Buckle up friends, things are about to get crazy :)

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The three Halstead siblings had been back in Jay's apartment for a while after the elevator fiasco. Alex had almost immediately excused herself to her room, wanting to get out of their sight as fast as possible, just in case Will decided to throw her under the bus.

Jay had asked Alex to start packing some things in a box to prepare for their move next weekend, but after packing a few items in the bedroom, she was quickly distracted. She would much rather look through her mom's cookbook to finish out the wave of emotions that got her to this state in the first place. Cooking had been something special she'd done with her mom ever since she could remember, and reading through the book, seeing her mom's handwritten notes all over, there was something about it that soothed her soul.

With Alex tucked away in the bedroom, Jay motioned for Will to step into the kitchen, the furthest corner from the bedroom and the closest thing to privacy they'd get in this small apartment. God, he couldn't wait to move and have more personal space.

Jay had been anxiously waiting to have a moment with Will, because he had some unanswered questions. He knew asking Alex would take them nowhere, so he was ready to lay into his brother. In a low tone, Jay asked, "Why would you take her to Dad's without telling me? To Dad's of all places, Will." There were clear undertones of frustration that he was trying to reign in.

Will quickly glanced in the direction of the bedroom, making sure the coast was clear. Why? He wasn't sure - reflex most likely or maybe he was stalling for time to get his story together. "I know, Jay. It wasn't my best or brightest idea."

"Damn straight."

Will threw an apologetic smile, trying to ride out the wave. Guilt filled the pit of his stomach, but he knew he had to stick to the lie and the heat would die down soon. He'd made progress with Alex and that was the most important part right now. He kept reminding himself that it was for the greater good of the situation - at least that was the justification that made him feel better about it.

When his brother didn't speak up, Jay continued quietly but harshly, "What if Dad had been there? What if he had tried to hurt her again?" Because every single scenario had run through Jay's mind on the drive to pick them up, and all scenarios had ended poorly for his sister.

Will's eyes hardened a bit at what he was implying. "What? You don't think I could defend her?"

Jay crossed his arms purposefully, revealing a more toned physique than his older brother. To which, Will rolled his eyes. "I deal with drunks all the time in the E.D. I may not be an army ranger, but I can handle an asshole like Dad."

Jay knew it was true, Will could have easily taken their father if it were necessary, but he hated that there had even been a chance that it would happen and he wouldn't have been there to help protect them.

"Just don't pull a stunt like this again, okay? If you're taking her somewhere, that's fine but you tell me first. She's already on thin ice after that whole ordeal at the E.D., so I don't need anymore of this crap," Jay finished.

Will nodded, knowing he had a point. Honestly, if she had actually asked him to go to their father's, he would have said no and told Jay about it. Wanting to take some weight off Jay's shoulders, Will gave a head nod toward the bedroom, signaling that he was going to talk to Alex. Jay relented, motioning for him to have at it. Jay wasn't in any hurry to be snapped at.

Will knocked lightly on the door and stepped inside. Alex immediately threw the cookbook shut.

"Find any good recipes?" he asked casually, moving over to the bed to sit by her.

Alex's face remained stoic. "Can I help you?"

Seeing that it might not be the right time to continue what they'd started back in the elevator, he switched gears. "Next time you ask me to take you somewhere, we're going to involve Jay, okay?" He knew very well that his brother was eavesdropping, so he was careful about his wording. "I don't care if you think he's too busy. If he is, then he'll gladly ignore us."

Alex looked behind Will and into the kitchen where Jay not-so-casually stood, drinking little sips of water to make himself look occupied. God, she hoped he was better at his undercover work than this. "Whatever. Fine. We done?"

Will sighed, seeing that this was going nowhere. He gave it one last shot as he stood up. "Maybe next time I come over, we can go through the photo album together. You know, dig up some blackmail worthy pics on that idiot." He motioned with his head toward the kitchen.

It was a good thing Will was intently studying her face, because otherwise he would have missed the slight pull in the corner of her lips as a smile threatened to form. "Yeah, maybe," she replied before motioning for him to go.

With that, Will gladly left, feeling a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't a no, which was what he had expected. He got a maybe.

Maybe, just maybe, this was a step forward.

Thankful that she'd managed to come out unscathed from her momentary escape, Alex was riding a new high. Will had actually done her a favor and she didn't have to face any additional consequences. She just had to ride out the last week of this stupid grounding and she'd be back to her normal life again.

Speaking of poor choices, she was back at the district yet again. If only she could lie her way out of coming to this damn place, she would. It was Wednesday though - only half a week left of this crap and then she could go back to seeing her friends more often. It had really sucked being separated from them, especially Dustin - but she'd never admit that to him. It'd go to his head and he'd think that he'd finally conquered her.

Alex was lying down on the couch in the break room after finishing her homework while everyone else was buzzing around doing their cop crap. She was too consumed by the group text with her friends to really care about anything else right now.

Emma: Next week is FINALLY fall break!

Nick: About damn time. Ready to be done with all this school shit.

Maddie: So doing the bare minimum is difficult for you?

Nick: You're fucking hilarious.

Maddie: Thanks! So what are we doing for fall break?

Dustin: Don't know about you, but I know WHO I'm doing on fall break.

Alex felt her cheeks burn red hot.

Emma: How about you don't fuck and tell for a change?

Alex: Omg, STOP!

After an insane amount of vulgar emojis to poke fun at the two, the conversation resumed.

Nick: More importantly, Alex - is Operation Fall Break still a go?

Alex immediately bit the insides of her cheeks. Damn. She'd completely forgotten about their fall break plans after all this stupid drama with her brother and father these past few weeks. She'd forgotten about the promise she'd eagerly made in an attempt to get them to like her - a promise to try something exciting, something new. She sat up and her leg started bouncing incessantly as her mind raced, trying to figure out how she was going to pull this off.

Emma: Alex, hellloooooo? Don't leave us hanging.

Maddie: Omg don't tell me you're backing out because of your stupid brother!

She was backed into a corner and there was no way she could get out of it. The walls of peer pressure were closing in from all directions and there was no escape in sight, especially since she brought it upon herself by making promises she didn't know how to keep. Desperation clawed at her chest, and without pausing to consider the consequences, her fingers flew over her phone's keyboard, hitting send before she could even think twice.

Alex: Guys, stop freaking out! It's all under control and it's very much a GO!

Dustin: That's my girl! Ready to try something new!

Alex: I'm not your girl.

Dustin: Give it time, sweetheart.

Alex's heart was racing too fast to stay sucked into the conversation. She had to figure this out - if she didn't, they wouldn't want anything to do with her ever again; she'd go back to sitting alone at lunch and having literally nobody to talk to. She'd lose the one good thing going for her right now…the one constant in her life these past few months…and she couldn't handle that if it happened.

Friday rolled around and Alex was still trying to figure out how the hell she was going to pull this off. Her friends expected something new, something exciting to do. She wasn't worried about paying for it - that part she had already been planning for months and was all set. It was the how that she was freaking out about.

The precinct was abuzz with activity, but as time wore on, Alex grew restless that evening as her mind spiraled. She couldn't stay still any longer or she might spontaneously combust. With Jay and the others involved in a closed-door interrogation, she found herself wandering aimlessly around the bullpen before eventually ending up at Jay's desk.

As she saw folders and papers scattered across his desk, her heart started to race. Could the answer to her problems be behind one of these manila folders? Her fingers reached out, brushing the edge of one as she felt her pulse radiating through to her tips. Anxiously glancing around to ensure no prying eyes were watching, Alex allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. She began to quickly sift through the stack of papers, folders, and case files strewn across Jay's desk.

At first, it was all pretty standard – a few photographs, some forms filled with cop jargon she didn't understand. But then, her heart skipped a beat when her eyes landed on a particular name: Eddie "Two-Times" Marquez. Beside the name was a mugshot of a rough-looking Latino in his late 20s with a sneer and an extensive list of known aliases.

The file detailed his involvement with a notorious drug ring, specializing in distributing a new form of pills that were gaining popularity among teenagers - Spice. Alex could hear and feel her heartbeat in her ears. This was exactly the pill that her friends had mentioned hearing about. They'd never tried it, so this had to be what she got for them. It was like divine intervention that she saw this file.

She quickly scanned the detailed report, noting the places Marquez frequented and more importantly, the locations of possible corners where it was sold.

Feeling a thrill she hadn't expected, Alex quickly snapped a picture of the file. Moments later, the sound of a door opening alerted her to the approaching team. Hastily, she shuffled the papers back into some semblance of their original order and hurriedly retreated to the couch in the break room, acting as nonchalant as possible as she opened up Instagram as a distraction.

As the team spilled into the bullpen, discussing their next moves, Jay shot a look over to Alex, offering a comforting smile as he saw that she was still tucked away in the break room. Oblivious to the goldmine of information she'd just stumbled upon, he said as he leaned into the doorway, "Not much longer, okay? Then we can go."

She simply nodded, keeping her newfound excitement carefully hidden. Alex knew she was playing with fire, but the allure of fitting in and impressing her friends was too powerful to resist. And now, she had just the information to secure her position among them.