BLUES

A/N: friendly reminder, lack of thought went into this story and I am speed writing it..... you can't hate me for it.

Colette's POV:

Today's the day. The big day.

First official shift as Captain. New squad, new city, new everything. I'm supposed to feel ready, right? But if I'm being honest—yeah, I don't. Not even close. Sure, I've led teams before. You lead enough squads in deployment, you get used to making quick calls, life-or-death decisions with your gut. But now, it's different.

I fix my suit vest in the mirror. It's fine. Outfits spotless. Not a hair out of place. The kind of perfection that makes you look like you know what you're doing, even when you're not so sure. But who am I kidding? I already feel like I've screwed up, and we haven't even clocked in yet.

Most of the squad? They've been... alright. A few smiles, the standard "welcome aboard" spiel. But then there's her. Sergeant SaBella Brahma. Sama. She hasn't said much, but she doesn't need to. The way she looks at me? It's like I've already stepped on her toes, and I haven't even had the chance to do that yet.

It's not fear in her eyes. Nah, it's something worse. Resentment. Like I'm the rookie— a boot and she's waiting for me to slip up, waiting for that "I told you so" moment she can hang over my head. I'm not sure why, but she's already got me boxed in. Like she's decided who I am before I've had a chance to show her.

I can feel it. The tension. It's thick enough to cut through, like the humid summers back home. There's this unspoken energy between us. I hate it. I've been stereotyped before, hell, I grew up in a small town where people size you up the second you step out the door. You learn to brush it off. But this? This feels personal.

I grab my coat and head for the door, giving myself one last glance in the mirror. Deep breath, Colette. You got this.

But do I?

............

The precinct's buzzing when I get there.

I walk through the bullpen, eyes forward, ignoring the stares. There are always stares. Doesn't matter if they like you or not—people wanna size up the new boss. It's all part of the job.

I make my way to the briefing room. The door's open, and I can hear the team inside, laughing about something. St. Kappa's loud voice—no surprise there—booms out as he cracks some joke. Probably at someone's expense. I step in, and for a second, everyone goes quiet. It's that moment where the new Captain walks in, and the room feels like it holds its breath.

"Morning, team," I say, my voice coming out steadier than I feel.

Bishop nods with a half-smile. Angel, as always, shoots me one of those flirtatious grins he probably hands out to every woman who walks by. Watson gives me a respectful nod. And then there's Sama, sitting in the corner, arms crossed, her face a perfect mask. Unreadable.

"Captain," she says, her tone neutral, but there's something behind it—something she's keeping under wraps. Her eyes flicker to me for a second before she looks away, like I'm an obligation she's already tired of dealing with.

I grit my teeth. Alright, Colette. Shake it off. Stay cool.

"Alright," I say, setting my stuff down on the desk. "Let's get started. We've got a busy day ahead."

............

I run through the briefing, talking about the case on our plate—a series of robberies that have been hitting random stores across the city. The patterns I can't find out, and pinning down the crew behind it has been a pain. The precinct's already on edge, and now it's on me to handle it. Welcome to the deep end, Captain.