#detricochet

fork dug into the food on her plate once again, though erin found herself more inclined to just push it around the plate than she was to actually eat any of it. "you know what we need?" she asked, head lifting to break the comfortable silence that had washed over them in the past few minutes. "a vacation." chance would be a fine thing, but even just thinking about it would bring her a bit of joy. "you think voight can live without us for a week?"

"Should I be worried that I'm getting an unannounced visit from my cop brother?" The last few times had been due to some crime or worse when he was forced to work as a CI for the damn government. So excuse him if he was a bit sceptical. "Whose in trouble, you or me?"

once again, erin was trapped. not physically, but stuck between two choice, all thanks to bunny. her mother, the woman who's role in life was meant to protect her, was meant to be there for her, a beacon of light to turn to in crisis but in reality had been anything but. and once again, it was down to the detective to make a choice that would ultimately save her. once again, her purpose was boiled down into protecting the woman that brought her into the world, whether she wanted to or not. and a job offer in new york would do that. it would allow erin to finally cut ties with her mother, giving her a saving pass once before she did so. it could be a win for them both. except of course, the fact that it meant leaving the life she'd built in chicago behind. the only life she'd ever really known, where her friends and family were. where she'd starting building on a life with jay, where things had finally felt like they might have been falling into place. they'd been discussing it for what felt like hours. erin pacing circles in her apartment, talking over the options in front of her as if she really did have a choice. she knew deep down, that she didn't. that staying in chicago wasn't on the cards, and ultimately she'd have to go. even if the ache in her chest was telling her not to. finally, the lingering question in the back of her mind broke through a moment of silence. "why don't you come to new york with me?"

the sound of the firearm echoed off of the walls around them. the warehouse, vast, fairly bare, meant that the sound could have come from almost anywhere. it was hard to track down, hard to follow, and hard to steer clear of. a few well placed vehicles and boxes made for a maze for the detectives to navigate in chase for the perp they'd been hunting down for the last few weeks. one final game, which would give them the result they'd wanted. arms outstretched, erin was doing her best to navigate the suspect, head turning with each blast in the hopes that they weren't as close to her as they perhaps could have been. another pop, this time a lot closer than the others had been. while the realisation hit, the movement of a body next to her had her turning, though not for long. no, her body was being pulled to the floor, arms bracing for the impact of the concrete below her as eyes scanned around her. "jay!" she shouted, his body pulling hers to the ground in what she had no doubt was a move to protect her from something that she hadn't seen yet. "are you okay?" she asked, voice filled with panic, "jay, are you hit?"

mouth opened as if to protest, once again, though erin promptly shut it in the realisation that perhaps she wasn't going to have a chance of getting out of this one. jay was serious, and she was in need of being cleaned up after their last showdown. "when did you get so bossy?" she asked, the slight laugh that followed was quickly replaced by a wince, the pain in her body reminding her not to have too much fun given what they'd just had to go through. it was all in a days work, and she'd do it again if she had to. it was just what they did. "just put a bandaid on it, i'll be fine." her approach to most injuries, the thought of needing anything more than that just had her feeling like a nuisance. "you'd have done it for me too and you know it."

a mug in each hand, she turned from the counter, ready to pass off one to jay without so much as a second thought. "my shirt is still ––" covered in blood from the night before, but she let the silence finish the end of her sentence instead of her words. "thank you. for letting me stay."

"that's because i'm a better shot than you are." the negative thoughts got pushed to the back of her mind, instead the detective offered a more lighthearted response. it was better. "someone's gotta have your back, halstead."