"What do we got?"
Several police officers walked around the area, combing through John's massive garage with a fine tooth comb. A parameter was set up around the vicinity. A few officers were searching up on the upper living section of the garage; some were walking out with boxes filled with items. A group of plainclothes officers arrived at the scene. In front of them was a man with greying black hair. He wore a leather jacket and blue pants; He had an aura of authority and respect. He was Sargeant Henry "Hank" Voight, Los Angeles P.D.'s Intelligence Unit chief.
"Dispatch sent two on-duty patrol officers to check the place after someone called about an active shooter. Once they got here, they found the garage door wide open and a broken window up on the back wall; they walked in and found a man named John Jenkins on the ground in a fetal position. Here's the kicker. Jenkins is a known drug dealer involved with the distribution of vicodin."
Senior Detective Jay Halstead finished recounting. He had pale skin and short dark hair and wore a black jacket over a dark red shirt. After placing his hands in his pockets, he looked at a police SUV with its trunk lifted open. The trunk had several bags of vicodin stacked next to each other.
"We found that an hour ago, almost six pounds worth."
"Damn, that's a lot of product."
Officer Adam Ruzek whistled as he removed his shades. He was a tall man with black hair, tinted blonde. He wore a blue denim jacket over a black short-sleeved shirt. The group walked over to look at the drugs; Hank stared at them for a while and nodded.
"The number of overdoses these drugs caused... What else did you find?"
Jay looked at the long line of motorcycles and cars. They were being looked over by forensics, hoping to find any fingerprints that could lead them to any possible partners.
"Other than the expensive tech and games he's got. All the motorcycles and vehicles he owns explain how he avoided leaving a pattern for us to trace him." Jay led his team into the garage. "What's interesting is that it looks like one motorcycle is missing."
"Hmm, Possible partner?"
Detective Erin Lindsay said out loud, she was a short woman with brown shoulder-length hair. She had a long-sleeved blue button-up shirt under a black leather jacket. A man beside her nodded and looked down at the ground leading towards the exit. He was a Hispanic man with short black hair combed back, his black leather jacket was worn over a white shirt. This was Senior Detective Antonio Dawson.
"Could be; whoever it was must have pushed the bike out the garage so he or she wouldn't leave any tracks behind so we could I.D. the bike."
"What's Jenkin's status?"
Senior Detective Alvin Olinsky asked as he kept looking around the garage. He was an older man with greying black hair; over it was a black hat. A tan jacket rested over a black long-sleeved collared shirt.
"L.A. Med called back ten minutes ago. Apparently, Jenkins is still incoherent. Nothing they do can stop him from repeating, "I'm sorry". They drug-tested him and found nothing in his system. We got squat until we can get him to speak in complete sentences. But Dr. Charles was able to get Jenkins to say something other than I'm sorry."
Jay told Olinsky as Voight walked over to the wall peppered with bullet holes; he then nodded and looked over to Jay.
"And that was?"
Officer Kim Burgess asked. The woman had dark brown hair in a ponytail. She had on a dark blue blouse under a black jacket.
"Apparently, Jenkins just said one word. 'Vengeance'."
"Vengeance?"
•••
'Harvey.'
"Yeah?"
'This is a waste of our time, we could be training. Punishing sinners! Not this!'
"Listen, once this dinner is over. We'll head out to the city. We wont let them get away."
'...very well.'
Harvey and Spirit finished speaking to each other. He was currently making his way to the address Manny texted him; looking down, he rechecked his outfit. A Blue dress shirt and brown khaki pants adorned his frame, and on his feet were a pair of new white and red Nike shoes. Hopefully, this was the proper clothing to wear; he had no other experience visiting a friend's house for dinner. Or was this an interrogation?
"What's the worst that can happen?"
'That's a bad omen, Harvey.'
Harvey sighed and shook his head. Perhaps his partner was right. He should have said no to the invitation. But looking back at his friend's pleading faces made him say yes, Harvey had very little to no friends. And the thought of disappointing his friends didn't sit right with him.
"Uh. Is this the right place?"
Harvey looked up and saw a huge house; it was modern in design and had huge windows. Large palm trees stood tall around the home; he walked up to the gate and checked the address. He was indeed at the correct location. Harvey pulled out his phone and dialed Manny's number; after waiting a few seconds, his friend answered.
"Hello?"
"Manny, I'm here. Nice house, by the way."
"Thanks, you can let Jay know that. I'll open the gates for you. Luke, please stop it. Yes, it's Harvey."
"Jay?" Harvey asked as he started making his way to the front door.
"My step-father. Hold on- I'll introduce you in a sec!"
Manny opened the large door, waved at him, and Luke appeared beside him. Harvey waved back and hung up the phone. Walking up to Manny and Luke, he looked up and smiled.
"Enough house for you?" He joked.
"It's not much, but it's home." Manny joked back as he guided him inside. "Harvey, Small warning. Our family can be a bit... much."
"A bit?" Luke said in a tone of voice he didn't like.
"That's reassuring."
"Everyone! I'd like you all to meet our good friend, Harvey Miller!" Manny spoke out loud to a large group of people.
"Nice to meet you."
Harvey said in a respectful tone. His eyes scanned everyone in the room; two individuals stood out.
"Mrs. Dunphy? I was right! You are Luke and Alex's mom!" Harvey exclaimed. "Oh, it's roof girl."
"Roof girl? What is he talking about?" A man in a blue dress shirt asked as he followed Harvey's line of sight and looked at his daughter, Haley.
"Nothing! It's nothing! This is the first time we've ever met, isn't that right!" Haley said hurriedly; she then walked up to Harvey. "Haley Dunphy, it's nice to meet you! For the first time!"
Harvey arched his eyebrow in confusion and nodded at Haley, Finding her reaction odd. He then realized that she was sneaking out that night; she was trying to play it off.
"Right." Harvey said slowly. "Nice to meet you too?"
Harvey then turned to look at Alex. She was standing awkwardly next to the man who spoke to Haley. He smiled brightly at her and walked in her direction, causing her eyes to widen.
"Alex! Thanks again for today! I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I had fun working with you." Harvey told Alex, causing her to smile and push a strand of hair behind her ear. Haley squinted at her sister; a second later, her eyes widened. Harvey then turned to look at the man next to her. "Ah, you must be Alex and Luke's father. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Dunphy!"
Harvey extended his hand for a handshake. The man smiled widely and grabbed his hand. Shaking it.
"Call me Phil! Mr. Dunphy is my father's name!" Phil joked. "I've heard a lot about you, Harvey. I saw the work you've been doing to your house. Very impressive!"
"Thank you, Mr. Dun- I mean Phil. I've been trying to make it more presentable. It was an eye sore."
"It looks amazing. If you need any help or ideas. I'd be happy to help." Phil said. "After all, I'm one of the best realtors in the city."
"Wow? I'll take you up on that someday."
Harvey then looked at the blond woman he met a few weeks ago and walked up to her; he lifted his hand out to her. "Mrs. Dunphy, It's nice to see you again. Sorry for not contacting you about your dinner invitation; I've been... busy with work."
"It's okay! I've been busy as well! Um- Let me introduce you to the family!"
Claire said hurriedly, guiding him to a tall older man with glasses; beside him stood a woman with brown skin and long dark brown hair. The woman held a small baby in her arms.
"Harvey, this is my father. Jay Pritchett. And his wife, Gloria. The little one is Joe."
Harvey nodded and walked up to Jay, holding out his hand. Jay grabbed it and squeezed it tightly; he then shook it slightly forcefully.
"It's nice to finally meet the young man who saved my two boys from trouble; you're all they talk about." Jay said with a smile. Luke and Manny yelled at him in the back. "Nice grip!"
"Uh, thanks. Oh, You have a nice house! I almost thought I was at the wrong place at first."
"Thank you, young man." Harvey nodded and then turned to Gloria. He missed the slight shiver she had when they made eye contact.
"Mrs. Pritchett, It's nice to meet you; you have a lovely home. Thank you for having me over."
"Of course! It's the least I could do after you helped Manny! I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to him." Gloria said as she rocked Joe. Around the corner, a small white dog approached Harvey. He looked down, and the dog started growling at him.
"Stella? What's wrong?" Jay said as he bent down and picked up the dog. Stella continued to growl at him. Causing him to tilt his head in confusion.
"I guess Stella doesn't like me?"
"That's odd; she's never done this to anyone. She's a good girl! What's the matter, baby?" Jay said as he walked away with Stella. "I'm going to go put her away. Show Harvey to the table. I'll be back in a sec."
"Ay, Jay! I'll come with you!" Gloria ran behind Jay, Confusing Harvey even more.
"Um, Harvey. I'll show you to the table."
Alex walked up to him with her arms behind her back; she was smiling shyly at him. Harvey smiled back at her and nodded. It was pretty late. He told Luke and Manny that dinner would have to be after 'work'. He was starving.
"Sounds good, lead the way."
•••
'Oh no.'
Claire Dunphy was having a very stressful day. After forcing-- asking Luke to invite Harvey to dinner, she was ready to grill the teenager all about what happened that day of the fight. She had a page worth of questions she was going to ask Harvey. Of course, It was only to understand his character better and ensure he was a good influence on Luke. During their first few meetings, she thought he was a good kid. But after hearing what happened, she started questioning it: Who could blame her? How is it possible for a 17-year-old kid to fight off three grown men? That stuff only happens in movies.
"Ah, I see. I didn't know that."
"Not many people do. I found that out after I finished reading the third volume."
"That's amazing, what happened after that?"
"...you want to hear more? Are you sure?"
"Of course, keep going!"
As she watched Alex and Harvey talk about whatever book Alex had been reading, Claire felt a slight smile appear on her face. She couldn't remember the last time Alex talked so enthusiastically with such a bright smile. Harvey was paying full attention to her and added comments here and then. When was the last time she had done that?
"Luke, you want some more water? I already have the pitcher. Let me top you off."
"Ah, thanks. My throat was getting dry. I don't want to choke again."
"No proble- wait, again?"
Luke and Harvey could almost pass for siblings due to how Harvey looked after him. Was this how they acted in school? Harvey treated Manny the same way, but due to how independent Manny was, it wasn't as often, but she saw how Manny smiled at Harvey. The two boys really looked up to Harvey.
"Claire."
"Tell me again, Harvey. Where did you learn to fight? It's no small feat to do what you did."
"Ah, alright. Mr. Pritchett, I... started learning mixed martial arts when I was seven. And I..."
Heck. Her father was giving Harvey a lot of attention. She knew he was deeply impressed by Luke and Manny's retelling of events. She knew he felt appreciative that Harvey protected Manny and Luke. She remembered when he heard the part that Harvey tried to have Luke and Manny to run off to safety as he kept their attackers busy. The face he made wasn't one she saw often.
"Claire?"
Honestly, She felt her heart go out to the boy at that part as well. Not that many people would have done that. She owed the boy for keeping her baby safe. If he wasn't there that day, Who knows what could have happened?
"Claire!"
"Huh! Uh, Yeah? What is Phil?"
"You alright? I've been trying to get your attention for a while now."
"I'm sorry, Phil. I was just... Thinking."
•••
"Everyone, I hope you have room for dessert!"
Phil turned his head at Gloria as she walked out of the kitchen holding a tray of small cups. They were filled with a caramel-looking liquid. It looked delicious!
"These are a traditional Columbian dessert, Arequipe! I hope you all love it, just like Manny and I do!"
Gloria walked around and handed out the sweet-looking desserts to everyone. Phil turned his head to look at his kid's reactions to the desserts and saw Haley make a weird face, not surprising knowing the last time Gloria tried cooking something from her homeland. Phil was optimistic; this time, it was a dessert. It should be fine! Luke immediately tried some and smiled. He proceeded to devour the dessert. Alex cautiously tried the dessert; she then smiled lightly and slowly ate it.
This caused Phil to smile. He then turned his head and looked at Harvey. Throughout the night, he got to know the boy from his interactions with his kids and Jay. Harvey was a good kid. As he thought, Everyone immediately thought negatively after hearing Luke's and Manny's story. He, however, thought it was awesome! Harvey was like the Karate Kid! Standing up for the weak! Phil also asked Harvey questions occasionally; he even found out Harvey thought trampolines were awesome! How could Alex ever believe he was a bad apple? That was probably before she got to know him. He remembered earlier when she said she was now tutoring him and that she was wrong about what she said about him before.
'What the?'
Phil stopped smiling and saw Harvey's face, it was subtle, but he saw it. A look of sadness rested on his face; his eyes looked like they were a million miles away. But as Harvey lifted his head and looked around at the faces of his family, he smiled lightly; he then grabbed a spoon and started eating his dessert as well.
He then turned to his wife and saw her turn to look at him; it appears she saw it, too. This made him remember Claire and Mitchell's conversation that night when the boys told them what happened.
•••
Two days ago...
"Yes, Mitchell! Three grown men!"
Claire said to the phone she had on speaker phone, Phil and her were in their bedroom. After everyone left and things settled down, Claire did what she always did when something bothered her. Call her brother, Mitchell.
"Claire, don't take this the wrong way, but it's three men vs. one boy. It sounds unbelievable!"
"Trust me, Mitchell. I was on the same boat, but Manny swears it happened." Claire rubbed her forehead as she lay down next to him, Phil rubbed her shoulder a little to calm her down some. "Whoever this Harvey Miller is, he's got something to hide. Who has skills like those at his age?"
"It sounds like he's in a fight clu- Wait a minute! Did you say Harvey Miller? His last name is Miller!"
Claire scrunched up her face in confusion. Phil was also curios as to why Mitchell suddenly became more involved.
"Um yeah, Why? Do you know him?"
"I don't know Harvey, but I do know his mother! Maria Miller! She's a legend in the attorney community!" Mitchell said in Excitement. "She was a state attorney general! She had some of the most famous cases this city has ever seen!"
"Wow, I didn't know his mother was that high up. No wonder she hasn't called me to set up a time for them to come over for dinner. She must be swamped."
"...Claire. What are you talking about?"
Mitchell said slowly. Claire nodded and told her brother about having found out Harvey and his family lived a street over. The fact that she invited them over for dinner and hasn't received one call from them, wasn't forgotten.
"Oh no, Claire. Please tell me you didn't." Mitchell said gravely.
"What do you mean, Mitchell?" Phil finally spoke up since the start of the call.
"Claire, Phil... Harvey's parents are dead. He's an orphan."
•••
The Present...
"Thank you for inviting me to dinner tonight. It was... nice," Harvey spoke as he stood near the door. "Mrs. Pritchett, The food was delicious. Thank you for having me in your home."
"You're welcome, Harvey. Please, call me Gloria!"
Gloria said as she smiled at him. She then walked over to him and handed him a large Tupperware filled with food and leftover dessert.
"Here, take this! I made so much extra food. It would be a shame for it to go to waste!"
"Oh, Thank you. This sure is a lot. Are you sure you don't want to keep some?"
"Ay, no! I can always make more, Please. Take it!"
Gloria insisted. Harvey nodded and smiled at her, grateful.
"I'll be sure to give Manny the tupperware once I'm done." Harvey said as he looked at everyone. "I hope you all have a nice night, It was nice to get to know you all."
"Don't sweat it, kid. It was nice to meet you. Do you need a ride home?" Jay said as he walked over to Harvey and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Harvey, you can ride with us. You're just a street away anyway." Phil said to the shock of his kids.
"What!?" Hailey yelled.
"Really!?" Both Alex and Luke said.
"Alright, settle down. Dad, Gloria, dinner was nice. Thanks for having us." Claire said as she hugged her dad, she and her family made their way to the door.
"It's no problem, you all get home safely." Jay said as he and Gloria followed everyone out.
"Yes, get home safe!"
Harvey turned to Manny and nodded at him. "Goodnight, Manny. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight!"
The Dunphy's and Harvey walked over to the family car, and everyone got in. Harvey waited until everyone was seated and slid his way to the back with Luke. Luke smiled at him and started talking to him about him teaching him how to fight, immediately getting a no from his mom. Phil, being Phil, said that was a great idea, but Claire repeated herself in her refusal. Haley and Alex then made fun of Luke at the prospect of him learning to fight, considering his track record of accidents. Luke then argued with his sisters for embarrassing him.
Harvey laughed at the chaos of the family. Tonight was an enjoyable night; it had been a long time since he had eaten with other people. It made him remember the meals he had with his parents when he was younger, back to simpler times. A happier time. He turned to look out the window and looked at the night sky, a sad frown on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Alex looked at him. She had a pensive look as she held her hands on her lap.