It was finally Sunday - the official day of rest. As part of her stupid punishment, which was officially halfway over thank god, Jay had said that she could stay home on Sunday to give her one day away from the precinct. Alex couldn't have been more thrilled to sleep in and not have water thrown in her face today. She'd finally woken up around 11:30am and headed into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Jay was sitting on the couch, reading over something on his laptop.

"Nice of you to join the real world," he commented jokingly, trying to keep the mood light.

"Whatever," she replied as she retrieved a yogurt from the fridge.

Jay closed his computer and sat it on the coffee table. "Hey, I have to run into work to wrap up a few things. Are you going to be ok on your own for a few hours?"

It was a loaded question with a deeper meaning than what was on the surface. Was she going to behave and be trusted here alone for a short period of time? Jay had thought back and forth about what to do all morning, and after talking to Erin, she had suggested giving Alex some space for a few hours as a starting point. She knew what it was like to be smothered, to always have someone watching your every move, just waiting for you to screw up. She figured a little space might help them, and Jay readily agreed that it was a good compromise.

Alex tried not to look too excited with the prospect of being left the fuck alone for a while. "I think I can manage on my own." She took a bite of yogurt before replying with deep sarcasm, "I made it this far in life, didn't I?"

The brother felt the daggers hit him with the comment, but he didn't let the hurt show on the outside. "Okay, great. I'll be back by dinner. Want me to get some take out?"

Alex just shrugged as she took another bite.

"Great. Seafood it is," Jay replied, knowing full well that she didn't like that.

After a gagging sound, she piped up, wanting to make sure he at least got something she liked, "Thai."

He nodded. "Thai it is."

This was one of the first times Alex was truly alone in this apartment - it was both liberating and suffocating. Liberating because she could finally let her guard down, knowing someone wasn't watching her every move. The silence was the suffocating part, because it meant her thoughts could run rampant and there was no stopping them.

She was flipping through channels from the lazy boy chair, refusing to sit on the couch where her brother not only slept but apparently screwed his girlfriend. Unfortunately, there was nothing on TV for a Sunday afternoon and it appeared that Jay didn't have any streaming services. Who the hell didn't have Netflix these days? Probably an annoying cop who worked long hours and was barely ever home.

UGH.

A few hours went by, and she stared out the window into the Chicago skyline as her mind wandered aimlessly, trying to fill the silent void. One thought led to another and before she knew it, she was fixating on that photo she saw yesterday in Jay's locker of them with their mother.

The tears pricked her eyes once more, but this time she didn't have enough fight in her to hold them at bay. She was damn good at shoving down her emotions, but being alone in a quiet apartment set the right ambiance to give into the pain for a change.

The tears readily fell as she curled into her side on the chair, pulling a blanket up over her head to hide from the world. Her stomach felt like it was in knots as she sobbed. If only stupid cancer wasn't a thing - if only they'd caught it sooner - if only her mom were still here…maybe her life wouldn't be a raging dumpster fire.

Underneath it all, the facade, the steel brick walls, she was just a regular teen who desired to be loved more than anything, but felt she wasn't worthy.

About thirty minutes had passed before Alex had pulled herself together enough to function. The emotional release felt like a weight being lifted off her shoulders, but at the same time, it was disorienting.

Her mind was now fixated on her mother and how she yearned for a small piece of her old life back. Still reeling from the emotions, she wasn't thinking straight. But in her mind, it was very clear - she had to get her stuff. She wanted…no…needed her belongings again. Everything.

So she put on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door without a second thought.

She used the entire train ride to quiet her thoughts, ones that said this was a stupid idea and she should turn around. She managed to convince herself that it would be okay - her dumbass father was never home Sunday afternoons. Who knew where the hell he went - church, alcoholics anonymous, strip club, dive bar, the options were endless. But there had always been one thing consistent in her time living with the evil dick - he was never around on Sunday afternoons.

She'd get her stuff - most importantly her cherished items - and she'd be back at Jay's within an hour. And maybe, just maybe, having those items would fill the void she regretfully opened earlier.

The old apartment felt suffocating, even with her dad absent. Memories hung thick in the air as she walked past the beer bottles scattered all around the living room. Without the teen there to tidy up, things were starting to fall into disarray.

Trying not to dwell on what she was seeing, Alex moved swiftly, determined to get her belongings and get out as soon as possible. The plan was simple: get in, pack, and get the hell back to Jay's as quickly as possible.

It didn't take long to grab the remaining items that she wanted - extra make up and other toiletries, more clothing and shoes, and finally, her two most cherished items: a small photo album of her family over the years that their mom had made and her mom's old cookbook that consisted of recipes her mom found, ones she wrote herself, and ones passed down from her own mother.

She ran a loving hand over the worn blue cover as tears pricked her eyes again without warning. What she wouldn't give to be back in the kitchen with her mom making her famous peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss on top.

She gingerly placed the book and photo album into her messenger bag before she zipped up the large suitcase. As she made her way to exit the bedroom, her suitcase caught on something and jolted her to a stop. With a grunt, she moved the suitcase to the side to reveal the culprit - the belt.

The damn belt that started this whole situation. The belt that her dad couldn't even be bothered to retrieve after she'd moved out - a part of her hoped that meant he felt some remorse and couldn't enter her room because of the guilt. In a moment of red anger, she shoved the belt into her suitcase - vowing to burn it to pieces.

But before she could make a true plan in her mind, the sound of the front door ripped her back to reality. The red hot anger she had felt moments prior suddenly turned into an ice cold shiver down her spine.

Someone was here.

A/N: Who do you think just arrived? Give me your predictions and ideas for what will happen! I'm stuck between a few ideas on this, so I'd love input from you all :) Is it Pat, Jay, or Will? What do you think should happen?