A/N: Hi my loves! So I've been disgustingly busy lately and haven't had time to do any writing. I watched 4x13 and was absolutely blown away by Jesse & the amazing writing and directing but as much as I loved it I didn't plan on writing anything about it. But I received a request from the lovely LinsteadTrash and decided to take a break from my real life obligations to get this out really quick. Did I have time to take this break? No, not really. Was it worth it? 100%. It's super short and doesn't really have a plot; just fluff – but I hope you guys enjoy it.
This was the prompt: I had the suggestion of writing a one shot as a continuation of Chicago PD 4x13. I was thinking you could add a part where Erin was on the other side of the mirror when Ellie asked Jay if she (Erin) was his girlfriend. Jay just looked really really happy to say yes.
Thank you again for the request sweet girl, I didn't realize just how much I needed the escape into my fluffy little Linstead world on this snowy day. Happy reading! xo
I own nothing, as usual.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"Remember, anything you need, I'm here for you." Jay promised, pulling Ellie into a hug as the DCFS worker waited in the doorway, ready to bring the girl to her new home.
"Thank you," Ellie whispered into his chest. Not just for his offer, but for everything. For not judging her for her actions earlier. For believing her and actually wanting to listen to what she had to say. For loving Erin and giving her hope that a real, healthy relationship is actually possible.
Jay squeezed her shoulder in response to her gratitude as she pulled away and walked over to the DCFS worker, ready to go meet her new family and start a happier life; the life she deserved. Once she was out the door and Jay knew she was finally safe, he let out a deep breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. A wave of exhaustion hit him and he suddenly felt like he could sleep for days. For a split second, he considered sitting back down at the interrogation table just to take a minute rest his eyes before the drive home, but then he remembered who was waiting for him at home. Erin. His girl. And he wanted – no wait, he needed, to be home with her, to have her in his arms, as soon as possible.
With a newfound burst of energy, he quickly exited the interrogation room, stopping short when he almost slammed into someone. He looked up and the same smile from a few minutes earlier overtook his face when he met his girlfriend's beautiful hazel eyes.
"You good?" she asked gently, her hand finding his back once again. Erin knew she'd told Jay she would see him at home and that he was perfectly capable of getting back to their apartment by himself, but something had stopped her from leaving. Instead, she'd watched Jay and Ellie through the window, her heart bursting with so much love and pride for the man in front of her. She'd seen the heart-stopping smile he'd given Ellie when she'd asked if Erin was his girlfriend, but that hadn't been why she was so damn proud of him. She knew, from personal experience, that he had absolutely no clue how much of an impact he'd made on that young girl's life and everything that had happened in the past few days made her love him even more, if that was even possible.
Jay nodded, a sense of contentment filling him as soon as her hand began to comfortingly rub his back. "I am now," he said honestly. "Come here," he took her in his arms and squeezed her tight as her hands snaked around his neck to hold him close. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the scent that was so uniquely Erin and one of his favorite things in the world.
Erin knew they were the only two left upstairs so she pressed a quick kiss against his lips before pulling away and looking back into his blue orbs that were clouded with exhaustion. "Let's go home," she declared softly, reaching for his hand to lead him back towards the bullpen to grab their jackets.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
They picked up a pizza on the drive home and Erin instructed Jay to make himself comfortable on the couch as she plated the food and got them drinks. She walked back into the living room and found him already changed into sweats with a documentary playing quietly on the television. She wanted to make a joke about the black and white film about how zippers were made, but the fatigue was so evident on his face and Erin's heart broke a little at how hard this case hit him. She handed Jay a plate and a bottle of beer and stole another quick kiss before placing her plate and drink on the coffee table in front of him and making her way to the back of the couch. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently began to massage the tense muscles in his neck and back.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered from behind him, leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek. "I know it wasn't easy, but you-"
"Er," his rough voice cut her off as he leaned forward to put his now-empty plate on the coffee table and reached up to grab her hands. "You know I didn't do anything with Ellie, or any of those girls, right?"
Erin's heart broke more at his question and she untangled their fingers and climbed over the couch so she was sitting next to him. "Babe," she sighed. "Just like I told you at the district, no one accused you of anything. And even if something did happen, it was undercover and I could never, ever blame you for that,"
"But nothing happened. Please, Erin, you have to believe me," Jay was desperate now. Erin had to believe him. He didn't know what he would do if she didn't.
"I do believe you," Erin repeated. "I've told you that a hundred times, and I'll tell you it a hundred more until you believe it yourself. You're a good man, Jay. The best I've ever known. And I don't know how I got so lucky that I get to be your partner in every aspect of life, but I thank my lucky stars for that everyday. I know the way Ellie threw herself at you was hard and uncomfortable and upsetting, but you have to understand that it's a habit for her. She thinks she needs to do that to get by, to survive. And I know that you would never take advantage of her, but she didn't know that. All she knows is people that do take advantage of her. When she thanked you tonight, she was thanking you for so many things, babe. But mostly for being different. For not being one of them, for giving her hope."
Jay had tears in his eyes by the time Erin had finished speaking and he wasn't really sure what the cause of them was. It could be the stress of the case, or how much it hurt him that Erin spoke so simply about how she knew what it was like to be taken advantage of, or just how damn in love with her he was. He reached out and pulled her back into his chest, burying his face into her hair once again. He knew he was being touchy tonight, but he didn't care. Erin fell into him easily and once again began to trace relaxing patterns on his back, knowing exactly what he needed. "You saved her life, Jay," she whispered into his neck. "Trust me on that."
She knew the feeling all too well. Being a teenager barely getting by, being able to do whatever you wanted because no one cared where you were or what you were doing. Doing whatever, or whoever, it took to survive. But she also knew the feeling of being saved. Knowing there was someone out there who actually cared about you for you, not for your body. Having someone who believed you were destined for so much more. Hank had saved her when she was Ellie's age. Jay had saved her after Nadia's death. And now Jay had saved Ellie. And she was so fucking proud of him it made her heart ache in the best way, and she would do whatever it took to make him believe that.
"I love you so much, Er," Jay whispered into her hair, not loosening his grip on her body.
"I love you too," she whispered back, resting her lips on his neck above the collar of his shirt. They stayed like that for a long time, the narrator droning on about zippers in the background and Erin's pizza getting cold – two things she would have complained about on a typical night. But tonight wasn't a typical night; it was a night for Erin to be there for Jay the way he'd been there for her dozens of times. A night to remind him over and over again how proud she was of him, how he'd saved Ellie's life, and her life, and how much she loved him and there was nothing he could ever do that would change that.