One Shots - Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins {Brollins}

Newfound Opportunities

Colby sat at his desk, surrounded by files and stray pieces of paper. He took a swig of his coffee and signed onto his computer.

"What's the status of the Cortez case?" He looked up to find Jonathan standing at his desk, file in hand.

"It's not closed yet if that's what you're wondering." Colby sighed, eyebrows dipping in confusion when Jonathan handed him another file. "What's this?"

"A new case." Colby opened it up and began reading. "Reported stalking, violence and death threats."

Colby stared at the auburn-haired woman in the picture. "This is far from my division. I'm a homicide detective, not a private investigator."

"I know." Jonathan nodded, "But we figured since you never got closure with your mother's case, you might with this one."

He saw the look in Colby's eyes and leaned against his desk. "We can have Joseph take it. Vince doesn't know we're passing it off yet, so it's up to you."

"Is she here now?" He stood up and closed the file after seeing Jonathan nod. "I'll take it."

"Room three." Jonathan informed him, "We'll watch from behind the glass."

Colby walked through the main room, where most detective desks sat and past the holding cells. He walked towards the side of room three and watched the woman from the two-way glass. She was currently trying to rock a little baby in her arms to sleep.

He waited for a few minutes until the little one had calmed down and dozed off before heading into the room. "Miss Quin, I'm detective Lopez, and I'll be taking your case. Nice to meet you."

He extended his hand across the table as he sat down and leaned back in his chair. She shook it politely and laughed nervously, "Yeah, it'd be better under different circumstances."

He nodded and opened the file, saying papers across the table. "I understand you're worried for your safety. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Yeah, uh. It all started when my friend Ashley found out she was pregnant. Her boyfriend was... abusive, but she never went to the police. No matter how many times we'd tell her too." Rebecca explained, "When he found out she was pregnant, it all got dialled to a ten. Especially when she broke up with him and told him it wasn't his."

Colby jotted down notes while she spoke, "Is it his?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, he is."  She looked down at the baby in her arms. "After she gave birth to Chase, her ex- Riki was relentless... trying anything he could to try and get her back and keep the two of them to himself."

Tears filled Rebecca's eyes, "Then one day... she was found just barely alive in her apartment, battered and bruised. Luckily her mom was watching this little guy at the time. When I got to the hospital, I thought she was gonna pull through. But there was internal bleeding in the brain that they couldn't stop in time."

Colby shifted uncomfortably, "How did you end up with him?"

"She told me the day before she was killed that she wanted me to take care of Chase. That... that if anything happened to her, she knew he'd be safest with me." Rebecca stared at the table blankly, "It was almost like she knew. So I took him home that night she was in the hospital, and her mother stayed with her. Next thing I knew, I was being called at four in the morning to find out that she didn't make it."

She tapped her foot uneasily, "Her mom is sick, so I knew it wouldn't be fair for her to have to deal with a baby that's only a few months old. I was given custody, and somehow I think Riki found out. He's a bad guy with a bad track record, he sells drugs and is involved with gangs."

Colby nodded, grateful that he was finally in an interview where details were given, instead of him having to poke for everything. "Does he know that you two were friends?"

"Yes." He watched her shoulders stiffen, "He's threatened me before. Before I even got Chase. Saying if I ever got in the way of their love, he'd kill me." 

The look in her eyes worried Colby, "He's out for me, I know it. I've seen him in places he's never cared to go before. He follows me, he thinks I don't notice, but I have."

She let out a shaky breath, "Riki killed her, I know it... and I think I'm next."

He nodded, writing down as much as he could, as well as taking in her body language, before looking up at her sympathetically.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I know this is scary, that's why I'm here to help." He explained, "Let me go get you some paperwork for a restraining order and let me see what I can do."

He walked out and was met by both Jonathan and Joseph as he pulled out some paperwork for her. They could practically see the thoughts whirling around in his brain as he photocopied his notes to put them in her permanent file.

"What's running through your mind, man?" Joseph asked, not sure how to take his friend's pensive state.

Colby looked over at the two, "Let me go undercover and pretend to be the father of that child."

"Are you nuts?" Joseph laughed, "Vince will never let you do it."

"Just hear me out, let me pretend to be her partner until I catch him doing something illegal." Jonathan's smile dropped the second he realized Colby was dead serious. "He'll slip up sooner or later, and then she'll be safe, and I'll come back."

Joseph shook his head, "I don't know, man..."

"C'mon, you know I already need the field hours either way." Colby pointed out, "It's a win-win."

They looked back into the room, watching her sit uneasily, still holding the baby tightly in her arms.

"You know how this will end up otherwise." Colby sighed, "She'll be dead, and that baby will have no one. I can't let that happen."

The two watched Colby, knowing this was something he wasn't going to get past unless he got his way. "Fine, I'll tell Vince."

Joseph looked over at Jonathan stunned, and Colby replied, "Shouldn't I come with?"

"Nah, better to ask for forgiveness than permission." Jonathan smirked before he was off and on his way to the back with Joseph on his tail.

Colby took it as his cue to grab the paperwork and head back onto the questioning room.

"Okay, Miss Quin, I think I have a solution for you." Colby sat back down carefully, trying not to wake the baby. "But the way we approach it is completely up to you."

She laughed dryly, "I think at this point, I'll take any solution I can get."

"Good." He smiled warmly, "Then, this just might work."