Safe House Sequel: One Shots (Graceland FanFiction)

It's Today: Part 2

Paige sighed and brushed her hand across her face. "Oh, I don't know if I'm ready for three more of these," she said, her voice a higher pitch than usual. She turned and tilted her head at Jessie. "Am I going to cry?"

"I don't know," Jessie said, pushing herself off the cushions. "Maybe, but good crying." Jessie trotted over to Paige and wrapped her arms around the woman's leg. "Like when in court the judge said Graceland can keep me. You cried then, right?"

Paige reached down and lifted Jessie up onto her hip. She ran her hand through the little girl's hair. "Yeah, I was happy crying."

Jessie hesitated for a moment, but she then reached out and put her palm on Paige's cheek. "It's good to happy cry sometimes."

Paige could feel the lump in her throat growing. "You're making me want to happy cry right now," she said smiling. She put Jessie down and took the next note from her, opening it cautiously.

"I wasn't allowed to read this one," Jessie said shyly.

Paige read the note to herself and clasped her hand to her chest. A laugh escaped from Paige's mouth so loudly that Jessie jumped a little.

"What?" Jessie asked, pulling on the hem of Paige's shirt.

"Nope," Paige said shaking her head and folding up the note, "not for you."

"Do you know where to go?" Jessie asked.

"Yep. C'mon." Paige stuck out her hand and waited for Jessie to take hold before leading her back to the stairs.

They climbed up to the first floor and headed straight across the loft to Charlie's room. Paige knew the room was empty, but checked first anyway before walking through the space to the balcony.

Paige sat on the patio chair and reached into a potted plant, pulling out the stash of cigarettes that Charlie kept for especially stressful days. The box was empty though, and inside was another note that Paige took her time to read.

"There. She's there on the balcony." Johnny was standing on the beach, waiting for Paige to arrive at the scene of her third clue. He spoke into his watch so that the rest of his roommates could hear.

"She's standing back up," he said with an excited voice. "Mikey, I think we've got about ten more minutes..."

"Who are you waving at?" Paige asked, noticing Jessie peering off the balcony to the beach down below.

Jessie tucked her hand quickly back by her side. "Nobody," she said quickly. Paige's expression proved that she knew Jessie was lying.

"It was just BD," Jessie said, hiding her face from Paige.

Jessie jumped back into Charlie's room and led Paige away from the beach. Paige glanced at the beach one more time before following her inside, but she didn't recognize anyone down there, nor did she see BD.

They made it to the loft, and Jessie ran over to the couch in the nook next to the stairs.

"This one's going to be from Jakes, isn't it?" Paige asked. She sat next to Jessie and put her hand out for the fourth note, which Jessie shook excitedly in the air.

"I need to read it!" Paige said, laughing at her.

Jessie placed the note on Paige's palm and watched as she unfolded the paper, prepared to study it carefully.

It said: The only place where real work gets done around here.

"Real work?" Paige asked aloud. "Am I supposed to go outside?"