Mirana glances at Lawrence who is drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as they cruise through the streets of LA.
"Have you spoken to Lucy today?" Mirana asks.
"No, why?"
"Emmett broke up with her over text," Mirana says and Lawrence winces.
"Ouch,"
"7-Adam-12, reports of a 417 at the local high school, S.W.A.T. is en route but they're requesting backup,"
"Show 7-Adam-12 responding," Mirana says into the radio as Lawrence turns on the lights and sirens. "That's Tamara's school"
Lawrence drives through the streets as the sirens blare loudly. Mirana grips the door handle, ready to get out of the car as soon as they arrive on the scene.
Once they arrive, Lawrence slams his foot on the brake and Mirana is out of the car before he's even come to a full stop, her eyes scanning the faces of fleeing students and dread settles in her stomach.
Mirana pulls her gun from her holster and Lawrence follows suit as they approach the main door. The two officers creep through the hallway, directing panicked students to run out of the large double doors.
Mirana and Lawrence push open the doors that aren't locked, scanning for the shooter when gunshots sound out.
"7-Adam-12, shots fired," Mirana says, giving their location. "Currently no sighting of the shooter"
Mirana pushes open the door to the female bathroom and she can hear muffled sobs coming from one of the stalls.
"LAPD, it's safe to come out," Mirana says, keeping her voice quiet and the door flies open to reveal Tamara.
"Mirana!" Tamara gasps, wrapping her arms around the woman who returns the hug.
"You need to go outside, straight through the main doors, okay?" Mirana says, pushing a strand of hair out of Tamara's face. "I'll check on you once all of this is over okay?"
"Okay," Tamara nods as Lawrence pushes open the bathroom door.
"No sign of the shooter,"
"Run like hell," Mirana says and Tamara bolts towards the main doors.
"We're going to need to split up," Lawrence says and Mirana nods. "You take the library, I'll take the gym. Constant radio contact"
Mirana creeps down the corridor, her gun still in hand as she approaches the library. She peers through the glass to see a boy waving a gun around wildly as students sob, clinging onto each other like a life line.
"7-Adam-12," Lawrence's voice crackles over the radio. "I don't have eyes on the shooter, I'm evacuating students now"
"All units be advised," Mirana whispers into her radio. "The shooter is in the library"
Mirana locks eyes with a girl who's hiding under a table and she presses her finger to her lips, the girl nods, tears streaming down her face. Mirana pushes the door open as the boy remains facing away from her as he shouts at the scared students.
"LAPD!" Mirana says. "Drop the gun!"
The boy turns and points his gun at Mirana who takes a deep breath. "Give me one reason not to kill you on the spot"
"I have a son, he's not even one," Mirana says, raising her hands in the air. "His name is Isaac"
"Drop your gun or I start shooting everyone," The boy says.
"Okay," Mirana nods, placing her gun on the ground. "Let everyone else go, I'll stay with you. You want to have a police officer as a hostage right?"
"Take off your belt," The boy says and Mirana unclips her belt, tossing it on the floor. "Everyone out!"
The students and teachers scramble out of the library, their terrified cries echoing through the building as Mirana places her hands on her head. Mirana watches the boy carefully, her heart pounding in her chest as she tries to think of a way to defuse the situation without getting shot.
"Listen to me," Mirana says, keeping her voice soft. "I know things might seem hopeless right now, but I promise you, there's a way out of this. You don't have to do something you'll regret."
"I'm already in too deep," The boy shouts, waving his gun around.
"7-Adam-12, A to B, I've evacuated the gym, give me an update Cabrera,"
The boy points his gun at Mirana's utility belt before shooting her radio, cutting Lawrence's voice off. The boy then points his gun back at Mirana.
"Get on your knees," The boy says and Mirana does so, keeping her hands on her head.
"What's the plan here?" Mirana asks. "This building is surrounded by S.W.A.T. officers who are going to shoot now and ask questions later"
"Shut up!" The boy shouts. "Let me think"
"What's your name?" Mirana asks.
"Finn," The boy mutters.
"My name's Mirana. How old are you Finn?"
"Seventeen," Finn says, hitting his head with his hand as he keeps the gun trained on Mirana.
"Hard life?" Mirana asks and Finn frowns in confusion. "I had the same look in my eye when I was a kid. I came from Cuba when I was thirteen, bounced from foster home to foster home. Never found a place where I felt I belonged"
"Yeah, something like that," Finn says, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Just trying to survive, you know?"
"I know about surviving," Mirana nods. "Can I put my hands down and sit down?"
"I suppose," Finn says and Mirana does so.
"So how did you end up here?" Mirana asks. "Let me guess, you're angry at the world? Want everyone else to feel your pain?"
"I just want to be seen," Finn says, waving the gun around and Mirana's eyes track his movements which are getting more erratic. "I'm tired of being the kid with no family"
"I know how that feels," Mirana says, leaning back on her hands. "It brands you, this girl I knew. Chloe, she had her gang leader baby daddy kill her foster mother and then took her name. Nuts right?"
Mirana's words seem to catch Finn off guard, his grip on the gun faltering slightly as he listens.
"I know the system has failed you Finn, it failed me too," Mirana says, her hand creeping across the floor. "But we need to break the cycle of stigma and you're not helping in that"
"I don't care about the cycle of stigma!" Finn shouts and Mirana nods.
"Fair enough, why try to fix something that never cared for you right?" Mirana asks.
"Yeah, exactly," Finn mutters, his gaze fixed on the gun in his hand.
"But you know what?" Mirana continues. "We don't have to let the system define us. We can rise above it. We can choose to be better, to do better, despite the cards we've been dealt."
Finn's expression softens, a glimmer of uncertainty crossing his features as he meets Mirana's gaze.
"But how?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
"We start by putting down the gun," Mirana says as her fingers wrap around her taser.
"I can't I'm in too deep," Finn snaps.
"Finn, behind you there's a sniper ready to blow your brains out. Its a .50 cal so you won't be recognisable," Mirana says.
"No, they wouldn't risk you getting caught in the crossfire,"
"It's a hazard that comes with the job," Mirana shrugs. "If you don't believe me, turn and look, you'll see a red dot on your chest"
Finn turns and Mirana points her taser at him, sending him crashing to the ground as his body jerks and twitches. Mirana grabs her utility belt, grabbing her handcuffs before rolling Finn onto his front. She places the handcuffs on his wrists as Finn shouts at her.
"You fucking liar!" Finn shouts. "I should have shot you when I had the chance"
"Well you didn't," Mirana says as she pulls him to his feet. "And I didn't lie about anything, we just chose very different paths to deal with what happened to us"
Mirana grabs her utility belt, clipping it back on before sliding a glove on her hand and picking up Finn's gun. She opens the door to the library before leading the boy out of the library.
"Cabrera!"
Mirana looks up to see Lawrence standing near the library door, his phone in hand watching her body cam feed, his body practically sagging in relief when he notices the woman is unharmed.
"Put on some gloves and then take the gun," Mirana says and Lawrence nods, doing as she asks.
"You traitorous whore!" Finn shouts as Mirana leads him down the hallway. "You fucking illegal bitch!"
"Please exercise your right to remain silent," Is all Mirana says in reply, leading Finn out of the main doors.
Outside, the scene is chaotic, with police cars and emergency vehicles converging on the school grounds. Mirana spots Sergeant Grey coordinating the response and makes her way over, Finn in front of her.
"I'll fucking kill you, you stupid bitch," Finn shouts as he looks over his shoulder at Mirana.
"Right," Mirana nods. "Have fun with trying to do that from prison"
"Take him into custody," Grey instructs other officers, his voice firm and authoritative. "And make sure he's secured."
Mirana passes Finn over to the other officers as he continues hurling verbal abuse at Mirana who watches him be escorted to a police car.
"You stupid whore!" Finn continues shouting until the car door slams in his face.
A body slamming into her catches her off guard as Tamara wraps her arms around her.
"Hey Tam," Mirana murmurs, wrapping her arms around the girl.
"I heard what you did," Tamara's voice is muffled from her face being buried in Mirana's shoulder. "You gave yourself to that psycho to save all of those people"
"One life versus the many right?" Mirana asks, keeping her arms around Tamara.
"You have a future as a hostage negotiator Cabrera," Grey says, glancing at the patrol car Finn has been placed in. "Ignore anything he said, you're a damn good officer"
"Thank you, sir," Mirana nods as the man smiles at her.
"I think you've got some worried people waiting for you," Sergeant Grey says, nodding over to where Tim, Lucy, Nyla, Nolan and Jackson are standing against the barrier, being blocked by S.W.A.T. officers.
"I don't think I can move yet," Mirana says, gently stroking Tamara's hair as the pair sink to the ground.
"I'll get S.W.A.T. to let them through," Grey says and Mirana shoots him a grateful smile before the man walks away.
"It's okay Tam," Mirana says. "Estoy bien carino"
Tamara nods against Mirana's shoulder, her breathing slowly steadying as she begins to calm down. "I'm just glad you're okay, Mirana. We were watching your body cam footage"
"How did you get past the S.W.A.T. barricade?" Mirana asks and Tamara grins sheepishly.
"I'm a fast runner," Tamara says and Mirana laughs as the others sprint over to where Mirana is sitting with Tamara in her arms.
"I'm so glad you're safe," Tim says, pressing a kiss to Mirana's forehead.
"You were amazing in there," Lucy says, joining the hug with Mirana and Tamara.
"She was a badass," Jackson says, smiling at Mirana who grins up at him. "Drinks are on us tonight"
"That sounds great," Mirana says, keeping her arms around Lucy and Tamara.
"Definitely," Lucy agrees, her eyes sparkling with relief. "We could all use a drink after that."
"I'll second that," Tim says, his arm wrapped around Mirana's shoulders.
Tamara nods enthusiastically, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Count me in!"
"You will be having soda young lady," Nyla says to Tamara who sighs.
"Of course," Tamara replies, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Don't worry, Tam," Mirana reassures her. "We'll make sure you have the best soda in town."
Nyla smiles, her gaze softening as she looks at Tamara. "And maybe some dessert."
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Mirana walks into the station with Lawrence next to her and is greeted by applause from all of the officers in the building. Lawrence slings an arm around her shoulders as he extends his hand for a fist bump.
"Are you serious?" Mirana asks.
"We kicked ass today," Lawrence says. "You're not seriously going to leave me hanging"
"Fine," Mirana rolls her eyes playfully, bumping her fist against Lawrence's.
"I don't want you to take anything he said to heart okay?" Lawrence's voice takes on a serious tone. "What he said to you was disgusting and I considered tasing him again for good measure"
"I appreciate the thought," Mirana grins up at the man. "You joining us at the bar? Angela and Wesley are taking Isaac tonight because they want as much practise as they can get"
"I'm definitely not going to say no to a drink. I'll tell everyone to meet at the front of the station,"
Mirana walks into the women's locker room only to be ambushed by Angela who wraps her arms around the smaller woman.
"Hello Ange," Mirana laughs, returning the hug.
"You were hot shit out there today!" Angela exclaims before her eyes begin to water. "I'm so proud of you"
"Are you crying?" Mirana asks, pulling out of Angela's embrace as she grabs a dress from her locker.
"It's these damn pregnancy hormones," Angela sniffles, wiping at her eyes. "I already know I'm going to cry if your son does something cute tonight. Wesley picked him up from your nanny an hour ago. So you go and get drunk, celebrating the amazing officer you've become-"
Mirana hands Angela a packet of tissues as the woman sobs. Mirana peels her uniform off before pulling the dress on as Angela blows her nose loudly.
"Estas bien?" Mirana asks and Angela nods.
"I'm gonna go pee," Angela says and Mirana giggles as she takes her hair out of the bun. "Have fun tonight, you've earned it"
As she steps out of the locker room, she finds Tim waiting for her, leaning casually against the wall and his face lights up when he notices it's her.
"We need to do a washload tomorrow," Mirana says. "Angela snotted all over my shirt"
Tim chuckles, shaking his head as he straightens up to walk alongside Mirana. "Sounds like Lopez is really feeling the emotions today."
"Yeah, pregnancy does that to you," Mirana replies, looping her arm through Tim's.
Tim nods, squeezing Mirana's hand affectionately. "Definitely. Let's head out and have a good time tonight. You deserve it."
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
Tim and Mirana walk into the bar and all of their friends wave them over. Jackson hurries over and hands them both a shot of tequila.
"This feels like deja vu," Tim grins at her.
"This is how we had sex for the first time," Mirana grins back as they clink the shot glasses together before throwing them back.
The group erupts into laughter at Mirana's comment, and Tim's cheeks flush slightly as he looks around at their friends.
"Hey now, not in front of everyone," he says with a playful smirk.
Mirana chuckles, nudging him teasingly. "What? It's a good story! You flirted with me, we got drunk and then the next day I found out we worked at the same station and you were my T.O."
Mirana sits down next to Tamara and the girl rests her head on her shoulder.
"Estas bien?" Mirana asks the girl who nods. "Are you trying to puppy dog eyes a shot?"
"Maybe," Tamara grins at Mirana and the grin widens when Mirana quickly pours a shot into Tamara's glass of Cola.
"There you go, just don't tell Lawrence or Tim," she says, winking at Tamara who mines zipping her lips.
"Hey Mira," Tim pulls her out of her seat by her hands before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Men's bathroom. Five minutes"
"That's enough time to have a shot race,"
"Oh, you're on,"