"So what have we got now?"

"Unit's got a tip from some drunk they picked up last night saying TJ Murphy has been at this address here for the past couple weeks."

"Bumming off a friend's couch or a girlfriend?"

"A friend. Apparently he used to work NY with a friend of yours."

"Tolliver…"

"You guessed it. Maybe if we can catch this guy we can get some answers out of him."

"Lee, we need this lead."

"I know. We'll get him, Beth."

With the sirens off so as not to alert anyone, they drove into the section where Murphy's friend's apartment building was located.

"Lee, check out that news stand at the corner there."

He parked the car and looked. That's our guy alright. Ready for this?"

"Let's go."

…..

"Mr. Murphy?" Lee called out. "May we speak with you?"

Seeing the two officers, Murphy tossed his coffee and took off running across the street.

"Let's go!" Elizabeth yelled as she took off after him at full speed.

This guy was fast. He wove in and out of traffic faster than Elizabeth or Lee could go. They had trouble keeping up.

"What was this guy a sprinter in high school?" Lee groaned as he ran.

"Quarterback!" Elizabeth yelled. "I read his background. He has a weak left knee." She picked up the pace a little. They needed this break.

They crossed the busy street and followed him down into an alley.

"Lee, grab the car, I'll follow on foot!" she yelled.

"Got it!" Lee doubled back to fetch the car listening closely to his radio to keep tabs on his partner, saying a prayer as he went. "Stay with her, Lord. No funny business, alright? She's needed here!" With sirens and lights he took off.

….

Murphy pulled out his gun just as he neared the fenced off area that led to an abandoned warehouse. Turning back, he fired two shots, both landing far to Elizabeth's left.

Ducking behind a dumpster, Elizabeth returned fire. "Lee, I'm taking fire in the alley by the old Miller Factory."

"On my way!" His voice came over the radio.

Elizabeth moved back into action as Murphy began to climb over the fence with ease. He took one more shot at her making her dive for cover.

Just as he was over, Lee pulled up. "Come on, Thornton! We can still catch him!" She jumped into the cruiser and they were off.

"There he goes, Lee! He's heading into the building!"

Lee radioed for backup. As he slowed down, Elizabeth jumped out without a second thought and chased after him. She was a woman on a mission. Lee parked and ran to the left, hoping to cut him off to the north.

The old warehouse was cold and dark, having been abandoned about 8 years prior. Elizabeth knew it though. This wasn't the first time she'd chased some thug through it. She fired again at Murphy, aiming for his legs. Enough was enough.

Annoyed, as the man rounded the next corner, he knocked over a large shelf of old metal pipes, sending them flying everywhere.

"Ahh!" Elizabeth screamed as she went down with a thud. "Lee, I've lost him!"

…..

"Got him!" Lee finally caught up to the man just as he came out of the passageway he'd just left Elizabeth in. "Freeze, Murphy!"

Murphy fired his weapon with efficiency, grazing Lee's shoulder. He cursed, but kept going. It was too late, however. Just as Lee and Elizabeth caught up with each other, Murphy had disappeared.

"Where is he?" she yelled.

"We lost him." Lee growled. "I lost him."

….

Back at the house, Jack and Hunter sat at the table eating their dinner. The house was quiet. Too quiet for a talkative little boy like Hunter. But he knew something was off. Jack hadn't said much since he got off the phone two hours before and almost nothing since they sat down to eat. All the boy knew was that there was supposed to be three of them for dinner tonight and for some reason, it was just the two of them.

"Hey Dad, where's Mom?"

Jack put his fork down and looked at him, worry and frustration in his eyes. "She had to work late again, bud."

"Oh. She's been doing that a lot."

"Yeah well. Her job's important." Jack tried to avoid it, but his frustration leaked out in his tone. These long late hours were getting to him. He missed his wife. All she had said in the last call was things were complicated and she would be late. They waited on dinner as long as they could but once it was 7 o'clock they had to eat.

Deciding not to ask any more questions, Hunter quickly finished his food and cleared his dishes.

"May I have a cookie and go read?"

"Sure." Jack smiled at his son. Kindergarten had opened up a whole new world for him. He now loved reading and was asking for books just as much as TV, if not more. It warmed both his and Elizabeth's hearts.

As Jack cleaned up the kitchen he saw a pair of headlights dance across the wall behind him. She was home. Finally, he could relax.

"Mom's home! Mom's home!" Hunter got off the couch and ran to the front door, flinging it open. "You're home!"

"Hey you." Elizabeth voice was so tired and flat it was almost unrecognizable. "I missed you, love. Can I have a big hug?"

"Definitely!" Hunter jumped into her arms. "You missed dinner. It was good. Even the green sticks."

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be here. Really." She looked over at Jack. His face showed relief, but also annoyance. This was going to be a long night. "It's getting pretty late, sweetie. Why don't you head up and get your PJs on."

"But you just got home!"

"I know, but I have tomorrow off. You'll see me, I promise."

Hunter looked over at Jack.

"Do as your mom says."

"Okay." He hurried up the stairs, followed closely by Bruce.

"I'm going to take a shower." Elizabeth said, kissing Jack's cheek.

"That's it?" Jack muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"You're late. I mean hours late. No explanation? Just that you're going to take a shower?"

Elizabeth sighed. "It was a long day, Jack. I'll tell you all about it later, okay? Right now I just want to take a shower."

"What happened? Can you just tell me?" He really wanted to know what kept her away from another dinner with her family. He didn't like that it bothered him, but it did.

"You really need to know right now?"

"Yes. Please?"

Rubbing her eyes and groaned deeply, "Alright. We had a lead on a criminal. One that was really important. We were so close to catching him too but he got away. Its all my fault."

"How?" Jack reached out taking her hand.

"I'm not sure. I've always worked so hard, Jack. It's not like me to just let someone get away like that. Somehow I just couldn't catch this guy."

"That sort of thing happens though, right?"

"Not to me!" Elizabeth snapped. "I don't know, maybe I've gotten soft or I'm slipping somehow. I need to be better about working out. Paying more attention to the job and not just my life as…"

"Wait what? Are you blaming us?"

"What? No, Jack that's not what I meant."

"Are you sure? You just said you needed to pay MORE attention to the job. The job that's kept you from having dinner with us more nights than not the past two weeks. How much more attention does the job need?"

"Jack, it just means I need to refocus my efforts that's all. You know how important my job is!"

"I do. What I'm not sure is if you realize how important we are!"

"That's a low blow, Jack!"

Sitting at the top of the stairs listening to the raised voices was Hunter as the conversation continued. He had no idea what to make of all the commotion down stairs. He was nervous. This wasn't like them. Hearing footsteps heading his direction he hurried back to his room jumping under the covers. He heard two doors slam. One was his mom in her room. The other was Jack heading outside.

"This isn't good Bruce," he whispered. "We need help!"

…

Next door, Rosie's cell was ringing like crazy while she did the dinner dishes.

"Lee, dear, can you get my phone please?"

"Sure, hon." He hopped off the couch grabbing the phone from her purse. "Rosie's phone, how may I help you?"

"Lee?" a little voice sniffled on the other end.

"Hunter? What's wrong?"

"Where's Rosie? I need Rosie."

"She's in the kitchen. Are you alright?"

"Lee," Rosie called from the kitchen. "Who is it?"

"It's Hunter. Something's wrong."

Rosie ran into the living room and snatched the phone from his hands.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? I'm here!"

"Are moms and dads supposed to fight?"

"What? Why are you asking? Are your mom and dad fighting?"

"Yes! Are moms and dads supposed to fight? I've never had a mom and dad till now and I don't know if this is going to be okay."

"Oh, sweetheart…."

"It needs to be okay, Rosie. I love them and they love each other but I think maybe they forgot or something because Mom's sad and upstairs in her room crying and Dad's sad too and sitting outside by himself."

"It's going to be fine, Hunter."

"No! You don't understand! They're always happy and kissing each other. Like a lot. Its gross. They never fight. But Mom said Dad didn't understand and Dad said she wouldn't let him understand. But I don't understand!" The poor boy was on the verge of tears.

"Hunter, sit tight for one second, while I talk to Lee, but trust me that everything is going to be okay."

"Okay." He huffed.

She covered the receiver with her hand and turned to Lee. "You said something happened at work today?"

"Yeah. Elizabeth took it hard. Why?"

"Things are not going well next door. You're heading over."

"What? Why?"

"Is what happened today a cop thing?"

"Yeah completely."

"Help Jack understand then. I'm going over to help that little boy. Come. Now!" She brought the phone back to her ear. "Hunter, I'm coming over so meet me downstairs. Love you, sweetie." She hung up and walked over to the door. "Lee! Now!"

…...

Lee walked over to the fence and saw Jack sitting up on the back deck with his head in his hands. He looked so defeated.

"Hey there."

"Not a good time, Lee."

"I figured. Rosie made me come over though so bear with me here." Lee walked through the gate and took a seat in the chair next to Jack. "See, your boy just called us in panic, wanting to know if it was normal for parents to fight."

"Hunter? Shoot, I gotta go make sure he's okay."

"Sit down, Rosie's got it. Sounds like maybe you could use a friend though."

"Are you here for me or for Beth?"

"I'm friends with you both. Right now I think I can be better of service to you though. Tell me, what happened?"

"I was a jerk. I miss her, Lee. She's been so wrapped up in work and trying to protect Hunter. I miss her. Then today she said she was coming home but she didn't and I just… I lost it."

"Ah."

"To make it worse, it looks like she didn't have the best day either?"

"No… not at all. Want some help understanding what happened today to your bride at work?"

Jack stared at Lee. "A guy got away today?"

"Not just any guy. A person of interest in Tolliver's case."

That got Jack's attention. "She didn't mention that."

"Yeah. She's angry at herself. Feels like she let you all down. But truth is he slipped away from both of us. Not just her. And this guy was fit as heck. She held her own Jack. Elizabeth is tough though. She holds herself to some pretty high standards. You know that."

"I do. It's why she's so good at her job."

"It is. She'll make detective one day. I just know it. Look, you both have been under a huge amount of stress lately. She's going to hate me for this but I'm talking to Gowan and asking that he give her a couple days off to clear her head."

"She will be so mad at you," Jack laughed.

"I can take it. She needs time to relax. I bet he'll grant it and when he does, I think you guys should take some time to do something as a family. Maybe you two can even get a date night in."

"If she'll forgive me."

"She will. She loves you. Trust me."

…

Upstairs, Elizabeth was lying curled up on their bed when she heard a knock on the door. She ignored it at first.

"Mama? Its Hunter."

Jumping up, she hurried over to open the door. "Hi love, you alright?"

"Can I come in? I brought you dinner. I thought maybe you would be hungry since you missed it."

"Aw, that's so sweet. Come in." She took the plate from him and he ran past, jumping on her bed.

"Sorry its cold. I'm not allowed to use the microwave yet and Rosie left before I could ask."

She laughed a little confused by the Rosie comment but went along with it anyway. "I'm sure it will still taste good. Thank you." She sat down on the bed next to him and began to eat as Hunter watched. He looked like he had the world on his mind. "You have a lot of questions, huh?" He nodded. "Go ahead."

"Do you and Dad still love each other?"

She nearly choked on her food. "Of course, love. I'll never stop loving your dad. Not as long as I live. You and your dad are the two most important people in my world."

"Then why are you mad at him?"

"That's a big question. I'm not actually mad at him."

'Really? Because you yelled at each other."

"I'm mad at myself for something that happened at work today and I took it out on your dad. It was wrong of me. And he's upset with me for not being here as much. But really I think we're both upset about something else that has nothing to do with us."

"Oh. Well when we're mean to people in school, Mr. Hickam makes us apologize and we're all friends again. You and Dad just need to apologize and you can be in love again. Right?"

She hoped that would be all in time. She knew she acted horrible. "What do you think?"

"I think so. Dad loves you. I mean, you kiss. All. The. Time. Its gross. But I guess it's okay. I like it more than the yelling."

She smiled at his childlike wisdom. "You're right, sweetie. As soon as I finish my dinner, I'll go down and apologize to Dad and you can go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

…..

As promised, once she had finished her meal she tucked Hunter into bed and went down to make amends. She needed to. Her very soul yearned for Jack. He was a part of her. She wasn't her without him.

Standing in the doorway to the deck she saw him standing looking up at the sky. Only a few stars could be seen in the city skyline. So much ambient light. The cityscape was still beautiful though.

"Thank you for dinner," she spoke. "It was good. Even cold."

He turned around. She was out of uniform now and dressed in her athletic shorts and his favorite hockey t-shirt. He loved the way she looked in that shirt.

"Cold? Why'd you eat it cold?"

"Because Hunter brought it to me and he's not allowed to use the microwave yet."

"Oh," he laughed lightly. "Fair enough."

"Jack? I'm sorry. I love you so much. Please forgive me."

He looked over at her, seeing the tears in her beautiful blue eyes. "I love you too. Forgive me?"

She nodded. Rushing towards him, he welcomed her in his warm embrace. Holding her tightly against his chest.

"I really am sorry. Here, sit. Talk to me about what's going on in your head. I want to know."

"Okay. First, you and Hunter are my first priority. Always will be. It's just that sometimes it can be hard for me as a woman on the force. The men I work with, especially Lee and Chief Gowan, they're great, but it's still a man's world. I feel I have to fight twice as hard to compete. Then today I was so focused on catching Murphy and getting one step closer to catching Tolliver and protecting Hunter and he slipped away from me. I felt like a failure."

"Babe, I talked to Lee. He said that guy got away from both of you."

"I know that. But I hold myself to a higher standard. Besides, I see this case as my way of protecting our son. So from that perspective, I failed."

"Okay, I get it. I think."

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You've never been anything but supportive of me and my career. You didn't deserve this. I'm so sorry, Jack. Please forgive me."

"I love you, Beth. I always will. I shouldn't have said the things I said either. I was way out of line. In fact, I think I may have come up with a way to make it up to you."

"Jack, no. You don't have to do anything."

"No, I want to. Now hear me out here. I was talking to Lee and what if we convert that finished corner of the basement into a home gym? We can look on Craigslist for the equipment you'd like or buy new. Whatever works best with our budget. We can even set up more office space for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Since the promotion, you've been dealing with more cases and more paperwork stuff so you might like having more space for that. Plus studying for different certifications and whatnot. You need a home office."

"Jack… you're amazing. Thank you."

"I want you to succeed, Elizabeth. Whatever you need."

She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such a special man in her life. "Right now I think I could use your help with something," she flirted.

"Name it."

"I've heard this theory, something like the best part about fighting is making up?"

"Ah yes, I have heard that too."

"Now, I've never been able to test this theory." Jack lifted her up in his arms and began carrying her back into the house. "Where are we going?"

"To test this theory. Maybe even a couple times."