Another chapter, so soon! I know I was inspired so I just wrote it out. Please enjoy and thank you to whoever reviews. It really is very encouraging.

TW: Mentions of sexual assault and drug use. Brief and concise with very little detail.


Jared lay awake for a moment. It was past 9 AM and he could hear his cell phone ringing repeatedly downstairs. He turned to his side and took in the face of the person laying next to him. Jared couldn't help the smile that creeped onto his face as he gazed at his partner. The events of the previous night played in his head. Sleeping with Drea was not something he was opposed to but he didn't think it would happen so spontaneously. What were they now? He hadn't taken her out on a date. But he knew he didn't want this to be a one time thing, and neither did she based on her words last night. He cared about her, he knew that much. She made him feel something. It was something different than he felt for anyone else. Jared knew one thing though, he couldn't let this chance slip away.

He turned to his side and brushed hair out of Drea's face. She was sleeping soundly, the covers pulled up to her chest, exposing her shoulders. Jared pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead. She didn't wake up but took a deep breath before relaxing into his arms. He kissed her shoulder a couple times and revelled in the smell of her hair.

The incessant ringing of his cellphone told him that he needed to get up. He wasn't one to pull a 'no call, no show' but even then the captain wouldn't blow up his phone like this unless something was going on. He did his best not to disturb Drea as he got out of bed and pulled on his briefs and his pants from the day before.

He caught the next call right as he made it to the living room.

"Vasquez! Where the hell are you?" Captain Bowers practically yelled through the phone.

"Sorry, Cap, I meant to call in today."Jared said, sounding a little apologetic.

"Like hell you are! Lieutenant, we have a hostage situation that involves three separate highschools. I need all hands on deck. I will send you the address of the school you are assigned to and you better be there in the next 20 minutes or so help me-that promotion will disappear!" Bowers ranted.

"Yes, Captain, I will be right there." Jared said, now realizing the gravity of the situation. He hung up the phone and turned to find Drea making her way down the stairs. He met her gaze and felt his heart start to race.

…..

Drea woke to the sounds of Jared talking on the phone. She sat up, gathered Jared's clothing and pulled a big t-shirt from a drawer to throw on before heading downstairs. As she descended Jared hung up and looked up at her. Their eyes met and Drea felt a flush travel from her chest to her face. He made his way to her and met her at the bottom of the stairs. Before she could say anything he cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Hey sleepyhead. Good morning." Jared said as his hand travelled from her cheek down her arm and took her hand.

"Good morning." Drea said as she handed him his clothes. She didn't know why she was feeling so shy. After everything last night she didn't know where they stood.

"Hey, you okay?" Jared asked as he took the clothes from her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Barely awake honestly. Was that the Captain? Are you leaving already?" Drea asked, realizing she didn't want to see him leave just yet.

"Drea, baby, I gotta go. The Captain is pissed and there's a big situation with some highschools going on. I still have to stop at my place for some clothes before I head out there." Jared said as he buttoned up his shirt. Drea watched him for a moment.

"Is everything ok? Should I go too?" Drea asked, finally processing what he said after he called her 'baby'.

"No, it's fine. Handle stuff with your parents. I'll call you when I can and I will be over later so we can talk. Okay?" Jared said as he put on his jacket and turned back to her.

"I can handle my parents. Just please be safe, Jared." Drea said, looking up at him. Things are different now. She couldn't hide how much she cared about him.

"I will. I gotta make it back to see my girl right?" Jared said with a smile and a wink.

Drea laughed, feeling some of the pensiveness dissipate. "Hey! You haven't even asked me if that's what I want."

"You wanted me last night." Jared said, his voice dropping lower as he took a step toward her, making Drea's mind flash back to their previous activities.

"Naughty." Drea replied and that part of her that had teased him the night before came back out for a moment. She pulled him to her level by his tie and spoke against his lips, "Maybe I just wanted a taste of what made Jared Vasquez seem so irresistible."

"Exactly, I am irresistible and you were not resisting."

"Neither were you."

"That's because I wanted you too, remember. And I still do." Jared said before he pulled her close and kissed her, taking her breath away.

Drea pulled away reluctantly. "Go, before the Captain calls again and you become a lowly detective like me."

Jared chuckled, then affectionately ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face. "I'll see you tonight. We definitely need to talk, but I promise you Drea, I care about you and this isn't some fling or hook up."

"Same for me. So don't go pining after any of your exes or I might have to kick your ass." Drea said as she watched him slip his shoes on and open the door.

"An ass kicking from Drea Mikami doesn't seem too bad." Jared laughed, "I'll see you later. Text me about how things went with your parents."

"I will." Drea replied. Then Jared was gone and she was alone in her new apartment with a lot to think about before she was to leave to see her parents.

…..

She was there to have lunch with her parents to talk about what happened at the fundraiser. But instead of listening to her, her mother was berating her.

"Drea! How could you just run off with that man? Is he even really your coworker? Did you go off and sleep with him too? You should have apologized to Kevin for running off and for your so-called coworker assaulting him in front of everyone!" Her mother ranted.

Drea tried not to let her mother's words get to her. Her mother never really trusted her and trusted her even less after her past with Isaac so this wasn't a new response. She was surprised at her father though. He was sitting quietly, looking sternly at his wife. He hadn't yet said a word.

"Mom, Kevin was basically assaulting me at that point. He deserved what Jared did. Kevin isn't some perfect angel just because he works with Dad and has money," Drea snapped back.

"You need to stop being so stubborn, Drea! No man will marry you at this rate. Maybe Kevin was right. If they knew you were so -"

"So what, Mom? Do you think I'm tainted and disgusting because of what Isaac did? Do I have less value now? What about you mom? This is your second marriage so don't you dare come after me about purity or eligibility. You're lucky that Dad puts up with your bitchy attitude," Drea was standing now.

"How dare you!" Her mother was aghast.

"Enough! Both of you. Apologize to each other right now. Eileen, don't ever make Drea feel like she is lesser because of something that was done to her or even something she did willingly. She is an adult and I trust her and so should you. Drea, I love your mother and didn't care that she was married to your birth father before. I love her and yes I put up with her attitude occasionally but I do the same with you." Akimitsu commanded, silencing both women.

Drea was the first to sigh, sit, and apologize to her mother. Eileen soon followed suit. Her father sighed and rubbed his face.

"Kevin will no longer be allowed near Drea and will only be considered a business partner until the end of the company contract. Otherwise I want nothing to do with him. As for Jared, he is most definitely a lieutenant and cares about our daughter. But the two are adults and can have whatever relationship they see fit. Eileen, stop trying to dictate her life and trust her for once. I know I trust her not to make the same mistakes she made when she was younger," He said looking at the two women.

Drea's heart warmed at her father's announcement. He was right as always, calm, and the peacemaker. Her mother looked defeated but finally looked up at her without the facade of a CEO's wife and instead the mother of a young woman.

"Drea I just want the best for you. The world is scary. Men are scary. I don't want you to be left alone, with nothing."

"I know mom, and I won't let that happen either."

"Are you and that lieutenant together?"

"No. Not yet. We like each other but we are just treading carefully."

"That's all I really ask, Drea. Just be cautious, don't throw it to the wind like before."

"Never. I learned my lesson." Drea felt a shiver run down her spine at the sudden assault of memories. An awkward silence fell over the table as they all thought about the past. How a seemingly innocent relationship devolved into pain and violence. Not wanting to fall deeper down that rabbit hole Drea coughed and refocused her gaze at her father.

"Finally, some peace. Now let's actually eat. I have some business meetings later and I'm sure Drea has some more things to handle with her new apartment," Akimitsu said with a smile, waving the butlers in to serve their first course.

By the time Drea left she was in a contemplative mood. There hadn't been a blow up like that since 828 came back 2 ½ years ago. And things had been quiet until recently. She couldn't bear to tell them about the phone calls, notes, and items Isaac had been leaving her. Why he didn't come find her as soon as he returned, she didn't know. But it seemed more sinister now that time passed. She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts plaguing her mind. She had other pressing matters to deal with that were much more positive.

Drea had her head down, texting Jared, as she walked down the street towards her car. Parking downtown was always horrible so she was a couple blocks out. It was as she passed an alleyway that she was pulled in and pinned to a wall. She instinctively lashed out until she recognized who it was.

"Jacob? What the hell are you doing here?" Drea looked at the former drug dealer with a look of relief and disapproval. His once shaggy brown hair was trimmed short and he looked healthier than the last time she had seen him. Which was over 5 years ago.

"Hello to you too, Dre." Jacob stepped back, giving her room to breath, but he still looked around surreptitiously.

"I thought you left New York, Jacob."

"I did. I was living my best life in the midwest running an honest mechanic business. Even moved states once 828 came back to keep a low profile. But he came looking for me. I don't know how he found me, Dre. But once I saw him I knew I had to warn you." Jacob looked at her with worry. "He's worse than ever, Drea, he's not right in the head. He kept saying he was seeing things. That God was making him suffer and it was his job to find the people who had to suffer with him. I didn't tell him anything. I actually ditched him in the middle of nowhere. But you know Isaac. He found a way back."

"What else did he say, Jacob? Did he mention New York?" Drea knew she was probably pale, and if it weren't for her training she might be panicking, but she needed to know more.

"He said he was brought back to repent and that everyone involved had to repent too. Isaac is trying to gather everyone from before. But with all the 828 stuff he can't leave the country so he's going after everyone who stayed stateside. Drea that's basically just you and me. He said we had to repent before God so that he would no longer be in purgatory. He's crazy, Drea." Jacob was stuttering his way through his explanation.

"Did he hurt you? How about Maya and the kids?"

"He killed them, Dre. I barely got away."

"Oh my god. Jacob, I'm so sorry." Drea said, taking his hands.

"I have a flight out of here tonight. Come with me." Jacob pleaded. "You're more like a sister to me than he is my brother. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can't leave. There's stuff here I can't leave behind, and you know me and my family. I can't be hidden. I can't go off the grid."

"Isaac wants to kill you, Drea. I won't be here to save you. Not like last time. I don't even think I could if I tried," Jacob looked her in the eye, weary from his losses.

"I'm different than I was last time, Jacob. I'm stronger now. I'm a cop. I have connections. Just go and take care of yourself. I can handle myself," Drea insisted.

"Dre, I know you're strong but you can't handle him alone."

"I'm not alone. I promise. You should go. Just contact me when you arrive wherever you're going."

"Alright, take care Drea. Please be safe." Jacob pulled her into a hug, tears in his eyes. Then had her leave the alleyway before him.

Drea was in a trance as she made her way back to her apartment. She left her shoes, purse, and jacket strewn haphazardly at her entrance way. The sound of her dropping herself like dead weight on the couch echoed in the empty apartment. He was coming for her. She knew it was bound to happen. He had already chased her out of her other apartment. But to know that he had killed Maya and his own nieces and nephew made it all too real.

She felt the tears come harsh and fast. Soon her body was wracked with sobs as she remembered everything Isaac had put her through.

….

She was young, barely 21, finding herself, learning to love herself. And she was desperate for love. It was more than halfway through 2012. Young Drea had been dumped not even three months earlier by her first real boyfriend. Now she was back on dating sites, going on dates, when a man 7 years her senior messaged her. He wasn't her type and she told him so. Surprisingly, he challenged her and said types were overrated and to give him a chance.

The month that followed included meeting Isaac, an older latino man who had gotten out of jail recently. There were a lot of reasons for her not to give him a chance. But he convinced her, made her feel like she was overreacting. Drea knew a couple people who had been to jail, granted they were all white collar crimes and worked with her dad. But Drea was just so enamoured by how much he wanted to date her, and be with her, and love her. So she let it slide.

She let a lot of things slide back then. When he told her he was actually 34, and again when he admitted he was actually 38. When he accidentally sent her a gym selfie in a group text with another girl. When he got drunk at her graduation party and nearly hit her in a drunken rage.

She convinced herself not to hold grudges when he would flip her skirt in public or try to grope her in front of his friends. Young Drea even tried to get him help when she thought he was having a schizophrenic episode and teach him about mental illness. She loved him more than she thought she could love anyone. Drea was enamoured. Making him handmade gifts, buying him clothes, sneaking around to see him when her parents disapproved. Drea met his family who loved her, his brother Jacob who was a reformed drug dealer was thankful that she was helping his brother get on track. Drea saw Isaac with such rose tinted glasses that she was nearly blinded when they came off.

When he admitted to using hard drugs to get through the day, Drea was finally able to see how wrong this all was. He said he did it so he had the energy to see her since his schedule was so different from hers. He explained it away saying he wasn't getting enough attention and didn't like how he felt when he was alone. Isaac made her feel guilty. But she loved Isaac, she thought she was going to marry him. So she stayed.

But the meth was going to his head. He was always paranoid and angry. He accused her multiple times of cheating on him and she would beg for him to realize that she wasn't. She worked even harder to make sure he knew that she loved him. But his drug induced episodes were getting worse. Eventually he attacked his step-father. When his family kicked him out she kept his stuff in her apartment, against her parents wishes. Drea wanted to make sure he knew that she was there for him even if his family wasn't. She got him into rehab, a sober house, even helped him get to his probation appointments. They had been dating just over 6 months and she felt like she was taking care of every aspect of Isaac's life. She was giving him money, keeping his things, putting her schooling at risk because she would go to him whenever he called. He had her tethered to him.

When he ran from his sober house one night in another drug induced fit of paranoia she had met him at a motel, got him a room, and he had sexually assaulted her. Drea remembers that moment vividly. She loved Isaac at that time, but wasn't attracted to him in his drugged haze. Drea had tried to stop him but he was stronger and bigger than her. When her protests didn't stop him she stopped fighting. That haunted her for a long time after. Years of therapy, the only thing that made her accept that he was at fault.

Finally, she had told him to come pick up his things at her apartment. Weeks of fighting had worn her down and she was done being his girlfriend. She told him she was his friend and would help him but she didn't want to be with him anymore. Isaac had clung onto her and cried for an hour and she did the same. A part of her still not realizing what a horrible person he was. They fought on his way out that day, he hit her hard across the face when she finally insinuated that she deserved better. That act of violence against her was the last straw and Drea was finished with him. She cut him off.

For weeks he blew up her phone. He tried to find her at school and her part time job. He would leave horrible messages for her. She learned quickly to delete them. It was after a night out with her friends that she came home to find that Isaac had broken into her apartment. He was ready for her and knocked her unconscious.

When she woke up she found herself in an abandoned house. She could tell by the smell of the place and the general disrepair of the room she was in. She could hear people downstairs and the sound of footsteps coming up to where she was. Drea was cuffed to a bed by her legs, stripped to her underwear. Isaac opened the bedroom door and stared down at her. Drea screamed and heard laughter in response, from both Isaac and whoever was downstairs. Isaac assaulted her again but this time she fought so hard she cut his face and he hit her hard enough to knock her out.

It went on like this for almost 2 months. She learned over that time that it was a meth lab on the first floor. Isaac had gotten into a drug dealing scheme. Drea was used by anyone he let use her and there weren't many. Most didn't want anything to do with the rich kid hostage, a couple of the younger ones even brought her water and bites to eat when Isaac wasn't around. He wasn't the head of the little cartel but he was definitely high up the rankings. It wasn't until Isaac brought Jacob over to the house that Drea saw a glimmer of hope.

Jacob was concerned when his brother told him about his drug dealing, but when he saw the lab he knew it was much bigger than he was prepared for. But when he saw Drea, the innocent and sweet girl who had loved Isaac, cuffed and naked on the bed he lost it. Jacob got into a fight with Isaac until Isaac's colleagues helped kick him out. Jacob had made sure to yell back that he would get Drea out of there. Drea hoped he could but didn't expect it. She had accepted her fate.

She didn't find out until the day he left that Isaac would be traveling in secret in the Caribbean to recruit some mules and other small cartels. When he left she was relieved but also hoped she died before he returned. Little did Isaac know that the rest of the dealers had turned on him already. They cleared out as much of the lab that they could and stole away with the product. The young ones with some guilt left in them had let Jacob know that Drea was still there.

Jacob was ultimately the one who saved Drea. She was in the hospital for a week when Jacob came to visit her with bad news. Isaac had heard what had happened and wanted Drea back. The authorities were prepared to ambush Isaac at the airport but instead the plane he took from Jamaica disappeared. And Drea had time to heal and move on.

When 828 returned she was terrified. The spectacle of it made everyone forget or cover up the fact that a known felon was on the plane. But when Isaac didn't resurface and ultimately disappeared once the NSA had control of the plane, Drea breathed a sigh of relief. In the back of her mind was a note to be on the lookout for his return. Over 2 years later her nightmare was coming true.

…..

Meanwhile, Jared was dealing with a multi-location terrorist attack. Some radicalized highschoolers had gone after their 828er classmates at each school. By the time he arrived the parents had also arrived at the scene. It was chaotic, X-er rhetoric was rampant as well as 828 support. By the time it was all taken care of with no children hurt and several parents arrested for incitement along with their armed children, it was nearly 5pm.

Jared was tired, excited, and nervous. Today was an overall success but he still had to have that talk with Drea. He checked his phone and was disappointed to see no missed notifications. Drea had to have met up with her parents already. Jared made his way to his car and called Drea but she didn't answer. Worried that she was closing him out again, he headed straight for her apartment.

When he opened her door he immediately noticed her shoes, bag, and jacket. The apartment was dark and quiet. He pulled out his gun and called out, "Drea! Is anyone there?"

He hit the lights and scanned the room only to see Drea curled up in a ball on the sofa, sleeping soundly. Jared felt the tension leave him. He holstered his weapon and chuckled to himself. The lunch with her parents must have tired her out. Jared stayed quiet as he slipped his shoes off and hung up his coat. He sat next to her on the couch and brushed her hair gently out of her face. Drea's face was streaked with dried tears.

"I guess it was a hard lunch, huh Drea. You even forgot to text me," He lightly wiped her cheeks and the crinkle in her brow faded. He decided not to wake her and instead chose to cook them dinner for their talk.

Jared would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous about Drea's response to him wanting to date. Yes, he had decided he wanted to do it right and ask her out. I mean they had basically been going on dates since they got partnered up, but hopefully there would be more fun involved in the future.

Jared had just finished plating their pasta and opening another bottle of wine when he heard Drea groaning in her sleep. As he made his way to the couch he caught words between the noises; "Stop it," "I don't want to," "how could you."

Drea was struggling in her sleep and tears were leaking out of her shut eyes. Jared nimbly jumped over the back of the couch and pulled Drea to him. "Drea. Drea! Wake 's me. It's Jared. Baby, wake up."

Drea pushed at his embrace but finally opened her eyes, a crazy look of abject fear in them until she recognized who was in front of her. "Jay?"

There it was again, the nickname. "Yes, Drea, it's me. I'm right here. I've got you."

Drea threw herself into his arms sobbing uncontrollably. Jared could do nothing except hold her. She weeped until she was red in the face and had left a wet spot on his shirt. When she calmed enough he grabbed a glass of water before returning to her side, pulling her into his lap and telling her to drink. She obeyed and curled into him.

"Drea, what happened? What's wrong? Is it your parents?" Jared asked carefully.

"No, no my parents are fine. We worked it out and they aren't mad. Something else happened." Drea choked on her words. Jared rubbed her back and shushed her. "There's a lot going on and I'm still processing it."

"Just breathe, Drea. You're okay. I'm here for you. If you wanna cry some more you can," Jared said gently.

"No, I'm done crying. There's no point to it. I can't wallow in it, it won't change anything or make the problem go away. Just give me some time and I'll tell you," Drea said as she rubbed her face with her hands.

"It's ok. You can tell me later. But I want you to eat and drink and feel a little better. We can wash up too ok. I cooked for you, baby, and I don't want you to miss out." Jared said, trying to cheer her up.

"Baby?"

"What? Would you prefer 'darling'? How about 'beautiful'? 'Mami'?" Jared joked.

Drea laughed and finally smiled a little, "Are you asking me out, Vasquez?"

"Drea Mikami, I'm not just asking you out, I'm asking you to give me a chance to make you mine." Jared said smoothly, cupping Drea's cheek.

"And you cooked for me, Papi?" Drea asked, a teasing tone in her voice even as she sounded stuffy from crying.

Jared couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. "Don't call me that. Please. And yes, baby I cooked for you. So let's eat and you can tell me what is bothering you or don't. I don't wanna push you if you aren't ready."

"Jared, you sexy man. Thank you. And yes you can date me and make me yours if it involves more of what we did this morning." Drea said, wrapping her arms around Jared's neck. She kissed him chastely on the lips before deepening the kiss. She pulled away and looked up at him. "Thank you. I need a bit of time and I will tell you everything. No secrets. I promise."

Jared ran his finger down her cheek and nodded. They got off the couch and over to the table Jared had set for them. The food was now significantly cooler and less 'al dente' than he had planned. But Drea enjoyed it all the same.

"You're a real romantic, aren't you?" Drea teased as Jared cleaned up their dinner and poured her another glass of wine. Drea was thankful for the alcohol that was calming her jittery nerves.

"What can I say, it's the Latin blood in me," Jared replied. Once everything was washed and put away he led Drea back to the couch and told her about his day, hoping to distract her further from whatever was bothering.

Drea listened intently, revelling in Jared's full attention. She had to tell him. He would be able to help her, he would understand. So when Jared finished up his story she took his hand and looked at him seriously. Then started to tell him about everything, from lunch today, to everything that happened before 828 disappeared. Drea hoped that it wouldn't make Jared feel differently about her.

…..

Michaela braced a wall of the museum they were in as the calling took her over. She lay in an alleyway as someone kicked her in the stomach.

The body she was in groaned in pain and tried to defend itself but a second assailant joined the brutal assault. A deep voice cried out, "Get off me!"

"You're 828 scum. You think you can just roll back in here Isaac? We know about you. You're a freak. Always were but now you're practically an alien," One of the attackers said.

"We should just kill him. He won't be missed," The other said.

Then suddenly Michaela was back in her body with Zeke covering her from view saying she was having a panic attack. Zeke helped her up and they left the museum in a hurry.

"What did you see?" Zeke asked as they got into their rental car.

"An 828er was getting beaten up and maybe killed by some guys. It was an alleyway. One of them called him Isaac. I have to call Ben. We need to save this guy." Michaela said, worried and scared for the stranger in her calling.

She made the call once they were in the privacy of their hotel room. Ben had also had the calling but was in the place of one of the assailants. Ben recognized the name as Isaac Fierro, one of the passengers he hadn't been able to locate. As far as they knew he was coming back from a trip in the Caribbean. The man had a record but served his time, went to rehab, and was on the straight and narrow for a couple months before the plane went missing. Any other information was out dated or not public record.

"I'll see if I can have someone look into him at the precinct. Until then see if you can find out where this is supposed to happen. But don't do anything risky until I get back." Michaela warned her brother then hung up.

"So I guess we have to cut the honeymoon short?" Zeke asked, knowing the answer.