Take Me Back To Paddington (SERIES)

Chapter 39 - The Journey I

Please...please... Lisa paced Krauss' living room, her soft-soled flats shuffling almost soundlessly across the floor. Where are you? 

She glanced out through the window overlooking the backstreet. There were a few people in sight, considering that most Londoners were already awake and ready to go to work, but the road held no signs of someone she expected to see. Lisa interlaced her fingers together, cracked them all at once and turned around to look at Draco who was sitting quietly in a chair.

"She's not coming, is that what you think?" She asked him.

He looked up at her, and then directed his eyes to the wall clock across from him.

"I'm so sorry, Lisa" He said with a shake of his head. 

She turned away from him and that gesture of hers was enough to silence him.

"Don't be." Lisa had tried so hard to keep negative thoughts at bay, but the disappointed look in Krauss' eyes unlocked all of the doubts, causing them to crash down on her with the weight of the world. Earlier, she had been too blinded by her hopes of reuniting with Chae. Now though, she realised that there might be nothing to hold on to anymore. She even had stopped calling the same number on her phone, thinking that nobody would answer her anyway.

With a defeated sigh, she moved away from the window and glanced at an empty chair next to Draco. But just as she stepped toward the spot, a knock at the door had her stopping dead in her tracks. Her eyes met Krauss', staring briefly at the excitement creeping into his eyes.

Lisa whirled around with a fast beating heart and sprang to the door. She turned the doorknob and found that someone she had been waiting for, standing on the doormat. 

"Sorry I'm late," The woman said with an apologetic smile. 

"Jen!" Lisa grabbed Jennifer's hands before she hurriedly closed the door. "Come in!"

Lisa cracked a smile. Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. She would attempt to hold them back, but when she saw Jennifer's eyes misting over, she let the tears stroll down her cheeks. They were warm and rather ticklish against her skin, making their way toward her chin.

"For a moment, I..." She smiled again, and another barrage of tears proceeded out of her eyes. "...thought you would not show up."

"How can I let you down, Lisa?" Jennifer sniffled. "I said I'd do anything for you, did I?"

"I'm sorry to trouble you" Lisa expressed the guilt in her chest. "I can't think of anyone else who's willing to help me"

"It's not a trouble at all" Jenniffer tightened Lisa's fingers around hers. "I'm glad you thought of me for this matter"

"But-" Lisa's speech was interrupted as she sobbed, eyes squeezed shut to hold the sadness and guilt she had for the woman in front of her, and also for her other best friend that wasn't there. "Jisoo must be so mad at you"

Jennifer let go of Lisa's hand and grasped the detective's arms instead, giving a little pressure there. She didn't say anything yet even though she knew what Lisa meant by that statement, because that woman was right about her wife. She had been married to Jisoo for as long as she could remember, and she had never seen her wife filled with that much of anger before. Her wife's screaming and crying as they fought earlier came back into her mind, and how she had left their apartment without those risks of broken marriage stopping her.

"Lisa?" She called softly and waited to see her best friend's eyes one more time.

"I thought I could make everything right again."