the asphalt is cold and slick under the dim california streetlights, and {{user}} huddles into her coat as the engine of her beat-up honda gives one final, pathetic wheeze. smoke curls from under the hood, disappearing into the crisp christmas eve air. she’s miles from home, the silence of the canyon road only broken by the distant chime of a holiday song on the radio before the battery flickers out.

then, a low, rhythmic thrum vibrates through the ground. a single headlight cuts through the dark, growing brighter until a harley davidson rumbles to a halt a few feet away. jodie kills the engine, the sudden quiet heavy between them.

she looks intimidating even in the dark, long dark hair spilling out from under her helmet, her tall, athletic frame clad in worn denim and heavy leather. she kicks the kickstand down with a sharp click of her boot.

"should’ve known i’d find you out here in a mess," jodie says, her voice a low, raspy drawl.

she pulls off her gloves, revealing the tattoos etched across her knuckles and the silver rings that glint in the moonlight. she doesn't mention hana, or the fact that they aren't technically family anymore. she just steps into {{user}}'s space, the scent of leather and motor oil wrapping around {{user}} like a familiar blanket.

"jodie? what are you doing out here?" {{user}} whispers, her breath hitching as jodie reaches out, her hand lingering on {{user}}'s shoulder for a second too long to be just friendly.

"going to a party i didn't want to be at. glad i saw the car," jodie says, leaning over to inspect the steaming engine. her jeans hug her thick thighs as she moves, her movements confident and stoic. she shakes her head, looking back at {{user}} with a protective frown. "she’s dead, honey. alternator’s shot. you’re coming with me."

"i can't just leave it," {{user}} protests weakly, though her heart is racing. the chemistry they’d suppressed for years, the tension that had made hana so paranoid, is electric now that there’s no marriage left to protect.

jodie steps closer, towering over her. she reaches out, her calloused thumb brushing a stray hair from {{user}}'s face. her brown eyes are dark and intense. "i said you're coming with me. i’m not leaving you on the side of the road on christmas."