Archive of Our Own

~*~

I was just thinking 'bout that weekend out on Cumberland Lake
And that one time in Baton Rouge when we made out in the rain
Where we went chasin' fallin' stars on a hill at your daddy's farm
Don't be sorry for callin' me up right outta the blue
I was just thinking 'bout you

~*~

- New Orleans 2014 -

Being back in New Orleans in what felt like forever was different than he had imagined. When Will had thought of the moment he would walk the familiar streets again, it had been with Henry and JJ by his side, showing his son where he came from and where he had met his mother. Over the years the image had changed again and again, JJ’s presence slowly fading away until it was just Henry and him walking St. James Avenue and Canal Street, watching the Mardi Gras parades, catching up with old friends Henry only really knew from phone- and video calls, and their annual visits to Washington D.C. for birthday parties. 

Thinking back, this should have been the point when he should have realised something was wrong. When JJ wasn’t only absent from his day to day life but also from his future plans. 

Now New Orleans didn’t feel like the place it used to be, no longer like the home it used to be after the years and life he had built in Washington. He felt a little like a stranger now, even though there was no other place he knew like he knew this city. His travelbag felt heavy, but with every step his heart felt a little lighter, as he walked through the French Quarter, passing bars, restaurants and cafés he used to frequent either alone or with his friends. Nothing seemed to have changed, the same old folks sipping their drinks outside in the sun, some of them greeting him as if he had never left the city. 

He felt the smile creeping onto his face, as he finally reached his destination, the red brick building so inconspicuous to everyone but him right now. Patricia Chambers stood on her front porch, the widest smile on her face as she opened her arms for him. His friend’s mother hadn’t changed in the last few years, her hair still pitchblack and only a few more wrinkles from days filled with laughter gracing her eyes. He let his bag drop to his side as she pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

“Welcome home, Will.” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper as she pressed him against herself.

“Hey, Mama Patty.” He didn’t like the way his voice sounded, the subtle quiver as he tried to hold back tears. She let go of him, studying his face, her wide smile becoming a bit softer. 

“Come in, you must be exhausted from your trip.” She took his bag before he could react, only leaving him to trail behind after her. The house was still as he remembered, not even a piece of furniture moved, only some pictures added to the walls. Mama Patty opened the door to her guest room, putting his bag on the bed. “You know your way around the house. I’ll prepare some lunch.” With that she left him alone in the room that basically had been his ever since his own mother had died. Sitting down on the bed he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds outside. This was what home felt like, Mama Patty’s hugs, the warmth of her house and the sounds of New Orleans. 

Hours later Will found himself out on the streets again, walking without a real destination, drowning out his thoughts in the music coming out of various jazz clubs. The sun was about to set, reflecting in shopfronts and windows. He couldn’t even say when he had left Mama Patty’s house and how long he was already wandering these streets. 

The buzzing of his phone drew his attention away from the people around him. Part of him didn’t even want to look, the other part, the father and Detective, responded before he could deny the call. The number was unknown to him, so at least he didn’t have to talk to JJ.

“LaMontagne?”

“Hey, Will.” The voice made him stop dead in his tracks. It had been years since he had last heard it and yet it was so familiar to him as if they had last talked yesterday.

“Coraline?” Why did she call him now? How did she get his number?

“Yes, hi… Mama Patty said you’re in New Orleans, so I thought I’d give you a call. Maybe you’d like to meet up?” For a moment he didn’t know how to respond.

“You’re in New Orleans?”

“Arrived yesterday. So, what do you say? For old times sake?” 

“Sounds good. The Clover?” Her laugh reached him over the phone. Still the same laugh, even after all these years.

“Where else?”

Walking into the Clover felt like walking straight into the past. Will couldn’t count the memories he had made in the bar, from first drinks to first kisses to first breakups, almost everything had happened within these four walls. The band was playing, most likely still consisting of the same members as it did six years ago, tables and bar were filled with people. He scanned the room, easily finding Coraline sitting in what used to be their spot. For only a moment he just stood there watching her. She had barely changed from what he could see of her. She had become older, sure, they both had. Her black hair, which she had cut off at twenty to look more grown up, now once again fell down her back and she wore the same leather jacket she had gotten for her twentieth birthday. Past and present collided as their eyes met and she waved at him with a smile. Suddenly he felt like sixteen again, seeing her for the first time in Mama Patty’s living room.  

He made his way through the bar, his smile only widening as he approached her. Her arms were around him before he could even question the right way to greet her after fifteen years and all he could do was return the embrace. She still wore the same perfume, a rich scent that had clung to his clothes and bedsheets for years. 

“I’m so glad you came,” she said grinning, “sorry for calling out of the blue, but after Mama Patty told me you were here and gave me your number, I just couldn’t hold back.” They sat down, their regular drinks already on the table. “I hope your preferences haven’t changed.” Will returned her smile, taking a sip of his Tennessee whiskey. Coraline herself held a big glass of Sweet Tea, most likely spiked with whiskey, revealing that her choice of drink hadn’t changed either. 

Seconds passed in which they just sat opposite of each other, taking in all the changes over the years. Coraline shrugged off her jacket, revealing tattoos covering her right arm from shoulder to wrist as well as the lower part of her left arm. He could still remember the first one she had gotten at eighteen, a flower now incorporated into the one on her right arm. Her nails were painted a dark red fitting her lipstick and she hadn’t grown out of her crop top phase, sporting a tied up Nirvana shirt. The woman in front of him hadn’t changed much from the girl he used to know, at least not in her appearance. It was somehow reassuring, knowing that time didn’t change anything. It made him wonder what she saw when she looked at him now. Did he look different to her or did she also still see the boy she used to know? Could she see how tired he felt someday? 

“You look good,” Coraline said, as if reading his mind, and for the first time he felt her eyes really wander over him. 

“You too… like your tattoos.” 

“Thanks, got them a while back,” Her smile grew even wider, if that was even possible. “Was like my momma said, you get one you ain’t stopping easily. Keep telling myself that’s enough and that I’m getting too old for new ones, but then I see a cool design on someone else and have to remind myself that I have bills to pay and tattoos are expensive.” 

“I remember that day you got that first one, your mom was livid.” 

“Think she screamed first at me for getting it and then at you for not holding me back.” 

“Good thing she never learned I also paid for it.” Her sudden laughter filled the bar, drowning out the music, at least for him. 

“Good thing indeed, but she liked you way too much to stay mad at you for longer than a day, and at least now my nieces have something to color when they’re bored, so that’s a win, I guess.” 

“Nieces?” He clearly remembered Coraline’s sister Summer, a few years older than them, she had already been planning her wedding when they first met and had her first child a year before Coraline had left the city. He had only run into Summer and her young son occasionally afterwards, not wanting to get too involved with the family, nursing his broken heart alone. 

“Yes, she unexpectedly had twin girls three years ago, Chelsea and Lillibeth, quite adorable, really, and Cody is a great big brother. Doting on them like you wouldn’t believe it.” It sounded a bit like the life he had imagined for him and JJ, a good marriage, maybe a younger sibling for Henry. He took another sip of his whiskey to drown the thought. This night was now about him and Coraline and not about what ifs. He didn’t get to think about them, not when he was the one who had decided it was time to end things between them. Cora’s cold hand on his startled him and he shot her an apologetic look. 

“You okay?” 

“Yes, sorry, just lost in thoughts.” He cracked a smile, hoping it was convincing. “Has been a while since I was last back home.” 

“Summer mentioned you moved away some years ago, didn’t think there was anything that could ever get you outta here.” She took another sip, her lipstick staining the brim of her glass. 

“I ain’t been less surprised, honestly,” Will answered with a smile, “but I met a woman, fell in love, moved to D.C. to be with her, had a son, got married and divorced…” It was the first time he said it out loud and it surprised himself how easy it was. 

“Wanna tell me about it?” There was a softness in her eyes and voice, the hold of her hand around his growing firmer. 

“She’s with the FBI, we met when they helped us with a case here… we got along well and she’d come here almost every weekend, we got together, I moved to D.C. because she couldn’t leave her team behind and we had Henry… he’s five now. Two years ago we got married,” a sigh left his lips as he thought back to that day. It should have been the happiest day of their lives and for some time it had felt like that, but now it was a reminder of the vows they hadn’t been able to keep. “We separated earlier this year.” Coraline pressed his hand once more, then she took a sip of her tea and got up. 

“Come on, we dance,” she declared in a voice that didn’t leave any room for discussion. It had always been like this with her, music and dancing being her cure for almost everything. She was one of those people who were always moving, more dancing through life than walking, no matter where. On the streets to some bands, in bars and clubs or barefoot in the kitchen, with the radio on full volume, Coraline always found a reason to dance and get others to dance with her. Will downed his whiskey, putting the glass aside before taking her hand and getting up. She dragged him along, never letting go of his hand as she started to move to the music. Her hand in his and the other on her waist brought him back to hours of dance lessons for Homecoming and Prom. 

People around them were moving, the crowd becoming one as young and old danced to the music. Twirling Coraline around, hearing her laughter and feeling her body fall against his every once in a while did in fact do wonders to his mood. Spencer would probably tell him it was because dancing always produced serotonin, so she had intentionally done the right thing by dragging him to the small dance floor. 

Time passed faster than ever before, between dances and drinks there was not much time to think about anything else than the moment they lived in. As they stumbled out of the bar, Will had his arm around Coraline, hand resting on her waist. Her hair was a mess, the lipstick gone and laughter uncontrollably bubbled out of her. She was like an overflowing well of happiness, drawing him in and taking him along. 

Cold air hit them, made her squeeze closer to him and close her jacket. She fumbled with her bag, taking out a pack of cigarettes holding it out to him. They had both never been regular smokers, only on nights out with friends, or later when he needed something to calm his nerves after an especially hard case. His father had never learned of that habit of his, nor had JJ. He took a cigarette from the pack and she lit them for both of them. Smoke filled his lungs, then rose up into the sky as he exhaled. Next to him Coraline watched the smoke fade with a smile. 

“Ya remember when we started smokin?” Her accent had become more pronounced during the evening, returning the southern drawl he had been missing ever since moving away. His own had returned as well, after he had tried to get rid of it as much as possible in DC. 

“We were way too young, so much is sure.” 

“Ain’t gonna argue about that.” She took another breath, watching the smoke vanish. “Ya Dad would’ve killed us had he ever known.” They continued walking without a clear direction, neither of them wanting to return home just yet. Mama Patty most likely was fast asleep already and so was Coraline’s family. Still people filled the streets, music blasting from all sides and more than once did he find himself dancing on the street with her. 

Somehow they found each other on a bench overlooking the Mississippi, Coraline’s head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her to keep her warm. 

“I remember a hell lotta nights we spent like this,” she said, gaze fixed on the lights reflecting on the water’s surface. 

“More than I can count… was good times.” 

“Pretty good times, have missed ‘em.” His fingers wandered up and down her arm in the rhythm of a far away song. “Sorry for vanishin’ on ya…. Should’ve kept in touch.”

“Could’ve done the same, just had to ask Summer, but I ain’t done that.” Thinking back he couldn’t say why. Maybe he should have tried to hold contact, call her every once in a while. Yet, that would mean a world in which Henry probably wouldn’t exit and that was not one he wanted to live in. 

“We’ve only talked about me tonight,” at least in the few breaks they had taken to have a drink, and she had gotten him to talk about all the trouble he and JJ had faced until he couldn’t take it anymore. Her leaving for days or even weeks for work, him feeling like the horror he saw in his job were nothing compared to hers, all the evenings he tucked Henry in alone only with her on the phone, and all the moments he questioned whether she had just stayed with him because she had gotten pregnant and married him only because he had almost died. Coraline had stopped the spirals every time, finding the exact words he had needed to hear. “Tell me about ya, has California been what ya were imaginin?” 

“Everythin’ and more,” she answered with a smile, “but it ain’t Louisiana and LA ain’t New Orleans. Missed this place every day, honestly.” 

“Still can’t believe they let ya become a lawyer.” 

“Prosecutor, please,” laughter spilled out of her once again. Champagne, he thought, a laughter bubbly and pearly like Champagne. “Friend of mine calls me the Reverse Elle Woods. Have to admit it’s a compliment I’m gonna take.” Silence stretched out between them and he placed his head on hers, closing his eyes for just a moment. Like this he could pretend they were younger again, in love for the first time not knowing that the future would lead her out of town and away from him. 

“Will,” there was something special in the way she said his name, it surely didn’t sound any different to anybody else but to him, “is it weird?” 

“What?” 

“This…? We… that I want to kiss you right now? You’ve just gotten divorced, goddamnit.” 

“It’s the whiskey speaking.” The mention alone made him remember the feeling of her lips on his, her skin under his hands, her sleepy face in the morning, the small sounds she made when she was asleep. There had been a time he had known her like the back of his hand and she had known him the same way. There had been a time he thought he’d end up marrying her. 

“Don’t listen to Whiskey after midnight,” she said and he could hear her smile. 

“Don’t listen to any liquor.” 

“Not even when I like what it says?” She was giving him a choice, accept or decline, somehow he knew she wouldn’t mind either way. She’d not be upset if he said no, reminded her of their end and the lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Yet, wasn’t he thinking the exact same thing? The only real thing that held him back in this moment was the thought of what others might say, especially JJ’s team who had become some of the only friends he had in Washington. Would they think he moved on too fast? Because if he crossed that line with her now, he was sure he couldn’t go back to not hearing her voice again, not seeing her again. 

“Ya know we ain’t making smart decisions after midnight or whiskey.” 

“Never said I wanted to be smart.” He couldn’t say who moved first, but then her lips were on his, his arm tightening around her. She tasted of smoke, sweet tea and whiskey, foreign and familiar at the same time. There were no butterflies, not in the way there were with a first kiss, but the feeling of recognition, of familiarity, warmth spreading through his entire body, as she melted against him. 

He woke up alone with a light throbbing in his head. Sunlight fell into the room, the curtains not drawn completely shut, the sound of Mama Patty working in the kitchen slowly reaching him. Will got up with a groan, his body no longer used to nights out like this. He couldn’t even say when he had come home in the end, only that he had dropped off Coraline at her sister’s place where she had drawn him in for another kiss. He didn’t know what to make of it, but sitting in bed and mulling over it surely wouldn’t help him. 

The moment he entered the kitchen, feeling halfway presentable in a fresh shirt and jeans, Mama Patty placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of him, wearing a big smile on her face. 

“Thank you, Mama Patty.”

“You’re welcome, Darling. Got home late yesterday, didn’t you,” she looked him up and down, nodding as if agreeing with what she saw, “Figure Coraline called you?” 

“She did,” he couldn’t hide his own smile at the mention of her name.

“Glad she did, poor girl was so nervous. Told her you never know if you never try.” A small chuckle escaped him. Mama Patty had always been one of the meddling sort, trying to stir her kids into the, in her opinion, right direction. Good thing for her he couldn’t stay mad at her for long. If he even was mad at her, he still hadn’t made up his mind about the last night. Just the thought of it conjured the feeling of Coraline’s lips on his back up again, the warm fuzzy feeling she awoke in him.

“What is it, William?” She sat down opposite of him, her own cup of coffee in her hands. How often had they sat here together, the days after his mother had died, the nights his father was out working on cases, and almost every other time he had been upset. 

“I really don’t know,” he answered honestly. “Maybe it’s just too soon? Too fast?” Maybe he shouldn’t have kissed her, but Will couldn’t quite fault himself for that. Yesterday he had been able to blame it on the alcohol, but now, sobered up, he knew he’d probably do it again. “I shouldn’t move on so fast.” A deep sigh left Mama Patty’s lips, before she smiled again and took hold of his hand. 

“There’s no too soon or too fast, my boy. If you feel like you should take your time before dating again, then that’s fine, she’ll understand, no need to worry about that… but if you think you shouldn’t move on based on what others might think, then get that out of your head already. Take it from me, most times, you’ve moved on from a relationship even before you sign the papers, especially if it was you who brought separation onto the table.” He looked at their joined hands on the table, carefully considering her words. She wasn’t wrong, so much he could accept. “If you still like her and she still likes you, then hell boy, give it a shot. What I told her yesterday is not less true for you today. You never know if you never try. The worst thing that can happen is that you get your heart broken again.”

“Nothing I’m looking forward to,” he said with a huff, making Mama Patty chuckle. 

“I ain’t thinking she’ll ever break your heart again, if you let her in.” 

Will let the day pass him by, catching up with old friends and lounging on Mama Patty’s front porch. His finger hovered over Coraline’s contact more often than he was willing to admit, the conversation of the morning replaying in his mind over and over again. Every time he was close to dialing her number he put the phone to the side, his heart beating anxiously in his chest. It was an echo from the past, when he had to bring himself to ask her out the first time. Memories, good and bad, found their way back to him. Memories of nights out, weekend trips, family dinners and fights that were resolved before they said good night every single time. 

He looked at her contact again, he had taken the picture in the bar, Coraline grinning at him, Sweet Tea in hand. If he called her and she picked up, what would he say? How could he already have forgotten how this worked?  

The screen changed with an incoming call, Caroline’s name all over the screen. For a heartbeat he hesitated, then he answered.

“Hey, Cora.” Saying her name alone made him smile to himself, imagining how she sat there, maybe as nervous as he was.

“Hey… sorry, I just couldn’t wait any longer for you to make up your mind and call me.”

“Please don’t be… I wanted to call you the whole day but I,” he bit his lip, searching for the right words, “I didn’t know what to say.”

“Are you angry with me for last night?” The question came out of the blue, at least for him, but of course she must have had the same thoughts, the same fears, as him.

“No, no, I’m not, please don’t think that. I just had a lot to think about… maybe we should meet? You got time?”

“Where should we meet?”

“Our old spot?” He heard her chuckle, then the smile in her words as she told him she’d be there.

Their old spot was a bench in a park where their group had usually hung around. Now the park was mostly occupied by families and older couples, who came here to relax. When Will arrived ,Coraline was already there, beating him by just a few minutes. She smiled as he approached, and the warm fuzzy feeling returned to his stomach, the butterflies slowly waking up again, now that he allowed himself to think of this what if.

She hugged him as a greeting, and he held her a little tighter, a little longer than necessary. Coraline just let him hold her, arms locked around him, breathing in deeply as she pressed her nose into his shoulder. She pressed her lips against his cheek, probably leaving a red stain, marking him for everyone to see. Will figured he didn’t care much.

“I’m glad you called,” he said, slowly letting go of her 

“I’m glad you picked up, wasn’t too sure if you would… Feel like I should say sorry for yesterday.” 

“Please don’t.” Taking her hand into his he looked down on her, she looked just as beautiful in daylight as she did under the neon lights of the bar, “You were exactly what I needed.” The smile returned to her face, her lips slightly curling upwards. 

“So, you wouldn’t mind if I’d do it again?” Will gave himself a moment to consider the question, Mama Patty’s words echoing in his head. It didn’t have to mean much and yet he knew, deep inside, that it would mean everything. Kissing her again, without drink and time to hazen his senses and his ability to make good decisions, would mean to cross a line he was not sure he was ready to cross. Yet, he’d never find out if he never tried. 

“I wouldn’t.” Her lips were on his before he even got those words out completely, her arms around him drawing him in. It was a soft kiss, almost too short for his liking. 

“Wanted to do that the whole day,” Coraline said, her smile widening, “I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed you until I saw you again yesterday.” It was the same with him, he hadn’t thought of her much in the last years, but the evening had brought back a lot of memories. Seeing her had not felt like the first time in years, but rather as if they had last talked a day before. It had reminded him of the ease their relationship had possessed, the simple understanding they did have for each other. When she had left New Orleans she had left a hole he had not quite been able to fill, but it had become a part of him and the years had covered it up. She had been his first real love, not just some schoolyard crush and the time with her had shaped part of who he was now, how he approached relationships. It didn’t mean he had loved JJ any less, for the past years she had been his world, her and Henry the center of his attention. It had made him ignore all the moments he felt like she had settled for him, her heart never fully his, but to share with her work and the people she considered her family.

“Missed you too,” he admitted now, earning a smile in return. Coraline took his hand as they started walking, filling the air with idle chatter, to soothe both their anxious minds and hearts. She talked about California, the people she had met in Los Angeles and literally anything that came to her mind. Anything to not speak about the elephant in the room. He listened to her talk, letting her voice calm his nerves. He wondered what they were now, what they would become from there. 

They left the park behind, strolling through the city, feeling more like tourists than locals. It felt like a trip down memory lane, pointing out places they used to go together, her hand in his feeling just right. They picked a spot for dinner, a small restaurant they had often frequented in the past, sitting outside on the front porch, the table just big enough to fit their meals and two glasses of wine. 

He’d stay in the city only for another few days, she’d leave by the weekend. Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, the span of a whole country between them. The first time around it hadn’t mattered, they had separated and gone their different paths in life, now these paths had collided once more, and walking away wouldn’t be that easy. 

“Where’s this going to lead us?” He asked before he could think about it, one hand holding the second glass of wine, the other her hand. 

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “somewhere, nowhere…. I’d like somewhere way more. We don’t have to make the big decisions now, or any decision really.”

“It’s quite the distance between Washington and Los Angeles. And we ain’t having jobs that allow much spontaneity…” 

“Will, stop that overthinkin’, if it’s meant to be we make it work.” 

“It ain’t that easy, Cora, not anymore.” He had to consider Henry in every aspect of his life, he couldn’t bring another person into it, not if it meant they would probably leave. This trip back home was only possible because JJ had taken Henry to her mother, where he could stay should work call her away once more. 

“Never said it was easy,” she pressed his hand gently, “I ain’t regretting leaving, I love Los Angeles, I love my job… but I know I’ll regret not giving us a second shot if you’re in it.” Talking like this after only two days seemed insane, making plans for a future that might not exist, as if talking about it could will it into existence. It seemed too fast, too crazy, too risky… he hadn’t taken a risk like this since he left New Orleans for Jennifer without knowing if it would work out. He looked down on their hands on the table, warmth spreading through him from their touch. 

“I’m in.” Maybe these were just old feelings resurfacing, his heart clinging onto someone who had felt like home once, but it was as she had said, nothing had to come of it, but he’d most likely regret it if he’d let her go again.

The bed in Mama Patty’s guest room was too small for two people, but somehow they had made it work. Will’s arms were wrapped tightly around Coraline, her head resting on his chest, their legs tangled together. Her hair was in his face, the blanket had somehow almost completely ended up on the floor, but when he woke up and saw her illuminated by the light of the rising sun, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

They had returned late once more, the lights out and Patty fast asleep just across the hallway. Watching her undress and slipping on one of his shirts had felt more intimate than sex, knowing there was still this familiarity and trust between them. She made little noises in her sleep, hiding her face in his chest as she woke up. She had never been a morning person, living in the night and the twilight hours, and he fondly remembered the shared mornings in his first own flat, when they had no places to be and just could waste time doing nothing. Something Mama Patty would most likely not allow, in her house everyone had to be out of bed before noon and he didn’t put it beyond her to barge in and demand them to finally get up. There had been more than one occasion when he had crashed at her place after nights out and dragged himself up in the morning after too few hours of sleep, just to avoid being berated by her. He didn’t even want to know what she’d say to them now, knowing they were out until morning two days in a row. 

“Morning…” Her voice was sleepy, the word mumbled against his chest almost inaudible.

“Good morning.” He bent down to kiss the top of her head, breathing in her scent. Untangling themselves was not as easy as it used to be when they were younger, muscles and bones aching from the less than ideal sleeping positions. Laughter erupted from both of them as Coraline almost fell out of the bed when she got caught up in the blanket and resorted to letting herself flop down ungracefully. It was the sort of carefree laughter he had missed in the last month, even before the divorce, their home having become more and more quiet if it wasn’t for Henry’s cheerful personality that lit up every room. Coraline sat on the floor grinning up at him, his shirt slipping from her shoulder and her hair a mess. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen something more beautiful. 

Mama Patty grinned at them when they entered the kitchen together, both looking as presentable as possible, silently taking their coffee and her knowing looks and grin.

- Washington D.C. 2014 - 

Silence stretched out in the tiny flat as the sun slowly sat. Henry was fast asleep in his room, much smaller than the one he used to occupy in their old house, but for the boy it seemed to be enough. He had taken all the changes in his life much better than Will had ever expected. He liked this new place well enough and the most important thing to him was that he could still visit Jack as much as he liked. Maybe this fresh start was exactly what they needed after having lived in their old house for the past few months, the complete absence of Jennifer being different from her absence during long cases. Looking back, the job had already prepared them for this possibility, Henry being so used to only having one of them around constantly. Jennifer still called almost every evening to tuck him in, and had even come to visit the last days for dinner. It was not how it used to be, he didn’t want it to be. They got along well enough, were able to hold friendly conversations, but whenever he listened closely inside, the feelings he had once held for her were gone. She’d always be important to him, would always hold a place in his heart and his life, especially as long as Henry needed them both around, but he no longer tried to mend what had broken between them. It felt good, almost freeing, to no longer have to wait for her, sitting at home alone when they should be together or trying to get her on the phone, trying to remember where she was and worrying he might disturb her sleep or a meeting. Now the only time difference he remembered and that was important to him were the three hours between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. 

Right now it was around three p.m. and Coraline was probably still in the office, looking through case files, hanging onto her fourth cup of coffee she had sworn not to drink today. He smiled at that thought, imagining her buried in paperwork, forgetting time and space around her, so absorbed in her work she was. 

He turned the music on, volume low enough to not disturb Henry’s sleep, grabbing the book he had tried to read for weeks now, opening the last page. The last evenings had been filled with work he had brought home, case files and photos of the latest crime scene he had worked through once Henry was asleep. During the day all of this was locked away in his bedroom, safely away from his son. It was the same course of action his own father had taken, bringing work home to spend time together, mostly to avoid confrontation with his mother. 

He had just made it through the first few pages of his novel when his phone buzzed. Silently praying for it not to be a work call he let out a relieved breath when he saw Coraline’s name on the screen. He had yet to tell Henry, or really anyone, about her. His partner was aware of the fact that he had reconnected with someone from his hometown, but their relationship was far from official. At least for now. 

“Good evening, Will.” Hearing her voice put a smile on his face.

“Hello, Cora, I was just thinking ‘bout you.” 

~*~

If you're ever back in town
Do what you're doin' right now
'Cause I'm probably thinking 'bout you

~*~