"Sally in the Alley"

Author: carmen_085

Disclaimer: I don't own any Rookie Characters. All original characters belong to me

Summary: They stared at each other in the darkness; the endless Wyoming sky above them. It was another dead end and she knew he was at the breaking point. They were risking it all to find a killer, hundreds of miles from home and no back up. But they wouldn't go back, not until they found justice for her. (Takes place after 2x11)

Author's Note: This idea just came to me. Not a whole lot of Rookie Fics on here yet. Hope everyone likes it !

Chapter One

Lucy Chen smoothed her uniform as she stared at herself in the mirror. She had been back to work almost a month now and each day was getting a little easier. In the beginning she had been a wreck; always looking over her shoulder, waiting for the ghost of Caleb or Rosalind Dyer herself to emerge from the shadows. Ridiculous, she shook her head chiding herself silently. One day at a time…one day at a time. That's what Tim kept telling her. Tim….A small smile came to Lucy's face. Closing the locker she leaned against the cool metal for a moment.

If one good thing had come out of this whole mess it was Tim. On the surface nothing had changed between them; but beneath that a shift had taken place. Lucy could feel it and most of the time tried to tell herself that she had developed a hero worship complex with her TO and it was nothing more than that. But it was more than that. It wasn't romantic or sexual, which was new territory for her, it was deep on another level. Throughout their time together they had been exposed to each other in a way that was both terrifying and exciting. Lucy knew she had developed a certain level of attachment to him long before Caleb and the barrel but now it was something different. Something she didn't have a word for. Something neither of them acknowledged but both knew they needed in each other. Yes, she was attracted to him; even a blind person would be attracted to Tim Bradford. And yes he was an asshole but he was also fair and kind and absolutely relentless when it came to those cared about. But above all that, he had become her person. The person she knew would always be there, the one who would go to the ends of the earth for her, the one she could call for anything. Her person.

As usual Tim was waiting in the shop as she loaded the bags and rifles. Opening the backdoor she inspected the seat. Two weeks ago she found used a used needle stuffed in the seat cushions three hours into the shift and Tim made her do fifty push ups on the spot. Smirking she let out a silent laugh, despite their new emotional proximity he still treated her the same and for that she was grateful. Even more so after everything that happened. While there were still plenty of sympathetic stares around the station, her TO was not one of them. Her parents had the broken glass treatment covered as they had pulled out nearly every psychoanalytic trick to get her to quit the LAPD. The thought hadn't crossed her mind and it wouldn't.

Climbing into the front seat she closed the door as Tim cast a disapproving glance a her. "It's two minutes after three, what the hell took you so long?"

Lucy breathed out as she relaxed into the passenger seat. Across the console Tim tuned the key as they pulled out of the parking lot. If reading between the lines was an art form, Lucy would be a master. He was asking her if everything was ok; if she was good.

Smiling she looked at him from the corner of her eye. "I had to touch up my hair and make up, like always."

Tim let out an exhale as the corner of his mouth twitched upward. Sarcasm meant everything was good, silence meant there was a problem. Of all the things he liked about Lucy Chen, and there were more than he would ever admit, the thing he liked the most about her was that she didn't cower to him. Even with the TO dynamic she still gave it right back to him, and while he more often than not used his authority to have the last word; he still enjoyed the banter.

They fell into a comfortable silence as the shop bounced down San Vicente. On the console the radio crackled. "7-Adam-19. Report of a female found in alley behind 3792 S Genessee Ave. Likely DOA."

Tim snapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he shook his head. Just what he wanted to do; babysit a rancid DOA. Turning the shop around he pointed it toward their address as Lucy remained silent waiting for him to interject a, no doubt, crass comment into the situation. "Sally in the alley…"

Lucy rolled her eyes. Sally in the alley was the politically incorrect term for a dead female found in alley usually the victim of drugs, prostitution or both. Opening his mouth, she cast a glance at him. She knew there was more, there was always more. "Probably some hooker….we'll be on this for half the afternoon."

"Oh come on. Half the afternoon ?" Lucy let out a wry laugh at his exaggeration.

Shaking his head Tim looked at her. "Ever the optimist, Boot. Few more years on the job and that will be beat right out of you."

"I hope not." Lucy was serious although she knew there was no use arguing with him.

Pulling into the alley, the hot sun bathed the buildings and backyards in a warm glow. Two kids, not more than twelve, stood in front of a group of trash cans their phones out and up. Another kid knelt down throwing rocks at the body with a mindless stare. On the ground she could see a pair of white legs and bare feet.

"Look at these little animals…" Tim broke her out of her trance as her mind caught up to reality. The kids were videoing, probably streaming it on Facebook live right now. Throwing the doors open they both got out.

"Hey….get your asses over here." The kids looked at each other before looking back at Tim.

"We ain't doin' nothing illegal." Grabbing the first kid by his collar Tim shoved him against the hood of the shop as the other two straightened up a bit.

Kicking the kid's legs apart Tim began to pat him down as Lucy gestured toward the hood. "You two get over here." After a quick check for weapons, Tim nodded her toward the body.

"Check it out…see if they're still alive." Nodding Lucy reached into her pocket for a pair of latex gloves. It was possible that their victim was just overdosed but given the severe pallor of her legs she had a feeling that would not be the case.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead she heard flies buzzing around the trash as a sick rotting smell turned her stomach. The woman was wearing a blue dress that had been hiked up around her hips as her underwear was bloodied and around her knees. Her right arm had track marks up and down the inner forearm as Lucy exhaled. Leaning over she placed two fingers on the woman's neck although she was almost sure there would be nothing there. Even in the hot sun her skin felt cold and was gray, almost white. She was dead. A sigh escaped her lips as a sudden sadness filled her. Yes, it was another junkie dead in the alley, happened almost everyday. But it was still a person…a person who had died alone in a pile of trash, mostly likely raped and assaulted before meeting her untimely end. Reaching down she didn't know what possessed her to do it but she took her ungloved hand and ran it through the woman's blonde hair pushing it back from her face.

The blood in her veins ran cold as her heart stopped. Lucy's hand froze as she gasped. It was Isabel. Swallowing hard Lucy stumbled back a few steps shaking her head willing it to not be true. This wasn't right. Isabel was clean; had been for months. Tim had even gone to the rehab to see her and said she was. On top of that they hadn't heard a word from her or seen her anywhere on the streets and while he never said it, she knew Tim looked for her everyday. Checked faces of victims, hoping and praying it wasn't her. Yes what they had was in the past but he would never stop caring about her and Lucy knew that.

"Boot…what's going on ?" Tim had hooked up all three kids as they sat on the ground against the front of the car. Lucy looked back to Isabel and then to Tim her face twisted with what she was sure was horror. "Chen?" She could see it on his face. The flicker…the worry, that maybe this time would be it. And it was. But he didn't need to see her; not like that. Rushing toward him Lucy put both hands on his chest forcing him to stop.

"Go back to the shop. I got it." Tim looked down at her face and her hands on his chest as she saw his pupils dilate with fear. His chest began to heave as he was sure that she could feel his heart pounding through the fabric of his shirt and vest.

"No..No. You're wrong….you're wrong." His voice wavered with emotion as she stood between him and the body of his ex-wife. "She's clean…..she's been clean for months." Lucy couldn't look him in the eye; she didn't want to see what was there.

Her hands were still planted on his chest trying to push him way from something he didn't need to remember the rest of his life. Reaching up he unconsciously took her hands in his own holding on to her as she looked up at him. This was that something more…that something she couldn't put a word to. The almost involuntary latching on to each other; both physically and emotionally. It was the way she buried her face in his shirt, crying hysterically after he pulled her from that barrel, and the way he was squeezing her hands right now.

When he spoke again, his voice was on the verge of breaking as it came out high and croaked. "Lucy…?" He never used her first name. Looking down she bit her lip as she nodded, tears coming to her own eyes.

"It's her…." Letting go of her hands he stepped back looking away, his hands on his hips as he walked around in a circle. Everything inside of him wanted to run from this moment; but even if he did run there was no where to go. Blinking a few times he nodded his head. He had to see her for himself, had to know what it looked like, had to know what they did to her. Moving past his partner Chen grabbed his arm. Stopping their eyes met. "Tim….please don't." Pulling his arm free he understood what she was trying to do but he couldn't not look. Just like Lucy was his responsibility; Isabel had once also been. And just like Lucy, he would have gone to ends of the earth to protect her; no matter what she did or how he felt about it.

"I have to." Lucy didn't turn around, she didn't want to remember the look his face when he saw her. Behind her she heard a gasp and then the swishing of material and jingling of keys as he bent over. Swallowing hard she reached up and wiped her face before pivoting toward her TO.

Tim knelt in front of Isabel. His eyes stared at her, pain etched on his face. His left hand stroked the hair back from her face as his eyes wandered down her body to the bloody misplaced underwear. Lucy saw the muscles of his jaw clench. Coming to stand next to him, she didn't know if she should touch him right now or not. Didn't know if she should say something or not. She just didn't fucking know what to do so she stood there. Gently he took the hem of her dress pulling it back down to her knees covering her. Pushing himself to his feet, she felt the tension radiate off of him as she realized how much effort he was putting into keeping it together. A strangled breath escaped his lips.

"Call it in." Turning, he walked away from her down the alley and around the corner. Her eyes wandered back to Isabel. She wished she could take her out of the trash heap, cover her with a sheet, something…anything to make this even fractionally more dignified than it was. But she couldn't. It just was what it was.

An hour later Lucy squatted down in front of Isabel as the Medical Examiner prepared to place her into a body bag. The three juveniles had been taken in by West and Lopez who gave them a searing lecture about disruption of a crime scene. Nolan and Harper stood against the fence, their expressions solemn.

"Chen…" Looking up she saw Grey motioning her toward him. The flash of the crime scene tech's camera flickered behind her as she regarded her CO.

"Yes Sir." Casting a glance down the alley he nodded toward Bradford.

"I talked to Bradford. He says the last he knew she was in rehab."

"Yes sir…"He was asking her if Tim was lying. Even if he was lying she would never tell Grey. She liked the boss, he was good at his job but could also still get it done on the street, a rare combination. He was quiet for a moment.

"I'm not blind, Chen. I know the two of you have become close." She swallowed hard unsure where this was going. "He listens to you, even if you don't think so." She contemplated that silently. "We will find who did this but I don't want anyone going off half cocked. Understand ?"

Chen nodded. She knew what he meant but she also knew what this was doing to Tim and what Isabel meant to him. She would never disobey her CO but she also would never sell her partner out. Her partner. That's what he was becoming….not her TO….her partner. "Yes sir. I understand." Grey looked at her a hint of suspicion in his eye before getting back into the car. The flurry of activity continued around Lucy as her eyes roamed down the alley toward her partner.

It was almost dark when the last car left the scene. They had not only taken Isabel's body but also the trash and trash cans leaving an empty spot on the ground. Tim had not moved from his position at the end of the alley. Opening the door, Lucy got out of the shop. They were alone as she walked slowly toward him. The car he was sitting on had weeds growing around the tires and broken window. In the six hours they had been here, he had pushed himself onto the hood as his boots rested on the bumper, his elbow on his knees and head in his hands. Tim Bradford was a picture of torment if she ever saw one. Silently she pushed herself up onto the hood next to him as they both stared into a backyard with a rusty fence.

"I keep…." She folded her hands in her lap not looking at him reasoning that it was probably easier for him if she didn't. "I keep thinking about what she was like when we met…and…" He stopped, shaking his head his voice cracking a bit. "And how the fuck we got here."

Lucy bit her lip. "You did everything you could for her…"

Tim jerked up, sliding to his feet, his body suddenly taut with anger. "Did I though ?! Did I fucking do everything ?!" Jamming his finger toward where her body had been he shook his head. "Because it sure as hell don't look like it…" He paced back and forth.

Lucy reached out for his arm as he passed. Roughly he jerked it back. "Don't…ok…just don't." A look of hurt crossed her face that made his gut tie into knots. Massaging his forehead he covered his eyes for a second. Dropping his hands abruptly he stared right at her. "I need to find who did this…. I need to make this right for her."

She stared back at him. "And we will. Grey is already…" He cut her off abruptly.

"NO! I mean I NEED to find them." She knew what he meant. "Do you understand?"

Lucy slide off the car standing in front of him. "I'm with you. No matter what it takes. We'll make this right."

"We?" If it were any other circumstance she would laugh. Where else would she be but with him?

Nodding firmly she didn't waver. "Yes. We."

TBC….obviously

The search for Isabel's killer will take our favorite duo on quite the adventure.

Got this idea out of the blue and I need another fic like I need a hole in my head but I couldn't pass it up. Let me know what you guys think of this.