Darkness.

Kate coughed in an effort to clear the dust and debris from her throat and mouth, lifting her throbbing head from the floor. The movement sent a bolt of pain down her right side, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to wriggle herself free from whatever was pressing her into the cold concrete.

Opening her eyes and squinting through the haze, she realised that she was partially buried under the rubble that was formerly the shop front of the convenience store Hank had been in not minutes earlier. As the ringing in her ears began to fade, the noise was replaced with the sound of high-pitched alarms and people screaming in agony.

There were survivors.

Glancing down, Kate wiggled the fingers of her right hand, relieved beyond measure that all five digits moved at her command. The relief was soon replaced by horror when her eyes settled on her right bicep which had been speared onto a length of metal, blood seeping through the fabric of her coat and onto the floor. Biting back a cry of pain, she tried to lift her arm to no avail. She'd need help getting herself free.

'Matt. Hank'

Her eyes darted to the space around her, frantically searching for any glimpse of the two men she had pulled into the alcove with her.

"Hank? Matt?"

Her voice sounded gritty, no doubt as a result of inhaling smoke and dust but she ignored the scratching in her throat and continued to call their names. After what felt like hours of no response, she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Kate?"

"Hank!"

Tilting her head backwards in the direction of his voice, she could just about make out his form moving towards her. The grey hair at his temple was soaked in blood, rivulets tricking down his face from some kind of head wound that Kate couldn't identify but, other than that, he looked relatively unharmed.

"Hank, where's Matt?"

Hank shook his head, coming to a stop at her shoulder as he surveyed the damage, fingers settling on her arm to keep her still.

"I dunno, you need to keep still okay?"

"You've got to find him Hank!"

She was becoming hysterical, her eyes scanning the haze for him as she once again tried to pull her arm free from the metal stake.

"Kate, stay still or you're going to do more damage."

"MATT!"

His name tore from her throat and echoed in the air around them, fear emanating from every pore of her being. Hank shifted himself to her side, taking hold of her right hand and placing his left on her cheek, forcing her eyes towards his.

Panicked hazel met calm brown.

"Kate, listen to me. I need you to stay perfectly still. The metal could have nicked an artery so I need to get a closer look, alright?"

Nodding, Kate dropped her head back to the ground as tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes.

'Please God, he has to be alive.'

Hank was no medic but he knew enough to know that the location of the metal was precariously close to the brachial artery and one wrong move would leave her bleeding out on the floor. He took the fabric of her coat and shirt in his hands, ripping the material so that he could get a better look at the injury. The pole was around an inch in width and had penetrated her upper arm near the lateral head of her tricep, and exited the other side with at least eight inches of metal passing through her body. She was bleeding quite heavily but it wasn't enough to be a ruptured artery. The pole could very well be staunching the bleeding but the longer she was impaled, the higher her risk of infection. He knew he had to get her out of there.

Hank reached down to shove Kate's coat up just enough that he could unbuckle her belt and pull it free from the loops of her jeans. Resting it on her stomach, he shrugged out of his coat and unbuttoned his shirt, removing the fabric so that he was left in just a t-shirt before tearing the sleeve of his button-down with his teeth.

"Alright, I'm going to move your arm on the count of three, okay?" He levelled her with a look. "This is going to hurt, honey."

Gritting her teeth, she jerked her chin in understanding and squeezed her eyes shut as Hank took her arm in his hands.

"1…2…"

The pain that seared through her body was like nothing she had felt before. Even getting shot hadn't hurt that much and the broken scream that left her had Hank's ears ringing, an apology falling from his lips as he firmly pulled her arm away from the pole.

Once she was free, he quickly wrapped the belt around her upper arm, breathing a sigh of relief when the wound merely oozed crimson. Using the torn fabric, he twisted the cotton around her bicep and helped her into a sitting position, checking her over for any further injuries. She had a minor laceration on the back of her head but wouldn't sit still long enough for him to properly check it. She was already on her feet, eyes scanning their immediate surroundings for her brother. The three of them had taken cover behind the same building so he couldn't be too far. That was when Hank's eyes found a mop of dark brown hair and his heart sank into his shoes.

"Kate…"

His voice cracked and Kate's head spun in the direction that he was looking, her face crumbling as she rushed to her brother's side. One side of his face was caked in blood, a large laceration on his head and his face already swelling with the trauma. A large chunk of rubble was sitting on his torso and Hank knew immediately that he was in a critical condition. There was no way on earth the impact hadn't caused internal damage.

"Oh my god. Matt!"

She dropped to her knees next to him, hands quaking as she cupped his head, fingertips stroking his face gently.

"You're gonna be okay, Matt. Stay with me."

Before Hank could go searching for help, the NYFD fire and rescue team had begun filtering onto the street and Hank shouted for their attention.

"Over here! We need a paramedic right now!"

Inside of ten minutes, the paramedics and the firefighters had freed Matt from underneath the rubble and were loading him onto a stretcher to transport him to hospital.

Kate remained glued to his side until one of the paramedics pushed her gently back towards Hank who took her by the shoulders, mindful of her injury as the two followed behind the medics but, as they passed one of the NYFD Lieutenants, Kate stopped and grabbed him by the sleeve of his turnout gear.

"We're Chicago PD, we saw the bomber. I need you to call Sergeant Ben Walker, NYPD Intelligence. Get him here now."

With a nod, the firefighter pulled his radio to his mouth and repeated Kate's request as they stepped over rubble and bodies, watching as Matt was loaded into an ambulance and taken to New York Pres for treatment.

Hank rested a hand on her shoulder, fingers snaking around the back of her neck to draw her eyes to his.

"I can wait here for Walker if you want to go?"

Kate shook her head.

"There's nothing I can do for him in a waiting room."

Both Hank and Kate were herded towards the back of an ambulance, their cuts and wounds being cleaned and dressed until Kate caught sight of Sergeant Ben Walker who had arrived on the scene with his team in tow.

"Ben!"

His head turned in their direction and his eyes settled on Kate's face, immediately making his way towards them.

"Meadows? What the hell are you doing here?"

Ben Walker was a burly man of about forty-five, cropped blonde hair and a stern face but his cold grey eyes softened in concern at the sight of his former subordinate who was perched on the back of an ambulance covered in blood, dirt and grime.

"I was visiting my brother. We were watching the parade from just over there when the bomber detonated a vest near that alleyway."

"You get a look at him?"

Kate nodded, her eyes locking with Walker's.

"I didn't just get a look at him. I heard what he said just before he blew himself to smithereens. 'Al'awal min kathir'…means 'the first of many'."

Realisation dawned on Walker's face as he processed her words.

"You think there are more bombers?"

Kate nodded again and Walker dropped his chin with a curse, propping his hands on his hips, lifting his eyes to the sky.

"Alright, I'll get CTU and the FBI down here." His eyes scanned her once again. "You want in?"

"Damn right I do. These fuckers nearly killed the people I love."

With that, Ben's eyes darted to Hank who had remained uncharacteristically silent thus far. Kate mentally kicked herself for not introducing him sooner.

"Ben, this is Sergeant Hank Voight, CPD Intelligence. Hank, Sergeant Ben Walker, NYPD Intelligence."

"Pleasure to meet you Sergeant." Ben grasped Hank's hand in his own.

"Likewise. If you're getting the FBI down here, you'll want to ask for Erin Lindsay. She's one of the best."

With a nod, Ben excused himself and made the relevant calls to pull a tactical team together. Rounding on Kate, Hank cupped her chin in his fingers and gave her a pointed look.

"Are you sure you're okay to work this one? You can go to the hospital and be a sister…you don't have to be a cop today."

Leaning forwards, she placed a tender kiss on his lips and sent up a silent thanks to whoever had been watching over him today. When they pulled apart, Kate looked directly into his eyes before speaking.

"I know. But I need to be a cop today."

After a beat, he nodded and together they moved towards Walker's car where they waited for reinforcements to arrive.

When Erin pulled up, a look of panic etched onto her features, she rushed towards the two of them and immediately pulled Hank into her arms with an iron grip.

"Hey, easy, I'm fine." He muttered into her hair, patting her back gently. When she eventually let him go, she turned her attention to Kate but, before she could pull her into a similar bone-crushing embrace, they were summoned by Walker to a small tent that had been situated at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 56th Street.

Inside stood individuals from the NYPD Intelligence Unit, the NYPD Counter Terrorism Unit and a team from the FBI. That was when Kate saw him. Standing in the far corner of the tent was Jake Cordona, looking just as handsome as he did the day she left him standing alone in the kitchen of their apartment, her keys placed on the island between them. Jake stood at six feet tall with wavy dark hair and piercing blue eyes that saw right through to your very soul. The only noticeable difference this was was that he had a light dusting of stubble over his cheeks and chin, giving him a slightly more rugged look than she was used to. His eyes landed on her the second she stepped into view, an indecipherable expression passing across his face.

"Oh fuck."

"What?"

Hank had heard her mumbled curse and was looking at her with concerned eyes.

"Hank, I'm so sorry..."

It was already too late.

"Katie?"

Closing her eyes, she clamped her mouth shut and turned around.

"Jake."

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

He reached out a hand as though moving to cup her face and Kate immediately flinched backwards, her back bumping against Hank's chest as she tried to put space between herself and Jake.

"I'm fine, I was in town visiting Matt and got caught up in the…" she gestured a hand at the carnage around them. "…chaos."

Hank rested a hand on her lower back, gently moving her to one side so that the three of them were stood in a small triangle, Erin not too far behind them.

"Jake, this is Sergeant Hank Voight, CPD Intelligence. Hank, this is Detective Jake Cordona, NYPD CTU."

Jake looked Hank up and down as the two shook hands, both men adopting a grip more firm than an introductory handshake called for. Jake's eyes followed the line of Hank's hand resting on Kate's back and immediately bristled. Straightening his spine, Jake jutted his chin and smirked at Hank who was a good few inches shorter and probably thirty pounds lighter than he was.

"Actually its Sergeant Cordona now, Raleigh retired a few months back."

Kate could feel the waves of irritation emanating from Hank and she was well aware that Jake's cocky nature was a sure-fire way to light Hank's already short fuse.

"Oh. Well, congratulations."

Kate breathed a sigh of relief when Walker called for their attention but, before returning to his unit, Jake took Kate's elbow in his grip and gave it a gentle squeeze. She felt Hank stiffen behind her and she silently begged him not to react.

"Why don't we catch up before you leave town, hmm? Real good to see you again Katie."

With a smug parting glance at Hank, he turned and strode back across the tent towards his unit, leaving Kate in shock and Hank seething with rage.

"I already fucking hate that prick." Hank mumbled and Kate could do nothing more than grasp his fingers as Walker began to address the teams.

"So, we've got intel to suggest that this was not a one-off event. Two Chicago PD police officers were at the scene of the bombing and advised that, before detonating his vest, the bomber shouted 'the first of many' in Arabic."

He turned to nod to Kate.

"Meadows?"

Taking her cue, she stepped away from Hank and towards her old Sergeant, instinct kicking in as she stood by his side and gave her update.

"The bomber was a Middle-Eastern male, about thirty years of age and he was wearing a dark green jacket and a black backpack when he arrived just after two thirty this afternoon."

All eyes in the room were fixed on Kate as she gave her update and Hank couldn't help but swell with pride at the way she conducted herself. He knew he didn't have much to do with moulding her into the detective that stood before him but, nonetheless, he was proud to have her by his side as both a member of his unit and as the woman in his life.

"He approached from the south before stopping in an alleyway near the corner of Fifth and West 53rd Street. Both myself and Sergeant Hank Voight noticed his slightly unusual behaviour but it wasn't until he had taken his jacket off to reveal the explosives did we realise what we were dealing with. He was a good fifty yards away and he already had his finger on the detonator…we couldn't have gotten to him in time to disarm him."

Just as she finished, a young man near the back of the tent got to his feet and called for her attention.

"Hey detective, did you say a green jacket?"

The kid looked barely old enough to buy a beer let alone be part of their tactical group but she guessed he was one of those super-intelligent MIT kids that the bureau had plucked straight out of the classroom.

"Yeah, that's right."

He tapped the keys of the laptop a few more times before he raised his spectacled eyes to hers and pointed to his screen.

"We got him. Security camera from the pharmacy across the street picked him up before the explosion."

He picked up his device and moved towards the front of the tent, placing the computer down on a table so that the screen was facing its occupants.

"Mohammad Al-Khalili, thirty two. Member of a known Islamic radical group with ties to ISIS. He's been on every government agency's radar for at least two years."

"Then why the fuck has he just been able to commit an act of terror right under our noses?!" Walker roared, spittle flying and face reddening as he stared around the tent.

"He's a slippery bastard, Sergeant."

Jake had stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest.

"Every time CTU would get close, he'd go underground until the heat died down. He was so-well connected to terror cells that we'd never be able to pin-point where he'd bunk down to."

"Well I want to know everything about this motherfucker. I want to know who he's been talking to, where he's been staying, hell, I want to know what he had for breakfast this morning. We'll split into two teams. Cordona, you take Lindsay, Meadows and Voight with your unit, I want details of every known member of this guy's ISIS group in my hands within the hour. The rest of you, see if you can retrieve anything from the scene that might help us find the next one. Remember, we have no idea when or where the next bomb is going to go off so I want this city on lockdown until we're sure we've got them all in custody, is that understood?"

With that, the tent began to empty aside from Jake and his unit who were waiting for Erin, Hank and Kate to join them. Of course she would be paired up with Jake, like her day wasn't going badly enough as it was. She had no idea if her brother was dead or alive, she'd had to introduce Hank to her ex lover and now she had to deal with her ex-fiancee.

'Just fucking brilliant.'

Well, at least she had Erin to help keep everyone in line.

"Alright everyone, we all know the drill. Dig in to Al-Khalili's known associates, family members, girlfriends, boyfriends, the whole deal. Lindsay, could you put in a call to get copies of all the FBI files pertaining to this guy? At least we'll have something to start with. Meadows…"

Kate lifted her chin to meet his eyes, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Is your cover with Rabbani still intact?"

Kate had gone undercover in a right-wing terror cell a few years' ago when Intelligence had caught wind that there would be an attack on the city on the anniversary of 9/11. Yasin Rabbani was a leader of a ISIS terror group that Kate had been working as part of a joint-investigation between the NYPD Intelligence Units and the CTU - it was how she had met Jake.

"Yeah, I think so. As far as he knew, I bolted when his boss got pinched. I'll reach out."

Kate turned to Hank, pulling him to one side to brief him on the plan.

"Alright, how are you going to find Rabbani? It's been, what, nearly five years? He could be in a different state or even out of the country by now."

Kate nodded in agreement, acknowledging that it was a long-shot at best but they had to give it a try.

"When I was undercover, we would use a website as means of communication. It's on the dark web so completely untraceable. If Rabbani is still in the game, he'll hit me back."

Within a few hours, Rabbani had responded to Kate and the two arranged a place to meet. Rabbani was a squirrely fucker so their only option was for Kate to go in alone. If he caught even a hint of a bad feeling, Kate was as good as dead. She was cleaning up and changing her clothes in the far corner of the tent when Hank approached her, resting his weight on a nearby table, watching as she struggled to pull a clean t-shirt over her head.

"Need a hand?"

She turned to face him, noticing how his eyes were immediately drawn to the bare flesh of her stomach as she tried to pull the cotton down without much success. With a huff and a pout that bought a wry smile to Hank's face, she allowed him to tug down the hem of the t-shirt whilst she held her injured arm out of the way. Once the fabric was in place, Kate pulled on the plaid blue button-down shirt over the top, fastening a couple of buttons in the middle. Once the shirt was buttoned, she reached down to adjust the camera hidden in the third button, ensuring that the device was facing outwards and operating correctly.

The two of them had been loaned weapons for the duration of the case and, as Kate was holstering the unfamiliar Glock 17 in the waistband of her jeans, Hank broke the silence between them.

"Barely twenty four hours in the city and I've already been introduced to two ex-lovers. You sure know how to keep me on my toes."

Kate closed her eyes with a sigh, a rosy flush blooming over her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Hank. I-"

"Hey, I'm kidding." He tugged her towards him by the belt loops, widening his stance so that she could lean comfortably against his warm body. "We both know you weren't innocent when you came to my bed."

Kate's fingers gripped the hard muscle of his biceps, her forehead dropping to rest on his shoulder, struggling to contain a groan at his heated words. She stood still for a few moments, inhaling and exhaling in a steady rhythm, drawing strength from his solid presence.

"I don't like the idea of you going under alone."

Kate raised her eyes to his face, noting the concern that she wasn't used to seeing on him when they were working.

"You guys will be a block away with eyes and ears, it'll be fine. I've worked with Rabbani before, I think I've got a play."

"I know, I still don't like it."

Leaning backwards slightly, Kate's eyes tracked over his face, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Hank, I go undercover in Chicago all the time. What's the difference here?"

He hiked his shoulders, his arms still firmly wrapped around her waist.

"I can't protect you here."

Kate was silent for a few seconds before leaning back into his embrace, her fingers toying with the short strands at the nape of his neck, his own hands instinctively coming to rest on the backs of her thighs, rubbing his palms up and down the denim as he looked into her eyes.

"I get this isn't our playground but the game is still the same. We've still got a job to do…it's just New York that needs us this time, not Chicago."

She placed her lips against his, taking a few moments to let the familiar taste and feel of him soothe her fried nerves. But the moment was cut short by Cordona barking at them from across the tent, telling them that they were ready to go. They turned their heads in Jake's direction and Hank noted with a hint of satisfaction that Cordona looked pissed to find the two of them locked in an embrace so he made a show of running his hands up over the swell of Kate's ass, turning back to face her.

"If I manage to get through the day without killing that fucker, it'll be a miracle."

Kate snorted in response, pecking his lips one more time before they separated and followed the rest of the unit out onto the street. The team of eight stood in a small circle as Jake huddled them together to go through the plan one final time.

"Ok, so Meadows is meeting Rabbani at Bryant Park, she'll move on foot from here. Lindsay, Ryan, Sanchez, you three will keep her in your line of sight at all times. Kilburn, I want you on the roof of the Library - we shouldn't need a sharpshooter but, if he makes a move on Meadows or if he looks like he's going to do anything stupid, you light his ass up. Voight, Valdez and myself will be in the van at the corner of West 40th and Sixth. All clear?"

Just as the team were about to disband, Kate's cell phone buzzed with an Unknown Caller ID. Swiping the screen, she held the phone to her ear and answered the call.

"Meadows."

"Detective Meadows, this is Doctor Harrington from New York Pres."

Kate's heart fell into her shoes.

"How is he?"

There was a pause and, for a few seconds, Kate's heart stopped altogether.

"He's in a critical condition, the trauma to the head and torso was catastrophic. He made it through the surgery but the next few hours will be crucial. I'm sorry it's not better news."

Hank and Erin both watched on as Kate went as white as a sheet, the colour draining from her face where she stood.

"Ok, thank you for the update."

Her hand fell to her side without cancelling the call, the device clutched between her fingers as she processed the doctor's words.

Hank and Erin approached her cautiously, neither of them liking the expression on her face. Placing a palm on her shoulder, Hank asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

"How's he doin'?"

Kate's eyes met Hank's and he knew without her having to say a word that it was bad news.

"He's critical. They aren't sure he's going to make it."

A rage like Kate had never experienced before filled her chest and she knew in that moment that she was going to bury whoever had set this sick plan in motion - and she was going to enjoy every second of it.