It hurts, like someone's twisting and squeezing and burning something in her belly. She's taking a shower, which usually helps when she starts her period, but this time is different. This time, it hurts more, and nothing she does lessens the pain. And she's bleeding a lot more too, especially after Johnny took her to see his scary friend who's a doctor. He gave her a shot at his house last week that made asleep. When she woke up she was back on the couch at her mom's with blood all over her pants and blanket and her tummy has hurt ever since.

"Where is she?" She hears Johnny yell, along with the sound of footsteps stomping towards the bathroom where she was just about to step out of the shower. A chill runs over her body, and she begins to shake as soon as the bathroom door opens. He rips the curtain down and plucks her from the tub. Her toes barely touch the ground as he shakes her.

His voice pierces her ears as he begins screaming at her to clean up after herself and wash the blood off the couch, something she thought she had done. Then he lets her go, and she drops the floor before she scurries to the corner. Her body's trembling as sirens sound from outside as the familiar sight of red and blue lights flash through the windows. He gives her a look like he does when he comes into her room at night to hurt her. It scares her more, causing her to push herself into the wall more as he reaches for her again, but a policeman stops him. Her eyes go wide as she pulls her knees up to her chest and hides her face. It's loud as the officers yell at Johnny and make him mad. After Johnny's taken away, it gets quiet, and she's left alone for a little bit.

She thinks both her mom and Johnny have been taken away as the silence stretches on. Then she hears someone walking down the hall again. The noise gets louder and her hear pounds harder with every step that's taken. It stops and she trembles in her spot, too afraid to see who's there to hurt her now.

"Hi, Sweetheart." A soft voice says, still causing her to jump in fear.

Erin peeks at the lady, but still stays in her spot at the side of the tub.

"My name's Camille and this is my friend Trudy, we're here to help you." She says next as she looks back at the taller brown haired woman behind her while she pulls her coat off and drapes it over Erin.

"I promise no one's going to hurt you ever again." Camille whispers as she moves a little closer and opens her arms like she's waiting for a hug.

Erin feels like she's taken back in time with the bruising grips these guys have on her. Not having felt a pain like it since she was a ten-year-old little girl being abused at the hands of Bunny's boyfriend. She tries to pull away in the moment, but they just yank her arms back harder. Her ears are still ringing from when the guy to her right fired a round up at the ceiling. They practically carry her to the vault all the way in the back, and then they shove her, causing her to stumble to the floor.

"Open it." One of them demands as he squats down to be eye level with her, but she shakes her head as she looks at him. She stares at him - trying to see through the dark shades covering his eyes, but it's fruitless, the lens are too thick and dark. He snickers as if he knows what she's attempting to do. He raises his gun until the cool metal is pressed under her chin.

"I wasn't asking. Either you open it or I kill you and go grab the blonde to do it." He pushes the gun into her skin more.

She gulps at that, knowing that she wouldn't want anyone to be put in this situation, but especially not Hailey, with a baby on the way and two little girls at home.

"Fine, but can you at least stop pointing that at me?" She asks as she stands up.

"Not a chance." He sneakers just as another masked man joins them.

Jay's relieved to have found her, and that she appears unscathed. He'd probably even smile at the sassy undertone as she makes her own demands, if she weren't being held at gunpoint that is.

"Just put the fucking gun down man." Jay snarls, the lump in his throat distorting his voice to the point where his wife doesn't even recognize it.

"Oh here comes the boy scout saving the damsel." The boss's nephew jeers as he waves his own gun around aimlessly.

Jay doesn't pay him any mind, but his hand tightens around the gun in his hand.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" The other man questions and Jay turns his head to him.

"I'll make sure neither of you walk out of here of your own free will." Jay promises, his words still disguised, but Erin tilts her head at him in wonder before eventually turning back to open the vault as the gunman stops pointing his weapon at her.

Jay breathes a little easier seeing the gun get aimed at the floor rather than at his wife's head, but they're not done here yet. She's not safe until they're gone and he continues to try to get them to pick up the pace to ensure that they don't have time to mess with her.

"Alright, it's open. Are you waiting for an invitation?" Jay remarks as the other two guys just stand there and this time he knows Erin knows. He can see the way she's looking at him now that she recognized his voice. The way her shoulders relax and her eyes soften just a little tells him that she feels safer knowing he's with her - even if he did come into her work as a masked robber along with two other men.

When their backs are turned, Jay gently wraps one arm around Erin's waist and pulls her further away from the entrance of the vault only for both of them to step forward and close the door. He chuckles as he hears the two men yell and even attempt to shoot their way out as he helps his wife lock them inside. His sunglasses slide off his face as he looks down and he attempts to catch them, but they still fall to the floor.

Then everything slows - their eyes locking on each other for the first time in weeks. One look through the windows to their souls has both of their hearts to ache.

"You should go." Erin breaks through the silence first as sirens grow louder the closer they get to the bank. Jay doesn't hear her though - temporarily deaf as he looks her over a couple times with his eyes eventually settling on her belly.

"I'm ok." She whispers next and he nods to let her know he heard her.

"You need to go now." Erin says more sternly and he snaps out of it.

He reaches out to cup her cheek with his gloved hand and she leans into his touch momentarily, before she's gently pushing against his chest to get him to go. She looks at the vault as the men inside start banging on the door again while Jay reaches into the pocket of the jacket he's wearing, remembering that the owner of it left a pack of matches inside. He pulls her attention back to him as he grabs her hand and places the matches against her palm. She glances down at her now closed hand and by the time she looks up again, he's gone - having disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Her heart sinks as she wonders if she'll see him again - if whatever he's gotten himself into will be his demise. She has an urge to chase after him, and before she can talk herself out of it she's running towards the door. The sirens are blaring now and tires are screeching in every direction. But she can see the back of a van as it tears around the corner down the ally and takes off. Her breath hitches with the sight - from not seeing him and being surrounded by the cops now, itching to get inside and apprehend the robbers.

"Ma'am are the suspects still inside?" One of the uniformed cops asks next and Erin nods after the female finishes checking Erin for a weapon.

"Yeah, they're locked in the vault." She adds to them, and the cops all look at each other, relaying the message to those that weren't close enough to hear Erin's quiet statement.

Her eyes water as she looks in the direction that she saw the van take off in - the one that she's sure was carrying her husband. The female cop next to her asks her another question that Erin doesn't really register and subsequently doesn't answer.

"Ma'am?" She says and Erin snaps out of it a little with that word.

"Erin, my name's Erin Halstead." Erin corrects the younger woman before going over to Hailey when she sees her being escorted out of the building along with the mother and baby that Kim was talking to before this all happened. Her sister-in-law envelopes Erin in a tight hug as soon as she's close enough.

"Thank god you're alright." Hailey murmurs before pulling back - truly thankful that her sister-in-law wasn't physically hurt. Her eyebrows furrow though, seeing Erin looking extra pale. It makes her think that maybe she's not ok and wasn't left unharmed.

"You are ok, right?" Hailey questions, her heart sinking as she checks her for injuries again. Erin just shakes her head, but she seems unable to answer the inquiry verbally.

Jay's heart is still lodged in his throat as he pictures the gun being pressed against Erin's chin. He's been getting chewed out since he got in the van almost twenty minutes ago, but he's not in the mood to be scolded for this plan falling through.

"You just left them in there?" He hears next and Jay just shrugs.

"I thought they already got out." Jay lies through his teeth, knowing that they were locked inside the bank.

"And you didn't get away with anything?"

Jay scuffs at that, knowing that even if he wanted to they weren't going to let him actually carry any of the money they were planning on taking. "They had the bags, I was just told to hold the hostages in front while they took a clerk back to the vault."

"Johnny's going to be pissed." The other man states and Jay rolls his eyes at the mention of the boss - the brother and uncle to the two guys still held up in the bank.

Jay waits to hear if there's anything else the other man wants to say as he looks over at Mouse still busy on the computer. He can tell his old friend is purposely avoiding eye contact with him as his eyes shift more frantically over the screen and his body language becomes more tense. Jay would be lying if he said he wasn't pissed at his friend, someone who was supposed to be an ally in this whole thing. He's mad, because he knows that Mouse is the only one who could have tracked him down so that he could be pulled into this job. But then he reminds himself that, Mouse is only involved because of him. And then he thinks of Erin again, and how grateful he is that he was there to make sure she was safe - even if she proved herself perfectly capable of holding her own. He goes over every second he had his eyes on her in the bank, hoping he gets to see her tonight.

The book of matches feels heavier than it should - like a brick compared to a feather resting in her hand. Her heart pounds as she looks up at the sign of the bar - the name and bar's logo matching the one on the small piece of cardboard she's holding. She glances around the street before walking inside and makes her way to an empty seat at the bar.

"What can I get you, Honey?" The bartender asks and Erin doesn't realize that she was being spoken to until the older woman behind the counter actually looks at her.

"Umm... just a white soda, please." Erin replies quietly while taking another look around the dark establishment. The regulars murmuring about themselves as they watch her, the newcomer, is unnerving. Her eyes roll on their own volition when she sees one guy in particular slam the rest of his drink and nod at his buddies smugly before making his way over to the bar - right next to where she's seated.

"'Nother round for us and whatever the lady here is drinking."

"I got my own, thanks." Erin remarks and the guy chuckles to himself as his eyes travel over her a few more times - checking her out up close.

"I can get you your next one then." He replies after a beat, his gaze settling on her lips as he wets his own.

Erin doesn't say anything to that, but she does shake her head to let him know that she's not interested in the game he's trying to play. She taps her left hand on the bar top - wishing with everything in her that she could have some alcoholic beverages while she waits to see if her husband will show.

"Nice ring." The guys says and Erin looks around him at the door - seeing a hooded figure walking towards the bar.

"I would say it's a shame that your husband's not here with you, but that'd be a lie." He says as he covers her hand with his and Erin immediately tries to pull her hand away, but he grabs at her wrist and yanks back. "What he doesn't know won't-"

Erin grabs the pistol she brought with her and points it at the guy - making sure to hide it under the bar top. She doesn't have to say anything for the guy to let go of her and back off. He stumbles back and runs into Jay, who shoulder checks him and takes his spot next to his wife. Jay's eyes go wide with the sight of one of his guns in her hand, he checks around them as he reaches down and slowly takes it from her. The safety is quickly switched on and he puts it in the waistband of his jeans before having a seat.

He looks up into her eyes and squints slightly - asking without words if she's ok to which she nods before contradicting herself by shaking her head. She takes another sip of her soda before pushing it away and placing a couple small bills next to it as a tip. The way Jay's eyes linger on the glass, makes her suspicious, but she doesn't say anything as she stands from the stool she's occupied for the last half hour.

They walk out of the bar and she turns the corner - coming to a stop and looking out at the moonlit lake.

"I can explain." He offers right away and he sees her shake her head again.

"No need, I think I got the picture this morning."

"Erin, I- come here." He starts but stops himself short to pull her into him - slinging his arm over her shoulders to share his warmth as she shivers and then he guides her to the door of the apartments.

As soon as they're inside his temporary place she steps out of his embrace despite wanting nothing more than to melt into him. His chest aches at how hastily she moves away from him - as if she's been scorned. He guesses in a way she has been and there's no one to blame but himself. The thought is quickly brushed aside as he shakes his head and grabs her one of his thick flannels to help warm her up.

Her voice is quiet, almost inaudible as she whispers a quick thanks after the black and blue shirt is draped over her shoulders to provide her more warmth. It's comforting in the way it quickly works to settle the goosebumps on her arms - despite the hoodie she has on, but even more than that, it smells like his cologne. A scent that's already fading from the condo they shared up until mere weeks ago. Her eyes fall shut as she takes a deep breath to take in the fragrance that she's missed so much. It makes her heart constrict, feeling just as far from him as she has for weeks - even if they're closer than they have been in that time.

"Babe, I'm sor-"

Her eyes open to glare at him. "Don't babe me, Jay...You don't get to apologize and just expect to be forgiven for walking out. In case you forgot, I'm your wife. Your fucking wife, Jay. And I think that letting me in - telling me what was going on would have been easier for both of us."

"Yes, but I can't change what I did, Erin. I've been wishing that I could, but I already fucked up. I know that, I know I hurt you by leaving-"

"Pfft, understatement of the century." Erin scuffs and Jay tenses a little after being interrupted again.

"I had to leave, but it's not what you think."

"What I think? How in the hell would you know what I've been thinking, Jay? Because we locked eyes for mere seconds when you walked into my bank with the intention of helping some wannabe thugs rob us? Because I came here tonight to see you? You think that means we're back to us, and knowing what the other's thinking or how they're feeling with a simple look?"

He looks down as she yells at him - he's letting her get her anger and frustration and hurt out, because he knows he's the one that did her wrong. He knows he deserves the tongue lashing she's about to give him so he stays quiet and doesn't even think of answering her rhetorical questions.

She sighs after taking a quick look around. "You know what I think?...I think that you were hiding. You tried avoiding this because you didn't think I'd understand or that I could handle whatever is going on with you. Maybe you thought that I couldn't help you out of this hole - whatever debt you owe. So in true Jay fashion, you tried to hide and deal with it by yourself instead of just letting me, someone you supposedly loved, help you."

"Supposedly? Loved?" He snaps then, he'll take all the other things she said, but not that. The insinuation that he lied about loving her or that his love is past tense actually makes him feel sick. His stomach turns and his heart plummets like an anchor falling to the sea floor.

"I love you, Erin. There's no supposedly and it's sure as hell not in the past. My love for you is still unwavering, unmatched, and unparalleled. I understand you being upset, and confused. I get I hurt you, but don't fucking accuse me of not loving you."

The air shifts - the tension between them building even more. She plops down on the couch and he can see how drained she's becoming. It almost has him taking her to his bed to let them both rest and pick things in the morning. But he knows that wouldn't work - she wouldn't let that happen because they're both too stubborn to leave things as they are now. They wouldn't be able to settle, but it's still a thought that lingers in his head.

Jay just shakes his head and lifts his gaze to meet hers again, albeit momentarily, before he looks away. He's defeated, that much she can tell just from the one second glance into his eyes. She thinks of trying a gentler approach, because he's hurting too.

"I'm sorry." She murmurs, feeling bad for blowing up like she did and making the situation worse.

"Me too." He scratches at the back of his neck, still not looking at her. "You're wrong though."

He doesn't elaborate, or touch what he's referring to. It has her rethinking her previous statements and what she could be wrong about. It seems like an hour passes, but it's only a few minute before she attempts to reconcile.

"Terry's death triggered something - something inside you that we haven't touched on before. A thing that you didn't think I could handle. So if I was wrong about you owing these guys then what? Was it Terry? Was that what got him killed?"

Jay just nods and opens his mouth to finish her sentence for her, but she beats him to it. "So you found out that he had a debt to pay with the guys who killed him. Maybe they threatened Terry's wife and son and so you decided to step in to protect them like he would have wanted. But you didn't want to tell me, because you thought it'd be better - safer for me not to know. That's why you left and those guys talked you into paying off the debt with these gigs. And here we are. Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, that's pretty much it." He admits as he plops down on the arm of the old couch opposite of her.

Erin rolls her eyes at his reply and the fact that she can't stop the tears from coming to her eyes.

"I did want to keep you safe. I didn't want you mixed up in this, because these guys knowing about you and using you as a pawn in their shit couldn't happen."

"What about your safety? What about the fact that I didn't know where you were or if you were ok? Does that not matter to you? Because I love you Jay, and I want you safe too." Her words start off angry, but she can't hold back her tears anymore by the end of her statement. "I just wanted you to come home." Her voice wavers even more with that, causing a deep cracking in his chest.

"Hey." He finally reaches out to her and cups her cheeks. The pads of his thumbs wipe away her tears.

"I was always going to come home." He tilts her head up and her glassy eyes meet his. "Nothing was going to keep me from you."

"It didn't feel like it." She scoffs at herself as she grips the front of the zip up he's wearing.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Babe." He murmurs against her hair as she finally crumbles in his arms. He pulls her in as close and as tight as possible while pressing a kiss to her head.