Can't we all just get along?

[Deleted]

E rin was staying with one of the firefighters for the week. Some crazy idea where everyone got to know everyone a bit better. Erin and Jay had volunteered because learning about others in the public service in the city couldn't be so bad right? It wasn't that Erin wasn't used to firefighters, hell she knew most of them that had been at 51. But then when things underwent change... Erin hadn't exactly met the new ones. So while Ben wasn't a completely strange face, the only time she had seen him was when he his wife was in trouble. Then there was the teenagers. There were two of them in the house and Erin wasn't even sure if she wanted kids of her own and now she had to somehow balance between those. It wasn't her place to say get your homework done, but that's exactly the position she found herself in on Ben's day at work. That had been a few days ago, now she was here because things today had gone to hell in a hand basket. Erin had put her life on the line for Ben's and though no one had been hurt the two had been arguing since the incident. Who was he to tell her how to do her job? Erin picked up her book off the table and set it back down. She'd thought about reading it but then reading wasn't really her thing. It just gave her something to do to avoid the crazy. If she called Jay and told him she just wanted to come home, she was certain that would just damage all the friendships she had been trying to make. Running wasn't really a solution to a problem, Hank had taught her that. Right now she was probably going to have to face more of music when Ben got home. Yeah she was trying not to think about that. OOC: I couldn't think of a specific incident for an idea so I hope this is okay. We can make stuff up as we go along as to what happened? Benjamin Taylor

♛

[Benjamin Taylor]

Swapping, yes Ben had no idea why he had agreed to it as with two teenagers and missing Stephanie the minute she left. It was going to be a long week. It was all in the spirit of getting alone and getting to know other people in the service of the city or at least that what he had clung to hoping that Stephanie was alright with her place. Fifty one had been his home now and rarely did he get to meet anyone else outside the house as work was work and usually he was focused on his job, not making friends with other people.

Erin was a face he had seen around, a cop he had met while working but beyond the usual casual greetings he knew little about her. Now she was living there for a week as he had a room made up for her as he hoped that the two teenagers would handle the new situation for a week. Teenage melt downs he wanted to avoid at all costs. It was however the two adults that seemed to be the issue so far with the life on the line incident that had rubbed him the wrong way. He had a simple rule, it was okay for him but not okay for anyone else.

Stephanie knew that and Erin, Erin had risked her life and now he was arguing with her about it. The same argument he would have had with Stephanie because it was far from okay to do that. Work had been a distraction all day as the end of shift rolled around and he considered taking another one just to avoid going home. He realised how stupid that was when he had asked the interim lieutenant and a look had been given which led him right back to his front door.

Was it okay to go and call Stephanie pleading for her to come back? Maybe she was having a good time he thought still unsure as to what that might mean if she was living with someone else and enjoying it for a week. With that thought he wanted to get out of his head as he opened the front door and headed inside. He dropped his bag by the door as he closed it and made his way to find Erin not sure what to say to anyone at that point.

Ben tried to put the happy smile on his face as he saw her sitting with a book. “Hey, I’m back.” He said as if that was news given he was standing there. He ran a hand over the back of his neck for a moment, distraction he thought. “Have you eaten yet? I can make us something if you want?” He asked her not sure if she had or even if she would speak to him given their feud over the incident.

OOC: It is a great and I am fine with making things up as we go. 

@lindsay ,

[Deleted]

E rin was in a rather disgruntled mood after the whole feud the last thing she wanted to do was deal with the Taylor teenagers. There wasn’t enough time in the day to figure out why Zach was so quiet and why Grace needed some help with something or another. This made Erin glad she didn’t have kids. The last time Erin had seen Ben, had been when Stephanie had gone missing. Erin was the type of person who didn’t quit when she punched off the clock. The wheels were always turning and there was always something. Right now she was diving straight into the case that had almost done her in for the day. Hearing the car door in the driveway she rolled her eyes. Oh look, Mr. thinks he can run my life is home. She kept the mental sarcasm to herself. When he opened the front door she had just finished picking up and sat down to read. It was the least she could do. There was no way she was going to apologize or even back down on what she had done today. It was her job and that was the end of it. Jay would understand. When she heard his bag drop by the front door she had to remind herself this was his house. He could drop it there if he wanted to do so. In her apartment, that would never fly. Erin bit back the sharp comments in her head. She had better manners than saying something smart about it. “Hi.” she tried to keep the shortness out of her voice. What did he want? A medal for making it home today? She knew the whole reason he was able to make that statement was because she’d made sure he could. So snapping at him wouldn’t solve anything. “Not really hungry.” Erin wasn’t sure she wanted to eat after today’s events. Things weren’t exactly straight in her and and it made her sick to her stomach. Erin’s solution was alcohol and lots of it; but Jay would kill her if he found out she ended up in a bar during this whole swap thing. That had been the only reason she was here instead. She’d bought some hard alcohol and had already been through enough to be a little drunk. Okay, so a lot of drunk. She’d slipped up and all the hard work that Jay had done to get her to stop drinking so much was temporarily on hold. Her slurred speech indicative of being a lot of bit of out of it. Erin had texted Jay earlier in the evening, something about hating her job. That was far from the truth but today was hard. Only another cop could understand. Texting Hank would have ended up with a dead firefighter to turn over to Stephanie at the end of the week. Erin was being silent unless spoken to. Benjamin Taylor

[Benjamin Taylor]

Usually Ben had a place for things to go, his bag normally found its way into the kitchen to wash anything he needed to but he was tired and the washing could wait. It had been a day from hell and that was saying something, he had tried to figure it all out at work and all he came up with was that he was used to fighting things on his own. The many years of being on his own followed by Grace who gave him a whole lot more to fight for but having someone save his life. No that was frankly not the way the world worked.

If it was Stephanie there he would have had the same argument or words spoken but Ben never considered it would be this tough when it came to the same argument with anyone else. Any other cop, any other situation and it might have been different but the swap meant that Erin was trusted to his care and by that definition in his head he had to do everything to look after her not her watch his back. In such he had no idea what to say, sorry or thank you or yell at her for even thinking of doing what she did but what good would it do once the entire thing had been done.

Then there were the kids to worry about and sort out as he had the vibe from Erin that kids or at least teenagers were a little out of what she was used to. Ben had learned as he went and he still did the same now, every day was a challenge and with two teenagers it was an uphill battle at times but worth every moment. It might not seem it on the day but a few days later that changed usually. ‘Hi’ Was that it? Ben was a little stunned but then this was new to him as coming home to someone else was turning out to be as much of a challenge as two teenagers.

Ben had to bite his tongue when she said she was not hungry though the slurred speech he head said she had more of a liquid dinner than solid food. “So you figured you’d drink your dinner instead.” He said not sure what to make of it but then their jobs were tough enough without turning to the bottle for help with it. He knew as soon as he said it, he would regret those words but none the less if she wanted to drink herself to sleep then that was her issue not his as he considered calling Stephanie and asking her back home.

“Look I’m going to make some dinner, an omelette or something so you’re welcome to join me but we need to talk, either about today or whatever case you're working on but we need to talk.” He said as he stood there, talking as if that was going to solve anything but he had to try to fix things before the entire police department hated him. “Might even open a bottle afterwards if you’d be interested in that?” He added not sure if the food would get her attention or the bottle but either way the air needed to be cleared. The one thing he tried not to do was go to bed angry or upset with people because he could never guarantee the next day he would be able to talk about anything.

@lindsay,

[Deleted]

E rin took her job seriously and she was hardly going to let anyone get mixed up in things on her watch. Erin ran with the boys, she put her life on the line everyday. This day was no different than any other. Except being yelled at for doing her job. Oh how she hated it. She very so much doubted she would have been yelled at if she had been male. Oh yeah well she wasn’t going to open that can of worms just yet. Erin hardly noted that Ben was in the house. Right now, she felt like going to the bar and drinking everyone under the table, even though she was already drunk. She was hardly going to say much more than she had to in the situation, so hi was about all he was going to get at this point in time. “You don’t know anything about me. I suggest you keep your smart ass comments to yourself.” She hissed. Erin was a very angry drunk when she provoked and he was poking the bear. When he mentioned making dinner and talking she snorted. “You insult me and then want to talk. And here I took you for smart.” Erin could tell he was grasping and she was angry at herself. One thing Ben didn’t understand was that Erin was always hard on herself when things went wrong. Nadia had drove her to the bottle and Jay had spent time getting her sober again so that she could keep her job. Hank wasn’t to be discounted in that either. Now she was getting chewed out for doing her job. “I have nothing to say to you.” She insisted as she pushed passed him and slammed the door on her way out of the house. Erin started up off at a large saunter up the street, it was not exactly in a straight line. Erin was drunk enough that driving was dangerous; but walking was a dead give away. She took out her phone and texted Jay while she was in her huffing rage. Benjamin Taylor

♛

[Benjamin Taylor]

Yes he deserved the hiss he thought, given his comment even he had winced at it though there was no taking it back now. He was being honest she had obviously been drinking and he had no idea what she had done for dinner or really if the kids were okay as he was trying not to go nuts about that. Drinking when the kids were there, yes they were teenagers and sure he expected they could just about look after themselves but he wanted to make sure there was a responsible adult in the house not a drunk one.

“Yeah well smart would have been staying out of things earlier; smart would have been keeping yourself safe.” He stated through gritted teeth, “You’re supposed to go back at the end of the week undamaged, how can I do that if you keep doing what you’re doing?” Saving his backside and then drinking, what was this? At least with Stephanie he knew where he stood, what was going on and their usual argument was their usual work argument nothing more than that but with Erin. He had no idea about the woman at all.

Ben stood there when she pushed past him and slammed the door on the way out of the house. “Great, just go then.” He said to the empty room as he went to the kitchen to make a start on food of some kind. He managed to get as far as opening the fridge before he grabbed his keys and jacket and headed back out after Erin. She had saved his backside that day so it was only fair to keep her out of harm’s way when she was drunk, it was hardly repaying the favour but it would have to do.

He jogged up the street as he watched her saunter, not exactly a straight line but then maybe she had more than he thought. He tried not to go off at that but then what was the point, she was already mad at him so it was entirely within his power to dig the hole even deeper, he was skilled at that. “Erin, are you nuts? Are you trying to wake up the entire street or just the kids?” He asked as he caught up with her. “Come back inside before you get hurt or walk into the middle of the road.” Yeah like this was going to go well he thought as he figured it was likely safer that he driver her where she was heading.

“I’ll drive you wherever you want to go. Just please before you hurt yourself or I’ll drag you back myself.” He stated as he sighed, “We can do this cave man style or fireman style either way you walk yourself or I carry you.” Ben wondered what was going on in his head or if he had bypassed tired mode and gone straight to ‘I’ve literally no patience left’ mode in a technical threat of kidnapping a cop.

@lindsay ,