5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, thanks again for your feedback. Please keep them coming because I am kinda struggling at the moment. I'm currently on holiday leave from my work at the moment and I have to return to it on Monday. I'm trying my best to keep writing a few chapters in advance so I can still post every couple of days instead once a week or fortnight when I return to work but I have writer's block at the moment so please get my creative juices flowing again. LOL! Thanks. I really do appreciate any feedback.

Chapter 4

A few weeks later...

Voight, Olinski, Ruzek, Atwater, Dawson, Halstead and Lindsey stood in a small, one bedroom apartment, filled only with a few cardboard boxes, a sofa bed, a 22 inch TV, a beach chair, a bean bag and a round table with two chairs.

"Well guys, I think this is the last of them one." Nadia said, entering the apartment and placing the box on the floor. "Thanks for helping me move in."

"You're part of the intelligence family now kiddo, it's what we do." Voight replied as Nadia began handing out cans of soda.

"Even though she probably could have done it all herself, saying she barely has anything." Ruzek muttered under his breath. Olinski elbowed him.

"Nadia, this a great first place." Olinski said.

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to Atwater for the hook up." Nadia stated.

"When you got connections, you might as well use them." Atwater said.

"I'm sorry I've only got soda to hand out but..." Nadia began but trailed off. The whole team knew she was only out of rehab over a month ago.

"Seriously kid, at 10:30 on a Saturday morning, soda is great." Dawson reassured her. Nadia smile grew wider.

"You did good Erin."Jay said, gently tapping his elbow against Erin's elbow. They were watching Nadia mix with the rest of the team, playing host.

"You mean you did good." Erin replied, before taking a sip of her soda. "You're the one who hooked her up with the job, the apartment..."

"No, I meant you." Jay retorted, looking sideways at Erin, his cheeky grin firmly placed on his face. "You got her clean."

"No, Nadia got herself clean." Erin corrected. "I just showed her the way."

"Well then, Nadia did good." Jay retorted.

"Exactly." Erin agreed, smiling. However, the smile was soon replaced with a worrying grimace. "I just wish she had more stuff..."

"It's her first place, she'll get there." Jay stated, reassuringly. "Her family will make sure of it." He was referring to the intelligence team. "I mean, when I was discharged from the military and was waiting to get into the police academy, all I had was a sleeping bag in my place...and by place, I mean my friend's couch."

Erin smiled and bumped against Jay. "Thank you." She simply said.

Jay smiled and nodded. He knew she was thanking him for saying the right thing to reassure her.

"So, you want to come over to my place tonight?" Erin asked, glancing sideways at Jay. "I have a full series of Brooklyn Nine Nine on my DVR. You can help me celebrate not having a roommate anymore?"

"As much as I would love to help you get over your 'empty nest syndrome', I'm sorry but I can't." Jay replied, looking a little sheepish.

"You got a date?" Erin asked, trying to get the balance of nonchalance and teasing.

"You gonna get jealous if I say I have I do?" Jay asked, fighting the urge to smirk.

Erin gave him a look. She was not amused. Jay nodded his head; he knew not to take it too far.

"I have an old friend flying in for a few days." Jay replied. "In fact, I have to get them at the airport now." He looked around him for somewhere to put his empty soda can but couldn't find anywhere, due to the lack of furniture so he handed it to Erin.

Erin watched as he headed towards Nadia, who was talking to Atwater and Olinski.

"Nads, I have to go but this is a great place." Erin could hear him say. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No Jay, thank you for everything." Nadia replied, giving him a quick hug.

Jay smiled as he pulled away. He then pointed to her t-shirt, which was a grey Hollister t-shirt with red writing. "Cool shirt, by the way." He stated; a cheeky grin on his lips.

"I thought you'd like it." Nadia replied, an equally cheeky grin on her lips.

Erin watched as he waved goodbye to the rest of the team, including her. She waved back, desperately trying to understand Jay's 'relationship' with Nadia while she ignored the growing knots building in her own stomach.

Jay sat on the bonnet of his car, in front of the airport arrivals area. A smile began to creep along his lips as he noticed a familiar strawberry blonde walking towards him, getting faster the closer she got until she dropped her bags and ran towards him.

He stood up, bracing himself for impact. As the strawberry blonde finally reached him, she leaped, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Jay wrapped his arms around her, cupping her backside.

She pressed her lips against his, hungrily, with force, her fingers twirling the shorts hairs on the nape of his neck. She pulled away, still being held in his arms. "Sorry, I had to get that out of my system." She said.

"And is it out?" Jay replied, cheeky grin his lips.

She shook her head no, before they both leaned in. Their lips touched again, gently and softly this time. She slid down from Jay as they parted, their foreheads touching. "I missed you Jay." She whispered, breathlessly.

Jay raised his hand and gently caressed her cheek. "I missed you too Allie." He softly whispered.

They stood there, in the embrace for a few moments, before finally remembering Allie's discarded luggage.

They parted, still holding hands as they walked towards the luggage. Jay picked both her bags up with one hand, not wanting to let her hand go. "So, am I dropping you straight off to your parents or..."

"Actually, my parents think I'm flying in on Monday so..." She trailed off as Jay turned to look at her. "I hope that's okay."

"Oh, it's more than okay." Jay replied, his thumb gently grazing her hand as he leaned in for another kiss.

Jay glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed. It was 11:43pm. He looked over at Allie. She was lying on her stomach, her bare back exposed, her long strawberry blonde hair cascading over the pillow.

Jay looked at her for a few moments, his finger tracing up and down her back, before he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss between her shoulder blades. She purred gently and Jay smiled as he slipped out of the bed.

He pulled on his boxers and headed towards the kitchen. He pulled open the fridge and lifted out a beer. He opened it and took a gulp. From the corner of his eye he could see the red light flashing on his answering machine. He pressed play. Erin's voice filled the room.

"Hey partner, I just wanted you to know that I totally understand why this show won that award. It is seriously funny, totally unrealistic but funny. You should definitely check it out." There was a pause, then a sigh. "Well, I guess you're still out with your old friend. I hope you're having fun and I'll see you on Monday I guess. Goodnight. Oh, and it's Erin. Um, I guess you know that." The message ended.

Jay smiled. He could tell Erin was missing the company of Nadia. He lifted his cellphone and headed towards his couch. He sat down and pressed his speed dial.

"Hello." Erin's croaky voice stated.

"So I should check out Brooklyn Nine Nine partner?" Jay teased.

"Ugh, I hate leaving voicemail messages! I always sound like a dork." Erin stated.

"You sure do." Jay agreed.

"Shut up!" Erin squealed. Jay smiled. He could almost feel the warmth of Erin's smile through the phone.

There was silence. Finally, Erin spoke. "So how is your old friend?" She asked.

"Tired and sleeping." Jay replied, stretching out on the sofa.

"Travelling will do that." Erin stated, half posing a question that Jay chose to ignore.

"She's not gone Erin." He said, referring to Nadia. "She's only a few blocks away."

"I know." Erin said her going quiet. "It's just, really quiet."

"You'll be surprised how quickly you'll adapt to the peace and quiet." Jay assured her. "And you'll see her all the time at work."

"I know that." Erin stated. "We're meeting up for dinner tomorrow. Burgess is joining us. We're having Mexican so you know what that means..."

"I know, I know...I'll be at the gym Monday morning, sparring, helping you burn off the calories of the burrito." Jay answered.

"I have the best house husband ever!" Erin teased.

"Yeah, you got lucky." Jay teased back. "You're definitely punching above your weight."

"I think it's the other way round hubby." Erin replied, laughing.

Jay looked over his shoulder as he heard Allie murmur. "Erin, it's getting late. I'm going to have to go soon." He said. "Are you okay?" He could hear her sigh.

"Yeah, of course." She replied. There was a pause. "Thanks for having my back...partner."

"It's what I'm here for." Jay replied. "Sleep tight."

"You too." Erin replied, before hanging up.

Jay sighed and placed his cellphone on the coffee table. He knew Erin wasn't really okay but she would be with time. He stood and walked back into the bedroom.

To be continued...