NINE; BRIE THE BABYSITTER

"Can I interest you in some water?" Sabrina approached the three people in the reception of the police precinct. A thirty-something year-old woman looked back at her, and Sabrina sent her a comforting smile. "A coffee, maybe?"

"I'm fine, thank you," what Sabrina knew as the mother responded, shaking her head. She seemed quite exhausted, which didn't come as a surprise. Her daughter had gotten into a fist fight the night before, and it was only a matter of time before she could be released. It was only six in the morning, but the young Swede seemed quite chipper for her shift at her new job. 

A small whine came from the four year old beside the woman, and she sighed softly, burying her face in her hands as her young son adjusted the little girl in his grip. Sabrina glanced over and met eyes with the twelve year old, who had bags under his eyes and a sad frown on his lips. Sabrina squatted so that she was at eye level with the kid, once again offering a reassuring expression. "Hey, pal. What's your name?"

"Devon," he muttered quietly, shuffling his sister in his arms once more. 

"Hey, Devon. I'm Brie. And who's this?" Sabrina met the bright brown eyes of the little girl, who smiled broadly and reached out to grab her by the hair. Sabrina chuckled and leaned forward, allowing her to grab the brunette strands. She didn't mind the nuisance. 

"Clara," she bounced up and down on her brother's lap, accidentally tugging on Sabrina's hair. "You're pretty."

"Thanks, honey," Sabrina chuckled, before glancing over at the mother. "Excuse me, ma'am? Would you like me to find something to entertain the kids? I think we've got some books and puzzles somewhere."

"That'd be great, thanks," the mother responded without hesitation, waving at her children. "Go follow the lady. Devon, take care of your sister."

Sabrina opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Uh oh, she was responsible for human beings now. This probably wasn't the greatest idea. She looked over at Devon and Clara, who looked a little more excitable, and she dropped her shoulders before standing up energetically. "Okay! C'mon, guys, I'm sure we can figure out what to do."

Clara practically leapt from Devon's arms and reached for Sabrina's hand. The brother followed behind as the woman got the thumbs up that she could leave the desk from her coworker, before turning the corner and finding the vending machine. Fishing in her pocket for coins, Sabrina picked Clara up and sat her on her hip. "So, what kind of candy do you guys like?"

"Skittles," Devon said shyly, and Sabrina smiled, handing him some money. He stared up at her with a shocked expression, and she nudged him a little. "Thanks, Brie."

"No problem, sweetheart," she replied, before turning to Clara. "What about you, Miss Clara? Do you want some chocolate?"

"Can I have some Reese's please?" the four year-old asked, and Sabrina didn't hesitate in nodding. After Devon had gotten his sweets, she pressed the coins into the machine and pushed the buttons to get the peanut butter pieces. Sabrina then handed them to the youngster, who beamed. 

★☆

"Morning, Nilsson," the friendly voice of Eudora Patch greeted Sabrina around half an hour later. The beauty of a detective strolled in with her bag over her shoulder, just about to start her shift. She was one of the nicest people in the precinct, and had quickly taken to showing Sabrina the ropes. Sabrina looked up from the reception, smiling happily. Clara giggled as Eudora approached them, having a lot of fun clinging to the woman's shoulders. Devon was tidying the desk, fixing up the pen holder and organising the sticky notes. "Looks like we got some new recruits today."

"Devon, Clara, say hi to Detective Patch," Sabrina grinned, and both the kids waved at the other woman excitedly. Sabrina met the eyes of her coworker and gave a helpless shrug. "It's been a slow morning, so I asked around and these two were happy to help out. Also, their mother got called in to talk to Sisco about her daughter, so I'm making sure these little monkeys are doing okay."

"Well, that's very noble of you," Eudora returned the smile. She then glanced over at the kids. "Have a good time guys! Make sure you take care of Brie, she's definitely a handful."

Clara giggled, and Devon grinned, watching the detective wander off down the hall into the locker room. Sabrina reached for her hot chocolate and sipped it, before placing it back down on the coaster Devon had made her use. She then got a grip back on Clara as she wandered to the radio controls, turning up the music and allowing it to fill the room. 

There were times she was grateful to be in the city she lived in. While it had its dangers and enemies, there was a nice period in which it was peaceful. She could be her happy self, with all her work finished and her head clear. There was so much to be looking forward to. She had another shift at the museum in the afternoon and then dog training in the evening. Her schedule was packed, and that was how she liked it.

She hadn't heard from Diego in a week or so, though. They had been talking non stop and then it had just gone quiet. She didn't know why, she had just come to the conclusion that he was keeping himself busy too. She hadn't had time to stop by the gym for a few days, but she knew she was getting better. Hopefully, if she saw Diego soon, she could convince him to take her on a mission.

But what if he never got in touch? She'd been working so hard for almost two months now, and she knew she was ready, regardless of whether or not she'd be fighting alongside Diego. 

Maybe I don't need to be fighting alongside Diego.

"Clara, Devon, we can go now," the mother's voice re-entered the reception, her tired eyes not responding to the fact that her kids were actually enjoying themselves. The two adolescents groaned softly, before unhappily obliging. Sabrina helped Clara back onto the ground, watching as they went to join their mother and distraught older sister. "Thanks for, you know..."

"No problem!" Sabrina grinned. "I'd be happy to babysit if you ever need a break-"

The mother paused, as if she were taken off guard by the offer. "Really?"

Sabrina straightened her posture a little and nodded eagerly. "Of course!"

"Can Brie babysit us?" Devon piped up, almost nervous to ask his stressed out mother anything. She glanced at him, before back at Sabrina. 

"I mean, if it wouldn't be too much trouble," it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from the woman's shoulders. She fumbled in her jacket for a pen, and once Sabrina caught on she reached for a sticky note and a pencil from behind the desk. She scrawled her name and number and then handed it to the mother, who smiled a genuine smile. "I'm Dayna, by the way. Dayna Hutt."

"Nice to meet you, Dayna," Sabrina shook her hand, before looking back to see the teenage girl anxiously fiddling with the rings on her fingers. "And what's your name?"

"Felicity," she took a moment to respond, but when she did, her voice was raspy and emphasised how tired she must've been. She seemed pretty harmless, she was soft in features and a healthy figure, though Sabrina wasn't one to make assumptions about people. She knew that everyone went through a lot of shit and that didn't show in meaningless meetings with strangers. 

"That's a gorgeous name," Sabrina said brightly, causing the teen to lift her head and meet the woman's happy eyes. It was okay if she didn't return Sabrina's smile, the woman didn't mind. She then glanced back to Dayna. "If you ever need a helping hand, I'm always a phone call away."

"Thank you for all your help Sabrina," Dayna's eyes flickered down to the sticky note, before up at Sabrina.

"No worries," she lifted her hand in a wave as the small but impressionable family moved towards the exit. Clara kept looking back to return the gesture, which made Sabrina's heart swell. 

As the doors shut and Sabrina was left by herself once more, seeing as the other reception worker was on his break, she looked down at the phone on the desk. She thought about calling Diego, asking why he hadn't bothered to contact her in the last week. She wanted to ask about going on a mission, doing something to help people like Dayna's family. 

Perhaps it was the idiot in her, but she had an urge to get shit done on her own. 

★☆

two?? updates?? in ??? a??? day??? uwu

idk i'm still just trying my best i have no idea what's going on plot wise jinkies my bad

i'm just trying to smooth things out character wise, so lmk if any of y'all are confused

basically

sabrina - main bitch, bad bitch, sometimes a sad bitch

alicia - sister fam dude bro

jack - bean nephew dude

diego - we all know and love 

+

alfie - baby boy. baby. kinda irrelevant to this plot but uwu energy

sisco -  he may be a middle aged buddy but i love him

devon + clara - smol children 

oh, and gary the pitbull. 

so, those are the current characters, let's see if this ends up being a huge mess

also, i wrote one (1) scene with brie and eudora and now i ship them hahaha fuck