A/N: I know it's been awhile since I updated; life has been crazy lately and I haven't had time to update any of my stories until now. This chapter is short as it's more of a filler chapter to set up some serious Linstead drama and fluff, of which there will be plenty in the next chapter!
Erin smiled as she shifted Cami's weight to her other side so she could get her keys out of her pocket. Having lunch with Hank and then visiting the park afterwards had worn the little girl out even in spite of the chocolate Antonio had given her. Despite her insistence that she wasn't tired, Cami had quickly fallen asleep on the way home.
Erin was about to open the door when she hesitated. Something seemed off. She couldn't quite place it, but something just didn't feel right. She glanced around, looking to see what had triggered her, but didn't see anything. "You're imagining things, Erin," she told herself.
She reached for the doorknob again when she smelled it. Gunpowder. There was no mistaking that smell. She frantically glanced around trying to find the source of the smell while she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She quickly pulled up Hank's number and waited impatiently for him to answer, her head on a swivel.
"Go for Voight," Hank answered distractedly.
"Hank, I just got home and something's not right," Erin rushed out, not bothering to try to hide her panic. "I smell gunpowder. I don't see anything, but I know I smell it, Hank."
"I'll be right there," Hank assured her. "Don't touch anything, and don't go inside. Are you safe?"
"I don't know," Erin whispered, trying not to wake Cami up. "I'm scared, Hank."
"I know, Erin. I'll be there as soon as I can," Hank told her, already getting up from his desk and heading into the bullpen. Hanging up the phone, he addressed his team, all of whom had directed their attention to him upon hearing Erin's name. "Erin just got back to the house and she said she smells gunpowder and that something's not right. Let's load up! Now!" Hank ordered.
Jay and Hailey were the first ones to arrive. Jay jumped out of truck and was already sprinting towards Erin and Cami before Hailey had even completely stopped the vehicle. "Are you okay?" he asked as he reached Erin, placing a hand on the arm holding Cami.
Erin nodded. "We're fine. Tell me I'm not making this up, Jay. Tell me you smell it, too," she pleaded. She needed to know that she wasn't losing her mind; that it wasn't just the nightmares and the lack of sleep getting to her.
Hailey walked up in time to hear the tail end of the conversation and shook her head. "You're not crazy," she assured Erin. "I smell it, too."
The screech of tires signaled Hank's arrival. "What do we got?" he asked as he approached, Ruzek following closely behind.
"I don't know yet, Sarge, but Hailey and I smell it, too," Jay informed Hank.
"Erin, I want you to go get in my SUV with Cami," Hank ordered. "The rest of you spread out. Let me know if you see anything that looks off."
"Hey, Sarge, I've got something!" Burgess called a few minutes later. She was crouched down next to a bush by the front door.
Hank quickly made his way over to Burgess, kneeling down next to her to get a closer look. There were a couple dozen shotgun shells laying there, shaped into two words: "cop" and "dead." It was obvious from the lingering smell that these shells had been fired off fairly recently.
The color drained from Voight's face at the sight, and he quickly got on the radio. "Jay, I need you and Hailey to take Erin and Cami back to the station, now."
"Voight?" Jay asked from behind him. "What's going on?" His mouth fell open as he peered over Hank and Kim and saw what they were both staring at.
"Jay, get them out of here. Now!" Hank ordered, and Jay took off for Voight's SUV, meeting Hailey there.
"Jay? What's going on?" Erin asked when Jay opened the door to the backseat where she sat, Cami still sleeping in her arms.
"Voight wants us to take you back to the station," Jay informed her, trying to keep his voice calm.
Erin looked back and forth between Jay and Hailey. "You found something, didn't you?" she asked, climbing out of the car.
"I'll tell you on the way," Jay promised, guiding Erin to the truck.
"Her car seat is inside," Erin said worriedly.
"I'll make sure someone brings it to the station," Hailey assured her. "Right now, Hank just wants us to get you out of here."
Erin nodded, climbing into the back of the truck, trying not to jostle Cami around too much. Jay closed the door behind her before going to the passenger side and getting in the front seat while Hailey climbed into the driver's seat. She quickly shifted the truck into gear, heading back to the station.
"Jay, what's going on?" Erin asked from the backseat.
Jay turned to look at her. "We found some shotgun shells by the front door. That's where the gunpowder smell was coming from."
Erin studied his face for a moment before shaking her head. "There's something you're still not telling me," she insisted. "What is it?"
"The shells were shaped into words," Jay said hesitantly. "Cop and dead."
Erin's breath caught in her throat as her mind flew back to the note that had been wrapped around the rock thrown through her window. "Whore cops don't deserve to live," it had read. "They found me," she whispered.
"Who found you?" Hailey asked, glancing at Erin in the rearview mirror.
"Someone was threatening me in New York," Erin explained. "They threw a rock through my window with a note wrapped around it, slashed my tires, and threw a Molotov cocktail through my window."
Jay's eyebrows lifted at the news that the Molotov cocktail hadn't been an isolated incident. "What did the note say?" he asked.
Erin hesitated, glancing down at Cami to ensure she was still asleep before responding, "Whore cops don't deserve to live," she said softly.
The rest of the drive to the station was spent in silence as they all processed the information. When they arrived, Hailey dropped Jay, Erin, and Cami off at the entrance. "I'll meet you inside after I park the truck," she promised them.
Erin shifted Cami's weight as she made her way up the stairs to the building, her arms growing sore. Although Cami was small for her age at just over twenty pounds, she still felt heavy after holding her for a while.
"Let me take her," Jay offered, noticing Erin's discomfort, reaching out to take the two year old from Erin's arms.
Erin gratefully handed her daughter over; thankful her arms would finally get a break. She held her breath as Cami stirred for a moment, afraid she'd wake up, but let it out when the little girl nestled her face into Jay's neck and went back to sleep.
As Erin and Jay made their way past Platt's desk, the sergeant eyed them with open curiosity, but she kept her mouth shut. Although she didn't say it out loud, it didn't go unnoticed by her that the three of them could easily pass for a family.