Thank you SO much for your reviews and feedback on the last chapter. You all brighten my day so much! I promise we're building up to something, so stick with me and hang on to your seats, friends :) We have about 2-3 more chapters left in my original vision for this story. I'll likely continue beyond that either as a continuation of this story or through one shots - still TBD.

Let me know what you think of this chapter :)

The rest of the afternoon was quiet - well, quiet in terms of zero conversation or interaction between Jay and Alex. However, Alex had been blasting her music since they'd arrived home from the police station. Based on the YouTube ads that kept interrupting her string of songs, Jay knew she was on her school laptop. The fact that she knew how to bypass whatever security they had on those computers was concerning - would else did she know how to do? Would she find out about the phone tracker?

He shook his head, erasing the thought.

He'd made his decision and now he had other things to worry about. Like getting ready for tomorrow. Jay spent most of the afternoon in his room, combing through the case file in preparation for tomorrow's trial in addition to digging up his own paperwork.

Eventually, Jay made his way to the kitchen table to continue working. He kept himself busy with paperwork, though his focus was lost. He glanced at Alex's door every so often, half expecting her to come out and snap at him, half hoping she would.

By dinner time, Jay reheated leftover spaghetti, the clatter of dishes the only noise breaking the silence. After persistently calling for her, Alex finally emerged, her expression unreadable. She'd only come out because she was truly hungry - she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and she stupidly hasn't stocked up on snacks in her new room.

They ate in silence, neither looking at the other until Jay finally gave in, wanting to calm the waters between them. "Alex?" He waited to see if she'd look up. When she didn't, he still forged ahead, "I need you to understand that I'm not out to get you. I'm not the bad guy here and neither are you. I just want you to be safe."

Alex scoffed loudly as she chewed. "Well you're about four years too late," she snapped.

Jay's shoulders fell as her words cut him to his core, his self-loathing internal guilt bubbling to the surface. However, he shoved it aside and continued ahead with the same passion behind his words. "I know I haven't always been there for you, and I can't change the past - or what happened to you. I'm so sorry for that. I truly am. However, I can change where we're going. We can change it. And I'm not going to leave you, Alex. I hope you can see that."

The audible groan from Alex spoke volumes. She opened her mouth, some words ready to roll off her tongue to contradict him, but she surprisingly snapped it shut without a word. Her anger was hard to control, but she wasn't ready to open up a can of worms…a can of feels. Alex pushed the spaghetti around on her plate as she mulled over the words. "Do you want me to write you a thank you card? Maybe sing you a song of gratitude?" She stared at him.

Now it was Jay's turn to let out a soft sigh. Of course this wasn't going anywhere. It never would. They just kept going in circles. But Jay Halstead was a lot of things - and he was damn persistent.

"All I want is for you to be honest with me for once."

And suddenly she could no longer hold back the rage. Why wouldn't he just freaking leave her alone? Her fork clanked as she dropped it on her plate unceremoniously. "You want me to be honest?" Her eyes narrowed, daring him to regret his request.

Jay leaned forward, his elbows on the table, a glimmer of hope flickering in his green eyes. "Yes. That's all I've ever wanted." He braced himself, half expecting her to fire back with sarcasm or deflection.

"You won't like what I have to say," she threatened.

"Try me."

Alex narrowed her eyes, her jaw tightening as she debated whether to speak or walk away. But the anger was too much, too hot to contain after the day they'd had. Fuck it. He wanted honesty? She'd give it to him.

Her voice cracked through the room like thunder. "In that case, here's your dose of honesty. You ripped me out of my home and act like you're some goddamn savior. Like I'm supposed to bow down and thank you for rescuing me. Newsflash, Jay - you're not a hero. You're a control freak who treats me like I'm one of your suspects. Like you need to figure out why your sister is so fucking broken."

In one swift movement, she stood up so quickly that her chair fell to the ground behind her. Her words came faster now, fueled by raw, unfiltered emotion she couldn't stop. "That's all you care about, isn't it? Finding answers. Putting together the pieces so everything makes sense. Every secret exposed, every clue fits into place. God, you're so obsessed with your stupid job. I mean, hell, your job has always been more important than me!"

Jay was soaking up every word - even if she was screaming at him, at least she was showing true emotion for a change. However, her final words took him off guard. "What? That's not–"

But she steamrolled right over him, her voice trembling now, laced with something deeper than anger. Pain. "I tried to tell you. I fucking tried to tell you twice. But the job was more important to you. And now you show up in my life, acting like you give two fucks about me." Her voice cracked, revealing the deep hurt buried beneath the surface.

Jay sat there, stunned, his mind racing to piece together her words. He searched his memory, desperate for any hint of what she was talking about, but came up blank. "Tried to tell me what?"

Her breath hitched, her chest heaving as tears threatened to spill. She clenched her fists, willing herself not to break, not here, not now. "I hate you, Jay," she said, her voice barely above a whisper before rising into a yell. "I fucking hate you!"

She abruptly turned on her heel and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her so hard that the apartment shook. She threw herself onto the bed, shoving her face into the pillow to muffle her cries. She hated that she'd let him see her like this. Hated the vulnerability that leaked out despite every wall she'd built.

"I'm fine," she whispered to herself, over and over, as if saying it enough times might make it true.

Jay stayed frozen, staring at the empty space she'd left behind. He wanted to follow her, to demand answers, to fix whatever it was he'd broken. But his legs felt like lead, his mind still stuck on the anguish in her voice.

What was she talking about? Sure, he was obsessed with his job - and he was damn good at it. But he had never put that above her. Never.

…right?