Erin heard a click followed by the dial tone forcing her to pull her desk phone away from her ear and stare down at it as if it could provide answers to her confusion. Did her dad just hang up on her? Maybe it was an accident? She hangs the phone up then lifts it up to dial his number again. It rings until it goes to his answering machine, "Dad, I don't know if you meant to hang up but um, I'll just talk to you when I get home. I have a few more cases to sort through before I leave the office. I love you," she inhales sharply before exhaling, "bye." She hangs up.

And she looks up to find Burgess leaning against her desk, arms crossed, "So, I couldn't help but to overhear your first conversation with your dad," she sits at the edge, "I know you're going to start looking for apartments soon but for right now, if you wanted you could move in with me while you look?" Almost immediately, she throws her hands up, "no pressure though. I just heard you talking to your dad about moving out."

"He told me I could stay with them as long as I wanted."

"…and how long do you want to stay with them?"

"I've been ready to leave since the morning after I moved in."

Kim clasps her hands together, "then that settles it," she rises to her feet, "you're moving into my guest bedroom. I'll start preparing it for you tonight and you can move in this weekend."

"I don't mind staying with my parents a little longer."

Burgess shakes her head, "It's not up for debate. You and Milo are moving in, besides, I know you and I know Camille and Voight and they're cool but they're also protective and overbearing and you need your freedom and privacy."

"…they mean well."

"but…" Kim pushes on, brows rising and falling in suggestion.

"I do need my freedom and privacy," Erin whispers, "but you're just as nosey," Kim looked insulted which only made Erin chuckle as she ran her hand through her hair before sighing, "You drive a hard bargain Kimberly Burgess."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Erin whirled around to face her friend before she got too excited, "It's only temporary. It's only while I look for some place to stay…permanently."

Erin doesn't know if her best friend is truly listening and processing her words. She's too busy bouncing and rambling about all of the things they can do together as roommates. She was so happy at the thought, "I actually brought a new bedspread, let me show you," she's practically yanking her phone out of her pocket, "I took a picture after I put them on the bed." She was bubbling with joy, so much so that she practically shoves her phone in Erin's face, "that's the comforter. It looks and feels so smooth and silky."

The phone was so close to her face that she could barely see the bed. She was forced to grab Kim's wrist and pull her arm back enough so she can actually see the picture, "It's looks comfy."

"I haven't tested it out but you'll be sure to tell me when you do."

"…you'll be the first to know."

Kim pockets her cell and grabs one of the many files stacked on Erin's desk. Since they were understaffed, each of them had many cases assigned to them. Erin was told to familiarize herself with each file that detailed a kid that's under her guard. She's to check in on them at their foster homes, at their schools and at their aftercare activities. She had a total of 20 since it's her first day and she isn't looking forward to more being added to her caseload. Kim reads over the top file, noticing little sticky notes Erin had added with words jotted down. It was one of her many ways of organizing and highlighting details involving a kid.

"So," Kim briefly scans the sticky note before flipping the page, "you don't realize how happy I am that you're back in town…for good. I missed having you to go out with, to drink and vet guys. I haven't been in a relationship in years and neither have you so I think it's time we both get back on the saddle, go out there and find us some handsome men."

"I'm not interested," Erin takes the file from her friend's grip.

"…oh come on, Erin."

"I'm not interested, Kim, I'm just not. Not right now. I need," she stops talking for a moment to carefully gather and construct her words, "I need to focus on me. I need to work on me. I need to better my life before I bring someone else into it. My last relationship," she inhales a sharp breath and holds it for four seconds before letting it out, "it was toxic and unhealthy and we weren't good for each other. We brought out the worst possible traits in each other. I broke things off for a reason, for me. I didn't do it to jump into another relationship, not when I'm trying to heal myself from the last one."

"It's been two years. Aren't you tired of being single?"

Immediately she shakes her head because that's far from the truth, "Being single is much better than being lied to, than being disrespected. I'm single and it's going to stay like that until I find someone worth the effort, worth the try. In the two years since my last relationship, I've learned that I like being single, I love it, I'm always there when I need me and I never disappoint myself."

"Don't you need someone to scratch that itch?"

"When there's an itch, it gets scratched. It doesn't mean I need to be in a relationship to do it."

Kim rocks side to side, hands held behind her back, "I'm just going to say this, I'm going to throw it out there and you can tell me to fuck off if it's crossing a line," she throws out the disclaimer before taking a heavy breath and saying it, "Kenny Rixton," she says his name and lets it settle in the air, "he sits at the cubicle down the hall to the left, the one with all the Cubs gear decorating his desk, he has the hots for you and he'd be interested in-"

"Kim…"

"…yes?"

Erin smirks and shakes her head, "Fuck off."

"You got it."

It's not that Erin has sworn off men. She's got a new attitude when it comes to relationships now; she feels that when the time presents itself then the right guy will come into her life. And if it's one thing she's learned from her former relationship, it's never to date someone you work with, someone that you'll be forced to see every day even if the relationship is going downhill.

Erin checks the time on her cell phone. She wanted to go to the bar tonight, maybe get a drink but it's late and she needed to come into work early enough to get a head start on viewing and organizing the rest of her casefiles. Maybe she'll go to the bar tomorrow night? She can stop by for a drink or two after visiting a few foster homes. She grabs her phone, pressing the button to light up the screen and smiling when Milo's grinning face beamed at her. Another reason why she got him, she needed someone to love, someone who would never abandon her, never double cross her, never even think to hurt her. Her eyes fell to the scar on her wrist, the constant reminder that she's forced to face every single time she looks at it, "Erin," she immediately looks away when her name is called, "do you remember back in high school when you fought Stephanie because she kept teasing me?" Erin nods and Kim continues, "and do you remember when you offered to beat up Mr. Jackass, aka my first boyfriend after he broke my heart," Erin nods again, "and do you remember when you shoved Lisa because she knocked my books out of my hands on purpose?" Erin didn't know where she was going with this but she nods anyway, "you've always had my back, you've always looked out for me and you've always protected me. I've never doubted your loyalty and when you love, you love hard. I'm honored to be someone that you love, but…what I'm trying to say is I love you too and I want to be the friend to you that you have always been to me and to do that, I need to know what's going on in your head."

"It's honestly-"

"No," Kim interrupts, shaking her head pretty aggressively, "don't do that. You always do that. You always say it's nothing but it's not nothing. How did you get the scars?"

Erin will fight tooth and nail to defend the underdog, to defend the people that she loves but when it comes to herself that same air of strength and confidence is never there. And those same people that she defend are rarely ever there or strong enough to return the favor. Erin takes another look at her scar, it's light, close to fading but she knows that no amount of time will make the rest of the scar disappear. It's there for good. It's there forever. Erin runs her fingers over the line crossing her wrist, "A few months before I got Milo, some guys broke into my apartment. I walked in while they were still there. And that's all I'm going to say…"

"Fuck Erin, why…what…why," Kim struggles to formulate a sentence because she obviously didn't expect to hear that; she honestly thought Erin was going to try and push her away, "I…I don't know what to say."

"It's a first time for everything."

Kim reaches over to lightly shove her friend's shoulder, "Don't be an ass when I'm trying to be empathetic. I wish I had known. I wish you had told me. I'm…I'm so sorry Er."

She smirked and shook her head, "I don't need your apology, Kim. I'm fine. I survived. I've been in counseling for a year. I'm okay. It's just not something I like to talk about."

Burgess could understand that. She understood Milo's presence a little bit more now. He comforted her, he offered support and most importantly he plays the role of a guard dog. Kim still has questions; if she's been honest her curiosity is taking control and she wants to know what they did to her but she got the sense that even if she asked, Erin wouldn't answer. So, she poses one more question, one just as important as the rest before dropping the subject, "Please, tell me they were caught and arrested and serving hard time?"

Erin clears her throat and sits up, "…um, yeah, they were arrested and last I checked they were waiting to be sentenced. I'm pretty sure they're sentenced now. I haven't followed the case."

"Why not?"

"…because I would prefer not to give them anymore of my time and energy than I already did. I am fine. I'm still the badass Erin that you've grown up with, I mean, I didn't just cower down and let them hurt me. I put up a pretty good fight. I got the scars to prove it."

Kim holds up her hand, "that's my girl." Erin high-fives her.

"You know me better than that, Kim. I'm not some damsel in distress; I've never been. I have battle scars but most people that know me know that I'm not to be messed with."

"Oh I know," Kim affirms positively, "it's why I make sure to never get on your bad side." She's joking but she's serious at the same time, -if that's possible.

After logging off her work computer, Erin rose from her seat, grabbing her army green bomber jacket off the back of her chair and putting it on, "Was your ex at least there for you?" Erin had assumed the topic of conversation was going to change but she should have known better. Silently, she shook her head and allowed that movement to answer the question.

"Where…where was he?"

Erin shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I don't typically keep tabs on my ex-boyfriends."

"Do your parents know?"

She doesn't answer right away. She grabs her purse out of the bottom drawer of her desk and throws the short strap over her shoulder. Her keys are in her left hand; she occasionally throws them up in the air just to catch them in the same hand when they fall back down. Kim hits the lights and darkness suddenly surrounds them as they walk the path to the elevator.

Finally, when they're in the main lobby, walking out the exit of the building Erin answers, "Do they know what happened to me? Yeah. Do they know every detail? No."

"Do I know every detail?"

Erin answers with the shake of her head, -no. It was nothing personal. The only people who knew every detail about what happened to her in New York was her, the NYPD, the judge, the prosecutor, the guys who broke into her home, the members who were in group counseling with her and her therapist. She kept it that way for a reason. It was nothing against Kim or her parents, it's just she's been too busy focusing on bettering herself, healing and putting herself first that she couldn't find the time to sit down and rehash her trauma. She's done it quite a few times; she doesn't want to do it again.

"…but you know enough of the details," Erin added, "that should be enough."

"It is," Kim loops her arm through her best friend's arm as they walk towards the employee parking lot. It is enough. And Kim appreciates and respects Erin even more for telling her about it. It couldn't have been easy. It had to be terrifying when it happened. And while Kim had more questions, she knows Erin enough to know not to push her.

Being the only two cars parked in the lot, it wasn't hard to scope them out. They were parked next to each other, both arriving at the same time in the morning. Despite the close proximity of their cars, Kim walks Erin to hers; "I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning and maybe," she held up her palms ready for the attack she thinks she's going to get based on her next comment, "just maybe you find a way to work out some of the tension in your shoulders. They say the way to get over an old man is to get under a new one."

"I don't need to get over my ex. I'm not hung up on him," Erin corrected. She needed Kim to understand that. Erin breaking up with her last boyfriend was one of the best and healthiest decisions she's ever made in her life. It's not something she regrets and maybe Kim doesn't understand that? Maybe Kim doesn't understand that it's okay to be single and some people are actually happily single?

"…okay, maybe that came out wrong but-"

"How about you focus on your relationship?"

"I'm single. I'm not in a relationship."

"…neither am I. But you're focusing on my lack of a relationship instead of yours. I'm not trying to pacify you by saying that I'm happy to be single; I truly am genuinely happy to be single, to focus on my career, to take care of my dog and just do things that I enjoy for once. Why is that a problem?"

"It's not," Kim rushes to say, but before she can continue Erin cuts her off.

"…but you make it seem like it is, Kim! I can't count the number of times we have debated about this. How many times do I have to say the same thing? How many different ways do I need to say the same thing? I would rather be single than be in the wrong relationship, than be in a toxic relationship because I refuse to be used, I refuse to be treated less than what I deserve and I refuse, I fucking refuse to simply settle. I don't need someone to make me feel whole. I'm doing a pretty good job of that by myself. So, yes I'm single, yes I'm okay with it and yes someone is going to have to be fucking amazing to change that!"

Kim's shoulders deflate, "I meant no harm, Erin," and she truly didn't; Erin knows that, "I'm just trying to give you some relationship advice."

"When did you become an expert on relationships?"

"I'm not," Kim drew nearer, if that was possible given how close they're already standing in front of each other, "I'm just an expert on my best friend. And I just want to see you happy."

"…being single, loving myself, taking care of myself, putting myself first for once…that makes me happy." Erin smiles, providing her best friend with the biggest one she's had since she came back to Chicago. It was genuine. It was true. It was persuasive.

Kim smiles upon seeing it, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards before she leans in and embraces her best friend as tightly as humanly possible, "I'm happy to hear that, Er. I love you."