Author's Note: I know, finding out that Hank isn't Erin's father wasn't fun. I actually cried when I wrote that chapter, but I hope it makes sense later on down the line. Thanks for all of your feedback!

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Chapter 12-Lemon Cake

Over the next few weeks, Jenna made the difficult decision to close her bakery. Business had slowed down a little, and as much as she enjoyed baking, the business aspect was becoming a chore she didn't want. She wanted to be able to bake on her own terms, what and when she wanted or needed to. Closing the bakery gave her more time during the day to spend with her grandkids, while giving her evenings to spend with Hank. The people she loved were the most important things in her life, and she wanted the freedom to be with them when she wanted.

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A couple of weeks after she closed the bakery, as she was getting ready to spend an afternoon with her grandkids, she got a phone call from Hank.

"Hey babe," Jenna said, answering the phone.

"Hi Jenna. I don't have long, but I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying not to panic. Conversations like this never went well, and she could hear a lot of commotion in the background.

"We lost an officer today. It was a gunfight, and he took two to the head."

"Oh honey," Jenna said, covering her mouth with her hand, fighting back tears. "I'm so sorry. Is it someone I know?"

"I don't think so. He was one of Trudy's patrolmen, and he works with us quite a bit."

"Are you ok? How's the team?"

Hank ran his hand over his face. "Everyone is taking it pretty hard. We are still at the scene and will probably be here a couple of hours. We've got a lot to do, and everyone kinda wants to be together. It was...a scary situation, for all of us."

"I'm so sorry Hank. I can't imagine," she said tearfully.

"I know." Just then, someone walked up to Hank, needing to go over the events of the incident. "I have to go, babe. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Can I do anything?"

"Just pray for the team, for Trudy, for the kid's family. It's going to be a hard few days for the district."

"Ok. Call me later."

"I will. I love you, Jen."

"Be safe, Hank. I love you."

Jenna hung up the phone and wiped at her tears. Even though she didn't know the officer, her heart broke for this district losing one of their own. She needed to help, but wasn't sure what to do, so she decided to do the one thing she knew how to do in a crisis. She headed toward the kitchen.

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As Jenna walked into the district, she saw Adam and Kevin walking in and called after them.

"Hi boys," she said, hugging each of them. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Jenna," Kevin said. "It's going to be tough for awhile. He was good police."

"Sarge isn't back yet, but you can come up with us," Adam said.

"Thank you," Jenna said as Kevin held the door open for her.

"Something smells good," Adam said, gesturing toward the pan in her hands.

She looked down, remembering the cake she brought them. "Oh, I wanted to help, but I didn't know what to do, so I baked."

"No way," Kevin said.

"It's what I do in a crisis," she said.

"Can I ask what it is?" Adam asked.

"Lemon cake. I know Erin likes it, so I hoped everyone else would."

"Sarge is a lucky man," Kevin said.

Jenna took the cake to the break room, cutting pieces for Adam and Kevin.

As she handed Kevin and Adam pieces of cake, Erin, Hailey, Jay, and Al were walking up the stairs. Immediately Jenna rushed over and hugged each of them. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Erin said, wiping at a couple of tears rolling down her face. "It's good to have you here. It's been a hard day."

"She baked a lemon cake for us," Adam said, sticking his head in between them, taking a bite of his piece.

Jay's face lit up. "The one you made for Erin's birthday?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I wanted to do something."

"Yes," Jay said under his breath, leaving them to go find the cake.

Erin hugged Jenna again. "You're the best human. Thank you for this."

"Glad I could help, at least for a moment. I can't imagine what all of you are going through."

"It's hard, and it's going to be hard for awhile," Erin said.

"Is Hank coming back soon? I know you're busy, and I don't want to be in the way, but I hoped I could see him before I left."

"He and Antonio were wrapping things up when we were leaving, so he shouldn't be long. You should definitely stay until he gets here. It will be good for him to see you, especially right now," Erin said.

"Is he ok?"

Erin looked around before pulling her into the break room. "He takes these things really hard. Ever since his father died, when an officer is killed in the line of duty, he gets this look in his eyes and he goes into a dark place for a few days. Sometimes he'll talk about it, but not very often. Camille could get him to talk, and occasionally he'll talk to me or Al. I know he trusts you, so hopefully he'll open up with you. Just...be patient with him the next few days."

"Thanks for the warning," Jenna said, squeezing Erin's hand.

Just then, they saw Hank walk by the break room and go into his office, slamming the door. Jenna and Erin looked at each other. "I see what you mean," Jenna said softly.

"Go talk to him. He'll throw any of the rest of us out." She put a piece of cake on a plate and handed it to Jenna. "Good luck."

Jenna softly knocked on Hank's door. "WHAT?!" he yelled. She hesitated before opening the door.

"Can I come in?"

Hank looked up when he heard her voice. "Jenna? I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you." He stood up and walked toward her.

"I'm sorry. I should've called first."

"No, you don't ever have to call first. I'm glad you're here." He noticed the plate in her hand. "What's this?"

"Lemon cake," she said as she held it out to him. "I needed to do something, and I bake when I'm stressed or when there's a crisis. I put a cake in the break room."

Hank took the plate from her, setting it down on his desk before taking her in his arms. He laid his cheek against her head as he held her close. He was having the worst day, but there was something about her presence that gave him a little bit of relief, even if just for a few moments.

Jenna's arms went around his waist as she snuggled up to him. She could tell he was deeply hurting, and she would stay right there in his arms as long as he needed her to.

Finally, Hank pulled back to look at her. "Thank you," he said, fighting back tears. "You have perfect timing. If I hadn't had Antonio in the car with me, I might have gone straight to your house. I'm glad you're here."

"I love you, and I want to be here for you."

"I love you, Jen," he said softly, resting his forehead against hers for a few moments.

"I'm sorry for what you and the team are going through," Jenna said.

"Thank you." He sighed. "I have to go out there and try to be a leader, but it's hard. But hopefully this lemon cake will help. Thank you for this. It means a lot that you care about my team so much," he said as he kissed her softly. He picked up the plate, took her hand, and started out of the office.

Hank stood and looked at his team for a few moments, trying to find the words. "Today...is a hard day. We see loss every day, but when it's one of our own, it's a different level. I want all of you to know that you did an excellent job today. Everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do. There's nothing that could've prevented this, so I don't want to hear of anyone blaming themselves or anyone else. We got the guy, so he can't hurt anyone else. That being said, we are going to take it slow the next week. Anyone who needs time off, take it. I want all of you taking care of yourselves. So today, after you finish your written statements, go home. Be with your families, your kids, your friends, whoever you need. Take care of yourselves. In the meantime, have some lemon cake. It helps."

"Thank you for this Jenna," Hailey said.

"You're welcome Sweetie. I'm so sorry for what all of you are going through."

"Hang onto this one Sarge," Antonio said. "She's a sweetheart, and this cake is amazing."

"Thanks Antonio," Jenna said.

"She's the best," Hank said, putting his arm around Jenna, pulling her close.

As Jenna followed Hank back into his office, Hailey said, "She's really good for him, isn't she?"

"She's changed his life," Erin said softly, a small smile on her face as she watched them.

When they were alone in Hank's office, Jenna asked, "Does this mean an early night for you too?"

"Probably not. There's a lot of paperwork that goes into this, and since I was the sergeant present, it falls on me. So I'll be here awhile longer."

"Ok. Should I plan to see you tonight, or do you want to be alone?"

Hank motioned for her to come to his desk, and he took her hand, pulling her down into his lap. "Jen, I go to a dark place when things like this happen, but I don't want to do that. So if you could please come over and stay with me tonight, it would be really good for me. Please."

"Of course," she said, pulling him closer. "Whatever you need, babe."

"I'm glad you're here. Will you stay awhile? I have paperwork and phone calls, but will you stay?"

"I'd be happy to."

"You don't have to stay in here, but just knowing you're around will help."

"Ok." She kissed him deeply before moving out of his lap and over to a chair.

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A couple of hours later, Hank stepped out of his office to find Jenna sitting with Erin, Jay, and Antonio. Jenna turned around and could immediately see the worry and stress in his face. She walked over and put her hands on his arms. "What can I do?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing. I have to go to headquarters to turn in paperwork and talk to a few people. Are you ready to head out?" He looked over her shoulder at the others. "You should all head home now."

"We're ready. We just didn't want to leave until you did," Antonio said.

"I appreciate it. Let's get out of here."

Hank took Jenna's hand as they all walked outside. Jenna hugged the others as they parted, and Hank walked her to her car. "Want me to come with you?" she asked.

He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "They wouldn't let you past the door. I shouldn't be too long though."

"Ok. I'll go grab a few things from my place, and I'll try to at least have dinner started before you get home."

"Don't cook. Let's order pizza and sit on the couch and just try to pretend this day didn't happen."

"Deal," she said as she kissed him.

"Thank you for being here. It meant a lot to the team, and it really means a lot to me."

"I'm glad to be here for you, and for them." She kissed him again. "Hurry home."

"I will," he said, opening and closing her door for her.

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Hank texted Jenna when he was leaving headquarters. When he made it home, Jenna was waiting on his couch with a hot pizza, a glass of wine for her, and a glass of his favorite whiskey. He smiled, hanging up his jacket before joining her on the couch. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply.

"I must be the luckiest man on the planet. Thank you for doing this."

"I'm happy to. You've had a rough day."

"I don't want to talk about today. I just want to sit here on this couch and eat pizza with my beautiful girlfriend and try to focus on how lucky I am." Hank kissed her again. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"You might have told me a few times," Jenna said teasingly as she pulled him close and kissed him. "And I love you too," she said between kisses. She moved to sit on his lap, her legs straddling his waist as they kissed.

They kissed for awhile, needing to be close to one another. Things had been crazy at work again lately, and it had been awhile since they'd had a night like this. Jenna missed him terribly, and Hank felt guilty for not being around for her as much lately. Days like this one seemed to put things into perspective, and he vowed to do better for her.

Finally, Jenna pulled back a little, wiping her lipstick off of Hank's lips. "Pizza is probably getting cold," she said softly.

"Probably," Hank said as she moved from his lap. "But I want to pick up where we left off when we finish eating."

"Oh, definitely," she said, kissing him again.