Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.
AN: I know, been a couple days since I updated. Sorry. So… Arizona has a 'date' with Sean. Will she go? Or will she blow her off like she did with Frankie? Let's find out what trouble she gets into now. Enjoy!
Chapter 12
"Where's Wilson, Mommy?" Sofia asks as I get her ready for school the next day. She's somehow been able to break down the agent's tough exterior and bring the kid out of him. At first he just stayed outside her room, stiff and pissed off. But within days, Sofia and he were best friends, having their own inside jokes and stories about their time at school together.
"He has to go back to work, baby girl." I say as I run around the kitchen trying to get the kids ready for yet another day.
"I miss Wilson." She says sadly, pulling out her signature pout.
"Well… I'll get you a volleyball and some red paint." I say offhandedly. "Callie!" I call out, glancing at the clock on wall. …seriously, I need to set every fucking clock in this house forward ten minutes. "Calliope hurry up, you're going to be late!" I call up the stairs.
"I'm the boss. I show up when I want to." She says as she strides into the room, her long black hair billowing behind her as her perfume invades my senses. "Morning." She whispers as she places a hand on my hip and gives me a quick peck.
"You're running late." I say sharply.
"What's with the attitude?" Her eyes furrow as she pulls back from the less than welcoming kiss I gave her.
"I need to get Sofia to school." I answer, my mind running a million miles a minute at all the shit I have on my plate. "Remember that we don't have a detail anymore so just…" I pause at what I'm doing, and turn to face my wife who is standing still, just listening. Taking a step towards her, I cup her cheek and continue. "…Just be careful. Ok?" She nods. I told her last night that the director pull our security detail, stating that the threat was over, but I still don't think it is.
"Promise me, ok? …If the hairs on the back of her neck stand up or, or, or if you start feeling off, listen to your instincts alright? Call myself of Tim." I tell her for the tenth time already.
"Ok, I promise Arizona." She says. One more kiss, and another promise to stay frosty, I give Mowgli a kiss and grab Sofia. Even though the security detail has been pulled doesn't mean I'm letting Sofia out of adult supervision. I plan on dropping her off, and having someone pick her up everyday. Once at school, I have a quick talk with her teacher, as well as another talk with my daughter. She recites her promise to not talk to any strangers and I make sure she whispers the magic code in my ear. She knows not to go anywhere with anyone who doesn't know the magic word. A kiss on the cheek and I finally head to work.
A morning of all the normal stuff, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, and I finally catch a break. Teddy has Sean's background check but I don't get a chance to peruse it by the time we get to her building. It's just after ten in the morning when my partner and I step into Quinn's office.
"May I help you?" A young man asks as soon as Teddy and I break the barrier into the waiting room.
"Special Agent Arizona Robbins, this is Special Agent Teddy Altman. FBI." I say as I flash my badge. "We need to speak to Ms. Quinn." He looks a little startled at first, but then buzzes his boss and soon the office door opens.
"Agent Robbins." Sean greets with a big smile on her perfectly made up face. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a loose, messy looking bun, but somehow it's very sexy. Her lean body is fitted with a perfectly tailored silk blouse and beautiful skirt that probably costs a small fortune.
"Special Agent." I correct as I move into her office.
"Of course. …Could you give me one minute?" She asks, her eyes darting to my partner who also has slipped into the room. Teddy takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of the woman's desk as I keep to the back of her office as she continues her call from her chair behind her desk. It's obviously not an important call otherwise she wouldn't let anyone in on it, so instead of listening in, I move around the room and observe. It's made up in dark colors. Leather chairs and dark wash woods. It's got that homey, powerful feel. And it tells me everything I need to know about this woman whose presence I'm in.
She finishes her call and stands. "Sean Quinn." The woman introduces herself to Teddy.
"Special Agent Teddy Altman." Teddy replies, taking the woman's hand and exchanging a solid handshake.
"Special Agent Robbins?" Sean asks, making me turn on my heel and face her. "I thought I asked you to come by yourself."
"The FBI doesn't do that. We have partners for a reason." I state firmly. The attorney takes her seat and just stares at me with her bright green eyes. After a couple seconds, my curiosity takes hold of me. "Why don't you step outside, Altman." Teddy gives me a hard look, but knows that anything Sean tells me I will quickly pass on to her. When the door clicks shut behind my partner, I meet the woman's eyes again.
"So… what can I do for you, Ms. Quinn." I stay standing while the woman stays seated, my eyes trained on her micro expressions.
"You are quite the woman, Agent Robbins." She states, ignoring my question. "Very impressive. But… I'm wondering if you're as good as I've heard."
"What have you heard?" I ask, still moving around the room. I can see that its making her a little anxious and right now, I need to be the one in control of the situation, even if Sean thinks she is.
"That you have an almost… Jedi sense." She answers which gets me to break from my usual stone faced.
"Well… I do what I can." I reply diplomatically. …Jedi? Awesome.
"I'm sure you've read up on me as well." There's a slight smile on her face, almost like she wants me to know about her performance, likes she wants to impress me.
"Actually I haven't had the pleasure of reading your file. My partner has but… I'm shooting blind right now." I answer as I start to pace around her office again, making sure my gun is always exposed. It keeps people on their toes.
"Really? …Then why don't you show me a little something. Profile me. …Use that Jedi power." She says. I stop my pacing and turn to face her head on. We exchange a gaze for half a minute while I try to read the woman in front of me. Something just doesn't click with her. Nothing about what she's done so far as told me that she's a good guy…she's trying to get a murderer off the hook. But something… something is nagging at me.
"What's the matter, Arizona? Can't figure me out?" She purrs, her tongue running across her lips as she addresses me by my first name.
Taking a deep breath, I take a step forward, her eyes following me every inch. "You're an only child."
"That it?" She asks. "You had a 50-50 shot. Not impressive Agent Robbins." She taunts me.
With a smirk on my face I continue "Second generation American, but your parents had a very thick Irish accent. One that you've been able to get away from… almost. And… you were raised with a single parent. Your father. You mother either died or left you when you were about 6, my money is on she died. …How am I doing so far?" I see her eyes open fractionally, showing shock and surprise. …take that as a 'good'. "The alcohol you keep in stock is Scotch which tells me that your primary role model growing up was a male figure, most likely your father, maybe even a close uncle. You wear that gold cross around your neck, yet you're not religious. Which tells me that it's a keepsake. …Was it your mothers?" I ask.
Sean, whose eyes have grown wider and wider as I go on all the while she plays with a ring on her finger, brings her manicure hand up to the necklace and caresses the tiny gold cross. "It was my grandmothers; she gave it to my Mom." She answers softly. I just nod. …another point for me.
"You're in a relationship that you're not sure you want to be in. You two have recently discussed a big step. I'm thinking the other person asked you to move in with them. But… you're not ready for that. So now you're battling with yourself. …Do I stick it out and see if I will love her like she loves me. …Or do I get out while I can?" I continue, my eyes never leaving hers.
"How do you-" She starts but I hold up a hand, not wanting to be interrupted while I'm on a roll.
"I look around this room and I see… someone lost. Trying to fit in. Cornell education tells me that you… you're an excellent student. But didn't have the money for Yale." I pause as I examine the diploma on her wall. She just nods. "Instead of fighting your male competitors head on, you try to align yourself with them. Though you dress impeccably, you adorn your office walls with sports memorabilia but… you hate sports. I mean, you certainly don't know anything about them."
This gets her a little agitated and she tries to defend herself. "Well I-"
"No, it wasn't a question." I cut her off. "You don't. You have basketball, football, hockey… soccer. There's no rhyme or reason behind your collection. Not a city, or even region in particular. Not an era, or even a specific color… you're all over the map. …You're lost. But you're still trying." After one last glance at her collection, I turn back around and catch her gaze.
"Is that all?" She asks sarcastically, obviously not expecting to be torn apart like I just did.
"Yes, well no. Your feet hurt. You stayed seated during your call even though over 90% of women pace while they talk on the phone. Which tells me the shoes you wore yesterday were a size too small. …Price we pay for beauty…" I add, smiling at the look of shock on the woman's face. "So… now that you know that I know you. Will you tell me why you asked me here? I don't usually make office visits." I quip.
"Well, I thought maybe we could help each other out." She says as she stand and rounds her desk, wincing slightly as her feet protest the mile high heels she is wearing today. Her perfectly fitted skirt rides up a bit when she leans back against the front of her desk as her eyes scan me up and down. "I have a client that is… lost. And you have a problem on your hands." Sean continues.
"Your client put a bullet through the forehead of two Seattle police officers. He doesn't sound lost to me. Sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing." I fire back. "And I don't have a problem."
"Look, Agent Robbins. I get that you want to put a cop killer away. But that's not my client. He's being blackmailed." Sean says. Even though I don't want to believe it, her face and expressions tell me she is telling the truth.
Going along with this, I ask. "Blackmailed? By who?"
"The same person threatening your family." Sean tells me, her eyes never leaving mine.
"He's being blackmailed by his father? …Max O'Connor?" I ask incredulously.
"Yes. Jonathan wants nothing to do with what his father does, nor his brother. But he got into some trouble and they were the only ones who pulled him back up out of the hole. Now he owes them a debt. One he paid by…" Her voice fades out as she tries to find a diplomatic way to say what Johnnie did.
"By putting bullets into two police officers that could pass as 25 year old versions of my own children." I continue, and she just nods. "O'Connor was the one who retained your services for Johnnie, wasn't he?"
"You know I can't divulge that information Agent Robbins." She gives me a pointed look but touches her nose, universal signal to 'that's it'.
Taking a second to connect all the dots, I reply "So… your position is-"
"Very delicate, yes." She says. "Johnnie goes away for murder, his father won't be too happy with me. But, if I say Johnnie did Max's bidding… he'd be just as unhappy."
"Ok so… you haven't told me anything I didn't already know." I reply. …knew this was one big waste of time. "So, if that's all. I have fugitives to hunt." I turn on my heel and make it to the door.
"Wait!" Sean calls after me. I stop midstride and turn back to face her. Quickly, she scribbles something on a piece of paper, tears it off a pad and folds it up. "Maybe this may be of some use to you." Our eyes connect again as she slips the paper into my hand, our flesh brushing each others as our eyes lock. "Good day, Agent Robbins." She says, breaking the spell I seem to have fallen under.
"Right… uh, bye. Ms. Quinn." I reply then fumble behind me for the door handle. Finally I find it and pull it open, stepping out of the room that seemed to rise 100 degrees in the last minute. I don't look back as I signal for Teddy to follow me. Once I slip behind the wheel of my car, Teddy in shotgun, I take a deep breath. …what the hell was that about? You're married. You have kids! What the hell, Robbins?
"…Arizona!" Teddy exclaims, making me jump. My blue eyes find those of my partners and I give her the 'what?' look. "I asked, what did she want?"
"I uhh.. I-I… ummm." Shaking my head and taking another breath, I remember the paper grasped in my hand. Unfolding it, I read over the tight scrawl of the defense attorney. "We have a date." I state flatly.
An hour and a half later, Teddy and I are casing a run down building. The note from the attorney had an address on it and a time. Not sure what I'm about to step into, I decide to check it out in stealth mode. Meaning me and my partner, making little noise as possible as opposed to bringing in a team of people. From what I can tell from the outside, its some sort of old warehouse or factory. Only about 20% of the buildings in this part of town are actually occupied and used, so my bet is that this is another abandoned space.
"What do you say boss?" Teddy asks after a half hour of staking the place out. In that time, no one has come or gone from the place. In fact, the entire street seems to be vacated expect for the bums and crackheads.
"Feel like a little B&E?" I ask. She just smiles. We pull on our Kevlar vests and approach the building with our weapons drawn. A quick sweep around the outside, checking windows and doors as we go, and we come up with nothing.
"I think that back door is the best access." Teddy says. We move around the back and I attempt to open the door.
"Fuck. It's locked." I say. Holstering my weapon and pulling out my lock pick set; I kneel down in front of the door. Inserting the two safety pin sized metal pins, I work the lock. Ten seconds later, the lock clicks open and the door swings free. Giving my partner a wink, I stand up and grab my sidearm. "Anyone asks, that door was unlocked." I whisper.
"What door?" Teddy asks and we both let out a soft laugh. We pull out our flashlights and get ready to enter the unknown space. With a nod, we storm the place and move through the entrance and into the open floor warehouse. Its old, dark, dusty and mostly empty. There is a card table and a couple fold out chairs with some fast food trash in the center. …someone's been here. We move around cases set in the center of the floor and clear the entire building.
"Clear." Teddy says.
"Yeah, all clear." I reply, slightly winded. We convene at the center where the cases are. "What do you think we have here?"
"I don't know. But I always loved Christmas." Teddy replies. I pull out my pocket knife and pry open the first wooden crate. "Sweet jesus…" Teddy breathes out.
"You could say that again." I whisper. The crate, probably 2 feet by 2 feet, and one foot deep, is full of 100 dollar bills. Quickly counting up the number of identical crates, there has to be at least thirty. Teddy reaches in and pulls out a bill.
"Think it's real?" She asks as her fingers feel the surface. I pull out my lighter out of my pocket and take the bill from my partner. Her eyes see the silver case and her mouth drops open. "Really? You're smoking again? Does Callie know?"
"I've been under some stress alright? Would you rather I smoke or shoot someone?" I shoot back. I flick open the metal lid and light the 100 dollar bill, and orange sheen erupting at the tip of the flame. "Orange." Orange flame means that the paper is at least genuine.
"It's real?" Teddy exclaims. "Let's see… 2x2x1 …. 30 crates…" My partner starts the math to figure out how much money is being held in this warehouse. As she thinks, I hold my flashlight to another bill. …son of a bitch.
"Teds, look at this." I say. "Look at the water mark." I hold the bill up, the light shining on the opposite side.
"Ok… it's Lincoln." She says, obviously lost.
"Right. And he belongs on the five. Ben should be there." I explain, suddenly thankful I took those counterfeiting seminars the Bureau gave years ago.
"So it is counterfeit. …Really good counterfeit." Teddy says as she smells the money. I do the same, and it has no scent. …genuine paper. Damn good printing ink. From what I can tell, the press is perfect. This is a high end counterfeiting ring. How does Johnnie and Sean play into all of this?
"Yeah." I say offhandedly as my mind starts to race. …we need to bust whoever is suppose to pick this money up. "Come on, we need to seal this place up and get a unit over here. Sean wrote down 730. That's probably when who ever this money belongs to is going to come pick it up." Teddy agrees and we hurriedly close the crate back up, pounding the nail back in then exit the building the way we came in, making sure to lock the door behind us.
After a not so happy phone call with my wife, and an even worse one with my director who chewed my ass for going into the building blind and on a hunch, Teddy and I are staked out outside the warehouse with two swat teams the next block over. The clock reads 7:15 and I'm getting anxious. This is what I love to do, field work. I was born to do this; I was trained to run towards gun fire, not away. But it's because of this instinct that I've taken myself out of the field. I have a wife and a family. It wouldn't be fair to them if I ended up injured or killed because I'm an adrenaline junkie.
"Team Alpha. Eyes on dark sedan heading your way." One of the swat leaders calls over the radio.
"Roger that Alpha." I respond into my mic. Turning to my partner, I ask "So much for family night, huh?"
"No offense, but I'd take a raid over Callie's cooking any day." Teddy says with a smile. Another reason she and I get on so well, we are women of action. We don't like driving a desk. We have guns and we like to use them. Our laughing is interrupted by the glow of headlights coming in from the left.
"Team Zebra. Eyes on targets. Coming from the south. Over." I say into my mic. Moments later, I add "Team Zebra. Eyes on second sedan coming from the north." A second car appearing from the opposite side.
"Roger that Zebra. Team Charlie ready."
"Roger that Charlie. Team Alpha, can I get a go?"
"Team Alpha a go."
"On my signal, we do a hard entry from the south. Agent Altman will be with Team Charlie. Agent Robbins will be with Alpha." Teddy and I watch through sets of binoculars from a block away as the group of guys exit their cars, take a hard look around and then move into the building. My spidey tenses are firing on all cylinders and I know that this bust could go either way. …really good, or really bad. Once most of the crew enter, I give the signal for the swat teams to take their position.
Turning to my partner, who is checking her sidearm one more time, we catch each other's gaze. "Going in alive." I say calmy.
"Coming out the same." She finishes. A knock on each other's arms and we leave our stake out position to meet up with our designated SWAT team. Once I meet up with my team, a block east of our target, I go over the plan one more time. We stay in the shadows for a couple minutes, giving the guys a chance to get comfortable. Fifteen minutes into their meeting, I give the sign to move into position around the warehouse. After two silent takedowns of their lookouts, we converge at the entry point. My adrenaline is pumping and my heart is racing. This feeling is what drives me. Knowing that anything can happen once we breach this door. It's terrifying and exhilarating all at once. Better than any drug out there. …deep breath Robbins. Focus. Push. You know how to work it.
With a nod from me, the breech man busts through the door with a battering ram and the swat team swarms the building. "FBI! GET ON THE GROUND!" The guys yell, dispersing around the warehouse in a precise, practiced way. The first couple guys we come upon surrender quickly. Pushing through the open floor plan, not realizing how many cover spots there actually are, we work as a team to clear the building.
Some yelling from the other end of the warehouse and then gun fire. ….fuck! "FBI! Drop your weapons!" I yell, heading towards the action. All hell erupts after that. Gunfire from both sides. Irish guys and guys yelling in a language I can't pin down in the heat of the moment. I get pinned down with one swat member as back up approaches from behind us. Peeking around the metal barrel I'm using as cover, I see one armed man. Waiting until he has to reload, I turn and send a round through his leg, effectively bringing him down. I never go for the kill shot unless I have to.
Out of the corner of my eye I see another swat guy approach, attempting to give us some backup when another barrage of gunfire rains upon us.
"AH!" The man yells, hitting the deck. I see blood start to pool around him. …damn it.
"We got a man down!" I yell into the mic strapped to my Kevlar vest. Taking a peek back around the barrel, I count three guys facing us. …not good odds. "Cover me." I yell to the swat guy next to me. He nods, gives me a three count then lays down suppressing fire as I run out into no man's land. I keep my head down and center of gravity low. My heart is racing and even after all these years and time in the FBI, my mind starts to threaten a flash back to my time in the Marines. …no. Breathe, Robbins. Get your man. Get your man out of the line of fire.
"Come on bubba." I pull the fallen man up by the arm pits and drag him back behind the nearest cover. Keeping my head down, I look at his wound. …fuck. Looks like it might have clipped his femoral. "Sorry dude, I need this." I tell him as I strip him of his belt then tighten it just below his groin. He growls in pain but I tighten it even more.
"Stay here." I yell, which gets a chuckle and an eye roll from the big guy, then pull out my weapon and continue to push back the bad guys. The rest of my team advances and the few remaining guys flee further back into the warehouse. My team and I convene outside one room, laying siege to the last unknown number of bad guys.
"What we got?" I ask as I take a firing position next to my partner.
"Three, maybe for crazies inside." Teddy says, swat guys lining up on either side of us.
"Flash bang?" I ask. She nods in agreement. Turning to one of the swat leaders, I slap his shoulder and signal for the use of a flash bang to shock the guys still in the room. He nods then yells out orders to his team. We take our positions on either side of the door.
On my nod, a pin is pulled and canister thrown through the cracked door. Everyone turns their head away from the room, protecting our eyes and ears. When we hear the bang, we make a hard entry, filing into the room guns drawn.
"FBI! On the ground!"
"Get on the ground!"
"Freeze!" It's chaos. This room isn't so much a room but another ware house. …how did Teddy and I miss this? The first two guys are quickly contained, but the last guy has other plans. Shooting at us to keep my team and I back, he lays some rounds through the thick glass of the lower level windows. It shatters and he easily slips out of the building. …fuck. Why do they always run?
"Teddy!" I yell, taking off after the guy.
"On your six." She calls after me, giving chase as well. Once out the window, my partner and I turn right, downhill, following the guy who is still armed. I don't know how many rounds he has left, but I know that he's not afraid to use them which makes this guy extremely dangerous. Barreling down a sidewalk in the pitch black, street lights being low priority in this part of Seattle, Teddy and I round a corner we saw the suspect take. Slowing and raising our weapons, we turn and see that it's a dead end. The small guy is looking for any way out but sees none, a brick wall on either side and a fifteen foot wooden fence in front of him. Behind him, two very pissed off female FBI agents.
"FBI!" I yell, approaching slowly, Teddy on my rear. He freezes, but doesn't turn. I can see his hand grip his weapon. …don't do it man. Don't do it. I don't want to pull this trigger. "Drop the weapon, and put your hands in the air." I command him, but still he doesn't listen. By now I'm about ten yards from the guy, approaching slowly.
"Poschel von!" He yells at me in a language I don't understand, then turns and raises his weapon. I don't think. I just act. I pull my trigger two times. Two rounds exit the barrel of my gun. And two rounds drive deep into the man's chest. He's dead before he hits the ground. Keeping my gun trained on the man, I approach and kick his weapon away from his body. When Teddy has my back, I kneel down and check for a pulse.
"He's gone." I whisper. I hate this part of the job. I've killed before, of course. In the Marines I took untold number of lives, all supposedly for the greater good. All were the bad guys, but blood is blood. Every time I take a life, they take a little of myself with them. …rest in peace.
"This is Agent Altman. I need back up two blocks north of target. Call the coroner as well. We got a deadly shot." Teddy says over the radio, and is soon met with an affirmative. She sees me still hunched over the man and places a hand on my shoulder. "Get some air, Robbins." …Air? I'm outside, how much more air do I need?
Standing, I take a deep breath and walk back out of the small alley to wait for our back up. Pulling out my phone I see it's almost 9. …I am so dead. Callie is going to kill me. Teddy is prattling on and on in her radio as she walks up behind me. Though one guy took a shell, I think this raid went over pretty well. Got a hand full of bad guys, though we don't know how they fit in anywhere but that's the easy part. I'm too busy thinking about the good break I finally caught that I don't see the SUV across the street with darkened windows. I don't see the window crack.
"ROBBINS!" Teddy yells, pointing towards the vehicle. I turn just in time to see a glint of silver stick out of a window. I don't have time to raise my own weapon before a flash.
*BANG*
The next thing I feel is a bullet hit my chest and I fall to the ground.
AN2: Uh oh… is Robbins down? Was it a set up? Or just a shot of opportunity? Let me know. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. You guys rock!
