Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I claim to, own anything (or one) from Chicago PD. All who you might recognize are likely from the show, I only own my original characters.
Lauren sat behind her desk, her legs crossed at the ankles, working onto the sketchbook placed before her. She decided after her first day on the job that she needed something to occupy the time she had no one to escort up the stairs, which was more often that not. She expertly smudged the tip of a napkin over particular parts of the picture, careful to not stain her hand with lead, effectively shading the desired pieces.
With a pen she began to outline the picture- thinning some lines out, making some thicker, tilting her head as she moved the sheet of paper closer to her.
A stubborn piece of hair that seemed to be magnetized to her forehead fell into her eyes. She huffed, agitated with the lock, before she raised her eyes to meet it. She puffed a mouthful of air behind it, blowing it harshly away from her face. What was behind the curtain of red is what she wasn't prepared for.
Hank Voight stood with his hands clasped at his stomach, his head tilted back a tad, staring directly into her soul. His head bobbed a few times before he ambled forward slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. Lauren felt herself shrink under his accusing gaze, and quickly moved her arms over the drawing she had perfected.
"No reason to cover it," he said finally. "I already seen it. I won't say anything to ya for drawing."
Her shoulders sagged with the heavy breath she released and nodded, slowly sitting straight again. She observed him moving forward, and reaching out to take the paper in his hand, studying every structure of it. After she was sure his dark eyes had covered every line she extended her hand expectantly, silently asking for it back.
"I hope you remember our conversation," he told her with a curt nod, still clutching the drawing. "Nothing happens."
She agreed hesitantly, her hand still out. "Of course."
Voight lay the paper down on the edge of her desk and turned to walk away. Just as his foot came in contact with the bottom step, he turned to her. "You're talented, kid."
She watched his back fade from sight, his bounding steps giving him an sense of arrogance, and mulled over his words. She bit her lip and gave a slight nod before whispering to the wind, "Thank you."
Paulie scanned his surroundings quickly before he attempted to jog across the street. The tools in the small front pocket of his jacket clanked with his every heavy step. Swinging the door open, he jumped through, looking over his shoulder once before climbing the stairs with a purpose.
His eyes searched for the apartment, his memory seemed to be getting worse by the day, his hand sliding against the wall beside him. He continued his journey until he got to a familiar paint chipped door frame.
34B.
His lips pulled tightly over yellowed teeth in a ominous grin and he pulled the hair pin from his jacket. He simply straightened it and skillfully jammed it into the lock hole, turning it slowly to the right. He bit back a chuckle as he heard the gears inside the knob grinding against each other before the door opened with a squeal.
He stepped inside the apartment, his large feet thudding when they met the hardwood floor. "Gotcha."
Lauren followed the instructions on the back of the box, stirring the browned ground beef into the heavy tomato paste with care. She had always found that cooking eased her nerves, even when she was a teenager her sister couldn't persuade her to come out of the kitchen. She felt a smile on her lips as she began to slice peppers and onions in preparation for the sauce.
"You're gonna cause us to gain fifty pounds if you keep cookin' this way." Justin leaned into the archway of the kitchen, inhaling the aroma with a grin. "Not that I'm complaining."
Her eyes crinkled in appreciation, but she continued to stir the concoction that bubbled on the stove. "Hope you like spaghetti," she said simply.
"It's my favorite."
Lauren kept her head down, but her eyes refused to do the same; betraying her better judgment, she stole a glance to him and found him openly watching her, a slight frown overtook his entire face.
"Something wrong?"
He quickly regained the lazy smirk that seemed to be glued to his face and shook his head. "Nah, just thinkin'."
About what?
"Well," she said as she poured the long pasta stick into a large pot of boiling water, "looked like some pretty upsetting thoughts."
He plunged his hands into his pockets and strolled closer. "I'm a big guy."
"Yeah," she mumbled. Lauren's heart began to pound against her chest and she swallowed a harsh gulp of air. His feet shuffled behind her, his hands gently caressing the small of her back. She could feel the heat coming from his body in waves, effectively clouding her mind.
Her hands slightly shook as she fought the urge to lean against his frame that was so close to her she could essentially feel it.
"Justin," she said quietly, cemented to her place on the floor. She felt his tantalizing hand run smoothly over her shirt, resting just at the base of her neck.
His response was just as small as he tangled his fingers into her long ponytail. "Hm?"
She inhaled sharply, her hand slipping off of the plastic spoon and onto the scorching stove top. A blinding pain seared through Lauren's body, her hand felt as if a thousand needles were drive through it. Quickly, she cried out and pulled her hand from the offending object and clutched it to her chest desperately.
"Are you alright?" Justin asked quickly. "I'm so sorry."
Her hand shook when she tried to observe the damage to it, so Justin took it upon himself and held her wrist tightly with his fingers. The skin on it pulled was pulled taut- angry and red.
"It'll blister," he said lightly. "Let's run some water over it."
She followed him to the sink, his hand still grasped her wrist, watching as he painfully doused her hand in cool water. She felt the skin cooling with the simply contact, and relief washed over her. She glanced to Justin, surprised to see his eyes so focused- determined almost- it warmed her heart.
"The food," she remembered. "Can you turn the stove off? Get the bread out of the oven for me?"
He nodded, watching her with an intense stare. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," she responded grinning to ease his suspicions, "I'm a big girl."
These characters are coming along so easily for me, you guys! So far, this is my longest story yet- which excites me beyond words! Seriously, lol. But I honestly want to thank you, every one, for giving this story a chance, it means the world to me. I feel inspiration in the reviews I get, so please if you will, leave some!