#the quarry rp [what doesn't kill you will make you stronger]

[sheriff-t-money]

"I broke my rules for you."

From this meme prompt.

A heavy sigh fell from thin lips that tightly pressed together after its escape. Somewhere to his right, he heard Bobby give a guttural, confused, sob. It broke Travis' heart almost as much as the sight before him.

Kaylee. Everyone's energetic ball of light. Extinguished in a pool of her own blood. 'This is going to destroy Chris,' was the only thought running through his mind. It was the only thought he allowed in his mind. For now.

Amelia's death had nearly broken him as it was. It was only for the sake of the kids that Chris had kept himself together. This? Travis didn't see a way back from this.

And he had let it happen.

It all began with a push of a single domino. A decision to keep two early-bird counselors in prison cells. It wasn't Max. He had no idea where that boy was currently locked up. It was Laura Kearney.

Motive, means, opportunity.

The holy trinity in law enforcement.

Outwardly, he was as stern and stoic as ever. In fact, he was probably overcompensating. Because he was one second away from a fuckin' breakdown. He'd caused this. He hadn't pulled the trigger, but he had sure as fuck presented the means and opportunity on a literal silver platter.

Where had he gone wrong? He tried mentally retracing his steps over the past two months. He'd be mindful of letting them get too close. Hell, he kept the most important room, his personal armory, locked up tight.

The answer became clear. He'd fuckin' underestimated her. Travis had made it his career to be a damn good judge of people. Hell, in the grand scope of cops, he thought he was pretty damn lenient. Kearney, on first impression, was a typical young adult still finding her way. Plenty of dreams and few answers.

The few interactions he had allowed himself to have with her revealed . . . a few more layers. A deeper complexity. But he had stopped himself there. That night spent having as close to a heart-to-heart as he could muster was a mistake. He'd revealed too much to her.

He'd mistaken her understanding for sympathy.

The fuckin' problem was he had no idea what to feel about this . . . situation. This damned horror story he was submerged in. He had a foot in both sunlight and in the shade. Laura Kearney had killed a monster that would have killed her right back without a thought.

But she had also killed his niece.

And damn it if Kaylee wasn't a beautiful soul. That girl was going to go places instead of being trapped here like her bum of an uncle. Now, she was floating here with the chemicals in the pool slowly eating away at her dead flesh.

Travis' body is aching. He pushes himself up from the kneeled position he was sitting in beside the pool. The rain threatens above. He can hear the distant roll of thunder and smell the moisture in the air.

"Call Pa, Bobby," he says finally, keeping his tone controlled. Bobby's face was wet, leaving red streaks down his neck and the front of his overalls. "She needs to go home. I'll," and he hesitates, quickly clearing his throat to avoid the slight catch that formed in it, "I'll . . . tell Ma."

Travis turns, dark eyes shadowed even deeper, bags under his eyes heavier than normal, to take one last look at his niece. He allows the memory to burn. More guilt to carry to his grave. Another weight to his shoulders.

He won't be able to rest from this. Not even when his body is turned to ash. Guys like him didn't deserve peace.

Turning away, he exits the pool area and starts the long trek home. He only allows himself one thought. A new thought.

'Why the fuck did I break the rules for her?'