*Trigger warning*
Chapter Twelve : Pretty Girl Rock

The problem with love is that it's messy, it's full of chaos, and for some of us we crave it, like a drug, a fix. When you're an addict you will do anything to get your fix, anything to help you feel that high, the euphoric waves of pleasure that surround you like a warm blanket in a cold storm.

The only problem with getting that fix is that eventually the high goes away and soon after that you will need another. One just isn't enough, you soon crave for more, and then with each fix you get you lose a part of yourself, a part that some people don't seem to get back.

Luna was losing herself, she was losing every follicle of the woman she blossomed into when she came to Los Angeles, there was a fire in her belly. No desire to live or be loved, she had a new motto, survive, make it through the day. She wanted to do nothing more than off herself. Take that leap off the bridge, but there was that voice, the one that said to keep going that there were people out there who needed her.

Eddie and Luna had broken up, unofficially, and only on Luna's end, as fair as Eddie was concerned they were together, Luna just wasn't returning his calls or his texts, she wasn't really texting anyone, besides the main people Athena and Hen. Occasionally Buck, she wasn't allowed to talk to Men.

Some may say she was evolving, planting her roots in the soil, which wasn't the case. She moves out of her and Mac's place, against Mac's wishes, leaving behind a note, which he hated too. She was his best friend, and spent most of their lives conjoined at each other's hips.

Who wanted to be friends with the geeky white kid in science class in Detroit of all places. Luna didnt care, she was a person who saw the beauty in everything and everyone. It was like she knew he was going to be great before he even knew he was going to be great. Life had plans for them and after a few years of mostly talking online they finally met up again. Life made them work together and soon she was in the police department, taking names. Mac had always wanted her to do great things, become something greater than anyone else in the world.

Luna Jennings was disappointed in herself, she didn't like the woman she was becoming, catering to the pleas of a man, but that's the thing about fear, it lingers over us, grabs you by the throat and laughs in your face like a monster. Only for her this Monster was real and he was controlling every part of her life.

Eddie was tired, he hadnt spoken to Luna in a few months, not to mention this fighting thing, was really taking a toll on him he yawned as he walked into the building, he got dressed and after their first call was over he decided to rest, he woke again with a giant bruise still on his elbow.

"Whew, dude, are you okay? That's a monster." Buck points to the bruise on his elbow, it was purple and cascading.

" Just roughhousing with my kid."

" Were you playing with hammers?" Buck jokes as Eddie just yawns more.

" Nothing you need to be concerned with." Eddie snaps at him and Buck's face goes from a smile to a scowl, he hated this, the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach, he wanted his best friend back and Eddie being stubborn Eddie, needed to his best friend, because while he didnt admit it Love life, was in a shambles. They group stands in huddle along with a few others.

"Welcome back, Firefighter Buckley."

"Thanks, Chim, glad to be back." Buck smiles at Chimney.

" All right, now that we've got that out of the way, morning briefing..." Bobby was interrupted by the alarm going off. "Buck, you're the man behind today."

" Uh, wh--I'm not going with you guys? Cap."

" My house, my rules, remember? You stay put." with that they all clamber towards the fire truck climbing inside Taylor hops into the backseat, he looks to Eddie who is yawning.

"Not getting enough sleep,'' Firefighter Diaz. You know Luna suggested this tea for when I couldn't sleep it helps, you should try it," Taylor smiles at Eddie whose jaw was tightened. "Oh I forgot you and Luna broke up. I am so sorry that it must be hard on you."

"You and Luna broke up?" Hen asks as Eddie just glares at Taylor. If looks could kill Taylor Hickson would be a dead man.

//

Luna was losing her mind from all the calls they had going on for halloween, it was quiet literally exhausting, but she had a job to do and whether she liked it or not she had to put up a good front, it had been a while since she spoke with Eddie.

Athena could sense something was wrong, Luna was always so happy during Halloween, she loved it, the kids dressing up as things they wanted to be or things that they thought were cool. The smiling faces and sugar, she loved sugary snacks.

"You know, I have been your partner for a very long time now and I know when something is wrong."

Luna rolls her eyes. "Nothing is wrong. I am fine." she fakes a smile trying her best not to cry, she wanted to ask for help desperately, she was longing calling for help on the inside, but faking it til she couldnt on the outside.

"Mhmm, is this about Eddie, I mean he seemed like a sweet guy maybe it's just a misunderstanding."

Luna shakes her head. "No its not about Eddie, he is perfectly fine, it me, i don't think I was ready for someone as good as he as he was."

Athena knew there was more to it. But she didn't want to pry, of course she would ask Bobby about how Eddie was doing when she got off, for now they were making their way inside the hospital. One of the doctors had called them about a possible Child endangerment thing.

"Someone mistreated her. Badly. She's severely malnourished. I'm not talking about missing a few meals; this is systemic. But until she regains consciousness and can consent to a more thorough exam, we can't know for sure what she's been through."

"What about her injuries? The cuts on her arm?"

The doctor looks through the glass paned window at the girl in the bed. "Appears to be from broken glass. We found tiny slivers of it inside the wounds. Significant bruising on both wrists and ankles. Most likely, she was shackled."

Luna shakes her head at the thought. " Anything about the soles of her feet? Something to indicate how far she's walked."

"No bruises, no blisters, no lacerations, they were just dirty. Sorry I can't give you more."

"No, you gave us a place to start." Athena nods to the doctor and the two partners go to where the call first originated about the girl. They call for backup, having a group of deputies at their disposal.

"Now, missing person is checking reports, looking for a match on our girl, but hasn't found anything yet. Fan out, do a grid search, knock on every door, talk to every person you see in the street."

" Then ask them what, see anything unusual? It's Halloween, Sergeant." Chang sasses as Luna and Athena give their best lip purse, Luna was looking around her guard up. The gears in her head turned.

"Maybe the idea isn't to be seen at all. Let's find out which of these houses isn't feeling the holiday spirit." She says as Athena nods and just like that the Melanin twins are driving down the street looking for any sign of a house who wasn't decked out in decorations. Luna hits Athena on the shoulder nodding towards a house that was dark, didn't even have the porch light on.

"There you go." she says as they pile out of the squad car, they pull their flashlights from their belts. Walking up the house Athena knicks on the door while Luna tries to look inside the windows. " LAPD, anybody home? LAPD!"

They conclude that the front door isn't the way in and walk around the side of the house seeing the gate open, the two look at each other with a nod before pulling out their guns. "Now why would someone have a deadbolt on a wooden gate?" Luna asks as Athena just purses her lips.

They step into the backyard together with Luna covering Athena's back. Upon further discovery there's set of stairs and a door which has a hole in it, they look at each other again before Athena nods opening the door, it creaks open as they step inside.

" Hello, anybody home?" They walk further into the house, seeing a dingy living room area, than a dining room, where food is all over the place, flies are buzzing around, they see a door and Athena nods and Luna opens it, they follow the stairs.

" Anybody home? This is the police. Hello?"

The smell was awful, and Luna finds herself wrinkling her nose at the scent of course when they take it down the stairs the sight they see was shocking. The room is pitch black and dirty, full of children, who are chained up and look as if they haven't eaten or seen the sun in days, the room smells of feces and urine.

" Holy Mother of God." Athena says as they shine their flashlights around the room.

//

The last person Luna wanted to see right now was Taylor, especially not when Eddie was watching her every move. She wanted to throw up, to curl into a ball and hide, this anxiety was becoming too much for her to handle. She couldn't take it or him anymore, it was bad enough she saw him everyday that they slept next to each other, that he forced himself onto her almost every chance he got.

She wanted to murder him, to take slit his throat in the middle of the night while she was sleeping, but she couldnt, she wouldnt be able to help people if she did. Besides, no one would believe her, not a single person.

"They're all in various stages of dehydration, malnutrition, any number of infections, probably have diseases we invented the cure for 100 years ago." Chimney explains Taylor was standing next to him.

Eddie walks up to the group standing directly next to Luna. "No gas, no running water, God knows how they bathed or cooked food. Give it a hard enough kick, the house would fall down. All we found was canned food, bibles, textbooks, all from the 1950s"

Hen walks up. "I just got one of the kids to talk. You're not gonna believe this. These kids weren't abducted. They live here. They're siblings. Their parents did this to them."

A car comes blaring into the driveway, wildly honking its horn, Eddie pulls Luna to the side and she could feel her heart race, before clearing her throat, a guy comes out of the driver seat immediately approaching the sergeants.

"Those are my kids. What the hell are you doing with my children?" he was yelling in their faces.

"Did you find her? Where's Bethany?" His wife was on his trail as well.

" -Who?" Luna asks as the father glares at her, he walks up to her in a challenging way and she doesn't fold one bit, matching his expression luckily for her Eddie steps up instead, arms folded over his chest.

"Our daughter. We've been looking for her for hours. She's lost and alone."

" Alone, right, just like you left the rest of your children." Bobby says.

" They were secure. They were safe." The dad mutters.

" Chained up, you mean."

"Your daughter's in the hospital. Which is where we're taking the others until children and family services get there. You two, however, are going to jail. Read 'em their rights." Athena orders as the deputies handcuff them.

Luna wanted to talk with Eddie, he was watching her like a hawk and once she was done talking to a deputy he makes his way over to her only for Taylor to step into the way, he grabs Luna by her arm leading her away and Eddie just watches his skin crawls at the sight of them together.

//

It was late and Eddie was walking back from the bunk's his mind was foggy, clouded with Images of Luna and Taylor, he couldn't imagine why she was talking with him. But he didn't like it and something told him that it wasn't good, something deep down in his stomach.

Buck walks by him with a box full of Halloween decor and he says nothing. Buck slams the box down on the table.

" So that's how it's gonna be now. You're just gonna keep on ghosting me. 'Cause Halloween is over, just so you know."

" I don't know what you want from me, Buck. Forgive, forget, make you feel better about what you did?"

" I just want you to talk to me."

Eddie chuckles. Sadistically. "Even if it's just to say that you're still mad."

" I'm not mad, I'm-- When you decided to sue the department, to make Cap the bad guy, did you ever stop for a minute to think what that could do to us?" Eddie says as Buck nods.

" Look, I just needed my job back. I missed--I missed being here. Being part of the team. I never meant for anyone to get hurt."

"Lotta "I"s in there. Your actions, your choices, they impact the rest of us. That's what it means to be a part of a team." Eddie explains as Buck looks down at the ground.

"You're right. I didn't think about what could happen. I was mad at Bobby for not letting me back. I was mad at you guys for moving on without me. I was mad that there was nothing I could do about it. And I just--I just wanted to–"

"Punch someone?" Eddie nods as does Buck.

"Yeah, a little. But I get it. And I really am sorry. Whatever it takes for you to forgive me–"

" I forgive you. Also what it means to be part of a team. This... just don't do it again." Eddie smirks while using his dad voice as Buck laughs and the two hug it out.

Bobby calls Buck's name and Eddie takes it as his que to leave.

It had been a day since everyone saw each other, since feelings were brought into the mix and life was messy, it was late like way too late for there to people out in the road and Luna was frantic, her movements were quick, she had managed to make it in under five minutes having illegally sped the whole way over.

Eddie was half awake, he was more startled at the pounding on his door at first but grew gradually annoyed with every second that went by, he trudged to do the finally one eye open.

"I need your help." The state in which Luna was in was enough to wake a person from the dead.

Word count: 2600