𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 | 𝓫𝓲𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻

MADELINE WEST WAS THE TYPE of person to never shy away from something. No matter what, she would dive in headfirst, acting as if she had nothing to lose. Even if she was secretly terrified, she wouldn't show the world her real emotions. She had learnt that over time, the more you revealed your true feelings, the more you would be judged for them and because of them. Madeline didn't like being judged – well, she didn't like not being in control. She was a fan of having enough control so she could shape peoples' opinions of her. Joining the LAPD probably wasn't the smartest thing to do if she wanted to keep holding that sense of power within her fingertips.

The West siblings had been tied at the hip since the second they had met. At some points they felt more like best friends than they were related. Going through the Academy together somehow only strengthened that bond, increasing their protectiveness, loyalty, competitiveness, and love for each other. Madeline had known from the very beginning that what they were going to be thrown into isn't going to be easy, the complete opposite of easy, but maybe it might be just a bit more manageable with her younger brother by her side.

The Mid-Wilshire precinct in the Los Angeles Police Department is something Maddie was vaguely accustomed with. She had visited once or twice when she had been much younger, tagging along with her father for a Bring Your Kids to Work day. Of course, majority of the memories had disappeared over time, but some of the faces were going to be familiar. And that's why she wasn't freaking the absolute fuck out about her first day. Law enforcement flowed through the West family's blood. Jackson and Madeline had grown up experiencing second-hand what their father's job was like. They knew what they were about to get themselves into, and boy were they going to fall in love with it.

Jackson's hands grip the steering wheel to the point where his knuckles have paled a shade lighter, his teeth gnawing away at his lower lip. Maddie looks up from her textbook at the sound of his foot tapping away and she frowns at the visible display of anxiety. "Dude," she says. He quickly glances over to her. "It's gonna be fine. Chill."

He inhales a sharp breath and dips his head. "Yeah, I know," Jackson replies, returning his focus to the road. "It's just, uh, it's real now."

She knows exactly how he's feeling. "I know, but we got this." Maddie holds up her fist and Jackson briefly glances to her to bump it. She watches him unconsciously exhale a breath. "See? Okay, Four-Seventeen A. Hit me, not literally or I will rip your hand off your arm."

Without any hesitation, Jackson gives her the answer to the code. "Suspect with a knife," he says with a smile. "Section One/Five-Fifty-Six-Forty?"

Maddie drums her fingers on the door handle. "A firearm can be discharged at a moving vehicle only if the person in the vehicle is immediately threatening an officer or a person with deadly force using something other than the vehicle," she recites the manual. She catches his grin. "We got this shit! Vehicle code Two-Three-One-Two-Oh?"

"No driver shall operate a motor vehicle while wearing glasses having a temple width of one-half or more if any part of such temple extends below the horizontal centre of the lens so as to interfere with lateral vision." As Jackson sucks in a deep, melodramatic breath, they both burst into laughter.

They pull into the parking lot which is getting fuller by the second. Madeline's eyes scan each car, noting the exiting passengers dressed in uniform or civilian clothing. Her eyebrows draw together slightly as she wonders who she'll be working with on shift and who might potentially be a life-threatening criminal.

Rookie Day is the beginning of a police officer's career. It's the first step after the Academy where they begin their official training, where they join the force. The rookies are the fresh blood walking through the door, naïve to almost everything and more than eager to prove themselves to their superior officers and peers. Maddie knew the statistics. She knew that one in every three rookies wash out within the first year of the eighteen-month probationary period. Theoretically, that meant it was going to be either her, Jackson, Lucy, or John.

She wanted to believe that they would all make it through, but she also knew to be realistic. Maddie and Jackson had grown up with their father's words drilling into them that they could be nothing other than the best. But no matter how hard she would try, she couldn't get her hopes up. Maddie had to keep in mind that it only took one single error to destroy her already minimal career as a police officer. She couldn't forget that. Just because she and Jackson are legacies doesn't mean they're going to follow through in Percy West's footsteps.

With one last look in the mirror, Madeline grabs her bag and gets out the car. You got this, she repeats to herself over and over. She gives her brother another reassuring smile, and with that they approach the huge, daunting building that is the precinct. They have approximately twenty minutes before roll call, giving them enough time to check in and then head to the locker rooms. For the last six months, Maddie had been picturing what it would be like to wear the distinct blue uniform. She feels a small smile grace her face just at the thought of putting it on. With her head held high, she opens the door and walks into the reception.

Jackson smiles at the officer behind the desk who looks up from his computer at their arrival. "Officer West reporting for duty," he says confidently.

Maddie sighs. She had wanted to be the first to say it. "Also Officer West reporting for duty." The officer's eyes widen as he looks between the siblings. That's why she wanted to go first.

After reciting their badge numbers, they're directed down the hall to the respective locker rooms. Even though Madeline is intimidated by the group of women inside the large room, she keeps a straight face as she heads to her designated locker with her uniform in hand. It's pristine, zero marks or scuffs adorning it yet. She hopes that today will change that. She ignores the stares and judgemental looks cast her way, looks that clearly scream She's a rookie. And there comes that uncomfortable feeling that she is no longer in control.

The long sleeves that now cover her arms are yet another sign that she's a newbie. With her hair tied back into a braided bun, Madeline walks the hallways once again to roll call. Despite only moving through them twice, she's made sure to memorise them so she could walk them with her eyes closed.

She hasn't even turned the corner before she spots Lucy jogging to catch up with her, offering her a bright smile in greeting. The rest of their journey back to the bullpen is of Lucy telling her best friend the story of her first arrest just this morning. Somehow, Madeline isn't even surprised by it. If anyone was going to run into trouble before they had even become a rookie, it would be Lucy Chen.

The two women are within a sea of blue, surrounding patrol officers again throwing them both looks as whispers that in Maddie's opinion spread like wildfire. She wouldn't let currently being a rookie define her as a person nor as the cop she wants to be. The only way to deal with it would be to take the position by the hand and embrace all the shit that was going to come with it.

The room with glass walls is already more than half full of officers commencing their small talk over cups of terrible coffee. Madeline breathes out a short and almost inaudible sigh of relief at the sight of Jackson already seated in the front row, grinning at her and Lucy as he pulls out two of the chairs beside him.

Lucy smiles at Jackson on the other side of her and clasps her hands together, absentmindedly picking at the skin around her fingernails. Maddie had realised after the first week that it was an anxious habit. "So, how was your morning?" Lucy asks him curiously. "Mads said you're close to memorising the entire manual now."

Jackson leans back, his smile widening appears. "Oh, yeah," he confirms proudly. "We're like a walking, talking version of it. And what's this I'm hearing someone trying to steal your car?" Maddie chuckles as Lucy eagerly delves back into the story of her arrest.

By the time John has filled the fourth seat in the front designated row for the rookies, the room is full. After being asked why he appeared to be so frazzled by Maddie, Nolan had awkwardly admitted that he had already been pranked by a pair of officers, who had led him to the captain's office instead of the locker room.

"All right, all right. Settle down." The voice that interrupts the chatter immediately commands the entire room's presence. It's a face Maddie immediately recognises, she could place his voice from a crowd of hundreds. She and Jackson had known Wade Grey since they were toddlers. He was someone that was close with Percy Jackson, and someone who had supported the siblings in their career choice to join the LAPD. It would be hard to appear nonchalant under his gaze, to pretend that they didn't know him, but they would have to set their personal relationships aside throughout their rookie year; after all, Grey is their boss. "So, okay, we got some new blood this morning. And some pushing the expiration date."

Laughter spreads across the room at the dig toward John. He diverts his gaze to his notepad, preparing himself that the next year and a half is going to look a lot like that. Maddie almost envies his endless supply of positivity and his ability to shrug off all the remarks that have been made so far because of his age. She admires him greatly.

"Get up," Sergeant Wade Grey orders the group of rookies. They quickly stand and turn around to face him. Dozens of stares land back on the four, and Maddie immediately feels like she's the prey with the rest of the patrol officers as the predators ready to chase after her with snapping jaws. "After six months together in the Academy, you've earned the right to be here. But you'll have to prove yourself to stay. The way we do things matters. Protocol and tradition are the metal from which every cop in this city is forged. Understand?"

They nod at his words, showing him that they're all instantly taking him as serious as they're expected to be.

Grey's eyes snap between the group of four. "Sit down," he instructs as he returns to the front of the room. "It's time to play the training officer match game." Maddie catches the excited words that are heard from behind her. "Our contestants are... Lucy Chen, a hotshot who made her first arrest before clocking in for work."

As the corners of Lucy's mouth upturn, Madeline throws her a small smile. John looks to Chen in surprise, although he has a similar view to the siblings: he's not surprised at all.

"Legacy One and Two," Sergeant Grey continues. His sharp gaze locks onto Madeline. "Madeline and Jackson West, who broke all of their father's records at the Academy, then tied for the top overall score." Maddie shifts slightly in her seat, a smug smile flashing across her features for a split-second at how she had been introduced before her brother. "And John Nolan, who was born before the disco died."

For the second time in the last minute, laughter is heard once more at the joke toward John.

"And the winners are..." All chatter and laughter instantly dies off as Grey glances down to his clipboard set on the podium. "Officer Bradford, you get our hotshot." Maddie watches Lucy glance over her shoulder to find her TO, then almost immediately turn back around, her small smile faltering at Bradford's blank stare. "Officer Delgado, you get Legacy One."

Just like Lucy, Madeline turns around in her chair to find the gaze of her training officer. Officer Delgado looks back at her without a sliver of distinguishable emotion on her face. Maddie keeps a similar expression, and after staring at each other for another few seconds, Iris Delgado curtly nods. In the few short moments of memorising her training officer's face, she had noticed the stripes on the woman's sleeves. They're different to the rest of the uniforms, with two stripes and a small diamond in the centre of the bottom. Along with being a training officer, Maddie quickly realises that Delgado is a detective.

"Officer Lopez, you get Legacy Two," Grey declares. "Leaving Officer Bishop to ride with the forty-year-old rookie. Now, hear me. Today is your first day." His eyes move between the four. "Don't let it be your last. Forget the Academy and listen to your TOs. They'll teach you the way it should be done. That's it." Chairs scrape back as everyone stands up. "All right, be safe out there."

Iris meets her rookie outside the glass room, her eyes narrowed as she watches the woman approach her. "Let me make this clear," she begins, her tone short and clipped. "I don't care about your history. Right now, you're not a legacy. You, Officer West, are just like every other rookie out of the Academy. You think you know everything and that you're never going to be wrong." Madeline arches a brow. "I will not hesitate to call you out, hand out consequences, or finish your career just as it's barely begun. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," she responds. Maddie barely knows her training officer, but she has a feeling that they might get along.

After securing their body cams, Delgado leads her rookie from the kit room toward the garage. Maddie grits her teeth for a second as she balances the heavy bags strapped around each of her shoulders. She had been at the gym daily for a reason, and this was one of them. Two shotguns are held in her hands, one black and the other painted with green, meant for non-lethal ammunition like beanbag rounds.

Iris glances to the young woman as they cross the open space to the garage. "This is not a fun experience for you to tell me all about your personal life. This is a job where your life is in the hands of every single decision you make. Do you understand, Boot?" Madeline quickly nods. "We are not partners or friends, I am your superior officer. Do not mistake that."

"Not looking for friends, ma'am," she says. She swears she sees Officer Delgado smile for a split-second.

As they step outside, Maddie immediately spots their shop parked on the other side of the lot. She inhales a deep breath and reminds herself of the procedure to check the vehicle. It has been ingrained into her brain, making it almost impossible for her to forget facts or vital information.

They stop by the car and Iris turns around to face her rookie. "This is your shop," she begins, nodding over to the SUV. "Do not call it a car. It is where you work. First step?"

"Check the exterior for damage," Madeline answers. "Any scrapes or dents need to be logged in."

Iris waves a hand impatiently. "What are you waiting for?" With the war bags and shotguns still in her possession, Maddie quickly gets to work with rounding the vehicle, making sure to let her eyes sweep over every inch of it. When Delgado opens the trunk, she discards the heavy items. "Second step, Boot."

"Check if the suspect has left anything," she says without any hesitation. Iris opens the back passenger door and Maddie leans in, running her hands across the seats for something that might have been discarded or gotten stuck in the leather.

"Once you're done, I want notes taken." Even though Madeline knows exactly what to do, she grabs her department issued notepad and pen to jot down what her training officer has said so far. Iris walks around to the back of the shop, her rookie following close behind. "Shotgun safety check." Maddie grabs the firearm and lifts it up to follow her instructions. "Verify it's empty, clear it, close the action. What's in the bags?"

Madeline returns the shotgun and briefly glances to the two war bags. "Police tape, road flares, spike strips, spare ammunition – a backup of everything," she answers.

Iris nods. "You're making my job easy, Officer West." Her gaze moves down to the camera attached to Madeline's shirt. "Body-cam test, go."

Maddie turns the camera on and looks down to it. "Officer Madeline West," she speaks into the microphone. "Badge number Three-Five-Eight-Nine-Three." She glances up to see her training officer already around to the driver's door.

"Keep up, Boot," Iris calls out impatiently. Maddie slips into the passenger seat. "Now we're inside, log into the computer."

She quickly types in the serial number and once the computer has loaded with their information, she clears her throat. "Testing lights and sirens," she announces.

Iris watches her turn them on and listens to the wailing of the sirens for a moment before nodding. "Last step?" she questions.

"Check myself."

"Good. You're about to hit the street with a loaded handgun and no idea of what's about to happen next. If you listen to me, if you follow my instructions, you might come out of this shift uninjured," she says firmly. Officer Delgado hesitates for a second. "Actually, alive is preferable if I want to keep my job."

Maddie nods, the hint of a smile on her lips. "Yes, ma'am."

⋆。 ﾟ☾。 ⋆。 ﾟ✩。 ⋆

From the very beginning, Madeline knew that she wasn't going to catch a homicide every day, which meant that she wasn't completely shocked when the first hour of her shift had been chasing down people with unpaid parking tickets. With the shop parked in between citizen cars on a rather quiet street, Maddie and Iris sit in silence, both women looking out the windows with keen and watchful eyes.

"You see that?" Delgado interrupts the silence, jerking her head over to the sidewalk up ahead. Two men are conversing with each other, one discreetly handing the other something to put into his pocket.

Maddie nods. "That's a deal," she says. "How do you want to play this?"

The two men disperse, however, one of them spots their shop. "Give it five seconds," Iris replies. The suspect that had seen them breaks into a sprint. "And there he goes. It's like clockwork. Call it in, Boot."

She clears her throat and grabs her radio. "This is Seven-Adam-Eleven, we've got a runner for a Nine-Six-Six." Iris waves a hand for her to get out the car. "Officer in pursuit of suspect on foot, westbound Olympic Boulevard."

As sirens fill her ears, Maddie scrambles out the car and inhales a deep breath as she takes off after the suspect. The vehicle's tires squeal as Iris drives up ahead to try and cut the man off, and Madeline's eyes lock onto the suspect. Wearing a bright red hoodie, black jeans, and neon yellow sneakers, he's not exactly inconspicuous enough to try and pull off a crime.

"LAPD, stop where you are," she yells. The man glances over his shoulder to see her weaving through the traffic on the sidewalk, and his eyes widen in alarm. "LAPD!" With short, measured breaths leaving her nose and mouth, Madeline pushes herself to go faster, finding that she's quickly catching up with him.

He's been so distracted by the cops chasing him that he's lost focus on his escape route. Maddie grits her teeth together before launching herself toward him, successfully managing to tackle him firmly on the ground. The shop stops before her and her suspect, and Officer Delgado winds down the window with a smile. "Nice work, Boot," she praises.

"Seven-Adam-Eleven, we are Code Four," Maddie speaks into her radio breathlessly. "Suspect in custody." As she slips the handcuffs onto his wrists, she picks up the small plastic bag that had fallen out of the man's pocket. "PCP?"

"Actually, it's co-"

Madeline rolls her eyes at his slip up. "You're under arrest for possession and the distribution of a controlled substance, not to mention resisting arrest." She grabs his hands roughly and leads him over to the car. "You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney..."

After securing the suspect in the back of the shop, Maddie returns to the passenger seat. Iris Delgado starts the engine and glances to her rookie with squinted eyes. "Look alive, Officer West," she says. "Not bad for your first arrest."

"Sorry, ma'am. Do I have permission to smile?"

"Are you f- Boot."

A small smile appears on Madeline's face. "Thanks." Iris rolls her eyes in amusement and shakes her head tiredly.

With ten minutes to nine o'clock, Maddie feels proud of herself. Even if Jackson hasn't done as much as she had yet, she's proud of him too. She's proud of both of them for even showing up today at all. Thankfully, the aircon had been turned on inside the car. Even though it's early morning, it's already scorching. Maddie's secretly glad that her training officer doesn't hate her enough to torture her by sitting inside the shop with no cold air.

As they turn down a backstreet during their drive back to the precinct, Madeline's eyes narrow as she leans forward slightly in her seat. Up ahead, she can spot a car, that she thinks belongs to the LAPD, going what must be one mile per hour. When they finally get close enough, Maddie's lips part. "Oh, my God, is that Chen?" she asks incredulously.

Iris sighs at the sight of the rookie walking beside Bradford's shop. "This, Boot, is what I like to call Tim Tests," she informs Maddie. "You're lucky you don't have to go through them." She turns the wheel to move the car on the other side of Bradford's, then rolls her window down, motioning for him to do the same. "The hell did you do?"

Tim glances to his friend with a deadpanned expression. "She let me get shot," he says dryly. "And then she let me bleed out and die."

Maddie's brows raise in amusement. "But you're-"

"Don't bother," Delgado cuts her off in a mutter. Lucy meets Maddie's eyes, and the latter gives her a sympathetic look. "Well, we've already made an arrest, so have fun with whatever this is, Bradford." He gives her a mocking smile, and Iris speeds ahead.

Processing her first suspect was something Madeline would never forget. Learning about it and watching it happen second-hand was one thing, but actually getting to mark fingerprints and take photos was something she had imagined for years. It seemed stupid, to want to do something so minuscule or meaningless, but for her, the entire prospect of becoming a police officer had been her dream for as long as she could remember.

It had taken her half an hour, give or take, to clear the shop of anything remaining from the suspect and to fill out the various paperwork regarding the arrest. Once Officers West and Delgado are back inside the vehicle, Maddie is surprised when her training officer lets her drive. She isn't sure if she should stay with her gut instinct and be paranoid that it's for a reason, or if she should be grateful that she's being trusted behind the wheel. She'll go with the first option.

They aren't even out of the garage before their radios crackle to life. The call is made by a familiar voice, John Nolan, requesting backup for a scene that they would walk out into a few minutes later.

Hollywood Boulevard is complete and utter chaos. The traffic is at a standstill, two cars have been in an accident, and hordes of people on the sidewalks have stopped to stare, film, or gossip. But the main attention grabber is the man stood atop of the hood of a car as he smashes his baseball bat into the windscreen.

Maddie steps out their shop with wide eyes. "Oh, wow," she mutters. She's already certain that he's extremely high and derailing psychologically by the second. It's a shame that they're the only option for him and not a counsellor or psychiatrist.

"You can't hide from me," the man yells. "I will go into the wardrobe through the looking glass!"

Up ahead, John is cautiously making his way over to the suspect with a calm voice. The first step is to de-escalate the situation to avoid someone getting physically harmed, or worse. "Sir, how about you tell me what the problem is," he calls out.

"The unicorn is laughing at me!"

Maddie and Iris join Talia Bishop who is carefully watching her rookie, and it's not long before Lucy and Bradford arrive. "Okay, great, we can help you with that," John nods. "We just need you to get down off the car."

"No, no, you're trying to trick me," he says anxiously. His baseball bat is now hanging by his side, his grip on it tight, but he's not waving it around frantically like a few moments prior. "You don't want me to find him!"

"Sir, I can handle unicorns, all right?" Nolan reassures calmly. He gestures a hand back to his colleagues. "This is what we train for. I just need you to get off the car and give me a description so we can find him."

Madeline's eyes narrow. "Why does he have to presume the unicorn is male," she mutters. Lucy bites onto the inside of her cheek to suppress a smile.

The suspect watches John for a few long seconds before his gaze drops to his feet as he contemplates listening. "Exactly," Nolan says. "Yeah, just jump down." And the man does exactly that. "Put the bat down right there. Excellent perfect." However, when John gets too close, the suspect bolts away.

Without a second of hesitation, Madeline and Lucy join John into sprinting after him. It's a little difficult to navigate between the cars that have either stopped or are trying to get ahead of the traffic, and John is the one to take the brunt of it. He abruptly skids to a halt to try not get run over, and Maddie glances to him with a triumphant grin.

"Too slow," Lucy calls out tauntingly. The two women share a look, and Maddie grits her teeth as she pulls ahead in front of Lucy. Now it's a competition, and she'd be damned if she came out as anything less than the winner.

"Stop," Madeline yells after the man. They follow him into the crowds, trying their best not to barge through the citizens watching. She curses in frustration when their path changes course down a side-street. "Fuck me," she hisses. Even though she's trained for long distance running, she still hates it.

With Lucy right on her heels, Maddie follows the suspect as she starts to gain distance on him. Behind, John hesitates before cutting through a fenced off area, hoping to intercept the man on the other side. However, he gets stuck whilst trying to jump the gate.

Maddie finally leaps and she collides onto the cement with the suspect. Lucy pulls to a stop with a smile as she watches her friend cuff him. "Not bad," she admits.

She scoffs as she looks up to her. "Not bad?" Maddie repeats in disbelief. "Did you see my tackle, Chen?" Lucy's smile widens. The shops of their training officers pull up beside them, the lights flashing brightly.

"Please let go of me," the suspect begs, writhing slightly under Maddie's firm grip. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Bradford heads straight over to John who is still struggling to rid himself free of the fence. He tugs the unlocked chain off, giving the rookie an unimpressed look. "Welcome to the arrest."

Maddie's brows furrow as the man continues to frantically protest. "I have to find him," he yells. "Help me! I have to find him! The unicorn, the unicorn! I have to- I have to find him! He needs me!"

"Who needs you?" Talia presses. They're all starting to wonder if something more is going on than just unicorns.

"Lucas! I can't find him!"

The second she hears the ringtone, Maddie takes his phone out from his pocket and hands it to Talia. "Hi, this is Officer Bishop-" She glances down to the suspect, faltering for a second before her frown deepens even further. "Y-Yes, ma'am, I'm with your husband now. Slow down."

"Lucas!"

"Who's Lucas?"

"Lucas needs me!"

Bishop urgently turns back to the man. "Sir, where is your boy?" she demands.

He breathes heavily as he stops struggling against the officers' holds. "I only left him in the car for a minute," he confesses. Horror quickly spreads across the group as they realise exactly what's going on. "The unicorn has him."

John looks up to the sun above them, the rays glaring down on their skin. "That car is gonna be an oven," he says warningly. "We got to find that unicorn."

⋆。 ﾟ☾。 ⋆。 ﾟ✩。 ⋆

It had been an agonising twenty minutes canvassing the nearby streets, the search to find the missing boy all anyone could think about. The second that John Nolan had radioed in that the boy was found and alive, Maddie felt like she could breathe again. Missing kids hit differently. She's just glad that the child is okay.

Venice Beach is the perfect place to stop for their lunch break. While food is one of the last things on Madeline's mind, sculling an ice-cold water sounds like heaven. Iris Delgado leads her rookie over to the food trucks parked at the end of a quiet street, tables with umbrellas scattered around as people dig into the meals. "First day, you buy, Boot," she declares with a small smile.

"Any preferences?" Maddie questions, hoping to gain a clue into how she could impress her training officer.

Iris hesitates for a moment. She smiles. "Surprise me." Her smile remains as she says, "But if I don't like it, you'll get a blue page."

The younger woman blinks. She won't even mention that it's definitely not allowed. "Yes, ma'am," she nods.

Jackson grins brightly at his sister when she stops beside him. "What's this about you making an arrest this morning?" he asks curiously. "Because the chatter is that you've tackled two people so far. Two people."

Maddie rolls her eyes as she scans the menu. "Okay, it wasn't that big of a deal," she dismisses. He stares at her pointedly. She turns back to him with a smile. "It was such a big deal," she gushes.

He bumps her fist. "Proud of ya."

"Don't get all sappy on me, West."

"Wouldn't dream of it, West."

"Good to hear, W-" Maddie grimaces as she interrupts herself. "I can't keep that up." Jackson chuckles as he takes a bit of his burrito.

John walks over with a small smile. "So, how was everyone's morning?" he queries, specifically Jackson since they haven't seen each other since roll call. His eyes flick over to Lucy when she joins. "Having fun yet?"

Jackson sighs and points to Lucy. "I think someone could use a hug," he observes.

"Don't you dare," Lucy retorts sharply. Maddie snickers, but she quickly breaks into a cough when her friend's glare shifts onto her.

The siblings share an amused grin as she storms off, leaving a confused John in her wake. "Whoa, what's wrong?" he questions with a frown.

"Her TO's utilising time-tested practises to intimidate her," Jackson explains to him.

Madeline shakes her head with a sigh. "The Tim Tests are already breaking her," she adds.

Lucy's eyes widen in horror. "They have a name?" she whisper-yells.

Whilst Jackson and Maddie share another grin, John tries to give her a reassuring pep talk. "Oh, well, that's their job, right? They've got to get inside our heads, push our buttons, see how we react." He offers Lucy a small smile. "It's not personal. Just turn it around and figure out what makes your training officer tick."

She arches a brow at his words. "You make it sound easy," she says.

"Piece of cake," John nods.

Lucy smiles in amusement, her scepticism only growing. "Really?" He hums and Maddie chuckles. "Okay, if it's so easy, then I guess you already know what your TO wants for lunch." John freezes, then quickly spins around to the food truck.

When Lucy turns to her expectantly, Madeline raises her hands up. "Oh, no, I don't have anything to say," she states. Lucy only continues to stare at her. "I mean, my TO clearly loves me, so it's not fair for me to add something to the conversation." Jackson laughs when Maddie's eyes widen in alarm at Lucy's deadly glower.

Talia heads over to the table where her friends are sat at. "How's your day going, Angela? 'Cause I saved a kid." A smile pulls at her lips. "Probably gonna make the paper tomorrow."

"Mm. You're so cute trying to get under my skin," Lopez replies calmly.

"Trying?" Tim scoffs.

Iris chuckles. "Honey, she's well under."

"Just like you're under hers," Bradford adds, loudly slurping his drink.

Angela's eyes narrow at their words. "What the hell are you talking about?" she presses.

Iris grabs a fry from Tim's tray, pointedly ignoring his scowl when he notices the action. "You've wanted to be a detective since you were a kid," she tells Angela. "Talia just wants it 'cause it's a steppingstone to the top. And that clearly pisses you off."

"Meanwhile, she knows your ability to be mercenary gives you a leg up 'cause she's got an overdeveloped sense of morality, which gets in her way," Tim finishes with a shrug.

Both Angela and Talia look between them with irritation etched onto their faces. "Shut up," they echo together.

"I don't know why you two are so determined to get out of patrol," Tim continues with furrowed brows. "This is where all the fun is." He glances to the woman beside him. "You like this more than detective work, right?"

"Hell no," Iris replies immediately. Angela cracks a grin at Tim's annoyed expression.

They all look up when their rookies come over with their food. Angela smiles at the extra effort Jackson has made with the vase of flowers and jars of seasoning on her tray. Talia opens her paper bag and glances to Nolan. "Is there meat in this?" she questions. At his hesitant 'no,' she sighs.

A bright smile adorns Iris's face as she unwraps her lunch. "Oh, this girl is good," she proclaims happily.

"Can't believe she forgot the hot sauce," Tim mutters to himself, his tone sharp with frustration.

Officer Delgado raises her eyebrows at him. "Oh, you thought she'd go the extra effort after what you pulled earlier?" she points out.

Angela chews a fry, her eyes shining with amusement as she comes to the same realisation as Talia. "You did 'I got shot' again?" she asks with a chuckle.

He remains silent, his eyes narrowed as he ignores them all. "She's going to kill me," Tim finally says.

"At this rate, your death will be your own fault."

"Bite me, Delgado."

⋆。 ﾟ☾。 ⋆。 ﾟ✩。 ⋆

It had been a week into the Academy when Lucy Chen had asked her newfound friends to promise to uphold something: that they would all have each other's backs no matter what. So far, no matter what had ranged from early morning runs at four in the morning, studying their material together daily, and now it had reached what possibly could be rock bottom. When John Nolan's domestic violence call had ended up as a homicide, Maddie, Jackson, and Lucy knew exactly what to do.

Well, it's what they would always do when one of them had a shitty day. Go to the bar. Maddie liked to say that alcohol solved ninety-nine percent of your problems. The other one percent would be when it made things worse.

None of them really knew what to say to John in this moment, they had no idea what it was like to watch someone's life slip out from underneath you. So, the only thing they could do was to be there for him, to support him and let him know that they're here if he needs.

It was almost strange for Maddie to change back into her clothes from this morning. She had gotten so used to wearing her long-sleeved uniform over the last twelve hours that she had decided it was her new favourite thing to wear. Her hair was a different story though. After having it pulled back tightly all day, it felt like her headache had instantly disappeared the second she took the hairband out. She takes a long sip of the cold beer in her hands and leans back in her chair with a content smile on her lips.

"To the first day," Lucy announces. They all echo her words and clink their glasses.

Madeline's eyes linger on John. She'd noticed that he had barely smiled at all, and when he did it was clear that it was forced. But she couldn't blame him. "Wanna talk about it?" she asks him.

"No," he immediately answers, setting his glass of beer back down. After a few moments of hesitation, John lets out a long sigh. "I felt him die. A guy I-I was just talking to. And I thought I was ready, but I don't think anything could have prepared you for that."

The West siblings share a look. "I saw my first body when I was ten," Jackson admits. Lucy's eyes widen in shock. "Mads must've been what, twelve?"

"Oh, yeah," Maddie confirms. Her lips curl into a slight grimace as she recalls the memory. "Our dad took us to the morgue, pulled a drawer, and there was this kid, maybe eighteen or so. O.D.'d on oxy."

Lucy blows out a breath of air. "That's some... questionable parenting right there." She isn't sure to be sad that that had been something they had seen at such a young age or to sit there in complete and utter shock.

Jackson turns to her. "I'm sorry, didn't your folks put you in therapy at the same age?"

"They were trying to teach me coping skills," she argues.

Maddie dips her head in acknowledgement. "So was our dad," she says.

"This job is a magnifying glass," Jackson continues. John's eyes flick between the brother and sister, listening curiously to their perspective on what a job in law enforcement is like. "It reveals everything, especially the parts you're trying to hide."

"Okay." The waitress places their bill before John, her eyes locked only on him as she smiles. "Here you go."

"Thank you," John says. Jackson and Maddie share a look of amusement.

She places a hand on her hip, her hair falling over her shoulder as she leans ever so closer to her. "Can I get you anything else?" she questions.

But instead of John being the one to answer, Lucy does. "Not right now," she responds, her tone short and clipped. Maddie's eyebrow raises, finding it almost like her friend is trying to get rid of the waitress as soon as possible. "Thanks."

The dark-haired woman's expression falters in annoyance, then she sends John another seductive smile before leaving. Maddie raises her beer up to her lips to try not to laugh.

"Wow," Lucy begins. "I've never seen a real badge bunny before." Jackson tips his bottle toward her in agreement.

John clears his throat. "Well, she's just being friendly," he reasons.

"No, no," Madeline interjects with a grin. "She was so hitting on you." John's lips press into a thin line as he struggles to provide a retort.

Lucy's brows draw together, a small smile still adorning her face as she looks at him. "You really are struggling," she says. "'Cause she practically handed you her panties."

"I'm fine." His simple words are the opposite of convincing. John's eyes drop back to his beer, and any smiles or amusement that had been held by his friends immediately disappear.

"Hey, listen to me," Lucy says gently. John lifts his head to look at her. "What happened wasn't your fault."

Maddie nods. "You couldn't have done anything else," she adds, trying to be as reassuring as she can. "He was never going to tell you that his girlfriend was abusing him. It wasn't your fault, okay?"

Lucy glances to her, her eyes lingering on Maddie's face for a second before she turns back to John. "It wouldn't have mattered if you'd said anything to Bishop, and if-" She huffs a heated breath. "If she said any different, then she was just flat-out wrong."

John's gaze shifts to Jackson who nods in agreement with what had been said. A visible weight has lifted off his shoulders. The corners of his lips lift as he quietly says, "Thank you."

Lucy offers him a small smile. "You're welcome."

The lighting suddenly dims and the small stage tucked away at the back of the bar comes alive. "It's karaoke hour," one of the bartenders announces through her microphone. "First up, Maddie and Lucy."

Jackson drums his hands on the table with a smile as he and John cheer for their friends. Maddie takes a swig of her beer and grins as Lucy hooks their arms together, practically skipping them over to the stage. They grab the microphones, a mild inebriated confidence oozing off them both as they burst into song. When Maddie attempts to harmonise with Lucy, she horrifically fails, causing Jackson to snicker and John to crack a genuine smile. It's exactly what they need after the day they've had.

"Cheers to the freaking weekend, I'll drink to that, yeah, yeah..."

𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 1 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪'𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘐𝘚 𝘚𝘖 𝘔𝘜𝘊𝘏 𝘍𝘜𝘕

𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 🥰

(fave gif ever by phonysuperstars)