I think I have a problem, lol. I'm addicted to this trope. :0 But hey, the muse wants what it wants! I really don't think anyone's gonna' read this story, considering how old this show is, so I'm kinda' just writing this for me and hoping it will bring joy to someone else like me who was incredibly disappointed to find only two stories for this fandom, lol. XD

And if you don't watch the show, but choose to read this anyway, bless your beautiful, beautiful heart.

Have a wonderful day!

Disclaimer: lol this show's so old I probably don't even have to this but I am a law abiding citizen so I must say that I do not own this.

He wasn't technically supposed to be here right now.

He wasn't even on duty.

But when Hooker had overheard the reports of a sighting of a possible suicide attempt in progress, and he was in the neighborhood, well.

What was he supposed to do?

Besides, he'd be on duty in a few hours anyway. It would be nice to give his fellow officers a break. Plus, he had more experience in having to talk people down off of a ledge than the average officer.

Especially a rookie one.

So despite it being nearly four in the morning, Hooker was making his way up the stairways of an old apartment building mentally preparing himself to have to deal with whatever outcome would come of this mid-morning stop.

And if anyone had any questions as to why Hooker was out travelling the streets in the middle of the night, his fellow officers had learned not to ask him about it.

Making his way up the final flight of stairs, Hooker sighed, hoping that the sightings had been wrong and he wasn't about to deal with a possible jumper.

He'd had a hard enough week the way it was.

Inhaling one last steadying breath, he pushed open the door gently, as to not startle whoever may be up there, and stepped out onto the roof.

Immediately, his eyes caught a glance at the moonlit silhouette sitting casually on the ledge of the building. Okay, so there was someone up here.

But they didn't appear to be ready to jump.

At least, not yet.

He moved forward cautiously, careful not to make too much noise, but also deliberately making his presence known by shuffling his feet. He kept an eye on the subject, making his way to the edge of the building.

Whoever was, didn't seem to be too concerned about his presence, as they hadn't even looked up at him yet.

He was close now.

Almost close enough to reach out and grab the person, and close enough to finally see whoever it was.

At the sight of the dark locks of hair blowing gently in the wind, Hooker could have sworn he'd seen them before.

There was no way, though.

That wouldn't be possible-

-but then he shifted to the side and-

"Romano?"

There was no mistaking it, he knew, when the younger man turned his head to face him.

Confusion was written all over his features as he tilted his head slightly.

"Hooker? Shoulda' known you'd be the first person to find me." He huffed quietly, casually, before turning his head back out towards the horizon. "Only took a year," He added, and there was no heat behind his words, it was just as if he were stating a fact.

A fact that stunned Hooker to the very core.

"What-" He was at a complete, and baffled loss. A feeling of utter confusion and shock nearly sent him reeling. "What are you doing?" He finally managed to stutter out once he regained his wits.

Or rather, gathered them enough to form a few coherent words.

Vince shrugged, shifting slightly on the ledge and Hooker's fingers twitched.

"Oh, I don't know. Just thinking, I guess." He paused, tapping his fingers on the cement absent mindedly. "I come up here sometimes to clear my head, or to just think."

"That's a dangerous habit you've got there, Junior." Hooker breathed out, still at a loss for words but feeling more at ease without the immediate impending doom he'd felt moments before.

He moved closer to the edge, resting his arms on the cool cement beneath him for ease but in reality he knew it was in case he had to quickly reach out for his partner.

Romano glanced at him, brows furrowing the slightest bit.

"Yeah. I guess it is," He murmured quietly.

Hooker bit the inside of his cheek, staring at the man before him and struggling to find the right words to say.

"And you're not up here to-"

"No, no. I wouldn't do that," Romano cut him off. "I've told you before, I don't wanna' die." Hooker briefly thought back to that time. How long ago it had been. He suppressed a shudder at the memory of that day.

How he'd heard the gunshot, and turned just in time to find his partner lying in the middle of the road, bleeding from a head wound. His thoughts were broken off when Romano continued.

"-I just...I don't know." He inhaled sharply, his words becoming louder, almost desperate. As if he wanted, needed to be understood. "Sometimes I feel like being a cop has numbed my senses. Like, I've come so close to dying so many times-" Hooker winced. "-that it doesn't mean anything to me." He paused. "And so I figured," Vince continued, voice quieting.

"Maybe if I was the one putting my life on the line, my own choice to, I could learn how to live again." He glanced up at Hooker, looking so young that it physically hurt the older man.

Sometimes he forgot just how young his partner really was.

Vince looked up at him, almost expectantly, but also with a fear that Hooker felt the need to rid him of but just couldn't quite form the right words to.

He opened his mouth to speak, to say something, anything, when Vince cut him off agian.

Maybe he was as afraid of hearing his response as Hooker was of giving it.

"Ya' know," He started, voice picking up that casual tone he so often used that Hooker almost felt like they were having a regular conversation again.

Almost.

"It's kind of peaceful. The streets get quiet at this time of night. No murders, no robberies. Just...peace." He sighed, lips turning up in a soft smile as he gestured loosely at the scenery before them. "And I mean, you have to admit, the view's pretty gorgeous." As his partner stared out at the beginning rays of the sun peeking over the horizon, Hooker simply looked at him.

Really looked at him.

"How often do you do this, Junior?" He asked quietly. Almost as if he were afraid to hear the answer.

The words only took a year rung distantly in the back of his head and his jaw ticked with the sudden overwhelming urge to yank the man before him back off of the ledge and hide him away from any possible dangers for the rest of his life.

For a moment, he debated doing just that before Vince spoke up again.

"Whenver I can really. Usually wait til' dawn. The city's absolutely breathtaking at that time."

He didn't understand.

He couldn't understand.

How was Romano being so casual about all of this?

As if this was a perfectly normal thing to do?

-only took a year-

Hooker nearly recoiled.

This was normal for him.

And Hooker never even had a clue.

"How-" He frowned. "How come you never told anyone about this?"

Why didn't you tell me?

Romano shrugged.

"Didn't want you to get the wrong idea,"

I didn't want to worry you.

He could read between the lines.

Just as well as Romano had.

"Kinda' hard not to do so," He admitted, shifting the weight onto his other arm to look at Vince.

He chuckled humorlessly.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

It was silent for a bit, Romano looking out at the nearly rising sun and Hooker looking at his partner; sitting so casually on the side of the ledge, while Hooker was just barely resisting the edge to pull him away from it.

One wrong shift and he'd be tumbling.

Maybe that's what he wants.

This time, he did shudder at the thought.

"You know, Romano," Hooker started, but soon found he couldn't find the words to finish. Vince looked his way.

"I'm not going to jump, Hooker." He stated so softly, that it could have been carried away with the wind. Hooker huffed just as quietly, sending a near humorless smile his direction as he spoke again.

"I'd be a lot more inclined to believe that, Junior, if you came down off of that ledge." Vince frowned, as if debating his options. He glanced down at the road below them, and it took all of Hooker's self-control not to force Romano to come down.

"In a minute," He compromised, and before Hooker could make any means to protest, Vince spoke again. "Look!" He threw his arm out to point at the sun with such a sudden and forceful movement that Hooker had clasped onto his arm out of sheer instinct.

Romano paid him no mind however, and motioned once more towards the rising sun.

Taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart, Hooker looked out towards the horizon and merely blinked.

It was...

Beautiful.

"Stunning, isn't it?" Romano breathed.

"Understatement," Hooker mumbled, and Romano smiled, not once taking his eyes off of the golden beams shining over the quiet city. After a moment, however, Vince glanced at the death grip still clasped onto his arm and raised a brow at Hooker.

Finally remembering his hold on the other man, Hooker still didn't remove his hand. Instead, he merely shrugged.

"Not taking any chances." He declared, and watched as a faint smile tugged at his partner's lips, and a different look settled in his eyes. He simply nodded, making his way off of the ledge, Hooker never once letting go of his grip.

He let out a breath he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding once Romano's feet were on the ground, and only then did he let go of his arm.

Albeit, reluctantly.

And still completely at the ready to grab him again if need be.

"We should do this more often," Vince suggested and Hooker's brows lifted slightly at the remark.

We.

"Maybe someplace like that hill over on Brickner," He looked away, almost frowning as he swallowed hard. Hooker was able to read between the lines.

Away from here.

"I'd like that, Junior." Hooker remarked, grinning at the relieved and almost grateful look Romano gave him. He inhaled sharply, rubbing his hands together and shooting a quick glance back at the ledge behind them.

Hooker realized that he must have been just now registering just what exactly he'd nearly done.

-only a year-

"Let's get out of here, yeah?" Vince looked back towards him, smiling softly as he nodded.

"Yeah," He moved forward and Hooker slung an arm over his shoulder easily, tugging him towards him for a brief moment as they started to make their way off of that God-forsaken roof.

Later Hooker would see just what he could do to get the county to tear down that abandoned and crumbling building.

But for now, he'd bring Romano home and make sure he got a decent breakfast - none of that yogurt and raw egg smoothie stuff he was always going on about - before heading to work and starting on yet another day.

They'd get through this.

Romano would get through this.

And Hooker would be damned if he didn't do every possible thing he could to help him.

Because they weren't just partners.

They were brothers.

And nothing, would take take that away from him.

He'd make sure of it.

Ta-da! Please leave me a review, if ya' can. I need something to perk me up during this quarantine ;) Stay safe, y'all! Love you!