Enlightened

Chapter Nine: Never

Toni and Cheryl arrived at the station at 7:45.  Fangs was standing in front of Cheryl's desk, clipboard in hand, with a troubled expression on his face.  His bushy eyebrows were knit together and his pale pink lips were downturned in discontent.  The smile that Toni previously had faded away as she opened the door for her secretary.  Her brows knit together in a similar fashion to the black haired boy standing in front of her.  

"Fangs?  What's wrong?"  She asked before taking a sip of her coffee.  

"We got a call this morning.  It was the Black Hood.  He said he wanted to meet you, and Cheryl, at the river between the North and South sides."  Fangs said looking up at her, the troubled appearance being reflected in his agitated words.  The Sheriff's heart filled with rage and sorrow.  Her secretary was filled with dread.  

"Come with me, both of you,"  Toni said to Fangs and Cheryl before walking to her office.  They trailed slightly behind the smallest girl.  When they were inside, Toni shut the door and locked it, shutting the thin wooden blinds.  The Deputy and secretary sat down, looking up at their boss in confusion.  "Tell me everything the Black Hood said, Fogarty,"  Toni said, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Well, about twenty minutes ago, I got a call from an unknown number.  They said that they wanted you and Cheryl at Sweetwater river at 10:45.  They also said that if anyone else came with you, besides her, they'd kill you both."  Fangs said shakily.  His palms were sweating as he recalled the chilling conversation.  Cheryl went pale, again.  This may not have scared her if she didn't know who the Black Hood was.  Having the knowledge that it was Heather who was the mastermind was terrifying.  She was willing to kill the redhead.  The girl she'd thought to be her best friend was threatening to kill her.  

"10:45?  Why would the Black Hood want us in broad daylight?"  Cheryl asked, looking up at her boss.  

"I have no idea, but we need to go.  I need to catch the Black Hood.  I'm planning a sick Fourth of July barbeque tonight and I don't want any serial killers interrupting."  Toni said, cracking a small smile.  Cheryl couldn't help but smile back.  The pink haired girl was so goofy, it was such an endearing quality.  The same kind of feeling one gets when playing with a puppy or hearing a baby laugh.  A pure, innocent happiness. 

"Alright, we'll go then."  The redhead said through her smile.  Fangs looked at the two of them with confusion at first, but then realization.  He knew what was going on.  Toni wasn't sly.  As Cheryl turned away to answer her phone, Fangs caught Toni's attention.  He gave his boss a playful but questioning look.  No words were spoken, but they both knew what was being said.  Fangs and Toni had developed a practically unbreakable bond of the past few years of working together.  They were almost telepathic, that's how close they were.  Toni responded with an aggressive raise of her eyebrows and an awkward "we'll talk later" smile.  Fangs just nodded and stood up, as if telling her "okay Topaz, I see you".

"I'll be back soon T, I've got some stuff to take care of.  Then we can discuss backup for your... uh, meetup."  Fangs said leaving the room.  Toni nodded at him in response.

When he had left, Cheryl turned to Toni.  "I think it's adorable how he has nicknames for you.  You didn't strike me as a "pet names" kind of person,"  The redhead said chuckling at herself and smiling at Toni.  An animalistic desire arose within the smaller girl.  The way the morning light contoured Cheryl's cheekbones and her porcelain smile made her positively ethereal.  She didn't respond to the redhead's comment.  Cheryl's smile dropped and she pouted slightly, sticking her bottom lip out just a little further than normal.  "Is something wrong?"  The slight red stain from the matte lipstick she wore religiously and a little bit of a gloss from swiping her tongue over her lower lip made Cheryl all the more kissable.