Hi guys! Here's another chapter of this story that I just continue adding to. Thank you to those people that leave comments letting me know they still enjoying reading this, it really does mean a lot to me. There will be one more chapter after this one, which is where I've planned to end this for quite awhile. However, I do want to continue writing stories for these two characters, just not in the locker room as I have done in this story. I may not watch the show anymore since I respect Sophia's decision to leave and am very disappointed at the way the writers/producers have handled it, but I will always have a special place for these two characters in my heart. So if you have a story idea that you would like to see, please send me a message! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
/
"Did Voight say anything about how long you'd be gone?" Jay asks as he takes items of clothing from Erin's clothing from her outstretched hand and folds them neatly before placing them into her suitcase. When Erin had complained at having to pack at such short notice he had offered to help, which she accepted with a smile, a kiss and a crack about his house husband status (which will never die, especially now that it's official). He's way better at packing than she is anyway.
His wife sighs as she pulls another shirt out of her drawer. "No, he wasn't very specific. He just said Olivia requested my help on this case. I don't even know what it's about."
Voight had only approached her that day at work and told her he was sending her to New York to assist the SVU team with a case. The details had been quite minimal. Luckily Voight had allowed her to leave early to pack and spend time with Jay before her flight that evening.
He turns his head to look at her over his shoulder. "You'll call me if you need anything?"
She smiles softly at him. "Of course I will." She's better at accepting help than she used to be, especially since she's finally realised that he's not going anywhere.
She makes her way over to him as he continues packing her bags, her heart filled with so much love for this man. She crowds behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek into the strong muscles of his back.
"I wish you could come with me." She murmurs.
Jay stops packing to place his hands over hers, squeezing gently. "Me too, babe."
They haven't spent much time apart throughout their entire relationship, let alone their still new marriage. Working together every day certainly doesn't call for a lot of separation.
Jay sighs and pats her hands with his larger one after a minute or so. "We'd better finish packing so we can get you there on time." He says reluctantly.
"Yeah." Erin agrees, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades before heading into the bathroom to pack her makeup.
Before they know it, they're at the airport, waiting for Erin's flight to board. Jay holds her face between his palms and kisses her softly and insistently, enough to make her want to tell Voight 'screw it' and go back home with him. She hangs on to a small remainder of professionalism in the back of her mind and reluctantly pulls away.
He smiles at her and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "Text me when you get there?"
She nods with a murmured, "Of course" and leans in for one more kiss. It takes all of her strength to walk away and get on the plane, even if it is only for a few days.
/
Erin smiles at the name flashing on her ringing phone, swiping across to answer it as she brings it to her ear. Her first day back in New York went well, and she'd focused all of her attention on the job, but now that she's back in her hotel room she can't wait to talk to Jay.
"Hey, handsome." She grins, even though he can't see her.
"Hey, sweetheart." Her husband's voice rings through the phone. "How was your day?"
"Yeah, it was good. It's actually not as heavy of a case as it usually is up here, which is nice for a change. Olivia's taking me out to dinner tonight so we can catch up properly."
"Hmm, that sounds great." Jay answers, but his voice sounds distracted.
She frowns slightly. "Are you okay?"
"What? Oh yeah, just a long day."
"Really? What happened?" She asks softly.
His heavy sighs fills her ears and she waits patiently as she settles herself on the couch.
"Just the case that we had today. We found a young veteran dead in his apartment. Looked like suicide, but we don't know yet."
"Oh, Jay." She breathes, knowing where his head must be at in that moment. Everyone's got cases that affect them more than others, and anything to do with veterans is definitely Jay's.
"Are you okay?" She asks softly, knowing it's a stupid question but needing it ask it anyway since she can't be there to hold him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighs. "It just sucks. He's only a kid. I wish he'd known there's people who could have helped him."
"I know, babe." She murmurs. "I'm sorry."
"Thanks, Erin." He's silent for a moment before speaking again. "I miss you."
The corners of her lips turn up in a hint of a smile. She can't feel happy that he's missing her when he's clearly feeling down.
"I miss you too, Jay. I'll be home as soon as I can."
"Hey, don't you worry about me." He insists. "You just do your thing and kick ass there, okay?"
She smiles properly this time. "Okay. Well I'd better go then, I told Olivia I'd meet her soon. I'll talk to you later."
"Love you, babe." Her husband says.
"Love you, too."
/
Erin's about to step out the door on the morning of her fourth, and hopefully last, day in New York when her phone rings. Noticing the name on the screen, she answers it instantly.
"Erin, I need you to come home." Voight's voice over the phone line causes her brow to crease in confusion.
"What? Why?" She asks, already picking up her clothes and shoving them into her suitcase. "Is Jay alright?"
"Physically he's fine, but we found another vet's body yesterday."
Erin gasped. "He didn't say anything about that."
"Yeah, he's taking it pretty hard. I thought I'd leave it to him to talk to you and sort it out, but this morning we found out the killer's identity, and it's someone that the two victims did tours with."
Erin's eyes widen in horror. "Oh my God."
"Yeah, he's not good, kid. He needs you here."
"I'll be on the first flight home I can get." She tells him, returning to her frantic packing. She needs to get back to Jay as quickly as she can.
"I'll call Olivia and explain what's going on. You just get here as soon as you can."
"I will. I'll see you soon, Hank."
/
She waves to Platt at the front desk as she scans herself up to Intelligence and hurries up the stairs. Voight is waiting for her, leaning against the doorframe of his office. She moves to meet him, not sparing a glance for the rest of her co-workers sitting at their desks. They instinctively know she's not concerned about them right now.
"I'm glad you're here. He's in the locker room." Voight's raspy voice is low, his words only meant for her.
She squeezes his arm in thanks, before hurrying down the hall to find her husband. She makes it through the door of the room, stopping beside the blue lockers.
He's hunched over the sink and her heart breaks even without seeing his expression, because she knows what he must look like.
Her footsteps cause him to raise his head and his eyes widen as he sees her in the reflection of the mirror.
"Erin?" Jay chokes out.
"Hey, babe." She whispers, moving towards him.
He whirls around to face her just as she reaches him. One hand reaches up to cup his jaw, her thumb brushing across his cheek, the other hand gripping his arm reassuringly.
"You're really here?" He gasps.
She nods, her eyes sad as she takes in his pale face and the deep bags under his eyes. "I'm right here, babe."
All at once, she's in his arms and he's gripping her so tightly that it's almost painful, but she doesn't care in the slightest. She grips him back just as tightly; trying to take away all the pain he's carrying.
"I'm here. You're okay." She murmurs soothingly, over and over again.
Neither of them is sure how long they stand there like that, but Erin refuses to be the one to let go first. Eventually, Jay pulls back from her, a wisp of a smile gracing his lips.
"I'm so glad you're home." He murmurs, brushing a thumb across her cheekbone.
"Me too, Jay." She runs a hand through the strands of hair at the back of his neck.
"Why didn't you tell me how much you were struggling?" She asks softly.
He ducks his head to avoid her eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment that he's expecting. "I didn't want you to worry about me. You shouldn't have to come home just because your husband needs you."
She runs her fingers across his cheek and cups his jaw in her palm, gently forcing him to meet her eyes. "Of course I do. That's what partners are for. That's what wives are for. You are the most important person in my life, Jay. It doesn't matter where I am, or what I'm doing."
He smiles slightly, and the tension in his eyes eases just a fraction. Her heart lifts a little as she realises that she can ease his pain a bit.
He lifts a hand to brush her hair away from her face. "I missed you so much."
She leans forward to press her lips against his. "I missed you, too." She whispers.
/
A couple of hours later, Jay lays on the couch in their apartment, Erin wrapped tightly around him. It's a testament to how terrible he must look that Voight had ordered the two of them take the following day off. He had passed it off as an act of consideration since Erin had just arrived home, but Jay knows their boss and his defacto father-in-law well enough to see through that excuse. There's the even further proof of how tightly Erin is clutching to him, and how she hasn't let him out of her sight since she arrived back at the District.
He smiles softly as she turns her head and presses a kiss to his chest, almost as if she can hear his thoughts. He runs a hand down her back in response.
"Jay."
Her quiet voice jolts him out of his thoughts, and he tilts his head to meet her eyes.
"I need you to promise me that you'll tell me next time something like this affects you so badly, especially if I'm ever not here. I married every part of you Jay, even the parts of yourself that you don't like. Just like you did with me."
He sighs deeply. He can see the clear concern in her eyes, and he's hit with a sudden wave at gratitude by the fact that this amazing woman has chosen him to love. He knows that he never wants her to worry about him, even if that means he needs to let go of some of his control. He needs to take down the last few walls that he's built around himself over the years.
"I promise." He murmurs, and sees her instantly relax a little.
"Thank you." She murmurs back.
They end up coming up with a set plan for if one of them has to travel for work, which includes morning and evening check in phone calls, complete honesty, and the chance to go with each other, where necessary. Over time Jay learns to lean on Erin when he needs to, knowing it's no longer a sign of weakness.