Chapter Two: Talking

[ 2013…]

Supervisory Special Agent Mick Rawson watched the SWAT team get their gear into place. Captain Jessica Cortez came up to him, vest in hand. "Your team leader says that you know her best." Cortez's voice came out in a hushed tone.

There's a small amount of anger on the man's face, a reaction from Cortez's words. "It's not what you think, Captain." He tightens his own vest on him. "Messer is a good agent, she fought hard for her position that she has. She is a hell of a partner and friend."

Cortez felt her cheeks go red. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume, Rawson. The way your boss talked about the two of you…"

Mick stopped, giving a cold look to the captain, stopping the woman as she talked. "I don't need your apology. I just need you to do your job and get her out safely. They have had her for too long, it's amazing that they didn't kill her already." Jessica heard the anger underneath every single word he said. "I'm taking piston, get your team ready." And with that FBI agent left.

SSA David Ireland watched the two talk. "Cortez." He called her over here, he felt like he should explain. "Everything alright?"

"Rawson." She spoke the other agent's last name. "Is he always that angry?"

"Rawson is one of our best agents. He is very loyal. He doesn't have many people in his life, Messer and Rawson are very close. When she arrived to the team…"

Ireland stopped speaking, letting out a breath. This was "Her story isn't mine to tell, but Rawson took her under his wing. He helped her grow her raw talent into the agent, the person she is today. They share the title as siblings as long as a partner."

Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson comes up to the two. "Everything is in place. We are ready to roll, Cap."

Cortez nods, "Let's head out."

- Lost & Found -

[ 2019, SWAT Headquarters… ]

She swiped through her phone, tapping her foot as she waited for her partner. Mick Rawson let out a laugh, walking behind her. "...waiting long?" He asks, handing her a full cup of coffee.

She glares at him. "I feel like I am always waiting for you." She tells him with a hint of laughter behind her words. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Black, dark as your soul." Mick joked about her coffee choice as she slipped her cellphone into her back pocket of her jeans. "How does it feel, being back here?"

"Odd…" She was here once before, right after the team saved her life. She thanked each of them, her older brother crying giving each of them his thanks.

"Does he know you are here?" He didn't have to elaborate on who the "he" was in that sentence. They both knew who that was. She regretted even telling him. "Have you talked to him since your fight?"

"It was a disagreement, not a fight. And no." She sighs. She hated this, the feeling of weakness. "I have to apologize to him." She knew she was in the wrong. "But just because we are in a relationship, doesn't mean we both can't do our jobs…" And talk about everything else later.

- Lost & Found -

[ Two Nights Ago… ]

"You're roommate is going to be surprised in the morning." Her voice comes as a whisper. She was wearing a pair of joggers and one of Lucas's t-shirts that had the letters across the shirt that spelled out SWAT.

"He's just going to be happy that you are real The team knows about you, too. Street talks, that I haven't been sleeping here at home." Luca says, "You want the last piece?"

She shakes her head. "Naw, I'm good." She leans against the couch, biting her lip for a moment before picking up her beer and bringing it to her lips. "This is nice."

"My couch?" He raises an eyebrow.

She laughs, softly. One of the things she loved about Luca was his sense of humor, he could always seem to make her smile even when he didn't want too. "A home." The two words leave her mouth, the sound of her voice sad almost. "I haven't been to one in a while." Nine and half months ago, life changed for the FBI agent in a big way. She transferred from Washington DC to Los Angeles, instead of looking for a place to live in the city, she has been just living out of one hotel room.

"You should come over more." Luca whispers, he moves the pizza box off the couch and himself a little closer to her. He slowly puts his hand to her thigh, rubbing a small circle to her skin. "I'm worried about you, Iz."

She whispers, looking down. "Dom, you don't have to be worried…I'm fine."

He shakes his head. "I have a right to be worried, Izzy. You are not sleeping and when you sleep, you wake up screaming from nightmares." A small sigh comes from her lips. "You have been in Los Angeles for almost nine months, you have lived in the same hotel room. You haven't looked for a place of your own. I know that you are still scared. With what you went through, I don't blame you."

Her lips shake before speaking, she had a sudden burst of anger stream through her. She lets out a sigh, moving her hand through her hair as she feels her eyes watering. "I'm fine." Lies, they both knew it.

He moves his arm around her, her head settling on his shoulder. "That is the most ridiculous thing I heard coming from your mouth. You are /not/ fine. And it is okay, not to be okay. It is okay to lean on someone else, especially when you are having a hard time. Let me be the person you can lean on."

"Dom…" His nickname leaves her lips as a whisper.

He interrupts her, "This is my way of telling you that you don't have to try so hard. You can lean on me. I'm not going anywhere. Believe me. Trust me."

She moves away from his touch, she saw the hurt in her eyes but couldn't get herself to care. She latched onto the anger instead, "I am fine. I can handle the no sleeping, the nightmares. If they are such a big issue for you, then I can go." She quickly moves to the bedroom where her overnight bag was.

He is up from the couch and right behind her. "Isabella. Stop." She whips around, not saying a word. "This is not turning into a fight. You are not okay, that is a fact. We both know that. If you don't want to talk about it tonight, fine. But we will talk about it. I can't let someone I care about stay in pain."

She knew that the words he was saying were truthful. She was struggling, this move to Los Angeles was harder than she thought it was going to be. This was different for her, leaning on someone that was herself. Before she could speak, Luca wrapped an arm around her body and brought her close to him.

"Don't leave. Stay the night. We'll figure out everything in the morning together." The promise comes from his lips.

- Lost & Found -

[ SWAT Headquarters ]

"SSA Messer and Rawson." Commander Robert Hicks greeted the FBI Agents who have been talking softly to themselves. "I heard you were my trainers today."

The brunette grins, "Hicks. Don't look a day over 80." Jokes, as she brings her arms around the older man. "It's nice to see you."

Hick's lets out a small fit of laughter. "It's nice to see. I wasn't expecting you, though. I thought we had some agents coming from the Critical Incident Response Group."

She shrugs her shoulders. "That is us. The BAU is a division of the CIRG."

"Anyways…" Says the man with the British accent. "We'll need a gym and your teams that are training with us today."

"Come along, Rawson." Hicks says in a soft tone.

Messer rolled her eyes, "Boys boy get along."

- Lost & Found -

"Team one, we have found our two agents for the FBI who will conduct our training for the next two days. Please welcome back, SSA Messer and SSA Rawson." Hicks steps away from the attention in the room.

"Thank you for that warm welcome, Commander Hicks." The last name Messer grabbed three of the SWAT officers' attention. Deacon gave a look to Luca right away, as Luca looked to her. They both gave each other a soft smile. "Good morning," Messer says, taking a step forward and away from her partner. "Rawson and I will be spending the next couple of days with you, training, getting prepared for the worst-case scenarios."

"If you get any calls, with permission from your Commander, we will be joining you." Rawson said from the back.

Messer couldn't help but laugh a little. He hated talking, but always had something to say. "I asked my partner and I to train this team because I know from personal experience what good you can do in this world." She couldn't help but look down, not surprised when she sees Luca staring at her. "A little less than six years ago, you guys saved my life." She lets out a breath of air, she did not know she was holding in. "Hicks said he cleared some space in your parking area for us. We are going roleplay today. With Deacon, starting us off...Let's meet in five, shall we?"

She doesn't wait around for Rawson, before moving out of the room, taking a deep breath in. "Luca." She says in a low voice, twirling on her foot to face him. God, he always seems to take her breath away.

"I miss you." There is sadness in his tone of voice, he could hear it. He takes a step forward, reaching out his hand for a moment before letting it fall to his side. "Did you think about the offer?"

She nods softly. "I am a lot though. Are you sure eight months isn't too soon? And what about Duke? Or your roommate, Street?" She puts her hand over her mouth to stop her from talking.

"Duke loves you. Street likes you, too. They will both learn to live with it. And you can have a home, a home with your loving partner instead of living out of a hotel room." The words come out a lot more calmly than he thought they would. But in the two nights, since they have seen each other, he's been thinking about what to say and how to say it. "Have a home, have a place to put your guard down. Don't overthink it…"

"Okay…"

He looked at her with a surprise. "What?"

"I'm not overthinking it, Luca. I said okay. But we will talk about it after I kick your ass in the roleplay. Meet you upstairs." She lets out a laugh.