Hey, guys! Thank you so much for your reviews, follows and favourites. This is the last chapter of the story(at least for now), I hope you enjoy it!

After their talk at the park, Jay had decided to give Erin some space, as hard as it was for him to not be able to keep an eye on her. He hadn't called her in the following days, resolving to give her time to think and reach out to her again in a few if he didn't hear from her. There was only one thing he couldn't stop himself from doing and that was going to Bunny's bar each night.
He had spent hours in his car around the corner, occasionally walking over to the windows to make sure that Erin wasn't inside. He hoped that his words had reached Erin and that she at least hadn't decided to return to the bar. So far, in the two nights following their encounter, she hadn't been back, and he was relieved. Not that he knew what she did during the day, but he hoped she wasn't surrounding herself with more people similar to her excuse of a mother.

Jay had returned to work after saying goodbye to Erin in the park. He had only gone back home for a quick shower and had headed to the district, not wanting to be alone with his thoughts for the rest of the day. Voight had agreed with him that it was a good idea to give Erin a few days' time to think things through. Jay was relieved that his boss wasn't mad that he had let Erin leave. They were still on the same page and the young detective barely recognized his boss. Just a few weeks ago he had been sure he would be thrown out of the unit if he and Erin made their relationship public. Now, as he listened to Voight's somehow soft voice talking about Erin, Jay knew he had his support. And despite everything that was going on, a little part of him hoped that maybe, after Erin was back on her feet again, he would get his blessing, too. Because even though Erin was a mess at the moment, Jay was still holding onto that 'one day'.

Work had been difficult for the whole team. They had made a successful bust of a drug cartel, a case which had taken three days to solve. The members of the cartel hadn't gone down without a fight and Antonio, Adam and Jay all had the bruises to prove it. So Jay was more than happy to leave work the night after finishing up the case. He was sitting on his couch, icing his left eye which was almost bruised shut, when he heard his phone ring. He did a double-take when he saw the name flashing on the screen.

"Erin?"

"Hey. Um… you said I could call…"

"Of course, what's going on?"

"Um… " – He heard her clear her throat and he wondered if she was crying. – "Could I maybe come over?"

The question took him by surprise, he hadn't expected her to call him at all, let alone come to his apartment.

"Sure. Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Is it okay if I'm there in 20 minutes?"

His heart broke a little at her question. Even before they were together, she had been comfortable in his home, coming over after shift without even bothering to call first. And for the month they had been a couple, she had spent most of her nights there. It pained him that now she felt the need to ask if the timing was appropriate.

"Of course it's okay."

They hung up and, in exactly 20 minutes, he heard a knock on the door. He was glad that she had called him when she did, because he had been planning to go to Bunny's bar again soon after.
When he opened the door, he was startled for a second. It had only been two days and a half since he had seen her but somehow she seemed different. She looked small and fragile, and so tired.
Erin looked up at Jay and gasped when she noticed his swollen eye and the cut on his lower lip.

"What happened?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing. You should see the other guy. " – So typical, she thought. Always downplaying the situation, even when he was clearly in pain. – "Come in."

Erin walked in, hesitating when she reached the couch. She glanced at Jay, all of a sudden feeling ashamed and out of place, but relaxed a little when he nodded at her. They settled on the couch, keeping their distance like they did on the park bench. Erin fiddled with her hands for a while, looking down at her lap, and Jay patiently waited, knowing that there was a reason for her visit.

"I slept with Landon." – The emotion in her own voice surprised her. She gathered the courage to look at Jay, who seemed stunned.

"O…kay. Who's Landon?" – Jay was sure he already knew the answer. He had promised himself a few days ago that he wouldn't judge Erin before hearing her out, but he couldn't help the pang of jealousy that stung in his chest.

Erin sighed loudly. She had started this, there was no backing out now.

"I know him from way back. Bunny… she thought it would be a good idea for me and him to 'catch up'."

Knowing that Bunny being involved was never a good sign, Jay clenched his fist, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Erin.

"That night when you went to Molly's… We had a lot to drink and he had some pills with him. So I took some. And then one thing led to another…" – She couldn't believe she was telling this to Jay. It seemed so wrong but she felt the need to talk and she couldn't go to Voight with this, at least not in the moment. – "I just wanted to forget. I wanted to feel numb and not have to think about anything."

Their eyes met and Jay's eyes filled with tears when he saw the desperation written on Erin's face, the plea for him to understand.

"Erin, I…"

"No, please, just… I need to finish." – Waiting for Jay to nod, Erin took a deep breath and continued. – "The next night, when you saw him in my apartment… it wasn't how it looked, Jay. He was waiting for me in the hall and offered to keep me company. I refused at first but he had brought some alcohol and I let him in, and then those cops ambushed me. Nothing else happened. I thought he would leave me alone after that but tonight he was there again."

"What?" – The concern in Jay's voice surprised her. She thought he would be mad or disappointed after hearing her confession. He had looked so shocked seeing her with Landon and she felt the need to explain that it wasn't how it seemed. Somehow, even in the state she was in, she didn't want to disappoint Jay and she didn't want him to think she didn't care about him.

"He didn't do anything, but he had a bottle of tequila and some pills with him again. I didn't take any." – She quickly assured Jay, sensing his reaction.

"So you decided to call me?"

Nodding, Erin thought back to just an hour earlier. She had been tempted to let Landon in, allow him to pour her drinks and push pills into her hands and then sleep with him when she got high. But she'd kept thinking of Jay and the moments they had shared a couple of days ago. Somehow, it had prevented her from going down that path again, and she had sent Landon on his way, slamming the door in his face. She wasn't afraid that he would hurt her, he was just looking to party hard, but she couldn't bring herself to do it with him.

"I told him to leave and went into my apartment. But I just… I didn't want to stay there."

Jay understood. Between Nadia's death and the hostage situation, he knew it must be very difficult for her to stay there on her own. And he found himself unable to be mad at her for sleeping with that guy, understanding that she did it in a desperate attempt to shut the world out.

"You can stay here if you want."

Erin's head snapped up and her eyebrows rose in honest surprise. She knew Jay would hear her out, but she hadn't expected for him to react so calmly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, Erin. I don't blame you for… being with that guy. I've done some things out of grief, too. And anyway, we're not together. "- Both winced slightly at that statement. -"I'm more concerned about the drugs than anything else."

Erin nodded, having predicted that he would say something about the pills.

"I just… I just needed it to stop, Jay. I see her all the time, lying there, in the sand…" – Her voice shook and she shut her eyes, unable to stop the tears from falling.

"Erin." – Jay scooted closer to her and took her in his arms, and cried with her silently as he felt her whole body tremble. He kissed her hair and held her tightly until she calmed down and collected herself. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and pulled away slightly so that he could look into her eyes, but his hands didn't leave her shoulders. – "Listen to me. I know dealing with the pain is hard. The grief is so big that you feel overwhelmed so you try to block it all out. I've been there. But the alcohol, and the pills… they're not going to help. They're not going to bring Nadia back, Erin. And they don't honor her memory. She got clean, she got her life together. She wouldn't want you to do this to yourself, and you know that's the truth." – Jay knew bringing up Nadia's past would be hard for Erin, but it was time for him to say everything out loud. The truth was harsh, but it was always better than lying to yourself and to the ones you love. And it was his only way to get through to Erin.

"I know. I just don't know how to handle this. It's too much."

"Then share it with me. Don't shut me out, Erin. Let me help."

Erin stiffened, suddenly aware that she was dragging Jay into her mess. It was as if she had been in a trance for the past half an hour. She didn't even know how she had ended up calling him, but now she found herself regretting it. She was leaning on him and she shouldn't be, not when he would get hurt in the end. He was so good to her even after everything she had caused. She couldn't hurt him again. What was she doing here?

"Jay." – Her voice sounded foreign, like she had just woken up from a dream. Jay immediately noticed the change in her behavior. – "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here."

Erin tried to stand up, but Jay still had a firm hold on her arms. He pulled her back down, not too roughly but with enough strength to make her look at him again. He wasn't about to let her leave when she was just beginning to open up to him.

"No."

"Jay, just let me go. I can't bring you into this, I'll only end up hurting you again. Let me go."

Erin struggled to get out of his grasp, but Jay was much stronger and held her in place.

"Erin, stop and listen. Listen to me." – His voice was sharp and loud and it made her stop fighting him. It was a lost cause anyway, she was tough but he was taller and stronger and a man, so she let out a defeated sigh and looked up at him. – "I told you the other day that you made me happier than I had ever been, and I meant it. My mother passed away. I don't talk to my father. Will… he's here now but who knows how long it'll be before he leaves again. You have been my one constant in these past couple of years, Erin. Even if you decide to never go back to Intelligence, you'll always be my partner and I'll always have your back."

Jay paused, waiting for Erin's comeback, but it never came. He saw he had her full attention, so he let go of her shoulders and reached for her hand instead. Taking a deep breath, he continued, this time in a softer voice.

"If our roles were reversed, you would be fighting for me like I'm fighting for you now. I just need you to fight, too. Just a little bit. The real Erin Lindsay is still in there somewhere, you just have to find her."

"This is the real me, Jay. Alcohol and drugs, and random guys, just like my shitty mom. "

"Don't ever say that again. You are nothing like her. You only went to her because there you could pretend that nothing had happened. I know that going down that path, back to your past and avoiding the pain is the easy way out. But the real Erin, the one I fell in love with, she's the strongest person I know and she never takes the easy way out. "

Erin took in a sharp breath and she looked up at Jay, her eyes wide and filled with tears. For a second Jay wondered why she looked so shocked, and then it hit him. He hadn't even admitted it to himself up until now, but saying that he was in love with her sounded so right, and it was. Those were the truest words he had ever spoken.

"Did you just-?" – Erin's stunned voice echoed in the room.

"Yeah, Erin. I said that I'm in love with you, and I mean it. I know we… I know we're not together anymore but I haven't given up on us." - There was a slight tremble in Jay's words. He was aware that what he had just let slip out could drive Erin even further away from him, but he didn't regret saying it.

"Jay." – It was merely a whisper, her voice caught in her throat.

"I'm not going to push you, okay? You don't have to decide anything right now, about work or about me. You need time and I get that. For now, how about we just stay here, order some Chinese and watch TV? Or you can go to sleep. Whatever you want."

Erin stayed quiet for a while, brushing away the tears that had streaked her cheeks. She tilted her head up and her eyes met Jay's. The tenderness and compassion and love that she saw in them reminded her of the night of her high school reunion, all those months ago. He had held her hand, like he was holding it at this very moment, and had managed to erase the thoughts of her past with the same exact look she was gazing at now, a few bruises aside. She realized then that he was right – getting into the mess that Nadia had managed to escape from did nothing to honor her memory. She needed to try and get better and surround herself with people who cared about her late friend as much as she did.

Once again, her mind flashed back to the night of the reunion, when Jay had promised her 'one day', and she realized that the bright blue eyes she wanted to drown in had actually become her lifeline. And while Erin couldn't make any promises yet, for the first time since Nadia's death, she found herself willing to fight.

"Is it okay if we get pizza instead of Chinese?" – Her voice was gentle and her eyes sincere.

Jay cracked a smile, the crooked one he reserved just for her, and squeezed Erin's hand.

"Whatever you want." – He repeated, unable to keep the relief out of his voice. Erin Lindsay had just taken the first step to recovery.

That's it! I'm actually quite happy with how this chapter, and the whole story, turned out, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Reviews are appreciated :) Fingers crossed that we'll get some nice Linstead angst and maybe even romance in s3!

P.S.: I might continue this or write a separate sequel(or a different Linstead story) later in the summer if I get inspired :)