The Importance of Moving On ↝ Marwani

 one.

one, two twins & one roof!

STELLA SAT ON THE fire escape of her father's apartment; he and her brother were still out, they were gone when Stella woke up from her nap. It was a chilly night for the city, but still the city was more alive than ever. People walked streets below, and horns blared from all over, and faint sirens could be heard from blocks away. Light pollution had ruined any chance of Stella enjoying the stars, but the city skyline was another fascinating view that she had loved since she was a child. It wasn't stars, but it was something else. It didn't matter that she saw skyline almost every night from the hospital, it was still one of her favorite sights.

A cold breeze came in, and Stella shivered. Her dad's apartment was sure to be cold by the time he and TK came back; she left the window open and surely, she'd be scolded. You aren't paying these bills, he'd likely tell her. But then Owen would shut the window, and put on a sweatshirt and the window would be a forgotten topic.

"SJ?"

Stella groaned at the nickname from her brother, she hated that nickname. She stood up, and climbed back through the window and closed it. She spun around and met her dad and brother in the kitchen, and she didn't miss the way her dad shivered in the cold environment.

"Oh my god, Stell, it's colder than Alaska in here." Her father complained as he set a styrofoam container on the counter. "I picked up some tortilla chips and salsa from that one Mexican diner you like."

"Thank you!" Stella grinned and reached the container, pulling it back towards her. She opened it and looked back up to her father, "And you've never been to Alaska, dad."

"Hey, dad," TK was soft spoken, and it was out of the recent norm. He was usually more upbeat, especially around his family, but after the day the family had— things were just rough. Stella and her father's both looked to TK. "I'm gonna get some rest, and I'll pack my stuff tomorrow."

Her father nodded, but didn't let TK get too far without a hug. They were raised by pretty affectionate parents, so that wasn't out of the norm. It was actually quite nice, especially if either one of them needed comfort. Stella glanced up once TK pulled back from their father's hug, and he glanced right back at her in time to see the slight smile she sent him.

When TK left, Stella looked back to her father with an eyebrow raised in question. "What the hell was that about?" Stella questioned, "What does he mean he'll start packing?"

Owen sighed, and he leaned against the counter to face his daughter. "I got an offer to relocate to Austin, to rebuild the station. At first, I declined it. I wasn't going to leave the city, and I sure as hell wasn't going to leave you and your brother. But after the day we've had, your brother needs a new start, and frankly, this might be good for us. So, I'm going to call the chief in the morning, he'll be expecting us in Austin in about a week, I'm sure."