Page 77 of Taken from Her
"Community intelligence provided crucial insights that our traditional investigative methods couldn't access," Diana replied. "Effective policing requires partnership with the people we serve."
"Ms. Larwood, how did community networks contribute to your rescue?"
"Phoenix Ridge has spent months developing safety protocols based on mutual support and communication," Lavender said. "Those networks functioned exactly as designed during the crisis. Community members knew what to do because we'd practiced working together."
After five minutes of questions, Diana guided them toward her personal car—not the patrol vehicle, but her sedan.
The drive through Phoenix Ridge felt different than previous journeys. Morning light revealed a city that looked unchanged on the surface but carried new, vibrant energy underneath. People walking downtown moved with less caution. Businesses displayed signs welcoming them home. The coastal highway sparkled with promise instead of threat.
"Coffee?" Diana asked as they passed Lavender's café.
"Later. Right now I want to see Saffron and Basil to make sure they forgive me for disappearing." Lavender studied the familiar building where purple paint caught morning sun. "The café can wait until I'm ready to be a public figure again."
"When will that be?"
"Monday, maybe Tuesday. Long enough to process everything privately." Lavender looked at Diana. "Will you stay? Tonight, I mean."
"I was hoping you'd ask." Diana's smile was soft. "I brought extra clothes, just in case."
The marina appeared ahead, boat masts rising in the sky. Lavender felt her shoulders relax as they approached the floating community that had become home fifteen years ago.Other houseboat residents waved from their decks, offering welcome-home gestures that spoke to neighborhood solidarity.
Diana parked in the visitor space she'd been using for weeks, the routine so familiar it felt like acknowledgment of permanent arrangements they hadn't yet discussed.
The houseboat bobbed gently at its mooring, looking exactly as they'd left it except for the small security improvements Diana's team had installed. Enhanced locks, improved lighting, and discrete alarm systems that integrated protection with the bohemian atmosphere Lavender had created.
"Home," Lavender said, the word carrying more significance than usual.
Inside, Saffron and Basil waited with feline dignity, expressing their displeasure at recent disruptions through strategic indifference before allowing themselves to be petted.
"Would you like some homebrew coffee?" Lavender asked, moving toward the galley.
"I'll make it. You sit and decompress." Diana began the routine they'd developed over morning visits, hands moving with familiarity through Lavender's kitchen equipment.
Lavender settled into the reading chair where sunlight streamed through windows facing the harbor. Fishing boats headed out for morning runs while pleasure craft prepared for weekend adventures. Normal life was resuming after the crisis.
"What are you thinking about?" Diana asked, handing her a mug that had soft notes of vanilla.
"How different everything looks when you're not afraid." Lavender accepted the coffee, breathing in scents that grounded her in domestic safety. "Six months ago, this was just my space. Now it's our space, and that changes how it feels."
Diana settled beside her on the small couch, close enough that their shoulders touched. "Better or worse?"
"Better. More complete. Like I've been building something beautiful but incomplete, and you're the piece that makes it whole." Lavender studied Diana's profile. "What about you? How does it feel to be here as more than a visitor?"
"Like I finally understand what home means. Not just a place to sleep between work shifts, but somewhere that restores you, where someone knows how you take your coffee and what you need after difficult days."
"Someone who loves you completely."
"Someone who makes everything else make sense." Diana turned to meet Lavender's gaze and leaned closer, her hand finding Lavender's cheek. "No more walls, no more careful boundaries, no more pretending that loving you doesn't make me better at everything I do."
When they kissed, it tasted like coffee and the promise of shared mornings for whatever came next. Outside, harbor water reflected sunlight while seabirds sang to a city that had learned something new about the courage required to build something worth protecting.
Saffron purred his approval from the windowsill where the herbs caught morning light. Basil claimed the space between them, marking territory that now belonged to all of them together.
"So," Lavender said against Diana's lips, "what do we do first?"
"First, we finish our coffee and plan how to spend our first official day as a couple." Diana's smile was soft but determined. "Then we start building whatever comes next."
Through the windows, Phoenix Ridge sparkled. The café waited for Lavender's return, the police department continued its innovative work under Diana's leadership, and the community they served celebrated the partnership that had made all of it possible.
