---
Los Angeles – 5:42 AM – Mid-Wilshire Division
The second morning hit different.
The rain was gone, replaced by the golden blur of a rising sun. It bathed the city in soft firelight, turning even the worn concrete of the station into something romantic. Alice Hartwell stood on the edge of the parking lot, watching it like it might tell her a secret.
“You meditate now?”
The voice pulled her back. Deep. Rough. Familiar.
Tim Bradford.
He stood next to the cruiser, arms crossed, sunglasses on despite the hour. That vest fit him like second skin — all discipline, all edges. She could smell the faint trace of coffee and leather as he approached.
“No,” Alice said softly. “Just watching the world before it starts yelling.”
Bradford grunted, unlocking the cruiser with a click.
“You’re early,” he added.
“I don’t sleep much.”
“Good. Then you won’t miss anything when things go sideways.”
She slid into the passenger seat and looked over.
“And here I thought you were warming up to me.”
Bradford snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up, Rookie Rabbit.”
She smiled as they pulled out onto the road.
Call me what you want, she thought. I’m still here.
---
8:16 AM – Officer Exchange Exercise
“New exercise,” Sergeant Grey announced at roll call. “Each rookie will ride with a different training officer today. New perspective. New pressure.”
Bradford barely reacted. Alice’s eyes flicked to his.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll miss you.”
He didn’t smile. But something shifted in his jaw.
She was assigned to Angela Lopez.
---
Ride-Along with Lopez – 9:00 AM
Angela Lopez was sharp — eyes like razors, movements like dance steps.
“I’ve heard about you,” Lopez said as they cruised through Hollywood.
“Oh?” Alice asked, watching the blur of murals and pawn shops.
“Bradford says you think too much and follow your gut.”
Alice tilted her head. “Sounds like he’s been thinking about me.”
Lopez raised an eyebrow. “He also said you’ll probably get yourself killed by month three.”
“Sweet,” Alice said with a grin. “He’s growing fond of me.”
Their first call was a potential overdose — a young woman collapsed behind a liquor store. While Lopez interviewed witnesses, Alice knelt by the body, spotting a track mark and a scar that didn’t match the others.
“She’s not a user,” Alice said softly. “This was forced.”
Lopez looked up. “How do you know?”
“I’ve seen forced injections before. In a different war.”
Angela studied her. “You’re not just weird, are you?”
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Rabbit Hearts & Bulletproof Vests || Tim Bradford??
FanfictionAlice Hartwell never wanted to be a hero - just someone who could run toward the chaos and still feel the world's poetry through it. But when she joins the LAPD as a rookie and is paired with the infamously hard-edged Tim Bradford, she finds herself...
