THE CRIMINAL FILES ~ Happily Never After

F O U R

/I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me. Girl, you just don't realize what you do to me. When you hold me in your arms, so tight. You let me know everything's alright. I'm hooked on a feeling! I'm high on believing - that you're in love with me! Lips as sweet as candy, its taste is on my mind. Girl, you got me thirsty, for another cup of wine/ ~ Blue Swede *From the motion picture, "Guardians of the Galaxy"* {Hooked on a Feeling}

Jessica's Perspective

"COD was asthma attack," Sergeant Bell told Kristen. The two were walking towards a man-hole that led into the sewers. "Construction workers were gonna' place in a new pipe today, that's when they found this."

"Uh, Sergeant Bell?" Landon asked, obviously walking up beside Kristen. He wrapped his hand around her's, but she swatted him away. Landon's gaze looked down at his lonely hand, and he looked back up at Kristen who was fully immersed in conversation.

Owen held his hand over his mouth trying so hard not to laugh. All of us were.

Kris may have allowed hand-holding back at home, but when it came down to her work, she'd shove everything out of the way and focus on what was ahead of her. Not what was kissing her or forever trying to grasp her attention.

Come to think of it, Landon was kind of needy.

After a few more push's, Landon let the whole thing go, and called Sergeant Bell once again. "If she died of an asthma attack, why were we called here?"

Landon was slowly budging Kris away with his shoulder. He stood tall and put his hands on his hips, acting all high and mighty. Kris turned to look at D and I. I rose my shoulders. She shook her head, and instead of listening to the conversation, she collected a hard hat from one of the construction workers, swung her legs into the man-hole, and began to go down the ladder into the pitch black sewers.

Nearing the man-hole, I scrunched up my nose and held my breath. It really smelled. Jackson took a hard hat and followed his sister, along with Landon then Owen, then Lily and Delilah, then May. Leaving me to stay at the top.

Sergeant Bell shook his head, chuckling lightly. "Do you not like sewers?"

"I don't like things that stink and contain animals that could give me rabies," I said, "so yeah, I don't like sewers." He gave me a toothy grin, then handed me a hard hat that I reluctantly took and put on.

After hearing the dirty water slap and spray all over the place after coming into contact with my boots, I was for-sure I was going to puke. Jackson leaned over to me, whispering something to me, that only I could hear. "You think this is bad? Should've seen what I saw this morning," he walked away over to Kristen whom - you couldn't really tell - was either bored by the rest of everyone else's small-talk, or she was trying to evade Landon's needy, persistent acts. I hoped it wad the second option.

She held out a flashlight in front of her as Owen and Jack followed her further down the sewer with one of the construction workers leading them. May had distracted Landon, holding him back with us as we talked with Sergeant Bell.

Kristen's Perspective

The air was murky, and moss stuck to the rounded walls inside the sewer. The water looked dark green, and the pavement on which we walked was wet.

Thank God, I chose these boots instead of the news ones I bought.

The construction worker ahead of us, whom we learned was named Jed, walked confidently down the winding sewage hall - leading us further into the sewer, and further into the smell.

I felt the tip of my boot catch Jackson's shoe as I felt myself go head first. Arms wrapped around my waist, hoisting me up. My hands went to their chest, and my eyes went up to his.