AN: So, what's Captain Robert's plan? (This author's note will probably change when I edit the story.)
Chapter Two
The kids were at home and both women had left to take a drive. Tempting though the numerous motels were, they had driven past them and decided to enjoy the Sunday afternoon scenery instead.
But then Lena had wanted to park. And Stef had realized that she needed "lady-things". So, sighing to themselves that they were synchronized and Lena would probably need "lady-things" too, they had driven to the nearest convenience store.
Stef had ducked into the bathroom while Lena frowned at the ridiculous tabloid magazines that framed an entire shelf. Sure, the display was colorful, but did the writers at those magazines actually READ what they churned out every week?
An elderly woman had pushed a pram into the store, and Lena had helped her get it over one particularly nasty-looking liner close to the door.
"Thank you so much, dear," the woman had smiled, and instinctively looked at her helper's hands.
"You're welcome," Lena had replied "do you need any more help, Ma'am?"
"Actually...I noticed you weren't wearing a wedding ring," the old woman had smiled "and the way you smiled at little Lilly here..."
The Vice Principal had thought the baby in the pram was adorable. Sleeping kids were always charming.
"...you should come over to dinner one night," the pram-pusher had continued "my son Jacob would really like you. He's my youngest."
Lena had raised a puzzled eyebrow. No one had tried to fix her up since she had come out to her parents years before. Except for that one awkward time when they had tried to fix her up with a busty yoga instructor who was actually more into Lena's mother.
"I'm actually..."
The man had burst into the store and reached into his overcoat. Something about the way he moved made the curly-haired woman's blood run cold. She seized the pram in one hand and the old woman's arm in the other.
By the time the man had discharged his shotgun into the ceiling, they were on the floor and the pram had been pushed out of view.
"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS!" He yelled with the barrel of his gun pointed right at the guy at the counter's chest.
"Please...don't shoot!"
"EMPTY THE COUNTER NOW!"
"I need a bag or something," the bald shop owner was calm, despite the position he was in.
"Crap!" The robber had sworn to himself. He knew he'd forgotten something.
"Put them in those grocery bags over there."
"I'll have to leave the counter," the shop owner had motioned to the mini-door at the side, which the robber would have to step back from to let him leave.
"No! No..."
The man looked around and spotted someone laying on the floor next to a pram.
"You!" He barked at her "Get over here!"
Lena had risen from the floor and complied.
"You're a pretty thing, aren't ya?"
She had shuddered.
"Fill those grocery bags with the cash from the counter. And put some beer in it. You're coming with me."
Lena remained outwardly calm, and her hands didn't shake as she stuffed the wads of bills into the bags as asked. The man was distracted.
"Unzip your jacket."
"Nope," someone had said, just as something had come crashing down on the back of the man's head.
He had staggered, and would have dropped to the ground if Stef hadn't slipped on a piece of fallen plaster and thrown her aim off. He turned to face his attacker, and Stef ducked as the butt of the shotgun had swung out.
She had kicked him in the ribs before punching him in the face, ducking round him and snapping his arm back. The weapon had discharged harmlessly into the far wall, and she had applied more pressure to his joint until it had finally given way and he dislocated his shoulder.
He had dropped to the floor, and she had reached behind her jacket to produce an unfamiliar gun and aim it at the screaming criminal.
"Stay on the ground and don't move, sir!" Stef had barked at the man.
"You're a cop?" The shop keeper had asked her.
"Officer Foster, San Diego PD," Stef had replied "and my girlfriend, Lena Adams. I think she called the cops."
Lena had nodded. "When I was on the floor."
"Absolutely not!" Lena raised her voice and almost shouted.
"You heard what Captain Roberts said, Lena," Stef argued back "we need positive publicity to push back against that Markham scumbag."
"But we've done so much to keep that incident secret," her wife sighed "because we didn't want that kind of publicity."
"What else are we gonna use, then?"
"I'd have thought the video of you chasing down that Markham scumbag would be enough to convince the world that you're a hero."
"Apparently it isn't. All the world sees is a woman in an evening dress running after a rich guy."
"You weren't in uniform when you stopped that robbery either," the curly-haired woman reminded her "but I guess you'd like the world to see the surveillance footage of that scene because it makes you look good."
"Lena!"
"You're a cop, and your WIFE helped to apprehend a suspect who was resisting arrest. I get it: your pride was dented."
"That's NOT what I-"
"Then why do you want to break the promise we made NOT to talk about the robbery?"
"Because we have to control the narrative if we want to keep our family safe."
Someone knocked on the office door. Captain Roberts stepped in. Someone else walked in with her, namely Mike and-
"Sanchez?" Lena gasped, and could barely hide her surprise at the sight of her boss.
"As of five minutes ago, someone tried to fire-bomb your house. Good thing they had bad aim. All they did was scorch your lawn," the Captain told the women.
"We can't guarantee the safety of the children at the school if you're associated with it," the Principal of Anchor Beach continued "so until this mess has been dealt with, you are suspended, Lena."
"What?!"
"And we can't have you on the force until this crap goes away," Captain Roberts stated to her subordinate "so you're suspended too, Stef."
"What about the kids?"
"We think they should get out of town for a while," the Captain stated "your parents live out of state, right Lena?"
"But Callie..."
"We're drafting up the paperwork to keep her with your family," Mike informed them "listen, guys: you've done nothing wrong. The suspensions are just to make sure you can explain your absences from work if it ever comes up in your records."
"Gee thanks," Stef sighed "and then what do we do? Live in someone's bomb shelter until the internet forgets we exist?"
"You go on the offensive," the Captain explained "we leak the footage of the robbery to the press. The internet will be awash in it. And then Markham senior's lawyers will back off."
"Fine," Lena agreed "let's do it."
"A minute ago you wouldn't even consider it," Stef huffed.
"A minute ago our lawn wasn't partially set on fire," her wife growled "I have to call my parents."
The video hadn't officially been online for seven minutes when Lexi saw it. She started up her computer, typed in the address of one of her favorite TV shows, and opened up a word processor to write her letter.
"Dear Ellen," she began "I'm writing to tell you about an amazing family who're going through a hard time..."
Please review. And hey: second episode of Season 3 tonight! Who's excited?
