Author Note: I started watching this series about a month ago...and haven't been able to stop. It may have to do with a certain former Starship Captain as the lead (again), but I also really love Adrian Zmed. The show wasn't the same without him in it in later seasons :(

DISCLAIMER: I don't own T.J. Hooker or its characters, etc. If I did...the show wouldn't be as cool.

Chapter One

Emily heaved a sigh. It was like one of those gratifying, end-of-a-long-day sighs, but something was off. It may have been that it was actually about six in the morning, but Emily was banking it on the fact that she was in L.A. She'd somehow convinced herself to come, but the idea of convincing herself to just leave was starting to sound great. She stopped at another street corner, checking the address on the piece of paper she carried. As she looked at the sign standing over her, she rolled her eyes.

"Now way! I had to be going the wrong way, didn't I?" She cried, now irritated. It always just took one wrong turn for her to get lost, and now was not the time to be doing this. Turning west, Emuily adjusted the small bag she had over her shoulder. She wasn't exactly sure how much time she'd spend before heading back, but a couple days worth of clothes and supplies seemed enough - like a sleepover. A big, awkward sleepover with me and an old flame, she thought. As she passed a magazine shop, the store owner gave a polite smile as he opened the door. Emily returned the greeting; the people here seemed nice. She could understand why he would have decided a place like this. It was quiet, with good company, and an easy place to move on. Just two months had passed...

Emily shook her head. "Get it together, Em. You're not here for vacation, just to tell him what you need to and move on, too." She was wasting time, feeling lost again. She turned on her heel and found the magazine shop owner, switching on his sign. "Hey, uh, I have a question..."

"Sure, hon. What's up?"

"I'm totally lost," she admitted, holding out the paper. "Could you help me find this place? It's the police station."

The man was smiling, but he frowned through it as he took the address. "Everything all right?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm just visiting a friend."

"Ah. Well, you have the wrong address, dear. Come on in, and I'll get it for you."

Emily paused, raising an eyebrow. She'd gotten the address out of a phone book, simple enough, but it was possible she'd written it wrong; she did that sometimes. "Don't you just...know where to go?" She asked.

The man's smile returned. "I live a pretty quiet life, so I've never had to bother with the cops."

Odd, Emily mused, but she shrugged. She supposed you didn't have to know where everything was, even if it was the station. Stepping in, she found the front room cozy, well-lit, with the books organized perfectly. It would have been ideal, except...a terrible, musty smell, which contradicted the shop's very appearance. Where was it coming from? As she stepped toward the desk, next to the owner, the smell worsened. Like a sewer entrance had been left open somewhere. Emily tried not to scrunch her face too much as the man pulled out a directory and flipped a few pages. He finally nodded and tapped the book, motioning her closer. "See now," he said, "this is where you need to go. Give me one sec." He stepped away, and Emily was able to get a closer look. She'd started to fiddle in her pockets for something to write on, then slowed to a stop. The page before her was a section of the advertisements, not the addresses. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it, the two being color-coded entirely different, but she blamed it for her fatigue. Traveling on a bus for six hours had killed her sleep schedule.

"Something wrong?" The man asked, and Emily winced. He was close, and a moment later his hand moved her hair aside gently. "You really should be more careful with who you talk to."

"Hooker? Earth to T.J. Hooker."

"Hm?" Hooker looked up, his eyes, previously having been glued to the pictures sent in with the report. The one in his hand was the most graphic. He couldn't believe the girl was still alive. "What did you say?"

"What do you say? Ready to go?" Officer Sheridan asked, his eyebrows raised expectantly. Hooker jumped to attention, standing with the report still in his hand.

"Not a second to lose, naturally." He replied. "I'll personally escort the man responsible into his cell and swallow the key if I have to."

Sheridan smiled, but he knew the guy was serious as ever. The senior officer opened the door and called out, "Romano, come on in, son."

Vince was quick to abide, though not before giving one, final nod to Stacy. That kid had developed quick eyes for Dennis Sheridan's daughter, and as nice as the boy was, Sheridan just couldn't help but be over-protective. He knew that if anyone could keep Officer Romano in line, it was T.J. Hooker.

"We're headed out?" Romano inquired, that still-fresh cop shine in his eyes. It had nearly been two-and-a-half months, but he still looked just as trigger happy. Hooker was the solution, all right, having been like that himself once. Hooker handed Romano the report over without delay, giving Sheridan the cue he needed to step out. Hooker closed the door behind him, his face serious. "This case was filed two days ago by the hospital, and the sooner we can get it settled and help the victim through whatever she needs, the better. It's a more serious file, but the Captain figured getting your feet a little more wet was in order."

Romano's face began to fall as he examined the picture, then the report. He sat carefully on the edge of Hooker's desk. "More like soaked..." He mumbled, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?"

Romano sighed. "What was she even doin' here?" He asked himself. Of all the people he'd expected to see in a police report, Emily had been dead last. In fact, he'd never expected to see her again. Hooker was suddenly at his side, a squint in his eyes.

"Do you know her?"

"She's a...friend of mine. How could this have happened to her? Who'd do this to a good kid like her?"

The older cop sighed, feeling a speech coming on. "This is what the work is about, Vince. You never know who you're going to end up helping, but that's what we're there for - to help people. We're here to take care of the things those people can't."

"Oh, I'll take care of this," Romano muttered. "I'm going to kill that guy. You don't mess with Vince Romano's friends." He stepped toward the door, but Hooker already had a hand on his shoulder. "Hooker - "

"Listen to me, Romano. What you're feeling is totally normal, but the difference this time around is that you carry the badge. There's a standard, and a much better way to bring people the justice they need. You have to be the bigger person, not just some fool who happens to be authorized to shoot on sight if needed."

Romano seemed to consider it, then shrugged away the hand. "Sure."

Hooker could only nod. "We're losing precious time. We're going to see her, to find out if she can help in any way."

The ride over to the hospital was a quiet one. Hooker enjoyed the silence, but it was sometimes ruffled by Romano's fidgeting. The younger cop would take out the papers from the envelope, then stash them, over and over. Finally he gave up on the pictures and only studied the report. He murmured the details under his breath until Hooker finally pulled into the hospital parking lot. Inside, the two checked in at the front desk and had a doctor escort them to Emily's room. He was solemn as he explained the situation.

"She was brought in after a young man found her pulling herself along the sidewalk - thankfully there were others around to call an ambulance. That was two days ago, and though her injuries were serious, she'll make a full recovery. There are a few things I'd like to talk to you both about, but I'll let you see her first. We asked you to come because she said she knew one of you."

Romano remained silent, still caught up in thought. Whoever had brought her in deserved the best reward one could offer; he hoped to find that man and thank him. The doctor stopped them on the third level, outside of a door at the end of the hallway, and explained it was possible that Emily was asleep. She'd been exhausted due to nightmares, and the doctor cautioned the two about any physical contact. If she didn't take the initiative, neither of them was to touch her. She was very sensitive about it, understandably. Knocking, the doctor stepped in and called, "Emily?"

"Right here..." came a croaky, tired voice. "Come in."

The doctor nodded the two inside, stepping toward the bed with caution. Romano stayed by the door, noticing that Emily's back was turned. "The police are here to see you, ask you a few questions. Are you up to it?"

"Yeah, that's fine, thanks." She finally turned, with effort, onto her backside and looked toward the door. Romano tried not to look away, the pictures he held in his hand having come to life. The doctor again motioned them forward, and Hooker took the lead. "How are you, Emily?"

"Pretty fair, all things considering," she said with a smile. At least she was trying to be strong about it. She finally looked at Romano, for just a little longer than a moment. "Hey, Romano."

The doctor looked up. "You're the officer she knows?"

"Yeah, we're, uh, good friends." Romano smiled, nearly reaching out for her. She looked so terrible...

"Well," the doctor continued, addressing Hooker, "I'll leave you three, but if you need anything, just buzz. I'll be nearby to talk later." He nodded, then headed out. Emily surprised the two cops by reaching her hand out toward Romano, which he took gratefully. He sat, speechless.

"I'd hug you," he said, "but you look like you're in all sorts of pain. How you doin', kid?"

She smiled. "Old nicknames die hard, huh? I'd hug you, too, but yeah...I ache all over. Give me a day or so. I'm glad I found you. Well, I guess you found me." She laughed quietly.

"What brought you here, Emily? I thought...after we talked..."

She shrugged. "I just wanted to see you. Call me crazy, right?"

"Yeah," Romano replied, a chuckle escaping his control. "You're definitely crazy." He opened his mouth to continue, but Hooker softly cleared his throat. As sweet as this reunion was, they weren't exactly here for that. Whatever information they could find, they'd take it. Romano caught the drift and nodded to himself. "R-Right. Uh, Emily, we're here to see if you need anything, of course, but..."

"You need some answers," she replied. She was quiet, and a swollen cheek didn't help, but her tone was serious. "I know. I'll help you however I can. What happened to me can't happen to anyone else."

Hooker smiled, patting Romano's shoulder. "I like her. Are you willing to answer some questions at this time?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Now, where were you when this happened?"

She thought. "I passed a magazine shop. I was trying to find the station, and I was on Third and Twentieth. I remember because I kept getting turned around and running into the same street corners."

Hooker pursed his lips. "You were practically right around the corner. What happened after that?"

Emily's face fell, looking irritated. "I can't believe it. I turned around to ask the shop owner - the magazine shop - where I was, and he had me come inside. It looked like a nice place, but there was this awful smell."

"Like what?"

"Like...musty. Like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. It was so weird, though, because everything was so clean and organized."

"Too organized, I believe," said Hooker. "There was a store around the corner by the station, shut down months ago by the Board of Health. What else happened, Emily?"

Her face turned sour, then. "He knocked me out cold, that's what. When I woke up, I was in the back, my hands tied up. I...don't really want to go into detail about after that, if it's okay..."

"No, no, we understand," said Hooker. "We understand. Can you tell us what he looked like?"

"Oh, right, of course," Emily said, realizing the most crucial part. "He wasn't too tall, I guess a little taller than you, with brown hair cut short. He has green eyes, he looks like he's in his...thirties, I guess?"

Romano finally decided to speak up, making himself a little useful. "What was he wearing?"

"Uh..." Emily shrugged. "Pretty normal clothes. Jeans and a white polo. Simple sneakers."

"We'll look into it then. Anything else you can remember? Anything that stood out to you, at all?"

Her face fell. "No, that's it. He roughed me up pretty darn good, so I'm surprised I remembered that much. My head has been killing me since he smacked it."

Romano shook his head. As he went to stand, he realized that his hand hadn't left Emily's, and she held onto it as tightly as she could. She looked anxious that they seemed to have wrapped things up so quickly. "We'll be back soon, Emily. We'll have someone watching you until you're able to go home, then figure things out there."

"Oh, o-okay. Hey, Romano, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"Uh...could you...get me something to eat? Sorry," she said, laughing at his face. "I'm just really hungry. Get yourself and Officer Hooker something, too."

"Yeah, no problem." Romano smiled. "We can do lunch early, right Hooker?"

"Sure, sure," Hooker replied, sensing something change in Emily. She seemed to want Romano out of the room, and by his face, he realized it, too. He looked at her one last time before closing the door, and Hooker took his place in the bedside chair. "I've never seen him so willing to do anything. You've got him hooked, Emily."

Emily smiled, looking at the ceiling. "Vince and I...go back. I want to tell him something, but I felt I needed to talk to someone else, first. I don't know, maybe I don't, but what's done is done. Could I...tell you?"

"Why me? I'm just old T.J. Hooker, sweetheart."

"It's okay. That makes it worth more. When you tell someone something important, and it's the right person, they don't just brush you off. Just from talking to you, I can tell that you don't take things lightly."

Hooker laughed. "Okay, then. What is it?"

"I came here because...before Vince came here, we were going out. Things got involved more quickly than we thought, and we decided to break it off when he decided to come here. What I didn't know was that I...I..."

"What, Emily?" Hooker asked after a long moment. He noticed her wrap her hands over her stomach, and made the conclusion before she finally said it.

"I'm pregnant. I asked the doctor to keep it a secret, but I think he's going to tell you as soon as you leave. I...don't want Vince to find out that way."

"The baby is his?"

Emily nodded. "I don't know what I'm doing. I would never consider an alternative, but raising a baby by myself? I'm a mess as it is, and he knows it."

Hooker sat back, thinking. He understood this girl pretty well. He'd seen it more than a few times in his life and his career, and he knew that having kids young was a difficult thing to deal with. He was sure that she had no idea what was going to happen in the following months, with or without Romano. "Is the baby all right? After the attack, did anything change?"

She looked at him, awed. "That's the thing - it's perfectly fine! They told me that everything's okay...it's a miracle."

"I don't doubt it, Emily. I'm glad that you're both okay, and I'm sure that Romano will, too." He gave her a knowing look, and she sighed.

"I know. Don't tell him - I will. Let the doctor know that I will. I'm just trying to find the right way to do it."

"What do think will happen after that?"

"I'm not telling him to change anything, just to let him know. He's a cop now; what does he want with a kid, right at the start of his career, you know? I'll just tell him, I'll go home, and we can move on."

Hooker nodded to himself, a smile on his face. He stood, gathering the files they'd brought with them. "You're going to tell this young man that the two of your are going to be parents. I can promise you, from my own experience, that neither of your will be able to just 'move on'."

Well, there we have it, chapter one :) I hope you liked it, I'll have the next chapter up soon.