#adawson

Antonio Dawson And Sylvie Brett had began a romance a few weeks ago, but they decided to keep it a secret because they wanted to take their time with it. With everything that Antonio was going through with the custody battle he felt like it was necessary. After a few days of getting together, Sylvie was on a call when a guy stole her wallet and she didn't feel safe going home, so he offered for her to stay with him. Antonio definitely felt like he couldn't say anything since he was on the case to take down the guy, however the guy was caught a week later. But Sylvie and Antonio didn't feel like they could make it with only seeing each other a few times out of the week because of their work schedules so they both agreed that moving in together seemed like the best decision for them. He understood that people would think they were moving too fast, and honestly between his custody battle, it may have not been the smartest move, but it seem like something they both wanted and hell what he needed to become happy. It was literally killing Antonio that he couldn't see his kids, or even talk to them. He just couldn't understand it because he wasn't the one that left Laura, he was willing to do whatever to fix this between them, except quit his job. Which was the only thing she was asking him to do. He worked too hard for years to become where he was at, to only give it up because she was scared. His job wasn't for the weak woman, and he honestly thought when he married Laura she could have handled his life. Of course when he worked in vice, that almost ended them in a divorce too, but that was why he moved to intelligence. Getting shot was all apart of being a detective sadly, it wasn't his first time getting shot and it certainly wouldn't be his last. Antonio always felt like getting shot was a part of the job, and it proved that whatever he was doing was right. It may be a crazy way to think, but it had to be true since he was the most respected detective on the streets. When Voight paired up he and Erin as partners, he wasn't pleased to say the least. He knew Erin was a great detective, maybe as great as him. However, Antonio has just been floating around the unit since Jules died and he just gotten used to that. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a partner, let alone a female detective. To him, Jules was the best female detective that he could have ever had. But since being paired up with Erin, he realized she was just as good as Jules. He knew it wasn't just a big adjustment for himself, but for her too. He just didn't want them to start hating being partners that it could have cost them their lives, however, it was starting to work between them. Although with everything that Antonio was going through with Laura and his kids, whenever he walked through that gate, he pushed those things from his mind and just focused on making Chicago a better city. It was sort of a rule they all silently agreed on when they walked through that gate and focused on a case. It could cost someone's life, or yourself, if the person didn't do that. Life was always going to happen, horrible things were gonna happen, the best way to become a good detective was to worry about those things when the shift ends. Antonio stepped out of his truck as he looked up at the station and he took a deep breath. As much as he loved being a detective, sometimes the job can have a troll on someone's sanity. It probably didn't help matters that his mind was already going crazy without seeing his kids. He took out his phone and he looked down, seeing if he had any missed calls or texts before he headed inside. Not seeing any, he placed his phone away and he walked in the district. He nodded his head at Sergeant Platt and he walked up to the gate. A few seconds later, he walked through the gates and he nodded his head at the people that were there before him. Usually he would be the first person there and the last person to leave, but since starting up the romance with Sylvie, that sort of changed. He knew Jay thought something was off with Antonio, but that was the only good thing about his custody battle, he could always use that as an excuse on why he was acting weird. He just wasn't ready to tell everyone about their relationship when his sister didn't know. Antonio walked over to his desk and he removed his jacket and placed behind the chair. He sat down and he took a deep breath. The cases lately they were working on all had to deal with gang and drugs and he was really wearing him down. Because of all the court fees, he was working a lot of overtime so he was overly tired. But all of this was so he could get his kids home, or he could have at least see them when he wanted. He would just be happy if he could get through a shift without Laura calling him and trying to get him upset. His favorite ones would be using Eva against him. Of all his kids, he didn't know why she always used Eva but she did. He would have reacted the same way with his other kids, so he never understood that. But then again, he never understood half the things Laura did to him. He just figured it was because of their divorce, it effected Eva the most out of all the kids.  

Erin

“Mommm…”

A single word, a title, yet it was absolutely the strangest thing to Erin for some time.  When Bash and J.J. had initially asked her if they could call her by this name, she’d grasped the full effect of just what it was to /be/ their mom.  She’d been stable in their lives by this point for a year and a half, living with them for the six months before.  She and C.J. had taken things slowly from the time they started seeing one another in August of 2014.  It was a slow progress as they tested the waters, ever cautious on both ends for the fact that he had littles involved, not to mention Erin’s slight aversion to relationships in the beginning.  

It took months for Erin to confess her feelings for the man, then months beyond this before she’d agree to stay with him on a permanent basis.  Even meeting his children was something that didn’t occur until they’d been together for almost five months.  Each step was taken with extreme care, right up until their July 24, 2016 wedding.  By this point, the two were no longer partners, ending their professional relationship when the two moved in together and went public with their relationship.  It had to be done, though Erin would resist it for a long while, not feeling complete without her partner there by her side.

There was something about being partners.  It was almost like a marriage of its own.  It had to be built primarily on trust, followed directly by respect.  The two things worked hand in hand and there was simply no one she could imagine trusting to have her back the way she did C.J.  Perhaps that was why the two ended up falling for one another the way they did.  They were with one another almost constantly and though they had their fair share of partner issues, at the end of the day, she trusted him.  

“Mommmmm.  We’re going to be late!”

Bash’s little voice brought a smile to Erin’s face as she was pulling on her coat on her way to the front door.  “Alriiiiiight Baaaaaash,” she returned, drawing it out just as he had, while J.J. stood behind Bash with a smirk to his face.  Erin was forever the last one to the door.  Every morning it was the same drill for one reason or another, rendering her the last one to the door, the last one holding up morning progress.  Bash instantly laughed at Erin’s mocking of his whines to her while C.J. placed a to-go cup of coffee there in her hand.  “You are the reason I make it to the door at all,” she stated in his direction as the man stole a kiss of her lips before scurrying the two boys out the door to the SUV that was already running in the driveway.

An hour later, both boys had been dropped off at school and the detectives had arrived at the district.  Forever recalling a time when the two couldn’t ride in together, couldn’t hold hands in the parking lot, and had to sneak in those tiny brushes of their hands against one another.  It wasn’t lost on Erin where they had begun, yet she wouldn’t go back to those days for anything.  She had the entire world in the palm of her hand now in these three men that she loved more than she ever knew humanly possible, determined to be a better mother than that which she’d grown up with, though it wouldn’t take much in all honesty.

As she climbed the steps, resting her hand on the scanner, she drew her coffee to her lips, facing a day of cop coffee that didn’t hold a candle to their home machine.  “I mean it.  Six o’clock and we’re out of here today,” she assured, a nod there of her head as she was heavy in plans that evening; sleep.  In truth, Erin hadn’t been sleeping.  She was barely scraping by in that department and C.J. had taken firm notice of it.  Tonight, she’d break her own personal rules if only to get some deep sleep, something she desperately needed to remain alert and on the ready.

Just inside the gate, she found Antonio there at his desk, getting settled in.  Ruzek, Olinsky, Atwater.  She cut her eyes over her shoulder as she heard some snide remark about how she used to be the first one in every morning, only surpassed by Hank who forever held the position.  “Yeah, yeah,” she argued, letting it be known to her husband that she didn’t’ want to hear it.  The flashing of his dimples, though it truly required no effort from him in the least, brought a smirk to her lips.  “You’re so pretty,” she teased, her smirk broadening into a full-fledged smile.

“Morning, Antonio,” she offered, placing her coffee against her desk, lowering her bag from her shoulder before opening her laptop to check the influx of unit emails that surely awaited her on that screen.  

Antonio

Antonio looked up from his desk, nodding his head at his partner. "Morning, Erin." He said and then he looked back down at the paperwork in front of his desk. As much as he loved being a detective, he hated the paperwork. Truthfully, he was just skimming through the paperwork because his mind was lost for a few minutes. Usually he didn’t allow this to happen at work but lately his life was a mess—and that included being a detective. The custody battle wasn’t anywhere close to being over, even though Laura was dating some wealthy guy. He found that news out from Eva, and Antonio was fighting like hell to at least get the kids whenever she chose to go away. But his lawyer said because Eva is 15, it was okay. Since he was so stressed out, whenever his shift ended, he usually just went to the gym to box it out. Although that helped him, it was causing tension at home between him and Sylvie because she thought he would rather be at the gym than at home. He always insisted that wasn’t true, but he could see why she thought that.

He felt his phone vibrate and he tore his eyes away from his paperwork for a moment to see who it was. He hated the feeling he got in his stomach thinking it could be his ex-wife. It was one thing to upset him while he was home, but at work, it was ridiculous. But he relaxed when he saw that it was one of his CI’s for the case that he was working on. He loved how many CI’s he had, and he wouldn’t do anything to risk that because if it wasn’t for them, half of his cases would go unsolved. The case he was working on right now was rough but with the text he just received, he knew he should be able to solve it. Maybe not today, but in the next few days. He looked over at Erin. “Take a ride with me somewhere?”

At the beginning of their partnership, it was hard because sometimes he was usually going on these rides alone---and he didn’t think anything about it. It had been years since Jules died and that was the last partner he had. And usually if he rode with someone, it was Voight and Al, and they allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Erin did also at times, but with a partner, you kind of have to let them steer into cases too. And at times that meant letting them take control and stand behind on some calls. The only good thing about that was that whatever Erin did, Antonio agreed with. And she was also a great detective like him so she never put his life at risk. Although it was his CI, he wanted them to formalize with each other in case something was to happen---like if Antonio was elsewhere, he could trust Erin to get the information they needed. And most of his CI’s were okay with that, as long as they were promised they could trust Erin. And right now it would be best if Erin came if he got the information and needed to stop by to speak to someone.

Erin

The morning routine included getting her jacket off, slipping her wedding band off and locking it in her desk drawer, then making her way to the break room where she’d fill her cup with shitty coffee that would mix with the coffee she had remaining in her cup.  She wasn’t functional until she’d had at least two; one before work, one on the way to work.  This morning the one on the way to work hadn’t been finished and therefore she’d top it off and consider it still her second cup.  Back at her desk, she’d draw up the phone to her ear, listening to the voicemails that sat in waiting for the unit from the overnight, jotting down any vital information that she’d then pass along to the rest of the team.  It wasn’t her job necessarily, as any of them could do it, but it was one of those things she’d taken up on her first day there and never quite put it down.

Over the next few minutes, she was finally waking the rest of the way up, finding herself more alert with every sip she took from the cup until she heard Antonio’s voice from across the short space between their desks.  Nodding her head, she put down her pen and rose from her seat, reaching to the back of her chair for her jacket.  “Sure,” she stated in response, not hesitating to go with him even if the partnership was still growing on the both of them.  The two together worked.  They both had reasons to not want to be partners.  For him, it was Jules.  A woman that Erin held the utmost respect for.  The woman that she’d stayed with until the end.  The one that she’d had to make that first impossible phone call to Hank followed by the impossible feat of going to the home of her husband and children and telling them that she wouldn’t be coming home that night.  For Erin, she’d been against her own partnership with C.J., forever thinking she was better off with either Hank or Al, not wanting anyone to slow her down.  She fought against it, but there was nothing to be done in the matter.  Those early days had been rocky, but somewhere along the line, the entire unit had to recognize that the dimpled duo was quite skilled when working together.  Little did any of them know, including Erin, there was a stronger partnership there than purely professional.  When they went public with their relationship, it was C.J.’s choice to divide their professional partnership for the sake of his two boys.  Erin hated it.  Though she’d respect it, she hated it.  It didn’t feel right.  The only way it was alright with her was if she and Hank or she and Al would be as they once were before she had a partner, but instead, she was paired with Antonio.  Truth be told, it was taking some time to find that chemistry that Hank seemed so sure would be there.

Once her jacket was on, she was reaching for her set of keys and drawing her gun to the holster at her side, meeting his eyes by way of telling him she was ready.  As she passed C.J.’s desk, two soft taps of her hand there to the corner meant she was on her way out and she’d see him later, but there was something more to it as well.  A silent I love you that no one else would ever understand, even if they’d seen it a million times before.  At the door of the unit, she gripped the handle as her other hand pushed against the fencework, pushing it opened where she’d hold it there for him without ever bothering to ask him where they were going.  There was always trust between the two detectives, that went without saying, and in moments like these, the rest of the unit could catch a glimpse at what Hank seemed to see all along, that the two of them were going to make great partners once they got the kinks worked out.

Antonio

Antonio nodded his head when she agreed to take a ride with him. He was sure that she wouldn't have said no, unless Voight needed them at the building for something. But normally Antonio took rides around the city when he's been staring at the same files over and over again. It wasn't like he took rides for no reason, he usually caught up with a few of his CI's for them to keep an eye out on something. He stood up, placing on his jacket and then he grabbed his keys. Although their partnership still wasn't entirely that new, it still felt weird when someone followed him on his rides. But this wasn't what he had to get used to. What was extremely difficult to get used to was someone's feelings on a matter, but he was getting used to it. Erin being a great detective made all this easier. He walked through the gate as he walked down the stairs.

As they walked down the stairs in silent, his mind was on his children. Laura insisted that the kids still didn't see him until the trial was over and the judge made a ruling. It frustrated Antonio to no end and was the reason why after every shift he went to his gym instead of Molly's. Even after they solved a big case, Antonio chose the gym instead of drinking with his friends. It was either going to the gym or doing something reckless to get his kids back. Breaking out of those thoughts, he headed towards the exit doors and he walked out. "Sorry, I just had to get out of there. Sitting behind a desk, staring at the same files was driving me crazy." It was the reason why Laura divorced him in the first place. After he got shot for the second time in less than 6 months, she begged him to take a job behind the desk, but that wasn't what Antonio wanted. He didn't worked his ass off to get this far in the detective world, to let it all go for a job behind the desk. It may worked for other people, but not him. Of course that meant giving up on his family, but what could he do?

Antonio looked over at Erin. "For the case, I just want to check in on a few of my CI's. They should have some information." Although he usually liked doing this on his own since all of his CI's only trusted him, he knew once the custody battle got deeper, there were some days he would need to focus on that. Besides, with a partner, he kind of had to introduced them. Well he didn't have to, but he wanted to. He just wanted to stop complaining about a partner and actually just trust their partnership. He understood her reasons because of CJ, but Jules died years ago, he couldn't be afraid of growing close to someone else as an partner and losing them also. Because that was the bottom line of why he didn't want a partner. Another person dying because he couldn't save them. He still had immense guilt over Jules death, but who's to say Erin would die the same way? Hell, he wouldn't allowed it. If anything, now he would be the one to knock on the door while Erin stays back. That was the one rule he made from the beginning and one rule he wouldn't change. Antonio walked over to his truck and he unlocked the doors.

Erin

The eagerness of the detective for her job was just as strong as it always had been, though in recent days it was slightly complicated in her own mind.  Although she didn’t talk about it on any level, there were things pulling on her that were difficult for her to process.  She’d wanted this, and she still wanted this, but there was just something she wanted more now.  Something she never really seemed to see for herself, but the desire was there.  It was surely anticipated throughout the unit that it may go in this direction for the woman after they all returned from Las Vegas where the unit was in attendance for Erin and C.J.’s wedding.  She wanted to add to the family that had begun with Erin, C.J., and his two boys.  She wanted one of their own, a baby that would take after the both of them.  She wanted to round out that family with a contribution of her own, but it was proving difficult to say the least.  It wasn’t something anyone in the unit knew about and it wasn’t something she was ready to talk about even, but the couple had been trying for months now to no avail and it was starting to get to her.  The issue made even more complex by the idea that if she did get pregnant, what would she do about her job?  

As the two made their way through the gate of the unit, down the stairs, and past Platt’s desk to find themselves outside, she heard Antonio begin to explain what it was that had him running for the door.  Erin understood and truthfully, there was more than enough boot work they could be doing to gain some perspective on the cases that laid stacked against their desks that it wasn’t unheard of for the two to slip away and see what they could find with their ears to the ground.  Although it was still different for her to be doing this with someone other than C.J., she couldn’t deny the natural chemistry that had always existed between herself and Antonio within the unit.  He was good police and she knew he was to be trusted, never doubting the man or his instincts as he arrived to work ready for work and nothing seemed to stop him.  Erin looked up to him in her early days within the unit and always would.  There were times that other detective’s morals were brought into question, but never Antonio’s.  The man was a man on fire and forever on point and for that, she could trust him.

“Sounds like a plan,” she offered, giving up a nod of her head as she’d go along with his decision to touch base with some C.I.’s.  They were the most vital part of the unit at times and though they didn’t want the credit for anything, everything they did went a long way for the unit as some things just were too deep underground for the police to sniff out on their own.  As they arrived at the vehicle that was Antonio’s department vehicle, she still hadn’t quite gotten used to not being the driver as she’d always been with C.J., though she made her way to the passenger’s side with a bit more ease every time.  “You doing okay though?” she asked as she climbed within the vehicle, waiting for him to join her within where that answer could be posed.  Knowing he was under a lot of personal things at the moment as well, she wasn’t so forthcoming with her own, but it was through his that trust could be formed on a personal level to where maybe one day the ironclad woman’s thoughts could be unlocked and she might just be able to speak freely.  Maybe.

"I have a track record of not being too happy with who I'm partnered up with... or really just the concept of /having/ a partner, but I gotta say... this one is growing on me. Thanks for being so patient with me and the adjustment, Antonio. You're alright in my book."

D A W S O N

-shakes his head and smirked; Just alright? -laughs; But no problem, Erin. It's an adjustment to me too with having a partner.

ℒ𝑜𝑜𝒸𝒽

Nods knowingly as she offers him a smile. "Just alright," she confirmed, though she thought he must know he was a little better than alright in her book, one of the strongest in the unit by far, but she wouldn't be saying all of that.