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 Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:28 pm
It was a hot day, if that wasn't bad enough the rain from the previous night had died down to a miserable drizzle that soaked everything without it actually being rain, this was the type of weather you stayed inside and read a book, not walk all over creation because you can't afford gas yet, but you still need to get things done. By now it was mid day and Aubrey had already done a shopping trip after she walked her sisters to school and now she was making her way to the police station. Her lawyer had told her that one of the best things she could do for her case would be to get a copy of the original police report and and eye witness statement if it was possible. Aubrey could only hope that at least one of the responding officers was still here after three years, and would remember the case.
When she finally reached the building she was relieved to go inside and get out of the wet, though she felt bad about the little puddles she left behind herself as she walked, and shivered under the sudden blast of AC. The man at the front desk asked her what her business was and she informed him of her reasons for being there, he then told her to wait in a waiting area and someone would be along to see her. It didn't seem to be that busy of a day, but there were always people moving around. Aubrey watched from her spot by the wall where she felt a little more comfortable, though she still shivered in her damp clothes, wishing that she had brought a jacket despite the heat outside.
By the time an hour had passed, Aubrey was sure that hers was a lost cause, and she was starting to get uncomfortable, she had re-braided her hair in an attempt to look more presentable, but the longer she sat the more she felt like a suspect, which was ridiculous since she was here as a victim rather than a perpetrator. Aubrey debated back and forth whether she should just leave a number and go, or wait just a little bit longer.
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 1:46 am
The station was a generally bustling place, and today was no different. A hundred faces passed Aubrey while she waited, and everyone seemed caught up in their own life. The rain had picked up for a while, but not it seemed to have tapered off. For the first time since Aubrey had come in, things seemed to be slowly calming down—if such a thing could be said.
One moment, there was no one sitting next to her.
The next, a police officer sank into the chair to her right, one cup of coffee in each hand.
Jeremy Fischer offered her a cup with a lazy grin and tired eyes. "Long time, no see," he greeted. He had seen many cases since hers, but there were some things that he remembered.
"How are your sisters doing?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 6:07 am
Aubrey jumped when someone sat next to her, she knew that she was losing her touch but she didn't think it would be so easy for someone to sneak up on her. With a small hesitant smile she took the offered cup of coffee and sipped it, feeling delicious warmth buzz through her body, finally ending her shivering. She looked at him but did not remember him.
"My sisters are doing very well, they just settled in to their new school this morning." she responded easily and then her eyes narrowed in concentration trying to place his face, it seemed almost familiar but it still slipped from her grasp when she tried to recall him.
"I'm sorry I don't remember you, everything from that night was a blur, but since you recognize me I would assume you were one of the first responders." Aubrey responded after taking another delicious sip of coffee, it could have been boiled dirt and still would have tasted like ambrosia to her as long as it was warm.
Finally she offered her free hand to him. "Let me formerly introduce myself, I'm Aubrey Quinzel"
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Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:11 pm
Jeremy raised a brow as he looked at her but nodded slowly. "Yeah, I was there. Look, no sweat about not remembering, happens all the time."
He extended his free hand, offering it in polite greeting as well. "Jeremy Fischer," he introduced, figuring he could skimp out a bit on the formalities. He gave her hand a firm shake and then let it fall back into his lap.
"So, I figure you haven't been sitting around for the past hour looking for a good time, so I won't waste any more of your time: what can I do for you, Miss Quinzel?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 2:35 am
“Just Aubrey, please.” she responded absently as she took a moment to gamther her thoughts. Finally she looked at him and decided to just tell him more than just the bare necessities, he seemed easy to talk to.
“Well... My father is trying to regain full custody of my sisters, and I can't allow that to happen.” she said simply and then rubbed her face briskly for a moment before looking back at Jeremy.
“Over the last three years he claims to have been in AA and to have become reformed, but I don't think people change that easily. I've seen the monster that lurks below the surface, and I took the punches long enough, I cannot sit back and let that happen to my sisters, they don't deserve that.” Aubrey felt the cold creep back in and her arm twinged where it had been broken in two places that night three years earlier. Absently Aubrey rubbed her arm and then glanced up at the cop sitting next to her.
“What I really need is a copy of the police report and an eye witness statement if you can give one that I can give to my lawyer to use in court so that I can get full custody of my sisters and keep them out of our parents hands.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 12:46 pm
Jeremy's brows narrowed a bit as he listened; he nodded, but clearly seemed unhappy with the way things had gone on since their long-ago encounter. "Yeah," he said after a moment, without much hesitation.
"Let me talk to some people, I'll get you what you need. There's a little bit of a procedure, so let me walk you through it. First," he said, and held up a finger; he set his coffee down on the table next to him and stood up. He disappeared around the corner but returned after only a moment with a clipboard and a few sheets of paper attached.
"You're going to have to fill out this copy, and turn it in to the front desk."
It was a basic sheet of paper, labeled clearly as a request for a copy of the police report. "She's going to ask for your identification and might make you sign a few things, but that's easy stuff." He pointed at a few different lines on the paper and gave a quick explanation, but concluded by saying, "It's gonna take a couple days for someone to pull up the report, but if you leave you're number we can give you a call so you can pick it up, or we'll mail it to you. It might take up to a week, but I'll do what I can. You, uh," he paused and looked at her. "…You got a good lawyer? Because if you even start doubting him, I know a few who'd probably be willing to help out."
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 7:56 pm
"I really appreciate the help." Aubrey responded as he got up to get the paperwork.
Aubrey listened intently as Jeremy explained the paperwork and what she had to fill out. She took the papers from him and began to fill them out as he spoke, glancing at him occasionally as she did so to show she was listening.
"My lawyer better be good for what I pay him." Aubrey responded with a humorless laugh and then shook her head. "It took most of my inheritance from my grandmother, but he's the best custody lawyer in Massachusetts, but it just means I have to do a bit of the legwork so I don't pay even more for him to come out here before the court date." She added as she finished filling out the forms.
Aubrey reached into her pocket and pulled out a receipt from an earlier shopping trip and tore off a blank space in which she wrote her cell phone number and handed it to Jeremy.
"I know you have a lot of work to do, but I would appreciate it if you could keep me updated on the status... Its very important to me that I am as prepared as I can be, and I can't let anything fall between the cracks." She told him quietly, her gaze intent.
When she spoke about her sisters, sparks of her old confidence could be seen. She could pretend to not be a victim when she had someone to protect.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 4:47 pm
Jeremy blinked when she handed him the number; he glanced it over but finally nodded slowly. "I hear ya," he said after a few seconds. "I've got a younger brother, so I get it. Stickin' your neck out for them is kinda second nature. You go the extra mile so they don't have to. I'll tell you what," he said, and pulled out a scrap receipt of his own. He glanced on the other side to make sure it wasn't important—and it wasn't. Lucky Charms cereal, a six pack of beer and some Advil, paid in cash. He scribbled his phone number on the back.
"Usually I have a card, but I'm sort of fresh out. But you call me if you need anything or have any questions, all right? I've been through a few of these cases. The important thing is to make sure your sisters go to the best home possible, and if you think it's with you, you fight for them. You do everything you can for them. But don't forget to take care of yourself, too, all right? I've seen too many people fall to pieces in cases."
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:03 pm
Aubrey took the offered number with a small smile as she folded it and tucked it into her pocket. "They are the most important thing to me, and I would do anything to protect them." she responded quietly.
"My grandmother's Ranch was the best place for them, but when she died that was no longer an option." Aubrey took a deep breath and let it out in a rush of air, "But I'm trying to make my home the best option now but having just moved back to the city I have to find a job or two in order to make things financially secure."
Aubrey sighed and ran her fingers through her damp hair, causing strands to fall out of the braid and fall around her face. "I can be strong enough for them... I have to be." she added softly. Her eyes were tired and there were lines around them that shouldn't have been on a 22 year old. It was clear that the last few years had been difficult, and she was trying to hold it all together for the sake of her sisters.
"Maybe I'll start going to the gym again or find someone to practice Aikido with, that always helped keep me centered before," ...when she was suffering from abuse at home and needed any sort of outlet for her frustration.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:10 pm
"You should do that. It sounds like a good idea. It's never a bad idea to have some experience with self defense here in Destiny City. Weird stuff is always going on," he grumbled, but rolled his shoulders.
"Sorry you lost the ranch. I know Destiny City not exactly the best place to raise kids ,but it's not bad. I mean," he gestured to himself, "I turned out fine. And I'm sure your sisters are lucky to have someone like you looking after them. Seems like they've got a really good role model in you. How old are they, now—do they want to stay with you?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:18 pm
"It's a good martial art form to practice, at least from my experience." Aubrey responded with a slight shrug, she decided not to comment on the weird things that she may or may not be getting involved with and simply sighed.
"It was a really nice place to live, but the banks foreclosed on it." Aubrey shook her head slightly. "Grandma wouldn't let things like that show, but once she was gone we found out how bad things really were." She frowned and cracked the knuckles in her fingers to distract herself from her thoughts and then glanced up at Jeremy when he spoke again.
"Kerrigan is 16 and Bethany is 11, as far as I know they want to stay with me, at least they haven't told me they want to live with anyone else. I just hope the courts can find favor with me, our situation is a bit unorthodox." Aubrey added with a sigh.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:55 pm
Jeremy nodded. "It looks better when the kids want to stay with you. The fact that one's sixteen is going to be pretty good, I think. I don't know, I figure there's nothing you can do but worry, but if I remember everything correctly—and I think I do—I think you stand a good chance. But the Courts' gonna look favorably on you if you show that you're well adjusted, so remember to show up clean and well taken care of. And calm. Don't go into hysterics. And hold your head key—even if things go sour, and I'm not saying they will," he added quickly, "There are things you can do afterwards. But your lawyer will go over those with you, I'm sure. Either way—you've been waiting here a while, yeah?"
Jeremy tried to smile. "Go home and be with your sisters, or do what you need to do. I'll call when I have an update, okay?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 4:25 am
"I will do my best." Aubrey responded with a tiny determined smile. She would have to find a way to balance taking care of her sisters with being a senshi, she was so needed in both places.
"I guess I'll go back out to the job searching, but I really appreciate all you have done to help. Thank You Officer Fischer." Aubrey told him as she stood up and brushed her damp pants with her hands. She glanced back at Jeremy and gave him a friendly grin, happy that he had been so understanding and helpful.
"I'll see you around." She told him in a happy tone, finally things would start moving in the right direction, and she felt that he really would do all in his power to help her, and it felt nice having someone be on her side for once.
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