[right][sub][color=lightgray]TIMESTAMP: Early Tuesday Morning 
FT: [color=BCDD81]Clayton Costigan[/color], [color=00A868]Alexandria Davies[/color], & [color=19C8AC]Niles Sinclair[/color]
[@BrutalBx] [@Venus] [@LovelyComplex][/color][/sub][/right]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/hYI2o4B.png[/img]
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[color=lightgray][indent][indent][color=BCDD81]“I don’t know why we’re bothering to do this, Davey.”[/color] 

Clayton dragged his feet as he followed closely behind his best friend and his twin as they walked down the old wooden dock on Collins Port. [color=BCDD81]“I’ve got a date with that Pinehurst chick and you’ve got a party to go to and a girl to rescue!”[/color] The sky was a deep navy by this point as the bite of winter nipped at the heels of those brave enough to be outside. Clay had done this walk so many times in his young life. He knew every signature creak that broke from the boards beneath his feet, especially the long stretch towards his father’s boat. 

[color=BFA65C]“Because your dad needs to know, bud.”[/color] David’s hands were pressed against the back of his curly haired head as he strolled cool as a cucumber, fingers interlocked and a shit-eating grin crossing his face towards the yacht. [color=BFA65C]“You can’t win the State title with the most badass group of Celtics that ever did exist and not to tell your old man! Who! I might add, should’ve been there anyway to support, but was too busy doing what? Tinkering with his boat? Nah, dude. We’re giving the Captain a piece of our mind.”[/color]

Jamie wrapped herself around Clay’s free arm as his other one carried the trophy that the team had won having pried it away from Francis. [color=FFCDD2]“You know, Clay, that family is everything. It has to be. Family is something we should do anything and everything for. It’s something we should never let die. I know I never could.”[/color] The glass ballerina’s O’Hara blues fell upon her older brother leading the charge to confront the Captain. The adoration she had for her twin was unquestioned and un-measurable. [color=FFCDD2]“I know your mom and dad and Lamby are different to us, I know that and we’re not trying to change that. We just want you to be happy. Despite what you say, I don’t think you ever really have been, have you?”[/color]

With Jamie’s final words the trio stopped as they arrived at their destination; the yacht belonging to Clay’s father. Looking up towards the upper deck, Clayton could see a light on and his fathers silhouette moving around the captain's cabin. With an O’Hara twin standing either side of him, God’s favourite idiot stood mouth agape, just looking at the pride and joy of his family. He remembered stories of his father’s days as a member of the legendary Gallows. It was hard to even believe that the man that raised him was the same man who raised hell with his friends. Though Clay did not wonder what changed for him, it was surely family. Was it family that killed the Captain’s dream? Was that why he didn’t care? Was that why he spent more time out in the ocean than with his kids?

[color=BFA65C]“It’s time to figure it out, Sixteen.”[/color] David’s voice rang out. As Clay turned his face to look upon his friend, the David he knew had been replaced by a drowned version of himself. Bloated with dried blood around his mouth and nose, his curly hair soaked, dead white eyes staring as water pushed itself from every orifice. Behind David, Clay could see something, he could see someone; a girl. Alone in the distance he could not make her out as she reached forward, screaming, crying, wailing for his help. He spun to look at Jamie but she too had been replaced. Clay’s dark gaze widened as he watched Jamie being dragged away by men in white. They pulled her towards a cage inside a van and she was not fighting them. Jamie stared blankly at Clayton before parting her lips. [color=FFCDD2]“Figure it out.”[/color] 

The port side door of the yacht burst open and from within a torrent of paper and pages flew out and began striking the police officer all over. He could feel every slice as he suffered a thousand cuts. His best friend's words rang out in his ears as he tried to push forward towards the light inside. With every step Clay took he could feel something pulling back, like someone or something had a hold of his collar from behind and was yanking him. He could feel the tightness around his throat like a noose as he body began to ache. Through the light, Clay could see a figure and it was not his father. No he would recognise that figure anywhere, it was his Kitty. [color=9f1b3e]“Figure it out, baby.”[/color] He heard Cat say and with a final push energised from the mere sound of her voice, he charged forward into the yacht.

As the door closed behind him, Clay opened his eyes…

Anxiously running his hands through his hair, Niles walked from the dining room table where his coffee was to the closest window. Peering through the curtain, he noticed the rain had dissipated, finally. He should wake Clay up soon. When he saw Lexie trying to carry Clay on her own in the rain, he parked his bike and assisted her. He ended up leaving his bike behind and he knew it likely got towed or stolen (it was left on the Southside after all) so once Phil’s opened, he was quick to give them a call to see if they could retrieve it, if they hadn’t already. He likely offended the girl on the other end by accident, coming across far more snappy than he intended. He would have to apologise when he got the chance.  

With Beau’s voice ringing in his head to do the right thing, he chose to stay up all night in case the rain did give or Clay needed more care. Lexie’s house was closer than the clinic or Scott Street and taking care of him while they waited out the storm was a smarter idea than all of them risking their lives in this weather. Pacing back to his coffee, he sat down on a chair and pulled his phone out. With his right leg bouncing up and down he went to Caitlin’s number, debating if he should call her. She hadn’t wished him goodnight and they barely talked yesterday, or the day before even. 

His gaze grew distant as he peered down at her name. He could feel it. The storm inside him and what was inevitably going to happen. He wasn’t a stranger to the signs of being broken up with. He knew because time and time again he was the one that broke up with others. She had been weird ever since he got back. Not the same Cece he was into when they were apart and he was studying pre-med in Chicago. She loved Mika. He wasn’t dumb. He could see it a mile away. He could fucking feel it whenever they went on dates and [b]that[/b] stung. 

First Natalia, now Caitlin. 

Mika won.

How great must he feel to have gotten the girl in the end? 

Niles was stupid to think he could make any sort of relationship work. This is why he preferred no strings attached. The hurt wasn’t the same because they had low expectations — there weren’t promises of building a future together. There wasn’t anything really besides sex. Things were better when emotions weren’t involved. Laying his phone down, he rested his forehead in the palm of his hand as his elbow and arm held him up. [color=19C8AC]“This is stupid,”[/color] he muttered before bringing his attention to his cousin, not by blood but by bond. [color=19C8AC]“Why do we bother coming back? I mean sure, yeah, if it wasn’t for us, Clay would’ve bled out in the street. But why is that shit even happening? It’s always something in Edenridge. I fucking [i]hate[/i] it.”[/color]

The question of [i]'why bother coming back'[/i] was one Alexandria had been trying to come up with an answer for for the last month and a half. When she'd voiced the idea of returning to Edenridge to her friends back in Boston, they had looked at her as if she'd grown a second head overnight. They'd read the articles. They'd seen the news segments. They'd heard her stories. Why in the world would she want to go back to the town that only saw her as the poor, little, dead queen bee's sister? To a place where death and tragedy seem to strike at any moment?

[i]You've come so far since you left that place, Lex[/i], they would say to her, with visible concern all over their caring faces. [i]Why would you risk losing all of your progress by going back to the place that ruined you in the first place?[/i]

[color=00A868][i]I’ve moved on past it![/i][/color] Lexie was always quick to counter proudly, the confidence oozing from her voice and radiating through her body. [color=00A868][i]Therapy’s helped me a lot to deal with things. I have my family there, I have an amazing opportunity to work with my aunt’s boss at the hospital in town to gain experience; and after all this time away, I think I’m ready to go back.[/i][/color]

Her optimism, it turned out, was short-lived. A few weeks before what she thought would be her triumphant return to Edenridge, pages from Charlie Decker’s journal had been delivered to everyone’s mailboxes, springing the topic of her sister’s death back to life. Instead of being greeted with interest and enthusiasm about her accomplishments, she was once again under everyone's microscope. Townies showing her pity or comparing her to the females in her family, the Scott Street gossip moms fishing for information, her parents downplaying their vigilance for any signs of an emotional relapse… And the cherry on top? ReyRey Gonzalez, the one who had made her move to Eden possible in the first place and had so brazenly welcomed her back into town with more than just open arms, had been in a relationship with Vivia Belmonte (her sister’s best friend) for years— even during the day they slept together.

Safe to say, things were not panning out like she had hoped for.

[color=00A868]"You're telling me…"[/color] Lexie replied with a snort, cradling her own cup of coffee in her hands as she made her way from the kitchen to stand by the window beside Niles. She knew he would understand exactly what she was talking about without her having to spell it out. [color=00A868]"I thought that coming back to Edenridge was the right choice for me after nursing school. But I’ll be honest, Niles: I've only been here a week and a half, and I’m kinda already regretting that decision.”[/color] she confessed, taking a long sip from the warm, caffeinated drink before continuing. [color=00A868]“But it’s not me we’re going to talk about here, though. What’s up with you? Not that you’ve ever been a fan of Edenridge in the first place, but what’s got you so heated about it right now?”[/color]

Sitting up from his chair to look at his cousin, Niles casually wiped the sleep off his face and shrugged, [color=19C8AC]“You know I missed that whole shitshow that was your sister’s ghost coming back to haunt us or whatever. Even if I was around, I wouldn’t have gone. This shit has always annoyed me. The fact that people absolutely need to be in everyone’s business. Every year, it’s always something new, like David O’Hara, people couldn’t stop calling him a Diddler which is part of the reason why he pushed himself to drink himself to death. And yet…”[/color] Taking a moment to himself, Niles turned to his coffee to stare into it. He could see the fading image of his mother. Her beautiful smile. The memory of her, still very much alive in his heart. His teeth clenched. [color=19C8AC]“Is it weird for me to be mad that if someone dies horribly and was seen as a shining star, like Allison, or a fucking monster, like Charlie, they’d be remembered forever? But then you have my mom, who died giving birth, who wasn’t even born and raised here; is it wrong for me to be pissed at how easy people forgot her? She’s just an everyday hero, no big deal.”[/color] 

[color=00A868]“Edenridge History 101: the only way you or your loved ones will be worth remembering in this town is if your death is associated with some big, juicy scandal that can be talked or conspired about for years to come,”[/color] Lexie started with a shrug, taking another long sip from her mug. As callous as the statement was, it unfortunately defined the way a vast majority of the town's inhabitants let their morbid curiosity and thirst for gossip prevail over any potential compassion for the victims of these tragic occurrences. [color=00A868]“Let’s use the examples you just gave me for context. People remember David O’Hara over someone like Maxine James because the thought of Coach and Lizzie’s prodigal son committing the crime he was accused of presented endless fodder for the gossip sharks in town. People remember Charlie Decker’s death over some of his own victims’ because of the Allison accusations and how fucking brutal and extensive what he did was. And people remember Allison’s death more than they’d ever remember mine if something ever happened to me simply because ‘Ally’s little sister OD’ing’ doesn’t have the same juice as the '2016 it-girl, girlfriend of the golden boy, OD’ing at a Southside party in the house of the reigning Serpent King'. Might sound like a bit of a ramble, but hopefully you see where I’m getting at.”[/color]

Niles nodded in understanding and it forced him to reflect on his own death and how no one would shed a tear if he disappeared. Something he knew was his future if he ever did give into his dark thoughts, which made it more of a reason for him to want to die. He didn’t matter. Just like his mom, he meant nothing to anyone. To make a mark, to die a legend, you had to be worth talking about. Was his mother not worth talking about? Leaning back in his seat, staring up at Lexie, he cursed in frustration, [color=19C8AC]“Without my mom, some of these fuckers wouldn’t even be alive. Do people think it’s easy to rush someone to a hospital on a fucking helicopter?”[/color]

[color=00A868]“You give the people around here too much credit, my friend,”[/color] she commented, ruffling up Niles’ hair affectionately and planting a kiss on top of his head before waltzing back bare-footed to the kitchen for a refill. Lexie had always sympathized with her cousin by association. Although the loss of her older sister had been gut-wrenching, she couldn't conceive the utter heartbreak of losing someone as important in life as a parental figure. Still, she could certainly understand where the root of his anger towards the town was coming from-- to which he was completely entitled to. In a strange way, his frustration on the topic mirrored her own. [color=00A868]“I agree with you that it is absolute fucking bullshit that people as amazing and priceless as Auntie Noella can be so easily dismissed by others, and it's disgusting that’s the way things work around here in Edenridge. But I also believe that, as long as people like you and I who truly cared about her make sure her memory stays alive and we continue to remember her with love, then everyone else is just a tool for not realizing her worth.”[/color]

Clay’s dark eyes opened heavily when the dull ache became a sharp fleeting strike in his gut. He let out a struggled gasp, as if emerging from under deep waters before he tried to pull himself up from his prone position. His neck felt weighted and his chest, it was like something was atop him, keeping him down. With a groan, he pushed himself up from the bed using the palms of his hands. Once fully sitting upright, Clayton’s eyes adjusted and he began to take in this new, unfamiliar setting. 

What happened?

He thought back through the haze to find what memory first came to him. He remembered talking to Cat, God Kitty would be so worried about him! It was daytime now and he always checks in! She must be terrified. Before he could scramble to find his phone, Clay was struck by another memory. The car. The driver attacked him. The light and roar of a bike and a woman yelling. His head felt three sizes too big and was throbbing. Clayton was no doctor but he knew what a concussion felt like. Once more he drank in his surroundings, trying to place himself. He recognised the room’s architecture, he had been in houses like this before. 

He was still on the Southside.

Rolling out of the bed and onto the floor, Clay noted several bandages on his arms. Bringing his hand to his face he felt band-aids as well. Someone had patched him up. He gingerly climbed up to his feet and straightened out his back. God, everything fucking hurt. The room was sparsely decorated; it reminded him of his own place before Cat forced him to buy stuff. That meant either this person was new to the house or just hated things. Logic dictated the latter since on the walls and bedside table there were photos. Clay’s eyes narrowed as he recognised the subject of one photo that sat pride of place. [color=BCDD81]“Allison?”[/color] He moved closer, reaching out to touch the face of his childhood friend, his former girlfriend, the girl that changed everything when she died. Based on the earrings she was wearing, the photo would’ve been taken in September before she passed. He knew because Francis dragged the entire crew around Boston trying to find Ally a gift. In the end they had to call Jamie and she came from her school to come help them. She was having one of her bad days and clung to David like he was the only thing keeping her afloat. Even then though, she still offered to help.

Clay’s eyes drifted to another photo; Renee and Alastair Davies. Allison’s parents. For as long as he had known that family, the young police officer had very little to do with the Davies. Renee was never home; she basically lived at her office in Boston and was always in court. When she was home, she was in her little hideaway, working on her closing argument or whatever it was that lawyers did in their spare time. Alastair was definitely more present in both his daughters' lives and he was not a big fan of Clay though he didn’t blame him for that. Most fathers were less than approving of their daughter dating someone like Clayton. Alastair probably jumped for joy when Ally brought Fran home. 

With every breath of morning, the pain was becoming more manageable and his head was getting a little clearer. He glanced at the final photo on the wall. It was him. Clay was on the wall! But not alone. Allison was there, Francis' arms wrapped around her and Lexie below them. Rhett was being all stoic and badass like he always was. Russ towered over them all. God, he was big. Little Danny was on the floor in front of them. Off to the side was Jamie, smiling at David who had an arm around…Caitlin? 

Caitlin! 

Clay thought back to that night; the night of the state game, the night Ally died.. During the half time break when he went searching for Rhett, he saw David! He questioned what he saw and just assumed he was too exhausted. He thought it was some red headed Pinehurst girl. It was CeCe! Caitlin Cleary was the girl! Clay took a step back and placed both hands behind his head as he stared into the innocent faces of days once thought wonderful. Jamie’s face. The way she looked at David. It wasn’t just him. She was looking at Caitlin too. She knew! Jamie knew about them. Of course she did. How could he not see that? David and Jamie knew everything about each other. They were the same soul. He took another step back as the pieces began to fall into place.

Jamie knew about CeCe, the whole time. She gave him the first letter. Avery said she felt that the letters weren’t even about who was writing them but about bringing purpose. The writer wasn’t trying to out themselves but they wanted to tell the truth. If Caitlin was the one who wrote the letters, she wasn’t the one releasing them. Someone had to have them, know where they were and be able to hide them when the police raided David’s room for evidence. Someone with opportunity and motive. Lamby said it clear as day when he interviewed her. Russell would do anything for Jamie. Jamie was sensitive. Jamie only ever wanted to help. Jamie never got over David. It was Jamie. It had been her all along.

Clay moved towards the door. He had to speak to Jamie. Twisting the door knob, he wasn’t sure who he would meet on the other side but based on the photos he had seen, he had a pretty good idea. Clay pulled the door open and stepped into the living room, ignoring the pain in every part of his body and forcing the adrenaline that was now building to do all of the work.

[i][color=19C8AC]“Yeah, I know she isn’t my usual type but I thought… Honestly, I don’t know what I thought. Caitlin just seemed sad and that drew me in.”[/color][/i]

Niles was quick to quiet when he heard rustling in the room Clay was in, and the moment the door opened he stood up, [color=19C8AC]“Clay, take it easy.”[/color] Trying to ease himself in front of the officer, knowing he probably was confused about where he was and what happened to him last night, Niles approached him. Both him and Lexie stood up the night prior to make sure their former senior didn’t die in this house. As he went beside him, scanning Clay’s bandages, Niles addressed another person who was in the kitchen making herself a second cup of coffee, [color=19C8AC]“Lexie, we should look at him before we go.”[/color] And by go, he meant the hospital. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the two pre-med students who were related to the main doctors of Sinclair Health would want to rush the officer to get proper medical attention. At least with this reveal, Clay would know he was in good hands.

When Lexi came across a man sprawled out on the side of the road next to his vehicle the night before, she wasted no time in putting her Santa Fe in park and sprinting to action. The fact that there was a storm raging around her didn’t seem to phase her— once the adrenaline and her nursing instincts came in, there was nothing that could take her focus away from providing the care her patient needed. A closer inspection of the scene revealed the victim to be part of the local PD, and that the identity of said victim, lying beside the patrol car and showing signs of violence having been inflicted upon him, was none other than Clay Costigan.

As soon as Lexie recognized Clay, her urgency to help intensified. Throughout her years growing up in the shadow of her older sister, Clay had been one of the few people to always see her for who she was. Around him, she wasn't invisible. He acknowledged her as her own person, treated her as an individual. He had unknowingly done so much for her during her formative years-- here was the time to pay it all back.

The task of lifting a man that was eight inches taller and fifty pounds heavier in the middle of a storm proved to be more than Lexie could handle. She'd tried her best to lift him by the shoulders and carefully drag him towards the passenger side of her SUV, but the rain slicking his arms, clothes and her grip made everything harder. The Davies girl was growing increasingly more panicked when the roar of a bike brought her help in the shape of Niles. With his assistance, the two young adults were able to lift Clay onto the backseat and take him to her house, where the small guest bedroom had been appropriately set up as a clinic of sorts. After providing Clay with basic first aid for the damages they were able to treat, Niles had volunteered to stay up monitoring their patient, while Lex had showered and collapsed on the bed until morning.

[color=00A868]"Hey buddy,"[/color] Lexie softly called out to Clay as she approached him, calling him by the same nickname he used on her growing up. [color=00A868]"How are you feeling?"[/color] she inquired while placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, knowing that it was a stupid question considering that he probably felt as shitty as he looked but that she also needed to know of any abnormalities she couldn't see in order to know what else was going on with him both inside and outside.

[color=BCDD81]“Like I got beaten up by a Sasquatch and then hit by a pick up truck.”[/color] As the two younger aspiring doctors supported him, Clay scanned their faces. Niles, he knew through their shared home on Scott Street. He didn’t have any siblings Clay’s age so they had few interactions outside of their bubble world high on the hill. But he knew that Niles had a heart beneath the bluster, he had seen it in small glimpses. For all the lack of book smarts, Clay had a sense about people. Lexie, he knew a lot more. The way she was looking at him now, with those big brown eyes, she looked just like her sister but she definitely wasn’t. Lex was her own woman, with her own mind, her own heart and her own problems. Problems that Clayton could see from a mile away even when she was a kid because she shared them too. [color=BCDD81]“How [i]you[/i] doing little buddy?”[/color]

[color=00A868]"Oh, I am just absolutely fucking peachy! So happy to be back here in town again!"[/color] Lex was quick to respond back with her signature sarcasm, winking at Clay to make sure he knew she was joking.

He let out a little laugh that hurt his chest before relieving himself of their hood and pushing forward into the room. [color=BCDD81]“Thank you both.”[/color] He turned his head lightly and offered them his famous doofus grin.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders. [color=00A868]"It's no problem! We weren't just going to leave you there, Clay. If anything, it's a good thing we were the ones who found you. Anyone else wouldn't have treated you as good as we did. If not me, who else would've known to prioritize the mane over everything else?"[/color] she joked with a chuckle.

[color=BCDD81]“Oh fuck, everything’s hurts.”[/color] Clay stopped and placed his hands on his hips. He could feel the sweat forming beneath his magnificent mane of hair. He felt like he was back on the court and hearing Coach yell it him for dragging his feet during the suicide drives. [color=BCDD81]“Sinclair, I need you to take me to Scott Street.”[/color] He exhaled deeply, trying to force all the pain out of his body through his mouth. [color=BCDD81]“I gotta finish this.”[/color]

Niles blinked a couple times in confusion. Having been preoccupied for most of yesterday, he was unaware of the second set of letters being distributed. [color=19C8AC]“What are we finishing?”[/color] He dumbly asked. As smart as he was, he had his moments where he sounded like a complete dumbass. It was part of his charm. After the moment of being bewildered came and went, Niles shook his head in disagreement, [color=19C8AC]“That doesn’t matter. Clay, you need to go to the hospital.”[/color] 

Even if Niles did take Clay to Scott Street, he would have to either take Lexie’s car or call a Lyft driver. He had left his bike on the side of the road after seeing a woman struggle to carry a limp body to her car. Turns out that woman was someone he considered family, Lexie, and the dead weight was their former senior, Clayton. His bike was at Phil’s, thankfully still intact. His goal, after handling this situation and making sure Clay was in good hands, was to pick it up. [color=19C8AC]“Whatever you got going on can wait.”[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“No, it can’t.”[/color] Clay snapped back; a rarity for the usually affable former basketball player. [color=BCDD81]“I have to go and put a stop to this fucking letter business and I know exactly who is sending them. Either one of you drives me to fucking Scott Street or I’m taking your car under police jurisdiction and you will not be able to do anything about it.”[/color]

Lexie couldn’t help but snort at Clay's comment. [color=00A868]"[i]Really[/i]?"[/color] she drawled, crossing her arms in front of her and raising a defiant eyebrow. [color=00A868]"You're going to take on the both of us to confiscate my car when you can't breathe without flinching? Riiiiiight. Okay, Clay."[/color]

He stopped himself and took a breath. This was cop Clay coming out and although it was his job, he knew these kids. He didn’t want to cause them stress after what they’d done for him, taking care of him the way they did. [color=BCDD81]“Listen guys, I promise I will go to Clinic as soon as I’m done but I have to do this.”[/color] His voice broke and water began to fill his eyes. [color=BCDD81]“I have to make this right.”[/color]

Rather than be taken aback by Clay’s passion and frustration, Niles became even more bewildered. He hadn’t checked the mail since… two days ago. He didn’t even know there was another set of letters. Who was it about this time? He had already missed the Allison chapter, unable to attend the meet at the gym to investigate how it really happened. That’s when he started dating Caitlin and spent the night in Boston by the harbor. Was he so out of the loop to not notice anyone but himself in deep distress? Who else knew? Did the whole town know? [color=19C8AC]“What letters?”[/color] Did it matter? Whatever the letters were about, it made the officer lose his cool. Maybe it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting Clay where he needed to be. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could go to the hospital. Niles needed to do the right thing. [color=19C8AC]“You know what? Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. If Lexie doesn’t mind loaning her car, I’ll take you but I left my bike on the street you got jumped at. I get it, you want to get this done and over with but I don’t recommend you going alone in your condition.”[/color]

As much as Lexie agreed with Niles that Clay wasn’t in any state to chase after any truths, she was also aware of the stubbornness that characterized the Costigan clan. Whatever case he was working on seemed to be one that tugged at his heartstrings, too, because the last time Lexie had ever seen Clay get this emotional was after David O’Hara's death. Knowing Clay like she did, the stubbornness and potential personal stakes meant that there would be no stopping him from doing what he needed to do in order to solve his case, which meant that he wouldn't think twice about taking risks  to accomplish his goal. That, of course, was the last thing they wanted right now. So instead of swimming against the current, she decided to float with it. 

The young woman took a deep breath before uncrossing her arms, placing both hands on his shoulders and locking her eyes with his, dropping the tough girl act for a moment in favor of her genuine interest in ensuring his well-being. [color=00A868]"Clay I promise I'll take you where you need to go. But let me take care of you first, okay?"[/color] she told the man, a silent pleading visible in her eyes. Once she'd received his agreement, she rushed off in the direction of the bedroom he'd been staying at and returned shortly with a bottle of water and two pills in the palm of her hand. She offered both items to the taller man. [color=00A868]"Here, take these oxys for the pain. They're not high dosage, but they should be enough to hold you down without making you sluggish until you get to the hospital. And you [i]will[/i] go to the hospital after this-- even if I have to drag you in myself. Do we have a deal, big buddy?"[/color]

[color=BCDD81]“Look at you.”[/color] Lexie had found confidence in herself, the assurity in her voice said as much. She had come a long way since being the little twerp that used to run around the Davies house crying for attention. [color=BCDD81]“Thanks Lex.”[/color] Clay took the pills and water from the tanned girl and swiftly stuck the medication into his mouth; polishing them off with the offered water. His throat burned and it hurt to swallow but once they had finally gone, he stuck his tongue out like a child forced to take medication. [color=BCDD81]“Bleh! I hate pills.”[/color]

Clay paused to take a few further deep breaths to allow time for the Oxy's to do their things. It seemed like neither Lex nor Niles knew about the latest batch of letters. He wondered if that was for the best? Especially for Niles. He was dating Caitlin and she was about to be dragged through fire if her identity got out. Hopefully Clayton could stop it before it got to that. [color=BCDD81]“Now, let’s make like a tree and get out of here. I need to go to the O’Hara house.”[/color]

Clearly, this was beyond Niles’ control. He didn’t know Clay well, not like Lexie did so if anything, he was just here for the ride. Shrugging at the mutual decision to take the officer to Scott Street, Niles grabbed his keys and wallet off of Lexie’s console table and stuffed it in his pants pockets. He proceeded to grab Clay’s phone, charged by Lexie's usb charger, and offered it to the older man. [color=19C8AC]““You might want to let people know you’re okay. Your phone’s been going off all night.”[/color]

Clay hastily took a hold of his phone and began to scan his Lock Screen. He had multiple missed calls from Cat, his mother, Lamb, Avery and Kylee; messages too. Immediately he opened up his tupper-bot app and sent a DM to Cat.

[quote]To Kitty: 
[color=BCDD81]I’m sorry, I lost track of time dreaming of you. I’ve cracked it! I’m nearly done. It’s nearly over. I love you.[/color][/quote]
He then opened up a message from Kylee.

[quote]From Kylee: 
[color=a95963]I know who the author is! Message me ASAP![/color][/quote]
Clayton responded to her message with another apology, he felt like he would be doing a lot of those after this was all over, as well as a request to meet him on Scott Street to finish this. He placed his phone in his back pocket and put his hand against Niles to steady himself. [color=BCDD81]“I’m gonna need my gun.”[/color]

Without warning, Lexie waltzed away in the direction of the bedrooms, returning fully dressed in athleisure and carrying a large plastic ziplock bag containing the items Clay had in his pockets, including the gun in question. [color=00A868]"That's everything you had on you and around you,"[/color] she told him, handing him the bag before grabbing her purse and keys from the kitchen counter and heading towards the door. [color=00A868]"Let's get going, then. The sooner Clay gets this done, the sooner he gets to damn hospital."[/color]
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