Author note: All italics are flashbacks. Please enjoy and leave a review.
As Erin Lindsay walked from the plane into the Chicago airport, she had to stop and take it all in. She had been away for two years, working, travelling, making memories. Nothing beat Chicago though, there was no doubt that this was her home.
As she walked down the stairs impatiently she looked at all the happy reunited families. A smile came across her face. As she walked past the crowd of people she heard somebody call her name. Confused, she turned and was shocked. It was Jay. She hadn't expected him, she hadn't even told anybody that she was coming back home, except for Voight. As he fought his way through the crowd, she stood, frozen in place, forgetting how to breath.
Finally, Jay burst through and quickly wrapped Erin in a hug, both of them feeling as if not a day had passed since the last time they saw each other. As Jay tried to haul back to get a better look at Erin he felt her grip tighten. He leaned back into her and they stood in the warm embrace forgetting the people all around them. A few silent moments passed before they took a step back from each other. Quickly Jay gave Erin a lopsided smile and they walked together to get her luggage.
Jay effortlessly grabbed her packed suitcases and carried them to his car. As Erin climbed into the front seat Jay reached into his pocket to grab his keys, but was quickly perplexed by what felt like an old piece of paper. Curious, he took it out, unfolding it and reading what it said. Instantly a vivid memory began to dance in his mind.
It had been a difficult case for Intelligence. It all started out as a missing child report. As they completed their other cases, theywere supposed to keep a look out for a four year old missing girl. It had been a few weeks since she had gone missing and most people had given up hope, only searching halfheartedly and never expecting to find her.
As they searched a house looking for a wanted fugitive Voight directed Jay to head downstairs and search the basement. As he rounded the corner, hewas overwhelmed with a huge pile of blood, and three bodies. There was a woman, mid thirties with deep cuts through her abdomen and large cuts all over her face. A young child, around eight, with a bullet hole through his head and a young girl in a bright pink raincoat with a doll lying next to her, her neck was clearly broken and her small, frail body had multiple stab wounds. Although it was hard to tell from the state she was in, Jay knew that this was the missing child.
He stood over the bodies unsure of how to react. Suddenly he heard a voice on his radio, it was Antonio, announcing to the group that they had found the fugitive that was trying to escape from an upstairs window. With a sigh Jay used his radio to tell the rest of the team what he had found and although the hurried down the stairs it seemed like an eternity passed with him alone in the basement. As he stood waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, hetried to distract himself. Finally, they entered the room and Jay turned, with weak knees, heclimbed the stairs, needing to get away from the horrible sight.
As he lay in bed that night trying to sleep the image stuck with him. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, buteventually he gave up on trying to sleep. He flipped the covers over and walked out of his bedroom and into the living room. He turned on the television and opened his laptop. On the desktop it said that he had a missed e-mail. Curious, he clicked onto it and was pleasantly surprised. It was from Erin. She told him about her life now and how much she missed her friends from back home.
The e-mail pulled at Jays heart. He hadn't realized how much he missed her until he read it. She was exactly what he needed right now and although he couldn't see or hold her, the message allowed him to think of her.
He had completely forgotten about even printing out the message, but as he read the paper he remembered. For a few months he had taken it everywhere with him and read it every night before he went to bed, thinking of her. Eventually he stopped though, hating the emotions he felt in the morning waking up after dreaming of her all night, completely alone.
Shaking his head, he climbed into the car. As he got in he looked over at Erin and smiled to himself. He threw the car in gear and started the drive to the district.
When they entered through the doors of the 21st district Erin laughed to herself, it was exactly the same as when she left. With a quick hello to the officers working downstairs she followed Jay to the stairs leading to Intelligence. When they walked in everybody stood and hurried over to greet their friend that they had been away from for so long. After what seemed like a hundred hugs everyone headed back to their desks to finish their work. Not wanting to be a distraction Erin headed into Voight's office.
Unsurprisingly he was sitting at his desk, head in his hands, lost in thought. He did this frequently when working on difficult cases. Quietly, Erin knocked on his door. He looked up, meeting her gaze and invited her in. He stood from his desk and walked around giving Erin a warm hug.
"Welcome back, kid" Voight said as he stepped away. "Look, I'm sorry but I don't have much time right now. Difficult case. If you want you can go back to my place for a bit and I'll see you later."
Erin already felt awkward and out of place in the station after being away so long so she decided to leave. After a quick goodbye to her former coworkers Erin grabbed her coat and left through the front doors.
The cold air instantly hit her, sending a chill down her spine. She had ran through her return hundreds of times in her mind but this was not how she had pictured it. She felt alone, abandoned. She began walking down the sidewalk, thinking, only vaguely aware of her surroundings. After around a half hour Erin decided to turn around and head back to the precinct. Everyone would be leaving soon, probably heading out to Molly's or some other bar. She would just get a ride with someone.
As she turned the corner near the precinct and continued walking she seen the other Intelligence members emerging. She quickened her pace, trying to catch up to the dark figures. She caught up and fell into place with the others.
"Hey. Is it alright if I tag along with you guys" Erin casually asked, unsure of where she fit in the group now.
"Yeah, sure. We're just heading down to catch the Blackhawks game at Molly's" Jay replied eagerly.
Erin quickly scanned the faces of the other members of the group trying to ensure that they all felt the same way, not wanting to invade if she was not welcome. Satisfied that nobody seemed to have any issues with her being there she smiled to herself, grateful to have such great friends.
Erin drove to the bar with Jay, feeling awkward in his company for the first time in her life. She was confident usually, but the air between them suddenly felt very still, tense. Trying to ease her discomfort Erin reached to turn on the radio, turning away from him to look out the window.
Finally, they reached the bar and climbed out of the car meeting up with some of the others that had gotten there early. They grabbed the same table they had always used and after ordering a few drinks, settled into some conversation. Most of the focus was on Erin and how her adventures had been, her new experiences, and her plans for the future. Erin answered their questions quickly trying to get the attention off of her. She stopped however about what her next step was. She hadn't really thought about it too much, but now considered the fact that she had to try and find a new job, and whether she would stay here with her friends or move on to something new again.
Voight was sitting across the table and told her that if she was interested he could pull some strings and try and get her back on the Intelligence team, if she wanted her place back again. Without a second thought Erin agreed that it had been a good fit and that she had missed her second family the entire time that she had been away. Trying not to take this for granted she voiced her appreciation and started to sip her beer while she watched her friends settle into normal conversation.