“Yeah, come on and I’ll take you to her.”

Hank followed Will to a room at the end of the hall.

When he walked in, Layla tried to smile at him.

“I look great, don’t I?” She joked, not able to hide the tear that slipped from her eye as she looked down at her hands.

Hank walked over to her side and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I think you look beautiful.” He told her, grateful to have her safe and sound in front of him.

Layla laughed softly and wiped away a few more tears.

Then she looked at Hank’s hands, which were covered with dried blood.

“I told him you would come for me.” She whispered and Hank let out a sigh.

“It should have never gotten that far. I should have been there sooner.” He said, guilt thick in his voice.

Layla put a hand on his arm.

“You got there soon enough.” She told him, grateful that he hadn’t been even a minute later.

Hank nodded, his throat tight with emotion.

“All I kept thinking was that you and I… we haven’t had enough time together.” Layla said, surprised to see a tear on his cheek when she looked up at him.

“No, we haven’t.” He agreed.

Layla moved over so Hank could sit on the bed beside her.

He obliged and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“We’re going to get through this. Together.” Hank told her, turning to kiss her gently on her forehead.

Layla looked up at him and nodded.

“I love you.” She told him, her voice pinched at the end as tears started to fall again.

“Alright, out of our way! We’re going to Med, stat.” Sylvie shouted.

Hank watched as they loaded Kim into the ambo and turned on the sirens, pulling away from the curb.

Pulling out his phone, Hank called Trudy. He caught her up on what was happening.

“It’s Jerry. I know it.” Hank told her, anger making his words come out in loud bursts.

“I’ll get the rest of Intelligence up to speed and we’ll start tracking his credit cards, registered vehicles, searching pod footage....”

“That’ll only tell us where he’s been. I need to know where he’s going. I have to get there before…”

Hank stopped himself from even speaking the words. If that son of a bitch hurt Layla, he was a dead man, Hank thought.

Suddenly, Hank remembered Daniel West, Jerry’s boss and friend. He had to know something.

“Trudy, Daniel West. Get patrol to bring him in. I want him in interrogation when I get there.”

“On it.”

When Hank walked into the precinct, officers hurried to move out of his way. Word had spread quickly… one of his officers, shot. His girlfriend, taken. No one wanted to get in between him and whoever was responsible.

Hank hurried up to Intelligence where he found the rest of the team, and Trudy, working hard.

“Is he here?” Hank asked loudly before everyone realized he was even in the bullpen.

Hank was looking at Trudy for an answer. She stood and followed Hank, who never stopped walking, to interrogation.

“He’s here, Hank. But I don’t think he knows anything.”

Hank turned and gave her a look, his hand on the door knob to the interrogation room.

“We’ll find out.” Hank growled, slamming the door behind him.

The team watched from the viewing room as Hank did what he did best. Intimidate.

“So you mean to tell me, that you have no idea where he could have taken her?”

Hank asked, his fists on the table, his body leaned in towards Daniel as he stood across from him.

“Sergeant Voight, I don’t know! Like I said, Jerry has been like a stranger ever since he… resigned.” Daniel put emphasis on the word resign, indicating that he knew that Jerry hadn’t left voluntarily.

Hank smirked at him and walked around the table to stand behind him, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

“Daniel, you’re a smart man. You know what I’m capable of. I suggest you think real hard.” Hank put his hands on Daniel’s shoulders and the younger man flinched.

“Where is he?” Hank growled in the man’s ear.

Daniel closed his eyes, obviously nervous but trying to force himself to think.

Hank didn’t remove his hands until Daniel’s head popped up and he started talking.

“There’s an old mill near where we grew up. It’s been abandoned for years. We used to play there as boys. Lately, Jerry’s been bringing it up a lot. I thought he was just reminiscing, but…”

Hank walked around the table.

“Address?”

As Daniel told them the location, Hank was already walking out of interrogation where Kevin fell in step beside him.

“Got it boss. 3465 Bakers Mill Road.”

The rest of the team started gathering their things.

“Let’s go!” Hank told them, not breaking his stride as he headed to his SUV.

When Layla came to, she thought her head would split in two.

It took her a moment to focus enough to open her eyes.

When she did, she felt a jolt of adrenaline.

She was in what appeared to be an old warehouse.

She felt something warm on her forehead. Blood. But when she lifted her hand to touch it, she was met with resistance.

With a wave of nausea, she looked down and realized the entirety of her situation. Her clothes had been removed, except for her underwear, and she was bound by her wrists and ankles to an old chair.

Looking around in a panic, Layla saw a camping lantern in the corner of the room. It was casting it’s light on the wall by the door.

The wall, she realized, was covered with paparazzi style photos of her. Some of her and Hank. Moments she could remember. Some she couldn't. All captured on film and displayed in front of her now, showing her the extent to which Jerry’s obsession had taken him.

She was still admiring the wall with a sick astonishment when Jerry entered the room.

His presence caused her adrenaline to surge and she pulled against her restraints.

“Oh, now I wouldn’t do that. You might hurt yourself.” Jerry said as he approached Layla, his voice sickeningly calm.

When he reached her, he brought his hand to her forehead, lightly outlining the gash in her forehead where she’d hit the door handle of the van.

“You already did some damage.”

Layla cringed away from his touch but couldn’t escape it.

“You did that, Jerry. When you kidnapped me and pushed me into a van.”

Layla snapped, determined not to let him make her a victim.

Jerry looked at her for a moment, then smiled as he walked back over to the lantern.

“I guess you’re right. But I had no choice, did I? I tried to do this the easy way, but you just wouldn’t have it.”

Jerry walked over to the wall of photos, his eyes settling on a photo of Hank and Layla kissing outside their house the night they returned from the concert.

“You were too busy with Voight to notice me.”

Jerry’s expression turned angry and he looked away from the photo.

Layla saw an opening and took it.

“Jerry, you need to stop whatever you’re doing and let me go. You know Hank is going to come for me. And you know how that’s going to end for you, so…”

“You think I have anything left to live for?” Jerry yelled, turning to her with a crazed expression on his face.

“I’ve lost everything! My wife left me! At least I had my job, until Voight took that from me too.”

Then, his mood changing in an instant, he smiled at her.

“You were the one beacon of hope I had left.”

Jerry walked over to her again and her body stiffened as he reached out his hand, letting his thumb caress her cheek, her neck, her shoulder...

When his finger lingered on her bra strap, sliding under it and tugging it off her shoulder, Layla did the only thing she could think of - she spit in his face.

In response, Jerry’s hand landed with a loud smack against her cheekbone.

For a moment, Layla thought she might pass out again and it took her a moment to focus.

“You bitch! You’re done teasing me. For once, I’m going to take what I want.”

When the team arrived at the warehouse, Hank quickly assigned pairs to breach at each entrance. They’d approached with no sirens, as to not alert Jerry to their presence.

“Let’s do this quickly and quietly until we find them.”

No one asked what the plan was when they found Jerry. No one needed to.

The team breached quietly from their assigned entrance points and the next five minutes passed agonizingly slowly for Hank. The warehouse was huge and decay had caused a lot of debris they were having to avoid.

The lower level seemed to have been mostly offices, which meant a lot of rooms to clear as they made their way deeper into the building.

Hank and Trudy had breached together, and he turned to look at her in the darkness as they turned down another hallway.

“What if they’re not here?” Hank whispered, the pit of dread in his stomach growing at the thought.

Trudy kept his gaze. “They’re here, Hank. We’ve just got to keep looking.”

Hank nodded and they proceeded to clear the next three offices on the hall. No one.

That’s when they heard a scream from the other end of the hall.

Trudy called their location in to the rest of the team as they ran to the source of the scream.

Hank ran as fast as he could to the room, the glow of a light getting brighter as he approached.

Hank entered the room with his gun drawn and found Jerry on top of Layla on an old mattress.  Layla was fighting against him as hard as she could.

Rage propelled Hank forward until he had his hands on Jerry, yanking him off of Layla and throwing him to the floor.

“Hank, I…” Jerry started to say, but Hank cut him off with a fist to the jaw, knocking Jerry back down to the ground with a thud.

From then on, Hank saw nothing but red. He straddled Jerry, pummeling him with punches until his fists began to slip against the warm blood coming from Jerry’s broken nose, his busted lip.

Even then he only stopped because Ruzek and Atwater physically pulled him off of Jerry.

“Sarge, that’s it! He’s done!” Jay shouted, putting himself between Hank and Jerry with a steadying hand on Hank’s shoulder.

“Voight!” Upton called from where she and Trudy were crouched beside Layla. “Get over here!”

Hank hurried to Layla’s side.

Layla was bleeding from her forehead, and there were bruises starting to form on her body from where Jerry had grabbed her, but she was alert, her eyes wide with fear.

When Hank knelt down beside her, Layla threw herself into his arms. The last inch of courage she’d been holding on to, gone, as she sobbed against his chest.

“Alright, I don’t want to interrupt.” Layla said smiling, retreating to the break room. Turning her head, she called over her shoulder, “Whoever gets to a stopping point first, give me a shout.”

Layla was pouring herself a cup of coffee when Kim entered the break room and grabbed an iced donut with sprinkles.

“Thanks for these, by the way. I’ve had enough granola bar breakfasts this month to make me sick.”

Layla laughed, “No problem.”

Then she added, “Hey, we haven’t had a chance to hang out in a while. You want to meet up for a drink after work?”

Kim smiled, “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great.”

A moment later. Antonio called Kim back to the bull pen and Layla was left alone. That is, until Hank’s shadow filled the doorway.

“We’re rolling out, so you can start working on my computer if you’d like and go from there,” he told her as he pulled his coat on.

“Be careful,” Layla told him, with a pointed look.

He smiled reassuringly, “I promise.”

After work, Layla and Kim headed to Molly’s to grab a drink and catch up. Layla wanted to know all about the new guy that Kim was dating.

Kim, in desperate need of some girl time, was happy to oblige and spent a good 20 minutes dishing the details.

During a natural lull in their conversation, Layla took a moment to look around the bar. She glanced over at the bar stool she had occupied months ago and reflected on how much her life had changed.

That night, months ago, she’d been lonely, depressed and scared about her big life changes. Now she glanced around and saw friends and family - both actual family and her new Intelligence family. And she was going home to a man that she loved.

Layla was smiling when she turned back to Kim.

“What?” Kim asked, an inquisitive smile on her face.

Layla just shook her head. “Nothing. Just glad I moved back home.”

Kim nodded and raised her glass.

“To scary life changes that turn out better than we could’ve imagined.” Layla knew Kim was also referring to her own career change from flight attendant to police officer.

The ladies clinked their glasses together in a toast and took a sip.

Later, when Herrmann came over and asked if they wanted another round, Layla glanced at her phone.

“Wow. I did not realize it was already 9:00PM. I’ve still got to do some log notes from today. I think I’ll head out.” She told Kim.

Kim finished her drink and stood at the same time Layla did. “I’m heading out too.”

After paying their tab, Layla and Kim walked out of Molly’s. They’d both parked around the side of the building so they started in that direction.

Layla was a few steps ahead of Kim and turned the corner of the building first.

Immediately, she felt someone grab her and pull her tight against his body, his hand clamping down hard over her mouth.

A few steps later when Kim turned the corner, her eyes widened and she reached for her gun. But she was off duty and didn’t have it on.

She put her hands up instead when the man pulled out a gun of his own and pointed it at her.

“Don’t make a move. She’s coming with me. If you try to stop me, I’ll kill you.”

Layla recognized the voice. It was Jerry. Fear filled her body. Eyes wide, all she could do was look at Kim, hoping she could figure some way out of this.

“Listen, buddy. I can’t let you do that. And I’m a cop. So if you kill me you’re going to have the full force of the Chicago PD coming down on you and I promise... you don’t want that.”

Kim took a tiny step closer to them but Jerry pulled them back two steps.

“I said, don’t.” Jerry told her.

“Okay. Okay. So how do you want to play this?” Kim asked him, her hands up again.

“Layla’s coming with me. You’re staying here.”

Jerry started walking them backwards to a blue van parked close by, idling.

Panic filled Layla chest. She realized there was no way out of this. Jerry was going to take her.

Kim tried to take a step forward every time Jerry took one backwards, but he kept his gun raised at her and said, “One more step and you’re dead.”

Kim grimaced in frustration but nodded and kept her hands up as she watched him walk Layla to the van.

When they were far enough away that Kim couldn’t hear, Jerry leaned down and whispered in Layla’s ear, “Finally, we get to be alone.”

She felt Jerry shift behind her, his hand never leaving her mouth, and she heard a van door slide open.

Jerry had to turn them around to get her in the van so he took the gun off of Kim. When he did, Layla drove her elbow backwards into his rib case. Kim, realizing what was going on, took off towards him while he was distracted, ready to attack.

Jerry grunted and grabbed Layla, pushing her into the empty van so hard that she hit her head on the opposite door. Pain immediately exploded behind her eyes.

Layla tried to reach for the other door handle so she could get out and help Kim. She could hear the two of them grappling outside the van, but she couldn’t get her eyes to focus. Everything was spinning.

Now, in her vision, there were three door handles and she grabbed clumsily for them all, passing out before she made contact with one.

Layla was just folding her last load of laundry when her cell phone rang.

“Hey, you okay?” She answered, knowing Hank was a little down about Erin leaving.

“Yeah,” Hank said on the other end of the line, “Erin is in the air back to New York.”

“Hey...” Layla said, trying to cheer him up, “...why don’t we go to the diner on 10th and pig out on a greasy, Chicago breakfast?”

Hank laughed on the other end of the line, then said, “That sounds great. I’ll come pick you up.”

When Hank arrived he knocked on the door instead of using his key and Layla had a flashback to the first night he’d stopped by.

Opening the door, she hesitated a moment, just taking him in and reflecting on all that had happened since that night.

“This brings back memories,” she told him as Hank walked in, giving her a kiss. As she closed the door, Hank said from behind her, “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that.”

Layla looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

Sticking his hands in his pockets and looking up at her, Hank said, “Move in with me.”

Layla’s eyes widened in surprise and she walked over to the couch to sit down.

Hank remained standing.

“Wow. I… wow.”

There was a long silence before she said, “Are you sure? I mean, I love you but this is a big step. A big, forward-momentum step. We haven’t really talked about…”

Hank walked over and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his.

“Nothing would change, really. You’re at my place most nights.” Then he added, “And I do want to move forward with you. This is just the next step.”

Layla’s eyes snapped to his, reading between the lines of what he wasn’t saying. They hadn’t really talked about their future, and here was Hank hinting at… what? Marriage?

The thought scared Layla, a lot - more than she cared to admit - so she focused on the matter at hand.

“And you’re sure about this?” Layla asked, trying to process her feelings.

“Sweetheart, I’m sure.” He had a small smirk on his face, completely relaxed - completely Hank Voight.

His certainty stilled her nerves.

She loved this man. She felt safe with this man. The answer was clear in her mind.

“Okay, I’ll move in with you!”

The night of the concert, Hank got home and headed upstairs to shower. He found Layla digging through a box in the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” He asked, glancing around the room at clothes strewn everywhere. They’d finally finished moving her clothes in, but they were still in their boxes in the bedroom floor. They still had a few trips to get the rest of her things.

“I’m looking for my leather jacket. I want to wear it to the concert tonight but I can’t fin… Ah ha!” Layla stood up quickly, proudly holding the jacket in the air.

Layla was all ready to go, wearing tight, black jeans and an old Eric Clapton concert t-shirt tied in a knot, her midsection exposed.

Hank walked over to her and took the jacket out of her hands, letting it fall to the floor.

When he pulled her close and started kissing her, Layla sighed, “Hank… we have to pick Trudy and Mouch up in 30 minutes.”

“I know.” He said as his kisses moved to her neck.

She sighed and gave in to his touch. Since Christmas, they hadn’t had a lot of time to spend together, especially with every free moment devoted to packing up her things and moving them to his place.

“Did you solve the case?” Layla whispered, trying to stay clear-headed but feeling drunk on his touch and his kisses.

“Hmmhmm.” Hank mumbled, walking her backwards towards the bed.

“Hank… be good.” She warned him as the back of her legs hit the bed.

Hank pulled back, smirking, and looked at her. Then, his voice gravelly, he said, “Is that really what you want?”

The dangerous look in his eye made Layla’s stomach tighten with excitement.

Layla met his look with a challenging one of her own and pulled at his shirt to untuck it from his jeans. She noticed when he winced and pulled back from her touch.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Hank ignored her and tried to kiss her again but she pulled away.

Realizing the moment was gone, Hank sighed.

“It’s no big deal, I just took a small caliber round to the vest today when we went to apprehend a suspect. I’m just a little bruised.”

Layla’s mouth fell open. “You were shot?” She asked, her voice going up an octave at the end of her question, illustrating her displeasure. Lifting his shirt, she saw the purple bruise across his ribs on his left side.

Hank stilled her hands with his.

“That’s what the vest is for. I barely even notice it. I promise.” Hank told her.

Layla narrowed her eyes at him and poked a finger into his side. Hank grunted and winced.

“Yeah. Seems fine.” She said, sarcastically.

“It’s no big deal. I’ve had much worse.”

Hank didn’t think about his words until they were already out of his mouth and Layla scoffed. “Oh, great. As long as you’ve had worse, then I guess getting shot at is no big deal.”

Layla left him standing by the bed and went to pick up her jacket from the floor.

“And where was the rest of your team when this was happening?”

Hank felt a sting of anger at her words and his demeanor changed.

“What, you don’t think I can handle myself?”

Layla rolled her eyes as his machismo.

“I know you can handle yourself! I just wonder why it’s always you in the line of fire when you’ve got a whole team!”

Hank took a step closer to her, getting angrier that he was having to explain himself.

“Because it’s my team! I’m responsible for them.”

Layla, her back still to him, said, “I just wish you would rely on them more.”

Stepping forward, Hank said a little too loudly, “I didn’t know I had to check with you on how to run my unit!”

Immediately, Hank regretted his words.

“Layla, I’m sorry…”

“No!” She yelled, turning around to face him. Hank could see the tears in her eyes.

“No! You’re right. I knew what I was signing up for when I started dating Sergeant Hank Voight.” She said his name as if it tasted sour in her mouth. “I’ll just sit here and wait for someone to call me and tell me you weren’t so lucky next time.” Hank winced as the tears started falling down her cheeks, but this time it wasn’t from the pain in his side. Now he realized where this was coming from and he felt like an ass.

Hank closed the space between them and pulled her against him, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

“I’m fine. I’m right here.” Hank told her as he rubbed her back.

Layla took a deep breath and looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red. “I can’t lose you, too.”

Hank pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

“I promise you I will do everything in my power to come home to you each night, safe and sound.”

Layla nodded and wiped her eyes.

When they separated, Hank said, “Next time I’ll send Halstead in first.”

This made Layla laugh and Hank felt the tension in his chest release at the sound.

“Deal. Now go shower so we can get going.”

Hank kissed her cheek and headed into the bathroom.

Layla sat down on the edge of the bed and took a steadying breath. Grabbing her phone, she called Cindy.

“Hey, sis, I thought you had the concert tonight?”

“I do, we’re leaving soon. I just needed to talk for a minute.”

Cindy, now hearing the strange tone of Layla’s voice, said quickly, “What’s wrong?”

Layla quickly explained the situation to her sister. Then she said, “I guess I’m just not as strong as I used to be - sitting at home while he runs into danger every day. I’m not as strong as you are.”

Cindy let out a laugh. “Layla, you are so much stronger than I am. You know why? Because you’ve lived through the worst case scenario and yet you still love, you still have compassion for others, you refuse to let it beat you. Bottom line is, even though it scares us, their sense of duty and sacrifice is one of the things we love most about them.”

Layla nodded in agreement, even though she knew her sister couldn’t see her. The lump in her throat was too large to speak.

“Look, Hank loves you. Don’t you think he’s going to do everything he can to make it home to you?”

Clearing her throat, Layla said, “Yes.”

“Then try to let that fear go and enjoy being together. God knows, you both deserve a little happiness.”

Layla nodded, feeling better.

“You’re right. Thanks, Cin.”

Hank walked back into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, the bruise on his ribs a stark contrast against his skin.

“Anytime. Now put this behind you and go enjoy the concert!”

Layla laughed and assured her sister she would.

“Love you, sis.”

As she hung up the phone, Hank asked, “Everything alright?”

Taking a deep breath, Layla stood up and smiled.

“Yes.”

She walked over to Hank and kissed him deeply, ignoring that doing so got water all over her clothes.

Hank raised an eyebrow at her and smiled.

“Get dressed, Sargeant, we roll out in five.”

With that, she grabbed her jacket and headed downstairs to wait for him.

By the time they walked into the arena, Layla and Trudy were giddy with excitement. The two women had been talking non-stop for the last twenty minutes about the set list, possible encores and how close their seats were to the stage. Hank had managed to get seats on the fourth row.

“Ladies!” Hank said, trying to get their attention for the second time.

“Why don’t you two go ahead to the seats and we will get drinks.” Hank said, motioning to Mouch.

“That sounds great!” The two women took off and Hank and Mouch looked at each other, shaking their heads.

The closer Trudy and Layla got to their seats, the louder their squeals of excitement. Once they got there, they both took out their phones to take a photo of how close they were to the stage.

Layla was in the middle of sending a text to Cindy when she heard a voice behind her.

“Hey, baby! Damn, I’m glad you’re sitting in front of me. You are smoking hot.”

Layla and Trudy both turned around to find a group of frat boys, clearly drunk from pre-gaming in the parking lot.

Layla just ignored him.

“Oh, why do you have to be like that?” The guy slurred.

Trudy turned around and pointed a finger at the guy, “Look buddy, you’re drunk so I’m going to give you a pass. We’re all here for a good time. But you need to cool it.”

The guy put his hands up. “Alright, ma’m. No problem.”

Trudy shot him a look, not happy about being called ma’m, before turning back around.

Moving on, Layla leaned over and said, “So, were you going to tell me that Hank got shot today?”

Trudy looked guilty for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to worry you. He’s fine, really.”

“So he says.” Layla gave her a look.

Then, in a quieter voice, Layla asked, “If it were Randy, you wouldn’t want to know?”

Trudy looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Point taken. Next time you’ll be my first call.”

“Thank you.” Layla told her, sincerely. Trudy got the sense that something had happened between her and Hank before they’d arrived to pick them up. Now she had a better understanding of what it might have been about.

Mouch and Hank arrived at their seats, drinks in hands.

When Hank got to his seat and handed Layla her drink, she kissed him.

“I love you. Thanks for getting these tickets.”

Hank smiled, glad she was feeling better after their argument earlier.

“You’re welcome. Now let’s relax and enjoy tonight.”

Hank put his arm around her waist, pulling her against him, careful of his side.

“Damn,” the drunk, frat guy exclaimed behind them, “I don’t have a chance with her anyway. She’s into old dudes.”

Hank looked at Layla and she made a face, “Yeah. We’ve already had one chat with this guy. He’s drunk. Just ignore him.”

Hank obliged and turned his attention back to the stage. A few moments later, the lights went dark and the show started.

As the show went on, Hank was more relaxed than he’d been in a long time. Layla was clearly having the time of her life and it made him happy to see her enjoying herself. She and Trudy sang along to every song. Hank even found himself singing along to some of the more popular hits.

At intermission, the ladies headed to the restroom and joined the long line of waiting women while the men went to get more drinks.

Layla and Trudy were busy talking about how great the show was when someone bumped into Layla, spilling beer all down her front.

Once the initial shock wore off, she realized it was the guy that had been sitting behind them.

“What the fuck?” Layla yelled, getting pissed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was an accident,” the guy smirked, obviously having gotten his second wind, and obviously lying.

“Okay, that’s it.” Trudy said, and walked over to the nearest security guard. After a moment of explaining who she was and what was going on, he and another guard came over and escorted the guy out of the arena.

Once he realized what was going on, the guy got belligerent and started yelling obscenities.

Trudy walked back over and looked at Layla’s soaking shirt.

“You okay?”

Layla, still pissed and now smelling like a brewery, tried to salvage her mood.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just try to soak some of this up.”

She did the best she could with bathroom paper towels.

When they got back to their seats, Hank looked concerned.

“What happened?”

Layla tried to put the same, light-hearted smile on her face as before intermission but wasn’t entirely successful.

“That drunk guy from before, he “accidentally” spilled his beer all over me. Trudy got him kicked out.”

Hank nodded his thanks to Trudy and she waved him off.

“He needed to go to the car anyway, sleep it off.” Trudy said.

Once the lights went down, Layla’s mood lifted and soon they were all four back to enjoying themselves.

The show ended with an encore of “Sweet Home Chicago,” much to the crowd’s delight.

Once the song ended, the lights came up and everyone started making their way to the parking lots.

“That was incredible.” Layla was saying, more like yelling since her ears were ringing from the concert, as they walked out into the fresh air.

“My favorite song was…” Trudy started saying, but was interrupted when someone approached from behind them.

“Hey, bitch! How dare you get me thrown out. I told you it was an accident.”

The same drunk guy approached. He was actually carrying a fresh beer in his hand, probably left over from pre-gaming.

From her right, Layla heard Hank say, “I’m going to enjoy this so much” as he started to turn around, fist poised to knock the guy out.

A wave of anger came over Layla and before she realized what she was doing she turned around and punched the guy in the face, hard.

Already off balance, the guy fell to the ground.

Trudy watched him go down with a proud smile on her face.

“Grow up, asshole.” Layla told him as he picked himself up, embarrassed, and walked back to wherever he came from.

Once he was gone, Layla held her right hand with her left, her knuckles already swelling.

“Damn, I think that hurt me more than it hurt him.”

Hank walked over, a smile on his face, and examined her hand.

“You’ll be fine. We’ll stop and get some ice.”

Layla, still concerned about her hand, looked up and saw Hank smiling.

“What?”

Hank brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her.

“I love you.” He told her, holding her good hand as they walked back to his SUV.

After they dropped Trudy and Mouch off, they went back to Hank’s house. Their house, now, Layla reminded herself, as they got out of the car and walked up to the front door. That was going to take some getting used to.

While Hank was unlocking the door, Layla put her hand on his arm.

“Hey, thanks for tonight. I’m sorry I freaked out before we left.”

Hank turned to her. “No, I’m sorry I was such an inconsiderate asshole. Hopefully, tonight made up for it?”

Layla smiled and snaked her hands around his neck.

“It was a start.”

She kissed him suggestively and Hank raised an eyebrow.

“But I can think of an even better way to make up for it.”

Hank chuckled and kissed her back before opening the door, eager to get inside.

Layla stood back and watched the two embrace, a smile on her face.

When the hug ended, Hank gestured to Layla. “Erin, this is Layla.”

Layla looked nervously to Hank as Erin walked over to her.

“Hi!” Erin said, her eyes sparkling, “It’s nice to meet you, Layla.”

Layla was getting ready to stick out her hand for a handshake when Erin pulled her into a hug.

“Anyone who can make this guy smile like he was when I walked up gets a thumbs up in my book.”

Layla relaxed a little, Erin’s sincerity obvious.

“Well, thanks. It’s nice to meet you too, Erin. Really.” Layla told her.

Hank picked up Erin’s carry on and said, “Alright ladies. It’s Christmas Eve. Let’s head home.”

As they walked to the exit, Layla said, “I hope you’re hungry, Erin. I’ve got a homemade lasagna waiting to go in the oven. It was a Christmas Eve tradition when Cindy and I were growing up.”

“That sounds incredible. I’ve been living off Chinese takeout and pizza for the last two weeks. We’ve had a big case that’s kept me at headquarters constantly.”

As Layla walked ahead of them to the car, Erin looked at Hank and raised her eyebrows, a smile on her face.

“What?” Hank asked, curious about her expression.

“Nothing. Just glad to see you happy, that’s all.”

Hank wrapped an arm around Erin’s shoulders, pulling her against his side and squeezing.

“I’m glad you’re here, Erin.”

Erin gave him a sincere smile and said, “It’s good to be home.”

That night, Hank, Erin and Layla sat around the kitchen table, enjoying good food and each other’s company.

When Hank stood to get the bottle of wine from the counter, Erin asked, “So, Layla, how’d you end up with the department? Hank tells me your in IT?”

Layla nodded. “I am. I moved back to Chicago from North Carolina this past summer and the job caught my eye. I wanted to work at a place that I could make a difference, not just write code in a dark basement somewhere.”

Erin nodded. “Cool. How’d you end up in North Carolina?”

“My husband was stationed there.”

Layla took a sip of her wine before adding, “He was killed in action.”

Erin cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks.”

Erin’s eyes flickered to Hank. She understood their relationship a little better, now.

“Yeah, I stayed there for two years before Cindy encouraged me to come back home. Be around family.”

Hank came back to the table and refilled everyone’s wine glasses.

Lightening the mood, Layla looked over at Hank and said, “From the day I started with the department, I kept hearing about this renegade Sergeant at Precinct 21 that I needed to avoid.”

Erin laughed and Hank smiled, leaning back in his chair and putting his hand on Layla’s back.

“He does have a reputation, that’s for sure.” Erin said and Layla agreed.

“A well-earned reputation.” Hank chimed in, standing up for himself, a smirk on his face.

“True, but we both know you’re just a big softy.” Layla winked at him before leaning over and giving him a quick kiss.

When they separated, Erin lifted her glass, holding it high, and said, “To family. Old and new,” she added, looking especially at Layla. Layla nodded at her, her eyes tearing up a little at the kind sentiment.

Hank smiled as they clinked their glasses together. He felt happier than he could have thought possible.

On Christmas morning, Hank awoke to find himself alone in bed.

Frowning, he sat up and looked around. Layla was nowhere to be seen.

As Hank made his way downstairs, he hesitated, hearing Erin and Layla’s voices in the kitchen.

“I’m glad he has you.” He heard Erin say.

“Thanks, Erin. I have to admit, I was worried about your reaction.”

“Please. You know as well as I do that no day is promised. Be with who you love and if anybody has a problem with it, they can go fuc…”

“Well, I see I’ve been a great influence on you.” Hank said, choosing that moment to walk into the kitchen.

“Ha. Ha.” Erin said, dryly, as she put her coffee mug in the sink and headed upstairs to shower.

Layla turned around and leaned against the counter.

“Merry Christmas.” She told him, somehow making it sound seductive.

Hank walked over and pulled Layla into his arms.

“Merry Christmas. Why’d you get up so early? I was hoping…” Hank placed a kiss on her neck and Layla sighed, “We could have a little time together this morning?”

“I thought I told you, I have to get to Cindy’s early and help her get everything ready.”

Hank frowned, remembering.

“Oh yeah.”

Layla laughed and stepped back.

“Spend the day with Erin and I will see you at 3:00 PM sharp.” Layla reminded him, pointing a finger at him to be sure he heard her.

“Okay, see you at 3.”

He pulled her close for a kiss, his hands sliding up her sides, under her shirt. Layla let out a shaky sigh between kisses. “Hank…”

Layla’s phone rang and startled them both.

Layla gave him a reprimanding look for distracting her before answering it.

“Hey Cin. What? Calm down. We have some butter here. I’ll bring it. Yes, I’m on my way. Okay, love you sis. Bye.”

When she hung up, Layla went to the fridge and gathered up all the butter she could find.

“Butter emergency. See you at 3PM.”

Layla gave him a quick peck before grabbing her purse and heading out.

When Hank and Erin arrived at the Herrmann’s, Chris answered the door.

“Hey! Erin!” He exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.

“Good to see you! Merry Christmas!”

Erin had helped Firehouse 51 on multiple occasions and Chris hadn’t forgotten.

“Thanks, Herrmann. You too.”

Chris stepped back so they could enter and turned to Hank.

“Hank.” Chris extended his hand for a handshake.

“Come on in. The ladies have been hard at work.”

Hank, thankful that he and Herrmann wouldn’t have a problem, shook his hand.

“Thanks for having us.” They both knew he really meant, “Thanks for having me.”

As Chris closed the door behind them, he said, “Well, you’re pretty much part of the family now and Cindy has instructed me to be on my best behavior.”

Hank laughed and followed Chris to the kitchen, Erin having already gone ahead without them.

Layla, looking up from spooning stuffing into a serving dish, made a sound of excitement when she saw Hank and ran over, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss.

“Hey you.” She smiled and Hank chuckled. She was obviously tipsy.

Cindy walked over a moment later and said, “Sorry, we decided to open the wine a little too early.”

She pointed at Layla and Layla scoffed, heading back over to finish what she was doing.

“I’m glad you could come, Hank.” Cindy said, hugging him.

“Thanks, Cindy.” Hank told her, sincerely.

With the Christmas music playing and everyone in good spirits, Hank found himself feeling a little emotional. That’s why he was glad when Chris said, “Hey Hank, want a beer?”

Hank gladly accepted and the two men wandered into the other room with their drinks.

Twenty minutes later, the table was set and Cindy called everyone to dinner. As they sat down and got situated, Cindy said a blessing. Afterwards, she raised her glass and said, “Here’s to the first responders that didn’t get to have today off. May they make it home safely to their families.” Everyone raised their glasses and added their agreement as they toasted.

“Alright. Let’s eat!” Chris added and everyone laughed.

Sitting back in her chair, Layla took a moment to look around the table and take it all in. Last year she’d been in another state, alone on Christmas Day. This year she was with Cindy and her family, Hank and Erin. She was happy. She was loved.

Hank looked over and noticed Layla’s eyes were filled with tears. He leaned in and whispered, “Hey, you okay?”

She looked up at him and smiled. “I’m more than okay.”

When they got home that night, two bags of leftovers in tow, everyone was full and happy.

It wasn’t long before Erin said, “Alright. I’m going on up to bed. Those kiddos wore me out and I am so full I don’t think I’ll make it up the stairs if I don’t go now.”

Layla laughed. “Yeah, they’ll do that to you. Goodnight, Erin.”

Hank walked over and gave her a hug, “‘Night, Erin.”

After Erin headed up, Layla poured them each a glass of scotch and they went to sit in the living room in front of the tree.

They sat like that, Hank holding her in his arms, until he leaned down and whispered, “Are you ready to open your presents?”

Layla smiled and her eyes got wide. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Hank laughed as he stood up and walked over to the tree, reaching down to pick up two small packages from under it.

Layla went in the other room and came back with two packages for him, as well.

“You go first.” She told him, thrusting a present into his hands. It turned out to be a really old, really expensive bottle of scotch.

Hank looked up at her appreciatively.

“Chris helped me find it. I think he was kind of jealous that he didn’t get one, too.”

Hank laughed and kissed her. “Thank you.”

“Now open the next one!” She said, excitedly.

Hank opened the small package to find a print-out inside. It was a description of a cabin on Sinissippi Lake. He looked up at her, surprised.

“How do you feel about four days lakeside, in that cabin… away from the city… alone…”

Hank pulled her against him and kissed her softly.

“I think that sounds like heaven.”

Layla smiled, glad he was happy. “I’ve already booked it for the week of Valentine’s Day. Trudy even put in a vacation request for you. She said it’d been so long since you’d requested vacation time that you’d probably forgotten how.”

Hank laughed and said, “She’s right.”

Hank kissed her again before handing her a small, wrapped gift.

“Your turn.”

Layla tore off the wrapping paper to find a black, velvet jewelry box underneath.

Opening it, Layla gasped when she saw a beautiful pair of stud earrings. The center stone was a green, round-cut emerald. Each stone was surrounded by diamonds.

“Hank, these are beautiful.”

“You like them? I picked them out myself.”

Layla looked up at him and smiled, imagining how out of place he must have looked.

“They made me think of that green dress you wore to the mayor’s party.”

“Oh yeah?” Layla asked, remembering fondly what happened after that dress had come off.

“Yeah. I won’t forget that dress as long as I live.”

Layla laughed and kissed him.

“I love them. Thank you.”

Hank handed her the other gift. She opened it, pulling out four pieces of paper and studying them. Once she realized what they were, she squealed and started bouncing from foot to foot.

“Eric Clapton tickets! How did you get these? The Chicago show sold out in like 10 seconds!”

Layla was nearly jumping up and down and Hank couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“I called in a favor.” Was all Hank said and Layla wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love my presents. And I love you. This has been a great Christmas.”

Tonight? Tonight you had been handled. Tonight you’d been mere moments away from being… raped. You’d said the word before, spoken to victims, but knowing that fear in your gut - feeling that helplessness - nothing could have prepared you for that.

You just keep telling yourself that you’re okay. The team got there in time. They stopped him.

But you don’t feel okay. You feel so fragile that a strong wind might break you.

When the team gets back to the precinct garage, they check their equipment back into storage and file back upstairs one by one. It’s going to be a long night of reports for everyone.

You stand at the equipment locker, getting ready to put your undercover microphone back in it’s case, when Voight comes to stand beside you. He says nothing, but lets out a worried sigh.

You don’t want to look up at him because you know the concern in his eyes will break you.

“Look at me.” He says, his voice abrasive but so familiar that it gives you a moments comfort.

When you raise your eyes to his, your lip begins to tremble as the tears threaten. You press your lips together to fend them off.

“I know what you said at the scene, but it’s just you and me now so no bullshit, Detective. Are you okay?”

You’re grateful for his use of rank. Titles mean order. Order means you have to pull it together and do the job, feelings aside.  You know he’s trying to make you feel normal. In control.

“I’m fine, Sergeant.”

He keeps his eyes on you but you refuse to let a single tear fall. You’re that damn stubborn.

Finally, he nods and takes a step back.

“Alright. Why don’t you go home. You can fill out your report tomorrow.” He offers but you decline, shaking your head.

“No. I want to do it now and be done with this night.”

He nods and says “fine” but you can tell he doesn’t agree.

“If that’s all, Sergeant, I’m going to go to the locker room and get changed.”

“That’s all.” He says and you turn, walking away.

His eyes watch you with concern until the door closes behind you.

In the locker room, you slowly peel off the wardrobe you’d chosen for the assignment. Bruises have started to appear all of your body. When you pull the tank top over your head, you wince and remember the perp had wrenched your arm behind your back before he tried to...

You shake your head. You can’t replay it right now. You’ve got to get in your real clothes. Sit at your desk. Do your job. Write your report.

You don’t look in the mirror as you finish changing.

You’re sitting on the bench in front of your locker, getting ready to head back upstairs, when someone a few rows over slams their locker shut with a bang. You jump up, your heart racing, ready to fight. Again.

When you sit back down, you see that your hands are shaking.

“Fuck.” You whisper.

Maybe just one more minute.

Ten minutes later, a knock on the locker room door pulls you from your thoughts.

“You decent?” A voice calls. It’s Voight.

“Yeah.”

He waits a beat before entering then sits down beside you on the bench.

“Tonight was too close,” Voight says, his voice low, “I’m sorry. We should have breached sooner.  I should…”

“Don’t.” You interrupt, your voice stern.

“We got the guy, didn’t we? I did my job. You did your job. It’s over.” Your voice sounds strange. Hard and cold.

Voight shifts and turns toward you. He gently lifts his hand to your cheek which is turning more purple by the moment from where you were back-handed by the perp.

“The cost was too steep this time.” He whispers.

Over the years, you’ve had your moments with Hank Voight. You both know there is a spark between the two of you, and you’ve alternated tip-toeing near the line of professional and personal.

But right now, you can’t find the line. Right now, his concern - his tenderness - which not everyone gets to see, touches you, and the tears start to fall.

The next thing you know you can’t catch your breath and hot tears are spilling down your cheeks.

Voight pulls you close against him and holds you while you break, whispering, “It’s okay. You’re okay,” over and over again until you have no more tears left.

Once you’ve cried yourself out, you stay in his arms, cradled against his chest. You’re too tired to care about boundaries or rules. It feels so good to feel safe again.

Voight leans back to look at you and brushes your hair behind your ear.

“You’re the toughest cop I know.” He tells you, and you can hear the sincerity in his voice.

“Tougher than you?” You ask, a hint of a smile on your lips.

“Well…” he shrugs as if to say “let’s not go that far” and you laugh a little too loud because it feels so good to laugh.

He smiles at you in a way you’ve pretended not to notice in the past.

Now you notice. Now you smile back.

Voight breaks the moment by standing up and saying, “Take your time with your report. I’ll stay here with you until you’re done.”

You nod as he starts walking to the door.

He turns around before he reaches for the handle and says, “When you’re done we can finish off the bottle of scotch in my desk. Take the edge off.”

You nod and smile at him through watery eyes, watching as he exits.

Hank had mentioned that it had been years, since Erin had moved out, that he’d put up a tree and the comment had put the idea in Layla’s head. She’d swung by the store on her way over and picked up supplies.

Hank stood back looking at the tree, his expression unreadable, hands in his pockets.

Layla started to get nervous. She knew that the holidays could be hard having lost someone you loved… the memories and the emotions stirred up so easily. She suddenly wondered if this had been a bad idea.

She walked to his side, “You okay?”

Layla’s voice to his right pulled Hank from his thoughts and he smiled at her, his eyes glistening.

“I love it.”

Layla let out a sigh of relief and let him pull her to his side.

“I was just wondering,” Hank told her as he turned to face her and took her hands in his, “how I managed to get so lucky?”

Layla laughed and gave him a quick kiss before she leaned back and said, “Do I smell Chinese food?”

Hank chuckled and headed back to the entryway where he’d left the takeout, then followed her into the kitchen.

As they ate dinner, Hank told Layla that Erin’s flight would land in three days, on Christmas Eve.

“That’s great. I can’t wait to meet her. She is coming to Christmas dinner at Cindy’s right?”

Hank nodded. “She is.”

They both continued eating in silence until Layla cleared her throat nervously.

“Did you tell her about…”

Hank lifted his eyes, curious.

“... our age difference?”

Layla knew Erin was a strong, independent woman who viewed Hank as a father. The reality was that Layla was much closer to Erin’s age than to Hank’s, and she’d found herself wondering if that would rub Erin the wrong way.

Hank just waived her off.

“Erin won’t care about that. I promise.”

Layla nodded before turning back to her dinner, still feeling nervous to meet Erin but putting in the back of her mind.

“I bought your Christmas present today.” Hank told her, leaning back in his chair and smiling.

Layla leaned forward and smiled excitedly.

“Oooh. I wonder what it is?”

Hank shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

“Is it shiny?” Layla questioned, her eyes wide.

“No.” Hank admitted and laughed when Layla’s face fell.

“Is it edible?” She questioned.

Hank looked at her strangely before saying, “No?,” as if he was wondering why she would want it to be.

Layla took another bite, still obviously thinking of more questions, while Hank stood up and put his plate in the sink.

“Well, I was going to save one of your presents for Christmas Eve, but since Erin will be here…”

Layla went upstairs as Hank poured himself a scotch, curious as to where she was going with her comment.

A few moments later, Layla walked back into the kitchen and Hank let out an appreciative chuckle.

“You’re dangerous…” He told her as he walked over to her, taking in the red, satin lingerie as he approached. The ensemble basically consisted of one, big bow that covered her breasts and  matching panties.

Layla teased him and took a step back when he got within arms reach.

“Well, we haven’t gotten to see a lot of each other over the last two weeks.”

Layla was trying to tease him, but as she looked at him standing there - dark blue dress shirt tucked into her favorite jeans of his, gun still attached to his hip, his eyes dark with desire - she realized her resolve to keep him waiting was faltering.

Hank saw her teasing smile falter and he took the opportunity to turn the tables. He walked over to her and put his hands on her waist, turning her quickly so that her back was to him.

The move surprised her and she let out a gasp.

Hank, one hand still on her hip, moved her long hair to one side with his other, exposing her neck. Without hesitating, he pulled her close against him and placed hot kisses along her neck, her shoulder, while his other hand roamed her stomach.

Layla melted under his touch. 

She could feel his belt against her bare skin and the sensation turned her on. 

When he turned to get a better angle for his kisses, his gun pressed into her back and she laughed, breathily.

“You might want to take that off.”

Hank left her for a moment and the sudden absence of his warmth made her shiver. She heard the soft snap of the leather clip of his gun holster as he slid it off his waistband, then he felt his hand in hers, pulling her to the counter.

“If I’m not mistaken, we had a rain check…” Hank said and before she could process what he meant he reached down and lifted her up onto the counter.

Anticipation caused a shiver to run through Layla as Hank’s hands found the ends of the bow and gave a tug. As the red satin fell away, she whispered, “And what did you say you got me again?”

Hank looked up at her and chuckled at her attempt to trick him.

“Like I said, your dangerous.”

He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her hard, making her breathless. Then he pulled back to add, “But so am I.”  

Layla’s eyes widened in surprise.

“When Camille died, I never thought I’d want a relationship with another woman and I just…” Hank tried to find the right word, “... turned off that part of myself. I thought if I could just put everything I had into the job, I’d be fine.”

Hank reached for her hand and held it.

“I was wrong. And I didn’t know how wrong I was until you came along.”

Layla smiled, happy tears in her eyes, and Hank raised his hand to her cheek, “You are an incredible woman.”

Hank’s eye contact never waivered.

Layla closed her eyes, leaning into his palm against her cheek.

“I love you too.” Layla whispered, covering his hand with her own.

“Even though everybody told me to stay away from you,” Layla teased and Hank chuckled, pulling her close against him.

Layla leaned in and kissed Hank softly, Jerry completely gone from their minds.

The kiss continued until Trudy said very loudly from the desk, “Hey you two. Get a different room.”

Separating, Hank and Layla laughed and shot Trudy apologetic looks.

“Alright. Let’s go home.”

Layla nodded, grabbing her stuff and heading out.

“Thanks for your help, Trudy.” Hank told her as they walked by the desk.

“Don’t mention it.” Trudy said, trying to hold back her grin as she said, “Now get out of here, lovebirds.”

That weekend, a heavy snow storm moved in and blanketed the city. Everyone that could, stayed home. Hank and Layla stayed in too, but they didn’t need the excuse of bad weather.

They spent almost all saturday in bed, kissing, talking, making love. Now that they’d said “I love you,” they were more relaxed with each other, more honest.

“Here you go…” Layla said, walking back into the bedroom with two cups of coffee. Hank didn’t process when she handed him one because he was too busy watching her. She was completely naked.

“Ahem. Hank?” Hank came to and hurriedly took the mug from her. Layla let out a giggle and sat down beside him, leaning against the headboard like he was and sliding back under the sheets.

“Sorry.” Hank said, taking a sip. “If I drink this really fast, will you do that again?”

Layla threw her head back and laughed, then she smiled slyly.

“I don’t think you need any more caffeine, Sargeant. You’ve had quite enough energy this morning, in my opinion.”

It was Hank’s turn to chuckle.

“So, it’s 2:00 PM and we haven’t officially gotten out of bed.”

“I’m okay with that.” Hank replied, taking her mug from her hands and placing it beside his on the nightstand before turning back to her and kissing her deeply.

Layla moaned against his lips as his hands roamed her body beneath the sheets. When his fingers slid between her legs, she gasped, leaning her head back in pleasure as Hank’s lips moved to her neck.

“Hank…” Layla whispered, breathless for the third time that morning.

“Do you want me to stop?” Hank growled, a teasing edge to his voice.

“No. Please.” Layla panted, the rhythm of his fingers bringing her close to the edge.

On the nightstand, Hank’s cell phone started ringing.

Layla opened her eyes, thinking he would stop, but he was watching her.

“Relax, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

Layla made a sound, somewhere between a moan and a laugh before closing her eyes and surrendering completely to his touch.

The phone kept ringing but Hank maintained his rhythm, speeding up when Layla whispered, “I’m… close…”

Hank watched her face as she cried out, her lips parted, auburn hair fanned around her on the pillow. Breathing heavily, Layla opened her eyes to find Hank smiling at her.

“What?” She asked.

“You’re so beautiful.” Hank told her, and Layla laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure I look real beautiful right about now.”

Hank kissed her before getting up and grabbing his phone.

“Hey Kev, did you call?” she heard him ask, as he stepped out of the room.

Layla used that time alone to compose herself.

When Hank returned, he said, “Kev is doing a comedy show at a club downtown tonight. The whole team is going. Interested?”

Layla smiled. “That sounds like so much fun. I’m in if you are.”

Hank nodded his agreement and got back in bed. Layla slid over to him and laid her head on his chest.

“I might need a nap though, I’ve had an exciting morning.”

Hank laughed and pulled her closer against him, leaning back on his pillow and closing his eyes.

“Not sure yet but I’ll let you know.” Erin told him.

“Alright.” Hank said, then he added, “There’s someone I want you to meet while you’re here.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Who am I meeting?” Erin asked, intrigued.

“Layla Martin. She works in IT for the department, and she’s Cindy Herrmann’s sister. We’re…” Hank tried to think of the right word but all he could come up with was, “...dating.”

Erin made a sound of surprise.

“Wow. That’s great, Hank. I can’t wait to meet her.”

Hank could hear some noise in the background.

“Hank, I gotta go. I’ll let you know about my flight. See you soon.”

After he hung up the phone, Hank looked around his office and reflected on the changes in his life over the past year. He’d gone to a dark place after Erin left and Al was killed. Finally, and mostly thanks to Layla’s presence in his life, he was finally coming out of that darkness.

Hank hurriedly finished his report and decided he was going to head home. Layla was supposed to come over after visiting her sister and he was going to be waiting to tell her just how much she meant to him.

------

While Hank was working late, Layla sat in her sister’s kitchen, rolling out cookie dough for homemade Christmas cookies.

“Remind me why I volunteered to help with this again?”

Layla asked, swiping her hair out of her face and leaving a trail of flour across her forehead.

Cindy laughed and transferred a cookie sheet from the oven to a cooling rack.

“Because you are such a loving sister.” Cindy smiled sweetly.

Cindy had recruited Layla to help bake 12 dozen cookies for the church’s nativity play and reception.

“Right.” Layla said, grabbing a cookie cutter to start on her next batch.

As the women continued baking, Layla’s phone buzzed on the counter. Her sister watched as Layla read the text and smiled.

“Hmmhmm, and will Hank be joining us for Christmas dinner this year?”

“We haven’t really talked about Christmas plans yet.” Layla replied. They’d both been so busy they hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

Cindy looked up at her sister, eyes twinkling, and said, “Well, you’re going to be here so I have a feeling he will want to be here too.”

Layla smiled and said, “I’ll talk to him tonight. I’m headed to his place when I leave here anyway.”

Layla finished placing her cookies on the cookie sheet and loaded the last batch into the oven. Chris walked in as soon as the oven door closed and said, “Alright, what’s the gossip ladies? I hear you in hear whispering.”

Cindy, who was busy washing dishes, said, “If by whispering you mean talking normally, then yes we were.”

Chris grabbed a cookie when Cindy wasn’t looking and motioned to Layla to keep quiet.

“Actually, Christopher, I was telling Layla that Hank is invited to Christmas dinner.”

Chris grimaced. “When I think of Hank Voight I don’t really picture Christmas cheer.”

Cindy shot her husband a reprimanding look and he quickly added, “But, he did help out Severide a while back so I’ll allow it.”

“You’ll allow it?”

Chris quickly corrected and turned to Layla, saying, “I mean, we’d love to have him.” As Chris retreated into the living room, he shouted, “The more the merrier, that's what I always say!”

After her husband was gone, Cindy said, “You guys are getting pretty serious then, huh?”

Layla smiled to herself. “Yeah, I guess we are.”

Cindy smiled and said, “It’s nice to see you so happy.”

About that time, Annabelle walked into the kitchen holding a teddy bear.

“Young lady, I thought I put you to bed?” Cindy asked her sleepy-eyed daughter.

“I know, mommy, but I want Aunt Layla to read me a bedtime story.”

Layla turned to her niece and laughed when she saw her bottom lip poked out. She was milking it.

“She is good, Cin, you have to admit.” Layla said to her sister, then turned around and scooped up her niece in her arms, carrying her back to her room.

“Come on, sweetie. I’ll read to you.”

----

When Annabelle finally fell asleep, it was almost 9:00 PM and Layla was exhausted. She’d come straight from work and hadn’t really stopped going all day.

She said goodbye to her sister and headed out to her car.

As she waited for the engine to warm up and defrost the windshield, she texted Hank.

“Sorry. Bedtime story emergency. Still want me to come over?”

She watched the bubbles, indicating he was typing a response.

“Absolutely.”

Layla smiled at his response and put the car in drive, turning the radio from Christmas music to classic rock as she pulled out of Cindy’s neighborhood.

As Layla sang along to the song on the radio, she thought about Hank and what her sister said about them getting serious. They were serious. In fact, Layla was spending more nights at his place than at her apartment now. But neither of them had yet to say the words, “I love you.” It was a big step for both of them and Layla was afraid of saying it too soon. She was finally happy and she was afraid of rocking the boat.

Glancing in her rear view mirror, Layla realized that the black sedan behind her had been there ever since she’d left Cindy’s.

At first, she told herself it was just a coincidence that the car was going the same direction as her, but after making a few unnecessary turns, she was convinced she was being followed.

Trying to remain calm, Layla picked up her phone and called Hank.

“Hey, you almost here?” He answered.

“Hank, I think I’m being followed.”

Hank stood up from where he sat on his couch and walked into the entryway, grabbing his coat from its hook.

“What kind of car? Can you see the driver?”

“I can’t really see. It’s a black sedan, older model. Maybe a Ford? I think it’s been following me since I left Cindy’s house.”

The thought of someone hanging around Cindy’s house, with the kids there, made Layla scared and angry.

“Okay,” Hank said, getting into his car and turning on the blue lights, “Where exactly are you right now?”

As Layla told him where she was, Hank drove as quickly as he could. Due to the holiday season, there was more traffic than usual and Hank cursed more than once at drivers that wouldn’t move out of his way.

Layla stayed on the phone and kept driving, the sedan still tailing her.

Finally, Hank caught up, turning off his patrol lights before turning onto the street Layla was on. When Layla saw his SUV in her rearview, she let out the breath she’d been holding. She watched as he slipped into the lane behind the black sedan.

Using the radio in his truck, Layla heard Hank call in the license plate to dispatch. A moment later he got a response. “Sergeant, the plate is registered to Jerry Blackman. White male. 40 years old. No active warrants. Should we show you in pursuit?”

Now knowing who was following her, Layla felt sick. What exactly was his goal here? To scare her? It had worked.

Layla’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as she heard Hank respond to dispatch, “Negative, dispatch. Disregard plate information.”

Hank put his phone back to his ear.

“Layla, listen to me...” From spending time in Intelligence, Layla knew the tone in his voice. He was all business now.

“... I want you to drive to Precinct 21. Trudy is filling in on desk tonight. I’m going to call her and let her know to be out front waiting for you.”

“Got it. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to follow this son of a bitch and make sure he never comes near you again.” Hank said, ending the call before Layla could say anything else.

Layla put her phone down and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

When they got about three blocks from the precinct, Jerry must have realized what was going on and shot out of the lane, almost hitting an oncoming car. As he sped past Layla, she let out a shaky breath and pulled up in front of the precinct.

Immediately, Hank turned on his lights and sirens and took off after him, the roar of his engine almost drowning out Trudy, who said, “You okay?” as soon as Layla stepped out of the car.

Trudy led Layla into the vacant office at the bottom of the stairs and closed the door.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Layla replied, but her shaking hands betrayed her nerves. Trudy smiled and said, “Let me go get you a cup of coffee.”

Layla nodded and Trudy started to open the door.

“Trudy?” Trudy stopped and turned back to face Layla.

“What is Hank going to do when he catches up with Jerry?”

Trudy pressed her lips together and her eyes flickered to window.

“Cream and sugar?” Trudy asked, ignoring her question.

Layla sighed, wondering if maybe it was better she didn’t know anyway.

“Yes, cream and sugar. Thanks.”

As Trudy left and closed the door behind her, Layla tried to ignore the fear she felt. Fear from being followed, fear from wondering what Hank was going to do and fear from wondering if Jerry was more of a threat than she’d originally thought. Clearly, if he was willing to go as far as to tail her car, she’d mis-judged him.

Trudy came back in with two coffees and gave one to Layla.

“Hank can take care of himself.” Trudy assured her, but Layla knew she’d be nervous until he walked back into Precinct 21.

---------

Hank followed Jerry to an old cabin on the edge of town. Jerry pulled into the driveway at a high rate of speed, swerving as the snow and slush caught his tires. Hank pulled in after him, throwing the car in park and jumping out as Jerry tried to run into the house.

“Jerry. Stop running!” Hank called out, loudly.

Jerry, in his haste to get away from Hank, slipped on a patch of ice and went down. Hank stalked over to where he was and put his foot on his back, keeping his face down in the snow.

Jerry, out of breath, started cursing at Hank.

“What the fuck, Voight? I wasn’t doing anything.”

Hank knelt down and drove his knee into Jerry’s shoulder. Then he leaned down and put his face close to Jerry’s ear.

“Listen to me, you son of a bitch. I don’t know what this obsession is that you have with Layla, but it ends now.”

Jerry tried to buck Hank off, but Hank added more pressure.

“All I was doing was trying to apologize for the misunderstanding we had at the mayor’s party. That’s all.”

“Maybe I’m not making myself clear.”

Hank pulled his gun out of it’s holster, placing the barrel of the gun against the back of Jerry’s skull. He stilled immediately.

“Turn in your resignation tomorrow and don’t ever come near Layla again.”

Jerry started to say something and Hank cocked his gun.

“Jerry. You’re not listening. Turn in your resignation tomorrow and get out of Layla’s life within 24 hours or I’ll be coming back here without this badge. Do you understand?”

When Jerry didn’t answer right away, Hank put more pressure on his shoulder and Jerry cried out in pain.

“I understand!”

Hank stayed there for a moment, letting the message sink in, before finally standing up and releasing Jerry.

Holding her phone for Layla to see, Samantha giggled as Layla looked at the photo on her phone. It was of Layla and Hank dancing at the mayor’s party.

Layla looked up at her. “Where did you get that?”

“My brother texted it to me. He’s a detective over at the 16th precinct. You met him on one of your first assignments - Anthony Matthews?”

Layla nodded, “Oh yeah. He was really nice.”

Samantha smiled mischievously. “Yeah, he thought he recognized you. He’s heard me talk about you and he was just asking me if that was you. With Hank Voight?”

Samantha’s voice got high and squeaky when she said Hank’s name and Layla looked around, using her hand to tell Samantha to bring it down a notch.

“Yes. We’re dating.”

Layla hated the way “dating” sounded. It made them sound like teenagers.

“Girl! How could you not tell me this? Does Jerry know, because he is going to be devastated when he realizes he really doesn’t have a shot with you.”

Layla had confided in Samantha about Jerry asking her out the first week on the job, and every time he’d asked her out since.

“Actually…”

Layla went on to tell Samantha what had happened between her and Jerry at the party. Samantha put her hand over her mouth, eyes-wide.

“Yes. I agree. You should definitely file a report with HR.”

Both ladies heard someone clear their throat behind Samantha and the older woman turned around slowly. Jerry was standing behind her.

“Ladies, you should really get to work. You can have your girl talk on your lunch break.”

Jerry looked at both of them but his eyes lingered on Layla. She couldn’t read his expression but it definitely wasn’t happiness. She had no idea how long he’d been standing there or what he may have heard.

Samantha hurried back to her cubicle and Layla turned her attention back to her work. Once Jerry walked away, she let out a breath and checked her email to see if HR had gotten back to her yet.

The rest of the week was busy for Layla and Hank. They’d only had a chance to text and even that had been sporadic.

Layla did file her report with HR. In doing so, she had to disclose her relationship with Hank, which they’d discussed. There was no policy directly forbidding them to date as they were in two totally different departments and he was not her direct supervisor.

Beth Hayes, the HR administrator that documented Layla’s report, seemed sympathetic. Though she wouldn’t come out and say it, Layla got the impression that she wasn’t the first woman to file a complaint against Jerry.

When Layla finally got off work Friday night, she headed over to Precinct 21. She knew she’d find Hank in his office.

Trudy smiled when she saw Layla walk into the Precinct.

“Layla! How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. How about you, Trudy?”

“Ah, you know. Trying to keep these patrolmen in line is a full-time job.” Trudy glared at a young patrolmen as he walked by and he quickly averted his eyes. Layla giggled.

“You enjoy that a little too much.” She told Trudy, who winked at her.

“Need me to buzz you up to Intelligence?”

Layla nodded and Trudy walked around the desk, scanning her finger print and unlocking the gate to head upstairs.

Before she walked back down the stairs, Trudy turned and said in a quiet voice, “Hey. The case their working… it’s been a tough one.”

Layla nodded and touched Trudy’s shoulder.

“Thanks Trudy.”

As the gate slammed behind her and Layla walked into Intelligence, she could feel the somber mood in the air. Antonio was at his desk working on his computer. Kevin and Adam were standing in front of the case board talking about something. Layla didn’t see Kim, Hailey or Jay. Antonio nodded at her when she walked by on her way to Hank’s office, but didn’t say anything. They were all too focused on the case.

Hank looked up as she approached his office and waved her in. Layla noticed how tired he looked. She closed the door behind her.

“Hey. Sorry, I should have called before I came.”

Hank stood up and walked around his desk.

“No. You didn’t need to call. I’m glad you came by.”

Layla stepped into his open arms for a hug.

The way he held her just a little longer than normal told her the case was taking a toll on him.

Leaning back, she put her hands on either side of his face.

“You okay?” She asked him.

She looked into his eyes as she spoke. There was a hard look there. Cold and distant.

“I will be.” He said, honestly. Layla nodded and kissed him. It was the first time they’d kissed since he’d dropped her off for brunch and the memories of the night they’d spent together came rushing back for both of them.

Hank deepened the kiss and pulled her closer. Layla sighed against his lips, happy to be in his arms after a long week.

When they parted, Hank said, “Layla, I wanted to…” but was interrupted by a knock on his office door.

Hank opened the door with an aggravated expression on his face. Antonio was standing there, a paper in his hand.

“Just got the L.K.A. for the perp’s brother. We’re heading there now. Burgess is going to meet us there. Upton and Halstead are still at the prison talking to the cousin.”

Hank nodded, thankful for a lead. Grabbing his coat from the coat rack, he slipped it on.

Layla stepped out of his way, knowing they would talk later. Right now he had a job to do. She was surprised when he stopped for a moment and said, “Tomorrow night. My place. I’ll cook.”

She smiled and nodded.

“I’ll bring the wine.” She told him with a wink. Hank smiled at her and she was glad she could lift his spirits for a moment.

“Be safe,” Layla called out after him as he followed Antonio out into the bullpen, on their way to follow up on the lead. He turned and gave her a nod before they headed down to the garage.

Hank had just put potatoes in the oven when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, Layla stood on the other side, a bottle of red wine in one hand, as promised. Her other hand was holding a covered dish. Hank hurried to take the dish and the bottle from her and led her inside.

“What’s this?” Hank asked, raising the dish.

“Oh that?” Layla asked, sitting her purse on the entryway table, next to Hank’s badge and gun.

“That is the best chocolate lava cake you will ever put in your mouth. I guarantee it.”

Hank raised an eyebrow as she followed him into the kitchen and he sat everything down on the counter. When he started to lift the foil covering the dessert, Layla slapped his hand away.

“Uh uh! That’s for after dinner.”

Hank chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist instead, pulling her close for a kiss.

Layla’s playfulness turned serious when she felt the passion behind his kiss. There was a need behind it.

Pulling back, she looked at him closer. “You good?”

Hank sighed. “Yeah. Just a long week.”

Layla put her hands on his neck softly, her thumbs sliding gently across his jaw. She looked at him with concern.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked.

“No.” Hank said, immediately. “The case is closed.”

Layla looked into his eyes a moment longer, just to be sure he really was okay, then gave him a quick kiss.

Turning to the counter, she grabbed the bottle of wine she’d brought and said, “Then let’s open this wine and relax.”

“Sounds great.” Hank said, taking the bottle from her and heading to the cabinet to get two glasses.

After he poured them each a glass, Layla sipped her wine and looked around the kitchen.

“So what are we having for dinner?”

“Sirloins on the grill, baked potatoes, salad.” Hank said, reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out the sirloins. Grabbing tongs from a drawer, he nodded for Layla to follow him to the patio.

The grill was already hot and the steaks made a satisfying searing sound when he placed them on the grates.

Layla had grabbed both of their wine glasses as she’d followed him and handed Hank his glass once the steaks were on.

It was unseasonably warm for a November evening and Layla breathed in the fresh air.

“I filed that report with HR.”

“Good.”

Hank walked around the grill to stand beside Layla. She was looking out at the sky, the setting sun casting an warm glow across her skin. Hank just stared at her for a moment, taking her in.

Layla, sensing his eyes on her, turned to face him.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked him, curious at the expression she saw on his face.

“I was just thinking about how much better my life has been since we met.” Hank told her.

Layla smiled and sat down her wine glass before wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Same.” She agreed, before laying her cheek against his chest.

They stood like that, in the glow of the setting sun, until Hank had to flip the steaks.

Layla watched him as he cooked and found herself wondering what the future might hold for them. Since Jake’s death, she really hadn’t given the future much thought. In fact, she’d basically been taking each day one at a time for over two years.

Now, she found herself hoping this would be just one of many evenings they would spend together.

Hank looked up at her and smiled a half smile before turning his attention back to the grill. 

Layla watched him long after he looked away, realizing without any doubt that she was falling in love with Hank Voight.

------------------------------------------------------------------  

“She did what?” Jerry asked, exasperated as he paced his boss’s office.

“She filed an official complaint with HR.”

Jerry ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“That bitch.” Jerry mumbled under his breath.

Jerry’s boss, Daniel West, had been his best friend since childhood. In fact, he’d gotten him his first job with the department. Whenever Daniel got promoted, it wasn’t long before Jerry did too. Daniel felt responsible for Jerry, always had. They were like brothers.

Walking over to his friend, Daniel said, “Look man. I love you. But you’ve got to reign in the flirting and the temper. One day it’s going to get you in more trouble than even I can get you out of.”

Jerry nodded. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I will do better.”

Daniel looked at his friend for a long moment and hoped what he was saying was the truth.

“Okay. I can make this one go away but if it happens again, I’ll have to push it up the chain of command.” Daniel told Jerry.

Jerry nodded and shook his hand.

“Thanks bud. I promise, I’ll do better.”