"I'd love to see what you do with Linstead" – UKgirl71

This is set early in season two prior to cannon Linstead, it's an idea I had a while back but never got around to writing properly. Feels a little OC but these aren't my usual characters…

Dedicated to UKgirl71 for the 600th review on Baby Severide and all the others, I greatly appreciate your support and hope that you enjoy this.

Warning: Course Language

Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago PD or any of the wonderful characters. I'm just having fun with them. Any mistakes are my own.

"Jay please" Erin requested, eyeing him carefully as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, ready for anything.

"I can't." Her blue eyed partner replied adamantly, retreating another half step. He was quickly running out of room in the boxing ring. It wasn't the response she was after so she swung at him, it was weak and he easily deflected. He hadn't seen her other hand moving though, connecting squarely with his jaw. "Hey!" He complained, taking another step back.

"Hit me!" She demanded fiercely, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her gloved hand as she advanced towards him. Continuing until he was cornered, she was tired of the stupid dance they were doing, ready to end things.

"Don't… please" He pleaded, trying to make himself as small as he could up against the corner post. Keeping his hands raised, moving them rapidly to protect himself as she worked to land another blow. Jay took the chance to look past their hands to her face, her determined expression told him everything he needed to know. As if he was accepting his fate the loss of focus allowed her to an opportunity to slam her knuckles into his stomach.

"Pathetic" She spat at him, he knew exactly what she meant. Keeping your core tense was the most basic principle in any form of hand to hand combat. He wasn't thinking of it as a fight though, he didn't want to.

"Lindsay. Please. You win" He surrendered weakly.

"No! You sexist bastard. HIT ME!" Erin argued forcefully hoping to drive him to lash out with words since her physical attacks seemed to be going nowhere. Barraging him with punches, varying location and strength to keep him on his toes, still no indication he was going to retaliate.

"Yeah! Hit her!" Adam Ruzek called encouragingly from somewhere to her right.

"I'm not going to hit you" Jay informed softly, for her ears only, not even flinching when he couldn't block in time, earning another firm hit to the right side of his face.

"Why not?" Erin hissed back, determined to continue until he landed at least one punch.

"Erin" He groaned, letting his arms fall to his side in yet another attempt to concede. Thinking the whole thing was a stupid waste of time. He was done. Erin lowered her hands for a moment, stepping forward until they were almost chest to chest, extending her right hand to rest on his shoulder before looking up. He expected her to say something venomous, the dark and dangerous look in her eye indicating she was beyond frustrated. Instead she moved in a blur kneeing him in the groin, slamming her left fist just below his sternum to force the air from his lungs, releasing the steadying hold of her right hand she stepped back to admire her handiwork. He gasped as he fell, only just catching himself on the ropes to remain on his feet, refusing to acknowledge the pain.

"YES!" Ruzek cheered, far more enthusiastically than was appropriate given his colleague had just been hurt. He should have been able to empathise, having carried on extraordinarily after his run in with Nadia.

"Shh" Dawson ordered, thumping the younger man's upper arm without taking his eyes off the pair in the ring. Jay was still recovering, Erin watching and waiting, bouncing to keep warm.

"I have that on video" Ruzek informed in a rough but triumphant whisper. "I thought they were going to kiss" He justified smugly, shaking his phone in celebration.

"What?" Dawson demanded, offering a disapproving look before refocusing, watching their nominated referee step in.

"I think you've won" Olinsky told Erin, placing his hand on her shoulder to keep her from lurching forward and attacking her opponent while he was down. That was the way she had chosen to think of Jay, her adversary rather than her ally for the first time since they had been partnered together.

"No, I haven't" She dismissed angrily, shrugging his hand off before moving to pepper punches all over his body, he repeatedly failed to bring his gloves up in time. She didn't care. She wasn't going to stop now.

"Erin" Olinsky tried to reason, she was usually Lindsay to him and for a moment he thought it was enough to get through to her.

"You know the rules Al" She shook her head, gesturing for him to get out of the ring and out of the way. She knew she was poking the bear now, tapping her partner's cheek repeatedly, just hard enough for it to start to burn. Jay simply reached out pushing her back a little when he'd had enough. "Better" Erin nodded encouragingly, taking another step back she was pleased when he advanced, thinking she might actually be getting to him. "Anytime you're ready" She added impatiently when Jay looked to Olinsky hopefully allowing her to punch him in the face, harder this time, enough to make him wobble for a second, the world spinning around him.

"I'm not going to hit you" Jay sustained.

"Just once" She practically begged, looking to the silent third party in the ring. Alvin knew exactly what her glance was saying: 'That's the rule we all agreed to.' One punch from each opponent or they had to restart, initially decided upon to even the playing field given Antonio's years of experience of sparring.

"No"

"Nobody ever tells you the second half of the rule, you can't hit a girl unless they ask for it" She provided, it was childish but she needed him to know it was more than that. He wasn't hitting a girl, he was hitting a willing participant in a sparring match, the fact she was female shouldn't have any bearing on his conduct.

"Don't be stupid" He growled, the first flicker of anger in his eyes not missed by her.

"I'm not" She defended instantly. "You are though. Hit me once and this'll all be over" She encouraged, pleased with the low level aggression he was now showing, advancing another step towards her. "I'll win the money and shout a night at Molly's" She added, wondering why she had ever agreed to the competition in the first place. It was something Adam had suggested on a rainy day when they were stuck at the district doing paperwork. They'd rigged the draw to handicap Antonio and got a few uniforms in to make things interesting, though the patrolmen had soon learned they were well out of their league, even with Lindsay. There wasn't much of a prize, some cash and infinite bragging rights, she'd agreed only because she thought it could be good exercise.

"What's the point?" Jay demanded, taking a similar line of thought to her. He saw absolutely no reason why they couldn't call it a draw and spend the prize pool at Molly's.

"If you don't hit me I'll have to fight Antonio; I'll never win and he'll have no issue hitting me" Erin summarised rationally, another strategy, she nodded encouragingly, seeing her logic starting to get through to him. Combined with his frustration maybe it would be enough.

"So you're saying I'd be doing you a favour?" He questioned, frowning at the way she had managed to turn the situation around.

"Yes, it's the gentlemanly thing to do" She enthused.

"This is so twisted" He groaned, trying to block out everything and think it through.

"Just fucking hit me already!" She commanded. If he took much longer she wouldn't be able to have the bath she'd been looking forward to all day, or paint her nails.

"You've won" He granted, tapping her on the shoulder as lightly as he could manage. Smiling at what he thought was a stroke of genius.

"The rules require one decent punch from each person, that's why I let Ruzek punch me before I dropped him" She explained, but it was too late, she's lost him right around the word punch.

"I'm done" Jay shrugged, turning his back to her, moving to follow Olinsky who had climbed out while they were conversing. Her first kick got him in the back of the knee, almost tripping him, he hadn't been expecting it, but kicking was well within the rules. The second was higher, literally kicking his ass. He stumbled and twisted, capturing her right foot in rough hands, he'd perfected this move with his brother as a kid, refining it during his early days of military training. Forcing her to hop awkwardly to remain balanced, pulling her in while twisting her leg anticlockwise, her leg muscles screaming in protest. It hurt. Shocked, that was when their eyes met, Erin immediately sensing that her partner was gone. She'd been trying so hard to get him to snap, not realising how utterly terrifying it would be when he did. He gave her leg another tug, eyes cold and calculating. Erin didn't know what to do, how to make him stop. Arms flailing wildly as she struggled to stay upright, she had no chance to protect her face. He drew his arm back, time standing still as his black glove neared at an alarming rate. She barely had time to close her eyes and turning away or deflecting the blow were out of the question. The force of the impact was sufficient that her head snapped back, timed with the release of her leg such that she fell uncontrollably to the floor. He turned before seeing that though, over the ropes and passing their spectators before the thud reached his ears.

"What the hell man?!" Dawson demanded, already rushing forward to see if Lindsay was alright.

"Dude! Voight is going to kill you" Ruzek added unhelpfully as Jay continued to flee towards the change rooms, looking back for a split second.

"You okay?" Antonio asked as he stepped into the ring, Alvin was standing over the dazed detective. Erin wasn't sure if it was really that solid a punch or if she was just stunned it had happened at all, sitting up slowly. "Erin?" He prompted when she didn't answer, offering her a hand up.

"Fine" She snapped the moment she released his hand, not entirely confident she would remain upright but stubborn enough to refuse help.

"I'll get you some ice" He comforted, wanting to stay with her but the only one who knew his way around the gym, Alvin and Adam both just standing there. All four were finding it difficult to process what had just happened.

"It's fine" She assured with her best attempt at a smile, thrusting her hand at him so he could undo the Velcro of her glove instead. Only once her hands were bare did she risk touching her face, pain setting in she could almost feel the bruising and swelling around her eye.

"You sure?" Alvin asked, seeing through her façade. She gave a sharp nod, though that made her feel like being sick and spread the pain from localised to a full on headache, and climbed out, doing her best to hide her limp, leg aching.

"So who won?" Was the last thing she heard from the men, Ruzek ever curious; following in the footsteps of her partner, a speedy retreat towards the change rooms. They were the only people there so the women's change room was empty, she stripped off her sweaty outer layer, stuffing clothes into her bag before rifling through for something to change into, form fitting black yoga pants and her button down from work the first appropriate items she touched. Her hands were shaking too severely to do up the buttons and after a moment she gave up and left them open, sports crop and a fair bit of skin on display. She needed to get out of there though, only just holding it together as it was.

Barging out of the change rooms she collided with a solid wall of muscle, instant recognition followed by a hasty retreat the sequence the partners both opted for. Erin pushed past and headed for the exit, determined to get as far away as possible as quickly as possible. Not bothered that he was deathly pale and reeked of vomit. She didn't want to see him again anytime soon, she didn't want to see anyone. Jay hung back, the shadow around her eye evidence that his nightmare was real, not sure he wouldn't be sick again he leaned lightly against the change room door. Watching her carefully as she crossed the open space and disappeared out the exit, as much as she was trying to hide it he knew her well enough to see the change to her stride, pushing backward as he tried not to be sick right then and there.

Erin reached her car in seconds, tossing her bag across to the passenger seat as she started the engine, pain radiating up her leg as she angled her foot to make the car move. Reversing out of the car space before turning out of the car park and speeding off down the road, ignoring the orange traffic light as she held her destination in mind. She stopped at a red but her weaving and speeding made her journey far from legal, or safe. Her apartment block grew larger as she neared, parking as close as she could to the door, hoping that the elevator wouldn't still be out of service, three flights of stairs particularly unappealing. Her knee throbbed each time she put her weight through it to haul herself up the stairs, head pounding synchronously. Stepping into her apartment she threw her keys and bag at the wall, sliding down the door, his betrayal stinging in her eyes. She had asked him to do it. After a moment she pulled herself up and started to remove her shoes, just in time it seemed.

"Who won?" Nadia chirped lightly, amusement clear in her voice, face falling as she took in her roommates appearance. Erin looked exhausted, eyes glistening with unshed tears, one surrounded by a bruise that seemed to darken even as she watched, strong hands shaking violently. "What happened?" She questioned, moving forward to provide comfort. Erin didn't want that though, accepting Nadia's caring meant accepting what had happened, she wasn't ready for that so she pushed past the young woman and made her way to the kitchen. Nadia followed in time to see Erin snatch the bottle of vodka from the bench and a bag of peas from the freezer. "You lost?" She asked cautiously, Erin gave a grunt then stomped her way to the bathroom, slamming the door shut before Nadia could follow her in there as well.

Erin sighed shakily as she sat on the edge of the bath, turning on the water and stuffing the plug into place while unscrewing the bottle of vodka with her left hand. A skill she wasn't usually proud of. She took a gulp, cringing as the clear liquid burned its way to her stomach. With the bottle and peas set down on the ledge she stood and removed her clothes, leaving them where they fell, dropping her towel from its hook to the floor next to the bathmat. Watching it pool in a fluffy heap she noted her bruised ankle before lifting her good leg and stepping into the bath, not wanting to slip and injure herself further if her knee gave way. The water was hot, too hot. But she sat down in it anyway, letting pain signals overwhelm her brain as she leaned forward to add some cold water to the stream of pure hot. Sinking back she wished she'd grabbed a hair tie, brushing her hair aside before applying the frozen peas to her eye, inhaling sharply after swallowing another mouthful. Embracing the buzz and warmth spreading through her body, stilling her shaking hands but doing nothing for her racing mind. Yet. She'd get there soon enough. Until then she reflected on how royally she had fucked everything up, again. The Erin Lindsay specialty.

The bath almost overflowed she was so caught up, conflicted, confused. Why the hell did she feel like her heart had just broken? She turned off the taps and let some of the water out, dropping the peas and knocking the lid to the vodka bottle across the bathroom as she did so. "Ugh!" She groaned to herself as she flopped back, submerging herself completely until her lungs screamed and the urge to inhale increased. Drowning herself was just as tempting as drowning her sorrows, her will to live was too strong and soon she surfaced, gasping and coughing. Fishing out the peas she resumed her slump, sipping away at the vodka and icing her eye for as long as she could bear. Hours passed, the water cooled, the bottle in her hand got lighter and lighter, and an alcohol induced calm fell over her. She stayed lying in the bath until the last of the tepid water drained away, leaving the peas and half empty bottle in the tub as she got out, wrapping her towel around herself. She brushed her teeth half-heartedly and emptied her bladder before opening the door and trudging towards her bedroom.

"Oh good, you didn't drown" Nadia offered as she appeared at her own bedroom doorway, frustrated by the hours of not knowing.

"Shut up" Erin growled, pausing for a moment.

"I thought you were better than this" Nadia sighed, that seemed to get through to her. Erin looked up, gave a sad, sorrowful look, then entered her bedroom and slammed the door. Anger rising she was soon tearing apart her room, not randomly though, in search of something. Every drawer she had was emptied onto the ground, clothes on hangers from her wardrobe crumpling as she threw them carelessly, one thing on her mind. It had to be somewhere. She knew she still had it. Then she found it, in her washing basket, grey and soft and warm. Her towel was somewhere beneath the mess, forgotten, she pulled on the t-shirt. His t-shirt. She'd claimed it on an undercover mission, telling him it made their cover more believable, husband and wife. He'd thought it was stupid since someone busting in while they were sleeping was incredibly unlikely. Once he'd seen it on her though he'd stopped complaining, using their cover as an excuse to compliment her, they'd shared one of their looks before laughing it off, both knowing there was more to it. The fabric covered everything it needed to, comfortably loose on her smaller frame, adding a pair of underwear she crawled into bed and gave in to the absolute physical and emotional exhaustion she felt.

I have a second part written but I don't think it's as good, I'll post it at some point tomorrow. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.