Not sure what happened to the format earlier… please enjoy!

"No, absolutely not… There's no way in hell we're doing that!" Jay yelled, pacing behind the couch.

Hank, Antonio, and Erin kept their eyes on him as he paced back and forth.

"There has to be a better way…" Jay started to say, however, he trailed off and continued his frenzied walk. It was clear he was trying to quickly come up with a plan that didn't put Erin in so much danger.

Noticing Jay's pacing picking up speed, Erin moved around the couch so the next time he turned she was in his way. Jay stopped short so he didn't run her over. Without saying anything, she took his hand and led him to the chair he'd been sitting in before Antonio began to detail the plan. Once he sat, instead of relinquishing her contact with him, Erin perched herself on Jay's lap, effectively keeping their connection and preventing Jay from pacing again. Antonio quirked an eyebrow at her before continuing.

"The more we talked about it, the more we realized the only way to lure out Erin's captors is for them to see her. Yes, they initially tried to take her out, but Erin's FBI contacts are fairly sure that her cover was not blown. The fact that another group is working her will definitely catch their attention. With the amount of information Erin's team has been able to put together, as soon as they come after us we'll be able to put them away for a long time. We just need something to pull them in."

Three days later, Erin started to wonder if maybe their plan wasn't going to work. Each day Ruzek acting as her handler would take her out for a potential client. They would go around areas where she was likely to be seen until a "client" was found. The first day it was Atwater, then Olinsky. Tonight she was sitting in a dingy apartment hanging out with Antonio.

Antonio finished shuffling and began dealing cards out to Erin and himself. Poker was a good way to kill time while they waited. As Erin eyed her cards, Antonio took a close look at her. In the few weeks since she had reappeared in Chicago, she had transformed from a skeletal, frightening version of Erin back into her old self, and he would put money on the fact that it was due to more than healing up and eating good food.

"So, what's the deal with you and Halstead?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Erin's eyes shot to his. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. I've spent enough time around the apartment lately. You're always watching each other from across the room. If you're close together, you're touching. Something is up."

Erin rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the blush rising in her cheeks. "I'm not sure, we haven't really talked about it."

"Well, I think something's going on whether you want to admit it or not."

"Antonio…" Erin started to say. She trailed off when she saw that Antonio had gone stiff and still, his right hand instinctively moving to the gun on his waist band. Standing, he drew his weapon and moved toward the door of the apartment, giving Erin a finger wave indicating she should keep talking.

Erin drew her gun as well, positioning herself in safety, but allowing her a line of sight to cover Antonio if needed. Giving an exaggerated sigh, Erin resumed talking while keeping her gun trained on the door. "I just don't know, every time I try to talk to him, he gets mad. But then, just when I've given up hope on the situation, he goes and does something sweet. I don't understand…"

With a crash, the door slammed open.

POP! BANG! Erin ducked behind the doorframe next to her and prepared to return fire. As she peered around the corner she realized she did not have a clear shot due to the now open front door but Antonio was at least partially protected by a wall on his side of the room.

POP! BANG! BANG! One shot from the hallway, and two return fires from Antonio. Erin began to survey her route to Antonio's side to help return fire.

POP! POP! POP! BANG! This time it was three more from the hallway, with one return shot from Antonio. Erin moved stealthily through the room using first the couch, then the arm chair as cover. Reassessing her position, Erin could see out into the hallway, but no person. As she considered her next move she saw exactly who she hoped would hunt her down, the same handler responsible for her stabbing. Aiming, Erin got a shot off before he returned to cover. The bullet tore through his right shoulder, and he dropped his gun.

Advancing quickly, Antonio edged into the hallway and kicked the gun away while scanning the hallway for a second shooter. "CLEAR!" he yelled, holstering his weapon as he saw Jay and Hank enter the hallway. Hank moved to help Antonio while Jay went to check on Erin.

He found her sitting on the floor next to the coffee table. Taking her shaking hands in his, he stooped his head to catch her eye. "Relax, Er. We got him. Let's go home, okay?"

Between the excitement of the bust, the relief that the perpetrator was caught, and the comfort of hearing Jay refer to the apartment as home, Erin slept better that night than she had in ages. The smile on her face when she woke up grew larger when she heard Jay singing slightly off key. And by the smells filling the apartment he was cooking breakfast. After a quick stop in the bathroom to freshen up and grab something from under the sink, Erin entered the kitchen.

Not only was Jay singing, he was also gently swinging his hips back and forth to the music as he cooked eggs on the stove. Coffee, orange juice, bacon, and toast were already out on the bar. Erin slid onto a stool enjoying watching him undetected, but she unable to contain the giggle that escaped her mouth as Jay moved to use the spatula as a microphone. Jay spun around quickly at getting caught, but his smile was as large as hers. "Just another minute and these will be ready too," he told her, returning to cooking.

When the eggs finished, Jay dished some onto each of their plates and plopped onto the stool next to her. They ate in comfortable silence, trading occasional small talk and big smiles until only crumbs were left on their plates. Taking the last sip of his coffee, Jay turned to Erin and asked, "Is there anything you want to do today since you're no longer stuck in the apartment?"

"Well, actually, there was something I hoped you could help me with." Erin got down from the stool and grabbed the box she put on the counter when she came in. "Can you help me dye my hair back?"

Thirty minutes later, Erin had her head hanging into the kitchen sink while Jay used the sprayer to get all of the dye out. Once the water ran clear, he wrapped a fluffy towel around her head and helped her stand upright. Using the corner of the towel to wipe the water off her face, Erin opened her eyes to find Jay just inches away from her. Going up on her tiptoes, Erin pulled Jay's lips to hers, kissing him for the first time in months. Somehow kissing Jay managed to feel familiar and brand new at the same time.

Before things could escalate, Erin's phone began to ring in her pocket. She pulled her lips from Jay's with a groan to check the caller ID.

"Shit, it's my boss. I've got to take this." She slipped out of his arms and out of the room. He heard her answer with a brisk "Lindsay." before the bedroom door clicked shut. Jay turned to grip the counter, hanging his head. This morning had almost made him forget this wasn't her home anymore.

He was still in this position when Erin re-entered the kitchen.

"Jay," she said quietly.

He swung his gaze in her direction.

"They said because of my injuries on this assignment, I'm required to take 6 weeks of paid medical leave."

He turned his body to face her, his expression passive. "Are you going back to New York for that?"

"Why would I? The only thing waiting for me in New York is a dead house plant."

He stepped to be right in front of her. "What happens when the 6 weeks are over?"

"I'm not sure. The one thing I am sure of is from here on out, we figure these things out together."

Jay's smile lit up the room. "Come here," all but growled as he pulled her toward him and into a searing kiss.

Together. Home.

THE END

AN: Sorry for the weird formatting. I copy and pasted the chapter the same way as always and everything looked fine on my end until the chapter posted so I'm not sure what went wrong. Hopefully you all enjoyed this story. It has officially been marked as complete since I do not plan to write any more on this plot. Stay tuned for my next Linstead story, hopefully starting in May.