Present Day

Never enough breaks.

But she took the ones she could. It was only a few minutes after she and Hank had once again fallen into silence that she got a notification the team was on their way back so she took the valid excuse of needing to eat something to head to the vending machines. Covertly because she didn't have the energy to have another heavy conversation. Especially not with Trudy. She dallied as long as she could, and shoved as much sugar into her as she was able before she headed back up, surprised to see the two Sergeants engaged in quiet conversation.

"What's going on?" Tess prompted when they both just stared at her, though the way the Desk Sergeants eyes locked on her arm made it pretty clear she'd been getting caught up. "I'm going to tell you what I told him, which is that it's very poor form to yell at or rebuke in any way someone who just sacrificed themselves for you, albeit temporarily."

The older woman's gaze narrowed with displeasure but there was a sharpness in it that had her straightening. "I was told to be here."

"By who?"

"By me." Jay said confidently, a damn good entrance as he popped up behind her, Kevin, Adam and Kim at his sides.

Soft scuffles had her looking back to see Hailey and Vanessa coming up between Voight and Trudy, effectively encircling her. Trapping her. Her muscles had already tensed by the time she turned back to Jay and while she'd already had a pretty good idea of what was happening his loving but very stern stare made it clear. And sent her heart racing.

"I feel the urge to remind or inform everyone that I do not take well to being on this side of an ambush."

"We don't want this to be a fight." Jay said quietly and while her first instinct was always to believe him Adam was practically vibrating with anxious energy at his side him and his chin tilted up defiantly when he caught her eye.

"We wanna talk to you."

"Look, I know what happened rattled everyone-"

"You rattled us." Kim interrupted, just as fervent as her boyfriend and it made Tess want to bolt. "You're our friend and you- you let yourself be branded. For us."

"And don't say something about how it's not the first time because we're all very clear on that but it still doesn't make this okay." Adam added firmly and though it made her feel sick Tess saw that the same intensity on everyone's face.

"Alright. What do you want me to say?"

"That you'll let us protect you the same way you protect us." Vanessa answered firmly, not at all the comment she was expecting, or the person she would have expected it to have come from.

A scrunch of the woman's face told her she knew that, and sincerely regretted it, which was part of the reason she was so adamant. But only a part. The rest… the rest was because she wanted her on her team. They all did.

And that fucking terrified Tess.

She sent up a silent prayer that the only one who would be able to tell was Jay and after as slow and subtle of a breath as she could manage gave the younger girl a kind smile which she slowly shot around the room. "Thank you. I honestly didn't mean to upset anyone, it all happened so fast but Trudy already made it clear that I could have reached out to her. That's just… not always in my nature. But I know to accept help when it's offered, so the next time something happens I promise to find a way to share the load."

"Good."

Oh fuck him.

She knew before she even turned that Jay wasn't going to let it go there, he knew her too damn well but while she'd anticipated he wouldn't budge she had not expected that no one else would be willing to either.

"But that's not enough." He continued, his voice still that soft, steady timbre that made her want to scream.

"What exactly are you expecting?"

"We want you to work with us." Adam answered, a lot more harshly than she was expecting; it wasn't that she didn't like him, or that she thought he didn't like her but they weren't that close either.

Tess wasn't all that close with any of them, all those lines she'd tried so hard to keep and now they were trying so hard to wipe them away.

"I thought I was?"

God the look he gave her then.

It was almost identical to the one Luke had given when he would call her on her bullshit.

"Every day."

"I don't want that." She replied simply, the storm inside her growing even stronger when Hailey spoke up.

"Why?"

She took a second to answer, uncomfortably grateful when the blonde gave her partner a look not to push her anymore. "Because I just spent fifteen years working practically nonstop. And as much I enjoy all of you-"

"Well that's nice."

Adam shut his mouth fast when she whirled back to him but he still didn't look anywhere near ready to back down.

Fuck them for surrounding her like this, for purposefully putting her on edge.

Fuck it for working.

"I don't say this to diminish the work you do because I know that it's important and I have respect for you and most of the people who do it but I have spent my entire adult life tracking down arms dealers and bioterrorists and assassins and I left because I got bored of it. So no, working for the Chicago police department does not excite me."

That did the trick, but only for a second before Jay straightened. "Then work with us half-time. Work with Cam the other half."

"I don't want to work with Cam, and I don't want to work with CPD."

"Why not?" Adam pushed, in a way that told her this wasn't just about her but it didn't matter when Tess could feel every one of them boring holes into her skull, a pressure that continued to build. "If what we do isn't exciting enough for you, then help us do more."

"I don't want t-"

"Why not?"

"Because I will burn your blue fucking wall to the ground!"

Well look at that.

She did scream.

It echoed in the otherwise silent bullpen but what the hell. The dam was broken, might as well let some more out. They wanted all of her, right?

"I do not want to work with another racist, sexist institution that has no desire to change and will fight me at every turn. I did my time." She said firmly, looking around the room to dare them to say otherwise, which they didn't. But of course they didn't stay silent.

"I get that." Kevin interjected and just like that her temper halved.

Another gentle giant.

What would it look like when she disappointed him?

"And I don't want you doing something you ain't comfortable with but you already said you already working with us so you gonna fight with them no matter what. All we're asking is that you fight beside us instead of in front or behind us."

It seemed like such a simple request but it wasn't.

It was the most dangerous thing they could ask of her but none of them understood that.

"You need to tell them." Voight said quietly and immediately they all straightened. Except for Trudy. He really had caught her up on everything.

This was what happened when she took a break.

"Tell us what?" Jay asked firmly, his face now hard and his eyes pure fucking steel. Most of the time the beast inside her rose up to meet that challenge but right now all she wanted was to run. Or maybe throw herself out the fucking window.

"You're not getting past us." Adam said slowly, ignoring the chorus of quiet warnings to step towards her.

"You think you'd win that fight?"

He shook his head no, but he still didn't back down. "I think we're not letting you go without one."

"Why?"

"Because you're our friend." Kim answered with her own step closer, though a lot smaller than her boyfriend's had been.

"That wouldn't change."

"Because like it or not you're one of us."

Hailey.

Another comment she hadn't expected from a person she hadn't thought cared so much.

But the softness in her eyes told her that she did. "And we protect our own. And if you really want to keep us safe you'll accept that because we're not letting this go."

They wouldn't.

And something inside Tess both broke and healed when she realized that, the tightness in her gut growing so strong for a second she thought she might faint.

"What did Ang say?" Jay asked again after a moment, still stern but with a tinge of guilt in his voice that said he knew he'd hurt her and didn't know how to feel about that.

"He said to remember that he's not the only one who doesn't like me."

"I think we knew that." Adam tried to joke but the atmosphere in the bullpen didn't lighten.

"Did someone threaten you?" Vanessa asked slowly, the opposite of the firm stance she took.

Trudy chimed in when she shook her head, still giving off those maternal vibes she hadn't realized she'd forgotten the feeling of. "Did they threaten us?"

"No one said anything."

"Tess-"

"Not directly." She continued, ignoring Jay to take a seat on his desk, ignoring all of them to look back out the windows. "It's never direct. It's a military dentist who disappeared without a trace. A contact who gave a C.I information who also disappeared. Whispers and shadows that never lead to anything concrete. A ghost."

There was a long, long minute of silence before she heard footsteps but she still didn't look at anyone, not even when Jay placed his hand firmly on the middle of her back. It was meant to be supportive, and distantly she appreciated it, but she also couldn't help but resent him for pushing this so hard.

He had promised not to.

"You're talking about the hack. The one that leaked your information? You think someone has been targeting you? For five years?"

All Tess could do was nod, because that was all she knew, but when she found her gaze travelling to Voight she knew there was one more thing to say.

One last warning she could give and she prayed with everything she had that they would listen.

"Someone went after Olive and Daniel. Years ago, but there's no saying someone else won't try again." She said softly, taking in his shock, horror and fury before she slowly looked to everyone else, watching their own grow. "Or that they won't go after Mak. Or Vanessa or Jordan or Mouch. As long as you are in my orbit anyone that any of you care about will be a target."

Again there was a long moment of silence as they took in the gravity of her words, all of them looking each other over before as one they turned to their Sergeant. Her heart broke as their heads lifted defiantly, as he smiled proudly and nodded before looking back to her.

"Then we're in danger no matter what. We know what we want. It's up to you now."