The X-Philes

Chapter 3

Phil leaned his head against the car window as Dan drove him back to their own police station. They didn't say much on the ride back besides planning out details of their trip. The rest of the ride Phil had his earbuds in. It was only when he saw the police station come into view through the windshield that he took them out and pocketed them.

"Meet you at seven?" Dan asked as he pulled into his usual parking spot.

"Seven sharp," Phil repeated, eyes fixed ahead on the words on the brick building as he opened the car door and stepped out.

"Don't be late," Dan smiled, ducking his head to look up at Phil outside the passenger side of the car.

Phil bent down to face Dan.

"I won't if you bring coffee," he joked.

"We'll get some on the way," Dan assured him before shooing him off.

Phil walked back to where his car sat a few parking spaces away, looking back at Dan as he exited his own car and went back into the station.

They'd decided to head out to West Virginia the next day, giving them the rest of the afternoon to pack and one night's sleep before rolling out early the next morning. Dan had to get more files of the case together within his jurisdiction and Phil had to work on canceling his appointments for the week. He felt bad about it, but he figured if ever there was a family emergency, this counted.

It was a short drive back to Phil's house. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he'd stepped inside and noticed his muffins on the counter.

Well, no one else would be eating them this week, so he might as well pack them for his trip, he thought to himself. For now, however, he was going to eat as many as he could.

It occurred to Phil that he'd have to dump the milk out of the fridge before leaving tomorrow morning, and should he take some of his own coffee with him, or just rely on what was available?

Phil realized he hadn't had a trip in a very long time, and he was out of practice preparing for one.

After finishing his third muffin, Phil thudded up the steps quickly, entering his bedroom and opening his closet door, frantically searching for a duffle bag to pack his clothes in.

He would also need a smaller bag for his deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste...

Packing was a lot of work.

Phil paused to take a breath and collect his thoughts, looking around his bedroom to see if anything jumped out at him that he would need to pack. He spotted his hair brush and deodorant stick on his dresser and moved to toss them on his bed.

It was a good thing he didn't have a pet he thought to himself as he moved around his bedroom pulling clothes from drawers, refolding them, and placing them in piles to be packed.

He didn't have a reusable toiletries bag, so he went downstairs to grab a plastic sandwich bag to place his things in.

By the time Phil was done packing it was a little after five. With nothing else to do besides cancel his client's appointments, Phil decided to start cooking dinner. He figured it would be easy enough to make calls while he cooked.

When he finished, he scooped the pasta dish he'd made into a bowl and went to sit at his summoning table, removing the tablecloth with the summoning circle on it and replacing it with one for his own personal use.

Phil cleaned up for the night and sat down on his couch, turning a light on to read by.

Before Phil knew it, it was almost ten.