Author: Fanfic-Hondo
Fandom: S.W.A.T.
Pairing: Gamble/Street (Jeremy Renner, Colin Farrell)
Date: July 5, 2005
Disclaimer: Hell, I don't own these characters! Just borrowing them for the duration of this fanfic. Then I'll gladly give 'em back again. Just don't get bent that I'm ignoring any ownership, people. I'm well aware I can't go write a book or make a movie about S.W.A.T.
Summary: Sergeant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson reflects on fellow S.W.A.T. team member Jim Street. What's the story about Street's former partner, Brian Gamble?
Warnings: Movie (and book) spoilers, so if you don't want to be spoiled, beware, people. This borders slash in more than one way. The language gets a bit raw, too, I'm afraid.
Notes: The movie might not be perfect, but it sure as hell has a lot of slashy subtext -- and an attractive cast. What more can a slasher want?
"The Full Skinny"
I guess I always suspected something was up with Street and his former partner. I tried several times to ask around and get the full skinny, but nobody seemed willing to discuss the details. It was all bullshit and innuendo.
Except for Tom, of course. He made a point of telling me precisely what a piece of shit he thought both men were.
"You read the papers, Hondo," he said, not trying to hide his pleased smirk. "Those two were trouble every step of the way. It was inevitable that they'd end up out of the frying pan and in the fire. They deserved worse, if you want to know the truth."
Damned straight I wanted to know the truth! But I wasn't going to get the truth from Tom Fuller. When it comes to partnerships gone wrong, Tom and I know a thing or three.
Tom's crap came afterwards, though. After I'd already figured for myself that Jim Street was a stand-up guy and good cop. And after I'd decided to put my own neck on the line to get him on my team. Yeah, and long after our team had come up against Brian Gamble, the cop turned rogue.
Damn if it doesn't burn my ass when cops go bad! It reflects on all of us, you know. I can only guess how it must eat at Street, knowing how my own gut roils thinking about it.
The thing is, there's not much worse than a good cop turned bad. Hell, we're the ones who trained the man! Gamble had the full benefit of all S.W.A.T. had to offer when he decided to butt heads against the entire L.A.P.D. -- our team in particular.
Sure, I'd heard the rumors. We all know how it goes. Somebody's always around to make sure you know when a cop's suspected of hanging another cop out to dry. It was exactly the same where Street was concerned -- there must have been at least four other cops who took me aside. The reports varied enough to tell me that nobody really knew what had happened. But the gist of it was always the same -- Street gave up Gamble to Fuller.
Hell, nobody could answer my question, though, when I asked what Street had gained by his actions. Or I guess I should say that nobody had an answer that made sense. I mean, Street ended up off S.W.A.T. and working in the gun cage, which was clearly punishment for something. If he'd sold out Gamble, it seems reasonable that he'd have won something from doing it.
I asked him once, early on, if he'd given Gamble up. Pissed him off, and I can't say as I blame him. Now that I know Street better I realize how that question must have galled him. No matter what you think of Jim Street you have to admit he's a straight-shooter. I can't imagine him ever saying an untruth. He's a man of few words, and the words he does share are good ones.
I'd like to think that Street is more than just one of my team members. I'd like to believe that he's also a friend. There aren't a lot of people I feel really close to these days, but I have to admit that Jim Street is definitely a man worth knowing.
I think it hit Street pretty hard when both Gamble and McCabe went bad. I know it pretty much bothered our whole team. Later on when Gamble shot Boxer it turned a whole new level of personal. Damn it, anyway -- wasn't it bad enough that we had to deal with two bad cops? Wasn't it bad enough that one of those cops was a team member? Did Gamble really have to shoot another team member, leaving him for dead?
It's hard to explain what it feels like when a former partner screws up. I don't think I'll ever get over feeling apologetic and annoyed by the things that Tom does -- and we haven't been partners for more than two decades! So I can only imagine that Street took it personal, Gamble being the one to mess with us. I figure Street was ready to face off against Gamble from the get-go, so I wasn't surprised he was the one who took the man out.
He's one tough bastard, that Jim Street. When I told him he needed a bandage that night, he replied by saying that somebody else needed a body bag. His voice was a cool as ever when he said it. You never see any bullshit or drama from Street.
And after we finished up the nasty job of transporting that bastard Montel to prison, we should have been heading back for some much-needed R&R. God knows we'd earned it! But when the call came in that S.W.A.T. was needed, Street was ready and raring to go! What the hell, how can you fault a man who obviously loves his work?
Still, it's been months since that crap propelled our team into the headlines, winning us a good chunk of public acclaim to go with the commendations in each of our files. And I don't really know much more about the relationship between Street and Gamble than I ever did.
I know they were partners. Hell, they were partners for five years! From what I can read between the lines in the files, it looks like they were more than just a good partnership. Some cops just meld when they partner up -- they work together like they're thinking the same damned thoughts. That's what I'd figure about Street and Gamble, just going by the paperwork I've seen.
I never got to see the two men side by side, though. I never got to judge the chemistry. You start to get a feel for that sort of thing when you've worked with cops as long as I have. If I'd ever been around those two for a few hours, I could probably have written a book about how it was.
All I know is that sometimes it's impossible for a cop to ever find another partnership that works for him, after he's been really close to a certain former partner. We always say that partners are 'married' to each other -- and when they break up they get a divorce. It might sound crazy, but it's true.
I know all about bad divorces. I've had a bad partnership and more than one bad wife. So I'm not just talking through my hat here. But the truth is, it's one thing to end a bad partnership, and a whole 'nother thing to end a good one!
Street and Gamble were something of a legend, it seems. For every one of those four assholes who told me the bad side of their relationship, I must have heard a dozen stories about how amazing they were together. I hear that! I saw a picture of the two men together once and I could sense just how tight they were. I bet they were both a holy terror and a God-sent back in the day. I'm sorry I missed knowing them then.
Looks like Street will be one of those cops who just never finds another partner to take Gamble's place. I might be wrong, of course, but like I said, after awhile you get a feel for this crap. And I've just got a feeling about it...
To be honest, I wouldn't mind partnering with Street myself. I might be what they call an old war-horse, but I'm not out of the game yet! You know what they say, 'You're either S.W.A.T. or you're not.'
I thought I just might go tell Street that we should partner up, but I think I'll save it for another day. The locker room was almost empty and quiet as hell when I slipped in there. Quiet enough that I could hear Street's ragged breathing.
I got close enough to take a peek, without letting him know I was there. I don't know for sure, but I think the picture in his hands was of him and Gamble... And those were mighty big tears that he was wiping away with his towel. Makes sense that the boy would feel terrible about what happened to Gamble, regardless of what was between them before they broke up their partnership. And I'm not saying there was anything more than friendship between them. But I'm starting to wonder...
You know, one of these days I'll have Street over to my place, so we can talk. I'll press him to relax and toss back some drinks. Then maybe I can get him to tell me how it was between them. Find out the full skinny.
the end