The worst part of Victoria Wasson's murder for Mouse isn't the case itself; certainly death and murder and violence still bother him, but he's used to it. No, what puts him on edge is the way Erin keeps scowling with betrayal, eyes wide with disbelief at Voight at every turn. He exchanges discomfited glances with Jay as Erin challenges Voight, and brings her a fresh cup of coffee after Voight leaves. She gives him a pained smile, and he nods, and gets back to work.

And Erin challenges Voight again, and again, more times in one case than Mouse can remember ever happening before. The thing is, Mouse respects Voight, and the man is his boss. He gave him a second chance when Mouse was still climbing out of a dark hole. And Mouse is very aware that though he's been accepted into the Intelligence family, there's still a lot he doesn't know, especially about Voight, so he's reluctant to take a side. But Erin is so angry.

He finds Erin toe to toe with Voight once again in Voight's office as he brings the news about Charlie's phone records.

"Oh, I can come back," he says, and it's not Erin's anger that makes him say it. He has a job to do, information to pass on, and Voight and Erin need to hear it, anger be damned. No, it's the look in Erin's eyes when she turns and sees him standing there; anger, yes, but also fear, the kind of fear that is like grief in advance. Mouse remembers what Erin said when she came to his apartment, about the hard part being carrying the important stuff without drowning. The thought flickers across his mind that Voight is Erin's anchor, in more ways than one, and not all of them good. He is already turning to leave when Voight stops him, and Erin has hidden the fear away. He wants to reach out to her as she slides past him through the door, but Voight is right there, still looking displeased.

And again. Erin and Voight.

"You keep talking to me like I'm the guy who raised you instead of your boss. Go back to your desk until I need you."

Voight turns and leaves without looking back as Erin dumps her jacket on her desk and slumps into her chair, glowering at nothing. Mouse is pretty sure that this time the anger is fighting to cover up the sting of Voight's parting words. He glances at Jay, and they move in synchrony, each perching on opposite corners of Erin's desk. Jay sends a backwards look at the rest of the unit moving back to their desks and very obviously not looking their way.

Erin lets out a frustrated sigh, bringing a hand up to run at her eyebrow, the other going to the pocket of her jeans where Mouse knows she, like him, keeps a bronze coin.

"I don't want to talk about it right now guys," she mutters.

"Okay." Jay nods. Mouse gently knocks her leg with his shoe.

"Doctor Who tonight? And Mint Chocolate Chip?" Mouse is gratified to see a smile, small, still strained, but genuine, bloom on Erin's lips.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Mouse nods, smiling, and pushes off Erin's desk to return to his own. There's still work to be done.

And it gets done. It's not clean, or just, or entirely within the lines of the law, and Mouse knows that Erin isn't happy with the way things shook out. But when it comes down to it, Shelte is going to be punished for what he's done. Voight and Erin talked, and if it didn't resolve things, if she still arrives at Jay's apartment with tired anger pulling her muscles tight, well, Mouse knows that it's better than nothing. A hell of a lot better than some things. And he knows that they have Jay's squashy couch, a blanket, a time-and-space travelling alien, and some ice cream to dull the sting.


AN: I'm BACK. Sorta. You know I'm not good at keeping a regular posting schedule. Just a short one for Never Forget I Love You. The next one, when I get to it, should be longer :)