Traffic fines in New York City weren't especially severe.
But there was one key difference compared to many other places.
Here, traffic violations were treated more like minor legal offenses.
Parking illegally didn't just mean paying a fine and moving on—you might also have to appear in traffic court.
Which meant time, paperwork, and inconvenience.
So as Gwen drove away from the courthouse toward LaGuardia Airport, she was still quietly relieved they had returned to the car when they did.
Otherwise, she might have ended up taking a day off school just to deal with a court appearance.
At the same time, she was puzzled.
"Strange," she muttered. "You can park outside the Manhattan courthouse, but not outside the Queens one."
Lucas, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced over at her.
"Well… even if you got the ticket, couldn't you just talk to Captain Stacy? I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal."
Gwen shook her head.
"Nope."
Lucas remembered the card she had shown the officer earlier—the NYPD family card.
Gwen seemed to read his thoughts and smiled.
"That card is fine," she explained. "Everyone in police families uses them. It's basically a small courtesy extended by the department."
"But getting an actual ticket is different."
She mimicked her father's voice with surprising accuracy.
"If I got one, my dad would look at me seriously and say, 'Gwen, you should go to court and admit your mistake like a responsible citizen.'"
Lucas nodded slowly.
That explained it.
He had always assumed Captain George Stacy was the kind of strict officer who tolerated absolutely no exceptions.
But hearing Gwen talk about him made it clear that wasn't quite true.
Movies, it seemed, didn't always portray people accurately.
Forty-five minutes later, Gwen pulled into LaGuardia Airport.
Lucas unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Thanks again for the ride."
As he opened the door, Gwen spoke again.
"There's something I'm curious about, Lucas."
He paused halfway out of the car and looked back.
"What is it?"
"What would you do if I refused to accept your thanks?" she asked, smiling slightly. "Would you just keep thanking me?"
Lucas froze for a moment.
That question hadn't occurred to him.
He thought about it.
Then answered honestly.
"…I'd apologize."
Gwen blinked.
So if she didn't accept his thanks… he'd apologize instead?
That was… unexpected.
Then she laughed softly.
"You say thank you way too much."
She looked at him with an easy smile.
"We're friends. Friends don't need to keep thanking each other."
Friends?
Lucas hesitated.
Their relationship was definitely friendlier than the one he had with most classmates, but that was mainly because they shared the same physics class and sat near each other.
Outside that class, they rarely interacted.
In fact, Lucas rarely interacted with anyone at school.
Still…
He didn't argue.
Gwen had just driven him across the city. It would be incredibly rude to immediately say they weren't friends.
Even Lucas knew that.
He stepped out of the car.
Moments later, Gwen made a quick U-turn and accelerated away, the yellow Corolla disappearing down the road.
Lucas watched it go for a moment.
Then he turned and headed back toward the temporary shelter at the airport hangar.
That Evening
Manhattan – The Stacy Apartment
Helen Stacy sat on the couch in comfortable home clothes, watching the newest episode of Desperate Housewives.
The front door opened.
She glanced toward the hallway.
George Stacy stepped inside, dressed in a white shirt, black suit, and tie. His police badge hung at his waist.
"Welcome back," Helen said.
George nodded, closing the door behind him.
"Where's Gwen?"
Helen gestured toward the stairs.
"In her room."
George nodded and headed upstairs.
When he reached the door to Gwen's room, he knocked lightly.
"Gwen."
"Door's open, Dad."
George pushed it open.
Gwen sat at her desk wearing soft, comfortable pajamas. Her long blonde hair rested over her shoulders as she sat cross-legged in her chair.
She looked up.
"What's up?"
George leaned casually against the doorframe, arms folded.
"You skipped class this afternoon."
Gwen blinked.
Then realization dawned.
"So someone called you."
George chuckled.
"What do you think?"
"If someone uses my family card, the officer has to confirm it later. Just in case someone's pretending to be related to me."
It was unlikely—but not impossible.
Sometimes people tried to fake police family credentials.
Officers usually noted the license plate and verified everything back at the precinct later.
If the card was legitimate, nothing happened.
If it wasn't…
Well.
The car owner could expect a very unpleasant stack of tickets.
The NYPD had a way of making sure people didn't try clever tricks.
Gwen sighed.
"Dad, I didn't plan on parking illegally. You can park outside the Manhattan courthouse!"
George shrugged.
"I'm not interested in your parking situation. That's what the family card is for."
He wasn't that rigid.
Using it occasionally was fine.
Just don't abuse it.
Gwen blinked again.
"Then why—"
"I'm more interested in why you went to the Queens courthouse."
"Oh."
She sat back down and picked up her book again.
"Nothing important. I just drove a classmate there."
George smiled slightly.
"A male classmate?"
Gwen lowered the book and looked at him seriously.
"Dad. Lucas and I are just friends."
Then she paused.
Actually…
Lucas had looked slightly uncomfortable when she called them friends earlier.
Gwen remembered the brief, awkward expression on his face.
And that thought made her frown slightly.