Chapter 8

"So are you ever going to tell me who she is?" Jay nearly choked on his glass of wine at Ally's question, the liquid coming back up his throat and spilling out of his mouth.

"W..what?" he stammered, wiping his mouth. "Who what?"

Ally gave him a smile, one that said she knew him entirely too well to know when he was playing dumb. And maybe she did. After all, they spent their teenage years together and she played an important role in his life up until he went overseas. But just because she knew him, it didn't mean that Jay was all that keen to start spilling his soul to his ex-girlfriend, especially about his love life. Especially since he wasn't sure what Ally thought of their current relationship was.

Ever since she moved back to Chicago, they've hung out and maybe they've made out a couple of times. But every single time, he had put a stop to it, unable to take things further with her. It was almost ridiculous now that he thought about it. After all, she was single. He was definitely single, that much was very clear. They liked each other as people and they had a long history between them. Really, it would almost be a picture perfect storybook ending for them to end up together. If only, he wasn't pathetically hung up on his partner.

"Well?" she broke him out of his thoughts, her eyes waiting for an answer from him. "Come on, who is she? Who is this girl that got you like this?'

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ally," he tried to deny her question. "Like what exactly?"

Ally chuckled, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing from the movement. "Do you think of me as stupid or something? You're forgetting that I know you and I could tell whenever there's something on your mind. You get this look in your eyes, like you're troubled." Her eyes regarded him softly. "The last time I saw it was when you had that fight with your mom, right before you enlisted." Jay directed his gaze down, not really wanting to think back to that time. "You only get that look when it involves someone you really care about. And I'm guessing from the past few rejections of us falling back into bed that you, Jay Halstead, have a girl problem. So who is she?"

"Are you sure you're not a detective?" he teased, earning a soft laugh. "Maybe you missed your calling."

"I prefer to work in an office, thank you very much," Ally retorted. "Can you imagine my hair if I get all sweaty chasing after bad guys? Or me wearing those hideous things you guys call uniforms?" Ally shuddered. Jay chuckled, realizing how different Erin and Ally were. Ally was prim and proper, hardly a hair out of place at all times. She was sweet and she worked hard to make sure she was seen as such. She grew up with a loving set of parents that shaped how she grew up and even with a tragedy with her little brother, it bonded her family more. Jay could only describe his relationship with Ally as pleasant and easy.

Erin, on the other hand, was all rough edges and soft curves. She could cut a person down with a strong glare and a sharp tongue, easily. She was tough— or at least she worked damn hard to make it seem like she was. But underneath all that hard exterior, she was soft and vulnerable— qualities that a person would never use to describe Erin. But that was only because they didn't know her. Because they let themselves be fooled by her, not caring enough to see past her passion and her fire. Or because they weren't just lucky enough to get the chance. Get the chance that Jay got because he saw it all— her strengths, her weaknesses, the sensitive side to her that she hid because she felt like she needed to be taken seriously in their line of work, her generosity, her passion to get justice for the victims. Just everything that made her who she was— for better or for worse. There was nothing easy about his relationship with Erin. It was intense, hard and a lot of the times, he felt like he wanted to pull his hairs out because she just wouldn't let him in, no matter what. But damn it if it wasn't worth it. Even in their short-lived relationship— if it could've been categorized as such— Jay had never felt more alive or happier. To have those glimpses and moments where she looked at him like she saw him— the real him and he was everything she was looking for— and she would let herself be open and vulnerable around him, he lived for those moments. But those moments were gone— given to someone else. Even if Erin had told him that her relationship with Severide wasn't serious, Jay could only hope that Severide would know how lucky he was and be appreciative of those moments.

"See, you're doing it again," Ally pulled him back again. She sighed. "I'm a big girl, Jay. Did I think that maybe we could get back together when I moved back here, yeah. But it's pretty obvious that you no longer feel the same way about me." Jay tried to interject and deny her words but he knew she was right. Whatever they had, it was in the past. He had moved on from his teenage relationship. "And what's even more obvious is that there's someone else. Someone that got you like this. Finishing up my good bottle of wine," she grinned, holding up the wine that Jay finished nearly entirely by himself.

"It's good wine," he added.

"Yeah, expensive too," she quipped but they both knew that Ally didn't care about the price. She was more concerned with Jay's state of mind. "So who is she? Who is this girl that got you all twisted up?"

Jay bit his lips, debating if he was really going to talk about Erin with her. But her eyes were staring him down, letting him know that he wouldn't be getting out of this.

"It's Erin," he finally admitted.

"Your partner, Erin?" Ally frowned, recalling Jay talking about his partner. "Oh, I should've known," she said, shaking her head. Jay gave her a confused look, wondering why she sounded so amused. "Really, judging by the way you've talked about her before and how many times you've brought her up during dinners with my parents, I should've put two and two together." Jay almost pouted. He didn't think he mentioned Erin that much before but Ally made him sound like a lovesick fool that couldn't stop waxing poetic about the girl he liked.

"I don't really talk about her all that much," Jay protested.

Ally only scoffed, disagreeing with his statement. "So what's the problem? She's not into you?"

"No, it's just….it's complicated." Complicated didn't seem to be enough of a word to describe his relationship with Erin. It was barely scratching the surface.

"What's complicated about it?"

"Well, for one thing, we're partners. We work together," Jay began.

"Is that against departmental rules?" Ally question, not being familiar with how things worked with his career.

"No, not really but it's against Voight's rules. He's my Sergeant and he's Erin's….sort of dad?" he trailed off, not really knowing how to properly encapsulate Voight and Erin's relationship.

"Oh, don't tell me that you fell for the boss' daughter?" Ally asked, laughing. Jay glared at her over the table.

"Glad to see you're amused by my pain."

"Sorry," Ally said, sheepishly, but not really looking sorry at all. "So go on, you like the boss' daughter but she doesn't like you?"

"I think she does." It certainly seemed that way when they were sneaking around but Erin was Erin. She was hard to gauge. Even though Jay felt like he knew her, she had the tendency to flip things around in a blink of an eye and kept him on his toes. He was just never really sure where he stood with her.

"But…"

"But she's not willing to give me— us— a shot. At least not in public." He shrugged, trying not to let his hurt show on his face but judging by the soft look Ally gave him, he knew he failed. "She wanted to keep things with no strings attached. I went along with it at first. I just didn't realize how hard it'd be. I just couldn't do it anymore and wanted a real chance. But she rejected me."

Ally looked affronted on his behalf. "Remind me to kick her ass if I see her." Jay could only chuckle at the image of Ally and Erin getting into a physical fight. As much as he loved Ally, she wouldn't stand a chance. "Don't laugh!" Ally scolded him. "I may not look like it but I'm very scrappy and I'm very protective over people I love."

"Thanks, Ally. But it's not her fault that she doesn't feel the same way about me. Can't really fault her. So we ended things— whatever it was that we had anyway."

"But you're not over her, are you?" Jay shook his head, he wasn't over Erin at all.

"No," he admitted, truthfully. "Not even a little. But," he shrugged. "She's moved on. She's with somebody else now. Someone she can take home to Voight."

Ally reached over the table to pat Jay's hands, giving him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Jay tried to smile but it came out fake. So he tried shrugging again. "That's life right? Can't get what or who we want all the time. I just got to move on and learn to be a good friend and a good partner to her, like she deserves. As long as she's happy, that's all I want."

Ally squeezed his hand. "You're an amazing guy, Jay. Erin may not see that but it's her loss."

Jay had heard the cliche placation before. While he definitely didn't agree with Ally that it was Erin's loss— it was his— Jay still appreciated her effort all the same.

"Thanks for listening to my girl problems," Jay said. "And for being a good friend."

"Yes, aren't I sweet? Especially for a girl that has just been friendzone," Ally joked, even if there was the truth in it. "What are friends for right?"

Jay smiled and nodded. They both knew that they would never be more than good friends again but in this cold and unforgiving world, Jay knew he could always use a good friend.

Everyone in Intelligence was tense, knowing what was about to happen. They were gathered in the roll-up, waiting for the arrival of Pulpo— the guy that kidnapped Antonio's son and was the reason why Jules got killed. While Jay hated the guy for hurting his unit and for taking away a team member, his hatred of Pulpo was nothing compared to the utter disdain and hate Antonio had towards the guy. The detective was furious ever since Commander Perry had authorized Pulpo's release from prison and even as he stood in wait, his hands were in tight fists like he was ready to deck Pulpo as soon as he laid eyes on the guy.

"Look, we may not like what we have to do but we just got to suck it up," Voight said to the group, Jay refraining from rolling his eyes at how sympathetic Voight was.

The door to the roll-up opened when the armored truck transporting Pulpo arrived and the guy of the hour came out, immediately starting trouble with his mocking greeting to Antonio. Jay just knew that this case was going to turn ugly. As much as they wanted to catch Gustav Munoz, Jay wasn't sure if it was worth letting Pulpo get even a second of fresh air.

"Conjugal visit? Think he got a girl on the side?" Erin questioned, Voight directing her to find out.

"I know someone," Jay spoke out. "He's a hacker I busted a year ago. He's under house arrest."

"Alright, go ahead," Voight said, dismissing them and the two partners headed out.

Jay followed Erin up the stairs to head out of the station, Platt calling Erin back when they reached her desk.

"Someone stopped by looking for you today. Said his name was Charlie." As soon as Platt said that, Jay saw Erin's body tensed. "Kinda hot. Smelled like cigarettes and Drakarr. Said he knew you from a long time ago."

"You coming?" Jay called, Erin turning around and looking like she had just seen a ghost. Jay's curiosity peaked, wondering who Charlie was and why just by the mere mention of his name had Erin so freaked out.

The whole car ride to the hacker's house, Erin was quiet. Jay watched as she gripped the steering wheel tightly, her jaws set the whole ride there. Jay kept his eyes on her profile, working up the nerve to ask her straight out who Charlie was.

He managed to keep himself from asking until she was knocking on the door of the hacker's house. But even with the ride taking nearly thirty minutes, Erin still seemed troubled by the news she got.

"So who's Charlie?"

Erin looked at him. "Just some guy I used to run with," she replied, vaguely.

Jay narrowed his eyes, zeroing in on her. "Run with or run from?"

She waved his question off, not specifying her answer. "I got it handled."

The tone of her voice told him to leave things alone, that she wasn't ready to tell him who Charlie was. The door opened, forcing Jay to leave things alone for now.

"What's up Johnny?" Jay barged his way into the hacker's house, Erin following.

Minutes later, Jay felt his annoyance grow. Johnny, the weirdo with the strange porn fetish, giving Erin creepy looks from the side of his eyes. Jay snapped his fingers in front of the guy's face.

"Focus," Jay ordered, hitting the table to get Johnny's attention back on task. Really, he should've came alone, especially knowing that Johnny had strange and creepy interests. Clearly, bringing a real live girl— especially someone that looked like Erin— wasn't a good idea.

As soon as they got the address to the house that Pulpo made calls to over a hundred times, they left. Erin shuddered as soon as she got outside, creeped out by her interaction with Johnny.

"I feel like I need to take a shower after that," she joked, grimacing. Jay gave her an apologetic look for pulling her into the situation. "You have strange C.I's, Halstead."

He laughed. "As long as they come through, that's all I care about."

They should've known that Pulpo was not to be trusted, really. They should've known that it wouldn't be that easy or that things would go smoothly when Pulpo was involved. Erin and Jay had missed out on what happened with the truck and Mexico swap malls but Jay's hacker CI came through since the address that he had gotten them had led them to Pulpo's baby mama and his son.

That was the leverage they needed to get over the guy, to finally get him to start cooperating for real and to get the real location of Gustav Munoz. The plan was set. Gustav Munoz would be at the festival tomorrow with the plan to take out a Cartel leader and this time, Intelligence would finally be one step ahead of them.

"So what are your plans tonight?" Jay asked, following Erin down the steps of the bullpen. They were getting off early tonight since the call time was bright and early tomorrow.

"Hmm, don't really have one," Erin replied. Jay quirked his eyebrows, expecting her to have plans with the fireman. Erin caught his look and smacked his chest. "I don't have to have plans with Kelly every night, you know."

"I didn't say anything," Jay shrugged, shoving his hands in his pants' pockets. Erin lifted her eyebrow back at him before she shook her head.

"So what about you? Big plans?" Erin asked.

"Oh yeah, huge. A hot threesome date with my couch and an extra large pizza," Jay quipped.

"That's just sad, Halstead."

Jay parted his mouth, pretending to be insulted. "Don't mock me, Lindsay," Jay retorted, the two falling back into the easy banter they had before. Before things got complicated and feelings got in the way. Jay bit his lips, debating on whether he should ask his next question. "So…"

"So…."

"Seeing as how you're a loser with no plans tonight and I'm just so nice, I'll share my pizza with you."

Erin stopped in her step and turned around to look at him. "Are you inviting me over to your place?"

Jay looked nervous and awkward when she looked at him, her eyes questioning him. "Yeah," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. He licked his lips. "We said we'd be friends right? Friends hang out, right?"

A small smile came over her face and she nodded. "Right." Jay grinned, happy that she had accepted his offer. After what happened to her at the hospital where she was held at knifepoint, Jay made a vow to himself to push aside all the bullshit aside and focus on being her friend. She couldn't give him everything he wanted but her friendship was what he needed and he was going to be there for her. Even if it would be hard to be in a close proximity with her and not have her like he had her before, he knew they needed to hang out and get back to where they were before.

She turned back around and he followed, Jay opening the front door of the precinct.

"Oh thank you," Erin said and Jay could hear the smile in her voice. It sounded beautiful to him and he was hopeful that they could get back to how they used to be.

But his happiness was short-lived because Erin turned and she stilled when a strange man entered the station.

"Erin!" the guy greeted Erin like he had known her all of his life, his arms opening wide to hug her. "I'm back."

"Charlie." Jay's eyebrow lifted at the name. So this was Charlie. Jay studied the guy just like Charlie studied him. Erin looked uncomfortable and dare he say, almost scared. It caught Jay's attention because Erin rarely let her fear show and her whole body language was screaming that she wanted to get away from this guy.

Erin turned to look at Jay. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told him and waited for him to leave. Jay set his eyes on her, looking at her body language and facial expressions.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice telling her that if she needed him, he was there. That he didn't feel right leaving her there with this guy who looked like nothing but bad news.

"Yeah," Erin replied, although her voice didn't sound so sure. Jay wanted to stay, wanted to get her away from this Charlie who got her looking like Jay had never seen her before. But both her and Charlie stood in place, waiting for him to get out. So with a final look at Erin just in case she wanted to stop him at the last second, Jay made his way out but not before getting a real good look at Charlie, memorizing his face.

Jay stepped out into the cold and headed to his car. But he couldn't force himself to leave just yet. There was this gnawing feeling inside his chest, his eyes on the closed doors of the station, knowing that Erin was just on the other side with Charlie. Even if there was an iota of a chance that Erin needed him, Jay wanted to be there. So he climbed down the steps and waited for Erin to come through the door.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Charlie came down the steps. Jay stood up straighter against the wall of the station so Charlie wouldn't see him and Jay watched as the guy headed towards his car and drove off. A few minutes later, Erin finally came out, her hands in her jacket. She looked shaken and Jay found himself wondering just who Charlie was if he got her so rattled after a few minutes with her.

She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice Jay until he came out from the side of the stairs and stopped in front of her.

"Shit!" Erin cussed, placing her hand on her chest at his appearance. "You scared the shit out of me Jay!"

"Sorry," Jay grimaced, wanting to scare Erin being the last thing on his mind.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you left already?"

He gave her a look, a quirk of his eyebrow. "You really think I'm going to leave you alone with that guy?"

"I'm fine," Erin shook off his concern but Jay could still see the uneasiness on her face. He frowned, getting even more worry.

"So that was Charlie," he started, trying to get more information on exactly who Charlie was to Erin. Erin gave him a look like she knew what he was doing. He gave her one right back. "Call me curious. Nosey, even." He waited for a reaction at his joke but none came. He took a chance and held Erin's arms, waiting for her to meet his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Erin gave him a small smile as a reply. "Yeah." He didn't believe her for a second but he knew better than push her, especially out in front of the station.

"So you still up for pizza? I'll even get double pepperoni like you like?" Erin nodded as Jay pulled his arm around her shoulder and led her to her car.

"I don't know how you can eat this," Jay whined as he took a bit of his pizza. "I mean there's just too much pepperonis."

"It's freaking delicious. More meat on the pie, the better," Erin argued, her mouth chewing happily on her own slice.

Jay frowned. "It's just so salty like this," he grimaced, taking a large gulp of his beer to wash it down. Erin just shrugged and returned her attention back to her food. Jay could only grin as he watched her down the slice in record time, his little foodie. He was just glad that the scared and frightened look she had on earlier after her run-in with Charlie was gone.

"You know, you can always remove the pepperoni from your slice and give them to me if you don't like it," Erin suggested. Jay took her suggestion and tried his hardest not to smile like an idiot when she happily took his discarded pepperoni and put them on her next slice.

"If you pass out from high blood pressure from eating all that sodium, I'm not carrying you to the hospital," Jay teased.

"And you call yourself a good partner," Erin tossed back.

"I'm a great partner. I'm willing to give you CPR, mouth to mouth," he returned, not realizing that he took them to a place he didn't mean to. To where the flirtatious banter that were filled with sexual tension and innuendos. He didn't realize it until Erin set her eyes on him, getting quiet all of a sudden. He parted his mouth when he finally realized it, cringing and chiding himself inside for making things awkward. He was just so used to flirting with her, both of them teasing each other, of the two of them hiding their wants and desires with flirty words and looks.

He didn't want to make her feel awkward, especially tonight. He had just wanted to be there for her, to take her mind off of Charlie and the last thing he wanted was to screw it up. But thankfully, Erin shook it off and just gave him a playful roll of her eyes. He let out a quiet exhale, relieved that Erin was pretending to let it go and not make things even more awkward.

It was easy to fall back into the comfortable atmosphere after, both of them finishing off the pizza while they watched the game. Actually, Erin watched the game while Jay snuck glances at her, making sure she was okay and that her mind still wasn't on her interaction with Charlier earlier. When the game was over, he turned the t.v off and set the remote back on the table. Erin groaned as she stretched her body, her shirt riding up to show a sliver of her toned stomach. Jay tried to avert his eyes, determined to keep his promise to himself to be a good friend to Erin— just friends.

"I should get going," Erin said, standing up and grabbing her jacket. Jay nodded as he followed her to the door.

"You okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said as she opened the door, ready to leave. But before she left, she turned around to look at him. There was a soft look in her eyes as she regarded him and Jay waited, wondering what was on her mind. "Thank you," she finally voiced.

"It's just pizza," he replied, waving her thank you off.

She shook her head and placed her hands on his arms. "Come on, we both know it was more than that. Thank you for being there for me," she said, her eyes holding his. "For making sure I was okay and for being a good friend."

He gave her a grin in return. They both just knew each other so well and could see right through each other.

"Always," he replied, his heart melting at the dimples that took over her face. She held his gaze a while longer, Jay unable to pull away and look elsewhere. She leaned in closer and laid a soft kiss on his cheeks, her lips brushing his skin like a butterfly landing on a rose before it flew away. She gave him one more smile before she turned and left, Jay closing the door as he heard Erin's footsteps getting further and further away.

The next day took an unexpected and harrowing turn when Pulpo pulled a fast one on everyone. They rushed down to the bullpen as soon as they heard the gunshots and Jay nearly wanted to vomit at seeing Antonio laying on the dirty ground, blood coming out of his chest.

The wait to hear if Antonio made it through the surgery was agonizing, especially seeing Laura and his children looking distraught. Erin was trying her best to comfort Antonio's wife and Jay knew she was trying to be strong for Antonio's family, that she was trying to hide her own worry and fear from them. Finally after what felt like days, the doctor came out and told them that Antonio would be okay.

That was the good news they needed. They didn't need Antonio telling them to get Pulpo to make sure that they wouldn't stop until the guy was caught. They were more than determined to bring him in because there was no way in hell he was going to get away with hurting another member of their little family.

As much as Jay wanted to catch Pulpo and make him pay for his crimes, hearing Voight ordering them that Pulpo wasn't going to be alive after they catch him didn't sit right with Jay.

"Sir, I'm looking for a little clarification for what you last said," Jay asked, everyone around him remaining quiet like what Voight wanted them to do was perfectly normal.

Voight came closer to him, getting in Jay's face. "Pulpo ain't making it to a jail cell tonight. Is that clear enough for you?" Jay just nodded, not really knowing how to reply to Voight's explanation. Voight glared at him once more before he stalked off, leaving Jay with a storm brewing in his head.

Jay knew that Voight was prone to taking matters into his own hands and that his Sergeant felt like he could dole out justice in whichever ways he wanted to. Jay just didn't agree. Voight wasn't god. He didn't have the right to hold someone's life in his hands and do whatever he pleased with it. Pulpo needed to pay for his crimes, there was no doubt of that but that was why there were laws in place for. That was why police and units like Intelligence existed. It certainly wasn't to let Voight run around, doing whatever he wanted.

Jay cornered Ruzek in the locker room, wondering how the younger guy felt about it. As usual, people were willing to overlook Voight's indiscretions like they were perfectly normal and just. Jay couldn't disagree more. They were in a heated debate when Erin caught them, stopping to wonder why they sounded like they were fighting.

"So we're all willing to just go off the book for Voight?" Jay asked.

"Look I'm just four months out of the Academy man. I just do what I'm told," Ruzek replied, like it was an excuse.

"Even if it means being part of a lynch mob?"

"If you're asking if I'm going to turn over my shield and protest, no I'm not," Ruzek replied honestly.

"I'm saying what do we do?" Jay stressed. "If we find Pulpo, are we just gonna turn him over to Voight?"

"All right everybody relax!" Erin interjected, stopping his argument with Ruzek. "What we do is find Pulpo and then we can figure it out." Jay bit his tongue as they made their way back to the bullpen. Erin had a point. They needed to find where the guy was hiding first.

Jay splashed water on his face a couple of times, trying to get some life back into his body. They had been working tediously to search for Pulpo and he was tired both physically and mentally. He still had this big moral dilemma hanging over his head, a question unanswered of what he was going to do if and when they find Pulpo. If he was willing to live with letting Pulpo go in Voight's custody and turning a blind eye for whatever Voight and Al were going to do with the guy.

He heard the locker room open and knew it was Erin right away. Her perfume gave her away.

"You okay?" she asked as she straddle the bench, looking at his hunched body from afar. Jay just shrugged, not turning around to face her just yet. She sighed. "You know, I get where you're coming from."

That grabbed his attention and turned his body around. "You do?" He wasn't sure where Erin stood with everything and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Erin saw Voight as some sort of an untouchable hero, like his words were gospel.

"I want Pulpo to pay for everything," Erin admitted. "He took Jules. He kidnapped Antonio's son. Antonio is in the hospital because of him. I hate him so if you're asking me, will I cry if Pulpo somehow ended up at the bottom of the lake? No," Erin said truthfully. "But if you're asking me, if I'm willing to be the person that put him there? No, I'm not."

Jay remained quiet as Erin continued. "Voight has his own beliefs, his own ways of doing things. I don't agree with everything he does, no matter what you think Jay."

"So what are you going to do?" Jay asked. "If we're the one that found Pulpo. Are you really going to let Voight do whatever he wants?"

"Are you?" Erin tossed the question back to him, knowing that it was a question he couldn't answer either.

Erin stood in the roll-up as the door opened and Al's car returned, Pulpo coming out of the car and taken back into custody. Voight didn't say anything as he stalked his way back to the bullpen, Al and Ruzek following. Erin's mind was troubled and tired but she was just glad that everything was over now. That Pulpo would be back in prison where he belonged. That somehow someway, Jay had stopped Voight and Al from making a huge mistake.

Speaking of Jay, Erin met his eyes as he stood outside. He didn't come in or say anything even when she tilted her head in greeting. He just gave her a small smile— so small that she almost missed it— before he left, leaving Erin to watch his retreating back. He was such a good man, Erin thought to herself. He was strong, steady, and had his own set of convictions and morals. Really, he was too good for Intelligence and the gray area that they operated in. She was just glad that he was able to somehow stop Voight from tossing Pulpo in Lake Michigan.

She returned to the bullpen and saw Voight sitting in his office, obviously unhappy. She entered and sat down in front of him.

He sucked in his cheeks when he saw her, pursing his lips. Erin knew he wasn't happy about how everything ended tonight. How he couldn't serve his version of justice on Pulpo.

"Your partner stepped out of line tonight," Voight began. "He overstepped his boundaries tonight. That's his problem. He always thinks he knows better. That he's the leader of this team. Hard headed and stubborn."

Erin scoff, unable to stop herself. "Hank, stop," she spoke up. "You should be thanking Jay."

Voight's face turned red at her words. "What?"

"You and I both know that Jay is right about this. That whatever you were about to do with Pulpo, it wasn't right," Erin continued, feeling the need to defend Jay. She had let Voight rail on Jay for so long, knowing that her father figure wasn't a fan but enough was enough. Jay was a good man and he deserved to have Erin stand up for him, especially when she agreed with him.

"Pulpo belongs at the bottom of the lake," Voight sneered.

"Yeah he does but it doesn't mean you're the one that gets to put him there." Erin sighed. "I know what you did to Browning. I've heard the stories and the rumors and it doesn't take much to put things together." Voight kept his eyes on her, glaring at her for bringing Browning up.

"We did what we had to do," Voight said, defending himself. "Sometimes you have to take things into your own hands. Do what you believe is right."

Erin could only scoff. "You mean what you believe is right. Because I love you Hank but what you believe is right and what is actually right aren't always the same things," Voight parted his mouth and tried to interject but Erin stopped him. "And if you really believe what you say then you wouldn't be pissed off at Jay. Otherwise you'd be a hypocrite."

"What?"

"Jay did what he thought was right tonight. He stopped you from doing something you can't take back because as much as he thinks that Pulpo is scum, it doesn't give me or you the right to do whatever we want. You should be thanking Jay."

"You're defending your boyfriend?" Voight questioned, his voice dangerously low.

Erin could only sigh. "Don't," Erin said. "This isn't about whatever me and Jay have or don't have. This is about you having a problem with Jay for having his own convictions, his own set of rules that doesn't align with yours. You don't like him because he won't fall into line, that he's not easy to control. That he knows how to stand up for himself and what he believes in. You say that you like strong people and that you believe in doing what you think is right but that only applies to you."

Voight remained quiet, his eyes studying Erin. Erin sighed, feeling like she had said enough and had given enough food for thought to Voight.

"Jay is a good man. He's a great detective. You know that Voight. You may not like him or think that he's too stubborn and headstrong but that's only because he knows how to stand up to you." She stood up, ready to leave. "He's my partner. He's the best partner I've had. I trust him with my life and I've tried to keep quiet because I didn't want to get in between the two of you whenever you clashed before. But that was before. I'm gonna stand up for him, even if it's to you, because he deserves it."

With that she left Voight's office, leaving the older man with his thoughts.

Jay had been quite surprised when Voight had called him out to meet him. Jay wasn't sure if he was going to show but he felt like if he didn't, it was saying to Voight that what he did tonight was wrong. But Jay knew he wasn't.

So Jay showed up at the bar, waiting to see what the older man had to say. Voight ordered them a drink, telling Jay to sit down.

"You're gonna hear me out, "Jay started, ready to defend himself and let his feelings know but Voight didn't give him a chance, interrupting him immediately.

Jay listened as Voight went on about following his own set of convictions, trying to do what he thought and felt was right. "Sometimes, I'm wrong," Voight continued, catching Jay off-guard. He didn't think Voight had it in him to admit that there was a possibility of him being wrong. "And when I'm wrong, I can admit it and I try to move on, knowing I've done all I could. To best protect the city." Jay remained silent, wondering what else he had to say. "I have my own convictions and you have yours. I don't agree with it but….I respect it."

Jay was surprised, knowing how hard it must be for Voight to admit that he actually respected Jay.

"What brought this one?" Jay asked, after he finished his drink.

Voight licked his lips and looked at Jay. "Your partner," Voight replied, Jay's heart thudding whenever Voight brought up Erin's name when it was just the two of them. Jay was always paranoid that with one look, Voight would see Jay's feelings for Erin so he tried his hardest to keep his face neutral. "She made me see that maybe I'm a little too hard on you."

Jay was surprised by the revelation, mostly by the fact that Erin would stand up for him to Voight.

"And she was right," Voight continued. "I may have let my personal feelings play a role when it comes to you. But you're a good detective, Halstead. I'm lucky to have you in my unit."

Jay's eyes rose in surprise, not really expecting Voight to say something nice about him.

"I'm proud to be in Intelligence too," Jay returned, the two men coming to a sort of understanding that night.

Jay wanted to see Erin, he wanted to thank her for standing up for him to Voight but it was late. Too late for him to just go over to her place. He especially didn't want to run into the fireman if he was spending the night. But he wanted to talk to her at least, he wanted to hear her voice.

"DId I wake you?" he asked when she picked up his call, greeting him with a raspy 'hello?' "Sorry."

"No, it's fine," she replied. "I was just watching a movie. Alone." Jay smiled when she added the last part. "What's up?"

"I um...I talked to Voight tonight," he said, scratching the back of his neck. He was nervous and even though she couldn't see him, he couldn't stop his nervous habit. "I just wanted to thank you."

"For?"

"Standing up for me," he said, smiling. As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop himself from reacting to the fact that Erin stood up for him to Voight. "You didn't have to."

"I did," Erin returned. "I just told Voight the truth. That you're a good detective and an even better man." Jay felt his face getting warm. "I'm sorry Jay."

He frowned, wondering why she was apologizing. "For what?"

"For me taking so long to say something to Voight," she explained. "You've always been there for me, even when I didn't even need to ask. And I've been a coward, kept my mouth shut when it was my turn. I know this isn't much but I do want you to know how important you are to me. You're my partner, Jay."

Jay smiled. Even though he knew that Erin wasn't ready to stand up to Voight regarding their relationship, he appreciated this all the same.

"You're my partner, Erin." he returned, the two of them smiling softly on opposite ends of the call.

And that would be enough for now.

A/N: Ally''s been friendzoned so 1 down, 1 to go? Lol. At least Erin is making a little progress when it comes to Voight.

Thank you so much for your responses to the latest chapter of 23 Encounters. I think the votes were pretty split evenly between this story and Who We ought to be. But the past couple of days, I had nothing to watch so I ended up binging on season 1 the show and got motivated to crank out this chapter. Seriously, I need more shows to watch but nothing has really caught my interests lately except for the new Michael Jordan documentary.

Thank god I have writing fics during this time. Anyway, enough of my rambling. I will be posting an update for Who We Ought to be on Thursday/Friday. I'm almost finished and it's a long one so please be on the lookout for it.