... ... ... IN THE EXTREME ... ... ...

A déjà-vu in the sequence of disturbing scenes he experienced. From a call - but now straight to Voight, informing about the hostage situation she was involved into. To taking down one of those aggressors right at her side, while she daringly covered with her body a little child, who hysterically managed to run from his parents a moment before the police broke up.

And again everyone's saved. But this time he was close to lose a nerve, at that exact forwarding end of the rescue beholding a gun at her head. She, though, wasn't startled a bit, or, at least, didn't show. Cheered and confident, as if they simply, accidentally and pleasantly crossed roads.

"There's one at the back," she pointed so nonchalantly, as if speaking of a box forgotten in the storeroom but not a guy to come her way, who she disarmed herself, got him tired and shut away, before making the call and later unluckily being discovered by another opponent, that's why muted the connection but not hanging up.

"Who the hell is that woman?! A rambo?" Adam voiced dumbfounded, when she yet was on the line sharing that original 'trivial feat' of hers and that unfortunately she didn't know how to use a rifle attached to her captive, but a pistol.

"Leave it to us. Just sit tight," the sergeant ordered, nonetheless, doubting she'd obey. Somehow the girl resembled Trudy Platt, a tough cool feisty cookie only older. So, no wonder those two buddied up.

Antonio, though, had his own reasons to keep his mouth shut. All he told her since then was asking once if she's okay a second after he grounded the danger irritatedly aimed at her. What else could he do? She wasn't his daughter to lecture her. She's nobody to him, just a colleague. And she's a grown-up woman. Terribly reckless - yes. But technically she did nothing wrong to get any kind of criticism from Voight or him.

And so, as soon as formalities were fixed on the spot, still the same amicably, as if amused, she hurried to leave to continue her so unexpectedly almost ruined time off.

Yep, that day they had to cope without their personal on hand fairy-operator. That was hard. Or better say scarcely accustomed? A month already working together, and she perfectly fitted not only as a part of the team but also into his mind... or into his soul... or... Well, anyway, hours dragged so slowly as he stared at her table and empty seat, and when out on task he waited to hear her sweet voice in his ear guarding him... What the hell was going on?

It's not that he didn't like finding himself in that odd condition or that he didn't realize why he felt this way, but still, it was strange... sort of unbelievable... because he didn't expect anyone to crawl under his skin again... so fast, and lovely, and solid.

And while their flirting interactions in the office was one thing, totally comfortable, but that emergency call to detect her in peril... hell, it brought those dreadful memories of his sister Gabby at stake because of a pyromaniac.

So, no denying it's more than simple worry and man's sympathy. Somehow discreetly she ensconced in line with the other main and dear women in his life. Thus, he needed to finally and clearly accept it, breathe out and, besides ogling, also keep a wary eye on her... since she seemed to like troubles... or rather vice-versa.


Ah, Antonio had no idea how right he was, and that all his determination to take care of her wouldn't protect her from the real crisis to happen several weeks after to almost cause him a heart attack. The night she as usual paced home and all of a sudden got roughly grabbed, injected some drug in her body and abducted by a villain. But in a fight she put up, his number was dialed. That couldn't be occasionally, as her fingertips caressed his name on the screen out of stupid habit. And she chanced to dismiss the shot, to be sedated only partially. So, when instead of her unwitting, or not that much, alluring words all he heard was silence and muffled noises, he darted away in the streets and got everyone in an uproar.

Soon they identified the car she was carried away in, caught it on cameras but at some point lost it... 'till a patrol guy spotted it, reported and made it stop just to take a harsh blow, and so, let the criminal skip... to the woods where the worst planned to be executed. But she came to herself earlier and in the wild grapple for her life managed to escape and walked out straight to the ambulance and a police car with the previously injured policeman, while the rest kept searching around.

The news of the girl found, but omitting vital details, filled Antonio with dismay close to terror, overcoming his flown to hell coolness, so, he, deliberately asked for no specification, just rushed to the place. And once he saw her alive, yet, messy, he ran to clasp her in his arms so affirmative it could hurt both, but neither cared. Neither cared who observed that scene, what witnesses thought of that, what that meant for them personally. They both at the moment merely and desperately needed this embrace of each other. Period.

And when at last the man had power to release her, were those minutes or less, he met that warm and bright gaze of hers as if nothing of the last hour craziness ever occurred. The hour that definitely painted some his hair grey. The hour that justified all his feelings, bad and good. The hour that revealed the facts about her he'd never guessed and shouldn't have.

While trying to figure out who and why took her, Platt on the phone assured him there was nothing in her history to lead to that, as all inquiries had been done thoroughly before hiring. Pure to holy these years in Chicago, and nothing left in New-York but the graves of her parents died in a car crash when she was seventeen. No relatives, no rivals. Even her boyfriend of that past period had no criminal records and anything to suspect him of.

Shocking and wrong. He shouldn't have got to know all that, what broke his heart for her even more, like this - from someone else. And a haphazardness of the abduction, of course, didn't help too. So lost he wasn't even with kidnapping of his son...

But over. All that was over. And she's save. Save and firm in soothing him, directing him to do his job and helping out herself. As if she wasn't about to fall a victim, fatally. As if she wasn't struggling to avoid that during terrifying conscious minutes, twice that night. And then she just as kindly as possible demanded not to look at her with pity, empathy and the like.

But he was screwing it up. The same as he originally failed to preserve her from that horror incident. Cherishing her - that's what he wanted, but was deprived of it by that piece of shit turned up to be a serial, captured hours later and inadvertently beaten a little in the proсess. Plus, crap, her will to more than ever act as self-sufficient and tough woman reduced him now to hopelessness.

He craved to be back to the serene frame of mind and their engagement by nature light and frisky. Yet, that was barred by his caution and her absurd peeve at his tries to behave normal... But hell he let her go home alone in the dark and with her ankle wrenched in those running-from-the-death-through-the-thorns events... So, driving her up the next few days, as she refused to take time to heal and rest, was his indisputable insistence, no matter how it aggravated her. For the save of her he would take it all, would suffer anything, those her annoyance up to spite, disdain or disgust. But she was beautiful even in that grumpiness... and seemed the same hopeless as he... So, approaching and kissing her was not an option... but a claim. Period.

A resolute fulfilled claim. Eventually.

Lasting, dutifully and in depth.

Entirely responsive and highly promising.