Everything We Are - Chapter 3

by Kadi

Rated: M

Disclaimer: It's not my sandbox, I'm only visiting for a time.

A/N: I admit it. Flynngasm is my word. It became a thing. I should say that I am sorry. Instead I will say: You should always tweet responsibly!

Earthquakes. The barely four-pointers that did nothing more than rattle the windows and cause superficial damage. They were more annoying than almost anything. Phone circuits were tied up all over the city. Traffic was hell. There was the usual mix of panic and cynicism, indifference, and excitement. It would all die down by evening, and everyone would forget, at least until the next one. These were regular occurrences.

The LAPD had specific guidelines in place for handling the situation. Calls were routed through the switchboard and handled by patrol, traffic, and emergency services. With the circuits busy and the roads a mess, it wasn't at all unusual that they didn't hear from the Captain and Flynn during the first two hours following the earthquake. Traffic in Los Angeles could be an all day kind of nightmare. As far as Lieutenant Provenza was concerned, better them than him. Although, he did agree, they were rather poor bastards for being stuck out in it.

With nothing else to do except be on standby for emergency assistance, just like the rest of the LAPD, the team continued working on their current case. It was a plaintively crying child that drew their attention away from it.

A few hours had passed and it was just after lunch when one of the young aids from Daycare stepped into the Murder Room. She had a crying Ian in her arms and his day bag draped over her shoulder. The child's cries got their notice before she ever spoke. When the Lieutenant scowled at her, she almost took a step back. "I'm sorry, sir. I was looking for Captain Raydor or Lieutenant Flynn. I haven't been able to reach them by phone, obviously, and—" She had to stop when Ian's cries grew in pitch and volume. Having seen someone he recognized, he was reaching for the person.

"They were out of the office when the pandemonium started." Provenza rose from his desk and walked over to take the child. "What is all the racket?" He settled the toddler against his chest and bounced him. "You don't carry on like this." Truthfully, none of them had scene such a tantrum out of the boy, although they had heard about it. To hear Flynn tell it, there was usually just about one thing that could console the kid. "When did this start?" He glared at the aid, the boy looked like he'd been crying for a while.

"A bit ago," she admitted. "The children were a little rattled by the earthquake. Ian was asking for his parents, and when we weren't able to get them on the phone for him…" She trailed off, the rest of the statement not necessary.

"Figures." Provenza waved her off. "Alright, go, get out of here. I don't know why you just didn't bring him up to begin with. Honestly, the lack of thought in some people!" He huffed and grumbled as he carried Ian back to his desk, patting his back the whole way.

Julio chuckled quietly and got up to get the boy's bag. "Thanks," he said quietly. "We've got him. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Provenza sat the boy on his desk so that they were eye level and tapped his nose to get his attention. "Now listen little Flynn," he began. "There's no reason to be making so much noise. Your mom and dad will be back soon."

Ian's hands slapped against his own face and his head fell back as he cried. "Mama-Mama-Mama," he hiccuped, between sobs.

"Hey, little man!" Julio scooped him up and held him. "Look what I've got." He had the police car that he knew was Ian's favorite toy, from the few occasions where he had babysat the boy. "Check it out chico, you know, mom's not looking. We could go for a ride in a real one."

Provenza snorted. "Oh yes, she would just love that." He watched Julio pace with the boy, using a far more soothing tone that he felt like employing at the moment. Ian's cries were growing less intense in volume, but he continued to whimper and sniffle.

"What is this?" Taylor stepped into the room, having heard the noise down the hall.

"Someone is missing his parents, sir." Julio answered as he bounced the toddler in his arms. "Lieutenant Flynn and the Captain were checking a lead when the earthquake happened. We can't reach their cells, and the roads are, well…" He shrugged. No one had to really go into detail about the hell that was Los Angeles traffic. "We tried them on the radio in Lieutenant Flynn's service vehicle, but they haven't responded." Which wouldn't be unusual either. "They could be rendering aid."

"The kids got a little rattled," Provenza stated. "The idiots down in the daycare didn't consider that maybe, when they couldn't console him, they could try reaching someone he knew. Instead, they allowed him to cry for a while, and now… you can see the evidence."

"Yes I can," Taylor frowned, not liking the sound of that. He made a mental note to check on things with the Daycare Supervisor. They couldn't expect the officers that worked in the building to be willing to trust their children in the center if things like this were the result. "Tell you what," he smirked a bit when Ian reached for him. It was an never-ending source of amusement for Taylor that the boy had taken to him as he had, considering who the parents - or more to the point, who the father was. "Hey now, that's better isn't it?" He'd stopped whimpering, but continued to sniffle. "I've got some pretty interesting things back in my office, and my assistant makes the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet. So you are going to come with me."

"Plane." Ian sniffled hopefully.

"That's right. I've got the airplanes." Taylor grinned down at him. "While you and I are checking that out, you're other friends here are going to go and see if they can find Mom and Dad." He shot a pointed look at the Lieutenant. "Maybe check out where you knew they were supposed to be. I don't like having my officers where I can't find them. Isn't that right little man?"

"Yep, yep, yep," he hiccuped.

"And if they happen to be stuck in the absolute hell that is the traffic out there," Provenza stated. "What is sending us out there going to accomplish?"

"My being able to truthfully explain to a certain Captain that we all know that we did our due diligence to reach her. Plus, I can't exactly send him home with anyone, can I? So young Mr. Flynn will come with me, and your team will get to work finding his parents, your Captain."

"Right." Provenza sighed. That meant having to call down to Traffic. Those yahoos just loved their division. Already there would be helicopters in the air, so at least they wouldn't be pushing out valuable resources just to find a couple of wayward sheep. "Absolutely," he drawled, and not without a little sarcasm. "We'll get right on that, Chief."

"See that you do." Taylor bounced Ian in his arms again. "Come on my little friend. Let's go check out those cookies."

"Cookie!" His eyes brightened, looking more green than hazel.

Provenza waited until they were gone to roll his eyes. "Yes, because she's going to love that just as much."

Julio began to laugh. "I'm waiting to see the look on the Lieutenant's face, sir." His grin was altogether too gleeful. "You know how he feels about the Chief."

"Oh, I know," Provenza drawled as he stood. "Believe me, I know." He took his jacket off the back of his chair and slipped it on. "Alright people, you heard the man. Let's go get lost in traffic for a while. As if we don't have anything better to do."

"I'll stay here," Buzz decided. "In case they get back, or they get a call through. I might even be able to get a call to Rusty. If he can get down here, he can rescue Ian from the Chief."

"Good thinking," Provenza decided. "The rest of you, let's roll."

The team filed out of the murder room, headed to their respective cars. With lights and sirens they would be able to move through town more easily, and in the meantime, radioed the situation and the Chief's orders to Traffic and Patrol divisions. With a traffic helicopter above, the team backtracked to the address they'd given Flynn and the Captain earlier that morning.

It took all of two hours, even with lights and sirens, to reach the destination. Traffic lights and signals were back up and working throughout the city, but it would take some time for the congestion of traffic to clear out.

They found Flynn's car in front of the apartment building. Julio squinted at it from behind his shades. "This is not good, sir." To further complicate matters, there were several emergency vehicles in front of the building as well. There was a pair of ambulances, along with fire and rescue, and two squad cars.

"We don't know that for sure," Although Provenza was inclined to believe him. "Let's check it out." He pushed out of the car and signaled for Tao and Sykes to join them. Provenza flashed his badge at the emergency personnel as they crossed the barriers that had been put up. "What's going on?"

"Structural collapse," one of the uniform patrol officers replied. "Stairwell caved in. There are people trapped on all floors, we're getting them out until the city inspector's office can determine if anyone is getting back in there or not."

Something in his gut clenched. Provenza's jaw clenched for a moment. "Has anyone from Major Crimes checked in here? We had people inside, and one of my guys' cars is still parked here."

"Not that I've heard," the officer, Mills, reported. "You might check with the Lieutenant over there," he nodded to the fireman coordinating the efforts. "It's been pretty slow going. The residents are taking their damned time getting essentials packed."

"Of course they are," Provenza grumbled. He plucked his hat onto his head and strode toward the indicated officer. "Lieutenant," he flashed his badge again. "Provenza, Major Crimes. Has anyone else from my division checked in? I'm looking for a Flynn and Raydor. They were checking out a lead here right around the time that the earthquake would have hit."

"Lieutenant Davis," he replied. He pushed his helmet back and considered them. "The only LAPD we've had are those working the line," He nodded to the barriers, and the officers keeping people back once they were escorted out. "Are you sure they were here?"

"Lieutenant Flynn's car is still here," Sanchez supplied. "It was parked out on the street. We haven't been able to reach him, or Captain Raydor."

"Lieutenant, Nolan here." The fireman held up a hand when his radio lit up with static. "Go ahead Nolan. What have you got?"

"It sounds like we've got people trapped in the old elevator shaft," he reported. "We've heard banging, but we can't risk getting to them yet."

"Understood. I'll send in Rescue Squad to assist. Hey, Nolan," The lieutenant asked as an afterthought. "Have you run into any LAPD officers in there? We've got a Lieutenant from Major Crimes saying he had people inside, including their Captain."

"Negative, so far just residents. I'll pass the world up. If we find them, we'll let him know."

"Copy that." The Lieutenant flashed a sympathetic look at them. "I'm sorry folks, but we don't have anything yet."

"Right." It didn't sit well with him. Provenza sighed. "What are your plans for the building?"

"After we get all the residents out, we'll start moving through the debris. Search and Rescue…" He paused, "Or recovery."

"Is there anything that we can do to help," Sanchez asked. "We're not going to leave until we know about our people."

"We'll take all the help we can get," The Lieutenant stated. "But I need you all outside the structure. If you can keep people out, we'd appreciate it. If your guys were in there, we'll find them."

"Yeah, thanks." Provenza wasn't filled with a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings, but then, he rarely was. "Alright people, you heard the man. Spread out on the line. Let's help Patrol keep these people organized. Tao, radio back to Central, let the Chief know what's going on," he gave him a pointed look. They were going to need to get ahold of someone, soon, to pick up Ian. Either Rusty, or Flynn's daughter.

"Right." Tao turned and jogged back to his car to send the message.

"This day just went from bad," Provenza muttered to Julio, "to seriously screwed up."

"Yes sir," the detective agreed. He walked toward the street to take position with patrol, but he was thinking of a little smile and a pair of big, hazel eyes.

To save the battery on Flynn's phone, since it seemed that they were indeed going to be there a while, they had turned off the flashlight app. Sharon sat, still reclined against her husband's chest. His arms were around her, and the pair of them were studying the phone. They still had no signal, although for about two seconds it seemed as if they could have had a bar. Every half an hour, they'd get up and move around the room, trying to get it back. So far there had been no luck.

"That is not a word. You're cheating." Sharon tipped her head back and huffed at him. They might not have been able to get a call or text out, or reach a wireless network for internet access on the smart phone, but they could access the independent apps, such as Scrabble.

"It's not cheating when it takes the word. Triple word score, read 'em and weep baby." His chin was resting against his shoulder. He turned his face inward and kissed the side of her neck. "Don't be a sore loser."

"The phone is obviously more damaged than we thought," Sharon sniffed. "I can say, with absolute certainty, that Flynngasm is not a word."

"You seemed to enjoy it last night," He drawled. His hand slid up her belly to rest just beneath her breasts.

She snorted and dug her elbow into his middle. "That's a situation which can be corrected." Sharon smirked back at him, only just able to make out his features in the glow from the phone's screen.

"I'd be more concerned if I didn't know you so well," Andy waggled his brows at her.

It wasn't so much the expression, as the tone of his voice that indicated the look on his face. Sharon's head tilted, while her brow rose. "Would you like to test that theory, Mr. Flynn?"

With her voice dipping the way it did, a shiver ran down his back. He could just picture her, lips pursed and eyes gleaming. "Sounds like an interesting challenge, Mrs. Flynn." He shifted her on his lap, and in the darkness, he smirked.

"Hmm," she hummed. "We'll see about that," she drawled thickly. In the glow from the phone, her eyes glittered as she deleted his word and built one of her own. Facetious. "Now that is a triple word score, darling."

"So is pain in my ass," he drawled, "but you don't see me rubbing it—" He stopped when her fingers dug into his thigh. She had gone stiff suddenly, head inclined. Andy's ears pricked, he heard it too. They waited, barely breathing, and then it sounded again. Banging further up the shaft. They glanced at one another and then both scrambled to their feet. "Hey!" Andy kicked the side of the shaft and yelled loudly, trying to get someone - anyone's attention.

"Wait!" Sharon stopped him before he could do it again. She kicked off her heels and handed one of them to him. With one of them broken, they were ruined, but might still be of some use. Together, they began knocking the heels against the wall of the elevator shaft, while alternating calls for help.

Minutes stretched out. They began to tire. Just when Andy was prepared to drop the shoe in frustration, the shaft opened. Two floors above them the doors were prized open and lights shone into the darkness. "Down here," He bellowed. "Hey!"

Sharon squinted and looked away when the intense beam was turned toward them. "You thought my shoe collection had no purpose."

"Oh, I never said that baby." He winked at her. "It has a purpose, just nothing practical beyond giving me something nice to look at." When she nudged him, he grinned. "So, you wanna get us out of here," he called.

The rescue personnel prized the door even wider. The fireman lay on his belly and peered down into the darkness. "Hey, either one of you a Flynn or Raydor?"

"Yes," Sharon called. "We're LA—"

"PD," he finished for them. "We've got some guys up here making a hell of a lot of noise wanting you found, ma'am."

"Sounds about right," Flynn smirked.

"Are either of you injured?" He asked next. It was hard to see with the shadows in the shaft, even with the beams aimed at them.

"No," Sharon reported. "We're both fine, if a bit dirty, starving, and hot."

He laughed. "Yes ma'am. Hold tight, we're going to see what we can do to get you out of there."

He leaned back through the opening, out of sight, but they could hear him calling for a harness and some rope.

Andy tilted his head at her. "So, nothing a hot shower won't fix then," he grinned.

"Hm?" Sharon fluttered her lashes. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you implying you'd be sharing mine? I don't think so, sweetheart. You're getting a lesson in resistibility, remember?"

He just chuckled. "We'll see."

"Indeed," she chirped happily.

It took some time for the rescue squad to rig up the system for getting them out of the shaft. Half an hour later, they were being lifted out to the third floor. Despite their having reported not being injured, paramedics were waiting to check both of them out. After a cursory examination, they were each given water and sent on their way.

The team was waiting for them out front. "You've come up with some interesting ways of getting out of work before," Provenza told his partner, "But this one takes the cake!"

Sharon rolled her eyes at them. Before they could get too far into their bickering, she stepped forward. "Have any of you heard from Rusty? How is Ian?"

"Buzz reached him," Julio reported. "He spoke to him a few minutes ago. Told him to stay on campus, at least until the traffic thins out some more."

"Your son is with his favorite sitter," Provenza almost beamed. "Daycare brought him up just before we headed out to come find you. Guess he got a little frightened, but don't worry, Taylor cheered him right up!"

While Andy groaned, Sharon suppressed the urge to laugh. That was a rather amusing turn of events. "Then I would suggest that we get back to HQ."

"Yeah." Andy was dusting off his suit. "I could use a shower."

Provenza snorted. "You both look like a couple of gutter rats."

"I don't want to think about it." Sharon shuddered delicately. With her ruined shoes hanging from one hand, she limped toward the car. She was reminded that there were showers in the sixth floor gym. Then when she got home, she wanted a long, hot bath.

Andy jogged to catch up to her. Since the day was officially shot to hell, he dropped an arm around her shoulders. "Now, about that shower…" He was always up for a good challenge, and he didn't like losing.

An hour later, showered and feeling much better, Sharon and Andy made their way toward Taylor's office. She was also feeling rather triumphant, while he was looking more determined. He would give her this one, Andy hadn't really expected to get his way in the shower, not while they were at HQ. He had to try, however. Dressed now in LAPD t-shirts and running pants, they stepped into the Chief's office. They were both still bruised and a little battered, and certainly feeling their ages, but no worse for the wear of being shaken around. It was nothing that wouldn't resolve itself in a day or two.

"Mama!" Ian spotted her before the Chief did. He wriggled down from where he sat in Taylor's lap, happily stacking blocks on the desk and knocking them over. He toddled toward her at a run. "See!" He held up the small, toy plane he'd been given. "Plane!"

Sharon knelt and caught him when he reached her. She curled her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she stood. "I see it," she replied with a smile. Another toy to add to an ever growing collection. Despite his smiles, he clung to her just as tightly, which belied his cheerful demeanor. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and then his hair. "What did you say?"

Ian fluttered his lashes at her. His smile was a bit devious, and all Flynn. "Tank you," he chirped at the Chief, and then chose to play bashful and bury his face in his mother's shoulder.

From where he stood, Andy shook his head. That's right, he thought, wrap him around your finger. There had to be something redeemable there. "Hey buddy. Let's see that?" Normally, Sharon would have settled Ian on her hip, but she was sporting a deep, purple bruise and favoring that side, from where she had fallen. Nothing serious, or broken, but she would be sore for a day or two.

Sharon let him go when Andy lifted Ian out of her arms. She turned a grateful smile on the Chief. "Thank you for keeping an eye on him. I hope he wasn't any trouble?"

"Nah," Russell leaned back in his chair with a shrug. "We were alright. He's never any trouble for me," he added with a smirk. "Just a couple of guys hanging out."

"Plane," Ian explained to his father with serious expression. "Broom!" He demonstrated, flying it through the air in front of his face. Then it fell, clattering against the floor. Ian wrinkled his nose and looked at his father. "Crashed," he said, shrugging.

Andy snickered. No matter what anyone else might say or think, he was his mother's son. "I see that. We'll have to work on it, huh?"

"Okay," he shrugged again.

Sharon stooped, slowly, to pick it up. "Well, tell the Chief thank you again, Ian. We're going to get you home," she rubbed his back.

"Tank you!" Ian smiled widely and waved the airplane. His attention was fleeting however, and he was back to babbling to his father about the plane, the car, and a puppy.

She shook her head as Andy left with him. "Thank you, Chief. We'll find another contingency plan for the future."

Taylor chuckled. "Captain, even you cannot predict or prevent acts of nature. We'll call this one a one-off. I didn't mind hanging with the little guy, especially with the look on the Lieutenant's face." He beamed. "It's always a pleasure." He leaned forward then, however. "Tell me, any luck on our witness?"

"Detective Sykes and Lieutenant Tao remained at the scene to do the questioning. He seems to have an alibi, we're going to run it down. With nowhere else to go, we've graciously provided him with a comfortable holding room down in Robbery-Homicide for the night. We'll pick it up again in the morning."

"The day wasn't completely lost," Taylor nodded. "Very well Captain, get out of here. You've looked better."

With her hair pulled back into a ponytail and very little makeup to speak of, she was sure that he was correct. Sharon still found herself needing to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. "Chief," she nodded once before following the same path her husband had taken. She was ready to crawl into a bath, and then bed. Sharon wondered, idly, how much she would need to concede her side of the challenge to talk her husband into giving her a massage…