Chapter 9

The reception hall was gorgeous, decorated with candles and crystals, rainbows shown all around the room. Jay had to sit at the head table, but kept an eye on Kat from there making her promise that she save multiple dances for him , which she gladly agreed to. Kat sat at the Intelligence table, making small talk with the team when she saw Hank walk up. He looked like he wanted to talk so she excused herself and walked over to him.

"You came. " she smiled brightly at him.

He nodded "I'm glad I did. That was a surprise seeing you up there… Camille would have been proud. " Kat had many nights where she couldn't sleep, being in a strange house and around strange people, so they got a piano for her to practice and sing along to. Nothing too extravagant, but something she could distract herself with when she couldn't sleep, or was stressed. When she left she vowed to Hank and Camille she would continue practicing, so Hank was happy to see she had.

"Yeah it was a surprise to me too. Nat said their singer had to cancel due to illness and begged me to do it." She shrugged "I couldn't really refuse the bride could I?"

"Not unless you wanted a fight on your hands. " He grinned at her. "You sounded wonderful baby girl. Did Antonio find you?"

Kat gave him a sideways glance. "Yes…he asked if we could talk, and I told him I would call him later. Why?"

Hank shrugged in a very non Hank manner. "Just curious." He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm heading out, I'll see you tonight." And with that he walked away.

Kat shook her head . That man would never cease to confuse her, even after all these years. She turned around and ran straight into Christopher Herrmann and Stella Kidd . After a conversation that included the two of them begging her to sing at the bar, and her giving up and agreeing she grabbed a glass of champagne and made her way around the room. She saw Jay, deep in conversation with his brother and Nat, so she sat down at the nearest table , alone in her thoughts. She looked out at the crowd of people , smiling to herself. Will and Nat were lucky to have this many wonderful people supporting them. She probably should feel sad the way she met them all, but she didn't, she felt blessed. She took a sip of champagne and caught a glimpse of someone staring at her from the doorway of the room. Kat gave an audible gasp and dropped the glass in her hand, causing it to hit the floor and shatter. The noise caused the people closest to her to glance her way, and Matt Casey immediately checked on her.

"Hey Kat, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." When she didn't respond to him, and he grew concerned. He flagged Jay down from the head table and waved him over .

Kat started to panic. Matt's voice didn't even register to her, all she saw was the face of the man that had been tormenting her for the last few months. She would never forget the anger on his face when she told him she didn't have his drugs or money all those years ago, or the pain she felt as he dug the knife into her chest. Subconsciously she touched the spot where the scar remained, and jumped when she felt an arm on hers. Turning she looked up into Jays eyes and grabbed his arm. "Jay he was here! He was just here I saw him!"

Jay tried to follow what she was saying . "Who was here? Kat you need to breathe you're having a panic attack."

She shrugged him off and started towards the last spot she saw Kenneth Bowman. "Ken. He was just right here Jay." She tried to take slow breaths, but it wasn't helping. She ran out to the hallway, checking left then right to see if he was still there. Jay followed close behind her. If this guy had followed her here, there was no telling where she would be safe.

"Stay here. I'll check the area. " He gestured towards the doorway she had just walked through. "Don't move Kat I mean it. " He squeezed her hand and took off down the hallway.

Kat leaned against the doorframe, attempting to calm down. How? How was he here? The place was filled with cops that had attended the wedding, so he had grown bold. It dawned on Kat she should let the rest of intelligence know what was going on so Jay wasn't alone, when they all filed out into the hall.

"Casey told us what happened, which way did Jay go?" Adam voiced the question but the others were right there as well . She pointed down the hall and the team split up, Adam and Kevin going one way, Hailey and Kim going the other . They were all dressed in wedding attire, so none of them that their service weapons with them , but they started their sweep nonetheless.

Kat watched them go. She felt a presence next to her and saw Antonio standing there. "It's okay. " Is all he got out before she fell into his arms sobbing . He rubbed her back and let her cry into his shoulder until she had no more tears left. When she pulled away he stood next to her, holding her hand. "If he is still here, they'll find him. Why don't I call Voight –"

"NO." She shook her head emphatically . "He will never let me out of the house again if he knows. Please, just…" she didn't know how to finish the sentence . She couldn't go the house, Hank would know immediately something was wrong.

Antonio nodded "I'll take you to my place."

She gratefully accepted.

Antonio had called Jay as they were leaving letting him know he had taken Kat and would keep her safe until he was able to come and check on her. He stole a glance sideways at her and his heart broke a little seeing the terrified look on her face. He wanted desperately to hold her hand, tell her it would be alright but he didn't want to mislead her. Antonio knew eventually they would catch this creep, but to brush off her fear as if it wasn't necessary was something he just wouldn't do. They reached the house and went inside, with Antonio keeping a close eye on the surroundings. Jay had let him know they hadn't found Ken at the venue.

Antonio steered Kat through the front entryway with his hand at the small of her back. He could feel her body trembling, and knew she was still reeling from the shock of seeing the man's face who had been tormenting her. He gently led her to the couch and made her sit, as he sat next to her. "Kat, Jay said they checked the entire church and reception area, and didn't see him anywhere. I have to ask, are you sure –" he stopped when she glared at him.

"Yes, I'm sure I saw him Antonio. I see his face in my nightmares , I know it was him." She bit her bottom lip, realizing she snapped at him and he was only doing his job. "I'm sorry , I know you have to ask. Jay didn't tell you the whole history did he?" Antonio shook his head so she explained the story. When she got to the part about the stabbing , Antonio's face turned to stone , and his eyes flashed dark with anger. He jumped up and started pacing in front of her.

"We WILL get this guy, if it's the last thing I do. I promise you Kat." He stopped pacing and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Does Voight know?"

Kat shook her head rapidly back and forth, indicating he didn't, not that part at least. She loved her father figure, but she also knew when he was angry he could make rash and sometimes ill advised decisions. She didn't want him tanking his career over this scumbag, so she asked to keep it between just them and Jay, and Antonio reluctantly agreed. Antonio went back to his previous spot next to her, placing an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against him, finally able to calm down . They sat like that for a good amount of time, in comfortable silence, his thumb absentmindedly making circles on her shoulder, causing her to sigh every once in awhile in appreciation. When they heard his phone buzz it startled them, and Kat jumped a bit. Antonio kept his arm around her and answered with his free hand.

"Dawson. She's right here." He handed her the phone. She grabbed it and placed it to her ear , never leaving Antonio's side.

"Hello? Hi Jay, yes I'm okay. Antonio took me to his place… did you find anything ? Okay, I understand. I'll just stay here until you are done. No it's okay, I promise I feel a lot better already. Yes, see you later." She pressed end and handed the phone back . "He had to go back to the reception." She leaned her head back and looked into Antonio's eyes. "Can I stay with you for awhile?" she asked, even though she had basically invited herself already.

"Of course. " He nodded and kissed her forehead. "You can stay as long as you need or want. " She smiled at him and laid her head back down on his chest. After a short amount of time her breathing started to even out, and he smiled to himself, she had fallen asleep .

Antonio stayed in the same position for a good hour not wanting to disturb her sleeping. When she started to stir he shifted slightly , laying her down on the couch so she would be comfortable. He retreated to his bedroom to grab an extra blanket for her when he heard his phone buzz again . Checking the caller ID he saw Hanks name appear. " Hank, what's up?"

"Is Kat with you? She isn't answering her phone and neither is Halstead. Are you still at the wedding?" Antonio could hear the tenseness in his voice.

"She is Sarge. No, I have her at my house . Jay needed to stay but she was ready to leave. I figured we could talk." He latched on to the first thing that popped in his head. "I want another shot with her, and I figured we should hash things out away from prying eyes and ears. " He silently prayed Hank wouldn't see through the story .

He didn't . "I'm sorry for the way things went down between you two. I know she cares about you Antonio. I just want her to be happy. You too, you deserve it." Hank wasn't the sentimental type so for him to say that caught Antonio off guard.

"Thanks Hank, I appreciate you saying that. I'll bring her home in a little bit if that's okay?"

"Course." And with that the call ended. Antonio smiled to himself at his quick thinking, and grabbed the blanket off his bed when he heard a noise in the doorway to his room. He spun around to find Kat . "You heard that?" he said with a sheepish look on his face.

She nodded. "You want another shot huh?" she gave him a look. "And what do you expect me to say to that?"

He approached her, reaching out his hand and grabbing hers. "I did mean it Kat. I was stupid. I should have never pushed you away. I've regretted it every second of every day since I did it. I know you and Jay are… " He looked into her eyes "what are you and Jay?"

She shrugged, not really sure how to answer the question. "He's been there for me. He kissed me, and I kissed him back. But seeing it just happened today, I don't really know how to categorize it. " she looked down at their hands . "You really hurt me Antonio."

He pulled her close, and could feel her body reacting. "I know."

She shivered, partially to do with the situation she had been through , but mostly to do with the how she knew her body was betraying her. She could feel the heat rising from her toes to her head. A slow creeping heat, that Kat tried to push away. She distracted herself . "Think I could grab a shower and change out of this dress?" she had long abandoned the heels she had on, and her hair had started to fall from its original up state. She pulled the remaining bobby pins out and shook her head, causing it to fall in waves around her face.

Antonio brushed a strand back and tucked it behind her ear. "Of course. Towels are in the bathroom, I've got extra sweats in my drawer. Help yourself." At that moment both their stomachs rumbled loudly, causing them to laugh. "I guess we took off before dinner was served. I'll make something, you take your time. " He turned to leave her alone when she stopped him.

"Can you?" she pointed to her back, indicating she needed him to unzip her. She pulled her hair away from the nape of her neck, allowing him access. He swallowed hard, telling himself this didn't mean anything . As Antonio pulled the zipper down, his fingers brushed her bare skin, and he almost pulled away at the heat he felt. Instead he continued to pull it down , till his fingers reached the dip in her lower back, right above her tailbone . He paused, then decided to take the chance. He stepped up close, until their bodies were almost touching , and ran his fingers over her now bare shoulders. Leaning in, he placed his lips on the back of her neck. He could hear her breathing quicken, but she didn't stop him. He took it as a sign to continue, so he placed another kiss on her shoulder, first left then right. He turned her around and locked eyes with her. They danced, the blue leaned more to grey when she got turned on, and he enjoyed knowing what he was doing to her.

Kat let go of the dress she has been holding up, letting it fall to the floor in a puddle. She grabbed Antonio by the shirt, and pulled him close. That motion was all it took for Antonio. He leaned in completely capturing her mouth with his. Their tongues danced with one another until the pair broke apart completely out of breath . Antonio stepped back and took a good look at the woman in front of him. She had worn a black strapless lace bra and panties under her dress, which were now on full display to him. He could see the scars from her injuries, but they were barely noticeable if someone didn't know they were there. She straightened and took a step back. She could feel the heat rising in her again under his gaze.

"I should get that shower." She said, suddenly very aware of how undressed she was, and how quick the situation could turn.

"Of course. " Antonio wasn't shocked by her sudden change in demeanor, he chalked it up to her being nervous. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and walked out to the kitchen to start dinner for them.

Kat grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a tank top out of his drawer, and headed to the shower. She turned the water on full blast, checking the temperature before stripping and jumping in. She stood under the stream of water, letting it fall down around her, and she got lost in her thoughts. Kat didn't want to be unfair to Jay, he had been really great to her over the last couple of weeks and she liked him a lot. But Antonio… she moaned softly thinking about his mouth on hers. She stood under the water for a good 20 minutes before she heard a faint knock . "Just a second!" she turned off the water and grabbed a towel off the shelf next to the tub, wrapping it around her and opened the door.

Antonio immediately regretting knocking. When she opened he could see her bare skin, slightly pink from the hot water . She had wrapped a towel around her, but it stopped mid thigh, so his mind went into overdrive. He wanted to pull the towel off of her, carry her to his bed and make love until they both couldn't move. What he did instead was divert his eyes, looking into her face instead of scanning over her body, and let her know dinner was almost ready. He retreated quickly back to the kitchen to leave her alone to get dressed.

Antonio was pulling French bread out of the oven when she walked in to the kitchen. The pants Kat chose hung low on her hips so she folded the top over a few times to try and make them fit better. Antonio smiled and quickly looked away when she walked up next to him. "Can I help with anything?"

He bit his tongue, not replying with what he wanted to say. Instead he just shook his head. "It's all done. Nothing too fancy, just pasta and French bread. Hope that's okay?" he got his answer when her stomach rumbled loudly again. "Can I get you something to drink? Wine?"

Kat nodded "Yes thank you. " She sat down at the table , and he poured them both a glass, sitting down across from her. They ate, keeping their conversation light. After dinner Kat made Antonio sit while she cleaned the kitchen . "It's only fair you cooked, I clean. " He didn't argue with her, and sat and watched her work while they continued to talk.

Back at the reception Jay couldn't concentrate . He felt bad that his mind was elsewhere when he should be focusing on his best man duties. Will and Nat had noticed Kats disappearance, but didn't probe for details, which Jay appreciated. He knew Kat was fine , Antonio had called and let him know she was with him. Plus he had talked to Kat herself, but that made Jay worry almost more . He knew Antonio regretted his decision to pull away from Kat, now that they were alone together would she decide to give him another shot? Jay decided, as much as it sucked , that he would back off and let the two of them figure things out. That didn't mean he didn't care, that couldn't be farther from the truth, but he needed to be her friend now , and nothing else. He grabbed a drink from the bar and made his way to the dance floor to enjoy the rest of the wedding reception.