Erin jerked awake and snapped open her eyes, glancing rapidly around the room to see where she was. She relaxed slightly when she recognized the soft curtains that covered the window and the silhouette of Camille's lamp, remembering that she, Jay and Kate were staying in Hank's house while their apartment was a crime scene. Her head was dully aching, but what had woken her up was the small body beside her. Kate normally slept peacefully when she was in her parent's bed, but the little girl appeared to be trapped in a nightmare, struggling against the comforter and emitting plaintive whimpers every so often. "Kate, baby." Erin gently rested a hand on her baby's shoulder, "Wake up, sweetheart, it was just a dream."
Kate's eyes bolted open as she scrambled against the sheets, looking around quickly at the room around her. There were faded posters on the wall and the window was shaking slightly from the wind. "We're at Grandpa Hank's house, in my old bedroom," Erin sat up, trying to comfort her terrified daughter, "We're safe, we're okay."
"Daddy." Kate erupted into sobs, "Where's Daddy?"
"He's in the other room, he's alright," Erin tucked Kate's hair behind her ears, the little girl still shaking, "You're here with me, it was just a dream."
"I'm sorry," Kate wept, covering her face with her little hands, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, you just had a nightmare baby." Erin shifted closer to her little girl, "It's perfectly alright for you to be upset."
"I'm sorry for being scared," Kate whimpered, fresh tears joining those that had already made their way down her flushed cheeks, "I-I-I'm tryin' to be b-brave."
"I know, sweetheart." Erin wrapped her arms around her quivering child, "I know, it's okay to be scared too. It was a pretty frightening day, huh?"
"I want Daddy to be here." The little girl burst into another round of sobs, "He c-can't be alone, he can't!"
"He's just down the hall, sleeping," Erin assured her, "He's safe in bed, you don't need to worry about him."
"No, no," Kate sobbed, "We gotta get him, bad things are gonna happen if we're not with him. You g-guys need to be 'gether, you're partners or they gonna hurt him like they hurt you!" With that, Kate dissolved into painful sobs, ripping Erin's heart from her chest.
"Oh sweetheart," Erin held her baby close to her chest, "I'm okay, I promise," She opened her mouth to continue, but a soft knock came at the bedroom door. Jay quietly stepped into the bedroom, wood floors creaking as he moved. He hadn't been able to stay asleep and had been woken up by his daughter's cries that penetrated the old walls. He padded across the floor, Kate's sharp pants punctuating the still air.
"I couldn't sleep without my girls," he whispered, sinking down on the bed beside Erin. He ran a hand over her hair, mussed from sleep.
"D-daddy," Kate sniffled, lifting her head off of Erin's shoulder, "You safe." She sounded incredibly relieved and exhaled deeply.
"I'm safe, Squirt." Jay nodded, kissing the top of Erin's head, "Can I snuggle for a bit?"
"Uh-huh." The little child relaxed immediately against Erin's chest as she scooted over to make room for Jay on the small full-sized bed. It was barely big enough for Kate and Erin, and adding Jay proved to be a tight squeeze. "C-can I give Daddy a hug?" Kate asked softly as he shifted closer to his girls.
"Of course, baby." Erin smiled sadly at her boyfriend and let him take the still-shaking child into his embrace. "See, Daddy's okay."
"I'm glad," Kate breathed, cuddling closer to her father, "I get worried when you don't got Mommy for back-up."
