A/N: So, hey. Yeah, another one shot lmao. I was nervous for this one but I've always wanted to write something in between season 2 and 3 so here it is. Some stuff has been tweaked as you'll notice to fit in with what I'm writing. This is based on Ed Sheeran's song "The A Team."

White lips, pale face

Breathing in snowflakes

Burnt lungs, sour taste

She takes a drag.

The light snow falling coats everything around her: the road; the sidewalk; the greenery. It's an early spring storm —practically unheard of at this time of year—but like everything else in her life, what else could go wrong? Her car is out of gas, she can't afford rent for the next month, and she has no job.

Thankfully her insurance company (and Voight) had funded her new vehicle after the incident with Yates. But in a couple of months, she wouldn't be able to pay the insurance fee itself so her SUV would be rendered useless.

Another drag.

This time she notices the pale skin of her hand. It shakes as it lowers the cigarette back down to her side. It's a stark contrast to the black nail polish on her fingers. Suddenly, she's hit with a memory. Camille is knocking gently on her bedroom door. It's her new safe space—somewhere that she can call her own and have privacy.

Camille's warm smile elicits a feeling of happiness in her body. It's a new feeling —something she's never experienced. "I got you these." The older woman says as she holds out a few glass bottles. Camille sits down on the bed next to her, her smile now unsure; she's nervous. Hesitantly, Erin takes the small bottles out of her new guardian's hand and inspects them.

Nail polish.

Burgundy, navy blue, grey, and black.

"You've always got black nail polish on." Camille says, chuckling a little. "I understand if that's the colour you like most but for nails it's such a depressing shade don't you think?" There's a pause, Camille is still searching for the right words to say. "I tried to get some darker ones that you may want to try. If you don't like them we can get different ones but I got a black one just in case." The older woman watches hesitantly before slowly getting up from the bed. "I'm going to go finish dinner, it'll be ready soon."

When the door closed with a soft thud, Erin admired the bottles more. She was still on edge in the Voight house no matter how much they tried to reassure her. She was waiting for the shoe to drop—for them to decide she wasn't worth it like everyone else in her life had decided. But it was getting more difficult to hold back. Especially with Camille.

She quietly made her way into the bathroom adjacent from her room and closed the door behind her. When she turned on the light she was shocked to see the nail polish remover left in a blatantly obvious spot on the counter top. It was usually kept under the sink but Camille must have moved it.

She must have known.

After about 15 minutes, Erin left the bathroom and made her way down the stairs. She could hear Camille humming as she finished up dinner preparations. As Erin walked into the kitchen, she made her way over to the cabinets that housed the dishes. The burgundy polish shined as the light from the pot lights shined down. In her periphery, Erin could see a small smile on Camille's lips.

It was the first time her nails weren't black.

"Hey Erin!" She's brought back to reality when she hears her name being called out. "C'mon! The party is here!" The man who was yelling out to her points over his shoulder at a group of five individuals noisily making their way into the lobby of her apartment. They're all friends of her mother's —ones she doesn't like —but it's better than the empty sound of her apartment, one that used to be full of laughter and sexual tension.

Light's gone, day's end

Struggling to pay rent

Long nights, strange men

She watches the snow continuing to fall from her apartment now. It's warmer here, but it won't be for long. She'll probably just get kicked out after not paying her rent and someone new will come to inhabit her safe space. Maybe she could sell some of her stuff to keep herself afloat for longer.

The night is dark, the clouds cover any light that would usually be provided by the moon. The lights are off in other apartments around her meaning that it's a late hour—or maybe an early one.

Slowly, Erin turns around to take in the sight of her apartment. It's littered with garbage, food, and her mother's acquaintances. They won't be here much longer. When she can't keep the electricity on, they'll move somewhere else. But for right now, all the money she had in her savings keeps them entertained.

She sneaks a glance at the clock and notices it's 3:30 in the morning. Soon, neighbours of hers will be awake—keeping their lives together unlike her. She'll be going to bed hopefully soon to sleep off whatever she put into her system that day only to wake up and repeat the cycle.

In her periphery, she sees someone approaching. He's tall and skinny with shaggy brown hair. He's wearing dark jeans and a white t-shirt even though it's below freezing outside. As he gets closer, she can smell the alcohol reeking off him. He stands right in front of her to get her attention. When Erin meets his gaze, she almost rolls her eyes.

"Hey." He greets timidly.

"Hey." She replies, unimpressed.

"How about we get out of here and go have some fun?" He removes a baggy from his pant pocket and shows her the white powder inside. He's got a confident smirk on his lips now. Her memory takes her back to that night with Landon, the night with the same white powder on his coffee table. She can even see his face on the stranger now. They wear the same smug smile.

And then for the slightest second, she sees his face.

Erin breaks herself away from the man, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. She can feel the onset of a panic attack —her hands are shaking even more than they were before; her face is heating up; and she can't breathe.

She's stuck in her daydream

Been this way since eighteen

But lately her face seems

Slowly sinking, wasting

Crumbling like pastries

She can hear her mother calling out to her as she runs into the ensuite, shutting the door behind her. The sounds around her are suddenly a mumble and so far in the distance. After switching on the light, she splashes some water onto her face. The shock of the ice cold splatter helps her to calm down a little and she turns off the tap.

She releases a deep sigh as she straightens and looks at herself in the mirror. Her skin is pale—almost like the snow falling outside. It's blotchy in some parts and she remembers the healthy glow she used to have. The dark circles under her eyes are such a dark purple that they're almost black. Her cheeks sink in so much that her cheekbones are pronounced and it makes her eyes pop out, but not in a good way. The glimmer and light that was once there is gone. The woman standing in front of her is not her—instead it's the vulnerable teenage girl she worked so hard to not bring back. The sight horrifies her. How did this all happen so fast?!

And they scream

The worst things in life come free to us

And then she remembers. It's because of her mother.

Ripped gloves, raincoat

Tried to swim and stay afloat

Dry house, wet clothes

Loose change, bank notes

Weary-eyed and dry throat

There's a commotion outside, forcing her away from the mirror. The sight of her face is still fresh in her memory as she makes her way out towards the front door. She spots her mother arguing with whoever is on the other side and for the faintest second, Erin hopes it's somebody for her —that it's somebody there to rescue her.

But then the words become clear and she realizes the argument is about money. She's glad she had her gun in her waistband all night because she really wants to resolve this problem as fast as she can so she can go to bed. She's suddenly feeling very tired and all she can think about is going to sleep.

"You got thirty bucks?" Her mother asked her impatiently. "I'm good for it." Erin handed over the bills to Bunny with a huff, not even surprised.

When they made their way back into the apartment—drugs in hand—Erin's mother pushed a couple of pills into her hand. "You need to dull the edge." Bunny laughed as she swallowed a couple of pills herself.

At that moment, something shifted in Erin's mind. It was so sudden—maybe it stemmed from the way Bunny carelessly handed her the pills; what had she done to herself?!

"Hey, where are you going?" Bunny called out to Erin as she made her way back to her room, pills in hand. The sound of her mother's voice turned into background noise as the commotion in Erin's mind took over.

Now more than ever, she wished there was a door to her bedroom to grant her some privacy. When she first saw the apartment, she had decided that nobody would infringe on her personal space so she didn't need a door.

But now her apartment was full of people she didn't know—people just like her. Druggies, alcoholics, people who didn't have much in their lives.

She longed for the quiet nights in after a long day of work; curling up on the couch with a blanket while reading a book or mindlessly watching TV was priceless.

Tears pooled in Erin's eyes and as hard as she fought to not let them fall, they did.

And they didn't stop.

She doesn't know how long she stayed in her room —crying by herself—before she grabbed a hoodie and made her way towards the front door.

Nobody—not even her mother—batted an eye in her direction. Her periphery was covered by the hood over her head, so she wasn't sure if anyone watched her leave. The door clicked softly behind her and as she loitered in the hallway, she released a deep breath.

She had nowhere to go, nobody on her side. Drugs and alcohol had taken over her life in the last two weeks and the only reason her apartment was flooded with people was because she funded their addiction.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she called the elevator and she regretted not ingesting the pills her mother gave her —she did pay for them after all. They burned a hole in her pocket and as much as she needed them, she knew she probably shouldn't.

It would only make her thoughts more incoherent.

When she got outside of her building, she sighed deeply. The air from her mouth evaporated into the sky. Even though she was outside, she felt claustrophobic—like the world was closing in on her.

Erin moved away from her building slowly, unsure of where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away from there—away from all the noise and negative influences.

The light sweater she wore wasn't doing much in order to keep her warm. The thought of turning back to get a heavier jacket crossed her mind but seeing everyone in her space felt so unappealing to her; so she continued to walk.

There was no destination in mind when she left her apartment—where could she go anyway?

Maybe a bar where nobody could find her. She didn't have much money on her but she could afford a beer, and at least it would be warm in a bar. But then she remembered it was way too late for bars to be open; it was a weeknight after all.

It was as if her subconscious was what drove her to walk because she had been checked out the entire time. She didn't see the buildings she walked past or the cars that drove slowly across the snowy road.

Both her mind and body were in a daze.

She didn't feel the door against her knuckles as she quietly rapped against it.

But the one thing that did register in her brain—the one thing that could always wash a sense of warmth and safety over her body—was the sight of baby blues.

He had never seen her in such rough shape.

Her skin was almost white; her cheeks hollow; and he's pretty sure she lost weight within the last two weeks he saw her. When his hand rested on her low back, he could feel her shivering.

She was so vulnerable and fragile he was afraid he'd break her.

Jay brought her into his bathroom before turning on the water to his shower —letting it warm up. He helped her strip from her clothes —the ones soaking wet from the snow outside—before he let her get into the shower.

When he picked up her clothing from the ground, he noticed something fall from her pocket. Upon closer inspection, he saw two white pills. Erin's attention wasn't on him so he quickly picked them up and discarded them into the toilet, flushing them down.

He went back into his bedroom and grabbed a towel and some of his clothes. She would be drowning in them —especially now—but there was no alternative.

By the time he returned to his bathroom, Erin was finishing up.

"I got you some things." His voice is gentle. He's scared that if it rises she'll back away from him —that she'll run.

She doesn't say anything, she just nods her head in reply as she reaches out for the clothes in his hands. After towelling off quickly, she wore the clothes that smelled distinctly like Jay. The smell was overwhelming; it was as if her brain had forgotten the smell in the last couple of weeks. Anytime they were near each other, his smell would intoxicate her—whether in the bullpen, the breakroom, or the car.

After she finished getting dressed, Erin looked at herself in the mirror. The sight staring back at her matched the one she saw back at her apartment. Suddenly she began to feel self-conscious. Jay had never seen her in such a state. He had never seen her at such a low point in her life. Maybe she shouldn't have come.

She spent a few more minutes in the bathroom before hesitantly making her way out of the bathroom. Jay had given her some privacy while she got dressed and she found him sitting on the couch. His hair was sticking up in multiple directions and his eyes looked tired. As if she had any more reasons to feel bad, she felt worse when she realized she probably woke him up from a deep sleep.

"I can take the couch?" He offered.

"Don't be ridiculous." Her voice rasped. "We can both take the bed. Nothing will happen." She reassured.

A soft smile spread on Jay's lips and Erin was sure her heart skipped a beat when she saw it. He still had the same effect on her as before. She was sure he'd have that effect on her for the rest of her life.

Carefully, they climbed into bed together. They lay awkwardly and stiffly, listening to each other breathing.

Jay debated with himself before finally shifting. Hesitantly, he moved his hand under the blankets towards her. Even while blind, he found her hand and intertwined their fingers. He held his breath expecting her to disengage their hands, but when she squeezed gently, he relaxed. He squeezed back, hoping to provide her comfort. Soon after, her breathing evened out and she was asleep.

He followed not long after.

Her sleep was fitful.

There were a few times she woke in the night—drenched in sweat—no doubt from her body aching from a fix. Any small movements made by her woke up her bed mate, so she tried her best to reassure him every time.

At about eight in the morning, Jay carefully left the bed, not wanting to wake Erin up. He wasn't fully rested due to her late night—or early morning—visit, so he called out of work for the day to catch up on some sleep.

And to keep an eye on her.

Jay knew that Erin loved whenever he made breakfast the morning after spending the night together so he set out on his task. He was thankful that he had gone grocery shopping a couple of days ago and his fridge was stocked with her favourites.

He began mixing the pancake better first while he let the skillet heat up. On the side, bacon sizzled in a pan with scrambled eggs in another. Jay wasn't sure about how much of an appetite Erin would have, but based on how skinny she looked, he knew she wasn't eating enough.

While he waited for the pancakes to brown on one side, Jay started the coffee machine. After scooping in a couple of spoons of coffee, he decided to add extra to make it stronger for her. Before her spiral, she liked it strong and he knew she'd need it more than ever now.

Just as Jay began plating the food, he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind him. If it wasn't for his detective instincts, he probably would've missed it. He froze, not knowing what to say or do. He knew he was scared—any wrong move or anything said the wrong way would send her running. Erin pushed up the sleeves of the shirt Jay gave her as he turned around but they continued to fall back down to her wrists.

"Hey." Jay said; a safe greeting. "I made breakfast if you want to eat."

"Yeah...Sure." Erin replied, a small smile gracing her lips. She could feel the nerves radiating off of him and instantly felt bad, but she understood why. Let him in.

She sat down at his table and he placed a full plate in front of her. Erin knew she wouldn't finish more than half of the food, but Jay went through the trouble of preparing it for her. She picked up a strip of bacon and took a bite—chewing slowly—as Jay placed a cup of coffee in front of her. After a couple of minutes, he joined her on the other side of his table.

They ate quietly and by the time Jay had finished eating, Erin wasn't even half done. She pushed the food around her plate for most of the time before she ultimately pushed the plate away. Finally, she gained enough courage to look up and towards the man sitting across from her.

His gaze was just as piercing as it always had been, but there seemed to be some sadness behind them. He looked tired—and anxious. She looked away to grab her cup of coffee and his eyes followed her shaking hand. Taking a risk, Jay reached out and rested one of his hands against her free one before squeezing. After a beat, she squeezed back.

"Not going into work today?" It sounded as if she had a cold, her voice was deep and raspier than usual.

"Decided to take the day off." At his reply, Erin's head shot up. "Relax. I didn't tell Voight." He reassured.

"Has he said anything?" She asked timidly. The last time Erin saw her father figure and boss, she was drunk and handed over her badge. She was sure she wouldn't have her job back. Ever.

"He put you on three weeks furlough. He also said that you'll come back when you're ready."

Erin nodded in reply, thinking about his words. There was no way she'd be able to clean herself up in a week. She needed to detox and possibly check into rehab. If her mother was around her, she would need a safe space in rehab for sure. "Thanks for letting me spend the night, I really appreciate it."

Jay held his breath, knowing that she would leave now. He was hoping she'd stick around.

"I-I don't really know what to do now." Erin confessed. "My apartment isn't the best place I should go. There's a lot of people there… People I don't really know." Her mind went back to the man from the night before.

"How about you let me handle that?" Jay said with some conviction in his voice. "You should be resting." He stood from his seat and gathered their dishes before he started cleaning them. Meanwhile, Erin finished her cup of coffee and headed to the couch before she turned on the TV. She was instantly hit with a memory of watching a Blackhawks game with Jay during the playoffs—when things were normal. There was a longing for a moment like that again.

When Jay finished the dishes, he made his way into the bedroom and got dressed. He clipped his gun to his waist before grabbing his badge and putting it around his neck. Then, he slipped on his boots simultaneously while putting on his jacket.

Erin's confused gaze met his when she noticed his badge dangling against his chest. "I thought you weren't going to work?"

"I'm not." Jay replied matter-of-factly as he walked closer to her. "I just need to run an errand and I'll be back. Try to get some sleep."

Jay took out his keys from his pocket as the elevator doors opened up to the third floor. They had given each other keys to each other's apartments just in case of an emergency.

No time like the present.

When he opened the door, he was overcome with a smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and vomit. As he stepped inside the foyer, he took in the few people scattered across the living room, fast asleep. Walking further into the apartment, he noticed Bunny in Erin's bed, an empty glass and a pill bottle next to her on the table.

Jay couldn't help but to see red.

"Alright, everybody out!" He shouted. More than half of the strangers startled awake and when they noticed the cop in the apartment, they scrambled out. He woke up the few that were still passed out and told them to get lost before making his way over to Bunny who was rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" She screamed at the detective. "You have no right to be here!"

"I have as many rights as you do to be here." Jay snapped back. "I'm going to give you 30 seconds to get out of here before I slap some cuffs on you and let you sit the day in a cell."

"You can't do that! You have no reason." Bunny yelled back. Jay only glared at her, prompting her to try him.

"Listen." Jay's voice dropped. "If I see you near Erin again, I will bury you somewhere that nobody will find you. If I even get a feeling that you're contacting her in any way, I'll make sure you never see the sun again."

"I'm not scared of you, Jay." Bunny taunted.

Jay chuckled condescendingly. "You may not be scared of me, but I know you're scared of Voight." He threatened. When he noticed the colour drain away from Bunny's face, he smiled. "Try me." He stated. Quickly, Bunny grabbed her belongings and rushed towards the front door. When she slammed the door behind her, Jay finally took in the apartment.

It was trashed to say the least. Sighing deeply, he removed his jacket and hung it up in Erin's closet—somewhere that he wouldn't forget it. He moved over to the bathroom and grabbed cleaning supplies before he started to gather all the garbage and bottles.

Two hours later, Erin's apartment didn't have a speck of dust. Jay stood around and admired his work before he returned to the bedroom and grabbed a duffle bag. He put in some clothes and necessities for Erin, hoping she would be willing to stay with him for a while. When he finished, he pulled on his jacket and made his way out the door, making sure to lock it first.

On his way home, he stopped by the grocery store to grab some of Erin's favourites and some things that could settle her stomach. Crackers, ginger ale, ingredients for chicken noodle soup, and a chocolate bar.

When he returned back to his apartment, he found Erin passed out on his couch so he tried his best to keep quiet. He put away the groceries and put her duffle bag in his bedroom. While Erin continued to sleep, he made a simple lunch that she would hopefully have an appetite to eat. Jay had never helped someone detox and he was a little bit scared. He knew if he reached out to Voight that the sergeant would help, but Jay didn't want to clue him in until Erin was ready.

Just as lunch had finished simmering—chicken noodle soup from scratch—Erin awoke from her slumber. At first, she was confused as to where she was. And then she saw Jay's comforting smile greeting her from the doorway to the living room. A wave of relief washed over her when she saw him.

They sat side-by-side, eating the soup Jay made, just like all those times before. Just like the times Erin had been thinking about earlier that morning.

Later that night—after Erin had showered and changed into clothes Jay had brought her—they both lay in Jay's bed, looking up at the ceiling in the dark.

"Thank you. For everything." Erin said into the night, trying her best to sound sincere. "I don't have much in my life that matters to me or things that are worth it. But you're the most important thing in my life." She sighed deeply. "I'm sorry for what I put you through these past couple of weeks. I should've known that you'd always be there for me and that you'd always help. But instead I went off to my mother…"

"Erin, it's okay." Jay turned so he was facing her. He could faintly make out the outline of her face in the dark. "We all make mistakes sometimes. What's important is that you're here now."

She also turned so that they were face to face. It was hard to see each other due to the darkness, but the feeling of closeness was enough comfort.

Jay placed a kiss on Erin's forehead before bringing her into his embrace.

As Erin felt his hand run up and down her back, she knew she'd always have a home with him. Somewhere safe where she was free from judgment for the choices she made in her life.

A/N 2: Thank you for reading my one shot! Leave a review please!