[Luxanna Cross]

Lux has always enjoyed visiting her dad at work. She didn't know what it was about her father's workplace, but there was always something going on. So many different people for her to study. And the people was generally nice, too. Walking through the doors, she scanned the large room for her father; She was a little anxious, though, to most that knew her, that wasn't anything new.

It seemed that her father hadn't noticed she'd brought Carter home last night. He would have said something if he had, right? It wasn't as if she'd done something bad. They'd slept in different rooms, but Luxanna wasn't quite ready to discuss that part of her life yet. Not even with her father.

Seeing the man she owed everything to, a smile formed on the brunette's lips and she made her way over. "Hiya," she said, placing the bag containing her father's lunch and a starbucks coffee. "I figured you hadn't brought your own."

[Det. Noah Cross]

There was always another case.

And Noah had yet to shy away from a single one. It wasn't uncommon for the head detective for the Stagfort Police Department to delve headlong into his latest case with selfless abandon. Even after a career that had so far spanned over two decades Noah felt a subtle rush every time he was handed a new project, a feeling that saw him prone to overlooking the more superfluous aspects of his life such as food, sleep and social interaction outside of work. He'd occasionally lost himself so thoroughly in his work the only thing able to break him out of the determined fugue happened to be traipsing through the department floor at this very moment.

Intense blue eyes lifted from the stacks of papers and photographs spread across the desk in front of Noah and instantly softened. The idle scowl that his fellow officers had come to grow accustomed to while he was working faded beneath the bright smile of his daughter. He closed the folder he was looking through, deftly yet hastily tucking a handful of photos beneath it. The images depicted on them weren't the type he cared for his daughter to see, regardless of her age.

"Lux." The name escaped from his lips in a low, almost gentle hum, a stark contrast to the curt, abrupt tone he usually adopted. He looked to her as if her mere presence had broken him from a day's long trance, which wasn't wholly untrue. He gave a light chuckle and shrugged. She was right, as usual, leaving him to wonder briefly just how long it had actually been since he'd last taken a moment to eat. "Oh, What would I do without you?" He asked even though it was a question he hardly wanted answered. "Sorry I didn't make it home until late last night." He said, a bit of a frown touching his features even as he reached out to get into the bag Lux had set in front of him. "You know how it goes." He gestured to one of the office chairs sitting near his desk, signalling his desire for her to stay a moment if she had the time.

[Luxanna Cross]

A smile formed on the brunette's lips; She'd taken on the responsibility of bringing her father food after her mother and his wife had died. It was a simple gesture, but it was something she enjoyed doing. Besides, someone had to make sure he actually ate something other than just whatever he could find when coming home, late at night. "It's alright," she said, shrugging. She'd grown so used to having the house to herself. Especially with her brother having reached the age where he was out and about. She plumped down into the seat offered and took the moment to look around.

She felt a little bit guilty about sneaking Carter in. Nothing that would make her father worry had happened. The two hadn't even shared a bed, let alone the same room, but still. She'd always been honest about bringing Jack home whenever she'd found him incapable of taking care of himself. Why did Carter feel like something she had to keep a secret?

"I was working 'til late anyways," she offered. Besides, New Year's had never been a priority in terms of celebrations. "The bar was chaotic."

[Det. Noah Cross]

Noah gave a faint nod at Lux's reply as he pulled the coffee cup to him. He wasn't usually a stickler for coffee, but the stuff Lux got from outside was always far superior to the bitterly flavored water usually found in the precinct. More often than not he would forget what good coffee was really like. "No trouble though?" He asked, his tone relaxed. He took a slow, experimental sip of the still steaming coffee, eyes remaining on his daughter. He assumed if there had been any trouble during the New Years' festivities he would've known but paternal instincts were difficult to quell.

Leaning back in his chair, coffee cup held between both hands, Noah watched Lux for a moment. Try as she might to hide it he could always tell when something was on her mind. The combination of reading people for a living and the small fact that he'd raised her made Lux an open book to her father. Of course, the advanced security system he'd had installed when they moved to their new home in Oregon didn't hurt matters either. "So tell me about your friend." He said suddenly, smirk slowly spreading across his features.

[Luxanna Cross]

"Nothing more than you'd expect," she offered with a simple shrug. A fight, but that usually happened and she was usually well protected standing behind the bar. The bouncers also did a really good job at making sure no harm came to the bartenders. Not that the bartenders were generally the source of the spite drunken people threw around them. She didn't think she'd ever been on the receiving end of something like that.

The color drained from Lux's face and her green eyes immediately searched the room for something else to fasten themselves to. She'd completely forgotten about the cameras her father had installed. It had been the furthest from her mind last night. "Errr," she said, chewing on her bottom lip. It was a shame she was such a bad liar. Otherwise, she might have tried to change the subject. Though, maybe that had more to do with wit. 

This was the last thing she wanted to discuss with her father. She didn't even know what to call whatever they were. Friends didn't seem quite fitting. Even if Carter had used it quite a few times during the hours they'd spent together. "He used to attend the school back in Kalispell and needed a place to crash," she said, scratching at the back of her neck. It wasn't a lie.

[Det. Noah Cross]

Another low chuckle escaped as Noah watched his daughter stumble over her words before finally giving a vague reply. Despite his encouragement for her to resist the urge to draw within herself they'd yet to have a conversation about 'boys'. This didn't surprise Noah, though, as his daughter was a unique personality who made friends easily but always seemed a bit... oblivious to certain social cues. Still, there was no trace of anything other than amusement as Lux spoke. He didn't even seem concerned that she had attempted to hide the young man's presence. After all, it wasn't as if he asked and she'd lied about it.

"Look, Luxanna." Noah leaned forward, pausing a moment to take a drink from the coffee in hand. "You're twenty one years old, okay?" A smile touched his lips then. Try as he might to deny it she was no longer the little girl he used to give piggy-back rides to and thought boys were 'icky'. She'd grown up in a smart, capable and beautiful young woman, a fact that filled him with more pride than he could put into words. "I've come to accept I will not be the only man in your life, and that's fine. You don't have to sneak around and hide anything." He paused, the smile on his face never wavering even though Lux could see in his eyes he was contemplating something. "How about you invite your old school friend over for dinner tomorrow night so I can meet him?"

[Luxanna Cross]

The more her father spoke, the deeper the horror on her face settled. She was an adult capable of making her own choices, but it seemed as if her father thought there was more going on than there really was. She'd only brought Carter home because he'd had nowhere else to stay. That was all there was to it. Right? Besides, considering how confused she felt about the topic herself, talking to her dad about it didn't seem like the right choice. Maybe she was putting too little faith in him - as he probably had all the questions, just like she'd always believed as a child - but that didn't change the fact that she didn't know.

"That's not-" She began, but stopped herself. Invite Carter over for dinner? At her home? With her dad? That seemed personal. Like something you only did with close friends. Like Jack. Somehow, though, she could imagine Carter would find the idea amusing.

"Err." Blinking, the brunette shook her head. Slowly. But if she refused, did that make it seem like she did have something to hide? Was that her father's plan all along? Furrowing her brows, all Luxanna could do was stare. "But that's-" She narrowed her eyes at him. "The thing is-" She didn't really have a valid argument for this. "But, I guess-" She sighed. "Ok."

[Det. Noah Cross]

Noah stayed quiet while watching the wide array of emotions shift across his daughter's features. She never could lie very well or keep anything from her parents. Her father, of course, considered that a good thing even if he chose to stay quiet about a few of the things he may have picked up while she was growing up. A thin smirk touched his lips as Lux stammered, blinked furrowed brows then finally gave in to the proposition. He exhaled slowly, content to have gotten what he wanted.

"The thing is..." Noah started, his tone calm and even as it often was. "If you're going to have this guy stay overnight I'd kind of like to meet him." He stated a-matter-of-factly. Noah was, rightfully so, a bit protective of his home and those who were welcome in it. He trusted Lux, yes, but wanted to take stock of this stranger himself. "What better way than over dinner?" In a controlled environment. Where his guns were close at hand

[Luxanna Cross]

A inaudible sigh fell from the brunette's lips; She had never been one who responded well to being confronted. She always felt the urge to turn around and run in the other direction. Even now, with the person she was the most comfortable with she had to resist the urge to stand from the chair and simply walk away.

She lifted her gaze, green eyes finding similar green ones. She wanted to point out that nothing had happened. That there was nothing happening, but really, she wasn't sure how to else describe it. She didn't know what words to use. Carter had always been a subject she'd found hard to explain. Even to herself. "Okay," she said instead, looking down at her hands. "But don't make it weird." Because it wasn't weird. It didn't need to be weird.

[Det. Noah Cross]

Noah watched as the myriad of emotions continued to flash across his daughter's face doing little to make him believe there was simply nothing to this whole development. Perhaps she was just nervous about what he'd think or do should she actually express much romantic interest in someone. It wasn't as if she had a revolving door of guys (or gals, Noah was nothing if not open minded) growing up. He always suspected this trend had continued in recent years due to the loss of her mother. As much as Noah wanted to think he had been the unwavering rock for his daughter he was startlingly aware of how much she had taken care of him as well.

The veteran detectives' brows furrowed at the soft spoken demand. "Weird?" He said attempting to fight back the faint traces of a smirk that threatened to touch his features. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He managed to get that part out without cracking, affording him time to take a deep breath and nod. "Alright. I won't make anything of it. I just want to meet one of your friends." Which was very much the truth regardless of what he suspected was really going on.

[Luxanna Cross]

Hearing anyone refer to Carter as her friend still felt weird. Even when Carter did it himself. Then again, it wasn't as if the green eyes brunette had much experience within the field. Jack was about the only one she'd had any semblance of a long term friendship with, and Jack wasn't exactly what most would refer to as 'normal'.

"Alright," she finally replied. As long as her father didn't think there was more to it than what it really was. Because there wasn't. Didn't mean she didn't notice the way he tried to contain himself: He clearly found the situation amusing, if nothing else.

Gesturing towards the food then, Luxanna rose. "You should eat." She looked at him then. "Before you forget or run out of time." Someone always had to remind him, it seemed. She was glad she got to do it, but sometimes, she wondered if he ever got lonely.