AN: This is the first chapter of my new story for the show 21 Jump Street.
Summary: Doug Penhall's sister arrives in town and Tom Hanson becomes instantly smitten with her.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of 21 Jump Street nor am I in any way affiliated with the show or anyone on the show. (Damn)
Chapter One
Officers Tom Hanson and Doug Penhall were a wreck. They had just completed a seventeen-hour work shift that had involved a high school drug ring. They had begun the investigation about a week ago, but hadn't been able to extract any confessions until thirty minutes ago. Tom had started out as an undercover student, but at Doug's insistence that the cop he had been working with had thrown a teenager off the roof, Tom had switched to working with that cop instead.
"He was a damned good cop," Doug was saying as they stepped into the Jump Street building.
"I agree," Tom returned. "But somewhere along the way his life, and his career, took a wrong turn."
The cop, Randall Mcnally, had finally admitted to Doug that he had, in fact, thrown the kid off the roof, resulting in the kid's death. Mcnally had confessed more than that to Doug over the phone just before he'd held a pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. This had been very traumatic on Doug.
"It shouldn't have." Doug took a seat at the long brown table in the middle of the room and propped his legs upon it. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The same thing could happen to me."
Tom sat down across from him and folded his hands on the table. "What are you trying to say, Penhall?"
"I'm saying that if it could happen to a good, honest cop like Mcnally, then maybe I could easily go off the deep end too."
Tom sighed and warily rubbed his eyes. "Penhall, that's not going to happen. You're…"
Tom was interrupted by Judy Hoffs, a fellow officer, approaching the table. "Doug, you have a phone call." Her eyes locked with Doug's, a tension filling the air between them that made Tom uncomfortable. "It's a woman." There was a hurt look in her eyes that Tom didn't understand.
"Judy," Doug began, but Judy was already walking away. Doug exchanged a quiet look with Tom before getting to his feet and striding towards his desk. Aside from Judy, there shouldn't be any other woman that had his desk number; and Doug didn't want Judy thinking that he was some kind of player.
"What?!" Doug yelled into the receiver as he held it against his ear.
"Hey Doug, it's Kim," a familiar female voice came through the line.
"Kim, hey!" Doug's frown faded and he sat down on his wooden rolling chair to converse with his little sister, whom he hadn't seen in over a year. "Why the random call? I haven't talked to you in months."
"I missed talking to my big brother," Kim replied.
"Uh-huh; and when are you going to come into town for a visit?"
"That's the main reason I'm calling. Doug, I'm moving out there in two days!" Kim shouted.
"You're moving here?" Doug cried out excitedly, lowering his voice when Tom, Harry Ioki, and Judy glared at him. "That's great!"
"I know!" Kim sounded just as thrilled about it. "I'll be arriving tomorrow, but I won't be moving into my apartment until the day after that."
"Well, then, you'll just have to come stay with me tomorrow night." Out of the corner of his eye, Doug could see Judy watching him carefully. "I'll not be having my sister staying in some crap hotel."
"That's what I was hoping you would say; thanks, Doug."
"What time are you gonna be here?"
"Around one in the afternoon."
"Okay; well, stop by the office when you get in and I'll introduce you to all my friends here. That you don't already know, anyway." They hung up and Doug stood to his feet to approach Judy. "See, that was my sister on the phone," he said.
"I know," Judy replied with a small, slightly embarrassed smile. "I overheard you talking to her."
"Judy, I'd like to come over tonight," Doug continued, leaning over the desk to stare intensely into Judy's chocolate brown eyes. "We need to talk about whatever is going on between us."
Judy sighed and shuffled her paperwork. "Okay, be at my place in forty-five minutes."
"Why forty-five minutes?"
Judy grinned, got to her feet, and wrapped her jacket around her shoulders. "So I have time to get ready." She winked at Doug and walked out.
Doug smirked, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and marched back over to Tom and Harry. "Well, my sister is moving into town tomorrow."
"Kim?" Harry asked, a grin spreading across his face. "The hot one?"
Doug glared at him. "My only sister."
"Wait, Penhall has a hot sister?" Tom glanced around. "Why wasn't I aware of this?"
"Because she's been living in Florida," Harry replied. "And I have first dibs on her." Tom and Harry shared a laugh while Doug glowered down at them.
"Nobody has dibs on her," he shouted. "She's too good for guys like you."
"What the hell are you saying?" Tom asked, standing to his feet as his smile faded. "We're not good enough for your snob of a sister?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Doug answered while poking Tom in the chest. "And she's not a snob; you don't even know her."
Tom pushed Doug's hand out of his way angrily. "I wouldn't want anything to do with her, anyway. She's a Penhall." He shoved Doug out of his way and stormed out of the building.
Doug sighed, checked his watch, and realized that he only had twenty minutes to get to his apartment and shower before heading over to Judy's. So he rushed out of the building as well, barely catching a glimpse of Tom's Corvette pulling out of the parking lot, tossed his bag into the backseat of his own car, and sped away.
Thirty minutes later, Doug was nervously pulling on his collar as he rang the bell to Judy's apartment. He was still shifting on the balls of his feet when Judy opened the door at last. She was wearing a green sweater that tightly clung to her bosom and a brown skirt that fell to her ankles.
Doug cleared his throat. "You look great, Jud."
"Thanks; come in, Doug." At her invitation, Doug stepped into the apartment as Judy shut the door behind him. "Do you want anything to drink?" she asked.
"No." Doug moved forward, tilted Judy's chin up, and softly pressed his lips to hers. When she didn't pull away or push him away, Doug deepened the kiss. Their tongues glided together in a sensual mating dance for about two minutes until Judy pulled away.
"Doug, we can't do this."
Doug frowned at those words. "But I really like you, Judy. I have for a long time."
"Doug, it's just not a good idea." Judy threw her arms in the air and moved away from Doug, away from temptation. "We work together, so that makes it awkward in and of itself. And I just…" Judy turned to Doug with a sad look in her eyes. "I don't like you in that way, Doug."
Doug simply stared at her in silence for a moment. "What are you talking about? A minute ago you were kissing me like you could never get enough of me."
"I know." Judy sighed and rubbed her elbows to get the tension out, trying not to let any tears slip down her cheeks. "But the point is, the only thing I want in my life right now is my job and my friends."
Doug glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Which category do I fall under?"
"Both; I'm sorry about this, Doug."
"Fine; but don't come running back to me when you decide that you need some loving in your life. Because by that time I'll have moved on with another woman." He ignored the flash of hurt that passed over Judy's features and marched out of her apartment and then out of the building.
