Here is the next piece I'm working on. I have quite a bit planned out. However, I am not sure how many chapters will be needed to tell the story.

As usual, I will stick to a Sunday posting schedule.

Riggs whump throughout, Enjoy! All reviews are welcome and appreciated. All mistakes are my own.

I own nothing.

Witness

Chapter One:

Rain dribbled from the sky mixing with the tears and snot falling from the beaten man kneeling in the mud. He was sniveling now, drenched and pleading between strained intakes of breath.

"Please? Please don't kill me?"

Thunder crackled through the sky and drowned out the man's worthless words. He dipped his head to the muddy ground and repeated his plea.

A swift kick to his chest put the helpless man onto his back, the mud lapping hungrily at the edges of his drenched slacks.

"Ronnie, you betrayed us. You sold us out, and now you have to pay the price."

The subsequent sniveling was cut off by another roar of thunder.

"Look, it's not you. It's me; I just can't seem to forgive these days. It's a character flaw, I know, but I'm working on it. I guess I could be trying harder. But, your role in this is bigger than just sending a very precise and gruesome message. You are the first piece in my grand plan. You should be honored to be helping the family in such a manner."

The sharp clap of more thunder and the slash of light across the horizon hid the sound of gunfire as Ronnie's head slapped the sodden dirt.

The crumpled legs and lifeless form were a sign of what was to come but served as a morbid reminder of the circumstances that had started it all.

People had as many reactions to death as there were ways to die, but when a loved one was senselessly ripped from this world right before your eyes, the response was simple; revenge.

It had taken three years to find the man responsible, three years to finally begin the arduous challenge of bringing the detective to justice.

A younger brother was precious, a man that would take that away would have to suffer and today marked the start of that undertaking. Today was the beginning of the end for Detective, Martin Riggs.

The rolling thunder was replaced by the sudden slosh of mud and flesh colliding. The intrusion pulled all thought away from revenge and Ronnie's cooling corpse to much more pressing matters.

Adding another body to the count wouldn't be much of a problem, whoever had been unlucky enough to stumble upon this particular construction site at this specific moment was surely the most unfortunate of people.

The bullpen was unusually quiet aside from the invasive sound of crumpling paper.

Riggs postured from his seat upon Roger's desk and cradled the small makeshift ball in his palm, readying his next shot. His target the trashcan positioned just outside Avery's office.

"Woooooo, you see that, Rog?!" Riggs whistled at his handiwork as the paper landed center mass of the waste basket.

He crushed another sheet into its more aerodynamic form and lined up his next shot.

"Could you not?" An annoyed Roger pleaded while rubbing circles in his temples.

"Not what?" Riggs asked, his voice dipped in a slight Texas drawl.

"Crumple paper right by my head. Go be frustrating somewhere else." Roger ordered harshly.

"Jeez, Rog. You've been in a mood since you pulled in this morning." Riggs absentmindedly tossed the paper ball into the air, catching it again before repeating the motion. He glanced at the clock sitting silently on the wall "and considering we have only been here for all of twenty minutes I know it wasn't something I did…or was it?"

"It's been a rough night. The baby has an ear infection; Trish and I can't seem to settle her. No one is getting much sleep at the Murtaugh residence. The kids are exhausted, Trish is on edge, and I put coffee, instead of milk, in my cereal this morning." Roger complained between sips of the brown liquid in his mug.

"Maybe we will get a nice quiet day in the office, no crime, just paperwork." Riggs tossed the paper projectile towards its target just as Avery made his way through the door. The paper bounced unceremoniously into Avery's exposed coffee cup with a plop.

The room froze for a moment before Riggs broke the silence.

"Uhh, Captain, you got a little something in your…"

"Yes, I noticed. Thank you, Riggs. Off the desk!" He sighed, a slight bite to his tone. "I never thought I would say this, but thank God we had a case come in. Otherwise, we may end up with a homicide right here in the office."

Riggs offered an innocent smile in apology.

"Body at the construction site on Gallardo. Scorsese is en route, meet him over there."

"Cant Cruz and Bailey get it? Hell, even Scorsese has shown interest in playing detective." Roger complained.

"Oh, come on, Rog. Some fresh air will do you good." Riggs swiped the keys from Roger's desk and tossed them to his partner as he darted for the exit; pleased to have something to do as Roger trailed less enthusiastically behind him.

Warm bodies bustled over the streets surrounding the yellow police tape. Most spared a glance or two to the manic motion happening within its confines.

A gathering was beginning to mature along the restricting tapes borders as the more inquisitive studied the proceedings.

Riggs pushed past the crowd showing his credentials and raising the yellow tape for his partner. He strode over to Scorsese; the man enveloped in the task at hand.

"What we got?" Riggs inquired looking over the mud-covered body lying still in the dirt.

"we have a mess. It rained heavily last night, a lot of our evidence will have been washed away in the storm. We do have a bullet. Small caliber, shot to the head. 9mm from close range. Unfortunately, we will have to get him back to the lab to get to it…since it's still inside his head."

"Any identification on the body?" Roger chimed in.

"Wallet with a driver's license, a Ronald B. Walker," Scorsese added.

Riggs' eyes wandered from the victim to the crowd. The rest of the conversation lost to him. The sea of colorful movement shifted as his gaze caught on something familiar.

A set of enchanting almond eyes pierced the monotony of all others as they met his. The panic and uncertainty resting within them twisted his stomach into knots.

"Miranda?" He whispered uncertainly. His feet frozen to the ground.

The woman seemed to want to call to him, to get his attention somehow. Her gaze abruptly changed direction as if she had changed her mind.

He followed the familiar eyes and gentle face framed by waves of ebony as the woman fearfully peered behind her.

Riggs tracked her line of sight, noticing the unfriendly stalkers closing in on the woman. It didn't take a second thought to push him from stillness to motion.

He rushed in the woman's direction, hurdling the tape as he made headway. He scanned the bodies moving around the scene. Three men had begun to quicken their pace, trailing the mysterious woman as she took off in the opposite direction.

He followed at a sprint, gaining ground on the closest of the assailants. A sharp turn put them in the confines of an alleyway occupied by a lone dumpster.

He barreled forward and dove, landing hard against the man beneath him. A harsh snap followed by a shrill scream indicated something attached to his target had not remained intact during the scuffle.

Riggs found his feet, a quick glance to the other side of the alley forced him to end his altercation with the man still on the ground. He did so with a swift kick to his jaw and brought the gun from the rim of his jeans to the heads of the men still posing an imminent threat.

"Hey!" He yelled to gain their attention.

The barrels of two mid-caliber pistols shifted from the woman sobbing against the wall to level at his chest.

"Now, Fellas, that ain't no way to pick up a lady. How about we drop them guns and talk this out." A smile accompanied his words, but his sandy brown eyes held the fury his tone concealed.

He held his Baretta unwavering. Choosing to target the man closest to the dark haired woman.

Silence rang out between them, the two men unrelenting. The man closest to the woman spoke first.

"You're outnumbered, why don't you put your gun down?" He mocked.

Riggs forced a breath to the ground and shattered the silence with a laugh. The action pushed the first gunman out of his inactive trance as he fired in Riggs' direction.

Riggs leaped diagonally as he took a shot of his own, the first man fell to the ground as Riggs closed the distance between them.

The screams of the woman now curled in a heap on the ground pushed the urgency to end the scuffle quickly.

A shot went wide as he fired his own, his bullet tearing through the shoulder of the last man standing forcing him to drop his weapon.

The gunman threw a wild punch towards Rigg's head. He parried easily and brought his balled fist to the man's solar plexus, as the criminal crumpled in half Riggs delivered a sharp elbow to his temple dropping him to the concrete.

He stared at the form lying unconscious in the alley, hesitant to bring his gaze upwards.

A voice shattered the prospect as it rang out in concern.

"You're bleeding!"

Rigg's caught a glimpse of the captivating umber bulbs as they rose to his own. The face that sat behind them was not Miranda's, but the resemblance was unsettling all the same.

He tore his eyes from the woman attempting to push the disturbing pain rising from the pit of his stomach to the stinging sensation developing in his thigh.

"Hm, I…Oh, I guess I am. It's just a scratch." He deflected as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at his shoes. Anywhere but at those eyes. "are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine; just a bit shook up. You should get that looked at." She suggested, gesturing to his leg.

Riggs glanced up awkwardly before resetting his gaze back on the ground; he rubbed the back of his head desperate for a way to avoid conversation.

"I, uh…"

"Riggs! What the hell, man?! You just sprint off and start shooting?! You do know it's a Monday right? That's way too much paperwork for a Monday." Roger panted as he made his way down the alley. "You're bleeding." He stated as he noticed the woman standing beside the wall and the blood oozing from Riggs' thigh simultaneously.

"What happened?" Roger directed at his partner.

"These men were after her." He nodded to the dead, or otherwise incapacitated bodies dispersed around the alleyway, then to the lady standing opposite him. He was certain his somber demeanor would pose questions, but he was not yet ready to address the emotions bubbling to the surface, so he forced them away with a smile.

"This is, uh, sorry. I didn't catch your name between all the gunfire and screaming." He looked up to the woman in question without a hint of what lay beneath the surface.

"I'm Mindy. Mindy Delgato." She said by way of greeting, nodding to both men in unison.

"Mindy, here..." Riggs gestured his hand in Mindy's direction while tilting his head towards Roger. "...Is our witness."

Roger offered him a skeptical glance, followed by a brief opening and closing of his mouth.

"He's right; I saw the man at the construction site last night." She supplemented, clearly impressed at Riggs' deductive skills.

Amused by Rogers stunned silence he added,

"She was hanging around the scene, looked like she wanted to get someone's attention, but these goons got to her first."

"Okay Mindy, Let's get you out of here and to somewhere safe," Roger suggested glancing once more at Riggs' leg.

Riggs gave his partner a shake of his head letting him know he didn't need a bus as they made their way back to the station.

He heard Roger request officers to the new crime scene to pick up the perps and contain the area as he focused on the sharp sensation tugging at the skin on his thigh with each step. The pain dulled the less desirable thoughts circling his mind.

Roger stared wide-eyed at his partner as Riggs wrapped the gash in his leg with duck tape. He wasn't quite sure how to intervene, but by the looks Riggs was receiving from his colleagues Roger wasn't the only one concerned by the action.

"Riggs, what the hell are you doing?" Avery inquired disbelievingly.

"Didn't have a big enough band-aid, Captain." He replied innocently.

"Oh no, get your ass down to Scorsese. He can patch you up. I refuse to do the paperwork if you die of sepsis." The Captain complained, his concern moderately well hidden behind the bite of his tone.

Riggs' hopped off the desk and hobbled to the elevator.

"You need company?" Roger called after him.

"Nah, I'm good Rog. But it's sweet of you to worry." Riggs waived him off.

Roger rolled his eyes. Something was bothering his partner, he had been removed and on edge since leaving the crime scene, and it was unsettling. Whatever he was hiding behind false bravado and smiles would have to come to the surface eventually.

"He always like that?" Mindy asked.

"This is him subdued; you should see him after a few cups of coffee." Roger jested.

"I didn't get a chance to thank him for saving me from those men. He dove through all that gunfire as if he was bulletproof."

"He does that. Don't worry; you can thank him when he gets back. There's no stopping him once we catch a case. A bullet graze won't even slow him down." Roger added hoping that the physical trauma his partner was dealing with was the only pain he was suppressing. However, he somehow felt that wasn't the case.

"Murtaugh, there's a safe house set up for the witness. Since you and Riggs have already met Miss Delgato, you can be the ones to stay with her. There will be uniforms patrolling the area, but keep an eye out. Watch your backs." Avery warned.

"If we are on protection duty, who's running the leads, Captain?"

"I have Bailey and Cruz doing the heavy lifting on this one. Just keep Riggs stationary for a while, will you? He can play tough all he likes, but he hasn't been cleared for the field."

"That's never stopped him before."

"That's why you will be keeping him busy at the safe house."

"He's not gonna like this," Roger complained.

"He doesn't have to like it. Keep him there, Murtaugh. That's an order." Avery lined his tone with enough stern conviction to warrant no argument.

"How long will I have to stay in protective custody?" Mindy chimed in nervously.

"I'm sure it won't be long, with the description you gave us and your testimony this guy will be behind bars before you can say 'witness.'"

Mindy offered him a shy smile in response.

"What do you say we go check on my bulletproof partner? I'm sure he's driving Scorsese mad right about now." Roger suggested as he led the way to the lab.

"Riggs, Sit still!" Scorsese sighed in frustration.

Riggs attempted to still himself as he sat on the metal examiners bench in his boxers while Scorsese finished dressing his thigh, his eyes darting to the hallway every so often.

"Jeez, Scorsese. How can I sit still when you have this damn table at minus thirty degrees; I can't feel my legs, it's so cold." Riggs complained.

"You can't feel your leg because I numbed it before I put the stitches in, but I'm starting to wish that I hadn't."

Roger smirked as his partner's expense. He had noticed the many glances to the door and wondered why his partner was so eager to leave.

"Did he really try to fix this with ducktape?" The pathologist asked in amusement.

"Yup, and I'm not even sure if that's the dumbest thing he's done today," Roger remarked, throwing a mocking glance towards his partner.

"Alright, lesson learned. Next time I will go with glue. Scorsese, you get anything on the vic?" Riggs' redirected.

"Plenty of brain soup, the 9mm bounced around in his skull leaving a complete mess in its wake. I haven't gone through all the evidence yet. Maybe I would be able to get more done if I didn't have to keep tending to the living."

"you know, I think the tape has a better bedside manner than you." Riggs crossed his arms over his chest and looked to Scorsese in challenge.

"Stop getting shot, and you won't have to deal with either." Roger taunted.

The sound of gagging and liquid hitting the cold tile brought their attention to the woman waiting In the hallway.

Roger made his way over to Mindy; she stood bent at the waist wiping puke from the corner of her mouth.

"I'm so sorry; It was the description of the dead guy. I'm not good with gory details." She looked to Roger sheepishly.

"It's okay, Mindy. It's not your fault. It's Scorsese's." He raised his voice at the name and peered back into the room to glare at the man.

"What? Wait, no. Guys?" Scorsese stumbled as Riggs pulled his jeans back into place and made his way over to Roger.

"Hey, Guys! You can't leave that there! Come on?!" Scorsese pleaded to his colleagues' backs.

Roger let the smile consume his face as they left a struggling Scorsese to deal with the mess outside his workspace.

"You know we are gonna have to get him a fruit basket or something for that one, right?" Riggs mentioned.

"Yeah, maybe two." Roger laughed and offered a sympathetic glance to Mind as she walked beside them.

He decided he would wait a while longer before letting Rigg's know of their newest assignment. Something about his partner seemed off, and Roger wanted to know what had him so rattled before he gave him something else to fret about.

He could feel the lack of sleep taking its toll and refocused his thoughts on finding a fresh cup of coffee.