Hi, so here is another chapter, I really enjoyed writing this story and this chapter and I hope that you enjoy this chapter too. There will be one more chapter of the first season and then we head into the second where the drama really does heat up.

Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.

I don't know much about the weather in Chicago so if I am wrong then please forgive the inaccuracies.

Please Read and Review and I will get you the next chapter sooner rather than later.

What Lies Buried.

Chapter 5-Revenge Deferred

Bridget has an unfortunate run in with Edwin Stillwell as the team is run ragged by a series of cases. Voight steps up to help the newest member of his team as Jay takes a weekend off, and Antonio is caught in the crossfire of an operation that goes significantly south.

Early March 2015

Jay was going to see Will for the weekend. He called it a chance to reconnect. Bridget called it a booze up in which he didn't want his little sister crashing.

"Careful" Jay said as they were in the Bullpen after he had cleared it with Voight. "I am giving you a long stick here—I could ask Erin to move in with you"

"And as I told you I am not you babysitter and also you don't want me in your place"

That was Erin.

Jay opened his mouth but Erin beat him too it.

"And you don't want your sister at mine. I'd get all the gossip about you and then you'd never be able to hold your head up high"

"Between the two of you I can barely do that now"

Erin grinned.

"Oh calm down Jay. I'm sixteen you've got Erin checking on me at night and in the morning, you know I don't party, you know there's not a boy, you've locked away the booze and the fire hazards and made sure I have numbers for every emergency service in Chicago and how many patrol officers have you asked to swing by the apartment to make sure I am not overrun with gang members?"

"None" Jay said defensively. In truth he had asked three. Al had told him that ought to do it and he had bribed Atwater and Burgess with imported beer and perfume and Ruzek with an extortionate amount of lattes per week.

"Just go and have fun with Will. After the week you've had you deserve it"

Jay hummed but said nothing. In truth she was right it had been one hell of a week.

There had been the bombing at the hospital (and that had been the start of a wonderful set of flashbacks to his time in Afghanistan and then he'd spent an hour trying to get a hold of his sister—who had been at the library—before a madman had Erin by knife point) and then there had been the return of Nadia who had helped them out on a case which had seen the bastard get away and more bodies continue to drop. Plus he was sure there was something going on with Erin and this Charlie guy but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Even now they were waiting for the next bombshell to drop and he felt guilty taking a weekend away but he had holidays days that he was being pressured into using and the truth of the matter was that was he was desperate to see Will. It had been a long time for them both to be able to be together and there was still things that had been left unsaid for too long.

"Fine" he said picking up his bag. "But if I come back and find out that you've replaced all of the steak with some kind of bizarre tofu or something even worse then your back to Pat's."

"That's what scares you. Not the parties that I might be throwing copiously throughout the night?"

Jay checked that Voight was not looking and then he flipped his sister the finger (not that he suspected that his boss would mind that much but appearances you know?).

It was the first night of Jay's mini break and for Bridget it had been going rather well. She'd gotten changed into leggings and an old jumper, she'd tied her hair up in a short ponytail and had started work on a mammoth pizza slathered in red meat (there was something to be said for the classics after all).

She had just been charging her computer up so she could watch a movie when there was a knock at the door.

She paused. Usually people in this building were buzzed up. Jay had not said that anyone was coming by either though Jay being Jay had probably asked uniform to come and check. Either that or Mrs Flores from down the hall had found out she was alone and had brought enchiladas (she had a dim view of what the average young male could do in the kitchen and a soft spot for anyone who had fought for their country). So when she opened the door to see someone totally unknown to her she felt more than a sliver of unease.

"Miss Bridget Halstead?"

"Yes"

"My name is Edwin Stillwell, I'm an officer in Internal Affairs. May I come in?"

Bridget blinked.

"My brother's not here—"

"Oh I know, he flew out two hours ago and won't be back in our fair city for another day and a half. No it's you I wanted to speak to. Invite me in please"

Bridget at a complete and total loss of what to do did just that. In hindsight that might have been very stupid. Jay didn't talk about strangers in your home for kicks after all.

Edwin Stillwell looked around with a smile that didn't meet his eyes.

"Miss Halstead, I'm here investigating Hank Voight. You work for him I believe?"

Not for a second did Bridget believe that he didn't already know the answer to each and every question he was going to gift her with. And she suspected she already knew what her answers were going to be. Hell, maybe even he did.

"Yes I do"

"Yes, Saturdays and Sundays and some nights after school helping with the filing. Most units don't have underage girls working on their caseload"

"Intelligence isn't most units. And I am not most underage girls"

Sidwell sniffed once.

"Hmmm…and have you noticed anything suspicious?"

"Like?"

"Like Hank Voight doing anything the other members of his team were uncomfortable with?"

The truth was yes but there was no way in hell that Bridget was giving him that answer. Right now she was way more on Hank's side.

"No. The team trust him. I trust him"

Sidwell snorted again. "Yes well he has a way of keeping people loyal. Especially when they shouldn't. Let me give you a breakdown of that team. Erin Lindsey should be doing five years in jail right now and that's just the stuff that's public record. Alvin Olinksey should be doing triple that. I know for a fact he's seen Hank Voight kill and bury people that have crossed his friend. As for your brother well…riddled with PTSD apparently. And of course always ready to stalk a man he believes has escaped justice. And even you…what was it? Abandoned by your Mommy on the side of the road and taken home by a man whose never really loved you? Who was late with the adoption papers because he tried to find a way to get rid of you? Isn't that why you are here living with your brother? Because nobody else will love you since your fake Mommy died?"

By the time he was done Bridget was shaking. It wasn't the cracks against the team or even Jay who would be the first to tell her that he didn't give a shit what someone from the rat-squad said to him. It was the cracks against her admittedly complicated relationship with Pat and Mary that got to her. Despite it all she felt like she was close to tears but she held on. She was from Canaryville she was not going to break down because some grass in a three piece suit which probably cost more than most people earnt in a year was being unkind.

"What do you want?"

"Your co-operation"

"Go to hell. And while your on your way there find the door and get out. And if you ever come near me again…"

"You'll do what? Set your cop brother on me? I have ways of making sure that if you do that Jay Halstead will be working traffic patrol for the rest of his career. See if that makes him love you"

Bridget turned on her heel and opened the door.

Sidwell grinning as if he was truly amused by this conversation moved to follow but he stopped and then stepped forwards. Bridget backed up so rapidly that she smacked her back into the wall and then he grabbed her arm twisting it so that she shouted in pain despite desperately wanting not to.

"Your mine little girl." He whispered in her ear. "And I aint going nowhere"

And then he was gone and she dropped to the floor as the door banged shut shaking and clutching her wrist feeling utterly terrified for the first time in her life and feeling as if something terrible had just happened.

How long she sat there she honestly didn't know but soon she realised she had to get off the floor.

Methodically she cleaned up the mess shut down the apartment and it was only when she realised she was in total darkness she realised she didn't want to be here anymore. If Sidwell was telling the truth then he knew that Jay was out of town which meant that anything could happen and clearly—because she was not a cop no doubt—he thought she was easy prey.

Actually come to think of it he was bang on right.

She grabbed her keys and her coat and her boots without even thinking. She shoved her phone in her pocket and even though it was Chicago and it was pitch black and it was the dead of night she staggered out in to the dark and began to walk.

There was something to be said about the fact that she had cash and knew the address of each and everyone of the Intelligence Department.

There was only one she needed.

He was roused from sleep by the knock on the door. Actually it was more a banging and he reached for the shotgun that he kept beside his bed although he knew from experience that if it was someone out to kill him they probably wouldn't knock.

Usually.

He came down the stairs and there was another knock.

"Who is it?"

"It's me" said a female voice. "Bridget"

For a second he stopped dead.

She was here. She was home.

She'd come back to him.

For one glorious second that was what he thought no matter how stupid it was. No matter how impossible it was. She was here, his daughter was here and he knew that despite what he had told Justin he was never really going to give up hope that she was out there and alive no matter how impractical it seemed to be.

He opened the door with fumbling fingers.

It was Bridget Halstead.

She looked from him to the gun and then her eyes widened.

"Jesus what were planning to do? Blow me away into the street?"

He blinked trying to get himself under control. His emotions felt odd…it had been a long time since he had thought that it was his daughter at the door and his heart was still racing as if he had ran a marathon in nothing but a very short amount of time.

And then he took her in.

She was in what looked like clothes that were clearly for home and not for outside her bedroom. She was wearing boots that were caked in snow and mud and her hands were curled into her coat pockets. She looked freezing and she looked…something else as well. Something that was deeply unsettling.

"What happened?"

She looked at him for a second and then—

"That stuff you said about us speaking the truth so that you could lie to us. Is that real?"

"Yes"

"Alright then I just got paid a visit by Edwin Stillwell"

Shit.

He reached out and opened the door fully and she stepped in shivering violently.

"Did you cab it here?"

"No walked most of the way here and then got the subway the rest of the way. I have access to your files so I knew your address but—"

Jesus Christ she'd been walking in this weather? It was still cold at night not to mention bloody dangerous.

"I needed to clear my head a bit" she said seeing the look no doubt that was on his face.

"What did he say? Stillwell?" he asked as he led her into the living room and putting the shot gun down and suddenly she was speaking in a rush.

"He wanted me to know that he was watching me I think. And to see if I would inform on you. I told him to do one and he really didn't like it."

"What did he do?"

She didn't say anything then instead ducked her head down so that her dark hair covered her face but he had seen people try that with him before and he knew tactics when he saw them.

"Bridget"

And then he saw that she was clutching her wrist.

"Show me"

She looked at him then and her dark eyes were filled with something unreadable.

"It's nothing really it's just the shock, he was just there…I didn't even buzz him in and…"

"Show me"

She lifted one sleeve of her coat (and it was a damn thin coat at that) and he saw that her wrist was red with what looked like a bruise forming. One that showed fingers.

That fucker.

Sitwell had gone into the house of one of his team and threatened and then assaulted the underage minor living there. Oh…when Hank next saw him…never mind that he had threatened Bridget who Hank had a real soft spot for if he was being honest.

"Look it's fine" she said though it wasn't. "That's not the issue, he knows stuff Hank"

He grounded himself back to reality.

Fast.

"Like?"

"He said that Erin should be doing five years behind bars with what he knew and Al should be doing triple that and Jay was useless because he had PTSD and I—" she cut herself off quickly and then looked away and Hank thought they had arrived at the crux of the matter. The crux that had seen her come to him at midnight on a cold night in March having walked past god only knows what.

"What?"

"It's nothing"

Considering she sounded like she was about to burst into tears Hank thought that was a lie.

"Hey" he said gently. "You can tell me. You need to tell me, If I have any chance of getting ahead of this bastard then I need to know what ammunition he's using"

"He knows I'm adopted" she said finally. "He knew my birth mom left me by the side of the road and he knew that Pat…Jay and mine's Dad, he knew we had issues and he said that it was because I was unlovable. That the reason the adoption papers were filed late was because he was trying to find a way to get rid of me and that everyone in my life was trying to find a way to do the same"

That bastard.

For a second he was so incensed he couldn't speak. To be honest had she not started crying there and then he was sure that he would have picked up his gun and gone and found the piece of shit and shot him without a second thought but she did and Hank was not going to have this girl who was a part of his team bruised and upset in his living room because of Edwin Stillwell.

That was not going to happen.

Instead he did something that kind of shocked him.

He hugged her.

And then she did something that rather shocked him.

She hugged him back.

She buried her head somewhere between his shoulder and shuddered with some kind of emotion and he shushed her letting her get it all out. It was a tried and tested theory that worked with Erin and eventually Bridget stopped pulling back and wiping her eyes.

"Feel better?" he asked gently and he got a small nod and an even smaller smile in return.

"Now I could tell you that that's utter bullshit but I figure you know that. Jay would walk on nails for you, I should know I'm paying you in order to keep him sane. As for your other brother I reckon he would do the same. As for your Dad…well…not everyone is born to be a parent. Doesn't make it your fault. And as for Edwin Stillwell…I will take care of that"

And he would. Oh he certainly would.

"Don't tell Jay."

He should, he knew he should tell Jay what had happened but she was still looking at him like he was the only solution to her problems and he couldn't…he couldn't take that trust away from her.

"Alright but we've got to be careful about this. I'll take care of Stillwell—"

"He said he owed me" she said quietly. "He said I was his and that he'd make sure I'd break"

"The only thing going to break kid, is his leg. In several places. Trust me."

She laughed at that some of the emotion coming back to her face and he smiled.

"I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again ok? That's why you come to me. Get it now?"

She nodded.

"Alright. Now there's no way in hell your going back to that place right now you can spend the night here take Erin's spare bedroom and tomorrow everything will seem better"

"You sure?" she sniffed. Hank took a moment to imagine what his wife would make of a teenager asking to walk the streets of Chicago at night and grinned.

"Yes, third room on the right, it's got it's own bathroom as well. I'll see you in the morning"

Bridget nodded.

"Thanks Hank"

"Don't mention it kiddo"

When Bridget woke it was in an unfamiliar room under a window that screamed in protest against the wind. For a moment she pushed herself up on her elbows and stared around and then she remembered.

Stillwell. Voight's place. Crying.

"Well done Bridge" she said to the mirror opposite. "Really impressive crying in front of the boss. Sure that will win you points"

But she had to admit it had felt nice. Jay hugged her all the time as did Will but it had been a long time since she'd been hugged as if…as if by a parent. Certainly as if by a father. Pat had never really bothered to hug her, hell the man had told her he had never really been able to love her because she had been someone else's baby first.

Bastard.

Granted the crack his jaw had made when Jay had punched him had been satisfying.

Even as she thought of that she remembered that Hank Voight who had never really known her. Who had had to deal with her turning up out of the blue into his life, his unit and then his doorstep had told her the truth. And she knew it was the truth. It was some half-assed lie that was said to calm down the hysterical teenager. She had trusted him and he had not let her down. Before tonight there were two people she could trust to do that and now there were three.

It was almost she thought as she slid out of bed, almost like having a Dad.

She found her leggings and jumper again and slid downstairs. Now in the light of day she could see this was quite a big house. There were pictures all over the walls and she saw one of a woman with dark hair smiling and laughing in the photo. She suspected that this was Camille Voight who'd been pregnant and then had lost a baby without even getting to hold her. There was nothing of that pain in this photo. Instead she looked like a happy woman.

Tearing her eyes away from her she walked into the kitchen opened the fridge and sighed. She had never really thought that there could be anything worse than Jay's fridge when she moved in with him but clearly she had been wrong.

Really, really, wrong.

Voight came down about half an hour after she did.

"What are you doing?"

"Cooking. Works when I'm stressed. Also, I cleaned out your fridge. You had nothing in there but eggs that were just in date and a hell of a lot of stuff that wasn't"

"Yeah well I usually order take out"

"Oh yeah I saw as much from the high collection of menus there. Seriously even Jay wasn't this bad"

"You know I could have left you out in the street"

"Nah I don't reckon you would."

"How does Jay put up with you?"

"I'm family"

The back and forth honestly made Hank miss having a teenager which now he had to think about it was the one thing that he had never thought he would say. Justin was a pain in the ass, Erin had been a nightmare until she hit graduation and she could funnel her aggression into the job and Bridget…

Well he supposed he would never know but a part of him did wonder if it would be like this, all cheek and banter and breakfast and just simple. It was just easy and he supposed that if someone was walking past it would just look like and Dad and his daughter having breakfast.

"So" Bridget said sliding across eggs and toast across the table as he poured himself coffee and shook away the thoughts of that dark haired baby and the way the world had looked so perfect for just a short period of time.

"What's the plan about Stillwell?"

"Nothing for you to worry about. I'll handle it"

Damn they were good eggs as well.

She stared at him a piece of egg on her fork.

"Huh?"

"I'll handle it. You don't need to worry about it"

"You are not serious. I gave you the—"

"And I will handle it. His problem is me not you."

Bridget stared at him for a long moment and Hank was reminded suddenly and rather eerily of a moment when Camille had looked at him like that, around the same time Erin had come home and Bunny had begun making accusations that he was the father.

God she had been a mess.

Who was she kidding, she was still a mess.

"That new detective's not your mole" she said suddenly.

Hank nearly choked on egg.

"How did you?"

"Your not exactly known for you subtlety you know. And I've spent time with her while you've been out. People think because I don't have a badge and that I'm a teenager I don't pick up on things. Don't make that mistake. Jay and Will do, it's why I work for you and not them."

Hank grinned despite himself.

"Understood. So go on. What have you gathered?"

"Tell me what's going on with Stillwell"

"He—oh for—fine"

It was part a desperate need to know what she knew about the rat in his office and also (though he was not going to admit it) rather amused despite himself.

And so he told her. The thing he would tell Erin or Al or the rest of his team he told the sixteen year old girl who was unsettling him in so many ways, perhaps it was because he could trust her. There was something about her that made it easy to trust her.

Bridget was silent as he talked. And then.

"Wow"

"Yeah"

"So if your not really 'ratting' people out why not tell the rest of the mere mortals that you work with what your doing? Cause I have to admit it looks fucking weird."

"Cause the less people that know the better."

"You're telling me"

"And who are you going to tell? If it was Jay you'd have called him last night"

She tilted her head to the side.

"True" she said nodding. "Alright, here's what I've got, Mia isn't leaking anything. I've seen nothing suspicious and besides she's too friendly and not the suspicious kind but she is having an affair with a man who I am willing to bet my next pay check is married"

"Really?"

"Yeah, she keeps talking about how I shouldn't do what she's done and that waiting for a man is crap, which it is but she's worried whoever this man is, is not gonna leave her alone. He calls maybe two, three times a day. Names Ed from what I can gather. If that's Stillwell I don't know but she's in love with him not gathering information to him. Seriously she's seen nothing the rest of the team hasn't seen and a hell of a lot less whenever you're in the room. And she is really desperate to please. Like pathetically desperate. My guess she wants a team that wants her and she's not going to get that if she reports to IA."

She leaned back grinning.

"Admit it, your impressed"

"I am not"

He was. Very.

"Liar" she said crunching on a piece of toast.

"You keep your eye on the office, I will handle Sidwell and when this is done we will never mention it again"

"When you say handle—"

"Nothing you won't lose sleep at night for"

"Okay…but isn't ratting out the rat kinda being a rat myself"

Hank took a moment to dissect that sentence.

"No. It's telling me the truth so I can lie for you. Now when your done I'll drop you back home"

He took it back actually. Teenagers were fucking exhausting.

That being said it was one of the best mornings he'd had in a long time.

And if Al asked him why on Earth he was smiling when it was clear Pulpo was going to be out of prison then that was his business

Jay came back Sunday night. Monday morning was a teacher day and so Bridget hopped a lift and came with him and stepped into an almighty row.

Ruzek who could be bribed with a questioning eyebrow and a cup of hot coffee told her about Pulpo coming to help them on a case.

"I wouldn't go in there if I was you" he said jerking his head in the office as Antonio with a commander Bridget had never met and Voight were rowing. Antonio it seemed was doing a wonderful impression of a windmill with those arms flapping around.

"Not unless you want your head bitten off"

Bridget dithered. In truth she did want to find out just what the hell was going on but she was still kinda on thin ice with Antonio after she had kicked him in the balls (and Jay had laughed and laughed when he had heard that story)and Will who had been part of that conversation via skype had winced and then whistled his appreciation, and Bridget remembering what Stillwell had said found that Voight was right. Her brothers, both of them did love her.

Just then the door opened and everyone scurried.

"It's like when Mom and Dad are having a fight and the teenagers get caught" she muttered.

However the Commander seemed to have heard her.

"Whose this?"

"Err…that's my sister Bridget sir" Jay said shooting Bridget a look that told her to be quiet…or else…

"And she's here why?"

"I work here when I can?"

"Doing what?"

Jay groaned softly.

"She helps with the filing" that was Voight and he cut across Bridget's reply of she was the tea girl.

"Coffee Commander?" she asked as sweet as sugar.

Jay peered through his fingers to glare at her.

"Filin—No. I don't wanna know. Don't wanna know"

And then he was gone.

"I am leaving the milk in the fridge until it becomes cheese" Jay said.

"Don't joke about that."

"Seriously I will hide it so you don't find it"

"Jay!"

"I don't see the whole point of expiration dates" Adam mused into the row and effectively sending everyone's glances to him. "I mean it's just a date. Not really important is it? I mean chicken's, chicken"

"How the hell are you still alive?" Al began but Antonio apparently had had enough and slammed his keyboard down.

Hard.

Jesus man needed a vacation Bridget thought. She didn't say it because she was fast but she had a crappy knee on a good day and she was sure he could toss her like a football if he so wanted.

"Pulpo is downstairs."

"Not you" Voight said pointing at her.

"I kinda need to tal—"

"Not you. You stay up here until the bastards in cuffs. Whatever it is it can wait"

He shot her a warning look and she took that to mean that no he was not going to have this conversation here and she sat down sensing when an argument was lost.

Jay shot her a look as he headed down.

"Hey boss how did you get her to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Sit down, shut up and not cause trouble. Cause Will and I gave up on that when she was five and she brought home a stray cat that I'm pretty certain had rabies and hid him in the garage so if there's a way…"

"Years of practice"

Huh.

Erin had paused dithering. Charlie was such…a toxic topic with Voight that it was hard to explain what was going on without him hitting the roof.

There was a knock on the door.

Bridget.

"Look can we talk?" she said looking at Voight who was wearing an…unexpectedly gentle look on his face. Like the one he reserved for her or for Camille or for when he was thinking about his daughter and she knew not to disturb him. She hadn't realised that Bridget had become one of the chosen few to get that look especially in so little time. It was nice she supposed. Strange but nice.

However whatever it was, whatever it was, was interrupted by a loud popping sound that was made three times.

And Erin knew what that was.

Gunshots.

And she knew where it was coming from.

From the cage, when Belden was, where Pulpo, his wife and his child were, where Antonio was.

For a shivering second everyone stood there and then they were moving.

"Stay in here" Voight said shoving Bridget back into his office and she went her eyes on Jay as they ran down the stairs. Half of the precinct was out but it was clear what had happened, the Lieutenant was dead, three officers were dead, Antonio was alive but barely and Pulpo was gone.

It was carnage, pure, thick and fresh carnage and Erin caught Jay's eyes and saw the utter horror reflected back and she saw Hank's and felt with a swoop of anxiety the look on his face that she knew from experience came before a murder.

And there you go, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that the next one will be as good as the next one.

Next Chapter-As we reach the end of the Season One arc-Stillwell returns, Hank may, may, commit murder to keep Jay's sister safe, Al has opinions, Pulpo takes a trip to the docks and as she lays dying Camille Voight wants a promise from her husband about her daughter that will define his actions well after she has gone.