[ as always, 'coming soon' means in less than roughly 24 hours ]

☆︎

SHOOT THEM.

"I JUST THINK IT'S A STAB IN THE BACK."

Maddie Wachowski rolled her eyes at her younger sister. Elena was seated on the kitchen counter, her sock-clad feet swinging back and forth as Maddie scrolled on her laptop. It was just before dinner time and both women were waiting for the third occupant of the house to come home — Tom hardly ever worked the night shift at the precinct any longer.

"It's not a stab in the back," Maddie said with a smile.

Elena made a noise of discontent and slid off the counter. "I graduate and make the active choice to move from San Fransisco to Montana to be with my sweet, adoring sister, only to find out she's about to move back to San Fransisco from Montana? I've literally only been here four months, and it's enough to drive you away?"

"We didn't know Tom wanted to apply to different jobs four months ago," she reminded her. "Though I hate you'll have to pack twice, assuming you're coming with."

"Of course, I'm coming with. I'm making Tom and Wade do all the packing," she grumbled.

"Oh, cheer up. You've always thought Green Hills was boring," Maddie pointed out. "You're only putting up with it for me, and soon, you won't have to."

"But what about the team?" Elena asked, thinking of the soccer team she coached full of girls just a year or two younger than her. "We're gonna make it to state, I think."

Maddie raised an eyebrow. "You've played two games so far this season."

"And won!" she boasted, walking around the kitchen island, her eyes on an envelope. "Also, I don't see why we don't just open the—"

"No!" Maddie said, getting up and rushing forward. She swiped the envelope addressed to her husband from the San Francisco Police Department off the counter. "It's Tom's to open."

"But if we open it, we'll know if we're actually moving. And we'll know what cake to give him," she pointed out.

"No, hence why we got two cakes," Maddie reasoned.

After the mail came in, since Maddie was at work, she instructed Elena to go to the local bakery to get two cakes — one for if Tom got the job and one for if he didn't.

Elena may or may not have marked the boxes incorrectly to mess with her sister and brother-in-law. She just hoped Maddie didn't think to check them before flashing one to Tom. Though, if Tom didn't get the job and then opened a cake congratulating him, it would hurt his feelings a bit too much.

So, Elena swore under her breath and moved toward the cake boxes. But she was interrupted by a loud honking coming from outside. It was easy to guess what Tom was making a fuss for — the hoard of raccoons that had been taking an interest in the trash lately.

"He knows honking does nothing for raccoons right?" Elena asked, sliding back on the counter as Maddie perked up. "He should just shoot them. That's what the police gave it to him for."

Maddie sighed and rubbed her forehead with the hand not holding Tom's letter. "I am so glad you didn't choose a career where you get a gun. Now, be excited for Tom or pissed off depending on the contents of the letter."

"I can be pissed either way because one way, he doesn't get the job. The other, I have to move again, which is annoying," she shrugged.

Then the front door opened as Tom let himself inside, calling out to them. "Maddie, as Green Hill's most respected veterinarian, what is the fastest way to exterminate a raccoon?" he was asking.

"Shoot them," Elena reiterated, grinning as the golden retriever of the household sauntered over to Tom.

He instantly sat his bag down and bent over to scratch Ozzie's neck. "Hi, Ozzie! Hello! You're glad to see me! You don't eat garbage, do you?" Then Tom finally looked at his silent wife, who was holding up the envelope with a timid smile on her face. "What's that? Is that what I think it is?"

Maddie nodded and handed it over. "Uh-huh. Open it."

"Oh, it's kind of small. Is that bad?" Tom asks with a grimace as he looked at the envelope addressed to him.

"Well, all my college rejection letters were small—"

"Lena!" Maddie snapped, not wanting her to make Tom's nerves worse. Then she sighed and looked back at Tom with a smile. "Just... open it."

The couple walked into the kitchen where Elena was waiting with swinging feet and a YouTube video pulled up on her phone. After leaning on the counter next to his sister-in-law, Tom took a deep breath to try and steady himself before opening it, reading it aloud for them.

"Dear Thomas, we have reviewed your application to the San Francisco Police Department, and pending interdepartmental review and background check, we are happy to inform you that you have been selected to join our team."

Given that they didn't have any champagne, Elena had picked a video that was just the sound of a cork popping. She played it loudly as Maddie jumped up and down ecstatically. Tom just looked awestruck.

"Aah! Oh, my God!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Wow! Oh, my God," Tom breathed out.

Then he eyed Maddie, who pulled the pink bakery box out from underneath the counter and set it down. She opened it with a proud smile. "Ta-dah."

Elena took one look at the image of a burning Golden Gate Bridge and broke into a fit of giggles as Tom read the words with a confused frown. "San Francisco Sucks?"

Maddie's face fell instantly as she looked at her amused sister. "Wrong one!" she huffed before pulling out the new box and opening it with a giggle. "Ta-dah!"

The new cake simply had the words "Congratulations! We never had a doubt!" written on it with a decorative image of a police officer in the center of it. Tom raised an amused eyebrow and looked between the sisters.

"You never had a doubt, huh?" he asked skeptically.

"No!" Maddie insisted. "Mm-mmm."

Tom just shook his head with a grin before hugging Maddie and kissing her sweetly. Elena slid off the counter and made a big show of gagging like any eighteen-year-old would at seeing her sibling show affection.

"I can't believe this," Tom said, starting to wrap his head around it.

"Great. So proud," Elena said. "But you're lifting all my heavy boxes in the move. And you're getting all the blame for when the soccer team goes to shit."

Tom rolled his eyes playfully and shoved her a bit before looking at the dining room table. He spotted the screen and tilted his head curiously. "Hey, what are those?"

"Apartments for rent I found on Zillow," Maddie explained. "I thought Ozzie and I could fly there tomorrow and check out some neighborhoods. Lena has a game, so she can't come, much to Rachel's annoyance."

"But I'll go back to living with Mama and Daddy if we leave Green Hills," Elena assured him. "I'll be out of your hair."

Tom let out a long breath, his eyes wide. "I mean, this is all happening so fast," he admitted while sitting down at the table.

As Maddie joined him, Elena just eyed him curiously. For someone that wanted to leave Green Hills, he didn't look too thrilled about getting the chance to.

"Oh, man. It's the craziest thing. You apply for the job, you get the job," Maddie said sarcastically while sitting across from him.

"Well, pending a background check," he joked.

"Oh, man. Hope they don't find out about that time you used the neighbor's Wi-Fi."

Tom grinned at her. "I'm still using the neighbor's Wi-Fi." Then his smile softened. "But, Maddie, are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Thomas Michael Wachowski, what did you do the entire time I was in veterinary school?" Maddie asked in a hard tone.

He just shrugged like it was nothing. "I worked a second job to pay the rent and—"

"A third job to pay tuition. Not to mention letting my baby sister move in. You sacrificed for me. I'm happy to sacrifice for you," Maddie insisted while getting up from the table. "Babe, are you sure you're okay with this? I mean, there's been a Wachowski protecting this town for more than fifty years. This is a big change."

Elena didn't know much about Tom's family. Both his parents were dead, but his father had been the town chief of police before he was. He also had a few rowdy brothers that'd gotten wasted at the wedding along with one brother Elena had never met because he didn't bother to show at the wedding all those years ago.

But given that he was the only Wachowski to remain in town, Green Hills clearly meant a lot to him even if Tom was trying not to show it.

"I'm positive," Tom insisted while standing. "It's time for this guy to get out there and prove himself. I love Green Hills, but, you know, I want to help people in real trouble. I want someone to turn to me in a life-and-death situation, and I'll be there for 'em."

Maddie nodded in understanding, wrapping her arms around him. "I get it. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you."

"But you know," Elena spoke up, coming over to them. "I could easily cause some life-and-death situations in Green Hills to keep you entertained until the big move."

Tom narrowed his eyes at her. "You're an eighteen-year-old high school soccer coach. That doesn't seem like something you could accomplish."

Maddie sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Don't tempt her. When Rachel was fifteen, Elena bit her boyfriend so hard he had to get stitches."

Tom looked at Elena in horror, who just grinned before chomping her teeth jokingly. "So, when Wade said you threatened to bite his finger off like in Lord of the Rings one time, he wasn't exaggerating?"

"Nope," she grinned. But then it slipped. "But I didn't say like in Lord of the Rings. I've not seen that nerd crap."

"It's not nerd crap — it's one of the best movie trilogies of all time."

"Whatever you say, nerd."

☆︎

The next day, Maddie had left early for the airport, taking Ozzie with her. Tom was working all day, and Elena spent four hours working her girls at the early Saturday soccer practice. Once she was done, she brought Wade and Tom some lunch before heading home. Since her job wasn't full time, she helped around the house to thank Tom and Maddie for letting her stay.

She mowed the yard and kept the house clean. Usually she walked Ozzie, but he was gone, so she opted to still go on her run while dog-less. By the time she returned, Tom was back, and the pair decided to start a game of one-on-one soccer in the front yard, using trash cans as the goal posts.

"So, how was work?" Elena asked him as he got the ball.

"Boring," he huffed while trying to get around her. "But my radar gun needs to be replaced. It clocked something in at a few hundred miles an hour."

"That was me, old man. Keep up!" she joked while rushing forward and sweeping the ball out from under him. "Oh! She cuts left. She leaves Officer Wachowski in the dust. She shoots. She scores! The crowd goes wild. Aghhhhh!"

Tom just laughed as she narrated her every move, knowing he'd never really beat Elena. She had been a star soccer player before breaking her knee, which kept her from being scouted by college representatives the season before. She was all healed up now but wasn't as skilled anymore. But even with a bum knee, she was leagues better than Tom, who'd always preferred baseball.

The next play began, and Tom managed to get the ball once, but it wasn't long before Elena stole it from him. But instead of scoring a point, she began to show him up, kicking the ball up and onto her knee, bouncing it up and down as Tom just watched her, putting his hands on his hips.

"You done there?" he asked, pretending to be unimpressed. But truthfully, he was just glad she was having a fun time — he and Maddie had been so worried she'd hate living with them.

"Nah," she laughed while kicking the ball up to that it landed on the top of her head, balancing it. Maybe she wasn't a player in her prime anymore, but she was still a pro at tricks.

"Well, now you just look like a seal at the circus," he said with a smile. "And not a very entertaining one."

"Whatever," she laughed. "Start the play over."

Then Elena popped the ball up before hitting her forehead against it, sending the ball flying toward Tom. But Tom hadn't been expecting it, so he ducked out of the way. She watched as the ball rolled down the driveway, stopping as it hit the tire of a car that had just parked.

Elena frowned, not familiar with the silver Honda that parked next to her own green Jeep. "Did you invite anyone over?"

Tom was standing up straight again as he looked over his shoulder. "No, I..." He trailed off as the figure got out of the car, recognition and shock crossing his features.

Elena didn't know who it was though. The man was tall as he climbed out of the vehicle, tossing plain black sunglasses into his car and revealing eyes as blue as Tom's. His dark hair was combed back, but one stray curl was on his forehead. Though he was wearing something so simple — a dark blue t-shirt and jeans — he looked good in it, the fabric hugging firm biceps as he leaned down to pick up the soccer ball before looking back at Tom.

Yeah, this guy did not live in Green Hills, Elena knew because she'd certainly have remembered someone as handsome as him.

"Tom?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as the two men just kept staring at each other. "You know this guy that's hogging the ball?"

"That's, uh," Tom hesitated, his eyes wide. "That would be my brother. Liam."

[ I know what you're thinking. what's a sonic fic without sonic? he's coming. we'll get more of him and more of david corenswet next chapter ]