Criminal Case: Pacific Bay

Chapter 18: After the Storm-Part 1

(AN: Hey all! Here's the anime song I thought of for this district! Enjoy!😊)

A few days after Marie wrapped up her adventures in Inner City, the day where she was reassigned to Jazz Town finally arrived. On her way to work, she looked down at the ring on her left ring finger and she began to remember what Frank said to her the next morning after their night of hot, heavy sex.

At the hotel:

Marie woke up sore all over and she sat up slowly and hugged the sheets close to her body so they wouldn't fall down. She looked to the closed bathroom door and she heard water running inside. The first thing that came to Marie's mind was Frank was probably in the shower now. She let out a sigh and she thought to herself, you tried to end this calmly and maturely, but in the end you're still a part of it.

Just then, Marie felt something shiny hit her face and she looked down at her left ring finger and that's when her eyes went wide when she saw that there was a ring on it. Marie began to debate on where it came from and why it was on her. Just as she was about to pull it off, Frank came in not wearing a towel, but his usual clothes; his trademark tropical design shirt and a pair of dark jeans.

When he saw that she was up, he smiled and said, "Good you're awake. I was wondering when you were gonna get up and see my little surprise."

Marie nodded to him and said, "I was surprised alright. What's the meaning of this Frank? Why is there a ring on my finger?"

Frank sat down on the bed, placed his hand on her cheek and said to her sweetly, "Because I got it for you. I've been divorced for a long time now and I want to start over. I know what you're thinking, yes, I drink a lot and I tend to flirt with some pretty girls, but those things mean nothing when they're compared to you."

Marie then felt her hands being taken in his and she looked into his wrinkled eyes and he said to her sweetly, "I know we're different in ages and I may not be as young as I used to be, but I don't care if I'm sixty and you're thirty-five. What matters is I don't want this to end yet. And when the time comes, I want to be with you. So what do you say, will you be Mrs. Frank Knight, Marie?"

Marie was at a loss for words when she heard that and she remembered Jones did the same thing back in Grimsborough and she turned him down. Not knowing whether to say yes or no, Marie looked down and she asked Frank, "Can I think about it?"

She then felt him kiss her forehead and he said to her, "Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting for an answer."

Present:

Marie still couldn't believe Frank proposed to her like that. Even now, she doesn't know whether to say yes or no to him and she sure doesn't know what to say to Amy or anyone else. Marie let out a deep sigh and said to herself, "I'll just have to worry about it later and get on with my job."

Pretty soon, Marie arrived at the station and once she got there, Chief Marquez called her, Frank, Amy and the rest of the team to her office for a meeting. As soon as everyone arrived, the Chief was standing before them and she looked at everyone and said, "Marie, Amy, Frank and everyone, you're all doing a terrific job combating crime in Pacific Bay and I'm very proud of all of you. This time though, we're going to work in a neighborhood where crime is not the only cloud that hangs over the citizens' life. In Jazz Town, nature can be a killer too.