────── LONELY HEART

chapter two

ii. History

TRUDY PLATT GREETED MARLOWE AND JAY as they walked through the front doors of the precinct. She was a tall and older woman with longer grey hair, but the woman was tough as nails and expected the upmost respect from her patrol officers. She was now the precinct's front desk sergeant, benched from taking a bullet from the hip, but the injury never deterred her passion for the job. Platt had seen a lot in her life as an officer other a bullet taking away her detective duties with her elderly father being murdered a year prior, several of her officers killed in the past few years, and having to endure Alvin Olinsky and Hank Voight the longest out of anyone in the Twenty-First.

Marlowe and Jay had stayed out by the river for about an hour until Jay had cried most of his frustrations out while she just sat there and listened. She had tried to con him into going home, but he assured her that desk duty was what he wanted to do for the rest of the shift.

When they got back upstairs, they went to their designated desks and sat down. Marlowe's eyes flickered to a photograph sitting next to her computer screen. A family portrait stared back at her, a beautiful tan and dark-haired woman held two children in her lap with a third child stood to her left smiling. The small girl that stood was the oldest Romero child, Brooklyn, who wore curled pigtails and a pale blue dress that day. In their mother's lap sat Marlowe who was around three, beaming brightly for the camera in a dusty yellow dress as she leaned forwards and held her jelly sandal clad feet. And next to her laid a sleeping baby boy, Cody, swaddled tightly in a white blanket. Their father, not pictured, had been in a business meeting while Gloria Romero sat happily with her children for their scheduled bi-monthly photo sessions.

That was when things were a lot simpler for the Romeros.

"It's really best if you get out of here, Jay," She heard Voight tell him.

Marlowe hummed in response, still looking at the photograph, "That's what I told him."

Jay sent a glare her way, this time free of any real anger, before responding to their sergeant, "I was told I could work desk duty."

The three of them perked up upon hearing footsteps come up the stairs.

"Sarge, caught a break at the mini mart," Hailey announced as she and Adam appeared, "The owner's wife knows Lil GG. His real name's Calvin Shaw."

Voight stepped forwards, looking pleased to finally hear some news after eight hours of struggling, "Get an address and an arrest warrant."

"It's already done," Adam told him.

"Good," Voight pointed to Kim, Kevin, and Marlowe, "All right, you three go

with Ruzek and Upton. Let's pay this Lil GG a visit."

Marlowe stood up from her seat, glancing at Jay with a tight smile as she hurried to follow behind the others. Adam patted her back as they descended down the stairs, sensing her anxiousness going out into the field. She spared him a thankful look as Hailey told Marlowe to ride in with her while the other three got into Kevin's car.

She was towards the back of the line going up the porch to Calvin Shaw's house, Kevlar vest tightly secured and gun in hand. Marlowe stood a few feet behind Kevin, so he had room to swing the battering ram back into the front door. On Kim's signal, Adam yelled "Chicago PD!" before Kevin cracked open the door, the rest of them begin to enter the residence. Marlowe followed the rest of the team through the house in their sweep, keeping her eyes and ears open for signs of anyone being home

"Got a body!" Hailey announced from one of the back rooms.

Adam nodded from an adjoint room, "All right, crossing."

He called that the house was clear as everyone else stood around the deceased man laying in the floor before them. He was black and looked to be in his mid to late twenties, and from the way he was laying looked like he was trying make a quick break from whoever had put two bullets in his head.

Kevin flipped the body over and lifted up the end of his shirt, but there was no bullet wound. He was not the one Jay had shot through that morning.

Marlowe sighed, holstering her weapon on her side.

"DOA is Calvin Shaw, AKA Lil GG," Kim told them after they arrived back at the office, "Two bullet wounds to the head, none to the abdomen, so he's not the guy Halstead shot, unfortunately."

Hank said from where he sat looking at the computer screen, "It sounds like Lil GG's

partner got nervous. Maybe blamed him for the CI leak."

Marlowe shrugged, "Maybe."

Hailey walked in from the hallway with a file in hand and a sarcastic smile on her face, "I was going over the evidence from Lil GG's place. There's a text message between him and the guy who got shot at the scene... James Pell, the guy who won't talk to us."

"The one from the hospital?" Marlowe asked.

"The very one."

Hank nodded, "Well, now we know why. Get his ass down here right now."

Hailey and Kevin basically dragged their guy in question in by the ear to the interrogation room. Voight had asked Marlowe to shadow the interview, something she happily agreed to do. They left their guns in the lock boxes by the door, Voight giving her a silent look that asked if she was ready. She nodded, holding the folder in her hands a little tighter.

"James Pell?" Hank asked as they entered the room, sitting down across the table from him, "We've been trying to talk to you."

"Like I told the other cops, I'm in pain from the shooting and focused on my recovery," Marlowe gave the guy an odd look as she dropped the folder on the table before hank, going to linger in the corner next to the door.

He was a normal looking guy, clear ebony skin and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a nice mustard colored button up and sat straight, hands folded on the table in front of him. James's voice was monotone and bored as he spoke, staring at Voight with no signs of telling them anything they wanted to hear.

"You were treated and released in fifteen minutes, I believe the world's record is ten," Voight looked amused as he crossed his arms over his chest, "How much pain could you be in?"

James shrugged, "I got nothing to say."

Voight stole a glance at Marlowe, "Look we just wanna talk about your friend Lil GG."

"I don't know anybody by that name."

"You were texting him this morning right before that shootout at the seminary."

James leaned forwards over the table, "I want a lawyer. Now."

Marlowe glanced at Voight who made no signs of budging from his spot.

"You deaf?" James asked with raised brows.

Slowly, Hank rose from his seat standing at the end of the table and starting down at the man.

"I said I want a damn lawyer," He repeated, "So go. Get out."

Voight nodded, grabbing the file from the table and gesturing to the door towards Marlowe. She complied, still looking at James as she pulled open the door. They left the hall, stopping to reattach the guns to their waists, and stepped into the office area.

Marlowe scoffed upon seeing Alderman Price standing there, with another man not too far behind him.

"Is James Pell in there?" He asked them as they emerged from the hallway.

Voight looked at him with furrowed brows, "I'm sorry. You are..."

"He's the guy I was telling you about," Alvin answered from where he stood leaned against the copier.

"Oh," Hank said looking between Al and Marlowe, "Yeah, he's back there."

Price looked unfazed, "Has he been arrested?"

"Nope."

"Then I suggest you release him."

"Says who?" Marlowe asked, looking at him with pursed lips and curious eyes.

He looked at her with an amused smirk, "Me."

Voight looked confused, "You know, I heard you were a politician. I didn't realize you were a lawyer too."

Price laughed dryly, "You don't have to go to law school to see that the Chicago PD is once again harassing an innocent man."

"He's free to go," Hank shrugged.

"Thank you, Detective..."

Voight interrupted, "Actually, it's Sergeant. Voight."

Marlowe watched with her arms crossed over her chest as the two men shook hands.

"Voight... Ray Price. Nice to meet you," He nodded, dropping his hand, "Now, I understand that your unit is under pressure for the unfortunate incident that happened at the seminary."

Alvin put a hand on Marlowe's shoulder as her mouth opened to speak. She glanced back at him with a pleading look, but he just shook his head.

"And I sympathize with that," He continued, "But do not harass the hardworking men and women of my ward."

A small smirk tugged at Voight's lips as he looked at Al, "That is a hell of a speech, Ray. It's too bad the cameras weren't rolling."

Alvin chuckled.

"They will be soon enough," Price told him, "Trust me on that."

Marlowe huffed at his play of a threat.

"Al, why don't you show these gentlemen back?" Voight asked him.

Alvin complied, waving an arm to show them the way back to the interrogation room.

"Ah, and Officer Romero," Marlowe stopped in her tracks from following Voight in the direction of his office, "Tell your father I say hello. Meetings are duller without him."

Marlowe gave the man a tight-lipped smile, "If I don't forget."

As Price and the other man disappeared with Alvin around the corner, Marlowe dropped the fake smile in to a look of annoyance. Voight let out an amused chuckle, handing her the file from where they were talking to Pell.

"Take that down to Platt to put into the interrogation log," He told her, "These new policies make my head spin."

Marlowe nodded, "Yes, sir."

Happily, she trotted down the stairs and pushed open the security gate. Her smile faded seeing Kevin and Adam on the other side of the front desk looking at the computer next to Sergeant Platt. She approached the desk slowly, examining their concerned faces closely.

"What's going on?" She asked, placing the folder down on the table next to the computer.

Trudy shook her head, still staring at the screen, "The media is having a field day with our boy Halstead."

Marlowe looked to Adam and Kevin, "What?"

"The ACLU and NAACP are now demanding that Chicago PD fire Halstead," Platt read one of the recent statuses.

Kevin narrowed his eyes questioningly, "Are you serious?"

"Have you talked to him?" Platt asked Marlowe, looking over the frame of her glasses as she picked up the folder.

She shook her head, "Not since before we left a couple hours ago, and he went home."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to give him a call."

Marlowe nodded, taking her cell phone out of her back pocket and scrolling through her contact list. She stood off to the side of the room as she pressed the device to her ear, tapping her foot anxiously as she listened to the line ring. And it continued to ring until it took her to his voicemail box, causing her to sigh.

"Well?" Adam asked as he and Kevin approached her.

She put her phone back in her pocket.

"No answer."

MARLOWE DIDN'T SLEEP WELL THAT NIGHT. She had to avoid her social media and phone calls during her time home that evening, her timelines filled of accusations and questions regarding Jay as well as the Intelligence Unit. Her own mother, who knew Jay, had even called to ask about the media twisting past actions that had nothing to with the present situation.

Jay had not been returning anyone's calls, but he had texted Marlowe the next morning while she was getting ready for work that he was fine and that was the end of the conversation. At least it let her know that he was still alive.

She found herself periodically looking up in the mirror as she stepped into her jeans, pulling the burgundy and white striped denim up her legs. A deep sigh left her lips as she grabbed her white t-shirt from the vanity to slip on over her head before tucking a couple loose pieces of her hair back into the neat knot on the top of her head. Leaving the room, she stepped into a pair of maroon sneakers and swiped her keys, purse, and leather jacket from the end of her bed.

Marlowe would not lie; she was concerned about him going off the deep end. What had happened was a horrible accident and Jay was going to have to live with that for the rest of his life. He, however, did not deserve what lies and allegations were being made up against him online and on the news, the team knew that, and she hoped he knew that despite the immense guilt he was feeling. Jay's badge, his careers as a veteran and a detective, and everything he stood for was all on the line.

And he would lose it all too if Alderman Price had anything to say about it.

So, she stood swaying tiredly with Hailey, Kim, and Voight as they waited for Adam and Kevin to return from a small undercover operation on a tip Hank said he had gotten from a CI about a guy named Marcus Kelly. He explained Marcus was interested in trading arms and had his CI set up a meeting with Adam and Antonio Dawson under cover.

Antonio was a former member of the Intelligence Unit that transferred over to the state's attorney's office a few months before. He was one of the original members of the unit, but before that he was a star cop that had put Hank Voight himself in cuffs.

Marlowe knew him and his younger sister Gabriella well. Antonio and she were close because of the friendship she had struck up with Gabby, who tended the bar at Molly's on the nights she was not helping fight fires. Antonio was a tough guy who had gone through tough things, recently divorced and on an unfair schedule to see his two kids. He was taller than Marlowe and broad, with dark hair he usually wore styled up.

They looked up when they saw Kevin approaching them from alleyway behind the bar, resting his hand on his cheek.

"We heard a scuffle," Voight raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, Ruzek clocked me as cover from Marcus's guy," Kevin half-laughed, "I'm good though. How they doing in there?"

"Pretty good," Hailey chirped from where she stood, leaning against the car.

"So how we gonna do this?" They heard Antonio ask Marcus from the transmitter hooked up to his wire, "Easy way or the other way?"

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about your brother and the other dude, but I don't know anything about no guns and no money," Marcus Kelly replied, "The best thing I can do is just offer a thousand."

Antonio scoffed, "For two lives and forty grand worth of merchandise?"

"Hey, look. It was crazy for me too," Was the reply he received, "I almost lost my life. Cops rolled up. Bullets started flying. The whole thing was just a mess."

Marlowe's eyes flickered up to Voight, "So it is him."

He nodded.

There was a small period of silence on the other end of the line.

"I appreciate your honesty, Marcus. A thousand it is."

Minutes later, the rickety blue van Adam and Antonio borrowed for cover came driving down the lot. The team grinned as the two men get out of the van and approached them with Voight praising Antonio happily as he drew closer. Kim stepped forwards first towards him, the pair of them hugging and greeting one another.

"Oh, look at you," Marlowe grimaced at the fake tattoos covering much of his arms and chest, "Whoever did that application job, sucks."

Adam scoffed from where he stood next to Kevin, "Hey!"

"Why am I not surprised?"

She and Antonio laughed before the two of them hugged as well.

He chuckled as he pulled back, "Look at you, rolling with the big leagues."

"Hell of a trip and its only day two," Marlowe's grin was large as she playfully punched his shoulder, "But it has to be more interesting then where you're at."

"You can say that again," He laughed, "How's your brother?"

Her smile wavered slightly, raising her shoulders in a shrug, "Still Cody."

Antonio gave her a pitied smile and rested a hand on her shoulder before turning to Voight, "You know, maybe I should stick around and help you bust this punk too. I'm on loan. Might as well get your money's worth."

"Sounds great," Voight shook his head happily, before extending his arm out in the direction of the blonde detective next to him, "Hailey Upton."

The two of them shook hands, Hailey grinning.

"Hey, nice to meet you," She told him, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Only the bad things," Marlowe added in, barely missing a playful punch thrown her way from Antonio, "Hey, I have to let people know about you ahead of time. Just in case you try to prove me different."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, you're real funny, Marlowe."

"All right, listen up," Voight raised his voice to get their attentions, "First we get a warrant. Then we grab Marcus... Let's go."

Marlowe and Antonio fist bumped as they turned into separate cars, "Nice to have you back around."

"Yeah," He snickered, "You too."

THEY ARRIVED AT MARCUS KELLY'S HOME AROUND MINDNIGHT FOR AN AMBUSH. Three cups of coffee and pure adrenaline were the only thing keeping Marlowe upright as she knelt down on the concrete slab and pulled the lockpick from her belt. She managed to pick the lock of the front door quickly and quietly, quickly grabbing her gun from where she laid it at her feet and falling back into position. She was lined up between Hailey and Kim, watching as Kevin popped open the door and let it silently open on its own.

Adam and Antonio were the first two to enter and sweep the entry room, the rest of them filing in silently towards the hallway. They were bathed in red light from various decorative signs in the house, contrasting with the white lights from the flashlights at the end of Antonio and Adam's guns and adding to the suspense Marlowe felt building.

There was a brief pause in their line, Adam motioning to movement from the small line of light under the door of the room directly across from them. Kim being the one to slowly move forwards and place a hand around the knob of the door. Slowly she turned the knob and pushed it open, revealing a confused little girl on the other side, holding onto a doll.

Quickly, Kim swept in and placed her hand over the child's mouth preventing her from screaming. They all lowered their weapons as Kim came though, quickly guiding the little girl out of the house and to safety.

They continued to the end of the hallway, Kevin taking the lead and kicking in the bedroom door. Their flashlights fell onto the startled forms of Marcus and his wife, scrambling in their bed.

"Gun!" Marlowe announced seeing Kelly reach for the pistol on the nightstand.

Adam intervened, swiping the gun from his grasp as Kevin yelled, "You don't wanna do that!"

Hailey escorted the wife, who was screaming out of the room, while Kevin kept Marcus flipped over on his stomach and cuffed his hands behind his back.

"Come on, you ain't got nothing better to do than running in my crib?" Marcus asked.

"You're under arrest, man," Kevin told him, tightening the cuffs before flipping him over to face them, "Shut your ass up."

Voight joined them in the room, "Hey, how you doing, Marcus?"

Marcus's shirt had ridden up some in the midst of him struggling revealing a piece of bloodstained gauze taped to the lower left-hand side of his abdomen.

"Sarge," Marlowe nodded towards Hank.

"What's this?" Voight asked, ripping off the patch to reveal a stitched-up bullet wound, "My goodness. Where'd you get that, playing polo?"

Marcus scowled at him, "Lawyer."

Marlowe rolled her eyes, "You can shove that word up your ass."

"Lawyer?" Hank asked before looking at Kevin, "Stand him up."

Kevin pulled him up to his feet, Marcus still grumbling, "I need my lawyer."

"Truth is, you're lucky," Hank told him as they stood face-to-face, "'Cause if you didn't have that bullet wound, I was gonna shoot you myself."

Marlowe sighed as Kevin pushed him towards the door, hoping that the fact they had Marcus Kelly off the street did something for Jay's case. Antonio patted her on the shoulder, softly telling her it was time to go home for the night. She happily agreed to that, holstering her gun, and following him and Adam out of the house.

Antonio dropped her off at her house after they had sealed Marcus in lockup, Marlowe giving him a tired smile as she got out of the passenger's seat. She pushed open the metal gate leading to the walk of her stoop, fumbling with her keys in the dark. Her shoulders slumped in relief as she unlocked the door, stepping inside her home and shut the door behind her. Marlowe chucked her shoes to the side and let her purse fall to the floor next to the couch, her body collapsing onto the piece of furniture with a thump!

Exhaling heavily into the linen cushion, Marlowe turned on her side and pulled her cell phone out. She sent a simple text of "We got him" to Jay before setting the device on the coffee table and rested her arm over her eyes. Marlowe fell asleep before she heard her phone buzz with a reply, curled up on her sofa hugging one of the throw pillows as she let the exhaustion of the last two days pull her into a deep, much needed rest.

"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME JAY HAS A PRESS CONFERENCE?" Marlowe asked, her phone placed against her ear as she fixed her hair in the mirror, "With Alderman Price?"

Hailey hummed from the other end of the line, "Yeah, I'm going to try and go. How about you?"

"Yeah, I can be downtown in a few," Marlowe agreed, "See he gets the support he needs in this."

"I hear that. I'll see you in a little bit, alright?"

"Alright."

Marlowe pursed her lips as she stared into the vanity mirror of her bathroom, huffing at the frizzed, dark curls. Deciding it would take too long to straighten them at that rate, she decided push them back out of her face with a simple grey headband that matched the plain t-shirt she wore.

She had not intended to go out any earlier than her plans to catch a couple drinks at Molly's later that evening since Voight had given them the day off, but if Price were holding a speech in Jay's name, she had to see it to believe it.

Marlowe exchanged her exercise shorts for a pair of denim ones and tucked her shirt. She kept it simple with a pair of white trainers for shoes and grabbed her purse from the end of her bed. Her badge and holster sat on her dresser alongside her jacket, Marlowe swiping up all three as she left.

The town house she owned was homey, but at times too lonely for the single person that occupied the large space. Sometimes she felt overwhelmed having three bedrooms, two baths, a large kitchen, and living room all to herself – and it was not even her choice to live there. It had been a gift to her from her parents, a congratulations on graduating in the top of her class from the academy. A nice town house in Lincoln Park for present and future uses they had told her, thinking it would be soon that she would settle down and have a family of her own.

Her parents even almost had their wish for a time, but the chance had left just as quick as it had come.

So her older sister, Brooklyn, and their mother spent weeks shopping for décor and furniture for her new house and helped her set up the space with hired help to move in the fixtures.

Marlowe never did relate to her family's love, mostly her father's, for flaunting their wealth, but Brooklyn never seemed to get enough of it. Even as an engaged woman living with her fiancé in Highland Park, Brooklyn inherited David Romero's love for investments. The eldest sibling owned several properties in her name and was in line to inherit the family company if something were to happen to Mr. Romero.

The most Marlowe invested her money in was her ungodly obsession with shoes, especially athletic branded ones, and groceries.

She spent more time in school playing sports as a hobby and excelling in academics as her focus while shopping was Brooklyn's hobby and she excelled in boys. As the two of them were not much alike as adolescents, the two sisters had a close bond with one another as adults. They had to be there for each other, more so in the last ten years than they had ever needed to be.

Marlowe left her home and locked the front door behind her, leaving through the iron gate that lined the front half of her property. She stepped out onto curb where her grey, polished Lexus sat next to the curb. She frowned to herself as she entered the driver's seat and pressed the start button for the engine, old memories flooding back as she saw the old polaroid of three children posed before a large house. Her life was a form of luxury some in the academy teased her for, some accused her of buying herself a badge and made the courses much harder than they were already.

She did not far down the street from where the conference was supposed to be, wondering down to the gathering crowd of spectators and reporters a few feet from where the podium was placed. Within the drawing crowd, looking through squinted eyes at the supporters gathering behind the Alderman was Voight. Marlowe smiled softly at him as she approached, standing to his right as several newscasters around them said they were ready to roll.

"You do this?" Marlowe asked him still surveying the gathering crowd.

He snickered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jay, dressed sharply in a baby blue button up with slacks and a grey blazer, stood a few persons behind Price, looking ahead with a stoic face. Marlowe tried to meet his eye, but he just stared past the cameras as the Alderman began to speak.

"Morgan Williams' senseless death has caused this city great distress and pain. And as a result, we've gone to great lengths to find someone to blame, someone to hate," Price lectured, "And no one has wanted to hate Detective Halstead more than me."

That statement earned a soft huff from Marlowe.

"But the more I learned about what actually transpired that morning, the more I'm convinced Detective Halstead did nothing wrong. In fact, his actions saved several lives... several black lives."

Hank leaned over towards Marlowe's ear, "I'll see you tomorrow, Marlowe."

She glanced away from the Alderman to smile at him, "Bye, Sarge."

It was not too long after Hank had decided to leave that the press session had wrapped up and the crowd began to dissipate from the street. Marlowe continued to linger, her arms crossed over her midsection and hip jutted out slightly to the side while she watched Jay and Price speak privately. Their moment ended with the Alderman glancing and gesturing in her direction, making Jay's eyes flicker towards her. Marlowe's brows furrowed as the two men shook hands and said goodbye, the younger of the two beginning to walk in her direction.

Marlowe ignored Price's wave to her and turned to walk alongside Jay, "What was that?"

"Told me I should probably come join you before you burned a hole in the side of his head with that stare," He lightly chuckled, earning a soft slap on the arm.

"How're you feeling?" She asked, glancing up at the side of his face.

"Still lost in it all," Jay's eyes flickered to the concrete below them, "One step at a time."

"Hey-" They glanced up to see an out of breath Hailey approaching them, "Sorry, I got here as fast as I could. It's over?"

Marlowe nodded, "Short and sweet."

"Yeah," Jay elbowed her, "just ended."

Hailey chuckled, walking alongside them, "How'd it go?"

"It was good," Jay answered, "Really good, actually. Price was very gracious... I'm not really sure what prompted all this, but..."

They stopped alongside his truck, Hailey giving him a soft smile, "Hey, take yes for an answer."

Jay merely shrugged.

"If there's anything you need, please let me know," Hailey told him.

Marlowe nodded in agreement as he stood in front of both of them.

"I'll be okay eventually," He tried to reassure them, "I think I just gotta make sense of all of it."

Hailey seemed to understand, "Yeah. It's tough. Trust me."

Both friends looked at her.

"Have you...?" Jay trailed off.

"Yeah," She answered truthfully, "Different circumstances, but... Talk to Morgan's mother yet?"

He looked frightened at the thought, "No. I don't think I'm ready."

"I don't think anyone could ever be ready for that, Jay," Marlowe told him, placing a hand on his arm.

Hailey agreed, "You just have to do it."

Jay thanked them both, both women lingering until he drove off. Marlowe watched after his truck, which he had finally got back from evidence, while Hailey examined Marlowe's expression.

"You think it's too early for happy hour?" She asked.

Marlowe turned to Hailey with an amused grin, "It's five o'clock somewhere."

She invited Hailey to ride with her seeing as her car was parked a few spots away from where they stood.

They chose Molly's, to spend the rest of their evening secluded in the back corner at a table for two. They drank beers and swapped stories of previous jobs and family coming up as well. Marlowe never really got the chance to know Hailey well one-on-one, they usually went out in a group off the clock, but that always seemed to be the point of her with anybody.

But the close to three hours they had spent together, drinking and laughing, was something Marlowe would become thankful for.

"So, with Jay," Hailey started taking her index from off the glass she was holding and pointed it at Marlowe, "Seems like you two are closer than I thought. You're good with him."

"He's the only person in Intelligence to have ever seen me ugly cry," Marlowe chuckled, "No, uh, Jay helped me through a really rough time. Guess I just picked up on some of his ticks along the way."

"He's been pretty fond of you since I first met him," The blonde nodded.

"I don't know if fond is how it's always been. Our first meeting ended with me telling him that he was just pretty boy cop and he needed to get his head out of his ass," Marlowe laughed softly as she looked down at her drink, "At the time I though 'how wrong could I be?' but as I've gotten to know him, I'll admit I was dead wrong."

"Really? You told him that?" Hailey asked giggling, followed by Marlowe nodding, "What did he do to you?"

"I think he just flirted with me in typical Jay fashion. You know that stupid series of not-so-smooth comments and winks... I had to have been having a bad day or else I probably would have taken him up on the offer," She admitted, sipping on her beer.

The two of them laughed, but Marlowe's faltered sooner than Hailey's had. The blonde examined her friend's now sad demeanor, watching her stare down at the alcohol swirling around in her glass.

Hailey raised an eyebrow, "You want to talk about it?"

Marlowe shrugged, "Jay just... He sort of felt responsible for me this past year- he had encouraged my ex and I to get together. Even set the two of us up on our first 'date' if you wanna call it that."

"No," The blonde stated, her mouth in an 'o' shape as she snickered.

"Oh, yes. He had this elaborate plan that we were all going to go for drinks at Molly's- Intelligence and patrol," She shook her head at the memory, "But he only told Greg and I and told the others they had better not dare to go to Molly's that night if they knew what was good for them."

Hailey cupped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter, "Oh my God."

"I think Erin teased him for playing matchmaker for months afterwards, but he did pretty well. Greg and I lasted for a little over three years... probably would have been longer," The frown had found away back onto Marlowe's lips, "Should have lasted longer..."

"You saw a future with this guy?"

"Yeah, and apparently everyone but him saw it too. It was one of the reasons Jay was so mad when Greg was so adamant in leaving to join the Rangers again. He asked him that day, right in front of me, 'why leave the only two things you have going for you?' Being his job and me, I guess," Marlowe's laugh was dry as she looked across the table, "But I owe a lot to Jay for helping me through this last year."

"Here's to Jay," Hailey proposed, raising her glass.

Tapping her drink against the blonde's, Marlowe smiled to herself, "To Jay."

as celebration of the completion of my junior year of college

season five, episode one (part two)

published ── 05.07.20