*This is serious.* Bianchi thought to herself as soon as Marc left the break room. Her coffee had gone cold during their conversation; she was too shocked to drink it. Nick Thomas... Bianchi rarely was shocked, mostly because in her line of work, it was not unusual to come face to face with the scum of the Earth. She had seen practically everything, from fisticuffs to serial murder, and with time, she managed to grow a thicker skin. You had to have one to be a cop; otherwise, you put your life and the lives of your partner and colleagues in danger. When emotions took over, logic disappeared, and that's when mistakes were made, and cases were thrown away because of carelessness. She witnessed colleagues losing their jobs because they assaulted perps so badly that it threw the case away, and the violent criminal was free to walk the Earth without care and with intel about how to become better at killing and hurting people. Others lost their lives because they rushed headfirst before even making plans. So Bianchi tried her best to remain neutral, whatever the case.
However, this time, it was different. No matter how hard the blonde cop had tried to put some emotional distance between the case and herself, she was having a hard time because it was Marc's girlfriend. This time it was about a vulnerable woman who had been beaten to near-death by an angry parent. Reading the report made Bianchi's stomach churn. She was angry and vengeful, but these emotions quickly turned into concern because Marc /was/ involved. He was the current boyfriend of the victim, and a cop. He had read that Phoenix did everything right and pressed charges right after the beating, but it led nowhere because the man had some influence and escaped prison. Her first reaction was to worry that Marc would lose his shit and try to kill Nick Thomas. Bianchi had been there in the past, ready to use her job to hunt down and punish the kids who bullied her son Valentino in High school. Marc and Tony both had to tell her that she could not just pull out personal information and use police resources to punish the parents of these kids. It could cost Bianchi her job, and for what? For an impulse.
Marc was her partner for 15 years, and they were so close to each other that she considered him her little brother. Her children called him "Uncle," and Tony treated him like his brother-in-law. Bianchi was fiercely protective of Marc, and while he assured her that he would not act on impulse, she could not help but worry. She would help him as promised. She would be the official liaison between him and the 3rd so his name would not compromise the case. She would check in with Marc to ensure that he would not go off the rails. The blonde rubbed her eyes and closed them. *He really loves her. She's in deep shit. I have to protect both.* Phoenix was a gentle woman. Marc had introduced them for the first time when she visited the precinct one day. She looked like a very sweet and soft teacher who was taking good care of her student. She saw how relaxed Marc was next to her. He even smiled when his colleagues teased him about her. Phoenix was special because she made Marc happy. Bianchie could tell it was something good. Marc was slowly opening up to happiness. He had something to look forward to when his shift was done. He had plans for the weekends now; he mentioned Phoenix more than once and ate the baked treats she always packed for him. Marc asked Christie about some of his ideas for a date or a surprise, checking in with Bianchi like he would ask his older sister. It was a side of Marc she had never seen before, and she thought it was absolutely precious.
Watching the two of them together was cute, warm, solar... and everything was thrown into a pit of darkness with that perp who came back into Phoenix's life to harass her and threaten to beat her up again. She saw how protective Marc was with her today. She saw how distraught Phoenix was. The way she shook and shivered. The way her voice broke when she tried to sound cheerful. She was scared of that man and expected him to come back and hurt her again. This, she refused to let happen. She refused to let her friend, her brother, her partner go through hell because of an asshole. She wanted Marc to be happy, and she would see to it. Determined, the blonde woman left the break room with the files and a renewed determination to catch that asshole and keep him behind bars.
-TBC-
