The Secret

Chapter 2 | Metamorphosis

•Travis•

I met with Fabian after work for a quick beer at the brewery before I headed home and then to Brianne's apartment for our regular weekend shinanigans. I can't really vent to Fabian because he isn't that sensitive to feelings when it comes to work and I always just end up getting Brianne's perspective. She'll also give it to me straight and won't tiptoe around my feelings without making me feel like shit.
I'm not saying Fabian doesn't have feelings at all, I mean, he showed me every part of him when my mom passed away. She loved Fabian and Brianne like they were her own kids. I'm an only child, so it meant the world to her when they came over and she was able to send Brianne home in these beautiful braids that my mom always made on her. I secretly liked it when my mom braided her hair because, it showed Brianne's killer emerald green eyes that she always tried to hide with her bangs. Fabian wasn't so lucky to have colored eyes like his sister. He got the dominant genes from his father who had brown eyes. My mom is the one who I got my colored eyes from. How lucky was I?
After I got home from meeting with Fabian and tossed my keys on my counter, all I kept hearing was him telling me, "You can't save everyone, bro."
What Fabes doesn't know, was that just a week ago, the swat and I just arrested that little four year old's father. Apparently, he was part of a conspiracy for a drug ring. When we entered the house, the little girl and her mom were locked in the bedroom while mister kingpin was sitting around his kitchen table counting stacks of money and weighing pounds and pounds of cocaine. The shit looked just a wicked scene from a Blow or Scarface.
When I pulled over this little angel and her mom who was fucked out of her mind, I recognized them right away. It turns out, that she played it off pretty good last week. We were lead to believe that he had them locked in the bedroom so he could do his business. Rumors through the week, were that she was carrying on his unfinished business like she had been the El Rena Del fucking Sur (Queen of the damned South), for 15 years. She knew exactly what the hell she was doing.
I called for another car to bring a proper car seat. The other officers insisted that the little girl ride separate from her mom. I suggested that she ride next to her mom. If I remember things from when I was just three years old, I'm pretty sure this little angel will remember cops arriving on the freeway and then being taken away from her mom.
I got the car seat in my car and I dug in my trunk for a pile of toys underneath all the tactical stuff that I had from when the guys and I did a volunteer event in the city. I pulled out a creamed colored stuffed bunny with blue eyes and a matching thick silk dark blue bow wrapped around the neck. Blue eyed bunny for a blue eyed girl. Her hair reminded me of Brianne's gentle hair when we were kids. Edged with soft feather like strands. I helped her out of the ragged blue car and she stood with her arms up in front of me to pick her up, so I did. It seemed like she weighed no heavier than a six pack of cans. Her small weightless legs wraped around the sides of my left hip. She looked at my badge and colored it in her mind with her tiny finger.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked quietly and kindly handing her the bunny.
She smiled at me and wiped her little bangs out of her face with the palm of her tiny hand, revealing her little strong saphire eyes. "Sophia." She smiled at me again and I swear my heart was melted into shreds of her little fucking cuteness. Her tiny soft voice spoke taking my breath away as I held her in my arms and she hugged her new bunny bestie tight. This might have been the moment I matured a whole shit ton. I saw life from an entirely different perspective today and it scared the shit out of me.

When I drove home from Brianna's apartment. I've never hated being Travis Shinoda, the womanizing rake hell of the town so much in my life. She must really think I'm such a fucking douche bag. So much, that I wouldn't even have the brain capacity to foster a kid, if it ever happened. That is probably who I must look like in her eyes.
In a way, I got pissed at her for doubting me, but I could only be pissed at myself for being the man that I've become, for her and our other friends to see me that way.

______•______

"Shit- Yeah- Oh fuck I'm gonna_" I gripped onto the blonde's hair with a fistful. She let her mouth off of me and I released all over her hand.
She fixed her top and I sent her out of my car and on her merry way. Off to tell her little friends about the dick she just got but didn't really get.
When I got home, I showered and went to bed. I was annoyed at the night out a little bit, but this girl kept eyeing me from the vip table next to ours. She wasn't as cute as I preferred, but she'd do and I didn't mind entertaining her thoughts after a few more drinks got in me.

When I woke up, officer Karen Forbes had left me a text.
Forbes: Good news. It takes three months to get a fostering license. Might be sooner for you since you're on the force. Call me later for details. Sober up.

I text back a thumbs up emoji and laid back down.
Fuck.
This is the kind of shit Brianne was talking about. I just went home with a random hottie last night and shit if I even remember her name.
It was a Friday night out with our group. It was my turn to buy the bottle service. The guys and I arrived an hour earlier than the ladies just to have it ready when they arrive in.
"Travis, man. You still thinking about that thing?" Fabian asked enquiring.
The waiter brought a tray full of all of the drinking goods and set them out on the table. "I don't really wanna talk about that right now, Fabes." I said as I grabbed a fresh glass and started to fill it with a few scoops of ice.
Fabian leaned closer to me grabbing himself a fresh glass for himself. "I mean, it's kind of a big deal, dont you think? You think you can handle something like that?"
I gave him a quick side eye and grabbed the bottle of Hennessy chilling in the bucket of ice. I started to pour a little amount in my glass. "I don't want to talk about that right now, Fabian. Cool?" I set the bottle back in the ice bucket and looked Fabian in the eyes, letting him know this isn't that time to be talking work and life relations to it.
He threw his hand up in defeat with his glass in his other hand and reached for the ice scoop. "Fine. We'll talk later. Seriously." He eyed me and I knew he wasn't playing. I grabbed the glass container of soda sitting right in front of me and I started pouring it in my glass.
"Hey the girls are here." Mason stood up excitedly. I flashed my eyes up at the group before I grabbed a slice of lime and squeezed it into my drink. I plopped the rest of it into my drink and grabbed a straw to stir it all around. Good. The girls will lighten the mood, especially if Sarai is with them. Bri helps distract.. everything.
"OH, SHIT!" Skyelar shamelessly let out.
Fabian punched him in the arm and he didn't flinch. "What the fuck, Sky!"
Skyelar just stood there staring at his focus like he saw_
I shifted my eyes to his gaze. I didn't see shit or anyone around or past the group of girls except-

Holy.

Shit.