Crime of Passion (Storm Rider and Cheshire'sWonder

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Storm Rider

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Looking out the window, a sigh escaped Trinity's lips. The bus was pulling into the town where she'd started her life and held many memories for her. Most were good, but they tended to be over shadowed by the bad ones. Her green eyes were filled with sorrow overshadowed by her determination. She'd make things work here, even if just for a short time. She had to get away to where no one would search for her. So she'd traveled miles, making it appear as though she were headed in the opposite direction when in reality, she was only traveling two days worth of a journey by bus to her home town from the place where she'd committed her latest crime. And as she looked at the buildings, memories started to prod at her.

"Hey mom, can I go play now?" the young six year old Trinity asked as she peered up at her mother.

"Have you done your chores?" asked her mother.

They were standing in the kitchen with her mom standing at the table, rolling out dough for some great treat that would be ready as desert for after supper. Trinity was small for her age and was practically bouncing on her heals with all her energy and excitement at the prospect of getting to play with her best friend.

"Yes mommy," she replied sincerely.

"Alright, go ahead then. But don't go too far," replied her mom with a warm smile.

With a gleeful squeal, she'd raced out the door and down the street. Her best friend only lived two doors down so it wasn't very far but to a six year old, it still felt like a huge adventure. At least, to her it had always been like that. There she knocked on the door and before long she was playing with Justin.


"Ya, those were the good days..." she whispered to herself wistfully.

The bus finally came to a stop and she got off. She'd packed light with only her backpack and her guitar. Once she'd grabbed her guitar from where the rest of the luggage had been unloaded, Trinity made her way out of the building and towards the sidewalk. For a moment, she just stood there and looked around, trying to decide where she'd go from here. She wanted to spend the night at a hotel but she couldn't use her main banking account. She knew the cops were close on her heels and they were watching her account. If she made any transactions with it, they'd be able to start tracking her and then she'd be in a really tight corner.

So instead, she had to deal with the cash she had. And on her she didn't have very much thanks to her plan of throwing off the cops on where she was headed. One thing she could do is play on a street corner and make some money that way. She hadn't done that in a few years but she was still pretty good at playing. And as it was, she'd need to do that. After all, she had to lay low and this was a better option that stealing from a corner store.

With this new plan in mind, she headed to the town square which was usually decently busy with people coming and going. Finding an area, she set down her guitar case and pulled out the beautiful instrument. As she ran her hand over the polished wood, another memory came to her.

Lifting her eyes from the guitar in amazement, Trinity stared at Justin.

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded, "Ya. This way you can remember me and where you come from."

Trinity's eyes teared up as she set the guitar down and hugged her best friend. She was twelve at the time and the guitar had always seemed to mean a lot to Justin and he'd taught her how to play a bit on it. They'd hung out plenty of times and she'd watch him play it and finally asked him to teach her. Of course he'd been a little hesitant at first about sharing it but before long, she was working at it with him and they had tons of fun times. And now he was giving it to her.

Putting the strap over her shoulders, Trinity rose to her feet and positioned the guitar. At times, she wondered what'd become of Justin but for the most part, she didn't bother trying to remember. Just like right now. Now she had to focus on playing and started to strum out a song. She'd gotten pretty good at playing over the years and now usually just played for the sheer joy of it and how much it relaxed her.
 
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Justin sat at lunch with his partner Eric. They had finished a case yesterday, so today it was all about the paper work. Don't get him wrong, he love being a cop and all, but paper work was just so boring sometimes. They had taken their brake and eaten at one of the many fast food areas around the center of town. At least it was a nice day out. Justin took of his jacket as he sat down, loosening his tie a bit. "I swear, if I have to write down exactly what I did in the capture one more time, I'm putting everything in the shredder." Eric said as he sat down across from Justin. The dark haired cop nodded as he started to eat the sandwich he had ordered. He looked out among the crowds of people as he ate, remembering his past with his best friend.

"Come on, Justin!" Trinity called to him as they ran through the streets. They had been in the same grade as school, but they weren't in the same classes. They didn't care that much though, they still got to have lunch together, and they would walk home together too since they were neighbors.

"Sorry that I can't slip through as fast as you can." He said, huffing and puffing once he caught up to her. Trinity just laughed and patted his back lightly. They then got ice cream together, Justin having to pay since he was slower. He always had to pay for ice cream, not that he really minded. Trinity always looked so happy when she ordered whatever she wanted, he would never hesitate in paying for her.

He never forgot Trinity, and missed her still to this day. How could he not missed her, in the few years before she had left, he had started to like her in the way that young boys thought would give cooties. He laughed at the idea now, but he still cared for her some ways. He had tried to have other relationships past Trinity, but every relation he tried to have with a girl was always ruined because he always compared the girl he was with to Trinity.

"We should get back to the station. The sooner we get done with paperwork the better." Eric grumbled as he got up. Justin liked his partner, but some times he did complain a lot more than Justin wanted to hear. He just nodded and finished his sandwich and slid his coat on. But as they were starting to leave the store, Justin froze. He always did when he heard the sound of a guitar being played. He still had a guitar in his apartment, but he hadn't played in weeks. He had been playing since he was young, and he even taught Trinity to play too.

Justin just blinked when he stared at Trinity, his guitar on his lap. She wanted to pay too? But he was always the one playing for her. He didn't want to mess up that tradition. But the way Trinity looked made him reconsider it. He frowned as he looked down to his guitar. His father had gotten him the instrument. It was one of the last gifts he had gotten from his father. "Sure." He finally said and watched the smile spread across Trinity's face. Yeah, he was happy to teacher her. She jumped onto his bed and sat beside him as he started to show her. He was glad to teacher her.

The two cops walked towards the station, but Justin stopped, pulling out the few dollars left over from his lunch and throwing them into the guitar case at the player's feet. He looked up to tell them they were doing a great job when he froze again, eyed eyed. "Trinity?!" He almost yelled in disbelief. No, this couldn't be his best friend from all those years ago, but as he looked at the female player and the guitar, it couldn't be anyone else.
 
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As she'd gotten carried away in the melody of the song, Trinity closed her eyes. Her foot tapped the ground, keeping beat as a happy smile was on her face. If she ever needed to de-stress, she could always rely on the guitar. Out of everything she'd ever owned, this one instrument was probably the most well looked after thing she had. It had a few scratches and scuff marks due to times she'd had to make quick escapes with it when she'd just started her crime life. But at least she managed to take it with her every time.

However, as someone in front of her shouted her name, startled her and caused her to miss the next few notes and her eyes flew open. Her eyes widened with surprise and she was frozen to the spot. She wasn't sure who this guy was or even how he knew her name and that scared her. It always meant something bad if someone knew her name and she didn't know theirs. But at the same time...something seemed familiar about him. Her heart was pounding as she thought about trying to run away like all her instincts were screaming at her to do but she couldn't. She needed to figure out who this guy was.

"H-how do you know my name...?" she asked hesitantly, wondering if she'd even want to know.

But then, she started to wonder if perhaps this was....No. It couldn't be....Could it? If it was, then... She mentally shook her head, trying to clear her jumbled thoughts. She also became very aware of her appearance as well. He stood there, so nicely dressed with a tie and everything. And here she was, in a pair of old, slightly ripped jeans and a faded red tank top. She had an over-sized gray hoodie as well but that was thrown on top of her backpack at the moment as she was getting too warm with it. She had her thick brown hair up in a messy bun and it was clear she needed a shower but nor did she look horribly bad. However, she was feeling rather self-concious about her appearance now and wondered what he'd think of her once he realized the mess she was.
 
Justin paused as the woman looked at him. Had he gotten the wrong person? No, she asked how he knew her name and 'Trinity' wasn't a very popular name. He looked her over, wondering what had happened to her. He hoped she wasn't living of the money she was playing for. He wanted to help his old friend if that was the case. "It's me, Justin." He said, worried that he had made a mistake.

"We use to play together as children. I gave you that guitar, remember?" He took a step closer to her. He knew her. This was Trinity, his old friend. There was no way those eyes belonged to anyone but his friend. He wondered what he looked like to her. He was in a suit, his black hair all messy, but sort of styled to be messy. It was a lot easier than just brushing it.

"Hey, Justin, you coming?" Eric said, beside him. He looked towards his partner. Did he really want to leave Trinity after finding her again? No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't just let her walk away again, not again. "No, I'm taking the rest of the day. I'll finish whatever paperwork I need to do tomorrow, I promise." He said quickly looked back to Trinity. "Fine, make me suffer alone." Eric complained as he turned and left the to. Justin slid his jacket and tie off as he looked to Trinity. "Hey." He smiled.
 
So it was him. Justin. She never thought she'd see him again, that was for sure. It looked like he was leading a good life though. If he was wearing a suit, that must mean he was someone important after all. She was happy for him, she really was. But at the same time, she was hesitant about acknowledging him that he had it right on who she was since she didn't really want him to somehow get involved with her life and crimes. But then...if he was like a lawyer or one of those kind of guys (assumed this cause of the suit and tie), then perhaps she'd be safer if she used him to throw those cops farther off track. After all, they'd never expect her to be friends with someone who was on the better side of the law than her.

"I can't believe it's you," she said as she watched his friend head off. "I mean, it's been so many years...I thought I'd never see you again actually," she admitted with a small smile, glad though to see him and know that he was doing well for himself. She wondered what exactly he did for a living and no doubt what it was, it was probably more than ten times better than her life on the run.

Trinity could tell that Justin was planning on sticking with her for a bit, probably to talk. So she took the guitar off to pack it up. Part of her was disappointed to have to pack up already since she'd hoped to make a bit more money for that hotel. But at least she was getting to catch up with the person who had once been her best friend and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss him at least a bit. It good to see him again at last.
 
"I know, I feel the exact same. So what have you been doing since you left? Where are you staying?" He asked. as he watched her pack up. She had some money in the case, including his own money, but it didn't really make sense for her to be begging on the streets like this. This wasn't the person he remembered from his childhood. He could see she wasn't well kept, but he hoped that nothing was wrong. He was a cop, if she was in trouble he really wanted to help her in any way that he could.

"Hey, let's go back to my apartment. It's hot and I hate being in a suit." He said quickly. He also could offer Trinity a shower if she wanted one. He would gladly let her do that and stay over if she really wanted to. Of course, if she had somewhere else to stay, he would let her go there, but he did want to talk with her and catch up. She was his best friend after all. Maybe this meant they could be close again.
 
Trinity was a little surprised he'd invite her over to his apartment already. But she supposed he probably figured that she was still the same girl he'd known when they were little and grew up together. But his one question presented a problem. What would she tell him she'd been doing since she'd left? Perhaps for the moment she'd avoid that. She doubted he'd really notice answering that question since he asked another and kept talking a little.

"I actually just got into town about twenty minutes ago and don't really have anywhere to stay yet," she told him, rubbing the back of her head a little. It wouldn't be the end of the world if she had to make do in a less than pleasant place to sleep as it wouldn't be the first but he didn't need to know that.

She picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder as she put her sweater over one of her arms and picked up the case of her guitar to carry it as they walked to wherever his apartment was. "So how's life treated you over the years?" she asked, glancing over at him curiously.
 
Justin just looked at Trinity as he they started walking to his apartment. She didn't have a place to stay yet? He wondered what had made her come back if she didn't already have a place to stay? There were a few hotels around the area, but it wasn't like they were very cheap. And the places that were cheap weren't very nice. Justin looked over his friend's body carefully. He didn't want to judge her by her clothes and appearance, but he didn't think that she was doing very well.

"Life's been fine with me. I got through school, went through college. I'm a cop now. Eric's my partner. I love the job and I do well at it." He smiled lightly. He wondered why she didn't answer the question he asked about her since she moved away, but he wasn't going to pry if she didn't want to tell him. She probably would tell him later. The years may have changed them both, but they were still friends right? He had given her the guitar to remember him and she hadn't gotten rid of it, so it wasn't like a indirect way of ending their friendship, right?

"You know, if you can't find a place to stay, I have a spare bedroom. Sometimes Eric sleeps over if he have to do a stake out or a night shift. But we just finished a case so the bed's free, and washed. I don't have anyone else to live with so it's not like you're even intruding or anything." Justin bit his tongue to stop himself from talking. He was just so exited to have his old friend back, he wanted things to be like they were before. Even though he knew in the back of his mind that that could never happen.
 
Trinity could feel his eyes on her as they walked and knew he was trying to figure out what had happened to her. She supposed she could tell him the truth. Just leave out a few details so that he wouldn't know exactly who she was. It was a bit of a surprise to hear he was a cop and it did make her a little more tense as most cops were searching for her. She didn't bother to mask some of her surprise as it wasn't unrealistic for an old friend to be surprised about another's choices of what they'd become. But she did make sure to relax herself. After all, he probably thought she was still the same girl he'd known when they were kids so he wouldn't expect her to be the thief everyone was looking for.

She couldn't help smiling as she listened to him go on talking. When he mentioned she could stay with him, she glanced over at him in surprise. Her mind quickly spun through how that look, what good and bad could come out of it, and if it was worth staying with a cop. "Well, if you're fine with it, I'd appreciate that," she said, smiling at him.

"And it both does and doesn't surprise me to hear you're a cop now. It seems like a hard life but at least you enjoy it," she added, shifting the weight of her pack on her shoulders a bit. "I'm glad you've made a good life for yourself. I wish I'd been able to stay here. Somehow, I think life would've been better if I had," she commented, thinking about her past a bit and everything that had happened after she'd left. Things had taken a turn she hadn't expected and it molded her into the person she was now.
 
Justin just looked at her, wondering what she meant. What had live done to his best friend? He hoped he could get her back on her feet. He wanted her to be like she was before. The girl that came over to his house almost every day, only times she didn't was when he went to her's. He hoped he could help somehow.

The two walked up to an apartment building, and Justin pulled out his keys. He lead Trinity up to the their floor and opened the door to his apartment. It was small, the kitchen just big enough for two, with the small living room attached to it. Then their was a hallway were the two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small closet were. "Well, it's not much, but it's home. You can stay as long as you want. You want to take a shower while I make you some lunch? I was on my lunch break with Eric, so I already ate, but I don't mind cooking for you." He offered, throwing his suit jacket and tie over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.
 
Trinity glanced around the apartment as they went in and though it was small, it was nice. He definitely had done pretty good for himself and she was proud of what he'd been able to do. Ya, he was a cop and she was a wanted person but in a sense, she still felt friendship towards him and was proud of what he managed to do for himself. And she hoped that her life wouldn't screw up his too much. But if she was right about how things were going, she only had to stay in this town for maybe a month, depending on how things went.

She smiled a little at his offer and nodded. "That sounds good to me, thanks," she said and started heading towards the bathroom. "I'm defenetly interested to see if you still burn the food," she joked lightly before entering the bathroom. There had been a time where they'd tried to make cupcakes and that had ended poorly.

Smiling a little at the memory, she shed her clothes and hopped in the shower, glad to be getting the chance to get cleaned up. After a few minutes, she got out and dried off with a towel before wrapping her hair in the towel in sort of turban style before getting dressed in some clean clothes which was a light blue t-shirt and jeans with less holes in them. Once dressed, let down her hair and rubbed it as dry as she could with the towel. Putting the clothes back in the pack, she left the bathroom.
 
Justin slightly flushed at the memory. "Hey, that wasn't completely my fault!" He yelled back but shock his head. Yeah, that was still the Trinity that he remember. He was glad she didn't change too much. He wondered if he was still the same as she remembered. He didn't think he changed to much, maybe becoming a bit more dedicated to work, but that was all he could think of. He also wondered if Trinity even wanted to be friends with him still. Maybe it was just a coincidence that they had met up again after all this time, but they wouldn't stay together. Justin got too lost in thought, that he almost did burn the food.

When Trinity came out of the shower, Justine had a nice lunch out for her. He wasn't hungry but he did pour himself a drink. She came out and Justine smiled lightly. None of the food was burnt, Trinity looked batter than when they first met, and he was happy to have his friend close again, if only for a little while. "You go ahead and eat, I'm going to change." He said as he moved passed her and towards his bedroom to change. He was quick, changing into just a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt.
 
Trinity smiled at the wonderful smell of food. She nodded at his words of him wanting to go get changed and sat down at the table with the food. She started to eat as she waited for him to change and come back. She wasn't sure what to think of with being here with Justin. It was kind of like when they were little and she'd go over to his place and occasionally have sleepovers too since as little kids, it was allowed as they were little and innocent.

Looking down at the food, she took a bite. It was actually pretty good. She wondered a bit what his life was like. She'd been on the wrong end for so long that she forgot what it felt like to not have to look over her shoulder all the time in fear of someone catching up with her. Or in the fear of someone discovering her secret and using it to blackmail her. That always ended badly. At one point people had tried that wither but she got rid of them easy enough that no one dared to anymore. Not if they valued their life that is.
 
Justin sat on his bed a moment before heading back to Trinity. He was remembering the years after Tryinity left, how alone he felt, like he was missing his other half. He had been with Trinity so much, watching her leave was heartbreaking. He was also starting to feel his old feelings for her. Would she even be around to possibly have something happened? He took a deep breath before heading out.

"See, I didn't burn any of it. I've been cooking for myself long enough that I actually had to learn how to cook." He said taking a set across from her. He was glad to see her eating, maybe because she looked so helpless before. Now she had washed and eaten she could be better. "So where have been all these years?" Justin asked as he sipped at his own drink.
 
Trinity glanced up when she heard Justin coming and smiled at him. It was slowly sinking in that she really was here with with her once best friend and perhaps, she could play on that to keep him from figuring out exactly who she is. After all, he's already biased to them being friends an more than likely wanted to hope she was the same as when they were kids.

She smiled and nodded at his words of not burning the food. "Ya, you've gotten good at cooking, I'll admit that," she said and took another bite as she thought about what all to tell him. "Lets see, I guess the best way to start is the beginning right? Well, about three months after my family moved, they died in a car accident," she paused for a moment to take her last bite of food. "Then the true bombshell was dropped. Turns out I was adopted all along. The family I lost wasn't my true birth family."

"And because of that along with the fact that there was no other family relatives, I was sent to an orphanage and then started going from one foster home to another. I got curious about my real parents and took off. Ran away to go find them. First few times led to dead ends but then I finally got the right address. At first it was great but then I found out the truth about them. They were huge drug addicts and they got me mixed up in it to the point that some people that they owed money to came after me. So I ran. And I honestly hate the foster care system so I just lived on the street instead, and have managed to survive just fine." she said, finishing there.
 
Justin didn't know what to think about the story his friend told him. If she was running around on her own, why didn't she ever come home, back here. Justin knew his parents would have taken Trinity in if she told them what had happened. And even if it was by the time that Justin had his own place, he would have definitely let Trinity come and live with him. They were best friends after all. And sure his salary wasn't that much, but the two of them could have lived of it. Why didn't Trinity ever think of coming back? She didn't have to live on the streets. Justin tried not to think about anything that might have happened to her.

"I'm so sorry to here that. You're parents were great people." Justin looked down at the drink in his hands. He felt slightly sick, think about Trinity's life. Yeah, it would have been better if she had never left. "Well, you can stay here as long as you want. There are jobs in town if you want to look for one. They'll pay and you can stay here until you're back on your feet." He said with a smile towards his friend. She didn't have to live on the streets any more. She could try to have a normal life again. They could be close again. It would work out.
 
Trinity sat back in her chair as she watched his reaction to her short version of her life's story since she'd left. She'd thought about coming back a few times, but before she'd gotten lost a couple times and totally turned around. And then when she finally managed to figure out where she was and where everything was going, she was too embarrassed to show her face around her since she didn't want to run into Justin or his family. She was honestly a disgrace of a friend with the life she had. Especially now that she knew Justin was a cop. She couldn't help wondering what he'd do if she told him who she really was now. Would he actually arrest her like he should or would his sentiments get in the way?

Shrugging off the thoughts, she returned her attention to him when he spoke again. "Thanks Justin, I appreciate that. As for jobs, I don't have a very good track record there so it's kinda easier said than done," she said, thinking it didn't seem possible to get at the moment as she had committed small petty crimes when she was younger to manage to survive so people didn't tend to want to hire her. "I appreciate your optimism about it though. Been a while since I've been around anyone who's anywhere near as hopeful as you seem right now," she commented.
 
Justin frowned slightly as she said she wouldn't be able to find a job. He didn't know what she meant by the record that she picked up, but in any event this would be a problem. He made enough to support two, and he did have his savings as well, but how long would Trinity be here? He wanted his friend to be back for good, maybe have the same relationship they once had. But he also had a bad feeling in his stomach too. It had always led him right since he joined the force, but he didn't understand why he was getting it now.

He looked up when she talked about his optimism. He wasn't really an optimist, but seeing his old friend had made him hopeful to have a new lift with her, maybe get closer than they had been. But he was seeing now that that was easier said than done. "So, you still play that old guitar that I gave you. I can tell it's the same, though it does have a few more bumps on it than I remember." He said, a small smile on his face. "I still play too. Helped me after you moved away." He looked down to the table.

"Come on Justin, why don't you go outside to play. It's a beautiful day?" His mother had said standing in the doorway to his room. He just shook his head, not really wanting to talk or play. If Trinity wasn't there anymore, he didn't want to play. He just flipped the page in the music book and started playing the guitar again. It was the only thing that made Trinity feel close. His mother sighed. "Well, dinner will be ready soon, you can at least come down stairs to eat with the family." She said before closing the door.
 
Trinity noticed the look on his face and knew he was wondering what she meant. She wondered just how much she should tell him. A part of her wanted to just tell him everything like she would've when they were kids. But she couldn't put him that hard position of sending a friend to jail the day they were reunited. So she decided to remain quiet and not fill anything unless asked directly and even then she might not say everything. Either way, her secret needed to remain a secret. She couldn't let meeting an old friend undo all the hard work she'd done in the last few years to remain hidden and build herself an 'empire' so to speak with the crime world. And by no means was she truly poor, she just preferred to keep a low profile.

She smiled as he commented on the guitar, glad for the change in conversation and nodded. "Ya, it's helped me through several tough times. To be honest, it's probably saved my life more times then I'd like to admit," she said and listened to him mention how he got another one to play to help with her leaving. "Seems we both needed the therapy of our own music after I left. Looking back, I guess we were closer than I really remember," she added with a smile. It was nice to know though, that at least they had one area of common ground now.
 
Justin laughed lightly at the statement. "Yeah, we were really close back then. And I will admit, that in the later years, before you moved away, I did wish for us to be a little closer." He said with a half awkward smile, rubbing at the back of his head, messing up his dark hair. He didn't think anything would come from it now, so he didn't mind explaining to Trinity how he had felt back then. He remembered his father sometimes teasing him about her being his girlfriend, but at the end of the day he had wished he could prove his father right.

"Want to play together like we use to?" He asked, standing. He wanted to play for Trinity. She always looked happy when he did, and now that they had two guitars, they could play together. He wondered if they were supposed to meet today, maybe to rekindle their old friendship. Maybe he was supposed to help Trinity some how. Justin was sort of hopeful that something good would come out of being with Trinity again. And he hoped he could keep his friend this time.
 
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