A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's taken me a while to write this chapter. The muse has been MIA for a while now, but she has finally returned! This chapter is definitely rated M. Just a warning. Here is chapter 7!

Chapter 7: The Explanation

She was moving as quietly as possible. Her gun was drawn and cocked. She was ready for whatever was awaiting them on the other side of the warehouse door. Carefully following Chris through the door, she tried to stay as close to him as possible. Being here with her made her feel safe. They had barely made it to the first row of shelves when all hell broke loose.

Bullets were raining down from every direction. For a moment, she froze. Chris grabbed her arm and pushed her to the ground. Dropping down on top of her, they both began returning fire. After what seemed like hours, the gunfire ceased. She could feel Chris's hot breath against her ear. They both waited quietly to see if their attackers were still in the building.

Suddenly, one last shot was fired and she heard the sound of retreating footsteps. Doors slammed and tires squealed as the suspects got away.

"Chris?" she murmured as she turned her head towards his. His head had dropped to the floor and his eyes were closed. Thinking he was feeling the same relief she was, she sat up and put her hand on his back. As soon as her hand made contact with his back, she felt a warm sticky substance coat her hand.

"Chris!" she screamed as she turned his body over to check for a pulse. Nothing…

Don woke the sound of Kayleigh's screams. Quickly pulling himself from the couch, he ran into the bedroom where he found Kayleigh moaning and jerking around on the bed. He sat down on the bed and grabbed Kayleigh's shoulders.

"Shh…It's Don. You're safe. Come on, open those pretty green eyes for me. Kayleigh!" he shouted. Upon hearing her name, Kayleigh jerked upright on the bed. Her hands clamped down on Don's biceps. Struggling to catch her breath, Kayleigh stared into his eyes. It was just a dream. She had been dreaming.

Don slowly pulled Kayleigh into his arms. Running his hand over her head and down her back, he rocked her back and forth until he felt her sobs come to a stop. Pulling back to look into her eyes, he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Want to talk about it?" he offered.

"How could I have not felt him dying beside me?" she whispered.

"Who?"

"Chris."

"Who's Chris?" Don asked.

Kayleigh told Don about her dream. She explained that Chris had been her partner in Atlanta. They had worked together for two years and in those two years Chris had become more than a friend. The night of her dream, they were chasing a known murdered, Jackson Webber. They had followed him and several of his thugs into a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. They had called for backup before entering the warehouse. After the explosion of gunfire, the final shot Kayleigh had heard had come from Jackson's gun. He had been behind the entire time. He shot Chris in the back. The bullet had passed through his heart.

"…it was all my fault. I was the one who wanted to go after Webber without waiting for backup. Chris wanted to wait. I knew that if we did, then we would never catch him. He would disappear like he always had. I wish I could take back that moment. I should have listened to Chris. He was the senior officer. He knew what was best. Why didn't he just say 'no'?" she asked as tears poured down her face.

"Probably because he knew you were right even if it didn't follow protocol. Kayleigh, we've all had those cases that shook us to our core and we had momentary lapses of judgment. It happens. I know that Chris would not want you to blame yourself for his death. He died doing his job and he died protecting the woman he loved. I don't think he would ever you want to feel guilty about that," Don explained.

"How did Webber get out?" she questioned.

"From Mac said, he escaped about five days ago. I have no idea why you weren't warned ahead of time about this, but he's out and we have to catch him. We're going to catch him," Don swore as he took her in his arms again.

Kayleigh snuggled into Don's embrace. For the moment, she felt safe. But she knew that come morning, she would have to leave. It was not safe for Don to be near her. Ever since investigating Webber in Atlanta, the man had become obsessed with her, which is why he had not killed her when he killed Chris. She had to get away from Don before the same thing happened to him.

But for tonight, she wanted to feel Don's arms around her. Looking into his eyes, she closed the distance between their lips. When Don felt Kayleigh's lips on his, he could hardly breathe. Moving his hands to her face, he angled her head for better access.

Kayleigh pulled Don with her as she lay back on the bed. Fumbling with their clothes, they undressed each other with unhurried movements. Once they were completely naked, they took turns exploring each other's bodies. When Don entered Kayleigh, both of them gasped at the sensation. Don paused while he waited for her to get adjusted to him. He leaned down to press a kiss to her mouth. Kayleigh returned the kiss with fervor. They both began to move. Slow, languid movements were made while they stared into each other's eyes. Clinging to Don's back, Kayleigh moaned and dug her nails into his back. Don felt her urgency and quickened his pace. Within minutes, they were both panting heavily and reaching mind-blowing climaxes. Don rolled off Kayleigh and pulled her into his arms. Placing a kiss to the top of her head, they both drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Kayleigh quietly removed herself from Don's arms. She dressed quickly and let herself out of the apartment. She dug her cell phone out of her bag to call cab. Just as she was dialing the number, she felt someone come up behind her. Turning to see who was there, she dropped her phone and gasped when she saw the man responsible for Chris's death.

Jackson Webber smiled a crooked smile as he reached for her.

"You're mine now."

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Thanks to AngelWithHorns222, WinchesterWench, cheymon, and cherryspark101 for reviewing!