Summary: The future of LT:PI and the future of the Pierce-Lopez family is threatened on a seemingly mundane break-in at Lucas's high school. Can a new incarnation of the infamous crime-solving brigade from Brittana's high school days come together to form new partnerships and strengthen family ties in the face of new struggles and mysteries? Brittana. Future. Family. M.
Snippet for Future!Sirens that I had posted on tumblr a few months ago. A very special person to me (MamaU) complained about the format on tumblr, so I am posting it on FF just for her. This will eventually turn into something more. I am working on Dovekin, but I'm adjusting to a new job so my writing has been delayed. :D
Sirens!Verse
Introducing the reincarnation of everyone's favorite crime solving posse in…
LT:PLP
The intercom crackled to life. It sputtered for a half second before an ominous voice announced. "Lucas Thomas Pierce-Lopez, please report to the principal's office."
The name echoed. It whispered. It travelled. It hopped over desks, climbed between huddled faces and passed to ears. It repeated from mouths and continued till the entire classroom had Lucas' name on their lips.
It wasn't the first time his name spread like wildfire through the school. It wouldn't be the last. He lifted his head and sighed as thirty sets of eyes, including his history teacher, stared back at him.
"Oh shit, LT, what'd you do this time?"
Lucas swallowed thick but didn't acknowledge his friend or his question. The entire class had turned in their seats to look at him. His blue eyes met all thirty pairs of eyes with bravado and defiance. It didn't stop the sick feeling in his stomach. His best friend whacked the back of his hand. He wanted to know what Lucas had done, but he didn't answer. He didn't have to answer to anyone – not his friend, not the class, or his teacher, or even the principal.
He only had to answer to two people.
And that knowledge was the reason why he dragged his feet and felt nervous as he packed away his bag. He shouldered his books. "Sorry for causing a disturbance, Mr. Hayes."
"Get to the principal's office with no detours, Lucas."
He nodded and took a deep breath as he stepped out into the hallway. There was no doubt in his mind; he was going to be in a shit ton of trouble.
The sound of boots walking through the hall normally wasn't a cause for alarm. Today, they hit the tile floors with force and authority. Dark eyes remained steadfast and straight forward. After the first three classrooms, texts spread through the school. Students leaned from their seats to wait for the sound of boots so they could get a look at the intimidating visitor to their high school.
Teachers warned students to remain seated, but even they raised their brows at the sight.
Rumors and gossip ran rampant through the school.
The NYPD was here to arrest Lucas.
It was probably about time.
Lucas ran a hand through his curly blonde hair. It had never really straightened out like Gram Lopez said it would when she used to comb through his curls as a kid. For as long as he could remember, he had wanted the curls to flatten so he could look like his mom. He already shared her bright blue eyes. And even if she wasn't his birth mother, Lucas always thought that if his curls disappeared, there would be no mistaking her as his real mom.
But that never happened.
As it was, Lucas didn't mind anymore because he stopped trying to convince his classmates that his mothers were his real moms. It didn't matter what they said or thought, Lucas knew his moms loved him.
And that's what made sitting in the principal's office waiting for them to show up all the more difficult. He hated to disappoint them.
A long sigh puffed a golden curl hanging over his eyes. The principal was an uncompromising woman. She had steel eyes to match steel hair to match the steel resolution regarding her opinion of Lucas Thomas Pierce-Lopez. She had dubbed him a trouble maker, a label she had given him during her first two weeks of tenure at Garfield High School. She saw this "opportunity" as a way to meet his parents and see the type of people raising this future hooligan. Lucas met her gaze, but kept his mouth shut.
A knock came at the door.
"Principal Brighton-" The secretary's voice started to announce, but the door swung open the rest of the way.
The figure who stood behind the secretary was impressive. He towered over the frame of the much smaller woman.
"Officer-" Principal Brighton stood up from her desk and walked forward with her hand outstretched. "I made a police report as a matter of formality. We are not trying to press any charges. We were hoping to handle the situation 'in-house' and take action against the student in the regulations of our handbook. Unfortunately, because there was property damage, we still have to report the damage to the police for insurance purposes and the district."
Lucas glanced up and gulped. He had not been expecting this. A bad situation was only getting worse.
"I'm going to do you a favor, Principal Brighton. I'm going to take the boy with me and see that he's punished. There's no need for you to trouble yourself about this matter. I will handle it."
Principal Brighton bucked at the forceful implication that the NYPD officer was planning to take away one of her students. This was her school and she wanted to dole out the punishments as she deemed fit. "Officer, I hardly think that it's fair for you to take this student away before he is punished by this administration. I understand that your own daughter attends Garfield High, but that is no reason to concern yourself in the misdemeanors of all the students here."
"It's Lieutenant and I make these sort of things my business, Principal Brighton. So I'm gonna take the boy and see that a fit punishment is delivered to him." He paused before adding. "Don't bother thanking me."
"Lieutenant Puckerman-" Principal Brighton's voice raised an octave. The lieutenant exhaled a puff of exasperation. Lucas didn't miss the half glance his uncle shot at him. "-we appreciate your enthusiasm for keeping our students safe, but I don't think we will need your assistance in this instance. We have already called Lucas's parents. They should be here shortly."
Puck cringed and turned around. "That's what I was trying to protect you from, Principal Brighton. If you let me take Lucas now, I think we can avoid the worst of what's about to happen. You shouldn't have called his parents."
"I beg your pardon, lieutenant?"
The door burst open once more. Lucas ducked his head and attempted to morph into the chair. Noah followed his example. He slid as far back against the wall as physically possible.
"Oh you will be begging." A short, dark haired woman with fires in her eyes stormed through the office and pointed directly at Principal Brighton. Taken aback, Principal Brighton stammered to respond to the sudden intrusion to her office.
Both Puck and Lucas made eye contact from across the room. They shared the same expression. Their mouths hung open in surprise and alarm. Lucas hoped his uncle had a better plan than blending into the wall, but he looked just as frozen.
"What is the meaning of this?" Principal Brighton tried to control the shock and outrage on her face. "Where's my secretary? She wouldn't have just let you come bursting through my door like this."
"Don't worry about her at the moment. You've got much bigger issues at hand." Santana stormed through the doorway and approached the desk. Her dark eyes flashed and her temper flared. It was obvious she was not pleased about the phone call made to her office. She had barely heard a word the secretary said. It wasn't the first time she had been asked to come pick Lucas up from a school. But this was the first time the word "crime" and "criminal" had ever been attached to his name. Her blood was boiling.
She would tear the school apart brick by brick.
But no matter how furious she was at the school, a tender ache pulled her back from the brink as she glanced to Lucas. He wasn't a little boy anymore, but she could only imagine what he was feeling. Her first instinct was to run to his chair and ask him if he was okay. But she couldn't spare a moment of compassion as it would strip her of any advantage she had gained when entering the room.
"Do you mind telling me why my son is being called a criminal? Because you better have conclusive evidence before arbitrarily slapping a label on him. Even if your secretary misspoke, don't mistake me, this school will still be answering to charges of slander." Santana whipped around to address who she presumed was the police. She turned to face the man in the corner of the office but instantly shut her mouth.
Noah?
How the fuck had he beaten her here?
Her dark eyes spared him no mercy, but she wisely didn't rip into him. Brighton was lucky she hadn't contacted the police outside of Noah.
"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce I presume?" The sides of Principal Brighton's mouth twitched as she sat back down in her seat. Santana could see the woman had been affected by the mention of a lawsuit. There were a few trigger words that could make an administration back down very quickly. "I assure you there has been no mistake as to your son's involvement in an incident involving a break-in to one of our science labs."
"Pierce-Lopez." Puck muttered at the same time as Lucas.
"It's Pierce-Lopez." Lucas softly reminded Principal Brighton with the hope that she wouldn't incur anymore of his mother's wrath.
"A break-in?" Santana scoffed. "And what? You have video of him actually committing the break-in?"
"No…" She answered cautiously. "It's not clear video, but it's enough to see that your son has a history of these sort of break-ins and could easily be the student who broke into the labs."
"Oh so his history and the fact that he's a seventeen year old boy make him guilty?" Santana took another step forward. Puck took another step back. His backside had become plastered to the wall. Lucas dipped lower into his seat. "Do you know what I could do to you and this school? Do you even know who I am?"
"Tana…" Puck whispered softly, praying that she wouldn't actually hear him trying to calm her down.
"This is my son and I will not sit idly by while you label him a criminal and call the cops based on circumstantial evidence!"
"Mrs. Lopez-Pierce, I can assure you tha-" Principal Brighton tried to interject.
"Pierce-Lopez." Santana corrected and continued to list the laws and malpractices the school had taken against Lucas. Little did any of the occupants in the room realize, but the door had opened a third time.
A puff of white smoke lifted from the back of the room above their heads. As Principal Brighton was the only one facing the doorway, she noticed the smoke first. Her head twisted violently in surprise and annoyance. She blurted out. "Excuse me! There is no smoking permitted on school grounds at any time and certainly not in my office!" So shocked by the brazen smoke, Brighton processed there was another stranger in her office a moment later. A woman dressed in long black slacks, a white button down shirt, suspenders, and a fedora leaned casually against the wall. Another puff of white smoke bellowed from her mouth. Quickly Brighton demanded an explanation. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"I heard my name, so I figured I was invited." The woman pushed herself from the wall and moved forward with her right hand extended in greeting. Casually, she brushed Santana's backside. The lawyer released the next round of scathing words she had been ready to use on Principal Brighton and bit her bottom lip. "Brittany Pierce-Lopez, PI. It's nice to finally meet you, Principal Brighton." The steel haired women looked absolutely befuddled as she hesitantly took Brittany's hand. She glanced to Santana confused as to which was the real Mrs. Pierce-Lopez. "I see you've already had the pleasure of meeting my wife. Sorry about the candy cigarette, I have a bad habit of chewing gum." She popped the candy in her mouth and started chewing.
Not one to stay flabbergasted for long, Principal Brighton quickly recovered over her momentary confusion. She looked to Santana and noticed that while she had stopped threatening the school, the fires in her eyes were waiting to fan to life again. Brittany, on the other hand, offered her a compassionate smile. "The pleasure of your wife's company was all mine, Mrs. Pierce-Lopez."
It was Brittany's turn. She bit her bottom lip; her tongue pressed against the inside of her cheek in amusement. Santana could be a handful and Brittany loved every moment of it. Pleasure was a word reserved for a select few when dealing with Santana. "Please call me, Brittany, and I don't mean to pry, but you are talking about our son. It sounds like this isn't the first time a break-in has occurred. I would like to offer my services. I am a private investigator. I work a lot of different cases and I have an intimate relationship with the NYPD. I would investigate these break-ins free of charge as I do have some personal stake in the matter of clearing our son's name."
"Mrs. Pierce-Lopez-"
"Brittany."
"I am truly grateful that you are offering your services to the school, but I think it would be highly unethical and a clash of personal interest to hire you."
"Principal Brighton-" Puck stepped up for the first time since Santana had blown into the office. "-I don't think you understand what you're turning down. Brittany is one of the most highly regarded PIs in the state. There's a waiting list for her services and I can personally attest to her relationship with the NYPD. You're not going to find anyone better." He dared to glance to Santana. "And I highly suggest entertaining her offer since your second choice would be facing her wife in court, who is one of the best lawyers I've ever seen in action."
The smile Santana shot Principal Brighton was anything but pleasant. She intended to keep her promise to protect her son, even if that meant tearing down the entire education system of the great state of New York.
Principal Brighton must have caught Santana's intentions because she stopped protesting. Pensively, she sat back at her desk and looked up. A lawyer, a police lieutenant, and a private investigator – it sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. She had a feeling if she proceeded, the punchline would end up being her job.
But they were all here for one child. Her steel eyes met his and wondered for the first time since she had started her term, perhaps she was missing something.
"I can't approve anything without the board's consent, but I will hold all decisions until a full investigation has been conducted whether by yourself, Mrs. Pierce-Lopez, or by the NYPD." Her eyes met both Puck's and Brittany's gazes. "I hope for the students' sakes, we can come to a conclusion swiftly."
Can't wait to eventually continue this verse.