"so, these are the letters?" Tim asks, looking at the two letters that Ana has received so far.

"I got this one yesterday and then this one today" Ana says, softly, curled up by his side on the couch.

"after Elijah showed up?" Tim questions.

"while he was here, there was a knock at the door and Elijah left by the time I had answered the door" Ana explains, softly.

"Fire" Tim reads aloud the little note at the bottom of the first letter.

"I didn't think anything of it at first, but then I heard about the serial arsonist from Nolan" Ana explains, softly.

"yeah, I don't like it" Tim agrees.

"what do you think I should do?" Ana asks, softly.

"we're not going to tell anyone, not yet at least" Tim starts. "I don't know what the hell Wesley has gotten himself into and I don't trust Elijah as far as I can throw him. We don't know if he's targeting you or not"

"so if we tell Grey, he might tell Angela who'll tell Wesley who'll tell Elijah that we're onto him?" Ana realizes, softly.

"exactly" Tim nods. "but I do want to install a new security system in your apartment, I don't like how Elijah was waiting for you to get home and knew about Tamara and Lucy's whereabouts."

"okay" Ana agrees, softly.

"how are you feeling about all of this?" Tim wonders, putting the letters down and turning to face her.

"I'm a little scared" Ana admits, softly. "but I also... I don't know how to feel about Wesley being a dirty lawyer"

"we don't know if he is" Tim assures her.

"Elijah said he was" Ana argues, softly.

"and we don't know if everything Elijah said was a bunch of bullshit or not" Tim points out.

Ana nods, realizing that he's right.

"I also want Moose to move back in with you" Tim adds.

"why? Is he being a buttface again?" Ana frowns, knowing that Moose can be a brat when he wants to be.

"no, he's not" Tim chuckles. "I just like the idea of an animal in the house who will make noise if something weird is happening"

Ana nods, realizing what he's saying.

"thank you" Ana says, softly.

"you're welcome, and thank you for coming to me about all of this" Tim replies, cupping her face in his hands before kissing her forehead.

Ana smiles, melting into him.

[Timeskip]

"Wait, she did, what?" Ana asks, her jaw dropping.

"She pre-paid for me to have my eggs frozen at a fertility clinic." Lucy repeats.

"She's been ignoring you for who knows how long" Ana sighs.

"She's definitely not ignoring me now. Seriously, what makes her think she has the right?" Lucy groans.

"I'm so sorry" Ana apologizes, softly, hugging her.

"I'm just annoyed" Lucy answers.

"we can go paintballing tonight with Tim, that always helps you get your anger out" Ana suggests, softly.

"I like the idea of that" Lucy nods.

[Timeskip]

"All right. Nolan... Can you tell me what today is and what "ACH" stands for?" Grey asks, starting roll call.

"Today is Halloween, and I have no idea what "ACH" stands for." Nolan answers.

"No candy for partial answers. Harper?" Grey replies.

"Anything can happen. Basically a reminder to be extra careful 'cause today is Halloween and Halloween is unpredictable." Harper explains.

"Correct. And since Officer Thorsen has range qualifications today, you and nugget-" Grey starts.

"my aide" Harper adds, making several people groan at the reminder.

"yes, nugget who is your aide as you like to remind us all, you two will be riding with Nolan" Grey sighs.

"Uh, what kind of unpredictable can we expect today?" Lucy asks.

"Good question, Chen." Grey nods, turning to Tim.

"Lot of liquid courage. Lot of 211's. Teenagers snatching little kids' candy. Masked people running into liquor stores. Do they have a gun, or are they just late for a party? Muzzle discipline is critical." Tim explains.

"And?" Grey adds and Tim doesn't reply.

"Can you remind us how you got your uniform torn three Halloweens ago?" Grey prompts.

"Uh... If you get dispatched to a loud party, make sure they know you're not the stripper." Tim admits, embarrassed while Ana giggles and the other cops laugh and cheer.

"We'll try to get you home on time, but it's Halloween, so..." Grey says, expecting an answer in return.

"Anything can happen." Everyone finishes.

"Exactly. All right, be safe out there." Grey dismisses them.

[Timeskip]

"you're smiling" Ana giggles, seeing Harper with a smile on her face.

Harper shakes her head but the smile doesn't move from her face. "I am in a good place. You know, work's good, James is great. I have a wonderful relationship with my daughter. And, I don't know, this job, it's -- it's changed everything."

"that's amazing" Ana smiles. "by the way, what did Lila land on, because you sent me a bunch of pictures but I couldn't tell which one she went with"

"it's still up in the air" Harper replies.

"ah" Ana giggles. "so how are you and Donovan handling the family trick or treating thing?"

"we're in a good place, so it's awkward but okay" Harper answers.

"I'm so happy for you, this is incredible" Ana squeals.

"don't jinx me" Harper warns.

"I won't, promise" Ana giggles.

[Timeskip]

"You didn't tell her I was here, did you?" Pete asks while Ana and Harper stand behind Nolan.

"Yes, of course I did. She was freaking out. She thought you'd gone missing." Nolan answers.

"Are you not aware of the Bro Code? 'Cause rule number seven clearly states that when a girlfriend asks where your bro is, the answer is always, "I don't know!" God, you're the worst half-brother ever!" Pete exclaims.

"I was about to say the same thing." Nolan replies.

"Oh, good. So you agree." Pete nods.

"I'm the -- I can't --" Nolan starts, realizing that Pete doesn't mean what Nolan said.

Ana turns when she hears loud screams and sees people running.

"Pete, I got to go. I got to go." Nolan says while Ana starts to sprint towards where the people are running from.

"Control, 7-Adam-15. 415 unknown, Third and Gardner. People are running. Stand by." Harper says over the radio.

People are yelling various exclamations and there are the sounds of cars coming to an abrupt stop.

People are shouting "zombie" and finally Ana runs up to someone dressed in a zombie costume who tackles her.

The woman has to be on some sort of drug because even with Harper, Nolan, and Ana trying to pin her down, it still takes five minutes before Nolan manages to handcuff her.

"damn" Harper says, looking at a bite mark on Ana's arm.

"I'm pretty sure that means you'll turn into a zombie soon" Nolan jokes, making the three of them laugh.

"7-Adam-15, one in custody. On some kind of 11-3." Harper says over the radio.

"She's having a seizure." Nolan says, looking down at the woman who is seizing up and choking.

[Timeskip]

"You're the ones who brought her in?" The nurse, Lisa, asks.

"Yeah. She tried to eat us. Is -- Is she having a seizure?" Harper questions.

"Most likely a drug-induced seizure. Any idea what she took?" Lisa replies, as another nurse bandages up Ana's bite mark.

"Given the super strength, I'd say PCP, but honestly, I've never seen anything like this before." Nolan answers.

"it has to be some sort of new drug" Ana says, softly.

"Ugh. I hate Halloween. I'll reach out when the tox screen comes back." Lisa promises.

"thank you, ma'am" Ana nods, softly.

[Timeskip]

"This will be quick." Nolan promises as they get out at Nolan's house.

"you bought me fries, I'm happy" Ana replies, softly, munching on the fries Nolan bought her.

"As long as I get that free lunch you promised me, I am good." Harper adds.

"Everything's in the fridge. Help yourself." Nolan says as they enter the house.

"Hey. I love this shirt. It makes me look like a lumberjack. Hey, I know you two." Pete remarks.

"Nice to see you again." Harper nods.

"It's great to see you" Ana smiles. Pete gives her a quick hug.

"What's with the lecture face?" Peter asks, turning back to Nolan who has a serious face on.

"This isn't lecture face. I don't have lecture face." Nolan answers while Ana sits down on the arm of the couch, eating her fries and watching them talk.

"That is 100% a lecture face." Harper disagrees, there's a pause before Harper says "I'm-a make a sandwich."

"Pete, what's going on with Chastity? Why are you really here?" Nolan questions.

"So, she didn't tell you?" Pete asks.

"No, she hung up on me. She's pissed." Nolan replies.

"Well, that's because she's - " Pete starts before he mumbles something unintelligible.

"I'm sorry, she's what?" Nolan asks.

"Pren-- She's nent." Pete mumbles.

"She's fragrant?" Nolan guesses, confused.

"pregnant" Ana realizes, softly.

"What?! Pete! So, you -- you walk out on her and let her believe you've gone missing? What are you --" Nolan starts to lecture.

"Oh, so I freaked out. Relax, okay? What -- What exactly about this (points to himself) makes you think that I'll be a good dad, okay? I-I-I don't floss. I've never had a vegetable. I-I have the IQ of a hummingbird, which I'm told they're the stupidest of the birds. The biggest favor I can do for this kid is to just walk away." Pete rambles out.

"You can't be serious." Nolan sighs.

"You have a kid, right? W-Would you let me babysit?" Pete asks Harper.

"Uh, I'd be more likely to put her in charge of you." Harper answers, honestly.

"See?" Pete points out.

"So you're gonna do to your baby what our dad did to me?" Nolan questions.

"Yeah, I know Dad left you, but he stayed for me, and look how that turned out, all right? I just know if I stick around, I'm just gonna screw it up." Pete argues.

Ana's phone buzzes and she gets a text from Lisa. "our zombie suspect is awake" Ana announces, softly.

"Sorry, did you say "zombie"?" Pete asks.

"We'll finish this later. And a hummingbird is a proud and noble animal." Nolan says while Ana and Harper stand up to head to the hospital.

[Timeskip]

"Amber?" Ana asks, softly, approaching the bed. "Amber? um, hi, my name is Ana, could you tell me what drug you took?"

"She was speaking earlier -- random words here and there. It's clear that whatever this drug is, it has had a catastrophic effect on her nervous system. The damage to her brain might be irreparable." Lisa says when Amber doesn't respond to Ana.

"We should check back with the tech guys, see if they had any luck opening Amber's phone. We need to track down her dealer." Nolan decides.

They hear a man screaming and go into the hallway to see Tim and Lucy there.

"what happened to your arm?" Lucy asks, seeing Ana's bandaged arm.

"biter" Ana explains, taking off the gauze to show the bite.

"we got one too" Tim nods. "They ID the drug yet?" Tim looks over Ana's bite mark.

"No. Guys, honestly, have you ever seen anything like this before?" Nolan questions.

[Timeskip]

"You all okay?" Grey asks.

"Ana's got a bite mark but otherwise nothing broken, nothing bleeding." Nolan answers.

Grey removes the gauze and looks over Ana's bite mark as well.

"Yeah, but plenty is sore." Harper groans.

"The Intel Unit says this new drug is called Bomb-X, and it's being sold on something called ClipTalk." Tim explains.

"That's a new social media app. Once we figure out which hashtags are trending, we'll be able to whittle it down to our dealer." Lucy adds.

"Until then, we're just playing catch-up, and a lot of innocent people are getting hurt." Nolan finishes.

"What do you want us to do, Sarge?" Harper questions.

"Nothing. I called in extra personnel for the midnight shift. I'm going to brief them now. You're all end of watch. And what are you doing?" Grey asks, turning to Tim.

"Stay with you. Sergeant Reeves is covering two districts on this crazy night. The least I can do is help." Tim answers.

"do we get nugget?" Grey asks, turning to look at Ana.

"yeah, I'm staying" Ana nods.

[Timeskip]

"So Pete set up a controlled buy with the Bomb-X dealer." Nolan explains.

"So you know your way around ClipTalk?" Grey asks Pete.

"Oh, yeah. I used to use it to get ketamine and Molly and shrooms and -- " Pete starts to list, making Ana's eyebrows furrow.

"Something you might not want to admit in a room full of cops." Nolan interrupts Pete.

"Uh, I mean alle-- allegedly did...that. Anyway, who's gonna actually buy the drugs, like, in real life?" Pete corrects.

"No offense, but you fit the profile." Tim says.

"Yeah. Totally. I get that. I just -- Uh, the thing is, I don't really want to be, like, touching the drugs, because once I get my hands on it, I don't think I could trust myself around it, 'cause I don't really have great self-restraint." Pete elaborates.

"we'll always be around, you won't be able to use it" Ana promises, softly.

"If you're uncomfortable for any reason, we'll find another way." Nolan assures him.

"No, no. I-I got it. And you'll -- you'll be looking out for me, right?" Pete asks Nolan.

"I'll be looking out for you." Nolan promises.

Thanks for stepping in. And good luck." Grey nods before leaving.

"All right. So you're gonna get wired up and go in, take the cash that we give you, and buy the Bomb-X. Here's the important part -- Clean him out." Nolan insists.

"get everything, so he goes back to his supplier" Ana adds, softly.

"Okay, and then we follow him." Pete realizes.

"That's when we follow him. At that point, you are done. One more thing. You have to be strip-searched. Twice. Uh, before and after. In front of two witnesses." Nolan reveals.

"You cops really do like it freaky, huh?" Pete smirks.

"It's so the dealer's defense team can't claim later that you had drugs on you before you made the buy." Tim explains.

"All right. Let's get this over with. Might as well start with the holes." Pete says, starting to get undressed.

Tim's hand covers Ana's eyes.

"Pete, Pete, Pete, Pete, Pete!" Nolan exclaims.

"Yeah?" Pete asks.

"Not here, man." Nolan sighs.

"What the --?" Tim groans.

"No?" Pete questions.

"Not here. Not here." Nolan repeats.

"Oh, sorry." Pete apologizes.

"I'm sorry." Nolan apologizes to Tim.

"Happy Halloween." Pete says, nervously.

[Timeskip]

"This is Sergeant Tim Bradford. Today's date is October 31st. We're conducting a "Buy-Walk" operation, using CI number 081316. Tonight's buy targets a narcotic with the street name of Bomb-X. After the buy, we will tail the suspect to his SOS." Tim says into a voice recorder, his other hand resting on Ana's thigh.

"You guys, uh -- You guys still hear me over there?" Pete asks over the coms.

"You bet, Pete. We can still hear you." Nolan replies.

"All right. I'm, uh -- I'm going in." Pete says.

[Timeskip]

"That was awesome!" Pete exclaims when he's done.

"You did great!" Nolan compliments.

"Yeah." Pete grins.

"The -- The drugs?" Nolan requests.

"Right. Just looks like a super-fun time." Pete shrugs, handing him the drugs.

"Yeah. A fun time that turns you into a zombie and melts your brain." Nolan corrects.

"Right. Yeah." Pete agrees.

"Got to say, not bad. Air Three has the dealer on the 10 East towards downtown. We got to go." Tim announces.

[Timeskip]

"Control, 7-Adam-100. Suspect just stopped outside the Los Angeles Theater. What's the ETA on Metro?" Ana asks over the radio.

"7-Adam-100, Metro landing in 15 minutes." Dispatch replies.

"This is ridiculous. We're in the middle of an op and there's no backup?" Nolan complains.

"It's Halloween. All right, so what do we do? Do we go after him or wait for backup?" Tim quizzes Nolan.

"We go after him. There's other exits on that building. We can't chance him getting resupplied and those drugs hitting the streets." Nolan replies.

"Right answer." Tim nods before getting out of the car.

They enter the movie theater and hear the sound of film projector whirring.

"Ready?" The dealer asks the woman, who nods.

"Police! Stay right where you are!" Nolan yells.

"Show me your hands! Now! Turn around! Turn around! Interlock your fingers behind your head. Sit down. Sit down." Ana orders, hand cuffing the two when a third person already on the drugs tackles Tim and growls.

They wrestle for a moment before Tim tasers the man and handcuffs him.

"You okay?" Nolan asks.

"Ask me later." Tim replies.

"Control, we need an RA to our location. Three suspects in custody." Ana says over the radio.

"but you are okay, right?" Ana asks Tim, turning back to him.

"I'm fine" Tim smiles seeing Ana's worried expression.

[Timeskip]

Ana sighs, unlocking her apartment around midnight. Lucy and Tamara are still out at some Halloween party. She throws her keys onto the table, feeling sore and tired.

But her eyebrows furrow when she smells something. She coughs a little as she inhales more of it. She realizes it's smoke. She follows the smoke to see her bed on fire.