The Definition of Grail: Redefining Us
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM. Or Flashpoint. Or Rookie Blue.
Chapter Four- Define Alignment
alignment (noun):arrangement in correct relative positions or a position of agreement.
Troy pulled his cruiser over to the shoulder of the road behind a black sports car. Shutting off the siren, he let the lights run as he punched the license plate number into his computer system and waited to see if there were any alerts on file. In the passenger seat, Evan was radioing in their position to headquarters. Reaching into the backseat, Troy grabbed his cap and jammed it on his head before pushing open the door and exiting the vehicle.
"Let me know if something comes up on the plates," he told Evan before shutting the door.
One hand on the hilt of his holstered gun, Troy walked the few feet to the driver's side window. He took the chance to look over the car for any details that seemed misplaced. The black paint gleamed in the sunlight. A sporty model, custom rims, designer briefcase on the backseat. Reaching the window, Troy put his free hand on the roof of the car and bent down. The inside of the car was polished as was the driver. A young, blond woman sat behind the wheel, her rearview mirror tilted to catch her reflection as she applied a tube of lipstick to her pouting lips. Troy clenched his jaw.
"Good morning, Ma'am," he offered with a forced grin.
"Officer," she responded with a dazzling smile. Her polished nails drummed on the steering wheel. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes," Troy told her bluntly. "You were speeding."
"Was I?" She asked, her voice nearly purring. "I never drive this car, but my boyfriend has mine in the shop so he told me to take his. He wasn't lying when he said to watch the gas pedal, I guess."
"Do you want to guess at how fast you were going?" Troy asked, pulling out his ticket book. "I'm going to need to see some identification and your vehicle permit and insurance."
"Is that really necessary?" The woman asked, instantly making Troy narrow his eyes at her. "Can't you just give me a warning or something? That's what happened the last time."
"Ma'am, I need to see your ID now, please." Troy replied, not changing the tone of his voice. The last time she probably managed to flirt her way out of it, he thought. "And for the record, you were going twenty miles over the limit in a school zone."
"But shouldn't the kids be in school by now?" the woman offered as she handed over her license and corresponding paperwork. Her fingers rested a moment against Troy's hand. She removed them when he glared.
"Miss Scott, is it?" Troy asked, looking at her license, "A school zone is always a school zone, just so there is no misunderstanding next time," he told her as he glanced over the other papers. "I'll be right back." Returning to the cruiser, he handed the paperwork over to Evan to run through the system while he filled out the speeding ticket. "What number is that? Five, six?" He asked.
"Eight, sir," Evan reported, handing back Miss Scott's things. "For us anyway. I haven't been counting those that Callum and Kate have stopped."
"I hate speed traps," Troy reminded him as he signed the speeding ticket and folded up his notebook. "Really hate them. This is punishment."
"For what?" Evan asked.
"Ignoring ETU protocol. Arguing about ignoring ETU protocol. Informing Dan that ETU protocol is stupid. It could be anything." Troy told him, exiting the cruiser again to give Miss Scott her speeding ticket and accompanying fine.
He flashed her his most endearing smile that she didn't return and he resisted the urge to chase her down and give her a new ticket for the way she tore up the gravel speeding away from the shoulder of the road. Returning to the cruiser, he radioed back to the other officers manning the speed trap one block back to tell them he and Evan were back in service.
Three hours later, Troy and Evan were back at the station on a thirty minute break. They had arrested a guy on impaired driving and when they had dropped him off in booking, Captain Dan Fleming had told them to take a break and find him in a half hour. He had a job for them. Which was how Troy found himself checking his voicemail while digging through his locker for a bottle of Advil. One was a hangup, another was from his mother asking about Sunday dinner (or brunch, she suggested, if he was working the night shift), and the other was a reply to his phonecall the night before. Finding the bottle, Troy spun off the top, shook out two, and then tossed it back in his locker before sinking down on the bench and listening to Jason Cross's voice.
"Hey, man, I'm just returning your call, but I guess you're sleeping off a shift or you're on duty. I got to say, I was surprised to hear from you. It's been what? Six months? Anyway, I know what you're asking me but that's classified and I can't talk about it. I can tell you that I was with her in Iraq, had to be about two years ago now. You had to see her, man, you haven't seen anything until you have seen Gabriella Montez in camos and covered in sand," Troy winced as he heard the laughter in Jason's voice. "Anyway, I didn't know she was home, or I would have given you a heads up. Or her the heads up. Just—" there was a sigh, "—Just talk to her Troy. If you get the chance. Bye."
Hanging up, Troy sat for a moment, his hands dangling between his knees. Tilting his head back, he swallowed the Advil tablets without water and closed his eyes. He hadn't known what to expect when he called Jason the night before. Jase was right, they did barely speak now. For one, it had been nearly seven years since Jason had joined the army and since then, Troy never knew when he in the US or overseas somewhere. When they had both been on tour, it had been nearly impossible to track one another. Secondly, to talk to Jason meant hearing about everyone else, which was something Troy didn't want to do. However, the last Troy had heard, Jason had been assigned to a battalion that dealt with the safety of non-military personnel in war zones. Troy had hoped that Jason could offer insight to Gabriella's knowledge of military grade weaponry. All Jason's message had informed him of was that his friends knew things he didn't, and that Gabriella had spent time in Iraq.
A knock on the locker room door announced Evan arrival as he pushed it open, calling out. Troy stood, turning to offer the rookie a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah?" He asked, running his hands through his hair and replacing his cap.
"Captain asked for us to meet him in his office." Evan turned and disappeared out the door.
Trying to ignore the fact that the Captain's office had glass for three of its four walls, and the fact that the entire precinct could see what was going on, Troy slammed his cap down on the desk and shook his head. Tilting his head back, he laughed without humour. He caught Ruby Snow's amused look from the desks in the bullpen down below but refused to acknowledge the display he was putting on. Dan should have lowered the blinds.
"You have got to be kidding me," Troy asked, incredulous. "We have been manning speed traps for six hours. Now you want us to go knocking on doors to provide a public service announcement about little teenaged hoodlums wreaking havoc on garden gnomes and stealing BBQ propane tanks?"
"I am dead serious," Dan informed him, not even bothering to look up from where he was reading over a report on his desk. "You are to take the flyers and knock on every door. You will ask if they have seen anything. You will ask if perhaps they themselves are victims and just didn't think it important enough to report it. In the mean time, you will also be looking out for said 'teenage hoodlums' in hopes that your imposing and angry appearance will scare them into stopping their obnoxious behavior."
"We're looking for something else, right? A stolen car suspected to be in the area? A possible grow op or meth lab in basement?" Troy suggested.
"Are you implying," Dan began as he straightened and looked Troy dead in the eye, "That a neighborhood canvas is beneath you?"
"No, Sir," Troy replied. "Not at all. Come on, Bennett, let's go adventuring."
Troy turned on his heel and stormed from the office, Evan hurrying behind him with the thick packet of flyers. He didn't even bother to stop and grab a coffee from the break room. He shot Wes Tobin a withering glare as they went by, his hands full of evidence folders and boxes. When they reached the parking lot, Troy tossed Evan the keys to the cruiser. Without a word, he got in the passenger seat as Evan stared dumbfounded at the keys. When he finally got in the driver's seat, he looked over at Troy. Curiosity brightened his features but he quickly looked away when Troy looked over.
"Questions, Bennett?" Troy growled, tugging his phone from inside his pocket. Scrolling through his contact list, he selected one and fired off a message.
"No, Sir." Evan carefully manoeuvred the car out of the lot and towards the neighborhood they had been asked to canvas. "Well, maybe," he added after a moment.
"Spit it out, Bennett. We're almost there." Troy put the phone away and re-read the words on the flyers. They were pretty basic. It alerted the reader to an ongoing investigation regarding complaints about property theft and vandalism. The reader was encouraged to lock their vehicles and doors at night and to leave on any outside lights to deter vandals. A contact number was listed but they were to call 911 if they felt threatened.
"I've never actually done a neighborhood canvas," Evan admitted.
Troy sighed rubbed his temples. He should have brought the Advil with him. Sitting up straighter, he began instructing Evan on procedure for a proper canvas. He went over radio calls, ground rules and protocols. You were to look friendly and unimposing. You were not to enter the home alone. You were to inform your partner of any suspicious behavior. You were to take note if something feels out of place. You were not to reveal details of the investigation.
"Alright," Troy said when they pulled over on the first street they were assigned to. "Call in to dispatch, and grab a stack of these. I will take this side of the street and you take that one." Troy nodded his head to the houses across the street. "Remember to take the keys out of the car and lock up. We have four hours left and then we can go home."
Adjusting his bullet-proof vest and his duty belt, Troy grabbed his own stack of papers and began walking up the neatly tiled driveway of the first house. He made sure not to step on any of the plants that lined the path and he noted the SUV in the driveway. Raising a fist, he knocked gently on the front door after being unable to locate a doorbell. He readied himself when he heard pounding on the stairs inside and a dog barking. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Gabriella was rummaging through a gear bag in the back of the team's SUV when her cell phone went off. Pulling off her utility gloves, she turned off her headset and radio before digging into the pocket on her vest and pulling out her cell phone. She took note of the caller and debated letting it go to voicemail but thought better of it and answered.
"Gabriella?" Helena asked over the phone, "It's Helena Carpenter from PointOne Realty. Are you free for the moment?"
"I have a few minutes," Gabriella told her. "We're just taking a quick break to restock and organize. If a call comes through though, I'm going to have to hang up."
"That's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I submitted your offer for the house over on Oak Street that we looked at this morning? The one with the balcony? If I hear anything back, I will let you know, but they will need to know fairly quickly if you're going to take it. What's the best way to reach you for the rest of the day?" Helena asked brusquely.
"I'm on shift until ten tonight," Gabriella informed her, gnawing her lip as she thought. "Can I just authorize you to say yes if they call back? You know how high I'll go. Just go ahead and get it done. It's the one I want."
"I can definitely do that," Helena confirmed. "I will still call and let you know, but if you don't answer, I will deal with them myself based on our discussions. You know the roof will need to be replaced?"
"Yes, and that's fine. Just remind them of that if they get sticky with the price." Gabriella and Helena covered a few more points before she hung up and turned around, biting out a gasp of surprise.
"Sorry," Aaron told her, smirking. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"So why did you stand behind me for five minutes waiting?" Gabriella shot back, her heart slowly returning to normal. "What's up?"
"Team Four is on a call on the west side," Aaron told her, "So we are officially in the hot seat." It meant that if a call came in, no matter where, Gabriella's Team Three would be the ones to take it.
"Well, this SUV is all ready to go. Gavin finished the inventory list and I swapped out all the battery operated gear for fresh stuff." Gabriella zipped up a bag and moved it out of the way. Grabbing her helmet, she walked around to the front seat and tossed it on the ground so it wouldn't be forgotten. She flicked her headset and radio back on.
"Sarge also needs you to run up to his office and sign your report on the weapons search last night when you get the chance. He tried to get you on the radio." Aaron tapped his headset with a finger.
"I turned it off to take a quick call," Gabriella said. She would have heard the alarm for hot call come over the SUV system. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she checked it again. Not recognizing the number, she let it go to voicemail. "I put an offer in on a house this morning. My realtor called with the details."
"You finally found a house?" Aaron, remarked. "It's about time."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Gabriella asked, leaning against the vehicle with her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't bother pulling down her sunglasses from where they rested on her head so the glare of the sun had her squinting slightly. "It's not a cereal flavor or a new set of sheets. It's a house. It's a big investment. I have to live in it. Who cares if it takes me a while to find one I like?"
"Whoa," Aaron exclaimed with a grin, throwing his hands up in defence. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've seen some of the houses you have looked at and they were beautiful. What made you finally pick this one?"
"You're going to laugh at me," she said. She dropped her eyes to the ground.
"What? Why?" he asked, scrunching his face up. "Does it have a giant walk-in closet or something?"
"No," she answered, feeling uncomfortable. For a moment, a name dashed across her mind and she felt her fingers itch to call. She picked at a string on her uniform. "It has a balcony though, and a climbing rose vine underneath. It has way too many rooms for one person but I can use them as storage and an office or library space. I will keep one as a guest room. The kitchen has been redone and it's only a fifteen minute walk from the high school which will make it easy to resell later on."
"Sounds great," Aaron admitted. "Why would I laugh at you?"
"It's where I—" She was interrupted by the alarm blaring from the speaker on the dashboard of the SUV and her personal radio. "—Never mind. We're rolling."
"Active call, Team Three!" Sergeant Sam Hill called over their headsets as he and the rest of the team burst out of the back the ETU entrance and raced to vehicles. "Aaron and Montez, Truck One, Gavin and Will, Truck Two, Jenna and I are taking the command truck. I'll feed you information as we go."
An hour and a half later, Aaron pulled the SUV into a gas station on the way back to headquarters. Handing a company credit card over to Gabriella, he lifted the nozzle and hooked it up to the gas tank. Gabriella left him to fill the SUV while she went inside to pay. Grabbing two bottles of water and a bag of pretzels, she waited inside for Aaron to finish before she stepped up to the counter. Jenna and Will entered the store a few moments later, just as Gabriella was collecting her receipt. Both flashed identical credit cards that were linked to their assigned SUVs.
Balancing her purchases in both hands, Gabriella pushed open the door with her shoulder. Outside, she tossed a bottle of water at Aaron who caught it easily. She placed her own bottle on the front seat of the SUV and then leaned against the door, listening to Sarge's conversation with Gavin and Aaron about their last call. Popping a pretzel in her mouth she silently offered one to the guys who shook their heads.
The last call had been quick and straight forward. Gabriella never considered an ETU call easy. They had been called to a night club well known for its underhanded dealings during the day. Originally the call had indicated active shooting at the club and the team had jumped to the conclusion of a drug deal gone wrong. Instead, they had shown up to learn that the shooter was a twenty-five year old masters student from U of A who had come to warn the club's staff to keep his underage sister out of their club and away from their coke head bouncers. He had fired two shots at the ceiling and then barricaded himself and the owner in the office behind the bar. Sarge had managed to talk him into opening the door and putting down the gun. The fact that half a dozen prescription bottles without labels had been scattered over the desk had served enough reason for a probable cause search and the local police had managed to unearth enough evidence to arrest the owner. Gabriella considered it a successful call. Not easy, though.
"Aaron tells us that you may finally have found your house," Sarge remarked with a smile. "Does that mean you will be joining us at The Shield tonight for some celebratory drinks?"
"Do you guys have a schedule made up somewhere for who will ask me to join you for drinks each night?" Gabriella asked, popping another pretzel in her mouth. "Is it a team goal?"
"More like a challenge," Gavin joked, taking a pretzel from her bag. "And how about it? We are off tomorrow and you may have a house by the end of the day. Give me a reason to not come with us."
Gabriella could think of one specific reason that had surfaced in the past twenty-four hours, but she didn't say anything. Truthfully, she wasn't a big drinker and although she knew it was common among the police force to meet up and decompress after a tough shift, she had never felt comfortable drinking more than one beer with the people she worked with. She had been to The Shield a handful of times since returning to Albuquerque, despite their jokes, and she had enjoyed herself. She just didn't want to make a habit of it. Failing to come up with a valid reason for this time, she shrugged.
"Sure, why not?" she said. "But I'm not buying. Aaron is."
"No worries," Gavin said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Aaron is buying for all of us."
'Attention, Team Three,' The radio on Sam's shoulder buzzed. 'We have a request for backup at 146 Sherridan Lane. Possible domestic situation in progress. Local PD are already on scene. They have not been able to establish communication. Please be advised, the owner has a registered handgun on file.'
"Alright, team, Active Call," Sam called out, informing dispatch that they were enroute. "Let's go."
Troy was beginning to think that Evan Bennett was a danger magnet. His first day on the job, Evan had stumbled upon a dead body under an overpass. Someone had called in to complain about the homeless sleeping along the running trails. On his second day, he managed to stay out of trouble so Troy had marked it up to first day bad luck. Then yesterday, which should be noted as Evan's sixth day on the job, he had held explosives and had to be rescued by ETU. Now, on a day that Dan had attempted to ensure was the most boring day of Troy's career to date, Evan managed to knock on the door of a couple trying to kill each other.
Their shift was nearly over. Another hour and Troy could change back into his civvies and join Ruby and Wes at The Shield. It was end of their shift rotation and the place would be crowded. Troy was actually looking forward to it. Until now. Now, he was hovering behind a bush with Evan on the other side of the walkway, while the two of them waited for backup.
He had spent the afternoon knocking on doors, talking to old ladies, women with screaming babies, teenagers with friends who ignored the demands to turn the music down, and doors that went unanswered but had yappy little ankle biter dogs scratching at the side windows. Evan's canvas had pretty much been the same. Then he had radioed Troy to say that he could hear yelling and screaming coming from the two story home four houses up from Troy's location on the opposite side of the street. After joining him, Troy confirmed to dispatch that there was indeed a domestic incident occurring and that occupants seemed uninterested in answering their door.
'This is dispatch to Unit 28-14', the radio blared, 'Be advised that the occupants possess a licensed hand gun. Backup from Station 28 is on its way. ETU Team Three is enroute. All PD units are asked to stand down.'
"Dispatch, this is Unit 28-14," Troy called in, "The vehicle in the driveway—License plate LLN-586—Has a military insignia magnet on the bumper. Can you run it through the system and see who we're dealing with?"
'Copy that, Unit 28-14', the dispatcher replied.
Troy let go of his radio and adjusted his grip on his gun. Inching closer to the house, he strained to hear. Earlier, the couple must have been near an open window because he and Evan could hear every word. Now, he could only hear the rise and fall of voices, but not the actual words. Signaling to Evan, Troy watched the rookie strain to hear and then shake his head. So Evan couldn't make out anything either. Awesome, Troy thought.
'Unit 28-14, be advised that the vehicle is registered to Private Owen Collins; currently on leave from the Kirtland Military Air Base.' Troy's radio hummed and he cursed. He hated dealing with military guys. You never knew what their triggers were.
He heard sirens approaching from the end of the street. A police cruiser pulled into the driveway across the street, another in the driveway next door. Troy made note of the officers who got out of the vehicles, guns drawn. They positioned themselves around the perimeter of the house. Troy's attention was jerked back to the house when the yelling increased. They must have neared a window again. This time there was a crash and the sound of glass shattering. The yelling grew louder. Troy could make out a woman's voice and a male's. Something about a car and a mother and the garage. The sound of more vehicles approaching had him look towards the street.
The bottle of Advil waiting in his locker taunted him as he watched the occupants of the first SUV exit their vehicle with submachine guns slung over their shoulders. He recognized the officer exiting the driver's seat in the second SUV and his gut tightened as he slid his gaze to the third SUV that was rolling to a stop. The sun glinted off her plaited hair before she clipped her helmet in place. Troy watched as she pulled equipment from the backseat before rounding the front of the vehicle to join her team. Evan wasn't the problem magnet, Troy realized as his hands tightened over the grip of his gun when she glanced in his direction. He was.
"The ETU team sergeant wants to talk to you and Bennett," Wes informed Troy as he knelt beside him. "Wants to know what made you call it in and if anything has happened since."
" 'Kay," Troy answered quietly, signaling for Evan to follow him to the road where the group clustered around the hood of the lead SUV. Reaching the truck, Troy clicked on the safety on his gun and motioned for Evan to holster his weapon. He ignored Gabriella. "Sir?" He asked, addressing the sergeant.
"Sam Hill," the older guy said by way of introduction. "What can you tell us?"
"We were doing a neighborhood canvas. Informing the area that there had been a number of reports regarding vandalism, and giving them a number to call in to if they should see anything suspicious. Officer Bennett knocked on the Collins' door but heard shouting coming from upstairs. There is an open window above the porch." Troy pointed it out with his hand. "He knocked again; no one answered. He called me over. The yelling continued."
"So you called in a domestic disturbance," Sam noted, eyeing the house. Troy nodded. "And then?"
"We called out, identified ourselves. We were about to spread out, check to see if there was a back door that may be more feasible to enter through. A screen door they may be able to hear us with." Troy shrugged. "Before we could, dispatch told us they had run the address and there was a registered weapon on the premises. We were told to stand down and wait."
"Okay, so do we know anything else?" Sam asked, "Dispatch did a vehicle search?"
"The truck in the driveway has a military magnet on the bumper. I gave the plate to dispatch. The owner is military from Kirtland—The husband, I am assuming, but I could be wrong." Troy offered. He was trying to focus on the questions and not the fact that Gabriella was screwing a sniper scope into place on her long range rifle.
"You didn't happen to hear anything regarding their argument?" Sam mentioned, looking at what Troy realized were blueprints. The block they were on had been mass built. All the homes were the same. It made sense how easy it could be to get a copy of the prints.
"Just snippets, Sir," Evan piped up. "Something about her mother, and his truck. Someone smashed something just before you got here but they were both still yelling. Before we called for backup he kept asking her who had been there. Kept repeating it. She kept saying something about the garage."
"Great," Sam replied. "A love affair. Or at least he thinks there's a love affair." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Thank you, officers." It was a dismissal but since he hadn't blatantly told them to get lost, Troy hung back and listened. "Alright, I am going to attempt to establish contact. Jenna and Will, take the front door. Aaron, find a back door. Gabriella and Gavin, see if you can figure out where they are in the house. If you can breach the backdoor safely, do it."
"Unit 28-03 to Unit 28-14," Troy's radio blared to life with Dan's distinctive voice. "If ETU is finished with you, I need another unit to help with the blockade at the north end of the street."
The ETU sergeant didn't even hesitate to wave Troy off. Holding back a groan, Troy envisioned himself pounding the heavy bag in the gym back at the station. Letting out a breath, he radioed back to the captain and then took the keys from Evan. He may not like the way Dan had been giving him the most mundane jobs available that day, but Troy wasn't stupid. The best place for him to be was as far from Gabriella as possible.
Gabriella flipped her hair over her shoulder and kept a tight grip on her clutch as she pulled open the door to The Shield later that night. Freshly showered after a post incident workout, she could almost forget about her crappy shift. Of course there had been the kid at the club and then domestic incident with the air force pilot who had come home on leave to discover a foreign toolbox in his garage. Turned out it belonged to his brother-in-law but not before he and his wife had smashed two vases, a lamp, and laptop and embarrassed each other. They had probably smashed up their marriage too, Gabriella thought, but let it go. That had led to an armed robbery at a convenience store around the corner from East High which meant shutting down the school and the football game while they tried to locate the gunman. Needless to say, Gabriella could really use a drink.
She slid past the groups of people hanging out around the bar, and noted the band setting up near the stage area. Hearing her name, she craned her neck to spot Gavin and Jenna already seated on stools around a bar table. Smiling, she slipped off her dark blue coat and unwound her scarf before draping them over the back of her stool. She set her clutch on the table.
"Ooh, cute bag!" Jenna exclaimed, picking it up and examining it. "Is this authentic?" She pointed to the designer label.
"Yeah," Gabriella admitted, "But I know the designer so it's not like I paid the price to go with it. I actually think it was a gift a few years ago."
"You know the designer for Stars & Dazzle?" Jenna asked, wide eyed. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, we went school together. I never see her anymore but once and awhile I will get an email or an invitation to an opening." Gabriella grinned and accepted her bag back, riffling through to find her phone. She clicked the volume as high as it would go and then opened her photo album. Scrolling through, she selected an image and turned the screen to Jenna and Gavin. "So, guess who is an official homeowner?"
"You got it!" Gavin yelled, loud enough that the tables closest to them looked their way briefly. "Congrats!"
"Yeah," Gabriella told them, turning off the screen and putting it away. "Helena called me when I was in the locker room. You're lucky too. I was ready to ditch you all and go home."
"Ugh, today was brutal. I mean, all the calls ended well, but it was non stop," Jenna complained. "Oh! Aaron has our drinks!"
Gabriella turned just at an arm reached to set the glasses on his tray down. Aaron slid a beer in front of Gavin and a wellshot glass in front of Jenna. Gabriella smelled rum and coke. Taking the final glass off the tray, Aaron set another beer in front of Gabriella.
"Here, take mine. I'll grab another one," he told her. "Sarge and Will are at the bar chatting with Pat Landry." He named a member of the ETU Team Two. "They should be over in a minute."
"Montez got her house," Gavin announced. Gabriella punched him in the arm. "What! We're celebrating."
"The one with the balcony and the too many rooms?" Aaron asked. Gabriella nodded, smiling. "Good for you."
"Thanks," she said, sipping her beer. She licked at the froth on her lip. "What is this?"
"The microbrew on tap," Aaron told her. "One of the guys recommended it while I was waiting. I got it for me though so if you don't like it, leave and I'll get you something else."
"No, it's good. I was just wondering." She took another sip.
Sam and Will joined them shortly after and Aaron made a second trip to the bar for another round. Gabriella sat and chatted with her team, enjoying the idea of getting to know them outside of regular work hours. It was less professional, certain things became acceptable to talk about. Jenna was talking about how different Albuquerque was to her native Denver in Colorado. Gabriella dropped a few names of people she knew from the city. Jenna shook her head.
"I know its big," Gabriella laughed, "but worth a shot. The world is a small place."
"It is," Jenna replied. "So what made you decide to come back home after all this time?"
"It wasn't my first choice, actually," Gabriella admitted. "But I wasn't a fan of Sante Fe, and when the position opened up here, it seemed like a good idea."
"Seemed like?" Jenna questioned, taking another drink from her rum and coke. "As in not so much now?"
"No, as in I have run into a few surprises," Gabriella amended. "I like the job and I have always liked the city, but it's been awhile. It brings up memories."
"Like your mom?" Jenna asked. "That would be tough."
"Surprisingly, no," Gabriella said, setting down her beer. "I think Mom is one of the reasons I decided to come back. As far as Mom goes, Albuquerque has only good memories."
Their conversation changed direction after that. Gabriella asked about different technology seminars that Jenna had mentioned attending and Gavin jumped in to mention an upcoming conference regarding tactical entries and rappelling gear. Gabriella followed along, pitching in ideas and knowledge of negotiations based on profiling techniques she had learned at Quantico. The group was in the middle of discussing all the candidates that Gabriella had beat out when she had applied for the opening for Team Three when she excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Leaving the bathroom, she decided she would have one more beer and then call a cab to take her back to her apartment. With her two off days on the rotation occurring during the week, she planned to take advantage and meet with Helena to discuss the closing of the house. She also needed to arrange movers and call the storage company in Santa Fe who still had the majority of her things. Deep in thought, she rounded the corner of the narrow hallway leading from the bathrooms to the bar and slammed into the solid chest of someone taller than she.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, stumbling back a bit on her flat soled boots. "I am so sorry."
"It's no harm," her victim answered, his voice low. "I can take it."
"Troy," she breathed, looking up to meet his deep blue eyes. He was watching her and it made her uncomfortable. "I am really sorry."
"And I am really okay." He didn't move though and Gabriella didn't know what to do.
"I uh—should get back," she gestured towards the crowded room just beyond reach. "It's been—You look good." She tripped over her words, suddenly feeling flushed and shaky and knowing it had little to do with the alcohol. He did look good. Really good. But it meant very little considering how they had left things. Where they had left things. He didn't speak for a moment and she took the opportunity to squeeze past him and continue towards her teammates.
"Hey, Brie," he called out, just a moment before she disappeared around the corner and into the noise. When she looked back over her shoulder, she could see the planes and shadows cast across his face. "You look good too."
Nodding, she returned to the table and finished her drink. Twenty minutes later, she and Will were standing on the curb outside waiting for a cab to take them both in the same direction home. With her hands shoved deep into her pockets, she felt her fingers brush against something foreign. Pulling her hand out, she found herself holding a standard issue Albuquerque Police Department business card with Troy's personal cell number scrawled across the back. She was still staring at it when the cab pulled up. She jammed the card back in her pocket before climbing into the back seat after Will.