Okay, this is Chapter 5, and actually, Chapter 6 is kinda like Chapter 5 continued. You'll understand later.
Okay, I wanna try this whole thanking everybody individually...
patricia: The past tradegy is bad...the next one is worse. Just how sad it is depends on how you take it, and how evil I am (and I'm evil). Sorry, but what happened to them will remain a mystery for a few more chapters. I can't seem to fit in a place to explain it...but I will! Promise!
foureverCharmed: Your name reminds me of that song "Forever Young"...Never mind me...Patience is good. It's very good. Glad you love it, and I know it's hard!
kk241289: I'm sure you're clueless. I'm glad. Actually, I'm quite pleased.
Pink Volleyballs: Thanks. Love ur name. You play volleyball?
scullymulder1234: OMG! I updated--like you asked!
pip: I know it's good. (can I say egotistic?)
MayOst: Thanks:-) It's one of my favorites!
piperleo4eva: To update or not to update...I like it. But I don't think it's a question. I shall update whether you want me to or not! ha ha! And yes, we do need to come up with something better than "update soon". I agree. By the way, Brunettes always have more fun! We party on every day that ends with "y"!
meenyrocks: What did I say about Piper? Did I miss something? Oh, the redhead is Jacob's girlfriend, but no one's met her yet, is all. She's not like a terrorist or anything...lol...She could show up in later chapters, though I don't have all too much use for her...
Nakita: You know, I had a hamster with the same name, only it was Makita...I named her after a power tool. I coulda put some more fluff in, yeah...In the situation, though, and where they were and all, it was the best I could do. I'm pretty sure this has the same-ish amount of fluff, but that's because they're drunk.
Chub: Um...You're welcome?
Chapter 5 - Hell's Haven
The next day, the Wyatts led their new coworkers into the police station. Jake had already been there before but Kevin, Josh, and Alex had not.
"Welcome to our world…" Leo started. "Okay, let's give a warm welcome to our new grunt workers: Josh Alton, Kevin Dell, Alex Monroe, and—drum roll please…" Leo paused a second. "Jacob Wyatt!"
"Oh God, another Wyatt," Jamie, another officer, sighed. She was kind and easy to work with, but she had a little bit of a narcissistic relationship with her blonde hair.
"Hey! What's so bad about being a Wyatt? You're just jealous," Ron said.
"Jealous about what?"
"Lots of things!"
"A whole wagon-full!" Jake added to defend his brother.
"Oh really?" Jamie questioned, raising one eyebrow. "And what might some of those things be?"
The three Wyatt brothers took turns speaking.
"Charm," Ron said.
"Sex," Leo put in.
"Apparently, considering this new girlfriend I heard little Jacob has…" Jamie laughed to herself.
Jake struck a pose and a dramatic stage voice. "Yes, the girls love me…My hair, my eyes, my ass—"
"Jeez, are you the gay one?" Adam asked Jacob, walking past them.
Mike ran up to Leo from the back office. "We've got a problem."
It was a scene, too. An eight-year-old girl holding her baby sister tight, trying to stop the baby from crying; a body lying in the grass with a tarp covering it, a hand sticking out; a man sitting in one of the four police cars with handcuffs. Some neighbors were coming out of their houses, others too afraid. The young girl with her baby sister stood alone in the grass, looking away from her mother's body under the tarp. She hid the baby's face in her arm and held back her tears.
Leo ran up to an officer and asked what happened.
"The dad went mad. Shot his wife in front of the two kids when they were playing outside."
"Why is the body still here? There's an ambulance right there to—"
"No one's come by to take it yet."
"Then why aren't the kids inside? Who's taking care of them?"
"You."
Leo groaned. "Fine, then I'll take the case and file the report." He glared at the officer and ran onto the lawn and up to the little girl. He knelt in front of her. "Hey, do you know who I am?" he asked softly.
The girl nodded. She didn't look at him. "Cop."
"So you think she'll be okay?" Mike asked. He and Leo were on their way to Hell's Haven, but Mike didn't know that yet. They had spent almost three hours finding a social worker, handing the girl over to DCFS with all the papers, and filing the report.
"No." Leo's eyes were glued to the road. The sun was setting, and they had just left the station. "The little girl and her sister will go into the care of foster parents. They're never okay…"
"Right. Hey, where are we going?"
"Hell's Haven."
Mike knew what Hell's Haven was, and he, like many other people in the outskirts of San Francisco, had been there before. "Why?"
"We rented it out for the night. We're getting a few people sworn in."
"Who?"
"Some new guys and my brother. We have a party when someone new comes." Leo paused a few seconds. "And you didn't get one because the IA assigned you. If you had graduated into the station, we'd be having a party for you, too."
"Gee, thanks. So who'll all be there?"
"Everyone from the station."
"What, no families?"
"Oh, yeah, wives, too, if that's what you mean. Well…and Jamie's boyfriend, and the other girls' husbands."
"So does that mean I get to meet Piper?" Mike asked. He'd been meaning to talk to Leo's wife. Adam had said that she was the one who could help Leo warm up to him, even if only a little bit.
"That means you get to stay away from her."
"Okay, okay."
It only took a few minutes to get to Hell's Haven. When they did, Piper was standing just inside the door, watching them. When the doors on either side of the car opened and Mike and Leo stepped out, she came outside with her arms out.
"Well, well, well, look who blew in!" She made her way up to him, but didn't yet acknowledge Mike. Truth be told, she was focused on Leo, and hadn't really noticed Mike yet. "Hey," she said with a smile. He smiled back at her and she pulled him down for a passionate kiss.
"Hey, Baby."
She grinned. "I've been here a while, you know."
"I can tell." He could smell and taste the tequila on her breath. She must have thrown down a shot or two already. "So where's my little Jakey-poo?" he joked.
"Inside," Piper answered. When Leo didn't respond, she added, "Yeah, I know, Alyssa's inside, too."
"Mmm, how do you know what I'm thinking?" Leo asked, pulling Piper up to him.
She moved up closer so that her lips were barely touching his. "I'm physic," she whispered.
"You must be." Leo kissed her.
When they pulled apart, Piper stepped back a half a step. "Okay, Ron's here, but only for like ten minutes, because Marie's gonna page him pretty soon, I think. And if she doesn't, he'll come up with an excuse to go see Lauren. So if you want to see him, then now's the chance."
"A day old and that baby has him wrapped around her finger."
"Yeah, well…Marie's with my sisters over at Phoebe's place. I booked us to go over and see the baby tomorrow, so you're free for lunch tomorrow. I already talked to Adam." Piper nodded to herself.
"And if something comes up?"
"Then you'd better put your niece before your job," Piper warned, "or there'll be hell to pay. And I mean from me, too. Eighteen years means nothing to me if you skip out on family," Piper warned.
Leo held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll be there. I promise." He remembered Mike, who was standing a few feet away from them. He cleared his throat. "Piper, this is my, uh, partner, Mike Connor. Mike, this is my wife, Piper."
Piper shook Mike's hand, giving him the once-over. He seemed nice enough, a good-looking guy. Leo had already told her how much he hated working with partners, so she knew that his man would probably have a hard time. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Mike."
"Likewise."
Piper smiled. She had already decided to keep the talk small to a minimum and stick close to her husband and keep him out of trouble.
From across the parking lot inside the bar, there was a roar of cheering suddenly and someone was thrown out a large open window of Hell's Haven. Piper, Leo, and Mike looked toward the bar and saw Jake scrambling to his feet from the ground.
"Welcome to the precinct!" Adam's voice came from inside.
Just as Jake made it to his feet and brushed his clothes off with his hands, Kevin was also thrown out the window at him. They toppled over to the ground and Josh and Alex hit the ground.
"I swear, I turn my back on them for one minute and they do something like this!" Piper groaned. "I'll be inside," she told Leo. She turned away and stomped off toward the bar. "I can't even trust them for a single minute! They're like little kids! They just need a babysitter! Get a new babysitter!" she yelled, thinking out loud to herself. She opened the door to the bar. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Leo and Mike could hear her yell.
"So that's Piper."
Leo grinned. "Yeah."
"She looked like she'd had a few drinks."
"Yeah," he said again. He licked his lips and could taste the tequila from Piper's mouth still on him. "C'mon."
They walked through the parking lot, went inside, and found a group of people around a table, counting seconds aloud. As they moved forward, they saw that Piper was racing Adam and Cortez. Each of them had a mug of beer. Piper finished first and slammed hers down on the table. "Time!"
"Damn it!" Cortez leaned back in his seat.
"Hey hey, boys, who kicked your sorry asses?" Piper asked Adam and Cortez. She stood up from the table and Adam's wife Kristina handed her a bottle of Bud Light. Piper thanked her and found Leo. "Guess what I did?" She sounded like a child.
"What'd you do?"
"I whipped 'em."
He patter her on the back. "Good girl!"
"Don't I get a victory reward?" she asked slyly.
He looked down at her, watched her take a long pull of beer. When he spoke, they both knew he was joking, but he sounded so serious. "Sure. Take another shot, drink another beer, sing another song, and meet me in the storage room in an hour."
Holy crap, watch this! >> omg! >> $&() ! weeeeeeeee! oh my god, are they really back? Is it true? Damn, what are we gonna complain about now?
I'll get the next one up this weekend. I'm having some fun with this fic...