A/N: I am actually republishing this story. There have been edits made. Text that has been italicized is a flashback, and text that has been bolded is from the show. I am merely borrowing characters besides though that are not recognized.

A/N: This chapter does hint at sexual violence. Though it does not go into detail. This is a warning.

Kathleen made her way inside her apartment and locked her front door. She moved on to the patio door not that far away from her front door and made sure that it too was locked. She shook her head as she made her way toward her dresser to change and get ready for her shower.

Upon reaching her dresser, she removes her earrings and necklace. She reaches into the drawers and pulls out a purple butterfly-printed cami and short statin set. She reaches into a second drawer, pulls out a pair of cotton panties, and places them on her bed. As she enters her walk-in closet, she kicks off her shoes and removes her dress. Before entering her bathroom, she removes her bra and panties.

She turns towards the shower and turns on the water to the perfect temperature. She then turns her attention to the sink and takes out the elastic and bobby pins holding her ponytail in place. The room fills with steam as she removes her makeup. She enters the showers and gets lost in the warm water on her aching muscles from a night of dancing.

Unknown to her, there was a male figure watching her every move for the last few weeks. He hid in the shadows as Kathleen went out each day. He had tracked her schedule. Though he did not expect the police car to drop her off after a night of drinking with her cousin. He waited till the cruiser disappeared before approaching her door. He had been there a few times and already knew how to pick the lock. The layout of the studio apartment was something he had learned.

The door was closed behind him as he entered the apartment. He looked around to see if anything had changed. He knew she had a male visitor who stopped by and spent the night a few times a week. There were days when she didn't come home. He was becoming infuriated at her actions, especially when he saw her joking with that cop. He knew all about her, that she worked at the hospice and worked with vets and first responders. She was considering transitioning to work with children. She was into photography and had a lingerie photoshoot. Her pedigree of education and Irish descent. Also, that family was important to her.

He could hear the shower running as he moved closer to her bedroom. There were pyjamas and panties on her bed. He also took note that her cell phone was sitting on the dresser charging. He had noted the knives in the kitchen, but not any other weapons in the house. Her landline was also in the kitchen. He rushed to the side of the wall hidden from view of her closet as he heard the water turn off in the bathroom.

Kathleen finishes her shower and dries off. She slipped on a pair of grey fluffy flip-flop slippers and a grey heart-printed robe. She walks out of the bathroom and into her closet as she looked through her options for tomorrow. Her plans with Luke were to spend the day at High Park. They were hoping to get on a bike ride and a picnic before he had to cover the afternoon shift. She pulled a pair of dark blue jeans off of a rack and placed them closer to the bathroom. She looks through her closet and pulls out a red chiffon frill detailed cami top and a pair of grey knitted sneakers. When she smells something in the air, she walks out of her closet.

A handclasp is over her mouth as she steps out of the closet. She struggles as another hand grabs her throat. She feels the grip on her neck tighten as things go dark.

"Kay," Luke says as he races over to her. "Kay, come on, you need to wake up. Come on, you need to open your eyes for me."

"Where the hell is EMS?" Jason shouts. "Anything?"

"She's breathing is shallow and her pulse is slow," Noelle says as she is next to the bed.

"I shouldn't have left. I should have stuck around longer." Sam curses.

"They needed you as a backup. This could have happened to any of us," Oliver says as he looks over at Sam. "Have you called her dad?"

"I'll wait till we get to Mount Sinai," Sam says as he looks at her. "Tell me, we got this son of a bitch?"

"We got him," Jerry says as he enters the room. "We have Sean O'Connor, age 28. Immigrated from Ireland in the 90s and works as a bartender over at O'Phelan's."

"O'Phelan's," Luke, Sam and Jason asked.

"Yeah, why?" Jerry asks, looking at the three of them. "You know of the place."

"Yeah, Donny goes there regularly," Jason says. "Almost every week. It's a place for Irish cops to hang out."

"O'Connor has been working there since he immigrated over," Jerry says as he looks at his notes. "He is the third cousin of the owner. After the death of his parents, he immigrated here."

Luke shakes his head as two EMTs enter the apartment with a gurney.

"What do we have?" one asks as they pull out their equipment.

"Kathleen Boyd, age 23. The victim of assault and strangulation," Jason says as he watches them hook her up to machines. "General health is good, no medications, and no known allergies."

"She was drinking earlier in the evening but wasn't showing any symptoms of intoxication," Sam adds.

"Okay, has her next of kin been notified?" one asks as they move her onto the gurney.

"We were waiting for you," Sam says. "He's a detective out of 33."

"We're going to take over to Sinai," one says as she looks at the group of cops. "She is stable. The alcohol could be the reason she hasn't regained consciousness. The doctors will know more after running tests. Who is going with her?"

"Officer Williams will be," Jason says as he looks at Luke. "There will be a sizeable group with a large police presence."

"We'll let the charge nurse know," the EMT says as they wheel the gurney out, with Noelle following them.

"Barber, Shaw, Best. You are on canvas and work with forensics. I don't want a single thing missed," Jason says before turning to Sam and Luke. "We are going to the hospital."

"Yes, sir," they all say before Jason, Luke, and Sam leave the apartment.

"Am I calling Donovan?" Sam asks as they get into Luke's department-issued car.

"I'll call him and Elaine," Jason says as he looks at Luke for the keys. "I want to know what the hell you two talked about earlier."

Luke lets out a deep breath as he hands him the keys. "Kay called Swarek instead of the cab company. The guy has attacked no one in almost two and a half weeks. We figured he was out hunting. We all know that Kay fits his profile, so Swarek picked her and Gail up."

"While dropping off Gail, I called Callaghan to see if he could convince her to stay with Gail after I failed. He said to drop her off at home. I should stick around the area for a half-hour to make sure nothing happened. Luke was supposed to be done at 3 and would stop by her place," Sam says as they pull out to the hospital. "I was here for possibly 10 minutes when the EDP backup call came in."

"How long ago did you drop her off?" Jason asks as he drives. "Be specific."

"Picked them up at 12:10 am. I dropped off Gail at 12:20 am and Trouble at 12:30 am, and the call came in at 12:40 am," Sam says as he looks at his watch. "She was hardly home for 45 minutes when the neighbours heard the crashing and called it in."

"We will know more after Barber interrogates the guy," Jason says as they reach the ER. "Go in and see what you can find out."

"Yes sir," the two say as they exit the car and enter the ER.

Jason lets out a deep breath before picking up his phone and dialling.

"What happened?" a drowsy Elaine Peck demands.

"You and Bill need to get to Mount Sinai," Boyko says. "It's Kathleen."

"What happened? Is she okay?" Elaine says, more awake. "Bill, wake up. Something has happened to Kathleen."

"The perp went after her. He got into her apartment and attack her," Jason explains. "They brought her in. She was unconscious and showed signs of being strangled. She put up a fight from the bruises we could see on her and the perp."

"You caught him," Elaine says, as he can hear her and Bill moving around their room. "Where is he?"

"We transported him to Fifteen. He is currently waiting for Detective Barber," Jason says as he watches the parking lot. "I thought I should call you first."

"Good, I'll call John in to do the interrogation," Elaine says. "Call Donny and tell him that Bill and I will pick him up in 5 minutes. By the time we get to the hospital, I am going to want an update on her injuries."

"Yes mam," Jason says before hanging up. He lets out a breath before calling a second number.

"Boyd," Donovan says as he can hear papers shuffling.

"Donny, it's Jason," Jason says before letting out another breath. "It's Kathleen."

"What?" Donovan shouts as a chair can be heard screeching.

"The perp went after her. He got into her apartment and attack her," Jason explains. "She is at Mount Sinai, and Elaine is on her way to get you. Luke and Sam are inside with her."

"And the perp?" Donovan asks as his breathing is rushed. "How bad is she hurt?"

"She was unconscious when we arrived on the scene," Jason relays.

"The perp," Boyd asks as anger creeps into his voice.

"On his way to 15," Jason responds. "Elaine is calling in John to take over the case."

"Anything else you know?" Donovan asks as the door can be heard slamming.

"She put up a fight. She had defensive marks, and the perp had his injuries," Jason explains. "Her neighbours called it in quickly. We could respond quickly before anything worse could happen to her. I am told Williams and Best were on the scene in under 10 minutes after the call came in."

"Gail," Donovan asks.

"Swarek dropped her off before dropping off Kate. He attempted to convince Kathleen to stay with Gail, but she wasn't having any of it. Callaghan was supposed to be done at 3 and would stop by her place at the end of his shift."

"I saw her earlier and said it was fine for her and Gail to go out. They said they were cabbing it. It sounded like they were supposed to stay together."

"He said that she wasn't showing signs of intoxication. She was drinking, but seemed in control of her actions."

"God damn it. How the hell did this guy even get into her apartment?"

"No signs of forced entry. The officers found the apartment locked when they arrived."

"This makes little sense, why Kitty?"

"I'm sure John will figure that out. Go meet Elaine and get here as soon as you can."

"Got it. I want a full list of injuries when I get there."

"You will have them," Jason says as he hangs up. He places the car in park before getting out and entering the ER. He spots Sam and Luke standing together. "Any updates?"

"According to Monica," Sam says as he pulls out his notebook. "She has a fractured cheek, a black eye, 4 cracked ribs, swelling of the throat, and a left fractured wrist. At first look, it doesn't look like he could get far. They are looking for any head and brain trauma. She has to get at least 12 stitches for a laceration along her hairline."

"Thank god," Jason mutters as he looks at them. "Surgery?"

"Nope," Sam says as he looks back at his notes. "She's looking at a 6-to-8-week recovery period. They are going to keep her overnight to observe her. The stitches can come out in about 7 to 10 days."

"Anything else we should be concerned about?" Luke asks as he looks at the two of them.

"Monica is recommending that she see a therapist," Sam says as he looks at them. "Sarah may know of someone."

"Okay, can you call her and see who she recommends?" Jason says.

"Yeah. I can tell you they will recommend someone to stay with her. At least for the first two weeks," Sam mentions as he looks around.

"I got enough vacation time saved up," Luke says as he looks around. "We could head out to the cabin for a bit. She enjoys spending time in Goderich. It's quiet, away from the city and everything going on here."

"Get her dad to agree to that," Sam mutters as he goes over his notes.

"Donny will if it means she can relax," Jason corrects.