A/N: Spoilers for 8x07-09.
Chapter 2:
"What exactly was Daddino's definition of 'a few weeks', it's been 12!" Gus grumbled, as Flack headed toward interrogation with one of the kids from the balcony collapse scene.
"What am I chopped liver, Broussard?" Parker said, opening a box of wings. "Maybe I won't share these then," he teased.
Gus glowered at him, "don't you dare withhold wings from me, or I will call Anne and start telling her about everything I see you throw down your gullet every damn day!"
"I'm just saying, you've already been promoted, you don't have to be Action Jackson, sit back, enjoy the journey, stop and smell the wings," he said, pushing the box across to her.
"You aren't chopped liver, Park, I've just had enough of cold cases to last me a while," she sighed, picking up a wing.
Parker gestured, "you got a little sauce. I don't know why you wanna be back out on the streets so damn bad, runners, getting covered in god knows what or worse, shot at. Plus you're damn good a cold cases, gotta knack for them."
Gus sighed, "just because I can, Parker, doesn't mean I want to. I miss the team, especially since Mac and Messer are back in the lab where they belong, not to mention the obvious…" she gestured over to Don's empty desk.
"You two, I don't get it, Anne would murder me if we worked together," he said shaking his head.
"At least it wouldn't be a cold case," Gus said with a smirk.
"Hilarious, Broussard. Now go get our fax that just came in."
Flack spied the woman waiting in the vestibule of the precinct, cradling her face with a haunted look about her. Something in his gut said he needed to get her out of the chaos quickly. He led her back, settling her in at his desk, grateful it wasn't the usual shit show in the pit. He looked at her carefully, the cut under her cheek reminding him of the time Gus convinced Messer to punch her so she could convincingly go undercover.
"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked, his face full of concern. She struggled to get the words out, stumbling over them. Flack was relieved to see a familiar figure on the perimeter. He glanced up, willing her to look his way.
As was often the case when they were in the same orbit, Gus' eyes met his as he said to the woman, "listen, would it be more comfortable for you to talk to a female detective? If so, it's not a problem, I can get you one." He was out of his chair as soon as she nodded. "Okay, sit tight."
"What's up?" Gus asked, her head cocked at the back of the woman sitting at Flack's desk.
"Pretty sure this is one of yours," he said with a weary sigh. She knew he meant special vics and followed after him.
"This is my partner, Detective Broussard, do you want me to leave you two alone?" Flack asked, as Gus pulled up a chair.
"No, I'm okay, thank you," the woman replied.
Gus studied her, eyes full of empathy. "Hi, I'm sorry you have to be here, but I hope I can help. Do you mind telling me your name?"
"Ali, Ali Rand," she said horsely.
Gus nodded, "Okay Ali, you can call me Gus, can you tell me more about what happened?"
Gus was expecting the words even before Ali spoke them. "I was raped."
"Did you know him?" she asked, keeping her tone gentle.
Ali shook her head, "no not really, I was so stupid, I shouldn't have gone with him, I was so so stupid!"
Flack spoke up, his voice filled with compassion, "hey, don't go there, this was not your fault."
The corner of Gus' mouth twitched, knowing she couldn't smile at her husband, but finding his compassion endearing. "When did it happen?" she gently prodded.
"Last night, I must have passed out, I guess, I woke up a couple of hours ago," Ali said, looking disoriented. Gus and Flack exchanged a look as she continued. "I didn't wash or anything because I know you're not supposed to."
"Good, that's really smart," Gus nodded encouragingly as Flack asked, "where did it happen?"
"The Logan Hotel," she replied without missing a beat.
Flack nodded. "Okay Ali, Gus is going to get you over to the hospital to get looked at, but before we do that, is there anything you can tell me about the guy who did this to you?"
Gus added, "anything at all, what he was wearing, what he looked like?"
Ali looked them both straight on, not wavering. "I can do better than that, I know his name, it's John Curtis."
Flack and Gus exchanged another look, having another wordless conversation. Flack barely moved his head toward the break area. "Sit tight, sugar, Flack's going to grab you some coffee while I let the hospital know we are coming," she said with a soft smile.
They hurried over to the more private area, already speaking before the words were in the air. Flack quipped, "John Curtis, are you shitting me? Isn't that Jo's old DC case?"
"Yeah it is. Can you call Mac, have him loop her in? I'll let Doyle know once I get her processed; tell Mac I want Lindsay on this," she said, giving his arm a squeeze.
"I know this isn't how you wanted back in the field, sunshine," he said, tugging gently on her lapel.
Gus smiled up at him. "I'll take what I can get, Parker's trying to make me fat, I swear!" she said, calling the hospital to give them a heads up.
St. Mike's got them in to a private area quickly, the nurse showing Lindsay back to them as soon as she arrived. Gus sat, not wanting to make the process any more intimidating than it already was.
"Ali, I know this is uncomfortable, but Lindsay here is the best; she will be as quick and gentle as she can and I'll be right here." Ali nodded, following all of Lindsay's instructions as the CSI collected samples and swabs, taking endless pictures.
Gus distracted Ali with more questions. "How to you meet him?"
"He was sitting next to me at the bar, he accidentally knocked over my drink and insisted upon getting me a new one," Ali replied shaking her head.
"And that's when he introduced himself?" Gus asked, the pair of detectives looking at each other.
Ali picked up on it. "Yeah, it wasn't an accident, was it? I started feeling dizzy about 15 minutes later."
Lindsay shook her head, "that's GHB, can make your drink taste salty."
Ali shook her head, still admonishing, "I can't believe I didn't see him do it."
"He probably had lots of practice," Lindsay quipped, to which Gus inwardly groaned.
One that became audible when Lindsay continued her line of questioning as to why Ali was at such an expensive hotel bar by herself. Gus knew where Lindsay was going with this, and it was information that would inevitably come out and effect court proceedings, but this wasn't the way she would have gone about soliciting the information. "Messer," she quietly growled.
Lindsay looked at her friend, knowing she was stepping on the other detective's toes, but she was still rattled from her altercation with Jo as she was leaving. She gave a slight nod before continuing, "I don't mean to offend you, but I have to ask what you do...for a living."
"We aren't here to judge you, Ali," Gus cut in, feeling protective for the victim as she revealed she had been working the hotel lobby that night and protested that Curtis wasn't aware of it. "You are the victim here, it is rape, no matter how you make your living."
"We're going to do everything can to keep this guy off the streets," Lindsay said, confidently, "I promise you."
Gus handed Ali a pair of sweats. "We'll give you a few minutes to collect yourself, I'll be right out in the hallway," she said, following Lindsay out.
The door had barely shut behind them before Lindsay started in, she could see the anger flashing in Gus' eyes. "We had to know, it would come out in court, Curtis' lawyers will try to discredit her!" she protested.
"Linds, I know that, and I would have gotten there, just maybe not when the poor woman was mostly naked in a paper robe!"
Lindsay nodded putting her palms up, "I know, I know, you do your job, I do mine, I just saw an opening and I took it."
"Shoot your shot, I get it, but Monroe, Messer," she corrected with a smile, glad she had kept her name at work, "don't promise special vics anything, ever! The wheels of justice are slow and unfair."
Jimmy Doyle found Gus back at the pit while she was typing up her report, trying to not be annoyed at Lindsay. "Just can't stay out of Special Vics, can you, Broussard?" he quipped.
"You came down here to homicide, Jimmy!" she shot back with a wink, "besides it will still be a win in your column on CompStat."
Flack came in, spying Gus' former Lieutenant leaning against his desk. He quickly pushed any past jealousies of the other man aside; afterall, he was the one with the wedding ring tucked on a chain inside his shirt. "You can't have her back, Doyle, she's mine," he teased.
"Ours, junior," Daddino quipped as he walked through. Doyle gave a mock salute as he walked away calling out, "we still have better coffee."
"Heard you had quite the runner today, Flack," he smirked.
"Regular Hussain Bolt," Flack shot back, "even Parker would've caught that tub of lard."
Daddino shook his head, "he'd never strain himself, now get out of here, love birds, you know Brass is on me about overtime."
"Sent home while it is still today?" Flack said as they exited the precinct, "how are we going to fill the time?" he dimpled down at Gus.
"I've got a few ideas, Don, assuming you did't get in all your cardio chasing down that mall cop." His answer was a kiss that bent her backwards.
"Report is in, same MO as DC, and no evidence beyond the GHB," Lindsay said as Gus walked into the lab, having been instructed to chase down a warrant on John Curtis.
"And Mac is still wanting a warrant? Okay then," Gus said nodding, "and he knows she is a sex worker?"
"Yep, weirdly Jo seemed to have more of an issue with her being a prostitute than Mac did," Lindsay remarked.
Gus made a face, "really? Huh." She saw Jo watching them from a lab and raised her voice. "Well, I just enforce the laws, I don't write them, otherwise sex work would just be work. Plenty of other places legalize and regulate it, world's oldest profession and all that," she finished, catching Jo's eye and staring the other woman down.
Lindsay shifted uncomfortably, she had just made up with Jo and didn't want Gus to rock the boat again.
Gus sensed her friend's discomfort and reigned it in. "Let me get on this, give Flack a little treat since he's on second shift, I know he'll love dragging Curtis in."
"You picked up Curtis that easy?" Gus said a bit later, watching Don throw him into an interview room.
"Narcissistic psychopath, thinks he can get away with anything," Flack sneered.
"How we wanna play this?" she asked reaching for the handle.
"We are not, babe," replied, nudging her over to the hallway.
"Just because you spied Ali first and Jo is connected, I'm still on the case for SVD!" Gus argued.
"Yeah, and you are back in homicide waiting for your promotion to be finalized so we can be full partners again. I don't need you taking Curtis' head off, sunshine," he said, leaning into her.
"I'll behave, blue eyes," she replied, trying to make her tone lighter.
"I already heard about your sex worker social justice showdown in the lab, sunshine, and…" he trailed off, studying her carefully.
"And, what, Don?" she asked her anger immediately dissipating when she saw the look of concern in his eyes.
"Doesn't remind you at all of Hansen, Nansenko or Shirazi ?" he questioned softly, gently brushing his thumb first along her cheek where Danny had hit her, then again over her eye where the wound had been that brought her into the National that night years ago and finally over the scar on her neck peeking out over her collar.
She took a deep breath, recognizing the similarities and realizing that is probably why she was being defensive of Ali. "Yeah, you're right, I guess it is a little similar."
"I'm just glad you didn't end up like Ali Rand, because screw OPB, I would have taken them out myself," he replied, his eyes flashing.
Gus couldn't help but give him a small smile, grabbing the hand still on her cheek and kissing the back of it, "simmer down, tiger, or at least save it for in there with Curtis, but you can't stop me from observing."
"Wouldn't dream of it, sunshine."
Gus and Jo watched as Flack grilled John Curtis. Narcissistic psychopath seemed apt. "Innocent my be-hind," Gus sneered, as Jo stared steely at the man. Something in her glare made Gus almost follow her out of the precinct as Curtis was sent to booking, but Flack was immediately at her elbow.
"Leave it, babe," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear, "why don't you leave here entirely? I gotta get to a scene. A criminal court judge assassinated in front of a sequestered jury. I'm not getting home anytime soon, doesn't mean you shouldn't."
"Fine," she said with a slight pout, "but I'm going to offer to do the damn paperwork myself for HR pretty soon. Watch your back, Don, love you."
"Love you too, Gus," he said, giving her a quick kiss before he headed out.