Yes, you're reading this right. Another continuation of Breaking Point. Thank you to Fireflyarc on AO3 for motivating me to write this finally. It will be very much AU, but season 4 inspired.
He'd been running on autopilot for the past 36 hours. Thankfully, his colleagues had attributed his state to the aftereffects of almost dying in that bloody building, but deep inside, Street was hurting and trying to work out how to move forward. He knew Molly was going to be in the building today. It was something they had talked about that fateful morning.
Street hits the bag forcefully, accompanied by a growl, but the bag doesn't swing back to him to strike again. He looks up to see Tan study him questioningly.
"What's going on with you?" his buddy asks, slowly releasing his grip on the bag when Street moves away to reach for his water bottle.
"Nothing," Street replies evasively, looking straight over Tan's shoulder. Spotting Molly in the background coming down the stairs with her dad sends a sharp pain through his chest.
Tan must've turned around because he asks, "You wanna talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Street replies, almost cold, and takes another sip of his water. He clocks the raised eyebrow from his friend, but Tan can't question him any further or call him out for his evasive tactics because Hicks calls all teams together into the briefing room. Tan hands him his towel, and Street quickly wipes some of the sweat off his face while following his teammate to the meeting.
The air in the room is loaded with anticipation, especially so now that Hicks starts talking. "I assume the three people standing next to me don't need an introduction, but just in case, meet David Martin from the State's Attorney's office, Molly Hicks from the women's defense fund, and last but not least, Jessica Cortez, former LAPD SWAT now FBI, and I'll let them fill you in because they need our help."
A murmur runs through the room, and Street tries to catch Molly's eyes, but she either isn't looking in his direction or is ignoring him. Up front, Jessica Cortez steps forward.
"Thank you, Commander. I wish I were back here under better circumstances, but recent intel suggests that a new group is trying to get a foothold in the city. Commander Hicks informs us you've all seen the reports of increased Asian gang activities in the city. We can now confirm that most of that comes from the same group that has combined the trade of human trafficking, drugs, and gun running. We can't confirm if the cars are also stolen yet. The last shipment seemed legit."
Street tunes out of the briefing involuntarily and realizes the meeting is over when the crowd disperses.
"Come on," Tan pats his shoulder, "we gotta go and get ready. Whatever you did, you can try fixing it after the job is done."
"I didn't…" he tries to argue one last time, but Tan ignores him, shakes his head, and runs off.
The following 36 hours are grueling, and there is barely time to rest, let alone think about anything else but this case. 20-David had been assigned a warehouse surveillance and breach, and what they found inside was not entirely expected.
They had seen cars and trucks move in and out of the building multiple times and patrol, and the FBI had placed tails on all of them, so they knew some material would be inside.
About 30 women, no girls, of Asian descent packed up fully duct-taped drug packages in car frames before some guys put the cars back together.
Street still gets chills remembering the state the women were found in.
But right now, they are doing everything they can to keep the women calm until someone can come and talk to them. Hondo had already radioed in, and Hicks informed the team that Molly was en route with a translator. They would be helping the women from now on.
"You're quiet today," Chris walks up to Street and leans against the wall beside him.
"Just thinking," he replies and notices out of the corner of his eye that Chris is fiddling with her vest. He turns to her. "Everything okay with you?"
"Yeah," Chris mumbles, fighting with the lower strap, "Just this new vest… can't get the strap to keep in place," the last part she grits out over a growled "Ouch!"
"Let me take a look," he offers quickly, and Chris steps closer. He spots the problem almost immediately.
"The Velcro isn't tacked down… You will never get this to stick properly," he tells Chris and fishes a roll of tape out of his leg pocket. He rips a piece with his teeth and grins at Chris's raised eyebrows.
He leans in close to place the tape and secures the strap.
They hear a car pull up when he pulls back again. "Better?" he asks, then watches Chris roll her shoulder and move her body slightly.
"Acceptable, for now. Thanks," she replies, straightening up and saying, "Hey, they are inside."
"Thanks," comes the reply, and Street freezes up, seeing Molly walk past him with a sad expression on her face. He watches closely as Molly walks past and into the warehouse. He desperately wants to
stop her right then and then talk, but he knows they are both working right now, and this is definitely not the right moment. but he will find a way to talk to her later; at least, that's what Street tells himself.
As the team packs up, Hondo orders them to stay behind and be sort of personal security, as Tan jokes before jumping into black Betty.
"Molly and her team are in charge inside," Hondo informs them, "but it's your job to keep everyone safe!"
"We got it, boss," Chris replies for the both of them.
The day stays busy, and Street barely sees Molly. Whenever she comes outside, she accompanies a group of women who are being transported out of the warehouse and into secure housing facilities.
As the day turns into Night, Street finds himself at home, restlessly and aimlessly walking around, not being able to sit still for longer portions of time.
His mind is running a mile a minute, and he just knows there's only one thing he wants to do right now. He grabs his keys and hops his bike to drive across town to Molly's place, hoping to talk to her and resolve the tension between them.
Street parks his bike and pulls his helmet off outside Molly's building. It's a beautiful night, and many people are still out and about. His heart pangs a little as his mind drifts back to his last walk with Molly.
He shakes his head to focus on what he came here to do.