Love's Complicated.

Love's Complicated - Chapter 12

The night was dark, and still Avery hadn't slept. It had been two days since the spray painted note, and all the police had was a discarded can of half empty white spray bottle. They labelled it as a prank, but Avery's gut feeling said otherwise. She couldn't shake the paranoia in her thoughts, that she was being targeted.

Rolling over, she looked at the clock beside her bed and sighed. 3:04am. Great. Throwing off her warm sheets and slipping her feet into a pair of slippers, Avery wrapped her dressing gown around her tightly and tied it in a knot.

Her feet whispered to the wooden staircase as she neared the kitchen. Frowning, she saw the light on. Slowly, she peeked around the corner, and saw a slouched Fiona, pouring over some notes.

"Fi." Avery watched her aunt jump, then relax slightly when she saw who it was. But the frown was still there. She'd never seen her so serious.

"Oh, hey sweetie. What are you doing up?" Fiona asked, sipping on what looked like her ninth coffee. Judging by the coffee machine, it wouldn't be the last either.

"Couldn't sleep. What about you?" Avery asked, taking a seat on the kitchen island stool opposite Fiona. She fought a yawn, and scribbled something down on a note riddled piece of paper before dropping her pen onto the pad.

"Just trying to figure out this case. It's so random, really, which makes it difficult." Fiona replied tiredly, and Avery caught a glimpse of the name. She was going over Brittany's file again.

"Fi, leave it for tonight. Come watch T.V. with me." Avery said, but she shook her head stubbornly in the typical Woods fashion.

"No, the sooner I can close this, the sooner it blows over for the town." Fiona muttered, scanning another document.

Avery sighed. She knew all too well what that meant. The sooner they found Brittany's killer, the sooner Barker Grant left. The faster he went, the quicker Fiona could rebuild, restart all over again. Avery thought back to the picture she found of Fiona and the young man, and realised that was him in it. An idea struck her. Jumping up from her perch, Avery smiled.

"I think I've got an idea that will help." Avery said, and Fiona eyed her suspiciously. Running back up to the basement, grabbed the box of pictures, and ran back down the stairs and into the kitchen. When Fiona saw the box, she frowned.

"How is that going to help with the case?"

"It's not." Avery said brightly. "It's going to help you." Fiona stared at her for a good few seconds, before confusion littered her face.

"How will-"

"Hand me the scissors." Avery instructed, holding out her hand. Fiona handed them over hesitantly, watching her like Avery was a nut case.

Rummaging through the box, she selected another photo, this one of Fiona and Grant at a resteruant. splitting the scissors, she did one smooth cut through the middle. Fiona gasped, hand over her mouth, and Avery started to wonder if her idea had been a bad one.

"Do it again." Fiona said quietly, and Avery smiled, cutting the picture again.

"Feels good, doesn't it? You try." Avery said, selecting a random photo and holding the scissors out to Fiona. She hesitated at first, then slowly, cut a neat line through it. Her face eased slightly, surprise etching over the sadness.

"This does feel good. Another one." Fiona said, and soon almost all the photos were cut up, lying in a heap around them. Fiona laughed, and shook her head slowly. The sadness was still there, Avery thought, it probably would always be. Because she knew that when Fiona was younger, she never held back. Whatever she did, she did it with all of her. That's why she felt twice as much. The love she had with Barker had been full force, and it nearly broke her. She had always loved with her heart on her sleeve, and she didn't deserve the pain she was going through now.