“Here you are, good sir, one soy pumpkin spice latte and a gouda and egg sandwich without bacon.” McBee slid into the passenger’s seat of our squad car and handed me my breakfast order. “Do you know how awesome I am?” She glanced over at me with a coy smile as she blew on her steaming double latte and took a bite of her bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

“Here we go again,” I teased, taking a bite of my breakfast.

Jessica started laughing as I pulled out into bustling New York City traffic. “Do you know how much shit you would get if the rest of the department knew you have the taste buds of a nineteen-year-old sorority girl?”

“Not liking bacon does not make me basic.” Rolling my eyes, I grunted at her as the sweet smell of our lattes took over the vehicle. “And besides, a man who is not in touch with his feminine side doesn’t know how many tasty things he is missing out on in the world.”

A rusted-out white van clunked next to us at a light. Looking over, I couldn’t help but notice that the driver was talking on his cell phone. I flipped on the lights and siren, pulling the jalopy over.

“They made that one easy,” I remarked as I got ready to get out of the car.

McBee ran the plates. “Not the most savory characters in the world, but they don’t have any warrants out on them or anything.”

My gut was telling me this was going to be an interesting stop. The van resembled what people joked about being a rapist van—whited-out windows, rust and holes all over the place, scratches and dents galore.

Walking up to the driver’s door, I tapped on his window with the back of my flashlight. Jessica stood at the ready by the right side of the van, waiting for my signal.

As the window cranked down, the driver attempted to grin at me. The lack of teeth and the rotting of the ones that were still there screamed years of drug use. “What’s the problem officer?” he asked with a very even tone.

“You can’t be on your cell phone while operating a vehicle in the state of New York,” I stated. “License, insurance, and registration.” Peering past the driver, I looked to his passenger, who was sweating bullets. “I need your license as well, sir.”

With shaking hands, the passenger got his identification out of his wallet and handed it to me. I glanced into the back of the van to see an old metal Christmas tree stand, one that resembled the one my family had while I was growing up. “You boys off to get a tree?”

The driver looked at me like I had six heads as the passenger answered, “N-No, s-s-sir. We’re heading to d-do a little last m-minute sh-shopping.”

I walked back over to the car, and McBee met me. “Warning?” She looked over at me, waiting for the cue to start writing up a ticket for them or not.

“Yeah. It is Christmas after all, right?” I shrugged, looking down at their paperwork. It all seemed to check out, and I was not in the mood to ruin any days for minor issues.

She nodded. “That is very non-Scroogey of you, Whistler.” She flashed me her sweet smile, the one that made her eyes sparkle, and I melted. Ever since the other night at the bar, I couldn’t get my partner out of my head, even more so than usual. Thankfully, she seemed completely clueless about my crush, and I had every intention of keeping it that way.

Handing the driver all their documents back, I leaned on the door with one elbow. “I’m going to let you two off with a warning, but keep that phone in your pocket while you’re driving, ya hear?”

The passenger leaned over, looking me dead in the eyes with his pupils dilated and sweat beading on his forehead. “B-But, R-R-Ricky, how is-is the m-mother ship going to be able t-to f-f-find us if we d-d-don’t have the c-c-calling d-d-device out?”

The driver shot me a nervous glance. “You have to excuse him, sir. My brother here isn’t all with it upstairs, if you catch my drift.”

“You boys be safe now.” I tapped my fist on the side of the vehicle and made my way over to Jessica. As we got back into our squad car, I let out the rolling laugh I had been fighting since that passenger opened his mouth.

“What?” McBee nudged me as I hugged the steering wheel, tears welling up in my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was laughing at the situation or if the situation was making me emotional about my upbringing—probably a little of both.

“They’re looking for their mother ship,” I responded.

Her jaw dropped. “Never a dull moment in this job, is there?”

I shook my head. “Nah, I just hope they find it. It would be terrible to spend the holidays stuck on Earth, so far away from their family and home.” I meant it more as a sincere sentiment, because that man truly did seem concerned. It was moments like that when I was truly thankful for having the friends I had.

“Have you ever known someone a little loose in the noggin?” McBee asked innocently.

I glanced over at her with a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, my mother.”

In the middle of the night, I got home from my shift at the restaurant. It was a Friday night, and the owner had needed me to stay late to help clean up the kitchen from a busier-than-hell night.

“Ma!” I called into the house. It was weird that every light was on in the sprawling home. Usually when Dad was away on a business trip, she’d fall asleep early while reading in the sitting room off the master bedroom. “Ma? You still awake?”

“Sean?” I could see her out on the patio, frantically waving for me to join her as she put her finger over her lips, signaling for me to stay quiet.

“Ma? What is it?” I whispered as I shut the glass door behind me, making my way over to her.

“Shhhh!” She grabbed my hand, pulling me into her side. Getting up on her tiptoes, she leaned in close to my ear. “They’re trying to get me.”

She darted away, yanking me closer to the side of the house as she crouched down, pointing at the window screen. She was in her favorite lavender nightgown and silk robe that matched, hair in a messy ponytail, barefoot.

“Ma, what are you pointing at?” I asked, frustrated that she was having another one of her episodes. Apparently, my father had forgotten to pick up her refill at the pharmacy before he left the morning before. It wasn’t unusual for him to forget, he counted care less about my mother’s mental health or even me for that matter. All he cared about was landing another big account or his next big building project. He was a great provider but a shitty husband and father. I would have traded all of the wealth in the world to have a caring father and a healthy mother.

“Don’t you see the faces? They’re evil. They’re trying to get inside my mind.” She rocked back and forth, the heels of her hands jammed hard into her eyes as tears mixed with makeup poured down her cheeks.

I wrapped my arms around her. “Ma, if they’re trying to get you then we need to go inside and close the blinds. They can’t get you if you can’t see them.”

Her eyes got wide as she grabbed for my hand. “You’re right. Yes, yes, let’s do that. Come, come.”

We darted around the house, closing every damn blind and curtain. Finally, once she felt safe, we sat on her favorite plush couch in her sitting room. Tucking her into my side, I wrapped a blanket around us.

Kissing the top of her head, I whispered, “Get some rest, Ma.”

“I love you, Sean. Thank you for being such a sweet boy and not letting the monsters get me.”

That was the night I realized monsters were real and I was going to have find a way to always fight them away, whether it was for my mother or anyone else. I knew I never wanted anyone to experience fear like my mother had just felt if I could help it at all.