Everyone plays ball
A/N: written for VMficrecs December prompts - the last thing I'd ever want to do
He had heard a lot about the Neptune Sheriff's Department before he had ever signed up.
None of it was good really.
There had been 'Golden Age' stories of when Veronica's father had been the long arm of the law. That he had served and protected, and refused to let anyone tell him what was the truth.
He had met Keith a couple times, in school when he would wear that tan uniform, smile and talk about justice before making Veronica recite the felonies.
The best stories about Keith, though, came from Sacks. So it seemed only right that at Sacks' funeral, the best story about Sacks had come from Keith.
He had been trained by Sacks, Norris had, not Keith obviously. He stood there at the open grave, in his uniform and tried not to cry.
"Sacks was one of the best of us, clean and honest, married to the job, I can remember one time when-" he watched as Keith struggled to get the words out. When he finally failed, he stood there silent, head down, hands over his face and cried.
Norris cried with him. Silent, slow tears burning his face.
When the stories about Sacks came out, he had stolen every newspaper in the precinct and set them on fire. Everyone there knew that Jerry was clean; cleaner than so many of them.
Lamb gave him Jerry's beat, a new partner.
It took four days for him to figure out that the partner was dirty.
He offered Norris a cut, Jerry's old cut. The very thought made him sick.
"No."
The man tossed the money into Norris' lap anyway.
"You go home dirty or in a body bag kid. Learn from Jerry's mistakes. Everyone plays ball."
It was the last thing he would ever do. He wanted to be clean, so clean that it could redeem his friend.
The look on his partner's face made the choice impossible.
Cops died all the time in this county, that's why the good ones always left.
He took the money in silence, stuffed the cash into a Veteran's charity box on his way home.
He stood in the shower for hours, until the scalding water turned to ice.
He turns off the shower and, still dripping wet, picks up his cellphone.
"You need anything, anything, you talk to me."
Norris? Is everything alright?
Veronica's voice fluttered towards concern and fear.
"Jerry was my friend, Veronica. I don't want to..."
Didn't want to what? Die like he had? Trying to do the right thing? Become a dirty cop? Lose his soul?
All of the above.
Thankfully Veronica, being Veronica, doesn't need anymore than that.
Thanks Norris
He hangs up without saying anything, wondering if he'll even live long enough to find out who had killed Jerry.
The last thing he ever wanted to do was play ball, but he knew he'd have to if he wanted to see those bastards hang.
They still hung people in California? Whatever, even if they didn't, he'd put in a special request.