Title: Justice Of The Peace
Author name: Auburn
Email address: GemmaQT@hotmail.comRating: It's going to be NC-17
Discalimer: I own nothing except my imagination, if you want this story, (I don't see why you would) but if you do, tell me where it's going.
Feedback: If you want to leave it, I will read it.
Summary: Willow and Tara are both police officers in Sunnydale, California. Tara has just been transferred from Alabama. together they face untold dangers. and become closer whilst doing it.
Willow Rosenberg ducked behind a car, hiding from the suspect she had been pursuing for four blocks. The suspect was wanted for questioning on attempted murder of a young woman who had sustained a neck injury and severe blood loss. Rosenberg had been tracking the suspect for just over a week and his hangouts were usually the graveyard or Willy’s bar, why anybody would want to hang out in a graveyard was beyond her.
“Willow?.....do you copy... over.?” a message came over the walkie talkie.
“Copy.” she answered.
“What is your position?....over.”
“Behind a red automobile left of the hardware store, pursuing suspect on foot.... over.”
“I’ll try to cut him off at the end of the street try to head him in my direction...over.”
“Copy.”
Rosenberg heard hurried footsteps passing the car she was crouched behind, she leapt from her position and threw herself and the suspect, stunning him and knocking him off his feet.
He quickly recovered and threw the officer off him with more strength than humanly possible. Rosenberg layed dazed for a moment as the suspect sped off. The officer reached for her gun and slipped it out of its holder strapped to her waist then aimed it at the retreating form of the suspect.
The metal bullet released as she pulled the trigger with a bang. It rippled through the air and hit the suspect on the back of his thigh, knocking him to the ground with the force of the impact, surprisingly the he got up and carried on running, although slowed by the injury he placed more weight on his uninjured leg.
“Suspect shot and heading in your direction Xander.... over.” she radioed her partner then chased off after the villain.
She ran as fast as her small frame would take her and slid over the bonnet of a car rather than going around it. the suspect was seriously injured yet still out running her, it’s like he wasn’t human.
She neared the end of the street with the patrol car in sight she looked around for her partner. The sound of gun fire and a blood curdling scream brought her attention to an ally and she ran towards it, gun in hand ready to defend herself.
The officer used the wall as a shield as she neared the corner, careful not to get herself into a situation hard to get out of. She turned the corner, gun first ready to shoot. Xander was on the floor and the suspect was climbing up the fire escape of a near by building, she aimed her gun at the villain and released a few rounds until he disappeared.
“Xander!” Willow ran to his side checking for injury. He had two puncture wounds in his neck that were oozing blood.
“Base this is Rosenberg.... there’s an officer down, need an ambulance on princess avenue ....over.”
“Copy that Rosenberg, ambulance on it’s way.”
Willow sighed, this had not been her night.
* * * * * * * * * *
“How’s he doing Rosenberg?” a strong male voice asked the young woman whilst handing her a cup off coffee he had just got from the hospital vending machine.
“He’s holding up sir.” Willow smiled although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Xander Harris had been her partner for two years and her best friend all her life. They’d fought the evils of school together, made each other feel accepted in a society that seemed out to get them and watched each other blossom into mature adults. Xander Harris had been Willow’s saviour and she was going to make sure the man who did this got brought to justice.
The old man nodded. “Well, if he’s out of danger maybe you should go home and....”
“Lieutenant, please...” the woman turned to her superior. The man had been her mentor since she had started her career in law enforcement, to her he always looked so down like life had repeatedly thrown things at him in his 56 years of life that took all his energy to fight. His gray hair covered all except the top of his head and often stood on end as if it hadn’t been cared for in years. His blue eyes were pained like he had seen one to many upsetting things in his life time and the corners crinkled when he attempted even half a smile. His cheeks were puffed out with the extra few pounds he had gained in his ‘mature’ years and his lips had a downward twist that spoke of untold pains. “I can’t leave Xander here, he needs me.” she tried to explain.
“Rosenberg.... Harris isn’t going anywhere he’ll still be here tomorrow, you can take the day off I’ll get some off duty officers to cover the two of you, you need to take care of yourself kid, because if you don’t then who will?....” her superior tried to encourage her, he looked upon Rosenberg as one of his best officers her ability to sniff out a criminal and assess a situation within seconds was one of the first things he noticed of the young officer, the first time he saw her he mistook her for a victim, her small frame and big expressive green eyes made her look so angelic, her head of red hair accentuated her pale smooth skin and the pale skin made her red lips look like they had been permanently coated with lipstick.
“I’m staying right here.” she answered stubbornly.
The old man ran his hand over the top of his bald head and sighed. “Fine.... don’t come in to work tomorrow I’ll sign you off, call me if there’s any change ok?”
“Yes sir.” she nodded, getting up off her chair, she then mock saluted him, giving him a teasing wink and walked towards her best friends room.
She entered the room quietly while a doctor was checking Harris’ vitals and waited until the man had finished to ask what was what.
“Well.” the Doctor explained. “Mr Harris is going to be sore for a while, he lost a lot of blood very fast, we’ve checked for any internal damage the blood loss may have caused and we’re just waiting for the results.”
“What’s your personal opinion doc?” the redhead probed.
“Well... to be honest officer, I’m not sure, but lets just hope for the best.” he offered a sympathetic smile before leaving the room.
Willow looked at the prone form of her best friend and a wave of sadness passed through her. What would she do without Xander Harris?
Taking a seat she pulled it from by the window and positioned it next to the bed, she held her friends hand in her own before letting the tears drift her off to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
The sun shone through the window in the white hospital room onto the sleeping form of the redhead, she had slept fitfully through most of the night her exhaustion brought on by the days drastic events. She opened her eyes only to close them just as quickly through the intrusion of the sun making her green eyes water. She turned her head before attempting to open them again only to be greeted with the sight of her best friends pale yet smiling face.
“Xander?!”
“Hey, Will.... I thought you were gunna sleep the whole day away.... and I’m the one who’s supposed to be in a coma.” he joked as he always did in situations he wasn’t comfortable with.
“Oh my god... you scared me!” she complained, leaning over the bed she gripped the young man into a fierce hug. “Don’t you ever do that again!”
“Sorry.” he said seriously, then added some humour. “Are there any oxygen masks in here because when your done-a-squeezin’ I’m gunna be needing some air.”
She tapped him lightly on the arm in mock hurt. “Has the doctor been in yet?.... does he know you’re awake?”
“No to both....hey is there any food in here ‘cause I’m in much need of some sugary goodness.”
She glared at him, trust Xander to think of food at a time like this “I’ll see what I can do” was all she answered. “I’m gunna go get the doc and ring the Lieutenant...you had us all worried.”
He gave her one of his ‘please forgive me’ smiles before she left the room.
Willow walked down the corridor of the hospital looking for the doctor that had treated Xander last night, she passed a room and saw the white coat, so she decided to wait until he had finished with another patient.
“Doctor.” she called as he exited the room.
“Officer Rosenberg, Hi” he gave her a genuine smile. “Is officer Harris ok?”
“He’s awake....um... did you get the results of the blood tests?” she got straight to the point.
“Yes I did.... listen, I’ll come and check on officer Harris in a second ... then we can talk about the results, ok?”
“Ok.” she agreed, “is there a phone I can use anywhere?”
“Errr.... down the hall to the left.” he instructed, pointing his directions.
“Thanks.” she said before heading off in the direction the doctor had told her.
The doctor watched the redhead retreat as her hips swayed with the movement of walking, he looked around self-consciously to make sure nobody had seen him staring.
Willow knew the doctor was watching her walk away, she could feel his gaze on her back, or rather her backside. She shook her head and hoped he wouldn’t ask her out on a date. He wasn’t her type, in fact the entire male species wasn’t her type.
Turning the corner of the corridor, she was pleased to be out of the doctors line of sight, she saw the phone attached to the wall and walked over to it. she pulled out a coin from her to pocket and inserted it into the machine then dialled the precincts number.
“Officer Rosenberg, get me Lieutenant Mack please.” she instructed the person on the other end of the receiver.
“Lieutenant?.... yeah Xander’s awake the docs going to tell us if there’s any lasting damage.”
“Ok I’ll see you in half an hour.” she ended the call and went back to Xander’s room.
The doctor came in 5 minutes later, his face expressionless, Willow just assumed this was a normal day for him.
“Officer Harris, officer Rosenberg....”
“Skip the pleasantries doc, just get down and dirty.” Xander encouraged.
“Well the test results don’t show any abnormalities, liver function, kidney function, they’re all normal.... it seems you got to the hospital in time.”
Xander looked over at Willow and gave her a grateful smile.
The doctor continued, “You should be ok to go home tomorrow, we’ll just keep you tonight for observations, ok?”
“Indeed doc, sounds good.... although food would be nice.” Xander hinted.
The doctor smiled. “I’ll have the nurse bring you something....”
He was interrupted by someone entering the room. “Harris good to see you’re back.” the Lieutenant greeted. “The guys down at the precinct came together and bought you some things.” he handed Xander a bag and then turned to the doctor. “So everything alright doc?”
“Yes Lieutenant, we’re just going to keep Mr Harris in over night to make sure, then he’s free to go.”
The Lieutenant breathed a sigh of relief and gripped Willow by the shoulder pulling her in for a one armed hug. The redhead let the colonel comfort her, she was so pleased Xander was going to be alright she hadn’t payed attention to her own needs, the exhaustion and hunger hit her fast.
“Well Xand.... If you don’t mind I’m gunna go home for a shower, I’ve been so occupied with making sure you were alright I forgot that I smell.” she joked.
“Thanks, Will, couldn’t have made it without you.” he held his arms out for a hug and was pleased when Willow filled them
“I’ll be by tomorrow to pick you up ok?” she checked.
“Indeedy.” he smiled.
“Mack, you give me a ride home?” she asked the colonel.
“Of course.” he turned to Xander. “Good to see you Harris, you had us all worried.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“So Mack, what now?” Willow asked as she opened the passenger door to his car.
“Well, kid... I’ll take you home and....”
“No...I....I....meant with Xander what’s gunna happen with him.”
“Oh....err... well I’ll have to keep him off the streets for a while kid, doing the less physical stuff, I’m afraid I’m gunna have to put him on desk duty, hook you up with a new partner... that kind of thing..... it’s for his own good.” he started the engine to his vehicle and drove out of the hospital parking lot. He knew it was going to be hard for Harris as the young officer liked to patrol the streets so he could keep his ear to the ground and make sure officer Rosenberg was safe. He had a new partner in mind though who was transferring from Alabama, it seemed the country wasn’t eventful enough for such a skilled officer.
* * * * * * * * * *
Willow had gone home that night and let the stress of the last couple of days wash over her, she had never cried so much, the fear of losing Xander left her more appreciative of what she had, she cherished her friendship with him, he was all she had. Her parents were never around and were usually off in some other country ‘working’ all throughout her childhood and teenage years they had been somewhere other than where they were needed, looking back on it though she really didn’t care, at least she got to choose what she could and could not do and was never dictated too. Her parents were ‘pleased’ she had a career, ‘pleased’ she had made something of herself and hadn’t let them down. She hadn’t made something of herself for them, she’d done it for herself, to prove she could be somebody with or without them, as long as she had Xander and her job she was ok. That’s all she needed, or so that’s what she told herself. Of course she had dated and had a serious relationship with a guy named Oz, he was a nice guy and cared for her deeply, but there was always some underlying issue that she just couldn’t put her finger on, some secret she knew he was keeping, but couldn’t get it out of him, plus she knew that he wasn’t the one for her... her attraction to him wasn’t physical, it was just because he was a nice guy. That had been why they broke up Oz said he had to go ‘find himself’ .... yeah go ‘find yourself’ in a ditch was her bitter reply. She was hurt of course she was, but the break up was inevitable, there was secrets, and secrets keep people from showing who we really are, but now she didn’t have to pretend to herself that men were what she wanted, she could be open with herself and at least admit her attraction to women.
Willow had showered and fed herself, she wasn’t really hungry, but you have to eat to live.
She knew Xander would be less than happy with the arrangement at the precinct, but it was out of their hands. He needed to take it easy for a while and being behind a desk was the only way he would.
Turning off the lamp beside her bed the redhead curled herself up under the covers, falling into a deep sleep, soothing away the tension from the last couple of days.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ring.....Ring..... Ring...... Ring....
Willow awoke to the high pitched screech of her telephone ringing, at first she thought it was an intruder and was ready to make it across the room to her gun, but had quickly realise that an intruder wouldn’t ring and would just simply enter, take then leave.
She answered the phone after composing herself. “Hello?”
“Rosenberg?.... did I wake you?”
“Just a little Mack, what’s up?”
“Sorry it’s 10:30 I thought you’d be up.... I want you to stop by the precinct before you pick up Harris, I’m going to introduce you to your new partner, ok?”
“New partner?....so soon?” she at least thought it would take a couple of weeks.
“Yeah well they were already on transfer, I’m just trying to make good of the situation Rosenberg.”
“Ok Mack, I’ll be there in an hour.” she hung up the phone and sighed. Xander was not going to be happy about this situation at all.
The redhead dived out of bed and into the shower, quickly refreshing herself. She put on some faded blue hipster jeans and a light pink ‘hello kitty’ vest top, then made her way to the door, picking up her keys from the floor where she always threw them she made her way to the garage.
Her house wasn’t big, yet it wasn’t small it was just satisfactory for a single woman to live comfortably, Willow had enough money to buy a bigger house if she wanted, her parents saw to it that she got everything she wanted. Her wage was by far adequate for a single woman, so she tried not to use her parents wealth, but sometimes the devil in her couldn’t resist making a hole in their account. Of course they’d never say anything, after all they missed her childhood the least they could do was ease their guilt with material assets.
opening the electric garage door Willow smiled at her car, the metallic blue was a vibrant colour and she just knew it caught peoples eye to see a hot chick driving a hot car. Unlocking the car she got in and felt the leather clash with the material of her jeans. She put the key in the ignition and heard the engine roar. Pulling out of her driveway the redhead pushed a button on her key ring and watched as the garage door closed automatically. She then sped off down the street making a note to stop at a café for breakfast before going to the precinct.
The weather in California was hot, the sun beating down from behind the odd cloud. The people dressed in what could pass as the bare minimum, it gave Willow satisfaction to know she helped keep justice on these streets, although the strange disappearances were something she had to figure out. She saw the sign of her favourite café and made to pull into a nearby parking lot.
A crash could be heard as two cars collided, the screeching of the tyres as a car tried to break to avoid any further collision or injury echoed in the air.
Willow sat in shock as her mind processed what had just happened. Her hand gripping firmly onto the steering wheel, she kept her gaze forward not sure what to do.
The driver of the car behind Willow got out of a gray truck and ran towards the metallic blue vehicle her car had just hit. She peered her blonde head through the Willow's window.
“Hey you, are you ok?.... what the hell was you thinking?!”
Willow looked at the blonde and was hit by two things simultaneously. This woman was very good looking and this woman had just hit her...
“Oh my God!.......my car.” She unclipped her seat belt and got out of her vehicle.
“Oh my God your car?..... are you kidding I could have killed you....who taught you to drive?.... Michael Schumacher?” the woman raged.
“Me?..... you hit me, this is your fault!” Willow walked around the back of her car and saw the damage, the back bumper was hanging off and the left tail-lights were shattered, the metal of the car had been badly dented. “Oh, my car, look what you did with your.....your.... what is that?.... it’s not even a car it looks big enough to be a freakin’ space shuttle!”
“Just give me your insurance details!” the blonde fumed as she picked up a pen and paper from the dash board of her truck.
Willow snatched the pen and paper and wrote down her details all the while muttering unintelligible words under her breath. The redhead handed the pen and paper back to the blonde and waited for her insurance details so she could get the hell out of here.
The woman handed Willow a piece of paper. “Stay away from populated areas if you can’t drive properly.” she gave one last jab before jumping into her truck and driving off.
The redhead was fuming, as if the last couple of days hadn’t been bad enough now her beautiful car was hurt too. Jumping into her baby Willow decided to skip breakfast and head straight to the precinct.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Rosenberg where have you been?... I’ve been waiting for you for about twenty minutes.” the Lieutenant stated looking at his watch, he hated to be kept waiting.
“Sorry Mack, I had a fender bender on Durham street, some idiot hit my car.” she explained hoping that would get her off the hook.
“Oh” his demure instantly softened. “Are you alright? Any injuries?” He discreetly checked her over with his eyes for any bumps or scrapes.
“No sir, just a little shaken.”
“Ok good. So, are you ready to meet your new partner?”
“Yes sir, lead me to him.” She had to admit, no partner would be as good as Xander, but at least it would be a change of pace.
“Errr.... she’s right this way.” he said trying to sound nonchalant, he knew Willow would be expecting a guy.
“She?... what?... no Mack I want a he.... why a she?” The redhead exclaimed, she was used to having a male partner.
“Look Rosenberg, she’s new and needs to be shown the ropes, you need a partner, this is a perfect match... plus she’s no push over, it’s only for a while anyway, ok?”
“Fine.” She answered, following the Lieutenant to his office.
The aging man opened the door to his office and shuffled Willow in. The redhead immediately caught sight of the blonde woman stood looking out the window of the ground floor office. The same blonde woman who had bumped into her car 20 minutes ago.
“You.” She said in shock.
“Willow Rosenberg..... Meet Tara Maclay.”
To Be Continued....
Edited by: Auburn at: 12/4/04 2:10 pm