5x12: Death Notice

***

Hunter stepped out of her bedroom seeing boxes littered around the apartment and Grant placing somethings of his own in as he and Hunter both had their own kitchenware and stuff like that, Grant looked up at Hunter who was wearing a dark blue leather jacket, black shirt, and black heeled boots. "Hello." Hunter said bluntly.

"Oh, you're here." Grant said.

"I live here." Hunter said.

"I went to bed at 1:00, and you still weren't home." Grant said, crossing his arms at Hunter.

"Oh, I came home around then. I must have just missed you." Hunter said.

"Where had you been?" Grant asked.

Hunter thought for a moment. "Shooting range."

"The shooting range closes at 11." Grant deadpanned.

"I got food and a drink afterwards." Hunter replied.

"You are such a smooth liar. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised. All that undercover training." Grant said. Hunter looks at Grant oddly. "I saw Tim drop you off."

"Ah good because I am so over coming up with cover stories." Hunter said.

"And let me guess, you're keeping it a secret because he's in your chain of command." Grant said.

"Yeah but also until we figure things out." Hunter added.

"What is there to figure out? This is your second time dating him." Grant said. Hunter gives Grant a look. "Also, let me know if you ever need me to clear out for the night, I'll head to Lucy's." Grant said with a sly smile.

"We're not sleeping together just yet and by the looks of things you're moving out soon anyway." Hunter comments, eyeing the boxes.

Grant looked at Hunter with a confused expression. "Why not?"

"Did you sleep with Lucy after the first date?" Hunter asked, Grant doesn't answer. "Exactly and you know I don't sleep with guys after the first date." Hunter said.

"This is Tim were talking about." Grant jumped in.

Hunter just rolled her eyes. "We're taking it slow. We want to do this right."

"So you're not sure how you feel?" Grant asked slightly surprised.

"No," Hunter shook her head. "I know exactly how I feel. I mean, this is the most amazing relationship I've been in since ever."

"And yet you both broke up when you dated to first time," Hunter gives Grant a glare and he sort of changed the subject. "And you're waiting why, again?" He asked.

Hunter rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Grant asked.

"To Tim's for Lexi's birthday morning." Hunter deadpanned as if it was obvious.

Grant laughed dryly and shakes his head. "No, you want me out of here as soon as possible and then you can move in with the man you love 'cause you basically already live there, so you're gonna help me pack." Hunter opened her mouth to argue, Grant pulled his phone and opened Angela's contact. "I can call Angela and tell her what I know so that she pesters you and Tim for the next several weeks or you can help me pack."

Hunter sighed. "Fine, let me just call Lexi." She said, taking her phone out of her pocket and searching for Lexi's contact.

***

Lexi was scrolling through apartments on her laptop, not hearing Tim walk into the room. "That looks nice, wait are you thinking of moving out?" He asked her frowning.

Lexi looked at him and closed the laptop. "When did you get here?"

"I live here," Lexi gives him a look. "About 1:30 why?" Tim asked.

"I went to bed at 1:30, you still weren't here." Lexi said, smirking as Tim made himself a coffee.

"Then we must've just missed each other." Tim deadpanned.

"Where had you been?" Lexi asked.

Tim thought for a moment. "Shooting range."

"The shooting range closes at 11 remember." Lexi deadpanned.

"I got food and a drink afterwards." Tim replied.

When I realised you weren't home by 11 which you always are, I checked your location and it said you were at Mom's apartment, so I called Grant and he said he saw you dropping her off." Lexi said.

Tim sighed. "Good, 'cause I'm over trying to come up with cover stories. Although, I do know for a fact that you and Grant were spying on us at Ravenna a couple of weeks ago." Tim said.

Lexi smiled. "Grant also told me that you're in Mom's chain of command so you can't tell anyone." She said. "But I'm glad about it, it only took you two sixteen years, given that it's your second time dating her."

"I'm aware." Tim said. "Now are you moving out?" He asked.

"I'm thinking about it, I mean I'm twenty and I would like my own place." Lexi said. "If you two ever need me to leave for a night I can crash at Lucy's apartment." She said changing the subject back.

Tim shakes his head. "We're not sleeping together just yet." Tim said.

"Why not? You're both single, well you were." Lexi said shrugging.

Tim just rolled his eyes. "We're taking it slow. We want to do this right."

"So you're not sure how you feel?" Lexi asked slightly surprised.

"No," Tim shakes his head. "I know exactly how I feel. This is one of the best relationships I've been in since Isabel."

"And yet you both broke up when you dated to first time," Tim gives Lexi a glare and she sort of changed the subject. "And you're waiting why, again?" She asked.

"Because we don't want to just jump into bed together," Tim shrugged and then looked at Lexi. "You know you can stay for as long as you want?"

Lexi nodded and watched as Tim starts walking. "Where are you going?" She called out to him.

"To get your present for you 20th birthday." Tim called back.

That's when Lexi's phone started ringing, she saw that it was Hunter. "Hey." She said.

"Happy birthday, unfortunately Grant's roped me into helping pack some boxes." Hunter said.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say he threatened to tell Angela that you and Dad are dating?" Lexi asked.

"How do--"

"We spied on you two at Ravenna a few weeks ago and I noticed how Dad wasn't here by 11 so I checked his location and saw he was at your apartment and called Grant." Lexi deadpanned.

"I'm gonna be talking to him about that, gotta go." Hunter hung up and Lexi put her phone down.

Tim had appeared back into the kitchen holding the PS5 he and Aaron bought a few weeks ago. "I'm heading to work, if you want you can follow the instructions and set it up." Tim said.

"Thanks." Lexi said as Tim walked out the front door and headed to his truck.

***

Hunter walked over to Tim who was heading to the entrance of the station. "Morning." Hunter said, sliding two fingers down from Tim's wrist to his hand.

"Morning." Tim said, tapping two fingers on Hunter's thigh.

"Um...what are you doing tonight?" Hunter asked.

"Nothing, why?" Tim asked.

"Tonight is the night." Hunter said.

Tim turned to her. "Oh. Really?" He asked.

"Yes, really." Hunter said, she smiled at him.

"My place or yours? Jealous dog, nosy daughter or nosy roommate?" Tim asked.

"Grant knows and I know Lexi knows." Hunter said.

"But Grant is staying at Lucy's tonight, so..." Hunter trailed off.

"And Lexi's going to be staying with a friend tonight." Tim said.

"Hey," Tim and Hunter both looked at Grey, who'd walked over to them. "Coincidence. I was just gonna call you. Lopez needs Aaron's help on a surveillance, so I was thinking, why don't you two ride together today?" He asked.

"Great." Tim said, sharing a look with Hunter.

"Yeah, whatever you need, sir." Hunter said.

"Great." Grey said and he walked back into the station.

"Mm, this is gonna be awkward." Hunter said.

"It doesn't have to be. We've ridden together hundreds of times." Tim answered.

"Never as a couple." Hunter replied.

"That's a lie, we rode together a few weeks ago when the bomb collars were going around." Tim replied.

"True but then we still hadn't found our footing." Hunter deadpanned.

Besides on the streets, we won't be a couple." Tim said, holding the door open for Hunter.

Hunter started to walk in and turned to Tim. "So are you telling me you're not gonna be thinking about tonight?" She asked.

"Not at all." Tim said.

"Me neither." Hunter said.

***

Hunter was in the sallyport with Tim packing the shop. "I could tell Grey that I got food poisoning." Hunter said.

"Just to get out of riding with me?" Tim asked, sounding offended.

"Yeah, I mean, I get the day off, we avoid all this weirdness. Wins all around." Hunter deadpanned.

"I forgot that you're sometimes an overthinker and you're overthinking this. We leave our personal life at the door, just like always." Tim said.

"Oh. And you can just shut it off? At 7:59, I'm your girlfriend. At 8:01, I'm -- I'm your what? Your subordinate?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah." Tim replied.

"Really? Hmm." Hunter moved her arms off of her duty belt.

"What?" Tim asked, already knowing what was wrong.

"My duty belt. My Taser is on the wrong side. Normally, you would be all over me for something like this just like you would be if it were Lucy or Grant." Hunter said.

"You did that on purpose?" Tim asked.

"Mm-hmm." Hunter hummed.

"You don't do Tim Tests. I do Tim Tests." Tim said.

"Well, that's 'cause this isn't a Tim Test. It's a Hunter Hints. And admit it, you are taking it easy on me. We're not even on duty yet, and our dynamic has changed." Hunter scoffed.

"Get in the car." Tim said.

"It's called a shop." Hunter corrects, Tim glares at her, she just smirks and gets into the passenger seat.

***

Tim and Hunter walked out of the coffee shop and down a street, Hunter placed a hand on Tim's arm to get his attention. "Hey. So, you haven't noticed?" Hunter asked.

"That you're carrying your coffee in your gun hand?" Tim asked her. "Of course I did. I just haven't said anything, because these Hunter Hints are pointless." Tim deadpanned.

"You really don't think you're treating me differently?" Hunter asked.

"You're not a rookie. You want to change up your duty belt, carry your coffee in your left hand, it's up to you. You know, this isn't about us. I'd give Thorsen the same leeway." Tim said.

"Mm?" Hunter asked, not believing him because she knows that that's a lie, Tim would be onto Aaron for everything she's doing that ticks him off.

That's when a man walks up to the two cops as they arrive back at their shop. "Officers, you have to do something, man. This guy over here is destroying my business."

"Okay," Tim takes Hunter's coffee and places it beside his own on the roof of the shop before following the dispenser. "What's the problem?" Tim asked.

The two cops ended up outside a legal weed dispensary. "I do everything right, a-and he just parks a van and throws up a sign." The dispenser said.

Sergio the van owner looked annoyed. "Really? You called the cops? His customers are coming to me because my product's better and cheaper." He said to the dispenser.

"You can afford to undercut me, because you don't pay the taxes or rent.' The dispenser deadpanned.

"Sir, we're gonna need to see your paperwork." Tim said.

Sergio enters the van to retrieve it, then quickly closes the door as if to drive off. However, he realizes his keys are not in the vehicle. "Is my bag out there?" He asked, muffled.

"Yes, your bag is out here. I'm guessing the keys to your van are in there?" Hunter asked.

"Maybe." Sergio replied muffled.

"I don't have time for this," Tim grabs his radio off his belt and speaks into it. "Control, 7-Adam-100. Start a tow truck to my location."

"Okay." The dispenser walked back into his building.

***

Tim and Hunter cited out Sergio. "Okay, so we are citing you out, which means we will not be taking your fingerprints or your mug shots as long as you promise to show up in court." Hunter said in the booking area.

"Anything to get out of here," Tim grabs the bag out of the locker that holds Sergio's stuff, Sergio opens it and grabs his stuff out when he notices two objects missing. "Wait a minute. Where are my earrings?" Sergio asked.

Hunter frowned. "I put them in the bag." She said.

"Sure you did. They're a half-carat each." Sergio said, rounding on Hunter.

"I didn't take your earrings. I know they were in there." Hunter clapped back.

"Must be a nice perk of the job. Pocket whatever catches your eye." Sergio drawled.

That's when Tim piped up. "Sir, no one stole anything." He said.

"This is robbery. Wait a minute, you had your gun. This is armed robbery." Sergio said.

"I'm sure your earrings will turn up. And we'll call you when we have them." Tim said.

"I want a receipt." Sergio said.

"We don't issue receipts. Look, it's all in the report. If you want to file a complaint, you can do so at the front desk on your way out." Sergio walked out and Hunter turned to Tim. "I didn't take the earrings."

"I know. This stuff happens sometimes." Tim said.

"No, it doesn't, not to me," Hunter shakes her head. "God, I've been so focused on us. Did I screw up?" Hunter asked.

***

Hunter and Tim were checking the backseat of the shop for Sergio's earrings. "It's not here." Hunter said.

Tim who was on the other side looked at her. "Let's check the lockers again." He suggested.

"We checked them twice already." Hunter replied.

"We'll keep checking until we find them." Tim said.

"Wait. O-Okay. Okay, look. You need to file a memorandum with the chief. It's protocol. I get it." Hunter said looking at Tim.

"We're not there yet." Tim said.

Hunter sighed. "Well, how long can it wait?" She asked.

"I have discretion with things like this. We find the earrings, no paperwork necessary." Tim said.

"But if we don't, you need to report me to IA." Hunter said, staring Tim down.

"Maybe janitorial swept them up." Tim suggested, Hunter sighed, now she knew Tim was treating her differently because unlike Grant and Lucy they can't be impartial to each other it seemed.

***

Hunter sighed as she opened her apartment door, Grant had already gone and so she grabbed a bottle of wine and opened it, before reaching up and grabbing a wine glass and poured herself some wine when someone knocked on the door. The raven haired cop groaned and answered the door, lighting up slightly at seeing Tim. "Hey. I thought we canceled." She said.

"Uh, we didn't." Tim replied.

"Oh." Hunter moved to let Tim in.

"Listen, I-I've been going over things from today. What if someone found the earrings a-and assumed they belonged to a female officer so they left them in the women's locker room?" Tim suggested.

"Yeah, I checked already. I mean, come on. Y-You have to report it now." Hunter said.

"I know." Tim said.

"I mean, if it was Aaron, you would have reported him already." Hunter deadpanned.

"I know, but it's not Aaron. I-It's you." Tim said, sitting down at the island table in the apartment and crossing his arms.

"And you can't be objective when it comes to me, right?" Hunter asked.

"Mm-hmm." Tim said.

Hunter smiled. "And thus endeth the Hunter Hints." She said.

Tim looks confused as Hunter smiles even more. "The what?" Hunter laughed. "The earrings were never missing?" Tim asked.

"Nope, I set them aside, and I gave them back to Sergio after work." Hunter said.

"That's evil and impressive and evil." Tim said, tapping the table.

"I know, but you weren't facing the problem." Hunter said.

"Okay, well, now I am." Tim said.

"So what do we do?" Hunter asked him.

***

The next day Tim was driving as Hunter was speaking. "We only have two real options." Hunter said, glancing at Tim.

"Break up or one of us leaves Mid-Wilshire." Tim said, looking at Hunter.

"It should be me." Hunter said looking at Tim thoughtfully.

"No," Tim shakes his head. "No, you love it here it's where Angela and Grant are two people you're closest to."

"No, I do, and I love seeing my sister and Grant everyday and spending time with them at work but I--" Hunter paused and changed the subject to stop her from saying 'I love you' they weren't there yet. "But there isn't an open sergeant supervisor job anywhere else in the division," Tim looks at Hunter. "I checked," she admits. "Which means you would have to take a demotion. And that's not happening. So --" Hunter trailed off.

"Hunter, I --"

"No, it'll be fine," Hunter interrupts. "You shouldn't take a demotion and there's an open Detective spots in other divisions." Hunter said.

"That's true." Tim mused.

"So this is the best move, right?" Hunter asked.

"Maybe," that's when Tim realised something. "But we don't need to decide right now." He said.

"All units, possible hostage situation at the home of Dr. Charlene Bernard. The address is..."

"19531 Mission Mile Road."

Hunter picked up the radio. "7-Adam-100. We're half a mile from there. Code 3 silent to possible 207."

"Hurry. They're waiting on a phone call. In nine minutes, they're gonna know something's wrong."

***

Hunter and Tim were in Dr. Bernard's neighbourhood and Hunter was the one that spotted the house. "It's one house up on the left." She points it out to Tim.

Tim parked the shop and the two exited, carefully walking down the street, unholstering their guns, Tim took his radio off of his duty belt but didn't speak into it, he glanced through the gate and then back at Hunter. "All right, we'll cut through there. We'll approach through the backyard." Tim moved to the side and Hunter looked through the gate, Tim spoke into the radio. "Control, 7-Adam-100. Code 6 at 207. Tell backup that we're gonna come in through the rear," Tim placed the radio away and the two cops walked through the backyard and peered carefully into the house.

Hunter saw a man with a beer and stepped back so that he wouldn't see her, she grabbed her radio. "7-Adam-100. 207, one suspect in sight. We have exigent circumstances and are entering the premises."

Tim moves forwards and opens the sliding door, Hunter followed him in and the two walked in silence looking around carefully, the two went to separate room, Hunter went to Bernard's son's room.

Tim was down the hall in the master bedroom where Bernard's husband was duck-taped and bound to a chair, he notices Tim and uses his eyes to show where the other suspect was, Tim walked in as the suspect walked out of a room. "Drop the gun!" The bottle the man was holding shatters.

At the same time Hunter looked in and noticed the son being threatened with a gun, Hunter moved back and holstered her weapons and grabbed her taser and tased the man, she moved into the room and cuffed him. "You okay?" the kid nods and Hunter grabbed her radio out. "Clear." She said.

Tim cuffs his own suspect. "Clear," Tim shouts to Hunter before grabbing his radio and speaks into it. "7-Adam-100, 207 suspects in custody. Code 4."

"7-Adam-100, copy."

***

Tim and Hunter were back at the station for end of shift. "Nice work today." Tim comments.

"You, too. It's not a bad way to end our partnership -- saving a family." Hunter said.

"Yeah," Hunter picked a piece of dirt off of Tim's uniform. "Although, we're -- we're still not partners," Hunter looks at Tim with a bemused expression and she hits his arm. "I mean, on the job anyway."

Tim smiled at her as they walked to the trunk and opened it. "It's gonna be so weird going to a different station, knowing I'm not gonna see you all day." Hunter said.

"Yeah. And there's no guarantee that our shifts will sync up." Tim reminds her.

That's when the realisation hits Hunter. "I hadn't thought of that," Hunter closes her eyes for a moment. "Wait, wait, wait. So by doing the right thing, we're gonna see each other a lot less?" Hunter asked.

"Most likely," Tim nods. "Yeah."

"No," Hunter said, she doesn't like that idea but accepts it, she leans into the trunks and grabs the warbags. "I'm gonna put in my transfer request in the morning." She turned to Tim who took one of them off her, Hunter looked at him and he took the other one as well. Hunter smiled at him and they walked into the station after closing the trunk and getting the guns out.

***

Tim knocked on the doorjamb of Grey's office. "Got a minute?" He asked.

Grey looked up, more interested in what Tim had to say than the paperwork he was doing anyway. "Sure."

Tim walked in and closed the door behind him before sitting down across from Grey. "I've been keeping something from you. Hunter and I started dating a few weeks ago."

Grey sighed. "I suspected as much."

"Sir, we wouldn't have lied, but we needed time to figure out how we felt." Tim said.

"And since we're having this talk, I assume it's serious." Grey comments.

"It is. But for it to be appropriate, I need to move out of her chain of command." Tim said.

"Okay. Unfortunately, there's only one position open that will do that." Grey said.

"I'll take it." Tim said without hesitation.

"It's not a great job." Grey said.

"Doesn't matter. I'll take it." Tim replied.

"I'm just gonna say it, finally, it took you two way too long." Grey said shaking his head with a smile.

"At least you weren't spying on us like Grant and Lexi." Tim said shaking his head.

"What's Hunter gonna do? Because Grant and Lucy are moving in together." Grey adds.

Tim stands up. "She'll work something out." He heads to the door.

"Or Hunter could, I don't know, move in with you. Lexi complains that she basically lives at your house already." Grey said. Tim laughed and walked out of the office, Grey watching with a smile before calling Luna.

***

Tim and Hunter were at Tim's house, he was grabbing something from the fridge, Lexi was out for the night, Hunter was sitting at the island table with a glass of wine. "So, I've been thinking. Hollywood division would be kind of ideal." Hunter said. "They've got an open Detective's position."

"Well, it's not necessary. I talked to Grey. And you're looking at the new Court Liaison Sergeant." Tim said, placing a capsicums on the bench with a knife beside him.

Hunter frowned. "But that's a desk job."

"Yeah. Out of your chain of command." Tim said nonchalantly.

Hunter frowns at him and looks at him. "You'll be bored out of your mind." Hunter argues. 

"That doesn't matter. Look, you and I will get to see each other every day and you won't have to travel to some far away station." His hands wave in the air and he sees the look of admiration on her face. "Where they're gonna make you work the midnight shift because you're a newbie." Tim added.

"Tim, it's --"

"It's done. Okay? No sense in arguing about it." Tim replied.

"But we're so good at arguing." Hunter leans to kiss him and wrap her arms around him.

"I know," Tim smiles. "But I'm hoping that we're good at certain other things, as well."

"Oh? Want to find out right now?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah." Hunter gets his shirt off easily. They both smile into the kiss and she can't help but check her boyfriend out. He walks them back to his room, ensuring she doesn't bang her head on the wall.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This episode is one of my favourites.

Grant and Hunter are gonna start riding together again.

I made Hunter a leftie because that's what I am and because of how rare being left handedness is, I like making characters I write about left handed. If that makes sense.

So in the show Tim and Lucy spend all their time at Lucy's apartment but in this story Tim and Hunter are gonna be at Tim's house more (not necessarily living together) but kind of living together like Tim and Lucy do in the show if that makes sense.