A/N: Hey! So for once, I am actually sticking to my planned schedule. It shouldn't take too long between the first few chapters because I already have them drafted. I appreciate you reading 'New Beginnings,' then coming back for more. Please let me know what you think, and stay tuned because I have a lot planned. Thank you!

Street's eyes snapped open as a piercing ring shattered his peaceful sleep. The bedroom was completely silent besides the sound of the phone, and for a moment he wondered if the offending device was his or JJ's.

"Street, are you going to get that?"

Oh, so it was his. He fumbled around the nightstand, grabbing up the phone and swiping 'answer' just before the call could go to voicemail. "Street."

"Sorry to wake you." Hondo… of course. Who else was crazy enough to wake him from his sleep? "Get to HQ in thirty minutes."

He suppressed the urge to let out a disapproving groan. "Yeah, okay."

The sergeant disconnected the call without another word, and Street took a moment to look at the time.

2:46… crap.

"You got to go out?" JJ's voice was laden with sleep, and Street hated that the call woke her up.

"Yeah, babe. I don't know what's going on." He kissed her before rolling out of bed with a sigh. 20-Squad was on call tonight, so he had known this was a possibility, but it still didn't make it any more pleasant.

"I'll make you some coffee."

He started to protest, tell her to get as much sleep as she could, but she was already getting out of bed and flicking on the lamp. He smiled as she threw one of his flannels on over her t-shirt and sleep shorts.

JJ was almost out of her first trimester, but it was barely showing on her slim body. She was still having a lot of morning sickness, and lately, the cravings had started up.

Street always thought women were exaggerating when they talked about wanting pickles and ice cream during pregnancy, but he had been proven wrong. Last week he had found himself making a late night run to the store for pistachio ice cream… to go along with the pickles stashed in the back of the fridge.

He wouldn't have it any other way though, because he was thrilled about becoming a father, and was cherishing these moments with JJ. Of course he had plenty of worries, but he tried tamping them down as best as he could, knowing they would figure it all out together.

He must've stood there staring at JJ for longer than he thought, because she was suddenly touching his shoulder and giving him a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

Street smiled at her and rested his hand on her stomach. "Yeah. I was just thinking about this past month, and how great it's been."

JJ returned his smile before reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. "It has been great, and it's only going to get better. Now c'mon. You can't be late, or Hondo will have both our asses."

"Yes ma'am." He laughed and veered off towards the bathroom while she went to the kitchen. He desperately wanted to go back to bed with her, but this was the consequence of having such a hectic job.

It didn't take long for him to throw himself together, and by then, JJ was already pouring coffee into a travel mug. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Jay." He grabbed everything he needed for work, and JJ walked him to the door.

"Be safe out there, Jim."

"I will, I promise." He gave her a lingering kiss, then reluctantly turned to leave.

He made it to HQ, barely within the time frame that Hondo had given, and thanks to it being three in the morning, his minor traffic violations weren't a problem… not that he would ever brag about that to anyone.

Once inside, he saw that the rest of 20-Squad was already there. They were gathered in the Eagle's Nest, and Hondo was ready to debrief them on why they were called in.

Street approached them, and he just knew the look coming from Chris was saying "You're really cutting it close." Oh well, it was nothing new.

"Okay, listen up. We've been assigned to assist on a raid. All of you know about the young woman found dead in Rock Creek Park earlier this week. Locals have been on the case, and they've ID'd the suspect as Michael Lawrence. We have an address on Lawrence, and it's been confirmed that he is there now. This man completely lives up to the phrase 'armed and dangerous,' so locals wanted to cover all bases by calling us in." Hondo looked at everyone in the room, making sure they were clear so far, and pulled a picture of the suspect up on the monitors.

Street took a good look at the man's former mugshot, and it was hard to miss the evil glint in his eyes. "Anyone else in the house?"

"Lawrence lives alone, and an unmarked car has been sitting on his place. No sign of him having company. Right now I'm saying no, but you know the drill… be prepared for anything because we can't be certain."

Street nodded, already itching to bring this guy in.

Chris continued the line of questioning from her place beside of Hondo. "When are we going in?"

"Unies want to execute the arrest warrant as soon as possible, so we need to gear up and roll out now. We'll go over the plan when we get to Betty. Let's move, people!"

Street followed the rest of the team to the locker room, and they quickly geared up for the raid. They made mindless small talk like they always did, but their focus was on the task at hand. Before Street knew it, he was seated next to Chris in the back of Black Betty, as Luca sped towards their given address.

"Unies are meeting us on site. We don't have eyes on the inside of the house, but we know there are at least two floors, including a garage and possibly a basement. There are three entrances to cover. Now as I said, this man is armed. He used a 9mm on the victim, so we know he's at least got that, but judging by his record, it's likely he's got a lot more firepower. Be ready, chances are he won't go down easy. Everyone clear?"

The officers gave the responding 'clear' just as Luca pulled to a stop.

Hondo quickly devised a plan with the leading officer, then readied the teams for entry. "Luca, I want you and Tan to clear the garage. Deac, you're with me at the front. Chris and Street, cover the back. Alright people, stay liquid!"

Street dutifully took his position behind Chris, eyes scanning the area as they made their way to the back door. It wasn't a huge house by any means, but it was big enough that they had a lot of ground to cover. They had their NVGs turned on, as the surrounding lights were limited, but upon further inspection, certain areas of the house was pretty well lit for this time of the morning.

No signs of movement, but Street reported the lights to Hondo, not sure if he could see them from his position. Once that was finished, he and Chris flanked the door as they listened for confirmation to breach.

This was the moment of the job Street lived for, right before the point of no return. He had been half asleep when he got to HQ, but now he was wide awake with the first traces of adrenaline coursing through his body.

After standing silent for a few seconds, Hondo gave the all clear for entry. Street smashed the wood with battering ram, feeling the impact reverberate up the length of his arms. He tossed it aside and grabbed his rifle as Chris entered the house in front of him. Shouts of "DCPD SWAT" could be heard as everyone made their designated entry.

As they always trained, Chris led them through the first floor, clearing every room they came across. Street caught sight of Hondo and Deac moving up to the second floor, just as Luca radioed that the garage was clear.

During the sweep, Street came across another door, one that led to a descending staircase. "Hondo, we've got a basement." Chris approached, and the two were about to make the descent when two shots rang through the air.

Street's heart pounded as he waited to hear a call. He spun around, moving towards the main area, knowing the sounds came from somewhere above.

"Code 4- suspect down." Deac.

Street let out a deep breath, now knowing his teammates were okay.

Chris moved past him, starting back down to the basement. "C'mon, we still need to clear this area."

He followed her down the narrow staircase, hearing nothing but the sounds of their footsteps. Once they reached the bottom, still using their NVGs for vision, Street was startled to find a figure crumpled in the corner. "Chris."

She looked in the same direction, then flipped a switch that she found on the wall. They were immediately bathed in a harsh fluorescent light, and it was now clear that the figure in the corner was a young woman. She was unconscious, bruises and lacerations littering her body, and her left wrist was chained to the wall.

The rest of the basement was clear, and Street quickly knelt down to check the woman for a pulse. He was relieved when he felt it under his fingertips. "She's alive." He heard Chris relaying the new information to Hondo, as he set to work on the chain.

The next hour was a blur. EMTs took the victim to the hospital, and the coroner came to pick up Lawrence. Lawrence had shot at Hondo and Deacon, so they had no choice but to put him down. That was fine by Street after he saw the condition of the woman who had yet to be identified.

Locals hadn't been aware of another victim, so it was a shock when they learned that she had been held in the basement. They were left to finish with the scene, while 20-Squad headed back to HQ.

Street had just changed out of uniform, and was hoping to go get a few hours of sleep. He considered this morning a win, as they suspect was taken down, and from what EMTs said, the victim was going to be okay. The team had gotten there in time, and Street was grateful for it.

Chris was with him in the locker room, and he was getting ready to ask how her family was when Hondo burst through the door. "I've got good and bad news. The good news is that the woman you two found is awake and talking. The bad news, she just confirmed that Lawrence had a partner."

Street's eyes widened. Chris slammed her locker shut beside of him and they exchanged a wary glance. They had been excited about a mission accomplished, but now this case was far from over.