said Yaz wincing at the thought of her parents waking up at the woman loudly describing what can only be described as a weird professional statement.
“Who ?”
“You.”
“Oh ! Madam is me ! Alright yeah ! I will shhhhh” she made the motion on her lips, her smile still so beautiful.
Yaz made a few step toward the woman, noticed a grey coat lying on the ground next to O’Brian’s car, wondering if she was freezing with the cold of the night but no, the blonde woman was only jittery by anxiety and not making eye contact.
“Anyway, car was making a noise and the man who drives it seems to not want to get her to a mechanic soooo I brought a mechanic !”
“Who ?”
“Me ! It could have been bad ! Maybe explosion bad ! Like BAM no mister Graham ! And yeah, we don’t want that !” and she added whispering "People still needs mister Graham."
Yasmin frowned at the mention of mister O’Brian name but didn’t pursued, instead looked at the mechanic, she was a little gaunt, didn’t seemed to have slept in while.
“You know, you could let the car alone for tonight and I know mister O’Brian” Yasmin said while motioning to her chest. “I will tell him about the car and we will get it fixed. Alright ?”
But the woman didn’t listened. She went right back into the car, mumbling to herself. “No, no, no I can do it myself, I am able to do it. I can fix it. No more sounds !”
Kenny looked at Yaz and encouraged her to keep talking to the mystery while he called to the station to inform of the lack of thievery, pretending that it was neighbor being an asshole. Yasmin walked beside the mechanic whose hands kept shaking. Yaz knew she won’t be able to fix anything, no matter how much she would try. She took time to look at her before deciding the best course of action.
“Hello, my name is Yasmin.”
The woman kept her eyes down to the motor, making a fist to hide her shaky weakness.
“Hi, I’m Nadzieja.”
“So what is wrong with the car of the old man ?”
It made her smile. “Well, the sound is because the serpentine belt is getting loose and it if breaks it would… Just break everything else.”
“Alright, it seems like a big problem, how can I help ?”
She looked at her like Yaz said some kind of magic. “Oh I love you, you sound brilliant !” then proceeded to instruct to her how to change the serpentine with clear and loud instruction which Yasmin tried to follow despite her lack of mechanical knowledge. A lot of mistakes were made but she learned a whole lot and finally succeeded when the morning started to show.
“Oh my bloody stars ! We made it ! We saved the car !” Nadzieja screamed in victory when the motor roared with a loud but healthy sound.
“Yeah !” Yasmin smiled, tired, sweaty but victorious.
The scream made birds fly away, some windows opening in annoyance and woke up the poor colleague who was trying to take a nap inside the blue car. He made a weak fist bump into the air in support but waking up. They slowly cleaned up their mess, the mystery woman’s hands weren’t shaking anymore and Yasmin felt like she made the universe a little more brighter.
“So do you wish we accompany you to your home ?”
“Uh ?”
“Your home ? Do you live in the estate ?”
“Oh no !” She said while putting off the highlights of the blue car. “I sleep in there !”
“In your car ?”
“Yeah ! I travel a lot ! So… “ she slapped the wheel of the car “That is my home.”
“I… ok ?”
Nadzieja nodded to her wildly. “That being said officers ! I wish you goodnight !” and laid down in the back seat, holding a yellow blanket to her chin. Not bothering with the smudge and the sweats, sleeping right away with a loud snore. They both looked at her sleeping with strained smiles. Before going back to the police station with heavy steps.
Kenny took over the driving this time around having benefited from his little nap. PC Khan kept thinking about the woman, how tired she seemed, stressed out, she wanted to do right by someone she didn’t know about, shouldn’t know about.
“I have address of some woman shelters if you want.”
“What ?” Yasmin asked.
“For the surprise mechanic lady, when you go back home, you could give her address of shelter or association so she can find some housing.”
“Oh yeah. Thanks ! That’s a great idea !” pulling out her note pad, taking down the addresses.
“You are welcome my dear padawan.”
They returned to the station, putting back their equipment and the senior agent got called in the S.O. office to explain why the hell they were away the whole night. Yasmin wanted to explain but Kenny told her that he could handle it.
Yasmin Khan returned home exhausted but hoping to see her again. Reaching the parking lot she spend an hour in it, searching for the fated blue car. But the car was gone and she was gone to Yasmin dismay.
Yasmin was welcomed home by her family slowly waking up and the odor of fresh coffee, she decided to go directly to sleep, anxiety toward the woman she barely knew gnawing her insides. Her mom kissed her forehead seeing her worried but the magic of a mother's kiss didn’t helped with the sleep. The beautiful woman was gone probably dealing with her issues on her own, definitely had it handled, like she couldn’t handle the car motor engine with her shaky hands or the lack of sleep or eating. What if she got into a car accident ? What if she got hurt and no would know her name. Would someone help her if needed ?
“Gosh darnit”
In any case sleep eluded her so she decided to spend the rest of the day, to her parents dismay, searching for a Pontiac blue car in the town of Sheffield. Hoping, dearly hoping to find her. At least see her safe.
The blue car was parked in front of the old building next to the hospital. The sight of it made the blonde woman shiver. But it wasn’t why she was there. She stared at the front door and saw a tall woman in a blue and gold dress getting out. She seemed well and healthy. Nadzieja followed with her eyes, the woman leaving and sighed in relief. One day she will be able to talk to her.
She searched everywhere, on her sister bike, wandering the streets like a madman. Asking florist and people at the counter of coffee shop, she even went by the aforementioned women shelter and yet nothing. No leads, no trace. The woman vanished. Hours went by and her body couldn’t handle much more exertion. She returned home with quiet sob of frustration.
It is only when she reached the parking lot that she saw, the beautiful blue car, standing exactly where she left it. She approached nearly throwing to the ground the bicycle seeing through the windshield, the older woman writing through what seemed to be a diary. She was so pretty.
She softly knocked on the window, blushing. Nadzieja looked at her with surprise and a smile.
“Hi !”
“Hi. I was wondering if you wanted a cuppa of tea ? I live nearby.”
She was dreading a negative answer, after all she was only a stranger who met a few hours ago and she must look like hell with the lack of sleep and her hair… Gosh she forgot to fix her hair !
“You are Yasmin ! My brilliant assistant ! I remember you.”
“oh !”
“You seems like a wonderful person and I would love to drink some tea at your place !”
Yasmin beamed, to hell the little information she was supposed to share with her, to hell duty or sleep. All she wanted now was to be with this beautiful shooting star.