DISCLAIMER:
Hi guys! I decided to write a two-shot prequel to my A&A fic, What Happens in the Dark. Also, I sincerely apologize for not updating that story in a while. I just have been busy with schoolwork, graduating college, earning my Associate's of Science, getting into a Bachelor's program (and eventually, a Master's program and/or a doctorate program) trying to find a job (I believe Trish De La Rosa might have better luck getting employment than me hahaha. I work some side hustles here and there but I don't have an actual job right now. I promise I'm looking far and wide for a job), and also Writer's Block, and some anxiety and depression hitting me.
I am more than likely going to take that story down and then rewrite it, and I will update it as often as I can, but things can and do come up regarding school, work, and my personal life. I just wanted to say that just so you guys don't think I don't care.
Also, I think I should issue a TW. There are mentions of things that might be upsetting to some people such as sexual assault and domestic violence.
Anyway, onto the story! After this one is done, I will be rewriting and revising What Happens in the Dark. Here is, Intimidated by her.
Ally Dawson walks the halls of the police academy, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. She's getting closer to achieving her dream, of being a police officer. It makes her feel excited, but also trepidatious as well. She has just graduated from the University of Miami with a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice.
Ally discovered her passion for being a police officer after she was twelve years old and witnessed the death of her father Lester, who was a police sergeant. She was kidnapped, raped, and held hostage by the dreaded Brenton Prokop, a notorious serial kidnapper, serial rapist, serial assailant, and serial murderer. Her father had rescued her, but while he managed to get her out, Prokop murdered Lester by breaking a tequila bottle on his head and after he had fallen unconscious, threw him from a fire escape. Brenton Prokop had actually been shot by a prison guard and has been dead for seven years now.
It was by far the most traumatic experience Ally had ever had to deal with, but she wants to be a police officer so that she can turn her pain into power. She wants to serve and protect people who are in a position she once had. From her first year of college to when she earned her Master's, Ally worked at Believe, a non-profit organization that was in support of women with mental health disorders, women who were abuse victims, women of color, women who are LGBTQIA+, and undocumented women.
Ally's backpack almost falls from her shoulder, but she slides it back up and takes a sip of her water from her water bottle, decorated like the Tardis from Doctor Who. She enters the room, and she can't help but notice the elephant in the room- she is the only female in the room. The men in the class all look at her as if she's of a different species.
One of them has a buzzcut and has a pierced ear and he calls out to her,
"Excuse me, Princess Belle. Forever 21 is a few blocks away from here."
Many of the guys laugh at his comment.
Ally asks,
"What?"
"I said, Forever 21 isn't too far. I know you're more than just your looks, Princess, but you're in the wrong place."
"Joke's on you, I'm not looking for Forever 21. This is room 205, yeah?"
A charismatic boy with beachy-blonde tousled hair and muscles which gives her vibes of a Ken doll says,
"Yeah, you're in the right place."
He pats a chair beside him and she sits beside him. He whispers in her ear,
"Don't pay attention to them, they're just intimidated by the thought of a girl kicking their asses."
A bald and muscular tanned man in a polyester uniform carrying a clipboard and a pen enters the room. His name is Chief Simmons.
"Hooah, future police officers. Today, we will be going over the basics. From practicing sparring to reading rights."
In an exercise, Ally is paired with the blonde boy who seems to take a liking to her, whose name happens to be Austin Moon. Chief Simmons tells them,
"Moon, you're going to pretend to be a robber fleeing the scene, and Dawson, you're going to be a police officer trying to catch him. When you do, you read him his rights. After that, you two will switch roles. Do you remember the rights?"
Ally says,
"He has the right to remain silent, as anything he says can and will be held against him in a court of law. He has the right to an attorney, and if he is unable to afford one, the court will provide one for him."
Chief Simmons,
"Very good, Dawson."
Austin holds up a pencil, while Ally runs after him, eventually tackling him and pretending to cuff him.
"You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you."
Austin grunts and slightly moans and she says,
"Sorry, Austin. Did I hurt you?"
He says,
"No, you didn't. I've just never been tackled by a woman before. I like it."
She giggles.
"Oh, OK."
The same man who was being sexist whispers to another man,
"I could do that way better than her. She should just stick to childcare and cooking and cleaning."
The other classmate laughs. Chief Simmons asks,
"I'm sorry. Is something funny back there, Moncado?"
"I just think women shouldn't be police officers."
"Dawson has what it takes to be a police officer. Wouldn't surprise me if she became Lieutenant or even Captain after her first year on the squad."
"She belongs in a kitchen or in a daycare center."
"One more comment, and you're leaving this class."
Chief Simmons turns to Ally.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Don't listen to him."
"Thanks. I promise it's going to take a whole lot more than misogynistic remarks from people like him to get me to give up."
She sits beside Austin at the desk and he writes her a note on a post-it. It says,
"You crushed it. Keep doing what you want to do."
More of the men go up, roleplaying perp and cop and afterward, Ally is trying to get a pack of trail mix from the vending machine, but it seems to be malfunctioning. She decides to try to slightly jostle it to see if it might be stuck. Chief Simmons happens to see her and he asks her,
"Are you assaulting the vending machine?"
She says,
"Well, I wouldn't call it assault. I'm more trying to wake it up. I think it's stuck."
"What did you get?"
Ally says,
"Trail mix."
The chief reaches inside the machine and hands her the bag of trail mix.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
Chief Simmons says to her,
"You blew my mind today in class, Dawson. I've never seen a trainee quite like you. It was incredible, and you should be very proud of yourself."
Ally says,
"Part of the reason why I wanted to become a cop is because my dad was one. He died in the line of duty rescuing me from a serial assailant and murderer."
Chief Simmons says,
"I'm sorry he died."
"Thank you. I miss him, but I'm just trying to make him proud of me."
"If he knew, he would be. My mom passed away some time ago, and I know she's looking down on me like your dad is with you."
"That's beautiful."
"Keep up doing what you're doing. You have what it takes."
"Thank you, for your support and your encouragement."
"I promise you, those guys making sexist jabs at you, they're just intimidated by you. They don't like a girl challenging them."
"Well, I can do a challenge."
On her way home, Ally enters a liquor store called Ciudad de Spiritos and picks out a bottle of Sangria and a bottle of vodka, and she sees Austin from the academy, holding a little girl's hand. The girl looks not a day over four and she is checking out a cooler of ice cream. She has long, wavy blonde hair tied in a high half ponytail, and is wearing a Disney Princess t-shirt and short shorts. She has an aqua Unicorn backpack that says, Emmy, in purple letters.
"Pick any one you want, I'll get it for you,"
he tells her.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?"
she asks him.
"Yeah, you're from the academy. Ally, right?"
"Yes."
He covers the little girl's ears and says,
"You kicked my ass today and I liked it."
"Are you a father?"
"No, actually. She's my niece. I'm just babysitting for my brother and my sister-in-law because they had to fire their last nanny after they caught her watching naked people with the kid."
Ally grimaces.
"They made the right choice."
Ally kneels to the little girl's height and she asks her,
"What's your name?"
The little girl says,
"My name is Emmy and I'm four."
"You're four?"
"Yeah!"
She goes back to the cooler and she looks through it.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"Buying my mom her favorite Sangria as a token of appreciation for her helping to pay to get into the academy."
"That's really nice of you. The minute you tackled me, I realized… I knew you had potential. Can I see your phone?"
"Sure."
He hands her his phone and she hands him hers. He gives her his number and she gives him hers and Emmy says,
"Uncle Austin, I found it!"
"What did you find, sweetie?"
She holds up a chocolate Haagen Daas bar.
"Is that the one you want?"
"Yeah!"
"OK then. It's all yours."
"It's your little reward for helping your Uncle find some coffee and beer."
After Austin pays for the stuff, he asks her,
"Hey, Ally, are you going home after this?"
"Yeah."
"Do you want a ride?"
"Sure, Austin."
Emmy asks Ally,
"Do you like Frozen?"
"Um, sure, Emmy."
Ally says.
"Car rides with this one mean the soundtrack of Frozen on repeat. Well, she alternates between Disney, Cocomelon, or Baby Shark."
Austin opens the door to the car and Ally buckles Emmy into her car seat and climbs into the passenger's seat. She picks up the disk holder and unzips it, holding the CD for the soundtrack of Frozen and Austin puts it in the stereo.
He asks Ally,
"What's your address, Ally?"
"2735 NW 17th Terrace."
"Alright. In case I haven't already said it, I want to say you absolutely crushed the training practices today. It would be pretty awesome if you ended up being my partner."
"Thank you, Austin. That means so much to me. You were the only guy in training who wasn't intimidated by me."
Austin drops Ally off at home and he says,
"I can't wait to see you in training and I'd also like to take you on a date sometime."
Ally says,
"Thank you, Austin. For the ride home and the date suggestion."
"You're welcome."
She turns to Emmy and says,
"It was absolutely lovely to meet you, Emmy."
Emmy smiles at Ally and says,
"Bye-bye, Ally."
First chapter down! If you like the story, feel free to follow, favorite, and review! Happy memorial day weekend!