When Kate arrived at the district the next morning, Hank was already sequestered in his office with Alvin which had become the norm for them in the recent weeks.

With a brief greeting to Kevin, Kim and Adam, Kate headed into the kitchen to grab herself a mug of coffee before dropping down into the chair at her desk. She had barely touched the chair when Kevin passed her desk, dropping four files onto the corner.

"Just need to check and countersign those. They're the reports from the Jamal Brown shooting."

With a nod, Kate promised she'd get right on them but her eyes kept drifting towards Hank's office. In the last few days, had stopped coming home completely, leaving Kate to toss and turn in a half empty bed, her tears soaking his pillow.

"Meadows, you got somewhere you need to be?"

Kate looked up to see Trudy standing in front of her desk, arms crossed over her chest, eyebrows in her hairline. She rolled her eyes at the look of confusion on Kate's face.

"Self-defence class at the academy?"

"Oh fuck! That's today?"

"Uhh-huh."

Rubbing a hand across her forehead, Kate scooped up her belongings with a quick glance at her watch.

"On it Trudy, thanks."

Kate half-jogged into the locker room, catching Kim's eyes in the mirror as the officer washed her hands in one of the basins not the far wall.

"Hey, are you feeling okay? You look pale…like, Rooney Mara in the winter pale."

Kate darted to her locker, tugging out her gym bag and simultaneously kicking off her shoes, making a start on pulling her shirt over her head.

"I mean, you have Italian heritage so you should have that beautiful olive hue you normally get when just look at the sun-"

"I'm fine, Kim."

Kate cut her off, drawing her t-shirt down over her head, throwing her badge and weapon into her gym bag. With a shrug, Kim closed her locker and left with a light 'goodbye', leaving Kate alone. Dropping onto a bench between the lockers, Kate let out a long breath.

Truth was, she wasn't fine. She'd felt off colour for weeks now but, given everything that had been going on, she'd pushed it to the bottom of the priority list. Deciding to make an appointment with her physician for a check up later in the week, Kate pushed to her feet, slung her bag over her shoulder and jogged to her Jeep.

When she arrived at the academy, she threw her bag into a locker in the instructor changing room before jogging across the hall to one of the large yoga studios, greeting the self-defence instructor with a smile and a handshake, the two of them watching as the students funnelled into the room in dribs and drabs.

"Alright everyone, listen up. This is Detective Kate Meadows, CPD Intelligence. She's going to be running point on today's class." He nodded to Kate who moved into the centre of the room, eyes scanning the room of young officers in search of the perfect demonstration student. She found exactly what she was looking for on the far left of the room.

"Hey you." She pointed to him. "Front and centre."

The young man was well over six feet tall and had a frame similar to Kevin's. In other words, he was an absolute unit. When he came to stop in front of her, she shook his hand and asked him his name before giving him a simple command.

"Put me on the mat Gallagher."

His eyes went wide, eyeing Kate up and down. She was half his size.

"I'm sorry?"

"Did I stutter? I said put me on the mat."

Gallagher's eyes darted to his senior instructor for a split second but he simply hiked his shoulders, silently telling him to do as he was told. Taking a breath, Gallagher cautiously lunged forwards towards Kate, hands outstretched as he made to grasp her but she was faster, swiping his hands away and sidestepping out of his reach.

"C'mon Gallagher, I need you to mean it. Again."

He repeated the same movement, this time with more aggression, darting forwards to grab Kate's arm and, this time when he made contact, she used his own body weight against him and hip-tossed him to the floor where he landed with a grunt, the air being driven from his lungs.

Standing over his prone form, Kate looked down at him before addressing the class.

"Can anyone tell me why it's Gallagher on his back and not me?"

Everyone remained silent for a beat before a small Latino lady near the front piped up.

"Because his bodyweight is being used against him."

Kate pointed an index finger at her with a brisk nod.

"Correct. Not all of us are built like a refrigerator. The assumption is that the bigger you are, the more of an advantage you have and, more often that not, that is correct."

Reaching down, she helped pull Gallagher to his feet and gestured for him to go back to his place in line.

"What I'm here to teach you is not only how to use your smaller size to your advantage when you're up against larger assailants but how to make sure you don't fall into the trap of having your size used against you. Ok, pair up but make sure you partner with someone either bigger or smaller than yourself."

Giving them a second to co-ordinate themselves, Kate turned and walked to the side of the room, plucking a bottle of water from the floor and taking a few sips.

"Hey Detective, we've got an odd number."

Turning back to the face the room, Kate noticed that there was one male officer left without a partner.

"Alright, you're with me."

He strolled over with a cocky swagger and came to a stop next to her, introducing himself as Wyatt Rose. Nodding in greeting, she asked him to wait to the side while she addressed the class.

"Ok, first thing we're going to do is reverse an arm grab. The bigger 'assailant' I want you to reach out and grab the forearm of the smaller 'victim'."

Kate nodded to Rose who stepped forward and reached out a hand to grasp the middle of her forearm, his long fingers wrapping all the way around and overlapping on the other side.

"From here, the 'victim' is going to rotate…" she swung her captured arm in an anti-clockwise direction, in turn forcing Rose's arm to twist as she grasped his wrist with her free hand and used his lack of balance to force him down to his knees. "…pushing the 'assailant' off-balance and down to the floor."

She looked around the room, watching to see if anyone had any questions or looked confused by her instructions. When she saw a collection of nods, she released Rose who got back to his feet.

"Try it slow before taking it up a notch."

Kate ran through the motions with Rose a few more times before she began to circle the room, correcting grips and motions where required. Once they were all successfully completing the move, she called their attention back to her.

"Alright, good work. Next up, we're going to discuss the bear hug. Now, we're going to cover how to escape the hold and how to make sure the suspect doesn't slip from your grip."

She turned to Rose who was waiting off to the side.

"Rose, I want you to step up behind me and grab me from behind. Arms around my waist and hands locked together, clear?"

Kate struggled to keep her eyes from rolling at his smug smirk, turning to face the room as his body heat appeared behind her, his chest and torso pressing to her back, well-muscled arms banding just under her breasts.

Just as she was about to explain the next movement, her eyes were drawn to the far corner where the door had inched open. Kate froze in place when a familiar figure slipped into the room, his eyes immediately locking on hers as he slowly took in her position encased within Rose's arms. Hank stilled for a second before moving along the back wall to take a seat in one of the vacant chairs.

'The hell is he doing here?'

She supposed it wasn't unusual for him to turn up when a member of his unit was teaching classes. She recalled Hailey telling her once that Hank had turned up to a session she was supposed to teach but she'd palmed it off to someone else to go for dinner with Jay instead. Tearing her eyes from him, she refocused on the room and began to walk them through one method to effectively free yourself from a bear hug.

"So, to recap. You drop your weight…" Bending her knees, Kate hinged forwards slightly at the hips, her lower back coming into contact with Rose's groin. "…grab the pinky and twist."

When she was free, she re-wrapped his arms around her waist to begin another demonstration, this time utilising her elbows for more of a forceful escape.

"Let's not forget, if you're attacked from behind, it'll be sudden and you won't see it coming. Act fast."

Kate looked around the room, every single pair of eyes were watching her intently.

"To keep hold of a wriggling suspect, you're going to want to make sure they aren't able to create any space between your bodies. Space means opportunity. Rose?"

He stepped up behind her one final time and this time Kate stepped back into his body, turning the two of them around so that the class could clearly see that they were pressed together from thigh to chest.

"You must remember to keep your weight balanced and even."

Tapping Rose's fists, he released his grip and she stepped out of his arms.

"Also, keep in mind that you aren't always going to assume the role you're playing today. There's always going to be someone bigger and someone smaller than you are."

Someone in the back row snorted, casting a glance towards Gallagher who simply hiked his massive shoulders, drawing a laugh from the room and a grin from Kate.

"Ok, well, almost always. So, run through a few times step by step and then up the pace. Let's go."

For the rest of the class, Kate's attention was split between the class and casting covert glances at Hank who had, thus far, remained a silent spectator. When the session was over, Kate was approached by a few of the female students who thanked her for the useful lesson and, from her vantage point, she could see Hank was engaged in conversation with the instructor near the far wall.

The instructor locker room was empty when she pushed the heavy door open, stepping inside to grab her things to take a quick shower. Just as she swung the blue metal door open she was startled by a hand on her shoulder. When she turned she was greeted by the handsome face of Wyatt Rose, his grey eyes tracking over her form slowly before he spoke.

"Great class Detective. Some really useful stuff in there."

"Glad you enjoyed it."

His grey eyes glittered and a bright, white smile slipped onto his face.

"Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to get-"

The rest of Rose's sentence died on his lips, eyes darting over her shoulder. She felt him before she heard him. Hank had appeared at Kate's elbow, his eyes trained on the young man's face, practically vibrating with rage.

"You not got another class to get to?" His tone was one that Kate had heard a thousand times before and usually reserved for when he had a suspect in the cage.

'What crawled up his ass?'

"Uhh, yes sir…um, Sergeant."

With that, a red-faced Rose scuttled from the room, leaving Hank and Kate alone. After a beat, Kate turned to face him, eyes scanning his face.

"I didn't realise you were coming dow-"

She barely finished her sentence when he crowded her against the cool metal of the locker, hands planting either side of her head with a loud clatter as his mouth descended on hers. The roughness caught her by surprise, his teeth biting down harshly on her lower lip, the abused flesh throbbing as he sucked it into his hot mouth. Hank grasped Kate's hip with his left hand, gripping the flesh before running his palm up over her flank, dragging her t-shirt with it. When his lips tore from hers and began tracking along her jaw line, Kate dropped her head back against the locker with a dull thud.

"Did it feel like this, hmm?"

Her brain was foggy, the sensation of his hands and mouth on her heated skin had her blood pounding in her ears. She knew she should probably stop him but when his lips tracked down the long line of her neck, sucking a bruise into the juncture of her shoulder, her protest was replaced with a long, jagged moan.

"Answer me."

"Wha-"

"Did it feel like this?"

To punctuate his point, he removed his remaining hand from the locker and reached down to grab the hem of her shirt, yanking the fabric up and over her head. Once she was bared to his gaze, he ran slow hands down over her rib cage, skating over her hips, reaching around to grab her ass and pull her body flush to his.

"Did what feel like this?" She asked breathlessly, her fingers grasping his shoulders in an effort to steady herself as he yanked her closer.

"When he had his hands on you." He spat and it suddenly dawned on her what was happening; he was jealous.

Hank lowered his mouth to Kate's chest, laving open-mouthed kisses to the tops of her breasts, nipping at the full flesh that wasn't covered by the fabric of her sports bra.

"Don't make me ask you again." He warned, fingertips biting into the fleshy globes of her ass as he ground his tented jeans against her core.

"No."

Her answer was breathy and barely intelligible but she knew he heard her. His hands immediately got to work on pulling her gym leggings and her underwear down her long, tanned thighs, pushing the clingy fabric to her ankles so that she could kick them off, along with her sneakers. Someone could walk in on them at any second but, as her hands tackled the buttons of his shirt, doing just enough to part the fabric before making a start on his jeans, she figured neither of them cared enough to stop at this point.

It felt like an age since the last time she was with him like this and, truth be told, she needed him. Was she thrilled that it was a rough, frantic, semi-public encounter? Absolutely not. But, given his recent distance, right now she'd take what she could get…and that thought alone sent a spike of shame through her chest. How has she become that woman?

When Kate freed him from his jeans and boxers, Hank hooked his fingers around the backs of her thighs, once again surprising her with his strength as he lifted her legs to settle around his hips, the blunt head of his shaft nudging against her centre.

"You belong to me. Am I clear?"

He growled against her lips, his breath fanning across her face. They locked eyes and Kate was taken aback by how cold his usually warm, brown eyes were. Ignoring the pang of hurt and the sting of unshed tears, she closed her eyes and rolled her hips against his in a silent plea.

"You're mine."

With those two words, he lined up and buried himself to the hilt, the burning stretch tearing a cry from Kate's throat that Hank muffled with his own mouth as he started a punishing pace, not waiting for Kate's body to adjust to the intrusion. She knew she'd be sore tomorrow but, right now, all that mattered was that he was here with her. Kate hands burrowed under his open shirt, fingernails scraping down his back as his hips drove against hers, the sound of flesh meeting flesh and the metallic clang of the locker echoing around the room.

"Say it, say you're mine." The growl in her ear sounded almost pained but Kate's eyes remained firmly shut, focused on the feel of him dragging across her sensitive walls in a way that felt so familiar yet surprisingly foreign.

Her climax caught her by surprise, the wave of pleasure cresting without warning as Hank sealed his mouth over hers, swallowing down the noises she made as she flew over the edge, eventually becoming limp in his arms. Regardless of whether it was quick and dirty or languorous and passionate, every single time they had been together had been intimate…until now. There were no murmured words of encouragement, no real touching aside from where they were joined, none of the usual closeness that Kate had become accustomed to.

"Please. Please say it."

Hank's thrusts became ragged and, through the post-orgasmic bliss, she heard his plea, vaguely wondering if it was the first time she had ever heard him beg. Regardless, she couldn't deny him a damn thing. Not now, not ever.

"I'm yours." She breathed, her words triggering Hank's orgasm who pulled out of her clenching body in just enough time to coat her stomach in his release.

Hearts hammering, Hank rested one hand next to Kate's still trembling form, the other still holding her hip in a tight grip. She watched as he lifted his gaze, eyes scanning her body to take note of the assortment of dark bruises he had left on her skin.

It seemed to jerk him back to reality as he pulled away from her like she had burned him. She hissed at the sting of his abrupt withdrawal from her body, her knees buckling as her feet hit the ground, watching as he swiftly tucked himself back into his jeans and re-buttoned his shirt. Kate's heart sank like a stone as the mask dropped back into place. Just when she thought he couldn't cut her any deeper, he diverted his eyes to the floor and, without so much as a 'thank you', he left her there alone, covered in come, bruises and his scent; the latter the only evidence it was him who had been there at all.

When her legs finally felt like they would support her weight, she pushed away from the locker and, with still shaky hands, picked up her towel and body wash, stripping off the only remaining article of clothing before getting into the shower. It was only when she was under the scalding spray did she finally let the hot tears fall unbidden. Sliding down the chilled tiles, she cradled her knees and let the silent sobs wrack her body.

How on earth had they gotten here?

Up until this point, Kate was confident that they would be able to find a way back to one another, regardless of the circumstances or the distance between them. With what had transpired in the last few minutes, now she wasn't so sure.

Hank stumbled out of the front door of the Chicago PD Police Academy, nearly barrelling into a Sergeant he'd met once or twice before but, for the life of him, he couldn't recall their name. With a muttered apology, he half ran towards his SUV, a wave of nausea washing over him as the look of utter betrayal on face replayed over and over in his mind.

Ever since the FBI had started sniffing around him and Alvin, he had tried to keep Kate at arms length. Little by little, he stopped going to her apartment at the end of each day, instead opting to go back to an empty house and drink himself into oblivion.

He knew he should just break it off clean but he also he knew he was a selfish bastard. He couldn't let her go and what happened barely five minutes ago was a prime example of just how selfish he was.

The sight of her in another man's arms filled him with a possessiveness that he hadn't felt in a long time. But when he saw the handsome young officer follow her into the locker room, a predatory expression on his face, the jealous rage that washed over him was like nothing he had ever felt before. As he stood in the locker room doorway watching Rose flash her a million dollar smile, he worried for a split second that he might do something that he'd regret. And, ultimately, he had.

He had taken her roughly and without much consideration for her comfort or pleasure, the haze of rage settling over him like a heavy red mist. It was only when he had come down from his high and the haze begin to lift that he realised what he'd done. The dark, finger-shaped bruises over her thighs and hips, the marks his mouth made littered her neck and chest, branding her in a way that he had no right to.

But it was the look of vulnerable betrayal in her eyes as he pulled away and left her without a word was the nail in the coffin.

Kate. His beautiful, strong, brilliant Kate. He had promised her, himself, her parents, that he would try and be a better man and yet here he was, proving once again that he just didn't have it in him to be enough for a woman like her.