This time when they went in they made sure patrol was on hand to provide backup first, quietly setting up a tight perimeter around the house their suspects had holed up in. It wasn't a for sure that the drugs would be inside but he trusted that Tess had or would get them the evidence they needed to get convictions and there was no way he was waiting to arrest these assholes. Not just because they and/or their associates had tried to kill them, not even just because they were dealing heroin that had already been linked to fifteen overdoses, nine of which had proved to be fatal. But because on top of all of that they were holed up next to a fucking community centre.

Like it wasn't enough to destroy their neighbourhood with drugs, they had to put them in the line of fire too.

Thankfully it was late so the centre was closed but Jay still ordered a couple units to sneak in the side door to make sure it was clear and to protect, or arrest, anyone inside if not. And if things went sideways. Again. But they weren't going to this time. He wasn't going to question how she'd gotten the information, right now anyway but Cas had provided him with infrared satellite images that showed Tess's information was spot on. Six men, two in the living room, three in the kitchen, one in a small room they presumed was a bathroom and one upstairs. A quick glance at his team showed they were all a little nervous about splitting up but no one said anything, either trusting Tess when she said they had limited fire power or just not wanting to piss him off.

Again.

"You guys in position?" He asked quietly through his comms, crouched low to pavement a few houses down so they wouldn't be spotted.

"We're ready."

He shot a quick glance behind him at Kevin and Vanessa as Hailey answered him, sharing a brief nod with them before he turned forward. "Breach."

Even though he couldn't see the rest of his team where they were hidden in the alley behind the house Jay knew they were all moving in unison, to the point where he and his old partner kicked in the front and back doors at the same time. He took a second to appreciate that while they may not be partners anymore they were back to being friends and then he dropped the man in the living room who raised his gun at them, Kevin or Vanessa taking out the second man while he made for the kitchen. Hailey had already taken out the man in the bathroom and Adam had gone to take the man upstairs with Kim for backup which just left the three in the kitchen. Obviously they'd noticed their arrival and he had to take cover to avoid their shots but at least they were just from handguns this time. That was a lot easier to face than a semi-automatic.

The image of Tess facing down over a dozen of them popped into his mind, a level of bravery he could only aspire to.

That made his own courage stronger.

The sight of Hailey sticking her gun around the corner to pop off a couple shots brought him out of his head and her nod had him looking behind him to see Kevin and Vanessa watching him. Waiting for him to make a move. He motioned for them to go high then told Hailey to do the same and before he could think about it he threw himself onto the linoleum. Their shots took out the only man standing and his first one took out the ankle of the man crouched in the corner and he quickly slid over to him, passing his gun to his other hand at the same moment he sent his fist into his face. And then he fired. The surge of satisfaction that filled him when the third man dropped was strong, and dark, and it grew when he twisted the arm of the man beneath him until he dropped his weapon. And then he looked at his team and it grew again when he saw their shock. And their admiration.

Two years ago Voight had told him that this unit would be his one day and at the time Jay hadn't been able to picture it. And not just because he hadn't wanted it but because he hadn't been able to imagine that any of them would either. But the way they looked at him now…

Maybe they wouldn't mind following his lead.

Maybe he wouldn't mind leading.

That thought kept running through his mind as they called in patrol to take the one offender left alive, as the crime techs arrived to clear the team and they gathered in the alley next to the house, watching the bustling scene to make sure there was nothing else that needed to be done. There wasn't and yet he didn't make for his truck, and because he didn't no one else did either. There was something he wanted to do first.

"Do you know what surprised me most about earlier?"

He was speaking to all of them but he directed his question to Adam, the younger man straightening cautiously before he slowly shook his head. "What?"

"That she had a gun."

"What?"

"She doesn't like to use them." He explained to Vanessa but again he made sure to meet all their stares, the only way he knew to get them to understand shy of organizing some way for them to see her in action. "Hasn't since she started at the agency. She doesn't think killing should be so easy. She'll use them when she has to, when she's protecting someone."

Just not herself.

Jay didn't say that, but the implication was clear.

"What… what does she do then?" Kim asked quietly and it was an effort not to shrug because the truth was he'd never seen it for himself either.

All he had were stories, a few from her but most from Vivienne after they'd finally started talking again. And what she'd shared… It would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life.

"She'll use her staff. Knives. Whatever she can get her hands on and if there isn't anything… then just her hands."

Her pretty, tiny little hands that were so small compared to his.

That were so delicate when she crafted something out of clay, so gentle when she painted. Her hands could run through hair or brush away tears as easily as they could snap a neck and that might scare some people, did make his teammates pause but it had never once bothered him. His girl was stronger than anyone he knew and it didn't matter what she was capable of it mattered what she did.

How she did it.

And that wasn't something he could tell them.

All of a sudden he felt tired, just a fraction of what Tess carried which was why he didn't push it away. He just settled it on his shoulders as best as he could and made to leave, unsure what else there was for him to say but thankfully someone else decided it was time to speak.

"I'm not okay with that."

He turned around slowly, just in time to see his teammate giving his partner a look that made her back down before he took a step in his direction, a lot less aggressively than earlier but just as passionate.

"She doesn't get to do that. She doesn't get to just pop in and save our asses and then pop out whenever she feels like it. And I don't mean that as anything against you, I get that you guys were in a different situation before but that is not the case now. And I'm not saying I know what the answer is, but we gotta be able to do something."

And that was why he loved Adam.

They'd never been all that that close but he'd always liked him. He was funny and despite how wild he could be he still had a good head on his shoulders, and even though he was sometimes cocky he was hardworking and dedicated. He had good instincts and a good heart which made him great to work with and, when he let him be, a valued friend. But when he thought of him as family? That made him like a brother and yeah he already had two but Will was older and so was Greg actually, only by two months though he never let him forget it. He didn't know how to be a big brother. But Adam's deep, and sometimes blind sense of loyalty called to something inside Jay, the same principle that had driven him his whole life. He just didn't know how to answer it in this situation.

"We give her our badges. And our uniforms."

As one everyone looked to Vanessa and for a second she seemed lost in her head but then she turned to him, this sure look that hit him right in his heart.

You were right. She's not one of us. She doesn't get a badge or a uniform to hide behind.

Tess would never hide.

But if she was going to stand behind them then the least they could do was stand in front of her.

"I'm growing on you, I can tell." She said with a smirk and the tension that had filled the alleyway dissipated when he shook his head, a failed attempt to hide his smile.

"Now that you've stopped acting like a bitch, yeah. Now let's go. We've got a hard conversation ahead."

"How hard do you think she's going to fight us?" Kim asked, a little nervous but mostly determined, but before he could answer Kevin piped up.

"Don't matter. We gonna wear her down."

That made him feel bad, he knew this was not going to be an easy step for Tess to take but Jay was firm in his belief that it was the right one. For all of them, but especially for her. He didn't blame his team for what had happened between them, he couldn't when he'd let her down just as badly but it was time she had people fight for her.

Time she learned that she deserved to be fought for.