White Collar Big Bang Fan Fic: 500 Miles - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Verse:
If you miss the train I’m on
You will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow
A hundred miles...
Nathan had been excited, plans made, applications sitting on his bedroom desk as he tried to hold back crowing that he was finally going to do this. It had been his dream since he was barely able to walk much less talk to be a police officer like his father. The stories his mother had told him were more than enough to make him idolize the man he’d never known, but in vague memories, as a hero to be worshipped, copied and finally become.
Nate was determined to make his career in law enforcement doing all the studying and research possible. He visited a local law library to learn more about criminal law hoping for a minor in that as a degree since he planned on going to college. A friend’s father was a lawyer and told him he was learning quickly, lending him books and allowing him access to information about law. He spoke with his guidance counselor at school, waiting for career day to pick where he wanted to visit. It had been easy enough to shadow a local police department, the officers friendly and willingly to help him find out what it was to become an peacekeeper. They let him ride around in the vehicle on a call and he got to run the siren. Nate was in heaven.
He went to the range and got himself a license to carry, learning how to shoot better he thought than even the best gunfighters, or so he hoped. He would probably never use the gun for real but some of the stories the officers told him made his hair stand on end. He soon found out that most officers rarely pulled their guns contrary to what TV shows and movies said. Susan had already been showing him how to shoot a gun long before now he wasn’t too bad when he showed up at the range. It had just been a matter of keeping the facts from his mother, her fear of guns legendary. He never understood her nervousness wondering if it had to do with his father’s death or something else. She rarely spoke of what had happened but to say his father had been a hero. That was enough for him.
“Nathan? You’re going to be late.”
His mother was peeking into his room, the door open as he nodded and started to put away the papers and his own small notebook of notes and ideas for his future. He had it all planned out to the very end although he hoped to have a bit of fun with his friends after graduation. It would be one last hurrah before he went off to college and the Police Academy. He would have to buckle down and do well on their exam. Some of the officers had told him the test wasn’t easy to pass and many a wannabe cop never made it past basic training. Nate had Susan though and she gave him a few tips if not hints about what to expect. She seemed far more happy about him going off to the academy than his mother. He had the grades, the skills and knowledge needed to make it in that kind of career and he liked helping people. He was a bit disappointed though that everyone seemed to have forgotten what day it was.
“Sure, Mom.”
He felt a bit despondent. It was six months until graduation but it felt so much farther away. Today was supposed to be special but his mother had told him to go take some items for their friend Susan. The woman was someone he idolized almost as much as his father. She had been his father’s partner while he was alive and knew enough about George to make Nathan more excited about his chosen field. He slipped on his shoes, pulled on his jacket and headed downstairs and out the back door. His mother hugged him with a smile that made him wonder if she was hiding something from him.
“Go straight to Susan’s Nate then come back here, Ok?”
She kissed him gently on the forehead as he blushed and nodded back, going out to where his bike was and heading out with a wave. Once he was out on the road, the package secured to the back basket, Nathan relaxed. He wasn’t happy but at least he could deal with it on his own while he was riding. It was supposed to be a special day for him, his 18th birthday but everyone seemed to have forgotten. No matter. On the way back he’d stop at the ice cream shop and get himself something to drown his sorrows in. He wasn’t going to complain. He only had six months before he would be out of high school and off to be an officer like his father. What more did he need?
Susan lived in a house halfway across town in St. Louis on the outskirts of the city. It was rural enough that he felt like he was in the boonies more than a thriving city, some small farms and professional gardens along the way. It was a fun ride to her home, giving him ideas of things to paint and draw when he wasn’t thinking about playing cops vs. robbers in his head. He was always surprised by the friendship between his mother and Susan. It seemed an unlikely friendship once he had gotten to know her better. There was always an element of danger with her. There were times he had the impression she was afraid of something but maybe it was just her eccentricities. She mostly kept to herself but for a few poker buddies, his mother and himself. Susan was kind to him and almost like another mother if anything. He’d had his first drink with her, his mother never knowing and she had been the reason he had even thought about getting a gun permit. Susan had told him he was the man of the house and should keep his mother safe if not himself. It seemed logical at the time but sometimes he thought she wanted him safe for reasons unsaid and not the ones that were obvious.
Susan had pulled strings with a friends of hers at the courthouse when he had shown talent with her rifle. She had enough acreage to do things like that. While his mother was somewhat more strict with him, Susan let him run free and wild. Sometimes he thought she felt guilty, compensating with him for something from her past although he was never sure what. His thoughts moved back to the present as he saw her house ahead. He rolled to a stop, parking his bike behind the fence and walked up to her door. Her house was a ranch style structure like you might see in Arizona, lots of plants, flowers and trees. It stuck out in the St. Louis neighborhood but was still pretty. He saw her apple tree was blooming with a few small fruits already evident. Susan had the greenest of thumbs just as she said he had the talent of Michelangelo if not Picasso. He laughed at her comments and blushed usually which just made her tease him more about his talents.
“Nate! Come on in... do you have that package?”
He nodded, seeing her peer through the screen door of the patio as he walked over and up the three steps to her residence. The door squeaked softly as he opened it, wooden boards creaking beneath his feet as he walked across the enclosed patio and over to the front door. This place felt like home more than his own house. He could smell a faint scent of rum in the air wondering what it was that had her drinking this time of day. Sometimes he saw a sadness in her, a guilt he didn’t understand. It seemed directed at himself or maybe she just wanted to be there because his dad couldn’t. He smiled at her ever so slightly as he pulled the package out.
“Yes, my mom insisted I bring it to you today.”
He emphasized the last part with a slight dejected tone, his smile a little less than happy when she looked at him. She took the item without opening it up and put it aside, giving him a curious look.
“Something important about today, Nate? Here, have a beer. Just don’t tell your mother.”
He nodded, sitting down on the sofa before sipping from the cool drink. He didn’t have his license yet but he was able to drive with Susan’s help. He’d driven her truck a few times around the acreage or to the store and back with her in there. She’d been teaching him lots of stuff including how to appreciate the simple things in life when she showed him the garden in bloom and had him paint her portraits of her favorite flowers. Of course he complied, her home filled with his art works. He was impressed with the ex-cop living on her own. He was still uncertain about leaving the house and his mother for college but he knew he wanted to go out and see the world. It might only be down the road but he could dream. Susan lived comfortably on her pension and her own endeavors selling the fruits she grew and some of her vegetables and flowers. He admired her ingenuity at making something out of nothing and teaching him as best she could to do the same.
“Yeah but... nevermind. It’s not important.”
He sulked some, taking another pull of the beer before leaning back and staring up at the ceiling dejectedly. This was turning out to be the worse day to turn 18. Nate would only do it once and all he had planned was ice cream after this. He felt let down, a face blocking his view as Susan smiled down at him. She had a certain grin on her face she reserved for surprises. He wondered if she had gotten him a gift and was just pretending not to remember it was his birthday. He soon realized she had forgotten.
“Come on, your mom will worry if you don’t get back soon. I’ll drive you in the truck. It’s getting dark and you shouldn’t bike when intoxicate.”
She was smirking at him, making fun but he nodded tiredly as he handed her the beer and they took off soon after. Maybe it was the beer or maybe it was a combination of disappointment and the ride up that tired him out but he slept the rest of the way until Susan poked at him.
“Come on sleepy head. You’re home.”
He gave her a slight nod, yawning and stretching as he exited the vehicle and realized she was following.
“I have to talk to your mother about something. Go on... get inside, Nate.”
Nathan didn’t argue, going into the home he shared with his mother and noticing the lights out. Maybe she had gone out or had a late shift? His mother was a nurse so he didn’t see her half as much as he hoped worry filling him as he opened up the door to the dark house.
“Mom? I’m home.”
There was silence for a moment, the room still dark before he reached for the switch and suddenly the place was filled with light, people and decorations as everyone yelled: SURPRISE!!!!
If anything, Nathan was surprised alright. Several of his friends from school were present and of course Susan and his mother. It was a small gathering but it was better than he had expected as he got permission to go run to the local drag with his friends for a few hours leaving the two women to talk and catch up. His friends bought him dinner, one of them letting him drive their car, a nice sporty car he could only dream of having one day. He glanced up at the time and told them he had to head home. Nate could have stayed out all night but he didn’t want to worry his mother or Susan. Besides, he still hadn’t gotten a present from either one and his curiosity was getting the better of him.
It was close to 10 PM when Nate returned home, happy for the few presents he’d received but happier for having spent time with his friends and now with his Mother and Susan who appeared to be up and waiting for him.
“Nate, did you have fun with your friends tonight?”
He nodded to his mother, more happy than he had been before the party. His mom hugged him, mussing his hair some before she went into the kitchen to grab his present. Meanwhile it was just him and Susan, sitting on the sofa, something in her manner telling him she wanted to speak to him. She handed him a box but told him to open it later when his mother wasn’t around. He nodded, hiding it in his backpack. He noticed a nervousness to her, fingers tapping on her leg. Something was up.
“Nate... Erica told me you were already thinking of applying to the academy.”
Her voice was quiet, soft as she seemed uncertain how to broach something with him. He felt a bit of nervousness despite how happy he felt about his birthday. Nate nodded back, happy with his future plans.
“Yeah, I talked to the recruiter the other day and he said I was sure to get in with my grades and skills. I have you to thank you for the latter, Suz. Won’t cost much either. I’ve been saving and they think I might qualify for a scholarship! I can’t wait!”
He wasn’t going to be unhappy, everything planned, sketched out and ready. Nate had his future down to the last detail and even with money tight, he was able to find a way to get in with good grades and possibly a recommendation from Susan if she’d give it.
“Nate... this probably isn’t the best time to bring this up but it’s necessary I...”
His mother came in about that time, a wrapped present in hand, unaware of Susan’s discomfort, the woman smiling now. He wanted to hear what she had to say but felt it must be something private if Suz had stopped when his mother appeared. They had a few secrets of their own like his having gotten the gun license. It was only recently he had told his mom about the plan to go to the academy like his father. His mother had seemed happy but there was something else in her manner that made him think she was afraid for him if not as thrilled as he hoped. She handed him the present.
“Open it up. I think you’ll like it.”
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4