Recap: Bolton (aka bad, bad guy), escaped from custody and while Jay and Erin were on their way to protective custody their escort car was gunned down. Jay was only mildly hurt. But know they are waiting in a cottage in the outskirts of town until Bolton is caught.

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A sudden chill in the night wakes Erin from her sleep. She opens her eyes and notices her head isn't on Jay's shoulder anymore, and she can't feel him next to her. She rolls over, but he isn't there. Then she looks over the edge of the bed and he isn't there either. A sense of déjà vu fills her and panic quickly follows. After what happened yesterday, Jay will never leave her alone, unless he doesn't have a choice. Then she hears something coming from the bathroom and there is a dim flicker of light coming from under the door. She knows it's silly, but she can't help the uneasy feeling as she makes her way over to the door.

"Jay, are you all right?" She asks as her heart beats a tad faster in her chest. When Jay doesn't answer, she slowly pushes the door open. "Jay?" She takes a quick peek inside and almost falls backwards in shock. Jay is lying on a bloody puddle on the floor and the masked man – Bolton – is there, steel pipe in hand, ready to swing at her.

She screams and turns to leave, but he grabs her and doesn't let go. The adrenaline kicks in and she fights back with all her might, pushing him off. It's a tornado of arms and legs flying. She slaps and kicks him. She's not sure how much longer she can fight him off.

"Erin, babe, it's me! Wake up!" Jay says as he tries to wake her while simultaneously dodging her fists.

Erin continues to struggle in her sleep until her eyes snap open. It takes a moment, but her eyes adjust to the early morning light and she sees Jay sitting up on his elbow with a worried look on his face while holding her wrists in his hands.

"You okay?" Jay asks.

"Bolton. H-He was here and you…" Erin can't bring herself to finish the sentence. Tears start filling her eyes.

Jay lets go of her wrists. "You're okay. I'm okay. It was just a nightmare," he says and pulls her close and tries to calm her down by slowly running his hand up a down her back.

"I-It felt like he was h-here," Erin mumbles into his chest. "It brought me back to that warehouse. It seemed so real."

"I know and I have the bruises to prove it," Jay says, trying to cheer her up. "You have a mean right hook."

Erin smiles a little and her eyes notice the red tinge seeping though the bandage on his shoulder. "I think I really hurt you," she says, nodding towards his shoulders.

Jay looks down at the dressing on his wound, but shrugs dismissively. "It's all good." He brushes her hair away from her face before wiping the few tears that rolled down her cheek. "You should try to go back to sleep. It's still early, so we don't have to be up for a while."

Erin snuggles up close to him and takes a deep breath, calming herself down. "I don't think we can go back to sleep." She wants to, but with the baby now tossing and turning and the looming fear of Bolton's face popping into her dreams again, she decides against it. "What time is it anyway?"

"Well," he looks to the digital clock on the nightstand. "It's five fifteen. You have maybe another couple of hours before someone comes knocking on the door."

"I think I'm going to use the restroom and then going downstairs," she says before crawling out of bed. "I'm hungry."

Jay smiles, watching Erin waddle towards the bathroom.

*x*

Jay pads downstairs, following the promising smell of coffee and the strong, smokey aroma of cooking bacon. He leans against the threshold to the kitchen and watches Erin at the stove, cracking eggs into a bowl. She is humming, happily. Maybe being isolated in this cottage for the time being is not the worst thing. If he looks past the unmarked cars outside and the looming fear of Bolton finding them, this is a dream. There's no rustle and bustle, everything is quiet, as if someone smothered this little town with a blanket and turned everything into a cozy nest.

Jay walks behind her and pushes her hair away, planting a kiss of her neck. "Smells good," Jay says. "Can I help?"

"I got it covered," she says.

He continues to nip at the soft skin on her neck and she hums softly in response. His heart leaps. He needs to hear that again. He gently turns her around and his fingers slips behind her head while his thumb sweeps along the line of her jaw. Their lips meet in a gentle, heart-searching kiss. Though, this is not a teasing timid kiss. Nor is it pushing. It is Jay. Strong. Confident. In other words, breathtaking. A rush spreads through her as the world tips beneath her feet.

Their lips part slowly; peeling off, as a small sigh escape their lips. "Good morning," he breathes out.

"Morning," she says sweetly.

He cups her belly with both hands and bends down to kiss her there. "Grow big and strong," he whispers. There's so much love in his eyes. So much wonder, too.

"But not too big. Not until after you come out," she adds with a grin. She tugs Jay back up and plants a gentle peck on his lips.

Jay smiles. "I love you." The words leave his lips and fill the air. Erin stiffens slightly, but her eyes are soft and shining. "I love you," he repeats, touching her cheek.

"Jay—"

"You don't have to say anything," he tells her. Resting his cheek on her hair for a moment, he sighs, wrapping her gently into his arms again. She lays her head against his chest and her warmth and softness is the closest thing to heaven, Jay thinks. "I know you said it's not enough. But I'm going to tell you every day."

"I love you too," she says, caressing his face. Her eyes, deep green pools, brimming with a love she never dared hope to find. "I hope it's enough," she adds.

Jay let's go of her and she turns back to the stove. He pours himself a cup of coffee and takes a sip. It is so strong it almost makes his hairs stand up. But it feels good, warming his insides as it goes down. They eat in a comfortable silence, listening to the wind chimes burst into a delicate melody nearby. Despite the circumstances, this has been the most peaceful either of them have ever been.

The silence is soon broken when someone knocks on the door. Jay glances at the clock on the kitchen wall. Seven a.m. Too early for anyone to be knocking on the door. Jay debates getting up and looking out the window, but he decides to go for the door. He opens it a crack and sees one of the officers standing there.

"Detective Halstead," he says.

Jay winces at the use of the title detective. "Call me Jay."

"Jay," His gaze shifts to his periphery than back. "We are, uh, changing shifts and Officer Kane and Officer…" He looks away again, trying to remember. "Murray. Officer Murray will be on the lookout if you need anything."

"Thanks…" Jay nods, but senses that something is off. This officer is clearly trying way too hard to hide his uneasiness. If there is an edge to him, it is an edge of unwise despair. Jay looks him up and down – possibly a former soldier, standing there erect, with his shoulders held back, his head high. "You served?" Jay asks.

Jay watches him fidget before he says, "Second battalion. Eighth infantry regiment."

Jay nods, eyes scanning the perimeter of the house. "Nice weather, uh?"

The officer tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes. He begins fidgeting again with his hands – one hand rubbing the back of another. "You should expect rain, sir."

At that moment, his suspicion is confirmed. Jay's heart begins to beat faster. A dread that he can't give name to immediately takes hold of him. "Do you know when?"

"Soon," he says and begins to leave.

"Do we have time to get ahead of it?" Jay asks.

The officer turns and shakes his head, staring off in the direction of the dirt road. "No."

The officer leaves and Jay locks the door behind him. Erin is quick to see the look of worry on his face. His mouth moves, muttering inaudible words.

"Jay? Who was that?"

"Where's the phone?"Jay says, carefully lowering all the blinds.

"Upstairs," Erin says, her brow now permanently in a frown. "What's going on?"

"Go upstairs and call for back up," Jay instructs.

"W-Why? Is h-he here? Did Bolton find us?" Erin asks, her hand lowering to cradle her belly.

"I don't know, but something is not right." Jay watches the fear paralyze her. Jay takes a few steps towards her and cups her cheek in his hand. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Erin nods, her head in a foggy daze as she pads up the stairs. She tries the phone, but the call can't be connected, and there is no land line on this cottage. Suddenly, it dawns on her that they are trapped. She hurries down the steps and see Jay sneaking a quick look out the window.

When he hears her footsteps he turns to her. "D'you call?"

"No service," she says. She releases a tear soaked breath. "He won't stop until he kills us."

"That's not going to happen," Jay says and pulls a gun from behind him. "Here," he hands it to her. "Go upstairs and stay there. Lock yourself in the bedroom. Barricade the door. Don't let anyone in."

"What about you?"

"I will hold them off…"He lets the sentence go unfinished as the unspoken meaning lingers between them. "Voight will know something's up when he can't get a hold of us."

At that moment, he hears footsteps approaching the front porch. His gut sinks as part of his brain comprehends/accepts what's happening. "Go," he whispers to Erin. He carefully peeks out the curtain and sees two men in full cop attire, except are anything but. Jay thinks he can hold them off, and even if they get to him, it will hopefully give Voight enough time to get there.

The knock comes seconds after. "This is Officer Kane and Murray," one of them says. "Just checking in."

When there's no response, the officers try to forcibly turn the knob, but are successful. After a few short, silent moments one of the officers says, "Detective Halstead, don't make this harder than it is."

He hears more steps coming up the porch and surrounding the cottage. "If I remember correctly," a new voice utters, "You like making deals. How about I make you a deal. You come out and I will let the girl walk."

Jay is hyperaware of his surroundings. He keeps his gun cocked, finger on the trigger. He hears noises coming from upstairs and his heart hurdles into his throat. Erin. He begins ascending up the stairs, two steps at a time, then everything goes black.

*x*

A splitting pain.

Jay wants to push it away. His heart thrusts with a force and it beats on, not letting him embrace the darkness, not letting him get trapped between the layers of consciousness. Something digs into his flesh. A gun goes off. A deep rumble echoes, shaking the ground, shaking him. Adrenaline flares.

Then a sound shakes him to his core – Erin.

Jay pries his eyelids open, glimpsing a silhouette through his lashes. He sees Bolton holding Erin's hair, pulling her head back, keeping the edge of the blade against her throat. Jay can already see a thin red line on along her neck. The bastard had already marked her.

"Jay…I-I'm o-okay," Erin says as if reading his mind. She tries to slow her breathing and stay calm. She'd been through violent situations before; she knows better.

Jay tries to move to her but the two men in police uniforms are holding him down. He can feel his holster is empty. He surveys the scene and only sees the three men, the two holding him down and Bolton, currently holding a knife to Erin. The cogs in his head begin turning.

Bolton's moves the knife to her stomach and says, "This is a nice surprise. You two got busy."

Dread weaves in as Jay realizes what Bolton is doing. "What do you want?" Jay asks.

"From you? Nothing. But I will take pleasure in watching you lose everything." Bolton tightens his hold on Erin's neck a bit more, and Jay fears he will be drawing blood.

Then a fist crashes into the bones around his eyes. A foot wedges under his shoulder and kicks him down to the floor. Warm liquid oozes from his face. But in an instant it's like everything stops –Jay's thoughts, his heartbeat – even the prickling pain in his back. Then it's like everything happens in slow motion. Jay breaks out of their hold and pulls a gun from his ankle. He shoots both officers and immediately points a gun at Bolton.

"Let her go," Jay says, finger ready at the trigger.

"Put the gun down," Bolton says, his voice seeping with menace. "Or the next thing that happens is I slice her in half." He lets it hang before going on, "And you get to watch her slowly bleed out."

He looks to Erin, her eyes are pleading with him. Do it. Shoot him.

"I'm only going to say this one more time. Let. Her. Go." Jay says.

Bolton laughs sarcastically, glaring at Jay. "Do you know long it takes for someone to bleed out from their femoral artery?"

Before Jay can process Bolton's thinly veiled innuendo, he slices the tip of the knife through Erin's thigh, leaving a trail of red in its wake. A fraction of a second later, Jay pulls the trigger and the blast rockets the small cottage and rips through Bolton's skull.

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