UNDERCOVER BELLA

Chapter 1

Based on a (somewhat old) prompt from Tumblr User pyresrpgear: (See the end of the Chapter for the full prompt). I'm not sure this is what they were looking for, but I came up with this. I hope you enjoy it!

Newly promoted Detective Beca Mitchell walked into Precinct 27's Detectives Squad Room and looked around.

"Beca!" Jesse Swanson called out, causing Beca to look over at him. "Welcome to Precinct 27's Detectives' Squad Room! Or as we like to call it, the bullpen."

"Nobody but you calls it that, Swanson," a guy behind Jesse said, laughing.

"Shut it, Donald," Jesse said, flipping him off.

"Hey, Jesse," Beca said, walking over to him. "I'm supposed to report to Captain Adams."

"I'll walk you to her office," Jesse said, leading Beca down the hall. "I'm so excited that we're going to be detectives together. Hopefully, we'll be partnered up, and we can be like Castle and Beckett."

"Who?" Beca asked as they stopped outside the captain's door.

"Castle and Beckett," Jesse said. "From the show Castle. He's a writer, and she's a detective; they work together to solve crimes. You used to watch it with me all the time. Why am I even friends with you?"

"I ask myself that same question every day," Beca deadpanned.

Jesse scoffed and rapped on the door.

"Enter," a voice called from inside.

Jesse opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey, Captain," Jesse said. "Detective Mitchell is here to see you."

"Come in," the captain said.

Beca entered behind Jesse to find an African-American woman standing behind a desk.

"Captain," Beca said with a nod.

"Mitchell," Captain Adams said. "I've heard some good things about you. Welcome to the 27th."

"Thank you, ma'am," Beca said.

"Swanson, show Mitchell to a desk," Captain Adams said. "And tell the squad to stick around. I have a few things to brief them on."

"Will do, captain," Jesse said.

Beca and Jesse went back to the bullpen. All the detectives stopped to look at Beca as Jesse led her to her desk.

"This will be your desk," Jesse said. He turned to the other detectives. "The captain will be in shortly. She said to have everyone stay put. In the meantime, this is Detective Beca Mitchell. It's her first day as a detective."

Beca gave a little wave as everyone stared at her.

"I'm Detective Allen," a boyish-faced detective said. "Most people call me Bumper."

Beca gave him a nod and stood next to her desk, looking around at the others.

"Hi," a tall brunette woman said. "I'm Stacie Conrad."

"Okay, everyone, settle down," Captain Adams said as she walked into the bullpen. "You can finish the introductions later. I have a few changes to make, so listen up. Posen, you'll be partnering up with Mitchell; Beale, you'll be with Swanson."

"What?" a blonde asked. "Captain, Chloe, I mean, Detective Beale and I have been partners for two years, and we work well together. I don't need or want a new partner."

Captain Adams glared at the Sergeant. "I don't care what you need or want, Sergeant. You and Beale are sitting on a bunch of open cases, and your success rate has dwindled dramatically over the past several months. Swanson will be a pair of fresh eyes and can hopefully help Beale get those cases closed. Mitchell's the newbie, and you're the Sergeant, so you can help her acclimate and show her the ropes."

"But, captain," Aubrey started.

"It's done," Captain Adams said. "Get back to work."

Beca looked up to find Posen glaring at her. A red-headed detective jumped up and went over to Sergeant Posen.

"Brey, it's no big deal," the redhead said. "Jesse and I work well together. Maybe you and Mitchell will, too."

"Not likely," Aubrey said. "I've heard some stories about her."

"You, of all people, know you shouldn't believe everything you hear," Chloe whispered.

Aubrey took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out. She walked over to Beca's desk and looked down at her. Beca looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm Detective Sergeant Aubrey Posen," Aubrey said. "You can call me Sergeant or Posen. I always drive, no exceptions. Understood?"

"Yes, Sergeant," Beca said.

"Good," Aubrey said. "We have a call. Let's go."

Aubrey stormed off, and Beca jumped up to follow her.

"Good luck," Jesse called out.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

"So, Chloe," Jesse said, sitting in the chair next to Chloe's desk. "Looks like it's you and me now. What cases should we start with?"

"Um, well," Chloe said, looking over her shoulder to make sure Aubrey was out of sight. "There's one case that's been bugging me." Chloe shuffled through some files on her desk. "Take a look at these and let me know your thoughts."

"What have you learned so far?" Jesse asked, opening the first file.

"I don't want to say anything," Chloe said. She lowered her voice and leaned toward him. "I noticed a few things, but every time I brought them up to Aubrey, she shot me down. I didn't want to say anything to the captain because Aubrey's been through a lot recently, you know?"

"I get it," Jesse said.

"Anyway, I really think there's something there," Chloe said. "But I don't want to taint your thoughts, so just read these and let me know if you have any suggestions on where to go from here."

Chloe sat back in her seat. Jesse nodded and stood up.

"Okay," Jesse said. "I'll start on these immediately."

"Thank you," Chloe said and logged into her computer to finish a few reports.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

"Do I get to know what this call is about?" Beca asked after being in a silent car for almost ten minutes.

"If you need to know something, I'll tell you," Aubrey said.

"I don't think-"

"I'll also tell you when you should think," Aubrey interrupted, glaring at Beca.

"Great," Beca muttered. "My first partner as a detective, and she's a dictator."

Aubrey glanced at Beca before pulling to the curb behind a marked police vehicle.

"Follow me and pay attention," Aubrey said before getting out of the car.

Beca exited the vehicle and followed Aubrey, showing her badge as she went under the crime scene tape. Beca saw two bodies lying side by side on the sidewalk; both were covered by a sheet. A man was bent over the front of a police car with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"What do we have?" Aubrey asked an officer standing near the bodies.

"On the surface, it looks like a robbery gone wrong," the officer said. "The victims are Joseph and Mary Hernandez. Our perp is Robert Smith."

"Seems like everything is tied up nicely," Aubrey said, looking around. "Why do you need us?"

"I don't think it's just a robbery gone wrong," the officer said. "We think it was racially motivated. The Hernandezes are Hispanic, and this is a mostly white neighborhood. They had been visiting a friend and were walking back to their car when Smith pointed a gun at them and told them to give him all their money. Witnesses stated that Mr. Hernandez complied, and then Smith shot them both point-blank. They were both deceased when we got here."

"So, what? This Smith guy shot them and then waited around for the police to show up?" Beca asked.

Aubrey glared at her, and Beca ignored her.

"No," the officer said. "Witnesses say he went into that house over there." The officer pointed out a house across the street. "Officers went to talk to him, and he pulled his gun on them. They were able to disarm him, and here we are."

"Seems pretty open and shut to me," Aubrey said. "Take him in and book him. We're not needed for this."

"But, Sergeant," the officer said.

"We're done here," Aubrey said, glaring at the officer. "The DA will decide if it's racially motivated, not me."

"Yes, ma'am," the officer said, gritting his teeth.

"Don't you think we should at least question the suspect?" Beca asked.

"What part of 'we're done here' did you not understand, Detective?"

"The part where we don't do our jobs and investigate this crime, Sergeant," Beca answered back.

"I'm the Senior Detective, and you will obey my orders," Aubrey said, her nostrils flaring. "And my orders are that we are done here."

"Copy that, Herr Sergeant," Beca said and turned to walk back to the car.

Aubrey stomped off after her and got behind the wheel, slamming the car door.

"Congratulations, Mitchell," Aubrey said. "You just got yourself written up for insubordination on your first day."

"I always was an overachiever," Beca snarked back.

Aubrey started the car and screeched away from the curb. Neither detective spoke for the entire ride back to the station.

Beca was out of the car before it came to a full stop. She stomped into the station and immediately went to her desk and plopped down in her chair, putting her head in her hands.

"Hey, Beca," Jesse called out as he walked over to her desk. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not," Beca said. She looked around the squad room and then up at Jesse, asking, "Does this division normally pick and choose what crimes they will investigate?"

Just then, Aubrey came in and glared at Beca from the doorway.

"Brey, are you okay?" Chloe asked from her desk.

"I need to see the captain," Aubrey said and walked away.

"Beca, what did you do?" Jesse asked.

"Nothing," Beca said with a shrug.

"Beca," Jesse said.

"Fine. I questioned why we weren't investigating a murder that could possibly be a hate crime," Beca said. "And I may have insinuated that Sergeant Posen was a Nazi."

Everyone was silent as they looked around at each other, not knowing what to say. It was two minutes later when the awkward silence was broken.

"Mitchell!" a voice called from the door. "Captain wants to see you."

"Guess it's a good thing I didn't get too comfortable here," Beca said, standing and looking around at everyone staring at her. "It was nice almost working with you all."

"Beca," Jesse said.

"See ya, Swanson," Beca said and headed to the captain's office.

Chloe stared after Beca, somehow knowing this was not going to end well for Aubrey. Having been Aubrey's partner had not always been easy. Aubrey had been acting like a dictator, and as much as she loved her best friend, Chloe knew Aubrey was the reason they hadn't closed a case in almost six months. Chloe was close to asking for a new partner and was secretly elated when the captain partnered her with Jesse Swanson, although she wouldn't have minded being partnered with Beca Mitchell either.

"You okay, Beale?" Jesses asked as he walked over and sat beside Chloe's desk.

Chloe nodded her head. "I'm fine. Did you find anything yet?"

"I think I did," Jesse said, leaning over to show Chloe something in the files that caught his eye.

The door was open when Beca got to the captain's office, and the captain motioned her to come in. Beca did and stood by the open door.

"Close the door," Captain Adams said.

Beca did as she was told and looked at Aubrey. Aubrey was standing with her arms across her chest, looking at the captain.

"You called for me," Beca said, turning to look at the captain.

"What happened this morning?" Captain Adams asked.

"Didn't Sergeant Posen tell you?"

"I've heard Sergeant Posen's version of the interactions between you two," Captain Adams said. "Now I need to hear yours."

"Captain, I already told-" Aubrey started and stopped when the captain raised her hand.

"Mitchell," Captain Adams said. "Tell me what happened."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said.

Beca took in a breath through her nose and told Captain Adams everything that had transpired between her and the Sergeant. She left nothing out, not even the comments she made toward the Sergeant.

"You stand by what you just said?" Captain Adams asked.

"Yes, captain," Beca said.

"Sergeant," Captain Adams said, turning her attention to Aubrey. "Do you have anything to add or clarify?"

"There was nothing to investigate," Aubrey said. "I wasn't going to waste our time-"

"Stop," Captain Adams said. "Mitchell, write up what you just told me and have it on my desk before you leave for the day. You're dismissed."

"Um, yes, ma'am," Beca said and quickly left the captain's office.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

"What happened, Beca?" Jesse asked as soon as Beca returned to the squad room.

"I'm not sure," Beca said as she stopped to stand next to him. "The captain asked me what happened between Posen and me and then told me to write it up. She dismissed me without saying anything else to me."

"So, you're still a detective here?" Jesse asked.

"I guess so," Beca said.

"What about Aubrey?" Chloe asked. "I mean, Sergeant Posen."

"I don't know," Beca said. "The captain kept her back after dismissing me."

"Oh, I'm Chloe Beale," Chloe said, looking up at Beca. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself before."

"That's okay," Beca said, reaching out her hand. "I'm Beca Mitchell."

Chloe and Beca shook hands and then stared at each other for a moment before Beca cleared her throat.

"Um, I guess I should write up my report for the captain."

"Right," Chloe said and turned her attention back to Jesse.

Soon the squad room was bustling with activity as everyone got back to work. Detective Stacie Conrad answered a call and stood up. She grabbed her jacket and called out, "Let's go, Benji. We're up."

A young-looking detective with light brown hair stood and followed Detective Conrad out of the squad room.

A few minutes later, everyone looked up when Sergeant Posen stormed into the squad room and walked over to Chloe.

"The captain wants you and Jesse to have Mitchell work with you to go over our unsolved cases," Aubrey said through clenched teeth.

Aubrey went to her desk and started throwing her personal belongings into a box.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked.

"I'm on administrative leave until I get cleared by the department's psychologist," Aubrey said. "I guess this means I'm done."

"Brey," Chloe said, walking over to her former partner. "It doesn't have to be like that. Go to the psychologist so you can come back."

"I don't know if I want to come back," Aubrey said, sighing as she picked up the box.

"Brey, you don't mean that," Chloe said.

"I think I do, Chloe," Aubrey said.

Aubrey opened her mouth as if to say something more but snapped it shut. She pushes past Chloe and leaves the squad room.

"Brey!" Chloe called, hurrying after her.

Chloe looked around, but Aubrey was nowhere to be seen. Chloe looked a bit dejected as she went back to her desk. Jesse squeezed her arm and stood.

"We'll come back to this later," Jesse said and went back to his desk

"Detective Beale," Beca said quietly from her desk; Chloe looked over at her. "I'm sorry. I had no idea that the captain would bench Posen. I thought if anything, she'd get rid of me."

"It's not your fault," Chloe said. "Brey's had some...issues for a while now. This is good for her. I just hope she sees the psychologist so she can come back. She needs the job as much as the job needs her. And please call me Chloe."

Jesse stood from his desk and waved Beca over.

"Beca, drag a chair over here," Jesse said as he sat next to Chloe's desk. "I think I found something we should look into on this case."

Beca pulled her chair over, sitting between Jesse and Chloe. Jesse handed Beca some of the files he was carrying.

"Read these," Jesse said.

Beca opened the first file and began reading. "How long have you been working on this case?" Beca asked Chloe.

"A little over four months," Chloe said. "If I'm right, there will be another murder in about a week."

Beca quickly read through one file and opened the next.

"Are these cases related?" Beca asked, excited at the thought.

"I think they are," Jesse said. "There are a lot of similarities in each case. Did you and Posen try to connect these?"

"I tried," Chloe said. "But Brey didn't see it. Different detectives investigated each of these. We got the first one four months ago and treated it as a single-victim murder. About a month or so later, I heard Stacie and Benji talking about a murder they had caught. It sounded familiar, so I mentioned it to Aubrey, but she disagreed with my assessment and blew me off."

"What changed after that?" Beca asked as she continued to scan through the files.

"Other cases popped up about a month apart," Chloe said. "Bumper and Denise caught one, then Donald and Uni. In my gut, I felt like they were somehow connected."

"And Sergeant Posen still didn't think so?" Beca asked, looking at Chloe.

"No," Chloe said, avoiding Beca's stare.

"What should we do?" Beca asked. "I mean, from what little I've read, these cases are related. They were all stabbed and strangled. They were all women between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. They were all known prostitutes. I think there might be something here."

"I want us to go through every single one of these cases with a fine-toothed comb," Chloe said. "Make notes of all similarities and see what else we can come up with."

"Okay," Beca said. "How do you want to do this?"

"We should pull the evidence boxes from each case and go through them," Chloe said. "Use them and the files to see if what we think is there is really there. Looking as if they are related on paper is fine in theory, but we'll need actual corroborating evidence to back that theory up."

"Let's do it," Jesse said, standing.

"Good," Chloe said, standing as well. "I'll get a small conference room where we can lay everything out and work. You and Beca get the evidence boxes."

"On it," Jesse said. "Let's go, Beca."

Beca closed the file she was looking at and placed everything with the others. She followed Jesse out of the squad room.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Beca, Chloe, and Jesse had been through every case file and box of evidence regarding the five cases they believed to be related. They stood around the table, looking over the evidence.

"That's the last of it," Chloe said as she placed the last piece of evidence back in the box. "So, we know that each of these women worked the streets and were found strangled with their own underwear. The autopsies indicate they were also stabbed after being strangled. They were all young, brunette, and petite. Am I missing anything?"

"They were each found laid out with their hands crossed over their chests," Jesse said.

"They were all murdered around the end of the month," Beca said. "And their blouses were the same color." Beca looked through the crime scene photos of each of the cases. She furrowed her brow and stood to peer into one of the evidence boxes. She reached in, pulled out an evidence bag with a blue blouse, and laid it on the table. She did this with every box, and every blouse she pulled out was the exact same shade of blue. Beca took one of the blouses out of its evidence bag.

"It might not mean anything," Beca said. "It's hard to tell in the photos, but looking at them laid out here, these blouses are identical in color and style. And each victim was stabbed, but there were no holes in the shirt or blood on it. I think these were put on them after they were dead."

"That's not nothing, Beca," Chloe said as she took the blouse Beca was holding. "The tag says Hot Mamas. It's a women's clothing store on Piedmont Avenue. We should check it out."

"Maybe we should fill the Captain in on what we've got so far," Jesse said. "I know no one wants to say it, but we may have an actual serial killer on our hands."

"I'm not afraid to say it," Beca said. "We do have a serial killer on our hands."

"If we're right, there will be another murder within the next week," Chloe added.

The three detectives looked at each other, nodding their heads.

~~ Undercover Bella ~~

Chloe asked Captain Adams to meet them in the conference room and explained what the three detectives had uncovered after reviewing the case files and evidence. There were five cases in all that had too many similarities to be a coincidence.

"The women were all wearing the same color and style blouse that came from Hot Mamas on Piedmont in downtown Atlanta. All were petite brunettes; all were prostitutes; and all were strangled with their underwear and stabbed." Chloe looked at Captain Adams and sighed. "Captain, we believe we have a serial killer on our hands."

"Why didn't you and Posen put this together when you were investigating your case?"

Chloe blushed and became uncomfortable. "We, uh, -"

"Each of the cases was handled by different detectives and occurred a month apart," Beca interrupted. "None of them compared their cases with the others because nothing stood out at the time."

Chloe looked over at Beca with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, Captain," Jesse said. "It took the three of us going through the case files and all the evidence piece-by-piece to put everything together."

"Okay," Captain Adams said, looking satisfied at the response. "What's your plan to catch this guy?"

"We need to act quickly," Chloe said. "And I think we need to put someone undercover on the streets. Someone who fits the general description of the victims."

Jesse smiled and said, "Someone who is petite, is around twenty-five, and a brunette."

"Someone with street smarts and can fit in with the prostitutes. Has a tough, don't mess with me look and attitude," Chloe added.

Captain Adams looked at Beca. Chloe looked at Beca. Jesse looked at Beca. Beca furrowed her brows and looked at Captain Adams, Chloe, and Jesse one by one.

"You want me to go undercover?" Beca asked. The three others in the room all nodded. "Wait! You all think I look like a prostitute?"

A/N: It's been quite a while since I saw this prompt that pyresrpgear posted on Tumblr: "Ok I would read the hell out of an undercover as a hooker!beca fic. The prompt was originally directed to snowonebutyou, but they passed on it. The idea stuck with me, so I decided to give it a shot. I hope you enjoy it.

A/N: I will be posting new chapters every 2 days until it is finished.