My Only Regret

Armory Confession

TW // Death mentions

Hondo, Tan, Luca, Deacon, Street, and Powell file out of Black Betty in the HQ parking lot.

"Get inside and change, except you Powell!" Hondo ordered angrily.

Powell looked at the ground while Hondo crossed his arms and waited for the team to leave. The rest of 20 Squad entered HQ wordlessly.

While Luca, Tan, and Deacon headed to the locker room, Street wait just inside HQ, so he could eavesdrop on his sergeant and his teammate's conversation.

"What the hell was that back there?" Hondo asked with disgust in his voice.

"That lady needed to be saved!" Powell insisted, looking at Hondo with conviction.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to save people. You were reckless, and you weren't leaning on your team! You should never be in a hurry to die!" Hondo reminded.

Powell rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me, Powell, but if you don't shape up, you're off this team! You've got armory duty for a week to think about the right way to be on this team, and if you act like that again, you're off for good!" Hondo threatened.

"I heard you said that to Street, but look, he's still on the team," Powell retorted sarcastically.

"Street changed. He grew up. He learned how to be a part of this family! That's why he came back. You wouldn't be welcomed back with this attitude!" He responded.

"Whatever. I'll start my armory duty now," Powell said and dismissed herself.

As she entered HQ, she ignored Street's presence and walked straight towards the armory.

"Hey!" Street called after her and followed her.

"Not now," she dismissed him and reached the table in the armory.

"Powell, cut it out! This attitude of yours needs to change," Street insisted.

"And you're the expert?" She responded sarcastically and reached for a gun that required cleaning.

"Actually, yeah. I used to be you. Pulling stunts that could get me killed. Risking the lives of my teammates every time I put myself in a vulnerable position where they couldn't have my back. It was stupid. I was stupid, but I don't do that any more, and you better cut it out, too," he urged.

"I don't need your advice on how to do my job. I've got armory duty, so can you just go?"

"What is your deal? Seriously!"

"I don't have a deal. Just get out!"

"You keep this up, and you're gonna regret it! Hondo will kick you off the team, and trust me, that sucks! I wouldn't have made it back without help. Chris got me back on 20 Squad. Without her, I'd still be on patrol," Street recalled.

"Yeah, well we don't all have someone who loves us like that," Powell replied, annoyed.

"Oh...Chris and I weren't together back then. We were just friends."

Powell scoffed. "That's how I was with my...convinced we were just friends for the longest time before we got together."

"I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"I'm not. We broke up," Powell said shortly.

"Sorry to hear that," Street replied, apologetically. He clearly noticed the pain in her eyes at the mention of the person.

"Yeah, well, what can you do? Sometimes love just doesn't work out."

"I don't believe that. When it's right, there's always a way. For me and Chris, it took 5 years, but now I'm happier than I've ever been," Street beamed, as he always did when he thought of his girlfriend.