Her blood runs cold as she finds the missing link - or a rather small part of the thing that ties together the land that was once the WJ Ranch, the rustlers and her dad's ranch. She scans the documents again and again before telling herself that it still doesn't make sense. She still didn't figure it out - at least not completely.

The mug she was holding close gets placed on the nightstand next to her while she keeps her laptop from falling with her other hand. She leans over to pick up her phone - having a brief internal debate on whether or not she should call him before dialing his number.

He answers on the second ring and she can tell, even though he gives her a simple one-worded greeting that he's worried. It's obvious by the quiet and hushed tone of his voice. She hates that his concern for her is consuming him. It's a thought that has her considering an apology and hanging up. But she pushes the idea out of her head and asks him where he is - wondering if he's at home or at his office. He answers her before she even finishes the question and she nods as if he can see her. Then she lets him know that she has something to show him and that she's on her way.

She's gives herself a once over after pulling on a pair of pants and combing her fingers through her hair a few times. It's a mundane look - she recognizes that but she can't find it in her to care. So the plain grey t shirt and yoga pants remain as she moves out of the room.

A sad smile comes to her face when she gets to the kitchen and sees Nadia making two plates.

"Hey, I was just about to bring you your food." The younger woman says when she realizes that Erin has come out of her room.

"Thanks, but I need to go." Erin shakes her head because she truly doesn't feel the urge to eat.

"You need to eat Erin." Nadia argues with a stern expression on her face.

"I need to get this to Jay." Erin lifts up her bag with the laptop in it to show what she means.

"Fine, I'll just text Jay to get you something to eat." Nadia just shrugs as she picks up her phone, hoping her friend doesn't call her bluff.

Erin wordlessly picks up a wrap off one of the plates and takes a big bite out of it. She has a feeling that her friend is lying but in case she's not, she doesn't want Jay to be anymore bothered or worried than he already is. So she takes another bite, places the wrap back on the plate and raises an eyebrow as if to say Are you happy? as she looks into the deep brown eyes of the woman in front of her.

Nadia shakes her head this time and pushes the plate closer to the edge of the breakfast bar where Erin is standing.

Erin gives in again and takes a few more bites of what she realizes is Nadia's take on a Caesar chicken wrap. But she can only get through about half of it before she feels her stomach churn letting her know that she's had enough, feeling as though her stomach has shrunk after however many days without eating. So she whispers another thanks and lets Nadia know that she's full as she picks up the car keys and her phone. Then she bids her friend goodbye and walks out the front door of the apartment.


She feels a bit anxious and overwhelmed as she moves through the halls of the familiar building. She's not sure if it's from the information she found or the uncertainty of how Jay will react but it causes a tightening in her chest to the point that it hurts. Her breathing accelerates the closer she gets to Jay's office, so she stops to try and calm herself down. It confuses her and makes her flustered because she doesn't know what brought this on. But she braces herself against the wall to her right and closes her eyes as she lets her mind drift off into the past.

She reaches to the side of her bed that is usually empty - knowing that's not the case tonight.Though half asleep she was hoping to pull herself into him and allow the close contact to warm her. But to her surprise her fingers land on the bed - finding the space cold and void of his muscular body. Slowly her eyes open - wondering to herself if he was actually here. She looks around and sees a few articles of his clothing still on the floor and when she moves a little more she realizes that she is still nude. Then she sees the curtains that cover the sliding doors of her balcony, blow in the wind. She can faintly make out his silhouette as she sits up and wraps the sheet around herself before she gets off the bed and goes to the door.

His name is a faint whisper as it falls from her lips as she comes to stand behind him. But he doesn't respond - instead standing still in the hunched over position as he stares out into the night sky. She takes him in - trying to gauge what she should say. But she only becomes more concerned as she sees how tense he is and that his breathing is erratic - similar but also vastly different from how he was before they fell asleep. And even though it's dark out, she can still see the perspiration that has accumulated on his upper body - the moonlight showing the beads of sweat trailing down his sinewy back. But it doesn't stop her from leaning in to press a kiss to both of his shoulder blades. And it's that act that gets him to visibly relax some but his breathing is still far from normal.

She pushes aside the thought of asking him what's wrong and decides to try to calm him down first. He turns towards her and she places another gentle kiss to his chest and then his chin before she pulls back just enough to look into his eyes.

"That's it babe, deep breaths." She nods, deeply inhaling and then exhaling to show what she means. Her hand not holding the sheet around her body moves up to cup his jaw as he copies her breathing.

They stay just like that for another few minutes before either of them says anything. And to her surprise he's the one that breaks through the silence first.

She follows her own instructions from the memory, feeling herself calm as the flashback lingers for a moment longer before fading away. Then she's continuing towards his office - stopping once more when she gets to the door. Her heart is still pounding as she eventually reaches for the doorknob. She notices that her hand is shaking but she ignores it to push the door open. Her shoulders tense when she sees the young brunette standing behind the desk just a few feet away. And she's hit with another memory, the one where she walked in on her best friend and his receptionist kissing. She shakes her head to rid herself of the thought as she takes a step forward and turns to close the door behind her. With a small nod of her head she moves to enter Jay's actual office but stops short when she hears her name.

"I just wanted to say sorry." The other woman says and it renders Erin speechless for a moment - wondering if she's apologizing for kissing Jay or something else. But she doesn't dwell on it before she finds two simple words to reply with.

"It's ok-" Erin can't remember her name but if she was being honest she doesn't really care to learn it. So she gives her the best smile she can muster before once again going towards Jay's office.

"It's not ok. I mean I just lost my dad a few months ago and I can't imagine losing one of my siblings at the same time." Bethany goes a little more into detail and Erin's even more taken aback by those words.

"How do you know about that?" Though she is curious, she didn't expect that to be the first question directed toward the younger woman.

"Jay was telling me about it - about that day." Bethany shrugs as she pretends to be organizing her desk at the same time.

"What about it?" Erin feels herself becoming defensive - feeling the same anxiousness from a few short moments ago return to her tenfold. There's no rationale to her thoughts and that mixed with all that she's been bottling up causes her to quickly become angry.

Bethany was just about to answer when Jay walks out of his office. His facial expression showing just how pissed he is.

"Yes Bethany, please tell us what about that day did I share with you?" Jay cuts in and stops his receptionist just as she was about to continue with her lie. Her mouth hangs open for a second before she closes it and looks between Erin and Jay. She looks somewhat ashamed, her face turning bright red at the realization that she's been caught.

"I-I umm..." Bethany tries to scramble and think of something - anything to save her ass but she stops herself and looks down.

"I too, am curious to know the answer to Erin's question Bethany. Because I don't recall sharing anything about that day with you. So do you care to enlighten me?" Jay presses on as he takes a step forward so he's standing between the two woman.

Erin sees the tall brunette look over Jay's shoulder - almost appearing as if she was looking to Erin for help. But Erin just huffs and shakes her head.

"Don't look at her. I want you to tell us." Jay's voice is deeper now - letting them all know that he's growing more irritated.

"I'm sorry, I saw the article in one of the emails you had sent to you." Bethany all but cries as she dramatically collapses onto her office chair.

It's Jay's turn to huff at her as he too shakes his head. "I warned you before to keep things professional. I took fault for my part and that's the only reason you're still here. But you ran out of second chances the moment you attempted to play your games with her."

He looks back at Erin for a beat before setting his eyes forward again. "Pack up your things. I want you out of this office by the end of the hour. I'll take your keys, phone and laptop right now."

He holds out his hand and it takes Bethany a moment to register what's happening. She cautiously fumbles around the desk before stacking the three items one on top of the other and handing them over to Jay.

He nods as he looks down at the things placed on his hand. "Your check will be sent to your last known address next week."

He doesn't leave any room for argument even as Bethany attempts to apologize again. Jay just turns towards Erin and she nods as she looks up at him through her lashes and then they head into his main office.

"I'm sorry about-"

"Stop. I don't want to hear another apology - especially from you." She tells him and she realizes how harsh that sounded when his eyebrows furrow as he looks at her.

"I would never talk to anyone about anything related to you or your family Erin, you have to believe me."

"I know, I'm sorry for how that came out. I do believe you. What I meant was I don't want to hear it because you shouldn't be apologizing." She takes a step closer to him and then another. Her hand twitches a bit at her side - feeling a certain itch to reach up and cup his cheek but she decides against it and settles for resting her hand on his abdomen.

"I'll admit, I let my anger cloud my judgment - thinking that I was mad at you for confiding in her about my stuff. But I knew deep down you wouldn't do that." She looks down and takes another deep breath before finishing. "Even if or when you find someone you love and trust enough to share everything with. I know you'd never say something to them about my life or family - not without my knowledge." She adds as she moves back a little, only for him to close the gap between them.

He cups her jaw and tilts her head up to look at him. Her eyes are glassy - shining with unshed tears and he sweeps his thumb over the indent of her right cheek where her dimple is as she gives him a sad smile.

She'll admit it hurts when he doesn't reply to her words but luckily her body has gotten used to pushing things down and burying them deep, so that's what she does. Her free hand moves up from his abdomen to his pec and puts some space between them with a gentle push.

"I uh...I was looking more into the case and found the full scanned copies of the deeds." Her voice cracks a little with the words - still not sure how he'll react.

"Deeds to what?" He asks, already forgetting about the deeds he saw when he was looking at her research just last week. Another genuine, confounded expression comes to his face.

"The ranches." She answers as she pulls out the laptop and places it on the desk. He stands almost directly behind her and rests a hand on her hip as he looks over her shoulder.

"But not what links them to this?" He questions - now remembering the partial documents mixed in with her other findings.

"No, that was one of the reasons I wanted to see you. I figured if we both look at it, maybe we'll find it faster."

"What were the other reasons?" He asks with a slight smirk dancing on his lips as he looks into her eyes.

She smiles sadly and looks down at the computer, pulling up the deed to WJ Ranch and turning it just enough for him to see.

He squints his eyes just a little as he leans in and over her to look at the signatures of his dad with Voight's right beneath that. He scans the document a couple times before seeing the date. It causes him to stumble back as he's hit with memories of that day all those years ago - in a way not much different than when the date itself comes every year.

"Is this all you found?" His voice has changed - even he can hear the shift but he doesn't try to say the words again. Instead he just waits for her answer as he continues to stare at the screen from afar.

"I'm going to go talk to your dad." He tells her as he grabs his coat. His words coming off even rougher than before. He pulls her into him a little and places a kiss to her temple before he rushes out of the office.

She nods as she too, looks at the screen - wanting to see what he saw that got to him and her eyes widen again when she sees the date. Her moves are so quick that she almost trips over her own feet as she goes after him. She figures that he must have ran out to his truck because he's already speeding out of the parking lot by the time she gets outside.

"Shit." She mutters to herself as she hurriedly goes to the car she drove here in. Her hand reaches blindly for her phone and glances down to press the redial when she stops at the traffic lights. It comes as no surprise when he doesn't answer and she finds herself wondering if he left his phone in his office before tossing her cellular device to the passenger to seat and refocusing on getting to the ranch as fast as she can.

He slams the truck in park and leans over to get his gun kept in the glove compartment to his right. The safety clicks and he checks the clip before getting out of the vehicle and shoving the gun into the back of his waistband. He lifts his head and instantly sets his sights on the very man he came here to see.

The anxiety she felt practically paralyze her earlier, comes back to her as she speeds to her father's ranch. It seems to take both, a few minutes and forever for her to arrive at the familiar gravel road. Dread filling her the closer she gets to the main house. Then she spots him - seeing him standing tall and tense as he comes to a stop just a couple feet away from her dad, who unsurprisingly appears to hold his ground.

"Jay?" She can faintly hear her dad's gruff voice say as she takes the last couple steps to them.

"What brings you two by?" Her dad questions next and Jay looks back to see who else has joined them; finding comfort in her being there.

"I've been here for over half my life. It's been no secret that I struggle with that day - every fucking year and you knew what happened. You knew him and what he did, and you said nothing."

Hank pulls his hands down his face and sighs - leaving the two people in front of him waiting in suspense for his response.

"I didn't know him - not really." He replies callously and it takes both Jay and Erin by surprise - more so the latter.

"Your dad-"

"Don't call him that." Jay stops him and shakes his head.

Hank huffs and continues. "Your dad and I met through a...mutual friend. And not long after that he came to me for a loan. I had only met him a couple times and didn't trust that he'd get my money back to me, so we - your dad, myself and our friend came up with a plan to guarantee we all got paid."

"He signed over the ranch to you the same day he killed my family and almost killed me. Was that part of the plan?" Jay asks as he stares down his former boss.

"I loaned him money to keep the house. And our friend was planning on staging something that would look like an accident so that your dad would be able file an insurance claim and pay me back." Hank explains and Erin sees Jay grow rigid and she comes to stand right next to him and takes his hand in hers. It doesn't seem to have the desired affect at first but then she feels his fingers tighten around hers - his silent way to let her know he appreciates her being there - by his side.

"Your friend was Jeffrey McGregor." Erin voices, causing both men to look at her.

"And the ranch was collateral in case they didn't follow through or pay you back?" She's already starting to get it and connect the pieces.

"Pat signed over WJ ranch after he drank and gambled away the loan. And Jeff - well he didn't get a chance to set the fire because your family was already gone. Jeff was pissed - started asking me for the money he thought he was owed. Kept threatening to set the ranch on fire up until the moment he was arrested a few years later for arson. Then I bought out the McGregor ranch." Voight shrugs as he looks out towards the mountains.

Erin's eyebrows furrow, now feeling lost again - the pieces that were falling into place starting to come apart once more.

"What did he set on fire?" Erin inquires but it seems like Hank doesn't want to acknowledge her - still avoiding eye contact with both Jay and Erin.

"He was arrested for arson a few years later, so what did he set on fire?" Erin repeats and that's when her dad looks back at Jay and then her. He remains silent as he gives her a quick nod of his head, causing Erin to shake hers in disbelief.

Memories of that day and the days leading up to it flood her mind as she thinks about the storm she thought was responsible for the fire that claimed her mom and brother's lives. Her head spins as she processes the fact that someone set it up and killed them. It wasn't nature - no freak accident but a man that had a grudge with her dad. Her thoughts are still running rampant as she tunes back into the conversation between the two men standing next to and in front of her.

"You sick son of a bitch." Jay grits his teeth and clenches his free hand into a fist.

"No, that father of yours and McGregor were the ones who were sick." Hank yells back and though she didn't think it was possible, Erin feels Jay tense even more.

"Your dad was the one that was so drunk off his ass and so selfish that he willingly agreed to have your mother - his wife killed to get her life insurance. And he didn't care whether or not you and your brother died with her." Hank elaborates and Jay doesn't react - at least not in a way that the older man notices. But the woman standing next to him - looking over at him sees the way his eyes change color and his jaw clenches as he bites the inside of his cheek.

"And your mom-" Hank mumbles and that gets both Jay and Erin to flinch - causing a ping of pain to shoot through their hearts and anger to bubble within them. They each squeeze the other's hand before Jay lets go and steps forward.

"Leave her out of this. This is between Patrick's selfish ass and yours." Jay warns and Hank shakes his head again.

"Selfish? You must have grown up with rose colored glasses kid because your mom was no saint. She was-" Hank doesn't get a chance to finish whatever else he was going to say before Jay steps forward and swings - once and then twice before feeling Erin's gentle touch on his back and he stops but makes no effort to move away.

"You can try to play the victim but you're just as responsible for their deaths - all of them as Pat and McGregor." Jay growls and Hank waves his hand dismissively causing Jay to step forward again.

"Erin stay out of this, I don't need you-." Hank extends his arm, stopping her from getting any closer by pushing her back which only serves to piss Jay off even more.

"Jay." She murmurs as she ignores her dad and looks at Jay.

"Lets go home." She says to him and it causes his red rimmed and usually green eyes to meet her hazel ones. He nods and looks over her shoulder at her dad standing behind her before nodding again and stepping back.

"I didn't come here for you and I didn't stop him for you." She snarls at her dad and he scuffs at that. Her attention goes back to Jay who is still standing behind her - unbeknownst to her he's staying close enough to ensure her safety.

She looks back at the older man, holding her head high despite the fact that she feels seconds away from crumbling. "I stopped him because I don't want him to get locked up for murder like you should be."

With that Erin turns away and goes with Jay to his cabin.

The moment the door closes he collapses onto the nearest piece of furniture - the wooden bench set at the side of the entryway. His chest quakes and rumbles as he tries to keep his composure but soon his tears begin to fall. He rests his elbows on his knees and lets his head fall to rest in his hands as sobs wreck his body. She squats down in front of him and wraps her hands around his forearms - not even realizing that she is also crying. Using his arms she pulls herself up a little and she presses a firm kiss to his forehead and lets her lips linger.

Minutes pass like hours as they let their emotions take over. He pulls away from her roughly and stomps towards the long table placed along the wall dividing the hallway and the livingroom area. That same table - made of solid wood is lifted as if it weighs nothing and thrown against the railing of the stairs. Pieces of wood and shards of glass fly in all different directions as he walks through the surrounding areas like a wrecking ball. She flinches and her tears fall faster with each thing thrown or wall punched. Then just as quickly as he started he stops - falling in a defeated heap on the livingroom floor with his head once again coming to rest in his hands. She uses caution and tries to be quiet with her movements but each step she takes is made known with the crunch and crackle of the mess around them. So she throws caution to the wind and hurries to his side. Her arms wrap around him, with one hand landing on his right shoulder and the other cups his cheek on that same side. She pulls him into her and let their hearts and minds settle.


They made it onto the couch a while ago and they're positioned so that she's lying on him. Her head on his chest and her arm not pressed into his side is resting on his abdomen as he strokes her back with one hand and clutches hers with the other.

She tilts her head up, making no attempt to lift herself off his chest as she takes in his expression.

"I know I should have said this earlier but I'm sorry for the part my-"

"I'm going to stop you there Erin." He almost sounds like he just woke up and if she hadn't been with him for the better part of the day and didn't know that cowboys don't take naps - then she'd definitely guess that he just woke from a quick snooze. There's also a hint of sadness and anger lingering in the tone of his voice and she feels her chest tighten again.

"You know how you said you didn't want to hear another apology - especially from me?" He asks and she nods; still looking up at him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. Like I said to him - everything that happened is on him, Patrick and McGregor. It's not on me, you, our moms or brothers." He pledges and she fists his shirt in her hand as she looks away from him and stares at the fireplace at the front of the livingroom; feeling tears welling in her eyes once again.

She pictures flames glowing in the brick box and her brain becomes fogged as she simultaneously thinks of everything and nothing at all.

"I know I don't talk about my feelings. They have always gotten bottled up or tossed to the side. It's just always been easier to push them down or get out of my head. It's what I'm accustomed to. And with you, you've never made me feel like I have to talk to say what I'm feeling. All we had to do was share a glance or raise an eyebrow to know what the other was thinking. There's really been no need for words." He lamented as she digests what he's said and looks up at him again. His words reigning true when they look into each other's eyes and see what the other is feeling.

"Except for when we first met and you talked so much I thought I might go deaf." He jokes to break up the heaviness of the moment and it pulls a little chuckle from her.

"We have our own, silent conversations. It's our thing. And just beacause I don't say everything that's on my mind, always know when to lean on you or vent to you, doesn't mean that I don't feel like I can. Just because we express ourselves more with teasing or physical touch or pointed looks doesn't invalidate the love I have for you - it doesn't mean that I love you any less. And what you said before about me finding someone that I love and trust enough to share everything with-" He states and she lifts an eyebrow and nods, not because she thought it was a question but because she wants him to continue and see where he's going with it.

"I stopped looking for that person years ago." He pauses again - conveying what he's about to say with his eyes.

"Because I found the person I love and trust enough to share everything with. I don't want or need anyone else because you know all there is about me and yet you're still here - by my side. And I want to thank you for being here for me - not just physically and not just today but every time I just need a distraction or a break from...everything. You're there - just a phone call away." He tells her and she doesn't reply - she doesn't need to as they both lean in and let their lips meet, pouring all they're feeling - everything they have into the kiss. They let the sweet and tender locking of their lips slowly start to heal the aches and pains they've been feeling inside for days, weeks - years.

"You've been there for me before and mean just as much to me. So thank you to you too. There's nowhere else I'd rather be." She whispers to him after they break for air and he gives her a weak smile before leaning back in for a few more pecks. And they spend the rest of the night on the couch. Neither of them getting any sleep - their brains working in overdrive as they try to dissect the events of the day and the information thrown in their faces. Both of them thinking of where to go from here but knowing they'll get through it as long as they stay together.


A/N: I know I've been lagging but I hope this doesn't completely disappoint and answers some questions. As always nice reviews are much appreciated! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice weekend.