Chapter 5

Drea was nervous. She had just finished filling Jared in on her past and what it meant for her-their future. He was standing, staring out the window into the dark night. Jared had been a good listener. He didn't interrupt her and only asked questions when she asked if he needed any clarification. Jared did react a few times to her suffering and had pulled her into his arms and promised she wouldn't ever get hurt again. When he realized what 828 meant for her he had gone white. Now he had been standing at the window for ten minutes and Drea was getting antsy as each minute ticked by.

"Jared?" Drea finally broke the silence. She stood up and made her way next to him and took his hand.

He lifted their clasped hands to his lips and kissed her hand. "Drea, whatever you need, I'm here. I can talk to Ben and get in touch with Lance. All files related to 828 passengers are under lock and key by the NSA but I'm sure Lance will be able to help. This Isaac guy won't hurt you again. I won't let him."

Drea was moved by the care that Jared was showing her. She had worked so hard to be tougher and stronger for so long that she was overwhelmed to have someone by her side. Yes she had her parents but they were always so afraid for her because of the past. And her friends, they grew up in a judgemental world of privilege and didn't know how to react or help her. Men she dated never made her feel comfortable enough to tell her story. Others who were, shunned her saying it was too much baggage to handle. Becoming a cop gave her purpose again, made her feel self sufficient, and helped her get her emotions under control. But here she was with Jared who let her show her weakness and didn't think less of her. She turned to Jared and kissed him, lingering for a moment.

"What was that for?" Jared asked.

"For always treating me like I'm worth protecting. For not running away when I told you what happened to me. Thank you." She looked up at him, her eyes watering the slightest.

"Oh Drea," Jared pulled her into his arms, "You're beautiful, and strong, and so fucking resilient. I don't know how you've held it together. How could I run away when you've just told me that despite everything you've been through you've managed to become one of the sweetest and kindest people I know?"

Drea smiled into his shoulder at his words. She replied, her voice muffled,"You're so cheesy and somehow romantic."

Jared chuckled and released her from his tight embrace. But his visage changed. "Now I know what that Kevin guy was talking about and I really should have hit him a few more times before knocking him out. We are not going to any more of your rich people's functions if that's how your friends are going to react. I shouldn't have been the only one defending you."

"Don't be angry, Jared. Trust me when I tell you they are good people. Kevin has always been too egotistical and infatuated with me. They protected me from him and countless others. It's just always been a touchy subject. The rich and privileged don't know how to react to trauma and drama. They bottle it in and keep it a secret. Unfortunately for me, my drama was spread before me or my family could stop it. More detail than I would have ever wanted anyone to know was basically public knowledge in those circles. I don't harbor any ill will towards them." Drea explained. She cupped his cheek, "I would prefer if we spent the rest of tonight on more positive things. I'm a bit tired of all the emotional stuff for now."

"You're right. We can start dealing with all that tomorrow. Tonight is about us. And the first order of business is that I will definitely be sleeping here tonight." Jared said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh really?" Drea said with a smile.

"Yes. First reason being that I'm not leaving you alone now that I know your psycho ex ran you out of your last apartment. Second reason is that I want to spend another night with my girlfriend." Jared replied.

"Girlfriend? I like that." Drea smiled, feeling like an infatuated teenager. Jared was also smiling looking at her with what can only be described as dreamy eyes.

"Ya know. If we weren't so into each other this would be some next level cutesy shit that I normally would gag at," Drea laughed as she finally pulled away and led Jared to the couch.

"Brat," Jared said affectionately as he settled into the couch and threw an arm around Drea's shoulder.

"So what now Lieutenant Vasquez? You had a successful day at work. You comforted a friend, and made that friend your girlfriend. How do you want to end your day?" Drea teased.

"I think you know how." Jared captured Drea's lips in a searing kiss. She melted into his embrace, forgetting all the wallowing and anxiety from earlier. He smelled slightly of cologne and a bit of the food he had cooked for her. He tasted like wine. Her hands snaked their way around his neck as she shifted so she was straddling his lap. Drea and Jared took little breaths between kisses, not wanting to stop. Her nails scratched the back of his head making him groan a little into the kiss. His hands were at her waist, holding them chest to chest.

Drea finally broke the kiss. She knew she was probably flushed with swollen pink lips, her breath coming in short gasps as she looked at him. Jared was also out of breath. She could feel his hands flexing lightly against her waist as if suppressing the urge to grip her tighter.

"Christ, Drea, do you have to look so sexy after kissing me like that?" Jared let out a sigh of appreciation as a smile danced across his lips.

Drea couldn't help but let out a little laugh at the comment. Who knew that not even a month into being partners with Jared Vasquez that she would be dating him and having him call her 'sexy.'

"I don't think this is what Michaela had in mind when she said she wanted us to get along." Jared joked.

"Oh don't worry. Apparently, Mick already approves of us and basically told me to jump your bones yesterday." Drea said, nonchalantly as she started unbuttoning Jared's shirt.

"Wait? She said what?"

"Basically, when you called Michaela looking for me she realized you liked me. And apparently, with all the updates I've been giving her about us spending time together she guessed that I liked you too. I didn't really believe her or acknowledge it until yesterday. I was too afraid about how complicated it would be. But she was rooting for us. I'm still not exactly sure how she will react but I think she will give us her blessing." Drea explained all this as she pushed Jared's shirt off his shoulders and arms.

"So she didn't exactly tell you to jump my bones?"

"No. More like she said I should take a chance."

"But instead you jumped my bones?" Jared said with a cheeky wiggle of his brows.

"Michaela may like the slow burn romance and flirtationship thing, I on the other hand am far more impulsive and pleasure seeking. Like how I am now." Drea responded as she started kissing Jared's neck.

"Uh, damn, it seems like we are similar in that sense," Jared said, losing his train of thought as Drea laved her tongue on a sensitive spot before biting him a little harder. Jared gasped a little but laid back and let Drea have her way with him.

Jared lost all will to continue the conversation. Honestly, he was surprised but relieved that Mick gave her blessing. Out of the two of them, he was always the one who clung to the past. But she was happy and right now so was he.

"Quit thinking so loud." Drea teased as she kissed her way down his bare chest.

A deep chuckle rumbled through Jared's chest, "I don't know if I can do anymore thinking with what you're doing."

"Good."

…..

Ben found Isaac lying unconscious in an alley a day after Michaela's calling. He was badly hurt but Ben was able to get him up and to Saanvi's new lab. He was waiting to hear how the man was doing.

"Ben?" Saanvi called as she opened the door to the small common area connected to the main lab.

"How's he doing Saanvi?"

"He's got a pretty bad concussion but otherwise he's got no broken bones. There's some pretty deep bruising from whatever beating he took and he seems malnourished. There's not much else I can do for him except give him a place to rest and some fluids to get his nutrient intake up." Saanvi replied as she took a seat across from Ben.

"That's good. That's really good. Hopefully we can figure out why Mick had that vision about him when he wakes up."

"Have you told Vance? He has to know more about this guy. You told me he was one of the only passengers you couldn't track down. Why has he finally shown up now?"

"Who knows? I can only hope Vance knows something we don't. I gotta tell Michaela that we've got him here." Ben said as he got up to leave.

"Is she really cutting their honeymoon short for this? It could be nothing. I mean not nothing but like maybe the vision was just for us to save him and not related to everything else." Saanvi looked nervous.

"The callings are rarely that simple. Their flight is already booked. As much as I'm sure they would love to continue their vacation, this might help us figure out more about 828."

"I just have a bad feeling about this Ben." Saanvi said, wringing her hands together.

Ben rubbed her arm to comfort her, "Don't worry. Everything should be alright. Just call me if he wakes up or if anything happens. I'll come running."

"Thank you Ben." Saanvi said. They shared a brief hug and Ben was out the door.

Saanvi made her way back into the lab, past the computer and other equipment into an observation room where Isaac lay on a thin hospital bed. He was breathing normally, and looked gaunt. He gave her such an unsettling feeling that left her blood running cold. Saanvi steeled herself as she pulled his dressing gown down to reveal his chest. A ragged and old scar ran along his chest, spelling out the word "DREA".

…

Drea showed up at the precinct the next morning, an hour before Jared. They had agreed to keep their relationship lowkey for now. Everyone knew Jared's history and he was frankly tired of it and Drea didn't want anyone to think he was favoring her in any way. They might have done too good of a job with keeping their distance. The Captain called them into her office barely two hours from their shift starting.

"Sit down, now." Bowers commanded as soon as Drea closed the door.

"What's up, Captain? We got a new case?" Drea asked as she cheerfully plopped down in a seat.

"You seem rather chipper, Mikami. Surprising since everyone has been coming up to me today talking about how the two of you are about ready to kill each other." Bowers replied with her usual sass.

"Why would they say that? Drea and I have been doing reports since we got here." Jared interjected.

"And that's exactly why everyone has been waiting for a blow up. Y'all went from best buddies to stone cold, won't even glance at the other. Even I know how you both joke around. It was actually nice seeing Vasquez smile at someone other than Stone. So if you two are beefing, get it over with so the rest of the precinct can go back to ignoring your school yard flirting." Bowers ranted.

Drea couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, Ma'am! Will do. No beefing here, just being busy bees. Come on Jared."

"But we didn't even do anything wrong." Jared said as Drea took his hand and dragged him out of the office. Bowers couldn't help but chuckle as the two left her office. She could tell there was more there but if it got Vasquez to stop sulking over Stone she welcomed it.

"Let's grab lunch. If we eat together then everyone will stop being so nosy." Drea suggested as she dragged Jared to her desk. "We could grab some deli sandwiches and go to a park. I need some fresh air after working on these reports all day."

Drea looked at him hopefully and he couldn't help but smile down at her, "Alright. No refusals from me. Some fresh air and hoagies would be perfect."

"Yes! Your treat!" Drea said as she practically skipped out of the precinct with Jared following her, hands in his pockets admiring the energetic woman.

Bowers watched the two leave through the blinds of her office. She realized she was smiling and quickly relaxed her features. As much as she appreciated the dispersion of tension in the office, she was worried about Landon nee Stone and how she would react to this development. With a sigh Bowers returned to her papers.

…

"What do we got?" Michaela asked Ben. They had gone straight to Ben's house instead of stopping at their apartment.

"You're already here? I found him and he's safe with Saanvi right now." Ben was surprised to find his sister and her husband at his door.

"We managed to get an earlier flight. You know how Mick gets Ben. Plus I also got a weird feeling about this guy. He's one of the ones we never got into contact with, right?" Zeke said as he followed them into the garage.

"Yeah. He's also been the hardest to find any information on since we came back. He might as well have not come back with us at all. I was going to put in a favor with Vance and see what he can find out for us. Maybe even ask Jared to look into it. The guy has a record but nothing recent up until the original flight." Ben replied showing them some of the public records he found.

Michaela looked over the man's file, "Robbery with a deadly weapon? Convicted for 10 years and served an additional 5 for stuff he did while locked up. Troubled childhood. But he was meeting all his probation requirements up until we disappeared barring somehow leaving the country. He must have been getting into trouble again and booked it when we landed. I'm sure he thought he would get locked up after violating his parole."

"But we were all quarantined after the flight." Ben said, looking confused.

"Do you think he might have been taken for experiments like those others?" Zeke asked

"Maybe but we didn't find any evidence of him being there and he wasn't among the survivors that Saanvi treated." Michaela replied

"I'll call Vance. Get some rest you two. You just got back." Ben said dismissing the couple.

"We'll head home and then I'll give Drea a call to check if there is anything in the database about him that we don't already know." Michaela said.

"You're back!" Cal yelled from the doorway as he launched himself at his aunt.

"Hey Cal. I missed you. We came back early." Michaela said squeezing the young man.

"Was it because of the calling about that bad guy?" Cal asked, looking around at the adults.

"Cal, you had the calling too? Why didn't you tell me?" Ben said crouching down to look at his son.

"You didn't save him did you?" Cal looked worried.

"Cal what did you see?" Michaela asked, holding the boy's hands.

"Please tell me you didn't save him." Cal squeezed his aunt's hands with desperation.

"Cal, what's wrong? Why shouldn't we have saved him? He's one of us. He was on 828." Ben prodded.

"You don't get it. He should have died! You should have let him die!" Cal yelled before taking off back into the house and into his room.

Ben yelled his name and followed close after him. Zeke and Michaela shared a look. "I need to call Drea and find out more about this guy."

…

Jared and Drea were enjoying some deli sandwiches in a park not far from the precinct when Michaela called Drea.

"Michaela? What's up? You're back already? Why?" Drea shushed Jared who looked concerned.

"Put it on speaker." Jared mouthed to her. She shook her head.

"Hold that thought Landon, I'm gonna put it on speaker since Jared's here." Drea said before doing just that and holding the phone up for the both of them.

"Mick, what are you doing back so soon? Is something wrong," Jared asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Something came up with another 828er. Could you guys do me a favor and see what you can find out about him." Michaela asked. Jared knew she must have had a 'calling' but wasn't sure if Drea knew anything about all that.

"Yeah sure Michaela, whatever you need. It must be important if you came home so early." Drea said, pulling a pen out of her blazer and handing Jared the phone so she could write on her hand. "What's his name?"

"Isaac Fierro," Drea froze. Jared's eyes widened as he looked at his girlfriend immediately worried about how she would react. Michaela's voice continued. "He's got a record and probably shouldn't have been out of the country since he was on parole. But we can't find much about him once he was released from jail or leading up to him getting on the plane."

Drea started breathing faster and grabbed Jared's freehand. Jared squeezed it comforting her as much as he could. "Do you know where he is?"

"Honestly, Ben found him unconscious in an alley. Ya know how he always finds everyone eventually. He was pretty badly injured and we just wanna see if there's anything we need to know about this guy. He's staying under Saanvi's care right now. He's alive and recovering. We hadn't been able to track him down until now and suddenly he's just there. It seems suspicious." Michaela continued. "I gotta go. Get back to me when you can. Thanks you two."

The call ended and finally Drea started having a full blown panic attack. Jared pulled her into his arms and shushed her gently. His mind was racing. What did that bastard have to do with anything besides being a passenger? And of course it had to have a bigger meaning because this whole 828 thing was a giant miracle wrapped in a curse. He would make the man disappear again. If Michaela knew where he was maybe he could do something about him. Make sure he could never come near Drea again.

"Jay." Drea whispered against his neck, her breathing finally slowing down. She pressed her hands to her eyes and wiped her tears.

"Yes, baby. I know you're not okay but I promise I will talk to Mick and make sure we put that guy away. You won't ever have to hear his name again." Jared said as he rubbed her back and lay a kiss on her forehead.

"It's not that simple though, is it? He's part of 828 and now the Stones are involved which means it is all part of something bigger that I still don't understand. Jared please don't tell Michaela what he did to me. I'm not ready for her to know." Drea pleaded.

"I have to tell her something, Drea. You're right it's probably more complicated 828 stuff, and we will probably see this blow up. But I promise you he won't lay a hand on you. You're my girl. I'll die before he touches you again." Jared cupped her cheek, catching another tear as it fell.

"Jared, I'm scared."

"I know, baby. Come on let's get you home, I'll make up an excuse for the Captain. Then you can rest up and get some Mimi cuddles while I talk to Michaela about that bastard," Jared hugged her close for a moment, "It will be ok, Drea. I promise."

…

"Cal? Come on buddy. Talk to me," Ben called through the door. "I've never heard you say something like that, Cal. I'm worried."

The door clicked and creaked open to reveal a red eyed Cal. "Dad."

"Hey bud, wanna tell me what's going on?"

"You shouldn't have save him dad, he's going to hurt her again."

"Her? Her who? Your aunt Mick?"

"You looked him up, didn't you dad? He's a bad guy so why did you save him? He wasn't supposed to survive. He doesn't deserve it. He's going to hurt Drea and Jared and it's going to be all your fault." Cal was practically throwing a tantrum at this point.

"Why Jared? And Drea? Mick's partner? Cal I don't understand what's happening."

"He's going to kill her dad! He's going to kill her and probably Jared too!" Cal finally burst into tears.

…

Saanvi had finally confirmed that Michaela's partner was in fact named Drea and considering how nothing is ever a coincidence when it comes to 828 she had a sinking feeling that Isaac and Drea were definitely not on good terms.

She was wringing her hands as she paced back and forth in front of the hospital bed. He would probably wake up soon and she didn't want to be alone when he did wake up. Saanvi eyed the restraint she had set on the counter and finally made a decision. With shaky hands she restrained Isaac to the bed by his wrists and ankles. They were medical restraints so they wouldn't hurt him.

Feeling reassured in her safety she took a good look at the man. He definitely looked younger than he was which was standard for most 828ers but he had a boyish quality to his features. Grey hairs mixed with dark hair on his head and showed stubble on his face. Saanvi would have called him somewhat handsome with his thin nose and sharp jawline. But his malnourishment showed in his slim frame and the almost black bruises on his body.

Hesitating for a moment, Saanvi brought his bare chest back into her sight. The scar was faint and jagged, definitely self inflicted based on the angle of the cuts and the roughness. She had looked Drea Mikami up and hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. Nothing to connect her to a convicted felon. She came from an affluent family, average but consistent in school and the police academy, no criminal background. Yet here this man was having carved her name into his chest. She was lost in thought when she realized the man's chest was moving faster as he took fast deep breaths as he came to with a jolt.

Saanvi jumped back, suppressing a scream. The man was wild eyed and then let out a groan, wincing from what she suspected was his concussion.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Isaac croaked out. "Why the hell am I tied up?"

"You were injured. I was treating you. You're going to be ok." Saanvi stuttered out.

The man sat in silence, adjusting to the light, flexing against his restraints. Saanvi was worried he was preparing to try and break free.

"Goddamnit!"

Saanvi flinched but didn't make a sound.

"I can't remember." He clenched his eyes shut. "Why can't I remember?"

"You should r-rest. I can tell you what happened when you have more rest. Short term memory loss is common with concussions." Saanvi replied cautiouslty.

"I, " he paused and let out a sigh. His eyes were still shut but when he opened them he now looked uncertain, almost scared, " I can't remember who I am."

...

AN: Sorry I've been MIA. Life got in the way. But the release of the new season has inspired me to continue. Any feedback would be appreciated. I apologize for the filler.