Enjoy this next chapter!
P.S. Who else loved Linstead in last week's episode?! I love that they're finally acting like they're in a relationship, hopefully it'll continue in season 4! :D
Chapter 10 – Too Much Too Young
It had been a month since Jay had moved in to Erin's apartment and they were slowly settling into a routine. They had finally finished unpacking all of his boxes, the process having been slowed by their major case load at work. There had been a few surprises along the way. Erin had been astonished at the size of Jay's video game collection and he was shocked at her hoarding of every take-out menu she'd ever ordered from. But other than that, the whole transition had been very smooth.
Erin had also been easing back into work. Voight had initially wanted her to take it easy, so stuck her doing paperwork, much to Erin's annoyance. Thankfully, she was now back to full duty.
The unit was deep in a case at the moment, trying to shut down a child trafficking ring that was dealing with runaway and abandoned children. Erin got a sick feeling in her stomach every time she thought about it. The cases involving kids always hit her hard, but this one in particular was getting to her more than usual.
Erin sped towards the house, foot pressed hard on the gas pedal before slamming on the brakes. The car screeched to a stop and her and Jay leapt out. They saw the other members of the unit clambering out of their own vehicles. They approached the house, Voight ordering Olinsky and Ruzek to cover the back.
Antonio banged on the front door yelling, "Chicago PD, open up!"
They waited.
The door didn't open.
They hadn't expected it to.
Their investigation into the child trafficking ring had led them to this house. It belonged to an older married couple who had bought an 11 year old girl from the leaders of the ring two weeks ago. After some poking around, they'd found that the couple were also keeping three other children whose pictures matched images from multiple child pornography sites.
Voight gave the signal to Atwater and he broke the door down.
They pushed forward into the house.
Erin and Jay peeled off from the others and entered the kitchen.
"Clear!" Erin yelled and Jay signalled to a cupboard door. They pulled the door open and a narrow staircase was revealed, leading to a dark basement. They crept down the stairs, trying to prepare themselves for what they might find. They heard the footsteps of the others close behind them.
The basement came into sight. A dirty old couch was pressed against the wall closest to them, a camera on a tripod aimed towards it.
Erin's eyes fell upon three children huddled in the far corner. Two girls and a boy. The older girl seemed to be around 12 or 13, the other looked to be about eight. The boy couldn't have been more than six years old.
Erin approached them slowly.
"You're okay now, we're the police, we're here to help you," she said in a soft voice as she crouched down in front of them.
They stared back at her. Erin's heart broke as she got a closer look at them. They didn't look as if they'd had a decent meal in months, and their hair and faces were grubby.
"There should be another little girl here," she continued. "Her name is Lucy. Do you know where she is?" Erin's tone was gentle as she looked between the three children.
"She… she's new," the older girl whispered nervously, looking back at Erin. Erin nodded encouragingly and the girl continued. "They brought her back a few weeks ago, but she wouldn't do what they wanted. They hit her pretty hard. We haven't seen her since then."
Erin felt her stomach drop.
"Do you know where they might have taken her?" she pressed on, determination to find the girl coursing through her.
"They… they used to lock me in the bedroom upstairs when I was bad. We used to sleep in there, but not since they took her away" the girl continued, tears filling her eyes.
"Okay, thank you, you've done really well" Erin said comfortingly before motioning to Ruzek and Olinsky. "This is Detective Olinsky and Officer Ruzek, they're going to look after you now, okay?"
She gave the three children one last smile before she turned and hurried back to the staircase.
Erin took the stairs two at a time, Jay right behind her.
They sped up a second staircase and found themselves on a small landing with three doors leading from it. One led to a bathroom, another to the master bedroom. The third door was locked.
Jay kicked the door down and they entered the smallest room. Two sets of bunk-beds were crammed against the walls, but other than that, the room was empty.
Erin stared at the bunk-beds, transported back to her own childhood and another set of bunk-beds in a different cramped room. She remembered how she used to crawl into the tiny gap between the bottom bunk and the floor, and curl up in the tightest ball when she heard Bunny come home with company. She would stay there all night sometimes, Teddy curled up next to her, hoping that no one would come into the room.
Erin dragged herself back to the present day, and crouched down on her hands and knees. She peered under the bed.
A pair of big brown eyes stared back at her. The girl was curled up as tight as she could, her knees under her chin.
"Lucy?" Erin asked softly. The girl nodded slowly.
It took a long time for Erin to coax her out, but once she had, Lucy flung herself into Erin's arms, deciding there and then to trust her. Erin held her tight, soothing her, stroking her long brown hair. She could feel each one of the girl's ribs and wondered when her last meal had been.
The unit knew Lucy's story, having discovered her missing during their investigation. She had taken refuge in a shelter when her mother stopped caring for her, but instead of finding safety there, she'd been put up for sale and sold to the highest bidder.
Erin laid her head on her desk, exhausted. They had finally closed the investigation into the child trafficking ring, but Erin still felt sick when she thought of it. Lucy had been handed over to child services and she would eventually be placed with a foster family. Erin prayed with all her heart that her foster parents would be decent people. She knew what happened to the unlucky kids who fell through the cracks in the system, and this girl seemed to be on an unlucky streak.
Jay couldn't help but notice Erin's higher than normal investment in the case and he knew she hadn't been sleeping well. He had considered talking to Voight about it once or twice, but ultimately decided against it. Erin would never forgive him for going behind her back.
"First round's on me tonight guys," Antonio called across the bullpen and Ruzek whooped.
They had all planned to have a drink at Molly's after work to celebrate closing the case, but Erin couldn't think of anything she wanted to do less. All she really wanted was to go home with Jay, order take-out, and curl up next to him on the couch. She knew he was worried about her, but she wasn't sure if she had the energy to explain it to him at the moment.
They had been at Molly's for just over an hour, and although Erin still felt tired, she was surprised to find that the gentle banter between the guys was actually relaxing her a little.
Jay made his way over to the bar and Erin got to her feet to follow him.
"Hey," she said, taking a seat next to him as he ordered their drinks.
He turned to look at her.
"You doing okay?" he asked, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
"Yeah," she replied, seeing the concern covering Jay's face. She knew she owed him an explanation. "It's just… this case… Lucy…"
"It was a tough one," he said as he gently placed his hand over hers on the bar.
Erin gave him a weak smile before continuing.
"It could so easily have been me," she said, looking at their hands.
Jay didn't say anything, but his eyes silently encouraged her to keep talking.
"When I was Lucy's age, I stayed in a shelter for three months. Bunny was…" she trailed off, wondering how best to phrase it. "…Bunny was being Bunny and going home wasn't an option. So I went to a shelter, just like the one Lucy went to. Only, I found safety and comfort there, unlike her."
Jay looked at her. Her hazel eyes stared back at him.
"You never told me you stayed in a shelter," he said, and Erin looked away. He knew this was difficult for her.
"Yeah…" she started.
Jay watched her struggling to find words before saying, "We don't have to talk about it." He wanted more than anything for Erin to confide in him, but knew better than anyone that she couldn't be pushed into it. If Erin felt backed into a corner, her first instinct was to run.
Erin looked back at him, and saw the man that loved her sitting beside her, not judging her. She owed him this, she thought.
"No… That's not the thing, it's not like a bad memory," she began, not quite looking into his eyes. "Um… it was summer," she said, inclining her head slightly. "Air conditioner rattled a lot, it was like, right next to my bed… Bunny forgot my first day of school, so the lady that ran the place, she walked me all the way there. She held my hand the whole way. I actually drove by there a couple weeks ago and I saw her. She was walking another little girl to school."
"Did she recognise you?" Jay asked.
"I don't know, I didn't stop."
Jay studied Erin's face and saw the memories cloud over her darkened eyes. Eyes that had seen too much too young, Jay thought.
He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, knowing what she needed right now was comfort and not more words.
They made their excuses to the rest of the unit and headed home.
Jay wrapped his arms tightly around Erin as they laid in bed that night. She let herself melt into his embrace, and for the first time in weeks, fell into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.
"Erin, seriously, you need to stop using my razor," Jay called from the bathroom to Erin who was searching through her side of the closet.
"But it works so much better than mine," she called back, grinning to herself. It was the same argument they had every morning.
It had been two weeks since they'd closed the case and Erin was feeling much better. A few good night's sleep and confiding in Jay had made all the difference.
Jay entered the bedroom as Erin pulled on her favourite green dress. He crossed the room to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck.
"Have I ever told you how good you look in green?" he grinned into her shoulder as he felt her lean back against him.
"Not recently," she grinned back, feeling goose bumps erupt where his stubble tickled her neck.
"Well you do, but I think that dress would look better on the floor." He slowly started to push the straps of her dress down over her shoulders as he continued to suck lightly on her neck.
Erin felt her pulse quicken with excitement, but knew this wasn't an option. "Jay, we don't have time," she moaned as she pulled out of his grip.
"C'mon Erin, ten minutes, I swear!" he begged, reaching to grab her hand, but she was too quick for him.
"Wow, a whole ten minutes! You really know how to make a girl feel special, Detective Halstead," she grinned at him before disappearing into the bathroom.
Jay groaned before moving to the closet, knowing his plans would have to wait. He pulled out a dress shirt that would match his pants and pulled it on.
It was Saturday morning and he and Erin were getting ready for Kim and Adam's engagement party. Adam had popped the question last month, and Kim's parents were having a big celebration at their house just outside the city.
There was a knock on the apartment door.
"I'll get it," Jay called to Erin who was fixing her hair in the bathroom mirror.
Jay crossed the apartment and pulled the door open.
A blonde woman, possibly in her mid-fifties stood before him. Jay had never seen her before, but knew immediately who she was. He would know those eyes anywhere.
"I'm looking for Erin Lindsay," the woman said, peering into the apartment. Jay didn't move, but continued to stare down at the woman.
"Jay, who is it?" he heard Erin call from the other room.
Before Jay could reply, the woman called out, "Erin?"
Erin froze in the doorway to the bedroom and stared at the apartment door, blood drained from her face.
"Bunny…"
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to review!
The next chapter is called 'Bunny'