Chapter Text
Lucy Chen was bent down beside one of the tents in a homeless area of the city, she was informing every single person about the city’s cooling centers. It was a hot summer and she often performed the task of distributing information on her days off. Tim had weekend training so she and Tamara would hand out her contact cards and water bottles. The single sound of a siren was just to alert about the presence of a vehicle. Smiling at the woman she’d been speaking with, Lucy squeezed the woman’s hand and stood up.
Walking towards the vehicle, she paused when she saw two men getting out and one was an old enemy. Tamara ran over to Lucy from where she’d been talking to a few teens located a few tents over. “Tamara, do me a favor and text Wesley. Tell him the name Doug Stanton and where we are on the edge of Hollywood and Mid-Wilshire Division lines.”
“Why?” The teen asked as she pulled out her phone.
“It’s a long story. Tim and I will explain more tonight.” She turned her attention to the teen. “If anything happens, don’t try to do anything. Understand?”
Tamara nodded, “yeah.” She pocketed her phone, text already sent.
“Can I help you?” Lucy asked as Doug Stanton and his partner neared her.
“You got business here Chen?” Stanton asked as they stopped a foot away.
She nodded, “informing the homeless about the cooling centers and handing out water bottles. Nothing criminal.”
Stanton looked at Tamara, “you okay? This officer isn’t harassing you, is she?”
“Leave her out of this.” Lucy redirected his attention.
“I’m just asking questions.” He took a few steps to Tamara and she glared at him. “You okay?”
The teen shrugged, “never better. Does being a prick come with the badge?”
“Excuse me?” Stanton grabbed her arm tightly. “What did you say?”
Lucy moved over and grabbed the man’s hand, “let her go.”
“You want to be arrested for assaulting an officer, Chen? You’re out of uniform in case you didn’t notice, means you’re a private citizen.”
“I said to let her go.” The woman moved into the officer’s space. “She’s done nothing wrong.”
Stanton looked at the off-duty officer, “you always seemed like the sensible one. Guess you aren’t.”
Tamara winced as his hand tightened on her arm. “You’re hurting me, man.” With the man’s attention on Lucy, she tried to pull her arm away with no success.
“Stanton, let her go.” She looked the man straight in the face. “You’re inviting a war.”
“Is that a threat?” He called over his shoulder, “that sound like a threat to you, Williams?”
The other officer nodded, “sounded like it.”
“Let me go!” Tamara stated and kicked Stanton’s knee so he let her go as he went down.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Stanton’s partner, Officer Williams, walked over and pulled his handcuffs. “That’s assault on a police officer young lady. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” He grabbed Tamara’s arm and turned her around. “You have the right to an attorney, which will be provided for you if you can’t afford it. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? Do you wish to speak to me with these rights in mind?” He finished as he handcuffed Tamara.
“Lucy?”
“I’ll handle everything.” Lucy told her and grabbed Stanton’s arm, “this is a mistake and you’ve just ended your career.”
Stanton looked at her and nodded, “you should know better than to put your hands on an officer. Or threaten one. You’re going to.” He grabbed Lucy by her arm and started to cuff her. “Resist, please.”
Hollywood Division was halfway through a shift when an officer’s name was yelled. Doug Stanton looked up to see a familiar face storming towards him. He waved off his partner as he stood, meeting Tim Bradford at the edge of his desk. The man neared him in a Metro Division uniform and his phone in his hands. He chuckled as the man neared the desk, fuming if his expression was anything to go by.
“This is entertaining. Your former boot calls you when she should have called a lawyer.”
“I’m not near about who called me. I’m here about family, what right did you have arresting Tamara Collins?”
Stanton chuckled, “you mean the homeless girl that assaulted me by nearly taking out my knee.”
“Just using what I taught her. You won’t have a leg to stand on when this over with. Arresting an officer, that’s low.”
“She laid her hands on an officer. The girl may not know the law but Chen does.”
Wesley walked over to the two and nodded to Tim, “they’re being released. Grey made a call and the DA agreed the charges were egregious.”
“Tim!” The sound of Tamara made him turn and she made her way over to him, nearly running to him around two desks.
Tim accepted the hug the teen gave him and he held her for a few moments, pulling back a fraction to look her over head to toe. Using his thumb, he pulled and pushed her chin to see that she had no injuries on her face. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, all we were doing was informing the homeless about cooling stations and giving out water. Then I’m being manhandled and arrested for defending myself. They arrested Lucy also.”
Wesley put a hand on Tamara’s shoulder, “you guys are being released, charges dropped before the paperwork is even in.”
“Thank God.” She turned and glared at Stanton. “Can I punch him?”
Tim rubbed a hand down Tamara’s back, “no, we don’t want to break your hand.”
Wesley looked up as Lucy walked over to the small group, sliding her rings on her fingers. Moonstone on one hand and diamond engagement ring on the other. “There she is. You got everything?”
Lucy nodded, “badge, purse, phone, rings, necklace, and shoes. A good bruise to match.”
Tim reached over and turned her chin till they saw the blooming bruise on her jaw. His attention went straight to Stanton, “you put a cop in with known felons? That’s against protocol, she could have been injured further or worse.”
The petite cop put a hand on Tim’s arm, “now isn’t the time. He’s just destroyed what was left of his career. You don’t have time to do this, considering you’re using your lunch period between training to come down here.”
“I’ll get them home.” Wesley told the officer, “you get back to Metro.”
Tim ignored Stanton and looked at Lucy, “you should probably go to the ER, just be safe.”
“I’m fine. A punch to the jaw was a warning, nothing more. Most felons maybe stupid but they’re not ‘severely injure or kill a cop’ stupid.”
He nodded and glance at Tamara, the teen knew the drill when one of the cops was injured. “I know, I know.”
“Alright. I’m going to speak with Watch Commander Keller before I head back to Metro.” He glanced at Stanton, “bring her up to speed on officer misconduct.”
Tamara hugged Tim and he hugged her back. “Thanks for bailing us out.” A hand to the girl’s head, he nodded.
“Always.” He rubbed her arm. “I know you have a paper due tomorrow and you haven’t started on it. Don’t think we didn’t hear that conversation with Elyse yesterday.”
The teen gave him a mock salute. “I’ll get on that right away once we get home.”
“You’re being a smart ass.”
“I learned from the best. That’s you in case you were wondering.”
Lucy turned her attention to Tamara. “Now isn’t the time.”
“Right, sorry.”
Tim pulled Lucy close by her arm and she hugged him; he left a kiss on her forehead before pulling away. “I’ll see you at home.”
“Yeah.” She pushed back some of her hair, her engagement ring showing as she moved out of his arms and pushed Tamara forward as they walked with Wesley. “Hey Tim,” she turned back for a half second, “don’t start any fights.”
“No promises.” He continued to stare Stanton down.
Stanton smirked, “you’re speaking like I’m on thin ice but you’re having a relationship within command structure.”
Tim motioned to his Metro attire. “I’m Metro, she’s patrol. Unlike you, we follow protocol and regulations. Now, I’m giving you only one warning to stay away from my family. You stay away from Lucy and you stay away from Tamara.”
“Oh, so first you go for your boot and now some homeless teen. Your reputation is sinking Bradford.”
Tim grabbed Stanton’s collar and stood over him. “Stay away from my family, this is your last warning.” He let the dirty cop go and backed up. “I really do have a meeting with your Watch Commander on behalf of Grey.”