This fic is for 'ShadowB3e' and a follow up to my BTHB story 'A Partner's Always Got Your Back', in which Nancy learns of the break-up after responding to a bar fight and finding an injured TK in the middle of it. That's about all you need to know to understand this one. Enjoy!

Thanks writeallnight for all the help. I couldn't do this without you!


Nancy knocked on the door and shuffled on the spot as she waited. She was sure this was the right thing to do but she was still a little nervous. Luckily she didn't have to question her decision for long since the door opened almost immediately.

"Nancy, hi," Carlos greeted, trying to sound nonchalant but unable to hide his surprise.

"Hey, Carlos." Nancy took in his appearance and felt like she was intruding on a personal moment. His curls were wild and messy, like he had run his fingers through them a lot, and he was wearing sweats and a gray t-shirt. It was what she assumed TK's Carlos was like, domestic on an off-shift morning, laidback and unconcerned, and not at all like she was used to seeing the typically pristine officer.

"TK's not here," Carlos said. He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and stood there blinking sluggishly at her.

"No, I know." Nancy took in Carlos' tired demeanor and the bags under his eyes. It was obvious her partner wasn't the only one hurting. "He's at my house. Nursing one hell of a headache and probably regretting his life choices, but -"

"Is he okay? Did he get hurt?" Carlos cut her off, his voice shaking.

"He's alright," she assured him. "But that's not why I'm here. How are you, Carlos?"

"Me? I'm fine," Carlos said defensively, and for a moment she wondered if he was about to shut the door in her face, but he only stepped back and vaguely motioned inside. "Want to come in?"

Nancy nodded and handed him the pastry box she'd been carrying. "I brought breakfast."

Carlos hummed his thanks and walked to the kitchen. He stayed quiet as he busied himself, grabbing plates and starting the coffee machine.

Nancy sat on a stool at the kitchen counter while Carlos worked. She had been to Carlos' home enough times to know the space was always immaculate, but today there were dirty plates and glasses in the sink, empty takeout boxes on the dining table, and an unmade bed in the room she could see deeper in the apartment.

"Thank you for bringing this," Carlos said. He set a cinnamon roll on a plate and passed it to Nancy then cut a quarter of one and set it on a plate for himself. He poured coffee in two mugs and sat on a stool next to Nancy.

"Not hungry?" Nancy asked, brows pinched in worry.

"Not really." Carlos shrugged and took a tentative bite. "It's really good." Despite his words he didn't seem too interested.

"So, how are you, really?" Nancy asked after a moment of quiet.

Carlos paused mid bite. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Nancy rolled her eyes and took another bite. "Don't play dumb with me, Reyes. You know why I'm here. TK told me you guys broke up."

"Oh," Carlos breathed out and in between the two letters his demeanor crumbled.

"What happened?" Nancy wondered.

"TK didn't tell you?" Carlos asked, sounding interested in the conversation for the first time.

"No." Nancy took a sip of her coffee and waited to see if Carlos would explain.

"So, what happened to TK?" Carlos shifted uncomfortably and changed the topic, much to Nancy's disappointment. "You said he's nursing a headache. Did he," he cut himself off, swallowed hard, "He didn't, right?"

"No," Nancy said quickly, wanting to ease that specific concern. "Bar fight." Nancy frowned when he didn't react and added, "You don't seem surprised."

"No," Carlos said simply, "I guess I'm not." He shrugged and looked down, using his fork to play with the pastry on his plate.

"Not the first time?" Nancy asked. That made sense; only experience and one too many fights could have kept TK from ending up on a stretcher last night.

"Not my story to tell." That answer alone was enough for concern, especially coupled with last night's events. So, Nancy made a mental note to keep an eye on TK for the foreseeable future.

Nancy nodded and they fell into silence. Quietly, they finished their cinnamon rolls and drank their coffee and only when the silence had become oppressive did Nancy talk again. "I answered all your questions, so now it's your turn. How are you doing?"

Carlos inhaled, released it out slowly. He ran a hand down his face, then his fingers through his curls, tugging at the end in frustration before walking to the sink under the pretense of doing the dishes. It was only when his back was to Nancy that he finally answered, "What do you want me to say, Nance? That I'm not doing well? That I haven't slept soundly in days? That I miss him?"

Nancy walked to Carlos and hugged him. He tensed at first, then relaxed and sank into her arms, clearly in need of comfort. "I'm sorry," Nancy whispered, wishing she could say more. Wishing she could do more.

"Want to tell me what happened?" she asked when Carlos pulled back.

Carlos shook his head and said nothing as he went back to washing the dishes.

"Anything I can do to help?" Nancy tried, wishing her healing skills extended to a broken heart.

He shook his head again, but this time turned around to look at her. "This. Just this. Thank you for stopping by, for checking on me. Now that," he stumbled through his words, "Without TK- I wasn't sure if… You know."

"You're my friend too, Carlos," Nancy assured, understanding the meaning behind Carlos' broken words. "Not because of TK, but because of you. And I'm sure the rest of the 126 would agree. You're one of us."

Carlos nodded this time, his words failing him in this unfamiliar, fragile state. But he took a breath and pushed through. "I've never broken up with seven people at the same time. But that's what this feels like." He laughed and looked down, embarrassed.

Nancy's eyes softened. It was hard when your life was so intertwined with a partner that you no longer knew where one of you ended and the other began. She assumed he had other friends, maybe even some on the force, but his life had become so tied up with TK's that he was basically part of the 126 in everything but job title.

She checked her watch. "I have a shift so I have to head out." She fixed him with a hard look as she stood. "I don't know what went wrong between you guys. Clearly neither of you want to talk about it. But I really hope you can fix whatever it was." She reached over and gave his arm a squeeze. "Don't give up on each other."

Carlos nodded but didn't respond and she turned toward the door. "Can you call me if anything else happens to him?" he asked, the words quick as if he had been trying to hold them back but they'd come out anyway.

Nancy nodded, pleased. "You can call him too, you know."

"I can, but he will probably not answer," Carlos said, a trace of bitterness in his tone.

"Okay," Nancy acknowledged. She walked to the door and Carlos followed. "I expect to see you at my apartment at the next 126 hangs." When he opened his mouth to protest, she glared at him and said, "No excuses, Reyes. You're stuck with us now."

Carlos couldn't help but smile, grateful beyond words to still be considered a friend. "I'll be there," he promised.

"Don't forget Andrea's taquitos," Nancy threw over her shoulder. She chuckled at his startled look and said, more seriously this time, "And call if you need anything. No matter when or time of day. I'm here for you."

Carlos' choked up thank you was the last thing she heard as she stepped inside the elevator and pressed the button to the lobby.

Nancy hadn't known what to expect from her visit to Carlos' place. What she found there didn't exactly set her nerves at ease and now she doesn't only have to worry about one idiot paramedic but also a stubborn cop. But at least she knows for sure that her friends are still in love and if they need a little push in the right direction she's happy to be the one to shove them off a cliff if that would get them back together.


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