Line of Fire (A Stitchers Fan Fiction- Book 1)

Chapter 1: The Stitch

Kirsten Clark payed the baker for the box of churros at the local bakery when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She re-ajusted her grip on the churro box and grabbed her device. It was from her partner Cameron Goodkin.

"What?" Kirsten answered dryly.

"Well good morning sunshine, where's my cheery hello or how's it going Cameron?" He replied sarcastically.

"You know I don't do hellos, especially not happy sounding hellos." Kirsten snapped. She heard him chuckle, but it was cut off by a serious tone.

"We have a stitch here at the lab and Maggie is not too happy that you're not here." 

"I can handle Maggie's wrath, trust me. Hey, how do you like your churros?" Kirsten asked. She could see Cameron's puzzled expression though her phone.

"I like the original kind, why exactly are asking me this now?" Cameron questioned curiously.

"Well, I was just thinking of thanking you for going through stitches and helping me on field work, that's all. And I heard you ate the last box of churros anyways, so I figured you like them.

"Wow! An expression of gratitude, that's something that is quite rare for you." Cameron said taken aback. Kirsten smirked slightly to herself.

"Yeah well don't get used to it."

"Just get here quickly, Maggie is not going to be too happy when she finds out you've been out getting churros instead of stitching into someone's memories."

"I've never thought I would ever hear those very words in the same sentence." Kirsten said, hanging up before he could retaliate.

***

Kirsten walked casually into the Chinese restaurant that secretly housed the Stitchers laboratory. She gave a curt nod to the owner of the dine-in where she was led to the a veil that housed the elevator that would soon take her down to the Stitchers lab.

Once she was on the main floor of the lab two-hundred meters below the ground, she hastily made a sharp left turn up the steps towards the changing room with the churro box in hand to prepare to stitch. She was almost to the dressing room doorway when Cameron's voice startled her. She turned pointedly around to him, who was leaning against the railing on the main floor smiling up at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Hey, I thought you went to go get churros for me, now you suddenly want to hide them for yourself?" the neurologist said, a smile inching across his opaque face, revealing his pearly-white teeth.

Kirsten furrowed her own eyebrows at him smirking when she saw Maggie Baptiste, the Stitchers Program supervisor approaching swiftly towards them. She saw Cameron's eyes dart between her and Maggie.

"Of course Girlfriend, these are for you." she said sweetly, suddenly throwing Cameron the box of churros over the railing. He barely caught them and glared at Kirsten with a what-the-heck-was-that kind of expression.

"Hello Maggie!" Cameron said cheerfully, attempting to ignore the churros box now in his hands.

"Dr. Goodkin, would you and Miss Clark care to enlighten me why you two were playing catch with a box of churros when we're supposed to be solving a murder case?" Maggie retorted tartly. Cameron sighed rubbing a hand threw his slightly spiked obsidian colored hair. He was about to speak but Kirsten beat him to it.

"I decided to do a good deed Maggie, is that not allowed?" Kirsten said shrugging.

"Don't play smart with me Kirsten, we'll discuss this later. Now you finally decided to show up for work, please go get ready, we stitch in 10."  Maggie said sliding past her saying nothing more. Cameron turned to face her and threw the box of churros back to Kirsten.