Chapter Text
The 99th precinct building looked exactly the same, the brick building the exact same she had worked in for years, but none of the cars in the parking lot did. Part of her wanted to just barge into the doors and find any familiar face, but she couldn’t risk the wrong person seeing her, and she didn’t even know if any of the squad were still there.
She growled to herself in frustration, before gunning the engine of her motorcycle and making a sharp turn, one hand on the handlebars, the other pressed her abdomen as she sped off into the cold night.
And on the fourth floor, Terry Jeffords, Captain of the 99th precinct, stopped still, some instinct going off, before he quickly went over and looked out the window.
He stared out into the night, looking for something, he wasn’t sure what, but his gut told him there was something out there, something important, but there was just the usual traffic of New York. Nothing remarkable.
He sighed as he leaned back, squinting into the night, before he shook his head and rubbed his face in exhaustion.
“I’ve been working too long,” he muttered as he grabbed his jacket and started to get up.
She idled at the red light, her Frozen breath catching its light, trying to formulate a plan, Jake and Amy had surely moved, and she had no idea where they were now. Boyle had talked about moving as well, and she wasn’t gonna crash Terry and Sharon this late.
That left Holt.
She grimaced, she didn’t want to face him this late after all this time either, but she was out of options. He was the least likely to love, and hopefully wouldn’t make a whole thing out of this.
Pain lanced through her abdomen as she turned to look back, and she swore under her breath as she brought her hand to her stomach, holding still for a long moment, before she raised her hand up, squinting at it in the dark, before the traffic light shifted from red to green, and it reflected off the blood on her fingers.
The sight shook her more than she expected, but she shook it off, she didn’t have time to deal with that right now, she needed to focus, so she grabbed a hold of the handlebars, the metal slick under her bloodied palm as She gunned the engine and spun into a U-turn and tore off into the night.
Holt’s house looked exactly the same as it always had. Lawn perfectly maintained. The only new thing being a sign that said 3 time Halloween heist Winner on it, the 3 blacked out with orange spray paint and a 2 painted underneath it. Which she smiled at fondly for just a moment, before she grimaced again, and began walking up towards the door.
The driveway was empty, and the windows were dark. But she still trudged up to the front step, desperately hoping someone was home.
She rang the doorbell, and the sound of some classical music she didn’t recognize rang through the house. And distantly she could hear Cheddar barking. But as she peered through the window, she saw nothing, no lights turning on, no signs of movement. Nothing. They weren’t home.
And so she stood there in the cold, bleeding and tired and lonely.
She leaned back against the front door, facing the street, as she breathed evenly and tried to think, her head resting on the smooth wood, and she stared up at the stars.
And across the street, a couple houses down. She saw something.
Another sign that said three time Halloween Heist winner, with the 3 cleanly scratched out in black marker, with a 2 written underneath it.
“Ok Mac,” Jake said, “what do you think these sandwiches are missing?”
Mack put a hand on his chin in thought.
“We’ve got bread, peanut butter, chocolate sauce, and gummy worms, but I think there’s something else we could add,” Jake said,
“Whipped cream!” Mack yelled, and Jake snapped his fingers.
“That’s it!” He cried as he went to the fridge, opening it and twirling the can of whipped cream as he pulled it out.
“I knew your mother was right when she said you were a prodigy.” He said as he shook up the can, popping the top off and spraying it on the sandwiches.
Their culinary experimentation was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell echoing through the house, both of them looking up sharply, the surprise jerking jake’s hand a glob of whipped cream sprayed on the counter
“Hey Mack, go check who that is while I clean this up,
“OK!” He cried as he ran off.
“LOOK THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE FIRST!” He yelled after him.
Mack grabbed the small stepladder next to the door and scrambled up, barely able to put his eye against the peephole.
“Uh, it’s a lady!” He yelled.
“Uh huh,” Jake said as he grabbed his can of soda from the counter, “do you recognize her?”
“Uhh…kinda?”
Jake frowned, “who do you think it is?”
“…Aunt Ro-Ro?” Mack asked.
The can of soda slipped from his fingers, clattering against the floor, the orange liquid spreading across the hardwood, but it was the furthest thing from his mind. Mack asked him something, but he didn’t hear whatever it was, all he could hear was his heart pounding in his ears.
He sprinted to the door, yelling to Mack to get out of the way, socked feet sliding on the floor as he scrambled to open the door, fumbling at the handle.
He finally got it and he swung the door open, and saw her for the first time in years.
Rosa was leaning against the doorframe looking exhausted.
He stood there, mouth gaping, praying that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, that he wasn’t dreaming.
She nodded at him, trying to act cool.
“Hey Jake,” she said, and to anyone else she would sound stoic and non chalant, but Jake had known her too long to not notice both the tension in her voice, and the relief.
She was in pain, and she was glad to see him.
He blinked, and shook his head before pulling her into a hug.
She stumbled slightly, surprised, before steadying herself, and slowly putting an arm around him
“It’s good to see you.” he said hoarsely into her ear.
““…you too,” she said quietly.
He tightened his grip and she hissed, and he quickly pulled back, seeing her pained expression and her holding her stomach, blood visbile on her fingers.
“Oh shit!” He yelled, “We have to get you to a hospital.”
“NO!” she yelled, eyes wide, “No hospital! And No Police! No one can know I’m here!”
He almost contested, but he saw the look in her eyes, and he knew Rosa, and he trusted her.
“Alright, let’s get you inside, we’ve got medical stuff.”