Change of Perception

A/N – I see this as being around season 1 or 2 maybe.

Chapter 2 – Never forget – 3 years later

They pounded up the stairs to the roof, Messer and Flack were supposed to be behind them, but they weren't. They were up there, willing to take a bullet like the rest of them.

The ESU armed response task force appreciated guys like that, they worked with Detectives all over the city, but guys like these were rare. ESU were there to protect them, draw fire, take the bad guys down, but it only worked if the Detective in charge played his role. Cannon fodder they were often referred to, especially by those cops who'd leave all the running to you, keeping well out the way until the suspect was in cuffs or dead. Cops like Flack an Messer however had respect for their ESU colleagues, and it showed. Not to mention that Flack was a control freak and Messer an adrenaline junkie. No they weren't going to hide behind ESU, they were going to lead them in.

Sergeant Kate Howard hadn't seen either of them for a few years, Flack was a Detective now, working his way steadily up, Danny was CSI if his jacket was anything to go by. She hadn't heard much of them as they had left their first postings in dribs and drabs, and apart from the occasional memory, hadn't thought about them either. She'd been slightly taken aback to see them both outside the building, but there was no time for reunions, they had a job to do. Kate also remembered their disdain toward female officers. Especially ones who get cuffed with their own cuffs and thrown in dumpsters. She thought as they geared up ready to go in, no better to stay incognito.

The other guys broke off a few at a time to check the floors, somehow she ended up behind the Detectives, four of them in total. Flack indicated that her and her partner should break left out the service door on the roof, he and Danny would break right.

Herself and Jones, her partner for the time being, searched each possible hiding place for a suspect, using the tried and tested method of NYPD. She kept hearing from the device in her ear that floors were being cleared below them, it was starting to look more and more like the suspect was up here, and they knew he was armed and dangerous.

"NYPD! Freeze!" followed by a flurry of shots sent them running, she's often wondered how their training managed to overcome the instinct to run, take cover. But ESU had the body armour, the fire power and the training, they were the best. They ran at guns, not away from them.

"Flack!" she heard Danny shout, no answer.

"Shots fired!" she said into her headpiece "Roof west side"

As her and Jones crept around the corner, she took in the scene, Flack was on his back, tell tale bullet hole in his suit jacket, but no blood, the suspect hadn't realised yet, but Flack was just winded, he'd taken one in the kevlar jacket he was wearing under his shirt. The suspect still aimed his gun at him. Jones crouched and ran to a further vantage point, trying to get behind Flack.

Danny had taken cover, he was behind a concrete air duct, trying to get a shot, he didn't have clear line of sight. Her and Jones aimed at the suspect, this was a shoot to kill situation, and they would, without hesitation.

"I have line of sight on suspect" she spoke quietly, so she could not be heard over the wind "Flack is down, repeat Flack is down"

"Peters!" Danny shouted "Give it up! You're not getting off this roof alive!"

"I'm not going back to prison!" the suspect shouted back, momentarily his attention was diverted and Flack took his opportunity, he raised up slightly, taking aim.

It was always slow motion she thought after, these situations. Peters had swung back, his finger squeezing the trigger.

Shots rang out again, this time from herself. Peters was dead before he hit the floor, and although he got a shot off, it had missed it's intended target. Flack stood, wincing slightly. She sympathised, although not as bad as being shot for real, taking one to the chest through the kevlar could break a rib or two, she'd had a few herself.

"You OK man?" she heard Danny ask, but her attention did not waver, she did not take her eyes, or her gun from the bleeding and prone suspect. It wasn't just in the movies that mad gunmen started shooting again after taking a body full of lead. Until death was confirmed, or the gun clear and cuffs on, she remained as she had.

"Suspect is down, three shots fired" she said into her set as protocol indicated, it helped the tac team piece together what was going on, it also helped to clear or damn them in the event of an investigation.

Danny kicked the gun away from Peters lifeless hand before confirming what they already knew. He shook his head at Flack.

"Suspect is deceased" Flack spoke into his radio "ESU stand down"

That was her cue. Kate lowered her gun, unstrapped the goggles and turned back to the stairs. Another scumbag dead she thought and back to the shrink for me. It seemed pretty pointless but it was procedure, when you shot a person, it affected you in ways you didn't understand until it happened. Even if that person was a raping murderer, escaped from prison after killing two guards.

…...

"I just wanna speak to the guy on the roof" Flack told the Commanding Officer of the ESU "When a someone saves my life, I like to thank him in person"

"Howard!"

"CO!" she answered, coming forward, she crammed an NYPD baseball cap over her short hair, aware that it was sweaty, and that her face was red, bearing the indents of the goggles and helmet she'd just removed.

She thought afterwards, that she should have taken a snapshot of their faces as she jumped down from the tac truck. Flack's expression especially was priceless.

"Krazy Kate?" Danny said, shock all over his face.

"The same, Robin" she nodded "How you doin'?"

"Oh my Gawd" he gaped "I don't believe it!" Danny enveloped her in a hug, grinning from ear to ear "ESU huh?"

He released her and she looked at Flack, his face was a cross between confusion and annoyance.

"How's ya ribs there Batman?" she teased lightly. She remembered the arguments the two guys had had as rookies over who got Batman and who got Robin. Grudgingly Danny had accepted the Robin role, as Flack was darker, taller and in his own inflated ego, cooler. Danny refuted the last statement, insisting Robin was way cooler.

"What idiot gave you a rifle?" he said, although he'd recovered and was smiling at her. He offered his hand, He'd momentarily considered a hug. Flack only hugged his family, best friends who needed it and girls he intended to sleep with.

"ESU two years now" she said, shaking his hand "Sergeants exams are a bitch huh?"

"I wouldn't know" Danny said smiling, but Flack nodded, he knew they were, but also knew she was now the same rank as him and one above Danny. That stung a little.

"You had something to say to me?" she pressed those blue eyes, enjoying herself.

"Thanks" Flack said sincerely "If you weren't such a good shot, I'd be standin' here dead"

"Your lines haven't improved I see" she laughed, turning as her CO hollered her back on the truck "But call it even"

"Even?" he frowned.

"The dumpster" she said as she jumped back on the truck and the door was pulled down.

Flack and Danny watched the truck pull away, Danny shaking his head.

"So much for damned broads huh?" he asked his friend.

"You're fuckin' tellin' me" Flack replied, staring after the tail lights.

…...