Chapter 31

It was finally the day Erin had been waiting for—the day when she was finally going back to work. It just so happened that work was now at Intelligence. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she sat in the passenger seat while Jay drove them to work. The good kind. The same ones that appeared when she and Jay were about to kiss each other for the first time in his apartment, and the same ones that made their presence known when she told Jay she loved him for the first time—even though she tried her hardest to made the moment as casual as could be. Jay probably noticed her antsy hands and feet because he reached over the center console to hold her hand, bringing the limb to his mouth so he can lay a kiss on it.

"Nervous?" She inhaled, sighing deeply, indicating her nerves. He chuckled, amused at her state. "Don't be. It's Intelligence. It's practically your second home."

"My second family." He nodded, agreeing. He was right. She had no reason to be nervous. This was her team, she knew these people inside and out and she loved them. And most importantly, she knew that they loved her back and was thrilled to have her back.

Jay parked their car in the lot and looked over at her, grinning. "Ready?"

"Let's do this!" She opened the car door to exit but paused when she noticed Jay's hesitancy to get out. "What?" By the apologetic look that was already on his face, Erin just knew that there was a surprise waiting for her up in the bullpen. "They're planning something for my first day, aren't they?" He had the decency to look sheepish, knowing that she had caught him.

"Don't be mad," he held up his hand, "But they really wanted to do a little something for your return. And they were so excited, I couldn't say no." She groaned, Jay being a softie as usual. He had already been back at work a week already so he had been included in their planning. "I told them to keep it small." The skeptical look remained on her face. "It's probably just donuts and coffee. I've convinced them to nix the balloons and they listened, I think." He reached for her hand again. "Hey, it's just because they love you and they're happy that you're back."

She pursed her lips together, giving in. "Yeah, I know." She was lucky that she had people that cared enough in her life. "Come on, the sooner we get up there, the sooner we can get the party started." She was about to exit but was suddenly pulled back and before she can voice her surprise, she was met with Jay's eager lips, pulling her into a kiss. She knew she should pull away, given that they were in the precinct parking lot already and there were several cops already milling around but as always, Jay's kisses always had a way of making her forget the time and place. Thankfully, the need for oxygen worked as a double duty, snapping her back to the present and she finally managed to pull herself away.

"Sorry," although he didn't look a bit sorry at all. "Just needed a kiss before we spend the next eight hours being 'professionals'. Come on."


She bounded up the steps to the 21st District, a extra pep in her steps. It wasn't her first time going up these steps yet now that she was officially back with Intelligence, it felt like she was finally coming home. Several of the patrol officers that were by the front desk greeted her, some expressing their relief that she was fine and other showing their excitement that she was back.

"Erin!" Platt called from her usual place, Erin approaching the Sergeant. "Welcome back."

"Thanks Serg," Erin felt Jay's presence behind her, him always preferring to keep some distance from Platt. No matter how much Erin had tried to convince Jay before that Platt was actually made out honey underneath all that vinegar exterior, Jay hadn't bought it, going as far as to claim that if he had a choice of a person to be stuck on a desert island with between Voight and Platt, he'd choose Voight.

"Chuckles," Platt's tone soured, the usual glower coming back on her face as she greeted Jay. Erin held in her amusement, knowing that Platt was really doing it more for fun than any actual dislike of Jay.

"Detective Chuckles," Jay corrected her from behind Erin. Platt murmured a few choice words under her breath. "Alright, this has been nice Serg but we really should get upstairs." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the Intelligence stairs. Erin gave Platt a wave before following Jay to the stairs. He stopped at the door, waiting for her instead of entering the code to open it. "You should do the honor," he said after seeing her inquisitive look. Her eyes softened, nodding, as she stepped into his space so she could enter the number, the door buzzing to open and letting them in. Their eyes met, both bright with happiness and excitement, as they bounded up the steps together.


"Hey hey! Look who's finally back!" Adam's voice was the first thing they heard even before they reached the top. He had been ready, waiting with open arms to engulf Erin in a 'welcome back' hug and from there, it had been a whirlwind of one hug after another while Jay stood a few feet away, arms crossed and amusement filling his whole body at watching Erin suffer through the brouhaha of her return.

"Thanks guys!" Erin spoke to the whole group, touched by their welcome, "You guys have no idea how happy I am to be back."

Jay had done a good job of keeping the celebration down, his assumption of it just being donuts and coffee being correct. Although it was a special kind of donut—Hailey taking charge of the food and bringing in her special Greek pastries. All Erin cared was that it was sweet, it was flaky and it was still warm and she polished two of them rather quickly, would've gone for thirds if Adam didn't beat her to it and had taken the last one.

"Um, who ate the last donut?" Kim asked, holding up the empty box. "That was saved for Voight." All fingers immediately pointed to Adam, who looked up startled, his mouth gaping open to show the evidence of the donut in his mouth. "Oh," Kim tossed him a dirty look. "You are in trouble. You can explain to Voight how you took his donut Adam."

Adam whined, "how was I supposed to know?" He held his arms out, protesting. "Quick, get rid of the box and Voight won't know."

"Voight won't know what?" Voight suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. Adam, who was holding the box trying to get rid of the evidence, got so surprised by his sudden appearance that he started coughing, the last bit of the donut in his mouth choking him. Voight kept his eyes on Adam, whose face was now red both from fear and coughing.

"Nothing Serg," Adam managed to force out.

"Is that a donut box you're holding there Ruzek?" Adam's plan to get rid of the box had obviously failed and Voight walked over to Adam to grab the box, opening it up and finding it empty. "Huh? I guess there's none for me."

"Sorry Serg," Adam offered, sheepishly, the rest of the team looking on in amusement, holding their laughters inside at Adam's predicament. "I…I didn't know you wanted one. Didn't think you like sweets or ate donuts."

Voight tossed Adam an unimpressed look. "Are you calling me fat or something Ruzek?"

Adam gulped, immediately shaking his head. "No! I would never call you fat. Not that you're fat or anything. I mean you're not!" he began stammering. "You have a very nice body sir for a man of your age," he said, waving his hand around Voight. "Very hard and…..tight…and stout," he ended, puffing his chest to demonstrate his thoughts.

Voight arched his brows, scratching his nose with his finger. "Oh now you're calling me old?"

Adam was just speechless now, mouth opened but no words coming out. "Ummm…" he looked around at the rest of the group. "Oh come on, help me out here guys!" he begged and the look of fear and desperation of his face was the final straw that sent the whole group over the edge and they all started guffawing in laughter, taking the piss at Adam and his uncontrollable mouth. "I hate you guys!" Adam cussed, finally realizing that Voight was just fucking around with him.

"Next time Ruzek, make sure you always save the food for the boss. Got it?" Voight advised, patting Adam's back, who just nodded and replied 'got it' before tossing everyone around him a glare.

"Now that everyone is filled up on donut and coffee, let's get to work!" Voight ordered, standing at the front of the bullpen. "Obviously we have one more member to the team so I think it's a good time to switch up the partnerships, give everyone a chance to work with someone else." They all just nodded, expecting the changes with the return of Erin.

"Sounds good," Antonio yelled out from his desk.

"Antonio, you're with Halstead now." Antonio glanced over at Jay and gave him a nod. "Atwater you're with Upton. Lindsay and Burgess, you're together and that means," Voight glanced over at Olinsky and Adam.

"Yes!" Adam said, pumping his fist. "The dynamic duo is back together!" Olinsky shot Voight a dirty look. "Oh come on Al, don't look like that. You missed working with me. I know."

"Sure kid."

"Burgess, catch Lindsay up with the case. The rest of you, talk to your CI's and see if there's any update with the case. Let's get this thing closed already," Voight ordered before going back into his office.


Erin knocked on the door twice before opening it and walking in. Voight looked up from the file on his desk as she sat a cup of coffee down on his desk. "You didn't get any earlier."

He took a sip, giving her a tilt of the cup to say thanks. "Something else on your mind?"

Erin shrugged. "Nothing. Just had a little moment so I thought I'd come in and bring you coffee. And of course, tell you congratulations."

Voight frowned. "What? Don't tell me Halstead knocked you up and I'm going to be a grandfather again."

Erin scoffed, rolling her eyes. "No!" she immediately replied. "Ugh, please."

"What am I supposed to think?" Voight defended himself. "Halstead has had that stupid grin on his face the whole day and you come in and tell me congrats."

"No, I'm not pregnant Hank!" Erin stressed. "I mean congratulations for evolving." Voight looked more confused than insulted so she elaborated. "I remember when you had a problem with pairing up two female detectives and now look at you, pairing me up with Burgess. You've evolved! Congratulations."

Voight looked unamused at her teasing. "Burgess is a good detective and a great cop," he said, crossing his fingers and placing them on his desk. "You two are going to be good partners, I can tell. Besides it's not like I'm going to pair you back up with Halstead. Or Burgess with Ruzek." He shook his head. "I can't believe I have two in house relationships in my unit and I'm allowing it to happen."

Erin chuckled. "You've turned into a softie," she teased. "And I for one am glad."

"Uh," Voight grunted. "Same rules still apply as before. You and Halstead can be a couple in my unit, just don't let me see it or bring your problems into the bullpen." Erin rolled her eyes, nodding. She and Jay had always been uber professional when they were on the job even when they became a couple, so much so that for the longest time most of the district had no idea that they were even together. At least not until a few different patrol officers had tried to ask either her or Jay out and had been shot down. And of course, there had been that one patrol officer in particular that had a hard time taking 'no' for an answer. That patrol officer had learned his lesson though to not mess with Erin or harass her because he was quickly met with Jay's ire and the strength of Jay's fists and the rage behind it. From then on, news had spread quickly that Jay and Erin were partners—both on and off the job and to not mess with Erin unless one had a death wish and wanted to deal with both Voight and Jay.


Before Erin knew it, the week had gone by quickly and her first official week back in Intelligence was in the books. To commemorate her first week back, the team had decided to gather at Molly's, all drinks on Erin. Erin was all too happy to pay, being in a good mood after a good week back. Kim had been a great partner and if Erin couldn't be partnered up with Jay, she was glad that it was Kim. And they were having a blast together. The fact that they were both women had got most of the criminals they dealt with underestimating them and she and Kim had been taking advantage of it—lulling the bad guys into a false sense of security, letting them think that they could get one over on the two women just because of their gender before showing them just why they didn't want to mess with the two detectives. It was quickly becoming one of their favorite things.

Plus the week just seemed to have gone by faster compared to her old position at SVU. Erin loved what she did over at SVU and the women and the children she helped. But she had to admit that dealing with heavy cases that involved battered women, tender aged children and just vulnerable people often took heavy toll on her, especially because of her empathetic nature. But she could deal with gang members taking each other out or grown men and women putting themselves in terrible positions. She still wanted to bring justice to the victims, she just didn't want to lose a part of herself with every case like she had before.

"A toast," Antonio began, holding up a bottle of beer. "To old family returning and completing the family and to new partnerships. Salute!" They all joined in, cheering to Antonio's toast. Erin was happy that Voight had paired Jay up with Antonio. She trusted everyone on her team but she knew how close Jay and Antonio were and how Jay saw the older man like a brother, often going to him for advice. She knew Jay would be in safe hands with Antonio watching his back. If Erin couldn't be the one that could watch his back, she was glad it was Antonio.

"Speaking of partnerships, do you think Voight was being obvious enough that he did not want to pair you two," Kevin pointed at Jay and Erin, "or you two," he continued, pointing at Adam and Kim, "together?"

Jay laughed. "All I'm saying is that for a guy that hates in-house relationship, he seems to like pairing people together." Erin looked at Jay, confused. "I mean he is the one who made us partners," Jay said, looking at Erin to explain, a soft look appearing on his face. "And Kev, you and Upton should totally hook up and drive Voight crazy," Jay suggested, laughing.

"Oh I think Voight's head will explode if there is a third in-house relationship," Olinsky voiced.

"And uh no offense Hailey but you're not really my type," Kevin said, teasing. Hailey rolled her eyes, smacking Kevin in the chest.

"Trust me Kev, you're not the one I have my eyes on either," Hailey shot back, catching Erin's knowing eyes. She looked worried for a second as if Erin would say something but Erin kept quiet, just holding up her beer to give Hailey a toast and a smile, letting her know that her secret was safe with her.


"Erin!" Erin paused on her way to the bathroom and turned to find Hailey running up next to her. "I'll join you." Erin nodded, opening the door to the bathroom and both of them entering. After doing her business and coming out to wash her hands, Erin found Hailey waiting for her by the sink, wringing her hands together, looking like she wanted to say something to Erin.

"You okay?" Erin asked, wondering what the detective had on her mind.

"I just wanted to say thank you for not telling everyone at the table," Hailey began. Erin turned off the faucet after washing her hands and grabbed a few paper towels to dry off. "You know."

Erin nodded. "Of course," she replied. "It's really not my place to tell."

"It's just that..this thing with Mike is so new and we're long distance and everything. I just…I'm just not ready to let everyone know just yet. And I know he told you about us." Erin held Hailey's hand, stopping her from rambling and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, don't worry. I won't say tell anyone that you and Mike are dating," she promised. Dodds had called Erin a couple of weeks ago and had looped her in on what had been going on between her old partner and Hailey. Apparently the two had hit it off while working the case and they had been tentatively trying things out long-distance. Erin was happy for Dodds, knowing that this was the first time he had dated since he and his fiancé broke up and he was finally moving on. And while she didn't know Hailey that well, she had heard enough good things about her to know that she was a solid choice for Mike. She was happy for both of them. "Mike's a really good guy and I'm really happy for you both."

"Thank you," Hailey replied, smiling. "I know we're not really close and all but I'm hoping that that can change now that you're back."

Erin returned a genuine smile. "Me too."

"Hey guys!" Kim poked her head in, interrupting the moment between Erin and Hailey. "We got to go. We caught a body."


"What do we have here?" Voight questioned the patrol officer on duty, the dead body lying on the ground covered by a tarp.

"Male, white, early 20's, shot three times in the chest." Erin bent down to get a closer look at the victim, the dead man's eyes opened and looking up at the night sky, lifeless.

"Any witnesses?" Jay questioned, his notepad in his hands. The patrol office pointed to a young man a few feet away, dazed and scared.

"He was next to the victim when he got hit. He's fine, came out unscathed but scared out of his mind." Jay nodded, he and Erin approaching the friend.

"Hey, I'm Detective Halstead and this is Detective Lindsay. We heard that you saw the whole thing and was here when it happened. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?" The young man was shaking but he managed to look at them and nodded. "What's your name?"

"Michael."

"Michael what?" Erin questioned.

"Michael Brett. My dad…..I need my dad here," Michael stuttered. "He's always told me to call him before I talk to anyone. I need him."

"Okay," Erin said as calmly as she could, trying not to agitate the witness further. "What's your dad's name? We can call him and get him here."

"Brett. Um his name is Steven Brett."

"The Councilman?" Jay asked, his brows narrowing. Michael nodded. Jay exchanged a look with Erin, both of them knowing that things could get more complicated if a son of a Councilman was involved. "Alright, let's get him here."


"Victim's name is David Fizdale, 22 and he was childhood friends with Michael Brett," Erin began, pasting the pictures of both David and Michael on the whiteboard. "They were out strolling along the river when according to Michael, a car drove up and shot David before driving off. Michael wasn't hit and he said the guys that shot David were wearing red and black."

"G Park Lord's colors," Jay added. "What G Park Lords were doing in Downtown or why they targeted a white kid with no connections to any rival gangs, that's still unknown."

"It's strange isn't it?" Olinsky voiced, studying the board. "Both David and Michael were standing next to each other but only David was hit. Michael wasn't hit even once while his friend got shot three times?"

"It was a targeted hit and the target was David," Kim concluded. "They were specifically after David."

"Alright, dig into this David and see why a gang would target him. Talk to your CI's, pull footage from the pods to see who was in the car and match it to the gang database. I want names of who was the trigger man. We find him, we find out the why," Voight ordered, the team nodding. "Now this Michael kid, he's a Councilman's kid?"

"Yeah," Erin replied. "His dad, Steven Brett, he's running for Mayor of Chicago."

"Where's Michael?"

"He's here in the interrogation room," Jay sat on the edge of his desk, his leg parted. "He's still a bit frazzled by the events but he wants to talk, help find out who did this to his friend. But the problem is his dad."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. That was the case because as soon as Jay started to explain about Michael's father, Steve Brett barged upstairs. "Where's my son?!" he barked.

Voight stood tall, blocking Steven and stared him down. "He's in one of our interrogating room. He's calming himself down."

"You have him in an interrogation room?!" Steven shouted. "He's not on trial here. He's coming home with me!"

"I can't let him go yet," Voight returned, trying to steady his voice and not let anger seep in. "He's our primary witness to the crime. His friend was shot several times and killed right next to him and your son saw who the people that shot him were. He wants to cooperate."

"My son is the victim here. He's not on trial."

"Who said he is?" Voight shot back. "His friend was killed, your son could've died tonight but was lucky. As a father, you should be wanting to find out who was responsible for it. And your son can make that happen. If his life is really in danger, whoever shot his friend isn't going to stop and Michael might not be so lucky next time to come out unscathed. So the quicker we find the shooter, the safer your son would be." Voight explained, trying to make Brett see that this was the best option for Michael but the Councilman wasn't having it.

"He's leaving with me or I swear to god, I will call my lawyer and he will get him out." Voight shook his head, knowing that there was nothing that he could do to hold Michael so he gestured to Kevin to lead Brett to his son and to let Michael leave. The Councilman shot everyone a dirty look before following Kevin.

"You'd think that he'd want to find who did this to his son," Erin said, crossing her arms.

"Alright thanks," Antonio hung up his phone and turned to the group. "One of my CI's said that a group of G Park Lords members came into his business and paid upfront of a large supply of kush, all cash."

"Sounds like somebody came into some money," Jay remarked. "Payment for a hit?"

"Sounds like it," Antonio replied.

"Alright, you and Halstead, hit it." Jay grabbed his coat and stood up. Erin shot him a look, telling him to be careful with her eyes, Jay giving her a small grin and a nod before he and Antonio left the bullpen to follow the lead.


"Chicago P.D!" Jay shouted before Kevin rammed the door down, the gang members inside immediately scrambling at the sudden presence of police. Erin jammed the butt of her gun at a gang member that charged towards her, the man immediately recoiling in pain before Erin apprehended him and shoved him against the wall.

"Stand down!" she ordered, twisting his arms behind his back and putting the cuffs on him, despite the man's best efforts to get away. Voight stalked over to her and studied the man in custody, grabbing the man by his jaws.

"You Bender?" the gang member didn't reply, just squeezing his mouth shut. Voight tightened his grip on his jaw, the man shouting out in pain. "I'll ask again, you Bender?" Bender finally nodded, grunting. "Get him up!" Voight ordered Jay and Kevin who were standing next to him. "Bring him back to the Cage."


Bender sat in the cage, hands locked and eyes glaring at Jay who stood watching guard. Voight came down the stairs and unlocked the cage, entering it, his ominous presence striking a hint of fear in the gang member's eyes.

"One chance for you here Bender," Voight started, pointing his finger. "You tell me who ordered the hit on David Fizdale and I'll make sure all the charges go to one of your boys and you walk away a free man." Bender just kept looking, mouth shut. "One chance!" Voight repeated. "And that offer goes away in 5…4…3….2…" Voight counted down, slowly backing away from the cage. Jay crossed his arms and stood watch, wondering if Bender would call Voight's bluff or take the offer.

"Alright!" Bender shouted, Voight stopping to turn back. "I'll tell you but you better keep up the end of your deal man."

Voight grunted. "I need a name. Who ordered the hit?"

Bender cussed to himself, like he was almost sorry for throwing members of his gang under the bus. But apparently not sorry enough to take the fall himself because he started singing like a canary. "A dude, a white dude, named Joe brought $75K all cash in a suitcase, told us that he wanted us to hit this kid and only that kid. Didn't say why or anything. Just dropped the cash and the instructions and left."

"Joe what? I need more than a fucking 'Joe'."

Bender shrugged. "I don't know!" he cried. "I don't know his fucking last name. We ain't boys or anything."

Voight pursed his lips, his tongue stuck to the side of his mouth. "Unless you can tell me something more useful, the deal's off." Bender grunted, protesting. "How did this Joe look like?"

"I don't know! He was just this white boy, um.." Bender tried thinking more details. "Oh yeah, he usually comes by and buy dope every week, just rolled through on his car. But he only stopped this one time to order the hit."

"Anything distinguishing about this Joe?" Jay asked from his spot. "Any scars, piercings, tattoos?"

Bender's eyes lit up. "Yeah yeah, he had this face tattoo, you know real stupid white boy shit."

"What does the tattoo say?"

"Misunderstood."


"Joe Simmons." Erin pasted the picture of the guy—the tattoo visible in his mug shot—on the whiteboard. "28's, repeat offender, in and out of jail for possession."

"Possession, holding," Kevin read off the file. "These are all minor offenses. He's an addict, that's for sure. But the leap from an addict to ordering a hit?"

"What's the connection between this Joe and our victim?" Olinsky asked, his feet crossed on his desk. "Is there even any?"

Jay scratched his nose, standing up with the file in his hand. "Not one that we can find. They ran in very different circles. Grew up in different parts of towns, according to our records, didn't even cross paths even once."

"So no motive." Adam sighed, rubbing his face.

"Where is this Joe Simmons?" Voight asked, tapping the whiteboard. "Let's bring him in and make him talk."

"He has a part-time job at the 7/11 on Wabash. We had a patrol roll by to see if he was on shift and according to the manager, his shift starts in an hour." Erin replied.

"Alright, what are we waiting for? Go get the bastard!"


"Chicago P.D," Antonio held up his badge, he and Jay entering the small 7/11. "Where's Joe Simmons?" The owner pointed to the back of the store and Antonio signaled Jay with his finger the location, the two carefully began to make their way to the back. Jay held his gun in his hands, eyes focused on the small door for any sudden movement. "Joe Simmons!" Antonio called out as they reached the back. "Chicago P.D. Come out with your hands up!" No reply. "Come out right now before we drag you out!" He and Jay exchanged looks, getting ready to go in when the door burst open, the man they were looking for came running out, trying to make a run for it.

Jay was ready though, managing to reach Joe by his collar and dragged his back, shoving him against the wall. "Stop!" Jay roared, his hand gripping Joe. "You're under arrest!" The guy struggled for a bit but was clearly not a match for both Jay and Antonio and the two partners quickly got the guy in handcuffs. "Let's go!" Jay stated, shoving Joe to move and head to the car, ready to take him back to the precinct.

They were about to make it out the door when shots rang out, the windows of the convenience store shattering. Jay barely had time to crouch down and take cover, Antonio dropping next to him, hands over his head. The two crawled on the floor, trying to get behind the counter to take cover and fire back, the owner of the store crouching down behind it. "Stay down!" Jay ordered and he fired shots back outside the door. The car that was shooting at them started to roll away, Jay taking the opportunity to get up and run after the car, firing his gun. The car was peeling off the empty lot by the time Jay got outside, Jay still firing his gun. A bullet managed to make contact with a rear wheel, the car spinning out of control at the sudden loss of a wheel before skidding and crashing against a telephone pole.

"Squad, this is George 50-21. We have shots fired at Wabash and Huron. Send backup and roll a bus!" Jay barked into his radio, running over to the car to see the offender inside. The backup squad car rolled up immediately to back up Jay. Jay shook his head, seeing the red and black clothing of G Park Lords inside the car, a retaliation hit on Joe for ordering the hit and getting their members in trouble. "You guys got this?" The backup patrol officers nodded and Jay ran back to the store. "Antonio!"

"Here!" Antonio replied, Jay quickly running over his partner who was on the floor, trying to stave off the bleeding from Joe's chest, the man coughing up blood. "He needs a bus!"

"Ambo's on its way!" Jay replied. "Joe! We need the answer from you! Why did you order the hit on David?" The man didn't reply, blood continuing to sputter from his mouth. Jay tried again, knowing that Joe likely wasn't going to make it and they needed the answers. "Joe! Who told you to order the hit? Because we know it wasn't you. The worst thing on your rap sheet was possession for some weed, not murder. So we know someone put you up to this. Just tell us who?"

"Jojo…"Joe stuttered between coughs. "Flesh…nightclub." The paramedics arrived then, pushing Jay and Antonio out of the way so they could save his life before he bled out to death. The two detectives moved out of the way, exchanging looks with each other.


Jay splashed water on his face a couple of times, letting the cold sensation take over and calm him down. He ran his fingers through his hair, wetting the strands before turning off the facuet and clenching the sink with his fingers, head bent down. He just needed to catch his breath. It was always a harrowing experience to get ambush and despite the fact that he and Antonio got out unscathed, his heart was still racing with adrenaline from the close call. He clenched his eyes closed, taking in deep breaths, lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice a new presence behind him. A soft touch on his back startled him and he snapped his head up, meeting Erin's gaze in the mirror. He immediately calmed, seeing her face and he let out a sigh.

"You okay?" Erin asked, her voice soft much like the touch that remained on his back, running up and down in a gentle and soothing motion. He nodded, trying to reassure her that he was fine. He saw in her eyes that she needed more so he turned his body around and brought her to his arms, inhaling the comforting scent that he loved so much. He buried his face in her hair and he wasn't sure if the embrace was more for her comfort or his. But he needed her and she was here, like always. Her hands were still running up and down his back, trying to quell the last remaining jitters from the close call of the day. "You did good."

He smiled, a hesitant smile, but it was the only one he could manage in that moment. She brought her hand up and rubbed it over his face, trailing over the skin. When her fingers neared his lips, he leaned over to kiss them. "I'm okay Erin," he reassured her again, thinking she needed actual verbal acknowledgement that he was fine. She nodded, her hands resting on his shoulder, squeezing it as to make sure he was really there before guiding him out of the locker room with a soft 'let's go.'


"According to Joe, he met this Jojo at Flesh."

"That's that nightclub over in South Loop right?" Kevin nodded, answering Adam's question.

"Does this Jojo have a last name?"

Antonio shook his head. "That was all he managed to give before the medics took him. He's undergoing surgery right now and won't be able to talk until tomorrow."

"So what are we thinking here?" Erin asked, crossing her arms. "Gather intel at Flesh? Dig around a little bit?"

Voight rubbed his nose with his finger, thinking over what to do. "Alright, Lindsay and Burgess go get changed and hit this Flesh," Voight said, grimacing at the name of the club. "See if we can find this Jojo there and bring her in when we do."

"Um Serg," Kevin spoke up, raising his finger. "If I can suggest something, I think it should be Ruzek and Halstead hitting the club." The team looked at him strangely. "I mean Jojo might be more open to their advances than Burgess and Lindsay. Sorry girls," he winked, looking at the two women. Erin shrugged, ready to hang back. The fewer times she had to wear a dress, the better. Let Jay and Adam doll themselves up for a change. "Trust me Serg." Voight nodded, accepting Kevin's advice and pointed at Jay and Ruzek to get ready.


"Don't you look hot?" Erin purred as she watched Jay put on his black blazer, his hair gelled neatly and pushed back, letting more of his handsome face show. There was pure lust in her eyes when she approached him, her insides heating up at seeing her hot boyfriend get dressed up for the undercover stint. He gave her a smirk, enjoying her heated gaze and easily took her in his arms, her hands wrapping around him, his hard body pressed up against her. He leaned down to kiss her, but not before his eyes darting around to make sure they were truly alone. They certainly didn't need anyone from their team—or worse, Voight—to catch them in a compromising position.

"I always look hot babe," he mewled, pecking her nose when she wrinkled it at his not-so-humble brag. He chuckled, his chest rumbling with laughter as she placed her hand on it.

"Be careful alright?" she told him, her eyes turning serious suddenly. He nodded, promising her with a kiss rather than words. "Bring that sexy ass back to me." She tossed him a sexy little smirk over her shoulder as she left his side, walking out of the locker room.


Jay and Adam entered the nightclub, trying to maneuver their way around the bodies that were dancing and milling around inside. "Busy night," Adam remarked, as he managed to duck out of the way from a group of guys. Jay arched his brows, agreeing. Jay glanced around the club and studied the clientele.

"There are sure a lot of guys here tonight," he commented, noticing the several different group of guys gathered around. There were a few group of girls standing around but it was mostly men in the club.

"Lots of horny guys in Chicago, looking to get laid," Adam patted Jay's shoulders and the two headed to the bar. "2 beer." The bartender gave them a strange look before placing two bottles of beer on the bar. Jay grabbed one and took a sip, his head turning around to find this Jojo. The faster they found her, the faster they could get out of here and he had a few things on his mind he wanted to do with Erin tonight, her short appearance in the locker room had given him a few ideas of what he wanted to do with her tonight. "Hey," Adam got the bartender's attention again. "You know a woman named Jojo?" The bartender gave them a blank look. "Jojo? She should be a regular here, I think?"

The bartender smirked. "This is your guys' first time here huh?" Jay and Adam exchanged a look before nodding. "Oh man," the bartender sounded amused, the smirk still on his face. "Good luck fellas," he said before walking away to tend to other patrons at the bar.

"What the hell did he mean by that?" Adam questioned but before Jay could answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a husky 'hey there' behind him. His eyes widened in shock because that hand whose fingers were trailing up to his neck felt too callous and the voice too deep to be a woman's. Jay turned around slowly, afraid of who was hitting on him and sure enough, a man in his 30's stood, smirking at Jay.

"Um…" Jay didn't know what to say, never having been in this position before. "Hi?"

"You are so sexy," the man continued, pretty much undressing Jay with his eyes. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Jay couldn't reply with words, still in shock, so he just held up his beer. Indicating that he already had a drink. That didn't deter the man though, getting even closer to Jay's space and dropped his voice even more, "then let's get out of here?" Jay almost choked on his beer at the invitation, coughing several times.

"Uh no..thanks?" Jay was still in shock. "I can't."

"Oh, he's your man?" the guy gestured over to Adam who was just grinning watching Jay flounder through the interaction but when the attention fell on him, his eyes widened. Adam quickly recovered though and he brought his arm around Jay's shoulder.

"He's taken," Adam said, giving the man a fake apologetic look. "He's mine." The guy looked disappointed at the notion that Jay wasn't available but he nodded all the same, looking sad as he walked away. Then all Jay and Adam could hear through their earpiece was poorly contained chortles coming through before everyone exploded in loud laughters, their guffaws loud and clear in their ears.

"Oh man, that was priceless," Kevin wheezed through the earpiece, still laughing. "Man I wish we got that on video tape." Jay cussed, hearing their glee loud and clear. Even Erin had betrayed him, judging by her deep laughs that rang through his ear piece, clearly entertained by Kevin's evil plot to put he and Ruzek in this position.

"Since when did Flesh become a gay club?" Adam wondered. Really, given that they were both cops, they should've noticed how the club was mostly men. Not to mention, the strange looks that the bartender gave them, clearly knowing that they were both fishes out of water.

"Six months ago," Kevin replied, clearly knowing the change the club had undergone hence his genius idea to put Jay and Adam on the mission instead of Erin and Kim. "Told you that you two would have a better shot than Burgess and Lindsay."

"I'm gonna get you back," Jay warned through the mic, speaking under his breath to not make it obvious. "Just wait Atwater."

"Alright," Erin interrupted, still recovering from laughing. "You two are already there so just stay and try to get the intel we need. Work the room with your sexy selves," she teased, Jay biting his lips at the suggestion. Oh, he was going to get Erin back for that too.

"What do you say darling? Should we get our flirt on a bit?" Adam asked, gesturing that he was all for it if Jay was. Jay sighed, standing up to take off his blazer and unbutton a few top buttons of his shirts. If he was here already, he might as well use what he got.

"Let's do this."


All it took was a few flirting winks and a few innuendos thrown a couple of guys' ways and Jay and Adam exited the club with all the intel they were going to get. Their team that consisted of Kevin, Erin and Kim were waiting for them in the van and as soon as they stepped into the large vehicle, the laughters started again.

"Man," Kevin could barely contained himself, holding in his stomach. "You two…you guys make a cute couple." Jay and Adam didn't look pleased, each shuddering at the thought of dating each other.

"Yeah, should me and Kim find new boyfriends or something?" Erin snarked, wiggling her eyebrows at seeing Jay's glare. She gave him a smile, trying to soften him already.

"Please," Jay stated. "If I'm going to date a guy, Adam would be the last man I'd go for."

"Hey!" Adam shouted indignant, Kim sending Jay a glare too at insulting her boyfriend. "I'm a freaking catch! Just ask that blond guy in there that couldn't keep his eyes off of me!"

"Alright, you all had your fun. Let's just get back to the station!" Jay directed, unable to keep a smile off his face.


"We canvassed the whole club and talked to the regulars that go there and only a couple of people know of this Jojo," Jay started, having changed back into his usual Henley and jeans.

"Jojo is a man by the way," Adam interrupted. "Not a woman but a man. A lovely fact that we didn't know until we found ourselves in a gay club, I might add." Looks of mirth were clear on everyone's faces, having been told what had happened tonight already by Kevin.

"One guy said that Jojo always wears a Cubs hat, keeps his head down and keep to himself. Rarely approaches anyone. Said to be in late 40's. According to the few that know him, they said it was pretty clear that Jojo was still in the closet and not out yet. He seemed hesistant and unsure about being there."

"But we did get confirmation that he and Joe met at the club there, the few that know of Jojo saw he and Joe talking a couple of weeks ago."

"So this Jojo was the one that ordered Joe to kill David," Erin voiced, trying to put the pieces together. "Why? Because David found out that Jojo was gay? Wanted to keep him quiet?"

"Seems like a plausible explanation to me," Jay agreed.

"Okay then comb through every aspect of David's life, see if there's any mention of this Jojo," Voight ordered.


Erin groaned as she and Jay entered their home, the tiredness from the day showing in her body already. She stretched her body before plopping herself down on the couch while Jay headed to the kitchen.

"You hungry?" he asked, his head in the fridge.

"Not really," she replied, resting her eyes for a bit before she felt a presence shadowing over her. She quirked an eye open and saw Jay standing, staring down at her. "Yes?" she asked, curiously. He bent down, arched a brow at her. "What?" she chuckled, wondering what he was planning. She just knew that he was plotting his revenge on her for the little stint they had pulled on him and Adam earlier. And judging by that hungry look in his eyes, she felt nothing but excitement and anticipation pooling in her stomach. She squealed when he scooped her up and carried her off, her arms going around his neck automatically.

He placed her down on the bed and started to undress himself, taking off his Henley before working on his jeans, Erin's eyes glazing over at seeing her man undress himself. She lifted her back off the bed and rested her weight on her elbows, eyes following his every deliberate movement. After he was in his boxer, he crawled over to the bed, approaching her like he was a predator and she was a willing prey. Her breath quickened as his body got near her, his fingers reaching out to trace over her curves. She closed her eyes in pleasure as she felt his fingers go underneath her shirt and knead the soft flesh of her stomach before the shirt was slowly pulled up and his hand ghosted over her breasts. She gasped softly when his mouth connected with her, his lips working their usual magic and she pulled him closer. He was teasing her all over now, pecks and kisses fluttered all over her body as his fingers slowly undress her little by little until they were both in the equal state of naked. She trembled when his finger played with her folds, her back arching up to get more pressure. She felt him move and anticipated his body on her, ready for the utmost pleasure that he always brought her, and she closed her eyes. She welcomed the weight, needed it actually but her eyes snapped opened when instead of feeling the heat of his body, she felt a cold breeze instead, Jay having got out of bed and headed over to the bathroom.

"Hey!" she whined, both confused and still wanting him desperate as she eyed his naked backside walk away from her. "What gives?!"

He shot her a smirk over his shoulder, shrugging. "I don't think we can do that," his eyebrow wiggled suggestively. "I wouldn't want to cheat on my boyfriend, Adam." He smirked before entering the bathroom and locking the door. She dropped back down on the bed, frustrated both sexually and physically.

"Well played, Halstead," she said into the night air of the empty room. "Well played."


The team spent the next day pouring over every social medias, every online account that David had, trying to find this Jojo. It had been hours and it was proving to be futile until a miracle occurred and Kevin had finally found what they'd been looking for.

"Look at this!" Kevin shouted, holding up screenshots of the several messages on a dating website. "Looks like David and this Jojo were in a relationship." Erin read over the messages, seeing the tender and loving messages between the two, mixed in with Jojo obviously struggling with his sexuality, afraid of coming out of the closet and the desperate need to keep it quiet.

"Looks like this Jojo was adamant on staying in the closet," Jay commented, shaking his head. "They were finally going to meet face to face." The messages had ended then, when the two had decided that they were getting tired of just talking online and would meet face to face. "We need to find out what happened after this. What happened to David's phone log?"

"We didn't find his phone when we found his body," Kim answered, "But we accessed the data using his number but nothing with Jojo came up."

"Wait…" Kevin voiced, not elaborating further and worked on his computer. The rest of the team looked at him, wondering what he was doing. "Alright, so remember that tech workshop I went to last month? At the workshop, we've learned about widening the nexus search to include all phones that got pinged at specific location. So I'm thinking that since this Jojo was still in the closet, maybe he and David communicated using a burner phone."

"And you can search for that burner by pinging David's home," Erin said, following Kevin's thought.


A few hours later, the team was left stunned by what they had found. Thousands of messages between David and this Jojo. Only this Jojo had turned out to be someone they all knew—Councilman Brett. Michael's father. Brett was having an affair with his son's friend—a male friend. The Councilman was gay and he was so ashamed of that fact that he was willing to kill his lover to keep it a secret.

"Steven Jordan Brett," Jay announced, dropping the file on the desk. A work up of the Councilman. "His middle name is Jordan."

"Jojo," Antonio added. "Looks like we found our man." Even though they had found the culprit and the person who had ordered the hit on David, it was a sad fact that a life was needlessly taken because a man was unable to accept who he truly was.

"Michael," Erin shook her head, sadly. "How is he going to handle this? His dad was having an affair with his friend and he had his friend killed."

They all sighed, sadly. "Alright, we got to do our job," Voight spoke up. "Let's go and bring this Brett in."


It didn't take much for Brett to break. If the messages between him and David hadn't been enough, seeing Michael's heartbroken face had caused the Councilman to break down and confessed to everything.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he sobbed, repeating the apology over and over again while he laid his head on the desk in the interrogation room. Erin stood next to Michael, ready to support him as he watched his father confessed to having a man killed.

"I can't believe he did this," Michael was in shock, like he couldn't believe his father was capable of something like this. Not that Erin could blame him, who could easily accept that their supposed upstanding and powerful father could be a murderer all because he wanted to keep his sexuality a secret. Shame was a destructive thing and it had ruined so many lives, the people involved in this case included.

"I'm sorry," was all Erin could offer, patting Michael's shoulder trying to comfort him. She shook her head and exited the observation room, only to come face to face with Mayor Brett, the father of Steven and Michael's grandfather. And judging by the disgust on the man's face, he clearly wasn't here for support for his grandson.

"I can't believe my son is a homosexual," the disgust was clear in his voice, the hatred practically pouring out of his body. "It's disgusting."

Erin narrowed her eyes. "That's all you can focus on right now? Your son is being charged for murder, your grandson lost his friend and is losing his father and you'd rather sprout hatred and intolerance?"

Mayor Brett shot Erin a dirty look. "He's not my son," he spat. "I don't have homos for offsprings." He tossed his grandson a disgusted look before walking off, leaving Erin stunned at the cold nature of the man. How could a father turn his back not only on his son but his grandson too? His grandson that had done nothing wrong and that needed the support of his family right now. It was disgusting to see and Erin was disgusted by that man.

"Come on," she called softly to Michael. "We'll get you home safely."


"I have disowned Steven as of today as I cannot in good conscious support this sinful act that is homosexuality. He is no longer my son, I am equally as disgusted as all of you at this revelation," Erin changed the channel, pissed off after watching Mayor Brett spew hateful sentiment at the press conference of his son's arrest and the news of him being gay.

"Ugh," she said disgusted. "He's an ass."

Jay hummed his agreement at that, totally agreeing with her. He had been equally as appalled to hear the reaction of the senior Brett who seemed more fixated on his son being gay than being a murderer. How did people like that exist, Jay had no clue.

"I got to give it to him though," Erin continued ranting, her pizza forgotten and getting cold as they sat on the couch at their home. "It take a special kind of hatred and intolerance to go on television and say how much you hate gay people in 2020."

"He's an intolerant prick," Jay added.

"I mean now we can understand why Steven Brett was the way he is," Erin said. "I mean not that it excuses him being a murderer and having David killed but you can understand why he hated his true self so much, hated himself so much and was so ashamed that he'd rather kill than to come out. It's sad."

"Yeah," Jay agreed. Erin was getting worked up just like she had been earlier. He had done his best to calm her down, despite fully sharing her anger at the situation and the attitude of the bigot Mayor. But she needed him to be the calm one at that moment so he pushed aside his anger and focused on her. It took some time and an offer of her favorite pizza and a night in on their couch before she managed to pull herself together. But seeing that press conference from Mayor Brett about how he had disowned his son and hated gay people had riled her up again, Erin ranting.

"How freaking horrible and I feel so bad for Michael. I even feel bad for freaking Steven," Erin continued to rant. "Imagine growing up with a father like that? Unable to be who you really are because you know your dad would hate you and unable to talk to your dad like that? It's sad. Ugh, I swear our children will never have to go through that, not if we have anything to say about it."

Jay paused mid-bite of his pizza, his mouth gaped opened at hearing Erin's rant. She said our children. He looked over at her to see if she had even noticed what she had said but she didn't, still rambling on. She paused, finally noticing his stare on her. "What?"

"You said our children," he breathed out, his face threatening to break out in a big grin. Erin finally noticed what she said and she blushed, her face turning red and Jay finding it all too adorable. "Our children," he repeated, like he couldn't believe it. He had been dreaming of Erin and him having a family of their own for ages now but he had always been afraid to voice it, afraid of scaring her and pushing her to run away. But it seemed as though she shared his sentiment and his desire for a family of their own also. He continued gazing at her, still holding the slice of pizza in the air. "Erin?"

She swallowed before schooling her expression into a casual one. "What?" she began, as if it wasn't a big deal what she just said. As if she didn't just fill Jay up with hope. As if she didn't just give him a glimpse into her thoughts and give him what he had been dreaming of for the longest time. "We're going to have kids eventually right?" She shrugged, trying to play it off but the blush on her face proved that it was anything but casual.

He finally regained his sense to drop the pizza down so he could reach out to her and turn her body around to face him again, fully this time. "Right," he said softly. "I just….I just didn't know that you wanted it to."

Her face softened at that. "Of course I want it too," she revealed, reaching out to hold his face. "A little boy or girl with a little bit of you and a little bit of me mixed in? How can I not want that?" The smile on his face was unlike any other, he was sure he had never felt his face split into this big of a smile before or felt this much happiness in his heart before. He kissed her hard, that happiness pouring out of his body, and he kissed her deeply, pulling her tightly until she was on him.

He pulled his lips away to look at her face, his eyes bright and happy and light, and he caressed her face before leaning into kiss her again and resting his forehead against her. "A mini Erin," he breathed out.

"OR a mini-Jay," her voice was just as soft as his, just as in awe, as she breathed against his face, voicing both of their dreams. "He's going to be so adorable, with his freckles, and your eyes," she said, her fingers running over those features.

"And she's going to be the most beautiful girl. The splitting image of her mom," he played with the strands of her hair. "she's going to have your dimples and your smile."

"And they'll be so loved," Erin continued. He nodded eagerly.

"No matter who they become," Jay agreed. "They'll be loved unconditionally." He lifted her head so he could look at her square in the eyes, her hazel eyes shining with happy tears. "Just like I love their mother."

The dimples that he loved so much made its way back to her face and she leaned in, resting their foreheads again. "Unconditionally."

That was the final words that was said—that needed to be said—as he gently lifted her and carried her off to their bedroom. After all, they needed all the practice they could get, didn't they?


this chapter was basically a 10k+ worded way to say Erin wants to have Jay's babies. That's pretty much it.