21 Jump Street | 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞 (Tom Hanson x OC)

𝟿. 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜! 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜! 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜!

Booker pulled out a chair from the table and gestured for Danika to sit down. "Quite the gentleman, Book," Tom scoffed, taking the seat on Danika's left. "You sure know where to take a girl for a good time,"

"C'mon, don't be such a square, Hamburger—we're celebrating!" Booker laughed, plopping down in the seat on Danika's right. "We managed to crack this case and this'll be the last time I'll have to suffer through your company for a while." Danika's ears perked up at that.

"You're leaving?" She asked, curious as to why Booker hadn't said anything earlier. "Did Fuller chew you out?"

After Danika had gotten Tracy to confess the true nature of her attack, the three officers agreed that no matter what, they had to report what they knew to Fuller. Like Judy had said, it would only look bad on all of them if this case went unsolved. The downside of clearing their department's reputation, however, came at the cost of disrespecting Tracy's wishes.

The battered teen wanted this whole thing to be buried, swept under the rug, and prayed that her humiliation would disappear with it. But once they reported back to the station with what they knew, that would only make things worse. With the frenzy the media had made out of this case, Tracy choosing not to report her attackers would only bring more scrutiny her way. The only way the teen would know any peace at all was if she finally spoke up.

"We need to get her to press charges," Tom declared, knowing how quickly the situation could go south without Danika even needing to argue her case. The two officers locked eyes and, while Danika had come to expect the heat of annoyance and scrutiny whenever Tom looked down at her, this time was different. Now, as their eyes met, his gaze was filled with what Danika could only describe as understanding. They were of the same mind and, with a nod of his head, he put his trust in Danika to get the job done.

While they explained the facts of the situation to Mrs. Edwards, disappointment shadowed her face when she learned that this unfortunate event was just the result of a petty argument. At first, Mrs. Edwards was understandably on Tracy's side. For the sake of her daughter's emotional health, she was willing to walk away from this—but Danika wouldn't let her. Tracy was still a minor and, rape or not, she had been a victim of a viscous and brutal attack.

"The girls who did this still go to that school, Mrs. Edwards. None of us will be able to guarantee Tracy's safety if you don't do anything." Danika watched as Mrs. Edwards considered her words. The stress of choosing between her daughter's safety and her daughter's trust weighed heavily on her shoulders, but eventually, the former outweighed the latter. It took a little while, but Mrs. Edwards managed to coax Tracy out of bed, and the two of them followed the group of officers down to the police station.

Danika leaned against the wall of the chapel beside Tom, the two watching from the sidelines as Tracy gave her statement to an officer on duty. Booker, on the other hand, had been called into Fuller's office upon their arrival. Danika assumed he was simply giving Fuller the rundown of how they managed to close the case, but now she knew it was much more serious than that.

"Well, since someone decided to blow my cover, Fuller thought it was best I head back to Internal Affairs tomorrow. Avoid any more drama." He looked over at Tom, and the other officer did a poor job of masking his satisfaction at the news.

"I'll say that's something worth celebrating," Tom agreed nonchalantly, but his crooked smile told them all he was probably jumping for joy on the inside.

"You know it's no bed of roses working with you either, Hanson," Booker scoffed before standing up. "I'll go get us some drinks. Dani, what's your poison?"

"Um... beer?" She said doubtfully, her cheeks burning at her lack of experience. "I-I don't really drink,"

"Yeah, I can tell." An amused chuckle escaped Booker's mouth. He patted Danika on the head, and the rookie officer did her best not to frown or pout. He'd already made her feel childish. "I'll be right back," Booker headed towards the bar and, once again, Tom and Danika were left alone.