DINNER & DIATRIBES. . . JACKSON AVERY!

chapter ten: valentine's day massacre

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
mentions of abuse & foster care!
if you'd like to skip that, it's when she's
talking to jackson in the basement and
starts talking about her stepdad. it's not graphic, but keep yourselves safe <3

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Valentine's Day. A day with mixed opinions; some think it is the best holiday, all about love and flowers and chocolates and grand gestures; some think it is the worst holiday, hating everything about it: a capitalism cesspool.

Briar has hated the holiday for fourteen years, and not for the reason everyone always assumes. Which is why, when she saw she had February fourteenth off of work, she went and begged Derek to put her on the schedule. Fully, completely begged: puppy dog eyes, clasped hands, and bribes.

She's never been happier to be at work.

"Hey, Torres!" Mark calls, walking up to where Briar's walking with Callie. Briar looks sideways at him, waiting for her greeting, but he doesn't seem to register her appearance. "Do you know anything about putting together cribs?"

"You bought a crib?" She asks him, Briar looking at her in confusion now. Mark's made it incredibly clear that he wants Sloan and his grandson to live with him–of course he bought a crib.

"Well, Sloan's coming home tonight, and I got it put together, but it wobbles." He explains, sounding worried, and Briar smiles at that. It's cute, this whole worried dad and grandfather thing.

"I can help." She chimes in, figuring she has the most experience out of the three of them. When Mark turns to her in surprise, she rolls her eyes, although she knows she's betrayed by her fond smile. "Hello Mark, yes I've been walking with you this whole time. You might want to check your vision, you're awfully near-sighted."

"You know how to build a crib?" He asks her, ignoring everything else she said. Rude.

"Yep." She says. "You are looking at a registered foster parent in the state of Washington. I know how to build cribs, change diapers, etcetera."

"I am in love with you." Mark says, looking as if he means it for the moment, making Callie and Briar both laugh at him. "No, like, actually. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I can tell." She says lightly, before softening up. "Seriously, you're going to be okay. I'll come over and help, and you have my number anytime anything comes up."

"In love with you!" He repeats, leaning over and smacking a kiss on her cheek. "Never should've let you go–ooh, who's the blonde? I may be a dad, but I am a single dad." He declares, looking over her shoulder at a woman. Callie moves to walk away as he ventures over, Briar tugging her back with wide eyes, since she knows exactly who the blonde is.

"It must, uh, suck to work on Valentine's Day." Mark says, sauntering over to the blonde. "I don't believe we've met."

When Lexie turns around, now a blonde instead of a brunette, Mark shrieks.

Actually shrieks. It sounds like he somehow yelled in lowercase. Briar can't hold in her laughter then, her and Callie grabbing onto each other in a desperate attempt to stay on their feet.

"Oh, I needed that." Callie gasps out, grinning at Briar. "She's a hot blonde. How'd you know she dyed her hair?"

"Who do you think dyed it for her?" Briar asks with a smirk, looking over her handiwork. "My emo days paid off for this moment."

"I love you." Callie decides. "I love you more than Mark loves you, like, actually. Oh my God. Oh, I can't wait to tell Arizona about this!"

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