Chapter Text
The team had gathered at the pub, a welcome night off after a long case.
“Oh look, they’re doing screech-ins,” Jesse exclaimed, watching the staff setting up the stage. “I remember when I did it.”
“Weren’t you a kid when you got to Newfoundland?” Charlie asked, amused.
“Well of course it was when I was older,” Jesse replied. “Kissed the cod and everything.”
Charlie made a face. “I guess that’s one of the perks of being from here. No unnecessary fish kissing.”
“When did you do it, Sarah?” Jesse asked.
“I…I haven’t ever done it.”
“What?” Jesse looked shocked. “We gotta get you screeched in! It’s a very important part of becoming a Newfoundlander,” he said sagely.
“How many of those have you had?” asked Joe, eyeing Jesse’s beer.
“I’m not driving,” Jesse replied, downing the rest of his drink. “But come on, Sarah, you could do it tonight!”
“Uh…maybe another time, okay?” Sarah gathered her coat, looking mildly embarrassed. “Thanks for dinner, guys, but I should be getting home.” She headed for the door.
Charlie and Joe exchanged looks.
Something had been nagging Charlie. A change in Sarah’s demeanour that week. Something felt off.
“Rex and I are going to head out, too,” he said, grabbing his coat.
***
“Hey,” Charlie called, catching up to Sarah outside the pub. Her head was bent as she typed on her phone. “Sorry…didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Sarah looked up, surprised to see him. “Sorry, no, it’s okay, Charlie. It’s just my mom.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She shook her head. “Yeah, my parents have just been asking me to come home more often.”
Home, thought Charlie. Right, Toronto. She probably still considered it home. “Weren’t you just there to visit your boyfriend a few months ago?”
Charlie couldn’t help but catch the cloud that passed over Sarah’s face at the mention of Thomas.
“Yeah. I was.” She sighed. “Anyway, I should go.”
“Can we walk you to your car?”
She flashed him a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Sure. I’d like that.” Reaching down, she gave Rex’s head a scratch.
They walked down the street, past the bars and pubs that were just starting to get busy at this time of night. Once they got out of the downtown area, they paused, admiring the colourful buildings that lined the road.
“So about what Jesse was saying,” Charlie began. “I mean, you don’t have to, obviously, but if you ever want to do the screech-in ceremony, Rex and I would be happy to go with you.”
Sarah laughed. “Do you really have to kiss a fish?”
“Apparently?” Charlie echoed her laughter. “It’s a tradition for ‘come-from-aways’. I’ve seen it once or twice. It’s good fun.”
“Maybe I’ll take you up on that someday,” Sarah said. “Hey, here’s a question. What’s the story with these colourful houses? You see them in all of the tourist brochures.”
“Well, I’ve heard a couple of different reasons for that. There’s the practical answer, which is that a few decades ago they wanted to make the area more vibrant, so they painted the buildings with this specific colour palette. But there’s also stories that fishermen wanted to match their homes to the colour of their boats, or that the bright colours made the buildings easier to see in the fog.”
“They’re really pretty,” Sarah mused as they kept walking. “Unique.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I think I’m just used to seeing them as part of the landscape.” Charlie paused. “Hey, do you want to go for a hike tomorrow? It’s supposed to be a nice day.”
“I’d really like that, Charlie.”
Rex barked.
“And you too, Rex,” Sarah said, kneeling down to ruffle the big dog’s fur. “See you tomorrow.”