23.
Andy lay in her bed, surrounded by two redheaded girls who were snuggled close. She had never been a mom, and until Miranda dropped into her life, she would have told anyone who asked that she never would be.
And yet, her motherly instincts seemed to have come to her at just the right time.
It had been an understandably difficult task, explaining to the girls what happened to their father. Understandably, she had some seriously mixed feelings about Gregg. He was the girls' father, and at one point in her life, Miranda had loved him. But, those facts could not excuse what he'd done. Complicating things further was how he had done the right thing when the chips were down. She shudders to think what would've happened if the girls hadn't been here with her last night.
In the end, her gut told her just to be honest with the girls. So she told them what happened minus the gory details. She also made it clear that she suspected that it had something to do with the scheme to hurt their mom. Finally, she shared with the girls how grateful she was that their father had done right by them at the end.
She could tell that it hurt them to be reminded of their father's failings, but it was also apparent that they appreciated her willingness to be candid and not treat them like little girls.
"So, are they looking for Nichole?" Caroline asked, holding back tears.
"Yeah, I have a friend named Blair, and her wife Jo is one of the top officers for the NYPD. Jo and her daughter Vivian, who is also a cop, came to tell me about what happened to your father.
I told them all that I could to help them find Nichole."
"Good," Cassidy said as angry tears began to fall down her face.
Without even knowing it, Andy took on her mother's calming persona as she encouraged the girls to express their feelings. Eventually, Caroline broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.
Andy took the girl into her arms while Cass used a hand to make soothing circles on her sister's back.
It was only after Caroline fell into a fretful sleep, that Cassidy allowed herself to cry openly. The girl's selfless actions confirmed something that Andy had already suspected. Cass saw herself as her sister's protector. Andy opened her arms, offering her tough girl comfort if she wanted it. After a moment, Cass came to her, and Andy pulled the girl to her chest. After a moment, the girl sagged in relief, allowing Andy to comfort her.
Andy knew that no matter how strong Cassidy might be, she was still just a girl mourning the loss of a parent. She had been there, and the steady presence of her adopted grandparents had given her a sense of stability.
She would do all that she could to make it clear that she and Miranda would be there for them through it all.
Cass's quiet weeping had not lasted long as she soon joined her in sleep.
Andy ran her hand through Cassidy's hair in a soothing manner as the girl slept. She had already come to care deeply for Miranda's daughters and was therefore glad that they could turn to her as a source of comfort. Eventually, Andy closed her eyes as the stress of the morning finally caught up with her, and soon she too was asleep.
It was early afternoon by the time Andy and the girls woke. Both girls were quiet, but to Andy's eyes, they had both benefited from the rest. She led the girls down to the kitchen, where she made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Playing a hunch, she cut the crust away from each girl's sandwich and got approving nods for her efforts. Despite protesting that they weren't hungry, both girls ate every bite.
Andy only ate half of her own grilled cheese, as an idea began to form in her head.
"I miss mom," Caroline said.
"Me too," Cass admitted.
"Me three," Andy added, missing her wife more than she thought was possible.
With her mind made up, Andy said, "Girls, why don't you go upstairs and pack a bag with everything you can't do without for a week. We may stay longer, but if we run out of stuff, it will give us an excuse to do some shopping."
"Where are we going?" Cassidy asked, sounding excited.
"I think it's about time for you girls to see your mom," Andy responded.
Both girls gave her wide grins before they both gave Andy exuberant hugs.
As the sound of the girls retreating footsteps faded, Andy retrieved her phone and called Anna.
"I need transportation for myself and the twins to Arendale as soon as you can make it happen."
The line was quiet for a moment as her ultra-efficient assistant began typing fast.
"The Deso Falcon has just returned from its annual maintenance and can be ready to fly tonight," Anna said.
"That would be acceptable," Andy replied, glad that she wouldn't have to take the girls through JFK.
She thanked Anna for her assistance before asking to be transferred to Kate.
Andy spent a few minutes bringing her new number two up to speed with everything that happened since they last spoke.
"I want you to handle the presentation of the annual report," Andy said, delegating the only responsibility impeding her from spending the next two weeks two weeks in Genovia.
"Then, I want you and Anna on a plane to Arendale so we can discuss moving forward with plan E."
"Yes ma'am," Kate said, excited that her plan to consolidate European operations was getting the green light.
"But before you leave, there is one other thing you can do for me," Andy added.
Andy ended the call feeling like she was on a path that would allow her to step back from her life's work, knowing the company would be in good hands.
Later, with her and the girls packed, she loaded the luggage in a lightly armored variant of the Bentley Boyega. As the dark blue SUV pulled out of the driveway, another vehicle started its engine and pulled into traffic.
"They're on the move," Elise Reyes said, putting her vehicle into gear.
Viv nodded her head before getting on the radio to inform the backup teams that they were moving.
It had been her mother's ides to sit on Andy's house, suspecting that their murder victim's killers might not be done. Her mother's hunch had proved prescient when they spotted an SUV with darkly tinted glass sitting just down the block from Andy's home. The big American-made SUV stood out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood full of high-end vehicles.
Not wanting to make the same mistake, Elise was behind the wheel of Viv's personal Porsche 911 Carrera. She rarely drove the car other than trips up to the Warner compound in darkest Maine.
Elise stepped on the gas, causing the Porsche to leap forward just ahead of another car.
"I don't care that your wife works for the FBI, if you scratch my baby I will murder you," Viv warned.
"Whatever you say, boss," Elise said before mashing the accelerator again, pushing both cops into the backs of expensive leather seats.
Unfortunately, the SUV they were trailing had diplomatic plates making it impossible for them to take action unless they directly witnessed the occupants committing a crime. There had been a fierce debate with her idiot captain as she argued that they should inform Andy of the potential danger. When her captain also denied her request NYPD Special Operations support, she seriously considered going to her mother to intercede on the side of sanity.
She had been just about to call when Stone Stone pointed out what should have been obvious to her.
"If it gets out that the Chief overruled a captain on your behalf, it might cost her the chance to be commissioner when the old man retires."
With limited options, she'd pulled in her best detectives, including Stone and Reyes for this detail and even called in a favor to get their FBI liaison to put one of their helicopters on standby.
It was not a hard case to make that while the bulk of their work involved counter-terrorism, an international conspiracy involving rogue elements of a foreign government was undoubtedly worthy of the FBI's attention.
Playing a hunch of her own, she also notified the New Jersey State cops of their operation, assuming that Andy was headed to her company's corporate hangar in Teterboro.
They took turns switching off between themselves and the two other units.
Viv watched from down the block through binoculars as Andy's SUV pulled up to a security checkpoint. Andy presented I.D. before being allowed to proceed through the gates.
"Where did those other SUVs come from," Stone said over the com net.
Viv swung her Binoculars up the street a little to see two more dark vehicles moving towards the entrance fast.
"Shit," Viv said, watching the whole operations going sideways in a hurry.
"All Units move in," She said just as the first SUV hit the barricade. Luckily the barrier held, but before any of the police units could react, the occupants of the vehicle fired on the two guards.
Thinking fast, Viv dialed a number on her phone.
When the call was answered, Viv spoke fast, "Andy, this is Viv Warner. I need you to listen then do exactly as I say."
When Andy didn't respond, Viv continued, "I need you to drive to your hanger as fast as you can. Once you're inside, I want you to turn your vehicle, so the nose is facing out, then get your girls and yourself down on the floor.
Keep everyone's heads down."
Viv could hear Andy's engine rev as she accelerated. The fist SUV pulled back then hit the barricade again then a third time until it finally gave way. The three vehicles raced through the checkpoint following Andy's taillights. Moments later, the 911 sprinted past the remains of the ruined barrier.
Viv looked out of the window, catching movement as at least one of the guards on the ground moved. She used her radio to get ambulance support and to call for the FBI air unit.
Thanks to the warning, Andy's Bentley was well ahead of her pursuers. Viv watched as Andy pulled directly into the hangar. She threw her fist in the air as she realized that hangar doors were closing behind the SUV.
By the time the three pursuing vehicles reached the hangar, the doors were firmly shut. The lead vehicle tried ramming the door, but the reinforced steel refused to budge.
"Good job closing the doors, Andy. Now stay put and let us take care of the rest."
OK, be careful. Viv," Andy said, sounding more in control than Viv had expected."
"Shit," Elise said.
Viv looked up to see men climbing out of each SUV and pointing rifles in their direction.
Elise stood hard on the brakes, then swung the wheel hard right, pushing the Porsche into a 180-degree spin, and putting the 911's rear-mounted engine between them and the men with assault rifles.
Both detectives hunkered down as the assailants began to fire. Viv winced as she both heard and felt bullets impacting the rear of her beloved sports car.
Viv watched as detectives Stone and Murphy came out of their vehicle guns up and firing. Detectives Lair and Stern did the same on their other side, immediately laying down covering fire of their own.
"Tell me you brought something more powerful than that peashooter," Viv said to Stone over the radio.
"You know me so well," Stone answered back, producing the M4 carbine that he still carried from his days with the special operations branch.
"Those guys are wearing body armor," Stern said, having just hit one of the assaulters center mass to no effect.
Viv toggled a switch turning on her backup camera and giving her a clear view of the battle raging behind them.
"Looks like they're wearing tactical vests, so aim low." Viv pointed out.
"That's cold," Stone said, but she could hear the grin in his voice.
Viv looked at Elise, who had her weapon out, ready to take action. She pointed toward the screen at the center of the dash before saying, "We go as soon as they reload."
She got a grim yet determined nod from Elise before they both focused on the 12in display. When the guy on Viv's side ran out, she pushed her door open and rolled out of the vehicle. She came up in a combat stance and fired three rounds. She heard a shriek for pain as her target went down shot through the knee. He hit the ground with a thud but still had a firm grip on his rifle, so she fired another salvo striking him in the upper shoulder and the head.
She switched her aim to the next closest target, grazing him, but he was still up, and he returned fire missing her by inches. When she saw that Elise had taken down the guy on her side, she suggested that they pull back towards the front of the car. Viv kept low as the assailant fired another volley over her head.
Stone must have seen she was in trouble as he targeted her assaulter, pushing him back behind cover and allowing Viv to reach the front end of the Porsche. Elise joined her there a moment later, a little out of breath but was otherwise 100% combat effective.
Having learned a great deal about shooting from John Stone, she was not surprised when one then another man went down from shots fired from her former partner's rifle.
"Where are the Jersey cops?" Viv asked over the net.
"There five minutes out," John Stone called back over the radio.
"That was not good news. There were a lot of bad things that could happen in five minutes, particularly when they were this out-gunned," Viv thought, knowing her detectives had already come to the same conclusion.
Viv lifted her head just enough to get a better understanding of their situation. It appears that they were still facing at least eight assailants with four more on the ground seemingly out of the fight.
"Lair is down. Took one to the leg. May have nicked the femoral," Stern called out in short, clipped sentences.
"Pull back; we already have paramedics en route," Viv said.
"That's the problem everyone is en route, but nobody is fucking here," Elise said in a low voice. Viv could not help but agree, and she would have her captain's head for denying her request to have Special Operations Branch riding shotgun for this debacle.
"If there is anything left after Jo Polnicheck finishes tearing strips out of the captains hide," Viv thought grimly.
She also thought that if things really went south, her mom would do a lot worse to the incompetent commander.
"How many rounds you got," Viv asked the woman crouching next to her.
Before she could answer, Elise spotted one of the attackers who was moving forward in an attempt to flank their position. The detective smoothly pivoted and put two rounds into his leg before her last shot clipped his neck.
"All out," Elise said.
Viv reached behind her and grabbed her last clip before tossing it to the woman responsible for watching her blindside.
Viv heard a yell causing her to look back to see that Murphy had taken a round to the shoulder near the upper edge of his vest.
"Stone take Murph and fall back," Viv called over the radio.
"That's a bad idea, Lt," John answered back.
"It's also an order," Viv said before sending more rounds towards the nearest attacker.
Stone emptied two full clips taking down another bad guy and injuring another before carrying out Viv's order and falling back with a barely conscious Trevor Murphy.
"What now?" Elise asked.
"Fuck if I know," Viv admitted before firing to repel two advancing men.
"That's what I was afraid of," Elise said, doing the same thing on her side.
"They know that they are trapped, so they are trying to overrun us," her fellow detective said.
Viv knew that Elise was correct and that holding them off for another two minutes with no more than a dozen rounds between them wasn't going to happen.
"They're coming," Elise said, her voice tight.
Viv looked through the cracked windshield of the Porsche and confirmed that all six remaining attackers were coming at them in combat formation. She took aim but didn't fire, knowing that she had to make every remaining round count.
"I'm sorry I got you into this," Viv said, unable to spare a moment to look at her fellow officer.
"I knew what I was signing up for," Elise said.
Viv wished she could call her mothers and her sister to tell them that she loved them, but there was no time for that either. Elise fired first, taking down one man on her side and forcing another to fall back temporarily before her Glock locked open out of ammunition. Viv faired a little better, taking out one and hitting another in the lower leg before she was out. Both detectives took cover looking around for anything they could use to defend themselves.
Before the remaining men could get any closer, the remaining assailants began taking fire from the FBI helicopter as it swept in low and fast. The advance stalled as rounds started to pour out of the open side, and two agents wearing FBI body armor repelled down from the hovering craft.
"Stay down," came the voice of Stephanie Reyes. Elise's wife closed the distance fast, firing her MP-10 submachine. Stephanie hit the first guy with quick, accurate shots before the other guy turned and tried to run. Stephanie tackled the man from behind, bouncing his head off the tarmac in the process.
The other agent had farther to go, but the tall man covered the ground in long, sure strides. The agent fired one-handed while reaching into his thigh holster and tossing Viv a Springfield 45.
Viv caught the weapon before turning and following the agent's intent of providing cover fire. The man she had already injured went down in a hail of bullets fired from the agent who was now several paces ahead. Viv heard a sound to her right and to her horror, saw the last attacker aiming at her. Before the first round left his rifle, the FBI agent crashed into her, knocking them both to the ground. She hit the ground, and for just a moment, she caught sight of a pair of stormy blue eyes staring down at her. Before it began, the moment was over as the FBI agent rolled off of her before firing at the final attacker, putting him down for good.
Stephanie approached her wife and held out a hand, "Sorry for being late."
Elise took the offered hand, then kissed the woman she loved hard on the lips. "I take it that means I'm forgiven," the raven-haired Latina said with a smirk.
"I'll show you in bed tonight."
Despite Elise's bravado, both women knew that all they would want tonight would be to hold one another to reassure themselves that they were both alive and whole.
Soon they were surrounded Jersey State Cops, who immediately fanned out and began securing the scene.
The agent who had just saved Viv's life twice in a matter of minutes approached her and held out a hand. Viv took the offered hand, allowing the agent to pull her to her feet.
"Thanks," Viv said, still feeling wired from the prolonged adrenaline rush.
"Sorry, we couldn't be here sooner, but air traffic control wouldn't permit us to approach because of a landing plane. Reyes finally told the pilot that she would take responsibility and to get us on deck and fast," the agent said, pulling off his helmet.
Viv stared in wide-eyed disbelief as he turned out to be a very attractive she. The agent shook out long blonde hair that had been pinned in a tight bun.
"I'm Hilda, by the way," she said, holding out a hand.
"Her name is actually Brunhilda," Stephanie said, approaching them with her arm around Elise's waist.
"I don't care what her name is, she saved my ass," Viv responded.
Hilda gave her a curious look that turned into a bright smile before saying, "I'm not going to touch that statement."
The four women let out a laugh as the tension of the last few minutes began to bleed away.
After getting confirmation that her detectives were going to be OK, Viv suggested, "Why don't we go and check on Andy and her girls."
"It's all over out here, can you let us in?" Viv asked after dialing Andy's number.
Viv disconnected the call as the big steel doors opened just enough to give them access. As Viv led Elise and the two FBI agents into the hangar, she could feel Hilda's eyes on her.
She turned her head to say something to Elise and Stephanie using the movement to confirm that Hilda's eyes were glued to her backside.
"So it wasn't my imagination," Viv thought while unconsciously adding unnecessary sway to her walk.
Viv approached Andy, who was now standing next to the Bentley.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you that we were watching your place," Viv said, holding out a hand.
"I'm just glad that you were," Andy responded, taking Viv's hand.
Viv motioned the other woman over introducing Andy to Elise, Stephanie, and finally, Hilda.
Andy shook hands with the impressively statuesque Hilda before moving on to Stephanie. She paused for a long moment looking at Elyse Reyes. The woman bore more than just a passing resemblance to herself while also bearing a striking resemblance to Andy's mother.
Andy didn't know much about her mother's side of the family, so she made a note to compare family trees with the detective once all of this was over.
"How are your girls," Viv asked.
"Slept through the whole thing," Andy said, indicating the two sleeping girls in the back of the undamaged SUV.
"Well, it will take us a couple of hours to clear the scene out there, but we should be able to get you in the air before midnight," Viv said.
Andy thanked the four women again after Viv promised to let her know the moment they could take off. Andy headed back to the jet, pulling out her phone and sending an update to Sam.
AN: I rewrote this chapter a couple of times before I landed here. I hope you enjoyed where it ended up. The girls and Andy are headed for their reunion with Miranda after a slight delay to hose down the tarmac.
Happy New Year!