Chapter 9

Eight Years Ago

"Stop! Chicago Police!"

Unsurprisingly, the man he was chasing did not stop.

In fact he ran faster, shoving aside anyone who got in his way as he booked it for one of the exits of the park. But Jay was right on his heels, steadying the few people he could but otherwise leaving it to Peterson to pick up the ones who'd been knocked over. It was bad enough this guy had zero regard for those around him, again not really surprising considering he'd also been dumb enough to snatch a purse directly in front of a couple of cops, but who the fuck stole from a pregnant woman? The injustice burned at him, as did the need to right it and he pushed himself faster, jumping up onto an empty bench so he could use the height to give him an advantage as he then threw himself off it and onto their fleeing offender.

He took him down hard, a damn near perfect spear tackle if he said so himself, and the two went tumbling, ending when Jay quickly rolled on top and used his knee to pin the other man's arms behind his back. "Police! Stop resisting."

"Dude. Did you have to tackle me that hard?"

"Are you kidding me?" Flipping the man around Jay stared at him in shock- he wasn't a man he was a kid, late teens, early twenties at the most. "Yeah I did. You're under arrest."

"Whatever man."

What a little shit.

He had to clench his jaw to stop from responding as he cuffed the boy, his mothers old lecture of 'if you can't say anything nice for mine and the Lord's sake please don't say anything atall' running through his mind as he hauled him to his feet.

"Damn Halstead. All that running in the Army clearly paid off. Good chase."

He huffed a laugh at Peterson and passed the boy over before he crouched down and began picking up the purse and the contents that had spilled out of it when they went down. "If you want I could give you some drills, help you work on your stamina?"

"Ha. No thanks. My stamina is just fine. You can use the rest of yours though to return that before you come pick us up."

"Seriously?"

"You wanna walk him back through the park after all that? Better to wait here where it's easier to keep an eye on him." His partner winked and tossed their squad keys at him, a rarity since with his seniority Peterson was anal about being behind the wheel.

He'd probably make him give them back as soon as Jay brought the car around but it was a nice day and he could use the walk to catch his breath so with a quick grin he headed off to return the purse to its tearful but grateful owner; thankfully the woman's husband had arrived by the time he got there, poor guy had been off grabbing coffee, and after taking a few minutes to explain what would happen next and making sure they were a bit more settled he was off again. All told it'd probably only been about fifteen minutes since the little prick had first snatched her purse, twenty-five by the time he got back to Peterson, who in the biggest surprise of the day actually did let him drive back, though he'd teased him the whole way with his take on his 'heroic deed'. He'd done his best to brush it off but his partner's praise made Jay's shoulders straighten anyway, and damn if Richards nod of approval as they booked him didn't make his chest puff out just a bit.

Ever since they'd gone to see her yesterday he'd been thinking a lot about what Lydia had said and even though he still found it hard to compare what Tess did with what he did it had gotten easier to remember that while different each still had their own merits. Sure sometimes there were days where the only thing he did was direct traffic but if cops like him didn't stand around on street corners then there wouldn't be anyone around to help when it was needed. It was a different kind of combat, but it was just as valuable. And it wasn't like he was planning on spending the rest of his career as a beat cop- he'd do his time with his boots on the ground and then he'd move up the ranks, just like he had in the Rangers. He hadn't set his sights on anywhere in particular yet, though his former FTO Antonio Dawson worked Narcotics and said he loved it, and he'd also heard good things about Organized Crime. Jay thought that might suit him a bit better with his background, and who knew, with Tess working a lot of the same gangs overseas there might even be the potential for some overlap.

It'd be amazing to work with her again.

That thought gave him an uncomfortable twinge, one it took him the rest of his shift to fully understand.

He'd had his chance to work with her.

Tess had offered to get him a spot in the SAC, him and Mouse, and though he didn't know how much thought his friend had put into it Jay had known almost immediately that it wasn't what he wanted. A part of him had been intrigued, not just at the opportunity to work with her but to do that kind of work, to see all the ways he could challenge himself, he just… He didn't want that kind of life. He wanted to be home, wanted to build a home, a real one, for him and for Tess. So that when she came back from saving the world she had a safe place to land. She'd always said she'd understood his choice, that she respected it, and he tried to believe her, but sometimes he wondered.

Did she ever wish he was out there with her?

She probably did, probably the same way he did, and while that made him feel a little better the uncomfortable feeling didn't leave and he didn't think it would until he got a chance to talk with her. And who knew how long it would be till that happened? She'd been gone two days now and though she'd checked in to let him know she was safe and that things were going well she hadn't given him a timeline on how soon she'd be home. He was just going to have to suck it up and wait- she had more important things to do right now. And he- well he didn't know what he was going to do.

Maybe play some video games with Mouse?

Clean the apartment so Tess wouldn't when she got home?

The options weren't all that riveting and by the time he made it back to the apartment he was kind of wishing he'd gone somewhere else, but it didn't take long after he walked inside for him to realize something wasn't right. It was dark, darker than should be for early evening, not a single light on except-

Except for the candles.

Half a dozen scattered throughout the living room, with soft music floating down the hall and a pair of worn brown hiking boots by the door.

Jay booked it to his bedroom as fast as he could, his heart stuttering when he found it empty save for more candles but he quickly backtracked, following that music and the silent laughter he swore he could hear until he reached the bathroom, his heart stopping dead this time when he saw her.

"Hey Ranger."

Tess just grinned at him, so fucking pleased with herself, and he couldn't help but soak in every detail of her face; the barest hint of a tan across her nose and cheekbones and the ever-so-slight circles under her eyes, though any tiredness she might be feeling was clearly overshadowed by how happy she was to be home.

She was home.

Home and safe, and hardly even a scratch on her. There was a tiny one he could spot on the back of her neck, only because her hair was up, a little crescent that looked like someone had tried to dig their nails in but aside from that there were only a handful of small, just forming bruises, so light she might've gotten them bumping into a coffee table, something she did often. Once he'd looked over every inch of her for signs of injury he was able to take the rest in, the way her eyes sparkled and the candlelight cast a glow around her, shimmering across the water and highlighting the lines of her body beneath the surface.

"You didn't use any bubbles."

He didn't realize he'd spoken until a soft blush started creeping up her cheeks but that innocence was belied by the sultry tone of her response. "I wanted you to be able to see that everything was all clear."

Little minx.

"You want to join me?"

God yes.

More than anything, so much it hurt, in his heart and in his pants, but-

"I want to hear how things went first. I'm assuming Mateo is safe and sound at home?"

"He and all the others. Plus a few extras."

Extras?

Her smile turned cheeky, the way it did when she had a story to tell and after a quick glance around, there was no way she'd set all this up and hadn't included wine, he grabbed both their glasses from atop the counter and settled himself in to hear it. It was a tight fit trying to squeeze in between the toilet and the wall and still get close enough that he could touch at least some parts of her but any physical discomfort was worth it compared to the stress of the last couple days.

Jesus, had it only been two days?

He really did need to get his act together.

"Alright. Tell me how, exactly, one ends a rescue mission with more civilians than were taken?"

"When it turns out some of the kidnappers weren't so bad."

Jay felt himself gape but Tess just laughed, even as she shrugged it off- despite being a literal genius she was incredibly awkward when it came to accepting praise.

"Apparently Mateo is just as good at making friends as I am because when offered the choice to keep fighting or make a new life for themselves, a lot chose the latter."

"And who offered that choice?"

Her blush came back, deeper this time and she gave another shrug. "The person with the loudest voice."

No, not just a loud voice. Someone who was willing to use theirs to help others.

Someone like Tess Danvers.

"Are you going to come in now?"

Fuck him.

That was all he wanted, clearly all she wanted, but he still had that uncomfortable twinge in the bottom of his stomach and what he didn't want was to keep shoving it down. He just needed to figure out how to start the conversation, but of course Tess beat him to the punch.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I just-" He blew out a breath and looked her over, unsurprised to find she was doing the same to him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always. And anything."

Her answer, and the immediacy with which she gave it put most of his worries to rest but it still took him a minute to find his voice, and another to push the question out. "Do you ever wish I was out there with you?"

He saw understanding flash through her eyes before he was even done speaking but when she opened mouth to respond she quickly shut it again, this time looking him over slowly as she sank a little lower beneath the water. Jay knew she was taking her time for his benefit as much as hers, that it was a heavy question and she wanted to give it the attention it deserved, but his heart still felt like it was going to jump out of his chest for each of the eighty-eight seconds it took for her to find her answer.

He'd never had as much of a thing about time until she came into his life.

"No, I don't. That's not to say I wouldn't like it, it's just- it's like how I feel about leaving the agency. There are things I would enjoy, but I know it's not my path."

A wave of relief washed over him and in its wake he swore the ground beneath him became steadier. He knew she'd feel that way, the same way he did, but fuck did it make him feel better to hear her say it.

"We've always said to whatever end. I take that seriously. And literally."

God he did too.

More than any promise he'd ever made, more than any he would make, that was the most important.

Whatever their end turned out to be, he'd be with her in it.

"Now will you get in?"

Fuck yes.