#linstead fic

[erinchalstead]

You Drive Me Crazy

Plot: Erin teases Jay all day and he shows her what he thinks of it.  Rating: M Word count: 1,413

Enjoy!

Erin “The Tease” Lindsay. That would be a suiting name for her after today. She had been teasing him their whole shift, bending over in her tight jeans every chance she got, sending him lustful eyes and dirty smirks every time he looked across the bullpen. She even sat in his lap at one point, wiggling her little ass on him, making his day very hard. She knows exactly what kind of effect she has on him and she has been exploiting it all day long. She has driven him to a point where it’s almost torture just being around her. The rest of the unit are heading home, Erin planning to do the same. She goes to her desk to grab her jacket, but Jay has had enough of her teasing for today and decides to let her know. As soon as she turns away from her chair, Jay is in front of her, pushing her against her desk. His hands flies to her hips to steady her and his mouth goes to her ear. “You know, that ass of yours is pretty distracting.” She feels his hot breath on her neck, making goosebumps erupt on her body, her lust growing slowly at what’s to come. He spins her around so she’s facing her desk, he grips her hips again and presses her flush against him, making sure she feels the effect her teasing has on him. His hands slowly travel up her body, landing on her breasts, tugging at her nipples trough her clothes. He keeps tugging at her breasts, keeping her captive in the sweet torture he knows she loves. She steadies herself with her arms on her desk, slightly bending over it. She’s sure of casefiles and pencils flying to the floor if this ends like she hopes it does. She pushes her ass back against him, grinding at him in response to the work of his hands. He grips her hips, making her stop her moving. She turns her head and looks at him with a questioning glare, but all she sees in his eyes is lust. He slowly travels his hands down till they find the waistband of her jeans. He does a quick job undoing the button, she’s almost trembling with desire at his burning touches. He hooks his fingers in the belt loops and quickly yanks the jeans down her legs, Erin kicks of her shoes and jeans fast. He gulps when he lays eyes on her, she’s bend over the desk and her ass is barely covered by a red lace thong. The hot sight makes is hard dick twitch in anticipation. He slaps her ass, making her groan at the surprise and the thrilling sting it gives. Jay runs his hands over her ass, gently kneading it as they wander. His one hand slips down her between her thighs, playing with the fabric of her thong. She grinds back against his hand, wanting more. He grips her waist, pulling her against the bulge in his jeans. He grinds against her, hard, making her feel the rough fabric of his jeans on her delicate skin. Her breath hitches in her throat, she’s not used to him being so dominant, not in this way. He bends down to her ear, still keeping her ass firmly against him. “Babe. You drive me crazy.” She just smirks to herself, pleased to know her efforts is going to pay off in the best possible way she could ever imagine. Jay places his foot between hers, forcing her to spread her legs for him. He pushes her thong to the side, not really giving a damn about it anymore. He runs his fingers through her folds, enjoying the feel of her and the noises she’s making just for him. He pushes two fingers inside her, his dick throbs at the moan she lets out. He curls his fingers up, finding her spot immediately. He hits it every time, pushing her closer to the edge with every touch. Just when she’s about to come he withdraws his fingers, making her groan out in disappointment. She snaps her head back to look at him, he just smirks at her and slaps her ass again. She realizes he’s lost in the control he has over her right now. He undoes his belt in seconds and tugs his jeans and boxers down, just low enough for his dick to spring free. He hisses when the air hits him, wrapping his hand around it and pumps a few times. Erin looks back at him, biting her lip as her lust for him spikes at the hot sight. He teases her, running the tip of his dick through her wet folds, denying her what she wants the most. She groans and sneaks her hand down between them trying to grab a hold of him. He slaps her hand away, telling her once again that he’s in control. He bends down to her ear and whispers, “Is this what you want?” Before she can even think of an answer, he plunges in to her, hard, pushing all the way. She screams at the sudden feeling of being full and stretched. He doesn’t give her time to adjust, before he slams into her again, and again and again, going hard and fast. His hands grip her hips hard, almost bruising. Erin grips the side of her desk to steady herself, her knuckles turning white. The room is filled with their moans, screams and the hot sound of skin on skin. Erin moans uncontrollably at the wild and pure friction she’s getting right now while being bend over her desk at work, half naked and getting fucked hard by her boyfriend. The thought makes her body heat up, her desire only growing. Jay sneaks a hand around to her front, putting pressure on her bundle of nerves, making her body jolt with more pleasure. He keeps pressing on it, while he drives himself into her. He knows she’s close by her ragged breathing and his name spilling from her lips like it’s the only word she knows. He stops his thrusting to rub her bundle of nerves, he rubs her hard, quick and with a steady hold on the exact spot. She collapses on the desk, screaming his name as he tips her over the edge, her walls tightening around him sends him right along with her. His hold on her tightens with the pleasure running through him, stars flying before his eyes. They stand there for what feels like forever, just enjoying the aftershocks of their combined highs. Jay’s breathing is finally coming back to normal and he bends down to kiss Erin in her hair, his way of saying “I love you” when he can’t trust his voice to utter the words. She turns her head to the side, still lying flat against her desk, smiling widely to repay his words right back at him. Jay pulls out, Erin groans at the sudden feeling of lost contact and ache in her body from laying over the desk. She’s sure she has bruises on her hipbones and marks from his fingers on her hips to remind her of the hot memory for days. He fixes his jeans before he helps her of off her desk, picking up her thong and jeans and hands them to her. She smiles shyly when she takes it from his hand, still getting all high-school shy about him having seen her panties. She gets dressed, Jay sits at the edge of his desk waiting for her. He reaches out his hand to her, a gesture signaling he’s ready to go home. She takes it and he wraps his arm around her shoulder, wanting to be as close as possible again. He stops in his tracks when the fear of him being too rough hits him, he turns her around to face him. “Babe, I’m sorry if I was being too rough. I just got caught up in the moment.” Erin’s heart swells at his words, she’s always stunned at how loving and caring he is. One moment he has her bend over her desk, fucking her hard like there’s no tomorrow and the next moment he’s apologizing for getting lost in all the fun. She sure has hit the jackpot with Jay Halstead. She just looks at him, her eyes coated with love and desire. “Maybe I should tease you more often.”

[voightsgirl]

crossfire: volume i - chapter 23

a/n have some kinda angsty/emotional avery/erin and some excited discussion of literature because that is how i roll        & previous chapters can be found here

☆ don’t stop punching ☆

Recovery was not easy.

And nor was it pretty.

In fact, Avery had never felt so ugly in her life.

The withdrawal hit her the hardest about four days in, when she suddenly found that she couldn’t eat or sleep or think about anything other than getting a fix. She came so close to giving up, feeling her body protesting against her recovery so drastically that it sent her into hot shivers and cold sweats, restless nights and pounding headaches, panic attacks and the constant, nibbling anxiety at the back of her throat telling her that maybe this was the universe’s way of saying that she wasn’t worth it.

Or maybe that was the bitter aftertaste of a morning spent vomiting her guts and her dignity down the toilet.

read more

☆ ☆ ☆

thank you all so much for reading and supporting this fic!! if you’d like to be notified when it’s updated either head over to my ff.net account or message me and i’ll tag you at the end of the post :)

@allenting@sophiaxjesse @writteninthestarsandthesky@riverdaleangels@chillmydude@halsteadpd@frond-of-plants

[reyesmp4]

I’m really thinking about doing some AU’s, one for Linstead and One for Bawson.

I want to do a rookie blue esqe AU (like heavily influenced); So Training Officer/ Rookie Cop sexual tension shit

And I want do do a Nikita-esqe AU; so Government Assasins trying to kill each other angsty Type shit.

I’m thinking Assasins for Linstead; and cop/rookie for Bawson, what do you guys think?

[whichtochoose]

Too perfect? Not anymore! I hope you are ready for some angst because this chapter is chock full of it! Enjoy my sweet friends, I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, as always! Thank you to everyone who reaches out with kind words or helpful suggestions, you are seriously amazing! This story has really grown into so much more than I ever expected and I don’t see it ending soon, if you’re willing to stick around!

@youremy-dejavu @thelinsteads @allenting @sophiqbush @kkmallow3 @j--halstead @letsplayscrabble @halsteadpd @sofferaddict @pdshalstud @cpdcfcmed7410 @withyoualwayssss @chicagogurl82 @runnin-on-sunshine @ketchupiii @sophiaxjesse

[auswriteforyou]

Bullet For You. (Halstead, Chicago PD)

Prompt: Hey can you do a jay halstead one with 52 and 76??? Thanks so much I love your work so so soooo much.

Pairing: Jay Halstead/ She. Can be read as Linstead

Fandom: Chicago PD.

His heart was racing out of his chest, every breath feeling like he had just run a marathon. His hands were drenched in blood, shirt soaked through with the evidence of her gunshot wound. How could you be so stupid, He questioned. She had stepped between him and a bullet, one that surely would have killed him but better him then her.

"Jay," Will's voice pulled his attention away from staring blankly at his red stained hands. Pulling himself up from where he'd slid down the wall, he ignored the eyes of his team as he approached his brother. "It's a little touch and go right now, but we were able to remove the bullet. It all looks good right now but the next few hours are critical."

"Can I go see her?"

"Of course, follow me." Will motioned for Atwater to follow, knowing that Jay would need someone to lean on and no one was a better listener than him. They followed him down the hall in silence, nothing but the everyday bustle of Chicago Med and slow beeping of machines to keep them company as he tried to mentally prepare himself. But nothing could have readied him for this.

She was laying in a hospital bed, a few scratches on her cheek where he hadn't been fast enough to catch her before her hit the ground. She was hooked up to so many machines he could barely tell where one stopped and the other connected to her. It was the tube down her throat, the one he knew was making sure she kept breathing that broke him. A noise, a mix between a scream and a sob left his parted lips as he grabbed onto the nearest wall for purchase.

She had taken the bullet center mass, what should have been a through and through getting lodged between organs. He was just happy it had missed doing more than nicking them. She was bandaged at the waist, the covers pushed away to keep pressure off as blood soaked through the bandages. He knew it was normal but the stains on himself reminded him of how much she had already loss; could she bleed much more?

"Jay, she's okay. She's going to be okay." Kev soothed, grasping his friend by the shoulder and keeping him steady. The weight of his strong arms, steady hands was enough to ground Jay's shaking form enough that he could approach her bedside.

He was too afraid to touch her. Like she was wisps of cotton candy that would dissolve under his watery touch. Her skin was marred with bruises, probably from the impact and where they had, had to stick her with needles til she was both full of pain medication and new blood. He couldn't look anywhere but her closed eyes, if he did he knew he'd fall apart once more and she needed him to be strong.

His brave girl needed him to be strong so that's what he was going to do.

"Hey baby, it's me." Will slipped from the room, Atwater following suite as Jay took a seat in the uncomfortable plastic chair. Will made a mental note to get him something comfier to sit in. "You did a really stupid thing, you know that? Taking a bullet for your dumb ass boyfriend who was too afraid to -," His breathe caught in his throat as he picked up her limp hand, kissing the soft skin, "I think I’m in love with you and that scares me half to death.”

She twitched, muscles relaxing and his heart skipped a beat. He wondered if she could hear him. If she could, she would probably smack him for waiting so long to tell her but she also understood that for people like him, it was a hard thing to say. People who had seen and lost so much, it was hard to get attached to something someone might try to steal away.

“You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you. I need you to have my back, I need you to snark the fuck out of me when I do something stupid. I need you to smile at me with that heartbreaking grin, make my knees weak with your kiss. I need you, and I can't be mad at you for doing this because I'm so afraid you're going to leave me. And I'm a selfish prick who needs you to be okay, so don't you give up on me. Don't you let go."

Her heartbeat spiked, a few traumatizing moments where he thought she was about to flatline. Instead the machine stabilized, her hand squeezing at his though her face remained stoic with eyes closed. He couldn't help but smile, a broken laugh leaving his lips. She was still something else, even unconscious.

She was letting him know she heard him, and that there was no chance she was giving up on herself.

--

this is lowkey badly written lmao but this can also be read as Linstead?

Request Here. Masterlist.

[erinchalstead]

The Joys Of Loving You

Plot: Erin and Jay enjoying breakfast.  Rating: M Word count: 1,352

Enjoy!

The sun shines through the window, giving the room a golden glow. Erin feels the warm sun hitting her face, which wakes her up. She rubs the sleepiness out her eyes and they quickly adjust to the familiar sight of her handsome boyfriend sleeping next to her. She smiles to herself and thinks about how lucky she is to be with Jay, him being her partner on the job and in the bedroom. She gets out of bed, heading for the kitchen to make some breakfast.  Jay wakes to the sound of the radio playing and the sweet smell of coffee sneaking in from the kitchen. He rolls on his side in the search for his girlfriend in the bed. He feels a little tuck of sadness on his heart when he realizes she’s not there. He gets up and throws on a pair of grey sweatpants in his search for her. He only makes it to the door that connects the living room to the kitchen when he finds her. There she is, indulged her own little world making breakfast and dancing to the songs on the radio. He just stands there and watches her, admires her. Erin stretches her tiny body to reach the coffee mugs on the top shelf, his old t-shirts she is wearing slips up her body to reveal the black lace panties she is wearing underneath. Jay’s breath hitches in his throat at the glorious sight and he makes a mental note that he needs to buy her more lace panties he can rip off her perfect round butt.  He sneaks up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She jumps a little by the surprise, but relaxes as soon as she smells his scent. It’s the best thing she knows, it reminds her of love, of home, of him. “Good morning beautiful, what are you doing? I missed you in our bed”. She smiles at the words, missed you and our bed. “Good morning handsome, I am making us breakfast.” Jay smiles at the gesture, loving her for taking care of him. “It looks delicious, but I am craving something else. You”.  He spins her around and pushes her against the kitchen counter, kissing her deeply. She groans at his lust for her and wraps her arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her. She lives for this, the passionate ways of declaring their love for each other. Jay grabs the hem of her shirt, ripping it of her body with eager. His hands roam her body like they have done so many times before. She will never get tired of the feeling, she almost misses them when they are not on her. His hands make a stop at her butt, kneading, caressing, just loving the feel of her silky skin beneath his rough hands. He hooks his hands under her thighs and lifts her onto the counter. Erin immediately spreads her legs for him to stand between, wanting him as close as possible. Her body tingling with anticipation and lust. Their lips meet again in somewhat sloppy kisses, their desire for each other taking over. His hands lands on her hips, slowly gliding up her sides, finally reaching her breasts. He fondles them lovingly, tugging and pulling at her nipples. She moans at the sensation which goes straight to Jay’s crotch. His mouth moves onto her neck, kissing roughly, sucking to leave a mark. A mark to show the world she is his. It sends chills down her spine. It makes her need grow to a point where it is almost torture. She groans. Erin’s hands feverishly roam his body, finding their way to the waistband of his sweatpants. She wants them off and yanks them down his strong, muscled legs. Jay does nothing but complies by wiggling them all the way off and kicking them to the side. His hands find the little taunting piece of lace covering her most delicious spot. He slides them off her soft legs and flings them across the kitchen. His fingers quickly land on her bundle of nerves, making her head fall back and arch her body towards his skilled fingers. He smiles to himself, pleased to know he has this effect on her. Erin leans back, steadies herself with her arms as Jay’s fingers go on further exploring. They glide through her wetness with ease and he slowly slips a finger inside her. She moans out, finally getting the long-awaited friction she craves. He switches between going slow and going fast, driving her crazy. She cries out his name as asking for more. He adds another finger and she groans at the lovely stretch he gives her. The tightness he feels around his fingers makes his already throbbing erection twitch with anticipation. He quickens his pace while he rubs her bundle of nerves, sending her right over the edge, moaning loudly and grabbing his arm in need of something to keep her on earth. He slowly strokes himself while watching her come down from her high, it probably being the hottest thing he has ever seen. Erin gathers herself and hungrily eyes the man in front of her. “Hey, that’s my job”. She sends him a smirk and slaps his hand away from his erection, wanting to do the job herself. He moans as soon as her delicate hand wraps around him, slowly stroking him up and down. He grabs on to her thighs to steady himself from the hot friction his girlfriend is giving him. He leans in and kisses her wildly, wanting all of her now. Her stroking gets sloppy as the make out session gets hotter and he drags her towards him. Her body ready and waiting for his taking. She looks at him with lustful eyes as he aligns himself with her, slowly entering her, pushing all the way in. Erin moans loudly and it’s a miracle he doesn’t come from the pure sound of her. He taunts her with his slow trusts and she complains, wants it faster, harder. “Jay…. come on” she pants. He smiles devilishly at himself and decides to give her what she wants. He quickly speeds up the pace, meeting her with hard thrusts. She moans while her hands search for something to hold on to. They settle at his hips, feeling how his muscles clench every time he thrusts forward into her. Her moans get breathier, telling him he’s on the right path to send her on another high. His fingers dig in to her skin as he drives himself into her, hard, chasing the long-wanted release. He feels her walls clench around him, he presses on her bundle of joy and she explodes around him, screaming his name so loud he is sure the neighbors know they are up. Her arms buckle underneath her und her back hits the counter top with at small bump, her body having a mind of its own when she is in this pure ecstacy. Her screams are like sweet music to his ears and it sends him spiraling, seeing nothing but stars and reflections of his girlfriends before his eyes. He collapses on her stomach, listening to her breathing as it gets back to normal. He tries to control his own breathing, but the feel and smell of her always make it take a little longer. She runs her fingers through his hair, making him turn his head so he can look at her. Erin smiles lovingly at him. “Hey… That was the best breakfast I have ever had.” Jay smiles back at her with an even bigger smile, “Yeah, I think it is my favorite.” She chuckles and raises herself up on her arms, making Jay lift himself of off her. He just stands in front of her, looking at her all loved up. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” She blushes at his constant eyes on her. “Nothing, I am just looking at you. Wondering how I ever got so lucky to be the one you love.” Her heart skips a beat at his words and she wraps her arms around his neck, kissing him with all the love she has for him.

[erinchalstead]

The Thrill Of Being Caught

Plot: Erin and Jay having fun at work.  Rating: M Word count: 1.131

Enjoy!

She has been sending him dirty looks and smirks all day, touching him where ever she could every time he walks by. He is completely under her spell and he always blushes a little when he catches her eyes or feels her touch, hoping the rest of the unit won’t notice him getting all heart-eyed when he looks at her.  The case for the day is closed and they’re all just finishing up the paperwork, when Ruzek announces he’s going home, the rest following his lead. Jay gets up, about to put his jacket on when Erin ask if he can stay. He looks at her with a puzzled look. “Why? It’s late, can’t you finish it tomorrow? I just want to go home.” She didn’t think he would question it, so she’s searching for the words as they come out of her mouth. “Uhm, my car is making a funny noise, so I need to drive home with you but I have to finish this file first.” Jay sighs, admitting defeat. How can he say no to the beautiful brunette he loves so damn much? He sits down at his desk, looking at his phone while waiting for his girlfriend to finish whatever she’s doing. Her lust for the eye-candy of a boyfriend only grows, when her plan succeeds. As soon as she hears the metal gate close for the last time, she is off her chair and in front of Jay’s. She looks at him with nothing but lust and mischief in her eyes, sending jolts of excitement straight to his groin. Smirking, she takes his hand and leads him into Voight’s office. He’s not quite sure where she’s going with this. She sees his confused expression and pushes him down on the couch in the office, hoping he will get the hint. She straddles him and kisses him wildly, deeply. His hands lands on her hips out of habit, but stops her when he comes to his senses. “We’re in Voight’s office, your dad’s office. We can’t do it here.” She looks at him, but all he sees is lust and he knows it’s a lost cause. He gives in, hoping no one will catch them, because if someone does, he will be sitting on this couch again very soon for a completely different reason. He kisses back, earning an approving moan from Erin. She grinds down against him, making him groan. She grinds harder but slower, feeling him harden under her. His hands find the bottom of her shirt and tucks it over her head, revealing the red lace bra that’s covering her beautiful breasts. He bites his lips at the delicious sight, wanting to take a photo and hang it in his living room. His hands skillfully remove her bra, the cool air hitting her breasts, making them perk up. He quickly fondles them, heating them up with his big, warm hands. He’s tucking and pulling at her nipples, earning himself a long moan from her. His mouth travels down her neck, leaving burning kisses all the way down to her breasts. He kisses, sucks and bites at them, almost making them bruise at his pleasant torture. She rips his t-shirt off, longing for the touch of his muscles under her fingertips. She undoes his belt in seconds and stands up to slides his pants down his legs. She undoes her own jeans, sliding them down her legs slowly, putting on a little show for Jay. He groans at the glorious sight, enjoying how her body moves in front of him. She stops for a second when her jeans are kicked off her feet, making eye contact with the hot and flustered man in front of her, letting her lace panties fall to the floor. His breath hitches in his throat and his head falls back against the couch, it’s almost too much for him to handle. His head snaps up when her feels her hands on his knees, slowly guiding them up his thighs until they reach the waistband of his boxers. Jay gulps when her delicate fingers hook inside his boxers and quickly tugs them down his legs. His erection springs free, twitching with anticipation. Erin bites her lip at the sight, knowing what he’s able to do with it. She’s been waiting for this all day, she’s dripping for him. She straddles him again, slowly sinking down on him. He moans loudly when she settles on him, his hands gripping her hips and holding her steady, wanting to hold her there for all eternity. She needs a couple of moments to adjust to him, remembering the first time she laid eyes on what he was packing underneath those tight jeans of his. The memory sends chills down her spine, making her start rocking against him, enjoying the god-like friction he gives. She arches her body back, steadying herself on his thighs so she can up her pace. His head falls against the couch and he closes his eyes. His face telling Erin that she’s doing it just right. Jay feels her movements get sloppier, so he snaps his hips up to meet her, making her moan out his name. He keeps thrusting up to her and soon he feels her walls starting to tighten around him, telling him she’s close. He carefully rubs small circles on her bundle of nerves, wanting to get her to the state of pure bliss. He’s close to his high too, the teasing, the thrill of being caught and her getting him there faster than usual. He rubs her bundle of nerves quicker, she digs her fingers hard into his shoulders in response. She trembles when she reaches her high, she screams his name which makes him reach his own, coming wildly inside her, feeling like he might never come back to earth.  She loosens her grip on him and lets her head rest against his forehead, trying to normalize her breathing. He tries to do the same, but every time he looks into those dark, deep, loving eyes his heart skips a beat and breathing gets difficult. She smiles down at him and he knows he’s the luckiest man alive. “Babe… That was fun.” She just grins at him, “I thought it would be fun to make some good memories of being on this couch.” He chuckles, a brief hint of fear flooding him, thinking about what kind of trouble he would be in if the man owning the couch, finds him like this; his naked ass on the cushions and balls deep in his daughter. He brings her in for a searing kiss before lifting her of off him to get dressed. They quickly tidy up and head downstairs, eager to go home for round two.

[voightsgirl]

crossfire: volume i - chapter 9

a/n hope you guys like this new chapter!! the story is beginning to shape up nicely, i think :)           & previous chapters can be found here 

☆ photographs ☆

Avery was cold. And hungry. They’d given her clean clothes when she’d shown up at the district in her old jeans and parka, teeth chattering and knees wobbling, slightly dizzy at the combination of having not eaten a proper meal for about three days and having just witnessed a murder, but as she sat in the break room, she felt really, really cold. She was nursing a mug of coffee – the worst coffee she’d ever tasted, without a doubt – and trying to will herself to feel something. She should be devastated at the death of her friend. Heartbroken. But instead she just felt completely empty. And God, she was cold.

They had put her into a group home last night, just to sleep, and then the Sergeant had come to pick her up that morning so that she didn’t have to stay longer. He’d just sat her down in the break room, made her a mug of steaming coffee and told her to wait. It had been early when she first arrived, and there was only one cop there – sitting at a desk in the corner, a beanie hat on, and he appeared to be slumped over his computer keyboard. “Alvin!” the Sergeant had barked, and the cop had woken up.

“Oh, hey,” he’d said, sounding slightly dazed.

The sergeant had just made a strange noise somewhere between a tutting sound and a snort, and shook his head.

Now that she’d been there for several hours, Avery had taken in every aspect of the room. The huge “MEN AT WORK” sign over the sink and the dent in the table and the rip in the fabric of the couch. She’d gotten used to the smell – coffee and carpet, if she had to describe it – but every time she looked at the fridge on one side of the room or the corkboard on the other, she found herself staring at the photographs pinned there. There was one that she particularly liked, of the entire unit, save for the Sergeant, whom she assumed was taking the photograph. They were at a bar somewhere, and they all had a beer in one hand and the other draped over another member of their team. Erin was right in the middle. She was laughing at something, and her head was slightly tilted back, her mouth open and her hair falling onto Halstead’s arm, which was sprawled over her shoulder. She looked so happy.

There was one of Burgess and Sergeant Platt from the desk downstairs; one of Atwater and the young, hot one whom Avery presumed must be Ruzek; one of Antonio, a blonde woman and two kids; a photo of the entire unit alongside a bunch of firefighters; one of the desk-sleeping cop and the Sergeant alongside a woman – one of their wives maybe? – two teenagers and a young girl. The young girl had wild, curly dark hair and a big, toothless grin, and one of the teens was a boy with a chiseled jawline and a slightly disgruntled-looking expression, as if he had been caught off guard. And Erin. Avery frowned. The photo was old – the Sergeant had brown hair instead of grey and his face looked far less worn, and Erin looked like she couldn’t be more than eighteen.

Avery was so engrossed in the photographs that she jumped when the door opened, spilling coffee over her hand. “Shit,” she swore loudly, and immediately put her hand in her mouth to numb the burn of the coffee. She looked up and saw Erin leaning against the door frame, frowning slightly.

“You alright?” she asked.

“What’s it to you?” Avery spat back. She didn’t mean it to come out so rudely. After a few hours – more than that, really, since she had barely slept that night – to think about what had happened the previous day, Avery had begun to feel slightly bad about the way that she’d treated Erin. Some of the things she said weren’t exactly fair, she knew that, but she was still angry. “Sorry,” she added, consciously. “I’m fine.”

“Here, let me see,” Erin reached over, taking Avery’s hand. The second she touched it, Avery snatched it back.

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“Well, at least run it under the tap,” Erin ordered, and Avery hesitantly complied.

After a few minutes of only the sound of the running tap and Erin nervously tapping her foot, she switched off the water and sat down.

“So what do you want? To ask me more questions?” she stared back down into the coffee cup and the murky brown liquid that had spilled all over the table in front of her, refusing to make eye contact.

“Um,” Erin began, and took a deep breath. “Actually, no.”

“Well, if you’re here to apologize, you can save it. I’m over it.”

Erin raised an eyebrow. “Yeah,” she said sarcastically. “I can see that.”

“Whatever,” Avery muttered.

“Okay, listen.” Erin drew up a chair to the opposite side of the table and sat down on it the wrong way round, her legs either side of the backrest so that she could lean forward enough to engage in a conversation but still remain detached and impersonal. It was a tactic that she liked to use when interrogating suspects, especially ones that she thought were likely to get under her skin. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”

Avery sighed and rolled her eyes. “Here we go. I don’t want a handout, okay?”

“I’m not offering you a handout,” Erin snapped. “Will you just listen to me?”

Avery just continued staring at the coffee on the table, and started tracing patterns in the droplets.

“You have two options right now. We need to put you in protective custody –”

“What?” Avery looked up suddenly. “Why?”

“Because this case is bigger than just Luca.”

“What do you mean?”

Erin sighed. “Okay. None of what I say is going to be repeated, but we’re the Intelligence unit for a reason. We’ve been sitting on a ring of drug smugglers who are funneling drugs into the city and selling to the rich white kids who then distribute them. They use the kids as a way to get to the money in the city, but the kids are getting too big for their boots and dropping like flies.”

“And?”

“And Luca’s uncle was the head of the whole operation.”

“Holy shit,” Avery breathed.

“You can say that again,” Erin smiled slightly.

“So why does this mean that I need to be in protective custody?” Avery frowned. “I’m white, but I’m definitely not rich. I don’t think I’m on the top of their hit list.”

“Well, turns out that Luca was working as a Confidential Informant for a gang unit working to take them down – we’ve just found out about this now – and so that means that they know we’re onto them.”

“Okay, but I still don’t understand what this has to do with me…?” Avery looked confused still.

“You’re a witness. Not just to the murder of a homeless boy, but your testimony puts the entire operation at risk. If they found out that you saw the killer, and can ID him and link him back to their organization, then we’ll be able to do some serious damage in a courtroom.”

“And if Luca’s uncle is willing to kill his own nephew to cover up their operation, I’m sure he wouldn’t think twice about popping me, huh?”

Erin just swallowed, pursing her lips together and shrugging her shoulders slightly in lieu of a response.

“So what are these two options?” Avery inquired.

“Well,” the detective in front of her took a deep breath. “It’s up to you whether protective custody is a fake name and a new foster home out of state, or…”

“Or what?”

“Or you can come and live with me until the case is solved and we know that you’re safe.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Erin shrugged. Now it was time to give Avery the tough love that she knew she needed – that she herself had needed. “That’s the offer. You’ll be in Chicago. You’ll be close to whatever other friends you have. And you’ll be able to help with the case and get updates on how it’s going. You’ll be a hundred percent safe under my watch but we can’t guarantee the same out of state if someone finds out where you’ve gone and who you really are.”

“So what’s the catch?” Avery asked.

“The catch is that you’ll be living with me, for starters, which means that you’re gonna have to learn to forgive me, or at least tolerate me. And Detective Halstead.”

“Woah. Halstead from the interrogation, Halstead? You live together?”

“We’re dating, yes. Not the point.” Avery smirked. “Anyway,” Erin continued. “You can come and go as you please. But you’ll have a roof and a bed and food and someone to talk to. Of course, it depends how long the case lasts, but I can get you a place in a school. I can get any criminal records you have sealed. And I will do absolutely everything that I can to help you make a better life for yourself.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you so willing to help me?”

Erin sighed, wanting to keep this as impersonal as possible – a business proposition more than a promise – but she should probably have known better than anyone that business, especially police business, is about as personal as it gets.

“Because when I was your age I was in the exact same position,” she said. “And a cop helped me the same way I am trying to help you, and now that cop is my boss, and I have a life better than anything I could have imagined when I was your age.”

Avery stared at her. She had no idea. “Is that where the photo is from?” she mumbled.

It was Erin’s turn to look confused. “What…photo?”

Her eyes followed Avery’s arm as it extended slightly and gestured towards the old, torn one of her, Voight, Al, Lexi and Justin pinned to the corkboard. “Yeah,” she whispered. Her eyes began to sting slightly at the tears that immediately sprung to the surface when she saw that the photograph had Justin and Lexi in it, too. She had completely forgotten that that photo even existed, let alone that it was pinned up in their office.

“Who are the others?” Avery asked.

Erin coughed, trying to cover the thickness in her voice. “Uh, Voight you know, obviously – he was the one who took me in – and Alvin, who you’ve probably met, and his wife, Meredith, before they split up. Al’s daughter Lexi, and Voight’s son Justin.”

“Where are they now?”

At the look on Erin’s face, Avery backtracked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, it’s – it’s okay,” Erin shook her head.

You need to set the parameters for this relationship, Erin. That was what the social worker had told her when she took Avery in the first time, five years ago. If you want her to be honest with you, you have to be honest with her. She took a deep breath.

“Justin died about three years ago now. He was twenty four.”

“How did he die?” Avery asked slowly. She didn’t want to be nosy, but she genuinely wanted to know – she had been so caught up in her self-pity, so caught up in this vision of Erin being a tough-as-nails cop who only lived to serve others, that she had never even considered the possibility that she had other things going on in her life.

Erin just shook her head. “That’s a story for another time,” she was fighting the tears, Avery noticed. “Lexi…” Erin continued. “She died too. The very next year.”

“Sorry,” Avery said. She hadn’t meant to push.

Another shake of the head. “Listen, Avery, I’m not helping you because I want to make amends with you, okay?” she changed the subject. “I just want to see you get better. I’m not expecting you to decide now, I’ll give you until the end of my shift, and then, if you want to come and live with me, I’ll set it up. If you don’t, you’ll go to a group home in the center of the city for a few days, and then you’ll transfer to Indianapolis as soon as we get the paperwork done and all the official statements that we need from you regarding the case. Or, you can live with me, see how you like it, get over your petty teenage resentment to me and try not to ask any more difficult questions, and then you’ll have until the end of the case to decide where you want to go from there.”

Avery was about to snap at her for the comment about petty teenage resentment, but when she looked up, the detective was smiling.

“Why should I trust you?” Avery whispered.

Erin opened her mouth, but Avery cut her off.

“Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth when I know you’re just gonna chuck me back into the system again the second I’ve helped you with your case?”

The expression on Erin’s face had changed from extremely hurt to extremely angry in a millisecond.

“Why should you –” she near-shouted, but stopped herself mid-sentence. Taking a breath and unclenching the fists that had tightened unconsciously at her sides, she continued, “because I am the only person right now who is fighting for you.” She spat out every word with as much power as she could, chewing them around in her mouth and then firing them at the girl in front of her as if they were bullets. Good. She wanted them to leave a mark.

Before Avery could respond, Erin left, slamming the door shut behind her.

☆ ☆ ☆

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