A/N - Ok so this first ficlet is set sometime before the pilot when Brandon and the twins were younger. Please let me know what you think of the idea anyway! It was just something I thought could use some exploring i guess. Reviews are great! :)

Chapter 1 - Roberts

She could tell something was very wrong just by the way her partner opened the door and threw her keys on the table. Stef had messaged her late in the afternoon saying that she would be home late. Lena didn't really think anything of it; Stef would often get caught up at work and be late coming home. But the way the door had been slammed shut and she heard the keys being thrown on the counter now had Lena worried. Brandon and the twins were already upstairs in bed, and the house was quiet. She heard her partner's heavy footsteps heading towards the kitchen, and she couldn't help the smile on her face as she heard Stef muttering to herself about something she couldn't quite make out. However the smile disappeared once she saw the sate Stef was in. She was limping; her eyes were red like she had been crying, and the stench of alcohol radiating off her hit Lena from the other side of the room.

"Stef, are you ok? What happened?" she said, jumping into action and pulling out a stool for her.

"I'm fine. Are the kids already in bed?"

"Yeah they went up about a half hour ago." Lena walked closer to her partner, her hand on her back.

"What's going on? What happened to your ankle?" she tried again, looking down at the heavy bandage on Stef's left ankle.

"Bad day at work." She said shortly.

Lena sighed, knowing how stubborn Stef could be if she wanted to.

"I can see that, care to elaborate?"

Stef averted her eyes from Lena's, carefully getting up and hobbling over to the fridge. She rummaged around, pulling out a beer and opening it quickly.

"You really need another one? You already smell like a brewery?" Lena asked the concern in her voice evident.

Stef sat back down, taking a long swig from the bottle before placing it on the bench in front of her.

"I'm sorry love. I just…" Stef voice was soft, and even with the alcohol her usual personality was shining through. She took a deep breath, reaching for the bottle in front of her again. "It was just a difficult day."

Lena stood beside her, her hand over Stef's as she leant down to place a tender kiss on her partner's cheek. She knew the routine with Stef, sometimes she couldn't talk about things straight away. She needed some time to breathe, and get it all worked out in her head before she could share it with someone else. Especially when it came to problems that involved her work. Stef was always very careful not to give away too much when bad things happened on the job. Lena could usually see it on her face; in her glazed eyes and worried frown, and as selfish as it seemed; sometimes she didn't want to know about the horrible things Stef might have faced during the day. It pained Lena to think of the danger Stef put herself in when she went off to work in the morning, and her partner was all too aware of this fact. Which is why sometimes, no matter how much she needed to vent and talk about it, Stef just didn't?

But tonight was different and Lena could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Something really bad had happened, and she needed to put her own insecurities aside and be there for the woman she loved. She sat down next to Stef, waiting until she felt ready to talk.

After few minutes of silence, Stef cleared her throat and reached her hand across the table, clutching Lena's with her own tightly. Lena noticed the bruising on Stef's knuckles, and her heart clenched tightly at the redness of the marks. Stef's knuckles were another giveaway, as the blonde would often let her frustrations out on the punching bag at the station after a tough day. Lena remembered the first time she had asked Stef why she hadn't been wearing gloves, and the answer still makes her shudder.

"I just wanted to feel something, even if it was pain. I just needed to know I was still here, that I was still alive"

Lena pushed the memory back, not bothering to ask her usual question about the gloves tonight.

"We got called out for a drug raid in the city this morning. The detectives had a hit on the place, so they moved us in and it was supposed to be a simple get in get out procedure. But when we got in there, there were more guys than expected, and they were armed. All of a sudden there were shots going off, we gained control, but I came around the corner with Hernandez and there was Roberts; lying face down on the ground. "Stef poured everything out in one big long breath, her voice shaking as she got to the end of the story.

"We turned him over, but there was so much blood. The bullet got him right in the chest. He died right there on the ground, he didn't even make it to the ambulance."

Lena saw her partner's eyes fill with tears, and she had her arms around her in a heartbeat. Stef's body shook with sobs, and Lena ran soothing circles on her back.

"I love you" she whispered, feeling Stef's sobs begin to subside as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I love you too Lena, I love you and our family so much" Stef whispered, pulling back to look her in the eye.

Lena could see the fear in Stef's eyes, and her heart broke for her partner. It wasn't often that she saw that look from Stef, but when she did it was truly terrifying.

"It's ok, you're ok now…" she whispered soothingly.

She helped Stef to the couch, grabbing some ice from the fridge for her ankle and her knuckles. Removing her shoes, Lena undid the loosened bandage and studied it carefully. There was some bruising and a bit of swelling, but it didn't look too severe.

"I don't know how I even did it..." Stef groaned, looking down at Lena examining her. "I only realized when Hernandez pointed out I was limping. But I got away lucky didn't I? A twisted ankle compared to a bullet…" her voice trailed off, unsure of what else to add to that comment without hurting Lena more than she probably already had.

Lena just nodded, placing the ice on her ankle gently. She handed the other ice pack to Stef, and looked at her knowingly.

Stef smiled briefly, knowing how incredibly lucky she was.

"Thanks my love" she said, wrapping the ice around her hand.