Andrew a Walsh lived on a quiet residential street. There was a car in the driveway whose tags came back as his. Andy parked in front of the house.

Andy's phone rang as Traci stepped out of the car. "It's Dov. Go ahead, I'll catch up."

"McNally," she answered.

"Where are you guys at?", Dov asked without preamble.

"We just got to the Walsh house, why?"

"Don't go in! Wait for Backup! We think he's our guy."

Andy looked up to see Traci at the door. She had been talking through the cracked door that still had the chain on. The door was just closing. Andy threw the phone on the passenger seat and sprung out her door.

"TRAC-"

BANG, BANG, BANG

Traci was down before Andy even finished yelling her name. The shooter turned her attention to Andy and started firing in her direction.

Bullets shattered the windows and embedded in the side panel of the squad car. Andy dropped behind its frame, drew her gun, and screamed into her radio, "1514, 10-33 OFFICER DOWN! REPEAT, 10-33 OFFICER DOWN! I'M UNDER FIRE IN COVER! I NEED BACKUP AND A BUS!" She didn't hear the response but could hear sirens in the distance. She peeked up and fired 4 rounds at the doorway through the window frames of the car. Then everything was quiet. Andy didn't think she hit anyone, didn't hear anybody scream.

Traci was still conscious, although the blood loss was threatening that. She crawled herself to the side of the porch, placing herself against the brick wall of the house next to the driveway, relative safety for the time being out of the firing lane.

Andy didn't know how many times or how badly Traci had been hit but couldn't make a move towards her without knowing for certain that the shooter or shooters were down. She yelled into the radio again for backup and made out that they were just arriving on scene. She turned her head and Saw Diaz pull up with his rookie Marcy Zettle. They both crab walked over to Andy's position. Zettle kept her gun trained on the door while Chris got on his radio, "1504 on scene at 10-33. Downed officer has moved to some cover, cannot confirm condition."

"Tell backup to kick it in the ass," Andy said into her own radio.

Soon after, an unmarked squad pulled up and Anderson and Epstein got out and crouched behind their doors for cover. They had stopped around the corner and grabbed vests from the trunk before pulling up. There were many more sires off in the distance but things were at a stalemate here. Dov stepped out from behind the car door and moved up to check on Traci since he was best positioned to do so and didn't put himself in the line of fire. When he signaled that he was going to move her behind Frankie's car, Andy, Chris, and Marcy emptied their magazines into the house as covering fire while Frankie kept her weapon trained towards the side of the house. When the deafening round of gunfire ceased, things were again silent, save for the approaching sirens.

At that moment, Gail arrived on scene with her rookie, Jake Fox. Andy got on the radio and told them to go around back. She then took a moment to evaluate the scene around her. Chris and Marcy had their guns trained on the front of the house while Frankie still kept hers pointed towards the side of the house. Maybe a door or window over there , Andy figured. Dov was applying pressure to Traci's wounds and yelling things towards his phone lying on the road next to Traci. Gail and Jake had disappeared from her line of sight, around the corner of the house. Additional units were also arriving from all directions and taking up defensive positions and forming a perimeter. One lined up with Frankie's car and Dov popped the back door, got in, and lifted Traci inside with him. The car took off and turned at the first corner, getting her to a secure position for an ambulance.

Andy reached inside her bullet riddled car to grab the loudspeaker. "We have the house surrounded. Come out slowly with your hands up. Don't make this worse."

Gail's voice came over the radio, "This is Peck, we got a light in a basement window. Looks small, maybe a T.V. or a computer. No door back here, I'll keep monitering.

Next came Frankie, "I got a side door over here, window is too small to make anything out.

Then Oliver got on the radio, "ETF is 10 minutes out, do not enter the house. I repeat, do not enter the house. Keep a perimeter. I'm on my way.

So that is the way things stayed for 7 minutes. Everybody tense. Andy had tried a couple more times to talk the guy out of the house telling him things along the lines of ETF is on the way and it would be easier if he came out before then. She was about to try a third time when Gail came back on the radio, "Light just went out back here." Then more gun shots rang out, this time from the side that Frankie was covering. She dropped down as bullets smacked across the windshield. Andy yelled into her radio that they were taking fire again, this time from the west side of the house. Nobody had a clear shot and Frankie was completely pinned down.

"ETF is 2 minutes out," Oliver said over the radio. Andy knew how many different ways this could play out in 2 minutes. Many of them bad. She looked to Chris, "We can't wait." He nodded. Apparently, Gail felt the same way because she came on the radio, "I'm at the southwest corner." Frankie's car was still taking sustained fire from the west side of the house. "I've got a shot on the door."

Before anybody could reply, Gail fired 5 shots through the door and window. Then everything was quiet again. Gail moved up to the door while Frankie got back in position and trained her gun on the entry way. Gail opened the door and sidestepped to see inside. Frankie moved up to flank her. Walsh was dead, 3 of Gail's shots had struck him. One in the forearm, one in the shoulder, and the kill shot in the neck. Beside him was a hunting rifle and he had a 9mm sticking out of his waistband.

ETF arrived on scene and cleared the house. Oliver arrived just before ETF pronounced it clear and he went inside with Frankie. Dov was at the hospital with Traci and everyone else besides Fox had fired their weapon and had to give statements to SIU.

"They walked in on him trying to bolt," Frankie surmised from the bag of clothes and necessities by the door. "hopefully Nash can fill us in on what said before he started shooting."

"Who was this guy? Why all of this?", Oliver asked taking in the scene.

"Andrew Walsh, single father of an only child. That son dies of an overdose on Los Viboras dope. We can't make any case. He suspects Rojas' of selling it to his son. He reaches out to Mary Daniels to help him figure out options once it's clear we can't make a case. She invests herself in his struggle, genuinely wanting to help, even now 2.5 years later. She's able to identify Rojas and shares the information with Walsh. He then tries to frame him for a robbery. The Detective working the case determines that Rojas couldn't have done it and told Walsh there was nothing he could do. Walsh starts working with Ms. Daniels again and eventually he tracks down Rojas. Decides to kill him but comes up with a plan to frame him for Daniels' murder. Walsh was the guy who found her and called 911 according to the report. Instead, he killed her then called it in. He justified having her blood on him by saying he tried to help and stop the bleeding. Afterwards once the heat dies down on her case, he knows where Rojas lives and breaks in when he's not there. Waits for Rojas to come home, kills him makes it look like a suicide."

"With the gun from the pawn shop frame job?"

"Right, to corroborate Walsh's version of events where Rojas stole the gun during the incident. And establishing Rojas' possession of the gun. Then he plants the knife on the scene and wraps Rojas' fingers around it. While we try to make sense of it all, Walsh would slip away." She pointed back to the bag at the door.

"There are a lot of assumptions in there, detective. But with all three people dead and no trial, I guess it doesn't matter. You don't think there are any more players do you."

"No reason to. I'm good with signing off on it. There were no other leads in her death, these three are all clearly connected to each other, and the case is otherwise completely cold. Mary Daniels' family will be happy to get closure. Nobody will lose any sleep over Rojas, even if he was innocent. And Walsh won't get any sympathy considering his actions here today."

"No, he will not. Good work today, detective. Let's try to keep it less exciting next time, though." Oliver walked out of the house and back towards his truck and found Andy leaning against it.

"Dov called," she said. "Traci's out of surgery, she's still in guarder condition but stable. They say she's getting better, should be alright. Only one of the shots hit her."

"That's great news, you want to head over there?"

"I could use a lift," she looked over at the swarm of forensic techs around her squad car.

"Hop in."

On the way there, Sam called saying he had finally gotten out of the courtroom. Andy told him about the shootout. After convincing Sam that she was fine, with Oliver confirming that, she was able to tell him that Traci was in the hospital, Dov might have saved her life, and Gail had killed the shooter.

"Ah, hell. Is she going to be okay? Do you know?"

"Dov's with her. The docs think so. Oliver and I are heading over there now."

"Okay I'll meet you there. You sure you're alright?"

"I'm rattled, you know. Coming down from the adrenaline rush."

"But you're not hurt?"

"No, I'm not hurt."

"Okay, I love you McNally. I'll see you soon."

"Love you too."

Sam flashed his badge at the desk outside the recovery ward and the security guard buzzed him through. He found Andy seated in the waiting room with a bunch of other cops mingling around. Diaz was seated next to her but got up when he saw Sam coming down the hall. He patted Diaz on the back and placed his right arm around Andy as he sat down. She had her head back eyes shut but rolled into him. They stayed like that for a long time. After a time, a lot of the cops began trickling out to go home or back to 15 once Traci was in recovery. Her mom had brought Leo over and they were inside the recovery room. Eventually Andy and Sam were all that were left.

"I want to stay just a little longer, in case anything happens," she told Sam.

"Don't worry about it, honey. If you want to stay then I want to stay."

And stay they did until the hours for visitors ended. Boo's sitter had called while they were at the hospital but told them not to worry, she would keep Boo overnight and they could get him tomorrow. Boo loved it there and she loved Boo so it didn't bother anyone. They crashed as soon s they laid down at home, exhausted from the long day.

The alarm rang way too early and they were back at it for another shift. The day was pretty bland, by comparison. Sam stayed in and caught up on paperwork. Andy's biggest excitement came on a traffic stop that resulted in an arrest for a bench warrant. Pretty tame stuff. The overall highlight was Oliver announcing in parade that he was recommending Detective Epstein and Officer Peck for the Merit Mark for exceptional bravery in the line of duty. So, that night everyone went to the Penny after shift for a celebratory round or two. Sam and Andy left the party still in full swing to stop by the hospital and check in on Traci. Her condition had been upgraded to stable and would probably be out of the hospital in a week. Back to full duty in a month-and-a-half or so. She was excited for the Dov/Gail news as well.

"Now he's definitely keeping that detective's post," Traci remarked.

"Yeah, looks like I'm stuck with him," Sam smiled.

"And now Gail has something to flaunt at the Peck family dinners. That should thrill her. Oliver also stopped by here at lunch and told me he has a permanent partner lined up for me when I get back. I guess he doesn't want me solo after this."

"Ooh, who is it?" Andy was totally intrigued.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me. He said he's still lining everything up, but that it's not somebody new to the division."

"Mysterious, that should get the rumor mill going."

"He told me I shouldn't tell anybody yet until it's finalized so, maybe, keep it off the rumor mill for the time being."

"Fine, it'll just be our little secret, girl-to-girl."

Sam cleared his throat from behind his wife, "Aren't you forgetting about someone?"

They both looked at him and laughed.

Sam just shook his head, grinning.

A/N: That's the end of the first major story. Thank you for all the positive reviews and support, they mean a lot. I hope you enjoy the future stories as much and I look forward to this journey with you guys.