Title: Loyalty
Point of View: 3rdPerson
Time: In the third season when Pollock and his wife Janice are taking a 'break' away from each other.
Rating: K+ (Violence/Death)
Jess shoots out of bed sweating. They had been on this case for days – top priority. Important government official's families have been going missing and the criminals had now come into DC. Police, the DOJ, the FED's – no one in law enforcement, especially the higher-ups, were safe – and now it seemed they were going after Pollock's family and he wasn't there to protect them.
She had seen the woman in the photo's spread across her boss's office crying out for help as two children, one boy and one girl, where tied up and dragged out of a house. It was plain and simple unlike some of her visions, but that might be because of her close...connection to her boss (Not that she or he Pollock would admit it). However, she also got a sense that it was so clear because it was going to happen soon. Very soon.
Jess quickly go out of bed, only dressed in her pajamas, and raced to her car hoping to get there in time. She grabbed the bullet proof vest and her FBI jacket out of the boot and put them on, ringing her partner as she started her car. She had seen the street sign in her dream and would know what house it was when she got there so she didn't need to ask her for that, but she did need her friend to do something else for her.
"Come on, come on."
It rang several times before Nicole picked up. "What? It's two in the morning, Jess."
"I need you to call Pollock."
"What?"
"It's important! His family is going to be taken, you need to get a team there now."
Jess hung up and took off in the right direction. In her rush she didn't pay attention to the speed limits or the red lights, only keeping her eye out for other cars which were thankfully scarce that evening. She had to get to Pollock's family fast.
She pulled over hastily at the end of the street when she finally got there, getting out of the car in time to hear a loud crash and a scream from the house a few doors down. She could not wait for the others. She grabbed her gun before rushing into the house, through the busted open door and deactivated alarm system. She then came upon several men waiting at the bottom of the stairs, obviously relying on some of their buddies to collect Pollok's wife and kids from their rooms, thinking they wouldn't put up much of a fight and they weren't going to be needed. Judging by the scream they already collected his wife, or were at least trying to.
Jess quickly shot two of the men before the others turned around and fired back, giving her just enough time to get back around the corner and use the wall as protection. After that a few more shots were exchanged and she managed to take down the other two, but also received a shot to her vest and her left shoulder, though she was sure the second just grazed the flesh and didn't get it imbedded in her arm. It still hurt heaps though. And bleeding a lot.
After that she ran up the stairs, cautious of her injured arm, where she knew the other men would be. Jess then turned right looking into the corridor and saw two men dragging a terrified young boy and a crying small girl.
Jess managed to get one down even though they had their guns out, obviously getting nervous hearing the shots fired down stairs, but had to fight the second one as her gun was then out of bullets and she couldn't go for the one attached to her ankle and she had forgotten about it in the rush to get upstairs. The blood loss and pain might have had something to do with the state of her memory too.
"Get down!" She hissed to the kids as she blocked another punch and got rid of the other guy's gun. Left handed. She had to remember that.
Again and again they traded blows until Jess was knocked down with a punch to her injured shoulder. The man then proceeded to kick her in the ribs and stomach and once in the face, causing her cheek to split and her nose to bleed. Her world spun but as he turned around, believing her to be dead or simply not worth the effort, to grab the kids who were huddled against the wall, a shaking Jess painfully bent over from her position of the floor and grabbed her second gun. Lining it up with the back of his head she shot with shaking hands.
"What the bloody hell is going on? Why all the shots?" A voice shouted from the other end of the house. Must be the mother's room. Obviously she had put up a fight too if it was taking so long. Luckily her distraction allowed Jess more time for what she needed to do.
She shakily got up, grabbed the two kids and forced them down on the floor. She ran her hand over her injured shoulder before putting it in the boy's hair, "Lie still." She then moved the quaking little girl to the wall where she positioned her body to cover hers after taking off her jacket and vest. The idea was to make it seem that the son had been shot in the head by crossfire between the men and a 'helpful' civilian who had come to see what was happening, and the girl was successfully taken leaving only the two casualties on their side.
Jess then heard a shuffle and a high pitch whine as she lay with Pollock's daughter held tightly against her beating heart. From what she could guess the man had finally managed to get her and was leading her outside to their car, their pathway just so happening to be in sight of the corridor they lay in. She suddenly felt so bad, having to make the mother not only believe her son was dead but her daughter was taken too, but if it kept them alive it would be for the best. She just prayed the boy would stay still.
"Micheal...Micheal!"
Don't move, please don't move.
Tearing away from the sight the man turned back and clumped down the stairs with Pollock's wife, who was now being dragged along limply, mumbling. "If you want something done..."
"This is the FBI," they all suddenly heard through a loud speaker. "Release the hostages and come out with your hands up!"
"Oh crap...Leave or I'll shoot the bitch!"
"Either way you are not getting away with this. Now, I repeat, release the hostages."
"Do you want me to kill your wife Pollock? I know your here. We already have your daughter and ya' son's dead. Wanna add another to the list?"
Jess can hear mumblings from outside and is about to give in to the blackness swirling around her mind and sinking throughout her body when she gets hit with another vision. The message is once again clear, if she doesn't do anything Mrs Pollock will be shot.
"Stay here, ok Sweetheart," I whisper to the girl I have hidden next to my body.
"Will mummy be ok?"
"She'll be fine ok, promise. Daddy will be here soon too."
The girl nods and continues crying softly.
Jess drags herself and her gun across the floor to the top of the stairs, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. She forces her vision to clear but is still unsteady. She decides to take the shot anyway. It can't be worse than the alternative.
Unless Pollock finds out she shot the woman he loved, but she's hoping her aim won't be that bad.
She steadies her right hand, her left one now useless, and then shoots before giving into the darkness that promises to take the pain away. She doesn't even have the energy left in her to see where it goes, or even care anymore.
Pollock stands outside his house trying so hard not to break down or start screaming. It's his wife and kids, for Christ's sake! He only wishes he could have been a better husband so he would have been one of the ones on the inside of the house, not standing helplessly on the outside.
"This is the FBI," one of the men (Pollock doesn't care who) shouts through a loud speaker. "Release the hostages and come out with your hands up!"
"Leave or I'll shoot the bitch," a man shouts from inside.
Pollock fumes. If he dares hurt her ...
"Either way you are not getting away with this. Now, I repeat, release the hostages," the same man calls though the speaker. He was not helping!
"Do you want me to kill your wife Pollock? I know your here. We already have your daughter and ya' son's dead. Wanna add another to the list?"
He growls. John Pollock hates being threatened, especially when it involves his family. And his son? Could he really be telling the truth? His finger twitches on his gun as he thinks of all the ways he could kill those bastards inside with his wife and kids, knowing if he didn't get mad he'd be in a puddle on the floor. Nicole puts her hand on his shoulder while Antonio takes a few steps back and out of the firing line. Nicole was always the recklessly brave one.
He almost calms down before he hears a single shot.
"Move! Get in there!"
When they enter however, it's not his wife's dead body he see's but that of the man's. He rushes to his wife's side, collapsing to his knees, and begins to search for injuries, not even caring about the man lying dead to the side or the blood now on his knees. He quickly spots a massive bruise on her cheek. "Janice, Janice Love. Are you hurt anywhere else? Did he touch you? Are you alright? Please tell me you're alright!" He then pales further. "The kids! Where are they?"
"My baby," Janice mutters. "He's upstairs.I..."
"Scott! Stay with her."
He rushes upstairs expecting to see his dead children but almost trips over Mastrani's body. "We need medics up here now!"
"They'll be here soon, Sir."
He reaches down to fell for a pulse and breathes a sigh of relief as he gets one, however faint. He had forgotten about her involvement when he found out his family was in danger. He wants to help, but his family, his kids...
"Dad!"
He looks up to see his children standing in front of him covered in blood and each carrying an article of clothing – Jess's vest and Jacket.
He begins to panic at the sight of the blood, but it's not themselves the children are worried about. "Can you save her?" Michael asks.
"What about you? Are you hurt?"
"It's not our blood, it's hers." Michael points to Jess while his sister remains quite. He can't blame her after what had just happened.
"You sure?"
"Yes dad."
"Ok, can you grab me a bunch of towel's from the bathroom then go down and see your mother. She's worried sick. Oh, and give me that jacket, I'll use that in the meantime."
They nod, his daughter drops the jacket at his feet, and they run off.
Come on Mastrani, you have to live. You're the one piece of innocence still left in the bureau, He thinks.
He then realises that not only is Janie's death on him, but Jess's might be too. She came to save his family and for that he will always be thankful, but she might have given her life to do so. He really did have to give his team more credit.
Luckily Jess recovered, only being left with a few scars and bruises, and was soon back working as is nothing had happened, at least it was like that until she was called into Pollock's office.
"I read your report."
"Yes, sir?"
"Thank-you Mastrani...Jess. Thank you."
"No problem, Sir."
"This stays between us."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Now, you're still here because..?"
"Under the...circumstances, Sir, could I request a hug?"
Pollock almost smiles at her cheeky expression but moulds his face into his usual stern expression. "Out, Mastrani. Now."
"Yes, Sir."