Hostage | Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Twenty-Six

Fawn

"Fawn, this is Doug Judy and Adrian Pimento," Rosa says, introducing me to the two men in front of me, "they both provided information that assisted us in finding you." Adrian, the one that I met whilst I was captured and gave me hope of rescue, holds out his hand for me to shake. His hair is messy and scraggly, a distinct contrast to the smart outfit he's wearing, which consists of black trousers and a dark brown button-up shirt. "Thank you for giving me some kind of hope," I comment as I shake his hand, followed with a slight laugh at how strong my handshake is. 

Adrian then leads Rosa away and leaves me with Doug, who at first appears a little lost for words, so I try to start a conversation with him. "Rosa told me about the relationship you had with Jake. A slightly strange one at that, but I'm glad that he was able to help you get clean again. You're a good friend to him and I'm assuming you know what's happened to him." Once the final words have left my mouth, Doug seems to come to his senses and is able to form a sentence or two: "Thank you, he mentioned someone called 'Fawn' every now and then when we were together, although he always seemed a little down-heartened by it. And yes, I know about his coma, I was quite upset to hear about it."

I nod my head and try to quickly move away from the subject, so I motion to the kitchen table where the snacks and beverages are situated, which Doug's eyes widen at slightly. A small chuckle leaves my lips as he makes his way to the table. Then my ears pick up the sound of someone rapping their knuckles against the door, so I walk over and open it to reveal Captain Holt and Kevin, who is holding a small bunch of lilies. 

"Captain, Kevin," I start as I welcome them inside, "it's good to see you both again." I almost jump with astonishment when Kevin suddenly wraps his arms around me and holds me in an embrace. "Thank goodness you're safe, Raymond told me what had happened to you and worry increased as the weeks turned into months," he says, still rather solemn but with a distinct tone of sadness, "and my condolences about Jacob, that night he came over we just knew something was deeply wrong." As we pull out of the embrace, Captain Holt has already made his way towards the other guests but I barely acknowledge this over what Kevin just said to me.

"Sorry, but what did you mean when you said 'that night he came over'?" I ask and after he sighs, Kevin goes to the nearest door and opens it, revealing the spare bedroom. I follow him inside and after he shuts the door, he clears his throat.

"One night, Jacob arrived at our home and was in a terrible state," Kevin starts as we both take a seat at the end of the bed, "he was terribly distraught and emotional. I have never seen him in such a way, so it was quite the shock. After I welcomed him inside and Raymond joined us in the main sitting room, he completely broke down in front of us. He began to cry and said that he was starting to doubt himself; he was losing hope in his own abilities to find you, as it had been several weeks and nothing had been found."

Jake...

"Raymond and I managed to calm Jacob down, and Raymond reminded him that whilst nobody is completely perfect,  he will pull through. He reminded him, also, that he has complete faith and trust in him," Kevin finishes and I can't bring myself to say anything back in response, except simply saying thank you. Kevin nods his head, pats my shoulder supportively and then leaves the room. I follow after and return to the party, where everyone is socialising together. 

Suddenly, something urgent pops into my head that I haven't even considered yet. As quickly as I can, I grab my motorbike keys, my phone and my bag, before I make a beeline for the front door. "Fawn, where are you going?" Charles calls out from nearby, looking at me in confusion. 

"Jake's mum doesn't know yet, does she?" I ask and the instant I see Charles' eyes widen, I rush out of the door and sprint down the stairs to the ground floor. The last I heard from Jake was that he had a massive fight with his mother, and they both agreed to stay away from each other for a few months to calm down and collect their thoughts. Granted, that was a week or so before I was taken, but it seems that they both followed through with their agreement.

As I start to make my way through the city towards Jake's old house, I try to think of how I can best break the news to Karen, but also how to explain why I practically disappeared all those years ago. Since I joined the force almost a year or so ago now, I still haven't managed to pull the courage together to make myself known to Karen again. She became a second mother figure to me after my mother... did what she did. So I know it was also hard for her to accept my sudden departure. 

Eventually, I reach the house and see that the lights are all on, so she is home. I park my bike, switch off the engine and walk up to the door, trying my best to push all my nerves aside. I raise my hand to the door and knock a couple of times, after which I hear some heeled footsteps make their way towards me. The door swings open and I make eye contact with Karen for the first time in many years.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asks, instantly telling me that she doesn't recognise me, which makes total sense. I clear my throat and reach inside my bag to find the photo of Jake and I at our high school prom. "Hi, Mrs Peralta. I, um... well, just look at this photo for me, if you please." She looks slightly confused as I hand the photo over to her, but then her eyes widen and her mouth drops open.

"Fawn? Is it really you?" She asks, as she takes a few steps closer and her eyes dart all over my face, almost analysing my facial features. When I smile and push my fringe away from my eyes, a sharp gasp leaves Karen's lips. "It is you," she says in almost a whisper, placing her hand on my cheek lightly. 

"I need to talk to you, about several things. Would it be okay for me to come inside?" I ask and she immediately welcomes me inside the house, so I thank her and walk inside, memories flooding back into my mind instantly.