Finding home

Chapter 14 - The precinct

"Yo Beckett, we found the perp!" Esposito said as we got into the bullpen.

"Heey Molly! And Alexis!" Ryan called out when he saw us.

Alexis immediately ran up to her kinda uncles and hugged them. Molly on the other hand stayed by my side, clambered herself to me. I didn't know if she remembered them or if the shyness was only because she didn't really know them.

"Hey, you remember us?" Ryan asked carefully sinking down to Molly's level as soon as Alexis had switched over to hugging Esposito.

I felt Molly hugging my legs tighter and I almost unnoticeably shook my head to Ryan, telling him with my eyes that she's not warm enough yet. Esposito also sank down beside his partner, he had also noticed my shook but at the same time I knew he wanted to somehow prove he wasn't dangerous.

"How about you and Alexis staying in the break room? I think you would like it there" he suggested and I felt Molly move her head to look at my partners before she looked up at me.

"You there too?" she asked in a small voice, much smaller than the one she had used when we were at my apartment.

"I will come and check on you a little now and then, but I promise at least one of us three will be there" I told her and I saw in her eyes she was getting nervous, so I loosened her arms from my leg so I could sit down in front of her. "I have to go down talk to my best friend, you won't even notice I'm gone. Alexis will take care of you and so will Espo and Ryan here" I said while gently holding her hands in mine.

She gave me a sorrowed look before she glanced at Ryan and Esposito who smiled small. Alexis came out of Gates's office and held her finger up against her lips signaling us to be quiet. I glanced at Molly who was eyeing Alexis for only a few seconds before she looked at my partners again. I couldn't help but admire how easily she seemed to get what Alexis meant, but then I remembered her life and wondered how many times she had been told to hide the past few days, perhaps even weeks. In my vision I saw Alexis prepare herself to then jump up on Esposito's back, giving him such a surprise that he gave up a yelp and somehow fell to the side, bumping into his partner and then they all three landed on the floor with the redhead laughing at her so-called uncles. I couldn't stop the laugh building up in my chest and Molly started to giggle before she too started laughing along with me and Alexis. Esposito and Ryan grunted as they raised from the floor and before I knew it Esposito had taken a grip on Alexis and thrown her onto his shoulder, holding her upside down while Ryan tickled her.

"Stop! Stop!" Alexis half laughed half yelled.

That's when Molly suddenly left my side to run into Ryan and trying to push him away from Alexis. To my relief she was still laughing though, I was first afraid she was trying to attack Ryan because she was thinking he was hurting her friend or something.

"Detectives! This is not a playground!" Gates came out from her office looking with a disappointed expression at my partners.

"Sorry, captain! It was my fault" Alexis confessed with a huge grin.

"Okay, you're forgiven but do not let it happen again" she warned and Alexis nodded before Gates headed into her office again.

"Well, that was that. I'm going to head down to Lanie, you guys look after them, and don't leave them for a second without one of you being in there" I pointed to Ryan and Esposito showing them how serious I was.

"We can handle them" Esposito said in a tone that said it like he wasn't an idiot.

"Yeah, sure" I rolled my eyes and held out my arms to Molly and Alexis who both immediately ran into my embrace. "Be good, okay?" I told them and they both nodded at my shoulders.