Rain or Shine | Soulmate AU 1.5 |

4

I wake up earlier than the rest of the tower on Monday so I can sneak out without being questioned. There's a bakery a block away that I stop at. The lady behind the counter is more than happy to box up two red velvet cupcakes for me. I head for the subway next and clutch the box in both hands where it's resting on my lap the entire ride to Manhattan.

The park is far more alive than the tower was when I left. There isn't as many kids and families as before, but birds are chirping and runners are getting their work out for the day in.

It never takes me long to find the tree. It looks the same as it did the last time I was here, as well as the time before that, and the time before that. I sit at the base of it like I always do and watch the ducks swim by for a little before breaking out the cupcakes.

There's a single blue candle I brought that I dig out of my pocket and jam into the cream cheese icing of one of them. Next comes the lighter that I use to light the candle and then I just sit for a second, staring as the flame dances slightly with the vague morning breeze.

I half mutter, half hum the "happy birthday" song before blowing the candle out and placing the cupcake on the ground beside me. That one's for Damien. I peel the wrapper off the second cupcake and force myself to take my time eating it. It's just as sweet as I remember it being, the kind that makes my teeth ache a bit, but I enjoy it anyway. This is a dessert I only indulge in once a year.

The sun has risen higher in the sky by the time I get up and dust my jeans off. I leave Damien's cupcake on the ground by the tree and don't look back as I make my way out of the park.

All League agents are buried in Washington, D.C. That's where Damien's grave is, of course. I went there the first year after he died to celebrate his birthday but the entire experience left me cold and aching. All the graves look the same. His name isn't even engraved onto the stone, only his initials and League ID number in its place. There are no memories in that cemetery like there are here in Manhattan.

I wander the city for a little while, watching as the rest of the world comes to life around me. Stores open up shop for the day. Kids with bulky backpacks walk to school. It's comfortable in an odd way.

My phone doesn't vibrate, chirp, or ring even once where it's tucked into my pocket. That in itself is a rarity. Today is the only day of the year that I ever turn my phone off. I get multiple emails, memos, calls, and texts daily which is something I take in stride at this point in my career. Managing all of it was a bit like juggling knives back when I first accepted the captaincy position, but the ease came with practice and time. I know plenty of other captains that ignore everything like I am right now but do it at all times instead, so I don't really feel bad about taking this one day off. I think I've earned myself a day.

I slip into a candy shop Damien and I frequented when we'd have the sudden urge to go off our training diets and browse for a bit. Nobody bothers me while I'm there and I leave with candy for myself as well as enough to feed everyone else in the tower.

I buy a movie ticket a little later on in the day and sit all the way in the back row for it. This was the go-to date spot because while Damien loved with his entire heart, he was also hopelessly unoriginal. Seeing a movie was one of our favorite things to do, though, so neither of us found any reason to fix something that wasn't broken. We always ended up making out as if we were suddenly a couple of risky teenagers, anyway, so we'd have to rewatch the movie after it came out on DVD to get the full story.

I finally turn my cell phone back on after the movie is over. It's a good idea to make sure no one is dying whenever I can when it comes to the team nowadays. Shit just tends to happen.

I don't expect the device to erupt into vibrations, message after message coming in with increasing degrees of alarm and panic. The main topic of all of them becomes clear quite quickly, and I'm hailing a cab to get back to the tower without even having to think about it: Bella's missing.

It doesn't take me nearly as long to get back as it does with the train. Moon waves me straight onto the elevator the moment I barge my way through the lobby. The common floor is a flurry of panic and the entire team is on me the second I step off the elevator.

They all want to know where I've been. Of course. I can't exactly blame them. There's never been a time when any of them haven't been able to reach me before. I don't make it a habit of disappearing from the tower without letting anyone know where I'm going, or that I'm going out at the very least.

I don't offer any answers.

"Flint, JD, check CCTV. Cecelia, Tony, call every hospital, police station, everywhere. Nick, contact HQ in D.C and let them know what's going on. Lake, Rowan, head over to her preschool and get everything you can on everyone that's ever been in or associated to her school," I list, shoving down the burn of failure in my throat as I dole out responsibilities. This is my job. I deserve all the pissed looks and criticism that they're throwing my way.

There's a pause where no one moves, and irritation bubbles up inside me. They're all thrown off, unsure, because their captain doesn't have the superhuman reliability that I've managed to convince them I do.

"Go!" I shout, and that gets them all moving. I hardly ever raise my voice like that.

Rowan heads to the elevator along with everyone else, but Lake hangs back for a moment with a strange expression softening his features.

"What?" I quip as the elevator doors slide shut.

"You always answer your phone," the younger man says matter-of-factly. "There's something wrong."

"There's nothing wrong, Lake. You should go and catch up with Row," I grit out, running a harsh hand through my hair.

"Yeah, don't bullshit me, okay? I'm not stupid."

I let out a long sigh. My eyes start to water a bit at the truth. I look down at the floor, angling my face away from him as I jam my hands into my pockets.

"It's his birthday," I say quietly.

Lake makes a small, confused noise before he sucks in a breath. I look over just enough to catch the way his face falls in my peripheral vision. I don't expect the hand that lands on my shoulder and squeezes, but I don't shake it off.

"I'm sorry," he says softly.

"It's okay," I murmur. "Go meet up with Rowan, okay? We gotta find the kiddo."