D E J A
"Riggs? Are you homeless?" I asked walking up to a messy haired Riggs with his shirt unbuttoned and he was just wearing boxers as he washed his clothes with one of the showers on the beach.
"Hey! No, I got a trailer up a ways. Not a lot of people which is great, but, no washing machine." He said and I hummed.
He looked back at me, staring at my suit and board.
"You surf here a lot?" He asked.
"Yeah, my whole life." I said and he quickly stood up, "Hey, how'd the test go? Roger came and insisted I go so he could give you a ride." He said and I chuckled.
"I just barely passed." I shrugged.
"Hey, I had to take it twice, almost three times." He tried to make me feel better.
"You're lying, but thanks." I smirked.
"Have you ever heard of a laundromat?" I asked as he started washing his clothes again.
"Aw, come on. You can beat this view!" He said looking out at the ocean as I walked around him so I was in front of him now.
"You might want to consider fluff n' fold. Could help your look." I smirked.
"There's nothing wrong with my look." He said as I smirked, "Bye Riggs."
"Hey, I don't look homeless! And congratulations!" He shouted and I glanced back at him with a smile.
--
"Have I told how proud I am of you?" Trish continued to gush over me as she brought Bella downstairs.
"Only a few times." I smiled at her as she handed me Bella.
I heard a knock on the door as I walked towards Bella's high chair.
"Hey, Martin!" Trish greeted him with a smile.
"Hi." He walked into the kitchen.
I put baby Bella in her chair, "Nice to see you." Trish said getting some food ready for Bell, "Good to see you."
"Roger will be back any minute, unless you're here to talk to D." Trish said as I stood up straight.
"Actually, Trish, can I ask you a question?" He asked.
"Uh-huh." She said as she handed me a small bowl with a rubber baby spoon.
I looked over at Riggs as he looked at me, "Do I look homeless... To you?" He asked looking over at Trish as I smiled widely.
"What? Of course not. I mean, sometimes you're a little scruffy, but that's part of your charm." She smiled as she spoke sweetly.
"Right. Part of my charm." Riggs agreed with her.
Trish excused herself as she got a phone call from work.
"I never said you looked homeless." I spoke as I fed Bell.
"You pretty much did." He said and I smirked, "I said it would help your look." I said before I stood up straight and turned towards him.
"Which means something is wrong with my look. By the way, I'm very proud that you passed your test." He fit that in and I chuckled as he walked up to me.
"Nothing's wrong with your look, Martin. How about if you ever get tired of washing your clothes by hand, you can come use my apartment as a laundromat, free of charge." I smiled at him.
"That's mighty generous of you." He spoke quietly as he got closer.
"Even though you called me homeless," He said and I smiled at the ground, "I still owe you a date."
He got closer as he glanced at my lips and I almost pinched myself to see if this was real.
He closed his eyes as he started lean in towards me, I closed mine as well, Bell started fussing before we could actually kiss.
I sighed as I opened my eyes, "Oh," I said realizing I have baby food on my wrist.
"Can you feed her for a second?" I asked him.
"Um, I've never fed anything. I mean, pigs. I had some pigs once-- and a dog, but it died-" "Martin, spoon in, spoon out." I smiled up at him as he rambled.
I walked past him, touching his arm as I walked around the island towards the sink.
He sighed before sitting in front of Belladonna.
"Okay. You want to try something?" He spoke quietly, I watched him as I washed my wrist.
"It doesn't look that... It does look bad, doesn't it? Looks like glue." He said to the baby that could just sit up.
I smirked as I watched him now, drying my wrist as I leaned my back on the counter.
"Yeah, look, watch. Mmm." He said eating a little bit, his face changed as he realized apple sauce wasn't glue.
"That's really good." He said picking up the bowl and eating another spoonful before looking up at me as I smirked.
"She didn't want any." He said and I chuckled.
--
"They shot at me in my own neighborhood, I want to know who these punks are. Who they hang out with, where they live." Roger ranted about a robbery him and Riggs chased this morning that got away, two minutes after Riggs fed his 13 month old daughter. Or, fed himself.
"It was a precise in and out hit while the owner was at a boutique opening." Det. Bailey spoke.
"Got over 200 grand in jewelry and electronics. This crew-" "They're predators!" Roger yelled as I sat at my desk and Riggs sat at his.
"The whole point to moving to Sherman Oaks is so stuff like this doesn't happen!" Roger kept yelling as he walked around the department.
"We're taking the case." Roger pointed at Riggs.
"Roger, I understand you're taking this personally. But what you have to-" "Yes, I am taking this personally. You wouldn't understand, you don't live in any kind of community. You're a sand hobo." Roger said and I sighed.
"A sand hobo? As opposed to what, like, uh, a regular hobo who rides the rails?" "Your neighbors are seals." Roger said, "These guys had fake uniforms, custom vans. They're professionals."
"Hey, Bailey, why don't you run a search on all burglaries in the L.A county, see if any similarities pop up." Riggs said as Captain Avery walked in with a new recruit.
"It'll take me a couple days to get all these files from the city." "Or I could get you them in an hour. The gang unit has contacts in all stations, I'll hook you up." A tattooed, younger looking kid walked in.
"Team, I'm sure you remember Detective Cruz. Remarkably, after working with Riggs and Murtaugh on our last cartel case, he transferred to be put in with us for full time." Avery spoke quickly.
"Good to have you Cruz, we're going after some grade "A" miscreants here." Murtaugh said and I chuckled.
"Great, I'm sure you'll all make him feel at home." Avery said before leaving.
"Oh, yeah. Unless home is a trailer near some easily-maligned seals." Riggs spoke sarcastically.
Cruz asked if they had descriptions on the suspects and Murtaugh said something about how they were too busy almost getting killed to see their faces, but one of them looked like the black hulk.
Riggs looked at a picture of a shoe print on my desk, before Bailey found a workout video of one of the black men, because she searched for the black hulk.
"Loyola Gym." Murtaugh said grabbing his watch because they were about to jet.
--
"Riggs, you're soaking." I laughed as he walked into the break room while I took a small break from sitting on my butt.
"That black hulk dude, he's a hulk." "What happened?" I laughed as he came and leaned against the counter beside me.
"Long story short, we found him in the showers at the gym. Not fun." He said and I laughed.
"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry." I apologized for laughing.
"I'm headed down to the interrogation room, you coming?" "Am I allowed to?" I asked because it seems like I'm not allowed anywhere any more.
"You are a cop." He said simply with his wet hair strands falling in his face.
He nodded for me to follow him, we went downstairs into the basement.
"Riggs, here." I said grabbing a towel from the shower in our building.
He hung it on his shoulder as he nodded for me to go behind the glass.
"Rajon Phillips." Riggs said walking into where the black hulk was chained to the table as Murtaugh stood in there waiting.
Riggs cleared his throat, "Two counts of attempted murder on a police officer, assault and battery of said police officer." He spoke as he took off his boots and poured them out.
"Resisting arrest, destruction of property. And that doesn't even count the two dozen burglaries we have linked to you and your crew." Riggs smiled as he emptied out his other boot.
"Also known as; life without parole." Murtaugh stepped in.
"Unless, you give us names and details, now." He added.
I watched them poke fun at the big man, saying how he could only be the muscle of the crew, not the brains.
He wasn't giving anyone up as he talked about how he was the brains and called all the shots.
Avery sighed as they left the other room and came on to the other side.
"Makes you wonder what a guy like him would be scared enough of to do hard time for." Avery spoke as I stood beside him with Riggs on the other side and Murtaugh beside Riggs.
"Scared of or connected to." I spoke as I slightly tipped my head as we all watched the giant man.
"Family, friends, his community." Riggs said looking down at me as we stood close together.
"Hmm." I hummed as I looked up at him and then we looked away because we were working.
And you're not allowed to stare at people you like for longer than ten seconds at work.
"So let me get this straight. You keep a perfectly pressed outfit here at the station, in what, like, your locker?" Riggs asked looking over at Murtaugh, who also took down hulk in the showers, but he was dry and crisp.
"Yeah. Five of them." "Five of them?" I asked and he nodded.
"Because I do laundry.. Like civilized people. You should try it." Murtaugh said to Riggs.
Murtaugh left to go try and break the guy again while the Captain was called up stairs for a call.
"Do do you keep an extra outfit in your locker?" Riggs asked me.
"Yeah, just one." I said and he sighed, slightly shaking his head.
Murtaugh came in defeated once more, "Can I try?" I asked, they both have me a look.
"I don't think you should go in the same room as this guy, Dej. It took both of us plus a taser just to get him into some cuffs." Riggs said and I looked up at them sternly.
I took the clipboard from Roger's hand and walked into the other room, "Hey Rajon, good news." I said with two more officers following me, because they were going to move him.
"We're transferring you to county before your arraignment. Just gotta fill out a little paperwork here. Any family we should notify? Hmm?" I asked as the handcuffed and ankle cuffed man moved towards the door with two officers guiding him.
"Gang affiliations we should know about, for your own safety?" I asked and he stared me down, I was just reading his body language.
"What about medical conditions? Looks like you had some knee surgery." I said glancing at his scarred knee.
"So did you play football?" I asked and he didn't answer vocally, "Ah, so basketball." I smirked.
"So what were you, like a Compton cougar? Yeah, they play rough." I said and he scoffed.
"Hawthorn Roman." I smirked because he was practically giving me the answers.
"Yeah, the Romans, they suck." I said.
"They suck, now. I won the conference when I was there, bitch!" He said jumping towards me but I didn't flinch.
I smiled as the officers held him back.
"Get him out of here." I smirked.
Murtaugh and Riggs came into the hallway as I handed the clipboard to an officer who was taking him into custody.
"I'm impressed." Murtaugh said as we did our secret handshake.
"How'd you learn that?" Riggs asked, "I've worked with some really good cops." I smirked.
--
I walked a few feet behind Murtaugh and Riggs as they argued about sports.
I was shadowing as they questioned Rojon's old basketball coach.
We were at a pretty park in Murtaugh's old neighborhood, I've actually been to this park many a times.
I stood back as they questioned the coach who hollered at his team, not like mean things.
"Thanks for your help, man." Riggs said shaking the man's hand.
They turned and both looked at the same guy, some younger guy who had his arm in a sling.
"His shoulder, it looks like right where you shot our burglar." Murtaugh said and Riggs hummed.
They both took off after the kid did, I lost them quickly, my mind elsewhere.
I turned a corner to see Murtaugh chasing him on a sidewalk, Riggs came out of nowhere, tackling the guy with the wound.
He sat on him as he put pressure on his gunshot wound.
"El Paso High. Strong safety. Go wildcats." Riggs smiled and I chuckled as I shook my head.