Chapter 1- Life is Fluid

Stories come from the oddest of places. A terrible tale was overheard at work the other day and while my heart went out to the person, it sparked an idea for a story. It's been done before but not, a topic I've covered yet not in this manner. This one will be a tad different from the others in that things will slow way down. Furthermore, we'll see a little bit of normal life before things go haywire. The usual suspects will be there but a few surprises will pop up along the way. But that's all the juicy gossip I'm giving away for now. Here's to the fastest put together storyline. Let's have some fun.

"So what are you wanting exactly?"

"Jay, it's like negative ten out there. I'll be fine till I get back to have coffee."

"You bugged all night long and now when we're finally here and you're going to refuse free coffee?" It was true they'd been up all night, but not for the reasons one would think. The job called, it always called. The promise of a normal Friday night twisted into a late night homicide complete with a graveyard shift at the department of stakeout detail. Hailey and Jay pulled the short straw this time around, literally. No joke Adam keeps a collection of odd lengthened straws in the car for special occasions. Everyone drew, all but Hailey and Jay giggled in delight. For the last eight hours the two of them sat outside a house way out in the western edge of the city, the twinkling lights of Chicago mere pinholes from their location.

As expected the house was silent. The street looked to have seen better days, and people, a good two decades ago. Hailey swore she saw a tumbleweed gently trickle down the street at some point, that being Jay's cue to poke fun at her wild imagination. It was after the sun rose and the street cleaner had come and gone that Voight told them to return to headquarters. Either the address was bogus or the perp was buried deep in some other corner of Chicago. He may have had a head start on them but there was no way he was going to get away with this.

It was Hailey's persistent yawning and eye rubbing that made Jay pull over at a nearby Starbucks. She tried her best to hide things but Jay knew she was on day two of very little sleep. The new year had rung in more crime than usual and all of them were well into overtime pay at this point, the majority of the month yet to come. They all were in the same sleep deprivation boat. Now, as he stood outside the driver's side of the truck shivering and glaring for her reply, she sighed in the truth that he would never cave. Plus, who doesn't accept a freebie? No one.

"Grande with two pumps of mocha, medium amount of cream and a touch of sweetener." Jay cocked his head in a way that told her she was odd, earning him a shrugged shoulder response. The eyes followed him till he disappeared into the business, her tired mind drifting to that thought, that weird feeling she had that day. She wasn't sure if it was still there, or if the feeling was mutual, so the fact it surfaced at this point was odd. Holding the recline button on the passenger seat she concluded that sleep would dash away things. Just a five minute power nap, that's all she needed to get through another day. She felt the sun beating on her face, ignored the desire to open here eyes. She had to sleep, had to shut off for just a moment. One could only grind things out for so long. As the world rotated into its' morning ritual Hailey chose to live back in the nightlife. As busses flashed their safety lights and kids squealed and groaned at the sight of the yellow vehicle, Hailey smirked. She took comfort in knowing that stage of life was over, living the life she begged for when she was a dorky girl in pigtails. Sleep, she just needed a touch of sleep. All would be better if she could just achieve that.

The knocking on the window went simultaneously with the buzzing of her phone in her front pocket. The jolt from nothing to everything had her mildly scream, thrusting herself upright and glueing hands to her eyes. She could hear Jay laughing and intentionally took her time in putting the window down, keeping him outside that much longer.

"What's the text message, my hands are full," he spoke when she finally granted him access. Hailey accepted the coffee cup, sipping and savoring its' warmth and rejuvenation. God bless the person who discover the brown nectar of the gods. Because without it the police wouldn't exist; or so her sleep deprived mind concluded.

"Voight wants us back at the district."

"Yeah, he already said that."

"Well, he added a 'now' this time. So…"

"It can't be another one." Hailey sighed, they both knew it was true.

"Iced coffee," she pointed out as Jay pulled out into road.

"Yeah, cold keeps me awake."

"You're so weird." The two of them chuckled, focusing on the world outside of them. It was like living in two separate worlds. As the actual world was moving into Wednesday morning the occupants of the truck were stuck in Tuesday night, trying to play catch up. Most of the world was bright eyed and cheerful while the other two wore bags under their eyes and certainly smelled bad. The radio was telling the tale of another morning in the city, both of them still caught up in the events of the prior night. Ask both Jay and Hailey and neither would be able to recall a single word barking over the speakers.

…

Everyone else was in their place when Jay and Hailey trudged up the stairs. As they reached the top the noted their teammates, but the addition of white shirts and a computer had them scratching their heads. Whatever happened between the stakeout and arriving this morning was drastic, probably not good. The two of them waved to everyone, taking their seats before Voight acknowledged the group.

"Just got off a Skype call. We're headed to New York. Today." This was an unforeseen turn to the day. The case they were working was local, zero connections outside the perimeter of the city. Everyone was inquisitive and confused, glancing over to the other before one of them finally vocalized their thought.

"What happened?"

"Special victims wants us. Needs us. Case we worked a few years back seems to have a second leg. We're scheduled to leave here at noon, get into the city before nightfall."

"What about.." It was a white shirt that cut Adam off.

"Robbery homicide is taking your current case. Sargeant Benson asked specifically for you guys and we're not about to let them down."

"What case," Jay asked?

"Teddy." The mouth dropped open at that one. It had been an eternity since he'd heard that name. The crazy part was how quickly that time came back to him. Looking around the room now he could see every person involved, knew the layout of the department to a centimeter. Al was tucked in the back, peeling a banana while taking pride in the fact he'd snuck into work once again. Adam was debating something about Kim for the billionth time while Antonio told him to chill, that if he thought this moment in time was bad to just wait till kids were involved. Voight was in his office, door closed enough to keep people out but open to where he could hear. He had his eyes on things, making sure it all went in line with his unique by-laws. A quick, snarky yet sweet one liner from his desk mate across the way is what tore him away from the mysterious boss. They were all ghosts, figures of another point in time. Those times were fun, care free, adventurous. In an instant Jay was saddened, blinking to find them no longer present, invisible snapshots of a life no more. He cherished those times. He hated that they were over. He also realized that people were probably watching him daydream into space, clearing his throat before continuing.

"Has anyone contacted.."

"Don't know. I'd imagine since SVU and the FBI often work together on stuff they've already reached out. Plus the history with this case. We'll learn more when we land."

"Okay."

"Everyone go home. Pack. For a couple days at least. We're needed elsewhere. Let's give them everything we've got." They all rose in unison. Most of them had a pep in their step, excited to stretch their jurisdictional limits for a bit. An unofficial plan to meet at the gate in two hours was struck, the team members darting off to their abodes. But it was Jay wandering around in a total fog. One minute he was dead tired, dreading the thought of having to work another full day. In the uttering of a single word that all changed. He was nervous, on edge, excited, fearful of what New York had in store for him. It had been so long, so many things distancing himself from that night. But the opportunity to make things right, gather answers for his questions was upon him. The life of a police detective is an ever hilly roller coaster. In this instance all he could do was strap in and hang on for dear life. As he pulled out of the district and made his way to the apartment, he honestly looked forward to the challenge of a second chance. Oh the adventure in store for him. But for now, it was about beating everyone to O' Hare.

So this chapter is super short, but it's a set up for what's to come. This is just an appetizer. I feel the need to point some things out. First, I know the mention of her will cause some dislike and I totally understand. Everyone is allowed to feel and react however they want and I truly encourage that. But ever since the Dawsey reunion I've always wandered what a Linstead reunion could entail. Things were left undone, their storyline cut off too quickly. So since we won't get it on the actual show, I turn to here. A lot is going to go down in this story, but one element will include Erin in some capacity. Just hang with me guys. I think you might like how everything turns out. Maybe?! Hopefully?! Thanks for reading!