Disclaimer: I do not own 21 Jump Street or its characters. They belong to Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh. I'm just borrowing them.
Later that evening…
Tom pulled into the Chapel parking lot. He sat inside his blue Mustang for a few minutes working up the nerve to go inside and face Judy. He raked his hand through his gorgeous brown locks pushing back the bangs that would immediately fall back to the side of his eye as he scanned the parking lot for Judy's jeep. 'She's not here.' He thought as he looked at his watch with raised eyebrows and a nod. '(sigh) No, wonder. I'm about….an hour early.'
He stepped out of his car prepared for the chilly weather wearing black high top boots, blue jeans, brown turtleneck sweater which complimented his sun kissed skin tone, and his jean jacket. As he walked into the empty Chapel, he thought about how different it looked and how cold it felt. Tom immediately spotted Penhall's old desk to the left of him first. He remembered them coming up with the McQuaid brothers together there. 'The McQuaid brothers….heh!' he thought to himself as he shook his head, happy that he didn't have to wear that white bandana on his head anymore. He felt blessed to have had Penhall as a partner and best friend. Even though, they weren't really sure that they would mesh at first. But, they eventually grew to be amazing friends and partners. Even Fuller noticed the bond between the two of them and would sometimes refer to them as Laurel and Hardy. They could give each other crap, confide in each other, and read each other, so well that they didn't hesitate to trust each other with their lives. Penhall was there for Tom when he was hiding out after he thought he shot Bud. The dirty cop who was selling guns to both sides of the rival gangs that Hanson, Ioki and Hoffs infiltrated. Penhall had Hanson's back every step of the way. Just like Hanson had Doug's back when they went undercover in the juvenile detention center and Penhall's claustrophobia got the best of him. Penhall stashed sleeping pills in his locker without telling Hanson. When the detention officers did a room check and found the pills, Hanson took the fall for him without hesitation. He knew that Penhall couldn't handle being in the isolation cell. However, as well as they got along, they still argued and got on each other's nerves. They were both good cops with hearts of gold who took their jobs seriously, but they had very different personalities. Doug would get on Tom's nerves at times with his childish stunts and crazy comments. By the same token, Tom would get on Doug's nerves with his sarcasm and his need to help everyone by taking on their problems and trying to solve them. They were like brothers, scratch that. They were brothers.
Hanson put his hands in his jean jacket as he strolled over to Harry Ioki's old desk amused by the memories of him and Harry snickering while they watched Penhall suffer through painful phone conversations with Dorothy as she fussed at him about petty things. Tom was glad when that relationship ended. When people would ask about how his relationship with Dorothy was going he'd always reply 'I'm not in a relationship, I'm in hell.' Why Penhall ever stayed with that girl as long as he did was beyond them. Hanson stared at the wall where there were once posters that inspired Ioki, but now it was a wall of shadowed imprints of what used to be. A grin warmed his face when he thought about the times he'd help Harry come up with excuses for not bar hopping with Doug. Doug would try to hook Harry up with attractive women who always ended up having "issues, major issues." The grin diminished at the memory of him infiltrating a gang to find the person who shot Harry with an AK47, causing the bullet to penetrate his vest nearly killing him. Harry just wasn't the same when he was released to come back to Jump Street. When Harry told everyone that he felt like he needed to go back to Vietnam to take care of his Grandmother, they all knew the truth was Harry was too afraid to continue police work. Who could blame him? Harry loved being a cop, but that assignment changed him forever. Tom missed Harry. Harry was Judy's partner, but, Tom and Harry shared a close friendship too. He'd only spoken to him a few times since he'd been gone. Ioki seemed like he was happy, but it was hard to tell with him. Harry wasn't the type to tell you when something was wrong until he figured it out himself. That was one trait that he and Hanson shared.
Tom walked further into the Chapel and stopped at the spot where his desk used to be and noticed that it had moved next to Judy's. He gently scratched the back of his head in thought 'Huh.'
He would have normally made a mental note to question that later, but he remembered that it had been a year since he'd left. It didn't matter. Especially, after he turned his attention to Judy's desk and the stunning bouquet of red and yellow roses that sat on it. He pulled his hands out of his pockets to admire them and smiled. He thought about all of the times that they'd laugh at Doug, or Blowfish for doing or saying something off the wall. He felt a little joy creeping up inside of him as he thought about all of the times that he and Judy would quietly flirt with each other with their eyes and smiles. Tom gave way to a slight grin as he recalled the rubber band wars they had, flirty balled up notes they tossed at each other, all of the times he would catch her watching him and all of the times she would catch him watching her. 'God I miss her.' He thought as he sat down in her seat gliding his hands across her neatly kept desktop, taking in the moment as if he could feel her essence. Judy was one of Tom's best friends. But, he always felt like they were destined to be more. Judy was there for him when he lost it after Amy was killed in a convenience store robbery. He felt like he should have been able to prevent her murder that night since he was in the store too. Not because she was his girlfriend, but because he was a cop. He spent days obsessing over trying to figure out all of the things he could do in 3.3 seconds. Since, that was the amount of time it took to shoot her. Tom was there for her when she was raped by a suspect on her first case as a detective. He was the one who knew something was wrong with her when no one else noticed. He was the only person who made her feel safe after it happened. He was with her every step of the way. From reporting it and going to the hospital to helping the investigating officers bring charges against him when Evan said it was consensual, when it wasn't. Tom cared for her deeply and wanted to take care of her, and protect her. Even if she hated being taken care of, Judy was independent and constantly felt like she needed to prove herself. She was an attractive female undercover officer who could easily pass for a high school or college student, and she wanted to be taken seriously. Judy was also the only female officer at Jump Street. Hanson loved her independent side, but he also relished in taking care of her.
Tom slowly stood up from Judy's chair and stuck his hands back into his jacket pockets as he walked back around to the front of her desk facing the pit. He gazed at the table in reflection of the whole team congregating. He stepped up to it and began to circle it reminiscing about the days when he would partake in the manly art of poker with Penhall, Harry, Judy, Blowfish, and Fuller. 'There were so many nights we spent at this table telling stories, laying out evidence, or just talking and eating pizza' he thought as his face lit up. Tom made a full circle around the table when he noticed Fuller's light on in his office. He gently smoothed his hand over his mouth in a downward motion surprised that he was still there.
Tom tapped on the door. "Heeey Coach!" he was smiling as he walked through the door.
"HANSON!" Captain Fuller sprang from his desk to greet Tom with a hug. "It's good to see you, son."
Tom hugged him back. "It's good to see you too Adam."
Both men were genuinely happy to see the other. "I see you're burning the midnight oil." Tom sat down in the chair in front of Fuller's desk.
"Yeah, but I was about to pack it up and call it a night." Fuller sat back down in his chair. "Judy and Mac have been working on a case for weeks and nothings panning out the way it should. So, while they are out checking up on leads, I'm here trying to connect the dots." Fuller pinched the area in between his eyes trying to focus.
"Mac?"
"Yeah, he's one of our younger undercover cops. He's a decent cop. I like him," Fuller cocked his head to the side to look at Hanson with sincerity. "But, he's no you."." Fuller smiled as he folded his hands on his desk. "I'm sorry Tom….what brings you to back to Jump Street this evening?" Fuller was the voice of reason. His officers always felt free to confide in him when they needed to vent or if they just needed sound advice.
Tom gave Fuller a nervous half smile as he licked his lips. "Uh," He nervously massaged the rim of his ear before leaning forward to rest his forearms on his thighs. "Judy"
"Tom, you know…" Fuller moved his head side to side while briefly looking down, before lifting his head up to lock his eyes with Hanson.
Hanson seemed to read his mind. "I know she's still pissed at me for leaving without saying goodbye to her." He dropped his head slightly as he looked up at Fuller through the strands of hair that fell in his face. "I sent her roses to kind of…you know…" his hand moves in a circular motion. "Soften the blow a little."
Fuller laughed as he reclined in his seat. "I'll remember to bring them to your funeral."
"Well, you know me...…I love a challenge." He smiled sarcastically as he tried to change the subject. "I wanted to also thank you for referring me to the task force."
"It was my pleasure, son." He was a little concerned, but not worried. "You sure you're ready to come back to police work?"
"Yeah, the bowling alley is doing great and I have a great staff. So, it pretty much runs itself. My Mom took over the management side of it for me."
"I'm glad to hear it, but that's not what you meant." Tom knew what he meant. He was just hoping that he wouldn't bring it up. "Hanson, did you complete the program?" Fuller asked with his eyebrows raised in concern.
Tom picked up a paper weight that was on Fuller's desk and began to play with it as he settled into his seat. "Yeah," He nodded with a confident grin. "I completed it, thanks for working that out for me." Fuller smiled as he nodded in recognition.
"I'm proud of you. I know it wasn't easy. Now," Fuller leaned in closer to Tom with his hands folded on his desk. "What's going on with you and Judy?"
"Coach," Hanson shook his head as he put the paper weight back on the desk. "I…"
"Okay," Fuller smirked. "How long were you and Hoffs in a relationship?"
Tom slowly rose from his chair, and walked over to lean on the file cabinets. It was the place in Fuller's office that brought him comfort when he was in trouble. He knew Fuller to be blunt and to the point. Their relationship was a close one of mutual trust and respect as result, Tom confessed. "I told Jenko that I was interested in her after I was transferred to Jump Street, but he always said that she was out of my league. I figured I had a chance anyway, but I kind of let it go." He chuckled. "But, something happened the day you started."
"What?"
"Man, I saw her in her patrol uniform and that was it." His face lit up as he reflected on that moment.
"I knew it!" Fuller grinned from ear to ear as he sat upright in his chair and shook his finger in the air. "I knew there was something between you too. I even asked you…"
Tom cut him off. "I never confirmed or denied it." He began to walk slowly back to the desk.
"No… you didn't."
"We were together until the about the middle of that summer. We fell in love and it all seemed so right, you know?" Fuller nodded as Tom squinted in disbelief. He paced from the desk to the file cabinets to the couch a few times while he explained. "I wanted to tell you guys. You know? But, she wouldn't agree to do it. Judy said she was afraid that we'd be separated. We didn't know you, so we didn't know what you'd do or say about it. Neither of us wanted to risk leaving Jump Street. So, we kept the relationship between us." Hanson ran his fingers threw his tresses as his voice got softer. "After awhile, that starts to take a toll. It's not easy keeping someone your in love with from your friends and family." He stared off in space for a moment in thought. "She was scared. I don't know maybe I was too. Maybe, I could have fought harder for us, but…." He cleared his throat to speak normally. "Anyway….so, we ended it." Tom raised his head toward the ceiling before he turned it to the side to briefly glance at Fuller. "Our friendship always came first."
Fuller frowned as he looked down at the pencil he was fidgeting with. "That's why she acted like that when I told her you were back."
Tom sat back down in the chair leaning toward the desk as he burrowed his brows in curiosity. "Acted like what? How'd she act?"
"Hurt and upset. I figured it was just, because you left without telling her. But, it's worse than that." Fuller was shocked, but he struggled to remain neutral as he tried to get Hanson to see the situation from Judy's point of view. "Let me get this straight." He used his fingers to countdown. "You were in a romantic relationship with Hoffs at one time. She was one of your best friends and you left her without saying goodbye. No see ya later, kiss my ass, nothing?" Fuller shook his head in pity. "Oh, its gonna be bad Hanson, very bad."
Tom nodded as he took a deep breath and let it out. "Twice"
"What?"
"We were in a" He cleared his throat. "You remember the summer that they told us that the Jump Street program might not be back, and Judy suggested that we all get together?" He cleared his throat again as a big smile crossed his face. "Yeah….well….we did."
Fuller had to laugh. "I don't think that's what she meant."
"Apparently she did." Hanson joined Fuller in laughter. "Ssssoooo, we figured we would go for it. No excuses. We wanted it to be just us for awhile before letting you guys know. Not because we had to, but this time we wanted to."
"Then I called you back."
Tom leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling as he played with a pen in between is fingers. "Yeah (sigh), it was the same shit as before, so I decided to push her away to make it easier for her to end it."
"That's why you were so mad about her and Booker going out."
Hanson quickly sat up and looked at Fuller like he was crazy. "Hell yeah! Not only did she end it with me twice for not wanting to risk being separated or reassigned to another division, but then she decides to go out with another Jump Street Officer?" He scowled. "And she chooses that asshole? When I call her on it, she tells me it wasn't my business." Hanson was starting to get upset at the memory of that day. "That was bullshit Captain. She knew it…and I knew it!"
Fuller could tell he was getting aggravated. "Would you relax Hanson? Did it ever cross your mind that maybe she didn't want to risk it with you, because she actually loved you and valued your friendship?"
"I don't know." Tom shook his head and clinched his jaw as he raised his eyebrows. "I love her Coach, but at this point I just don't want her to hate me anymore."
"I don't think she hates you."
Tom gave Fuller the 'bullshit' look and Fuller grinned, "Okay, so you're #1 on her hit list." Tom nodded in agreement. "What if she's seeing someone?" The Captain knew that Judy was dating Booker, but it wasn't his place to tell him. He didn't want to be in the middle of that storm.
"So what if she is?"
"Are you prepared for that?" Fuller knew Hanson well enough to know that when he had his mind set on something, he was going to give 110% and he could not be stopped. Even though he didn't say it, Fuller had a feeling he had his sights set on more than he was admitting too.
"I told you, I just don't want her to hate me anymore." Fuller wasn't buying it.
They heard footsteps coming into the Chapel. Fuller looked at Tom. "Sounds like you have a chance to plead your case" Fuller started to clear his desk. "I'm gonna leave you to it. Good luck, son." He smiled as he gathered his things and shook Tom's hand as Tom pulled him into a hug. "Good to see you."
"You too Coach, and thanks."
Fuller looked like he was deep in thought as they pulled out of the hug. "You uh… haven't started with the Task Force yet have you?"
"No, not yet the offer's on the table, but I don't have to give them a definite answer until next week. They gave me the weekend to decide. Why? What's up?" Hanson regretted asking as soon as he heard the words leaving his mouth. He felt like he knew where this was going and he was dreading the Captain's response.
"You wouldn't be interested in coming back to the Jump Street program to train new recruits and do more 'grown up' undercover assignments would you?"
"Gee Coach," Tom was hesitant. He's been down this road before and it took a tremendous toll on him. "I don't know. I mean, I wanted to come back to the force to make a difference. I want to help redirect kids that have gone down the wrong path."
"The task force would be more focused on rehabilitating juveniles and I get that. But, Jump Street is making the schools and Universities safer."
"Adam," Tom ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't want to be an undercover officer in the schools. That shit is too hard to deal with. It's not the work itself, its knowing that those kids will be treated like harden criminals once we bust them. They're left to decide if they want help or not. They aren't ready for that. They need guidance. I want to give them a chance."
Fuller understood where he was coming from, but with the way his cases have been going lately something had to change. He figured Tom could help him get Jump Street back to greatness.
"I don't want to push this one you. It's just a thought. I honestly hadn't even thought about asking you until now, because I never thought it would be a possibility. But, you showing up at my door tonight, seems like fate. I had to ask. You could train the rookies. Teach them how to be effective with minimal recourse. You could make a difference in these young cops' lives. You could mentor them and mentally prepare them for this job in a way no one else can." Fuller needed a strong undercover team like the one he had when he came to Jump Street. "The team I have now is okay, but they need guidance from someone who's actually walked in their shoes and in the shoes they are going to have to fill. I'm also getting more adult cases, so you could work them without the guilt. They already know right from wrong." He smiled with uncertainty.
"Are you serious?" Tom was flattered, but he didn't come here for this. But, he started to think maybe he could have a greater impact coming back to Jump Street.
"I could be." He was, but he didn't want Tom to feel pressured.
Hanson grimaced for a second while he processed what Fuller just said. "(Sigh) "He put is hand up in a honking motion to stress is point." IF….if" He slowly dropped his hand. "I was to consider it. It would be conditional."
"Okay, what are the conditions?" Fuller was ready to accept just about any condition he had.
"You know as well as I do that if I tell you that, there's a 90% percent chance you'll meet my conditions and I'll walk out of here a Jump Street cop again." He smirked as he shook his head. "Can you give me some time to think? I left the force, because undercover work had gotten to me. Now, you're asking me to come back?" Hanson leaned back as he looked at Fuller with uncertainty. "I need some time, Coach. I'm just not in that frame of mind right now."
Fuller was a little embarrassed by laying all of that on him at once, especially now. "I'm not pressuring you and I'm in no hurry. It's an offer, but it was made on a whim. A serious whim, I understand that you need time. Take all the time you need." Fuller nodded his head toward the door. "First, handle your business."
"I will." Tom turned around to open the door and allowed Fuller to exit first as he slowly followed.
"It was a pleasure knowing you, Tom" Fuller whispered on his way out of the Chapel. "GOOD NIGHT JUDY!"
Judy was sitting at her desk writing down the days events when she raised her head. "NIGHT CAPTAIN!" Judy replied as she glanced over to the side where she saw Tom standing in front of Fuller's office.
