It had been a few weeks since Street had been kicked out of S.W.A.T. and it was taking a toll on his health. He spent his night drinking, and the days working as a street cop. If he wasn't working, he was riding his motorcycle, not safely that might be added.
As he cruised around, he had a small buzz working, which he knew was wrong. He hated going home because it meant his mom would be waiting. And his second family, well the abandoned him. So, Street found comfort in riding his bike around town, blowing through yellows and weaving through traffic. He was just trying to feel something.
The sun beat down as he sat at the most recent red light he decided to stop at. His phone buzzed. Another missed call from Chris. He rolls his eyes and shoves his phone back into his pocket.
Street focuses at the light ahead of him. Staring it down. Waiting for it to turn green so he could peel out and take off.
As the light switch green, Street went 0 to 60 MPH in seconds. He blew threw several intersections until suddenly a car pulled out from the curb and was forced to go left at the light. Suddenly the bike starts jumping and making grinding noises.
"You got to be kidding me." Street says as his bike rolls to a stop. He jumps off and takes off his helmet. "Piece of shit!" Street yells as he throws the bike on to the ground.
As he continued to throw his tantrum, groups of people inside a small local gym stop to watch.
"Hey Em, look at this guy." Says a young woman to the girl at the front desk. The brunette looks up from the computer with an eyebrow cocked. They watched the man kick his bike, throw his helmet, curse some more, and go around in circles throwing his hands in every which direction. Both women laugh, and Emily walks out from behind the desk. She heads out the door and just watches from the curb for a few more seconds.
"Um, sir, do you need help?" She asks with her arms crossed and a small smile on her face.
Street stops dead in his tracks and sees the woman staring at him. She was tall, and a medium build. Her hair was in a high ponytail and had a pair of Nike shorts on with a pink tank top.
"Oh uh," Street says looking at his bike. "You know sweetie, I am good." He finishes by pointing in her direction.
"Sweetie? Are you being serious?" She says stepping off the curb and walking towards him. "I am not hitting on you. I am simply asking if you need help picking up your bike and moving it out of traffic. Oh, and maybe stop making a fool of yourself." Emily says as she steps with in inches of him, this time not smiling.
Street takes a deep breathe and apologizes, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to be so sarcastic-"
"Rude. The word you should use there is rude, but go on." Emily says interrupting Street, but once again smiling. Her ponytail sways as her head moves back and forth with her aggressive smile.
"Uh, yeah I didn't mean to be rude" he makes sure to say with intention, "It just seems to have broken down."
Emily starts moving towards the bike and let's out a small chuckle, "It could be because you are running on E."
Street follows her finger, which is pointing at the arrow on empty on the gas gage. He titles his head back looking up at the sky and let's out a heavy sigh. It had been a rough few nights and he it comes to him that he probably hasn't filled up on gas for several days now. Between desk/street work and his late night benders, Street seemed completely lost in who he was.
Both Emily and Street get the bike back up and move it to the curb. He notices for the first time that she has this small mole on her left ear. It looked like a piercing, but it was something that drew him to the next thing he noticed about his new acquaintance; a scar about 4 inches long directly below that left ear.
"Listen," She pulls him out of his thoughts, "I don't mean to be a bitch, but I can smell the beer on you. And I don't mean to be all motherly, but you probably shouldn't be driving."
Street stands up straight and puts his hands in his pockets. Now he notices her blue eyes. They were a gray-blue combo, but had a color that reminded him of Long Beach mornings when the fog sat over the ocean.
"So if you want to take some time, sober up, and maybe punch something inside, it's on me today." He is back looking at her finger pointing at the gym door. "Punch Out" reads the sign. 'Never heard of it." Thought Street.
"But if you want to get a DUI go right ahead." She continues. Street notices that he has just been sitting there in silence as she goes on and on lecturing him for doing something he knew better to do. As she starts to turn away, Street stops her by grabbing her hand.
"I am sorry." He says in a soft voice. "I have been going through some stuff, and that is no excuse." He says still holding her hand. She looks down and gives him a smirk.
"I am Emily Hayden." She says shaking the hands up and down as they were locked together as one.
"I am Jim" He says, "But everyone calls me Street."
Emily laughs, "Is that because you find yourself face down in it when you drive your motorcycle?"
"Ha ha you are funny. It is my last name." They both let out a small laugh. Emily moves towards the doorway and signals him to follow.
As they both enter, the gym is filled with lots of boxing and MMA type areas.
"Whoa you run this place?" Street says following her through the building.
"Oh do I feel some sexism coming from you, Jimmy?' She says over her shoulder followed by a wink. "Yes I do. I opened this place after a decided community college wasn't my thing."
They continue to walk past some rings, and bags. Then Emily stops at one in the back and nods towards it.
"This is all yours until you aren't so buzzed anymore. Feel free to punch the hell out of it, or kick it. But please don't bite it." Street looks at Emily funny. "I have to say it because one person tried."
Emily points towards the bench where Street could put his stuff while he let's out some steam.
"I can tell you got a lot going on up their in your head." Emily says as she moves around the bag. "So this here is Carl. He is what we here like to call out literal punching bag. He is here for people to beat the crap out of over some stuff that is clogging up you mentally."
Street smiled and nodded. Emily gave him a salute and walked away. For the first time in awhile Street didn't watch a girl walk away. For some reason he had more respect for Emily then to disrespect her in that way.
So Street got at it, beating the crap out of Carl. Everything that had piled up on him was coming out. Swing after swing he could feel weight slowly being lifted.
As Street hit the bag over and over, Emily tried not to watch. But she kept finding herself leaning over the desk and catching a glimpse. Something drew her to him, but it wasn't in a 'he is a handsome guy' kind of thing. It was something else. Or maybe it wasn't, but she smiled to herself thinking about how fate put a guy named Street in her life today.
Street kept finding himself coming back to Punch Out. He was already apart of the gym through the LAPD, but here he was again. In the past week he went seven days with a couple days being double days.
It wasn't because he was attracted to Emily. Instead it was because he felt like he found a friend. She took the time to help him. She invited him into her gym. She watched his back. She stayed until 11 PM that night, until Street was almost dead tired punching the crap out of the bag. She got someone to bring gas for his bike. Something had Street intrigued and it was more then just her looks.
As he stepped into the gym, he noticed that Emily was not at the desk as usual. He looked around trying to spot the brunette. As he scanned the gym he can't seem to find her anywhere.
"Looking for Emily?" says a women about the same age as Emily.
"Oh no, just wondering where she is." Street stutters.
"So you are looking for Emily?" The women smiles, "She is posting flyers around for a front desk person." The women then grabs her bag and smiles, "She should be back any minute."
Street decides to just get started and wait to see if she comes back after his workout.
After an hour with many punches involved, Street was too tired from his shift to keep going. He started to pack up his stuff when a shadow was casted over him.
"Done that quickly? Wow only an hour today."
Street looks up to see Emily standing over him.
"Oh were you watching me?" Street says with a smirk as sweat rolls down his cheeks.
"God no. Just need to know how much to charge to your bill." Emily says waving the flyers in the air as she walks away.
"Hey," Street says jumping up, "I heard you are looking for someone."
Emily stops before going behind the desk and pivots on her heels, "Oh is the police force too hard for my boy Street?"
"My Boy?" Street says questioning Emily. She smacks him with the flyers and continues behind the desk. "I may know someone to fill that position."
Emily looks up from the computer with her eyebrows raised.
"My mom." Street says simply. Emily moves her lips back and forth.
"Street, are you trying to just keep coming here for free?" Emily says as she goes back to looking at the computer.
He looks at her dead in the eyes. Emily sighs and rolls her eyes. "Has she ever worked a front desk job?"
"Oh come on Emily, like it's hard?" Street says smiling. Emily's mouth falls open with a slight smile.
"Well bring her by next time you come, which will be tomorrow." Emily nods towards the door and Street gets the hint to go.
He feels bad for not coming right out and say his mom is an ex convict and that she was the reason for his release from S.W.A.T. Maybe he would mention it slightly when she came in, or maybe he would just keep it to himself.
It had gone smoothly, the first few weeks after Street's mom started at the gym. Emily taught her ins and outs of working the front desk. Showed her the safe, the keys to lock up, how to sign people up, and ho to cancel their membership. All the basics.
Karen got the swing of things, and fit right in. The problem was, Street left out the fact that his mom was an ex-convict. But everything seemed to be going smoothly that he decided maybe he would just let it go for now.
"Good afternoon Emily." Karen said from behind the desk.
Emily came in with her hair down. She had a nice wavy look going, and had her sunglasses on top of her head. Instead of her typical gym clothes, Emily had on a nice floral dress from Old Navy on paired with white wedges.
Of course this look grabbed the attention of Street who was coming out of the locker room.
He froze almost instantly when he saw Emily leaning on the desk speaking to his mom. She looked different from what he was use to seeing her as, which was sporty and sweaty.
He noticed a scar on Emily's calf. It started at her knee and turned on to the back of her calf. That was the second scar he noticed on her body.
"Take a picture, it lasts longer Jimmy." Emily says from her spot against the desk.
Emily calling Street 'Jimmy' caught his mom's attention. She had always been the only one to call him that. He eyes got narrow as she watched the way her son let out a chuckle and walked towards the girl.
"I just didn't realize you owned things other then Nike leggings and tank tops." Street says as he joins the two at the front desk.
Karen doesn't say a word. Instead she just observes.
"Ha ha you are very funny." Emily says with a smile. The two lock eyes, and Karen watches.
Street places his hand on Emily's arm, "I am just joking. You look very nice. Got a hot date?"
"Maybe. I do have dinner tonight with someone who has a very nice jawline." Emily says raising her eyebrows up and down.
"Well it can't be as nice as mine.' Street says cause Emily to give him a friendly punch.
Karen just watches and realizes that Jimmy likes this girl and she just gives him a hard time. That is her little boy.
She didn't want him to get hurt by any bimbo, especially this girl he seemed so interested in. She just gives him playful looks and actions and doesn't seem to consider him the way he considers her. This made Karen upset.
Her son deserved the best. That why she "protected" him from his father. That is why she got him away from Hondo and S.W.A.T.
She was now seeing Emily for who she truly was, and what she was planning on doing. Karen couldn't let her hurt Jim. So instead she needed to get her away from him.
Emily parked her car down the road from the gym. She liked to walk in, but mainly parked a block away because that left plenty of spots in front for those who wanted to come work out.
She got a text last night from Jimmy asking if he could come early to work out before his shift. Emily of course did not want to say no, he was a paying customer.
But there was also something else she liked about having Jim Street around. She felt protected. She felt friendship. And she felt like they vibed well with one another. He understood her humor. She understood his frustration. They really worked together as a good team.
As Emily approached the front door, she pulled out her keys and checked the time - 3:45 am.
'Perfect' Emily thought. She gave herself 15 minutes to set everything up before Jimmy showed up and started to blab and work out.
Emily opened the front door and turned on the lights. It was so quiet. Just like she preferred it.
She placed her purse under the desk and started to turn on the computer. She noticed how cold it was in the gym.
Emily moved towards the thermostat and turned the heat on.
'Jimmy can sweat a little extra.' Emily chuckled to herself. She moved to the back to the desk and grabbed the cash bag from her purse.
Risky, she knew. But it was easier for her to take the cash home with her because the neighborhood wasn't the best, and she couldn't afford a nice safe just yet.
As Emily made her way to the back of the gym she heard the door open.
'Typical Jimmy getting here a few minutes early.' Emily thought to herself.
"Good Morning! I see someone just couldn't start their day without seeing me." Emily says loud.
There wasn't a snarky comment back. There wasn't even a 'good morning.'
Emily turned on her heels just has someone punched her in the face.
Emily flies backwards and her long brown hair flies into her face. She can't see, but she feels someone grab her ankle.
"Stop" She screams.
BAM! Another hit, this time to the other side of her face.
Emily wiggles every part of her body trying to kick free her ankle. Now she is on her back and has someone holding her down.
A man wearing a mask moves her hair out of her face.
Emily studies his eyes. Green. Sunken in.
"What you staring at?" The man ask. His voice was deep, husky almost.
Emily refuses to blink. She hears feet running across the floor. As soon as she sees the man holding her down break eye contact and look to the other man in the building, she knees him.
Emily jumps up as the man falls over in pain. 'Just get to the phone.' She keeps repeating in her head.
She gets within inches of the desk and someone throws his or her arm around her neck.
A scream comes out of her mouth, until a hand goes over it. She bites the hand, middle finger to be exact.
The man drops her, "Stupid bitch." Emily is now crawling to the front door.
'Get outside. Yell. Scream.' For the first time she is panicking. What do these people want? Why her? Why this gym?
"I thought Karen said the money would be back here."
Emily froze. Karen. Karen, as in Jimmy's mom. Karen Street.
Emily looks up and sees the three men. One in the back, on behind the desk and the other standing right where she left him and his nasty tasting hand.
"Hey!" The man behind the desk yells and Emily scrambles.
Right as she reaches the door handle she feels her hair get yanked from behind, and she is on her back. The last thing she saw was the bottom of a boot coming towards her face.
Then there was blackness.
"I want to speak to Jim Street, NOW!"
The SWAT front desk was trying to calm the young women down, but she wouldn't take the answer they were giving.
Every time they tried to give her their answer, she got louder.
So loud, Chris and Deacon could hear from behind the doors. They both looked at each other and nodded towards the front.
They both passed through door to see a young girl, mid-20s covered in facial bruises and cuts.
"Woah" Chris says under her breath. Deacon just moved forward and told the desk people they would handle this.
"You are looking for Jim Street?" Deacon asks calmly. The girl takes a deep breath and nods.
Chris notices she won't look up, but they can see her facial injuries.
"I just need to speak to him. Now!" Emily says in frustration.
"Listen, I don't know what Street told you-" Deacon starts to say, but he is cut off by Chris.
"Did he do that to you?" Chris asks. She didn't truly think Street would, but she needs to get this girl speaking. Chris wanted answers. She didn't want to just direct her to another station, letting her wander LA with those wounds.
"No." She says lifting her face letting Chris and Deacon see her whole face.
Cut lip, bruised right eye, bruising on her left cheek, cut on her left jaw line and another cut but on her left forehead.
Chris stays neutral when she see her wounds, but Deacon is in shock.
"Who did this to you?" Deacon asks looking into the woman's eyes.
"Is Jim Street here or not?" The woman asks. She folds her arms across her chest and goes back to looking at the ground.
"He isn't here-" Deacon starts, but once again Chris jumps in.
"But we will call him in." Chris says tilting her head to try and make eye contact. "We can head back here and I will have my team member here get ahold of him." Chris puts out her hand, but the woman doesn't budge.
A heavy sigh comes from her mouth and she starts to go with Chris and Deacon follows behind.
"I am Chris."
"I am Emily."
"Well, Emily I will have Deacon here," Chris says motioning to the man walking behind them, "Call Street until he picks up. Worse case we go to his place and get him."
Emily stops when she mentions his place. The same place he lives with his mom. That thought made Emily angry.
"Are you okay?" Chris asks. Emily nods and keeps going with Chris until they go into a room.
Deacon nods to Chris to go in with her, while he grabs his phone and starts to find the rest of the team to try and get ahold of Street as fast as they can.
It felt like days since this morning, but it had only been a few hours. Her head hurt like crazy, and she couldn't stop licking and messing with her cut lip.
Emily was sitting in a room, now alone, waiting to confront Jimmy about what happened this morning.
She wanted to do to him what those men did to her. She wanted to also jump into his arms and feel safer. But then again, she wants to ask if he was apart of the whole set up.
Is that why he 'texted' her to open the gym early? So they could steal a whole $250 and a computer.
Was he ever going to mention to her that his mother was an ex-convict? Something she recently learned thanks to his 'friends' at S.W.A.T.
Oh and was he ever going to let her know that he wasn't in S.W.A.T. anymore?
Emily's mind was moving a thousand miles per minute, yet she had the worst headache ever.
In all honesty, she knew it was a concussion. She didn't bother to go to the hospital. Instead she got in her car, knowing Jimmy had a shift and went straight to the place she thought he would be.
Once again her thoughts on the man she had befriended were all wrong.
Just as her thoughts were making her become more and more angry, the door swung open.
There in the doorway was the best and worst thing to happen to her life recently.
"Oh my god Emily." Street says moving towards her.
Emily jumps back from him and stand up facing him.
Without meaning it she swung at him and he dodged it.
"You son of a-" Emily stops herself. She takes a deep breath and looks him right in the eyes.
When she does that action, Street is able to see in full what her injuries were. All facial injuries, done with force.
"I trusted you. Do you understand that?' Emily starts again, this time much calmer. 'I don't just let people into my life that easily. I know you have seen my scars and those were given to me by the last person I let truly into my life."
Street knew exactly what she was talking about. But he didn't say anything.
"And then this morning, in my safe place, I was waiting for someone I consider my safe person."
Tears started to fall from Emily's eyes. Street reaches both his arms out to her should but she brushes him off.
"I trusted you. I let you and your mom into my life, into my gym, into my safe place. And you violated that!" Emily starts to shout and from the corner by the door, even Chris can feel the tension rising.
Emily tucks her hair behind her ear, and looks Street straight in his eyes.
He was filled with confusion.
"Emily, I didn't – I don't know what happened to you." Street says, but the minute he pauses Emily becomes angry.
"You texted me asking me to open early for you. You knew I would be alone. Your mom knew where I stored the money." The more Emily explains the more confused Street gets. He places his hands on his head.
"Emily I swear I don't know what you are talking about." Street's voice is low and quiet. Emily can tell he is being truthful, but then again she can't trust him now.
"Then ask your mom." Those words shocked Street.
"What?" He asks.
Emily grabs her purse from behind the chair and moves close to Street.
"I said ask your mom. They mentioned her name. They said Karen." Emily says as she blows by him. But in the last second he grabs her hand.
"Em, I can fix this." Street says in a last ditch effort to stop her.
Emily almost believes him. But then her headache and her lip reminds her she can't.
She yanks her hand away, and over her shoulder she says, "No you can't. Don't ever come near me again Jim. Ever."
And just like that she was gone, leaving Chris and Street in the room alone.
Street lifts his head to the ceiling and without any notice slams his fist into the table.
Chris closes her eyes, and realizes that Street believes every word that Emily said. Street knows his mother did it.
Hello! I hope you enjoyed this story. I have been sitting on this storyline for some time and finally got the nerve to write it out. I am sorry it is long, but I hope you enjoy it. I promise there will be a follow up to this. Please leave a comment or review so I can know what you loved about this story. Thank you!