Chapter 20: Thanksgiving & Commitment
November 27, 2008 - Thanksgiving - Tedd's Apartment
The chicken wasn't turkey, but it worked.
I'd never been much of a cook—neither version of me, original Tedd or transmigrated soul—but Thanksgiving required effort. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes from scratch, green beans that were only slightly overcooked. Wine from a bottle Lorelei had brought, better than anything I would've chosen.
She sat on my couch, watching me work in the kitchen with open amusement.
"You cook like you're defusing a bomb," she said.
"I'm following a recipe. Recipes have steps. Miss a step, disaster."
"Very detective of you."
"Thank you."
The meal came together by four PM. We ate on the couch because my kitchen table was still covered in case files, plates balanced on our laps, the TV playing some parade neither of us watched.
"Do you miss having family around?" Lorelei asked. "On holidays?"
The question stabbed unexpectedly. Tedd's family, not mine—but the loneliness was real regardless.
"Sometimes," I admitted. "They show they care in their own way. Uncle Richard sent another gift this morning. Fifteen thousand dollars and a note saying 'Happy Thanksgiving, proud of you.'"
"Fifteen thousand dollars." She shook her head. "Your family is generous."
"They're complicated. Wealthy, spread across the state, but they care. Send money instead of visiting, but the intention is genuine."
She nodded, understanding. "My family was smaller. Just me and Miranda after Mom died. Dad was... not great. Drinking problem, anger issues. Miranda protected me from most of it."
The System monitored her emotional state automatically.
[ **ANALYZING: LORELEI MARTINS** ]
[ **RELAXATION: 96%** ]
[ **GUARD: COMPLETELY LOWERED** ]
[ **VULNERABILITY: MAXIMUM** ]
[ **TRUST LEVEL: 89% → 94%** ]
[ **ENERGY: 64/100** ]
"She's telling me things she's never shared. Trusting me with her worst memories."
"That's why finding her killer matters so much," I said quietly.
"She was the only person who ever protected me. Until you." Lorelei set down her plate, turned to face me fully. "What are we doing here? Us, I mean."
The Influence Metronome activated instinctively—calculating optimal response, tracking conversational dynamics, preparing to steer emotions. I forced it off.
"No. This isn't a negotiation. This is real."
"I'm falling in love with you," I said, raw honesty replacing calculation. "Have been since that first night at The Sterling Room when you looked at me like I might actually see you instead of just a pretty waitress."
Her eyes watered. "I love you too. And that terrifies me."
"Why?"
"Because everyone I've loved either left or died. My mom, my sister, even my father in his own broken way. Loving people means losing them."
I set my own plate aside, took her hands. "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm harder to lose than most—I'm trained in self-defense, carry a gun, and have an entire team of law enforcement backing me up."
She laughed despite the tears. "That's the least romantic thing you've ever said."
"I'm trying to be practical."
"I know. That's why I love you." She leaned forward, kissed me softly. "We're doing this? Officially? Exclusively?"
"Yes. Absolutely yes."
"Even with the investigation? Even with everything coming?"
"Especially with everything coming. I'd rather face it together than alone."
[ **RELATIONSHIP MILESTONE: MUTUAL COMMITMENT ESTABLISHED** ]
[ **TRUST LEVEL: 94%** ]
[ **ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT: CONFIRMED PERMANENT** ]
[ **EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY: SHARED** ]
[ **ENERGY: 62/100** ]
We moved to the bedroom eventually, leaving dishes for later. What happened there was private, intimate, the kind of connection that needed no narration.
November 27, 2008 - Late Evening
We lay tangled in sheets, her head on my chest, my fingers tracing idle patterns on her shoulder.
"December first," she said quietly. "That's when we start at Safe Harbor."
"I know."
"I want to go deeper. Not just volunteer work—actually investigate. Build relationships with staff, find out who had access to those women. Learn the patterns."
The protective instinct flared hot and immediate. "That's dangerous."
She lifted her head, met my eyes. "It's my sister, Tedd. I'm doing this."
"Lorelei—"
"No." Her voice was firm, resolved. "You've been protecting me this whole time. Investigating for me, positioning yourself between me and danger. But this? This is mine. Miranda was my sister. I need to do this."
The System provided cold risk assessment.
[ **ANALYZING: PROPOSED ACTION** ]
[ **SUBJECT ENTERING POTENTIAL RED JOHN HUNTING GROUND** ]
[ **DANGER LEVEL: HIGH** ]
[ **RECOMMEND: CLOSE MONITORING** ]
[ **ALTERNATIVE: PROHIBIT ACTIVITY (RELATIONSHIP RISK: 73%)** ]
[ **ENERGY: 60/100** ]
"I could stop her. Tell her no, forbid it, use every argument I have. But that breaks the trust we've built. Makes me another man trying to control her choices."
"Okay," I said finally. "But not alone. We coordinate. You tell me everything you learn, anyone suspicious, anything that feels wrong. And if I say we pull out, we pull out immediately. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"And you carry your phone always. I want to be able to reach you."
"Tedd—"
"Non-negotiable. You're walking into a serial killer's territory. I need to know I can contact you."
She studied my face, then nodded. "Okay. Phone always on, constant communication, pull out if you say so. Anything else?"
"Yes. I love you, and if anything happens to you, I'll burn the world down finding who's responsible."
Her smile was sad, knowing. "That's the most romantic threat anyone's ever made."
"I'm serious."
"I know. That's why I love you."
We fell asleep eventually, exhaustion claiming us both. But I lay awake longer, listening to her breathing, feeling the weight of what we'd committed to.
December first was four days away. Lorelei would walk into Safe Harbor, start building relationships, asking questions. And somewhere in the shadows, Red John might be watching.
The System provided final updates before I drifted off.
[ **QUEST PROGRESS: PREVENT LORELEI'S RED JOHN RECRUITMENT** ]
[ **STATUS: 67% COMPLETE** ]
[ **RELATIONSHIP: COMMITTED PARTNERSHIP** ]
[ **INVESTIGATION: CRITICAL PHASE** ]
[ **DANGER LEVEL: ESCALATING** ]
[ **SYSTEM STATUS: ALL FUNCTIONS TIER 1 BASELINE** ]
[ **PROFILE GENERATOR: 71% GENERAL, 94% LORELEI** ]
[ **ENERGY: 72/100** ]
[ **TOTAL FUNDS: $110,000** ]
Three months in this world. I'd integrated with CBI, earned a team's trust, fallen in love with a woman I was supposed to save. The mission had become personal, protective instinct mixing with genuine affection until I couldn't separate one from the other.
But the hard part was just beginning. Red John's shadow loomed over everything—a killer I couldn't remember, couldn't predict, couldn't fully understand. My meta-knowledge had failed where it mattered most, leaving me blind to the show's central storyline.
All I had was the System, my training, and the desperate need to keep Lorelei safe.
I pulled her closer, protective instinct overwhelming. Whatever came in December—whatever dangers Safe Harbor held, whatever attention our investigation attracted—we'd face together.
The woman I loved was walking into the monster's territory. And I'd be right beside her, armed with incomplete knowledge and a System that grew stronger every day.
It would have to be enough.
Because the alternative—losing her the way Jane lost his family, watching Red John destroy another life—was unthinkable.
Sleep finally claimed me, Lorelei warm and safe in my arms. Tomorrow would bring new complications.
Tonight was just ours.
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