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After the public embarrassment that Jay caused yesterday by forcing Alex to open the blinds, she wasn't looking forward to whatever today would bring at the precinct. She was determined to just keep her head down and finish out this stupid punishment, so she could get back to her regular life.
After the Friday afternoon bells rang, Alex and Dustin exited the school hand-in-hand as they headed for the L train entrance a few blocks away. Dustin had insisted that he walk her there every day this week since they couldn't go back to his place to hang out as they normally did. They reached the entrance where they usually parted ways; however, today he wasn't ready to say goodbye.
"How about I drop you off at the door this time?" Dustin asked, not letting go of her hand just yet.
Alex motioned ahead to where she'd swipe her card to get on the train, confused. "Well, we made it."
"No, I mean the police station."
Her eyebrows flew up at the suggestion. "Woah, what?"
The teen held up his hand as if saying to hear him out. "Not like I'm going to go inside or whatever. But just like take you to the entrance." When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Is spending time with you a crime now? Because if so, we might as well go together so you can turn me over to the cops." For added effect, Dustin threw on a pouty lip and pleading puppy dog eyes.
Alex rolled her eyes playfully and relented immediately, not able to turn down such an adorable look. It was harmless to have him take her to the district. "You just want to make out on the ride over." She threw a seductive smile over her shoulder, clearly approving, as she went up the steps to the platform. Dustin's eyes lit up with teenage delight as he ran after her.
About 20 minutes later, they were standing on the other side of the road in front of the 21st district. "Well here's my stop," Alex announced as she gave his hand a tight squeeze. "Don't forget about me while I'm doing time on the inside," she joked, inching her body closer to his.
"I mean, who could forget these delicious lips," Dustin replied, oblivious to the world around him. He cupped her cheek affectionately and pulled her in for a long, tongue-filled kiss to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, the Intelligence Unit had just returned from a crime scene and they were making their way through the parking lot into the side door. Erin was the last in line and just happened to glance to her right toward the front of the building. She stopped for a second, pulling her sunglasses down to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing.
Jay held open the side door and saw that his partner had stopped, clearly focused on something out front. "Erin, what is it?" he asked as he started to take a step toward her.
The detective made a quick call based on her gut. "Nothing, thought I saw one of my C.I.'s out front, but it wasn't him," she quickly replied, pushing him back toward the door out of view. "We better get moving." Because the last thing Jay needed right now was knowing his sister was sucking face with a boy out front.
The day played out much like the previous one. Alex sat in the break room, her mood refusing to improve, while Jay attended to his duties. She overheard conversations about the ongoing case and every now and then, she'd see a bunch of movement in the bullpen, like people were in a rush. She was mildly interested in what was happening, but she refused to acknowledge that piece.
Erin had stayed out of things between the siblings, instead offering constant support for Jay and a listening ear when he needed to vent. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries and get involved without his request, but as dinner time was nearing and Jay was interrogating a suspect, Erin saw an opportunity and knew she had to take it. She saw too much of herself in this teen and thought maybe she could extend some sort of olive branch of support.
The female detective knocked lightly on the break room door, causing Alex to look up from her laptop.
"Hey, just wanted to see if you'd like to head to the vending machine with me to grab a snack. I think Jay might be with a suspect for a while longer."
Alex groaned at realizing she was going to be stuck here even later than usual. "I'm good," she replied simply before returning her gaze to the screen.
"Well, I was hoping you'd share some details about your boyfriend."
Alex's head immediately shot up and a look of panic spread across her face. Erin's eyebrows were raised with a knowing smirk; she'd caught the teen.
"He's not my boyfriend," Alex replied hastily. It wasn't a lie - Dustin wasn't her boyfriend even if that was what he was trying to be.
Erin nodded, the smirk never leaving. "Uh, huh." She folded her arms. "You could have had me fooled when you were making out in front of the district."
Alex's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Why had she been so stupid to do that out front? In front of a god damn police station of all places. She internally berated herself while her eyes anxiously danced around the door and behind Erin, searching for anyone that might be overhearing this conversation.
"Don't worry. Jay isn't around. Come on, let's go get some chips. On me." She motioned for the teen to follow her as she headed out of the room.
Honestly, Alex felt trapped. She wasn't exactly eager to get to know Jay's girlfriend, but she felt that if she didn't go along with it, Erin might turn on her and tell Jay about Dustin. And the last thing she wanted right now was for her brother to stick his nose in her kinda-sorta-friends-with-benefits-relationship with Dustin. Reluctantly, she followed Erin downstairs to a vending machine in the back hallway.
After they'd both selected a bag of chips, Erin leaned up against the wall and opened her bag. "So this 'not-your-boyfriend'…," she trailed off, wondering if Alex was going to give any details.
Taking a bite of her doritos, Alex replied, "No offense, but I'm not going to spill details just so you can go narc to Jay."
Erin chuckled at her choice of words. "Is this boy hurting you?" Alex was visibly taken back by the strange question out of the blue. "Is he?" the detective prompted again.
"No, of course not," Alex responded truthfully.
"Great, then I have no reason to tell Jay." Erin gave a genuine smile, trying to convey that she was being honest. She'd decided earlier that unless she had reason to be concerned about whatever this situationship was, she wasn't going to tell Jay. She wasn't necessarily hiding it from him, but she was well aware how fragile their sibling relationship was right now. Finding out that Alex had a boy toy walking around town with her might send Jay into an overprotective spiral, and that was the last thing either Halstead needed right now, especially after some small progress had been made.
Alex sensed that Erin was telling the truth, but she knew better. Trust didn't come easy for her and she wasn't about to just pour her heart out to this stranger, no matter how genuine she seemed. Alex didn't say anything else as she continued to eat chips and stare around the hallway.
When Erin saw that Alex wasn't going to open up about the boy, despite her promise to not tell Jay, she decided to switch gears, because she knew that pressing it more would only create a larger wall between them.
"You know, I also had an abrupt change in my living situation around your age. I was in…" Erin paused trying to think of the right way to phrase it without scarring the teen, "into some unsafe stuff and my living situation with my mom was pretty bad. Then someone took me in and my life turned upside down. A full 180."
Alex didn't make eye contact, but she was intently listening, surprised to hear this confession. "That sucks," she muttered in reply.
Erin chuckled. "Yeah, it did. My situation with my mom sucked, and it also sucked having to adjust to being in a new house. New rules, new routines, new people. It felt confining, and I was angry. A lot. I spent a lot of time being pissed and arguing with everyone around me."
The teen wasn't an idiot. She knew exactly what Erin was trying to do - build some kind of connection with her, trauma bond over their shared experience. Isn't that what cops did anyway? Bait the victim into a confession or something stupid - at least that was what she saw on TV. Alex had a hard time believing that her story was true. It seemed like an insane coincidence, and she couldn't trust anyone. So she did what she normally did - she pushed back. "I know what you're trying to do, Erin," she snapped, meeting her eyes for the first time.
Erin held up her hands gently. "I have no agenda, Alex. I just want you to know that you have a safe space with me if you ever need to talk. When I moved into the new house, I had this amazing woman, Camille, to talk to. I mean, I didn't think she was so amazing at first. Like I said, I was pissed at everyone. But eventually she helped me through some pretty dark times. So I know what it's like to navigate shitty situations, and I want you to see that I'm here for you."
Alex was starting to feel uncomfortable and she shifted her weight a few times. The closeness, the care, it was flirting with doors that she'd strived to keep locked away. "Thanks," she replied quietly, wanting this to be over so she could forget about it.
Erin wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing at all here, but she was giving it her best shot because she truly wanted things to go well for both Halstead siblings. She'd tell Jay about this part of the conversation, and offer up more support, later tonight. "You know, Jay just worries about you. He's been through a lot and just wants to keep you safe."
Alex's defenses immediately went up at that comment, the vulnerability slipping back into its vault. "I don't need a babysitter. I can handle myself."
Erin nodded, understanding the need for independence. She knew too well what it was like to go from being a rebellious, uncontrollable teen to living in a structured household with a cop. "I get that. But maybe he just needs to know you can handle things. Show him you're mature enough to make the right decisions, and maybe he'll back off a bit."
The advice made Alex think as she chewed on another chip. "Sure, whatever," she retorted.
But deep inside, she started to mull over the advice. Getting Jay to back off a bit? Well that was the ideal scenario, because it meant she could get out of this caged, confining environment. For the rest of the evening, her mind spun its wheels, trying to think up ways she could make him happy so he'd get off her case.