Ana giggles, looking at all of the paint swatches in Home Depot with Tamara.

"so, what are you thinking?" Ana asks Tamara.

"maybe like this kind of bronze color" Tamara says, holding up one of the paint swatches.

"ooh, I like that" Ana agrees, softly.

"are you sure this is okay?" Tamara questions.

"of course, my apartment is now your apartment, we're going to redecorate both yours and Lucy's rooms" Ana replies, softly.

"you're very..." Tamara trails off making Ana glance over.

"I'm very what?" Ana questions, softly.

"odd" Tamara finishes.

"okay... is that a compliment?" Ana asks, softly.

"well, yeah, I've just never met someone so..." Tamara trails off again.

"sweet" Tim finishes for Tamara, wrapping his arms around Ana from behind.

Ana giggles, leaning back into him.

"you should sit down, princess" Tim murmurs, kissing the top of her head.

"but I'm helping Tamara choose what she wants to paint her room" Ana protests, softly.

"I've already chosen, so let's get to the car" Tamara decides.

The pain of labor has been very hard on Ana. She still has belly fat from being pregnant and the labor was very painful, even more painful than it normally is because of the Pitocin. There were some after effects and it made labor very bad.

She still winces occasionally and the doctor is only begrudgingly allowing her back to work after he realized there was no real way to stop her from going to work.

"m'kay" Ana agrees, softly, watching as Tamara orders the paint.

"how are you feeling about work tomorrow? no one will be upset if you want to take another week off" Tim murmurs into her ear.

"I'll be upset, I don't like being holed up in the apartment, plus I want to see you in your Sergeant's uniform" Ana replies, softly.

"it's not that different from my normal uniform" Tim answers.

"still wanna to see it" Ana giggles.

"fine, fine, but you'll be with Harper and she'll know if something is wrong" Tim decides.

"sounds good" Ana nods. "there's a new rookie coming in and apparently he's a lot so I'm sure Harper will like the help"

"or the sanity, you make everything better" Tim replies.

Ana blushes, leaning into him.

[Timeskip]

"So, uh, rumor is we're getting a new rookie today." Harper says, standing next to Ana in Grey's office.

"we?" Ana asks, turning to look at Harper.

"you're officially my aide" Harper answers.

"oh, cool" Ana smiles.

"We need to talk about him." Grey adds, smiling at the cute interaction between Ana and Harper.

"Okay. That doesn't sound good." Harper frowns but there's a knock on the glass door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Tim asks, entering the office.

"Yeah. I'm afraid I got a complaint about your uniform." Grey says, gesturing him in.

"Yeah. That Department-issued sergeant's badge -- that won't do. That is 80% tin. But this is solid silver and real gold." Harper says, handing him a new badge.

"Thank you." Tim smiles, putting it on and Ana smiles too.

She has a gift for him too, but it's waiting at home and Ana needs to figure out how to wrap it before giving it to him.

"See, you earned it." Grey says, interrupting Ana's thought process.

"I won't let you down." Tim promises.

"Sure you will. This is a hard transition. You will fail as much as you succeed. And you are starting your watch on the craziest weekend of the year." Grey replies.

"I can handle it. I've been a supervisor before." Tim says, confidently.

"Different animal. T.O.s are drill sergeants. Supervisors -- coaches." Grey explains.

"Orange slices, got it." Tim jokes.

"Those stripes are Velcro, Sergeant." Grey reminds him.

"Yes, sir." Tim nods.

"You'll do Roll Call today." Grey informs him.

"Yes, sir. I'll go get up to speed. Thank you." Tim says, heading out the door.

"Good luck." Grey calls after him.

"So, who's the new rookie?" Ana asks, softly.

"Your new rookie is Aaron Thorsen." Grey announces.

"Poor thing. If I had the same name as a tabloid murderer, I would definitely change it immediately. Especially if I was joining the LAPD." Harper laughs.

"he was the one who killed his best friend, yeah?" Ana questions, softly.

"yup" Harper nods.

"Yeah. But he's the Aaron Thorsen. And he was exonerated." Grey explains.

"Okay. So the LAPD is just letting anybody in now?" Harper scoffs.

"No. Officer Thorsen had to sue to get into the Academy. But he earned solid scores once there. And now he is your new rookie. So, the question is: Are you going to condemn him before you meet him, or give him five minutes to prove he deserves to be here?" Grey questions.

"If he can't hack it, I will cut him. Lawsuit or no." Harper replies.

"how did he manage to get in?" Ana murmurs as they leave his office.

"daddy's money" Harper responds and Ana nods.

[Timeskip]

"Officer Thorsen." Harper says with Ana walking over to Aaron with her.

"Yes, ma'am." Aaron says, turning to her.

"I am Detective Nyla Harper, your training officer." Harper introduces.

"I'm Officer Ana Cabrera" Ana says, softly, shaking Aaron's hand with a smile on her face.

"She's my aide" Harper adds.

Ana frowns, confused by the claim Harper just made before realizing several other officers wanted Ana to be their aide and Harper is gloating.

"Nice to meet you both." Aaron smiles.

"I would hold off on that sentiment. I'm gonna make this very hard on you. You are getting the equivalent of five minutes today to prove to me why your infamy doesn't make you a liability to this Department, and a threat to my safety." Harper says, harshly.

"Yes, ma'am." Aaron nods.

"I will put your past front and center because that is what the public will do when we are out on the street. So you better be squared away, Five Minutes. Or your shift will be over by lunch." Harper continues.

"Yes, ma'am." Aaron says, about to sit in one of the middle tables.

"Mnh-mnh-mnh. Rookies sit in the front row. Find me after." Harper orders.

Ana sits down next to Harper.

"remind me what you got Tim" Harper says.

"this" Ana answers, softly, pulling out her phone and showing Harper what at first appears to be a simple brown and black phone case but the phone case has several hidden features including a place to store a small amount of ammunition, a portable battery, three small knives along with other survival tech that Tim will appreciate.

Harper nods, approving of the gift.

"All right. As many of you know -- we have a new sergeant in the field today. Everyone, Sergeant Tim Bradford." Grey says, starting roll call.

Everybody cheers and applauds, Ana does so with the biggest grin on her face.

"Okay. Okay. Thank you. First up -- we've got a new rookie. Officer Thorsen. Stand up. Now, there's a traditional introduction for probationary officers, but you are anything but traditional. So I'm giving you 20 seconds to introduce yourself before the rumor mill ramps up. Go." Tim orders, making Aaron stand up.

"I know there's nothing that I can say in 20 seconds that'll change the way you all view me. It's my actions that will define me. And I promise to always have your back, and I will always strive to tip the scales towards justice... ...because I know what it's like when they're tipped the other way." Aaron explains and Ana's heart melts a little bit, tilting her head.

"And I want to make something very clear -- Officer Thorsen was found not guilty. He survived the Academy. He earned the right to be here." Grey clarifies.

"Till Harper cuts him." Tim mutters under his breath and everyone laughs.

"Sit down. All right. Down to business. This weekend's gonna suck. We got the Dodgers in the playoffs, six different concerts, a fancy art exhibit opening, and the Getty Gala tomorrow night. Now, every A-list celebrity with a pulse is gonna be there in all their blinged out glory. Paparazzi are out in full force. And we're getting requests for additional security faster than we can process them. Now, I've only seen the potential for this much chaos one other time in my life, and that was at an FOB in Iraq. So...good luck out there. Dismissed." Tim says, before dismissing them.

[Timeskip]

"Control, 7-Adam-19. Show us on a welfare check at 3312 Bronson." Ana says over the radio.

"So, tell me, Officer Thorsen, what are you gonna do if this welfare check recognizes you?" Harper asks Aaron.

"What I already do: Nothing." Aaron replies.

"And if she refuses to deal with you because you're a murderer?" Harper raises an eyebrow.

"I'm not a murderer, ma'am. I was found innocent. Surely you're not naive to the reality of false accusations. Especially against people who look like us." Aaron says.

"How I feel personally about your case is irrelevant here. My job is to assess your ability to become a police officer. If every single call is about you, then this is gonna make it a lot harder to succeed." Harper answers.

They get out of the shop and walk up the door. Harper knocks on the door and rings the doorbell.

"Police" Harper calls.

"ma'am" Ana says, pointing to spots of blood on the doorstep.

"Step back. Radio it in." Harper orders Aaron while Ana uses a glove to open the door to the house.

"7-Adam-uh-19, we have signs of violence on scene. Making entry." Aaron says over the radio.

Ana coughs into her elbow at the gas in the air. She holsters her weapon with Harper doing the same.

"Yeah. That's gas. Holster your weapon. One spark, this whole house goes up." Harper tells Aaron.

"Control, alert LAFD and SoCal we got a gas leak at 3312 Bronson." Ana says over the radio.

"Body." Aaron calls when he walks further into the house.

Ana walks over to the body, kneeling down and feeling for a pulse. The woman is lying on her back with her head in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open. Aaron freezes.

"No pulse" Ana shakes her head to Harper.

"All right, come on. Go. Get out of here. Go!" Harper coughs, ordering Aaron up and snapping him out of his frozen state.

"Control, 7-Adam-19, update this event to a 187, alert Homicide and a supervisor." Ana says over the radio.

"A murder on your first call is a bad sign, Five Minutes." Harper tells Aaron.

[Timeskip]

"What do we have?" Tim asks, tilting his head when he sees Ana isn't wearing her uniform shirt but instead the white tank top she wears under it. She has her body cam attached to the white tank top.

"Victim is Michaela Faris, 32 years old. Celebrity stylist. Blunt force trauma to the head. And it looks like whoever hit her turned on the gas to make sure she stayed dead." Harper explains.

"Where's your rookie?" Grey asks and Ana points to Aaron who is sitting on the curb, wearing a too small cop shirt.

"You hugged him and he puked on you?" Tim guesses.

"yeah" Ana nods, sheepishly.

"and you gave him your extra uniform because he forgot to bring one?" Grey continues.

"yup" Ana giggles, sheepishly.

Tim is not surprised, walking back to the shop he and Grey came in. He returns with his extra uniform, passing it off to Ana.

"I'll give this to Aaron" Ana nods.

"uh uh, he doesn't get to wear it" Tim shakes his head.

Ana bites her lip and smiles, taking off her body cam and buttoning up the too big uniform that she looks adorable in.

"so he puked?" Tim asks, turning his attention back to Harper.

"Yeah. But it was more than just the gore. You know, it seems to have brought back some uncomfortable memories. I don't know. It almost feels like he shouldn't be a cop." Harper says.

"Luckily he has the best T.O. in the business to help him through it." Grey replies.

"I don't know, I think he's trying his best." Ana frowns.

"What's next?" Grey questions Tim.

"Well, we should canvass while LAFD clears it." Tim responds.

""We"? You're supervisor on scene. A coach, not a player. You should stay here, coordinate response." Grey corrects.

"Right. Harper, Princess, grab your Boot, go canvass the neighbors." Tim orders.

"Yes, sir." Ana and Harper says, before walking away.

[Timeskip]

"Look, I know I screwed up back there. It was just a little overwhelming." Aaron says as they canvass the neighbors.

"All this time you've been trying to be a cop, it never occurred to you that you might have to walk into a murder scene?" Harper asks, unimpressed.

"I thought I was better. I haven't had an episode like that in a while. But this is good. I found a trigger, and I'm gonna work through it." Aaron replies.

"This is not a therapy session, four minutes. This is people's lives. Work through your issues on your own time." Harper chastises.

Ana gives Aaron a weak smile to try and encourage him.

[Timeskip]

"All right. Claire Ivey doesn't get out of bed for anything less than a $5-million payday. The problem is: There are a dozen targets in L.A. this weekend that meet that criteria." Tim says in the briefing room.

"Including the Rothko exhibit at LACMA and the Getty Gala." Grey adds.

"Well, that Gala is gonna be crawling with private security." Nolan points out.

"You know, the chaos of this weekend could just be a cover to hit a traditional target while we're stretched thin." Harper suggests.

"Or she could be trying to hit a private home. I mean, I used to party with kids in high school whose parents had millions in cash and jewelry in their homes." Aaron adds.

"The challenge is a part of the thrill for her. After all these years, I'd think Claire would want something worthy of her skill -- not just a payday." Lucy says.

"do we have her location?" Ana asks, softly.

"Yeah. Hiding in plain sight. Booked a suite at a hotel in Century City." Tim answers.

"What about her crew? Did we run that list of names Lopez gave us?" Nolan asks.

"No, we don't have to. Head of security for the hotel is ex-LAPD. We managed to I.D. her crew from the elevator cam." Tim explains.

"Jamie Carr. Evan Rando. Sadi Ling. Allan Gibson. First non-binary person to hack the New York Stock Exchange. Explosives expert -- Learned the demolitions trade from her family business bringing down condemned buildings. Now she blows safes. Gun for hire. Former British SAS turned private contractor. Getaway driver. Was an up and comer on the NASCAR circuit until he failed a string of drug tests. What's the game plan, Sergeant Bradford?" Grey explains before turning to Tim.

"Well, there's no sense in being covert. She knows we're onto her. So I'd put black and whites on her hotel, and on every person in her crew. Let them see us. Maybe one of them will get cold feet, she'll have to call it off. Nolan, Chen, she's already met you, so park yourselves outside her hotel. Harper, you want in on this?" Tim asks.

"Uh, yeah. But Officer Thorsen isn't ready yet." Harper answers.

"I can handle it, ma'am." Aaron argues.

"I think you should give him a shot" Ana frowns.

"That is my call, and I say that you can't. So you will be working the front desk for the rest of your shift." Harper decides.

"I can't prove myself to you if I'm not with you." Aaron points out.

"You can't get her killed either." Harper says, gesturing to Ana.

Aaron huffs, looking at the girl who has been the only nice person to him so far. Harper raises an eyebrow and he silently resigns.

"All right. Let's get back out there." Tim dismisses them.

[Timeskip]

"hi" Ana smiles, walking over to Tim after shift.

"hey" Tim grins, putting his arm around her.

"how was your first day as Sergeant?" Ana asks as they walk to Tim's truck.

"stressful" Tim replies, truthfully.

Ana frowns. "you'll get it, you were made to be a Sergeant"

Tim smiles, ruffling her hair.

"how's Thorsen?" Tim inquires.

"I think he deserves a chance at this, like everyone else does" Ana says, softly.

"he could get someone killed" Tim says, kissing the top of her head.

"but I don't think he will" Ana argues, softly.

"let's hope not" Tim replies, opening the car door for her.

[Timeskip]

"what's this?" Tim raises an eyebrow, seeing a wrapped gift waiting for them when they enter Ana, Tamara, and Lucy's apartment.

" 's a gift for you" Ana giggles, toeing off her shoes.

"for Sergeant?" Tim guesses.

"that and for being so amazing" Ana replies, softly, jumping up to sit on the counter and watch Tim unwrap the gift.

"I know that you get really worried that you won't be able to protect the people you care about, so I thought I'd get you something that can make you worry less because you'll always have protection" Ana explains, softly, as he looks at the phone case.

Tim analyzes it for a few minutes before setting it down and moving to stand between your legs.

"god, you're the best" Tim says, kissing her collarbone and burying his head in her neck.

Ana giggles and hugs him, kissing the top of his head.

[Timeskip]

"Control, show us Code 6 at 3312 Bronson." Ana says over the radio as they pull up at the house from yesterday.

"A neighbor reports someone entering our crime scene. Who are we gonna find inside?" Harper quizzes Aaron.

"It's either a burglar knowing the homeowner is dead, or the killer came back to see what the police took or left behind. At my scene, there was a paparazzi climbing the skylight to get pictures while the police were still there." Aaron recalls.

Aaron and Ana enter through the front door and they meet up with Harper in a hallway outside a room with the sound of someone looking for something.

"Police! Show me your hands." Harper calls as they bust into the room.

"Oh, my God!" Leilani exclaims.

"Hands up. Turn around. Who are you? What are you doing here?" Harper interrogates.

"I'm Leilani. I'm Michaela's assistant. I need her laptop. We are T-minus six hours to red carpet. And I have a dozen clients to dress before the Gala." Leilani explains.

"A laptop wasn't found at the house. I reviewed the evidence logs last night while I was working the front desk." Aaron recalls.

"No. It has to be here. She didn't go anywhere without it. And if I can't track down Emma's choker, I might as well change my name and go into witness protection." Leilani pleads.

"Wait. Michaela was coordinating the jewelry deliveries for the Gala." Aaron asks.

"Yeah." Leilani nods.

"I know what the heist is." Aaron chuckles, leaving both Ana and Harper confused.

[Timeskip]

"Ana, baby, I promise, I'm okay" Tim reasons, but Ana is already pulling out the first aid kit she keeps in her bathroom.

Ana giggles, sheepishly, ignoring him and preceding to do a thorough check to make sure he's actually okay.

"okay... I think you're okay" Ana decides when she's done and there isn't even a scratch on him.

"oh, really?" Tim chuckles, pulling Ana to him before pinning her down against the couch and tickling her.

"Tim" Ana gasps out, giggling like a madman and smiling up at him with the same smile that makes his heart melt every time he sees it.

The thought only encourages him to tickle her more, determined to keep her safe and happy.